Chapter 33: Nahida 3

Because of Lin Feng's silence, Nahida realized she had lost control of her emotions. She tried to wipe away the tears spilling from her eyes, but to her surprise, the more she wiped, the more they flowed.

"Don't look this way..."

Realizing that she was in no state to be seen, Nahida lowered her head again, her voice thick with sobs. She was like a child who had been bullied and wanted to complain, only to be scolded by her parents; she trembled as she wept, eventually dissolving into aggrieved, low whimpers.

Lin Feng, who had always enjoyed teasing Nahida, did not disturb her as she vented her emotions this time. He simply sat beside the weeping little girl, quietly keeping her company.

After a long while, Nahida’s trembling gradually ceased.

"Am I very useless?" Nahida looked up. Her face was still sorrowful, but a spark of color had returned to her hollow pupils.

"No, you have done well enough. Even the gods and the dragons acknowledge your achievements," Lin Feng said softly, watching her as he placed a hand atop her head.

"Really? You aren't lying to me?" Nahida craved his validation like a child.

"Truly. I swear it in the name of the God of Contracts," Lin Feng said with unprecedented seriousness.

"Mm... I believe you." Feeling the warmth from his hand, Nahida did not pull away; instead, she leaned into Lin Feng like a cat.

Looking at his clothes dampened by her tears, Lin Feng suddenly realized his mistake all along. Was a mere description in a game really enough to summarize this petite deity, who had struggled for five hundred years in a cage, caught between her sense of duty and her own nature? If the real Nahida were a film, the information provided by the game was perhaps nothing more than fragmented scenes.

Watching the young girl, who was still trembling slightly, Lin Feng gently pulled her into his arms. Nahida offered no resistance, resting quietly against him.

A long time passed.

Suddenly shy, Nahida pushed Lin Feng away, appearing to have recovered her usual optimistic and sunny demeanor.

"Thank you for the comfort, and... I am very sorry!" Her face flushed red as she glanced at the damp patch on Lin Feng’s chest.

"It’s nothing. It’s good to let out pent-up emotions. But if you have worries in the future, don't suffer alone anymore. Will you share them with me instead?" Lin Feng patted her head, as if asking for her consent.

"Mm..." Honestly enjoying the warmth from him, Nahida responded softly.

"Tell me... how do you bring real food into this dream?" Now back to her normal self, Nahida could not suppress her curiosity and looked at Lin Feng with wonder.

"I’m not entirely sure myself, but I can do it. Within a limited range, I can use myself as an anchor to transform a patch of the dream into something between reality and illusion, much like Vanarana." Lin Feng was equally ignorant of the true nature of his own abilities.

"Is this the uniqueness of an Outlander? How unreasonable." Nahida felt a genuine sense of envy for this trait.

"After this, I suppose I won't be able to put on airs as a god in front of you anymore?" She added, "Though, a certain bad guy never treated me like a god to begin with."

Nahida shot him a sharp look, yet she did not push away the hand he still had resting on her head.

"I actually quite like this candid side of you. Even a god should have the right to cry." Watching Nahida, who no longer tried to distance herself, Lin Feng reflected that this Padisarah Pudding had been a very worthwhile investment.

"Back to business. I came to ask for a leave of absence."

"For the next few weeks, I need to go into the Ley Lines to search for some answers. I might not be able to come over and keep you company every night."

Having spent quite a while dealing with the dream, Lin Feng finally had the chance to bring up his reason for being there.

"Mm, I know. Aranyani has already told me, which is why I prepared so many snacks for you. I didn't expect that I would be the one enjoying them the most." Nahida stole a glance at the pudding cup on the table, which she had licked clean down to the spoon, and felt a sudden urge to cover her face with her hands.

"If it is to overcome the Withering, do you still need my power?"

"This time, I can spare you a bit more."

The Lesser Lord Kusanali had clearly chosen to selectively forget the terms of their previous agreement.

"Forget it, forget it. Your divine power isn't easy to accumulate, and it’s always being drained for various research projects. I don't want to see a baby the next time I visit you."

Watching Nahida, who was clearly being too easy-going, Lin Feng felt touched while simultaneously speechless. If she were like this in his past life, he would have taken her to every dessert exhibition he could find.

Nahida: "..." If you can speak, say more.

"Then I shall take my leave. Next time I come, I will bring you even more gifts. You can look forward to it."

Lin Feng waved his hand, stood up from his seat, and prepared to depart.

"Wait!"

Seeing this, Nahida stood up in a hurry, caught up to him, pulled his hand away, and forcefully pressed a leaf into it.

"Take this. If you ever encounter real danger, tear it apart, and I will come to help you." Nahida stared firmly at Lin Feng, who looked like he wanted to refuse.

"Alright, alright, I'll take it. Stop glaring at me." Realizing that Nahida had a stubborn side, Lin Feng tucked the palm-sized emerald leaf away.

"By the way, when you have free time, go out and wander more. You can look for the Aranara to play with. You won't have it this easy for much longer."

Before vanishing, Lin Feng turned back to drop a cryptic remark, then completely disappeared from the dream.

As Lin Feng departed, the emerald dream returned to silence. For Nahida, scenes she had witnessed thousands of times held no further attraction. She slowly paced back to the table where Lin Feng had sat and looked at the crystal-clear glass. She suddenly realized that she no longer feared falling asleep as she usually did—today, she was certain, would be a rare and pleasant dream.

Back in his own small room, Lin Feng felt the emerald leaf—a thing between reality and illusion—in his storage space and let out a long sigh. Who would have thought that a small cup of Padisarah Pudding would trigger such a massive reaction from Nahida?

What if he had given her such a gift from the very beginning? Would it have been the same?

No. Lin Feng already had the answer in his heart.

Without the time they had spent together beforehand, he would be no different from the countless others she had helped. Never mind being treated as someone she could rely on; he probably would have found it difficult to even see her.

Nahida’s behavior today was less about the pudding itself and more about the accumulation of countless unexpected events recently, which had caused cracks to appear in the mask she used to protect herself. It was only because of this unexpected gift that her defenses finally collapsed.