Seeing his level jump another two points—now Level 36—Lin Feng felt his conscience poke him again.
If the little Dendro Archon still hasn't given up on me, I should find Lorma sometime and at least see her indirectly, he promised himself.
Feeling stronger from the trait enhancement, Lin Feng was in an unusually good mood; even the knock at his door sounded uplifting.
Wait—knocking?
Realizing something, he hopped out of bed and opened the door. Nasreen stood there, hands on hips, cheeks puffed in annoyance.
"Lin—Feng—Ranger! I've been knocking for five whole minutes!"
Her brown hair framed a face that now looked like an angry hamster.
Lin Feng hurriedly apologized and explained he'd slept late after clearing monsters the previous day. Nasreen grudgingly forgave him and then explained why she'd come:
"Tighnari-senpai has to visit a friend for a short while, so he asked me to deliver the recent assignments and this month's pay to you."
As she spoke she opened her pack and handed him a patrol route map and a small pouch.
"Thanks for coming by, Nasreen," Lin Feng said.
He weighed the pouch in his hand and felt the reassuring chime of heavy Mora inside—more than he'd expected.
"If any monsters appear while Tighnari's gone, let me know. I'll try to keep the area safe," she added.
Because their leader was so dependable and the rangers were fond of someone their own age, Lin Feng volunteered to help with clearing any monsters that popped up.
"You're as reliable as Tighnari now—even though you're my brother's age," Nasreen murmured. Her little brother constantly begged to go treasure-hunting; seeing Lin Feng so able made her rue the comparison.
"Alright—please take care," she said, eyeing the mock Vision at Lin Feng's waist with envy. "I wonder what element yours would be if it were real."
With that, Nasreen left.
Back inside, Lin Feng eagerly opened the pouch.
"Huh—20,000 Mora?!"
He was astonished. Twenty thousand in a month back in his old life was nothing to scoff at—could a trainee ranger really earn this much?
Reading Tighnari's note, Lin Feng understood.
First, although he was only a trainee ranger, his awakening and the fact he could use elemental power without a real Vision made him a rare talent—entitling him to special allowances.
Second, some of the monster camps he'd cleared earlier were under commission from the Adventurers' Guild; the guild's reward had been included as well. That explained how a fresh recruit could get such a hefty sum so soon.
Having a Vision—or looking like you do—really does open wallets, Lin Feng thought, hugging the heavy bag.
In the game text, Visions came from fragments of Archon power and were rare. For Lin Feng, who'd come with only a few thousand Mora in his pocket, this "rare talent" subsidy felt like a windfall.
"Come on, Little White—let's go eat well!"
Cradling the excited weasel, Lin Feng headed for the market.
Halfway there, he heard a familiar cry for help.
"Help~ Somebody save me—"
Falbert, whom he hadn't seen in days, was surrounded by a cluster of Hydro Slimes and squatting protectively over a full crate of mushrooms.
Lin Feng stared at the small slimes—about the size of Falbert's hands—and sighed inwardly.
After a moment's thought, he stepped away.
These slimes were nothing; even the Mondstadt kids could handle a bunch of them.
"Hey—benefactor, don't go! Save me!" Falbert shouted with theatrical vigor.
Curiosity about what a Slime actually felt like won out. Lin Feng leapt from the suspension bridge down to Falbert's side.
He pinched one small Slime gently—squishy, like an oversized, over-soaked sponge.
Using the weakest Wood Spike he could muster, he popped a few slimes and then turned to the relieved Falbert.
"What happened? A stick would've done it," Lin Feng asked.
"Heh—benefactor, listen. Normally I'm not afraid of even the so-called giant slimes, but this time it's different." Falbert stood up, revealing why he'd been crouching so protectively: a crate brimming with mushrooms sat between his legs, piled so high one wrong move would spill them all.
"If I run, I'll lose tonight's harvest. Besides, these slimes don't really hurt much—if I just squat, they'll disperse on their own."
Lin Feng: "."
True, slimes could damage mushroom quality, but that logic was… creative.
Sighing, Lin Feng squished the last Slime flat and prepared to resume his breakfast hunt.
"Wait—benefactor! Don't go! Want to come to my place for a mushroom feast? They're freshly picked!"
Falbert's enthusiasm was undimmed.
"No thanks. I don't like watching colorful dancers," Lin Feng replied, declining politely but firmly. His first meeting with Falbert had left an impression.
"Come on—benefactor! It's only happened twice this month that I got sick from mushrooms!" Falbert called after him. Lin Feng quickened his steps, unnerved.
At the market, Little White cleaned up several stalls' leftover goods with a single look. Lin Feng realized how much he'd changed since arriving in the rainforest: from being chased by a long-maned tiger and living off wild fruit, he now had real strength, a stable roof, and twenty thousand Mora he could spend—enough to treat Little White properly.
All these changes seemed to begin the day he reached Gandharva Ville and met Tighnari. Grateful, Lin Feng resolved to clear nearby threats in the rainforest later to ease Tighnari's workload while the ranger was away visiting his friend.
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