"Wait… so I'm not just going to stand here dumbfounded forever? Or… does this mean I can finally escape this dream?" Aiden muttered, suspecting that his ridiculously fast monster-killing pace had somehow triggered a bug.
It was maddening—of all things, the protagonist's dilemma in other stories was how to deal with too many monsters, and here he was, frustrated because there weren't enough.
Not long after, the enormous pink-gold tree at the very center of the forest trembled violently, sending out a gentle, soothing aura that permeated the entire space.
At the same time, faint, fragmented female voices reached his ears.
"Welcome… Super Lan Naro."
"To save Teyvat… you must… either let the world forget me… or… become…"
"What is this?" Aiden's brow lifted in surprise.
The nine assists in his record of 31,000/0/9 had all come from that towering pink-gold tree, but it had been in a pitiable state: covered in red, bristly growths of corrupted flesh, lost in a haze of slumber, able to help only on instinct.
Was this… a trigger for a new plotline?
And judging by the fragmented words, could it be… the Great Compassion Tree King?
Something felt off. According to everything Aiden knew, the Great Compassion Tree King had perished five hundred years ago, leaving only a fragment of her soul within the World Tree, awaiting Nahida to come and cleanse all forbidden knowledge.
He approached cautiously, curiosity and unease tangled together.
---
The next morning, Aiden stirred from sleep with a soft groan. His vision still swam with fragments of confusion, and his mind remained tangled with residual streams of disordered information.
Yet there was something unexpectedly warm and soft pressed against his chest. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around it, and slowly, the chaos in his mind began to settle.
Yesterday, standing beneath that towering pink-gold tree, he had been bombarded with a torrent of information from it. Only now was he finally able to digest it all.
"So the dream world I experienced… was real. Just… inside the World Tree. The Great Compassion Tree King, before dying, sealed away her corrupted self here, which is why Abyssal monsters kept appearing."
In other words, this was the place where Nahida had brought the Traveler, energized by the two Divine Hearts, in the original storyline.
"Normally, Abyssal corruption is as hard to remove as embedded rot in bone. The Great Compassion Tree King fought the Abyss twice, nearly sacrificing herself both times. But I… I'm different. Perhaps it's the nature of being an otherworldly visitor—or maybe it's some hidden boon—but every time I kill an Abyssal monster, part of the World Tree's corruption is purged, and my Lan Naro body grows stronger."
According to the incarnation of the Great Compassion Tree King that existed inside the World Tree, her condition had improved significantly thanks to Aiden's diligent cultivation.
But that was precisely the problem. Even five hundred years ago, she had already been tainted by forbidden knowledge. She sealed herself here to prevent that corruption from spreading further.
Even now, though improved, she could not leave—she could only wait for someone to connect with the World Tree and carry her message.
Yet there was a thread of hope. Aiden's arrival had opened a new path.
Because he wasn't just an outsider—he was the legendary Super Lan Naro, a figure said to appear once every millennium.
The Super Lan Naro wasn't about changing hair colors to boost strength, as Aiden had half-joked; in Teyvat, the role did exist. The previous Super Lan Naro had been [Landisha].
In the Forest Book, Landisha hadn't drawn strength from allies like Lan Luomo. Instead, he trained alone, becoming so formidable that five hundred years ago, when the Dark Catastrophe struck, he could topple a relic colossus as massive as a mountain with a single kick.
But saving the Great Compassion Tree King required more than raw power. Aiden had to perceive the "Divine Aura" to master the World Tree's authority—to become a new "branch" of the World Tree. Only then could he use Teyvat's supreme authority and his own unique traits to purge her corruption and grant her a second life.
"In other words… I have to cultivate into a Super Lan Naro god. Somehow that feels… wrong."
Though the Lan Naro body and the two generations of Grass Gods were similar in essence as elemental life forms, this role reversal—being a subordinate elevated to godhood—made Aiden feel as if he were subtly defying a superior.
Fortunately, the Great Compassion Tree King didn't mind—and even encouraged him.
"She's regained some mobility. Next, she'll send me out of the World Tree's interior to hunt Abyssal corruption in Sumeru and grow stronger."
"Though… she probably doesn't expect much. She's still prepared to sacrifice herself to preserve Teyvat."
Either the world must forget her… or Aiden must become a being of light.
He scratched his head, torn. He wanted to rewrite her tragic fate, but if even the original protagonist was unsure of the outcome, how could he promise to ascend as a god-level Super Lan Naro?
Even with skill panels, his soul remained human. Post-level-10 exploration was unavoidable; otherwise, he would have already broken through his swordsmanship ceiling using Lan Naro's body.
"And this body of Lan Naro… has nothing to do with the Great Compassion Tree King. She doesn't even know why I have it."
Damn it. Every other transmigrator seemed to have multiple lovers and carefree victories, and here he was, plagued by one problem after another.
Inazuma's troubles weren't solved yet, and now there was an additional main quest in Sumeru. Even Aiden's temperament was being
tested.
Still, Sumeru could wait; he intended to focus on Inazuma first.