Lin Feng walked into Virmo Hamlet at an easy pace. The huge pack on his back drew plenty of attention — strolling elders and playing children glanced over with curious looks, then, seeing the green god-eye hanging at his waist, their expressions shifted to recognition.
From afar Lin Feng noticed three kids running toward him as a little group: a black-haired boy in front, followed by a slightly shorter girl and a blond little fellow.
"Kaus! Yudan! Sudapei!"
"Slow down, don't trip!"
A blond, maple-faced youth called out behind them, worry in his voice.
Lin Feng relaxed a little and looked up at the blond young man. A few memories from the game surfaced in his mind. On impulse he opened the blond man's panel:
[Profile: Human — Trofin Schneizvich / Alfonso]
Level: 43 (Gained partial elemental power through harsh training and a forbidden eye; with a strike from behind he can beat even a god-eye bearer.)
Element: Pyro
Tags: Assassination 4, Sewing 4, Evil Eye·Pyro Affinity 3, Stealth 3, Cooking 3
Mood: Wary
Friendliness: -10 (A stranger with a god-eye — he's cautious; you might interfere with his plans.)
Seeing the panel, Lin Feng finally placed the four people before him: Fatui operatives sent by the executioner "Doctor" to investigate Witherings and the Aranara, and the three children rescued by Lana in the Forest Book storyline.
Convinced he hadn't given anything away, Lin Feng watched the three kids approach.
"Big brother, is that the god-eye Brother Alfonso talked about? It's my first time seeing one!" the lead boy Kaus said, eyes fixed on the orb at Lin Feng's waist.
"I heard god-eye bearers are super—powerful; they can even beat a mountain bear, right?" the blond boy Yudan added, excited.
"You two, stop blocking the path — you'll bother travelers!" Sudapei, with two low ponytails, scolded them, embarrassed. She turned to Lin Feng. "Sorry, big brother, we didn't mean to disturb you. I'll drag these two dumb ones away!" She tried to pull the curious boys off.
Lin Feng, who'd been wondering how to handle the Fatui presence, felt his mood lighten at the kids' cuteness. He plucked a roadside bud, willed it to bloom, and the bud burst into a bright, showy flower in his hand.
He handed the bouquet to the little girl and smiled, "It's nothing — even with a god-eye I can't do anything that special. This is for you, polite child."
"Really? Thank you, big brother!" Sudapei beamed and took the flowers. The two boys immediately started scrambling to see them and ran off in a tangle.
Alfonso's pupils narrowed when he saw Lin Feng's trick, but he quickly smoothed his face into a polite smile. "Sorry about the children — hope they weren't any trouble. I've got to chase them; enjoy Virmo Hamlet." Like an ordinary big brother, he ran off after the kids, leaving Lin Feng standing thoughtfully.
Lin Feng adjusted his plans and checked into a small inn for the night. The place was unexpectedly clean and dry given it was on the ground floor — not a hint of damp or mildew. He put his baggage down and rolled around happily on the comfortable bed.
Night.
Alfonso strolled past the inn as if nothing had happened. As he passed Lin Feng's room he seemed to stumble — a few mushrooms he'd collected spilled from his satchel. Bending to pick them up, he flicked a small pebble casually toward Lin Feng's lodging.
Inside, Lin Feng opened one eye, sighed, and pretended to be asleep.
Next morning.
Lin Feng found the village head and rented a small boat to follow the river toward Aranara's homeland. Lying in the narrow, two-person craft, he watched Xiaobai dart through the water like a torpedo and thought, a little helplessly, why a little thieving weasel liked the water so much.
Before leaving, Lin Feng gave the quiet village one last sweep. Elemental readings around Virmo showed some unusually active Withering traces. He noticed Alfonso and several Fatui clearly reporting in somewhere; quietly, Lin Feng concentrated the nearby Dendro.
Beneath the rainforest, in a characteristic damp cave, ordinary Fatui grunts in purple uniforms fussed around machinery.
"Hurry up! You deadweight slackers!" one barked. "You've been installing a Withering-seed device for three days and it's still not done. If this isn't fixed today I'll use you lot as test subjects for the Doctor!"
In the pitch-black grotto, Fatui in special purple gear glared at the crew and barked orders.
"Lieutenant Morris, that's enough." From the timid group stepped a blond young man who tried to calm the furious officer. "I don't intend to meddle in your management, but those devices were commissioned by the Doctor himself. If you wreck them through haste, nobody will escape punishment."
"Hmph — don't boss me around, Trofin!" Morris glared at Alfonso.
"You scrapped the last kids we brought. If you don't bring in replacements fast, don't blame me if I take this village's children," Morris growled.
Alfonso tried to speak, but suddenly felt his limbs go weak and his head swim. One by one the Fatui collapsed. Beautiful flowers quietly bloomed in the corners of the cave, and Alfonso's mind flashed with an unfamiliar young man's face before he slumped onto the slick moss.
After confirming that the nearby Withering seeds had been cleared, Lin Feng felt the cave's life drain away; a heaviness settled over him.
He realized he couldn't change Alfonso's loyalties — not unless he stormed Winter and wiped out the Doctor's operations. Seeing Alfonso's hidden side left Lin Feng sure of one thing: duty came first for that man.
He'd set out hoping to reason with Alfonso, but last night's surveillance and today's Fatui meeting shattered that illusion. In the end it had to be blunt force.
Even though he'd eliminated an immediate threat to children, Lin Feng felt hollow. The Fatui's crimes — abduction, human experimentation, inciting unrest — needed no debate. He hated the organization, but erasing a life — even to prevent worse — didn't taste like triumph.
Thinking of the machines he'd seen, devices meant to catalyze Witherings, he added another mark of contempt next to the Doctor's name.
Putting dark thoughts aside, Lin Feng drifted downstream. He'd never been on a boat in his previous life; the novelty cheered him. Watching Xiaobai play in the water helped restore his mood.
As the channel narrowed, the little boat slowed and moored near a thick stand of forest. Lin Feng tied the craft and set off for the final leg to Aranara's land.
From the shore he could already see the domed Aranara houses — so visible he wondered how scholars missed them. Walking, stopping, and dispatching over a dozen stray mushbeasts along the way, Lin Feng finally reached his destination.
He placed his hand on a round stone, channelled his dream power, and the stone glowed. Because his dream force shared origin with the Dream God, the barrier yielded without resistance. Lin Feng stepped into the Aranara homeland: dreamlike Vana.
A gorgeous purple sky spread overhead. The air itself hummed with dream energy. Lin Feng exhaled slowly — he had finally arrived.
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