If one had to explain why Tighnari's workload had been drastically reduced, yet he looked anything but happy—borderline resentful, even…
Well, the story had to begin with his mentor: Nafis, Sage of the Amurta Darshan.
As Tighnari's teacher and the current head of Amurta, Sage Nafis had recently become intrigued by the rumors of "divine manifestations" around Gandharva Ville.
But as a Sage, he was drowning in research proposals and funding applications that needed his approval.
And after seeing the kind of thesis topics his students submitted—
"Investigating the psychological effects of different vegetables on farm workers, and the potential therapeutic applications of 'vegetable healing.'"
"Studying whether installing dance devices in livestock pens could improve sheep and cattle coordination."
"Comparing multiple types of catnip and determining the variety most preferable to domesticated felines."
—Sage Nafis felt a very real fear of losing face in the academic world.
So, despite his curiosity, he simply hadn't had the time to visit Gandharva Ville and investigate in person.
But only a short while later, the rumors of "divine miracles" grew even stronger.
Unable to leave the Akademiya, Sage Nafis immediately thought of his excellent former student—now a forest ranger stationed in that very region.
Which was how Tighnari received the order:
Submit a detailed investigation report, no fewer than twenty thousand words, on the recent anomalies in Gandharva Ville.
Faced with his mentor's blatant abuse of authority, Tighnari—who owed Nafis many favors during his student years—could only pinch his nose and accept his fate.
Thus, the trauma of being crushed by a graduation thesis returned to him after so many years.
—There was no helping it.
He would have to visit each site one by one.
And once that certain someone returned… Tighnari fully intended to shake him down for emotional damages.
With notebook in hand, Tighnari first recorded the locations where abnormal plant growth occurred.
Although he knew perfectly well who caused it, the affected areas were so vast—and the mutated plants so randomly distributed—that all he could do was write the following:
Survey Summary: Abnormal Plant Growth in Avidya Forest
After investigation, flora within the rainforest appears influenced by an unknown factor. Common traits observed include:
Plants enlarged by three to five times their normal size.
Shrub species such as Sunsettias and Raspberries bear significantly more fruit.
Flavorful plants—Sweet Flowers, Mint, Spice Melons—exhibit elevated aroma intensity.
Merchants report dramatically increased popularity and economic value.
Specimens show signs of elemental interference.
Characteristics resemble crops enhanced with "Bounty of the Verdant."
...
Conclusion:
Rainforest plant life has undergone large-scale, drastic phenotypic change due to an unidentified influence.
Their economic value has increased, but because affected species are numerous and widely dispersed, no clear pattern has yet been identified.
"Done."
Tighnari snapped his notebook shut with a crisp pa, feeling mildly satisfied with his morning of work.
But after finishing the first part of the report, he finally grasped the sheer scale of Lin Feng's influence on the rainforest—and the shock nearly made him drop the notebook.
The Avidya Forest had always been vast and sparsely inhabited.
The indigenous "forest walkers" who lived there survived entirely on local resources, passed down knowledge through generations, and rarely had opportunities to pursue other occupations due to the Akademiya's restrictions on information flow.
Even with rangers around, the forest was still full of danger—monsters born from the ley lines, Withering Zones, elusive predators.
Deaths and injuries were common.
But ever since Lin Feng arrived…
The forest walkers were traveling through a forest more peaceful than ever before.
Resource collection was easier and more plentiful.
Their quality of life improved noticeably.
Some had even begun to worship a mysterious "Forest God" who appeared out of nowhere.
And that was merely the effect of enhanced plant growth.
The truly unbelievable part was the mutated plants.
Tighnari was not exaggerating:
Any one of these plants—just one—could be written into a research paper that would guarantee a smooth graduation for any Amurta student.
Maybe even let them skip straight from trainee to full Dastur.
But because these plants were rare and scattered, most Akademiya scholars who visited left empty-handed.
Only Tighnari, with his Vision's element-tracking ability and assistance from ranger reports, could compile an initial summary so quickly.
"This is unbelievable… The phenotypic changes are beyond anything in the textbooks."
"If Lin Feng ever joined the Akademiya… even if all he did was farm in a corner… I'm afraid he'd immediately be nominated as an Amurta Sage."
Faced with such inhuman botanical prowess, Tighnari felt his own research in crossbreeding and crop improvement was no more sophisticated than a preschooler's science project.
Fortunately, he had already accepted that Lin Feng was closer to a natural disaster than a normal person.
His pride remained mostly unhurt.
Taking a grilled meat wrap from his pack, he ate while heading toward the next investigation site:
the people inexplicably saved by the rainforest itself.
For although the environmental transformation was obvious, what convinced Tighnari to temporarily grant rangers time off were these bizarre rescues.
It was as if the forest itself had developed a will:
Lost travelers found paths opening before them.
Injured wanderers stumbled across restorative herbs.
Those who lost their food had fruit trees conveniently "grow" in their direction.
Even the classic case of eating mushrooms and passing out was bizarre—someone fainted in the forest, yet conveniently crawled in their sleep toward detoxifying plants and shoved them into their mouth.
None of this made sense.
For a moment, Tighnari even felt the urge to drag Lin Feng back by the collar—
If he didn't get a proper explanation soon, his curiosity was going to kill him.
"…How am I supposed to gloss over all this in the report?"
"If I make things up, Mentor Nafis will rip me to shreds…"
The memories of classmates being academically flayed alive by Nafis's red pen made Tighnari shiver.
Fine.
He would just have to fabricate a report that looked scientific enough.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on P@treon if you're interested:
patreon.com/FicHaven786