Chapter 25: Vanarana

Lin Feng stepped into Vanarana, gazing at the breathtaking, fairytale-like scenery before him. Even though he had seen countless wonders online in his previous life, he could not help but marvel at this dreamlike world.

Huge spherical plant roots were scattered everywhere, extending giant, lotus-like leaves that obscured the deep purple sky, forming a lush green canopy. From within the circular cottages randomly arranged on the ground, warm orange light spilled out through the windows.

Not seeing the group of "little cabbages" at the entrance, Lin Feng looked somewhat awkwardly at the "gifts" he had prepared for them—several defeated Pyro Whopperflowers. Knowing how shy these little creatures were, he had used his keen perception of Dendro energy to easily capture a few Whopperflowers on his way to Vanarana. After finishing them off, these dangerous "Varsha" became the gifts Lin Feng intended to use to gain the Aranara's trust.

Feeling a bit regretful, Lin Feng held the Whopperflowers, planning to head toward the center of Vanarana to meet Ararakan, the "village chief" of the Aranara—the brown one from the story.

Lin Feng was disappointed, but Xiao Bai did not give him much time to dwell on it. A few minutes later, looking at a large pile of shivering "cabbages" before him, Lin Feng felt like a stampede of ten thousand alpacas was rushing through his mind.

"Let them go!" Lin Feng exclaimed in shock.

"Chee?" Xiao Bai, who had brought the meeting subjects to Lin Feng, did not understand what was happening.

"Wuwu... so, so many Varsha!"
"We’re... going to be eaten... Vanarana is going to be destroyed!"
The little cabbages became even more terrified upon seeing the Whopperflowers in Lin Feng’s hands.

Lin Feng’s face darkened. Fortunately, just as he was wondering how to explain the misunderstanding, the reliable Lesser Lord Kusanali appeared by his side. With a flash of glowing green light, the terrified Aranara gradually stopped trembling.

"Little ones, don't be afraid."
"These 'Varsha' have already been defeated and won't hurt you anymore."

Nahida soothed the Aranara before her in a gentle tone.

"Oh, it's, it's the Lesser Lord!"
"Thank goodness, we're saved!"
The Aranara, who had been trembling just moments ago, miraculously regained their composure.

Although there had been a slight misunderstanding, the "gifts" Lin Feng brought still achieved their intended effect. The Aranara found it incredible that Lin Feng could defeat so many Whopperflowers, and his title was officially updated to "Nara Varsha," though due to Lin Feng's strong protest, the change was ultimately not finalized.

"Why did you bring Whopperflowers here?"
"Would a small Shroom-Kin be happy to see the corpse of a Rishboland Tiger?"
Nahida, sitting beside Lin Feng, swung her small feet and glanced at him speechlessly.

Lin Feng: "..."
That did seem to be the case.

Not wanting to be looked down upon by Nahida for this foolish blunder again, Lin Feng decisively changed the subject. "Although this is a dream, I didn't expect you to be able to appear in Vanarana, Nahida." Lin Feng asked curiously.

"Of course I can. Aranara are spirits of plants and trees. The dreams they construct are much more stable than ordinary ones. After I was born, the Aranara were my very first friends," the Lesser Lord Kusanali explained with a faint smile. "Also, could you please take your hand off my ear?"

Nahida sighed, feeling helpless about her own burgeoning habit of tolerating him.

Lin Feng: "..."
Careless. He had grown so used to it that he had done it subconsciously.

"Ahem, let's not talk about that. Most of the Aranara have been called back by you, right?" After enjoying the touch, Lin Feng pulled his hand back and returned to the main topic.

"That's right. The vast majority of Aranara outside have returned, but some have missions to fulfill and may still need a little help." Seeing Lin Feng behaving, Nahida nodded. "At present, there are three groups of Aranara that have not returned; they all still have tasks at hand."

"I will mobilize the Aranara to handle two of those locations, but the Withering power in Avidya Forest has accumulated for too long. Since I and the Aranara can only appear within the dream, we are unable to deal with it, so I will have to trouble you."

—Understood, the Vimana Agama.

In his past life, because he had played on an alternate account, Lin Feng was very clear about the Aranyaka questline. But now, with the Lesser Lord Kusanali personally intervening, he wouldn't have to do much at all. Just dealing with one enhanced Withering Zone would suffice to reach the Utsava Festival. Lin Feng felt this was practically heaven. Because the timeline was much earlier than in the story, and because Nahida was much more proactive under his influence than in the main plot, Lin Feng was experiencing the rare joy of skipping stages.

"This is already perfect! I didn't think it would be this simple. Nahida, you're amazing!" Excited, Lin Feng reached out and lifted the small Lesser Lord Kusanali high up from behind.

"Ehh—"

Suddenly being picked up, a stunned Nahida let out a cute, startled cry.

...

Nahida left in a flurry of panic.

Lin Feng recalled his "disrespectful" act toward the deity, but he had no intention of reflecting on it—who wouldn't want to lift the Lesser Lord high up? Feeling extremely pleased, Lin Feng looked at Nahida’s favorability rating, which had already reached 70, and smiled silently.

—I know I was wrong, but I'll definitely do it again next time.

Shifting his focus away from the Lesser Lord, Lin Feng recalled the process of the Vimana Agama: First, with the help of the Aranara, gather three medicinal herbs: Zohrah Mushroom, Padisarah, and Sumeru Rose. Then, three Aranara—Arasaka, Aragaru, and Aranakin—would refine the herbs into a potion. Finally, offer the potion to the giant mushroom named "Jamikayomars" to open the path to "Devantaka Mountain" and overcome the Withering there.

—Still such a hassle. Having tasted the sweetness of skipping stages, Lin Feng was feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Since the purpose of collecting the medicinal herbs was to offer them to "Jamikayomars" to restore its state and open the path to the final battle site, "Why don't I just infuse 'Jamikayomars' with a massive amount of elemental energy and dream energy to fill it up? If that fails, I can just dig open the path and fill it back in later."

—I'm not like that Traveler who couldn't even open a wooden door without a key.

The moment he thought of this, Lin Feng felt a sudden sense of enlightenment. He even had the urge to go back into the game and redo all the puzzles. After all, this cheat-like joy was truly addictive.

With these thoughts in mind, Lin Feng bid farewell to the Aranara who were still marveling at the Whopperflowers. After chatting with the "village chief" Ararakan for a while, he called over Xiao Bai, who was playing hopscotch on the giant lotus leaves, and set off on a "proper" quest.

His destination was the mushroom forest to the northeast of Vanarana—Avidya Forest.

Embarking on his journey once more, full of anticipation, Lin Feng set out from the fairyland of Vanarana to complete the "Vimana Agama."