Chapter 60: Night Reconnaissance of the Sanctuary of Surasthana

Because Faruzan’s temperament and attire were distinctly different from ordinary people, coupled with the passive, unique affinity that Lin Feng’s activated divine authority naturally projected toward almost all living beings, the guard at the front subconsciously wanted to agree the moment he heard the request.

"No problem, I'll right—"

The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them—not because he regretted granting their request, but because it was already close to dinner time. In other words, the vast majority of public servants had already left work.

Furthermore, the only person he knew who could be considered a "high-ranking official" was someone who vanished completely the second work hours ended.

With this in mind, he said with a troubled expression:

"Respected guests, it’s not that I don't want to help you. But it's already too late today. Aside from scholars busy rushing to finish their thesis papers, you won't find anyone still working inside the Akademiya."

With that, he tentatively glanced at the expressions of Lin Feng and his companion. Finding no drastic changes, he cautiously offered a suggestion:

"How about the two of you rest in the city for the night and come back tomorrow around noon? I'll pass your message along to the Acting Grand Sage then. How does that sound?"

Knowing all too well the work attitude of the Akademiya's personnel, and seeing that the guard's hesitation was clearly genuine, Lin Feng did not press the matter further.

"Then I'll have to trouble you. May I ask your name, honored sir?"

"Ah? Me? You can just call me Azad, sir."

"I'll still be stationed at the North Gate of Sumeru City tomorrow, so you can just come straight to me."

Seeing that the noble-tempered youth before him had actually used an honorific, the flattered guard hurriedly offered his name.

Realizing the sky was growing dark, Lin Feng had no intention of lingering. After offering the guard another expression of gratitude, he deftly led Faruzan through the front gates into Sumeru City.

He still had other matters to attend to tonight.

Learning that a trip to the Akademiya was no longer necessary for today, Faruzan appeared much more relaxed, clearly having not yet prepared herself for an encounter with the institution. Lin Feng felt that giving her a little more time was by no means a bad thing.

Although Lin Feng found Sumeru City's infrastructure design rather incomprehensible, a major city still offered certain distinct advantages.

Unlike the wild, tribal-style dwellings in the northern outskirts, the inns in Sumeru City possessed a rather modern flair. Not only were they fully equipped and comfortably furnished, but they even provided a complimentary dinner.

Since Faruzan was temporarily penniless, the lodging expenses were paid in advance by Lin Feng. Although Faruzan wanted to put on the airs of a senior, her financial situation clearly did not support it. After hesitating and stammering for a moment, she could only state with resignation that she would repay him twofold later.

Having enjoyed a wonderful meal, Lin Feng parted ways with Faruzan, planning to walk around the city on his own.

Before the sky had completely darkened, the lotus-shaped street lamps scattered across Sumeru City began to emit a warm, yellowish glow.

Unlike Aaru Village, which directly utilized luminescent plants for illumination, Sumeru City's street lamp system actually employed fairly complex technology. By repeatedly refining the luminescent components of glowing plants and combining them with the "adaptive light source" theory developed by the Kshahrewar, the system not only maintained optimal brightness indefinitely without human maintenance, but also boasted a lifespan of up to a century.

Thanks to this, Lin Feng—who had originally planned to operate in the darkness—looked at Sumeru City, illuminated brightly even in its remotest corners, and for the first time felt that overly comprehensive infrastructure wasn't necessarily a good thing.

However, though flying straight up to the Sanctuary of Surasthana was out of the question, climbing upward along the stairs was entirely feasible.

díky to his slow-developing appearance, Lin Feng blended in seamlessly among the crowds, looking every bit like an ordinary student.

The spiral staircases fitted perfectly against the giant tree, with natural wooden handrails lining both sides. The seamless and ingenious design forced Lin Feng to utter a silent sigh of admiration. Merely in terms of architectural standards, the Akademiya was top-tier even across the entire continent.

Climbing steadily upward, past the bazaar on the first tier and the residential area on the second tier, Lin Feng—after climbing for half the day—finally laid eyes on the Akademiya's iconic circular platform.

To continue any further, one had to pass through the Akademiya itself and proceed from the side door. However, upon seeing the heavily armed guards stationed in front of the Akademiya, Lin Feng calculated that his chances of slipping past undetected were rather slim.

Fortunately, reaching this height had essentially accomplished his primary goal. The height of the giant tree had already been more than halved, and Lin Feng's distance to the Sanctuary of Surasthana was now close enough to conduct silent surveillance.

Surveying the vast circular platform around him, Lin Feng chose an inconspicuous corner near the edge of the platform. Standing quietly by the railing, a few wisps of imperceptible elemental energy drifted away from him.

Not only around the Lesser Lord of Kusanati, but the outer perimeter of the Sanctuary of Surasthana was also wrapped in an invisible barrier. Back when he was strolling around, Lin Feng had already attempted to probe the environment of the Sanctuary using conventional elemental sight. However, it was only fitting for a palace left behind by the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata; ordinary elemental energy simply could not penetrate walls constructed from such special materials.

Left with no choice, Lin Feng had to resort to using his own compressed divine power for the investigation.

As his released divine power gradually dispersed into the air, Lin Feng's field of vision continuously elevated. Perhaps due to the origin of the power being the same, this probe encountered no obstruction.

Easily passing through the walls of the Sanctuary of Surasthana, woven from gold-green and crystalline white, Lin Feng finally laid eyes on his target—Nahida, sleeping peacefully within a green cocoon of light.

The tiny young girl was curled up inside the light barrier, her eyes tightly shut. Beneath her green dress, her skin—deprived of sunlight for so long—exuded a sickly pallor. Combined with her delicate facial features, she gave off the impression of a fragile, easily shattered work of art.

Compared to the dreamscape, the real Nahida was surrounded by an aura of vitality similar to Lin Feng's. Yet, unlike Lin Feng—where both of their presences evoked a sense of closeness in nearby lifeforms—Lin Feng's aura of vitality was closer to a Creator God's love for all living things, beneath whose intimacy lay a deep foundation of reverence and awe.

Nahida, on the other hand, radiated the selfless dedication of an affectionate mother—a gentle and loving warmth that would unconditionally forgive her children no matter what mistakes they made, entirely lacking the authority brought by absolute power.

Divine power was the manifestation of a deity's personal will; one could judge a Archon's philosophy and strength simply from their surrounding aura. Yet Nahida seemed to unconditionally place her love for her people above all else.

To someone lacking absolute power, such a philosophy would not only fail to elicit gratitude from the populace, but would instead breed the greed and arrogance of ambitious individuals. After all, history had already made the consequences of gentleness without power abundantly clear through the fate of Hvitsvith, the Salt Goddess of Liyue.

Shifting his focus away from his internal thoughts, Lin Feng rippled his divine power, attempting to awaken the slumbering Nahida.

"Nahida, according to our agreement, I've come to save you."

"Little sleepyhead, stop sleeping. It's time to wake up."