Seeing his level jump another two ranks to 36, Lin Feng's conscience took another beating.
If Lesser Lord Kusanali hasn't given up yet, I really need to find time to track down an Aranara and meet her indirectly.
He silently made up his mind.
Feeling the strength coursing through his body from the trait upgrade, Lin Feng was in such a good mood that even the frantic knocking on his door sounded like music.
Wait—knocking?
Realizing what it was, he scrambled out of bed to open the door. Standing outside was Nasrin, cheeks puffed out in frustration after a long wait.
"Ranger... Lin... Feng! I've been knocking for five whole minutes!"
With her brown hair framing her face, Nasrin looked like an angry hamster.
Lin Feng apologized profusely, explaining he'd been up late clearing monsters. Nasrin grudgingly accepted the excuse and got to the point:
"Senior Tinalari has to leave for a while to visit a friend. He asked me to bring you the recent patrol schedule and your pay for the month in advance."
She opened the bag on her back and handed him a route map and a small, heavy pouch.
"Thanks for the trouble, Nasrin."
Weighing the pouch in his hand, Lin Feng was surprised by the heft of the Mora inside.
"While Tinalari is away, if you spot any monsters, let me know. I'll do my best to keep the area safe."
His boss was reliable, and his colleagues treated him well despite his age. Lin Feng naturally volunteered to take on the heavy lifting.
"Sigh. You're the same age as my brother, but you're already as reliable as Senior Tinalari."
Looking at the capable teen, Nasrin felt even more despair over her own brother, who still pestered her daily about going treasure hunting.
"I'll leave it to you then. Having a Vision must be nice... wonder when the gods will look my way?"
Envying him openly, Nasrin walked away, muttering about what element her imaginary Vision might be.
Back inside, Lin Feng opened the pouch with anticipation.
"Whoa. Twenty thousand Mora?!"
He was shocked. In his previous life, twenty thousand RMB a month was a solid income. Could an apprentice ranger really earn this much?
A note from Tinalari inside the bag cleared up the confusion.
First, while technically an apprentice, his "Vision" status made him rare talent, qualifying him for a special subsidy.
Second, the monster camp they cleared had active commissions posted at the Adventurers' Guild. Tinalari had claimed the rewards and passed them all to him. Hence the fat paycheck after only a few days on the job.
"With a Vision, making money really isn't a problem, huh."
Hefting the heavy bag, Lin Feng realized he had underestimated the social standing of allogenes.
According to game lore, Visions draw power from shards of the Seven's authority. Their numbers were low—rare, even.
The Traveler just hung out in circles that were too high-end. To adepti and gods, a Vision was nothing special.
But to Lin Feng, whose net worth consisted of looted pocket change, this "rare talent subsidy" smelled absolutely delicious.
"Let's go, Xiaobai. We're feasting today!"
Holding the weasel, which was already vibrating with excitement at the mention of food, Lin Feng set off for the market.
"Help! Someone save me—!"
Halfway there, a familiar voice cried out. He looked down from the bridge.
It was Fabird. He was crouching on the ground, head in his hands, surrounded by a group of Hydro Slimes.
Lin Feng stared at the tiny slimes—barely the size of Fabird's hands—with a deadpan expression.
He thought about it, then turned to walk away.
Those things? Even Timmy from the Mondstadt bridge could solo them.
"Hey—benefactor! Don't go! Help!"
Hearing the sheer volume of Fabird's plea, Lin Feng stopped. Curiosity about what a slime actually felt like won out. He jumped off the bridge and landed beside the man.
He reached out and pinched a slime's round body. It struggled instinctively in his grip. Lin Feng felt even more speechless about the crouching man's uselessness.
Texture's not bad. Like a waterlogged SpongeBob.
He mentally reviewed the tactile experience.
With a casual thought, he summoned minimal wooden spikes to pop the slimes, then turned to Fabird, who looked like he'd been granted a second life.
"What is this? You could have beaten these away with a stick. Why the drama?"
"Hehe, listen, benefactor. Normally, I wouldn't fear even a legendary Giant Slime! But today is special."
Fabird stood up, revealing what he had been protecting under his body.
A basket overflowing with mushrooms. It was so full that a single wrong move would have spilled them.
"If I ran, my night's harvest would be ruined! Besides, these slimes don't hit hard. Squat for a bit and they usually get bored and leave."
Lin Feng: "..."
Being slammed by a slime would bruise the mushrooms, sure, but this logic was just... too abstract.
Sighing, Lin Feng crushed the slime in his hand, satisfied his curiosity, and turned to leave for breakfast.
"Wait, wait! Benefactor, don't go! Come to my place for a mushroom feast! Freshly picked!"
Fabird issued the invite warmly.
"Pass. I don't enjoy watching colorful little men dancing."
Lin Feng refused instantly. The first impression had been traumatizing enough.
"Don't be like that! I don't poison myself every time! This month I've only messed up twice..."
Hearing Fabird's defense trailing behind him, Lin Feng accelerated in genuine terror.
After clearing out several food stalls with Xiaobai, Lin Feng watched the vendors close up early, grateful for his patronage. The change in his life hit him.
From running for his life from a tiger and eating wild fruit, to now having power, a home, and enough cash to blow two thousand Mora on a single meal for his pet.
All of this started when he came to Caravan Ribat and met Tinalari.
Filled with gratitude, he decided to head into the rainforest immediately after eating. He would clear out every threat he could find, lightening the load for Tinalari while he was away visiting his friend.