Tighnari's tone remained gentle, but his sharp eyes, capable of piercing pretense, locked firmly onto Orien. The air, once easy, grew heavy.
Collei instinctively halted too, unease flickering across her face.
Orien's heart skipped a beat.
Crap! He'd been too focused on gathering intel and blending in—he'd forgotten this!
Tighnari wasn't just a ranger captain, but a foremost expert in elemental biology. His perception of elemental residues far surpassed ordinary people. Yae Miko's ward had blocked Musou no Hitotachi and teleported him to safety, but the traces it left—power from two high-level Electro users, masked yet potent—might fool most, but not a researcher like Tighnari.
Denying outright would only reveal guilt. Confessing? Impossible! What could he say? "Oh, that's a keepsake from Inazuma's Archon and her shrine maiden because I livestreamed their nation's darkest secrets"?
In a flash, Orien's mind raced. His Silver Tongue passive went into overdrive. His face shifted into just the right blend of surprise, fear, and confusion.
"Extremely strong Electro traces?" he echoed, lifting a hand as though to check himself, perfectly natural. "Now that you mention it… I think I remember something!"
He slapped his forehead, feigning fright. "When I washed up after the storm, half-conscious, I saw the sky—horrible! Clouds boiling, lightning everywhere! A massive bolt, thicker than a tree, brighter than anything I've ever seen, crashed down! Like divine punishment, it struck right near the beach where I lay!"
He gestured wildly, voice trembling with the "memory." "The roar shook the ground! Sparks crawling everywhere! I was terrified, rolling away, praying not to get hit. Could the traces you sense be from that?"
The perfect excuse: a freak storm, turning his scar into bad luck, nothing more.
Tighnari listened silently, ears twitching minutely as he weighed every word. His green eyes were calm, impossible to read.
Collei, however, blanched, hugging her arms as though she too felt the terror. "So dangerous… Mr. Orien, thank goodness you survived…"
Orien forced a strained laugh. "Yeah… Sumeru's weather is this… exciting?"
Tighnari didn't reply at once. Instead, he pulled a small, intricate device from his kit: a palm-sized disc, centered with a crystal lens.
"This detects elemental residue. We use it to track corrupted monsters or polluted areas." He held it near Orien.
The crystal glowed instantly—swirling with both shimmering pink sakura light and deep destructive violet, buzzing faintly.
"…This reaction," Tighnari muttered, brows furrowing. "Two completely different high-grade Electro signatures… yet balanced, even concealed? This isn't a normal storm's residue."
Orien's palms sweated. Even masked, the relic's dual imprint was exposed. Scholars were terrifying.
He kept his face blank, awed but clueless.
Tighnari studied the readings, then looked at Orien's innocent expression. After a pause, he stowed the device.
"Perhaps I'm overthinking," he said lightly. "Strange anomalies do occur in the forest. What matters is you're unharmed. Still—such residue may draw monsters. Be careful."
He let it drop. Either he believed the lie, or chose not to press further.
Orien exhaled silently and nodded fervently. "Of course! Thank you for the warning."
Crisis, for now, averted.
They entered Gandharva Ville fully, its wooden walkways and treetop homes vibrant with life.
At the ranger outpost, Orien registered as a "shipwrecked adventurer." With Tighnari's word, the process went smoothly, earning him a temporary permit.
"There's an empty lodge, the one with the 'Frogshroom Hut' sign. You can stay there. If you need Mora, take ranger commissions—escorts, gathering, path clearing. But remember, safety first."
"Thank you, Mr. Tighnari!" Orien bowed sincerely.
"No thanks needed," Tighnari smiled. "Helping the lost is part of a ranger's duty." He handed a key, then departed with Collei.
Alone, Orien unlocked the hut. Simple, clean, with a bed, table, and window view of the lush canopy.
"At last, a base." He collapsed onto the bed, thoughts swirling.
"Sumeru's situation is more complicated than I imagined. The Akademiya has noticed the livestream—but their reaction seems… cautious? Researching? Plotting?"
"Tighnari may have let me off, but he's not fooled. I must tread carefully."
"The key is intel—on the Akademiya, the Void, and the Lesser Lord's current state."
He eyed his panel. After draws, upgrades, and healing, 46,000 Break Value remained.
"System, convert 10,000 Break Value into permanent enhancement."
[Conversion successful.]
Power surged, his body stronger, his energy deeper. Now, a mutant fungus wouldn't stand a chance.
Not enough yet, but he kept 36,000 for emergencies.
Rested, he stepped out to explore Gandharva Ville. Scholars debated botany, rangers exchanged patrol reports. He lingered near crowds, listening.
"Another Withering Zone appeared near Avidya…"
"Troublesome. We must clear it quickly."
"Fungi are growing more hostile lately."
"Because of… the 'project'…"
"Shh! Don't mention that here!"
Orien's eyes narrowed. A "project"? Clearly the Akademiya's experiments were poisoning the forest.
Later, near a square, young scholars buzzed with excitement.
"Void just pushed Professor Kassala's thesis summary!"
"Amazing insights! But full access needs higher clearance…"
"The Akademiya's recruiting on consciousness stability studies—huge rewards!"
"Linked to the Sages' divine knowledge project, I hear…"
Void. Akademiya. Divine knowledge.
Keywords piling into Orien's ears. The surface calm of Sumeru was a lie—beneath, storms gathered.
His gaze drifted to a bulletin board. Amid notices, one bore the seal of the Matra.
[Notice: To preserve Sumeru's intellectual purity, effective immediately, the Matra will monitor all unauthorized mass information phenomena. Any discovery of abnormal sources—including illicit dreams, visions, knowledge infusions, or large-scale psychic disturbances—must be reported. Unauthorized research is forbidden. Offenders will be punished under the Wisdom Protection Law. —Great Vahumana Matra, Cyno]
Orien smirked.
Abnormal information source? Mass psychic disturbance?
They meant his livestream.
The Akademiya was already moving, branding him a threat. Cyno himself would investigate.
"They're fast," Orien mused, eyes gleaming.
A game of cat and mouse with the Matra? That sounded fun.
He glanced around—the scholars immersed in Void feeds, oblivious.
"So the Akademiya wants to suppress truth? Control knowledge?"
"Then I'll stir the waters until they choke."
"The next broadcast… will show Sumeru the shadow behind their so-called 'wisdom.'"
A bold new plan was taking shape in his mind.
(End of Chapter)
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