He changed Tiwat

Tinari sincerely praised Ying and Paimon for this.

Ying and Paimon have extensive experience in wilderness exploration. Even without relevant knowledge, they can always make the most appropriate actions in the current situation. Moreover, the two cooperate perfectly, which greatly improves work efficiency.

For example, when exploring the distribution area of ​​Moon Lotus, the flying Paimon would conduct aerial reconnaissance to find areas where Moon Lotus were dense, and then Luminous would use her amazing jumping and climbing abilities to climb up tall trees and draw relevant Moon Lotus distribution maps—and Luminous's drawing skills were surprisingly good, clearly indicating that she had practiced.

Honestly, Tinari even considered asking the two of them if they would like to stay and work in the forest ranger team...

After finishing his work, Tinari, like Cole, shared his homemade "pocket bread" with Ying and Paimon. Although it tasted much worse than Cole's, food after a day's work always smells especially good—Paimon ate it all without hesitation until his belly was round.

Just as they were taking their lunch break, someone came looking for them.

"Hey—Mr. Tinari!"

The people who came were a man and a woman. The man was named Amir and the woman was named Naslin. They were both acquaintances that Ying and Paimon had met in Huacheng Guo.

Seeing the two looking anxious, Tina quickly went to greet them.

After exchanging words for a while, Tinali turned around and said, "I'll take care of it right away. You two should take them back to Huacheng Guo first."

Paimon immediately protested, "Wait a minute, Tinari, why are we suddenly being told to go back?"

Amir answered on behalf of Tinari: "Oh, you've only just arrived in Sumeru and don't know much about the place yet. In the rainforest of Sumeru, there are some areas where a unique anomaly occurs; those places are called 'Dead Zones'."

“During our patrol today, we discovered signs of a ‘dead zone’ deep in the valley ahead. Because it has almost completely blocked the narrow part of the valley, and it seems to be expanding, it could potentially pollute a larger area, so we quickly returned to report to Mr. Tinari.”

Naslin added, "None of our team members have the Eye of God today, so we didn't dare get too close. We just observed from a distance. The radius of the 'Dead Zone' is still unclear; we only recorded its location."

“Yes, your judgment is correct.” Tinari nodded as he began adjusting the hunting bow on his shoulder, seemingly preparing for battle.

Paimon then asked, "You just said that we can't get close without the Eye of God?"

“Yes! The ‘Dead Zone’ not only withers plants, but also takes the lives of animals and humans. Without the Eye of God, you absolutely cannot approach it rashly!” Amir emphasized. “Only those who possess the Eye of God—that is, those who can control elemental power—can resist the erosion of the ‘Dead Zone’ for a certain period of time.”

"So for us ordinary rangers, when we discover a dead zone, we first record its location and then hand it over to professionals like Mr. Tinari to handle."

Naslin continued, "Even with the Eye of God, one can only resist the erosion and have a way to enter the 'Dead Zone' to scout before coming out... To eliminate the 'Dead Zone,' one must have the power of the grass element. Currently, among the rangers of Daocheng Forest, only Mr. Tinari and Cole possess this power."

After checking the equipment, Tinari nodded and said, "Just as they said, I wasn't exaggerating when I told you there were extremely dangerous areas in the rainforest. You should go back to Huacheng with them first..."

“I might be able to help.” Ying stood up and took out her “Mist Cutter”.

To everyone's astonishment, the lightning on "Mist Cutter" was shrouded in a layer of green.

Then--

"Grass Edge Sword!"

Ying casually swung her longsword, and several beams of green light burst forth from the blade, cutting through the bushes like sharp leaves and embedding themselves in the soil.

Paimon puffed out his flat chest with a smug look: "Although we don't have the Eye of God, we're veterans at using elemental power!"

Tinari raised an eyebrow; it seemed that the rumors about the Mondstadt Knights of Honor were indeed true.

The ability to use elemental power without the Eye of God is extremely rare. Apart from using external means such as alchemical creations or mechanisms to store elemental power, ordinary people cannot manipulate elemental power without the Eye of God.

However, there has been a precedent in the history of the Sumeru Academy, such as Ying - Cino's senior, the most outstanding genius witch in the Siddham Academy in the last two hundred years, Lisa Mintz, has the ability to control elemental power freely without the Eye of God.

The reason why the "Sulun School" is dedicated to the study of alchemy, elemental science, and ley line science is to pursue the technology that allows humans to master great power without divine favor.

Tinari had heard from his mentor that the "Sultan school" had produced a similar genius hundreds of years ago, who could even turn the blood in a person's body into raging flames, but her name was now a taboo in the Council of the Fathers...

Considering Ying's special identity and the "hallucination" she had seen before... Tinari pondered for a moment and made a decision.

"In that case... alright, come with me."

The three followed Amir and Naslin to the location of the "Dead Zone".

“We usually teach people how to identify dead zones when they leave Huacheng Guo. But today, let’s do a field trip instead of a tutorial.” Tina stopped and pointed to a patch of strangely colored trees in the distance. “Can you see the difference? This ‘dead zone’ is so bad that it can be distinguished by the naked eye.”

“Yes, it is…” Paimon shrank back slightly in fear. “It looks gray over there, and the plants all seem withered. There’s also something like ash in the air…”

Tinari nodded: "That is the 'Dead Zone'."

"Just as people can get sick, forests, land, and ley lines can also get sick. This disease is called 'dead zone'."

“Ying, next we will enter the interior of the ‘Dead Zone’. In the very center of the ‘Dead Zone’, we can find its ‘root cause’, which is what is medically known as the ‘lesion’. As long as the ‘lesion’ is eliminated, this area can be saved.”

I want to emphasize this to you again—never force yourself.

"Even if you have elemental power, you will feel very uncomfortable inside. If you can't hold on, come out and rest. After all, this is a matter of life and death, understand?"

Despite knowing that Luminous could manipulate elemental power and even had a record of fighting against demons, Tinari still repeatedly emphasized the key points to Luminous like a teacher.

Unlike conventional battles, the opponent in the "Dead Zone" is the invisible and intangible "death." If you are careless or stubborn, you will really die inside—this is a lesson that the holders of the Eye of God in Sumeru have learned with their lives over the past thirty years.

Ying simply returned his smile with a confident one, then raised the "Mist Cutter" in her hand.

Although Ying didn't speak, Paimon, the "mouth of God," provided simultaneous interpretation: "She said, Doctor, the 'scalpel' is ready, let's start the operation!"

The moment Ying stepped into the "dead zone," her previous confident expression vanished.

The interior of the "Dead Zone" was shrouded in a gray haze, as if enveloped in a thick fog, with extremely low visibility. Even with Ying's keen eyesight, she could only see objects up to twenty or thirty feet away; beyond that, she could no longer discern the shapes of objects.

This gray fog is not the water vapor commonly found in mountains and forests, but is composed of particulate suspended matter. If a precise description must be given, it should be called "smog".

The "smog" itself isn't so scary. With Ying's physical abilities, even if she ran into the "Silent Sea" full of volcanic ash, she would be able to walk on flat ground. The key is the "atmosphere" of this place.

how to say……

She found herself as if she had stepped into "another world".

The "Dead Zone" is only a step away from the outside, yet the difference is like heaven and earth.

Judging from its appearance alone, the "dead zone" looks like nothing more than withered grass and trees, with dull colors, like a small winter scene suddenly inserted into a summer rainforest, which looks a bit abrupt compared to the surroundings.

As for how dangerous it was... well, Ying didn't feel it at all just now.

As for Amir and Naslin's description of "the erosion of the dead zone," Ying understands it as "the erosion of the abyss"—it erodes the surrounding environment and steals the life force from people and animals. Isn't that the power of the abyss? We've seen it all before!

Their claim that elemental power is needed to counteract this erosion is entirely consistent with the erosion of "Virtual Realm Power" by "Light Realm Power".

So Ying really felt that this time it was just like before, a fight against the power of the abyss, nothing serious.

But once she truly entered the "dead zone," she deeply understood what it meant to "take away lives."

She could clearly sense her life force draining away bit by bit—this wasn't just weakness or fatigue, but a more fundamental depletion...

The consumption of "lifespan".

This is why one must have the Eye of God to enter the "Dead Zone".

Those with the Eye of God possess elemental power beyond life force. When the "Dead Zone" tries to "take life," it prioritizes taking their elemental power. To use a game analogy, it's like an ordinary person only has a health bar; entering the "Dead Zone" causes them to lose health immediately, and they die when their health bar reaches zero. However, those with the Eye of God have an extra mana bar; they only start losing health when their mana bar is depleted.

What's even more terrifying is that the "Dead Zone" doesn't take away your "health points," but your "maximum health"!

Once you start "losing blood," your "lifespan" will be shortened proportionally. You could say that every second you spend in the "dead zone" will "shorten your lifespan"!

As a traveler from another world who traversed the sea of ​​stars, Ying obtained the status of "Extreme Human" in the previous world, possessing an immortal soul and a near-infinite lifespan.

Even for someone as "abundant" with life force as Ying, there's still a risk of dying of old age in this "dead zone." If she had a health bar, it's probably displaying "-1," "-1" repeatedly right now...

She finally understood why the Sumeru people called such a place the "Dead Zone".

If the world outside the "Dead Zone" is the world of the living, then the "Dead Zone" is the world of the dead. When the living enter the world of the dead, they will naturally be suppressed.

Ying felt this suppression immediately. It indiscriminately seized the life force within the domain, regardless of whether you were an animal or a plant, a native of Sumeru or a traveler from another world...

Suddenly, Tinari held out his hand to her, a round, emerald-green sphere in his hand: "Smell this."

What he handed over was the same kind of drug similar to "Lingfenxiang" that he had used before.

Ying took a deep breath and immediately felt a refreshing, minty fragrance permeate her body, and the discomfort caused by the "dead zone" disappeared without a trace.

Teacher Tinari's strict guidance followed: "My 'Knowledge Seed Thunder' cannot last long; it only temporarily suppresses the 'withering' effect of the 'Dead Zone.' Quickly activate the grass element power within your body and keep your body covered by grass element power at all times. If you can't do that, get out immediately."

"Yes, Teacher Tinari!" Ying no longer dared to underestimate the "Dead Zone" and activated the power of the grass element as instructed, covering herself with a layer of green light.

...Although this "glowing green" appearance is not very attractive, it is still much better than "disastrous"!

Tinali watched as she activated her grass elemental power and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, keep up with me."

He began running deeper into the "dead zone," and Ying followed suit.

As Tina ran, she explained the goal of this "operation" to Ying: "Our goal is the 'dead zone tumor' located at the center of the 'dead zone'."

"Its shape resembles a red sphere, usually enveloped by layers of withered trees within the 'Dead Zone.' According to past research by the Order Institute, the reason why the 'Dead Zone Tumor' takes this form is likely because it contains life force that has been forcibly taken from this area."

"Just like tumors that form from diseases in the human body, and tumors that steal nutrients from the body to grow stronger, diseases in the 'dead zone' can also form similar 'tumors.' Our experience is that removing the 'dead zone tumor' can temporarily eliminate the 'dead zone.'"

"Temporarily eliminate?" Ying caught this key phrase.

“Hmm.” Tinari nodded heavily. “Just like tumors in the human body can spread and metastasize, ‘Dead Zone Tumors’ can also spread and metastasize. We cannot be sure that there is only one ‘Dead Zone Tumor’ in this area; there are likely many more hidden underground.”

“In fact, I had a ‘dead zone tumor’ removed from this area just a month ago, but it has recurred in just one month…”

Before he finished speaking, Tina's fox ears twitched suddenly, catching the sound of wind breaking through the gray mist.

"careful!"

Chapter Sixteen: I Understand the Theory of Advanced Element Reactions (5/10)

Before Tina could explain any further, she immediately did a forward roll.

Ying's reaction was no slower than Tinari's; when Tinari reminded her, she also quickly made a dodge move.

Several red thorns, sharp as arrows, shot into the ground where they had just been standing, then melted away and disappeared into the soil.

"It's an attack from the 'Rotten Branch'!"

As Tinari shouted, he untied the hunting bow from his back.

"Where?" Ying shouted as well.

The thick smog in the "dead zone" obscured the distant scenery, making it impossible for the enemy to find the source of the attack while we were in the dark.

Tinali did not answer, but glanced at the craters left by the red spikes that had just pierced the ground, and then drew back the bowstring in a certain direction.

In the "Dead Zone," besides "withering," there are other dangers—plants eroded by the "Dead Zone" will generate a kind of "rotten branch" similar to a "man-eating flower." The "rotten branch" is extremely aggressive and will actively spew out thorns condensed from death energy to plunder the life force of those who enter the "Dead Zone."

Even those with the Eye of God will rapidly weaken and lose their ability to move if struck by the hidden arrow of the "Rotten Branch," ultimately becoming nourishment for the "Dead Zone."

The "rotten branches" are like "arrow towers" in a defensive fortification; to continue advancing, these "arrow towers" must be destroyed.

“The roots determine the origin, the stems reveal the source…” Tinari murmured to himself, as three green vines entwined with flowers took shape on the bowstring.

This is a "flower arrow" created by the Tinari using the power of the grass element.

"Hidden power breaks through barriers!"

With a sharp shout, three beams of green light burst forth from the emerald longbow, rushing towards the distant horizon hidden in the smog.

Then came three loud "pop" sounds, like firecrackers exploding.

On a withered tree dozens of feet away, a bewitching red trumpet flower was gathering red thorns in its corolla, but three green vine arrows struck its firing port at the same time.

A burst of green light instantly destroyed the red trumpet flower.

Ying saw a green light flashing in the distance, and at the same time, the gray haze in the air seemed to have lessened somewhat.

Ying seemed to realize something: "...Tinari, did you just hit that 'Rotten Branch'?"

Tina nodded matter-of-factly: "It's just basic ballistic calculation. Based on the angle of incidence and speed of the spike, we estimate its distance and launch location. It's just a simple application of geometry."

“Every student in the Academy of Teachings needs to study the ‘Advanced Mathematics’ curriculum, especially the ‘Minglun’ astrologers, whose courses are more difficult than ours. If you want to understand the specific algorithms, I recommend you read ‘Analytic Geometry’ by Seydaf Pulbiluni, a highly accomplished ‘Habantha’ in mathematics…”

“Stop, I won’t understand even if you explain,” Ying wisely declined Tinari’s math lecture. “What should we do next?”

Tina touched her ear with a hint of regret.

"Keep moving forward, but be careful of the 'Rotten Branches' attacks. The larger the 'Dead Zone,' the more 'Rotten Branches' there will be. They are usually distributed around the 'Dead Zone Tumor.' When we get closer to the 'Dead Zone Tumor' in the center, we are also entering the firing angle of all the 'Rotten Branches,' which is the most dangerous time."

“If I were alone, I would first circle the ‘Dead Zone’ area, clearing away all the ‘Rotten Branches’ before approaching the ‘Dead Zone Tumor’, but that would take a lot of time…”

“The ‘dead zone’ will expand its erosion range over time. Several scholars who come to the rainforest to cultivate live near this valley. If we are slow to act, there may be victims.”

Tinari looked at Luminous and said seriously, "Luminous, I just saw your dodging movement. Your reflexes seem to be far beyond that of ordinary people. You should be able to dodge the arrows shot by 'Rotting Branches'. I would like to ask you..."

Ying clapped her hands: "Got it, you want me to be the 'bait,' right?"

Tina scratched his head awkwardly. From the perspective of the forest ranger, he should protect Ying, the "traveler," from the threat of the "Dead Zone," rather than letting her face the danger on her own... But thinking of the scholars in the "Forest Dwelling Madness Period" around him who might be swallowed by the "Dead Zone" in their sleep, he had no choice but to make this difficult request.

“I assure you, as long as you can dodge the first wave of attacks from the ‘Rotten Branches,’ I can calculate the trajectory and destroy them all, ensuring you are never in danger for long—of course, I know this is an unreasonable request, and it is perfectly reasonable for you to refuse this offer…”

"Who said I was going to refuse?" Ying tilted her head. "You came to save people, right? I came to Sumeru to save people too. Since it's to save people, of course I'll help you."

"And..."