Chapter 27: The Second Divine Eye

Waited about three hours.

Luo De and Dixiya finally met Tinari.

This boy, with a pair of long black ears and a fluffy dark‑green tail, if not looked at closely, might be mistaken for some rare small animal in the woods.

This was Luo De's first time seeing a non‑human race.

Desert Hound.

This is the source of Tinari's non‑human appearance.

It is said that the Desert Hound once was a tribe under the Desert God Red King, living in the vast desert, most having light‑colored fur and large ears suited for heat dissipation.

Later disaster struck; the Red King's kingdom fell, and the Desert Hound survived only thanks to the Dendro Archon's favor, their fur turning green under the forest's influence.

This corresponds to that legend.

That is, in the ancient Sanskrit‑like language, the name Desert Hound means 'big dog of the desert'.

Of course.

Tinari is not a pure‑blood Desert Hound.

His ancestors once lived together with the Desert Hound, and due to their symbiotic relationship, they eventually gave birth to Tinari, a mixed‑blood of this line.

Although Tinari's ancestors were active in the desert region, he himself is extremely intolerant of heat.

Earlier he hired Dixiya to explore the desert, but ultimately gave up on it.

It is because of his green‑to‑black hair; upon entering the desert he cannot endure the high temperatures, making normal research impossible.

"Miss Dixiya, hello."

Tinari has a good memory.

Although he only met Dixiya once, he still remembers her.

"Who is this?"

Tinari looked toward Luo De.

Being able to come with Dixiya to find me, he must be Dixiya's friend.

"My name is Luo De, I come from A Ru Cun."

Luo De smiled slightly, then said: "Mr. Tinari, I have some doubts I'd like you to clarify, if it's convenient for you."

"Do you need me to answer?"

Tinari glanced at Luo De's clothing.

He is not a student of the Academy.

Not an Academy student, yet he deliberately ran from the desert to Chanana Garden to find me and ask questions.

Tinari blinked, pointed to the nearby pavilion, and said: "Let's talk over there."

After the three of them sat down,

Luo De then poured out all the questions he wanted to ask.

First question: Is there a simple, inexpensive method suitable for folk use to produce Dendro element crystals?

Second question: What plants suitable for desert growth, with deep root systems that can lock in moisture, are there? How difficult is transplantation? For the date palm, from sapling to mature tree, what is the growth cycle, and if transplanting a mature tree, what needs attention?

Third question: What livestock suitable for desert breeding, with traits of heat tolerance, cold tolerance, drought tolerance, and tolerance for coarse feed, are there? If one wishes to breed them, what precautions are needed regarding disease prevention and feeding?

Fourth question.

Fifth question.

Luo De blurted out all the questions he wanted to ask in one go.

After finishing, he sat there like a student still in school, holding paper and pen, earnestly waiting for Tinari to answer his questions.

"There really are a lot of questions."

Luo De asked too many; even Tinari needs to digest them properly.

As for desert topics, in the Academy they are not considered a major discipline.

One reason is the harsh desert environment; achieving results there consumes time and effort.

Another is the Academy's unfriendly attitude toward the desert; wanting to conduct research there, the obtainable funding is far less than for studying ancient ruins or conducting research in rainforest areas.

Moreover, knowledge of the desert is limited in the Void; students can get little help from the Void terminals.

Research is difficult, time‑consuming, and underfunded.

This also means that even the relatively knowledge‑rich Vitalist Faction rarely has anyone go to the desert for ecological research.

However, Tinari is an exception.

He has always believed his race originated from the desert; after learning the name 'Desert Big Dog,' he has been full of interest in the desert, and were it not for his heat‑intolerant constitution, after graduation he might not have become a forest ranger in Dao‑Cheng Forest but instead gone to the desert for scientific research.

But he did not rush to answer Luo De's questions; instead, he asked intriguingly.

"You should know that if we examine these questions word by word, answering them for you could also be considered spreading knowledge."

"What kind of crime is spreading knowledge? You certainly know that."

Saying this, Tinari suddenly laughed: "Hey, you wouldn't be someone my teacher sent to drag me back to the Academy, would you?"

Tinari's teacher is called Nafis, a sage of the Academy's Vitalist Faction.

He wholeheartedly wants Tinari to return to the Academy and inherit his position.

However, Tinari dislikes the Academy's academic atmosphere; after graduation he politely refused his teacher's attempts to retain him, left the Academy, and began as a grassroots forest ranger in the small place of Huacheng Guo.

Until now.

From time to time, people from the Academy still come to invite Tinari to return.

"Mr. Tinari, you're joking; I truly came seeking knowledge."

Luo De knew Tinari was joking with him, so he didn't bother to explain, merely saying: "I believe knowledge ought to be the treasure of all living beings, to be eagerly embraced by those curious about it, rather than reduced to a purely survival tool limited and doled out."

After these words were spoken.

Not only Luo De, but Dixiya, who was always absent-minded, also noticed that Tinari's expression changed in an instant.

If Tinari had previously been relaxed in his attitude toward Luo De, then now he is serious to the point of being unable to be any more serious.

He carefully examined Luo De from head to toe, especially lingering a little longer on Luo De's hands, which had calluses from farming and gripping a sword.

"This is not a place to talk; follow me."

The place where Luo De and they are staying is, after all, Meditation Garden, which is Academy's territory; even if Tinari doesn't care about Academy's attitude, the surface work still needs to be done.

Privately spreading knowledge, out of respect for Nafis's face, the Academy might not say anything.

Publicly spreading knowledge in Meditation Garden to the desert folk is a slap in the face; even Nafis can't protect him.

Thus Tinari took Luo De and Dixiya away from Meditation Garden, walking silently all the way to a small wooden cabin in the woods.

Here.

He first took off the Void Terminal at his ear, then answered Luo De's questions one by one.

Tinari spoke in great detail, and he would only move on to the next topic after making sure Luo De had fully recorded what he said.

Before leaving, he left behind a book.

Its name is "Rainforest Biological Atlas".

This is a Life Theory School teaching material that Tinari helped compile.

He gave this book as a gift to Luo De.

He also attached a suggestion: "If you have the chance, you can try to take the Academy's examination; if you pass smoothly, I will suggest to my teacher that he take you as his disciple."

After Tinari left.

Dixiya stood beside Luo De and asked, "Do you really think that?"

She asked.

Those were the words Luo De had previously said to Tinari.

"Yeah."

Luo De showed a reminiscent expression: "Knowledge should be shared by all, and should not be used by some as a tool to maintain rule."

After saying that.

His pocket suddenly felt inexplicably heavy.

Then, under Dixiya's gaze, Luo De pulled out a fiery red glass bead from his pocket with a puzzled expression.

(End of chapter)