Rover let Aether rest first. The moment he stepped outside, he heard shouts not far away.
"Mr. Tighnari!"
Following the source of the voice, Rover spotted two Forest Rangers. Tighnari, having also heard the call, was walking toward them.
"Amir? Weren't you two just setting out? Why are you back so soon? Did something happen?"
Tighnari looked puzzled. Amir unfolded a map and pointed to a spot along their planned route.
"We just discovered a Withering Zone."
The other Forest Ranger, Nasrin, spoke with a grave expression.
Tighnari grew even more confused. He crossed his arms and stroked his chin, murmuring,
"A Withering Zone? This route was completely cleared just a week ago... How could it reappear so quickly..."
Rover moved closer to take a look. The marked Withering Zone was deep within a river valley, seemingly occupying a narrow section of it.
So... what exactly is a Withering Zone?
"None of us in the team have Visions today, and we could sense it was still expanding, so we didn't dare get too close."
Nasrin frowned slightly.
"Excuse me, could someone explain what a Withering Zone is?"
Rover interjected apologetically into the Forest Rangers' conversation. Amir patiently explained to him:
"In Sumeru's rainforest, certain areas undergo a unique mutation phenomenon—those places are called Withering Zones.
The Withering not only causes plants to wither but also drains the life from animals and humans. Without a Vision, you absolutely must not approach recklessly."
Tighnari added a warning for Rover:
"Only those with Visions—people who can wield elemental power—can resist the Withering's erosion for a limited time."
It sounded quite dangerous.
After a moment of thought, Rover decided to accompany Tighnari. If he wanted to travel safely through this forest, he needed to understand this phenomenon.
"Exactly. So for ordinary Forest Rangers like us, upon discovering a Withering Zone, we first record its location, then leave it to professionals like Mr. Tighnari to handle."
Rover smiled and extended his hand.
"I might be able to help."
Seeing Amir's hesitation, Rover summoned a wisp of Anemo in his palm, letting it brush past everyone's faces.
"So the rumors about you foreigners are true. That puts me at ease. Come with me."
Naturally, Tighnari had also heard of Rover and Aether's exploits: resolving the dragon crisis in Mondstadt, slaying a deity in Liyue, abolishing the Vision Hunt Decree in Inazuma. These legendary feats had become travelers' tales, spreading far and wide.
...
The closer Rover got to the Withering Zone, the more he understood its danger.
The Withering stripped all life from its domain, draining color from the surroundings and exuding a scent of death.
From a distance, it was often shrouded in thick fog, a murky gray. Among the withered plants, ashes drifted like mist.
"This is the Withering."
Tighnari glanced at Rover, who remained calm—unlike most people who reacted with fear upon their first encounter with the Withering.
"Rover, next we'll need to enter the Withering Zone to locate its core. Only by destroying it can we save this area."
Rover grasped the situation. His eyes immediately locked onto several crimson threads floating in the air—the culprits draining life from this land.
"Understood."
Faced with such a calamity, the blade Rover drew grew darker. Tighnari instinctively took a step back, as if the blackened sword was more intimidating than the lifeless zone itself.
Once inside the Withering, Fungi began closing in on them, but Rover cut them all down with a single slash.
Tighnari grew increasingly uneasy, his tone turning cautious.
"We need to find the branches sustaining the Withering first, then locate the Dendro Grana..."
Before he could finish, Rover swung his blade—a black arc of light extinguishing the eerie red glow in the distance.
Rover had long realized that Havoc and Spectro held an exceptionally high priority in this world.
Thus, sometimes he could skip certain steps and strike directly at the heart of the problem.
No matter how formidable the Withering was, could it compare to the karmic debt born from countless slaughters? Or the Havoc that had devoured entire worlds?
Tighnari's words cut off abruptly. The usual procedure for clearing a Withering Zone was to locate the branches, destroy them with Dendro Grana, then find and eliminate the Tumor of the Withering.
But Rover defied all logic, bypassing the intermediate steps entirely. The Tumor was exposed in their sight, and soon, the Withering was cleared.
"I thought it'd take a lot more effort... Yet it was resolved in under five minutes. Thanks to your help."
Tighnari rubbed the back of his head, watching as life returned to the area, and expressed his gratitude.
Rover sheathed his sword. Now that he roughly understood the Withering, he turned to Tighnari.
"I can sense you're not in high spirits?"
Tighnari looked surprised but sighed.
"You're incredibly strong. The Withering probably doesn't feel like a threat to you. But for us Forest Rangers, it's a deadly phenomenon.
Recently, Withering Zones have been appearing at an alarming rate. Even after clearing one, new ones quickly emerge. The increased workload isn't the issue—it's the widespread impact the Withering has on the rainforest."
Rover could hear the concern in Tighnari's voice but raised another question.
"Is there no way to eradicate it completely?"
Tighnari shook his head again as they walked.
"From what I know, the Withering has existed in Sumeru for millennia. Its origin lies in the deeper layers of this world... Have you heard of Irminsul?"
Irminsul?
Rover recalled the giant tree Aether had mentioned in his dreams. Could it be connected to Irminsul?
"Irminsul lies deep beneath the earth beneath us. Though it's not a tree in the biological sense, you can roughly imagine it as an enormous tree growing upside down.
Ley Lines are like Irminsul's roots, sprawling beneath the surface. The Ley Lines continuously absorb the memories of this world, and Irminsul gathers all knowledge and wisdom from ancient times to the present.
This is why the Dendro Archon is known as the God of Wisdom—her consciousness is linked to Irminsul. The Dendro Archon's power is, in essence, a manifestation of Irminsul's power.
The emergence of the Withering is, in a way, a disease of Irminsul."
Tighnari's lengthy explanation made Rover realize:
Sumeru currently faces a significant problem—one even more severe than Inazuma's.