My mom is waiting for treatment, and you're summoning me to be a hero?

Liu Yishou was left in the bedroom to continue listing the medicinal herbs.

Lin Mo put Mianmian back on his shoulder.

Yin Xue flapped its wings and followed Lin Mo out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind it.

The three of them arrived at the foot of the church.

At this moment, Xiaohong was lying listlessly on the carpeted open floor, with several empty cake plates piled in front of her.

Its big head was resting on its front hooves, looking lazy and content after a good meal.

General Horn stood in the center of the hall, his back ramrod straight.

But his brows were furrowed and his fists were clenched, clearly indicating his inner turmoil.

Hearing footsteps coming from the stairs, he immediately turned around.

When he saw Lin Mo, a complex and unfathomable light flashed in his eyes.

He strode forward, stopped a few steps away from Lin Mo, and solemnly saluted again.

His voice, though weary, was utterly sincere: "Your Excellency, thank you again for your help today, which saved tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians at Ash Fortress. I will never forget this kindness."

Lin Mo nodded slightly, accepting his thanks.

She looked at him calmly, waiting for him to continue.

Horn took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.

He swiped his right hand across the spatial ring on his index finger, and something appeared in his palm.

It was a fist-sized, purplish-blue crystal.

The inside of this crystal seemed to shimmer with stars.

It also seemed as if liquid lightning was slowly flowing.

As soon as the crystal appeared, a faint crackling sound could be heard from the surrounding air.

A faint tingling sensation spread out.

"This...this energy is the essence of a level 70 Beast King!? And judging from its quality and energy attributes, it's definitely not something an ordinary Beast King could produce!"

Even the well-informed Yin Xue couldn't help but fly closer, a hint of surprise flashing in his blood-red eyes. "This is an extremely rare essence, kid, where did you get it?"

Horn did not answer Yin Xue immediately, but instead looked intently at Lin Mo.

He held the purplish-blue essence in both hands, his tone extremely solemn:

"This was a gift from my family when I broke through the level 50 bottleneck. According to the family rules, once I successfully refine and absorb it, I can return to the family core and receive the highest level of resource cultivation and inheritance."

His voice paused, tinged with a hint of self-mockery and a sense of relief:

"But I came to Ash Keep fifteen years ago. In all these years, I have never used a single extra resource from my family, nor have I ever mentioned my origins to my soldiers. Many times, I have even almost forgotten that I have such a family behind me. Every brick, every tile, every soldier in Ash Keep is what I, Horn, truly care about. And from today onwards, it will be even more so."

He presented the essence to Lin Mo, his eyes filled with unwavering determination:

"This object has been neglected in my hands. Now, I give it to you. Perhaps it can only realize its true value in your hands. Consider it... my humble repayment for your kindness today, and my sincerity for possible cooperation in the future."

Lin Mo's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

He desperately needs a high-quality essence to break through level 50.

This level 70 essence is a godsend.

He didn't feign refusal; he simply reached out and took the essence from Horn's palm.

It feels slightly tingly upon first touch, and the violent energy contained within seems to pulsate gently as if it were alive.

"I'll accept it."

Lin Mo's voice remained calm, but he was fully aware of the value and significance of this gift.

"You've offended your family and killed Dick. Now, how do you plan to deal with them?"

Horn's lips twitched slightly.

He thought to himself, "Didn't you kill Dick?"

But he knew what Lin Mo meant.

He first took a deep breath, gathered his thoughts, and said in a deep voice:

"This matter is indeed thorny. But fortunately, you acted swiftly and decisively, leaving no survivors. Now, what happened inside and outside Ash Fortress, and how it is defined, can be decided by me, the garrison general."

A shrewd glint flashed in his eyes as he began to explain his plan:

"It just so happens that a few days ago, powerful demons were suspected to have gathered deep in the plains, conducting some kind of demon general selection, causing quite a commotion. The dark elf army also launched a large-scale attack at this time. I plan to connect these two events."

"A mysterious and powerful figure claiming to be the Demon King intends to consolidate the demon race's power and plots against the empire's borders. As for my cousin Dick and his entourage..."

Horn's tone became solemn and heavy.

"They received my urgent plea for help and used the teleportation array to rush over, but unfortunately they encountered the Demon King and his dark elf army outside the city, and a fierce battle broke out."

"My cousin Dick fought bravely against the powerful warriors under the Demon King to cover my retreat and that of the fortress's soldiers and civilians, and ultimately sacrificed himself heroically. We fought to the death to defend the city and repel the Dark Elves, but we failed to save my cousin. This is my fault, Horn, and I am willing to bear all the punishments of the family."

He looked at Lin Mo as he said this.

"In this way, the ins and outs of the attack are clear, Dick's death has a reason, the crisis at Ash Fortress is resolved, and the family can at least save face. Most importantly—"

He paused, his words carrying a hidden meaning.

"This matter has no direct connection to you whatsoever. All fingers will point to the demon king who has vanished without a trace."

Lin Mo nodded after listening.

This statement has many flaws and cannot withstand rigorous scrutiny.

But all parties benefited, and even if someone saw through it, they wouldn't point it out.

That would not only offend Ash Keep, but also the Astark family.

Therefore, this excuse is likely to be feasible.

Moreover, he successfully extricated himself from this trouble.

At the same time, Lin Mo's opinion of Horn also changed.

I originally thought he was the kind of stubborn general.

Now it seems he's a shrewd person who's rough around the edges but actually quite meticulous.

"That's reasonable."

Lin Mo commented.

"Then proceed according to your plan. If there's nothing else, you can go and get on with your work."

Horn breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Lin Mo had approved of his approach.

He bowed again: "Thank you, Your Excellency. I will take my leave now to handle the post-war matters and prepare the report. If you need anything, you may send someone to the city lord's mansion to find me at any time."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned to leave the church.

Xiao Hong let out a loud snort behind him, as if to say, "Finally, she's gone."

The church was quiet again.

Lin Mo looked down at the level 70 essence in his hand, which was shrouded in purple light, and felt the immense power contained within it.

Mianmian curiously stretched out her little paw, wanting to touch the glowing crystal, but Lin Mo gently blocked her way.

"You can't eat this right now."

Lin Mo said to Mianmian, and the little guy seemed to understand but didn't quite, so he withdrew his paw.

Lin Mo then asked Yin Xue, "Can you tell which beast king this essence fell from? What skills might it lead to?"

Yin Xue stroked his chin and carefully observed the essence.

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be the essence of the level 70 Zog Insect King."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow: "The Zog Insect King?"

Yin Xue nodded and explained.

"Zog bugs can evolve different abilities depending on their environment, so their forms are also different. The skills they can learn will also change depending on their abilities before they die, so I'm not sure what skills they can learn."

Lin Mo frowned as he looked at the essence of the text.

Time is of the essence, and every bit of strength gained is crucial; there's no time to be picky.

He looked around. The church hall was spacious enough, and with Xiao Hong guarding it, it was relatively safe.

"Right here."

He decided to begin refining immediately.

He walked to a relatively open area on one side of the hall, sat down cross-legged, and placed the black sword horizontally in front of him.

Holding the essence of the Zog Insect King in his right hand, he took a deep breath and cleared his mind of distractions.

The countdown to mother's surgery, the challenge of the Empire's Rising Star Tournament, the vow to return...

Everything needs a stronger force to support it.

And now, the power is in our hands.

Refining, begin.