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

Two hours later, the effects of the anesthesia wore off for Zhou Xiaomei.

She lay in bed and slowly opened her eyes.

She saw Lin Mo still sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her hand in one hand, looking at her.

Zhou Xiaomei smiled, a smile that appeared exceptionally gentle on her pale face.

Lin Mo didn't speak, but simply gripped that hand tighter.

He took the bracelet out of his pocket.

It's silver, very fine, with simple patterns engraved on the surface, and it gleams softly under the light.

He gently placed the bracelet in Zhou Xiaomei's hand.

"Mom, this is for you."

Zhou Xiaomei looked down at the bracelet and paused for a moment.

"What is this?"

"The Tranquil Bracelet is calming and soothing; wearing it helps me sleep better."

Zhou Xiaomei looked at the bracelet, then at her son, her eyes reddening.

She examined the bracelet several times, turning it over and over, before handing it back to Lin Mo.

"It's not cheap, is it?"

Lin Mo smiled and shook his head, took the bracelet, and carefully slipped it onto his mother's withered wrist.

"It's not expensive, not expensive at all."

The bracelet was a bit big, but it swayed on her wrist, the silver light contrasting beautifully against her pale skin.

Zhou Xiaomei raised her hand and looked at it in the sunlight outside the window.

The bracelet reflected tiny specks of light, which fell onto the quilt.

"nice."

Looking at the smile on her mother's face, Lin Mo felt a weight lift from her heart.

"Mom, you can wear it to bed from now on. The doctor over there said it will help you sleep better."

Zhou Xiaomei nodded, still holding her hand up, watching the bracelet shimmer in the sunlight.

"My son has grown up."

Lin Mo's eyes stung a little.

He didn't say anything, but simply pressed his mother's hand against his face.

The two then chatted about some other things.

Perhaps due to her extreme weakness, or perhaps due to the lingering effects of the anesthesia, Zhou Xiaomei fell asleep again shortly afterward.

Her breathing was steady, her brows were relaxed, and there was a slight smile on her lips.

The hand wearing the bracelet was outside the blanket, the silver bracelet gleaming softly in the sunlight.

Lin Mo just stared at her.

He knew time was running out.

That familiar pulling sensation had begun to ache deep within my body.

Like an invisible rope, it is slowly tightening.

He stood up, took one last look at his mother on the bed, his eyes filled with reluctance.

He then took a deep breath, turned around, and walked towards the door.

step.

Two steps.

Just as his hand touched the doorknob.

"Xiao Mo".

A voice came from behind me, very soft, a little hoarse, but very clear.

Lin Mo's body stiffened.

He turned around.

Zhou Xiaomei opened her eyes and looked at him.

Go home early.

Lin Mo's tears welled up instantly.

He hadn't cried in a long time.

In that world, he killed countless people, suffered countless injuries, and faced countless desperate situations, but he never shed a single tear.

But now, standing at the door of this small ward, looking at the frail woman on the hospital bed, his tears flowed uncontrollably.

He nodded vigorously.

"Um."

His voice was trembling, but he tried his best to make every word clear.

"Don't worry, Mom."

The door closed.

The lights in the corridor were a bit too bright.

Lin Mo stood there, tears still streaming down her face.

He wiped his face with his sleeve, took a deep breath, and strode forward.

Upon reaching the stairwell, the pulling sensation suddenly intensified.

It felt like something was suddenly pulling from deep within my body.

At the same time, the whole world began to spin, distort, and sink—

His vision was shrouded in darkness.

……

When I opened my eyes again, I saw the stars in the sky.

The night breeze carries the scent of grass and trees.

The sound of church bells drifted from afar, one chime after another, long and drawn out.

Lin Mo stood in the center of the altar.

He remained in the same posture he had when he left, standing on that ancient, round stone platform.

The star patterns gleamed faintly in the darkness, and the crystals atop the four stone pillars had dimmed.

He slowly sat up.

I feel a bit weak, like I'm recovering from a serious illness.

Every time I cross over into a new field, it's like this; it takes a while to recover.

"It's...it's the boss! The boss is back!"

A familiar, loud voice rang out.

Lin Mo turned his head and saw several people standing by the altar.

Ottmu stood at the very front, and an expression of excitement could actually be seen on his puppet face.

He was wearing a gorgeous robe that he had somehow gotten his hands on, which, combined with his wooden face, made him look indescribably comical.

He saw Lin Mo sit up and rubbed his hands together excitedly.

"Boss! You're finally back!"

Yin Xue was much faster than him.

A flash of red light, and the small figure had already pounced in front of Lin Mo.

She hovered in mid-air, her blood-red eyes scrutinizing Lin Mo from top to bottom and left to right several times.

Her little face looked very tense.

"How is it?"

She asked, her voice unusually serious, "How is your mother? Did the surgery go well? Was the compass put down? Did you get through on that phone call?"

Lin Mo looked at her, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Everything went smoothly."

Yin Xue paused for a moment, then let out a long breath.

She put her hands on her hips, and that "I knew it all along" expression on her face returned.

"Hmph, of course, with my help, how could things not go smoothly—"

Before she could finish speaking, a pink and white shadow had already pounced on Lin Mo's shoulder.

Mianmian rubbed her little head against Lin Mo's cheek, making a soft hissing sound.

As it rubbed against him, it paused, then raised a small paw and gently touched the tear stains on Lin Mo's face.

The tear stain hadn't dried completely yet.

Lin Mo was taken aback.

Mianmian looked at him with her compound eyes, and there was something indescribable in them.

It wasn't understanding, nor comfort; it was more like an instinctive effort to clean its owner.

Lin Mo reached out and patted Mianmian's head.

The archbishop stood at the edge of the altar.

He was wearing a coarse gray-brown robe and leaning on a short silver cane.

He didn't come over, but just looked at Lin Mo from a distance, his cloudy gray eyes holding a calmness unique to the elderly.

Lin Mo met his gaze and nodded.

"Thanks."

The archbishop nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

Lin Mo stood up and stretched his stiff limbs.

The night breeze carries the fresh scent of grass and trees, along with the holy glow of the distant church.

He took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the image of that hospital room in his mind.

When he spoke again, his voice had returned to its usual calm.

"Next, all I need to do is figure out how to quickly reach level 100."

Yin Xue nodded.

Just as she was about to say something, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard gate.

The footsteps were disordered but fast, heading straight this way.

Immediately afterwards, the wrought iron gate was suddenly pushed open from the outside.

The Second Prince, Li Yiguang, strode in.

He was dressed in a moon-white gown, with a jade belt edged with gold thread around his waist. His hair was neatly combed, and a perfectly appropriate smile graced his face.

That smile contained dignity, friendliness, and a hint of unwavering confidence.

A hunter with axe followed behind.

The giant, over two meters tall, carried the massive black axe and walked slowly behind.

His gaze swept over the people in the courtyard, lingered on Lin Mo for a moment, and he grinned, which was considered a greeting.

Then he leaned against the door, looking like it was none of his business.

The second prince walked to the altar, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Lin Mo.

His smile deepened.

"Your Excellency, I heard that you have successfully achieved your wish, so I have come to congratulate you."

Lin Mo looked at him without saying a word.

The Second Prince paid no attention to Lin Mo's silence. He continued speaking, his tone carrying just the right amount of enthusiasm.

"As per our previous agreement, you will represent me in the Glory Trial Tournament. There are still a few days before the official start of the competition, and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to the other participants."