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

The procession slowly moved forward into the city.

Lin Mo led his horse, standing in the crowd, his hood covering most of his face.

The people around were still talking, their voices growing louder and more excited.

Just then, a woman's voice suddenly rang out from the side.

"This way, this way."

Lin Mo turned his head and saw that the sound was coming from the entrance of a small alley.

A woman stood there, her whole body wrapped in burlap.

She is waving to herself.

Lin Mo frowned.

Yin Xue looked at her: "This person... seems somewhat familiar..."

Lin Mo felt the same way.

"Come quick!"

The man lowered his voice again and urged him on.

Lin Mo hesitated for a moment before walking over.

I came into the alley and came face to face with the woman.

She looked at Lin Mo and nodded: "It really was you."

As he spoke, he pulled up his hood.

A face of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old was revealed, mature and with a touch of elegance.

She looked at Lin Mo's still furrowed brows, then covered her mouth and laughed, her clear laughter echoing in the narrow alley.

"It's me, Su Lin. Your memory is terrible; it's only been a few days."

As Lin Mo looked at that face, memories slowly surfaced.

This is the first hero I've encountered in this world.

It was she who led him into the mine of Gumu City and found Mianmian.

At that time, she was only at level nine, wearing simple leather armor, holding a short sword, and her hands were trembling with nervousness.

And now, she's already at level 27.

From the time she arrived in Ancient Wood City until now, she has only leveled up eighteen times.

There were no extraordinary encounters, and no benefactors.

She leveled up to her current level step by step by killing low-level monsters and accumulating experience.

This leveling speed isn't slow for a brave adventurer.

"What are you doing here?" Lin Mo asked.

Su Lin sighed, her tone tinged with helplessness: "We were assigned here. The Hero Association said the Northern Territory was short of people, so they sent our whole batch here."

She looked Lin Mo up and down, her eyes revealing something.

"You're really bold. I heard that the new emperor of the Holy Ancient Kingdom has the same name as you, and you didn't even try to hide it."

In her opinion, Lin Mo was indeed strong, but not strong enough to kill three demigods like the one in the rumors.

So I subconsciously assumed it was just someone with the same name.

Lin Mo didn't explain, he just shrugged.

Su Lin shook her head at his nonchalant attitude and suddenly reached out to grab his sleeve.

"Come on, I'll take you to meet some friends."

She pulled him deeper into the alley.

"They're all here, you must still remember."

Lin Mo didn't say anything, and just followed her into the depths of the alley.

At the end of the alley is a tavern.

The storefront is small, with a crooked wooden signboard bearing the words "Oak Dragon".

Su Lin pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by the smell of alcohol and the warmth of the heating.

The tavern wasn't crowded; several tables were empty.

However, judging from the faintly glowing weapons these people were carrying, they were all heroes.

This is not uncommon in the Hundred Days Fortress, after all, like the Ashes Fortress, it is a place for heroes to test and level up.

"Look who's here!"

Su Lin called out.

Those people turned their heads.

Lin recognized them.

Chen Bo, Yang Wei, and a few other faces I'd seen in Gumu City.

They were all low-level warriors who were with Su Lin back then.

They were training together in the mine back then.

Their levels are not high right now, only around level 20 or 30.

Chen Bo was the first to stand up, approach Lin Mo, and look him up and down for a while.

Then he grinned and slapped Lin Mo on the shoulder.

"Haha! I knew it! That expressionless demon king couldn't be you!"

Lin Mo's lips twitched slightly.

"The expressionless demon king?"

Chen Bo chuckled, grabbed a wine glass from the table, and took a swig.

"That's right! I heard that the newly enthroned emperor is expressionless. He has one expression when he kills someone, one expression when he ascends the throne, and even one expression when he goes to the harem."

He imitated a blank expression, staring with wide eyes and a stern face.

"That's it, not a single movement from beginning to end."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Yang Wei laughed so hard he slapped the table, spilling wine all over it.

Su Lin laughed too, laughing so hard she bent over.

Yin Xue poked him in the collar: "Your name is quite impressive."

Lin Mo stood there, his lips twitching again.

After Yang Wei finished laughing, he picked up a glass of wine from the table and handed it over.

"Brother, back then in Ancient Wood City you single-handedly fought your way through the mine and defeated Wang Tong, which really helped us get revenge."

He shoved the wine glass into Lin Mo's hand.

"Come on, have a drink!"

Lin Mo accepted the wine glass without refusing.

The liquor is ordinary ale, a bit astringent, but with a sweet aftertaste.

He took a sip and put the cup down.

At this moment, Su Lin reminded them from the side, "Everyone should drink less. The city lord will be announcing something important in the square later."

The tavern fell silent for a moment.

Chen Bo clicked his tongue and put down his wine glass.

"What's so great about that? It's just about joining forces with the Holy Kingdom of the Tower."

Yang Wei sighed and remained silent.

Just then, Lin Mo looked at them and asked a question: "Do you want to join the Holy Kingdom of the Tower?"

Everyone was taken aback.

Chen Bo was the first to shake his head.

"I don't want to. There are so many rules over there. I heard that even heroes have to go to church regularly. It's so annoying."

Yang Wei also shook his head.

"I didn't want this either. Although that new emperor is expressionless, at least he fought his way up through real battles. The Holy Kingdom of the Tower, on the other hand, relies on the Church for support. What's the point?"

"That's right, that's right."

Another brave man chimed in.

"I heard that the Demon King killed three demigods by himself and even beheaded the messenger from the divine realm. Although he's a bit scary, he's at least really capable."

"Absolutely! If I had his strength, I'd kill a demigod too. How impressive!"

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

He then realized he had said the wrong thing, chuckled dryly, scratched his head, and drank a glass of wine.

Lin Mo then turned his head and looked at Su Lin.

"And you?"

Su Lin remained silent for a while.

She looked at the wine glass in her hand, the liquid inside swirling slightly.

Then she shook her head.

"I don't want to either."

She paused, then continued.

"It's not that I don't want to join the Holy Kingdom of the Tower, it's that I don't want to get involved in these political struggles. I just want to be a hero, slay monsters, and drink with my friends. What's wrong with that?"

She looked up at Lin Mo and smiled.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a voice:

"Gather in the square! The city lord has made an announcement!"

The people in the tavern all stood up.

Chen Bo took the last swig of wine, wiped his mouth, and said, "Let's go, let's go take a look."

The crowd poured out of the tavern and followed the flow of people toward the square.

A large number of people had already gathered in the square.

Heroes, merchants, adventurers, local people, and neatly dressed soldiers.

A temporary platform was erected in the center of the square, where several officials stood and were talking in hushed tones.

Some are hopeful, some are uneasy, and some are indifferent.

Lin Mo stood at the back of the crowd, while Su Lin and Chen Bo squeezed in front.

Yin Xue shrank into his collar, only his eyes showing.

Mianmian poked her head out from under Lin Mo's arms, but Lin Mo pressed it back down.

A civil official stepped onto the high platform, cleared his throat, and began to read.

"The Holy Ancient Empire, since its founding, has lasted for hundreds of years and has been passed down to the present day. However, the traitor Lin Mo usurped the throne through treacherous means, slaughtered the royal family, murdered loyal officials, and plunged the world into chaos. His crimes are unforgivable..."