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

Lin Mo arrived at that lonely little island.

There is only one Ren'ai Dessert Shop here.

Through the glass, you can see that the interior is decorated like a typical dessert shop.

Several round tables were covered with red and white checkered tablecloths, and several hand-painted watercolor paintings of desserts hung on the wall. Several plates of macarons that had cooled down were placed in the glass cabinet.

A very faint aroma of baking filled the air, unlike the overly sweet desserts outside.

Just as Lin Mo was hesitating.

"Come in, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

The voice came from inside the store, gentle and calm, without the frenzy of blood-grinding or the stickiness of lust, just the voice of an ordinary middle-aged man, tinged with a hint of weariness.

Yin Xue's wings were taut and straight, and the blood magic whip silently condensed in his palm.

The fingertips of the judge have already lit up with a dark golden light of judgment.

The God of War held his battle axe horizontally in front of him, with silvery-white soul light flowing along the axe blade.

Noticing the tension among those around him, Lin Mo said, "Calm down, don't get agitated."

Despite saying that, his hand was still gripping the sword hilt tightly.

These were, after all, the strongest guards left behind by Gao Yang, and we had to be wary.

Lin Mo took a deep breath, calmed himself down completely, and stepped into the dessert shop.

There was no one there, but the atmosphere was very cozy.

The next moment, the kitchen door was pushed open, and a figure walked out.

He was wearing a white chef's apron, covered in flour and icing, and holding a freshly baked cake in his hand.

The cake is a very common chiffon cake, with a thin layer of caramel on top, and it's still steaming.

He looked to be in his early forties, with gentle features, fine smile lines at the corners of his eyes, short hair, and some graying temples.

The only unique thing about him is that his figure is a green phantom, just like Bloodcrush and Benevolence. This is a body wrapped in emotions, which also proves that he is Benevolence.

Ren'ai placed the cake on the nearest round table, took out two forks from her apron pocket, placed one next to the cake and the other opposite it, and then looked up at Lin Mo.

His eyes were so peaceful, so peaceful that they didn't seem like those of a guard, much less a god.

That was a father's gaze.

"Lin Mo, right? I know you. Have a seat."

He pulled out a wooden chair, sat down on another chair first, and straightened his fork, as if he were entertaining a long-lost neighbor.

Lin Mo stood still, his hand still on the hilt of the black sword, his voice still icy.

Ren'ai didn't mind at all: "Want some dessert? If you eat my dessert, I can control your emotions and make you happy."

Lin Mo frowned.

Do you think I'm an idiot?

He fought his way through more than a dozen floating islands of sweets without touching a single cookie, so it's impossible for him to make an exception here.

Kindness has no life.

He simply pushed the fork towards Lin Mo again, his tone remaining gentle.

"Don't be nervous, I just want to talk to you."

His voice was so sincere that it made everyone present feel uneasy.

"I don't have much to talk to you about."

Lin Mo drew his black sword, aiming the tip at Ren'ai's throat.

The sword's gleaming light shimmered faintly under the warm yellow lights of the dessert shop, its tip less than three inches from Ren'ai's Adam's apple.

Ren'ai looked down at the sword, then looked up into Lin Mo's eyes, her tone suddenly changing.

It was not a threat, nor a plea, but an extremely calm statement, so calm that one could read a long-hidden certainty within it.

"Don't get agitated, the little guy on your shoulder probably doesn't want you to do that."

Lin Mo frowned and turned his head to look at his left shoulder.

Mianmian lay on his shoulder, her eight thin legs curled up in a ball, her face contorted in pain.

A fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her body was trembling slightly.

She struggled to lift her head and look at Lin Mo, her voice trembling.

"Dad, I...I feel unwell."

"This little guy has eaten my desserts."

A kind voice came from behind him, still in that calm tone, but every word was like a needle, precisely piercing the place Lin Mo couldn't touch the most.

"I can not only control the emotions of people who eat my desserts, but also their life and death. Like a seed, I can make it sprout if I want it to sprout, and I can make it wither if I want it to wither."

Yin Xue's expression changed.

She flew to Mianmian, placed her hands on Mianmian's forehead, and her crimson eyes shone with intense blood magic.

They attempted to trace the origins of that sweet-food principle through a soul connection.

But a few breaths later, her wings suddenly stiffened, and she took half a foot back, her voice so low that only Lin Mo could hear it.

"The source cannot be found. His laws have merged with Mianmian's digestive system; it's not parasitism, it's fusion."

Mianmian raised her head, her dark eyes looking at Lin Mo. Her voice was still trembling, but every word was firm, unlike the little girl who had just been complaining of feeling unwell.

"It's alright, Dad. Your sword can take my soul anyway. I'm not afraid of death; I can become your soul and stay with you."

She tried to grin after she finished speaking, but the churning sweetness in her stomach made her smile crumble halfway through, turning into an extremely ugly grimacing face.

Lin Mo looked at her scrunched-up face without saying a word.

But his actions demonstrated his stance.

He sheathed the black sword and turned to look at Ren'ai.

Renai remained seated in the wooden chair, the fork still beside the cake, her expression still gentle and calm.

He did not use Mianmian's life or death to coerce Lin Mo into laying down his weapon.

They simply waited quietly, waiting for Lin Mo to make his own choice.

"Speak. What do you want to talk to me about?"

Lin Mo pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down, but his face had turned completely dark.

Ren'ai pushed the still-steaming chiffon cake towards Lin Mo, her lips curving slightly upwards, her smile carrying a faint hint of bitterness, but mostly a sense of relief.

"First, I have to thank you for defeating Blood Crusher and Delight."

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.

"What? You're their enemy too?"

Ren'ai leaned back in her chair and let out a very soft laugh.

"Not really, but one of them killed my daughter in a car accident, and the other drove my son insane."

quiet--

The room was silent for a full three seconds.

Yin Xue's wings froze in mid-air, forgetting to flap, and his scarlet eyes churned with an extremely rare bewilderment.

For the first time, pure astonishment appeared in the Goddess of Judgment's eternally calm gray eyes; her lips parted slightly and then closed again.

The God of War placed his battle axe at his feet, and his silvery-white stubble twitched.

The silence was broken only when Yin Xue spoke, her voice unusually devoid of teasing or sarcasm: "You mean, you..."

Ren'ai nodded.

He sat on the wooden chair, flour still clinging to his apron, and said calmly and frankly, "You guessed right. I am Gao Yang's parents."