Legend of the Heroes of Another World's Divine Tower

The small figure that suddenly stumbled out from the edge of darkness and entered her field of vision was, in Lin Ruyan's eyes, more precious than any miracle, more like a gift from heaven that was hard to come by.

Her eyes lit up instantly, and all her worries, exhaustion, and previous helplessness were washed away in that moment.

She no longer cared about her appearance or the muddy ground beneath her feet. Lifting the hem of her emerald green robe, she ran towards the panting child who was running towards her.

"Chi'er!"

She pulled the young body, still warm from the night dew and the heat of running, into her arms tightly, so forcefully that Lin Chi staggered slightly.

She bent over, almost pressing her face against Lin Chi's small head, breathing in the familiar scent of grass and earth emanating from him. Her heart, which had been hanging in suspense all night, finally settled down, only to be overwhelmed by lingering fear and heartache.

"Let Mom see if you're hurt anywhere?"

She loosened her grip slightly, but her hands remained firmly on Lin Chi's shoulders, her gaze darting anxiously over his face and body.

Warm fingers gently brushed away his sweaty bangs, checked his temples, and carefully touched his arms and legs, afraid of missing any bumps or bruises.

"I'm sorry, Mom."

Surrounded by his mother's warm embrace and caring touch, Lin Chi felt a lump in his throat. When he finally uttered the excuse he had prepared, he was filled with genuine guilt.

"Today... I saw some glowing moss I'd never seen before on the way here, and I looked at it for a while longer, so... I came back late." He lowered his eyes, not daring to look at his mother.

"Are you really alright? Does anything hurt? Did you bump into anything strange?"

Lin Ruyan was still worried, so she cupped his little face and asked again, her voice gentle but tense.

"It's okay, really it's okay, look at me, I'm as lively as ever."

Lin Chi stood up straight and jumped lightly twice on the spot, trying to prove that he was unharmed, but he was still out of breath and his movements seemed a little clumsy.

He then took his mother's hand and shook it gently, trying to change the subject.

"Mom, you don't need to come out and wait for me. Let's go inside! My stomach is growling!"

As he spoke, he pushed Lin Ruyan's waist, half urging and half coaxing her to leave the front yard, a place filled with a cloying sweet smell and an unpleasant scene.

Pushed by him, Lin Ruyan quickened her pace involuntarily, but she couldn't help asking again, "You can't do this again next time, okay? You have to be back before dark..."

Her rebuke was soft and weak, lacking any force, and was more of a cautionary remark born of lingering fear.

At this moment, Shangguan Qiluo, who had been watching the situation from inside the door, also quickly walked out and naturally reached out to take Lin Ruyan's other arm.

"Lin Chi!" She straightened her face, her wine-red peach blossom eyes glaring at Lin Chi, her voice deliberately raised, carrying a reprimanding tone.

"You naughty child! All you do all day is run around outside! Look at the time! You've made your mother worry so much she came downstairs! Today you have to be taught a lesson—you're punished by having to cook a dish yourself! And if you don't do it well, you're not allowed to sit at the table!"

She scolded him fiercely, but from an angle that Lin Ruyan couldn't see, she quickly and playfully winked at Lin Chi.

Lin Chi immediately understood, his little head drooped, and he cooperated by making a gesture of admitting his mistake, his voice also becoming a bit subdued.

"I'm sorry... I know I was wrong. Well... I'll make scrambled eggs with tomatoes today! I just learned how to make it from Sister Qiluo recently, and Mom hasn't tried it yet! I promise I'll make it well!"

Lin Ruyan was flanked by the two children, one on each side. Listening to them play the good cop and the other the bad cop, and seeing Shangguan Qiluo's secret winks and Lin Chi's knowing glances, she knew perfectly well that they were conspiring to fool her.

But the lingering worry and anger in her heart had long been dispelled by this clumsy yet heartwarming "double act".

She couldn't help but raise her hand, gently covering her lips with her sleeve, letting out a very soft laugh, tinged with helplessness and indulgence. The fine lines at the corners of her eyes smoothed out, appearing exceptionally gentle in the dim light.

"Okay, okay!" she replied repeatedly, her voice full of doting affection.

"Our Chi'er has grown up and knows how to cook. Today, Mom will go to the kitchen to help you and see how our little chef's skills are."

"Yay!" Lin Chi's face immediately brightened and he broke into a smile.

"Let's go, let's go, we're starving! Let's get upstairs!" Shangguan Qiluo urged, tightening her grip on Lin Ruyan's hand.

The three of them left the lewd noise in the front yard behind and walked up the stairs inside the mansion.

Lin Ruyan was surrounded by the two children, listening to their bickering, mainly Shangguan Qiluo "bullying" Lin Chi, as they discussed how to cut the tomatoes and how many eggs to beat later...

Laughter and cheerful voices drifted up the stairs, carving out a small, warm, and bright space just for them in this dark and decadent mansion.

...

In a room filled with the warm scent of wood, Lin Chi had already crawled into bed and was lying on the soft bed, only his small face showing.

On the bedside table, a small, softly lit lamp cast a peaceful glow.

"Good night." Lin Ruyan stood by the bed, bent down, and her face looked especially gentle in the dim light.

She gently brushed aside the stray hairs on Lin Chi's forehead, lowered her head, and placed a soft, warm kiss on his forehead.

Her movements were extremely careful, as if she were touching the most precious treasure in the world.

"Goodnight, Mom!" Lin Chi responded immediately, her voice clear and full of affection. She even deliberately shrank into the blanket, only revealing her bright eyes, looking exceptionally well-behaved.

Seeing Lin Chi preparing to fall asleep, the fatigue that had accumulated throughout the day seemed to dissipate considerably in Lin Ruyan's eyes, and a relieved smile appeared on her lips.

As she slowly backed away, her gaze remained fixed on her son's face, each step back filled with reluctance.

Only when she retreated to the doorway did she take one last deep look at the small bulge on the bed, then reach out and, extremely gently and almost silently, close the door.

"Click".

A very faint click of the latch closing was heard.

On the bed, Lin Chi, who had been "asleep," opened his eyes almost immediately and silently, first one, then the other.

He lay still, his eyes moving in the dim light, listening intently to the sounds outside the door.

He heard his mother's soft footsteps on the wooden floor of the corridor, unhurried and gradually fading away, eventually disappearing in the direction of the stairs and swallowed up by the silence of the mansion itself.

After patiently waiting for several dozen seconds to make sure there was no more noise, Lin Chi, like a nimble kitten, lifted the blanket, barefoot, and silently slid down to the floor.

He tiptoed to the door, pressed his ear against the cold wooden door, and listened carefully for a while before finally feeling completely at ease.

He turned around, and the slight weariness on his face was immediately replaced by a focused seriousness.

He strode to the desk and pulled open the bottom drawer—which appeared to contain only odds and ends and old books. But he skillfully pushed aside the top items and pulled out a small wooden box from the very bottom.

Opening the box, all his "belongings" were neatly arranged inside.

Several pieces of carefully tanned white ironwood bark of varying thicknesses, a small bundle of sunflower leaves, several small glass bottles containing viscous sap, a small roll of flexible plant fiber thread, and many other tools.

Lin Chi looked at the tools and materials, his eyes shining with focused and bright light, and he rubbed his little hands together.

"All done!" he said to himself in a low voice, his tone carrying a hint of excitement at the successful progress of the plan.

"Tonight's mission... first, we need to prepare three standard versions of hallucinogenic grenades as backup. Then..." His gaze fell on the sap bottles and several particularly thin pieces of tree bark.

"The key is to try out the newly designed 'bouncy' type... The position and angle of the inner lining need to be adjusted this time."

He pulled up a chair and sat down, adjusting the light of the soul-suppressing lamp to just illuminate the table. Then, holding his breath, he began his secret "creative" work for the night. The only sounds in the room were the extremely faint rustling of materials rubbing and cutting, and his focused, tranquil breathing.