Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

......

Once outside Wind Chime Town, Lin Yu pulled on the reins, stopping Jasmine.

He took a bottle of Swiftness Potion from his storage pouch, uncorked it, and brought it to Jasmine's lips.

Jasmine sniffed it, snorted, and stuck out her tongue to lick the mouth of the bottle.

It licked half the bottle of medicine into its mouth, and Lin Yu poured the rest into its mouth.

Jasmine flicked her tail, pawed at the ground a couple of times, and her eyes brightened.

Lin Yu patted its neck: "Run!"

Jasmine neighed, took off running along the road to the north.

The fields on both sides of the road rushed past, and the wind made Lin Yu's clothes flutter.

He lay on the horse's back, squinting at the road ahead.

Lanchi Village is located north of Eagle Ridge, and you have to pass through four towns like Wind Chime Town to reach it.

Normally, riding a horse takes ten to fifteen days, but with the Swiftness Potion, the time can be halved.

Jasmine ran for an hour, then slowed down and started breathing heavily.

Lin Yu then took out a bottle of Vitality Potion and fed it to the creature.

After taking the medicine, Jasmine's breathing gradually calmed down, and her steps became steady again.

......

As darkness fell, Lin Yu arrived at the first town.

The town was small, a bit smaller than Wind Chime Town. The city walls were low, the city gate was open, and a few guards were dozing off in the gate opening.

Lin Yu led his horse into the city and found an inn to stay at.

The room was small, the bed was hard, and the bedding smelled musty.

Lin Yu didn't complain. After settling the horse in, he went upstairs to wash his face and then came downstairs to eat.

The first floor of the hotel was a small restaurant with a few wooden tables where several traveling merchants were drinking and chatting.

Lin Yu sat down in the corner and ordered a bowl of hot soup and a piece of black bread.

He finished eating slowly, then went upstairs to sleep.

The next few days passed by in a similar fashion.

They traveled during the day and rested in towns along the way at night.

On the third day, Lin Yu passed through a small town and happened to arrive at a market.

Lin Yu thought for a moment and decided to see what he could bring back to give to Arya and the others.

Lin Yu led his horse through the crowd. The stalls had everything: vegetables, cloth, ironware, and a few out-of-town merchants selling rare items.

He stopped in front of a dwarf's stall.

The dwarf was not tall, but he had broad shoulders, a braided beard that hung down to his chest, short, thick fingers, and iron filings embedded in his fingernails.

The stall displayed various metal products, knives, tableware, and jewelry, all of which were exquisitely crafted.

Lin Yu picked up a ring and looked at it.

The silver ring band is engraved with intricate patterns, and a pale blue gemstone is set in the center, gleaming softly in the sunlight.

"Good stuff," the dwarf said in a rough voice, "Elven craftsmanship. It took me a long time to make."

"How much?"

"Ten gold coins."

Lin Yu put down the ring and picked up another one.

This one is gold, with a rose engraved on the face of the ring. The petals have very delicate patterns, and a small ruby ​​is set in the center of the flower.

"Eight gold coins," the dwarf said.

Lin Yu put the two coins down, rummaged through the stall, and picked out a few more.

A silver ring with a crescent moon face, the tip of which is set with a tiny diamond.

A bronze-colored ring with two swans intertwined necks engraved on the face, the feather patterns clearly defined.

A rose gold ring with a blooming lily on the face, its petals inlaid with tiny pearls.

"How much are these?" Lin Yu pushed the five rings together.

The dwarf looked at it and counted on his fingers: "Thirty-five gold coins."

"Thirty," Lin Yu said.

The dwarf glared at him, muttered a few words, and finally nodded: "Thirty it is, take it."

Lin Yu paid the money, put the ring into his storage bag, and turned to leave.

A dwarf's voice came from behind: "Take care, sir—come again next time—"

Lin Yu nodded without saying anything more.

......

On the evening of the fourth day, Lin Yu arrived at the last town.

This town is much larger than Wind Chime Town, with towering city walls and wide city gates that can accommodate seven or eight carriages side by side.

Several notices were posted at the city gate, one of which was stamped with a red seal and announced the conscription.

Lin Yu didn't look much and led his horse into the city.

The town has wide streets lined with shops on both sides, and the flow of people is much denser than in Wind Chime Town.

He first found an inn to stay at, settled his horse in, and then went out after finding out the location of the Adventurers' Guild.

The Adventurers' Guild is located in the center of town, in a three-story stone building with a bronze plaque hanging at the entrance that reads "Adventurers' Guild".

Lin Yu pushed open the door and went in.

The lobby on the first floor was twice the size of the one in Wind Chime Town, bustling with activity as adventurers gathered in small groups, drinking, chatting, and boasting.

The task wall was even larger, stapled with parchment of varying colors, from white to yellow, and of different ages.

Lin Yu walked to the counter: "I'd like to buy a map of the town."

The receptionist behind the counter was a young girl with two braids and a few freckles on her face.

She rummaged through the drawer and pulled out a roll of parchment, unfolded it to check, rolled it up again, and handed it over.

"Three silver coins."

Lin Yu paid the money, took the map, and opened it to take a look.

The location of Lanchi Village is clearly marked; it is located northwest of the town, about a half-hour drive away.

He put the map away, walked to the task wall, and rummaged through a pile of parchment.

They quickly found the request for help posted by Cecilia, the village chief of Lanchi Village.

The parchment had turned yellow and was covered with a layer of dust.

The mission description was very simple, similar to the one in Wind Chime Town: A plague has broken out in Lanchi Village. We request that you send personnel to investigate the cause and handle the situation. Compensation is negotiable.

Lin Yu took the parchment off.

Several adventurers nearby saw this and started discussing it.

"What kind of mission is that?"

"The one from Lanchi Village, the one with the plague."

"Someone will pick you up? Are you crazy? That village is like this."

"They'd take on a mission like that? Are they crazy?"

Lin Yu ignored them, took the parchment, and went to the counter to register.

The receptionist paused for a moment when she saw the task sheet.

"Sir, are you sure you want to take this mission?"

"Sure."

The receptionist opened her mouth, as if to say something, but then swallowed it back and silently wrote down Lin Yu's name and mission number in the register.

"I wish you... I wish you all the best," she said.

Lin Yu nodded, turned around and left the guild.

......

The next morning, Lin Yu left the town and rode his horse northwest.

The road grew narrower and narrower, turning from a stone-paved road into a dirt road, and then from a dirt road into a path overgrown with weeds.

The farmland on both sides is getting less and less, while the forests are getting denser.

After walking for about 20 minutes, a low hill appeared ahead, with several dilapidated wooden houses scattered at its foot.

That's Lanchi Village.

Lin Yu pulled on the reins and slowed down.

The village was as dilapidated as I remembered it.

Near the village entrance, a fence made of wooden stakes and thorns stands, dividing the village in two.

On the open ground on this side of the fence, there were several simple tents. People were lying in the tents, their faces were ashen, their lips were purple, and they were covered with thin blankets. They coughed weakly from time to time.

On the other side of the fence were villagers who were still healthy, but they were all emaciated and had empty eyes.

Upon seeing strangers enter the village, several villagers looked up, their eyes wary.

A young man walked over, holding a sickle in his hand. He didn't say anything, just stared at Lin Yu.

"I'm from Wind Chime Town," Lin Yu said. "I took on a mission from your village chief to help you deal with the plague."

The man's gaze shifted, from wariness to suspicion, and from suspicion to surprise.

"You...you're a potion master?"

"Um."

The man loosened his grip, and the sickle drooped: "Please...please wait a moment, I'll go call the village chief."

He turned and ran, stumbling and almost tripping over a stone.

Lin Yu stood at the village entrance waiting.

The villagers on the other side of the fence all looked over, their eyes filled with expectation, doubt, and numbness.

That numbness was as if they had been disappointed too many times and dared not hold onto hope anymore.

Not long after, a woman emerged from the depths of the village.