Confidence

Zuo Yi stood silently before his mother's portrait for a long time before sealing away his intense longing in the deepest recesses of his heart.

During those days when he had struggled to survive and fought desperately in the Sadea World, he had always carried a dream: to one day become the most powerful being in the multiverse and then retrieve his mother's soul from the Endless Styx.

To bring the dead back to life.

That dream had once sustained Zuo Yi through his hardest years.

Yet how difficult would it be to achieve? Although he had already become a Saint-tier Knight, he was still unimaginably far from that level!

Zuo Yi closed his eyes, then opened them again. No trace of tears remained in his eyes, and his gaze was incomparably calm.

He let out a long breath and looked at the vanity mirror displayed in a nearby cubby.

It had been one of Zuo Yi's mother, Zuo Qingyun's, favorite possessions in life.

The Zuo Yi reflected in the mirror had not changed much in appearance compared to three years ago, except that he looked more mature and resolute.

In truth, he had wandered the Sadea World for thirty years. If the years he had spent fighting across different planes were included, he had been gone from here for over a century!

He was still himself, but his heart had grown weathered.

Zuo Yi turned around and looked at the living room covered in dust and cobwebs. He curled his right thumb toward his palm and gently rubbed the ring on his ring finger three times with its tip.

The ring was dark gray, much like an oxidized silver ring that had been worn for years. It had no gemstones or decorations, simple and plain to the extreme, and utterly inconspicuous.

Yet after his thumb brushed across it, a faint silver gleam flashed over the ring. Countless runes, as fine as dust and invisible to the naked eye, appeared across its surface before returning to normal in the blink of an eye.

The next moment, Zuo Yi spread his fingers and silently grasped a dark gold oil lamp that appeared out of thin air.

The lamp was only a little over half a foot tall, exquisitely crafted and delicate. Lifelike totems of strange beasts had been carved into its finger-thick stem. At the top, four unicorns extended their horns, which jointly supported a lotus-shaped lamp dish. A golden wick stood at the center of the dish.

Zuo Yi placed the oil lamp on the table and pressed each of the four horns with a finger. The wick at the center of the lamp dish suddenly blazed with light, shooting up a translucent flame several meters high.

Strangely, the surrounding temperature did not change at all.

The burning flame rapidly expanded. After violently twisting and fluctuating several times, a Giant Spirit Witch Slave condensed within the fire.

It bowed to Zuo Yi in midair and asked in a deep, muffled voice in the Kungu Language, "Honored Master, what are your orders?"

Kungu Language was the language of wizards in the Sadea World and one of the common languages of the multiverse. The oil lamp Zuo Yi had taken out, capable of summoning a Giant Spirit Witch Slave, was a Law Creation made by wizards, just like Law Coins.

Zuo Yi said, "Help me clean this entire house, including the courtyard outside."

Most wizards in the Sadea World possessed one or several Giant Spirit Witch Slaves. Though these semi-spiritual giant slaves lacked combat and guard capabilities, they had mastered many basic spells and were excellent assistants in everyday life.

They worked tirelessly, never complained no matter how much work they did, and would never reveal any of their master's secrets.

"As you wish!"

Having received its orders, the Giant Spirit Witch Slave bowed again, then drew in a long breath. Its muscular body promptly swelled by a full circle.

A wind suddenly rose in the living room. The dust accumulated on the floor and furniture instantly flew into the air, spiraling upward with the surging airflow and streaming endlessly into the giant slave's open mouth!

If anyone else had been present, they would probably have thought a vacuum cleaner had become sentient.

In fact, this Giant Spirit Witch Slave was using a modified version of the Cleansing Spell, one of the lowest-tier spells in the wizard system, not worth mentioning at all.

At the same time, the giant slave absorbed the fleas, spiders, insects, and other filth hiding in cracks in the walls, corners, furniture, and sofas. Everywhere the spell reached became spotless and clean as new in an instant.

However, although the giant slave was an expert at housework, thoroughly cleaning the villa would still take time. Zuo Yi did not foolishly wait in the living room and instead went upstairs along the staircase.

The first floor of the villa mainly contained the living room, kitchen, and dining room. The second floor held the master bedroom and two guest rooms. Zuo Yi's mother had lived on the second floor, while his own bedroom and study were on the top floor.

He opened the safe hidden in the study and took out the spare house keys and household registration booklet. He also took out his driver's license to carry with him before leaving home for the town police station.

At the service window of the town police station, Zuo Yi completed the procedures to replace his documents and soon received a new ID card.

"Zuo Yi?"

With his still-warm ID card in his pocket, Zuo Yi was about to leave the police station and head next door to the telecom office to replace his SIM card when he heard a hesitant voice behind him.

He turned around to see a middle-aged man in a police uniform staring at him with wide eyes. "It really is you!"

Zuo Yi smiled. "Uncle Zhong, long time no see."

This graying police officer was named Chen Yuanzhong. He had worked at the town police station for many years, and everyone in town knew him. He was warmhearted and kind, fond of helping townspeople solve their problems, so everyone respectfully called him Uncle Zhong.

Back when Zuo Yi and his mother, Zuo Qingyun, had lived in the old house, Chen Yuanzhong had taken great care of them. Zuo Yi often got into fights in town and beat others until their heads bled, and it was always Chen Yuanzhong who helped mediate and smooth things over.

Therefore, in Riverside Town, Chen Yuanzhong was the person Zuo Yi respected most.

"You brat, where the hell have you been these past few years!"

Seeing Zuo Yi return, Chen Yuanzhong was both excited and furious. "Everyone thought you were dead! I had someone look into where you were, and all we found was that you'd gone abroad and never come back. Your phone was unreachable the whole time. Three years—it's been three whole years!"

His voice was so loud that everyone else in the service hall turned to look.

If anyone else had made such a commotion, Zuo Yi would have simply turned around and left without bothering with them. But he could not do that to Chen Yuanzhong.

He could clearly feel the concern and worry coming from the other man.

Zuo Yi smiled and said, "Uncle Zhong, don't get worked up. Haven't I come back safely?"

"You little punk!"

Chen Yuanzhong said in a tone of frustrated disappointment, "You were away for so long and never even called to let us know you were safe. Do you still think of me as your Uncle Zhong? Forget it, we won't talk about that. It's good that you're back."

Zuo Yi did not explain, nor could he explain. He merely said, "I won't do that again. Thank you for your concern."

Chen Yuanzhong shook his head. He pulled Zuo Yi aside and lowered his voice. "It's fortunate you came back now. Our town may be demolished and redeveloped next year. Your family owns the largest piece of land, so if someone comes to buy it from you, don't let them fool you."

Zuo Yi froze for a moment. "Ah."

Chen Yuanzhong said, "If you run into any trouble, make sure you talk to me first. Don't act on impulse."

Zuo Yi nodded. "I understand."

Chen Yuanzhong patted his arm with satisfaction. "Good that you understand. I still have work to finish, so I can't talk much right now. We'll have a proper chat later. Three years, huh."

Zuo Yi smiled. "All right, Uncle Zhong."

After Chen Yuanzhong left, Zuo Yi's smile faded.

Who was he? How could he fail to understand the reminder and warning in Chen Yuanzhong's words?

Demolition? Selling the land?

That was absolutely impossible!

The old house where Zuo Yi lived was ancestral property of Zuo Qingyun. The Zuo Family had originally been a scholarly household in Hang City. It had once enjoyed a period of glory, but after suffering through several wars over the centuries, it had gradually declined. Only this little remained of its inheritance.

Besides the villa with its courtyard, several hundred mu of woodland and farmland in the surrounding area also belonged to the Zuo Family. After Zuo Qingyun passed away, Zuo Yi inherited them, making him the biggest landowner in Riverside Town.

When he was five, Zuo Yi had followed Zuo Qingyun to settle in Riverside Town. He had lived in the old house for twenty years. It held the most wonderful memories of his life and was also where his mother rested in peace.

Zuo Yi did not care whether the town would be demolished or whether others chose to sell their land, but no one could take away what he cherished!

No matter who tried to seize it by force, Zuo Yi would make them understand what the wrath of a Saint Knight meant!

He did not believe that anyone or anything in this world could pose a genuine threat to him.

That was the confidence of the strongest knight from the higher-dimensional plane, the Sadea World!

Here was the third update. Please vote and bookmark!

PS: This book is entirely fictional and has nothing to do with reality. Many details differ from reality as well. For example, replacing an ID card in reality takes quite a long time, whereas here it can be collected immediately after applying for one—the technology poses no problem at all—so please do not take it too seriously.