Confidence

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

Back when he had struggled to survive and fought tirelessly in the Sadea World, he had always carried a dream: one day, he would become the most powerful being in the multiverse and 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 darkest years.

Yet how difficult was it to achieve? Although he had 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 placed in the nearby cubby.

It had been one of Zuo Yi's mother, Zuo Qingyun's, favorite belongings while she was alive.

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

In truth, he had drifted through the Sadea World for thirty years. If the years he had spent fighting across different planes were included, he had been away from here for more than 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 lightly rubbed the ring on his ring finger three times.

The ring was dark gray, resembling an oxidized silver ring that had been worn for a long time. It had no gemstones or decorations and was simple to the extreme, utterly inconspicuous.

But after his thumb brushed over it, a faint flash of silver light flickered across the ring. Countless runes, as tiny as dust and invisible to the naked eye, appeared on 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 golden oil lamp that had appeared out of thin air.

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

Zuo Yi placed the oil lamp on the table and pressed each of the four horns with his fingers. The wick in the center of the tray 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 rippling several times, a Giant Spirit Witch Slave materialized from within the blaze.

It bowed to Zuo Yi in midair and asked in the deep, muffled 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 house, including the courtyard outside."

Most wizards in the Sadea World possessed one or several Giant Spirit Witch Slaves. Though these half-Spirit Form giant servants had no combat or guard capabilities, they had mastered various beginner spells and were excellent helpers in daily life.

They worked tirelessly, never complained no matter how much they had to do, and never revealed any of their master's secrets.

"As you wish!"

Having received its orders, the Giant Spirit Witch Slave bowed again, then took a deep breath. Its sturdy body immediately swelled by a size.

A wind suddenly rose in the living room. The dust accumulated on the floor and furniture instantly floated up, spiraling into the air with the surging current and continuously being sucked into the giant servant's open mouth!

If anyone else had been present, they would probably have thought a vacuum cleaner had come to life.

In fact, the Giant Spirit Witch Slave was using a modified Cleansing Spell, one of the lowest-tier spells in the wizard system, hardly worth mentioning.

What the giant servant absorbed into its body also included fleas, spiders, insects, and other filthy things hiding in cracks in the walls, corners, furniture, and sofas. Everywhere the spell reached became spotless and as clean as new in an instant.

However, although the giant servant was skilled at housework, thoroughly cleaning the villa would still take time. Zuo Yi did not wait foolishly 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 had a 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 hidden safe in the study and took out the spare keys and household registration booklet. He also took his driver's license with him before leaving home for the town police station.

At the service counter of the town police station, Zuo Yi completed the procedures for replacing his documents and soon received a new ID card.

"Zuo Yi?"

With his still-warm ID card tucked away, Zuo Yi had just been about to leave the police station for the telecommunications office next door to replace his SIM card when he heard a hesitant voice behind him.

He turned around and saw 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 gray-templed 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, loved helping townsfolk solve their troubles, and was respectfully called Uncle Zhong by everyone.

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 people bloody, and it was always Chen Yuanzhong who helped mediate and settle the matter.

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

"Where the hell have you been these past few years?"

Seeing Zuo Yi back again, Chen Yuanzhong was both excited and angry. "Everyone thought you were dead! I had people help look for you, but all we found was that you'd gone abroad and never returned. Your phone was always unreachable. Three years—it's been three whole years!"

His voice was so loud that everyone else in the service hall looked over.

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

He could clearly feel the concern and worry coming from him.

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

"You brat!"

Chen Yuanzhong said in a tone of disappointment, "You were away for so long and never even called to let us know you were safe. Do you still consider me your Uncle Zhong? Forget it, let's not 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 caring about me."

Chen Yuanzhong shook his head. He pulled Zuo Yi aside and lowered his voice. "It's fortunate you came back now. Our town will probably be demolished and redeveloped next year. Your family owns the largest plot, so if anyone comes looking to buy your land, don't let them fool you."

Zuo Yi paused. "Ah."

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

Zuo Yi nodded. "I understand."

Chen Yuanzhong patted his arm approvingly. "Good that you understand. I still have work to finish, so I can't talk much 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 possibly fail to understand the reminder and warning in Chen Yuanzhong's words?

Demolition and redevelopment? Selling 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 and had once enjoyed a period of prosperity. But after several wars over the centuries, the family had gradually declined, leaving behind only these few possessions.

Aside from the villa with its courtyard, the surrounding hundreds of mu of woodland and farmland also belonged to the Zuo Family. After Zuo Qingyun passed away, they had been inherited by Zuo Yi, making him Riverside Town's largest landowner.

When he was five years old, 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 beautiful memories of his life and was also his mother's resting place.

Zuo Yi did not care whether the town would be demolished and redeveloped, nor did he care whether others sold their land. But what he treasured, no one would be allowed to take away!

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

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

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

The third update is here. Please vote and bookmark!

PS: This book is purely fictional and has nothing to do with reality. Many of its details differ from reality as well. For example, replacing an ID card in reality takes quite a long time, but here it can be collected immediately after applying for one. There is no technical issue with that, so please do not take it too seriously.