Love and Hate, Life and Death

After receiving the modified Caseli Magic Core from Li Lin, the Grand Duke quickly regained consciousness, seemingly unchanged. He remained as generous and enthusiastic as ever. He had prepared the highest level of hospitality for his savior, but Li Lin politely declined.

"I once told Mr. Dick that I am a scholar and enjoy my freedom."

Staring at the man before him, Li Lin struggled to suppress his murderous intent and force a smile. After all, the man's demeanor was almost identical to that of his ancestors, increasingly resembling one of the five heroes from back then. However, the thought of his future depravity and corruption helped Li Lin suppress his anger and hatred. His smile remained as gentle as ever, as if he were not facing the descendant of the man who had murdered him.

Therefore, I don't want to receive too much attention.

Without needing further explanation, the Duke understood Li Lin's meaning. After all, he was merely a scholar, not particularly famous. If he received such a warm welcome from the Duke, those with ulterior motives would naturally raise questions. Most wouldn't dare to directly ask the Duke what had happened, but investigating Li Lin was certainly within their capabilities. Li Lin didn't want any attention, whether well-intentioned or malicious.

I understand what you mean.

The Grand Duke nodded slightly to Li Lin, but he couldn't control his gaze. To his surprise, his attention kept drifting to the girl sitting beside Li Lin, quietly sipping her tea. Whether it was a misperception or intuition, he felt the girl was incredibly lovely, sacred and unapproachable, possessing a presence like a divine representative. He forced himself to look away, glancing at his wife. Compared to the girl, his once beautiful wife looked unusually old. The fear and anxiety of the past few days had made her appear haggard. If it were the Grand Duke of the past, he would have felt heartache and warmth for everything his wife had done for him. But now, he frowned inwardly, finding his wife utterly ugly, and her usual aristocratic manners seemed so affected. He had never imagined...

Such emotions flashed through the Grand Duke's mind for only a moment before settling deep into his heart. In his eyes, his wife was still the same wife, the lover who had sacrificed so much for him, even disregarding her own health. This deeply moved him, and the slight displeasure he had just felt seemed to have been completely forgotten.

Evil, sometimes, only requires a different stance, a different perspective.

In the end, the Grand Duke finally repaid Li Lin's kindness in another way. He bought all the goods brought by the fat merchant at a price slightly higher than the market price, and in exchange, he loaded two whole carts with special products unique to Blackwater City. These were all quite valuable and could fetch a good price in the south. Although, normally, they were currently negotiating with Kudel, and such commercial exchanges, while not entirely prohibited, would certainly not be so proactive. However, when Angela revealed her beautiful, pure smile, the Grand Duke immediately forgot all his worries and concerns.

It's just a few boxes of local specialties.

He said this to himself.

There shouldn't be any problems.

Besides that, Li Lin only received one promise from Grand Duke Moore, and he very gentlemanly made a request.

All I want is a promise.

He bowed slightly, revealing a gentle smile.

"If I encounter difficulties in the future and need the Duke's assistance, I hope you will not refuse me."

Of course, this was a verbal promise, and the Grand Duke didn't think much of it and quickly agreed.

He had no idea what Li Lin would be like when he reappeared in front of him.

Li Lin himself didn't know.

But Angela clearly thinks it's worth looking forward to.

"He was a very strong and brave person."

She chuckled, her long, silvery-white hair swaying and bouncing in the sunlight, revealing a playful, elfin charm.

"I admire people like this. Only when they fall into depravity can we truly understand the limits of humanity... Of course, for me, the depravity of humanity knows no bounds."

"If I ever need the power of Hell in the future, I will definitely send you as an ambassador."

Li Lin patted Angela's head to calm her down. Although it seemed they hadn't gained anything this time, only the three of them knew they had received the best reward. The seeds had been sown; now, they only needed to wait for them to take root, sprout, and grow into deadly poisonous weeds in the shadows. Li Lin felt no pity for these people or their families; he eagerly awaited, hoping to see the scene he desired. At that time, perhaps he would even venture into the heroes' graveyard, exhume their bones, place them in the best viewing spot, and watch their families' final demise.

This is cruel, but only cruelty constitutes revenge.

I never believe in forgiveness.

Li Lin walked across the stone bridge without glancing back at the beautiful scenery. Neither the shimmering lake water under the sun nor the castle towering in the center of the lake mattered to him.

"Forgiveness is an excuse for the powerless; they cannot get what they want through power, so they need an excuse to fill their emptiness and disappointment."

The strong don't need forgiveness, and the weak have no right to forgive.

Nia quietly accepted Li Lin's words.

"Li Lin, believe in yourself, you can do it."

"Of course, as long as you're all by my side, there's nothing I can't do."

Li Lin raised his head and looked at the azure sky, imagining that one day, thick smoke and dark clouds would obscure the sunlight and block out the warmth.

"The deal for that fat pig will probably take some time, Master."

Angela clung to Li Lin's arm and shook it playfully.

"How about we go shopping together?"

"I thought you were up to something..."

Li Lin shook his head helplessly, but before he could finish speaking, Nia approached from the other side and subtly took Li Lin arm.

"Li Lin, we should go to the library. There are many good books there, containing a lot of interesting knowledge."

"Sister Nia."

Angela was clearly very unhappy with Nia's "sudden appearance".

"But I was the one who said that first..."

"You sleep with Li Lin every night..."

Nia maintained her calm expression, but her words were completely confrontational.

"You should at least give me some time, Miss Angela. After all, Li Lin and I haven't seen each other for a long time."

"But at night... I didn't say you couldn't watch, in fact, if Nia 'd like to join in, I'd absolutely welcome you!"

"This is completely different from that, Miss Angela, and besides, Li Lin, he..."

"Okay, okay."

Li Lin immediately stopped the argument between the two.

"Let's go shopping first, then go to the library. Do you all have any objections now?"

"Well then, Li Lin, let's go to the library first. It's getting late, and we'll be late if it closes."

"Sister Nia? I think now is the best time to go shopping and enjoy the scenery!"

Angela puffed out her chest triumphantly.

"Books can be read anytime, right?"

"I completely disagree with your point of view, Miss Angela..."

"You two..."

Just as Li Lin was about to nip this pointless argument in the bud, he suddenly saw Mina's figure rushing towards him from a distance. Upon seeing Li Lin and the other two, Mina's face immediately showed a hint of surprise and joy. Then, almost ignoring the gazes of those around her, she reached the three of them as quickly as possible.

"Master, Miss Angela, Miss Nia, something terrible has happened!"

What happened?

Li Lin frowned and asked.

"Fina... Fina has been taken away by the people from the Temple!"

Mina quickly recounted the events to the three. After settling everyone into their rooms, the two sisters habitually went to prepare the necessities for the rest of their journey. Mina mainly handled miscellaneous items, while Fina went to buy materials she would need for casting spells. Although she could buy the same things at a cheaper price from the fat merchant, perhaps influenced by Li Lin, Fina also became interested in discovering unfamiliar magical items. Therefore, while Mina was handling her chores, she went into the nearby magic shop to see if she could find anything interesting.

There, Fina unexpectedly encountered an adventure party processing their spoils. Even more coincidentally, one of Fina's former human friends was among them—a priest. Unlike mages, priests often joined adventurer parties on training missions. This not only honed their skills but also facilitated the propagation of their doctrines. When adventurers were saved from the brink of death by the priests' divine magic, they naturally developed a more favorable impression of the Temple. This could be considered a diplomatic strategy.

Clearly, communication in this era was not as advanced as on Earth, so the priest had no idea where Fina and her friends had gone or what they had done. She greeted her friends warmly, and Fina, unable to avoid them, could only awkwardly return the greeting. But here's the problem—she was an undead being, and clergy are most sensitive to the aura of the undead. Moreover, her friend was carrying equipment that could detect undead beings. Therefore, almost immediately, her friend noticed Fina's abnormality. Taking advantage of the handshake, she unexpectedly activated a divine spell, and the unsuspecting Fina was immediately struck and collapsed to the ground. After all, undead beings are most sensitive to divine power. Even someone as powerful as Angela would feel as if she had been doused with sulfuric acid by holy light, let alone Fina, who was barely able to move in the sun thanks to Angela's abilities.

When Mina realized her sister was in danger, the Temple had already sent people to take away the unconscious Fina. Mina, perhaps because her appearance had changed so much, went unnoticed. After thinking it over, she quickly decided to seek help from Li Lin.

Even she herself didn't know if this choice was right.