Chapter 28: Mental Power

In the dim and quiet little chapel, the candlelight flickered, casting shadows on everyone’s faces.

Lin Hong felt slightly tired at the moment.

He regulated his breathing for a short while before opening his eyes.

This treatment had lasted for a considerable amount of time, and of course, there was a cost.

But that cost also brought benefits—it trained his mental strength.

Now, the two middle-aged men finally snapped out of their immense shock.

Gratitude and wild joy mingled in their eyes.

Without hesitation, they were about to kneel down, wanting to kowtow in thanks.

“Hey, stop, stop! What are you two doing?”

Lin Hong was startled.

He quickly waved his hand, sending out a gentle surge of energy to stop their movement.

After all, he felt that saving the old man was because he was worth saving.

On one hand, he was a good person—he had watched over Evan and his sister as they grew up, was loyal and steadfast, and never forgot his roots.

He was a good man.

On top of that, the old man was also an innocent victim harmed by the Evil Clan.

With both factors stacked, there was no reason not to save him.

He hadn’t thought about any other complications at all.

While exchanging pleasantries with the two middle-aged men, Lin Hong’s peripheral vision caught a slender figure to the side.

The young lady, Lovira.

She had returned at some point and had been standing a short distance away, clearly having been there for quite some time.

In the flickering candlelight, it was visible that she had genuinely let out a sigh of relief.

Her azure blue eyes held joy, but also a sense of release from a heavy burden.

However, beneath this joy, there was something more complex—a silent undercurrent swirling and churning.

She looked at Lin Hong, and the doubts and sense of unfamiliarity in her heart grew larger, making it impossible for her to remain calm.

She had watched almost the entire latter half of the treatment.

Even from a distance, she could clearly sense the fluctuations contained within the halo of light in the young man’s palm.

It was too pure, brimming with vibrant vitality, far surpassing many precious medicines!

Was this some kind of profound life magic?

But it didn’t look like it at all.

There was no incantation, no assistance from a staff or magic circle, not even a trace of magical fluctuation—only the pure essence of life itself.

Lovira felt that compared to the younger brother in her memories, the familiar parts of the young man before her were growing fewer, while the chasm of the unfamiliar was silently widening.

Lin Hong, of course, felt the gaze lingering on him, filled with complex meaning.

But he was very natural, acting as if he hadn’t noticed, turning his head to meet the young lady’s gaze.

He smiled at her and then looked away.

After all, he had already made his stance clear and demonstrated his ability and sincerity.

The initiative was in Lovira’s hands.

Anyway, he had confidence in himself.

No matter how Lovira judged things or what decision she made, he was confident he could handle it.

The next three days were very peaceful.

Lin Hong went to the chapel at fixed times each day to continue treating the old man.

The rest of the time, he meditated quietly or strolled around the town, experiencing the exotic customs of this other world.

Over the three days, the old man’s condition improved—weakly but tangibly.

Because the Reversal and Regeneration Art allowed the old man’s flesh and blood, the “soil,” to regenerate.

This allowed the medicines, magic scrolls, and other items Lovira brought to take effect.

This also made things more convenient for Lin Hong.

He no longer needed to be as painstakingly careful, walking a tightrope, controlling the input of energy to a hair’s breadth.

The treatment process became much smoother than the first time, and the effects steadily improved.

The old man’s life force was weakly strengthening.

Although he remained unconscious, the rise and fall of his chest had become regular.

His complexion was no longer deathly still and ashen; the aura of death was receding.

However, Lin Hong was very cautious.

All the details were strictly controlled within the small chapel, known only to Lovira and the old man’s two sons.

In fact, he had even considered buying another bottle of Disguise Potion from the mysterious panel, pretending to be the mysterious teacher of the young Evan coming to give treatment.

That would also save Lovira and the two men the trouble of helping to cover things up.

Because this town was, after all, not large, and the old man was highly respected within it.

Therefore, many townsfolk would come to visit after finishing their work, quietly stopping by to pray for the old man.

Regarding this, Lin Hong had already coordinated a story with the old man’s two sons, keeping himself completely out of it.

When the townsfolk learned that the old man’s life should not have ended, that he was blessed by the Goddess of Life and had received her favor, and that his condition was improving, they all showed joy, sincerely happy for the old man.

Many even stood silently outside the chapel before the small statue of the Goddess of Life, praying and giving thanks.

“Old Robert did good deeds all his life. Good people get good rewards!”

“The Goddess will not forget her devout follower! She has erased Old Robert’s name from Death’s list!”

“Praise the Goddess of Life!”

Especially the old priest, who was almost moved to tears, firmly believing it was the Goddess’s compassion, a gift and affirmation of his long-standing perseverance and the town’s simple faith.

Thus, he became even more fervent and devout.

He came every day to chant prayers and cast [Life’s Comfort], as if he had grown ten years younger.

Lin Hong watched all this with a smile on his face, keeping his achievements hidden and his name unknown.

But he couldn’t help having some strange associations in his heart.

‘Will the Goddess of Life wake up one day to find her merit points inexplicably increased?’

He muttered this to himself and then found it somewhat amusing.

After all, this world didn’t seem to have a concept of “merit points.”

Lin Hong was currently on his way to a blacksmith’s shop at the western end of town.

Because earlier, the two middle-aged men had insisted on repaying him, and he couldn’t refuse.

On top of that, he really did lack a good blade.

His original weapon had shattered in the starry void over a decade ago.

So, he simply went with the flow, asking the two men if there was a blacksmith in town, as he wanted to have a handy short combat knife custom-made.

That’s how he learned about this old blacksmith.

According to the two men, this old Huo Ke had extremely high skill.

The farming tools, knives, and other items he forged were renowned far and wide for their high quality.

Because there were rumors that in his youth, he had received guidance from a certain Dwarf master, learning some real skills.

Dwarves, Lin Hong pondered.

He had learned from the mysterious panel that this was a race exceptionally skilled in forging, naturally close to fire, ores, and such.

Of course, whether this old blacksmith truly received such guidance was unverifiable, but it was a fact that the tools he forged were famous far and wide.

Even his descendants were responsible for related matters in the military, receiving widespread praise.

Lin Hong didn’t want to reject the two men’s good intentions.

So, led by them, he went to that blacksmith’s shop and placed an order, which would take three days.

Today was the third day.

The treatment for the old butler was usually done late at night.

It was now afternoon, with pleasant sunlight.

Lin Hong calculated the time; the knife should be ready.

So, he set off for the blacksmith’s shop.

On the way, he was very leisurely, occasionally responding to greetings from townsfolk, while also pondering.

This morning, Lovira had mentioned to him: the Royal Knights stationed outside the town, after receiving her warning, had thoroughly combed the area within dozens of miles around the town over these three days.

But unfortunately, they hadn’t found any suspicious traces.

Lin Hong wondered, was he being overly sensitive?

After all, he had also asked the two men and learned that there really had been a person named Bazi in the town.

This person had shown decent martial talent in his youth, but his character was not upright.

Relying on his bit of strength, he had done many bad things in the town.

He was also narrow-minded and vengeful, a character despised by people and dogs alike.

Several years ago, the old butler had returned to his hometown for some matters.

Witnessing this person bullying townsfolk, how could he tolerate it?

He publicly subdued Bazi and drove him out of Boulder Town.

Since then, this person had vanished without a trace.

Looking at it this way, it wasn’t impossible that after joining the Evil Clan, his power increased greatly, so he chose to return alone for revenge, coincidentally running into them escorting the old butler home.

But wasn’t that too much of a coincidence?

Perhaps it was intuition, coupled with the vague sense of thought he had perceived earlier, that made Lin Hong feel it wasn’t that simple.

Now, Lin Hong had arrived at the blacksmith’s shop in the west of town.

But strangely, it was very quiet here today.

No sound of forging came from within.

Unlike the previous two days, the clanging of metal was deafening.

With his keen hearing, he could hear it from half the town away.

The door to the blacksmith’s shop was open.

Lin Hong stepped inside, but only the old blacksmith’s wife was there—a kind-faced middle-aged woman.

“Young master, you’re here.”

Seeing Lin Hong, the woman showed a smile, but it seemed somewhat forced as she came forward to greet him.

“Aunt Huo Ke, good afternoon.”

Lin Hong greeted her with a smile.

Although he and Lovira hadn’t explicitly stated their identities, the fact that they were escorting the old butler home and staying in the Robert family’s old residence wasn’t a secret.

So, the townsfolk more or less had an idea.

“Young master, I’m truly sorry…”

The middle-aged woman’s tone was full of apology, indicating that the short knife he had ordered probably couldn’t be delivered today.

“What happened?”

Lin Hong was surprised because the middle-aged woman’s expression showed lingering fear.

The woman explained that the old blacksmith had accidentally taken a fall yesterday evening, injuring his arm and waist.

Although not life-threatening, he couldn’t swing the heavy hammer for the time being, which delayed the progress.

At the same time, the curtain to the inner room was pushed aside, and the old blacksmith himself came out, seated in a self-made wheelchair.

The old blacksmith, Huo Ke, looked to be in his fifties, with a sturdy, muscular build.

But at the moment, his right arm was in a sling.

His face held an apologetic expression as he apologized to Lin Hong.

Lin Hong shook his head, not minding at all.

Because the payment for the knife had been made by the two middle-aged men; he was getting it for free.

He truly didn’t mind, and besides, who doesn’t have accidents?

He was just about to offer some comforting words when his eyes suddenly focused.

Because, on the old blacksmith’s body, there was an unusual fluctuation—very faint, almost dissipated.

It was a remnant strand of mental energy!