"Let's see if my name is up there," Augustus scanned the exam score board, looking for his name.
Numerous students were also doing the same thing trying to find their names on the board, so Augustus had to elbow his way through.
"Oh, Augustus, there it is! You're one of the top scorer!" Matt quickly located Augustus' name and exclaimed with enthusiasm.
"What? Did I really make it?" Augustus had to double-check, and he finally found his name. "Yes, I made it! Barely on the top scorer's list, but still made it!"
"Awesome! I passed the exams too!" Matt cheered as he found his name not on the top scorer list but he at least passed.
Meanwhile, Julia's name was at the very top of the list, and she didn't even bother to check.
"Are you guys done?" Julia asked, already ahead of them.
"Yeah, let's go," Augustus said, trying to wiggle his way out of the crowded area.
"We don't have anything to do today. Should we go home or hang out?" Matt suggested, hoping they could do something together.
"We have to submit our college applications now that the results are out. Have you guys submitted yours?" Julia reminded them.
"I'm going to the army. I got the letter from the government yesterday, saying I need to serve for a year. They usually require three years, but maybe my exam results helped lower my enlistment duration," Augustus explained.
My whole family was worried about me yesterday when they received the letter, as they knew what could happen when one enlists in the army. I reassured them that everything would be okay, especially since it was only a one-year enlistment.
"What? That's such a waste of talent," Julia expressed her disappointment.
"If Augustus is going, then I'm going too. I'll apply for the army," Matt declared, determined to accompany his friend.
"When is your enlistment date?" Julia asked, looking concerned.
"In two weeks, after graduation," Augustus replied. Meanwhile, Matt was already on the phone with his parents, seeking permission to join the army.
"Please connect me to my father," Matt requested, eager to convince him.
"Matt, your father won't allow you to join the army," Julia sighed, anticipating the outcome.
"I'll persuade him," Matt remained resolute.
As Matt continue to talk on the phone, his expression slowly darkened.
"What?" Matt's expression turned sullen as he heard the news on his phone.
"I'm sorry, but I think I need to leave now," Matt said. He wasn't acting normally; he urgently called his driver and tried to leave as soon as possible.
"What happened? Did something happen to Uncle?" Julia speculated, as she knew what his father was doing daily for his job.
"One of my father's subordinates died easily and returned to the original world without much repercussion. But my father's soul was immensely injured as he was captured and tortured. They happened to meet a group of Demonic Cultivators," Matt explained to Julia.
As Augustus heard this, he suddenly remembered something from his past life. He couldn't be certain whether it was caused by demonic cultivators or not, but he had definitely heard something similar before.
"Matt's father was injured. That's why he changed into a whole different person," he said, deep in thought.
"What? Demonic Cultivators? What kind of commission did your father take this time?" Julia knew his father was constantly taking on dangerous jobs in another dimension, but this time it went too far.
Matt's father, Ethan Sinclair, was a renowned bounty hunter in another dimension, which was a dangerous job. Although there were plenty of subordinates who followed his father and assisted him, it was still a dangerous job.
"I don't know… I just want to see my father right now," Matt said.
"Let's go together," Augustus said, curious about how serious the situation was.
The driver arrived, and the three of us left the school and arrived at Matt's family mansion. We went directly to see his injured father with his attendant guide.
As Matt rushed to his father's side, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Father!" Matt rushed to his father, who was lying on the bed, unable to move.
Matt's father's expression was paler than white, energy was leaking out, and he was in some sort of shock state and unable to speak.
'Matt's father is mentally broken. What happened in the other dimension for him to become like this?' Augustus wondered.
"What happened to my father?!" Matt lashed out at the attendant, seeing that his father couldn't even recognize his own son, let alone speak.
"I'm sorry, young master. Most of the bodyguards are also in this state. A few of them are safe, but they're all sorry to see the Leader end up like this too," the attendant said.
"Others ended up like this too?" Matt didn't know who to blame after hearing that, as he knew that his father's subordinates probably did their best.
"What about the doctor? Have you called the doctor yet?" Matt anxiously asked the attendant.
"Yes, we're trying our best to hire a healer and the highest-grade physician we can get," the attendant replied.
"F*ck! I just talked to my father yesterday, and he was fine, and now he's like this," Matt couldn't believe it, he swore as he stomped the floor in anger.
"Calm down, someone can definitely cure your father," Julia reassured Matt, who was breaking down due to the current situation.
"Healer is the best choice since your father is in some sort of 'Fear' state, so only a healer can get rid of the debuff," Augustus explained his opinion on the current situation.
Matt grasped Augustus' shoulder tightly, desperation in his eyes. "August, you've seen this before?"
Augustus nodded gravely, knowing what was at stake. "I know about it. To cure the debuffs, we need a high-grade healer. Low-grade healers can only heal injuries, mid-grade can reattach limbs, but only high-grade can lift debuffs."
Matt turned to the attendant, his voice urgent. "Can we find someone with high-grade healing?"
The attendant shook his head. "There's only one on earth with high-grade healing, The Goddess Apprentice, Saintess Elizabeth."
Augustus cut in before Matt could protest. "But the question is, is Saint Elizabeth willing to come here?"
The attendant was skeptical. "T-this...I'm not sure if a mere Sinclair family could personally call The Saintess over."
"They won't be able to move or eat for a while until the Saintess arrives," Augustus warned. "Get them proper hospitality. Their bodies won't last for long if you leave them like this."
Without hesitation, the attendant followed Augustus' orders. As they began to move the injured, Matt slumped onto the couch, overwhelmed.
"What do I do now?" he asked, scratching his head.
"Just do what you usually do, but do it seriously from now on," Julia advised.
But Augustus had an idea. "I think I can find a way for Saint Elizabeth to come here, but it'll take time."
Matt's eyes widened. "What?! Really?"
Augustus shrugged. "It's just some normal ideas, and I can't guarantee they'll work. But we can try."
Julia nodded eagerly. "Tell us the idea. Even if it's not that good, we can make it work."
"Check the news of her for the last few days and see where she is right now," Augustus instructed, pulling out his Eyephone to read the news and check Saint Elizabeth's current location.
Matt quickly found the information. "The news says she's in the Philippines, healing the sick and wounded."
Julia had already calculated the distance between them. "That's quite far. It'll take at least fifteen hours if she goes by plane."
Augustus explained that there were a few ways to attract Saint Elizabeth's attention. The first was to volunteer to help her treat people by visiting her, giving out resources, and the like. However, this plan would be difficult to execute, as there were already plenty of volunteers and rankers who were willing to help the saint for free. Some even protected her because they worshipped her.
"The second option would be to create rumors," Augustus continued. "The reason she visited the Philippines was because she heard rumors that there were a lot of sick people there. We need to create rumors that the United States has an incurable disease that can only be cured by the Saintess. This plan could work, but it will take a while."
"The easiest way would be to attend the event held by the Saintess and make a donation," Augustus went on. "The Saintess needs money too, so sometimes if you donate a lot of money, there's a chance for you to get a favor from her. However, this plan has a low chance of success, as many wealthy people have tried to donate to the Saintess, and only one person has received a favor from her at each event."
Julia concluded that the best choice would be to create rumors. "Yes, correct, but this is all just a normal assumption that anyone could make. It depends on the execution of the plan whether it will work or not."
"At least there's something we can do now, and we're not just sitting here," Matt exclaimed, wanting to take some action.
Julia wasn't particularly impressed with the idea, but it was better than nothing. "Yeah, your idea sounds alright. It could work."
Unfortunately, Augustus had never met Saint Elizabeth before, and he had never really paid attention to the news. All he had done in his past life was fight in wars, and he had spent the last few years enjoying his peaceful life with his wife.
"I'll assign people in the slums to spread the rumors. Matt, you tell others to post their situation on social media," Julia ordered Matt.
"Okay, I'll tell them the situation and our plans," Matt replied, calling each of them one by one on his Eyephone.
Two weeks passed as the plan was put into action. Eventually, Saint Elizabeth and her group caught wind of the rumors through one of her followers.
"Saint! There's a group of people in the United States who need help. They seem to be in some sort of coma," the man explained.
"I already know about it. You all may leave now," the Saint ordered her followers as she sat in contemplation, pondering over what she could do.
"Goddess, are you sure that I'll meet your successor?" she silently prayed.
"Yes, he's still growing. I hope you can assist him secretly and not disturb his growth. You'll know when you meet him," the goddess responded.
"Understood. I'll head to the United States and meet the chosen one," Saint Elizabeth said determinedly.