"If you ever discover traces of the Dark God, please tell me. I will be very grateful," Lin Fan said with a warm smile. However, in the eyes of the Pope and the Abyss Lord, this smile was terrifying, and they dared not meet his gaze.
"No problem. If we find any trace of the Dark God, we will definitely tell you," the Abyss Lord said. He only wanted to leave now and avoid any conflict with Lin Fan.
That would be pointless.
Moreover, engaging in conflict would be a very unwise choice.
It would be very easy to be crushed by him.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. It's what I should do."
If other abyssal demons saw Archimonde's current state, their jaws would definitely drop. Is this still the Abyss Lord we know?
He's acting so subservient in front of a human.
The Abyss Lord smiled, but his domineering face looked somewhat ferocious, even incongruous, when he smiled.
"The abyssal passage cannot be maintained for too long. I'll go back now. Goodbye," the Abyss Lord said. This was a stark contrast to his usual overbearing style.
Under normal circumstances,
If he were to return to the abyss, he would definitely be brimming with arrogance. The great Abyss Lord Archimonde is returning to the abyss! You insignificant mortals, grovel and bid me farewell!
Unlike now, where he wanted to retreat shamefacedly, unwilling to stay here any longer. He felt that staying any longer wouldn't lead to anything good.
"Goodbye."
Lin Fan waved.
The Pope was very nervous. Now that only he and Lin Fan remained, he didn't know what to say.
At this moment,
Lin Fan patted the Pope's shoulder and said, "I should be going too. Remember, be a good person, alright?"
"I understand. The Holy Light is eternal and will illuminate all the darkness in this world," the Pope vowed. He was truly frightened by Lin Fan.
Even the Abyss Lord didn't dare to act presumptuously towards him.
Let alone him.
He could only be honest in his actions and honest in his conduct.
"Mm, good. I believe you can do it." Lin Fan smiled and then vanished before the Pope's eyes, coming and going without a trace, leaving quickly and mysteriously.
The Pope wiped the sweat from his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally sent him away.
Then, the Pope's expression turned serious as he pondered. It seemed that he really had to spread the Holy Light diligently in the future. Otherwise, if he turned to darkness, he would definitely be killed by Lin Fan.
What happened today must never be known to others.
But he was very curious.
Who exactly was Lin Fan? He had never heard of such a powerful individual. With such strength, he couldn't possibly be unknown on the continent.
Forget it.
It's better not to dwell on these matters.
Back in the village,
Lin Fan wasn't disappointed about not finding the Dark God. As usual, he prepared a simple meal to welcome Ke Lan home. Finding the Dark God would be great, but he wasn't in a hurry if he couldn't.
Just like his original thought, as long as he had enough patience, he would eventually find him.
"Dad, I'm back."
Hearing Ke Lan's voice from afar, Lin Fan smiled, his heart warmed. It felt so good to be called "Dad."
Although Ke Lan wasn't his biological daughter, he gave her all his love.
"Come and eat," Lin Fan said.
"Okay."
After dinner,
Lin Fan helped Ke Lan with her homework. He hoped Ke Lan would become a capable person, able to rely on her knowledge to survive in the future, rather than becoming useless under his wing.
The night wind was quiet.
"Don't slouch while doing your homework. Sit up straight, or it's bad for your eyes."
"I know."
As usual, after Ke Lan finished her homework, Lin Fan would check it. Although he didn't understand the specific content, he could find any spelling mistakes.
While Lin Fan was checking her homework, the thoughtful Ke Lan, knowing that her father worked hard blacksmithing every day, brought in a foot basin.
"Dad, let me wash your feet. It's very relaxing."
"Mm, you're so good."
Lin Fan enjoyed this treatment. He never regretted adopting Ke Lan. What a thoughtful child. He wondered what her biological parents were thinking, abandoning her like this. What if she had met bad people?
His feet felt comfortable soaking in the warm water, and Ke Lan washed them carefully.
The villagers envied Lin Fan. Some even regretted not taking the initiative to adopt Ke Lan. She was such a thoughtful child, understanding the family's hardships and studying diligently to avoid wasting the money Lin Fan earned through his hard work. The villagers would be content if their own children were half as sensible as Ke Lan.
Time passed quickly.
Another year went by.
This was Ke Lan's third year in the village. In this environment, Ke Lan developed a good personality, and everyone in the village liked her. Watching Ke Lan grow up, Lin Fan felt very gratified.
Thinking that his daughter was almost a young adult,
With the help of the villagers, a small house was built next to the blacksmith shop as Ke Lan's own room. It was beautifully decorated, a stark contrast to Lin Fan's own living quarters.
Every year was the same.
Lin Fan would craft something for Ke Lan, using the best materials he could find, and store it with the gold coins, waiting to give it to her in the future.
One day!
In the fields,
Lin Fan and the other villagers were diligently farming. This area used to be barren land, but with Lin Fan's development and the energetic villagers joining in to cultivate the land, their efforts had yielded significant results.
"Your Ke Lan is really smart. My son came back and told me that the village teacher said she's almost run out of things to teach her," a woman carrying a hoe said.
Lin Fan smiled and said, "It's because she works hard."
"That's true. You work so hard to earn money; if she didn't work hard, how could she face you?"
"It's not about facing me, but about facing herself."
The village woman looked at Lin Fan, feeling somehow unable to continue the conversation, as if everything she said would be refuted. It was frustrating.
Another villager, a man, picked up the conversation.
"In a few years, Ke Lan should go to school outside. In these times, she needs to go to a real academy to learn skills."
"Yes, when she can take care of herself, I'll send her there."
"The royal city is very far from here. Sending her there will be dangerous along the way. Do you want to hire an adventurer group from the nearest city to escort her?"
"It's fine. I can send her there."
The villagers all wanted to send their children to the best academies in the royal capital, but the requirements were high, and the tuition was expensive, unaffordable for ordinary commoners.
Therefore,
Most of the commoners living in this village would keep their children here, to live like them, making a living by farming.
While they were chatting,
The dense sound of hooves approached.
The villagers looked over and saw imperial troops, then whispered amongst themselves.
"Why are the imperial troops here?"
"I don't know. Do you think a war has broken out?"
"It's possible. I just hope it doesn't affect us here."
The villagers were worried.
They hated war. If there was a war, it would lead to carnage and displacement. The people living in this village were accustomed to their current lives.
They didn't want to be disturbed by anyone.
A brave villager ran over to inquire about the situation. After all, these were their own empire's troops, so even if they went to ask, nothing would happen.
Soon,
The villager returned.
"Don't worry, everyone. I've asked and found out. It's not a war. It's a conflict with some race. They're going to stop them now. Many strong people from the empire have also gone."
"What race?"
"I don't know. They didn't say. They just told us to be at ease and not be afraid."
The villagers weren't interested in these matters. As long as it wasn't a war, it was fine. Other matters could be left to the imperial army.
One month later!
Early morning!
The villagers carried their hoes, walking in groups of three or five, ready to go farming. Suddenly, many defeated soldiers fled in panic, looking as if they had encountered something terrifying.
The villagers' expressions changed as they saw this, looking at each other, not knowing what had happened. If they remembered correctly, these soldiers had just passed by a month ago.
What was going on now?
They couldn't understand.
"What happened, soldiers?" a villager asked.
The fleeing soldiers said, "We're defeated, utterly defeated! So many dragons, there are really so many dragons! Run! Otherwise, you'll all die!"
The villagers were shocked to hear these words.
They had no idea what had happened.
They had never seen a dragon before. To them, dragons were creatures of legend. Now, a group of seemingly terrified soldiers told them that dragons were coming. This made them feel panicked and uneasy.
These soldiers couldn't forget the scene they had witnessed.
It was truly terrifying.
Those dragons were completely invincible. Ordinary weapons couldn't hurt them. The border fortress had been breached, and even the empire's strong individuals couldn't stop the dragons' advance.
And they, ordinary soldiers, were just cannon fodder.
In just one month,
The army had been routed, unable to resist.
As the villagers learned about this, everyone was afraid, not knowing what to do next. Just the people in the village alone, if they wanted to leave, it would be very troublesome.
Where could they go after leaving here?
"Quick, let's go back and inform the village chief."
When faced with danger, the only thing they could do was find the village chief.
After all, in their hearts, the village chief was their true backbone.
Lin Fan stood where he was, puzzled. Would dragons really come here?
He really liked this place and didn't want to go anywhere else.
Faced with this situation, he thought about how to properly resolve this matter. He was unwilling to leave this place, and no one could stop him from staying here.
Meanwhile,
Upon learning of this, the village chief was stunned.
His first thought was… to move, to retreat immediately.