Conquer the other worlds with abandon, they've fallen in love with me!

......

Just as dawn broke, there was a knock on the door.

dong dong dong.

The voice was heavy, unlike the rhythm of villagers greeting each other.

Arya was heating porridge in the kitchen when she paused for a moment, holding a spoon, before turning to look at the doorway.

Lin Yu came out of the room, waved to her, and went to open the door himself.

A soldier in leather armor stood outside the door; he had the same face as yesterday.

This time, he wasn't carrying parchment; instead, he had a short sword at his waist, its hilt worn smooth and shiny.

"Is Arya home?" The soldier glanced into the house, his gaze lingering on Lin Yu for a moment.

"Yes." Arya walked over, still holding a spoon in her hand.

The soldier took out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and found it stamped with a red seal, larger and redder than yesterday's.

"The lord is pressing you again about paying taxes in your village of Holm." He handed over the paper.

"Three gold coins before dark today. If you can't pay, we'll take your house and take you to town."

Arya took the paper, her fingers gripping the edge without saying a word.

The soldier glanced at her, then at Lin Yu, and frowned.

"This gentleman looks unfamiliar; he's not from Holm Village, is he?"

Lin Yu didn't say anything.

The soldier looked him up and down, his gaze lingering on his face before shifting away. He then spoke to Arya:

"If they are coming to stay with your distant relatives, they need to register their identity in the village, and their taxes will increase accordingly."

According to regulations, the tax increases by 30% for each additional person in the household.

He paused, then did some calculations: "Three gold coins, plus 30%, that's 3 gold coins and 90 silver coins. We'll deal with the people and the taxes before nightfall."

Arya pursed her lips, her fingers gripping the spoon tightly, her knuckles turning slightly white.

She glanced at Lin Yu, a fleeting struggle in her eyes, but quickly calmed down.

"Yes." She nodded, her voice steady. "He's my distant cousin. He just arrived yesterday. I know the rules. I'll take him to register today."

The soldier raised an eyebrow, seemingly a little surprised by Arya's decisiveness, but said nothing more.

"Okay, before dark, 3 gold and 90 silver, plus registration, don't delay."

He turned and left after he finished speaking, his boots making a dull thud on the muddy ground.

The door closed.

Arya leaned against the door for a while, put the paper in her hand on the table, and turned to go back to the kitchen.

The porridge pot was still bubbling away. She stirred it with a spoon, turned off the heat, and ladled out two bowls, bringing them over.

The two sat down facing each other.

Lin Yu picked up the bowl, took a sip, and said nothing.

Arya didn't say anything, but kept her head down stirring the porridge, the spoon clinking against the rim of the bowl.

"I can't go up the mountain with you today." Lin Yu put down his bowl.

Arya looked up at him.

"I'm going to Bell..." Lin Yu smiled slightly, "Leave the tax matters to me, you can rest at home today."

Hearing this, Arya shook her head:

"I can't put all the pressure on you." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was firm: "I want to share the burden too."

Lin Yu looked at her, and she looked at the porridge in the bowl.

"Okay then," Lin Yu said, "Don't rush up the mountain, wait for me."

I'll go get something from Bell for you. You can leave after you get it.

Arya pursed her lips and nodded.

Lin Yu stood up, finished the porridge in the bowl in a few gulps, wiped his mouth, and went out the door.

From Arya's house to Bell's farm, there were few people on the road, and dew still clung to the grass on both sides of the village road.

There was a damp, earthy smell in the air.

Lin Yu walked quickly, his boots crunching on the muddy ground, occasionally hitting pebbles with a sharp crack.

When we arrived at the farm gate, the fence was closed and there was no one in the yard.

There was a bucket of water on the ground next to the chicken coop, and half a ladle of water had spilled out next to the bucket, but no one was there.

The door to the cowshed was open, but there was no one inside.

Lin Yu called out, "Bell."

But there was no response.

He called out again, but still no one answered.

Lin Yu frowned, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, covered his face, and took a breath.

three seconds.

The air in the nasal cavity becomes three-dimensional.

Cow dung, hay, soil, and the faint milky scent of Bear Grylls were all there.

Belle was still breathing; she hadn't gone out and was probably still sleeping inside.

Lin Yu walked over and knocked on the door, but no one answered. He knocked a few more times, but still no response.

"This cow is sleeping so soundly," Lin Yu murmured.

However, Lin Yu remembered that in the game, because of Bell's carefree and absent-minded personality, there was always one window in Bell's house that was open.

...

...

Thinking of this, Lin Yu went around to the back of the house, where there was indeed a window that was not closed properly. Lin Yu pushed it open.

He rolled inside, and when his feet landed, he stepped on something. Looking down, he saw it was a pair of wooden clogs.

The curtains were drawn, making the room dimly lit.

There was a distinctive scent of Bell in the air, mixed with the smell of bedding and fabric.

Belle's bedroom door was closed, and Lin Yu didn't intend to wake her.

He went straight to the worktable, took out the crucible and medicinal herbs he had used yesterday, and began to work.

Weighing, grinding, and mixing.

The movements were faster than yesterday, and completed in one go.

With his palm hovering above the cauldron, the magic output was stable, and the pale golden halo was particularly conspicuous in the dim room.

Lin Yu concentrated intently and quickly refined a bottle of light red antidote.

The liquid glowed faintly in the glass bottle and emitted a cool, minty scent.

Lin Yu put away the medicine bottle, extinguished the fire in the crucible, then turned around, climbed out the window, gently closed it, and returned the way he came.

When he returned to Arya's house, Arya had already packed the basket and was standing at the door waiting for him.

"Here you go." Lin Yu handed her the dispelling potion: "Sprinkle it on your body, or apply a little to your wrists and the back of your neck, and the monsters in the forest won't dare to approach you."

The effect will last a day, but don't stay up too late, come home early.

Arya took the medicine bottle, held it in her hand, and nodded.

"Thank you," she said.

"You're welcome." Lin Yu looked at her. "Take care on the road."

"Hmm." Arya carefully placed the medicine bottle in her bosom, slung the basket over her shoulder, and turned to walk towards the forest.

After walking a few steps, she turned back to look at Lin Yu, her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she said nothing and turned to continue walking.

Lin Yu stood at the door, watching her figure disappear at the end of the village road, before turning around and walking towards Bell's farm.

Bell still didn't wake up this time.

Lin Yu climbed through the window again. The room was still the same as before, and the bedroom door was still tightly closed.

He didn't disturb Bell, but went straight to the worktable and began to concoct the healing potion.