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

......

One hour later—

Only the sound of even, slightly heavy breathing remained in the room.

Lilia lay on her side on the messy sheets, her cheek pressed against the pillow, her eyes closed, her eyelashes wet and stuck together, and traces of undried tears still lingering at the corners of her eyes.

She felt as if her bones had been removed, sinking limply into the mattress, too lazy to even move a finger.

Her long, cherry-pink hair was spread out, covering the entire pillow, the ends damp with sweat, clinging to her neck and collarbone.

Lin Yu was already dressed and standing by the bed. His gaze swept over Lilia's tired but content sleeping face. Just as he was about to turn around, his eyes were drawn to a small thing on the carpet by the bed.

That was the hair tie Lilia used to tie her hair, a simple rubber band decorated with pink polka dots.

It probably slipped and fell accidentally during the movement just now.

The moment Lin Yu's gaze fell upon it, a faint white halo suddenly appeared on the surface of that ordinary rubber band.

Then, several lines of semi-transparent text appeared above the rubber band like a projection.

[The Hair Tie of a Touching Young Girl]

[Quality: White]

[Effect: Slightly improves perception after wearing]

[Description: Personal items imbued with a young girl's first flutter of the heart and sincere feelings.]

The pure, burning emotion poured into this ordinary object gives it an extraordinary quality.

Perhaps it remembers how those hands had gently stroked her hair, and it remembers her racing heartbeat and burning body temperature at that moment.

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, which then turned into understanding.

He bent down and picked up the hair tie that still carried the warmth and sweet scent of Lilia's hair.

Without hesitation, Lin Yu put the white hair tie on his left wrist.

It's a little small and a bit tight on the wrist, but it's acceptable.

The moment he put it on, he felt that the flow of the surrounding air seemed to become slightly clearer.

The effect is very weak, but it does exist.

Lin Yu glanced at Lilia, who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and then gently brushed away a stray hair stuck to her sweaty forehead with the back of his finger. The movement was not particularly gentle, but it did not disturb her.

"Sleep well," Lin Yu said softly, then lowered his head and placed a light kiss on Lilia's forehead.

He then picked up the constant-temperature food box containing the food and turned to walk towards the door.

With his fingers resting on the doorknob, Lin Yu paused for a moment, then turned back for one last look at the figure curled up on the bed.

And that glaring dark red stain on the messy sheets, a symbol of purity and entrustment.

He opened the door and went out.

The door closed gently behind me, shutting out all sound and smell from the room.

......

Lin Yu carried the food box out of the Adventurers' Guild; it was darker than he had expected.

The already thin afternoon sunlight was completely swallowed up by the leaden gray clouds that had gathered at some unknown time.

The air became heavy and damp, carrying the earthy smell unique to before a downpour.

It's going to rain, and it won't be light.

Lin Yu frowned and quickened his pace.

At this time, Arya should still be in the forest.

Based on his understanding of her, he knew that the woman, in order to pick more mushrooms and sell them for a few more copper coins to ease her burden, would likely stay in the forest until it was completely dark, or until the first drop of rain fell.

The potion he gave her was of very high quality, more than enough to deal with ordinary monsters.

But that's based on the continuous evaporation of the potion's scent.

Once it rains heavily, the rainwater will wash away most of the medicinal vapors, greatly reducing their effectiveness.

If the rain is too heavy, it may even become completely ineffective.

Forests are not only home to docile herbivores.

Lin Yu practically jogged through the now somewhat deserted streets to reach the car rental point at the town entrance, where he gave the name of Holm Village.

The carriage bumped and sped along the road, which was beginning to become muddy, its wheels splashing muddy droplets as it rolled over puddles.

Lin Yu lifted the car curtain and looked out the window. Large raindrops had begun to fall sporadically, leaving dark dots on the dry earth, which quickly merged into patches.

The rain came, faster and more intense than expected.

When we returned to Holm Village, the rain had already woven a white curtain, and only the sound of the rain could be heard between heaven and earth.

Lin Yu jumped off the carriage and rushed into Arya's house.

The room was empty; the fire in the stove had long since gone out, and the air was cold and desolate.

Arya still hasn't returned.

Lin Yu put down the food box and, almost without hesitation, turned and rushed back into the rain.

The icy rain instantly soaked him through, and his dark gray potion master robe clung to his body, becoming heavy.

He wiped the water off his face, determined his direction, and ran wildly towards the forest outside the village.

The rain blurred the view, and the forest path became muddy and difficult to navigate.

Lin Yu tried to take out the handkerchief in his pocket, hoping to track the scent, but the torrential rain washed away all the scents in the forest, leaving only a strong smell of water and earth on the handkerchief.

Fortunately, Lin Yu got a hair tie today.

A faint warmth emanated from the white hair tie on my left wrist.

As the enhanced perception effect activated, Lin Yu immediately followed the inexplicable senses and stumbled headed in that direction.

Rainwater streamed down his hair and cheeks, but he seemed oblivious, his entire focus concentrated on that tiny guiding light.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Deep in the forest, beneath a massive ancient tree that requires several people to encircle, lies a partially collapsed tree hollow.

Arya huddled at the very back, her back pressed tightly against the cold, damp inner wall of the tree trunk, clutching the wicker basket filled with mushrooms tightly in her arms.

She was soaked to the bone, her thin dress clinging to her skin and outlining her trembling figure.

Her hair clung messily to her pale cheeks and neck, and her lips had lost all color.

So cold.

The cold seeped from between the bones.

The rain started suddenly and heavily, without any warning.

She was already preparing to turn back, but a sudden downpour enveloped the forest, reducing visibility to extremely low levels. In her panic, she almost fell into a pit covered by rainwater.

While running away, I slipped and twisted my ankle, which was in excruciating pain.

It was the bottle of antidote Lin Yu gave her that saved her.

As she stumbled and fell, the smell of the medicine bottle in her arms startled two tusked wild boars that had sprung out of the bushes, enraged by the rain.

She scrambled and crawled until she found a tree hollow that was just big enough for her to hide in.

The medicine bottle must have fallen somewhere when it was knocked over; it may have broken.

My ankle hurts a lot; it feels like being pricked with needles whenever I move it.

My body was soaked, and the chill seeped into my bones.

Outside the tree hollow, a torrential downpour and boundless darkness filled the air. Raindrops pounded on the leaves and the soil, making terrifying noises as if they were about to devour the entire world.

Loneliness and helplessness, like cold vines, tightly bound her heart, tightening their grip ever more.

Arya hugged the basket tightly, her fingertips turning white from the force.

The mushrooms covered in mud in the basket were her only harvest for the day, a small contribution she could make to Lin Yu.

But...it's so cold, so dark, and so scary.

"Mr. Lin Yu... what are you doing now? Is he in a warm house, or busy in town? Is he... a little worried about me?"

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she suppressed it.

He's so capable, with so many important things to do, how could he...?