On the Ark.

Lin Ye did not react.

Her cough became a little louder.

Lin Ye did not react.

After waiting for almost a minute, seeing that Lin Ye didn't seem to be looking over, but since she couldn't actually go looking for Messiah, she could only tuck her tail between her legs and slink back. But she couldn't lose face, so she stubbornly said, "Fine, this is Sherag after all, I'll give the people of this country some face."

Whether Lin Ye believed it or not, she herself believed it.

……

"Jenny and Schein are dead?" Golden, leaning forward in his chair, stared at the servant who had come to report the news. "Are you sure?"

The servant bowed his head and said, "It's confirmed. We've seen their bodies. There's no mistake."

“But wasn’t the other side just one person?” Goldin asked. “Did Enciodes come to his aid?”

“It seems not.” The servant shook his head. “As far as I know, the guards of Ensiodis and the Shivaesh family arrived at the scene very late, and by the time they arrived, Jenny and Shion were already dead.”

"...It seems those people from Rhodes Island are indeed no ordinary individuals." Gorvin's face darkened. "How is Irene? Where is she now? At the Shiva Ash's house?"

“That’s not so clear,” the servant said. “The Shiva’s guards have sealed off the scene, so we can’t get any firsthand information.”

"Tsk, they're really troublesome, but it doesn't matter." Goldman leaned back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest, and closed his eyes as he slowly said, "Anyway, they're just small pawns that can't affect the overall situation."

The servant lowered his head and remained silent.

“Alright, we’ll set off tomorrow.” Gorvin suddenly opened his eyes and said, “Take all the guards and go to the Three Races Conference. Listen, everyone, and make sure the people of Sherag see it with their own eyes, do you understand what I mean?”

"clear."

“That’s good.” Goldman stood up from his chair, put his hands behind his back, and chuckled. “As long as the people know that all of the Aiben family’s armed personnel have left the city, then everything that happens in the city will be none of our business.”

Chapter 278 "Strict Father" Lappland (3K)

【Maple】is truly a fine knife.

Lin Ye couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

With the "helpful" assistance of Lappland operator, Lin Ye had gained a general understanding of the knife's characteristics. Simply put, if it weren't used by him, the knife would be a dull "useless knife" that couldn't even cut through skin, but in his hands, it could transform into a "divine blade" that could easily sever an opponent's weapon.

Moreover, the knife seems to have a special protective mechanism for him, so even he himself cannot use the knife to harm himself.

What? So, it seems that [Maple] was tailor-made for me? Truly a messiah!

Lin Ye was very pleased with himself. Then he wanted to test if the knife had any other abilities. After all, it was the "Blade of God," and the mechanism of protecting its master alone seemed not enough. He wanted to know if [Maple] might have some hidden killing moves or something.

Things like "Shinra Tensei" and "Chibaku Tensei"...

However, after trying for a whole day, striking countless ridiculous poses, and shouting countless shameful slogans, he still couldn't get anything to work. But Lin Ye felt that this was related to Lappland's unwillingness to "assist" him anymore; without a target, how could he trigger a super move?

Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to fool her, Lappland refused to fall for Lin Ye's tricks again, and repeatedly stated that if Lin Ye continued to talk nonsense, she would bite him to death.

Lin Ye had no choice but to give up.

And before we knew it, the sun had set.

Lin Ye looked at the gradually darkening sky and felt a little empty inside. He had already eaten a couple of bites of biscuits at noon, and eating biscuits again for dinner... wasn't out of the question, but he ultimately had to consider Eileen, the injured person.

So he sheathed the Maple he had been working on all day, and then said to Lappland, "Go gather some firewood and light a fire in the yard."

"Huh?" Lappland raised her tail, clearly displeased. "Why should I go? Who do you think you are, to order me around like that?"

"Can I go buy you some meat?"

"Oh, oh, oh, oh!" Lappland's tail immediately wagged, and she said with a little excitement, "No problem, it's just gathering firewood, right? Gathering firewood is what I, Lappland, am best at."

"And call Eileen out as well."

Who is Eileen?

"It's that one inside," Lin Ye said, pointing to the dilapidated temple. "She's been holding it in all day; she needs to come out and get something to eat soon."

Lappland frowned. "That girl? I don't like her. She's such a nuisance."

Lin Ye said somewhat helplessly, "I just asked you to go and call her, not for you to like her."

What if she doesn't come out?

"Why not just give her a good talking-to?" Lin Ye stepped halfway out of the temple, then glanced back at Lappland. "I think Texas could do something this simple."

Lin Ye had only meant to make a joke and was about to leave when he finished speaking, but he didn't expect Lappland to take it seriously. She thought about it for a while, then picked up her knife and went to find Eileen.

……

At this moment, Eileen was curled up in a corner of the temple, shrouded in darkness. If she could, she would truly want to sink into this darkness forever, for there was no light left in her heart.

But the next second, the wooden door behind her was kicked open violently.

Dust and sawdust were stirred up by the wind blowing in from outside, obscuring her vision. She had to squint, and when the dust settled, she saw a person with long, silver-white hair bathed in moonlight, looking down at her from above.

"How long are you going to stay here?" the man said in an extremely cold voice. "Are you planning to stay until you die?"

Eileen's lips parted slightly in surprise.

The man then said to her, "Come out with me."

go out?

Eileen lowered her head again.

She no longer wanted to leave the darkness, and she didn't want anyone who tried to take her away from it...

Clang.

The silver-white longsword grazed Eileen's face and pierced the wall behind her.

She was stunned.

Then she heard the man say, "Get this straight, when I tell you to leave, I'm not asking you to, I'm giving you an order."

Command, order?

A slight pain shot through her cheek, the wound inflicted when the other person stabbed her. She looked at the other person, and the other person was looking at her too. For some unknown reason, Eileen slowly stood up and then staggered toward the other person.

So she stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight.

……

When Lin Ye returned from buying meat, before he even entered the temple, he heard Lappland's voice coming from the courtyard.

"Gather firewood! Gather firewood! Do you even know how to gather firewood? How can you possibly light such wet firewood? Are you stupid?"

"You don't even know how to use a flint? Are you kidding me? Even Texas knows how to use one. Tsk, I can't stand you. Here, lend me a match. Don't tell me you don't even know how to use a match."

"Did you clear the snow around you before you lit the fire?"

Lin Ye was completely dumbfounded when he heard this conversation.

Who is Lapland talking to?

There should only be Lappland and Eileen in the yard. Given Eileen's current state, how could she possibly listen to Lappland and go to gather firewood?

Lin Ye sensed something was amiss, so instead of rushing in, he pushed the temple gate open a crack and peered into the courtyard. He then saw Lappland and Eileen. Lappland was sitting under a withered tree, arms crossed, legs crossed, a blade of grass dangling from her mouth, pointing and gesturing contentedly at Eileen.

Meanwhile, Eileen was carrying a bundle of firewood and, under Lappland's guidance, clumsily piling the firewood together.

She was actually working!

How is that possible?!

Lin Ye was utterly perplexed, as no one understood Eileen's previous condition better than her. She clearly had no will to live. If it weren't for the characteristics of [Maple], which prevented her from committing suicide and eroded her courage to do so, she would have been long gone.

Even if they survived, they were like walking corpses. They hadn't left the temple all day, hadn't eaten a single bite of food, hadn't drunk a drop of water, and hadn't uttered a single word—because they were unable to speak. In such a state, there was little difference between them and being dead.

But Lin Ye didn't have a good solution for her. She was different from the other "patients" Lin Ye had encountered before. Nightingale's psychological problems actually stemmed more from her physical condition, and whether it was the alter ego trapped in the prison or the main personality in a daze in reality, both had an obsession with escaping the darkness and running towards the light.

Needless to say, Ifrit appears to be a brat on the surface, but inside she's a brat who craves love. Just bring out Saria and she'll immediately turn into a good girl.

Therefore, although Nightingale and Ifrit both seem to have their own problems, Lin Ye can easily help them because they both have beautiful wishes and fantasies in their hearts.

But Eileen is different.

Eileen was bought from slave traders by Goldman Eben when she was very young and taken directly to Sherag. Sherag is a place that needs no further explanation. Goldman Eben bought Eileen to use as a "special weapon," so she was undoubtedly kept locked up in the house for most of the year.

In other words, Irene's upbringing was extremely distorted. Even the Nightingale, with her tragic past, had Shining and Nearl by her side, and Ifrit, created as an experimental subject, was raised by Himeru and Saria. But the only person who stayed by Irene's side from beginning to end was probably only Golden Abben.

So for Eileen, who had almost no experience of the world, Goldman Eben was everything to her, her father. And she was a timid person, so even when "punished" and "expelled" by her own father, she was unwilling to betray him.

Even knowing her "father" wanted her dead, she didn't think of revenge; instead, in despair, she wanted to end it all by committing suicide. Lin Ye found this person, with no past, tormented by reality, and unable to see a future, quite troublesome. He realized that treating Eileen the same way he treated Nightingale and Ifrit seemed ineffective.

Therefore, Lin Ye originally planned to wait until these few days were over before taking her back to Rhodes Island.

But now...

Lin Ye stroked his chin, looking thoughtfully at Lappland not far away.

Although Goldman Eben is a scumbag, he should play the role of a "strict father" in front of Eileen. Lin Ye is not good at this type; at most, he can only be a "kind father."

and so……

Lin Ye decided to give it a try.

So he pushed open the door and walked into the yard. As soon as Lappland saw him, she jumped up from under the tree.

“Lappland,” Lin Ye said, “you’re so impressive! Didn’t I tell you to gather firewood? Why did you leave it all to Eileen?”

Faced with Lin Ye's questioning, Lappland was not afraid at all and said confidently, "I'm just teaching this little girl that if you don't work, you won't eat."

Lin Ye's lips twitched slightly.

I thought to myself, "How dare you teach others this? You're the one who just talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk, running to the shade of a tree to cool off."

Normally, Lin Ye would have already complained, but this time was different. Lin Ye didn't say anything, but turned to look at Eileen. Eileen's hands were a little injured, probably from accidentally scratching herself while gathering firewood. She probably didn't do that kind of thing often, after all, Goldman Abpen didn't buy her to chop wood.

Honestly, Lin Ye gently advised her to be strong and to live on, and she immediately tried to commit suicide with [Maple]. But when Lappland rudely made her gather firewood, start a fire, and do some rough work, she obediently did it.

Sure enough, Lappland was more suitable to "treat" Eileen than he was.

So he secretly gave Lappland a thumbs up: "Well done."

Lappland tilted his head, somewhat puzzled.

Chapter 279 Teachings