After noon had passed, following a hasty lunch, He Ao also took control of Hao Yi’s clone and headed towards the entrance of the convalescent home. The injuries the clone had sustained weren’t too serious, since the original had fought the most critical battles, and because it had been continuously under Goya’s healing. Its actual strength was only C-level, so recovery was quite swift. He bid farewell to Li Cheng and Goya, respectively, declining Li Cheng’s offer to escort him part of the way, while Goya left him an address and a phone number, asking him to visit and play games when he was free. In the end, He Ao used the Velora to enter Jie An’s room, just in time to catch Jie An devouring a burger the medical staff had brought. Jie An was initially stunned when he saw ’Hao Yi’, then he seemed to guess the purpose of ’Hao Yi’s visit. He Ao said goodbye to him, accepting Jie An’s invitation to visit the Tia Empire whenever he had time, and then left Jie An’s room. Next, he went to Lin Chichi’s hospital room, but Lin Chichi was not there. Lin Chichi had also sustained serious injuries, but because her own strength wasn’t great and the "Enchantment" power of the puppet angel had strengthened her body’s structure, she too had made a quick recovery under Goya’s "Strong Healing." He Ao glanced at the scene inside the room, didn’t bother searching for her, but instead summoned the Velora, changed into a set of clothes prepared on board, and headed for the entrance of the convalescent home. Although he could leave directly using the Velora, he still needed to go through the basic procedures, after all, this was his own territory and he ought to save face. While He Ao was undergoing a mental state check, Li Cheng came out and sat next to him. Despite He Ao declining his offer to see him off, it was still acceptable for him to accompany him up to this point. Once everything was done, He Ao waved goodbye to Li Cheng, his eyes sweeping across the lobby by the exit, then he spotted a small white head peeking out from behind a sofa in the corner. Realizing she had been caught, the small white head hesitated for a moment, then poked out, coughed softly, and walked out from behind the sofa. She nodded to Li Cheng who had spotted her following He Ao’s gaze, then turned to He Ao, lifted the game controller in her hand, and waved it gently, whispering, "Bye-bye." He Ao replied with a smile, waving farewell. Goya seemed to have a fear of crowded places, requesting not to have too many medical staff around even during treatment. Here, not only were ’Hao Yi’ and Li Cheng present, but also many other personnel, which must have felt a bit oppressive to her. But seeing the smile of ’Hao Yi,’ she seemed to relax a bit, and seemed to muster the courage to walk up to He Ao and Li Cheng. As teammates who had once braved the Relics of the Bygone Days and experienced life and death together, the three of them had already established a basic understanding and friendship. Even though Goya wasn’t very talkative when she came over, the atmosphere quickly warmed up. Eventually, the three shared a knowing smile, and He Ao waved to his two old teammates before turning to leave. Li Cheng remarked, watching ’Hao Yi’s figure walking away and sighing softly. Goya, who was beside him, heard the comment, tilted her head slightly as if pondering, and then gently nodded, agreeing, "Mm." The distance from the exit to the main entrance wasn’t far, and He Ao didn’t summon the Velora, instead quickly walking the distance. When he reached the entrance, a girl in a long floral skirt turned her head and looked at him, revealing a cute smile, "Hao Yi, brother!" He Ao glanced at her and spoke hastily. Lin Chichi was puzzled for a moment as she followed by He Ao’s side, leaning in close, she softly asked, "Aren’t you surprised to see me here, Hao Yi, brother?" "All your personal belongings in your room were packed up, and even the blanket was folded," He Ao glanced at her, "Do you think anyone wouldn’t guess that you sneaked out?" Lin Chichi chuckled softly, as the warm afternoon breeze lifted the hem of her brand-new floral dress, creating ripples like emerald waves. She quickly caught up with He Ao’s pace, "Brother Hao Yi, it feels like my body has gotten stronger. It’s so cold today, and I’m wearing this thin floral dress, but I don’t feel uncomfortable at all. Even walking seems faster." "This is a blessing," He Ao replied calmly. The strength of the blessings he had channeled before had proven to be extraordinarily effective in remodeling Lin Chichi’s body. Her pure physical strength should now be at Level F, nearing Level E. Of course, these blessings were not incapable of further remodeling her, but this was the limit that an ordinary human could reach. Beyond this point, the girl would start to undergo inhuman mutations. The better her physical fitness, the more "enchantment" Lin Chichi could accommodate. There are many with strong bodies, but few with strong wills and souls. Lin Chichi was naturally suited for this kind of "sacrifice" and "enchantment." Placed in the Copy World, she would at least have the potential of a Cult Pope. Lin Chichi did not know what He Ao was currently thinking. When she heard the word "enchantment" from He Ao’s mouth, she paused slightly and then, seemingly mustering courage, she asked softly, "Does this ’enchantment’ come from ’K’?" Her tone was not fluent, tinged with contemplation – it was obvious this question had been on her mind for quite some time. He Ao stopped walking, turned his head, and looked at the girl by his side. Their direction was opposite to where Yan Yue was carrying He Ao’s original body. Now, they were on a circular plaza by the river. There were some children playing and laughing nearby, and under the azure sky, flocks of pigeons were flying around. But Lin Chichi felt as though the whole world had suddenly fallen silent at this moment. She stopped in her tracks, gazing at the ’Hao Yi’ in front of her. A flock of pigeons flew across the sky and settled on a pillar behind ’Hao Yi’, perching on top. At this moment, facing their side, someone had painted a bright red ’K’ symbol with red paint. The lithe and lean young man stood before this pillar and seemed to blend into the bright red ’K’ symbol behind him. He Ao gazed at the girl’s nervous yet hopeful eyes and her pale hand half-clasped in front of her chest, answering calmly, "Yes." The pigeons perched atop the pillar behind the young man suddenly flew away, scattering like drifting clouds across the sky above the girl’s head. Lin Chichi watched the young man’s seemingly endless, dark pupils, her hand over her chest tightening slightly as if posing a question or declaring a sacred oath under the watch of a divine being. She barely opened her mouth, her words deliberate, "Can I become His follower?" The disbanded flock of pigeons circled in the sky, their wings creating a whooshing sound as they struck the air. Under the silent firmament, it seemed as though only the girl’s pounding heart was audible. After what seemed like a short silence, or perhaps a long wait, finally, the girl heard the young man’s ’reply.’ Gazing at that serene face, those profound and unfathomable eyes, with light from the dome of the sky casting down on his cheek, just like in that space of memories, where the young man stood beneath the radiance, extending his hand toward her, The girl’s hands clenched slightly, as if she had solidified some pure belief. Her voice slowly rose, carrying a kind of oath-like determination, "I want strength, to become powerful, to protect those I couldn’t protect in this dangerous world." He Ao watched the girl’s resolute eyes. After a brief pause, he chuckled softly, "Sounds like the classic declaration of a shonen manga protagonist." Lin Chichi was flustered, a bit at a loss for words, "I actually mean it..." He Ao gently interrupted her, looking up at the sky, at the blazing sun hanging above the firmament, then lowering his head to look at the girl again, "But faith is not a transaction, not you saying, ’I believe in you, so you grant me strength.’" His voice was calm and deep, "Faith is recognition and understanding. The so-called believers are people who come together for the same ideals and hopes, not followers who have entered a transactional relationship with divine beings." Lin Chichi opened her mouth slightly, then lowered her head. "There’s no need to apologize," He Ao shook his head gently, "K does not only grant strength to believers. If you’re not a believer, doesn’t that mean you haven’t been granted a boon?" Lin Chichi’s head shot up, a glimmer of light in her eyes. "Perhaps one day, you’ll suddenly identify with ’K’ and become a true believer of ’K,’ or perhaps that day will never come," He Ao glanced at the wide, rippling river in the distance, "But that doesn’t affect whether ’K’ will grant you strength. When needed, you can still try praying to ’K,’ try offering sacrifices to ’K’." Whether to respond to your prayers is up to ’K.’ He didn’t say the last sentence, but he believed that with Lin Chichi’s intelligence, she could naturally figure it out. He was very clear why Lin Chichi had suddenly proposed to become a believer of ’K.’ She wasn’t so urgently in need of strength but feared losing it after having received it before. She couldn’t guess the intentions of the divine being and didn’t receive any guarantees or promises, so she anxiously and apprehensively sought to demonstrate her ’loyalty.’ Lin Chichi stood next to He Ao, also looking at the rippling river. After receiving He Ao’s ’response,’ her mind, for once, quieted down. Then she realized that her behavior just now was a bit ’impatient’ and ’rude.’ She spoke softly, her head lowered, "Brother Hao Yi, I’m sorry." She didn’t receive a reply, and when she looked up, all that was left beside her was empty space. Pigeons flew towards the sky in the sunlight, and the flowing breeze swept over the girl’s wisp of hair and her long dress. The girl let her hand fall dejectedly, picked up her phone, glanced at the calendar on the lock screen, and slowly turned off the screen. Just then, she heard faint footsteps behind her. She turned her head blankly, only to see a string of red candied hawthorns standing before her. She opened her mouth, looking at the young man handing over the candied hawthorns, who watched her with a smile, slowly saying, "Happy Birthday." Staring blankly at the candied hawthorns in front of her, she turned around, somewhat bewildered, slowly raised her hand, and eventually, she reached out, touching the warm bamboo stick with a hint of finger warmth, taking hold of the candied hawthorns wrapped in rice paper. It seemed like many years had passed since anyone remembered her birthday, and she had long gotten used to it. She looked up at the young man in front of her, her mouth slightly open, eyes curving, nose twitching, as uncontrollable tears slid down her fair cheeks, "Thank... uh... thank..." He Ao smiled at the tear-streaked girl in front of him, offering her a tissue, "See how it tastes." Lin Chichi held the tissue in one hand and the candied hawthorns in the other. After a while, her quivering nose finally stilled. She brought the candied hawthorns to her lips, opened her mouth, and bit into the top one. The crystal sugar coating shattered in her mouth, mixed with the crushed strawberries, mingling with the flowing tears. He Ao asked softly as he looked at the shattered candy coating on the girl’s lips. the girl nodded gently, with tears on her cheeks. "How about the strawberries, are they sweet?" He Ao continued to ask. the girl nodded again, "Very sweet." He Ao pulled out another skewer of candied haw from behind and bit into one, crushing it in his mouth. The broken candy shell exploded with the tender strawberry flesh in his mouth, diffusing a myriad of flavors. It was indeed quite sweet. Although the strawberries in the candied haw were a bit sour, they were tasty. However, some unscrupulous vendors would use cheap, sour, and flavorless inferior strawberries to make candied haw, which didn’t taste as good. Watching ’Hao Yi’ crush the candied haw. Lin Chichi, who was still crying, suddenly realized that ’Brother Hao Yi’ was using her as a guinea pig. She tried to smile, pulling up the corners of her mouth, but the tears wouldn’t stop, and she ended up crying and laughing at the same time. "How about I find you a teacher?" He Ao bit into another candied haw and walked to the railing by the river, looking at the water, Lin Chichi followed him and was puzzled by He Ao’s words. "Don’t you want to become stronger? Your strength and skills are too weak; you need a teacher." He Ao chewed on the candied haw and said nonchalantly. Lin Chichi sniffled, "I would definitely like that, as long as the teacher is willing to teach. I’ll learn vigorously, I’ll go wherever Brother Hao Yi arranges for me." He Ao, holding the candied haw, suddenly remembered something, "You want to gain strength, is it to protect someone?" "To protect the people I want to protect," Lin Chichi’s tears had fully stopped; she chewed thoughtfully, "Like my mom, although she is always busy and can never remember my birthday, and my grandpa, he loved me the most when I was little, and also..." He Ao asked with a smile. He Ao had seen her file; Lin Chichi’s father had passed away, and it seemed that only her grandfather was left from her grandpa’s generation. The girl’s real circle of acquaintances was very small. It appeared she didn’t have a third relative. Lin Chichi glanced at the ’youth’ beside her and, after a short pause, shook her head, "No one else." He Ao looked at the little girl next to him with confusion, always feeling that Lin Chichi had another name she hadn’t mentioned. But since the girl didn’t say it, he didn’t press her to tell. Flocks of pigeons danced across the sky as sunlight scattered over the even waves. The little girl had added a third important person to her life.