It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

Bai Lin's clear golden pupils stared at Fei'er intently, but there was a glint of light in his eyes as if he was thinking about something.

The first is a lack of ability, and the second is a poor mentality... huh? In that light, it's no wonder Fei'er said she wanted to fight alongside me this time. Since I'm immortal, my mentality is the more significant weakness.

Thinking of this, Bai Lin showed his usual smile and said to Fei'er very confidently,

"Don't worry, it's me this time, so there will be no problem. After all, I'm the Son of God who saves the world."

"If it's really that good, I won't bother worrying about you..."

Fei'er replied somewhat helplessly, but Bai Lin's face did not show any embarrassment. Instead, he looked at Fei'er very seriously and continued to ask,

"So, by atonement, you mean erasing the mysterious voice, and resolving this whole Rakutenka issue along the way? If we can find the mysterious voice... we can just report it to the higher-ups in Camitlan. It's not our job to deal with this kind of thing."

Having said that, Bai Lin was still very aware of his own level. After all, others at least had the ability to attack mentally and even destroy brain tissue. Bai Lin had no intention of just slashing at them with his sword.

"Just deal with Le Tianxiang's problem, and we'll talk about it later. I just want to tell you everything about this. But, do you know why I chose to tell you, Bai Lin?"

Fei'er suddenly changed the subject, and her body turned completely to the side, tilting her head and looking at Bai Lin. Bai Lin scratched his head in confusion.

“Isn’t it because there’s something wrong with my mentality?”

Fei'er shook her head.

"Of course, it's not just that. Actually, when I think about it carefully, why did I encounter this kind of thing... it all comes down to the current unsafe situation of humanity."

Although she was staring at Bai Lin, Fei'er's thoughts seemed to drift away. She took a deep breath and continued,

"If these mountains were no longer overrun by monsters, and humanity were peaceful and healthy, then there wouldn't be monster-guided creatures like Rakutenka flowing into human society. Incidents like what happened to me, being killed by a sudden danger, or having my companions attacked and killed by both monsters and assassins... none of these would happen."

Having said that, Fei'er's eyes turned to Bai Lin again. She said to Bai Lin with hope,

"Since you want to save the world, then the world you save must be a safer place than the one we have now. As a criminal, I just want to do everything I can for you. That's all."

Is that so? Bai Lin pondered. Indeed, Fei'er's experiences were largely due to the hidden dangers lurking around Camillan, including monsters and aliens. But part of the blame lay with the inherent inferiority of human nature.

Assassin attacks, comrades' betrayals, these are all caused by humans themselves. Even in "our original world" without monsters, there are still things like Rakutenka.

But the most important issue right now is exactly the same as what Fei'er said, but...

Bai Lin looked at Fei'er, raised his hands, and then, with his height advantage, gently and naturally patted Fei'er's shoulders. Fei'er was startled at first, and made a sound like a kitten, then looked at Bai Lin and said,

"What are you doing?"

Bai Lin smiled comfortingly and replied,

"Just to reassure you. Even if you told me all this, I wouldn't treat you as a sinner. I want the person standing by my side to be my companion, not someone who constantly harbors guilt and could sacrifice their life for atonement."

After Fei'er finished recounting her past, even though Bai Lin didn't express even a hint of negativity, Fei'er's attitude changed significantly. He became like one of those "sword master locked up for his crimes" type characters, which went against Bai Lin's original intention.

She not only wants Fei'er to fulfill her wish, but also wants Fei'er, as a girl of her age, to work hard to return to society and live naturally.

"...Are you serious? I've killed dozens, if not hundreds. I wasn't meant to live my life for myself—"

"Well, how can a living being not live for itself? By following me and resolving the wrongs of this world, you are atonement for your past sins. And after that, you should bear their lives and continue to live in a happy new world."

Shouldn't a murderer who saved the world be brought to justice? Of course not, Bai Lin didn't think so. Honestly, she didn't think Fei'er could redeem her sins just like that. But at least, she shouldn't have the thought of "sacrifice" until the mission of "saving the world" was accomplished.

After that, she might not want to die for this... I might not have the heart to hurt her, even though I still can't bear it now.

Chapter 372 Atonement

How to judge when a "manipulated person" kills someone has long been a controversial topic. Bai Lin's own original opinion was that the murderer should be punished with death, but the current situation...

Fei'er was framed and her consciousness was altered, which made Bai Lin's thoughts become a little confused. According to her, the people she killed were similar to Locke, who chose to "abandon the lives of their companions" and were then killed by her.

Her main crime was no longer just murder. Moreover, Fei'er was manipulated into doing this, which made Bai Lin's mind a little confused.

In Bai Lin's original world, some mentally ill patients could avoid major punishment even if they killed someone, and their crime could be mitigated... Now that I think about it, Fei'er's situation might be a similar one.

There was a reason for everything, and the scales of sin were tilted in a way that was not stable. What would become of her son's future?

Bai Lin didn't understand. At least on the road to "atonement", Fei'er couldn't just give up her life casually, otherwise Bai Lin would definitely feel guilty for the rest of her life. Moreover, she also had her own selfish motives. As for what happened after that, let it take its course.

Right now, we should look forward. Bai Lin made up his mind. According to the standards of human morality, Fei'er had only crossed the line without knowing it. And knowingly -

Those who cross the moral line should be eliminated first. We'll see what happens next.

Looking at Bai Lin's words and eyes, which seemed very reckless and childish in Fei'er's eyes, she felt a sense of déjà vu, as if she saw the two people she had met before. In this situation, Fei'er closed her eyes, smiled and shook her head, and finally gave her own evaluation with her current mentality.

"Really... that's something only a hero with a foolish mind could say."

Her tone was bitter, but there was no disdain for the title "hero." Rather, it was praise. She trusted Bai Lin's decision and expressed her acceptance of it.

"Hehe... whatever you say, the long and short of it is that from now on you have to save the world with me. In other words, you are mine. Before that, you must not have any bad ideas."

Bai Lin really spoke the above words like an idiot. Fei'er didn't retract her rare smile and answered directly.

"Yes, I promise you."

The largest "flower of evil" that bloomed in the center of this area has long since withered and turned to dust. But surely, in the future, when the forbidden zone no longer exists, even more beautiful flowers will bloom in this land.

"In short, I can sense people or places that have a strong scent of Rakuten. This should allow me to identify the key points of each marketing campaign."

Fei'er explained to Bai Lin that, after all, this thing and Fei'er were theoretically of the same origin, so asking her to track it down was the simplest and most reliable method. Bai Lin scratched his cheek and replied,

"Well, that's a great help. Even though there are only two of us on this mission, it shouldn't be too difficult to complete..."

At this point, Bai Lin gave Fei'er a look of confirmation, just like when he was discussing tactics with his teammates at the end.

"However, it will still be tiring, so be mentally prepared, Fei'er."

Although Fei'er was wearing her linen robe and hood as usual, her hood didn't seem to be pulled down as low as before, so Bai Lin could see her face clearly. The lifeless face, which still retained a hint of youthfulness, finally spoke and said to Bai Lin jokingly,

"You are the one who needs to be mentally prepared, Bai Lin. I promised you that I would not give up my life easily, so don't forget your promise to me."

Over the past year, Bai Lin has risked his life exploring more often than before, earning him a lot of scolding from Fei'er. For some reason, Katie often hears about his "bad behavior." Even if she can guess that Andel leaked the news, there's nothing she can do about it...

These women are really strict. Bai Lin smiled awkwardly and helplessly, trying to get away with it and said,

"Of course. If I die casually, you'll be in danger too. If that happens, I'll be somewhat unqualified as the captain."

"That's perfect. Let's pack up and head to our first destination. Just to be clear, even though I'm willing to fight alongside you, I'll leave all the negotiations to you."

The sunlight in the hotel poured into the room. The sunlight just after noon was a little dazzling, but when it shone on Cong Fei'er's back, it seemed to have a hazy luster, as if it had covered her with a layer of gauze.

No matter how you look at it, Fei'er looks like a girl of sixteen or seventeen. At an age when she should be basking in sunshine and flowers, she's already covered in scars. But there's no doubt that even though she's said they want to fight alongside him, in some ways Bai Lin still treats her like a little girl, wanting to protect her behind his back.

For example, negotiation is just such a step.

A closer look reveals that Fei'er would have grown into a truly beautiful woman if she hadn't been affected by the incident. This layer of sunlight shone through her youthful side, allowing Bai Lin to fully grasp her inner innocence.

While Fei'er's current cool and refreshing demeanor wasn't necessarily a bad thing, she was still a beauty no matter how you looked at her. Could it be that this was why she was chosen by the "mysterious voice" to seduce the world...? Bai Lin rejected this idea. Beauty was a good thing, not something that would attract disaster.

"...I think you've gone a bit too far after I confessed everything. First you touched me, then you said you were mine, and now you're staring at my face? Be careful, I'll go tell Katie about it!"

Fei'er seemed to show some dissatisfaction. Bai Lin quickly got out of his thoughts and waved his hand and said,

"No, no, no, I don't mean that. Besides, I'm not into people who are too young—"

"You're panicking and you don't know what to do? Doesn't Katie look about my age?"

Fei'er immediately followed up, while Bai Lin was silent for a moment and replied,

"She's different... You understand that, right? After all, it seems like you have a pretty good relationship."

Chapter 373 Alley

"... "

This time, it was Fei'er's turn to remain silent. After holding it in for a long time, she slowly uttered a word.

"Indeed, that girl is stronger than me."

For some reason, Bai Lin felt as if she had said something wrong. Just as she was thinking about how to comfort Fei'er, the other party had already jumped off the chair, packed up his clothes, and prepared to go out.

"Let's go."

"Hey, why are we setting off now?" Bai Lin asked in surprise.

"What else... It's just past noon, which is when humans are more active. Let's go."

-

Shangcheng District, Qianhong.

Even though Qianhong is a very peaceful and prosperous place where one can feel the grandeur of the land just by walking on the streets, it is not without dark alleys.

This was a rather winding alleyway, visible from the roadside. The surrounding houses were also of varying heights, creating a large shadow. If one wasn't paying close attention, even the few pedestrians passing by would be hard to discern due to the darkness.

No one seemed to be smiling, perhaps because the atmosphere was so subdued that even the faintest traces of facial features revealed a hint of depression. Or perhaps it was because people rarely spoke that they seemed so subdued.

On this street, even the two people in black robes no longer looked strange. No one noticed their actions, or perhaps, they didn't care.

"Everyone who wants to get the goods should take a look. These are the goods I got from Brother Wang. They are all top-grade and absolutely pure!"

In this quiet alley, the sudden sound was incredibly loud. It seemed as if several people immediately reacted and moved towards the source of the sound.

The man who made the noise also looked skinny. Although he wore a turban, it couldn't hide his somewhat cunning eyes and smile.

It was clearly dark, but a gauze tent was deliberately erected above his head. In front of him were rows of boxes. He rested one foot on one of them and shouted quietly.

A ferocious-looking man was the first to walk up to his stall. With a fierce look of rage, he slammed his hand on a box and said in a deep voice,

"Do you guarantee that the goods here are genuine?"

"Of course, are you questioning Brother Wang's level?"

The skinny man who was setting up the stall didn't show any fear at all, and seemed to be confidently bringing out his backers. The big man stared at him for a few seconds, then let go of his hand, stood up and said,

"Then I want to buy some, how do I trade?"

The skinny man calmly smiled the kind of intimate smile that most businessmen use, but with his face, it looked a little scary.

"Wait a moment, there seem to be many people who want to buy in the back. The things here are not high-quality goods, you should understand, right?"

As he said, besides the burly man, there were about seven or eight other people huddled in front of the small stall. A few were already eagerly asking questions, while the rest remained silent. The burly man glanced around and stood slightly to the side, making room.

"Move over a little."

A thin man wearing a mask in addition to his linen robe squeezed to the front of the stall in a voice that sounded deliberately low. He said to the skinny man,

"I want to make a bigger deal with Brother Wang. Can you help me make the connection?"

The man sitting at the stall remained calm and unhurried, showing no sign of surprise or contempt, but replied,

"Sir, it's no big deal that I've worked so hard for nothing. But if you offend Brother Wang—you should know what the consequences will be, right? You're still young, so it's best not to be too reckless. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

His reply sounded like a seasoned expert, and he even managed to discern the man's age from his deliberately disguised voice. The man in the linen robe then slowly removed his mask, revealing his face.

Skinny's originally carefree eyes immediately widened. He looked at the face in front of him with some disbelief, but soon he put the mask back on.

"This is just a small token of my appreciation. Is that all that's enough?"

The man casually scattered a few gold coins, looking like he had plenty of money. The skinny man immediately realized the situation, took the money in his hand, and at the same time retracted his gaze, coughed, and said,

"Of course. In that case, please follow me. You too, the ones who want to get the goods, come with me."

As he spoke, he led the group deeper into the alley before even packing up his stall. He had previously squeezed through someone else's linen robe, but now he stayed at the end of the group and joined another companion dressed similarly.

These two people were, of course, Bai Lin and Katie. Based on the information Katie provided, Bai Lin judged that this guy was probably a small dealer, in charge of a retail den or something like that.

He had a small amount of "Le Tian Xiang" hidden on his person, probably to show some difficult customers a glimpse before taking the goods, which further confirmed that he was inextricably linked to this matter.

Instead of destroying such a small hideout, it would be better to follow the clues and observe the place before retreating or taking action on the spot. Bai Lin thought so, which is why the scene just now happened.

With Bai Lin's beautiful face and delicate skin, she looked like the daughter of a wealthy family. Furthermore, the few gold coins she gave him naturally deepened his trust. This allowed him to establish direct contact with a higher-class person.

As they walked, they arrived at the gate of a small courtyard. From the outside, it looked a bit eerie. The red flag at the gate had fallen down for the most part, and it looked very mottled, not to mention the half-fallen doorplate. Fei'er whispered to Bai Lin,

"It doesn't look like there's a lot of Rakutenxiang hidden in here. There might be something fishy going on."

Bai Lin was slightly startled, and then immediately decided,

"Well, then you wait at the door first, I'll act according to circumstances."

"Okay, but if you die, you know what will happen to you, right?"

Bai Lin smiled awkwardly, said hello to Fei'er, walked into the courtyard, and caught up with the team.

After passing through the not-so-big front yard, they arrived at the door of the main house.

Chapter 374 Big Hideout

The shabby yet heavy door opened as soon as the skinny man pushed it open. Suddenly, a world completely different from the outside was revealed.

Low-key luxury is the dominant theme of the interior. Dark marble forms the main floor, and the scant light illuminates the velvet red carpet. Floor lamps that appear to be made of gold shimmer around the perimeter.

"Welcome everyone here. Please wait in the lobby if you want to buy something."