Chapter 3

Now, Luo Lin was penniless and naturally could not afford to buy a burial plot to bury his cheap foster father, but he could not let his foster father's body be left to rot in the wild.

Since burial was not an option, he decided on a sea burial, letting the fish feed on his foster father. Living by the sea, the common people often chose to have their bodies consumed by fish after death.

Luo Lin, with an empty stomach—his stomach was particularly and extremely hungry, the AI told him it was because it was collecting energy for an upgrade—found a piece of wood that was almost eaten through by worms, gathered some wildflowers outside the city, and finally, in a secluded corner not far from the dock, pushed the wooden board carrying his foster father's body into the sea.

"Goodbye, old drunkard. May you have a kind child to take care of you in the other world." Luo Lin waved at the wooden board as it drifted further away.

Suddenly, a sea breeze blew, making Luo Lin shiver.

It was spring, and the sea breeze was cold and damp. Luo Lin, standing by the sea for a long time, began to shiver uncontrollably. He pulled his neck in and wrapped himself in his tattered clothes, heading towards the dock.

He had been busy with his foster father's affairs all day and only ate a few wild fruits while picking wildflowers. If he didn't want to starve to death, he had to find a job at the dock to earn some money for food.

After a few steps, a message flashed in his mind.

"Task confirmed: Redeem Freedom.

Content: Pay off the high-interest loan from the thug Malfoy and regain freedom.

Reward: 150 experience points.

150 experience points? Luo Lin looked at the virtual experience bar in his mind, which showed 0/100, just like in the game. These 150 experience points could level him up to level 2, making him a normal person with a regular body.

But the problem was, with his current body and unfamiliarity with the environment, earning twenty silver coins in a month seemed quite difficult.

Yes, he had only borrowed ten silver coins, but even if he paid it back within a month, it would double. That's what high-interest loans are for.

If he didn't pay, Malfoy would have his thugs use appropriate methods to remind Luo Lin why he was called a thug!

How could he pay it back? As Luo Lin was pondering, a clear voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"Hey, what are you daydreaming about?"

Luo Lin was startled and looked up to see a young girl in a light green dress standing on the stone railing of the dock, waving at him. He carefully examined her delicate face and confirmed he had never seen her before. He asked curiously, "Do I know you?"

"No, you don't. I'm here to deliver a small gift from the lady." The girl in green said.

She gently placed a package wrapped in a light green, silver-embroidered cloth on the stone railing and explained, "It's some small pastries, which might help fill your stomach."

Luo Lin was puzzled but indeed smelled the aroma of food. After hesitating for a moment, he finally decided to accept it. He had nothing to lose, and the girl mentioned the lady, which made it less strange.

In the game of Vandom, it was not uncommon for noble ladies to have sudden bursts of sympathy and give alms to the poor. These idle ladies, who spent their days stealing men and competing with each other, had rich emotional lives. They could shed tears over a dead stray dog on the street, and of course, they could give some pastries to a homeless man like him.

This was perfectly normal.

"Thank the lady for me. May the Holy Light protect her." Luo Lin thanked her, using the NPC lines he learned from the game.

His gaze passed over the girl and fell on a simple carriage parked not far from the dock. The carriage windows were closed, but a small gap was left. The kind lady might be watching him from behind the window, and this girl was likely her maid.

The delicate maid smiled and said, "I will convey your thanks. The lady also has a message for you. She said: The sea often has storms, but after the storm, a rainbow often appears. She hopes you will see your rainbow. Even though your loved one has passed away, you still have to continue living, don't you?"

"Thank you sincerely again." It turned out his sea burial of his foster father had been seen. No wonder.

The green-clad girl smiled slightly and turned to leave. She boarded the black carriage not far away, and the carriage turned and left.

Luo Lin watched the carriage go, and suddenly his gaze was drawn to the family crest on the carriage. The crest featured crossed swords and a musket, surrounded by a coiled, roaring dragon.

This was... the Dragon Guardian Crest! Its only user was Countess Vianna. The person in the carriage was Vianna!

Luo Lin was momentarily stunned, and a flood of thoughts surged from the depths of his memory.

In the eyes of ordinary people in Vandom, this countess was as blessed by the gods as Vandom itself.

She was incomparably beautiful, praised as the moon of Vandom. She possessed superhuman intelligence and was a renowned mage on the continent. She was also extremely powerful because her cousin was King Hays Premo, the ruler of Vandom.

She was a child of heaven, to be admired from afar but not to be defiled. The only regret was that she lost her husband at a young age and had been a widow ever since, but no one would criticize this. The ambitious young men of the entire continent believed her husband died very considerately, and countless outstanding young men pursued her tirelessly.

Unfortunately, no one had succeeded, as the countess had sworn to remain chaste for her husband's memory.

But Luo Lin knew the truth. This Countess Vianna was not human; her original form was a noble and legendary emerald dragon. The so-called cousin and widow were just smokescreens to hide her true identity.

She stayed in Vandom because a century ago, the lord of Vandom had done her a great favor. To repay this favor, she vowed to protect the lord's family for three hundred years.

However, when the Waning Moon came, the countess protected the lord's family's retreat by revealing her true form to block the orc army. She ultimately died in battle, and her dragon body was eaten by the frenzied orcs, a tragic end.

Thinking of Vianna's ultimate fate, Luo Lin couldn't help but sigh. Knowing the truth was one thing, but he couldn't change it, at least not now.

He was just a weak, malnourished teenager, his body so thin it was skin and bones. He couldn't change anything, and no one would believe him. If he said too much, he might even be arrested for spreading false rumors.

"I still need to strengthen myself." Luo Lin secretly vowed to change his current frail state as soon as possible.

Of course, before doing anything, he needed to fill his stomach. Luo Lin sat on the stone railing of the dock, unwrapped the cloth, and enjoyed the delicious pastries given to him by the kind countess.

They were truly delicious. As Luo Lin devoured the pastries, memories of Countess Vianna began to surface in his mind.

She was a dignified and serene woman, looking only about twenty years old, with a perfect and flawless face. Even the most critical person could find no fault with her. She usually wore a delicate green silk dress, with slightly wavy, lustrous dark green hair that fell loosely. Her voice was always soft and gentle, like a clear spring in the forest.

In the game, Luo Lin was captivated the moment he first saw this NPC. He completed any task related to her, no matter how little the reward.

In fact, he wasn't the only one. Many players were like this. There was even a super fan club called the 'Green Dragon Legion' with over six million members. In recent years, the Green Dragon Legion has consistently ranked in the top ten in virtual communities!

In the game, Vandom was the starting city, similar to a newbie village, just like Luo Lin's current situation. Here, he had completed tasks related to her. Due to the long time that had passed, many details of the tasks were blurry, even when he tried to recall them. The only thing he remembered clearly was the final battle to defend the city.

It was nine years ago. That day, the sky was dark, with clouds covering it, and lightning flashing. Endless orcs emerged from the depths of the Mud Swamp, rushing towards Vandom like a steel flood.

The attack was too sudden. Humans were unfamiliar with the wild and violent orc race. Under the orcs' fierce assault, Vandom's outer wall held for only two hours!

The Premo family initially planned to defend their city of honor, but their honor lasted only half an hour. As soon as they saw the gray-skinned orcs flooding into Vandom's inner city, they immediately declared a retreat.

Luo Lin's task was to hold back the orcs with the city's elite warriors, buying time for the Premo lord to retreat.

The orcs were too fierce. Each orc was a seasoned warrior, with bodies of excellent quality, and many were of elite quality, with levels above 18.

In contrast, Vandom's human warriors had enjoyed peace for too long. Their levels were only 15, and although they had some elites and excellent warriors, most were ordinary people, not on the same level as the orcs.

When the two sides clashed, the human alliance fell like wheat, and the battle was惨不忍睹.

In the final moments of the retreat, the Premo lord was trapped at the dock and couldn't board the ship. Vianna had to reveal her dragon form to clear the path to the dock.

"Go, go quickly, I will hold them off!" She turned to face the pursuing orc army.

The Premo family was retreating, and according to the task, Luo Lin was supposed to follow. But something in him snapped, and he stayed, determined to face the orcs with Vianna.

"You shouldn't have stayed, mortal," the green dragon said, then used a whirlwind spell to blow him onto a ship that was already sailing away.

He didn't die, and the task was successful.

Luo Lin clearly remembered the situation at the time. At least a hundred players were on the ship, and everyone watched the emerald dragon fighting on the dock, pounding their chests and even weeping.

But Luo Lin's reaction was the most direct and practical. As soon as he was blown onto the ship, he immediately jumped into the sea and swam back.

He was the first to do this, so he was the first to reach the dock.

When he got ashore, the dragon was still alive but severely wounded, with the ground covered in torn flesh and limbs, both orc and dragon.

Even a legendary dragon of level 90 couldn't stop the orcs' advance. In this world, even so-called gods, if they faced a direct assault by an army without retreating, would die on the spot, despite killing many soldiers.

There was no absolute invincible force in this world.

Before she died, Vianna looked at Luo Lin, her golden vertical pupils showing clear confusion.

"Why did you come back, mortal?" This was the green dragon's last words, and then an orc stabbed her in the heart with a spear.

Luo Lin could clearly remember his feelings at the time. At that moment, he had only one thought: kill that orc!

He charged without hesitation, crashing into the orc army and slamming his shield into the orc's face.

At the time, he wasn't a legendary hero or a son of God; he was just a level 15 ordinary warrior. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't kill the level 18 elite orc.

In fact, against the army, he only lasted five seconds before dying.

At the time, he could change nothing.

That was the only time he died in his gaming career, just to save a non-existent 'virtual data lady.'

For ordinary players, this wasn't a big deal, but Luo Lin was working for a game studio, a professional player focused on efficiency and profit.

So this incident was once a laughing matter among his colleagues, who thought he was too obsessed. As a result, his boss gave him a three-day leave.

But life is full of surprises. He had returned, one year before the orc invasion.

Here, it was no longer a holographic game; here, it was the real world; here, there was a real Vianna.

Most importantly, everything would start in one year!

Luo Lin looked down at his bony, emaciated hands and slowly clenched his fist: "Vianna, I'm back!"