The journey home! The iceberg melts, revealing a smiling face; from now on, home is a distant place!

A long silence fell over the conference room.

Only the wind outside the window was blowing gently.

Su Li clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms, sending a sharp pain through them.

She wanted to speak several times, but in the end, she gave up.

Now was not the time.

Without absolute certainty, she did not want to drag Consultant Lin into her personal vendettas.

The strength of that official from the Divine Court was too terrifying.

She could not implicate anyone because of her own selfishness.

Thinking of this, Su Li took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing all her emotions back into the depths of her heart.

When she looked up again, her face had returned to that cold expression, though a trace of unconcealable sadness remained deep in her eyes.

She managed a smile at Lin Yuan that was uglier than crying.

"It is nothing."

"Consultant Lin, it is very late. I have disturbed your rest."

After saying this, she turned around to leave.

Her back looked so resolute, yet it carried an indescribable sense of bleakness and loneliness.

Just as Su Li's hand was about to touch the doorknob, ready to pull the door open and leave, Lin Yuan's calm voice suddenly came from behind her.

"Do not be nervous about tomorrow's operation."

"No matter what you encounter, I am here."

This simple sentence was like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens, exploding in Su Li's mind!

Her body stiffened abruptly!

Her hand reaching for the doorknob froze in mid-air.

She whipped her head around, staring fixedly at Lin Yuan on the sofa with an expression of disbelief.

He... what did he mean?

How did he know I was nervous?

Could it be... did he know what was on my mind?!

This thought, like a bolt of lightning, tore through the fog in Su Li's heart, leaving her in a state of unprecedented shock.

Impossible!

No one knew about this except me!

He... how on earth did he know?!

A storm raged in Su Li's heart; looking at Lin Yuan's still-calm face, she felt that this man had become increasingly mysterious and unfathomable.

It was as if she had no secrets before him.

Lin Yuan did not explain anything.

He simply took a small jade bottle out of his pocket.

He opened the stopper, poured out a Medicinal Pill that was emerald green and radiated a rich vitality, and then flicked his finger.

The Medicinal Pill turned into a streak of green light, flying precisely to Su Li and hovering in front of her.

"Take this," Lin Yuan said calmly.

"This is a 'Heart-Protecting Pill' I refined earlier. Although it is not as good as the one I gave Ryan, it is still something that can save your life."

"At a critical moment, it can save you."

Su Li instinctively reached out and caught the Medicinal Pill that exuded a warm aura.

As the pill entered her hand, a pure and majestic life energy surged from her palm into her body, making her body, which had been somewhat depleted by years of hard training, feel an unprecedented sense of comfort.

An indescribable warm current surged in her heart.

This warm current instantly broke through the psychological defenses she had built with coldness and strength for many years.

Her eyes turned red without warning.

A layer of mist uncontrollably welled up in her eyes, making the world before her become somewhat blurry.

She could no longer remember how many years it had been since she had felt the warmth of being cared for.

Since her father passed away, she had always been alone, carrying a blood feud by herself, struggling forward in the darkness.

She had disguised herself as a cold, hard stone, refusing anyone's approach and refusing everyone's kindness.

She thought she had gotten used to loneliness.

But at this moment, Lin Yuan's simple sentence and a single Medicinal Pill cracked the ice that had long frozen her heart.

So, this is what it feels like to be cared for.

So, this is what it feels like to have someone standing behind you.

Su Li bit her lip hard, not letting her tears fall.

She bowed deeply, very deeply, to Lin Yuan.

This time, it was not as a subordinate, nor as a deputy commander.

But as a lost soul who had seen light in the darkness.

"Thank you..."

She said these two words in a voice that was barely audible.

Then, she did not say anything more, clutched the Medicinal Pill tightly, turned around, pulled the door open, and walked out quickly.

She was afraid that if she stayed one more second, she would completely lose her composure in front of him.

Walking down the empty corridor, Su Li felt the warmth from the Medicinal Pill in her palm, her heart filled with unprecedented warmth and emotion.

But soon, when she thought of the Divine Court, and that mysterious official with heaven-defying strength who had cruelly murdered her father, her steps gradually became heavy again.

Although Consultant Lin was strong, that official was an existence that even a Martial God like her father could not defeat.

The gap between her and him was like a chasm.

How could it be easy to seek revenge?

The emotion on Su Li's face was gradually replaced by a touch of melancholy and resolution.

No matter what, she had to walk this path.

Even if it meant being smashed to pieces.

The next morning, the sunlight in the Holy City of Avalon was exceptionally bright.

After a night of rest, the warriors of Dragon Xia Kingdom assembled in the courtyard, looking spirited.

They tidied their gear, their faces beaming with unconcealable excitement and joy.

Eager to return home.

These words were the most authentic reflection of everyone's mood at this moment.

"Finally, we can go home! I've almost forgotten what the braised pork in the base cafeteria tastes like!"

"I have to sleep for three days and three nights when I get back! This mission really exhausted us!"

"Indeed! However, seeing the destruction of the Divine Court with our own eyes makes this trip worthwhile!"

The warriors gathered in twos and threes, discussing excitedly.

Amidst this group of excited warriors, a beautiful figure stood out.

It was Su Li.

Today, she had changed into a capable Longxia combat uniform, her long hair tied up high.

Her face no longer bore that coldness that kept people at a distance.

Instead, it was replaced by a warm, gentle smile like a spring breeze.

She was smiling, listening to the discussions of her warriors, and a long-lost radiance flickered in her eyes.

"Instructor Su, you seem... a bit different today."

A bold young warrior approached Su Li, scratching his head and chuckling.

Su Li was slightly stunned, and then the smile at the corners of her mouth deepened.

"Oh? What is different?"

She tilted her head and asked in return, her tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

The warrior's face flushed red at her sudden counter-question.

"It's just... it's just that it feels like you... smile more."

He held it in for a long time before managing to say this.

Su Li let out a chuckle.

The smile was like a snow-capped mountain that had been frozen for a thousand years, suddenly melting under the warm spring sun.

Thousands of trees and flowers bloomed in an instant.

The surrounding warriors were all dumbfounded.

They had never seen their iron-blooded Instructor Su have such a bright and moving side.

"After we return, training will be doubled."

Su Li looked at their dazed expressions and deliberately put on a straight face.

"Ah?!"

The warriors wailed instantly.

Su Li watched them, but the smile in her eyes could not be hidden.

She knew she had changed.

That mountain of blood feud that had weighed on her heart for twenty years, making her almost unable to breathe, had finally been completely removed.

When she personally severed the head of that mysterious official in the Weeping Mountains, she did not feel the pleasure of revenge, but rather an unprecedented emptiness.

But when she walked out of that mountain of corpses and sea of blood, and saw that lazy figure waiting outside, that emptiness was instantly filled with an indescribable warmth.

It was that man who gave her the opportunity for revenge.

And it was that man who ensured she did not get lost in the abyss of hatred after her revenge.

He made her understand that living is not just for revenge.

It is also for the sunlight before her, for the comrades by her side, and for the distant homeland.

Not far away, Lin Yuan leaned against a cold Roman pillar, let out a huge yawn, and was too lazy to even lift his eyelids.

He glanced at Su Li, who was laughing and joking with the warriors; the gloom that had previously been on her pretty face was finally gone.

Lin Yuan pursed his lips and muttered to himself.

"This is more like it."

"Otherwise, facing a poker face every day affects my mood for sleeping."

At this moment, steady footsteps approached.

Augustine and Aila arrived side by side.

This old commander of the Holy Knights Order walked up to Lin Yuan and actually knelt on one knee with a "thump," his right hand heavily placed on his chest, performing the most solemn knightly salute.

"Lord Lin!"

His voice was trembling with genuine emotion.

"The Oulu Alliance and the Holy Knights Order owe you a debt that cannot be repaid!"

"If it weren't for you, that tumor known as the Divine Court would have continued to plague this continent for who knows how long!"

Lin Yuan was taken aback by this sudden grand gesture and quickly waved his hands.

"Alright, alright, you are quite old, get up quickly."

"I just came to do a job. Now that the job is done, I should go back and rest."

He said it lightly, but Augustine did not dare to be negligent in the slightest, standing up respectfully and stepping aside.

Aila stepped forward.

The silver combat uniform made her look heroic and imposing, but today, she lacked her usual spirited manner.

She opened her mouth, the words rolling in her throat several times, before she squeezed out a few words.

"Lord Lin... really... can you not stay a few more days?"

Her voice carried a tremble she had not even noticed herself.

Lin Yuan glanced at her and answered cleanly and decisively.

"No, my bed at home is softer."

Simple, brutal, and directly killed the conversation.

Aila froze, and then a bitter smile crept up the corners of her mouth.

She took out an exquisite crystal wine bottle from behind her; as the liquid in the bottle flowed, it seemed as if stars were twinkling.

"It's still the 'Star Wine,' a farewell gift for you."

She seemed to use all her strength just to dare to look up.

"In the future... if you come to Oulu Continent again, you must come find me."

"I will treat you to a drink."

Lin Yuan took the wine bottle, weighed it in his hand, and then looked at her.

"Okay."

Just one word.

Aila's world seemed to brighten up instantly.

Su Li walked over at some point; she first looked at Aila, then glanced at the wine bottle in Lin Yuan's hand, and then a generous smile blossomed on her face.

"Captain Aila, thank you for your care during this time."

She paused and added another sentence.

"If you have the chance to come to our Longxia in the future, Tianshu Base welcomes you anytime."

As the words fell, the two equally outstanding women looked at each other and smiled.

That indescribable awkwardness instantly vanished into thin air.

The moment of departure finally arrived.

The hatch of the Longxia floating warship slowly closed, shutting out the figures of Augustine and the others who were seeing them off.

Lin Yuan leaned against the porthole, watching the Holy City of Avalon rapidly shrinking beneath his feet, and stretched comfortably.

"Ah—finally, I can go home and sleep."

"Mhm, home."

Su Li stood right beside him, echoing softly, her gaze piercing through the sea of clouds, cast toward the distant eastern homeland.

Suddenly, she turned her head and called out very seriously.

"Lin Yuan."

This was the first time she had not called him "Consultant Lin."

"Thank you."

She repeated it again, adding the second half.

"For everything."

Lin Yuan smiled lazily and looked her up and down.

"You're welcome."

"Besides, the way you look when you smile is much more pleasing to the eye than when you were keeping a straight face every day."

Su Li's face turned red in a "whoosh," even her earlobes turning pink.

She turned her head away, let out a soft "hmpf" toward the window, and pretended to look at the scenery.

But the uncontrollably upturned corners of her mouth had long betrayed the little triumph in her heart.

The floating warship accelerated abruptly, piercing through the clouds and turning into a long rainbow that disappeared into the horizon.

The road home is always something to look forward to.