Chapter 295: Mental Loss Fee

Everyone in the church was busy, the matters had been mostly settled, and logically they should have followed the Pope's statement and left.

But there are always those who like to overstep.

A somewhat dirty hand suddenly reached out and precisely grabbed a corner of the Pope's ornate robe.

Min Tianyou's eyes and breath stalled, Shen Zexi almost lost his breath, and quickly reached out to try to pry Ying Duo's self‑destructive hand away.

Mu Lin Yuan's steps halted, his gaze behind the mask turning to the hand tugging his robe corner; the originally pure white robe showed a visibly gray patch, which then slowly rose and settled back onto Ying Duo's calm, unruffled face.

"....... Is there anything else?" the Pope's voice remained steady and gentle, showing no trace of offended anger.

The Pope really has a good temper.

Ying Duo's golden eyes stared at him: take it when it's good? Could that be possible? He fought for half a day and got nothing?

It started with being inexplicably tangled up by Chi Jinan, then circling the ground with someone, losing the biggest experience pack, so he has to figure out a way to recover it elsewhere.

Ying Duo looked up, his tone carrying a self‑righteous... grievance?

"If we go down, we'll just get beaten for nothing? Xiao Hong almost killed me, and there's no mental loss fee either?"

Mental loss fee?

Shen Zexi placed a hand on his forehead, thinking that the Pope having a guard yank him out the next second would be the mildest outcome.

Mu Lin Yuan didn't immediately shake off Ying Duo's hand; he paused for a moment, as if truly contemplating this mental loss fee.

"Hmm......." Mu Lin Yuan said after thinking for a while, then spoke slowly.

"As for Chi Jinan, there is indeed such a need; what 'compensation' do you want? Of course, preferably within my jurisdiction." He seemed quite easygoing.

Min Tianyou fell silent for a moment, not knowing where to start the criticism.

So, how did this under‑crown figure instantly realize that Xiao Hong was referring to Chi Jinan?

And don't give Ying Duo any room to show off! That kid can not only climb up a pole, but even perform a pole dance on it!

Ying Duo's eyes lit up, and he immediately made a request.

"The kind of cannon we just used against them."

The air fell silent for another second.

This time even the Saintess gave a slight sidelong glance, her cool gaze sweeping over Ying Duo as if watching a naïve child demanding the sun.

Mu Lin Yuan also seemed stunned for a moment, then gently shook his head, his tone carrying a hint of helpless laughter.

"That won't do; the mixing permission isn't in my hands, and that's not a 'toy' either."

He paused, then shifted tone, "However, I do have some other trinkets that might interest you."

Ying Duo heard that and his face instantly turned into unabashed disgust.

"Isn't that just having no choice at all?"

Shen Zexi and Min Tianyou watched from the side, their hearts pounding, not daring to breathe.

You kid! Still feeling aggrieved or disgusted?

Mu Lin Yuan seemed amused by his bluntness, let out two low laughs, said nothing more, and simply lifted his hand to pull an item from an inconspicuous hidden pocket inside his holy robe.

It wasn't a dazzling treasure; instead it looked somewhat... rustic, even downright old.

It was a palm‑sized hourglass with a peculiar shape.

Ying Duo held the hourglass; its frame was made of a dark‑gold metal, its edges bearing intricate ancient patterns that, upon close inspection, seemed less decorative and more like rune circuits.

There were no grains of sand inside the hourglass.

Only a wisp of golden‑glowing mist drifted extremely slowly between its two ends.

Is the Pope's tolerance for Ying Duo a bit absurdly high?

【Obtained special unique item: The Silent One's Time Scar (Gold·Bound·Unique)】

【Item description: An ancient hourglass of unknown origin; its very existence is a paradox of the concept of "time". The hourglass itself lacks the power to control time, but it seems able to "record" and "reflect" certain crucial temporal points related to its holder.】

【Item note: It grants you extra time, offering a chance to re‑choose a "moment". Gazing at the hourglass, one seems to hear an ancient sigh from the depths of the river of time: "This time, where will it go?"】

Gold! Unique! Bound! Save!

Save point unlocked!

I always say a proper game must have a save function!

Yang Yixie looked at the item description on the screen, his breath quickening for a moment.

This thing is essentially Ying Duo's second life.

Ying Duo immediately clutched the hourglass tightly, as if fearing someone would snatch it away.

He won't cause trouble, nor act recklessly.

"Thank you."

Ying Duo said the dry line, then instantly turned, obediently standing behind Shen Zexi and immediately activating 【Auto‑Follow】 mode.

The speed of that face‑change left Min Tianyou and Shen Zexi speechless again.

Mu Lin Yuan, seeing this, simply gave a gentle shake of his head, said no more, gave Shen Zexi a slight nod, then turned with the Saintess waiting nearby, and, surrounded by several high‑ranking clergy, walked toward the depths of the church.

Only after their figures vanished into the shadows of the grand colonnades did Shen Zexi let out a long sigh, feeling a cold sweat on his back.

Still trembling, he glanced at Ying Duo, who was hunched over scrutinizing the hourglass, then at Min Tianyou's equally complex expression, and could only give a wry smile.

"Mr. Min, thank you very much today."

Min Tianyou waved his hand, also wearing a weary expression.

He interacts more often with the Saintess; facing the higher‑ranked Pope, he truly hasn't met him many times, so his heart is uneasy.

"Alright, hurry and take him away; if we stay longer I fear my heart can't take it."

He glanced at the rustic hourglass in Ying Duo's hand; though he didn't know exactly what it was, anything given personally by the Pope couldn't be a mere trifle.

That kid, truly... his luck and his knack for courting death are equally astonishing.

————————————————

What did you give him?

The Saintess's cold voice rang out in the quiet corridor; she did not look at Mu Linyuan, her gaze still straight ahead, as if she were just making an offhand comment.

Mu Linyuan's steps were steady; after hearing that, he thought for a moment, then answered in a relaxed tone, even with a hint of joking.

I gave him a 'divine artifact'.

The Saintess's steps paused slightly; she turned her head, and a clear hint of surprise finally appeared in her ice-blue eyes, even mixed with a touch of disdain.

Does the Church's treasury have such flashy but useless things?

"Mmm..." Mu Linyuan blinked innocently, although no one could see it behind his mask.

It's actually just a little trinket; if the temporal distortion on him ever truly goes out of control, or if he encounters some unreasonable trouble, that thing might just save his life.

Just to save his life? The Saintess frowned slightly.

Although she harbored doubts, she simply couldn't take a liking to the obvious Mutation on Ying Duo's body, and she was also somewhat puzzled by Mu Linyuan's near-indulgent attitude.

"You seem unusually concerned about him." The Saintess stated in a flat tone, impossible to tell whether it was praise or criticism.

Mu Linyuan gave a light chuckle, his voice tinged with emotion.

After all, I can't leave this place; it's rare to see such vivid colors, so I just lent a hand.

He stopped his steps, lifted his head to gaze at the sunset glow cast by the stained-glass window at the end of the corridor, broken into countless light and shadow, his tone turning somewhat subtle.

After all, the best weapons in Xinshou Cun are usually those given by the old village chief, aren't they?

And the 'Hero' who accepted the gift... should also embark on his destined journey.