"Hi, Boss Lin." Joseph forced a smile and tried his best to not appear as miserable as he looked.

Lin Jie was dumbfounded for some time before he reacted, "Those injuries, they aren't light... Much more serious than I thought..."

While he knew that Joseph had been out on a Secret Rite Tower mission, Lin Jie hadn't expected the mission to be so dangerous that Joseph would get seriously hurt.

Joseph smiled bitterly.

"Is it a Secret Rite Tower mission? To think that this would be the extent..." Boss Lin tried to keep his surprise in check as he took off his umbrella and coat, which he handed to Mu'en. Mu'en took the items and hung them in the room before slinking away into the darkness.

Whitey came over and brushed itself on Lin Jie as if it hadn't seen its owner in a long time. Lin Jie reciprocated by gently stroking the cat's head.

Joseph sighed inwardly. For a certain point of view, it was indeed a Secret Rite Tower mission that had reduced him to such a sorry state.

Even though he was being reminded by Lin Jie, Joseph still wasn't used to venting his anger at Secret Rite Tower. Thus, he replied, "It was Wilde. I had a big fight with him and all my injuries were caused by him."

Lin Jie frowned and finally had a confirmation of what he had always suspected... Wilde had indeed gone down the wrong path.

Lin Jie couldn't help but sigh. He didn't know how Wilde was doing, but he might just have to feed the old empty nester a few more servings of chicken soup to get him back onto the right path. At that moment, Lin Jie felt that he was burdened with even more important responsibilities.

Lin Jie thought to himself as he gazed sympathetically at Joseph.

Met with such a gaze, Joseph could only hang his head in shame as if he were a student that had done something wrong.

"Since you are already here, just rest up well," said Lin Jie generously. Then he turned to Mu'en and instructed, "Let's clean up the basement together. He can't stay in the bookstore all the time. It's not a conducive area for recuperating."

Mu'en paused for a moment to think about the situation in the basement, but immediately nodded after. "Yes, Boss Lin."

Thus, Lin Jie opened the door to the basement. Besides some junk and that ancient dragon fossil that Cherry had given him, there was not much else there. Moreover, Mu'en had kept the place rather tidy.

Mu'en followed behind, helping Joseph along into the dusky basement. The moment they entered, the old knight's body froze up.

He subconsciously glanced at the expressionless Mu'en and Lin Jie, who had his arms on his hips. Both of them seemed to be their usual calm selves as if this was nothing more than an ordinary room.

However, the moment they entered, Joseph had sensed traces of vast aether. Even though these were mere traces, it seemed vast like an ocean and it wasn't hard to imagine that such powerful aether had once filled this place...Joseph's entire body trembled. Such powerful aether made him feel suffocated.

Mu'en helped Joseph into a chair.

Joseph, who had already reached Supreme-rank, felt that what he knew of the world was just a drop in the ocean. He could clearly imagine how this vast aether that used to be here could kill him ever so easily.

Joseph didn't dare to move much. He slowly adjusted himself on the chair and accidentally brushed the table beside.

A chill ran down Joseph's spine. When he touched the table again, he seemed to hear an Ancient Dragon roar with an aura full of calamity. There seemed to be unwillingness and anger in the vastness. That angry roar was like a furious hurricane hitting him straight in the face...

Joseph's eyes widened. This tiny basement seemed to have once trapped a dragon.

If he were any ordinary person, such immense mysticism would have driven him insane…

Joseph took several deep breaths to calm himself. Once more, he was faced with the true power of the bookstore owner. This increasing terror made Joseph clearly realize that he was merely an ant that could be squished anytime in the face of such an entity. As such, he was much more willing to accept the charity that was so casually being shown to him.

Lin Jie saw Joseph's face pale and quickly went to work setting up an old, unused bed.

"What's the current situation with you? Of course, you are free to stay with me as long as you want, but don't you have to report back? It's a Secret Rite Tower Mission, after all," said Lin Jie.

Joseph hung his head and was silent for a while. No one could tell what was on his mind. Each time Lin Jie mentioned Secret Rite Tower, Joseph felt as if he was being repeatedly roasted over a grill.

Seeing Joseph go quiet, Lin Jie asked in earnest, "Since it's a Secret Rite Tower mission, there should be reimbursement and insurance, right?

"Ah?" Joseph replied subconsciously, making it appear as if he had never heard of such a term. "N-no."

An astounded Lin Jie muttered, "What kind of black-hearted company is this? How inhumane. You've been cheated…"

A glimmer of realization flashed in Joseph's eyes when he heard this, his head jerking up to gaze dejectedly at the tall back of Lin Jie's.

"You're right. I came to my senses too late."

"It's not too late yet." Lin Jie turned around and smiled at the old knight. "You've now understood they are just an exploitative company, so don't go there anymore."

"Yes, yes, I understand," Joseph replied at once.

Lin Jie pulled out the large bed that had just been tidied up in one go. Patting the dust off his hands, he asked, "What are your plans from now on?"

Joseph felt it hard to face Lin Jie's question directly. In truth, he was rather confused and wished to get answers from Lin Jie, yet the latter had given him such a direct question which could likely be Boss Lin's test for him.

"…I still need to think about it," answered Joseph. Then he naturally thought of Melissa, the person he was the most concerned about in this world. "Perhaps this is the only opportunity. I wish for Melissa to be truly independent. Most importantly, perhaps me being alive might be Melissa's greatest hindrance.”

Joseph clenched his fist tightly while in silent thought.

Lin Jie blinked several times, completely unable to understand what Joseph was going on about.

Lin Jie couldn't keep up with Joseph's train of thought, but the dynamics of this father-daughter pair had always seemed peculiar. It wouldn't be right for him to meddle with the family affairs of others, so Lin Jie just nodded.

Joseph was slightly moved when he saw Lin Jie nod.

If everything before had been just a guess, Lin Jie's acknowledgment left Joseph completely disheartened.

"Just be at ease and rest here," Lin Jie finally said after hesitating for a moment. Then he beckoned to Mu'en, and the goddess of the night followed after him obediently.

The basement door was gently closed, and what remaining light was snatched away as Joseph was completely enveloped by the darkness.