Reilei was working three different jobs at the same time and barely made a tiny dent in the debt she was left in by her ex-husband. Thanks to her ex-husband, she had incurred a debt of nearly 7,000,000 RMB due to the interest fees.
For Jin to say that he paid off the entire debt meant that he had earned at least 7,000,000 RMB in just a few days! She had a difficult time believing that it was possible to earn so much simply by playing a video game. A small part of her actually felt as if she should have been playing video games all along instead of working her previous jobs.
But, she knew that this was impossible. After all, Jin had once tried to teach her how to play but it was a hopeless endeavor.
In the end, she was proud of her son for not giving up and sticking to his dream. As long as he was happy and healthy she would be content, but this was still a major achievement.
More important than the money, Jin had obtained a portion of something that many never acquired during their entire lifetime, a taste of accomplishing one's dream.
However, there was still a part of Reilei that could not help but be saddened. She felt as if day by day Jin was growing more independent and did not need or depend on her anymore. But, at the same time, she was filled with joy that Jin was becoming a man right before her eyes.
"You've truly come far, Jin. I know I should be celebrated, but a small part of me feels as if I've become a little lost. I've spent a little more than a decade working so that we could have a life... So that you could experience a life free of worries." Reilei said as her voice grew unsteady and her body began to slightly tremble.
She then continued, "Did you know? When I first brought you into this world, I was amazed. You were so tiny and fragile. So helpless that I was afraid to hold you. But once I took you into my arms and saw how innocent you were, completely uncorrupted by the world around you, the tears would not stop falling from my eyes."
"I cried because I had never experienced such an overwhelming feeling of joy. Of course, there may have been some tears mixed in there due to how frightened I was at having to take care of another human life." Reilei said as she giggled and gently wiped her eyes that were tearing up. She took a deep breath and released it to calm herself down.
Jin smiled at Reilei's words. One could see the sparkle in her eyes every time she mentioned her son. Although he had perished during that tragic day, a part of him was still alive. The experiences, the emotions, the memories, none of it had truly disappeared. Those strong feelings had long engraved itself into Jin's very being and were not so easily dismissed.
"The look in your eyes when I held you in my arms for the first time was mesmerizing, I can remember it like it happened just yesterday. Your eyes twinkled like the stars in the night sky. From day onward you become my whole world, Jin. That's why... I hope that you can still continue to depend on me if you ever get into any trouble." Reilei said with a blossoming smile on her face as she halted her steps.
Her smile was accompanied by a stream of tears that she tried her best to hold back, however, it was of no use.
Jin stopped as well and turned to look at her. He sighed inwardly as he witnessed the sight before him. He believed that he had already seen all there was to see in the Seven Realms. But, this new world was full of surprises and things that he had never experienced before.
Out of all the things he had experienced thus far, even including the memories he had obtained, this was one of the most unique experience he had come across even factoring in his countless journeys throughout the Seven Realms.
'Jin, I wonder if you truly realized just loved you were... How loved you still are.'
Jin reached his hand out and wiped the flowing tears from Reilei's eyes.
"I will always depend on you if I'm in any trouble, mother. But I think it's time that you allow yourself to depend on me for a change. Just as you wish for my happiness, I also wish for yours. You... Have suffered enough." Jin said with a warm smile.
When Reilei heard those words, her body froze as if an unknown wave washed over her body. Without thinking, she suddenly quickly wrapped her arms around Jin and buried her face in his chest. Her whole body was shaking uncontrollably as she hugged Jin with all her might as if she were afraid to let go for even a moment.
"I've always depended on you, Jin... Always..." Reilei managed to utter those words from her mouth as sobbed softly.
...
Later that night...
Jin was currently inside of one of the two bedrooms within a hotel room. The high-end hotel room itself was almost like a small apartment. When Reilei saw the upscale hotel they were staying at she almost fainted after imagining the cost of such a place. However, she managed to control herself well as she remembered the promise she made to Jin.
Of course, Jin did not plan on making this something long term. This hotel was just a temporary place of residence until they were able to find a new place to live. Since he currently had the appropriate funds to purchase a new living arrangement, he wanted it to be much better than their previous place of residence.
It cost Jin nearly 25,000 RMB for only one week at their current hotel. However, it should be long enough for them to, at the very least, find a more permanent housing situation.
When they arrived at the hotel room, Jin had tried to give Reilei some RMB to spend as she'd like, but he was turned down over and over again. Her excuse was that she already had some of the previous RMB that he had given her.
She also said that she just did not feel right freely accepting the money he had worked so hard to earn. According to Reilei, as long as she had the proper necessities she would be just fine.
Eventually, Jin gave up and made a temporary retreat on the subject. He felt that Reilei was so used to living without anything that she had grown accustomed to having nothing for herself.
Jin believed that as she would come around soon. It was not easy to break old habits so quickly, but he knew that given the proper amount of time it would happen naturally and unforced.
'It's been four days since I've logged into RML and I've missed the deadline, as well as, my promise. A certain someone must be quite unhappy with me by now. I'll have to find a way to make it up to them.'
Even though it was not Jin's fault, he had still broken his promise after all was said and done. A man was only as good as his word, therefore, he knew exactly what he would do.
Considering Jin's previous virtual reality headset was destroyed during the fire, he stopped by the store to purchase a new one. Since all of his character data was attached to his personal identity, he simply needed to purchase a new headset to play.
Jin put on his headset and laid down as he switched it on. Since it was a new headset, it had to run a full scan on him as when he received his first headset.
〈System Alert: Beep... Beep... Beep... System booted! Fully Immersing... Running scan... Player ID recognized as Player Izroth. Transferring data... Data transfer complete!〉
〈System Alert: Welcome back Player Izroth, to Realm of Myths and Legends!〉
〈System Alert: You have been logged out of the game for more than 24 hours, adjusting...〉
〈System Alert: Adjustment Successful!〉
〈System Alert: Since you have been disconnected for 24 or more hours, you have gained the temporary passive skill «Equalizer» 〉
'I have returned.'
Izroth had finally returned to RML after four long days. He was still inside the guest room located within Amaharpe's Palace.
The first thing he did was check his inventory to make sure that everything was in order. After going through it for a few seconds, he found that he still had the treasure chests and the Sword of The Storm in his possession.
How tragic would it have been if he had lost those items during the time of his forced logout?
Just as he finished going over his inventory, Izroth received an alert from the system. When he looked at alert, he gave a helpless smile. He knew that this moment would come but not so soon after he logged on.
'Now is a better time than any to confront with this matter.'
Not too long after that system alert, a barrage of system alerts followed behind it. They were all messages from the people he had not made any contact with for the past four days. Most of them were simply concerned about his long absence from RML, however, two other certain individuals were understandingly frustrated.
〈System Alert: Player Mariposa has sent you a message, "I'm impressed, I didn't think you still play this game, Izroth. Shall we meet at the same place? Of course, now would be an appropriate time. ^_^+"〉
〈System Alert: Player Zi Yi has sent you a message, "Where have you been these past few days? My sister has been in a terrible mood lately and I've had to suffer for it to cheer her up. Izroth, do you know your crimes? You... Better be alright."〉
〈System Alert: Player Luna has sent you a message, "You have been gone for four days. Are you okay?"〉
〈System Alert: Player Halls has sent you a message, "Big brother Izroth, you're online! Hahaha, we were beginning to worry!"〉
〈System Alert: Player Guan Yu has sent you a message, "I knew you'd return! Hah, I told everyone it was nothing to be concerned about."〉
Although Mariposa's words seemed simple and understanding on the surface, one could tell that she was clearly upset and wanted a proper explanation. Zi Yi, on the other hand, appeared to have been taken to her limit by Mariposa.
Most likely, she was the one to soothe over Mariposa during his absence. It would appear that he owed her for her troubles. However, he could tell by her message that she was concerned about his disappearance.
Izroth shook his head inwardly, but a small carefree smile appeared on his face. He sent a proper response back to everyone as he walked towards the exit to the room he was in.
'I'll have to sort through my items another time.'
Izroth soon left Amaharpe's Palace and began to head towards the previous location where he had met with Mariposa to discuss their original deal.
...
"You disappear for four days without warning and then decided to turn up out of nowhere? We had a deal! A contract! Promises were made and then broken! Izroth, I find you to be a trustworthy man, one of the few I know. Four day and no pills to show for it. Do not tell me I have made a terrible mistake in trusting you." Mariposa said as she finally took a deep breath.
From the moment Izroth entered into the building she had gone on nonstop and unloaded her frustrations without restraint. Izroth did not have time to get a single word in as she spoke without pause.
Zi Yi stood silently at the side. Since she was a part of setting up the original contract, Mariposa had called her here as well.
Izroth, of course, let Mariposa speak freely without interrupting her. He understood that she needed to vent a bit after being left in the dark for such a long period of time. Therefore, he did not become insulted or offended by her words.
"I understand. I take my word very seriously, as well as, the promises I make to others. That's why I have a proposition for you. Think of it as... Renewing and revising the contract. Rather, I was thinking about something a bit more long term." Izroth said in an unhurried manner.
He had already made his decision on what to do. Since he had broken his promise and the contract, he had another idea in mind that would not only mend any broken trust but also create a more solid connection with the guild Sleeping Gardenia.
In the end, he was only one man and he had a clear goal. However, if he had to stop and do every little thing himself, such as gather information, run errands, or farm uncommon resources, he would never have time to focus on leveling up and advancing further within RML.
Even as the number one cultivator in the Seven Realms he would delegate certain task to more suitable individuals. Therefore, he was willing to adjust and adapt to the situation. In return, he would gain a stable and reliable ally. This would also be useful for some of the future plans he had in mind.
Mariposa had a confused look on her face, however, she let out a long sigh before throwing her hands up helplessly. He appeared to be completely unphased by the situation. She did not know if that was a good or bad thing, but she would still hear him out.
"I'm listening." Mariposa responded with a bit of curiosity forming on her face.