It was still morning, and Finnie was waiting for them, so Lin Mo pulled Ellie’s restless hand away, washed up briefly, changed clothes, and went out.

Just as Sherfilia had said, Finnie was downstairs eating and waiting for them. She looked fairly well—after all, she had slept most of the day like Lin Mo and recovered a lot of energy.

Having not eaten for the whole day, Lin Mo was long hungry. He ordered a huge spread and ate a proper meal. Of course, the Adventurers' Association would reimburse it.

Maybe because his strength had increased, or perhaps the earlier battle had consumed a lot of his qi and blood, Lin Mo’s appetite was unusually large. When he finished, the stack of plates beside him was half a meter high, drawing glances from other diners.

After nearly an hour, Lin Mo finally let out a satisfied belch.

Magic-based professionals have to worry about mental load, and physical-based professionals have a similar problem. While their skills do not have a mental-load restriction, qi and blood are not just simple stamina—if you expend too much, you have to find ways to replenish it. Relying only on natural recovery is slow.

But ordinary food contains limited energy, so you can end up like Lin Mo just did—spending an hour eating. That’s why high-level physical professionals eat monster meat: the higher the monster’s rank, the more energy its flesh contains. It helps qi and blood recover quickly, and long-term consumption can even boost attributes. Magic professionals who want to quickly recover or cultivate their spirit use rare plants or potions, but those are expensive. Even though high-rank monster meat is not cheap, it’s still cheaper than alchemy potions.

Satisfied and full, Lin Mo stood, rubbed his belly, and felt no more weakness. Most food is converted into qi and blood shortly after consumption, filling the body’s deficits. The weakness he felt upon waking faded, and his body grew whole again.

Ellie and Sherfilia, having not slept through the day as the others did, didn’t eat much. After breakfast, the group headed straight for the Adventurers' Association.

Thanks to the soldiers’ brave fighting and the adventurers’ enthusiastic help, Silvermoon Town didn’t look too badly affected by the goblin attack. The townsfolk continued their lives more or less as usual, though things were obviously harder than before. Compared to Roland Town, though, this was already quite good.

When they arrived at the Association, the hall was packed with adventurers. The Lord of Silvermoon Town was there too, hair a mess and dark circles under his eyes. Everyone deserves a good rest after the battle, but as lord he still had many follow-up duties.

One of those duties was to evaluate each adventuring team’s contribution and issue corresponding documents. When they returned to Silverstream City, rewards would be distributed according to these documents. It was a tedious job that required care. The Association’s president had been helping nonstop these past days, since this involved not only Silvermoon Town and Silverstream City but also the Association’s credibility.

After investigation and statistics, they finally arrived at fairly reasonable data.

Lin Mo arrived late;

most announcements were already done, and a familiar team was being called next.

"Azure Orchid Team, captain Landon. Contribution: approximately 800 normal goblins killed, 70 sub-adult mutated goblins, 15 adult mutated goblins, 3 quasi-Bronze goblins, 1 Bronze-rank goblin... Captain Landon, please verify the data."

Landon glanced over it and found it roughly matched reality—maybe a few discrepancies, but generally calculated generously rather than shorting them. He nodded and confirmed.

"Then, according to the Rescue Decree rules and your base pay, the rewards are...."

"Additionally, Mr. Landon, as a spellcaster, made an outstanding contribution in battle. On the first day you keenly detected the goblins’ ambush plan and successfully led a team to foil their plot. For these efforts you will receive Silverstream City’s 'Protector' badge and be granted the kingdom’s Third-Class Honorary Baron title."

This announcement immediately provoked a chorus of exclamations. Adventurers tend to be outspoken, so the Association echoed with amazed shouts and colorful language.

"No way—so badass!"

"Right? Azure Orchid Team is pretty famous in Silverstream City."

"The captain’s a noble mage and a level 4 mage at that. Not surprising."

"Not exaggerated at all. I saw Landon’s 'performance' on the battlefield. One move of his and whole swaths of goblins went down!"

Landon smiled and accepted the document from the lord, exchanging polite words.

"Specific extra rewards should be collected from the city lord at the time," he added—it was the lord’s personal award. The base Rescue Decree rewards could be claimed in either Silvermoon Town or Silverstream City;

it was just a matter of moving funds within the territory.

"I understand," Landon replied. He then turned and waved to Lin Mo. "Lin Mo, little brother, you’re finally here... should be almost your turn."

Landon’s enthusiastic greeting focused attention on Lin Mo.

"There he is!"

"He looks so young. Is he with Landon?"

Because Landon had been stationed in a visible role on the main front and was a mage, he had made a deep impression. Lin Mo had handled assassinations and operated out of sight;

though crucial, he didn’t appear much in people’s view and the pivotal final fights happened during the retreat, so few noticed him. Those who knew him were mostly his comrades from that night.

"This one’s fierce too—don’t be fooled by his youth, he’s strong!"

"Yeah, I remember he soloed a Bronze-rank goblin... If it weren’t for him, Landon might have lost his head to that goblin."

"I thought he was a mage—saw him use magic."

"Nah, he’s clearly a warrior. I remember he had a sword...."

The chatter continued, but it didn’t reach the intensity of Landon’s earlier reception. After all, Landon was long-established and did eye-catching things.

When more teams’ rewards were announced, eventually the Association president and the Lord of Silvermoon Town turned their attention to Lin Mo’s team.

Many adventurers might not have known how pivotal Lin Mo’s role had been, but the lord and those present certainly did.

"Finally, the Silver Radiance Team. Captain Lin Mo, members Finnie and Ellie."

"The Silver Radiance Team’s contribution to this rescue operation is approximately...."

The lord paused, then announced amid curious stares: "About 500 normal goblins killed, 60 sub-adult mutated goblins, 40 adult mutated goblins, 3 quasi-Bronze goblins, and... 11 Bronze-rank goblins!"

"What?!"

"How many?"

"Are you insane? Eleven Bronze goblins?!"

"I thought their threat level was at least 3!"

"Landon only killed one earlier..."

Lin Mo was stunned—he didn’t remember killing so many. Then he realized the tally included Sherfilia’s kills. Most of those Bronze goblins were her doing. When she assassinated the goblin shaman, she took out many Bronze goblins. From her performance, her strength clearly exceeded a normal veteran-level assassin—probably not level 6, maybe level 7 or higher. Lin Mo had seen her handle two level-4 Bronze goblin knights with almost no effort;

if he hadn’t moved quickly, he might not even have secured the kills.

The lord quieted everyone and continued: "Of the 11 Bronze goblins, five were threat level 3 and six were threat level 4."

"And she successfully assassinated the mastermind behind this massive goblin invasion—the goblin shaman, who was threat level 5!"

"Oh my god..."

"That’s terrifying."

"Now it makes sense why the goblin army grew so huge—there was a shaman commanding them."

"With goblin shamans around, could Silver Goblins start appearing in Roland Forest?"

"Not sure, but it’s possible!"

The crowd buzzed with surprise and worry. The lord read on: "Additionally, along with Captain Landon of Azure Orchid Team, they detected the goblins’ ambush plan and went to stop it together, demonstrating exceptional performance. Team member Finnie helped treat many injured soldiers and adventurers."

"That priest girl? She treated me when I was injured."

"Me too. After casting healing spells she almost fainted—so dedicated!"

"And her healing was very effective—better than some church priests."

"I think she even used mana potions. Does the lord not reimburse those?"

At the mention of Finnie, several adventurers who’d been healed showed gratitude. The priest profession might not be a flashy powerhouse like the mage, but in terms of reverence they were similar. Adventurers get hurt often;

unless you have endless money for life potions, you rely on priests. A priest in the party is a treasure and often prioritized even above the mage.

Hearing that Lin Mo had a priest in his team, many adventurers looked jealous, some even considering switching teams.

"Mr. Lin Mo, please confirm and verify the data."

Lin Mo took the document from the Lord of Silvermoon Town. It clearly listed their team’s contribution, matching what he knew. He nodded. "No problem."

"Then, the Silver Radiance Team’s reward for this rescue: three people, three days’ base pay totaling 18 gold coins;

reward for about 500 normal goblins: 40 gold coins;

60 sub-adult mutated goblins and 40 adult mutated goblins totaling 350 gold coins;

three quasi-Bronze goblins at 15 gold each, totaling 45 gold;

five Bronze goblins threat level 3 at 30 gold each, and six Bronze goblins threat level 4 at 50 gold each, totaling 450 gold..."

"All rewards combined equal 903 gold coins!"

So many? Lin Mo hadn’t thought much about money, so seeing the final tally surprised him. 903 gold coins—and because this was a Rescue Decree mission, there was an additional reward from Finnie’s mother, the lord, bringing the total to a staggering 1,806 gold coins!

Of course, the money would be split. Besides Finnie and Ellie, Sherfilia—who may have contributed even more—had to be considered. Lin Mo could already imagine Sherfilia’s disdainful look when he handed her money. But she could refuse;

he couldn’t refuse to give. As for whether the maid would accept payment—that was another matter.

Aside from gold, there were extra rewards. The Lord of Silvermoon Town continued, "Moreover, to thank Mr. Lin Mo for his contributions, you will be awarded Silverstream City’s 'Protector' badge and granted the kingdom’s Third-Class Honorary Baron title."

"The extra rewards, including the badge, must be collected from the viscount in Silverstream City."

Lin Mo acknowledged and returned to Finnie and Ellie with the document. Finnie curiously examined it. She had helped and, though not much, had done her best to assist her mother;

pride swelled in her. Sherfilia’s face also showed pride—not for her own efforts this time, but for her young lady’s growth. Ellie felt nothing special;

for her, killing monsters and protecting civilians was just what adventurers ought to do. Although many adventurers viewed their work as a job, many like Ellie were sincerely altruistic.

With the reward announcements complete, the Association president could rest briefly, but the Lord of Silvermoon had more tasks: accounting for personnel losses, compensating families of fallen soldiers, compiling and reporting battle statistics, and continuing reconnaissance of the nearby forest. Being a capable lord was not simple;

responsibilities were many.

When the adventurers left the Association, Landon saw Lin Mo and approached. "Lin Mo, what are your plans? Heading straight back?"

"Of course. This trip’s tiring—we need a couple days’ rest."

"Our team thought the same. Why not travel together? We can chat on the way."

"Sure."

Lin Mo had no reason to refuse. After the rescue, they would return to accepting normal missions. Their previous team of three had faced inconveniences;

it would be better to recruit or cooperate with another team. Lin Mo liked Landon’s Azure Orchid Team: strong, trustworthy, and decent. Teaming with them would let Lin Mo take on D-rank tasks and help him push toward Bronze-rank adventurer status.

Many teams planned to stay in Silvermoon Town for a few days’ rest, sightseeing, or visiting special areas for novelty. Lin Mo and Azure Orchid headed directly to Silverstream City to rest.

"Wait—you said you’ve learned more than two professional skills?" On the way, Landon again picked Lin Mo’s brain and was amazed. He gave a thumbs-up. "Awesome."

"But I actually suggest specializing in one profession," Landon advised. "You can learn other skills, but everyone only gets one profession’s blessing. Cost-effectiveness favors focusing on one profession."

Mrs. Shachel at the alchemy shop had said something similar earlier.

Lin Mo blinked and asked, "Only one profession blessing... what do you mean?"

Landon looked at him. "Since you’re a multi-profession professional, you should know this."

"When someone first becomes a professional, and when they level up, they receive an extra blessing. This blessing is especially noticeable when breaking through ranks. It's a major reason for the gap between non-professionals and professionals, and among professionals of different tiers."

"But a person can only receive one profession's blessing at a time. For example, if you first became a warrior, you receive the warrior blessing. The same-level blessing can only be obtained once. Later professions do not grant duplicate blessings—didn't you notice?"

Lin Mo froze, then answered, "Oh—right, that’s true!" Internally he was shocked. He hadn’t known about this. No wonder people didn’t try to get multiple professions just to collect blessings. It’s not allowed. Learning other professions is harder than improving your main one, and most low-level skills aren’t very useful;

plus you won’t gain another blessing. It’s indeed better to focus on one profession.

So how was it with him? Lin Mo glanced at the blessing attributes on his status panel. He had more than one—far more than two. He actually had blessings from four different professions!

"Let’s go. Time to go to the city lord’s mansion and collect the rewards."