Now that the arrangements for Xiao Anli were settled, Mo Han couldn't help but worry about Bai Ling upstairs. Bai Ling had only said that she had been knocked unconscious but should wake up in a few hours. Mo Han deduced that the time must be about right, which was why he was so eager to go upstairs to see Liu Yanran.

Gazing upon Liu Yanran’s perfect face, still tinged with a faint trace of sorrow, Mo Han couldn't help but feel a surge of tenderness in his heart. He instinctively reached out, gently caressing her fair cheek. At that very moment, Liu Yanran, who had been in a deep slumber, let her eyelids flutter slightly.

Seeing this, Mo Han knew the effects of the knockout drug must be wearing off. He quickly and joyfully whispered Liu Yanran's name, and Liu Yanran seemed to hear his call, involuntarily opening her eyes slightly. Looking at Mo Han’s face before her, Liu Yanran suddenly whispered, "Brother Mo Han, why are you here? I must be dreaming again. How could you possibly be here? But this dream is so wonderful, so real—if only I never had to wake up."

Hearing Liu Yanran’s childlike words, Mo Han couldn't help but smile. He swiftly took Liu Yanran's small hand and said with a laugh, "Silly girl, of course, you're not dreaming. I truly am your Brother Mo Han. If you don't believe me, touch me and see if I’m real."

Having said that, Mo Han placed Liu Yanran’s small hand against his own face. "Do you feel it now? Do you believe it’s not a dream anymore?"

Liu Yanran first displayed an expression of utter shock, then exclaimed with excitement, "Brother Mo Han! Is it really you? I'm not dreaming? How are you here?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Han didn't answer Liu Yanran’s question but spoke with heartfelt concern, "How could such a major event happen, and you didn't send someone to notify me? Do you realize that if I hadn't coincidentally learned about the massive upheaval in the Dark Church, I wouldn't have rushed to Fila City, and you would be in grave danger right now?"

Hearing Mo Han’s words, Liu Yanran suddenly lowered her head in thought, then wore a pained expression and replied, "Brother Mo Han, what are you talking about? What Dark Church? What upheaval? I can't recall anything at all. My head hurts so much. Why can’t I remember anything?"

After saying this, Liu Yanran couldn't help but clutch her head, groaning in agony. She looked terribly distressed. Mo Han was startled by this. Although he didn't yet know the reason, Liu Yanran seemed to have absolutely no memory of the Dark Church matter. Had she suffered amnesia?

With this thought, Mo Han hurriedly held Liu Yanran tightly, whispering comfortingly. Liu Yanran, perhaps due to severe mental exhaustion, slowly drifted back to sleep nestled in Mo Han's embrace.

After Liu Yanran fell asleep, Mo Han couldn't resist going downstairs to question Bai Ling, who was still keeping watch over Xiao Anli.

"What? You say she has amnesia?" Bai Ling showed an expression of utter disbelief.

"That’s right. I find it strange too," Mo Han replied with a wry smile. "I’ve never heard of a potent knockout drug causing memory loss. It’s simply incredible. However, it's not total amnesia; perhaps only partial. At least she still remembers my name. Could it be that she was poisoned by something else, leading to this condition?" Mo Han voiced the suspicion forming in his mind.

Hearing Mo Han, Bai Ling shook her head firmly. "Absolutely not. I’ve checked her thoroughly several times. Apart from the knockout drug, there is nothing wrong with this Liu Yanran. Moreover, I specifically examined her body and found no abnormalities or obvious injuries. I fear this matter is not as simple as it seems."

Mo Han felt a sudden loss for words. He had absolute faith in Bai Ling's abilities; given her skill level, her diagnosis of Liu Yanran could not be wrong. So what exactly caused Liu Yanran's memory loss? Furthermore, it seemed Liu Yanran had only forgotten the affairs related to the Dark Church, while other memories were seemingly intact.

"Perhaps for her, the amnesia won't be a bad thing, maybe even a good thing," Bai Ling suddenly interjected, leaving Mo Han completely bewildered.

Bai Ling continued, "Think about it. Since so many unpleasant things happened to her within the Dark Church, isn't it better now that she has forgotten all those memories? At least it won't cause her such distress."

Hearing Bai Ling's explanation, Mo Han found himself somewhat agreeing. Thinking of this, Mo Han couldn't help but smile slightly and say, "You might be right. Perhaps forgetting is better for her. That way, she won't have to bear so much responsibility. However, I believe she has the right to know about those things herself, so I will help her gradually recover her memories. As for the future, let me take care of her. I absolutely will not allow her to be harmed again."

Bai Ling, standing beside him, merely watched Mo Han without saying a word. Little Xiao Anli, of course, had no idea what Mo Han and Bai Ling were discussing. She just nestled closely beside Bai Ling, looking at Mo Han with her bright eyes, then glancing at Bai Ling, her expression filled with innocent confusion.

Jite City, in the Huoyun Empire—this was the easternmost city of the empire. Because the Aoyue Empire and the Shuilan Empire had simultaneously deployed troops against the Tianlong Empire, the entire Dragon Rise Continent was gripped by turmoil, prompting the Huoyun Empire, which had previously remained uninvolved, to become secretly vigilant. Troops were being covertly moved to guard the empire's various strongholds.

As the easternmost city of the Huoyun Empire, Jite City bore the heavy responsibility of being the eastern gate. Consequently, its security became even tighter. Teams of fully armed Huoyun Empire cavalry patrolled relentlessly around Jite City. Not only were those entering the city rigorously checked, but those attempting to leave were subjected to even more stringent scrutiny.

It was at this moment that Mo Han and the others arrived in the city. After leaving Fila City, fearing that Dai Li and the others would worry, Mo Han and his group had rushed toward the direction of the Tianlong Empire. However, with the addition of Xiao Anli and the completely powerless Liu Yanran, their journey was naturally much slower than their arrival.

When Mo Han traveled from Jite City to Fila City previously, it had only taken two days. Now, however, it took nearly three times as long to return to this location. But this was largely because Mo Han was concerned about Liu Yanran’s body, which had only just recovered, making long journeys unsuitable; thus, they had traveled intermittently, naturally consuming far more time.

During these past few days, Mo Han also realized that other than remembering him, Liu Yanran had forgotten absolutely everything else. While Mo Han was worried, he knew such matters could not be rushed. He had to take it slow, because whenever Mo Han brought up topics related to the Dark Church, Liu Yanran would suffer from violent headaches. Fearing a counterproductive effect, Mo Han had to temporarily abandon the idea.

Yet, as soon as they arrived in Jite City, they immediately noticed a distinct difference. The city defenses were far more stringent than when Mo Han had passed through just a few days prior. Although the inspections were relatively strict before, they certainly did not possess the air of high alert they saw today.

The number of soldiers responsible for inspections at the city gate had doubled, and everywhere, fully equipped troops could be seen constantly moving supplies to the battlements. Furthermore, a public notice was posted at the city entrance, stating that effective today, Jite City was initiating its temporary war readiness protocol: entry was permitted, but exit was forbidden unless specifically authorized by the Jite City Lord or sanctioned by military approval; otherwise, leaving the city was strictly prohibited.

Temporary war readiness protocol? Could the Huoyun Empire also be drawn into this conflict? Mo Han stared at the notice by the city gate, his heart momentarily stunned. It seemed the situation was growing increasingly chaotic. He suspected that no nation on the entire Dragon Rise Continent could remain untouched. Now that even the Huoyun Empire, long removed from the flames of war, was entangled, he doubted the Kanya Empire could remain unscathed.

What baffled Mo Han was why the Church of Light, this time, remained uncharacteristically passive, refraining from intervening. Just like the last time the Beast Tribe and the Aoyue Empire jointly attacked the Tianlong Empire, it was they who stepped in to quell the disturbance. Did they not understand that the next Holy War would erupt in less than a year? Mo Han genuinely wondered what the leaders of the Church of Light were planning.

However, Jite City was the mandatory path to the Tianlong Empire. To take a detour would require at least several times the travel time, and Mo Han had no patience to waste here, yet he had no other option, revealing a troubled expression. Seeing this, Bai Ling couldn't help but suggest using the Flight Spell to bypass Jite City entirely, thus avoiding entry without delaying their timeline, but Mo Han immediately dismissed the idea. He jumped to...