Lia brewed the fever-reducing potion, handed it to Bellini with a stern face, and said, "Drink this! You really are a foolish mother, if you''re unwell, then don''t activate such a powerful cooling magic array!"


    "But it was really hot, mom," Bellini exined awkwardly with a wry smile.


    "I saw a huge table filled with food outside." Lia pulled over a stool and sat in front of the bed, changing the topic curiously, "Did you know I wasing home today?"


    "Er, not really, your return home gave mom a fright, cough, I mean, a surprise!"


    "As for those dishes, they weren''t meant to be shared with strangers. I was supposed to have lunch with your father, but then I was beaten."


    Bellini covered her face, her expression somber as she spoke about the recent argument.


    Lia, angered, clenched her small fist and mmed it down hard on the table beside her!


    "That''s why, why would you like that smelly old man! I will surpass the Crimson Adventure Team and teach him a lesson for you!"


    "You also need to diligently take your medicine and wait for that day!"


    "The higher levels of the World Tree must have a way to heal your body!"


    Bracing with pride, Lia resembled a fiery red rooster.


    Bellini, with a gentle look, touched her head and said, "Thank you, dear, for caring so much about mom."


    "Not at all—I''m just going to the top of the World Tree to fetch some herbs for you," Lia retorted with her face flushing as she pushed Bellini''s hand away, fixing a steady re on Bellini''s swollen face, "That bastard old man, I will never forgive him!"


    "Don''t hold a grudge against the old master. Without him, we would have starved on the streets long ago." Bellini sighed and said, "Lia, there must be something you need this time you''vee home, right?"


    Three years ago,


    Lia and her husband had a fallout, and in a fit of anger, she left Red Heart City, vowing she wouldn''t return unless her adventure team surpassed the Scarlet Adventure Group.


    Her sudden return definitely meant there was something important.


    Nestled in bed, Linda perked up her ears with keen interest.


    "Give me money."


    Lia, stretching out her small hand, said in distress, "The Snow Goose Adventure Team is out of money, I can''t pay Aiko and the others their wages!"


    Failing to pay could lead to sanctions under the ''Adventurer''s Law'' by the Empire, with lighter consequences being the sale of equipment or fines, and severe penalties including imprisonment.


    So Lia hurried home to borrow money.


    "Howe? You wrote a letter to mom a few days ago saying everything was going well," said Bellini, surprised.


    "The 11th level of the Mystic Realm was tougher than I thought, and themanding healer wasn''t up to par; the strategy was poorly executed too!"


    Lia argued, her face red.


    "Is it really the healer''s fault? Is there some issue within your team?" Bellini asked patiently.


    Bellini still hadn''t thoroughly understood why the former healer Linda had left the team. Linda said it was because Lia had be increasingly annoying, but she wanted to hear her daughter''s side of the story.


    From a personal perspective, Bellini naturally sided with her daughter.


    She hoped to help her daughter, to persuade Linda together, to have Linda return to Snow Goose.


    "Actually, Linda left the team,"


    Lia said sulkily, pursing her lips.


    Bellini already knew about it not long ago…


    Bellini feigned a surprised expression: "Ah, how could you kick him out of the team? Linda is such a fined—handsome, capable, good at caring for others. With such a great member, how could you not keep him?"


    Linday against Bellini, silently listening to the mother and daughter converse.


    Both Mrs. Bellini and Lia were wrong about one thing.


    The essence of his departure was that the initial intent of the Snow Goose Adventure Team had changed; Lia''s annoying behavior was just a contributing factor.


    "It wasn''t me who kicked him out!"


    Lia''s defensive voice rang out, "He left the team on his own, it had nothing to do with me!"


    "?"


    Under the covers, question marks simultaneously appeared above the heads of Healer Linda and Kafni.


    Back in White Dove City, no matter who asked Lia, she would say that he was ipetent, that he was too slow in strategizing, and didn''t deserve to be a part of Snow Goose Adventure Team, so she kicked him out.


    But here, in front of her mother, she changed her story to say it wasn''t her doing, that his leaving the team had nothing to do with her?


    Linda had thought that after their failures on the ninth and eleventh levels, Lia would have at least reflected a little, realized the downside of her arrogance, and started to think of her teammates.


    It seemed she hadn''t realized her mistakes at all.


    Lady Bellini was also uncertain whether Lia was telling the truth, her face filled with worry as she said, "Think carefully, does Linda''s departure really have nothing to do with you?"


    "No!" Lia responded immediately.


    Seeing her daughter''s neck flush red with urgency, Lady Bellini shook her head internally, convinced there must be a connection.


    "It really wasn''t my fault."


    Lia started counting on her fingers, listing grievances:


    "After the fifth level, Linda took more than half a month each time to strategize, always off battling Monster Grandma in the wild, never participating in team building,


    either staying in his bedroom or going to the library, other adventure teamsughed, calling Snow Goose''s healer a reclusive fool!


    Such a person, he was too embarrassing for me!"


    The simtion training before strategizing was exhausting, and hismands needed to be followed within half a second, making him seem like the leader!


    His attitude also turned poor; he''d snap back whenever criticized, only responding with hesitant nods, what kind of team member does that?"


    The more Lia spoke, the more frustrated she became, she clenched her hands together, fiddling with her nails and mumbling to herself, "He wasn''t like this before..."


    Lady Bellini sighed.


    It seemed her daughter just didn''t understand.


    Was it possible that what Linda did was all for the team?


    Whether it was strategizing or training, it was all to help the team advance to higher levels.


    Lia was the leader of Snow Goose Adventure Team; no matter what Linda did, she was the one who benefited the most.


    It was because Linda did so well,


    that Lady Bellini felt confident giving him the Slime gel sleeve, trusting Linda to be highly beneficial to her daughter!


    "Think about it, was what Linda did really for the team?"


    Lia opened her mouth to retort, but Lady Bellini gently tapped her on the head, "Listen to Mom first."


    "...Oh."


    "Mom is asking you, when you say Linda stays in the bedroom and library and doesn''te out, isn''t it to help the team better strategize the next level? Your father''s Crimson Adventure Group also takes a long time to create their strategies, right?"


    "Crimson Adventure Group has reached the 19th level; of course, their strategy creation takes a long time! And Snow Goose only just reached the 8th level a few days ago!"


    Lia assertively said, "It''s just Linda beingzy; with his previous pace, he could have created the strategy much faster!"


    A vein throbbed on Lady Bellini''s forehead, even her good nature was tested to the point ofughter by Lia.


    From the letters Lia sent back, it was known that Snow Goose Adventure Team''s strategies for the first eight levels were wless.


    She shared this with the leader of Crimson Adventure Group, her husband known as ''Bloody Baron''.