Chapter 133: Gravely Wounded, Strategizing for the Future
After Kean's ignominious retreat, Jeremy turned his gaze towards the three individuals standing behind him.
At this momt, the expression on Ella's face carried a subtle hint of awkwardness.
As Kean's fiancée, she shared an undiably close relationship with him. With a touch of resignation, she spoke to Jeremy.
"I had no idea this would happ. If I had known, I would have done everything in my power to stop Kean."
Jeremy offered no response to Ella.
He was well aware of the prior discord betwe them. Although he wasn't certain whether Ella had colluded with Kean, exercising caution a her was, in his view, a prudt course of action.
"Jeremy, I don't think you should blame Ella. She truly did her best. Both Bjamin and I can vouch that she made considerable efforts to prevt Kean's actions."
At this juncture, Howard decided to break the silce and speak up.
Howard, although not intimately acquainted with Ella, had a good rapport with her elders. He felt compelled to step in and defuse the tsion on her behalf.
After hearing Howard's words, Jeremy nodded in acknowledgmt.
Although Howard had not provided much assistance to Jeremy in the past, he had always held Jeremy in high regard.
Jeremy believed that Howard was unlikely to become his adversary.
"Since Kean has departed and you have returned from the instance, there is no need for us to linger here any longer. Let us all return to our respective residces."
As the mayor of Moonlight City, Bjamin ultimately stepped forward to deliver a poignant and decisive speech.
"If you require any assistance, I will certainly do everything within my power to help you. However, from my perspective, you seem to be in excellt condition."
Bjamin remarked, casting a discerning eye over Jeremy. Giv that Jeremy had managed to defeat Kean, Bjamin inferred that he hadn't countered any significant trouble.
Jeremy nodded in response to Bjamin's words.
"Indeed, I hav't faced any major issues, but my three frids are in dire need of substantial resources to heal their injuries. You should provide them with some supplies, shouldn't you?"
Bjamin nodded affirmatively. "Of course! I will immediately arrange for ample supplies to be delivered. Additionally, I am well aware of the situation Ritchie faced, so I will sure he receives some extra compsation."
With Bjamin agreeing to Jeremy's request, there was no need for further discussion. Jeremy saw no point in wasting more time.
"In that case, I extd my sincere thanks to Mayor Bjamin!" Jeremy expressed his gratitude.
After finalizing all matters, everyone wt their separate ways.
Ella, Bjamin, and Howard each returned to their respective duties. They had numerous issues to address, and Kean's unexpected appearance had disrupted their original work schedules.
Jeremy and his three companions naturally decided to head to Claire's home.
After all, Claire's residce was the closest, and it also happed to be the most spacious of all their living quarters.
Upon arriving at Claire's home, Jeremy first took care of arranging Ritchie's accommodations. "Alright, stop whining! Your injuries ar't as severe as you think. Besides, didn't Bjamin already promise to provide you with extra supplies? Once you recover, you can ev use this opportunity to level up."
Jeremy found himself at a loss for words in response to Ritchie's behavior.
During the intse battle with Kean, Ritchie had remained silt, seemingly worried that any noise might disrupt Jeremy's focus.
However, now that Jeremy had emerged victorious, Ritchie had begun making a fuss.
"Isn't that a bit heartless of you? I got these serious injuries protecting Emma and Claire! Shouldn't you at least say a few couraging words to me?"
Ritchie felt a tinge of dissatisfaction with Jeremy's performance. Nevertheless, his currt remarks were merely couched in the playful banter typical among frids.
Jeremy said helplessly, "How do you want me to courage you? Are you expecting me to say you did a fantastic job and that I should give you a reward?"
"Rewards ar't tirely out of the question! I've rarely received any since I started school!" Ritchie's response left Jeremy ev more speechless.
"Stop messing a with me. You need to rest properly. With your currt injuries, it's going to be tough to recover without some serious rest." Jeremy insisted, his tone turning more serious.
Under Jeremy's urging, Ritchie finally decided to go to bed. Before he did, Jeremy made sure to administer two healing potions to him.
Once he was certain that Ritchie was stable and had no further complications, Jeremy headed to the living room.
At this momt, Emma and Claire were anxiously waiting for Jeremy in the living room.
"How is Ritchie doing? Is he going to be alright?" Emma and Claire hurriedly inquired the momt Jeremy appeared.
"Although his injuries are quite severe, I managed to return in time. Once Bjamin's supplies arrive, Ritchie's wounds will heal rapidly."
Jeremy reassured them, which brought a measure of relief to both Emma and Claire.
They knew full well that Ritchie had gott so severely injured in the process of protecting them. Once reassured, their atttion naturally shifted to Jeremy.
Noticing that he didn't seem to be in as good a condition as they had hoped.
"What exactly happed to you in the instance? Why didn't you use your familiar skills during the fight with Kean?"
Claire, being Jeremy's psychologist, was particularly attuned to his usual fighting style.
She knew that Jeremy oft relied on his skills during battles, but he hadn't used any against Kean.
Jeremy sighed deeply.
"I can no longer use my previously acquired skills for the time being. I may only be able to rely on the new skills I obtained."
Jeremy's words caused Emma and Claire's hearts to tight with concern.
"You must have countered significant trouble in the instance, didn't you? We feel so useless, unable to face Kean on our own. If we could have handled him, you wouldn't have needed to rush back so frantically."
Emma said, her voice tinged with self-reproach.
Emma felt a deep sse of guilt, believing that as Jeremy's teacher, she should have be the one providing him with support. Instead, it had always be Jeremy who helped her.
Ssing Emma's emotional turmoil, Jeremy quickly interjected.
"Actually, this instance trip, despite its troubles, also provided me with some unexpected opportunities. I countered two incredibly powerful allies there.
These allies might provide us with substantial support in our upcoming deavors, so there's no need for you to worry so much."
Realizing the conversation was becoming too heavy, Jeremy decided to steer it in a differt direction. After all, the currt topic was getting a bit too somber.
"I suppose of you have had a meal yet, right? I hav't eat either, and I'm already feeling quite famished. Would you two mind preparing something to eat, or are you thinking of ordering takeout?" Jeremy suggested, his tone light-hearted.
Emma and Claire, naturally, would never let Jeremy resort to ordering takeout. They immediately decided to head to the kitch to prepare a meal.
"You're absolutely right, we're feeling a bit hungry too. Just wait here for a while, and we'll soon bring out some of your favorite dishes." Emma assured, her voice full of warmth.
With Emma and Claire heading off to cook, the smile on Jeremy's face finally faded away.
After leaving the instance, he had plunged straight into the battle with Kean. During the fight, he hadn't had the luxury to assess his own condition.
Thus, he could only meticulously assess his condition after the battle had concluded.
However, the momt he began his examination, he was tak aback by what he discovered.
The problem he faced was not merely the sealing of his previously acquired skills. Due to his repeated use of the Hourglass of Time within the instance, his lifespan had be drastically shorted. Each use of the Hourglass of Time shaved off three months of his life, and the more frequtly he used it, the greater the loss became.
To his utter shock, Jeremy realized he only had three months left to live.
If he couldn't find a way to extd his lifespan within that time frame, he would be dead in three months.
"Time is clearly not on my side." Jeremy thought, a sse of urgcy gripping him. "I must find a way to extd my life as soon as possible. Perhaps Kean knows how, but he would never willingly help me.
Apart from Kean, Bjamin and Howard might have the necessary information. But what pre should I use to approach them? I must keep the fact that my life is nearing its d a secret."
Jeremy hesitated for a momt.
He could indeed seek help from others, but once he revealed that his life was nearing its d, there was no telling what additional thoughts they might have.
This could very likely make Jeremy's situation ev more complicated and worse.
After contemplating for a while, Jeremy decided to rest first. He would think about his next course of action once he was well-rested.