Despite his battered body, Fitz donned thick protective gear on his hands and knees. With every three steps he took, he would kneel down, then kowtow to the ground before rising again. After standing, he would take another three steps, only to kneel once more. This repetitive cycle continued throughout his journey.


    Initially, when Fitz started down this road, his body struggled to endure the intense physical strain. He felt utterly exhausted, barely managing to walk three to four kilometers each day—far from the ten kilometers that other devotees typically covered.


    However, as time passed and he increased the distances he traveled, Fitz began to adapt to this new rhythm. Gradually, he progressed from three to four kilometers a day to a more manageable seven or eight kilometers.


    In just over five months, he had covered more than a thousand kilometers.


    At first, Fitz believed he was a true outlier, kneeling three times daily on the road and sleeping under the stars each night. <h3 style="background-color:DodgerBlue">


    Yet, as he continued his journey, he encountered many others who, like him, bowed their heads in prayer and made pilgrimages toward the southwest.


    The key difference was that these individuals were deeply faithful, while Fitz identified as an atheist. While they were motivated by their beliefs, Fitz waspelled to undertake this journey because of Charlie’s orders.


    As he traversed greater distances, however, Fitz found that his mindset began to shift, bing increasingly rxed.


    Throughout this process, he reyed his life of over twenty years in his mind multiple times.


    This reflective journey led Fitz to recognize many of his past mistakes and shorings. Over time, he began to feel a sense of guilt.


    His first wrongdoing stemmed from his arrogance and domineering attitude, relying heavily on his status as the young master of the Banks family without understanding its implications.


    The second mistake was failing to express gratitude after being rescued by Charlie.


    Lastly, he recognized a grave sin: when his grandfather took away his father, and his mother and sister were murdered at his grandfather’s hands, he chose to seek apromise with the very person responsible—this was his third and most significant transgression.


    Despite hisck of religious beliefs, Fitz was surprised to find that the punishment imposed by Charlie, akin to a form of corporal discipline, helped to calm his troubled mind.


    As he found peace within himself, the daily fatigue from his physical exertion ceased to feel torturous.<fn6fe5> Th? link to the orig?n of this information r?sts ?n Find?Novel</fn6fe5>


    He likened his experience to that of someone who had never exercised before but became addicted to fitness through sheer determination. As time went on, he found himself immersed in this routine, unable to pull away. Unless faced with strong winds or heavy rain, hemitted to never stopping.


    Moreover, as he reflected on his past mistakes and sins, the resentment he held towards Charlie began to fade. He started to grasp the purpose behind Charlie’s directive for him to undertake this pilgrimage.


    Previously, he had been blinded by material interests and desires, impacting his rtionships and his sense of humanity. However, through this journey, he found his material cravings diminishing significantly. Luxurious homes, expensive cars, yachts, and private jets lost their allure; now, simply having enough to eat each day felt like a fulfilling life.


    As his material desires waned, his humanity began to resurface. He found himself missing his family and developing empathy for the less fortunate he encountered along the way. When he passed through impoverished areas, he kept them in his thoughts, hoping to help them when he was able in the future.


    Fitz’s mental journey not only allowed him to ovee the physical challenges before him, but it also led to a profound purification and elevation of his spirit.


    As he continued his practice of kneeling three steps at a time, a helicopter whirred overhead, cutting through the sky. It approached quickly,nding softly in front of him.


    Afterpleting another kowtow, Fitz stood up and gazed at the helicopter, puzzled as to why it had interrupted his path.


    Just then, the helicopter’s hatch swung open, and a middle-aged man leapt out, striding toward Fitz. “Master Banks,” he said, “my master requests that you return.”