Chapter Thirteen: Driven by Interest

Neo was locked in an earthen cell, lying on the ground like a pile of mud, with his left arm pressed under his body.
As Victor had said, understanding led to concern. Victor didn’t treat Neo as an ordinary prisoner. Even after administering drugs, he assigned a Werewolf officer to sit on a chair, staring intently at Neo to prevent him from playing tricks.
“Ugh!” Neo burped, then closed his eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep.
“Damn, this guy must be a pigman!” muttered the Werewolf officer tasked with watching Neo. No Werewolf would enjoy such a task, let alone an active one like him.
Neo wasn’t pretending. He had never before enjoyed the protection of an eighth-level fighter, so he slept soundly. As for the drugs in his body, Neo’s body, modified by Nancy, was already very different from ordinary humans in many ways. Nancy could handle neural and muscular damages, including injuries, but it depended on whether he was willing to pay the price (consuming a percentage of the sacred artifact’s recovery power).
He slept until late at night. During that time, Victor came by once to check on him. With his abilities, he could easily tell whether Neo was truly asleep or pretending. Seeing drool flowing from Neo’s mouth, he shook his head. “This guy probably hasn’t slept this peacefully since he arrived in Solis City. But this will be the last time.”
When Neo opened his eyes, he saw the Werewolf officer’s eyes, filled with frustration. Neo smiled. “Help me sit up. Let’s talk for a bit.”
“If you’ve got something to say, just say it.”
“Fine. Then keep watching. Wait for me to fart.” With that, he closed his eyes, seemingly ready to sleep again.
The Werewolf officer gave in and went to help Neo sit up. Still cautious, he carefully grasped Neo’s arms. But when his hands touched Neo’s left arm, he was shocked. “No good!” That was the officer’s last thought. Neo’s left hand had already reached his forehead. Neo’s most powerful skill was still “Life Siphon,” especially when targeting the head—soul extraction, a one-hit kill.
“Tsk tsk, really impressive. An eighth-level fighter dies like this.” From the shadows of the earthen cell, Gladiath stepped forward.
“It won’t be that fast. He’ll live a while longer.” Neo glanced at the Werewolf officer still convulsing on the ground, then handed over the task of Life Siphon to Nancy. Nancy’s precise control over energy far surpassed his. This time, Neo needed the Werewolf officer’s entire skin.
“I think, compared to Victor, you’re a different kind of devil.” Watching the Werewolf officer’s body deflate like a deflated balloon, Gladiath understood Neo’s plans all too well.
Neo snorted disdainfully. “Killing is a filthy job. What’s the difference if there’s no torture involved? Is letting someone rot in a coffin considered merciful?”

Gladith sat in the chair previously occupied by the werewolf officer, crossed her legs, and said leisurely, “Oh, I always forget some customs. According to our werewolf ancestors, enemies can be eaten, right?”
“Mm, that tradition is worth keeping. Generally, enemies killed in battle are more nutritious for those filthy things.” Neo had almost finished his work. Ever since learning about disguise and skin masks from the Wind Team’s inventions, he had come up with new ideas for disguise. He started cutting the skin from both armpits into front and back sections, then removed his ‘left arm’ and threw it into the skin. This ‘left arm’ was made up of clusters of heather larvae, most of which were created during the efforts to control the dungeon. Back then, they were bred at great expense just to better understand and control the dungeon, but now they clearly had more uses.
Neo quickly stripped himself naked and began to ‘put on the skin’. The dead werewolf officer was stronger than Neo, which meant Neo wouldn’t have trouble fitting into the skin—he just needed to fill in the gaps, using heather larvae as filler. These larvae resembled clumps of roots or fine fibers, making them perfect for filling. Of course, the most important thing was Nancy’s help in regulating everything to ensure speed, precision, and suitability.
Gladith, who had been teasing Neo about his ‘good assets’, was stunned speechless when she saw the werewolf skin ripple and tremble on Neo’s body before sticking tightly to it as if ironed.
Neo raised his index finger, with a green flame flickering at its tip. It moved slowly along the cut lines of the skin, and those lines disappeared completely. Then came the voice—Neo kept speaking, his voice constantly changing, until it finally resembled that of the dead werewolf officer, even the color of his pupils slowly changing.
Gladith’s mouth hung open in astonishment as she stared at Neo as if he were a monster. There were indeed imitation spells in this world, but those were still spells with traceable patterns. Neo’s method was different; no magical detection device could tell whether it was real or not.
In fact, this was all thanks to the benefits brought about by the sacred artifact’s restoration value exceeding 50%. Nancy’s origin was a cutting-edge medical energy chamber, equipped with advanced biotechnology. If it hadn’t been for the incomplete restoration, Neo wouldn’t have had to go through such trouble putting on the skin. As for minor changes like altered vocal cords and iris pigments, Nancy could still handle them.
“It’s amazing! Perfect! You should choose the assassin path.”
“No, it’s not perfect yet. There’s still something missing.” Neo said, pointing at his head.
“If that’s the case, I’ve also noticed one thing,” Gladith said, pointing at Neo’s lower body. “Here, you’re using the real thing.”
As Neo put on his clothes and armor, he said, “It seems you’re quite interested in it.”

“Of course, if we can maintain a relationship that’s different from an ordinary one, I’ll feel more at ease. Besides, it’s a very pleasant sport, and mine is quite good—my skills are impeccable.” Words that would be hard for an ordinary girl to utter, Gladys could say confidently, showing a straightforwardness akin to that of a werewolf at times.

“This kind of bribery means nothing to me. What matters is using your abilities,” said Neo as he fastened the last leather buckle, performed a few movements without any discomfort, nodded in satisfaction, then stretched his hand toward Gladys. “Where’s what I want?”

Gladys took out a shiny bead from the leather pouch on her belt and handed it to Neo. It was the Eye of Magic, a common magical item that could record the scenes it saw. Its price varied depending on factors such as duration and whether it could be reused.

Neo examined the information captured by Gladys, while she rested one arm on her leg and gazed at him. Even after his appearance changed, this man still exuded a special aura that was highly attractive.

Gladys was quite satisfied with this new partner. For a long time, she had been searching for the reason behind Liz’s rapid growth. She knew everything about Liz’s routine and activities. She believed Liz’s object of soul transference was among the migration group. She never imagined that it would be Neo, a mere Level 4 warrior, who would make Liz stronger. It wasn’t until Neo demonstrated his formidable combat skills in fighting the Pebble Beast Doge that Gladys realized he was a dual-class fighter with hidden, unknown powers. This realization was the main reason she warned him. She hoped to improve her relationship with him through goodwill, ultimately to seize this “easy prey.”

In the afternoon, as the priests were about to leave, determined Gladys approached Neo again, urging him to flee. But this time, she was persuaded by Neo. Only strength could move someone like Gladys. Once Nancy’s recovery level exceeded 50%, the matter of Liz’s soul transference was no longer a secret. As a master of healing magic, Nancy possessed extensive knowledge about souls and bodies, and she quickly figured out the principles behind soul transference. Thus, Neo gained the leverage to cooperate with Gladys.

Gladys didn’t receive the same treatment as Liz. With Nancy’s support, Neo offered her “limited assistance” and told her she could be even stronger. Gladys didn’t know what method Neo used to control the effects of soul transference, nor did she realize it likely meant he had a way to control her soul. Yet, the temptation of power outweighed everything. She joined the Organized Sensitives precisely to gain power, and the sooner soul transference was carried out, the better. If Neo continued to grow and reached Level 10, the soul transference process would change, providing her with an extra layer of protection. Having found such a promising candidate, Gladys wasn’t going to let it slip away.

Nio was quite satisfied with the information provided by Gladith. After reading it, he tossed the Eye of Magic to her and headed straight for the deepest part of the earth kiln. Thorn and Prick, riding on Falcon Heather and Death Vines, had been waiting for him there for some time. As Nio’s shamanic level increased, the capabilities of the Death Vines also grew stronger, but what truly amplified their power was the further mutation of the vines.

The root of this mutation lay with Polyhedral, that peculiar plant puppet composed of Venomous Vines, which remained in a state of extreme instability and abnormal activity. Its method of self-strengthening involved feeding on evil, maintaining a fervent and twisted mindset, and then using this extremely distorted spirit to control the Venomous Vines, devouring everything without regard for consequences in order to grow stronger. Such enhancement often came at the cost of collapse, so another side of Polyhedral’s non-combat nature was the constant breakdown and regeneration of its Venomous Vines, like that of a self-abusing pervert. It was this madness that caused the Venomous Thorns constituting Polyhedral’s body to change from time to time. These changes, after being sampled and cultivated, became materials for enhancement. Thus, although Thorn and Prick’s origins remained unchanged, the vines used by Nio were already different from the original Thorny Vines and Poison Thorns.

For shamans, spirit is an important pillar of magic. Thorn granted Nio the power of Death Vines, while Prick provided him with Heather. Due to the Moon Goddess Well, Heather exhibited greater variability. But once the Moon Goddess Well was analyzed by Nancy, Death Vines also benefited, as they both belonged to the plant category. Today, the Death Vines resembled steel cables as thick as an adult’s upper arm. When Nio slept, the Death Vines toiled tirelessly to loosen the soil. Nio would grasp one end of the vines and use their strength to move through the loosened soil like diving, eventually emerging from some recessed soil wall. Gladith had used the same method to enter the earth kiln earlier.

Nio said to Gladith, who came out afterward, “Keep an eye on Ebert and McKenn.”
Gladith smirked. “That’s easy.” After working with Nio, her spirit manipulation abilities had improved significantly, and she had awakened the ability ‘Advanced Shadow’. In her eyes, McKenn and Ebert were a piece of cake.

After parting ways with Gladith, Nio headed straight for the ladder. The Duchy’s Hurricane was a typical armored ship, equipped with decks, battle platforms, elevators, and so on. But under the current circumstances, the only way to enter its interior was through the ladder.

The ladder seemed unguarded and available at any time, but in reality, it had strict inspection procedures.

Not long after Nio stood on the floating platform, a beam of light enveloped him for a fleeting moment, followed by a magical voice saying, “Fourth-grade sergeant, Gordon, Stone of the Wilds.”
“Hmm, good. Even the name is there.”

The airship section corresponding to the Sky Ladder was a hall over 500 square meters in size. Neo knew there were at least three Howling Wolf Werewolves guarding it, but he wasn’t too worried about being discovered. He remained calm, as the identification devices had never failed before, which made the users rely on them unconsciously. As long as no one reported it, they usually didn’t even bother to take a second look. Moreover, at this time, the vitality of all creatures with regular schedules had declined, and few could still work diligently and meticulously.

Thanks to the information Gladiath had gathered earlier, Neo didn’t have to worry about getting lost even when stepping into the vast airship cabin for the first time. He moved steadily and swiftly toward his destination.

“Gordon!” He encountered several patrol teams along the way, each consisting of five members. One of them recognized the disguise Neo was wearing and greeted him cheerfully.

Neo had nothing in mind but stayed calm, with a serious expression, maintaining his pace. “I have an urgent task for the Prince. We’ll talk later.”

The werewolf’s smile froze as he watched Neo walk away. “When did this guy learn to put on a serious face?”

Airships weren’t particularly rare flying vehicles in this era. All three major factions and various organizations owned them, and even wealthy individuals would have one or two to showcase their wealth. However, a ship like the Hurricane wasn’t something ordinary factions could possess—not because of its size, but because of the technology it contained, especially its core technologies. These technologies fell into two main categories: the power system and the control system. Magical intelligence control and magic-powered furnace propulsion were the world’s top-tier airship core technologies. Yet, the origins of these technologies were in the hands of the Church. Naturally, the Frey Alliance wasn’t willing to be controlled by others, so on the Hurricane, traces of technology could be seen everywhere. Even the ship’s auxiliary propulsion system had been replaced with a complex steam engine system.

Entering the airship, Neo felt as if he had arrived at a large steel factory. What dominated the view were iron frames and tools, while the glow of magic energy was dim here. Coupled with the horseshoe-shaped lamps that couldn’t cast much light, the place exuded a gloomy and solemn atmosphere, along with a cold, murderous vibe—far from the glamorous appearance seen from outside or from the ground. This reminded Neo of old castles, which seemed sturdy and safe, poetic and picturesque, but once inside, they turned out to be damp, dark, and cold—far from as good as imagined.

Against such a backdrop, certain special areas stood out even more, such as the Magic Garden. More accurately, it should be called a magical plant cultivation facility. It was filled with numerous magical materials, rune arrays, and devices. From a distance, Neo could see it and smell the fresh scent of plants and flowers emanating from it.

There was only one entrance to the Magic Garden. Anyone who wanted to enter or exit had to pass through a 20-meter-long steel bridge corridor.

At the end of the corridor, a burly gatekeeper with a stiff expression and cold eyes could be seen from afar. Staring at Neo as he entered, the gatekeeper asked in a deep voice, “What do you want?”

“His Highness the Prince asked me to personally deliver a sample of the mutated plant to Miss Cecilia,” Nio said confidently, chin raised.
“Do you know what time it is?” The gatekeeper stared at Nio, his expression unchanged, though his tone and words were far from friendly. As the guard of the beautiful adjutant, he dared to defy anyone—this right had been granted to him by Victor.
Nio retorted, “I believe His Highness the Prince is well aware of the time as well.”
The gatekeeper silently stared at Nio for a few seconds before saying, “Wait a moment!” Then he went inside to deliver the message.
After a while, the gatekeeper came back, nodded at Nio, stepped aside, and cleared the entrance.
Nio strode in proudly, passing through the brightly lit corridors of the enchanted garden. The door at the end was already half open, and with Nio’s keen eyes, he could even see a graceful figure wearing a pink silk nightgown moving inside. He was certain that before long, she would become a cold corpse.
Meanwhile, on the ground, in the camp of the migrating group where the bonfire ashes lay scattered and all was quiet, Victor’s plans had also begun to take effect.