Chapter 29: Strategy

The continuous rain brought an early dusk. The human trafficking gang had planned to rush from the camp at Moroloro Pass to Dushan Post Valley in one go, but they overestimated the slaves’ endurance and underestimated the impact of the relentless drizzle, forcing them to camp in the wilderness.
“Work! Work! Hurry up! You’ll get food only after finishing the work!” The guards, who also served as overseers, were responsible for setting up tents and constructing barriers with carts—tasks naturally done by the slaves. Unlike the desolate mountains, where camps often needed to be surrounded by carts, here it was sufficient to find a deep valley and block both ends with carts. Few monsters could leap from cliffs dozens or even nearly a hundred meters high, and those that could wouldn’t be stopped by mere cart barriers.
Ability determined status. Someone like Neo, with his abilities, didn’t need to work at all. But he also didn’t want to stand aside arrogantly like the other two combatants above level 5. After greeting the leader, Sosk, Neo went to set traps in the valley outside the temporary camp.
“Rough tactics indeed—digging pits and setting snares. Such crude methods.”
“How else can they expect to earn those 10 gold coins? Surely not by relying on skills that can’t even knock opponents off their feet?”
The two combatants in the group—one at level 6 specializing in weapon combat and the other at level 5 specializing in defense—found it humiliating that a native like Neo could be on par with them. Their conversation was loud, and since they weren’t far away, Neo naturally heard it.
Neo stopped, turned, and grinned at them. “You want to fight?”
The two combatants weren’t expecting Neo to be so bold, daring to challenge them outright. They were momentarily stunned, then grew annoyed. At that moment, Sosk interjected, “What, too much energy? We’re all in the same boat—why make a fuss?”
Neo chuckled. “In our village, we speak openly and settle things clearly. It’s just a little sparring; nothing harmful.”
“Then let’s see this strongman’s skills.” It was the slave owner, who had stayed in a four-wheeled cart throughout the journey and now seemed to want some fresh air.
Neo glanced at her—black leather boots, a light gray woolen dress, a black velvet cloak with trim. She was neatly dressed with attractive curves, but her face was hidden by a veil under a narrow-brimmed hat. The wind elements around her were active, suggesting she was a wind mage.
After nodding at her, Neo stepped onto the open space, took out his knife, and stood quietly.
The weapon specialist challenged him, wielding a long and short sword. Just by watching his sword-drawing motion, Neo knew he wasn’t ambidextrous—his left hand was far less agile than his right. Even his right hand, though skilled, lacked stability.
There was no need for formalities between them, and Neo didn’t care about rules like who should attack first. As soon as the weapon specialist stepped forward, Neo seized an opportunity and rushed at him.

In a weapon fight, it’s clear there’s no need for courtesy when facing an outsider, but I never expected Neo’s attacks to be so pressuring—his strength came from powerful physical movements, much like how a leopard’s pounce feels more intense than a wolf’s. I thought Neo would be straightforward and aggressive, so I prepared to use my secondary sword to block and my main sword to counter. But Neo suddenly twisted his combat knife, drawing a forceful straight line through the air straight at my secondary sword in my left hand. Attacking the weak with the strong, if that strike landed, not only would my blocking be broken, but my defense would also be severely compromised. With no other choice, I had to use my main sword to resist Neo’s attack. Then Neo suddenly twisted his body, changing my position and altering the direction of his combat knife, which now targeted my main sword. It was too late for me to change tactics. Neo, wielding both knives, used his strength to knock my main sword aside, then drove his knife forward, pointing it near my throat. My secondary sword, too short, couldn’t pose a threat to him. I was known for my skill with weapons, but here I was, trapped by a single strike to a vital spot, leaving me frustrated and confused. I used my secondary sword to push back Neo’s knife and my main sword to strike at him with a flurry of blows. But Neo wasn’t distracted by those flashy attacks. Following the motion of my sword, he spun his knife, sweeping at my main sword—again using strength to overcome weakness. With a thunderous strike, he swept aside all my attacks. With a clang, sparks flew as my main sword lost its focus. Neo stepped forward, thrusting his knife, while I tried to block with my secondary sword and dodge at the same time. He twisted his body again, changing the shape of his knife, and forcefully pushed aside my secondary sword, pointing it near my throat once more. This time, my long sword could reach Neo, but it had been knocked aside earlier and hadn’t regained its strength yet—far water couldn’t quench immediate thirst. “Clap, clap, clap!” The slave master applauded, signaling that the fight was over. Fang Zhan and Soske, standing nearby, were also impressed by Neo’s combat skills—fierce, brutal, dominant, yet clever. It all came down to the principle of “using strength to oppress the weak.” My flexible use of two weapons only proved how weak I was, as I was completely overwhelmed and unable to use my skills. I reluctantly withdrew my weapons, while Neo smiled slightly, sheathed his knife, and went to set up his traps. The female slave master watched Neo walk away and turned to the dejected Weapon Fighter, saying, “You lost fairly. This man has fought countless battles. From the start, he accurately identified the weaknesses in your dual weapons. His elemental strength is wind, allowing him to be more agile and quick, but he chose to use two heavy knives…” Most people who shed blood with their knives are “careless.” If they hold grudges after a fight, they’ll either die from anger or be killed by their own allies. After all, no one wants to partner with someone who can’t distinguish between a battlefield and a fight. As night fell, the tough guys from several teams, including Neo, sat together, drinking heavily, eating meat, and chatting and laughing.

Nio and his companions had the best food, eating like female slave owners—large plates filled with meat, vegetables, pasta, cheese, and pudding, a colorful spread that made one’s mouth water. The ordinary guards had a simpler diet: large pieces of roasted meat, vegetable soup, and white bread, with no wine. The worst off were the slaves, who got only vegetable soup, black bread, and a small amount of pickled vegetables. They never had meat on their plates. During long journeys, they received a full breakfast, a smaller lunch, and the least at night.

The food was poor, and the living conditions were worse. The guards lived in tents, with Nio and his group sharing a large tent, while the female slave owners had comfortable, spacious four-wheeled carriages, almost like mobile houses. The slaves made do with two long poles from their carts covered with tarps to shield them from rain—this was their “house.” The horses and beasts of burden were treated similarly, with roofs and partitions, and a few campfires in front to keep out the cold. The only difference was that the animal shelters had no mats of wood, leather, cloth, or grass—because they didn’t need them; they slept standing up.

Nio stepped out of the tent to get some air and take a look around. What he saw were scenes of misery: some people curled up, shivering, while others were too hungry to sleep. Once, he too had been a slave, suffering, enduring hardship, and facing life-threatening situations. He remembered those days clearly and would never forget them. But just because he empathized with these people didn’t mean he would plead for them or lead a rebellion to grant them freedom.

Rebeling against the slave owners wouldn’t bring freedom, as society wouldn’t recognize it. Just like him, no matter how much he did or how proud he was, it paled in comparison to Xavier’s approval or a written document. As long as he wanted to survive in this society, he had to face charges such as being a fugitive, a degenerate, or a traitor. He could only live in the shadows, unable to live openly.

Nio knew his path to freedom was long and difficult. He now had freedom of body but not of name. Only by facing the king and the pope head-on with dignity, and only by gaining widespread recognition, having his identity acknowledged, and being treated properly, could he truly achieve freedom. To do this, what he needed to do might go beyond simply fighting certain people—it required overthrowing an entire system.

Putting himself in others’ shoes, Nio didn’t dare dream of freeing anyone yet. He had evolved from a man filled with resentment to someone who could sense the power of the system, the strength of those who held the “sacred artifacts” of power—people who could doom entire families with a word, reverse truth and falsehood with a statement, and draw countless people to them…

Against such opponents, schemes and tricks wouldn’t win. Killing them would only satisfy personal vendettas and wouldn’t grant him freedom of name. Only by knocking them off their thrones and taking away their “sacred artifacts” could he claim victory. For this, he needed like-minded allies. Thus, Nio saw only two paths ahead for himself.

The first approach is to overthrow the existing regime, which requires an opportunity—namely, when the opponent’s system is riddled with flaws and on the decline. Otherwise, it would be a typical act of conspiracy and reaction that fails to gain the approval and support of most people, instead becoming a stepping stone for the opponent to establish authority and resolve long-standing issues. Another path is to found a new nation, as some countries in Emira’s history were initially colonies of larger powers but eventually achieved independence and grew strong, playing a crucial role in shaping the entire human world and thus gaining recognition. Neo originally intended to take this second path—returning to the Dark Clan, seizing the position of clan leader, and uniting all the werewolf clans into a powerful group like the Kales Vampires—so that no one would dare call him a degenerate or traitor anymore; instead, people would call him a heroic king of werewolves who reunited the scattered werewolves. But over time, Neo realized he had oversimplified things. He overlooked a very important issue: willpower. Would the Dark Clan accept him, a new leader raised in a human kingdom, 20 years after losing their previous leader? What about the other werewolf clans? Since the fall of the evil god Pandor and the collapse of the Rosal Mixed-Race Kingdom, the werewolf race has never had a unified nation again. Unlike the dwarves and elves who fled to avoid conflict, the werewolves no longer have a unified cultural heritage; their civilization has been interrupted, scattered like pearls across Emira’s continents. Some have remained unchanged for thousands of years, adhering to ancient traditions, and are now utterly unprepared to meet the demands of the times, easily defeated by the powerful civilization built by humans. Why do the once-mighty Dark Werewolves struggle to survive in the barren mountains of the northern Holy Ode Kingdom? It’s because of their stagnant civilization—living in a clan-based era, far behind even the post-feudal human era or Frey’s half-step into the capitalist era. Others have blended in with humanity, losing their unique cultural identity—such as the Wild Werewolves and Clawed Werewolves. Even though they are regarded as inferior by humans, they mix together out of necessity, not out of lowliness, as a means of survival. Take the Wild Werewolves, for example—described as the guardians of the Duchy of Sanvest, sounding impressive, but in reality, they rely entirely on human economies. Everything they wear, use, and eat comes from humans. Without humans, even if they tried to go abroad like the dwarves and elves, they wouldn’t be able to survive. In short, each werewolf clan has its own way of life: some refuse to change, some lack the ability to change, and the situation is complex, involving power and interests. Offering an olive branch—would the other side risk the future of their entire clan? That’s pure nonsense. Conquering them one by one—is this unifying a race or destroying it? After all, both humans and vampires are eyeing the werewolf race, trying to dismantle it completely. And after all these years, it’s become increasingly clear that if he tries such a thing again, the werewolf race’s extinction will accelerate even further.

“It won’t work. Just like these slaves—how many of them would willingly take the huge risk of being cut off from human society and hunted down to gain that so-called freedom? It’s not about becoming officials or enjoying comforts; instead, they have to endure hardship, sometimes even in worse conditions. Who would do that?” Thinking of this, Neo glanced again at the slaves suffering through the cold nights under the shabby tents. Human society was already in a hopeless state. Places like Ord and Kales, though glorious, prosperous, with a long history, strong economies, and formidable militaries, were on the decline—simply because the lower classes had no way out.

Yet humanity had its sages and great minds, who created a system of colonization to provide a breakthrough for the escalating conflicts. “Want a better life? Want to become nobles? Want vast lands? Go colonize them. If you can take them and hold them, they’ll be yours!”

Thus came Frey, this oddity, a testing ground. Now, although this testing ground seemed to follow Ord’s old path, new paths were actually emerging—the reform path of the revolutionaries. This path still seemed extreme and naive, requiring time to evolve.

Under the dual pressure of the Revolutionary Party and the desperate people, the rulers holding power in the alliance finally took decisive action. They opened a crucial channel: the possibility of advancement.

Slaves could become ordinary people through hard work, commoners could become citizens through contributions, citizens could be upgraded to free people, and even free people had the chance to recruit others, expand their territories, and become nobles. It was said that if one was truly outstanding, they could even establish a principality—something the alliance recognized. Though this approach was borrowed from Ord, it was implemented more thoroughly, forming a complete system of advancement.

“Don’t complain about your low birth or lack of ability. As long as you have skills, even a slave can become a king!”

The people saw hope. They accepted and endured exploitation. Society stabilized again, and the system regained its vitality.

Originally, if things continued along this path, Neo would have nothing more to do. By the time the people realized that the so-called path to advancement was nothing but a narrow bridge of luxury for most, technology would have become widespread, and the age of capital would have become the norm. Having missed those times and lacking any attractive new system, it would be better for Neo to go to Kales, where iron-fisted rule prevailed, to see if he could find a chance.

Who knew the demons wouldn’t stay idle? They came prepared, in large numbers, and succeeded repeatedly. As the mortal enemies of all life, the demons had no intention of compromising with any race or nation. It was said that this was entirely because the Supreme Dark Lord stubbornly believed that all life was a mistake that slipped through the cracks of the gods’ fingers. They should have been purified along with this filthy planet when the ancient demons were destroyed—completely and utterly erased.

Since compromise is not an option, there is only resistance to the end. Whenever a major war breaks out, societal conflicts find new outlets for diversion. Yet this way of diverting conflicts is also dangerous, as it can easily go too far, leading to a regression of civilization, the collapse of systems, and the destruction of nations. Even if things don’t turn out that badly, it will surely overwhelm those in power. Thus, an opportunity arises!
Some say that one person’s success comes at the cost of countless others’ suffering; others claim that one person’s happiness is built on the misfortune of many. Neo finds such views extreme. The world is interdependent—without fierce winds, there can be no towering waves. In this great era, even those who wish to remain passive are doomed to fail; one must strive upward to realize one’s ambitions.
Since the time is not yet ripe, Neo has decided to take advantage of this turbulent period to gather followers and gain experience through legitimate means, while staying at the forefront of the times to monitor developments. When the opportunity comes, whether to play the role of a savior or a plunderer is as natural as fish swimming in water or birds flying in the sky.
With the overall direction and strategic goals set, it now depends on the details. With this mission to explore the world, he wants to understand to what extent corruption has taken hold in Sylphanis.