Chapter 30: The Shackles of the Gods

Night duty began at 10 p.m., and Neo and the defense officer were on shift for the pre-dawn hours.
The sky remained overcast, with a persistent light rain that never ceased, reducing visibility to just about 20 meters—even Neo could see little further. About an arrow’s length ahead of the vehicle, there were two piles of bonfires, made from the oily wood of the umbrella tree; the rain failed to extinguish them.
Neo glanced at the six guards behind the vehicle’s wall—each strong and robust, clad in full medium-leather armor, covered in raincoats coated with glue-like material, and armed with magic-powered firearms. Although gunpowder firearms had become quite widespread and percussion rifles had already been invented, magic-powered firearms were still the most widely accepted, thanks to their greater power and the ability to function in any weather conditions. In damp, overcast weather like this, gunpowder firearms would be affected, while magic firearms faced almost no issues.
Compared to the Frayians’ willingness to embrace innovation, the Ods appeared more rigid and conservative. Firearms in Od were akin to court swords—more for decoration than practical use—so ornate short firearms were popular, while long firearms were rare. Rather than such lightweight weapons, Od’s soldiers relied more on bows and crossbows. They believed that all tools were external aids; true strength lay in the human being itself. The less reliance on external aids, the better.
The Frayians dismissed this Odi theory with scorn: humans’ strength lay in their ability to use tools. Their people could learn to operate firearms in three days, while the Ods might never develop steel-like bodies resistant to explosions. The difference was obvious.
Of course, in reality, without magic and supernatural powers represented by the gods, Od might already be part of Fray’s territory. Yet Fray still had the weakest military force among the three major factions, especially in terms of high-end combat capabilities—its greatest weakness. Any of the Church’s twelve knight orders could dominate Fray’s battlefields effortlessly. How could cannons compare to magic cannons and magic-guided weapons?
Neo sometimes wondered which approach was superior. After much thought, he broke free from this mindset. He believed there was no hierarchy between the two paths—only differences in level of development. If Fray’s existence was an uncontrolled experiment by Od to ensure its own longevity, then the rise of technology could be seen as humanity’s effort to seek new paths for development.
As Fray’s scientists said: “You rely on rediscovering yesterday’s glory, while we create the glory of tomorrow.”

The magic faction, represented by the Church, is the exploitation party, with little change over thousands of years. Their means of maintaining dominance are by continuously unleashing previously restricted knowledge and powers. In the eyes of many enlightened people, this is nothing but exploiting existing resources. Those resources will eventually run out, because God cannot allow humans to possess strength comparable to His own, and the system represented by the Church is God’s servant. Thus, as humanity’s desire for development and a better quality of life grows, God, the Church, and the system they establish become obstacles—a trend that is becoming increasingly apparent. This is also why the Frey people avoid clinging to the Church’s oppressive structure. They seek freedom and want to transcend.

On the other hand, will God just sit idly by? God’s existence relies on the faith of the people. To preserve this system, aside from more lenient methods such as grace or waging holy wars against outsiders, might God prepare another safety net? Such as demons, an age of darkness, or the end of the world.

If the Frey are a pilot project for humanity to explore the path to freedom, then is it possible that the Church might use demons to eliminate this “tumor,” weakening the economic strength of the other two factions at the same time, thereby causing civilization to regress and further solidifying God’s rule on earth?

It’s a purely speculative theory, albeit one filled with villainy. Yet, Neo believes it could be possible.

“The Church doesn’t even need to deliberately indulge them. With just a few fewer words or actions, it can achieve its goals. Take this Hellish Pentagram Seal—so important, yet it was so easily taken over by demons. As for the three seals in the Frey, Kels, and Shadowlands, fine, but the other two in Od were also easily unlocked, with the news hidden for a long time…” To be honest, when Neo first heard these stories, he was not only shocked but also skeptical, as they came from a few low-level warriors who had drunk too much and had dubious backgrounds—like drunken talk in a bar, where half of what they say might be believable at best. Only after further conversation did Neo learn that Sosk was related to the slave owner Milia, who had an affair with Morah Storm, the kingdom mage of Asia. These slaves were what Morah wanted.

“To work as farmhands for the archmage—these people are really lucky. It’s said they might even get better treatment and work in better places. I’d want my relatives to give it a try. Too bad Milia is merciless…”

Neo didn’t think like Sosk. Even if the archmage were incompetent, he wouldn’t choose people who had gone through layers of screening just to work as farmhands. Moreover, a level 15 kingdom mage, even without official financial support, certainly wouldn’t lack the means to manage his affairs on his own. With this analysis, the real purpose becomes clearer. People with no money, no connections, no skills, and poor luck—whose disappearance would hardly anyone notice?

Of course, this isn’t the most interesting part. The most interesting thing is that these slaves were sold and even had to help count the money. Neo could tell that despite the hardships, these slaves were holding on tough, and they were all honest and obedient. Clearly, someone had painted a very tempting picture for them. Neo had great confidence in this “picture.” These slaves had suffered for too long; a little sweetness could bring them happiness. A village, some land, or some work—whenever the village needed people, someone would be “lucky” enough to be transferred to a supposedly better place to live and work, probably never to return, just for this lifetime. With such preconceived notions, even if Neo wanted to save these people, it would be seen as having ulterior motives. Besides, what could he offer? A fugitive worse off than outcasts? A life of hunger, darkness, and uncertainty?

“Heroes! Hmph! Saviors! Hehe…” Reality is so complex; the lines between black and white are never clear. Moreover, “white” is just a legally recognized form of “black,” and “black” isn’t always easily distinguishable as such. Anything that exists for a long time has a rigorous set of operational rules. It might not be hard to disrupt it violently, but achieving a peaceful resolution and fulfilling the original intention of rescue is extremely difficult.

Neo stood in the darkness, illuminated by dim light, looking at the unfamiliar faces under the carriage’s canopy. He felt a mix of emotions. Individually, everyone wants equal and fair treatment. But from a broader perspective, it’s clear that some people will always be sacrificed—for interests, even for their lives. That’s why the cruelty of human systems isn’t found in the wild but in the cities. An invisible monster that can swallow anything lurks behind. To reduce the chance of being devoured, one must strive to climb higher. Privileges are the real human rights; without them, there are no human rights at all…

“Bels, you’re really amazing—standing still for two hours straight. Do you act like a stake during hunts too?” The area enclosed by the carriage walls wasn’t large, and the guard on night duty with Neo had walked around several times, only to find Neo standing there like a rock. Finally, he couldn’t help but approach and chat. Talking or doing something was necessary—night duty was too boring, especially in such a cold weather.

Neo turned to look at the guard—a burly man with a face full of scars and a circular beard. But from his eyes, it was clear he was actually only in his early 20s, having just left behind his novice status. “I’m used to it,” Neo replied vaguely before continuing to gaze into the distance. In his hand was a wooden bow strung with a string. Without a pulling force of at least 300 pounds, it couldn’t be fully drawn. With arrows as thick as his fingers, even an ordinary wild boar could be knocked over with a single shot.

Fang Zhan had no interest in talking at all. He raised his eyebrows and started walking around again. His armor was thick, and instead of the clanking sound of plate armor, it made a dull noise of metal rubbing against each other. Fang Zhan enjoyed this sound—it made him feel like an indestructible barrier, filled with calmness and satisfaction.

Compared to Fang Zhan, Nio’s outfit seemed rather thin. The only metal parts on his body might have been the straps, with thick, rough leather pads added to his elbows, knees, and boots. Aside from that, he wore archer’s gloves—unlike gauntlets, these had thicker leather on the inner side of the palms to facilitate drawing the bowstring. Some also wore iron, copper, or stone ring fingers, depending on their bow-holding techniques.

Though dressed in rags, Nio had more confidence than anyone else here. It had been over two months since his fight with the Stone Beast, and he hadn’t engaged in such intense battles since then, yet his training had not slowed down. If the little over month from Sol’s City to the end of their eastward journey was a period of rapid improvement for Nio, then these following two months were a time of consolidation. His level hadn’t risen significantly, but his foundation had been firmly established. Including the talent point calculation system he developed with Nancy—allowing up to 5 talent points per level—Nio had already used them all. With 20 talent points, his combat skills had become significantly more powerful.

For example, he could now use a three-stage charge, a highly advanced technique that was extremely rare even among ordinary warriors. Another example was rapid acceleration during charges, also a rare ability enhanced by talent points. His duel with that weapon-wielding opponent during the day was a demonstration of this ability. Everyone, including Milia, thought Nio had achieved this by leveraging the properties of wind energy. In reality, it was purely a physical skill—a combination of footwork, movement, and coordinated muscle use.

Maximizing the efficiency of the body and integrating certain combat techniques to the fullest extent—this was what warriors’ talent points were for. Nio had strengthened skills like charging, rapid acceleration, and Wind Devouring (also known as Wind Breaking, allowing sword swings without sound). These skills defined him as a warrior and set him apart from ordinary warriors who, after reaching level 5, focused on mastering techniques that utilized elemental energy. Instead, his approach resembled that of fighters above level 15 who tried to return to simplicity and apply energy to every intricate technique. However, Nio’s use of energy was far from comparable to that of masters above level 15. Moreover, after several encounters with barbarians and other races, influenced by them, his combat techniques were evolving from elaborate to simpler.

In the past, as a sword fighter, although battles often involved life-and-death struggles, they were similar to another bare-handed combat sport—wrestling—in that they emphasized spectacle. Simply put, it was necessary to show ordinary people something “magnificent”—something dazzling, spectacular, and full of momentum. But now it’s different. Neo is now very interested in sweeping cuts, direct attacks, and straightforward moves. He believes that timing, movement, tactics, and variations should come from these aspects, not from the moves themselves. Moves should be quick and clear, using the most direct methods to achieve the desired goal. As a result, his attacks have become increasingly powerful—when they’re used, they’re as swift as lightning.

A sharp metallic clang echoed in the silence from afar.

Bang! The bowstring snapped, and Neo immediately shot an arrow. The arrowhead glowed with blue wind energy, greatly enhancing its sharpness. That glow left a straight line of light before vanishing abruptly.

Ahowl… After the agonized scream of some beast, everything fell back into silence.

Holding the bow in his left hand and drawing his battle sword with his right, Neo lightly leaped over the cart wall and stepped outside. With a few more jumps, he disappeared into the dark, drizzly night. Fang Zhan finally arrived at the spot where Neo had stood earlier, frowning as he looked in the direction Neo had gone.

After a while, Neo returned calmly and at a brisk pace.

“What happened?” Fang Zhan asked.

Neo climbed over the cart wall. “Something triggered the trap I set. I shot an arrow at it, but the thing still escaped—faster than I expected.”

Fang Zhan was surprised. “You could see it from a hundred meters away?”

“I heard it.”

“Amazing! Reading the wind to determine direction! With an enemy like you, those monsters are really unlucky.”

Neo ignored the flattery and handed Fang Zhan a handful of mud and snow. “Look at this blood. Maybe it’ll give us some clues.”

Fang Zhan turned his shield to hold the mud and snow, then examined it closely in the light of the fire. It was blue-purple and very sticky. Frowning, he said, “I’ve never heard of any monsters inHilfanis with blood of this color. And why does it smell so bad?”

Fang Zhan was a native ofHilfanis. If he said he’d never heard of such blood, then the creature with it must be some obscure anomaly. And it wasn’t a magical beast. If it had been, the arrow infused with wind energy wouldn’t have had the effect it did—it would have triggered an energy reaction. In the darkness of the night, that glow would have been easily visible.

“Not very smart, but powerful enough. Not a magical beast. Bipedal, medium-sized—what kind of creature is this?” Neo was still confident in the power of his arrow. To survive such an attack and still escape quickly was something even he could hardly do, yet that creature managed it. He chased after it for over 200 meters without success before turning back.

“This night isn’t going to be easy,” Neo said in a low voice.

Fang Zhan finally understood. Disappointed, he said, “You mean that monster will come back?”

“And there might be more than one.”

“No way!” His disappointment grew even deeper.

“If that corrupting force creates an explosive surge of energy that happens to infect certain animals, turning them into ancient demons, they must consume large amounts of blood to replenish their energy.” Fang Zhan thought for a moment—what Neo described was quite possible. According to Soske, this corrupting force was actually a remnant of the dark energies from the age of ancient demons. Some had studied this force, and one of its effects was to awaken the demonic imprints in a being’s life force, turning it evil and causing a perverse regression. “So what should we do?” “It depends on how many monsters arrive.” Fang Zhan mused that if there were few, they could fight; if there were many, they would have to flee. With over a hundred slaves as bait, those monsters likely wouldn’t insist on fighting to the death. Letting out a sigh, Fang Zhan thought, “It’s a bit cruel, but that’s exactly how it is. If there are too many to eliminate, only the strongest can escape!”