Chapter 22: Empty Promises and Tangible Benefits

The establishment of the elemental monument is merely an expression of ideology; its essence lies in the body’s ability to sense, accept, and absorb certain elemental energies, to what extent. Mages prefer to use the term “elemental affinity” to describe this, while elemental shamans embody the entire magical system through consciousness. Further refined, the specific manifestations vary from person to person—monuments in Neo’s ideology may not be the same in others’.

The wind element essence contained within the storm crystal is the primary energy that activates Neo’s body cells’ ability to sense, accept, and absorb wind element power. This entire process was carried out with Nancy’s help. Neo’s role was to perceive the characteristics of wind power and follow Nancy’s guidance to steer himself correctly. After all, consciousness is the controller of the body; without its active cooperation, Nancy alone could not achieve such physical transformation. Conversely, without Nancy’s presence, balancing the four elements would remain a dream for Neo. He lacked innate talent for elemental bodies, with his original affinity lying mainly in fire, followed by wind. In other words, on his own, he could at most master the use of these two elemental energies.

Boom! In the world of consciousness, atop the Elemental Summit, the monument of wind element was born amidst a series of thunderbolts. It was a viscous mass resembling jell-O. On this monument were three runes, representing the arts of speed, liberation, and death.

Neo quietly observed the newly formed monument, experiencing the characteristics of this elemental power and waiting for his body to adapt to it. Externally, this was manifested as cyan electrical lights covering Neo’s still body. These lights would persist for a considerable time, causing damage to Neo’s body, but compared to the gains, this damage was insignificant.

It took a full day before Nancy appeared atop the Elemental Summit and told Neo that it was done.

Neo exited the world of consciousness and applied Life Waves and water-based restoration spells to his body, which ached as if pierced by countless needles. He also exerted all his strength to restore his werewolf bloodline, finally healing his injuries after two hours.

With this step completed, nearly half of this three-day intensive training was done. The next step was to raise the power of the other three elements to the same level as wind element.

In fact, in the world of Aemera, no magical profession had ever divided elemental affinity into 20 levels—not because they couldn’t, but due to the lack of a clear standard. Only Nancy could accurately detect every subtle change in Neo’s body and establish such a standard.

According to this standard, levels 1–4 could be raised purely through elemental essence. Neo’s current task was to use this method to elevate his affinity for all four elements to level 4. With Nancy’s help, this process became much simpler, though Neo had to endure some suffering, as refining the body with elemental energy was painful. To achieve perfection, Neo would have to repeat the process in his werewolf form as well.

“Alright, now comes the most important part—let’s get started!” At Nancy’s cue, Neo began following the shamanic training methods to achieve balance among the four elements of energy and to shape his physical energy reservoir. In the world of consciousness, the power of the four elements manifested as beams of light that soared into the sky and spread to every corner of the world. As this energy spread, the world acquired basic energy elements very similar to those in the outside world—only there was no sun, only a moon, making it a yin-dominated world. With the formation of this world, over 30 types of light-averse plants and those that grew in dark areas began to sprout on the land. These were not ordinary plants with thorns; they were seeds of consciousness, formed from Neo’s understanding of these plants. They could be seen as manifestations of relevant knowledge, lacking true growth capabilities. The growth of these plants essentially meant Neo reinforcing his knowledge of them repeatedly. More importantly, Nancy could incorporate the information she had gathered by taking care of these plants, thereby allowing Neo to deepen his understanding of them gradually. The same principle applied to other aspects as well—such as buildings. If Nancy built houses repeatedly in this world, Neo would naturally master architectural knowledge. For now, however, neither Nancy nor Neo possessed the energy for complex computations, so they had to focus on managing the plants first and address other matters later. This was the case in the world of consciousness. In the material world, the balance of the four elements gave rise to an important concept: the element energy reservoir. It was a distinct yet closely interconnected mass of energy that existed within Neo’s brain, surrounding his soul and a soybean-sized crystal. This crystal had been the cause of Neo’s years of headaches but also the key to making him intelligent and capable of casting spells. It was not only closely related to the deaths of Neo’s parents but also represented the current form of the sacred artifact—Nancy’s true form. “The body is a container for energy. The path of a spellcaster you choose—energy tempering—is the most fundamental method of cultivation,” Nancy once told Neo. This concept was truly unique. For ordinary people, the level of magic referred to the purity and quantity of mental focus, while elemental affinity referred to the understanding of elemental energy. Neo’s cultivation involved long-term tempering of elemental energy to enhance his body’s resistance to energy and even to become a competent energy conductor and reservoir. Additionally, ordinary spellcasters did not possess something like an “element energy reservoir” in their bodies, as the human body was not a mage tower. Life engineering was still in its very early stages for intelligent beings in this world. Even though some magical effects were somewhat effective, they were extremely crude. A precise, specialized transformation like Neo’s was one of a kind.

The existence of the elemental energy pool has two major advantages. First, it greatly enhances the efficiency with which sacred artifacts absorb energy. Once the capabilities of the sacred artifacts are fully restored, a hybrid energy pool can be created based on the elemental energy pool, enabling a qualitative leap in the energy production required by the sacred artifacts. This allows for the repair of the multi-functional energy chamber, followed by the proliferation of sacred artifact crystals and the evolution of the intelligent brain.

Second, for Neo, the creation and refinement of the elemental energy pool mean the possibility of instant spellcasting. Of course, this is not something that can be achieved overnight—Neo’s mental focus still needs improvement, his mastery of spells requires more practice, and his physical conditioning is also essential. A competent energy conductor is of great significance both for Neo himself and for the sacred artifacts.

It is no exaggeration to say that these three days of training have led to a qualitative leap in Neo’s spellcraft. He has not only acquired more elemental spells and laid the foundation for a unique path of spell training but also gained the ability to use 12 runes representing elemental forces.

These runes are part of the rune literature, and spells are created based on the characteristics represented by these runes—a characteristic of the shaman profession. Shamans’ spells are naturally created, hence few but refined. Warlocks are semi-natural and semi-artificial, thus requiring strong bloodlines and charisma. Mages, on the other hand, create spells artificially, making them the most precise and rigorous.

The origin of runes lies in the interpretation of the characteristics of various forces and energies. For example, the rune El embedded in Neo’s wrist represents force and also falls under rune literature, classified as an attribute rune. Strength, agility, endurance, and wisdom are all attribute runes. Beyond these, there are other types of runes, as well as single runes and mixed runes, each with its own variations and distinctions. In fact, all of them can correspond to specific energies—such as the “force” transmitted by Neo to Barret and to Bels, both of which can give rise to runes.

Runes are an auxiliary skill that Neo must master. Another is potion-making. For now, Neo is focusing on mastering plant-based cultivation, and potion-making is very beneficial to him. As for smelting and forging, which he already knows, Neo does not plan to invest much more time and effort in them.

This training has taken a heavy toll on Neo. He has lost a significant amount of weight, and the scabs on his wounds peel off layer by layer, like a python shedding its skin. After taking a comfortable hot bath in a wooden tub, eating something, spending three hours meditating to restore his mental energy, and then sleeping for four hours, he finally managed to recover to about 70-80% of his original state. Neo knew it was time to deal with government affairs.

First, it was the Windy Team. Some were disheartened, some planned to seek other opportunities, some were concerned about their families and wanted to stay and continue following Neo. Only nine people remained: Vitz, Barret, Mah, Boglem, Bichir, Chebman, Hagen, Van Rending, and Ban.

“Tony, are you leaving?”

“My family was chosen by the Church. I want to go find them.”

“Arno, what about you?”

“I’ll go find my mother as soon as I’m with Tony.”

“Dick.”

“I want to go find David, Gail, and the others.”

“Taylor.”

“Steve and I want to check out the refugee camps. Maybe we can find our families there.”……

Everyone has their own reasons, but ultimately it boils down to one thing: they are not optimistic about Neo and the Wind Team’s future. Neo had previously thought that such a major upheaval might cause some members to leave, but he didn’t expect it to be this many. Out of 25 people in the Wind Team, 75% intended to leave. It could be said that this was another harsh blow after Xavier tried to kill him once again. Although this situation couldn’t be described as complete abandonment, it forced Neo to seriously reconsider the series of major decisions he had made recently. He had to admit that he had underestimated the ruthlessness of those in power, which led to these painful consequences. Additionally, he had overestimated the importance of “conscience” and his own charisma. Not many people would follow a leader who has run out of options, and men can also play the “good guy” card.

“Although we’ve only spent short time together, we’re still brothers. I hope each of you can live happily and healthily. Barret, Chebman, gather all the gold coins we have and distribute them among those who are leaving, based on their individual contributions.”

“Sure, boss.” Barret had some reservations about Neo’s decision, but he trusted Neo’s abilities, so after a brief hesitation, he agreed to carry out the order firmly.

“Boss, we…” The money-obsessed Chebman was less magnanimous and lacked depth in his thinking. He felt there was no need to be so generous to those leaving. After all, Neo had amassed a great deal of wealth by eliminating bandits in the dungeon. Just in cash, each person could get at least 300 gold coins. With that amount, as long as they didn’t lose, they could live comfortably for decades. If they could also do some business, it would last a lifetime.

“Do as I say. I have my own ways to solve our difficulties. We can’t afford to lose our brothers.”

“Sigh, okay.” Chebman was still reluctant, but since Neo had said so, he didn’t insist any further.

In fact, Neo appreciated Chebman’s stinginess. With anyone else, there would be no need to act selfishly in front of so many people—just give it away since it’s not mine anyway. It was precisely because of Chebman’s frugality that Neo trusted him completely with financial matters. After this incident, Neo’s trust in Chebman grew even more.

Most of those who chose to leave looked ashamed, while some, filled with anger, declared they wanted to stay. But Neo said, “No matter where you are, I still consider you my brothers. You’re all great people who can make a name for themselves. Who knows, maybe one day when I’m in trouble, I’ll have to turn to you…”

Many of the departing members patted their chests and said similar passionate words. Boglem and Mah, standing aside, both smirked. Boglem thought, “Even among brothers, there are degrees of closeness…” Mah thought, “Even if Neo is in trouble one day, he probably won’t ask for help from you…”

After that incident, those who left the Gale Team packed up their belongings and, under Duo Mian’s leadership, left overnight along the same route they had come from Nio. Nio’s final advice to them was to head onto the continental roads and rejoin as refugees, to endure temporary hardships without wasting their money.

The remaining 9 people, along with Frank, were gathered by Nio for a meeting. He comforted and encouraged them, set some short-term goals for training, and assigned tasks. Although the core members of the Gale Team had decreased, the team had expanded—30 people who had escaped from slavery were given the rank of private under the alliance’s military hierarchy. They were divided into three squads, with the squad leaders chosen from the core members. Strict training and intensive ideological education were implemented, with an emphasis on steady progress rather than quick results.

Nio knew that a single meeting couldn’t solve all problems. Privately, he talked to each core member, offering different promises. For example, he told Chebman that he still had some treasures hidden, which could be retrieved once the situation calmed down, so there was no need to worry too much about finances. To Boglem, he said that for long-term development, the Gale Team planned to spend heavily to send promising members to formal military academies, and he was one of them. As for Hagen, Nio promised that if conditions allowed, someone would be sent to find out about Hagen’s family. If they were still alive, even if under surveillance, ways would be found to help them get through tough times and rebuild their homes…

Beyond these promises, there were tangible benefits. Using Nancy’s scanning abilities, Nio determined each core member’s strength attributes and tailored training accordingly. The collected energy was used to strengthen their bodies, and techniques like the Life Wave were employed to unlock their potential. As a result, in just a few days, the core members’ strength improved dramatically. Even non-combatants like Chebman and Hagen, measured by data, now had the level of a Level 3 warrior. Barret and Mah even broke through to Level 5. Although Boglem, Bichir, and Witz were all at Level 4, they had already begun to sense the existence of combat energy, with further breakthroughs just around the corner.

Nio also treated the newly joined privates well. He gathered the most common types of energy, which were abundant in supply. Although these energies couldn’t cultivate unique combat attributes, they were effective in improving overall competence. Combined with the Life Pearl, Nio used this energy as rewards for training outstanding members. In the future, these people would serve as the equivalent of non-commissioned officers in the army, forming an important backbone force.

After some time of recovery, the health of the more than 300 slaves improved significantly, and they also adapted to the rules set by their new lord, Nio. However, their direct supervisor wasn’t Nio but Marian. Under Marian were over 10 officers, who functioned like clerks in the migration group. Since there wasn’t much work to do at the moment, their main task each day was to organize the people, hold ideological lectures about where food and drink came from and what a bright future lay ahead. The content was simple but crucial.

The officers, just like the core members of the Gale Force, had classes every day, taught by Neo. The former had to learn how to carry out ideological education work, while the latter had to improve their professional skills, that is, their combat abilities. With Nancy as the excellent deputy, Neo could barely manage to teach these two important subjects well.

In the blink of an eye, 15 days had passed since Neo returned to the Gale Force. That day, Neo was using a cultivation method to grow plants when he returned, bringing back letters from Dick and the others. “Everything is fine” — those four short words completely reassured Neo. The news soon reached the Barretts as well. While silently praying for those who had left, everyone grew even more respectful of Neo’s character. In critical moments, he was truly loyal to his comrades. By showing kindness to those who chose to stay, he ensured they wouldn’t suffer, and he would never treat those who followed him poorly in the future.

Despite witnessing people’s fickleness, Neo remained steadfast. He believed that his kindness would eventually be rewarded. However, what happened to Xavier’s family made him realize the cost of loving someone too much. At the same time, this major incident also cooled down Neo’s “love fever” a bit. He began to view things rationally. To secure a good future for Dave, he sacrificed the lives of over a thousand people from the Migration Fleet and created a powerful enemy. From a personal perspective, he might laugh it off as “going crazy out of love,” but from the perspective of the victims, he bore great responsibility. Even if he killed everyone involved in the massacre that night and ruined Vicomte’s reputation forever, could that compare to the people living safely and rebuilding their homes?

A sense of guilt became a deep imprint on Neo’s soul. Though he never mentioned it, he knew that whenever he made major decisions in the future, he would likely compare them to this incident: What would be the gain? What would be the cost? Could he afford it?

To this day, Neo had never doubted his relationship with Milien. He believed their love was sincere and had withstood all trials. Although rumors were everywhere now, he trusted that Milien could get through this difficult time, and that the day they would meet again would come soon — a day worth looking forward to.

Milien indeed knew Neo wasn’t dead, because she wore the soul ring he had given her. It was made from the core wood of an alien thorn, dark green in color, simple in design, glowing like a gem, with runes engraved on its inner ring. As long as the ring remained, it meant Neo was still alive. Yet, Milien had been crying almost every day these past days. She didn’t believe the rumors circulating in the streets, nor did she believe there were many Dark Cultists hidden among the Migration Fleet, or that Neo was her father’s murderer. But she believed her father was truly dead, with no remains left. Milien had also heard about the destruction of the Hurricane. She felt it was Neo’s doing. Although it seemed impossible to carry out such an act, she had this intuition because she knew the man she loved deeply was capable of creating miracles.

But the bounty notices plastered everywhere in the streets and alleys made Melian feel as if she were in an ice cellar. She thought Nio might be able to escape, but he would never be able to keep one of his promises: to marry her openly and live a prosperous and peaceful life in a place she loved. To live as an outsider in the wilderness caves? Far from civilization? Far from home? To be honest, she didn’t want to lead such a primitive life. She could endure hardship, but that didn’t mean she enjoyed it; probably no one in this world did.

Once, Melian thought that as long as she was with Nio, even living in a wooden cabin in the mountains would be full of joy, and even eating grilled fish and sweet potatoes would taste delicious. With Nio by her side, the whole world seemed a bit better. But now, recalling those happy times, Melian realized she needed to add a prefix: peace of mind.

A carefree life brings peace of mind; safety brings peace of mind; status brings peace of mind; family brings peace of mind. Only with peace of mind can one enjoy oneself fully. Without it, how could one have the mood to play, to admire flowers and the moon, or to compose poems and sing? But peace of mind—Nio couldn’t give her that. Before, it was because the world wouldn’t tolerate him; now, it’s because certain people won’t tolerate him. And Melian knew Nio’s character well—give him a bit of kindness, and he’d return tenfold; give him a bit of harm, and he’d return tenfold as well. With such a temperament, he would surely fight to the end against Victor, but the enemy he challenged was truly too powerful…

“Melian, I heard from Lina that you didn’t eat lunch again,” Aurora, who was walking over in full military gear, interrupted Melian’s thoughts.

“I’m not hungry…” Melian said pitifully.

“Acting like this will only worry your loved ones and amuse your enemies. Can you cheer up a little?”

Tears streamed down Melian’s face.

“…” Aurora really lost patience with her friend. “I have bad news for you. The truth about the Dark Forces’ sudden attack on the Erdrit territory has come to light. It wasn’t just Frey who was affected—Kails and Ode also suffered similar disasters. Ode had two affected areas, both near its borders, but the losses weren’t severe. For some time, both countries kept it under wraps until reports came from the Titan Capital that the seal on the Demon Gate in the most dangerous Shadow Region of the Aemera Continent had been broken. The demons destroyed the sacred seals of the Ancient Hell Pentagram. Erdrit territory is one of those sealed areas. But maybe this is good news for you—now that this happened, no one is paying attention to whether the refugees from the migration groups are Dark Cultists, because a magical disaster ten thousand times worse than the Dark Invasion is about to begin.”

Melian’s face turned pale, and she said tremblingly, “So, is the legendary end of the world here? Will the ruler of hell lead the demons out through the Dark Gate to destroy the entire world?”

Aurora frowned. “That’s not likely. With the three major factions, plus the Holy Church and the fallen angels of Titan’s Capital, they should be able to defend even a single gate. The Lord of Hell wouldn’t need to fight over such a small area. The Gate of Demons isn’t the Gate of Darkness, nor the Gate of Hell. The Sacred Seal of the Five Pentagrams used to suppress it was actually called the Seal of Feng Shui and Qi Number in ancient times. I don’t really understand what Feng Shui or Qi Number are; I guess I’d have to go to the Holy Church to find answers. As for its functions, I’ve heard of them.”

Aurora explained, “It is said that our world was once completely corrupted by ancient demons, even the Heart of the Earth wasn’t spared. Although the gods eventually used their supreme powers to restore light to the world and purify the Heart of the Earth, the world is thousands of kilometers thick, so it’s impossible to purify it completely in a short time. So the gods created an underground void shell to assist in purifying the underground world.

Unfortunately, the void shell later became a place of exile for demons, slowing down the purification process. That’s why the Seal of Feng Shui and Qi Number was created. With it in place, dark and evil forces are suppressed underground. Why are the creatures in the deeper dark regions more evil? It’s because they’re contaminated with too much dark and evil energy.

Now that the seal has been broken, dark and evil forces will seep upward. Affected by them, many once beautiful areas will turn into forests of monsters. Magical beasts will go feral or become demonic. Devils can establish dark portals in areas heavily affected by dark forces, giving their minions more energy to wield dark magic. There will be an increase in evil deeds caused by darkness, and armies will have to deploy large forces to protect towns. Open farms will lose all security; at the very least, earth walls will be needed. Spending the night outside will become extremely dangerous, and even during the day, on remote roads, enough armed guards must be hired.

Transport costs will rise, national military spending will increase significantly, along with various construction and weapon manufacturing costs… Price hikes are inevitable, the happiness of the people will decline, and economic development may stagnate or even regress. What’s more worrying is that we don’t have much time to prepare, and whether the people are fully aware of this is the biggest problem!”

By the end, Aurora phrased it somewhat gently. The truth is that the entire Aemera continent will enter an era of war due to the breaking of this seal. Even the most remote areas may suffer from hordes of monsters, magical beasts, and dark forces. Death is inevitable, and there will be many victims. This is where the term ‘magical disaster’ comes from.

If Neo knew that his miraculous power derived from the Tree of Construction was built on the deaths of thousands of lives, he might think it was worth it to sacrifice over a thousand refugees to gain Div’s path of light. But this is an unprovable assumption. Neo is isolated from news, and he has no idea that dark and evil forces are seeping upward, disrupting the peace of the world. His attention is currently focused on Duo.

“What kind of opportunity did this thing get to grow so rapidly just by traveling across the continental roads?” Neo stared at the multifaceted vine, now turned blood-red, unable to figure it out. Last time, he cut a section from the core vine for study, and Nancy’s findings showed that its activity level was already 7 times that of ordinary organisms. She was conducting a series of complex tests, and if they succeeded, Neo would use Nancy’s bioengineering techniques to fuse this vine with the Alien Thorn Vine he primarily used to gain even greater powers. Just as Neo planned to take more vines from Multifaceted for testing, it grew even more. Neo decided to investigate the reason behind its rapid growth, but first, he wanted to establish a base in the Dark Regions.