Chapter 36: Even Fishing Must Start from a Young Age

A dark red glow formed a screen resembling semi-solid blood, rising into the sky. It wasn’t a single beam or stream but stretched over 200 meters wide and dozens of kilometers long, reaching from earth to heavens.

Faced with such a magnificent sight, standing just over 1 kilometer away was no different from watching a volcano erupt from the foot of a mountain. Those actually at the edge of that fissure, in the shadowed area, might not even get such a breathtaking view.

Angus, Laka, andNeo stepped out of the tent and saw this anomaly on the other side of the fissure. Like most people, they were stunned speechless.

“Damn! Why so many problems?” Despite being somewhat prepared,Neo still couldn’t help groaning inwardly. He wasn’t afraid of challenges, but being a so-called “black mine owner” was merely a temporary cover. He had only wanted to use this identity to handleBears’ affairs properly. Who would have thought he’d encounter such things? He even felt that the schemes against the black mine owner Gusby these days were downright malicious. “If I had just left back then, would I have heard news of Gusby and his men dying violently tonight?”

Now that he had finally succeeded in impersonating him,Neo was reluctant to leave alone. “It might not be safer than sticking together now. It’s best these thuggish slaves don’t die—they’re living proof of my identity and will be useful in the future. Hmph! A killer turned into a guardian—what the hell is this…”

After muttering to himself,Neo gathered his thoughts, said goodbye to Angus and the others, and went back to prepare. The scene before them had far exceeded everyone’s comprehension. Talking more only led to mistakes; it was better to take action.

On the way,Neo encountered Gris, a middle-aged man with average abilities and limited insight, whose face already looked pale. MeetingNeo, he asked timidly, “Mine owner, what should we do?”

Neo rolled his eyes and snorted, “Worrying won’t solve anything! The more panicked you are, the faster you die. Understand?”

“As you command, mine owner!” Gris followed behindNeo. “But what should we do?”

“Gather everyone together. I have something to say.”

“Ah! Okay, okay!” Gris hurried off. A few minutes later, the thugs and slaves, including Number 40, gathered around a campfire. The weak light from the fire made everyone’s faces appear gloomy and fearful.

Standing on a crate,Neo glanced at the people below, pointed at the dark red glow in the east, and shouted, “We’ve run into this situation, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Let’s prepare actively—it’s better than waiting to die. As for waiting for rescue? Who will save us? Give up on that dream now.”

Hearing this, the people’s mood grew even darker. But since there were no old people, women, or children among the slaves, there were no cries or distractions.

Nio continued, “Horses, we have them here. If anyone thinks they can escape and save their lives by traveling at night, step forward now—I’ll give them a chance to leave. Any takers?”
The crowd below exchanged glances, some considering the feasibility of Nio’s plan, others trying to figure out his true intentions. But in the end, no one stepped forward.
Nio chuckled dryly and nodded. “It seems you’re all quite smart. You know that even if you wanted to run now, it’s too late.”
“…” The thugs and slaves were speechless, thinking, “You still try to trick us at a time like this?”
Then Nio went on, “Don’t blame me. I’m afraid of death too; I want to live. That’s why we need to be united and decisive. If anyone is hesitant, they’d better leave now. The situation is uncertain—what if we’re lucky enough to survive?”
Hearing this, people began to think the mine owner might actually have some ideas and strategies. A few thugs and slaves, who understood the urgency, immediately declared their loyalty: “Mine owner, we’re willing to follow you. Whatever you say, we’ll do. No objections,” “We owe you our gratitude, mine owner. We’re willing to follow your orders.”
“Hmm…” With someone giving him an out, Nio knew enough noise had been made. He continued, “Since that’s the case, I’ll lead everyone to fight our way through. There’s no doubt we can’t escape. As for dangers, the main threat is the monsters. You’ve probably heard about them—those damned beasts, with the help of the Dark Cultists, have broken the seals placed on the Aemera continent by the Divine Messengers thousands of years ago. That’s why things have become so abnormal—no safe smoke, no safe light. It’s best to stay away from them. Besides, the monsters in the wild might become even more terrifying and ferocious. They might even come up through these cracks in the ground. But no matter what kind of monster it is, to harm us, it first has to find us. How do they find us? Some say through their eyes. I say nonsense! Monsters with vision as clear as day in the middle of the night are beyond our ability to hide from. If we encounter them, it’s bad luck—we’re doomed. Most monsters rely on scent to find people. Just like bears, which can smell food from dozens of kilometers away. Is that clear enough? Do you know what to do now?”
“Hide our scent?” one thug muttered softly.
“Nonsense! Of course we need to hide our scent! Use your brains and think carefully about how to do it.”
With that, everyone started discussing it. Generally, there were two options: either cover themselves tightly or minimize their scent—whether from food, clothes, or their bodies. With the resources available, the best solution was to use plant ash, applying it to their bodies and mixing it into their clothes to dilute the smell. Then they needed to move as little as possible, avoid sweating, and be careful with their breathing. If that still didn’t keep the monsters away, there was nothing more they could do.
“That’s not enough. We might be scentless, but the horses aren’t. Take all these animals to the main road and drive them away—let them fend for themselves!”

Upon hearing this, people thought, “Yeah, the mine owner had forgotten about this altogether. Compared to life, these burdens really aren’t anything—there’s no need to save him that money. Besides, it’s not very far from Rock Sentinel Valley. If we set out at dawn, we can reach there by noon even on foot.”
“Mine owner, we’ve done our best here, but them…” Gris pointed at the Bod family’s caravan.
Nio snorted. “If there’s chaos on our side, they must have heard it too. Let’s see how they decide. Even if our paths differ, we can still find a way to hide…”
Angus and the others had indeed heard everything and largely agreed with Nio’s analysis. Though it left them with nothing in terms of dignity or face, looking at that towering black-red light screen, even with their skilled guards, no one dared to confront it head-on. Following suit, they also went through some turmoil. Half an hour later, all the horses in the camp were led onto the road and driven away, along with all the strongly scented food. Inside the camp, all open flames were extinguished, and everyone covered themselves in plant ash, turning black, sitting or lying down. As Nio said, “Worrying won’t help. Go to sleep—early to bed, early to rise…”
Inside one of the four-wheeled carriages, a cloth curtain was hung over the small window, blocking all light. Nio, using the light from a crystal lamp inside, began to create runes on the spot.
In a way, creating runes was similar to copying magic scrolls—both used materials as carriers and magic as a constraint to seal and then unleash energy to achieve effects. Unlike magic scrolls, rune artifacts could be reused repeatedly, somewhat resembling magical instruments. At lower levels, rune artifacts might be superior to magic scrolls, but at higher levels, their complex manufacturing processes and restrictions on energy infusion made them less versatile than magic scrolls.
Especially after humans became the rulers of the Aemera continent, their average short lifespan and fast-paced lifestyle made it inevitable to abandon time-consuming and labor-intensive techniques. Humans produced many mages because, although the mage system was rigorous, it had a clear structure. As long as one wasn’t stupid and worked hard, they could progress step by step. Unlike sorcerers or those specializing in rune creation, who at higher levels had to grapple with elusive energy and its deeper meanings, humans found this troublesome—was it due to lower intuition? Would they get stuck forever? Speed, efficiency, a visible future—step by step, clearly defined… This was the underlying theme of the disciplines favored by humans.
Without large groups dedicated to advanced creative research, only minor efforts remained, and the rune system naturally declined. It wasn’t entirely forgotten, but it dropped to a secondary role. Only those stubborn individuals or wealthy organizations seeking completeness would choose it and commit to researching and developing it for life. Those who merely wanted to make a living with it were not considered.

The reason Neo studied runes was mainly because “life absorption” (which was actually energy absorption) gave him innate advantages that ordinary people lacked. Nancy was another significant advantage—her ability to analyze and deduce made her a superb teacher. Even a pig, under Nancy’s meticulous guidance that delved to the core and every detail, could become a smart pig. Moreover, Neo wasn’t stupid at all and was diligent and eager to learn.

This time, using black lamb parchment as a medium and a mixture of oak fruit and pure crystal powder as pigments, he focused his spirit and wrote 11 “dark” runes in one go. Their effect was “to merge into darkness.” Then, by charging them with his own dark energy, each rune parchment emitted a watery glow before disappearing into the runes. The rune paint completely merged with the parchment, and its texture changed significantly due to the energy—feeling cool like metal when held in hand.

“What’s going on? Is there a power leak?”

“The darkness of the Moonlit Forest, along with the growing influence of the World Tree, has caused subtle changes in your dark attributes—they’re no longer pure.”

Nancy’s explanation surprised Neo. “Is that good or bad?”

“It depends on how you view it. If you want to become a representative of darkness, then it’s not good. From the perspective of devils and demons, it’s obviously very bad. But in the natural system, darkness and even death are just part of the cycle…”

“It seems like it’s good,” Neo thought for a moment before adding, “But could this affect the effectiveness of the runes?”

“The impact is inevitable. It’s like all being thieves—some believe in stealing ethically, while others steal everything, even lives. Pure darkness, on the other hand, is solely focused on theft, with everything else being unimportant.”

“In other words, my runes are most effective in places where their effects align best with my power.”

“That’s exactly right. The difference isn’t obvious at lower levels, but it grows significantly at higher levels. Creating your own domain becomes extremely important.”

Neo tapped his lips thoughtfully. To transform or protect the world, it’s best to operate within a system that suits oneself best. No matter what force it is, its ultimate goal is the same: the Church turns its territory into a holy land, Frey turns his kingdom into a world of money, Od is a land of faith, Kales is a place of gloom, devils represent brutal order, and demons represent chaotic death… These are all their own domains. When power aligns, strength increases greatly. The so-called ability to destroy the world is actually a generalization.

After thinking this through, Neo became even more eager to study methods of environmental transformation. Take what was before him—powerful ancient demons, extinct for tens of thousands of years, still lingered. Seizing the opportunity, he came up with this “fertile soil strategy.” As long as there was soil for evil to grow in, the demonic imprint in the blood of creatures living there could be easily awakened, giving rise to a new generation of demons. Even if they were just hybrids, they might still become a threat, as there were viable foundations for either regression-based enhancement or introducing external elements.

“Nancy, is there any good solution? We can’t just plant trees. With my current abilities, even if I did that, I’d probably just end up watching the trees get polluted!”
“The outbreak of the force of decay is backed by the pollution of an entire ancient planet—it’s a legacy of past disasters. Even the gods can’t clean it up instantly; it can only be addressed through a combined internal and external approach, gradually transforming it. If you belong to the Light faction, allying with the Church faction is undoubtedly the best option. There’s no room for compromise. But since you’re of the Dark faction, you might as well consider Kyles’ methods, or even the tactics of the demons.”
“Huh?”
“What’s there to be surprised about? Have you only seen the evil side of the demons?”
Neo said, both annoyed and amused, “Do they really have anything praiseworthy?”
“Order! Besides Light, Dark, and Neutral, there are also Order and Chaos in the classification of factions. Demons are hierarchical beings of order—equally evil, but not the same as demons.”
“It’s they who broke the seal… I get it. Instead of blocking, it’s better to divert. The demons want to accelerate the death of the remaining demonic forces in this world while weakening the Light forces, so they can reap the benefits.”
“Perhaps that’s indeed their goal. But while the Light forces are preoccupied with the endless demonic incidents, they prepare to overthrow the entire world.”
Neo asked, “So, in your opinion, between Light and Evil Order, whom do the demons hate more?”
Nancy countered, “If you were a demon, how would you choose?”
Neo thought for a moment. “If I had to compete in this world, I’d do everything I can to strengthen myself, but I wouldn’t engage head-on with either the Light or the demons. Instead, I’d create one or more paths for the demons to reach the surface directly. Although the force of decay spreads widely, it’s too dispersed and lacks cohesion. I’d focus on establishing a solid territory for the long term, waiting for an opportunity.”
Nancy smiled. “It seems you already know what to do.”
Neo sighed and nodded. “I can’t rush things now. Trying to transform my territory is just overreaching and a waste of energy. Taking advantage of this darkness, whether it’s demons or devils, it’s more important to cultivate my own Dark Night forces.”
“Indeed. If that’s your plan, you’ll need to work harder. Lower-level demons are easily controlled by your Dark forces. And it’s not just the surface—mainly the underground. With the release of the force of decay, the impact in the dark regions will likely be more severe than on the surface, and those areas are also more favored by demons. However, the ‘kingdoms’ in those dark regions won’t sit idly by—Dark Elves, Earth Dwarves, Gray Dwarves—these are all Order-aligned factions.”

“On land and under it, everything will be engulfed in endless warfare. It’s truly a struggle to survive in such chaos,” Neo thought with a sigh. Turbulent waters may allow one to fish, but they’re by no means pleasant—just as many adventurers see only the high profits in adventuring but fail to truly understand the meaning of the word itself. It’s one thing to tread carefully, but to treat it as a shortcut to success will only lead to disaster in the end. After all, the proper way is to resolve things openly, using strength to overcome weakness—that’s the true path. Manipulation is only suitable in the short term and for initial stages, not as a foundation.

After preparing the rune leather scrolls, Neo called Gris over and taught him how to activate them, instructing, “Keep this a secret. Just make sure you understand what it does.”

“Yes, sir. I understand. I’ll thank the mine owner on behalf of my brothers,” Gris replied, this time with genuine sincerity. Combined with breath control to mask odors, these scrolls were truly life-saving tools, and he couldn’t help but be tempted.

Once the rune leather scrolls were distributed, 11 thugs tried them privately and found them to be highly effective. They were overjoyed, convinced that following Gusby as their boss hadn’t been in vain. As for why Gusby was so capable, they simply dismissed their doubts by attributing it to his usual outstanding skills, without questioning whether he was real or not.

As long as there were no obvious flaws, even if Gusby turned out to be fake, his subordinates would readily find self-deceiving excuses to justify their loyalty. Those with more ambition usually weren’t acting out of loyalty but were instead plotting to gain greater benefits through deception or coercion. Having figured out these dynamics, Neo became even bolder in his actions. Sometimes people just get bought off and end up on the wrong side. Even if they later returned to the mine and uncovered flaws, most of these people would still stubbornly defend him.