Chapter 9: The Broken Bait

“Rest early today and set off early tomorrow,” Nio ordered around 9 p.m.
The exhausted team split into two groups to bathe, follow hygiene procedures like drying their shoes, and shout “Nio is our leader” 200 times before going to sleep.
Half an hour earlier, Nio had assigned tasks to Mah, Barret, Dick, and Boglem.
“Mah, starting tonight, your task is no longer to take care of the horses but Miss Lise. Do it with utmost care—do you understand?”
“Yes.”
Nio continued, “Also, think about which parts of armor to choose and what weapons to use. As a blacksmith skilled in ‘exquisite crafting,’ it would be a shame for my subordinates to fight with foot scissors.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
“Mm.”
Next was Barret. Nio looked at this sturdy, tall man and said, “I’ll only cover your head and feet—top-notch greaves and helmet. For the rest, rely on your shield and sword. Do you know your fighting role?”
“I do,” Barret replied loudly.
“Early tomorrow morning, you’ll take my place and lead everyone eastward. Discuss the route and details with Tony. I have just two points: first, move quickly—we must travel at least 15 kilometers south first. Second, if Bichir and the others arrive, the team must set off immediately. Also, be prepared to treat frostbite and cold. That’s all. Come up with a plan quickly.”
“Yes.” Barret also left.
Dick and Boglem’s task was to build firewood piles. They hitched a slow horse, used a snowplow to gather wood, and went to the mound where the team had briefly rested in the afternoon. There, they built the first, smaller pile of firewood, then another larger pile about 5 kilometers north.
“The captain hasn’t given up on Bichir and the others. He’s willing to risk exposure just to guide them,” Dick said while building the piles.
“Mm. The most dangerous tasks are always reserved for oneself—lighting the campfire to distract the enemy. The captain will be busy later tonight,” Boglem said, looking at the faintly visible stars in the night sky. “It’s an interesting night. The wind mixing with snow creates fog, blocking visibility. Even if we light the fire, it won’t be visible from dozens of kilometers away like on a windless night.”
“Do you think Bichir and the others are already on the road?” Dick asked, looking in Quian’s direction. Without the moon, only the wind—the combination of darkness and snow made one feel deeply cold. Just thinking about traveling in such conditions sent chills down one’s spine.
“Unlikely. Given Bichir’s mindset and habits, he’d wait until later tonight. And even if they’ve already set off, it will take 4–5 hours to cover over 20 kilometers. I believe the captain will be ready to assist by then.” …

Not long after midnight, Bichir and his group packed up and set off on a desperate escape eastward. The weather was unbearably cold; the militia members felt their leather coats as thin as paper, allowing cold air to seep through. It was freezing! Especially after three hours of walking, their limbs went numb, their hearts clenched painfully, and frost formed on their beards, eyebrows, and hair tips. Everyone could sense death approaching step by step.

In fact, it wasn’t just death approaching—it was also the Blue Ghost scouts. Following the shaman’s guidance, the leader of the Stonebeast Tribe assigned 10 extra patrol teams to keep a tight watch throughout the night. Shortly after Bichir’s group left, the Blue Ghost scouts detected their presence through footprints.

The Blue Ghosts had all the time and ability to capture Bichir and his men, but their leader wasn’t satisfied with just a few captives. From earlier reports, the leader of this Blue Ghost squad knew these humans didn’t have the strength to defeat an entire scout team. That meant there must be another group of humans, and they were rushing through the night to find them—their last hope for survival.

The Blue Ghost leader went back to the shaman for confirmation. The shaman told him, “Meeting or passing by depends on your choice.”

The Blue Ghost leader laughed viciously and said, “I’ll dig out that stone that creates vortices and show it to you!”

It was still the scouts tracking them, but the Blue Ghost leader, having learned of the opponents’ strength from the Croop incident, ordered his scouts to return immediately if they made any important discoveries, without engaging in battle lightly…

The night was dark and confusing; they had no idea where Nio and the others were—whether they had arrived or already passed by. Worse than the cold was the lack of hope. After five hours of walking, even Bichir thought his group would freeze to death in that snowy night. Then they saw a light.

“A fire! There’s a fire!” Bichir shouted excitedly.

The others saw it too. It was a real glimmer of hope in their desperate situation. Many militia members couldn’t hold back their tears, which froze into streaks on their faces.

“That’s our destination! Keep going, brothers!”

“That’s right! It must be Nio and the others lighting a fire so we won’t get lost!”

“We’re not abandoned!”…

Just minutes earlier, they had been near collapse from despair, but now hope had been rekindled in their hearts. What sustained the militia members now wasn’t just physical strength but willpower—a fierce desire to survive!

After about another hour of trekking, Bichir and his group finally reached the location of the fire. They saw Nio sitting cross-legged by the campfire, along with White Socks not far away.

“Captain!” That word, once too shameful for the militia members to utter, now came from the bottom of their hearts—only for Nio, at this moment, here!

That acknowledgment was enough. Nio didn’t expect these grown men to grovel like children and beg for mercy one by one. “Southwest!” he instructed Bichir and the others. “The village of Ratno—your group is waiting there. Have some hot soup to warm up, then set off right away! Remember to extinguish the fire when you leave.”

“Yes!”

Two soup spoons, used in turn; the meat and soup contained chili, giving a scorching sensation that rushed straight into the stomach and spread throughout the body. Many people couldn’t help but shiver, and at that moment, they would rather shiver several times.
Nio rode a snow sled westward, following the footprints left by Bichir and the others.
“Captain, where are we going? What’s the purpose?” asked a militia member, rubbing his hands by the fire, his teeth chattering from the cold.
“I think we’ve been spotted by those man-beasts,” said Bichir, watching Nio’s retreating figure.
“Spotted? Then why haven’t they attacked us yet?” asked another militia member in surprise.
Another militia member, blowing on the hot soup in his spoon, said, “Idiot, they’re waiting to catch a bigger fish. Can’t you figure that out?”
Bichir glanced at the group and said, “We don’t have much time. The Blue Ghosts suffered a loss at the hands of the captain and his men. This time they’ll definitely learn their lesson and avoid a direct fight. Maybe by now they’ve already sent someone back with a message. If that’s the case, the Blue Ghost squad could be on its way!”
“Damn, does that mean they’ll arrive right away? Let’s go! Hurry up!”
The militia members extinguished the campfire as instructed by Nio and then trudged through the snow toward Ratno Village, each of them pushing themselves hard, moving much faster than before.
Nio shared similar concerns as Bichir. If the man-beasts saw the light and sent someone back to warn them, chasing them overnight, the entire group would be in grave danger. But this was also the necessary price for seizing something from a tough situation. Nio had calculated early on that without the guidance of the fire, given Bichir and the others’ physical condition, finding and reaching Labuno Village would be nothing but luck.
After traveling about 7 kilometers westward, Nio and White Socks encountered five Blue Ghosts. Seeing that Nio was alone, these scout riders ignored their leader’s orders and tried to capture him.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Both sides used powerful beastbone bows. The lead Blue Ghost shot an arrow, and Nio returned with two. As a result, the Blue Ghost was hit in a vital spot and fell to the ground.
“This guy is as far away as we thought!” exclaimed one Blue Ghost, only to become the second target. One of the two arrows fired by Nio, guided by sound, hit its leg with a dull thud, nearly piercing it through.
One dead and one injured as soon as they clashed, but only one Blue Ghost realized they were no match for their enemy and chose to flee. The rest put away their bows and charged at Nio with their weapons.
The Blue Ghosts’ combat strength lay in their power and endurance. Even the most ordinary adult Blue Ghost had strength comparable to that of a level 3 warrior, while these scout riders’ strength was already close to that of level 4 warriors. In the Mestock Wasteland, it was not uncommon to hear stories of unfortunate people, including human adventurers, being worn down to death or chased until they collapsed from exhaustion by the Blue Ghosts.

But when they encountered Neo, the Blue Ghosts ran into their matchmaker. Well-trained and skilled in killing, Neo could turn battles into highly entertaining spectacles or eliminate enemies with ruthless efficiency like an assassin. The Blue Ghosts’ inferior combat skills were magnified exponentially when facing him, turning into fatal weaknesses. Moreover, their disadvantage in terms of armor was also a major issue—Neo fought head-on without any psychological burden, while the Blue Ghosts couldn’t afford to take damage; their bravery only made them fearless, not invincible.

What’s more…

A pale yellow light appeared on Neo’s right hand. As he drew his sword, the power of earth element acted upon the steel blade. “Stone-Enchanted Weapon,” a basic spell of a shaman, didn’t turn the target as hard as stone but instead manifested the power of earth element in a sharp, rock-like form to enhance the blade’s edge.

Before using this spell this time, Neo had conducted some simple trials. Like mages with a rigorous scientific mindset and researchers in other fields, Neo was accustomed to quantifying various values, including combat strength. The current effect of “Stone-Enchanted Weapon” was a +3 to sharpness—a concept roughly equivalent to turning a wooden stick into a kitchen knife with a thick back and a thin blade.

Although it was their first time truly coordinating with White Socks, they did it quite well. White Socks suddenly stopped and turned mid-run, swinging the snow plow behind him sideways.

With a fierce and swift slash, Neo severed the leading Blue Ghost along with its weapon in one strike. Immediately afterward, he used a feint with his right sword to draw the attention of another Blue Ghost, then leaped up with a powerful lunge, drawing his left sword and slashing across that Blue Ghost’s throat.

Only one Blue Ghost, with an injured leg, remained. Realizing escape was impossible and with blood flowing profusely from both legs, it frantically swung its axe in a desperate attack. Like most barbarians, having spent years slashing and chopping, this Blue Ghost’s simple moves were precise, fierce, and rapid—still quite powerful. It fought wildly, ignoring Neo’s attacks and slashing randomly, somewhat like a novice trying to defeat an expert. But such an attack couldn’t last, and it had too many flaws. Neo seized an opportunity to sever one of its arms; still unyielding, it had its front leg cut off as well. Now, it could only be slaughtered.

“Oh, hahaha…” The Blue Ghost let out agonized yet weak groans, its eyes rolling back, face contorted, and body trembling violently. An invisible force, capable of slightly distorting the surrounding air, flowed rapidly from the Blue Ghost’s body through Neo’s arm gripping its head into Neo’s own body. At that moment, eerie lightning flashed in Neo’s eyes…

It was a truly sinister scene—a Blue Ghost as large as an adult horse rapidly decaying, prompting people to wonder in horror: “Where did the bodily fluids go? Where did the blood go? What about the food and waste in its stomach? Did they all turn to liquid?”

The tyranny of “Life Siphon” lies in its terrifying plundering—after a Blue Ghost is completely drained, its size drops to less than 1/10 of its original size. If Neo had broader knowledge of magic, he would have realized that only the demons’ spells could match its effects, and even high-ranking demons like Thurel lacked the ability to use such spells. From initial hesitation when first using “Life Siphon” to now mastering it effortlessly, this technique seemed perfectly suited to Neo, who picked it up very quickly. This time, with six minds operating simultaneously, Neo discovered that drawing life from the living was vastly different from drawing it from the dead—it wasn’t about quantity but quality; he wasn’t sure exactly what it was, but it filled him with excitement, bringing a surge of pleasure from body to mind. Next, Neo tried “Life Siphon” on a dead Blue Ghost—there was no such sensation; it was just ordinary harvesting, and since it was a corpse, its life energy was naturally much less than before. His gaze finally fell on the Blue Ghost that had been shot by an arrow first—this guy wasn’t completely dead yet. Seeing Neo, he was filled with terror and kept shouting, “Unuri! Unuri!” In the language of the Codim humans and beasts, Unuri referred to the Black Sun, a terrifying entity said to appear to devour the souls of the world. “What’s that ghost shouting?!” Neo slammed the Blue Ghost down and began “Life Siphon”… In the end, only chaotic marks and bloodstains remained on the small battlefield. Neo took most of the items, including the corpses, but what he truly cared about were just two bone bows—bone bows used by humans and beasts took a very long time to make; often, it took two or three generations of use and continuous refinement before a bow was completed. Some believed such bows carried a special power, far surpassing the so-called fine bows mass-produced in human workshops. Whether it was psychological or real, Neo found these bows familiar and easy to use, with the older ones giving him an even better feeling. When returning, Neo didn’t take the same path he came; instead, he headed slightly northeast toward the second campfire, which was at least 7 kilometers away. So, a mere minor change in direction was enough to alter the outcome. Aside from this slight change, there was another important detail: when coming, Neo had strictly followed the footprints of Bichir and his group, with a snow shovel hanging behind him, but when leaving, the shovel was folded away… The Tanshi human-beast army arrived quickly, just as Neo and Bichir feared. After seeing the campfire and confirming it briefly, the Tanshi scouts sent several members back to report. By the time the leader of the Kuan humans and beasts learned of the news, Bichir had just met Neo. The well-prepared Tanshi army assembled in just 15 minutes and set off eastward. By then, Neo hadn’t yet encountered the five Blue Ghost scouts.

The highest speed at which the man-beasts could run for long distances in the wilderness was 55 kilometers per hour, allowing them to cover 90 kilometers continuously. This was only slightly slower than top-tier horses (60, 100 km/h), but this wasn’t the wilderness—over time, the snow on the plains had piled up to knee height. In such conditions, their weight caused their hooves to sink deeply with each step, slowing them down. Even so, under the leader’s orders, they could reach a speed of about 30 kilometers per hour, nearly six times that of Biqier and his group. No wonder the man-beast leader wasn’t worried about the prey escaping.

During their overnight journey eastward, the Blue Ghosts encountered the fleeing scout. After hearing his report, the armored Blue Ghost leader became even more convinced that the big fish was not far away and urged the group to speed up. Soon, they arrived at the small battlefield and saw flames in the distance.

“It’s definitely in their style!” The sight of the small battlefield made the Blue Ghost leader easily think of Croop—quickly annihilated, with all bodies and belongings taken away…

“Are you sure there’s only one enemy?” the Blue Ghost leader asked the scout who had escaped by chance.

“Yes.”

“Then how did he take away the bodies of our four brothers?”

“Uh…”

“Dodgebi, there are wolf footprints and light vehicle tracks,” a Blue Ghost ran over to report. “Bi” was a title, equivalent to a human commander.

Dodgebi didn’t bother over trivial matters. With a shout, the man-beasts set off again, following the traces left by White Socks and Snow Plows, continuing eastward toward the flames. It took just over ten minutes to reach the campfire, but from there, all traces vanished.

“Start searching!”

The Blue Ghosts sent several teams out to search while the main group rested in place.

Before long, the scout reported that there was nothing to be found within a 2-kilometer radius.

“South, southeast! Keep searching until you find them!” Dodgebi realized they might have fallen for a human trick, but he didn’t believe those humans could escape. “Those guys have been traveling in the snowstorm for over six hours, haven’t eaten at night, and are exhausted. Even if they reunite with their accomplices, they’ll be a burden. The speed difference is like heaven and earth! How could they escape?”

Biqier and his group indeed slowed down the Gale Squad, but the Gale Squad’s speed didn’t decrease as a result.

As per Nio’s prior instructions, as soon as Biqier arrived, Barret immediately organized people to load the goods and head eastward, while also sending a few people to help Biqier’s group treat frostbite to prevent further deterioration during the journey.

Frostbite should never be treated with fire. Depending on the severity, different treatment methods were used, but the general approach was the same. Whether using snow to rub or soaking in water, the goal was to restore sensation to the affected area. Alcohol or chili juice could be applied to improve blood circulation. For frost scars, an ointment made from man-beast oil mixed with honey was used. Fortunately, none of Biqier’s group suffered severe frostbite, and the affected areas were relatively small, classified as minor injuries with little impact on mobility.

Biqier and his group took off their wet, cold clothes and shoes, put on dry ones. If they had no shoes, they wrapped their feet in cloth tied with ropes. They then drank some hot soup with plenty of ginger and chili to sweat out the cold. That way, they managed to recover a bit.

Considering the foot problems of these 10 people, 5 small sleds were specially made. Their structure was very simple—two people sat in the front and back, and two more pulled them to move forward, which wasn’t particularly difficult. All the members who walked were given a new invention at the start of the journey—the snow shoes. These were made from ordinary baskets, along with two thin branches; they were quite crude. At first, the members didn’t understand their purpose. Only after walking for a while did they realize that with them, their legs wouldn’t sink into the snow. They kept them warm, saved effort, and left shallow tracks, which could be easily erased with a light sweep from the snow shovels behind. “This must have been the captain’s idea,” one said. “Exactly!” “Why wasn’t this done earlier?” “You don’t get it! This is a trick to save our lives in critical moments. Normally, we can follow the footprints of humans or animals, but what if suddenly there are no traces left? Think about it!” “Hmm, I see what you mean!” … Besides the snow shoes, there were also the sleds. Originally, two horses pulled one sled, but now four horses pulled four sleds at once, not only without reducing speed but actually making it much faster. “What’s the reason for that?” “It’s hard to explain, but by sharing the weight, each sled isn’t as burdened as before, making it easier to slide on snow. That’s for sure. Don’t you remember how easily we pushed those big sleds when they were first connected?” “I don’t forget! So there are so many principles to traveling on snow!” “The captain is amazing. If it were us, who would know all these things? These are skills passed down from generation to generation by those people from the north, the Khalids. We’ve never needed these here before.” “True. Reading books really pays off!” … The perseverance of the people and beasts from the rocky plains paid off. After more than half an hour of searching, the scattered search teams finally found that small hill, the location where the first campfire had burned. It took another ten minutes for the main group to arrive. By then, the team led by Barret had already left Ratno for over an hour and a half, whileNeo was shoveling the last handful of soil from Ratno Village. Not long ago,Neo had taken out two boxes of gold, gems, and magical items from the villa’s secret room. He didn’t have the means or time to carry these heavy items far away, so he decided to ask the deceased Bratsk Klingental to help him guard them. The plan was to open Bratsk’s coffin, dig 4 meters deeper, bury the treasures, backfill the hole, put the coffin back in, and level the ground again. To avoid being discovered, Bratsk’s burial site wasn’t in a graveyard or next to a house, but in an inconspicuous spot outside a section of wall, without any marker—only indicated by secret signs on the wall. It was already hidden enough. If even this could lead to the discovery of the treasure, thenNeo had no reason to complain.

The final wish was fulfilled as Nio left. About 10 minutes later, the Blue Ghost scouts discovered Ratno Village. Another 15 minutes passed before the main force of the Blue Ghosts arrived. By then, they had already noticed some of Snow Shovel’s tricks: after days of freezing, a thin layer of ice formed on the snow’s surface—the layer that reflected sunlight during the day. It could be felt on untouched snow, but where Snow Shovel had passed, this layer was gone, leaving only a flat surface that wasn’t immediately apparent but could be sensed upon careful stepping.

“East! Spread out in a fan shape—I refuse to believe we can’t catch these cunning humans!” Dogi sneered.

But in reality, Nio was even more cunning than he imagined. Nio was well aware of Snow Shovel’s flaws, but just like using snowshoes, he would fill in those gaps at critical moments to achieve his deceptive goal. To address the issue of the ice layer, Nio specifically instructed Barret to have a few team members stay behind to handle the aftermath. The task wasn’t difficult—just spray water from their mouths onto the areas Snow Shovel had passed through. With the help of the wind, this artificial “layer” quickly became indistinguishable from the real one. If the Blue Ghosts had checked the snow surface 300 meters further south, they would have found that the width of the area cleared by Snow Shovel there was much greater than that to the east…

White Socks rushed eastward on the snow plow, with Nio sitting upside down on it, fiddling with the large snow shovel behind him. In the snow, whether riding or being pulled by a vehicle, White Socks was less strenuous and faster, and it wasn’t as tired as the Blue Ghosts. The outcome of this race was decided before it even began. All Nio did was try to keep the Blue Ghosts at a distance, buying more time for Barret and the others.

Dawn came, marking the transition from night to day. The stars lost their brightness under the blazing sunlight, and a new day began. The Stone Beastmen had already persevered for a long time. Starting from Ratno, they had been running eastward continuously for 2 hours, yet their enemies were still ahead of them.

During the day, it was possible to see several kilometers ahead on the plain, but Dogi couldn’t spot even the slightest trace of the enemy. He knew he had fallen for a trick again. The real human army couldn’t run that fast, not even if everyone were on horseback.

“Rest!” Dogi finally issued the order that brought relief to the Stone Beastmen.

With little food left and the hunting party’s morale low, Dogi urgently needed a victory to stabilize the hearts of his subordinates, who were growing skeptical and restless. He glanced eastward and murmured, “It can’t end like this. Absolutely not! Whoever holds on to the end is the winner!”…