Chapter Seventeen: External Forces Suppressing Conflict

The snow had been falling nonstop for a whole day, and as dusk approached, there was still no sign of it stopping.
“This damned weather!” The lean militia member poked at his sleeve, holding a long spear in his arms, stamping his feet back and forth. Around where he stood, he had created a snow pit over half a meter deep, with at least two-thirds of that depth accumulated just that day.
Not far away, the lean man’s companion—a young man with a round face and thick lips—muttered listlessly, “I’m hungry. I want meat…”
The lean man shot the round-faced man a glance. “We’re on the run! If we can get any meat, that’s already good enough!”
“But those guys have meat to eat…”
“Can’t we just stop talking about it?” the lean man said disdainfully. “Do you want to become one of those spineless scum, feeding on corpses?”
“But what we eat isn’t enough to fill us up, and the smell of stew keeps coming our way…” The round-faced man looked aggrieved.
As if to prove his point, the scent of stew drifted from the camp, making even the lean man swallow hard. “The devil’s temptation! It’s the devil’s temptation!” he repeated to himself, feeling slightly better.
Just then, the sound of footsteps on snow came from the end of the path. The lean man was alert enough to quickly put the wooden whistle around his neck into his mouth. Soon, four wolf riders in silver armor appeared, charging forward with great momentum, surrounded by swirling snow and mist, looking fierce.
The round-faced man also saw the four riders. Frightened by their menacing aura, he nearly dropped his spear and frantically tried to grab the wooden whistle, but the lean man stopped him. “Look carefully. They’re our own—members of the Swift Wind Squad.”
A small blood-red triangular flag, embroidered with an abstract, running wolf, was visible. The militia members had been repeatedly instructed by their superiors to remember this symbol. Usually, they only saw the liaison,Neo, but today they finally saw the real members of the squad.
“That’s true elite!” the lean man exclaimed. They were strong, well-equipped, and carried an imposing presence… Many in the migration group had privately discussed this mysterious squad many times, wondering who its members were. Today, they saw them in person—just as the rumors said, all were fierce and powerful like wolves and tigers.
The wolf riders stopped abruptly as they approached. One of them roared in a deep voice, “Hey! You! Go find some guys who can catch their breath. We’ve brought supplies for you!”
It was Witz, showing off in his rough and bold manner. He didn’t need to pretend at all; his natural demeanor was enough to convey his arrogant and domineering attitude.
“Oh, oh!” The lean man was intimidated and ran toward the camp with his spear in hand.
The news quickly reached Ebert’s ears.

“What? The Wind Wolves have arrived? Bringing supplies?” Ebut was currently taking a break in the blacksmith area of McKen and Woodrow. The representatives of the Holy Order and those representing the lords had spent the entire afternoon arguing over food supplies. Xavier and Valentina had instructed Ebut not to get involved in these discussions so that they could continue to control the armed forces of the migration group under the pretext of “the army not getting involved in politics,” thus maintaining their unity. Ebut naturally agreed.

“Go, pass on my orders—assemble groups 2 and 3 and follow me to take a look!” As a core member, he knew all too well what the Wind Wolves were like. That’s why news of wolf riders and supplies quickly made him think of schemes and intrigues. So he specifically chose groups 2 and 3, which had the most members from the Holy Order, from the guard force.

Nio had Vitz and the four others dressed up in tiger costumes to reinforce the impression of the Wind Wolves among the people in the migration group. It was especially meant to remind those of the Holy Order that the lords had a powerful armed force, serving as a deterrent.

For Nio, the main challenge in achieving this goal was that the Wind Wolves had just been assembled, and aside from Boglem, Mah, and Barret, who more or less guessed the purpose of their team, the other members didn’t realize they were part of those mysterious Wind Wolves rumored among the people. Therefore, the tiger disguise could only be used to a limited extent; the rest would have to rely on people’s curiosity and “gossip instincts” to achieve the goal.

Ebut’s quick thinking undoubtedly played a role in creating a seamless coordination. The militia members of the guard force, upon seeing Vitz and the four others, instinctively associated them with the Wind Wolves—a group of strong warriors utterly loyal to the lords. At the thought of this, the Holy Order members, who had grown bolder and more rebellious due to days of chaos, became significantly more subdued.

“Damn it! What a bunch of losers! I’m fighting hard out there while these idiots just sit here!” Vitz said, lifting his face mask and spitting heavily.

“Stop talking nonsense! Let’s go!” Mah snapped in a deep voice. Though not loud, everyone within ten meters felt as if the sound was a thunderclap right beside their ears.

“Hmph!” Vitz grumbled resentfully, swinging his iron sword in frustration. A streak of light appeared, and a fir tree as thick as a human thigh was cut in half, crashing to the ground with a loud noise.

After that, Mah and the three others rode their wolves and rushed ahead at top speed.

In this scene, Vitz still acted in his usual style, with just one line of dialogue. The real star was Mah—his low roar was masterfully delivered. Not only were the militia members of the guard force shocked, but even Barret was stunned in secret. He knew Mah had a history, but he never expected him to be so formidable. “I don’t know if he can beat Nio, but among the remaining members of the team, his combat strength is definitely the highest!” Barret thought to himself.

Fierce and unruly, like wolves and tigers. This was the image of the Gale Squad that Neo wanted to establish in the minds of the people in the migration group. Although this performance was brief, its main goal was largely achieved. The militiamen looked at the fallen firs, watched the figures disappearing into the snowstorm, with the roaring sound still echoing in their ears, and couldn’t help but feel fear. For them, the label of “professionals” carried significant weight.

When it came to combat professionals, especially veterans, ordinary people often thought of them as people who hung their heads on their belts, made a living by killing, and took others’ and their own lives lightly. The root of their awe stemmed mainly from such perceptions.

“Militiamen, though soldiers, still find it hard to shed their ‘civilian’ ways in a short time,” Neo thought even more firmly after observing the expressions and behaviors of the militiamen sent to assist them.

At the same time, Ebut saw Neo and the sled pulled by six wolf-like beasts behind him, and immediately understood Neo’s plan. After all, it had been Ebut who arranged for the wolf-like beasts to replace the inferior horses the day before; he knew exactly how many large animals Neo had.

“How could they just leave you behind without even entering the camp?” Ebut playfully joined in acting with Neo.

“Ah! You know well enough—those guys are just that kind of people. Arrogant to the extreme! But their methods are indeed remarkable!” Neo said as he jumped down from the sled pulled by the white-clad beasts and strode forward, nodding at the acquaintances among the militiamen.

“Oh? What makes their methods remarkable?” Ebut asked, seamlessly picking up the topic Neo had started.

By then, the militiamen had approached the sled, and one of them exclaimed, “Wow! What happened here? It’s terrifying!”

Many militiamen went over to take a look and also expressed varying degrees of shock.

Neo took the opportunity to explain, “Two days ago, the Gale Squad encountered the Dark Claws. These refugees died a horrible death—corrupted by dark magic. Not only did they suffer greatly in life, but their souls were also manipulated to become enslaved souls after death. From their belongings, we identified that most of them were followers of the God Lord. We brought them back so that Priest Norlund could perform a ritual to purify them, even their souls—this dark magic is truly filthy…”

These words seemed to be directed at Ebut, but many people heard them.

Neo wasn’t exactly lying. It wasn’t the belongings that revealed the villagers of Wald were mostly followers of the God Lord; rather, it was a list of believers found in the village chapel. And the reason these Wald residents had mutated was indeed due to the dark evil forces spreading from the core as the seal of the Western Pentagram broke. By blaming the Dark Claws, Neo wasn’t entirely unfair to them.

Like Cropp, the shrine church in Wald Village is also private—religious institutions established by those dedicated to spreading the faith of the Glorious Religion after receiving training from the Holy See. This is a unique missionary model born under the special system of the Frey faction. Only after reaching a certain scale and rank will the Holy See officially recognize it and provide corresponding support and protection. Otherwise, the Holy See’s airships would have long come to bring away its devout followers—Sols City is a typical example.

It is precisely because of the Frey faction’s uniqueness in religion that the Holy See’s millennia-old religious system cannot be fully implemented in this land, leading to a series of problems and gaps. The Holy Sect, in Neo’s eyes, is a product of such a gap. If the religious structure were sound, how could ordinary people start talking about holiness and blasphemy? There are dedicated scripture scholars who interpret the scriptures in line with the times, creating doctrine rules that fit the era—this is also an important reason why the Holy See has endured for thousands of years.

Neo is also using religion now, but he has no interest in word games. The core of his plan is to “suppress conflicts with external forces.”

There’s no need to explain too much to the people in the migration group, because at such times, humanity’s “gossip instinct” can play a much stronger role. Just before dinner, everyone in the migration group learned this news: around the time the migration group was attacked, the Gale Squad stopped a squad of Dark Claws, who had just slaughtered a group of refugees migrating eastward. Perhaps because of this, they failed to harm the migration group along with the Dark Swordsmen. This can be considered a stroke of luck in misfortune. If you don’t believe it, just look at the corpses of those victims—their bodies were infested with evil hellish plants, and their souls were cursed and enslaved. These refugees were all believers of the shrine god, yet none of them escaped. If this happened to the migration group, the outcome is obvious!

“I’m telling you a secret—keep it confidential!”

“Of course! Go on, what’s the news?”

“My son overheard a bit of Neo reporting to the lord. That extremely evil mage is very powerful. The Gale Squad paid a heavy price but still let that guy escape, suffering only minor injuries. Given the habits of those dark creatures, they’ll definitely come back for revenge after such a loss. But the lord is worried about causing panic and won’t let word spread that the evil mage isn’t dead!”

“No wonder!”

“What’s wrong?”

“My brother went to pick up supplies brought by the Gale Squad and met four Wolf Riders from them. He told me that those veterans are strong but extremely hot-tempered and rude, acting as if someone owes them money. It seems they suffered heavy losses in the battle against that evil mage and let their opponent escape, so they’re filled with anger!”

“Mm-hmm! That’s very likely!”……

A few minutes later.

“What I’m about to tell you is extremely secret. Just you know it—don’t spread it around!”

“Don’t worry! I’ll keep it to myself!”

“Well, I heard this news from XX. His son happened to…”
“Really? Then aren’t we in great danger?”
“Exactly! We’re not far from where we were attacked last time. Every hour of delay is dangerous. Those refugees and the Gale Team are handling the bodies, while Priest Norlund is doing the purification rituals. Who do we have? We’ll all get wiped out! No, it’s worse than death!”
“Exactly! We need to leave quickly. Even big problems can be discussed on the road! Why insist on arguing here in the wilderness? That’s just asking for trouble!”
A few minutes later.
“That secret of yours isn’t fresh anymore. Let me tell you—there’s more than just the Dark Claws. There are also the Blue Ghosts!”
“What are Blue Ghosts?”
“Cordym, human-beasts. You know about them, right?”
“Yes!”
“Human-beasts have tribes, right? Different tribes have different tattoos and styles of beastliness. You didn’t know that, did you?”
“Uh, I really didn’t!”
“I’ll tell you…”
A few more minutes passed.
“The Red Ghosts lose to the Mad Dogs and go berserk when they see blood! The Blue Ghosts lose to the Turtles and won’t let go! The Green Ghosts are the most eerie. They’re said to be able to take human form and have extremely high combat strength. The village of Ratno was wiped out by Green Ghosts, along with a bunch of warriors from the West Wind Battle Corps. Only Miss Lais was saved by the Gale Team’s Relocation and Collection Squad…”
“The Gale Team has a Relocation and Collection Squad?”
“Of course. Do you think those killers are just scavengers, chefs, carpenters, or blacksmiths? They only handle killing, not burials! There’s a group dedicated to serving them—Matthewa provided some, along with those bandits, all forced to work like slaves!”
“Mm-hm. I wondered why Boglem hadn’t been seen for days. I saw him come back with a full cart of supplies yesterday. So that’s how it is. Any other secrets? Tell me more.”
“Secrets? The secret is that we’re about to be wiped out. There are too many enemies, and even the Gale Team can’t hold them back. Red Ghosts, Blue Ghosts, Green Ghosts, Dark Claws—recent attacks on the camp were caused by too many enemies and the Gale Team’s inability to stop them. They were fighting against an evil mage at the time—the one who uses curses to drive away refugees’ souls.”
“Wow! Good thing it wasn’t that evil mage who attacked the camp; otherwise, we’d be in big trouble. By the way, did the Gale Team defeat that evil mage?”
“No. It seems he’s quite tough. He managed to escape despite being injured by the Gale Team’s attacks. The Gale Team suffered losses, and they’re still angry for bringing supplies this time!”
“That’s terrible. It’s like letting a tiger back into the mountains!”
“Exactly! What’s worse is that because of eating human-beast meat, everyone’s arguing now. The group won’t move on. The lord is worried about chaos and is keeping this matter secret, trying to come up with a plan.”
“Do we even need to think? Let’s leave quickly! If we don’t, we won’t be able to leave at all!”…
The large tent brought by Boglem yesterday had now been set up. A few messengers sent out to gather information had just reported back to Ebute and left. Nio lifted the tent curtain and stepped out from the side tent.
“I didn’t expect such good results from this tactic. That’s really clever of you!” Ebute praised.

“Thank you!” Neo accepted the praise without hesitation. He walked over to the fire pit and sat down next to Ebutt. Neo said, “Controlling public opinion is just the first step. Now that those who tried to ‘correct the course’ have returned, let’s see if those who opposed us will be forced to step forward and try to turn things around.”