Chapter 18: Charm

The tent curtain was half-open. Along with the cold, came the flickering light from the campfire. Zhan Ga planted himself in the shadows inside the tent, occasionally a beam of light casting light on his gloomy face, revealing an expression the people had never seen before—fierce!
Eli entered cautiously, half out of fear and half out of sneakiness, along the edge of the tent, which made Zhan Ga furious. He muttered under his breath, “A born loser!”
“Sit,” Zhan Ga said blankly, his voice just as devoid of warmth as the atmosphere in the tent.
Eli smiled sycophantically at Zhan Ga, sat down on the low stool, blew on his hands, and sniffed. “I’ve heard that everyone’s clamoring to leave, some even suggesting we set off overnight.”
“Leave? With such thick snow on the ground, empty stomachs, no mounts, and so many wounded—how can we leave? Are people crazy?”
“They say staying here is just waiting to die.”
“Hmph. With nothing, how far can we go? As I’ve said, we must fight for what belongs to us—this is the right of free people.” Zhan Ga clenched his fist.
“Uh…”
“Speak up if you have something to say.”
“It’s said the lord plans to return the food. Those who refuse to follow orders can act freely.”
“That’s great!” Zhan Ga said sincerely. But returning food wasn’t that simple—there were demands for livestock, compensation, and damages for losses in the wilderness… There were endless excuses to argue.
“It’s said the lord has criticized Lord Di Fu for being wasteful on more than one occasion. This is his chance to take back all the gold and silver. The Gale Squad has brought in plenty of food supplies twice, plus all that meat from humans and beasts—enough to last until Asia. As for the rest of the trash, whoever wants it can have it.”
“Damn it, where did all these rumors come from suddenly?” Zhan Ga couldn’t hold back any longer and roared through gritted teeth. In his view, if Xavier really did that, there was nothing more to say. The Holy Sect wouldn’t want human or beast meat, but others would. The supplies brought by the Gale Squad naturally belonged to them, since they were the lord’s private mercenaries. Considering their efforts, the corpse-eaters didn’t act like lords every day and had done plenty of work—so it wasn’t unreasonable to give them basic tents, sleds, and some carrying capacity. With that, the conditions for continuing eastward would be restored.
Sure enough, Eli glanced at him deferently before slowly explaining, “The news came from the representatives. After dinner, the lord called them over and seemed to express this intention. It looks like tomorrow the lord will assign people to pack everything in public, keeping only the essentials and discarding the rest…”
Zhan Ga took out a small paper packet from his pocket and tossed it to Eli, waving his hand impatiently.
“Thank you!” Eli’s anxious expression vanished, replaced by a sycophantic smile. He bowed repeatedly, thanked him profusely, then left.

Phantom Color was a psychedelic potion recipe that Eli obtained from an alchemist; he himself came up with its name. It was because of this substance that he lost his career and became a fugitive. The power of darkness freed him from his addiction (actually, he was replaced), and from then on, Phantom Color became a powerful weapon in his hands.

After sending Eli away, Zhanza took some time to calm down. He knew well that anger wouldn’t solve anything; he needed to stay calm and come up with a solution as soon as possible.

“All these days of effort won’t just be wasted like this. Absolutely not!” A hint of madness flashed in Zhanza’s eyes. He thought of poisoning—a plan he had considered since joining the migration group, but had never found the right opportunity to act. Moreover, Zhanza somewhat disdained such low-intelligence tactics, but compared to that, he hated even more the idea of letting the hard-earned opportunity to create chaos be squandered like this.

Zhanza didn’t care at all about the lives of the Holy Sect members. What concerned him were the flesh-eaters who clearly showed signs of setting out lightly. Zhanza knew that Neo and the Wind Team must belong to this group.

“Good!” Zhanza, who had been pacing restlessly, clenched his fists suddenly. “After the Holy Sect was separated, the migration group composed of the Tures and Mathuyas numbered around 1,400 people. The ratio of guards to ordinary people was even higher than 1:3. Given the guards’ insufficient combat strength, Xavier is likely to recall some members of the Wind Team. Someone like Neo, with good organizational skills, charisma, and combat ability, would be a waste as a messenger. It’s more likely he’ll stay in the migration group. If that’s the case, a moving target becomes a fixed one…”

Zhanza suddenly stopped in his tracks, thought for a while, then started walking around the tent again.

“No, it’s too risky!”

Zhanza was one of the main proponents of the Free and Holy ideology. Although he always kept a low profile and tried to achieve his goals through indirect methods such as persuasion and incitement, he couldn’t stay out of it if he wanted to steer public opinion and fuel the situation. On the contrary, he had to expand his influence as much as possible.

As a result, although there was no evidence that Zhanza had publicly praised the main tenets of the Holy Sect, in the eyes of its members, he was completely on their side, even one of their spiritual leaders. In Zhanza’s view, his performance was already classic—wanting something without saying outright, and ultimately being elevated to a high position instead of striving for it. What could be more clever than that?

“But damn it, rumors suddenly spread everywhere!” Zhanza once again resented the drastic changes since the Wind Team returned. He had to admit that compared to these changes, the ‘Holy and Free Movement’ he had successfully promoted earlier seemed far too mild. In just a few hours, the once hotly debated topic, which was supposed to be resolved, was now largely ignored. If it weren’t for the fact that this topic was the origin of the Holy Sect and people still had some sense of face, it might have been completely abandoned. Zhanza finally experienced firsthand the power of public opinion and the magic of rumors.

“Damn it, there’s someone powerful behind this!” Zhanza rooted gasped for breath. His biggest concern now was that if he switched sides tomorrow, it would be like slapping himself in the face and ruining his reputation. The credibility he had built over these days would most likely be lost. Joining the Scavengers’ group meant starting from scratch again with no reputation. What ifNeo didn’t stay with the Migration Team as he thought? What if the members of the Gale Squad were unruly, and Xavier clearly valued that group so much that he thought onlyNeo was suitable for the role of messenger? Then he would suffer a huge loss!

“The usual tactics won’t work! Losing members to the Holy Sect is indeed a setback for the Migration Team, but from another perspective, it’s also a chance for purification—those who remain will be more united, making it harder to stir up trouble! No way! Getting rid of burdens? Not even thinking about it!” Zhanza finally made up his mind. Chaos was perfect for taking advantage; he couldn’t just sit by while the Migration Team cleaned itself out. Moreover, this wave of rumors was also an opportunity to boost his influence and status…

Just as Zhanza came up with a plan and started taking action,Neo was talking to Valentina.

After several days apart, Valentina still looked sharp and energetic, but upon closer inspection, the distinct contours of her face showed how thin she had become, and there was an undeniable weariness in her eyes and brows. Additionally, the redness on her cheeks wasn’t due to health or the high temperature in the tent. WithNeo’s keen sense of smell, he could detect more than just the lingering scent of medicine.

“Was the attack led by a high-ranking Dark Swordsman?”

Valentina nodded, a hint of heaviness in her eyes. “You might have met this man in Solis City—Vladimir, the deputy leader of the West Wind Berserkers.”

Neo showed surprise on his face, which quickly turned into understanding. The ‘Beautiful Beast’ was strong, but the demons sent to break the West Pentagram Seal were even more formidable. As the saying goes, “It’s those who can’t swim who drown.” He had witnessed Vladimir’s pride firsthand, and in the face of the demons’ cruel plans and overwhelming strength, such pride could easily lead to irreversible tragedy.

“I met him once in the barracks. A strong warrior, but not very lucky.”

“He’s far inferior compared to you,” Valentina said with a slight smile.

Neo nodded. “Mielien said you two are very close.”

“Mielien is a kind girl who makes one want to protect her.”

Neo nodded again. Valentina’s response was equivalent to indirectly admitting that she had learned a lot about him from Mielien. Honestly, he hadn’t reached the point where he felt comfortable discussing personal matters with Valentina, but he could only accept Mielien’s tendency to trust others easily—after all, that flaw was a common side effect of kindness.

“You’re even more amazing than I imagined.” Valentina smiled at Neo, enjoying seeing this guy two years younger than her flustered, especially after he had shown such remarkable skill. Just like this time—upon his return, the disputes between the Holy Order and the Flesh-Eaters were resolved effortlessly. The plan had been discussed with Dave and Ebutter beforehand, and Xavier had agreed, even offering to play the villain, which led to the spread of those rumors.

The problem arose from rumors and ultimately ended with rumors. Such a cost-effective and effective strategy was something Valentina herself could hardly devise even if given the opportunity. Moreover, Neo executed it with ease, outperforming every idea she, a trained knight, could think of—from planning to execution, from approach to feasibility.

For Valentina, who was quite proud of herself, Neo’s excellence shone even brighter due to his background. The more she delved into his secrets, the more she felt a sense of regret.

Every young person has a dream of princes and princesses, and when that dream clashes with the reality that “I’m not the bride,” regret becomes inevitable. Of course, for Valentina, the regret hadn’t reached the level of “I’m not the bride.” It was simply that she rarely found someone her age she admired, yet she didn’t even get a chance for any romantic moments—something that filled her with regret.

“So…” Neo met Valentina’s gaze. “You know why I’m here, right?”

“My injury isn’t serious; it’s just a minor issue.” Valentina’s gaze avoided his for once.

Neo smiled, stood up, and walked over to the armor rack in the corner of the tent, where Valentina’s armor was placed. It was cold iron armor—of average quality and craftsmanship—but its owner took good care of it, so the numerous scars weren’t very noticeable. Of course, in the eyes of a professional like Neo, those barely visible cracks were signs of weakness. With a little skill, they could be broken through. In short, the armor’s defensive capabilities were already very low.

This time, Neo wasn’t there to cause trouble with Valentina’s armor. He knew that, given Valentina’s pride, his well-intentioned advice would only sting her. It was better to do something practical rather than show off his knowledge. Running his fingers along a fine crack in the armor, Neo didn’t notice that Valentina’s cheeks turned even redder at that moment. The crack ran along the front of the breastplate, just to the left of the bulge on a female’s armor (a more pronounced curve rather than two separate parts).

Neo deduced the meaning of this crack through half reasoning and half guessing: as a knight, Valentina had used combat energy in conjunction with her armor but failed to fully block her opponent’s attacks.

Skillfully opening the breastplate, Neo took it off and examined it closely under the light of the lantern in the tent. He didn’t say anything right away but instead placed the armor back and sat down again, staring at Valentina.

At first, Valentina could still meet Neo’s clear gaze, but later it was purely endurance mixed with resentment. Neo smiled again, and in Valentina’s eyes, that smile seemed to reveal her secrets, making her feel both ashamed and annoyed. Just as she was about to retaliate in her usual way, Neo said, “When I was rescued by the gladiator merchants, I already remembered some things.”

“Hm?” Valentina became puzzled; she didn’t understand why Neo suddenly brought up such a topic. With a look of recollection, Neo continued, “Our tribe was very poor. Every year, there would be a time when everyone had to go hungry, and we had to be very careful with our limited food. But our tribe always had a tradition: if friends came, we would offer them the best things we had. Last time at your house, we ate roasted lamb, which didn’t seem special at the time. Later, I found out that sheep was a female sheep, and its milk was given to Dorothy, who was quite weak.”

If there hadn’t been any prior buildup, Valentina would have immediately put on her proud mask, acting noble and majestic. But now, she couldn’t maintain that facade and didn’t know what expression to use instead. Thus, Miss Stro, who was usually so composed and bold, became nervous, embarrassed, and at a loss. Not even Matthew’s subjects or the old knight Sayer had ever seen their daughter act in such a vulnerable manner.

“My father used to tell me: Be independent and do your own things well. But not everything can be done alone. What should one do then?” Neo paused for a moment. When Valentina looked at him again, he smiled and said, “Of course, ask for help.”

By now, Valentina naturally understood what Neo really meant. She lowered her head, lacking confidence, and said, “My injury isn’t that serious!”

There was no response; the tent was quiet for a long time. Valentina, not used to always keeping her head down, finally couldn’t resist lifting it. She saw Neo smiling and watching her quietly. Her face turned red again.

“Mm-hmm!” Valentina cleared her throat twice, trying to regain her composure. But when she noticed Neo’s gaze had shifted elsewhere, she felt a slight sense of disappointment. Following his gaze, she saw her own hands tightly gripping the sheets, which were now twisted into a crumpled mess… Her face turned completely red.

“Hmph! What’s so great about it?” Unable to hide her embarrassment, Valentina lost her temper and raised her head again. “Yes, I’m injured—wounded by Vladimir’s dark sword energy. What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” Neo said, still smiling, his expression unchanged.

Valentina was furious. What she hated most was Neo’s act of pretending to be mature. “If you dare treat my injury, aren’t you afraid I’ll complain to Milien?” Whether out of anger or impulsiveness, she couldn’t believe she had said such things. Her tone and words revealed too much about her true feelings.

Fortunately, Neo didn’t press further at that moment, avoiding putting her in an even more awkward situation. Sincerely, Neo said, “Let me see your wound. You should trust the experience of a gladiator who’s been fighting in the arena for years and still survived with all his limbs intact when it comes to treating injuries.”

Valentina’s face turned red, but she mustered the courage to open her chestpiece. At that instant, the pain from her wound no longer mattered. Her mind went blank, her breathing became rapid, and her heart seemed about to leap out of her chest.

The injury was more severe than Neo had imagined. The wound was mainly between her breasts, with dark purple marks extending diagonally down to a spot near her left breast, right over her heart. If the wound had been a few centimeters further to the side, Neo believed he would now be looking at Valentina’s chest.

“For this wound, Vladimir paid the price of having his heart pierced!” Valentina’s voice trembled slightly, whether from excitement or the cold in the tent with her chestpiece open.

“It’s a shame the Dark Swordsman’s true fatal point is the core on the right side of the chest!” That was something Neo didn’t say out loud. To be honest, the atmosphere was indeed awkward, and Neo was restless too. Like Valentina, he needed to say or think something to avoid being too distracted.

He nodded gently at Valentina, who nervously covered her chestpiece. Neo’s clear gaze and serious expression relieved her somewhat, but deep down, she felt a hint of disappointment.

If Neo had known at that moment that showing lustful intentions would result in Valentina’s merciless rejection, while being too serious and bland would also annoy her, he would surely have sighed that it’s incredibly difficult to strike the right balance when dealing with a woman!

“If this wound could be treated immediately, things would be better. But right now, simple purification won’t suffice,” Neo analyzed. “You certainly won’t agree to having flesh tissue removed. After all, that would mean you couldn’t engage in any strenuous activity for a long time.”

Neo left out another point: Valentina probably wouldn’t agree to having half of her breast removed. But even without saying it, Valentina could figure that out. After all, she had a proper education and had systematically studied human bodies and injuries.

“What do you plan to do?” At this moment, Valentina’s boldness and determination took over.

“Suck it out—not with the mouth!” Thankfully, Neo spoke in time, avoiding the fate of being kicked away by Valentina.

“How exactly?” Valentina actually knew the severity of her injury, but when Norlund offered to check it, she firmly refused. “As a result, this little thief got bolder! I’ll get revenge if I get the chance!” she grumbled angrily.

Neo didn’t notice the strange look in Valentina’s eyes as she stared at him. He was racking his brains, not for a solution, but for the specific procedure.

They say a man is at his most charming when he’s focused on his work. Valentina now somewhat agreed with this—Neon’s thoughtful expression had left a clear imprint in her heart. When Valentina naturally thought of Neon and Milien’s relationship and felt somewhat down, Neon suddenly looking up at her startled her as if she’d been caught stealing.

“I’m sorry, I scared you. Here’s how it works…”

Valentina really wanted to punch Neon right then. Just a moment earlier, she thought he’d figured out her thoughts, but after hearing the rest, she realized he was truly slow.

“…That’s it.”

“Huh? What did you say?”

At that moment, Neon’s expression was full of helplessness. He thought, “Please, which god are you following at a time like this?”

“Say it again, say it again!” Without even realizing it, Valentina spoke in a pleading tone, like a little girl asking to buy a doll.

Neon didn’t notice this detail either. His mind was entirely focused on the treatment. Valentina’s wound was too close to her heart; she could only hold on so long thanks to her combat energy. His method was definitely risky, even with Valentina’s full cooperation.

This time, Valentina understood. Neon planned to use the skill “Life Suction” to treat the wound while providing support from behind with “Life Touch.” In simple terms, he would draw energy from the front and supply it from behind, requiring Valentina to guide her life force forward from behind for better results.

“Life Touch has great penetration, but to ensure success, I hope you can create energy channels to make the flow more precise and timely.”

“Mm!” After hearing Neon’s explanation, Valentina grew serious. “Life Suction” was quite aggressive, and with the wound so close to the heart, this method was extremely serious—she couldn’t afford to take it lightly.

So, at this critical moment, Neon and Valentina’s positions were quite intimate. Neon usually used his right hand for “Life Suction,” so he was on Valentina’s left side, his left hand pressed against her back, while his right hand almost covered her entire left breast. His body was also closely pressed against hers.

“Relax, calm down. Your heartbeat is too fast!”

Hearing this, Valentina wanted to tear Neon apart right away. Especially since he spoke in such an authoritative tone—how dare he bully her like this!

With half a rabbit in hand, Neon, who hadn’t gone through any romantic experiences, wasn’t much better than Valentina. Fortunately, his light state of meditation kept him from losing his clarity, even in extreme situations. Valentina, on the other hand, was less fortunate. Her use of combat energy also involved meditation-like techniques to regulate, adjust, refine, and strengthen it, but this took time. Due to the urgency of the situation, it took her nearly 10 minutes to get into the right state. For a long time after, every time she saw Neon, she remembered this and felt extremely embarrassed.

Life’s Touch had benefited Valentina once before, and she hadn’t thought much of it. But this time, she realized that Life’s Touch was actually being used to deliver healing power in its true form, with a magnitude far exceeding what it usually was—almost an unlimited supply at no cost, which deeply moved her. It wasn’t until the “Life Suction” effect took hold that Valentina felt fear, as if a miniature black hole released by a space mage had suddenly appeared. Though it lasted less than two seconds, it felt like an eternity to her. Not only was the energy in her body drawn away, but even her thoughts seemed to be sucked away. The sensation was indescribable, and it was the most terrifying thing she had ever experienced in her life—far more terrifying than even a blade slashing at her neck.

During those two seconds, Neo also found it extremely difficult. Precise control was a skillful task, and only because he could multitask did he manage to carry out the treatment. Now, recalling how Valentina’s flesh shrank and was simultaneously stimulated and activated, he felt as if he were reliving a nightmare. As for seeing that strawberry-red color so clearly, to be honest, even if the most beautiful woman in all Aemera stripped naked and danced before him, he wouldn’t have felt anything. At that moment, he was purely in a medical mindset—seeing it as just flesh, his mind entirely focused on his work.

But now…

Neo realized that his hand had somehow firmly grasped Valentina’s left breast, with the “strawberry” trapped between his index and middle fingers. More than ten seconds had passed, yet he still held on tightly!

“Damn it!” At that moment, Neo felt more cold sweat than any sense of allure. He was terrified that Valentina might explode in anger and trample him to death. In that case, there would be no place to cry injustice.

For a long time, Neo thought his reactions and actions at that moment were peak-perfect, except for one thing…

“We managed to succeed by luck, but we need to observe for a while,” Neo said in a perfectly formal tone, his voice steady and solemn. At the same time, he used these words to distract Valentina, quietly withdrawing his right hand first, followed by his left hand more noticeably.

“Hmm…” Valentina seemed distracted, her expression odd.

“Well, then I’ll take my leave. There are some aspects of the plan that concern me, and I’d like to check them in person!” Neo smoothly created distance between him and Valentina, again using words to draw her attention.

“Mm…” Valentina still lingered with a drawn-out sound, her expression peculiar.

“Get some rest early,” Neo said, then walked calmly toward the tent door as usual. Unfortunately, there was a horizontal bar at the bottom of Valentina’s tent serving as a frame, and Neo, usually so quick-witted, stumbled badly on it as he tried to leave, tumbling out.

Afterward, Valentina heard Neo’s uncontrollable rapid heartbeat and the sound of his hurried footsteps on the snow…

She placed her hand on her left chest. Just a few minutes ago, a warm hand had been there, so close to her heart…

Valentina’s peculiar expression gradually gave way to a smile, which eventually turned into a bright laugh. She thought of Neio leaving the tent—all the calmness she had shown before was revealed in that moment! That proud guy’s hasty escape had fully exposed the information she wanted to know.
“Hmph! He held it for 14 extra seconds—I must get that back!” There was not the slightest trace of frustration on Valentina’s face; instead, a shrewd glint appeared in her eyes…