Chapter 19: Secret Agents

Strike first.
On the second day after Neo returned to the migration group, the representatives of the Holy Sect launched another wave of public opinion campaigns.
“Seek common ground while reserving differences; unite for migration to the east!” This was the new core concept promoted by the Holy Sect, accompanied by a subtitle:
From a legal perspective, both the Frey Alliance Code and the Sanvest Duchy Code stipulate that when disasters strike, lords have the duty to lead their people through difficult times…
From a humanitarian standpoint, the Holy Sect and the Flesh-Eaters are not only neighbors but also often family members. Therefore, any attempt to split them apart is cruel and irresponsible. Even Lord Div said that the entire Tures region is one big family.
With both legal and humanitarian arguments on our side, even so, in the face of a great threat, we in the Holy Sect are still willing to put the greater good first and make concessions. Of course, certain fundamental principles must be upheld—such as food distribution—without favoritism…
Previously, they were demanding to split off and start anew, but now the situation has suddenly changed, albeit under a noble guise.
Rooted here, he felt smug, thinking, “To challenge me? With just one idea, I can turn the situation around—winning on all fronts! Compassionate and pragmatic, it’s impossible for public support to go to the Flesh-Eaters this time. They’ll surely praise such noble integrity!”
The common people of both factions breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this news, thinking that since one side was making concessions, they could finally move on.
But to everyone’s surprise, the lord’s side, which had clearly been at a disadvantage and kept yielding, now became stubborn and refused to back down.
“Separate! We must separate! I’ve endured so much—this is too much!” Xavier, usually polite, cursed loudly in his tent to his confidants and clerks like Ebute.
“When the dark forces invaded Tures, why weren’t they ‘holy’? Because the Light Church and the dark forces have always been irreconcilable—never compromising. Back then, the Holy Sect representatives sacrificed themselves. I’m not a member of the church, but I’m a competent lord. I didn’t bow to or compromise with the dark forces. I left my children behind and fought bravely, barely escaping death. They have no right to mention ‘holiness’ in my presence.”
“During the darkest times, it was our Manmores family who reorganized everyone and led us eastward. Let them tell us how much food they have—enough to last until Asia? Why did the Manmores family collect food? To feed just our own family? Ridiculous! If not for everyone else, thanks to the Gale Squad, our family would be in a warm house in Asia, drinking tea and chatting. Besides, has the Manmores family ever taken advantage of anyone? Is the food free? Are the livestock free? Eating from my family’s resources, using my family’s things, and still discussing ‘holiness’ with me! We are Flesh-Eaters. We eat the dead. Why do we eat the dead? Are we sick?”

“Under the knife, even prostitutes will play the role; wipe their faces and turn around, and they become chaste wives—given face, right? Get lost! Those who want freedom and think they’re pure, all get lost! I’ve had enough being their lord; they’re all lords now, I won’t serve them anymore. I’ll take those who want to go to Asia to die among the dead, and leave the rest for them to fight over. Divide it—today, it must be divided!”…
The lord lost his temper and refused to continue. When these words spread, everyone was stunned.
Another representative of the lords, Miss Srod, also defied her usual listless state over the past few days, donned her armor again, regained her former vigor, and spoke publicly: “The lords have responsibilities and duties, and so do the people. I regard every subject as my family—provided they don’t betray me!”
It must be said that the words of these two lords were unprecedentedly severe. The former accused some people of being ungrateful prostitutes, while the latter implicitly labeled them as “traitors.” This was a clear sign of open conflict, and most people were deeply troubled. Without going into further details, it was clear that nothing could happen today due to this chaos.
Crying, making a fuss, and hanging oneself! This method isn’t just for jealous wives.
Crying is the prelude; the fussing has already started. Seeing the situation, they began to incite the Pious Sect to “seek death and roll around in despair”…
Faith is innocent! Purity is without fault! The Pious Sect has returned to the right path, first feeling shame and then courage—God is above, and heaven and earth bear witness!
With this concept as their theme, the Pious Sect threw a heavy accusation at the lords, implying: By abandoning us, you disregard God’s true believers! It’s a contempt for God and the church, and a neglect of the people! It’s abandoning responsibilities in times of crisis—true traitors who betray the people!
“Damn it, now I get it. We’re all going to die here. No need to leave—just wait to become meat for aliens or have our butts raped again by dark forces!” The pessimists, after witnessing another round of verbal battles, were quite disheartened.
More were the agitators. Most of the flesh-eaters were realists. What good are those so-called gods in such times? It’s all about self-rescue. Trapped here with no way out and facing immense external pressure, their anxiety grew with each passing moment, easily turning into anger as they grew more resentful of the Pious Sect. “You fucking bunch of prostitutes, going home to act tough, right?”
The people of the Pious Sect were equally agitated. They also wanted to leave but were trapped here, filled with anger! “Is it wrong for us to strive for goodness? A sinner who repents is worth more than gold—does one mistake mean they’ll always be bad? It’s because we still know shame that we remain steadfast and devout. You, on the other hand, will do anything to survive—you’re the ones who betray easily in times of crisis, because you’ve abandoned even your principles!”
The two factions turned into a chaotic mess, with the situation escalating rapidly, on the verge of turning into a full-scale fight.
As an observer, Zhanza quietly applauded, “Fight! Fight harder!” He had already planned: as long as both sides couldn’t resist starting a fight, he would secretly intervene to ignite the conflict. Once they truly fought and bled, those scars would remain forever.

Meanwhile, Neo was asking Rafe. “How’s it going? Have you found anything?”
“Well, I have. Rooted·Pierous was the first to propose the idea of free speech, and he also advocated returning to the embrace of the gods. He didn’t state it directly but told many vivid and beautiful stories, some of which became quite popular.” Rafe recounted a few short anecdotes—simple to understand, with clear themes and good morals, two of which were actually sacred stories from the Church of Glory.
“What about considering the bigger picture? Who came up with that?” Neo asked again.
Rafe, who was gulping down water, drained the warm water from the large jug and wiped his mouth. “It was also Rooted. Last night, he went around persuading everyone that with a great enemy at hand, we should unite to face the challenge together.”
“Stirring up trouble and now acting as a peacemaker—this guy is really worthless!” Dave couldn’t help but curse.
“This so-called public hero does seem a bit problematic. But calling him a pawn of darkness seems lacking in evidence. Could there really be dark degenerates who incite others to believe in light?” Valentina also ‘lowered her status’ to mix with Dave and the others. She felt pressured around Xavier and found it much more comfortable being with Dave and the rest. In fact, not only her but also her father, Old Sayer, disliked dealing with people like Xavier. In Sayer’s words, some people were too cunning—you could never know their true intentions.
At that moment, Neo spoke up, “Miss Srod, what do you think light is in the eyes of demons?”
“I don’t know, but it must be something they despise, hate, and fear.”
Neo remained silent before asking, “What about justice?”
“Need I say? Justice is the force that demons fear the most. This force often goes hand in hand with light. If everyone had a just heart, then evil, darkness, degeneracy, and corruption would have nowhere to hide, and demons would be trapped forever in the lightless abyss.” Valentina spoke with enthusiasm and fluency—after all, this phrase appeared extremely often in the ideological education classes at the Knights Academy.
Rafe, Dave, Milien, and Ebutter, who had just entered, all applauded Valentina’s eloquent speech and bold demeanor. But Valentina was most interested in Neo—the most thoughtful person present, or rather, the one with the most unique way of thinking. She also realized that Neo was really handsome, growing more attractive with each glance. Whether it was because she hadn’t noticed before or for some other reason, Valentina sensed a natural freshness about Neo, which balanced out the sharpness in his usual wildness, making him seem more approachable—like a wolf surrounded by dappled jungle light, making its presence feel much softer.

“Miss Srod, I don’t quite agree with you.” In public, Neo still treated Valentina as Mathuya’s lord rather than Milien’s friend, using respectful terms when speaking to her. “To me, the light in the eyes of demons is like swords in our eyes. What they fear isn’t the light itself, but those who wield it. Darkness is a breeding ground for evil, yet evil enemies often arise even within light. Why ‘evil enemies’ and not ‘justice’? Because I think justice is a very interesting concept—its interest lies in the fact that, like happiness, it has countless interpretations. As for your claim that everyone has a just heart, leaving demons to suffer in the abyssal prisons—that’s just a slogan urging people to be good. From a practical standpoint, it’s complete nonsense.”

“You… you…” Valentina was stunned. Neo’s remarks were extremely reactionary. He wasn’t just questioning the doctrines used by knights for generations—he was questioning the teachings of the Church of Light. The God-Lord is light and justice—this was the core of the Church of Light’s teachings. To deny justice, well, not exactly deny it; rather, it meant demoting justice from its supreme position. It was like viewing light and the God-Lord as ordinary beings, which was almost blasphemy. No, that description wasn’t right either, because even kings who betrayed the God-Lord and those demon lords often referred to the God-Lord as ‘Father God’.

Dive, Rijef, Ebute, and Milien were also shocked, finding Neo’s use of the word “nonsense” far too casual and outrageous.

At that moment, Neo calmly said, “The first time the God-Lord descended to the world, He did so under the name Naba Blackclaw. Many people like SaintHill and Saint Gregory followed the God-Lord at that time. Everyone knows this, right?”

“Mm, yes.”

“But some very important details aren’t mentioned in the popular books. They can only be inferred through research or found in certain ancient texts: When the God-Lord first came to the world as Naba Blackclaw, He used the power of darkness to spread His will. Thus, Death was born in Aemera.”

Those like Dive and Valentina understood what Neo meant by now, but Rijef didn’t. He asked, “What does this prove? That the God-Lord is powerful?”

“Power is just one aspect. It also shows that light and darkness are forces in themselves, without any inherent sense of good or evil. The God-Lord can use the power of darkness to do good and uphold justice. Who here thinks the God-Lord made a mistake back then?”

Everyone was speechless. The God-Lord first descended to the world, leading a group of sages later honored as saints, to explore and struggle in the dark world, preserving the only pure land and seeds of light for the world of Aemera. This journey had been celebrated for thousands of years as the beginning of a sacred epic of creation. Who could, who would dare to deny this in public?

Neo continued, “Well, since light and darkness are just forces, tools, then why should demons fear light? Isn’t that the same as humans fearing swords? Would you fear the sword itself?”

No one had a reply. Neo seized the opportunity: “Another thing—does the fact that the demons rebelled from the Divine Kingdom really necessarily mean they are inherently good? Think about it. Why is it called the Divine Kingdom? It’s as if what happens there is in another country, even another world. If another country invades ours, is justice and kindness the most important issues for us? Obviously not—it’s military strength and national power. As long as we can win, what does it matter if we use prisoner troops? Haven’t there been such examples in the past? There are countless ones. Are they just? Kind?”
Neo concluded, “Justice is just a slogan, meant to unite people, to make them more cohesive. As the saying goes, unity makes strength; together we gain greater power to fight against powerful enemies and achieve victory. But then I wonder—is justice the only way to achieve unity? If so, what about alliances among different races? What about evil coalitions? Should we say they also unite because of justice, their own version of justice?”
After a pause, Neo added, “It’s not entirely unreasonable to think that for other races, survival is innocent, while waiting to die is shameful. Plundering and looting are their natural skills—they rely on these to survive, just like carnivores in the jungle prey on herbivores—either they starve or others are killed. So what is this then? A clash of justices?”
Ebut and the others exchanged glances. Neo’s words were straightforward and simple, leaving them with no strong arguments to refute. Valentina was the most amused—she felt she had been defeated by Neo once. Things she had taken for granted turned out to be so easily questioned, making her feel like a fool!
“Then why do the Knight Academy, the Church, and the kingdom promote this while hiding the truth from people?” Dev asked.
“Of course, it’s because of necessity. Isn’t it good to encourage people to be good? Only when everyone takes pride in justice can society have a positive cultural foundation moving toward goodness.” Neo stopped there, not going any further. Education involves the rulers’ selfish motives—loyalty to the state, self-sacrifice for the country and its people. All of these carry deliberate guiding intentions. To put it realistically, just like how he makes the members of the Gale Squad repeat ‘Neo is our leader’ 200 times before bed every day. In just a few days, they’ve said it effortlessly, naturally addressing him as “Leader.” This is brainwashing, forced indoctrination. Think about those who have been subtly influenced by the education system over years or even decades—some ideas become deeply ingrained and taken for granted. Whose country is it? Who built it? Who benefits the most? Who does sacrificing for the country protect the interests of?”
These questions and related reflections aren’t beneficial for everyone. As the saying goes, knowledge is power. And power can cause harm to those who can’t control it. This is why Neo remained silent after that.

After answering Dave’s question, Neo brought the conversation back to its original point. He said, “Based on these two points, in the eyes of true darklings, light is nothing but trash, and so are the gods. Why not misuse them? What’s the harm in that? Just like murderers—killing one person costs them their life; killing another just means losing their own life as well. So, not to mention encouraging people to believe in gods, even if they had to pretend to be gods tomorrow, they would dare to do it. The question is whether people will believe them or not.”
“Hmm, indeed!” Rajef agreed with Neo, saying, “I’ve heard of ignorant degenerates urinating on statues of gods in churches. Leaving aside the fact that they were struck by lightning, their mindset is exactly as you described. Otherwise, how else can it be called lawlessness?”
“What should we do now? How do we deal with that Rooted one?” Ebut asked.
“That guy is like a parasitic worm—his tentacles are everywhere, deeply embedded in flesh. If you pull him out abruptly, you’ll tear flesh and blood along with him.”
Dave and the others nodded. They all understood Neo’s metaphor—the flesh and blood referring to the people. Forcing action against Rooted would provoke strong backlash from those unaware of the truth. Rooted still had considerable influence among the migrants.
Neo thought for a moment before saying, “I think we should give Rooted a problem to solve…”
“Mm-hmm!” Everyone nodded in agreement.
Outside, the noise had subsided enough—it was time for Dave to step in. Ebut and Rajef accompanied him as they walked outside. Rajef asked Ebut excitedly, “Guess how Rooted will choose?”…
Only Melian, Valentina, and Neo remained in the tent.
Seeing Valentina staring blankly, Neo said, “What, have my words shaken your beliefs?”
Valentina looked embarrassed. Neo had indeed hit the nail on the head. Although Frey rarely demanded feudal loyalty anymore, knights still took solemn oaths in the name of the king and the country during graduation ceremonies. Neo had pulled light and justice down from their dazzling pedestals, casting doubt on Valentina’s beliefs to some extent.
“All men are created equal. The Creator has endowed them with certain inalienable rights, including the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. To protect these rights, people establish governments among themselves, and the legitimate power of such governments derives from the consent of the governed. When any form of government becomes destructive to these goals, the people have the right to change or abolish it and establish a new government, based on principles and organizational structures that they believe will best ensure their safety and happiness…”
Neo recited this passage with deep emotion and a rhythmic tone.
“Is that the declaration of the Frey revolutionaries? It’s beautiful!” Melian exclaimed.
Valentina was also captivated by the words.

“I don’t know where this passage comes from, but I know it indeed served as the foundation for the establishment of a nation and the creation of its constitution in some world. Though later generations did not follow this foundation well, it still shows us a good example. Similarly, in our world, our nation, there are similar noble teachings—what true nobility is, what true knights are, the responsibilities of knights, the duties of rulers. What we uphold, believe in, and adhere to is this truth, not any individual.”

“Thank you!” Valentina thanked Neo sincerely and emotionally. “It is because of you that I have come to understand more deeply the path I must take—the path of a knight.”

A faint blue light appeared on Valentina’s body—this was the attribute of her combat energy, the power of wind. The light quickly moved like flowing water, forming a swirling vortex that grew clearer and clearer, before suddenly contracting and disappearing.

Valentina opened her eyes with joy. “I’ve advanced!”

Level 7—Valentina finally became a Level 7 knight before the age of 22. This achievement was not outstanding, but it still placed her firmly among the top ranks of the kingdom. It represented not only a real improvement in strength but also a symbol of potential. With this step forward, Valentina would become someone who attracted much attention.

“Thank you!” Valentina thanked Neo once again. It was today’s “enlightenment” and last night’s “inspiration” that enabled this steady advancement. Valentina knew that without Neo, she would likely still be struggling desperately against the aftereffects of Dark Knight Vladimir’s strike—whether she could survive was uncertain, let alone advance.

“The truth becomes clearer the more it is discussed. I find that as I speak these ideas aloud, my thoughts become sharper and more integrated, and it seems as though there’s a corresponding force responding.” Neo wasn’t being modest; he truly felt this way. When he expressed the truths he had understood, it seemed as though some inexplicable force resonated from afar with his body, creating a subtle connection and a wonderful sense of excitement.

“Why is this? Is it the innate talent granted by the shamanic profession to communicate more easily with natural forces, or is it the special effect of the Sacred Tree, or perhaps both?” Neo couldn’t figure it out, but he was determined to explore further.

After some thought, he spoke aloud, “For a long time, darkness has been misunderstood by the world, often conflated with evil. In truth, power itself has no right or wrong. It exists because, like the four elements, it is a fundamental component of the world. Darkness, like light, is a great force of nature—just like night and day, like the moon and the sun.”

Hmm! There’s indeed a response!

Neo continued to recite aloud, expressing his own beliefs. His thoughts revolved around one idea: “Light does not equal purity; darkness does not equal filth.” The more he recited, the more he felt it, and his five major modes of thought stopped functioning as usual to serve this recitation. Eventually, he seemed possessed, his speech becoming unclear before evolving into a unique language. This language seemed to possess some magic—each syllable was profoundly impactful. Not only was Melian panicked, but Valentina’s expression also changed.

“Neo! What’s wrong with you? Neo?” Melian wanted to go over and wake him up. In her mind, Neo was like someone trapped in a nightmare. But Valentina stepped forward and pulled Melian back, knowing that what was happening to Neo was extraordinary. Interfering might only bring disaster to Melian and problems for Neo as well. At such times, they should trust Neo’s self-control.

“Huh? How did I end up here?” Neo was puzzled. Suddenly, the scene before him changed, and he found himself in the world of consciousness.

“You’re truly remarkable!” The Perfect Woman appeared, her first words clearly laced with mockery.

Neo chose to remain silent, waiting for further explanation.

“You actually tried to justify darkness, awakening all the memories ingrained in your bloodline.”

“Huh?” Neo was confused. It seemed things had escalated.

The Perfect Woman explained helplessly, “According to my assessment, your bloodline is special. It can be traced back to Saken, the Black-Mantled Werewolf from the first descent.”

“No, we Dark Wolves are descendants of the most renowned Black-Claw family from the Mythic Age!” Neo corrected loudly.

“Black-Claw family? Hmph! Aside from Naba Black-Claw, who pretended to be the Divine Lord during his first descent, the rest are nothing but failures. In other words, the fame of the Black-Claw family was upheld solely by the Divine Lord, who used Naba’s name but not his body. Do you really think the Divine Lord would mate with a mortal to create a bloodline?”

“…” Neo was struck. The glory of his ancestors, which he had always taken pride in, turned out to be a joke!

The Perfect Woman said, “There are only two true representatives of the peak strength among Rosal mixed-bloods: Saken, the Black-Mantled Werewolf who followed during the Divine Lord’s first descent, and Zog, the Yellow-Mantled Werewolf. They both wielded the power of darkness. Now you should understand why you weren’t killed by the Curse of the Evil Soul. It was the dark memories ingrained in your bloodline that saved you. Remember, Dark Memories—this is their true name. Everything else is just a derivative: bloodthirst, madness, demonic nature—all stem from them.”

“What’s my situation now?”

“You made a choice without realizing it. Dark Memories + Dark Tides + Dark Declaration—light dimmed, darkness deepened. You won the favor of the forces of darkness, thus setting the foundation for your power attributes.”

“Wow! What will happen to me from now on?”

“Like all dark beings, you’ll despise light. You need to find plants that suit you in dark places or underground. You’ll get along better with animals that prefer darkness and night. Also, be careful of the Light Guardians.”

“Light Guardians? What do they mean?”

“You’re a shadow agent; what do you think ‘light guardians’ mean?”
“…” Neo understood. This time, he had unintentionally chosen a specialty, which became his main strength. This specialty provided him with some special benefits but also cost him certain possibilities.
“There’s nothing bad about it. It fits my body well, activates memory imprints, and integrates the dark tides for use—this is a good thing!”
At the same time, the tone of the consciousness world changed. The Eternal Night, and even the mountain peaks, changed as well—now the Mountains of Obsidian. The World Tree still had that pillar of green light reaching into the sky. But Neo knew that even if this place became a true consciousness world in the future, there would be no sunlight, only moonlight and starlight, and all vegetation would change accordingly.
“Words, power attributes. Now my titles as ‘rebel’ and ‘degenerate’ seem even more justified. But so what? I am who I am—with faith and a free heart…”