Chapter 22: The Sensitive One

The “Wolf and Grass Have Owners” incident had an incubation period and did not erupt on that day. The most prominent star that day was Dev. He had invested heavily in this grand performance, braving the extreme cold to pray wholeheartedly until dawn the next day.
Playing such a card of family loyalty at such a time proved extremely effective. Moreover, since Dev was not even 15 years old, his determination was all the more remarkable. Even Zhan Ga admitted inwardly that he was a “good actor.” Naturally, the people were deeply moved, and many sided with him just because of his attitude.
“Young Master Dev, it’s freezing cold—how can you endure kneeling all night like this? We truly appreciate your sincerity.”
“Yes, yes! Young Master Dev, please give up this idea. You might get seriously ill from the cold, and that would be terrible.”
“What if we find a compromise—pray inside the tent?”……
In response to the people’s sincere attempts to dissuade him, Dev said, “If I hope the gods will make an exception for those who haven’t converted yet, I must pray with utmost sincerity, endure what others cannot, and hold firm to my resolve. Only then might I succeed. I’m determined—this prayer must be completed!”
At that moment, Ebute, following the plan agreed upon earlier, along with the members of the guard team, read Dev’s words aloud three times to everyone.
These words carried great weight. Seeing Dev’s firm resolve, the people stopped trying to persuade him. Some, moved by his actions, decided to pray with him. Thus, a group of people knelt in the snow and ice facing east, praying in silence. The guard members separated the area and urged the crowd away, turning the scene solemn and dignified.
Zhan Ga had indeed planned to create some chaos secretly, but Ebute and his men took precautions, ensuring smooth security. Seeing no chance to act, Zhan Ga could only give up in frustration.
“Damn it, who are you trying to fool? There have been countless similar cases of sincere prayers for miracles over the years—how many of them have been answered? Does it work now that it’s your turn?” Resentful, Zhan Ga vowed, “From now on, I’ll watch those wretched scum closely. I’ll see how they recover, and I’ll see how you, you little liar, explain yourself after dawn. Hmph! Maybe you won’t even need to explain—just freeze yourself to death and muddle through…” Spitting more vicious curses, he headed toward the camp of the injured. “Keep freezing, fool!”
Nio had previously warned Valentina and Ebute that after Dev implemented a series of targeted strategies, Zhan Ga might resort to extreme measures, summoning his dark minions to attack overnight and disrupt the prayer ceremony. So, on that day, while outwardly relaxed, everything was tightly controlled. Almost everyone loyal to the lord was mobilized, keeping an eye not only on Zhan Ga but also on every suspicious target. Zhan Ga, convinced that Dev was using a “deception scheme” of impersonation—appearing to pray while secretly colluding with accomplices to deceive the people—aimed to expose Dev’s fraud and win by exposing it directly, thus matching Dev’s intensity.

“Little scammer, you’re still too inexperienced compared to me. Hmph, hmphh…” Zhanza took offense secretly at Dave, which instead saved him from trouble. Clearly, Zhanza’s guess was correct, but he had already failed from the start—the ‘miracle’ had already taken effect before Dave’s counterattack began. By the time he went to monitor things, it was already too late.

Nio left the infirmary for about 15 minutes. The curtain was lifted, and Gladith entered with great flair. Her surname, Klingental, made her the most privileged member of the migration group—a VIP. She didn’t have to do any labor work and could enter any place freely. Liz didn’t even lift her eyes, ignoring Gladith and continuing to prepare medicines. Gladith didn’t mind either; she went over to the bed and sat down, casually looking around. After a while, she said, “There’s a lot of interesting stuff happening today. It would be a shame not to watch it.”

Liz glanced at Gladith and said indifferently, “Spare me your meaningless pretenses. I’m very busy. Just get to the point if you have something to say.” Gladith was genuinely mocked, feeling embarrassed. Her expression turned cold, and her voice sharpened as she snapped, “Watch your attitude!”

Liz smiled slightly, with a hint of contempt, “Why should I show you respect? That ridiculous hostage status of yours, Klingental?” Her insult struck a nerve, and Gladith grew even angrier. She stood up with a gloomy expression. “So you really have no brains in that skull. Look closely—see what I have!” As she spoke, a brown glow began to surround her. Soon, a luminous figure emerged from the light—short, fat, and fierce-looking, with somewhat abstract features but still conveying a terrifying aura.

Liz smirked. “It’s just so-so!” As she spoke, her body also began to glow, with a delicate purple light that was very beautiful. Quickly, another luminous figure formed—a woman with graceful curves. Unlike Gladith’s fierce warrior, this figure not only had a body but also armor, with clear contours and realistic details. At first glance, it could easily be mistaken for a real person.

Gladith’s eyes widened. “You’ve also risen to the cadre level? When I saw you yesterday, you were only at the captain level!”

Indeed, when Gladith came to the infirmary to offer comfort accompanied by Valentina, she was surprised to find a member of the organization here, one with captain-level strength. She wasn’t sure if Liz had also discovered her identity, as Liz hadn’t responded to any of her hints. With Valentina around, it wasn’t convenient for her to make contact. Who would have thought such an unexpected change would occur overnight?

“Wait, is this… a clone for protection? That’s equivalent to rising three levels at once. Normal progression could never lead to something like this!”

Liz nodded proudly. “That’s right! According to the organization’s rules, you should show me respect, Miss Klingental!”

Gladith, as if possessed, continued analyzing, “How could there be such a significant improvement?! It can’t be that a leader has come to guide us—yes, that’s it! You used the Soul Implantation technique, right? It must be! Who? Valentina? Impossible—Valentina would never ally with a Spirit Sensei…”
“Dear Miss Lise, either show some humility now or disappear from my sight quickly. Didn’t you always find life in the Migration Team boring? Now you have something to do.”
“Very well!” A fierce look flashed in Gladith’s eyes as she turned and walked away. She had intended to take advantage of the organization’s ‘strength equals power’ system to force Liz under her control as a temporary subordinate, but it turned into a humiliating farce.
“You think this will suppress me? It’s not that easy! My ‘Power Warrior’ has also reached the critical point for growth and will break through soon. Just watch!”
At the thought of her Power Warrior’s growth, Gladith’s first thought was Neio. “If I could extract this guy’s soul and life energy, my Power Warrior would surely achieve a significant level-up. Too bad…”
Gladith wasn’t only disappointed that Neio wasn’t in the Migration Team and thus hard to exploit as a target, but she also regretted his relatively low strength. In her current situation, the souls and life energy of professionals above level 5 and below level 10 were the most desirable; a level 4 warrior like Neio was a bit too inexperienced.
“What a desolate place—no decent professionals at all!” Gladith felt frustrated. Due to the scarcity of resources, she had to be careful, especially since Neio was a promising candidate she planned to nurture before killing him or using him as emergency food.
Just then, Rooted, in a bad mood, came from the opposite direction. He had been sent to the injured camp as a supervisor. He was sure Dave would cheat, but he didn’t trust anyone else to watch over him, so he decided to keep an eye on things himself all night long.
“Hello, Miss Lise!” Rooted was always polite around ladies, especially since Gladith had a pretty face and attractive figure.
“Hello, instructor…” Gladith smiled seductively at Rooted. She had already found a replacement for Neio—Rooted, a level 4 warrior who, from a data perspective, was even slightly better than Neio. She thought, “I’ll keep nurturing Neio for a while longer. This one can barely serve as dessert—what a bargain!”
A glorious title sparked a wonderful beginning. Rooted was a master at reading expressions, and the subtle hints in Gladith’s seductive eyes made his heart race. “This woman—well-proportioned, full-figured, full of elasticity, playful yet wild… really intriguing!”
Rooted’s lustful gaze was also noticed by Gladith, who was an expert in such matters, so her smile grew even wider…
By this time, Neio had already left the camp and was heading east toward the Fast Wind Squad’s base. After marching during the day, the Fast Wind Squad had overtaken the Migration Team and set up camp about 12 kilometers away from them. By the time Neio arrived at the camp, it had been dark for a while. He happened to meet Barret, who was on patrol after dinner, so the two walked toward the tent while chatting.
“Have you gone to check out what’s going on in Wurtzburg?”

Barrett nodded. “Mach and Tony went there. It’s already occupied by the man-beasts, and the two didn’t dare approach to investigate.”
Nio showed his teeth. Watzburg belonged to Baron Bafas’s territory, and together with Horilor Castle, they formed part of Bafas’s Dual Castles formation. For a long time, Watzburg had been Bafas’s political and economic center, one of the earliest human colonies in the Erdrit region, with a history older than that of the city of Sols. It had served as a forward base for humans moving westward, holding a relatively strategic position—like a giant sentinel, monitoring and guarding the southeast corner of Erdrit.
“Within less than 2 kilometers from our camp, we found hoofprints of man-beasts. They’re quite recent, and there are multiple sets. Roughly speaking, from Watzburg to the edge of the forest is their range of exploration. It will be very difficult for the migration group to evade their scout riders!”
Even without Barrett saying anything, Nio knew the threat posed by the man-beasts stationed in Watzburg to the migration group. The migration group had to move east along the southern foothills of the Annuel Mountains and then north along the Dibinues Mountains to reach the Moroloro Mountain Road leading to the territory of Hilfanis. Traveling along the outermost route, at the migration group’s speed, it would take about 3 days to cross, while the man-beasts could control this triangular area with just over 3 squadrons of scout riders.