Chapter 24: Night

Indeed, as Bogleam said, a team is not like a dictatorship—in a dictatorship, you say what to do, and others just follow; it’s more straightforward. In a team, everyone’s opinions must be valued, especially when it comes to principled issues, which require everyone’s approval.

At the beginning of the Swift Wind team, Bogleam raised a significant question: We are independent, and our team’s mission also emphasizes the importance of preserving our strength. Yet, the challenge ahead far exceeds what our team’s capabilities can handle. In other words, this is a classic suicide mission. Theoretically, the Swift Wind team should learn to make choices and refuse such missions.

Nio smiled slightly and said to everyone, “Let me explain this issue. In my view, what we’re facing now is part of the mission to ‘assist in escorting the people of Tures and Mathuya to migrate eastward,’ not a separate task. There are two key aspects to this mission: first, our relatives are involved, and second, we need to rely on the help of the migration group.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “Some of you might disagree with me. We can gather our families and, with our survival skills, fully capable of migrating eastward on our own. Yes, I believe we can do it. I have confidence in myself and in all of you. But we can’t do that. We need to think further ahead. Our wings aren’t fully grown yet. Before that, we still need the help of Tures and Asia. Not to mention, in Asia, no one wants to be reclassified as a refugee, right? And you also don’t want your families exposed and turned into bargaining chips one day, facing a difficult choice, right?”

The team members looked at each other, seeing recognition in each other’s eyes.

“There’s one more thing I want to emphasize,” Nio said. “One must know how to be grateful. I don’t care about the hardships in this world, nor do I want to talk about injustice and darkness. We only need to ask ourselves whether we have a clear conscience. This mission isn’t for the lord—it’s for everyone: our neighbors, friends, acquaintances, homeland, and the past. This is our farewell gift and also our first mission. We must not only complete it but do it excellently. That’s our motto—if we do it, we must do it to the best of our ability.”

“Boss, but our strength is a bit weak!” Edward said shyly.

These words resonated with many. Everyone can say nice words, but it takes strength to take on dangerous tasks. Most of those present weren’t sure about their abilities, as at least half of them had never truly fought against enemies before.

“It’s good that you can recognize your shortcomings. As I read out the team rules earlier, everyone heard that we need to maintain three types of awareness: crisis awareness, competitive awareness, and combat awareness. Simply put: if you want to eat meat, your teeth must be sharp, your claws must be strong, you must think diligently, cooperate closely, and be willing to sacrifice. These aren’t things that can be achieved overnight. I will lead everyone to strive toward this goal. As for now, brothers, do you really think I’m the kind of fool who would lead you on a suicidal charge at a fortress full of enemies, completely unarmed?”

The team members chuckled.
“Thank you all. No one said I resembled them—obviously, everyone still has some confidence in me.”
The team members laughed again.
“Nobody can become strong, experienced, and skilled overnight. All of this is achieved through countless trials. Take the simplest example: when the members of the Migration Group find out we have the sharpest weapons, warm cotton clothes, and comfortable boots, won’t they be envious? Won’t they whisper behind our backs, ‘Look at them—keeping themselves warm, not suffering at all in such cold weather’?”
“Yes!” Vitz shouted first. “The four of us, riding wolves at the entrance of the Migration Group’s camp, made those two militia members drool. Their envy was written all over their faces!”
Nio asked again, “What was it like when we first gathered?”
Vitz replied, “We wore the tiniest, shabbiest clothes, held broken weapons, and were freezing like chicks. Our biggest wish was to get a bowl of hearty meat soup. Back then, I thought the Migration Group had abandoned us under some noble pretext, leaving us to fend for ourselves.”
Many team members sighed in agreement. They had felt similar things too. Thinking back then and comparing it to now, the difference was obvious.
“Why did we go from being outcasts to being envied by everyone?” Nio asked himself and answered, “Because we worked hard. We traveled tirelessly, stayed alert to the enemy’s attacks, and did countless tasks. While the Migration Group members reminisced about the good old days, we were working. While they ate and chatted, we were working. While they went to bed early, we were still working. Of course, we reaped more rewards. Of course, there’s a key trick here—use your brains. Everyone needs to use their intelligence. To put it bluntly, everyone should strive to be skilled workers, not just dumb laborers. Who earns more money? I don’t need to explain further, right?”
“No need!”
“Good. As long as everyone is willing to work hard and put in effort, everything else is manageable. If not, we still have solutions. Rules are necessary. Now that there are regulations in place and everyone is watching, anyone who holds back the team will face consequences. I don’t want to use these punishments, but I won’t tolerate anyone either. Finally, one last thing: everyone, remember to maintain good communication. If you have problems, ideas, difficulties, or needs, speak up. Hiding them and letting others guess isn’t good—we’re not shy girls…”
The conversation gradually shifted to lighter topics. Nio knew that personal confidence and a sense of honor were largely nurtured through one victory after another. Especially in the early stages, a lot of administrative work had to be done, and it couldn’t be rushed. It required steady progress, repeated emphasis, and constant encouragement—just like raising chickens, where the early stage is the most critical and requires extra effort.

That day,Neo only scheduled one lesson: memorizing the codes. From then on, before going to bed every day, “Neo is our boss.” was replaced by memorizing the codes. Compared to his companions,Neo placed much greater emphasis on intelligence. Before formulating a strategy, he decided to investigate the strength of the man-beasts stationed in Wurtzburg.
“Mach, how good are your stealth skills?”
“If we ignore the smell, dealing with man-beasts isn’t a problem.”
“Hmm. Get some rest early. Come with me to scout Wurtzburg before dawn.”
“Okay.”
Neo handed over his daily tasks to Barret, who would lead the team to continue working. Their current task was to make rubber armor, with the primary goal being that each member should have their own chest plate. Since rubber could be melted and reused repeatedly, it was possible to customize it individually—a privilege usually reserved for commanders in regular armies.
Before bed, Mach checked his equipment, whileNeo used the Sowing and Reaping method to draw life energy. The soil had already been prepared by Barret and the others earlier: standard rectangular wooden troughs measuring 4×2×0.5 meters, filled with the black soil characteristic of the Erdrit region. Under the light, it emitted a moist glow—not just from being wet, but also due to the full integration of earth elements.
It was his first time using the Sowing and Reaping method, soNeo was somewhat nervous. He took out thorn seeds that looked like small branches from his pocket and planted them evenly in the soil. According to Ji, these tree seeds, derived from the main trunk of the Thorn Willow Vine, required as much time to grow as an entire generation, and with the influence of the Tree-Builder energy, it was best to plant and harvest frequently.
After planting the seeds, Ji appeared from his thorn collar to assistNeo in casting the spell. For a long time untilNeo could cast spells independently, Ji’s presence would greatly improve efficiency and reduce consumption.
Harvesting often began with giving, and the Sowing and Reaping method was no exception. With Ji’s help, life energy was released fromNeo’s body, forming cloud-like masses of light above the planting troughs. Then, fine green lights fell like dust, creating glowing spots on the soil surface that soon disappeared. The tree seeds sprouted at a visible pace under this light.
“Water!” At Ji’s reminder,Neo picked up the prepared watering can and sprayed water. IfNeo had mastered the basic use of water elements, this moment would have seen misty clouds of water. There should also have been light, from the use of fire elements, but afterNeo embraced dark energy, the entire system changed, so the plants from the Sowing and Reaping method could only rely on moonlight. Without a moon, the flickering light from the nearby brazier was sufficient.
As the Thorn Willow Vine began to grow faster, harvesting started. Under the spell’s effect, green glows continuously rose from the vine and converged into the cloud-like masses of light in the air, while the dust-like lights continued to fall, creating a visually pleasing interaction.

The scene reminded Neo of what Ji had said—that if his control was strong enough, he could transform an area of over ten thousand mu in this way. “What kind of scene would that be like? What would it feel like to have such power to command wind and rain?” Thinking of this, Neo was filled with desire and enthusiasm.

Because of the nurturing force at work, the second growth phase of thethe vine of the Chinese willow ended in just over an hour. Ji told Neo that thethe vine of the Chinese willow was itself a mutated plant, with super-fast metabolism being one of its characteristics. Its advantage lay in rapid planting and harvesting. But for a beginner like Neo, plants with a slower second growth phase were more conducive to improving his techniques, as mastery came through practice—slowly at first, then faster. Moreover, the yield would be 10-20% higher, and with a large total amount, that 10-20% was significant enough to cover all initial costs, including Ji’s.

“Where should I go to find, and how do I find, suitable plants?”

Ji suggested, “You should talk to Nature Druids and Balance Druids. Both usually also study herbology. The former have extensive knowledge of plants, while the latter are skilled in understanding and utilizing star energy and moon energy. If you can get their guidance or teachings, it will be very beneficial to you. As for me, I can only roughly assess whether a plant is suitable based on intuition—of course, this brings in my personal preferences. Even among plants, there are allies and enemies.”

After absorbing the life light floating in the air, the planting process was complete. Just then, Mah entered to report on the preparations, so Neo asked Mah to help carry the planting trough outside the tent, where there were prepared shallow pits. Thethe vine of the Chinese willow was moved there to continue growing, so that seed branches could be harvested later.

Mah stared at thethe vine of the Chinese willow, which emitted a faint green light, with clear surprise in his eyes. Neo explained, “The life energy in healing magic is drawn from plant-based organisms—it’s green and pollution-free.”

Mah laughed. “Green and pollution-free” was a phrase coined by radical reformers in one of Frey’s heavily polluted industrial towns. Hearing it here seemed somewhat playful. Additionally, Neo’s honesty increased Mah’s goodwill even further. For ordinary spellcasters, this would be a closely guarded secret, feared to be exposed and revealing their true capabilities, which could be detrimental to them.

Neo’s biological clock was quite precise. When he woke up and checked the hourglass, it was just after 5 a.m. Mah was highly alert; even without any loud noises, he woke up.

“How long has it been since you had a proper sleep?” Neo asked casually as he got dressed.

Mah smirked self-deprecatingly, “Since I was 12…”

Neo stopped what he was doing and glanced up at Mah. “Clearly, happiness needs comparison. I feel happy now.”

Mah smiled. “I hope to meet someone soon who allows me to compare happiness.”

Neo also smiled. “Hmm, worth looking forward to. I think once we get to Asia, we can take a few days off for ourselves.”

“Hopefully!” Mah also wasn’t very optimistic about Asia’s situation. As the supply hub for the entire Frey faction, it was already chaotic enough under normal circumstances, and given the scale of the dark forces’ invasion of Erdrit’s territory, it was hard not to target it. Such reasoning wasn’t something only Neo could come up with.

Helping Mah tighten the straps on his back, Neo turned to face him and said, “The armor design you provided is very practical and unique.”

The armor fit Mah tightly and snugly. The front of his chest and abdomen had reinforced sections, and his shoulders, in addition to straps, featured shoulder pads with front buckles. This way, even without shoulder plates, it provided some protection without looking bulky. Another distinctive feature was the collar, which was lower in the front and higher at the back. The front and sides were thickened by coarse fibers, while the back was exceptionally sturdy, not only protecting half of his skull but also containing a two-finger-width steel rod. This rod wasn’t straight but curved to match the shape of his back, extending all the way to his hips. Mah had mentioned before that it served as a spinal protector.

Neo still remembered clearly every word Mah had said when discussing this concept of armor. He said he knew of a type of armor called bionic armor, whose design was inspired by that of ancient warrior armor from a mythical land. The best examples of this type of armor featured magically generated bones and muscles, a magical blood network, and synthetic flesh, offering better protection than ordinary armor. It was form-fitting and lightweight, and even metal detectors couldn’t detect its presence.

Mah’s words inspired a new approach to armor design in Neo. He had decided to incorporate these new elements into his second set of combat armor and the new armor he would create for Valentina.

Mah possessed not only knowledge and information but also combat skills. Neo hadn’t delved deeper into them yet, but at least he knew that Mah was at least one level better than him in archery.

Mah also chose a beastbone bow, not the strongest one, but rather the most compact. With Neo’s help, it was modified into a recurve bow. Additionally, Mah’s arrows were homemade and disposable. They had special air channels on the shafts, allowing them to travel fast with minimal noise, reminiscent of the precision crossbows often used by assassins.

For close combat, Mah chose a short dagger, only 30 centimeters long, but with a handle wide enough to be held with both hands. As per Mah’s requirements, the upper part of the blade had an elegant curve, but the tip wasn’t a smooth cone shape rather had a distinct bevel. Neo had seen such blade designs in barbarian-style weapons before, but he had never seen one that combined elegance and ruggedness so perfectly and simply. Almost instinctively, Neo knew this weapon had a logical design and immense lethality.

“Was the design concept for this weapon also from those ancient warrior warriors?” Neo had asked when crafting this weapon for Mah.

“Yes, originally there were two versions—one long and one short—similar in design but with different blade curves, clearly using different techniques in combination. Those techniques have been lost; we only know from the design that this weapon must be very powerful for cutting and slashing.”
Tonight, aside from Mah’s uniquely styled outfit, Neo also brought a completely new type of clothing: a one-piece bodysuit.
“This thing looks…”
Neo smiled. “A bit disgusting, right?”
Mah curled his lips. To him, the bodysuit looked like a clump of something made from sewage from a cesspool mixed with some kind of resin.
“I obtained the formula for this rubber armor by accident during experimentation. This time, I added the ashes of Dark Hand minions. Wearing it allows me to deceive Terrestrian hounds from a distance of 12 meters.”
Mah was surprised. “Was it this that enabled you to infiltrate Tulip Town alone?”
“The conditions weren’t as good back then.”
Despite having armor and undergarments underneath, the bodysuit still made the two of them look extremely strange.
Mah reached out and touched it. “I feel like I’ve turned into some kind of water monster living in a stinky swamp.”
“If that’s the case, the river near Wurtzburg might really let us show our skills.”
The river in Wurtzburg wasn’t actually small—after all, it provided more than half of the water needed for the lives of over 2,000 people there. Perhaps because humans and beasts didn’t have a clear concept of artificial waterways, Neo and Mah were able to enter Wurtzburg through the waterways without much trouble.
Instead of choosing an obvious ladder leading to the surface, the two climbed up through a stone well.
Wurtzburg had over 400 residential buildings along with some infrastructure, covering a total area of 1.5 square kilometers. Neo and Mah first arrived at the southern area of the outer fortress. After agreeing on a time and meeting place, they went their separate ways—Mah to search for important locations and targets, while Neo used his skills to investigate the enemy’s distribution and approximate numbers.
Beasts were most active in the afternoons and just before nightfall; at this time, most of them were sound asleep. Beasts were burrowing animals, and human houses seemed too small and cramped for them, but they were still better than spending the night in the cold wind and ice. Thus, the residential houses they used as nests were easily recognizable—with doors completely destroyed.
Beasts had a vigilance level similar to that of wild animals—not as exaggerated as rumors suggested, but certainly higher than that of ordinary people. Yet, for a stealthy infiltrator like Neo, who was agile, skilled, well-prepared, and had sharp hearing and smell, they were powerless to defend against him.
The cold wind kept blowing in through the broken doors. Neo didn’t have to worry about bringing cold air into the rooms and waking the sleeping beasts. Nor did he need to use those creaking wooden stairs, which were too narrow for beasts, who preferred to live on the ground floors of houses.

The establishment of the dark attribute greatly enhanced Neo’s dark vision. In his human form, he could now see over 120 meters away. Even within 100 meters, it was like daytime without sun, even in the absence of stars or moon. After some observations, Neo confirmed that the ones stationed here were Red Ghosts, but he wasn’t sure if they were the same group that had been ambushed by Valentina once. He also noticed that the man-beasts in some rooms didn’t huddle together in threes or twos but slept alone. Generally, their auras were more subdued, and their heartbeats were slow yet strong—Neo knew these were the elite among the man-beasts.

“Weapons…” Neo spotted iron weapons. The man-beasts were generally taller and stronger than humans, and they preferred using weapons like long-handled axes, large hammers, big guns, and great swords. Although the weapons he saw were crude, he could infer from their sophisticated forging and manufacturing techniques that they were likely made by human craftsmen.

Neo continued his exploration. Besides weapons, he found shields and armor used by the man-beasts. Clearly, the man-beasts were stationed in Wurtzburg not only because it was a good lair but also to boost their overall combat strength. They must have human slaves to craft weapons and equipment for them, as well as to produce whatever they wanted…

“A giant iron cart?” Neo stared in confusion at the enormous iron cart in front of him, with wheels alone standing 2 meters tall. The cart was equipped with huge cages, whose steel frames were not only thick but also had wide gaps—enough for an adult to easily escape by turning sideways. “What’s this for? Hunting thunder elephants? Holding other man-beasts? Or is it a mobile home for them?”

Due to time constraints, Neo had to give up further investigation and speed up his scouting. Along the way, he encountered several Red Ghost patrol teams with bucktoothed hyenas, all of which he managed to evade successfully without incident.

After completing his mission, Neo returned to the rendezvous point, where he saw Mach emerging from behind a wooden shed. “Neo, I’ve found some interesting guests.”

“Guests? The man-beasts’?”

“Yes, humans.” Mach’s reply made Neo realize that the situation here was likely much more complicated than he had imagined…