《The Mysterious Tribulation》 Chapter 1 translator: 549690339 in a dark, damp cave. swirling shadows are illuminated by the faint light of pale candles, revealing more than a dozen black-robed figures writhing and contorting on the rock walls¡­ ¡°mother nature, queen of the forest, source of all life!¡± ¡°with fervent devotion, i offer you sacrifices of enemy blood, the flesh of prey, and the bones of ancestors!¡± ¡°please grant us abundant harvests, youth, and power¡­¡± ¡­ the leading figure loudly prays, cutting a succulent piece of venison with a silver dagger in his hand and placing it on the stone altar. on the altar, there are large blotches of blood, viscera, intestines, and a few pale bones. dark red drops of blood trickle down the crevices of the stone platform. bloody, terrifying, mysterious¡­ all of this seems like a ritual sacrifice performed by the followers of a sinister god. aaron sotos wears a pious expression and follows the crowd carefully, yet his heart is devoid of emotion, even somewhat amused. ¡®after sixteen years of crossing through time, i am certain that there is no supernatural power in this territory, including the sotos family¡¯s primitive worship of the barbarian goddess ¡ª [green banyan tree grandmother].¡¯ ¡®of course, in this barbaric age, deeply rooted in religious habits, revealing oneself as a non-believer would be foolish. how many religious reformations throughout history have not resulted in fatalities? even in another world, it¡¯s the same!¡¯ ¡®furthermore, my father, a rigid noble and the high priest of the sotos family, worships this goddess, and i am just a second son. to go against him, claiming the gods are illusions¡­ is just courting death.¡¯ ¡®besides, i must admit that religion can be useful in placating the civilians and consolidating feudal rule.¡¯ therefore, even if it¡¯s just an act, aaron sotos must play his part as the son of a noble. he has black curly hair, gray-purple eyes that seem to contain endless wisdom and mystery, a tall, straight nose, and lips that often carry a slight smile. his slender and erect figure easily gives people a good impression at first sight. although aaron has some gripes about the sotos family surname, he is still very grateful to be reincarnated into a noble family. after all, in this ancient society with high infant mortality rates, low literacy rates among civilians, and people at risk of death from simple diseases or injuries, being born a noble means at least not starving to death and having the opportunity to receive an education. because of his cautious nature and two lifetimes of experience, aaron, though a second son, has led a relatively good life and has a strong physique due to his insistence on physical exercise to avoid illness and death. with idle thoughts running through his mind, aaron follows the large group of black-clad people, actually the high-ranking members of the sotos territory, as they complete the ritual and exit the cave one by one. whoosh! the fresh air rushes to meet them, making everyone want to take a deep breath involuntarily. turning back to look, aaron sees that the cave is situated beneath a massive banyan tree. the massive tree crown blocks the sky, and numerous aerial roots dangle from the branches, countless roots deeply embedded in the rocky walls, forming a strange symbiotic relationship. in the distance, under the bright sunlight and cloudless azure sky, is a european-style building constructed mainly of round logs. some of the logs, which have not yet been stripped of their bark, still have a few sprouts full of vitality on their surfaces. a gentle breeze blows, as black ravens circle and dance in the sky, emitting hoarse and unpleasant cries. an exceptionally beautiful raven, with a cylindrical object strapped to its leg, lands on the highest window of the central building, a castle tower made of huge rocks. ¡°crows cawing, an ominous sign¡­ but in this world, ravens just serve as messengers for lords. there¡¯s no such superstition about bad luck¡­¡± ¡°a raven messenger has arrived; it seems something has happened in the castle.¡± aaron thought casually. ¡°let¡¯s return to the castle!¡± the leading black-clothed man, who had conducted the ceremony earlier, had taken off his black robe, revealing a grey wolf-skin coat underneath. there was a slash from a long sword at the position of the wolf¡¯s head, and he wore a pair of deer-skin boots. his face was resolute, like granite, and his deep purple eyes stared intently in the direction of the castle. this was theodore sotos, aaron¡¯s father, protector of the lower green forest, lord of the sotos domain, and a commanding ruler. his deep voice issued an order, and he casually threw the black robe to aaron without glancing at his son. he then mounted his warhorse. the group left quickly, with a golden-haired young man in his twenties looking back, seemingly in comfort, as if bragging or showing off. he rode a pure white steed, following closely behind theodore, as if to display his position as the heir to the territory. aaron seemed unaware, as he didn¡¯t feel much affection for colin, his half-brother from the same father anyway, so he waited silently until the end. he could feel colin¡¯s faint hostility towards him, but not too much, probably because aaron didn¡¯t pose much of a threat. after all, as someone who had experienced rebirth in the womb, it was hard to play cute as a child, and any emotional attachment required input and cultivation. even someone who has raised another¡¯s child for over a decade may feel closer to that child than their own, who they¡¯ve never nurtured. young aaron found it challenging to become close to a stranger. as time went on, theodore¡¯s indifference and distance from aaron became a matter of course. however, aaron did not regret it. a threatening heir would be more of a provocation to colin, as his third brother who broke his leg in a horseriding accident was a prime example. yes, this third brother was the son of the third wife lord theodore had married. his first two wives died in childbirth and from illness, respectively, whereas this third wife, lady sonia, not only bore him a son but also a daughter. aaron skillfully mounted his horse and followed the group back to the castle. at the castle gates, a group of people was already waiting. leading the group were theodore¡¯s wife sonia and sister jinnie, accompanied by the castle¡¯s butler and scholar. at this moment, the scholar held a letter in his hand. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only theodore took it and scanned the contents. his expression darkened as he said solemnly, ¡°the davis family of upper green forest wants to dissolve the sacred marriage pact signed under the banyan tree¡ªthis is a declaration of war!¡± aaron immediately saw a look of deep pain on colin¡¯s previously proud face. ¡®well, after all, it¡¯s colin who¡¯s engaged to the davis family¡­ it¡¯s unscientific for a time-traveler like me not to be broken up with! although¡­i don¡¯t have a fianc¨¦e anyway¡­¡¯ he silently ridiculed the situation in his heart, casting a somewhat sympathetic look at colin. even for some time-travelers who were reborn as the offspring of nobles, being dumped was a great shame, let alone for an ordinary young man. Chapter 2 translator: 549690339 medieval castles, built for defensive purposes, were constructed with massive rocks, and they had small windows, resulting in poor lighting conditions. particularly in the main hall of the sotos castle, many candles had to be lit even during the day. aaron stood in the corner, watching as his father, elder brother, and several knights animatedly debated something. however, his eyes were fixed on the white candles. ¡®in this world with low productivity, civilians too use candles or oil lamps for illumination, but the castles use beeswax candles which produce minimal smoke when burning. however, civilians could only resort to paraffin candles or animal fat¡­indeed excessive use might blind them.¡¯ as for the dispute between his father and his staff, and the conflict with the neighboring territory, aaron knew all too well. that being said, he had great admiration for the time travellers in the novels from his previous life. they could single-handedly spur technological advancement, even industrial upgrading, as if their minds were filled with encyclopedic knowledge. as for him, a humanities scholar, he could only recall some very limited and incomplete pieces of information. of course, even this limited information is exceedingly valuable in this era. however, aaron sotos was simply devoid of enthusiasm. after all, there was colin, the legitimate heir. there was no way theodore, a traditional noble, would allow him to inherit the territory, and due to his desire to consolidate power, theodore opposed all actions that could potentially fragment the territory. as the second son of the family, he would receive a meager inheritance when he came of age, and then, he had to make his own way in life. once, aaron attempted it, he went through numerous failures before figuring out a cheap and durable production method for paper, thus establishing a paper mill. but, his titular father, sir theodore, after a superficial word of praise, ordered the butler to seize the mill and make it public property. this action immediately dashed aaron¡¯s hopes, making him fully aware of his predicament. though his reincarnation technique was decent, it still lacked something crucial. not only did the strict traditional etiquettes of the ancient east exploit people, but western customs likewise. in the territory, the lord¡¯s word was law! any resistance without actual power was laughable! moreover, he could count himself lucky that he wasn¡¯t a civilian or the most lowly serf. once, aaron had witnessed a clever serf child, trying to report a case of tax official corruption during colin¡¯s field inspection. however, before the child could even reach colin, for obstructing the noble¡¯s path with his filthy body, he was kicked half-dead by the guards. as for what was being shouted, colin didn¡¯t even feel like listening! since then, aaron became even more cautious, or perhaps silent. as for getting rid of colin, to take charge directly? truthfully, he had considered this but upon weighing their respective supporters and status in theodore¡¯s heart, he forwent this not-so-appealing idea. after all, because he presented himself as weak, colin, though he didn¡¯t like him much, didn¡¯t kill him outright. to attack colin first still felt somewhat unacceptable. just a single paper mill was sufficient compensation for leeching off on the family for so many years. the conflict between sotos family and davis family was also primarily caused by this mill. the profits from the paper mill had led to the davis family coveting it, they even sent spies earlier. after the clan leaders on both sides discussed it a few times, a peace treaty was finally agreed upon. their direct descendants getting engaged was a symbol of this agreement. but now¡­ ¡°the davis family is not satisfied with our previous solution, they want more¡­¡± theodore pulled out a dagger, slammed it onto the wooden table, the tail end still trembling, ¡°we must make them understand, they¡¯ve made a colossal mistake!¡± the men in the hall roared savagely, with colin being the most red-faced and hoarse. aaron also followed in shouting a few slogans, with little enthusiasm. for some reason, theodore glanced towards the corner, ¡°aaron, you are also sixteen, a grown man now. it¡¯s time for you to go to the battlefield and earn your own honors.¡± ¡°yes, father.¡± aaron paused for a moment before responding calmly. this was after all a society where two lords could get into a fight over a wild boar, he considered himself rather fortunate to have lasted so long without being drafted into the military. ¡­ as night falls. ¡°even so, it sucks that while colin got his engagement annulled, i have to go to war for him. swords bear no love, i could die¡­i don¡¯t want to leave the pretty maid at home¡­¡± bare-chested, aaron waved at a blushing beautiful maid to leave the room. staring at the closed door, he thought to himself. at this moment, aaron felt no desire or want, like a sage, who with eyes closed stepped into dreamland. his sleep quality had always been good. basically, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he would fall asleep. ¡°when i close my eyes, the world ceases to exist¡­¡± ¡­ his body was falling, and abruptly jolted. aaron opened his eyes and saw a vast azure sea: ¡°here again, the same dream!¡± as a time traveler, he had a unique ability, albeit useless: as soon as he fell asleep, he would enter into this dream and remain lucid as if he were dreaming consciously. even when he was still a baby, aaron had entered this dream and saw this magnificent sea. as for himself, he was in a quite peculiar state, seeming to be hovering just above the sea surface, without any weight. he was like a ghost, able to pass through any object, yet devoid of power, unable to even lift a speck of dust. it was as if¡­he were nothing more than a pure observer, a prisoner bound to one location. aaron even doubted whether this was just a special dream, and not a unique ability. not until he repeatedly tried and found himself always entering the same dream, did he have to reluctantly admit that this might not be a dream but another world. ¡°but¡­why am i situated in a huge sea?¡± aaron was speechless; he was nauseated from looking at the sea surface. however, as time passed, he noticed that his consciousness seemed to be gradually strengthening. or in other words, each night¡¯s dream seemed to be augmenting the power of his consciousness. until tonight! the accumulation of sixteen years seemed to have finally reached a certain limit! boom! aaron sotos felt an indescribable sensation. his consciousness expanded infinitely as if it had broken some chains, extending and expanding limitlessly¡­ disordered, chaotic¡­he felt as if he were in the heart of a void, where distorted remnants danced with green flames and the mad sound of a flute¡­ a powerful force surged in his heart. it was as if he could change everything before him with a simple wave of his hand! he chuckled. looking at the sea surface that hadn¡¯t changed in sixteen years, and the sun in the sky, he thought somewhat madly, ¡°it would be fun if it were red.¡± no sooner had he thought it, than aaron felt as if a floodgate in his consciousness opened, and the power that had been accumulating for sixteen years poured out! in the sky, the ancient sun suddenly developed spots of crimson, which connected and spread to dye the entire sun red! the crimson light shone down, covering the earth, the sea¡­ within this light, there seemed to be unspeakable horrors and strangeness hidden. splash! the sea surface split open, and numerous fish emerged. then their scales burst open as if many worms were wriggling beneath their flesh, growing sharp claws and teeth¡­ the monstrous fish gathered, biting, eating, and merging with each other¡­ not far away, a larger shadow appeared. a whale-like creature emerged as the eventual victor and began an even more insane mutation¡­ ¡°i¡­ i didn¡¯t mean to do this¡­¡± feeling his consciousness regressing to the weakness of his infancy, coupled with the gradual release from madness, aaron wanted to cry but had no tears. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only at this time, fragmented information started to surface in his mind: ¡°[i am the dream, the entropy, the everything!]¡± ¡°[i exist independently of all dimensions, i am indescribable, difficult to name!]¡± ¡°[i am omnipotent!]¡± ¡°[i am¡­the ¡®dream creator¡¯]!¡± Chapter 3 translator: 549690339 the next day, the sun rose as usual in the lower green forest. aaron sotos prayed in his heart while pulling open the curtains. seeing the golden morning sun shining through the window, he finally let out a sigh of relief: ¡°fortunately¡­ fortunately, it¡¯s not here.¡± the scene in his dream last night, or rather in the gold finger world, was simply horrifying. aaron sotos was afraid that he had actually changed the real world, which would have been playing with his own life, a typical example of a time traveler causing his own death. ¡®but all i wanted to do was change the color of the sun, why did the whole world change? ¡­ it seems that there was some terrifying pollution in that crimson sunlight that instantly made the whole world mutate, and there was a sense of madness that came with that power. could it be¡­ that there¡¯s something wrong with my gold finger?¡¯ aaron sotos opened the drawer and took out a black notebook, his observer¡¯s diary, half of which was filled with dense and barely legible square characters that only he could understand. ¡­ [known: after various investigations, the knights and scholars in the territory currently do not possess mysterious powers.] [known: ¡®green rong tree grandmother¡¯ is just an ordinary primitive nature-worship totem and has never manifested miracles.] [known: through covert probing of maids and others, no one has traveled through dreams to a clear world.] [in summary, it can be preliminarily concluded that ¡®dream world¡¯ is my gold finger.] [through setting goals and references, continuous observation experiments have confirmed that the dream world has basic rules of operation and is not a world i have imagined¡­ the flow of time in the real world is not consistent.] ¡­ [month of green rong rooting, 15th day, followed my father in worshipping ¡®green rong tree grandmother¡¯, dreamt of that world again at night, changed the sun on that side, causing the whole world to undergo crazy mutations¡­ speculate that my gold finger powers may lean towards chaos? or contain a factor of madness?] the rigid quill dipped in ink left a beautiful mark on the slightly yellowed paper, but aaron¡¯s expression was very solemn. he paused in his writing, dipped in ink again, and continued: [after changing the world, the sense of consciousness is extremely weak, as if returning to infancy.] [speculation: with each dream, or rather, after each day in reality, my ¡®power¡¯ in the dream world will increase slightly, reaching a certain ¡®limit¡¯ last night? although the accumulated power has disappeared, a qualitative change may have already occurred?] [dream world items cannot be brought into this world, and the power of the dream world does not seem to affect me in the real world¡­ so¡­ what¡¯s the use of this dream? i can¡¯t even prove whether it¡¯s real or fake!]] [conclusion: trash gold finger!] aaron put the finishing touch to his writing and closed the notebook with a sigh. in this different world, having a trash gold finger was really quite saddening. although last night¡¯s performance proved that the gold finger may not be that useless, it still served no great purpose. there was still no solution to the impending war. ¡°although it¡¯s just a small-scale armed fight between village and town leaders, carelessness could still lead to death.¡± with a touch of emotion, aaron came to the dining room and had breakfast with his family. the breakfast was quite rich, with baked bacon and white bread, various fresh fruits, and milk. theodore, sonia, colin, and jinnie were all present. besides them, there was a bear-child in his teens with a white cloth tied to his leg and a wooden board attached ¨C aaron¡¯s third brother, sean sotos. after the death of aaron¡¯s birth mother due to illness, the lord soon married his third wife, and their relationship was quite good. especially after the birth of sean, colin¡¯s biggest enemy and competitor appeared. however, at this moment, the bear-child sean was cutting his food with a knife and fork while casting a seemingly flaunting glance at aaron. ¡®what is this? showing off that you don¡¯t have to go to the battlefield when you¡¯re wounded? no, you don¡¯t even have to go to the battlefield at all¡­¡¯ aaron rolled his eyes and sat down in his seat. theodore¡¯s dining time was extremely quiet, and the surrounding butlers and maids did not dare to make a sound. the whole dining table only had the occasional sound of cutlery. finally, aaron heard his father¡¯s voice: ¡°regarding this battle, aaron, what do you think?¡± ¡°father sir ¡­¡± aaron organized his language: ¡°from a moral perspective, the other party has violated the sacred marriage contract, and we have sufficient reasons to send troops, but from the terrain¡¯s perspective, the other party occupies the upper reaches of the green forest, and can move downstream with high mobility¡­¡± the vast green forest territory has two lords, davis and sotos, who are said to have some blood relations in their ancestry. but without a doubt, by this generation, it has become very thin. now, they are about to meet in arms. ¡­ breakfast time quickly passed. aaron watched coldly by the sidelines and discovered that lady sonia, while appearing graceful, occasionally glanced at colin, looking very playful. ¡®it seems that this lady has eight chances to believe that sean¡¯s fall from the horse was colin¡¯s doing¡­ after all, he is the eldest son and sean¡¯s biggest enemy¡­ well, my goal is the smallest, but i can¡¯t be careless. sometimes when the eldest and second child fight, it¡¯s easy to get the third child killed.¡¯ as if pondering, aaron came to the training ground in front of the castle. he originally had the habit of exercising every day, and with the war approaching, he needed to sharpen his skills even more. aaron looked at his own weapon rack, and on the black wooden rack, there hung two weapons. one of the swords had a long, thin blade, a complicated and perfect handguard, and was light and agile ¨C it was a swift sword, and the prototype of modern fencing. it was aaron¡¯s most commonly used personal weapon, which colin maliciously named ¡°sewing needle,¡± meaning it was a weapon only used by women. but aaron just smiled and said nothing, for he knew that puncture wounds caused by piercing were much more troublesome than those caused by hacking. be it internal bleeding caused by important organs being pierced, or infections caused by ruptured intestines, in this era without surgical operations, they were all incurable diseases! even losing a hand or a leg had a higher chance of survival than being stabbed in a vital spot! hidden beneath the elegant appearance of the swift sword was its terrifying killing power. in particular, it was lighter than other swords! and because of that, it could fight for a longer time. it could be said that in daily life and street self-defense, the fencing sword was the best choice, and could be considered the strongest western portable single-handed cold weapon. aaron naturally put a lot of effort into his fencing skills. but at this moment, he had to put it down and sigh, ¡°it¡¯s not the right time. although the fencing sword is suitable for daily combat and self-defense, no one wears heavy armor when going out, but in war, it¡¯s different!¡± of course, the civilians in davis domain were unarmored, but knights were different! each of them has undergone professional training, reached the peak in physical fitness and killing skills, and even wore thick metal armor when fighting! read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only that kind of armor included a series of components¡ªinner armor, breastplate, skirt armor, helmet, iron gloves¡­ it was a complete tin can. even a well-made set of knight armor was worth the price of an estate! it was the nemesis of the thin fencing sword! thinking of this, aaron directly picked up the other cross longsword. it had a wide blade, a black hilt, was nearly two meters long, and required a tall man to wield it. the blade even had serrated teeth, all for the purpose of increasing the killing power while chopping armor. it was a real battlefield weapon! Chapter 4 translator: 549690339 advance, retreat, leap¡­ chop, stab, defend¡­ aaron held a cross sword, training meticulously, and soon, he was panting heavily, and beads of sweat emerged on his forehead. ¡°huff¡­ this greatsword is powerful, but if i go all out, i¡¯d exhaust my stamina in a few minutes¡­ on the battlefield, i need to be mindful of this.¡± in a life and death struggle, one can consume the most energy. as some people say, a life and death duel between two people, if it lasts for more than five minutes, it becomes a performance. aaron deeply understood this, and knew that the initial confrontations on the battlefield tend to be the fiercest, while the soldier¡¯s stamina would quickly drain. ¡°as long as i survive the initial danger, pay attention to avoid stray arrows, survival shouldn¡¯t be a big problem¡­¡± he thought to himself, noticing colin not far away, excitedly trying on a set of armor. this was a gift from the lord, a set of exquisitely crafted armor worth an entire knight¡¯s manor. once worn, it provided astonishing defense on the battlefield, increasing the chances of survival! as for aaron himself, he only had leather armor¡­ perhaps aaron would only receive a full set of armor when he left the territory, becoming a wandering knight, depending on whether colin was generous. however, aaron didn¡¯t harbor much jealousy, and silently returned to the castle. after lunch, he instructed the maid not to disturb him and immediately began to doze off. during the day, dreams were also possible. ¡­ rumble. the same darkness, the same falling and convulsive feeling. aaron was already familiar with this, opening his eyes to see a dark sea. blood and scales still floated on the sea surface, seemingly recounting the horror of the previous battle. he looked up at the night sky, as dark as velvet, and¡­ a crimson moon! ¡°damn it¡­ the original moon wasn¡¯t this color, but the moon, or rather, satellites at night rely on reflecting the light of a constant star, so it turned red too?¡± although this world might not operate strictly according to the rules of his previous life, this was aaron¡¯s barely reasonable explanation. ¡°i¡¯m sorry¡­ i really didn¡¯t mean to.¡± aaron sotos apologized to the air and began to feel himself. in this world, he was a pure observer beyond multiple dimensions. apart from changing the sun last time, he couldn¡¯t actually do much. but tonight, the situation seemed a little different. ¡°i¡­ can move?¡± aaron brought his perspective closer, changing¡­ eventually determining that he moved a short distance, almost crying with joy. heaven have mercy! since infancy, he had been dreaming on this same coordinate point, almost fed up with the fixed scenery! and now, he could finally move his perspective! ¡°it seems that all the changes began with changing the sun¡­¡± aaron carefully recalled the subtle differences. ¡°could it be, as i guessed, that after sixteen years of accumulation, some kind of qualitative change has finally been completed¡­ although i used up all the strength accumulated for sixteen years to change the sun, my nature has also undergone some sort of transformation that does not regress. so today, after accumulating one unit of energy from entering the dream, i can move?¡± aaron named the slight increase he got every day from entering the dream as one unit of energy. and his movement just now consumed this energy because there was only one day¡¯s accumulation in the real world, so he moved a short distance. ¡°at least with this, my life in the dream world will no longer be monotonous¡­¡± aaron exhaled. honestly speaking, the last time he changed the sun, he had to admit the surging madness in his heart. it contained his own dark and crazy ideas, even the desire to destroy the world. after all, he had been imprisoned in this place for sixteen years, and it was already a miracle that he hadn¡¯t gone insane. ¡°but what will this altered world look like?¡± aaron looked forward to it, relying on the moon and stars in the sky to choose a direction, and began to move. ¡°i hope there¡¯s a continent at the end of this sea¡­ although¡­ i don¡¯t know the current situation¡­¡± ¡­ the sotos family occupied the lower green forest, with sotos castle as the core, forming a small-town-sized settlement with a population of over ten thousand people. in addition, more than a dozen villages were gradually reclaimed in the forest, and at the same time, some wild tribes followed orders. in the castle, there were always around a hundred guards, which was already a certain limit in the feudal era. of course, if they really want to go to war, they could enlist farmers into service, becoming farmer soldiers. however, they didn¡¯t possess much discipline or combat power, and in aaron¡¯s view, they only served to bolster one¡¯s presence. at this moment, aaron looked at the militia that had just been pulled out of the fields, mostly half-naked, armed with only simple weapons like pitchforks, frowning at the sight. ¡®these guys, even if they go to the battlefield, are just cannon fodder¡­¡¯ ¡®the cannon fodder leader leading the cannon fodder camp seems quite appropriate.¡¯ aaron looked at the chaotic farmer soldiers, lined up crookedly, showing no expression on his face, and shouted, ¡°i am aaron of the sotos family! aaron sotos, your captain! from today on, you must all follow my orders! now, form teams of ten people, and choose your own small team leader!¡± he looked at the farmer soldiers, who had instantly returned to chaos and pondered in his heart. in the feudal era, wars between the noble classes are actually very polite. for example, during the spring and autumn period, the etiquette of warfare was highly valued, and even capturing enemy monarchs was not allowed. enemy nobles were treated with courtesy, awaiting their redemption. in fusang and medieval europe, the situation was more or less the same, and even the descendants of nobles who lost their land were widely sympathized with. the so-called ¡®prince¡¯s revenge stories¡¯ could be performed repeatedly because of this concept. ¡®but after all, it¡¯s a different world, and the situation is somewhat different, and this time it¡¯s not for a wild boar.¡¯ two lords, calling on hundreds of fighters for a game, might just be a form of entertainment in the medieval age. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only but this time was different! aaron could sense theodore¡¯s ambition in his heart, and after all, the green forest was too small to accommodate two lords! and the davis family upstream seemed to have the same idea. then this war would be unlike any other, and was a scene aaron least wanted to see. ¡°perhaps, after this battle, one family in the green forest will be permanently expelled¡­¡± Chapter 5 translator: 549690339 soon, five shabby men came forward. they generally wore old, linen-colored clothes, with unkempt beards on their faces, making it difficult to tell their age. ¡°you names¡­¡± aaron sotos sighed in his heart and asked. ¡°i am sanchez.¡± ¡°green.¡± ¡°beck.¡± ¡°adam.¡± ¡°ba zhi, my lord.¡± the five militiamen reported their names, and aaron glanced at the man named ¡®ba zhi¡¯. he looked to be about thirty, with a thin face and monkey-like features, showing a flattering smile when he saw aaron¡¯s gaze, but ruined by his rotten teeth. aaron took a look at the man¡¯s left and right hands, and as expected, both were missing the little fingers, and he had a thought in his heart. according to the law set by theodore, anyone caught stealing in the territory would be immediately subjected to the ¡®chop fingers¡¯ punishment! ¡®this man had two fingers chopped off, which means he was caught twice, and who knows how many times he wasn¡¯t caught¡­¡¯ ¡®a despicable thief, simple and honest farmers¡­ father has really given me a great choice.¡¯ aaron¡¯s voice became serious: ¡°starting today, you are the small team leaders, and you must complete the tasks i assign, especially on the battlefield, understand?¡± a round of weak voices responded, and it was clear that this was a group of slackers. on the battlefield, their first priority would be to save their lives, and they may also have some skills in plundering for spoils of war, but to have them fight with strong enemies, it¡¯s just a dream! fortunately, aaron never had much hope for them. to the lord, they were nothing but cannon fodder. for aaron, having this group as meat shields was good enough to at least divert the enemy¡¯s attention when running away! ¡°now, start training!¡± he coughed and pointed with his long sword at ba zhi: ¡°you, come and spar with me!¡± aaron did study some skills in dealing with people, and he planned to establish his authority right now. the other party was just a starving thief who might have some experience in street fighting, but no matter what, he wouldn¡¯t be a match for someone with proper knight training like himself! ¡­ in the forest. after briefly giving instructions to the small team leaders, boosting morale by promising future division of spoils, and showing off his authority, aaron went hunting in the forest with his bow and arrow. whoosh! his archery was also well-practiced, and though not as good as a professional archer, it was still presentable. at this moment, he caught sight of a prey¡¯s trace in the corner of his eye, directly drew his bow and arrow, released his fingers, and the bowstring trembled continuously. plop! not far away, a young deer was pierced by the arrow and fell to the ground, with a pool of blood flowing out. ¡°today¡¯s luck is not bad, i can have an extra meal.¡± aaron nodded, taking the hunted prey out of the forest. as he walked, the civilians in lower green forest saw him and bowed in respect. aaron, with a cold expression, didn¡¯t pay much attention to them. after all, he was used to this and couldn¡¯t possibly respond to everyone, only occasionally acknowledging the high-profile people on the territory with a nod. in no time, he arrived outside the castle. jinnie was holding the hem of her cake skirt and about to go out when she saw aaron and greeted him, ¡°aaron¡­ is this your prey?¡± she had beautiful blonde hair, with the gem-like purple eyes inherited from the sotos family, now blinking incessantly as she stared at aaron¡¯s prey, her expression full of longing. aaron smiled and patted jinnie¡¯s head, ¡°don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t be left out.¡± he found it amusing and remembered the past. he still remembered the first time jinnie saw him kill a wild rabbit; the little girl¡¯s eyes filled with tears: ¡°rabbits are so cute, why do you have to kill them?¡± and then¡­ aaron made a braised rabbit dish and stuffed a piece into jinnie¡¯s mouth¡­ in the end, jinnie discovered a new continent¡ª it turned out that little rabbits were not only cute, but also delicious! not only that, but the parents of the little rabbit were also very tasty! little deer were equally delicious! ¡°then it¡¯s settled, this is our agreement for a lifetime.¡± jinnie playfully blinked her eyes. aaron¡¯s palm couldn¡¯t help but slide down, pinching jinnie¡¯s smooth cheek. well, it¡¯s true that little girls are the cutest, which made him feel a bit lost. he should have had a daughter in his previous life, but for now, he¡¯d put aside his good-for-nothing son. ¡®although¡­ i didn¡¯t even have a wife in my previous life¡­¡¯ ¡°i¡¯m already ten years old; don¡¯t pinch my face anymore.¡± jinnie, with puffed-up cheeks, swatted away aaron¡¯s hand, her cheeks swelling like steamed buns, as if performing a face-changing act. ¡°haha!¡± seeing this scene, aaron couldn¡¯t help but laugh joyfully. although sonia and sean were very annoying, this little sister was still quite adorable. he just wondered if their pure sibling relationship could still be maintained after she grew up? thinking of colin and sean, aaron couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡­ night fell. once again entering the dream world. the originally azure sea, reflecting the crimson light, had begun to change, turning into a crimson sea, like a ¡®red sea¡¯! aaron looked up and stared at the crimson sun, unsure if it was an illusion, but it seemed that it was becoming more crimson, giving off an extremely uncomfortable, nauseating feeling. red to the point of blackness, as if blood was about to drip down¡­ ¡®i can actually do this in my dreams¡­¡¯ aaron looked at the direction he had set but didn¡¯t start moving. according to his observations, movement also required energy. and the accumulation of sixteen years had been exhausted in changing the sun. now he was back to the hard times of his childhood, but at least he could start taking action. ¡®the energy i have now is precious, and in the real world, there¡¯s also the danger of war. it¡¯s a waste to use it for something like movement, so i might as well try something that will help me¡­ for instance, bringing the mysterious power from my dreams to the real world. even if it¡¯s only a millionth or a hundred thousandth of the whole, it would still be unparalleled in the real world, and maybe¡­ even make me immortal?¡¯ aaron¡¯s eyes revealed his desire as he began trying to recall the feeling of changing the sun before. that kind of¡ª power of the dream creator! ¡°i want to become stronger!¡± ¡°i want to obtain mystery!¡± ¡°i want to become extraordinary!¡± ¡­ with a prayer-like manner, aaron recited his requirements in his heart. complex and terrifying sounds came to his ears. as if witnessing the day it all happened, endless chaos and madness emerged. in a nearly delirious state, aaron received his ¡®feedback¡¯! [mystery is insufficient!] read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°mystery? is that the energy i defined before, the thing that will be produced with each day i enter my dreams?¡± aaron found that in his half-mad state, his authority had been raised, giving him a ¡®know-it-all¡¯ sort of experience. ¡®now i can¡¯t transform my body because i don¡¯t have¡­¡¯ ¡®awareness of the extraordinary can be obtained, but there¡¯s not enough energy!¡¯ ¡®moreover, it¡¯s easy to become extraordinary in this world, but to reveal it in the real world is very difficult!¡¯ Chapter 6 translator: 549690339 the war with the upper green forest came very suddenly. during the green rong newborn moon, aaron was training his squad of cannon fodder when terna shourienne, a knight of his father¡¯s, rode up on a warhorse, shouting, ¡°the davis family has launched an attack! lord commands you to immediately go to the black crow sand dunes!¡± ¡°yes, sir!¡± aaron pounded his chest with his fist and looked at his bewildered subordinates, yelling, ¡°what are you waiting for? get yourselves equipped; we¡¯re going to war!¡± those words didn¡¯t sit well with the cannon fodder soldiers. however, the days of training and obedience had taught them who to listen to, and with sanchez, green, and other small team leaders urging them on, they quickly stabilized. ¡°sir!¡± ba zhi came to aaron¡¯s side at this time, wearing a battered iron helmet he¡¯d found somewhere and no other armor on his body, his bearded face seemingly bitter, ¡°can we¡­ win?¡± ¡°we must win!¡± aaron replied solemnly. as a member of the sotos family, the consequences of defeat were unimaginable. at this thought, he couldn¡¯t help but curse his useless golden finger even more. during this period, after entering dreams and increasing energy daily, he had strengthened the power of his dream-consciousness. at least, it could move faster and perceive more. but¡­ in the real world, aaron didn¡¯t even feel a bit mentally energized¡­ as expected, it was indeed very difficult to bring the power of dreams to this world. suppressing the thoughts in his heart, aaron led his troops to the black crow sand dunes. the sand dunes were located at the border between the upper green forest and the lower green forest, surrounded by worthless sand dunes and wasteland, making them a perfectly expendable battlefield. ¡®however, the timing is quite strange!¡¯ aaron looked at the farmland on both sides of the road, pondering to himself. the green forest people¡¯s sense of time is still quite primitive, dividing the year into about a dozen months according to the vague growth stages of plants. the reason they say about a dozen is¡­ because it¡¯s all very vague. according to aaron¡¯s understanding, this was probably due to errors in keeping track of time, with even the correction of leap years and months being insufficient, so they simply let the number of months vary yearly, all following nature, especially according to the state of the [green banyan tree grandmother]. in sotos domain, there is a green rong tree regarded as a ¡®divine tree¡¯, and the months are determined according to the state of the tree. of course, since the banyan tree is an evergreen plant with no falling leaves, the concept of autumn in sotos domain is very vague¡­ and now, it is the season of growth and spring! in ancient times, it was farming time! both lords only had 100 regular troops, and they had to recruit militias to wage war. this would disrupt production, and famine would inevitably occur next year! ¡®the davis family couldn¡¯t be this foolish, could they? or¡­ have they stockpiled a large amount of food in advance, so they want to provoke the sotos family into starting a war in the spring, delaying the planting? as long as they drag it out until next year, the sotos family will collapse without fighting?¡¯ ¡®this could also explain why they were the ones to provoke the war first¡­¡¯ aaron had a thought, and his heart grew cold, knowing that the davis family had the same longing and scheming for the complete green forest. ¡­ black crow sand dunes. now divided into the south and north, the barracks were stationed. according to aaron¡¯s estimates, about 1,800 soldiers were deployed by the sotos family this time, while the davis family had nearly 2,000! ¡°this is indeed no longer a village fight for wild boars; it¡¯s at least a countryside battle!¡± aaron, wearing his well-made leather armor, walked through the campgrounds and entered the command tent. theodore and colin were both wearing refined armor, with several knights behind them. at the sight of aaron entering, they all showed a faint smile. ¡°father!¡± aaron stood up straight, his face resolute, as he pounded his fist against his chest. ¡°this is your first time in battle. follow knight alfred, and he will teach you well.¡± fortunately, theodore did not send his son to certain death and pointed to a slightly graying knight with a massive meteor hammer in his hand. ¡°i shall follow your orders.¡± aaron knew that this old knight had been through many battles and had rich experience. although it was not as safe as being by colin¡¯s side under theodore, it was still relatively safe. ¡­ whoo! in the desolate sound of the horn, aaron followed knight alfred to a slightly high sand dune. almost four thousand men formed two different military formations, surrounding the sand dunes and creating a huge battlefield. dark green and blue flags seemed to divide the earth into two camps. among them, the sotos family¡¯s flag was dark green with a branching banyan tree emblem. the davis family¡¯s emblem, on the other hand, was a single vertical eye. ¡°remember, don¡¯t panic on your first time on the battlefield. always keep your family¡¯s motto in mind,¡± alfred glanced at aaron and instructed. ¡°unyielding!¡± aaron recited his family¡¯s motto, reminding himself of the davis family motto ¨C ¡®perceive everything.¡¯ ¡°very well, it begins!¡± alfred said calmly. at this point, aaron saw the enemy¡¯s formation slowly moving. in the front were ragged farmer soldiers with worn weapons. their faces were frightened, and they were driven by regular soldiers and knights from behind, launching an attack against the sotos family! ¡°hear my command, archers, fire!¡± mark, in charge of the archers, roared and waved his hand. a volley of arrows fell, striking many unlucky souls. they fell to the ground, some not fatally pierced, wailing in pain. but it was of no use! their comrades behind them were forced to trample directly over them, and their cries were soon silenced. boom! with only a few volleys of arrows, the two armies clashed like torrents converging. ¡°charge!¡± alfred roared, mounting his warhorse, looking like a moving metal fortress with his armor on. aaron¡¯s position was on the right wing of the sotos family, ordering, ¡°charge formation, forward! forward!¡± ba zhi and other small team leaders were scared but still executed the order well, making this team of dozens of men a part of the war. boom! aaron charged a short distance, and suddenly his vision darkened as a shade of blue appeared in front of him. the enemy appeared! read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°kill!¡± he swung his longsword without hesitation and struck down. the opposing militia were originally farmers, and even after a few days of training, they had the courage to kill. their eyes were fierce, but their equipment was too poor. their makeshift spear was directly broken by the longsword, and their upper body was also diagonally cut down, with their intestines and organs spilling on the ground. ¡®a bit of a miscalculation!¡¯ aaron retracted his longsword, took a defensive stance, and vigilantly watched for enemies from all sides. he frowned slightly: ¡®to deal with these unprotected militia, i don¡¯t need to use a longsword. a rapier would suffice. i must conserve my strength¡­whether it¡¯s for retreat or pursuit later!¡¯ Chapter 7 translator: 549690339 the setting sun was like blood. the daytime war ended quickly. not many people died. in aaron¡¯s view, it was more like a test. this made him acutely aware that the davis family did not intend to defeat the sotos family in a decisive battle, perhaps due to the high cost they would have to pay. what they wanted more was probably just to deter the main force of the sotos family. the messy tents were spread out in clusters, with open-air bonfires everywhere. many militiamen were barbecuing food and chatting. even drinking and hiring prostitutes were common. this lack of military discipline left aaron speechless. although he knew that it was customary for merchants and prostitutes to follow the army during the medieval age, he was still very dissatisfied with their behavior. he returned to his small team¡¯s camp and called ba zhi and others: ¡°i don¡¯t care about the others, but in my team, no drinking or women are allowed¡­ however, as compensation, there will be plenty of meat and bread! understand?¡± ¡°understood!¡± ba zhi answered loudly, but immediately looked a bit gloomy. ¡°has the casualty report come out?¡± seeing his expression, aaron immediately guessed. ¡°yes, adam was killed in battle, he was hit by a flying stone and his head was crushed. a few unlucky ones fell on the battlefield and were trampled to death by their own comrades¡­ besides that, sanchez and beck were slightly injured¡­¡± ba zhi whispered. ¡°this is war!¡± aaron took a deep breath: ¡°tonight, we will take turns keeping watch!¡± he went back to his tent, took off his leather armor, and only then did he feel some soreness in his muscles, perhaps also from friction and bruises. although the war didn¡¯t last long, wielding a heavy sword still brought him a significant burden. apart from that, there was also a sense of mental exhaustion and disgust. he forced himself to eat some water and bread and then fell into a deep sleep. ¡­ the dream world. aaron had completely given up on moving. now, he spent every mysterious unit he gained in his dreams to strengthen himself. although this enhancement didn¡¯t carry over to the other world, he felt that it might require crossing some threshold, just like before. at this point in the battlefield, he couldn¡¯t miss any opportunity to become stronger! therefore, delaying the progress of exploring the dream world was acceptable! whoosh! in the boundless red sea, huge shadows occasionally swept past beneath the surface. most of them had mutated to such an extent that aaron couldn¡¯t recognize them, emitting terrifying and powerful auras. fortunately, they didn¡¯t find aaron. ¡°for this world, i¡¯m still just an observer, even though i can move now¡­¡± aaron used his mind to channel today¡¯s energy into himself, feeling a cool sensation spreading in his consciousness, but that was it. ¡°even the dream strengthening doesn¡¯t show results right away¡­ i wonder when i¡¯ll become extraordinary?¡± he sighed and thought about other things: ¡°the davis family¡¯s actions today were also suspicious. they were obviously in a stalemate, even having a slight advantage, yet they retreated, showing a defensive attitude. it seems they do intend to hold back the main force of the sotos family!¡± aaron sensed the air of conspiracy: ¡°it seems¡­ i have to talk with father and the rest.¡± although he didn¡¯t have much affection for colin, if the sotos family was ruined, his own situation would definitely not be any better. ¡­ the following days¡¯ wars went more or less as aaron had expected. the davis family fought continuously, but their intensity was clearly reduced. they made the sotos family feel that if they just pushed a little harder, they could defeat their opponent completely. as a result, the entire army was stuck on the black crow sand dunes, even urging supplies and reinforcements from the rear. aaron sighed and entered the tent. ¡°father, i took three more heads today.¡± as soon as he entered, he heard colin¡¯s proud voice. ¡°well done, my son. it seems the unification of the green forest will be achieved in my generation.¡± theodore laughed heartily. ¡°father.¡± aaron sighed in his heart and stepped forward to pay his respects. ¡°my good brother, i wonder how many spoils of war you have acquired?¡± colin asked curiously. these days, aaron had been studying tactics and command with alfred, so he didn¡¯t pay much attention to the spoils of war and headcounts. ignoring colin, aaron said directly to theodore: ¡°i think the davis family is deliberately showing weakness and preparing to unleash a conspiracy. we need to take measures against this!¡± ¡°pfft!¡± colin laughed, his expression full of undisguised contempt: ¡°conspiracy? on the battlefield, it¡¯s all about strength. conspiracies are for women and cowards!¡± ¡°colin!¡± theodore stopped colin, but his expression didn¡¯t change much. he obviously didn¡¯t think much of it: ¡°colin has a point. war is about hard power. we are well-informed about the situation in the davis domain, being able to mobilize 2,000 troops is already their limit¡­ they don¡¯t have the power to carry out other conspiracies! besides, you have no evidence!¡± ¡°what we need to do now is to defeat them in one fell swoop, destroy their main force, and not give them a chance to retreat and defend their castle!¡± theodore had always wanted to completely crush the davis family and rule the entire green forest. but if the davis family were given a chance to retreat into their castle, this goal would be hard to achieve. at present, even though the sotos family had fewer troops, their soldiers were clearly better, giving them some advantage on the battlefield. theodore saw this too, so he would not let this opportunity pass! aaron saw this and could only sigh. sometimes, smart people are more likely to fall for schemes because the con artists put out exactly what they expect, and then the smart people unknowingly fill in the gaps for the con artists! ¡°then¡­ at least let me patrol the surroundings, maybe i can find some evidence.¡± aaron took a deep breath and spoke. ¡°oh, my good brother, are you trying to flee?¡± colin¡¯s eyes lit up as he immediately said. leaving the battlefield at this moment would mean being branded as a coward, which was tantamount to a death sentence in the war-worshipping medieval age! aaron glanced around and, as expected, saw contempt in the eyes of the knights. but he didn¡¯t care. even if there was no conspiracy of the davis family, surviving was the most important thing! read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡­ theodore was silent for a while and finally said: ¡°get out of here and take your team with you!¡± though he was disappointed in his son, he did not refuse. ¡°thank you!¡± aaron straightened up, bowed, and left the tent. Chapter 8 translator: 549690339 mother river, vast and winding, nourishes the fertile land of both the upper green forest and lower green forest. at this moment, a team of dozens of people has arrived at a certain point along mother river and begins patrolling along its banks. aaron sotos casually picked a blade of grass from the side of the road, put it in his mouth, and displayed a carefree attitude: ¡°actually¡­ colin and the others were not entirely wrong, war is about hard power and the davis family¡¯s strength is something they must be aware of. besides, their knights are quite experienced, at least knowing about widespread cavalier reconnaissance¡­ if the davis family took any action, such as an ambush, the chances of success would be slim.¡± ¡°so, the davis family doesn¡¯t have many choices left. putting myself in their shoes, the only option would be to move through the battlefield as quickly as possible and attack the sotos family¡¯s vital points. the forest isn¡¯t suitable for large-scale troop movements, and it will take a long time. so the most convenient method is water transport!¡± he gazed at mother river, the corner of his mouth slightly raised. the davis family was upstream, and once they sailed down the river, they would be incredibly fast! though the main force was on the battlefield, a side force of about a hundred men could bypass the battlefield patrols, reach the lower green forest¡¯s territory directly, and even launch an attack on the castle! ¡°but if the sneak attack is discovered, it would be of no use.¡± what aaron had to do was straightforward: he would camp in a defensible location along the river and set up a river checkpoint! in doing so, if the davis family took action, their ambush force would have no chance of succeeding! even if it¡¯s a false alarm and he was labeled as a coward, it didn¡¯t matter since he had no plans to inherit the family business! avoiding battle was, of course, the best alternative. ¡°with this, the family¡¯s weak point has been covered. the davis family can only fight desperately on the battlefield, right?¡± ¡°let me think a little further. maybe there are individuals who have been bribed in the territory? but as long as they don¡¯t have external support, there shouldn¡¯t be any major problems, at least the castle would be fine¡­¡± aaron spat out the grass stalk from his mouth, wondering if he was being too scheming. or was it that the nobles in this medieval age-like period were still too naive and hadn¡¯t reached his level of darkness? spit, spit, spit! aaron looked at ba zhi and sanchez: ¡°what do you think? do you resent me for taking you away from the battlefield and losing the opportunity to gain spoils of war?¡± ¡°no, old master, we are all very grateful!¡± sanchez quickly bowed in response. he spoke the truth; the spoils of war were concerns of the nobles and their knights. their desire was simple: to survive! leaving the battlefield was, of course, the best outcome. ¡®if my guess is correct, the dangers here may not be much smaller than those on the battlefield¡­¡¯ aaron muttered to himself as he turned around a river bend, his eyes suddenly lighting up. in front of him, mother river took a sharp turn, and this was the boundary between the lower green forest and the upper green forest. furthermore, in the middle of the wide river surface, there was a four-to-five-meter-high island made of sand and rocks. ¡°this is a good spot.¡± aaron glanced around, surveying the surrounding geography, and nodded with satisfaction: ¡°we¡¯ll set up the river checkpoint here to guard against any ships coming from upstream¡­by the way, does this place have a name?¡± there was a brief confusion among the illiterate men, and finally, green hesitated and said: ¡°i think it¡¯s called¡­ widow bay?¡± ¡­ in his dream. aaron sotos once again felt the energy from that mysterious unit. ¡®use all of it to strengthen myself.¡¯ he issued an order in his consciousness. the next moment, a refreshing sensation ran through his mind. he had become familiar with this scene but what followed was slightly different. aaron suddenly felt a surge of intense heat, as if boiling water had been poured into his brain! pain! the unbearable pain nearly caused him to lose his ability to maintain consciousness; if he had a body, he would have been rolling on the ground, screaming in agony. snap! in the endless whispers, his memory suddenly shook, as if a crack had been forcefully pried open. a large number of memories emerged! he seemed to be a pure bystander, with his memories constantly rewinding, able to see himself pretending to learn to speak as a child and even going back to when he was 1, half a year old, and just born¡­ the torrent of memories did not stop there; it even went further back¡­ it was darkness, followed by light. those were¡­ memories from his previous life! ¡°why does it feel like hypermnesia?¡± aaron commented and suddenly began reciting an academic paper. this was a popular science article he had stumbled upon during college, and he had only glanced at it. but at this moment, he could recite it word for word! ¡°never forget a sight? have i¡­ finally crossed a certain threshold and achieved an extraordinary spirit?¡± after all these years, aaron¡¯s memories of his previous life had become quite vague. but now, it was as if he had a library in his head, with records of any information he had ever seen! ¡°this is amazing. i don¡¯t know if i can bring this ability back to reality. maybe when i wake up, my memory will become vague again, but that doesn¡¯t matter¡­ i can study slowly in my dreams, so¡­ i¡¯ve finally got a little advantage?¡± a smile appeared on aaron¡¯s face. but at this moment, his expression changed. a sense of creepiness swept over him, like an icy hand clutching his heart. ¡°danger!¡± ¡°no¡­ not here!¡± ¡°it¡¯s¡­dangerous for me in the real world?¡± ¡­ the night was quiet. in the tent. aaron opened his eyes, and the eerie feeling vanished instantly. ¡°what¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°could it be¡­ the danger was in my dream? no, my dream self has returned, and that world can no longer harm me.¡± he wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead, got up, and tried to think carefully. ¡°this time i entered the dream, and i finally made my dream self awaken, gaining the abilities of [extraordinary memory] and [danger perception]¡­ and then, i sensed danger? it seems to be coming from reality¡­¡± aaron took a deep breath: ¡°if the danger is in the dream, going back would be walking into a trap. if the danger is in the real world¡­¡± he gripped his cross sword and stealthily slipped out of the tent. because he had been wearing his outer garment during the march and battle, he had slept like that, making his actions very quick and simple at this moment. outside the tent, the sky was filled with hazy moonlight. a few bonfires away, sanchez and the others were sleeping soundly, even the night watcher had disappeared. ¡°something is wrong!¡± aaron¡¯s eyes narrowed, and he looked into the distance at the edge of the camp. under the hazy moonlight, it seemed that blurry figures were crawling on the ground, slowly approaching! read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°attackers!¡± aaron took a deep breath, immediately turned back, found ba zhi, and covered his mouth. ba zhi struggled for a moment, unable to make a sound. then he opened his eyes and saw aaron. ¡°don¡¯t make a sound. we¡¯re under attack.¡± aaron¡¯s voice was cold: ¡°we¡¯ll continue to wake up the others and prepare for battle!¡± Chapter 9 translator: 549690339 a moment earlier. roland davis stared at the widow bay camp, his face twisted with frustration: ¡°damn it, how could this happen?¡± as a member of the davis family, he was well aware of their family¡¯s strategy. the plan was to distract the sotos family¡¯s main force with a large force, while a smaller force would travel downstream and take sotos castle by surprise within a day. then, they would unite and annihilate the sotos family! however, a small unit happened to stand in the way of their path. the terrain of widow bay was extremely unfavorable for them. once barricaded and fortified, it would be difficult for a few hundred people to break through in a short time! fortunately, according to the scout¡¯s intelligence, there was only a small team stationed at widow bay, with few in number and weak in strength. ¡°we must ambush because it would be very difficult to capture the camp head-on with only a few dozen people guarding it.¡± roland looked at his own team and gained some confidence, after all, he had the support of a true knight! ¡°uncle saliba, it¡¯s up to you now.¡± he looked at the muscular and fully armored knight beside him and whispered softly. ¡°don¡¯t worry!¡± saliba revealed a bloodthirsty smile: ¡°although it¡¯s easy to get lost at night, as long as i get in, victory is guaranteed!¡± it¡¯s tough to soothe the anxiety of a group in the dark, full of fear. once an attack is launched, the enemy might directly scatter and collapse. aaron didn¡¯t shout out an enemy raid immediately, for the same reason. he also knew that the militia under his command were essentially farmers, and once they panicked, it would be chaos, and everything would be over. however, at this moment, each small team leader called out, and the militia picked up their weapons. though nervous, they didn¡¯t fall into chaos. ¡°there¡¯s an enemy ambush, let them come closer before we attack!¡± aaron picked up a bow and arrow and gave his orders in a low voice. ancient people, who seldom ate meat, generally suffered from night blindness, making night raids very difficult. as for the famous night raid cases? they were just so rare! however, being a meat-eating noble, he didn¡¯t have this problem. with the moonlight, he quickly determined the size of the enemy. ¡°there are less than a hundred of them. we have the stronghold and the geographical advantage, and it¡¯s night. most of the enemies are blind in the dark, and some even have to hold on to their comrades to move forward¡­¡± he slowly pulled back the bowstring, identifying the two leaders. one of them was wearing armor, so he immediately passed over him, aiming at the young man beside him. ¡­ ¡°soon, very soon¡­¡± roland¡¯s emotions were incredibly stirred. as long as they took the camp, he would be the greatest contributor to the capture of green forest by his family! by then, even being ennobled as a knight would be possible! roland charged into the camp without any obstacles, using his long sword to slash through a tent. but there was no one inside. his expression changed instantly, and goosebumps rose. right at that moment, torches were lit all around. a group of farmer soldiers armed with weapons occupied favorable terrain, staring at him with dead-eyed gaze. ¡°no!¡± roland screamed, and then saw a young man on the opposite side, holding a bow and releasing an arrow from above. whoosh! an arrow¡¯s shadow flashed by, piercing straight through roland¡¯s thigh. he fell to the ground, screaming in pain. ¡°close the camp gate and attack!¡± aaron watched the scene, coldly giving the order. they had the geographical advantage, being at a higher position, and with the barriers. although they only had fifty people, they could still hold off hundreds of enemies! the enemy¡¯s ambush was exposed, and they were trapped like fish in a net. the camp gate was closed, the enemy forces were divided, and attacked separately. it was a perfect situation where heaven, earth, and humanity were all in harmony! ¡°kill!¡± among the farmer soldiers, a few hunters also drew their bows and released arrows. their aim wasn¡¯t as accurate as aaron¡¯s, but they still hit the enemy, causing more chaos among them. ¡°damn, are we ambushed?¡± saliba stared wide-eyed, looking at his distressed subordinates. they were disoriented, full of panic, and constantly retreating, running towards the narrow camp gate. in order to escape, they were willing to trample over their comrades and even turn their swords against their friends, with only one thing in mind: to flee for their lives! at this point, even though they were of higher quality compared to the militia, they were of no use at all. ¡°we can¡¯t retreat now; that would play right into their ambush!¡± saliba proved himself to be a knight and quickly figured out the situation. he swung his massive sword, cutting down an attacking militia and roared, ¡°follow me and charge!¡± clash! various attacks landed on his armor, leaving only shallow marks. saliba continued swinging his sword like a whirlwind, about to break through the encirclement, and even headed straight towards aaron! green tried to block the knight¡¯s path but was felled by a swing from the latter. seeing this, aaron could only abandon his bow and arrow, pick up his cross-sword, and said, ¡°i made a slight miscalculation¡­¡± his subordinates were so inept that, even in favorable situations, they tended to collapse when faced with an enemy¡¯s bravery. for that reason, the planned closing of the camp gate was delayed. ¡°but it¡¯s fine. this way, there¡¯s a glimmer of hope for escape, and the enemy won¡¯t fight desperately, turning the besieged fight into a fierce battle.¡± aaron muttered, lunging forward with his cross-sword, its blade tracing an arc. saliba immediately shifted to the left, his huge sword crashing down. aaron raised his cross-sword, and the blades clashed in mid-air, creating a violent friction between the metals. fortunately, he was holding a cross-sword; if it had been the previous fine stabbing sword, it would have likely snapped already. aaron¡¯s eyes remained calm, just as during his usual swordsmanship practice, and he began to engage in close combat with saliba. he was agile on his feet and dodged quickly, avoiding a head-on confrontation with the enemy, as had been his habit when using a stabbing sword. saliba¡¯s breath grew heavier after several swings of his sword that failed to connect. ¡°opportunity!¡± aaron quickly darted to the knight¡¯s back. although the armor provided high defense, it also restricted movement and consumed a lot of physical strength. at this point, saliba¡¯s speed had already slowed down significantly. as soon as aaron spotted the opportunity, he thrust his sword into the knight¡¯s knee joint, penetrating the gap in the armor and drawing a large spurt of blood. saliba howled in pain and collapsed on one knee. ¡°a knight¡­¡± aaron caught his breath for a few moments but didn¡¯t let his guard down. instead, he flicked away the fallen enemy¡¯s sword and thrust his blade directly through the visor of the helmet. blood gushed from the gap in the helmet, and the huge body of the enemy knight fell to the ground. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°knight saliba is dead!¡± ¡°wild bear saliba is dead!¡± the soldiers of the davis family were in utter disbelief at the sight of this, inducing surrender or accelerated escape. boom! at this moment, ba zhi finally led his men to seal the camp gate, taking complete control of the situation¡­ Chapter 10 translator: 549690339 widow bay camp. outside the tent, there was a lot of noise. whether it was dealing with prisoners, treating the wounded, or counting casualties, it all took time. however, aaron had the privilege of not having to handle it all himself; he just had to wait for the results. at this time, he was inside the tent, holding a notebook in his hand, and added a few lines to it after pondering. [green rong newborn moon, 19th day, i gained extraordinary abilities in my dream, which i named ¡®extraordinary memory¡¯ and ¡®danger perception¡¯¡­] [but after returning to reality, the extraordinary disappeared¡­ fortunately, ¡®extraordinary memory¡¯ can be slowly learned and consolidated in the dream.] [regarding ¡®danger perception,¡¯ i speculate that it can only be obtained in dreams, and it can sense the danger in reality, the range¡­ uncertain¡­ this may be guessed by the distance of the enemy¡¯s sneak attack¡­] [it seems that in this world, it is difficult to gain the extraordinary, but there are ways to take shortcuts¡­perhaps, i will become a ¡®dream diviner¡¯ in the future?] ¡­ after writing the chinese characters that only he could recognize, aaron shook his head, put away the notebook, and fell into a deep sleep. he had always had good sleep quality, and coupled with the fatigue of the battle, he immediately felt the sensation of falling. when aaron opened his eyes again, he saw the familiar crimson light. dream world. ¡°hmm, my thoughts feel much more agile, indeed different from reality¡­¡± aaron sensed again and nodded in satisfaction: ¡°there is no danger, and [danger perception] does not warn, which means that it is generally safe in reality, right?¡± every day of sleep will increase the storage of a mysterious energy unit in the dream, but there is a time limit. only one unit per day. therefore, the idea of ??swiping energy through multiple entries into the dream in a day is also unfeasible. since he had gained energy before, aaron did not feel any new energy production at this time. ¡°the rules of this dream world are worth exploring, and there are many rules that i have not yet discovered¡­¡± aaron rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought. because of his active thinking, he liked to use dreams as a thinking house to make some significant decisions. ¡°although i have defeated the davis family¡¯s conspiracy right now, the war on black crow sand dunes is still very uncertain. if the sotos family is defeated, it means that the nest under the cover will be completely destroyed¡­¡± ¡°at the time when external contradictions overwhelm internal contradictions, it is a joke to hide stupidity. we must help the sotos family and defeat the davis family!¡± ¡°what about the possible hostility from colin? in the case of the two harms, just take the lighter one. besides, am i afraid of him? hehe¡­¡± just then, aaron had another subtle perception. ¡°it¡¯s not dangerous, but someone is coming.¡± he closed his eyes and woke up from the dream. at this time, ba zhi and other small team leaders were just entering, and their faces were full of joy: ¡°sir, we have defeated the conspiracy of the davis family and achieved a glorious victory.¡± it seems that after questioning, they also learned about some conspiracies. ¡°alright, tell me the details.¡± aaron waved his hand. ba zhi rubbed his index finger: ¡°because our sir discovered in advance, the casualties of this night raid were minimal, and the results were quite fruitful¡­ not only did we cut off more than 30 heads, but also caught more than 20 prisoners. among them, roland davis is the most important, and congratulations to you for killing sir wild bear saliba.¡± ¡°there are also two large ships seized, docked not far from the nearby area. according to the confessions of the prisoners, once they defeat us, they would immediately take the ships directly into our territory and ambush the castle¡­¡± at this point, ba zhi¡¯s forehead was also full of cold sweat. if the davis family succeeded in their sneak attack, their end would not be good. ¡°bring roland over.¡± aaron thought for a while and said. it didn¡¯t take long for a young nobleman to be dragged in like a dead dog. his arrow wound on his leg had been bandaged, but blood still seeped out from the cloth. at this time, roland davis looked up at the young man who defeated him, his face full of shock and disbelief: ¡°you?¡± when they made the marriage contract under the sacred green banyan tree, aaron had also seen him, so he smiled: ¡°lord roland, long time no see.¡± this man was lord davis¡¯ nephew and could be considered a confidant. if it weren¡¯t for a trusted person, he would not be sent to perform such a task. ¡°i didn¡¯t expect that we have been underestimating you.¡± roland sighed: ¡°with such military talent and quality, you are the most outstanding heir!¡± ¡°trying to sow discord when death is imminent?¡± aaron didn¡¯t care about the strange expressions of his subordinates, and said indifferently: ¡°however, you still have a chance to live, take my people, and ambush the davis family¡¯s castle!¡± when these words came out, roland¡¯s expression changed. war is indeed about hard power. while the davis family¡¯s main force was entangled with the sotos army on the front line, being able to gather such a surprise attack force was already scraping the bottom of the barrel. at this time, the territory would be very empty. moreover, they thought they were the ones who were going to ambush, and they absolutely could not imagine being attacked. as long as they were fast enough, they could arrive before the defeated soldiers returned! at this time, the convenience of ships as transportation tools was very important. roland couldn¡¯t think that the tools he had prepared to attack the sotos would, in turn, become the noose of the davis family! ¡°of course, you can also refuse. anyway, i only need a tour guide. among the other prisoners, there must always be someone who is willing.¡± aaron said leisurely: ¡°at that time, you will no longer be needed¡­¡± hearing this, roland¡¯s expression changed drastically. ¡­ half an hour later, a group of people boarded the ship that originally belonged to the davis family. the prisoners rowed hard, heading towards davis territory. the mother river was quiet and peaceful under the moonlight. ba zhi was a little uneasy as he came up behind aaron: ¡°sir¡­ can we be faster than those fleeing soldiers?¡± the defense of the castles in this era is amazing. as long as they are prepared, they cannot be taken down with this small number of people. ¡°i don¡¯t know, let¡¯s try our luck.¡± aaron said indifferently: ¡°besides, even if we can¡¯t attack the castle, we can still plunder the houses around the castle¡­ harassing the enemy¡¯s rear is also a great achievement.¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only as soon as these words came out, the expressions of his subordinates changed, and there was a lot more greed. ba zhi couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted. indeed! at this time, davis territory was empty, simply a big piece of fat meat. not taking a bite would be a great pity! Chapter 11 translator: 549690339 davis domain. two boats dared not dock at the harbor, casually choosing a riverside spot to anchor. ¡°tie up all the captives!¡± aaron gave the order, taking roland and several captives with him, watching the sky. after a night of turmoil, it was now just before dawn, the darkest moment of the night. at this time, people felt the most exhausted, and their alertness was at its weakest. ¡°sir, it¡¯s a good opportunity.¡± ba zhi licked his lips, gazing at the still-dark and quiet buildings. but roland could only smirk bitterly. his desire to survive had prevailed, causing him to surrender, but seeing his hometown so defenseless, he couldn¡¯t help but feel astonished. ¡°yeah, such a good opportunity, merely plundering some civilian homes would be too much of a waste¡­¡± aaron shook his head, looking at roland with a faint smile. ¡°your excellency roland, soon you will have to trouble yourself to open the castle¡¯s big door¡­ i will personally follow behind you.¡± ¡°i¡¯m honored to serve you!¡± roland¡¯s bitterness only intensified, before he continued, ¡°aren¡¯t you worried about the defensive forces inside the castle, or someone leaking the news and setting up a trap?¡± ¡°well, i will naturally confirm that in advance.¡± aaron sotos smiled as he answered. in a world without supernatural powers, simply having a touch of mystery made him feel like he was cheating. when approaching the castle, he would naturally use the method of entering dreams to confirm whether there was any danger in this operation. if [danger perception] gave a strong warning, he would naturally retreat, not foolishly rushing to his death. ¡­ the light of dawn was faint. atop the castle, guard abel yawned with boredom. in the davis domain, those who could fight well were mostly at the frontlines, while those with even a little ability had been mostly mobilized by roland. what remained now were just the old, weak, and disabled. he had been on watch all night without incident, and was already extremely tired. at this point, he was eagerly waiting for his replacement, so he could go to the kitchen to enjoy oatmeal soup and salted meat, a special treat reserved for the night watchmen. suddenly, he saw a group of people coming, eventually reaching the base of the castle. the leader of the group was, astonishingly, roland davis. ¡°your excellency roland?¡± abel cried out in surprise. ¡°it¡¯s me, open the gate right now, damn it! our plans have gone awry, and i need to report to the lady immediately!¡± roland davis shouted. if one were to get close, they would see that the forehead of his excellency was dripping with sweat, while behind him, aaron grinned, pressing a dagger to his waist. ¡°alright¡­ alright.¡± abel did not doubt them at all and went to call someone to open the city gate, welcoming roland and his party. with creaks and cracks, accompanied by the teeth-grinding sound of the gears and ropes interlocking, the drawbridge slowly lowered, and the old wooden door gradually opened. entering the castle, abel still greeted them: ¡°sir, is there anything i can do for you¡­ ah!¡± the next instant, a long sword pierced directly through his chest. after aaron acted, ba zhi and the other selected men immediately drew their weapons and killed the people at the castle gate. it was so effortless to seize the city gate that even aaron felt it was too smooth. although the divination in his dream showed that there was indeed no danger nonetheless. ¡°sir, let¡¯s charge!¡± ba zhi howled, cutting off a guard¡¯s head with a scimitar, his eyes bloodshot. apparently, the wealth accumulated by a lord in his castle over many years had completely driven this person out of his mind. ¡°send the order, attack.¡± aaron nodded, allowing ba zhi to charge ahead. clang! from within the castle hall, a group of attendants emerged, looking old, young, and somewhat frail, but surprisingly numerous. ¡°are these knight attendants?¡± aaron recognized at a glance that, like theodore¡¯s fondness for keeping his butlers and knights¡¯ sons by his side as attendants, the davis family had the same tradition. at the same time, these children, who had been cultivated since childhood, also carried a hint of being hostages. their fathers and brothers might still be fighting for the davis family on the frontlines, while they should be well protected in the rear. them coming out to fight now clearly meant they¡¯d been backed into a corner. ¡°damn bastards, i¡¯m going to cut your heads off!¡± a scream came from beck up ahead ¨C he had been careless and was stabbed by a half-grown child, not seriously injured, but bloody nonetheless. ¡°the enemies are very determined to resist¡­ failure is possible.¡± aaron watched it all unfold, his expression as dark as water: ¡°light the beacon!¡± this was his second plan, to immediately set the beacon ablaze after capturing the gate, while the eloquent men outside would try to incite the civilians! and release the captives to let them join the plunder! never underestimate a person¡¯s baser instincts! having been neighbors for so many years, aaron knew what kind of character the davis family had, it was already good if they didn¡¯t oppress the civilians to death. at this time of crisis, seeing the castle being breached, those civilians would definitely not voluntarily come to their aid. on the contrary, they would be very interested in joining the chaotic looting. ¡®upon capturing the castle, the best strategic choice would be to hold out here, coordinate with the frontline army, and annihilate the davis family completely¡­ but it¡¯s too risky, holding a castle with only dozens of people in the face of a thousand-strong army may last for a while, but any misstep could lead to total annihilation!¡¯ aaron certainly didn¡¯t possess the noble quality to sacrifice himself for the greater good of his family, even if there was only a possibility, he wouldn¡¯t risk it. therefore, using the enemy civilians to thoroughly devastate the castle, reducing the difficulty of subsequent attacks, became the best choice. and he would naturally withdraw before the return of the davis army! ¡°you! are you still determined to resist? you have already failed¡­ the davis family is doomed, your loyalty will not receive any reward!¡± aaron, wielding his longsword, looked at an aged knight with white hair charging towards him and said coldly, ¡°even if you don¡¯t surrender directly, taking the wealth from inside the castle should be enough for you to live well on the outside.¡± ¡°you don¡¯t understand¡­¡± the old knight roared and swung his sword. though experienced, he obviously lacked the physical strength. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only finally, he was pierced through the chest by aaron¡¯s sword. he still struggled, spitting blood, ¡°you don¡¯t understand¡­ the chivalry¡­ is loyalty!¡± aaron withdrew his sword, his expression cold, ¡°yes¡­ i am not a knight. i don¡¯t understand loyalty. i am a beast controlled by desire!¡± ¡°but, i won, i survived, and you died¡­ that¡¯s reality!¡± ¡°the most noble slogan is no match for practical interests!¡± Chapter 12 translator: 549690339 when aaron saw his men leading those captives and even more local people into the castle, as if transformed into wild beasts, he understood that he had achieved victory today. by the time the sun had risen high, news of the breach of davis castle had spread throughout the nearby area. many locals with covered faces joined the ravenous mob, acting like thugs. he simply guarded the main gate of the castle, not refusing any of the thugs; he allowed them to enter the castle, explore one hall after another, discover one secret passage after another, confront and wear down the enemy, and even remove every nail from the big gate. ¡°almost there¡­¡± aaron looked at the chaotic castle and motioned for sanchez and others to follow him into the hall. blood was everywhere in the corridor. if his men had forcefully attacked, they would have suffered heavy losses. however, at this point, there were very few casualties among aaron¡¯s men. screams and maniacal laughter echoed from the various rooms. in the main hall, several bandits with bottles of wine draped in silk roamed about, some dressed in torn-down curtains. the robbers instinctively divided into groups, confronting each other but not daring to face the regular army. ¡°to quickly break through the castle, my spoils of war will be significantly reduced¡­¡± with this thought, aaron arrived deep into the castle. this was his deserved share, an area that the unruly thugs didn¡¯t dare trespass; those who did had already been reduced to corpses. at this moment, behind a door, the suppressed sobbing of a young woman could be heard. upon hearing this, the smile on the men¡¯s faces turned mischievous. ¡°i remember saying that the spoils and women would be distributed equally!¡± aaron¡¯s expression suddenly darkened. he knew the nature of his men, and it was unlikely that he could impose restrictions. however, blatantly defying orders like this would decrease the fighting power of his men. if they all behaved like this, they would quickly lose their advantage as a regular army, unable to suppress the thugs. they might not even be able to leave this territory! bang! with a cold face, aaron stepped forward and kicked open the door. inside the room, there was clearly a lady¡¯s boudoir, with curtains made of silk shielding the velvet bed. at the moment, several dead thugs littered the floor, and a man was undressing himself. seeing aaron, he hastily pulled up his pants, his face quickly revealing an embarrassed smile: ¡°boss, let me explain¡­ it wasn¡¯t me who did it, it was those thugs.¡± ¡°yeah, it wasn¡¯t you who did it, but you were just about to do it¡­¡± aaron directly approached and hit ba zhi on the back with the scabbard of his sword. bang! ba zhi¡¯s body swayed, and a scarlet trace appeared on his back. aaron continued forward, using his sword to lift the curtain and saw a tearful face: ¡°hilver davis?¡± she was the only daughter of lord davis and colin¡¯s fianc¨¦e, the heroine who brought about this war. aaron had seen her at their engagement ceremony, remembering her as a proud woman, but now¡­ ¡°take this woman with you; she might be useful.¡± regardless of the woman¡¯s condition, aaron gave the order and asked, ¡°what about lady anna?¡± ¡°that woman was hacked to death in the next room, along with a few children!¡± ba zhi answered with a sense of regret. it would have been much better if sir had arrived a little later. as for the heir to the davis domain, he was fighting on the battlefield alongside lord davis. ¡°take all the spoils and leave this place. we must board the ship before noon!¡± aaron nodded, glanced at the corpses, and gave the order. even if someone reported it, it would take time for the reinforcements to arrive from the front line. as long as they boarded the ship and sailed downstream, they would certainly escape! in any case, he was determined not to defend the castle to the bitter end, dying together with the enemy army only to have colin benefit in the end. that¡¯s not realistic! ¡­ when the sun reached the middle of the sky, the two ships had already set sail. ¡°if father is astute enough, he should have prepared upon receiving my letter¡­ and the chaos of the enemy¡¯s army is the best sign.¡± ¡°if we seize this opportunity, we can completely end this war.¡± aaron sotos stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the boxes of spoils and secretly thinking. the sooner the war ends, the fewer people will die. compared to that, today¡¯s sacrifices are nothing. if the war continues, perhaps ten times, even a hundred times more people will die than today! ¡°however, my main goal is still for myself.¡± aaron heard a low sobbing sound coming from the young women; they were all ¡®spoils of war,¡¯ including maids in the castle and nannies with a bit of beauty. after all, aaron¡¯s men were animals. of course, there was also a gem among them ¨C hilver davis. he had a premonition that this woman would be quite useful. ¡°and from now on, the war has little to do with me.¡± aaron took a deep breath. ¡­ widow bay camp. two ships were anchored outside the camp, and a group of jubilant robbers were excitedly preparing to split their spoils. ¡°i will divide this loot into three parts: one part for the lord, one part for me, and one part for you all!¡± aaron sotos took out a pen and paper and began allocating the spoils. since there were so many things, including livestock and women, it was a bit messy for a while. ¡°also¡­ all the books belong to me.¡± aaron picked up a book bound in papyrus, which was almost falling apart. after all, before he invented the paper mill, the most used in the green forest was still papyrus. this type of paper was inferior to parchment, and its only advantage was cheapness. later, new paper completely crushed it and drove it out of the market. however, before the paper mill operation, precious parchment was rarely used, so most of the books were still made of papyrus. ¡°as you wish, sir!¡± ba zhi bowed. ¡°don¡¯t think this will get you out of that whipping.¡± aaron snorted coldly. as punishment for disobeying military orders, even though the evil act did not succeed, a whipping was inevitable. as he rummaged through the box filled with papers, he suddenly felt something and took out a piece of parchment. he knew right away that the information recorded on it must be extremely valuable. after secretly placing away the parchment scroll, he pointed to the box filled with silver coins and copper coins: ¡°divide it, small team leader take a double share, plus whoever wants women and livestock will have a reduced share!¡± after putting forth a generally fair allocation plan, aaron didn¡¯t care about his men¡¯s wild celebrations and returned to his tent to study the parchment scroll. upon opening it, a dark map emerged. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°so, it¡¯s a map.¡± aaron¡¯s eyes showed interest as he looked at the map. he saw that the top half of the map had about a third of forest, marked as ¡®green forest.¡¯ and then, at the bottom of the map, there were castles guarding all the convenient transportation points, forming a kingdom. ¡®kagash kingdom¡­ the true ruler of this land, i have heard of its reputation¡­¡¯ ¡®but in the hearts of the people of that kingdom, we green forest people are probably just barbaric monkeys living in the forest, right?¡¯ Chapter 13 translator: 549690339 above the black crow sand dunes. ¡°kill!¡± thousands of soldiers fiercely intertwine, erupting in brutal assassination. unlike the past entanglements, today¡¯s theodore sotos begins a fierce attack immediately after discovering that the enemy is indeed beginning to retreat. moreover, he achieves significant results. the setting sun casts its light on the battlefield, soaked in blood, broken flags falling at an angle, like the end of an era. ¡°the war has ultimately ended in victory for the sotos family!¡± theodore, mounted on a horse, inspects the battlefield with pride. ¡°and aaron, his intelligence has proven useful. hmm ¡­ having successfully defended widow bay, he too deserves credit.¡± theodore murmured to himself and immediately noticed the slightly gloomy expression on his eldest son¡¯s face. however, he said nothing. at this time, a cavalryman brought in a messenger from the davis family. ¡°honorable theodore, i bring my master¡¯s goodwill, hoping for a truce. we admit our defeat and are willing to cede part of our territory.¡± the messenger was a smirking fatty, kneeling down directly. ¡°a truce?¡± theodore hesitated for a moment. although eager to annihilate the davis family, he knew it wasn¡¯t an overnight matter. if the opponent resorted to stubborn resistance, relying on the protection of the castle, even a few hundred people could hold out for a long time. suddenly, a raven landed, seized by knight terna, who took the letter from its claws. he glanced at it, and his expression changed instantly. finding theodore, he handed over the letter: ¡°my lord, this is an urgent letter from young master aaron.¡± ¡°what?¡± theodore took the letter, and his eyes widened in shock. he then looked at the kneeling fatty and stepped forward to whip him fiercely: ¡°are you trying to deceive me?¡± ¡°sir, i dare not, sir!¡± the fatty tumbled all over the ground, with his gorgeous clothes stained with filth, begging loudly for mercy. ¡°my son has already breached your castle, destroyed the drawbridge and the big door, and set fire to your food supplies!¡± theodore laughed loudly: ¡°did andrew send you here to beg for peace, just to buy time to repair the castle?¡± ¡°what?¡± colin paled in shock: ¡°aaron managed to ¡­ break through a castle?¡± previously when he received news of aaron killing a knight, colin was taken aback. was this still his low-key little brother, who used to have almost no presence at all? ¡®could it be ¡­¡¯ a sense of urgency suddenly burrowed deep into colin¡¯s heart. ¡°send the order down, attack! attack! attack!¡± theodore roared loudly: ¡°i will take the davis family¡¯s castle and unify the green forest! i will ensure that there is only one voice in the northern forest of kagash!¡± ¡­ about ten days later, aaron received the news. theodore sotos captured davis castle, beheaded clan leader andrew davis and heir little andrew, and completely occupied the upper green forest territory. from now on, the entire green forest territory would be flying the green banyan flag of the sotos family! ¡°the war¡­has finally ended.¡± aaron sighed, ¡°fortunately¡­ we achieved the minimum goal and survived.¡± ¡­ one month later. inside the green rong tree cave. because of the victory in the war, theodore believed that this was the grace of the [green rong tree grandmother], and a grand ceremony must be held. during the ceremony, aaron saw the heads of little andrew and his father, as well as the bloody and brutal human sacrifices. when the blood and guts filled the sacrificial stone platform, and the banner representing the davis family was burned down, theodore finally announced the end of the ceremony. as everyone walked out of the cave, aaron took a deep breath, suppressing the slightly nauseating feeling. killing in war is completely different from post-war massacres. ¡°my son, you¡¯ve done well.¡± after removing the sacrificial robe, theodore casually tossed it to colin and rarely showed a smile to aaron, ¡°tell me, what reward do you want?¡± ¡°how about a piece of territory?¡± aaron looked at theodore without hesitation. it was almost impossible to divide the lower green forest, but after obtaining the upper green forest, it was quite possible to reward a few knight territories to deserving people. moreover, this is also his way of showing to theodore that he had no intention of competing for the heir¡¯s position. even if he performed well, it was uncertain if he could win theodore¡¯s favor and replace the original successor. who knows if this was a test? hearing aaron¡¯s answer, theodore¡¯s expression froze, but his smile remained unchanged, ¡°well, you will be a good vassal.¡± ¡°it is only natural for a lord to grant land to his vassal, and for the vassal to repay with loyalty,¡± aaron showed a hint of excitement. this era¡¯s land-granting nobility is completely different from that of huaxian civilization. although the ranks of dukes, marquises, earls, and barons in the late feudal era of huaxia are also called this, they have no real territory or private armies, and thus are at the mercy of the emperor. however, in the west, even a king cannot simply issue an edict to hang a baron. in aaron¡¯s view, the western kingdoms might be more like a company, where the king is at best a weak chairman, who might be dismissed by the board at any moment¡­ once he became a knight in green forest, even if colin took the throne, it would be difficult to do anything to him. theodore continued to talk and looked at colin, ¡°upper green forest has been under the rule of the davis family for generations; now that the ruler has suddenly changed, the people will inevitably be resistant. what should we do?¡± ¡°father, i am willing to be your sword, to clear all obstacles for you,¡± colin answered without hesitation. but theodore was a little disappointed and looked at aaron. ¡°at this time in upper green forest, appeasement should be the priority. we can recognize the legitimacy of those knight territories that have pledged allegiance. in addition¡­ although the direct descendants of the davis family are dead, hilver is still here¡­¡± aaron said with a playful smile in his heart, ¡°why not continue the previous marriage contract, have colin marry hilver of the davis family, and announce that their children will be the future successors of green forest? ¡± ¡°not a bad idea, it has the wisdom of ruling!¡± theodore¡¯s face showed a joyful smile, ¡°did you hear it? colin¡­ prepare to marry hilver right away, the ceremony must be grand!¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only colin suddenly felt like he had been punched. he didn¡¯t want to marry the woman who had humiliated him, let alone¡­ he didn¡¯t know what had happened to her under aaron¡¯s control! but it was a political marriage, even if hilver were a sow, he would have to marry her! moreover, it was also to consolidate his position as the heir. as long as he married hilver and had descendants, aaron sotos and sean sotos would absolutely not be able to compare to him! Chapter 14 translator: 549690339 ¡°in this era, if all the heirs die, the son-in-law would have the right to inherit as well. of course, only the direct line would be considered, those who are from the branching families after many generations could step aside¡­¡± ¡°after all the men in the davis family die, hilver would be a rare catch.¡± ¡°moreover, those ignorant commoners always believe that there should be a noble lord to govern them, holding strange sympathy for the declining nobility. this is also a must reason for marriage, to strangle any instability in the cradle!¡± aaron sotos thought lightly. ¡°by taking this step, i would have completely given up on competing for the inheritance, which would greatly reduce the troubles brought by standing out too much in this war¡­ if colin is smart enough.¡± honestly, he wasn¡¯t very interested in a mere territory. now that becoming extraordinary is in sight, whoever wants to inherit can go for it. ¡°ordinary people all hope for longevity, but they can¡¯t achieve it. thus they settle for substitutes, such as pursuing the bloodline longevity of having children and grandchildren, and writing books and establishing a spiritual longevity for their names to be passed down through the generations. however, all of these are illusions!¡± ¡°now¡­ the real extraordinary is right in front of me, what does everything else matter to me?¡± aaron¡¯s gaze was unwavering. theodore, who was watching this scene, couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡­ in his dream. aaron recalled all kinds of video and image materials he had seen in his previous life, searched for those that can be utilized, and then continually memorized them. in the dream world, he seemed to have gained a controllable state of hyperthymesia, with his memory akin to a library. his task was to take out what interested him, remember it again, and then bring it back to reality! although he didn¡¯t have the [extraordinary memory] ability in reality, the quality of an ordinary person was enough to recall the contents that had been repeatedly learned in his dreams. using this method, he could entirely replicate some of the technology from his previous life. he woke up and picked up a brand-new notebook next to him, starting to record with a pen. this time, he was not using chinese but the green forest language. after all, these were not secrets, and they might need to be shown to craftsmen for further study, making it too complicated would only create difficulties for himself. ¡°organic fertilizer, cement, backyard steelmaking, steam engine design¡­ once i get my territory, i can start these projects without any concerns¡­¡± ¡°it seems like i don¡¯t need too much, just the organic fertilizer would be enough for the territory to have a prosperous harvest, considering the pitiful current agricultural technology¡­¡± organic fertilizer is quite simple, indeed the magic treasure for time travelers to increase production, and the materials are also easy to find, all it needs is fresh cow dung, soybean meal, and calcium sulfate. and the knight¡¯s territory is entirely private, no matter what industry he does there, he doesn¡¯t have to worry about theodore taking it away directly. even if he were to rebel, theodore would have to defeat his private army first before proceeding to the trial. as long as he doesn¡¯t rebel and fulfills his vassal¡¯s duties, the lord couldn¡¯t do anything to him¡­ ¡­ after putting away the notes, aaron shook the bell on the table. a maid immediately came in to tidy up the table and choose clothes for him to go out. ¡°tia, this is for you.¡± aaron stuffed a gold coin into tia¡¯s clothes, looking at the shy expression of the little maid, and suddenly said, ¡°after colin¡¯s wedding, i¡¯ll probably go to hei shi manor to be granted my fief. you think about your future path in advance, and let me know.¡± upon hearing this, tia¡¯s expression changed involuntarily. for the maids in the castle, they had enjoyed the comfortable life in the castle and most of them were unwilling to return to the hardships of a farmer¡¯s life. and the way out for these maids was not much, becoming the lord¡¯s lover was probably the best option. in this era, even the most daydreaming maid never thought she could become the lady of the castle. besides that, the options were to be given to stewards or their sons. of course, maids with special skills could continue to work in the castle, as cooks, maids, or nannies for the ladies. the worst outcome was to be driven out of the castle when they grew old, married to a farmer, and live a hard life. looking at the maid biting her lip, aaron continued expressionlessly, ¡°no matter if you want to continue following me, or have taken a liking to any steward or his son, or want a sum of money¡­ you can tell me. you don¡¯t have to answer me immediately, you have a few days to think about it.¡± he had to admit that he didn¡¯t have much affection for this maid, and doing this much was already his limit. after getting dressed, aaron left the room and came to the garden. suddenly, his nose twitched, and he smelled the aroma of grilled meat. ¡°jinnie, it¡¯s you!¡± aaron changed direction and came to a corner, where he saw little jinnie secretly grilling deer meat. on the white marble table were a grill, wire mesh, and various bowls and plates filled with seasonings, including precious spices and black pepper. a deer leg was hanging on one side, and jinnie¡¯s maid was holding a dagger, cutting off small pieces of deer meat and putting them on the grill. another plate was filled with cooked deer meat, and jinnie was eating it with her mouth full of grease. hearing someone coming, the little girl was initially alarmed, but relaxed when she found out it was aaron, ¡°brother aaron¡­¡± since aaron had taught her this way of eating last time, especially the secret recipe for dipping sauce, jinnie seemed to particularly enjoy it. ¡°if you want me to keep quiet, you have to share.¡± aaron laughed and sat down, casually taking out a knife and slicing the deer leg. the sliced deer meat sizzled on the grill, occasionally sprinkled with some spices, and after it was cooked, it was simply delicious. aaron enjoyed the meal very much, competing with jinnie like a race, devouring the grilled meat. after they finished eating, the maids cleaned up the grill. jinnie, while holding a cup of deer milk, suddenly said, ¡°mother has been very unhappy these days¡­ and so has sean.¡± aaron remained silent. the castle was preparing for a grand wedding, and it was no wonder that lady sonia was unhappy. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only at this time, jinnie lowered her head and whispered, ¡°they also mentioned you¡­¡± aaron was speechless, but he had expected this since he was the one who proposed this idea and was prepared to be resented. after all, no matter how glorious sonia and sean appear to be now, when theodore passes away and colin takes over, their fate might be worse than his previous self! at this time, he already had his territory, which was bestowed for his war merits and cannot be taken away, but sean¡­ without any convincing merits, even theodore would find it difficult to grant him a territory. it¡¯s likely that when he grows up, becoming a wandering knight would be his only way out. Chapter 15 translator: 549690339 moon of the withered green rong, 3rd day. no matter how much lady sonia raged and protested, colin¡¯s wedding was held as scheduled. theodore seemed to be using this as a celebration of the unification of green forest, making it a grand event. anyone of status in green forest had come to sotos castle. the enormous castle was bedecked with lanterns and banners, while a multitude of cooks bustled about the kitchen, serving up a feast of delectable dishes. roasted chicken, grilled lamb chops, steak, roasted suckling pig, vegetable salad, raisin pudding, cheese, honey mead¡­ all manner of delicacies filled the long table, and the hall was filled with laughter and joyous conversation. however, the main event of the wedding was not happening here. according to the customs of the green forest people, marriage must take place under a banyan tree, where sacred bonds are formed. the most famous banyan tree in sotos domain is the ¡®divine tree¡¯ located at the back of sotos castle. ¡°today, i am honored to have you all here to witness the wedding of my son, colin sotos, and hilver davis!¡± theodore was dressed in a priest¡¯s robe, his expression solemn. aaron glanced at the bride and realized that hilver wasn¡¯t resisting. he suddenly understood that this woman had probably resigned to her fate. what else could she do, after all? more importantly, even though all direct members of the davis family had died, there were still collateral relatives; she had to consider their welfare. lady sonia and sean were also present, although their polite smiles were evidently forced. the reactions of the vassals below were even more varied. the original knights of sotos domain were naturally jubilant, sharing in the glory. the newly sworn allies from davis domain had more complicated expressions, which were intriguing. ¡°huh?¡± aaron spotted a stranger amongst them. it was a peculiar noble, dressed in a silky robe as smooth as milk, his hair impeccably combed. his eyes held a trace of arrogance, as if he were a city fellow who had come to the countryside, observing these green forest nobles. ¡°who is that person?¡± he gave it some thought, turned to the knight turner shourienne at his side, and asked him in a whisper. ¡°the envoy of kagash kingdom, the king¡¯s courtier¡ªfeili greta. he has brought a royal mandate to confer some kind of earldom title on our lord¡­¡± it was obvious that turner sneered at this. after all, the conflicts between kagash kingdom and green forest had been there since ancient times. a long time ago, those forest barbarians who could not survive in the north had often raided the warm lands of the lords in the south, engendering substantial ¡®animosity¡¯ between them! it wasn¡¯t until the establishment of the kagash kingdom that the situation somewhat eased. after all, the green forest people weren¡¯t fools. invading the south was easy, but if those weaklings united, they posed a considerable threat. later, the kingdom itself could not conquer green forest, they could only bestow titles to the strong men of the green forest, nominally bringing green forest under their rule. ¡®isn¡¯t this just expanding the map?¡¯ aaron also realized that their own noble title, as well as that of the davis family, might have been won in this manner. it seems they had previously been conferred some sort of baron by the king? however, this was of no use; neither side took it seriously. now, with green forest unified, it was natural for the king to feel provoked and take some action. this edict, was it a kind of peace offering? ¡®actually, apart from sounding nice, it¡¯s of no practical use. even if named a baron, sotos would still be the ruler of green forest!¡¯ once he understood this, aaron lost interest in the envoy and turned his attention back to the lavish dinner. rather than pondering these issues, it was better to think about how to enjoy the evening meal. ¡­ nightfall. commotion still filled the castle. however, aaron had no interest in the wedding night festivities. he returned to his room and, after sending tia away, lay down on the large bed. darkness, falling. in the dream world. it was still daytime, with a bloody sun hanging in the sky. ¡°keep going, i hope to see land!¡± ever since the war ended, aaron had been dedicating all the mysterious energy he produced daily to exploration. during each of his dreams now, he moved in a certain direction, hoping to see land. ¡°another boring day on the road.¡± after confirming his direction, aaron continued on his journey. time passed and suddenly, his [danger perception] was triggered, his consciousness becoming as sharp as a needle. ¡°the sun!¡± aaron looked up abruptly to see the sun he had tainted, turned into a bloody red. at that moment, the sun was emitting terrifying light and heat. it had turned even redder, verging on black! spot after spot of black emerged from the sun. they looked like sunspots, but also like coagulated blood clots! the entire world seemed to quiet down at that moment. even the wildest creatures ceased their hunting and looked up at the transforming sun! aaron fought back tears welling up in his eyes as he saw those black spots coalesce and ¡®detach¡¯ from the bloody sun. the detached sunspots condensed and coalesced¡­ forming a smaller black sun that hung next to the bloody sun. hissss! his consciousness was sharp as if pricked by a needle, and a vague noise suddenly reached his ears. it sounded like the shouts of thousands, or perhaps the whispers and murmurs of something indescribable¡­ the ramblings seemed to contain some information but were also mixed with intense elements of madness! ¡°¡­sun¡­creator¡­darkness¡­¡± indecipherable information surfaced in a strange supernatural language that anyone, literate or not, could understand. aaron had an epiphany, a certain trait within him was stirred. looking at the two suns, one red and one black, he sighed, ¡°the sun¡­ has gone mad!¡± he had some guesses as to what was happening. the original star had no consciousness. but his alterations had given the sun consciousness. though it was a consciousness of madness and chaos, it was still consciousness! to a stone, having feelings is progress, even if those feelings are madness. it was a crucial step toward becoming a living being! ¡°and that black sun, just one glance made me feel decay, corruption, darkness¡­ is it the physical manifestation of the red sun¡¯s madness, its personification?¡± aaron couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly, ¡°what¡­ what exactly have i created?¡± the previous bloody sun was the source of madness and corruption in this world! read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only now, from that source, something terrifying had been born! without a doubt, the energy of that black sun could easily annihilate every creature in this sea of red! it was safe to say that even the most massive and strange sea creature he¡¯d ever seen would look like an ant before that black sun! ¡°if the red sun is seen as the creator, then this black sun is, at the very least, the son of the creator¡­ or maybe an incarnation¡­ a god?¡± aaron¡¯s expression was complicated, ¡°so what am i? the creator¡¯s creator?¡± Chapter 16 translator: 549690339 the next day. aaron strolled along the castle corridors. the scene from last night had frightened him a bit. and the appearance of that black sun, especially that ¡®worldwide broadcast¡¯ ability, made him even more wary. although that round of whispers only lasted for a few minutes before it dispersed automatically, it would obviously bring more changes to that world. he needed to think about it carefully. ¡°lord aaron!¡± at this moment, a voice came from behind. it was viscount feili greta. ¡°viscount sir.¡± aaron stopped and showed a smile. ¡°lord aaron, you are, indeed, a young talent¡­ with just a few dozen people under your command, you took the castle. your great deeds are not far from those of the legendary heroes.¡± feili¡¯s face was full of smiles: ¡°if i had known in advance, i would have pleaded with the king and asked for a title for lord aaron. i believe that a baron or even a viscount would not be an issue.¡± ¡°the size of the title doesn¡¯t matter; what matters is the territory and strength.¡± aaron shrugged his shoulders: ¡°if there is nothing else, i¡¯ll leave first.¡± he was too lazy to participate in the family¡¯s intrigues, let alone become the king¡¯s sword. looking at aaron¡¯s back, feili had a playful expression, murmuring to himself: ¡°aaron sotos, you¡¯re indeed a clever person, refusing to have any contact with me. what a pity, although you think like this, your elder brother is quite foolish¡­¡± as the king¡¯s envoy, he naturally had some secret missions. if he could make the sotos family discordant and split with just a few words, that would be best. a unified green forest would not be in the interest of the kagash kingdom! ¡­ after the wedding, when all the guests were present, it was the perfect time for aaron¡¯s enfeoffment ceremony. similarly, under the big banyan tree, theodore bestowed aaron a piece of land and a young tree, while tapping his shoulders with a sword. ¡°i swear, i will repay my monarch with loyalty!¡± ¡°i swear, i will protect my territory with my sword!¡± ¡°i swear, i will observe honor, today and forever!¡± ¡­ aaron, wearing his new knight uniform, swore solemnly. when he stood up, he was a true knight. as expected, the enfeoffed territory was hei shi manor, the original territory of wild bear saliba, which included a manor, a village, and a large nearby forest. after completing all this, aaron took his subordinates directly to upper green forest. it¡¯s worth noting that maid tia wanted to stay in the castle, so aaron granted her wish and gave her some money. ¡­ hei shi manor. the manor was huge, equipped with its own mill, brewery, and granary¡­ saliba¡¯s careful arrangement was evident. and now, all of these belonged to aaron. ¡°sir, after our investigation, there are roughly 500 people in the nearby village, with about 1,000 ram of cultivated land within the territory.¡± behind him, ba zhi spoke respectfully. in the green forest, the ram is a unit of land area, equivalent to about five acres. ¡°this cultivated land area is still too small, and with the existence of a lord, it¡¯s inevitable that the people are poor¡­¡± aaron thought to himself and said casually: ¡°we should eliminate the impact of the war as soon as possible, immediately cultivate the wastelands and replant when possible¡­ this winter, i don¡¯t want anyone in my territory to starve to death. for the time being, we can lend some food to the hungry farmers from my private warehouse. they can return it after next year¡¯s harvest.¡± ¡°you are so kind!¡± ba zhi exclaimed. after all, in this era, it was normal for people to starve to death in winter! ¡°after all, it¡¯s my first year as a lord.¡± aaron shook his head: ¡°in addition, what¡¯s the response from sanchez and others? if they are willing to come over, i will accept them as free people and grant them one ram of land each, doubling the amount for the captains!¡± his previous small team had integrated well, and bringing them over would provide more manpower. aaron didn¡¯t want to let them go. ¡°i have contacted them one by one. beck refused, green and sanchez both had intentions to agree, and there are a dozen other households¡­¡± ba zhi bowed. speaking of which, he was the first free man in this territory. ¡°well, with these people, my manor can almost operate¡­ the last thing we need is a clerk or a scholar!¡± aaron nodded, he had prepared for this aspect. a scholar in the castle should be able to recommend someone to come over, as long as they can read and write and understand simple arithmetic. he couldn¡¯t ask for too much. after finally dealing with these miscellaneous matters, he could now devote all of his energy to exploring the dream world. ¡­ within the manor, knights naturally didn¡¯t live in castles. such buildings that combined living, defense, and fortress functions were not within the economic strength of a knight. saliba had only mobilized his people to build a wooden villa for him. now, this naturally belonged to aaron. he came to the villa, and there was no lack of maids around him. the local farmers were very willing to send their daughters into the lord¡¯s house. even if there were no benefits, having one less mouth to feed was a good thing. ¡°by the way, there¡¯s a little trouble.¡± at this moment, outside the villa, a woman in her thirties was waiting anxiously, holding two children. she was the wife and children of sir saliba, now a widow. ¡°lady rita¡­¡± aaron took a step forward, speaking in a calm tone: ¡°you have not left yet?¡± ¡°i have¡­ nowhere else to go.¡± lady rita smiled bitterly, still young and beautiful. she was probably not saliba¡¯s first wife: ¡°i am wondering¡­ honorable sir, perhaps you need a housekeeper?¡± aaron recalled that this lady was probably the daughter of another knight. she couldn¡¯t go back now¡­ most likely her father or brothers had also resisted the sotos family and died on the battlefield, with their territories completely taken away. but now, a weak woman was begging and deliberately dressing up, the implications were quite clear. aaron shook his head: ¡°i have already chosen a housekeeper. if lady rita has nowhere to go, she can become a free citizen on my territory, and i will grant her ten ram of land. you can hire farmers to cultivate it, and i believe it will be enough to raise your children to adulthood¡­¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only rita still wanted to say something, as this was clearly not what she wanted, but aaron waved his hand, unwilling to entangle with this woman. he had killed her husband, and his family had wiped out her family. even if there was no malice, she absolutely couldn¡¯t be trusted! if it were before, perhaps he would have kept her and slowly played with her, watching her desperation and ugliness after her plots were exposed. but now? he had to focus wholeheartedly on pursuing the extraordinary and the immortal! Chapter 17 translator: 549690339 [affairs in the territory are finally in order, now it¡¯s time to explore the extraordinary and the immortal!] [under the green rong snow covered moon, it¡¯s been 43 days since i started moving in my dreams, and i still haven¡¯t seen a continent, which is making me a little doubtful¡­] [day 46, using all of the mysterious energy to move seems quite wasteful, perhaps i should re-plan, dividing the energy produced from dreaming each day into three parts: one part for moving, one part for strengthening, and one part reserved?] ¡­ [on the 50th day of action, during the dream world¡¯s night, i witnessed a horrific scene. on the crimson moon, there seemed to be a birth of a terrifying thing, i saw the swaying tree shadows, and on every branch of it, were hung full of deformed flesh tributes¡­ at the same time, i also heard a world-class dreamtalk¡­ i speculate that another ¡®black sun¡¯ like being has appeared] ¡­ [summoned by father, i attend the winter ritual in the lord¡¯s territory. based on observation, he seems to be quite pleased with the title of green forest earl?] [under the green banyan silent moon, spring is approaching, but it doesn¡¯t make much difference to me, nothing is happening in the territory, i am still immersed in my dreams¡­] ¡­ after finishing the last notes in his hand, aaron yawned, changed into his pajamas, lay down on the bed, and entered the dreamland. during this period, rumors about the lord suffering from narcolepsy have been spreading more intensely in the hei shi manor, but aaron didn¡¯t mind at all. if possible, he wishes to spend all day in that different world. the dream world. a consciousness moving quickly over the sea surface. for aaron, this experience of constantly zooming in perspective is no longer novel. what he¡¯s really worried about is the occurrence of those strange phenomena. ¡°adding to the strange phenomena and broadcasts i saw before, i estimate that there are about five terrifying beings that have descended upon this world¡­ they are accompanied by that kind of worldwide broadcast, or is it a call and contamination?¡± aaron can¡¯t even be sure if they can discover him. at this moment, he couldn¡¯t help but worry more. he concentrated his thoughts, divided the mysterious energy produced by this day¡¯s dream into three parts: one part to strengthen himself, one part for the journey, and one part to be stored. originally, aaron thought everything would be as before, passing the day mundane. but today, the situation¡¯s a little different. in front of him, a dark line suddenly leaped from the sea surface. aaron was taken aback for a moment, almost couldn¡¯t believe it, or thought he was hallucinating. but after waiting for a while, the dark line was still there! ¡°it¡¯s a landmass!¡± an excitement bubbled up in aaron¡¯s consciousness: ¡°finally¡­ i¡¯ve sighted land!¡± he hurried over. the dark line expanded gradually, transforming into a coastline, revealing more contours. what lay ahead wasn¡¯t a continent, but a small island. above the island, pale forests seemed to have mutated, looking like hands reaching towards the sky. and in the shadows, there was something peculiar moving. ¡°it seems¡­ the creatures on land have also been affected by the contamination and influence of the red sun?¡± contemplating, aaron circled around the island and discovered that it wasn¡¯t big, only a dozen or so square kilometers. however, the encouragement it brought was still not to be underestimated. at least, it was the first landmass he had encountered. ¡°perhaps¡­ the real continental shelf is not that far away¡­¡± ¡­ despite encouraging himself this way, it was only after more than twenty days of moving forward that aaron truly found a continent. an endless coastline, of unknown depth. ¡°finally¡­ i have finally reached land!¡± aaron felt touched. after sixteen years at sea, he has finally stepped foot on solid ground! moreover, not far away, he even saw a harbor. behind the harbor, a great number of buildings, cobblestone roads, high towers¡­.combined together forming a city! ¡°today is definitely my lucky day!¡± aaron stepped onto the pier and saw several stranded sailboats, some of them carrying evidence of a struggle, and dried blood stains all around. the pier was also in a complete mess¡­even more so, there was a large ship split in half not too far away, seemingly¡­split by a deep-sea monster¡­ ¡°monsters from sea¡­ have ascended onto the pier?¡± it was a heavy realization for aaron sotos. if he had not tampered with the sun, perhaps this would have still been a thriving harbor, now abandoned. he followed the cobblestone road all the way into the city. many human remains discarded on the side of the road, already weathered into bones, and there were traces of having been gnawed. ¡°it seems that not just the sea, but all things on the continent were also contaminated?¡± aaron mused to himself, then his perception was triggered and he looked ahead. at the turn of the corner, there was also a quietly standing figure, like a stone statue. suddenly! the silhouette slowly moves, taking steps towards aaron. thunk, thunk! feet with hooked claws landed on the cobblestones, making a crisp sound, and leaving a trail of filthy bloody stains. as the other party approached, aaron felt as if his heart was being pounded by a hammer. he saw¡­ a monster, its entire body hardened, its face without skin, looking like a humanoid! there were still remnants of clothing on the monster, as if it was a human of this world! it had no eyelids, and its huge eyeballs stared straight at aaron in front, one of its arms had completely mutated, turning into tentacles like an octopus. one step, two steps¡­ the monster moved closer and then¡­ walked through aaron¡¯s body¡­ ¡°even these monsters can¡¯t touch me?¡± aaron looked at the peculiar symbols on the sides of the street which seemed like they are words of this different world, yet he did not recognize any. ¡®although i would learn very quickly after having [extraordinary memory], i still need someone to teach me¡­¡¯ a chill ran down aaron¡¯s spine: ¡°don¡¯t tell me¡­ all the intelligent beings in this world have gone mad?¡± at this moment, the monster turned direction and rushed headlong into a building. its huge, bat-like ears were constantly trembling as if listening to something. ¡°no, no, it did not respond to me, but sensed other prey?¡± something occurred to aaron, and he quickly phased through walls to enter that building. this seemed to be a bakery. many shelves had fallen to the ground and a dried-up corpse hung in the air, occasionally swaying in the breeze. aaron used his phasing skill to check left and right but found nothing. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only the monster did the same, standing on the floor, it stopped moving. suddenly¡­ something occurred to aaron and he dug downward. below the floor, there was actually a secret passage! inside the passage, a boy with black hair, wearing a shirt and jeans, and a girl, with faces blacked out, were squirming like worms. on the girl¡¯s hand was a tightly held piece of black bread¡­ Chapter 18 translator: 549690339 ¡°keep going!¡± aaron, trailing behind the two children, could only silently cheer them on as he could not intervene in this world. the tunnel was not long. soon, the two children, clutching bread, crawled out. they should have been at the back of a bakery, but due to their excitement, they made a slightly larger move and kicked a small piece of wood, making a faint noise. instantly, the faces of the little boy and the girl turned pale. the little boy let out a scream, presumably meaning something like ¡®run¡¯, and pushed the girl. behind them, the terrifying monster was already maniacally chasing them, arms growing wildly like tentacles, piercing straight through the wooden board. terror broke out from the wall! aaron wanted to do something, but he couldn¡¯t. these two children simply couldn¡¯t stand a chance against such a terrifying monster! just then, a loud noise rang from the side! whoosh! whoosh! along with the loud noise, a few stones hit the monster, diverting its attention. a female scavenger, agile as a female cheetah, was already swiftly approaching, pulling the two children away with her in a swift retreat. obviously, the loud noise to the side was just a decoy. ¡°great¡­ it seems not all people in this world are insane, and there doesn¡¯t seem to be much difference between human races¡­¡± aaron followed behind this woman, carefully scrutinizing her. she was very young, probably in her early twenties, dressed in sturdy, durable clothing, although a bit dirty, akin to scavengers. she had a germanic style blonde hair and blue eyes, tall and strong, her bronze face full of determination, currently running without a word. during her movements and leaps, she made very little noise, as if she had undergone special training. although she was holding two children, one big and one small, she didn¡¯t show any sign of effort. she quickly ran out of the city and arrived at a human camp. this was a mill established by the river, it had been completely militarized. there was an iron fence full of thorns, and dark pieces of flesh were still on the bars. from inside the building, a few people walked out, carrying weapons, their faces full of alertness. only when they saw this woman did they relax into smiles. ¡°great, a gathering point.¡± aaron followed them inside the building. it was not big, housing about twenty people, but the supplies were relatively abundant. he then decided to stay and slowly learn their language and writing. after all, to them, having an invisible ghost around wouldn¡¯t matter. soon, aaron saw the woman, who had saved the two children, arguing with her companions. after all, in an apocalyptic world like this, adding two burdens wasn¡¯t an easy thing. luckily, the result was good. the two children were finally accepted. the original scavenger woman handed a can, which seemed to contain meat, to the two children and softly spoke to them. as the children finished eating, she even took out a book and began to read the content slowly while pointing at it. to aaron¡¯s surprise, this woman, in such circumstances, hadn¡¯t forgotten about education. she might be teaching the two children how to read! ¡­ how fast can you learn a language? aaron knew that some geniuses beyond common sense could self-learn the local language just by taking a flight. and he, too, was a genius with controllable hypermnesia, and the time he took was ¨C ten days! it wasn¡¯t that his ability to learn was inadequate, but because he could only passively acquire knowledge, which slowed his progress. by relying on his ability to remember everything he saw and the conversation of everyone at the gathering point, the most important thing was the children¡¯s learning. at this point, aaron could finally understand the language of this world and basically read their text. at the same time, he had also learned the name of the female scavenger ¡ª¡ª xiu! as for the two children, the elder one was named ike and the younger one was lin. this world¡¯s technology was obviously more advanced than green forest¡¯s, as aaron had already seen defensive flintlock guns. in this period, the words aaron heard most were ¨C ¡®the great catastrophe¡¯! this was the name the otherworldly humans had given to the solar catastrophe and ensuing consequences. one day. at the outer circle of the mill, the sound of a trap bell ringing echoed. everyone hurriedly took up their guns and aimed at the direction where the trap was triggered. even ike held a small knife in his hand, firmly guarding his younger sister behind. a figure quickly appeared from the direction of the bell. ¡°aunt xiu!¡± lin let out a cheer, ike also put down the weapon in his hand, but his face changed the next moment because xiu¡¯s arm had a wound that was constantly seeping blood. ¡°she¡¯s hurt, she needs treatment!¡± a woman in her forties among the survivors shouted. ¡°no¡­ xiu! you can¡¯t come any closer.¡± a man raised his gun: ¡°who knows if your wound will get infected, if you will turn into one of those monsters? a normal hunter wouldn¡¯t trigger their own traps, but you let the bells ring¡­ have you lost control?¡± xiu stopped outside the mill, a helpless smile appearing on her face: ¡°i¡¯m still fairly conscious. i don¡¯t think i¡¯ll go crazy immediately. just to be safe, i¡¯ll stay outside the mill.¡± after she finished speaking, she stopped and rested, leaning against the wall of the mill: ¡°i¡¯m sorry¡­ i encountered a very dangerous monster and didn¡¯t bring back any food.¡± ike was silent, then suddenly stepped forward and bandaged xiu¡¯s wound. xiu, with a smile on her face, pinched lin¡¯s face. ¡°how can they be like this?¡± ike felt sorry for xiu, knowing that most of the food in the refuge was brought by xiu. ¡°don¡¯t blame them, everyone¡¯s gone mad since the great catastrophe!¡± xiu lit a filterless rolled cigarette, slowly exhaling, her tone heavy: ¡°that¡¯s right¡­ in fact, we¡¯re also mad, latent madmen. the level of madness varies among people. the most mad turned into monsters at the beginning, those not so mad became cruel, bloodthirsty, cold, indifferent, insane¡­ an even smaller portion of survivors were a bit better, they just became overly anxious, forced, tense, paranoid¡­ but, we still have the potential of falling into the abyss, to be transformed into monsters ¡ª when we¡¯re wounded and infected or emotionally overstimulated. therefore, being cautious and careful are the rules that will keep you surviving in the future¡­ and also, don¡¯t easily trust others!¡± she was passing down her survival experiences in this apocalyptic world, her voice growing lower and lower. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ike¡¯s eyes were filled with tears, though he held them back from falling. for the next few days, xiu¡¯s condition was fairly good, at least she didn¡¯t turn into a monster or get infected from her wound. but at the same time, another bad news came. the monsters in salo port nearby had become stronger and more agile. after xiu, several other groups of scavengers met with misfortune, a squad even didn¡¯t manage to return! dark clouds weighted down on every survivor¡¯s head. Chapter 19 translator: 549690339 ever since discovering this survivor camp, aaron had practically given up on everything in his territory. he was fully engrossed in observing everything in his dreams every day. today, he witnessed the biggest dispute in the shelter. the cause of the dispute seemed to be the evolution of the monsters and the shortage of food. ¡­ ¡°we can¡¯t go on like this!¡± a man with golden hair screamed passionately, swinging his arms widely as if trying to increase persuasion. a few times, he even swung through aaron¡¯s body without touching it. ¡°the monsters are getting stronger, and the food we can get is getting less. if this continues, everyone in this shelter¡­ will die!¡± he spoke a cruel truth. ¡°soron, what do you plan to do?¡± shu asked calmly, pulling the two children behind her. ¡°we must move! move to the north. i¡¯ve heard there¡¯s an even bigger gathering point where they have extraordinary power! it¡¯s safe, with plenty of food!¡± soron answered without hesitation. ¡°the people from the north?¡± the people in the shelter were restless, seemingly having heard the news before. ¡°yes, among them there are even superhumans who can kill dangerous species with their bare hands!¡± soron said, ¡°if we join them, we can gain the same power!¡± ¡°those self-proclaimed ¡®black sun sect¡¯ heretics?¡± shu sneered, ¡°i heard they burn people alive as offerings!¡± ¡°so what? to survive, we must sacrifice something.¡± soron suddenly sneered, ¡°he is there, he is in the sky, he is watching us¡­ don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve never heard those¡­oracles!¡± aaron was startled, as he had only heard some whispers during the birth of the black sun and the terrifying beings, and never received any further information after that. but looking at the expressions of the people in the shelter, it seemed they could occasionally hear? ¡°yes, the black sun is above us, but i haven¡¯t heard the ¡®call.¡¯ all i heard were chaotic screams and mad whispers¡­ when i resisted it, i never heard again.¡± shu sneered, ¡°are you sure you want to worship that crazy stuff? i can guarantee that the black sun in the sky does not know about the black sun sect on the ground¡­¡± ¡°you¡¯re right, the black sun does not need us, but that doesn¡¯t prevent us from worshiping him.¡± ¡°just as the sun does not intend to nurture everything, it simply emits light, and so the divine spirit does not intend to summon believers, it just naturally emits power, and we chase its path, its glory, praying for protection.¡± a solemn voice suddenly rang out from outside the shelter. aaron looked over and saw three black-robed people standing outside, all of them gaunt and skeletal-like. the words were spoken by the leader, an old man with plenty of strange tattoos on his bald head. ¡°the black sun sect? how did they find this place? soron! did you betray us?¡± shu¡¯s hand was now holding a flintlock gun, pointing at the old man who was speaking. ¡°my child, put down your weapon, the black sun will forgive you.¡± the elder wore a gentle smile, ¡°you¡¯re right, the master of solar eclipse does not care for the worship of ants, but the very existence of beings so transcendent, merely emanating light and heat, is enough to provide shelter for us. we are all just¡­ pitiful people trying to survive in this cruel world.¡± ¡°lies!¡± shu moved towards the window, seemingly ready to escape at any moment. but the old man did not pull out a weapon, just smiled and looked at the people, ¡°the black sun requires offerings, the black sun requires sacrifices! only through suffering can we achieve greatness! foolish lambs, one day you will understand that the black sun is the savior of all!¡± ¡°the light has faded, never to return, the black sun descends, the bell tolls, all things perish, yet i linger!¡± behind the old man, the two black-robed people spread their arms and began to chant strange incantations. their language seemed otherworldly, mixed with some strange vocabulary. it was the supernatural language that aaron had heard before in the whispers of the black sun, comprehensible to people. at this moment, this language seemed to possess an unusual power. a black wind blew towards the shelter. the wind seemed to have life of its own, holding shu still, preventing her from pulling the trigger. shu¡¯s expression turned extremely painful, her eyes bloodshot, and blood vessels on the edges of her ears writhing as if she were being tortured. as for ike and lin, they fainted instantly. ¡­ ¡°is this¡­ a curse?¡± with no feeling at all, aaron looked at the scene and his eyes became incredibly complex, ¡°real supernatural power that can be manipulated by people? these cults¡­ are interesting!¡± although these mysterious cults seem to have been spontaneously organized by inspirations, there is no doubt that they have achieved some success in getting closer to those terrifying beings. when the incantation stopped, there was no one standing inside the shelter anymore. even the traitor soron had been rendered unconscious. the elder¡¯s gentle eyes swept over the place, but for some reason, the empty shelter gave him a strange feeling, as if someone or ¡®something¡¯ was still present, casting a gaze. he didn¡¯t stay long, commanding, ¡°take everyone away, our cult will have more brothers and sisters.¡± soon, cultists dressed in black robes came from all directions, their expressions solemn. as they carried the unconscious survivors and supplies, their exposed arms and necks were covered with hideous burn marks¡­ a fully loaded convoy set off immediately, even the high priest did not notice that an invisible ghost was following behind the convoy. ¡­ in reality, aaron woke up, his expression playful. suddenly, he opened his mouth and uttered a string of strange syllables, ¡°the light has faded, never to return, the black sun descends, the bell tolls, all things perish, yet i linger!¡± it was the recorded incantation, with several pronunciations that challenged the limit of human ability. but under the effect of [extraordinary memory], it was still recorded. ¡°my lord?¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only the door opened, and maid daisy rubbed her eyes, looking confusedly at aaron. ¡°it¡¯s nothing, leave for now!¡± after dismissing the maid, aaron sighed, ¡°even after learning it the same way, it still doesn¡¯t work? could it be¡­ this world really is a magicless world?¡± he felt a hint of frustration. perhaps immortality in this world was truly impossible. Chapter 20 translator: 549690339 black sun town. originally an ordinary small town, it was later occupied by the black sun sect and transformed into the sect¡¯s headquarters. thousands of cultists gathered here, even forming a patrol team led by the ¡®burning child¡¯ captain, responsible for eliminating nearby dangerous species and other monsters, hard-pressed to create a massive camp in the midst of the end of the world. aaron had followed the prisoner convoy all the way to the town, identifying the cult¡¯s stronghold before logging off. now entering the dream, he naturally found himself in the heart of black sun town. ¡°black sun¡­ i wonder if it can detect me?¡± ¡°although this is just a cult blindly worshipping it, to be on the safe side, i shouldn¡¯t approach the sacrificial site easily¡­¡± aaron took some time to stroll around black sun town and immediately found shu, ike, and the others. they were imprisoned in a stone house, but not mistreated. ¡°let¡¯s go, the high priest is about to preach, and you are blessed to receive his grace, a supreme honor!¡± a black-robed person took out a key and unlocked the cell door. shu walked out, her eyes slightly narrowed, emanating a dangerous glow, but looking at the believers who were gathering from all directions, she genuinely didn¡¯t resist. soon, thousands of people gathered in the town square at the center of the town. many of them looked confused, and some still harbored hatred, apparently being captured scavengers. ¡°silence!¡± the high priest slowly walked onto the high platform, pressing his palm down. an invisible pressure fell, and the crowd suddenly became silent. the high priest then smiled with satisfaction and shouted, ¡°praise, my lord!¡± ¡°praise, my lord!¡± a large number of black sun sect members responded, their expressions devout and fanatical. ¡°sing praises for my lord!¡± ¡°bow to my lord!¡± ¡­ after three rounds of cheering and responses, the high priest¡¯s expression became solemn: ¡°my lord [black sun] is the master of solar eclipses, the undying sun, and the only salvation in the world!¡± ¡°he was born from the sun and rules the sky!¡± ¡°he rides the flames, controls the gates of life and death, and wears the triple crowns¡­¡± ¡°we must only follow the path of darkness to constantly approach him!¡± ¡­ in the words, there seemed to be some fanatical force. aaron noticed that even the scavengers who had originally harbored hatred had their expressions gradually softened. ¡°the great catastrophe is the end of the world, the judgment, the trial given to us by the creator! my lord is merciful, granting salvation to the world, opening the way, leading us to his kingdom!¡± ¡°¡­to become extraordinary, one must awaken their spirituality! spirituality is the foundation of the extraordinary!¡± ¡°where does spirituality come from? it is everywhere! it exists in everything and was silent before. it needs to be awakened!¡± ¡°it is sublimation, it is darkness!¡± ¡°darkness is the symbol of destruction and sublimation. it can make us unburned. to awaken the spirituality of darkness, one must first burn oneself, sacrifice one¡¯s flesh and blood, cross the three great gates, undergo the solar eclipse ritual, and complete the great achievements with the body and bones gone!¡± ¡­ aaron¡¯s expression changed: ¡°this high priest really has something, he actually revealed the secret of the extraordinary.¡± this is the true secret of power, a precious transmission, and even shu listened to it as if intoxicated. ¡°perhaps this is the usual method of the black sun sect¡­¡± aaron analyzed calmly: ¡°the awakening of spirituality, gathering, and becoming extraordinary, is this the path of the extraordinary in this world?¡± ¡°hmm, it seems that there is more than one type of spirituality, which means that there are more than one paths!¡± ¡°however, in the black sun sect, of course, the ¡®path of darkness¡¯ will be exalted! propagating religion requires this¡­¡± aaron felt that he had roughly understood the black sun sect¡¯s initiation into the extraordinary path. according to their theory, spirituality exists in everything, including every person¡¯s body. to become extraordinary, one needs to continuously stimulate spirituality, awaken it, and enhance it through a series of rituals and methods! when the spirituality reaches a certain stage, one can go through the rituals and completely achieve the extraordinary! ¡°this doesn¡¯t seem like a theory that ordinary people can come up with in such a short time.¡± aaron¡¯s expression became extremely serious, ¡°it seems that the information is obtained from the black sun, right?¡± the black sun sect worships the black sun and must be constantly immersed in its whispers. and such a terrifying existence is simply the manifestation of mystery, naturally overflowing and spreading some mysterious knowledge. after sorting it out, this is probably what it looks like. as for how many people the black sun sect has driven insane in trying to obtain this information, aaron can hardly imagine. ¡­ ¡°high priest, i¡­ i want to join the sect!¡± a vagrant stumbled to the edge of the high platform, his expression devout and fanatical. ¡°child, welcome to the unburned!¡± the high priest personally helped him up, his face wearing a gentle smile: ¡°after entering the cult, we are all brothers and sisters¡­ next, i will teach you the ¡®unburning ceremony,¡¯ which will gradually awaken the spirituality of darkness in you and make you a person like me.¡± ¡°wuu¡­¡± the vagrant burst into tears: ¡°i want to gain strength, i want to avenge my parents and children, even if it means falling into the abyss!¡± strength! in the end of the world, it becomes increasingly important. and revenge is the flame that incites emotions! just then, among the scavengers, several more people stood up and shouted their willingness to submit. the black sun sect did not refuse and accepted them all. this scene even moved ike a little. he also wanted to gain extraordinary strength to protect everything he valued! shu hugged her siblings tightly and whispered: ¡°you must be careful with this person. in the end of the world, everyone is mad, just to varying degrees¡­ i don¡¯t believe he is so selfless, like a saint. he must be plotting something!¡± ¡­ aaron looked at these people, feeling they couldn¡¯t last long before joining the embrace of the black sun sect. however, this was of little concern. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only what made him even happier was that the high priest personally explained the extraordinary path to those who surrendered. according to him, the ¡®unburned¡¯ had three stages. initially, they needed to use continuous breathing and meditation exercises, along with the stimulation of burning flames, to awaken the darkness spirituality within their bodies. aaron saw many black sun sect members with burn scars, probably injured due to this, but they called these ¡®sacred scars.¡¯ to embark on the extraordinary path, one needs certain qualifications. many ¡®unburned¡¯ remained at this stage, even burning themselves alive without being able to advance. nevertheless, it didn¡¯t stop a large number of cult members from taking this path. Chapter 21 translator: 549690339 hei shi manor. aaron sotos sat at his desk, writing down in chinese the secrets he had gathered during this time: [first stage: unburned ¨C breathing method, meditation method, unburning ceremony] [speculation: igniting spirituality of darkness by honing oneself through ascetic practice, just like an ascetic monk?] [second stage: burning child (middle level of the cult), no known cultivation method yet] [third stage: chasing darkness (representative figures: high priest, senior members of the cult)] all this information was pieced together from eavesdropping and stealthy observations in black sun town and should be mostly accurate. it took a lot of time, but aaron felt it was completely worth it. he paused for a moment and continued to write: [according to various clues and traces, the high priest definitely has a conspiracy. perhaps the unburned are meant to be used as sacrifices or¡­ it might have something to do with the ¡®solar eclipse ritual¡¯, a great undertaking¡­] after finishing his writings, aaron sighed deeply: ¡°in that mad world, how could there be any saintly figures? the so-called saviors are probably just lies!¡± he could fully imagine how desperate the scavengers would be when the truth was finally revealed. aaron put away his notebook, stood up, and walked to the edge of the window, releasing his breath, which instantly turned into frost. at this time, the manor was covered in a blanket of snow, indicating a heavy snowfall. he rarely put on his cloak and stepped out of the villa, leaving a long trail of footprints in the snow. ¡®i¡¯ve almost grasped the unburned cultivation methods, perhaps i can try¡­ awakening my own spirituality¡­¡¯ as aaron thought, he picked up a handful of snow and squeezed it into a snowball. ¡°sir!¡± at this moment, a chubby young man in a grey scholar¡¯s gown was running towards him, holding a letter in his hands and with a flushed face. ¡°what¡¯s the matter, my scholar albert?¡± aaron asked with a smile. this was a student recommended by the castle scholar, the second son of a knight¡¯s family. he had studied literature and etiquette for ten years and had a rough understanding of herbalism. he now served as the scholar and butler of hei shi manor. ¡°huff, huff¡­¡± albert, who had a weak body and was only plump rather than strong, gasped for breath: ¡°a letter from sotos castle, lady hilver is pregnant.¡± ¡°that¡¯s a good thing.¡± aaron casually responded, suddenly feeling something was off: ¡°when did she get pregnant?¡± ¡°according to the calculation of months, it was during the month they got married.¡± albert answered. ¡°oh, then there¡¯s no problem.¡± aaron nodded. he was strict with his subordinates, and none of them had ever offended hilver, so he was 90% sure it was colin¡¯s seed, not that of any violent bandits. however, how colin himself would think about it raised curious thoughts. moreover, with lady sonia, who loved chaos, inside the castle, the scene would undoubtedly be quite lively¡­ ¡­ sotos castle. ¡°did you hear that? lady hilver is pregnant¡­¡± ¡°this is truly the blessing of mother green!¡± ¡°i heard from the scholar¡¯s servant that the lady¡¯s pregnancy is a bit peculiar¡­ perhaps, she got pregnant on her way here when she was kidnapped.¡± ¡°you want to die? let the winter forest wolf catch you. how dare you say such a thing!¡± a group of servants gathered together, whispering in hushed tones, suddenly scattering like frightened birds at the sight of something. atop the high wall, colin, dressed as a noble, gazed at the scene from the window with a ghastly pale face. originally, he was quite happy to hear the news of the lady¡¯s pregnancy, but at some point, somehow, rumors began to spread within the castle. this made colin¡¯s heart ache like a knife, after all, on the wedding night, he had learned the truth of the bride¡¯s unfaithfulness. fortunately, the people of lulin didn¡¯t care too much about this. but he couldn¡¯t tolerate such rumors! ¡°i can¡¯t get angry, i can¡¯t get angry!¡± ¡°i¡¯m very clear that lady sonia¡¯s trap is involved here. it¡¯s very likely that she deliberately spread the rumors, i can¡¯t fall into the trap¡­¡± colin took a deep breath, but upon returning to the room and seeing hilver davis, who was embroidering, especially her slightly bulging belly, that nameless anger still burned. with a smile on her face and a maternal glow, hilver looked up at colin¡¯s expression and couldn¡¯t help but be startled: ¡°dear, what¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°aaron¡­ what kind of person do you think my brother aaron is?¡± colin suppressed the anger in his heart and asked tentatively. ¡°your brother, aaron¡­ he is a very contradictory person, both cruel and gentlemanly.¡± hilver couldn¡¯t help but say, although she knew it was his castle that was broken into, she couldn¡¯t deny that he ordered the soldiers to stop and prevent violence. moreover, during the time she was captured, he was very polite to her. it could be said that if it weren¡¯t for him, she might have died in the castle long ago and wouldn¡¯t have had her current life. mentioning aaron, hilver¡¯s opinion couldn¡¯t help but be complicated. ¡°gentleman? gentleman!¡± colin was like an angry lion, abruptly grabbing a ceramic pot from the table and smashing it on the ground. smash! the ceramic shards splattered, clear water flowed across the floor, half reflecting hilver¡¯s pale face: ¡°what¡­ what are you doing?¡± ¡°tell me, who is the father of the child in your belly?¡± colin¡¯s eyes were bloodshot, panting heavily, almost wanting to draw his sword and point it at hilver. ¡°i swear by our shared faith, colin, this is your bloodline.¡± hilver murmured, suddenly understanding something: ¡°aaron¡­ he didn¡¯t do anything to me.¡± but little did she know, the more such things are brought up, the darker they become. colin, hearing that name, was already furious and wanted to strike someone. ¡°ahhhh!¡± he screamed, knocking the table over. during the fierce quarrel, hilver¡¯s stubborn and sad voice rang out: ¡°if you don¡¯t believe me, i heard that the castle scholar¡¯s herbal tea is very effective. you can try it and see if you can kill your own child with your own hands¡­¡± ¡­ bang! jinnie, hearing the noise even from a distance, frowned slightly and then gracefully lifted her teacup and took a sip. by her side, lady sonia proudly said to her daughter: ¡°look¡­ colin is such a fool, even a discerning person can see the truth, but he just can¡¯t see it, or rather, he wants to torture himself. all of this stems from his jealousy and fear of that person! my daughter, remember, jealousy and fear can destroy a person better than a sword!¡± read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only ¡°will colin really order the scholar to prepare abortion tea?¡± jinnie asked worriedly. ¡°no!¡± lady sonia confidently replied, ¡°colin is not that decisive of a person, and the earl sees everything and won¡¯t let colin do that.¡± suddenly, this woman laughed like a fox: ¡°the earl desperately needs a child that mixes the blood of both sides to consolidate the rule. even if the rumors are true, it doesn¡¯t matter because after all, they are his grandchildren, and it¡¯s his bloodline¡­¡± ¡°if the child is gone, everyone will be overjoyed. if he is born, it¡¯s like reminding colin of today¡¯s events constantly, exposing his scars of shame. can you imagine what will happen after a long time of this?¡± Chapter 22 translator: 549690339 ¡°it is said that the barbarians on the ancient grasslands would kill their captured women¡¯s firstborns, as they couldn¡¯t be sure if the child was of their own seed¡­¡± aaron sotos walked through black sun town: ¡°but are we, the green forest people, at least a bit better than the barbarians on the grasslands?¡± thinking of the bloody sacrifices of the green banyan tree grandmother, aaron couldn¡¯t help but feel a little guilty. however, he quickly put this thought behind him. before him, xiu was kneeling at the high priest¡¯s feet, wearing a black robe. ¡°congratulations, new unburned!¡± with a joyful smile on his face, the high priest seemed to be on the verge of emitting black flames through his eyes and mouth at any moment. ¡°i pledge to honor the black sun as my lord and follow his path!¡± xiu¡¯s cheeks were slightly emaciated, but her eyes were full of vigor. aaron could tell that this woman must have tried the church¡¯s breathing and meditation method and had reached a certain level. ¡°the black flame meditation can be divided into four temperatures: red flame, yellow flame, blue flame, and purple flame. you have already passed the test of the red flame¡­¡± the high priest said joyfully, ¡°you can now start the unburning ceremony and become a true ¡®unburned¡¯.¡± he gestured for the black-robed believers nearby to bring forward a brazier burning with intense flames. ¡°as long as the ¡®darkness¡¯ spirituality is awakened, ordinary flames would not be able to hurt you.¡± the high priest reached out his hand into the flames. ¡°i¡­¡± xiu gritted her teeth and plunged her hand into the flames. hiss! intense pain immediately spread, and the smell of charred flesh quickly filled the air. not far away, ike and lin, who were watching, closed their eyes, unable to bear watching any longer. however, even with her face contorted in pain, xiu managed to hold the high priest¡¯s palm in the midst of the flames. ¡°good, it¡¯s normal to suffer a little injury on your first try.¡± the high priest withdrew the brazier and saw xiu¡¯s severely burned right hand, a faint smile on his face: ¡°just keep trying, let your body fully feel the heat of the flames, it will help awaken your spirituality.¡± ¡°i will heed your teachings.¡± xiu¡¯s sweat-soaked face revealed a slight smile. ¡°aunt xiu!¡± as soon as the high priest left, lin threw herself into xiu¡¯s arms, tears rolling down her cheeks: ¡°your hand¡­¡± ¡°don¡¯t worry. i¡¯ve already started to partially awaken, and even though it looks severe, it¡¯s just a flesh wound¡± xiu reassured her, ¡°to pursue my lord and power, this small price is nothing.¡± aaron couldn¡¯t help but nod in agreement. if xiu hadn¡¯t partially awakened the ¡®darkness¡¯ spirituality, her hand would have been almost cooked by now, instead of just looking severely burned. when they returned to the room and lin was put to sleep, xiu looked at ike with a serious expression: ¡°how are you?¡± ¡°every day i follow them and praise the black sun, they don¡¯t suspect me¡­¡± ike replied in a low voice. ¡°keep it up. once i become a true unburned, i¡¯ll have access to their curses and can take you away from here.¡± xiu said firmly. she didn¡¯t like this cult, but she wasn¡¯t averse to gaining power either. aaron watched all this without saying a word. he knew that the influence of the black sun on its followers was subtle yet violent. although xiu¡¯s plan seemed sound, the chances of success were slim. ¡°but¡­ why haven¡¯t i been affected?¡± aaron mused. according to his investigations, even those who hadn¡¯t practiced the secrets of the ¡®darkness¡¯ could still hear the black sun¡¯s whispers. if they were followers of the black sun, the influence would increase dramatically! however, after the beginning, aaron couldn¡¯t hear any whispers whatsoever. not only the black sun but also the being born on the moon and other terrifying entities. he was totally unaffected by them after the initial influence. additionally, he had secretly tested several times and found that even the obsidian altar dedicated to the black sun could not sense or alert of his approach, which made him bolder in his explorations. ¡°the first possibility is that my status is too high? no, that¡¯s not likely¡­¡± aaron thought with a smile, ¡°so¡­ are these godlike beings simply ignoring me?¡± ¡°at the beginning, when they were first born, their signals were strong, so i could hear¡­¡± ¡°but now, they just naturally emit the influence, the signals have weakened, and i can¡¯t hear it anymore¡­¡± ¡°is this a reasonable explanation?¡± with a sense of inquiry, aaron returned his consciousness to his physical body. ¡°daisy, bring me a brazier!¡± he shouted at the door, and before long, daisy brought a brazier with a pair of iron tongs: ¡°sir, although the weather is a bit cold, please remember to open the window if you¡¯re going to use a fire.¡± ¡°yes, you can go out now!¡± after dismissing the maid, aaron stared at the flames, starting his meditation. the black flame meditation required the practitioner to visualize flames of different colors burning in the mental space, scorching the body, and then passing through them step by step. during the high priest¡¯s teaching, before each meditation, they had to pray to the black sun, hoping to get closer to that being during the meditation. aaron felt that he probably couldn¡¯t master this meditation method, but he still really wanted to give it a try. one hour, two hours¡­ three hours¡­ after several braziers had run their course, aaron opened his eyes and reached out to grab the flames in the brazier. ¡°hiss¡­¡± his hand recoiled like it had been shocked, with a burning sensation at his fingertips. ¡°i can¡¯t do it at all¡­¡± ¡°if i continue, my hand will get cooked¡­¡± ¡°if outsiders saw me, they might think i¡¯ve gone mad!¡± aaron shook his head, let daisy take the brazier away with a puzzled expression, and closed the door. as the door closed, he felt like he saw a look of pity in the maid¡¯s eyes, as if she were looking at a fool or showing concern for a mentally challenged person. ¡°did she see it?¡± ¡°oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter¡­¡± aaron returned to his desk, opened the locked drawer, and took out his notebook: [attempted black flame meditation, failed!] [conclusion: maybe i am not suited for the path of ¡®darkness¡¯, or¡­ is this really a magicless world?] [spirituality exists in every element of that world but does not exist in this one¡­ so where does spirituality come from?] aaron suddenly thought of the crimson sun in the dream world. and the information xiu had told him about how after the great catastrophe, everyone went mad, and the maddest among them turned into monsters. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only [so¡­ did humans in that world originally have no spirituality, but received it from the crimson sun? so, the craziest ones, who also have the most abundant spirituality, could mutate into monsters even if they haven¡¯t set foot on the right path?] he suddenly felt that this explanation was quite reasonable. [so¡­ am i the source of it all?!] aaron suddenly remembered the information he had received initially. [i am¡­ the dream creator!] Chapter 23 translator: 549690339 ¡°since i am the creator, my mystic power is the source of spirituality¡­ i should be able to change the dream world, or, in other words, spiritually interfere with reality.¡± with this thought in mind, aaron entered the dream world. he made his way to the interior of a building which was a gathering place for core members of the church. the high priest would occasionally teach mystical knowledge here. today, he was lucky, as the high priest himself was lecturing on the platform. the bald, tattooed, and wrinkled-skinned elder had a constant outflow of black flames in his eyes, a sign that his spirituality had accumulated to a certain level and was about to overflow. he spoke slowly, with a deep voice: ¡°all of you here are just beginning to awaken your spirituality. i will teach you how to resist sickness, avoid danger, gain strength¡­ and even, eventually, climb the ladder filled with radiance, get closer to our gods, and achieve immortality!¡± after thoroughly stirring up the emotions of the believers below, the high priest smiled even more: ¡°of course, with your current shallow spirituality, you can only access the simplest of rituals. remember, all rituals require spiritual participation. so, those who are not real unburned may not need to try, unless you want to consume your own life force instead!¡± the high priest casually picked up a tree branch: ¡°the ritual i am about to demonstrate has a simple effect: it helps you find your way! it can help you find an exit quickly¡­please note, it is not only for when you get lost like an idiot, but also for when you encounter dangerous species adept at deception, or when you find yourself in a mysterious fog¡ªit can show you the way out!¡± ¡°the entire ritual is divided into several parts: ritual track, necessary items, prayers, target, request, offerings, and so on¡­ remember, we can only pray to the great black sun, the master of solar eclipse. the ritual track must not have any mistakes, or it will lead to terrible consequences¡­¡± aaron stood to one side, nodding to himself from time to time. it was evident that, thanks to the unrelenting pollution or whispers of those great beings, the mystic system of this world was rapidly expanding, even giving birth to a unique mysticism. this included many secret teachings and subjective verification methods, involving ritual studies, supernatural language, profound thoughts, idealism, wand exploration, numerology, natural magic, witchcraft, astrology, and alchemy. they covered everything imaginable and were full of wonders. on the platform, the high priest continued: ¡°the timing of the ritual is also important. my lord favors dawn and dusk, as the chances of success are highest at these twilight hours. but do not try at noon when the sun is at its most intense, as we had a believer unfortunately turn himself into charred ashes last time¡­¡± ¡°during the prayer, make sure that the main subject is clear, the words are precise, and there is no prolonged pause, as the lord may feel offended¡­¡± ¡­ aaron nodded, gaining some understanding of ritual studies. ¡°these mysterious rituals mainly use one¡¯s spirituality to leverage the mystic forces, communicate with the great unseen beings, and request power¡­ but is the black sun the kind of being that treats its believers gently?¡± he felt that this high priest had only grasped a bit of the path of worship but was not proficient in it. perhaps he was only communicating with a tiny bit of the black sun¡¯s brilliance, and the so-called ritual feedback was just the natural response of that little bit of light, like an intelligent program. ¡°otherwise, according to the madness of the black sun, those who communicate with it should all be madmen!¡± amused, aaron wondered what the black sun church¡¯s expression would be when they actually communicated with the black sun. ¡°well, the current situation is that i cannot interfere with this world¡­ but what if someone else actively communicates with me?¡± ¡°for example, a believer uses their spirituality to engage in a ritual and connects with an unknown existence in the darkness¡­¡± aaron thought for a moment, somewhat deflated. ¡°uh¡­ is there such a crazy madman who would pray to the unknown?¡± ¡°and my connection range, or rather, my ability to sense, certainly can¡¯t compare to those of the black sun¡­ pretending to be an evil god is a bit challenging.¡± ¡°if i were to design a ritual for myself, what should my revered name be? creator above all creation? the great observer behind multiple veils? hey, even if i designed a respected name for myself, i wouldn¡¯t be able to tell it to my believers¡­¡± aaron realized that he had hit a dead end. to interfere with the world, he must have believers. to have believers, he needs to establish rituals and titles. to instill the titles into the ears of believers, he needs to interfere with the world first! ¡°this is a damn deadlock!¡± aaron complained, ¡°i might as well continue to be an invisible spectator¡­ maybe i¡¯ll run into some idiot or madman using a ritual pointing to the unknown, and it just happens to be sensed by me!¡± on the stage, the high priest had finished today¡¯s lecture. he looked down at the numerous unburned members, with well-concealed greed and longing in his eyes. only then did aaron notice that xiu was also among the unburned members. she had obviously completed the first-stage ritual and successfully awakened her spirituality. ¡°this woman seems to have quite a talent for the path of darkness.¡± someone incapable of accomplishing anything in the real world couldn¡¯t help but comment sarcastically. following xiu, aaron returned to the small house she shared with the two children. at this time, there were no more monitors outside the house¡ªit seemed they had been completely accepted by the black sun church. entering the house and cautiously looking around, xiu quickly closed the door. ¡°aunt xiu!¡± at this moment, both ike and lin were in the house, cheering when they saw xiu enter. ¡°alright, i have become one of the unburned and learned curses. we can leave here now.¡± xiu lifted a piece of the wooden floor, revealing their saved black bread and canned food, and a large bag filled with other tools for the wilderness. ¡°i¡¯ve already heard that the black sun cult isn¡¯t as simple as it looks¡­ the rumors of burning people alive are true¨C the high priest is probably waiting for specific spirit numbers and dates¡­ we must go, we can¡¯t stay. even outside, we can continue to study the path of darkness¡­¡± xiu didn¡¯t realize she had unknowingly changed a bit. for example, she was no longer resisting the worship of the black sun. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only this time, the escape was to get away from the black sun cult, not the black sun itself! ¡°but¡­ aunt xiu, do we really have to leave? i think those uncles and aunts are very kind and give my sister and me candy.¡± ike looked hesitant. xiu¡¯s expression changed, and she suddenly seemed confused and pained¡­ she seemed to remember something and turned pale: ¡°this influence is too terrifying¡­ i am already an adult and it affects me like this. the two of you must leave here immediately and stay away from ¡®mystery¡¯!¡± Chapter 24 translator: 549690339 ¡°we¡¯ll leave as soon as it gets dark!¡± shu stood up, pacing back and forth uneasily. her agitation scared lin almost to tears. ¡°alright, aunt xiu, you rest. i¡¯ll go get some things. we can¡¯t skip today¡¯s food, or they¡¯ll suspect something.¡± ike nodded and left the cabin. shu forced herself to calm down and sat down cross-legged. as she meditated, her breathing gradually smoothed, and she suddenly noticed something different about lin. ¡°lin, come here!¡± shu beckoned. unexpectedly, lin did not come over, but retreated in fear. shu stood up, grabbed lin in a swift stride, and pulled open her clothes. on the little girl¡¯s soft arm was a black tattoo. ¡°this is¡­¡± shu felt a chill run down her spine. ¡°wuuwuu¡­¡± lin cried out, ¡°ike said he would become a big shot, and you would be good firewood¡­ wuuwuu¡­¡± ¡°i was too careless¡­¡± regret filled shu¡¯s heart. she had been immersed in learning the extraordinary path and ignored the influence that ike, a teenager, could have in a cult like this. ¡°damn, he must have gone to inform on us.¡± shu pulled up the floor, put on the backpack, took lin by the hand, and ran out of the house. once outside, her pace quickened until she reached the edge of the town. at the town¡¯s edge, there were usually burning child-led patrol teams. they were often at the second order, possessing the power to control flames, and shu did not want to face them. however, if they ambushed them, there might be a chance. after all, they thought she was their ally, and because of their deliberate escape, she became familiar with the patrol team. but this time, shu¡¯s luck was bad. she saw the black sun cultists gathered at the town¡¯s entrance, led by none other than the high priest, who was holding a child ¨C ike! shu¡¯s heart sank, and she quickly recited a mysterious spell, summoning a living-like black wind. ¡°are you using the curse i taught you to attack me, shu?¡± the high priest¡¯s lips moved, and the black wind vanished. shu¡¯s heart sank even deeper. aaron calmly watched this scene. he knew that until he found a way to interfere with this world, he could do nothing about it. in the end, shu was captured, after all, she had lin with her, and if they fought, the girl could easily be hurt. moreover, resisting was meaningless in the face of their formidable power. ¡°tell me, what does ¡®firewood¡¯ mean?¡± when she was tied up, shu couldn¡¯t help but ask. ¡°you¡¯ll see.¡± the high priest revealed a hint of a smile. aaron suddenly had a feeling that he was about to touch upon the core secrets of the black sun church. ¡­ two days later, at the transition between day and night. aaron saw human pillars tied up in the town square. at their feet were intricate, artistic ritual tracks. ¡°divination and counting points determine that this is the best time to please my lord.¡± the high priest removed his hood, revealing a skull covered with tattoos and incantations: ¡°and you, too, will become my firewood, together experiencing the allure of this high-order ritual, called¡ªthe solar eclipse!¡± aaron suddenly thought of the high priest¡¯s first sermon¡ª¡±darkness symbolizes destruction and sublimation. it can make us unburned. to awaken the spirituality of darkness we must first burn ourselves, offer our flesh and blood, pass through the three great gates, go through the solar eclipse ritual, and upon completion, our form will be gone while our bones stand tall. this is a great achievement!¡± ¡°now it seems that the three great gates refer to the three stages of unburned, burning child, and chasing darkness. only by reaching the pinnacle of chasing darkness can the solar eclipse ritual be held, right?¡± aaron stood in the crowd, quietly watching the high priest show off. the high priest¡¯s face turned slightly red, clearly excited to the extreme: ¡°ordinary people have their limits. after completing the ritual, i will shed my mortal body, gain a new life form, be closer to my lord, and enter a whole new stage! now, it¡¯s time!¡± roar! following the command, the black sun cultists on the outer circle chanted incantations together. amidst the strange incantation sounds, a group of pitch-black flames suddenly burned on the ritual tracks, one after another, devouring the offerings. shu even saw soron, the once-refugee, and now a traitor, also becoming ¡°firewood¡±! he screamed, his body melting like a wax statue. meanwhile, in the ritual track, some inexplicable things seemed to be summoned and attracted, converging on the high priest¡¯s body. ¡°offer everything to the master of solar eclipse, ascend amidst the flames, receive the favor of darkness, and become the beast of darkness!¡± the high priest roared, and his body was also engulfed in black flames. the flames quickly swallowed his form, and within the raging fire, it seemed that a new form was being nurtured¡­ ¡°as i thought¡­ the spirituality of darkness among the black sun cultists can be stripped and absorbed from each other¡­ so that¡¯s why the high priest constantly recruits, preaches, and even teaches without reservation.¡± ¡°their spirituality¡­ all are ¡®firewood,¡¯ all are sacrifices to be burned, all are nutrients for the growth of the beast of darkness!¡± aaron watched coldly. to the black sun cultists, this scene seemed to be a common occurrence, and even the eyes of a few burning children in the crowd were filled with craving. they were much stronger than the unburned, but were ill-suited to be used as sacrifices. ¡°so that¡¯s how it is¡­ ¡± aaron muttered, at this point, the black sun sect had no more secrets in his eyes. or rather, he had already figured out the highest secret of the black sun sect! ¡°aunt xiu!¡± outside the arena, lin cried out, but ike hugged her tightly and covered her mouth. ¡°aunt xiu has gone to a higher light world; she¡¯s one step closer to the black sun.¡± ike whispered in lin¡¯s ear, seemingly comforting or hypnotizing her. as the sun set, all the firewood for the ritual had been burned to ashes, and the black flames gradually extinguished. roar! suddenly, a monstrous beast with a human head on a dog¡¯s body and covered in black flames jumped out from the ashes. it was the high priest! he had successfully performed the solar eclipse ritual, changed his life form, and became the beast of darkness! ¡­ nighttime. the reveling black sun cultists were in ecstasy or deep sleep. in ike¡¯s cabin, the door creaked open. lin looked up at the bright starry sky: ¡°aunt xiu¡­ sob¡­ i miss you so much, i¡¯m sorry¡­ ¡± she looked at the crimson moon, recalling the old legends in her hometown. read latest chapters at wuxiaworld.site only the souls of the dead rose to live above the moon, watching over every person in the mortal world. and the moon tonight seemed to be particularly round¡­ ¡°mom¡­ ¡± lin suddenly thought of her mother, and tears streamed down her cheeks. she didn¡¯t know if it was an illusion, but through her tearful eyes, she seemed to see, above the moon, a giant tree completely entwined with flesh and blood¡­