Chapter 84: Travels Around the World

After everyone had been inspected, the second step of the intake began: assigning each individual to their respective zone, group, and team.

To facilitate management, the expert administration team under Xuanlu had devised an entirely new three-tiered system, one that approached near-militaristic efficiency.

Zones were primarily designated as residential areas for civilians, generally separated into male and female quarters. Within the base, males and females above the age of twelve lived apart, their quarters situated on opposite sides of the compound. This segregation was intended to prevent unfortunate incidents, for in a society nearly devoid of entertainment, people tended to indulge in the most primitive of amusements. The lack of any protective measures was also a significant reason why the lower population strata had grown so numerous.

Groups were organized by assigned responsibilities. At present, there were three: the Engineering Group, the Children's Group, and the Miscellaneous Group.

The Engineering Group, as the name implied, handled all construction and infrastructure—laying roads, erecting buildings, and spending their spare time acquiring basic engineering knowledge.

The Miscellaneous Group, comprised mainly of women, took care of various chores: cleaning houses and streets, delivering water and food to the engineering teams, washing workers’ clothes, and tending to the children.

Originally, Xuanlu intended for them to prepare three meals a day for the civilians, but no one knew how to use the advanced cooking equipment, and their culinary skills were so abysmal that cooking resembled a primitive alchemical ritual—everything was tossed into the pot indiscriminately. Ultimately, Xuanlu had no choice but to expand the kitchen staff.

The Children's Group consisted of those under twelve. Their daily tasks were to help with minor chores for the Miscellaneous Group, but their primary responsibility was education.

In contrast to the adults, whose servility was ingrained, these yet-unformed children were more receptive to Xuanlu’s teachings. While their worldviews were still malleable, they could be nurtured into upright, principled individuals.

These children would learn to see the world as it truly was, to recognize who exploited them, and, armed with the weapon of revolutionary thought, they would become the first sparks of resistance in this world.

Teams, the smallest administrative units, were formed for ease of management: each consisted of one hundred people, led by a captain, two vice-captains, and a Xuanlu staff member acting as instructor.

Thus, the tens of thousands of new arrivals were divided into their respective groups.

The group leaders, distinguished by their work uniforms adorned with blue badges, stepped forward and swiftly selected those under their charge.

Gradually, the crowd splintered, and, following the three-tiered system of zones, groups, and teams, coalesced into orderly squads.

Because of his age, Wagon Wheel was assigned to the children’s zone, unable to endure heavy labor.

The old man looked bewildered at the children around him, and the children themselves appeared uneasy.

“How have I ended up among these brats? Did they see through me?” he thought.

At that moment, a fair-haired man with a small mustache, dressed in a blue work uniform, approached with a friendly smile. “Children, from now on, your food, clothing, and shelter are my responsibility. You may call me Group Leader Ryan.”

Ryan looked at the severely malnourished children and did his best to appear kindly—his future promotions depended on it. If he performed well, perhaps he could secure a position in this strange place. Still, he found these dark-haired people odd—why did they treat their children with such special care?

Feeding these children meat seemed a waste; they might die at any moment. Better to give it to the adults.

“Wait, why is there an old man here?” Ryan stared in confusion at the elderly child, then carefully checked the number on the man’s chest, 03636. The leading circle—nothing amiss.

Ryan regarded the old child with peculiar curiosity, patted his shoulder, and said, “Don’t be discouraged. Precociousness isn’t so bad.”

Wagon Wheel’s expression darkened instantly. “Boy, when I was born, your grandfather’s grandfather was still a puddle of water.”

By the time these tens of thousands of refugees had been processed, the sun had fully set and the enormous silver moon hung high in the sky.

The newcomers, distracted at last from their hunger, began to sense the strangeness of this place.

It was too clean—there wasn’t a single trace of excrement on the ground. Did people here not defecate?

...

In the heart of the base, deep within the fortress protected by countless layers of security, Qin Le lounged on a sofa, one leg crossed over the other, an ancient book with a yellow-brown cover in his hands. He perused its extraordinary knowledge with utmost concentration.

Beside him, Olina sat with a small red book, engrossed and smiling faintly, her bare legs swinging idly.

“Qin Le, Qin Le...” Olina called softly, but he did not respond.

Qin Le was utterly absorbed, his eyes drawn to the carefully structured content.

Initially, he’d believed the world’s supernatural powers and so-called professions were like those in games from his previous life—locked in place once chosen, or, as in cultivation tales, each profession had its own set of techniques.

But reality was different. Supernatural power had no such restrictions; it was simply a question of whether one could master it. Moreover, the skills of supernatural professions often intertwined. Assassins, hunters, thieves—those with overlapping aptitudes—studied both physical and magical arts, differing only in focus.

Put simply, supernatural professions were a matter of specialization, with no other significant limitations. They were akin to modern academic subjects—language, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, and so on. If you had the aptitude, you could learn them all.

Supernatural power followed the same logic. Except for the power of the gods, in theory, one could become a master of all trades.

But as with modern science, there had never been a truly omniscient scientist. Even the greatest genius in modern scientific history, Li Zhiyuan, had his weak fields. Dabble in everything, and you master nothing.

Only by dedicating oneself to a single field could one reach true heights.

“In this world, there are many geniuses, but not every genius reaches the third rank. Many are stuck at their first supernatural metamorphosis.

“In my long journey, most who reach the second metamorphosis—the so-called fifth-rank powerhouses—were not prodigies in their youth, but rather the steadfast and unremarkable. The stage of youth did not belong to them, but the world’s stage did.”

“To the reader of this book: remember, see clearly where you stand. You have only two legs, and two legs can walk but one road.” — Left behind by the wandering mage, Eingrant.

After reading the final line, Qin Le closed the book and exhaled slowly.

“This book may not contain supernatural knowledge, but it surpasses all knowledge.”

“Qin Le!” Olina called loudly, startling him. He turned to see her pouting adorably, a hint of anger in her eyes.

“What is it?”

“Can I meet the author of this book?” Olina asked, eyes sparkling with admiration as she held up her little red book. “I don’t understand much of it yet, but I just know it could truly save the people.”

Like a puppy eager to share, Olina shook off her earlier displeasure in an instant.

Qin Le glanced at the red book and immediately lost interest. “If all goes well, you might meet them one day, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m more curious about the author of this book.” He ran his fingers across the rough title on the brown cover: World Travels, Volume One.

He’d taken this book from the royal treasury, where it was destined to be discarded as rubbish. Though it contained no traditional supernatural knowledge, it was replete with extraordinary insights.

Olina retorted, “What’s so great about that old thing? It’s just something an adventurer made up. I don’t know what the Hunter’s Guild is thinking, selling it cheap every year in bulk—few read it, and most buy it for toilet paper.”

She had read it before and found it nothing but disjointed stories and bizarre words.

“Ah, a treasure lying plain before the world,” Qin Le murmured, caressing the title. Though the terms inside seemed nonsensical to this world, he understood it conveyed a philosophy—a journey of the supernatural.

It taught not the knowledge of any one supernatural profession, but truths that all could use.

Knock, knock, knock...

At that moment, someone rapped at the door. It opened with a click, and a plainly dressed yet dignified man entered.

Count Dain approached the sofa, and seeing the black-haired man reading, a flash of fanaticism crossed his eyes. He placed a hand to his shoulder in a humble salute.

“Duke, those fools are conspiring to thwart your plans. They intend to direct all refugees from the Green Goblin disaster into Olina’s domain.”

...