Refugees and Prey
Linsey found out the general situation of this world.
In addition to the increasingly desolate environment, an awakened being from the City of Law has established a Green Island City in the southern wetlands and swamps.
The people living on the Wasteland have come to call it the Green Swamp.
The awakened ones who rule there follow the rule of the strong being supreme, and treat ordinary people almost like livestock.
Currently, it is barely maintaining normal operation thanks to a certain number of awakened individuals.
For the other inhabitants of this world, those who have nowhere else to turn, if they don't starve to death in this wilderness, have no choice but to seek refuge in Green Island City.
In the East, it is what people call the Pitch-Black Abyss.
That place is where the borders connecting to the City of Law World meet.
It takes an average person about three months to travel from the Teleportation Courtyard to there.
For the first four days, Linsey acted alone at an extremely fast pace, completing a journey that would take an average person a month and a half to cover.
"..."
"Next, at the average person's pace, it will take a month and a half."
As she walked down the street, Linsey turned to look behind her.
The group of homeless people followed him about 100 meters away.
With the misunderstanding cleared up, Linsey was heading to the City of Law, which naturally meant also going to the Pitch-Black Abyss.
The purpose of this group was to go to the next world and find a place to live.
The routes of both sides completely overlap.
Linsey was not, in the end, someone who sought a life of suffering or a self-serving awakened individual.
He quietly slowed down, at least to take care of things along this stretch of road.
"Food and resources."
"Unfortunately, the crops I have are cold-resistant varieties cultivated to adapt to the Hidden Borderlands environment. I'm afraid they won't be very effective in this desolate place."
Linsey continued walking, her feet firmly planted on the dry earth.
If he stayed in this world, his skills as a [Game Player] could provide them with a safe haven.
"But the root of all problems lies in the City of Law."
"There will be no true peace here until the war there ends."
"I can shelter one, two, ten, or a hundred, but there are always limits to my abilities. To truly solve the problem, we still need to address the root cause."
"Um?"
At that moment, Linsey's ears twitched.
He heard some faint, hurried noises coming from behind him.
Turning my head in the corresponding direction, I saw that several more Barren Earth Imp had emerged. This time, the number was similar to the last time, around 20 in total.
"..."
Linsey's lips curled slightly, but she remained silent.
Suddenly, a bow and arrow appeared in his empty hands. He aimed and shot them in an instant.
"Aww—"
The howls of ferocious beasts echoed across the Wasteland.
Linsey's arrow pierced the air, and this small, Barren Earth Imp became his deadly victim in an instant.
Meanwhile, the refugees behind also noticed the situation.
The middle-aged man in the lead, Hammer, immediately directed the people to run over and skin and butcher the Barren Earth Imp.
The flesh and blood of Devil Beast cannot make people stronger.
But in a world where resources are so scarce, it is a rare and precious source of meat.
"..."
Should we open the shop and take some of the food we've stockpiled from the warehouse?
Linsey had some ideas, but they were ultimately just strangers who had met by chance. Directly revealing the existence of her shop was indeed not appropriate.
"Consider these Barren Earth Imp as aid to them."
After resolving the minor incident, it was already getting late.
Linsey decided to rest on the Wasteland, so he casually pitched a tent with a tarpaulin and began to plan his dinner.
Just then, the footsteps of the refugees gradually approached.
Because of the difference between awakened people and ordinary people.
Hammer, the actual leader of the group, did not set off himself. Instead, he sent Tie Yu and Kate, two young Awakened Ones, with some processed Barren Earth Imp meat.
These two young men are quite different; one is steady and composed, while the other is impulsive.
But after a day of training, they also truly understood the gap between Linsey and them.
They arrived at Linsey's tent.
His wild and untamed nature hadn't changed his gaze, but his attitude had become quite respectful.
Kate piled the meat next to the tent, and the more composed Tie Yu spoke up:
"Lord Linsey, this is the prey you just killed."
"We've dealt with Part 1 first..."
Linsey waved her hand to interrupt the other person:
"I'll accept this meat."
"As for the rest, you can handle them yourselves. I'm too lazy to carry too much stuff."
Tie Yu was overjoyed and thanked Kate repeatedly before rushing back to the main force.
"Thank you, thank you for your generosity!"
"..."
Linsey watched the two young men leave.
Only when the other end could no longer hear him did he begin to sigh to himself:
"This situation."
"Even if the problem of survival can be solved, it is absolutely impossible to maintain it in the long run."
Living in this world context, Hammer, who was slightly influenced by the previous era, could still lead the team by virtue of his knowledge and eloquence.
However, in the long run, the awakened will still gain the upper hand through force.
And when these people came to power...
Awakened ones only judge by talent; that's just how cruel the world is.
The desolate wilderness confined people to small settlements, making long journeys a life-threatening endeavor.
In other words, these young people have received almost no education.
Before the village was attacked, they had little chance to meet outsiders, let alone understand the powerful forces or the things between awakened humans; all their information came from word of mouth.
"..."
"..."
Linsey felt a headache coming on when she thought about all this.
"Why should I, an adventurer, think about these things?"
He shook his head slightly and casually activated the Map Skill.
After two days of interaction, these refugees have come to regard him as a guardian deity, and all their markers have turned green.
"Um?"
As the reconnaissance unfolded, Linsey stood up with a surprised look in her eyes.
He looked south towards the temporary camp.
In the darkness, people's figures were almost indistinguishable, but with his excellent perception, he was still able to confirm that a team of about 10 people had appeared in that direction.
On the map, these people are all marked with a uniformly hostile red!
"Competing for resources?"
"Am I supposed to get involved in this kind of thing and start a bloodbath?"
Linsey felt her head was even bigger.
If someone simply shows hostility towards him and launches an attack, he can kill them without any psychological burden.
But in this desolate world where resources are scarce, people often fight each other.
He used his immense power to suppress and brutally kill these people.
Instead, it creates a moral burden.
"..."
"Humans are truly an awkward creature."
Linsey complained, then frowned and began sorting through the weapons.
But at that moment, the team that had suddenly appeared silently chose to retreat.
Linsey stroked her chin:
"Are there any Awakened individuals skilled in reconnaissance?"
"They felt there were too many people here, so they chose to leave directly?"