The Black Snake wouldn't be able to sit still.
Given his conspiratorial mindset, how could he see Xia Yu's capabilities and not think of a way to exploit them? He would eventually step into the trap she prepared for him, becoming nothing more than a stepping stone.
After all, as long as one lives in this world, they have weaknesses. Once those weaknesses are seized, even an immortal is left helpless. How could the Black Snake be an exception?
His weakness was undoubtedly Ursus. But the Black Snake knew better than anyone the current state of that empire.
'I have to say, the Frenzied Flame is truly a wonderful thing.'
Especially here on the tundra, surrounded by the Infected, Xia Yu could feel the fire in her heart burning brighter. It was indignant! It was roaring! It worked itself into a frenzy, longing to dance upon the ashes of a scorched world!
However, Xia Yu didn't plan on letting it incinerate the world. If civilization were destroyed, how would she live? She already had enough of eating unseasoned venison for five days.
But she certainly possessed the courage to threaten the Black Snake by letting the Frenzied Flame burn Ursus to the ground.
Think about it: the Frenzied Flame is attracted by the voices of the oppressed, steadfastly igniting the world based on the desperate cries of their final moments. It was so in the Lands Between, so why would Terra be any different?
'Wait, there is a difference.' The original Frenzied Flame descended upon the desperate cries of the nomadic Great Caravan in the Lands Between. Their numbers were minuscule compared to the total population of Infected on Terra.
If one could gather all the pain and despair of Terra, the Frenzied Flame might truly be able to burn the entire world. Of course, the prerequisites were strict, and the power of the Frenzied Flame wasn't as invincible as imagined.
The Golden Order at its peak could suppress and seal it. If Terra gathered the strength of the entire continent, they might defeat a Lord of Frenzied Flame. But Xia Yu was confident she could make people believe she could burn all of Ursus before the Terrans ever managed to unite.
That was enough.
Would the Black Snake dare to gamble?
He wouldn't. He claimed to be the immortal Black Snake, a deity born alongside Ursus, but his actual capabilities were limited. His power didn't come from himself, but from the massive network of interests he wove across Ursus over millennia. Through this network, he could appoint nobles, mobilize armies, and even buy off the Emperor's Inner Guards. Anyone facing him faced the vast Ursus Empire, which was why they seemed so weak.
But Xia Yu feared nothing less than such a seemingly powerful yet contradiction-riddled nation. Mobilize armies? Requisition nobles?
Once the lower classes of Ursus caught fire, what would the army matter? What would the warships matter? Every ounce of suffering Ursus inflicted on its subjects would be returned to the state in full.
Of course, Xia Yu was unwilling to see this scenario play out. If the Frenzied Flame were more rational and only liquidated the profiteers, she might let it burn.
But the Frenzied Flame was truly "frenzied." It wouldn't just burn the ruling class; it spared neither the oppressed nor any living creature in the world. Its ultimate goal was to return the world to chaos, shattering all civilization and life.
Xia Yu wasn't that extreme. She couldn't accept such a thing, but she was certain the Black Snake could accept it even less.
To avoid being seen through by the Black Snake, she had been laying out her board, setting traps, refining her background, and providing hints for others to fill in the blanks.
She wanted to mold herself into a knight who sealed an evil god within her own body for the sake of the world's safety. But after a long journey, the knight grew weary. She had seen too much suffering, and her heart began to waver.
To maintain her former ideals, she cast everything aside and prepared to head deep into the tundra. She wanted to avoid civilization and die in solitude, taking the Frenzied Flame with her.
But in this snowy wasteland, she met a fighter—a girl much like her younger self.
Through their interactions, the knight gradually came to acknowledge this girl, and for a time, hope sparked again—until she saw the darkness spreading deep within the girl's soul.
It was a venomous spell from an ancient immortal. The knight knew exactly what fate awaited the maiden. Either she would be like herself, guarding the seal in her heart until she died alone, or... she would fall directly into her inner darkness.
Furthermore, she discovered that most of the suffering in this country was linked to that hidden hand. The whispers of the evil god tempted her constantly, telling her the world wasn't worth her sacrifice. It urged the knight to accept it, to open her heart...
Eventually, her sanity worn to its limit, the knight drew her sword against the young fighter during her last moment of clarity.
'What happens next?'
Next, the Black Snake should be racking its brain on how to persuade me. Why should I write the script for my enemy? Shouldn't I let it use its own brain?
As for whether the Frenzied Flame would lose control...
Under the tense gazes of the Guerrillas, Xia Yu crushed an Originium ingot with her bare hands, funneling all its energy into the dim Elden Ring.
The Ring didn't change at all.
This was normal. For a creation on the level of the Elden Ring, expecting a visible change from a single Originium ingot was too idealistic.
"Not enough," Xia Yu shook her head at the crowd. "Treating one person requires at least three Originium ingots as a baseline."
"After all, miracles and magic aren't free. Every gain requires a price in exchange."
She needed to restore enough energy in the Ring to prepare for suppressing the Frenzied Flame. Constantly drawing energy without replenishing it was unsustainable.
Furthermore, people don't cherish what they get for free. Xia Yu didn't intend to exploit the Infected, but at the very least, she needed to break even. This wasn't some exorbitant medical fee. With the Guerrillas present and their location in the tundra, three ingots for a life was already a bargain.
"Originium ingots? We have as many as you need!" Patriot waved his hand. "Over the years, we captured many mines. The spoils we couldn't carry away were buried. We can dig them all up!"
He raised his halberd. "If that's not enough, we'll keep raiding! The mines on the tundra are like the stars. This land is too barren for agriculture, but it will never lack mineral deposits!"
"But... is it truly enough to just use Originium ingots?" Patriot lowered his head, asking sincerely. "I thought a spell like this would require a price of at least a life for a life to be equal."
"Doctor, please do not sacrifice yourself for the Infected. Your existence is more important than the entire Guerrilla company!"
"He's right, Doctor Xia Yu," FrostNova added hurriedly. "If lives are needed, just tell us. We can never catch all the Black Dogs on the tundra, and those mine owners and guards are all scum!"
"We have no shortage of sacrifices!"
The Shieldguards nearby showed no reaction. They were long accustomed to fighting alongside Patriot's witchcraft. FrostNova, having been immersed in this environment since childhood, didn't see anything wrong with it either. Recycling the lives of those scumbags wasn't a waste.
Only Alina frowned slightly. The topic was too bloody for her, but she didn't speak up in opposition. She knew exactly what those Infected Patrols were like; after all, it was those patrols who drove her to her current state.
'What about Talulah?'
Looking at her, she was likely already calculating where the nearest mine was.
The Ursus tundra was just that cruel. Everyone was used to killing one another; using enemies for blood sacrifice wasn't an unacceptable concept.
"I am not a Sarkaz, and my incantations aren't your witchcraft," Xia Yu said with some helplessness. "We don't really need blood sacrifices... well, okay, not for everything."
She suddenly thought of the Dragon Communion rituals.
"But the Law of Regression truly doesn't need it!"
"I still find it... hard to believe," Patriot said in a low, concerned voice. "That such a miracle can be achieved through Originium alone."
He was still worried that the doctor was too kind and was hiding the true cost from them, choosing to bear it alone. After all, in his impression, this doctor was far too virtuous.
She saved Alina out of a sense of justice. After arriving at the camp, even though she had been harmed by many Infected, she couldn't bear to see a child die of illness and thus exposed her abilities.
'Why think she was harmed by the Infected?'
Just based on her helpless, distant attitude toward them and her instinctual readiness to fight her way out after revealing her power, it was clear she had experienced many similar incidents in the past. None of them ended well.
And even after experiencing all that, she was still willing to reach out to the Infected... if she wasn't a good person, who was?
As for whether she had other motives?
Don't be ridiculous. What would a person this capable want from a penniless guerrilla band? Your hunger? Your precarious lifestyle?
Xia Yu knew her shortcomings—her acting needed work—so she only gave key information and let the other party fill in the rest. The most important reason this worked was that you have to be strong enough and valuable enough for others to automatically create a background for you.
If you were a nobody, no matter how detailed your backstory was, who would stop to listen?
Now, Xia Yu undoubtedly held the initiative. With her martial prowess and her ability to suppress Oripathy, even a battle-hardened veteran like Patriot was left confused.
"It really isn't needed," Xia Yu shook her head at Patriot's concern. "The Law of Regression incantation comes from the Golden Order Fundamentalist view of the structure of the Laws. It is a principle that goes straight to the core of the Laws; it has nothing to do with blood sacrifice!"
"Golden Order?" Patriot was puzzled. "I have never heard of this school. The name sounds similar to Leithanien's Golden Melody?"
"The source of the Laws has long been lost," Xia Yu shook her head, took off her helmet, and began making things up. "Our race was buried in history long ago. It's normal that our name isn't well-known."
She wasn't lying. Humans had indeed been buried by history. She didn't know if the Doctor had been dug up at this point in time. If not, she was the only human currently on this land.
"An ancient race?" Patriot looked at her lack of racial traits. "I thought you were an Aegir, Doctor."
"I can't live underwater," Xia Yu shook her head. "Our appearances are just similar."
"Also, one last request. I don't want to hear any talk about gods here, nor do I want to see anyone linking me to any deity," she said with a serious expression. "If I find out, I'm leaving immediately!"
"Here, I have only one identity: a doctor!"
'Personas need constant reinforcement. It's normal for a knight who sacrificed herself to seal an evil god to hate being compared to a deity, right?'
"I give you my word," Patriot nodded. "Then, Doctor, all the Originium ingots in our warehouse are yours."
"Also, Talulah, the plan to head south is suspended. We are returning to the tundra."
"I understand," Talulah nodded.
It was indeed her suggestion to head south. Talulah felt that wandering the tundra was just a slow death; the Guerrillas could never develop any real strength here. The tundra couldn't sustain people.
To grow, they had to go south to the industrial and grain-producing areas. Only there would they find enough food to feed the Infected and unite more people for a greater rebellion.
In the tundra, if you wanted to raise a force of over two thousand, you had to consider settling down. Otherwise, the rations alone would drive you mad. But once settled, the weak Guerrillas would be no match for the Ursus fleet. Any encirclement would wipe them out.
Why hadn't the Guerrillas been wiped out after all these years? It was because they remained mobile, never having a fixed base. The warships sent to eliminate them could only circle the tundra, failing to find anyone while wasting a lot of Originium. It was a losing business.
But once the Guerrillas settled, the nobles who hated them would definitely dispatch a fleet to eradicate them. So Talulah felt the tundra had no future and they had to head south.
But now, Xia Yu appeared. The Guerrillas' priority was no longer heading south to expand, but asking Xia Yu to help suppress Oripathy. Compared to the fact that the Guerrillas were slowly dying, the shadow of Oripathy was the more urgent death sentence.
And to treat the illness, they needed Originium ingots. These were hard to get in the south, but in the northern tundra, mines were everywhere. Talulah knew that no matter how much she insisted, she couldn't change the minds of over a thousand Infected.
"Doctor, there are some ingots in the warehouse kept for trade," Patriot said slowly. "If it's convenient, could you see how many people they can treat?"
"Sure, let's go take a look." Xia Yu stood up and walked out of the tent with the others.
Outside, although the Infected didn't swarm them, everyone was closely watching while pretending to go about their business. The group followed Patriot to the logistics storage point.
"...You call this a little?" Xia Yu raised an eyebrow at the large cart of Originium ingots. "There must be dozens of tons here, right?"
"One thousand and some pieces in total," the Shieldguard in charge of logistics introduced briskly. "Not quite dozens of tons. Since we were preparing to go south, we thought we'd need money to buy food and weapons or recruit newcomers."
"Originium ingots are hard currency; someone will always take them. So we prepared a bit extra."
"A thousand pieces isn't enough to treat all of you," Xia Yu picked up an ingot. "Severe cases first, then the warriors. The mild cases can wait for later."
"Thank you so much!" Talulah rubbed her hands excitedly. "Um, Doctor, do you want to set a time? Tomorrow, or the day after..."
"Why wait so long?" Xia Yu looked at her in surprise. "Isn't now good?"
"Ah? But you just cast a spell this morning," Talulah stammered. "We can't tire you out!"
'Is she joking? This doctor is a national treasure. How can we work her like a mule? She needs rest!'
"I'm no delicate lady; I have plenty of strength and means," Xia Yu answered instinctively. "A little magic won't tire me out!"
"Enough talk, people are waiting to be saved." She waved her hand. A golden light flashed, and the Elden Ring greedily absorbed the energy of the ingots until over a thousand pieces turned to ash.
"Let's go. Where are the severe patients?"
"This way, Doctor Xia Yu, this way!" FrostNova's ears perked up, and she immediately pulled Xia Yu toward the tent area on the right.
Seeing the doctor return to the patient area, almost every Infected in the camp gathered around involuntarily.
However...
Xia Yu frowned at the only three severe cases. "Only three?"
"Little Anton was cured by you this morning," FrostNova sighed. "These three worsened during the journey... as for the previous severe patients, we left them behind on the tundra."
"With their physical condition, they wouldn't have survived the journey south. Rather than making them suffer through the travel, it was better to let them spend their final days in peace."
This was the sorrow of the Infected.
"Fine. Mr. Patriot, you go in too," Xia Yu nodded and looked at Patriot.
"Me? No, I don't need it," Patriot shook his head in refusal.
"I said, severe cases first," Xia Yu said in an indisputable tone. "You think the problem with your throat is minor? Do you know how painful it is for others to hear you speak word by word?"
"I am a warrior..."
"I am a doctor!" Xia Yu glared at him. "Regarding the illness, do you have the final say, or do I?"
The nearby Shieldguards shrank back. It was the first time they heard someone speak to their Captain like that. If it were anyone else, they would have stepped up to let her taste a Shieldguard's iron fist. But Doctor Xia Yu was a "Big Daddy"—you don't mess with her.
The Captain had to go in and get treated.
Xia Yu watched Patriot enter the tent and nodded in satisfaction, then turned to FrostNova.
"I'm going! I'm going in right now!" The latter almost jumped like a startled rabbit before scurrying inside.
'Very good. Authority established.'
'Next comes winning over their hearts.'