Chapter 8: When Traveling, Your Identity Is Naturally Made Up
Ruins World, Little Stone Pool Village.
Inside the village, a militiaman responsible for relaying intelligence rushed to the Village Chief's house.
"Reporting, Village Chief. A small group of Refugees has arrived outside the Tiger Gate, totaling fifteen people."
"More Refugees have arrived?"
An elderly man, whose hair was slightly graying, sighed softly upon hearing this while flipping through documents.
"I didn't expect the Tide of Calamity to have just begun, yet so many of our kin are already displaced."
The old Village Chief didn't hesitate for long and quickly said, "If it's fifteen people, notify Captain Tian to settle them according to the usual procedure."
"Oh, and don't forget to take them to the primal hearth first for an inspection, lest any Evil Spirits or Strange Entities mix among them."
In this world where Strange Entities run rampant and disasters frequently occur, human life might not be valuable, but labor is actually quite precious.
Refugees who managed to cross countless kilometers, evade numerous calamities, and reach Little Stone Pool Village are generally either young people or strong, experienced elders.
Therefore, even without the intention of helping their kin, the administrators of any faction have no reason to refuse such high-quality labor, unless that faction is on the verge of collapse itself.
"Village Chief, this batch of Refugees is a little different."
The militiaman reporting said, "Among these people is a Cultivator. His level shouldn't be high, but he looks very young, and he is carrying the corpse of a Pseudo-human."
"A Pseudo-human?"
The old Village Chief was surprised to hear this. He recalled that after the Pseudo-human cleansing operation held by Five Spirits City more than ten years ago, these things were rarely seen.
Has it come to the point where even Pseudo-humans are reappearing, reviving along with the Tide of Calamity?
This caused the old Village Chief to frown, feeling that more preparations needed to be made for the upcoming calamities.
"A young Cultivator? Then tell Captain Tian to give him extra attention."
The old Village Chief nodded slightly upon hearing this, then said, "Oh, and tell Talisman Master Jiang about the Pseudo-human as well."
"Understood!"
The militiaman accepted the order and immediately relayed the message to the others.
Meanwhile, outside the Tiger Gate of Little Stone Pool Village.
An unremarkable man, but one who looked rather approachable, led a team toward Lin An and the others.
"Everyone, I am Tian Sheng, the Great Captain of the Hunting Team of Little Stone Pool Village."
Tian Sheng looked at the Refugees and spoke gently, "First, on behalf of the entire village, I welcome your arrival. We are well aware of the hardships and dangers you have faced on your journey."
"But now, you are safe!"
Safety—this word is truly a luxury for the natives of the Ruins World.
After all, in this world, no one knows whether calamity or Strange Entities will descend upon them or their family in the next second, and many things are beyond the power of even a Transcendent Cultivator.
Therefore, upon hearing Tian Sheng's words, many Refugees could no longer suppress their emotions and began to weep bitterly.
They might be crying over their own hardships, or perhaps over family and friends who were scattered or had already died.
After all, no one starts out as a Refugee; they were once members of a certain village.
Of course, Players like Lin An, who do not belong to this world, are an exception.
However, watching this scene, he felt some emotion, one way or another.
"I wonder if Blue Star will also turn out like this in the future?"
Thinking of the recent widespread viruses and frequent natural disasters, Lin An felt a heightened sense of urgency.
Tian Sheng, watching this scene, was somewhat accustomed to it, and simply waited silently for everyone to finish venting their emotions.
After all, during those precarious days, their Spirit must have been constantly strained. Now that they were suddenly safe and relaxed, any emotional reaction seemed normal to Tian Sheng.
In fact, those who cried might actually be better off. Those whose expressions showed little change were truly unusual.
Thinking this, Tian Sheng quietly began to observe the calm-faced Lin An.
What he didn't know was that Lin An was also checking his own information at that moment.
[Tian Sheng, Level: ???]
"Looks like a true Big Shot; this time, I can't even detect his level."
Lin An's heart tightened. After all, he had struggled quite a bit fighting the level 3 Pseudo-human before. He suspected he wouldn't be able to pull someone like Tian Sheng into an Illusory Realm at all.
The difference in stats was simply too vast.
Fortunately, this one was truly an ally. If he were another Pseudo-human, Lin An felt he would really have to greet the Game Planner.
"Alright everyone, night has fallen, and it's not safe outside the village."
Checking the time, Tian Sheng quickly said, "We have already arranged for people to start cleaning and preparing your houses. Please follow me to the primal hearth to sit down and eat something to fill your stomachs."
Hearing this, everyone remembered that they weren't completely safe yet, so they nodded in agreement.
Lin An felt a bit confused; he was curious about what the primal hearth Tian Sheng had just mentioned was.
However, the people around him all looked accustomed to it, so Lin An realized this must be common knowledge in the Ruins World, and asking rashly would only draw unwanted attention.
"I wonder if anyone will expose their Player identity because of this, and what their fate will be?"
Thinking of this, Lin An couldn't help but feel curious.
However, he speculated that their fate wouldn't be good. After all, the people of this world deeply resented calamity, and Players were known as the Fourth Great Calamity.
Following Tian Sheng into the village, the group walked forward until they stopped in front of a massive, three-story-high hearth built in the center of the village.
[primal hearth
Type: Special Building
Realm: First Revolution
Function: Continuously emits heat and light, capable of dispelling darkness, deterring Evil Spirits and Strange Entities, and mitigating the effects of extreme natural disasters like severe cold.
Description: A necessity for any stronghold or faction, and the first line of defense against this endless night.]
"What a powerful building!"
Seeing that this single hearth nearly illuminated the entire village, Lin An couldn't help but feel shocked.
He finally understood why Tian Sheng brought them here first—it was likely to check if any Strange Entities, such as Pseudo-humans, were hiding among them.
However, the result was clearly fine, as Lin An had already used his panel to scan everyone in this group beforehand.
Tian Sheng and the other villagers breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that none of the Refugees showed any abnormalities.
"Alright, Xiao Wu, Xiao Liu, take everyone to rest first."
After instructing the two people beside him, Tian Sheng stepped over to Lin An.
"Brother, you are truly young and promising, managing to deal with a level 3 Pseudo-human all by yourself. You know, those things are as troublesome as an immortal cockroach."
Tian Sheng smiled and asked, "May I ask for your name?"
"Captain Tian, you're too kind. Just call me Lin Quan."
Safety first. Lin An didn't hesitate, creating an alias for himself without even batting an eye.
After all, when traveling, your identity is naturally made up.