Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 629, Section 90: Hogg's Victory Method - Remember to burn incense regularly, so that people will help you when trouble comes.

When Chief Hogg's fleet finally arrived at the Azure Forest of the Dragon Islands after much dawdling, its "fleet" already consisted of twenty-six ships of various sizes.

In addition to its own Blackswamp's several thousand gnolls and nearly a thousand greenskins, its forces now include five thousand Golden Guards and Zandalari Headhunters, as well as a musket and mortar regiment of six thousand Dark Iron dwarves. Furthermore, Marin Noggenfogger used his connections to procure a pirate mercenary army for Hogger from Booty Bay.

This immediately made them look incredibly strong and imposing.

Of course, the price was that Chief Hogg ended up with a mountain of debt without even realizing it. If he couldn't repay the loan to Noggenfogger in the future, in the worst-case scenario, given the unpredictable methods of goblin merchants, Chief Hogg might really have to sell hooks in the Dark Iron Tavern!
However, since they had already gone all out, there was no turning back. Hogg was a brave man, and he looked at the huge mountain range in the northwest of the Azure Forest that was almost isolated from the world.

That is its goal.

The local gnoll kingdom is hidden in this mountainous region. Due to its isolation over the past ten thousand years, the local blue dragons have been powerless to resist the expansion of the Fernskin Valley gnolls in the forest.

But the dragons didn't actually need to take action, because the gnolls' attack would first affect the walrus people on the coast.

In the Azure Forest, there is a walrus clan. They are quite numerous and are known for their immense strength. When they fight, they are as ferocious and deadly as walruses in heat. They often engage in large-scale sexual encounters with gnolls near the coast. Moreover, beyond the gnoll mountains lies the Ounhara Plain.

The centaur clans living there also suffered greatly from the attacks of these ferocious gnolls. Therefore, although the gnoll kingdom was powerful, it was under attack from both the north and south.

Centaurs are a war race born with the ability to "be one with their horse," and they are the true "overlords" of the Ornhara Plains. If they are truly angered and form a temporary war court, the poorly organized gnolls will definitely be crushed.

However, centaurs are not well-suited for fighting in mountainous areas, so once they enter terrain advantageous to the gnolls, the tide of war turns.

The three parties remained locked in a stalemate, unable to defeat each other. This dynamic balance made all three forces more martial and also complicated the situation in the Azure Forest.

"They don't just have this mountain area; they've also taken over a valley in the middle of the Azure Forest. Those audacious gnoll wizards even dared to spy on the Blue Dragon's archives."

The little dragon man's scales, long-skinned Zacaris, said in a cold tone:

"Before we got home, these gnolls had sneaked into the archives several times to steal artifacts. It is said that the power wielded by the demigod among them came from some forbidden spells collected by the blue dragons."

We can't let them continue to be so arrogant.

Therefore, I suggest that you, Chief Hogg, first go to the central forest and seize the valley of that gnoll kingdom, thus demonstrating your determination to the blue dragons.

The Spellweaver is still in Northrend dealing with the remaining affairs of the Titan Keepers, while the seasoned and prudent Cenargoth the Icebreaker is stationed there.

The old dragon was reluctant to involve the small number of blue dragons in this war between mortal races, but if you perform well, the blue dragons will certainly be willing to eliminate some destabilizing factors for their homeland.

"That's a good suggestion."

Hogger trusted the green-skinned overseer Maim more, and he nodded in agreement:

"If we can get the blue dragons to exert influence for us in the air, it will be much easier to break into this rugged battlefield filled with complex jungle."

"Let me go."

Leaning on his large axe, Red picked his teeth roughly as he spoke:

"I'll take your gnolls and my orcs with me over there. Give me a few ships to send us there. We'll launch a night raid tonight and try to send you good news by tomorrow morning."

However, Hogg, don't even think about slacking off tonight!

There are more than 50,000 jackal people in those long mountain ranges. The army you built by selling your backside is less than 30,000 at most. If you want to achieve a real victory, you have to ask the Black Wolf God's hunting party to come.

With the help of those fearless black wolves, we might have a chance to annihilate these pathetic infidels.

"What the hell do you mean I sold my ass?"

Hogg is annoyed by this notion, and perhaps it is also secretly worried about its miserable future.

He immediately corrected him:

"I just signed a loan agreement with a goblin merchant. It's nothing shameful. Didn't the human emperor also receive sponsorship from the Prince of Hot Sands?"

If we round it up, Lothar and I are in the same league!
"Go on, go on, get back to your fighting. I still need to get these guys to set up a camp. Hopefully, those ruthless walruses won't suddenly come and attack us."

Perhaps feeling that he had acted somewhat cowardly, Hogg quickly raised his head again. He even rode his son of Lycanthos, a dire wolf, to inspect his army. But the more he looked, the heavier Hogg's heart became.

Although he wasn't a peerless general, he was still a gnoll leader who had witnessed the Battle of Mount Hyjal.

The group in front of them was clearly divided into two groups: the troll guards and headhunters and the firepower of the dark iron dwarves were all elite forces, but they had no cooperation with each other at all, and the two sides looked down on each other.

The pirate mercenaries hired by those goblins were even more outrageous.

These guys can only put on a show and fight when things are going well. It's absolutely impossible to expect them to turn the tide in a desperate situation; even they don't believe it themselves.

After much deliberation, Hogg still felt uneasy and urgently needed to engage in some mystical practices to calm his mind.

After finishing its patrol, it returned to the ship, intending to find a house to communicate with the Black Wolf God.

This is a major event for the Black Wolf God's faith hunting group. Lekansos will definitely send a pack of wolves to help in the battle. Even if he couldn't get one himself, he could still get a group of werewolf warriors. Those guys are definitely powerful enough to wipe out the local gnolls in the mountains.

But a pack of wolves alone isn't enough.

Hogger is no longer a clueless gnoll; his strategic and tactical skills may not be exceptionally high, but they are at least average.

This guy has a "secret" he hasn't told anyone else; in fact, he's also Ms. Anvina's "Battle.net friend".

The reason I don't say it is because it's embarrassing.

Because after Anvina gets utterly crushed by other commanders, she always runs to Hogg to play together, basically just to find someone even worse than herself to regain some confidence.

At least one-tenth of Anvina's previous "99 wins" record was achieved by playing against Hogg.

Of course, Anvina is very busy now, and she doesn't have much time to play games with her gnoll friends who hang out at the fishpond anymore, but that's not a bad thing for Hogg.

After all, losing to someone who is generally considered to be very bad would prove that he is the worst one in the "Commander of Azeroth" system.
Damn it, even gnolls have some shame!

However, since the two had a past connection, when Hogg needed help, it promptly contacted its former "online friend," and Anvina quickly responded.

"What? What? Why are you going off to conquer things now?"

Anvina exclaimed:

"I'm currently in the South China Sea directing the Zerg swarm to surround N'Zoth's remnants, so I can't help you. You should have told me in advance so I could have mobilized a Zerg swarm to assist you."

This response warmed Hogg's heart.

Sure enough, how could there be bad guys among friends you play games with?
While everyone else was wondering if they had sold their bodies, only Anvina was thinking about helping herself.

Although I can't really help, the thought behind it is commendable.

"I'm not asking you for help. It's just a civil war among the gnolls. We don't need the terrifying power of the swarm."

Hogg said with a worried look:

"I just feel that I don't have enough people under my command right now, but this is the limit of my network. I can't find any more people, so I was thinking of asking you to give me some advice."

"That's easy!"

Anvina thought for a moment and said:

"Didn't you follow the trolls' example and offer a lot of Loa to your Black Swamp city? Trolls worship Loa because they really help, but faith can't always be a one-way street. Those Loa have been eating your offerings for so long, and while they can't help you with anything big now, they should at least help with something small."

Even if it's just helping you change the battlefield environment and climate.

Little by little, it adds up to a lot.

Moreover, the Azure Forest you are currently in is not far from the Ornhara Plains, is it? The centaurs there are followers of Ornhara. Pray to the Eagle God and see if he can send local centaurs to join in the celebration.

I heard from Little Star that the centaurs of Dragon Islands are the local tyrants!
If they're willing to help, then the matter is half settled.

Also, some walrus people worship Toga, while others worship the shark god Grol. If you can contact the two Loas and try to bring the local walrus people over to them, that would be even better.”

Anvina is indeed a different person now. She gave Hogg a brief but to-the-point analysis:
"You should have sent diplomats to form alliances and unite the local jackals' enemies around you. They've been fighting each other for thousands of years, and their deep-seated hatred awaits a war."

But you arrived in a hurry and don't have any diplomatic talent under your command, so let's keep it simple and straightforward!
No matter what method you use, get everyone together and fight a battle first. Now I understand why Lothar and his group always like to cooperate during wartime.

When two sides have a common enemy, they also have common interests. Diplomacy is not just about making friends; it is essentially about making grand promises and exchanging benefits. Making friends is only secondary.

Ah, one is never too old to learn.

She sighed, then added a word of advice:

"If you really can't win, don't panic. Stabilize the front line. I'm sending a message to the Zerg swarm in Northrend. They're fighting the Scourge in the old city of Azjol-Nerub. Their main army definitely can't get there, but I can spare some of the secondary Zerg swarm for you."

It just takes time.

It would take the insect swarm about half a month to dig its way across the seabed.

"No need, no need, I've already opened my mind."

Hogg waved his paws and said:
"Get to work. These gnoll matters are not worth your time. We are just a inferior race."

"nonsense!"

Anvina emphasized:

"There are gnoll race statues in the World Mother's temple, which shows that in the World Mother's eyes, you are not a secondary race. In fact, to be honest, in the World Mother's eyes, you are much more 'orthodox' than humans, dwarves, and gnomes."

It's a pity they appeared so late; otherwise, they could have been on par with trolls and elves.

But let me make this clear: since there's a gnoll statue in front of Mother World, you need to stand up a bit. Although you're definitely not up to the standard of a 'savior' right now, you can still try to be a savior in reserve.

After all, once this battle is over, you'll be considered the 'Clan Leader'.

"is it?"

Hogg's heart pounded.

After ending its conversation with Anveena, it excitedly got up and paced back and forth until, at some point, when the black wolf phantom of Lekanthus sat down in front of Hogg, the Great Chieftain suddenly realized what was going on.

This cunning black wolf
No wonder it left itself with such a troublesome trial of conquest when it left Azeroth.

"You've wanted me to represent the gnolls in Mother World's eyes all along?"

Hogg asked directly:
"You really think highly of me! I don't even respect myself."

"Hmph, don't overthink it. Back then, you were just a stinking rock in a muddy swamp, but things are different now."

Lecanthos didn't mind Hogg's rudeness. The black wolf god waved his paws and said:
“Gnolls need to understand their place in the world system. If you always consider yourself a ‘second-class race,’ then you’ll never stand with people like Lothar, Talanji, and Jarod.”

Do a good job, Hogg.

Your humble origins mean you'll have to work many times harder to earn the respect of those "outstanding individuals." A lion will never befriend a pig; it will only share its meal with a tiger.

You must become the Wolf King!
A true wolf king, not a petty warlord content with his current incompetence. Do you really think I can't handle the gnolls of Fernskin Valley?

Don't be silly!
I am, after all, a powerful Loa.

This is merely a 'gift' for you, but if you fail to seize this opportunity, I will have no choice but to select another clan leader.

After he finished speaking, the shadow of the Black Wolf God dissipated, causing Hogg to bare his teeth.

Its mindset is completely different now. After seeing this as an opportunity instead of a burden, all the fear and impatience in its heart instantly vanished.

Hogg grabbed his backpack and pulled out many of the Loa sculptures he had been worshipping. He truly believed in the truth that "having more friends makes things easier."

Therefore, after conquering the Black Swamp, Hogg never stopped offering incense and prayers every day, and even allowed the Loas to spread their faith among their gnoll clans.

As Anvina said, this small favor certainly wouldn't get Loa to do much, but helping out a little shouldn't be a problem.

Moments later, Hogg received responses from several Loas.

Akunda the Thunder Lizard promises to bless Hogg's army with "rebirth" during the war; Gibber the Saber-toothed Tiger God will send his daughter to fight for Hogg; Hirick the Great Bat will grant Hogg's army the ability to move silently in the night; and Old Gani gives Hogg's warriors the vision to find treasures.

Well, okay, the power that old Gani gave is the most practical; it should help Hogg pay off his debts sooner.

But the real bombshell is that the Eagle God Ohnhara promised Hogg that he would convey his invitation to the local centaur Khan, but the Eagle God did not give a definite answer as to whether the centaurs were willing to send troops.

The shark god Grol was much more generous; he directly stated that he would persuade the walrus people of Iscara to join the war and prepare some supplies for Hogg's army.

The response from the six Loas proved that all of Hogg's previous "efforts" had paid off. As Anvina said, it was just a small amount of support, but it was enough to bring about a qualitative change in Hogg's army.

In the dead of night, the smug gnoll chieftain seemed to have already seen victory in sight, but just as he was about to fall asleep, Hogg suddenly and furtively pulled a holy emblem from the deepest part of his baggage.

That is the emblem of the Lightforged Chapter.

Hogger found it on the battlefield of Mount Hyjal. It knew that this holy symbol could directly contact Saint Diakum the Vigilant, but it never dared to contact the Agent of the Sun.

The main reason is that he's a rural gnoll chieftain who spends his days holed up in Black Marsh and Stranglethorn Vale as a mercenary. He doesn't really have anything important to report to a saint of the Vigilant level. He can't just make a "faith call" just to chat, can he?

But things are different now.

To put it bluntly, this is the eve of a war that will directly determine the future of the gnoll race. If I contact the Watchers now, I might be able to get some Holy Light support for my army.

After much deliberation, Hogg decided to take the risk and give it a try.

It held the holy emblem devoutly and uttered some incoherent words of holy light, but after singing for a long time without receiving a response, the gnoll shook its tail in frustration and prepared to go back to its bed to sleep.

As soon as it closed its eyes, a holy light shone brightly before it.

Hogg stared in disbelief as his consciousness traversed millions of stars in an instant, finally arriving at a magnificent, heaven-like holy site.

Above those nine hundred and ninety-nine steps stands the magnificent gate to the higher heavens.

"What brings you here?"

The warden's voice rang out from high above, causing Hogg's legs to buckle and he to kneel down.

Good heavens! The Guardian has truly appeared!
(End of this chapter)