Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 148 White Deer Plains Vanguard
In the central part of the Starry Continent, there has always been a saying: "The great river flows eastward, and the mountains and rivers look northward."

In other words, the vast majority of rivers run east-west, originating from the spine of the dragon, traversing mountains and valleys, passing through forests and lakes, and finally flowing into the great river from the east or southeast side of the continent.

Most of the mountains in this region stretch from north to south.

However, Qishan is clearly an outlier.

It begins in the mountains where the Frosty Moon and Emerald meet, climbs eastward to the sea, forming a long barrier that separates the Razor Corridor to the south from the White Deer Plain to the north.

The earliest legends attributed it a sacred mission, explaining that it was to prevent the desert from spreading northward to the White Deer Plain.

Indeed, from a topographical perspective, Qishan, Dongguan Mountain Range, Liulishan, and Shuijinghe form a physical barrier, enclosing this vast desert and preventing it from spreading outwards.

However, the research of meteorological and environmental experts in Dongxia reached the opposite conclusion: it was precisely because the mountains blocked the flow of warm and humid air to a certain extent that the Guli Desert became arid and barren.

In any case, the Starry Continent would definitely prefer this fantasy interpretation. The ancient legend of powerful beings shaping mountains and ridges to block the desert can still be glimpsed in some ancient legends.

Later, after the loss of Bailu Plain, a group of historians, led by the Misty Moon Divine Court, changed their tune.

Qishan is different from other mountain ranges on the mainland because it is tasked with blocking the orcs from moving south.

Yes, the supreme god foresaw that the orcs of the northern wasteland would become a great threat in the future, so he built Qishan Mountain to protect the human race.

It sounds plausible, but when the experts from Dongxia compared it with the historical data they could collect, they realized it was pure nonsense, taking advantage of the low cultural level of the local people in Fanxing.

Back then, the area south of Qishan was controlled by elves, the damned human barrier!

Could it be that the gods planned hundreds of thousands of years ago to have the future humans kick the future elves into the forest, while the humans were still eating raw meat and playing with stones?

In any case, when it comes to historical research, none of the major powers are any good; they fabricate all sorts of histories, full of lies.

As a result, the Eastern Xia now relies mainly on records from small countries, some documents leaked from magic towers, and folk legends to study the history of the Starry Continent.

No matter how history is manipulated, Qishan remains the same Qishan, stretching for hundreds of kilometers, enduring the vicissitudes of time and the ravages of wind and rain.

Thirty kilometers northwest of the site of Razor Fortress lies Qishan Pass, the largest gap in Qishan. Once you cross it, the air suddenly feels fresh and moist, and a fragrance of plants wafts over you.

Liu Zaiyue greedily inhaled several breaths of the cool air, letting the moisture soak into his long-parched alveoli.

Spending too much time in the desert makes even breathing feel rough and sandy.

Qishan Pass was very quiet; there wasn't a single person to be seen, let alone any powerful figures.

This is the only route the orcs take when they march south. Given the experience of the Razorfen Downs in the south, even if you stick a wooden stake here, the orcs will come and rake it all up.

Therefore, even though this is a prime location where every inch of land is incredibly valuable, no force dares to establish a trading post here.

Even the orcs themselves can't do it.

After all, the orc race is actually a collection of twenty-two large tribes and hundreds of small tribes. Apart from the fact that they can agree on plundering humans, the fighting between them is much fiercer than the internal strife among humans.

Along the way, [Blade of the Vast Ocean] encountered two caravans.

The smaller one was a typical smuggling ring.

After spotting Han Hai's convoy from afar, their forward sentries immediately gave the signal, and the smuggling gang trailing behind them had already swiftly disappeared into the Qishan branch without even seeing a shadow of them.

When Lao Niu and his group approached, they found a bag of grain and a dozen silver coins lying on the spot.

It wasn't much, but it was a flattering gesture, mainly to dispel the other party's dissatisfaction.

After all, even if they really went to chase them, they might not be able to catch them in these deep mountains and forests. But if they didn't chase them, some of the more volatile bandit leaders would be very angry and uncomfortable.

By making this gesture, the other party's mindset will be much more peaceful, making it relatively easier to persuade the leader not to bother with these ants.

The rules of the dark world are sometimes more humane than those of the world under the sun.

The second caravan came from the Goblin Merchant Guild.

The long convoy stretched for hundreds of meters, with at least seven or eight flags on each vehicle, looking like a moving dragon from a distance.

The enemy sentries, carrying an extremely eye-catching banner with the "Seven Luminaries Garland," pressed forward directly.

Conventionally, they should have driven them away directly. However, seeing the strong and well-equipped soldiers on the other side, the sentry swallowed his words and carefully reined in his horse from a distance of several hundred meters: "Seven Luminaries Garland Trading Company, Northern Trading Guild, Sixth Caravan, traveling south. May I ask which group of heroes are on the other side?"

Old Niu ignored him and didn't want to reveal his identity. Following the advice of the veteran who was familiar with the situation, he turned onto the side road.

This central official road is a remnant of the White Deer Kingdom from over a hundred years ago, and it has now been ruined beyond recognition.

Orcs have absolutely no concept of infrastructure development, and as for the local humans, who are living hand to mouth, who cares about such things? As a result, the roads are full of potholes from being used by carts, horses, and foot riders, making them even more dilapidated than the surrounding wilderness.

In other words, each convoy has a professional on standby, so that if a vehicle gets stuck, it can be lifted up at any time, allowing them to continue their journey, albeit with some difficulty.

The enemy sentry silently accompanied [Blade of the Vast Ocean] from a distance of an arrow's length until he was sure it was safe before turning back.

Not a single penny was left. I don't know if it's because the store is big and bullies its customers, or if the dwarf is just being stingy.

However, Liu Zaiyue noticed an interesting detail.

Every so often, one of the enemy cavalrymen would dismount, place a flat, basin-shaped object on the ground, tap it for a while, and then lie down to listen.

"what is that?"

"Reporting to the young chief, this is the earth drum!"

The speaker is called Shortclaw. He was once the leader of a small orc tribe. After being defeated by another tribe, he became a prisoner and was sold to the Vast Ocean by chance.

Because of his good work performance, quick thinking, and familiarity with the situation in the north, he was selected as Lao Niu's deputy, which can be considered a meteoric rise.

Shortclaws was a canine orc, barely taller than Old Bull's thigh. He had to bow slightly when the chief asked him questions, which was quite embarrassing. However, he explained things very clearly.

"This is called the Earth Drum, also known as the Sound Transmission Drum. It was originally a special way of transmitting messages among the beast tribes. Later, the people in the north learned it."

"Even if we are several kilometers or more than ten kilometers apart, we can still hear the signal."

"Well, each family has its own way of playing the drum, they're all different. People in the same family can tell what it means just by listening." Old Niu was a little curious, so while the other person was playing the drum, he also put his ear to the ground to listen, and he did hear a series of long and short thumping sounds.

"If a lot of people start banging on it together, won't it become chaotic?"

“Reporting to the little chief, you are absolutely right.” Short Claw’s eyes showed admiration: “However, specially trained drummers can find their own drumbeats even on a large battlefield. What sounds chaotic to us is not chaotic to them.”

"The best thing about the earth drum is that it doesn't obstruct your view."

"When orc tribes go to war, they use flags and horns for close range and magical fireworks for longer ranges. However, the earth drum is still the best tool. The orc elephant shamans can hear the signal of the sound-transmitting drum from tens of kilometers away without even touching the ground with their ears. That's a talent that we can't learn."

How does it compare to mine?

Old Niu pointed behind him to a black box carried on the ogre's back.

"That's incomparable, incomparable!" The short-clawed creature shook its head like a rattle drum, its eyes narrowed into slits.

"This is a divine artifact bestowed upon us by the lord, a divine artifact!"

Yes, Chen Mo specially equipped them with a high-powered shortwave radio to maintain contact with the Blade of the Vast Ocean.

Although no one understood what this magical mechanism was, receiving instructions from the lord every day filled them with confidence and strength.

Moving forward cautiously, the Blade of the Vast Ocean cautiously explored its way forward.

The entire White Deer Plain is dotted with hundreds of strongholds of orc tribes of all sizes.

Although they had conquered this plain, the Orc chieftain's court and the various tribal leaders' tents did not like this environment and remained stationed in the far north.

However, each of the orc tribes sent out its own occupying forces, dividing up the main fertile lands of the White Deer Plain into pieces.

Large orc strongholds have tens of thousands of orcs, while small strongholds may only have a few hundred. Their distribution structure is similar to that of the orc wasteland: a large tribe is surrounded by a ring of smaller tribes that depend on it, which are both protected by the large tribe and serve as a barrier and buffer.

Each orc tribe controls a group of humans within its territory, much like the human kingdoms to the south. The humans cultivate the land, deliver grain, and work for the orcs.

Contrary to popular belief, orcs are far less ruthless than human lords in terms of exploitation and ruthless exploitation.

It can be described as "simple and honest"!
For example, orcs don't value farming very much, and humans who farm in orc areas normally only pay one-fifth of the taxes.

More importantly, the orcs look down on the human race's fighting ability, so they never force humans to fight.

Compared to the southern leaders who levy taxes of 60% or 70% of the total, and who like to collect taxes in advance, often collecting them decades later, and then conscripting one out of every three or even two able-bodied men, the human race's treatment is truly hellish.

Of course, the orcs' side isn't paradise either.

Orcs do not regard humans as human beings; they do not care about the gains of humans, and therefore they do not care about the lives of humans.

When they're in a bad mood, any passing human they encounter becomes their target; a family, a clan, or a village could be wiped out at any moment.

Another issue is the frequent wars between the orcs.

When large tribes clash, the outposts of their smaller tribes are likely to be overrun by the enemy, and all the orcs and humans within the outpost's control area will become slaves of the enemy.

Commoners and slaves are ultimately worlds apart.

Most of the slaves that the Vast Ocean Territory bought before came from this kind of acquisition.

Furthermore, amidst the chaos and disorder, there were numerous bandit gangs in the north.

There were orcs who left their tribes after their defeats, wandering goblins, human refugees with nowhere to go, and high-ranking nomadic creatures like ogres who had lost their homeland...

They would plunder unprotected civilians, intercept caravans and transport groups, and even attack small orc tribes.

In short, all order on this land depends on violence.

Along the way, the Blade of the Vast Ocean encountered quite a few scouts from the bandits.

However, judging from the strength and strength of the troops here, no one has been foolish enough to come and cause trouble yet. But in the eastern part of Bailu Plain, all sorts of strange speculations have already begun to circulate.

They avoided the major orc strongholds and, after more than ten days of trekking, finally arrived at Old Bull's destination.

Located northeast of the White Deer Plain, this area is controlled by the Minotaur tribe, the Motianling large tribe, and the Thunder Cliff small tribe.

Yes, an orc from Old Cow's hometown.

The Niu tribe members are generally honest and straightforward. At first, they were a bit wary of such a large group, but as soon as they saw Liu Zaiyue, a fellow villager, show his face, they immediately lowered their guard and came over to investigate.

Soon, news of "Moo Moo Lulu, the powerful Earthshaker, the third male of the Kaka Mimi family in Skyreach, whose home is in Thunder Bluff, with a large grassland, a very long and large horn, now one is broken, hahaha, the Mountain Hoof, a Southern Traveler, a fourth-tier warrior, without a mate..." returned from the south, spread throughout the Thunder Bluff stronghold.

Soon, an acquaintance... no, a cooked cow... well, that doesn't quite add up!
Yes, a familiar minotaur came out to greet me.

My childhood friend, now a captain at Thunder Bluff outpost.

The two massive minotaurs embraced each other tightly, their huge horns nearly sparking.

"Ha! Moo moo lu lu! You one-horned ox, can't make it in the south?" The companion slapped the old ox's broken horn without any politeness, making a dull sound, and his rough laughter shook the dust up.

"Bullshit! I'm perfectly fine!" Old Niu laughed and punched the other man's thick chest with a dull thud. "I'm here on serious business!"

"Serious business? You've thought it through and you're coming back? Welcome!"

"No!"

"I want to carve out my own territory and raise my own flag! According to the rules, I have to inform my own tribe first."

"Raise a flag?" The companion's eyes widened in confusion, and he snorted in bewilderment. "Now, the slightly better land on the White Deer Plain is already crammed with tribal tents, like flies on a cow's rear end. Where would there be room to raise a flag?"

Liu Zaiyue chuckled, his thick finger suddenly pointing eastward to the distant horizon.

"I don't want the fields, I want the beach to the east!"

"No one can take that place from me, right?"

(End of this chapter)