The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 197 Return to Xingmei Town (5.5k1w4)

"It's about half a day's journey to Xingmei Town."

"So precise? If you cut off his goatee, I'd think I'd been going around in a fog the whole time!"

During his final rest before arriving in Xingmei Town, Tang Qi used the cycle of day and night to tell the time and realized that a week had passed since he left Longjin City.

I remember that the migration from Xingmei Town to Longjin City took a full twenty days.

However, that time was actually accumulated due to various factors such as detouring to the north, large-scale transportation, and unfamiliarity with road conditions, which inevitably delayed the progress.

With the help of the [Guide], Tang Qi can find the fastest route in the fog just by relying on his intuition. The group traveled light and, apart from the beast transformation frenzy on the night of the two moons, did not encounter any other troublesome problems. The current result is perfectly normal.

"What should we do if those orcs haven't collapsed due to food shortages yet?"

Pebbles spread mushroom sauce on the rye bread. It was a thick sauce that Ambi sourced locally from tree sap and mushrooms. The sauce had a light and refreshing flavor that helped to balance the bitterness of the rye.

Star plum wine should be consumed sparingly. Instead, take a couple of slices of wolf meat, a cleaned fern leaf, and swallow them with sweet spring water. That's a decent simple meal—you can't ask for too much on an adventure.

"Then let's make full use of this chieftain's leadership and let her manage her orcs well so they don't get in our way of causing trouble for that old goblin."

Tang Qi looked at Sivana.

Seemingly out of fear of the constraints of the 'contract', she expressed her 'rejection' with a myriad of different emotions in her heart.

But in the end, he just tore at the dry wolf meat and said nothing.

Without Tang Qi, she would not have been able to find her way back to the tribe.

She had to accept this reality she didn't want to acknowledge.

Just stay by his side for now, but I don't need any other help from you, and don't expect me to do anything for you.

It would be best to have his orcs lock him up in a cell where dire wolves are kept.

Then take the contract from his hands and tear it up.

With this in mind, Shyvana stubbornly believed that she could not yet be called a 'slave'.

But Tang Qi knew that she had already tacitly accepted the existence of the 'contract'.

Compared to the initial rebuttal, this can be considered the beginning of taming.

Hound is not very fluent in Common, and he is like Shyvana's other arm, obeying only Shyvana's will.

Unless he encounters some danger, his presence is almost nonexistent.

Tang Qi could tell that he was genuinely mentally challenged, so he never took his attitude into consideration.
"But a tribe that is already short of food, with its chief's fate unknown, and unable to find its way around or venture into the eerie Dawn and Dusk Forest to hunt... I really can't think of any reason why they wouldn't disband."

We cannot regard savage orcs as human beings.

Whether it's farming, gathering wild fruits, or processing crops, as long as there's a chance to survive, humans will never give up trying any method to obtain food.

However, for orcs, the methods of obtaining food are relatively limited.

Hunting and plundering.

The Dawn Forest severed one path, and Tang Qi, by taking away the people of Star Plum Town, also destroyed another path for them.

If they could survive the long period of hunger...

It seems that only the flesh and blood of one's own kind is the only path.

"But it's better that they haven't left yet."

Tang Qi looked at the 'Snake Kiss' in his hand, which now only had the hilt of a knife left, and said sincerely.

The final meal was eaten in silence. Tang Qi pondered his next strategy, and only after he had a plan in mind did he clapp his hands:
"lets go."

The further east you travel, the thinner the fog becomes.

The skin was still damp and cold, and the daylight suddenly became bright—all signs that we were about to leave the deep forest.

Finally, when the Barry family manor came into view by parting the layers of leaves, Tang Qi only needed to look further into the distance to see several rising hills perched on the ruins of the town center.

On the hills are rows of tower-shaped shacks, and if you look closely, you can see the suspension bridges connecting the shacks.

That was the outline of a giant tortoise in the sky.

“You’ve even ruined the wheat, you deserve to go hungry.”

Beyond the town, in the distance, the golden wheat fields, already ripe, had their stalks flattened and trampled beyond recognition by the trampling.

Actually, if you peel back their outer husks, you can see the dark ears of wheat inside.

This type of rye has always been known for its toughness and resilience. Although its taste is not great and its nutritional value is not particularly high, it is a variety improved by the archmages of the Wizard Tower, which has fundamentally solved the problem of food and clothing for the entire continent in terms of yield.

They are not picky about soil and can live as long as there is water. Therefore, even if no one takes care of them for two months, they can still survive thanks to the moist soil in Xingmei Town.

It's impossible for the people to have taken this vast expanse of wheat with them when they fled; it could have been the first food source for these orcs to survive.

But apart from the part that was trampled by the giant tortoise and buried in the ground, Tang Qi did not see any signs of the wheat being harvested—the beastmen did not have the habit of farming or grinding grain.

Shyvana was somewhat anxious to take Tang Qi and the others there so that she could order them to be thrown into prison.

Unexpectedly, the moment they emerged from the forest and arrived at the manor, Tang Qi suddenly took out a pendant and hung it around Shyvana's neck:

"Alright, now it's time for you to go back to the tribe and see how things are going—don't take it off."

Tang Qi was unable to command or control her behavior.

But her subconscious reaction reminded her that she was bound by a 'contract,' so she stopped tearing off the pendant and instead carefully examined its appearance:
"what is this?"

"A brass-colored eyeball."

"I can tell that I fucking asked what it's for."

"Don't ask any more questions."

“By—” He refused to speak, “Damn earthworm.”

She muttered curses in orcish language for a while, then asked:

"Aren't you here to cause trouble for Barbaya? She's in the tribe."

"If you ask me, as a savage, you shouldn't be full of scheming and plotting like those politicians—your smug expression is like that of a clown in a circus; as soon as you step onto the stage, everyone knows you're going to show off your red nose."

Shyvana didn't know what a circus was, but she could tell that the other person was mocking her, so she cursed back a few times in Orcish.

Finally, with a look of indignation on his face, he led Hound towards the direction of the tribe:
"Just you wait, you bastard."

Watching the two orcs leave, Shattered Stone couldn't help but ask:

"You should know that once they go back, they can still send orcs to surround this manor, right?"

"We'll retreat before then." Tang Qi wasn't worried about that.

"Can you make it?"

"I can share the vision of that eye, no need to worry."

"Where did this good stuff come from?"

"In the Dragon's Treasury."

Since only he and Hope truly know the contents of the vault, any other inexplicable items can simply be attributed to the vault.

Tang Qi stroked the Mind Shield Ring on his finger, thinking to himself.

Although he still wears it, he had already deactivated his synchronization with the ring and instead connected to the [Witch's Eye] he had previously acquired.

Even if a gathering of witches cannot be organized for the time being, at least this eye can be used as a reconnaissance tool to confirm the layout and environment of the orc tribe without causing any harm.

He instructed Dawn to stay by his side while he had Shattered Stone and Anbi check if there were any supplies hidden in the manor that had not been looted by the orcs.

Then, focus your vision on the [Witch's Eye] and observe everything around you through Shyvana's actions.

After a long while, he couldn't help but mutter:
"This tribe... is worse than I imagined."

……

Sivana walked along the muddy dirt road, then climbed over the defensive fence.

I remember on my first day in Xingmei Town, when I saw these fortifications, I stood on the turtle's back looking down at all of this and thought how ridiculous these humans who lived inside the Great Wall were, completely unaware of the danger.

These bundled logs were not even as sturdy as their sheds; they couldn't even pierce the skin of the Sky Tortoise.

She led her people into the town, attempting to enslave the entire territory.

She had humans produce food for them, and then allowed them to reproduce freely, leading to the prosperity of the tribe—but she hadn't thought about what would happen next; thinking about it too much would give her a headache.

The noise around me grew louder and louder, and the strong smell of blood filled my nostrils.

The synchronized shouts of "Hu" and "Ha" signify that the tribes are engaged in a gladiatorial combat.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the gladiators were a goblin with yellowish-green skin, a thin build, and strikingly long, pointed ears, nose, and chin. They were wielding a cheap spiked club and a wooden shield.

The other man was also short, but his rugged face and two childlike fangs at the corners of his mouth still revealed his identity as an orc.

However, due to his age, he was about the same size as a goblin.

Shyvana, who was watching the game, instinctively lowered her head.

She felt ashamed that she had failed to bring the food back.

But this did not obstruct her gaze, which shifted between the two fighters.

All that could be seen was the young orc trying to strike the goblin's shield with his axe, but due to his lack of experience, the axe blade got stuck in a gap in the wooden shield.

The goblin, however, was far more cunning. Years of experience in battle allowed him to easily lift his mace and forcefully strike the young orc in the abdomen.

"Puch-"

Crimson blood splattered on the metal spikes of the club, and the orc, unable to withstand the blows, tumbled headfirst to the other side.

The intense pain in his abdomen made him cry out in agony.

He couldn't tell how many ribs he had broken or how many bloody holes he had been stabbed in.

He could only watch his cheering compatriots beside him and couldn't help but shout in Orcish:
"I admit—"

Before he could finish speaking, the spiked club smashed his head with a loud bang.

When she saw the splattering crimson blood gushing out like a fountain, Shyvana realized that this was not a fair fight at all.

It was simply an unjust massacre perpetrated unilaterally by experienced goblins against an immature orc boy.

Anger instantly ignited in her chest. Shyvana couldn't understand why the orc before her would duel with the goblins—

The tribal tradition is that 'the strong wield their swords against the stronger.'

It could not possibly be an older goblin choosing a child as his opponent.

But why did he strike so decisively before the opponent clearly acknowledged defeat?
He could have stopped!

Shyvana remained stunned as she watched the goblin squeak with glee twice, then trotted off to the distant platform and retrieved the blood-red chunk of flesh hanging there.

Then, amidst the cheers of the tribe, they would drag the lifeless orc away—

That child didn't even get to go hunting for the first time in his life!

He's not even an adult yet!

To die at the hands of a seasoned veteran in such a humiliating and cruel way.

What's so exciting about this?!

"Earthworm! Stop!"

She couldn't help but roar, pushing aside the cheering tribesmen and forcibly rushing into the arena.

This place used to be a stable, and the fence just happened to form a gladiatorial arena. Large amounts of blood were poured onto the grass and dissolved into the soil until only reddish-brown blood clots remained.

Her appearance attracted the attention of the vast majority of people.

Everyone was looking at the clan leader, who had been missing for half a month, with strange eyes—especially since her hands were empty.

Why did you do that!?

Shyvana grabbed the goblin by the collar, pointing at the dead orc.

"He has already admitted defeat!"

"I didn't hear you!"

The goblins answered in a short, common tongue.
I thought he was insulting me!

A mocking smile played on his lips; he had clearly prepared his words beforehand.

In Shyvana's eyes, it was like a provocation:
"You can't possibly not hear me!"

"I just didn't hear it."

The goblin chuckled.
"The former boss's ears are good, but mine aren't!"

Compared to his scoundrel nature, Shyvana noticed one word:
"What former boss?"

As she hesitated, that irritating, hoarse voice followed:

"Oh, my dear Shyvana. You've been gone for far too long—but I'm sure you haven't let us down and have successfully brought back food for humanity, have you?"

She looked toward the sound and saw Barbaya standing atop the tower, looking down at her as if she were the queen of the tribe.

Sivana snorted coldly:
"I've only been gone a few days, and you're already acting like a bear owl, eager to devour your mother's corpse?"

“I don’t have muscles like yours, how could I possibly sit on the chief’s seat?”

Barbaya shook her head; her smile always sent shivers down people's spines.
"But who knows how long you'll be gone, or if you'll never come back? We need to find a temporary leader to maintain order, so the tribe doesn't disband."

"A temporary leader?"

"Don't look so grumpy, my Shyvana. I know your concerns; the Horde needs a leader with strength."

Therefore, this glorious task should naturally be undertaken by the [giant slug].

She must be deliberately trying to provoke Sivana.

Just by clapping his hands, a rumbling, shaking sound reached his ears.

The beastmen outside the fence quickly made way to avoid being accidentally knocked away—looking at the large belly pierced by a huge scar as it walked towards them, this was a perfectly normal loss.

[Half-orc Ogre], that is the child born of an orc and an ogre.

It is also a hybrid that inherits all the advantages and disadvantages of both orcs and ogres.

They are more foolish, more irritable, and more gluttonous than orcs.

Yet they possess a physique that is more ferocious, taller, and stronger than that of orcs.

Seeing that obese figure drooling and sniffling, the fading memory suddenly became clear again.

Sivana recalled the moment her 'father' died—

The cannibal in front of him smashed the old man's head with the club in his hand again and again.

Just like that orc boy who just died.

Until the thick slurry dripped from the stick, and the brain and eyes melted into the soil together.

It was then that Sivana realized that a person does not die immediately from severe injuries.

A disorder of the nervous system can cause the whole body to convulse.

Those who died with unwavering will, even with their minds shattered, could still straighten their backs, sway their bodies, and face themselves with their blood-stained cheeks.

A trembling, incoherent phrase escaped from the throat:

“My…Shiva…take good care of her…”

She dared not think any further, her thoughts quickly returning to reality.

Unable to see his own grotesque face, he only roared at the old goblin on the tower:
"You damned earthworm, who gave you permission to release him?!"

"No one is more suitable for this leadership position than the previous chief, is he?"

Barbaya giggled.

"So I had no choice but to bring him out of the prison. But it's alright, thankfully you're back—my Shyvana, you must have brought back the food, right?"
After all, you made a promise to us when you left, and you made a promise when you brought us to this land!

"I--"

Shyvana opened her mouth, looking at the giant axe in her hand, the only thing she had brought back.

"I do not have."

Her anger was extinguished by shame.

The sound was no louder than the flies buzzing around on the filthy, blood-stained ground.

"What did you say? I can't hear you!"

"I do not have."

Sivana realized that the noise around her had subsided.

Her fellow clansmen seemed to be judging her with scrutinizing eyes.

"What about our food?!"

Barbaya also raised her voice, her tone sharp, hoarse, and piercing.
"You're the one who brought us to the Great Wall, you're the one who said we could plunder freely here!"

If it weren't for you, we would still be outside the Great Wall, eating food prepared by humans and drinking their blood!

Instead of being trapped and starving in a desolate, barren wasteland like we are now!

"I was tricked by those damned humans! When I arrived in that city, I was captured and imprisoned by them—do you know how much I paid to get back to my tribe!?"

She signed that damn contract!

"Are you expecting us to sympathize with you because of your mistakes, Shyvana? I clearly told you that humans are not trustworthy, they only deserve to be our slaves—yet you still want to make a deal with them!"

Shyvana, shocked and angry, questioned:

"You were the one who persuaded me to agree to their offer when I was hesitating!"

"Ha—are you trying to pin the blame on me to cover up your mistakes?"

Her acting was somewhat exaggerated.

Amidst the angry rebuke, there were also a few barely suppressed laughs.

Shyvana suddenly looked up, attempting to meet the gaze of the old goblin atop the tower—

Her eyesight is excellent.

You can see the goblin's upturned lip.

Only now did Shyvana realize the truth:

"You knew they were just using me, yet they still persuaded me to agree to the deal!"

You knew from the start that I wouldn't be bringing back food this time, so you released this damn bastard from the prison when I left—

"I know you want to control the entire tribe through him!"

She always knew that.

She turned a deaf ear as the bastard raised a stick.

From the moment he tried to cut off the bastard's head, but she stopped him with her evil magic.

She knew exactly what the old goblin was planning.

But she had no other choice.

She needs to carry on the old man's last wish and pass the tribe down.

She didn't want to see the [Roaring] race fall apart.

He could only let her test his limits step by step.

She believes that she and the old goblin simply have different ideologies, but essentially they both hope that the tribe can survive better.

It wasn't until she saw the tribe under her rule, and watched the old goblin smash the tribe's hope—the tribe's young people—with his own hands, that she realized how true it was.

Shyvana then realized that she had never considered the old goblin's true intentions:

"What exactly do you want to do!?"

(End of this chapter)