The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 206 Starting Today, I'll Be a Prophet (6.6k views, please subscribe and vote)
"Woo-"

The deep sound of horns echoed through the mist, and every step the giant tortoise in the sky took was so heavy that it seemed to overturn the entire earth.

During the stalemate, Sivana seemed to hear a piece of music.

Strangely, the music wasn't loud; it was just a negligible noise in the chaotic battlefield—and wouldn't be noticed by the enraged Shyvana.

But that voice lingered in her mind, flowing through her blood and into her heart, like fuel for a fire, making the flames of anger burn even brighter.

This greatly enhanced her strength, instantly breaking the stalemate, and she shook the three-meter-tall brown bear with brute force.

In the instant his opponent staggered, he swung the giant axe into his waist and abdomen, creating a wound, and then raised his fist to chisel it into the opponent's flesh.

But a wolf that suddenly appeared from not far away tore at her arm, and the ratman also pulled out two sharp blades and stabbed them into her waist and abdomen.

In her rage, however, the blades and fangs seemed to pierce through steel plates, failing to cut the wound and instead giving Shyvana a chance to catch her breath.

She kicked the ratman in the forehead, and as he fell to the ground, she grabbed his ankle and, as if to use it as a makeshift weapon, smashed it against the werewolf's foreleg.

With a whoosh, the two were sent flying backward, crashing solidly into a thick tree trunk, shaking the birds on the treetops so much that they flapped their wings and flew away with a "coo".

While stabilizing his injuries, the brown bear observed the battle on the other side, only to find that most of the orcs had already returned to the back of the giant tortoise in the sky using the ladder.

Although the giant tortoise moved slowly and couldn't act like a real war machine, it could sweep away the surrounding beastmen while trampling them.

But when people retracted the ladder, they had no choice but to attack the giant beast, trying to climb onto its back using its skin.

Its tough skin withstood the bites and scratches of most of the 'beasts'.

Whenever the beastmen gnawed open wounds and tried to climb, the giant tortoise, with a muffled cry of pain, would stomp on the ground, shaking off the beasts that covered its body.

Cold, wet blood flowed from the wound, but only for a moment. Then, a bluish-green glow spread through the blood. Amidst the glow and music, new flesh sprouted from the gnawed wound, which then stuck together and eventually transformed into new skin.

"Songs heal the bites of wild beasts, and music soothes the turmoil of pain."

As a single healing method, [Healing Mantra] always has unexpected effects when healing these colossal beasts.

Just like with leg injuries, the area of ​​the injury would certainly differ between a dwarf and a giant tortoise.

Tang Qi wrote while observing the battle.

Seemingly realizing that their advantage was being gradually eroded, the beastman also fell into hesitation.

Tang Qi could roughly guess that they had come for the food.

Perhaps they robbed people of their food, or perhaps they simply sought out living people to eat.

They hadn't expected that this moving 'brigade' would contain a group of orcs even more savage than themselves, so much so that they didn't even have a chance to communicate before charging into battle.

They could have relied on their powerful self-healing ability to suppress the orcs and win the victory.

But the boost in morale allowed them to regroup and fight back.

If we continue this entanglement, we'll likely suffer heavy losses.

After a brief assessment, the brown bear roared, followed by a series of wolf howls.

As if receiving a signal, the beastmen retreated into the mist like a tide in an instant.

The ravens that had been hovering overhead flew into the woods and disappeared from sight.

"Smarter than orcs."

Seeing this, Tang Qi used his scimitar to tear open the spider web on the watchtower.

Because they were scattering and taking advantage of the fog, these beastmen could easily escape the pursuit and thus didn't need to waste time.

He then turned his attention to how to take advantage of this unexpected event—

"Wow ah ah!"

The scars haven't healed yet, but the pain is already being forgotten.

Realizing the beastmen had left, the beastmen jumped off the turtle's back one by one, intending to unleash their violence on the heavily wounded beastmen who were unable to escape.

"Tie them up and lock them in the animal pen!"

These beastmen still had value in living, so Tang Qi had no intention of exterminating them and stopped their actions.

They turned to look at the human who had climbed down from the watchtower, and a strange sense of admiration welled up within them.

It was as if urging them to carry out this human's command.

But the orcs didn't like taking orders. They pointed to several orcs who had been trampled into the damp earth by the giant tortoises, their bones shattered, yet still able to breathe:

"Wolf meat, food!"

“I said, tie him up and lock him in the animal pen.”

Tang Qi repeated the command, and Chen Xi beside him drew her broken sword in a threatening manner—

Most of the orcs have witnessed her power.

That was a ruthless character who could decapitate a slug with just two sword strikes.

Their gazes lingered between Tang Qi and the beastman.

Finally, in a deflated state, he stomped his foot and pointed at the group of goblins:
Lock them in the animal pen!

Orcs' inherently chaotic nature means they will not blindly obey someone just because someone saved their life.

But at least they'll be willing to calm down and listen to what you have to say.

The goblins were also unwilling to follow the orders of a bunch of greenskins.

However, their more complex minds than those of the orcs allowed them to judge which side would be more advantageous for them at the moment, thus making the decision to follow Tang Qi's decision.

When Shyvana, who had been fighting alone, calmed down and rescued Hound from a fight with a tiger, she saw the goblins not far away calmly cleaning up the battlefield and assessing the injuries.

Turning her gaze to the bard standing atop the tortoise's back, directing and commanding everything, she felt a mix of emotions she couldn't quite describe.
"I am clearly the chief."

She gritted her teeth, and with Houk on her back, climbed the ladder, then shouted in alternating languages:

"Take the injured tribesmen to the main market and make them lie down. They'll receive treatment one by one later!"

A female goblin seemed to quickly step forward and say:
“But we have no prophets! It was always the prophets who came to heal the warriors…”

"Damn it. It's just bandaging and giving blessings, who doesn't know how to do that?"

Realizing that Barbaya was already dead, Shyvana's confidence in issuing the order was not entirely strong.

"Go and get the rock oak!"

The female goblin hesitated for a moment, but seeing the wounded being carried to the market, she could only go into a makeshift tent. Soon after, she and several companions came out carrying a dwarf-sized pottery jar.

Shyvana lifted the pottery jar and followed closely toward the dozen or so severely wounded soldiers, but couldn't help clicking her tongue in amazement:

"Where the hell should I even begin...?"

Although, in terms of the outcome, it ended with the retreat of the beastmen.

However, in terms of battle losses, the tribes clearly suffered greater losses.

The brief clash left most of the tribesmen with minor injuries—unless they had lost too much blood, in which case no one would usually treat them.

However, a small number of tribesmen had their arms and legs bitten off, and some even died in the conflict.

As for the beastmen, apart from one werewolf whose bones were broken and who was barely clinging to life, trampled under the feet of the giant tortoise in the sky, most of them were prisoners who hadn't had time to escape during the struggle and were thus tied up.

Their powerful self-healing abilities left only shallow scars on their bodies.

Now, tied up in their pen, they howl louder than even the tamed dire wolves.

Even louder than them were the orcs who had been 'cured' by Shyvana:

"Earthworm, earthworm! Shyvana, are you fucking trying to kill me!?"

Shyvana clumsily bandaged the wound of a goblin that had just had its leg amputated.

Apply a paste made from ground rock oak to the amputated left leg, then wrap the wound with broad fern leaves, open your arms wide, shout "Great Gwush!" to the sky, and then jump twice around the injured person, as if performing some kind of ritual...

That completes the bandaging.

"It will heal."

"I hesitated," Sivana said.

After all, that's exactly what Barbaya did.

"The fucking blood is flowing out!"

The amputated orc lacked this confidence.

He watched as the fern leaves on his leg began to seep into his blood, and a feeling of utter weakness began to wash over him, making people realize that his wound was even worsening as a result.
"Shyvana, you have no ability to communicate with Garth! Prophet, I need the Prophet!"

Shyvana felt her cheeks burning, but the bleeding wound left her powerless to refute, and she could only grit her teeth and angrily retort:
"The prophet is dead!"

"Yes, he's dead. It's all your fault—you brought a bunch of humans who killed our prophet!"

"She wants you to kill each other and sacrifice your souls to her master!"

Who can prove this?

The goblins are much smarter and would even demand that Shyvana provide evidence.

Moreover, as beneficiaries of the Barbaya system, they were able to steal food from orc children, so their deepest respect was naturally for Barbaya.
"These are all excuses you use to cover up your own selfish motives. You've disliked the Prophet for a long time, haven't you?"

"me--"

Shyvana wanted to defend herself, but couldn't come up with a single rebuttal.

I felt as if I were sinking into water.

Try throwing punches in all directions to prove that you are right and that you are genuinely thinking of the entire tribe.

She found herself powerless against the resistance of the seawater, ultimately becoming a ridiculous and comical wild dog struggling in the deep sea.

Seeing the growing doubts among the tribe, Tang Qi sighed and patted Kuru's head:

"Kuru, do you know how precious a brilliant mind is?"

The kobold seemed to have figured out Tang Qi's plan and asked:

"Tang Qi, why, are you helping, the orcs?"

“I’m not helping them, I’m helping myself—it’s a win-win situation.”

As Tang Qi spoke, he walked straight towards the 'Pallas' in the crowd, who had been questioned and looked bewildered, and was almost curled up and crying. He shouted to the noisy crowd,

"Shut the fuck up!"

If it were before, the chaotic and disorderly beastmen would probably have roared at the top of their lungs as they saw him approaching, as a way of intimidating him.

However, the combined effect of being both a "commoner hero" and a "beacon of hope" led them to choose silence at this time.

Shivana stared blankly at Tang Qi.

She had never imagined that any human could be more intimidating to her tribe than she was.

"What are you doing here?" she asked hesitantly.

“Tell them that it was ‘Great Grush’ who gave me the revelation, told you the truth, and brought divine punishment upon this disloyal prophet,” Tang Qi commanded.

Shyvana's eyes widened: "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to help you, can't you tell?"

Tang Qi said in a deep voice,
"If you want to unite the tribe, you must first bring Babaa down from her 'pedestal.' Or do you want to see the tribe fall apart?"

"I--"

Shyvana instinctively wanted to refuse, but she couldn't deny a single word.

She suddenly remembered the fact that she had been 'enslaved'.

This made her feel ashamed.

What's even more humiliating is that I actually agreed with his story from the bottom of my heart, to the point that I had no choice but to support him.

Each tribe has two rulers.

The chieftain bears the responsibility of leadership, commanding the entire army and expanding the tribe.

The prophet serves as a pillar of spiritual support, bestowing blessings and uniting the tribe.

Although nominally, the chief decides everything in the tribe.

But in the hearts of the people, the prophet held a much heavier weight.

Because the prophet represents faith.

Faith enabled them to recognize their own meaning and became their initial motivation to live.

Dedicate your loyalty to the great Gewush, to conquer the land, to conquer life, to conquer the world.

This is also why she disliked Barbaya but was always helpless about it.

To rid the tribe of Barbaya's influence, she should indeed be dethroned. But can this human do it?
She wasn't sure, but she knew she couldn't refuse.

They could only repeat Tang Qi's previous orders in both orc and goblin languages.

This suddenly caused an uproar in the tribe:
"Divine revelation? A human being? Fuck you, you earthworm! Who the hell believes that?!"

"Only prophets can receive divine pronouncements! The prophet is Barbaya!"

"Shyvana, you're the one who should be punished by Gerwush!"

Sure enough, nobody believed it.

Chiefs come and go, but prophets remain constant.

In the fifty years that Barbaya became a prophet, ten chieftains came and went—either dying on the battlefield or in gladiatorial combat.

Fifty years of accumulated experience makes him far more trustworthy than her three-year tenure as chief.

Not to mention he's a human being.

Shyvana looked at Tang Qi and repeated the accusations of her people, as if to say, "They don't even trust me, so why should they trust a human like you?"

Tang Qi didn't explain much. He simply stepped forward, peeled away the fern leaves from the amputee's leg, and exposed the bleeding, festering flesh at the site of the amputation, where ointment had been applied.

"Earthworm! What the hell are you doing?"

The orc was visibly panicked and tried to retreat, but Chenxi held him firmly in place.

Tang Qi took the opportunity to pick up some of the plaster with his fingers, trying to identify the herbal ingredients based on his past knowledge.

It has a sticky and fiery texture, like a flame burning your fingertips. When you bring it close, a pungent, spicy aroma assaults your nostrils.

Its distinctive properties suggest it is a rare herb.

"There seems to be some oak grass in here."

Perhaps because he had a hunter father, Amby knew these herbs very well.

Her keen sense of smell allowed her to fully discern the ingredients of the ointment, so she leaned closer to Tang Qi and said:

"Dad said it's a kind of herb that grows in the crevices of rocks. After being ground up, it is mixed with gypsum powder and sap of Vitex negundo, which has a certain effect on promoting blood production and healing."

Tang Qi realized:

No wonder the bleeding wouldn't stop.

So what Barbaya did was the same old thing—

The process involves blocking blood flow, applying dressings and bandages, then performing a witch doctor-like ritual to provide psychological comfort, followed by a long wait for healing.

From this perspective, Sivana simply lacked the first step of stopping the bleeding.

Tang Qi had no time to think about what methods Barbaya used to alleviate the beastmen's pain and gain their trust.

He only needed to determine the past medical practices of the entire [Fierce Roar] tribe by analyzing the ingredients of the herbs—

As long as there is no direct involvement of deities, he has room to maneuver.

Thinking of this, he pretended to take out a bundle of hemp rope and tightened it tightly around the orc's left leg.

The orc in front of him roared, but did not faint.

This was within Tang Qi's expectations.

Orcs are even more durable than dwarves.

Then came the steps of cleaning the wound with water, applying ointment, and bandaging it, which to outsiders looked no different from what Shyvana did.

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

The wounded cursed loudly in the Orc language—

This was tantamount to a second injury for him!

But Tang Qi remained silent. After wiping his hands clean, he imitated the dance steps Shyvana had just performed, circling around the orc. Then, he strummed a chord and began to sing:
"Raise the banner of conquest, and victory will be won."

Divine grace descends upon you today, great Geush!

Whenever the name 'Gruush' was sung, praising this orcish god, Tang Qi would switch to broken orcish.

However, the rhythm of the music causes the syllables to change to a certain extent, which makes it seem less abrupt.

"He's imitating the prophet to heal!"

The goblins and orcs immediately saw through his actions, but did not believe he possessed such an ability.
"Look at Holt's face, it looks like he's eaten shit!"

"No, he looks much better, and his face isn't scrunched up anymore."

"Could it be that they've gotten used to the taste?"

"Go to hell, you're the ones who ate shit!"

While enjoying the comfort in his legs, Hott yelled at the orcs who were gossiping.
"I feel so much better! My legs are so itchy, but I can feel the wounds healing!"

"What!?"

Along with Shyvana, they all looked at the human playing the piano and dancing.

“Is it really useful?”

Tang Qi sneered.

Releasing healing mantras while singing—it would be strange if it didn't work.

In fact, simply casting this first-level spell will achieve the same effect.

But Tang Qi had to make the treatment process more complicated.

Following Barbaya's method.

He doesn't need to recreate the entire ceremony exactly.

All it takes is for these orcs to realize that they possess the same ability as their past prophets to communicate with the gods and bestow blessings.

As for the purpose...

He looked at Sivana, signaling her to continue translating for him:

“Tell them that I am a messenger who has received a divine oracle.”

Barbaya altered the will of the gods, leading the tribe down the wrong path.

And I'm here to correct all of this.

Sivana mechanically repeated Tang Qi's words, thinking that anyone with an intelligence level greater than three years old wouldn't believe the bard's lies—

He was clearly using the power of magic, not the power of gods.

But when he looked at his own people, each one looking at each other, as if they wanted to question him but didn't know where to begin, he realized that...

Shivana suddenly realized that it was hard to say that the intelligence of this tribe of people surpassed that of a three-year-old human child.

Because Tang Qi presented this healing ceremony in a way that they considered a 'miracle'.

Of course, skepticism still prevailed.

It is ultimately difficult to convince them that a prophet who has stood in the tribe for fifty years is a false guide.

Tang Qi knew perfectly well what was going on, so after the ceremony, he looked around at each hesitant orc and commanded:

"Sit down. I will bestow upon you the greatest blessing."

As Shivana translated, some of the wavering tribesmen hesitated but chose to listen, while others who refused to obey, though feeling resistant, showed no sign of turning away.

Tang Qi took out a bag of water, poured it into his hand, and began to sprinkle a few drops of water on the foreheads of the seated orcs.

At the same time, the melody of the song changed:

"Let the song create ripples, let the troubles dissipate into silence."

Let the harm be gone, let us rest here…

The orcs' frenzied hearts seemed to be calmed by the melodious song.

Surprisingly, no one disturbed Tang Qi's singing.

It's not that they crave inner peace.

Instead, they realized that their physical strength had been fully replenished over time.

Even the wounds on their cheeks and chests healed rapidly thanks to the [Resting Song], eventually leaving only faint scars...

"how is this possible?"

As Shyvana felt her injuries subside, she momentarily thought that Tang Qi really was a prophet capable of performing miracles—

But when she recalled the moment she first met Tang Qi, she immediately forgot about that thought.

This is magic, not a miracle.

She was absolutely certain.

However, this does not mean that those tribespeople who experience the benefits of the 'Resting Song' also think so.

"Could this human really be—a prophet?"

Many doubts lingered in their minds.

"Even Barbara couldn't do that!"

A miracle is right before our eyes.

Looking at his comrades beside him, each one was rejuvenated and their wounds had healed.

Even those of the tribe who were unwilling to believe Tang Qi hesitated and sat down on the spot.

Tang Qi also sprinkled water as a medium for the 'ritual'.

Until everyone was immersed in the soothing effects of the resting music...

“Now, tell them—the great Grush knows everything and has ordered me to come to the tribe, take away Barbaya’s soul, and replace her as the new prophet to lead the tribe to new prosperity.”

Only then did Tang Qi truly reveal his purpose—

Orc tribes are chaotic and disorderly; force alone can never control their behavior.

But what if we told them that the original intentions were misunderstood and wrong, thereby changing their perceptions and psychologically reversing their behavior?
This, of course, cannot change their violent nature.

They will still want to conquer and kill.

However, this can make them easier to control, more obedient to orders, and even suppress their true nature—and an orc tribe that obeys orders has considerable fighting power.

If handled properly, he could even seize control of the tribe through his identity as a 'prophet,' and potentially sideline Shyvana.

Since this Pallas's cat cares so much about the tribe, using it to control the tribe is far more effective than simply verbally refusing it in the 'contract'.

Most importantly, 'taming a tribe' guarantees at least a minimum reward.

All things considered, this is a sure-fire way to make money.

That's why he went to great lengths, using the demeanor of the "Beacon of Hope," his command of the battle, and his healing of the orcs... until finally, he brought about a period of rest for the entire tribe.

He needs to build trust step by step and make them forget their hostility towards him.

After all, the [Relaxation Song] only works on your own people.

This requires mutual agreement.

Meanwhile, Shivana, who knew nothing about everything, hesitated as she translated Tang Qi's orders.

She vaguely felt that doing this was digging a hole for herself.

However, she felt bound by the 'contract' and had no right to refuse Tang Qi.

Her retelling was met with a long silence.

Tang Qi winked at Kulu.

Communication between intelligent people is often not as complicated as communication with orcs.

Kuru used [Silent Illusion] to cover his entire body with an illusion of an orc, then prostrated himself before the entire tribe, kneeling and shouting:

"Great Gewush!"

It only learned this one orc phrase, but it imitated it better than Tang Qi.

With a leader in place, the beastmen, feeling the blessings of this 'miracle,' finally cast aside their doubts and bowed down to Tang Qi.

"Great Ghuush, great prophet!"

October 2, 1000 of the Lost Calendar, Dawn Forest, Fog.

Starting today, I'll be an orc prophet.

(End of this chapter)