The bard fantasized again.

Chapter 207 It's Time to Step into the Poet Witch's World (4k)

Orcs are a savage race created by the legendary god, the 'Destroyer' Gruwish, who is in charge of killing and war.

They are Grush's 'children,' representing Grush's will—

This destroyer once proclaimed to the world that he would claim the mountains as his territory, only to find that they had already been taken over by the dwarves.

He then declared that he had taken over the forest, but the elves had already been living there.

Two failed declarations earned him the mockery of the gods, so Gruush responded with a furious roar.

He brandished his spear, channeling his divine power into the mountains and forests, destroying the terrain, burning down the forests, and carving deep fissures into the earth.

They proclaimed that their children—the orcs—would destroy and replace all races that rejected them.

This declaration became an imprint on thought, serving as the reason for the orcs' constant anger and resort to violence.

Today, with the departure of the gods, this ideological imprint seems to have weakened.

The orcs remained savage, still believing in and revering the will of the gods.

But more often than not, they are fighting for their own survival.

The sprawling phlogiston sea, the mutated creatures in the vast desert, and the chaotic and cruel landscape squeezed the soil in which they lived, forcing them to repeatedly challenge the Great Wall of civilization.

Based on the premise that 'though the gods have departed, faith still exists,' it is not difficult to play the role of a prophet in an orc tribe.

All you need to do is demonstrate your 'miracle'.

The challenge lies in designing a matching ritual to deceive them into believing it truly is a 'miracle'—

Barbaya has already done that, and all I need to do is improve upon it.

In addition, I need to change the dogma.

The old goblin's doctrine of looting and destruction is not applicable to civilized society.

Since we can't change their nature of looting and vandalism, let's make them change their targets:

"The tribes of the Great Desert have deviated from the will of the gods, and they are the ones who truly deserve to be conquered—the gods need the tribes to be unified, and you will be the pioneers in unifying the tribes."

Turning their ferocious desires in the name of 'unity' and appealing to other tribes in the Great Desert would be the best way to 'enslave' these beastmen for my own use.

Of course, it will take time for them to completely change their goals.

They need to at least know that under the guidance of the new prophet, they can have enough to eat.

The rye harvested and milled into flour in Xingmei Town was roughly estimated to be enough to sustain the nearly four hundred members of the Liehou tribe for less than three months.

To maintain the tribe, they still need to resort to raiding.

I'm not talking about robbing passing caravans after leaving the forest—if the Lords' Alliance realizes I'm the leader of the orcs, I'll probably only be sent to serve at the Southern Wall.

Then the only option is to rob the 'robbers'.

A group of beastmen reunited is a good option.

"Bring those prisoners out of the animal pen."

Shyvana gave an order to a one-eyed goblin.

The goblin didn't move. Instead, she looked at Tang Qi beside her, hesitated, and remained silent.

"What's your name?"

Tang Qi remembered the one-eyed, red-nosed goblin. He seemed to have some prestige among the goblin tribe, could command troops, and even knew some of the common language.

“Girago, the Prophet.”

The goblin's answer surprisingly contained humility—

Goblins are often smarter, and even if they're opportunistic, they're the ones who fall faster.

"Go and bring over the most seriously wounded prisoner."

"Yes!"

Gila then took a step, stepping on the wooden planks and running towards the animal pen.

"I am the chief of this tribe!"

Shivana stared at Tang Qi and emphasized.

"Yes, of course you are."

Tang Qi nodded, then turned to look at the orcs beside him.
“I remember there was a bearskin chair in the prophet’s tent, right? Bring it over.”

The orcs looked at each other, then remembered the healed scars on their bodies and nodded repeatedly.

In no time, they worked together to move the single chair—made of fur and finally wrapped in bearskin, resembling a crouching brown bear—into front of Tang Qi.

Surrounded by the beastmen, Tang Qi plopped down on the ground.

Sivana's eye twitched, and she asked instead:

"What about mine!?"

"Chief, there's only one chair in the tent," an orc said, scratching his head.

"Bring me another one!"

"no need."

Tang Qi waved to the beastmen.

“Your chief has an injury on his buttocks and shouldn’t sit for long. Standing up will be good for his health. There’s nothing more for you to do. Go and grind all the rye into flour as soon as possible; that will be our food reserves later.”

"you--"

"Shut up."

Sivana wanted to refuse, but she couldn't bring herself to say it.

The orcs were also confused. Seeing that their chieftain remained silent, they could only scratch their heads and leave on their own.

Shyvana then looked at Tang Qi, who was leaning against the bearskin:
"I am the chief!"

"I didn't say you weren't."

Tang Qi spread his hands and said,

“You are the leader of the tribe, wouldn’t it be more intimidating to speak standing up? I am a spellcaster, and I need to sit down because I am physically weak.”

"Is that really true?" She frowned.

"of course."

While Shyvana hesitated, Gila had already carried out the werewolf whose bones were cracked and who had been trampled into the ground by the Sky Giant Turtle.

The intense pain prevented him from maintaining his human form, forcing him to rely on his beast-like self-healing abilities to stay alive. This resulted in a wolf's head covered in gray-black fur growing on his imposing body.

Now lying on the ground like rotting flesh, his crimson eyes darted over Tang Qi's body, and he squeezed out syllables amidst the excruciating pain:

"Why is the orc chieftain... a human?"

"I am the chief!"

Shyvana wanted to smash his head in anger, but Tang Qi stopped her:

"Shut up."

He had Dawn pull Shyvana to the back of the chair, and the two of them, one on each side, made Shyvana look more like a bodyguard.

Once Shyvana calmed down, Tang Qi looked at the werewolf:
"Tell me, what's your reason for the beastmen's mass appearance and their interception of us?"

I won't tell you anything!

"Don't say that, my friend. There's no need to be so frightened. Let the music soothe your pain."

Tang Qi played the lute, using the [Healing Mantra] to heal the werewolf's injuries.

Seeing the emerald green aura surrounding him, and his pain lessening, the werewolf hesitated for a moment regarding Tang Qi's attitude—

He sensed Tang Qi's 'good intentions' and felt a deep sense of kinship with this human.

Gradually, it seemed difficult to harbor any deep hostility towards him anymore.

A pinkish light then appeared in Tang Qi's eyes:

"We're friends, I wouldn't hurt you."

Hearing his words of advice, the werewolf's ferocious eyes became confused. The feeling of warmth and familiarity became even more pronounced.

Suddenly, it reminded him of his childhood—

He certainly had friends, at a farm outside Longjin City.

It was a village where people farmed all day long, with only a little over a hundred villagers in total.

Everyone is each other's neighbor, and children gather together to play hopscotch, a nostalgic joy in that leisurely life.

At that time, he had parents, playmates, and even longed for a little girl next door—her freckles seemed like a divine embellishment, making him unable to resist the urge to kiss her even in his dreams.

Until one month, a riotous pack of wolves attacked his arm, their frenzied bestiality destroying everything he had.

He had no choice but to leave the golden wheat fields and his hometown, and live a wild life in the mist and jungle.

But he still cherishes that childhood memory.

Now, the man before him was showing him the same kindness:

"You...you're from Rek'z' village?"

"No, I am not. But I am a bard who once went to that place to sing, do you remember?"

Tang Qi asked while playing a country tune.

travelling poet?

Although it is not common, it is true that bards would pass through their village with caravans, stay at Uncle Cuilan's inn, and sing under the big tree in the center of the village, telling stories about the outside world.

But is that really the poet in front of us?
His memory was somewhat hazy.

Since it sounds so friendly, then it must be it:

“Ah, I remember… you wanted some copper coins, but I didn’t give them to you. But I brought you some pork bone soup that my mother made.”

False memories have emerged.

Tang Qi understood that this was the effect of 'déjà vu'.

The werewolf before us may have indeed delivered pork bone soup to someone, but it was not necessarily the poet, much less him.

However, the sense of familiarity he had accumulated through the "commoner hero" and "friendship skills" caused confusion in his memory.

But he doesn't mind continuing to impersonate her:
"Yes, friend. I never expected to meet you here again. How did you end up like this?"

“I was bitten by a wolf, and my parents were also bitten to death… They were afraid of me, so I left the village after that.”

"Then why did you choose to associate with the beastmen? Perhaps it was because they bit you."

"No, no. They are just people who have had the same experience as me. We are all poor people who have no choice but to live in the forest."

"Did someone bring you together?"

"Yes—at least that's how I joined."

The werewolf felt that the poet before him would not harm him, so he opened his heart.
“I used to live in the southern part of the forest and built a house for myself, thinking that it would be closer to the village so that I could help if the village encountered any trouble…”

It wasn't until Kane found me and told me that it was extremely dangerous to be alone in Duskwood that I chose to leave with him.

Tang Qi then understood why they had encountered such a large group of beastmen on the night of the double moon—

It was clear that someone had gathered the beast-transformers in the woods together, forming a settlement.

Considering their characteristic fear of only silver items.

Tang Qi had no doubt that they could roam freely in the forest:
"I really can't think of anything more dangerous in the Dawn Forest than you beastmen."

"Of course! For example, three witches who can use magic!"

"That sounds familiar."

Tang Qi subconsciously stroked the [Witch's Eye], which had now turned into a pendant.

"According to Kane, the mist in the forest itself has hallucinogenic effects, and the three witches can use illusions to bewitch adventurers who wander alone in the forest—"

They would unleash their henchmen to terrify their targets, then create a tranquil illusion to lure those in distress to stay there.

The moment they see hope and believe they are safe, the witch will appear and drain them of their deepest despair!

What do they look like?

“I’ve never seen them. But Kane said they sometimes look like gaunt old women, and sometimes like beautiful young women.”

Are they still wandering in the forest?

“Of course! Just two months ago, during the hunt, Kane ran into them and was seriously injured…”

"So it's a new 'witch gathering'?"

Tang Qi's eyes lit up.

He was worried because the [Witch's Eye] in his hand could not be used to form a gathering of witches and could only be used as a monitor.

If another group of witches were hunting in the forest, perhaps I could take their place and become the new leader of the gathering.

Once a witch's gathering is formed, he can share the gathering's spell slots.

In addition to the standard third-circle lightning bolt, he would even have the opportunity to cast the sixth-circle spell, Mind Gaze.

[Capturing Gaze: Sixth Ring Road, Necromancer]

Within one minute, your eyes will become dark, empty holes filled with terrifying power.

Designate a creature you can see within a 20-meter radius. The creature will be immersed in the emptiness of your eyes, thus gaining the 'sleep,' 'fear,' or 'illness' effect you specify.

Tang Qi felt that "whoever gets glared at will be worried" might be a more suitable name for this spell.

"It seems there's another reason for seeking out the beastmen—after all, only Kane has seen them in the past period of time."

Tang Qi suppressed his excitement and looked at the werewolf.
"So you'll take me to your settlement, right?"

It's time to take the plunge into the profession of 'poet witch'.

No, I can't.

The werewolf shook his head.

“Although we’ve met before, and you don’t mean me any harm… I can’t possibly bring so many orcs to the village. That would terrify the children.”

"He's quite principled."

Considering that the conflict between the two sides was actually caused by the orcs charging out without a word, Tang Qi couldn't directly label the orcs as 'bandits'.

But we still need to go and see what the situation is before making a decision.

"Okay, I won't force you."

"Thank you."

"But then again, you beastmen seem to move freely in the mist? How do you navigate in the mist? What if you get lost and can't get back to the village?"

"Why are you asking this?"

"I'm just a bard, I only have a habit of asking questions so that I can record them in my books and compile them into songs—don't worry, I won't let you lead the way, we're friends."

As he spoke, he cast another Healing Mantra on the werewolf.

Feeling Tang Qi's goodwill, the werewolf gritted his teeth:
"Alright, I can tell you, for the sake of our past acquaintance—you can't find the village this way anyway."

He took a deep breath and then said,
"After we turn into wild animals, our noses become extremely sensitive. So when we go out hunting, the women in the village burn a kind of pungent grass."

We would also apply similar substances to nearby trees; their scent typically lasted for four days and nights, allowing us to find our way home by following the aroma.

"So you get home by smell, right?"

"Yes... but as I said, I'm not leading the way!"

"Of course, I promised you. I would never lie to a friend."

After Tang Qi finished speaking, he looked at Chen Xi and gave the instructions.

“Ambi should be gathering ingredients for the mushroom sauce. Go and help find her.”

Clearly, the werewolf had no idea that Tang Qi had more than just him as a beastman.

(End of this chapter)