Mist Lord

Chapter 74 Orc Camp, Public Opinion Mailbox

When Xia Yuan led his team to the mine, it was already close to noon.

Blade & Shield One had just returned from a hunt, and many of the Blade & Shield Hounds were wounded, but they also brought back the corpses of Gray Mist Rats and Gray Mist Wolves.

"My sword and shield!"

Upon seeing Xia Yuan, Blade & Shield One was visibly excited, yet also a little apprehensive.

Since leading his troops to the mine stronghold, in order to hone his men and prepare them to face the skeletons of the burial ground head-on, his hunting plan has been somewhat aggressive.

In the past twenty days, more than 150 wandering swordsmen alone have been killed.

Including casualties from the main camp's patrols of the border and the clearing out of invading mist monsters, roughly calculated, the casualties of the sword-and-shield dogs, including soldiers and sword-and-shield warriors, have exceeded two hundred in the past twenty days.

This far surpasses any previous small-scale war.

"Don't blame yourself. I personally agreed to the hunting plan, so you can do as you please."

In the past, Xia Yuan might have felt a little reluctant.

But after the Battle of Suyab, he truly realized that at the level of 7/8 territory, let alone wandering swordsmen and shieldmen, even soldier swordsmen and shieldmen were only fit to be consumables.

Even now, the sword-and-shield dog is already falling behind the pace of territory development.

To avoid becoming a discarded pawn and having your recruitment terminated, you have no choice but to fight desperately and advance through blood and fire.

For the Sword and Shield Dogs with unlimited potential, being a Soldier and a Sword and Shield is only a basic requirement. The ultimate goal is to upgrade all members to Heavy Sword and Shield, otherwise they will never achieve great things.

After all, the inherent weaknesses of the sword-and-shield dog are too obvious.

Although the brutal training came at a high price, it also allowed 3 heavily armored sword and shield soldiers and a total of 85 cavalry sword and shield soldiers to advance in rank, further enhancing the combat power of the sword and shield dogs.

"My sword and shield!"

Having regained its master's approval, Blade & Shield One was also invigorated.

"Don't be too happy yet. This time, the wandering swordsmen and shieldmen we brought are the last support that headquarters will provide to the mine outpost. We won't recruit any more wandering swordsmen and shieldmen until the territory reaches level 5."

The remaining manpower quota should be prioritized for skeleton warriors.

"My sword and shield!"

Although somewhat disappointed, Blade & Shield Number One resolutely obeyed the arrangement. Even if no more wandering Blade & Shields were added, he would continue his hunting plan and strive to advance more Soldier Blade & Shields.

Only in this way can we completely overpower the skeleton.

After handing over the wandering swordsman and shieldman, the kobold miner, and explaining everything, Xia Yuan packed up the various materials left behind by the swordsman, shieldman, and dog after dismantling the mist monsters. Without lingering any longer, he immediately set off to return to his territory.

No sooner had he returned to the lord's manor than Celia rushed over to report again.

"Master, the day before yesterday, when I went out hunting with the bone-winged bats, I accidentally discovered a camp of demonized orcs about fifteen miles north of our territory."

When we first met, we were so busy receiving the new bone-winged bats that we forgot about this.

"An orc camp? How big is it?"

Xia Yuan's expression immediately became serious.

Compared to the kobolds they had previously wiped out, the corrupted orcs were far stronger. Ordinary orc warriors were all at the peak of Tier 2, while the heavily armored orc berserkers were even Tier 3.

Although the orc army was defeated in the Battle of Suyab, the frenzied fighting of the orc berserkers on the barbican still left a very deep impression on Xia Yuan.

I still feel lingering fear.

-

With such a frenzied offensive, given Mingguang Town's current resources, it would likely crumble in a single blow.

"The area is quite large. Besides hunting, those orcs also clear land and farm."

Celia was quite responsible and had already conducted a preliminary investigation. "However, what's growing in the field isn't potatoes, but a kind of pumpkin that grows exceptionally large."

"A mutated pumpkin?"

Xia Yuan's eyes lit up; this was a good thing.

There are many types of mutant plants. In addition to aggressive mutant plants such as ground thorn grass, bramble vines, and ground-binding vines, there are also vegetables such as mutant pumpkins and mutant peppers.

Mutant pumpkins, due to their enormous size, are a good source of food. With proper planning, they can even become another unique industry for the territory.

Here we must mention the Mushroom House.

The first batch of mushrooms has grown successfully, and they taste truly delicious. Plans are already underway to expand the cultivation scale and build more and larger mushroom houses.

"How many orcs are in that camp?"

Due to the influence of the demonic tide, these demonic creature camps cannot be at full capacity, but they should not be underestimated.

"Orcs are very vigilant, so to avoid alerting them, I didn't dare to get close enough to scout. I roughly estimate there are about three hundred ordinary orc warriors and about fifty orc berserkers."

Based on this estimate, the overall strength of the orc camp is superior to that of Brightlight Town.

of course.

Mingguang Town also has its advantages: firstly, it has strong high-end combat capabilities, and secondly, it has a complete range of military branches.

"Keep an eye on them, and while ensuring safety, try to find out as much as possible about the orcs' background."

Xia Yuan immediately issued instructions.

Fifteen miles seems like a long way, especially with the fog obscuring the view. But as the territory continues to expand, it will eventually be exposed to the demonized orcs.

In fact, according to Celia, the most recent large-scale orc hunt was already not far from their territory.

They might not even live to see their territory expand further.

Given the nature of orcs, once they discover Mingguang Town, they will inevitably launch an attack, fighting to the death.

Of course, it's best to strike first.

However, given the current strength of Mingguang Town's troops, a proactive expedition might not be enough to secure victory in one battle, and there is even a possibility of failure. Therefore, it is necessary to first ascertain the enemy's strength.

Let's see if there's any chance to outsmart them.

After Celia left, Xia Yuan, now with some free time, finally had time to deal with the public opinion mailbox.

The so-called "public opinion mailbox" was not a place for the people to submit their opinions. Most of the slaves were illiterate, and the few who could write and calculate certainly didn't dare to offer any opinions to their lord.

This is like playing house.

The Public Opinion Mailbox is one of the two new basic buildings added to a Level 4 territory for a reason. What is "delivered" into the mailbox are the Mist Letters, which are collected by the Mist and condensed into thoughts and opinions of the people.

It's more like a channel for gathering public opinion, providing lords with some basis for decision-making in governing their territories.

A thin sheet of paper is more like an alternative confession wall.

"I wonder when the lord plans to build another toilet. The first thing I do every morning is run to the toilet to queue up. Once I even soiled myself—"

"Is anyone cleaning the toilets? There's nowhere to even step in them."

"Water, water, water. One well in town is simply not enough. We need to fetch water for drinking, and for washing clothes. We have to drain the well every day—"

The arguments and fights are like a war. I really want to move to the riverside.

"I envy those who live in courtyard houses. They are spacious and bright, with their own toilets and wells. Tents are too stuffy and hot. I wonder when the lord will take a liking to me."

"Please help my child, he is sick—"

"Among the new refugees is a perverted old man who keeps peeping at women bathing. I really want to beat him up, but I'm afraid of alerting the lord and getting myself banished from the territory—"

"It's so hot forging blacksmiths in the summer. I wish the lord would give us more food."

"...

'

Looking at the "sincere" complaints on the letter, Xia Yuan felt quite embarrassed.

He originally thought that he had governed the territory fairly well during this period, but he did not expect that there were so many problems waiting to be solved in places he could not see.

It's all show and no substance, just a mess inside.

"It's time to strengthen internal governance."

Xia Yuan has always faced external pressure from Li Mingyu, as well as internal threats from the Mist Monsters, demonized creatures, and the Civilization Trials, forcing him to focus all his energy on war and military buildup.

There was not much attention paid to the livelihood of the people in the territory.

Before, when there were fewer people, things weren't so bad; we could manage. Now that there are more people, some things have come to the point where they need to be addressed.

Otherwise, if this continues, the people will become disloyal to him.

So where should we start?