This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

After delivering the orders, the messenger also relayed the lord's personal commendation.

"Well done, soldiers!"

Chapter 227: The Savagery of the Transformation into Civilization

Due to limited ammunition on the fortress side, the fire support lasted only about an hour and a half before nearly two-thirds of the ammunition reserves were depleted.

The large-caliber magic cannon is indeed powerful, but it is also very expensive. Moreover, it is not easy to obtain shells. The Empire has extremely strict control over this thing. Dick can only get some military supplies from his "good uncle" by attaching himself to the border legion.

Fortunately, while the allied forces were using cannons to block the orcs' counterattack, they had already transported traditional catapults to the other side of the river. Ragug's private army is now largely equipped with improved catapults designed by Ruby Eyes, which are more powerful, lighter, and use modular components that can be quickly disassembled, making transportation and assembly much easier.

By the time the advance disciplinary battalion retreated to its designated position, the bridgehead on the riverbank was already taking shape. The mage corps was reinforcing the outer wall of the first city wall, solidifying the piled-up earthen blocks into hard rock.

The orc vanguard who cautiously made their way to the shore of the fjord were all stunned by the stone city that had sprung up in just three hours.

In fact, the current bridgehead only has this twelve-meter-high city wall, which looks imposing and powerful, but its defensive capabilities are limited. The inner side is still a messy construction site and does not yet have the basic functions of a fortress city.

Dick used his telekinesis to move a set of expensive tables and chairs to the viewing platform of the city gate tower. Leaning on his staff in one hand and holding a teacup in the other, with two beautiful maids, one in black and one in white, standing behind him, he looked down at the still shocked orcs. He was both domineering and elegant.

"Master, it would be so helpful if you could play the piano at a time like this."

“Then our maid outfits won’t suit us anymore; we need to change into Eastern-style pageboy outfits.”

Behind Dick, Belfast and Rita were casually making sarcastic remarks.

The reason Dick put on this show was that he discovered during his sea crossing that his intimidation power over the orcs was actually higher than he had expected. The druids were so frightened by the mere sight of his face that they fled in terror. So he personally climbed the city wall and dressed up as Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, and the effect seemed to be quite good.

The others took the opportunity to reinforce their fortifications and quickly assemble the various heavy weapons that had been delivered.

The slowly gathering orc army still numbered seven or eight thousand, but they were visibly hesitant to advance. Theoretically, if they launched a full-scale attack regardless of the cost, they could take advantage of the human army's unstable foothold and push the landing force back into the sea, but the opposing forces did not do so.

This confirms one of Dick's earlier guesses: the orcs have become smarter, but also more cowardly.

At this moment, Prince Heinz also climbed onto the city wall. He did not bring any other guards with him and went straight to Dick's side. He stopped and looked into the distance. The dragonman's eyesight allowed him to easily see the scenery thousands of meters away. Therefore, he looked at the orc with great interest and sighed.

"Are those orcs? I've heard rumors that the orc tribes in the wasteland are extremely ferocious and fearless in battle, but now that I see them... they seem a bit different from the rumors?"

“There’s nothing strange about that, Your Highness. Have you ever seen a pack of wolves? Wolves may seem ferocious, but they are actually quite cunning. If you encounter them in the wild and turn to run away, they will see you as weak prey and pounce on you to tear you apart. But if you choose to face them head-on and adopt a fearless fighting stance, those beasts will hesitate out of fear. Orcs are actually the same way, so even when I’m on the defensive, I will try my best to adopt an offensive stance. That’s a form of deterrence.”

"I see, I've learned something new."

Prince Heinz appeared to be humbly accepting instruction, but in reality, Dick only told half the reason. The other reason was that the orcs had become less barbaric by learning from humans and elves.

Ramon has been pushing for the civilizational reforms of the orcs, and has achieved remarkable results. They are almost completely imitating the humans. Especially in terms of military building, talent selection is no longer based purely on strength as in the tribal era, where only the biggest and strongest could become leaders. Now, intelligence is valued more.

Therefore, the cleverest of the half-orcs and some of the orcs were able to stand out and become mid- to high-level commanders.

However, the price of doing so is that orcs are becoming more and more like humans.

They not only learned the good qualities of humans, but also adopted all the worst aspects of their power struggles. This might not be so obvious at the lower levels, but it was particularly severe at the top. As a result, before they had even fully mastered the regularization of their armies, some orc leaders had already become warlords.

So the current state of the orc army is like this: the lower-ranking orc soldiers just need to roar and charge forward to burn, kill, and plunder, while the commanders above have to consider many gains and losses in order to preserve their strength.

A similar situation can be seen in the Song Dynasty on Earth. Initially, the Liao Dynasty was barbaric, with a few million people able to rival a large country with tens of millions of people. However, as the Liao Dynasty embraced civilization and began to Sinicize, its military capabilities deteriorated rapidly, and it was soundly defeated by the even more barbaric Jurchens. Finally, history repeated itself a century later, with the utterly despicable Mongol army sweeping everything aside.

It can only be said that civilization is not invincible, and barbarism is not entirely without merit.

If things continue to develop in this direction, it's entirely possible that one day the orcs will send an envoy to sign a "Fjord Alliance" with the humans, and then a ceasefire will naturally follow.

Prince Heinz paused to observe for a moment, and seeing that the orcs had not made any move, he sat down next to Dick. Rita, who was standing nearby, politely handed him a cup of black tea. Heinz took the cup, took a sip, and suddenly began to talk about the war in the south.

"My Lord Earl, what is your opinion on the south? I know that the lords in the north have many complaints about this, feeling that the empire is disregarding the safety of the northern people. I personally sympathize with the northerners, but unfortunately, I am just a prince in name only and have no influence on the strategic decisions of the higher-ups. But if we look at it purely from a military perspective, what do you think are the empire's chances of winning this battle in the south?"

"I don't know the specifics, but I've heard that the Empire has already amassed hundreds of thousands of troops in the south. I think... it shouldn't be a big problem."

Since he didn't know the other party's purpose in asking this question, Dick had to play it safe for the time being, especially since he couldn't say anything discouraging. Therefore, no matter what, he had to have the upper hand in this battle!

Prince Heinz, however, observed Dick's expression with great interest and continued speaking.

“Under normal circumstances, that would be true. But what if I told you that there are people on our side of the empire who desperately want to lose this battle, and to suffer a crushing defeat with the entire army wiped out?”

"Uh...who is it?"

Dick asked the question instinctively, but then suddenly realized that this was a topic that should not be touched upon easily. Heinz's next answer was indeed far beyond Dick's expectations, to the point that he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

"It is our Emperor."

Chapter 228: The Legend of the Demigod

Dick found it somewhat absurd that the emperor of the empire would actually wish for his army to be defeated, or even annihilated. Prince Heinz, however, wore a half-smile, making it difficult to determine whether he was joking or implying something.

Heinz continued speaking to himself, his tone devoid of any respect when he mentioned Hesse VII.

"Our Emperor is an absolutely self-centered person. The emotions that ordinary people have, such as family, friendship, and love, are all useless things to him that should be discarded. Don't think that the lives of hundreds of thousands of people are important to him. If the death of these hundreds of thousands of people can bring him benefits, he will not hesitate to let them die. The same is true for this country. He puts himself above all things. You could say that he completely regards himself as a god."

"Your Highness, you haven't been drinking during the day, have you?"

“Dick, I’m a pretty straightforward person. I don’t like playing games with people, especially not with smart people. I know you’re an ambitious person, and the reason I’m telling you this is entirely based on the premise that we share the same goals. I hope to share some information with you. Of course! You can choose to betray me, but in that case, I won’t be able to cover for you ‘up there’.”

After Heinz finished speaking, he looked into the distance again with a nonchalant air, clearly waiting for Dick's reply. Dick, on the other hand, studied him with interest for a while, then chuckled and said...

"Since Your Highness has put it this way, what is there for me to do as a friend?"

When interacting with men, Dick prefers to talk about interests rather than feelings.

Since Prince Heinz chose to be frank with him in this way, Dick certainly didn't believe that he had no ulterior motives, so he bluntly asked the other party what he wanted.

"I need you to continue to grow stronger and consolidate the power in the north of the empire. Of course! I will provide you with the necessary cover and assistance."

"Is this the intention of the Dragon Sleep Valley family?"

"Yes and no. After all, not everyone is interested in getting involved in outside affairs, but at least there are no complete opponents within the organization, so there's no need to worry about anyone sabotaging us."

"understood."

Heinz meant that some members of the Dragonsleeping Valley family were unwilling to remain a reclusive family, while others, although insisting on staying out of the world, did not object to others going out. Therefore, the two sides lived in peace, which can be considered as achieving common ground while reserving differences to a certain extent.

Dick thought about it and concluded that, at least for the time being, there was no harm in forming an alliance with the other party.

As night fell, Prince Heinz returned to his lodgings at the new port on the south bank, while Dick, along with his elite forces, remained stationed on the north bank, as the orcish legions were likely to launch a nighttime attack. At least three Saint-level experts needed to be permanently stationed there until the bridgehead was fully completed.

During the day, Dick and Prince Heinz talked a lot, not only about the war in the south, but also about the various open and covert struggles in the empire.

Dick then took the opportunity to ask a question that had been on his mind the most: what exactly was the "demigod" who had guarded the Black Forest family for generations in the palace?

There are numerous versions of the folk tale about the court goddess, with all sorts of conflicting accounts, and even the gender of the demon is uncertain. Some say it was a man, some say a woman, and some say it was neither male nor female, and that she was helped out.

Even Hammuradi, who was nearly killed by his curse, didn't actually see the other's true face. This is because demigods are beings who can control a certain amount of law power; their pressure is enough to distort space, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them "indescribable beings." Hammuradi was instantly killed in one move. It's hard to say whether his survival was due to the exceptional escape skills of the strongest Saint-level assassin or whether the demigod intentionally let him go.

In short, Dick was really wary of that person. If the Saint-level was the tactical nuclear weapon of this world, then the Demigod was the strategic level, only the way it was expressed might not be as explosive as a nuclear bomb.

Heinz, on the other hand, told Dick that he didn't need to worry about the Demigod at all, because no matter how strong the Demigod was, it wouldn't matter.

Careful observers in this world have noticed that since the fall of the Elf Dynasty a thousand years ago, and into the human era, it seems that no one in this world has broken through to the Saint rank and ascended to the level of a Demigod for a very long time. Those who have already become Demigods have almost all disappeared and gone into seclusion in some unknown place.

Like Dick's senior master Behemoth, who became a peak Saint-level mage decades ago, but then stopped there and could not advance even an inch further. In order to find a way to break through, Behemoth has devoted countless efforts and energy over the years, and even went to meditate on the tomb (dormant place) of the Winter God Ajax, but after two and a half years of hard work, his cultivation level is still the same.

Several times when Dick visited his master, he saw him looking dejected. The once incredibly confident number one battle mage in the world was now feeling insecure about his own talent.

However, according to Heinz, the reason why there are no more demigods in this world is actually due to the intention of the gods.

As mentioned earlier, demigods are beings capable of influencing the laws of the world, while those below the Saint rank still operate within the framework of the world's laws. However, the power of demigods is undoubtedly a highly destructive and unstable factor for the world.

If we compare the world itself to a house, then the laws are the building materials that make up the house. Some laws are like walls and windows, which can be repaired if they are slightly altered or damaged. But some laws are like the foundation and load-bearing walls of the house. If you destroy these, the house will become a dangerous building that can be stepped on at any time.

For this reason, the gods who could originally roam the world each created a divine realm and locked themselves inside, in order to protect the mortal realm from the influence of their power.

The demigods are considered "entry-level gods," and theoretically, they also have a chance to demolish houses. Therefore, while the gods invited the demigods to also reside in the divine realm, they joined forces to impose restrictions on the world, limiting the number of demigods.

In other words, there is a limit to the number of demigods. Someone has to leave a position vacant before someone at the peak of the Saint rank can break through and fill it.

Therefore, there are very few demigods left in the mortal realm, and even if they do remain, they are bound by the laws of the gods.

Theoretically speaking, the demigods have become "neutral units" in this world; as long as you don't attack them, they absolutely cannot attack you.

Therefore, there is indeed a demigod living in the palace of the Black Forest Empire, and he does have some connection with the Black Forest royal family. However, he is not the "guardian" of the royal family as rumored. This rumor was actually deliberately spread by the Black Forest royal family to confuse the public and make assassins wary and dare not attack the Black Forest royal family.

Thinking about it this way, it's highly likely that Hammuradi was targeted because of his own carelessness back then.

Chapter 229: The Nun's "Wonderful Use"

The outpost on the north bank is under steady construction, while the orcs have only launched a few small-scale night raids. The rest of the time, a small number of scouts observe from a distance, allowing the humans to drive their stakes into the wasteland. There has been no major action, which is quite puzzling.

Dick only later learned that his performance to appease the "inspection team" had coincidentally coincided with a small-scale internal strife among the orcs. At the same time, deep in the wasteland, Ramon was leading his elite troops to quell rebellions, and the internal strife lasted for a full year.

The civil war was triggered by Ramon's new decree prohibiting the orc tribes from arbitrarily abusing and slaughtering human slaves. His aim was to maintain the number of human slaves they controlled.

However, some tribes seized the opportunity to make trouble, saying that Ramon had gone back on his word. They had agreed to attack the human race together and share the spoils of war, but now Ramon was interfering with how each tribe dealt with their possessions, which was clearly a violation of their original oath.

Thus, the tribes inherited the old tradition of the orcs in resolving differences, choosing to reason with each other using fists and spears.

Ramon was also fed up with these stupid fellow tribesmen. No matter how he tried to explain the facts and reason with them, not one of them had a brain and was willing to listen properly.

It is important to know that during the Winter War, the orcs abducted a total of about 220,000 humans. Later, the Northern Alliance launched two expeditions and rescued 10,000. The remaining 210,000 were reduced to less than 120,000 in just one year.

The harsh living conditions on the wasteland were the main cause of the mass deaths of human slaves, but the orcs' overly brutal rule was equally to blame.

The vast majority of orcs treated captured humans as livestock, not only beating and abusing them at will, but also killing one or two every few days for a feast. This was because, in the orcs' eyes, humans were so delicious they could stomp their feet in delight; their meat was tender and succulent, and its unique sour taste was incredibly appetizing, making them crave more.

The Ramon tribe captured humans to improve the genes of the beastmen through breeding, and at the same time enslaved the humans to build a nation.

Although both treated human slaves as livestock, one treated them as chickens and the other as cattle and horses. Their concepts were very different, and this was the root of their differences.

So during this time, Ramon really couldn't spare any time to deal with the humans. When he learned that it was just a bridgehead, he handed it over to the border troops to handle themselves, while he continued to be busy smoking idiots.

Thanks to the collaborative efforts of engineers and mages, the outpost fortress was completed in just eleven days, capable of sustaining an army of four thousand for an extended period. Further improvements are expected to take at least two to three months, but this will not prevent it from becoming operational.

On the day the fortress was completed, Encho and Qigan, representing the Winter God Cult, offered blessings for the fortress.

After nearly a year of development, the Winter God Cult's faith spread rapidly in the northern region. In addition to Laguge, the core religious area, people in the surrounding areas also began to join the cult and become believers. Considering that there were already quite a few believers among the soldiers, Dick specially summoned Enmity to "bless" the fortress on the day it was completed.

The blessing ceremony was very solemn. Dick knew the importance of ritual, so he was willing to spend money on such activities. Although it seemed extravagant, it actually had a great effect on boosting the morale of the stationed soldiers.

After the blessing ceremony, Dick, as the "first believer of Lagug," took the initiative to "pray" to the enemy, saying that he had recently accumulated some sins and needed to be purified by the divine. So the two of them turned around and went to the confessional room, which was so soundproof that it was completely unnecessary.

Once inside the room and closed the door, the two were eager to recount Dick's sins in detail.

It's hard to say who is truly guilty, or who is confessing to whom, between the kneeling nun and the (pseudo) young boy sitting in a chair with a blissful expression.

But just then, a "little bug" suddenly crawled into the keyhole of the confessional door. After landing, it quickly grew larger and turned out to be the pink-haired, lazy nun, Chigan.

She dusted herself off and, seeing that Dick and Resentment had already started fighting, couldn't help but lament.

"I'm so sad that you didn't wait for me!"

Qi Gante had only recently gotten together with Dick. This wicked female cadre from the lesbian world was completely ignorant about matters between men and women, but she couldn't resist her curiosity, so she often used her ability to change size at will to sneak into Dick's room to observe.

However, even the most persistent spy eventually gets their feet wet. After spying on him so many times, Dick began to feel like he was being watched while he was doing his business. So he pretended not to notice and secretly observed him. Finally, on one occasion when he went to confess to his grudge, he successfully caught Chigant hiding in a gap in the bookshelf.

When he was first caught, Qi Gante tried to fool the authorities by remaining motionless and pretending to be a 1:6 scale figure.

But Dick grabbed her and said just one sentence that made Chigante lose her composure.

"I can use this size just fine."

Qi Gante: "???"

To be honest, Chigan was really scared at the time. Given her size, if Dick had been determined to force himself on her, she probably would have blurted out something.

So Qigante obediently returned to his original size, and then immediately knelt down to apologize.

"Red bean paste, a secret Marseille!"

However, the apology was useless. When Qi Gante raised her head, half of her face was covered by a huge strip of shadow. Having already watched a large number of "Advanced Combat Videos", dozens of gigabytes of 4K high-definition images flashed through her mind in an instant.

But as the old saying goes, life is like rape; when you can't resist, you can only try to enjoy it.

And Qi Gan Te certainly has the potential to be a good person, and he is very happy in it.

The pink-haired sullen girl immediately joined the battle. Before sneaking over, she deliberately transformed and changed into her nun's habit, which was so revealing that it didn't look like a proper person's. Her southern hemisphere and entire lower abdomen were exposed. Dick simply raised his hand and grabbed her pair of milky white breasts without any hindrance.

To the unsuspecting believers, the two high nuns of the Winter God Cult, one full of love and the other compassionate towards all living beings, were both holy and inviolable beings. But in private, in front of Dick, these two were practically the embodiment of desire. Their grudges were more like succubi than Dick's, and Chigante truly lived up to her reputation as an evil female cadre, practically a witch who tempted people to commit crimes.

But it doesn't matter for Dick, I'm just as good as both of them!

Soon, alluring moans echoed in the confessional. The three of them stacked themselves into a large sandwich, and with each bite, the juices of the bursting chicken cutlet sandwiched in the middle spilled out, sticking to both slices of bread.

After a fierce "confession," Dick sat in his chair, savoring the afterglow. Resentment and Qi Gan Te used their lips and tongues to wipe Dick's murder weapon, swallowing the nectar rich in magical elements.

There was a reason why the two were so thirsty: Dick had given them a secret mission to carry out recently, so naturally they had to be rewarded and made to replenish their energy upon their return.

While obsessively licking a lollipop, Yuancho pulled out several recording crystals from the four-dimensional hangar hidden in his cleavage and handed them to Dick.