This young master truly has the ambition of a hero.

"How lucky you are, you won't die today."

"Really? Then don't leave. I can keep you here all day."

"Let's play again next time. I think we'll see each other again soon."

Chapter 156: "Polite Farewell" at the Border

Although both sides wished they could wipe out every last one of the other's enemies, neither wanted to end up with a mutually destructive outcome. Therefore, once the Druid transformed into the Nightmare Dragon and lost, the two sides quickly disengaged.

Ramon knew perfectly well that these human elites were now fighting a desperate battle. If he truly intended to forcibly devour them, he had to be prepared to expend all his own resources. The ones who would be happiest in that situation would be the old guard in the council of elders, making it a truly unprofitable endeavor.

Dick shared a similar idea; he wanted to maximize the interests of himself and his loyal allies, believing that as long as the foundation is intact, there will always be opportunities.

After both sides sounded the retreat, a very strange scene unfolded on the battlefield: the large contingent of orc cavalry watched from a great distance as the Northern Alliance expeditionary force quickly and orderly boarded their ships, without offering any obstruction.

Not long after, the orc elder Zorn, who had been following the expeditionary force, arrived with his men to join Ramon's troops. As soon as he arrived, he excitedly questioned Ramon, asking why he had just been watching.

Ramon glanced at Zorn, knowing that the other man must be filled with rage after witnessing the orc capital burn down, and he probably wished he could tear those humans to pieces with his own hands. Considering that Zorn was one of the few members of the Elders who could still be won over, he unusually spoke gently in his explanation.

“Zorn, I know your anger. I am also furious about the tragedy that happened in the Orcish Capital, but we, as those in power, cannot act impulsively.”

"So you're just going to let those humans swagger away like that!?"

"They have at least five Saint-level experts on their side. 'Ominous Dragon' Badan was defeated and is still unconscious with serious injuries. I almost had my head chopped off by a Saint-level assassin. Are you saying that the three who fell in the Orcish Capital weren't enough, and you want our Orcish race to lose all the remaining Saint-level experts in this battle?"

"I……"

Zorn was speechless at Ramon's question. He was indeed blinded by anger, thinking only of avenging his kin who had died tragically, but Ramon's words woke him up.

For a nation or a race, a Saint-level expert is undoubtedly a "strategic weapon." Their very existence is a deterrent, and the Saint-level is not the ceiling; they have the opportunity to advance further and become even stronger Demigods, terrifying beings below the level of gods who can control a portion of the power of laws.

The reason why the human race is the strongest in the world today is because of their huge population base. They possess more Saint-level and Demigod-level beings than any other race combined. Therefore, even though they are not united internally and have split into dozens of large and small countries, other races can hardly shake their dominant position and can only helplessly accept the humiliating name "Demigod Race," which carries strong racial discrimination connotations.

In terms of overall combat strength, the orcs are "far behind" the humans. Even after Ramon integrated most of the wasteland orcs, he only managed to gather eight Saint-level beings. On the other hand, the humans alone have dozens of Saint-level beings and several Demigods in the Black Forest Empire.

This is why these top experts are not concentrated and are mostly deployed in the southern part of the empire to confront other powerful human nations. This allows Ramon to rely on the local advantage formed by the combined power of his race to brazenly invade the northern region where the empire's power is relatively weak.

But now it seems that he underestimated the human race's strength despite all his calculations. None of the Saint-level experts on the other side matched the information he had. They were all "hidden characters"!

This made Ramon feel very frustrated and helpless. He thought to himself, if everything in this world was truly created by the gods, then I don't ask you to strengthen the orcs. Just to be fair, you could at least weaken the human race!

Unfortunately, the gods could not hear Ramon's prayers, and there is no such thing as fairness in this world.

On the other side, after all members of the Northern Expeditionary Force boarded their ships, they immediately set off at full speed to evacuate south.

During the evacuation, Belfast would periodically launch threatening artillery barrages in the direction of the enemy, forcing them to retreat further and further. Dick and Behemoth were also on high alert. The old mage had already prepared a forbidden spell, holding it in his hand with his peak Saint-level control, ready to unleash it.

Only after the fleet set sail, and after Dick and Lucoa repeatedly confirmed that the enemy's Saint-level warriors were not pursuing them, did the old man spend another two hours gradually dissipating the condensed magic power. This process was like defusing a bomb, even more time-consuming and mentally taxing than constructing magic.

"Phew! We're finally safe."

The moment his tense nerves relaxed, Dick threw himself onto Lucoa's soft chest, rubbing his face against her big, bouncy breasts as if no one else was around.

Lucoa gently stroked Dick's head, her face full of affection.

The other soldiers of the expeditionary force were also exhausted. Many of them slumped down on the deck, and when they tried to get up, they found that their legs were too weak to support them. Some of them simply pulled up their helmet visors and lay down wherever they could take a nap.

In the end, the captain couldn't bear to see them like this, fearing that these exhausted knights would freeze to death on the deck of his ship, so he arranged for strong sailors to drag them into the warm cabin.

The convoy's return journey was smooth, and they arrived at the new port without any incidents.

After disembarking, Dick immediately inquired about the situation in the north and received news that brought him both joy and sorrow.

The good news is that their expedition achieved its expected goal, using the tactic of "besieging Wei to rescue Zhao" to force the orc invading army to retreat.

The worrying thing is that the orc army did not retreat empty-handed. They not only plundered a large amount of supplies from human territory, but also kidnapped about 100,000 human prisoners.

If we add the victims who were killed directly or indirectly by the orcs, the entire northern region of the empire may have lost nearly a million people because of this war. The northwest region, which was the hardest hit, was almost deserted, and a large number of refugees were forced to pour into the central and eastern regions.

The number of people who died of hunger and cold during the escape was too high to count.

Throughout the war, the inaction of the imperial central government disappointed and disgusted the northerners. The war lasted for months, and the southern part of the mountains did not send a single soldier to the north. Meanwhile, the northern army, which was required to collect huge amounts of food and supplies from the north every year, remained a coward throughout the entire war.

When the orc army marched in and wantonly burned, killed, and looted in the northern regions, they just stayed in their well-fed and well-off fortresses and watched, turning a deaf ear to the tragedies happening outside. Even when the orc legion finally began to retreat north with the captured people, the border legion only symbolically sent a cavalry force of a few hundred men out of the city. They followed the orcs at a distance and "politely escorted" them out of the country.

Chapter 157: Rising to Fame

Due to the inaction of the imperial central government, the people of the north, from noble lords to commoners, are now not only disaffected by the empire, but also full of resentment.

However, the northerners could only vent their anger in the end, because the north was a backward region of the empire. During their heyday, they had always been looked down upon by the wealthy southerners. Their population, economy, and technology were far inferior to those of the south. Now, after being so severely humiliated by the orcs, they were even more severely weakened.

Many lords who survived the war were initially furious and wanted to write a strongly worded personal letter to question the imperial central government about why they had turned a blind eye when their northern territories were invaded by foreign tribes. However, when they thought about the devastation in their own territories, they ended up writing a humble plea for help, hoping that the bigwigs above would lend a hand for the sake of the empire!

It is no exaggeration to say that the suffering in the north did not end with the retreat of the orcs. The influx of a large number of refugees into the east and central regions led to a severe shortage of food and a rapid rise in prices.

After all, due to climate issues, the North has never been able to produce enough grain. It relies on selling primary raw materials such as minerals, medicinal herbs, and timber to the South in exchange for grain and various commodities that the North cannot produce.

Amidst this chaos, Laguge, originally a bitterly cold land, unexpectedly became a rare haven of peace.

Initially, not many refugees were willing to come here. It was Dick who sent troops to support Earl Hoffman's territory and diverted more than 30,000 refugees from the Allied camp.

These refugees initially just wanted to get away from the dangerous front lines. Going to Laguge was somewhat out of necessity. They thought they could just endure it and have something to eat so they wouldn't starve to death. They planned to return to the west when the weather warmed up.

When they arrived in Laguge, they discovered that the situation there was completely different from what they had heard.

It was indeed very cold there, but the temperature was just normal for northern regions; they didn't experience the terrifying "extreme winter" that had been rumored.

The key was that the local area had sufficient supplies and stable security. The lord seemed to have made preparations to accept the refugees long ago. As soon as they arrived in Laguge, they were dispersed to various resettlement areas. There were row houses for shelter from the wind and cold and relief meals twice a day. They were not full, but they were not starving either.

The first thing refugees do upon arrival is register, including their name, gender, age, education level, and occupation, so that they can be managed uniformly in the resettlement area.

The first five days were mainly for rest and recuperation. Public bathrooms and clinics were built in the resettlement area. Except for a few patients and wounded who had difficulty moving around, everyone else had to take a mandatory shower. After showering, they could receive a set of cotton clothes with a number on them and then go to the clinic for a simple quarantine. Those refugees suspected of having infectious diseases were screened out and isolated to prevent them from infecting other healthy people.

After a five-day rest period, the management staff of the resettlement area will post job openings every day to recruit refugees to work, mainly to build new resettlement houses and do some simple odd jobs, basically serving the refugees.

After completing their work, refugees receive tokens called "work points," which can be used in the resettlement area's canteen and supply stores to exchange for food and small commodities. Later, when taverns were added to the resettlement area, those with enough work points could even have a drink there.

To put it bluntly, the resettlement area only provides refugees with the most basic survival guarantees, but you can improve your life through work, transforming from a refugee living under someone else's roof into a decent person who earns a living through your own abilities. In this process, you will also unconsciously develop a sense of belonging.

The entire management mechanism of the resettlement area was largely based on that of the labor reform farms. Some of the middle-level managers in the resettlement area were transferred from the labor reform farms and have very rich management experience.

Unlike labor reform farms, these resettlement areas are planned to be gradually upgraded into standard villages, and villagers will be organized to reclaim the surrounding land after spring.

Laguge has never lacked land, but it lacks people.

Given Dick's original resources, Laguge could only accommodate a maximum of 10,000 people this time. Any more than that and it would suffer from famine due to food shortages, just like other places.

However, the strong support from his family greatly alleviated his urgent crisis.

The steady stream of food supplies gave him the confidence to open up to accepting refugees.

You have to understand that in this freezing winter, being chased by orcs from west to east for hundreds of miles was an extremely cruel selection process. It eliminated almost all the old, weak, sick and disabled people, and only the young and strong with good physiques could survive. These were all high-quality laborers.

The other lords in the eastern regions also knew this, but unlike Dick, they were not wealthy enough to accept many refugees and even had to be wary of them.

In fact, this concern was not unfounded. Later, many refugees were forced to become bandits due to their livelihood, which led to serious banditry in the eastern region. This became another opportunity for Dick to seize.

The war is largely over, but the western regions have been severely damaged, and the refugees are neither willing nor able to return to their homes. Many refugees in the central regions have been led away by lords who are unable to take them in, intending to cross the mountain passes and fortresses to seek a way to survive in the south.

Meanwhile, the refugees who had entered the eastern region were still wandering around, begging the lord to take them in, and slowly began to converge on Lagug.

The influx of refugees could be a boon if handled well, but a disaster if mishandled. Fortunately, Laguge withstood the test and successfully absorbed this wave of wealth. In the process of absorbing refugees, Laguge also cultivated a large number of officials with grassroots management experience.

When Dick returned to the castle, he saw Ruby Eyes, who was almost buried under a mountain of official documents. The Demon Queen had clearly been overworked lately and looked much more haggard, but thanks to her excellent domestic affairs skills as the governor in charge, Dick was able to confidently lead his troops into battle.

"Thank you for your hard work, my lord."

Besides warm hugs and compliments, Dick also took practical action, taking off his coat and sitting down to help Ruby Eyes process documents, while inquiring about the recent situation inside and outside the territory.

Dick learned from Ruby Eyes that Count Hoffman's Ice City was safe and sound. Although it had been attacked several times after Dick left the Allied Forces, the city had not been breached.

But the Marquis Richard, who replaced Dick as the new commander of the Allied forces, was in a much worse situation.

Hongyu Zhitong pondered for ten days and ten nights but still couldn't figure out where this guy got his mysterious confidence from, actually leading a full 100,000 people to take the initiative to attack, and then being utterly defeated by the orcs in the city of Eideid.

Almost all of the 100,000 men were wiped out, with only a little over a thousand escaping.

It is worth mentioning that Richard himself miraculously survived. It is said that when he returned to the Allied camp, he was all alone. He ran to the city wall with tears streaming down his face and shouted loudly.

This defeat caused the Allied forces' prestige to plummet and caused considerable panic.

Fortunately, Hoffman handled the situation in time, forcibly suppressing the rumors and sending the half-mad Marquis Richard back to his hometown overnight.

It was at this very moment that Dick led the Northern Alliance expeditionary force in a surprise attack on the orc capital, forcing the orc army to retreat and truly resolving the source of the panic.

However, at this time in the northern regions, people only knew that the orcs had suddenly retreated, but they did not know why they had withdrawn, nor did they know about the earth-shattering feat of the Northern Alliance.

Dick was never one to do good deeds anonymously; he needed to further expand his reputation and influence in the northern part of the empire, so it was essential to publicize the great achievements of the Northern Alliance.

Chapter 158: The Oath

After withdrawing from Newport, the expeditionary force returned to the main city of their territory in triumph. They held a grand victory parade on the main street of the city, not only publicly displaying the many spoils they had brought back from the orc capital, but also playing magical images of the expeditionary force's heroic battles on a loop in the square that had just been built before winter.

Even before the troops set off, Dick had already planned the follow-up propaganda campaign. Therefore, several mages in the expeditionary force actually served as "battle photographers." They did not participate in the battles directly, but instead used recording crystals to record the impact of the battles.

These videos can be kept by the military for review and tactical improvement studies, or used as video material by the propaganda department.

Many residents of Ragug felt a surge of pride upon seeing the human cavalry so valiant in the footage, and their lord, Dick, such a powerful Saint-level mage (the part where he almost messed up was edited out). Then, these young men, so excited they couldn't wait to find an orc to fight, turned their heads and saw the recruitment office next door, where the registration officer was grinning like an eel.

Meanwhile, at the castle, Dick hosted a victory celebration party.

Because Dick disliked indulging in those decadent aristocratic activities, the banquet hall of the main castle in Lagug had never been used until this expedition, when it was used for the first time to hold a banquet. The guests were all the Northern Alliance allies who had fought their way back from the wasteland with him.

Inside the castle's banquet hall, the seven lords of the Northern Alliance were all in high spirits. After this battle, they were now sworn brothers. In addition, Dick's display of strength had convinced the other six lords that they had chosen the right leader.

Everyone has heard about the Allied forces' disastrous defeat in the central region, with almost all 100,000 men wiped out. Richard is largely to blame. If he had even the slightest bit of backbone, he would have been so ashamed and indignant that he would have committed suicide. Instead, he simply tucked his tail between his legs and fled back to his hometown.

This incident directly caused Marquis Richard's reputation in the North to plummet, and his dream of becoming the leader of the North was completely shattered. Countless people cursed him to a terrible death.

And by contrasting him as a loser, Dick's brilliance and prowess are all the more apparent.

Taking advantage of this great victory, Dick suggested at the banquet that the "Northern United Front" should continue to exist, since the orcs had only withdrawn rather than been annihilated, and in terms of losses in this winter war, the human side suffered more.

Since the threat still exists and is very likely to return, this alliance is still useful.

In addition, Dick also hopes to further deepen the relationship with allies, so that the Northern Alliance is not just a military alliance, but also establishes cooperation in economic, technological and intelligence fields, so that everyone can help each other and continuously strengthen their strength to deal with the orcs or other threats.

The other six lords agreed with Dick's suggestion. The orcs in the northern wasteland had already established a kingdom, and in the foreseeable future, the frequency and scale of orc invasions would increase significantly. This was a threat that one or two lords could not withstand on their own, so they had to unite to fight against it.

Regarding the specific details of future construction and cooperation with Beilian, Dick said that he would discuss them with everyone at a subsequent meeting to ensure that a solution that satisfies everyone is finally reached.

For now, just enjoy the wine and food at hand.

After a pleasant dinner party, Dick returned to his bedroom and lay down on his long-missed bed. The clean sheets smelled wonderfully of jasmine, a scent Belfast loved.

Just as Dick thought of Belfast, the white-haired maid walked out of the bathroom, drying her wet long hair. Her curvaceous body was wrapped in a small bath towel, leaving large expanses of snow-white skin exposed, which radiated an alluring fleshy color under the dim light of the magic lamp.

Seeing this, Dick got up and sat on the edge of the bed. Belfast walked gracefully to him and obediently let Dick put his arm around her waist and pull her into his arms. It was like an old married couple who understood each other's thoughts without needing to say a word.

Dick knew that since he had more female subordinates, he had spent less time with Belfast. During this orc war, Belfast first led the other sisters to guard the fjord's coastal defenses, ensuring that Ragug would not be attacked. Afterward, she took on the important task of escorting the fleet, protecting the convoy and providing fire support for the expeditionary force.

This perfect maid worked tirelessly and selflessly for Dick, so how could Dick neglect her? Therefore, he was prepared!

Belfast, I love you.

“I love you too, my master, but you love me a little too much.”

"I won't deny it, I am indeed very greedy in love. So... are you willing to accept the love of a womanizing scumbag like me?"

Are you asking a question you already know the answer to?

Belfast looked at Dick with affection in her eyes, smiled and asked him a question. Before he could answer, she leaned down and gave him her most passionate kiss, then rolled onto the bed.

However, just as Belfast was ready to welcome her beloved master into her life, Dick suddenly stopped. Maintaining this ambiguous posture, he slightly raised himself up and, under Belfast's somewhat puzzled gaze, reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, inside which was a pure white wedding ring.

Belfast, will you accept my love?

When Belfast saw the wedding ring Dick took out, she was clearly stunned. Even when she was being affectionate with Dick, the head maid was always calm and composed. But at this moment, she showed a rare excitement, and tears welled up in her eyes. However, she still forced herself to smile calmly.

"Who would propose at a time like this?"

"Because I have a short temper and really can't wait, are you willing, my Belfast!"

"Really... I do, I accept, I love you."

Upon hearing Belfast's reply, Dick personally placed the ring on Belfast's left ring finger, and then they embraced passionately once again. The intense happiness and satisfaction made Belfast feel more intoxicated than ever before, her body and mind completely filled with strong and ardent love.

Chapter 159: After Hardship Comes Happiness

The next morning, Belfast, who has a good biological clock, overslept, which is rare for her. When she opened her eyes, she found that it was already bright outside. She stretched out her left hand and felt the sunlight leaking in through the gap in the curtains. The temperature of the sunlight shining on her fingertips was warm, indicating that it was a rare sunny day.