Chapter Twenty-Seven: Negotiation.
The Half-Orcs are finished.
Long before the attack on the Autumn Leaf Plains, the Half-Orcs had already suffered significant casualties, especially during the siege of Leaffall City, where Soren not only descended in his avatar but also summoned the Ancient Brass Dragon through the Dragon Pact. This time, the Half-Orc losses were even greater, as the Ancient Brass Dragon plowed back and forth across the battlefield with its Dragon Breath, resulting in thousands dead on the spot. Later tallies revealed that in just one siege, the Half-Orcs lost nearly six thousand adult warriors.
Although this loss was substantial, it was still within the tolerance range for a race.
With a population of several hundred thousand, the Half-Elves of Leaffall City numbered around two hundred to two hundred fifty thousand, while the Half-Orcs, being slightly larger, could be estimated at over three hundred thousand. After deducting the elderly, weak, women, and children, about a quarter of that population could wield weapons; this means that if fully mobilized, the Half-Orcs could assemble an army of one hundred thousand.
One hundred thousand.
It sounds like a lot, but in reality, this represents the entirety of the Half-Orc race’s foundations. The backward productivity of the era and the civilization’s transitional nature between agriculture and nomadism have led to significant limitations. If adult male warriors suffer too large a loss, they would be unable to sustain even basic agriculture. The backwardness of their civilization greatly restricts population growth, and the invasion of the Autumn Leaf Plains itself had the meaning of burning the boats. A certain proportion of casualties would still be within Eugene’s acceptable limits.
However,
this was just the beginning. After the siege, Eugene’s army encountered Soren again.
This time, the casualties were even more shocking. The strength of Modo’s army was comparable to that of the Half-Orc Plains in open combat, but under the rain of Modo’s bombardments, the Half-Orcs suffered incredible losses.
Combined losses from both battles had Eugene losing tens of thousands at Soren’s hands, bringing original losses close to twenty to thirty thousand.
This equates to about one-twelfth of the total population of the Half-Orcs!
And furthermore,
These were all adult warrior Half-Orcs. If not for these two immense losses, Eugene would not have retreated to the other side of the Agate River to recuperate, giving Leaffall City such a long respite.
While these losses had severely wounded the Half-Orcs, they had not yet struck at their very roots.
According to Eugene’s original plan, he intended to occupy this land to develop agriculture; relying solely on nomadic hunting would not allow the Half-Orc race to grow to millions, like humans and elves. Thus, Eugene planned to quietly recuperate, using the fertile lands of the Autumn Leaf Plains to vigorously develop agriculture. As long as there was sufficient food supply, the Half-Orc population would grow exponentially. For Eugene, in just ten years of recovery and nurturing, the Half-Orc population could surpass one million, at which point the tribe’s military would be stronger than any human kingdom.
But,
The Saint’s Cataclysm has arrived.
The demons’ assault utterly destroyed all of Eugene’s hopes, a brutal battle directly caused the Half-Orc clan to lose everything.
The adult warriors of the Half-Orc clan were reduced to just one-third of what they once were.
With casualties reaching fifty to sixty thousand, it meant almost every family within the race had lost someone. The remaining thirty to forty thousand warriors were not only incapable of taking Leaffall City but probably could not even hold onto their current lands. Moreover, the Half-Orcs were not fundamentally adept at agriculture; this assault relied on the accumulations of the past twenty years, and war had already severely depleted their supplies. Today, Eugene ordered the farmlands cultivated on the Autumn Leaf Plains to be almost completely destroyed in the fires of war, which meant they had been forced into a dire situation. Without an army and without food.
Eugene’s face became more aged.
After returning to the clan, his first command was to migrate; there was no way to hold their ground here. The first attack from the demons could foreshadow a second.
He must preserve the spark of his race; otherwise, the Half-Orcs truly might face extinction in this world.
Now, the clan can only curl up in survival. Silently licking their wounds and gathering strength, as long as they can endure this crisis, there is still hope for the Half-Orcs to rise.
The clan’s winter has arrived.
With not even thirty to forty thousand adult Half-Orcs needing to support over two hundred thousand people, while among them were quite a few adult female Half-Orcs capable of hunting and farming, it is likely that simply caring for the offspring will be an enormous burden. Their most elite force has been consumed. The Half-Orcs left behind, only the elderly, weak, women, and children, could readily become the targets of ogres, werewolves, lizardmen, or even be avenged by the Half-Elves.
Now, any war could drag the Half-Orcs into an abyss of calamity!
The Half-Orcs retreated.
They paid enormous casualties to occupy this land, and now left a field full of corpses, retreating from the Agate River back to the edge of the Autumn Leaf Plains.
The Half-Orcs abandoned at least two-thirds of their territory.
They migrated to the fringes but did not return to their original barren highlands because Eugene could not abandon the fertile farmlands they had first cultivated.
Only these farmlands could ensure that no one would starve to death in the coming years!
……
The sky was blood-red.
Several days after the end of the great battle, the horizon seemed to be entirely crimson. The second wave of the Saint’s Cataclysm was near its end, with some cities completely destroyed while others remained intact. Eugene received news from various sources that left him feeling very gloomy, as the Half-Orcs had established their village in the wilderness. During this wave of demon attacks, the abyssal demons, which had intended to besiege cities, largely assaulted the Half-Orcs instead, while Leaffall City only faced small groups of demon assaults.
Nearly ten cities in the Material Plane and over a hundred towns were destroyed; this disaster affected not only humans but also other races such as elves, dwarves, beastmen, halflings, lizardmen, werewolves, and so on.
To the south of the Elven Forest had turned into a sea of fire.
Black Iron Fortress had been turned into ruins by a Balroth Fire Demon leader.
The Frostblade Clan of the beastmen almost suffered total annihilation.
The only ones with relatively low losses during the entire assault were the halflings, whose chief god had fallen to the mortal realm early on, driving back the demon army in a saintly form.
Now, the chief god of the halflings should be the first deity openly present.
She has already made her appearance.
And this goddess of Strong Divine Power is in Shaar.
……
The dusk light fell.
Eugene walked wearily through the cultivated fields, and after several days, the clan’s wounds were beginning to heal. Regardless of what had happened, those who survived must strive for tomorrow.
During this time, Eugene was very tired.
Although a large part of the clan still supported him, due to the recent losses, some Half-Orcs had begun to oppose him, believing he was the cause of the clan’s current predicament.
If they hadn’t attacked the Half-Elves, none of this would have happened today.
Helpless.
These people, who were once keen advocates of rapidly conquering Leaffall City to completely eliminate the Half-Elves from the plains, now turned around and placed all the blame on Eugene.
Eugene made no attempts to explain; he did not need to explain.
Although he felt guilty towards the clan, the majority of the Half-Orcs still revered him, viewing him as the leader of the Half-Orc clan.
Everything had happened.
For Eugene, the most important thing now is how to help the clan get through this tough time, not to find ways to shirk responsibility.
Night fell.
Eugene’s aged figure stood up from the fields. He clapped his hands to shake off the dirt from his palms and then headed towards his tent. Outsiders could hardly imagine that a chieftain of a race would personally work in the fields, but in fact, the Half-Orcs had developed from nomadic living to agriculture entirely due to Eugene’s personal push over the decades.
Moreover,
To learn human farming techniques, he once personally studied under an experienced old farmer as a Legendary Professionist.
The clan’s entire agriculture was taught by him hand-in-hand.
Eugene taught them how to irrigate, how to set up irrigation ditches, how to sow and harvest crops, and how to cultivate with precision. Anyone who did not see this with their own eyes could never imagine that a peerless powerhouse capable of facing ancient giant dragons would actually be teaching his people how to farm in the fields like an old farmer.
Eugene is different from all the Half-Orcs.
Having traveled across the continent, he firmly believes that only agriculture can help the Half-Orcs escape their current plight. Only agriculture can allow the Half-Orcs to grow as humans do.
The assault on the Half-Elves was solely for these lands, and the choice to target the Half-Elves was merely because they were the weakest.
The sky darkened further.
Eugene slept only three hours each night, so it still felt like there was plenty of time left.
He needed to go out for a patrol.
However, just as Eugene prepared to step out of the tent, he suddenly sensed something, his figure vanishing in an instant, and the next moment, he appeared over a hundred meters away, soaring like an eagle, reaching for the spear on his back, moving closer to a distant mountain peak.
He sensed a familiar aura.
It belonged to a deity!
The other party seemed to have no intention of hiding at all, as if they were trying to lure him out.
Boom.
Eugene’s towering figure landed. In his line of sight was a hazy figure completely enveloped in shadows. Although they had clashed near Leaffall City before, it was not until today that Eugene truly saw what the other looked like.
A young and remarkably handsome Half-Elf.
In contrast, he had already entered his twilight years, even as his life was approaching its end.
“What are you here for?”
Eugene gripped his spear warily, filled with dread regarding the strength of the person before him, and did not believe he had come here without purpose.
Deities are not so idle.
Facing Eugene’s vigilant demeanor, the Half-Elf seemed to smile slightly and replied slowly: “Cooperation.”
Eugene frowned at the words.
There was a trace of skepticism on his face because he felt there was no way to cooperate with the person before him; the enmity between the Half-Orcs and Half-Elves was already a sea of blood, the other party was the true god protecting the Half-Elves, while Eugene was the backbone of the Half-Orcs. The mere fact that they did not start fighting upon meeting was already quite remarkable; there was no possibility of cooperation between them.
“Cut to the chase.”
Soren gazed at the wary Eugene and said slowly: “I am well aware of your predicament. The current situation of the Half-Orcs can be said to be at a dead end.”
“But!”
“Modo can provide you with a shipment of grain and supplies. It can also hinder Leaffall City from attacking you, giving you a precious respite.”
“This batch of supplies should be sufficient to support you for a while! I believe that with your abilities, it is not a problem to ensure the clan passes through this crisis safely.”
“And what I need you to do is only one thing!”
“That is to help me kill a person.”
“Or.”
“Should I say a true god.”
Eugene remained silent for a long time before finally speaking in a deep voice: “Who?!”
A cold smile emerged at the corner of Soren’s mouth as he slowly replied: “The Lord of Shadows!…”
Upon hearing this, a trace of sarcastic amusement appeared on Eugene’s face.
But before he could speak, Soren continued: “Once accomplished, I will grant you all the lands north of the Agate River in the name of the God of Half-Elves!”
Upon hearing this, Eugene was immediately moved!!!
……
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