Chapter 17: He Has Returned
Trading the Elf Prince Valen for grain was a wise choice, at least in Su Xiao's view. He was severely short on grain, and with it, he could field more orc troops.
However, this depended on the circumstances. Given Elf Prince Valen's attitude, if he were ransomed back even under these conditions, future captives would become even more emboldened, and the grain they could fetch would be even less.
Killing Elf Prince Valen now would serve as a strong deterrent when capturing high-ranking members of the Six-Tribe Alliance in the future. The Chaos Legion was indeed poor, but if the Six-Tribe Alliance dared to be arrogant and only offered a pittance of grain to fool them, then their nobles would die.
[Tip: You have killed Elf Prince Valen.]
[You have obtained a Holy Spirit Chest (37%).]
[You have obtained 5.17% World Source.]
Seeing this prompt, Su Xiao raised an eyebrow. Earlier, when he killed Imperial soldiers, not a single chest dropped, let alone World Source. The only World Source he had gained was from killing a few squad leaders while escaping from the Royal Capital's side district, totaling 3.7% World Source.
There were too many rulers in this world, and their influence over it was immense. As a result, the World Source was "evenly distributed," reducing the amount obtainable.
If he could kill King Duoyin, the Elf Queen, and others, he would definitely gain a massive amount of World Source. But that was too difficult. Such individuals were protected by numerous powerful guards and located deep within their respective territories.
[Tip: The Battle of Yan Valley Fortress has concluded. Battle settlement in progress...]
[You have obtained Titles: Dictator (★★★★), Inferno Vanguard (★★★★), Enemy of the Elves (★★★★).]
[You have obtained 30,000 War Merit (Battle Reward).]
[You have obtained 157,260 War Merit (Kill Reward).]
[The Prestige Ranking has been updated. Current rankings are as follows:]
First Place: Bai Ye (Reincarnation Paradise), 194,319 War Merit.
Second Place: Yueshitu (Apocalypse Paradise), 31,500 War Merit.
Third Place: Huishenshi (Reincarnation Paradise), 31,270 War Merit.
Fourth Place: Flame Master (Sanctuary Paradise), 15,166 War Merit.
Fifth Place: Gulu (Reincarnation Paradise), 3,200 War Merit.
Sixth Place: Shepherd Owl (Holy Light Paradise), 2,190 War Merit.
Seventh Place: Wasteland Sea (Watchful Paradise), 675 War Merit.
Su Xiao closed the War Merit ranking. Overall, the first-place position was stable for now, but he couldn't let his guard down. He needed to fight a few more battles to solidify it.
As long as the scale of combat was large enough, it would be judged as a battle. Victory in a battle meant obtaining several four-star titles.
Su Xiao's current [War Lord] was a five-star title. He needed 5 titles of the same grade to refine it.
Once he upgraded [War Lord] to a six-star title, he could use the [Dream Chaser] title to elevate [War Lord] from six stars to seven stars.
How powerful a seven-star [War Lord] would be was still difficult to estimate, but one thing was certain: at that point, Su Xiao would likely have the strength to contend with the Six-Tribe Alliance.
That was right. Currently, Su Xiao was by no means a match for the Six-Tribe Alliance. Their forces exceeded 6 million, with no shortage of elite troops. Once targeted by the Six-Tribe Alliance, defeat was only a matter of time.
Capturing "Yan Valley Fortress" seemed smooth, but in reality, the orc army had lost around 50,000 soldiers. The orc soldiers' weapons and armor were somewhat inferior, and their own condition wasn't great. They had relied entirely on the [War Lord] title to hold the line.
"Bubu, has Amu sent a message?"
"Woof?"
Bubu Wang tilted his head, his expression immediately brightening. He really liked cold places.
...
Northern War Zone. The cold wind howled. Flickering light came from within an ice cave.
White hair strands were blown by the wind. A figure in winter clothes sat atop the ice cave.
"Hatching is so slow. These familiars aren't enough yet. Huishenshi should be about ready too, right? Damn it~, why did I have to run into that guy."
A girl around seventeen or eighteen years old looked up at the sky. Her gaze was a bit dazed, the look of someone completely uninterested. A Summoner's daily life was this boring. She had already summoned 17,560 summon beasts and was close to breaking the 20,000 mark.
"Let's accumulate 50,000 first. Consider it a surprise for Huishenshi."
Yueshitu stretched lazily. Her aura was very clear, not even carrying a hint of killing intent. This was because, when fighting enemies, she basically never acted herself. She would first be swallowed by a space-type familiar and then wait for the enemies outside to be overwhelmed and killed.
"What a boring day. Can't I get a little surprise~"
With nothing else to do, Yueshitu opened the War Merit ranking to check. The surprise came.
"Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred thousands. 194,319 War Merit. Yep, I'm not mistaken."
Yueshitu nodded as if confirming. After a few seconds of silence, the corner of her mouth twitched.
"How can someone get 190,000 War Merit!"
Her shout echoed far across the icefield. In a similar situation was Huishenshi, located on the third floor of the Royal Palace in Duoyin's Royal Capital.
Sunlight streamed in through stained glass windows. In the luxurious and empty room, only Huishenshi's back could be seen.
"190,000. Did Bai Ye attack some fortress?"
Huishenshi seemed to be deep in thought, because he felt that the 'game' he was playing with Su Xiao was no longer the same. His side was a 'strategy game,' while the other side was a 'war game.'
It was as if a string had appeared in Huishenshi's mind. These 190,000 War Merit had pulled it taut. As for how much War Merit would snap that string, that was still unclear.
...
Li Hui City, Alliance Parliament Building, Fourth Floor Meeting Hall.
A circular conference table was at the center of the room. In the middle of the table was a statue of an azure dragon. Seated around the table were six figures, all somewhat translucent projections reflected by magic formations.
King Duoyin, the Elf Queen, the Extreme Ice Lord, the Dwarf King, the Barbarian Priest, and the Elder of the Alien Race were all present.
These six were the supreme leaders of the Six-Tribe Alliance, with King Duoyin vaguely taking the lead, as the Duoyin Empire was the most powerful.
"Why summon me so urgently? What's the big matter? Does Duoyin have another celebration?"
The Dwarf King spoke, his face full of black, bushy beard. His words revealed dissatisfaction with the Duoyin Empire's dominance.
"Or maybe King Duoyin has a new offspring?"
The Barbarian Priest's voice was hoarse, but carried a hint of sarcasm. Among the Six-Tribe Alliance, the Barbarian tribe had it the worst, with the smallest territory and often being swindled by Duoyin's merchants.
"Silence."
The fully armored Extreme Ice Lord spoke. A chill seemed to emanate from him. Even being looked at by him felt cold. It was said that no one had ever seen his true face beneath his helmet.
"I have gathered you all this time for an important matter."
King Duoyin spoke. Though he was old, his aura lacked any sense of decay. His voice was not loud, but it carried an air of finality, as if no one could defy him.
King Duoyin was not an aggressive ruler, but those who defied him never fared well. He had once voluntarily ceded territory to the Extreme Ice Lord and the Elf Queen, only for those two parties to nearly be assimilated.
If the Extreme Ice Lord and the Elf Queen hadn't been decisive enough, their races would have become vassals of the Duoyin Empire.
What was even more frightening was that after this happened, the Extreme Ice Lord and the Elf Queen couldn't openly break ties, because King Duoyin had done nothing else but arrange marriages.
None of King Duoyin's offspring were pushovers. Seemingly marrying into or out of other families, they actually caused chaos and internal suspicion within those factions, nearly triggering a coup in the Northern Border.
"Yan Valley Fortress... has fallen."
The Elf Queen spoke, her tone cold.
"Those beasts managed to take Yan Valley Fortress?"
The Dwarf King was astonished. He naturally understood the current situation of the Chaos Legion.
"Casualty numbers."
The Extreme Ice Lord was clearly more reliable. His thought was that if the Elf casualties were below half, they should immediately counterattack. Even if a fortress was lost, it was usually taken by force. There was still a chance to retreat through the rear gate.
"All warriors... died in Yan Valley Fortress."
As soon as the Elf Queen finished speaking, the meeting hall fell silent.
"Did High Lord Arcadia do it? He's unlikely to leave Black Melt City, right?"
The Dwarf King's expression turned serious. A fortress nearly completely emptied of life was something that hadn't happened in a long time.
"It was Kukulin Bai Ye. He has... returned."
"Say that again? Who?!"
The Dwarf King and the Barbarian Priest both stood up, staring intently at the Elf Queen. The Dwarf King's reaction was the strongest; the muscles in his face were twitching.
The Extreme Ice Lord remained silent the whole time, but his fists were clenched so tight they creaked.
"No need to be nervous. The current Chaos Legion can no longer threaten us. What we should really be worried about is the thing inside Chimney Mountain."
The Elf Queen glanced at the Dwarf King, and the meeting hall fell silent once more.
...
Inside the breached Yan Valley Fortress, wisps of black smoke rose. The cleanup of the battle was mostly complete.
Su Xiao stood on the cracked city wall. Amu had already arrived at the Northern Border and successfully rendezvoused with Beini. It was Beini who had sent the message earlier, prompting Su Xiao to send Amu to the Northern Border.
Su Xiao's next stop was the Northern Border. His current forces were too few, so he had to go there to seek reinforcements.
But before that, a problem lay before Su Xiao. There was too much grain in Yan Valley Fortress, so much that it was difficult to transport.
After reviewing the supply list compiled by Baha, Su Xiao decided that from now on, the orc soldiers would only eat meat. With strength, they could win battles. The surplus grain could be sent back to Black Melt City, which was practically starving.