Chapter 18: The Sweetness of Victory
Within the restricted area at the rear side of the Flame Valley Fortress.
This was the area of the Flame Valley Fortress used for storing supplies. Ordinary soldiers were not permitted to enter here, and anyone found trespassing would be killed without mercy.
At this moment, the Flame Valley Fortress had been captured. Nearly ten thousand orc soldiers were stationed here. A burnt smell permeated the air. When the elven defenders of the fortress faced their desperate end, they had attempted to burn these supplies, but the attacking orc soldiers had stopped them in time.
The buildings used by the elves to store grain were rectangular wooden structures, each over thirty meters in height.
These buildings stood on the ground like rectangular blocks, arranged very neatly. Given that the elves planned to station troops here for a long time, the amount of grain they had reserved could be imagined.
The Aier Great Forest did not actually produce much grain, but their ally, the Duoyin Empire, could yield large amounts of crops. Through trade, these grains first went to the Aier Great Forest, then to the front-line war zones. In return, the elves paid with various gems, which were abundant in the Aier Great Forest.
These gems were not decorations but necessities for constructing magical formations. As the monopoly holder of magical formations, the Duoyin Empire was naturally willing to pay with grain to obtain gem resources from the elves.
With a crack, wood chips flew everywhere. Dozens of grey orcs worked together to pry open a granary. One by one, blocks measuring one meter in length, width, and height rolled out from the granary.
This block-shaped grain packaging was a major feature of Duoyin. It used magic to seal the grain, making it convenient for transport and storage.
Although these magically sealed blocks were not large in volume, each weighed 3000 gelang (1 gelang = 0.69 jin). That meant one portion of magically sealed grain weighed 2070 jin, roughly one ton.
Su Xiao temporarily designated one unit as a portion of magically sealed grain.
Looking at the grain rolling down ahead, Su Xiao began to calculate the amount of grain the Chaos Legion needed. Currently, the Chaos Legion had a total population of 7.55 million, including soldiers and civilians. Taking an average, assuming each person consumed 3 jin of grain per day, that meant a daily consumption of 11,325 tons.
11,325 tons was only the daily grain consumption of the Chaos Legion. This amount was not exaggerated. Grey orcs and snake people had quite large appetites even in their youth.
The good news was that the Ancient Tree Clan did not consume grain. They absorbed nutrients from underground to maintain their bodies. The demon ghosts were even more energy-efficient; they could absorb the soul energy scattered on the battlefield.
Through Baha's statistics, Su Xiao obtained the most complete inventory list. The spoils were as follows:
Grain-type food: 41,620 units (1 unit = 1 ton).
Dried meat: 11,500 units (easy to store).
Dried fruit: 300 units.
Alcoholic beverages: 50 units.
Weapons, armor, etc.: 36,260 pieces.
The captured grain seemed limited, only enough for the Chaos Legion's total population to eat for about three days. In reality, this was not the case.
Su Xiao's calculation of consumption was based on an average of 3 jin of grain per person per day. Currently, the Chaos Legion was barely maintaining a state of not starving to death.
According to the old snake man's statistics, the Chaos Legion's total grain reserves, including what the civilians had, were only about 60,000 tons. Earlier, when they said it could last a month, that was calculated based on barely surviving, eating only once every few days.
The wealth gap was particularly evident at this moment. The elves' supplies from just one fortress nearly matched the Chaos Legion's total reserves.
Moreover, the elves had prepared large amounts of meat, dried fruit, and other items. These were specialties of the Aier Great Forest. They even brought alcoholic beverages, showing their confident posture of victory.
From the perspective of the Six-Tribe Alliance, they only needed to hold each fortress and trap the Chaos Legion in the western region. Victory was only a matter of time.
And indeed, the Chaos Legion, located in the north, could not even retreat. Dozens of kilometers behind Chimney Mountain was a vast natural lava lake. No, it could already be called a lava sea.
The western part of the continent was a peculiar place. Although Chimney Mountain was not too far from the lava sea, the snow around it never melted year-round, and the temperature did not fluctuate significantly.
Due to the lack of transport vehicles, the captured grain could only be carried by orc soldiers. The war tree people played a huge role at this time. The orc soldiers tied bundles of dried meat onto the war tree people.
After quickly loading all the supplies, Su Xiao ordered the entire army to turn back and march at full speed toward Blackmelt City to avoid encountering enemy forces along the way.
One by one, war tree people carrying large amounts of dried meat walked among the orc soldiers. These severely nearsighted giants were very nervous at the moment. The way the surrounding grey orcs looked at them was quite wrong.
Just as Su Xiao reached the edge of the war zone, Baha detected a large enemy force surging from behind, numbering nearly a million.
Under the boost of the War Lord, their marching speed was very fast, even while carrying large amounts of supplies.
An hour later, the orc troops led by Su Xiao successfully returned to their own territory. The pursuing enemy army stopped behind them, seemingly preparing to station themselves there.
The sky was still overcast. Marching all the way, the orc army trampled through the half-melted snow, and Blackmelt City appeared ahead.
The city gates were wide open. The orc army entered the city in a mighty procession. Before long, civilians stood on both sides of the streets, even on the rooftops.
The old snake man took over the supplies. Grain-type food, armor, and weapons were not needed by Su Xiao. Although the elves' weapons were decent, they were generally lightweight. The armor also did not fit the grey orcs well. All of these needed to be melted down and reforged into new weapons by the snake people.
As dusk fell, on a large open space in front of the Black Ring Fortress, bonfires were lit one after another. Large pots were set up, filled with bright meat soup. The dried meat had been stewed until tender, and the potatoes had boiled down to mush.
Orc soldiers gathered around each large pot. They seemed frozen in place, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the bubbling meat soup, occasionally swallowing saliva.
To celebrate this long-awaited victory, the old snake man distributed 3,000 tons of grain to the civilians of Blackmelt City. Transport units had already been dispatched to deliver the grain needed for the other three major cities.
In the evening, Blackmelt City seemed to have regained its former prosperity. Smoke rose from within the city. Although there was no exaggerated cheering, the numbness on the civilians' faces had faded somewhat.
Near a boiling pot, the orc hero, Wobor, held a large bowl of meat soup. He gulped it down in a few mouthfuls, and the bowl was empty. He exhaled a puff of hot air. The satisfaction in his stomach brought a slight smile to his scar-covered face.
A pair of eager eyes watched Wobor. It was a young orc. His big eyes stared at Wobor, wanting to approach but also a little afraid. He could only swallow saliva from a distance.
Just as Wobor brought a large piece of stewed meat from his bowl to his mouth, he noticed those eager eyes.
"Come here."
Wobor swallowed the meat in his mouth, then drew the dagger from his waist and fished out a large piece of stewed meat from the pot. The young orc stumbled forward. Ignoring the scalding heat and the dagger stuck in the meat, he bit into it with big mouthfuls, his lips greasy with oil.
"If my cub hadn't died, he would be as tall as you by now."
Wobor, holding the dagger, grinned. Before long, the large piece of stewed meat on the dagger was devoured by the young grey orc, who even let out a burp.
"I want to go fight too."
The young grey orc looked at Wobor, who was quite surprised.
"With your small size, you're not even enough for the enemy to step on. Go home."
"Fighting means meat to eat."
"Hahahaha."
Wobor suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he bent over.
Meanwhile, on the fifth floor of the fortress behind, inside the War Council Hall.
Su Xiao looked at the inventory list in his hand. This recorded the soldiers transferred by High Lord Arkadia, totaling nearly 350,000.
Wonderful Bookstore