Chapter 21: The Cunning Old Wolf
The cold wind howled past his ears, and the swirling snowflakes greatly reduced visibility across the icefield. Every step into the snowdrifts produced a crunching, crunching sound of snow being compressed.
This was the Northern Border, the coldest region of the Canglong Continent. Even during the continent's most chaotic periods, few dared to attack this place—it was simply too cold.
Not only was this place frigid, but launching a large-scale offensive here might provoke the supernaturally powerful beast tribes of the Northern Border. These supernatural beasts had an extremely strong sense of territory; anyone who strayed into their domain would be deemed an enemy.
The most powerful force in the Northern Border was the Winter City, ruled by the Ice Lord. This city resembled the Royal Capital of Duoyin, but its power was far more centralized.
The Ice Lord commanded the Ice Descendants, yet they were not the absolute rulers of the Northern Border. The Dire Wolves and the White Bear Clan were both enemies of the Ice Descendants.
The Northern Border was rich in mineral resources, but it produced almost no crops. Under such harsh living conditions, the clans that could endure here were naturally formidable.
The conflict among the Ice Descendants, Dire Wolves, and White Bear Clan had persisted for a long time and had yet to fully subside.
The strength of the Ice Descendants was unquestionable—they were, after all, members of the Six-Clan Alliance. As for the White Bear Clan, their individual strength was formidable, while the Dire Wolves relied on their numbers and expertise in group coordination.
Su Xiao had led a massive army to the Northern Border to forge an alliance with the Dire Wolves. The Dire Wolves possessed intelligence no less than that of humans, and they understood one truth: once the Chaos Legion was defeated and the Ice Lord withdrew his forces, the Dire Wolves would be the next to suffer.
It was for this reason that Beini had been able to negotiate smoothly with them. Later, when Amu arrived, the Dire Wolves had greeted him with a somewhat lukewarm reception.
Wolves were inherently cunning creatures, and the Dire Wolves' bloodline contained supernatural traits that greatly enhanced their intelligence.
The Dire Wolves were currently in a dire situation. Once the war in the Western War Zone ended and the Chaos Legion was annihilated, the Ice Lord would recall his troops and immediately deal with them.
Joining the Chaos Legion was an even worse option. At this point, the Chaos Legion was like a candle flickering in the wind, soon to be extinguished. If they chose to ally with them, the Dire Wolves would become the target of the Six-Clan Alliance's purge after the war.
Even worse, the Dire Wolves couldn't join the Six-Clan Alliance either. None of the other five factions were willing to offend the Ice Lord by accepting the Dire Wolves, as their enmity with the Ice Lord ran too deep.
Over a decade ago, the Ice Lord's wife and daughter were attacked by the Dire Wolves and devoured. Since then, the Ice Lord seemed to have transcended the realm of living beings. His rage had fused his armor onto his body, and his grief had cooled it.
Whether they waited or actively joined the Chaos Legion, the Dire Wolves' ultimate fate would be grim, but they refused to sit idly by and await death.
From the current situation, joining the Chaos Legion was their only chance, though it was a slim one. There was a catch: the Dire Wolves couldn't openly defect.
This was why Su Xiao had led hundreds of thousands of orc warriors to break through the "Ice Hoof Fortress" and enter the Northern Border. The Dire Wolves needed a face-saving excuse, and even before negotiations began, Su Xiao understood this.
Walking through the wind and snow, Su Xiao had already formulated how to negotiate with the Dire Wolves. First, he would have Bubu Wang act as a diplomat to establish a "friendly" preliminary discussion with them.
"Woo-woo."
A wolf howl echoed from the wind and snow ahead. Hearing it, Bubu Wang let out a howl in response.
A Dire Wolf, much larger than an ordinary Icefield Wolf, emerged from the snow. Its pupils were dark green, its fur grayish-white with black-tipped ends, and its other features were identical to those of ordinary wolves.
This Dire Wolf's gaze was cold, its aura bloodthirsty and ferocious, brimming with the savage nature of wolves.
"Bubu."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang stepped forward and began negotiations. After a while, the ferocity in the Dire Wolf's eyes subsided slightly, and it led Bubu Wang into the wind and snow.
The Grey Orc army set up camp on the spot, and Su Xiao waited for news from Bubu Wang. Given Bubu Wang's Charm Attribute, coupled with the intelligence boost from the cold climate, the preliminary negotiations should go smoothly.
Or rather, Bubu Wang negotiating with the Dire Wolves was just a formality. But without this formality, it absolutely wouldn't work. Su Xiao could sense that among the Dire Wolves, there was one with very high intelligence.
After about half an hour, Bubu Wang returned. Judging by its cheerful gait, the negotiations had gone well.
"Woof."
"Mm, I understand. Volpol, secretly pass down the order: be ready to go to war with the Dire Wolves at any moment."
Hearing Su Xiao's words, the Orc Hero Volpol looked utterly surprised, unable to grasp the situation. They had come to forge an alliance, so why were they suddenly preparing for battle?
Su Xiao and Bubu Wang walked into the wind and snow ahead. After about a hundred meters, Dire Wolves began to appear ahead, gathering in large numbers. Between them was a path leading to a cave.
Following this path, Su Xiao arrived at the base of a low mountain and entered the cave at its front. The howling wind disappeared from his ears. The cave wasn't dark; many luminous ores were embedded in the walls on both sides.
The deeper he went, the wider the cave became. When he reached the deepest part, Su Xiao found himself in a cavern of several hundred square meters.
Icicles hung from the ceiling, and several Dire Wolves were at the far end of the cavern. Two of them were particularly notable. One was an old wolf with a single eye, its fur dull and patchy, with its ribs visible through its flanks.
Besides the one-eyed old wolf, there was a Dire Wolf with fur as white as snow. This wolf had slightly longer fur and an imposing presence.
The other Dire Wolves were relatively strong, with average combat power at the seventh-rank minor boss level.
The Dire Wolves didn't have exceptionally powerful individuals, but their large numbers and moderate overall combat strength allowed them to hold their own against the Ice Lord to this day.
"Great Lord from the Chaos Legion, welcome. I am Dire Wolf Lycaon."
The one-eyed old wolf actually spoke human language. Seeing the ritual inscription on its chest and abdomen, Su Xiao roughly understood what was going on. This wolf had likely escaped from the Duoyin Empire and had probably been captured as an experiment subject in the past.
"As you may have guessed, yes, like many unfortunate stories, I was once bought by a mage from Duoyin, who inscribed a ritual on me."
The one-eyed old wolf Lycaon's tone was relatively respectful, for a simple reason: Su Xiao's current identity was the War Demon, and his infamy was too great.
"Regarding your subordinate's proposal, I'm sorry. We Dire Wolves belong to this icefield. Even if we face extinction, we will perish here. You should... go back."
After saying this, the one-eyed old wolf extended its claws, and the three Dire Wolves behind it let out threatening growls.
The one-eyed old wolf had rejected the alliance. But was that really the case? Of course not. This was merely the attitude the one-eyed old wolf was displaying.
If the one-eyed old wolf truly didn't want an alliance, it wouldn't have brought the Dire Wolf leader with it. The wolf with fur as white as snow was the true leader. Its mental power was incredibly strong, strong enough to communicate with all Dire Wolves and command them in battle.
"Please leave. Bringing the Grey Orc army here shows you are not friendly..."
Boom!!
A sudden explosion rang out. The one-eyed old wolf was sent flying backward, crashing into the rock wall behind it, with specks of blood dripping from its mouth.
As it landed, the one-eyed old wolf felt genuine anger. The other party had struck too ruthlessly, making its old bones feel like they were about to shatter.
The three strong Dire Wolves all lunged at Su Xiao, but they stopped after just a few steps.
A long blade was pressed against the neck of the Dire Wolf leader. At that moment, a rumbling sound came from outside the cave.
"Woo-woo!"
The one-eyed old wolf Lycaon let out a long howl. Hearing this, the three strong Dire Wolves immediately understood its intent and rushed toward the depths of the cave.
They were going to seek help. This was something the one-eyed old wolf Lycaon had arranged in advance: if a major upheaval occurred, they were to immediately seek aid from the "Duoyin Empire" or "Elven Great Forest," no matter how far the journey.
It could be said that the one-eyed old wolf Lycaon was the old yinbi among the wolves. It wouldn't openly defect to the Chaos Legion, but if their leader was taken hostage, then there was no choice. To prevent the Dire Wolf leader from being killed, the other Dire Wolves would have to temporarily submit to the Chaos Legion.
This way, even if the Chaos Legion ultimately lost, the Dire Wolves would be victims. The Duoyin Empire and Elves, representing the friendly faction, would at most demand some compensation from the Dire Wolves, rather than sending a large army to annihilate them.
That was why Su Xiao had led hundreds of thousands of troops here. He wasn't here to form an alliance but to capture the Dire Wolves—or at least, that's how it appeared to the outside world.
The one-eyed old wolf Lycaon had realized this and immediately chose to cooperate, giving Su Xiao the opportunity to capture the Dire Wolf leader alive.
One by one, orc soldiers rushed into the cave, each holding a metal ring shackle.
With a click, the metal ring shackle was locked around the one-eyed old wolf Lycaon's neck. Its eyes widened in "disbelief," perfectly feigning being controlled. This old wolf was a drama queen.
"Chaos Legion... you will come to no good end."
The one-eyed old wolf Lycaon bared its fangs but eventually lowered its head. Even without outsiders present, the necessary formalities had to be followed. If someone was secretly watching, the Dire Wolves would be in a very passive position.
Though it appeared that the one-eyed old wolf Lycaon was controlled by the metal ring shackle, it was actually useless. The mysterious patterns etched on it were an alchemical reinforcement array. Earlier, after returning to Black Furnace City, Su Xiao had ordered the Serpentfolk craftsmen to forge these shackles overnight.
The one-eyed old wolf Lycaon hung its head, feeling quite pleased. The metal ring shackle around its neck gave the Dire Wolves a new stance. They hadn't surrendered; they had been "controlled." Under irresistible force, they had become the War Demon's pawns. It couldn't be helped; it was also desperate.
Moreover, the War Demon had brought hundreds of thousands of orc warriors. It was this massive army that had forcibly captured hundreds of thousands of Dire Wolves and controlled them with these metal ring shackles.
Thinking this, the one-eyed old wolf Lycaon collapsed to the ground with a thud, perfectly mimicking being fully controlled.
Soon, the Dire Wolf leader with fur as white as snow was also shackled. It lowered its head, its acting skills far inferior to the one-eyed old wolf's.
Su Xiao had prepared many of these metal ring shackles. Every orc soldier who came this time carried one. Forging these was much simpler than crafting weapons or armor.
Alliance with the Dire Wolves: Success.