Path of Light.

Chapter 946, page 945: Night

Lifting the lid of the wooden box, one finds it filled with grass fibers. These wispy grass fibers are actually a type of moss unique to the Kassar Mountains. After being dried, they can be used as bedding. This moss has a distinctive fishy smell, and the grey dwarf craftsmen in the forge like to stuff these dried grass fibers into their pipes, as the smoke produced when burned is said to be very fragrant.

Elves hardly smoke, but there are many heavy smokers among the grey dwarves and orcs…

When Old Luke opened the box, his eyes lit up when he saw that it was filled with this kind of grass fiber. However, he quickly narrowed his eyes and concealed his smug look to avoid Roy gleaning too much information from his eyes.

The old orc's face was full of wrinkles, and his dry skin even had a layer of oily sheen.

He used his withered fingers to part the fine grass strands, and inside there was indeed a dark, hanging cooking pot, its round belly almost big enough to fit an entire goat.

Old Luke stared in shock at the frosted iron pot, his thick lips trembling slightly.

This kind of iron pot is a coveted item that every orc tribe dreams of.

Often, the beastmen would simply throw their prey, stripped of its valuable fur, into the fire and let it burn until it was blackened or even charred before digging it out, removing the charred remains, and eating the cooked meat inside.

This method wastes a lot of the good meat from the prey, but it's also the simplest and most convenient way to cook it...

Some orcs would skewer their prey on sticks and then roast them by placing them diagonally next to a campfire. However, this method of roasting takes a very long time to dry and cook the prey.

A cooking pot has always been a necessity for every orc tribe. Usually, only the tents of the chieftain and the shaman have one. The chieftain likes to use an iron pot to stew meat, while the shaman likes to use an iron pot to boil some unknown tonics.

These round iron pots have always been transported from the other side of the Twin Seas, to the Dwarf Kingdom. However, the Dwarf Kingdom Merchant Guild is hesitant to come to the Eastern Continent, as they have had enough of the plundering by the Gray Dwarf bandits.

Throughout the year, only a handful of dwarf merchant ships manage to reach the Mensa Plain.

However, the imperial merchants felt that doing business with orcs was too risky and the profits too small, so they preferred to go to the more distant elven kingdoms...

It was under these circumstances that the tribal orcs not only lacked high-quality weapons, but even the most basic metal utensils were scarce.

This is why the Grey Dwarves were willing to open trade ports with the Horde Orcs. The Horde Orcs were willing to go against the will of their ancestors to give up two ports to the Grey Dwarves.

However, the gray dwarves have recently run into shortages of supplies, and they are unable to fulfill the agreements they made with the orc tribes, which has caused the orc tribes to become extremely dissatisfied with the gray dwarves...

Not all orc tribes wanted to drive away the gray dwarves. The tribe with the biggest conflict with the gray dwarves was the White Sheep orc tribe. The other orc tribes were fine, mainly because the female orcs from other tribes were really too much to handle. Even the drunken gray dwarves couldn't bring themselves to kiss them...

Speaking of which, the most numerous orcs in the Luyun Fortress Free Trade Market are the werewolf orcs, who are also the largest tribal group in the entire Mensa Plains.

Old Luke didn't look closely at the large iron pot in the wooden crate. Instead, he focused his gaze on the wooden crates behind Roy. Roy had brought a large amount of goods as promised, all of which were transported with the help of the Aries orcs. More than twenty Kadom beasts alone were involved.

More than two thousand Aries orcs arrived and entered the free market, quickly causing a great commotion.

The orcs all know that the White Sheep tribe is stationed in the Black Gold Mountains and has been at odds with the Gray Dwarves for many years.

The Grey Dwarves have occupied Luyun Fortress, and the Aries Orcs are constantly clashing with them...

The fact that the Aries tribe orcs brought so many goods into the free market this time is clearly meant to tell everyone that they no longer need the supplies provided by the Grey Dwarves.

Old Luke's expression was unpredictable as he stared intently at Roy, seemingly trying to discern something hidden in his eyes.

Roy then casually opened a wooden box. This box wasn't filled with straw; instead, it contained four anvils, making the entire box unusually heavy...

Roy touched his nose, indicating that this wasn't the box he was looking for.

As he opened the third wooden crate, which was filled with all sorts of tools—claw hammers, hand hammers, chisels, shovels, files, fire tongs, and so on—Old Luke's eyes suddenly blazed with fire.

This box of tools was clearly intended for a blacksmith. He picked up a hammer at random and finally asked Roy:

"You want to replace the Grey Dwarves and supply the free market at Luyun Fortress?"

"Of course, this is the basis of our cooperation. I came to Mensa Plains to make a long-term deal with you all. I have the ability and the resources to do this well."

As Roy spoke, he turned to look at Luyungang below the high cliff.

The docks over there were almost full of Grey Dwarf ships, and new three-masted sailing ships kept arriving.

What caught Roy's eye were two giant warships that were much longer than the Imperial merchant ships. These warships had five decks on their decks alone, and were also equipped with many levitation devices, which made Roy think that these were the main warships of the Northern Army fleet.

At this point, Roy continued:
“Those grey dwarves are our competitors, and I’m worried they’ll try to sabotage our trade in various ways. So I want to drive them out of Luyun Fortress before they even notice us, or better yet, drive them back to the Frozen Isles.”

Old Luke's wrinkles distorted slightly, giving him an ugly smile.

He knew this was Roy's condition: they had brought the goods and were going to drive out the grey dwarves from Nouwen Fortress.

He gave Roy a meaningful look and said:
“We don’t mind if you drive the grey dwarves out of Louyun Port, after all, you are an important business partner of ours… but I will not offer you any assistance. Of course, we will not side with the grey dwarves either, since as werewolves, we currently have no reason to drive them away.”

"Okay, I'm relieved to hear that. I hope our cooperation will be successful."

After Roy finished speaking, he extended his right hand to old Luke.

Old Luke's hands were calloused, thick and strong.

As Roy opened the wooden crates one by one, old Luke's gaze was fixed on them.

Clearly, the goods Roy brought were exactly what old Luke wanted most.

It is the most scarce resource among the orc tribes of the Mensa Plains...

Seeing that Roy was clearly up to no good, the old werewolf beastman pulled him aside and began to nag:

"They have a lot of bad deeds in Luyungang. Many tribes have clashed with them. Don't be fooled by the fact that these gray dwarves are usually well-behaved. Once they drink, they show their true colors, fighting, harassing female orcs, and smashing up vendors' stalls."

“During the time they occupied Luyun Port, some orcs would mysteriously disappear. Although we couldn’t find evidence to prove that they were responsible, this had never happened before they came…”

“Recently, they have refused to honor our agreement and have continued to occupy Luyun Port.” “We want to drive them away, but we are worried that if we do, the two free markets on the west coast will be completely abandoned.”

The orcs couldn't do anything about the gray dwarves in the Northern Fleet. If the orcs and gray dwarves clashed, the gray dwarves could simply return to the sea. The orcs had no naval power and could only stand on land and watch helplessly.

These grey dwarves are now just a burden to them...

They were hoping the grey dwarves could bring back some more supplies that the orcs desperately needed from the north, but the orcs only wanted to use their ports to complete one last large-scale southward migration.

Old Luke promised Roy that he would contact all the orcs on the trading market so that they would stand idly by and watch his battle with the gray dwarves...

……

Night falls...

The sea breeze is strong tonight. The monsoon from the frozen sea makes the sea near Noon Fortress turbulent. A wisp of mist drifts from the sea, obscuring the starry sky.

There was a feeling that intermittent singing was drifting into the Ruyun Fortress on the sea breeze, but the gray dwarves guarding the fortress felt that it was the sound of the sea.

Hundreds of grey dwarf officers were gathered in the dining hall of Nouwen Fortress. They stood on both sides of the tables, which were filled with wine glasses and oak barrels. Whole wheat bread and dried bacon in baskets were their best snacks to accompany their drinks.

The candlelight flickered, and the restaurant was filled with the sounds of noisy conversation.

Such stormy nights are absolutely safe for Luyungang; almost no ships dare to approach Luyungang in such conditions.

Commander Levant raised his glass high, the rich aroma of the ale making his heart race. He said somewhat impatiently:
"Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the early opening of the Southbound Sea Route, and to toast this great Southbound Sea Route!"

A group of grey dwarf officers raised their glasses and shouted in unison:

"Cheers to the great southward sea route!"

"I'm quite surprised that the half-elf has taken over our Que Island!"

Commander Levant ordered his men to fill his glass with ale, then raised it and said...

"Originally, the waters around Que Island were controlled by our Northern Fleet. Later, the bandits on the west coast of the Elf Continent grew more and more powerful. They colluded with the sea monsters of the Misty Sea to engage in the sea slave trade, gradually dominating the entire waters around Que Island, and even extending their sphere of influence to Murayaki and St. Margaret Port."

"Because of their existence, our Northern Fleet, after occupying the Mensa Strait, has not taken a single step further south in all these years..."

"But the news that has come in is that they have been completely defeated by the elven army, and now the entire waters of Que Island have fallen into the hands of the mixed elves."

"The fleet high command has ordered us to retake Quel'Thalas from the half-elf..."

"Our Luyun Fortress garrison fleet is of course duty-bound to undertake this mission. Moreover, our patrol ships have already detected that some half-elf ships have entered the Mensa Strait. However, I suspect that these ships entering the Mensa Strait have the ability to levitate, which is why they are running around right under our noses."

"Thank you, Commander Koster, for extending a helping hand to Nouwen Fortress when we needed support the most. You came just in time."

At this moment, the Levant Legion Commander stretched out his strong arms and tightly embraced a white-bearded dwarf beside him. The old white-bearded dwarf's full-body armor was covered with golden badges, and his entire body was like a tin can covered with patterns.

"Ahem... Thank you for your warm hospitality, Admiral Levent. Our fleet has come to Ruyun Fortress in order to open up the route for our southward migration as soon as possible. We hope that the warriors of our two fleets can work together to defeat those elves!"

The commanders of the Koster and Levant legions put their arms around each other's shoulders and raised their glasses at the same time.

"Levent, how come there are still sirens in your fortress! Did those bandits from the Quel'Thalas retreat north and all come to Ruyun Fortress?"

Commander Koster was an old dwarf over three hundred and fifty years old. Although his eyes were bloodshot from drinking, his hearing was not numbed by alcohol, and he could still vaguely hear some siren songs...

The singing was mixed in with the sea breeze; the singing would come in when the sea breeze blew in from the window.

"How could that be! They ran all the way to Luyun Fortress, and I drove them all away!"

"Seeing how terrified they were, I wanted to throw them into the sea to feed the sharks. How could I possibly take them in..."

Commander Levant immediately shook his head in denial.

Koster shook his head vigorously, muttering to himself:

"Wait a minute, how come I can hear the siren's song?"

He strode to the terrace, wine glass in hand, and pushed open the heavy wooden door. A strong sea breeze, carrying a salty, briny scent, blew in, fogging the Colonel Koster's face. He closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and listened intently to the pitch-black night...

The surroundings immediately became quiet again, except for the sound of the sea breeze carrying waves crashing against the rocks.

A row of three-masted sailing ships was moored at the dock, and these ships were also filled with gray dwarf warriors.

Rooms in the fortress were very limited, and most of the gray dwarf warriors still lived in the cabins. In this bad weather, apart from the gray dwarves on night duty, the rest of the gray dwarves stayed in the cabins...

"Maybe I drank too much and am hallucinating."

Seeing Legion Commander Levent approaching, Legion Commander Koster said somewhat confusedly.

He casually closed the heavy wooden door to the terrace and said to the Levante Legion Commander:

"I was told to keep an eye on the orc tribes here. Our supplies have been cut off for almost three months. Have they been protesting all this time?"

Commander Levent chuckled, waved his hand, and said:
“Every now and then, some troublemakers pop up, but the orc elders haven’t sent any information. If you ask me, the orc tribes on the Mensa Plains are as numerous as the stars in the sky. They are loosely organized and often can’t reach a consensus. As long as we can capture a few orc tribes that consistently support us, we can stay here indefinitely, regardless of what the other orc tribes think…”

"Six months ago, the gray dwarf bandits in the waters off Que Island could still bring over ship after ship of supplies, barely keeping the trading market afloat. Now... we haven't been able to provide any supplies for a long time. I wrote to the military high command on Frozen Isle, but I haven't received any response yet."

The commander of the Koster Regiment sighed:

"We're about to move south, and supplies are scarce everywhere!"

(End of this chapter)