Path of Light.

Chapter 961, Section 960: Lobbying
Inside a large tent belonging to the White Sheep tribe in the Kangamor Forest, Chief Grop was discussing defense matters in the north of the forest with the leaders of nearby White Sheep tribes.

Since he cooperated with the half-elf a few months ago to seize Luyun Fortress from the gray dwarves, his reputation among the Aries tribe has soared.

Originally, Chief Grop only controlled more than thirty Aries tribes, but now, because he has a large number of Grey Dwarf weapons and equipment, the Aries tribes deep in Kangamor Forest are gradually moving closer to him.

The Aries tribe, now under the control of Chief Grop, has nearly doubled in size, now numbering approximately 60,000 Aries orcs.

He was considered one of the top leaders of the Aries tribe in the Kangamor Forest...

Many other chieftains of the Aries tribe, having heard that they could obtain elven weapons from him, extended olive branches to him.

The reason he joined forces with the half-elf to fight the gray dwarves was simply because he couldn't stand the gray dwarves breaking their promises and forcibly seizing orc territory.

Furthermore, the orc warriors were helpless against the grey dwarves who had fled to the sea, which is why they joined forces with the half-elves to deal with the grey dwarves' northern army...

Chief Grop never imagined that the half-elf could provide a large number of excellent weapons, as well as a wide variety of metal utensils, that even the grey dwarves could not.

He also relied on these superior weapons to trade with other chieftains in the Kangamor Forest, an act that earned him some good reputation.

It is said that the Grey Dwarves are preparing to migrate south, and some Grey Dwarves who do not want to go to the Seven Seas in the south will go deep into the Black Gold Mountains.

To escape the pursuit of the Nakma Dark Knights, this group of grey dwarves will likely flee to the northern foothills of the Blackgold Mountains.

This means that the White Sheep tribe needs to strengthen its defenses in the Black Gold Mountains to prevent the Gray Dwarves from infiltrating.

“Odis, every two days you must lead your people on a patrol northwards along the Dahra River!”

"Yes, Great Chief!"

Odis readily agreed. The chieftain's assignment of tasks meant that his tribe would be provided with some excellent weapons, and he had long coveted those gleaming black short spears.

He even personally tested the power of these short black spears; if thrown with full force, these spears could completely pierce a tower shield more than sixty meters away...

It truly lives up to its reputation as a weapon from the world of elves.

An orc warrior from the Aries tribe came running in, panting.

He hurriedly said to Chief Grop:
"Great Chief, outside... a half-elf airship has appeared out of nowhere and is hovering over the jungle."

High Chief Grop stood up abruptly. He had arranged with the half-elf to trade metal tools at the free market of Runeun Fortress at the beginning of each month.

He hasn't ordered any weapons recently. He needs to use up all the weapons he has stockpiled and obtain more magic crystals from other Aries tribes before he can purchase these elven weapons from the half-elf...

“Bring them into the tribe.”

High Chieftain Grop waved his hand and gave the order to the orc warriors.

He regretted his words immediately after saying them and quickly added:
"Wait, I'd better go myself! You lead the way!"

The orc warrior readily agreed, and then cleverly withdrew from the tent to wait outside.

Soon, the orc warriors led Chief Grop to the lookout tower on the mountaintop, from where they could see the Kangamor Forest for several kilometers.

Chief Grop looked up and saw the magic airship flying slowly overhead. He immediately ordered his men to raise the flag of the Aries tribe, which fluttered in the wind atop the tallest fir tree...

The magic airship quickly spotted the flag and then flew towards it.

……

Roy climbed down the mesh rope ladder of the magic airship and went straight to a lookout point on a mountaintop in the Aries tribe.

Grand Master Grop was actually waiting for him on the watchtower...

The last time they met, Chief Grop told Roy the location of his tribe.

Roy found his way here by following the route described by Chief Grop...

Chief Grop stated bluntly:

"Boss Roy, it's been a long time. You've come to Kangamore in person; there must be something you need!"

Roy nodded, smiled reservedly, and said:
"Chief Grop, you guessed right, I'm here to discuss something with you!"

He paused for a moment, then continued:
"I have come to visit you to see if there is any possibility of cooperation between us half-elf and the Horde orcs. I want to lead my troops north to Durrag and test the strength of the Nakhmar demons."

"This time I plan to deploy 20,000 half-elf guards. This number of half-elf troops will probably be difficult to stop the Nachmar's attack. So I have come here to invite your esteemed tribe to join the war against the Nachmar."

Roy made no attempt to hide his battle plan...

When Chief Grop heard what Boss Roy said, his expression immediately turned serious.

After a moment of contemplation, he said to Roy:

"Regarding this matter, I can only say with great regret that there is nothing I can do."

"I can make decisions regarding the battle at Nouyun Fortress because it falls within my purview."

“But this won’t do! I don’t have the authority to mobilize so many orcs.”

Grand Chief Grop, holding a teacup in one hand, said to Roy with a serious expression:

“But I can take you to see the Great Chief. He is the Great Chief recognized by all our Aries tribes and the King of the Aries in the Black Gold Mountains. With his support, this matter is half successful.”

Upon seeing that Chief Grop was going to take him to see the King of Aries, Roy responded:
"Then I'll leave it to Chief Grop."

……

In the area at the northern foot of the Black Gold Mountains, there are nearly a thousand White Sheep tribes, and it is these White Sheep tribes that built the northern defense line of the Mensa Plain.

The Grop Grandmaster Woods is located on the western edge of the Kangamore Forest, where the forest connects to the sea.

He ruled over more than sixty tribes of varying sizes. His tribe had approximately three thousand people, of whom adult men made up about one-third of the total population.

Other tribes have smaller populations, ranging from a few hundred to a thousand, and are scattered around the Black Gold Mountains and the edge of the Kangamor Forest.

The entire Black Gold Mountain Range runs through the entire eastern continent, stretching for tens of thousands of kilometers, and these White Sheep tribes are also very scattered.

Chief Grop led Roy to Eagle's Nest, where Hansaheim, the chieftain of the Aries tribe, had settled. Hansaheim was the chieftain's real name, and Heim can be translated as 'guardian' in Orcish.

This is the respect that all the Aries tribe orc warriors have for their chieftain, hence the chieftain is called Hansaheim.

It took the magic airship nearly ten days to reach Eagle's Nest Peak, where the Hansaheim chieftain resided.

This place is said to have once been the home of the ptarmigan, but now there are very few ptarmigan living on the Mensa Plain.

When the magic airship arrived at Eagle's Nest Peak, it saw a towering mountain range stretching for thousands of miles, almost half of which reached into the clouds...

This area is located in the middle section of the Black Gold Mountain Range, and Eagle's Nest Peak is one of the ten highest peaks in the Black Gold Mountain Range.

Following the directions of Chief Grop, the magic airship docked at the foot of Eagle's Nest Mountain, where a large Aries tribe also lived. With Chief Grop leading the way, Roy and his group disembarked from the Black Pearl magic airship there.

Then, led by Chief Grop and surrounded by hundreds of Aries orc warriors, they continued to climb up the cliff...

Roy hadn't expected that this climb would take a full three days to get through the thick clouds and reach the summit above the clouds.

Besides Roy, his companions who accompanied him to Eagle's Nest Peak included Woods, Sabrina, Moira, and Lia.

Upon reaching the summit, it resembled a rugged, tribal-style sky city. The entire sky city's base was the summit of Eagle's Nest Peak, with large rocks used to build the foundation according to the mountain's contours. Following this were walls built against the rock face, along with various logs and leather, forming an intricate cluster of tents.

A cold wind howled at the summit, occasionally accompanied by falling snowflakes; it was a cold winter all year round here.

The Great Chief of Hansaheim wore a set of heavy golden armor, underneath which he wore a thick leather suit...

He was tall and strong, with a face full of wrinkles, but his eyes were still bright and piercing, making it impossible to guess his actual age.

The two ram horns on his head were exceptionally thick, and a small section of the left ram horn appeared to be broken off.

He stood on the steps at the mountain pass, his lips pursed as he stared at Roy, who was climbing up from the foot of the mountain, his eyes filled with wariness.

The fortress on the mountaintop was very sturdy. There was only one path leading from the foot of the mountain to the summit, just wide enough for three people to walk side by side; any more would be too crowded.

Chief Hansaheim stared at Roy behind Chief Grop, watching him climb up, seemingly exhausted.

The Hansaheim chieftain only met with Roy briefly before leaving immediately.

However, Chief Grop was quite familiar with the fortress on the summit.

He led Roy to the summit, circled the outermost perimeter of the castle, and then climbed the lookout tower. On a clear day with light clouds, one could see the vast Black Gold Mountain Range stretching out below.

The orc warriors coming and going were all very strong. These white sheep orc warriors wore a layer of woolen clothes, then a leather armor, and finally a heavy armor.

One after another, the sheer, east-west oriented mountain ranges, as if cleaved by a knife and axe, are fully visible through the gaps in the clouds and mist.

It's not just one sheer mountain range, but hundreds or even thousands of them, all belonging to the Black Gold Mountain Range...

This black gold mountain range was completely beyond Roy's imagination.

Standing on the platform, Chief Grop, leaning on the railing, said to Roy with great pride:

"The Grey Dwarves wanted to conquer the Mensa Plains, but we stopped them north of the Black Gold Mountains,"

"Besides our Baiyang warriors being good at fighting in cold mountain environments, we also rely on the ruggedness of the Shiwan Mountains."

"Boss Roy, what price do you think the Black Riders of the Nakma Demons would have to pay to cross this Black Gold Mountain Range?"

“Look at these mountains. They actually change every year. It is said that an ancient earth dragon is buried beneath these mountains. The gray dwarves cannot build underground cities, so they can only build mountain cities among the mountains…”

Chief Grop told Roy a lot about the Black Gold Mountains.

For many years, the Grey Dwarves and the Orcs have been fighting over the Black Gold Mountains. The Orcs have been able to hold off the Grey Dwarves thanks in large part to the Black Gold Mountains.

Roy stood beside Grand Chief Grop and smiled as he said to him:

“The Nakma demons don’t need that. They just need to conquer Victoria Valley and occupy the Grey Dwarf’s city of Boles. If there are no armed forces to resist them on the western front, they can use the resources of Boles’s port to advance south along the west coast of Dulag and enter the western part of Kangamor Forest at the junction of the mountains and the sea.”

Chief Grop's eyes widened. According to Boss Roy, once the Nachmar demons marched south, his Aries tribe would be the first to face the trampling of the Nachmar demon black riders.

In addition, there are actually fifteen canyons in the Black Gold Mountains that lead from the Mensa Plains to the Knee of Drag.

The Aries tribe, residing here, would naturally suffer relentless attacks from the Nakma Black Riders.

Roy and High Chief Grop were on a high platform, with some pebbles on the table. Roy was directing the Nakhmar demons to infiltrate the Mensa Plains of the Horde orcs, while High Chief Grop was completely helpless...

This debate also attracted the other white sheep orcs on the mountaintop.

Everyone is discussing just how powerful the Nakma Demon really is...

Chief Grop sat before the stone table and said to Roy:
"Currently, the allied forces of dwarves and our tribe's white wolf orcs are resisting the Nakhmar demons on the land of Dragk's Knee. Since Dragk is quite far from the Mensa Plains, the orcs are continuously pouring resources into the area, but they haven't been able to achieve any impressive results."

"Now that the gray dwarves have withdrawn from Dulag, only the dwarves and orc tribes are left struggling in the Great Rift Valley. The orcs consume a lot of resources every year, and now they can't withdraw. The chieftains of the White Wolf Clan and the Lion Tiger Clan are racking their brains over this."

Roy took out a map of Durag from his pocket, placed a pebble on the city of Presidius, and said:
"If we can garrison the city of Presites, we can tie down a large number of Nakhma demons roaming the western section of the southern foothills of the Black Gold Mountains."

"If we can't withstand the Nakma demons' strong attack, we can quickly run back to Boles City along the Villaria Valley, and from the port of Boles City, retreat along the Dulag West Coast back to the Mensa Plain, so that we won't suffer too many losses."

"The magic airships that the half-elf can provide can prioritize sending those orc warriors back from the battlefield!"

After listening to Roy's explanation, Chief Grop was still somewhat hesitant...

(End of this chapter)