Throne of the North.

Chapter 716 The Second Orc War (Part Two)

This was not the first time alchemists had played a role in the war.

Alchemy is so vast that every aspect of it seems like a naive first step.

Alchemy in this war was no exception; it was effective, but it was only the first attempt by the Alchemy Academy.

"We extracted the corrosive power from the metal and scattered it on the snow. The corrosion of metal has little effect on soil, but its destructive power on flesh and blood is terrible."

“Whenever the orcs stepped on it, their leather armor would corrode, and during the cleanup of the battlefield, we found that even the bones could melt.”

"The power of this metal-corroding toxin is terrifying; while it is highly effective, it also has a fatal flaw."

"The moment they touch flesh, they swarm and pounce, which means that an orc often consumes more corrosive toxins. The cost of extracting corrosive metal toxins is too high compared to killing an orc."

Ryan: I don't understand. He's only ever seen rust.

He didn't understand the extraordinary aspects, but he finally understood them.

The alchemists' refined metallic toxins cost dozens of gold coins to produce from a single orc, making this an extremely unprofitable war.

"If the war continues for another six months, can we hold out?"

Rose shook her head and said:

"It's impossible unless you're willing to give up all the wealth of the frozen tundra."

"Even with the current scale of the war, the Alchemy Academy can only support a month of such a war. We need to forge new war machines."

"how long?"

"I don't know, maybe it's permanent."

Ryan remained silent. This was an answer without a response. Alchemists couldn't create whatever they wanted. There weren't that many Philosopher's Stones. In fact, there wasn't a single Philosopher's Stone left in the Frozen Territory.

"Let's use it like this for now. The orcs aren't endless. As more orcs die, they'll naturally become afraid."

"However, do those refined metals still have any use?"

Rose seemed to have guessed that Ryan would ask this question, and pulled a bright silver piece of iron from her metal arm.

"It will never rust."

What is this? Ryan took the bright silver iron block and then realized something was wrong.

"So light."

"Yes, it's very light, but don't underestimate this special piece of iron."

Ryan squeezed hard until the iron block in his hand broke in two.

"The flexibility has improved, while the hardness has decreased slightly."

"Yes, it also has very high... conductivity, that's the word you used. I've decided to forge them into a brand new furnace so that we can save even more coal fuel."

Ryan blinked and asked:

"Is it just a stove?"

Rose looked at Ryan with some confusion, wondering what else was on his mind.

"Let's go with the stove. We can try other ideas later."

Ryan didn't say anything proactively; the Frozen Territory was already busy enough, and there was no need for further changes.

What is the orcs' greatest advantage? It is, of course, their complete lack of discipline. After a short rest, they launch another wild charge against the human fortress. The soldiers, who had been lying down for less than three hours, had already woken up, feeling refreshed and full of energy. The sounds of running and trampling filled the air, and the battle cries continued to echo on the northern wall fortress.

……

Somewhere in the icy wilderness, towering wolf riders patrolled the snowfields. Their fur blended seamlessly with the northern landscape. As the elegant dire wolves moved forward, nothing but sharp-eyed beasts could detect the presence of such a formidable army of werewolves patrolling the snowfields.

The Blood Eagle in the sky lowered its head, its sharp eyes so keen that even the wolf riders on the snow could not escape its gaze. However, the moment it cried out, a blood-red wolf head suddenly emerged from the void at its side, thousands of meters above the ground. Its gaping maw pierced through the Blood Eagle's tough feathers, and with a piercing howl, the Blood Eagle plummeted from the sky, hanging on the snow, throbbing weakly.

In the distance, scouts rushed towards them. Blood Eagle let out a warning cry, and in that instant, giant wolves leaped out from beneath the snow, their sharp fangs tearing at the scouts.

Fortunately, the Blood Eagle's warning alerted the scouts, who pulled on the reins of their warhorses to straighten them. As the horses leaped high into the air, arrows pierced the two nearest giant wolves.

The giant wolf roared angrily, transforming into a burly werewolf. It forcefully pulled the arrow from its chest, spurting blood. The stench of blood fueled the wolf pack's bloodlust, and they chased after the fleeing human scouts.

The giant wolves were not as fast as expected; after all, they were werewolves transformed into giant wolves, not true wild beasts. Meanwhile, the Northern warhorses possessed terrifying speed and endurance in this icy world.

Ouch——

A giant werewolf stood up, transforming into a ferocious werewolf. Its enormous wolf head turned and slapped two werewolves, sending them flying.

"Damn it, the high priest ordered that no human be allowed to escape!"

The werewolves bared their teeth but dared not resist. In the end, the group of werewolves grabbed the dead Blood Eagle and began their return journey.

The scouts had been unable to locate the werewolf royal court's headquarters, not even with the Blood Eagle's keen eyes. There was only one reason for this: the werewolves' headquarters were hidden.

As night falls, the bright moonlight spills across the earth, and under that radiant light that reveals the entire icy landscape, the outline of a blurry building appears and disappears.

The werewolf, clutching the dead Blood Eagle, devoutly walked into the ethereal outline, his body disappearing into the snow and reappearing in a real stone palace.

"High Priest, a human has escaped, and we have failed to capture him."

"Incompetent fool, how could you let humans escape from your clutches?"

A werewolf wearing a silk robe and with a certain gentlemanly appearance turned around. He was very thin, but the moment he pointed his scepter at the werewolf holding the Blood Eagle, the powerful werewolf let out a painful howl, rolled on the ground and howled before trembling and kneeling on the ground.

"High Priest, spare my life!"

“Foolish fellow, I should purify you into a Blood Servant.”

"High Priest, spare my life!"

The werewolf knelt on the ground, its enormous wolf head shaking incessantly.

"Bring it here. I want to see just how far human civilization has developed, and why we have been driven out of human soil."

The werewolf took the dead Blood Eagle, and the werewolf high priest grabbed the Blood Eagle's wing, then bit down on its neck.

Sharp fangs pierced the hard hide, and warm blood instantly filled the werewolf high priest's mouth. His eyes turned blood red, and his vision rose to the highest heavens. He looked down from the sky at countless human houses, walking humans, tall knights and warhorses, and legions of soldiers. Magic swirled in the sky, and richly dressed humans shouted loudly...

The werewolf high priest saw everything that the Blood Eagle had seen, until it touched a terrifying aura. The vast, mysterious, and boundless aura spread, making his soul tremble.

"Gods... great beings? How could that be? It's just a beast."

The werewolf high priest abruptly released his grip, staring intently at the Blood Eagle in his hand. In that instant, the dead Blood Eagle opened its eyes, its sharp gaze fixed on the werewolf high priest. ...

At the Wall fortress in the North, Ryan asked in confusion, then closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his pupils had turned blood red, and his eyes, like wheat awns, were empty as he looked into the distance.

This is a void, a unique spatial environment composed of fragments of a broken world. Looking up, Ryan sees a werewolf staring at him.

Werewolf?

"who are you?"

The Blood Eagle spoke in a human voice, and the werewolf high priest showed a look of fear and shock.

"who are you?"

He asked the same question, and the next moment Ryan felt a special force falling towards him. This force was not strong in his perception, and could even be described as pitifully weak, but it was enough to extinguish his gaze.

In an instant, his vision dimmed, and Ryan's eyes returned to normal. He shook his head, feeling somewhat unwell.

He was curious about the vision he had just witnessed, and subconsciously brought up the spiritual panel. The spiritual panel, which had been in turmoil for who knows how many days, was now calm, with a transparent dragon spirit swimming freely within it, looking at him curiously.

"What's the reason behind the spiritual panel?"

"Although it has not fully developed into a legendary gift, the spiritual panel already possesses certain qualities that I can utilize."

"What I just saw... didn't seem like a werewolf king, but more like a priest, dressed up so much like a human."

"But how did I see it?"

Ryan was puzzled; there was a medium involved.

"Lord Ryan, the scouts who went to the North have returned."

There was a knock at the door, and a servant with a weathered face stood in the doorway. Ryan called out to ask what was wrong.

"what happened?"

The scout recounted his experiences in the North with lingering fear, and Ryan seemed thoughtful.

"Even the Blood Eagle was hunted down at an altitude of 10,000 meters? Do werewolves have such an ability?"

Those savage orcs, besides using their powerful physical strength to brutally plunder, what other means did they have?

Ryan recalled the scene he had witnessed not long ago.

What exactly happened inside the Werewolf Royal Court?

north.

The moonlight shone down once more, and the blurry outlines of buildings reappeared on the clear snow. After a prayer, the werewolf high priest finally headed towards the werewolf leaders.

As the stone gate opened and the high priest, clad in his priestly robes, stepped inside, he was met with a barrage of cold and angry eyes.

"Erdie, what exactly do you want to do!"

The legendary werewolf leader stood up angrily, his body radiating terrifying power. But the next moment, silver chains appeared in the void, binding him firmly in place.

Just as the castles of imperial nobles possess terrifying power, the werewolf royal court also contains divine radiance; however, it is now controlled by the werewolf high priest.

All the werewolf tribe leaders looked at this werewolf high priest with puzzled expressions.

Erdy, it wasn't like this before.

As the high priest of the werewolves, his only role is to pray to the gods during sacrifices. He holds an extraordinary position, but that is all. The high priest of the werewolves has a lot of say when the gods exist. However, the gods of the orcs also suffer the consequences of the transdimensional war. For more than a hundred years, the priests of the various orc tribes have lost their former status as a result.

They still remembered that not long ago, after the werewolf royal court returned to this land, the werewolves held another sacrifice to counter the pressure from the dinosaurs and the orc king.

However, they would not be the great being at the end of the familiar orcish faith that they once worshipped. They knew very well that they could not get a response from the gods, so they set their sights on the silver moon.

Orcs are inherently confused about their beliefs; they don't care what gods they worship, as any deity can become a totem for them. Werewolves are considered better, as they have a civilized system.

As expected, the Moon Lady is awake, eternally hanging high in the night sky, in opposition to the Lord of Dawn. The werewolf, due to his status as a member of the Silver-haired Royal Family, also received a response from her.

However, this response also has some differences.

That's Erdy.

As the leader of the rituals, Erdi underwent a strange change, becoming unfamiliar, and even surpassed the werewolf king to take control of the royal court's primordial power.

All the leaders were imprisoned, and even legends could not withstand the primordial divine power of the royal court.

"What do I want to do?"

Erdy became angry and irritable.

"Look at you bunch of fools, what have you done to the Silvermoon Royal Court? Even those disgusting, stupid, soulless orcs can now look down on you."

"When did the great werewolf clan fall to such a state? The mighty werewolf clan is now digging for food in the snow like wild beasts."

"You bunch of trash, you should all become blood servants!"

Blood servants? The orc leaders' eyes widened in shock as they stared at Erdi.

“Erdene, what nonsense are you talking about? Blood Servants are a thing of the past, more than a thousand years ago.”

"More than a thousand years? Damn it, more than a thousand years have already passed?"

Erdy shook his head, his face contorted in a grimace.

"No wonder this world has become so strange. You damned trash have actually been driven out by humans."

"Our great werewolf tribe can only become elegant by parasitizing humans."

After saying that, Erdy patted his gentleman's round hat on his head, his tail swishing behind him, looking like the Big Bad Wolf.

The werewolf clan leaders looked at Erdy with suspicion, and finally the legendary Draco asked uncertainly.

"You wouldn't... be an ancient werewolf summoned back by Erdy's prayer, would you?"

“Foolish dog, of course... no.”

Erdie grinned.

"I am a servant within the kingdom of my great Lord!"

"It was only in accordance with the will of my Lord that it descended upon this weakling."

(End of this chapter)