Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 17: The Disappearing Evil Orc Tribe
Harvey stood on a cliff at the top of Jackdaw Ridge with a relatively wide view.

Holding a transparent, soft, round object in his hand, it gradually rose into the sky as he chanted the spell.

This is the auxiliary spell he got for free in the "chat group" of the Magic Network Forum - the Eye of Reconnaissance.

A practical second-level spell with a simple matrix structure and low energy consumption.

It has little confidentiality value for high-level spellcasters, and they can share it in public discussions at will.

But for most low- and mid-level spellcasters who cannot fly, it is a good helper for reconnaissance, spying, and obtaining location intelligence.

"Sir, did you see anything?" Reiner craned his neck and repeated like a tape recorder, "Where on earth did those damned evil beastmen go?"

After the Reconnaissance Eye rose to the maximum height it could connect to, Harvey carefully manipulated it to rotate in place and observe the situation on the ground.

"The fog on the north slope of Jackdaw Ridge is too thick, and high-altitude reconnaissance cannot see clearly." Harvey could only see the thick white morning fog and dense dark green woods through the magic connection.

"Pierce, have any hunters ever crossed the mountains and hunted on the north slope before?"

Pierce, who had been squatting on a branch and observing from a distance, scurried down the tree. "Not that I know of, sir."

He patted his muddy pants and recollected the story. "When I first started hunting at the foot of the mountain, my master told me a legend about the north slope..."

Reiner also came over curiously, "Could it be the legendary terrifying python that swallowed the entire camp hunting team in one gulp?"

After nearly half a month of familiarity, Pierce was no longer afraid of this alchemical monster and also knew the reason for Reiner's transformation.

He laughed and said, "Reiner, you are more than ten years older than me, so you must have heard of this legend."

"A noble lord and his knight hunting team crossed Jackdaw Mountain to the northern slope, hoping to capture the rare pure white three-eyed fox."

"But a month passed, and the hunting team didn't return. The lord sent more people to search, and at the camp at the foot of the north slope, they discovered a huge deep pit..."

Harvey was curious. Legends were always exaggerated. "Then how can we be sure they were swallowed by a giant python?"

Pierce added, "There are two snake scales left on the edge of the pit. My lord, they are as big as a shield!"

"Since then, no one has dared to cross the mountains to hunt on the north slope. Even though the giant python has not appeared again, the north slope is shrouded in fog all year round. Only when the fog clears between noon and sunset can you tell the direction, making it easy to get lost."

"So the border of Saint Varen is bounded by the ridge of Jackdaw Ridge, and the northern slope is an unowned wasteland?"

Harvey was well aware of this. The Principality of Saint Valen itself was located in the north-central part of the continent, backed by a huge mountain range that ran across the entire continent - the Divine Spine Mountains.

This continental ridge extends to the west and reaches the sea, where there is a branch mountain range called the Evil Moon Mountains.

The Jackdaw Ridge, a branch in the central and northern part, also belongs to the branch mountain range of this continental ridge.

On the south side of the continental spine are many countries of all sizes, while on the north side is a bitter and cold land where a large non-human race lives.

Demons, evil orcs, frost giants... and the legendary dragon clan that was exterminated by humans in the dragon war.

The evil orcs are obviously different from the demons entrenched in the Evil Moon Mountains, and they do not have any long-term ambitions to invade the human kingdom.

They simply migrate according to the laws of seasonal migration, staying and breeding when it is warm, and heading south to plunder when it is cold.

But it was not until a week ago that Reiner and Pierce led the Alchemy Beast to wipe out the last group of evil orc outposts entrenched on the south slope.

No more evil orcs appeared in their sight.

Even though the Wolf Spider Alchemist's patrol range has been extended to the dividing line at the top of the mountain, it still found nothing.

"Did they flee back to the north because of heavy casualties?" Harvey was completely confused.

The three of them waited for a while, watching the sun gradually rise from the east to the center of the sky, and the fog at the foot of the mountain gradually dissipated.

Harvey unleashed his Reconnaissance Eye once more, finally revealing the entire northern slope of Jackdaw Ridge. The dense primeval forest stretched like a dark green ocean, winding its way to the unseen plains.

A black and red crack, like a scar on the earth, divides the ocean into two, lying ugly across the vast plain.

Pierce, who returned to the tree branch to look out, also saw this scene.

"Sir, those are traces of the migration of the evil orcs." He lowered his head and explained to Harvey and Reiner on the ground.

"As they migrate, they cut down and burn trees, dig up the soil to build their homes, and tear open the forest."

Harvey looked at this shocking scene and couldn't help but sigh, "It seems they rely on this newly opened road to travel back and forth between the north and south to plunder every year..."

"Like a herd of animals," Reiner commented, smacking his lips.

"Hey! Sir, look there! What is that?" the hunter shouted sharply, waving his arms to guide Harvey's sight.

Harvey slowly moved his reconnaissance eyes and slowly turned them to the southwest of the foot of the north slope.

In the dense primeval jungle, a lead-gray open space suddenly appeared, with a strange black tower standing in the middle.

Unfortunately, the Eye of Reconnaissance does not have the magnifying observation function of a telescope, and is essentially linked to the caster's binocular vision.

Harvey couldn't observe any clearer details and could only barely see the outline of the black tower.

"It looks like a wizard's tower? Why is it built there?" Harvey murmured in confusion. "Pierce, if we want to reach that location, how long will it take?"

The old hunter skillfully raised his thumb in front of his eyes, as if he had some special way of calculating distance.

"If we go straight through the forest, it will take about a day and a night. There is no ready-made road down the mountain, so we may need to take a detour."

Reiner was surprised and asked, "Sir, what are we going there for?"

Harvey patiently explained, "It might be a relic left behind by an ancient spellcaster. It's worth exploring."

He paused, then thought about the evil beastmen who might return. "Don't worry, wait until we figure out their whereabouts. The ruins are there anyway, they won't run away."

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a faint vibration from the ground, but the movement was not big, which only startled a group of birds perched in the bushes and made them flutter in the air.

"The mountain god is turning over!" Pierce screamed.

In those days, no one understood the principles of earthquakes and related common sense, and earthquakes and tsunamis were all regarded by ordinary people as the power of gods.

Harvey squatted down, placed his palms on the ground and used his mental power to sense for a while.

It was just a minor earthquake, probably not even a magnitude three.

Reiner also squatted down and urged anxiously: "Sir, quickly ride on my shoulders, let's retreat quickly!"

At this moment, Pierce, who was still hanging on the tree branch, let out another louder scream.

"Oh my god, that black tower! It, it really grew legs and ran away!"

Harvey was stunned and didn't bother to check the intensity of the aftershock. He stood up and cast the Eye of Reconnaissance again.

It was still southwest of the foot of the north slope, still that lead-gray, bare open space.

But the black tower disappeared in an instant.

Where the black tower originally stood, only a dark hole remained, the depth of which could not be judged by sight.

(End of this chapter)