Not long ago, when the orc captives were fully integrated into the Dragon Nest Village system, the Blue Young Dragon also put on a political show, meeting and talking with each newly joined orc.
He also learned that Quik, the fox-faced man, served as a key advisor in the Lizardman Tribe, and during their conversation, he inadvertently learned from Quik about the current situation at the border of the Bloody Defense Line at the edge of the northern Kawa Great Forest.
At that time, Austin felt that Quik must have some background, but since the fox-faced man didn’t say anything, the Blue Young Dragon couldn’t be bothered to ask.
Now seeing Quik, Austin suddenly remembered that Rodney’s small gathering tribe seemed to be the one he was responsible for recruiting, and surely he knows how to gather population, a point he had inadvertently overlooked.
Thinking of this, Austin spread his wings and soared into a torrent of air, flying towards the direction of the fox-faced Quik.
The noise from the orcs clearing land and cutting trees was not small, and it could potentially attract those hungry beasts, hence Quik and his men patrolled the area to prevent sudden attacks by vicious beasts that could result in casualties.
Quik was leading three or so kobolds in a patrol nearby when suddenly a chill wind swept over them. Thinking it was a beast attack, he panicked, only to see a massive shadow descending from the sky.
It was indeed the lord of the Dragon Nest Village, the Blue Dragon Austin.
"Greetings, Your Highness Austin."
Several orcs bowed in salute, clearly showing genuine respect, and Quik did the same.
For those simple-minded orcs like kobolds, goblins, and lizardmen, joining the Dragon Nest Village meant not only having enough to eat but occasionally enjoying a hearty meal, making their lives increasingly better. With the success in two skirmishes, the Blue Young Dragon’s status in the hearts of many orcs rose higher and higher.
Though they couldn’t articulate it well, they held immense respect, admiration, and support for the Blue Young Dragon. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NovᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet
Quik, however, saw something deeper. This Blue Young Dragon was very different from other tribal leaders. From this humble Dragon Nest Village, he saw immense development potential.
It was precisely for this reason that Quik, the fox-faced man, had previously revealed some capabilities, hoping to catch Austin’s attention.
And now, he seems to have succeeded.
"You guys go on patrol first, Quik stays behind. I have something to discuss with him."
The Blue Young Dragon landed, retracted his wings, and spoke from above in a low voice.
Several kobolds respectfully agreed and then left.
Glancing at the respectfully standing Quik, Austin went straight to the point:
"Quik, I’ve heard that when Rodney established his tribe, you helped organize and plan. Now I want to increase the population of Dragon Nest Village, what do you suggest we should do?"
In fact, Austin instinctively sensed that Quik, the fox-faced man, had some thoughts; he wasn’t as simple as other orcs and seemed to be more cunning.
Sure enough, in just a short time, he had already mingled here and climbed to the position of a squad leader.
But that’s okay. As long as he is loyal to Dragon Nest Village and doesn’t betray it, it doesn’t matter.
However, the inherent nature of orcs of different races is different. Now, with few people, it’s not noticeable, but in the future, when the clan’s numbers grow and the orc types become complex, it would be best to manage them separately by division of labor.
This thought suddenly flashed in Austin’s mind.
But there’s no rush for now. For now, the unified management and unified work during military training is still fine and doesn’t need reform.
"Your Highness, the best way to increase the population is to annex other orc tribes."
Quik pondered for a moment, then replied.
"Previously, I went out to explore, and besides the Jackal Wolfman Tribe that defeated you, I haven’t found any other gathering places. So, do you have any leads on other nearby tribes?"
Since Quik answered this way, Austin felt he must have a plan in mind.
Sure enough, Quik replied:
"Yes, as far as I know, there should be more than a dozen tribes within a hundred miles of this Dragon Nest Territory. If we can annex and absorb them all, forming a large tribe of a thousand people is not a problem."
In a desolate place like the Kawa Great Forest, with mountains to the east and west, small tribes often gather, but typically, a tribe only consists of twenty or thirty people banding together for warmth, posing little threat to the Dragon Nest Village with the Blue Young Dragon in charge.
"How far is the nearest tribe? Is it far?"
Austin was noncommittal. Regardless of the tribe’s power, if annexation is the goal, the journey should also be taken into consideration.
"Well... I remember there are two or three goblin and kobold tribes nearby, with about ten to twenty people, but when I encountered them, it was already a year ago. I don’t know if they’ve migrated or perished from starvation and disbanded since then. Apart from those I remember, the jackal village seems to be the closest to us..."
"Very well, Quik. I’m giving you a task to contact those goblin and kobold tribes you mentioned and see if they can be incorporated. As for that kobold village, we’ll discuss it later."
If they cannot be incorporated voluntarily, then naturally, they’ll be defeated and taken captive.
Of course, whether they voluntarily submit or are conquered, military training is an essential threshold.
"Apart from this, are there any other methods?"
Not long after the start of the cold winter, Austin once flew out to search for nearby orc tribes, but ultimately found nothing except the unexpected discovery of the Jackal Wolfman Tribe.
Although due to the early start of the cold winter, orc tribes mostly stayed in their nests rarely coming out, making it hard to find traces, Austin didn’t have much hope in the few tribes Quik mentioned.
In a year’s time, such small tribes of ten to twenty people probably already perished.
"Another method would be to send up smoke signals to gather people. However, the orcs who come will mostly be the old, weak, sick, and wounded, and it’s rare to find strong orcs."
"Smoke signals? What’s that?"
Austin was taken aback, clearly having no recollection of such a method.
And it was only after careful inquiry that Austin understood that these smoke signals were a way unique to the Kawa Great Forest to gather wandering stray orcs.
The so-called smoke signals involve burning some wet firewood at a high place to produce tall pillars of smoke, visible from afar, similar to beacon lighthouses.
And when the wandering stray orcs in the forest see the pillars of smoke, they know there are people there. Those desperate or starving orcs would make their way towards the smoke, hoping to try their luck and see if the tribe there would accept them.