Black Forest, Moonshadow Valley
While Orion was leading his forces on a rapid march, Lilith had climbed to the eastern ridge of Moonshadow Valley.
"Thundar, what's the situation?"
Lilith stood atop the stone wall, her expression heavy as she looked down the slope at her tribesmen gathered near the edge of the underground fissure.
"Chieftainess, none of the horde members who went down to investigate the fissure have returned!"
Hearing this grim news, Lilith's delicate brows furrowed slightly for the first time.
"And the strange noises? Have they stopped over the past few days?"
Elder of Combat Thundar shook his head, his face equally grim. The ones sent down were his most trusted warriors.
Now, with no one returning to deliver news, there was only one possibility—they had all perished below.
Lilith stared at the underground fissure for a long time. Before Orion had left, he had specifically instructed her to keep a close watch on it.
A few days ago, strange noises had been echoing from the depths of the fissure. To uncover what was happening below, Thundar had already sent two groups of warriors to investigate.
Unfortunately, none had returned.
"Recall all hordesmen except those monitoring the fissure. I'll think of a solution," Lilith said, turning to leave the ridge.
Thundar nodded and immediately carried out her orders.
---
Moonshadow Valley, Chieftain's Tent
When Lilith entered the tent, Lysinthia was feeding the Spider Queen Lorelia—a name Lysinthia had given the creature.
Lilith approached and pulled out a pouch of dark source crystals from her robes, holding it out to the recently evolved Spider Queen.
"Little Lorelia, it's time for you to get to work!"
Lilith's plan was simple. She would use the dark source crystals not only to help the Spider Queen continue growing but also to encourage it to lay eggs and hatch a brood of small spiders.
At this stage, the Spider Queen was only at the elite level, and the spiders it hatched would be weak and incapable of combat.
But that didn't matter.
Lilith only needed the spiders to explore the underground fissure and gather information. They didn't need to fight.
"Thank you, Mistress!"
The Spider Queen, now resembling a small girl in her upper body, could speak fluently.
This meant that communication was no longer an issue.
The Spider Queen happily agreed to Lilith's request. After all, laying eggs was a trivial matter for it.
And with a pouch of dark source crystals as a reward, the Spider Queen was more than willing.
---
Thunderwood Forest, Seven Days Later
Orion and his cannon fodder troops finally arrived in the Half-Moon Lake region.
"Honorable Chieftain Orion, thank you for coming!"
Chieftain Slagor greeted Orion like an old friend, personally leading his subordinates to welcome him.
"You're being awfully enthusiastic. I'm guessing the Geckos at Half-Moon Lake aren't easy to deal with," Orion said, his expression amused as he teased Slagor.
"Uh… hahaha, you guessed right!"
Slagor froze for a moment before laughing awkwardly, showing no sign of embarrassment.
"That damned gecko has a high bloodline. He's not a demi-human—he's a pure gecko!"
"He's a beast, and he's attuned to both water and fire elements, which completely counter me!"
Orion's eyes lit up. Rendall's earlier question had finally been answered.
Of course, they had already suspected that Slagor was being countered by elemental attributes.
But the revelation that the Geckos' Alpha-level leader was a beast rather than a demi-human was unexpected.
"I want 80% of the spoils. Is that a problem?"
When it came to matters of profit, Orion was always serious.
"No problem. Consider it a gesture of goodwill," Slagor said, though the twitch in his lips betrayed his reluctance.
Orion laughed heartily, patting Slagor on the shoulder as he planted the seed for his next plan.
"If this collaboration goes well and we reap great rewards, I wouldn't mind a 60-40 split in future Myriad Races Invasions."
Slagor's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Orion, are you serious?"
Orion nodded, then hesitated, feigning uncertainty.
In truth, Slagor was even more cunning than Orion had anticipated.
He had already guessed most of Orion's intentions.
Even so, Slagor was eager to cooperate with Orion to face the enemies to the south.
The reason was simple: smart people fear death, and Slagor feared it more than most.
Compared to the potential profits, Slagor valued his life far more.
After learning that Orion had killed Reynard, Slagor had developed a deep respect for Orion's strength.
Moreover, Orion had two Alpha-level powerhouses by his side, which further solidified Slagor's decision.
Slagor knew that as long as he allied with Orion, their combined strength and troop numbers would allow them to thrive—so long as they didn't encounter a Legendary-level opponent.
And that was exactly what Slagor wanted.
Once his survival was assured, he could focus on gaining resources.
"I'll make this clear: I want all the crystal cores and magical plants from the spoils. Your 20% can come from the other materials."
Slagor nodded, having expected this.
"No problem!"
With the distribution of spoils settled, the rest was easy to discuss.
"Now, Slagor, you should sit down and tell us everything about the Geckos Tribe at Half-Moon Lake."
Slagor nodded again and led Orion and his group to a wooden hut he had prepared in advance.
Inside the hut was a simple wooden table, upon which lay a beast-hide map.
Seeing the map, Orion didn't hesitate to make another demand.
"Slagor, I have one more condition: I need a copy of this map."
Orion's tone left no room for negotiation.
Slagor shrugged and agreed.
For Slagor, copying the map was no big deal.
But for Orion and the Stoneheart Horde, it was of immense importance.
With Slagor's agreement, Orion, Prophet Onyx, and Rendall exchanged pleased glances before taking their seats, ready to listen to Slagor's briefing.
As for Delilah, she had not yet reached the Alpha level and thus wasn't qualified to sit at the table. She stood behind Orion, silently listening.
"Honorable Orion, the Geckos' settlement is located on Half-Moon Island," Slagor began.
"To reach the island, we'll need to cross Half-Moon Lake."
"Fortunately, Half-Moon Lake is a shallow lake, with its deepest point only about 7 feet."
"In such an environment, it's practically home turf for us poison dragons (lizardmen). My troops can take the lead and spearhead the assault."