When Orion finished explaining what the underworld was like, Onyx, Lilith, and Delilah were all stoked beyond words. Based on Orion's description, the underworld was basically another stretch of territory for the Stoneheart Horde.
It was the Horde's final refuge, a safe harbor for survival, and their fallback route.
"Lord, while you were away, the Heroic Altar, the Military Fortress, the Hall of Glory, and the Beast Pens were all finished. Only the outer city wall isn't done yet," Onyx announced with a broad smile, making Orion's eyes light up.
"Since those special buildings are complete, shift your focus to the city walls. But don't let the ongoing transformation of Moonshadow Valley grind to a halt," Orion said.
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Onyx nodded, clearly agreeing. Moonshadow Valley was just too important for the Stoneheart Horde. Making the most of this period of peace and properly upgrading it would bring plenty of future benefits to the Horde.
"Lord, Lysinthia, Slagor, and Thundar have already consolidated Half-Moon Lake!"
"Over the past few days, huge amounts of resources have been transported from Half-Moon Lake back to Blackstone City."
"This time, at Half-Moon Lake, Thundar and the rest captured more than a dozen women from the Garland Tribe."
"Thundar wants to bring them back to the Horde—he's already on his way," Delilah said, after Onyx finished his own report.
At the mention of the Garland Tribe, the entire meeting room fell silent. Even Orion said nothing, narrowing his eyes as if lost in thought.
Ever since Violet chose to transform into a seed so she could bear Orion's offspring, the Garland Tribe had seemed almost forgotten by the Stoneheart Horde. Even Violet's subordinates, Jasmine and Ivy, stayed the whole time in the western ridge of Moonshadow Valley, immersed in tending magical plants and avoiding contact with everyone else.
"Tell Thundar to protect those Garland Tribe women well. Their enchantment powers matter a lot to us," Orion said at last, then paused. "Delilah, once those Garland Tribe women arrive, gather them together and have them enchant our newly built special structures."
"Afterward, they can enchant the outer city walls. If we run short on magical plants, come see me. I've got a stash of high-tier ones."
Orion's meaning was crystal clear. With Violet away, he was handing Delilah the authority to oversee the Garland Tribe. Delilah acknowledged and accepted.
"Lord, Thundar is also traveling with several important figures and promising youngsters from various clans around Half-Moon Lake. How do you want us to handle them?" Delilah asked.
Orion already kind of knew: these newcomers were all hostages. While hostages didn't always carry that much weight in this world, there were still emotional ties that could affect certain people, and that was sometimes enough to be useful.
"Send them to the cannon fodder troops and give them some low-tier supervisory jobs. Let Dirtclaw educate them," Orion said without a flicker of hesitation.
First of all, the cannon fodder troops had plenty of strict rules—there were time limits for leaving or entering camp—so it would be easy to keep watch over these hostages.
Secondly, Dirtclaw was basically Orion's biggest devotee and also Delilah's slave, making Dirtclaw the perfect candidate to brainwash them. If the brainwashing worked, Orion could always release them back home later and help them gain authority. That would make managing Half-Moon Lake a breeze.
Orion glanced at Delilah, wordlessly asking if there were any other pressing matters within the Horde.
"Lysinthia and Slagor won't be back in Blackstone City until winter sets in!" Delilah said. "All those swamp crocodiles and marsh pythons need time to get used to Half-Moon Lake's environment. They won't be returning anytime soon."
Orion fully understood that relocating entire species to a new habitat wasn't just talk. It took a lot of time and effort.
Then he turned to Lilith. Under normal circumstances, if Lilith had something to say, she'd tell him in private. The fact she'd come to the Horde Hall herself meant it was definitely not a small or personal matter.
"Dear Orion," said Lilith. "All those broadskull ravens holed up in the cave in Moonshadow Valley are finally tamed. They've all been placed in the Sentinel Corps. Right now, the ones serving us—and still alive—total 197."
That number sounded way too low. Orion's first thought was how 197 broadskull ravens was nowhere near enough. Most were elite-level beasts, and only two or so had reached hero-level strength. They couldn't form a truly formidable force.
Originally, there had been more than six hundred broadskull ravens trapped inside that cave by the cave spiders, but after Lilith's lengthy taming, only a couple hundred had yielded. Dozens died once they were put to work. Broadskull ravens were definitely fragile. Those that refused to submit either starved or were so stubborn they got put down.
"Can our current broadskull ravens breed?" Orion asked, cutting right to the heart of the matter.
"They can," Lilith replied, "but it takes three years to feed and raise a broadskull raven from birth to adulthood where it's battle-ready. And by the time it's grown, it usually only reaches elite-level at best."
To Orion, an elite-level beast wasn't all that useful anymore—broadskull ravens offered flying capabilities, but that was it. Given their size, they'd need to reach hero-level before they could even carry a rider.
"Orion, if we want the broadskull ravens to breed, we need a place for them to nest," Lilith added.
Orion frowned. Nothing around here immediately came to mind. "Any suggestions on where that might be?"
Lilith knew broadskull ravens best, so he trusted she had a clue. "The cliffs north of Moonshadow Valley would do the trick, but we'd have to carve out some stone caves for them," she said.
"Sounds good. Lilith, it's all on you," Orion said.
Lilith nodded—she'd figured any taming-related job would fall on her shoulders eventually.
"Orion, that frost giant egg you gave me finally hatched," Lilith went on, obviously excited to share the news. Under her dedicated care, the egg had successfully broken its shell.
"Oh? How is it?" Orion asked, brightening up with curiosity.
"It's pretty awesome," Lilith said. "It was born as a hero-level beast, and this little one's super tough."
"Raise it well. Once a frost giant matures, it can usually climb to Alpha-level without too much trouble," Orion noted.
Lilith agreed. The successful hatching of the little snow monster had her in a great mood, especially since the baby recognized her as its master the moment it was born.