Black Forest—ever since Stoneheart Horde fought off that fiercest wave of dark creatures, the entire horde has been hard at work repairing the city walls.
Fortunately, in the outer city area, they had set aside plenty of stone for wall construction back in the summer. That stockpile makes the repair work extremely fast and convenient.
"Onyx and Rendall have already gone down there in person to supervise. I bet the wall will be fully repaired within three days."
"Lorelia sent out a ton of little spiders to hunt down those dark creatures who got away. I figure the horde won't face any immediate threats now."
Lilith is the one speaking. She stands beside Delilah, both gazing into the darkness in the distance.
"Any message from our lord?" Delilah asks.
Lilith simply shakes her head.
Orion's will projection hasn't contacted them, which means nothing big is going on. Besides, every time they communicate with the will projection, it burns its energy, so they don't do it unless they have to.
"I picked up some tips on getting pregnant from the gnoll tribe. Want to give them a shot?" Delilah abruptly changes topics, shifting the conversation to pregnancy and children.
Lilith stays quiet, a bit downcast. She's the one who's had sex with Orion the most, and almost every time he finishes inside her—but still, no pregnancy.
"Don't worry, just keep at it," Delilah comforts her gently. Both sisters regret not carrying Orion's child yet.
"With most of these dark creatures wiped out and every Alpha-level one slain, I can't imagine there'll be any big trouble from this dark beast tide now," Delilah continues. "When it's time to head south next year, will you go, or should I?"
Lilith's answer is firm this time. "You go. Out there in the field, you're more valuable to Orion than I am."
Delilah glances at Lilith in surprise, then offers her a seductive smile.
…
The void passage offers temptations at every turn. But this time, the temptation comes from Orion.
Orion knows that since all the Alpha-level dark creatures personally sent by Lucien, King of the Voidcrawlers, have been slain, Blackstone City is basically safe. Now, Orion's plan is to entice Lucien to make a rash decision and send over more dark creatures, so his own subordinates can farm them for more power.
"Lord Lucien, have you thought it over?" Orion speaks as he withdraws the lightning barriers and the Eightfold Spear Barrage that had encircled the void passage.
"To prove my sincerity, I won't stop you from sending your minions through anymore," he says. "Lord Lucien, bring in as many as you want—I honestly don't mind."
Lucien, King of the Voidcrawlers, is furious. He definitely won't fall for Orion's trick. Besides, he's down to hardly any Alpha-level subordinates. Sending more would just be feeding the enemy free world essence—and might even get Lucien accused of treachery by his own kind.
"Giant Orion, I won't forget this. When the battlefield between our two worlds opens, I swear I'll kill you," Lucien growls, then leaves through the far end of the void passage.
Orion feels slightly disappointed. The horde has already reaped a big haul. If Lucien had kept sending more, Orion's crew would be even stronger for the southward invasion next year.
With little else to do, Orion shifts his attention to the Survivor's Platform. Lately, Julius Caesar is still the one messaging him the most:
Experience tales at
"Big boss, I got my hands on some great stuff again—things on that list you gave me!"
"Big boss, check it out: these items are from your wish list!"
"Big boss, are you there?"
"Big boss, if you're online, hit me up!"
Julius Caesar's shameless flattery makes Orion feel a bit self-conscious. Still, he keeps his replies short and cool, taking a page out of Arthas's book back then.
"What is it?" Orion asks, keeping it brief.
"Wow, boss, you're here! I got you these magic crystals!"
Caesar sends over some transparent mineral rocks—magic crystals, material for crafting special enchanted weapons.
"How many magic crystals do you have?" Orion asks. "And what do you want in return?"
Without missing a beat, Caesar promptly offers all his magic crystals. "Big boss, I'd love a hero-level weapon!"
A hero-level weapon only drops at Alpha-level combat. Given Caesar's likely hero-level rank, Orion figures he needs it for some pivotal fight or maybe to take down a boss.
"Sure," Orion says. "But these crystals alone aren't enough."
As if on cue, Caesar initiates another trade, tossing in a tower structure. Orion's eyes narrow with interest.
He accepts the trade and takes out a hero-level sword from his treasure trove, sending it over. The deal goes through, and Caesar cheers on his end, showering Orion with gratitude.
Ignoring Caesar's excitement, Orion takes out the tower to study it closely. It's quite a peculiar item: it has no offensive power, but it boasts an ability similar to "True Sight," called "Tower of Truth."
Once built, it can detect stealth or invisibility within a certain range—and can even spot bodiless spirits.
"This is a good deal," Orion remarks, satisfied. He's learned something important by now: for trades like this, there's no "profit or loss" in the usual sense. As long as each side gets what they want, it's a fair exchange. Some items will never shine in one person's hands, and that's exactly why trading them can unlock hidden value.
After wrapping up business with Caesar, Orion also makes a round of trades with Scarecrow. Scarecrow's vacation is nearly over, so he's unloading not only a large amount of ordinary grain but also a bag of magically enhanced grain that radiates elemental energy.
This special bag of grain costs a hundred times more than regular grain, but Orion snaps it up without hesitating. Then he returns to checking the Survivor's Platform for more deals, biding his time until he's sent back to Blackstone City.
Still, his thoughts inevitably circle back to that white dragon, leaving him anxious.
Orion knows nothing about the white dragon's temperament, and he worries that traveling south with it might provoke some even more terrifying disaster.
He's full of questions.
For instance, was the white dragon really just asleep, or had it been sealed away? And does it have its own personal force under its command? If it has nothing, then obviously Orion, Gareth, Ironhoof, and the horde's bloodline warriors will all be the white dragon's cannon fodder.
Cannon fodder generally isn't treated with much care, and that's Orion's biggest fear.