"I can sense your low spirits, but that kind of mood doesn't suit the succubus queen I know!"
Orion lowered his head and kissed Delilah.
He continued until Delilah was getting into it, then stopped at the critical moment.
Delilah lifted her head, eyes wide, looking at Orion in confusion.
What's going on? Go on, keep going.
That was the meaning in Delilah's eyes, but what she got in return was Orion's upturned lips and mischievous grin.
"You've done a lot for the Horde recently. Don't you want something in return?"
Delilah's hazy eyes went blank for a moment. She had never thought about it.
She couldn't remember when it began, but she'd already seen the Stoneheart Horde as something that belonged to both Orion and herself.
Managing her own enterprise—did it require compensation?
No, it didn't.
That was Delilah's answer, and it was exactly what Orion most wanted to see.
"It's yours now."
Orion took out a storage ring and slipped it onto Delilah's finger.
During his time in the Valkorath Realm, Orion had traded with Arthas and Leonidas for a total of five storage rings.
Soraya and Lilith each had one. Now Delilah had one as well.
As the grand steward of the Stoneheart Horde, keeping important resources and key items on her at all times was the best arrangement.
"This is a storage ring, and I've placed a gift inside it for you."
After putting the ring on Delilah, Orion casually mentioned it.
Delilah raised her palm, trying to sense it curiously.
Suddenly, she shuddered all over, stiffening in Orion's embrace.
"Th-this…this is…"
Orion gave a faint smile and continued on Delilah's behalf.
"It's what you deserve."
"Managing the Horde has delayed your cultivation and cost you some time. I hope you can be the next one in the Stoneheart Horde to reach Legendary level."
"When that day comes, I'll crown you as the true Succubus Queen."
Inside the storage ring lay everything Delilah would need to cultivate to Legendary level.
This was Orion's reward to Delilah, and the Stoneheart Horde's token of gratitude.
Delilah's contributions couldn't be measured in battle achievements alone.
After her initial shock came a wave of gratitude, followed by teary eyes, and in the end, a joyful smile shining through the tears.
"Honey…"
In the next moment, Delilah became incomparably enthusiastic. Overcome by passion and gratitude, she used her kisses and her vagina to express her thanks to Orion.
Orion had no objection to Delilah's initiative. He simply lay back and let Delilah straddle his cock, indulging their desires to the fullest.
Once they finished making love, Delilah lay in Orion's arms, letting his large hands continue roaming across her body.
"There's a human lord named Torin who wishes to see you."(*'lord' is just a status, not a reflection of his strength*)
"His territory used to be in the area bordering the ogre lands and the human kingdom, called Soaring Bird City."
"Based on intelligence from the Sentinel Corps, his territory is already occupied by someone else."
"In other words, he has nothing."
"He offered three items as tribute in hopes of meeting you."
Delilah, eyes half-closed as she enjoyed Orion's caresses, recounted each thing that had happened recently.
"Are the items that human lord offered really valuable?"
Orion withdrew his hand and went to sit on his throne, his tone quite calm.
He knew Delilah well enough: if there were nothing of value to catch his attention, she wouldn't have bothered mentioning it.
"One of the things he offered is similar to the items you ordered everyone to search for."
As she spoke, Delilah extended her hand, and a Bagbird pouch on the floor flew into her palm.
A moment later, a miniature building appeared in Delilah's hand, which she presented to Orion.
[Colosseum]
Type: Special Building
Item Description: A special place representing defiance and courage in the evolution of civilization.
Note: The colosseum can convert eligible slaves into gladiators.
Seeing this item made Orion's heart pound.
It wasn't that he was surprised about the [Colosseum] itself; there was a more pressing thought: survivors.
That human might very well be another survivor.
Of course, it was also possible that he wasn't, and that Torin just happened to have collected the [Colosseum] by accident.
But such a possibility seemed slim.
"What was that human's name again?"
Orion's voice sounded once more, tinged with an inexplicable emotion.
Delilah, familiar with him, was puzzled by this. She looked up at Orion in confusion.
"Torin. He's the lord of Soaring Bird City."
"Do you know where Soaring Bird City is located?"
"Yes. It's the first stop you'd reach when coming from the human kingdom."
"Have him come see me tomorrow. I want to know what he's after."
Tempering his curiosity, Orion calmed himself again.
If Torin truly was a fellow survivor, Orion would examine him and put him to use.
If not, Orion could just capture him, make him sign a slave contract, and get to the bottom of his reasons for wanting a meeting.
"Some mercenaries have headed toward our other four cities. Should we drive them away?"
This was Delilah's next concern. The four cities the Stoneheart Horde planned were still under construction, and she couldn't guess the mercenaries' intentions.
"Just keep an eye on them. There's no need to force them out."
"We just have to make sure they don't walk off with our territory's resources for free."
"What about the other two items Torin offered?"
Orion was curious what else Torin had to bring.
Delilah rummaged in the Bagbird pouch and came up with a magic gem and a bottle of mysterious perfume.
With a single glance, Orion lost interest.
The magic gem wasn't of a particularly high grade—though it was still relatively rare within the Stoneheart Horde. As for the mysterious perfume, it was clearly intended as a gift specifically for Delilah.
In other words, aside from the colosseum, Torin's contributions weren't that impressive.
That implied Torin's personal inventory wasn't especially deep—he might even be on the verge of poverty.
Of course, Orion could guess Torin had no idea of the [Colosseum]'s real significance.
Otherwise, there was no way he'd hand it over.
"This works out nicely. The colosseum we built previously can be upgraded and condensed at the same time."
Orion pondered silently.
Stoneheart City, outer district.
Inside a Blood Elf shop, Taran and Thalion stood at the counter, staring at a pair of enchanted gauntlets, utterly unable to look away.
"Dear warrior, these gauntlets were crafted from the silk of elastic spiders. They're inscribed with a high-level magical formation blueprint, providing a burn effect on your attacks…"
"If you want to purchase them, it'll cost a thousand silver Blackstone coins (also known before as Stoneheart coins)." (Blackstone coins come in three varieties—gold, silver, and copper.)
The Pandaren Taran nodded. He carried plenty of Blackstone coins, partly earned by exchanging loot for currency with the Horde, and partly from the army's salary.
"What do you think? Are you satisfied with these gauntlets?"