Heart of the Castle

Chapter 498 Power comes from strength, deterrence leads to peace

Kalmos? Bloody Fury sat on the Wakao throne covered with mammoth fur, looking down at the few humans who came to negotiate, with a cold expression and ferocious eyes, as if an eagle was examining his prey , thinking about how to make it more delicious.The Beast King's performance seems to be full of confidence, and he does have the strength to support his confidence.There are dozens of powerful tribes under Karmos, including four thousand roaring warriors of orcs, tens of thousands of goblin slave soldiers and half-orc cannon fodder, unrivaled fighting raptors in the sky, and mammoths that can destroy any solid protection Elephant Cavalry Troops.The human side is much weaker. Although the defense of Kaidar Fort is strong and the defenders are tenacious, the number is too small in comparison. It only needs to last for a few hours and launch a fierce attack at any cost. The victory will definitely belong to the orc army.

However, the truth is not so simple, Kalmos is fully aware of the subtleties of the current situation.Although the orcs are strong, they have gone all out. Although humans are weak, they still have unlimited potential. Fort Gaydar is only a corner of Xifeng County, and outside of Xifeng County, humans have the entire kingdom as their backing.Destroying this watchtower-type fortress does not mean the end of the battle, but the beginning of a larger war.

Even the orc tribes in their heyday could only operate on the Moon Language Plain, occasionally attacking human villages and towns, and after looting, they still had to retreat to the vast grassland.For the orc tribe who had just been defeated by the demon army, the price of a long and protracted battle with the human country was too heavy, so heavy that Kalmos could not imagine.

"Lord Kalmos, the conditions you put forward are unacceptable to human beings." After some contemplation, Levi spoke slowly. His voice was not high-pitched, but the meaning in his words was as firm as a rock. "The intention I bring is peace, not surrender to the orcs. If you want to take the land from humans, then water it with the blood of the orcs first!"

"Human boy!" With Li Wei's firm refusal, an unspeakable flame of anger suddenly ignited in Kalmos' heart. He felt his hair stand on end, and instinctively grabbed the long and long hair of the Slayer with his right hand. Heavy forged steel handle. "The rage of the ancestors is roaring in my blood. They long to crush you human beings who are overwhelmed. You know I can do it. Human boy. Aren't you afraid of death?"

"Wakao, let them die!"

"Die, die, die!"

"Rody is going to break every bone in the human shrimp!"

The leaders of the orc tribe in the tent let out a wild roar. For them, bloody killing was far more refreshing than bargaining with the cunning human shrimp.Hearing that the negotiation was about to break down, the two tribal leaders who were closest to the tent door immediately grabbed their machetes and jumped out. Their burly bodies blocked the retreat of Li Wei and others.

"Hoho, if they don't leave, let's behead them. Hoho, bury in the ground, fat grassland!" The Ironfoot leader of the Hardfoot tribe stamped his feet and shouted, and then the other tribal leaders stamped their feet and clapped their hands, shouting in unison .

"Ho ho, if they don't leave, we'll behead them. Ho ho, bury them in the ground, fat grassland!"

"Did you hear that, human kid? This is the orc's decision!" Karmos stood up from the throne, holding the handle of the Slayer's ax in one hand, and pointing at Levi with the other. "But I will still give you one last chance to choose! If you want to save your lives, you have to accept my conditions, otherwise don't think about leaving this tent alive!"

"Lord Kalmos, are you going to hurt us envoys who came to negotiate? I'm afraid this is against the rules?" Sir Rodriguez asked in a gloomy tone.

"Whose rules? How can the rules made by humans restrain orcs?" Kalmos grinned grinningly and stroked the sharp ax blade of the Slayer, cutting a small wound on his finger. Blood crawled down the ax blade like a red worm . "Put away that set of hypocritical rules! The god of war we believe in is the powerful Gogmaoya, not the hypocritical and fragile Balud! Human beings, your words can't move Kalmos? Bloody rage like steel will, agree to my terms, or die!"

"Death is not terrible. Everything is mortal. The Kingdom of Eternal Night is the ultimate destination of all life." Li Wei replied loudly, "Early death or late death is not important, the key is what you die for. Yield to the threat of violence How can I face the hero Balud after death? As a knight, I am ashamed of having such a thought, and I am even more proud of expulsing it immediately. Karl Lord Moss, since you choose war, then..."

A hand was placed on Levi's shoulder, preventing him from pulling out the knight's sword, and then the voice of Mr. Dish, who had never said a word, sounded. "Master Levi, it's too early to make a decision at this time, Governor Kalmos, and you too." The old magician smiled gently, and the movement of walking out from behind Li Wei was with a kind of posturing elegance, It was no different from a senior butler who walked out of the door of a noble mansion and was ready to welcome guests.

Kalmos narrowed his eyes dangerously. This human is old. Although his waist is not bent, he is definitely not strong. For orcs, this should be a type that is easy to deal with, but It gave him a strange sense of deterrence, even stronger than the knight holding the dark giant sword in his hand.

For a moment, Kalmos even thought that his intuition was wrong, but he quickly suppressed this chance. The orcs who could ascend to the throne of East Gulen Wakao might be bloodthirsty or savage. Tough, but definitely not one really stupid guy.Kalmos is very clear that he can't expect to make mistakes in judgment now, and a shopping battle with humans is not what he wants to happen. Since this old guy has something to say, he can certainly listen to it.

"Human old man, if age means wisdom, then you are obviously much smarter than that human kid." Karmos narrowed his eyes and looked at Mr. Dish, with warning in his eyes. "Now you speak, and mighty Karmos listens."

"Anger is a battle ax without a handle. It's powerful but it can't be mastered." Mr. Dish said in Orcish with a standard accent, and even imitated the guttural voice at the end of the sentence. Talk eloquently. "Think about it, what can the orcs do after acquiring the land in Kaidar Fort and its surroundings? The pasture here is sparse, and most of it has been reclaimed as arable land for planting crops, which cannot supply a large number of cattle and sheep. And if we agree to let the orcs Living here temporarily, can you make your orc tribe abide by the laws of the kingdom and stop looting other human villages?"

"Should there be restrictions? No, the orc tribe will never accept the constraints of human laws!" Karmos replied with a fierce and deep growl, "The orcs are free and do not accept any visible or invisible chains on their bodies. None of the laws of cowards in iron suits!"

"Lord Kalmos, you are Wakao among the orcs, that is, the lord of all armies, and you should of course restrain the orc tribes under your command." Li Wei couldn't help but interjected. "If not, why do you command so many orc tribes?"

"Powerful orcs are different from weak humans. We don't follow useless and stupid surnames, and we don't care who is the descendant of the strong. Every orc king does not rely on blood, but his own strength is better than his predecessors. Every time the throne is changed, the new orc king will step on the bones of the previous king and crown himself with his blood-stained head!" Kalmos said loudly, "I used this slayer to chop down the previous Donggu Ren Wakao's head, and when I am old enough to continue to hold this position, there will be a new strong person who will cut off my head! The inheritance of the Beast King is like this from generation to generation, and it will be the same in the future!"

"As far as I know, there are always exceptions." Mr. Dish's smile hung on his face like a mask, "For example, 400 years ago, Karmos, who was nicknamed Hellscream..."

For the first time, the horrified expression appeared on the orc king's face like cast steel, and it disappeared in a flash. The speed was so fast that people thought it was an illusion. "Hellscream?" Kalmos' tone was slightly suspicious, and the tribal leaders in the tent began to whisper. "Hellscream! Hellscream!" They repeated the name, over and over, each time more in awe than the last.

"Hellscream is the emissary sent by God Gogmaoya to save the orcs!" Kalmos said in a low voice, suppressing all the noise in the tent, "He is the legend of the Moonwhispering Plain, he is the master of Dongxigu The co-lord of Lun, the human old man, what do you mean by saying his name?"

"Since you still remember the name Hellscream, you probably haven't forgotten that he once bowed his head to Arthur I and won the Moonwhisper Plain for the orcs?" Mr. Dish pointed out with a smile, "At that time, the Kingdom of Arthur and the Orc Tribe were also in a difficult situation. If there were endless fights and bloodshed between them, the Orcs would still be squeezed near the Manya Mountain and the Dasha Gobi, and the Kingdom of Arthur would probably be wiped out. Disaster. Isn’t the current situation very similar to that time?”

"At the beginning, there were less than a thousand roaring warriors in the orc tribe, but now there are four thousand!" Karmos smiled threateningly.

"Back then, the orc tribe only faced hunger and famine, but now there are demons." Mr. Dish replied flatly.

"Orcs can't beat demons, but humans can't beat orcs." Zhuang Zhu, the leader of the pig-worshiping tribe, said with a thick nasal voice. "The devil takes it, hums it from the orcs, and the orcs snatch it, hums it from humans."

"But you can't take back the grasslands where you can graze cattle and sheep, you can't take back the hunting grounds for hunting wild animals, you can only take these things!" Mr. Dish took out three bags from his side, all of which were bulging, and then he put The contents were dumped to the ground one by one.

The first bag was filled with gray and dark red sandstone, which poured down the mouth like a shower of sandstone. "This is the treasure you can pick up from the ruins of Westwind County!" Mr. Dish said in a sarcasm.Immediately after the second bag was opened, almost dark brown shriveled oats poured down like a waterfall, "This is what you looted from villages and towns!"

Levi had fully understood Mr. Dish's intentions, and he couldn't wait to open the third bag. Countless potatoes rolled and fell to the ground, and some of them even bounced and rolled to Kalmos' feet. "These moldy potatoes, which are only rationed for slaves, are the precious treasures you can find after you break Kaidar Castle!" Looking at the puzzled expressions of the orc tribe leaders, Li Wei announced loudly, "Master Kalmos, Hundreds of orc warriors under your command died at the foot of Kaidar Fort just to take this from us?" He grabbed one of them with his hand and threw it at the Beast King, "Then we can generously Give you some!"

"Leave this kind of thing to yourselves!" Kalmos roared angrily in response, the Slayer swung upwards, and the ax blade smashed the poor potato into the air with incomparable precision. "Orcs don't need potatoes!"

"That's right, Governor Kalmos, think about what you orcs really need, and then think about the conditions I just proposed. The temporary retreat of the beasts is to make them more ferocious when they pounce. Humans are not the enemy of orcs, and there are no enemies here. Grasslands are not a land where orcs can live and work in peace. Fight against humans and linger in the ruins of the town; or work with humans to overcome difficulties and regain the fertile Moonwhisper Plain from the hands of demons. Which one is the most ideal result in your mind? "Lee Wei said loudly with passion.

These words moved several tribal leaders to shut their mouths, stop making threatening gestures, and sit back where they belonged.But there are more orc leaders who are suspicious. They either continue to shout, or cast distrustful eyes on the young griffin lord.The most powerful of these leaders is undoubtedly the giant Rody of the Giant Plains tribe. His tribe has the ability to train mammoth cavalry, which is a terrifying unit that can easily trample human heavy cavalry into blood mud, and his personal strength Also very powerful, second only to Kalmos? Bloodrage among the tribal leaders.

"Human shrimp, we listen to too many sweet and cunning words." The giant Roddy moved his huge head towards Levi, with a strong smell of blood in his breath, "We ask you, now we compare our fists with each other." Big, the human shrimp is weak, why don't we let the human shrimp back down more?"

"Power comes from power, and deterrence promotes peace. The Kingdom of Arthur is in a difficult situation. No one can deny that." Levi looked straight at the fierce and brutal eyes of the giant Roddy, as sharp as a long sword that had just been sharpened. Sword, "However, the orcs were also driven out by the demons from the land they have owned since ancient times. You left too much and brought too little. Compared with the heyday when the two Wakaaos of East and West Gulun ruled side by side, The current orc tribe has suffered heavy losses, with less than one-third of its strength. The kingdom of Arthur is facing more than twice as many demon armies as the orcs, but we have defeated the demons' offensive in the north and south. Even now we accept the orcs' proposal Unequal peace conditions, so how long can this peace be maintained? Until the arrival of the demon army? Or after the Kingdom of Arthur has stabilized the civil war situation, will it draw its strength to come to Westwind County?"

The giant Roddy mumbled something, his accent was too strong, and Levi couldn't understand the meaning of the words, but he could see a relaxed expression on that ugly and big face. "Human shrimp is right." Rody spoke again, and everyone could understand what he said this time. As the giant sat down on his piled up leather mattress, several orc tribe leaders sat down. down.

Now only one-third of the tribal leaders in the tent are still unwilling to sit down, but their expressions are not as fierce as they were at the beginning, and their shouting voices seem to lack confidence.Karmos's expression remained as unwavering as a statue made of steel, but Li Wei could feel the brutal aura hanging over the orc king gradually weakening.

"Most of the tribal leaders have already expressed their approval for the alliance, Governor Kalmos." Li Wei spoke, and made the final persuasion, "Whether to choose to hold the iron gauntlet and get the friendship of the Kingdom of Arthur; or hold the sharp sword and get death and peace." Bloodshed? The power to decide now is in your hands!" After finishing speaking, the young Griffin Lord felt a burst of exhaustion and joy in his heart, because he was sure that the peace agreement with the orcs could be reached.

"Hellscream once said that a human's tongue is better than a sharp sword and a magic fire. Now I have finally seen it." Kalmos's tone contained a trace of sarcasm, but there was no malice, "You have only one sentence that moved me, The orcs have shed too much blood, and this barren land can't satisfy the orcs. God Gogmaoya! In order to regain the homeland of the orcs since ancient times, the land flowing with milk and honey, I will In the name of Eastern Gulun Wakaao, I declare a contract with mankind..."

"Wait a minute, Wakao!" A deep and powerful voice came from outside the tent, and then the animal skin curtain parted left and right, and four robust orc roaring warriors walked in carrying a crude sedan chair, on which sat a tall man. A surprisingly burly orc, this orc is very old, the hair all over his body has turned white, and it looks a bit similar to the white bear skin wrapped around his body.The top of his head was bald, but his beard was extraordinarily thick, spreading over his chest like a blanket, and hanging down to his abdomen, where it blended with the hair there.The leaders of the orc tribes sitting on both sides of the tent stood up one after another and bowed to the old orc. Their brutal and ferocious faces were full of expressions of awe.

Li Wei has been observing the bloody and furious face of Carmos. After the old orc appeared, he frowned slightly, and then recovered his calm expression. "Great Shaman Grates," the Beast King said solemnly, "Do you have any different opinions on the alliance between orcs and humans?"

(End of this chapter)