Chapter 361: Rebels Gather

First came the rumors of an Orc Tide from who knows where, then villagers in the south indeed discovered animals fleeing the forest, and after that, the order from the Nether King arrived as well.

Now, even the dullest person understood that something major was happening; in the past, the Orc Tide came from either the east or the west, and the Netheril River, which flowed from south to north into the Narrow Sea, was the best defensive line against the orcs.

During wartime, Commoners would choose to temporarily hide on the other side based on the direction the orcs were coming from, and once the orcs were hurt and had finished their pillaging, they would eventually retreat.

This was the Netherese way of survival.

But now that the Orc Tide was coming from the south, if one did not want the northern farmlands, villages, and towns to be harmed, it was best to intercept the orcs here at Jilan Town.

Of course, a complete interception was impossible; although orcs were hot-tempered, they were not without Wisdom. If blocked, they would simply bypass this place and launch an attack from the east, but in that situation, the entire situation would fall into ruin.

Especially since this was not the normal time for an Orc Tide, the grain in the fields had not yet been harvested! Once it suffered serious damage, there was no telling how many people would starve to death this winter.

Jilan Town stood on the front line of the advancing Orc Tide, and the villages and towns in the rear, whether out of Alliance camaraderie, the Nether King's orders, or simply to reduce their own losses, all had to send their forces to the front.

……

On the watchtower, Lord Kubo withdrew his gaze from the soldiers arriving from various places in the north and turned his eyes toward the southern villages. Now that the Orc Tide was a foregone conclusion, no matter the final result, Jilan Town, being on the front line, would always be the one to suffer the greatest losses!

At the thought of this, Lord Kubo's expression turned somewhat gloomy, but then he thought, the one who should be the most nervous right now is that old man!

"Don't you always look at Jilan Town as your own possession? Now it's time for you to contribute!"

Thinking this, Lord Kubo suddenly felt a bit relieved. For a moment, he remembered Luoer, who had disappeared some time ago. After descending from the watchtower, he had his attendant summon Captain Gaosi, who had been responsible for searching for Luoer at the time.

He knew that even after the news of the Orc Tide broke, Gaosi had not given up the search for Luoer, risking his life several times to enter the Southern Forest where Luoer might have gone when he flew away to investigate.

Perhaps there were clues now.

Before long, Gaosi, who was still training, was brought before Lord Kubo by the attendant. After saluting, he asked, "Lord, you summoned me?"

"Yes. Have you found Luoer?" Kubo asked.

"My Lord!" Gaosi, thinking the Lord was going to hold him accountable, immediately knelt down. "Your subordinate found traces of a campfire and animal processing in the forest. I questioned the nearby villagers, and none of them have entered the forest recently, and orcs would not process food so delicately. Your subordinate judged that those must be traces left by Luoer, but recently—"

Gaosi did not continue with the rest of his words, but Lord Kubo understood; recently, because of the Orc Tide, Priest Walixi had ordered the soldiers to stop searching and prepare for battle with all their might.

"You were also present when Luoer was being punished. Did you see anything unusual about Shapuni?" Kubo asked again.

Although that Mithril Coin was found in Shapuni's hand, Kubo did not believe Shapuni had the qualifications or the channels to obtain such a treasure! The most likely scenario was that he obtained it from Luoer, and he wanted to know how Shapuni got it.

And then there was Luoer; that sudden change left him very puzzled. Why would someone who usually showed nothing special suddenly master powerful Magic? Was it a new method researched by those Rebels? Or had Luoer obtained some powerful Elven Secret Treasure?

Only Elves possessed Mithril, so Kubo was more inclined toward the latter possibility! Clearly feeling the Lord's probing gaze sweeping over him, Gaosi did not dare to move at all, only answering according to the Lord's question: "My Lord, Shapuni seemed to pick something up from the ground at the end. I was under the execution platform at the time and didn't see it clearly."

Picked something up from the ground? Kubo was thoughtful. Perhaps that was the prelude to Luoer's outburst—using the Mithril Coin to temporarily distract the executioner Shapuni, and then activating the Elven Secret Treasure he had hidden.

It must be that! For a moment, Kubo imagined countless images of Elven Secret Treasures, and greed gradually welled up in his heart. But right now, there was no news of Luoer at all; he only knew he had left traces in the Southern Forest. How could he find him? Looking at Gaosi, who was still kneeling on the ground, Kubo frowned and said casually, "I know about this. There is nothing for you here; go out!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

After Gaosi left, Kubo did not ask anyone else, but leaned back in his chair and pondered all the possibilities regarding Luoer himself. Thinking of the Orc Tide, he felt that Luoer might appear. If he could see Luoer again, perhaps he could make his move.

……

On the other side, the old man in Kubo's words, Priest Walixi, had been so busy he hadn't slept well for several days. The soldiers of the Territory needed him to assign tasks, and the soldiers coming from the northern villages to support them also needed proper arrangements.

In addition, he had to appease the public and execute the Nether King's orders—not the order calling on everyone to resist the orcs together, but some secret matters he had been ordered to do privately.

His body was already in decline, and with the busyness of these days, Priest Walixi's mental state was terrible, but he was not willing to let Lord Kubo come over to share the burden at all.

This was where his authority lay; he could not easily let go!

He only hoped to obtain a method to maintain his energy from the Nether King; if he could also obtain a long lifespan, that would be even better!

Here, he had just handled a conflict between the incoming soldiers and the local soldiers and had returned to the Study to lie on the desk to rest for a while, when a clamor suddenly came from outside. Walixi immediately sat up straight, frowning, full of anger.

"Go ask what is happening outside?"

"Yes, Priest!" A servant outside the door responded and then left.

Before long, the servant ran back in a hurry, his expression panicked: "M—My Lord, it's the Rebels, the Rebels have come!"

Seeing the servant beside him so panicked, Walixi slapped the desk and scolded angrily: "Aren't they just Rebels? What are you panicking about! Go invite Lord Kubo over!"

In fact, Walixi was also a bit panicked in his heart, because he knew the Rebels were not just one or two. Now, under the Nether King's call, they had all come to Jilan Town to fight the orcs. If things went wrong, he would be the one to suffer! At this moment, all his fatigue disappeared, his eyes shone with a sharp light, thinking about how to arrange these people well and execute the Nether King's secret orders.

Thanks to 【I really don't know what to call you】 for the 500 tip!! Thanks for everyone's support!!

(End of chapter)