Chapter 104

Mike managed to squeeze out a smile.

"I hope so."

The team headed north all the way and soon left the sphere of influence of Vanguard Valley.

The scenery along the way also gradually became desolate.

Dense forests were gradually replaced by sparse shrubs and exposed rocks.

The air also had a trace of dryness and murderous aura.

Occasionally, one could see some abandoned villages by the roadside, as well as skeletons gnawed by wild beasts.

These scenes silently told of the barrenness and danger of this land.

Roko's expression remained calm throughout.

His gaze remained sharp, constantly scanning the surrounding environment, not letting go of any suspicious signs.

Fula followed closely by his side; her perception was more acute than that of humans.

Any movement of wind or grass could not escape her pair of vigilant cat ears.

The team moved very fast, but always maintained a strict formation.

The members of the Storm Knights were all elites who had undergone strict training.

Even on rugged mountain roads, they could control their warhorses as if they were walking on flat ground.

Hart issued short instructions from time to time, adjusting the formation and forward speed of the team.

His experience was fully reflected at this time.

A few days later.

The team finally arrived at the natural barrier between New Wind Province and the Orc Wasteland.

Crossing this mountain range, it was the real Orc Wasteland.

"Young Master, ahead is the Heifeng Aikou."

A scout responsible for scouting the path ahead spurred his horse and hurried back to report to Roko.

"After passing the Heifeng Aikou, it is the outer area of the Orc Wasteland."

"The terrain there is complex, and small Orc patrol teams often appear."

Roko nodded.

"Pass the order down, the whole army should increase vigilance and prepare for battle."

"Yes!"

The scout took the order and left.

The atmosphere of the team also became tense.

The knights checked their weapons and equipment one after another, their eyes full of vigilance.

Heifeng Aikou lived up to its name.

In the narrow mountain pass, biting cold winds blew all year round.

The wind whistled like ghosts crying and wolves howling.

On both sides were steep mountain walls, with strange rocks and no grass growing.

This was the only way to enter the Orc Wasteland and also a natural dangerous pass.

Roko reined in his warhorse and scanned the steep pass.

"Falco, you take a team of people to scout, pay attention to safety."

"Yes! Young Master!"

Falco responded excitedly, picked ten knights, and carefully crept into the pass.

A moment later, Falco returned with his men.

"Young Master, no ambush was found in the pass."

"However, we found some fresh Orc footprints on the ground; it looks like they just left not long ago."

Hearing this, a flash of light passed through Roko's eyes.

"Very good."

"It seems our luck is not bad; perhaps we will meet 'old friends' soon."

He waved his hand.

"The whole army passes through the pass and enters the Orc Wasteland!"

The team carefully passed through the narrow Heifeng Aikou.

The scene before them suddenly opened up.

A vast and desolate wilderness unfolded before everyone.

Low hills rolled and undulated, extending to the end of the line of sight.

The ground was covered with withered yellow weeds and black sand and rocks.

The air was filled with a faint smell of blood and the unique smell of beasts.

This was the Orc Wasteland.

A world full of barbarism, blood, and slaughter.

"Hart, send out scouts to scout the surroundings and look for traces of Orc tribes."

"Yes, Young Master."

Hart immediately dispatched several experienced scouts to scatter in different directions.

The team stopped under a relatively hidden hill to rest and wait for orders.

Mike looked at this strange land before him, his heart full of unease.

He could even feel that the air carried a kind of oppressive dangerous aura.

"Is this the Orc Wasteland?"

He muttered to himself, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible trembling.

Fula's pair of silver-gray cat ears suddenly stood up vigilantly.

She turned her head sharply and looked at a low shrubbery to the front left.

"Meow!"

She issued a low warning.

Almost at the same time, Roko also noticed the strangeness.

"There's a situation!"

He whispered, and the knight's longsword in his hand was unsheathed instantly.

"Vigilance!"

Hart roared sharply.

The Storm Knights reacted extremely quickly and immediately formed a tight defensive formation, protecting Roko and Fula in the center.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several crudely made bone spears shot out from the shrubbery, carrying a harsh sound of breaking through the air, and shot toward the team.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The bone spears hit the heavy Obsidian Gold armor of the Storm Knights, emitting a sound of gold and iron clashing.

Sparks flew everywhere.

Those seemingly sharp bone spears couldn't even leave a scratch on the armor, but broke one after another and fell to the ground.

The defensive power of the Obsidian Gold armor was displayed to the fullest at this moment.

"Roar!"

Accompanied by a wild roar, more than ten tall Orcs with dirty green skin rushed out from the shrubbery.

They brandished simple stone axes and bone clubs in their hands, howling and rushing toward the formation of the Storm Knights.

These Orcs were the most common green-skinned Orcs in the Orc Wasteland.

Although they had low intelligence, they were born with infinite strength and were not afraid of death.

"Hmph, things that don't know whether to live or die."

A cold light flashed in Roko's eyes, and he snorted disdainfully.

He didn't even intend to make a move himself.

"Hart, I'll leave it to you."

"Yes, Young Master!"

Hart responded in a deep voice.

He drew the knight's longsword from his waist, the tip of the sword pointing directly at the rushing Orcs.

"Storm Knights, charge!"

"Kill!"

Fifty well-equipped Storm Knights roared in unison, like tigers descending the mountain, and launched a counter-charge against those Orcs.

Their formation, like a sharp dagger, stabbed fiercely into the loose team of Orcs.

The Obsidian Gold longsword shimmered with a deadly cold light in the sunlight.

Every swing could easily tear through the tough skin of the Orcs, bringing up bursts of dark green blood.

And the simple weapons in the hands of the Orcs, when hacking at the armor of the knights, could only emit bursts of powerless muffled sounds and could not cause any effective damage at all.

This was a massacre without suspense.

Well-equipped and well-trained Storm Knights against these poorly equipped green-skinned Orcs who only relied on brute force was simply a dimensional strike.

Falco took the lead, the longsword in his hand flying up and down, and every sword could accurately hit the vital points of an Orc.

His face carried a trace of excited flush.

This feeling of cutting melons and vegetables made him feel incomparably happy.

Mike followed behind Falco, also gathered his courage, and brandished the longsword in his hand, hacking at an Orc who was trying to sneak attack Falco.

Although his movements still appeared somewhat raw and flustered.

But when the longsword in his hand successfully pierced into the chest of that Orc, and he felt the feeling of that warm blood splashing on his face.

In his heart, a strange excitement and bloodthirsty impulse actually surged up.

The battle ended quickly.

Those dozen or so green-skinned Orcs, under the impact of the Storm Knights, couldn't even organize a decent resistance and were all beheaded.

The air was filled with a rich smell of blood.

On the ground lay the incomplete corpses of the Orcs.

The Storm Knights had zero casualties.

Even the armor on their bodies didn't show any obvious damage.

"Clean up the battlefield."

Hart sheathed his sword with a blank expression and issued the order.

Several knights immediately stepped forward and began to check the corpses of those Orcs, collecting valuable items that might be on them.

Although these poor green-skinned Orcs usually didn't have anything good on them.

Roko didn't move from beginning to end.

He just watched this battle quietly, observing the performance of the knights under his command.

He was quite satisfied with the combat effectiveness of the Storm Knights.

Especially after changing into Obsidian Gold equipment, their overall strength had indeed been raised by a notch.

"It seems that those Dwarf artisans of the Stone Hammer Tribe really didn't fool me."

Roko thought to himself.

Fula walked to Roko's side, her heterochromatic pupils curiously examining those dead Orcs.

"Master, they are so ugly."

She said softly, her tone carrying a trace of disgust.

Hearing this, Roko couldn't help but smile.

"They are indeed not very good-looking."

"However, their combat effectiveness should not be underestimated."

"This is just the weakest batch of cannon fodder in the Orc Wasteland."

"Truly powerful Orc tribes are far more difficult to deal with than them."

Mike looked at the corpses all over the ground with a pale face, his stomach churning.

Although he had experienced some battles before, this was the first time he had personally experienced such a bloody and direct scene.

This was completely different from the feeling of fighting human enemies in Adelrian City or Red Leaf Forest territory.

The cruelty and fearlessness of the Orcs left a deep impression on him.

"Young Master, everything has been handled."

Hart walked over and reported to Roko.

"Judging from the equipment and physique of these Orcs, they should just be scouts of some small tribe nearby."

Roko nodded.

"Very good."

"It seems we have successfully attracted the attention of some guys."

"Pass the order down, continue to advance."

"I want to see how many 'surprises' this Orc Wasteland can bring us."

The team set off again and headed deeper into the Orc Wasteland.

In the next few days, they encountered several waves of small Orc attacks one after another.

But without exception, they were all easily solved by the Storm Knights.

These victories, although insignificant, effectively boosted the morale of the knights.

Especially Mike, after experiencing the initial fear and discomfort, gradually adapted to this bloody battle.

His swordsmanship also improved significantly in actual combat.

A few days later, the team arrived at a hilly area with relatively open terrain.

The scout responsible for scouting the path brought back important intelligence again.

"Young Master, in a valley about ten miles ahead, a small-scale Orc tribe was discovered."

"According to preliminary observation, the number of people in that tribe is at least over five hundred."

"They built simple wooden walls and arrow towers and seem to have a certain defensive capability."

"A medium-sized tribe of over five hundred people?"

Hearing this, a flash of interested light passed through Roko's eyes.

The ones encountered in the past few days were just small fish and shrimp that didn't amount to anything, making him feel somewhat unsatisfied.

Now, he had finally encountered a decent target.

"Very good."

"This tribe is the first official target of our expedition this time."

He looked at Hart and Falco.

"Hart, you lead fifty knights to feign an attack from the front to attract their attention."

"Falco, you lead thirty knights to detour from the left flank and look for opportunities to surprise their side and rear."

"Fula, you and I, as well as Mike and the remaining twenty knights, will act as a reserve team and be ready to support at any time."

"Remember, our goal is to annihilate this tribe completely, leaving no one behind!"

"Be sure to finish the battle quickly and don't give them any chance to call for help."

"Understood!"

Hart and Falco responded in unison, their eyes full of fighting spirit.

Although Mike was still a little nervous in his heart, he didn't show it on his face.

This was the Young Master's test for him and also his opportunity to prove himself.

The team quickly divided into three routes and, according to Roko's deployment, quietly crept toward the valley where the Orc tribe was located.

The Blood Claw Tribe was an Orc force of medium size in this area.

The leader of the tribe was a red-skinned Orc with strength reaching the initial stage of Bronze Rank Warrior, named Grom Blood Claw.

He was known for his bravery, combativeness, and cruelty.

At this moment, Grom was sitting in a simple large tent built with giant wood and beast bones, tearing into a piece of half-cooked giant lizard meat.

Beside him were several Orc warriors who were also devouring food.

"Leader, recently those damn humans seem to be moving more and more frequently near our tribe's territory."

A green-skinned Orc with a scar on his face said vaguely while chewing meat.

"The several teams of scouts sent out a few days ago didn't come back; I'm afraid they are in bad luck."

Hearing this, Grom snorted heavily and threw the bone in his hand to the ground.

"Hmph, a bunch of trash!"

"Can't even deal with a few humans."

"However, those humans are indeed somewhat strange."

"Their equipment seems to be much better than the human caravans we encountered before."

"Moreover, they act decisively and strike ruthlessly; they don't look like ordinary adventurers."

Another gray-skinned Orc, who was relatively thin but had a cunning look in his eyes, added from the side.

He was the shaman of the tribe, named Kazi.

In Orc tribes, shamans usually play the role of wise men.

"Kazi, what is your opinion?"

Grom looked at the gray-skinned shaman and asked.

Kazi pondered for a moment and said.

"Leader, I suspect that this batch of humans might not be ordinary adventurers or caravans."

"They are likely scouts from the regular army of the human kingdom, or even a small elite force."

"Their purpose is probably not just looting."

"They might be scouting our reality to prepare for a subsequent large-scale invasion!"

"Large-scale invasion?"

Hearing this, a flash of violence passed through Grom's eyes.

"Hmph, those weak humans also dare to invade our great Orc Wasteland?"

"They are courting death!"

"Pass my order, all warriors of the tribe, strengthen vigilance!"

"Once the traces of those humans are discovered, kill them without mercy!"

"I want to let them know that the territory of the Blood Claw Tribe is not something they can step on at will!"