Chapter 106: A sign of bloodline awakening?

"It seems that this trip deep into the Orc Wasteland has truly yielded a treasure."

A corner of Roko's mouth curled into an imperceptible arc.

The value of an S+ grade talent follower is immeasurable.

Especially at this moment when chaotic times are approaching, he will not let go of any opportunity that can enhance his own strength. "Hart."

Roko said.

"Master."

Hart responded, waiting for Roko's order.

He thought Roko would order the young beast to be dealt with.

"Find some clean, soft cloth and fresh water."

Roko's order, however, made Hart slightly stunned.

"Master, you want to..."

Hart asked somewhat uncertainly.

He did not understand why Roko wanted to save an orc cub.

This did not conform to common sense.

"Although it is an orc, it is currently just a cub without any threat."

Roko said indifferently.

"Moreover, I felt something special from it."

"Perhaps, it can be of use to me in the future."

He did not explain too much.

Some things do not need to be fully disclosed to subordinates.

Although Hart was confused, as a qualified knight, obeying orders was his duty.

"Yes, Master."

He nodded and turned to make arrangements.

Mike heard Roko's words, and a look of joy appeared on his face.

He did not expect Roko to choose to save this pitiful little thing.

This made his impression of Roko even better.

【Mike's favorability toward you +5, current favorability: 85】

【Mike's loyalty toward you +5, current loyalty: 80】

The system's prompt sounded in Roko's mind.

Roko glanced at Mike and didn't say anything more.

Soon, Hart brought a knight and fetched fresh water and clean, soft cloth.

Roko took the soft cloth and carefully wiped the filth from the young orc's body.

Its body was very thin, skin and bones, as if it would shatter with a light touch.

During the wiping process, Roko felt the dormant bloodline power within it even more clearly.

That power was filled with an ancient and powerful aura.

"Must find a way to preserve its life and keep it firmly in my control."

Roko thought to himself.

He thought of the most direct and effective method.

Slave Mark.

Although using a Slave Mark on such a weak cub seemed somewhat cruel.

But to ensure nothing went wrong, this was the safest choice.

Roko's fingertips began to condense a trace of weak flame Battle Qi.

Under his control, that Battle Qi slowly formed a small and complex Flame Griffin pattern.

It was the unique Slave Mark of the Raymond Family.

Fula saw Roko's movements, and her heterochromatic pupils flickered slightly.

She knew what her master was going to do.

Her own forehead had also once been branded with the same mark.

That feeling was not pleasant.

But she did not stop him.

Because she knew that her master's decision could not be questioned.

Moreover, if this little thing could survive and be nurtured by her master, it might not be a bad thing for it.

At the very least, it was better than dying in this desolate valley.

Roko's fingertip, carrying that small Slave Mark, gently touched the young orc's smooth forehead.

The young orc's body shuddered violently.

Its tightly closed eyes seemed to want to open, but it was powerless to do so.

From its mouth came an extremely weak whimper, like that of a kitten.

The Slave Mark slowly merged into its forehead, leaving behind a faint, almost invisible Flame Griffin pattern.

"Done."

Roko withdrew his finger and said to Hart: "Find a warmer place and let it rest for a while first."

"Also, send people to guard it strictly; do not let anyone near."

"Yes, Master."

Hart nodded.

Although he still didn't understand why Roko attached such importance to an orc cub.

But he knew that Roko must have his reasons for doing so.

Soon, two Storm Knights carefully picked up the beast hide wrapping the young orc and sent it to a relatively quiet tent in the camp.

Mike watched that small figure disappear at the tent entrance, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He was glad that the little thing could survive, but also worried about its future fate.

Becoming a slave was, after all, not a good thing.

"Master, the spoils of this tribe have been counted."

Falco walked over and reported to Roko.

"Except for a large amount of beast hide, bone tools, and some dried meat, nothing of special value was found."

"Those orcs were truly too poor."

Falco's tone carried a hint of disdain.

Roko nodded.

"As expected."

"These small tribes have no oil to squeeze."

"Our main purpose this time was not for looting."

"But for deterrence and training troops."

He looked at Falco and asked: "What about the casualties?"

"Reporting to Master, we have no casualties."

A look of pride appeared on Falco's face.

"Only three knights suffered minor injuries, which will not affect combat."

"The defensive power of the obsidian gold armor is simply too astonishing."

"Those orcs' attacks simply could not cause us effective damage."

Roko was quite satisfied with this result.

"Very good."

"Let the injured knights go down to treat their wounds."

"The rest, rest in place for one hour, then continue on our way."

"Yes, Master!"

Falco received his order and left.

Roko's gaze turned once again to the tent where the young orc was housed.

"S+ grade talent Ancient Bloodline Variant Orc..."

"What is your origin?"

"And what kind of surprises will you bring me?"

His heart was filled with anticipation.

The appearance of this little guy undoubtedly added more variables to his trip to the Orc Wasteland, but also brought greater opportunities.

He had a vague feeling that this young orc might become a very important trump card in his hand in the future.

Night gradually fell.

The nights in the Orc Wasteland were even more dangerous than the days.

Various nocturnal Magic Beasts began to come out and move about.

The air was filled with an unsettling aura.

Inside the Storm Knights' camp, bonfires burned brightly, dispelling the surrounding darkness and cold.

The knights took turns keeping watch, vigilantly observing the movements outside the camp.

Roko did not rest.

He came to the tent where the young orc was housed.

Inside the tent, a dim oil lamp was lit.

The young orc was still lying quietly in the beast hide wrapping, its breathing weak but steady.

Roko reached out and gently felt its forehead.

It was still somewhat cold.

Its life force was still continuously fading.

Although the speed had slowed down somewhat, the situation was still not optimistic.

"It seems that relying solely on its own recovery ability, it will be difficult to pull through."

Roko's brow furrowed.

Although the Slave Mark could ensure its loyalty, it could not heal its injuries, nor could it replenish its lost life force.

Must find a way to provide it with some energy.

Roko thought of the incomparably precious 【Golden Vein Dragon Blood Grape】 in his Space Ring, gifted by Great-Grandfather Bruce.

That kind of grape contained pure life energy and dragon blood essence.

Perhaps it could be used to save this little guy.

It was just that the 【Golden Vein Dragon Blood Grape】 was so precious.

Each one was worth a fortune.

Using it on an orc cub with an uncertain future, was it a bit too wasteful?

A hint of hesitation flashed in Roko's heart.

But soon, he made up his mind.

An S+ grade talent was worth him taking this risk, and worth him paying some price.

If this little guy could really grow up, then his investment today would yield a hundredfold or thousandfold return.

Roko took out a 【Golden Vein Dragon Blood Grape】 from his Space Ring.

That grape presented a crystal-clear dark red color throughout, its surface covered in fine golden patterns, emitting a refreshing and strange fragrance.

Just smelling this fragrance made one feel refreshed.

Roko did not feed the whole grape to the young orc directly.

He worried that the young beast's weak body could not withstand such a massive energy shock.

He took out a sharp small knife and carefully cut a small opening in the grape skin.

Then, he squeezed gently.

A few drops of grape juice, red as blood and emitting a rich aura of life, dripped into a clean small porcelain bowl.

Although the amount of those few drops was small, the energy contained within them was pure to the extreme.

Roko brought the small porcelain bowl to the young orc's mouth and used a clean feather to dip a trace of juice,

carefully sending it into its dry, cracked little mouth.

The young orc's body shuddered slightly.

Its throat moved subconsciously, swallowing that trace of juice.

A moment later, a trace of imperceptible redness appeared on its pale little face.

Its breathing seemed to have become a bit stronger as well.

"It works!"

A look of joy flashed in Roko's eyes.

He continued to use the feather to dip the juice, feeding it to the young orc bit by bit.

Every drop of juice was like life-saving nectar, nourishing its nearly exhausted life.

After feeding about half a small bowl of diluted grape juice, Roko stopped.

He worried that too much would be counterproductive.

He carefully put the remaining grape back into his Space Ring.

After doing all this, Roko felt the young orc's forehead again.

This time, he clearly felt that the young beast's body temperature had risen somewhat.

It was no longer as cold as before.

Its breathing had also become steadier and longer.

Its life force was beginning to recover at a slow but firm speed.

"It seems this little life has been saved."

Roko breathed a sigh of relief.

He looked at the little guy sleeping quietly, and a thought suddenly arose in his heart.

"Since you will be following me from now on, you must have a name."

He pondered for a moment and said: "Your skin is dark red, and you have two small horns on your forehead; you look somewhat ferocious."

"How about I call you 'Tain'?"

Roko felt that this name was quite good.

"Tain."

Seemingly hearing Roko's voice, the young orc named Tain moved its eyelids slightly.

From its mouth came a murmur as soft as a mosquito.

In the sound, there seemed to be a trace of reliance, and also a trace of confusion.

Roko smiled slightly.

From this moment on, the fate of this little guy named Tain was tightly linked with his own.

In the following days, Roko led the Storm Knights to continue clearing out scattered orc tribes in the outer areas of the Orc Wasteland while carefully caring for Tain.

Tain's body was also recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Its pale skin gradually regained its color, becoming rosy.

Its thin body also began to grow flesh, no longer as skin-and-bones as before.

The two small horns on its forehead also seemed to have become more solid.

What made Roko most happy was that he could clearly feel the dormant bloodline power within Tain slowly reviving.

Although this revival was very slow, it was real.

Fula and Mike also showed great curiosity toward Tain.

Fula would often sneak into the tent to visit Tain when Roko was away.

She would use her soft cat paws to gently stroke Tain's little face, letting out soft "meow meow" sounds,

as if communicating with Tain.

Mike's attitude changed from initial pity to pure curiosity.

He was very curious about what was so special about this little thing that Roko valued so much.

Hart and Falco, although still wary of Tain, the orc cub,

didn't say anything when they saw how much Roko valued Tain.

They just became a bit more careful during patrols and guarding to prevent any accidents.

This evening, the team camped and rested in a hidden valley.

Roko came to Tain's tent as usual.

After a few days of recuperation, Tain's complexion had improved a lot.

It was no longer dying as before, but began to show some vitality that a cub should have.

For example, it would occasionally open its eyes and curiously look at the surrounding environment.

Although its vision didn't seem to have fully recovered, and things still looked a bit blurry,

in those dark red eyes, a strange luster flickered.

When Roko walked into the tent, Tain seemed to have sensed his aura.

Its pair of dark red eyes immediately turned toward Roko's direction.

It let out a soft cry that carried a questioning tone.

Roko walked to its side, reached out, and gently touched its little head.

"How are you feeling?"

He asked softly.

Although he knew that Tain couldn't communicate with him using language yet.

Tain seemed to understand Roko's words and rubbed its little head against Roko's palm.

From its mouth came a satisfied "purr purr" sound.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

Tain's body suddenly began to tremble slightly; on the surface of its skin, a layer of faint dark red halo emerged.

The two small horns on its forehead also began to emit a faint light.

A bloodline power, more powerful and violent than ever before, erupted from within its body,

suddenly bursting forth.

"Hmm?"

Roko's expression shifted slightly.

He could feel that the bloodline power within Tain seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation.

This transformation came so suddenly and so violently.

The air inside the tent seemed to have frozen.

An invisible pressure emanated from Tain's small body, making even Roko feel a trace of heart-palpitation.

"Is this a sign of bloodline awakening?"

A sharp light flashed in Roko's eyes.

He didn't expect Tain's bloodline awakening to come so quickly.

It seems the effect of the 【Golden Vein Dragon Blood Grape】 was even better than he had imagined.

Not only did it save Tain's life, but it also triggered the bloodline power within its body in advance. ===== CHAPTER 107 =====