"I thought the Half-Elf would be intimidated upon hearing the others say that they would only recognize him if he managed to wipe out the entire army of the Haca Dynasty," Barca said as he laid down on the huge bed. "But his reaction and his body language earlier made me feel like such a requirement wasn't a big deal to him."
Lady Avyanna nodded as she looked outside the window of their room with her arms crossed over her chest.
"That boy isn't simple. The storage ring he offered to me as a gift earlier contained 10 Draconium Ores," Lady Avyanna stated. "This alone proves that he has a strong backing.
"But I just can't imagine him accomplishing a feat that would make the entire Clan recognize his achievements. True, beating Flamma in the duel earned him some kind of recognition, as well as respect from the tribe.
"However, that alone will not suffice for them to have a unanimous decision of giving away the Twin Flames. I had a talk with Flamma earlier and asked him the real reason why he accepted Lux's proposal to the duel. He said that the Dragon Born, who suddenly disappeared this afternoon, had mentioned that they should just steal the Twin Flames while we were fighting on the front lines."
Barca arched an eyebrow after hearing his wife's explanation.
"The Draconium Ore is indeed a good thing. It can help us craft a few Legendary Items if the crafting process is successful." Barca replied. "About stealing the Twin Flames while we are on the front lines, even if they want to steal it, they will not be able to steal it. Many have tried and failed. All of them are now dead, and their remains have been burnt until only ashes were left."
Lady Avyanna smiled as she walked towards the bed where her husband was lying down.
Truth be told, Lady Avyanna was weaker than Barca. The only reason why she sat at the helm of the Blackrock Clan was due to her being an exceptional strategist. It was because of her that the invasion by the Haca Dynasty many years ago failed miserably.
It was then when the Blackrock Clan and Barca fell in love with her and Barca married her. With the blessing of the entire clan, they recognized her as the Orc Chieftain, which allowed her to attain her current position.
"Let's not talk about Lux for the time being," Lady Avyanna said. "We should just rest. We will depart for the front lines tomorrow before sunrise."
"Avyanna, what do you think? Are we going to lose this time around?"
"I won't be able to answer this question until I see their forces for myself. But I have a feeling that our clan will suffer a lot from this confrontation."
The Orc Chieftain laid beside her husband, and the latter hugged her close to him.
"Let's minimize the casualties to the bare minimum," Barca replied. "We can't let the Clan weaken too much."
"I understand." Lady Avyanna buried her head on her husband's chest to seek the sense of security that she needed during these troubled times. "Even if the first Fortress gets overrun, they will have to pay a heavy price for it."
While the husband and wife comforted each other, Lux and Baronar also finished their discussion.
"So, will you be going with us to the front lines, while your other companions stay here in the capital city?" Baronar inquired.
Lux nodded. "Yes, Your Excellency. Only I will go to the front lines with you tomorrow."
"I see…" Baronar frowned. "Is this because of what happened during dinner? Don't let their words get to you. They're just feeling anxious about the upcoming war, so they are venting their frustrations on you."
"Don't worry, Your Excellency, I am not bothered by what Flamma and the other Orc Warlords said earlier," Lux replied. "I am just curious to know how the wars between two Kingdoms are conducted. This will be a good opportunity to watch two armies in action."
Of course, Lux didn't tell Baronar that he had already witnessed large-scale battles between two Kingdoms. However, he didn't lie when he said that he wanted to watch how the Blackrock Clan and the Haca Dynasty would fight against each other.
He wanted to know what weapons of war they would mobilize, or what strategy they would use during the war.
He wanted to expand his knowledge when it came to warfare because with the forces he could summon right now, it was possible for him to completely subdue an entire village, and a small town, if he set his mind to it.
Of course, Lux had no intention of doing that. It was just that he had reached a certain level where he was capable enough to take over small territories if the need for it arose.
"Rest as soon as you can," Baronar stated. "We will leave before sunrise. That will give us enough time to reach the Stronghold of Vuddun Akh before the army of the Haca Dynasty arrives."
"Understood." Lux nodded. "Goodnight, Your Excellency, and thank you for the Beast Bones."
"No. It is I who should thank you," Baronar replied. "Getting Beast Bones is easy, but getting my hands on an Abyssal Core is a matter of pure luck. Well then, see you in a few hours."
The Great Orc Shaman left Lux's residence to return to his own quarters. His subordinates had already prepared everything he would need for the journey, so he had more free time to master the new skill he acquired from the Abyssal Core that he had absorbed earlier.
Lux, on the other hand, closed the door of his room and summoned Asmodeus. Earlier, they had paused the revival of the Undead Abyssal Creature due to lack of resources.
But after Baronar gave the Half-Elf a storage ring containing the Beast Bones he promised, the amount he received exceeded his expectations.
80 Rank 4 Beast Bones
50 Rank 5 Beast Bones
2 Deimos-Ranked Beast Bones
2 Argonaut-Ranked Beast Bones
That was the number of resources that Baronar had given Lux in exchange for the Abyssal Core in his possession.
"Master, let's store the 2 Deimos-Ranked Beast Bones and the 2 Argonaut-Ranked Beast Bones for the time being," Asmodeus proposed. "It will be best if you use the skill Animate Undead to revive them when you become a Ranker. That way, most of their Rank will be preserved."
"Sounds like a plan." Lux agreed with the Archlich's proposal.
"I have another proposal for you, Master."
"Speak."
Asmodeus smirked. "How about you just revive all the Rank 5 Beast Bones so that your Animate Undead Legion will finally have a sizable force that you can summon at any given time? As for the Shadow Lord… you can make him the newest member of your Covenant. How does that sound?"
Lux pondered a bit before nodding his head.
"This is also good. With this, we will truly have a sizable force under our command." Lux replied. "Right now, most of my Summons—like the Skeleton Gang Bangers—are Rank 4 Monsters. If we revive Rank 5 Monsters, their strength will degrade by a Rank, making them Rank 4 monsters as well.
"As for making the Shadow Lord a new member of the Covenant… I think this is good as well. Each member of the Covenant can have their own subordinates, and I have a feeling that our new ally would be able to demonstrate his true might if he can command his own forces in battle. Very well, I will follow your advice, Asmodeus."
Lux then once again summoned the corpse of the Grim Butcher Nightwalker in order to finish what he had started.
With the resources that he acquired, it was now possible to summon another Unique Creature that would open new options on how Lux, and his Undead Legion, would fight in large-scale battles.
