"So, what is your name?" Thirteen asked the High Orc in front of him.
"My name is Jubei," the High Orc replied.
Unlike Brutus and Bruno who didn't have their own names, the High Orc had its own name. Since that was the case, Cristopher decided to keep the name out of respect for his new subordinate.
"So, Jubei. Can you tell me more about the balance of power here in the Houdini Desert?" Thirteen asked. "Also, tell me all the interesting news and rumors that you know."
The High Orc nodded before answering Thirteen's questions.
Cristopher ordered the High Orc to always obey Thirteen's orders as if he were the one giving him the order. Having received such a question, he didn't hesitate to obey and answered the younger boy.
"The strongest race in the Houdini Desert are the Barbarians," Jubei replied. "The second strongest are the Orcs. Following that are the Ogres. The Trolls are at the bottom of the Hierarchy.
"However, this ranking is only based on the development of both races. When it comes to pure power, the Ogres still reign supreme. As for tenacity, it is the Trolls. The Orcs and the Barbarians do not rely solely on strength but on strategy as well. Ogres and Trolls are simply too dumb to understand such concepts.
"Although they can also form hunting parties together, their ability to strategize is dirt poor. So if there is a war of the races, despite their strength and tenacity, we believe that the Orcs and the Barbarians will win hands down. In short, the Ogres and Trolls are too dumb to use their God-given abilities."
This explanation earned him the disgruntlement of Cristopher's two other Brutes, who were also there to welcome their new ally.
"You dumb!" Brutus growled.
"Dumb!" Bruno pounded the ground with its bone club, showing how pissed he was.
Jubei was unfazed by his two companions' reactions.
The reason?
It was because the truth hurt!
Just as Jubei was about to proceed to answer Thirteen's next question, the two Brutes started to make noises in the background due to their discontentment.
"Both of you shut up," Thirteen said coldly, making the two Brute Monsters behave like little kids who had just been scolded by their parents.
"There is news that the Barbarians are doing something big," Jubei stated. "It seems that they plan to wage war on the inhabitants of the next island."
Thirteen then accessed the database in his Soul Core to get the information he needed.
"Are you talking about the capital city of the Valbarra Kingdom, Lunation?" Thirteen asked.
"No." Jubei shook his head. "The Valbarra Kingdom fell long ago. "The second island is now under the control of the Tigerkins. They changed the name of the kingdom to the Sumatran Kingdom. The name of their capital city is Dawon."
Thirteen sighed in his heart.
Three hundred years was indeed a long time. And in Solterra, it was enough time to see the rise and fall of the kingdoms he once knew.
"Tigerkins… since they managed to invade the Valbarra Kingdom, it means they are strong, right?" Thirteen asked.
"They are," Jubei replied. "But they were weakened by the war twenty years ago. However, the Barbarians think that they are only biding their time before they launch an invasion on our land."
"I see." Thirteen nodded in understanding. "You talk well, Jubei. It's like I'm really talking to a human instead of an Orc."
"This is the gift that I have received from Master Cristopher," Jubei replied. "My previous self was just a Brute who knew how to fight."
Thirteen glanced at Cristopher, and the latter walked toward Thirteen to whisper something in his ears.
"Jubei has the Unique Ability called Scholar," Cristopher whispered. "It makes him incredibly smart and proficient in speaking all the languages in the Houdini Desert, including the language of Free Humans."
Thirteen found this to be quite interesting. Just like Cristopher had stated, the Unique Ability, Scholar, allowed anyone who possessed it to be incredibly smart, and proficient in learning different kinds of languages.
If Bruno suddenly gained this Unique Ability, the Ogre would also be able to speak the Human language as if he was born as a Human instead of an Ogre.
"Jubei, have you heard about the Beacon of Hope?" Thirteen asked.
Rianna who had been quietly listening to the side perked up after hearing this question.
Since this was her quest that would allow her to return to Pangea, she paid extra attention to it.
"The Beacon of Hope is just a myth," Jubei replied. "It is said that there will come a time when the Houdini Desert will face a calamity that will dye the ground red with blood. The only way to survive this terrible fate is by lighting the Beacon of Hope.
"Our ancestors have tried to look for it, but they never found anything. Even the Barbarians have searched far and wide for it within their territories, but they weren't able to find it. Perhaps it's in the territories of the Ogres or Trolls, but none of us dare to enter too deeply into their domains.
"Although our races would not hesitate to kill each other if we met in the desert, a full-blown war between the four races has never happened in the past. Also, due to the alliance between the Orcs and the Barbarians, our races have been able to co-
exist side by side for hundreds of years.
"Even though we have allied with the Humans, we still don't dare to invade the territories of the Trolls and the Ogres. They might be a dumb race, but their leaders are intelligent enough to know what is happening.
"An alliance between the Trolls and Ogres is a very scary thing, so we didn't dare launch an invasion against them."
Brutus and Bruno, who were listening earlier, both smiled. They may not be as smart as Jubei, but both of them understood that their territories weren't attacked because they were strong!
"Jubei, have you gone to the Barbarian Cities before?" Thirteen asked. This was a very important question, and the answer to it would decide what they were going to do next.
"Yes," Jubei replied. "I frequently visit the Barbarian City of Gronar. It is the Barbarian City nearest our Stronghold and we actively trade with them. That is also where the most recent batch of slaves was supposed to be taken."
Thirteen pondered for a while before making his decision. Although it would be a little risky, he wanted to go to the Barbarian City to gather more information.
"Can you take us inside the city safely?" Thirteen asked.
"I can," Jubei answered. "But you might not like the method I will have to use to do that."
Actually, Thirteen already knew what Jubei planned to do, but he was fine with it. As long as they could safely enter the Barbarian City without worrying that the Barbarians would target them, he was willing to be inconvenienced, even if it meant that his hands and feet would be tied up for a short period of time.
'Nothing ventured, nothing gained,' Thirteen thought. 'Well, as long as I am able to confirm my suspicions, a little discomfort will be worth it.'
After hearing Jubei's proposal, Thirteen, Cristopher, and Rianna unanimously agreed to it.
For the time being, all of them decided to spend the night in the cave that they found. The next day, they'd be heading to the City of Gronar to see the sights and hear the sounds of the Barbarian City, which would play an important role in Thirteen's scheme.
