Chapter 407: The Armory Depot Scheme
The Armory Depot didn't need to be completely emptied; William knew that. Instead, he needed to secure the most crucial items within. Crossbow arrows, artillery shells, armor, weapons, and various accessories were all essential for his plan. However, it would take more than ten minutes to transport all of them into his space ring.
William surveyed the remaining supplies in the munitions warehouse, realizing that there was still much work to be done. But then, an idea struck him, and his eyes lit up. With his left hand, he skillfully carved nine holes into the gate and edges of the warehouse. He carefully placed nine magic crystals in these holes, forming a magic array.
These magic crystals served a specific purpose: not to absorb magic, but to act as a trap. If someone were to push open the warehouse door, the connection to the magic crystals would break, triggering a powerful explosion capable of sending the entire armory warehouse into the sky.
Satisfied with his perfect setup, William wore a determined smile and returned to the hole he had created, much like a diligent little gopher. He effortlessly dug through the soil and soon reached an underground passage, which led him beneath the adjacent grain warehouse.
His movements were incredibly stealthy, producing no sound at all. His left hand, guided by divine skill, treated magical metals like they were soft tofu. How many people could hear the sound of cutting tofu?
This silence outside indicated that there were not many orcs guarding the entrance. Prince William, hidden beneath the ground with the aid of a breath-shielding scroll, knew he could proceed without causing any disturbances.
Swiftly, he covered the 300–meter distance to the grain warehouse. Just as he prepared to start digging, his Soul Perception alerted him to the presence of two orcs. He strained his ears and heard the orcs loudly munching on food while muttering to each other.
These were high-level orc guards responsible for protecting the grain warehouse. Some degree of pilfering was expected and tolerated, but the voraciousness of these two guards was excessive.
Prince William decided to wait for the right moment to strike. As he eavesdropped on the orcs' conversation, he heard them discussing the arrival of the son of a dark Lord from the Dark World in the orc empire.
"Have you heard? The son of Sidi, Sirago, is coming to our orc empire," one orc asked.
"Yeah, a powerful demon ranked as a Grandmaster. He's bringing a horde of demons to support our empire against the human and Elven alliance," replied the other orc.
A third orc chimed in, "I don't know if they're here to support us or not, but I'm sure the poor souls in the fortress are destined to die."
These orcs acknowledged that the fortress defenders were essentially cannon fodder, meant to delay the enemy. However, the two guards didn't dwell on this thought; they were content to eat as much as they could before their inevitable fate.
One of them added, "I also heard something interesting. Sirago isn't joining the other demons in the empire. Instead, he's planning to hunt the white dragon in the northwestern mountains to offer it as a gift to his father."
"How did you find out about this?"
"My brother-in-law's cousin's third cousin is one of our leader's guards. He overheard their leaders talking."
"Amazing!"
"Yeah, but let's keep this story between us. I haven't told many people."
The conversation between the two orcs left Prince William deep in thought. He recalled encountering Sirago, who was the thirty-third son of Sidi, in the Misty Valley. Sirago was known for his bravery, often challenging other demons, including the son of darkness. Although he had fought the son of darkness on 365 occasions and received numerous beatings from his Legendary father, Sirago's talent was undeniable, making him one of the top masters among demons of his level.
As William contemplated this information, he touched the dreamy dark rough in his hands, and a determined glint shone in his eyes. With no further hesitation, he observed that the two orcs were still engrossed in their meal, and he made his move.
In a flash, a Thunderblade and a Cursed Sword were unleashed simultaneously. The two orc heads and a wine bottle landed on the ground, and they disappeared into thin air, causing no commotion.
William couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the discarded food. "Eating frozen fish straight from the source, without a care for indigestion."
And so, his mission continued.
Prince William gazed at the grain depot, shivering in the extreme cold, where a staggering 100000 orcs had stored supplies for at least three months. Most of the provisions consisted of meat and fish, a necessity in the northern reaches of the orc empire, where the population numbered in the tens of millions and hunting alone couldn't sustain their food requirements.
However, the sight of the meat made William feel queasy. It was the meat of "eyeless" creatures, bizarre little monsters with long hair but no eyes. These creatures were a staple in the orc diet, inhabiting ice caves and subsisting on plants and feces, which attracted numerous predators. Due to their rapid breeding, the orc empire bred them extensively.
In the southern regions, there were eyeless creatures as well, but they were even more repugnant, lacking hair and dwelling in caves where they survived by consuming bat feces or decaying vegetation. These creatures were universally considered distasteful, and even humans and Elves wouldn't consume their meat. Instead, it was often used as feed for Beast due to its parasite-ridden nature and unpalatable taste.
Prince William had no intention of leaving the frozen eyeless creatures for the orcs. He knew that the meat was not fit for consumption by civilized races, but it could serve as sustenance for Beast.
His Royal Highness was exceptionally swift in his movements. In just fifteen minutes, he transferred all the supplies from the grain warehouse into his possession. Then, he retraced his steps to leave the orc fortress.
As he left the fortress behind, he veered to the southwest, digging a tunnel until he was over 30000 meters away from the fortress. He contemplated the glacial mountains in the northwest, which offered a view of the endless ice sea. The highest peak reached 23000 kilometers, and it was home to numerous frost dragons. Moreover, it was close to the Black Great Wall and bordered the Grand Duchy of the Northern Territory, making it an attractive location.
"Sirago intends to hunt dragons on his own. He's currently a master, which means he aims to capture a Grandmaster Level frost dragon. He wants to become a dragon warrior," thought Prince William. After a brief reflection, he decided to move on, bypassing the second orc fortress.
William's sole objective was to locate and confront Sirago. If he succeeded in defeating him, he could potentially use the dreamy dark rough to infiltrate the orc empire and cause chaos.
"Of course, I mustn't attract too much attention. Meeting an orc Sage would be certain death. But I could lead the demon army to a futile end," he mused.
Prince William didn't dwell on it further. He wasn't aware of the size of Sirago's demonic forces, but if he could eliminate them all, it would surely trouble Sidi, the demon Lord. While these forces weren't composed of dark creatures, they still represented a formidable presence in the dark world.
Once he had distanced himself over 60000 meters from the orc fortress, he transformed into a lightning bolt, hurtling through the sky under the light of three full moons. Covering a distance of more than 300 kilometers in just thirty minutes, he reached his destination.
However, as he approached the endless snow-capped mountains, he became cautious. The presence of dragons was palpable, and in the extreme northern region, countless frosty dragons roamed. While there were no holy dragons, there were certainly many Legendary ones.
This northwest mountain range was the homeland of the Legendary Bai Long, and it was known for its absence of holy dragons. Instead, it featured a Legendary sanctuary known as Dragon Valley, where most of the continent's holy dragons resided.
William landed lightly on the snow as he approached a snowy mountain that exceeded 3000 meters in height. He dug a snow hole and concealed himself within. From his space ring, he retrieved a crystal ball and channeled magic into it.
A three-dimensional map unfolded before him, displaying the entire northern region with remarkable detail. It was a map resembling a satellite view, marking terrain, landforms, buildings, and even the various towns within the orc empire.
This super map had been crafted by the Elven queen and was one of the rewards from the vanguard.
William zoomed in on the northwestern glacial mountains and noticed numerous small red dots, densely clustered together. Over 6000 frost dragons inhabited this region, and at least ten of them were Legendary dragons.
"Sirago must be here to hunt dragons. With so many Grandmaster Level dragons, how will he choose which one to target?" William wondered aloud.
The prospect of waiting passively for an encounter was unfavorable. "This won't do," he concluded.
He retrieved two small statues from his pocket, one depicting the goddess of doom and the other the goddess of fortune. With a snap, he sacrificed the goddess of doom.
He waited for a moment.
Then, a notification chimed in:
[Ding: You are cursed by the goddess of fortune, reducing your luck value by 100 Points for one year.]
[Ding: You are blessed by the goddess of fortune, increasing your luck value by 101 Points, lasting one year and one day.]