NOVPUBThat time was the best opportunity for dog-eat-dog tactics.
However, some of those present still possessed rationality and didn't resort to backstabbing.
"What about Knight Godfrey?"
"From the looks of him, he's quite happy to keep following the Stoneheart Horde."
Someone raised a question; after all, Knight Godfrey was, on the surface, the leader of their human group.
"He's a disgrace to humankind!"
"Haven't you heard? He originally came to Stoneheart City with his companions."
"His companions died, but he's still alive."
"He's not fit to lead us!"
"..."
In the temporary tent, more and more people voiced their opinions, and the bonfire in the tent grew weaker and weaker.
Eventually, the bonfire died out, leaving only a few sparks flickering uncertainly in the darkness.
Also in the Emerald Dream Realm, an unknown region.
In the darkness, a golden light burst forth, sweeping across the area.
Torin, holding a greatsword, emerged from the body of an Alpha-level tentacle monster, his face ferocious, covered in bloodstains that made him look like a reaper.
Evidently, Torin had advanced to Alpha-level at some unknown time.
Furthermore, Torin had just killed an Alpha-level tentacle monster.
"Everyone, this is your reward!"
Torin dug out an Alpha-level dark source crystal and tossed it to a group of giant bloodline warriors who had been holding off other dark creatures for him.
To secure these giant guards and to win over the hearts of the slaver groups and Mercenary Corps, Torin had promised everyone many benefits.
And Torin was fulfilling them one by one.
In return, everyone increasingly obeyed his commands, and he operated with growing ease in this dark world.
Previously, Torin knew that any effort would be rewarded.
Now, Torin understood even more clearly that any reward required prior effort.
Torin had only recently come to understand this principle with complete clarity.
"Don't just stand there dazed! Kill these dark creatures, and let's move out quickly."
Torin, carrying his longsword, charged into the midst of the dark creatures, embarking on a killing spree.
Everyone quickly came to their senses, not daring to lower their guard, and continued to fight with all their might.
Not far away, Mike and Wyatt exchanged a glance, seeing excitement in each other's eyes.
Torin's strength was growing, and his temperament was gradually maturing; this was what Mike and Wyatt perceived most clearly and profoundly.
This was a good thing!
Because it meant they were about to welcome a powerful master with a ruthless and sinister personality, yet not lacking in rationality.
Torin had just given out an Alpha-level dark source crystal, fulfilling his promise to those he had hired.
This indicated that if resources were sufficient, Torin wouldn't be stingy with them either.
After all, they were master and servants, bound by a contract.
At this moment, Mike and Wyatt truly saw an opportunity to advance to Alpha-level.
"Mike, it seems our good days are about to arrive!"
"Yes, Mr. Torin deciding to leave the joint armies as soon as he arrived here was the wisest choice."
"This time when we return to Soaring Bird City, let's see who can still bully us."
"Soaring Bird City will return to our embrace sooner or later!"
"..."
The void passage. After receiving the contract, Lolth became silent.
To reduce losses, Lolth avoided meeting Orion.
Orion wasn't idle either; he immersed his mind in the Survivor's Platform, Browse the trade channel, looking for goods the horde could use.
After some time, Orion also encountered a few friends who had come online.
"Big Boss, are you there?"
"Big Boss, I want to trade something with you."
"Big Boss, I recently got another good item."
"Big Boss, do you want to take a look?"
"Big Boss..."
The one calling Orion "Big Boss" was definitely Julius Caesar.
This fellow had been listless for a long time; now that he finally reappeared, he must have obtained something good.
"I'm here. Haven't seen you online for a long time. What's up? Just say it."
Orion replied to Caesar, very interested in the good item he had.
"Big Boss, take a look at this first."
Caesar was very proactive, completely without any guard up, and directly traded an item to Orion.
Unknown realm, edge of a certain cliff.
Young Caesar had his one-handed sword stuck in the ground beside him, sitting alone on the cliff edge, gazing at the sea of clouds in the distance.
Caesar swung his feet, like a small child.
"That dragon egg... several people want it, but I believe Big Boss can give me something more suitable."
This was an inexplicable trust, not because Caesar had a particularly good impression of Orion, but because they had built trust through several trades.
Last time, Caesar led his Mercenary Corps to search for the Sword Saint ruins and explore an unknown region.
In the end, the ruins weren't found. Apart from himself escaping, the entire Mercenary Corps was wiped out.
However, it wasn't without any gains.
The dragon egg Caesar traded to Orion was the sole gain, something his Mercenary Corps had brought out with all their might.
The void passage. Orion accepted the trade, but his expression was somewhat unnatural.
This unnaturalness wasn't negative; instead, there was a kind of inexplicable joy.
Orion didn't know that Arthas often felt this kind of joy when dealing with him in the past.
"What a fool!"
Orion muttered softly, took out the dragon egg Caesar had traded him; many magic runes were naturally formed on its shell, the patterns like lava flowing after a volcanic eruption.
Even without understanding magic, Orion could tell this should be a fire dragon egg.
"And a rich life aura, it's a live egg! Really good stuff. Now the gift I promised Elara is accounted for."
Orion had once promised Elara to get her a dragon mount.
Now that the dragon egg was in hand, it could barely be considered fulfilling the promise.
"What do you want to trade for?"
Orion put the dragon egg away and asked about Caesar's needs; this dragon egg wasn't going to slip from his grasp today.
"Big Boss, I'm currently at Great Sword Master peak (Hero peak). What do you think I should trade for?"
Caesar asked Orion in return; he really hadn't thought about what to exchange for.
Previously, a few survivors with whom he had an ordinary relationship wanted to trade with him, but he had refused them all.
"Firstly, the item is good, but it's just an egg, not a grown dragon."
"Whether the dragon egg can be successfully hatched is still hard to say."
"Secondly, the resources needed to raise a dragon—I don't need to tell you, you should be able to imagine."
No matter how good the item, business is business; trading and bargaining require a set of rules.
"If you specify the item, I will buy the dragon egg at full value."
"If you let me pick a suitable item for you, I can only offer 80% of the dragon egg's value."
"Can you understand what I mean?"
