This was not a perfect plan.
But if they wanted to bring as many Golden Fruits, totem beasts' flesh, cores, medicine, and totem armor fragments out of Black Corner City as they fled, it was the best plan they could think of in a hurry.
As the size of the fighting squad grew, Ice Storm would definitely get a lot of resources and vehicles.
High-grade orcs had unique methods that were even more effective than Dragon Citizens when it came to taming normal beasts and totem beasts.
It was especially so for Blood Hoof Tribe's bullocks and draft horses. They were the best in all of Tulan Lake and even the Other World.
If they could take away the entire supply caravan … No, if they could just take away a small part of it …
They would not have to worry about cultivation resources for the next period of time.
Meng Chao nodded.
If Ice Storm's plan could come to fruition, it would solve his greatest worry.
Now, he was only concerned about the servant soldiers. "Then, what should we do with the servant soldiers?"
"Are you talking about Leaf and the others?"
Ice Storm asked. "I admit that you trained the first batch of servant soldiers very well, especially Leaf. He has a rare talent, and with a bit of luck, there's a high possibility that he could turn a rat citizen into a servant soldier, then from a servant soldier to a warrior, then from a warrior to a general.
"In fact, I also like this smart, quick-witted, and ferocious little fellow.
"But unfortunately, the path I want to take is too difficult. I can't bring him with me. If I bring him with me, I'll just end up killing him.
"But you don't have to worry about the way out for the servant soldiers.
"The two battles just now have already proven their strength. In the eyes of any commander, they are the best warriors.
"Once we leave, there will be a lot of warriors who will fight against each other to recruit these servant soldiers. Besides, they won't easily turn them into cannon fodder."
Meng Chao nodded.
He was confident in the fighting skills he taught Leaf and the others.
It was definitely a waste of resources to have such an elite force serve as cannon fodder.
He believed that no warrior would be so stupid.
But he was still very worried. "Even if they are not cannon fodder, they will still be involved in the bloody swirl of the 'Battle of Glory'. It is very likely that they will die without a burial in the protracted and meaningless war!"
"Which of us isn't, mysterious friend from far away? Which of us isn't helpless in the bloody swirl and may die without a burial at any moment?"
Hailstorm's usual coldness and sharpness were gone. Her frozen eyes cracked and revealed a hint of helplessness. She smiled bitterly and said, "Be it the Rat Folk or the Warrior, be it the Chieftain or the Priest, be it from Turanze or the Land of Holy Light, perhaps, in this damned world, death is our fate."
"Is it fate …"
Meng Chao mumbled.
There was a blazing flame in his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, the flames were torn to shreds and turned into flying stars.
…
When this bloody dawn had just descended, there were all kinds of rumors and slanders that quickly spread through the noisy streets and crowded taverns to every corner of Blackhorn City.
All kinds of colorful, embellished, and even absurd rumors finally converged into two syllables that seemed to have magic power:
"The game of the brave!"
It had been more than two hundred years since the Bloody Hoof Clan's last Game of the Brave.
None of the clan warriors had personally experienced such a carnival.
But they had all heard of how the heroes of the past rose to prominence through the Game of the Brave in the war songs, epics, and stories passed down in their families for generations.
Many people's Totem Armors even stored the soul-stirring, blood-boiling pictures of their previous owners or the owners before that when they participated in the Game of Bravehearts.
When the two syllables rose, the great pleasure of turning the whole city into a coliseum, of turning every street and tavern into a arena, of running freely under everyone's gazes, and of making their names resound through the clouds immediately seized the totemic warriors' central nervous system and drowned their entire cerebral cortex.
"Are we really going to play the Game of the Brave?"
"It's true. I saw the leaders of dozens of families and settlements gathered for a meeting!"
"A prosperous era of ten palm years is too long. There's no telling what kind of experts have emerged in Black Horn City and other places at all. It's time for a 'game of the brave'. Let's see what the experts of the new generation look like so that we will know whose command we should listen to in the war!"
"This is our chance!"
Regardless of whether they were minotaurs, boars, elephantmen, or centaurs, all the warriors of the Bloody Hoof Clan were rubbing their fists and looking forward to it.
One afternoon …
Colorful smoke was ignited in the hundreds of temples in the east, west, and south of Blackhorn City at the same time.
Although it was called "smoke", it was actually made of not just the feces of wolves, tigers, and leopards but the feces of dozens of totemic beasts mixed with tremendous secret medicines and minerals.
The smoke soared to the sky at first and then slowly fell down like a vague mist, enshrouding the entire Blackhorn City.
All the warriors of the clan who breathed in the smoke felt that their blood was boiling and their spirits were high.
All of them felt their blood vessels expand and their minds become excited. Their various desires and thirst for glory were several times stronger than usual.
Their senses of fatigue and pain, on the other hand, gradually became numb.
Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!
When the smoke gradually spread to the entire city, and hundreds of thousands of warriors of the human clans breathed in the smoke, deep and drawn-out drums echoed in the hundreds of temples at the same time.
The drums sounded like the ancient hearts of the ancestors.
But they were bouncing vigorously in the chests of the warriors of the latest generation.
Right now, everybody could finally confirm that the Game of the Brave had begun.
The rat people living in Black Corner City all covered their heads and fled like rats, as if the end of the world had come. They hid in the depths of the shabby streets and alleys, shivering in the dilapidated shacks, or in the most pious manner, they begged the spirits of their ancestors who had long abandoned them to keep the battle of the lords of the clan as far away from them as possible.
Many abject warriors from small families, after enjoying a few gladiator fights and comparing their combat ability with that of the gladiators, made the wise decision to hide in the camps and arenas.
According to the tradition of the Game of the Brave, those places were equivalent to "safe zones" that would not be harassed.
But hiding in the safe zones meant that they had voluntarily given up the right to give orders in the Battle of Glory. They could only wait for the summons of the experts obediently.
Even more warriors, who were unwilling to live in obscurity, put on their most glamorous battle robes and swaggered to the streets under the cheerful dance of the priests who were wearing huge masks. They were a hundred times more excited than usual, drinking hard liquor, making loud noises, and spending a lot of money on the gambling table, ready to welcome all challenges at any moment.
When the drums echoed, Blackhorn City, which had only been silent for a moment, soon burst out with ten times the energy, turning into a burning city that never sleeps.
Soon, the first street gladiator fight without any rules began.
"I, the Bear Slayer from Boulder Village, defeated a Giant Limestone Bear with my bare hands during the Coming of Age Ceremony. I dug out and ate its heart while it was still alive!
"Now, I would like to issue a challenge to this powerful warrior to express my greatest respect for him!"
At the crossroads, a bull-headed warrior with a stocky build stopped a ferocious-looking wild boar warrior.
"I am the 'Elephant Thrower' from Iron Stream Town. My family has tamed the most violent war elephants for generations. When my arm was only half as thick as it is now, I could easily lift an adult war elephant and throw it over a dozen arms' distance. Now, on behalf of my glorious family, I accept the challenge of the 'Bear Slayer'. Who will witness the glory for us?"
The two warriors roared at the same time. Their muscles bulged, and their veins churned like angry dragons.
"I will bear witness to your glory!"
"I will bear witness to your glory!"
"Fire Axe from the Iron Skin Family of Blackhorn City will bear witness to your battle of glory for two warriors who have sacred blood flowing in their veins!"
The onlookers dispersed.
They took out their weapons and raised them high.
Amidst the angry roars of "I will bear witness", war blades, battle axes, two-handed swords, spiked clubs, morningstar hammers, and other heavy weapons commonly used by high-grade orcs were smashed to the ground, forming a circle around them like an iron fence.
This circle was the simplest and most sacred arena.
The "witness" of the onlookers wasn't just empty words. They really had to bear a part of the responsibility.
For example, two warriors made a bet before the gladiator fight.
They even made a promise that the loser had to join the winner's group and listen to the winner's orders.
The witness had to ensure that the loser fulfilled the promise.
And when the loser refused to fulfill the promise, the witness would spread this dishonorable behavior, making the loser infamous.
They would even help the winner punish the loser together.
It seemed like a thankless job.
But there were countless Turan warriors who never got tired of it.
They also treated the "witness of glory" as an important way to please the ancestral spirits and receive their blessings.
Soon, the battle between the Bear Slayer and the Elephant Thrower began under the watchful eyes of a dozen or so witnesses.
There was no adjudicator, no arena. Between the combatants and the onlookers, there was only a circle of heavy weapons. The blood, sweat, and even brain matter of the combatants would splatter on the onlookers' faces at any moment.
The excitement of the close proximity made up for the lack of a high level of battle. Even though it wasn't a grand battle between aces, it still made the onlookers' blood boil, and they were eager to give it a try.
Soon, the Elephant Thrower widened his eyes and shouted. He lifted the Bear Slayer up high and threw him out of the circle.
Even if the Bear Slayer had the courage to dig out the bear's heart, he couldn't find a place to exert his strength in the air. He could only flail his huge body and land outside the fence made of heavy weapons.
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