September was the month when the season turned cold.
The hot summer passed, and the cool autumn came.
But for the Desert of Death, even in early autumn, the high temperature was still daunting.
And because of the end of the summer rainy season, the autumn in the Desert of Death was drier. Coupled with the off-season weather from time to time, the dryness and high temperature were enough to drive people crazy.
Only the thick-skinned half-beastmen could adapt to such a climate.
North of the Desert of Death.
A human caravan full of goods was moving slowly.
There were about 60 to 70 people in the caravan, and there were more than 20 carriages. Each carriage had a black eagle symbol on the side, which was very eye-catching.
That was the unique symbol of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce.
The strongest party of the caravan was a human warrior who was about 30 years old and riding a camel.
He wore leather armor with a black eagle badge on his chest. That was the token of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce that only the leader of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce had. At the same time, it was also a proof of identity and status.
In the Sauron Chamber of Commerce, only powerful silver professionals could have such a badge.
He looked at the scorching sun in the sky for a while, and then took out a water bag to drink a mouthful of water. He wiped his sweat and cursed.
"This damn weather!"
Even a silver professional could not withstand such high temperature before advancing to the gold level and achieving a complete transformation of the physique.
The caravan gradually moved forward, bypassing one barren hill after another, and finally came to an oasis.
The oasis was not large. It was surrounded by a shallow lake, and there were flourishing reeds and desert poplars growing on the shore.
Around the oasis, there were hundreds of large and small tents and thatched huts.
Many muscular Half-Beastmen wearing simple leather armor or linen clothes were busy.
This was an orc settlement.
The climate in the Desert of Death was bad, especially the lack of water. Only a similar oasis could become a place of life.
After seeing the orc settlement, the leader of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The orcs also noticed the arrival of the caravan, and the entire settlement had an obvious commotion.
Especially after noticing the black eagle symbol of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce.
Looking at the orcs' eyes that were mixed with greed, curiosity, desire, and vigilance, and glancing at their tattered equipment and clothes, the leader of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce curled his lips.
"An inferior race is indeed an inferior race …"
He muttered to himself.
Even if humans were not even considered an Iron Race, he still looked down on these big, muscle-brained fools.
This was determined by the comprehensive strength of a race and the strength of a True God that they possessed.
But shortly after, the leader of the caravan put on a warm smile.
He jumped off the camel and shouted towards the settlement.
"Cell! I'm Andris! The goods you want are here! "
The Silver-tier professional's voice was very loud, and his voice soon spread throughout the entire settlement.
After a few moments, a burly half-orc priest with a face full of scars walked out of the settlement surrounded by several half-orc warriors.
He came to the front of the caravan and looked at the full caravan with a satisfied expression.
"Thank you for your hard journey, Mr. Andris!"
He smiled at the leader of the caravan, Andris.
Andris glanced at him in surprise and couldn't help but scoff.
"Eh? You've leveled up to silver? "
This was a Lower Silver-tier priest!
It must be known that Silver-tier professionals were not common among the half-orcs. Even if magic began to recover, due to the limited potential of the race, there were very few Silver-tier professionals among the half-orcs.
Not to mention the rare priests.
For a small settlement like this, which only had a few hundred tents and a maximum of one thousand people, excluding the old, the weak, the sick and the disabled, the number of warriors they could send out would be five to six hundred at most. Generally speaking, there would not be any Silver-ranked Oracles born in such a settlement.
That was why … Andris was very surprised.
He did not smuggle in the Desert of Death many times, but because he had studied at the Imperial College and studied the half-orc culture, he thought that he had a good understanding of the half-orcs.
Upon hearing Andris's exclamation, the orc priest named Cell revealed a smug expression.
He laughed, then his expression became serious and gradually became pious.
"Praise the winter, praise the hunt! It's all because of the blessings of the Father! "
He drew a bow symbol on his chest.
Andris was slightly stunned. He realized that the priest had received the blessings of the True God, which was why he could level up.
Then, he signaled the subordinates of the caravan to open the carriage and said to the half-orc priest:
"Here are the five hundred pieces of imperial equipment and food you want. They're all the latest. Check them."
Hearing his words, the half-orc priest's eyes lit up:
"Great! Now our tribe's warriors can fully display their strength! "
He waved to the half-orcs behind him, and the half-orcs came forward to check the goods.
After a while, the half-orc warrior who checked nodded to Cell, and Cell's smile became more enthusiastic:
"I knew it, the Sauron Merchant Group will always be a friend of the half-orcs!"
"Mr. Andris, and friends of the human race, please come to our tribe and have a rest. You must be tired from the journey. We have prepared drinks for you."
He invited the caravan.
Andris nodded and commanded the caravan to enter the half-orc tribe to rest.
He was not worried that the other party would play tricks, even if there were Silver professions in this small tribe.
Perhaps he would be wary of the half-orcs on normal days, but this time, the other party would definitely not dare to mess around.
Because this transaction was discussed by the Half-Orc Palace of the Death Desert and the Sauron Merchant Group. It was said that there seemed to be a stronger existence endorsing it …
The caravan that Andris himself led was just one of the many Sauron caravans that traded with the half-orcs.
Drinking the sweet sand spring water, Andris sat in the shade and ate the dry food he carried with him. He squinted his eyes and looked at the half-orcs who were excitedly distributing the equipment in the carriage.
What surprised him was that not only Cell's strength had improved, but the half-orc warriors had also become stronger.
As far as he knew, the average strength of the half-orcs in the Death Desert should be at the middle level of Dark Iron. Only a few warriors could reach the upper level.
However, nearly half of these half-orcs who were fighting for the equipment had been promoted to the upper level of Dark Iron!
This surprised Andris a little. He speculated that it was the work of the Church of the Hunter.
A moment later, a few half-orcs who were pushing wheelbarrows came to him under the guidance of the priest.
There were three wheelbarrows, and each of them was filled with fur.
The fur was from a rare magical beast unique to the Death Desert, "Sand Leopard". It was very beautiful and was a priceless luxury in the human world. The profit of smuggling was extremely high.
These three furs, if sold in the human world, would be equivalent to 700 to 800 sets of excellent armor and equipment, and enough food for a small half-orc tribe for three months.
"Very good!"
Seeing these furs, Andris was satisfied.
However, his gaze did not stop. Instead, he looked back with anticipation.
"Is there more? That … You know, smuggled goods. "
He chuckled and asked meaningfully.
Hearing Andris's words, the Beastman priest first smiled, then nodded with the same profound meaning.
"Of course, smuggled goods too."
Then, he gave a look to the half-orc behind him, and the other half-orc nodded subtly. Together with another half-orc, they pushed a carriage covered with a grey cloth.
Andris's eyes lit up. He quickly stepped forward and carefully lifted a corner of the grey cloth.
Under the grey cloth, there was a prison cage.
In the cage, three beautiful young female elves were tightly tied up and trembling.
"Only three?"
Andris frowned.
"Hey, that's not easy. You know that the Elven Forest has been very chaotic recently. We caught these three when we blocked the road to the Gloom Mountains. They were all returning to the Elven Forest from the Kingdom of Ayres."
"However, this is the limit. Recently, those evil elves have begun to appear in the Gloom Mountains. We have also lost a lot of people."
The half-orc priest shook his head.
Hearing his words, Andris frowned slightly.
Elves were the most valuable luxury slaves in the black market. They were also the capital of the Sauron Merchant Group.
However, since last year, an Elven True God who inherited the priesthood of the World Tree was born among the elves. This caused the elven slave trade to completely fall into decline.
This True God named Eve was rumored to be a follower god supported by the God of Death.
Last year, she defeated the army of the half-orcs that attacked the Elven Forest. She also assisted the Silent City Alliance in the underground world to defeat the Dark City Alliance. She was a mythical existence that was getting more and more popular over the year.
Rumor had it that she used the power of the God of Death to create an undead elven army. She also relied on the power of the undead army to win repeatedly.
However, the specific details were spread all over the place.
No one knew what the so-called undead elven army was all about.
Some said that they were aliens, some said that they were the dead elves, and some said that they were elves that were eroded by the power of the abyss. There were even rumors that the undead elven army never existed because elves were not suitable to be warriors. The so-called elven army was the spirit of the God of Death in disguise.
In short … it was confusing and extremely mysterious.
Even in the human world, there were many adventurers and bards who were curious about her. There were many who planned to go to the Elven Forest for adventures.
It was this True God who publicly announced that she would bless the elves. As a result, fewer and fewer elves entered the black market, and the elven slaves who were originally safe and sound also fled on a large scale.
The profit of the Sauron Chamber of Commerce was also hit.
However, at the same time, the decrease in elven slaves also led to the increase in price. If these three female elves were to be sold now, they could easily be sold for several times the price of a few years ago.
Thinking of this, Andris felt a little comforted in his heart.
At the same time, he could almost predict that the price of the half-orcs would be higher.
As expected, after showing him the Elven slaves, the Orc priest quickly whispered, "Don't worry.
"And … now the palace no longer allows us to capture elves. They require that all elves that are caught must be killed on the spot. Just these three, I secretly left them for you."
"I took a big risk, so … hehehe, you know."
"Good friend! I'll buy these three elves at double the price! "
Andris patted the priest's shoulder and said straightforwardly.
Hearing his words, the half-orc priest's eyes flashed with a trace of surprise.
However, that trace of surprise was seen in Andris's eyes, and he had some contempt for the priest in his heart …
To the half-orcs, the palace's orders often meant the orders of the Church of the Hunt.
It was very possible for a Dark Iron priest to cheat for benefits, but it was the first time he saw a Silver priest who dared to go against the palace's orders …
"A lowly race is indeed a lowly race. Even a Silver priest's faith is not that devout."
Andris despised in his heart.
Of course, if he knew that the priest's strength was forcefully increased by the God of Winter and the Hunt, he would not be so surprised.
The transaction between both parties was very pleasant.
The subordinates were busy moving the goods, and the two leaders continued to chat. They talked about the interesting things that happened in the human world and the Desert of Death recently.
Information was often a very valuable resource.
"Sigh, members of the Oak Hand have appeared in the Kingdom of Ayres recently, and they even destroyed a few of our smuggling strongholds. How despicable …"
"It's all because of the evil god in the Elven Forest. Otherwise … We could still go there to hunt."
"Evil god? I've heard that he's a true True God. "
"Hey! If it's not an evil god, how could it make the elves so evil? "
"That's right, so … you're buying equipment and food. Are you really planning to attack the Elven Forest again before winter?"
"Mister Andris, this involves our secrets. Even if we're friends, it's not good for us to reveal the details."
"Tsk, why are you being so secretive? I heard that the higher-ups of our guild are planning to send mercenaries to support you. We're all allies …"
"Really?"
"Looks like you don't know. Actually, the Sauron Guild is also very jealous of the Elven Forest's products. It's just that it's not easy for us to sell it …"
"Hey, Mister Andris, you can't talk nonsense. The Elven Forest belongs to us half-orcs!"
"I know, the thousand-year contract! But you didn't manage to defend it! "
"Who knew that an evil god would appear?"
"We're back to square one …"
"Hey … Anyway, our strength is not what it used to be. This time, we'll definitely win and wash away the humiliation of last year. The evil god of the Elven Forest won't be arrogant for long!"
The half-orc priest said proudly.
Things were not what it used to be …
Hearing this, Andris couldn't help but look at the lively half-orcs around him.
Indeed, if one were to look at the strength of their clansmen, the Beastmen had improved too much.
Although logic told him that this was definitely not normal, the increase in strength was real.
A tribe like Cell's was only one of the many small tribes of half-orcs.
They could organize and plan to send out an army of 500 half-orcs. It seemed like the half-orcs in the desert were really going all out this time …
A hundred thousand? A few hundred thousand?
The last time this was recorded was a thousand years ago, right?
It seemed that at that time, the half-orcs also came out in full force to attack the Elven Forest and finally established their position on the continent.
Thinking about the historical knowledge he had, Andris sighed.
"History is still similar …"
He squinted his eyes and looked at the sky.
The sun was still hot and the blue sky was like a huge blue mirror.
Looking at the deep sky, Andris said with some surprise, "That's right.
"Hmm? So there are eagles in the Desert of Death? "
"Eagles?"
The half-orc priest frowned.
"We don't have any flying birds here."
He shook his head.
"Not eagles? Then … what is it? "
Andris was a little surprised and puzzled.
"Hmm?"
The half-orc priest followed his gaze.
There was not a single cloud in the sky.
There was only a small golden figure flapping its wings and circling …
That figure was faintly discernible, like a golden eagle.
However, the wings were a little strange.
Suddenly, the golden figure started to lower …
Gradually, the two of them could see the other party's silhouette.
However, when they saw the silhouette, they were even more surprised.
"Dragon?"
It was a golden dragon that wasn't very big.
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