Chapter 28

In a room made of earth and stones, Sigma sat opposite the Bullman Elder.

"Would you like some wine?" The Elder took a clay jar from the cabinet and poured the cloudy liquid into two wooden cups.

"Putting crushed charcoal between two layers of loosely woven hemp cloth to filter the wine is said to make it taste better." Sigma took the wooden cup, took a sip, and asked first, "What about the leopard-headed man? Oh, what was his name? The half-orcs all look almost the same to me, so I can't really tell them apart."

"Are you talking about Wolf Bone? He violated the iron law set by the King, so I have already imprisoned him." The Elder replied.

Sigma put down his cup: "Then, who is this 'King' you speak of?"

"He is our guardian, who saved us from the underground world of endless wars and brutal killings, brought us here to settle, and established a prosperous and peaceful tribe. The King told us that the outside world is cruel and dangerous, and humans are even more cunning and treacherous than the dark elves. We escaped from the underground world to live a peaceful and ordinary life, not to become slaves to humans. Therefore, the King forbids any half-orc from stepping into the outside world. This is the first iron law of the tribe. Anyone who dares to escape and violate this iron law..."

"Will be killed by your 'King,' right?" Sigma sneered, "If I didn't run into Wolf Bone just now, he would already be a corpse."

"That's right. Over the years, many young people have escaped the valley, but within a few days or even a few hours, their bodies would be hung at the entrance of the village..." The Elder's expression was somewhat sad, "Although Wolf Bone violated the tribe's iron law, he is still our precious fellow. You saved him, and we are very grateful. I know you have many questions, but please don't continue to investigate. Your status is highly respected, and even the King doesn't want to confront you directly, so you have nothing to fear. But we are weak and helpless. If we anger the King, then all the people in the tribe..."

The Elder sighed again and drank the cheap wine in one gulp: "I need to gather the villagers again, especially the young people, and advise them. These young people are wild and curious about everything, especially the extremely evil dragon... Oh, it's the Wailing Wind. Every time it comes, it brings some rare things from the outside world and tells stories about the outside, so they..."

The usually straightforward and steady Elder, for the first time, hesitated and finally made up his mind: "I have long regretted keeping the Wailing Wind, who mistakenly entered this place, back then. The arrival of outsiders has fueled the young people's ambition to escape the valley. So... So please, Your Highness, leave now, and tell the Wailing Wind not to come here anymore..."

After saying this with gritted teeth, the Elder lowered his head. Even with a bull's face, Sigma could see that his face was flushed with shame—expelling a good friend and forbidding him from coming back was almost against the half-orcs' way of life, but the Elder still made the decision.

Sigma looked at the Elder, who was silent and pleading, and said slowly, "Is that enough? Even if you regulate your people and strictly admonish the young people who yearn for the outside world, will that change anything? Will the tragedy of eight out of ten newborns dying not happen? Will the young people stop running away? Will no one suddenly go missing? Will you live happily and peacefully under the shadow of that so-called 'King' after we leave?"

He stared into the Elder's eyes: "Or do you, as the Elder, also believe the lie that you came from the underground world? Do you believe that the so-called 'King' is your savior and protector? Do you believe that you are protected citizens rather than prisoners or even... test subjects?"

"Believing or not, what difference does it make?" The Elder laughed bitterly, "Rabbits are meant to be eaten by tigers because they are powerless to resist. Even if I notice too many abnormalities, I can only bury them in my heart. Perhaps this is why the King chose me as the Elder. I just want my villagers to live safely, whether we are penned cattle or test subjects, we are indeed living for ourselves and our families. As long as we don't think about escaping, we can live well..."

"No, you understand too much. Although you are an elder, your experience is limited, so your perspective is also limited." Sigma said softly, "Just as without money, people will still barter to accumulate wealth, even if you confiscate weapons, abolish education, and let them indulge in feasts and labor, there will still be restless souls looking up at the sky, yearning for the world beyond the valley. This is a human trait, and you do have some human blood in you. Although the animal blood makes you accustomed to obedience and endurance, the human desire for freedom still roars and cries within you, Elder. When you were young, and even now, when you have free time and look up at the sky, don't you want to see what the outside world is like?"

"Go outside?" The Elder smiled, "Dance with the wolves, can you make a promise? Can you promise that the half-orcs, when they go to the outside world, can live by their own hands, hunt, support their families, marry, and have children, and can celebrate the birth of new life, without anyone forcing us to do anything, without anyone rejecting us, without anyone capturing us as slaves—can you swear with your soul that our lives will definitely be better than now?"

Sigma was silent. He indeed could not make such a promise. The outside humans have never heard of half-orcs, and seeing human bodies with animal heads would certainly cause disgust and fear, leading to rejection or even slaughter. The half-orcs, with their beast-like physical abilities and normal intelligence, would surely become a new target for slave traders. There are only a few thousand half-orcs in the valley, with no means to protect themselves. Any power would covet this small but potentially great force, wanting to control it. After all, once the half-orcs grow and thrive, they would be a natural source of soldiers. Even the transcendent forces like the Necromancy Academy and the Nature Academy would be interested...

Moreover, the possibility that the half-orcs are a secret project of the Druids is already eighty percent.

"This world is a world of equivalent exchange. To gain something, you must pay a price. Do you want to live like livestock under the pressure of that so-called King, or do you want to go to a broader world, reproduce, and earn glory and survival for your people with your own hands? This is your decision." Sigma stood up and said calmly, "I am willing to help you because, not long ago, when Wolf Bone discovered me, he did not use me to buy himself time but instead stood in front of me, telling me to run. You can imagine how many sleepless nights he endured, how much courage he mustered, but to protect an innocent person, he still made that choice... Such a half-orc deserves help."

"I cannot promise you anything, but if you want to fight for freedom, I will do my best to provide the help I can, no matter what achievements I may have in the future, this promise will always be valid."

"I will come back in three days."

***

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