Chapter 29

When Sigma walked out of the Great Elder's house, the half-orcs in the tribe no longer looked at him with the pure kindness they had shown at the first feast. Instead, their eyes were filled with very complex emotions. This mix of feelings suddenly widened the distance between them.

"Showing gratitude for a little favor, enduring unfair oppression and treatment as long as they can still survive, never rebelling despite their strong bodies and hardworking, resilient qualities—can these really be considered good qualities for a race?" Sigma sighed softly. He thought of the web novels from his previous life, where many historical and even physical literary works praised the people of the Chinese land with the highest reverence. They were kind and resilient, diligent and capable. They were always hungry, but no matter how high the taxes were, no matter how corrupt the officials were, as long as they had something to eat and wouldn't starve to death, they would silently endure all the unfair treatment, never rebelling...

Indeed, these were good qualities, for rulers and for future onlookers.

But generations of endurance led to the gradual disappearance of their spirit. In the end, the thousands of years of brilliant civilization collapsed under the brutal southward advance of a barbaric nomadic tribe. The kind and resilient people had their spines broken, becoming second-class slaves. It took hundreds of years for them to slowly begin the path of regaining their spirit, but by then, they had missed countless years.

So, half-orcs, do you also want to continue enduring?

How long will you endure? Until you, like the clone warriors in the cultivation tanks, step out of the artificial embryo chambers in formation, stride towards the mines, lumber mills, and battlefields, serving as cheap cannon fodder and tools, renewable resources, treated worse than slaves under the whips and insults of humans, using your blood and flesh to build the magnificent halls of human civilization. By then, when you finally realize your mistake and want to rise up in rebellion, will it be too late!?

Sigma took one last look at the slightly open door of the Great Elder's house, sneered, and turned to leave.

Fools who don't know how to resist deserve to be trampled into the mud; no one can save them.

***

Back at the Natural Academy, Sigma went straight to Bifeng, who was still struggling with how to explain things to Elisa.

Sigma was straightforward and brutal. He never bothered to consider others' feelings and told Bifeng the entire story from beginning to end. Bifeng, who had maintained a good friendship with the druids for at least ten years, opened his mouth wide and said after a long pause, "I... I didn't know!"

Sigma rolled his eyes. He was in a bad mood and spoke more sharply, "Because you're an idiot."

Due to the massive amount of information in Sigma's words, it took Bifeng a long time to fully understand. He was shocked and stammered, "No... No way! You suspect that the half-orcs are a crossbreed species artificially created by our Natural Academy? That's impossible! Druids revere the natural way; how could they do something that desecrates life!"

Sigma sneered, "Then tell me, apart from your druids, which other force on the entire Nolun continent has such a level of expertise in the field of life?"

Bifeng's mind was in chaos, but suddenly a light bulb went off. He pointed at Sigma and shouted, "There's your Necromancy Academy!"

"..." Sigma almost kicked him, "What a load of bullsh*t."

Seeing that Bifeng was still dazed, Sigma slapped him, the frost-infused slap freezing half of Bifeng's face into an ice sculpture. The fierce attack spun Bifeng around, and he fell on his butt.

"Are you calm now?" Sigma picked up a wooden chair, weighing it in his hand. It felt good.

"I'm calm!" Bifeng quickly realized the terrifying consequences if this matter were exposed. He urged, "We have to help them! Your Highness! With your noble status, if you negotiate with the High Priest, maybe..."

"Let's not even talk about the low chances of successful negotiations..." Sigma bent down, looking at Bifeng sitting on the ground, and said calmly, "Half-orcs? Who do they think they are? Who do they think I am? Their father? Who do they think I am? Their grandson? Why should I risk a conflict with the Natural Academy to help a bunch of half-orcs I don't even know escape to freedom, so they can get a piece of land on the Nolun continent dominated by humans, free from any interference or covetous eyes, and continue to happily farm, raise pigs, marry wives, and have sons to farm, raise pigs, and marry wives, doing whatever they want?"

"Your Highness, you are also a friend of the half-orcs!"

"Friend?" Sigma laughed as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world, "Thanks to the half-orcs' favor, I'm their friend. So I have to run around and work hard for the half-orcs' future, willing to pay any price? So the half-orcs, who want to see the outside world but are afraid of being killed by that so-called 'king' and hide like turtles in the valley, not even daring to resist, should continue to huddle with their wives and children in the valley, waiting for me, their 'friend,' to fight powerful enemies alone, go against the entire human world, prepare land for them, and then invite the half-orcs to come out and continue farming and raising pigs in a new place?"

He glanced at Bifeng and sneered, "What a great deal, right? So why doesn't that old bull bring more human friends to be friends with the half-orcs? I'm alone and weak, but if you bring a hundred more friends, maybe one hundred and one people working together can easily get this done!"

"But... but..." Bifeng urged, "They are still very weak! They have no power to resist!"

"So what! Because they have no power to resist, they lose the courage to resist? So they should obediently wait to die, unable to even glimpse the outside world, and place their hopes on others, hoping that strangers will fight for them, change their fate, and find a way to live? Do they think freedom is cheap? Sorry, you're all wrong. The price of freedom is very high. Without using their own hands to resist, strive, and seize it, they can't gain so-called freedom just by relying on others' charity and help?" Sigma looked at Bifeng coldly, "Do you think I'm who? An angel who appears on Christmas to fulfill wishes?"

"So, if they don't even have the courage to resist, then they should just die." Sigma turned and walked towards the door. "I'll come back in three days. You decide what to do in these three days. If you're going to the half-orc valley, remember to tell that bull. I have no obligation to provide them with a livelihood, but I'm willing to give a chance to a people who dare to resist their fate and pursue freedom... I'm leaving."

***

PS: Yeah, you know what I mean.