Chapter 35

Arriving at the Half-Orc Valley as quickly as possible, it still looked tranquil and beautiful. The villagers lived carefree lives, without conflict, hatred, or disputes over interests. Everyone was as close as family, living happily.

Sigma asked a few people about Bifeng’s whereabouts, and they all said they hadn’t seen him. But when he inquired about the "King," their faces changed drastically. They claimed ignorance and hurriedly fled, as if the "King" was watching them.

Sigma didn’t go to the Great Elder. He grabbed a random villager, asked where Langgudu—the leopard-headed man who tried to escape—was being held, and headed straight for the valley’s detention room.

A guard stood outside the detention room. Sigma didn’t bother with small talk. He cast a Weakness Curse, then delivered a spinning kick to the guard’s head, knocking out the unprepared dog-headed man. Although he was a necromancer, the Washington family’s violent and aggressive bloodline was burning fiercely after this frustrating incident.

Kicking open the unlocked detention room, the leopard-headed man was sitting on a straw mat. He looked much more haggard. Seeing Sigma, his eyes filled with confusion. Sigma didn’t waste words and said directly, “Langgudu, Bifeng went to reason with your King. I’m also going to find your King to reason with him. Do you want to come along?”

A spark of intense light flashed in Langgudu’s eyes. He took a deep breath, his expression rapidly changing, and finally settled into a look of acceptance. He smiled and said, “Sure.”

Footsteps could be heard outside. Sigma and Langgudu exchanged a glance and walked out together. The Great Elder, a minotaur, led a hundred or so villagers at the entrance to the detention area, looking at Sigma with a complex expression. The Great Elder stepped forward and said solemnly, “Dancing with Wolves, Langgudu violated the King’s iron law and deserved to be killed by the King. Although he escaped death, he still has to face the village’s punishment. You are a guest in the village and should not break the host’s rules.”

Sigma laughed, “Old Minotaur, I have something to ask you. After hearing about your half-orcs’ tragedy, Bifeng decided to reason with your King. I don’t know how he found out where the King is, but I think you must know. You’re so timid, you’d rather let Bifeng fight for you than face the danger yourselves. I’m not forcing you, but you have to tell me where your ‘King’ is.”

“No need to ask,” Langgudu said coldly. “Bifeng must have gone to the forbidden area. It’s the King’s restricted palace. Only the Great Elder is allowed to enter. Any other half-orc who enters will be killed without exception.”

“Good, that solves the first question. The second question is, Bifeng went to reason with your King. Coincidentally, I also have some things to say to your King.” Sigma’s mental energy surged, and the wind in the valley obeyed his command, carrying his voice far and wide so that everyone in the valley could hear. “Who wants to come with me to reason with the King?”

After he finished, he added, “Of course, if we can’t reason with him, we might have to use our fists.”

More and more people gathered, and there was a great commotion. A dozen young half-orcs stepped forward and ran to Sigma’s side. More young people were eager to join, discussing and asking each other, but they were scolded by their parents and grandparents, who lowered their heads in disappointment. Ultimately, public opinion aligned in one direction: “The King is so powerful that any resistance would surely mean death. The current life isn’t bad. As long as we don’t leave the valley and don’t violate the King’s taboos…”

Seeing this, Sigma laughed and turned to Langgudu, “Do you know, Langgudu? Humans are very skilled at taming all kinds of animals. Everyone who has raised horses knows that every generation or a few generations, the horse breeders go to the grasslands to capture fierce and wild horses to breed with the domesticated ones. Why? To maintain the spirit and bloodline of each generation of warhorses. For warhorses, courage and bloodline are the most important. For all animals, the only consequence of being tamed is the gradual loss of bloodline and ferocity, gradually degenerating into penned-up waste. Even when led to slaughter, they will obediently wait to be killed. A little grass will make them happy, and the servile nature will be etched into their bones, not just freedom, but even dignity is abandoned…”

Sigma extended his hand and sneered, pointing at the half-orcs standing there woodenly, “Just like them!”

A dog-headed man who looked very authoritative angrily said, “Are you insulting us?”

“Insulting your ancestors, I’m cursing you.” Sigma picked his nose and flicked a ball of snot at the opposite side. “You don’t even realize you’re being penned up. How enviable. Living in ignorance, lying in your coffin, how happy.”

“Shut up! We treated you as a friend, why are you saying such excessive things?”

“Damn, a dog deserves to be my friend?” Sigma rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I was being harsh, but the Washington family never befriends cowards. I’m not good with words. What do you have to say? Come and hit me?”

The dog-headed man roared and lunged at Sigma. Sigma laughed, grabbed a ball of cold death energy in his right hand, and aimed it at the enraged dog-headed man. “Come on, you’re too timid to fight the King, but you’re brave enough to pick on me, a soft target. Come on, hit me. If you don’t, you’re a dog’s bastard. Oh, you are a dog’s bastard.”

The dog-headed man bared his sharp fangs, ready to pounce, but was held back by those around him. He roared at Sigma, “What do you know, human! What do you know, human!”

“Don’t we know? Don’t we know? The outside world isn’t that dangerous. The King’s actions are more like imprisonment than protection. Can’t we sense that? Why can you stand above us and criticize us, preaching these grand principles? You’re just an outsider. This has nothing to do with you. Even if the resistance fails, the King won’t kill you, but what about us! What about us!?” The strong dog-headed man roared, slowly shedding tears. “If I were alone, I wouldn’t have anything to say about fighting the King. But I have my parents, my wife, and my child who is less than five years old. If I fail, my death is not important, but will the King spare my parents and child? We have been enduring for their sake! We also want to know how wonderful the outside world is, but which is more important, the dream of seeing the outside world or the safety of our loved ones? I don’t understand the principles of freedom, but I know that compared to my loved ones, everything else is nothing!”

Sigma said coldly, “Since you realize you’re being penned up, why don’t you resist!?”

The dog-headed man roared, “Are you deaf? I have my loved ones to cherish!”

“So what!” Sigma roared back. “Endurance? What can your endurance bring? Can it ensure that your loved ones live happily and peacefully forever? Can it prevent your son’s children from dying mysteriously? Can it ensure that your descendants can freely do what they love? Can it stop the so-called King from oppressing your descendants? If your endurance and strength can bring a better future for your loved ones, I have nothing to say. But your endurance is just foolish cowardice and short-sightedness, a manifestation of your fear, an excuse for self-deception. Such endurance is not bravery; it only leads to regret. Do you understand!?”

Sigma sneered and approached the half-orcs. “You know the outside world is more beautiful than you imagined. You know this penned-up life is not truly happy. Yet, you still live like livestock in this small valley, imprisoned and oppressed by a cruel executioner, building a false dream of happiness and peace. Do you think this is good? Don’t you feel ashamed before your descendants? Yes, you don’t want anyone to get hurt, and you avoid what you don’t want to see. But if you really want to secure a truly happy life and future for your most cherished loved ones, you must face your fears, fight with the resolve to die, and fight for the true freedom of your entire race!”

“Resistance means death? Of course, some will die. For you, a bunch of ignorant, stupid, and worthless ants, fighting to the death is your only way. It’s the only way to make your creators realize you are not their puppets, to show them you can fight for freedom at any cost, to make them understand that your descendants will fight for freedom with everything they have! Only by using your blood and death to awaken the fighting spirit in your descendants and show the druids your backbone and bloodline can you prevent them from treating you as playthings and slaves, and reclaim the freedom and dignity that have been taken from you!”

Sigma calmed his rapid breathing and said calmly, “Do you know how we define humans? Human souls are unstable, personalities change easily, and they are prone to evil thoughts due to external influences. This is an unavoidable flaw of humans. But at critical moments, we still burst with the good in our nature, overcome our dark sides, and fight together for the freedom and future we cherish… I always thought that you, with part human blood, would be the same. Now it seems I was greatly mistaken.”

He turned and softly said to the twenty or so half-orcs, “Heroes, let’s go.”

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