Chapter 179 Prove yourself to me and to yourself
After a moment of thought, Orion finally spoke.
"Let's dig a tunnel—a direct path to the black marble quarry!"
"It's not far, and we can have the cave spiders do the digging, with the obsidian golems guiding them. This tunnel can also serve as another hidden route for the cave spiders."
"And if any dark creatures show up to interfere, we'll kill them and turn them into snacks for the little spiders!"
Orion's voice was firm and decisive. He had made up his mind to implement Prophet Onyx's suggestion: reinforcing Blackstone City with a thick layer of stone slabs to bolster its defenses.
"Chieftain, shouldn't we think this through a bit more?" Rendall asked, not out of opposition but to explore whether there might be a better solution.
Orion shook his head resolutely.
"Laying stone slabs across Blackstone City isn't just about defending against underground enemies—it's about protecting our people."
"Think about it. What would've happened if that Dark Armored Beetle had broken into the residential district yesterday?"
The question made Rendall's brow twitch.
If such a scenario had occurred, the casualties among the city's inhabitants—regardless of their race—would have been catastrophic.
"Prophet, I'm entrusting the tunnel project to you!"
"Delilah, you'll oversee the stone-laying operation. Aside from the bloodline warriors guarding the walls, you're free to mobilize anyone in the horde."
Both Onyx and Delilah nodded, accepting their assignments.
"We just need to hold on for a few more days. Once little Lorelia and Thundar break through to Alpha-level, we won't be so short on manpower anymore!"
At the mention of Lorelia and Thundar, the senior elders in the tent couldn't help but feel a surge of anticipation.
Especially for Lorelia—if she successfully ascended, the Stoneheart Horde would truly begin to thrive.
After another half hour of discussion, Orion had sorted through all the pressing matters, his thoughts now crystal clear.
With that, the council meeting came to an end.
"Let's head back," Orion said, turning to Lilith, who stood behind him.
Lilith nodded, slipping her arm through his as they left the chieftain's tent and headed toward the northern section of the camp.
Before they even reached the tent, Orion heard the rhythmic sounds of training—grunts and the swish of a trident cutting through the air.
It was Rolan, practicing outside Orion's tent.
"Rolan, didn't your mother tell you that during wartime, you're supposed to stay inside the tent?"
Hearing Orion's voice, Rolan stopped mid-swing, excitement lighting up his face as he ran toward his mentor.
"Mentor, Mother said the battle is over, and the state of emergency has been lifted."
"Besides, it's morning—my training time. You told me I couldn't skip a single day of practice!"
Orion couldn't help but feel a small wave of warmth at the young giant's dedication.
"Alright, then. Keep at it. But when you're done, make sure to clear the snow outside the tent!"
"Yes, Mentor!"
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Orion left the diligent youngling to his training and stepped into the tent.
Inside, he was greeted by the sight of a table laden with steaming, delicious food.
"Master, you're back!"
"I've prepared some food for you all—come and try it!"
As she spoke, Violet stepped forward and helped Orion remove his heavy cloak.
Orion glanced at her. She was dressed neatly, but her face betrayed a hint of worry. Clearly, she had been anxious about his safety, and now that he was back, she finally seemed at ease.
Orion's gaze shifted to Lilith and Lysinthia, who were already seated at the table.
"Let's eat together."
"Alright!"
It was a warm, quiet morning.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
After returning from battle, Orion, Lilith, and Lysinthia shared a hearty meal, their hearts filled with a rare sense of comfort.
Of course, Orion didn't forget about Rolan, who was still training outside. He brought a plate of food out to him.
Back inside the tent, Orion leaned back, holding Violet by the waist as he asked a question that had been on his mind.
"Is Blackstone City's environment suitable for cultivating magical plants?"
"There's too little sunlight here," Violet replied, resting her beautiful face against Orion's cock without a hint of shyness, even with Lilith and Lysinthia present.
"This place is only suitable for magical plants that can grow in the dark—those attuned to water and earth elements will thrive here."
"Master, Blood Mushroom fits these conditions perfectly. It would grow well here!"
Violet's words addressed a concern shared by Orion, Lilith, and Lysinthia, putting their minds at ease.
Seeming to remember something, Orion reached into his leather armor and pulled out a Thornflower, a mid-tier magical plant he had traded for with Aerin.
"What about this? Can it be cultivated?"
The Thornflower wasn't particularly useful to Orion, but that didn't mean the Stoneheart Horde couldn't benefit from it.
"What rich natural energy!"
"Master, this mid-tier magical plant is already close to high-tier. I'm not sure if it can be cultivated, but we can certainly try!"
Orion nodded, leaving the Thornflower with Violet as a clear sign for her to experiment with it.
"From now on, you don't have to call me 'Master.' Just use my name," Orion said, patting Violet's slender waist.
His words brought an abrupt silence to the tent.
Lilith, of course, heard him, but she pretended not to, curling up against Orion and feigning sleep.
Lysinthia, lying on the other side of him, felt her heart race at his words.
"Lysinthia, the same goes for you. Don't call me 'Master.' It feels strange."
Orion reached out with his other arm, pulling Lysinthia closer. He felt her body tremble slightly at his touch.
"Alright."
"Yes… alright."
Violet and Lysinthia's responses reflected their different personalities, but Orion didn't dwell on it.
Though they both bore the status of slaves, Orion had no intention of foolishly removing their slave contracts.
Still, as his women, he wanted them to live with a bit more dignity and freedom.
Of course, one could also interpret this as a hunter wanting his prey to remain healthy.
The following days were peaceful in Blackstone City.
It was as if the dark creatures outside the city had been completely wiped out, leaving no trace behind.
As Elder of Stewardship Delilah finished tallying the spoils of war, a large number of dark source crystals were distributed among the horde.
The entire Stoneheart Horde entered a period of rapid growth.
Through the spoils taken from the cannon fodder troops, the giants, succubi, buffalofolk, and obsidian golems of Blackstone City were thoroughly enriched.
The battle had elevated many bloodline warriors to heroic level, significantly boosting the horde's overall strength.
Even the cannon fodder troops saw some gains, with several of their members ascending to heroic level overnight.
However, their rewards paled in comparison to those of the horde's core members.
What surprised Orion most was the unexpected rise of a new figure. Read new chapters at empire
The first elder to reach the heroic peak and enter the sequence for Alpha-level resources wasn't Earthshaker, Desdemona, or Rockwell—it was Dirtclaw.
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The long night of the Black Forest wasn't the kind of darkness where one couldn't see their hand in front of their face. Instead, it was a hazy, murky blackness that obscured everything, making it difficult to see clearly.
Under the flickering light of the bonfires, this darkness seemed even more eerie and unpredictable.
Orion stood atop the city wall, staring into the ominous shadows of the distant forest, a faint sense of unease gnawing at him.
It was a contradictory feeling. When waves of dark creatures surged toward Blackstone City, Orion was filled with worry.
But now that the horde had weathered the storm and grown stronger, he found himself hoping for more dark creatures to appear, to satisfy the horde's hunger for dark source crystals.
"Have the bait traps been set?"
Standing beside him, also gazing into the darkness, was Delilah.
"Not only have they been set, but we've added an extra ten percent to the usual amount," she replied.
Delilah stood half a step behind Orion, her eyes studying her chieftain. She couldn't help but feel that Orion was becoming more and more enigmatic.
There was a sense of urgency about him, as if he were racing toward some unseen goal. Delilah knew that Orion had an older sister, and she speculated that one of his urgent goals was to revive her.
"It's strange," Delilah continued. "We haven't seen any large groups of dark creatures in days. Even the scattered ones are rare."
"Could it be that the last attack drew all the nearby dark creatures to us?"
Neither Orion nor Delilah had a definitive answer to this question.
"Keep an eye on things. Stay vigilant," Orion said, pulling his gaze away from the darkness.
He turned and began walking along the wall, heading toward the underground fissure in the eastern sector.
After some time, Orion arrived and met with Rendall, who was stationed there.
"Elder, where's Lorelia?"
Rendall sighed, his tone tinged with regret.
"She's still in the underground fissure. She hasn't come out."
Orion glanced toward the fissure, his bloodline power surging as he projected his voice downward.
"What's the matter? Are you too ashamed to show yourself, or are you afraid to face me?"
Though Orion's tone was low and steady, there was no trace of blame in his words.
After a long pause, Lorelia finally emerged from the fissure, her delicate face downcast.
"Master, little Lorelia has failed you!"
Her aura was noticeably stronger than before, but she had not yet reached Alpha-level.
In other words, Lorelia's attempt to ascend had failed.
From the moment she was born, Lorelia had always felt favored by Orion.
This failure to ascend left her feeling unworthy of facing him.
It also made her reluctant to meet the other elders of the horde. Ever since she began absorbing large amounts of the horde's resources and dark source crystals, Lorelia had carried a sense of superiority.
She had believed that her noble bloodline and immense potential justified the resources she received.
But this failure was a heavy blow to her pride, leaving her disheartened and shaken.
Orion looked at the Spider Queen, his gaze both transparent and profound.
In truth, Lorelia's failure to ascend was something Orion had anticipated.
Seeing her pitiful expression, Orion wanted to offer her some words of comfort.
But before he could speak, a sudden surge of Alpha-level pressure erupted from the depths of Moonshadow Valley, startling all the bloodline warriors stationed there.
Orion turned his gaze toward the ridge below, a faint smile spreading across his face.
"Is it Thundar?" Rendall asked, his tone uncertain but hopeful.
"Yes, it's Thundar of the giant tribe!"
"Hahaha! This is excellent news. The horde has gained another powerhouse!" Rendall exclaimed, his excitement evident.
Orion nodded in agreement, then turned to the guards Dace and Otho to issue orders.
"Dace, spread the word: Thundar has ascended to Alpha-level. Keep the bonfires burning, and let there be no shortage of food and drink. We'll celebrate for three days!"
"Otho, inform the council members. We'll hold a meeting in half an hour to honor Thundar's ascension!"
At some point, it had become a tradition for the horde to celebrate for three days whenever someone ascended to Alpha-level.
Dace and Otho quickly ran off to carry out their tasks.
With everything arranged, Orion turned back to Lorelia, whose eyes were brimming with tears.
"Master, Lorelia is so useless. I feel like I've let you down!"
As she spoke, Lorelia began retreating toward the underground fissure, as if planning to hide there for the rest of her life.
"Take this," Orion said, pulling out the last wooden box he had been keeping.
Inside was the dark source crystal dropped by the Dark Butterfly.
Previously, Orion had given Lorelia the dark source crystal from the Phantom Spider, thinking that since they were both spiders, it might help her ascend.
But it seemed that a single Alpha-level dark source crystal wasn't enough for a broodmother like Lorelia to succeed.
"This is the last Alpha-level dark source crystal in the horde. I was planning to give it to Dirtclaw, but now it's yours."
"Take it. Prove yourself to me—and to yourself."
Lorelia's small hands clutched the wooden box tightly, her entire spider body trembling.
"Little Lorelia knew it! Master would never abandon me!"
She moved as if to throw herself into Orion's arms, but he stopped her just in time.
"Focus on your training. You're excused from the council meeting this time."
"Yes, my great master!"
Lorelia suddenly straightened up and gave a mock salute, raising the longbow from her back high above her head with a comically serious expression.
"Stop fooling around and get to work!" Orion said, shooing her back into the underground fissure.
"Orion, you…" Rendall finally spoke after remaining silent for so long.
"That dark source crystal was meant for Lorelia from the start," Orion explained.
"Lorelia is the broodmother of the cave spiders. I suspect that because of her need to lay eggs, her body can absorb far more energy than normal."
"So it's no surprise that a single Alpha-level dark source crystal wasn't enough for her to ascend."
"That's also why I didn't bring this crystal up during the last council meeting."
Rendall blinked in surprise before nodding in understanding.
"Right now, pushing Lorelia to Alpha-level is more important than anyone else in the horde reaching that level."