Xi Luo did not notice anything unusual in their expressions; of course, he might have simply thought that these two young people were surprised by his recent statements. So, after a brief pause, he continued, "Now, let us temporarily cease mourning the deceased and discuss what we should do next, Mr. Tong Bing..."
"I'm listening, Grand Chieftain," a dirty middle-aged Dwarf shouted from the corner, "What are your orders?"
It's worth mentioning here that while Fire Claw Territory is primarily a tribal alliance dominated by Orcs, it doesn't mean that all its inhabitants are Orcs. In fact, for a long time, Innocent Continent has had almost no settlements composed purely of a single race. An Orc could also be an informant from Marshall Family planted in Fire Claw Territory, and many people of other races hold important roles here in Fire Claw.
When Mo Tan first entered, he roughly surveyed the surroundings. Including Grand Chieftain Xi Luo, pure-blooded Orcs only accounted for about two-thirds of the total number of people in the council hall. The remaining one-third, including Kasi and the Dwarf, comprised people of various races.
"I want to know how many warriors our current weapon reserves can arm if we enter a state of war with Marshall Territory?" Xi Luo asked in a deep voice, then added, "Within one month."
The Dwarf pulled a dirty little booklet from his pocket, flipped through it casually, and without looking up, replied, "Seven thousand people. If they're all reformed to the Blood Claw Guard's standard, then three thousand people. You know, our mine output has always been tight, and we don't have enough financial resources to import in large quantities."
"Seven thousand people... alright." Xi Luo gently rubbed his forehead, waved the Dwarf named Tong Bing to sit down, closed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "Mr. Le Wen..."
A Half-Orc man with pointed reddish-brown ears and a bushy tail stood up, elegantly bowing to Xi Luo: "Grand Chieftain."
"Summarize what you analyzed last night," Xi Luo told him, "The more detailed, the better."
However, this Half-Orc hesitated and didn't respond, then quickly glanced at Shuang Ye and Mo Tan under Xi Luo's searching gaze.
"With all due respect," Shuang Ye, who had been observing everyone, sneered, "Your idea is somewhat foolish."
"Le Wen," Xi Luo shook his head slightly, "I know you're worried about everyone repeating the mistake of trusting Sir Pace before, but I believe these two companions of Mr. Ned. Don't forget that the intelligence you analyzed all night yesterday was brought by Miss Shuangye at great risk. Now, do you understand what I mean?"
This seemingly mild-mannered Grand Chieftain narrowed his eyes, and the fleeting sharpness in his gaze made everyone present fall silent, as if a lion dozing on a mountaintop had lazily stood up. Even without doing anything, it was enough to make the sheep below flee in terror and all beasts bow down...
Just a hint of aura, inadvertently released, made Mo Tan and Shuang Ye realize that this Grand Chieftain was truly worthy of his title.
After all, true power isn't necessarily written on one's face, nor does one need to be handsome with a broad back and strong shoulders, let alone possess the ability to breathe fire or eat children. A strong person is simply a strong person. Hong Qigong, at first glance, looks like an ordinary white-bearded old man; upon closer inspection, he looks like a beggar old man. But try getting a close look when he's using the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms or the Dog-Beating Staff Technique?
If it's a dragon, he can subdue it; if it's a dog, he can stew it! They are just two walking characters—awesome!
Ahem, let's get back to the point...
When Xi Luo powerfully kicked... I mean, when he revealed his imposing aura, the Fox-kin Half-Orc named Le Wen immediately shivered, then honestly replied, "The intelligence brought by Miss Shuangye is extremely valuable. Grand Lord Ned was originally from Marshall Territory and knows a lot about the situation there. The intelligence he has gathered over the years, both in quality and quantity, far surpasses that collected by our other scouts. I analyzed it carefully last night, and it would even be acceptable to present it to the Imperial Noble Tribunal. Now, I will elaborate..."
Le Wen's presentation lasted a long time, occasionally using the Empire map in the council hall for detailed explanations. The amount of information was incredibly high.
According to the extensive data and evidence collected by Ned during his lifetime, Marshall Family's slave trading activities have been ongoing for at least thirty years. Their slave-hunting range covers almost the entire Marshall Territory and half of Fire Claw Territory, and even includes Simon Territory, which borders another Marshall Territory and belongs to Xi Mu Simon Grand Duke. At least thousands of slaves are trafficked annually through various channels. This is not a small number. It's important to remember that in this era, where the term 'slave' has long been abolished, even a slave trade involving a hundred people can be considered an extremely heinous act. If this were to happen on the Northeast Continent, where Holy Church United exists, they would be tied to a stake and BBQ'd!
But Marshall Family did it, and not only did they do it, they did it with great fervor and success, and their methods were extremely covert.
In most cases, they would target villages and towns with small populations and limited external contact. Their specific method involved sending a small, clandestine unit to abduct every breathing creature in the area overnight, deciding whether to flee after the abduction or burn everything down, depending on the situation. In most cases, such incidents were difficult to discover. Even if someone nearby noticed something amiss afterward, they could easily mislead others into believing that the locals had collectively migrated to other villages, towns, or surrounding cities. At most, they would shift the blame to some bandit group, real or fake, and then, after a period, produce some corpses for propaganda to appease the public...
In other situations, the slave-hunting units would themselves pose as bandit groups, storming into other territories, plundering, burning, and killing for ten to fifteen days, then secretly transporting the people back within their own borders for 'processing.' In this scenario, Fire Claw Territory was the biggest victim because Orc slaves sold for a higher price.
The last situation was more extreme. Sometimes, they would even target cities, mostly medium-sized cities within Marshall Territory. Their methods were extremely covert, and with official cover, these missing persons always remained 'cold cases.' However, the perpetrators were very careful, generally only targeting individuals with uncomplicated social connections: vagrants, travelers, lone wolves, single people (crossed out), and even small merchant caravans were all within their hunting range...
However, more than twenty years ago, when Marshall Family extended its claws to the small coastal town where Ned resided, their actions were a bit too greedy and rushed.
Despite extensive cover-ups and Confusion afterward, the sudden disappearance of one-third of the population still caused a huge commotion that year. Unfortunately, it was ultimately forced to be 'left unresolved' by the authorities...
Perhaps even Marshall Family itself never imagined that they had left a root of trouble in that hunt years ago.
Ned, who had always strived as a small figure, desperately pursuing the truth, and remained a 'small figure' even at the time of his death.
He left behind an intelligence dossier over ten thousand words long.
It was proof that he had once lived in this world, proof that carried the beliefs of Fenrir Squad and many more innocent people, and evidence sufficient to bring down the behemoth that was Marshall Family.
"Once this intelligence is proven true in the noble court, no matter how many years of history they have, it won't save them," Le Wen concluded. "But things might not go so smoothly. Buffy, the patriarch of Marshall Family, is not someone who likes to sit idly by."
Xi Luo nodded, his gaze sweeping across the hall: "What are everyone's opinions?"
A tall Orc, who looked like he could eat children and breathe fire, suddenly stood up, eyes blazing, and roared, "Kill all of Marshall Family!"
"Calm down, Grand Marshal Roche," Le Wen, who had just finished speaking, gave a wry smile and shook his head. "A direct conflict with Marshall Territory is not suitable right now."
A bald Dwarf leaning in a corner snorted, "Not suitable? If we wait any longer, our people in Fire Claw Territory will be completely plundered! Will it be suitable then?"
"Nigel!" Kasi, the taciturn head of the Shadow Guards, said in a deep voice, "Never mind Marshall Family's Mercury Guard and Buffy's Sword Knights. Even if your Flame Mage Corps were to duel their Ice Curtain Mage Corps, which side do you think would have a greater chance of winning?"
The Dwarf Mage named Nigel pouted and turned his head away, remaining silent.
"But we must take action," a young female Orc with light green skin sighed. "We can't let this continue."
Xi Luo remained silent, and Mo Tan and Shuang Ye, sitting to the side, also offered no opinions. The latter even looked a bit sleepy...
"Ahem." At this moment, an Old Orc sitting to Xi Luo's left cleared his throat twice, blinked his cloudy eyes, and then, as the hall suddenly fell silent, he unsteadily stood up: "I suggest sending someone to the Royal City to summon the nine Grand Lords, including the Imperial Family, and initiate a noble tribunal."
Grand Marshal Roche, who was the most agitated, blurted out, "But Father... Grand Lord Hei Qie! Those fat-bellied nobles..."
"Let me finish, little radish head," the elder, who was presumably the Grand Marshal's father and called Grand Lord Hei Qie, smiled. "Your bad temper, like your picky eating, never changes."
"Pfft~" Shuang Ye burst out laughing without any reserve. The combination of the Grand Marshal, who looked like a muscular devil, and the somewhat cute nickname 'little radish head' created an extreme sense of incongruity.
A chorus of dry coughs filled the hall as everyone tried to suppress their laughter. Grand Marshal Roche, known as the 'Roarer,' had always been a powder keg, but his easily ignited temper clearly couldn't flare up at this moment. This man, arguably the top warrior in Fire Claw Territory, was famously afraid of his father and had probably been beaten a lot as a child.
"No Grand Lord is truly 'fat-bellied.' They have been able to stand in the core circle of the Empire for so many years, relying on more than just their history and influence," Gru Hei Qie patiently said after his son sat down, then looked at Xi Luo thoughtfully. "But Da Luo, you seemed to like eating fatty intestines when you were little..."
Xi Luo smiled wryly and waved his hand: "Uncle Gru, you're getting off topic."
"Heh heh, my apologies, my apologies, old people just like to ramble~" Hei Qie chuckled softly, then continued, "Marshall Family has not only shaken the rules but also infringed upon the interests of more than just our Fire Claw. Given that our strength is not superior right now, negotiating first is the wise move, however..."
He paused slightly, and a hint of red light flickered in his cloudy, presbyopic eyes: "We must also prepare for war during this process, Grand Chieftain. I suggest immediately organizing an envoy group to go to Violet Imperial City, and at the same time, dispatch all warriors within the territory to the border. If the situation changes, we must strike first! Start an all-out war at the first opportunity! I will lead the Charge..."
Everyone was silent, as if in awe. Several high-ranking Fire Claw Territory officials, who were quite experienced, seemed to have seen the Blood Lion Grand Marshal from back then...
Years had taken much from him, and had not bestowed any extra gifts upon this elder, but this did not mean that the blood flowing in his body had cooled. Experience allowed him to understand reason, but when war became inevitable, no one would question whether this aging Grand Marshal could still lift a weapon. Just as Gru had said, he would lead the Charge.
"Does anyone else have an opinion?" Xi Luo smiled at his uncle, then stood up and surveyed the hall, saying in a deep voice, "If not..."
"I do," a clear voice suddenly rang out. Shuang Ye, who had been sneering with her arms crossed, instantly became the focus.
"What's your opinion?!" Roche, with his fiery temper, roared. He had no temper with Xi Luo or his own father, but he wouldn't be so polite to this sprout-like little girl.
Shuang Ye glanced at him: "Quiet down, little radish head."
A vein on Roche's forehead bulged with a 'thump.'
"Roche, listen to Miss Shuangye finish," Xi Luo frowned at his good brother, then looked gently at Shuang Ye: "I'd like to hear it."
The girl pushed up her glasses, walked in front of Xi Luo, and said in a deep voice, "What that old man just said makes a lot of sense. The idea of 'courtesy before force' is fine, but what I want to know is, how do you plan to refute Marshall Family in the noble council... of course, in a way other than with fists."
"Mr. Ned's intelligence is the evidence. I will have Le Wen organize an envoy group to take it to Violet Imperial Capital," Xi Luo replied. "Let the noble tribunal make a judgment."
"Oh," Shuang Ye chuckled softly, "This intelligence is fake."
"What did you say?!" Xi Luo's eyes suddenly widened. Le Wen, Kasi, and the others around him were all stunned instantly.
Shuang Ye shrugged: "That's the simplest rebuttal. If Marshall Family says that, what will you do?"
"What do you think we should do?" Xi Luo stared intently at the girl, who wasn't even as tall as his chest. He knew that since she asked that, she must already have an answer.
"Bring an excellent witness," Shuang Ye said lightly, "And preferably one with a good head on their shoulders, at least not one who would be dumbfounded by a clumsy fake message."
"Who?"
"Me."
Chapter 88: End
