Although it was nice to see that the Orcs were already receptive to his attempts to make contact with them, he didn't like the fact that the two Orc tribes were so hostile against each other. He could practically cut the tension with a knife.
"Don't trust these cowards, human. They do nothing but hunker themselves in one place and present their spikes!" the Orcanine guards said.
"These Orcs are so stupid that they don't understand the importance of a good defense!" the Orcupines retorted back.
Meanwhile, the Dragonborns looked at the Orcs and couldn't understand their hatred for one another. For them, family was everything.
"Why don't they just work together?" Zion asked innocently.
"That's just the way of Orcs. They're quite passionate," Yuna said. "Michael, who will you choose to hire? I must warn you that choosing one side might anger the other."
"Both. I can't leave one to fend for themselves," Michael replied.
After observing these two Orcs with his own eyes, ChatJK3 was able to give him a little bit more information about them.
[Orcanine Orcs]
— Half-Orc, Half-Canine hybrid
— Type: Demi-human
— Difficulty: ★★★★
— Element: Earth, Fire
—— These Orcs
[Orcupine Orcs]
— Half-Orc, Half-Porcupine hybrid
— Type: Demi-human
— Difficulty: ★★★★
— Element: Earth, Water
What do you think about these Orcs? Michael asked ChatJK3.
[These Orcs are extremely good at one thing, but bad at another. They would serve as a good addition to the Nation if they worked together.]
It would be an extreme waste if Michael allied with only one tribe. He could see the Orcanines and the Orcupines working together to safeguard Neo Orcus and subsequently, the Golden Road as well.
He needed to find a way to reconcile these two Orc tribes or else it would get harder for him to execute his plans.
It would be an extremely unpopular destination spot for anyone if there was incessant shouting coming from the forest every single day. Even he wouldn't want to live in Neo Orcus town if that happened.
The best way that he thought of to make these two tribes see eye to eye was to solve the problem they were having in the first place.
According to Yuna, their reason for their civil war was probably a lack of resources.
So, the solution was easy. Give them food.
"Orcs. Listen to me," Michael said, embedding his voice with Earth mana similar to the Orcs' way of performing their rituals.
Except, his way was much more refined, with Earth mana condensed into the very air molecules that transmitted the sound. This elicited a strong reaction from the Orcs, feeling as if their very soul was shaken by Michael's voice.
The Orcs immediately shut up and stood straight, looking at Michael with reverence and a little bit of fear in their eyes.
It felt like they were in the presence of none other than their Chieftains! Michael's booming voice activated a built-in instinct within the Orcs, treating Michael as if his words had authority.
After all, in their culture, those who could make their voice 'boom' would be able to protect their holy grounds better and therefore connect better with the Earth Goddess herself. That was the whole reason why the two tribes were trying to settle their grudge through a competition of rituals.
For a second, the two groups stopped fighting and looked at Michael and did exactly as he said: they listened.
"We are willing to provide you food and water for as long as your two tribes stop your civil war. It's too noisy," Michael said. "You don't have to fight for resources. We can give meat."
Michael gave a signal over to Jaku and Zion, who quickly picked up a huge wooden crate and dropped it right in front of the Orcs.
Just from the scent alone, the Orcs knew it was meat. Red meat.
The Dragonborns opened the crate, letting the Orcs see the goods they could receive every week if they agreed with Michael's proposition.
The Orcanines looked at the fresh meat in front of their eyes and almost salivated at the sight.
"Human…"
"You can call me Michael."
"Human Michael," the Orcanine guard said. "We are willing to do as you say! We are willing to offer you our might in eradicating anyone that offends you."
Of course, the Orcupines couldn't stand still and let their rivals take away such a generous patron.
"Our whole tribe is willing to protect you and your company for life!" they promised.
Both tribes realized the importance of being in Michael's favor. So, the Orcs did what they were familiar with. They competed against each other.
The Orcanines immediately made a counteroffer. "No, we—"
But before the Orcs got carried away with their rivalry, Sheina quickly put a stop to it.
"There's no need for that. Lord Michael has all the protection that he will ever need," she said with a smile, yet her eyes showed a sharpness to it that sent a chill down the Orc's spines.
It was only now that they realized the presence of the Dragonborns. Their appearance was already intimidating as it is, but the Orcs felt that their connection to the Earth Goddess was much stronger than theirs. This meant only one thing for the Orcs: don't mess with the human and Dragon-like beings accompanying him.
"I told you, there's no need for competition. Your tribes can stop your civil war, or else I'll have to stop it myself," Michael said.
The Orcs looked apologetic.
"I'm sorry human Michael. But our grudge against these…Orcupines…cannot be solved so easily."
"That is right. We cannot promise that we will have peace, but we will try."
Yuna tapped Michael's shoulder and whispered in his ears. "They're just regular Orcs. They can't do anything. You need to meet with their Chieftains to make any significant headway in your peace plan."
Michael nodded, agreeing with Yuna's assessment.
"Tell your Chieftains that I want to meet with them. We have business to discuss," he told them.
The Ocs looked at each other, then back to Michael, before meekly nodding their heads.
"We will relay this to our Chieftain," the Orcs said before carrying the crate of meat back to their respective villages.
But unbeknownst to them, their shadows seemed to lengthen and contract in unnatural ways.
Fudge had successfully infiltrated the Orcs with his clones!