Chapter 422: Three Generations and Ten Generations
The bards toyed with the minds of the common folk, but their existence was determined by the needs of the people. Once the commoners of the Northern Regions grew weary of the singing style of Greenwood’s bards, it was only natural for those bards to be cast aside.
Those unwilling to return to Greenwood so easily would, of course, learn to adapt to the local singing style. And once they came into contact with and studied this style, they would inevitably be influenced by the thoughts of the Northern Regions.
Thus, Zeke welcomed such bards who came to learn the Northern style of song.
Aen said, “To let a single family, a single bloodline hold the power of a nation for too long is not a good thing. My children—whether born before I ascended the throne or after—none of them are capable of inheriting the title of King of the Northern Regions.”
“They were corrupted at an alarming rate by the flattering servants. Even my youngest, who is only two years old, demanded to bathe in a pool of milk in a woman’s arms. The gold coins it took for just one of his baths were enough to sustain ten households for three months.”
“So I killed him, his mother, and those servants. I now fully understand what you once told me, about that Northern King who disposed of a whole slew of his children before he died.”
“So foolish, so inferior—how could they possibly bear the weight of the Northern Regions?”
Zeke said, “That is why you must find a way to live longer.”
Aen sighed. “I’m nearly forty now. My desire to sire new children has waned considerably—perhaps even turned to aversion for those foolish women. And in terms of strength, my body has already reached its peak. In a few years, I will begin to decline.”
“Twenty years? Or thirty? But I will die, inevitably. And when I do, perhaps I will do just as you said that Northern King once did—kill off all my descendants.”
Zeke said, “But the Northern Regions need Ismir—especially in this transition from the Old Testament Era to the New Testament Era. And from the beginning of the New Testament Era, both our Northern Regions and Greenwood have fallen under the Lord’s gaze. We are shaping the Northern Regions, burying the past, and Greenwood is doing the same on their side.”
“And we of the Northern Regions have far fewer sages and wise men than Greenwood. So you must live—at least for three generations. And Ismir must last for at least ten generations.”
“Only then can the Northern Regions truly be reborn.”
Zeke’s words were earnest. This was something he had thought through and evaluated carefully. He knew it was a difficult request, but it had to be done.
Reshaping the culture of a region could not possibly be a simple matter.
The Northern Regions needed a symbol—one revered as a god by all its people.
Hogg could become such a symbol, but what he represented was not enough to encompass the entire Northern Regions.
“So these Orcs must become Ismir’s loyal hounds—guardians of its homeland. And in the end, they too shall become legends of the Northern Regions, just like Ismir.”
“Even when the generations pass and Ismir becomes history, the loyal hounds of Ismir—those tamed Orcs—will continue to chase after Ismir’s wings, keeping its legend alive.”
Aen said, “You intend to treat them like livestock.”
Zeke lowered his head and said, “It is their honor to serve as loyal hounds to Ismir.”
Aen laughed and said, “You are furious about treating them this way in your heart.”
He laughed heartily. He understood Zeke. This man loved the Northern Regions and had dealt with some of its darkest matters. He should have been cold and indifferent, like the freezing winds of the North.
At the very least, this sacrificial ritual of a single person was not something Zeke considered too extreme.
Zeke responded, “The North is cold, which is why its people are passionate about battle. This outward fervor seems to mask the Northern chill, but it also conceals the coldness in their hearts.”
Aen said, “So you want the locals’ passion to be genuine, heartfelt boldness. And that’s where your poetic chant style comes in.”
Zeke didn’t continue that thread but instead said, “I found something in their tribe that looks like a map. It’s primitive, and the drawings are inaccurate, but a few prominent landmarks are marked. If you decide to go through with the plan to conquer these Orcs, it may take a while.”
Aen said, “Since we’ve come all this way, we’ll follow through with the plan and subjugate these Orcs. But we stay only three months. No matter what happens, we return afterward.”
Zeke replied, “As you will.”
And so, Aen dug a hole into the permafrost of the Exile Lands with his bare hands and buried the disemboweled mother beneath the ground.
Then, together with Zeke, he used the map to search for Orc tribes in the surrounding area.
The climate of the Exile Lands was extremely unstable. Storms could sweep in several times a day. If it were only Tier Two individuals from the Northern Regions here, they wouldn’t last a day before freezing to death.
Because of this, Orcs in the Exile Lands reached Tier Three by the time they neared adulthood.
Those who didn’t make it simply died silently.
Under such harsh and resource-starved conditions, each Orc tribe was extremely small. The tribe of nearly a hundred that Aen had slaughtered was already considered a medium-sized tribe.
Among the more than twenty Orc tribes Aen had found in these three months, only seven had over a hundred members.
Thus, the Icefang Tribe where Aen currently stood could already be considered a large Orc tribe.
They had even developed internal clan-based governance—an extremely primitive form of noble power. Compared to the smaller tribes that elected leaders based on strength alone, this was a rare advancement.
Therefore, conquering this tribe would be far more difficult than conquering the smaller ones.
He would have to defeat every adult male in the Icefang Clan.
It was a daunting task. After all, the adult males collectively included thirteen Tier Four warriors and one Tier Five.
Of course, this difficulty assumed that Aen did not activate his Dragon Soul Form.
Aen did not activate his Dragon Soul Form.
If he did, he would certainly be powerful enough—but too powerful. He would only inspire awe, not respect.
Using overwhelming power to subjugate them would be easier, but once an even stronger force appeared, that awe would shift elsewhere.
However, if one possessed great strength and chose not to use it—opting instead to defeat them through traditional Orc methods, close-quarters, fist-to-flesh combat—then one could earn both awe and respect.
In the end, Aen agreed with Zeke’s thinking. The process of taming the Orcs began with their conquest.
Just as Greenwood once tamed the Northern Regions: understanding you, learning from you, conquering you with your own methods, then scorning you, and finally using my ways to influence and erode you—until you are fully tamed.