Chapter 184: Blood Axe Clan

The White Dragon Lord studied the orc with keen interest. This creature was clearly the leader of the band, as among all the orcs present, it was the only one wielding an Iron Axe.

The White Dragon Lord lowered his massive head right in front of the orc, bringing their lines of sight level. Golden pupils stared into the orc's maroon eyes as he spoke in a low, echoing voice.

"An honor to meet me? Excellent. That means you aren't afraid of me," he said in Orcish.

The orc leader was a figure of some standing. Even faced with a massive dragon head and hot breath blasting against his face, he didn't blink.

"Of course. The Orc Race will forever be your loyal servants."

From the orc's words, the White Dragon Lord gleaned a vital piece of information: True Dragons existed in this world, and they had conquered the Orc Race.

This discovery filled the white dragon with immense joy. All True Dragons possessed the dragon inheritance. Aside from the ancient portions, the dragon inheritance consisted of knowledge left behind by the ancestors of various major branches for their descendants.

It was just like how a True Dragon would inherit the legacy of their parents, while the legacies of aunts and uncles were left to their cousins.

Because every ancestor's experiences were different, even the dragon inheritance of the same species on the same plane would vary—let alone among dragons of an entirely different world.

These native True Dragons absolutely knew a wealth of information about this world.

"Great Dragon, could we eliminate the enemy first? We are too close to Blade Fortress here, and enemy reinforcements will arrive soon."

The orc leader's voice interrupted the white dragon's thoughts. Recalling the majestic city he had seen from the sky, the White Dragon Lord nodded and completely retracted his dragon might.

"Hahaha!"

The orc leader rallied his orcs and pursued the fleeing humans.

Screams rang out endlessly. The human militia were either killed or routed, and soon all resistance in the village was silenced.

The orcs violently kicked down doors to gather grain, simultaneously finishing off any enemies hiding inside the houses—women and children included.

The White Dragon Lord remained completely unmoved. This was a race war!

In a conflict within the same race, women and children might be spared, but between different races, no such mercy existed.

Because one day in the future, those children would grow into adults. And when that time came, they would feel no gratitude toward the orcs for sparing their lives.

On the contrary, bearing the blood feud of their murdered parents, the grown children would harbor a deeper hatred for orcs than ordinary people. They might join the army and participate in the war against the orcs.

When that happened, it would be the orcs' own kin who died.

If the roles of the humans and orcs were reversed right now, they would make the exact same choice.

After wiping out the resisting humans, the orc leader returned to the white dragon. He dropped to one knee and held up the few dozen gold coins they had plundered, offering them high above his head.

"Thank you for your assistance. Had you not appeared and shattered their will to fight, we might have lost several brothers in battle."

"You did well, orc. I am very satisfied."

Behaving no differently from an ordinary dragon, the White Dragon Lord unceremoniously accepted the gold coins.

"What is your name?"

The orc leader answered respectfully.

"Respected Dragon, I am the chieftain of the Blood Axe Tribe—Gnosh Bloodaxe."

The White Dragon Lord nodded.

"Gnosh, do you know the whereabouts of other dragons?"

The orc leader scratched his smooth green head in distress.

"I do not. Blood Axe is just a minor, unranked tribe. But if you wish to find other dragons, you might look toward the massive tribes with over ten thousand members. They likely offer tribute to great dragons."

Hearing this, the White Dragon Lord understood the dynamic between orcs and dragons: the orcs were responsible for providing tribute, and the dragons would presumably offer some degree of protection in return.

Hmm... probably.

Amos had absolutely no faith in his lazy kin.

The white dragon looked at the orc before him. This orc possessed both courage and cunning, actually able to look a massive white dragon in the eye without flinching. Even in Nordhill, a land teeming with powerhouses, very few could manage that.

Furthermore, if he could help the Blood Axe Clan behind this orc grow, having more subordinates would make things much easier to handle.

The white dragon was tempted by the idea, and he immediately acted on it.

"Gnosh Bloodaxe, from this moment forth, you are my servant."

The orc leader froze for a moment before wild joy set in. He couldn't believe such a stroke of good fortune had landed in his lap.

After all, even among large tribes with over ten thousand members, less than a tenth ever earned a dragon's favor—let alone a small tribe like Blood Axe.

At that thought, Gnosh's face suddenly fell. He said bitterly, "Respected Dragon, I'm afraid the Blood Axe Clan is not qualified to receive your favor. We are merely an unranked tribe of less than a hundred people; we cannot provide enough fresh meat for tribute."

A dragon's appetite was directly proportional to its size, and they generally had terrible tempers. If they couldn't get enough food, they wouldn't mind snacking on an orc to satisfy their cravings.

The White Dragon Lord understood Gnosh's concern and spoke.

"You do not have the right to refuse. Furthermore, I am merely taking you on as my personal servant. I don't need the Blood Axe's tribute, nor is the Blood Axe Tribe qualified to host me."

Gnosh breathed a sigh of relief, and his heart leapt. Becoming a dragon's servant wasn't bad at all. At the very least, he could use the title to attract wandering orcs to join them.

Just as the orc leader was about to speak, the White Dragon Lord beat him to it.

"However, for the sake of you being my servant, I have decided to give the Blood Axe a chance. If the Blood Axe can develop into a large tribe within half a year, I will agree to become your master."

The White Dragon Lord's promise brought almost zero downsides to the Blood Axe. Gnosh hurriedly agreed.

"Yes, Master. The Blood Axe will absolutely not disappoint you."

"Excellent. Considering the Blood Axe's current lack of strength, I will leave another of my servants here to help you expand the clan."

The White Dragon Lord turned to the Nether Panther at his side.

"Yuir, you will temporarily remain with the Blood Axe Clan to help him expand the tribe."

"Yes, Master."

Only then did the orc leader discover in horror that a massive, six-meter-long panther was lurking in the White Dragon Lord's shadow.

Even though it had lost the power to traverse the shadows, Yuir still instinctively hid within them.

It was as if Yuir were born for the dark. While in the shadows, its presence was incredibly low. Despite its immense size compared to an orc, not a single human or orc had managed to notice it.

Leaving Yuir with the Blood Axe Tribe was the result of the white dragon's careful consideration.

On one hand, the powerful Nether Panther could help the Blood Axe, which lacked top-tier combat power, expand rapidly.

On the other hand, the White Dragon Lord had no idea how long it would take to find his kin. Rather than keeping the Nether Panther by his side indefinitely, it was better to let it stay with the Blood Axe.

After inquiring about the location of the nearest large tribe—the Wildhammer Clan—the White Dragon Lord beat his wings and took to the sky.