Chapter 322: Return to Nordhill

The invisible Floating Tower soon arrived above the orc burrow. Lacking any magical array for concealment, the cavern looked just like an ordinary beast's den.

"No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem like an invader's residence. It looks more like a temporary shelter for a refugee. Could this orc be trapped on the Rodoro Plane?"

"Highly likely."

Through Soul Sight, the White Dragon Lord saw that the orc had not yet left.

"Let's observe him first."

The White Dragon Lord dispelled the magic hiding their presence. Deep within the burrow, the orc sensed the sudden, powerful magical fluctuations outside. Snatching up the warblade at his feet, he charged out.

A brown-skinned orc with a long braid appeared in their line of sight. He wore earthen leather armor covered in dust, and even his face was caked with grime. The only presentable thing on him was the warblade crackling with arcs of lightning in his hand.

The Ancient Gold Dragon appraised the orc for a moment.

"Dry, cracked lips—caused by days without water. This orc is definitely trapped here."

The White Dragon Lord nodded, then frowned slightly.

"How do you all think we should deal with him?"

The orc had participated in the plundering; dying trapped here was no more than he deserved. However, with the battle over, his life or death held little meaning.

"Hmm..."

Priest Sinod pondered for a moment.

"Let's give him a chance. The Lord says that forgiveness is a virtue."

The Cat-Woman chimed in.

"Amos, in another forty years, it will be White Castle's turn to garrison the Blood War Battlefield. Why not have him sign a magical contract to add to your forces?"

The White Dragon Lord was tempted by the suggestion. He looked at Priest Sinod, who smiled and nodded.

The High-Tier Legend orc warrior—Troy Thunderblade—stared at the Floating Tower overhead, his heart filled with despair. Over the recent past, he had already witnessed just how terrifying a High-Tier Legendary Mage piloting a Floating Tower could be.

Certain death!

Yet this inescapable doom gradually brought a sense of peace to Troy's heart. He stared at the Floating Tower with mixed emotions.

He would finally be free.

In truth, the moment Troy realized he was trapped on this plane, he knew this day would come.

Troy tightened his grip on his warblade. The coarse hemp wrapped around the hilt pressed into his palm. The familiar sensation made his heart race; he felt his blood burn.

Come! Even if I die, I will die a glorious death in battle!

"Orc! Who are you? Where do you come from? Why are you trapped here?"

Hearing the slightly accented Orcish from above, Troy froze. Having lived alone on this hellish plane for two months, he had grown accustomed to fighting on sight. The White Dragon Lord's sudden questioning caught him off guard.

Seeing that the orc hadn't responded, the White Dragon Lord raised an eyebrow.

"Orc! Your life depends on your answer!"

The accented Orcish echoed down again, jolting Troy back to his senses.

They don't seem to be planning to kill me outright!

A surge of joy rose in Troy's heart. Even an ant clings to life, let alone a fully rational, intelligent being. If he didn't have to die, Troy naturally wouldn't seek a battle to the death.

He lowered his warblade slightly, and its crackling lightning arcs faded. Knowing that mages possessed magic to detect lies, Troy chose to answer truthfully.

"I am Troy Thunderblade! Chieftain of the Thunderblade Clan from the Homura Orc World! As for why I am trapped here, it is because the undead slaughtered my clan and took everything from me."

Troy stared nervously at the Floating Tower overhead. He knew that what came next would decide his fate.

If they make excessive demands, like forcing a slave contract, I'll fight them to the bitter end.

With this thought, Troy tightened his grip on the warblade.

Hearing this, the White Dragon Lord breathed a sigh of relief.

If the ones who had slaughtered the orc's clan were the people of Nordhill, the White Dragon Lord wouldn't have been able to spare him.

"Orc! The one before you is the true master of this plane! You invaded my territory! You plundered my wealth! According to orc customs, I should slaughter you and mount your head on a pike!"

Troy gritted his teeth, his grip tightening on his warblade.

"However, my companion is a servant of the God of Justice. He has persuaded me to spare your life. Now, I give you two choices: one, death! Two, sign an employment contract and serve me for five hundred years."

Troy considered this. After stepping into the High-Tier Legend realm, even a melee professional possessed a lifespan of nearly ten thousand years. Five hundred years wasn't a massive amount of time, but it wasn't a short stint either.

"I can agree to fight for you, but you cannot force me to do anything against my will."

The White Dragon Lord was taken aback. He hadn't expected the orc to be so straightforward as to not even haggle!

Originally, the White Dragon Lord's expectation had been two hundred and fifty years—just enough time for the Blood War Battlefield rotation to end.

Since the orc hadn't tried to bargain, the White Dragon Lord certainly wasn't going to remind him.

"I agree to your terms. A High-Tier Legend deserves courtesy."

The White Dragon Lord steered the Floating Tower down to land. The four High-Tier Legends stepped out of the tower together and walked toward the orc, who had put away his weapon.

As they drew near, the White Dragon Lord frowned, and the Cat-Woman backed away several steps.

An orc trapped on the waterless Rodoro Plane, having not bathed for nearly two months—that pungent stench was truly something else...

The White Dragon Lord finally understood why the orc hadn't bothered haggling. Being trapped alone on a lifeless, necromantic plane with no food or water was an absolutely miserable experience.

After casting an air purification spell on himself and his companions, the White Dragon Lord conjured a table of solid ice. He took out a sheet of Divine Contract Paper and began drafting the employment terms.

Just as he had promised, a High-Tier Legend deserved courtesy. The terms the White Dragon Lord drafted were not harsh; it was simply an employment contract without a salary.

Out of consideration for the orc, the White Dragon Lord wrote it in the Orcish script promulgated by the orc pantheon, ensuring Troy could understand the contract without any barriers.

After carefully reading through the clauses, Troy breathed a sigh of relief. He signed his name below the White Dragon Lord's long string of names.

The contract paper spontaneously combusted. The employment contract was established.

Watching the contract turn to ash, both sides simultaneously dropped their guard.

"From today onward, I am your boss."

The White Dragon Lord cast a direct Cleansing Spell, washing the filthy orc completely clean, and then led everyone back aboard the Floating Tower.

Inside the Floating Tower's control room, the White Dragon Lord steered the vessel, flying in the direction of the mage.

"Do any of you have food?"

Troy rubbed his belly, looking a bit embarrassed.

"After the undead snatched my Dimensional Bag, I haven't eaten a thing for over a month."

The White Dragon Lord spoke up.

"I can make you some magical food. It won't have any flavor, but at least it will fill your stomach."

"No need. I have dried fish here."

The Cat-Woman pulled out a bag of dried fish and tossed it to the orc. Giving her a grateful look, Troy eagerly tore open the packaging, grabbed a handful of dried fish mixed with chili powder and various spices, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Magic-casting professionals didn't need regular food because they could survive on magical sustenance. Warriors lacked such abilities. After starving for over a month and enduring multiple battles, the orc was utterly exhausted.

Perhaps having sensed that earlier battle, or perhaps having already left after encountering the Nether Panther, the mage was nowhere to be found in the White Dragon Lord's Soul Sight.

Looking at the burrow radiating death energy before him, the White Dragon Lord pondered for a moment before taking the lead and walking inside.

Detect Magic Traps!

Avoiding or disabling various magical traps along the way, the White Dragon Lord and his group reached the bottom level of the cave.

Upon reaching the bottom, the White Dragon Lord felt a somewhat familiar aura. Mildly startled, he exchanged a glance with the Ancient Gold Dragon.

"Samiat Bone-Erosion Flame?!"

"That's right. There's extremely strong necromantic energy here along with lingering draconic traces. This must be the residence of Samiat Bone-Erosion Flame."

Hearing the two dragons converse, Priest Sinod asked curiously.

"Was that mage a dracolich in disguise?"

Yuir stepped out from the White Dragon Lord's shadow and twitched his nose, sniffing the air.

"Probably not. The scent on that mage was distinctly different from the lingering smell here."

The Cat-Woman suggested.

"Let's look around and see if there are any clues."

After a thorough inspection, the group found nothing at all.

Since neither the dracolich nor that mysterious mage was here, making baseless guesses served no purpose. They immediately decided to head back.

After sharing a meal together, the Cat-Woman, the Ancient Gold Dragon, and Priest Sinod returned to the Nordhill Plane.

The White Dragon Lord, meanwhile, piloted the Magic Tower and took the orc, Troy Thunderblade, to sweep across the entire Rodoro Plane.

Over the course of two months, aside from uprooting a few spatial beacons, the White Dragon Lord found absolutely nothing.

By now, the Magic Tower Defense System had begun to take shape, providing an initial guarantee for Elena's safety. It was time for the White Dragon Lord to return.

"Troy! Your first task is to ensure her safety!"

The White Dragon Lord pointed at Elena as he spoke to the recently returned orc.

Having received the White Dragon Lord's permission to return to his homeland to handle some matters, the orc patted his chest.

"I guarantee the mission will be accomplished, Boss."

The White Dragon Lord nodded. Although he didn't quite trust the orc's character, he fully trusted the binding power of the Divine Contract.

With a powerful bodyguard and a systematic Magic Tower early warning network in place, this dual layer of security put the White Dragon Lord completely at ease. He initiated the teleportation, steering the Floating Tower back to Nordhill.

In the airspace above the City of the Sky, Samaria, a massive black hole formed, prompting the legendary practitioners on duty to immediately go on high alert.

While no one believed anyone would dare act presumptuously in Samaria, long-standing habits had them swiftly prepare for battle.

It wasn't until they saw the Council insignia on the Floating Tower that everyone finally relaxed.

"Welcome back to Nordhill, Councilor Amos. Please moor the Floating Tower at the designated location."

Tower Spirit One's voice echoed in the White Dragon Lord's mind. Following the tower spirit's guidance, the White Dragon Lord steered the Floating Tower and descended onto a circular pit-shaped docking interface.

The base of the Floating Tower seamlessly slotted into the interface, forming a perfect whole. At the same time, a will surged into the Control Core, revoking the White Dragon Lord's control authority.

The White Dragon Lord sensed the tower spirit's consciousness scanning the Floating Tower. Not long after, Tower Spirit One's voice sounded again.

"Inspection complete. Floating Tower No. 014 is in good condition. Handover complete."

Hearing that the handover was complete, the White Dragon Lord flew straight out of the Floating Tower through a window. Whatever happened next was no longer his concern.

En route to the main tower, the White Dragon Lord glanced back at the Floating Tower that had accompanied him for the past several months.

By now, the Floating Tower's base was connected to the colossal floating city, making it just another member of the many floating towers in Samaria. Several Legendary Mages were currently entering Floating Tower No. 014 to carry out maintenance and upkeep on the battle-tested vessel.

The White Dragon Lord's eyes gleamed.

It won't be long before I have a Floating Tower of my very own.

Harboring such thoughts, the White Dragon Lord pushed open the doors to the speaker's office.

After routinely reporting the noteworthy events of the Rodoro Plane to Merlin Heavenly Principle, the White Dragon Lord returned to the Overseas Archipelago.

In the great hall of White Castle, the White Dragon Lord lay coiled upon his throne. Standing below were Gurgalu and the rest of the White Castle higher-ups.

"Your Majesty, the precious resources brought back by Lord Hogg have been divided and stored across multiple secret storehouses per your instructions. This is the detailed inventory. Please review it."

The administrator, Hobbes, handed over a long list of items. The White Dragon Lord took it, skimmed over it, and then incinerated it to ash.

"I trust your work."

The gnoll grand commander, Hogg Riverclaw, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, most of the prisoners of war brought back from the Rodoro Plane have been handed over to the Council. As ordered, I kept the Titans and giants. It's just that..."

Hogg seemed a bit hesitant, causing the White Dragon Lord to raise an eyebrow.

"Just what?"

"It's just that during the escort, we ran into Her Highness Felicia..."

The White Dragon Lord drew in a sharp breath, feeling a headache coming on. Given Felicia's explosive temper, running into Titans and giants—especially when their powers were sealed and they had virtually no ability to fight back...

"One Legendary Titan and several giants were beaten into critical condition by Her Highness. They are still recovering."

"Hmm?!"

They actually didn't die?!

The White Dragon Lord had originally prepared himself for a total wipeout of the Titans and giants. To think that it was merely a few critical injuries. It seemed Felicia had matured quite a bit as well.

"You are not to blame for this. Let's just drop the matter."

The corners of the White Dragon Lord's mouth curled up slightly.

"I will speak with Felicia personally."

Hogg breathed a sigh of relief. The Castellan of White Scale City, the murloc grand patriarch, Feixi Darkscale, stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, a group of murlocs recently fled here from the deep sea regions to seek refuge. This is the list of the major murloc clans seeking our protection. Please review it."

The White Dragon Lord took the list and noticed that the murloc listed at the very top was a legendary murloc. This certainly caught his attention.

After pondering for a moment, the White Dragon Lord decided that murloc affairs should be handled by murlocs.

"This is an internal murloc matter. Whether they stay or go is for you to decide. Just ensure proper precautions against spies; I don't want any trouble erupting in my kingdom."

"Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will not fail you!"

Gurgalu took a step forward. The one-eyed, one-horned Gur had his mouth curled into a smile, clearly in a good mood.

"Your Majesty, according to the latest demographic surveys, the ogre population in the Overseas Archipelago has already reached one million."

The White Dragon Lord felt gratified.

"Now that is truly good news."