The Most Satisfying Revenge

### Chapter 68: The Most Satisfying Revenge

Suddenly inspired, Baroque did not reveal himself but instead followed Barotan and the others as they left the Wind Dragon Inn, all the way to the deepest, dirtiest, and poorest streets of Dolon City. Barotan and Angray cautiously looked around before slipping into what seemed like an abandoned house. Baroque was even pleasantly surprised to see a few more of his clansmen secretly standing guard around the house. Anyone approaching without knowing the situation would easily be discovered. It seemed that his tribesmen, after experiencing so much, had finally become cautious and smart.

When they fled from the capital of Padea, they had taken a large number of the Delta family's Blue Domes with them. It would have been impossible to bring hundreds of horses openly into Dolon City, so only seven or eight orcs had risked entering the city to investigate their enemies.

Like the wind, Baroque evaded the guards and quietly approached the abandoned house, where Barotan was arguing with a few tribesmen inside.

"I've been following Hudda and his men these past few days and have gathered enough information. Those damned Hudda and his men will escort a caravan into the depths of the Gravel Wasteland to trade with the lizardmen there. We should wait until they are deep in the wasteland before taking our revenge. If we take our revenge in human territory and the army comes after us, it will be very bad," Barotan said.

"You're right, Barotan, but have you thought about what we should do with the caravan if we attack those bastards in the Gravel Wasteland? That caravan is one of the royal caravans authorized by the Paddington Kingdom. We have two choices, but neither is good," said another young orc, who seemed more composed and troubled.

"Muru, what are the two choices?" Barotan asked immediately. Despite being one of the most powerful orcs among his tribesmen, second only to Baroque, he was somewhat timid and lacked decisiveness.

"If we kill our enemies to avenge our tribe, the human caravan will certainly know of our existence. Once they return to Padea City, they can easily guess our identity from the missing orc reports in the capital. We killed hundreds of estate guards from the Delta family, which is an unbearable provocation to humans. They will surely send their army into the Gravel Wasteland to hunt us down."

"Then let's destroy the caravan too. That way, humans won't know it was us," shouted another hot-tempered orc.

"That won't work either. Even if we kill everyone in the caravan and destroy all evidence, humans will still send their army into the Gravel Wasteland to search for the missing caravan. Do you think we can peacefully rebuild our home in the wasteland with a large human army roaming around?" Muru said with a bitter smile.

Everyone fell silent. They had only just gained their freedom and did not want to be captured again by human armies right after returning to the Gravel Wasteland.

"Actually, Barotan's proposal is good. We should wait until they enter the Gravel Wasteland before taking action," an unexpected voice said from outside the house, startling the orcs inside, who quickly drew their swords and prepared to rush out.

Baroque pushed open the dilapidated door and entered the room with a smile on his face.

"Baroque… you're back!"

"Oh my god, Baroque, you scared us!"

"Baroque, how did you find us here?"…

After the initial shock, the orcs were overjoyed and gathered around Baroque, bombarding him with questions. Baroque waved his hand, signaling them to sit down. The guards outside also heard the commotion and came over, only to be equally stunned by Baroque's sudden appearance.

"Ha, I happened to see you by chance. When Barotan and Angray went to investigate the Scorpion Mercenary Group, I was in a room at the Wind Dragon Inn and followed you here."

"Oh, Baroque…" Barotan couldn't help but complain, "Why didn't you reveal yourself while following us?"

"Because I wanted to see if my tribesmen had learned and grown from their painful experiences." Baroque patted Barotan's shoulder and looked at the young orcs surrounding him. "Obviously, you've done well. We made a mistake once and paid a devastating price. From now on, we can never… and must never, let that happen again."

The orcs' eyes reddened. They had all witnessed their tribe's destruction and seen their loved ones slaughtered, a pain etched deep into their souls, never to be forgotten.

"Alright, no more tears. Orc men should not be so fragile. The humans killed our clansmen, and we will kill them in return. Since we have discovered those damned mercenaries, it means the spirits of our ancestors are guiding us to avenge them!" Baroque solemnly looked at the young orcs. They were the strongest among the eighty-seven surviving clansmen and the hope for their tribe's rise.

"We will avenge ourselves, but not by simply beheading them. We will make them suffer the most painful punishments, make them regret killing our clansmen, make them beg for mercy at our feet… and then we will use their blood to honor our fallen," Baroque said slowly, his expression even showing a hint of ferocity.

The orcs shrank back slightly, seemingly intimidated by Baroque's expression. Baroque sighed inwardly: Orcs shouldn't be like this! Wild, cruel, fierce, fearless—those should be the qualities of orcs. There was still a long way to go to change the spirit of his people.

But first, they needed to rebuild their confidence and find their courage. Confidence might be lacking, but courage was starting to show… otherwise, how could the previously timid orcs think of ambushing the Scorpion Mercenary Group for revenge?

"Baroque, you are our shaman and our strongest warrior. All our tribesmen will follow you. Tell us what to do, and we will follow, even if it means death!" Angray, an energetic orc, jumped up. Though somewhat impetuous, he admired Baroque immensely. This had nothing to do with age or the status of a shaman; it was because of Baroque's bravery and defiance against humans.

"Yes, Baroque, you are our chief! Grandpa Ziad and Uncle Cecil have said you are our chief. We will follow your orders, even if it means death!" said Barotan, the most loyal of them, who had played with Baroque since childhood. Although his timidity was a flaw, his trust in Baroque was almost blind.

In every way, Baroque had overwhelming support, with no one even slightly competing with him. Besides, all eighty-six surviving clansmen owed their lives to Baroque, and by orc traditions, they owed him a life debt. The young orcs naturally admired a hero like Baroque, so there was no hesitation.

Baroque smiled. He was destined to be the chief. If anyone dared to challenge him, it would be surprising. Although orc tradition allowed for challenges when choosing a chief, Baroque had a different vision for his future—he aimed to be the absolute leader of the orcs, whose authority could not be questioned.

This wasn't about dictatorship; Baroque understood the orcs' nature too well. Servility and inferiority had been deeply ingrained—at least in the orcs he had encountered. It would be hard for them to change on their own. Therefore, he would use iron rules to make them obey and reclaim what was theirs. When they someday found themselves standing as equals with humans, their mindset would naturally change.

After learning that the other clansmen were hiding in the mountains west of Dolon City, Baroque instructed them to return, leaving only Barotan, Angray, and the composed Muru.

Since the Scorpion Mercenary Group was going to escort the Walder caravan into the Gravel Wasteland, there was no rush for revenge. Baroque planned to gather more information and lead his tribesmen into the wasteland ahead of time. This would be the Scorpion Mercenary Group's last journey, and Baroque even intended to rob the Walder caravan. He still remembered Paddington King's betrayal. Even though Korek was now in deep trouble, there was no harm in kicking them while they were down. Anyway, the Paddington Kingdom probably didn't have the troops to send into the Gravel Wasteland anymore.

Having money felt great, at least to Angray and the others following Baroque. Late at night, a few strong orc men entered the Wind Dragon Inn. When they handed over a shiny silver coin, the scrawny owner immediately dismissed all his questions and smoothly led them to their room. That silver coin was just a tip; the accommodation fee was settled separately. It amounted to several days' worth of income for the owner!

"Baroque, why do we have to stay here for a few more days? Wouldn't it be better to return to the Gravel Wasteland and prepare in advance?" Muru asked. The room Baroque had was spacious with many beds. The four orcs had more than enough space. Despite the hard wooden beds, the thick straw mats covered with blankets made them comfortable enough. For the first time in their lives, Barotan and the others were lying on such soft beds, and they were excited. After playing around for a while, Muru, a serious-looking stout orc who often frowned, finally asked his question. He was one of the few intelligent orcs, and Baroque intended to train him more.

"Oh, it's because our weapons are too poor. I've ordered some new ones, and it will take a few days to get them. Besides, we need to observe

 the Scorpion Mercenary Group to see if they've recruited any new qi warriors in the past two years. This is crucial to our revenge plan," Baroque explained.

"Is that really necessary?" Angray jumped up. "Your shaman skills are so powerful, Baroque. You easily split two intermediate qi warriors in half back in Padea. Those three novice qi warriors in the Scorpion Mercenary Group are no threat to you at all…!"

"But I want you to do it," Baroque interrupted, startling the orcs, their eyes widening and their pupils shrinking like beasts.

"The most satisfying revenge is not watching others fight but killing your enemies yourself, letting their blood stain your hands. If you haven't personally killed your enemy, it's not revenge; it means you're a worthless waste!"

Baroque stared at them. "Do you want to be worthless? No? Good. Then wait for my training… trust me, it will be enjoyable!"