Little Princess

After being unconscious for a while, Claire finally woke up, but she still looked weak. Queen Susan held her poor little daughter and couldn't stop crying. King Corrick frowned and remained silent, while two court physicians knelt on the ground. They were powerless against this hereditary illness in the royal family. Afraid of angering the king, they could only shrink to the side, trembling and unable to make any sound.

"Mom, please don't cry anymore, okay? Claire is in pain." The only five or six-year-old girl was very sensible, reaching out her thin little hand to wipe away her mother's tears. Among the queen's four children, only this youngest daughter called her "mom," while the other three princes addressed her as "mother."

"Claire, forgive mommy, forgive us..." The queen's tears couldn't be wiped away. Claire's unconscious episodes were becoming more frequent, and everyone knew that the moment was getting closer. But they were powerless, and the pain gnawed at the queen's heart like a venomous snake.

"I don't blame you, Mom. Claire doesn't blame Mom or Father. It's my own fault. If I hadn't eaten so many sweets, I wouldn't have gotten sick." The little girl innocently comforted the queen, taking some of the jokes her mother had teased her with seriously, genuinely believing that her illness was caused by eating too many sweets.

"Claire, you're so biased. Why do you call the queen 'mom' but call me 'father'? It hurts my feelings..." Corrick waved his hand to dismiss the two physicians as if granting them a pardon, forcing a smile and pretending to be sad.

"Because you are the mighty King of Paddington, and everyone respects you. Claire wants to respect you too!" The little girl said mischievously, her cute face devoid of any color, her eyes dim as if blind.

"Claire, can you call me 'dad'?" King Corrick couldn't bear to look at his daughter's face. He was afraid he would burst into tears. He had never been a person with a heart as hard as iron, and his favorite daughter made it almost impossible for him to focus on state affairs.

The little girl had her own stubbornness and insisted on calling the king "father," and the father and daughter "happily" joked around. Suddenly, the king's personal attendant entered to report, "Your Majesty, Madame Celine is here to see you."

"Celine is back?" Queen Susan showed a slight smile but then became somewhat angry. "She left for so many days, what has she been doing? She left without a word, and Claire has been thinking about her aunt all the time..."

"Celine must have her reasons. Let her in!" The king was not angry. He instructed to let Celine in while telling the queen.

Claire was very happy. "Aunt Celine is back, she said she would give me a surprise. I'm so excited!"

"Claire, no need to wait, what do you see here?" A voice came from outside the room. Madame Celine almost ran in, barely bowing to the king and queen, then immediately came to the side of the little princess, holding out the cute red little creature from her large magic robe.

"Oh my, it's a Green Arrow Squirrel... That's amazing, Aunt Celine, I love you!" The little girl cheered, her eyes shining for the first time, holding the little squirrel in her arms, unwilling to let go.

"Celine, did you... really find a Green Arrow Squirrel?" The king and queen were astonished. They had searched several kingdoms, even offering a hefty reward of five hundred gold coins, but to no avail. They didn't expect Madame Celine to bring back such a rare little creature after being away for some time.

Seeing Claire so happy, Madame Celine felt that all the fatigue was worth it. She kissed the little girl on the forehead affectionately and said, "Claire, play with your little friend first. Aunt has to talk to your father and mother, okay?"

"Okay, Auntie." The little girl treated the Green Arrow Squirrel like a fragile treasure, urging her maidservant to bring some snacks, even temporarily forgetting her favorite aunt.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I have something to tell you." Madame Celine said, gesturing.

The king and queen were somewhat puzzled but nodded. The three of them walked out of the little princess's room.

"Celine, what's the matter?" the queen asked.

"Your Majesty, this time when I went to find the Green Arrow Squirrel, I brought back an orc." Madame Celine said seriously, unsure if she was excited or hesitant. "He is very young but... he's an orc shaman!"

"What did you say...!" The king and queen exclaimed in disbelief, with suppressed excitement! No one knew better than them what an orc shaman represented. If this was true, it meant that the little princess could survive!

"Yes, I brought back an orc shaman. He is only sixteen or seventeen years old, but he can already tame a Level 6 Frost Wolf. He said he is a shaman, and I couldn't find any reason to doubt him..." Madame Celine briefly recounted her experience in the Tem Forest.

Beasts were beasts, even if magical creatures had enough intelligence, they were still extremely dangerous. If it weren't for possessing mysterious powers, a sixteen or seventeen-year-old orc youth wouldn't be able to gain the recognition of a Level 6 Frost Wolf. The king already believed that the orc wasn't lying. "What does he want?" There's no such thing as a free lunch, the orc must have his own demands.

"He wants something very simple, to help rescue his surviving tribe members. According to him... all his people were sold to Padya, right at... the Lion and Battleaxe Arena."

Madame Celine suddenly hesitated because she knew that the apparent owner of the Lion and Battleaxe Arena was the butcher, but behind him was her own husband, Duke Deltar.

The king immediately furrowed his brows. This matter was not easy to handle!

Madame Celine noticed the abnormality and asked, "What's wrong? Does his tribe not actually exist in the arena?"

"In the arena, all of them are there!" The king sighed, seeing the queen and Madame Celine looking at him, he explained helplessly, "You both know that some time ago, I received the envoy of the Odria Empire. One of their princes wanted to visit the Padia Academy. It was an honor for the entire Paddington Kingdom, and we prepared to welcome him with grand ceremonies. At that time, Duke Deltar proposed to hold a grand arena battle. You know, the Odria Empire's favorite entertainment is gladiator battles. The envoy was very pleased with Duke Deltar's proposal, so it was decided. Originally, this wasn't a big deal, as we didn't necessarily have to use the orcs from the Gravel Wasteland for the performance. However, Duke Deltar seemed to get along well with that envoy and invited him to watch a gladiator battle. When the envoy saw the silver fur orcs that were still in training, he mistook them for noble orcs of the Frost Wolf Clan and directly pointed them out for the performance."

All three fell silent. The Odria Empire was mighty and unmatched, one of the most powerful empires on the continent, far beyond what the Kingdom of Paddington could match. Their demands could not be violated, otherwise, if they were seen as an insult, it could even bring disaster to Paddington.

But it was also impossible to obtain other orcs to replace them. As for the orcs of the Frost Wolf Clan... forget it, the decline of that noble orc clan was still a far cry from Odria's colossus. Let alone more than a hundred orcs, even getting a dozen of them would be extremely difficult.

"Let's put this matter aside for now. Claire's illness cannot be delayed any longer. Let's go meet that orc youth first!" The king made a decision.

There was no other way, Madame Celine felt very guilty towards Baroque, not knowing how to explain it. After playing with Claire for a while and seeing the little girl fall asleep with the Green Arrow Squirrel in her arms, the king and queen followed Madame Celine overnight to the magic academy. Before confirming that Baroque was indeed a shaman, they needed to be cautious and see him with their own eyes.

Shamanism, also known as Totemism. Through soul communication with the elemental forces of nature, one obtains a magical ability. With the assistance of a totem pillar, one can communicate with the souls of all living beings, including magical creatures, and even obtain some of their abilities. In the eyes of orcs, even plants have their own souls, a fact recognized by the elves, as the ancient trees of the elves are higher intelligent beings that can communicate with humans.

Baroque's own knowledge of shamanism was very limited; he only knew a little about how to communicate with magical creatures. He didn't even have a clear understanding of the mysterious profession of shamanism among orcs. That's why Baroque himself was also confused. If it weren't for the sudden appearance of the enraged Ice Bear, which made him and the Frost Wolf Rack form a sense of mutual enmity, he might not have gained Rack's recognition so easily.

Today in the library, Baroque gained a clear understanding of shamanic powers for the first time from the scrolls in his hand. He read very quickly, thanks to the fusion of two souls, and he could read ten lines at a glance without forgetting. After reading more than a dozen scrolls, Baroque closed his eyes, digesting everything he had learned!

Shamanic sacrifices, like human mages, elven druids, and dwarven craftsmen, are a powerful system of abilities with many branches. One can communicate with magical creatures, gain magical powers from them, and is called a "Battle Shaman." One can communicate with plants, gain recognition from certain medicinal plants or magical plants, and can heal injuries, called a "Shamanic Healer."

Those who can communicate with the elements of nature, even gain subtle powers through the light of the stars, are called "Star Shamans." Such shamans are extremely rare, and they are all wise orcs. They are often the spiritual leaders of some large tribes, and orcs call them "High Priests"...

It is said that there are many other branches, but over time, under the invasion and oppression of humans, the inheritance has gradually been cut off. Today's orc shamans only have battle shamans and a few remaining high priests. Even the existence of shamanic healers, as physicians, was completely cut off by a massive and destructive attack by human armies hundreds of years ago.

Today, the orcs on the Sorren continent are in the weakest and most precarious position. As long as humans are willing, they could be completely wiped out at any time.

Baroque sighed, feeling heavy in his heart. Shaking his head to shake off the disturbing thoughts, now the first thing to consider was rescuing his tribe members. Other matters... there would always be a way!

Now that he belonged to the "Battle Shaman" category, Baroque took out a pile of scrolls about battle shamans, ready to study carefully. Suddenly, the door of the room opened, and Madame Celine walked in!

"Baroque, His Majesty the King wants to see you."