Red River Valley Town

Red River Valley Town, a town below the castle, is the fiefdom of Baron Milo. The old baron had passed away long ago, and now this Baron Milo has entered middle age. For those human nobles, this piece of land is like a joke, but Baron Milo himself is quite satisfied. He doesn't have big ambitions, or perhaps he has none at all. The baroness passed away early, leaving him with only a daughter, to whom the baron devoted all his energy and love—the angel of Red River Valley Castle!

The baron is kind-hearted, even to his servants, always pleasant and never harsh, never even scolding or abusing the orc slaves. The taxation in the town is also very reasonable, which is extremely unimaginable for a high-ranking noble. Therefore, he has gained the love and admiration of almost all his subjects. People call him "Sir" instead of "Your Lordship," as a sign of respect. Everyone knows that in Red River Valley Town, there is only one sir!

"Master Fredo, Master Maximus asked me to bring him a bottle of rum!" A gentle voice came from behind!

Tavern owner Fredo, annoyed, brought out a bottle of rum and pushed it over, scolding, "How many times have I told you, call me Master Fredo, not Sir. There's only one sir in Red River Valley Town, and that's our respected lord."

"Yes, Master Fredo!" The person wearing a hat that covered half of his face reached out to take the bottle of rum, handing over a few copper coins. His hand had a faint layer of silver-gray fur, emitting a soft glow under the dim light of the tavern.

Taking the rum, he turned to leave, and tavern owner Fredo suddenly called out, "Barok, wait a moment." He quickly went into the kitchen and then handed him a bunch of freshly grilled sausages wrapped up, saying, "Let that old bastard Maximus get drunk. These sausages are for you. Don't leave any leftovers on the road."

"Thank you, kind Master Fredo!" He bowed again and then gently exited the tavern, as if afraid of disturbing the customers drinking inside.

Fredo shook his head, seeming somewhat regretful. This young orc lad had come back with Maximus, the old rascal, about a year ago. He was the old rascal's slave. When he first arrived, he was dirty and seemed very timid, afraid of everything and doing everything nervously, often scolded by Maximus!

Later, the lad gradually became familiar with the environment here and began to relax. He usually worked in the fields outside the town with Maximus, doing almost all the work alone. Sometimes he wouldn't come home until dark, while Maximus just lazed around on the side, and later he didn't even go to the fields. Back in town, during his free time, Barok would always help the townspeople with their tasks. His diligence and enthusiasm won the favor of everyone around him, and no one discriminated against him because he was an orc.

One day, a neighbor joked with him and took off the fur hat that always covered half of his face. People were surprised to find that this lad was extremely handsome, even with a faint layer of fur on his body, his face, sculpted like a masterpiece, remained intact. Some girls were stunned when they saw his face, and even the older ladies couldn't help but praise. They also understood why Barok always covered his face. For humans, beauty is an advantage, but for humble orcs, an overly handsome face would only bring trouble or even disaster. It was also fortunate that Baron Milo was a kind and upright lord, and his rule was relatively peaceful. If it were in another place, this lad would probably have been abducted by some noble or lady long ago, with obvious consequences!

The young orc lad left, and the people in the tavern quickly shifted their attention. "Fredo, I heard that Baron Julian of Liqueur City is coming to our Red River Valley?" a tavern guest suddenly asked the tavern owner!

"Pah, Julian should take a look at the foolish appearance of his son. He actually wants to marry the angel of our Red River Valley. What can he do if he comes? In the end, he'll still have to tuck his tail and leave." Fredo's face was full of disdain as he cursed.

"Hey, Julian is a nobleman. If you dare insult a nobleman, be careful of the constable coming to trouble you." The tavern guest laughed and cursed, "Of course, if you buy me a drink, I won't snitch!"

"Haha," laughter filled the tavern, and someone shouted, "Cheers to the tail-tucking Julian and his idiot son!" People echoed one after another, and the atmosphere was lively! .........

With a smile on his face, Barok left the tavern and adjusted his fur hat, heading home. The place where he and Maximus lived was quite far from here, almost outside the town.

A year ago, he and Maximus settled down here, perhaps due to the experiences of his past life, he quickly integrated into this place. He soon realized a truth, not all humans are wicked, there are good people too. Red River Valley Town is a rare good place, where both the lord and the people have kind hearts. Facing Barok, they might feel pity, but they definitely do not discriminate. This environment easily made people feel dependent. If it weren't for the faint fur on his body and the two upright orc ears, Barok found that he wasn't much different from humans.

In a year's time, he learned a lot of things, and now he was almost a qualified farmer. Maximus had found many books for him from somewhere, allowing him to understand this world more and not remain ignorant as he was at the beginning.

The totem pole was erected in the field that he and Maximus cultivated. It was very remote there, and there were rarely any people. The reason why he worked outside until late every day was to practice shamanism under the totem pole. His communication with the spirits of nature became more and more proficient, and the wolf-shaped light and shadow became clearer, like a real wolf, almost able to see the faint white fur on its body. In recent days, as he merged with the wolf-shaped light and shadow, a thin layer of ice aura had already formed around him, and now he had reached a critical point.

Barok had no teacher; Norman, the shaman, had died too early. With only a few scrolls recording shamanic arts, Barok couldn't possibly grasp the ways of orcish shamanism. After merging with the wolf shadow, the next steps would surely be crucial. If he succeeded, he would truly enter the realm of shamanic rituals; if not, he would remain merely an outsider, wandering on the periphery.

Maximus wasn't an orc, so he couldn't help much. In recent days, Barok had been hesitating. He really wanted to learn about human combat qi. However, he always worried that the old man wouldn't teach him. After all... a phrase from his past life struck deep: "Different races have different hearts."

"Grandpa Maximus, here's your drink." Back home, Barok handed the rum to the old man dozing by the fireplace and absentmindedly placed the sausages on the iron rack to roast. He hadn't eaten dinner yet.

"Barok, still no progress today?" Maximus was quite old; although practicing combat qi could extend his lifespan somewhat beyond that of an ordinary person, being in his seventies or eighties meant his energy was waning. After taking a sip of rum and smacking his lips, he asked.

Shaking his head and turning the sausages, Barok replied, "There must be something wrong somewhere. I feel like my body is a pond brimming with water, but I can't seem to find the right outlet... I need to change my approach."

"Want to learn combat qi?" Maximus suddenly asked.

Barok was taken aback but then nodded. "Yes, I do. I've dreamed about it, even as I was just stepping into the room earlier, I was thinking about how to broach the subject with you."

"I only practice the most basic combat qi, and it may not be of much help to you. Besides, orc physiology... there are so few who can practice combat qi, I'm afraid it won't be much assistance." Maximus said, handing Barok a scroll. "This is the 'Combat Qi Training Mantra' I wrote today. Take it, hopefully it will be useful."

Barok took it, feeling excited. He couldn't wait to open the scroll and read...

Maximus had grown accustomed to the young orc's terrifying learning ability. In just a few minutes, Barok raised his head. With a nod from the old man, he tossed the scroll into the fireplace.

He wasn't planning to practice combat qi; he was just looking for inspiration, like how a stone from another mountain could sharpen a jade. Shamanic arts, to some extent, belonged to the realm of magic. At least, that's what Barok discovered in the initial stages. Whether it was Norman's "Earth Spike" or the ice aura formed by his wolf-shaped light and shadow, they seemed to be magic. Norman, the shaman, could freely cast "Earth Spike," and Barok wanted to find a way to release the ice aura around him. If successful, he had already thought of a name for this spell: "Ice Blade."

The result was somewhat disappointing. The methods of practicing combat qi and shamanic arts were completely different, with no points of comparison. Combat qi was based on various physical attributes and special mantra techniques to cultivate qi clusters in the abdomen, then using guidance to unleash the power within the clusters. Shamanic arts, on the other hand, were more like magic, mainly cultivating spiritual power to enhance the fusion with the spirits of nature, to borrow the power of the elements. Clearly, Barok couldn't condense the ice aura around his body into his abdomen and then unleash it... he would be disemboweled first!

Seeing Barok's disappointed expression, Maximus asked, "Was it of no use?"

"Yes, Grandpa Maximus, they are two different forces and cannot be compared. Even if I cultivate qi clusters in my abdomen, I still can't condense the external elemental power, because it has already formed outside my body!"

"Oh, I see... Hmm? Barok, can you practice combat qi?" Maximus suddenly exclaimed, hearing Barok's tone, it seemed he could practice combat qi.

"I... I think so?" Barok was also uncertain, stuttering his reply. He also thought of a possibility, and his heart began to beat faster.

"Stretch out your hand!" Maximus sat up straight, urging him.

Barok reached out his hand, and the old man grabbed it, gently mobilizing his combat qi, causing a tingling sensation as if being pricked by needles. The next moment, a shocking scene occurred: Barok's wrist was attacked, and a flash of light seemed to come from outside his body, a chilling aura blocking Maximus's combat qi, yet emanating from within Barok's body.

Although the time was short, seemingly just a moment, Maximus was shocked to find that the meridians in the young orc's body seemed to be flowing with a rich elemental aura. He hadn't practiced combat qi, but where did this chilling power come from? Could it be from the wolf-shaped light and shadow Barok mentioned? But that didn't make sense; Norman, the shaman, communicated with the earth element of the Salamander and could only cast spells like "Earth Spike," and it was impossible for any earth elemental aura to remain in his body. Barok's fusion with the wolf-shaped light and shadow should only be a spiritual practice; how could it leave behind such a rich elemental aura in his body?

"Barok, why don't you... try practicing combat qi?" Facing this oddity, Maximus was also somewhat uncertain!