The Consequences of the Prince's Death

Chapter 84: The Consequences of the Prince's Death

With regret and reluctance, Barok led his people away from the heart of the wasteland, starting their return journey to the temporary settlement on the outskirts.

The presence of the sand giant made it impossible to retrieve the other five totem poles unless they could precisely locate its elemental heart. Even if Barok found seven or eight Sky Knights to help, they couldn't kill it. The frustration of being unable to obtain such a valuable artifact weighed heavily on Barok for a long time. Fortunately, seeing Rak's cheerful antics along the way eased his mood somewhat. At least Rak had gained significant benefits!

Barok still didn't fully understand the mysteries of the totem array, but he was certain that the wolf-shaped light within the totem pole was a soul imprint left by a magical beast, or a portion of its soul residing there. When the beast was alive, its soul could freely enter the totem pole. It could communicate with orc shamans through the totem pole, granting them the beast's power. Moreover, as the totem pole absorbed pure elemental essence, the beast could experience a miraculous evolution.

However, once the beast died, its soul's essence remained nourished within the totem pole, though its memories would dissipate. The residual soul essence continued to act out its past behaviors out of instinct.

The wolf-shaped water beast within Barok's totem pole had evidently died long ago. The light it left behind was merely soul essence, devoid of consciousness. After the resonance between the totem pole and the other five in the Quicksand Lake, the essential aura it emitted was fortuitously encountered by Rak, who mysteriously fused with the soul essence within the totem pole. This gave Rak the potential to advance in rank, theoretically allowing him to reach the same level as the beast whose essence he had absorbed.

Rak, oblivious to the significance, just felt he had consumed something delicious and felt comfortable. Barok shook his head, not paying much mind to it.

It wasn't entirely fruitless; through the ancestral totem array and Rak's fusion with the wolf-shaped light, Barok had many insights and a novel idea. He pondered whether he could apply something similar to the orcs, at least trying it on the six tribesmen who had already gained beast battle energy.

Acting on this thought, Barok set up the totem pole every night during their return journey, having Barotan and the other six orcs sit around it while he chanted shamanic incantations. Rak would circle the totem pole, causing the light at its top to stand still, looking upward instead of spinning. Barok realized that the light was gazing at the sky, likely at the moon or stars, seeking the long-lost power associated with the [Star Totem Array].

Initially, nothing happened. Despite the tribesmen's efforts to clear their minds as instructed by Barok, they eventually fell asleep without experiencing any connection to Barok's shamanic power as they had outside Dolun City.

Puzzled, Barok pondered deeply, unable to understand the anomaly. Should shamanic power be more gentle? Or more aggressive? Wait... Shamanic power?

Barok suddenly considered a long-standing question: what was the difference between shamanic power and totemic power?

He had mostly figured out that shamanic power was akin to human mages' magical spiritual power, both being forms of elemental manipulation. But what about totemic power? Barok felt as if the answer was just within reach, obscured by a thin veil. When they returned to the temporary settlement, seeing the joy and admiration in his people's eyes, he suddenly understood!

Reverence—it was reverence. Damn, [Totem Worship] was a unified concept! Totemic power was essentially the power of worship!

Barok grasped the fundamental secret, sparking a new idea. Could the reverence of his tribesmen enhance his own power? If he could make all orcs worship him, the resulting power of reverence could be... godlike? This thought shocked Barok. Instantly, the remnants of the old Hebreden wolf's soul in his sea of souls emerged, nearly screaming in a murderous frenzy, "Stop thinking that way. Erase that thought from your mind..." The old wolf's soul fragment took action, sealing off part of Barok's consciousness and implanting a subtle suggestion to steer his thoughts away from this direction. When Barok came to, the idea had vanished from his mind.

"What was I just thinking?" Barok clutched his head, feeling a sharp pain but unable to recall his previous thought. After some reflection, he murmured, "Maybe there's another way to let the tribesmen undergo the shamanic power baptism, increasing their chances of awakening beast battle energy or even shamanic talent. But that's not urgent. Duke Lind should have already started his rebellion. It's time to rescue the orc slaves in Paddington...!" His thoughts shifted in that direction, no longer considering totem worship.

The old Hebreden wolf's soul fragment sighed in relief... This orc was too unpredictable. Not only did he harbor a thunderous force of destruction and vitality within his soul sea, but he also contemplated the essence of [Totem Worship]. However, his power was still too weak. Such thoughts now would only bring disaster upon himself. Wait until my children mature and you possess the strength of a [Six-Colored Beast Robe Priest] or even a [Star Priest]. The seal on your consciousness will naturally lift. Then... I look forward to that day, though I doubt I'll see it!

Barok remained unaware of what had transpired, his attention already diverted. It had been many days since his secret meeting with Duke Lind, and he didn't know if Lind had initiated the rebellion to seize Dolun City. Fortunately, the tribesmen, haunted by the memory of near annihilation, remained vigilant. They continuously sent scouts to the border between the wasteland and Black Crow Town. Occasionally, they even captured drunken locals to interrogate for information. Despite their dubious activities, these drunkards were well-informed, even about rumors from the distant capital, Padeya.

Listening to the elder Ziad's recounting, Barok gained a rough understanding of recent events in Paddington Kingdom. He couldn't help but feel both pity and satisfaction, with a hint of smugness. Poor King Korek had been through an ordeal recently.

As everyone anticipated, when news of Prince Alvin's death reached Aldria, the prince's mother, the Empress, fainted several times in grief. The Emperor overturned his throne in the royal hall before numerous ministers. If not for the Prime Minister and several high-ranking officials, the Emperor might have dispatched the empire's ten elite legions to wipe Paddington Kingdom off the map.

Though he regained his senses, the Emperor's desire for revenge against Paddington remained, supported by the Prime Minister and all the ministers. Doing nothing would tarnish Aldria's reputation. The Gold Horn Legion, one of Aldria's ten elite legions, was dispatched to punish Paddington Kingdom, with orders for the neighboring Hansa Principality to assist. Hansa, an enemy of Paddington and a vassal state of Aldria, eagerly complied, sending their finest soldiers to join the Gold Horn Legion in invading Paddington. Recent reports indicated that much of northeastern Paddington had fallen, with over ten towns either captured or surrendered. General Suarez's elite troops suffered heavy casualties, forcing a retreat to the capital, relying on its fortifications for defense. It's said that King Korek's hair turned white in a few days, and his unhealed arm injury led to his collapse.

Barok also noted that despite Prince Alvin's death, neither the grieving Emperor nor anyone mentioned the apparent mastermind behind the incident—the Samoya Empire, whom Barok had framed. Against such a formidable rival, without concrete evidence, mere testimonies from the prince's guards wouldn't compel Samoya to yield. Instead, covert operations for revenge were certain. The Emperor entrusted the Prime Minister and military ministers to handle the matter, who quickly assembled a group of elite assassins to infiltrate Samoya and target key officials and royal members.

Of course, such top-secret plans weren't known to the drunkards but inferred from recent events in Aldria and Samoya. Important officials and royal members in both empires had mysteriously died, leading to speculations connected to Prince Alvin's rumored murder.

Chaos was good—the more chaotic, the better. Barok hoped the two great empires would fully engage in war, weakening each other. But he knew this was unlikely. As the dominant human nations, their infighting would alarm many, as internal strife would only weaken humanity. The continent wasn't exclusively human; elves, giants, dwarves, the still formidable yet declining orcs, and the omnipresent, fierce magical beasts in the mountains and forests would be indifferent to human conflicts.

Barok anticipated that soon, other nations or powerful factions would intervene to mediate. At that point, neither empire would gain the upper hand, and the ultimate scapegoat would be King Korek of Paddington. This was why Barok confidently persuaded Duke Lind to rebel, seizing the opportunity to achieve their goals effortlessly.

As for the victims—King Korek and his equally unfortunate queen and children—Barok felt no obligation to consider them. Just as King Korek repaid Barok's efforts to cure Princess Claire with betrayal, the deep-seated enmity between their races wouldn't be mitigated by such minor acts of compassion.