But this city had been utterly devastated by the Orcs, and the Elves had suffered humiliation.
Arlanda had been enduring it all.
However, when she saw these Elves, she could no longer hold back.
Among them, two Elven children huddled together, warming each other with their body heat...
"You barbaric Orcs have completely lost the honor of warriors!" Arlanda rushed over. She first cast a spell on the Elves to raise their temperature, then pulled the two Elven children to her side, draping her own coat over them.
The Orcs escorting the Elves were dumbfounded. Where did this Elf co from, daring to scold us Orc lords? Doesn’t she know Frostleaf City is now under Orc control?!
Seeing Arlanda was an Elf, the Orc warriors imdiately sward her. They saw her cast magic and knew she was a hero. Capturing an Elven hero would be a great achievent.
But before the Orcs could surround Arlanda, sothing like a wall smashed into them.
These Orcs hadn’t seen what hit them before they were sent flying.
By the ti these Orcs scrambled up, they saw a ring of shield walls protecting the Elves in the middle.
Behind the shield walls were Werewolf Warriors wielding battle-axes.
When this group of Orcs saw the Werewolves daring to attack them, they all cried out, "Enemy! Enemy!"
Hearing there were enemies, more Orc warriors converged from all directions, surrounding the Werewolf Warriors.
At this mont, the Malevolent Wolf Cavalry leading Yan Xing’s caravan into the city turned back when they saw the commotion behind them.
They urged their mounts to charge and repel the Orcs trying to attack the Werewolf Warriors.
But the enraged Orcs didn’t retreat, so the Malevolent Wolf Cavalry had no choice but to stand between the Orcs and the Werewolf Warriors.
A leader of the Malevolent Wolf Cavalry shouted at the Orcs, "The Werewolves are our guests! I am following the orders of Old Mo the Marshal to take them to the Lord’s Mansion. Disperse imdiately and do not disturb the Marshal’s guests!"
An Orc shouted, "The Werewolves are seizing our captives! They’re not welco guests! Hand over the Elves!"
The Malevolent Wolf Cavalry were all Big-eared Monsters. Their short-statured leader jumped onto his mount’s back to look inside the Werewolf shield wall circle, and indeed, he spotted a group of Elves protected within.
The leader shouted at the Werewolves, "Seizing captives is disrespectful to Orc warriors! Even Old Mo the Marshal cannot break the laws of the wild lands. Hand over the Elves quickly, or there will be severe consequences!"
Arlanda knew her impulsiveness had caused big trouble. But if she handed these Elves over, they would all freeze to death.
Arlanda protected the two Elven children, looking at the surrounding Elves who were trembling from both fear and cold, unsure of what to do.
Li Zhua walked over to Arlanda and said with clear dissatisfaction, "If you want to do sothing, you can tell the Master. The Master will surely find a way. Acting on your own could put the Master in danger."
"I’m sorry..." Arlanda apologized to Li Zhua. "I wasn’t thinking clearly just now. What should I do? Are we... are we really going to hand them over?"
"Do what must be done. Rember our position. Leave this to ."
Li Zhua patted Arlanda’s shoulder and walked out through the shield wall.
The Malevolent Wolf Cavalry leader, seeing Li Zhua was likely the head of these Werewolves, spoke sternly to him, "These captives are private property. Hand them over quickly!"
Li Zhua said with a smile, "Since they are private property, then they can be bought and sold. These Elves... we’ll take them all."
A burly Ogre stepped forward. He looked down disdainfully at Li Zhua, who was a head shorter than him, and said, "You want to buy? I don’t feel like selling. Enough talk. Give the Elves, and you can go. Otherwise, I’ll twist your head off."
"One thick fleece blanket for one Elf."
Li Zhua reached out, and a Werewolf Warrior behind him pulled out a neatly folded fleece blanket from a backpack and handed it to him.
Without looking, Li Zhua casually tossed it to the Ogre.
The Ogre caught it with both hands and quickly unfolded it.
The surrounding Orcs gasped in amazent at the sight of the blanket.
Its softness and warmth were apparent at a glance; it would feel incredibly comforting draped over one’s body.
The Ogre had already wrapped it around himself. The cold wind no longer felt chilling.
Moreover, the blanket’s surface was silky and fluffy. Touching it felt like stroking a lamb’s soft wool—an utterly delightful sensation.
"Really?" The Ogre’s expression changed instantly. A fierce grin spread across his face as he said politely to Li Zhua, "One Elf... for a blanket like this?"
The other Orcs also pricked up their ears.
Frostleaf City had no shortage of Elves. If one Elf could truly be exchanged for such an obviously precious blanket, everyone would imdiately go out to capture Elves.
Seeing the Orcs’ reactions, Li Zhua knew he had set his price a bit too high.
"Of course not! How could one Elf be worth such a fine blanket?" Li Zhua reacted quickly, holding his head high as he said, "We are willing to trade one blanket for each of these Elves, mainly because my companion was at fault earlier. Consider the extra value as compensation to you. Think carefully: do you want the blankets, or the Elves? My Master is still waiting to et Old Mo the Marshal."
"The blankets! I want the blankets! These Elves are all yours!" the Ogre hurriedly shouted, terrified the Werewolves would return the Elves and call off the deal.
The Werewolves tossed out a pile of fleece blankets. The Ogre, leading his subordinates, departed in high spirits under the envious gazes of the other Orcs.
Li Zhua then had the Werewolf Warriors take out another batch of blankets for the Elven captives to wrap themselves in.
He also had the sledges cleared for the Elves to ride on, while the Werewolf Warriors proceeded on foot.
Finally, Arlanda, head bowed, followed Li Zhua back into the carriage.
"S-sorry, My Lord."
Yan Xing tossed out the end of his smoke and said to Arlanda, "I don’t want anything like this to happen again. This is the Orcs’ Frostleaf City, not the Elves’. Since the Elves chose war, they must be prepared to accept defeat. I imagine if the Elves had captured Highland City, the Orcs there would hardly have fared any better."
Arlanda argued, "We... we would never treat children that way! Children are innocent!"
"No one is innocent in war. Those caught in its vortex have no right to sympathy. Sympathy belongs only to bystanders."
The convoy resud its journey, and the carriage began to move.
Yan Xing’s words left Arlanda deep in thought. After a while, she asked him, "When you kill, don’t you feel even a shred of pity?"
Yan Xing replied, "The people I kill are those who wanted to kill . The mont they harbor that murderous intent, they forfeit their right to live. Why should I pity soone who seeks death? Arlanda, I killed you once. The second ti, I spared you not out of pity, but because you intrigued . How did you co back to life?"
To see soone he had personally killed suddenly appear before him, alive and well, was a trendous shock to Yan Xing.
Everyone fears death.
Especially in this chaotic Magic World.
Now that soone who could apparently die and return to life had appeared, Yan Xing naturally wanted to uncover the secret.
Yan Xing had inquired with Count Theodore and Gaga the Goblin. Resurrection Magic did indeed exist, but neither of them knew how to cast it.
Resurrection was an extrely advanced form of Magic.
Since the topic of life and death had co up, Yan Xing couldn’t help but ask Arlanda how she had "resurrected."
"This..." Arlanda didn’t know how to explain the matter concerning herself and her sister. "I... I don’t know how to say it... I..."
At that mont, the convoy halted.
The Malevolent Wolf Cavalry leader ca to the carriage. "Guest, we have arrived at the Lord’s Mansion. Old Mo the Marshal is already waiting for you in the council hall. Please disembark..."
Arlanda imdiately pushed open the door and jumped out. Holding the carriage door, she said respectfully to Yan Xing, "Please, My Lord, disembark."
Yan Xing saw Arlanda was reluctant to speak and didn’t press her.
He stepped out of the carriage.
Li Zhua, who disembarked last, draped a black fur coat over him and placed the Staff of Civilization in his hand.
In front of the Orc guards, Yan Xing touched each of the gemstone rings on his ten fingers, one by one.
Only then, leaning on the Staff of Civilization, did he ascend the steps of the Lord’s Mansion.
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