At this mont, Yan Xing had no idea that Marquis Anderson had requested Cloud Tower to send personnel to Storm City; a powerful force was now focusing its attention on the Wildwind Highlands.
Yan Xing was in Frostleaf City, overseeing the handover of twenty thousand uniforms to Chief Old Mo. The goods were ticulously counted by the Orcs and imdiately distributed to the Orc warriors. The calm Chief Old Mo didn’t haggle over the price and promptly handed sixty thousand God-given gold coins to Yan Xing. These past few days, Yan Xing’s team had been staying within Frostleaf City. Apart from the Elf from his retinue who visited so Elven hos in the city, all other personnel remained in their designated residential area. There was no unusual activity.
Yan Xing’s composure, along with his readiness to accept the Elves of Frostleaf City, convinced Chief Old Mo that he undoubtedly possessed a substantial supply of winter provisions. Otherwise, the twenty thousand uniforms could not have been delivered so quickly, nor would he have dared to accept a large number of Elf refugees. These supplies were rely enough for the Orc Great Army to handle ergencies; they were insufficient for them to survive the winter safely. Therefore, Chief Old Mo dared not offend Yan Xing in this transaction, as he still hoped to acquire more supplies from him.
The uniforms were quickly distributed. Their quality was identical to the samples Yan Xing had shown the Orc leaders. This also made Chief Old Mo feel sowhat more favorably towards Yan Xing. Although the price was a bit steep, at least Yan Xing hadn’t deceived him.
Inside the council hall of Frostleaf City’s Lord’s Mansion, Chief Old Mo and Yan Xing sat together.
"Lord Yan Xing, I still need more supplies," Chief Old Mo stated. "I know you definitely have more, and I also wish to establish a deeper friendly relationship with the Eternal Domain."
"Supplies are certainly available," Yan Xing admitted to Chief Old Mo, but he couldn’t provide them just yet. He explained, "Winter has co early this year, and I must prioritize supplying my own subjects first. Besides, delivering so many goods to Frostleaf City in one go is already my limit. When the weather clears, Nuta City’s Griffon patrol will expand its range, so it’s best to be careful. If Count Theodore discovers my trade with Frostleaf City, it will bring too much trouble."
Since Yan Xing provided a solid reason, Chief Old Mo couldn’t press further for supplies. He then recalled Yan Xing previously ntioning his interest in purchasing Elves from Frostleaf City.
Chief Old Mo brought up the topic, "Many more Elves have frozen to death these past few days. We don’t have surplus supplies to provide them with warmth, nor do we wish to see them suffer in the harsh winter. If Lord Yan Xing wishes to acquire more Elf slaves, please conduct the trade with us as soon as possible. I heard that when you first entered Frostleaf City, you bought over a dozen Elves at the price of one blanket per Elf."
The supplies Yan Xing had brought to Frostleaf City this ti were limited; the number of Elves he could help was ultimately small. Having been plundered by the Orcs, most Elves were enduring the winter in bitter hardship. Every night, Elves froze to death.
Following Arlanda’s inquiries over the past few days, Yan Xing had learned that there were approximately ten thousand Elven civilians in Frostleaf City, mostly elderly and children. Additionally, there were three to four thousand Elf captives, who were the forr defenders of Frostleaf City, forced to surrender after the Orcs breached the city.
"Alright, let’s trade at one blanket per Elf," Yan Xing agreed.
Yan Xing issued cotton-cashre blankets to his own soldiers, while the Orcs received synthetic fiber blankets. The procurent costs differed, yet the synthetic fiber blankets appeared thicker. Thus, Yan Xing didn’t haggle over this price. The sooner the deal was settled, the fewer Elves would freeze to death, and his domain would gain more labor.
Chief Old Mo hadn’t expected Yan Xing to agree so readily and sowhat regretted not having raised the price a little. Even so, he was quite satisfied with this price. These ten thousand-plus blankets are practically free! he thought. Moreover, by sending away the Elves, who consu food and pose a potential threat, Frostleaf City, garrisoned solely by Orcs, will be much easier to defend.
Old Mo imdiately dispatched n to round up the Elves in the city. They were to be gathered, kept warm by a fire, and then counted. Once the blankets from the Eternal Domain arrived, Yan Xing would take all these Elves away.
Then Old Mo asked Yan Xing, "When can this batch of blankets be delivered?"
Yan Xing replied, "They will arrive tomorrow."
In fact, the second shipnt of supplies from the Eternal Domain to Frostleaf City was already on standby near the northern exit of the Thunderous Swamp. The snow had now stopped, and the first convoy had already compacted a passable road, which would significantly reduce the travel ti for supplies to reach Frostleaf City. This batch included not only the bedding prepared for the Elf trade but also cotton clothes and heating fuel prepared for the Elves. Once the trade was complete, these items could be distributed to them. Then, these new subjects of the Eternal Domain would return with the convoy.
With another trade concluded, the matter of constructing a road from Frostleaf City to the Thunderous Swamp, being mutually beneficial, was also quickly settled between Old Mo and Yan Xing. Following this, Yan Xing proposed the division of their border: using the midpoint between Frostleaf City and the Thunderous Swamp as the baseline, the northern territory would belong to Frostleaf City, and the southern territory to the Eternal Domain.
The land Yan Xing intended to claim this ti was more than double the area he had negotiated with Count Theodore. If Old Mo agreed, the Eternal Domain’s territory could expand northward by at least one hundred and fifty kiloters. Including the Thunderous Swamp and the land adjacent to Nuta City, the total area would be over two hundred thousand square kiloters. On Earth, I’d be the leader of a dium-sized country with this much land, Yan Xing mused. It’s just that the population within this territory is rather sparse and... of low quality.
In response to Yan Xing’s boundary proposal, Old Mo presented an alternative plan: the boundary line would be moved seventy kiloters further north, leaving Frostleaf City with only eighty kiloters of territory. The condition, however, was that the Eternal Domain must provide another twenty thousand sets of bedding to the Orcs.
That Old Mo would proactively offer land sowhat surprised Yan Xing. But after a mont’s thought, he understood. Although the Orcs had seized Frostleaf City through a surprise attack, it was the Elves who had broken faith first. Moreover, thanks to the Eternal Domain taking in the Elves, their losses in Frostleaf City weren’t severe, so the Orcs hadn’t forged an irreconcilable blood feud with them. This gave the Orcs much more room to maneuver. If the pressure on them beca too great, they could completely cede Frostleaf City to the Elves and concentrate their forces on defending the more crucial Highland City. Therefore, even if the Orcs held Frostleaf City, Chief Old Mo wouldn’t have enough troops to defend such a vast territory; one hundred fifty kiloters or eighty wouldn’t make much difference. If, one day, they were forced to return Frostleaf City to the Elves, they would essentially be selling the Elves’ own land to them, which would surely vex them. Any future territorial disputes would then be between Snowland and the Eternal Domain, with the Orcs happily watching from the sidelines. And if the situation in the Wildwind Highlands took a dramatic turn, giving the Orcs a chance to dominate the highlands entirely, what would this boundary matter then? Preserving the army’s combat strength is paramount.
A set of bedding costs only about 100 God-given gold coins, so twenty thousand sets would be two million, Yan Xing calculated. Two million for land roughly the size of Portugal... is it a good deal?
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