Chapter 44: Lizard Swamp (Part 2)

"Lord Borugan, I take responsibility for the death of the ogre warrior. It was my carelessness in not noticing that this was an elderly bull king," said the orc who had wielded the strange longsword and cast the spell. Despite his wolf-like features, his expression was grave. His speech was clear and precise, markedly different from the accents of other orcs.

"Casualties are unavoidable in such matters, Captain Luken. There's no need to blame yourself too much. You must understand that in the past, hunting a bull king like this would have required at least a temple knight from the church to venture deep into the swamp. Come with me," Lord Borugan waved his hand and turned to walk outside.

"Are we going to continue capturing the wild bulls in this area?" Luken asked.

"Of course, we'll continue. But we'll change direction. We can't go deeper into the swamp for now; it's not the time to provoke the hydra. We'll move laterally instead. However, you won't be in charge of this anymore. Veer has just taken over as the tribal chief and will lead twenty elite ogre warriors here tomorrow to take over from you. For today, order everyone to rest." The assistant to the lord of Orford struggled through the swamp, occasionally having to jump over obstacles. Although the ogres and lizardmen had carved out a rough road, it was only meant for transporting the bulls and supplies. The path was still littered with mud, water, and tree stumps, making it even harder for someone of Lord Borugan's size to navigate than the original swamp.

"I know the recent casualties are my responsibility, but I hope Lord Theodorus will give me another chance to prove myself. I won't let him down as the captain," Luken said firmly, stopping in his tracks and looking at Lord Borugan.

Lord Borugan grinned widely, standing on his tiptoes in an attempt to pat Luken on the back. However, the height difference was too great, and he only managed to reach the orc's lower back. "You fool. It's not that we're dissatisfied with your work here. There's something more important for you to do."

"Oh? What is it?" The orc captain's eyes lit up.

"Lord Theodorus has invited several elemental mages from the Tooth Tower to formally begin teaching magic to the children in the city. You are to be the head instructor. When those mages first heard they were to teach magic to orcs, they were as shocked as if they'd heard that eggs could eat people. If it weren't for Lord Theodorus's good relationship with them and the fact that he offered them some top-tier magical gems that made them drool, those arrogant old fools would never have agreed to come."

"Mages are mostly arrogant and self-important," the orc captain chuckled.

"They believe that savage races like orcs, ogres, and half-orcs will never have anything to do with the noble and mysterious art of magic. So, you need to show them that magic isn't exclusive to humans..." Lord Borugan paused, realizing that after serving as a high-ranking official in this orc city for so long, he had almost stopped thinking of himself as human.

"However, there are some differences between orcs and humans when it comes to learning magic. Our ability to concentrate during meditation and our comprehension of incantations are indeed inferior to humans. It's difficult for us to learn high-level spells," Luken nodded.

"The focus isn't on spending years training a few orc archmages. The key is to popularize magic learning in Orford within a year or two. You know we're not short on magical gems and such. As long as they master some basic meditation and spellcasting techniques, we can ensure that everyone has the ability to cast spells at the level of a novice mage."

"Right. Heh." Luken grinned, revealing his sharp fangs, and clenched his massive hand. On his fingers were four rings made of high-quality magic jade. He even considered whether he should remove them before meeting the mages, lest the sight of such treasures on an orc who only knew intermediate magic give the old mages heart attacks.

Even the Pope wouldn't have four rings of such high-quality magic jade, used solely for storing magical energy and amplifying power. Such items would make any mage's heart race, let alone four of them, especially when worn by an orc who only knew intermediate magic. It was like using the finest silk as a farmer's sweat rag.

The large quantities of magical ore brought back from the Saundfest Mountains had been fully processed and carved. However, to avoid crashing the continent's magical commodity market, Lord Theodorus had only released a small portion to exchange for money and resources. The rest was kept for Orford's own use. Currently, aside from Lord Theodorus himself, Luken was the only one in Orford capable of using magic, which was why he was equipped with gear that rivaled that of the mages from the Dehya Valley.

"We're not learning magic for research or advanced study. The key is practicality. Let the mages teach the basics of magic. Your job is to teach practical combat techniques and tactics. From today on, you're no longer a captain; you're Orford's head instructor. After General Grutt returns from the Saundfest Mountains, he'll spar with you frequently to ensure you live up to your title."

"Such a heavy title..." The arc's face twisted into a grimace, baring a somewhat ferocious smile. "I will do my utmost."

Ahead, in a slightly wider area, a wyvern was waiting. Lord Borugan, Luken, and the half-orc adjutant boarded the wyvern and took off. Soon, they had left the swamp and arrived at the vast fields that had been transformed from the swamp. Many goblins were busy working in the fields.

The wyvern carried the newly appointed orc instructor back to Orford to receive further instructions from Lord Theodorus. Lord Borugan stayed behind, and soon two half-orcs approached with ledgers and reports.

"Today, we reclaimed another thirty acres of land, bringing the total to five hundred and ninety acres. According to projections, next month's yield of berries and tubers will exceed three hundred thousand pounds, and the month after that..."

"Bring me the swamp map," Lord Borugan snapped his stubby fingers. The half-orc adjutant immediately pulled out a piece of parchment from the large bag at his waist. His primary role was to carry various documents for the lord's assistant, as Lord Borugan's own head was already filled with enough information. However, given the current pace of development, it seemed an ogre might soon be needed to replace the half-orc as adjutant.

Lord Borugan examined the swamp map, his messy head of hair swaying as he shook it. "Stop reclaiming new land for now. What we have is enough."

"But sir, we still have enough seeds and manpower to reclaim another two hundred acres. If we do that, our production capacity could increase to..."

"What are we going to do with all that production? Can you eat it all?" Lord Borugan rolled his eyes. "This level of production is enough to feed the wild bulls and kodos. We already have enough grain and fodder from the highlands. Although these plants grow quickly, they deplete the soil rapidly. Within half a year, we'll need to rotate the fields and let the used land recover for a few years. If we over-cultivate now, we'll end up with no land left to farm."

"No matter what you're doing, even farming, you need to think long-term. Don't just focus on the immediate gains, understand?" Lord Borugan stood on his tiptoes. The half-orc was much shorter than the orc and was bending slightly, so this time, Lord Borugan managed to successfully pat the half-orc on the forehead.

"How are things at the beast-training grounds?" Lord Borugan asked the other half-orc.

"Well... with the supply of wild bull carcasses, there's no issue feeding the dire wolves, lizards, wyverns, and even the two behemoths. We're considering whether to start mass breeding the dire wolves."

"If we breed too many pups and then stop capturing wild bulls, what will the dire wolves eat? You? The same logic applies to the wild bull carcasses. They're a temporary resource, not a sustainable one. From today on, all wild bull carcasses are to be sent back to Orford and processed into dried rations for storage. On the other hand, we should focus on breeding kodos. Whether as a food source or for transportation, you can never have too many. Also, increase the manpower for taming wild bulls, but don't just brute-force it. Think of better methods. Anyone who comes up with effective ways to improve the taming process will be heavily rewarded. Effort isn't the most important thing; efficiency is. Understand?"

"Yes, understood." The half-orc nodded in admiration and left. After more than a year, the status of the lord's assistant in their eyes had grown far beyond his physical stature. Every piece of advice he gave was indeed insightful.

The swamp breeze blew past, and the vast fields of crops swayed along with Lord Borugan's head under the dazzling sunlight. As he calculated the numbers he had just heard, the lord's assistant felt as vibrant and full of life as the fields before him.

"Just give me—no, give Orford three more years, and no nation on the continent will dare look down on this wilderness highland. In ten years, this will undoubtedly become the strongest nation the continent has ever seen."

The feeling of building a city, a nation, from the ground up was incredible. Orford, in terms of scale, significance, and the room it provided for him to showcase his abilities, was countless times larger than the small town of Bracada he had managed before. The sense of accomplishment was equally immense. Standing in the wind, he felt a surge of ambition and pride as vast as the sky and the sea. If only he had a majestic cape to drape over his shoulders and a few hearty laughs, he felt he could truly become a legendary figure.