Chapter 87: Borugan’s Concern

The news of Shaman Timmah's death did not cause much of a stir in Orford. The orcs had no strong impression of the minotaur Shaman who was supposed to join them. Only Lorelei led all the tribes to look at Timmah and the Temple Knight's decaying corpses, and after that, almost everyone forgot about the incident, which was neither too big nor too small. The joining of the minotaur and harpy tribes, preparations for the upcoming battle, and the establishment of a base in the Saundfest Mountains all came together, and the entire Orford began to operate like a massive machine, running at full speed. No one had the leisure or time to worry about what had already happened. Though Orford's total population was small, even a random city in Alrasia had more people, the orcs' formidable strength and the efficient coordination of their forces still resulted in astonishing effectiveness.

After a whole day, Lord Borugan felt as though he was about to fall apart. He had never felt his head so heavy and large before, as if he wished he could chop it off and place it on the table to give his neck and body a little relief. His responsibility was to manage the human resources and materials of the entire Orford in the most effective way possible, ensuring that ten units of labor could achieve the result of fifteen.

Sitting on a specially designed chair, with his head resting on the table, Lord Borugan stubbornly fought off the heavy eyelids while flipping through various reports and ledgers. Data on human resources, strategies, time, and materials swirled in his head, clashing, merging, testing, denying, and confirming... In the end, they all combined to produce the most efficient results.

Three oil lamps were lit on the table, their flames shining brightly like torches, illuminating the entire room. It was already late into the night. It wasn't that he didn't want to sleep; he just couldn't bring himself to. The more detailed his calculations and the more reasonable his plans, the more efficient the work would be the next day.

In this newly built city, struggling on the line of survival yet possessing boundless vitality and potential, there were no power struggles or politics to drain one's energy and intellect. The pressure of survival kept everyone focused and unable to spare attention for anything else. Even though everyone was exhausted, seeing their hard work turn into results, feeling the shared enthusiasm and drive of the orcs around them despite their differing appearances, and witnessing the city rapidly grow and expand—like a galloping horse—gave them the sense that they, too, were running forward.

Among the many reports, a small one suddenly caught Lord Borugan's attention, causing him to pause his racing thoughts and feelings. The report mentioned the appearance of several types of weeds near the swamp fields, spreading toward the highlands. The lizardmen in charge of the farmlands reported that they'd never encountered such plants in the swamp before. These weeds had an astonishing reproductive rate and extremely tenacious vitality.

"Damn it, it's happening." Lord Borugan rubbed his aching temples. In fact, when he first received the seeds for the genetically modified crops, the elven elder had warned him that such a situation might arise. These magical seeds were modified by the elves, who were well-versed in the ways of nature and understood the possible consequences. The elven elder had said that these genetically altered crops were, in fact, a completely new kind of plant, and the negative effects they could cause might far exceed what the concept of "crops" implied.

"Negative effects? What would be the worst-case scenario?" Lord Borugan had asked this question before. His curiosity had always been quite strong.

"The worst-case scenario? If I told you that the entire continent could face catastrophic disaster, would you believe me?" The elven elder had responded with a question of his own. Though he was smiling, the deep wrinkles on his face seemed to convey a sense of sorrow.

"That seems unlikely," Lord Borugan replied, glancing at the bag of seeds in his hand. Despite his rich imagination and ability to make connections, he still found it difficult to link the seeds in his hand with the grandiose notion of the continent's destruction.

"According to Theodorus' instructions, we used the World Tree's Leaf to enhance the vitality and reproductive capacity of these crops through natural magic to the greatest extent possible. This is undoubtedly beneficial for obtaining food. But do you understand the concept of plant crossbreeding?"

"Yes," Lord Borugan nodded. He had read extensively, and his knowledge included even agricultural topics.

"If the pollen from these crops crossbreeds with other plants, we don't know what kind of offspring will result, but they will definitely inherit those tenacious life force and reproductive abilities. The spread of pollen through insects and wind is inevitable. If these hybrid plants proliferate in large numbers, other plants will be outcompeted. If these plants spread to farmland in other parts of the continent, it could lead to a continent-wide famine. And the only consequence of famine is war."

"There's an even more severe possibility. These plants might consume the nutrients in the soil so quickly that the land turns barren, transforming grasslands into deserts. This could result in climate shifts in the region, potentially leading to more anomalies. For example, if the lizard swamps suffer from soil erosion due to these plants, if the marshlands disappear and the Donau River changes course, do you know what the consequences could be?"

Lord Borugan immediately replied, "Several cities in the Donau River basin will face water shortages."

Elder Lloyd shook his head and said, "It's not just a few cities. It could be the entire Einfast facing drought. Without the moisture from the marshlands to balance the climate, the cold currents coming from the northwest won't be able to produce enough rainfall. In fact, the cold currents may change course entirely. Eventually, Einfast's rainfall might fall to less than half of what it is now. And the chain reactions from this could be even more serious, with consequences we haven't even considered."

"Is it really that severe? It's just a bag of seeds," Lord Borugan said, his mouth agape.

The elder sighed with a wry smile. "Nature is a very delicate and vast system. It has its own cycles, its own way of life and death. And this bag of seeds is not a natural thing. Forcing something unnatural into that system will have an effect far beyond the immediate surroundings; it will ripple out farther and larger..." The old elf leaned in closer, seeing Borugan's shocked expression. "My lord, do you understand?"

Borugan paused for a moment before responding, "I understand. It's like throwing a stone into a finely-tuned machine, and that stone could cause the entire machine to break down."

Elder Lloyd nodded. "Of course, that's just a possibility. After all, the forces and laws of nature are beyond anyone's complete control. We are merely a part of nature. Maybe nothing will happen. Maybe something will, but eventually, nature will adjust itself. It's just that the process of adjustment could be catastrophic for both humans and elves."

"So, if I were to boil this little bag of seeds right now, and eat them, wouldn't that essentially save the continent? Like one of those legendary heroes..." Lord Borugan glanced at the bag of seeds in his hand, imagining himself taking a big bite and becoming the savior of the continent.

"Well, do you want to try? There is indeed that possibility," the elder said, watching him with a smile.

Lord Borugan immediately shook his head resolutely. "I don't want to. Whether it will save the continent or not, I don't know. But at least I now know this bag of seeds is meant to save Orford." After a moment of thought, he asked, "Is this short-sighted and selfish of me?"

"Are we not the ones who created this thing, even more short-sighted and selfish? But there's no other way; if the elves are to survive, it has to be this way." Elder Lloyd chuckled, his face wrinkling further, looking even older. "Who isn't short-sighted or selfish? Sure, some may have the ability to see far, to see the big picture, but who truly has the power to step out of their own perspective and live on equal footing with nature? We are just one part of nature, merely animals trying to survive. Everything we do is for survival, or to live better."

"Enough with all these confusing thoughts. In the end, we'll do what we need to do."

After pondering the report for a while, Lord Borugan had no choice but to toss it aside. This wasn't the time to worry about such things—there were far more pressing matters to worry about.

Footsteps approached, drawing nearer, and someone entered the room.

"General Grutt, is there something you need?" Lord Borugan lifted his head from the desk and asked. He wasn't the only one working late into the night.

Grutt nodded slightly and said, "I will be heading to the Saundfest Mountains tomorrow. How are the arrangements for the follow-up troops and logistics?"

"Don't worry, everything will be on track. Lord Theodorus has already spoken to me. The mining operation in the Saundfest Mountains is the top priority. I will allocate as many resources as possible to that area. As long as things go smoothly on your end, the base will be established in no time."

"Good, that's reassuring." Grutt nodded.

"I've also made good progress with the Tooth Tower. Once the mines are up and running and we have a steady supply of magic gems, they can guarantee at least one top-tier Blazing Fireball scroll daily for half the materials. For Elemental Giant Summon and Thunderclap Bomb, we can get three or four a day. The Elemental mages there are the best on the continent, and there's no need to worry about production speed. This will be the fastest and largest production of scrolls the continent has ever seen. If we have enough time, the Church's forces will be nothing but target practice." Lord Borugan became more and more excited as he spoke, his earlier fatigue completely forgotten. He grinned widely, laughing heartily, and his eyebrows seemed to dance with enthusiasm.