Lincoln and his two men led Unas and Isaac to a smaller cavern. A huge cauldron sat in the center of the room, a fire blazing at the bottom, and the rich aroma of meat wafted through the air along with the bubbling of the broth. This was the Ogre's so-called feast.
Lincoln stirred the giant pot with a large spoon, swallowed hard, and said, "Perfect timing, it's cooked."
Link screamed impatiently, "Quick, meat, eat meat!"
"Don't rush, let's take good care of our guests first." He personally served Unas and Isaac each a bowl of meat.
Unas held the enormous bowl, almost the size of a washbasin, too afraid to touch it. The broth smelled delicious, but he had no idea what kind of meat it was. What if he accidentally ate human flesh?
Fortunately, Lincoln then handed over a glass of wine. The wine itself was fine, but the glass was made from half a skull. It was unclear which race the deceased belonged to, but judging from its size, it was probably not human.
The Ogres sat around the giant cauldron, eating large chunks of meat and drinking heavily, showing no interest in conversation. Unas gave his share of meat to Isaac, while he himself endured the nausea and sipped his ale.
Isaac, that glutton, just wouldn't stop. He practically clung to the giant pot, and soon he was full and lay motionless on the ground. The two Ogres dragged him out and never came back.
Now that only Lincoln and Unas were left, it was time to get down to business. Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, a female Orcs appeared in the room.
As soon as Keira appeared, she ran straight into Lincoln's arms, nestling on the Ogre's strong shoulder like a kitten. Their intimate gesture undoubtedly declared their close relationship.
Unas was dumbfounded. How did these two get together? The size difference between them was like that of a human and a cat—it was like using a cannon to kill a mosquito!
Unas's expression, a mixture of wanting to laugh and not daring to, seemed to enrage the female Orcs. "What are you looking at, you cunning human? My descendant with Lincoln will be the most powerful chieftain of the Tigerfang Clan in the future, and he will conquer your world!"
Unas shrugged. "Our world doesn't need conquering; it's already been destroyed. If your descendants are willing to help fight the Scourge, that would be great, but since there's no escape, all this talk is just empty words. What do you think?"
Keira snorted but didn't reply.
"How many people do you have up there?" Lincoln asked bluntly, entering negotiation mode.
"Not many, but each one is elite."
Lincoln took the Communication Crystal out of his pocket and played with it. The crystal, which was huge to humans, looked like a small cherry in his hand. "I've activated this crystal several times, but your people are loyal to you. No matter what conditions I offer, they refuse to communicate with me."
Unas laughed and asked, "What are your expectations?"
"This thing is useless to me," he paused for a moment, then tossed the crystal back to me. "Here you go."
"Lincoln!" Keira screamed, lunging into the air to intercept, but it was too late; the crystal landed steadily in Unas's hand.
The female Orcs erupted in fury. "What are you doing?!"
"Show our allies goodwill."
"Haha, I've received your sincerity, upright Lincoln," Unas quickly put the crystal into his Spatial Bag. "I've decided to make you my ally."
"You actually believed this cunning human!"
Lincoln beckoned to the bristling female Orcs, and with things having come to this, Keira reluctantly threw herself back into his arms. The two of them showered each other with affection and comfort, giving Unas slang term for witnessing a public display of affection).
"How does Chief Lincoln want to cooperate?"
"That's up to you. Keira told me some details I overheard, but I want to know your whole plan."
Unas really needs strong and reliable allies. He wants to escape with more than two hundred humans, but he can't do it on his own. He can only rely on external forces to cause a big disturbance.
He immediately activated his Wings of Vengeance, quickly circled the Cave, and landed back in his original spot. Folding his wings, he addressed the astonished couple, "I can fly out when the passage opens. At my speed, the Dwarf guards above won't have a chance to close the gate. However, the enemies I'll face once I'm up there are unknowns. I'd appreciate it if Ms. Keira could answer that for me."
After watching Unas's air show, the adulterous couple's enthusiasm visibly increased, a sign of heightened confidence. Lincoln laughed heartily, "I didn't expect you to have this trick up your sleeve! No wonder you're so confident in escaping. I'll give you my full support!"
The female Orcs glanced at Lincoln and replied, "When I went up, I didn't get a clear view of the overall layout, but the guards on trading day were several times more numerous than when people were let down, almost filling the entire hall. The iron gates to the upper passage were open because of the transport of goods, and five or six steel golems, taller than Lincoln, were guarding there. As soon as I was discovered in the minecart, I was aimed at by at least ten flashing staffs, not to mention the countless weapons thrusting at me from all sides. I immediately concluded that I had no chance and had to jump back."
It sounds like there's a trap up there, and Unas's chances of flying up alone are slim. "It seems like the trading day won't work; the only chance is when the slaves are released."
"That's difficult too. When letting people down, the well door only opens a tiny crack, just big enough for one person to squeeze through. If there weren't any slaves of a large race like Ogres that day, you'd have to push open an iron door weighing tens of tons after you flew up. Even Lincoln would have had a hard time doing that."
The Two-Headed Ogre retorted, "How will you know if you don't try?"
"I have a better idea," the female Orcs, her eyes shining as she looked at Unas. "You can fly, can't you? Take me with you up there. With me and the others up there, the chances of us getting a foothold will greatly increase. Then we can use the Dwarf winch to fully open the well door, lower the hoist, and Lincoln and his men can climb up too..."
Unas interrupted her, saying, "Excuse my bluntness, but given the size of Ogres, it takes them at least three times longer to climb up the passage than other races. Ogres are destined not to be among the first to go up."
"Hmph, our combat strength is more than three times that of ordinary races!" Lincoln retorted angrily, "I will cast Levitate on my people, and then their weight will be as light as bubbles!"
"Chieftain knows this spell? That's wonderful news!" Unas exclaimed with delight. "With Levitate, I can even take an extra squad with me. How long does your Levitate last, and how many people can it affect at once?"
"It can last for three minutes, and it can be applied to ten people at once without any problem, but it also takes about three minutes to release it once."
Unas was overjoyed, filled with hope for escape for the first time. If he could really fly out with ten powerful guys, he would be extremely confident of taking over the well gate.