Sui Xiong did not travel quickly, but no matter how slowly he went, he soon arrived at the Orc Empire.
His first stop was the famed Western Wasteland.
The Western Wasteland was the westernmost frontier of the Orc Empire. Races of all kinds lived mixed together here, and public order was chaotic. The desert produced certain rare and expensive special minerals, drawing many people hoping to strike it rich by luck—as well as plenty who served them, or had their eyes on them. Over time, more and more adventurers gathered here, from every walk of life, eventually forming a vast force.
The Orc Empire's rule over the Western Wasteland was far from secure, precisely because of this motley crowd of adventurers. Adventurers did not buy what the Orc Empire was selling. If things fell apart, they could simply cross the desert to the Four Northwest Towns—now called the Northwest Republic—or head south to the Gold Coin Federation. A living man would not let himself be suffocated by a puddle of piss, after all.
Yet this put the Orc Empire's local officials in an awkward position. They did not dare employ overly forceful measures, because that would certainly provoke fierce resistance and might even cost them their lives if they were not careful. Several decades ago, the Empire's highest ruler in the Western Wasteland, an old legendary powerhouse who had lived for nearly five hundred years, the fourth-ranking member of the high priesthood of the Orc chief god Devouring Sky Dog's church, Belen Sera, known as the "Roaring Iron Arm," had died in a muddled and inexplicable fashion.
It was said that this powerhouse had died from excessive indulgence—not from having his life force drained, nor from a curse. He had simply played too hard and exhausted himself to death.
Naturally,