Confidant Humans

Marquis Prague quickly returned to the camp. He understood the gravity of the situation and didn't act recklessly despite his strength.

Inside the meeting room, 27 nobles gathered, their expressions grim. Many of their knights were wounded, and over a dozen elite soldiers had died.

One noble, with a fresh bruise on his face, spoke up, "Those Centaurs are too strong. And this is just a small, outlying tribe. Our forces are seriously inadequate!"

Although their numbers were less than 1,000, this pioneering expedition had assembled all the high-end combat power. Any larger forces that followed would only add ordinary soldiers, not more high-end combatants.

Other nobles also voiced their opinions.

"Indeed, Centaurs are strong, but their weaknesses are also clear. From the intelligence Marcus brought back from the live captives, they don't have a formal nation or alliance; they fight as individual groups!"

Another noble agreed, "Right, we can defeat them one by one, slowly encroaching on the Centaur territory!"

"That's too naive! If it were that easy to defeat Centaurs, how could the Orcs have been driven back?"

Marcus retorted loudly, "Centaurs also have large tribes at the pinnacle of their rule. This area belongs to a tribe called the Thunder Tribe. It's fine if we have small skirmishes, but what if killing too many Centaurs draws the attention of that large tribe?"

"The risk is too high with just us. We need help from other demi-human races!"

Marcus once again entertained the idea of requesting support from the Dwarves and Elves. He had already felt that relying solely on two dozen noble families for pioneering would result in too many casualties, and seeing the Centaurs' strength only solidified this belief.

Several nobles echoed Marcus, "Yes, the Thunder Tribe has nearly ten thousand Centaurs, and their overall quality is estimated to be far superior to these small tribes. It's hard for us to confront them directly!"

Marquis Prague saw the morale of the group was low. Facing a difficult challenge at the very first step of their pioneering efforts, and considering requesting reinforcements, he spoke to encourage them: "Don't worry, although Centaurs are all warriors and incredibly strong, they don't have high-level powerhouses!"

"I've eliminated seven or eight Centaur tribes in total, and not a single enemy possessed significant strength. Not to mention us nobles who have awakened the Heroic Bloodline, even knights with Glory can easily defeat them!"

"We have an advantage in terms of high-end combat power! As long as we lead the knights as an elite force to break them, even ordinary soldiers can charge alongside us and slay the Centaurs!"

This was true. Although humanity was a physically weaker race, their strength in high-end combat power had always been an advantage. Even Orcs rarely had individuals who could single-handedly defeat a Bloodline noble.

Not to mention a legendary powerhouse like Marquis Prague. The reason Orcs, despite being superior in battles against humans, couldn't completely crush them was because of the legendary Grand Duke Lance.

Unfortunately, Grand Duke Lance was just one person. While he could withstand the suicidal charges of Orcs filled with Rage after going berserk, others couldn't.

Even a legendary powerhouse couldn't fight against ten thousand. If he couldn't kill them, he'd be exhausted to death. If his teammates all died, facing wave after wave of Orc armies alone, he could only carve a bloody path to retreat.

Although individual Centaur abilities were no less than Orcs, they lacked the military discipline of Orcs; they were a disorganized rabble. Small-scale skirmishes were one thing, but their disadvantage would become apparent in large-scale army operations.

Marquis Prague continued to encourage everyone, constantly emphasizing his own formidable strength and the overall robust power of their alliance, asserting that they could defeat the Centaurs!

Aside from the issue of the cost of requesting aid, Marquis Prague had two other reasons for not wanting to ask for reinforcements. One was his extreme confidence in his own power; he didn't feel there was any need for aid.

The other was political. As a legendary powerhouse with the most soldiers and knights, he was the undisputed leader of the alliance. All other nobles were a half-step below him.

If a new nation were established, he would undoubtedly become king. However, if Elves and Dwarves became involved, things would get complicated.

It must be said that the prestige of a legendary powerhouse was extraordinary. The few nobles who had been lacking confidence were re-energized by Marquis Prague's encouragement.

Finally, the group concluded their discussion. Centered around Marquis Prague, they would jointly drive out and eliminate the Centaurs, and simultaneously assess the strength of the Thunder Tribe. Then, they would establish an outpost before bringing in the main force.

The lands of the East were vast. The territory ruled by the Thunder Tribe alone far exceeded the Kingdom of Lucanir's domain. The pioneering alliance had no intention of biting off more than they could chew.

Defeating the Thunder Tribe and occupying this area would be enough; they would try their best not to provoke other large tribes.

Marcus walked out of the meeting room feeling dejected and returned to his quarters to rest. Starting tomorrow, his team would also have to coordinate with Marquis Prague's movements.

Marcus couldn't sleep that night, so he called Harrot over for a talk.

"Pioneering is proving more troublesome than I expected!"

"Sir, are the Centaurs the only thing bothering you?" Harrot's mind was quite sharp, and he had a rough idea of Marcus's dilemma.

Marcus had grand ambitions; he couldn't be content playing second fiddle to Marquis Prague.

"Indeed, my worry is Marquis Prague. He's too strong, and too confident!"

"Even I have no real say in the alliance; Marquis Prague basically makes all the decisions alone!"

Harrot didn't reply. He didn't know how to answer. After all, Marquis Prague was the ruler of the Eastern Province, the initiator of the alliance, and a legendary powerhouse with incredible strength! Marquis Prague's leadership was unshakeable!

Marcus continued, "It's not that I want to contend for power with him. I know my place. It's just, what's the point of me coming to the East to pioneer if it's like this? It's no different from when I was in the Northern Province!"

Harrot thought carefully, then comforted him, "Sir, although Marquis Prague currently dictates all the alliance's actions, that might not always be the case later on!"

"Once the alliance faces a major setback, Marquis Prague, who has been leading the alliance's actions, will have to take responsibility and relinquish power!"

Marcus sighed, replying, "As long as the pioneering ultimately succeeds, the nobles can accept the casualties and losses. Setbacks and mistakes won't shake Marquis Prague's position!"

Harrot shook his head and said, "That's only if the pioneering succeeds! If it fails, the autocratic Marquis Prague will surely have to answer to the nobles of the alliance!"

Marcus raised an eyebrow, asking, "You think the pioneering will fail? That Marquis Prague's plan has problems?"

Harrot nodded firmly. After humans in this world were driven south by the Orcs and established nations, they became isolated and rarely explored the world.

As a transmigrator, Harrot's understanding of strategy and the bigger picture, gained from what he had seen online and in books in his previous life, was far superior to that of the people in this world.

Could a powerful race capable of repelling Orcs, a race that had ruled these lands for thousands of years, be as insignificant as Marquis Prague believed?

This was merely an outer region of the Eastern lands. It was normal for there to be no powerhouses among the Centaurs here; what powerhouse would choose to live in a backwater? This wasn't a wuxia novel.

If Centaurs lacked a mature social system and national structure, then how did the Thunder Tribe grow into a tribe of ten thousand?

Strength! The leader of the Thunder Tribe must be a top-tier powerhouse whose strength far exceeded that of ordinary Centaurs. Otherwise, it would be hard to imagine how bloodthirsty, brutal, and disorderly Centaurs could form such a large tribe.

Harrot shared his analysis and views with Marcus. Marcus pondered for a long time, then slowly spoke, "You have a point, a very good point! I originally thought that even if the Centaurs were strong, they would just cause us more casualties. Now it seems we truly underestimated the Centaurs!"

Harrot hesitantly asked, "Should we inform Marquis Prague about this?"

How to put it… Marcus and Harrot were also conflicted. If they warned Marquis Prague and prevented him from making a big mistake, it would be difficult to shake his position. But not warning him also felt wrong.

Ultimately, Marcus made up his mind. "I have to say something. If the alliance gets crippled, we can forget about reclaiming land. And knowing there's danger but keeping quiet about it would make me look down on myself!"

Harrot was quite happy to see Marcus warn Marquis Prague. He didn't want the noble he served to be someone who only cared about profit.

It was a pity Marcus was too presumptuous. Marquis Prague said he was completely overthinking things and wouldn't listen to a word he said.

Marcus didn't press the issue. Since Marquis Prague wouldn't listen to him, he wouldn't grovel. He had done what he could, and his conscience was clear.

The collective sweep began. Marquis Prague and his knights led the way, and everyone slaughtered the Centaurs together. It took half a month to completely clear a hundred-mile radius around the camp. There wasn't a single Centaur left.

The nobles held banquets to celebrate their victory. They felt everything was so simple. Centaurs were no different from wild beasts, and with Marquis Prague overseeing things, the sweep was incredibly easy!

Marcus, who had always advocated caution, was now seen as a joke by everyone. It seems a hero who has fought Orcs for years isn't all that impressive after all!

The nobles were all a bit carried away. Even Marcus himself was surprised by how smoothly the reclamation was going. If they hadn't been fighting irregular forces of the Thunder Tribe all this time, he would have started to doubt Harrot's opinion.

Harrot, on the other hand, became even more concerned about the Thunder Tribe's strength. In just half a month, thousands of Centaurs in the territory were slaughtered, and the Thunder Tribe's reaction was ridiculously slow. Such low military competence, yet they could stand against the Orcs—this only further proved their power!

Harrot's fears soon became reality. The Thunder Tribe's Centaurs didn't allow the nobles to continue their arrogance.

As Marquis Prague led them to continue pushing eastward, the elite forces of the Thunder Tribe arrived!