Plan (7)

The sunlight was vicious, yet the woods were deathly still, the air steeped in a chilling presence.

Roy bade the orcs farewell with a smiling face, but the moment he left the Stone Crow Clan's settlement, a shadow instantly fell over his expression.

"Still no sign of Anrien?" he asked.

The riders and attendants exchanged glances, then all shook their heads.

A bad premonition rose in Roy's heart. Yet the journey to Green City could not be delayed; it concerned the entire Brando Family. He had lingered in orc territory for far too long already.

"Katus."

"Here!" The tall cavalryman immediately puffed out his chest and answered.

"Take ten men and search the Wilds for Anrien's trail."

Roy gripped the family crest at his chest and made his decision within a minute. "Dead or alive, when I return from Green City, I want an answer."

"Understood, my lord." The cavalryman promptly selected ten men from the guards at the rear.

"Wayne."

"Here." A lean warrior stepped forward.

"You stay here as well. Watch every move the Stone Crow Clan makes. These stupid, lowly orcs have suddenly gotten clever—I suspect someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes. Find him!"

Roy revealed the cold, iron-hard severity he showed only before trusted subordinates. "And that fruit brew was probably made by them only recently. Take two squads and keep a death grip on these orcs. Find out what they're doing and what ingredients they're using!"

"Yes!"

"The rest of you have five minutes to count the members of the caravan."

Roy raised his head and swept his gaze coldly across them all. "Five minutes from now, everyone else leaves with me."

Stone Crow Clan, Black Dragon's Lair.

Climbing such a high mountain had never been easy work, so when Orkash ran inside, his powerful chest heaved violently as he panted, "It worked, Lord Ortolenso..."

Clearly, he was still somewhat unaccustomed to the honorifics commonly used in conversation. "The little ones agreed to our terms."

The fool had no idea Caesar had handled the negotiations with Roy from start to finish. Thinking Caesar still knew nothing, he had rushed up the mountain to deliver the news in excitement.

"Well done."

The dragon emerged from the darkness, two long streams of white vapor puffing from his nostrils. "You all did well."

Caesar extended a forelimb, intending to pat Orkash on the shoulder in encouragement. But after looking at his sharp claws, he could only abandon the idea helplessly.

Still, his praise was wholehearted. Gar and Orkash had played extremely important roles in this deal. Without the groundwork they had laid beforehand, the Stone Crow Clan could never have secured such a high profit.

For forthright, simple-minded orcs, putting on this act had truly been hard on them. Making every detail convincing without giving themselves away had been harder still. The orcs responsible for this part had clearly put in tremendous effort; who knew how many times they had secretly rehearsed it.

"Heh heh."

Receiving praise from a true dragon, Orkash scratched the head that barely had any hair to begin with. His green face reddened as he grew bashful. "It was because you arranged it so well."

In truth, there were many ways to amass wealth. Most evil dragons gathered riches through brute force and plunder; kidnapping and raiding could likewise pile up a vast sum in a short time.

But Caesar could not play the games those evil dragons played. Those who acted that way were at least young dragons who had gradually grown powerful. If Caesar tried it in his current state, he would only invite destruction upon himself.

From the standpoint of safety, the most ideal path—and the one best suited to his development—was trade: becoming the invisible hand behind the curtain, first reaping enormous profits through Summergrass, then using that snowball to build his strength and establish a solid foundation.

Caesar had set that tone long ago.

To ensure this plan went smoothly, he had even taken some risks, having Luna lure the only spellcaster in Roy's force away from the caravan before personally erasing him.

When the time came, even if the other side discovered some clue, dragons would be the only thing they could connect it to. They would never trace it back to the Stone Crow Clan.

Now that the oath had been sworn, everything had finally settled into place.

However, Orkash seemed doubtful that the business of selling Summergrass fruit brew would succeed. He carefully asked, "Lord Caesar, will those little ones really buy the stuff we brew from that grass and some fruit when we take it to the Northern Kingdoms?"

Before Caesar could clear up his confusion, little Luna flew out from between the black dragon's neck spines. She knocked Orkash on the head and said irritably, "Those little ones you're talking about live a hundred times better than you do. How could they possibly not want something this delicious?"

The Forest Fairy's existence was no longer a secret within the Stone Crow Clan. Caesar had not intended to hide it. He already regarded these green-skinned fellows as his own people, and he knew full well that orcs would never betray him.

Besides, for the Stone Crow Clan, the existence of a black dragon of the Five-Colored Dragons was the greatest secret of all. Even though Luna was a child of the forest, what did she amount to beside a true dragon?

"One more thing."

Caesar ignored the little fellow and instead smiled gently at Orkash. The reason he deliberately made it "gentle" was that he was currently going through a voice change, his voice developing in a hoarse and cruel direction. Even when he spoke casually, it involuntarily carried a vicious, feral undertone, just like his birth mother Nasatolia had back then.

So, to avoid misunderstandings, he had to restrain himself. "Your timing is perfect. I need your Sifu to cultivate the stockpiled Summergrass as soon as possible, if he can."

The old shaman's telepathy could not be maintained for such a long time. It had already cut off when he and Roy signed the oath, leaving Caesar with further instructions he had not had time to convey.

"I estimate that once this drink appears in the Northern Kingdoms, interested parties will quickly investigate where it comes from. Quite a few covetous eyes will pour into the Wilds to watch your every move. Starting today, have Sifu use magic to cultivate Summergrass inside his cave. From now on, you only need to gather wild fruit."

It was merely a quick profit for primitive capital accumulation, but if he could stretch it out for as long as possible and extract greater gains, Caesar would not simply let go.

"Understood."

Orkash nodded and answered reflexively.

After a while, Caesar saw that the orc was still standing there and asked in puzzlement, "Is there anything else?"

"Uh."

Orkash scratched his head again, then sat down cross-legged. "Good thing the chief had me bring this," he muttered, pulling a piece of parchment from the fur wrapped around his lower body. He looked earnestly at Caesar. "My lord, I can't write, so I'll have to trouble you..."

He could not remember such a long passage.