64: Chapter 64 The First Performance Bonus Was the Enemy's Head

The veins on his arm, clutching the battleaxe, bulged like coiling dragons, accumulating power capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks.

The Battle Qi, condensed to its extreme, made the air viscous, as if it would explode with destructive force in the next instant, crushing the human who dared to toy with orcish honor into dust.

Levi's breathing didn't even waver. His pupils reflected the cold glint of the giant axe and the struggling fury in Grom's single eye.

He was waiting, waiting for the most crucial moment in a business negotiation—the last second before the opponent flipped the table.

Whoosh—!

The fierce wind howled. The door-sized giant axe didn't sweep out as everyone expected; instead, Grom flung it downwards with an almost throwing motion.

The axe carved a heavy arc in the air, accompanied by a piercing shriek that tore through the air, finally embedding itself deep into the frozen earth between Levi and Grom with a dull thud.

The axe blade sank more than a foot into the ground, the handle still humming and vibrating, stirring up visible ripples of dust.

But that deadly edge was still three paces away from Levi's boot tip.

This was not an attack, but a boundary marker, a line of contract drawn with steel and power.

"For the food of the Frostwolf Clan!" Grom's voice was as deep as an abyss's roar. He declared his decision in the purest ancient Orcish tongue, to his kin and to Levi, "I, Grom the Bonebreaker, accept this damned 'employment'! But, human, remember! The battle must be commanded by me!"

These words carried an unquestionable authority, the last dignity of a Blademaster.

He could lower his proud head for the survival of his clan, but he would never allow a weakling without Battle Qi to dictate the fighting style of him and his warriors.

However, Levi merely looked at him calmly, as if he hadn't understood the strong will contained in that declaration.

He didn't even glance at the giant axe stuck in the ground, but simply nodded lightly to Evelyn behind him.

Evelyn understood, put away the 'Job Responsibilities' parchment, and turned to retrieve another larger, heavier scroll from the packhorse.

She and another human soldier worked together to unroll the scroll on the ground with a 'whoosh'.

It was a parchment catalog more exquisite than all the previous exhibits.

On the parchment, tanned like mutton-fat jade, vibrant battle and reward scenes were painted with red and black dyes.

Next to a drawing of an orc warrior cleaving a human soldier, there was a large wooden mug filled with bubbling liquid.

Next to a drawing of an orc general binding an enemy officer with a rope, there was a set of shiny iron pots, spoons, and forks.

And at the very top, in the most prominent position of this long scroll, a strong orc hero stood triumphantly on the bear of the north, whose banner bore the Bloodaxe, and behind him were ten large carts piled high like small mountains with grain.

Levi's gaze passed over Grom, directly falling upon the orc warriors behind him, who, though slightly settled by their chieftain's decision, were still ravenously hungry.

"Priest Natasha," he ignored Grom and called out the fox-kin woman's name directly, "Please, translate the contents of this 'Temporary Combat Mission: Hunting Karl and Performance Reward Details' to every warrior of the Frostwolf Clan."

Natasha's amber eyes flickered slightly. She could feel the anger re-coalescing on Chieftain Grom, but Levi's calm gaze gave her a strange sense of conviction.

She took a deep breath and began to read out the contents of the scroll, item by item, in a clear and penetrating voice.

"Defeat a common soldier of the Bloodaxe Legion, and with their identity insignia, you can exchange it for one pound of ale after the battle!"

"Hush..." A collective, suppressed gasp rippled through the crowd.

Ale!

Not that inferior sour water, but the real ale with white foam, as depicted in the drawing!

"Capture a squad leader-level officer, and you can exchange for a complete set of iron cooking utensils, plus an additional reward of five pounds of smoked meat!"

In the ranks, Morag the Ogre, who had been staring intently at the large pot earlier, instantly had his eyes light up.

He looked at the brand new iron pot depicted in the drawing, saliva almost dripping from the corner of his mouth.

With that, he could stew the best bone broth!

Grom's face grew increasingly grim. He felt that the command authority he had just established was being ruthlessly undermined again by these naked material rewards.

This was a disregard for him, and even a blatant challenge to his command!

Natasha's voice didn't pause; instead, it rose several octaves, carrying the solemnity of announcing the grand prize.

"And finally, the clan that captures the enemy commander, Karl von Heinrich of the Bloodaxe himself, or presents his head, will receive the highest project award for this operation—ten carts! A full ten carts of grain!"

"Boom!"

If the previous rewards had merely lit a spark in the hearts of the orc warriors, this final 'grand project prize' was like pouring an entire barrel of highly flammable oil onto it.

The entire orc legion completely boiled over.

Ten carts of grain!

What kind of concept was that?

That was an immense fortune, enough to allow the entire Frostwolf Clan to safely survive this winter of death, with even some left over!

The fear and despair brought by hunger were instantly replaced by a fervent desire called 'performance'.

They looked at the black banner approaching from the south, their eyes no longer solemn in the face of a powerful enemy, but like hungry wolves seeing the fattest prey, filled with greed and bloodlust.

"This... this is my battle! My Makgora!" Grom let out a low roar, trying to quell the commotion among his kin.

"No, Chieftain." Levi finally turned his gaze back to him, his tone flat yet firm, "This is not your duel; this is our first cooperative project. And I, as the client and financier, have the right to set the project's acceptance criteria and reward rules. Of course..."

He changed his tone, waving his arm abruptly, pointing at the dozens of large pots still steaming.

"To show our sincerity and support for the project's launch, I announce that half of the food on site will be immediately distributed as an advance payment!"

Gulp.

Innumerable sounds of swallowing saliva echoed through the canyon, clearly audible.

Levi's voice rang out again, like a precise surgical knife, cutting through the last hesitation within the orcs: "However, this advance payment is only available to warriors who formally register, sign a 'verbal agreement', and are willing to participate in the 'Hunting Karl' project."

These words were like a clap of thunder, leaving all the orcs stunned.

Immediately after, an unprecedented commotion erupted in the crowd.

The closest, tall and lean orc warrior almost blurted out: "I'm in! Count me in!"

"Me too!"

"I'll do it too!"

Grom's authority was completely hollowed out at this moment.

His proud command was fragile and vulnerable in the face of the most primal and powerful driving force: 'eating one's fill'.

He could order his kin to die, but he couldn't order a warrior who had been hungry for three days to refuse a bowl of meat broth offered to their mouth.

Natasha no longer looked at Grom's face, but instead stepped forward and closed her eyes.

Her fluffy fox ears perked up, trembling slightly, as invisible psychic tendrils instantly swept across the entire orc legion.

A moment later, she opened her eyes and quickly pointed out over thirty orcs from the crowd.

"Lord Levi, they are the best scouts and trackers in the tribe. Their footsteps are as light as wind, and their eyes can see through the darkest night."

Levi nodded in satisfaction.

He squatted down, picked up a dry branch at random, and quickly drew an extremely crude map on the empty ground next to the giant axe.

A gap representing the canyon, a straight line representing Karl's marching route, and a hilly area to the side and rear of the route. He pointed the branch at the hilly area and gave the first clear instruction to the selected orc scouts, which Natasha translated simultaneously: "Your mission is not to fight. Starting now, immediately depart from here, circle around to their rear, and cut off any possible retreat routes. At the same time, in this hilly area on their flank, light as many torches as possible to create the illusion of a large-scale ambush. Understood?"

The orc scouts exchanged glances. Although they didn't quite understand the meaning of doing this, the thought of the impending meat broth made them nod vigorously, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

Levi's gaze turned to the others, his voice rising a few octaves: "Everyone else! Start distributing food now! The louder the commotion, the better! The noisier the eating, the better!"

With his command, the human soldiers who had been waiting immediately brought out half of the large pots.

The rich aroma of meat instantly reached its peak. The orcs let out a thunderous cheer and swarmed forward in a chaotic rush.

For a time, the canyon was filled with the clanging of metal ladles and basins, the slurping sounds of vigorous chewing, and satisfied sighs.

This great commotion perfectly concealed the figures of the thirty-plus orc scouts. Like ghosts, they silently merged into the shadows on both sides of the canyon, disappearing into the vast night.

Next, Levi issued another order that left everyone baffled.

"Evelyn, have your people bring out all those empty iron pots, scatter them throughout the camp, and strike them with battleaxes and spears with all your might! Use them as war drums!"

Although Evelyn didn't understand, she immediately carried out the order.

Soon, in addition to the noisy sounds of orcs eating, the canyon was filled with a 'clang-clang-clang' of uncoordinated but incredibly loud metal striking sounds.

These two sounds mixed together, and from a distance, it sounded exactly like an extremely chaotic internal conflict that had erupted over food.

On a high slope about five li away from the canyon, a scout wearing camouflage grass clothing was intently observing the distant movements with a monocular telescope.

He could clearly see the fires blazing in the canyon and hear the chaotic din.

The roars of orcs, the shouts of humans, and the dense, metallic clanging sounds like clashing weapons all pointed to a perfect conclusion.

"Those stupid orcs... they're fighting with the Blackstone Territory people over food!" The scout's face twisted into a sneer. He put away his telescope and quickly ran back to the main forces.

The erroneous intelligence, like a deadly carrier pigeon, quickly returned to Karl von Heinrich's command tent.

When the Bloodaxe General, known for his ferocity and cruelty, heard the news that "orcs and Blackstone Territory defenders were fighting each other over food," a greedy smile appeared on his fleshy face.

He hesitated not at all, immediately assembled all his main forces, preparing to swallow them all in one fell swoop while both sides were mutually wounded, reaping the benefits.

Just as Karl's army poured out, like a black tide, pressing forward at full speed towards the canyon, the clamor within the canyon strangely subsided.

Natasha's tightly closed eyes suddenly snapped open, a sharp glint flashing in her amber pupils.

She turned to look at Levi, who had been calmly waiting, and the silent Grom, simultaneously transmitting a message to them via telepathy.

"They're here! They've all moved, the main force is out, and the command camp... is completely empty!"

The time had come!

Terrifying battle intent instantly erupted from Grom's single eye. He suddenly reached out and pulled the skullcrusher, which was stuck in the ground, out with a grunt. The battleaxe hummed with a thirst for blood.

Just as he was about to give the charge command, a hand blocked his way.

In Levi's hand was a palm-sized, entirely black stone.

He injected a faint trace of magic into it, and the stone's surface immediately lit up with a row of runes, like hourglass markings, emitting a soft white glow.

The light began to recede slowly downwards from the very top, at a visibly steady pace.

Levi handed this magical timing stone to Grom, his expression calm to the point of coldness.

"The project officially begins."

"Minister Grom, the countdown starts now. Your troops must capture the enemy's command camp and seize their commander before the light on this stone completely extinguishes."

He paused, his voice devoid of emotion, as if reading out a cold contractual clause.

"This is the sole KPI for this operation."