65: Chapter 65 Welcome to Blackstone Heavy Industries' First All-Staff Meeting

He paused, his voice devoid of any emotion, as if reading from a cold set of contractual terms.

In Grom's single eye, the flame that had just been ignited by the "ten carts of grain" was doused with a bucket of snow water by this cold stone and even colder words.

He didn't understand what "KPI" was, but the light fading at a steady rate on the stone felt like a noose around his neck, slowly being tightened by an invisible hand.

This was a suffocating pressure more intense than a blade-to-blade duel, an insult that forcibly stuffed honor and savagery into a precise scale.

But he did not refute it.

He merely exhaled a stream of scorching hot air from his nostrils, snatched the magic timer stone, and shoved it roughly into the pouch at his waist.

Then, he turned around, facing the clansmen who had already consumed their "advance payment" and whose eyes gleamed with greed and power, and let out the most concise and terrifying roar Levi had ever heard since transmigrating.

"For meat! Roar!"

"Roar!"

Amidst the echoing, tsunami-like response, there were no more hollow shouts for honor, only the most primal and naked craving for food.

This violent battle intent, catalyzed by hunger and greed, was even purer and more terrifying than simple bloodlust.

Levi stood quietly in place, watching Grom and his elite orc warriors rush out of the canyon like a black iron tide mixed with a mudslide, sweeping toward Karl's now-empty rear camp.

The air was filled with a pungent scent of blood and sweat, mixed with the lingering aroma of meat broth, creating a strange and cruel odor.

This smell was incredibly familiar to him.

It was just like the office air after working overtime all night in his previous life, mingled with caffeine, nicotine, and instant noodle seasoning packets.

It was all for survival.

The first ray of dawn pierced through the gray sky of the North like a sharp sword, staining the canyon with a deathly leaden gray.

In the air, the scent of blood was a hundred times heavier than before, almost solidifying into substance.

A cold wind blew, kicking up dust and scattered specks of dark red blood from the ground.

In the distance, heavy and chaotic footsteps approached from afar.

Levi wrapped his fur coat tighter; a sleepless night had left bloodshot streaks in his eyes, but his spirit remained high.

He saw a troop appear on the horizon, a massive, dejected troop.

Walking at the very front was Grom.

The Orc Blademaster's armor was covered in congealed blood, and his face bore several new wounds, but his single eye shone astonishingly bright, like a charcoal fire burning in the morning light.

He was not carrying his iconic "skullcrusher" great axe; instead, he was dragging a man who had been beaten black and blue and bound tightly, holding him with one hand as if he were a dead dog.

Although the man's armor was tattered, its style still revealed its fine craftsmanship.

Especially that face filled with resentment and humiliation; Levi had seen his portrait in previous intelligence reports on the territory.

"Bloodaxe" Karl von Heinrich.

Grom strode up to Levi and roughly threw Karl onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Immediately after, with a loud "clang," a blood-red battle axe—similar in style to his own "skullcrusher" but more ornate—was thrown at Levi's feet.

The battle axe struck the frozen ground with a dull groan.

He did not speak, only stared fixedly at Levi's waist with his burning single eye.

Levi understood and unhooked the magic timer stone from his belt.

The light on the stone was resting exactly on the last graduation mark, like a candle about to burn out, flickering with a faint yet tenacious glow.

Mission accomplished, perfectly on time.

A signature gentle yet distant smile appeared on Levi's face. He nodded at Grom and uttered two words: "Excellent."

This word made the corners of Grom's mouth twitch uncontrollably.

He felt that the victory he and his clansmen had traded their lives for, in the face of these two light words, had become like a work report that had been reviewed by a superior and deemed just barely passable.

This feeling was absurd, yet he was powerless to refute it.

Levi ignored Grom's complicated mood and held no grand victory ceremony.

Celebration was the most inefficient cost expenditure; fulfilling promises was the only cornerstone for solidifying cooperative relationships.

He turned and walked toward the clearing prepared in the back, where several long tables had been set up to form a simple yet efficient "Loot Exchange Station."

Natasha and Evelyn each held a thick ledger and a charcoal pencil, standing behind the tables.

On the tables were piles of identity badge templates, and next to them were huge barrels of ale and mountains of smoked meat and bread.

"All warriors who participated in the 'Hunt for Karl' project, line up! Come forward with your loot to be verified and redeem your performance bonuses!" Evelyn shouted with her bewitching, magical voice.

The orcs, who had just been immersed in the joy of victory, were instantly pulled back to reality upon hearing the word "bonus."

Looking at the food and ale emitting tempting aromas, their Adam's apples bobbed, and they immediately crowded forward in a chaotic mess.

"Quiet! Line up!" Grom roared like a thunderclap, his violent Battle Qi making the few orcs at the front stumble.

The chaotic line immediately became orderly.

A one-armed orc excitedly slapped a blood-stained dagger and a Bloodaxe badge onto the table, shouting loudly: "One Bloodaxe Legion grunt! That's mine!"

Natasha's fox ears twitched slightly. Her amber eyes swept over the badge, and after confirming it was correct, she made a mark in the ledger with her charcoal pencil without looking up: "One regular soldier, performance confirmed. Reward: one pound of ale. Next."

Immediately, a designated person ladled a large mug of foaming ale from a nearby barrel and handed it to the one-armed orc.

The orc took the wooden mug, downed it like holy water, and let out a loud, satisfied beer burp, making his companions behind him green with envy.

"I caught a squad leader!" Morag the Ogre squeezed forward, throwing a knocked-out officer onto the ground while holding up a set of dented iron cookware as if presenting a treasure.

"One captured squad leader, performance confirmed. Reward: a full set of iron cookware, five pounds of smoked meat. Morag, you already have cookware, so this set will be converted into an extra ten pounds of smoked meat. Do you agree?" Evelyn was very proficient in her business.

"Agree! Agree!" Morag was practically drooling, hugging a large piece of smoked meat and smiling like a three-hundred-pound child.

The entire exchange process was open and transparent, with names called, entries recorded, and rewards distributed on the spot.

Every bit of the orcs' merit was quantified into tangible food and ale, visible and touchable.

This brand-new distribution method completely eliminated the old flaws of allocating loot based on status or personal closeness, allowing those orcs who were weaker but had still contributed in battle to receive their due rewards.

Looking at the heavy food in their hands, and then at the young human lord standing not far away, calmly observing everything, their eyes held not just awe, but a hint of an indescribable sense of conviction.

On the other side, Levi walked up to Karl, who was tied up like a zongzi, and crouched down.

Karl lifted his swollen eyelids, glared at him viciously, and roared in a hoarse voice: "Bastard! If you have the guts, kill me! Don't think you'll get a single copper from me!"

Levi ignored his cursing and made no threats or humiliating gestures.

He merely took a roll of parchment from his bosom and slowly unfurled it in front of Karl.

On it was neither a surrender letter nor a ransom note, but a rough planning map sketched with charcoal.

The map depicted the mountains and rivers around Blackstone Territory, with several crooked lines extending from an area marked "Mine," connecting to the castle and places further away.

"This is the draft plan for mineral development and road infrastructure in Blackstone Territory for the next five years," Levi's voice was as calm as if he were giving a project report. "According to preliminary exploration, the reserves of this iron mine are enough for us to extract for thirty years. But the problem is, we lack sufficient manpower, especially frontline technical personnel who understand basic engineering and management."

His finger traced lightly over the lines representing roads on the map: "Your soldiers are well-trained, know how to obey orders, and are physically strong. They will not be sold as slaves, nor will they have their heads chopped off. They will become the first batch of 'Technical Staff' for 'Blackstone Heavy Industries' and participate in this great construction project. They will have stable wages, clean housing, and in the future, even the opportunity for technical promotion."

Karl was stunned; he completely failed to understand the train of thought of the young man in front of him.

Shouldn't victors enjoy the spoils of war and either slaughter or enslave the defeated?

Doing construction?

And paying wages to prisoners of war?

What kind of crazy idea is this?

"What on earth do you want to do?"

"I'm giving you a choice, Mr. Karl." Levi put away the map and looked straight into his eyes. "Option one: as a war criminal who incited the war, be publicly hanged in front of my castle as a warning to others. Your family will be notified, your territory will be reclaimed by the Royal Family, and your soldiers will be sold to the southern slave markets as ownerless prisoners of war."

Karl's breathing instantly became rapid.

"Option two," Levi's voice carried a strange allure, like a devil whispering in his ear, "sign this 'Asset and Equity Transfer Agreement.' You will voluntarily merge all your territories, properties, and population under Blackstone Territory. In return, you yourself will serve as the Deputy Mine Manager of our newly established 'First Mine,' enjoying executive benefits. Your duty is to manage your former subordinates and have them dig out the mine shafts and roads on the blueprints for me as soon as possible. Of course, you will also receive corresponding performance dividends based on the mine's output."

"You... you are annexing a noble's legal territory! This is an open trampling of the Kingdom's laws!" Karl roared, his bluster betraying his fear.

"Laws?" Levi laughed, a cold laugh. "When you appeared at the border of my territory with an army, you already threw the law into the gutter. Here, only the victor has the right to discuss the rules. Will you sign, or not?"

Karl looked at Levi's eyes, devoid of any emotion, and then glanced at the orcs not far away who were drinking and eating meat heartily. A chill that went deep into his marrow surged up.

He knew he had no choice.

With tears of humiliation mixed with blood foam at the corner of his mouth, he nodded with difficulty.

Half an hour later, an unprecedented meeting was held in the only clearing in front of Blackstone Castle.

The dozens of original residents of Blackstone Territory, the hundreds of dejected Bloodaxe Legion soldiers, and the Frostwolf Clan orcs who had just eaten and drunk their fill and were picking their teeth—these three groups with vastly different styles were ordered to stand together, forming a strange formation.

Levi stood on the steps of the castle. Behind him was Karl, who had just signed the agreement and put on decent clothes, but whose face still looked incredibly ugly.

"From today on, the war is over." Levi's voice, amplified by Evelyn's magic, reached everyone's ears clearly. "Regardless of whether you are human or orc, a resident of Blackstone Territory or a soldier of the Bloodaxe Legion, from this moment on, you all have only one identity—employees of the Blackstone Heavy Industries Group!"

There was a commotion in the crowd. Most people didn't understand what "Group" or "employees" meant, but that didn't stop them from understanding that a new order was about to be established.

"I announce the first batch of appointments for the Blackstone Heavy Industries management team!" Levi didn't give them much time to discuss and went straight to the point.

"Appointing 'Bonebreaker' Grom as the Director of the Security Department of Blackstone Heavy Industries! Responsible for all internal and external security work of the group, as well as production discipline supervision!"

Grom stood at the very front of the line. Hearing his name, he subconsciously straightened his chest.

Although the title "Director of the Security Department" sounded far less impressive than "Frostwolf Chieftain," being the first to be appointed in front of everyone still provided a sliver of comfort to his battered self-esteem.

"Appointing Priestess Natasha as the Deputy Director of the Human Resources Department! Responsible for the establishment of all employee files, performance appraisals, and salary accounting!"

The fox-kin priestess gracefully stepped out of the ranks and bowed slightly to Levi.

Her amber eyes sparkled with wisdom; she was clearly very satisfied with this position, which could utilize her talents for mind-reading and management.

"Appointing Borin as the Director of the Logistics Coordination Office! Responsible for the storage, allocation, and distribution of all supplies!"

That former militia coordinator walked out with an expression of disbelief.

He was just an ordinary hunter and never dreamed that one day he could become a "Director." He was so excited his face turned red, and he clumsily performed a chest-touching salute to Levi.

At the end of the meeting, Levi did not give a passionate speech like a traditional lord, nor did he display the captured gold and silver treasures.

He simply waved his hand.

A dozen soldiers struggled to carry up dozens of heavy wooden crates, lining them up in front of everyone with a series of "thuds."

Everyone's gaze was drawn to them. Weapons? Or armor?

The lids of the crates were opened, and the contents left everyone stunned.

Inside were no gold coins, no swords, but yellow, oddly-styled hats, thick canvas gloves, and brand-new shovels and pickaxes.

"These are the first batch of production tools and safety equipment issued to you," Levi pointed to the items and said calmly. "Starting tomorrow, the First Mine and the Number One Road project will officially commence."

Grom frowned, reached into the crate, picked up a hard hat, and examined it over and over.

This thing was light as a feather, couldn't defend against swords, and had no magical enhancements; in his view, it was completely useless.

"Only cowards wear such ridiculous hats!" He commented unceremoniously, preparing to throw it away.

Just then, a flurry of rapid hoofbeats approached from afar, breaking the silence of dawn like a gust of wind.

A messenger wearing the standard-issue chainmail of the Royal Capital, with a Radiant Iris flag inserted on his back, rode into the venue. The action of dismounting kicked up a cloud of dust.

He didn't even look at the dumbfounded "employees" around him, but rushed straight to the bottom of the steps, knelt on one knee, and held high a roll of parchment sealed with wax.

"Royal Writ!" The messenger's voice was sharp and high-pitched, carrying an indisputable majesty that instantly drowned out the noise of the crowd.

"By the order of our King and the Radiant Church, in view of the fact that the frontier lord Levi Byron ignored the laws of the Kingdom, privately allied with the alien Orcs, and used despicable means to forcibly annex the territory of the non-legal noble 'Bloodaxe' Karl, his actions have constituted the grave crimes of treason and blasphemy!"

The messenger's voice echoed throughout the valley, every word like a heavy hammer striking at everyone's hearts.

He raised his head, looking at Levi on the steps with a gaze mixed with pity and judgment, and loudly read the final verdict:

"The Royal Family has decided that his former fiancée, 'Sword of Radiance' Ella Radiance, will personally lead the 'Royal Investigation and Purification Order' to set off for Blackstone Territory immediately to judge your crimes! Levi Byron, accept the order!"