Thundar was a giant. In the Stoneheart Horde, the giants were the race that stood directly behind Orion; their honor was inextricably linked with his.
"I am pleased that I see no discouragement or self-abandonment in you," Orion said calmly, looking at Thundar. "Keep fighting. I expect our giant tribe to produce several more giant lords."
As the Elder of Combat and the leader of the cavalry regiment, Thundar was a dedicated and battle-hardened warrior. His fighting spirit had not been extinguished; Orion could still see ambition in his eyes.
"I think that when that day comes, it will not only be your glory, but my glory as well," Orion continued, his gaze shifting to the training grounds, to Pallas and all the younglings of the Horde.
His expression turned solemn, his aura majestic.
"It is tiring to carry the entire giant tribe on my own."
Beside him, Thundar trembled slightly upon hearing his lordâs expectations.
"Lord, Thundar will not disappoint you!"
"Mm. I will be waiting for you all."
One man can lead a tribe. But for an entire tribe to become strong, one man is not enough.
A prosperous horde must have a constant emergence of experts at every level. Talents of all kinds should blossom everywhere, an inexhaustible resource.
In Orionâs eyes, the Stoneheart Horde was not yet truly strong, because its internal systems for cultivating talent had not yet formed a complete, self-sustaining cycle.
"Daddy, Elara wants guards too."
Perched on his neck, little Elara grabbed Orionâs ear and gave it a firm tug, as if afraid he hadnât heard her.
Guards. Every giant prince was assigned them, including Kronos, far away in the human kingdom, though his guards had yet to overcome the obstacles to reach him.
Elara had found out from somewhere that her little brother Pallas was to have his own guards, and she had suddenly decided to pester Orion about it.
"Oh? And why does Elara need guards?" Orion neither refused nor agreed, but instead posed a question back to her.
"When Elara grows up, I have to conquer lands for Daddy and for the Horde," she declared. "You need a retinue for war, so Elara needs guards. And besides, little brother has them, so Elara has to have them too!"
Orion reached up and stroked the little girlâs head as she grew more agitated.
"Guards... guards..." he said, drawing out the words.
He could feel the grip on his ear tightening. This little girl was surprisingly serious about the matter.
"Guards, hmm? Thatâs an easy matter," he finally said with a chuckle. "Go ask your mother for them, and just say Daddy approved it."
"Oh yeah! Thank you, Daddy!"
With a smack, Elara planted a kiss on Orionâs forehead and then burst into a fit of giggles.
Beside them, Thundar was inwardly stunned.
According to custom, only important figures of the giantâs own bloodline were assigned guards. For Orion to agree to give Elara guards sent a very unusual signal to the giant tribe.
Many had considered her status as "Eldest Daughter" to be merely nominal. But if she were assigned guards, the meaning would be entirely different.
At the very least, her status in the eyes of the people would gradually change. In the future, if there were matters she could not speak on herself, her guards could speak for her.
And since her guards would be giants, their voices were ones the people would surely listen to.
"Donât be surprised," Orion said, sensing Thundarâs thoughts. "Times are changing, and the system must also change. The future belongs to the young people. All we can do is hold up a sky for them that is big enough for them to grow."
In that moment, Orionâs figure seemed to grow infinitely large in Thundarâs eyes.
This is our lord,
he thought with awe.
The lord of the Stoneheart Horde.
In the Uynting Realm, near the City of Lube.
With a ripple of void energy, two figures appeared on a patch of flat ground in a forest.
"A familiar scent. Thatâs right, this is the world!" Leonidas declared.
"Bro, what scent? I canât smell anything."
"The scent a dragon gives off when itâs in heat," Leonidas explained with a lewd chuckle. "Itâs a musky, beautiful scent, hehehe..."
Hearing this, Orion felt a wave of revulsion, his mind conjuring countless bizarre and perverse images.
"Thatâs disgusting," a cold voice said. "Every cell in your body radiates a sleazy aura."
Alexanderâs spirit sword avatar flew off Leonidasâs back and came to a stop behind Orion, expressing its utter contempt for its former bearer.
"Ah, my darling sword, donât abandon me!" Leonidas cried dramatically, looking at the sword behind Orion with a wounded expression, rubbing at his eyes as if wiping away tears. "My little sword, my dear Swordy, we are true love!"
"Disgusting. Get lost," Alexanderâs voice retorted. "Stop playing around. Itâs time to get down to business."
After spitting out the words, he fell silent once more.
"Bro, which way do we go now?" Orion asked, taking the opportunity to pull the melodramatic Leonidas back to reality. "And what kind of world is this?"
"Sigh, my little Swordy, it doesnât want me anymore!" Leonidas let out a great sigh, but then his playful expression vanished. "To get to the Dragonâs Boneyard, we first have to go to the nearby city of Lube. Itâs north of here, about a half-dayâs walk at most."
He pointed, then began to walk into the forest shoulder-to-shoulder with Orion.
"As for this world, it belongs to the dragons, of course. But besides the dragons, there are also many weaker racesâhumans, orcs, elves, goblins, the feathered folk... In reality, all these races are just food, raised by the dragons."
Orion didnât speak, a curious expression on his face as he walked.
"The dragonsâ main base of operations is in the sea; they occupy many large islands. The continent weâre on now is just a medium-sized island."
"The civilized races on this island may seem to be developing well on the surface, but every so often, they suffer an invasion from the dragons."
Leonidas paused. "Er... itâs less of an invasion and more of a hunting feast."
From what Leonidas was saying, Orion realized the truth of the matter. The dragons were simply raising livestock.