The town of Hezhen.
A small, unremarkable town situated within the Batu Free Federation, a part of the underground Orc Kingdom.
The sky was filled with swirling yellow sand.
Chen Yu, his face obscured by a veil, gazed at the majestic, treeless mountains in the distance through a gap in the fabric. The howling wind whipped the sand from the ground, and withered shrubs swayed with its roar.
Within the camp, orc figures bustled to and fro.
Their skin was dark.
Rough.
Tempered by the sand and stones, their eyes revealed resilience.
"What a harsh living environment," Roni murmured, biting her lip as she hid behind a few loyal guards, her eyes filled with curiosity for this unknown world.
She had lived in the royal city of the Tagu Kingdom since childhood.
Compared to the harsh environment of the Orc Empire, the human empire where the Tagu Kingdom was located had a much better climate. Although there were deserts within the Human Empire, they were all uninhabited no-go zones.
The small town before them couldn't be described as being built in a desert.
But it was not far from it.
Looking around, not a single trace of green met her eyes.
Upon entering the town, Liu Yue went to arrange the destinations for the prisoners. Several groups of orc soldiers led the captives away. Liu Yue, accompanied by the twins, then approached Chen Yu.
"Mr. Chen, Miss Roni, thank you for waiting."
"No trouble," Chen Yu replied with a light smile, his gaze fixed on the hazy silhouette of the majestic mountain in the distance. Liu Yue followed Chen Yu's gaze, noticed the mountain, and smiled as she explained, "The mountain you are looking at is our empire's Olant Mountain, where the imperial family members reside."
"Empire?"
Chen Yu was taken aback by the explanation.
"This mountain doesn't belong to your Batu Free Federation?"
"Mount Olant is the symbol of our Olant Empire. How could it belong to our Batu Free Federation?" Liu Yue said with a smile, then whispered, "Please don't say such things outside, or our Batu Federation might be punished for it, and you might also face reprimand."
"Your Batu Free Federation borders the Empire."
"No!"
Liu Yue shook her head slightly and said solemnly.
"Geographically speaking, our Batu Federation is on the outermost periphery of the entire Olant Empire, much like the Tagu Kingdom is on the outermost periphery of the Victorious Empire. That's why our two nations share a border. In terms of distance, there are about four kingdoms between us and the Olant Empire."
Holy cow!
Chen Yu's heart trembled.
With several kingdoms in between, he could imagine how far the Olant Sacred Mountain was from their small town, yet he could still see that mountain range.
Just how majestic must that mountain be?
Perhaps sensing Chen Yu's thoughts, Liu Yue explained with a smile.
"Mount Olant is sixty thousand meters high, making it the tallest mountain in the entire underground world, bar none. Even the Cloud Mountain of the Human Empire is more than two thousand meters shorter than Mount Olant. In terms of overall mountain height, perhaps only the mountains of the Eternal Ice Plains can compare, but most of the mountains of the Eternal Ice Plains are buried beneath the extreme ice, with their exposed peaks reaching several thousand meters, which still cannot compare to Mount Olant."
Unbelievable!
Or perhaps, this is what the underground world is like?
A mountain could be over sixty thousand meters high. The highest peak in the outside world was only about nine thousand meters, already making it the world's highest mountain.
Mount Olant.
If one were to walk up from the base, wouldn't it take half a month?
Wait a minute!
Suddenly, Chen Yu's mind hit upon a very important question.
The underground world's planes were in chaos.
Given that these were all fragmented planes, how could they see that Olant Sacred Mountain?
"Commander Liu Yue, are your planes not in disarray here?" Chen Yu asked suspiciously in a low voice. Liu Yue immediately smiled, "How is that possible? The planes on our empire's side are indeed chaotic, but after the 'recommendation based on filial piety and integrity' announcement last time, all the planes of our Orc Empire were merged. In fact, we were also very surprised when we first arrived at the Tagu Kingdom; their planes had not yet finished integrating. This is still quite troublesome."
"It affects your offensive, doesn't it?"
Chen Yu said with a smile. Liu Yue shrugged noncommittally.
With the two countries on the verge of war.
Even if the common folk beneath them were aware, merchants like Chen Yu, with the intelligence they possessed, might have more information than national intelligence agencies. It was not surprising that he knew these things.
"Alright, Mr. Chen, I have to go and report to my superiors shortly."
"Your lodging will be handled by..."
Liu Yue glanced at the twins beside her. The cuter one lowered her head and avoided Liu Yue's gaze, while the more lively one looked eager.
"It'll be you."
Liu Yue tapped the head of the younger girl in black, then turned back to Chen Yu.
"Mr. Chen, Nuo Yi will take you to your accommodation. The environment might be a bit poor, so I hope you won't mind. I can guarantee that it's already among the better environments in the town."
Chen Yu nodded with a smile, and Liu Yue glanced at the lively girl again.
"Don't say anything out of line, and don't cause trouble. Mr. Chen and Miss Roni are honored guests of our Federation. If I find out you're misbehaving, don't blame me for punishing you by withholding your candy."
"What do you mean!"
The girl put her hands on her hips, her face full of indignation.
"Sister Liu Yue, what are you implying? It's as if I'm always a cause for your concern. You're even threatening me with candy. I've always been very obedient, you know."
"Regardless, think about it yourself."
"Got it!"
After repeating her instructions for a while longer, Liu Yue left with her people. The remaining Nuo Yi wrinkled her small nose.
"Tch~"
She snorted, then a smile spread across her small face.
"Hehehe, I'll be the one to lead you now. I'm actually quite easy to talk to, so don't be afraid of me. Although I'm an undead mage..." Nuo Yi deliberately lowered her voice, trying to sound scary, "I can pull out your souls and refine them into puppets..."
Chen Yu and the others remained expressionless, and even Roni showed no sign of fear.
What was there to be afraid of?
This girl was exceptionally cute, and didn't have any of the chilling aura of an undead mage at all.
"Ahem, you don't seem to fear me. Doesn't that make me lose face?" Feeling that she couldn't scare anyone, Nuo Yi pursed her lips somewhat dejectedly. "Forget it, um..."
Saying that, Nuo Yi rubbed her fair little hands in front of Chen Yu and the others.
"What for?" Chen Yu and the others looked bewildered. Nuo Yi's eyes widened, "What do you mean, of course, you have to give me some benefits! 'Demand bribes and extort money.' Haven't you heard these four phrases in the Tagu Kingdom?"
Nuo Yi frowned slightly and extended her little hand again.
"Hurry up!"
"Otherwise, I won't do anything!"