The desert stretched across the land.
Outside the River Town, a desolate desert area. Majestic desert camels, laden with heavy baggage, left a trail of deep footprints in the sand.
Travelers, appearing to be merchants, advanced through the swirling sand, their heads wrapped in scarves.
"What kind of dump is this place?"
A man, his head completely covered by a scarf save for his eyes, mumbled his displeasure. His gaze made his disdain for the location obvious.
"You talk too much."
The man walking ahead, his chest bare and a long scar, like a wriggling worm, running from his left shoulder down his arm, frowned. He appeared steady and composed.
"River Town is just ahead. The young master's intended bride is inside. You'd best swallow those dismissive words."
"Oh, but we haven't arrived yet!" the man with the face full of disdain retorted with a pout. "Besides, what if they hear us? It's their good fortune that our young master is marrying into their family. The Batu Free Federation is already a fringe power in our Orc Empire, and River Town is a place I've never even heard of. People from such small places are lucky to curry favor with our young master."
His dismissive sneer echoed, but the man at the forefront stopped dead, staring intently at him.
Noticing the gaze, the talkative man fell silent. A hint of awkwardness and unease flickered across his expression as he looked at the person before him and swallowed.
"Brother, why are you looking at me like that?"
"From now on, you'd best keep your mouth shut," the man with the deep, somber expression whispered sternly. "And don't utter a single word like that again. Do you understand?"
"Did I say something wrong?"
The man with the concealed face spoke with utter bewilderment.
"The Empire has seventeen nations. The Batu Free Federation is a fringe nation. River Town is also unheard of within our Empire. Our young master is from a prominent family in the kingdom, and more importantly, the nephew of our kingdom's ruler. Isn't it the fortune of these bumpkins to be able to marry into our family?"
"I told you to shut up!"
A sharp reprimand escaped the composed man's lips. Sensing the anger in his eyes, the indifferent man dared not retort further and could only lower his head, muttering.
"I really don't know what I said wrong."
This group, appearing as merchants, were in fact members of the royal family from the Luoxi Kingdom, the fourth kingdom of the Orc Empire.
The person being protected in the central carriage was the intended bride for the marriage with Liuyue.
He was the nephew of the King of the Luoxi Kingdom.
The two men arguing were his escorts, Fendi and Paihuo.
Much of what Paihuo said was not entirely incorrect. The Batu Free Federation indeed held a low rank within the Orc Empire, being among the fringe nations of the seventeen.
However, they hailed from the Fourth Kingdom.
Their status and position were obvious. To put it crudely, coming from the Fourth Kingdom, they were mere escorts to a royal member, yet their status was no less than that of high-ranking officials in some kingdoms.
Even some kings would treat them with courtesy.
This was precisely why Paihuo was so arrogant. Since their arrival, he had not taken the Batu Free Federation seriously. Let alone a mere commander of River Town, even if the ruler of the Batu Free Federation were present, he might not have shown them a good face.
He was from the Fourth Kingdom!
Compared to Paihuo's disdain, Fendi was much more composed.
By rank, the Batu Free Federation was indeed a fringe nation. However, in terms of strength, the development of the Batu Free Federation in recent years was incomparable to any kingdom in the Empire. Especially in the half year since the Divine King invited outsiders into the underground caves, the Batu Free Federation's development had been meteoric.
The Batu Free Federation, being at the fringe, simply had not participated in subsequent ranking assessments.
Otherwise, the country would certainly not be in its current position.
His brother, blinded by the flattery he received in the kingdom, simply looked down upon any kingdom outside the top three. If this continued, he was bound to cause significant trouble.
Thinking this, Fendi couldn't help but glance at Paihuo and offered a subtle hint.
"If you think you haven't said anything wrong, then look around now. Do you see anything?" Fendi whispered softly. Paihuo frowned and scanned his surroundings. "Nothing special. It's all sand. To build a city in such a desolate place suggests the Batu Free Federation is severely lacking in land, forcing them to establish settlements here. This indicates their fringe status is natural. A mere speck of land, not worth mentioning!"
"Is that all?"
Fendi's eyes still held a sliver of expectation.
"What else could there be?" Paihuo remained utterly perplexed. "There's nothing worth caring about. No matter how you look at it, it's not as good as our kingdom."
"..."
At this point, Fendi had completely given up any hope for Paihuo.
He was beyond saving!
It was impossible to rely on him to lead the family forward. It seemed that if anything were to happen in River Town, he would have to choose self-preservation and push Paihuo out to take the blame.
Before coming, Fendi had considered many possibilities.
The worst-case scenario was a fierce conflict erupting between them and River Town, in which neither of them could possibly survive.
In that situation, as the elder brother, he had initially thought of letting Paihuo live.
To continue the family lineage.
However, from the few questions Paihuo had just answered, he had changed his mind.
Let him die!
If Paihuo were to survive, their family, which had just acquired some assets, would ultimately face extinction.
In order to secure a foothold in the underground caves,
His countless struggles had brought him this far. This outcome could absolutely not be ruined by his brainless brother.
"Look at this shabby place. Brother, look over there... Are Orcs just not bright? Even though it's all sand, they're trying to grow crops. It would be a miracle if anything grew." Paihuo jeered, placing his hand over his eyes. Fendi, who had already decided to abandon his foolish brother, no longer held back his displeasure. "Hmph, don't mock those who have dreams. Failure is one possible outcome, but if you don't try, then this is the only possible outcome."
"Yes, yes, yes! Why do you always lecture me!"
Paihuo grumbled reluctantly. Fendi glanced at him and said nothing more.
His previous lectures were born from his expectation that Paihuo might change and grow. However, he was now completely disillusioned with Paihuo.
Thus, he let him be, no longer bothering to say anything else.
No longer hearing lectures, Paihuo's mood improved considerably. He pestered Fendi with a grin.
"Brother, what were you trying to get me to discover earlier? I've been thinking about it for a while, and I truly haven't found anything special. Paihuo whispered, frowning. "The elemental energy here is also very thin, and there are no seals around. I really don't know what you want me to see."
"Haven't you noticed that no one has come to meet us from River Town yet?"
The moment Fendi finished speaking, Paihuo's eyes widened in sudden understanding, and he exclaimed.
"River Town has such gall!"