16. The Intervention of the Orcish Divinity System
Seeing that the plan succeeded, Arian lightly snapped his fingers, ending the “Divination.”
Ripples spread across the surface of the golden basin, and the colorful image dissolved into nothingness.
“Orcs are bloodthirsty and reckless, skilled in combat but lacking in cunning.”
“Pitting these simple-minded, bloodthirsty brutes against each other is far too easy.”
By gathering extensive intelligence on the longstanding feuds and core conflicts among the orc clans...
Preemptively attacking some orc patrols with non-lethal strikes to cause injuries, keeping the tribal shamans busy tending to the wounded—thus diverting the few spellcasters who might sense something amiss, laying a covert foundation for subsequent magical interference...
Returning an orc scout with altered memories planted by a “Memory Tampering” spell to the Frostfang tribe, seeding distrust with false information...
Using “Greater Invisibility” to approach certain orc guards and casting “Mass Suggestion” on them, igniting existing hatred during their drunken late-night gatherings, naturally steering conversations toward old clan conflicts...
Controlling an orc soldier participating in negotiations with mind control magic, ensuring he strikes first at the crucial moment...
Through these measures, a fierce internal war among the orc tribes was naturally set into motion.
Turning his head, Arian calmly recounted the previous operations in a measured tone:
“Gentlemen, without any casualties on our side, we have set the three great orc clans to fight each other. We have wielded the weapons of our enemies against other foes.”
“For a true mage, everything is a resource to be exploited.”
“Whether it is the still water of a lake or the soil and stones beneath our feet, living creatures or lifeless corpses, elves, orcs, goblins of the material plane, or demons, devils, elementals, and fae of other realms—whether allies or enemies...”
“The surface of water can be manipulated, earth and stone shaped; sentient beings bow before magic that twists the mind, constructs without minds are misled, the dead rise under necromancy, and extraplanar fiends submit to true names and supernatural pacts...”
“Any environment or foe that might oppose us can be forged into blades to carve our path through adversity...”
Thor and the other mages nodded thoughtfully, absorbing His Majesty’s words.
“For a mage, everything is a resource to be exploited.”
This phrase became the supreme maxim that every Eldoren mage would remember through countless centuries—whether in times of prosperity or dire straits.
...
In the “Canyon Negotiations” that ultimately erupted into a blood-soaked battle, nearly half of the elite warriors from the three great orc clans perished.
Among the three orc chieftains, the Flameaxe chieftain met a grisly end at the hands of the other two.
This orc berserker, nearing legendary status, could not withstand the combined assault of two rival clans and was torn limb from limb in the chaos.
The Frostfang chieftain, gravely wounded in the battle, never returned to the tribe and succumbed to his injuries and blood loss.
The Bloodwolf chieftain paid the price of an eye, his visage becoming more akin to the god he revered.
As expected, the negotiations collapsed, culminating in open war among the three great orc tribes.
Over the following month, more than one hundred thousand orcs from these clans almost entirely forgot the existence of human villages and launched dozens of battles against one another.
Every time hostilities showed any sign of abating, Arian’s mages would quietly intervene to fan the flames, ensuring the orcs’ war would not cease.
Moreover, the two clans that lost their chieftains plunged into fierce struggles for succession, escalating the chaos further. Many powerful orc warriors fell in these contests for leadership.
Numerous goblin tribes of the wilderness and kobold clans of the caves, once vassals of the orc tribes, were forced to flee Eldoren to escape becoming cannon fodder, leaving human lands behind forever.
In Rolling Stone Village, young Gret and the other villagers witnessed it all.
“Have you heard? Those orc tribes are fighting among themselves!”
“Yes, so many orcs have died. Orc corpses lie scattered all over the wilderness, and vultures circle overhead.”
“How come the orcs turned on each other? My grandfather says he’s never seen such a brutal orc-on-orc war.”
“Who knows? In any case, the more of those ugly orcs die, the better!”
“They’d better all perish so they never come to invade our village again!”
...
The humans gathered around the campfire, singing loudly and joyfully to the accompaniment of Rutchen’s lute, celebrating the orcs’ internal strife.
Under the moonlight, young Gret curiously asked his teacher:
“Teacher Joseph, recently the orcs have inexplicably started fighting among themselves. Does this have anything to do with the great Emperor Arian, the mages of the Floating City, or anyone else?”
Joseph took a sip of his ale and shrugged:
“I don’t know.”
He was only a low-ranking novice mage in Eldoren, not privy to the emperor’s strategies or the elite battle mages’ operations.
“It must be connected somehow. Magic is so powerful. Surely Emperor Arian and the other skilled mages used wondrous spells to make the orcs kill each other!” Gret thought. “Otherwise, why would the orcs suddenly start fighting now?”
At that moment, in Gret’s mind, magic was omnipotent, capable of solving every problem, and any inexplicable event could be attributed to “magic.”
Just then, Teacher Joseph finished his ale, his flushed, drunken face glowing warmly in the firelight:
“By the way, Gret, after these past two or three months of lessons, you’ve completed the cultural studies and basics.”
“The remaining cultural studies can be learned alongside your magical training.”
“Yes, starting tomorrow, I will teach you the true magic!”
Gret nearly leapt with excitement:
“Tomorrow we start learning real magic?”
He was one step closer to becoming a true mage!
He had awaited this day for so long.
At this moment, Gret’s heart brimmed with both excitement and apprehension.
The excitement came from the thrill of finally approaching genuine magic.
The apprehension stemmed from knowing that most students never become true mages, fearing that he might fail and all his dreams would be nothing but empty illusions.
...
While the villagers across the surface were thrilled, Arian remained objectively calm.
He knew the battle was far from over.
Just as his mages began to prematurely celebrate victory, Arian cautioned:
“It is not yet time to rejoice—we have not won.”
“This orc civil war could end at any moment with their reunification.”
“When that happens, it will be our turn to take the stage and face the orcs head-on!”
Other mages might believe that with the conflict escalating, the disputes among the three orc clans were irreconcilable.
Even if they did nothing from now on, the orc war would continue for a long time.
But Arian contemplated a deeper truth:
“This scale of orc infighting shakes the very foundation of the orc populations in the wild eastern continent. The orc pantheon dwelling in higher planes will surely take notice.”
“If any of the orc gods issue a divine edict, the conflict will immediately cease.”
This was the curse of the ancient mythic era.
In those times, gods had not yet established covenants to refrain from meddling in mortal affairs. Some even walked the earth directly.
Humans without the protection of a racial deity were at a severe disadvantage.
This also explained why, according to history, for centuries after Eldoren’s fall, humans remained a sparse, weak, endangered race.
...
After more than two months of war among the three great orc clans,
On this day, the Bloodwolf clan’s high priestess prayed as usual, beseeching the orc gods of the outer planes to grant divine power.
Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.
“The gods have issued a divine edict—demanding we cease the war immediately!”