Chapter 250 - 207: The Dust Has Settled (Part 2)

At this question, not only the Lord but also Gus and Zat looked over, their gazes burning with intensity.

The Lord had come here for the Primordial Blood Crystal in the first place. As for Zat, he’d been obsessed with it ever since he’d interrogated the Pigmen and learned of its existence.

His power growth had recently hit a plateau, and he was desperate to improve.

Thus, he had no choice but to turn his attention to other external artifacts that could boost his power, hoping to advance on a path parallel to the Gift of the War God.

"Actually..." Heather looked at their hopeful faces, then chose her words carefully. "If you’re talking about the Primordial Blood Crystal, then yes, we do have one."

She stood and walked to a corner of the tent, pulling a blood-red crystal from a wooden box.

This tent belonged to Eliya alone, and her belongings were kept here. They were all in on the ruse regarding the Primordial Blood Crystal, so they knew where it was.

Gus’s heart began to pound uncontrollably, his eyes fixed on the red crystal.

He never imagined that the object he had yearned for would one day be so close.

The Lord stepped forward, took it in his hand to inspect it, then shook his head and laughed. He tossed it to Gus as if it were garbage.

This horrified the strapping Centaur, who scrambled to catch it like a priceless treasure. He couldn’t help but shoot a resentful glance at his Lord.

’Just how rich is he? To treat a treasure like this as if it’s nothing.’

Gus had always heard that the humans of the south were so rich they fed their food to pigs, while his own Tribe was still worrying about their next meal. Today, he had finally witnessed it firsthand.

"This isn’t right. When we first saw the Primordial Blood Crystal, we could clearly feel our blood boiling—the effect was almost identical to a Bloodline enhancement."

Leiden drew closer to observe it, his brow furrowing. To him now, this Blood Crystal was no different from a common red crystal.

"You mean like this?" Heather gave a mysterious smile, and an almost imperceptible light instantly fell upon the group.

The next moment, everyone felt a wave of heat wash over them, the sensation of their blood boiling.

"This is a neutered version of Bloodthirsty Magic. It only creates the sensation of boiling blood, so the traces of Casting are almost nonexistent."

Heather explained, looking at the stunned Centaur and Giant Goblin.

Zat smacked his lips, a little disappointed that it was a fake.

"Hahaha! To think the entire Wilderness Alliance Army was swindled so completely! Tens of thousands of them, beating each other’s brains out over a common red crystal you can find anywhere."

The Lord slapped his thigh, laughing so hard he was nearly in tears.

It was unbelievable that this entire war had been started over a red crystal worth, at most, a few Gold Coins.

If historians ever found out, they would surely record this shameful battle in the annals of history to be passed down for a millennium. It would be enough to make the Wilderness People unable to hold their heads high for decades to come.

"Damn it!"

Gus finally understood. With a thunderous roar of rage, he smashed the crystal in his hand on the ground, shattering it to pieces.

All for this worthless trinket! He had lost hundreds of his Tribe’s bravest Warriors, and now he himself was another’s subordinate. How could he not be furious?

He wished he’d put a few more blades into the dead Enke. It was that Minotaur who had sought him out and sworn on his life that the Primordial Blood Crystal was real.

"Then what about Enke? If he hadn’t taken a Primordial Blood Crystal, why was he so loyal to you? Why would he go out of his way to help you verify its existence?"

Leiden asked, somewhat disappointed but otherwise unfazed.

In fact, the only reason they had so firmly believed in the Primordial Blood Crystal was because Enke, a native of the Wilderness, had endorsed the claim. Otherwise, why would they ever have believed a group of Zor Elves?

"His child was sick, and only we could cure them. As it happened, he was a devoted father." Heather let out a cryptic laugh and said no more, but everyone understood the rest.

"His child’s illness... that wasn’t your doing, was it?" the Lord asked, skeptical.

’After all, how could things in this world be so coincidental, lining up so perfectly?’

"My Lord, your Wisdom is as vast as the ocean," Heather said, seizing the chance to flatter him.

"Well, now. All the Wilderness People, led around by the nose by just a few of you Zor. You truly live up to your reputation as deceivers." It was hard to tell if Levi’s words were a criticism or a compliment, but Heather naturally took them as the latter.

The truth was out. This was all one enormous scam, one that had tricked tens of thousands into fighting to the death, beating each other senseless.

And all the while, these Zor were poised to swoop in and profit from the conflict.

If he hadn’t turned the tide, this group of Elves from the Dark Nether Realm would have actually succeeded.

With the Primordial Blood Crystal scam unraveled, Levi waved his hand. The tense atmosphere vanished in an instant, and Zat once again led his men off to divide the spoils of war.

They say summer weather is unpredictable, but in the Lord’s opinion, winter was just as fickle. Just last night, a blizzard had been raging, yet today the sun was shining brightly.

However, the meager warmth offered little more than psychological comfort; it was nowhere near enough to melt the thick layers of snow covering the ground.

Despite having successfully defeated the Wilderness Alliance Army, the Elves of the Wind Speech Tribe showed no joy, their faces etched with sorrow instead.

They had suffered devastating casualties in the war. Familiar companions now lay upon the snow, never to rise again.

"My Lord, we have arranged a suitable place for you and your men to rest," an Elf said, forcing a smile. "The treehouses may be a bit short for your subordinates, but they are more than adequate for resting."

The Lord didn’t mind. After all, they had just lost so many of their people. It was impressive enough that the Elf could manage a friendly tone; it would be too much to expect a welcoming smile.

Lord Levi led his men directly to their assigned camp. The war had lasted half a month, and with the exception of himself, everyone else was more or less exhausted, both mentally and physically.

They needed a proper place to get some real rest.

"Brother-in-law, we lost over eighty men in this war. Sixty of them were logistics Auxiliary Soldiers, most of whom were lost in the Shadow Forest. The other twenty were High Cliff Castle Warriors."

Mier reported as he walked beside him.

"Give the families of those sixty Auxiliary Soldiers some compensation. If they have no family, then never mind. As for the twenty High Cliff Castle Warriors, High Cliff Castle will provide for their families. If they have children, we will focus on their upbringing and training..."

Levi sighed before carefully laying out the arrangements.

One might think High Cliff Castle’s losses were light, only in the double digits, especially compared to the thousands lost by the Thorn Corps and the Wind Speech Elves.

However, High Cliff Castle’s entire force, including the Cooks and Assistant Soldiers, only numbered six or seven hundred. These losses represented a tenth of their strength.

Levi even remembered the names of each of those fallen High Cliff Castle Warriors. Now, they were gone forever.

The least he could do was take good care of their families and their children.

The Elf Tribe provided a rich feast for their allies: roast pig, wine, and all kinds of fruit. It was clear they were quite prosperous.

Levi walked into a spacious castle, plopped down in a seat, picked up a leg of lamb, and began to feast.

He nodded as he ate. The Elves truly were perfectionists, striving for excellence in everything they did.

The leg of lamb was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. They had used almost no spices to cover the gaminess, yet a single bite revealed a simple, pure, and rich meaty flavor. It was the best thing he’d eaten during the whole campaign.

"Sir Levi, thank you for extending a helping hand and pulling us back from the brink of Hell."

Ash rose to her feet to express her gratitude.

"It was nothing." Levi wiped his mouth and gave a slight nod. "I imagine no one could simply stand by and watch as beautiful, peace-loving Elves vanished from the world."