Rough and loud singing echoed throughout the valley, and the ground shook slightly with a uniform pause and a high of five. The low drums of war led the beat, and the occasional long trumpet and the long howl of the frostwolf sounded.

The celebration of the Frostwolf Clan was shabby, especially after such a glorious victory. These hard-pressed orcs didn't even have a drink to keep them entertained, and for them it was the greatest luxury to share the food they had used as reserves. But no one complained about it. The orcs celebrate in a simple and straightforward way, as long as they can express their inner emotions, they will do anything.

They sang, danced, laughed loudly, boasted of their bravery in battle, and the best part was often accompanied by whistles, wolf-like howls and the demolition of the stage by their companions, which made the young children listen to their blood boiling and their eyes lit up. The entire clan was immersed in a joyous atmosphere to celebrate this glorious victory. The commotion was heard far away, and even those who were not involved could hear it clearly.

Albert rolled over again, his eyes closed, trying to push himself to sleep as quickly as possible. But after listening to the wolf's howl for a few minutes on the ground, he sighed inwardly and reluctantly opened his eyes, realizing that he could not rest at all.

He simply sat up. Then, unexpectedly, I found another pair of open eyes in the darkness.

Dineen didn't look like he had changed his posture at all. He still sat as Albert had seen before he lay down and tried to fall asleep, staring at the extinguished fire. There was no expression on his face, but the aura of unrest made Albert realize something.

"Dinein?" He whispered tentatively.

The golden pupils turned to look at him in response, but the sloppy gaze proved that it was only a subconscious act. It took two or three seconds for his eyes to converge.

"What's wrong?" As if completely unaware of his pause, Dineen asked, "Did they make you insomnia?" ”

"No, it's fine." Albert said with a little disobedience, "What about you? Can't sleep? ”

"Memories—no, think." Dinen was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, I'm reminiscing. ”

"Memories of what?" After subconsciously asking, Albert quickly added, "I'm just a little curious, you know." ”

Dinen nodded in understanding and didn't speak again. But just when Albert thought his question was over, he opened his mouth to give an answer.

"War."

Albert almost thought it was said to the wall behind him. But Dineen didn't seem to care who he was talking to.

"There has never been a war I have experienced that the enemy has not included a tribe."

Before joining the army, Dineen had dealt with the army many times as a mercenary. The army is happy to hire adventurers for the most dangerous tasks, for it is much less expensive than a soldier's pension, and it does not affect the officers' achievements and the brilliance of their reports. Aside from ignoring military exploits and the freedom to come and go, Dinen was like a serving Union soldier during that time. He was fully involved in many great wars, and at those times, most of the time the people standing opposite him were tribesmen.

"I'm used to slicing open the skulls of orcs, everything I see."

Even if it's just going out to patrol or deliver supplies, as long as you can bring back the heads of a few tribes by the way, no one will not praise them. They'll pat you on the shoulder and say good job, let's go kill a few more next time. It's as if the target is not a talking intelligent being, but a numerous, dangerous and annoying beast with only valuable heads.

"I have seen my comrades-in-arms stripped of their skins and hung under the banner of the tribe, and their hands, feet and internal organs taken to make some ...... Something else. I've seen the people who were experimenting with spells and alchemy potions, struggling, twitching, frightened and hideous faces permanently fixed by death. I've seen blood soaking the ground, bodies piling up, flags and letters they wrote to their families thrown in the fire. And their families, when they learn of this, will also take up arms and go to the battlefield, and hatred drives them to fear death. ”

After seeing all this, who would believe that those guys standing on the opposite side can communicate? But......

"I have a comrade-in-arms. He had been a good lad, upright, gentle, merciful, helpful—until he found what was left of his brother's wolf rations in the tribe. Dinen cupped his forehead, as if that would stop his frown, "and then he asked for a transfer to manage the prisoners of war." I watched him gouge out the eyes of an orc, chop off his fingers one by one, pull bones out of his wounds, and laugh wildly at the screams. No one stopped him. ”

His voice was calm to the point of indifference, but Albert couldn't stop trembling.

"What happened?" He asked reluctantly, though he didn't want to hear the answer at all.

Dineen gave him a confused look, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he had just said, "What—oh, do you mean him?" He thought for a moment, then said, "He's dead." There was only a small group of people in the camp that day, and he was there when the prisoners of war rioted. When the bulk returned from the assault, we found every part of him in six different places in the camp - not including the entrails, no one recognized the one. ”

"So you see," he said thoughtfully, "we're not very different. ”

Albert sincerely regretted his question. He glanced out uncontrollably, fumbling for the handle of the hammer. The cold metal warmed up under the light, slightly dispelling some of the cold that had risen in his heart.

"Why......" he asked softly, "why did you think of this?" ”

Dinen fell silent again.

"You saw how they did today." He said calmly, "How do you feel?" ”

The darkness didn't stop Albert from glaring at him, as if that would make out the murderous intent hidden in his voice. But the paladin listened and listened, but still couldn't find anything.

Then that's just a simple question, and one that needs to be answered. Albert withdrew his gaze and began to think.

The sights he had seen during the day still lingered in his mind. Chaos, wild, bloody – but all the same, very elegant. It is not the deliberate and comfortable elegance embodied in the complicated etiquette of human beings, but the powerful and innate elegance of a cheetah or a lion.

And unity, as if they were bound together by invisible bonds. When they acted, the scene had nothing to do with neatness, but they advanced and retreated in an orderly manner and calmly. When Thrall stood in his place, he was confident that the others were in their place, and that they would make up for his shortcomings, just as he would make up for theirs. This self-confidence belonging to the leader deeply touched Albert, and made him feel shocked and envious like never before.

"Solidarity." "I've never seen anything like it," he affirmed. ”

Dineen snorted briefly, straightening her back.

"It's the same with the Alliance."

His voice finally had feelings, and it became proud and determined. These warm emotions swept through the paladin's body, dispelling the cold sensation just now without a trace. Albert involuntarily breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that the person sitting in front of him was no longer an indifferent veteran, but a proud warrior.

But that enthusiasm was fleeting, and Dineen soon fell silent again. Albert accompanied him, puzzled but not asking.

"Albert." He suddenly said, "If, I mean if, we go anywhere, find any official, and tell him that there is a cult that is intent on spreading the plague through food, turning the living into the dead. And he, even if we don't have any evidence, no, or if we have sufficient evidence, will not hesitate to give orders, check all the food, hunt down necromancers and cursed cultists throughout the territory, and send troops if necessary, regardless of status, even if it includes his own superiors...... Will there be such a person in Lordaeron now? ”

The paladin jumped up literally.

"Spreading the plague through food?!" Frightened, he couldn't even control his volume.

"The focus is on the last sentence." Dineen emphasized.

"I know the point, I-" Albert said distraughtly, then suddenly stuck, his eyes wide and he stared at Dinein. The latter looked back motionlessly, as if he had not said anything.

"Holy Light, how could they do that?" The paladin said hoarsely, with intense pain in his voice, "My people! Against your own siblings, against this kingdom! ”

"Mortals are easy to fool." Dineen commented indifferently, "If you make them believe, only you can give them what they can't get through legitimate means." Strength, status, money, and eternal life, they don't even doubt it. Besides, there are many people who have lost the strength to live because of an accident. ”

If his intentions were somewhat comforting, it would have no effect at all. Albert sat down, his head in his arms, his face buried in his knees.

Dinen sighed slightly. Then say, "You haven't answered my question yet." ”

The paladin jerked his head up and looked at him in annoyance. It's like a hedgehog with a thorn, ready to give its attacker a blow. But Dineen just looked at him quietly, without urging. Immediately after Albert remembered the conversation just now, he was in a complicated mood for a while, and slowly calmed down.

"No local official has that kind of power." He slowly analyzed it to Dining, "The administrators, the garrison army, the Holy Light Church, and the local nobility are separated from each other most of the time, and there is almost always a conflict of interest or personal grudge between them, and it is difficult to agree on them. Even if we have sufficient evidence and have convinced one or both sides, it will be difficult to act until the situation actually erupts. And we can't go through a raid, but we have to block the news, otherwise it will cause panic among the people, rumors will spread, and if they seize this opportunity to incite it, it may even develop into a large-scale riot. As for grain, a portion of the annual harvest is paid in the form of taxes, which are stored by the kingdom for emergencies. The rest is freely circulated among the people, and large-scale sales and transportation are usually carried out by chambers of commerce. It's also troublesome to try to convince them. ”

Because of his status, Albert could not have been a mere servant of the Light. He will inevitably be involved in the governance of the kingdom in the future, so he has a good understanding of these basics.

But Dineen didn't pay attention to that. His voice was filled with palpable disappointment: "So, the answer is no. ”

Albert also felt as if he had been smashed. He also felt disheartened. But not because they couldn't cope with the dead, but just because they were disappointed in the country they loved so much.

Just as he had made up his mind and was about to speak, Dinen looked outside.

"There's nothing more convincing than seeing it with your own eyes." He said to himself.

Albert's eyes widened as he finally caught the connection between Dineen's account and the question, and then threw his proposal out of shock. He looked at the other in disbelief, then outside.

"You want to ask them for help, don't you?" The paladin whispered.

Dinen looked at him immediately, his gaze sharp enough to make him tremble slightly even if it was mostly obscured by the darkness. But he quickly looked away again.

Instead, the paladin comforted him: "Thrall has been through the same thing as us, he will understand." And the Frostwolf Clan is—"

"It's not just the Frostwolf Clan." Dineen interrupted him.

"What?"

Dineen was still looking at the ground.

"The number of people in the Frostwolf Clan is too small. They are far from enough. Dinen gritted his teeth, his voice so slow that he paused at almost every word, as if he wasn't speaking, but stabbing himself again and again, "But outside, in the shelter, there are more of them... Enough of them. ”

Albert's mouth opened wide.

"You're crazy!" He shouted.

But Dinen looked up, his expression once again determined and calm, clearly having made up his mind.

"It's crazy, yes." He even smiled slightly, though mockingly, "But do you think Thrall will keep his fellow human in the shelter forever?" ”

The paladin stammered.

"You know the answer is no." Dineen looked at him and said calmly, "Then instead of letting them resist by force, it is better for us to mediate to reduce the intensity of the conflict." Besides, the kingdom has long been overwhelmed by the expenses of the shelter, so wouldn't it be good to take the opportunity to get rid of this burden? On the other hand, even if the orcs attacked, the Cursed Cultists would at first consider it a purposeless accident, and even if they were alert, they would not have infiltrated the tribe immediately, or that it would not be so serious. They don't know our plans, but we may know theirs. ”

After stating his reasoning, he waited patiently for Albert's response.

The paladin was silent for a long time before he spoke with difficulty: "You ...... It's treason......"

"But to save her." Dineen replied calmly.

His heart twitched in bouts of pain, even more intense than Albert had experienced. The stronger the love and glory for the Alliance, the deeper the pain he endured for this decision that bordered on betrayal. If it were possible, he would rather destroy the tribe completely, but now he must raise this enemy with his own hands. If he had made a wrong move, Lordaeron would not have fallen under the Undead Scourge but would have been destroyed at the hands of the orcs once again, and Dinen would not have dared to imagine such an outcome.

But time, they need time now. He could not wait any longer, and he knew that it would be more futile than anything else to convince those in power in every region north of Lordaeron. And the Cursed Cultists have infiltrated every corner of the kingdom, and he doesn't even know if he's facing friend or foe, or if the other party knows everything about them. He needs strength, he needs an army, no matter what it takes. Since the rebirth of the tribe was inevitable, he could only choose the direction that was beneficial to him.

Thrall had proven to him that the best part of the orcs seemed to be as trustworthy as the noble ones of the human race. Dinen didn't believe that all orcs had such qualities, but Thrall was the one who could control them, at least for some time to come. That's enough for him to take the risk.

In any case, death is the great enemy of the living.

Albert stared at him. And Dinen looked back firmly. They were at a stalemate until one side chose to back down.

"I should have killed you right now." The paladin turned his head and said in a self-defeating tone, "If I wasn't-"

He stopped talking, was silent for a moment, and then said, "I will definitely regret this, and I swear to the Holy Light that I will." But...... Alas...... Go talk to Sal, us. ”

Dineen smiled.

"Thank you, brother." He said sincerely.

Albert turned his head and glared at him, "Don't be too happy. He warned, "If something goes wrong, we'll be on the gallows five or six times." ”

"But I don't think there's a big difference between one rope and five or six." Maybe it can last a little longer.

The paladin snorted heavily, and then walked out first.