In the orc camp, the fires had died out, and the bodies of orcs lay scattered across the ground in disarray.

The mercenaries were cleaning up the battlefield, stripping even the leather armor from the orc corpses, piling them up to be burned, and finishing off any that were not quite dead with another sword thrust.

No one considered it cruel; the war between humans and orcs had been going on for nearly ten thousand years. The hatred ingrained in their blood made the killing seem justified.

"Angus, how are the brothers?" asked one mercenary.

"We're okay. We have one seriously injured and four lightly injured. It's just a pity that the female leopard got away," replied a hunter, wrapping a bandage around his arm without looking up.

"Well, as long as we haven't lost any brothers, it's a stroke of luck," he said, remembering how the female lion had fought like mad before dying, which still frightened him now.

"That female leopard was really something. Imagine catching her and bringing her to bed, just thinking about it is damn thrilling!" Tony, who had not been seen during the entire fight, suddenly appeared from nowhere.

"Tony, with you? You can't even handle the women at the Nightingale Bar, and you want to take on a female orc? Watch out, she might snap off your little fellow," Angus joked, causing the mercenaries cleaning the battlefield to burst into raucous laughter.

Tony, however, was undisturbed, wearing an undeniable smile, "Boss, we've made a big haul."

As Tony spoke, he waved his hand, and several mercenaries brought over a dozen young orcs tied together with ropes. Some of the young orcs bared their teeth in defiance, but a whip from the mercenaries had them lying on the ground, howling in pain.

"Go easy on them, these little fellows are worth a lot. Killing one means losing dozens of gold coins," Cain, the leader, said, his eyes lighting up.

Many human nobles liked to keep orc guards to display their wealth and power. Some noblewomen even secretly kept them as bed companions, not just for the novelty but also because orcs were more robust than human men.

Adult orc warriors were stubborn and temperamental, and even when captured, they refused to submit. However, young orcs were easier to train and tame. Thus, many nobles preferred to buy young orc slaves to raise from a young age, making them highly sought after in the slave market, second only to elven women in price. The rarer the species, the higher the value.

"Boss, do you think this one could be worth a thousand gold coins?" Tony pulled over Leon, the first in line.

"Oh, what a surprise. The little lion didn't get away after all?" Cain squatted down and lifted Leon's chin with a finger.

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Leon's eyes were blood-red, filled with hatred for the humans who had killed his mother.

A burst of golden light suddenly erupted from Leon's hands, breaking the ropes binding them, and he lunged at Cain with his claws.

However, as soon as Leon moved, Cain caught him by the neck with one hand, rendering him immovable no matter how much he struggled.

Just when Leon was about to be choked to death, Cain threw him to the ground, his expression turning serious, "Tony, for such a valuable little guy, you should have tied him up more securely."

"Captain, there's another one here worth just one gold coin. What do you want to do with him?" A mercenary pulled out the thin young Arthur from the group.

Compared to the sought-after young orcs, a human boy slave was naturally not valuable.

Cain had noticed this strange boy in the orc camp during the day and was amazed that he could defeat a young lion nearly at the level of a first-rank warrior.

Cain also lifted Arthur's chin, but much more gently.

Arthur looked up with a smile and sparkling white teeth. Despite being covered in dirt and his hair unkempt, his face was very clean, and his gaze was even purer.

"What's your name, and how old are you?"

"Captain, my name is Arthur, and I'm twelve years old."

"How did you know I'm the captain?"

"That's what the other mercenaries call you."

Cain laughed, "You're very smart. Why were you in the orc camp?"

"Our village was attacked by orcs two years ago. My mother was killed by the orcs, and I was taken to the orc camp as a slave."

"You're lying!" Tony suddenly grabbed Arthur by the collar, staring at him fiercely, "Orcs don't need human children as slaves. In fact, some orc nobles prefer to eat human children. Also, you might be thin, but you don't look like a slave. How do you explain that armor?"

"Tony, you're scaring him," Adeline couldn't help but stop Tony, feeling as if the boy's smile had a magical power that made her believe everything he said.

Arthur gave Adeline a grateful look, "Don't worry, beautiful, respected lady, he won't scare me. I've seen orcs much fiercer than this."

"Sweet talker," Tony knew his tactic hadn't worked and slowly released Arthur's collar.

"The reason I'm alive is that I was valuable. The mistress wanted to find a human opponent for her son, so he could understand his enemies better," Arthur explained slowly.

"The mistress? That female lion?" Cain asked.

Arthur sadly lowered his head, "Actually, the mistress was very kind to me. If not for her, I would have become food for some orcs long ago."

Leon, still lying on the ground, suddenly looked up at Arthur with a surprised gaze.

"Untie his ropes. He is no longer a slave here," Cain declared loudly.

"Thank you!" Arthur bowed to Cain, Adeline, Tony, and even the mercenaries who untied him, one by one.

Cain laughed and waved his hand, continuing to urge the other mercenaries to quickly clean up the battlefield and not miss anything valuable.

"Are you planning to take all these worn leather armors and orc weapons back?" Adeline couldn't help but complain softly.

"Ants are also meat. Trading them in at the weapon shop can always be exchanged for some gold coins. You don't know the cost of household expenses until you run a house. How many mouths are waiting for me to feed? Moreover, we misjudged this time; aside from these young orcs, this noble camp had nothing of value," Adeline's complaint was met with a long list of grievances from Cain.

"What do you plan to do with that child?" Adeline suddenly asked softly.

"Let's take him back to the city for now. He's an interesting little fellow," Cain's gaze shifted to Arthur, who was already helping the mercenaries collect valuable items from the orcs.

Cain could not have imagined that his decision, made out of curiosity, would change the course of history on the Beland continent...