CHAPTER 919: TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED

By laying out the plan for the transformative weapons, Delilah was indirectly asking Orion if he had any additions.

"A little harder," he murmured, then added, "And set aside a batch of those transformative weapons for my private vault. I have a use for them."

He was intrigued by the new technology. He planned to put some of the weapons, which were for now exclusive to the Stoneheart Horde, on the Survivor’s Platform. He wanted to see if he could bait some high-potential awakened individuals, trading the advanced tech for other rare goods or resources.

Delilah understood. In her mind, Orion having allies in other worlds meant the Stoneheart Horde had allies in other worlds. And allies often needed to exchange gifts. A transformative weapon was a very fine gift indeed.

"Orion, turn around and look," she whispered, her voice full of seduction.

Orion opened his eyes and turned his head. Floating in the air was a crimson exotic beast, like a cross between a serpent and a dragon, roaring silently at him. It was a familiar sight. Long ago, during the invasion of the Godforsaken Land led by Leonidas and Arthas, scenes of warriors transforming into weapons and exotic beasts had been common.

"It suits you," Orion said. He knew that hidden in the space around the crimson beast were countless, razor-thin filaments—Delilah’s other weapon.

"It’s custom-tailored," she explained. "Everyone’s form is different after they transform, but it’s always the one that best suits their fighting style."

The crimson beast vanished, and her naked form fell into Orion’s arms. He caught her, and meeting her eager, expectant gaze, the two of them became one.

The sun set, and the moon rose and fell through its cycles.

The next morning, Orion awoke to Delilah’s kisses, as passionate and intense as a rainstorm.

"Feeling eager this morning?" he teased, his voice thick with sleep. "Did something happen?"

He knew her personality well. She must have received some intelligence and was about to go into work mode, which meant she first had to drain him dry with a frantic burst of passion.

She didn’t answer, instead climbing onto his chest and sealing his lips with her own, silencing him. The world outside faded away.

A long while later, Delilah lay nestled in his arms, finally content. Only then did she speak of the intelligence she’d just received.

"A report came from the human kingdom. There’s been a mutation in the dwarven Tribe. The entire race has been corrupted."

"A personal letter from King Harold is already on its way and should reach you soon. Fortunately, just before the mutation occurred, the dwarven elder Harbek and the prophet Dain had already left with their envoys, heading for the human kingdom and the Stoneheart Horde, respectively."

Delilah rolled over, her beautiful eyes fixing on Orion with an expression of pure, fervent adoration. "My lord, it is just as you predicted. A major event has occurred on the continent of Utessar. The dwarves have suffered some unknown fate and mutated into Dark Dwarves."

"And that Baron Torin is with them. He has become the leader of the Dark Dwarves."

During their intimacy, Orion had already shared his conclusions about Torin, which was the source of Delilah’s current worshipful gaze.

"He calls himself the Avenger," she continued. "He has already marshaled the Dark Dwarves and invaded the northern Tribes. A number of ambitious lords, who were already looking for trouble, have surrendered and joined him. My lord... war is coming. A war between the dwarves and the human kingdom!"

Delilah was visibly excited by this, a flicker of schadenfreude in her eyes. From the perspective of the Stoneheart Horde, anything that weakened the human kingdom was a welcome development for the other factions on the continent.

"Shouldn’t you be pleased, my lord?" she asked, noticing his pensive silence.

Orion was lost in thought. With Torin and the clown Ogu working together, not even an arch lord, let alone a mere lord, would be able to defeat them. The human kingdom was about to suffer a catastrophic blow.

"What are you thinking about, my lord?" Delilah whispered, winding her body around his and blowing softly in his ear, trying to get his attention.

"This isn’t as simple as you think," Orion said quietly. He leaned in and kissed her again, holding her until she was about to lose herself completely. Only then did he pull back and continue.

"If Torin dares to corrupt the entire dwarven race, to invade the north, and to make a move against the hidden factions of the dragons and humans, it means that the entity standing behind him does not fear the human Saint."

"That," he said, his voice low and serious, "is the real reason Torin dared to declare his independence and his hostility toward the human kingdom."

The haze of passion in Delilah’s eyes slowly cleared, replaced by astonishment. "My lord, are you saying there’s another arch lord backing Torin? It couldn’t be one of the Sea Race, could it?"

It was the only logical guess. On the entire continent, besides the white dragon Frostsire and the human Saint, the only other arch lord she knew of was the man she was lying on top of. If there was another, they had to have come from the sea.

"I don’t know," Orion said, shaking his head, neither confirming nor denying her guess. It was better that she didn’t know about the clown Ogu.

"Then what do we do now, my lord?" Delilah asked, an opportunistic gleam in her eyes.

"We wait," Orion said, settling back onto the bed. "The human kingdom will eventually ask the stoneheart horde, the dragons, and the blood elves for aid. That will be the time for us to negotiate our price for a piece of the dwarven cake."

He closed his eyes, looking utterly relaxed. "Now," he murmured, "how about you massage my shoulders and back?"

"Hee hee... my lord is brilliant!" Delilah giggled. "This is the dwarves’ own problem, an internal affair of the human kingdom. It’s better for us if they fight it out. It has nothing to do with the Stoneheart Horde."

As she began to knead his shoulders, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. In that moment, she looked even more like a cunning fox than Sylvana.

Human Kingdom, Gobido City.

This was the primary trading hub between humans and dwarves. In the city’s eastern district, a large smithy had been closed for three days. The abnormality drew little attention; everyone knew something had happened to the dwarven race.

On the third floor of the smithy, Elder Harbek and the prophet Dain sat together, surrounded by empty wine bottles and barrels. But neither of them was drunk. They were sober with grief.

"Damn it all!" Harbek roared, his voice cracking with anguish.

"What in the blazes happened?"

"Why would our king, our people, suddenly turn into those filthy mongrels, the Dark Dwarves?"

He grabbed the silent prophet by the shoulders. "Prophet... tell me what happened!"