Chapter 159: The Messenger

The Xuanyuan faith began to spread throughout Orgrimmar. Led by Ram, almost everyone adorned the “Wu” character amulet on their chests. The stories Wu Qingsong selected, adapted, and told to Morin which amalgamated the tales of many ancestors from Pangu to the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan of Chinese mythology, gradually took root in people’s hearts.

The beastfolk started to believe Xuanyuan was a mighty, kind, and all-powerful god. This was especially true for the beastfolk who, after being vetted by Morin, became the core members of the parish. 

The advantage of monotheism soon became apparent. When people could solve all their problems by praying and making offerings to a single deity, who had genuine miracles and engaging, detailed legends, their previous beliefs in vague ancestral spirits and even the main elf gods quickly waned.

Some soldiers even wished to paint the “Wu” character, symbolizing Xuanyuan, on their shields and armor to seek Xuanyuan’s protection. 

Harold strongly opposed this because such overt religious actions were akin to seeking death. He also vigilantly monitored all of Orgrimmar’s residents to prevent them from leaking information about Xuanyuan to outsiders.

Dissatisfaction began to appear among some believers because Harold persisted in his own faith rather than converting to worship Xuanyuan. Wu Qingsong had to caution Morin to clarify this matter and publicly express his trust in Harold. Only then did the believers finally settle down, at least on the surface.

“You could pretend a little,” Wu Qingsong said helplessly.

Harold, however, remained non-committal. Well-acquainted with the formation of the Xuanyuan Church, he continued to regard Xuanyuan as a false deity and was unwavering in his stance on the matter.

The second group of ten members of the Beastgirl Sisterhood was quickly selected, allowing Wu Qingsong to deepen his understanding of his ability to awaken their latent powers.

Firstly, it became clear that this power was effective only on females. This was confirmed again after conducting experiments with a group of the most devout believers.

Secondly, nearly every beastgirl harbored hidden abilities, yet the vast majority were minimal in strength. While most beastgirls’ latent abilities, once awakened, could meet or surpass that of a standard hound soldier, they were nowhere near the level achieved by Liuli and the others.

Many exhibited slight magical talents or enhancements in physical conditioning. 

Wu Qingsong soon recognized that for races like dogwomen and wolfwomen, the awakened potentials were primarily related to physical prowess. In contrast, for deerwomen, rabbitwomen, and mousewomen, the potentials were more often magic-related or of a supportive nature.

Physical condition might dictate some of the limits of the abilities manifested post-awakening, but talent was the key determinant. Beastwomen lacking inherent talent could improve their limits with continuous training. However, Wu Qingsong lacked the time and resources to support them as he did with Ling, and without Ling’s resilience, their potential for progress was inherently limited.

After two rounds of experiments, among the fifteen beastgirls, only six showed noticeable talents and were therefore selected for focused education and training. Nonetheless, Wu Qingsong did not abandon the other beastgirls. As long as they expressed a willingness to participate in training, he provided them with opportunities as well.

His second winter in Orgrimmar flew by amidst such bustling activities. 

One day, an unexpected visitor arrived.

“A half-elf?” Wu Qingsong was taken aback. 

Orgrimmar, albeit being the second-largest town in the Esola Hills region next to Esola City, rarely saw visitors due to the notorious reputation of ‘The Hangman’ and a broadly exclusionary attitude, except for mercenary groups collaborating with the Thirteenth Mercenary Group and merchants seeking industrial goods.

“He claims to be a messenger from Marquis Osaga.”

Wu Qingsong grew somewhat anxious.

It wasn’t that he feared Marquis Osaga’s power. In fact, even though defeating the grand mage who had slaughtered most of the bugpeople might not be possible, with Feya, Ling, and Liuli’s combination, defeating Marquis Osaga shouldn’t pose a problem.

However, Marquis Osaga was merely one among the hundreds of high nobles in the Elven Empire, and the forces at his disposal were far from limited.

If Wu Qingsong was still as resourceless as before, it would hardly matter. But now, with numerous followers and civilians under his care, his mindset had undergone a complete transformation.

“Ram, please take care of the preparations,” he said after a brief consideration. “Harold, let’s go to meet him.”

The visitor was a young half-elf, likely between thirty and fifty years old, with strikingly handsome features. Wu Qingsong felt a strange sense of familiarity upon seeing his face. Following him were six fully armored mastiff warriors.

Wu Qingsong still struggled with these age assessments. A thirty-year-old half-elf was still seen as youthful, but a thirty-year-old dogfolk or wolfkin would be considered middle-aged. At thirty, rabbitfolk were deemed elderly, while a thirty-year-old mousefolk would be celebrated for their longevity.

“Welcome!” Wu Qingsong approached him with an insincere laugh. “May I know who I have the honor of addressing?”

“I am Alvin Osaga, delighted to meet you, Lord Tagraedi,” the half-elf said, dismounting nimbly and approaching. “I have long admired your reputation and have been eagerly anticipating our meeting.”

Alvin Osaga?

This name took Wu Qingsong aback. He finally understood why the half-elf seemed familiar. He clearly inherited aspects of his father’s appearance. However, it was obvious that in terms of looks, he was significantly less impressive than Marquis Osaga.

What surprised Wu Qingsong wasn’t merely Alvin’s presence but that he could proudly claim his paternal lineage. As far as Wu Qingsong was aware, the vast majority of half-elves usually inherited their mother’s surname.

This made Wu Qingsong wary, yet he continued to welcome him with a smile, leading their group into the inner city.

The dinner, meticulously managed by Ram to avoid appearing too modest or too lavish and thus revealing their wealth, began shortly. To prevent any misbehavior from the guests, Wu Qingsong instructed Ram to have mature beastwomen serve at the dinner. He also strictly ordered Ram and others to stay out of the guests’ sight.

The company included Harold, Angus, and Beck, the official members of the Thirteen Mercenary Group, along with More, who was in Orgrimmar on business.

More seemed to recognize Alvin and eagerly tried to curry favor with him, alerting Wu Qingsong that this half-elf might not be just any ordinary illegitimate child, but possibly a recognized descendant of Osaga.

This was also evident from the demeanor of the mastiff soldiers accompanying him. Unlike the disorderly and morally degraded mastiffmen Wu Qingsong had encountered before, these soldiers meticulously performed their guard duties even during the banquet, demonstrating strict discipline and a strong sense of duty.

Alvin, clearly uninterested in More, maintained a courteous distance, allowing More to gracefully back off. Then, he focused his attention on Wu Qingsong, who was equally keen on deciphering Alvin’s true intentions.