Chapter 299: Forced Takeover

The two of them sprinted frantically. When their horses collapsed from exhaustion, they abandoned the animals on the roadside and continued on foot. Wu Qingsong activated Nina’s abilities, allowing her to carry him as they scaled the mountain paths directly toward Orgrimmar. The closer they got, the more anxious they became. Their worst fears materialized when they arrived. Orgrimmar was still standing, but its flags had been replaced, and the soldiers patrolling the wooden walls were not from the Thirteen Mercenary Corps.

A burning fury ignited in Wu Qingsong’s heart. For a brief moment, he even considered charging in and slaughtering everyone. But he forcibly suppressed that impulse.

If anything had happened to Ram, Ling, or Liuli, everyone involved would pay with their lives.

Orgrimmar had expanded significantly. What was once a simple, orderly wooden fortification now sprawled outward, encircled by a chaotic slum of shacks and hovels. The market, which had previously been structured and lively, was now busier but also disordered and unruly.

“Wait until nightfall,” Nina said softly. “It’s not far off.”

Orgrimmar’s current state meant the Silvermoon Wolf Clan was also in danger. Despite her urge to rush to the northern valley to check on them, Nina stayed by Wu Qingsong’s side.

Heading to the valleys might not yield answers, but someone here was bound to know what had happened.

“We can’t act rashly,” she said, her own unease and anger barely restrained. “We need to find out what’s going on first.”

Wu Qingsong nodded, though his trembling hands betrayed his inner turmoil.

How had things fallen apart in just eight and a half months?

***

When night fell, the two crept out of the forest and moved toward the market. The strict patrol system Wu Qingsong had implemented in Orgrimmar was long gone. The area was noisy and chaotic, with several former shops now serving as taverns and gambling dens. Painted women openly solicited clients on the streets.

Suppressing his seething rage, Wu Qingsong joined Nina in searching for a suitable target. Before long, they spotted a familiar face–the deputy leader of a mercenary group that controlled a nearby mine.

Wu Qingsong exchanged a glance with Nina, and she nodded. Together, they silently trailed the man.

Drunk and half-staggering, the deputy was searching for a woman to spend the night with. When he stumbled into an alley to vomit, Wu Qingsong and Nina struck, knocking him unconscious and dragging him to a nearby forest.

Without bothering to fetch water, Wu Qingsong resorted to whipping the man’s soles with a branch to jolt him awake.

“You bastards! Do you know who I am?” the deputy barked, trying to mask his panic with bravado.

Wu Qingsong responded with a vicious kick. 

“Do you know who I am?”

Pulling back his hood, he revealed his face.

“Tagraedi!?” 

The deputy’s eyes widened in shock, but before he could say more, Wu Qingsong silenced him with another brutal kick.

“Misunderstanding! Lord Tagraedi! This is all a misunderstanding!” the deputy shouted, frantically trying to dodge further blows. “It’s not what you think! This has nothing to do with us!”

“What happened here after I left?” Wu Qingsong demanded, his tone icy. “Tell me everything you know.”

“I’ll tell you! I swear! This has nothing to do with me!”

The man explained that the upheaval began four months ago, though rumors of trouble in Orgrimmar had been circulating for some time before that.

“What kind of trouble?” Wu Qingsong pressed.

“I don’t know the specifics, but word was that Orgrimmar was hit by a severe plague. They said you were bedridden, gravely ill, and unable to leave your chambers.”

Wu Qingsong glanced at Nina. This sounded like one of Ram’s delaying tactics. Spreading rumors of a plague would keep most people far away and minimize contact with Esola and the surrounding regions. In such circumstances, it might have been the only strategy available to them.

“And then?”

“The rumors reached Lord Osaga. He sent a delegation, including doctors, to check on you. That’s when they discovered there was no plague and that you were missing. Later, Lord Osaga himself came to investigate.”

Neither Ram nor Harold would have been able to stop Lord Osaga from acting. According to imperial law, when a baron dies, their lands revert to the domain lord. The same applied to mercenary groups—if the leader died, their rights and privileges were voided. While the law didn’t explicitly state how long a disappearance constituted death, it ultimately depended on the lord’s judgment.

This was one of the main drawbacks of appointing a half-elf as the leader of a mercenary group or as a baron. Without heirs, their property and titles could legally be seized by the domain lord.

“And then?” Wu Qingsong asked, his voice eerily calm as his fury reached a cold, restrained peak.

“Word quickly spread to Riniconia, and soon after, an official decree ordered the 13th Mercenary Corps to vacate the area. Several half-elf administrators arrived with two full battalions of soldiers to oversee the handover. However, Lord Osaga seemed to intervene on your behalf. Your subordinates were allowed to leave with a fair number of people and goods, which is practically unheard of.”

“Where did they go?” Wu Qingsong asked sharply.

“I heard they went to Norwei, but I don’t know exactly where.”

“What about the northern valley?” Wu Qingsong pressed further.

“The northern valley?”

“Who’s in charge of patrols in that area now?”

“I wouldn’t know, but it doesn’t seem like anyone’s patrolling it now. Lord Tagaredi, I’ve told you everything! I had no part in this—please don’t—”

“Get out of my sight,” Wu Qingsong said coldly.

The dogman scrambled away, showering Wu Qingsong with thanks. 

“I won’t say a word, I swear!” he babbled as he fled.

“You can try,” Wu Qingsong said icily. The warning sent chills down the dogman’s spine, and he fled in terrified silence.

“Nina…” Wu Qingsong murmured, taking her hand. 

Things were not as dire as he had initially feared, though the fate of the Silvermoon Wolf Clan remained uncertain.

Given Lord Osaga’s personality, there was no way he wouldn’t track such a large group. But if Ram had managed to delay for over four months, they might have prepared for this eventual outcome. The Silvermoon Wolf Clan had likely relocated to a safe place.

“We need to find Ram,” Nina said. “Once we find them, we’ll know everything.”