Chapter 317: The Will of the Ancestors

With waves of undead bison and moose put to use, Nagrand’s productivity instantly surged to a new level.

Wu Qingsong issued a simple command to these undead creatures: Follow the people’s instructions. 

After distributing them among the workforce, they quickly proved invaluable.

The most important task was, of course, land cultivation.

Wu Qingsong wasn’t sure what a modern plow should look like, but the ones in this world were more than sufficient when paired with these undead beasts.

Two undead bison or moose would pull a heavy plow forward. There was no need for whips or forceful tugs. Just a clear and simple command, and they would steadily drag the plow all the way to the edge of the field. This greatly increased efficiency in opening up farmland, and since the terrain near the Ice Sea was mostly flat, they could make full use of it. Large stretches of land were quickly turned over, enriched with ash from burned vegetation, and fertilized with the manure that had piled up over the long winter, now carefully collected into pits for future use.

Beyond farming, these undead creatures were also used for transporting timber, hauling stones from the riverbanks for construction, and even operating pulley systems, which had already been commonplace in Orgrimmar. 

This significantly sped up building projects. Under the guidance of experienced craftsmen, the undead labored tirelessly. The timber Feya had gathered during the winter was soon transformed into warehouses, workshops, storage depots, and shops. Nagrand underwent a rapid transformation, becoming almost unrecognizable from before.

Once the factories were completed, the undead even took on the role of powering sawmills and other machinery. Unlike living livestock, they never needed rest, food, or water. They were even more efficient than waterwheels.

The only thing these undead required was soul fragments. A single soul stone could keep them working tirelessly for an extended period.

This presented an unprecedented situation. More often than not, work was being halted not because of equipment failures, but simply because the workers couldn’t keep up with such an intense pace.

“If only we had five thousand people…” Ram muttered more than once. 

But she also knew that unless they were willing to wage war and forcibly annex nearby tribes, they would have to rely on tangible results to convince people to join them voluntarily.

Once the spring floods receded, the countless crisscrossing river channels on the plains quickly shrank to mere trickles, and some dried up completely.

Temperatures rose swiftly. The low-growing plants, which had briefly flourished during the short wet season, completed their life cycle in record time, scattering their seeds before withering back to yellow husks. They would remain dormant until the next snowfall and thaw. Meanwhile, the great plains returned to their familiar, dusty appearance.

But for Nagrand, everything was now different.

With the undead assisting them, they had cultivated nearly twenty thousand mu¹ of rice paddies in the delta surrounding Nagrand. Around these vast fields, they planted the birch trees Feya had brought from distant lands—both to serve as windbreaks against the harsh gales and to obscure prying eyes from beyond.

Wu Qingsong led the effort to construct towering waterwheels at the lake’s edge. Using wooden aqueducts and harnessing the undead as an unceasing source of power, they pumped water up to higher ground to irrigate the entire farmland day and night. The rice seedlings were growing rapidly—far more robust than those left to grow wild in the marshlands. The deerfolk, ratfolk, and rabbitfolk tending the fields were overjoyed, filled with hope for the harvest to come.

Meanwhile, the houndfolk patrolled the area vigilantly, keeping a close watch for any intruders with malicious intent.

However, the aftermath of last autumn’s massacre still lingered. While there was no shortage of spies watching from a distance, few dared to venture close. The booming trade Wu Qingsong had hoped for—where beastmen from all around would flock to Nagrand for commerce—did not come.

The armor and wooden goods they had produced piled up in the warehouses. Even the salt that Ling brought back from the south while delivering soap remained untouched. These items were supposed to be highly sought-after commodities on the plains. They were supposed to be valuable enough to bring them significant profits and gradually turn the surrounding tribes into their vassals.

But when it came to population growth, Silvermoon’s wolffolk had been far more successful.

During the long winter, Daryl had welcomed over a thousand wolfpeople and wolverinefolk into New Silvermoon, and two small tribes had voluntarily sworn allegiance.

Meanwhile, in Nagrand, the only population increase over the past half-year had been about four hundred newborns—the vast majority of them rabbitfolk and ratfolk. When it came to having kids, those two races were truly in a league of their own.

***

“If we wait any longer, those bastards will have completely settled in!” a young bearfolk roared.

“Kambur, shouting won’t solve anything,” a foxfolk beside him said.

“All you people do is talk, talk, talk, talk! From winter to spring, and now summer’s almost over, and still, nothing’s decided!”

“Akunar thought the same way you do. And look where that got him.”

The bearfolk named Kambur let out a furious growl and lunged at the fox, only to be blocked by another bearfolk.

“Grove, Akunar was a warrior. I suggest you take that back,” he said to the foxfolk.

“I meant no disrespect to the dead,” Grove replied calmly. “But those people… they’re far stronger than they look. Anyone with a brain should see that.”

“There’s no way they have more than a thousand people!” Kambur shouted. 

Rabbitfolk and ratfolk weren’t even counted as part of a tribe’s population on these plains, so he wasn’t technically wrong. 

“And the number of men who can actually fight? Not even five hundred! We have over forty thousand across our clans! We could crush them like ants!”

“Akunar sent nearly five thousand warriors. And what happened?” Grove said. “They sent just five people and annihilated his forces. Not only that, but they sent assassins to follow his retreating men back home and wiped out all of Boyle Clan’s key leaders. You’ve heard it from Akunar’s own guards, only one woman came for them. Do you think you’re stronger than the Boyle Clan?”

“That’s exactly why we need to wipe them out before they become an even bigger threat,” Kambur snarled. “You’ve all seen what they’re doing, it’s just like the elves from the south. Who knows how many more of them will come in the future? Are you all really willing to let these outsiders trample over us? Are you ready to just hand over the land our ancestors left us?”

“They’ve got the Tecks Clan backing them,” an elderly boarfolk with feathers braided into his mane muttered.

“Them? They’re nothing. As long as we wipe out those Ice Sea invaders, the Tecks Clan won’t be able to make any real moves in the southern plains.”

“That wolfwoman, she cut down hundreds with just two swings of her sword,” Grove said.

“That’s just nonsense. No one has that kind of power. If they did, why would they be in a place like this?”

“But—”

“They’re defiling our grazing lands and hunting grounds. They’re stealing our bison and deer, turning them into unholy monsters.”

Suddenly, an elderly badgerfolk entered the tent, his deep voice silencing the entire room.

“Last night, I heard the ancestors’ cries of fury. Those vile creatures are servants of an evil god. They will taint this land, strip us of our honor and traditions, and take everything the ancestors bestowed upon us.”

“Elder Boulder…” 

The beastmen in the tent immediately stood up in respect.

“This is a battle of life and death,” the old badgerfolk said, his clouded eyes staring toward Nagrand.

“We must destroy them. It is the will of the ancestors.”