Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 693: Dividing the Spoils

TL: Rui88

“Honorable Grand Chieftain Abal.”

The Duke of Bradley’s tone was extremely respectful. “We have already seen that your army is so invincible. Those cowardly Rodney bastards are all fleeing at the mere sight of you.”

“Hahaha, my dear friend, you may speak your mind directly.”

Abal’s eyes were twinkling with laughter, which made Bradley feel somewhat constrained.

He paused for a moment before saying, “The entire northeastern region of the kingdom is now under our control, Grand Chieftain. Do you think it might be… time to fulfill the latter half of our agreement?”

“Agreement?” Abal feigned surprise, a look of disbelief on his face. “Oh, that’s right. We did have an agreement.” 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

His tone made Bradley’s heart leap into his throat, as he secretly wondered if this muscle-bound barbarian would go back on his word.

“In that case, let us proceed according to the latter half of the agreement.”

Abal’s words brought a great sigh of relief to the Duke of Bradley.

“Thank you, Grand Chieftain Abal. I will deliver the promised gold coins and goods to your King’s Tent. May the friendship between the Bradley family and the Plains last for generations to come.”

“Someone! Bring the map!” The supreme leader of the plains orcs beckoned, and his attendants immediately laid a very large map on the table.

What was he doing? A sense of foreboding crept into Bradley’s heart.

Abal stroked his chin, twisting his beard, a cunning glint in his eyes.

“Dusan, as proof of our friendship, I have decided to gift you these several towns.”

“What?” Dusan Bradley was baffled.

“Here, here, and here… as a reward for fighting alongside us, I generously bestow them upon you.”

Abal pointed to several locations on the map, naming them one by one.

“My dear Dusan, your army is no longer needed for the subsequent battles. Leave it all to us. Lead your soldiers and return to your homeland. Haven’t you always longed to place a crown upon your own head? Go ahead and do it.”

It was as if a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck from the sky. Dusan Bradley was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time.

The thing he had worried about all along had happened.

According to the original agreement, the Bradley Family hired the orc army to drive out the royal family’s influence in the Loess Lands. In return, they would present the orcs with large sums of money and supplies every year.

The Bradley Family’s ambition was initially limited to the Loess Lands and the Nerodan Corridor. But when the orcs gained the upper hand on the battlefield and began to sweep through the entire northeastern territory of the kingdom like an autumn wind, the duke was overjoyed, fantasizing that the entire northeastern part of the kingdom would be under his rule.

It was not until he noticed the orcs’ extraordinary enthusiasm that he realized something was amiss. If they were merely completing their employer’s task, there was no need for them to fight so desperately.

“Honorable Grand Chieftain, I do not understand your meaning.” Dusan Bradley continued to play dumb. “Your brave warriors have now fulfilled our agreement. You may return to the plains with your spoils of war. The rest should be left to us.”

Abal stared into his eyes and suddenly burst into a loud laugh. The orc generals seated there laughed along with him.

This time, they made no effort to hide their strong sense of mockery.

“Duke Bradley!” Abal’s tone grew heavier. “Return to the plains once the agreement is fulfilled? Why? Do not forget, your request at the time was only for the Loess Plains and Nerodan. I am a man who keeps his promises, and now I deliver the promised lands to you. But the other places are a different matter. Those were conquered by the Warriors of the Plains for themselves! Oh, my heavens! Surely you didn’t think that the extra territories conquered would be given to you for free as a bonus?”

The Grand Chieftain’s expression was greatly exaggerated.

“No! You cannot do this!” Bradley panicked, and at the same time, grew furious. “The orcs belong to the plains. You should not covet the lands south of the Rocky Mountains!”

The orc Grand Chieftain responded rudely, “Times have changed! The north of Ordo is now like a piece of plump lamb, waiting for us to savor it slowly.”

He showed the duke no courtesy at all.

Dusan Bradley’s head spun, and a bitter taste filled his heart. Using the orc army to achieve his own goals and handing over human lands to the orcs were two entirely different matters.

The former would be seen by many as a matter of expediency; the latter was destined to make him infamous in human history.

His face turned almost purple with anger and fear.

In the time leading up to this, the duke had been full of confidence in his agreement with the orcs. In his vision at that time, the orc army entering Ordo would act as an auxiliary force, or at most, a force equal to the Bradley Family’s own military. The two sides would cooperate to fight against the powerful royal army.

But when the great orc army truly poured into the kingdom’s northeast through the Rocky Mountains and the Nerodan Corridor, he realized he had miscalculated.

In his previous dealings with him, Abal had cunningly concealed the strength of the King’s Tent, causing the duke to greatly underestimate his ally. It was only when they showed their true fangs that he discovered the power he commanded had rapidly dwindled to a negligible state. The series of hard-fought battles against the royal army had all been fought by the orc forces.

“If that is the case, then I believe this distribution is unfair.”

But upon realizing that he could hardly avoid a tarnished reputation, Dusan Bradley immediately shifted to seizing more benefits for himself. The distribution he spoke of referred to the few towns Abal had just gifted him, which in his eyes were mere scraps.

“The Bradley Family’s army also participated in many battles. We must at least receive half of the Blackstone Plains for it to be considered a reasonable reward.”

Abal’s eyes widened, as if he were shocked by the duke’s shamelessness.

He decided not to haggle with him any longer, for he knew that humans were best at asking for the sky and then bargaining down.

“Hah!” The Grand Chieftain let out an angry roar and, in an act that perfectly matched the human stereotype of orcs, kicked the table over.

“Dusan, do you think I cannot see what your men are capable of? I was offering you a portion out of consideration for our past friendship. Since you are so greedy, I have now changed my mind. Listen to me now, you will only have the Loess Lands. As for the rest—the Nerodan Corridor, the Blackstone Plains, and all those places I mentioned earlier—do not even think about it!”

“No! The Nerodan Corridor was part of our agreement!”

The duke was startled by his sudden change of heart and plunged into a deep abyss of despair, but he still tried to fight for it.

Abal’s face was ferocious as he pointed his finger at his nose. “You were the one who was greedy first. Now, return to your own territory immediately. This is my final act of mercy!”

Dusan Bradley had no choice but to desperately suppress the rage in his heart, turn his head, and lead his subordinates out of the tent.