One week later.
Hao Xuan was sitting on the bank of a small stream. His feet hung over the edge, leisurely dipping in the ice-cold water that flowed from somewhere uphill.
Behind him were groups of Orcs walking about moving different items, sorting through the debris, and cleaning and categorizing each usable item in the shadow of a small mountain.
It was fairly noisy with so many people moving about non-stop, dragging heavy items and dropping them elsewhere while shouting orders to one another but Hao Xuan did not mind one bit.
His eyes were closed as he hummed a tune, the same tune that had been stuck inside his head since he first heard it from Ma Jiang. But he had to pause and look back when the sound of heavy footsteps came from behind.
It was a male Orc standing tall at a height of 2.5 meters. He was actually the tallest one among them now after awakening his powers.
"My Lord," he knelt on one knee while addressing Hao Xuan.
"Arthur," Hao Xuan acknowledged him and gestured with his head to stand up.
Among the 196 remaining Orcs not including the warders who were Hao Xuan's personal guards, there were four individuals that had risen above all others and gotten his attention.
Hao Xuan gave each of these four the title of 'Team Leader' and made them commanders of the remaining Orcs. Each team leader commanded 48 other Orcs. This not only made it much easier to manage them but also categorize them into different teams based on their abilities.
Arthur not only held the largest physique but also the highest caliber of physical prowess. He was the first one to awaken his true potential and was the strongest amongst all the team leaders.
He was straightforward, honest to a fault, and followed orders to the letter. In other words, he was the best soldier one could ever ask for.
"What's the progress?" Hao Xuan inquired.
Arthur moved aside to reveal several piles of rubble behind him.
"The core area has been cleared. All the wreckage has been assorted as you ordered. We can start the next phase as soon as you give the go-ahead."
"Mhm."
Hao Xuan stood up and walked over to the piles of garbage with Arthur in tow. All the other Orcs nearby bowed from the waist upon seeing him approach and cleared a path. They stood some distance away and observed.
One had to remember that despite their mature looks and ferocious expressions, each of these Orcs was basically still a teenager. They had lived their entire lives within that mountain back in the Beast World and this was the first time they were allowed to venture out, even if it was on another world entirely.
But their experiences and day-to-day knowledge was lacking quite a bit. Many of them still couldn't properly speak the beast world's language and had to depend on the old Orkish language.
After reaching their equivalent of the Spirit Realm the Orcs were called out by Hao Xuan and had spent the last 6 days moving rubble and debris. They had no idea why Hao Xuan had asked them to sort it into different piles according to their materials and none of them bothered to ask until now.
Hao Xuan went from one pile to another picking up different items to inspect them for a few seconds before throwing them back down. When he was done with the last pile he looked back towards Arthur.
"Is this everything?"
Arthur nodded respectfully, "Yes. Everything that could be carried and moved was brought here."
"Okay, it's a good start."
Hao Xuan waved his hand and all the piles vanished into thin air. Surprised gasps sounded all around.
"Take a break for a few hours. We'll start soon," Hao Xuan gave his orders and went back to the stream and sat down in the same spot.
Arthur bowed from the waist and did not raise his head until Hao Xuan was out of sight.
Gavril had essentially brainwashed each of the Orcs to make them think that Hao Xuan was basically a holy being sent by their ancestors to save them. To them, he was akin to a divine being, a god in human form.
And their reverence only increased every time they rested in the shadow of the nearby mountain which slowly moved up and down. They, like many others, had never seen a dragon before but knew of their existence.
And when such a creature was serving Hao Xuan without a complaint, who were they to say otherwise? A Dragon was just one of the many servants of their beloved master so how could they not worship him?
But to Hao Xuan, their devotion and silent praise were nothing more than an eyesore. He had to act all prim and proper in front of them which made him feel even more lonely.
*Sigh*
"Baracus, is this enough to get started?"
