Chapter 165: Chapter 165: 600-Year-Old Beastman
Orc tribe.
Lin Yi consulted Terghai and several elders about the Space-Time Filter.
Firstly, he was not entirely sure how to use it.
Secondly, it could increase the likelihood of time-space warfare.
However, the orcs had never seen such a device before, and Terghai suggested asking the oldest in the tribe - Great Elder Teruo.
Lin Yi agreed and went to the orc city together.
This city was exceptionally busy.
The artisan caste was fully engaged in reforging steel and performing all the necessary work for this process.
The fuel they used was a mixture of Xidi beast dung, herbs, and sawdust, soaked with orc urine, stirred, dried, and then cut into blocks to be used as blacksmith furnace fuel, which worked quite well.
As they walked, Terghai explained the orc caste system to Lin Yi.
Orcs are divided into four different castes.
The warrior caste is composed of the largest and strongest members of the Taru race.
They have strong reproductive capabilities and grow quickly, with an average lifespan of around 30 years, but it’s rare for anyone to live that long.
Currently, the oldest among them is 15 years old.
Another feature of warriors is their rapid recovery from injuries.
As long as they are not killed on the spot, even if the injuries are severe, if they receive emergency treatment, they can survive.
No matter how serious the injury, a warrior can return to battle within a month.
Next is the artisan caste, which possesses some traits different from the warriors.
They may have developed muscles or be as thin as a rake, with an average lifespan of 50-60 years.
Artisans handle all non-combat tasks in the tribe, including construction, farming, resource gathering, and of course, making various items.
There is no discrimination among orcs, but the shaman caste remains the smallest and most respected.
Only about 5% of the population is Shaman.
This is not due to low reproductive ability; a typical orc family usually has two boys.
But a shaman can only pass his system skills to one apprentice, and this apprentice may not necessarily be the shaman’s son.
Shamans with system skills have a lifespan of between 100 to 400 years. Shaman apprentices without skills have a lifespan of about 50-60 years.
Besides providing support on the battlefield, shamans also manage medical care and accounts, and their apprentices assist them in these tasks.
At this moment, they are going to see Teruo, who has lived to be 609 years old.
He is the oldest shaman in the tribe’s history, which speaks louder of his strength than any words.
The last caste is naturally the females.
No matter what caste their father belongs to, all females join the female caste.
Once they reach maturity, a husband is chosen for them. If a female is clever, she will be paired with a shaman. If she has a fierce personality and strong body, she will marry a warrior.
Other females marry artisans?
The average lifespan for females is 70 years, and they do not inherit their fathers’ traits.
As the two chatted, they quickly arrived at a luxuriously decorated tent.
The tent was filled with trophies from the battlefield.
Inside there were three orcs!
An old orc with light deep red skin.
A bone-thin old orc.
And a young orc with a keen gaze.
If you looked at them first and then at Terghai, you might think they were different species.
The old orcs had slightly longer necks, and their skull shapes were also slightly different from warrior orcs.
The red-skinned old orc picked up the negotiation board.
"So... you are the human Lin Yi?"
"If you add ’Mr.’ or ’Lord’ behind it, I would be grateful. If you add ’sir,’ I wouldn’t mind either..."
"Haha, I love chatting with young people like you. I am Teruo. What important matter is worth you coming all this way to ask an old orc halfway to his grave?"
The red-skinned old orc Teruo got off the bed and walked with difficulty to a wooden chair covered with animal hide.
Lin Yi pulled out a small square, threw it to the young orc, who, after wiping it with a cloth soaked in some kind of silver liquid, handed it to the old orc.
Teruo placed the negotiation board aside, looked at the small piece, pondered for a moment, then smiled.
"Indeed, it is a rare item, but not as rare as you might think. I have seen many Space-Time Filters in my lifetime. They are hard to obtain, but powerful lords have plenty in their hands."
The old orc responded through text, his attitude suddenly becoming respectful.
Judging by his appearance, you would never think he lacked formal education.
"If you are worried about being attacked by other lords, there is no need. Other lords do not dare attack shining areas, even if they might be willing to scout a bit, but if they see a small area shining so brightly, they would think twice before attacking."
Teruo took a breath and continued.
"However, it will attract the attention of lost souls and demons. But considering you nearly destroyed the Lord of Death’s army, I am very sure you can handle it! You want to use it to enhance magic power recovery speed, right?"
"Yes. How did you guess?"
"It’s simple. From your Healing Lake Water, your region is connected to a still-existing world, so you don’t need to enhance the life force of the soil and water. As for the Energy Core... hmm, I guess after the Zombie Lord’s invasion, you already have more Energy Cores than you can use."
Teruo said with a big smile.
"Is that so, Mr. Lin Yi?"
"Being older certainly has its advantages, Mr. Teruo, and you’re right in guessing that!"
It turned out that this old guy was a treasure trove of information, and Lin Yi suspected that he knew far more than he let on.
"Understood, thank you for the information."
Lin Yi thought for a moment, then sent the last bit of information with a sly smile.
"Are you interested in becoming a mercenary?"
"Mercenary? Hahaha! I’m old, my life is nearing its end."
The beastman laughed loudly, a mix of sorrow and joy.
But Lin Yi did not give up.
"You don’t want to die, right? Stay in my area, drink my water, and you will live longer! I only ask you to work for me for a year, I can pay you well. You won’t have to die and can contribute to the tribe, isn’t that attractive?"
Lin Yi said, squinting his eyes and carefully observing the expression of the old beastman as he read the message.
Old beastman Teruo finished reading, paused to think, and then began conversing with Terghai.
They exchanged a few brief words, lasting around a minute or so.
They both fell silent for a moment, deep in thought, then began talking again, clearly having reached an agreement.
Subsequently, Teruo spoke.
"Terghai respects you greatly, and I respect him. But there is one thing you must understand: We shamans can pass on system skills to apprentices, but to do so, the apprentice must immediately eat the heart of the shaman when he’s deceased while it’s still fresh. That’s why an old shaman like me always has an apprentice by his side—when I die, he will immediately take the heart from my chest and eat it. Losing skills is tantamount to death for our tribe; I’m willing to take this risk, but my two apprentices must come with me."
"I have no objections."
"My fee is 10,000 coins per day, and I won’t put myself in mortal danger. However, I can assist you through spells, but even to save your people, I won’t use more than half of my magic power. The lower my magic power, the higher the chance of death..."
"Old gentleman, you are quite pricey, but I agree!"
10,000 coins a day... Hmm, that’s a considerable amount of money, but Lin Yi knew that the shaman’s services were definitely worth it.
The old beastman looked at his lord, and nodded.
Terghai also nodded and waved his hand.
The contract appeared—
[Taru Race, Ter Tribe, hereby provides the following warriors as mercenaries: Teruo and his apprentices. Contract duration as per human calendar for one year.]
[Both parties agree to the following terms]
-The employer must provide comfortable living conditions for the mercenaries, along with life-extending miraculous lake water.
-As long as the mercenaries’ lives are not threatened, they should obey the employer’s orders.
-Mercenaries must not disclose any crucial information acquired during their service to the employer.
-Payment: 10,000 coins per day, automatically transferred daily by the shelter.
"I agree." Lin Yi replied with a smile.
Then he waved his hand, and a young beastman apprentice was instantly teleported to his side.
He was very surprised, but the old beastman laughed.
"Space-Time Teleporter... this thing is very practical! I guess you can help me, as well as bring over everything I need?"
The old beast pointed at his frail, weak legs and some necessary items.
Lin Yi nodded, then teleported Regina to his side, letting her communicate with this ancient shaman to ensure that all his needs were arranged properly.
After returning to the shelter.
Lin Yi held a general assembly to introduce everyone to the Space-Time Filter, the matter of hiring the shaman, and the pros and cons of installing the filter.
After careful consideration and discussion, they finally decided to install the filter to see its effect.
It turned out that at maximum power, the filter could increase the magic power replenishment rate by 200%, with a maximum range of two kilometers.
They also learned about the methods to upgrade the filter, but it required a significantly high cost of five million coins.
Additionally, once upgraded, it could no longer be moved, nor revert to level one to its cube form.
Given that it had been tested and decided upon for installation...
Where exactly should it be placed?
They had to consider the needs of the doctor, weapon smith, mechanician, appraiser, and a group of mages!
Everyone began to argue fiercely....
Lin Yi thought for a moment and interrupted them.
"I seem to remember Piero suggesting building a rehabilitation center where mages can recover magic power faster."
"But the weapon smiths wouldn’t be able to work with depleted magic power, they still need to craft arrows and bullets..."
"No, my idea is to construct a comprehensive center for everyone!"
"So... are you saying... we should create a place that combines a hospital, blacksmith, and workshop?"
Hubert asked and then started to think.
Lin Yi grinned and concluded.
"Close enough, it will also be the recovery center for archers so that they can manufacture a large quantity of magic arrows."
"I like the idea! We can go there to relax during breaks."
The chief mechanician, the old rascal Louis, jumped up, becoming more energized with each upgrade...