Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

As expected, Leigh showed strong resistance to the crossbow. However, this girl was much more tactful than my former squire Sam; she never mentioned anything foolish like a despicable weapon for ambushes, but only emphasized other reasons.

She explained that the soldiers currently recruited were mainly from the Ricci tribe, many of whom were skilled archers, and with excellent instructors like Froki providing careful training, they would see initial results in just a short time. If they abandoned bows for crossbows, all the previous work would be in vain, affecting morale and inevitably making Froki suspicious, thinking that she was dissatisfied with him.

Furthermore, the crossbow on my desk hasn't really demonstrated any amazing power. Leigh said she's a down-to-earth person; although her wording was very euphemistic, her meaning was clear: No matter how much you hype it up, it's useless; I don't care about advertisements, I care about results.

It's true what they say, having too many ideas among your subordinates is a headache. Fortunately, Lai Mei is reasonable enough; if she were as sarcastic and unpredictable as Islaan, I don't know if I could have tolerated her.

"Then here's what we'll do. I'll try to recruit the person who made the crossbow so she can make improvements. In the future, when training and recruiting, you must allow archers the freedom to choose their bows and crossbows; you can't force them."

Lai Mei took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. It was clear that she was also suppressing her anger.

"Is the sir referring to that watchman who wanders around the village? I never imagined someone of that status would make such a weapon."

"It wasn't him, it was one of his friends."

I had already given in as much as I could, and Lai Mei hadn't refused too forcefully; she just rolled her eyes, got up, and said goodbye. But to my surprise, she turned back at the door.

"My lord, why are the watchmen of Standal appearing in the village? Are you hiding something from me?"

This girl is far too shrewd. Since things have come to this, I have no choice but to confess the truth. Lai Mei was so angry she stomped her feet, almost bursting into tears.

"How could you not tell me something so important?! Do you think I'm so useless?"

"See, you're in a hurry again. I'm afraid of your quick temper."

I pushed her into the chair.

"Didn't you say yourself that the new army is not yet fully trained and has no combat power for the time being? I found crossbows that can be trained quickly, but you refused to use them. Vampires are troublesome. If we can't completely eradicate them, won't we be living in constant fear? Besides, I can hire people to solve this problem, but I can't hire people again to attack Loristed, can I? You need to think long-term and not always think about short-term gains."

Lai Mei stared at me, panting heavily, her expression truly like a mountain range, a raging torrent. But I dared not look away for a moment, lest she misinterpret it as guilt. Only after I had fully appreciated the magnificent mountains did she finally calm down.

“I can try using the crossbow, but on one condition.”

When did this girl learn to bargain?

"You said."

"The lady came a few days ago and asked me to inquire about an orc mage named Bashna. This hunting mission must be entrusted to me, sir."

This whole thing is giving me a headache. Although Irina rejected me the night before, considering that my sister-in-law Iya is a real fighting force, I still asked Lund for help the next day as promised, and Lund introduced me to the contact person of the orc tribe that same day.

My fellow countrymen maintained contact with the two orc blacksmiths who had been captured. Last year, they even bought iron armor for the Snake Cliff tribe, and this year they are still purchasing equipment from them for the new recruits. In order to secure me as a major customer, Chief Kruger of the Bireguch tribe even had ulterior motives. He probed Lund's intentions, asking if I was interested in taking his daughter Granchena, who had escaped to Granite Village, as his second wife.

In Kruger's view, my status was equivalent to that of the chieftain. According to orcish custom, it was as common for a chieftain to have seven or eight wives as it was for a person to eat two meals a day. Moreover, the chieftain's second wife was called the "Forge's Wife," and held a special position in the household; it wasn't considered an insult to his daughter.

After being firmly rejected by Lund, Kruger reluctantly sent one of his younger brothers, who was born of the same mother, to reside permanently in Granite Village as a liaison. This man was twenty-eight years old, considered relatively old among the orcs, and had no hope of challenging for the chieftain's position, so he was happy to come out and see the world.

This guy said he had never heard of the name Bashuna, but he still sorted out the information he knew.

Apart from a small number of urban orcs, most of their people live in tribes and follow a customary law known as the "Code of Malachis." Traditionally, only the chieftain can marry and have children. They seem to have some knowledge of eugenics, rarely marrying their sisters or daughters or other close relatives. However, it is not uncommon for two chieftains to marry each other's daughters.

Generally, around the age of forty, a chief will face constant challenges from his adult sons until he dies at the hands of one of them. The new chief's mother will assist her son in managing the tribe as a prophet, while the old chief's other wives will be inherited by younger men. However, there are also those who remain strong and capable of overcoming all challenges, but this means the tribe will have no successor, which is definitely not a good thing.

If a chieftain lives to the age of fifty, he will voluntarily step down and leave the tribe to seek a glorious death in the wilderness, and his eldest son will succeed him as chieftain. However, those who take office in this way often find it difficult to gain the support of the tribe, and everyone in the tribe has the right to challenge them, and even wandering orcs may come to cause trouble. For urban orcs, this is the only way to return to tribe life.

As far as he knew, something similar had happened to the Rifttooth Clan in the southern part of Falkriss territory about ten years ago. A city-orc named Ganzel Glo Hanil killed the original chieftain, drove out his brother and son, and seized the Rifttooth Clan's territory. And this coincided with the first clash between Esmoridar and Bashna.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Bashuna has no relation to the Lieya clan, or more accurately, no relation to the current Lieya clan.

Furthermore, orcs have very little exposure to magic. Women may learn some healing spells and herbalism, but only those who become prophets can delve into these areas. Necromancy is strictly forbidden, as returning to Malachi is the ultimate honor for orcs, and manipulating the souls of others is both a desecration of the dead and an offense against the gods. Orcs living in the Horde have virtually no opportunity to learn anything related to necromancy.

Therefore, Chief Kruger's brother speculated that this Bashna was a city orc, but his origins were hard to say.

Orcs live in tribes scattered across the mountains of Tamriel. In Skyrim alone, there are four or five large tribes exceeding three hundred people, and countless others, such as the Bleguchi tribe or the Rifttooth clan. Moreover, Falkreath borders the provinces of Hammerfell and Cyrodiil, so this guy could very well have infiltrated from another province.

Dragontail Mountain in Hammerfell Province is an important settlement for orcs, and Ereinhur, the Hammerfell city closest to Skyrim, is nicknamed the "City of Mages." The Imperial Legion is the most frequent destination for orcs leaving the Horde, while Brummar in Cyrodiil is notorious for its rampant crime. Both places possess the power to corrupt honest people into necromancers.

In short, there is very little information about this person; it's practically impossible to find out anything. Irina didn't even get as much information as I did. After all, the knowledge and experience of the few underlings under Lai Mei are far inferior to that of the chief's own brother.

Besides the lead with the Bireguch tribe, Sylvia also set off for Sun Garden Fortress to visit Esmorida. However, she has been gone for over a week and hasn't returned. Before leaving, Irina shamelessly struck up a conversation with me, wanting me to send someone to the castle to check on her mother's safety.

I agreed at the time, but forgot about it later, so of course I have no idea what my mother-in-law pried out of that old crow's mouth.

"We don't know where this necromancer is hiding, nor how many people he has under his command."

Without concrete intelligence about the target, Lydia's initiative to volunteer seemed somewhat unreliable.

“I have a guess about a place, but I lack concrete evidence. You could send that sneaky little cat to scout out Newgra Fortress.”

Fort Nugra was once the fiefdom of Baron Montoya, but the incompetent barbarian was attacked by a band of marauders, resulting in the deaths of all the men in his family and the stripping of his title by Danger. However, the place was quickly recaptured, and the bandits were all brought to justice. I really can't think of anything strange about this place.

Seeing my blank expression, Lai Mei actually looked quite satisfied.

"My lord initially ordered Mr. Lund and me to search for smuggling routes in the Jerol Mountains, but we only found a few clues, which were insufficient to give you an answer. Later, the Imperial Legion invaded, and my lord's territory was moved to the north, so the matter was put aside. However, when I was at Sun Garden Fortress, I had several in-depth conversations with Lady Montoya, and she provided some intelligence that I believe is valuable."

According to Leslie Cheung, Mrs. Montoya confessed that her husband had been involved in smuggling.

In his early years, Baron Montoya befriended a Brighton wizard named Brandish. This fellow was skilled in alchemy and greatly aided the Baron and Duchess's marital harmony, thus earning their trust. However, since ancient times, harmonizing yin and yang has been the most expensive endeavor, and the rare and precious materials mentioned by alchemists are all priceless. Unfortunately, the Baron was only interested in spending money, and Newgra Castle was located in a remote and impoverished area.

Baron Montoya was short of funds, so Brandish seized the opportunity to offer his friend's help, in exchange for permission to build a small dock south of the castle. The entire project would be free for the Baron, and he would even receive an annual tribute. Such a lucrative deal with no upfront investment was impossible to refuse.

Nugra Fortress is backed by a lake formed by glacial meltwater, its area far exceeding the waters west of Granite Village; even standing on the fortress walls, one cannot see the shore. The Baron only knew that the other side of the lake was a sheer cliff, too high even for a mountain goat to cross, and he himself had never entertained the idea of ​​going to the other side. He didn't know what Brandish was planning, nor did he want to know.

The docks were bustling from the moment they were built. Brandish's friends would transport goods from the south, load them onto ships, hide them on the other side of the lake, and then slowly sell them to the northern territory of Falkris. Baron Montoya immediately realized this was smuggling. He led a raid and discovered that the goods included not only smuggled goods but also contraband such as weapons and scombs.

Sir Alex Ferguson stated that even friends cannot commit such crimes on his turf—he would have to pay more.

The two sides argued fiercely, but neither overturned the table. The smugglers had already invested a huge amount of money and resources and couldn't just withdraw like that. Baron Montoya wasn't truly willing to give up this windfall either. After some back and forth, the baron actually joined in. With his endorsement, the goods traveled even more smoothly from then on.

What's even more ridiculous is that, despite engaging in such a risky scheme, the Montoya family remained closely associated with Brandy, completely unsuspecting. Without inside help, how could fifteen or sixteen bandits possibly have conquered a castle? The baron, who had amassed wealth for years, ultimately handed it all back, along with his entire family.

However, the bandits did not expect the territory of Falkriss to react so quickly, which is probably thanks to me sending my squire Sam to deliver the message.

“I asked Sam about these things; his wife is the daughter of Baron Montoya. But he only told me that a sorcerer had escaped among the bandits.”

"Hey, Baron Montoya's daughter is just a pampered noblewoman who doesn't understand these things at all."

"Why doesn't Madame Montoya say so? It's not like she doesn't know me."

Levi raised an eyebrow.

"How could she dare? Lord Danger is not someone to be easily fooled. What her husband did, at best, was smuggling for profit; at worst, it was treason by colluding with bandits. They both lost their territories, but your father-in-law got away scot-free, while the Montoya family even lost their titles. You and Lord Danger are so close, for her to tell you all this, isn't she courting death?"

"Wouldn't telling you be courting death?"

“I’m different. I’m an outsider, and I have no old friends in the territory of Falkriss.”

Levi puffed out her chest, looking very proud.

“Lund is also an outsider.”

“Mr. Lund is, of course, but his wife is a local.”

"Since she's so cautious, why not just keep these things to herself? If she doesn't say anything, no one else will know how to find out, right?"

"She was filled with regret and resentment, and she was still unwilling to accept it. Although she didn't say it outright, I could tell. She felt that if Baron Montoya hadn't messed around, the woman who married the Lord would most likely have been her daughter. After all, the Lady is a private... is... uh... I don't mean to disrespect the Lady..."

Sure enough, once women start gossiping, they throw all respect and caution to the wind. Lydia, caught up in the conversation, even mentioned in front of me that Irina was an illegitimate child.

I waved my hand, signaling her to continue.

"Anyway, Lady Montoya felt that her family could have formed a marriage alliance with the lord, and since their fiefs were adjacent, they would have had much more leverage in their territory. Even if they had received the news a few days earlier and left beforehand, they wouldn't have ended up in this situation. She can't swallow the fact that the culprit, Brandish, wasn't caught."

"I'm telling you, Lydia, she's using us as pawns. Why should I send people to avenge her family? Besides, what's the connection between Brandish and Bashana?"

“My lord, soldiers can’t just be trained; they still need to go to the battlefield. I know it’s risky, but a soldier who hasn’t seen blood is different from one who has. This isn’t something that can be trained; you have to let them fight for real. As for Brandish, he’s just one link in the smuggling chain; there must be someone upstream. Since you also said that Bashna might have entered the country from Sirodiil, isn’t it normal for him to be hiding south of Nugra Fortress?”

That seems to make sense. I nodded, but then I saw Lai Mei pick up the crossbow from the table.

"My lord, I have two more conditions..."

hiss……

Don't push your luck, girl!