Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 317: Loyalty is key

At that thought, Orion swept his gaze around the room and spoke calmly:

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"The prophet makes a good point. After we melt down this batch of materials, eighty percent of it goes toward arming the Horde’s Hunting Party, cavalry regiment, and the management tier of the cannon fodder troops. The remaining twenty percent, combined with some specialized wood and bone, will be used to make weapons for everybody else in the cannon fodder ranks."

Having settled the matter of materials, he continued:

"Over the past couple of days, I’ve asked around, and everyone’s got a pretty positive view of the Thunderstorm Bearmen. So, I’ve decided to draw thirty thousand people out of the cannon fodder troops and officially make them our Horde’s ninth major race."

The atmosphere in the chamber grew noticeably uncertain for a moment, as most of those present frowned and tried to puzzle out the implications.

Allowing the Thunderstorm Bearmen to join the Horde meant shifting the balance of power. It might not happen immediately, but it surely would in the future.

In the Stoneheart Horde, the largest group was unquestionably the giants—Orion’s own people—whose ancestral homeland included both Moonshadow Valley and Blackstone City. Next in line were the succubi, buffalofolk, obsidian golems, and cave spiders.

Over the years, the succubi, buffalofolk, and giants had intermarried heavily. These four races basically formed the Horde’s main pillars. Only then came gnolls, lizardmen, and trolls, later additions whose power—and standing—lagged behind.

Certain smaller communities, like the Garland Tribe and serpentfolk, were too few in number to count as a full-fledged "major race."

"Out of those thirty thousand, twenty thousand spots go to the Thunderstorm Bearmen. I only want the best of the best. The remaining ten thousand will be divided: eighty percent for the gnolls, and the last twenty percent for geckos and satyrs."

Orion had put a lot of thought into these ratios.

"The thirty thousand we pull from the cannon fodder troops need to be absorbed by the Hunting Party, cavalry regiment, and Sentinel Corps, scattering them so they can fully integrate into the Stoneheart Horde."

In truth, ever since the cave spider armies had come into being, the role of cannon fodder troops overlapped a lot with the spiders. But Orion had continued using the cannon fodder forces as a population inflow method—ensuring a steady stream of potential new blood for the Horde.

Whenever they took captives, those individuals were put through the furnace of the cannon fodder troops, and whoever made it through was the real deal. Even if they weren’t super smart, they definitely had enough sense to recognize a shot at a better life—so they’d cling to it in a heartbeat.

Orion’s gaze landed on Thundar. Though his tone stayed casual, the pressure in his voice was clear.

"Thundar, with this cavalry expansion, I want at least ten thousand active cavalry ready for real combat. If you end up short on mounts, go talk to Lorelia—she can get you some sturdy juvenile spiders."

Thundar stood, pressing his right hand against his chest.

"My lord, I’ll get it done. I’ve admired those Bearmen’s fighting prowess for a while now."

Orion nodded, then turned to Delilah and Onyx.

"From now on, every three years, we pick some elite troops out of the cannon fodder ranks and incorporate them into the Horde. That’s how we’ll gradually strengthen ourselves. But remember: loyalty is key."

Delilah and Onyx were quick on the uptake—they understood exactly what Orion was implying.

After all, the real question was, "Who can we be sure is loyal?" And the best guarantee was to have them bound by a formal contract, akin to magical pacts.

As people like to say, "only magic can beat magic, and only slaves can truly control slaves."

Orion’s plan was to give more fodder troops that glimmer of hope, so they’d fight harder for a shot at freedom and a better life.

Once that topic was done, Orion fell silent. Lilith picked up where he left off:

"In this campaign, we secured fifteen hundred rare magical plants. Those that were mature have gone into Horde stock; those still growing have been transplanted into our magical plant nursery.

We also picked up thirteen types of rare ores—a total of seven hundred fifty-six pieces—and stored them in the warehouse."

Orion looked at Lilith but did not speak. He knew that technically they’d found fourteen distinct types—plus a dozen Rebirth Stones he’d set aside for himself, unlisted in the official tally.

"We also obtained sixteen casks of mutated poison blood from Alpha-level fighters, which we’ve added to the stock. …"

Lilith named off the items one by one, and everyone else hung on her words. Much of it was directly useful to them.

Finally, Lilith tucked away her little booklet and glanced around the room.

"Our last big gain is the weapon transcendence technique."

She pulled out a scroll laden with diagrams and text, laying it flat on the table in the center.

"This is a method of forging weapons that any Alpha-level being can use. It’s designed to produce a weapon that fuses with the unique traits of its owner, allowing a fighter and their weapon to meld and boost their battle power."

Onyx, Thundar, Earthshaker, Slagor, and the rest immediately picked up on what she meant.

In Godforsaken Land, they’d encountered plenty of Alpha fighters who could morph themselves into a weapon-like form to ramp up their destructive might.

Some Legendary-level opponents had done the same—like that night elf lord in the eastern sector, who could transform into an arrow for additional firepower.

"But," Lilith continued, "it demands some extremely unusual ores—like magic crystals or cursed blood…"

"As for cursed blood, the Horde’s actually collected a fair amount during our invasion. But for the rest of the materials, we’ll have to keep an eye open. You elders should be on the lookout."

Lilith’s words were pointed. If these transformable weapons were to be crafted, they’d ultimately go to those gathered here in the council. So the job of hunting down those exotic ingredients fell on them, too.

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When she was finished, Lilith returned to her seat.

"Delilah," Orion spoke up, "once the meeting’s over, organize a list of these rare materials and make sure everyone here gets a copy."

Delilah nodded. As Elder of Stewardship, she was the go-to person for that kind of task.

"All right, let’s hear about the southern front," Orion said, shifting the discussion to the Myriad Races Invasion down south, now that they’d covered all things Godforsaken Land.

Delilah mulled over her words for a moment before replying:

"Because Half-Moon Lake hosts a whole bunch of different races, we brought quite a few of them under our banner as scouts. Some have already infiltrated various parts of Thunderwood Forest—though it’s been tough, we’ve gotten a foothold."

There was a hint of pride in her tone—at least, until she got to the next part, where her mood dropped.

"However, the region near Lokiviria is a problem. Besides scattered beasts, it’s basically crawling with these two-horned cockroach people—and our scouts can’t blend in at all."