123: Chapter 123 Finn

Meanwhile, in the forward airspace of the Cangyun Airspace.

Compared to Zhou An's island of over seven thousand square kilometers, what floated here was a true "behemoth."

It was a super-large core resource island with an area of at least fifty thousand square kilometers.

In the very center of the island stood a towering, continuous mountain peak.

The surface of the mountain looked as if it had been forcibly split open, exposing massive amounts of high-grade mineral veins.

At the boundary between the vast primeval forest and the plains at the foot of the mountain, wild beasts as large as armored vehicles were fleeing in a frenzy.

In the sky, hundreds of warships emblazoned with the emblem of a crimson crescent moon formed an iron net that blocked out the sun, tightly sealing off the entire island.

Countless rugged Orc Race warriors piloted low-altitude capture craft, laughing wildly as they threw electrified heavy alloy nets and anesthetic harpoons at the herd, conducting a brutal yet efficient large-scale hunt.

This was the headquarters of one of the three major hegemon forces of the Orc Race, the Blood Moon Guild.

Hovering quietly at the very top of this airspace was a massive LV6 warship—the [Blood Moon Throne].

Unlike ordinary Orc Race warships, this vessel leaned more towards human design, with a streamlined body full of aesthetic appeal.

The command cabin inside the flagship was less like a warship hub and more like a European medieval castle hall moved in its entirety.

The floor was covered with soft, expensive, solid-colored handmade cashmere rugs.

Overhead hung a giant polyhedral crystal chandelier emitting a soft, warm light. The surrounding bulkheads had been converted into tall solid wood bookshelves and display walls for famous paintings. In the corner, there was even an old-fashioned gramophone slowly turning, spilling out soothing piano music.

In front of a long mahogany dining table.

Finn, the supreme ruler of the Blood Moon Guild and a member of the werewolf race, sat quietly on a high-backed chair covered in velvet.

Unlike the violent werewolves like Commander Lucas, who were covered in black fur and had flesh-filled faces, Finn was a rare White Wolf royal.

He was slender and tall, his body covered in pure white fur without a single blemish, as smooth as the finest silk. He did not wear rough animal skins or heavy armor, but rather a form-fitting, exquisitely tailored dark gold vest over a pure white shirt with intricate lace cuffs.

He didn't even use his hands to grab food like other Orc Race members. Instead, he used pure silver cutlery to skillfully and leisurely cut a piece of medium-rare premium spirit venison steak on his plate into neat, square cubes, then delivered them to his mouth, chewing finely without making even a single rude sound.

Standing behind him was a human female.

She was a typical Western beauty with brilliant blonde hair and eyes as clear as sapphires. She was about 1.7 meters tall with a tall and full figure. At this moment, she was wearing a standard black-and-white maid outfit, with her hands clasped in front of her lower abdomen.

Around Nora's long, fair neck was a beautifully crafted black leather collar, with a shimmering ruby embedded in the center. A thin silver chain extended from the collar, resting casually on the back of Finn's chair.

"Clang—"

Finn gently set down the pure silver knife and fork, the collision making a slight, crisp sound. He pulled out a clean silk napkin and gently pressed it to the corners of his mouth.

"Nora."

Finn's light blue wolf eyes shifted slightly, his voice low and magnetic.

"Do you think my arrangement here still compares well to the estates of your human race's top nobility?"

Nora immediately stepped forward, curtsied slightly, lifted the skirt of her maid outfit with both hands, and performed a standard, flawless courtly bow.

"Answering Master."

Nora's voice was soft and submissive, carrying a unique Western accent.

"Your taste is impeccable. Whether it is this legendary-grade cashmere rug or the spacing of the tableware, even the most demanding royal butler from the Old World standing here would be amazed by the atmosphere you have created."

"Is that so?"

Finn leaned back in his chair, his long fingers lifting a wine glass, gently swirling the crimson liquid inside, a suggestive arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"You humans really are a species full of contradictions."

He tilted his head slightly, looking at his reflection in the wine glass, his tone as calm as if he were discussing a piece of exquisite art.

"Eating requires three sets of cutlery of different sizes; dressing involves undershirts, vests, and formal wear; even drinking a sip of wine requires attention to decanting time and the curvature of the glass... Truly tedious and meaningless rules."

But then he raised his eyes to look at Nora beside him, a hint of undisguised appreciation flashing in the depths of his eyes:

"However, I have to admit that in the realms of 'enjoyment' and 'sensory pleasure,' your human race is indeed ahead of all other species."

Finn extended his white silk-gloved hand, gently hooked the silver chain on Nora's neck, and pulled her closer.

Nora submissively knelt on the rug at his feet, pressing her cheek against his knee.

"If I let those trolls outside or my Black Wolf troops serve the plates, their rough claws would not only crush these fragile crystal glasses, but the pungent smell of blood on them would completely ruin this fine wine."

Finn's slender fingers gently threaded through and smoothed Nora's brilliant blonde hair, as if petting an expensive purebred Persian cat.

"Whether it is managing this hall or serving in the bedroom, the delicate skin, submissive posture, and the service-oriented nature engraved in your bones are far better than the females of our Orc Race."

He lowered his head, his light blue wolf eyes gazing at Nora's delicate face, and smiled slightly:

"Don't you think so, my most perfect little pet?"

"It is Nora's honor, Master."

Nora obediently closed her eyes, gently rubbing her cheek against Finn's gloved palm, putting herself in the humblest of positions.

But just then, a rush of footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Bang—!"

The heavy soundproof wooden door was rudely pushed open by brute force, the door hinges emitting a groan of overload.

A female werewolf over two meters tall, wearing dark black heavy spiked armor, strode in hastily.

Her heavy metal combat boots stepped heavily on the Persian cashmere rug, leaving several conspicuous dirty footprints. Her entire body exuded a thick smell of blood, as if she had just finished eating raw flesh.

"Big Brother! The summary of the outer perimeter battle report has been sent!"

The female werewolf yelled in a rough voice, the deafening sound instantly drowning out the soothing piano music from the gramophone.

This female werewolf was named Yala, Finn's younger sister, and also one of the core senior members of the Blood Moon Guild.

Finn's hand, resting on Nora's blonde hair, paused slightly. He did not get angry immediately, but slowly withdrew his hand, picked up a clean white wet towel from the dining table, and wiped his fingers one by one.

His light blue wolf eyes stared quietly at the dirty footprints on the rug.

"Yala."

Finn's voice was not loud, even somewhat gentle, but it carried a sense of oppression that made the surrounding air drop in temperature instantly: "I should have taught you many times. Knock before entering, and wait for permission. Also, the dirty mud on your feet is ruining this piece of art."

Hearing Finn's gentle tone, Yala, who had been rushing in, shuddered violently.

Orc instinct told her that once her seemingly refined big brother spoke in this tone, it meant a dangerous punishment. Her upright wolf ears instantly drooped, her original arrogant momentum vanished, and she hurriedly and clumsily took two steps back, exiting the rug area, and nervously wiped her hands on her armor.

"S-sorry."

Yala immediately corrected herself, lowering her head, her voice lowered to the most submissive degree.

"The front-line battle situation is too intense, I was anxious and forgot the rules."

Finn casually threw the towel he had finished using into a silver tray nearby, and Nora immediately crawled over obediently to take the tray away.

"Go on, what is the result?"

Finn picked up his wine glass, his tone returning to laziness.

Yala breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reported: "After a whole day of seizing, combined with the blitzkrieg tactics you personally set, our Blood Moon Guild has successfully occupied about thirteen thousand core resource islands! They are all currently under our control."

"Thirteen thousand..."

Finn nodded slightly, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes. Occupying thirteen percent of the one hundred thousand islands was already a very large foundation for a guild.

"How did those LV5 commanders perform?"

Finn swirled the wine glass in his hand and continued to ask.

Among the hundreds of thousands of Orc Race warriors in the Blood Moon Guild, there were only a little over three thousand elite commanders who had successfully upgraded their warships and their own strength to LV5. Each one was the guild's most valuable war asset.

"They were the main force in this island-seizing campaign."

Yala answered truthfully.

"On average, each LV5 commander led their own vassal fleet and occupied about three medium or large resource islands."

Speaking of this, Yala's face became a bit ugly, and her voice sank: "But... the losses were not small. Just in the last communication check, over fifty LV5 commanders... completely lost contact. Their life beacons and warship signals have disappeared from the zone network. It is highly likely they have been killed in battle."

Hearing the number "over fifty LV5 commanders dead," Finn's action of swirling the wine glass finally paused for a moment.

"Who did they die at the hands of?"

His voice revealed no joy or anger.

"According to the sporadic battle reports they sent back before dying, it was mainly the humans and the Winged Race who did it."

Yala said through gritted teeth, "Although the Winged Race killed our commanders, they were also beaten until they couldn't breathe by us. As for the humans, it was mainly the people from Sky City. Their equipment is too good, and they are well-trained. Sky City's strength is very strong, and our dispatched captains couldn't handle them for the time being."

Finn leaned back slightly in his chair, his long legs crossed.

"Do not conflict with Sky City for now. City Lord Zhao Tianyu is a ruthless character. That guy seems to have obtained God's Authority twice in the previous zone; he is not easy to deal with."

"Moreover, the next few days will be the real meat grinder. Now that the islands have been divided, the next step is the stage of mutual plunder."

Finn looked at Yala and issued instructions methodically:

"First, pass down the order to have all scattered fleets immediately tighten their formations and huddle together. Abandon those small islands with too remote geographical locations, concentrate the defense lines, and do not give other guilds the opportunity to single out and focus fire. At the same time, reduce conflicts with the Sky City fleet. As for humans outside of Sky City, it doesn't matter."

"Second, in order to stabilize morale, significantly increase the resource allocation for subordinates. From now on, for commanders and warriors who occupy islands, the guild headquarters will only extract thirty percent of the island's total output, and the remaining seventy percent will be left for them to use for repairing warships and restoring strength."

Yala's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Thirty percent? This will definitely boost the brothers' morale to the max!"

"Go arrange it. There is one last thing."

"Fully open the exchange authority for core components within the guild. As long as they are LV4 warriors, they can use the 'merit points' they obtained in this offensive and defensive battle to directly exchange with the headquarters for the special core components needed to upgrade to LV5."

"Since fifty-plus died, then use this land full of resources to catalyze another one hundred, two hundred LV5s."