Chapter 414: The Highland Tribes

The one who was happiest about receiving the inheritance of the King of the Hills wasn’t Arthur himself, but his half-orc friend Dobby.
The half-orcs, who had been conquered by the array of Dalaran’s culinary traditions invented by Donald, now held important positions such as head chef in the lord’s manor. Ancient archmages had often employed half-orcs as chefs—after all, those mad scientists, once immersed in experiments, often forgot to eat, making it crucial to hire excellent stewards and chefs!
As for stewards, intelligent constructs and alchemical puppets could suffice, but trying to have those constructs and golems cook would result in food so terrible it could kill orcs!
Thus, the naturally kind half-orcs, who were all excellent chefs skilled in cooking and needed strong protection due to their weakness, became the perfect candidates for chefs in the arcane towers and Sky City.
It was clear that the culinary talents of these intelligent beings were truly extraordinary!
Ever since Dobby entered the lord’s manor’s kitchen, he became immersed in the world of cuisine.
With Dalaran’s current level of commercial development, specialty ingredients from various regions in the north, fresh seafood from the Fallen Star Bay and Swordhorn Peninsula, and even foods from the neighboring continent were constantly delivered to Dalaran through various means. For Dobby, this was like a weaver entering a embroidery workshop—perfect for showing off his skills!
Soon, a series of dishes created by Dobby’s culinary art became the signature recipes of the Dalaran lord’s manor. He skillfully combined the cooking methods from his past life, as recalled by Donald, with the local cooking techniques, adding his own years of culinary experience to create flavors that were not only delicious but also unique and varied. These dishes conquered everyone in the lord’s manor.
If any other faction dared to kidnap this beloved half-orc head chef in Dalaran, without Donald even having to speak, the many powerful beings in the realm would likely launch a war over it!
Although half-orcs had flaws such as curiosity, cunning, and a tendency to take advantage, their hearts were kinder than those of ordinary humans. At most, they might play harmless pranks to bring laughter, but they would never deliberately harm others. Interacting with such people often brought joy and peace.
This was also the main reason why Donald and the others loved this playful little head chef.

Previously, Donald had learned from Arthur that the culture of the Highlanders was inherited from the traditions of the ancient giants. During the Age of the Arcane Empire, giants or their descendants often fought as followers of arcane lords. Even during the Age of the Banai Magic Empire a thousand years ago, the mage lords had Highlanders as their followers. Thus, in the ancient histories and legends passed down through generations among the Highlanders, the profession of spellcasters was depicted as extremely powerful and great. With this belief, these relatively simple-minded Highlanders would never miss the opportunity to follow a powerful mage once they encountered one they admired. When Donald learned this, he formed a rough idea in his mind. His own territory already had many mages, and if he could acquire a group of powerful Highland warrior followers who would continue this lineage generation after generation, even without his own formidable strength, Dalaran could establish itself among the nations of the continent. It should be noted that ordinary Highland youths, even before reaching adulthood, already possessed combat skills comparable to those of human bronze-level warriors, and upon reaching adulthood, they all had silver-level strength. If organized on a large scale, they could become a powerful military force surpassing the elite troops of various kingdoms. The bloodline of the ancient giants granted the Highlanders a natural talent for physical strength. Geniuses like Arthur, with strong genetic talents, though rare, could probably be found in every generation. If it weren’t for their lower fertility due to these strong genetic traits, they would have conquered human society thousands of years ago and wouldn’t have been forced to migrate to the cold, desolate frozen highlands! Now, Arthur’s strength was already approaching gold level. Once he mastered the traditions of the King of the Hills, he could become a gold-level warrior. By then, sending him back to his tribe would almost certainly secure his position as chief without any competition. According to Arthur, Highland tribes generally determined their chiefs based on strength. The chief, as a symbol of the tribe, had to be the strongest warrior. As for handling the complex affairs of the territory, that was left to the wise elders. This tradition had persisted for countless years, allowing the many Highland tribes to maintain a relatively stable situation. Living in the harsh conditions of the frozen highlands, the pressures of survival and threats from nature were enough to drive generations of Highlanders to hone their combat skills. Moreover, the frozen highlands were so vast that the various tribes saw no need to fight each other and cause unnecessary deaths and injuries!

Influenced by Celtic beliefs, Donald had previously ignored the areas north of Mount Izumo! Since human presence was discovered there, it must have potential for development. His own territory already had elven populations, so he didn’t mind adding more plateau dwellers. He could then have Arthur, that young plateau native, conquer the entire plateau society. Even if it failed, it didn’t matter—after all, he didn’t care much about the number of mortal territories. Mortal rulers feared their nobles growing too powerful, but a world with true gods was fundamentally different from a godless world like Earth. With true gods’ control over mortals, why would they care about such things? In fact, if Donald hadn’t gone to such lengths for his own sake and ensured the territories he left behind could stand on their own among the many forces on the continent, he, who didn’t place much value on faith, wouldn’t have planned to acquire more territories outside Dalaran! For a deity, what use are money, beauty, or land? They’re just resources. As true gods, it’s far too easy for them to obtain these worldly pleasures! For true gods like the Lord of Dawn, who rely heavily on faith, suppressing the development of civilization and adopting policies to keep the faithful in ignorance, treating them like sheep, is the best choice. In fact, many true gods do exactly this. Highly developed civilizations aren’t good for gods who need worship—no wonder entire worlds remain in a medieval state even after tens of thousands of years of development!