After entering the mountain, the Kobolds became excited. Leone and Maximus then took them to the underground tunnels, where digging projects were underway.

For the time being, he didn’t bring them to the location where the prisoners of war were working since that might cause some complications in the future.

Maximus proudly showed them the place where the warriors of the Bloodtusk Tribe and the Stormhorn Tribe were currently digging.

These were the locations where their homes would be built, so they were doing their best to expand the cavern they were tasked to work on.

"I didn’t know that humans liked digging!" one of the Kobolds exclaimed.

"Humans who love digging are good people," another Kobold commented. "This tribe is a good tribe."

The Kobolds were even itching to start digging themselves so they could have their own underground homes.

But for the time being, Leone brought them to the hidden valley that would become their temporary homes.

The tribe members of the Aslan Tribe that were proficient in using medicine tended to the injuries of the Kobolds.

While this was happening, Leone, his vassals, and the representatives of the Kobolds gathered at the village square to talk about the Orcs that drove them away.

"Earlier, you said the Orcs numbered in the hundreds, perhaps even reaching a thousand," Leone said calmly. "Do you know where they are from?"

Skarn shook his head. "They just arrived one day and declared that the forest was now their territory. They clashed with the Goblins, but the Goblins didn’t stand a chance against them. There were simply too many of them. In the end, the Goblins were wiped out.

"Then and there, we decided to migrate. But we weren’t fast enough. A hundred of our warriors decided to stay behind to hold them back while we escaped."

Skarn didn’t know what became of their warriors. But frankly, their chances of survival were very slim.

Leone nodded in understanding before lightly patting Blitz’s head. "Blitz, go and investigate the Orcs. If you see any Kobold survivors, report it to me right away."

*Squeak!*

The squirrel saluted in response before leaving the scene to carry out its Master’s orders.

Leone also planned to send Otto at a later time. But first, he wanted his other vassals to gain a better understanding of the Orc Tribe that suddenly appeared at the northern edge of the forest.

"Do these Orcs look like regular orcs?" Leone asked. "Are they green-skinned or gray-skinned?"

Orcs had different variants. Green-skinned Orcs were the most common, and they lived in large groups that could threaten any human cities they set their sights on.

On the other hand, the gray-skinned Orcs were more aggressive and more territorial than the green-skinned orcs. They were also slightly stronger than them.

Though, last but not the least, were the High Orcs.

They were the strongest race of Orcs. These Orcs were not only very strong, but incredibly cunning as well.

They could use strategies that would put the dirtiest Goblin strategist to shame. The High Orcs didn’t care about the method they used as long as they could secure victory against their foes.

Their skin color was bronze. If the race of Orcs that drove the Kobolds away from their homes were High Orcs, then Leone needed to take this seriously.

According to Daedalus, the weakest Orc Warrior would be at the peak of Rank 2. This meant that most of them were at least Rank 3, matching Ulric’s strength before he became a vassal.

"They were gray-skinned," Skarn answered. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Thank you." Leone nodded. "Please rest and treat the hidden valley as your home. If you want to start digging, then you have my permission to do so. Just coordinate with Maximus."

"Gau!" Maximus patted its chest as if saying that he would handle this matter perfectly.

Skarn then thanked Leone and the Aslan Tribe members who tended to their injured brethren. They were truly tired from their long journey. So, the moment they finally felt that they were safe, most of the Kobolds decided to sleep inside the empty houses in the hidden valley.

When Leone returned to the ramparts that overlooked the forest, Vlad and his protector, Zed, were already there waiting for him.

"Leone, are those Kobolds now part of the Aslan Tribe?" Vlad asked, his eyes brimming with excitement.

"They’re not yet part of the Aslan Tribe," Leone replied. "For now, they are our allies who are willing to help us in return for allowing them to live alongside us inside Grimjaw Mountain."

"Amazing!" Vlad was very impressed that Leone managed to convince the Kobolds to become his allies. "Though, why do you look concerned? Is there a problem?"

"Yes, there is a problem," Leone nodded. "The Kobolds had been forced to leave their home because they were chased out by Orcs. I sent Blitz and Otto to investigate if they pose a threat to the Aslan Tribe."

Truth be told, Leone also wanted to talk to the Orcs and propose a non-aggression pact with them.

If possible, he would want them to become his allies. However, by doing so, the Kobolds’ favorability rating of him might hit rock bottom.

But right now, he would rather have the Kobolds as his allies than the Orcs. Leone found their specialty of digging underground tunnels more important than anything else.

"Orcs?" Vlad’s face immediately turned pale. "Those are very savage monsters. My father used to say that a good Orc is a dead Orc."

Leone couldn’t help but chuckle internally. The nobles in the kingdom of Britannia also had the same belief.

However, he was different.

He had the ability to talk to animals and monsters, after all. Although the chances of having a positive relationship with the Orcs was very low, Leone was still willing to try.

Right now, he wished to focus his attention and manpower on the possible war against the Darkmane Tribe.

The last thing he wanted to do now was wage war against some Orcs that had taken the northern part of Grimjaw Forest as their territory.

If the Orcs were merely a wandering tribe, then negotiations might still be possible.

But if they had truly come to conquer...

Then Leone would have no choice but to also make preparations to deal with them alongside the preparations that were being done against the upcoming conflict with the Darkmane Tribe.