Diggy Diggy Hole Chapter 30 Alt Pov (Patreon)

The throne room of Nan Gau's imperial castle and Miao Ying's own residence was ice cold in a heavy silence as she stared at the lesser lieutenant who had gone with the dragon-blooded general she had sent to scout for her wayward army, making dwarf.

Her slitted stormy eyes had literal sparks of lightning leaving them as her ample chest most certainly didn't heave in frustration. As she glared at the man kneeling on the ground.

"I told General Yuan Che to scout out where Kharn was... Why did your leader engage in the Ogre Kingdom he somehow recruited?" Miao Ying whispered.

Her whisper all but the raised claw of the mighty dragon she was that was going to crush him into a wet and messy paste.

The lieutenant with thin dragon blood himself swallowed, and gathering his courage, he said quietly. "He... He wanted the glory of returning the dwarf to your service my lady. As you may know. He was related by two generations to the clerk who had Kharn's supply of ores and metals ruined."

There was a pause as Miao Ying exhaled and said in realization. "The dishonor... He felt that in time he would have lost his own power to say nothing of his own clan being diminished as with Kharn, leaving the rest of the generals would have had their own automatons augmented with his creations. Besides his own troop, due to the connection."

The lieutenant had no answer as although he had the blessing of dragon blood. It was thin, too thin for him to truly matter in Grand Cathay with his lacking talent for magic as well.

So it wasn't his place to say anything about the machinations of the noble clans and military families that provided Nan-Gau with a dedicated work force, money, and elite units.

Still Miao Ying could only brush a hand across her face as this situation... Was as awkward as possible.

What did it say about her rule of the Great Bastion, in the immortal lands of Great Cathay that she allowed a talent who could give her an immortal, untiring soldier's was forced out by internal corruption.

To say nothing of her honored father and mother's disappointment... What of her siblings? How would they look down upon her, the firstborn and most exalted of the Heavenly Dragon Emperor's court? How would they look upon her with such a stain of failure!

Miao Ying's hands on her throne clenched. The platinum-lined throne she sat upon warped as it burned red hot from the lightning that leaked from her furious form at the thought.

She imagined her rival brother in her father's trust and his executioner in Yuan Bo would also look upon her with disappointment and scorn at such a failure!

"How many in numbers strong is the Ogre tribe that surrounds Kharn. How has he fortifed the mountain he has taken?" Miao Ying demanded of the man.

He swallowed and said quietly. "Too strong my lady. When we arrived it was already five thousand strong. And even as we made our way there with your imperial seal. We saw several tribes going there as well to join this new Ogre Kingdom

Those two words... 'Ogre Kingdom' It left a foul taste in the back Miao Ying's mouth as Ogres were always a dirty people unfit for civilization. Especially when they ate entire civilizations like the Sky Giants from existence.

Still there was a simple reality that made Miao Ying snap at the man. "Try... Again Lieutenant Xiao Chu. Tell me such a bald faced lie and I will kill you personally."

Because there was... No possible way that five thousand, if not much more, ogres could actually settle anywhere.

They were a plague of giant locusts for a reason. They ate trees, they ate monsters, demons, it didn't matter what they came across... They would eat everything they came across in gross excess that should have made them Slaanesh cultists if they weren't naturally chaos resistant.

That and just too stupid to even be a cultist to begin with. Also, their faith in the Great Maw kept them from being corrupted as well.

Still the man quivered before he said firmly as he knew it was his only lifeline. "My lady! Mercy please! I tell no lies I swear! The Ogre Kingdom's leader said that Kharn was the one producing the food in a round a bout way!"

That made Miao Ying so angry that she laughed. "Ha! You think me a fool? The Dawi people, however skilled smiths, artisans and builders they are. They do not have the magic to raise massive fields of wheat and rice to feed such a tide of gluttony!"

The lieutenant bowed his head groveling as he said with utter sincerty. "My lady! It was that Ogre, Shaggit who attacked us the moment we said we were there to take him back to Grand Cathay. He roared and screamed with his other men screaming that we woudn't take their food away from them."

That made Miao Ying pause in thought. As the threat OF taking their food away would in fact, make an Ogre tribe lose all sense, even in the face of Grand Cathay's seal that the general carried.

Finally, Miao Ying spoke slowly and bluntly. "What exactly did the Ogre say? Word for word?"

The lieutenant's face twitched, and he said helplessly. "Ye little un's tryin to steal our booze and foodins. Wez gonna make stew outta ya and ya horses into jerky." 

Miao Ying's face pinched as she could imagine the scene herself... Then she sighed as she said in disbelief. "Ogre's almost never lie. They are but too stupid to consider it. And someone or something is clearly feeding that new Ogre kingdom."

But then from a side room a well-dressed maid pushed open the door with Miao Ying's glowing eye's stabbing at her form before the maid spoke fearfully.

"My lady, the Star Gazer's and prophets have brought important news to you!"

She took the letter bound in gold and sealed with a jade imperial ring, and as she began reading the note... Her face actually paled as the message was all too clear.

[The furious axe will be quenched with dragon's blood. Grudges bring flames to the empire, and traitors will abound as mountains crumble.]