Chapter 64 -64-Sensory Masking
Link pondered for a moment before answering, "Aside from all that, I guess the Orcs’ most unique trait must be... their strange customs?"
"Congratulations," Ryze snapped his fingers, grinning. "That’s the correct answer once again."
"Indeed, the most unusual thing about the Orcs lies in their odd behavior, which stands in stark contrast to that of most other moonfolk. Unlike the more aggressive races, Orcs have never shown any excessive hostility toward us humans. Sure, they have a strong sense of territoriality, but as long as you’re not dumb enough to swagger arrogantly into their homeland, they generally won’t bother you."
"If you look back at the centuries of conflict between humans and moonfolk, the Orcs are one of the few races that have remained neutral from beginning to end. Even now, academia still hasn’t reached a solid conclusion as to why this anomaly exists."
Listening to Ryze rattle off yet another stream of obscure knowledge, Link blinked and finally asked in confusion, "Mentor, you’ve told me so much already, but you still haven’t explained—why exactly are we going to the Skullsplitter Clan Highlands?"
Ryze let out a hearty laugh. "Ah, my apologies. That’s an old habit from my years of lecturing—hard to shake, I suppose. Ahem. The reason I’m bringing you to the Skullsplitter Clan is because they follow a custom that’s bizarre even by Orc standards."
"What kind of custom?" Link’s eyes widened with curiosity. He had no desire for wealth or fame—what burned within him was a boundless thirst for knowledge.
Leaning closer, Ryze lowered his voice and whispered mysteriously into Link’s ear: "They enslave and raise other moonfolk to serve them. And not just any moonfolk. Ordinary ones aren’t even worth their attention. The ones they target and keep... are all born with powerful talents."
"What?!"
Link couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.
Hearing strange lore explained like this is so much more interesting than just pulling it up from Lib’s archive.