Half-Moon Lake, Central Wooden Hut
Orion sat at the head of the table, with Delilah standing gracefully behind him.
To his left and right sat Prophet Onyx, Rendall, and Slagor, all of whom still looked at Orion with a mixture of awe and respect.
Even though it had only been a fragnt of Lord Ariel's will, the courage to challenge a Legendary-level being was not sothing just anyone could muster.
Orion glanced at the group, his deanor calm and unpretentious.
"Prophet, tell us more about these will projections."
Prophet Onyx hesitated, his gaze shifting toward Slagor.
Orion noticed and smiled faintly, his tone relaxed.
"It's fine. Slagor has proven himself a reliable partner in this battle."
Prophet Onyx nodded, organizing his thoughts before speaking.
"Chieftain, this story begins in my grandfather's ti."
"My grandfather was the previous Alpha of the Black Forest."
Orion nodded. He had already discussed this with Prophet Onyx before and knew that the previous Alpha of the Black Forest had co from the Obsidian Golem tribe.
"My grandfather was killed during a Myriad Races Invasion by a fragnt of Lord Ariel's will."
"Before he died, he used a secret technique to record the events of that battle. That's how I was able to recognize Lord Ariel's will projection."
"Chieftain, that's all I know about will projections."
Prophet Onyx fell silent, his expression heavy. Whether it was grief or sothing else, he chose not to elaborate further.
Orion studied Prophet Onyx for a mont but didn't press him. Instead, he turned to Slagor.
"Slagor, we've won this invasion. It's been a pleasure working with you."
Orion raised his goblet, clinking it with Slagor's from across the table.
The fiery beast-blood wine burned its way down Orion's throat, spreading a volcanic heat through his chest. He felt invigorated.
"As per our agreent, the won and children of the Geckos Tribe are yours. The rest will be integrated into the cannon fodder troops."
To be honest, the cannon fodder troops, composed of gnolls and satyrs, had suffered significant losses during the assault.
The primary reason for this was their lack of combat strength.
The Geckos, fighting on their ho turf, had easily overpowered the weaker gnolls and satyrs in one-on-one combat.
Fortunately, the invasion had been supported by Alpha-level powerhouses, and the combined forces of Orion and Slagor had been substantial.
Otherwise, the losses among the cannon fodder troops would have been catastrophic.
"Orion, I have no objections. I'm more than satisfied!"
Slagor's satisfaction was genuine. He could easily imagine how disastrous it would have been if he had attempted to take Half-Moon Island on his own.
He would have been utterly defeated.
Moreover, this invasion had even drawn in a fragnt of Lord Ariel's will. Slagor was more than happy to let Orion take the brunt of the pressure.
Orion glanced at Slagor, easily guessing what was on his mind.
"Slagor, our next target is Stormrage City. We'll need you to guide us there."
Slagor froze for a mont. By this point in the invasion, he had already gained enough population resources to satisfy his needs.
He had been considering withdrawing, but now he found himself trapped.
Since joining forces with Orion, Slagor had lost any opportunity to leave.
If he tried to forcefully break away, he suspected he might be surrounded and killed by Orion, Prophet Onyx, and Rendall.
And then there was the Abyssal Dragon Orion had hidden away.
The thought of the Abyssal Dragon actually eased Slagor's concerns sowhat. Orion's side was simply too powerful.
"Chieftain Orion, I have no objections."
With Slagor's agreent secured, Orion turned to Delilah.
"You heard him. Slagor values population above all else. Make sure his share of the spoils is allocated accordingly."
Delilah smiled seductively, swaying her hips as she left the wooden hut to handle the distribution of the spoils.
Once Delilah was gone, Orion fell into deep thought.
The unique environnt of Half-Moon Island made it a highly desirable location for Orion to claim.
Unfortunately, his horde lacked any water-adapted species, and the timing wasn't right to establish a permanent base here.
"Sigh…"
Orion's sigh caught Slagor's attention, who looked at him curiously.
"Honorable Chieftain Orion, why the sigh?"
Orion gazed out at the shallow waters of the lake, his tone calm.
"Slagor, you must know that Lord Gareth once promised
the right to claim a territory as my own."
"I'm wondering if I should claim this place."
Orion's words made Slagor visibly uncomfortable.
If Orion were to claim Half-Moon Lake as his territory, Slagor would have to pass through Orion's domain every ti he wanted to invade further south.
The thought made Slagor feel as though he had swallowed a can of spoiled fish.
"Hahaha… just kidding. With Lord Ariel now watching , I wouldn't dare claim this place as my territory!"
Hearing this, Slagor finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"This guy is just ssing with !" Slagor thought, realizing Orion had been teasing him.
"Orion, I'll go check on how many geckos are left."
Slagor stood and excused himself, leaving the wooden hut.
Orion nodded, making no move to stop him.
Slagor was an Alpha-level powerhouse, not one of Orion's subordinates. There was no reason to detain him.
In truth, Orion had been teasing Slagor to subtly encourage him to leave.
Slagor, having caught on to Orion's intentions, found an excuse to step out.
"Prophet, you can speak freely now."
Once Slagor was gone, Orion turned to Prophet Onyx.
"Chieftain, according to the information left by my grandfather, will projections are a unique ability of Legendary-level beings."
"It's a terrifying power born from their transcendent strength and their own mind."
"A single fragnt of a Legendary-level being's will, if used properly, can hold off an ordinary Alpha-level powerhouse."
This revelation didn't seem to surprise Prophet Onyx or Rendall much.
But for Orion, it was like a beacon of light, illuminating the path to his own advancent.
Previously, Orion had learned that advancing to the Legendary level required a Lord's Stone and a territory.
Now, he had gained insight into the abilities of Legendary-level beings.
From this, Orion quickly deduced two key points:
1. The Lord's Stone wasn't just a requirent for advancing to the Legendary level—it likely held the secret to unlocking transcendent power.
2. Transcendent power was what allowed Legendary-level beings to manifest their will and manipulate extraordinary forces, such as ntal energy or even faith.
Orion's mind raced with possibilities.
But for now, Legendary-level power remained an unattainable dream for Orion.
He glanced at the silent Prophet Onyx and Rendall, then reached into his pouch and pulled out the S-rank crystal core left behind by Beast Raxt.
"I want to give this crystal core to Delilah. I want her to try and see if she can advance to Alpha-level."
"While we're out here fighting, having one more Alpha-level powerhouse ans greater safety for all of us."
Orion paused, ensuring he had their full attention before continuing.
"According to the rules I set before, this crystal core should go to Lilith."
"But this is a special situation, and special situations call for special asures."
"What do you think?"
Prophet Onyx and Rendall didn't respond imdiately. Both closed their eyes, deep in thought.
After a long silence, Prophet Onyx finally spoke.
"Chieftain, your proposal is for the safety of the horde and the benefit of everyone. I support it."
"However, setting this precedent might lead to unnecessary disputes and conflicts within the horde in the future."
Orion nodded. Prophet Onyx's reminder was fair and insightful.
Distributing Alpha-level resources like this could indeed set a precedent for future cases.
This ant that the allocation of such resources needed to be justified, conditional, and carefully handled to set the right example.
Orion stroked his chin, montarily unsure of how to proceed.
"Orion, I support your decision!" Rendall's voice broke the silence.
"The Stoneheart Horde must have rules, and we must follow them."
"But I also believe the horde needs soone who can break the rules when necessary."
"That soone is you, Orion."
Rendall's reasoning was simple: no matter what Orion decided, he would support it.
Yet, this simple thought sparked an epiphany for Orion.
The Stoneheart Horde needed order, but it also needed a supre authority capable of creating and breaking that order when necessary.
It was a profound and wise idea.
Orion stared at Rendall, suddenly feeling that beneath his hulking, brutish exterior lay a surprising brilliance.
Even Prophet Onyx seed taken aback by Rendall's suggestion.
"Alright, here's what we'll do," Orion said after a mont of thought.
"I'll publicly award the S-rank crystal core to Elder of Stewardship Delilah as a reward. The reason will be her contributions in recovering Clyne's head."
"Those who contribute will be rewarded."
"At the sa ti, I'll issue a special announcent to the entire horde: during warti, any Alpha-level crystal cores obtained from kills will be made available to all elders, but they must be exchanged for rit points."
"This will also be an opportunity to establish a rit system for both the horde and the cannon fodder troops."
As Orion spoke, his excitent grew. What had initially seed like a dilemma now felt like an opportunity to improve the Stoneheart Horde's internal structure.
Prophet Onyx and Rendall's eyes lit up.
To them, Orion was a natural leader, always able to make wise and tily decisions in critical monts.
"Dace, summon Delilah. Tell her it's an ergency council eting."
The guard outside the hut responded promptly and ran off.
Monts later, Delilah entered the wooden hut. Seeing the serious expressions on Orion, Onyx, and Rendall's faces, she assud sothing bad had happened.
"Chieftain, you called for ?"
Orion nodded, gesturing for her to take a seat.
Without wasting ti, he retrieved a wooden box from his Bagbird Pouch and sent it floating into Delilah's hands.
"Inside is an S-rank crystal core, taken from Beast Raxt."
"You've made significant contributions by recovering Clyne's head."
"You also discovered the saintess of the Garland Tribe, which is another great achievent."
"After consulting with the elders, we've decided to award this crystal core to you. We hope it will help you advance your strength to the next level."
"Delilah, don't let us down."
The suddenness of it all left Delilah montarily stunned.
She clutched the wooden box tightly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Orion.
Orion, feeling slightly uncomfortable under her intense gaze, rolled his eyes and spoke lazily.
"It's real."
"Special circumstances, special treatnt."
"As the Stewardship Elder of the Stoneheart Horde, you're too weak."
Delilah blinked, then looked down at the box in her hands before raising her head to ask, "What about Lilith? If I'm not mistaken, this should have been her resource."
Delilah, despite her rivalry with Lilith, still cared about her twin sister when it ca to important matters.
Hearing Lilith's na, Orion explained the rit system he had discussed with Rendall and Onyx.
"The rit system is still in its early stages and needs refinent. That's where you co in."
"When we return, all rewards will be distributed according to this system."
Delilah, understanding the reasoning behind the decision, sighed softly. "So that's how it is."
She was deeply moved.
"For the horde, I am willing—"
Delilah began to speak, but Orion cut her off.
"We know what you're going to say. But words an nothing compared to action."
"Focus on refining the rit system. Gather experienced personnel and get it done quickly."
"We'll be resting on Half-Moon Island for half a month. Use this ti to train and improve yourself."
"If you need additional resources, take them from the spoils and let
know."
Delilah nodded, her gratitude evident. Orion had not only entrusted her with an important task but also given her an opportunity to accumulate more rit.
The half-month rest period was clearly ant to give her ti to grow stronger.
"It seems everything I've done for this man has been worth it. Giving my body to him was the perfect decision!"
The thought crossed Delilah's mind, and with it ca a flood of lewd ideas.
"Next ti, I'll take the initiative. I'll make sure Orion takes
from anus again!"
---
Thunderwood Forest, Stormrage City
Stormrage City was ho to the Thunderstorm Bearn, a large and powerful tribe.
With a population of over 100,000, all of whom were Thunderstorm Bearn, it was a formidable force.
The tribe had produced three Alpha-level powerhouses: Greenstorm, Darkbolt, and Silvershock, three brothers easily distinguished by the colors of their fur—green, black, and silver-gray, respectively.
At this mont, the three brothers were hosting a feast in their stone hall, entertaining an Alpha-level harpy nad Thunderwing, who had been sent by Lord Ariel as reinforcents.
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