"Heh... I know why you're so worried!" Gareth chuckled again, not to mock Orion, but amused by his cautiousness. "Orion, you might not know this, but there's a sort of Lord's Pact on this continent."
"Lords in the far north aren't supposed to invade other territories while those lords are away on southern invasions." Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire
The Lord's Pact. This was the most valuable piece of information Orion had heard all day.
"So, no lord would willingly break this pact unless they have a death wish, want to be universally hated, or are looking to donate their territory to soone else."
Orion's face remained expressionless, but his mind was racing. Before hearing about this pact, he'd felt constrained. Now, he felt a sense of liberation.
This pact was essentially the lords of the far north banding together for mutual protection. With this pact, as long as he was strong enough, Orion could launch a southern invasion without worrying about his own territory being attacked.
"What happens if the pact is broken?" This was Orion's primary concern. He needed to know the consequences and whether he could handle them.
"The surrounding lords can then invade the offending lord's territory under the banner of upholding the pact. They carve it up amongst themselves."
"Orion, breaking the pact cos at a steep price."
Orion nodded. The price was indeed steep, putting the violator in a desperate situation. And it would completely destroy their reputation. No other lord would ally with a pact-breaker.
...
"Thunderwood Forest is in turmoil. Looks like your Half-Moon Lake has benefited quite a bit!" Gareth changed the subject to Half-Moon Lake, seeing that Orion had fallen silent.
The previous Lord of Thunderwood Forest, Ariel, had died, and the harpies had scattered. Gareth had spent considerable ti and effort reorganizing the area.
During this reorganization, many races had migrated to Half-Moon Lake, including the Garland Tribe.
"Orion, the Garland Tribe has pledged allegiance to . I've heard there are mbers of the Garland Tribe in Half-Moon Lake. May I bring them back?"
The corners of Orion's mouth turned up in a slight smile. Only now did he understand that Gareth's invitation and inquiry about the southern invasion were rely a pretense.
Her true purpose was to retrieve the enchanting Garland Tribe mbers and bring them back to her territory.
"Lord Gareth, there are no Garland Tribe mbers in Half-Moon Lake!"
"If you don't believe , you can search Half-Moon Lake yourself."
Orion shook his head, feigning ignorance and avoiding a direct refusal. He wasn't technically lying. At this mont, there were indeed no Garland Tribe mbers in Half-Moon Lake.
Thundar had brought those won to Blackstone City last year. They were confined within the city, enchanting buildings and the city walls.
And, it should be ntioned, the Garland Tribe won were quite attractive. Apart from a few who were chosen by Lilith and Delilah as subordinates, the rest were allocated to the elders. Now, they have beco the won of the elders, and so are even bearing their offspring.
Gareth understood. She wasn't getting those Garland Tribe mbers back. And she wasn't stupid. If she actually entered Half-Moon Lake to search, she'd be guilty of invasion.
"Lord Orion, I await your ssenger next spring!"
The abyssal dragon let out a low growl and turned, slowly disappearing into the forest. Only Gareth's words lingered in the air.
"My ssenger next spring, huh?"
"I suppose I should get a ssenger of my own!" Orion muttered to himself, urging his own abyssal dragon into the opposite side of the forest.
…
Half a month later, in the Horde Hall of Blackstone City…
The council eting concluded. The horde's alpha-level elders, hearing about the Lord's Pact for the first ti, were filled with mixed emotions. They hadn't realized such an unwritten agreent existed among the lords.
Of course, after Orion explained the pact, the elders, in their discussion, identified several loopholes. However, exploiting those loopholes wasn't worth the risk of provoking a lord's wrath.
...
That day, Orion sat alone on his throne, imrsing his mind in the Survivor's Platform.
Champions Alliance, internal channel.
Hulk: "Mr. Leonidas, the fighting here is over. I'm ready to tag along and see the world with you guys."
Leonidas: "Hahaha, no problem! I'll chat with you later!"
Edward: "Leonidas, Arthas, don't get yourselves into too much trouble!"
Leonidas: "Deputy Commander, don't you worry. This invasion of the godforsaken land will be a piece of cake. No danger at all."
Seeing Deputy Commander Edward's ssage, Orion felt a sense of unease, like he'd been tricked. But he'd already committed, and he wasn't one to back out.
Besides, the thunderhawk had returned with news that the northern ice plains were quiet. Lord Jorik showed no signs of wanting to invade.
In other words, if Orion didn't participate in the cross-realm invasion this year, he'd have nothing to do but stay in his territory, making love with his won.
"Bro, what do I need to prepare?" Orion ssaged Arthas, still feeling a little apprehensive.
"Gather your troops. The more, the rrier!"
"Just wait. Leonidas will have everything else sorted out in three days, tops."
"This is mainly a land-based operation, so don't bring any navy, alright?"
Arthas replied quickly, telling Orion what he needed to do.
Not long after, Leonidas sent Orion an invitation to a public channel.
The channel had four mbers: Leonidas, Arthas, Kraken, and Orion.
Leonidas: "Kraken reached out to , said he wants in too. I figured since that godforsaken land has a couple of big islands, his deep-sea armies might actually co in handy."
Leonidas explained in the channel. Arthas and Orion remained silent. Kraken hadn't been able to resist the temptation and had contacted Leonidas, expressing his desire to join the invasion.
Leonidas had initially refused. However, after discussing it with Arthas, he'd surprisingly agreed to Kraken's request.
Arthas's reasoning was that by comparing Kraken and Orion, they could gauge Orion's true strength.
This operation was Leonidas's initiative. Orion and the others had no decision-making power.
Just as Orion was hesitating about whether to type "No objections," Leonidas initiated a trade with him.
Leonidas offered two gleaming golden scrolls, tied together with ribbons.
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