"Why is it getting cold, Athena? I thought winter wasn't supposed to start for another couple of months," Alex asked on their way back.

"Technically, winter has already begun. However, the harshest part of winter should start in a little over two months," Athena replied.

"Damn, we still don't have our warehouses filled or even enough warehouses. What about your tribe? Are they well-prepared?"

"They haven't received me yet... but I heard they're well-prepared."

"I see. I'm really sorry about that."

Athena just nodded at Alex's apology.

Unfortunately for Alex's faction, he still needed to tour various tribes since he had been recognized and proposed trade with the forest. Alex was tasked with visiting different alphas, introducing himself and his faction, and offering to trade. He doubted any would agree to trade right away, but it was a necessary step.

Back in Alex's capital two weeks later:

"The front has completely stalled then," Kragash summarized.

"Yes, the temperature has started to drop drastically, and it's becoming increasingly difficult to fight in these conditions. Every expedition is riskier, and we don't have appropriate clothing," Atasha responded.

"What do you think the young man would suggest?" Atarra asked.

"King Alex anticipated the arrival of winter. Although he never experienced one in Glamoria, he gathered enough information in Nyxhaven. His plan was to halt the offensive and focus on building defenses to withstand incursions, and primarily homes and warehouses to shelter our population and keep our reserves protected," Kragash replied.

"Any idea how much we need to build?" Lark asked.

"That's your job. You should know how many people you have and how many houses you'll need to keep them, as well as the amount of food," Kragash responded.

Lark darkened at the reprimand, constantly feeling inferior to Atasha and Atarra.

"Dregg, could you show him your calculations and how to estimate the constructions and resources?"

"Of course, Lark, follow me after the meeting, and I'll help with the planning," Dregg replied.

"Thank you, guys. If I may ask, how did you learn all these things... I doubt it's something natural for Gnolls."

"Of course, it's not natural. I learned mathematical calculations from Lord Alex; he taught me basic math. As for Lord Dregg, well, he can tell you how he learned his things later."

Atarra, Atasha, Lark, Dregg, and Carter continued the meeting at length. There were many things to agree on, which was quite difficult. On many occasions, Kragash had to act in Alex's place. Although he didn't command the same respect, he managed to maintain a minimum level of cooperation among the different parties.

The main issue at the moment was ensuring enough food for each faction. A major problem was the Gnolls' tendency to greatly overestimate the amount of food they needed due to the curse, putting a significant burden on the others' ability to procure food.

"What about your food production, Lark? Do your factories have enough to trade?" Atarra asked.

"No, fish production has decreased significantly. It seems the drop in temperature has caused them to stop breeding. I won't be trading more fish for now; we need to maintain their numbers."

"What about you, Atarra? I heard you found a large orchard," Dregg inquired.

"Yes, but it's too late for another harvest," Atarra responded.

Each leader asked the others, eager to find someone willing to trade. They had many materials to offer, but no one was really in a position to give away food. Consequently, only three trades were actually finalized.

After a moment of silence, Kragash decided to speak again.

"I have an idea, partially inspired by Lord Alex's doctrine."

"What is it, young man?" Atarra asked. The other leaders also looked surprised and eager.

"Fighting within the forest has become difficult because the temperature drops much more here. However, outside the forest, there's still an opportunity to fight for at least two more months."

Everyone was taken aback by the explanation, not fully understanding its implications, so Kragash elaborated further.

"There are two major coalitions fighting right now. On one side, there's the coalition of the Dark Aspect, which includes the greenskins we're currently fighting. On the other side, there's the coalition of Seraph Sera. Both are our enemies, so don't be misled by the fact that we've mostly fought goblins so far. Outside, there are many settlements of Sera's coalition, settlements we can raid."

"It's... a good plan, young man," Atarra responded.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"It's a start. We'll need to set up bases outside as well, and since we're there, we can also occupy more fertile areas where we can farm," Carter added.

"Yes, our settlements have become increasingly overcrowded, and it's quite difficult to expand them further due to the frequency of swamps and other natural terrain obstacles. It will be useful to start sending our population in other directions where they can be more productive," Atasha responded.

"Such a move really goes beyond anything we've done before. It will be quite difficult to maintain such a distribution and expand in all directions," Atarra commented.

Atasha and Dregg immediately nodded. Gnolls didn't usually settle down, let alone have a situation where they had many settlements. The current progress was already imposing a great strain on them. Of the three, Dregg was the most successful, but it was largely on Alex's shoulders, who had dedicated himself to creating governmental apparatuses to take a census of his citizens, allowing him to estimate their needs, and to organize their current and potential productive units.

"Anyway, if we want to move, we must do it quickly. Winter hits harder in the forest than outside, but that doesn't mean we can survive winter outside without houses to shelter our population," Carter added.

Everyone nodded, and before the meeting could be called to an end, Dregg added, "Anything else to add, Kragash?"

"According to King Alex, we must ensure not to antagonize the free cities and try to negotiate with any forces not affiliated with the Aspects."

"Ha, I remember hearing something about rallying neutral forces. I'm not really sure how we'll differentiate them. Do you have any idea?" Atasha responded.

"None, that's why I mentioned it now. We don't have enough information, so we can only comply with what we know and avoid attacking the free cities."

Everyone nodded, and with nothing more to add, the various leaders dispersed, each with many preparations to make. The matriarchs and Lark, who made up the front line, had to start halting the front and consolidating their gains to launch incursions outside. Dregg, for his part, was tasked with planning the construction of another city, one under Alex's command, just outside the forest to act as a connection and initial platform for incursions but also for trade.

The two Elves had witnessed the meeting and were no longer in shock simply because they had become desensitized to the madness they had witnessed. They saw before them how a group of outcasts and misfits were planning to fight not just half the planet but both halves. Although both sides combined accounted for no more than 70%, the remaining percentage was so separated and distant that it was impossible to create a neutral faction that could successfully resist both sides. Not that they would allow it, since the only time it was attempted in the past, both sides dedicated themselves almost exclusively to eliminating them.

"Hey, kid, Kragash, tell me something, are the Acevidrio spears for sale?" Marya asked.

"Yes, we are exporting a small amount," the Gnoll replied, trying to avoid starting a conversation.

"What about the rest of the resources? I saw Spider Silk, Miule powders, Dyes; are all those things for sale?"

"Most of those resources are under the administration of Lord Alex's subjects and depend on them, but in general terms, I believe they are open to considering offers."

"It's really troublesome dealing with so many different factions."

"In general, Lord Alex conducts negotiations with taxes offered in exchange for various items needed in the kingdom. This resource amount is almost 40% of the production, so you can negotiate a significant quantity with him. If you need more than that, you'll have to negotiate specifically with the vassal controlling those resources."

"Another question I had in mind is whether your master will be able to maintain trade routes with us amid the current storm," Rin asked.

Kragash observed both women.

"You needn't worry. My master strives to keep his promises, and the same applies to contracts."

"What concerns me is if he can continue fulfilling them given certain circumstances," Marya insisted, being elusive, but Kragash understood their concerns to some extent.

"I wouldn't worry about our circumstances, but rather yours. After all, don't forget you are negotiating with Gnolls. Very few nations would deign to negotiate with us," Kragash snapped.

Both women were perplexed but soon understood what he meant. Although they had witnessed a fairly advanced side of the settlements, they were still Gnoll settlements, a race largely despised and excluded by the rest, with very few considering opening diplomatic relations. This surprised both of them, considering their options. If it had been their former selves, they would never have considered it.

"You're... right," Marya responded.

"Speaking of exchanges, what about the leaves? When can we expect them?" Kragash asked, trying to change the subject.

"If the message was already sent, it should take at least a month for the ship to arrive from the floating islands."

"Another long month?" Kragash asked with a long sigh.

Both Elves felt a vein throb in their foreheads. They hadn't been treated this way in years, which made them reflect on how long it had been. It had been so long that it was almost forgotten, and the memories were not pleasant ones they wished to recall. They were content when they didn't remember, but now they felt like those fragile, defenseless young girls again, fighting in the rat race that was the magical school.

“With your permission, I shall take my leave. I still have matters to attend to,” the young Gnoll said as he departed, leaving the pair of Elves behind. Although mortal enemies, they had no one else to turn to since, by the young Gnoll’s decree, all their followers had gone to the city. Kragash ensured that neither side could cause further unnecessary conflicts.

Thus, Alex's subjects once again found themselves working frantically, rushing from one place to another to prepare for the upcoming expedition. Each one reflected on the current situation, finding it surreal, almost bizarre. In the history of the Gnolls, the number of times matriarchs had actively cooperated, working shoulder to shoulder with others, could be counted on one hand. Moreover, the situation continued to grow more ridiculous since the rescued matriarchs had not been executed for losing their blood essence—the source of power for any matriarch representing her clan. Instead, these matriarchs had been recruited by the active matriarchs, creating for the first time in Gnoll history a clear hierarchy among matriarchs.

Meanwhile, the Resh under Lark's command continued contacting isolated and scattered villages in the area to bring them under Alex's banner. Given the significant autonomy each of Alex’s subjects had, Lark realized he could negotiate independently. In fact, he recently understood that this was what he should have been doing from the start. Only the major Resh factions required Alex's intervention, and so far, Lark had not been able to get any of the two to really sit at the negotiating table. However, he did gain the support of the Swamp Sage, who, although insisted on dealing with Alex directly, had been convinced to support the Resh efforts in various settlements.

Finally, the Dwarves had little to do with the current matters. They were few and mostly civilians, though some soldiers had arrived with Grant. Both Grant and Lin had decided to help Alex, but they still had many things to do elsewhere. Lin resupplied her troops with new weapons and provisions acquired from Carter and left with all the soldiers. However, Carter was left with the task of preparing the necessary accommodations for a large influx of Dwarves. Lin had committed to sending any people she found their way, and Miss Lin had a great reputation for keeping her word... among other things.