Although it felt strange for Alex, he was finally beginning to contemplate governance. On Earth, despite studying political theory and constitution, he viewed it as a machine—almost like buttons being pressed to yield results. Now, on the front lines, he saw it as something entirely different, something more alive.

His current government, though small and emerging, though not yet a nation/state due to the lack of a permanent territory, still expressed the will of those who followed him—those who had chosen to fight, some for their future, some for their name. Such a resolution now weighed on Alex's shoulders.

He now realized how inefficient he had been in handling things. Managing each individual was simply impossible. Instead of that being the focus, he envisioned a more logical and feasible way to govern—the matriarchs.

Each matriarch had loyalty and strict control over her clan, and they would follow even if led to their doom. This organization posed many future problems but also some benefits. From now on, Alex knew it wasn't necessary to think about organizing groups and managing other aspects. What he needed to do was assign tasks to each matriarch, along with rewards for them to distribute among their clan members.

The Gnolls had a long tradition in this system, and rather than trying to break and reform it to resemble Earth, it would be much better to use it to its full potential.

Of course, there were exceptions. There were many Gnolls who were disillusioned or detached from their clans, and who had not yet integrated into others. Since this was a slow process, these Gnolls could be accepted into a separate structure organized more directly under Alex's leadership. This way, he wouldn't alienate the matriarchs by taking members from their clans.

The young human observed old Lark. If both matriarchs were currently his only two agents, the great lizard seemed a promising third member, even though it might be challenging, it was worth trying to integrate him.

"We're done with the looting, lad. Anything else you have to say?" the great lizard asked suddenly.

Alex looked at the matriarchs and said, "Atarra, settle yours at the south gate and take control. Atasha, position your clan at the east gate. As for you, Mr. Lark, it's necessary to return to your people, assess the damage, and facilitate the transfer of land," Alex said with a cordial smile.

Lark thought, "Damned kid, now I'm his errand boy," even though he hadn't agreed to give control to Alex, he was already being bossed around.

The message for both matriarchs was strong and clear. Alex was changing. However, Atasha remained his favorite since the east gate faced a greater number of green points on the map.

The three nodded and left while the old man grumbled, "Damn kid, he already has me running errands."

Alex waited for the three to leave, and the communal house became relatively quiet.

"What's bothering you, Thorel? What's on your mind?" Alex asked.

"I need your help. You have to send people to investigate these ruins," the elf said, pointing to a spot on the crude map they had copied. "It should be around these parts. You have to hurry."

"What's there?"

"Do you really care? Just send your people," Thorel said, hitting the table.

Alex maintained his composure despite the elf's outburst. "Do you think I'll send people just because you're angry?" the human raised an eyebrow.

"This is important to me."

"My Gnolls are important to me."

Thorel looked at the unmoving human. "I've also contributed to the development of this group. I deserve some help."

"Of course, Thorel. I recognize your help in many situations, but not committing and sending a group on a suicide mission are two entirely different things."

"What do you want?"

"I want to know what all this is about, what I can find, what I'm looking for, what I'm up against."

Thorel pondered his words, thinking about what the young man had told him and his recent changes. Maybe if this had been in the past, Alex would have rushed to the battlefield as he always did. However, facing an Eldritch Horror changes you from the inside.

"When my husband died, there were many inconsistencies, contradictory information, and nothing around his case made sense," the elf said with a choked voice. "Although I investigated for a long time, I could never find an answer, neither official nor unofficial. No one knew anything. However, there was a name, a pseudonym that appeared on some documents that no one seemed to know."

"Is it related to this? Do you have a clue that the person or organization will be in this cursed temple?"

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"While you were in the city, I took the opportunity to move around and listen to many things. Finally, among the possessions of some of the executed mercenaries, there were orders to search for such a temple, signed by the Shadow Rat."

"The Shadow Rat," Alex asked. "Sounds appropriate for a clandestine organization. However, I heard that both you and your husband were quite important in the empire. If this organization could really do something against you and silence everyone without leaving a trace, it must be truly colossal."

Thorel wore a somber expression. As Alex had said, it was more than enough reason for him to reject helping.

"Don't worry, Thorel. I'll help you as much as I can, but you must know that I can't casually oppose the Matriarchs for your objectives. However, we'll find a way," Alex assured.

"Thank you. I understand that I rushed you to move the others; I'll gather more information first," Thorel said and then bid farewell.

While Alex focused on recovering—or rather, figuring out why he couldn't recover and still felt so exhausted—the settlement slowly began to come to life.

Lark had no choice but to ask the residents of the designated sectors for both matriarchs to move and vacate their homes. There was initial discontent among both groups, but Lark managed to handle most of the complaints. Both matriarchs were busy settling in their sectors, but they were even busier with the two competitions that had started. There was a considerable number of Gnolls from clans that had lost their matriarch without a clear successor, so, by all accounts, these clans had lost their tradition. These Gnolls were the main target of their recruitment.

For now, Atasha took the lead, both because she was the closest to Alex and because she had been leading the group for a longer time. Furthermore, she had taken the best spot that had begun to be spread "anonymously."

Amid the commotion, Atarra managed to make time to finally talk to one of her Gnolls.

"Matriarch has summoned me," asked a surprised Raknar who had been called to the matriarch's house.

Although the construction was crude, the matriarch looked around along with the young Raknar.

"That's how you greet your matriarch, lad? After decades of slavery, we're finally in a house as owners, not as servants, even if it's temporary," the matriarch replied with a rage she couldn't completely disguise.

"Apologies for my lack of respect, Great Matriarch. I wasn't well educated," Raknar knelt humbly.

Atarra herself had been surprised by her outburst of anger. She had many unprocessed feelings that were slowly beginning to surface.

"I'm not angry with you, lad," said the matriarch, surprising everyone present. Those who knew her knew that she wasn't someone who usually backed down.

"And what is it, if I may ask?" Raknar asked almost instinctively.

"With everyone."

The matriarch slowly looked at each present—around 15 in total. Each was here for a reason, either to lead soldiers, to have a high cultivation, or even two young Gnolls who had already been selected to begin their matriarch apprenticeship. It would be a long and arduous race, and only one would reach the end. Each of the present ones felt the matriarch's heavy gaze and saw reproach. In past eras, they knew that each would receive at least 50 lashes on the post for whatever mistake they had committed.

Atarra saw how everyone held their breath, and with a softening gaze, she said, "We came here in large numbers seeking land and opportunities for our people, and we found nothing but misfortune after misfortune. No one ever took us seriously or gave us a chance. We were nothing in the eyes of anyone until—"

"Until what, Matriarch?" asked one of the apprentices.

"Until the lad appeared. Suddenly, they started looking for Gnolls for a mission. When they selected me, I thought my time had come, that they wanted to get rid of me since they had specifically asked for me. However, I later found out that it was to be delivered as a goodwill offering. Somehow, you could say I belong to him."

The room listened with guilt. What their matriarch was saying was true, and no matter how much they wanted to argue or prove how hard they tried, the truth was that only an Earthling who didn't even try was enough to rescue them, to give them a real chance.

"And yet," said the other apprentice who sensed a 'yet' where her teacher had stopped.

"And yet, the lad treats me as an equal. He has never shown condescension towards us or spoken to us as if he owns us. He leads us as if we were his people, better than even the great matriarchs of yore treated our own people, without making distinctions between clans except to reward due effort," the matriarch concluded.

After a brief moment of introspection by the matriarch, her mood seemed much better, and those around her felt it was time to move forward with the planned interview.

"Matriarch, why did we summon Raknar? Is there a position to offer him?" asked one of the apprentices.

"Not for now, young one. You still need to prove yourself to me if you want to receive some of my rituals as a reward. However, I have faith in you. What I wanted to talk about was something else. You've been with the lad from the beginning. Tell me what he's like and how he acts. It seems to me that it's our top priority to get to know our savior," the matriarch said.

Raknar began to narrate the events from the beginning, providing detailed information when he was present and supplementing with comments when he wasn't. Although there were some gaps where no Gnoll saw Alex fight or use his abilities, this didn't bother the matriarch in the slightest.

On her side, Atasha was performing similar procedures. She needed to know what had happened to Alex in the forest since he had begun to change radically from the naive young man who had arrived from Earth. Finally, he was developing his own personality based on the values of this world, one that better suited the needs of this group. Both matriarchs wanted to have a say in this process; influencing the direction of Alex's development was their top priority.

Lark was the only one in the shadows. Although he was also an experienced leader, unfortunately, there was no Resh among his people, so he couldn't receive any information since the Gnolls, regardless of the clan, didn't respond to his questions. However, it wasn't that he had no chance. Alex had sent both matriarchs to settle in different parts of his town, but he himself hadn't moved from the communal house. As the center of government, Lark had no problem hosting him there, thus keeping him close.

Moreover, there was another species slowly starting to arrive. Atasha had left the forest inhabitants outside and away from the settlement, and they couldn't do anything about it. They had roamed the surroundings with no hope other than being devoured by wild beasts. However, Alex had insisted that they be contacted and brought to the settlement.

Power struggles were just beginning, and each sought ways to better exploit their situation and advance their own agenda.