With all factions in his camp working on the new plan, Alex took a few days for himself. He had finally broken through level one by constructing the energy nodes. Now, he could feel the difference between having the nodes and not having them. In the past, every time he wanted to strengthen his body with energy, he had to go through a constant and tedious process that drained both his mind and body.
Now, using energy on himself was almost effortless. It was similar to how, after learning to walk, you never had to think about it again. It seemed to be something your body remembered on its own, becoming more self-reinforcing the longer you cultivated your energy.
With his energy in place, he had a self-reinforcing energy circuit that allowed him to passively increase both his physical attributes and his own energy. Of course, these passive improvements were marginal, but over time, they would accumulate. Moreover, there were still other ways to actively enhance these attributes using resources and other processes.
"Torel, what is the next level of cultivation?" Alex asked while casually training with short swords.
"If the first level corresponds to the creation of internal foundations, the second is elemental development or assimilation. Your energy is still raw, and you must begin a process of infusion to provide it with the intrinsic attribute it should have to be truly effective," Torel said with an unusual seriousness, lacking his usual mischievous attitude.
"Oh, I see. May I ask what comes after? I really know nothing about how the path is supposed to unfold," Alex inquired.
"Well, it can be summarized lightly, but the literal interpretation is different depending on the race and the energy you cultivate. From levels one to three, it's about the individual. As for levels four to six, it's more about the intrinsic nature of energy. If in the first phase, you adapted the energy to your body, then you must adapt your body to the energy," Torel vaguely explained, not wanting the human to take his personal experiences too much to heart and bias his own path.
"I see. You're at this level?" Alex asked with curiosity.
"That's right, I'm stuck at level 5," Torel replied.
"And what about your husband?" Alex inquired.
"My beloved," Torel replied. His eyes immediately clouded, and tears threatened to fall for a brief moment. However, the elf managed to resist the tears.
"He was always a genius. Before his disappearance, he was close to breaking through to level 7 and becoming a true legend," Torel finally said.
"I'm really intrigued and concerned, Torel. How can someone so strong simply disappear?" Alex said.
"Although we can become stronger, we are still trapped by our own nature. There will never be a level where you can disregard others and live as if they don't exist," Torel said.
"With so much strength, I can't imagine how you could lose against simple soldiers," Alex responded, thinking of the brief moment when he had transformed into his spectral form. Even though he had let his other self take control at that moment, he was still able to witness the power he could wield.
"Don't be so arrogant, Alex. Although I wouldn't like it, I'm sure that soon you'll face dangers that will make you change your mind. After all, there are reasons why even Eldritch Horrors don't travel alone and manipulate armies of the void," Torel concluded, ending the practical sparring by disarming Alex. "You don't dance badly, lad."
Alex simply sighed at the elf's comment. It seemed he had returned to his usual mischievous attitude, and Alex didn't have enough free time to deal with it.
"Dregg, how are the preparations for our expedition?" Alex asked, trying to avoid looking at the elf at all costs.
"The troops are ready. Several veteran soldiers have joined us, and together with the new recruits, we have more than 100 soldiers, all equipped with spears. We also have several dozen scouts with fine bows, and we have a Fheres with his cart ready for supplies. The orders are in place to prepare for the future supply convoys for our expedition," Dregg replied.
"Very well, let's gather then. We'll leave at noon," Alex replied willingly.
Although 100 soldiers might not be much in the current war context, where each faction already had a couple of thousand, for the rest, this was a first step in Alex's faction, or as he had started to see it, a loyalist faction.
Among these soldiers were a mix of Gnolls and Resh, and that was mainly the reason for the concern of the other leaders. Alex, being a human, had proven capable of attracting any species to work for him. While he didn't have dwarf soldiers, there were already a couple of dwarf workshops working for Alex, creating Aceglass bows, shields, and other necessary tools. This was currently one of the best bargaining chips for others to deliver resources to Alex, along with his continuous training of warriors.
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Alex gathered his group and gave them a talk, including his mission and the reward that awaited them, as well as other possible rewards they could expect.
The scouts were the first to leave in groups of three, while behind them, soldiers marched at a slower pace. Torel, for his part, also decided to explore on his own.
During the march, Alex took the time to interact with his soldiers.
One day, around a campfire.
"Sir Alex, may I ask you some questions?" timidly asked one of his soldiers.
"Of course, as long as I know, I can answer you honestly," Alex said while eating his roasted squirrel.
"Is it true what they say about the Gnoll nation?" the soldier asked.
The other soldiers around immediately perked up their ears, as they were also very interested in what Alex had to say about it.
"I'm not sure what you mean; I don't know what they say. However, if we talk about the main rumor spread by Atasha, you have to consider that it is a significant part of the reasons we are fighting—to create a home for the Gnolls," the human replied.
"But what will happen to you, sir?" another soldier asked.
"Ah, you mean other rumors spread by Atarra. You shouldn't worry too much about that, soldier. Even if we achieve our goals, the matriarchs can't get rid of me so easily. They will still need me in the future," Alex said with conviction for the public, although he still had his doubts inside.
"Have you thought about leaving, sir? If you do, you would take us with you," Kragash asked.
Alex looked somewhat apprehensive.
"I would lie if I said no, although it's really not my intention to abandon you. There may come a day when it's necessary to flee. If, for some reason, the matriarchs decide to antagonize me, there would be no place for me in Gnoll society," Alex said.
At the mention of such an event, many of the Gnolls present began expressing how much they appreciated Alex and how they would still need his leadership. The young human had to appear and make signs to calm the crowd.
"Of course, I don't think it will happen. As I said, it's just a small occurrence. Also, if there were any other reason for me to leave, I would always be open to accepting the company of any of you, boys," Alex said, calming his soldiers.
"What about the Resh, sir?" a young Resh soldier asked.
"What about them?" Alex asked back, not quite understanding where the soldier was going.
"Many Resh think we're not important to the sir," the soldier replied with some shyness.
"Nonsense. When have I treated the Resh as second-class beings?" Alex retorted.
"But you don't allocate as many resources to the Resh, sir," another soldier said.
"Perhaps, but they haven't contributed as much to the war. They haven't even mobilized for the upcoming confrontation," Alex said.
"But that's because the sir didn't give the order," the soldier replied.
"Only because Lark declared that they weren't ready yet," Alex simply said.
"Sir, the Resh are ready. Lark can't decide for us," the first soldier said.
"Of course, he can decide for you. Who nodded at the war council on behalf of the Resh and on behalf of the Gnolls?" Alex asked rhetorically.
The crowd fell into murmurs, and no one answered Alex's question.
"I've always respected the traditions of both peoples. In the case of the Gnolls, the matriarchs have always been central to decision-making and the management of the people. They have the autonomy to decide what to do. In the case of the Resh, I've recognized the leadership of your old mayor. However, if you have any tradition regarding the leadership of your people, I will respect it," Alex replied.
The human knew the Resh tradition well in that aspect. This people had always been led by a strong chieftain, reflected in the ongoing dominance struggle between the two great Resh leaders of the moment. However, among the Resh who followed Alex, it was not clear what their opinion was on the matter, and now they knew it, several began to discuss the real possibility of challenging the old one for the leadership position.
Internal discussions continued animatedly for a while, with each side becoming more emboldened. Probably, if they were in the settlement, Lark would have already received more than a dozen duels at this point.
Finally, a question came from an unexpected corner.
"What about the animals and creatures of the forest?" Athena asked.
"Of course, they are just as welcome as anyone else. To be honest, anyone who wants to collaborate in my cause is welcome. Of course, I understand that everyone has different preferences and needs. Whenever possible, we should try to accommodate them. I am a firm believer that together we are stronger," Alex replied politically.
"Do you really think it's possible to mix them all?" Athena asked.
The atmosphere calmed at this question, and everyone became interested again in what Alex had to say.
"From what I've seen both in the city of Nyxhaven and in our own settlements, I think it's possible. Of course, integration must be gradual and limited, or it will produce great clashes. We have witnessed great clashes between Gnolls and Reshs, but we have also seen how it's possible to resolve our differences through diplomatic means," Alex said.
"I don't know, lad. Never in all my years have I seen a multicultural society. Even among the Elves, there are discriminations toward some minorities, not to mention toward other species. The same is true for other races, including dwarves, humans, and hybrids," Torel said.
"That is undoubtedly true under normal conditions. If I were to try right now to bring together humans from any kingdom and make them accept the rest of you, I would encounter fierce resistance," Alex said.
The rest of those present slightly decayed at the mention of those words.
"However," Alex suddenly said, at which point the rest of the troops raised their heads to look at their leader.
"However, all of us have fought together from the beginning. Neither the Gnolls nor the Resh will forget who came to the aid of the other in their times of need. That's how lasting bonds are formed. Our people will serve as inspiration for the rest of both races, and from that starting point, we can build an increasingly greater cooperation. It would be impossible for any people to simply accept the other instantly, but with our hard work, we can do it," Alex said to the crowd.
The soldiers cheered their leader, and both Resh and Gnoll began to form a large circle, holding each other's shoulders and dancing around the campfire.
For both Athena and Torel, what the human said was logical, and although it was logical, they couldn't help but tell themselves that it was far-fetched—so far-fetched as to be stupid, as no matter how logical cooperation between species was, it had never been successfully achieved. Well, there was only one empire in history that had accomplished it, but one empire among all the years this world possessed was almost a probabilistic joke.