Alex was finally back in the forest near where his supply caravan was stationed. After a brief review and headcount, everyone was present. The porters had managed to retrieve all the items left on the stairs during the descent, so the final loot wasn't too shabby.
Behind them, the temple began to blur and shrink into a small fissure in the earth no larger than about three square feet. However, Alex was certain that once they left this area, they could never again find the entrance to the temple. After all, that was supposedly what the Codex intended.
"Well, unless anyone objects, I declare this expedition a success," declared Kragash, puffing out his chest.
The others smiled.
"We still need to return home safely," said Torel.
"And we need to report the events to the Lady of the Forest," added Athena.
"Oh, come on, considering everything, it went pretty well. I say we deserve a round of applause," Alex defended his disciple and began to clap.
Alex's applause was followed by the rest of his troops, and after a minute, the camp's spirits were much improved.
"All right, lad, it's time to head home," Alex raised his voice, to which the troops responded affirmatively.
The march back home was uneventful, aside from the occasional attempt by elven prisoners to escape. However, everything could be handled by Alex's soldiers, so Torel didn't have to worry about intervening.
Speaking of Torel, the fight with the Umbravian had left him very weak. Although thanks to Alex's intervention, he wasn't completely debilitated, it was still best for him to stop using his powers for a while and focus on recovery. However, having a card up his sleeve at least provided some peace of mind to Alex.
Back at the settlement, there were many news and affairs to attend to. There was so much to do that Alex could only afford a day of rest before starting to receive people.
"Lord Alex, I'm glad to see you in good shape. I've heard some soldiers talking, and it seems your adventure was quite challenging," complimented Atasha.
"Welcome back, lad. I've heard you've got some good things going on," greeted Atarra.
"Good adventure, lad. The soldiers who went with you are all very excited, telling stories of their exploration," greeted Lark.
"Congratulations on your success, my child," greeted Shalara. The old woman had acted as a representative of Alex during his absence and had monitored the progress of his projects.
There were at least a couple of dozen people gathered in the conference room to welcome Alex. Of course, the real reason was that everyone wanted him to start managing things since he was the only one who could give directives to the others, and everyone needed something from others, unable to reach agreements without Alex's mediation.
"All right, thank you very much, everyone. Over the next few days, I will start holding audiences. For now, I need to receive reports on the events that took place during the couple of weeks I was away," Alex told the crowd.
Everyone present who didn't have urgent reports left the room along with those who had requests to make. They knew that the first day would always be reserved for the high-ranking officials of Alex's government: Atasha, Atarra, Lark, and the old Shalara.
"Very well, Atasha, let's start with you," Alex began.
"Yes, Lord Alex, we've had a rapid expansion in our sector. We were able to take almost all the smaller settlements. There were only a couple that noticed us before we attacked, and some members escaped. However, when we took the major settlement, we managed to capture most of the goblins in the region. We strongly suspect that some escaped from the sector; they're probably on their way to report our presence," Atasha began her report, then proceeded to detail the resources in their area and some of the quantities they had obtained.
Alex wasn't blind to what the young matriarch was doing; it was obvious that the resources she mentioned were those she was willing to trade. That was the reason she made them public—to learn more about the specific resources in her area and plan for the future, Alex would have to talk more with her in private.
"Some of those resources have great value outside this forest, Atasha. Later, I need to have your estimates of how much can be produced weekly, as well as how large the reserves are," Alex said as he made notes on his sheets, as was his custom.
Atasha's eyes lit up when Alex mentioned the outside world. The young matriarch had never considered it, although she was much more progressive than the other matriarchs. Still, she was realistic; she never expected others to trade with gnolls. However, Alex had found a way to circumvent this restriction, so if the trade proved fruitful, they would have a wide range of possibilities at their disposal.
"As for other matters, we've managed to liberate a large number of gnolls. Our work is progressing rapidly. However, we've had problems concerning the large number of gnolls," Atasha replied.
Alex knew without it needing to be mentioned what problem they were beginning to have. With a quick glance at Atarra, she also nodded, showing she was experiencing the same issue.
"I understand your concerns. Though I don't have a definitive solution, in my exploration, I obtained certain artifacts that I'm sure could help in your situation," Alex responded.
The eyes of both matriarchs lit up, knowing Alex was quick to grasp the situation. They both knew about the relics through rumors spread by the soldiers who accompanied Alex. Unfortunately for them, these soldiers were completely loyal to the human, so they couldn't interrogate them further. They only had superficial information that had reached their ears after one of their own gnolls had spoken to these soldiers while relaxing and telling stories. Of course, the fact that this information reached the matriarchs was part of Alex's plan. He needed both matriarchs to know he had them in his possession and approach him to ask for them, rather than him giving them away of his own accord.
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"There's another matter to discuss, my lord. My group was contacted by the Ner Lak lizards. They expect to have an audience with you. Although I would like to retaliate for the harm they caused to our explorers, the lord has previously expressed the intention to negotiate with them first," Atasha informed.
"I see. I regret the clash at the border and your troubles, and I appreciate your efforts to keep diplomatic options open. As I mentioned before, it's part of my plan to seek out some Resh faction to negotiate with," Alex acknowledged Atasha's efforts, leaving the young matriarch pleased.
"For our part, our campaign progressed similarly to the previous one. However, there was an issue. The high command in the major settlement of that area was not present, so it was extremely easy and quick to take over the entire sector. I believe they had abandoned the goblins in that sector for some time, as my scouts couldn't spot anyone fleeing the area," Atarra reported.
"I see. It's very likely that our operation has already been reported to the enemy, although we still have more information about them than they do about us, so we still have the advantage. What about the resources?" Alex replied.
Atarra listed the resources she had in the same way as Atasha, exposing those she had to exchange with the other factions. Alex knew that in the coming days, he would have to mediate several transactions between the different parties. It was beneficial for Alex himself that these transactions took place, strengthening everyone in general.
"There's a shortage of resources," Atarra commented, the old matriarch visibly dissatisfied with what she had obtained. In Atasha's sector, they had found many more resources both in quantity and variety.
"Some of the resources you mentioned can be negotiable with foreigners. Though I know little about it, there exists in distant lands a kingdom that relies on the Retrium plant. It could solve part of your resource problems if we manage to contact them and open trade," Alex responded as he reviewed his documents.
"I don't like that trade much; it's not reliable," the old matriarch spoke her mind.
"If you don't want to trade, you can start producing food for the general population. It will yield lower returns, but I can guarantee you a small portion of others' production," Alex replied, looking up to observe the matriarch's reactions.
She frowned; it was evident that this option didn't interest her either.
"I need much more resources than that, lad," the old matriarch told him.
"If you want more, you have to do more, or else you take risks or cooperate with others. If you want me to interfere with others on your behalf, you know very well the price my protectees pay," Alex told her firmly, with a stern look.
Everyone knew the price of having Alex's personal protection. It was logically acceptable; if you accepted him speaking for you, you accepted his verdicts and laws. For both matriarchs, this latter point had become a resounding no. They had soon realized that Alex, coming from another world, still had ideals and notions from his previous life, many of which didn't adapt to the realities of what they had experienced. Although everyone could agree that Alex's leadership was necessary and essential, his internal policy could be much better for the moment.
"It won't be necessary. I don't like risks much, so I'll produce food," the old matriarch responded reluctantly, unable to get what she wanted.
Although Alex increasingly took on a firm and impartial attitude, the others saw nothing wrong with it. As they had felt themselves, Alex was the odd one out. No major empire or kingdom had ever been created considering the details of everyone involved. Sacrifices were always made, or rather, the weaker ones were always sacrificed. For this reason, a stronger and more assertive Alex could represent them much better to others, although this clearly brought them problems in the sense that a more emboldened Alex might try to interfere in their internal affairs. Each one felt more than confident in being able to deal with that situation, and if they weren't, perhaps it would be better for Alex to handle them in the end.
When the old matriarch finished her business and stepped back, Lark wasted no time in stepping forward and starting his report.
"I have completed all my tasks satisfactorily. In addition to reasonably increasing the amount of extracted resources, we have also been able to collect a large amount of Resh. Exploration parties have been formed, and every day our ranks grow more and more. I have managed to convince several neutral villages to fight for us," Lark reported.
"Who is this swamp sage, and what makes her special?" Alex inquired.
"She's an old Resh mage. Regarding our war plans, she might be able to teach our Resh with certain magical abilities how to deactivate the enemy's magical traps. She could also assist in other aspects if that's not the route you want to implement," Lark replied.
Alex carefully observed the factions of the old Lark; somehow, he could discern a certain hopefulness. If Alex chose the path of using the resources of this fledgling kingdom to train more Resh mages, it would greatly strengthen this faction at the expense of the other two Gnoll factions and Alex's pluralistic faction.
Alex was aware that when planning things, he needed to start being cautious in that regard. If he strengthened one group too much at the expense of the others, it would create a power imbalance and much social discontent that could lead to the group's fragmentation. Even if that were the most favorable option overall, he had to take it into account.
For now, the notion of having a corps of magical novices was very tempting. Alex could continue using those troops even after the war ended in this sector, making it a much more profitable investment than using assassins and saboteurs to infiltrate. Of course, it would also provide a large amount of resources to the Resh, so he would have to ponder his future steps much more.
"Now I remember better, what did this sage tell them?" Alex asked, interested.
"She's willing to cooperate, but she'd like to meet with you, on her turf," Lark said, with a certain evident distrust on his face.
"Is there something we should be worried about, Lark?" Alex asked.
"The swamp sage has always been an eccentric person, even by Resh standards. However, at the moment, she has shown too much enthusiasm to meet you, so the arrangements she made make me think there might be an ambush," the old Resh said.
"Do you think she might be working for our enemies?" Alex asked.
"I find it hard to believe that, but it's a possibility. That way, it could explain why the Gnolls, Ogres, and even the Krons haven't confronted her," Lark replied.
"If that's the case, then we'll organize a meeting for when Torel is recovered and Athena returns with me," Alex replied.
"That seems like a good idea. Moving on to other matters," Lark proceeded to recount the details of his operations and likewise the resources he had for exchange in the same manner as the others had done.
Alex took note of everything he deemed relevant.
Finally, Shalara gave a brief overview of what had happened with Alex's possessions and subjects, with his main asset being the dwarves who were working for him making glass shields. A large group of small Moonstalkers had also been seen in the vicinity.
"Very well, my people, I have been able to hear your reports and get a rough idea of where we currently stand. In the next few days, I will call for an extended council to gather ideas and options for what our next moves could be. Then, we will decide on our joint efforts in this key council held thereafter," Alex declared.
Here again, there were divided opinions. None of those present had ever heard of a ruler or leader attempting to dilute their power by allowing other people to determine the course of development. However, it was unquestionable that Alex had made great strides every time he called upon his council, although there were many doubts because this time he wanted to open it up much more. However, no one complained, as they knew the second part was aimed at soothing the concerns of those present, since the first assembly would give ideas that could then be vetoed by them or not. This way of doing things was quite novel for those present and somehow made sense to them. Even Atarra, who was much more conservative in her ways, noticed the contribution these instances brought and was willing to support them as long as they were not too generalized as to paralyze their efforts.