Alex never expected such an outcome.

In his cave, there were two distinct groups of elves with drawn weapons, ready to strike at each other's throats at any moment. Both sides glared at each other with a hatred on their faces that made a century of conflict visible, and amid the hateful glances they exchanged, there occasionally emerged a glare of resentment towards Alex, who had deceived them into ambushing each other in this cave.

Alex was puzzled by the situation. He wasn't sure what he had done or if he had made a mistake. He was about to intervene in the matter, but instead, he decided, on the contrary, he was tired of dealing with other people's crap, especially if they weren't his subjects. So, he simply sheathed his sword since there were no goblins in sight and went to a corner to eat the stew that Kragash had been preparing for him.

The rest of the troops looked confused as their leader disengaged from the conflict. But upon second thought, they had no reason to fight if there were no goblins or other enemies present. Whatever conflict had arisen did not involve them, so they decided not to get involved and went to prepare their own food and take a well-deserved rest.

While the gnolls and Resh sat down and began to talk about various matters as if there were no problems, both sides remained at a stalemate. Both wanted to annihilate the other group, but they hesitated about their host's reaction. Would it be truly tragic to fight to the death with their enemy only to be finished off when they were weary from battle?

After some tense moments where neither group could move without exposing themselves to the other, Anya looked aside and asked in normal Elvish, "What does this mean, Alex?"

"I don't know what you're referring to," Alex replied as he ate his stew with great satisfaction.

Both sides were on the brink of conflict, and their leaders were running out of options to calm their hot-blooded troops. Anya, feeling pressured as she was in a losing position, felt the need for an answer.

"Does this mean you've been on the side of the Moon Elves all this time?" Anya asked.

Alex looked at her as if she were stupid and simply replied, "I'm not on any side," and continued eating his stew. It was clear that nothing could distract him from his hot meal, as it was a luxury few had on the front lines.

The leader of the other faction looked at Anya and Alex. It was clear to him that these two knew each other, so he felt at a disadvantage. "Human, what's happening here? Why are they here?" he asked, pointing to his adversaries.

"For the same reason you, I imagine. They come to rescue someone important to them."

Both sides lowered their weapons momentarily, more reluctant to engage in conflict without knowing what was happening.

"I demand an explanation," said the leader of the Moon Elves.

"You will receive one shortly. However, I am waiting for other guests before beginning the briefing. I don't want to repeat myself," Alex said, growing increasingly annoyed by the constant chatter, as he just wanted to enjoy his stew.

Although the group of elves felt that they were being dismissed and were more than willing to leave, they felt it would be a loss to leave the group of Solar Elves here. Somehow, they would lose whatever advantage this group could provide them. After all, both groups of elves were here hoping to rescue someone important to them.

Soon, another large group of gnolls arrived, accompanied by a group of dwarves. They looked quite uncomfortable following the group, but when the patrol leader finally pointed to Alex's position, the dwarves could relax slightly knowing there was a "civilized" being in charge of these troops.

"Hey, lad, are you in charge of this group?" the dwarf leader asked.

Alex looked at this person and could see an absolute specimen. His interlocutor had a finely sculpted body full of bulging muscles.

"Yes, I am in charge of the gnolls and Resh. The elves who are about to kill each other are on their own," Alex replied, setting aside his precious broth. It was evident that he wouldn't have time to finish his meal in peace.

"Could you explain the situation... please?" The dwarf leader observed the situation and all the involved parties, and from afar, Alex's side was the strongest. Individually, he could defeat any of the three groups, and even if all three united unconditionally, they would still struggle to escape the superiority of Alex's group, which had made him somewhat more humble.

"Of course," Alex invited the three leaders to sit close to him.

The dwarf had no problem sitting with the human, and as soon as he complied, Alex signaled to Kragash to feed the other faction. Meanwhile, both elven leaders struggled with the situation, but Anya was the first to step out of her ranks and move towards the seat Alex offered her. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous as she passed by the Moon Elves, but she truly believed that Alex's group would stand by her if the fight started. The lunar elves, on the other hand, knew that attacking now would disrespect their host and incur his wrath, so they attended the meeting.

With all the leaders seated, Alex began his concise explanation of the situation they were in, what they had seen, and what the plan was. Both elves had doubts at first and still harbored hostile thoughts towards Alex, but as his narrative progressed, they realized the true situation. It was clear that Alex genuinely didn't give a damn about their presence. It was evident that he would have acted with or without their appearance.

"You have dwarves in your settlements, is that true?" was the first question the dwarf leader asked, somewhat apprehensively.

"Yes, I managed to rescue several from the goblin settlements I have conquered," Alex replied.

"Are you willing to release them? We can compensate you enormously," the dwarf responded. Although he would usually use a more authoritative tone, he realized that he was not just in numerical inferiority now, but also that the human in front of him led a faction with more gnolls and Resh, so he had no way to force him into anything.

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"They are not my slaves, esteemed Grant. If they wish to leave, or even if they prefer to stay with you, they are free to do so. When this is over, you can visit them yourself," Alex replied nonchalantly.

The dwarf didn't entirely believe Alex, but for the sake of the cooperation they would have in the coming days, he simply nodded.

"As for you two, I feel obliged to repeat myself. I have no interest in your conflict or supporting either of your sides. At most, I am willing to profit by selling weapons to both of you. After all, I have my own conflict in this forest, especially with the Kron who await me to the north. Dealing with that bunch of bastards will be truly difficult."

Alex's statements took both elven leaders by surprise. It wasn't clear if he really meant those words, but what was clear was that they could kill each other as much as they wanted as long as they didn't attract the attention of the goblins. Unfortunately, the dwarf also agreed with this, and it was evident that if they caused trouble, they would have to face these two groups as well.

Seeing that both leaders still couldn't agree, Alex was forced to intervene. "I need you to verbally commit to being able to collaborate with the cause."

Both elven leaders continued to look at each other with some hostility, indicating that they could not collaborate.

"If you prefer that approach, then so be it. Anya's team will be under my tutelage. I entrust the other team to your care, Lord Grant, and trust that you will fulfill your tasks," Alex said firmly.

The authoritative change from the human surprised both elven groups, who were about to protest against Alex when they were interrupted by the muscular Grant.

"A remarkable plan, human... I mean, Alex. You are quite a worthy leader," the dwarf said as he applauded, then he glanced at the elves and continued, "I will take the elves and make sure they don't give you any more trouble. It is in the interest of everyone present that the plan goes as smoothly as possible."

"I count on you, Lord Grant," Alex replied, offering him a handshake, which the dwarf accepted without hesitation.

"If you'll excuse me, I want to return to my men to enjoy a bit of the hospitality you offered us. It's been a while since I've been able to eat a good hot meal," Grant bid farewell to Alex formally, and his men could clearly see that he treated him as an equal rather than a respectable figure. There was a slight conduct in his manners that provided that information to those versed in dwarven culture, unfortunately, Alex didn't know enough to understand it.

"Your group will follow Lord Grant's group. Go with them and get to know each other. It's important that you understand each other's capabilities to fulfill your tasks as best as possible," Alex addressed the group of lunar elves, then turned to Anya. "As for you, a formal introduction of your members is due."

The group of lunar elves was fuming. They couldn't believe that the human dishonored them by assigning them to others as if they were nothing special. Many of the hot-blooded, younger, and more impulsive members were about to draw their weapons when they heard the sound of a blunt object hitting the ground behind them. There stood Grant and other dwarves of high cultivation, looking at them murderously.

The elves had no choice but to comply with their tasks. It wasn't the fact of having to work that bothered them; rather, it was the fact that this work had been ordered by a human without their express consent.

"What will our tasks be?" Anya asked.

Alex looked at the young elf. As far as he knew, she had magical abilities like the matriarchs and Athena. This ability was extremely valuable because unlike the various internal energies that had many conditions, magic was much more flexible and usually didn't need the mage's body to manifest the different effects. A practical comparison would be how an ice energy practitioner could slowly freeze the waters around them with themselves as the center, whereas a mage could freeze waters at will, manipulating the form and direction of its effects.

"Your team will help my troops patrol, specifically watching certain sectors critical for our water and food collection," Alex said, pointing to most of the few and battered followers he had left. Then he looked in the direction of the veteran scout. "As for the veteran here, I need your expertise in another more specialized group. They have been testing enemy surveillance networks and seem to have found a way to infiltrate. I would like you to help verify the information and then, once you have a complete plan to help them infiltrate and transmit information inside, so we can coordinate a joint strike when the time comes." Finally, Alex looked at the young elf. "As for you, I need better ways to conceal this cave and others nearby. I plan to go out to collect other groups that are nearby, so the large congregation of people may start to attract attention."

The elves finally snapped.

"Who do you think you are to speak to His Majesty in that way?"

The hot-blooded youth stood up and this time ignored all calls from his comrades and began to walk towards Alex with a rather aggressive posture that suggested he could draw his weapon at any moment.

"You will learn that the mages of the Shining Summit cannot be underestimated."

The young elf finally stood in front of Alex and raised his fist to strike him.

Strangely enough, to the elf's eyes, no one had moved, and yet this circumstance, instead of sounding alarms, seemed completely normal to him. In his experience, why would wild beasts resist his punishment? They had always been submissive since his young age when he had been assigned to this mage to be her personal guard; he had never seen a different situation... until recently when the tragedies began within this forest.

Alex, static in his position, didn't even acknowledge the threat from the young elf even though he was right in front of him, his gaze fixed on the veteran at all times.

Finally, what was expected happened, and when the fist was about to connect, it was decisively deflected by Kragash with a slap, followed by a strong kick to the abdomen that sent the young elf to the ground. When he tried to get up and fight back, he found a sharp spear pointing directly at his throat, less than a centimeter from piercing it.

The young elf heard a single coordinated sound and then a sepulchral silence. With a slight movement of his neck, he saw the situation beside him; all his companions had at least two spears pointed at their vital areas, unable to even reach for their weapons. On the other hand, the veteran had managed to draw, but he was surrounded by more than a dozen of Alex's initiates. Alex himself had ignited his powers and boosted not only his initiates but also his soldiers.

Anya understood the situation clearly. It wasn't as if two spears at the jugular allowed room for doubt, and indeed, Alex had the upper hand and was absolutely not negotiating with them. The elves finally saw behind Alex's facade, and the darkness that stared back at them was not something they expected to find.

"Elaya, lower your weapon," Anya ordered.

The veteran looked around with concern, but he could do nothing but sheath his weapon with obvious worry on his face. He had never expected Alex to show such a decisive show of force, or rather, it hadn't crossed his mind that they would be annihilated in the simple initial clash.

With a stern look from Anya, the elves complied with her command and threw their sheaths with their swords safely to the ground for a gnoll to pick up.

"You will get them back when you go on a mission, if it is deemed necessary," Alex assured them.

"You can't expect us to go without—" one of the elves tried to argue, but was sharply interrupted by Anya.

"Silence. You will not question Lord Alex's orders again," Anya interjected.

The elves heard their leader's words and hung their heads demoralized. They knew that their weakness was the reason she took this subservient stance with the human. Their weakness was the reason Alex was so firm with his response.

"I'm glad we can cooperate together," Alex finally commented with a gentle smile.