Prime Originator

"Yeah!"

Chief Haal-Giri and the other northern tribe leaders strongly nodded in agreement.

Just by feeling the uplifting vibe within Hegemon City, they could already tell that no one was out to harm them.

There may be intense competition for higher positions within the city in the future. However, they had yet to encounter anyone who looked at them with a competitive spirit.

The people in Hegemon City were only excited to see new faces. After all, it implied they had additional hands to build their dream city.

The city's mood was so great that it made the Infertile Plains crisis seem like an illusion. Food and water supplies were abundant, and everyone was in good spirits. There didn't seem to be a single problem at a glance.

However, that was also because everyone was united in tackling them.

Perhaps due to the long years of living on scarce resources, the Northern Region's people did not stuff themselves full of the food and drinks provided in the feasting ground.

They only consumed as much as their body needed to function for the day and considered dividing the excess into several meals for the next couple of days.

At the same time, they also toured the city to observe other people at work.

Watching how other people felt during their work made them strangely peaceful and worry-free. It was like telling them tomorrow was going to be okay; it would only get better.

They no longer needed to worry about days of poor hunting or consider rationing after finding out where the city sourced its food and water.

"We only just came, and I already don't want to leave. It's hardly believable how great the living conditions here are."

"Yeah…"

…

While the Northern Region's people were adapting to Hegemon City, Leon met up with Chief Silvertooth and Cindertail.

"Great job, you two. I wasn't expecting you to complete the task so quickly and efficiently. Thanks to your effort, there won't be any issue integrating the Northern Region's people into the city," Leon praised.

However, Chief Silvertooth quickly shook his head and said humbly, "You've overpraised me, my Lord. It was extremely easy to persuade the Northern Region's people, given their living conditions in the Northern Region and Lord Cindertail's presence."

"As such, it was just a walk in the park; it required almost no effort from me," Chief Silvertooth said honestly.

At the same time, Cindertail raised his head proudly and looked smug after hearing Chief Silvertooth give him credit for the successful mission.

However, Nightingale immediately shot him down with a glare, snorting, "Do you think being a Paragon is impressive?"

At the same time, Rainshine narrowed her eyes and raised her paws, revealing her protruding sharp claws.

Cindertail's ego quickly deflated as he whimpered on the ground like a defeated dog. Indeed, a Paragon was nothing great in front of a Divine Beast.

If Nightingale had accompanied Chief Silvertooth to the Northern Region instead, Chief Silvertooth wouldn't even need to spend time explaining their Lord's greatness to the people.

Nightingale would only need to tell the Northern Region's people to follow her back to the Central Region, and the Northern Region's people would most likely comply, with no questions asked.

After all, who would dare refuse the command of a Divine Beast, something they had only ever heard of in the legends?

"Alright, that's enough, Nightingale. Stop bullying Cindertail with your divine aura. Rainshine, put away your claws, too," Leon calmly instructed.

Nightingale's divine aura quickly dispersed, and Rainshine also retracted her claws before licking the back of her paws innocently.

Shortly after, Leon continued speaking to Nightingale, "There's no doubt that you could have completed the job even quicker if you had gone instead of Cindertail. However, that doesn't mean we can discredit the effort Cindertail had already put in."

"More importantly, not everything can be resolved perfectly with brute strength. Chief Silvertooth and Cindertail were perfect for this job."

"Remember, we are not trying to rule people through fear. So, you bringing back a group of terrorized people is less than desirable," Leon reminded.

"I understand, my Lord," Nightingale acknowledged with a nod.

After the short lecture, Leon turned back to Chief Silvertooth. He asked with a smile, "Since the trip to the Northern Region was such a walk in the park, I'm guessing Chief Silvertooth is good to head to the Eastern Region next right away?"

"Ugh…" Chief Silvertooth opened his mouth to speak but was at a loss for words.

If he could, he most definitely wanted a short break to recover from the fatigue of the long trip.

However, he couldn't exactly refuse his Lord's wish, could he?

Nevertheless, Leon suddenly chuckled and said, "Relax, Chief Silvertooth. I'm not going to make you do that. You deserve a break."

"Thank you, my Lord," Chief Silvertooth said with relief.

"Tell me more about your trip to the Northern Region. Did you notice anything different or strange in the Northern Region?" Leon inquired as he gestured to Chief Silvertooth to accompany him on a short stroll outside the northern walls.

"So my Lord has also noticed something off about the Northern Region from here…" Chief Silvertooth uttered with surprise before nodding, "Indeed, I did notice something different about the Northern Region during my visit."

"It was unexpectedly much colder than I remembered it to be. The Northern Region has always been cold due to the snowy north, but never to this degree. I suspect there may have been some changes to the Snowy Mountains in the far north, my Lord."

"Should I arrange a team to investigate it?" Chief Silvertooth asked shortly after.

Leon contemplated for a moment before shaking his head, "No, there's no need for that. I will make the trip personally."

"This… I'm afraid that won't be good, right? Your presence is needed here, my Lord…" Chief Silvertooth said hesitantly.

Even he had heard the dangers of the Snowy Mountains – Those who ventured into its depth never returned.

It would be disastrous if the Lord went missing during his investigation.

Nevertheless, Leon didn't intend to change his mind. He firmly stated, "My decision is final; it's not open for dispute."

Given the extreme cold and hidden dangers of the Snowy Mountains, a regular investigation team was unlikely to discover anything significant if they only searched the outer region.

Furthermore, if they attempted to search deeper, they would be putting their lives in great danger.

As such, it was only reasonable that he made the trip personally.

Most importantly, he had been tied down by various matters around Hegemon City in the past few days. His adventurous spirit was screaming for a getaway.