668 Establishing Supremacy
They had been ready to confront the enemy, even if it meant sacrificing their lives. However, when they saw the man standing behind the Village Chief, who had decided to handle it himself, they opted to wait and prepare for any potential developments.
They were well aware of the enemy's strength they faced and knew he couldn't be taken lightly.
However, as they witnessed the battle unfold, their expressions shifted from shock to astonishment.
Incredibly powerful! The boats were destroyed, and the Captain of a unit was defeated just like that!
A collective gasp echoed inwardly as they all swallowed the remaining contents in their mouth down their throat.
Suddenly, their gaze shifted toward the Village Chief. If that man possessed such strength, then as their leader, they couldn't help but wonder about the extent of his power.
As if sensing their scrutiny, the Village Chief turned his eyes toward them and offered a light smile. While he was willing to extend a helping hand, he only knew Patriarch Rylan among the individuals present.
Therefore, he saw no reason to divulge the secrets of the Village. Moreover, he harboured a lack of trust toward the newcomers. How could such a large fleet of boats have followed them without anyone noticing?
There had to be a traitor among them, and he was determined to expose the individual. Thankfully, Stronghold Leader Zogar captured their leader, resolving this matter more straightforwardly.
Observing the Village Chief's scrutinizing gaze, they awkwardly redirected their attention elsewhere. Soon, they noticed the Village Chief's gaze shifting to another part of the port.
Following the Village Chief's gaze, they turned their attention toward a lone figure approaching from the distance.
The figure eventually reached them.
"Orion, you're finally here. Come, let me introduce you," the Village Chief said joyfully, gesturing for Orion to join them.
Orion nodded in acknowledgement and walked over to stand beside the Village Chief.
Before him stood an old man dressed in a long gown crafted from leaves, exposing only his head and shoes. Besides the old man were a young woman and man, similarly attired and unmistakably his children. Orion instantly recognized the familial resemblance. Behind them were about seven more figures, all dressed in the same peculiar leaf attire.
What captured Orion's attention were the strange metallic bulging bracelets on their right hands and the peculiar, unusually sized weapons they gripped. These weapons were several meters long, bringing his own Crimson great sword to mind. Not only that, but they also appeared several inches thick, housing a series of small gears within.
As Orion shifted his gaze back to the bracelets, he noticed a few exposed gears in some of them.
"Here is Patriarch Rylan, the leader of the four-eared race," the Village Chief introduced. "Patriarch Rylan, meet Orion, one of the key figures of our Village."
Orion nodded at Patriarch Rylan. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Patriarch Rylan," he said with a warm smile.
Patriarch Rylan scrutinized Orion from head to toe, unable to conceal a faint frown. He had encountered all the key figures over the years of visiting the Village, making him familiar with them. However, as he observed the young man beside the Village Chief and noted the personal introduction, Patriarch Rylan sensed something special about Orion that he wasn't yet aware of.
Though the young man seemed too young to hold a key position, Patriarch Rylan had encountered other youthful key figures during his previous visits, so he dismissed that observation for the time being.
Regardless, as Patriarch Rylan examined him, he couldn't discern anything particularly remarkable about Orion besides his muscular, toned physique, suggesting that he was a warrior.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, Warrior Orion," Patriarch Rylan responded with a nod before redirecting his attention to the Village Chief.
The Village Chief coughed lightly. "Ahem! I forgot to add one more thing—Orion is the one who must agree to your stay within the City for you to settle here," he added with a smile.
BOOOMM!!
As the Village Chief finished speaking, his words resonated explosively in Patriarch Rylan's mind and those of the other four-eared elves beside him.
Suddenly, an unnatural stillness settled in the air around them.
They couldn't believe their ears and would have doubted if they misheard the Village Chief's words if it wasn't for the Village Chief's smile as he calmly waited for them to digest his words.
Isadora, Lyndon, and the others behind them fixed their eyes on Orion. They couldn't wrap their heads around why someone so young would be placed in such a position.
Nonetheless, even if they couldn't understand how such a thing was possible, they all understood that this person held the final decision on whether or not their race would be able to settle in this City. No matter how much they tried to recompose themselves, they couldn't stop several beads of sweat from forming on their foreheads.
Even their heartbeats were racing fiercely at this very moment.
Hearing the Village Chief's words, Orion shifted his attention and looked at the Village Chief, confused about what he was talking about.
The Village Chief, however, flashed a smile at him and gave him a brief nod.
Orion furrowed his brows briefly before instantly understanding the Village Chief's words. Although the Village Chief might have accepted them into the City for the sake of familiarity, to make it clear that he was indeed in charge of the City, not the Village Chief, Orion needed to demonstrate that he could willingly decide their fates, with or without the Village Chief's intervention.
In short, this was a chance for him to demonstrate and cement his authority within the minds of the four-eared elves before they could settle in the City.
"Are you truly the one deciding whether my race settles here?" Patriarch Rylan asked, feeling a lump in his throat as he looked at Orion, awaiting his response.
Orion nodded.
At Orion's confirmation, Isadora and the others could almost hear their hearts pounding against their chests.
