CH428 Udara's Growth

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"Where to now, Master? The Hollowcrest Wildlands or the Celahan Empire?" Udara asked.

Whichever path they chose would determine their entire approach to security and information gathering.

The Celahan Empire was structured and orderly, while the Hollowcrest Wildlands openly advertised chaos. The former required less emphasis on constant security but made information harder to obtain. The latter, on the other hand, demanded near-constant vigilance, but information gathering would be far more easier.

Either way, once Udara knew what they were heading into, her job would become much easier.

Alex looked at her thoughtfully.

Udara had truly stepped up to her delegated role over the past week. Without any input from Alex, she had divided the troops into two clear units.

A scouting team, comprising herself, Silver, Havel, and the Crossbowmen.

And a security team, comprising Mogal, Kavakan, Mordor, and the remaining Fury knight-soldiers.

Contrary to what one might assume at first glance, the scouting team had not been chosen for their ranged combat ability.

They had been chosen for information gathering.

Silver was exceptionally perceptive and possessed a keen eye for terrain and movement. Despite his lazy demeanour, Havel proved himself to be a natural people person—someone who could make almost anyone, male or female, lower their guard and loosen their tongues. As for the Crossbowmen, compared to the rest of the Fury knight-soldiers, they were far more… flexible.

In truth, all fifteen Fury soldiers assigned to Alex were more adaptable than standard troops. However, most still fit the mould of conventional soldiers.

These five Crossbowmen did not.

They were flexible enough to be deployed in unconventional units, capable of operating independently, blending in, and adapting on the fly.

After all, the very reason Alex had introduced crossbows in the first place was to create an unconventional fighting force.

Having discussed this unorthodox unit with Alex previously—and after personally taking part in one of such operation—Udara understood exactly what kind of soldiers these Crossbowmen were.

That was why she had drafted them into her scouting team.

Together, the scouting unit moved ahead of the main party, gathering information in settlements before the expedition's arrival—streamlining logistics, reducing risk, and making everything that followed significantly easier.

Little needed to be said on the security side.

Whenever Alex, Zora, and Kron moved to visit the administrative heads of any settlement they passed through, Kavakan and Mogal remained by Eleanor's side as her personal guards.

With their imposing physiques and unmistakable presence, most people thought twice before entertaining any nefarious thoughts—except, of course, the truly stupid.

Meanwhile, the remaining Fury knight-soldiers protected the horses—their supposed merchandise—with Mordor providing ready spellcasting support.

At the same time, Mordor continued honing his swordsmanship by sparring with the soldiers whenever the opportunity arose.

Udara's system was incredibly simple and straightforward.

Yet to Alex, it also demonstrated her keen attention to subtle details.

'She's coming out of her mould nicely,' Alex thought to himself.

If she continued developing at this pace, Alex could eventually afford to completely hands off the expedition's security—and, in time, even the security of their future territory.

'Good times ahead,' he mused.

That said, he did have one small issue.

Udara refused to leave his side for too long. She was never away for more than three hours before returning.

'You do realise I can protect myself, right?' Alex had thought on more than one occasion.

However, it didn't take him long to realise it wasn't just Udara.

It was all of his wives.

There seemed to be an unspoken agreement between them to never leave him alone.

'More like… unsupervised,' Alex corrected himself inwardly.

They weren't staying close to him to protect or support him.

No—they were supervising him.

Making sure he didn't do anything excessive… or dangerous.

'They're acting as if I'd do something reckless without thinking,' he grumbled internally.

But the moment that thought crossed his mind, memories surfaced.

The dangerous situations he had placed himself in because of Rune-Tech experiments.

He counted four such incidents off the top of his head.

And the truly troubling part was... those were just the ones he was aware of.

There were at least two or three more near-disasters he had no knowledge of.

By that count, his Rune-Tech experiments had placed him in more danger than one could count on a single hand.

Now that Rune-Tech was effectively unusable—and he was visibly itching to fix the problem as soon as possible—

'…Yeah, I suppose it makes sense they're worried I might do something stupid,' Alex admitted with an inward chuckle.

His gaze unconsciously shifted toward the most likely culprit behind this silent supervision arrangement.

Zora.

Alex rarely spoke about the dangers he faced while pursuing Rune-Tech.

The only person who knew the full extent of those risks was Zora.

And she was also the one most capable of convincing his other two wives to keep a close eye on him—and of coordinating things so that he was never left alone long enough for him to do something of the sort.

"Master?" Udara tilted her head as she called out to Alex, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Sorry." Alex shook his head and smiled apologetically. "I was thinking about something."

"We'll head to Hollowcrest first," he answered. "We need to build a solid identity there, acquire the knowledge I need to rebuild my Rune-Tech platform, and then—if things go well—move on to the Celahan Empire."

"What will we do once we reach Hollowcrest?" Udara asked. "Will we continue posing as horse merchants?"

"I haven't thought that far yet," Alex admitted with a shrug. "I don't have enough information on the Wildlands beyond what Kron told me. We'll adapt when we get there."

Then a thought struck him.

"Kron mentioned that the Wildland is rife with adventurers and mercenaries. We could try our hand at that. Maybe I'll follow the old man's footsteps and make a name for myself by the time we reach BloodIron City. That would certainly make things easier for us."

"If you're setting up a mercenary group," Udara said thoughtfully, "should I take it that you intend to increase our numbers by absorbing natives?"

"Something like that." Alex nodded. "We'll need to do it eventually if we want any real influence on this plane. If we have to start somewhere, we might as well start now."

"In that case," Udara said, already shifting into her professional mode, "you'll want information on the Hollowcrest Wildlands, BloodIron City, and the mercenary and adventurer scene—especially activities, earnings, and individuals worth recruiting. Anything else?"

Alex paused, thinking.

"While you're investigating BloodIron City, pay close attention to the shot-callers and major establishments. I also want details on the city's economy and trade networks. If possible, we might establish ourselves through commerce instead of—or alongside—mercenary work."

"Understood." Udara nodded.

She turned and left Alex's side to brief her scouting team.

Moments later, Zora walked up to him.

She had initially been wondering why Alex had suddenly been staring in her direction, but as she drew closer, she overheard the tail end of his discussion with Udara. Her thoughts shifted immediately.

"If you're planning to invest that much effort into Hollowcrest," Zora said, "why are you still fixated on the Celahan Empire?"

She looked at him intently.

"Wouldn't it be better to fully commit to one path instead of trying to juggle both?"

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