"A Terran Town, you say?" Lord Baltheo asked, looking at them, specifically at Misha.
She nodded, answering his silent question, but it only earned disbelief and cynicism.
"A Town, yes, just upgraded about a few months ago," she told them. "You are already a level 3 village. Surely, it’s not difficult to believe another territory developed a bit faster?"
"No," Baltheo said. "I am simply unsure what is needed to upgrade, so I do not think it’s too surprising. Just..."
He paused, looking at Otto.
"Is he a territory hire?"
"No. Guys like him aren’t available at the Town level."
"Then..."
"We are not this guy’s slave," she said, wrapping her soft arms against his strong arm.
"Hmn," Otto said, looking fondly at the woman. "I am a mere escort for their team."
Baltheo’s eyebrows rose, and the people next to him looked at each other in surprise.
At this, one of the aborigine hires from behind whispered. This aborigine was called Quar, a level 14, which was already a very good hire at the Village level.
Like Althea, he was one of the people who managed to secure a good hire early on, partly by luck, but mostly out of decisiveness and the fact that he managed to have enough resources to maintain him.
"Level 40s... is still very rare in a town, Milord," he said, and Baltheo raised his hand to stop him from speaking.
Of course, he knew this, and he was finding the current setup difficult to absorb.
Very early on, he had asked for as much information as he could from the aborigines, promising them better resources and accommodations in exchange.
He knew that level 30s and 40s were already considered powerhouses in more advanced towns, and it was absolutely not normal to see one in a new town.
"What are great townsfolk doing in our territory, then?" he asked. "I’m sorry, but it’s a bit difficult to imagine a powerful town going around so far away to offer alliances without reason."
Otto was annoyed his lover was being questioned like this, but she gripped his arm, calming him down.
Misha kept her graceful appearance, which, once again, to Otto’s chagrin, bewitched a few men.
"We... are going around, using the resources to try and consolidate the surviving Terran territories. The enemies are strong and plenty. We have to work together, you know?"
"Not to take over? We don’t take kindly to people trying to take over."
She smiled. "I assume you’ve been to war against an aborigine territory?"
"Yes, once, and it was the bloodiest war we had been through," he said, and everyone’s expressions also darkened at the memory.
"We assure you we are not like that," she said. "Our primary goal is to create alliances— and subsidiaries, depending on its status. Yours definitely pass as an ally."
"Don’t you think it’s still arrogant to come here like this?" he asked. "With a Level 40 no less."
Misha’s smile didn’t fade. "If you don’t want to hear us out, we can pass you over," she said. "I’m sure the rivalring villages would be more accommodating of help. As of a few days ago, they already are."



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