System's POV

397  It's Still Too Early For Them To Get In My Way

Tiona kept on nudging Thirteen's cheek as her way of letting her Master know that she was upset.

After the teenage boy was done eating breakfast, he immediately went back to his room to check on Tiona's condition.

Having known that it might take him a while to finish his experiment, he had prepared plenty of food and water so that she wouldn't go hungry or thirsty while he was away.

"Don't be mad, Tiona," Thirteen tried to pacify the Black Snake, who was clearly upset because it had been five days since they last saw each other. Tiona hissed and pouted. The teenage boy only shook his head helplessly, seeing his Beast Companion on strike.

Since he knew that it would take a while for Tiona to calm down, he went on his rounds and visited his Battalion and the Valkyries, who were training together.

While Thirteen was away, Marion took the 69th Battalion to Evuvug's Domain and practiced their maneuvers for the upcoming expedition to liberate the Northern Regions of the continent.

Although Thirteen and the 69th Battalion had only spent a few months in the Rigel Continent, they had already gotten the hang of fighting against Hordes of Monsters safely.

The only times they felt truly helpless was when they faced the Bird Man and his horde of flying monsters.

That was a very scary and tough battle for them, for it had been their first time facing such overwhelming numbers of enemies—not to mention that they were also unprepared for it.

When they raided Evuvug's Territory, although the flying beetles that rose up to face them numbered in the tens of thousands, the 69th Battalion's fear was drastically lower during that battle. The reason? They realized that no matter what the flying insects did, they would not be able to catch up to the Rank 3 Gyrfalcons that Thirteen had acquired for them.

This allowed them to safely and effectively attack their enemies from a distance, killing them before they could even come close to them.

With repeated practice, their confidence grew, but Thirteen made it a point to make them understand that overconfidence was a slow and insidious poison.

Although he had been reluctant to do it, he reminded them of what happened to the Valkyries who thought that they had everything under control.

That incident had been firmly etched in their memories, so it helped them stay grounded, preventing them from thinking that they could easily escape whenever they wanted to escape.

"The Gyrfalcons are fast, but there are flying monsters that are faster than them," Thirteen stated after everyone had gathered after their flight training. "One example is Cristopher's Roc, who could easily outfly any Monster below Rank 6 Sovereign.

"If you have forgotten, there are still Rocs in the Rigel Continent, and we will be facing those Rocs when we start our conquest of the North."

The faces of the 69th Battalion turned pale after hearing their Commander's words. They had been so used to outmaneuvering and outflying their enemies that they had forgotten about their mounts being merely Rank 3 Monsters.

Seeing their reactions, Thirteen couldn't help but smile—this was the exact result he was aiming for.

"This is the reason why I asked the Valkyries to help all of you train," Thirteen stated. "You don't have to fight a Roc alone. Your squad will help you deal with them. As long as you hone your teamwork, you won't have to worry about becoming Roc food."

Thirteen paused a bit before glancing at his Grandfather, who seemed to want to talk to him. "That's all. Everyone dismissed," Thirteen ordered before going to where his grandfather was standing. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Arthur gestured for him to follow, and the teenage boy did exactly that.

When they arrived at Arthur's Office on the ship, the teenage boy saw Michael, Hans, Renz, and Benedict, who had arrived a day ago to deliver a message to Zion. "Sit," Arthur ordered before he went to sit at the head of the table.

Everyone did as they were told and waited for Arthur to start talking.

"After the announcement by The One, there had been significant movement from the Sirius Continent," Arthur said. "The Ashford and the Stallard Clans had declared that they will give their full cooperation to the Cygni Continent and do everything in their power to prevent it from being conquered by the Jinns and Majins."

"It seems that the wake-up call is effective," Thirteen smirked. "I just wish they would put more effort when the Rank 9 Monsters arrive. That will be the time when the willpower of the Monarchs will be truly tested."

Arthur nodded. "They have also reached out toward the Dvalinn Federation and had pledged to send some of their strongest warriors to help liberate the North. They also agreed to put their forces under your command.

"However, they also warned that if their forces were to be sent to die a dog's death, they would make you pay for it."

Thirteen sneered after hearing the warning of the two Monarchs, who ruled the Sirius Continent together.

"Tell them that if they don't want to die, then they should just stay at home and take care of their kids," Thirteen commented. "I have no need for cowards."

Renz, who was paying close attention to the teenage boy, smiled faintly, sharing the same sentiments with the latter.

"Usually, the Ashford and the Stallard Clans don't care about what happens beyond the borders of the Sirius Continent, so I think we should be careful not to offend them," Benedict tried to mediate. "We will need all the help we can get if we wish to liberate the Rigel Continent."

"We don't need them," Thirteen stated. "They're just extra baggage. I stand by what I said. As the Supreme Commander of the Alliance, I don't want pig teammates in my team."

A chuckle spread inside the room, making everyone look at Renz, who had been unable to hold back his laughter.

"Well said," Renz commented as he gazed at the boy who had made him an offer back in the Dvalinn Federation's Main Headquarters. "I also don't like pig teammates, so I will personally send your message back to them right now."

The right-hand man of the Dvalinn Federation tapped his communicator and connected it with the Patriarchs of the Ashford Clan and the Stallard Clan.

The two Monarchs from these two clans had passed the role of Patriarch to their sons, giving the latter free reign over their respective business in Pangea.

Their fathers were more focused on expanding their domains in Solterra, in preparation for the time when Pangea would be overrun by the Jinns and Majins.

However, the declaration of The One made the Monarchs change their plans. This was why they ordered their family to cooperate with the other Monarchs and members of the Ten Prestigious Families.

Half a minute later, two Projections appeared from Renz's communicator, showing two middle-aged men who were looking at Thirteen with narrow eyes.

"Arthur Leventis, it seems that your grandson doesn't appreciate the olive branch we have extended to the Dvalinn Federation," Scott Ashford stated.

"Just a little foal who gained a bit of fame dares to talk back to his Elders," Tyler Stallard commented. "It seems that the Leventis Family doesn't know how to properly educate their young."

Arthur was about to retort, but someone else beat him to it.

"Hey, it seems that the two of you are having a big misunderstanding here," Thirteen said, making everyone in the room look in his direction. "We don't need cowards. If you don't want to die, then don't bother coming here."

"You ungrateful brat, it seems that you really don't understand who you're dealing with," Scott Ashford said icily. "Of course, I don't know who I am dealing with," Thirteen replied with a smirk. "Since when did I know the name of nobodies? You know me, but I don't know you—we're not on the same level, okay?"

"Hahaha! This brat indeed has guts," Tyler Stallard grinned. "Very well. Since you don't want our help, then we won't send you any."

"Sure. Bye bye." Thirteen waved his hand and then made a gesture for Renz to cut the connection, which left Benedict looking at Thirteen as if he was seeing him for the first time.

"Are you mad?" Benedict asked. "Those are the Patriarchs of the two Monarch Clans."

"I'm not," Thirteen replied as he tinkered with his communicator. 'But, after this expedition is over, they would have no choice but to reach out to me.'

Thirteen didn't want the Ashford and Stallard Clan to join the alliance because it would just complicate things.

These two Clans were known for using strong-arm methods in order to get the bigger share of the pie when it came to resources.

The teenage boy planned to monopolize all the resources in the Rigel Continent in order to build his own personal army.

He was fine with the Dvalinn Federation and the Central Government getting some shares.

But, he didn't want the Ashford Clan, and Stallard Clan to dabble in his business.

'It's still too early for them to get in my way,' Thirteen thought. 'I still need to do a few things before I can contend with these two forces.'

Thirteen had already laid out his plans, but it would take time for them to grow.

For the time being, he was careful in selecting his allies, which was why he had extended an olive branch to Renz because he believed that he would be the perfect accomplice, in the things that Thirteen planned to do in the Rigel Continent.