By the ti they reached the city gate, the visitors were already waiting.
There were quite a lot of them.
Several beast people in their beast form stood nearby, along with males and females dressed better than most village people would dare. They had brought gifts too, baskets of food, pelts, herbs, crafted tools, and even a few polished stones that were clearly ant to look valuable.
Valuable to them, perhaps.
To Isabella, it was another matter.
She only needed one glance to know that what they brought was nowhere near what she already had inside her territory.
And they knew that too.
That was why their smiles were so polite.
That was why their posture was so careful.
That was why even while greeting her, so of the males behind them could not help sweeping their eyes toward the watchtowers, the walls, the gates, the guards, the movent of the villagers, and even the storage buildings in the distance.
They were inspecting everything.
And the more they saw, the brighter their eyes beca.
They did not speak loudly, but low voices began to ripple quietly through their group, as if the words could not stay contained.
"Those walls... how long would it take to build sothing like this...?"
"And the guards, did you see their formation? That is not random training."
"This is not a village... this is already a city in the making."
"How did she do this...?"
They quickly fell silent again, as if afraid soone might hear them.
Because to them, this was not simply a rising territory.
This was gold.
This was fat at placed on a golden plate.
This was the kind of place that, once tied into alliance, could pull another power upward with it.
Isabella saw all of that and said nothing.
She had never planned to reject outside forces forever.
That would be foolish.
Her goal had always been bigger than this.
Much bigger.
She did not want one strong territory.
She wanted the biggest city the beast world had ever seen.
No.
That was too modest.
She wanted to dominate the beast world.
Yes, dominate.
Since she had already co here, why would she think small?
So she let them greet her with smiling faces and respectful words.
She let them look around and secretly compare what they saw against whatever they had expected.
And the more they looked, the more shocked they beca.
Food was organized.
Training was organized.
Living areas were organized.
Even work distribution had order.
Most shocking of all, there was education.
Actual education.
Not the kind hoarded by high powers and passed only to favored people, but real knowledge being given out openly as if it were nothing.
The visitors did not say anything about it.
But their hearts were already shaking.
Because education in this world was not a small thing.
Education was gold.
Education made passing down cultivation easier.
Education preserved techniques.
Education made people difficult to fool.
And this woman had it right at her fingertips.
Not only that, she was sharing it.
For free.
How terrifying.
They followed Isabella inside, and once seated, the matter of alliance was brought up directly.
The leading man was respectful. Very respectful.
This ti around, at least, there were no hidden smiles full of poison and no fake words wrapped around threats. This village had clearly co with a purpose, and that purpose was simple.
They wanted to tie themselves to Isabella’s territory before soone else did.
They spoke of cooperation.
They spoke of mutual growth.
They spoke of shared strength.
They said they had brought strong males who could work, hunt, build, and protect.
They also promised that when they returned, they could bring more females and more useful hands in the future.
In exchange, they hoped to receive support, food stability, and entry into a place that was clearly rising far beyond ordinary standards.
In simpler words, they wanted to latch on.
Isabella listened quietly.
She did not interrupt at first.
She let them finish.
Then she leaned back slightly, still wrapped in thick warm fur on Cyrus’s tail, and looked at them with that calm face of hers that always made people slowly realize they might have underestimated her.
To be honest, so of them had indeed underestimated her at first.
When they first heard of Isabella, they imagined a beautiful female lucky enough to gather powerful males around her.
When they first arrived and saw her, that thought nearly returned.
She was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
And she looked soft where she sat.
But after seeing her territory, after seeing the order, the walls, the discipline, the learning, and the calm way everyone looked toward her as if this whole place revolved around her without question, none of them dared treat her lightly anymore.
Then Isabella spoke.
Her voice was not loud, but every word was clear.
"You want alliance, and I do not reject the idea. But let us speak plainly. Between your village and mine, the one benefiting more is not ."
The room went still.
The people from the higher-ranking village all sat straighter.
Because the words were calm, but very direct.
Isabella continued, "What you saw on your way in is only what I allow outsiders to see. Even then, it should already be clear to all of you that this territory does not lack food, order, protection, or direction. So if you co to speaking of alliance, then what you truly offer is not rescue, and it is not favor. It is manpower, possible routes, possible trade, and future integration."
The leader’s expression changed slightly.
He had not expected such clean, sharp words from her.
Isabella’s lips curved faintly, but there was no softness in her eyes.
"You need not decorate it too much. I do not dislike direct gain. I simply dislike confusion. If this alliance is ford, then it will be ford with clear eyes. You gain access to a rising power. I gain labor, talent, and wider reach. That is all."
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