Is this really a Game?!

"So, you managed to establish friendly relations with them?" Wolf asked Reign who had just returned from the jungle together with Shadow.

"Yeah, don't get me wrong, I still don't trust them, after all, we have just met and spent little time together, more time will need to pass before I invite them to see any of our territories, but for now, we can think of establishing a trading area with them, I was thinking of allowing them to visit the mountain range base and have free access to it." 

Reign sat down and rubbed his forehead for a bit.

"That way, we will show that we truly wish to cooperate and still have our main territories kept secret."

"If you think that's for the best, I don't mind it," Wolf said as he sat down.

"The two that followed us, were able to remain unnoticed even by you and Shadow, that's not something just anybody can do."

"I know, I didn't sense a thing, not even their souls, if not for Beast managing to catch their scent, they would have gone completely unnoticed, of course, a part of that is also because we had already noticed that there were people following us, and we focused on them."

"You fought them, how were they?"

"Weird," Wolf said as Laura and the others nodded.

"We all attacked together, and even though we didn't go all out and attack with the intention of killing them, they were still able to withstand our attacks for a good 5 or 6 seconds before using those weird scrolls to escape."

"They didn't attack even once, everything they did was done with the intention of blocking and dodging, it was clear that they didn't wish to fight us, either they truly didn't wish to be enemies with us, or they simply knew that it would have been futile to fight against us thanks to our superior numbers."

Reign listened intently, absorbing the information. The encounter with the mysterious followers raised more questions than answers. The decision to avoid direct confrontation and escape using scrolls indicated a strategic mindset rather than a confrontational one. It left Reign pondering the true intentions of Ishmail and his group.

Of course, Reign had already established that much last night during his conversation with Ishmail.

"Well, if they wanted to fight, they would have," Beast interjected. "But it's still strange. Why follow us in the first place? What were they hoping to achieve?"

Reign leaned back, staring at the ceiling as he contemplated the possibilities. "They were testing us, trying to gauge our strength and intentions, as we all know, now that the game had progressed further, civilization as we know it has pretty much collapsed, right?"

The others nodded as Reign sighed.

"Just like those groups that attacked Mia and her team, the new world is filled with different kinds of people, some are friendly and wish to cooperate with others in order to progress and become stronger, but others would rather take things by force and enslave others to them."

Laura chimed in, "They have their own reservations and concerns, the world now is filled with uncertainties, and being cautious will never be a bad thing."

Reign nodded. "That's true. We need to be cautious as well. For now, we'll proceed with the plan to establish a trading area. It's a neutral ground where both parties can benefit without revealing too much. We'll see how that goes before considering further steps."

"For now, we are the ones that hold the advantage, after all, we know of the Enclave and where one of their bases is, while they don't know where our bases are."

"We know they have about 12 Tier V combatants, although I doubt that is the total number as they might have very likely placed some in the other territories and have only shown us the 12 in order to let us drop our guard a bit."

"Still, Ishamil knew we were there and showed us those numbers as a gesture of goodwill, as well as to potentially let us underestimate them if we truly harbored any hostile intentions."

The entire group nodded and then sighed as the current situation was a bit complex. They didn't mind cooperating with another territory, in fact, the more of them they cooperated with and entered alliances in, the better, but it was also dangerous as one could never know whether they would be betrayed or not.

The group discussed the details of setting up the trading area within the mountain range base. The location would be carefully chosen to ease others with the trading. Security measures would be put in place to ensure the safety of both parties during these exchanges.

Days passed, and preparations for the trading area were underway. The enclave, under Ishmail's guidance, reciprocated the efforts. It became evident that, despite the initial cautiousness, there was a mutual interest in fostering cooperation between the two factions.

As the appointed day arrived, the trading area was established within the mountain range base. It was a designated space where members of Ishmail's enclave and Reign's group could meet, exchange resources, and communicate freely. The area was shielded with magical barriers to prevent unauthorized access.

Reign planned on first only having one area be available inside the mountain base in order to allow his people and Ishmail's to get to know each other and relax when around one another. He was guessing that in no more than 2 weeks, they would get acquainted enough for him to open up the whole base to them and allow them free access to it.

Reign created a new portal, one that connected the base with Ishamil's territory.

Ishmail and a few key members of his enclave arrived, accompanied by a group of traders and craftsmen. The atmosphere was tense but not hostile. Both factions were eager to explore the benefits of this partnership.

Reign and Shadow welcomed Ishmail, offering a tour of the trading area. The enclave members observed the surroundings, noting the careful layout and strategic positioning of barriers.

"We appreciate the effort you've put into this," Ishmail said, acknowledging the precautions taken by Reign's group. "It shows a commitment to mutual respect and cooperation."

Reign nodded. "Likewise. This trading area is a step towards understanding each other better, I would first like us to use this area to trade so that we can all make sure nothing happens between our people, after about 2 or 3 weeks, I will open up the entirety of the base for you, your people will be free to explore it."

Ishmail nodded at Reign with a smile on his face as the two arrived at the barrier.

Reign merely touched the barrier and caused a small entrance to open before motioning for Ishmail and the 3 Tier V combatants that came with him to go through.

Ishmail merely smiled and walked forward as the three Tier Vs looked nervously.

They were now in Reign's base, and they knew that if the man had hostile intentions, he could utilize his power as the leader of the territory, as well as the barriers and arrays in the base to weaken them and attack.

With the number of Tier Vs under his command, they were certain that they wouldn't be their match and would be defeated.

While Reign walked outside of the barrier with Ishmail and the others in order to show them around the base and let them see some of the mountain range, the traders from both factions started talking to each other.

The trading commenced, and members from both factions began exchanging resources. The enclave brought unique magical items, rare herbs from the jungle, and advanced crafting materials. In return, Reign's group provided minerals, technological components, and information about various territories they had encountered.

Even though Ishmail's faction had developed quite a bit and was above Reign's faction in some areas, they didn't have elves and their incredible craftsmanship and alchemy, nor did they have the orcs that came from a different world that was much more developed than they were.

With those two factions allied with Doncaster, they were able to gain a lot, and that was all quite useful when trading with others.

There were craftsmen present who started talking to one another and showcased their skills and methods of crafting, which were all quite different from one another.

What made Doncaster different from Ishamil's faction was the fact that the craftsmen of Doncaster had a variety of different techniques and methods as they had learned from different people.

Some had believed that the way they had started suited them the best, thus they didn't learn from anyone, not the elves, orcs, or Adrian, who even when always seemed unapproachable and hostile to them would sometimes teach them a bit.

The craftsmen of Ishmail's faction had developed differently as they all seemingly did the same thing. From what they were able to learn, the faction had developed two different methods of crafting, and all of them used one of the two, which was very different from Doncaster's craftsmen who had over 5.