Gromm grinned as he patted the neck of his Blood-Crest Raptor.

This Raptor wasn’t given to him by his father. Instead, he won it fair and square from the Wheel of Fortune event Leone had hosted!

Truth be told, he still felt envious of his father. Then again, having his own Raptor was still a good thing. With it, he now looked like one of the important personages of the Aslan Tribe.

Two people from the Bloodtusk Tribe had also won the contest and obtained Raptors. This made them more motivated to do their best as warriors for the tribe.

Since they hoped to become part of the Aslan Tribe, they chose the Forest Raptor. After all, it was the most suitable mount to traverse Grimjaw Forest.

This event had unknowingly stoked the fire that was inside their hearts, pushing them to prove themselves worthy to become members of the Aslan Tribe.

Everyone was in high spirits. They felt that seeking asylum in the Aslan Tribe was the best decision they had ever made in their life.

Leone was not only a very generous leader, but also a caring ruler. With someone like that to lead them, how could they not be happy?

Still, despite the happiness he felt, Gromm felt a little worried.

Ulric had also told them that the envoys of the Warclaw Tribe, the Darkmane Tribe, and the Grimfang Tribe were estimated to arrive tomorrow.

It was no secret that the Grimfang Tribe had pursued them with the intention of bringing them all back to their camp.

If Leone hadn’t sent reinforcements to help them, their pursuers might have succeeded.

This was why Brann had told his people to be extra vigilant when the Grimfang Tribe arrived.

He also asked his warriors to behave and not do anything reckless that might jeopardize their position within the Aslan Tribe.

As for the members of the Bloodtusk Tribe, they were very wary of the Darkmane Tribe.

Their warriors had all been treated as henchmen and subordinates by this high-ranking tribe, so if given the choice, they didn’t really want to meet them.

Leone allowed them to skip the meeting if they didn’t want to. He also made sure to assure them. That since they had sought asylum in his domain, he would not allow any of them to get hurt.

His statement brought some peace of mind to these two tribes, who felt very anxious about the arrival of the Aslan Tribe’s guests.

"Son. Tomorrow, you will come with me to face them," Brann said in a serious tone. "Although we have yet to formally merge with the Aslan Tribe, Leone has already recognized me as one of his people. We have nothing to fear."

"Yes, Father." Gromm clenched his fists. "I won’t let you down."

"Good." Brann smiled faintly.

Now that he had Boris, he felt calmer and more confident that everything would be fine.

The giant Raptor was very intimidating, after all. With it around, he was certain that the Grimfang Tribe would feel pressured.

Meanwhile, inside the fortress, Leone also received some good news from Maximus.

"Gau!" Maximus happily sought out its Master and told him that they had discovered something great.

According to the White Kobold, they had come across a large iron ore deposit when they dug across the Grimjaw Mountain Range.

This discovery made the young man and his vassals very excited. After all, having a source of iron ores would solve many of their problems.

These included the creation of weapons and armors for their warriors, arming them all to the teeth!

"Daedalus, can you estimate how much this iron ore deposit can yield?" Leone asked through telepathy.

In response, Daedalus scanned the location where the iron ore was discovered to determine if they got lucky or not.

Based on its preliminary survey, Daedalus estimated that the newly discovered iron ore deposit contained over a hundred thousand tons of high-grade iron ore.

This would be more than enough to supply the needs of the Aslan Tribe for many years!

"With this, we can finally start mass production of weapons and armors!" Leone wanted to laugh out loud. This was one of the things he was worried about, and it was now resolved.

Of course, since the ones who discovered this iron vein were none other than the prisoners of war, it would be impossible to keep this a secret. They would certainly report it once they returned to their former tribes.

Yet, Leone wasn’t too worried about it.

He would first consult with Gundar and ask the great shaman if the Grimhowl Tribe would be willing to buy some of their iron ores, which he believed they would readily accept.

As long as the Grimhowl Tribe was happy to accept the benefits from this discovery, Leone wasn’t afraid. Because if they do, it wouldn’t matter even if the prisoners of war they temporarily used for labor were to spread the news far and wide.

Sure, it might attract envy and jealousy from their neighbors. However, it wouldn’t be enough to make them do anything reckless.

Right now, the one who had the monopoly over iron ores in the Borderlands were the Darkmane Tribe. They were the major supplier of this precious resource to the other high-ranking tribes.

And now, they had a competition. Leone already knew this would officially cement his tribe as an eyesore for Troy and his people.

Daedalus once again added a collection point near the newly discovered iron ore deposit, allowing for faster storage.

All the grimoire needed to do was store these ores and transform them into high-grade iron ingots to either be used for crafting or to be sold to their ally.

When Gundar heard about this discovery, he knew that his chieftain, Hagen, would not hesitate to agree to buy as many iron ores as they could.

That was because the Darkmane Tribe was notorious for its price hikes, which they could do without fearing any repercussions. Since they couldn’t beat the Grimhowl Tribe using normal means, they made sure to squeeze them economically.

The Grimhowl Tribe could only endure since they had no choice back then. But now, things would change.

Iron was the backbone of growth.

A tribe that possessed a stable supply of iron would naturally become stronger over time.

Better weapons created stronger warriors.

The right tools increased productivity.

Strong and sturdy fortifications made invasions far more difficult.

For a developing power like the Aslan Tribe, this discovery was a godsend.

With one of their problems finally solved, Leone could finally breathe a little easier.

His latest mission to upgrade his territory’s rank, which required him to have 300 Elite Warriors on his side, was hinting at another conflict.

The only saving grace was that the Stormhorn Tribe and the warriors of the Bloodtusk Tribe had migrated to Grimjaw Mountain with their families.

This increase in manpower was definitely a blessing for the Aslan Tribe, for they now had more warriors than before.

According to Daedalus’ estimate, they would need at least one more month to complete the mission.

A mission that would once again reward Leone with precious BP and resources he could use to continuously grow his faction to prepare for a future that was stained with the color of blood.