She stood and slowly walked toward the enormous map covering one wall of the chamber. Her finger moved across the different regions of the Prime Territory one after another.
"We won’t contact everyone," Evelyn continued. "That would only increase the chances of information leaking."
She turned back toward us.
"But we don’t need everyone."
"We only need those we trust."
A determined smile appeared on her face.
"I’ll personally send messages through our secure channels. Each settlement will receive a simple invitation requesting one representative—the strongest and wisest individual they can spare."
Dean nodded approvingly.
"Small enough to remain hidden."
Samuel added, "Yet strong enough that every member can influence the outcome."
Marcus folded his arms.
"And gathering them here first gives us another advantage."
I looked toward him.
"The Ironhart Settlement becomes our staging ground. Everyone arrives here separately over the coming days without drawing attention. Once the entire expedition is assembled, we leave together."
I couldn’t help nodding.
It was cleaner. Far easier to conceal than trying to gather everyone near the actual location of the gate.
Evelyn smiled faintly after seeing everyone’s agreement.
"Then it’s decided."
She rested both hands on the table.
"I’ll begin contacting our allies immediately."
Her gaze finally settled on me.
"And while I gather the people..."
"...you find the gate."
The Ironhearts would gather their allies, Gerald would prepare everything needed for the confrontation against Verilux, and I would search for the entrance leading to the Twelfth Soul Current. Every person around the table already knew their responsibility.
Evelyn slowly looked around the chamber, making eye contact with each Saint before her gaze finally rested on me once again.
"There is one final matter we need to settle."
I raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
"The expedition."
She folded her hands calmly in front of her.
"More specifically..."
"...who will lead it."
Nobody spoke.
Marcus leaned back in his chair, Samuel quietly observed everyone present, while Dean simply rested his chin on his clasped hands. None of them seemed surprised that the topic had come up.
Evelyn looked directly into my eyes.
"Billion."
"Would you like to lead this expedition?"
The question wasn’t unexpected. Neither was my answer.
"Yes."
There wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation.
"I would."
Evelyn nodded, almost as though she had expected nothing else.
"I thought you would."
"Young people really don’t hesitate, do they?"
"I’d be more worried if he did," Evelyn replied before looking back at me. "However..."
The slight pause immediately caught my attention.
"...wanting to lead and being accepted as the leader are two completely different things."
I frowned slightly.
"The people arriving here won’t just be Ironhearts."
She gestured toward the enormous map hanging on the wall.
"They’ll be Dragon Saints who have commanded their clans for thousands of years. Griffon elders who have survived more battles than imagined. Elven patriarchs, fairy queens, ancient beasts, and representatives of lineages whose names have long disappeared from history."
She smiled knowingly.
"Every one of them has led others. And every one of them believes their judgment is superior."
I could already see where this was going.
"They’re not going to follow someone simply because you tell them to."
"So how exactly am I supposed to convince a room full of ancient Saints that they should listen to someone who hasn’t even reached thirty years of age?" I asked.
Evelyn looked genuinely puzzled by the question.
"Isn’t the answer obvious?"
I blinked.
"...Apparently not."
A mischievous smile appeared on her face, one that looked strangely out of place on someone who had lived for thousands of years.
"You smash their heads."
The room fell completely silent. Then Samuel burst into laughter.
Even Marcus couldn’t hide the grin spreading across his face.
I stared at Evelyn for several seconds.
"...That’s your brilliant strategy?"
She shrugged as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
"They’re warriors. They’ve lived their entire existence believing strength earns authority."
She pointed toward me.
"So give them exactly what they expect."
Her smile became slightly wider.
"Walk into that hall. Be confident and arrogant."
"And if anyone questions your right to lead..."
She casually waved her hand.
"...smash their head into the floor."
Samuel laughed even harder. Marcus nodded in complete agreement.
"Honestly..."
"...that would probably work."
Dean looked toward me with an amused expression.
"The Dragon Clan in particular respects strength above everything else. If one of them challenges you, defeating him publicly would settle half the room before the discussion even begins."
I rubbed my forehead while trying not to laugh.
"I was expecting politics."
Evelyn looked almost offended.
"This politics. It’s simply Saint politics."
I slowly stood from my chair before letting out a quiet scoff.
"You know..."
A grin spread across my face.
"...smashing people’s heads does happen to be one of my specialties."
That earned another round of laughter throughout the chamber.
Evelyn nodded with obvious satisfaction.
"Good. I was hoping you’d say that."
She rose from her own seat, and the relaxed atmosphere immediately disappeared as her expression once again became that of the leader of the Ironharts.
"Then everything has been decided. Our guests will begin arriving over the next few days."
She looked around the room one final time.
"When they do..."
"...let them test you."
A confident smile slowly appeared on my face.
"I certainly hope they do."
Because if there was one thing I had learned after all these years...
It was that introductions were far easier...after punching someone.
The laughter inside the council hall had only just begun to settle when the space behind me rippled without warning.
Unlike an ordinary spatial portal, this one appeared almost soundlessly. A soft blue glow spread through the air before folding into itself, forming an elegant doorway of intertwined runes that floated a few feet above the ground. Every Saint inside the hall instinctively turned toward it, though none of them looked alarmed. They had already recognized the aura before the portal had even fully stabilized.
A familiar figure stepped out with his hands clasped behind his back.
Gerald.
The old man glanced around the room before his eyes landed on me. Then, without even acknowledging anyone else first, he looked straight at me and sighed dramatically.
"Don’t listen to this brute of a woman, Billion."
I couldn’t help smiling.
"You’ve got excellent timing."
"I know."
Gerald calmly walked farther into the chamber before looking toward Evelyn.
"Not everyone solves every disagreement by smashing the other person’s head."
Evelyn folded her arms.
"No. They solve it after getting their own head smashed."
Gerald rolled his eyes.
"You see?" He looked back at me. "This is exactly why she never got married and we don’t get along."
Without missing a beat, Evelyn replied, "No. I simply never found a man capable of surviving a conversation with me."
Dean immediately lowered his head, pretending to study the table very carefully. Marcus suddenly became fascinated by the ceiling.
Samuel signaled me to pay attention. I even had to bite back a grin.
Gerald let out an exaggerated sigh.
"I’ve been trying to improve her personality for nearly a hundred years."
"And you’ve failed miserably."
"I’ve noticed."
"It’s because you’re an even worse teacher than you are a Saint."
The old man pointed an accusing finger toward her.
"See?"
"Violence. Everything always comes back to violence with you."
Evelyn looked genuinely confused.
"We’re discussing personalities."
"You threatened to punch people less than two minutes ago."
"I suggested it."
"You encouraged it."
"I encouraged efficiency."
Gerald turned toward me with a completely serious expression.
"You see what I’ve had to deal with all these years?"
I nodded sympathetically.
"My condolences."
"Thank you."
Evelyn scoffed.
"Both of you are unbearable."
For a brief moment, I simply watched the two of them.
It was strangely comforting.
A few minutes ago, we had been discussing a plan that could very well determine the future of the entire Prime Territory. Yet here they were, arguing like an old married couple over whose personality was more flawed.
Maybe... That was exactly why they had survived for so long.
Gerald eventually cleared his throat before the conversation drifted too far away.
"Anyway..."
His expression became noticeably more serious.
"I came because there is something all of you should know."
The relaxed atmosphere inside the chamber immediately disappeared.
He looked toward Evelyn first.
"I assume you’ve already decided to invite representatives from the hidden races."
She nodded.
"The messages will be sent tonight."
"Good."
Gerald slowly folded his hands behind his back.
"Then don’t forget the Astrals."
The unfamiliar name immediately caught my attention.
"The Astrals?" I repeated.
Gerald nodded.
"They’re one of the oldest surviving races in the Prime Territory."
Evelyn quietly added, "Older than the Ironhearts in Prime Universe."
That surprised me.
"I’ve never heard of them."
"Very few have."
Gerald smiled faintly.
"They’ve spent thousands of years making sure of that."
He slowly walked toward the enormous map hanging on the wall before pointing toward one of the most isolated regions near the edge of the Prime Galaxy.