Chapter 1104 New City Plan
"Lord Leonhardt! You don't know how ecstatic I am to see you again, my Lord," Chief Silvertooth welcomed Leon back with great joy upon his return to the surface. "We are in dire need of your leadership."
"I suppose it has something to do with the water problem?" Leon casually guessed with a knowing look.
Chief Silvertooth's eyes glimmered before replying, "So my Lord is already aware of the Celestial Water Spark's power depletion."
"That makes sense," Chief Silvertooth nodded after a quick realization as he added, "My Lord went down to investigate the abyss and would have known about the broken water veins."
"That aside, where is everyone else?" Leon inquired as he looked around at the barren land, scarred by the flames of battle.
"Everyone returned to the tribe to make arrangements as soon as they learned about the Celestial Water Spark's power depletion, my Lord. Only I stayed behind to await your return," Chief Silvertooth answered humbly.
Of course, he didn't forget to make himself look better than the other tribal chiefs.
"Oh, I see," Leon uttered dully, noticing Chief Silvertooth's cheap trick. However, he couldn't be bothered to call him out.
More importantly, he was more curious about their so-called arrangements.
"What kind of arrangements?" Leon asked.
"Since it's only a matter of time before our limited water supply is exhausted, everyone was preparing to move to the southern region for temporary refuge before the great migration," Chief Silvertooth answered.
"We were hoping you would return in time to smooth things out with the southern tribes so we could avoid a conflict, my Lord."
"Move to the southern region for temporary refuge?" Leon repeated with surprise before shaking his head and saying firmly, "There's no need for refuge in the south, nor do we need to leave the Infertile Plains."
"I can resolve the water problem," Leon shortly claimed with confidence before ordering Chief Silvertooth, "Send people to inform the tribes to call off their plans and have the chiefs summoned back. There are other things we need to discuss."
"Understood, Lord Leonhardt," Chief Silvertooth complied obediently.
Although he had some doubts in his heart, he did not dare to question the Lord's claim, nor would he refute it.
He might have the lofty chief of a ruling tribe, but all are ants below the Demon Lord realm.
Lord Leonhardt wielded power beyond his imagination, not to mention the two Divine Beasts by his side.
It was hard to say how many more Demon Lord-level beings served under him, but just thinking about the possible number of Arch Demon-level followers serving Lord Leonhardt gave him goosebumps.
Thus, there was no shame in serving such a great being, nor was there a choice.
It was either submit and live or resist and die.
…
After Chief Silvertooth left to carry out his task, Leon, with the help of Nightingale and Goldenstride, cleaned up the battlefield around the abyss opening.
All the remnant flesh and blood of men and monsters alike were reduced to ashes to prevent diseases from festering and turning the region into a land of death.
Although Nightingale and Goldenstride understood the intention, they didn't know why it was required.
"I don't think anyone would visit, let alone live near such an ominous hole, my Lord. Is it really necessary to purify this land?" Goldenstride couldn't help but ask after most of the work was done.
"That's where you are wrong, Goldenstride," Leon replied with a smile before explaining, "Even if I replace the old Celestial Water Spark with a new one in its place, much water would be wasted unless the broken water veins in this region are fixed."
"Even after the broken water veins are fixed, there's a chance the water would get contaminated unless the land is purified. Furthermore, since we are going to put so much effort into this land, we might as well build a new city on top of it."
"After all, the abyss opening gives easy access to the rich natural resources of the subterranean regions, and it's in the heart of the Infertile Plains," Leon added.
He also had other considerations when he made his decision.
Unifying the Infertile Plains might make the various tribes obey him, but it wouldn't stop the differences and grudges they have for one another.
Picking an existing tribe to become the new capital city would only make it seem like he favored that tribe.
If that happened, there was bound to be discrimination and conflict.
Although building a new city from the ground up wouldn't erase such problems, the problems would be minimized at the very least.
…
After cleaning up the region, Leon used his Earth Authority to smooth out the land. Even so, Chief Silvertooth and the others had yet to return at that point.
Instead of doing nothing while he waited, Leon set up a Teleportation Array to the Darkmoon Tribe and went to inform the southern leaders of the current situation.
"We were beginning to worry something happened to you, but what you've accomplished during this period has far exceeded my expectations, Alliance Leader—No, Hegemon Leonhardt," Chief Valencia expressed shock and amazement.
"Right," Battle King One-Eye nodded with agreement and added, "The Alliance Leader should be called Hegemon Leonhardt at this point."
"The Mighty Whitewolf Tribe, Divine Tortoise Tribe, Black Warbear Tribe, and the entire western region have all submitted. And there's also the Golden Suanni Clan in the far west on top of that. So Hegemon Leonhardt unifying the Infertile Plains is guaranteed to happen."
"Heck, I feel like Hegemon Leonhardt can even conquer the whole world!" Battle King One-Eye chuckled with high praise and worship.
Leon's list of accomplishments was the best thing he had heard in the past week.
"How exciting!" Battle King One-Eye added.
"Alright, that's enough, Senior One-Eye," Leon stopped Battle King One-Eye before adding, "My ears will soon grow calluses if you keep going. I didn't come back to listening to all of these praises."
"I want you all to join me on a trip to the Central Region. We will convene with the other chiefs and leaders there so that I can discuss my plans for the Infertile Plains with everyone," Leon shortly stated his purpose for returning.
Everyone's expressions quickly turned serious before simultaneously offering their respectful salutes and responding in unison.
"Yes, Hegemon Leonhardt!"