The First Elder seemed oblivious as he continued to chuckle, "I knew the Alliance Hierarch and I shared the same thoughts. Since that’s the case, I suppose the Alliance Hierarch will personally convene a commendation assembly to honor our heroes of The Celestial Alliance."
Raina North’s gaze grew colder. This old fox intended to push her into the spotlight to draw attention away; how cunning.
Yet, she had no way to refuse.
As the Alliance Hierarch, if she were to disregard the contributions of her subordinates, it would chill their hearts, and over time, she’d lose their loyalty.
Moreover, having set this trap, the First Elder would never allow her to escape it.
Suddenly, Raina North smiled.
Her smile was gentle, devoid of any trace of coldness or malice, and she nodded in full agreement, "The First Elder is right, those brothers who have secured territory for The Celestial Alliance are indeed heroes who deserve rewards."
She rose and glanced at the First Elder, "Come, let’s go greet our heroes as they return."
With that, she took the lead and walked out.
The First Elder stared in surprise at Raina North’s departing figure, initially expecting her to grow angry.
In fact, he was hoping for her anger, as he had orchestrated all these schemes to provoke her wrath, even hoping she would act against him.
That way, he could make a fuss, letting everyone know about this incident.
They had subjugated the rebellious world and seized so much territory, yet instead of rewarding them, Raina North turned against him. Such news would incite public indignation, making it impossible for Raina North to remain in the Alliance Hierarch’s position.
The Celestial Alliance could not remain leaderless; after Raina North’s removal, surely someone new would have to take the position.
In this scenario, he who had toiled for The Celestial Alliance and whose subordinates had suffered great grievances was naturally the best candidate to succeed as Alliance Hierarch.
As for the impending crisis The Celestial Alliance faced, Orion Rivers, the former Alliance Hierarch, would serve as the perfect scapegoat.
Yet, it appeared that Orion Rivers did not play by the usual rules.
Raina North did not miss the gloom on the First Elder’s aged face, leading her to smirk coldly. Old bastard, wasn’t he capable enough to have his people rampage and seize territories?
In that case, she would graciously accept the credit.
Raina North stood at the entrance of The Celestial Alliance, personally welcoming the returning assembly.
The members instructed by the First Elder for stealth attacks were utterly shocked.
What... what was happening?
Wasn’t it said that the Alliance Hierarch did not value them and wanted them expelled from The Celestial Alliance? Why then was she personally coming out to greet them?
Such an honor was beyond anyone’s reach, not even for the First Elder!
The confidants of the First Elder felt prickles down their backs under the suspicious glares from their subordinates, wondering how they would explain today’s events to their men later. Official source is novel⸺fire.net
Raina North’s decision to personally greet everyone at the door this time was different from before.
In the past, leveraging the fact that Orion Rivers couldn’t look after every brother, they had quietly managed to subvert many people.
Moving forward, it would be much more challenging.
And it would be even harder because they had to find a flawless excuse for why they previously claimed the Alliance Hierarch intended to expel them.
Just thinking about it was headache-inducing.
Raina North observed everyone’s reactions and knew she had bet correctly.
Years ago, while she founded The Celestial Alliance under favorable circumstances, it was because the brothers trusted and were willing to follow her.
There was no reason everything would change just because she hadn’t appeared for a few years.