"We’ll need to contact the Alphas of the nearby packs," Zion said once the setup was complete. The mage nodded, moving with purpose to the table. He began chanting the spell, his eyes briefly scanning the map laid out before him, pinpointing the exact coordinates to link the communication crystal to the correct targets.
Not long after, the communication crystal flared to life, glowing so brightly that both Maxwell and Zion had to turn their eyes away from the sudden burst of light. They waited for the connection to stabilize, and soon enough, the crystal dimmed to a steady glow, signaling a successful link to one of the nearby packs.
The person who answered was a stationed mage assigned to that area, placed there specifically to ensure seamless communication between packs.
After all, a communication crystal was useless without a mage operating it, and relying on messenger birds to contact other Alphas was not only slow but riddled with risks. There was always the possibility of interception, especially with enemies lurking.
To avoid such problems, Archmage Elric had dispatched several of his disciples to the packs scheduled for evacuation. With a mage present, communication through the crystal became instant and secure.
Now that the connection was established and the mage on the other side had received it, all that remained was for him to summon the Alpha on his side so they could speak directly.
Zion and Maxwell waited for less than ten minutes before an Alpha, still dressed in a loosely tied silk robe, strode in with long, hurried steps and sat down abruptly in front of the communication crystal.
"Alpha Zion, Alpha Maxwell, what is so urgent that you’re calling at this hour?" he asked, irritation clear in his voice.
Both Zion and Maxwell immediately noticed the fresh scratch marks on his exposed chest, already healing but unmistakable. It didn’t take much imagination to figure out what, or who, they had interrupted.
The Alpha had clearly been in the middle of an intimate moment, right at its peak, only to be summoned away. Who wouldn’t be in a foul mood after that?
Even Zion and Maxwell silently admitted that if they were pulled away at such a time, they’d be cursing the heavens too. But they had no choice. Time was running dangerously thin, and they needed to notify the surrounding Alphas tonight, not tomorrow.
No one knew what the next day would bring, and delaying the evacuation could mean disaster.
"We apologize for the interruption, Alpha Blaze, but we don’t have the luxury of time," Zion said, his voice firm. "We need to inform you to prepare for evacuation tomorrow morning. All nearby packs must meet at the designated rendezvous point. As we’re pushing forward with the biochemical strike on the locust swarm as soon as possible."
"If we delay, we risk other forces breaking into the Golden Hue Pack and releasing the swarm. If that happens, the West will be thrown into chaos, and the infestation could even spread into the central plains."
Alpha Blaze, who had been frowning in irritation over the interruption, suddenly shot to his feet. His chair toppled backward with a loud thud, but he didn’t even spare it a glance. It was as if Zion’s words had detonated like a bomb over his head.
"Are you telling me someone is trying to harm us and was trying to release those pests on purpose?" he demanded, voice rising. "What, are they aiming for the granary?!"

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