Seeing how reserved Pearl was behaving, the Watcher sighed. He could not blame her - she was someone who had already suffered the cruelty of this world, so she was wary of being hurt again. It was only natural.

"What I mean to say is, I am aware of the fact that you have not been exposed to the matters of Mount Decius, despite the presence of such an accomplished grandfather. Allow me to introduce you to these matters.

"Please, take a seat and make yourself comfortable. You too, lad. I can see how close you both are, not to mention how close you are to your own breakthrough. There’s no need to keep these matters a secret."

River went and sat besides Pearl, taking note of the fact that Cliff had not appeared above the Watcher’s head. Had he finally met someone he didn’t dare appear in front of?

"You see, while there is a limit that no cultivators at the Golden Core will appear within the Land of a Hundred Rivers, that does not mean that there aren’t any. In fact, all Golden Core cultivators reside within Mount Decius, from where they manage the land.

"Most others, however, are sent to the Upper Battlefield. Even if they’re not interested in fighting, they have to go. That’s because the difference between an ordinary person and a Golden Cultivator is too vast.

"Allowing Golden Core cultivators to stay here will only invite them to act out sooner or later. The slightest action from them could cause immense, incalculable damage, which is why they are sent out of these lands. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"It works out in everyone’s favor because the spiritual energy here is so low that it becomes impossible for Golden core cultivators to cultivate. Their absence also ensures that lower level cultivators get more exposure and are able to act without fear of being overwhelmingly suppressed."

River thought of a question, but suppressed it when he felt like it would land him in trouble. The Watcher, however, seemed to notice.

"No need to fret so much, child. I see you have a question about something. Go ahead - ask," the Watcher said, looking at River as an adult would look at a child.

River debated internally, wondering if he should just ask a random question instead. After all, he understood well enough the accusation his question would impose. In the end, however, he decided to ask anyway.

"Does that mean that Mount Decius could have stopped the wyvern at any time?" River asked slowly. "If there were Golden Core cultivators, could they have intervened and prevented all those deaths?"

The question caused the Watcher to sigh, but he nodded nonetheless.

"You must understand, child, that the universe is more complicated than you realize. The short answer is that yes, we could have intervened. But that would not have helped the situation, it would have made it worse.

"If we act every time the situation becomes slightly unfavorable, what’s to prevent our enemies from doing the same? Their Golden Core cultivators could intervene just as easily as ours, and then the whole thing would become moot.

"Besides, though we suffered losses, did we not overcome this obstacle? Weren’t you and your friends the very ones to overcome the wyvern? Without the opportunity to face such a difficult foe, heroes such as yourselves would never have been uncovered.

"In truth, the situation at large is far more complicated than you realize. All you know now only touches the very tip of our struggles. To stabilize and maintain the situation at large, some sacrifices must be made.

"What do you think lies at the border of the Land of a Hundred Rivers? Does the land just simply cease to exist? Or is there some large, uncrossable ocean? The truth is neither. The Land of a Hundred Rivers is one of many territories, divided by a massive formation, existing in its own delicate balance.

"So, to save a dozen, or even a hundred, or a thousand lives, if we deploy even one Golden Core cultivator, we risk far, far more. It’s an unfortunate reality of life - one that you will slowly come to understand as you ascend to the Upper Battlefield."

River’s expression turned solemn as he realized that he had been underestimating things. It wasn’t his fault - his exposure and perspective were limited. Lex, however, could not be fooled so easily.

He looked at the Watcher with a lame expression, but did not speak or interfere. There was no need. Instead, he took note of the coldhearted calculations of the Humanoid Alliance. This was a side of it he had never seen since, naturally, he had always encountered it from another angle.

What the Watcher didn’t say, and what Pearl and RIver didn’t realize, was that these orcs acted with a tacit understanding. This was a battlefield, but it was also a nurturing ground of sorts. The alliance would nurture its talents, while the orcs and goblins would nurture their own.

Lex did not know the extent to which this agreement went, but it was clear that the personal loss, pain and grief that the individuals here suffered in these wars was an acceptable loss to the alliance. Maybe, when an organisation reached such a level, things of this nature were required for it to operate and expand... or maybe even just survive.

Whatever the case was, he would find out as he accompanied the couple through the lands. He was now curious to see what secrets and conspiracies the Upper Battlefield held, for he had already been greatly enlightened about the extent to which even these mortals could plot and conspire.

At the same time, he was thoroughly impressed by the giants and the Oolin. Perhaps, in the future, there would be opportunities for them to cooperate.

"Now that you understand the background of the matter, we can discuss the next steps that we have to take," the Watcher kindly explained. "Naturally, the protection offered to your families will be renewed, and this time, we will pay special attention to them not to repeat our previous mistakes."