Roxy was not phased by this question.
She had always considered herself intelligent, so she knew this question was inevitable, and she had already imagined how it could play out.
But first.
She stood tall despite her legs trembling from hours of standing. She looked at the Elder, then at the gathered pack who were clutching their new gold coins like talismans.
"We don't force them," Roxy answered, her voice carrying clearly over the crowd. "We make them jealous."
She took in their tilted head for a second before she continued.
"First, we build the foundation here," she explained, addressing Varon directly. "Before we go to the Bears or the Foxes, the Iron-Wood must be the example. We establish a Bank, a secure house where you can deposit your coins for safekeeping, so you don't have to bury them under your huts."
She gestured to the bustling market they had created in a single afternoon.
