As days passed, Ironhaven became properly integrated into Lootwell's growing system.
The North also entered the communication network between the West and Middle Continent.
At first, the exchanges were cautious.
The West Continent people greeted the North with jokes, challenges, warnings about certain facilities, and at least three invitations to group chats that should probably have been supervised by adults.
The Middle Continent people greeted the North with polished introductions, alliance offers, ranking discussions, facility comparisons, and questions about whether Ironhaven's Echo Crucible records would merge with the existing scoreboards.
The North answered in its own way.
Directly.
[Your jokes are strange.]
[Your introductions are too long.]
[Your records are beatable.]
That last message caused three separate competitive incidents within the hour.
Lucien read the reports and laughed.
...
Little by little, something changed.
People began talking.
