Lord: I can see loyalty.

"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"

In the castle atop Eagle's Beak in the central West.

Ulysses sat on a high chair, his face extremely grim.

Beside him were two rows of former nobles from the Western Territory, all of whom lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze or speak.

Ulysses looked extremely grim, but he was actually not concerned. His purpose in this operation was to test Vio's fighting strength.

But his grim expression at that moment was not feigned.

After all, the results of this operation were obvious: the warriors and knights under Vio's command were far more elite than the knights under his command.

The discipline of that militia was far superior to that of the hastily assembled ragtag army from the western border.

A brief silence fell over the scene; no one dared to speak.

Finally, the opportunist, a sharp-faced nobleman named Coffer, broke the awkward silence by rolling his eyes.

"Lord Ulysses, there is really no need to worry too much."

Ulysses' gaze fell on him, with a hint of confusion.

"Oh? What's wrong? What are you thinking?"

Cofer stood up, walked to the center of the hall, and wore a fawning smile.

"My lord, we must admit that the count in the south has a strong and well-equipped army... but we have our advantages, we can afford to drag this out!"

"Drag?" Ulysses frowned slightly.

Not only Ulysses, but everyone else looked at Cofer with confusion.

"That's right, drag it out!" Cofer's voice deliberately rose a few decibels.

"My lord, just think about how chaotic things are in the capital right now. The Golden Mane Griffin family is causing trouble, the king is in a terrible predicament, and those powerful families are suspicious of each other."

"In this situation, what is the most taboo thing for either the current king or the future new king?"

He paused, looked around, and seeing that everyone was staring at him, he continued smugly:

"The worst thing is having too many powerful subordinates!"

Ulysses narrowed his eyes slightly.

Cofer continued, "That earl of the South currently controls both the South and half of the West. If he were to actually swallow the entire West, he would be in control of two territories! Which king could trust such a powerful minister? We wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the capital will naturally find a way to deal with him!"

Ulysses remained silent for a moment, then stopped fidgeting with his hands.

"That makes sense, I understand that," he said slowly. "But the problem is, how do we stall for time? That guy's winning every fight, his morale is high, how can he possibly give us any time to buy time?"

Cofer's smile deepened.

"My lord, have you forgotten? We still have an ace up our sleeve."

Ulysses' eyes flashed.

"You mean...?"

"Alec Stone," Coffer enunciated the name, "our only Grand Knight of the West."

A murmur rippled through the hall.

The nobles looked at each other, some with surprise in their eyes, others with thoughtful expressions.

Marcus, who was sitting in the corner, suddenly looked up, his expression changing slightly.

Alec Stone...

That name was like a living legend in the Western Regions before the pirate occupation.

Once a perfect knight, the sharpest sword under the Earl of the West, with illustrious military achievements and upright character, he should have had a bright future.

Now they are trapped in this land tainted by pirates for five whole years.

Ulysses' gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Marcus.

"Marcus..."

Marcus's heart tightened, and he stood up and bowed slightly.

"What are your orders, sir?"

Ulysses stared at him, his eyes revealing no emotion.

"You and Alec Stone are old acquaintances, aren't you?"

Marcus's throat bobbed involuntarily; he knew he couldn't lie about this.

"Yes...we fought alongside the old Earl."

Ulysses nodded, his tone suddenly softening: "Marcus, I know you have some reservations about me."

"But as you've seen, this is a matter of life and death for the Western Territory. If that count from the Southern Territory invades, neither of us will have a good ending."

He paused, then continued, "As long as you do me this favor, the previous matter can be wiped clean. You won't need to send troops, provide provisions, or send your people to their deaths."

Marcus was stunned.

No need to send troops?

He had thought that Ulysses would force him to the battlefield and make his people cannon fodder, but now there was an opportunity...

"Is what you're saying true, sir?" His voice was a little hoarse.

Ulysses smiled, a rare occurrence for him.

"I, Ulysses, am a knight and a baron of the Kingdom of Rovia. I keep my word. As long as you bring Alec Stone out, you and your men will not have to go to the battlefield."

Marcus remained silent for a moment.

He couldn't help but think of the people in his territory, his family members who were threatened by the pirates, and the humiliation of being forced to pledge allegiance to this pirate king.

If they can persuade Alec, they can secure their safety...

"Okay." He raised his head, his gaze hardening. "I'll go."

Cofer's smile deepened, his eyes flashing with smug satisfaction at having everything under control.

Ulysses also waved.

"Go ahead and guard the area. I'll have someone make arrangements for you."

Marcus turned and strode out of the council chamber. His figure disappeared outside the door, and the sound of his footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The hall was quiet for a moment.

Cofer leaned closer to Ulysses and whispered, "Sir, do you still trust him so much?"

Ulysses glanced at him, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"Whether he believes it or not doesn't matter, as long as he gets the person out, that's all that matters. As for what happens after that..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Cowell understood what he meant and nodded repeatedly.

…………

Eagle's Beak Castle, basement level.

Marcus was following two fully armed knights as they descended the stone steps.

The further down they went, the more humid the air became and the dimmer the light. The oil lamps on the walls cast a dim, yellowish glow, making their shadows appear to grow longer and shorter.

He hadn't been here for many years.

To be precise, he had never seen Alec Stone since the old Earl died.

That once radiant man is now trapped in this dark and sunless underground for five whole years.

Because of a contract between Ulysses and the old count, he was not allowed to leave the western border and was even imprisoned.

At the end of the steps was a heavy iron gate.

Behind the door was a narrow corridor with rows of closed cells on either side.

No, it can't be called a prison, because it doesn't hold criminals, but rather "distinguished guests" who are being looked after by Ulysses.

Marcus knew that Alec Stone was in the deepest room.

The knight leading the way stopped in front of a door and rudely knocked on the doorframe.

"Alec Stone! Someone wants to see you!"