Lord: I can see loyalty.

Inside Baron's Castle in Shattrath.

Jimmy and several militia captains sat around a round table in the main hall, with Vio sitting in the very center.

Of course, there's also Abad, who just joined us.

Soon, a militiaman led an elderly man with a large beard into the hall, who was clutching a large map in his hand.

"My lord, these are the detailed maps we have compiled." The old man respectfully presented the rolled-up map with both hands.

Vio nodded slightly and took it, laying it flat on the round table to ensure everyone could see it clearly.

This is a map of the southern border, showing in detail which side each city and village belongs to.

There are currently five groups of bandits remaining, who together have occupied three cities and two large villages.

"Valley City, this is the location of the alpha wolf, Malankik," Abad pointed out the location of the alpha wolf to everyone.

The valley city is surrounded by those villages and cities. To get close, one must pass through the territory occupied by other wolves. Clearly, this was deliberately allocated by that wolf.

Abad then pointed to two other cities and added, "These two cities are occupied by the Wolf Riders and the Poison Wolves, respectively. The Poison Wolves' city has no civilians left except for bandits."

As he spoke, his expression darkened slightly, but he quickly added, "They are also the most dangerous besides the alpha wolf. All the bandits combined number about six hundred, and half of them are elites."

After listening to the information provided by Abad, Vio nodded slightly and began to think.

Currently, excluding pirates, he has nearly four hundred militiamen under his command. If you remove the new recruits who are not yet ready to fight, there are only three hundred left, of which one hundred are elite.

Although they had significantly weakened the bandits' strength, it seemed the enemy still held a slight advantage; if it weren't for the fortress drawing their fire...

"Still no contact with the fortress?" Vio turned to a militiaman behind him and asked.

"My lord, Lord Cohen reports that the fortress is completely surrounded, and their forces are finding it difficult to approach."

Vio frowned as he looked at the valley city on the map, which was not far from the fortress.

The fortress is too close to the enemy's main force and too far from itself. The closest city to Vio is still the newly acquired city of Shatai.

To further establish contact with the fortress, the only option was to directly attack the enemy's main base. His gaze fell on several villages and towns near the valley city, and an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

The news of Abad's submission has not yet reached the ears of the other bandits, so perhaps I can start from there!

"Jimmy, Shatai City is under lockdown right now, no one's going out, right?" Vio looked at Jimmy beside him.

"That's right, my lord."

"Since that's the case..." Vio turned his gaze to Abad on the other side and said, "Abad, what do you think are the chances that you'd invite those bandit leaders to Shatai City?"

Abad was taken aback, but combining this with Vio's previous statement, he quickly understood what Vio wanted to do. After a pause, he hurriedly said, "My lord, you want me to invite them to this city, and then..."

"That's right." Vio nodded in confirmation of his idea, and the captains around him whispered among themselves discussing its feasibility.

"It should work," Abad said hesitantly after thinking it over. "However, it's not certain whether we can get them all here."

Vio, a rare smile on his face, said, "Let's give it a try. We'll deal with as many as we can."

At noon, at the entrance to Bordeaux village.

The employed villagers brought lunch to a group of resting craftsmen, and the entire village was expanded under Vio's direction.

Ryan, Barton, and Valentine, three elderly men, were enjoying a rare moment of rest around a makeshift wooden table made of magic.

"This magic is such a convenient thing. Thanks to Lord Valentine, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to find a place to eat."

As Old Patton swallowed the soft, hot bread in his mouth, he turned his gaze to the crowded village entrance not far away.

Most of the craftsmen ate their meals on the spot next to the tools they brought, while some made their own small wooden tables, filling the entire village entrance with the aroma of food.

Beyond the bustling village entrance, the usually lively village became much quieter, except for the training ground deep within the village.

On the training ground, the elite militia members were conducting their daily training under Ansquie's leadership.

At this moment, Ansquie has reached the intermediate level of basic swordsmanship and is now the captain of the elite militia.

"Hey, Seth! You're doing it wrong!" Although the militiamen present were at least at the beginner level, Ansquie's training was still extremely rigorous.

After a long training session, the elite militiamen finally had a break and relaxed. Ansquie also put away his stern expression and joked with a few familiar militiamen.

"I never expected that I, Seth, could reach the beginner level of swordsmanship. I thought I was going to inherit my father's blacksmith shop and spend my whole life dealing with steel!" Seth sat on the ground, picked up his water bag, and took a big gulp of cold water.

"At least you have a blacksmith's shop!" another militiaman rolled his eyes at him. "If I hadn't become a militiaman, my whole family would probably have starved to death!"

"Don't even mention starving to death. If it weren't for the lord leading us to retake the village, we probably would have been killed by those bandits long ago."

Listening to the militiamen's words, Ansquie had the same thought in his mind.

Or rather, he was even more grateful to Vio's family than the militiamen were.

If it weren't for Lord Vio's father, Lord Odom, he probably would have gone astray and become a bandit long ago. It was the master who gave him a second life.

Lord Vio once again saved the entire village.

"Captain Ansquie! There's an order!" A militiaman's voice interrupted his thoughts at the exit of the training ground.

While Ansquie was puzzled, he arrived at the exit with several curious militiamen, and then his eyes widened in surprise.

Before them were several carriages and a few mounted vanguards. The messenger at the front bowed slightly and spoke.

"Lord Ansquie, these were made for you by the blacksmiths at the Lord's behest." As he spoke, he took a step back, and several large chests with iron-lined edges were brought out from behind him.

Ansquie's heart stirred. After a brief ceremony, he and several militiamen stepped forward and opened one of the boxes.

What appeared before them were several brand-new sets of replica knight plate armor, gleaming with metallic luster!

……

In the city of Satai.

Vio had already left with some of the captains, leaving Jimmy and a few other captains to guard the city, while also sending supplies to the militia and servants.

Inside the Baron's Castle, Abad sat at a table and chair in his room, his expression complex as he wrote several letters that he was about to send to his former colleagues.