“Vermilion Bird, that Miss from Aquilandia, she’s probably still unmarried, right?” Casey asked Vermilion Bird out of the blue.
“Not yet! Rumor has it that she has never had a boyfriend!” Vermilion Bird shook his head.
“Casey, why are you concerned about her marital status? Do you have feelings for her or something?” Stout teased with a smirk.
Both Azure Dragon and White Tiger coughed simultaneously.
“Stout, I think you’re getting a little too curious!” White Tiger sympathetically glanced at him. “Be careful, Felicia might want to spar with you!”
“Just kidding, Felicia!” Stout grinned and then turned to Casey. “Casey, do you have a plan?”
Azure Dragon and the others also looked at him expectantly.
“I do have a little plan!” Casey nodded slightly. Then, he quietly explained the details to the group.
“Tsk tsk, Casey, I never expected you to come up with such an idea, considering your usual gentlemanly demeanor! Impressive!” Stout exaggerated his expression.
After listening, Felicia gave him a stern look. “Stout!”
“Get serious! The success of this plan depends on you, so don’t mess it up!” she warned.
“Don’t worry, it’ll be a piece of cake for me!” Stout responded with another grin.
Subsequently, as they ate, they discussed the details of the plan. The meal lasted for nearly two hours.
“Casey, they’re coming down!” Azure Dragon said, looking towards the staircase.
Aquilandia and the Guardians’ representatives were seen conversing as they made their way towards the exit, appearing quite intoxicated.
“Alright!” Casey nodded. “Stick to the plan!”
“Got it!” they replied in unison.
A few minutes later, the group of representatives arrived at the entrance.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Princess Belina. We await your good news!” Bent, the Provincial Governor of the Guardians in the Western Polar Domain, said to Belina.
“That’s it!” Belina nodded. “After I return, I will convey your message to my father. He should be able to provide a reply by tomorrow morning at the latest! If all goes well, we can mobilize our troops within three days!”
“Great!” Bent nodded emphatically. “I will be staying in Nordhaven City for the next few days. Princess Belina, feel free to call me if you have any questions.”
“Alright!” Belina responded.
Then, the two parties went their separate ways. Soon after, Belina and her ten attendants arrived at the stable and boarded the carriage heading towards Aquilandia.
“Your Highness, should we make a quick call to inform the Lord about the situation?” an elderly man with white hair asked Belina once they were outside the city.
“No. We’ll discuss it face-to-face when we return!” Belina shook her head.
“Do we really have to form an alliance with Northfortia?” a man spoke up. “I feel like Northfortia is being too greedy!”
“For us, there is no better choice!” Before Belina could respond, the old man with white hair spoke. “Since Commander Gardner from Glavale brought his troops here, the strength of Glavale’s city defenses has greatly increased. And we are at a point where it’s a matter of life or death. A major battle between the two sides is inevitable. Though we may not fear them, if an all-out conflict were to erupt, it would likely be a pyrrhic victory, with us suffering heavy losses. And even if we were to defeat Glavale, our own future would be uncertain.”
“I see.” The man nodded solemnly.
“However, the conditions that Bent mentioned seem a bit excessive!” After taking a deep breath, the old man turned to look at Belina.
“Your Highness, if we were to fully comply with their conditions, in the end, we would likely gain nothing aside from our efforts!”
Belina nodded, a coldness flashing in her eyes. “That’s just how Northfortia is, treating everyone as fools, thinking they are the smartest in the world! It’s truly laughable! They really think we don’t know that Glavale’s main target is Northfortia, not us!”
“What about this cooperation?” the man from before spoke up again.
“Let me discuss it with my father when I return.” Belina responded after a moment of thought.
“Your Highness, how is the situation back home? They…” the man nodded and began to speak.
“Stop!” the old man suddenly shouted before the man could finish his sentence.
Just as his words trailed off, a sharp blade aura swept in from the right, unstoppable. The man driving the carriage hadn’t fully reacted when the blade aura had already flashed past him.
Soon, both polar mastiffs collapsed, and including the man driving the carriage, they were all split in half by the blade aura.
“Your Highness, be careful!” the old man said in a deep voice as he jumped out of the carriage.
Following suit, Belina and the other ten men and women got out of the carriage one after another.
“Whoever you are, show yourself!” a gray-clothed man from Aquilandia scanned his surroundings and shouted angrily.
“Not bad reaction!”
After the gray-clothed man’s words fell, Casey, Azure Dragon, Felicia, and the others strolled over from not far away.
“You idiots, do you know who we are? Are you tired of living?” the gray-clothed man roared in anger.
“What do you think?” Azure Dragon retorted.
“Are you people from Glavale?” Belina asked the six of them coldly.
“At least you’re not completely stupid!” White Tiger replied.
“What do you want?” Belina furrowed her brows. “This is the Northern Polar Domain, not the Eastern Polar Domain. Do you think your lives are too long?”
“We don’t want anything. We just want you to come with us!” White Tiger continued.
“You’re ignorant!” Belina coldly remarked. “Just the six of you?”
“What do you think?” White Tiger shrugged his shoulders.
“I think you’re looking to die!” the gray-clothed man shouted angrily and launched the first attack.
“If you want to die that badly, then let me grant your wish!” Vermilion Bird said as he raised his sword to meet the attack.
Immediately, the two began their intense battle. Their strengths were at the same level, both being Seventh-rank Sovereigns. Before unleashing their full power, their strengths were evenly matched.
“Attack all at once, leave none alive!” Belina shouted loudly upon seeing this scene.
“Understood!” The old man led the group as they charged forward.
“Felicia, take care of that woman!” Casey instructed before rushing toward the old man.
Azure Dragon and the other three confronted the rest of the enemies.
“Got it!” Felicia responded and wielded her sword as she dashed towards Belina.
“You’re asking for death!” Belina roared. She also wielded an ancient sword. With a twist of her wrist, a powerful sword energy shot out. With her cultivation not weaker than Felicia’s, also at the Eighth-rank Sovereign Realm, and fighting at full strength, the two were evenly matched for the time being.
Boom!
In the next moment, a loud crash echoed from Casey’s battle ring. Then, both he and the old man slid back for a hundred meters before coming to a stop.
“Hmm?” After stabilizing himself, the old man furrowed his brow slightly.
As a First-rank Saint, he had thought he could easily defeat Casey. However, after several exchanges, he vaguely felt that Casey’s strength was not inferior to his own.
“Quite unexpected, huh?” Casey said calmly after taking a brief rest.
“Do you even know what you are getting yourself into?” The old man’s voice was filled with disdain. “Princess Belina is the most favorite daughter of our City Lord! If something happens to her, our City Lord will march against Glavale no matter what.”