Work Prophet

The Wise Man was captured within a small barn. He had given the barn's owner three gold lions to keep his secret and promised to pay ten more before leaving.

However, unexpectedly, only four days into hiding, the pursuers found him. The Wise Man tried to escape by climbing onto the roof, but when he got up, he discovered he was already surrounded by troops.

He was also held at arrow-point by a squad of archers. In the end, the Wise Man had to climb back down from the roof in defeat.

Afterward, he was brought before the Lady, kneeling alongside seven other traitors captured in previous days.

Many among them were pleading with the young lady, offering their wealth or even their fiefdoms, begging the Lady for mercy.

One person was shouting loudly, "According to the ancient traditions of the Western Territories, you cannot kill us."

Miss Rabbit asked curiously, "Why can't I kill you?"

"As Nobles, we can pay a ransom to buy our freedom."

"Yes, yes." His words received a chorus of agreement, as if they had found a lifeline.

Only the Wise Man, who had come last, remained silent. The Lady glanced at him before looking at the others, and said slowly,

"That tradition applies to prisoners of war, not traitors."

Their pleas for mercy halted abruptly, and Miss Rabbit continued, "I understand your fear of Solomon and that Wing Tribe army, but you once allied with me.

"You swore a sacred oath to fight alongside us and defend this land. I warned you of the consequences of betraying your oath."

"We know we were wrong, please spare us. We can charge into battle for you in the future to atone for our mistakes."

"My daughter admires you greatly. I even had a carpenter carve a figure of your heroic battle against the Dragon, which she treasures as a toy and sleeps with every night," said a middle-aged Noble.

Hearing this, the Lady was momentarily moved, but when she looked towards Fabrice, Ivan, and others, she found them all indifferent, even Pearls appeared stern.

Ferdinand glanced at the sky, then said to the young lady, "It's time to proceed, Lady Ireya."

Miss Rabbit nodded; the initial joy of capturing these traitors had faded significantly.

But she also understood she could not spare them; traitors were loathed universally.

The reactions of the others had said it all: among so many Nobles present, not a single one interceded on their behalf.

And she needed these eight heads to warn others, especially the newly joined Resistance Army lords, of the consequences of oath-breaking.

In doing so, they could unite in future crises, rather than fall apart.

The Lady drew the dueling pistol from her belt. "Do you have any last words? I can convey them to your families."

The middle-aged Noble who had just pleaded for mercy turned pale but understood there was no escape. After a moment of silence, he spoke.

"Please, tell my wife and daughter I love them, it's all my fault, I was too cowardly."

"I promise your message will be delivered."

The Lady finished speaking, raised the pistol, aimed at the middle-aged Noble's forehead, and pulled the trigger.

With a loud bang, the middle-aged Noble's body fell backward, hitting the ground lifelessly.

The young lady's execution method seemed novel to the Resistance Army's commanders, swift and decisive, faster than beheading, though not as bloody.

Yet it showed the Lady's mercy. Ireya's ascension as the new Lord of the Western Territories was now certain, and everyone would soon be vassals of the Arias family.

Serving a merciful sovereign was far better than cautiously serving a tyrant.

While everyone thought thus, the young lady had already approached the next traitor, loading gunpowder and bullets as she asked, "And you, do you have anything to say?"

"Please tell my brother and two sons not to avenge me. You have passed… a just verdict, I have no complaints."

After he finished, he closed his eyes. Quickly, there was a familiar sound in his ears, and everything went black as he also fell to the ground.

Ireya continued forward, with gunshots intermittently echoing on the hills, the white smoke drifting from the muzzle, giving an uncanny sense of unreality.

She stopped before the last person. The Noble nicknamed the Wise Man raised his head. Unlike the others, his face lacked remorse and was filled with resentment instead.

"Don't get too pleased yet. You've only defeated Tristan, not truly faced that Wing Tribe army.

"Moreover, the Wing Tribe still has many allies. You will eventually taste defeat, and your end will be worse than mine…"

Miss Rabbit interrupted him rudely, "You hid in the village for too long; your information is outdated. That Wing Tribe army is already finished, barely a thousand out of ten thousand remain.

"Solomon's fate is unknown, and the rest have fled the Western Territories. When the Wing Tribe first entered, they triggered Divine Punishment from my Lord Saturday, though it needed time to take effect; that's what we've been doing.

"Their stop at Lake City signifies severe Divine Punishment. Victory was within reach had you held on a bit longer, but you chose betrayal at this crucial moment.

"To think you have such a nickname, yet committed such folly."

After finishing, Miss Rabbit ignored the stunned Wise Man and pulled the trigger again.

One less message to deliver.

After executing all traitors, the Lady led her troops to continue advancing east, while the other two armies, led by Kamzi and Commander Ying Song, were also making good progress.

The three chose different routes, agreeing to converge on the ruins of Songshi Castle in half a month, likely reclaiming all the land.

By then, the Lady would become the legitimate ruler of the Western Territories.

Meanwhile, in the not-so-distant Prosperous Corner, the city's atmosphere was entirely different.

The Wing Tribe members who had followed Solomon on his campaign returned overnight, numbering less than four hundred.

This was even fewer than Li Yu had initially estimated, partly due to the potent New Plague, and also because some were killed by their own bloodletting cure rather than the disease.

Having experienced Divine Power on Saturday, these four hundred had become skittish like startled birds, almost without rest until fleeing the Western Territories still in shock.