"Can you break through this barrier?"

Ben asked the only magician in the Rebel Army.

Even though the people inside had already raised white flags, neither their side nor the soldiers on the city walls had the ability to dispel the magical barrier covering the Inner City.

This made things a bit awkward.

"Don't worry, I came prepared. In the year or so I've been in Kara City, I haven't just been poisoning Liens."

"I also learned about this ritual from the general of the Glenbagen Family."

"Give me some time, I'll go destroy the core of that ritual now."

Reid said with a confident expression. After speaking, he mutated the shadow beneath his feet, using the Shadow Realm to bypass the barrier's defenses.

That kind of simple magical barrier could only withstand direct attacks; it had little effect on magic with special mechanisms, and Shadow Realm Magic was one of them.

After Reid left, a soldier in armor walked out of the city gate holding a white flag, shouting across the barrier to the Rebel Army on the opposite side:

"We surrender!"

"We surrender!"

He repeated these words several times while waving the white flag, to show his sincerity.

The familiar voice made Ben recall something. He quickly walked to the barrier, looking at the blurry figure on the other side, and said with a complex expression, "Is that you, Harriman?"

"It's me, Ben. I didn't expect our next conversation to be under these circumstances."

"However, I've done all this, and still no punishment has come. It seems the family has truly abandoned us completely."

Harriman said with a somewhat complex tone.

At this moment, he didn't know if he was relieved or lamenting. He had fought for the family for half a year, only to be met with abandonment without even a notification.

For many Dark Guards who had grown accustomed to the Glenbagen Family's rules of survival, it was truly a bit hard to accept at once.

However, no matter how hard it was to accept, they had to find a new path to survive.

Thus, Harriman volunteered, using his acquaintance with the opposing leader as a representative to formally surrender to the Rebel Army.

In reality, this act was quite dangerous, as the Dark Guards all had a contract on them, and such blatant betrayal would very likely result in them being killed by the family through the contract.

Harriman also knew this risk, but he was disheartened, thinking it wouldn't be bad to enjoy being in the spotlight one last time before he died, so he volunteered to take on this task.

However, Harriman probably didn't expect that the reason the Glenbagen Family abandoned this group of fighters was because they knew the contract had already become invalid after Bard's death.

Without a direct and effective means to control the Dark Guards, they became an unstable and dangerous existence for the current Glenbagen Family.

The Glenbagen Family also couldn't be sure if the Dark Guards, upon realizing the contract was invalid, would attack their former masters due to their enslavement.

So, they simply put them to good use by throwing them towards the city gate, hoping it might buy the family more time for their retreat.

"Ben, those nobles have completely abandoned the Inner City; they might be leaving Kara City through certain means."

"I'm saying this to express that we no longer have any intention of fighting. We only hope that you can grant us a way out, seeing our sincere surrender."

"As long as you agree, we will immediately open the city gates. As for this magical barrier… your powerful Liens has already entered the Inner City and should be resolving this matter."

Harriman said earnestly.

In fact, part of the reason the soldiers stationed at the city gates surrendered so readily was seeing Liens easily pass through the magical barrier.

Some of them had participated in the interception earlier that morning, so they clearly remembered Liens's appearance and knew that with such a powerful existence, they definitely couldn't win.

Therefore, it was better to surrender quickly while they still had some leverage. No matter what, the treatment for actively surrendering would always be better than being forced to surrender.

"Liens has already gone in?"

Ben said with a hint of realization. Not seeing Liens earlier, he had guessed that Liens had already passed through the magical barrier and entered the Inner City, but he wasn't entirely sure.

"It really is Liens… he's changed so much. Even though I felt very familiar with him before, I still can't quite believe it's the same person."

Harriman sighed with emotion.

"Liens has indeed changed a lot in the past six months. When he came to find me before, I also found it a bit hard to believe."

After Ben also sighed with emotion, he brought the topic back to the main point: "I can accept your surrender on behalf of the Rebel Army, but you will then need to accept various arrangements as captives."

"Including, but not limited to, surrendering weapons, more labor, etc. Don't worry, the labor isn't permanent."

"It's just that Kara City is now in ruins and needs more manpower for reconstruction. As prisoners of war, you may need to undertake heavier tasks than ordinary people."

Ben naturally would not refuse the surrender of Harriman and the others.

This was not only because the reconstruction of Kara City required manpower, but also because Harriman and his men, as elite soldiers who survived the battlefield, were very important for Kara City's future military strength.

War is merely a means, not an end.

He never considered only achieving victory, but also what Kara City would do after victory, how he would defend this city, and how he would gradually realize his ideals.

"Phew… it's good to be alive. In this situation, we have no other demands."

Harriman breathed a sigh of relief, then took off his helmet, raising his hands above his head, holding a white flag in one hand and his helmet in the other.

Seeing this, the soldiers on the city wall who had been observing Harriman's negotiations also sighed with relief with him, then officially opened the city gates of the Inner City.

"Creak"

As the city gates slowly opened, the magical barrier that had originally enveloped the entire Inner City also gradually faded, as if the city gate itself was the switch for the ritual.

"Long time no see, Harriman."

"Long time no see, Ben."

Looking at each other's familiar faces, the two who met each other's gaze unconsciously smiled. This time, they were finally not enemies.

…

Rewind time a bit.

Reid quickly arrived at the City Lord's Mansion through the Shadow Realm, guided by the coordinates he had left behind. There, he saw Liens "observing" the core of the ritual.

"Mr. Liens, Reid Dolf greets you… I am a magician from the Rebel Army, and I am here to destroy the core of this magical ritual."

Reid greeted Liens, quickly stating his purpose.

"I know. Give me some time, I'll be done soon."

Liens didn't turn around, responding indifferently as he continued to immerse himself in the compilation work of the ritual core.

Upon hearing this, Reid was initially a bit puzzled, but after seeing Liens's operation clearly, he was momentarily unsure whether he himself was the magician or if Liens was the magician.

Through his elemental vision, he saw Liens modifying the operational array of the ritual core using elements, and he was able to do so without affecting the normal functioning of the array.

With that operation, if it weren't for seeing the pure Wind Element reactions on Liens, he would have suspected that this person in front of him was actually a Grand Magician.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.