Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

The family patriarchs present all nodded in agreement.

Although they agreed with each other, they each harbored their own ulterior motives...

Their thoughts were even more complex.

Nobody knows what they're thinking...

Aside from a few family patriarchs who managed to remain calm, most people present, like Kate beside Xiao Ce and his group, were behaving similarly...

At that moment, Kate's body trembled involuntarily, and she instinctively wanted to lower her head to avoid the horrific scene.

Cassivs' hand swiftly and discreetly pressed down on his back, conveying an undeniable strength and a warning: Hold on! Don't show weakness!

Cassies took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the churning in his stomach and the raging anger in his heart.

To be honest, although he had some premonitions, and he had used torture and similar methods before...

But seeing what's happening in front of me still makes me feel a little sad.

In particular, he heard the oaths taken by those being executed.

This made him unconsciously project his own emotions onto the situation...

He tried to focus his gaze on the executioners rather than the victims, deliberately displaying the complex expression characteristic of the Aurelius family—a mixture of disgust and utilitarian consideration—as he whispered, as if complaining to Xiao Ce beside him, or explaining to someone who might be watching him!

"This is terrible... The new president of the Illuminati is really... ruthless! This blood leech looks like... something special? Such a large specimen is rare in the southern seas. Tsk... What a waste of time, what can these guys possibly get out of me? If Xiao Ce's confidant were really here, his heart would have hardened to the rock long ago, how could he be moved by the screams of these ants?"

His remarks were cold and utilitarian, consistent with everyone's impression of Aurelius.

His voice sounded like a whisper, but Nie Bing caught it.

After hearing Cassie's words, Nie Bing's suspicions about him lessened somewhat.

At this moment, Nie Bing's gaze naturally fell upon Sean Aurelius (Xiao Ce) standing to the side.

At that moment, Sean Aurelius (Xiao Ce) heard Cassivs's words and actually leaned forward slightly! His face showed no fear or discomfort, but rather a kind of... almost "innocent curiosity" of focused attention!?

Xiao Ce's gaze was fixed on the dark red, segmented creatures that were smeared or soaked on the prisoners' bodies and were writhing wildly. His brows even furrowed slightly, as if he were carefully examining something. There was neither disgust nor sympathy in his eyes, only the kind of inquiry a scholar would show when looking at a strange specimen!

What made Nie Bing both amused and exasperated was...

Sean Aurelius (Xiao Ce) spoke, his voice not loud, but amidst the wailing and screaming, it sounded somewhat jarring due to his unusual calm.

He pointed at the creatures, speaking slowly with a touch of Aurelius's characteristic commentary: "Third Brother, look... they say they're blood leeches from the nearby waters, but I don't think so, because their mouthparts are definitely different. They're much thicker than those in our coastal waters... no wonder they can burrow so deep."

"The book says they can withstand low salt... It's interesting that they can still move so quickly in corrosive liquid environments."

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Cassivs naturally understood his meaning and immediately chimed in, "That's right, I also think... these blood leeches are more likely from the Black Sea region..."

Their tone was eerily calm, as if they were commenting on fresh seasoning for a dish, rather than on the bloody hellish scene before them.

This sudden "academic commentary" seems extremely abrupt in the current atmosphere of terror!

Sure enough, the clan leaders and their followers who were nearby heard it.

The patriarch of the Gaulcus family frowned sharply, gave Xiao Ce a disgusted look, and said in a low voice, "Patriarch Cassivs, Mr. Sean! Is this the time to focus on this?!"

Their eyes clearly said: These two from the Aurelius family are indeed a cold-blooded family that only cares about profit; it seems that nothing can make them care.

At this moment, after witnessing this scene, Nie Bing turned her attention to the others.

After all, he was already well aware of the rumors that the Aurelius family was cold-blooded and only believed in profit...

Looking at Sean Aurelius, she wondered how she could associate him with Xiao Ce.

These are completely different people.

Just as Nie Bing removed Xiao Ce from her list of suspects.

Viktor King's hawk-like gaze immediately locked onto Xiao Ce with the precision of a searchlight!

He noticed the young man's unusual calmness and strange curiosity.

Amidst the terrified faces around him, his composure was too conspicuous, too suspicious!

The actions of these two brothers were particularly abrupt...

His eyes were sharp as knives as he strode towards the location of the Aurelius family...

Upon seeing this, Cassie's alarm bells immediately went off.

Nie Bing noticed Viktor King's actions and asked, "Viktor, King... what's wrong?"

Victor King instinctively glanced at Cassie and Sean.

Nie Bing said, "Don't rush... the best is yet to come..."

He then shook his head at Victor King.

When Victor King saw Nie Bing stop him, he knew that Nie Bing had probably cleared them of suspicion.

Although he didn't know what standards Nie Bing had.

But since Nie Bing had said that, he naturally wouldn't say anything else.

After all, continuing the conversation would only make things awkward...

He sullenly returned to his back.

Victor King walked up behind Nie Bing and said coldly, "President, these appetizers aren't enough to deal with these die-hards who are so deeply influenced by Xiao Ce. It's time to show them our VIP seats!"

"After all, these low-level thugs have been brainwashed by Xiao Ce, but it's very likely that even Xiao Ce's confidants don't recognize them, so naturally they won't react..."

Nie Bing nodded, then asked, "Have you brought those people over yet?"

Viktor King, who was standing to the side, nodded and then said to Nie Bing, "President, bring them all over."

Nie Bing nodded, then raised his voice a few decibels.

He then said, "You ignorant people, you regard Xiao Ce as a god. But those you regard as gods don't even know who you are, they don't even care whether you live or die..."

"Alright, you can all just keep clinging to this ridiculous fantasy and enduring all this..."

"Bring over Xiao Ce's core allies; we've already wasted too much time..."

At his command, several specially made cages, made of thick oak and stained with filth and dark blood, were slowly pulled out from the shadows of a medium-sized ironclad warship by heavy iron chains.

The clanging sound of the iron cages hitting the stone steps struck everyone's hearts heavily. Each cage was larger and sturdier than the previous ones, and the people imprisoned inside were relatively well-off compared to the ordinary people they had just seen.

They were wearing prison uniforms, but there were no visible injuries on their bodies.

Actually, this was because of Nie Bing's instructions.

These individuals don't seem to be able to be pried open by torture.

Moreover, Nie Bing had no intention of getting any information from them; their only use was to threaten Xiao Ce.

When these people came out, their eyes were completely different from those of the people around them.

In their eyes was a stubbornness and calm determination born from weathering storms and suppressing burning passion.

Nie Bing's gaze was cold and sharp as it swept precisely over the special cages that had been pulled to the front of the execution platform.

Her voice carried clearly throughout the entire dock:

“Morgana… Frank… Thomson… Xiao Ce’s right-hand woman in Lingas City, his most faithful practitioner and disseminator of the lie of ‘equality for all’!”

Nie Bing read out these names one by one, each name like a pebble thrown into still water, creating invisible ripples on the execution ground.

"Look at what your master has brought to Lingas? A fleeting bubble! And you are the most dazzling yet most fragile light and shadow on that bubble! You have betrayed the West, betrayed the Illuminati, and betrayed your own souls!"

Nie Bing then looked at Morgana and said, "Morgana, especially you. You were originally a beacon for women in the West. All women worshipped you and obeyed you... but you betrayed them... You promoted equality for all? Are you truly equal? ​​You've all been deceived by Xiao Ce..."

"Look for yourselves! Lingas City was such a prosperous port city, but Xiao Ce's appearance destroyed everything, causing countless deaths and countless wars. All of this is thanks to Xiao Ce!"

As she spoke, Morgana was roughly dragged out of the cage.

However, her face remained silent, and her sharp eyes swept over the faces on the execution platform, some indifferent, some fearful, and some with a hint of hypocritical sympathy.

Finally, his bloodshot gaze lingered, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, on Sean Aurelius's (Xiao Ce) curious face for a barely perceptible half-second.

She straightened her back immediately, even though two strong light guards had her arms tied behind her back and forced her to kneel on the cold, wet stone slab like a trophy being displayed!

Although she was forced to kneel on the ground, her back remained perfectly straight!

His voice, however, carried a hoarse, penetrating quality.

"Hmph? What do you think Lord Xiao Ce brought? He brought dignity!"

"He brought things that the Lingas people could never have dreamed of during those days when you and your former masters were treated worse than pigs and dogs! Sunshine, bread, and smiles on children's faces! How could you maggots living in rotting coffins possibly understand the light that Lord Xiao Ce brought?"

"And what you call death and war? Didn't you initiate it? Lord Xiao Ce brought only light? And what did your so-called Illuminati bring? Only war, oppression, and slaughter..."

"Bullshit! Light? Did Xiao Ce bring light?"

Viktor King strode forward and kicked Morgana hard in the shoulder, forcing her to fall forward and slam her forehead against the edge of the stone steps, instantly staining the dark stone red with blood.

He bent down, grabbed Morgana's hair, forcing her face to contort and tilt upwards towards the execution platform. With a savage grin, he roared at all the patriarchs of the twelve families, "Open your dog eyes and see clearly! This is the true face of your so-called 'traitors' followers! Even on the verge of death, you remain stubbornly unrepentant!"

Ed White then directed the Lightguards to drag Frank, Thomson, and several other men who were clearly former key figures of Lingas City out and roughly tie them to stakes near the corrosive liquid barrels and the blood leech crystal jars.

One-Eyed Frank's burly body was covered in wounds.

A gruesome whip mark ran from his brow bone down to the corner of his mouth; these scars were left before his capture...

At that moment, he stubbornly stuck out his neck and spat a mouthful of bloody saliva in Viktor King's direction: "Viktor! You bloodsucking dog! And you, the new chairman! Why are you so flustered?"

"Judging from your appearance, you should also be from the Xiao Kingdom. You also know Mr. Xiao Ce, right? Why are you so afraid and angry? Is it because all of this stems from your fear of Lord Xiao Ce?"

"How many people in the West have you drained of their very marrow by the Illuminati?!"

"Lord Xiao Ce is the light of Lingas, the lightning that pierces the lies of your corrupt world!"

"Even if you crush us into dust today, we will die with our heads held high! And you so-called noble lords..."

He abruptly turned to the nobles on the execution platform, his voice roaring like a wounded lion: "Look at you! A bunch of fat pigs fed on your own rotting flesh! Can the pie in the sky that the so-called Illuminati paints for you really satisfy your generations of greed? When Lord Xiao Ce returns with true light, your gold coins and castles will only be your own graves!"

Frank's roar sent a chill down the spines of everyone present...

"Arise, ye who refuse to be slaves!"

As he spoke, the one-eyed Frank struggled to stand up, but Lightguard pressed him down firmly again...

"Can you say that? Let's burn his tongue flat!"

Viktor King flew into a rage and gestured for the Lightguard to pick up the red-hot branding iron.

"and many more!"

Nie Bing's cold voice stopped the executioner.

She slowly walked down from the execution platform, her white robe fluttering in the blood-scented sea breeze.

She walked to the center of the execution ground and stopped in front of Morgana.

Those unfathomable phoenix eyes, with their penetrating insight, first swept over Morgana's hostile gaze, then slowly scanned the resolute yet contemptuous expressions on Frank, Thomson, and the others' faces...