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

Instead of tearing it up in a fit of rage like Horton, he stretched out two fingers and used the tips of his fingernails to gently flick the edict to the corner of the desk with extreme disgust, leaving it half-suspended on the edge, teetering on the verge of falling.

"The Eagle on the Sea Cliff..."

He stood up, walked to the huge arched French windows, and gazed at the turbulent, reef-strewn black sea below, declaring, "I bow only to the free wind! I bow only to the golden tide!"

He whirled around, a sinister glint in his eyes. "Zion Capo? A puppet controlled by the Easterners, unable to even protect his family, dares to give orders to me, Moros Cape? What right does he have to mention 'severe punishment'?"

His gaze shifted to a young man beside him whose face bore a resemblance to his own, but whose eyes held a more frivolous and ruthless glint—his illegitimate son and confidant, Moros Jr.

“My good son, go to the best tavern in town. Let our ‘Pheasants’ sing and dance, and sing loudly.”

A wicked smile curled at the corner of his lips. "The lyrics... it goes like this: 'A new opera troupe has arrived in the capital, the lead actor is a puppet in a golden robe, the strings held in the hands of the Eastern lord.'"

The puppet wanted to play the king, but it forgot that even its stance depended on the mood of its puppeteer! "Let this song drift on the sea breeze, hopefully reaching the ears of our special envoy."

Little Moros grinned knowingly, "Yes, Father! I guarantee the 'guests' in the capital will hear it clearly." He gave an exaggerated bow and quickly retreated.

Moros looked again at the abandoned edict and said to the messenger with a forced smile, "Go back and tell His Excellency Cabot that I am old and frail, and lately I have been worried about the unrest on the coast. I have been working day and night and have unfortunately caught a chill from the sea breeze. My head is splitting with pain, and I am really unable to carry out the edict, let alone receive the messenger. Once I am feeling better, I will... carefully consider it."

He waved his hand as if shooing away a fly. "See the guest out."

A few days later, Zion Capo also received news brought back by the returning messengers...

When the blood-stained, foul-smelling dog tail of Frostwolf Keep;

When Sea Cliff's reply, a humble yet venomous plea from a patient, was delivered to Zion Cabo at almost the same time, the entire palace seemed to plunge into an ice cave.

Beneath the domed murals of the Imperial Conference Hall, the atmosphere was oppressively suffocating.

Lord Vito and several other ministers who were hesitant to take a look, though outwardly standing with their hands at their sides, kept their eyes fixed on the throne.

They witnessed Horton's savage and bloody return gift, and also happened to hear the vulgar songs that spread like a plague in the taverns of Seacliff Port, wantonly mocking the king and the Alliance City.

A wave of schadenfreude surged within them, eager to see how this "Special Envoy Emperor," who had been forcibly reinstated by the Iron Man and the Eastern Edict, would step down in the face of such blatant humiliation and provocation.

Is it a state of extreme rage yet utter helplessness?

Or will he have to resort to intimidating him again by bringing up the infamous name of the Iron Man beside him?

Either way, it was enough to make them sneer in their hearts.

Zion Cabo sat on the throne.

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows, casting dappled shadows on him, but it couldn't melt away the bone-chilling cold emanating from him.

He remained silent, his gaze slowly sweeping over the filthy, grotesque dog tail carefully placed on the silver platter, and then over the ornate yet maliciously evasive reply.

And the rumors circulating about Tong Yao and the people around him...

Zion Capo had considered that they wouldn't agree, but he truly hadn't expected them to use such methods and means to resist.

His face, instead of the expected flushed red of rage, was a bloodless, almost deathly pale ashen.

His hands, resting on the gilded armchair, had knuckles that were taut and twisted from the extreme force, making a teeth-grinding cracking sound, as if he wanted to deform and shatter the hard metal!

On one hand, it was indeed due to anger, but on the other hand, it was also due to excitement...

Of course, he had to hide his excitement at this moment.

If he had been humiliated like this before, he probably would have tolerated it.

However, at this moment, the uncle can tolerate it, but the aunt cannot.

He can tolerate it, but the Illuminati cannot.

The things that Lingas City, or Alliance City, did were all about saving face!

Now they're not just being disrespectful, they're constantly slapping them across the face, that won't do...

You could hear a pin drop in the hall.

He continued acting, and only his heavy, suppressed breathing, like the hiss of a dying beast, clearly scraped against everyone's eardrums.

Lord Vito could almost feel a tangible chill emanating from the direction of the throne, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He was secretly alarmed: This was not impotent rage, this was... a murderous intent that had been completely ignited and was about to burn everything!

Suddenly, Zion Capo looked up sharply!

The way his eyes shone forth was no longer the humility he had shown in Alliance City or the coldness he had just displayed; instead, two dark, insane flames, powerful enough to devour everything, ignited within them!

He needed a decisive and overwhelming victory to solidify his authority as "special envoy" and to intimidate all the nobles with ulterior motives!

His gaze, like two cold probes, instantly pierced the frozen air in the hall, pinning precisely to the tall figure standing in the shadow of the huge columns, seemingly integrated with the marble—A-Tie!

Zion's voice was unusually calm, yet it carried a soul-chilling resolve; each word pierced the hearts of everyone present like an icicle.

"Atie."

The Iron Man in the corner, his eyes, deeply embedded in the cold metal helmet, suddenly lit up!

Like two points of hellfire ignited in the darkness.

Zion's tone was flat, yet it carried a command powerful enough to shake mountains and rivers: "Gather your Radiant Army. Bring the fine weaponry bestowed upon you by the Alliance City."

He slowly raised his hands, his fingers like eagle claws pointing at prey, pointing to the north and east respectively: "I want to see the flag of our British Empire flying atop the gates of Frostwolf Keep! All the lighthouses of Seacliff Territory must be extinguished!"

"Bring Horton Wolfgang's head back to the capital! And that Moros Cape..."

He paused slightly, a cold and sharp smile curving his lips.

"I want him alive. I want him to live and see how the free sea breeze he's so proud of is stained red with iron and blood!"

"Yes, Your Excellency."

A-Tie's voice was devoid of any emotional fluctuation, only displaying the coldness of absolute obedience.

He bowed simply, the heavy metal armor making a dull clanging sound.

Then, this silent iron giant turned and stepped out of the Imperial Conference Hall with steady, heavy steps that crushed all obstacles.

Every step he took seemed to tread on the heartbeats of Lord Vito and the others.

Zion Cabo remained seated on his throne, his gaze sweeping over the silent nobles and ministers below, his chilling gaze seeming to leave a mark on the souls of each and every one of them.

"you..."

He spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the silent hall... "Witness it with your own eyes. This is the consequence of defying order, blaspheming the Alliance city, and insulting the will of the Illuminati. Frostwolf Keep and Seacliff are the examples!"

The cabinet ministers were terrified and dared not say another word...

Vito looked at Zion Capo with a warm expression.

At this moment, Zion Capo's behavior far exceeded his expectations.

He knew very well that Zion Capo would never have dared to confront him so directly, unlike in the past...

Clearly, he's different now...

Zion Capo noticed that Vito looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Sion Capo, unsure of Vito's intentions, asked directly, "Lord Vito, is there a problem on your end? Is there anything you wish to say?"

Vito wore a fawning smile, then said to Zion Capo, "Is there anything you want to say... well... is it that you need our army? If so, I can organize one..."

Zion Capo gave a cold laugh: "No need... This time, it's meant to show those who still harbor illusions... Let them see what real war is... what the real Illuminati army and weapons are like..."