First, take down the Sword Demon, then save Runeterra.

"Won't she lose her mind and go crazy because you left?" Lissandra asked, worried about Anaka's mental state.

“Anaka can even resist the whispers of the watchers; she won’t do anything beyond my orders. I’ve already instructed her to obey your commands while I’m away.”

Aatrox remained confident.

"If she poses a threat to you, I will allow you to use Zhenbing to seal her, but of course that is impossible."

"...I'll trust you for now. With Anaka's help, monitoring the Abyss Seal will be much easier."

“Are you leaving now? It’s past noon. Why don’t you rest at Frostguard Fortress before setting off?” Lissandra suggested.

Do you think I can't understand your hidden meaning...?

Ato felt that after arriving in Runeterra, he had gained a deeper understanding of human nature and could even guess some of the thoughts of a ten-thousand-year-old witch.

Even though this is a game world, it's not as simple as it seems.

Atoll communicates with Aatrox on a spiritual level: "Lissandra outwardly believes, but how easily can the barriers in her heart be broken? After all, she's a madwoman who would kill everyone present to keep the secret..."

"Her guilt towards her two sisters is real, her desire to protect Runeterra is real, and her madness to keep secrets is real. She never trusts others easily."

As an ancient being who had also lived for thousands of years, Aatrox naturally understood this as well.

“I didn’t expect you to see through it too, little one. The reason she asked us to stay another day is because she still doesn’t trust Anaka. If we don’t agree, she will seal Anaka with Zhenbing the moment we leave.”

“When we come back and ask her, she’ll say that Anaka tried to attack them, but we can’t produce any evidence…”

Ator was still puzzled: "If we stay at Frostguard Fortress for one more day, will she trust us? That's too simplistic."

Aatrox explained, "Lissandra only believes what she sees with her own eyes. Anaka's safe return from the bottom of the Abyss would greatly relieve the pressure on those monitoring it, and she would definitely want that help."

“We disappeared inside the fortress for a whole day, while Anaka remained outside. If Anaka doesn’t take any drastic actions without seeing me, Lissandra can begin to believe me, or at least won’t seal Anaka away immediately.”

He then added, "Just wait and see. Once we're inside the fortress, Lissandra will find all sorts of reasons to prevent us from leaving. At least for a day, we won't be in Anakka's sight."

Seeing Ato's changing expression and his long silence, Lissandra asked again, "Well? Can you consider my suggestion?"

Atto then began to seriously consider the matter: "If I stay here another day, I'll still have plenty of time to get to Noxus in the south."

"It's been a month since we left the Sirens and arrived in Freljord. In another half month it will be 984. Noxus's war preparations will take time, so they probably won't set off before the new year..."

Now that the decision had been made, Ato readily agreed: "Excellent suggestion. After the transaction was completed, we went to the mountains to awaken Anaka. We haven't had a chance to visit Frostguard Fortress yet, so resting for the night is a good option."

He then ordered Anaka to guard the Howling Abyss outside the fortress, but Anaka did not respond.

Ato: "..."

Do you have to be so rigid?! I can completely control the Darkin Demon Sword... how come I can't command a mere demon sword subordinate?!

Aatrox, still sheathed, spoke: "Yes, Anaka, you stay here and keep an eye on the movements in the Abyss. Report any incidents to the Frostguard or Lissandra immediately."

Anaka lowered her head deeply: "Yes... General..."

Ato: "..."

Who exactly is still questioning the legitimacy of General Aatrox's title...?

"That old fogey Lissandra has kept her secret for ten thousand years, and as a result, she has developed the same suspicious habits as Mengde..." Ato thought to himself.

Lissandra secretly breathed a sigh of relief; this was exactly the development she wanted.

It's indeed easy to communicate with intelligent people. It seems that Atto not only possesses strong combat power, but also has other aspects that match his abilities. He is not just a reckless brute who only knows how to fight.

In the future, besides the Void, perhaps we can seek his cooperation on other matters as well...

The two, each with their own ulterior motives, walked through the fortress gates under the watchful eyes of the Silent Frost Guards.

Anaka stood on the stone bridge, gazing into the abyss, like a sculpture.

……

Noxus capital, Immortal Fortress, King's Palace.

Dressed in magnificent robes, with a solemn expression, Brown Darkville sat on the emperor's throne, his gaze calm as he looked eastward through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Below the steps of the throne, many ministers waited, none daring to disturb the emperor's thoughts.

Outside the fortress, passing citizens of the capital city are always amazed whenever they see this building.

The Immortal Fortress stands in the very center of the capital city and is also the tallest building in the entire city.

It consists of three huge triangular stone pillars, all gray and white, exuding a solemn texture.

There is a folk legend that the Immortal Fortress existed before the founding of the nation, and that the ancestors of the Noxians took refuge there from disaster. The survivors left the fortress and gradually built the Noxians of today.

Immortal Bastion was originally just the name of that magnificent building. As the city gradually expanded, the Noxian ancestors simply made it the capital of the empire and named it after the bastion.

Any citizen with a modicum of knowledge could see that the Immortal Fortress was located in the heart of Valoran, a strategically vital location.

Three major rivers converge here, and the estuary is not far to the east, providing Noxus with convenient conditions to quickly transport troops to the front lines of the battlefield.

Coupled with its relatively enlightened talent policies, almost no country on the continent of Valoran can rival it.

Darkville withdrew his gaze and looked down at the ministers. He asked the second minister on the right, a man of strong build, "Dukur, how are the naval preparations going?"

"This time we are conducting operations in the open ocean. I have reviewed the documents from the warship factory, and two more large warships will be launched soon. We must keep up with the replenishment of personnel."

The general known as Dukur stepped out from the ranks of ministers, placed his right hand on his chest, and replied, "Your Majesty, our army has undergone two and a half years of training and is already accustomed to the sea."

“Recruiting and expanding the military in various regions has never stopped because we offer very generous conditions, so many people are willing to join the army.”

"After another month or two when the weather warms up, the new recruits will have completed their training, and that will be the perfect time to set off."

“Very good.” Darkville nodded slightly. “Now I appoint you as the commander-in-chief of this eastern expedition. You will lead the army out in two months.”

"May Your Majesty's glory shine upon the world." Dukur bowed deeply to Darkville and accepted the appointment.

"By the way, any news from Zaun? The expedition is imminent, and if we can find that 'alchemist' again, it will be another powerful guarantee for our victory," Darkville asked casually.