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

“Let’s go, remember to take these carriages with you,” Ator said to Irelia.

The resistance movement cannot function without supplies; a resistance force of over a hundred people consumes an astonishing amount of food every day.

The rebels' initial supplies came from Irelia's Zan family.

She defeated the Dukur, leaving them routed and without any weapons or armor.

When Irelia returned to the Zan family, several wagons were already loaded outside, mostly with grain that the Zan family had accumulated over the years, and the rest were valuables.

As a prominent family in Ionia, the Zan family naturally had ample food reserves.

Irelia exchanged all her wealth for food and gathered a group of people willing to resist the invaders; this was the initial form of the resistance.

The Noxus squad's wagons were also loaded with food, but most of it was looted from some villages.

Having received the Noxian relics, the group marched in a grand procession toward Presidium.

"Master Ji, have you ever been to Presidium?" Irelia asked curiously.

"No, I rarely go down the mountain. If I hadn't heard about the invaders, I probably would have stayed on the mountain for the rest of my life." Ato continued to maintain his persona.

He recalled the commoners he had seen in Tiwaser, clamoring to go to Presidium, believing that there was a force of protection there.

There's nothing there; you can only rely on yourself.

If you don't take up arms yourself, you'll get beaten.

Ato didn't know how many people would ultimately choose to take up arms; he couldn't very well kill a few people to force them to fight back, could he?

"After you reclaim Presidium this time, Master, you must stay there for a few days! It would be a shame if the Ionians never visited the Holy Land."

“That’s true. I’ll have a good chance to meditate in the holy land if I get the chance.”

It's a real shame. I'll most likely be taking Swain with me to escape the combined pursuit of the Ionians and Noxians...

I hadn't noticed before, but Swain withdrew from the war so early?

After ending her chat with Ator, Irelia busied herself with checking the remaining supplies, fulfilling her duties as leader.

As the number of people increased, the pace of their journey slowed down, and Irelia estimated that it would take more than ten days to arrive.

……

Dukur frantically relayed orders to Swain and blocked news of the loss of half of his reinforcements.

He dared not take out the mirror to contact the Pale Lady; he had called for reinforcements, and four or five thousand imperial soldiers had died in vain.

The support for the main battlefield has not been effective. If we had known this would happen, why didn't we leave these reinforcements at the Immortal Fortress to defend against Demacia?

He blocked the news not only to conceal it from the Pale Lady, but also to make Swain believe that reinforcements were still there, thus continuing to weaken his forces.

Otherwise, given Swain's intelligence, once he realizes there's a problem with the order and refuses to carry it out, it will be difficult to kill him then.

The Pale Lady will eventually find out about the annihilation of the reinforcements, but as long as Swain dies before that, Dukur will make amends and at least be spared.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, Swain gazed at the beautiful scenery of Presidium and momentarily forgot the purpose of his visit.

Even if there is no paradise on earth, Presidium is certainly the closest.

Presidium is actually a small mountain range, but there is a gentle road that runs from the ground to the top.

There are many gardens on the mountain, and even a school.

Here, everyone can see both spring and autumn scenery at the same time. If you go to dusk, the sunset will shine on the alternating trees and clouds, which may be more beautiful than a fairyland.

Noxus occupied Presidium, but Swain strictly ordered his soldiers not to destroy it.

"Sir, latest battle report."

Swain didn't even glance at his adjutant, but simply reached out and took the note.

He already knew that the adjutant was a spy planted by Dukur and the emperor to monitor him, and he would no longer discuss anything with the adjutant.

"His Majesty is not satisfied with the progress in the search for the artifact of immortality and has ordered that the search force be increased, with priority given to soldiers within the legion. Reinforcements will arrive on the west coast of Navoli Province immediately."

The bottom right corner bears a complex symbol, the emblem of the imperial family. No one would dare to forge it, which means this order is indeed the emperor's military decree.

Has His Majesty become so impatient?

The order clearly stated "priority given to soldiers within the legion," which obviously meant that Swain was to continue drawing men from within the legion.

In Swain's view, His Majesty was impatient and did not want to wait for reinforcements to arrive before sending people to search. Swain could only use the soldiers of his own legion.

Swain was inland and unaware of what had recently happened on the coastline.

The battle reports he saw had all been screened by his adjutant, who was one of Dukur's men, so it would have been easy for him to hide them from Swain.

"Half of my legion has already been sent out and has to remain in Presidium to hold the line. If another portion is sent out..."

With a solemn expression, Swain entered an elaborate building situated at the foot of the mountain.

Upon reaching the spacious area on the top floor, one can see that outside of Presidium, many fully dressed militiamen are constantly monitoring the situation.

They did not launch a rash attack, but instead remained in the outer areas, harboring hostility towards the invaders who had occupied the holy land.

Swain showed no sign of underestimating them. He ordered one of the soldiers beside him, "Take a few of the guards and civilians you've captured and bring them up."

"Also, I need a loudspeaker."

"As you command, sir!"

The adjutant who followed him had a slight glint in his eye; he didn't know what Swain was up to.

Dukur had promised him that if Swain became isolated and the Ionians began to attack him, the lieutenant could immediately leave the battlefield.

This wouldn't be considered desertion; upon returning to the empire, there would be even greater rewards, such as noble status.

Despite the danger, the adjutant could not resist the temptation of noble status.

The person was quickly brought up, along with a high-powered loudspeaker.

This was purchased by Noxus from Piltover, and each legion commander typically prepares one for use during group speeches.

The soldiers, escorting seven or eight Presidium guards and fleeing civilians, pushed them onto the open ground on the top floor, facing the rebels not far away.

Swain did not immediately activate the loudspeaker, but continued to instruct: "Tell all the soldiers that no matter what happens, we must not launch any attack."

The soldier obeyed and left, leaving the adjutant even more baffled by Swain's thoughts.

Why did he prevent the soldiers from attacking? Was he trying to taunt the militiamen and provoke them into attacking? Did he want to commit suicide?

The more the adjutant thought about it, the more likely it seemed. His breathing quickened, and he prepared to flee at any moment.