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

Presidium's commotion also attracted the attention of the nearby militia.

The man who seemed to be in charge stood on the top floor of the Great Temple of the Saints—the only building at the foot of Mount Presidium.

"What exactly do the invaders want to do to the Holy Land?"

The militiamen on guard perimeter moved closer, at least enough to see what was happening on the upper level of the Temple of the Holy One.

Swain signaled to the soldiers to bring the hostages to the front of the top floor so that the militia below could see them.

He went to the loudspeaker, raised his hand and pressed a few buttons, adjusting its power to the maximum.

"Presidium has become part of the Noxian Empire."

Swain's first words immediately ignited the outrage of the militia.

"Try to take back your holy land, but if you do, we will execute all the guards of the holy land and all the civilians hiding here."

After saying that, he flicked his sleeve, turned around, and left.

Swain only said a few words from beginning to end.

But the results were better than expected.

The adjutant heard faint curses coming from below, but they were just talking; the militiamen moved even further away.

Most Ionians are still united; they don't want to gamble with the lives of their fellow citizens.

Previously, the adjutant had always looked down on Swain, believing that he had only achieved this position because of his hereditary noble status.

There is a popular saying about Emperor Darkwell's assessment of Swain: "The greatest strategist of the empire in a thousand years."

Only now has he realized the truth of that statement.

In any case, the adjutant certainly couldn't turn the tide with just a few words in this situation.

If Ato were here, he would definitely say: "Three sentences to make the rebels retreat, interested family members, hurry up and sign up! What peerless strategist is no match for the Empire's fiercest tiger!"

Swain walked down the Great Hall of the Saints and stood before the first step of Presidium, remaining motionless for a long time.

He keenly sensed that a conspiracy seemed to be hidden behind this series of orders.

His legion's strength was constantly being weakened, not by dying on the battlefield, but by being drawn into meaningless tasks.

But loyalty to the empire and the emperor outweighed everything, and Swain carried out the emperor's orders.

"Send out ten more teams to dig three feet into the ground and search for the artifact of immortality!"

……

It was completely dark when Irelia's rebel army, having traveled all day, set up camp to rest.

Atto originally wanted to ask how to find firewood and start a fire without cutting down trees in order to maintain balance.

But Ato saw more than once that the rebels would pick up naturally fallen branches, load them onto their vehicles, and quietly thank nature for its gift.

Irelia, along with several other rebels, were gathered around a campfire listening to Ator's ramblings, which somehow drifted into a strange topic.

"The so-called Empty City Stratagem is a tactic used by the defending side when its forces are insufficient to conceal its weakness and deceive the enemy."

"What an amazing way of using troops! But what exactly are you referring to as a certain tactic?" Irelia listened intently, her ears perked up.

"For example, you could deliberately expose a weakness so that the enemy can attack you. You could then open the city gates wide, and the commander could sit alone on the city wall, smiling and welcoming the enemy."

"Or arrest everyone in the city, and threaten them with the lives of the hostages if they want to attack..."

As they talked, Ato realized that Swain was also using the Empty City Stratagem! And it was a modified version of the Empty City Stratagem based on the actual situation!

With the legion constantly being drawn away, he took Presidium hostage, not only obeying the emperor's orders but also managing to stall until reinforcements arrived!

What a formidable opponent.

Therefore, he must live, for perhaps only his wit can rival LeBlanc.

“Oh…” Irelia nodded slightly. “Did the Wuji Cult teach you all this? You’re telling us, won’t you be punished?”

Atto smiled and said, "I deserve the greatest punishment for disobeying orders and going down the mountain. As the saying goes, the more debts you have, the less you have to worry. Having one more debt is no big deal."

"Sigh, if only all the masters on the mountain were like you," Irelia complained.

“We only have one person from the Balance Sect in our team. He is very fast and can cross the entire Navoli Province in two days. He is in charge of scouting missions. The Wuji Sect also has one, which is Master Ji.”

Ato listened silently to Irelia's complaints; after all, she was just a child not even fourteen years old.

A delicious aroma wafted over, and the rebels, who had been starving all day, rummaged through the carriages for utensils, preparing to enjoy their dinner.

To avoid attracting attention, Atto also took a small bowl, but only filled it with some thin porridge.

Thanks to the presence of the Demon Sword, Ator barely felt hungry, so he decided not to waste the rebels' food.

As soon as Ator sat down with his bowl in his arms, he heard Irelia exclaim in surprise, "You're eating so little? Aren't you hungry?"

I feel like I've heard that phrase somewhere before...

I wonder how Riven is doing now.

Ato can only sense whether Riven is injured and her general location, but he can't sense anything else.

Riven hasn't gotten injured even once these past few days!

“I use a special meditation method that allows me to draw energy from my surroundings, requiring very little food each day,” Atto explained.

“Every time I hear about it, I’m amazed by the cult’s magic,” Irelia said with a hint of envy, before quickly finishing her dinner.

She was very hungry after walking all day.

Ato glanced at her and estimated that Irelia's appetite was only one-fifth of Riven's, or even less.

Sorry, my friend, the fact that he can "eat" is just too impressive...

As dinner was drawing to a close, Atto suddenly asked, "By the way, you said you'd be fourteen in a few days, what's the exact date?"

Irelia paused, then whispered, "Actually, it's in two days."

“We should have a simple celebration,” Ator wanted Irelia to do something appropriate for someone her age.

“No, I can’t.” Irelia shook her head in anguish. “I just lost all my loved ones, I…”

"It is time to celebrate, because you led us in rebellion."

"That's right, if it weren't for you, I would never have been able to avenge my parents."

"Hey, our leader's birthday is coming up soon, shouldn't we celebrate?"

The nearby rebels surrounded her, and no matter how much Irelia refused, it was to no avail.

Ato spoke loudly on purpose just now to get their attention.

Overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the many rebels, Irelia finally agreed to hold a simple celebration on her birthday.

The rebels erupted in cheers, which boosted their morale considerably.

The instigator, Ato, finished the rest of the thin porridge in one gulp, went to the stream to wash the dishes and put them back in the carriage, then found an open space and pretended to meditate.