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

Amistan returned to shore to oversee the removal of the pottery jars.

A group of soldiers, each carrying a clay pot, mostly wore expressions of suspicion, unsure of the pot's purpose.

However, they didn't ask any further questions; the officer's orders were everything.

Before setting off, Brown Darkwell left Amystein behind and gave him a special order.

When these new weapons, crafted by Singed, arrived on the battlefield, they were escorted by Amistan's Riven squad, traversing the province of Navori to attack Ionia's rear.

That's not all. Darkwell added that another squad was dispatched to follow Riven's team the entire time.

If Riven's team is discovered by the Ionians along the way, they should detonate the terracotta pots to kill everyone present.

Despite Amistan's compliment that Riven held a similar position to him within the Empire, in his eyes, Riven was merely a pawn that could be discarded at any time.

Therefore, Amistan carried out the emperor's orders without any psychological burden.

He summoned Riven and told her about the special mission the emperor had given them, but concealed the fact that another team was tracking them.

"Remember, absolutely do not open those jars, absolutely not! You just need to take the shortcut to Presidium, and the mission will be complete, understand?"

"Understood, sir!" Riven straightened up and gave a standard military salute.

"Go ahead and inform your squad! Get ready; we're leaving in five days!"

After saying that, Amistan turned and left, leaving Riven's strong and authoritative voice behind.

That was the last thing Riven heard from me.

That's what Amystein thought.

After the food supplies and new weapons were unloaded, the transport ship underwent a simple cleaning, and then the wounded who were unable to fight were boarded.

"So, Ato, I was right not to go back, wasn't I? I just said it yesterday, and today I get a special order!"

"So fast?" Atto's eyes narrowed.

Could it be that mission to escort alchemical weapons?

"May I ask about the specifics of the task?"

Riven sighed, "I can tell you anything else, but not this. General Amistan specifically instructed me that only I, the team members, should know this."

"Then, be careful yourself..."

The so-called "special order" disrupted Atto's plans.

He originally planned to study the secrets of the Immortal Bastion with Swain to prepare for Mordekaiser's resurrection.

If Riven receives a special mission that triggers a series of chain reactions, then Riven will definitely want to be by her side.

But this was also an opportunity, an opportunity that made Riven completely disillusioned with Noxus.

Ato opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't tell Riven.

It's perfectly normal for small teams to carry out secret missions during wartime; he has no evidence to definitively say that Riven's "special orders" are related to alchemical weapons.

"You don't trust my abilities? Let's go, it's time for the wounded to board the ship, you can leave with dignity now."

She waved her hand, about to lead Atto to the port, but he put his hands on her shoulders.

“Riven, we’re friends, right?” Ato looked at her seriously, his eyes no longer darting away.

"W-wh-what's wrong? Of course we're friends!" Riven had never seen Atto like this before.

"Do you believe me?"

“Ato, I believe in you, but I also believe in the Empire. The Empire has not been completely corrupted by darkness.”

Ato was taken aback, realizing that Riven had misunderstood him.

So he said directly, "No matter what you encounter, even if I wasn't by your side at the time, you would believe that I arrived as soon as possible, right?"

Riven didn't answer immediately. She looked into Ator's eyes for a long time, then nodded solemnly: "I believe you."

"Okay." Ato released his grip on Riven's shoulder. "Just trust me, I'll definitely be there."

Ato drove the carriage toward the port, wanting to give Raven psychological support.

Riven remained where she was, her expression somewhat unnatural.

Then a strange feeling arose in her heart.

She didn't realize what was happening until the carriage was almost out of sight, and she quickly followed after it.

Swain had been observing coldly the whole time, but in the end, a slight smile crept onto his lips, hidden beneath his mask: "Youth is wonderful."

There were already some wounded waiting at the port; they had all been brought in by horse-drawn carriages.

Swain was not conspicuous among these wounded soldiers. Soldiers with missing arms and legs were everywhere. The worst one Ato saw had lost all four limbs and was left with only a body.

"The Empire... no, Noxus is proud of them."

“These soldiers, they probably don’t know about Black Rose’s plot against you, you can make good use of them.”

Swain needs to make a huge splash when he returns to Noxus so that he won't be secretly captured and executed by LeBlanc.

Riven couldn't help but ask, "Are you planning to have General Swain remove his disguise just as this ship is about to dock?"

Ato nodded: "That's right. The legion commander was seriously injured. Returning home with them is a great honor."

“They will be pleasantly surprised, but surprises have an expiration period. After a certain time, the wounded will no longer be so excited, and the effect will be much less effective.”

Swain strongly agreed: "Good idea. If there are Black Rose people on the ship, we can pass on the message by the time they discover it, and then the Black Rose won't have time to prepare on the shore."

Woo!

The transport ship sounded its horn, signaling that the wounded could board.

"Riven, we're leaving. Be careful."

Seeing the worried look in Ator's eyes, Riven felt an inexplicable impulse.

She stepped forward and hugged Ato tightly.

Then, avoiding the location of the demon sword, she patted him hard on the back twice.

"Cough cough!"

Caught off guard, Atto coughed from the force of the blow.

"Hahaha! Don't worry, I'm not that easy to kill!"

Riven released Ato and, without waiting for him to say any more sentimental farewells, waved and turned to leave.

"This guy……"

The period immediately following Swain's return to Noxus was the most dangerous, and Ator had to ensure he wasn't killed by LeBlanc.

Hopefully, this "special order" isn't Singed's alchemical flames.

What should you choose if Riven gets caught up in an alchemical weapon plot before Swain has settled down?

That goes without saying!

Sorry, Swain. With your intelligence, you can definitely handle LeBlanc. I need to go find Riven.

But Mordekaiser's matter must be put on the agenda. This matter must be completed before the final battle in the Void. Ator doesn't want an internal problem to suddenly arise while dealing with the biggest external threat.