Who taught him to restore the country like this?

"I am the sheriff of Whitewood City, Tallulah." Tallulah stood on the shoulder of the giant stone puppet and proudly reported the identity she had obtained from Ron.

"Please inform Master Leo that Mr. Thompson of Whitewood City has quelled the rebellion in the four main cities and rebuilt their defenses. I request that Silver City provide food and medical aid!"

Tallulah's words were concise and powerful, and were clearly heard throughout the city.

The area outside the city wall, which was originally filled with resentment and wailing, suddenly became quiet.

Countless pairs of eyes widened, looking at the rock giant who made the announcement in disbelief.

They originally thought that the rock giant was sent by the Duke's eldest son to deal with them, but they didn't expect that the rock giant was actually here to help them.

The refugees, who were shut out by the cold city gates and whose pleadings received no response, had already lost all hope. But now they seemed to see a glimmer of hope.

It sounds like Lord Thompson from Whitewood City not only quelled the rebellion in the four cities and rebuilt his homeland, but also... was trying to obtain life-saving supplies from Silver City for these abandoned people?

Tens of thousands of eyes, like drowning people grasping at a last piece of driftwood, focused eagerly on the city wall, waiting for the response from the City of Silver.

On the city wall, the guard officer did not take any action after hearing Tallulah's request.

It's not that he despises Shiraki Castle and Tallulah, but the Duke's eldest son Leo is currently in the tower on the city wall.

Tallulah's words reached Leo's ears clearly, and Leo frowned.

He was quite happy when he heard the first half of the sentence and was about to praise Thomson for his ability.

After hearing the second half of the sentence, his face suddenly darkened.

Let Silver City provide food and medicine to support the other four main cities?

He couldn't help but wonder whether this Thompson was here to provide support or to cause trouble?

As the city where the Lord's Mansion of the Thorn Territory is located, Silver City does have a lot of supplies stored in it. However, the Thorn Territory has been plagued by wars for some time, and all kinds of materials have been consumed too much. Now, the supplies in Silver City are barely enough to survive this harsh winter.

If this were distributed to the other four main cities, I'm afraid it wouldn't last even a month.

If there were no external threats, he could consider distributing some supplies to the four main cities for reconstruction.

However, the Ziyang Kingdom's fierce army was sharpening its blades and could pounce at any moment. Dispersing precious supplies and manpower to fill those four bottomless pits would be tantamount to digging one's own grave.

Considering the overall situation, he had to give up the four main cities and the civilians.

Of course, this kind of thing cannot be known to the civilians.

But Tallulah's request at this moment was to roast him directly on the fire.

If he doesn't give an answer now, there will be no end to the situation.

Failure to respond is tantamount to rejection.

The refugees outside the city will inevitably riot under the instigation of people with ulterior motives.

Was this an accidental act or was it intentional on Thomson's part?

Leo took a deep breath, the cold air piercing his lungs, forcing his chaotic thoughts to calm down.

He walked out of the tower and came to the edge of the city wall. He pressed his hands hard on the cold, rough battlement stones and spoke loudly. His voice carried far in the silence:

"Thank you, Mr. Thomson, for helping me restore order in the four cities. Regarding the supply of food and medicine, please come into the city to discuss it."

Instead of responding directly to Tallulah's request, he invited Thompson into the city under the pretext of negotiations.

Whatever Thomson's plan was, once he entered the city he would be able to control the situation.

As for Thomson's reluctance to enter the city...with so many refugees outside watching him, he probably had no choice.

When Ron heard Leo's invitation, he understood his intention, but he didn't care too much. He had planned to enter the Silver City anyway.

"Stay where you are." He briefly ordered the soldiers behind him, then dismounted and walked towards the city gate alone.

The refugees spontaneously made way for him, and there were a few faint shouts of "Don't let him in" in the crowd, but they were quickly drowned out by the louder voices hoping that he could fight for their lives.

Ron walked calmly and easily reached the tightly closed city gate. With the sound of heavy mechanisms, the heavy city gate opened a gap that was only wide enough for one person to pass through.

Talulah stood on the shoulder of the giant stone golem, watching Ron's figure disappear into the shadows behind the city gate. Although the purpose of entering the city was achieved, there was still a sense that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

Ron stepped into the city and was immediately led to a tower on the city wall.

At this time, Leo had dispersed the guards in the tower, leaving only Andu waiting by his side.

"Thomson, nice to meet Master Leo." Ron walked into the tower and watched Leo salute respectfully.

"Please sit down." Leo raised his hand to motion Ron to sit down. His eyes were like a scrutinizing hawk, carefully looking at the "Mr. Thomson" in front of him who was highly praised by Singer and others.

He was a sturdy man with white hair and a face as hard as if he had been chiseled by a knife. He exuded a calm and unique aura. Leo was sure he had never seen this man before.

"Can you tell me," Leo's voice was calm, yet filled with unavoidable inquiry, "your true identity?"

"I am just a humble person who has benefited from the Duke's kindness in the past. My status is not worth mentioning." Ron responded calmly, without a single leak.

Leo was silent for a moment. This perfunctory answer was what he expected. He leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp as a knife. "I'm sorry, you've helped me so much, I shouldn't have been suspicious. But..."

He paused deliberately, emphasizing his tone, "Excuse me, sir, what is your intention in publicly asking me to allocate precious resources to support those four ruined cities?"

"Before Ian evacuated, he took away all his wealth and burned all his food. The people of the four cities are now short of food and clothing and have become homeless..."

"How could I not know all this!" Leo's voice suddenly rose, interrupting Ron with suppressed anger, "Sir, can't you see the crisis that Thorn Territory is in now?!"

"I know it well." Ron nodded calmly, "So, here I am."

"No, sir," Leo's eyes grew darker, "I don't think you know!"

He sent someone to invite Ron to Silver City. It was a one-day journey, but the other party took two days, which was already a bit lazy.

If that were all, he wouldn't have such a big objection. The key point was that the reinforcements Ron brought were only a few dozen people.

This small number of people is nothing but a drop in the bucket in the face of the impending national war.

How can these actions show that they truly realize that the Thorn Territory is on the verge of extinction?

"Mr. Thomson," Leo said, his voice filled with a final hint of restraint and disappointment. "If Whitewood City is not willing to help us weather these difficult times, you may lead your people away. We will not force you to stay in the Thorn Territory."

"I won't leave the Thorn Territory," Ron shook his head slightly, looking directly at Leo. "On the contrary, I would like to ask Master Leo... to leave the Thorn Territory."

"Let me leave?" Leo's pupils shrank slightly, as if he had heard a fairy tale.

"That's right." Ron's tone was firm. "The dangers of Thorn Territory are far beyond your estimation. If you don't leave now, you will have no chance of escape when the Ziyang Kingdom's army approaches."

Leo frowned, "I've sent a fast horse to the capital to ask for help..."

"There will be no reinforcements." Ron's voice was calm.

"Why?" Leo frowned, not knowing where Ron got his assertion from.

"Because the capital will soon be in danger, the other two dukes have already united and are preparing to attack the capital." Ron said.

"How is this possible!" Leo stood up suddenly, feeling that Ron was exaggerating. "The two dukes have always had a harmonious relationship with the royal family. How could they possibly rebel?"

"There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. In the face of absolute interests, not everyone can be as loyal as Duke David," said Ron.

Hearing Ron mention his father, Leo's heart trembled: "Do you know where my father is?"

"Duke David received an invitation to form an alliance from the two dukes. In order to inform the king of their conspiracy, he pretended to agree. However, he was unaware that the two dukes had already planted spies around him."

"Who is it?" Leo asked angrily.

Although Ron did not explicitly say what happened to Duke David in the end, the answer was already very clear - Duke David's whereabouts were revealed by the spy he had planted, and he was killed on the way to the royal capital.

"Ian," Ron replied calmly.

"That beast!" Leo cursed.

Killing your own father for the sake of profit is simply a beast!

At this moment, he suddenly understood where Ian borrowed the troops after being driven out of the Thorn Territory.

Ignoring Leo's anger, Ron continued, "Ian recruited troops some time ago in order to attack the capital as promised. But for various reasons, he broke the agreement many times. Now he has become a pawn, and the Ziyang Kingdom has become those people's new ally."

"Don't be in a hurry to question my words, and don't think about making plans after the news comes."

"The reason the Purple Sun Kingdom's army hasn't attacked Thorn Territory yet is because they're waiting to see if the Lionheart Kingdom's capital will be attacked. Once word gets out that the capital is under attack, the Purple Sun Kingdom's army will immediately march into Thorn Territory. Then, it won't be easy for you to escape."

Leo fell silent after hearing this. According to Ron, the difficulties faced by the Thorn Territory were indeed much more serious than he had imagined.

The predicament he imagined still offered a chance of survival, but the predicament Ron described meant that staying in the Thorn Territory would lead to death.

Leo faces a difficult decision.

At this moment, he believed 80% of the information provided by Ron.

Because Ian escaped so decisively, as if he knew that staying in the Thorn Territory would lead to death.

He turned his head to look at Andu beside him.

Andu nodded slightly to him, indicating that he should follow Ron's advice and evacuate the Thorn Territory.

Without reinforcements, the Thorn Territory cannot be defended at all.

"The Thorn Territory is the barrier to the south of the Lionheart Kingdom. As its lord, how can I flee in fear of the enemy at this moment?" Leo said gritting his teeth.

His tone was full of reluctance. It was obvious that he wanted to leave the Thorn Territory, but his responsibilities did not allow him to do so.

"Master Leo, please feel free to leave. You can leave the Thorn Territory to me." Ron raised the corners of his mouth slightly and stated the purpose of his trip in a natural way.

"You?" Leo was stunned. The suggestion was so abrupt that he thought he had misheard.

"Yes," Ron nodded and said calmly, "The Lord doesn't have to do everything himself. Compared to the Thorn Territory, I think the capital needs you more."

"This……"

Leo's face showed obvious hesitation.

Ron's offer was tempting.

He personally led a group of people to support the royal capital, and asked Ron to lead a group of people to defend the Thorn Territory, so that the responsibilities of both sides were fulfilled.

He trusted Ron's abilities and believed that no one was more suitable to rule the Thorn Territory than Ron, but...

"Mr. Thompson," Leo said, his voice lowered and scrutinizing. "I want to know the real reason why you are helping me."

You have to know that the Thorn Territory will eventually fall. Who would take the initiative to ask to take over such a dangerous mission?

Especially since the people of Thorn Territory had never heard of Thompson before.

His intuition told him that Thomson was no ordinary person. He was not simply trying to help him solve his problems. He must have his own purpose.

"My goal is nothing more than to bring peace and happiness to the Territory of Thorns." Ron smiled softly, his eyes calm and deep.

Leo stared into Ron's eyes. The depths of those old yet sharp eyes seemed to be filled with an indescribable heaviness.