Although Marcia and Bryant had gathered many times to discuss countermeasures, they still couldn't
find a solution. What compounded their worries was that there was no news about Rocky. They could
only consolidate their existing battle line and wait and see.
On the other hand, Alston was delighted as they had blocked the attacks of the three groups of United
Army and gained control of several empires in succession. To commemorate their success and pay
tribute to Alyssa, who was responsible for this triumphant moment, he held a banquet in the Spiritual
King Hall.
"Commander in Chief, this toast is for you!" Alston flashed Alyssa a dazzling smile, but greed and
ambition glimmered in his eyes.
"You are too kind, Your Majesty." Alyssa raised her glass and drank from it.
"Commander in Chief, you are indeed a genius in military strategy and tactics. You defeated the three
United Army groups on your own," praised Dean.
"It wasn't as challenging as it appears. Even though the United Army are led by two big shots, Marcia
and Bryant, it was easy to spot their weaknesses," Alyssa replied calmly.
"Weaknesses?" Alston seemed intrigued by the topic.
"Although there are more soldiers in the United Army, this war is not a battle between humans. Our
most significant advantage is that Your Majesty leads the spiritual race beings. The spiritual race
beings not only have powerful abilities, but also have strong mobility. As long as we make fair use of
their strengths, we can easily defeat the United Army," Alyssa explained.
"But your strategy also played a critical role, Commander in Chief. Otherwise, how else could the
United Army take advantage of us earlier?" Alston smiled shrewdly.
"By the way, Your Majesty, you agree with the terms I mentioned before, right?" Alyssa asked coldly.
The smile on Alston's face disappeared at the reminder. He knew that Alyssa wanted him to hand over
command of all his forces to her. Of course, it was a risky move. He was aware that it would be
extremely dangerous if Alyssa had any hidden agenda that was not favorable to him. However, if he
refused her, the repercussions would be disastrous. Considering their current situation, without Alyssa,
the spiritual race would not have their advantage in battle.
"Your Majesty, by killing Lance, Commander in Chief Alyssa has demonstrated that she is loyal to you."
Dean cupped his hands as he voiced his opinion.
"I agree, but trust is not as easily earned when the stakes are high. How can I completely trust you,
Princess Alyssa?" Alston hesitated, but a hint of slyness flashed in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, if you have something to say, just say it," Alyssa became impatient. It was almost as if
she had read Alston's thoughts and knew that he wanted to use her for his selfish needs.
"Let me get straight to the point then. Although you killed Lance, it's not enough for me to trust you
completely. That being said, if you did something more devastating to Basil..." Alston suggested with a
sinister smile.
"What do you want me to do?" Alyssa asked calmly.
"Everyone knows that Basil's love for Lena exceeds his fondness for Isis and his child. But Lena
belongs to me. Only I deserve her. Odiously, Basil took Lena from me and hid her. I have exhausted all
my strength and resources in my search, but I still haven't found her. Now I believe that you can do that
for me." Alston finally revealed his purpose.
"So you want me to bring Lena back?" Alyssa questioned, even though she understood what he meant.
"Yes, return her to me. It is the only way that I will believe that you are loyal to me. I will not only give
you the command of all the human armies, but I will also give you the right to mobilize the Glory
Army..." Alston tempted her. Silence descended in the Spiritual King Hall as everyone present waited
with bated breaths for Alyssa's response.
Alyssa's eyes turned cold as she contemplated his offer. A brief moment later, she nodded and said,
"Okay, I'll bring Lena to you. I hope you will keep your promise." Then she stood and left.
"Your Majesty, that was an ingenious idea. You are killing two birds with one stone. If Alyssa returns
with Lena, then Rocky and Alyssa's relationship will be truly rancid. Then, you can do whatever you
want!" Dean praised as he watched Alyssa leave. A grin tugged at the corner of his lips as he thought
of the damage this task would cause.
"Lena is Rocky's biggest weakness. Once I get Lena, Rocky will panic. He might even take the initiative
to throw himself into the net," Alston sneered.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Spiritual King Hall, Alyssa quickly exited the Palace City and headed for
the Fragrance House.
Even though all the forces supporting Rocky had left the Holy Dragon Empire, which was under
Alston's control, the information network that Rocky depended on was still in the Imperial City. And
Laney was in charge of this information network.
Alyssa went to the Fragrance House to look for her.
Laney's eyes widened with astonishment when she saw the woman walk through the doors of
Fragrance House. Since Alyssa had sent her to be with Rocky, she had not returned to the Timber
Deity Empire. She only contacted Alyssa through letters.
When Laney learned that Rocky had murdered Woods, she grew concerned and tried to reach out.
However, Alyssa never replied to the messages carried by Laney's people. Sometime later, she
received news from Rocky that Alyssa had defected to Alston's side. This had left Laney restless and
worried about the princess. Therefore, when she saw Alyssa, she was both delighted and alert.
"Your Royal Highness." Laney bowed to Alyssa.
"Don't be so courteous. I'm not a princess anymore," Alyssa remarked coldly.
"In my eyes, you are and will always be Princess Alyssa," Laney said softly.
"How are you managing here?" Alyssa glanced around as she asked.
Laney nodded in reply.
"So, you must know everything about me, right?" Alyssa was aware that Laney was collecting
information on Rocky's behalf. It wouldn't be surprising if she knew about the events that happened to
her back in the Timber Deity Empire.
"Yes. I'm sorry to hear about the loss of His Majesty, Your Royal Highness. But, I don't understand why
you choose to side with Alston to avenge him. Don't you have feelings for Basil?" She wanted to say
something more but stopped. Alyssa's expression had darkened to the point where it terrified her.
"Woods was my only family. I can't accept his death. It is even more difficult to accept that the man I
cared about was the one who murdered him. But I have to give my brother an explanation, or I will be
ashamed when I face my dead mother..." Alyssa's tone was laden with sadness.
"Basil must have had some reason to kill His Majesty. Haven't you asked him?" Laney couldn't help but
question Alyssa.
"He did not explain. Perhaps there is no reason. Either way, I can no longer trust him." Alyssa shook
her head dejectedly.
"Your Royal Highness..." Laney was rendered speechless and could offer Alyssa no comfort.
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