“Ratchel, have you noticed that these four goals can actually be achieved simultaneously using a single method?”

Todd's words puzzled Rachel: "Simultaneously? What method?"

"war."

——————————————

In the Froststone Camp's prison cell, there is a special prisoner.

Todd looked down at the disheveled, filthy, and filthy Minister of Ulster before him, without uttering a word.

Now a prisoner, Vorgal looked at Todd with his cloudy eyes and suddenly grinned.

Todd asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why are you laughing?"

"Your arrival means I can survive. Isn't that something to celebrate?"

"Have I ever spared your life?"

“If you wanted to kill me, you wouldn’t have come to see me in person.” Vorgal’s gaze sharpened. “If I’m not mistaken, you need something from me.”

Todd crouched down, looked the once powerful minister, who was second only to the emperor, up and down, and shook his head, saying, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not here to ask you for anything. I just want to assess your worth."

Vorgal looked intently at the other man and suddenly said, “Looking across the entire Ulster, you will find no one as familiar with the kingdom as I am.”

Todd shrugged, found a clean spot outside the cell, sat down, and said leisurely to Vorgal, "Go on, I'm listening."

"The distribution of troops, the slave pens, the loopholes in the defenses—I know everything you want to know. Not only that, I know which city has granaries, which castle holds treasure, which noble family is the wealthiest…"

Listening to Vorgal talk eloquently about "personal value," Todd vaguely recalled the "traitors" that often appeared in movies and TV shows from his previous life.

Looking at Todd's expressionless face, Fulgari panicked a little: "If you're not interested in any of this, I can lead you to uncover the kingdom's greatest secret—the War Beasts!"

Todd's eyes lit up: "A war beast?!"

Fugal nodded hastily and said, "The kingdom has several top-secret war beast breeding grounds, which contain the methods and materials used by the kingdom to cultivate war beasts over thousands of years."

Todd suppressed his curiosity and smiled at Vorgal, saying, "So, what do you want in return? Like, being allowed to return to Ulster?"

Vorgal shook his head vigorously: "Given Conchuber's personality, he will definitely blame me for the failure of this war. If I go back like this, death will be my only destination."

"How about I give you wealth? You can take this money and go to a safe place to live out the rest of your life in peace."

"Carrying a large sum of money and traveling through the North is like a hare walking right under a hunter's nose—it's practically suicide!"

"How about power? I can give you a sinecure in the tribe."

“I was once a favorite of the Kingdom of Ulster. Almost half of the people in Froststone Camp wished me dead. They were seeking power here, and sooner or later they would die a violent death.”

"Freedom, wealth, power—you don't want any of them." Todd was completely at a loss: "What exactly do you want?!"

Fugal knelt on the ground, crawled forward two steps, and gripped the bars of the cage tightly with both hands. He whispered, "Boyle, listen! Troops, food, treasury, war beasts... all the intelligence and secrets of the kingdom, I can tell you everything. I have only one request..."

Fugal strained his neck forward, staring intently at the other man: "I demand that you swear to the gods that you will marry my daughter, Emerald!"