They arrived under the cover of night. Bathed in moonlight, each elf radiated an astonishing glow, their bodies ramrod straight, their demonic deer standing in perfect formation, silently watching the human soldiers.

All of humanity was so shocked at that moment that they were speechless for a long time.

Everyone, including the Duke, seemed to have a clear understanding of a future that was almost a certainty: the situation on this front was about to undergo a dramatic reversal!

"Hey! Duke!"

At Su Lin's signal, Jia Zhengyi stepped forward first and took the initiative to re-engage with the Duke.

He stood in front of the elf team, waving almost triumphantly: "I kept my word! Look at my companions, aren't they strong!"

"Amazing! Incredibly amazing!"

The Duke practically ran downhill, his hearty laughter echoing through the mountains. Ignoring the disheveled pursuit of his guards and strategists, he rushed to Jia Zhengyi like a gust of wind, tightly grasping Jia Zhengyi's hands, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Sir! My dear Mr. Jia! You are simply the savior of the human empire! You have brought not only glory, but you are destined to bring a great victory!"

The Duke was so excited he was speechless; he had already prepared for the possibility that Jia Zhengyi would return empty-handed.

After all, what human could so easily muster a large army of elves? The fact that he received the help of three thousand elves was already incredibly incredible; there couldn't be any more.

The Duke believed that even if Jia Zhengyi was incredibly powerful and received help from new elves, his power would only amount to a maximum of ten thousand, which was already a terrifying force capable of changing the course of the battlefield.

But who would have thought that this young man would actually bring together 40,000 elves!

Grass!

Your Majesty, the human empire should not have perished!

At this moment, the Duke was overwhelmed with emotion. He seemed to see endless wealth, glory, and fame rolling in!

In the future, his name will surely be recorded in history and endlessly praised by future generations!

"These are all secondary."

Jia Zhengyi looked at the Duke with a smile and reminded him meaningfully, "I have fulfilled my promise, so what about Your Highness?"

"Of course, once the fortress is recaptured, it will belong to you and your elven friends!"

The Duke patted his chest and said, "As long as it doesn't fall into the hands of the orcs again, even if the elves live there for generations, it's perfectly fine!"

Look at his scheme! He wants elves to guard the country's borders in place of humans for generations, doesn't he?

There's no way you can have such a good deal!

Jia Zhengyi no longer cared about the fortress; he wanted more. He carefully reminded him, "I'm not talking about the fortress; I want the magic orb. Doesn't the Duke understand?"

"Of course, once the orcs are driven away, I will definitely persuade His Majesty with the magic orb..."

"Not later, it's now!"

Jia Zhengyi's attitude was very firm. He interrupted the Duke's promise without any politeness and said seriously, "Right now! Your Grace, you should immediately request His Majesty the King that I need to see the magic orbs! And I need the Empire's help to collect more magic orbs!"

"You..." The guard who had just arrived was about to reprimand Jia Zhengyi for his disrespect towards the Duke, but the strategist next to him quickly pulled him back and covered his mouth.

Don't let this ruin things!

This young man now commands 40,000 elves. Not to mention Duke Bass, even His Majesty the King would have to serve him with utmost respect.

Even if humanity were at a disadvantage in the current battle, the 40,000 elves would still be a terrifying force that would dominate the world, and no race leader would dare to underestimate them.

"Of course, I already sent someone back to the capital to report this matter!"

The Duke smiled broadly, completely unconcerned by the disrespect in Jia Zhengyi's words. In fact, his gaze towards Jia Zhengyi grew even more appreciative. He paused, then lowered his voice and asked, "My dear Jia, I don't mean to offend you, but... do the elves want to collect the Holy Scepter?"

They want the magic orbs, and they also want the human empire to help them gather the remaining magic orbs. Their purpose is almost crystal clear!

"certainly!"

Jia Zhengyi readily admitted, "I think Your Grace is also aware of history. The elves once coveted the Holy Scepter, but because they disliked competition, they did not actually use force to acquire all the magic orbs. Only the Queen collected one magic orb."

"But as their friend, I absolutely cannot allow my friends to do so much for our allies without receiving adequate compensation."

"Gold, silver, magic scrolls, and the like—the elves have no shortage of these. The only thing that can prove the friendship between humans and elves is the Holy Scepter!"

Jia Zhengyi stared intently into the Duke's eyes, as if trying to catch even the slightest hesitation: "Your Grace, do you understand? This is an equal exchange, the only reward the Empire can offer, or rather... does His Majesty the King still believe he can gather the Holy Scepter and restore the old glory?"

"Of course not! His Majesty is pragmatic. He does not covet the power of a scepter. He only desires eternal peace and happiness for his people."

Duke Bass shook his head, pondered for a moment, and promised, "I will do everything in my power to explain this to His Majesty. I dare not promise 100%, but I will at least bring you a magic ball."

"Need not."

Jia Zhengyi said calmly, "Tell His Majesty that one magic orb can only be exchanged for the subjugation of one fortress. If we want the elves to truly participate in the war, we need to obtain more."

“Tell him, and he will understand how to choose.”

Jia Zhengyi's words were not only full of disrespect for the Duke, but also seemed to show little respect for His Majesty the King.

But the people around them didn't think there was anything wrong with it. If they had 40,000 elves at their disposal, they would probably be even more arrogant and domineering than this young man in front of them.

"I will."

The Duke of Bath nodded, raising his hand to lead Jia Zhengyi back: "My dear Jia, you've returned from your long journey, you should..."

"Wait!"

Jia Zhengyi shook off Duke Bass's hand, looked at his questioning gaze, and said in a deep voice, "Send someone to His Majesty the King now. This matter is very important! I'm not joking!"

"good."

The Duke was taken aback, but he did as he was told and instructed his trusted confidant to do so. He dispatched the most elite and fastest cavalry back to the capital overnight.

After witnessing the Duke personally handle these matters, Jia Zhengyi nodded in satisfaction: "Now, we can talk about other things."

"Other things...shouldn't we rest for a bit first?"

The Duke was taken aback; the young man's efficiency was too fast, and he couldn't keep up.

"Rest for what?"

Jia Zhengyi chuckled: "Does His Excellency the Duke not want to retake the fortress this morning?"

"I want it! I dream about it, I wish I could take it back tomorrow morning!"

"Do we still need to wait until dawn?"

Facing the fortress, Jia Zhengyi, under the Duke's shocked gaze, raised his hand and pointed, his heroic spirit soaring: "Now! Tonight! My friends and I will reclaim everything the Empire has lost!"