"Hans, why are you looking at me like this?"

Hanging up the "phone," Losa looked at Hans with some confusion.

The atmosphere that had been building up was gone by now. Hans straightened his emotions, revealing a grin with his white teeth, and said brightly, "Nothing, sir."

"Hmm, let's go, prepare for the ceremony at the civic square."

Losa instructed.

Aside from the coronation ceremony, city patrol, and banquet on the first day, Kurs also led a group to clear out resistance forces within the city, including many stubborn elements.

These people were even more steadfast in their beliefs than the Saracens who fled by boat. They were die-hard elements through and through, extremely difficult to reform, so they became the targets for setting an example.

According to interrogation investigations, most of these people were, in fact, foreign pilgrims, with only a few locals.

After all, the commercial atmosphere of Alexandria Port was very strong, with Latin merchants, Greek merchants, and Persians coming in an endless stream to trade every year. This was the largest port in the entire Mediterranean, besides Constantinople.

Compared to it, Eira Port was merely an emerging junior, with a population barely exceeding fifty thousand, far inferior.

For a fanatical Fire Worshiper, living in this city teeming with Greeks, Jews, and Coptic Heretics was indeed a difficult task.

Besides these die-hard elements, there were also the gang members committing crimes and robberies amid the chaos in Alexandria, or the big businessmen hoarding and driving up prices. In short, the worse the reputation, the more likely they were to be targeted.

To set an example on one hand and soothe the people's hearts on the other.

In this world, there's never a shortage of fools who can't see the situation clearly, merchants thinking they can profiteer during chaos by relying on their accumulated wealth to replace the big business positions of those who fled during the Crusaders' arrival.

Little did they know that Losa not only wanted a portion of their offered wealth but all the accumulated fortune over the years, including their heads that stirred up public resentment to boiling point.

...

A week later.

Ivan and Baron Fulk were waiting anxiously outside the palace gates.

Originally, they weren't planning to return, but unfortunately, things were unpredictable. The ship they were on encountered a storm halfway, breaking the mast, and they were discovered and towed back to port by a Saracen naval patrol fleet.

This made Ivan start to doubt whether it was the will of the holy fire at work.

Landing at Sudieye Port, they had no choice but to return to Aleppo, not expecting that King Saladin, who should have been in Damascus, was currently in residence there, summoning them immediately upon their arrival.

Inside the palace.

Saladin's complexion was very poor, even after drinking a cup of magic potion, a trace of waxy yellow was still visible.

The allied forces suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Burullus, and the Crusaders ravaged the Egypt Region, capturing cities at will. Without Adil to lead, the governors in various places acted independently, making it difficult to organize effective resistance.

Although resistance was futile, since that battle's defeat, Egypt's fall was only a matter of time.

However, the longer Egypt's fall could be delayed, the more time could be won for the Ayyubid Dynasty on its deathbed.

As those two Mamluks of Taqidin entered the hall, he subconsciously propped up his weary body.

The older a lion grows, the less it can reveal any sign of fatigue.

"You two originally planned to flee to the territory of the King of Rum, then head to Sassan, didn't you?"

Sweat immediately dripped down Ivan's face, and he knelt to the ground in panic, cleverly not refuting it. If Saladin intended to execute him for this crime, he wouldn't have given him this opportunity to meet.

Saladin replied with a gentle expression: "I can understand your actions, as you both fought bravely in Galilee and Burullus. Wanting to jump from the sinking ship is only human nature."

The Black Eunuch attending on the side had a drastic change in expression.

Yet the Kasaji Guard standing in the hall remained unchanged, like statues, unmoved by Saladin's words.

Ivan hurriedly said, "Your Majesty's graciousness!"

Saladin waved his hand: "I intend to order you to lead an army to Sassan, to help our King of Kings deal with those nomadic tribes from the East."

"This shouldn't conflict with your original plans, right?"

Ivan hurriedly expressed gratitude in tears.

"Your task is to escort the envoy I sent to Baghdad to meet with our King of Kings..."

Ultimately, a grateful Ivan left the Royal Palace in Aleppo joyfully.

But when he reached a place with no one around, the smile on his face quickly disappeared.

Baron Fulk showed a look of relief and said with emotion, "King Saladin is truly an exceptionally benevolent monarch. It's difficult to find such a ruler throughout the European world."

He noticed Ivan

"How, isn't this just what you expected? Your Majesty even granted us an army; the Sassanid King should value us even more, right?"

Ivan patted his shoulder helplessly. Going to Sassan as a mercenary is not the same as going as an escort of a diplomatic mission.

The former makes one a traitor of the Ayyubid Dynasty, while the latter is deeply imprinted with the Ayyubid Dynasty's mark.

Though they would gain an army under their command, it would also undoubtedly mean that there would be interference. Whether this army would ultimately obey their orders remained to be seen.

...

The Black Eunuch watched as the two traitors left and couldn't help but ask: "Your Majesty, why show such leniency to these traitors?"

"Letting go of those who should go—under current circumstances, killing a minor Mamluk general wouldn't intimidate anyone. Every talent has its use; it's just a matter of how you use it."

"Moreover, those Tatars aren't so easy to deal with."

The mission of the envoy team is to highlight the threat of the Franks, calling on the religious forces of the Sassanid Dynasty to confront the heretics and recapture the Holy Land, urging the Sassanid King to send troops.

This mission would certainly not be welcomed by the Sassanid King.

Sending an old and infirm army to help the Sassanid King fend off Eastern heretics is essentially putting the leader of the Zoroastrian World over the fire.

The Sassanid King would only become more dissatisfied with this and would certainly send Ivan to the most dangerous battlefield.

The fate of the traitors would still be death, the difference being that he would have made some contribution before his demise.

Sending an old and infirm army to help the Sassanid King fend off Eastern heretics is essentially putting the leader of the Zoroastrian World over the fire.

The Sassanid King would only become more dissatisfied with this and would certainly send Ivan to the most dangerous battlefield.

The fate of the traitors would still be death, the difference being that he would have made some contribution before his demise.