"Come here!"

A cold voice rang out in the office of the treehouse.

After the soldier spoke with indignation and reluctance, Catherine simply spat out a byte, and the young soldier was instantly pulled by a force to the front of the other person.

And in the whole office.

Except for Ronald, who could react to Catherine's action, everyone else could hardly cope with it.

To them, it was as if in a blink of an eye, their companion, who was there to discuss decisions together, was pulled into the hands of the dangerous caster.

"What are you doing?"

"Let him go!"

The other soldiers in the office began to shout.

The little friction just now, they could pretend nothing happened.

But now Catherine directly grabbed the person in her hands...

Whether from an emotional or identity recognition standpoint, these soldiers couldn't accept such things happening before their eyes. Even if their companion truly had a bad attitude, he was a fellow soldier they needed to protect.

For a moment, magic power surged in the office.

A few officers skilled in close combat shouted as they lunged at Catherine, intending to rescue their comrade decisively from her grip.

However, the difference in strength between the two sides was too vast.

Catherine coldly scanned the surroundings with her eyes, then raised her hand, swinging downward at a speed surpassing all the soldiers.

Shhh—

Cold magic power formed a wave with tangible impact, immediately sending all those officers flying, crashing heavily against the tree walls surrounding the office.

"Elijah Baley stubbornly resisted the fear deep within his heart.

This fear had been accumulating for at least two weeks.

No, perhaps even longer..."

After the strike, Catherine chanted a spell.

She didn't care what identities these people had or how crucial they were to Hamono.

Since they dared to attack her, these guys must pay for their actions!

In the next second, the powerful personal domain unfolded around the treehouse.

Catherine had used this spell before in front of Ronald, with a record of subduing a large number of Barrier Mountain wizards in one go.

Even though those present were elites within the military. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

They couldn't possibly compare to the strong casters of Barrier Mountain.

Thus, at the moment the spell fell.

No matter if they were thrown against the wall by Catherine, all the Hamono soldiers present turned pale and fell uncontrollably to the ground.

Only a few with exceptionally resilient spirits could barely kneel on one knee, stubbornly holding on, as if refusing their bodies' control.

Councilor Nade, due to his contractual relationship with Ronald, wasn't targeted by Catherine at this moment.

Watching the situation gradually spiral out of control.

This city councilor found it difficult to stand still anymore!

"Lady Catherine, please show mercy!"

"They are just overly agitated by the coming war, and hold no real malice toward you, please forgive them!"

At this moment, Nade completely disregarded maintaining his dignity in front of others.

Not only because he knew Catherine was an untouchable powerhouse.

But also because Nade understood deeply how precious the officers in his office were.

For Hamono, currently at war.

At such a critical juncture, losing mid-to-upper-level officers who received extensive formal training and possess strategic vision would be a critical blow!

"..."

Upon hearing Nade's plea.

Catherine stabilized her barrier effect, not continuing to weaken the officers' stamina and spirit.

However, this was Catherine's only response.

Afterwards, she did not make any requests of Nade or show further expressions, she simply walked forward and casually sat on the map on the desk.

Ronald immediately understood upon seeing this action.

Catherine meant for him to handle all these matters, she did not plan to intervene further.

"Councilor Nade, Catherine has no intention of harming them," Ronald naturally took up the task of communication, "During our conversation, some were too impulsive, leading to unnecessary troubles, so I hope you can understand."

Councilor Nade quickly nodded, expressing his stance;

"Understood, understood, of course understood!"

"I was just overly concerned, thinking this place might experience some unpleasant happenings... Mr. Ronald, can we now discuss the details of this commission?"

Now, Councilor Nade most wanted to ensure the survival of these officers.

Seeing Ronald providing a segue, he naturally followed suit, steering the topic back to the initial direction, no longer mentioning the officers' issue.

Ronald didn't want to force the other party either.

Thus, he adjusted his tone, presenting his thoughts in a serious negotiation manner:

"Previously, we've had fair transactions. Now that you have given us an additional commission, there should be corresponding returns."

"What you say is absolutely true!" Nade almost turned into a nodding machine, as soon as Ronald spoke, he immediately showed agreement, daring not to raise any objections, "So what kind of reward do you think matches the work of you two?"

Ronald reminded the tension-ridden Councilor Nade:

"Councilor Nade, you haven't said what the commission is about - without knowing details, I can't propose corresponding conditions."

"Ah, right! That's careless of me!" Nade quickly laughed apologetically, then stated their reason for inviting them to the treehouse, "I'm hoping you two could use your speedy flying ability to seek help in the northern Bolton."

"I wouldn't dare to hide it from you."

"Though Hamono can still stand equal to Lin Yin City's forces, if this continues, the side whose strength gets exhausted first would still be Hamono."

"..."

"Seeking aid from other cities..."

Ronald murmured.

While seeing Ronald hesitating to respond, Nade hurriedly added a condition:

"Mr. Ronald, how about this?"

"The migrating tribe issue no longer needs resolution, so once this matter is concluded, I'd immediately reveal the secret of the teleport spell to you two as compensation."

"Would that be agreeable?"

"It's a deal!"

This time, before Ronald could speak, Casrina jumped down from the desk.

Besides agreeing to the conditions.

Catherine's direction shifted, pointing at the officer earlier angry at her:

"But for this journey, it can't be just Ronald and me alone."

"This guy must come with us when seeking aid!"