Chapter102

Even though the young man inside was chained up from head to toe and locked in the cell, his presence was still strong. It was enough to scare the guards who only bullied the weak and feared the strong. None of them dared to go near him.

Kristof saw the young man in the cell and immediately opened his arms with a smile and walked up to him.

"Egbert! Egbert! I came to see you!"

Kristof stood right beside the loudly clanging cell, not afraid of being hit by the man inside. He then turned to Elara and said,

"Your Highness, this is Egbert. He used to be a vanguard cavalry officer in Lin City. But the official in Lin City was too wicked and cruel. He collected heavy taxes and made the people so desperate that they had to eat each other to survive."

"Egbert killed that corrupt official with one strike and opened the city's granary. After that, he became a rebel and stayed outside the city for a while as the leader of a rebel group.

Later, when they had no more money or food, Egbert wanted to lead his men to rob people but couldn't bring himself to harm ordinary citizens. So he brought his men to Marigold County and launched a strong attack. He stole most of the money and grain from the homes of people like Gao Qiong.

Then he sent all the rebels away and stayed behind alone. He turned himself in and came to this dungeon to surrender."

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Egbert turned himself in.

It made sense. With his huge body, those useless city guards in Marigold City would never have caught him anyway.

Elara listened to Kristof's introduction and already had a rough impression of Egbert.

When Egbert heard Kristof's voice, he stopped moving. A one-hundred-pound stone block was in his arms like a toy ball. His dark, deep eyes looked at Elara and Scholar Fu, then shifted to Kristof.

"Kristof, what is this?"

Kristof didn't waste time and directly told Egbert who Elara was. "Egbert, didn't you always dream of protecting the country and fighting on the battlefield? Come out and follow the Princess with me. Let's make that dream come true."

Egbert listened and let his eyes stay on Elara for two more seconds, but he didn't answer.

"This world, whether it's internal or external war, it's always the people who suffer. When Egbert turned himself in, he swore he would never step onto the battlefield again." His voice was heavy, just like the stone in his arms.

Kristof frowned. "It's exactly because the world is in chaos that people like us are needed. Yes, some people die in war, but if we let things continue out of control, even more will die. Don't you understand that, Egbert?"

Egbert placed the stone beside the dented stone bed. His face lowered slightly, and the oil lamp cast heavy shadows on his deep and defined features.

Elara noticed his appearance for the first time. His features were very deep, his eye sockets sunken like someone with mixed blood. His bone structure was strong and darkened by shadows.

"Egbert understands… but today someone can raise a sword claiming to kill traitors, and tomorrow that same person might become the traitor."

Egbert's voice became calmer. Elara also stood in front of the cell, watching him closely.

"So you don't believe in me at all?"

Egbert looked at her again. "I've heard of the Princess. Since Kristof is willing to follow you, maybe those rumors weren't completely true. Still, you are part of the Plumera royal family. And now, aside from General Qi and the Qi family army, the rest of the so-called nobles... to be honest, compared to the rebels outside, I really don't know which side deserves to die more."

"Oh, so you admire General Qi? And right now, he's the only one you trust in the Plumera State?" Elara picked out the key point.

Egbert paused. He didn't understand why Elara focused on that part. What he said was clearly disrespectful to the royal family, and she had every right to order him killed. But all she cared about was the Qi family name.

He looked at Elara and answered after two seconds of silence. "Yes."

Right now, corrupt officials held power and rebels roamed freely. In the rotting Plumera court, only the Qi family army still had true loyalty and gave people hope.

That made things easier. Elara raised her hand and said to the nervous jailer next to her, "Open it."

The jailer hesitated. "Princess, even though he's chained, he's still very strong. If you get too close, he might hurt you..."

"Enough. I said open it."

Elara's voice carried a threat that made the jailer tremble. He didn't say another word, took out the key, and opened the door.

Elara walked into the cell. She stood in front of Egbert, who looked a little surprised. She couldn't help but notice the difference in body size. Egbert stood there like a small mountain. Elara felt that even three of her together wouldn't match his size.

But for a general in this era, having a huge frame was normal. Otherwise, how would they lift those heavy bronze weapons that could weigh over a hundred pounds?

She looked up into Egbert's eyes.

"General Qi and the Qi family army are now working under me. If you want to see him, just follow me out of here. But I didn't come here just to deliver new soldiers to General Qi."

"I am gathering my own army. Every general and every soldier must have real ambition. One day, when they work side by side with the Qi army, they must be just as strong, or even stronger, becoming the new backbone of the Plumera State. What do you think of that kind of army?"

Her words surprised not only Egbert, but also Kristof. He looked at her and then clapped his hands, laughing loudly.

"Excellent! You aim right at the Qi family army and even plan to surpass them! You really have ambition, Your Highness!"

He walked into the cell and stood next to Elara. Both of them looked at Egbert.

"Egbert, you've told me before. Your biggest dream was to lead an army equal to or greater than the Qi family army. Now the Princess is giving you that chance. Why would you refuse?"

Egbert stared at Elara. With Kristof nearby, he wasn't afraid she was lying.

Still, the idea of forming an army stronger than the Qi family… he never thought such words would come from a small, delicate woman who barely reached his chest.

Seeing him just stare without speaking, Elara didn't give up. She spoke again:

"How about this. As for what you said about the one who fights traitors becoming one themselves, I'll give you half a year. In this half year, follow me and see what I can do to rebuild this rotten Plumera court. Then you can decide whether this new Plumera is worth your loyalty."

"Whether I become a traitor or not, you'll see for yourself. When the half year ends, I won't stop you from leaving. The choice will be yours. How about that?"