The four Guardians materialized before Samir-7's mobile fortress. Shen's Brigade was still there. He quickly summoned the C-ranks for a meeting and introduced the newcomers.

"This is the First Sergeant Marzia Martino, Human Maiden, Czarina of Earth. This is Lieutenant Specialist Taeral Miavalur. They will assist us in convincing Imperia's Bounty targets to surrender instead of causing trouble."

Everyone looked at the two. Shen wasn't sure who surprised them the most: the D-rank they had seen before or the new C-rank.

As Shen had told Marzia, he noticed Taeral when clearing the mobile fortresses of fugitives. The last time he saw the guy was when Shgen killed the drow who captured Luthdel, plus the C-ranks who attacked him. Back then, Taeral had witnessed everything Shen did but then cut himself to external stimuli. Evidently, he was looking into things but knew when not to pry too deeply.

Added to everything Martino had reported, the guy's identity was clear: SpecOps.

Though Shen hadn't lied to Martino, he had hid that detail from her. SpecOps wouldn't get involved in helping an Exemplary Brigade except as a side job. He had no doubt another side job was watching over him. Taeral had appeared in every mobile fortress Shen had cleaned of fugitives. That didn't explain why he had chosen to not see anything after Shen killed the drow, but it likely had to do with opposing orders.

Anyway, whatever Taeral's primary goal was, it wasn't helping Shen. Paradoxically, that's the main reason Shen had called him. The high elf would do his best to quickly conclude his business with Shen so he could return to his actual mission. Shen was slightly surprised he could even conscript the man but guessed it had to do with keeping the elf's undercover identity.

With green eyes, long golden hair, and a handsome face, the tall and well-toned Taeral would catch the attention of anyone anywhere—except in a place filled with high elves. For a C-rank high elf, he had almost a forgettable face, which should come with the job. His unhelmeted silvery plate armor with green details was well-crafted enough to please most senses of aesthetics but pass somewhat unnoticed in Samir. It was just what one would expect of a random high-elven C-rank.

Shen explained his mission to Marzia and Taeral. The latter replied, "Commander, if it wouldn't offend you, would you mind sharing the Deployment Update window with us all? The specific words used might give us a few hints, and the more eyes, the better."

Shen shared it with Taeral and everyone else.

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Deployment Update

The 7th Exemplary Brigade's mission has been changed.

New mission: Filter and Merge Imperia's Troops

Every Guardian from the Republic of Imperia (A), ranging from B-rank to F-rank, will arrive in one Standard hour.

They have been teleporting ever since the Void Tide started.

Draw a plan to filter Bounty targets out with a minimal death rate and merge their troops with Samir's current ones.

They are still being teleported. You can send them messages before they arrive. They can reply.

Total Troops: 993,413,790

Troops by Rank:

B: 654

C: 755,844

D: 611,684,952

E: 357,988,211

F: 22,984,129

Bounties by Rank:

B: 22

C: 31,223

D: 44,118

E: 2,472,355

F: 5,212

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Instead of commenting on it, Taeral hit his forehead and said, "Where are my manners? Nice to meet you, Lieutenants and Sergeant. I'm a Lieutenant Specialist, and I specialize in battlefield tactics. I was surprised my name came out as a diplomacy expert of any kind..." He glanced at Martino from the corner of his eyes. "...but I'll assist you to the best of my ability."

He was smooth enough that anyone with a neuron could see he had "gifted" them with the sharing of the window before introducing himself, so they would have a better first impression of him. It might look underhanded in any other situation, but considering he was here to convince B-ranks to surrender without bloodshed, that manner of introduction was perfect. As simple as the trick was—if it could even be called that—it showed he wasn't clueless and really wanted to help, as he had already done it by stating that specific words mattered. Asking for more eyes to read it also showed he was a team player.

As if that wasn't enough, by "scheming" so overtly, Taeral told them that he could be a bit manipulative and that they should keep their guards up. It was almost a professional courtesy one might expect from a swindler who took a liking to you. And in this case, that would also assist them in slightly shifting their perspective to think... diplomatically.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Shen considered he might be reading too much into it, but he decided he wasn't.

Every single gesture from Taeral was finely crafted for that impression. From the way his voice lowered or became a pitch higher here and there, to his posture, to his smile, to his over-the-top antics of hitting his forehead. His rank was also relevant, as the people who mattered were of his rank. If Martino had done that, it would have had a greater chance of offending the Lieutenants, who wouldn't like a Sergeant trying to manipulate them, even for a good cause.

His actions were also a test. He didn't hide that he was looking for signs of comprehension and acknowledgment on the C-ranks. Hukzun even nodded approvingly. Taeral was asserting his position.

Suddenly, everyone's eyes turned to Shen, as a spear was materializing in his hand from his Inventory.

Then, he cut Taeral's left arm off at the shoulder.

The high elf screamed in agony. Shen had vibrated his strike to cause as much pain and damage as possible. There was an instant of surprise in everyone as few, if any, even saw a blur. To most of them, Taeral unexpectedly screamed for no apparent reason.

The guy's limb fell to the ground. Shen stepped on the hand and stuck his spear on the forearm.

Shen's people had already seen him kill Vinamour and, while surprised by the attack, weren't surprised that Shen could move that fast. Taeral kept screaming for a few seconds, holding his shoulder, then closed his mouth and grunted for a while.

Shen waited for him to calm down before saying, "Do remember we are currently deployed, Lieutenant Specialist, and you're not part of this chain of command. Attempting to establish yourself in my Brigade as anything other than external assistance without my explicit approval is a grave offense. You don't need anyone's respect or acknowledgment but mine, and you already have it—on my terms. I'll consider your attempt to subvert my command a harmless trick you did for fun, out of habit, for not understanding your situation. But this is your only warning. Do you understand?"

Taeral didn't hide the anger in his eyes, but the fear in his soul spoke louder. Shen didn't understand why he was so afraid, but it didn't matter.

"Yes, Commander," the high elf replied with gritted teeth.

"Good." Shen stored his spear and took his foot off the limb. "You can reattach your arm now."

He didn't take pleasure in forcing the guy to submit, but if Taeral was as good with his words as Marzia had said, he was a time bomb. Shen had to curb the rot before it started spreading. He had to do it to protect his Brigade, not for himself. Who knew the means of a SpecOps agent who could convince a Battalion Commander to commit treason?

His punishment was light, considering causing chaos in the chain of command while deployed was a grave offense. If the high elf had been part of the Exemplary Brigade, he would've been executed for treason.

Taeral silently took his arm and placed it on his shoulder. A quick twist of mana, and it was as good as new. His armor also had a self-repair enchantment and was mending itself.

Shen said, "You two experts are to remember your place at all times—and we are to also remember it." He stared at Hukzun. "He is an outsider. They both are. We'll use their expertise and discard them later. Nothing else. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Commander," everyone replied in unison.

"Good." He turned to Taeral. "Continue helping us."

The guy clearly didn't want to, but he endured his anger and fear and said, "Have you already contacted the incoming Guardians, Commander?"

Shen shook his head. "I wanted to know exactly what to say before I attempted anything."

"You did good," Marzia quickly interjected, as if afraid the people present would think she was useless. "But also not that good. Commander, you must assert your authority—because you have it. Even over the B-ranks. Don't let them think differently. This is the military."

Rayna snorted. "Sure. We know the C-ranks will love that because we Lieutenants would also love for a Sergeant to come and tell us to obey because a Captain put them in charge. Especially when they tell us we're now condemned for doing something that should not have placed us in jail before we started teleporting—before the Alliance changed the Bounty rules. I imagine we would be ecstatic about being placed in a cell right after teleporting for days without end."

Before anyone could continue that line of reasoning, Luthdel asked, "Commander, can't the system directly teleport them to the Detention Department?"

"It can, but it won't," Shen replied. "Everyone still has their equipment and, likely, the intention to resist. Prisoners are processed before entering jail for good reason." He gestured to Marzia. "She's wearing E- black padded leather armor because that's the best she's allowed in the cell. All her other items are under custody to make it harder for her to flee. Her mana is also kept at the bare minimum, which the system can only do if a Guardian is labeled traitor, captured and processed, or surrender. Speaking of which, I can change that for a Conditionally Released Guardian. System, remove all her power blockades."

Mana rushed into Marzia's body, and she took a deep breath of sheer relief. Her soul trembled in glee.

"Thanks," she said. "Commander."

"No problem. Technically, the system does have the power to suppress or kill Guardians, but it's illegal except against prisoners or rift dwellers—and only if they are in predetermined areas where said direct action is allowed. Capture or surrender is a must. The system won't attack even traitors. The Alliance has us Guardians for that, and the military would be no different."

Luthdel nodded. "I see. Thanks, Commander."

Shen nodded back and turned to Rayna. "Irony has a place and time, and this isn't it. Your counter-argument towards Martino's words makes sense, but there's no need to spit on our guest's face. This is not the behavior of someone in an Exemplary Brigade. One Demerit."

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| Demerit given to Staff Lieutenant Rayna: Excessive Rudeness leading to Internal Disharmonyisarmony

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Rayna nodded. "Sorry, Commander." Her eyes weren't apologetic, but she understood she had messed up and accepted the punishment.

Shen nodded back and turned to Taeral. "I answered your question. What now?"

"I believe both your helpers are correct, Commander," the high elf replied. "I seem to recall Staff Lieutenant Luthdel Elafir mentioning you were the big boss in La'sing and, I quote, 'Even the C-ranks from this corner of nowhere came knowing they had to obey him.' I take it he meant Imperia?"

Taeral spoke more subdued now, even as he admitted to keeping tabs on what the Exemplary Brigade did and said. Luthdel flushed in embarrassment at being mentioned as spreading intelligence on Shen. The fact itself wasn't a secret, but Shen had talked to him before about not revealing anything about anyone he didn't need to, him foremost above all.

They would need to discuss it again later.

"Yes," Shen replied. "Imperia's Grand Senator appointed me as Field Commander for a batch of Imperia's troops dispatched to La'sing. Imperia's laws compelled them to obey me. It didn't prevent them from trying to overthrow me, but they did it within the rules."

Taeral smiled slightly. "We can use that, Commander."

"I don't know if that also applies to Samir, though."

"We must try, Commander. As First Sergeant Marzia Martino said, you must establish your authority. Shower them with as many labels as possible, as long as they are even slightly relevant to them. But, yes, as Staff Lieutenant Rayna also pointed out, do it without appearing antagonistic... Unless they would like it better. Speaking of which, the military can't offer bribes, so what do you know of Imperia's culture? Would they react better to forcefulness or softness? Would they prefer you be direct or leave meanings in the subtext? Would they respond better to a call to collective patriotism or isolated heroism? Individual gain or peer-pressure-based honor? Would using the Grand Senator's name force them to bow, or are they fractured into factions of similar power?"

When Taeral put it like that, things looked pretty simple. And yet, it was beyond Shen's usual line of thought. He was already glad he had brought the guy.

He winked to Martino in thanks, and they all spent the next twenty Standard minutes determining the opening words he would send to Imperia.

Then, at long last, Shen contacted everyone who belonged to the new version of his old home.