Following the establishment of the Arabas Empire, war was declared upon the continent, and the Empire conquered not only the Saw Rock Fortress, but the rest of the eastern region as well. 

The plan of the guild's masterminds, which include Jegal and his subordinates, had only just begun.

Dukeram, who'd conquered the Saw Rock Fortress with the 1st Corps, proceeded with the next phase of the plan.

Horseback riders exited the fortress's giant gates, and headed for nearby cities. They carried letters bearing Arabas the Third's name. 

The contents of the letter were quite easy to understand.

Accept his terms and surrender. If they surrendered without incident, then they wouldn't be harmed. However, if they didn't surrender, then they would be forced to comply by force.

These letters were also sent to the central region's free cities. They used the Tower's long-range communication service to do this.

"How many of them will surrender?" Dukeram asked. 

"There are eight free cities within the central region, excluding the meaningless small cities. At first, most of them probably won't surrender, fearful of what the others might think," Jegal r...