"Although the grade has improved, its effect hasn't changed at all, just as I suspected. This way, I can subdue a Tier 6 subordinate every day!"

Leo Ray looked at the words on the attribute column, his face brimming with delight.

One must know, even with upgrades, I can currently only obtain a Tier 4 Recruitment Order, and only occasionally reach Tier 5 with the blessing of Penelope Welbourn's talent.

But with this Contract Crystal Stone, it's tantamount to skipping Tier 5 and directly reaching the Tier 6 level!

"As for who to subdue first, it's naturally the leaders of forces like Shuert, Broy, Fanny, Crisis, and so on."

"Although I have already significantly consolidated my position through numerous comprehensive upgrades and other means, only by successfully signing contracts can I ensure absolute certainty and bring these leaders' territories completely under my control. Only then will my progress be increasingly stable."

In addition to his joy, Leo Ray turned his eyes to the final remark.

According to the description, this item can only be used by the owner once bound. If the owner perishes, it will disappear. This is expected, considering it is a secret treasure obtained from the Lord Arena and has its unique traits, likely made directly by the "Prompting Voice" as a divine creation.

But before it is bound, does that mean this type of item can be traded and circulated between lords?

"However, it seems that only the overlord-level lords on each board have obtained these secret treasures, and they haven't even opened the appropriate Chat Channel, so how can there be any trade?"

"Could it be that with the occurrence of unexpected events like the Lord Arena, future Chat Channels will be opened for free trade among lords? Or is there some other method of trading?"

"However, in essence, these secret treasures undoubtedly provide substantial assistance to lords, and very few would not use them and instead trade them away, right? After all, lords are now at a crucial point of entering the Outer Region and have no channels to achieve this."

"Forget it, with the information I have, it's impossible to predict the answer."

"Besides, that 'Prompting Voice' is increasingly acting unpredictably, and no one knows what tricks it might pull next, as it is a deity and inherently inscrutable."

With that in mind, Leo Ray put away the crystal and refocused his attention on the scene before him.

At this moment, the City of Ten Thousand Ships, which was moving further away from the fleet, had completely vanished, while the enormous figures of sea monsters reappeared, and a solitary island began to faintly emerge in the distance.

This undoubtedly signifies that we have quietly left the Barrier Area where the City of Ten Thousand Ships is located, and returned to the infinitely looping Sea Area we started from.

"This time, the looping should cease, right? The number of sea monsters has visibly diminished by more than half, it seems they've returned to their respective territories."

Leo Ray, sensing the lingering presence of a few gigantic sea monsters around them becoming active again, nodded and signaled Bruno to issue a command for the entire fleet to increase speed and sail away from the Barrier Area connected to our territory.

Sure enough, as we pushed forward with the wind and waves, it didn't take long for Bruno's exhilarating report to reach Leo Ray's ears: "Reporting to Your Majesty of the Humans, the magic communication with Boundless City has been restored! We have successfully sailed out of the Barrier Area and returned to the normal Sea Area!"

"Long live Your Majesty of the Humans! Long live Your Majesty of the Humans!"

Immediately, a wave of cheers erupted from all the ships, rising higher and higher.

Every minotaur soldier aboard the ships knelt down toward the flagship where Leo Ray stood, expressing their gratitude and reverence through action. Many minotaur soldiers even began sobbing softly, causing the fur on their faces to become disheveled.

Your Majesty of the Humans risked everything to lead a group of strong allies into peril, and after enduring life-and-death trials, they successfully brought them back. Such profound endowment, how could it not make them grateful to the point of tears? Knowing well they aren't even part of the Human Clan!

"Please rise, we have long been comrades with no distinctions between us, isn't this just what should be done?"

Leo Ray lifted his hand gently and said with a smile.

After this, the fleet proceeded with remarkable smoothness and soon returned safely to Boundless City, the capital of the minotaurs.

Upon the port, headed by the new king of the minotaurs, the minotaur ministers and soldiers had long been waiting and once more expressed their uncontrollable gratitude towards Leo Ray.

After a sumptuous lunch at the castle, Leo Ray returned to the Human Domain with his subordinates and human strongmen.

As for Broy, Crisis, Fanny, and other strongmen, since the Teleportation Gate was open, they returned to their own territories via the human Teleportation Station, which took only a blink of an eye.

Upon arriving at the familiar King's Hall of Lion Castle, the first thing Leo Ray did was to hand over three extraordinarily precious Tier 6 advanced magic medicines to Taylor, Jasper Richardson, and Louise.

Not only that, Leo Ray also equipped them with more than a dozen equally precious Tier 6 auxiliary advanced magic medicines and corresponding Tier 6 magic scrolls, including emergency Tier 6 healing magic potions. There is no doubt that this fully guaranteed the advancement safety of the three subordinates to the maximum extent.

After all, advancing to Tier 6 itself is a feat akin to a near-death experience. Even formidable figures like Shuert have prepared for hundreds or even thousands of years to have a mere chance to step into this new realm, as can be clearly seen.

Of course, with so many high-tier items for support, our strongmen can undoubtedly shorten the preparation time before advancement indefinitely, and even do so more securely.

"Subordinates are deeply grateful to you, my Lord!"

With their hands trembling while receiving such precious items, the excitement of the three subordinates was self-evident, and they all knelt at Leo Ray's feet, unable to be lifted.

Among them, Taylor, Leo Ray's first subordinate, had an expression not only full of indescribable gratitude but also a hint of sigh and genuine pride on his rugged face.

One must know that when I was summoned to the Lord's side, the territory was just a small cabin in the dense forest, and the Lord himself appeared inexperienced and overwhelmed. Seeing that scene at the time, I wasn't even sure if coming here was the right choice.

Now, having accompanied the Lord all the way, the Lord has already become a leader known among many Outer Region forces, wielding supreme power and authority.

All these achievements came through countless life-and-death trials and battlefield tempering. A single misstep, and how could there be such glory as today?

Regardless, I have witnessed the Lord's journey every step of the way. Even though my strength is no longer the greatest under the Lord's command, the Lord has never forgotten me, and such unparalleled kindness cannot but render me grateful to tears.

As for Jasper Richardson, she had the same expression, her pointy ears trembled slightly, her fair face full of excitement and joy, unable to speak through her sobs.

It was thanks to the Lord's arrival that the clan, nearly destroyed by the Half-Orcs, survived, and with great effort, he found the Tears of the Elves for me, helping me regain my strength from before the failed advancement.

And at this moment, the Lord personally paved the way for my dream advancement, thinking of me first. Such monumental grace, even putting forth my utmost could not repay the Lord in the slightest!

Beside Jasper Richardson, even Louise wore an unusually solemn expression, her gratitude plain to see, until she burst into tears with a 'wah'.

"Alright, go and prepare. I won't assign you any tasks in the near future, just focus on your advancement."

Leo Ray finally helped the three subordinates up, nodding with a smile: "You have been with me all along, disregarding life and death countless times, these are just trivial things."

"And in the journey ahead, we shall continue hand in hand, none of us allowed to falter halfway."

Having said that, Leo Ray took quite some time to see the still-grateful three subordinates off from the Castle Hall.

Looking at the Castle Hall, now empty again, a thoughtful expression emerged in Leo Ray's eyes once more.

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