Ultimately, the gag order jointly issued by the Crownguard and Buvelle families allowed Garen to escape unscathed—although his image was shattered in the minds of many, he only needed to avoid these people for a while and would likely not need to flee Demacia.
Well, congratulations, congratulations.
However, the matter was not over yet.
Soon, Augatha, who had rushed over, personally took action; she grabbed her son by the ear and dragged him all the way to the Buvelle Manor to apologize in person.
And because Crownguard Manor and Buvelle Manor were at opposite ends of Demacia Capital, one in the east and one in the west, almost all residents of Demacia Capital witnessed Garen, that little rascal, being paraded through the streets by his mother, with his ear being pulled.
The onlookers clearly didn't know what Garen had done, but a teenager in his early teens being disciplined by his mother by the ear was common everywhere, from nobles to commoners, and the reasons were varied, so everyone was happy to watch the show, spontaneously forming a strong crowd along the way.
Compared to Lux's words, being paraded by the ear was one level less socially embarrassing, but Garen still felt utterly disheartened and wished for death.
Fortunately, after learning what had happened, Lady Buvelle did not make things difficult for Garen and even reprimanded her ignorant daughter, finally bringing the whole incident to a halt.
Except for Jarvan IV laughing seven times, front and back, at Garen's red and swollen ear during training the next day, this incident was at most occasionally mentioned when some unruly children were being educated by their parents: "Do you also want to be like that rascal the other day, dragged by the ear for two miles?"
Yes, only a damaged The Capital was born.
However, although this incident was a huge blow to Garen, it was merely a minor matter for Demacia Capital—and looking at Demacia as a whole, it was even less worth mentioning.
Even Barrett Buvelle and Peter Crownguard did not take it to heart; when they met at the Citadel the next day, they didn't even mention it once.
For them, the more important matter at hand was to monitor the War between Noxus and Ionia.
To be precise, it was to monitor War intelligence.
Unlike the Noxians, who had established professional War artisan organizations, Demacia actually did not have professional spy organizations—in the nearly thousand years since its founding, their intelligence mostly came from the active provision of peddlers, soldiers, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Demacia itself had no desire for territorial expansion; its strategy had always been primarily defensive, occasionally causing trouble for the Noxians and being one of the few "good nations" on Runeterra, and many countries relied on Demacian grain exports, so in terms of intelligence, Demacia followed the "righteous cause receives much support" kingly path.
It cannot be said that Demacia are all great benevolent people, but at least it can be said that they are entirely set off by their peers.
This tactic worked well when dealing with Valoran affairs, but it was not very effective when monitoring the Ionia War—the excessive distance made intelligence transmission difficult, and the chaotic situation in Ionia further led to a lack of accuracy in first-hand intelligence.
Even Demacia's fastest ship, departing from White Cliff City and crossing the Valoran Strait to Ionia, would take more than three months for a round trip—and this was without considering the Noxian blockade.
Therefore, even though Demacians had taken in many refugees from Ionia, when it came to the specific situation in Ionia, Demacia could only make broad guesses.
It was precisely for this reason that even though some northern regions suffered frost damage, the Crownguard Family's feudal tax revenue did not receive any reduction—Demacia needed to prepare for War, what if the Noxians were just feigning an attack and actually intended to strike Demacia?
Feigning War with other countries and then launching a surprise attack when Demacia relaxed its guard—Noxus had done such things many times in history!
Look at the cities on the northern shore of Shurima that had defected to the Noxians!
Almost every time a city changed flags, the Noxians staged a loud but ineffective siege, and if Demacia was even slightly negligent, the Noxians of Terrilville or Old Bamen would launch a full-scale assault without declaring War…
Fortunately, on the very day Garen was "paraded," the latest intelligence finally made its way back to Demacia after many detours.
Through the comparison of multiple sources of intelligence and repeated analysis by strategists, it can now finally be confirmed that the Noxians have indeed deployed an unprecedented large-scale military force in Ionia—twenty Warbands are all main forces, not just assembled militias, and the entire Guardian's Sea fleet has set sail.
This means that the Ionians will likely find it very difficult to hold on, but at the same time, Demacia's borders will be secure for a long time.
Therefore, at today's internal meeting, Demacia will discuss a specific countermeasure for this War.
...
"First, Your Majesty, I believe it is no longer possible for the Noxians to turn back." Unlike his submissive demeanor when facing his wife, Peter was known for being outspoken at internal meetings. "From the corroborating information we have received from Ionia, it is clear that the Noxians have indeed committed their main Warbands to the Ionia War—although a few Warbands have recently been recalled, that should be due to pressure from the North, and by the time, it is also when those barbarians in the North become active."
"So, the scale of this War far exceeds the several landing operations in Shurima, is that correct?" Jarvan III carefully examined the map that had been so difficult to obtain from Ionia, reaching out to point at Weh'le. "The main Noxian fleet landed here?"
"According to information provided by local Ionian rangers, that is correct." Peter, who was standing beside him, also nodded. "But it's not just here; in addition to Weh'le in the Navori province, there are also Noxian landings at Bahrl's Nongpu, Shon-Xan's Sangda, and Zhyun's Laiken."
"This is truly a grand undertaking." Jarvan III looked at the landing points marked with sailboat icons on the map and couldn't help but pinch his brow. "Are the Noxians truly planning to swallow all of Ionia in one go this time?"
"Objectively speaking, we lack the necessary information for this question." Barrett remained cautious and rational. "However, Your Majesty, I also have this doubt, because in the past, when the Noxians attacked Shurima, they never arrogantly launched multi-point offensives."
"Even when they captured Belzhun, it was the same," Peter added. "That time, the Noxians only dispatched one fleet, and it was primarily for troop transport—but this time, almost the entire Noxian Guardian's Sea Navy has deployed, even leading to a rapid increase in pirate activity in Bilgewater, and many Piltover merchants are complaining that the Guardian's Sea has become very dangerous."
"Will they succeed?" Jarvan III looked at Xin Zhao, who had been silent. "Are your compatriots in your homeland as brave as you?"
"They are braver than I am." Xin Zhao licked his somewhat dry lips. "The Noxians have already met heroic resistance, but when my fishing boat was impounded, I immediately became a prisoner and was sent to the Noxian gladiatorial arena."
"That was not your fault." Jarvan III couldn't help but shake his head upon hearing this. "You should understand what I mean. If—and I mean if—Ionia cannot resist the Noxian invasion, then once that beast swallows your homeland and fully digests it, then the entire Runeterra will be laid out on his dining table."
"That's impossible." Xin Zhao also shook his head, his tone firm. "The Noxians may win, but I believe Ionia cannot be completely conquered."
"...I hope so." Jarvan III was silent for a moment, then exhaled a deep breath. "But thinking about the Noxians' arrogance after gaining Belzhun and Urzeris, I think we need to come up with a plan to curb this evil spread."
"Regarding this, I already have some ideas." When this topic came up, Peter stepped forward again. "Since it has been confirmed that the main Noxian forces have moved west, we should also take this opportunity to reinforce and transform our western defense line."
"Tell me in detail?" Jarvan III took another deep look at the map of Ionia, then returned to his throne. "Reinforcement is understandable, but what is transformation?"
"Offensive fortresses, Your Majesty." Peter spoke frankly. "We cannot stand by and watch the Noxians establish a foothold in Ionia. Even if this despicable sneak attack has succeeded, we must not let this beast digest peacefully and prepare for its next hunt!"
"So, when he opens his mouth and bares his teeth again next time, we should punch him hard?" Jarvan III nodded. "I very much agree with this approach, but the problem is... we do not border Noxus."
This problem was quite awkward—for Demacia, not bordering Noxus meant there was a certain buffer zone between them, which should have been a good thing for Demacia, which was in a strategic defensive posture.
But if Demacia needed to take action in response to Noxus's actions next time, then this buffer zone, formed by small nations and city-states, would instead become an obstacle for Demacia.
Noxus could directly invade when causing trouble, but if Demacia did such a thing, it would break their image—although this was very unfair, if Demacia truly took the initiative to invade these buffer zones, their carefully maintained good image would likely collapse directly.
For Demacia, this was an unbearable burden!
"We can go through... Sorrow Pass." Peter hesitated for a moment, then proposed a suggestion that made everyone present frown. "And then through Terrilville."
"That's impossible." Barrett finally spoke up to deny it. "Crossing the Silverglade Mountains is not a simple matter; the Noxians have already proven this with their failures."
"This is why I said we need to transform the western defense line." Peter seemed to have been prepared. "As long as a series of transformations are made on the existing foundation of the Sorrow Pass fortress, the difficulty of crossing the Silverglade Mountains will be greatly reduced, and then we will only need to face the relatively gentle southern slopes."
Saying this, Peter took out a map of the area near Sorrow Pass and, pointing to the mountain terrain, explained his strategic concept: expanding the Sorrow Pass fortress, then stockpiling more food and equipment, and building a road along the ridge to Jiayin Peak.
Once Jiayin Peak was reached, Demacia's military force could then, in one fell swoop, pass through a narrow, gently sloping area on the southern slopes of the Silverglade Mountains and strike directly at Darkwill.
"If that is the case, it is theoretically somewhat feasible." Looking at Peter's diagram, Barrett thought for a while and then reluctantly nodded. "However, Your Majesty, I must state that this suggestion is extremely costly; even with our water transport support, building a road directly to Jiayin Peak would still consume an astonishing amount of manpower and resources."
"As for manpower and resources... this indeed requires detailed calculation." Jarvan III did not directly affirm or deny, but rather spoke of another aspect. "But what happens after taking Terrilville? I remember the Terrilville royal family is no longer there?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, after the Noxians captured Terrilville, they killed all the nobles of the royal family." Barrett nodded. "We cannot help Terrilville restore its nation."
"That's truly terrible." Jarvan III showed sadness, as if deeply grieved by the misfortune of the Terrilville royal family. "It seems that after that, we will also need to build an additional defense line to guard Terrilville?"
"Regarding this, I am not too worried." Barrett finally smiled. "Having driven away the cruel Noxians, the Terrilville people will surely be happy to help us—after all, this is also about defending their own homeland!"
"Then let's settle it that way." Jarvan III stroked his chin, finally making the decisive call. "The Green Tooth Peak direction will remain primarily defensive, while we simultaneously reinforce and transform Sorrow Pass. If the Noxians do not cease their atrocities in Ionia, we will give them a harsh blow in Terrilville!"
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"It's a pity Ionia doesn't have its own king, otherwise I would definitely sign a joint statement with him…"
Thus, Demacia finally confirmed its stance on the Ionia War—although theoretically, all of this still needed to pass through the Noble Council three days later.
But from past experience, when Jarvan III made up his mind, the Noble Council could only do two things.
Unanimous agreement.
Or first object, then be persuaded.
No wonder, who made His Majesty and the loyal Buvelle Family and Crownguard Family so close?