Even if Ava State decided on surrendering to the empire, they wouldn't carry out any self-crippling. After all, the conditions one could obtain from surrendering depended largely on the bargaining chip in the surrenderer's hand. The reason why the empire could offer such generous conditions was that the Ava State's armed forces weren't easy to deal with.
However, Morton only smiled bitterly and said, "I received information that Ward had secretly invited an important figure in the Holy Spirits Church. He hopes to complete a high-profile baptism ritual before the empire steps foot and bring Isu City under the Church's protection."
The moment she heard this, Remides's eyes flickered with cold killing intent.
"Where did this information come from?" she asked without changing her tone.