Ruthless Rejection

Queen Evelyn? No wonder she carried herself with such regal poise. Ryan also recalled the invitation from that young officer not long ago. So she had come looking for him!

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

Evelyn did not answer directly. Instead, she said to the other women in the room, "You all leave first!"

Before long, no one remained in the room except Evelyn and the members of the Blood Sword Pirates.

Ryan's interest was fully piqued now. Sending everyone else away—she clearly had something private to discuss with him!

Ryan looked forward to what Evelyn was about to say.

"Can you protect our city? Plant your pirate flag in Spring Queen City." Evelyn either said nothing at all, or shocked everyone the moment she opened her mouth.

"Hm?"

Question marks popped into the minds of the Blood Sword Pirates.

What was this supposed to mean?

"Of course, we would not ask for your protection for nothing. Every year, we will give you ten percent of our income." Seeing that Ryan and the others remained unmoved, Evelyn spoke again.

"Let me interrupt for a moment." Ryan looked at Evelyn curiously. "Why did you choose us to protect you?"

Ryan truly did not understand this. This was their first meeting, and they did not know each other at all. Why had she chosen him?

Evelyn had clearly considered Ryan's question beforehand. After a brief pause, she began speaking eloquently.

"First, I researched your exploits and found that although you have killed countless people, you have never actively burned, killed, or plundered civilians. Your character is still trustworthy. I cannot possibly seek out pirates who would attack civilians for no reason, or my citizens would suffer."

"Second is your strength and reputation. You dared to oppose the World Government and still remain