Faced with Leon's surprised inquiry, the directors exchanged glances and then fell into a brief silence.

That makes sense, after all, they're already mortal enemies, so there's really no need for honor. An ambush would be better than a direct confrontation... But doesn't it feel a bit shameless?

"Your moral standards seem to be a bit too high."

Leon couldn't help but jab, after glancing at the still hesitant Taurus director:

"It was the Realm of the Dead that violated the agreement first. The Overlords of the Dead Realm broke the past accord by suddenly pulling away the king's ship of the Thousand Sails Maritime Country, so it's quite normal for us to ambush them in return, isn't it?"

"But the ones who actually made a move were only those under the Incarnate Doe."

The Pisces director hesitantly reminded:

"The others, represented by Grandma Crow-eye, although making some signs, did not directly act. In theory, the agreement between us and them hasn't truly been broken, so..."

"So does this agreement have any coercive power? Is there a penalty for breaking it?"

"Uh... when the agreement was established, the Realm of the Dead couldn't beat us, and we couldn't touch the Overlords of the Dead Realm, so mainly it was a verbal agreement..."

"Then it doesn't matter at all."

Hearing this, Leon laughed:

"An agreement that imposes no costs for breaking it is a piece of paper only good for wiping one's behind!

Of course, if they abide by it, it wouldn't be good for us to break it. But since they've already made the first move, there's no need for us to talk about integrity. As for Grandma Crow-eye and the Overlords of the Dead Realm not violating the agreement… When the Incarnate Doe acted, didn't they also not stop it?"

At this point, Leon paused slightly, then turned to the Sagittarius director, who seemed contemplative, and continued with narrowed eyes:

"Moreover, in the terms they proposed to Mr. Sagittarius, they require us not to hold those under the Incarnate Doe accountable. This clearly shows they want to advance and retreat together.

So my view is that since they're not prepared to sever ties with those who broke the agreement, it means they endorse the actions of the Incarnate Doe. To talk about integrity with such irreconcilable enemies is undoubtedly a very... unnecessary act."

"..."

Pedantic, is it? You want to say we're pedantic, don't you?

Faced with Leon's nearly blurted-out judgment, the Taurus director glared at him, then couldn't help but sigh and nodded with a bitter smile:

"Maybe I am being a bit pedantic... I have no objections to this plan to ambush the Overlords of the Dead Realm, but I still hope we can prioritize rescuing the captured children."

"Regarding this issue, we can definitely exchange hostages."

Leon, who had already planned for this, said:

"In fact, I had considered this before. Our biggest disadvantage in facing the Realm of the Dead now is that they have our people, while we have none of theirs.

So if we ambush the Dead Realm overlords who come to negotiate, and catch a few of them in the process, then whether we choose to fight or negotiate afterwards, we'll be much more composed, not as passive as we are now."

"Not bad, not bad!"

Hearing Leon's words, the oily round face of the Cancer director lit up with a greasy smile full of good fortune. He first patted his own round belly, then raised his arm with a cheery laugh.

"I want to change my vote in favor, in favor of taking action against the Realm of the Dead. I've long been displeased with those Dead Realm overlords. Previously, I opposed it because the cost was too high, and fighting would not be worth it, but I am satisfied with Aquarius's ambush plan."

"I agree too."

The Pisces director touched the Pisces pattern in front of him until it lit up, then smiled at Leon,

"Although this approach is slightly unrighteous, as Aquarius said, it was the Dead Realm overlords who violated the agreement first, so it's only fair that we reciprocate in this way."

"So it's unanimously passed."

Ignoring the faint hum coming from beside himself, the Sagittarius director quickly decided:

"I'll schedule another meeting with Grandma Crow-eye and the others. As for the specific location... how about setting it in the Sage's Cemetery?"

The Sage's Cemetery? Is that the place where the third-generation director stayed?

Upon hearing this, Leon pondered for a moment, then was the first to nod in agreement:

"I think it's feasible. It's a site created by our bureau, easier to hide personnel compared to other places, and it's located within the Dead Realm, which won't easily arouse the overlords' suspicion."

"That place is indeed fitting."

The Cancer director agreed, nodding:

"I've been there once before; it's filled with coffins that can isolate soul fluctuations. We can arrange our men to lie inside in advance, and the moment the Dead Realm overlords arrive, we'll act immediately... Ah, right!"

Suddenly remembering something, the Cancer director willingly asked:

"How many people do you plan to mobilize for this conflict with the Dead Realm? Are the branch leaders from the 87th bureau also getting involved?"

"No need for so many."

The Taurus director shook his head:

"Although due to the previous agreement, the Dead Realm overlords haven't infiltrated much into our world, it's not that they have no way of receiving information. If a large-scale mobilization occurs, they might notice.

Moreover, the directors of the Non-Zodiac Branch find it very difficult to confront the overlords of the Dead Realm head-on when they are not under the blessing of the Star Palace, so in my view, besides ourselves, just taking a few Zodiac Branch directors should suffice."

"I agree with that."

Pisces director nodded slightly:

"The so-called 'neutral faction' represented by Grandma Crow-eye consists of only eight people. In a situation where we plan while they do not, six of us plus several Zodiac directors will be more than enough. As for the specific personnel..."

After wrinkling his brow in thought, the Pisces director suggested:

"Aries, Scorpio, Taurus, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Libra, and Aquarius, for now, these seven. What do you all think?"

"Very reasonable."

After thinking for a moment, the Sagittarius director nodded:

"The Gemini branch is currently vacant, Olivia needs to guard the Twelve Ant Nests, Beverly from the Lion Sub-bureau has other assignments, Cancer and Pisces are still recuperating from injuries, those seven are indeed the most suitable choices."

Seven Zodiac directors, plus six directors?

After hearing the Sagittarius director's words, Leon considered the current situation and couldn't help but nod in agreement.

His own director had mentioned before that the directors of major branches like Aries, Libra, etc., were extremely formidable, boasting nearly god-like abilities. Adding in the Capricorn director, who can independently guard the Heavenly Mountain, the current lineup was already very strong.

Even with someone like Edward, who makes up the numbers, even if he falls short, aren't there still twelve formidable figures? Twelve against eight, the advantage is clearly ours!