Faced with Hao Ren's sudden invitation, Charlemagne and Awenna were a little hesitant.
It wasn't that they lacked boldness and courage, but the recent pirate attack had left the siblings in a state of heightened vigilance. The unequal status and the helpless situation made them think twice before agreeing to anything.
Hao Ren understood this, so he did not force the siblings. "You can go to the lounge next door and think about it, but I hope you can give me an answer as soon as possible."
Vivian chimed in. "I know you are on high alert because you have just been attacked, but I also trust your judgment. We obviously have nothing to do with the pirates. The Basilica of the World Tree has been isolated from the world for a long time, and we need a channel to communicate with the world again. You need protection and help. This can be regarded as a mutually beneficial deal, which is good for both of us. "
Charlemagne looked at the people in the room and nodded. "We will think about it and give you an answer as soon as possible. But this time — "
Hao Ren waved his hand without waiting for Charlemagne to finish. "Don't worry, there is no eavesdropping this time."
"I hope you can understand that it is the eavesdropping that has made my sister and I wary of you," Charlemagne said calmly before he left the room with Awenna.
After the siblings left, Vivian let out a sigh of relief. "Phew — Hao Ren, what do you think?"
Hao Ren stretched himself as soon as the door was closed, and his serious demeanor was gone. He leaned back in his chair and could not hide the smile on his face. "What else can I think? We were just thinking about how to contact the Dragon Empire when a prince and a princess popped out of nowhere, and they happened to be the secret emissaries of the Dragon Empire. Now that their ship is gone, and their whereabouts are exposed, they need someone to protect them. Is there anything more suitable than this? The only thing we need to consider now is whether the siblings will agree to our request, but I think there is a good chance that they will agree. After all, they have no choice. "
While blowing bubbles with the straw, Lily mumbled, "But the Dragon Empire may not have any prehistoric records. An immortal dragon soul … It sounds so fake. "
"By the way, if you want to drink something, drink it. It's disgusting." Hao Ren glanced at the husky maiden and shook his head. "I'm not counting on the Dragon Empire. I've already asked Nolan to send out the probes, focusing on the things deep under the planet. L 'Haronne was split in half, and not shattered into pieces. Maybe we can find some clues inside the planet. That's another way. "
He rubbed his face to ease his stiff facial muscles before looking at Rheia curiously. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? Aren't you curious about how the people on this planet live after you reshaped it? Why did you ignore Charlemagne and the Awenna siblings when they were around? "
Rheia seemed to be in a daze, and it took her two seconds before she snapped out of it. Her hand trembled for a bit before she puffed her cheeks. "I'm doing a big problem. My projection may be here, but my real body hasn't fallen behind at all, okay?"
Looking at the little goddess who was troubled by her homework, Hao Ren could not help but laugh. He shook his head and said sympathetically, "Actually, I quite understand you. I have to write a lot of reports after every big mission, and sometimes when the situation is complicated, I feel like I'm a dog …"
After playing with the straw and juice, Lily took out a pack of snacks and munched on them. Hearing Hao Ren's words, she looked up leisurely with a dumbfounded expression. "But … dogs aren't as tired as you guys …"
Hao Ren and Rheia looked at the husky's leisurely and depraved lifestyle, and said in unison, "Shut up!"
At the same time, Charlemagne and Awenna had arrived at the lounge, and Awenna was the first to speak. "Brother, do you think these people are trustworthy?"
"We do need their help," Charlemagne said frankly. "Our ship is gone, and this attack means that we have fallen into a trap. Our original plan and even the people around us are no longer reliable. But putting our fate in the hands of a group of strangers … is not reliable either. "
Awenna looked at her brother. She knew that Charlemagne was a suspicious person, and even a little indecisive. She shook her head. "The choice is not ours, brother. Actually, those people who claim to be from the Basilica of the Yggdrasil do not need our permission. They have this ship, and they can fly to the Dragon Empire by themselves. Their only request is for us to travel together … If that's the case, I think we can accept it. "
"The Basilica of the Yggdrasil …" Charlemagne frowned as he repeated the name. "You have never heard of this organization in the knowledge of the elves and wizards?"
"Never heard of it." Awenna shook her head. "The name 'Basilica' is probably not a random name, but I have never heard of such a basilica in L 'Haronne. Perhaps it is some ancient and lost religion, but those people do not look like believers …"
"Whether they are believers or not is not important. What matters is what they want. A hidden organization wants to get in touch with the Dragon Empire, what can they get from the empire? Is it to spread their faith? Or are they going to use the empire as a springboard to return to the mundane world? If that is the goal, the Dragon Empire is not a good one. The proud people of the empire will not be happy to accept such a group … "
Awenna felt that she had gone off topic, so she asked again, "So, should we accept them or not?"
Charlemagne scratched his chin, and after a few seconds of deep thought, he finally nodded. "As you said, the choice is not on our side …"
Hao Ren did not expect the siblings to reply so quickly.
He had thought that the royal siblings, who seemed to be suffering from paranoia, would have to discuss for a long time before they could give him an answer. He did not expect that they would reappear in front of him ten minutes later.
Rheia had not even finished the big question …
"We accept your invitation," Charlemagne said bluntly. "This is indeed a win-win solution."
The answer was within Hao Ren's expectations. He smiled and nodded. "That saves us the trouble, we —"
Awenna interrupted. "Wait a minute, we have a small request."
"A small request?" Vivian looked at the gray-haired girl curiously. She was about the same age as Hessiana, and in Vivian's eyes, she was just an older child. "What is it?"
"Do you have … a map or something?" Charlemagne asked.
Hao Ren waved his hand, and a holographic map immediately appeared in the air.
The floating image stunned Charlemagne for a moment. He felt that this' magical illusion 'was a little different from what he remembered, and he could not feel any magic fluctuations. More importantly, while the mountains and rivers on the map were clear, there were almost no markings, which was very inconvenient to use. But he still suppressed these doubts and discomfort. After roughly judging the location on the map, he pointed somewhere in the Dragon Empire. "We hope to land here, and then follow this route … from here, to here, and finally to the imperial capital."
Looking at the route pointed out by the prince, Hao Ren could not help but frown. "This is tantamount to taking a detour, and it will waste a lot of time and distance. Can't we just land at a landing site near the imperial capital? If you are worried that the ship is too big to land, we also have a smaller aircraft, or we can just teleport people there … "
"That is not the reason." Charlemagne waved his hand. "It is for safety."
Then he explained, "We have been attacked by pirates, and there must be a conspiracy. Those fugitives have military weapons and equipment, and they have accurately locked on to the White Pearl's itinerary. So …"
"You have been set up by a mole?" Hao Ren said.
"The original itinerary is no longer safe," Charlemagne did not deny it. "And … we are worried that there are people in the Dragon Empire who want to kill us. There are many shadows in that powerful empire."
Hao Ren immediately understood what Charlemagne meant. Although Hao Ren did not know how the siblings made their judgment, they must have their own ideas. The people who planned the attack were not only the mole in the ancient kingdom of Izzo, but also the huge empire on the other side of the World Scar. However, they were not sure who the mastermind in the Dragon Empire was, and they were not even sure if it had anything to do with the Dragon Soul Emperor. So they chose to keep this secret mission a little more secretive.
If they went directly to the imperial capital, they might fall into a deeper trap. So they planned to land somewhere in the empire first and then observe the situation. If possible, they wanted to find out who else in the empire could be trusted. Only by regaining control of the situation could they continue this mission.
Troublesome conspiracies and politics.
"This is our request," Awenna looked at Hao Ren without blinking. "And it is the only request. I hope you can agree to it."
To the princess's surprise, Hao Ren agreed readily. "No problem. We are happy to accompany you on a secret mission."
He was eager to have a local guide him to learn more about the customs of this world.
"Ugh …" Charlemagne was a little speechless for a moment, but he quickly composed himself. "When can we depart?"
"Anytime, and the sooner, the better," Hao Ren said. "If you need some props and equipment to disguise your identity, you can just tell me. This ship has everything."
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