After sending off Dusk and Luluxiu, Xiao Ran returned to the guest room as if nothing had happened. He quietly left and returned. During the entire process, no one knew that the current occupant of the room had left. He had subdued the Scarlet Knights, the Empire's most important combat force, into his hands without leaving a trace.
The next day, Xiao Ran had to send off Jeremiah and Velletta, as well as Cecil, who came with Lancelot. The three of them would take a private plane back to the 11th District with Lancelot. As for Xiao Ran, he probably wouldn't be able to return to the 11th District in a short period of time. When the time came, he would directly depart from the capital to patrol the various war zones on behalf of the Emperor. Xiao Ran also wanted to use this opportunity to control the war zones and the border as much as possible.
After telling Jeremiah and Velletta to protect Euphemia, Xiao Ran didn't say much to Cecil before sending them off. After the private plane took off, Xiao Ran got into a black limousine that was waiting for him not far away from the military airport and headed towards the base of the Scarlet Knights.
Bismarck was sitting in the back seat of the limousine. He was dressed formally and had one leg crossed over the other. He held a cigar in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. When Xiao Ran entered the limousine, Bismarck raised his glass and gently shook it at Xiao Ran. "Want a drink?"
"No need." Xiao Ran smiled and shook his head. After adjusting his sitting position to make himself more comfortable, he said, "The Scarlet Knights acted so quickly? They didn't even delay and willingly handed over the Mech Body. It seems like they still have some integrity. "
Bismarck smiled meaningfully. "Even if they have integrity, their so-called integrity isn't based on loyalty to His Majesty. It's based on benefits. According to the bet, they will hand over a Mech Body to us if they lose, but His Majesty will also compensate them accordingly. And this compensation isn't a small amount. It's a large amount of cherry stones that they need the most."
"These cherry stones have already been delivered to the base of the Scarlet Knights early this morning, so they have no choice but to take them."
Xiao Ran deliberately paused, then shook his head and smiled. "A confrontation is only a pretext. Once they lose, once the cherry stones are delivered, they won't have a chance to regret. Otherwise, it will be even harder for them to establish themselves in the country, and they won't be able to gain His Majesty's trust. Similarly, they won't be able to get more resources."
Bismarck smiled and agreed with Xiao Ran's words. He then asked, "In fact, this is equivalent to us getting a Mech Body from the Scarlet Knights. According to the agreement, we can't do any technical analysis of this Mech Body, but it doesn't mean that we can't understand this Mech Body. It also doesn't mean that the Empire's technical department can't copy this Mech Body. So, although we are using this Mech Body, the Empire is still the one who benefits. It's also thanks to your strength that we can get a special Mech Body from the Scarlet Knights."
Xiao Ran waved his hand. "I'm just completing my mission and getting myself a powerful Mech Body. As for the rest, it's not my credit. Besides, without His Majesty's resources, I wouldn't have had the chance to fight with the Scarlet Knights over the Mech Body, and I wouldn't have been able to get the Mech Body from them."
Bismarck didn't say anything. He only smiled, but he also agreed with Xiao Ran's words. If it weren't for Charles, the Mech Body wouldn't have fallen into Xiao Ran's hands. Even if there were that battle, it was only a reason. There were dozens if not hundreds of reasons that could achieve the same goal. Xiao Ran's credit only made this reason irresistible to the Scarlet Knights.
Bismarck put down the wine glass in his hand and looked at Xiao Ran from head to toe. "Aren't you worried that the Scarlet Knights will use a Mech Body to trick you? Or maybe they will arrange some backdoor? After all, this Mech Body is piloted by you. If something goes wrong on the battlefield, it's very likely that you will pay the price with your life. "
"I don't think they dare." Xiao Ran smiled faintly. "If anything happens to me on the battlefield because of this Mech Body, the Scarlet Knights will be the first to be implicated. Therefore, they won't do that. I think they will hope that I can use this Mech Body to exert more power. This way, they will have more bargaining chips in their hands to negotiate with the Empire and His Majesty. Besides, you and I don't know if they intend to agree to your conditions. Maybe they are waiting for the right opportunity to sell their technology or Mech Body to the Empire in exchange for more benefits."
"If that's the case, the Scarlet Knights' Mech Body will only be better, not worse."
Bismarck's eyebrows twitched slightly. He nodded slowly. "What you said is not impossible, but if we can get more powerful Mech Bodies from the Scarlet Knights and their unique technology, it will be worth it even if we have to pay a price. It's just that we haven't had such an opportunity before. Now, because of you, this opportunity has appeared. If the time is right, I would like to have a good discussion with the Scarlet Knights."
As the two chatted, they soon arrived at the encampment of the Scarlet Knights that Xiao Ran had visited the night before. Less than ten hours later, they met the person in charge of the Scarlet Knights, Corgi.
In front of the command building in the encampment, Xiao Ran and Bismarck got out of the car wearing the same Knight's uniform but slightly different in color. Corgi stood beside the car with a few people. The guy with the bandaged head that Xiao Ran had seen last night did not appear at all. The atmosphere in the encampment was completely different from last night. Everyone was wearing the Empire's military uniform. Although there was no sense of tension, the casual atmosphere was completely covered up. Even if it was just an illusion, at least in Bismarck's eyes, the situation in the Scarlet Knights' encampment was really not a problem.
After getting out of the car, Corgi, who was waiting for them, glanced at Xiao Ran openly. After all, Corgi could not see Xiao Ran's eyes under the mask. Therefore, when they looked at each other, unless there was a tacit understanding between them, such as Zhang and Xiao Ran, who did not need to look at each other's eyes to understand each other's thoughts. Even if Xiao Ran and Corgi looked at each other for more than ten seconds, Corgi would not be able to understand Xiao Ran's intention at all.
Corgi walked up to the two and took the initiative to extend his hand with a hearty laugh. He gave a hearty feeling and said, "Welcome, welcome, Bismarck and Lelouch, the two Knights of the Round Table. Your presence brings light to the Scarlet Knights' encampment."
Xiao Ran did not speak. He seemed to remember that he was only the second Knight while Bismarck was the first Knight. He stood a little behind Bismarck and maintained his silence.
Bismarck smiled in a friendly manner in the face of Corgi's hearty enthusiasm. After shaking hands with Corgi, he said, "You're too kind. We should be the ones feeling proud to be valued by Knight Corgi, who the Empire relies on the most."
Corgi smiled and did not respond to Bismarck's words. Instead, he looked at Xiao Ran and the smile on his face faded a little. It was as if he was dissatisfied but had to continue to smile. It was impossible to tell that this guy had completely sided with Xiao Ran in the night. He was more like an actor than a real actor.
Corgi opened his mouth and said, "Knight Lelouch, welcome to the Scarlet Knights' encampment. Knight Lelouch's performance yesterday really surprised everyone. I didn't expect that there would be someone as brave as you hidden in the Empire. You defeated one of the few super aces in our Scarlet Knights so easily. Knight Lelouch, your strength is probably unmatched in this Empire, no, in this world. I'm deeply honored to be your companion."
Corgi's words were said with a smile. His words were full of praise for Xiao Ran. However, in Bismarck's eyes, this praise could not be seen on the surface at all. Even though Corgi maintained a smile when he spoke, there was more or less a hint of anger in his words. Although it was a compliment, it was more of a deliberate flattery, sarcasm, sarcasm, and also a hint of discord. Sowing discord between Xiao Ran and Bismarck was also sowing discord between Xiao Ran and the Knights of the Round Table, and even more so, between Xiao Ran and Charles.
After all, a person who could be regarded as the strongest person in the entire world was actually willing to serve as the second knight under Bismarck. Furthermore, he did not have a completely clear authority and could only enjoy the treatment of a knight of the round table. He did not even have his own personal guards, and most of the resources that Bismarck had were not available to him as a second knight of the round table.
Logically speaking, Bismarck should be unhappy with Corgi's words. But on the contrary, Bismarck was quite satisfied with Corgi's attitude toward Xiao Ran. He was even more satisfied with Corgi's hostility and dissatisfaction toward Xiao Ran. He felt that the relationship between Xiao Ran and Corgi should be like this. Charles and Bismarck intended to establish the relationship between the Scarlet Knights and Xiao Ran like this.
However, Bismarck would never know that the 10 participants and 10 actors were the best actors who could maintain their performance all the time. Bismarck couldn't see any flaws in Corgi's performance at all. Even if he were to award Corgi an award for his performance today, there would definitely be no problem at all.
Bismarck did not know that the relationship between Xiao Ran and Corgi was completely different. In general, they were on the same side. Their goal was to overthrow Charles, whom Bismarck was loyal to, and make Lulu the Emperor. Bismarck, the First Knight, was also one of their goals.
But if Corgi was the best actor, Xiao Ran would definitely be the king of actors. Bismarck was satisfied with Corgi's words and revealed an indifferent smile. On the other hand, Xiao Ran was completely expressionless. He calmly replied, "Knight Corgi, you flatter me. Although I have some strength, I dare not claim to be the First Knight of the Empire. There are plenty of people who are stronger than me. I'm just one of the lucky ones among the countless soldiers of the Empire who got a chance to perform. As the head of the Scarlet Knights, Knight Corgi should be very powerful too. I feel very fortunate to be able to serve the Empire with Knight Corgi. Fortunately, the Scarlet Knights is not an enemy, but an ally."
What Xiao Ran said was very ordinary. There was no anger in his words, nor was there any flattery. It was plain, but it was also filled with a little politeness and more distance. It was also the words that were most in line with his current character. He was an arrogant person who did not care about what other people thought of him. He only did what he wanted to do and did not care about other people's opinions.
Corgi smiled insincerely. At this time, Bismarck also chimed in. After all, although he needed Xiao Ran to balance the Scarlet Knights, he also needed the Scarlet Knights' strength to stabilize the external situation. Before the Scarlet Knights were disintegrated, he hoped that Xiao Ran and Corgi could maintain a stable relationship. Therefore, Bismarck was worried that if the two continued to talk, they would become angrier.
In Bismarck's opinion, Corky was definitely a cunning and ruthless person. Bismarck was also worried that if he went too far, Corky would not be able to resist the temptation of using underhanded means against Xiao Ran, such as assassinating him or something similar.
As for Xiao Ran's side, Bismarck also did not think that Xiao Ran was a generous person. Although he was indifferent, he was also arrogant, confident in his own strength, and a self-centered person who would definitely seek revenge. As long as he wanted to do something, he would not care about the overall situation and think of ways to deal with the Scarlet Knights. This was also not what Bismarck wanted to see.
Therefore, Bismarck had thought about it for a long time and came up with a plan to control the anger between Xiao Ran and Corgi. Now was a good chance to control the anger between Xiao Ran and Corgi.
"Hehe, you two don't have to be so courteous. Both of you are the pillars of the Empire and the people that the Empire relies on the most. Both of you deserve this honor. As for the title of First Knight, I don't mind giving it up. However, Knight Lelouch needs to make more contributions. Alright, let's cut the crap. Knight Corgi, you should know the purpose of this visit. Do you know what mecha I prepared for Knight Lelouch?"
Corgi shifted his gaze from Xiao Ran to Bismarck and nodded, "Yes, it's ready. Please follow me."
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