Although Xiao Ran had always been in the capital and seemed to be idling away with the Soulslayer's technical and logistics department, he was also paying close attention to the happenings in the 11th District. He would contact Xiao Ran almost every day, from a few minutes to a dozen minutes at most to understand the situation in the 11th District. However, he rarely interfered with the matters in the 11th District and only reminded Xiao Ran to protect Euphoria, a kind-hearted girl who was important to the upcoming plan.
As for Luluxiu, perhaps Xiao Ran wanted to train this young man. He didn't interfere with the matters of the Black Knights. Xiao Ran didn't ask about the actions of the Black Knights in the 11th District at all. He only contacted Luluxiu from time to time to confirm the extent of his control over the cherry stone mine and how many cherry stones he had collected.
Apart from the 11th District, Xiao Ran also paid attention to the situation in Butaria. He mainly paid attention to the changes in the situation between the various countries and the changes in the battle situation in the Butaria border region. However, the real focus was on the participants who had gradually changed the situation of the entire world war. Through not too detailed information and some changes in clues, he slowly deduced the current situation of each army and the strategic strength that they could bring out.
Every day gradually passed in this seemingly leisurely situation. Finally, one day, Xiao Ran received a notice to visit Emperor Charles in the Royal Palace.
After receiving the notice, Xiao Ran didn't waste any time. Under the guidance of the attendant, he changed into a brand new knight uniform and boarded the vehicle that was sent to pick him up. It didn't take long for him to enter the Royal Palace. Then, he walked through the long passageway and once again saw Emperor Charles in the same hall.
Seeing Charles sitting on the throne above the high platform with that dignified look, Xiao Ran walked to the bottom of the platform and performed all the etiquette that a subordinate should do. He raised his right hand and pressed on his left chest as he bowed slightly, "Greetings, Your Majesty. Good day, Your Majesty."
Charles gently waved his hand and calmly said, "No need to be so polite. Please rise, my second knight."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Ran stood up.
Charles glanced at Xiao Ran and said, "During this period of time, thanks to Knight Lulusius' cooperation with the Empire's technical department, I've heard that the technical department has more or less grasped the current situation of the mech called the Soul Slayer. Knight Lulusius, you're also completely familiar with the mech, right?"
Xiao Ran replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty. After this period of familiarization, not only have the technical department gradually grasped the logistics technology of the Soul Slayer, but I have also thoroughly familiarized myself with the Soul Slayer. I am confident that I can fully utilize the Soul Slayer's performance."
Charles said, "Then do you know that the Technology Department has already submitted a request to me to begin the next step of research on the Soul Slayer?"
"Yes." Xiao Ran nodded gently and said, "Based on the current situation, if we want to understand and analyze the Soul Slayer more, we'll have to let the Soul Slayer enter the battlefield to collect more information on the Soul Slayer's performance on the battlefield. If we want to further understand the mech, we won't be able to do that just by testing on inanimate objects. We can only obtain more information on the battlefield."
"Since you already know, you should have already made preparations." Charles nodded and continued, "I called you here to inform you that the investigation team and the logistics and technical department are ready. You'll be leaving the capital in three days. You shouldn't have forgotten what we've talked about before."
Xiao Ran bowed again. "Yes, I'm ready to serve the Empire at any time. I'll never forget the mission Your Majesty gave me. I'll definitely cooperate with the investigation team. At the same time, I'll re-establish the prestige of Your Majesty and the Knights of the Round Table in the border regions and suppress the influence of the Scarlet Knights in the border regions."
"Very good." Charles was very satisfied with Xiao Ran's answer and respect. This could be seen from the look of satisfaction on his face. He looked at Xiao Ran again and asked, "How confident are you in completing the mission I gave you?"
"All of it." Xiao Ran raised his head and said confidently, "There's no possibility of failure in this mission, and failure is not allowed."
Charles narrowed his eyes. "Do you know that the Empire's current situation in the border regions is not very good? Even with the help of the Scarlet Knights, the Empire's powerful military force is still retreating step by step. If it weren't for the Scarlet Knights' support, the Empire might have already lost at least three NUMBER. The Scarlet Knights have now become the most indispensable force in the border regions. The mission I gave you won't be easy to complete."
"And now, among the Empire's enemies, there are many armed forces that are comparable to the Scarlet Knights. They also have the same powerful mecha as the Scarlet Knights. Even the Scarlet Knights have suffered a lot. Do you think you can deal with such enemies? Do you have the confidence to let the Knights of the Round Table surpass the Scarlet Knights' glory once again? Even if your mecha is also provided by the Scarlet Knights, do you think you can play a better role than the Scarlet Knights when piloting their mecha? "
"Yes." Xiao Ran answered without hesitation. "Because I'm stronger than them. I've already shown this in the previous battle. Even if I'm piloting the same mecha, I can still exert more power than them. Even if the Scarlet Knights have other Soul Slayers or mecha that are more powerful than the Soul Slayer, I can still trample the Scarlet Knights under my feet forever."
"Very good." Charles once again showed a satisfied expression and said, "I'm very curious. What kind of power does the Soul Slayer have and what can you do with it?"
Xiao Ran was silent for a moment when he heard Charles' question. Perhaps it was on purpose, or perhaps he was thinking, but after a few seconds, Xiao Ran gave Charles his answer. "If Your Majesty has seen the report submitted by the logistics and technical department, then you must know that the Soul Slayer's power is definitely at the top of the pyramid of combat weapons in the world today. It has a huge body, extremely high flexibility, powerful destructive power, and flying ability. Other than its shortcoming in long-range attacks, it can't be described as only outstanding in all aspects. It's not an exaggeration to say that it's the strongest."
"With me piloting the Soulslayer, I can unleash the full potential of the Soulslayer. If I have to use an example to compare … With me piloting the Soulslayer, I can single-handedly wipe out the entire KF Legion led by the Knights of the Round Table in less than 60 minutes."
"If I'm piloting this mecha, I'm confident that I can single-handedly take down all the military forces of the KF Legion in less than 60 minutes. With ten people with the same technology piloting ten Soul Slayers, Your Majesty, please forgive me for being blunt. This kind of power can completely destroy all the military forces of Britaria."
Charles narrowed his eyes and his expression became slightly serious. He said in a slightly deep voice, "Are you sure about what you said?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm sure of every word I said." Xiao Ran nodded and said in a deep voice, "Because of this, the Scarlet Knights, who are willing to hand over the Soul Slayer without hesitation, should have an even more powerful force in their hands. To be able to hand over a mecha like the Soul Slayer, it can't be said that they don't value the Soul Slayer. After all, this is a powerful mecha, but it can be said that they don't value the Soul Slayer enough."
"In other words, the Scarlet Knights may have other Soul Slayers, and it won't be just one or two of them. They may even have more than five of them. Moreover, the Scarlet Knights must have a mecha that is even more powerful than the Soul Slayer. Therefore, the true strength of the Scarlet Knights cannot be underestimated. However, it is also because of this that we must suppress the prestige and influence of the Scarlet Knights."
"But on the other hand, those armed organizations that can contend against the Scarlet Knights and make them suffer losses may also have mecha that are as powerful as the Soul Slayer or even more powerful. This will lead to a certain limit in what I can do. Fortunately, this limit will not be encountered in a short period of time. However, the strength of the Scarlet Knights is indeed something that the Empire can't afford or lack for the time being."
"Therefore, to suppress the Scarlet Knights to a certain extent, we must make them feel fear and feel the strength of the Empire. At the same time, we must make them focus on working for the Empire and not harbor resentment and betray the Empire. I don't dare to overstep the boundaries between these two. I hope that Your Majesty can give me a hint."
"But if Your Majesty decides to completely suppress the Scarlet Knights, I will do my best to complete all the tasks Your Majesty has assigned me. Your Majesty, you don't have to worry too much about the Scarlet Knights rebelling because even if the Scarlet Knights do indeed have a more powerful mecha, I can fully utilize the Soul Slayer's capabilities and achieve more than 250% of its usual performance. I believe that this should be enough to fight against the strongest organization like the Scarlet Knights."
Charles closed his eyes and did not seem to be affected by Xiao Ran's words. However, his heart was not as calm as his appearance. Charles had thought about many of the things that Xiao Ran said. The Soul Slayer was definitely not the most powerful mecha in the Scarlet Knights because the Scarlet Knights would definitely not be willing to take out the most powerful mecha. Therefore, even if Xiao Ran obtained a powerful mecha like the Soul Slayer, he might not be able to be a match for the Scarlet Knights. It could only exist as a flag and a tool to balance the Scarlet Knights.
Internal and external troubles were the best example of the current Empire. Butaria still looked so powerful and peaceful, constantly attacking the outside world as if it wanted to occupy the entire Earth. But in fact, even with Butaria's current strength, it still couldn't destroy all the other countries and occupy the entire Earth. But at the same time, it could maintain all its advantages because of this strength.
But all of a sudden, the situation of the entire world changed. Countless powerful organizations suddenly appeared from different parts of the world and began to rebel against the Empire. These organizations were very powerful, but they inexplicably went against the Empire. It was as if God had deliberately allowed these organizations to appear to stop Britaria from conquering the entire Earth and to stop Charles from realizing his dream. Once, twice, thrice, the Empire suffered losses again and again. They even repelled the Empire's many counterattacks and saw through many traps. The first time, his outstanding daughter almost lost her life in their hands.
These organizations that had suddenly jumped out and joined the opposing forces, pressuring the Empire from all directions. The Empire was unable to advance even an inch. They could only defend the territories they currently occupied to the death. Who knew how many outstanding soldiers of the Empire were sacrificed in this defense.
From the beginning, the Empire still had the strength to fight against these powerful organizations that suddenly appeared. But gradually, the exposed strength of these organizations became more and more powerful, making it difficult for the Empire's military force to resist. But at that moment, the Scarlet Knights appeared and took the initiative to join the Empire. It was because of the Scarlet Knights' participation that the Empire had the strength to contend against those inexplicable organizations and gradually stabilized the situation where the Empire was on the verge of total defeat.
But the timing of the Scarlet Knights' appearance was too coincidental. Charles was filled with all kinds of distrust toward the Scarlet Knights from the beginning, but he couldn't do it without their help. The powerful Scarlet Knights didn't seem to be serving the Empire wholeheartedly. The untrustworthy Scarlet Knights became an internal worry. He was worried that they would do something unfavorable to the Empire and him.
All of these actually gave Charles a headache. But fortunately, there were a lot of good news in District 11. The first was the emergence of a new generation of mecha like the Lancelot. First, Charles saw the possibility of getting rid of his dependence on the Scarlet Knights. Then, a brand-new mecha plan was launched, and Charles saw the possibility of obtaining strength that surpassed the Scarlet Knights. But from the looks of it now, even if Lancelot's mecha was mass-produced, it would still be difficult to truly contend with the Scarlet Knights' strength.
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