The beef offal hotpot was very satisfying, but Kalpas was a bit twisted.
The taste was certainly very good, but if you were sarcastic, he would immediately explode. If you praised him greatly, he would be foul-mouthed and say things like:
"Get lost, I don't need your flattery."
"Do you need to be praised for such a simple thing? Are you a waste?"
"Does a lazy bum also have the right to evaluate me? Get lost!"
Anyway, he's equally stubborn, and the irritable old man will often make you unable to speak, making you miss Mobius slow and methodical tone.
Amidst laughter, dinner was quickly finished. Someone naturally went to wash the dishes. Kalpas dropped his bowls and chopsticks and returned to his room. He had been a bit anxious recently and no longer mentioned the duel.
He heard that Mei had already analyzed it for him. If he couldn't achieve artificial Honkai collapse, even with the super-transformation surgery, he would only suffer against Ryan, and he had experienced similar suffering many times in simulated battles, so he really had no interest.
Fighting is for winning. If he can't see any hope of winning, he might as well hide and develop. But the fire in his heart burned fiercely, almost causing internal injuries. Seeing Ryan lazy appearance made him even more furious.
"Hehe, Brother Kalpas, in terms of growth speed, I'm faster than you. The confidence you just gained from the simulation will be frustration again."
Ryan held his teacup, looking like he was enjoying himself. He had heard that Kalpas had achieved the first kill, and it was just when his confidence was soaring. Then he encountered the battle in Donggong, where Ryan almost tore everything apart with overwhelming force.
He wasn't in a hurry at all. As long as this agreement was still in place, Kalpas would be a little more obedient. He heard that Mei suggestion to let him lead the team had also been approved.
That woman is truly cunning. How could Kalpas outsmart her? But with Mei handling public affairs and Elysia handling private matters, I just need to be a hands-off boss.
Thinking of this, he turned his head and saw Eden drawing and sketching on the table, so he leaned over curiously: "Eden, what are you doing?"
"Elysia asked me to do some work, and I just got some inspiration." The girl with wine-red long hair slid the notebook over and explained: "It's for team uniforms and a team song, oh, and emblems too."
Ah, I should have known Elysia would get excited about this.
He covered his face after a glance. How should I put it? Eden truly lived up to her name as the gem of civilization; her artistic talent was immeasurably superior to Elysia. Those team uniforms were exquisite and practical, but Ryan still felt very embarrassed looking at them.
Having fought for a long time, he always dressed very simply, usually a suit or a white coat, with little embellishment. The high-EQ way to put it was casual, the low-EQ way was being a pauper.
"Such beautiful clothes must be very expensive to make. What a pity if they get damaged."
"I'm going to ask Vil-V to develop a nan material. It shouldn't be that easy to damage, and if it breaks, just replace it, just prepare a few spare sets."
Ryan looked at this super-rich woman faintly, thinking to himself that he hadn't even received his salary yet. Moreover, these clothes, no matter how gorgeous, with their tight-fitting suits, narrow-leg pants, and numerous intricate embellishments, made him, an old man, feel somewhat embarrassed.
In terms of fashion taste, he was on the same level as Hua, not ugly, at least very ordinary.
Just then, his phone "beeped," and he picked it up to see a message from Vil-V.
The design sketch was already drawn. He immediately opened it happily.
"I don't need it. I asked Vil-V to make me a suit of armor in advance."
"Extreme pragmatism? But I think as the Director-General, you should still care about your appearance. A distinct appearance can at least boost morale." Eden raised an eyebrow. She was the expert in designing appearances. She leaned over to look, somewhat unconvinced, and then froze.
Ryan also froze, blinking repeatedly, and understood why 'Pleasure' said there was no 'Magician's' whimsical ideas.
It was a heavy exoskeleton more than two meters tall, with a Honkai energy engine backpack on its back. It looked like an ordinary iron can. The thick chest plate and cylindrical arm armor were full of industrial aesthetics, and there was a helmet similar to Iron Man's. It looked like...
Am I seeing ghosts recently? If equipped with a boltgun and chainsword, isn't this a mutated version of Astartes ceramite armor?
Loyal appearance, extreme pragmatism. Ryan closed his eyes again, simulating the scene of himself wearing this power exoskeleton.
A monster more than two meters tall rushed into the enemy lines, violently tearing apart everything in its path. He finally understood why 'Pleasure' Vil-V would design such an unremarkable thing.
The most efficient killing, a heavily armored monster covered in blood, charging like a demon, annihilating enemies with various weapons—this was the ultimate pleasure, a pleasure that could make one of the Four Little Emperors laugh wildly.
It really is pleasure. Even thinking about it makes my heart race.
"This thing is too ordinary, and its design style is very different from mine. It's like an industrial product." Eden frowned, looking at her own design drawing and then at the sketch on the phone. They were completely from two different dimensions.
Exquisite art and clunky industrial products were clearly not on the same level.
"Extreme pragmatism is also an art. I don't think there's anything wrong with being hardcore." Ryan was very satisfied, recalling the 'Weakening Divine Comedy' he had heard in his previous life. Being a hardcore man is also cool, and it has higher practical value and can be mass-produced industrially.
"As for the style issue, everyone can be equipped with a set. Besides, this is just a preliminary draft, and the appearance can also be adorned with some embellishments."
"Absolutely not!"
As soon as Ryan finished speaking, Elysia head popped out from behind him, her face full of determination: "This isn't beautiful at all. It looks like an iron can."
Who the hell wants to turn into such a big, clunky thing? I've been gaining weight recently anyway. Won't my size instantly expand by several times? What's the point of losing weight then?
The girl who ate the most beef offal hotpot in the evening muttered to herself. No matter how Ryan praised this industrial hardcore aesthetic, she shook her head vigorously. The commotion also attracted others.
Cool!
Kosma was instantly captivated. The cold armor and terrifying butcher's knife made the young man's chuunibyou soul burn brightly. It looked like an efficient and ruthless killing weapon. He thought to himself, as expected of Ryan, even his aesthetic sense was full of manliness.
Unfortunately, the reactions of the others made him dare not speak, so he could only quietly give Ryan a thumbs-up.
"This thing can fit three Pardos. Should I just forget about it?"
"Yeah, I think Miss Eden is right. It's always more pleasant to look at something nice."
"Ryan, I'm an assassin. Isn't this a bit too high-profile?"
"This looks like a robot from an anime. Can Griseo draw on it?"
...
With many voices, there was no authority in this Golden Courtyard, everyone spoke freely. Hearing that the majority were against it, Ryan pouted.
These women simply don't know what hardcore beauty is. Forget it, anyway, it's just icing on the cake in terms of combat power, and it doesn't benefit me much.
He suddenly realized that a pile of iron cans wasn't as good-looking as stockings and thighs, so he didn't force the promotion, only saying that it would be equipped by mid-to-lower-level warriors in the future. Now no one objected.
The built-in Honkai energy engine can improve combat power, which is very beneficial for ordinary fusion warriors with insufficient Honkai energy.
The matter was happily decided this way. Ryan was naturally cautious, thinking that stacking more armor was better than being handsome, and besides, this was clearly very handsome.
He scratched his ears. Before he could instill the art of hardcore into Eden, the latter was pulled to the bathhouse by Elysia. Then, during his absence, everyone had obviously gotten used to it.
A group of women chattered, taking their changed clothes to the underground hot springs, instantly quieting the once lively room.
Ryan stared blankly at the clock. That wicked aura called 'sloth' crept onto him again. Considering there was work to do recently, he slowly got up and looked at Su, who was quietly reading.
"Do you want to go for a walk?"
"At this hour? Forget it, I still have some papers to revise."
"Honkai sickness data?"
"Yes, even though I've been brought here, I don't plan to give up."
Ryan took a light breath and did not intend to disturb his friend, only saying that if there were problems, he should go to Mobius, who was an expert in this field, and knew that Su was feeling uneasy.
Super-transformation surgery always makes people anxious.
"By the way, I have relevant data on my computer. If you can't find it, ask Kosma for help."
"Your... foreign language data?"
"Nonsense, of course it's genetics!"
...
Now the Golden Courtyard was finally completed. From now on, there should be no more residents.
The streetlights were dim, stretching out the figures. Ryan walked on the stone path. Because the residents of the underground city had undergone strict political review, after expelling the Herrscher dominant body, this might be the safest place on Earth.
People have different degrees of closeness. His closest people were those in the Golden Courtyard, followed by colleagues at work like Coleman, Vinal, Andwich, etc. So, he deliberately created a circular management structure.
This also makes it easier to focus on priorities. If he truly lacked the ability, he would naturally protect the people at the center, which is why he was not in a hurry at all.
Such days were also very comfortable. It didn't matter when Honkai came, but he knew that the next Herrscher would definitely be terrifying, and targeted adjustments would be made to the extreme.
It doesn't matter. He fights his battle, I do mine. First, let Su and Eden undergo the super-transformation surgery, then advance the wandering human plan. Without burdens, we can fight Honkai to the death.
"Director-General!"
The guards stood at attention and saluted. Only then did Ryan realize he had inadvertently walked to the headquarters, so he paused briefly at the main entrance.
Should I go ask Mei about the squad situation?
He thought about it and decided that at this time, Mei must be taking care of Kevin. It would be too masochistic to eat dog food in the middle of the night. He licked his lips again, vaguely tasting coffee.
What did Mobius do while I was unconscious?