The matter was decided so happily. Just as Ryan had expected, Elysia was full of enthusiasm for this matter. Uh, it should be said that she was particularly enthusiastic.
It was to hold a grand celebration for her favorite Eden, and to let everyone in the Golden Courtyard participate, which was also a way to repay them for their concern for her during this period.
'Sorry for making everyone worry.' Elysia couldn't say such a thing. She preferred to use more fervent love to give back to her friends, and it was also a small compensation for not being able to hold the 'End Waltz'.
Even if it was a bit out of place, even if the frontline warriors represented by Kosma found it hard to understand, Elysia's greatest ability was to make things go in a good direction.
"Even Mei agreed. Did she somehow figure out what I wanted to do with this opportunity? That's a bit scary."
Ryan sat in his swivel chair, holding a cup of coffee in his left hand and tapping the table with his right, his face full of suspicion. He hadn't communicated with Mei about this matter. He had just had a rough idea, and she could see through it. What's the difference between that and a demon?
No, that woman Mei was a demon to begin with, and she also understood me very well.
Having figured this out, Ryan was a bit more at ease. He always did things with multiple goals. A foolish person could only see the surface, while a smart person could see through a few layers, but the key was—
When I first had the idea, I didn't have much on my mind.
This world is never short of noise. There are many things Ryan could do, but upon careful consideration, there were too few things he could do.
Mei was in charge of strategy and tactics, Mobius and the others were in charge of research, and he was recently focusing on 'training' Sakura in government affairs. Only the most important matters required him to make the decision.
This way, solving the problem of Elysia's identity became the most important matter, and everyone naturally had to cooperate fully.
"Two concepts: one is Elysia's heart ailment, and the second is the Fire Moth's view of her. The precepts will always lead to punishment. Try not to use Elysia."
Ryan muttered to himself as he left the room and walked to the first floor, where he saw everyone, including Griseo, busy at work.
The protagonist of this concert was actually Eden. Ryan was more like the mastermind behind the scenes. It's important to know that this star of the era had fans everywhere, which was a kind of benefit in itself.
But Eden's team was completely lost in East Gong City. Even her agent died. It was simply not realistic to hold a concert like before, and it wasn't appropriate in the current situation either.
She could boost morale, but she couldn't take up too many resources from the Fire Moth. Reality was not a game that could be twisted at will, and you always had to get the timing right.
So, Ryan proposed, and Elysia executed. All the preparatory work was undertaken by the Golden Courtyard. Since they were idle anyway, they might as well get to know the other warriors more.
"It can also be considered making the best use of people. Wasn't Eden becoming a Flame-Chaser to boost morale?"
Ryan gave a smile. He was good at killing, but how to boost morale was Eden's domain. At least in this era, no one could achieve this kind of fan effect. By making good use of this effect, they would have a chance to achieve their goal.
The room was bustling with people, a scene of busyness.
Kalpas sat grandly on the sofa and began to draw design plans, occasionally arguing with Elysia. When he got annoyed by the revision suggestions, he almost crushed the pencil into powder.
"Bastard, with so many demands, how can I do it alone!"
"Oh, it's precisely because it's a bit troublesome that I'm looking for you. Besides, this is also a kind of practice and trial. Anyway, Ryan can't do it at all."
"Is he really bad at it?"
"Yes, he's very stupid in some aspects."
Kalpas immediately showed a satisfied smile, and his impatient expression disappeared. He began to modify it seriously, which made the corner of Ryan's eye twitch.
Is this trick of using me as a stepping stone always effective? Can't you insult someone else?
Ryan decisively didn't look at these two people. He saw Aponia diligently practicing the Guzheng and also saw the recently very busy Vil-V specially returning to tell Destopia how to use the equipment.
Without Kalpas's roar, the room was very harmonious. If not for the faint smell of blood still lingering, he would have almost forgotten that he had just returned from the Sea of Quanta.
Having to take time out for this kind of daily life was really a pain in the ass.
Ryan knew that what they were doing now was rare, while fighting was the most common thing. If he went out and turned right, there was a continent with an endless supply of Honkai Beasts to kill.
After watching for a while, he also walked downstairs, occasionally helping Griseo with a few strokes of her brush, or speaking a few good words for Kalpas, because Ludicyna, Joshua, and other MANTIS also came to help. The white-haired loli, who fit the Chinese aesthetic, had a face full of grievances. She wanted to help Kalpas draw the blueprints, but was yelled at by a certain person to get away.
"Don't mind him. Kalpas is actually a good person, besides being verbally abusive."
"Ah? Supreme Commander." The white-haired loli hurriedly stood at attention and saluted, looking a bit at a loss. "I know the Captain is not a bad person. In the last battle, a team member was surrounded, and he killed his way in to save them. Besides, if he was a cold-blooded executioner, he wouldn't be helping with these things."
"That's true, but you still take on a lot of work on a daily basis." Ryan nodded lightly, apologizing while also avoiding a certain person.
"It's no trouble, no trouble, it's what I should do." Ludicyna became even more flustered, lowering her head and clutching her skirt. Her shy appearance made Ryan not know what to say.
Only the people in the Golden Courtyard knew his true nature as a slacker. If this range was expanded to the entire Fire Moth, most people both worshipped and feared him. After all, Ryan's rise to power was not glorious, and he had left a blood-soaked path to get to where he was now.
Ryan disdained to explain and couldn't explain. Where did he have the time to confide in every person? As a decision-maker, he had to maintain an air of mystery. Besides, the relationship between the Flame-Chasers also had to be considered. A single Aponia was revered by most of the MANTIS.
"How about this, if you have any problems, you can find Elysia. She will listen to your troubles and is very good at dealing with Kalpas."
"Mhm, Miss Elysia is always very gentle." When the pink fairy was mentioned, the girl finally smiled. As expected, she was extremely popular.
Seeing this reaction, Ryan also quietly breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.
"You continue to be busy. I'll go see Lieutenant Colonel Coleman."
"Please take care."
When the girl saw Ryan turn to leave, she finally patted her chest and let out a long sigh of relief.
"You're very afraid of the Supreme Commander?"
Joshua suddenly appeared, startling Ludicyna. She quickly turned her head and looked at the priest with a bit of anger.
"A little, after all, the impression Lord Ryan gives on the battlefield is too profound. By the way, Father, aren't you afraid?"
"I think 'awe' is more accurate. How should I put it, there are too few opportunities to interact with him, and I can only get a few words about him from Lady Aponia. He is not a cold person."
"I also heard it from Pardofelis. Some of the stories are hard to believe."
They also had their own well-acquainted Flame-Chasers in the Golden Courtyard, and they would occasionally hear some interesting stories about Ryan, but since they didn't have private contact, they couldn't verify them.
"It doesn't matter. Maintaining this kind of simple command relationship is good for us."
"Why? I think it's possible to be friends with the Supreme Commander."
"Because if you get too close to the scorching sun, you will be burned, and even turn to ash and smoke."
Joshua said calmly, bowing slightly to the girl with a blank face, and then turned to get busy.
In the current world, there was no such thing as power, so there was no need to try to get into the inner circle. Anyway, Ryan was different from the previous Supreme Commander. He was always fair when it came to fighting the Honkai, and the people in the Golden Courtyard, on the contrary, took on the most dangerous tasks.
Since that was the case, there was no need to think too much. It was important to know that as one of the main targets of the Herrschers, being too close to Ryan was very dangerous.
'But Lord Supreme Commander is still not quite what I thought he was. He's quite amiable in person.'
Ludicyna glanced at Ryan, who was joking with Coleman, and smiled quietly. She then went to help Kalpas with a shy face again.
Due to her preconceived notions, Ryan did value the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. After all, he knew what kind of people they were, so he didn't have to slowly adapt. However, he treated the other MANTIS equally. He had never put on a stern face and sent others to their deaths as cannon fodder.
It was just that he wasn't familiar with some people. As someone with social anxiety, it wasn't easy for him to build relationships, so doing things in an official capacity was good for everyone.
"Lieutenant Colonel Owl has returned. She's really amazing, she went all the way to Eastern Europe to be a protector and has just now returned to the team." Coleman was secretly stealing Pardofelis's potato chips while looking around furtively, but his eyes were full of energy, something certain people would never dare to look at.
"I heard. It's always a good thing to return at this time. I will meet her in person." Ryan held his teacup. Besides the treacherous and now-dead Sizzous, she was the last high-ranking MANTIS to be in position.
As one of the first batch of MANTIS with the code CM005, she had a pretty severe mutation. She was previously appointed as a 'free hunter' by the Council and traveled all over the world. After Ryan seized power, she disappeared without a trace.
After all, she was a MANTIS from the Council faction. It was normal for her to be wary of Ryan. Now that the global population was gathering in Shenzhou and Mu continent, she no longer needed to be a protector.
"Are you worried she'll become the vessel for the Herrscher of Domination? By the way, how did you recognize that and think I was a spy?" Coleman laughed. Ryan suddenly placed his hand on his shoulder. A current surged through him, and he stiffened and fell over.
"It seems you're not a spy." Ryan spread his hands and pursed his lips towards Pardofelis, as if to say, 'I've avenged you.'
Then, he chatted with Werner and the new captain of the Eleventh Squad, Giman. These people weren't residents of the Golden Courtyard, but their relationship wasn't bad. Even if some had fought against each other, they had at least gained recognition.
This was also one of Ryan's goals, to take the opportunity to win people's hearts. On a normal day, he wouldn't have time to chat with Werner and the others.
Among the high-ranking MANTIS, only the one with the face of an old K, Kosma, and Isha, who had lost her sister, didn't come. Ryan didn't force it. As long as their interests were aligned, private feelings could only be considered a bonus.
They were busy until late at night, and the preparations were basically complete. Elysia enthusiastically invited everyone to stay for dinner, but Werner and the others deliberately avoided it and left with various excuses.
"We'll broadcast it globally then. We'll maximize Eden's effect. The location will be at the lake in front of the headquarters. It's very beautiful there, so we don't need to do too much decorating."
Ryan picked at his instant noodles and combined the few plans Elysia had submitted before making his final decision.
"Oh, so you're showing that we haven't run away yet, right." Pardofelis suddenly understood.
"You've gotten smarter. Yes, Eden, remember to add a theme then. It will show my and the Fire Moth's attitude. The general idea is that we will defend civilization to the last moment, and no one below me can abandon their post." Ryan tapped the table. Every step had a meaning.
The 'Wandering Humans' plan involved too many people to be kept a secret. When they saw a way out, humans would instinctively waver. It was useless to send out documents at this time. Ryan had to show his attitude.
Before rumors started to fly, he had to show his attitude and prove that since he hadn't run away, no one was qualified to retreat with the civilians.
"I understand. I didn't expect you to have such a deep meaning." Eden looked up and was slightly stunned.
"Mei reminded me. That plan is to send the burdens away so we can fight the decisive battle without any distractions, not to make humanity waver." Ryan looked around and said resolutely, "The 'Wandering Humans' plan is not very effective for crossing the End, and it can't solve the fundamental problem."
Everyone understood. Running away was only temporary. Even if the Herrschers couldn't chase them into the Sea of Quanta, after they cleanse the surface of the Earth and lose their coordinates, everyone would truly be just wandering. With such a massive population base, the world bubble couldn't support them for many years.
Besides, there was also a 'Śūnya' in there, which meant that this plan could only be for a temporary stay, not a permanent relocation.
"Elysia, hey, Elysia, what are you spacing out about?" Ryan called out twice with no response, so he simply patted the pink-haired girl's head. She immediately sat up straight.
"Ah, I'm a little nervous."
"You get nervous?"
"Of course. This is my first time hosting such a large-scale event." Elysia rolled her eyes at the man and counted on her fingers, "The stage hasn't been built yet, Destopia hasn't learned how to use the broadcasting equipment yet, and we have to guard against surprise attacks from Herrschers. Oh, there are still so many things to do..."
"Relax, Elysia. This is just a level for a gathering of friends. A lot of steps have been omitted." Eden said with a smile, she had experienced large-scale events with tens of thousands of people.
"I can't be compared to you. Never mind, Kalpas, hurry up and come with me to choose a spot at the lakeside."
"Hey, let me finish my noodles first!"
In Kalpas's angry roar, he was dragged away by Elysia, which made Ryan awkwardly put his hand down, meeting Eden's inquiring eyes.
"Forget it, you've already said the words of comfort for me. I'm just a little uneasy. It's been so many days, and the Herrscher hasn't made a single move."
Holding a concert was equivalent to revealing their hand, completely showing their troop deployment.
"So you're afraid the Herrscher will come and cause trouble and ruin the fun?"
"Herrscher?" Ryan's finger, which had been tapping the table, paused. The warmth on his face quietly disappeared, leaving only a cold anticipation.
"On the contrary, I'm afraid she won't dare to come!"