Chapter 150: The Gap Between BOSSes
When Ribbons got the news of the Britannia coup, the first thing he was planning to do was to snatch away Aeolia. Science and technology are the most important things, and he couldn't just see such a talent fall into other people's hands.
However, the reality exceeded his expectations. Schneizel launched the coup in the morning, and Charles had died at noon, and Nunnally directly announced herself to be the empress in the afternoon. He did not even have time to rush to the scene, regardless of finding the opportunity to snatch away Aeolia.
He casually strolled around the several secret laboratories he knew, to see if he could luckily encounter Aeolia, who may have escaped away himself, but he picked up an interesting guy instead.
"A former Knights of the Round Table who was brainwashed by Charles." Ribbons smiled gracefully at the boy by video, "Outstanding ability, memory loss, confused beliefs, and desperate, there really is no better pawn to use than him. To be honest, even I can't help but be shocked by my own strong luck at times."
"Coincidence to this point, it can no longer be called strong luck." Lacus on the other side of the screen said with a serious face, "I think that everything that happened to you can only be described as the fate of heaven. The human race evolved you as a guide in order to save themselves, so it is only natural that you are favored by the world, right?"
"The human race evolved me as a guide in order to save itself …" Ribbons thoughtfully savored these words, and then suddenly realized, "Yes, I was born as a result of the collective unconsciousness of the human race, and the birth of this race's desire to survive. Even without Aeolia, I would have appeared in a different form, it was the inevitable development of history."
Lacus kept her original expression and nodded in agreement with Ribbons's words.
"So there is no need for me to dwell on Aeolia at all, let alone on my origin. So that's how it is!" Ribbons couldn't help but crack a smile, "You are absolutely right, inadvertently resolving the knot that has plagued me for years and allowing me to reach a higher level."
"You had already reached this realm, I was just stating the facts and did nothing that deserves your praise." Lacus said with a shameful expression, "In addition, I have been checking the whereabouts of Dr. Aeolia, but it is difficult for the intelligence network on the moon side to penetrate into Britannia. There has been little progress, I am very sorry … "
"No rush, take your time, he's not that important now." Ribbons was in a good mood and waved his hand to show that he didn't care, "I am assured of your ability, it's only a matter of time before we find him."
Lacus performed exceptionally well from the beginning, giving him surprises beyond expectations every so often. After that, he tried to give Lacus more tasks little by little, and the other party could always handle them with ease. And when he deliberately gave her more power to test Lacus, she never overstepped the mark and showed considerable loyalty.
As Ribbons handed over more and more things to Lacus, his power also steadily expanded, and he himself became more and more relaxed. And from the beginning to the end, Lacus' attitude towards him has always been the same, which makes him most assured.
"There is one more important thing to report." Lacus continued, "It's about the box, and there's already a clue."
"Oh?" Ribbons showed a look of interest and unconsciously leaned forward, "Talk."
"From the information I got from my husband, the box was given to a character called E.A. Ray for safekeeping back then, and the direct descendant of this person is Captain Amuro Ray." Lacus spoke eloquently, "Amuro Ray and my husband are close friends, and according to the information my husband got from Amuro Ray, his family did keep a secret, but Amuro Ray wouldn't tell my husband the exact details."
Ribbons did not immediately take a position, but fell into deep thought. He had known about the box being hidden by E.A. Ray for a long time, but had not told Lacus in order to test Lacus's ability and, by the way, to prevent her from betraying him for her husband. Now it seems that not only has her ability been proven, but her loyalty is also completely proven.
"That means, Amuro Ray might have a clue in his hands." Ribbons's gaze became profound, "It is indeed a bit difficult to reach Amuro Ray. What do you think about this issue?"
"I have an immature idea on my side that I would like to ask you to consult." Lacus said with fear and trepidation, "According to the recent statement of Colonel Scirocco and the response of the Moon, it is likely that TITANS will join hands with Londo Bell to take military action against Celestial Being in the near future, and the Moon will be forced to stand by due to the pressure of public opinion. I think that this is a great opportunity."
"Indeed." Ribbons nodded, "But one thing you have to understand is that Amuro Ray is called the strongest ACE in the Federation, and he's by no means easy to deal with."
"He just inherited your excellent genetic factor, so what's there to worry about?" Lacus had a disdainful look on her face, "Not to mention that his father also crossed with a natural human and introduced crude and inferior genes, which is nothing compared to you as the originator."
Although the two of them were not in the same space, Lacus's sincerity was still conveyed to Ribbons through various details such as tone of voice, eyes, and facial muscles.
This is exactly what Ribbons appreciated most about Lacus, not only being able to propose a problem, but also a solution to the problem. Not only can she propose a solution to the problem, but she can also justify the solution.
"Very good." Ribbons raised the corners of his mouth in satisfaction, "Continue to pay attention to the movements of TITANS, and by the way, formulate a detailed action plan. You are right, even if Amuro Ray is strong, he is still only a human. Humans are no match for the great power of a god."
"Please leave it to me." Lacus nodded her head.
"By the way, there is one more thing." In Ribbons' perspective, no matter how many things were thrown to Lacus, she would complete all of them successfully, "I brought back Setsuna·F·Seiei, and his education task is left to you. Remember, try to cultivate his abilities while prioritizing the promotion of loyalty. Although it will be a remote education, I believe there's no problem to you, right?"
"No problem." Lacus smiled confidently, "Please don't worry about it."
After hanging up, Lacus yawned and decided to go wash her face first, and ordered her secretary to make herself a cup of coffee — the long and intense work was a bit unbearable even for her as a Coordinator.
These days, she not only has to deal with the works of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but also has to complete the various tasks that Ribbons arbitrarily arranged, including and not limited to planning, financial income and expenditure, personnel management, and logistics. Staying up all night and working late has become the norm for her. In addition, she has to regularly find time to manage and consolidate her relationship with Ade, such as doing something erotic and so on.
Although very busy and tired, Lacus did not feel burned out at all, but was full of motivation every day.
"The hardships I suffer now are for the sake of being happy together in the future." She cheered herself up every day, "Ade, I love you, so I will continue to work hard."
After receiving the coffee from her secretary with a smile, Lacus drank it while dealing with the day's business. She was very efficient, and finding that it was still some time before the end of the day after all this. She dialed Setsuna's number, which had been passed on to her from Ribbons earlier.
The contact records in her phone were neither deleted nor hidden, and even the address book had Ribbons Almark's name in it. Yet Ade treated her with too much respect and never looked through her phone. This makes her relieved, but also, deep inside her heart, she felt some vague loss at the same time.
Soon after the call was answered, a still young-sounding but slightly mulberry and confused voice appeared in her ears. Lacus introduced herself briefly and talked to the other party slowly.
"Little talk, rich inside, strong will, lack of faith, no bargaining skills but very wary, young but experienced a lot of things." Lacus judged Setsuna while talking, "The best type of person to fool."
Setsuna was completely led by Lacus, unknowingly told everything he knew little by little.
"No friends, no family, no past, and no future." Setsuna narrated indifferently, "Did Ribbons pick me up to use as a killing machine as well? It seems that killing is the meaning of my existence …"
"Setsuna-kun," Lacus interrupted him softly, "You know, I grew up in a political family and have seen too many dark things. In fact, since a long time ago, I started asking myself why the world has become this way, why we have become this way, and I've always wanted an answer."
The sound of breathing on the other end of the phone stopped abruptly, and Lacus showed a smile that no one saw.
"Obviously, there are still many people who believe in truth and beauty, aren't there? There are still countless people who struggle and sacrifice for the happiness of everyone, aren't there? Why are they not rewarded for their efforts?" Lacus's voice trembled slightly, "Then I finally figured out that it was because the world was distorted, and the struggle from within the system was unable to break the cage and get out of the rut."
"… distorted?" Setsuna asked in a murmured voice, vaguely seeming to see a glimmer of light.
"Yes, people in higher positions distort values and make all the efforts of good people a waste of effort." Lacus suddenly smiled embarrassingly, "Ah, why am I talking about these things, I'm really sorry about it. These are just my complaints, please forget them as nonsense. Also, don't tell His Excellency Ribbons, otherwise—"
"No, it's definitely not nonsense!" Setsuna said loudly, "What you said, Miss Lacus, is very meaningful thinking, and I don't think these words are mere complaints at all! I won't tell Ribbons, please, please say more, please …"
See, it's that simple.
…
Scirocco, who had added a lot of work for Lacus without knowing it, was sitting in his office with his fingers crossed in front of him. He scanned the circle of girls in his office, cleared his throat, and said in a deep voice, "Everyone here is my beloved, and the gathering today is to discuss the matter of Celestial Being with you."
"Lord Paptimus." One of the girls pointed at Emma and said discontentedly, "This woman is the culprit who let Stella go and lost the Banshee Gundam, why should she be here?"
"Sarah, watch your words." Under the sharp gaze of Scirocco, the girl shivered, "The communication records have proven that it was Stella who defected because her NT ability was out of control, and Emma was not jointly and severally responsible. For those who still have different opinions, I would like to see evidence, not just accusations."
The girls in the room said yes in unison.
"Then get back to business." Scirocco paused and brewed his feelings, "Humanity has stepped into the universe for almost ninety years. Except for the contribution of individual geniuses, productivity has not received any progress, and we are still spinning inside the solar system. Why? It is because there is no strong unified regime, and the potential of the human race is consumed in infighting. Everyone, we're running out of time!"
The girls' eyes brightened up, and Emma too. She had practiced in private for a long time, and her expression was natural and flawless.
"The young empress of Britannia now is probably a puppet of Schneizel, and Schneizel always wants to stop the war. Although no truce was declared, they are not likely to do something." Scirocco's eyes were full of pride, "Although we are facing unfounded accusations of terrorist attacks, if we can eliminate the real killer, Celestial Being, we will be cleared of suspicion and our prestige will rise to a higher level. Everyone, this is not a crisis, but an opportunity."
No one doubted his words. Almost everyone in TITANS was convinced of Scirocco's ability.
"My several statements are actually a trap, Lingus's wife is still too young too simple, now she harmed her husband instead." Scirocco shook his head regretfully, "I can't believe that she said that the moon was willing to assist in the fight against Celestial Being. Lingus must be very disgruntled about it."
"But Lord Paptimus," one of the girls raised her hand, "Isn't the Moon in league with Celestial Being? Why should we let them join in too? You also said before that Londo Bell is also with Celestial Being, and now you want Londo Bell to join the action, isn't that even worse?"
"The key to solving the problem lies in the division of labor, and the initiative of command and control lies with me." Scirocco slightly related, "The moon side will only be responsible for searching for the enemy. Celestial Being is good at running, so I'm going to use myself as bait. As long as Londo Bell helps me, Celestial Being will certainly be defeated; and if Londo Bell does not help me, Bright Noa's reputation will be ruined."
"But, but," the girl became even more anxious, "The abominable Lingus has always regarded you as a thorn in his side and wants to get rid of you. It is too dangerous to go into battle personally!"
"At this critical moment for TITANS, how can I sit back and watch the soldiers charge into battle?" Scirocco retorted righteously, "As a leader, if I can't even fully utilize my own value, how can I call myself a good leader?"
The girls were dumbfounded with increased admiration on their faces.
"That's the overall plan, what else do you all suggest?" Scirocco waited for a while. No one spoke. He finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Lingus, Lingus! How does it feel to be trolled by your own wife?"
