Xiao Ran felt somewhat forced into asking Koji for a higher-grade mecha. Lloyd's progress was simply too slow. After all this time, Lloyd's side had only produced a frame—and one that could not withstand high-intensity combat. Even its weapons and energy systems had not been fully resolved, while some materials still suffered from substandard manufacturing processes and extremely low pass rates. Completing the mecha within the time Xiao Ran had previously set was probably impossible.
Yet the current state of the world made Xiao Ran feel that there was not much time left to wait. The key lay in the movements of the Participant Legion on the EU side. Once they completely took control of the EU, if his side still lacked the strength to decide everything and had failed to consolidate all available forces, they would inevitably be at a disadvantage against them.
Unless Xiao Ran could unleash that decisive power, while the Crimson Knights could also bring their full foundations and strength into play and gain control of Britannia. Only then could they be said to hold an advantage. Otherwise, even if they remained stuck in that neither-here-nor-there situation, the best they could manage would be trading blows with their opponents.
More importantly, the coming chaos in the world would shift from being directed primarily by Native inhabitants to being led by participants, and a world-scale war would become inevitable. As time passed, every legion would have ample time to grow. By then, the participants would no longer keep such a low profile. Without powerful strength at his side, and with Native inhabitants fundamentally incapable of resisting participants, Xiao Ran would have no way to borrow other forces to restrain them. Only by gaining greater strength as quickly as possible could he truly ensure that he stood at