The meaning behind Ribbons's words was obvious enough: he was inviting Xiao Ran to join his alliance. And he had mentioned having Xiao Ran return to the Federation, rather than join the Innovator group. The real reason was that, even now, Ribbons remained deeply wary of Xiao Ran.
Four years ago, Xiao Ran had appeared unexpectedly right under Ribbons's nose. Then, during their very first meeting, he had exposed Ribbons's identity outright. According to Ribbons's investigation, Xiao Ran's origins were extraordinarily mysterious—so mysterious that they could not be investigated at all. Back then, Xiao Ran had already been capable of stirring up storms across the world. Now that he had returned after four years outside Ribbons's sight, much could have changed in that time. Ribbons had no way of knowing what trump cards Xiao Ran held—trump cards capable of posing a grave threat to him.
Moreover, Ribbons himself had determined that Xiao Ran was an Innovator. Ribbons likewise had no idea to what extent an Innovator's abilities could develop. Given Xiao Ran's scheming mind, capability, and formidable strength, Ribbons could not simply pull him into his organization and treat him as a subordinate. At the very least, while everything remained a mystery, Ribbons could only treat Xiao Ran as an equal.
Having Xiao Ran return to the Federation meant nothing more than making him the Federation's ruler amid the coming upheaval, while the artificial Innovators would become the world's guides. Xiao Ran would gain absolute authority, and they would gain transcendent status as guides. Neither side would stand above the other. With Ribbons's intellect, he could naturally see that Xiao Ran was absolutely not the type to obey another person's orders. In truth, Ribbons did not care much about the Federation's ruling power. His mission was merely to guide this