Luna smiled and continued.
" The St. Garus Family is better able to integrate the most powerful forces in Brevis and the resources of the Noble Council."
She looked at the nobles who were being suppressed by Lynn, and their eyes lit up.
"It's not coercion, it's integration," Luna emphasized.
"Coercion only reduces efficiency; integration is the key to maximizing effectiveness."
The nobles began to whisper among themselves, their faces showing a long-lost excitement.
Luna looked at Lynn.
Lynn, who had been "targeted," remained seated there as if nothing had happened, her face expressionless.
Isolde stood behind him, his right fist clenched tightly, veins bulging.
Lynn could sense Rena's anger; that chilling killing intent was almost overflowing.
But Isolde did not move.
Because the emotion she sensed from Lynn was a calm and composed one.
Lynn isn't in a hurry?
Isolde loosened his fist, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.
Seeing that Lynn remained silent, Luna assumed he had given in and continued smugly:
"For this expedition, the St. Garus Family can unite with the Noble Council and mobilize a private army of five million."
" The Adeptus Mechanicus can deploy two million Skitarii, fifteen million combat robots, and ten million various Servitor."
"As for the fleet, it consists of one battleship, five cruisers, and twenty frigates."
As she spoke, she would occasionally glance at Lynn, her eyes filled with provocation.
"As well as..."
She deliberately dragged out her words.
"Fifty Knight Mechs!"
Boom! The whole place erupted.
Fifty Knight Mechs—what does that mean? It means at least fifty Knight Mechs, plus one hundred Servant Mechs!
This is only part of the unit; the land vehicles and ammunition supplies haven't even been counted!
Everyone gasped in shock.
Those nobles who had been suppressed for so long finally straightened their backs at this moment.
The way they looked at Luna was as if she were a savior.
Some people had already started cheering; they stood up and applauded, some were so excited their faces turned red.
"Long live Lord Regent Luna!"
Long live the St. Garus Family!
"This is the kind of person we should follow!"
The cheers grew louder and more frenzied.
They could almost picture Luna leading them to conquer Dorito and crushing Lynn under her feet.
Carter's face was ashen, Goodwin put down his teacup with a furrowed brow, and Chairman Trayn's face was flushed, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
But Lynn remained seated, her face expressionless.
He watched all this quietly, watching the cheering nobles and the smug Luna.
Isolde stood behind him, sensing his emotions.
What they got was still peace.
Rena relaxed as well, because she knew...
Lynn's actions clearly indicate that she has a backup plan.
The cheers lasted for a long time.
The nobles seemed determined to release all the pent-up emotions of the past few months.
They jumped, shouted, and hugged each other as if they had already won.
Luna stood in the center of the crowd, accepting the cheers.
Governor? Emperor's Chosen? Ice Lord?
That's all there is to it.
Once the cheers subsided, she raised her hand to signal everyone to be quiet.
"Gentlemen..."
She had just opened her mouth when a voice interrupted her.
"Are you done talking?"
Everyone was stunned.
Lynn slowly stood up.
He didn't look at the cheering nobles or the excited generals, or even at Luna.
He simply stood up, straightened his cloak, and then looked up.
His cold gaze swept over the crowd.
The nobles who had been cheering just moments before fell silent after being swept over by that gaze.
Lynn looked at Luna.
There was no anger or panic in those purple eyes, only a confident composure.
" Lord Regent Luna," he began, his voice low but carrying a commanding tone.
"Are you done talking?"
Luna's smile froze on her face. She wanted to give Lynn a sharp retort, but found she couldn't.
"I'm done... I'm done talking."
Lynn nodded and smiled faintly.
"Okay," Lynn said, "Then it's my turn."
He took a step forward.
The nobles who had stood up to celebrate instinctively took a step back.
He took another step.
Some people retreated.
He walked forward step by step, while the nobles retreated step by step.
The people who had been surrounding Luna quickly dispersed, leaving Luna alone in the middle.
Lynn walked up to her and stopped.
The two stood facing each other, less than a meter apart.
A fully armed individual, clad in gleaming Power Armour, with the Sword of Valenia at their waist.
A man dressed in a magnificent noble robe, his prosthetic left eye gleaming faintly, no longer wore his signature smile.
Lynn looked at her and sighed softly.
He then spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone as calm as if he were having a casual chat.
"The power that Lord Regent Luna just displayed was truly astonishing."
"One hundred and fifty mechs, more than twenty warships, and an army of tens of millions."
His gaze fell on Luna's face, but it wasn't as calm as his tone.
"Anyone would agree that Lord Regent Luna is indeed qualified to be the marshal of this expedition."
A smug smile had just appeared on Luna's face.
Lynn then changed the subject. "However, I support Chairman Trayn's viewpoint."
"As a technician, Lord Regent Luna is still too idealistic about fighting the Orks."
Lynn stood up and walked to the center of the hall.
He turned to face everyone, his voice steady, yet every word cut to the bone:
"You might think that with superior firepower and equipment, you can defeat the Orks."
He glanced back at Luna.
"But if you really think that way, you're sorely mistaken."
Everyone in the hall was looking at him.
Lynn raised his hand and brought up the holographic star map.
On the screen, a model of Dorito slowly rotated, with the distribution areas of the Orks densely marked on it.
"The Pike in many ways, but even their terrifying reproduction rate and massive population size are nothing compared to that."
He zoomed in on the image, revealing a close-up of a Orks Warboss.
"What's most terrifying is their unique force field, called the WAGHHHH Field,"
People started whispering among themselves; this was a concept most of them were hearing for the first time.
"If we cannot completely eliminate them in a short period of time, they can quickly catch up with our technological level by relying on that special force field."
Lynn's voice echoed through the hall, quieting the previously noisy space once more.
"You've just gotten your hands on the Melta Cannon, and they've already managed to replicate a similar weapon using the productivity of a primitive society."
"In other words, if you can't completely defeat them in a short time, you'll become an accomplice in their growth."
"Then, by increasing quantity, they turned inferior into superior."
He looked at Luna, his eyes sharpening.
"At that point, a failed expedition would be a minor matter."
"It's truly a disaster when they counterattack Brevis."
Luna gritted her teeth and glared fiercely at Lynn.
Lynn withdrew her gaze, her tone returning to calm:
"But I am of humble ability,"
A slight smile played at the corners of his lips.
"Has experience killing the Orks Warboss twice."
"And I know how to completely crush them before their technology catches up with ours."
He walked back to his seat, but instead of sitting down, he looked at everyone.
"Therefore, I don't need Lord Regent Luna to provide all her troops, only a portion of the military equipment, to alleviate the pressure on the main battlefront."
"With Lord Regent 'Luna help, I am confident that the expedition will be a success!"