Ed took in the lively discussions on the official forum, and while he lamented that one person's antics were no match for the combined antics of many players, he also thought of something else:
" Little Green, how's the adjustment to the short-distance Teleportation Tree from the previous test going?"
"It's basically ready for use, but the assembly speed of the limbs needs improvement; it currently takes about half a minute, which might affect their experience."
"Can't we increase the speed?"
"Unless you become stronger, it will be difficult to achieve a qualitative improvement."
Ed for a moment and came up with a good idea:
"Okay, let's add a real-time animation of the soul leaving the body, and then include it in tomorrow's update."
"Okay."
Little Green happily agreed and continued the test, which took place far to the edge of the territory.
"Da da da."
A series of footsteps, accompanied by the clanging of armor, reached Ed's ears. He turned his head and saw Xilǐ'er entering through the gate.
Upon closer reflection, it seemed that today was the day for the other party's work report. I sometimes forget about these things, but Mr. Knight takes them very seriously and always arrives at the agreed time.
The other party was probably going to report on [ Gungnir ]'s recent training progress. Those children whose talents were forcibly stimulated by experiments were almost only slightly weaker than the players in terms of growth potential.
Each time Xilǐ'er gave a report, Ed would listen carefully and then work with him to develop a training plan for the next period of time.
However, things might be different after this report. Blood Corpse Tide capable of assimilation and infection is coming soon, and Ed doesn't want the elite troops he has painstakingly trained to become elite monsters among the "zombies".
We need to find a way to let them learn something without them getting infected and becoming part of the Blood Corpse.
Just as Ed was about to have a proper discussion about this issue with "Temporary Worker Number One " in front of him, a gasp suddenly came from behind him.
A gasp of surprise came from "Temporary Worker Number Two ".
Oh my god, Gray hasn't left yet!
"Ding~"
A bell seemed to toll in Ed's mind, reminding him of the hints he had personally written for the players:
[Fourth point to note when interacting with the armored Xilǐ'er: Do not mention Gray in front of him.]
Now, things have gotten complicated. Although he didn't mention Gray to Xilǐ'er, he directly arranged for the two of them to meet.
Although he hadn't originally planned to keep this a secret for long, the fact that it was exposed so quickly still caught Ed off guard.
Fortunately, after winning the Battle of White Wax Town, Ed was confident he could control both the armored men and the cyborg merchants, especially since the latter were now only half their original size and stuck in tree stumps...
At this moment, Ed chose to look at Gray first, after all, the merchant had just brought him very important news, and was undoubtedly the weaker party at this time.
After a brief moment of panic following his initial gasp, Gray had already swung the blade from his right arm and held it horizontally in front of him. The hook blade on his left wrist had been removed earlier with Ed's consent because it would interfere with treatment, but Gray still placed his left wrist under his right arm, assuming a posture ready to launch a sneak attack at any moment.
On the other side, Xilǐ'er was no less formidable. Although his meeting with Ed had led him to leave his warhorse Radish, and weapons beneath the castle, he still clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, looking as if he were preparing for an undeclared war.
"You two, wait a minute."
Ed stood between the two men with his arms outstretched, trying to control the distance between them.
Although the two obeyed and did not take any further action, they also did not put away their weapons or withdraw from a fighting stance.
Left with no other choice, Ed's voice became serious:
"Under the contract witnessed by the mighty Red Dragon, as your employer, I demand that you disarm and cease the standoff. I promise to guarantee the safety of both sides."
In the bank dozens of meters away, Seraphina, who was lying in a rocking chair, suddenly opened her eyes, and her vertical pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints in an instant.
Ed's aura intensified, as if some powerful being with immense strength was watching over them.
Under the immense pressure, Gray and Xilǐ'er quickly regained their composure. Xilǐ'er relaxed slightly, while Gray sheathed the fist blade that had been hidden in his right arm.
Ed sighed, realizing that Seraphina's gaze had disappeared, and his tone softened again:
"You're all temporary workers with signed contracts right now. If you work your butts off here, the biggest loser will be me, the boss."
Neither of them spoke, Ed turned to look at Gray:
"Mr. Gray, this is my source of information. Armored Knight Xilǐ'er wandered here before you a little over a month ago. I've heard a bit about your previous battle. It's true that Xilǐ'er attacked first, but he was indeed in a state of irrationality at the time. We've already cured (subdued) him. The situation at the time wasn't his intention."
He then looked at Xilǐ'er:
"Knight Xilǐ'er, the man before you is not Graycast Corridor Gray, but merely a wounded and weakling. As allies fighting against the Blood Corpse, would you really raise your weapon against such a person? Is that in accordance with your knightly code?"
Both fell silent upon hearing this, while Ed was quite confident in his words.
With the employment contract witnessed by Seraphina and her own words, the two sides appeared to be at least on the surface to be at peace.
Thinking about it carefully, although it seems like a pipe dream for an outsider to mediate the conflict between Graycast Corridor and Eternal Domain, there is nothing wrong with mediating the conflict between Graycast Corridor's underlings and Eternal Domain's underlings as they are doing now.
This is utterly awful food replacement literature!
"I know you are all principled people. With a formidable enemy at hand, please refrain from infighting, at least while you are under my command."
After both sides calmed down, Ed added a final sentence to his mediation:
"If... you still wish to return to your homeland in the East."
Ed manipulated the vines to close the distance between them. The two reluctantly but also curiously extended their right hands, and a hollow gauntlet and a brass mechanical hand clasped and shook each other.
Just as Ed was quite satisfied with this, Xilǐ'er suddenly looked at him and asked:
"My lord, where is this 'great enemy' you speak of? Would you require me to lead the vanguard?"
As expected of a knight, look at that awareness!
Ed clicked his tongue twice inwardly, explained to Xilǐ'er about the Blood Corpse that were about to appear near the territory, and then looked at him and asked:
Do you have experience fighting these monsters?
Xilǐ'er nodded:
"I participated in several battles in the Eternal Domain to annihilate large groups of Blood Corpse, killed quite a Blood Corpse, and even teamed up with other knights to hunt down a 'Count'."
Gray was stunned.
"You've killed a count?"
Xilǐ'er added:
"He was with the other knights, but I was the one who shot him in the head with the last shot."