Vermilion Empire, capital Flareverg.
The usually crowded airport was cleared, and soldiers stood at their positions maintaining vigilance.
Sirius Vermilion, the Emperor of the Vermilion Empire, took a deep breath and looked at the pink-haired woman beside him. "Honey, I'm nervous, what should I do?"
Astrea Vermilion, the Queen of the Vermilion Empire, spoke to comfort him, "Relax, the Red Dragon Emperor isn't here to cause us trouble."
"Didn't Stella also say on the phone that this time we're going to talk about the issue of Peerage?"
"I know that, but..."
"Don't be impulsive."
Seemingly guessing what Sirius wanted to say, Astrea interrupted, "Whether it's for Stella's future happiness or to solve the current predicament of Vermilion, we need the Red Dragon Emperor's help."
That's true, but this matter is a bit too sudden, isn't it?
Sirius opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but stopped.
Before he could organize his words, several powerful auras came from afar.
Sirius's body stiffened, and he looked up at the plane that had appeared in his sight in front.
"Honey, they're here."
"I see them."
Astrea nodded slightly, watching the plane enter the tarmac.
After the plane stabilized, she and Sirius proactively went to meet it. Under their gaze, Tatsuma and Stella led the way down.
"Nice to meet you, Red Dragon Emperor."
Sirius and Astrea proactively stepped forward and gave a brief self-introduction.
After a round of mutual exchanges, they led Tatsuma and Stella to a stretched Cadillac.
As for Yahweh and the others, they were led by Stella's older sister, Lunaeyes, and got into another car.
The convoy started, and a line of cars orderly left the airport, heading towards the palace.
After glancing at the scenery outside the car window, Tatsuma said, "You two, I think Stella should have told you about the specifics."
"How have you considered it? Are you willing to let Stella join my Peerage?"
Astrea and Sirius exchanged glances, and proactively took over the topic, "For Stella to join the Red Dragon Emperor's Peerage, in our opinion, is a good thing."
"However, this matter involves many things, and we have some questions we want to ask. We hope you can understand."
Tatsuma nodded in agreement, "It's fine, just ask what you want."
Seeing this, Astrea breathed a sigh of relief and asked while initially figuring out Tatsuma's attitude, "Tatsuma-san, how do you view Stella?"
Tatsuma said, "Her ability and potential are both good. Her looks and figure are also close to full marks. I like her very much."
Stella: "?"
This... does this count as a confession?
Hearing a statement that was almost a confession unexpectedly, Stella, who was silently listening nearby, was stunned for a moment and felt a bit awkward.
Unlike Stella, Astrea showed a satisfied expression after hearing this reply and changed the subject to another topic, "Tatsuma-san, to what extent do you understand Vermilion's current situation?"
Tatsuma replied, "I only heard that the United States is causing you trouble, and at the same time, the Khaos Brigade is stirring up trouble domestically."
"The Khaos Brigade is already a thing of the past."
Astrea shook her head and pulled out a piece of intelligence received a few minutes ago from her embrace.
"Perhaps upon receiving the news of your arrival, Cao Cao and the others evacuated Vermilion. At least on the surface, our people can no longer find members of the Khaos Brigade."
"They ran?"
Tatsuma was stunned for a moment, feeling a bit surprised.
Before coming to Vermilion, he didn't expect Cao Cao to run away with his people. In his opinion, Cao Cao was a very arrogant and warlike person. Upon receiving the news, he should have proactively met the challenge.
"Apologies, Tatsuma-san."
Just then, Astrea's voice sounded again.
"Vermilion's strength is limited, we were unable to stop the Khaos Brigade's retreat. We hope you can understand."
"It's fine, they can't run away."
Tatsuma shook his head, not paying too much attention.
With MAR and the Three Factions Alliance in place, finding Cao Cao and the others was just a matter of time for him.
The next time he receives news, he will just use teleportation magic, and the outcome will be the same.
"Let's talk about the United States first. What is the reason they are causing trouble for Vermilion?"
"Because of Stella."
Astrea looked towards her daughter sitting in the back row.
"Because she was born with great mana, Stella has always been watched by many people. Among these, the United States' attention to Stella far surpasses that of other forces."
"Under the pretext of gaining better development, they sent recruitment offers multiple times wanting Stella to go to the United States, but we refused them all."
Tatsuma asked "The reason?"
Astrea answered, "The United States is secretly an investor in the terrorist organization Liberation Army. I don't want Stella to get involved in dangerous matters."
Tatsuma asked, "Because of the refusal, the United States started causing you trouble?"
Astrea nodded. "However, thanks to you, Tatsuma-san, we have been much better recently."
Tatsuma raised an eyebrow. "Today should be my first time coming to Vermilion, right?"
Astrea nodded. "Yes, but you went to the United States twice before today."
The United States' sanctions against Vermilion came from three aspects in total.
Terrorists from Claw, terrorists from the Liberation Army, and comprehensive economic sanctions from MAR.
For various reasons, both Claw and MAR were dealt with by Tatsuma.
With Claw no longer causing trouble and MAR no longer suppressing them, Vermilion's recent situation has improved significantly.
"That's quite a coincidence."
Tatsuma thoughtfully stroked his chin and said, "Since that's the case, I'll help you deal with the Liberation Army next."
"Is that okay?" Astrea was a bit surprised.
"Of course, but it's not free."
Tatsuma glanced at Stella sitting in the back row. "You should probably give me a reply now, Queen Astrea."
Astrea hesitated and asked, "Can you give me some more time?"
Tatsuma shook his head. "My time is limited, and I don't want to waste too much time on this matter."
Astrea: "..."
Astrea fell into a brief silence.
To be honest, Tatsuma's current attitude was unexpectedly good, and the conversation was smoother than expected. From all perspectives, entrusting Stella to him was a very good choice.
However, aside from her identity as the Queen of Vermilion, she was also Stella's mother.
Just like entrusting Stella to the United States would expose her to danger. Letting Stella join Tatsuma's Peerage, she would encounter various problems.
As a mother, she did not want to make decisions for Stella without her consent.
All sorts of thoughts flashed through her mind.
Astrea looked towards Sirius beside her, wanting to consult his opinion.
But just then, Stella, who had been sitting in the back row, suddenly spoke, "Mother, there's no need to worry too much."
"Stella?"
"Although I haven't interacted much with Tatsuma, I can feel a lot from his battles. He's different from those schemers in the United States. I think I can get along with him."
"...I understand."
Looking at Stella's determined eyes, Astrea no longer hesitated and made a decision in her heart.
"Tatsuma-san, please take good care of Stella."
Sirius, who had been silent since getting in the car, also spoke, "I'll also entrust this side to you."
Tatsuma chuckled lightly. "Relax a bit, I'm just recruiting her to my Peerage, it's not like I'm making you part ways forever."
Then, he raised his hand, and sent a burst of Senjutsu onto Sirius.
"Since you two are willing to cooperate, I'll help cure your eye as a gift."
"Eye?"
Stella and Astrea were both stunned for a moment and looked towards Sirius in unison.
"Father, what does the eye mean?"
"My dear, it seems like you've been hiding something from me."
"Ah, this..."
Sirius's expression became a bit awkward.
Thirty years ago, due to a dispute with a neighboring country, his left eye was almost blind and he couldn't see anything. However, to prevent them from worrying, he had always kept this matter hidden from his family. He didn't expect the secret he had hidden for thirty years to be exposed in this manner.
"Tatsuma, thank you."
Looking at Sirius, who was glancing left and right with a guilty expression in front of her, Stella understood everything and turned her head to thank Tatsuma.
"If you hadn't mentioned this, I might not have known how much longer it would take for me to find out."
"This shows that you still need to get stronger."
After Tatsuma made a sharp comment, he changed the subject, "As a master, understanding the strength of your Peerage member and guiding them to become stronger is a part of the daily routine."
"After getting out of the car later, come with me to the training ground. I want to personally test your strength."
Stella nodded seriously. "I understand."
Although she knew she couldn't defeat Tatsuma, the fight that should be fought still had to be fought. Only by fighting against strong opponents can one find their own weaknesses faster and become stronger.