I Want Command of All Armies Under Heaven!

Having made his way to the stone-built meeting hall from before, Lu Su found George VII looking somewhat stern, with Apache standing beside him expressionlessly.

Lu Su was not surprised by their attitudes.

If anything, he had not expected George VII to refrain from pulling such a grim face.

As for Apache—

Anyone who suddenly discovered they had gained a powerful enemy would probably wear that expression.

"Lord Lu, you’re here." Upon seeing Lu Su, George VII nodded in greeting and gestured for him to sit.

There was no back-and-forth probing. The king went straight to the most important matter of their meeting. "It’s been three days. Have you decided what you want, Lord Lu?"

I want command of all armies under heaven!

Faced with the king’s question, Lu Su inexplicably recalled the words of some strongest carbon-based lifeform from the seventh century. Naturally, he would never say that to George VII—and even if he did, the man definitely would not agree.

After all, Great Britain was still rather far from Great Ming.

That was, assuming there was no Pillar of Light.

With the Pillar of Light in place, all of Great Britain was there for Lu Su’s taking.

But before he could reply, George VII continued, "…Forget it. You two should first take a look at the materials you need."

As he spoke, he handed each of them an index catalog.

Seeing this, Lu Su patiently flipped through the material guide in his hands. What he needed now were materials compatible with Tatsumaki and the Holy Blade Armor.

It had to be said that Great Britain’s index was exceptionally considerate. Lu Su quickly found the materials he needed.

However, just like the material vaults of Great Ming and the Tsardom of Russia, Great Britain could not directly provide every material he needed.

Fortunately, Lu Su still had 67% of his universal materials unused. With some Diamond Grade materials to fill the gaps, it would barely be enough.

Telekinetic Superman (Red), Omega Level Psionic (Red), Andesos’ Time Bracelet (Red), Fallen Sound (Red), Smoke Screen Sword (Red), as well as five other relatively universal Master Grade Materials.

Those were the materials Lu Su had selected.

On the other side, Apache also quickly chose the materials he required.

He put down the index catalog and said in a completely flat tone, "These are all I need. I won’t disturb you any further."

With that, the Master Grade powerhouse from the Indo-American Federation vanished from the meeting hall.

He had actually wanted to stay and listen to the negotiations between Lu Su and George VII, but unfortunately, neither of them would allow it.

After Apache left, the meeting hall fell into an eerie silence.

Lu Su continued flipping through the materials in his hand without saying a word.

His manner undoubtedly put tremendous pressure on George VII. After a long silence, the king finally sighed and said helplessly, "Just tell me what you want, Lord Lu."

Hearing that, Lu Su put down the documents and clasped his hands together, imitating a certain commander. "I want all of Great Britain."

The moment those words left his mouth, the atmosphere in the meeting hall dropped to freezing point.

George VII’s expression stiffened further and further until it finally turned cold.

After a long silence, His Majesty the King of Great Britain said hoarsely, "Lord Lu, you should not make such jokes."

"Do you think I’m joking?"

Lu Su immediately shot back.

He did not think what he had said was some wild fantasy. In terms of strength, Great Britain had never been a match for Great Ming. On top of that, Altria’s Pillar of Light was firmly planted on its soil.

Honestly, that was far more terrifying than mold.

George VII clearly understood that as well.

He closed his eyes. Only after a long while did he say with great difficulty, "Great Britain can at most grant you the title of Lord Protector."

"…"

Lu Su frowned slightly at the condition George VII had offered on his own initiative.

The position of Lord Protector in Great Britain combined legislative, executive, and military authority. In practice, it was the Uncrowned King.

The last person to hold that position had been Cromwell, someone everyone who had gone through nine years of compulsory education should have heard of.

Thinking of that, Lu Su said with what seemed like both admiration and mockery, "I hadn’t expected His Majesty to be so generous."

George VII had truly made a fine calculation.

The title of Lord Protector might sound immensely powerful, but that was only when the royalists had fallen from power.

Now, however, the Great British royal family was at the height of its power. The Lord Protector was merely a title.

"Not enough."

Hearing Lu Su’s calm voice, George VII picked up the tea in front of him and moistened his parched throat. "…I can agree to the conditions Charlotte promised you as well."

Lu Su was not surprised that the king knew what he and Charlotte had discussed that day.

Compared to Lyon, who seemed somewhat unable to grasp the situation, the princess was clearly far better at assessing the circumstances.

She had indeed secured Lu Su’s and Apache’s support, but she had not forgotten that George VII was currently the one in charge of Great Britain. It was therefore not strange for her to tell George VII about her conversation with Lu Su.

Lu Su smiled and shook his head slightly. "Mutual access to materials benefits everyone to begin with."

"How can Your Majesty treat that as compensation?"

"Not enough."

George VII’s expression gradually turned ugly.

Fortunately, Lu Su did not make things difficult for him for long. He immediately stated his terms. "How about this? Great Britain pays Great Ming a certain amount of materials every year as payment for my card being stationed here. What do you think?"

Was it not perfectly reasonable for a host nation to pay the military expenses of troops stationed within its borders?

Besides, Lu Su was not like a certain beacon. If Great Britain lost Altria’s Pillar of Light, the country really would be doomed.

This was not taking advantage of a crisis.

After a long silence, George VII finally nodded reluctantly. "Then we shall proceed as Lord Lu says."

As His Majesty the King of Great Britain, George VII had never imagined that one day, the Great Britain that had colonized everywhere would itself be colonized.

Although Lu Su had not put it that way, that was how George VII saw it.

But a man had to bow his head under another’s roof. George VII truly had no other choice.

Having obtained the result he wanted, Lu Su did not linger. He turned and left the meeting hall.

For him, the gains from this trip to Great Britain had already exceeded expectations. In a sense, it had even fulfilled what Bai Yueming had said about expanding territory.

But Lu Su had barely left the royal palace when Lyon came looking for him.

Looking at the prince of Great Britain, he asked casually, "What is it?"

Faced with his question, Lyon could not help scratching his head before asking awkwardly, "Lu Su, I heard His Majesty is going to make you Lord Protector."

"Did you agree?"

Lu Su nodded. There was nothing worth hiding about such a matter. In a few days, all of Great Britain would likely know.

Lyon’s eyes immediately lit up. "Then you—"

"Lyon, you should learn more from your sister. You shouldn’t be coming to see me right now."

Lu Su interrupted him and spoke somewhat helplessly.

The youth did not understand why the other man had seemed quite clever when they first met, yet had become so foolish now.

Had the position of king truly gone to his head?

George VII clearly did not want outside forces interfering with Great Britain, and Lu Su naturally counted as one of them.

Therefore, anyone who had too much contact with Lu Su would probably be placed on George VII’s blacklist.

Charlotte had clearly realized this, which was why she had not come looking for Lu Su.

Though in Lu Su’s view, the princess probably no longer had any chance of being chosen as heir apparent.

After hearing Lu Su’s words, Lyon’s face instantly turned pale. Then he said in a daze, "So you chose her too, Lu Su."

Seeing that he still had not understood his meaning, Lu Su immediately lost interest in talking. He waved a hand and had Ghost Shadow Soldiers escort him away.

After sending Lyon off, Lu Su turned to Altria beside him. "What’s the situation with Apache?"

Thanks to the Pillar of Light, Altria could now monitor everything happening across this land.

Naturally, Apache’s residence was no exception.

"After sending a message two days ago, he has made no further moves."

Hearing this, countless thoughts immediately flashed through Lu Su’s mind.

There was no need to say who Apache had sent the message to. It was definitely Adley.

But based on Lu Su’s earlier speculation, whether the other party would come was another matter entirely.

"What a pity. Altria needs to remain here to maintain the Pillar of Light, otherwise we could have tested him."

Lu Su silently sighed to himself. His original plan had been to test Adley’s attitude after everything was over, but that was probably no longer possible.

"I should return to Great Ming and increase my strength first."

Thinking that, Lu Su rubbed his chin and looked at Altria with a somewhat strange gaze. "Do you need me to make the Knights of the Round Table for you?"

The golden-haired Lion King was briefly stunned, clearly not expecting her holder to ask such a question.

After a moment of silence, she replied in an indifferent tone, "If it will not add to your burden."

Lu Su did not care much about that. A group of Jade Grade cards, at most Diamond Grade cards, was no burden at all to him.

Another three days quickly passed.

Many things happened in Great Britain over those three days. First, the effects caused by the World Devourer Calamity Star had largely subsided, and the surviving ordinary citizens returned to their previous dull, tedious lives.

Second, everyone in Great Britain learned that an Eastern Master Grade powerhouse had assumed the position of Lord Protector.

This was undoubtedly the first occurrence of its kind in Great Britain’s history.

Yet after learning that the Tower of Radiance had been created by this Easterner, all criticism instantly vanished without a trace.

However, the Great British authorities did not reveal that the owner of the Tower of Radiance was the legendary King Arthur.

Lu Su could understand that. After all, they were currently trying every possible way to weaken his influence.

But as long as the Pillar of Light remained, Lu Su’s influence in Great Britain would not fade. It would only grow stronger and stronger.

At the harbor.

George VII led a group of princes, princesses, and Great British officials in seeing off Lu Su and Apache.

With a false smile on his face, he said lightly, "…Then I wish Lord Apache a smooth journey."

After seeing Apache off, George VII turned to Lu Su beside him.

"How does Lord Lu plan to return?"

Just as when he had come, Lu Su naturally intended to have Little Spider take him back to Great Ming.

Though it was not as comfortable as Apache’s ship, it was convenient and fast.

When George VII saw him summon the white humanoid spider, he could not help sighing in relief.

The king had truly been afraid Lu Su would simply refuse to leave.

But if Lu Su knew what he was thinking, he would only sneer. Great Britain could not compare to Great Ming in any regard.

Though inwardly he could not wait for Lu Su to leave, George VII remained extremely polite on the surface. "Have a safe journey, Lord Lu. If Great Ming ever needs help, you may contact Great Britain at any time."

Lu Su nodded slightly. He then glanced at Lyon and Charlotte nearby before saying, "I’m leaving. If anything comes up, you can contact me through Altria."

George VII’s face darkened upon hearing that.

Lu Su’s words once again reminded him that even if the man left, Great Britain could never return to how it had been before.

But Lu Su did not care what George VII thought. After sweeping his gaze over everyone present, he flashed away and disappeared.

Seeing this, the officials present all breathed sighs of relief, thinking to themselves, We finally sent that Lord Protector away.

Forgive them for saying so, but Lu Su placed far more pressure on them than their own king.

Charlotte, standing among the crowd, silently sighed to herself.

If the incident involving the hidden mastermind’s invasion had not occurred, she should have been close to becoming heir apparent. But now, it was hard to say.

His Majesty has probably already begun guarding against me.

As she thought that, Charlotte’s eyes flickered. Since her father was no longer a viable path, she might as well fully side with that Lord Protector.

Naturally, the premise was that her father could not discover it.

Unaware that he had become the center of Great Britain’s vortex—or perhaps aware but simply unconcerned—Lu Su sat on Little Spider’s back as she continuously used Space Magic.

But the moment Spider-girl stepped onto the land of Europa, a gray-haired figure appeared before Lu Su.

Seeing the newcomer, Lu Su said somewhat helplessly, "His Majesty Louis XXIV…"

That was right. The newcomer was Louis XXIV, Emperor of France.

Having intercepted Lu Su, the Near-God said with a gentle expression, "Have you considered it, Lord Lu?"

"Would you like to have a talk with me?"

Hearing that, Lu Su could not help rolling his eyes inwardly.

The other man had already blocked his path. Did he have any room to refuse?

"Lead the way, Your Majesty. I happen to want to see the legendary Versailles Palace as well."

"Hehe, I certainly will not disappoint you, Lord Lu."

As Louis XXIV’s words fell, the two vanished from the spot, leaving only the rolling sound of ocean waves in the air.