Dragon Clan: I am Lu Mingfei, the Intelligence Strategist, the God of Concepts!

Chapter 221 Oh, so it's a sea voyage? I thought it was a sea voyage.
Inside the underground laboratory.

"Life Puppet..."

“Nicholas is using this body directly as his main body… but I have my own body, so I still have to follow the Shadow Warrior’s approach.”

After completing the transformation work, Lu Mingfei began his second stage of consciousness splitting.

Flamel's masterpiece was even more perfect than he had imagined.

This guy is practically a Frankenstein's monster from a movie. Not only did he learn 'cocooning,' he actually transplanted his original nerve cells and part of his brain into an alchemical creation.

Previously, Lu Mingfei had visited Europe.

To a large extent, the goal is to find a second high-level pure-blooded dragon body, to turn them into shadow warriors, and to conduct scientific research with them... at least a next-generation species.

The higher one's bloodline, the closer one is to the source of one's bloodline, and the more naturally powerful one's ability to sense the 'elements'.

Even in the event of spiritual death, the physical body can still resonate with the dragon runes through instinct to assist in its work. This is Lu Mingfei's understanding and application of the Shadow Warrior. However, strictly speaking, a Shadow Warrior without a 'soul' would find it difficult to complete many advanced studies of the dragon runes, whether it be alchemy or the analysis of word spirits.
Its greatest significance lies in parallel thinking and improving computing power.

The life puppet before me is essentially an independent processor, and even a processor carrying 'spiritual authority'...

the next morning,

"Finally done."

Lu Mingfei examined the new life puppet for a moment, then, after resting for a while, a brilliant gold light shone in his left eye.

The panels, viewed from two different angles, appeared in his line of sight.

[Alchemy Tool: Shadow Warrior - Life Puppet]

[Forged by: Lu Mingfei, Nicholas Flamel]

[Brief Description: A fusion of the Shadow Warrior Project and the Life Puppet Project, it compromises performance to some extent but gains greater security and is capable of performing a range of independent tasks.]

[Authority: Spirit (0.1%)]

……

[Original Spiritual Power: 1200]

……

Lu Mingfei frowned and looked away from the 'mental interface'.

"So, the essence of primordial spiritual power is like a bucket of water."

After Nicholas chose to actively cocoon himself and abandon this body, all that remained inside, besides his 'spiritual authority,' was an empty shell; his own 'original spiritual power' had detached itself.

Now, the primordial spiritual power within this life puppet comes from Lu Mingfei's own infusion.

[Name: Lu Mingfei]

Age: N/A

[Power: Water (16.4%), World (9.2%)]

[Original Spiritual Power: 13000]

“I transferred 1,200, so from the initial 14200, I have 13000 left.”

This is naturally an easy formula to derive.
However, Lu Mingfei's doubts did not stem from a mathematical problem.

But -

"So theoretically speaking, this primordial spiritual power can circulate?"

……

Lu Mingfei, with dark circles under his eyes, went back upstairs.

As always, I could smell the aroma of breakfast.

In the kitchen, Su Xiaoqiang looked like she hadn't slept well last night; lately, she'd been trying to cook whenever she had free time.

"Is there anything to eat right now?" Lu Mingfei asked, moving closer.

Su Xiaoqiang looked at Lu Mingfei with a slightly evasive gaze, her lips parting slightly as if she were murmuring something softly.

"What did you say?" Lu Mingfei asked.

"...No, it's nothing."

Su Xiaoqiang hurriedly turned her head away, grabbed a few plates of food, and pushed them over, saying, "You eat first."

"Oh."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, finding it odd.

Perhaps it was due to practice makes perfect, but Xiaotiannv's cooking skills have improved significantly... Of course, steaming and boiling are not really cooking skills, as Lu Mingfei doesn't have high requirements when it comes to food.

He finished eating very quickly.

Just now in the lab, Lu Mingfei didn't withdraw the 1200 points of primordial spiritual power from the life puppet, but left it inside to maintain its operation. This made him very tired, and he felt like his life essence was severely depleted.

I can't wait to go upstairs and take a nap.

"……Hello!"

Just as I was about to step out of the kitchen, I heard Su Xiaoqiang's somewhat anxious voice behind me.

"what happened?"

Lu Mingfei was puzzled, then suddenly realized, "Oh, okay, I forgot to wash the dishes..."

"No...not this! Who asked you to wash the dishes!"

Su Xiaoqiang stamped her foot, a blush inexplicably spreading across her pretty cheeks.
But she didn't say anything more. She picked up the plate that Lu Mingfei had eaten from and started washing it. Her long hair, tied in a ponytail, fell over half of her face, and her knuckles turned slightly white from the force she used.

After a long silence, she finally stammered,
"A little while, when...that?"

"??"

Lu Mingfei almost stumbled while leaning against the door frame. When he saw Su Xiaoqiang raise her head and stare at him fiercely, he suddenly remembered that he had mentioned when he came back in the early morning that he would help Su Xiaoqiang measure the data again this morning.

Uh... but what does that expression mean?
She was fine when she was in high school, but later I found out that although she seemed carefree on the surface, she was actually the kind of person who blushed easily.

Standing in front of the stove, the warm steam made Su Xiaoqiang's already flushed face turn even redder, almost as if it were about to drip blood.
Her eyes looked fierce from the outside, but she stared at him with feigned indifference. The way she bit her lower lip made her beautiful eyes seem to have a lot of watery ripples.

That unintentional charm is astonishingly alluring.

A phrase often mentioned in those torn-up scrapbooks that circulated widely among the boys during evening self-study sessions in the past was 'naturally alluring.'
...I swear on my life!

Lu Mingfei felt a little dizzy and was really afraid of dying suddenly, so he quickly turned to the side and said, "Let me go back and rest to adjust my condition... Hey, don't worry, I'll be fine very soon."

“Who’s in a hurry?”

Su Xiaoqiang paused, then forced out three words through gritted teeth, her grip on the plate noticeably tightening.

"You're acting like I'm looking forward to it. Go to sleep!"

"hey-hey."

Lu Mingfei chuckled dryly, but before he had taken two steps, he suddenly turned around and said, "Really, this time it's a new process."

no respond.

A clanging sound came from next to the kitchen sink.

……

Thump, click—

As Lu Mingfei's door closed and locked,

From the other three rooms, several furtive cat-like figures emerged.

They gathered in the living room on the first floor and began to devour the food... while secretly observing Su Xiaoqiang, whose expression was hidden in the shadows of her hair.

"Sister Su has become terrifying."

Erii maintained her adorable expression.

...He did not raise his notebook.

"Zero and Snake Sister also look very serious. Is something about to happen?"

Erii didn't dare to say a word, silently munching on her Mediterranean-style Portuguese breakfast.

The atmosphere at the dining table was calm yet eerie.

Finally, the topic was brought up by Nuwa.

Nuwa picked up a cod ball and put it in her mouth. It was a fried ball made of pickled cod and potatoes, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. She asked casually, "Why did he go to sleep alone?"

"Who cares about him!"

"Didn't you guys say you wanted that yesterday?" Zero looked up at Su Xiaoqiang and said, "Just send a message in the group chat, and we can go straight there and take Erii out to play too."

Nuwa nodded.

This was something they secretly planned last night.

"Ha ha……"

Su Xiaoqiang sneered and remained silent.

With blurry eyes, he took a big bite of the olive oil-soaked cornbread; anyone who didn't know better would think he was gnawing on Lu Mingfei's flesh.

She felt genuinely wronged. Originally, Lu Mingfei's words made sense; being more private, more solemn, and having a sense of ceremony was not wrong at all. But this guy was really going too far.

We made sure everything was fine yesterday... but she didn't sleep well all night, and then I stood her up this morning!

Su Xiaoqiang waved wearily, a wave of drowsiness washing over her, and her tone became inexplicably irritable:

"Sigh, whatever, I really don't care. If you guys are good, then you can do it."

"??"

Zero and Nuwa exchanged a glance.

One is indifferent and confused, the other is tense and fearful.

Currently, the Law on the Protection of Minors is no longer applicable to Lu Mingfei.

Someone had been keeping track of his birthday. It was early July, and he was still in a short semester at school... The original plan was to cook a nice meal and make a cake for everyone to celebrate.

But unfortunately, men sometimes have absolutely no concept of 'birthday'.

Especially when he no longer needs to prove anything through 'celebration',
A birthday is just an ordinary day out of the 365 days in a year.

...But Lu Mingfei was so abnormal that he stayed in the weapon-refining pavilion for a full 50 hours without showing up.

This was somewhat unexpected for everyone.

Then, Lu Mingfei dusted himself off, climbed out of the ground, and fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already the third day.

So this time,
Theoretically, they planned to take advantage of their trip to Europe to win him over.

But clearly, the question has now shifted from 'who will take it down' to 'who can take it down'.

"He's completely stubborn..."

Nuwa muttered to herself, "Don't be fooled by how she keeps urging Su Xiaoqiang to go. On one hand, it's out of respect for Su Xiaoqiang as the number one person, but on the other hand, she really doesn't dare to go herself."

They're all just talkers.

At best, he can pretend to be a seasoned pro in a group chat with girls, but when it really comes down to it, he chickens out faster than anyone else.

On the other hand, everyone knows Su Xiaoqiang's personality very well. She doesn't care where you are from; she just goes straight for the point. The Little Fairy is not just a name without substance.

but……

Lu Mingfei didn't even catch the ball? Especially this time, wasn't it Lu Mingfei who booked the venue? Is it appropriate to just reply with 'TD'?
Nuwa glanced at Zero furtively before drifting away.

This guy is even less reliable.

All he ever did was mutter, "I have absolutely no interest in this kind of thing, and I have no intention of doing it."

Pooh!
If you really didn't care about anything, why did you come back?

However, Nuwa could tell that this guy was indeed just a newbie.

Of course... nominally she and Zero have formed a secret alliance and will not verbally attack their ally for the time being.

Finally, my gaze automatically swept past Erii... No doubt, I can't count on that little thing.

"Tsk... This is difficult." Nuwa sighed.

"Why don't we ask?" Zero suddenly said.

"what?"

Su Xiaoqiang subconsciously replied.

"Ask other people for their opinions," Zero said calmly.

Who do you want to ask?

Nuwa frowned even more deeply. Should she ask outsiders for their opinions on such matters? Don't be ridiculous.

Zero didn't say anything, silently took out his phone, and logged into a group chat.

It was their group of onlookers.

Just as Nuwa guessed, Zero was indeed not very knowledgeable about matters between men and women, and... liked to tell a few little lies.

But deep down, she never wanted to be the first person, because she knew her own destiny and that she was special. If it was Su Xiaoqiang... fine, she was willing to accept it.

There haven't been any major scandals in the group lately.
Chu Zihang took his junior schoolmate back to Binhai, while half of the students traveled to Europe.
Right now, only 'Long-legged Heron' and 'Nobody (trying to learn the shrine maiden version)' are present.

Currently discussing the way of the ninja:
"The core of a ninja is that of an intelligence agent; only after gathering intelligence can they be considered an assassin."

The long-legged heron made the following statement:

"But whether it's intercepting intelligence or killing someone, the most important thing is to make use of the surrounding environment. For example, in my eyes, everything around me can be used as a weapon for assassination. Standing in the bamboo forest, every bamboo stalk can be my hiding place or a sword to kill."

"Amazing!"

At this moment, Erii also came online and immediately joined in the banter.

Uh… Nuwa's eyes widened slightly. To be honest, she wasn't very familiar with the other three group members. She mainly felt it was too quiet with so few onlookers, so she had someone else bring them in. 'Susie who wanted to die'… oh no, she'd already changed her name to 'Susie who loved life'.
This girl is roommate of someone named Nuo, and they are in charge of gossip at the main campus of Kassel College.

'Barbecue Flavored Potato Chips' and 'Long-Legged Heron' are a pair. The former rarely appears and mostly stays hidden in the shadows. They are friends that Zero, Nono and Erii met in Japan.

I heard that they provided Lu Mingfei with considerable assistance.

In the group chat, Nuo raised his doubts again, "I've recently been learning ninja techniques from the Feng Mo family, but it doesn't feel quite the same as I imagined..."

"You mean by any means necessary?"

The long-legged heron calmly replied, "The Fengmo family's philosophy differs from the Persian 'Assassin's Gale.' If you want to become a true ninja, you must see yourself as a 'weapon.' In the common mindset, the difference between a woman's body and a weapon is too great; one is a gentle desire, the other a bloodthirsty weapon..."

Looking at the chat in the group, Nuwa couldn't help but look up and ask,
"I admit these two are pretty good at killing people... but who's the expert when it comes to romantic relationships?"

"Besides, isn't this guy 'seriously studying the shrine maiden version'? What kind of shrine maiden leaves the shrine and becomes an assassin!"

“Many people at my family’s shrine are assassins,” Erii argued, holding up her notebook.

Zero-choice response: Answer with action, quickly type a line of text on the screen:

"@BarbecueFlavoredPotatoChips, @LongLegHeron, I have a question for you."

"Hey! Iceberg Girl!" Nuwa exclaimed in surprise.

Fortunately, the beginning of the sentence, "Zero," made her feel a little more at ease: "I have a friend who has recently encountered some relationship problems..."

Susie, who loves life: "Here comes the melon!"

Barbecue-flavored potato chips: "Hey, come on!"

In less than five seconds, the stagnant group chat immediately became lively.

In order to clarify that he was not the 'friend' Zero mentioned,
Even Su Xiaoqiang replied with a simple "Here comes the melon."

Nuwa: "...Give melons here."

……

After a moment, Zero objectively described the problems her team was currently facing.

"!" Potato Chips instantly sent an exclamation mark. Don't be fooled by Zero's cryptic explanation; Potato Chips Girl actually understood perfectly. Lying in her Los Angeles hotel, she exclaimed, "Holy crap!"
These four girls are really embarrassing. Even if they all worked together, they couldn't get any rabbit meat?
After thinking for a moment, Potato Chips said, "In summary, your friend needs a more private, formal, and ceremonial environment, right? You want to ask me how to create one?"

Su Xiaoqiang looked up at Ling with an embarrassed expression. She hadn't expected that the other person, who seemed cold and aloof, was actually very clear about the difficulties she was currently facing...

It's thanks to this aloof personality that I can express my needs without batting an eye.

“Actually, you’ve got your starting point wrong,” the long-legged heron said leisurely.

"What advice do you have for me, sir?" Nuwa couldn't help but ask.

The long-legged heron chimed in, "First of all, atmosphere doesn't arise out of thin air; it's created through comparison. Just like how being constantly in temples, Taoist monasteries, or churches can easily cloud even the purest and most innocent heart, because of the lack of contrast. How can one transcend the world without engaging with it?"

Nuwa was taken aback. She understood this principle, but could it be applied to relationships between men and women?

Does that mean starve him for two days?
Judging by the current situation, Lu Mingfei might not be the first to starve to death...

Nuwa glanced cautiously at Su Xiaoqiang, and could naturally tell that Lu Mingfei's casual suggestion last night had made her so nervous and expectant that she hadn't slept well all night...

Although Nuwa herself was also a little excited about what exactly the 'data collection' process would entail.

“Of course your friend isn’t a nun, and that man isn’t a monk,” the long-legged heron said again.

“That’s right,” the potato chip agreed.

"...So what exactly do you mean?" Zero asked, somewhat confused.

"Actually, it's not that complicated. Just follow the dating process."

The long-legged heron shared its experience: "First, lay the groundwork with a dazzling array of shopping streets and bustling amusement parks. Then, emphasize the atmosphere at the final private meeting place, such as a candlelight dinner in a high-end restaurant. The contrast between the active and the quiet creates a sense of depth."

"For an even more intimate experience, you can visit a private hot spring with relaxation and pampering services. The establishment can provide the necessary amenities, allowing couples on a date to enjoy a romantic spa treatment amidst the fragrant steam, ultimately leading to an emotional climax..."

That sounded so familiar, Su Xiaoqiang inexplicably blushed.

“It’s no use.” Zero glanced up at her and continued typing on her phone: “It’s stuck at the last step and can’t be activated.”

"what?"

The potato chip lady immediately perked up and typed in shock: "How is this possible! There is such an extraordinary man in the world."

No, it's not.

Su Xiaoqiang quickly typed, "It's probably because the preparatory steps were missing."

“That’s normal. The groundwork is very important, just like some small details…” The long-legged heron suddenly sent a string of gibberish.

"...Don't say this in the group chat!"

Nuwa immediately covered Erii's eyes.

Regardless of whether it was just casual talk or not, she directly used her administrator privileges to retract the message.

"But, are there better settings? Shopping and amusement parks feel a bit too common... and not everyone likes them (crossed out), so public places are more suitable," Su Xiaoqiang hesitated.

After a moment of silence, Potato Chips typed.

"Actually, I have one more ultimate move."

"what?"

"The art of gradual accumulation leading to affection... Your friends are in Europe, right?"

"Ah."

A set of photos was posted in the group chat: "A superyacht with top-tier luxury hotel facilities. My Ritz-Carlton recently built its first superyacht, the Evrima. It features private terrace suites, an infinity pool, and jazz performances. The itinerary covers Barcelona, ​​Kamchatka, and the Mediterranean region. Why not let your friends take a 30-day romantic transatlantic tour? It emphasizes extreme privacy, high-end positioning, and an ultimate atmosphere..."

"After a long period of emotional buildup at sea, wouldn't one be able to do whatever one pleases and act recklessly?"

Nuwa was exasperated: "No, sister, so you're a livestreamer?"

……

In the afternoon, Lu Mingfei slowly woke up.

"Huh-nice!"

I stretched, click, and unscrewed the latch.

As soon as I stepped out of the room, I saw four heads turning towards me from the living room on this floor.

"Eh!"

Lu Mingfei was startled. "Didn't any of you go out to play today?"

"I've explored all around here. Now I have something to tell you," Su Xiaoqiang said calmly.

"You said."

Lu Mingfei shrank his neck, feeling inexplicably nervous.

“We chartered a yacht and plan to go out to sea,” Su Xiaoqiang said.

"What the heck?" Lu Mingfei had just woken up and didn't hear clearly.

“I said go to sea!” Su Xiaoqiang said with a dark face.

After a moment, Lu Mingfei finally understood what Su Xiaoqiang meant, "Oh, so it's about going out to sea. I thought it was about going out to sea..."

Seeing that the others' faces darkened even more, Lu Mingfei quickly adopted a serious posture:
"I mean, take me with you?"

"Okay." Su Xiaoqiang's expression finally softened a bit. "Pack up, let's go now."

"Wait! Now?" Lu Mingfei was taken aback. "Why so suddenly?"

"Yeah, anyway, you've finished all your business in Portugal this time, and you don't seem like the type to enjoy tourism."

Su Xiaoqiang said matter-of-factly, "But since we've come all this way, there's no need to rush back. Let's just charter a yacht and head back by sea instead of flying. The trip will take about 32-40 days."

The other three heads nodded in unison, indicating that Su Xiaoqiang's decision had been unanimously approved.

"hold on!"

Lu Mingfei's forehead began to sweat. "You just mentioned a yacht, right? What kind of yacht can sail from Portugal back to China? And for more than a month? Although I'm not a liberal arts student, I still have basic geographical knowledge."

"Oh well, don't ask so many questions. You'll know when you see it."

Su Xiaoqiang glared at him.
"Now tell me, what else do you need to do, and when can we set off!"

"Uh... I see."

After considering it for a moment, Lu Mingfei gave an awkward smile: "I might have to go to the Gauttingen family again..."

The four women: "..."

……

Inside a library in Göttingen, southern France.

"What?"

Charlotte stared at the old butler in shock, almost losing all her aristocratic composure.

"He had to leave Europe urgently, so he worked through the night to complete the entire follow-up treatment plan? He's not joking, is he?"

“Mr. Lu…that’s what he said on the phone just now.”

Fox's old butler bowed, his voice clearly tinged with embarrassment and barely concealed shock.

As the head butler of the Gottingen family, the old man was well aware of the complexity of the previous patriarch, Mr. Aiton's, illness and how difficult it would be to cure him completely.
I also know a little about the agreement between Lu Mingfei and Charlotte before he left yesterday.

But the more this is the case, the more absurd it seems that Lu Mingfei called right after leaving...

If it were that simple, why didn't you stay overnight in the Gottingen territory? Why go through all this trouble?

Isn't it normal for nobles to stay overnight in each other's territories?

Just like Miss Charlotte had stayed at the Oliveira family's place for one night before.

"I'll go tell Grandpa!"

Charlotte gritted her teeth, immediately threw down her quill, tidied herself up, and strode out of the library.

After several searches,

Finally, we found old Elton at the manor's horse farm.

"Grandpa! What are you doing!" Charlotte almost cried out in surprise.

"Eh????"

Old Aiton is a restless fellow. After lying in bed for so many years, he finally has the freedom to move around, and the first thing he does is reminisce about the days when he roamed the American West in the last century.

They're riding horses right now!

Upon seeing Charlotte, he hurriedly dismounted, but in his haste, he tripped and fell to the ground.

"Ouch...ouch!" Old Aiton groaned in a low voice.

The tall, noble Andalusian horse neighed and galloped away.

"Stop pretending!"

Charlotte couldn't help but grind her teeth and glare at the old man who was still lying on the ground like a cricket.

"Lu Mingfei will be here soon!"

"Lu Mingfei?"

Old Aiton was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up from the ground, looking nothing like an octogenarian.

"What's he here for? Oh, he's here to... have a date at the manor?" Aiton asked awkwardly.

"Lu Mingfei has completed your treatment plan! He must come to fulfill his promise!"

Charlotte took a deep breath, barely suppressing the urge to call the horse back and stomp on it, seriously suspecting that the old man had developed dementia after lying down for so many years!
"What?"

Aiton touched his ear in disbelief, revealing the same shocked expression as Charlotte.

Oh no, it seems like I'm really getting dementia. What did I just hear?
"He's already finalized the entire treatment plan? That's what he said?"

Aiton touched his chest, though Lu Mingfei's 'sudden idea' yesterday had brought him quite a surprise.

But as Lu Mingfei said, the alchemical matrix within Aiton's body is still just a framework.
To achieve a complete cure, the details must be perfected.

Charlotte's tone was complicated: "Yes! Lu Mingfei will arrive at the manor in three hours! I've sent the butler to wait for him at the manor gate."

After a moment of stunned silence,

"So that's how it is... So that's how it is..." the old man suddenly murmured repeatedly, "What a talented child."

"what?"

Charlotte's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "What talent?"

"Do you remember Sir Isaac Newton, whom you admired so much when you were a child?" the old patriarch said in a low voice.

"Why are you saying this suddenly?"

"It took me 30 years to comprehend the essence of the second level of the Path of the Fire Sword, while you only took less than 10 years. Compared to me, you are already an undisputed genius in the art of alchemy."

"They are one of the very few in the entire Göttingen family history, only one every few centuries," Aiton said.

Charlotte frowned again. In the past, she would have readily accepted the title of 'genius', but after seeing the mysterious Lu Mingfei yesterday, she suddenly felt a little awkward.

"But your genius is actually only within the Gauttingen family. I used to say that the world is so big, there are always people better than you, and there is always something beyond your understanding. I'm not lying to you. There will always be a few geniuses who defy common sense... Sir Isaac Newton is one, and Lu Mingfei is probably another."

"This is a terrifying guy who only appears once every few hundred years in the entire history of mankind," Aiton exclaimed.

"Grandpa, what are you trying to say?"

Charlotte paused for a moment and said, "You used to be very strict with me, but you never said anything that undermined my confidence."

"I'm not trying to undermine your confidence... I genuinely hope you can form an alliance with him."

Aiton smiled and began seriously:

"There's something I didn't tell you before. Angers told me that he had actually considered Lu Mingfei as his successor a long time ago and planned to let him take the position of principal of Kassel College. However, too many things happened later, which led to things not going as planned in the end."

Charlotte was clearly taken aback. The successor to the principal of Angers?
Hilbert Jean Angers has been the principal of the Kassel College since its founding in the early 20th century, for over a hundred years, and the concept of a 'successor' has never arisen.

Even though many members of the board of directors throughout the years disliked this arrogant old man, they were helpless because no one could replace him... Does that mean Lu Mingfei could replace Angers?

And that's what Angers himself thinks?
Why would he think that way?

"How early is 'very early'? The intelligence indicates that Lu Mingfei only made his fortune this year," Charlotte said cautiously.

"Perhaps it was decided before he was even born," Aiton sighed softly, a complex expression on his face.

"I don't think he should inherit the position of principal to get involved in political struggles with those old foxes of the Secret Party,"

Charlotte frowned and pondered for a moment, then shook her head. "With his talent, he should become an alchemist like Professor Flamel, providing his wisdom to humanity. That would be more valuable than arguing with the board members."

She had attended several board meetings and knew what kind of place it was...

To put it nicely, it was a gathering of party elders to discuss issues; in reality, it was just old men and women arguing at a vegetable market.

"Moreover, Lu Mingfei doesn't need to join the Secret Party. Even if he gets a seat on the board of directors, he can just remain absolutely neutral from an orthodox perspective."

After trying to analyze the situation from Lu Mingfei's perspective for a moment, Charlotte spoke again.

“Heh, absolute neutrality…” Aiton chuckled and shook his head. “Chief, do you really believe in absolute neutrality?”

"This..." Charlotte was stunned for a moment.

"Alchemy is merely knowledge, and knowledge is naturally unrestrained by power or race. But don't forget, alchemy requires the alchemist's mental involvement to perform the process,"

A gleam of wisdom appeared on Aiton's face.
"Alchemists are primarily human... Whether human or dragon, as long as they have a stance, how can they truly achieve absolute neutrality?"

"And even if you want to remain neutral, do you really think others will believe you are neutral? Even if they do believe you now, why would they continue to believe you can remain neutral?"
And even assuming we assume they genuinely believe it, how can you be sure they don't have ulterior motives?

Charlotte remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Grandpa, what you mean is..."

“I don’t have much insight to share, so as not to disturb you. After all, I’ve been bedridden for so many years, and many of my ideas are outdated. I can only offer a few gentle reminders,” Aiton said slowly.

"But one principle is timeless: never put all your eggs in one basket."

"for example?"

Charlotte's expression clearly changed.

"For example, your dear sister, Miss Elizabeth of the Laurent family."

The old man smiled. "You're too deeply tied to her, and that's even affecting Angers. Although I have a good relationship with Angers, from the Göttingen family's perspective, he's actually standing on the edge of a precipice."
Angers has no family of his own; he's a lone wolf, so he acts without restraint. In times of peace, the Göttingen family is like a large ship sailing on a calm sea. But now the family isn't as powerful as it once was, and if a storm were to break out, it might not be able to withstand it.

Charlotte remained silent.

The Laurent family is one of the board members of the College of Kassel. The current patriarch, Elizabeth Laurent, once cared for Charlotte when she was young and is a figure who is somewhere between her sister and her mother to her.

But Elisabeth Laurent herself was Angers' most steadfast supporter.
Like Charlotte, Elizabeth lost both her parents at a young age. To her, Angers was no different from her father. In Elizabeth's heart, Angers' importance might be equal to, or even greater than, that of the Laurent family.
Therefore, through these layers of connections, Charlotte's family, the Gottingen family, is now also considered part of the Angers faction.

And that is true.

In the previous board meetings, at Elizabeth's suggestion, Charlotte's voting decisions were more inclined towards Angers' faction. Including Angers' own vote and the vacant vote, he had a huge say in the board meetings.

However, compared to the Laurent family, the Göttingen family's connection with Angers is not as deep.

At least for now, there is a chance for everything to change.

"Of course, as the patriarch, I naturally have to consider things from the perspective of the Gotinggen family more."

Charlotte said calmly, "But what do you mean? You're suggesting that I form an alliance with Lu Mingfei, but Lu Mingfei was recommended by Angers, and if nothing unexpected happens, he'll take the seat that's been vacant for a long time."

"In essence, isn't this tantamount to a deeper integration with Angers?"

Upon hearing this, Aiton laughed.

Suddenly, he spoke, word by word, "Why must Lu Mingfei be from the Angers faction?"

Why couldn't he start a new faction?

"You mean...?"

Charlotte realized something and held her breath.

“Angers may not have taken the Secret Party itself very seriously.”

Aiton spoke as if sighing, "In any case, we'll see at the next board meeting."

(End of this chapter)