Crossing the azure as a black dragon

New Jersey took two steps back, satisfied. His words were ordinary, but one could sense the deep joy hidden within them.

The Sakura Empire and the Eastern Empire are not even in the same league. After Black Dragon, who was mixed up with 'rebels', returned to the Eastern Empire and achieved such great success, even she was a little worried that Black Dragon might have a change in mentality.

If she were to ask what she feared most in this world, it would be a change in Black Dragon's ideology. If national stances put the two of them on opposing sides, it would be a nightmare for her and White Eagle.

"Aren't you the same?"

Black Dragon secretly breathed a sigh of relief and responded with a smile and a shrug.

Thankfully, Kewei was too tired to come and help, otherwise she probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

"Of course. Although there have been some changes within White Eagle, my presence is still generally necessary. However, there is something I need to apologize to you for. Can you forgive me first?"

New Jersey put his hands on his hips and instantly changed his tone from arrogant to apologetic. Not only Black Dragon, but also the guards who landed one after another and Hood's group were stunned.

"You haven't even said what it is yet... Okay, okay, I forgive you. Go ahead, what is it?"

Black Dragon, realizing what was happening, couldn't help but mutter a complaint, but was then silenced by New Jersey's pitiful expression.

She couldn't imagine what New Jersey had done to deserve an apology.

"That's it. After returning to White Eagle, I did some investigation and found that the experimental base where I originally stored my combat data was destroyed. Then, after comparing the Sirens' evolution speed, I found that the period of Sirens' rapid evolution overlapped with the period when my data was lost."

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

New Jersey pointed to his chest with his fingers and explained the reason with some embarrassment.

"I understand now. You think the Sirens' evolution was inspired by your existence, is that right?"

Black Dragon reviewed New Jersey's words and quickly came to a conclusion.

New Jersey nodded obediently.

"To be honest, I think it's just a coincidence. You don't need to worry about it. I won't get angry over such unfounded speculation."

Black Flying Dragon stroked his chin and smiled.

According to the intelligence she had, the Black Enterprises already existed during the period when they were still active in New Jersey, but they just didn't interfere in the real world, so this must be a coincidence.

I also think you won't be angry.

New Jersey put his arm around Black Dragon's shoulder and said with a grin.

"However, this only represents my opinion. What do you all think?"

Black Dragon was a little dizzy from being shaken by New Jersey, and looked helplessly at Hud Tirpitz, who had fallen silent after hearing New Jersey's speech, and the Soviet Union, who had closed his eyes.

"The specific details are unclear, and there is no way to make a judgment."

After a moment of silence, Hood and his companions Wales, Eugen, and Tirpitz had a private conversation and came to this conclusion.

The four-person group traveling together in the Free Port area would have been quite a sight if Tirpitz had been replaced by Bismarck, but unfortunately Tirpitz replaced Bismarck.

Black Dragon nodded and turned the camera toward the Soviet Union.

"The two may be related, but they may not be directly related. No one can guarantee that classified information will not be lost during the infiltration of the Sirens."

The Soviet Union opened its eyes, its gaze lingering briefly on Black Dragon and New Jersey before calmly stating its conclusion.

She and New Jersey were old acquaintances, and New Jersey had never mentioned these things to her. Was she bringing things up beforehand to avoid being found out later?

Originally, she had given Black Dragon her...

Her position was equal to that of New Jersey and Shinano, but it now appears that she made a mistake in her judgment.

"Well, it's a bit late, and you've all had a long journey. There are no rules here, so please relax and rest. Also, I've had someone prepare a dinner for you. Please follow me."

After the conversation ended, Black Dragon broke free from New Jersey's arm, said a few perfunctory words, and led the group into the bay.

Chapter Eight: A Brief Chat Before Meals

News of the delegation's arrival spread quickly. When they were halfway there, Tiancheng and Shentong rushed over. To Heifeilong's surprise, neither New Jersey nor the Soviet Union seemed very interested in Tiancheng. They simply greeted him briefly and then stopped talking.

Before long, Black Flying Dragon led them to a courtyard villa with a slightly antique style. The lights in the courtyard and rooms were all on, illuminating a large area nearby. The visibility was no different from daytime. Many royal maids who had been temporarily recruited to work overtime were walking around in the rooms, creating a rather pleasant atmosphere.

"What a magnificent place! Damn it, why do I only have tin shacks where I live?"

Looking around at the simply dressed, tidy, and cozy courtyard in New Jersey, he revealed a look of resentment.

"That's an exaggeration. You're welcome to come anytime you like, and you can stay as long as you like."

Black Dragon said with amusement.

“I also wanted to stay longer, but they are too demanding over there. This time, they only gave me half a month's leave, and half of that was spent just traveling.”

New Jersey shrugged and sighed, clearly complaining, but the expression on his face looked more like he was showing off.

"Sigh, it's clearly an old relic from ten years ago, is it alright?"

Black Flying Dragon asked with some sympathy, "She's living a very comfortable life here; she's basically not assigned any tasks by her superiors."

"Absolutely no problem!"

New Jersey grinned, revealing his pearly white teeth.

Inspired by the optimistic mood in New Jersey, Black Dragon couldn't help but chuckle twice.

As they talked, the group entered the villa. The maids who came to greet them divided the group into several parts and led them to their respective rooms. In the end, only eight people, including Black Flying Dragon, remained and followed the straight path to the dining room, which had a view of the courtyard through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

"Donghuang is indeed very beautiful."

New Jersey took a few steps to the floor-to-ceiling window, where the courtyard view was reflected in her beautiful eyes.

The Soviet Union, which had been quietly observing from the sidelines, couldn't help but close its eyes at New Jersey's overly familiar manner.

Black Flying Dragon's gaze swept over the table covered with a clean white tablecloth. The cutlery was already prepared, but none of the dishes had arrived yet.

The maid accompanying them noticed Black Flying Dragon's gaze, stepped forward to his side and whispered a few words, the gist of which was that several time-consuming dishes were not yet finished, and would probably take another ten minutes or so.

Black Flying Dragon nodded to indicate that he understood, and without changing his expression, he took his seat with the Soviet Union, Hu De, and others.

"I will skip the unnecessary formalities. This meeting is about recovering our Pacific territory. Before that, I hope we can understand each other's arrangements to avoid any unnecessary mistakes."

Black Dragon glanced at New Jersey, who was still watching the goldfish by the glass, and then straightened his expression and spoke.

"I cannot speak on behalf of Donghuang, but as an individual, I have received permission to go on the expedition. I can take action whenever the opportunity arises."

After a brief pause, Black Flying Dragon very generously explained his current situation.

Hu De and the other three remained silent, clearly indicating that they had been notified in advance and thus tacitly agreed with Black Flying Dragon's statement.

The scene was silent for more than ten seconds. Seeing that New Jersey had no intention of speaking, the Soviet Union opened its eyes and looked at Black Dragon:

"We are currently suppressing the remnants of the Sirens who are wreaking havoc within our territory, and we will be able to set off soon. However, I have heard that the situation in Sakura Empire is currently chaotic. If we do not deal with it in advance, we may encounter unnecessary trouble."

The Soviet Union's voice was somewhat subdued; although it changed the subject, it still mentioned the projects that the North Union was currently implementing.

"Regarding this, I can guarantee that the situation in Sakura Empire will be stabilized before the expedition begins, so please rest assured."

Black Flying Dragon glanced at Tiancheng, who was calm and somewhat obedient. Tiancheng had told her this before, and she was quite at ease with him when he did things, but things didn't look good at the moment.

She felt a little guilty as she said this.

"I believe you can do it, but just in case, I'd like to know some specific details of the implementation so I can persuade other people."

The Soviet Union stood with their hands clasped together, staring straight at the Black Dragon, their indifferent gazes seemingly seeing through everything.

The other party's tone was very calm, but Black Flying Dragon felt an overwhelming pressure.

She has never liked dealing with overly intelligent people. Hu De was one, and Amagi was another. However, these two were quite lenient with her and did not try to lower her intelligence. But the Soviet Union was different. Their statements seemed reasonable at first glance, but in reality, they had probably done their homework behind the scenes. They knew that Shinano's actions with Sakura Empire had been thwarted, and that they could not possibly subdue Sakura Empire in a short time.

"Excuse me, this is what we are about to implement. Please take a look."

Amagi timely interrupted their conversation, calmly standing up and taking out a thin report—approximately two or three pages long—from his wide sleeve. Without showing it to Hud and the others, he walked directly to the Soviet Union leader and...

He handed her his hand.

The Soviet Union glanced sideways, raised its head, and stared at Amagi, who was bowing and smiling, for a few seconds.

"Thanks for your hard work."

With a casual reply, the Soviet Union reached out and took the report, flipping open the cover to see the words written in Amagi's own handwriting in the middle.

Almost instantly, everyone present saw the Soviet Union frown.

As if responding to the sentiments of the Soviet Union, the temperature in the originally warm room suddenly dropped several degrees, and even gusts of cold wind swirled around the dining table. The girls standing at the door in their summer maid outfits couldn't help but rub their arms.

Even the New Jersey resident, who had initially paid no attention to the conversation, couldn't help but turn around and take a look.

"Black Dragon, are you aware of the contents of this report?"

Realizing his lapse in composure, the Soviet Union regained its composure, closed the report in its hand, and ignored Amagi beside it, directly questioning Black Flying Dragon.

"..."

A glint flashed in Black Dragon's eyes. Although Amagi deliberately avoided everyone present, driven by curiosity, she changed the position of her gaze and learned the contents of the report at the same time as the Soviet Union.

The content was astonishing, and even she, who had always supported Amagi, couldn't help but hesitate.

Seeing that Black Dragon hesitated about what Sky City had taken out, Wales, who was sitting next to him, noticed something was wrong and silently kicked Hood.

"Is there anything wrong with this?"

Wales's kick wasn't very powerful, but the sudden movement still startled Hood, causing the elegant royal lady who had been gracefully gliding across the room to freeze, her fingers trembling as she asked a question.

“From a strategic point of view, there is nothing wrong with it, but I cannot agree with such a course of action from the bottom of my heart.”

The Soviet Union gave a very direct answer, while keeping its eyes fixed on Black Dragon, awaiting her reply.

"Really?"

Hud looked at the report in her hand. For the Soviet Union to say such a thing meant that the plan was extremely inhumane.

"I already know the details, and I will try my best to minimize casualties."

Black Dragon tapped the table, acknowledging the Soviet Union's question.

After pondering for a short while, she still felt that the Tiancheng plan was unlikely to be implemented normally and was probably just a way to fool the Soviet Union in order to maximize the so-called negotiation benefits.

"In that case, I have no other questions. However, we will not participate in this war."

The Soviet Union's expression remained unchanged, but it was clear that they were dissatisfied with Amagi's actions.

"It's my turn, I think Sakura Empire or whatever is fine with me. After this battle is over, I'll lead my team to reclaim the sea area, what do you say?"