About the time I was picked up and adopted by Tallulah

Orson was doing lumbar reduction exercises while teasing the little boy.

"Dad seems ordinary, but Mr. Deer-Headed Man feels like the final boss!"

The little boy expressed his analysis seriously.

"what about me?"

Orson asked with some anticipation.

"Brother Orson is so cute!"

"..."

It sounds like an 'advantage' that has nothing to do with 'knights'.

"But I still want to be like Dad. After all, to me, he's the most powerful knight! Even though Dad sometimes loses in the arena, he's always able to protect our family!"

"Although these words are touching, I still feel quite embarrassed when you say them in front of a 'famous' patriot..."

The little boy sighed from the bottom of his heart. At the same time, the door of the office not far from the three of them was pushed open, and Talulah and Plastic Knight walked out one after another.

The Plastic Knight glanced at the Deer-Headed Man beside him, his tone stiffening. After learning the Deer-Headed Man's true identity, the Plastic Knight showed the utmost restraint by not slamming his jaw on the floor.

"Please don't worry, Mr. Serkiak. We won't do anything to Casimir at the moment—of course, only temporarily."

Tallulah, who was following behind, smiled and said something that was half comforting and half threatening.

"I'd better pretend I didn't hear what you just said. And I hope you can stick to the agreement and not reveal the fact that I was here today."

The Plastic Knight wiped the sweat off his forehead and began to wonder if his behavior was a bit too reckless.

The purpose of Serkiak's going to the Integration Movement this time was actually to change jobs.

Although the Howling Guard is a large enterprise that can be compared to the Mieszko Group to a certain extent, its internal benefits and pressures are completely not equal.

In the first battle with Maria, if the opponent was not Maria, the chivalrous engineering girl, his arms would probably have been burned to charcoal by the high temperature due to the uncontrolled overload of the Howling Guard prototype.

But even so, the Plastic Knight who returned to the Howling Guard did not receive any compensation. Instead, he had his salary deducted for three weeks because he failed to successfully demonstrate the functionality of the new model of armor.

Similar situations had occurred many times before, and the accumulated dissatisfaction finally made the Plastic Knight think about leaving the Howling Guard.

After all, he didn't want his son to see his father die in the arena in front of so many spectators due to equipment problems.

"Please rest assured. We've revealed the Stag-Headed Knight's true identity to you. That's the best proof, isn't it? While the Reunion Movement may not be well-funded at the moment, we can at least guarantee that everyone's life will be prioritized, and we've always done so. Thank you for coming, Mr. Serkiak. We'll seriously consider this, and please prepare yourself during this time."

Tallulah responded with a smile in an attempt to allay Plastic Knight's concerns, and Plastic Knight sighed and nodded, knowing full well that his actions were like walking a tightrope on the rooftop of a collapsing building, trying to reach safety on the other side.

"Are you leaving, Dad?"

The little shota tilted his head and asked the Plastic Knight, who nodded, reached out his hand and held the little shota's, and they prepared to leave the temporary company of the Reunion Movement holding hands.

"Thank you, Brother Orson, and Mr. Deerhead. I had a great time today! You will definitely be able to enter the Knight Competition Special Championship!"

"This kid is so sweet. Come play with me again next time."

Orson smiled and waved to the little boy.

"Brother Orson, next time we meet, can I be as tall as you?"

"Don't come here again, little brat."

Orson stuck out his tongue at the little shota.

After seeing off the Plastic Knight family, Talulah came to Orson and Patriot, putting away her meticulous and strict demeanor like a company's general manager.

"Thank you for your hard work, Tallulah. It's not easy to act like the boss."

Orson and Tallulah greeted each other, while the Patriot next to them went to another room to make tea and read the newspaper.

After arriving in Casimir, Patriot had even less time than when he was in Rhodes Island. After all, when he was in Rhodes Island, Patriot would occasionally help train those reserve operators who had never seen the world (it is said that 4 out of every 4 reserve operators would be scared away when they met for the first time), and by the way, worry about the major events in Frost Star's life.

After arriving in Casimir, Patriot's daily routine consisted of a morning walk, a mid-morning meal, a beating of the day's unlucky nemesis in the arena, lunch, a newspaper, a walk, and a nap. It was a perfect way to maintain good health.

"Orson, I feel like we haven't seen each other much lately. It's like you were really abducted by those two golden ponies from the Linguang family—ahem, nothing."

After the Patriot left the room, Tallulah's last "serious disguise" was also removed. She pouted and complained a little unhappily, but then she immediately felt that her tone sounded like a nagging woman, so she immediately changed her words.

"No...it's just that Maria hasn't been very safe lately. Furthermore, Lin Guang, as an ancient knight family from Casimir, possesses a lot of information that could be very useful to us."

"Well, as outsiders, gathering intelligence is our top priority. At least we need to know what kind of enemy we are facing - uh, Orson. You shouldn't be hanging out with the other girls anymore, right?"

The topic was normal before, but Tallulah turned back to the previous topic as she was talking.

"How, how could this be... Ahahahaha."

Orson laughed awkwardly when asked about the key point. After all, Talulah was someone they spent time with day and night together, so she immediately noticed something strange from Orson's reaction.

"I see. So that other girl is also a knight?"

"No, it's the Knight Slayer from the Helmetless Alliance—ah."

Orson followed Tallulah's words and naturally gave out the platinum.

"Although I know that you, an idiot like Orson, are always inexplicably entangled with all kinds of strange guys, the Helmetless Alliance is going too far! Isn't that an internal struggle within Casimir, an assassin organization affiliated with the Commercial Union?"

Talula stretched out a finger and poked Orson, her expression half helpless and half angry.

"Don't worry about this Talulah! Although Platinum belongs to the No Helmet Alliance, she's a real slacker!"

Orson immediately gave a thumbs up to prove that Platinum was not an enemy and there was no need to worry too much.

“Slacking off…?”

Tallulah couldn't imagine how a high-ranking member of an assassin's organization could be equated with slacking off.

——No, the point is not about the work attitude of that guy called Bai Jin, but that the idiot Orson attracts the opposite sex faster than he initially imagined...!

Tallulah's expression gradually became serious.

"It seems we must speed up our progress in Casimir."

"You're right, Tallulah. The bigwigs up there aren't idiots. Sooner or later, they'll discover the connection between Reunion and Rhodes Island. When that happens, we'll probably be met with horrific retaliation."

"That's not what I meant—never mind, you're right. We have to speed up. Although the Sangster family's messenger was tricked away by me, or more precisely, by Black Snake and I, it's clear they don't intend to give up."

Tallulah sighed. Her original intention was to quickly resolve Casimir's mess so as to prevent Orson from being targeted by any strange guy again.

Who knows, even as I'm speaking, a new competitor might pop up! Like that pink-haired Zarak with that nymphomaniacal, big-sister vibe...

Orson, though completely unaware of it, is actually the most approachable person he's ever met, aside from Alina. (By the way, even Alina seems a bit intimidating after acquiring the 'Civilian Laser Mineral Cutting Arm'...) This personality naturally draws others in. Add to that his mysterious boyfriend/girlfriend power, which he's barely aware of, and his admirable sense of responsibility, and he's a natural at capturing that naive, young female engineering knight.

Tallulah pretended to think about the threat from the Sangster family while thinking about these things in her mind. Black Snake, who could share Tallulah's will in his consciousness, shook his head as he listened.

How could his daughter, who was heroic, decisive, able to win the hearts of the people and had lofty goals, be conquered by this fool, and even become assimilated into this fool?

But it seems that Tallulah was not very smart in some aspects.

"Anyway, thanks to Miss Zofia's help, the Reunion Movement is now considered a legitimate Casimir enterprise. The Sangster family won't be in direct conflict with it, but it's clear they're committed to the Reunion Movement. It's only a matter of time before they completely break off relations or resort to underhanded tactics. What should we do then?"

[Of course, you should uproot the opponent——but you don't seem to have such ability. ]

"—"

The black snake's voice came out. Of course, it was not a real voice, but it was transmitted directly to the minds of the two people through his consciousness.

Ever since Orson activated the "WIFI roaming consciousness connection (Black Snake only)" ability, Black Snake can be virtually projected into reality like a stand-in.

"Hey, haven't you been listening to crosstalk lately, Black Snake?"

Orson waved to the black snake consciousness and greeted it in a flat tone.

[Heh, that kind of boring pastime is only suitable for after-dinner leisure time - can you come up with something new? I've heard enough of the ones before.]

Black Snake sat on a chair nearby with a classic smirk on his face, but the words he said sounded unremarkable.

"Actually, I've only heard so many crosstalks, and I've almost embodied them all for you. How about I find some time to compile some comedian quotes for you?"

【what is that? 】

The black snake frowned. He had never heard of such a thing in his thousand years of experience.

67. Black Snake, what are you going to do?

Then again, in fact, most of the things that Orson materialized in the field of consciousness were things that Black Snake had never come into contact with.

Although he always used "This is the accumulation of 4000 years of culture of Yan State, you should repent!" as an excuse to get away with it, it was obvious that some of these outrageous underworld things were not something that Yan State could come up with.

Speaking of Yan Nation, I wonder what's become of my 'brother' Wei Yanwu. With the arrival of Orson, the formation of the Reunion Movement, and the free death of Tallulah, Black Snake has long lost his original desire to carve a wall and ram the enemy. The lonely old snake now only wants to see what expression Wei Yanwu will make when he encounters this idiot.

And, Tallulah's sister, Chen - I wonder what she has grown into now.

"Perhaps we don't have the ability to destroy the Sangster family, but this family must be overthrown. This family has lost all its past glory. Not only do they use the infected as toys to torture and kill, they have even set their claws on ordinary people who have no one to rely on."

Talulah said seriously that evil acts must not be tolerated, this is the creed of the Integration Movement.

"You are right, my daughter. The former Casimir has now fallen into such a state of decay, which is truly lamentable. It is a pity that Ursus is now in ruins; otherwise, the Emperor's cavalry would have easily crushed such a country."

"Stop your sarcasm, Ursus—No, Terra is filled with despair and pain because of you."

Tallulah stared at the black snake and spoke word by word, while Orson next to her made an expression as if he was having wisdom teeth pulled out in Henan.

Black Snake smiled and shrugged. This was a conflict of will and concept, and as a 'loser', he was no longer qualified to lecture Tallulah.

only……

Black Snake glanced at Orson beside him and a sinister expression appeared on his face for a moment.

Although this guy's attitude towards me has improved somewhat compared to the initial outright hostility, compared to that other "father-in-law" patriot, it's a world of difference.

Both are old fathers taking care of children (?), and both have their own cabbages eaten by pigs without them noticing. Why is it that the deer-headed man can just tell Orson Yuanrun to get out with just a look, while he has to be ridiculed by this little guy Zaizhi every now and then?

The Black Snake, who had already begun to retire, started to use his evil brain again, but this time it was not to "revive Ursus", but simply to find some ground for himself.

If you truly intend to use Casimir as your enemy, then divide them. Internal friction is inevitable for any organization once it reaches a certain size. Just like the strife between the new and old aristocratic factions in Ursus, Casimir's internal structure is already riddled with holes.

"What do you want to do, Black Snake? Is this also some kind of ulterior motive of yours?"

Tallulah frowned as she listened to Black Snake's words. She didn't think that Black Snake's words were helping her.

[As someone who's been through this, I'm just trying to offer you some help. I'm still waiting for the moment when you'll fall into despair and voluntarily give your body back to me. But before that...]

Black Snake glanced at Tallulah, the Draco girl who was not his "daughter" but had actually become his successor.

"Before that, I want to see how far you can go. If you can't even stand up to a deeply corrupt nation like Casimir, then forget about trying to save this world. The mad God of Doom, the Chaos of the Deep Sea, the Scourge—these enemies are beyond comprehension. You don't even have the credentials to confront them."

Black Snake didn't seem to be joking. Tallulah had almost never seen Black Snake with such a serious expression.

"We'll deal with all that fancy stuff later. I'm already working on splitting up the enemy. While I'm not sure if I want to actually go to war with Casimir as a whole, I'm still making preparations."

Orson took out a document containing some information about the Supervisory Yuan and the National Council that he and Maria had compiled during this period.

"The Council of Justice is composed of the chief knights of several renowned ancient knightly families. Unlike the Council of Peoples, it is the de facto supreme authority in Casimir. Currently, at least three families within the Council of Justice have betrayed their past oaths: the Sangsters, the Weis, and the Codes. The Code's chief knight is the de facto boss of the Merchant Union. It can be said that the organization he succeeded is the root cause of Casimir's corruption. What we need to do is contact those other families who question Casimir's current situation and jointly demand the removal of the Grand Knight, the head of the Council of Justice."

[Drag the nominal leader of Casimir into the water and make him admit with his own mouth that there are problems with Casimir today], this is already the limit of what Orson and his team can do in their plan.

All Rhodes Island and the Reunion Movement can do is to gather together those who still have aspirations for the spirit of chivalry and provide them with the fuse that they dare not ignite on their own. As for the final outcome, it can only be decided by the city-state itself.

Another variable is the "master" mentioned by Sister Shi Le. Orson believes that it is very necessary for him to meet with that master, no matter whether the other party is an enemy or a friend.

[Hmm... So you didn't actually go to sleep right away, but took my advice.]

Black Snake put his finger on his chin. Although this dead pig with cabbage stuck in its waist usually looks mentally retarded, his thinking is so sharp at the critical moment that it is frightening.

Black Snake wanted to praise Orson, but when he saw him with his hands on his hips and an "I'm so awesome" look on his face, he thought better of it.

But you've forgotten the existence of the Merchant Guild. A merchant guild that isn't a monolithic entity is extremely prone to division, and they'll likely regroup due to their dislike for the National Council and the Supervisory Council. By then, most of Casimir's top brass will be held hostage by these very "merchants" they despise.

"The Business Association..."

Talulah and Orson frowned at the same time. Talulah thought of the Plastic Knight who had just come to the Reunion Movement and wanted to switch jobs. Although due to the Reunion Movement, they could not really accept Casimir's competitive knight, but this was also a signal that there were definitely many people like the Plastic Knight in the competition, and they might be the best bargaining chip to split the Commercial Association.

"Think about these things later. I won't thank you, Black Snake."

Tallulah looked at the phantom of Black Snake beside her. Even if she didn't think that what Black Snake had just said was a false disguise, maybe Black Snake really wanted to see how far he could go in another way, but he was still someone she couldn't trust.

“That really makes me sad, my daughter.”

Black Snake didn't say anything. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and then the virtual projection suddenly disappeared from reality. It was estimated that he returned to the nest in his consciousness to listen to storytelling.

With the departure of Black Snake, Orson and Tallulah were the only ones left in the room again.

"So—speaking of which, Orson, what are you doing here today?"

Although Orson and Tallulah already had the kind of relationship where "there would be no awkwardness even if they were together without saying anything", Tallulah still preferred chatting with Orson rather than just sitting quietly together in the sun.