Because the reception room arranged by Ariel is only one floor away from the Queen's lounge.
Therefore, Lei Xiao and Ariel walked forward in the quaint castle corridor and soon arrived near the reception room.
"See your lord, see your majesty the queen!"
I saw at the corner of the corridor, Hong Ye, White Knight, Randall, Sarah, Nolan, Chaoyan, and Erza who had just returned from the Shanglu family's castle underground, and immediately walked towards Lei Xiao and Ariel.
A gift.
These seven people were specially arranged by Lei Xiao to attend the meeting.
Among them, the "Green Adventurer's Guild" is handed over to Red Night and Erza, who are experienced in exploring ruins and secret realms, the "Thunder Magic Gathering" is handed over to Randall, a rare magic powerhouse in the metal system, and the "Mirror Witch Guild" is handed over to
To Chaoyan, who is also a witch.
The "Knights of Jet" were handed over to Sarah, the White Knight who was called the first knight of Cold Flame and the descendant of the King of Knights, and the "Bard Alliance" was handed over to Nolan, who was extremely interested in bards.
In this way, we can undoubtedly gain some distance from these neutral forces in the shortest possible time.
Lei Xiao clearly understood that although these five neutral organizations were already the strongest expression of the civil power of the Leng Yan Kingdom, they still seemed a bit insignificant in the face of the invading armies of the five countries.
But now is a critical moment of life and death, and even if it can only increase the hope of victory by one cent, I will never give up.
"No need to be polite, let's get started."
Lei Xiao nodded to his subordinates and continued walking towards his destination not far away.
Not long after, the two maids and guards respectfully opened the door to the reception room, and Lei Xiao and his party entered one after another.
As soon as he entered the elegantly decorated castle room, Lei Xiao immediately felt an extremely dignified atmosphere.
I saw a total of five guests sitting on the rectangular simple conference table, three men and two women. Each of them looked solemn and sat in their seats without saying a word.
Based on Ariel's description of characteristics, Lei Xiao quickly identified the specific identities of the five people.
The person sitting first on the left side of the lower position is an old man in gray clothes with a tall and straight body but white beard and hair. There is a faint powerful aura around him.
This person is none other than Bernie, the only fifth-level strongman among the five leaders, the president of the "Green Adventurers Guild".
This can be supported by the guild badge with the broken ruins pattern worn on his chest.
Sitting second on the left is a middle-aged magician with a resolute face and gray temples, just like a middle-aged mercenary who has gone through many vicissitudes of life. This person is Bu, the president of the "Thunder Magic Gathering".
Laiz's strength is at the peak of the fourth level.
The third person sitting on the left is a burly middle-aged knight who is covered in silver knight armor and looks unsmiling. He is obviously Duke, the leader of the "Jet Knights", and his strength is also at the peak of the fourth level.
.
As for those on the right, they are two women with slender figures and quite delicate looks.
Among them, a mature woman with long, smooth shawl hair who looks to be around thirty years old is Dinah, the president of the "Mirror Witch Association", with a strength of level four and six stars.
She has a ponytail and looks younger, but her skin color is more wheat-colored. She is the leader of the "Bard Alliance", Carol, whose strength is at level four and five stars.
In addition, the identity of the two people can also be supported by their clothing.
The former is a standard outfit of a pointed witch hat and dark blue witch robe, while the latter has a brown feathered hat common to bards placed on the table in front of him.
"See His Royal Highness, see Her Majesty the Queen!"
Seeing Lei Xiao and Ariel walking into the room, the five people immediately stood up and knelt on one knee, saying in unison.
These five people were all invited to participate in Ariel's coronation ceremony, and they were naturally no strangers to the looks of Lei Xiao and Ariel.
Although they, as leaders of neutral organizations, are not under the direct jurisdiction of the Lengyan royal family, they still need to abide by the royal family's laws and bear certain taxes.
Therefore, when meeting Lei Xiao and Ariel, who are the most powerful people in the Cold Flame Kingdom, respect and etiquette are naturally indispensable.
"Excuse me, everyone. It seems a little abrupt for Her Majesty and I to summon you all suddenly."
Lei Xiao's eyes passed over the five people in turn, and he nodded with a smile.
After speaking, Lei Xiao waved his hand and dispersed all the maids in the room, leaving only Xing Hui, a direct subordinate, and A Ling and A Bing, who had just been transferred from the territory, to wait on them.
Then, he and Ariel sat down at the top position.
As Lei Xiao and Ariel sat down, the other subordinates also sat down one after another, nodding and smiling with the five of them to show friendship.
In the initial greetings and mutual introductions, Lei Xiao could clearly feel it.
Although the atmosphere in the room seemed harmonious, there was still a solemn atmosphere.
It's no wonder that these five people are all leaders of their respective organizations, and their minds and insights are far beyond those of ordinary people.
And the news that the armies of the five countries were besieging Leng Yan had spread. Being at an absolute disadvantage, the purpose of summoning the five people at this time was obviously obvious.
"It seems that it is not an easy task to successfully convince five people to fight for the Cold Flame Kingdom."
Lei Xiao smiled helplessly in his heart, then calmed down and started to go straight to the topic.
"Everyone, you are the first echelon of our neutral organization in the Cold Flame Kingdom. You have made a lot of contributions to the Cold Flame Kingdom for a long time, so I will be honest."
Lei Xiao first took a sip of the hot tea that Xing Hui had just handed to him, and then said bluntly: "As everyone knows, the Cold Flame Kingdom is now on the eve of a violent storm. If you are not careful, the tower will overturn.
, destroyed in one fell swoop.”
"By then, not only will this kingdom that has lasted for more than 600 years cease to exist, but the soldiers and people will be stained with blood for thousands of miles, and the fields will be littered with corpses."
"And since you have chosen Lengyan as your headquarters, you probably don't want to see this land turned into ashes and dust under the erosion of blood and fire."
Lei Xiao's voice became more solemn and he continued: "So, Her Majesty the Queen and I hope that you can join us to resist the invading enemies, add strength to the royal family, and bring a glimmer of hope to the people."
"Please rest assured that if the Lengyan Kingdom survives this crisis, everyone here will become a hero of the Lengyan Kingdom. Whether it is fame, fortune, glory, or wealth, we can fully meet your needs."
After Lei Xiao finished speaking, the whole audience fell silent.
Whether it was Bernie, Blaise and Duke on the left, or Dinah and Carol on the right, they all lowered their heads and said nothing, maintaining a polite but awkward silence.
Just as Lei Xiao thought, the five of them knew the current situation very well.
The branches are spread all over the human race countries, and the five people who are extremely well-informed understand clearly.
Faced with the siege from four directions by the overwhelming armies of the Five Kingdoms, the Lengyan Kingdom, which had never fully recovered its vitality, had no chance of winning.
To be more precise, let alone the currently severely damaged Lengyan Kingdom, even at its peak moment, there was absolutely no way that the Lengyan Kingdom could survive in front of the armies of the five nations.
From this, the situation is self-evident.
If you choose to join the party that is about to be destroyed at this time, isn't that asking for death?
Even if the other party promises so much wealth, you still have to live to enjoy it, right?
Thinking about this in their hearts, the clear sound of armor clashing sounded, and Duke, the leader of the knights with the most cheerful personality, stood up first and saluted Lei Xiao and Ariel.
Then he said bluntly: "I'm sorry, Your Royal Highness, Your Majesty the Queen, your "Jet Knights" have been pursuing a neutral attitude for thousands of years. This is also the admonishment and motto of the successive heads of the Knights, so I can only do nothing."
"But please rest assured, Your Highness the Prince and Her Majesty the Queen, the "Jet Knights" will never help those who provoke war."
After Duke finished speaking, the other four people nodded quickly, showing their neutral attitude.
Seeing this scene, all the subordinates, including Ariel, couldn't help but look at each other in shock.
It is not difficult to see from the firm attitudes of the five people that it is indeed extremely difficult to get them to join.
After all, today’s crisis situation can be called a narrow escape, so who would choose to seek death?
Lei Xiao, who was in the center of the focus, had a calm expression and still maintained a faint smile.
Lei Xiao knew clearly in his heart that if he were in the other party's position, he would never casually bet everything in his power on a dynasty that was about to overthrow.
In other words, all this was completely as expected.
But there is a saying that goes well, money can lead to the gods.
The reason why the other party did not surrender immediately was because there was no interest in it.
Just when Lei Xiao was about to show off his financial resources.
Sarah's starry eyes flickered as she looked at the horse-shaped knight's coat of arms on Duke's chest. She first said: "Captain Duke, may I ask if the "Jet Knights" are related to the Kingdom of Loren that collapsed a thousand years ago?
Is there any contact?”
After hearing Sarah's words, Duke's burly body froze, and then he frowned and asked: "Your Excellency Sarah, what do you mean by this?"
"Your Excellency Duke just said that the "Jet Knights" were founded for a thousand years, which coincides with the disappearance of the Kingdom of Loren."
Sarah smiled and explained: "Furthermore, the coat of arms of your knights is very similar to the coat of arms of the Loren royal family, so I am asking this question."
Listening to Sarah's words, Lei Xiao nodded thoughtfully.
The coat of arms of the Loren royal family is a horse with its hind legs on the ground and its front legs in the air, which looks extraordinary.
The coat of arms of the "Jet Knights" is a horse's head with only one front leg in the air. If you observe and distinguish it carefully, it is indeed quite similar to the former.
"I didn't expect that Your Excellency Sarah is so knowledgeable and knows about the affairs of the Kingdom of Loren."
A hint of surprise appeared on Duke's resolute face, and he nodded: "Yes, when we, the Jet Knights, were first established, we did refer to the coat of arms of the Loren royal family."
"It's not just a reference, right?"
Sarah stared closely at the coat of arms on Duke's chest and smiled: "Captain Duke, do you know the name Geraint Eric?"
As soon as Sarah said this, the white knight was the first to react.
He was once one of the Apocalypse Knights of the Loren Kingdom, so he was no stranger to this name.
Geraint Eric was the deputy commander-in-chief of the Guards of the Loren royal family, and was once his riding teacher.
On that scorching night filled with blood and fire, this loyal old knight fought with the Loren royal family until the last moment, until he died of exhaustion.
Thinking of this in his mind, the white knight stared at the tenacity between Duke's brows, and suddenly realized that this was exactly the same as Geraint.
"If you think about it carefully, the word "Jet" is an abbreviation of Geraint in the ancient Lorenzo language. Is this a knighthood composed of Geraint's descendants?"
Just when the white knight just thought of this in his mind.
Duke looked in disbelief and asked Sarah in confusion: "How do you know the name of your ancestor? Who are you? What is your connection with the Kingdom of Loren?"
Hearing the sound, Sarah still maintained a faint smile on her delicate face.
As the heir to the Loren royal family, while inheriting the strength and experience of his ancestors, he also mixed in some other memories of his ancestors, including Geraint.
Sarah did not answer Duke immediately. Instead, she took out a golden ring engraved with the emblem of a horse from her arms and showed it in front of Duke.
This ring, Lei Xiao recognized, was not a piece of equipment, but an ordinary ring. At the same time, it was also a symbol of the lost royal power of Loren.
"You, are you..."
Duke's eyes widened and he stared at the ring printed on the title page of the ancient family book, with an expression of shock.
As a descendant of Geraint, he naturally knows what that ring symbolizes, and the original purpose of the establishment of the "Jet Knights" was to find and be loyal to the descendants of the Loren royal family, just like the White Knights.
"I am now the glorious countess of the Leng Yan Kingdom, and I am also a loyal subordinate of His Highness the Prince. For His Highness the Prince, I am willing to give everything I have, including my life, at any time."
Sarah put away the ring and said solemnly to Duke: "Now you know what to do, right?"
After hearing Sarah's words, Duke saw that without any hesitation, he first bowed to the former, caressing his chest.
Then he knelt down in front of Lei Xiao and Ariel, and said firmly: "Your Royal Highness, Her Majesty the Queen, the "Jet Knights" are willing to fight side by side with the Cold Flame Kingdom until the end of their lives!"
As soon as Duke said this, Lei Xiao immediately understood the whole story and just nodded with a smile.
The other four leaders of the neutral forces were filled with astonishment and could not believe what they saw.
You must know that even among neutral organizations, the "Jet Knights" led by Duke are the most unique ones. They will never give face to any powerful people, let alone bow to any powerful people.
In other words, the "Jet Knights" should be the most staunchly neutral organization, but unexpectedly they became the first to bow their heads!
