Only half an hour passed.
The mock battle between the Aden Kingdom and Germa 66, a contest of "war and peace," had concluded.
Amateurs enjoy the spectacle, while experts see the substance.
Unfortunately, every single Germa 66 clone soldier present was an "amateur" at the strategic level.
They only saw the complex clash unfolding on the sand table, but they had no idea about the intense mental and strategic battle taking place!
All the clone soldiers could see was their commander, Judge, launching attacks with one piece after another, while the envoy countered each move with another piece.
Both sides' pieces were being "consumed" at an astonishing rate.
Finally, Judge stopped, declaring a draw.
This was likely the highest praise for the envoy, because in terms of sheer numbers and combat experience, the Aden Kingdom was like a child playing against an adult compared to Germa 66.
One below, one above!
Even with the incredibly powerful army of Remnants, the fundamental strategic gap couldn't be bridged.
. . . At least, not until the envoy intervened.
Judge could confirm that if his opponent had been the current ruler of the Aden Kingdom, this offensive and defensive battle would have been decided within a few hours!
There was no other possibility; the war would have inevitably ended with the annihilation of the Aden Kingdom.
But the envoy's strategic command had unified the Aden Kingdom's seemingly scattered army.
Each small unit demonstrated incredible combat power far beyond its limits, and combined with the inherent defensive advantage of the terrain, they repeatedly repelled Germa 66's attacks!
There was even a time when, if Judge's model soldiers hadn't retreated in time, the envoy would have had the capability to counter-attack into the Germa Kingdom!
Judge had never faced an opponent like this before.
Unknowingly, a few drops of cold sweat had appeared on his forehead.
The final outcome concluded with Judge feeling a slight headache.
On the simulated sand table, the armies of the Aden Kingdom and Germa 66's main forces were wiped out, the Aden Kingdom was declared defeated, and Germa 66 suffered immense, irrecoverable damage.
If reality were similar, Judge thought, the World Government would surely hear about it next month. . . no, next week, and subtly eradicate Germa 66 completely!
This was an outcome Judge absolutely did not want to see.
Therefore, Judge began to consider withdrawing.
After all, to outsiders, this clash appeared to be a draw, and there weren't even any "outsiders" watching.
Since that was the case, it seemed perfectly fine for him to withdraw promptly.
But just now, the envoy suddenly blurted out a few things—
"Wait, how about another round?"
"Hmm, I finally have some free time to watch. This game is interesting, and I think I've figured out a better solution. . ."
At the same time, the envoy's aura had changed drastically.
Unlike before, when he was gentle or cheerful, the envoy now exuded a sense of "excitement."
It wasn't a reckless or rude kind of euphoria, but a pure, clean "excitement," as if he had found a fun new toy.
This emotion, which should have only belonged to children, now shone from the envoy's eyes.
But how could someone who could kill hundreds or thousands of soldiers with a wave of his hand possess such "clean" eyes?
Judge couldn't understand, and he was very curious about what the envoy had just said.
That statement contained a lot of information.
First, there was "another round" in the first part.
Judge didn't believe the envoy hadn't noticed his intention to withdraw, and the envoy's original purpose was to make Germa 66 retreat.
Why, at the last moment, was the envoy now asking Judge to continue the simulated battle?
And then there was the envoy's second sentence—"I finally have some free time to watch."
This statement felt completely different from anything the envoy had said before.
It was as if he had suddenly become another person!
. . . Wait.
Become another person?
Judge recalled how the envoy had suddenly shown Rowan's face just now, and then explained the principle behind the "envoy" move to him.
Could it be that the current "envoy" was not an independent conscious entity, but a projection of Ryan Rowan's true consciousness?
This inference was naturally quite outlandish.
But Rowan had displayed too many extraordinary abilities before, making it impossible for Judge to deny this absurd thought!
After a pause, Judge finally asked:
"Who. . . are you now?"
The "envoy" heard Judge's words but continued to stroke his chin. After a moment, he seemed to realize.
"Hmm? Me?"
The "envoy" smiled. "I am Ryan Rowan."
Just as he thought!
At this moment, Judge finally confirmed his inner guess.
The independent consciousness of the "envoy" was no longer there; it had been replaced by Ryan Rowan himself!
How he had managed this, Judge didn't know, nor did he know why Rowan had reoccupied the envoy's body at this time.
But the most crucial point was that the person sitting before Judge was indeed Ryan Rowan himself!
And what he said also made Judge extremely curious.
"I think I've also figured out a better solution. . ."
Was he implying that Ryan Rowan had conceived of a better strategic plan than the envoy?
Judge certainly wasn't convinced by such a guess.
It was already an incredible achievement for the envoy to make that rabble, the Aden Kingdom, stand up to Germa 66.
Now Ryan Rowan suddenly appears through the envoy's body, telling Judge he has a better solution?
A strong competitive spirit and pride made Judge sit back down in front of the sand table and open the nearby box again.
"In that case, let's have another round!"
"Mm, sure."
Rowan appeared quite happy at this moment.
And just as Judge was about to order the sand table to be reset, the envoy—or rather, "Rowan's avatar"—suddenly reached out, bypassing the entire sand table.
Immediately, the "fierce" battle on the sand table was reset, returning to its initial state.
"Please."
Rowan, through the envoy's body, extended his hand. His words were polite, but they gave Judge an undeniable feeling.
Then, the battle resumed!
. . .
Ten minutes later.
Judge's face turned ashen.
He looked at his own pieces, which had been annihilated, and fell into a brief silence.
This was no longer a matter of "persuading the enemy to retreat."
Judge was now concerned with something else—
If Ryan Rowan changed his mind and decided to lead the Aden Kingdom's army to annihilate Germa 66, how could he minimize the losses?
This was Judge's conclusion after sparring with the true Ryan Rowan for ten minutes.
This man in front of him must never be provoked on the "battlefield"!
"It seems I've won."
Rowan looked at Judge with a smile.
"But I've thought of an even better solution."
"Now, do you want to play another round, or shall we talk terms?"
---
You can read 50+ more chapter on patreon com/JYouyi