-1527- Decide for yourselves

"————"

The oppressive atmosphere filled the space between them, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

Especially for River and Cris, whose hearts were tight, unable to speak a word.

Even Annerose was the same, staring at Rozen, unable to open her mouth for a long time.

Because no one expected that the first question Rozen would ask upon arriving here would be this.

It was practically hitting the bullseye in one shot.

Among all the hidden secrets, the one Rozen mentioned was absolutely the most secretive, the one that could never be revealed.

So, Annerose and the others could only fall into silence.

Rozen, however, wasn't in any hurry. He quietly looked at Annerose, his eyes clear and full of light.

Seeing Rozen like this, everyone, including Annerose, couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration.

To be able to calmly assess the situation under such circumstances showed Rozen's wisdom, just as the rumors had said.

But...

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you about that right now."

Annerose took a deep breath and gave this answer.

"Is that so?" Rozen squinted, seemingly indifferent. "But I seem to recall that your holiness intended to offer this as a reward to the winner of the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival, right?"

Hearing this, Annerose instead smiled bitterly.

"Mr. Rorelei, you're a smart person. You should know very well why I would use such words as the reward for the winner of the Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival, right?"

Annerose said this.

Rozen had long guessed that Annerose used this reward to attract all the sky wizards from the floating cities around the world, intending to use them as forces to fight the Zeth faction.

Beyond that, Zeth's people would also be drawn by this so-called reward.

In that case, this Sky Wizards Martial Arts Festival might just become the stage for the showdown between the Pope's faction and Zeth's faction.

"So, it's not yet time to tell you." Annerose said helplessly, "But if Mr. Rorelei decides to join us, we will naturally reveal more secrets to you then."

This was understandable.

Just like when Rozen recruited Mina to switch teams, even though there was a significant mission at hand, they couldn't tell her the details before she joined the S128 Special Task Force, in case vital information was leaked.

Annerose was the same. She surely held information that could be considered on the level of "the truth of the world's creation," but due to the importance of this information, she couldn't reveal it to an outsider.

And now, Annerose couldn't confirm whether Rozen would join them.

Given that, such a major secret naturally couldn't be easily disclosed to Rozen.

"I can only tell you that we know more than you might imagine."

Annerose spoke, as if trying to lure Rozen in.

"What are the Armored Beetles?"

"Why did they appear in this world?"

"Why do humans fight them?"

"What happened four hundred years ago?"

"We know all of this."

Annerose spoke these words with a strong, firm voice.

"As long as Mr. Rorelei is willing to join us and fight the Armored Beetles with us, I will definitely share these critical pieces of information with you."

The implication was that if Rozen didn't join them, Annerose wouldn't reveal anything.

It wasn't a threat but a legitimate right.

No one would choose to reveal important information to an outsider. If that outsider became one of them, however, it would be another story.

Rozen, of course, understood this well.

But...

"You have the right to withhold information, and I have the right to make my choice."

Rozen responded bluntly.

"Your Holiness, please understand, I didn't come to see you because I want to know this so-called secret."

In fact, even if Rozen didn't know these secrets, it didn't matter much to him.

Otherwise, Rozen wouldn't have stayed in Mistgun all this time, insisting on his research instead of flying around the world in search of the truth.

And with Rozen's abilities, if he really wanted to know these truths, would it be difficult for him?

The fact that he didn't know was not because he lacked the ability, but because he simply didn't care.

Therefore, Rozen came here not to trade with Annerose, but to give the Pope a chance.

Yes, a chance.

"I will decide whether or not to join you based on the truth you reveal."

Rozen stated bluntly.

"Make no mistake, this is not about you using the truth to gain my strength. It's about whether or not you can give me a reason, one that convinces me to join you."

That was the point of this conversation.

That was the nature of this negotiation.

However, these words would not sit well with everyone.

"What do you mean by that?" River widened his eyes, a bit angry as he addressed Rozen. "You're a human sky wizard, so naturally, you should be fighting with us to prevent humans from being wiped out by the Armored Beetles!"

Clearly, once again, no one expected Rozen to say something that disregarded his identity as a human.

But Rozen only chuckled.

"If you say that, I have to ask." Rozen looked at Cris and calmly said, "Chief Executive, you're an Armored Beetle, aren't you? Since you're an Armored Beetle, why did you choose to stand with humans and betray Zeth?"

That simple question made Cris's eyes waver, and River was rendered speechless.

It was the sharpest possible counterattack, wasn't it?

"Surely, the Chief Executive has her own reasons for standing with humans, even though she's an Armored Beetle, right?" Rozen said indifferently. "So, as a human, who can say I must stand with humans and not with the Armored Beetles?"

Otherwise, why would Zeth try so hard to recruit Rozen?

Therefore, race couldn't explain everything.

It wasn't that Rozen didn't want to help the human race, but in a war between two races, their starting points and higher purposes were crucial.

"I won't blindly choose a side, nor will I be biased because of race. If you can convince me, I'll join you. It's that simple."

Rozen laid out his position.

"Zeth failed to convince me and even attacked me, so I'm now his enemy."

"If you can't convince me, I'll leave. And if you try to attack me, I don't mind becoming your enemy either."

"As for the outcome of your battle with Zeth, that will have nothing to do with me."

"I'll just say that my goal is not to fight all the Armored Beetles, only Zeth. If I can achieve that, my purpose for coming to Vebel will be fulfilled."

"You can decide for yourselves."

With that, Rozen turned and left.

Only Annerose, Cris, and River were left, watching Rozen walk away, speechless for a long time.