The wheels of the carriage made a squeaking sound, supporting the carriage as it ran on the road that had become rugged and dilapidated. The old cowboy whipped the horse, urging the horse, which was as old as him, to run faster.
This was Lin Ao's first time riding a carriage. The bumpy carriage made him want to take a nap in the carriage, and he started chatting with the man who called himself Jiro.
"Mr. Jiro, have you ever been in a carriage before?"
Jiro smiled and shook his head: "No, I am actually a space person. I came to North America to do business before the war. Now I go to Chicago for business. Where are you two? What are you doing in Chicago?"
Before Lin Ao could think of a reply, Dmitri, who had been silent since just now, spoke first. But he seemed a little uncomfortable. The first time he opened his mouth, nothing came out. He coughed before saying, "Looking for an old friend."
Jiro was still smiling and looked at Dmitri. There was a bead of sweat on Dmitri's forehead, but fortunately he couldn't see it from Jiro's direction.
"Are you from New Muscovy?"
Dmitri nodded, said nothing, turned around and pretended to sleep. Lin Ao thought he was a little uncomfortable being pushed, but it didn't look like it was too important.
"are you uncomfortable?"
"Hmm... It's a bit disgusting. You don't have to worry about me."
Seeing Dmitri's cold attitude, Lin Ao had no choice but to continue chatting with Jiro: "Mr. Jiro, there are wars everywhere now. What business are you doing?"
"Arms, we bought weapons from Mr. Lucas in Chicago and resold them to the North American Relief and Rescue guerrillas."
"Wow! Then you are very powerful! I also know some guerrillas!"
Lin Ao heard that Jiro had business with the North American Rescue League and became interested. But Dmitri quietly kicked him with his toes. Lin Ao thought that Dmitri was sleeping and moved around, so he didn't pay attention.
"Oh? Do you know the Death Knight? He is very famous in the next state."
"Uh..." Although Lin Ao opened this topic himself, he was not so thoughtful that he would tell someone he just met. "I don't know him, but I've heard of it."
"Oh..." Jiro seemed a little disappointed. He said, "I have only heard of him, but I don't know if his reputation is worthy of his reputation."
As soon as these words came out, the feathers in the carriage became extremely quiet, because Jiro's words seemed to put the "Death Knight" in the position of his opponent, and Lin Ao began to wonder about Jiro's identity.
Jiro didn't feel that he had made a mistake, he still looked calm and composed. He asked Lin Ao: "What do you think of this war?"
Lin Ao shook his head: "HER is going against the grain and will definitely not last long."
Jiro didn't express his position, but Ebina, who had been silent all this time, was dissatisfied: "Why did you say that?"
Lin Ao: "I have traveled to many places, and people are dissatisfied with HER and want Frederick to be destroyed immediately!"
"You!!" Hearing Lin Ao call HER's emperor Frederick the Great, Ebina's expression was twisted with anger, which frightened Lin Ao.
"Sorry, this friend of mine is also a cosmic being, and there are some cosmic beings who support the ideals of Frederick the Great."
Jiro patted Ebina on the shoulder. Ebina knew that he had lost his composure and showed an expression of shame.
Lin Ao was now a little suspicious of the identity of these two people, but he did not want to conflict with them, so he asked sincerely: "Mr. Jiro asked me this question, but what do you think about it yourself?"
Jiro: "I hope the war will end soon, but I don't know yet which side will win."
"You are doing business with the guerrillas, shouldn't you support the position of the North American Relief Alliance?"
"I'm sorry, I'm a businessman and a cosmic person. I can't think about issues from the perspective of the earth. For a long time, the people of the cosmos have indeed been exploited and oppressed by the earth. But HER's independent movement is too radical, and the people of the cosmos don't like it either. . Just like the world war started by a bearded Austrian in the past, it will inevitably end in failure, but you can’t see it yet.”
"So, you think Frederick the Great and HER will fail?"
"That's right."
Jiro nodded, and Ebina beside him opened his mouth and looked shocked, as if he didn't expect Jiro to be like this. Even Dmitri, who was pretending to be asleep, moved when he heard it.
Seeing Jiro like this made Lin Ao's hanging heart calmer.
"Mr. Jiro also hopes that everything will go back to the past."
"After this war, the people on earth should relax their oppression of the universe. This is enough. But it cannot be completely the same as in the past. The major forces have existed for a long time, and new forces need to replace them. For example, the original North American forces, It is their incompetence that has led to the current situation, and even the birth of HER is due to their policies towards their subordinate colonial satellites."
Lin Ao asked: "But...will the people of North America recognize the sudden emergence of new forces?"
"Then let the new forces defeat the old forces and control the entire North America!"
Jiro didn't seem to be joking, Lin Ao was worried: "But...if it really gets to that point. Wouldn't it be that everyone has not recovered from the pain of the last war, and they are killing each other again?"
"Everything in nature is full of battles. Human beings have developed to this point by fighting with nature and fighting with each other! Peace is only achieved because of fear of Peter's power. Only with power can there be other consequences."
Lin Ao shook his head: "No, I think you are wrong. I have seen the relics of the legendary era. Human beings in the past were far more advanced than they are now. But they still had a fighting spirit, which caused their civilization and technology to turn into dust... If the new North American forces have the same idea as you, I'm afraid they will become the second HER."
Jiro smiled contemptuously: "How did human civilization disappear in the past? There is no conclusion yet, right? You were destroyed in a fight, but I think it was a big rock falling from the sky that destroyed past civilization like the extinction of the dinosaurs."
Lin Ao sighed: "But, Mr. Jiro, how can you be sure that the new North American power will be better than before?"
Jiro smiled again, but this time his smile was unfathomable. He said, "As long as the founder is a man of both civil and military skills and both political integrity and talent."
"Where are these people?"
"Far away, close at hand."
"Are you... you?"
Jiro didn't answer, his smile faded a little, and the car became quiet again.
The old cowboy driving the car: "We're almost here in Chicago! Find your own way to pass Mr. Lucas' inspection!"
Lin Ao asked: "Do I need to be inspected when entering the city?"
"Hey, don't worry. Just give the guards some benefits, you know!"
The carriage drove for a while before stopping. Before Lin Ao and others got out of the car, Edward, who had changed into denim clothes, suddenly opened the curtain and got in, smiling: "Hey! I knew you were on this train, you guys …”
Edward found that in the car besides Lin Ao, there was Demetri, and two people who were not the crew of the Osiris. He glanced at Jiro curiously and froze. Jiro was stunned when he saw Edward, but he suddenly smiled and shook hands with Lin Ao again to say goodbye: "I rarely talk to people about the topic just now. Young man, you have the power to make people get close to you, which is rare! Hope you can stay away from this war. Goodbye!!”
"You're honored! I also wish you safety and health!"
Lin Ao simply thought that Jiro was praising him. When Edward saw that Jiro was about to get out of the car, he immediately stepped aside and glared at each other with Ebina.
Seeing that Jiro and Ebina had passed the inspection of the guards and entered the city, Edward and Dmitri, who was pretending to sleep, jumped up at the same time and grabbed Lin Ao: "You idiot!! Do you know who that man is!!"
Lin Ao was stunned: "Ah? Do you know Mr. Jiro?"
Edward and Demetri said in unison again: "His name is not Jiro!! His name is Sasaki Musashi, the commander-in-chief of the HER North American Army!!"
