"Aragorn, go select sixty junior disciples, twenty from each territory, including junior disciples specializing in statistics, politics, agriculture, botany, architecture, planning, design, engineering, civil engineering, manufacturing, physics, and other fields. Then, take my writ to the barracks and have these twenty junior disciples, accompanied by one hundred Knights, go to a territory. They must suppress any resistance and plan and design everything in those territories. I need a detailed plan report in one month. The command will be led by students from the military department, and I grant them the freedom to assess enemy attacks and retreats."
Kailar spoke decisively to Aragorn, one of the only two people beside him, the other being Artoria.
"Understood, Teacher. I'll go now." Aragorn swiftly exited Versailles Palace, leaving Kailar and his family to catch up.
"Father, is there anything else?" Kailar's expression of wanting to leave was perfect.
"Nothing else, but I want you to know that next month we are going to the Royal Capital to pull the sword." Grand Duke Andrei seemed a bit old. "His Majesty the King is too fond of that woman. Damn it, that woman has been with His Majesty for so many years and still hasn't given birth to a Prince! I should have killed her sooner! If there were a Prince now, we wouldn't have to rely on pulling the sword to decide who is qualified to be King… Damn those bloodline-obsessed bastards…"
"He's at it again." Shrugging, Kailar was long used to his father's notion of loyalty to the Royal Family and the importance of bloodline. In his father's eyes, bloodlines could evolve, but the next generation must be elites. And this commoner-like act of pulling a sword, for a country, would certainly be a disaster in the future.
Artoria, on the other hand, gave the Grand Duke a deep look, as if to imprint him deeply in her mind.
Gawain was also brought back by Kailar. He and his Knights, about four hundred strong, were all elites. One hundred of them were Knights personally bestowed by the King. Clearly, these men were extremely loyal to King Uther, which is why they directly abandoned Birmingham and followed Gawain in rebellion.
This point was clearly very important. Each Knight of the Round Table had his own story, and their combat power was extremely formidable. Even though Grand Duke Andrei possessed Demon Horse Knights, they would still pale in comparison to the Knights of the Round Table.
Among Grand Duke Andrei's Demon Horse Knights, only a mere eight hundred held titles… These eight hundred were all top-tier heroes, capable of wrestling lions barehanded and slaying monsters at sea. One could say these eight hundred were the essence of Red Leaf Ridge's armed forces!
And Gawain, as one of the future Knights of the Round Table, had an undisputed combat prowess. As someone capable of completely outclassing other Knights and Lancelot to become the head of the original Knights, Gawain's combat power was self-evident, and he naturally needed to be won over. As for how to win him over? As cousins, what more needed to be said between their two families?
Among the three, Kailar was always the leader. The same applied to the other trio: Kailar, Artoria, and Lancelot.
"That… Kay." As the three were about to exit Versailles Palace, Artoria, after several hesitations, finally asked her question.
"Hmm?" Kailar didn't turn his head, but Gawain looked at Artoria with a strange gaze. Gawain was rather unaccustomed to his childhood companion suddenly becoming a woman. "What do you think of the Royal Family? In terms of bloodline?" Artoria, having been with Kailar for so long, still knew these things. Her question made Kailar snort. "Bloodline? While I admit that such things can, due to parental factors, give children a certain chance of being intelligent, it's clear that postnatal education is key. Bloodline itself doesn't mean much, but parental education is the most important…"
Kailar's tone suddenly became cheerful: "But now that we've opened an academy, in just ten years… no, in just five years, we will be able to cultivate a large number of knowledgeable children… And twenty years from now, these children will pass their knowledge to their own children, and our academy will continuously improve and evolve through the accumulation of knowledge… The accumulation of knowledge is the best driving force for scientific progress… Infinite exploration will eventually lead Camelot to the gates of truth one day." Kailar was as happy as a poet at this moment.
"No, I wasn't talking about that. I meant, what do you think of royal power, of the King?" Artoria said hesitantly.
"Such things are irrelevant." Kailar gently shook his head, gazing at the beautiful scenery of Red Leaf Ridge and sighing softly. "If the King is mediocre and useless, he will be controlled after my father's hundredth birthday. If the King can maintain a tacit understanding with me, like King Uther maintains this kind of relationship, then even loyalty is fine. I need a grand stage, you know, Artoria. I don't care who the King is; I only care who can provide me with this stage." Kailar's words did not surprise Artoria, as she had expected them from him.
Kailar was a man of strong emotions, for he would not betray his father and mother. Kailar was also a proud man, for he would never tolerate anyone encroaching upon his domain. Kailar was also an understanding man; he knew where Artoria's self-esteem lay, so even though they had slept together and made love, he still treated her as his guard Knight.
But Kailar would absolutely not allow his talents to be like those unappreciated scientists and politicians of history, who lived and died in obscurity!
Clearly, the appearance of two powerful and influential figures—the future King of Macedonia, Alexander, who would command half the world, and Nero of Rome—gave him even greater confidence. He needed a stage, a grand stage! Only then could he showcase his talents, only then could he realize his dreams. He wanted to become incredibly, incomparably great!
The Four Great Generals of the West? Those were but fleeting reputations.
Qin Shi Huang, the Great Emperor of the East? That was merely from the mouths of historians.
Confucius, who enlightened all under heaven? After five thousand years, his philosophy only continued within Asia. To influence the West, that would be an unknown number of years in the future.
Kailar wanted to be the founder… Nuclear vibration? String theory? Schrödinger's cat?
Unwilling! Unwilling! He wanted to be the founder of everything! Physics, chemistry, mathematics, literature, agriculture, forestry, everything… He wanted to become truly unparalleled in the world!!
Kailar's ambition, Kailar's purpose, Kailar's aspirations, Kailar's grand stage!!