Hearing a voice telling him to wait, William stopped in his tracks and instructed Sunday through his earpiece to send a helicopter to pick him up. Then, he turned back to look at the elder who was hurrying over and asked thoughtfully, "What is it?"
The elder walked up to William and respectfully said, "Mr. Devonshire, please forgive my rudeness, but may I ask you a question?"
"Hmm." William nodded. "I should have about ten minutes to spare."
The elder hadn't expected William's attitude toward him to be so different from before. The words he had prepared suddenly seemed inappropriate, and after stammering for a moment, he finally asked, "You've encountered the Decepticons on the Moon, as well as Starscream and Blackout. Have you ever met Megatron?"
"I have," William said with a smirk. "Not only did I meet him, but I also tore him apart. Why? Do you want to plead for his release?"
"No, no, no!"
Hearing that the infamous Megatron had actually been dismantled, the elder was so shocked that he took a step back. At the same time, his attitude toward William became even more reverent.
Quickly waving his hands in denial, he explained, "Please don't misunderstand, Lord Devonshire. Not only are we not on the same side as Megatron, but we've actually been at war with him for countless years.
You taking him down is something we would never blame you for. On the contrary, we should be thanking you for eliminating our lifelong enemy."
"Hah." William chuckled at the elder's nervousness. "It won't be long before you'll be even more grateful to me."
Ever since he had set his sights on finding Merlin's staff, William had been prepared to deal with Quintessa, the Transformer witch.
However, this battle wouldn't necessarily have to take place on Earth.
And since he was going to take down Quintessa, he might as well take care of the Fallen and that so-called Sentinel Prime while he was at it.
"Even more grateful?" The elder asked, both puzzled and concerned. "What do you mean…?"
"You'll understand in time."
William wasn't about to disclose his plans or anything that hadn't happened yet. "Now, tell me—what do you actually want from me?"
"Well… um…" The elder hesitated, but when William shot him a sharp look, he quickly got to the point. "There are rumors that extraterrestrial affairs in England are entirely managed by you and your department.
Given that, do you think there's any chance that the Autobots currently residing on Earth could join your department in order to obtain the right to live in England?
Also, some new allies, for various reasons, need to enter Earth. If I help them register in advance, would they be allowed to land in England?"
"So you're applying for alien immigration through employment?" William looked at the elder with interest before suddenly adding, "Now that you mention it, I almost forgot.
From this moment on, all Transformers within England must report to Kingsman."
Hearing this, the elder nearly slapped himself in frustration. Great—now he hadn't just failed to get what he wanted, but he'd also put himself on William's radar.
Fortunately, William's next words put him somewhat at ease. "However, considering that many of you have fought alongside us before,
I will personally offer those Transformers who have contributed to England the opportunity to receive an annual major overhaul and maintenance.
And for those willing to serve Kingsman, they will receive…"
William paused at this point and then cast a wizarding spell—Rejuvenation—on the elder.
In an instant, the aged Transformer looked as though he had been reborn. His once worn-out and dull exterior now gleamed with a bright metallic sheen.
Unfortunately, before the elder could fully appreciate his rejuvenation, he sighed dejectedly. "Mr. Devonshire, while your magic is indeed effective, it doesn't change the fact that we lack energy sources."
As soon as he said this, his glowing blue eyes locked onto the energy crystal in William's hand. "This… this is an Energon crystal!"
Shocked, the elder stared at it for a long moment before excitedly asking, "How do you have a universal energy source that isn't naturally found in the solar system?"
William didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "So, this type of energy is useful to you Transformers as well?"
"Of course! Of course!" The elder nodded enthusiastically. "We are silicon-based lifeforms. Any absorbable energy serves as our food and sustains our lives.
Otherwise, over the past century, the majority of Transformers wouldn't have taken the forms of cars, planes, or military tanks—doing so allows us to obtain readily available energy sources like electricity and petroleum to survive and fight.
And if I hadn't been under the protection of the Burton family, which provided me with resources to convert into energy, I would have turned into a pile of scrap metal long ago."
"Alright, alright, I'm not interested in hearing about how you survived for over a thousand years," William interrupted impatiently. "I just want to know—if I provide you with Energon crystals and offer protection to law-abiding Transformers, will you serve me and fight for me?"
"Absolutely!" the elder answered without hesitation. "With access to universal energy sources, even the oldest Transformers can regain their strength.
And as long as the damage isn't fatal, with sufficient energy and a supply of metal materials, injuries can be quickly repaired.
Under such conditions, many among us would certainly be willing to serve you."
"Excellent," William nodded in satisfaction. "You can inform the Autobots, as well as any Decepticons who no longer wish to fight or cause destruction, that Kingsman welcomes them. We encourage them to work in exchange for a better life.
But once they join, they must follow military regulations. If anyone dares to disobey orders, I won't hesitate to enforce military discipline—and in severe cases, they might even be dismantled. Understood?"
"Understood. Since we will be working for you, we will naturally follow your orders."
After saying this, the elder's gaze drifted toward the castle entrance, where an old Mark I tank from World War I was parked.
Seeing this, William immediately understood what this ancient being, who had lived for at least a thousand years, was implying. With a flick of his finger, the Energon crystal embedded itself into the tank.
A series of mechanical sounds followed—clank, clank, clank.
Then, a wave of blue energy swept across the tank. In mere seconds, the ancient, decrepit machine had transformed into a modern Challenger 2 tank.
However, William quickly noticed that although it resembled a Challenger 2, it was smaller—likely due to a lack of metal materials.
Even so, the transformation seemed absurd. William frowned and asked, "Just one crystal, which provides enough energy for a small spaceship for a day, was enough to cause this much of a change?"
"Lord Devonshire," the elder explained, "you must understand—compared to aerial and space models, land-based Transformers require far less energy.
The cost of a tank, no matter how expensive, is still far less than that of a fighter jet. And a fighter jet, in turn, is far cheaper than a spaceship."
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
For every 50 Power Stones, one extra chapter will be released on Saturday.