Cerydra didn't hide the desire in her eyes at all. After all, if she wanted to establish a powerful empire, she had to recruit the world's top talents.
Furthermore, the system required her to recruit five subordinates, specifically those who were named characters in the original work.
To be honest, recruiting subordinates was easy enough, but completing the system's mission was difficult.
Except for a few exceptions, most named characters were basically associated with the Empire and held positions there.
In such a situation, poaching someone else's talent wasn't easy. After all, they were working fine and getting paid every month; why would they join a commander with no troops like her?
Not only was there no salary, there wasn't even a place to live.
So Cerydra's appeal was practically non-existent. Anyone with normal work experience wouldn't choose to join her camp.
Even if they had the intention to join, they would only come to pledge loyalty after Cerydra's forces had shown some progress.
As for now, the possibility was almost zero.
However, anyone who has read the Romance of the Three Kingdoms knows: why was the status of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei so high in the Shu Han camp? Was it because they arrived early?
It actually was!
Guan and Zhang didn't just arrive early; they were also Liu Bei's sworn brothers. Joining them were the fourth brother Zhao Zilong and the angel investor Mi Zhu.
They came early and stayed through the most difficult times, so these people always held high status in the future Shu Han.
Although Cerydra currently only had Hysilens as a subordinate, they were still two Demigods. There was still a very high probability of them achieving great things in this world.
If someone recognized this fact and joined early, their names would surely be etched into the future Northern Territory Empire.
"Join my command!"
Upon hearing these words, a look of 'as expected' appeared on Esdeath's face. She had just been wondering why the killing intent from the other party had suddenly diminished; she hadn't expected them to actually try to recruit her.
Despite her young age, Esdeath's judgment was clearly superior to that of ordinary people. She carefully scrutinized the figure before her, who was even more petite than herself, while her gaze shifted between Cerydra and Hysilens, clearly weighing her options.
Cerydra didn't deliberately interrupt her. After all, making a different choice would inevitably have a huge impact on the future; it was indeed something that needed careful thought.
That Esdeath would weigh the pros and cons was also within Cerydra's expectations.
However, if Esdeath made the wrong choice, Cerydra would see to it that she met her deserved end.
If Esdeath chose to join Caesar, then everyone would be happy. As the 'three sisters' at the founding of the Northern Territory Empire, they would surely turn the world upside down during this twilight of the Empire.
However, if Esdeath refused...
Then Cerydra couldn't be blamed for turning hostile!
Anyone who had seen akame ga kill couldn't possibly be unaware of Esdeath's potential, especially after she obtained the Ice Teigu, when her strength reached a level of its own in this world.
If Esdeath refused Cerydra's invitation, there was a high probability she would be recruited by the Empire in the future and once again become the Ice Queen of the original work.
At that point, Cerydra and Esdeath would have to face each other on the battlefield!
For a potential asset like Esdeath, if she couldn't be brought under her command, she had to be completely destroyed to eliminate future troubles!
Chess pieces only recognize friend or foe, but the world is not just black and white. Even in daily life, shifts in alignment are common, let alone in Imperial politics.
A benevolent monarch might not have made things difficult for Esdeath here, right?
But unfortunately, Cerydra could hardly be called a benevolent monarch; she was an ambitious hero, a tyrant!
'The Crown Burner,' 'The Dictator,' 'The Empress,' 'The Generalissimo,' 'Caesar'... the people of Amphoreus had given Cerydra so many titles, but those that could be considered good were so few as to be negligible.
Cerydra did have a gentle side, but those who could see it probably wouldn't exceed the number of fingers on one hand.
"I agree!"
As the seconds ticked by, Esdeath finally made the most important choice of her life. The girl wearing the headscarf looked directly into Caesar's eyes and spoke the decision that would affect her entire life.
"A wise choice!"
Cerydra naturally had no complaints about Esdeath's choice, but...
"If I hadn't agreed, you wouldn't have let me leave alive, would you?"
As a member of the Northern Tribes living in the snow, Esdeath had developed extremely keen senses from a young age, especially regarding killing intent.
It was true that after Cerydra saw Esdeath's true face, the killing intent had weakened significantly, but weakening didn't mean it had disappeared. In fact, that killing intent had grown heavier while Esdeath was weighing her options.
So Esdeath recognized reality: if she refused the invitation of this petite girl, the fate awaiting her would probably be no better than that of the Danger Beasts from earlier.
"Naturally. Do you have an objection to my decision?"
Cerydra didn't hide her intention to kill Esdeath at all. An ordinary person would surely feel resentful at this point, wouldn't they?
But Esdeath was completely different. Seeing such an 'honest' Cerydra, she unexpectedly nodded in approval.
"I have no objection."
"Survival of the fittest is the law of this world. You are stronger than me, so you naturally get to decide my life or death."
The worldview Esdeath had accepted since childhood was survival of the fittest. Her father had even instructed her on this principle until his death...
"The reason we die is simply because we are too weak; there's nothing that can be done about it."
Esdeath didn't feel there was anything wrong with the strong preying on the weak; instead, she accepted it quite naturally. Even being on the weaker side herself couldn't change this deep-seated belief.
Besides, Cerydra had just demonstrated absolute strength, handling Esdeath as effortlessly as if she were toying with a child.
So for Esdeath, Cerydra, this powerful and unusually honest little girl, was definitely a great person to follow!
"Alright, since you've joined my ranks, you'll naturally receive a decent title..."
"Let me think, what title would be appropriate?"
Cerydra's favorite thing was coming up with good titles for her subordinates. Since Esdeath had already joined, she would naturally receive a catchy 'fine name.'
"Hmm, as expected, this title suits you best..."
"Dux Frigium!"