Chapter 387 The Empire's Vigour for Half a Year

He let out a breath, rubbed his hands, and immediately sent a video link, which was quite powerful.

It's really interesting to fight with this old fox.

He raised his hand, and the surroundings suddenly became dark. The appearance changed, and Qinglong came online.

The screen flashed, and the majestic face of Prince Costa appeared.

"Your Excellency Qinglong..." Costat said politely, "This is the first time we meet. I've long heard of your great name."

Li Ming remained noncommittal. "Your Highness is a powerful and influential person. Perhaps I have seen you from below at a banquet."

Kostat's eyes moved slightly, and he just smiled and said, "Your Excellency Qinglong, you are too polite. If we really met, I would definitely remember it vividly."

The two of them feigned friendship for a while, but neither of them got any useful information.

Costat stated his purpose, "I contacted you this time mainly to express my gratitude for saving Abel's life during the student's most critical moment."

He said solemnly, "I will always remember this kindness in my heart."

Old man, Li Ming snorted secretly. On the surface, he was saying that Qinglong saved Abel, but in fact he was also reminding that he also saved Li Ming.

Li Ming said with emotion: "You have already paid it back, haven't you? In public, you are willing to stop Prince Ryan. It is touching."

Costat smiled. "I had already promised you, Your Excellency, so I must fulfill my promise. Besides, even if I didn't stop you, I believe that with your ability, Li Ming's life would not be in danger."

Li Ming's eyes flashed. At that moment, Ryan was right in front of him. For Class X, it was only a matter of thought.

Saying that it can be guaranteed sounds a bit hard-headed.

Saying no naturally makes you feel weaker, and there's a vague feeling of owing someone a favor.

"A master craftsman is just a master craftsman, and he can't reverse time and space." Li Ming said helplessly.

Kostat chuckled and was about to speak when he heard Qinglong continue:

"So during this time, I have been trying to find a way to repay your kindness."

"I have some connections in the Holy Revolutionary Army, and I got a few videos a while ago."

Costat's face tensed slightly, and the next moment he received the file sent by Qinglong. As soon as he opened it, his pupils suddenly contracted.

The video shows a seriously injured Diaz, who is wailing: "The royal family, it was the royal family who betrayed me, what on earth do they want to do!"

The primary suspect in the attack on Diaz was the Holy Revolutionary Army, as he disappeared on the way to ambush the enemy.

Costat frowned slightly, not sure whether the video was real or fake. The video might be fake, and the Diaz in the video might be someone else impersonating him.

But he fell silent after seeing the earlier videos, which were the battle scenes from the beginning, in which Diaz showed his liberated form.

The liberated form of an S-class life form can already be considered a unique symbol. Coupled with those warships, as long as it is confirmed that this video is not a synthesis, it can be basically confirmed to be true.

The method to determine whether the video is synthesized is very simple, and he believes that Qinglong will not fool him in this way.

Thinking of this, his face turned ugly. The empire had finally gathered some strength. If this video was leaked, that madman Ryan would definitely not let it go.

Unnecessary turmoil will arise internally.

"This video is extremely valuable," Costat said gravely. "I hope it doesn't fall into the hands of others."

"Of course." Li Ming smiled. "I went through great lengths to find this in order to repay your kindness."

Costat was silent. This was their first confrontation, with Li Ming's life-saving grace as the key point. It couldn't be considered a failure, but it wasn't a success either.

As for who killed Diaz, Qinglong or the Holy Revolutionary Army, it didn't matter to him.

His expression subsided, knowing he wasn't going to gain any advantage, so he simply went straight to the final topic, "Your Excellency Qinglong, I have a more important reason for contacting you this time."

"Oh." Li Ming cooperated and showed an expression of listening attentively.

Costat explained, "The interstellar situation is currently turbulent and undercurrents are surging. As a prominent civilization within the galaxy, the Empire is planning to establish a peacekeeping organization under the umbrella of the Interstellar Alliance to maintain interstellar peace. We primarily invite life forms of considerable prestige and strength to join."

"It would be best to solve the many problems facing the galaxy without resorting to war."

This is the Empire’s response, get people on board first?

Or in the name of the Interstellar Alliance, how did they convince the Federation and the Star Cluster Republican Alliance? Li Ming was puzzled.

"We call this organization the Alliance of Higher Life Forms. Are you interested in being the leader?" Costat then stated his real purpose.

"Leader?" Li Ming was surprised and sneered secretly. It was a good idea.

These organizations have more symbolic significance than practical significance. Moreover, they were created by the empire to deal with the current situation. No one knows what changes will happen in the future, but the leaders will inevitably bear the brunt.

He had no interest in being a target and was even somewhat reluctant to join in.

But on second thought, I felt something was wrong.

There is still no united organization of higher life forms in the interstellar space. The Mechanics Association is already the largest unofficial united organization.

The union of higher life forms has always been a trend that all major interstellar civilizations have jointly resisted.

It’s not that there haven’t been people in history who wanted to take the lead, but such an organization is too threatening. The leader of any small civilization can see the hidden dangers, not to mention these top interstellar civilizations.

This peace organization has a similar prototype.

The empire has great ambitions.

Li Ming tried his best to think from a broader perspective and not just consider this one matter. He then remembered something Abel had once told him.

In response to the withdrawal of the Interstellar Mechanics Association, the Empire has drafted a prototype of the Royal Mechanics Association, preparing to directly take over the resources left by the Mechanics Association.

He remembered a saying: crisis is also an opportunity. Let the empire really get through it. Tsk tsk…

Although there may be some suspicion of over-speculation, when facing the empire, no amount of over-speculation is excessive.

Let's leave some room for discussion. Li Ming changed his mind and said, "I'm used to being idle and don't have the ability to lead others. So, just leave a position for me."

Costat's face was calm; Li Ming's reaction was within his expectations.

"However, I'm a bit busy recently and may not be able to cooperate with the publicity, so there is no need to announce my joining for the time being," Li Ming added.

On the one hand, we think of the empire as being too powerful, but on the other hand, we also consider that the other party may be trying to usurp the throne, for example, they actually don’t have a single member now.

Costat's face darkened, because he was afraid that they would get something for nothing without giving him any chance. They were really thieves.

"Your Excellency is worrying too much." Costat said, without rejecting Qinglong's words.

After the game, both of them felt a little bored with each other. Costat chatted for a while and then ended the call.

Li Ming thought about it and contacted Abel again, but did not receive a reply until mid-afternoon.

From him, Li Ming was shocked to learn that the Empire had not persuaded the Federation and the Star Cluster Republican Alliance at all, but was preparing to act first and report later.

"The Empire is preparing to unleash the ultimate weapon, the Alliance of Higher Lifeforms. Many powerful lifeforms have been interested in organizing this alliance," Abel said solemnly. "The overlords of the Chaos Star Gap will definitely join."

"Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?" Li Ming was very surprised. He finally understood the empire's true intention.

The empire needs help, but now everyone wants to step on it, and it is impossible to give them help unless they sacrifice some flesh.

No one wants to cut their own flesh, so the empire simply plays a big game, bringing down all civilizations and unlocking the powerful weapon of higher life forms.

By then, they will unite several X-level life forms and announce to the interstellar space that even if the Federation and the Star Cluster are unwilling to form an alliance, what they will be facing is the prototype of the empire and the organization of higher life forms.

The empire was already riddled with lice, and didn't mind being trampled on a few more times. It was so happy to have so many new helpers out of nowhere.

Otherwise, they will be forced to admit this matter. Since the organizer is the empire, they will inevitably take the initiative in advance and still have strong support.

After figuring out the thread, Li Ming couldn't help but marvel at it. The person who proposed this plan was none other than the Holy Emperor of Glory - Adam.

Li Ming exclaimed in admiration, saying that he was quite bold.

If this powerful weapon is released without proper attention, it will grow into a behemoth that is out of the control of the three major civilizations, and will be many times more threatening than the Mechanics Association.

He was keenly aware that the empire's voice was gradually being recovered, and the Glorious Holy Emperor seemed to have been dominating the overall situation since the crisis occurred.

After the communication ended, Li Ming kept deducing the direction of events, but finally had to give up.

Whether it is the Empire or the Pioneers, he does not stand on either side. In this upcoming cosmic change, what he needs to consider is how to gain enough benefits and fill the blown Azure Dragon.

This organization cannot be established in just one or two months, and there are many things that need to be coordinated, which is very troublesome.

Another day passed, and the prophet of the Sisterhood contacted Qinglong. The prophet's attitude became very humble, and his tone was gentle: "Your Excellency Qinglong, I haven't congratulated you on your interstellar fame yet."

"It's not a good reputation. I don't know how many people suspect that I am secretly plotting something." Li Ming said simply.

The prophet was silent, her eyes flickering. The Virgin Mary was standing behind her. The two of them thought for a long time before deciding to contact Qinglong.

They are now very resistant to contact with Qinglong. When they originally thought that Qinglong was a star-casting mechanic, they didn't mind exchanging a few moves with him.

But now he regretted it very much, as he easily took the bait given by the fox.

Before she could say anything, Qinglong took the initiative to say, "We are old friends. I won't waste time talking. I want to discuss a deal with you this time."

"Listen to the deal, but don't agree to anything he says." The Virgin Mary's voice was cold, but it only reached the ears of the prophet.

They were not afraid of Qinglong, but they did not want to be entangled by such a guy in the dark. No one knew the benefits of hiding in the dark better than them, and now there was someone more mysterious than them.

"Transaction?" The prophet's voice was a little doubtful.

"It's like this, I stole some things from the empire, and I thought you might need them." Li Ming said slowly.

"Oh? What is it?" The prophet frowned slightly, while the Virgin Mary had no expression on her face. They first aroused curiosity and then offered a price. They were all familiar with this method.

"The Hammersmith is searching the deep dimensional world for clues to the Eternal Star and the anchoring program for the Holy Fortress of Terrax."

The prophet was stunned for a moment, his face changed drastically, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the Virgin Mary.

The Virgin Mary's expression became even uglier, and she gritted her teeth, "He shouldn't have been allowed to speak."

The reason why this method is used so often is because it is really easy to use.

She took a deep breath. Could Qinglong have thrown out such valuable information for no reason? Who knew what was behind this?

But can she refuse?

Even though I knew there was a problem, I could only close my eyes and bite it.

The prophet already understood what the Virgin meant and felt helpless. "Are you sure about your data?"

"I can provide some verification first. I believe that the Holy Mother Church is definitely honest." Li Ming said frankly.

"What do you want?" asked the Prophet.

"Well... ten pieces of Terrax Stone." Li Mingshi opened his mouth loudly.

"This..." The prophet immediately refused, and even went on to say, "Sir, since you've already contacted us, why don't you sell this kind of reproducible information to more than just us? This price is too high."

The Virgin Mary Church is not stupid, but the problem lies here. Others have it, but you don’t?

"Forget it, just one price. Give me three ether crystals. I'm a bit short of them recently." Li Ming was too lazy to chat and simply gave the price directly.

The prophet was silent, looked at the Virgin Mary and nodded, then said: "No problem, where to send it?"

"The Mechanical Court."

The transaction was completed happily, and Li Ming gave them some information for verification.

Then, news came from Estelle. He contacted Deus, and after another round of negotiation, the final price was set at three Terrax Stones. The Federation was still a little more generous.

However, when he contacted the Black Hole Palace again, he learned an unexpected news.

"I'm sorry, Lord Qinglong, we already have the relevant information and don't need it for now." Julius, the Casting-star mechanic in charge of the connection, apologized.

So fast? Someone has already resold it?

Li Ming muttered, "That's not right. I haven't given out the real information yet."

Is it the empire?

Li Ming contacted the so-called united organization of higher life forms and guessed that the empire might use it as a bargaining chip to recruit powerful X-level life forms.

Some people may flock to this organization, but some people don't care much, so other means are needed.

Li Ming shook his head, muttered a few words, and temporarily stopped selling.

After finishing the current matter, Li Ming prepared to concentrate on seclusion for a while.

While the aftermath of the Central World had not yet subsided, the Mechanical Royal Court began external recruitment. Due to the reputation of the Master Craftsman, it indeed attracted many people to come, and there were even A-level life forms who came here with the intention of joining the Master Craftsman's army.

But all of them were declined by Ulrich, who then issued more detailed rules, only looking for management talents, and emphasized that this was just Li Ming's small business and had nothing to do with the master craftsman.

Those who came to watch the fun left one after another, and the recruitment gradually got back on track.

Although the Mechanical Royal Court is still not large in scale, it is well-known and is still expanding rapidly by leveraging the reputation of the Master Craftsman.

And this is just a silhouette of the aftermath of the Central World. The bigger waves are still dominated by the Empire, which has finally begun to take tough actions, frequently mobilizing troops, and meeting with heads of civilizations and organizations to deal with troubles from all sides.

Li Ming's sales process has accelerated the undercurrent a lot. Visible and invisible forces are taking action, intending to get a piece of the pie.

Nothing can be achieved overnight. Time is an important catalyst. In such a turbulent situation, half a year passed in a flash.

(End of this chapter)