Chapter 528: Changes in the Royal Court

"The Star Alliance announced that they recently discovered a new civilization with a unique social structure outside the Starry Sea..."

“…we will uphold an open and inclusive mind, respect with awe, and a firm commitment to peace, and build bridges of communication with new civilizations…”

This is breaking news, and Li Ming hadn't seen it yesterday.

However, the discovery of a new civilization is not a big deal and did not cause much waves in the interstellar space.

The boundaries of the known universe are expanding every moment, and new civilizations are often discovered.

The reason why it was pushed to his homepage is simply because he has been paying more attention to the developments of the Star Alliance recently.

He glanced at it twice and found that it was basically some official terms, which were of little value and did not reveal much information.

Li Ming recalled something he had almost forgotten: "I remember Anduin said that the Star Alliance was suspected of being attacked by unknown forces some time ago. I wonder if this incident is related..."

Let Zhuque take note, follow the subsequent developments, and continue reading the news.

"Why do I feel like those people's attitude towards you is very strange?" Robin scratched his head beside him. "It's like they're respecting you, but that's not quite right. They're caring for you, but that's not quite right either. It's like everyone is avoiding you..."

"Maybe because I'm more handsome." Li Ming said casually, still checking the news.

In the interstellar space, the most talked-about news at the moment is that the United Organization of Higher Life Forms is about to begin recruiting ordinary members.

Of course, the so-called ordinary members are also X-level life forms.

No one knew where this news came from, but following the aftermath of the Dusk Banquet, it became a hot topic in a short period of time and attracted a lot of attention.

Although there was no clear source of the information, the three major civilizations and the Interstellar Alliance did not refute the rumor, so it became more and more serious.

Many interstellar critics are skeptical about this and believe that the three major civilizations are unlikely to easily relax restrictions.

Once a higher-level joint organization freely absorbs ordinary members, it will expand rapidly and uncontrollably.

"This matter has caused quite a stir." Robin glanced at Li Ming's screen. Seeing that he had not put it away, he became interested and moved closer.

"The theory of a higher threat is gaining popularity again. Many people are protesting, believing it's bad for the interstellar system. Is this news true or false?"

He looked at Li Ming.

"Really." Li Ming nodded. He had been staying with Gustav and others during this period of time, so he naturally knew about this matter.

This is not fake news, the United Organization of Higher Life Forms is really going to expand.

At the first routine meeting, the three major civilizations did not clearly tell them when other members would be allowed to join.

It just means that the board members will not be replaced within five years.

Li Ming still thought that the time for complete expansion would be delayed until at least ten years later.

But unexpectedly, in just three years, the three major civilizations were about to tear open this gap.

To be more precise, it is the Star Alliance that wants to tear open this gap.

"Really?" Robin was startled, attracting the attention of Ford, who was sorting materials in the distance. He asked in surprise, "Expanding so soon, do the three major civilizations have any objections?"

Li Ming's eyes flickered. In fact, the opportunity for this matter should be traced back to the Red River Star Stream incident.

The suspicious Red River Star Stream incident caused a rift between the Star Alliance, the Empire and the Federation.

The United Organization of Higher Life Forms has already made contact with the Covenant, and this opportunity was released by the Covenant to cause trouble for the Empire and the Federation.

He could roughly guess what the Star Alliance was thinking. The Higher Union, as an outsider, had common interests with them and could use this to put pressure on the other two civilizations.

In case something really happens beyond their control, a powerful coalition of higher life forms will provide them with more assistance.

But Li Ming did not expect that the Empire and the Federation would agree so easily.

"How could I not have an opinion? Let's see, there's more to this." Li Ming couldn't help but shake his head. Robin was secretly shocked and shrank his head: "This galaxy is getting more and more chaotic..."

The spaceship they were on had completed space coating and was undergoing a stargate jump.

Target the Mechanical Royal Court!

………

empire capital star

In Adam's office, he was on a video call with a calm expression:

"...Yes, the United Organization of Higher Lifeforms has already contacted the Covenant. I presume they've reached a cooperation agreement, which is why they support this expansion."

On the virtual screen before him was an interstellar human with a square face, thick, neat eyebrows, strong facial features, and stubble on his chin. He said in a deep voice:

"What happened in the Red River Star Stream has left them restless. They won't stop until they get to the bottom of it. They suffered a loss when they attacked Azure Dragon, and now they've come into contact with a coalition of higher life forms. Who knows what they're going to do next."

Adam remained noncommittal and said, "At least we can be sure that Qinglong didn't leak the news."

The person on the screen shook his head. "It's hard to say. The Star Alliance paid a high price. Gutierrez is not one to suffer a loss. To get him to stop his attacks on the Mechanics Guild, Qinglong must have offered him something."

Adam's eyes flickered slightly. The other party only mentioned it briefly and did not delve into the topic. He then said:

"With the support of the Star Alliance, the expansion of the United Organization of Higher Life Forms is unstoppable. This is a hidden danger. Adam, this is the beast you unleashed."

"President Malcolm, this isn't a difficult problem." Adam shook his head calmly. "The alliance between higher life forms is unstoppable. Even without me and this organization, they've formed small groups in secret. Rather than causing trouble in secret, it's better to control it."

"...But because of this incident, my midterm election approval rating dropped by 2.3%..." Malcolm said with a cold expression, "Once the expansion is finalized, it's bound to drop further."

"Two terms for the president is a long-standing unspoken rule in the alliance. With the credit for discovering the body, no one would want to take your place." Adam smiled. "The core of the Higher Life Forms Alliance is the board of directors. All we need to do is replace all the directors with our people."

Malcolm wasn't surprised by the suggestion and responded calmly, "It seems like you already thought about it when you created it..."

"It's better to be prepared..." Adam said helplessly: "In fact, I estimate that it will take at least ten years before the expansion will take place. That way it will be more peaceful."

"But plans can't keep up with changes. We can put off the matter of the corpse for as long as possible."

"Then it's settled," Malcolm said bluntly. "I want one vice-chairman seat and two regular seats."

Adam's expression changed slightly, but he remained noncommittal. "It all depends on your strength. If Mr. President is confident, just go and grab it yourself."

Malcolm frowned and didn't respond to Adam's words. The screen went black.

Adam was not surprised, with a faint smile on his face, "President..."

This was the sixth federal president he had dealt with. Each term of office was five hundred years, and the president could be re-elected for one term, or a maximum of two terms, which meant a thousand-year term.

Malcolm can be considered tough, but... he will only be in power for 500 years. By then, he will be just an idle old man.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but touch the armrest of the chair. His mood improved slightly, but then he glanced at a paper report on the table and his face darkened.

This guy Heckler stopped with more decisiveness than he expected.

The kidnapping of Li Ming caused a lot of uproar. After he realized something was wrong, he just swallowed the bitter pill and never mentioned anything about Qinglong.

What made him even more unhappy was that he himself was the one who fanned the flames. He had never expected that it was the Star Alliance that took action. He fell into Qinglong's trap and instead became a stepping stone for the other party to gather power.

Even if he used the power of the Pioneers to carry out targeted killings of Heckler's men, their search for the chosen one would be greatly delayed.

Heckler no longer paid attention to Robin who was beside Qinglong.

This guy has even taken action himself and brought the X-level life forms in their camp to capture the people on the list.

The total number of X-level life forms they can mobilize does not exceed ten, so the efficiency is naturally very slow.

Although the method is stupid, it is useful. If this trend continues, the chosen one will be found by Heckler sooner or later.

Things have progressed to this point and it is difficult for him to provoke a dispute between the two sides.

Qinglong was extremely cunning. He was targeted by Heckler several times in a row, but he still did not fight back.

When Heckler realized that something was wrong, he immediately shrank back like a turtle and refused to respond no matter how much stimulation he received.

"The root cause is that Heckler doesn't know Azure Dragon's true intentions and doesn't dare to take any further action." Adam mused, "There's no point in continuing to conceal Azure Dragon's actions in the Red River Star Stream."

"Only by letting him know Qinglong's background will he dare to take any action."

Adam stroked his chin. Qinglong displayed the Mechanical Holy Spirit in the Red River Star Stream, which was frightening.

But it is not invincible, that is the number of mechanical bodies. It is not possible to carry a large number of mechanical bodies to assist in combat wherever you go.

He pondered, then shook his head. "No, even if Heckler knew, he probably wouldn't be willing to invest more resources in Qinglong. He'd rather capture them personally."

"Ordinary frame-ups are useless. Hmm... Let me think about it. We must find what Qinglong values ​​most..."

"Li Ming? No, this is the bait that's laid out in the open. What else..."

The room was silent. The Saint Emperor frowned, tapping the table with his left index finger while his right hand flipped through a special intelligence report he had just submitted.

"The Dusk Feast Fleet appeared at the Desolate Anchor Stargate Node, with advanced Mechanical Royal Court spacecraft. Li Ming is suspected to be present..."

"Anchor of Desolation..."

…………

The Mechanical Royal Court has undergone tremendous changes compared to when Li Ming left last time.

"Rebirth" has progressed to the third stage. The main base of the star has been completed, and under the traction of the gravity system, the eight completed conventional planets are orbiting around it.

Their surface is covered with a metal shell made of a special alloy, engraved with dense and intricate energy patterns, and constantly flashes with faint blue or silver-white light.

It is still in a rough state and will undergo in-depth renovation later. Each planet has its own mission.

The spacecraft shuttled through it, moving quickly and orderly, carrying out their respective missions.

Inside, there is a short-distance space channel that provides fast movement, high-strength solidification, and is also an important channel for energy transmission.

There are still eight conventional planets being formed. After their formation, it will be the fourth stage, the construction of forty-eight satellites.

In the vast area, the bright blue energy shield is like a huge transparent dome, tightly protecting the entire base - the planetary barrier.

The high-end protective barrier left behind by the Hammersmith uses a barrier structure similar to that of the dimensional world, which is equivalent to encapsulating the covered area into an independent space, enough to isolate space smuggling.

The biggest benefit of the planetary barrier defense system is the phased improvement in defense performance. As the number of barrier nodes increases, the defense strength will also become higher and higher.

Every conventional planet and artificial satellite can serve as a barrier node, supporting up to 108 barrier nodes.

The planetary barrier, supported by only eight barrier nodes, is enough to withstand the single-point high-intensity attack of Peak 200X.

At the same time, Li Ming also noticed that the Stargate Company under Anduin came here again and was intensively building new stargate nodes in the other three locations of the base.

With the expansion of the Mechanical Royal Court, one stargate node can no longer support the terrifying spacecraft traffic, and three more will be added to form hub-level stargate nodes.

"Not bad, not bad..." Li Ming nodded involuntarily as he looked at the magnificent scene in front of him.

After the spacecraft was pulled out of the star gate node, he did not return immediately, but watched outside the star gate node for a long time.

"How come there have been such big changes? The construction speed is simply flying..." Robin couldn't help but be amazed. He still remembered that when he first came here, there were only a few scattered star ports.

It's different every time I come back.

"With so many S-class mechanical bodies assisting, the construction efficiency is naturally incomparable." Ford couldn't help but say, and was deeply shocked.

The capital planet of the Itlan civilization only has a few more artificial satellites. Many star cluster-level capitals are of this scale.

He had seen the complete design, and the scale was even more shocking.

"Let's go..." Li Ming waved his hand, and Suzaku connected to the Mechanical Royal Court, pulling the spacecraft back.

The main base has been moved to the star base. The surface is still very empty. Small black dots like ants are moving at high speed. They are all mechanical bodies in working condition.

The main star base will host many key facilities, such as the core nodes of the planetary barrier, a large number of dimensional gates, and even private star gate nodes, as well as more instruments and equipment in the legacy of the Hammersmith.

Li Ming's main base had naturally been built long ago, with twelve silver-white floating stairs leading to the palace high in the sky.

I have to say, Ulrich is very thoughtful.

“…You are too good at flattering…” Robin looked up at the metal palace hanging in the sky, and his throat couldn’t help but roll.

"I'm glad you're satisfied. The main base doesn't have a name yet, and we're waiting for you to come back and name it." Ulrich followed Li Ming and introduced him to the brand new Mechanical Royal Court, completely ignoring what Robin said.

"Name it?" Li Ming hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's call it Tiangong."

(End of this chapter)