Chapter 375 Chaos is coming, countermeasures
"Blockade order?" Dius narrowed his eyes, still lazy, "Are you going to cover your mouth on the entire interstellar network?"
Costat nodded and advised, "This matter may seem to concern only the Empire, but it is not."
"The person behind this is clearly trying to stir up interstellar unrest. We must be on guard."
Dius pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised a white finger. "First, you can't cover this up. There's not only the interstellar network, but there's also the black hole network."
"Secondly, you're not requesting a small-scale network blockade; you're requesting a blockade of the entire interstellar network. That's impossible."
"We have to give it a try. It just takes some time." Costat couldn't help but say.
"Impossible." Klaue immediately extinguished Costat's fantasy. "The Star Cluster Republican Alliance will never agree to this. Don't you think about how much harm they've done in the Sea of Stars?"
Costat hesitated to speak, and Dius said, "We'll leave now. You two should discuss how to explain this to your Holy Emperor."
"You're counting on them for help?" Ryan scoffed as he watched the two men leave. "There's no guarantee that these two civilizations weren't involved in today's incident. I suggest we split up and kill them separately, so we don't become enemies on the battlefield in the future."
"Don't you think this mess is bad enough?!" Costat couldn't hold it in any longer and angrily asked, "If it weren't for you, would I have let Polk speak?"
"Me?" Ryan sneered. "Don't try to shift the blame onto me. Polk clearly came here with the intention of dying. From the very beginning, you fell into their trap."
"Sir..." Jiaint walked in with his head held high, not daring to speak.
Diaz and Abel followed behind him. His injuries seemed to have almost healed, but his face was still pale.
Costat suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, sit down. Since this incident originated from us, let's first unify and discuss a contingency plan."
Abel looked ashamed and spoke weakly, "I'm to blame for the issue of ruling the Holy Elephant. I was so overwhelmed by my status as the heir that I didn't think carefully."
"Stop pretending. Since you're ashamed, you might as well die to prove your worth." Ryan said calmly.
Abel lowered his head and said nothing, with a flash of resentment in his eyes.
Costat soothed him, "Don't take it too seriously. No one expected this. First, tell me what you've gained."
Abel hesitated to speak, glancing at Ryan.
Ryan laughed loudly, "Look, this is the son of the Holy Emperor. Even now, he still hasn't forgotten about the internal strife."
Abel clenched his fists silently.
"Go ahead." Costat said expressionlessly.
"Yes..." Abel said carefully, never looking at Ryan. "I have obtained all the technical information of the Hammersmith, except for the design drawings of the Mechanical Holy Spirit and the Infinite Hammer."
"There is also the pursuit trajectory of the Eternal Star and the anchoring procedure of the Holy Fortress of Terrax."
"Oh?" Costat perked up a bit. "Is this the super program that the Master Hammersmith painstakingly designed? We only have a portion, and we haven't fully restored it yet."
Abel nodded. "Yes, that's the procedure."
At this point, Abel hesitated and said, "Did we really kill the Hammersmith?"
Costat frowned slightly. "The Hammersmith originally cooperated with our Empire, each gaining what they needed. There was an accident, but no one was killed."
Abel sighed, and Costat didn't answer directly.
"Is this all you have? Where are the Infinite Hammer and the Holy Spirit Core?" Prince Ryan asked, dissatisfied, "Is it necessary to hide this from me?"
"Apart from these things, I got nothing." Abel said expressionlessly.
Ryan stared at him for a long time before scoffing, "You were tricked by an old elephant."
"It's not like I've gained nothing. These are all things we need." Costat felt relieved. Finally, there was some good news. "Today's events were complex and complicated, but overall, they can only be attributed to two things: the control of the Holy Elephant and Polk."
"Let's talk about the Holy Elephant first. This isn't too difficult. The Mechanic Association isn't an armed force. At most, they'll protest and question. The God-Creator has already let me know. They might choose to withdraw from the Mechanic Association within the empire."
"Similarly, this would be a lose-lose situation for them. Many mechanics have their own businesses within the Empire."
"We can use this to launch a counterattack after the initial wave of public opinion has passed."
Everyone nodded secretly. Prince Costa was indeed an expert in domestic affairs, and his suggestion was to the point.
"Assuming there are no unexpected events, as long as time is long enough and we take some compensatory measures, it will be enough to resolve this matter." Prince Costat did not believe that the Mechanics Association could not handle it.
If this were just one issue, it would be tricky at best.
"But the problem is the Polk Declaration," he said, his brow furrowed. "It's a statement intended to tarnish the dignity of the Empire. Combined with the accusations against the Mechanics Guild by the Holy Elephant, they'll be the first to fire the first shot, whether they like it or not."
"We should strike back with lightning speed. I will propose to the Empire that the Interstellar Alliance take the lead in forming a joint army to fight against the Holy Revolutionary Army."
"We can't fight back," Prince Ryan interrupted. As the highest garrison commander of the Starry Sea, he was well-versed in military matters. "First, the Holy Revolutionary Army isn't a terrorist organization as defined by the Interstellar Alliance. Second, the Everglory Federation and the Star Cluster Republican Alliance won't agree."
"So, other civilizations won't agree. Only a few lackeys can cooperate, which is useless."
He sneered: "If they don't take the opportunity to cut a piece of meat from us, I don't want to be a prince anymore."
Costat's face was gloomy, and he also understood this truth. The atmosphere in the meeting gradually became quiet.
Cainte was uneasy and couldn't help but ask, "Has the empire reached a point where it's in crisis on all sides? Aren't just a few words so devastating?"
Abel smiled bitterly and said, "This is more than just a few words, because this is just the beginning, like the fuse of a bomb."
"Polke's role is to reveal the Empire's health bar. There's a saying in the StarCraft gaming world: if you reveal your health bar, even gods will kill you."
"They will inevitably react in a series of ways. The Machinists' Association will certainly be very tough, and we have little way to refute this. This will be the first blow."
"Coupled with other actions and the enemies who secretly stir up trouble, they could drag us into an abyss of no return."
Ryan snapped his fingers and said with a slight compliment, "You're quite insightful. You're right. The enemy is in the dark, and we are in the light."
"Next, we can only remain strong and resolute in the face of wave after wave of attacks, both overt and covert. Only as time passes can we prove that the empire remains strong."
"We can only passively defend ourselves, because the enemy is different every time. They aren't just a single group, but a pack of ravenous dogs in the shadows. As soon as we show weakness, even the most loyal servants will rush over us!"
Ryan looked around at everyone, the pressure in his eyes almost tangible: "Everyone, the war has begun, are you ready?"
The atmosphere fell silent, and Diaz was frightened.
Costat broke the silence with a firm voice: "The war has come, but we will never defend ourselves, nor can we lose our fighting spirit amidst endless events."
"We need to find the enemy hiding beneath the surface. This whole thing has a complete chain. I even suspect that the Holy Elephant of Domination has been persuaded long ago. This is part of the plan."
"The more those hiding in the dark move, the more flaws we'll find. Find them and kill them!"
Ryan interrupted without hesitation, "You speak so righteously, but don't you find Qinglong quite suspicious?"
"Qinglong?" Abel was stunned. What does he have to do with this matter?
Ryan's eyes were cold. "The reason he and Nicolael became enemies was because of something that happened in the Corona Borealis ring. I found some clues in it."
"I have considerable reason to suspect that Qinglong is one of those hiding in the dark."
"I know." Costat said, which surprised Ryan. "You knew that and still tried to stop me?"
"You're talking about Qinglong. What does that have to do with you killing Li Ming?" Costat asked back. "If it was Qinglong at the scene, I wouldn't stop you."
Ryan frowned.
Costat continued, "At this point, he's practically our only lead. Why do you think I let him go?"
Ryan hesitated, and the others looked at each other, confused.
"Sowing discord!?" Ryan said suddenly, his eyes gleaming.
"That's right," Costat said darkly. "I'd rather confront you in public than let him go. Just imagine if those people behind the scenes would harbor even the slightest suspicion about him."
Abel felt a chill in his heart. He really hadn't expected this.
"He's the only possible entry point, we must seize it." Costat glanced at Ryan coldly. "You killed Li Ming, but other than pushing Qinglong away completely, did it achieve anything?"
Ryan snorted coldly and said forcefully, "What if Qinglong is the founder? Your attempts to sow discord are useless."
"I bet he isn't!" Costat said firmly. Ryan was silent, and his momentum was suppressed.
He also knew that what he said was a forced excuse.
"I will try to contact Qinglong. I believe that what drives him to side with either side is nothing more than interests." Costat's eyes were sharp. He actually had this idea a long time ago, so he was so ambiguous towards Qinglong.
But at that time, Qinglong was just a forging-star mechanic, and he was not sure whether the other party had reached the core level, and the situation was not that tense.
But now it is different.
Ryan broke the news again, "What if it's because of hatred?"
Costat remained calm and said, "If he can really help us destroy those people in the dark, there is no one I cannot give him except the Holy Emperor."
The atmosphere in the room was almost stagnant, and Ryan's face flickered.
Buzz--
Diaz's smart terminal rang, and he opened it in a panic. His face changed drastically, and his voice was dry: "Prince..."
Everyone knew he was calling Ryan. The prince said in a deep voice, "There's nothing we can't say now."
"The Ocean Star garrison base in the Starry Sea was attacked and the entire force was destroyed. Furthermore... two other garrisons haven't reported in for over ten hours."
Ryan stood up suddenly, a chill in his pupils. When he came, he had actually anticipated the possible risks, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.
Costat sighed, "So the first strike is here..."
While they were busy discussing countermeasures, the interstellar network was in chaos, and what was happening in the central world was truly dazzling.
The Ruling Holy Elephant selected Albert's successor and thought the situation was over.
Unexpectedly, this was just the beginning. First, the Holy Elephant accused the Empire of being the murderer of the Hammer Forger and then committed suicide.
Then another prince appeared and continued to target Li Ming, or Qinglong.
And Qinglong actually showed the skills of a master craftsman, which was shocking.
Immediately afterwards, the leader of the Holy Revolution jumped out again and made a declaration that shocked many citizens and civilizations in the interstellar space.
Then, a sudden battle broke out. The prince took action but failed to kill Li Ming. Qinglong saved his student without even showing his face.
Instead, it resulted in the deaths of many onlookers and journalists.
Any one of these things can become a hot topic for a long time and generate countless news.
Now they exploded at the same time, and the shock they brought can be imagined.
In just half a day, the discussion and hot search list on the interstellar network were dominated.
Polk's Declaration!
【Qinglong--Master Craftsman】
Who is Polk?
[Who is Qinglong? ]
Death of the Hammersmith
Empire - Decline
What is the Star of Eternal Silence?
What is the Treasure of Terrax?
Is Tongyu Shengxiang an artificial intelligence or a living being?
[…]
[The Holy Emperor's son beats an innocent mechanic in public! ]
The idle interstellar citizens, like sharks that smell blood, are eagerly absorbing all kinds of information that are difficult to access under normal circumstances.
As they learned more about the Terrax civilization, they were amazed and at the same time, they couldn't help but feel greedy for the legendary treasure.
Of course, that’s what most orderly and civilized citizens think.
However, some predators who live on the edge of a knife, secret conspirators, ambitious people, various armed organizations, and civilizations that have been oppressed by the empire are all ready to move.
But no one took action at the first moment, and no one was willing to be the first to take action. This restless atmosphere was oppressive.
Only on the third day, under the influence of public opinion from many interstellar mechanics, the Mechanics Association issued an official statement, demanding that the Empire give a reasonable explanation for the accusations against the Holy Elephant, otherwise they would take relevant measures.
Soon after, someone revealed that the Imperial Garrison Base in the Sea of Stars had been attacked from multiple sides, and a large number of videos and pictures were leaked, which were horrific to watch.
He came up with two swords and slashed at the Empire.
After public opinion fermented, even ordinary lives in some remote civilizations where interstellar labor protection laws have not been fully popularized and the sale of genetic seeds is prohibited could not help but have doubts in their hearts.
Is the empire really going to fail?
…
“It’s overwhelming.”
While traveling through the dimensional world, Li Ming has been paying attention to the development of events in the outside world, sighing repeatedly and thinking at the same time. He also has to plan his next moves, and he has many great treasures on his body that need to be digested.
(End of this chapter)
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