Chapter 422: One trick to conquer the world
"Gift?" Costat was a little surprised and alert.
Qinglong was cheated by them, but he still prepared gifts. He wouldn't want to cheat them in return, right?
But since you shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you, Costat hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "I'll wait here."
Li Ming smiled and nodded, ending the communication.
Just as Li Ming said, just over ten minutes later, a spaceship docked with them.
A team of humanoid robots came up with a metal box. After three rounds of inspection inside and outside, it took more than ten minutes before it was delivered to Costat.
"Your Highness, this is a gift from Lord Qinglong." The person who came to deliver the gift was Ford, who had just had plastic surgery. He was very polite and remained neither humble nor arrogant when facing Costat, a big shot he had never met before.
Costat frowned slightly, and his subordinates had already handed him a smart terminal, which displayed various detection data and a three-dimensional model of the internal items.
"Is this a... small mecha?"
Kostarte's face looked strange. Ford nodded and walked forward calmly. He opened the metal box and said with his hand: "Qinglong made - Xijinlan handmade mecha model."
When Costat took a look, he saw that the mecha model was only one meter tall and was almost exactly the same as the one Qinglong was wearing. It had a blue-gold surface, an exquisite appearance, and well-processed details.
What does Qinglong mean?
Costat subconsciously speculated, mocking that the Holy Emperor was just an empty shell?
"The stuff has been delivered. I'll leave first." Ford bowed and then led his men away.
After the other party left, Costat took the mecha model out of the small box and looked at the test data again: "It's just ordinary Xijin material. It doesn't emit any bands or spectra to the outside world. The information state is also stable. It's not a locator?"
After looking at it for a long time, he suddenly clenched it, leaving a small dent on the metal arm. It seemed that there was indeed nothing wrong with it.
"Is it necessary?" Costat shook his head and asked someone to pack the things. Since they were sure there was no problem, they would definitely take them back intact.
He looked up from the porthole and saw the fleet of spaceships that seemed to stretch to the horizon. After hesitating for a moment, he gave the order: "Have the frigates clear a path."
"yes!"
He needed to take away not only his own fleet, but also the warships brought by Ryan.
The combined size of the two is huge, especially the Anousius, which is a small interstellar fortress and is really troublesome to operate.
Moreover, they had to cut in line. Many spaceships were dissatisfied with the orders from the Empire, but they did not dare to say anything and all of them obediently gave way.
It took nearly two or three hours for the Imperial fleet to completely enter the star gate.
In another seemingly inconspicuous small spaceship in the team, the navigator withdrew his gaze from the imperial fleet flying before him, with a gloomy expression.
The pioneers suffered a crushing defeat this time. They wanted to use the Ryan incident to expand their victory, but the final result was completely different from what they imagined.
"Qinglong..." The navigator was angry. This guy actually turned around and cooperated with the Empire. There was no guarantee that the other party had not sold out the Pioneer.
As expected, we shouldn't have been restrained by him in the first place. Now he has become too powerful to be controlled. No one knows Qinglong's true strength, let alone how much information he has leaked to the empire.
"I've been planning this for years, I can't let you ruin it." His eyes were cold, and he seemed to have made some kind of decision.
………
The return journey would take quite a while. After entering the star gate navigation state, Costat carried the metal box, walked through the corridor, and came to his room.
Before entering the room, he asked his assistant to look after the box in his hand.
"I guess this guy wants to contact Adam. He's quite cultured."
In the box, Li Ming, who had already possessed the mecha model, muttered to himself.
He used the same old method to dominate everyone, possessing a small vehicle and easily avoiding all detection equipment.
After entering the room, Costat activated various shielding measures and contacted his eldest brother.
"Holy Emperor..." He nodded at the screen, "We have entered the star gate and are beginning our return journey."
"Yeah." Adam nodded. The entire battle process was broadcast live with real-time communication. He already knew most of the things. Everything was as expected.
"Qinglong didn't have any attitude afterwards, right?" he asked.
"He seems a little dissatisfied, but he didn't do anything." Costat thought, looking at Adam with admiration in his eyes:
"This matter has both advantages and disadvantages for him. Besides, it's also an olive branch we've proactively extended. I don't believe the benefits the pioneer has given him are greater than ours."
"After this incident, I'm afraid he will face a lot of criticism among the pioneers, and the day of his defection is just around the corner."
Adam said calmly, "I didn't switch sides for him."
"Isn't it to make him switch sides?" Costat paused, many doubts in his mind, but he also realized that Adam was playing a big game, a big game, and he could only vaguely grasp some clues until now.
He wouldn't ask about things Adam didn't want to talk about. He just thought about it and said, "By the way, Qinglong gave you a gift?"
"Gift?" Adam, with a calm expression, was obviously interested. "What gift?"
"It's a model mecha, and the materials used are very ordinary." Kostart said.
"?" A blank look flashed across Adam's eyes. "Are you mocking me for being just an empty shell?"
His first reaction was the same as Costat's, and then he smiled nonchalantly, "Since you gave it to me, bring it back to me. It might as well be a decorative ornament."
Neither of them paid much attention to it, but Adam restrained his expression and said, "One more thing. You should be careful on the way here?"
"Will there be an ambush?" Costat's face suddenly became serious.
"Qinglong's intelligence only mentions what Ryan did, but I don't believe Ryan himself possesses this special skill." Adam pondered. "This is the only uncertain variable. There's no guarantee that rescue won't come."
Finally, Adam said solemnly, "We must ensure Ryan's safety. He is extremely valuable. The potential to become the Ultimate Life Form may be hidden within his body."
"I understand." Costat assured in a deep voice: "Whoever wants to touch Ryan must step over my dead body."
"No..." Adam shook his head, his expression softening. "If it's truly dangerous, saving your own life is more important. We've got new leads on the Eternal Star, and we need you to handle them."
Costat's face tightened and he nodded heavily.
After the call ended, Costat stared at the dark screen, frowning slightly. After a long pause, he switched pages and gave a solemn order, "Bring Ryan out and send me a small battleship."
…
After ending the communication, Adam slowly exhaled, looked at the huge star map in front of him, and stretched out his hand, as if wanting to grasp everything in his hands.
"All this has just begun..."
A faint sound was heard, and there seemed to be a fiery light in his eyes. The corners of his mouth trembled, as if he was about to grin, but then he restrained himself and finally returned to silence.
…
In the lower cabin of the Golden Hunting Blade, several figures walked quietly. Wherever they passed, all the surveillance cameras were turned away.
In front of an inconspicuous small transport ship, Prince Costat held Ryan with one hand while his subordinates reported:
"It's already been arranged. No one will know you brought Ryan on board this small spaceship. We will return according to the established trajectory."
"Yeah." Costat nodded. "We can separate at the next stargate node."
"Are you afraid of an ambush from someone, Qinglong?" Ryan was still sneering. He had already put on even heavier restraints, like a heavy armor, with only his head exposed.
Costat ignored him and pushed him into the cabin. Ryan stumbled and hit the wall with a grim look on his face.
"Papuluo, give me the box." Before entering the door, he looked at his men again and stretched out his hand.
The other party handed over the box containing Qinglong's gift. Since Adam asked him to take it back, he would naturally make sure it was safe. It would be safest for this thing to stay with him.
Enter the spacecraft, close the hatch, and start synchronized navigation. The Empire's fleet can even release small spacecraft in the stargate jump channel.
Everything is intelligently automated, and Costat doesn't have to worry about anything. There are only him and Ryan in the narrow cabin.
Casually placing the box at his feet, Costat sat in front of Ryan, his expression serious: "Ryan, who are you working with?"
"Why, you want to interrogate me?" Ryan, his hair disheveled, raised his head, resting the back of his head against the metal casing, and said nonchalantly, "You're not qualified. Let Adam do it."
"You are no longer a prince, but just an ordinary citizen of the Empire." Kostart snorted coldly, his eyes flickering slightly, and he said in a bad tone:
"You absolutely don't have this ability on your own. Your condition seems very wrong. There must be some side effects."
"I don't have that ability?" Ryan glanced at him. "Well, Costat, you've learned how to irritate me."
"But don't forget, if you want to anger someone, the prerequisite is that they take you seriously."
Costat's face turned grim as he sneered, "Ryan, do you know that your actions have completely disgraced the Empire?"
"It was you who revealed this." Ryan's eyes were grim.
"Do you think we're the only ones who know this?" Costat said gravely. "Qinglong was only the first to come to us. There must have been a second and a third. You've got too many loopholes in your actions!"
Ryan still seemed unconcerned, "Didn't Qinglong tell you who was working with me?"
Costat's tone softened. "Qinglong and we are just using each other. He wants to deal with you, and we can't get around it. You've already done it, so we have no choice but to resort to this last resort."
"He demanded that you be executed on the spot, but Holy Emperor Adam flatly refused."
"Ryan, the empire is declining and is plagued by internal conflicts. You can see that we are all members of the royal family. Why can't we work together?"
"Work together?" Ryan's eyes suddenly focused. "I want to kill Qinglong. Can you help me?"
Costat hesitated and said, "Not yet. He is still very useful."
"But don't worry, once everything is settled, we will help you deal with everything." He said sincerely.
"Heh..." Li Ming heard it clearly in the box and was not surprised at what Costat said. These guys are cannibals who don't leave any bones for others.
However, he also captured a piece of information that the Empire seemed to have other ideas about him.
"interesting…"
Ryan stared at him, but suddenly sneered: "As expected, betrayal and recklessness are what our respected Holy Emperor does. Why didn't he talk about working together when he killed my mother and my wife?"
Costat's expression changed slightly. Ryan's head tilted back and hit the metal shell with a bang. His tone was cold and silent.
"Don't think I don't know why you didn't kill me. You were just curious about why I became so powerful. You should have listened to Qinglong and killed me on the spot."
"Winners take all, losers take all. I don't have much to say. He did win this time, but you'd better pray that he keeps winning."
"Qinglong will definitely regret cooperating with you one day."
Costat shook his head. After talking for a long time, he didn't get any useful information. This was within his expectations. At their level, it was impossible to be convinced by just a few words.
The cabin fell into silence, and after a few hours, they switched the stargate node.
An inconspicuous little spaceship in the Imperial Fleet changed its direction and took another route.
…
In the silent starry sky, several inconspicuous figures stood here, all covered in black robes, with their heads lowered, and their appearances varied.
"Hmm?" A humanoid figure standing in the center of the field slowly raised his head, his face hideous and ugly. It was Levenback. Bloodshot flashed in his eyes, and he was quite surprised.
"We've separated from the main force. Costat is guarding against me."
"Unfortunately... it's useless."
Levenbeck stretched out his hand, and a figure standing on the left walked out, raised his palm, and tore the space apart.
He will not give up on Ryan, the experimental subject. He has not yet figured out the balance mechanism between alchemical substances and Terrax's bloodline. Even if he finds another member of the royal family, he may not be able to reproduce Ryan's situation.
Although this guy acts recklessly and impulsively, and is just a little clever, his intelligence is indeed far beyond that of ordinary people.
As they were thinking, several figures disappeared into the crack.
…
"...According to the information left by the Hammersmith, we've discovered a new area of space-time distortion. Comparing the parameters, there's a 95% chance it was created by the Star of Eternal Silence." He frowned.
"…The area is located near the Red River Basin in the deep dimensional world, the Red River Star Stream?"
In the driving seat, Prince Costat looked at the intelligence. This small spaceship did not have the ability to communicate in the stargate channel. These were the information he had received before through the Golden Hunting Blade.
After returning, he will continue to take over this work without stopping and is familiarizing himself with it in advance.
"The Red River Star Stream runs through the main universe and the deep dimensional world. If the Star of Eternal Silence is really in there, it will be a big trouble..." He pondered and carefully checked the information.
However, a few hours later, the spacecraft suddenly sounded an alarm, "Warning, space parameters are disordered, and it is about to fall out of the stargate channel. Please prepare for collision!"
"warn…"
"Huh?" Kostat's face changed slightly. He looked up and saw that the spatial energy that was originally restricted in the surroundings had become extremely violent.
(End of this chapter)
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