Chapter 312: It turns out that I got involved in the game by mistake
Divide the Xingyuan Empire?
To be honest, Li Ming was also shocked by the weight of these words.
Even as a veteran actor, he couldn't help but pause slightly, with a lot of waves in his heart.
But at the same time, he was also alert. Although this statement might sound like bragging, he must have some confidence to drop such a bombshell right at the start.
He quickly calmed down and did not continue the conversation with the other party. Instead, he remained calm and unbuttoned his clothes.
He sat down casually and pointed to the chair on the other side: "Please sit down, sir. What's your name?"
Blackbeard was slightly surprised, but didn't say much. He walked to the chair, sat down, rubbed his chin, and pulled out each strand of his beard. "You can call me Blackbeard."
As the words "divide up the Xingyuan Empire" were spoken, there was an imminent power, which was dissolved by Qinglong.
Obviously, this Casting Star-level mechanic did not like the feeling of being suppressed.
Seeing the other party's actions, Li Ming was slightly stunned. A flash of lightning seemed to pass through his mind, and he suddenly remembered the guide that Old Wu had mentioned.
"He's not tall, half-hunched, with a face full of stubble. He likes to stroke his beard when he's free..."
The driving force behind this?
Realizing this, Li Ming became more vigilant. Based on the known information currently available, the strength of the driving force behind the scenes must be quite strong.
He even had the urge to put on the tank uniform directly, but he was not sure of the other party's purpose yet, and doing so would be tantamount to showing his cowardice.
At the same time, the words "divide up the Xingyuan Empire" also shone brightly in his mind. This is the ultimate goal of this guy, or this group of people.
At this moment, he thought of a lot. As an old empire, the Xingyuan Empire can definitely be called the overlord of the stars.
Its strength, background and influence are unparalleled.
Dividing up this empire is not a matter of a single word. This attempt to sow discord is probably only a small part of the overall plan.
Even so, it took decades or even longer.
Li Ming was not tempted by this illusory big cake. He was surprised that the other party actually invited him to join the whole big plan.
He himself was very surprised. After all, he had ruined the other party's plan and emptied out the core ruins.
It would be fine if he wasn't angry, but he even offered an olive branch. For such a big project, is recruiting so casually?
Various thoughts flashed through his mind. After confirming the other party's identity, the amount of information derived was too much. Li Ming had to sort it out for a while, but his face remained calm and he said calmly:
"I thought I wouldn't see you this time."
"Haha..." Blackbeard laughed. In his opinion, Qinglong had completely seen through their plan, so he spoke casually:
"Your Excellency has resorted to such extremes. If I don't show up, it would be too arrogant. Arrogance is not a good thing."
What did they think I did?
Li Ming remained calm and said with a smile, "I'm not even up to the standard, how can I compare to you guys?"
"You're being modest."
Blackbeard shook his head. After a brief greeting, he said directly, "You have demonstrated your strength and means and pledged your loyalty to us. We welcome the joining of a Forge-level mechanic."
Li Ming's eyes flickered slightly. He could understand showing off his strength and methods, but when would he surrender?
Hmm...could it be Gabriel?
Li Ming's heart skipped a beat. This guy directly concluded that it was me who killed Gabriel, and thought that I killed Gabriel as a token of my allegiance?
The thoughts in his mind were as fast as lightning. If he inferred the answer in reverse, it would mean that the other party thought that he had known about their existence for a long time and had been planning to join them, so he pledged his allegiance.
Otherwise the idea doesn't make sense at all.
So why does he think so?
Li Ming himself was a little confused. He had indeed known for a long time that someone was behind this and had found many clues.
But that's all. At most, I took advantage of the momentum to push it a little bit. It shouldn't give the other party such an illusion, right?
No, I think I got it wrong.
Li Ming's eyes narrowed slightly as he pondered secretly. Everything he did was in accordance with his own plan and he changed according to the situation.
At the beginning, he was not strong enough, so he lay dormant for a while, trying every way to improve his strength. He went back and forth to the Star Land, the Torch Organization, and came here again.
As the executor, of course I don’t feel anything, but it may not be the case in the eyes of others.
No one thought that his mecha was built overnight, and no one thought that his star-casting-level mechanic could be achieved in a short period of time. It all requires a long period of accumulation.
In other words, the means and strength he has now revealed have made those in the know equate him with the original Qinglong.
Ever since he emerged in the Land of Stars, he has been an extremely powerful Casting Star-level mechanic, but he has always been hiding.
This raises a derivative question: since Qinglong is so powerful, why was he so low-key at the beginning?
There must be other intentions, big plans!
Coupled with some coincidences, the person in front of him would think that he wanted to join in.
Li Ming felt that his guess was probably pretty accurate, and he also realized that his actions had probably left many people puzzled.
Blackbeard could come up with a reasonable motive, but others who didn't know the inside story couldn't figure it out no matter how hard they tried.
What on earth does Qinglong want to do after hiding for so long?
But this misunderstanding seemed quite good. Blackbeard didn't care about Qinglong's silence. He just said, "Are you surprised?"
Li Ming smiled and continued, "It's indeed a bit unexpected. It seems... a little too simple."
"Haha..." Blackbeard grinned. "Is it that easy? Fighting against two S-class life forms, taking Dark Night into account, and still being able to escape unscathed, is that easy?"
"If I want to ask An Ye to help me, the price I have to pay is not small. You are just getting it for free."
"If you say this is so simple, then even I feel a little ashamed."
Li Ming tapped the table, maintaining a polite smile. "Yes, I put so much thought into this, but in the end, only you came, and you only said this. Aren't you looking down on me a bit?"
Blackbeard's expression froze slightly, as if he hadn't expected the other party to say that. He quickly calmed down and shook his head to explain:
"At present, I am responsible for the phased plan of the core ruins. If you want to interfere in this matter, it is naturally me."
At the end, he added meaningfully, "It's not that I don't care, it's just that there are so many people coming, I'm afraid you might be scared."
"Oh?" Li Ming raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "I'm really curious. How many participants are there in such a big plan?"
"There are more than I can imagine," Blackbeard said darkly, "There are even more interstellar giants among them, the kind that even you and I have to look up to."
"Even you have to make me look up to you?" Li Ming was not scared. For the time being, this guy was the only one saying this, so he just took it as bragging.
“There shouldn’t be many people like this.”
"It's not much indeed." Blackbeard was equivocal, then he said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency has gone to such great lengths, spending over a year on this whole project. Isn't this the moment you're aiming for? Why are you hesitating?"
"Yes, I do have this idea." Li Ming nodded, "But you should also understand that I didn't join to be a volunteer."
Upon hearing this, Blackbeard couldn't help but laugh and said, "Of course it is. The Xingyuan Empire is so big that once it falls, it will definitely make a lot of money for all of us."
"Your Excellency also has the opportunity to advance further and become a master mechanic, standing at the pinnacle of the universe."
There are very few master-level mechanics, and they need to reach the end of a certain branch of mechanics, and even innovate and create powerful technological creations.
"That's too far away. I don't know when it can be completed." Li Ming shook his head and refused to accept empty promises.
Blackbeard heard this, but he didn't get angry. He nodded and said, "You are right. As for the immediate benefits, there are also some. Don't you need A-level gene seeds? We will help you."
"An Ye himself can also make this happen, but the waiting time may be longer than you think."
Li Ming nodded. An Ye had told him about this matter at the beginning of their cooperation. He might not be able to handle it alone, and he needed a star-casting mechanic like him to show his face.
"I need another planet as a base," Li Ming added, "within the range of the chaotic star gap."
"A planet?" Blackbeard raised his eyebrows and agreed easily, "No problem, but it's impossible in the central area."
"I also need your channels to help me accomplish some things." Li Ming further said.
Blackbeard frowned slightly. It felt like he was begging the other party to join, but Qinglong's request was not too excessive.
He nodded and said, "Yes, the channels are shared, but if you want to enjoy the convenience, you also have to help others."
Li Ming looked at the other party's expression and did not continue to put forward conditions. Instead, he extended his hand and said, "Happy cooperation."
These conditions are not very significant. If we go further, the other party is unlikely to agree.
"It's a pleasure working with you." Blackbeard also stood up, and the two men clasped their hands tightly together.
The atmosphere then became noticeably more relaxed, and Li Ming immediately asked, "Is it really feasible to divide up the Xingyuan Empire?"
"Or are we just using this as an excuse to gather a large force?"
Blackbeard looked at him deeply and said, "Of course."
"The Xingyuan Empire is now rotten to the core. The conflicts between the three major factions have reached a point where they are irreconcilable. The universe has been peaceful for many years, and they cannot start an external war to divert the conflicts. They can only continue to ferment until they implode."
"Not only that, the Xingyuan Empire's pie has long been divided up. Every new force needs to tear its own piece from the pie of the old generation. The struggle between the new factions and the old antiques is equally fierce."
He said with a melancholy tone, "The lifespan of the Evolvers is too long, and they occupy many things and won't let go."
"Once there is an opportunity, internal and external troubles will erupt simultaneously, and collapse is imminent."
Li Ming listened, deep in thought. It sounded very reasonable, as if this was the case at the end of every civilization, even the feudal dynasty in his previous life.
But the problem is that this universe has extremely powerful individual military forces, holding on tightly.
Then he asked, "What do you need me to do next?"
"Just wait." Blackbeard said casually, "My original plan was to use the Sublimation Source Crystal to provoke conflict between the two sides, but Gabriel's death can achieve the same result, or even better."
Blackbeard made it clear, "The Bloody Duke is a descendant of Prince Ryan's nineteenth son, and the only grandson to be granted the title of Grand Duke."
"Although Prince Ryan belongs to the royal family, his lineage has been declining, and he relied on the support of the House of Lords to be granted the title of Bloodthirsty Duke."
"Grand Duke Guya's father, Prince Kostat, is the younger brother of the Holy Emperor of Glory. If they start fighting, it will inevitably lead to a situation where they are incompatible with each other, causing friction between the two factions."
"Of course, there needs to be some push along the way."
Li Ming wasn't entirely clear about the internal situation within the Xingyuan Empire. After a brief thought and a rough understanding, he thought to himself, "You guys, this shouldn't be the only move you've made, right?"
"Of course, efforts are being made in many areas, and you will know later." Blackbeard did not explain too much, after all, Qinglong had just joined.
Li Ming nodded and asked, "Does our organization have a name? For example, the Anti-Star Society."
Blackbeard looked strange and shook his head, "There is no clear name."
"Are the people in the Black Hole Palace ours?" Li Ming suddenly asked again.
"No, the Black Hole Palace is the Black Hole Palace." Blackbeard denied, "Let's exchange contact information first. Currently, I am your only contact. I will inform you when there are further plans."
Blackbeard just left like that without even being added to the group chat, which shows how loose this organization is.
In other words, he has not yet gained real trust and is a "peripheral" member. It has nothing to do with the strength he has demonstrated, it is simply a matter of trust.
It seemed like the other party had dropped a bombshell, talking about dividing up the Xingyuan Empire, but in fact it was not a secret.
These words are probably mentioned by tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions of living beings across the interstellar space every day.
Moreover, things of this level cannot be planned secretly and kept completely hidden in the dark.
The situation where "after the Xingyuan Empire splits, an organization suddenly emerges, claims responsibility for the incident, and then causes interstellar shock" is impossible to happen.
The Xingyuan Empire is not without smart people. If it really splits, it will definitely be an irresistible trend that is obvious to the public.
So Blackbeard didn't mind telling this matter, but the other party had no intention of revealing the real core action plan and other secrets.
"Dividing up the Xingyuan Empire...how many good things would we get?"
Li Ming's mind was full of mixed thoughts, but he couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. Although it was just a pancake, it was big and fragrant.
He originally wanted to ask the other party about the news of the Titan Stone, but after thinking about it, he gave up. This was his core need, and he didn't trust the other party very much, so he didn't want to expose it for the time being.
Li Ming gathered his thoughts and shook his head. For now, he still had to obtain the A-level gene seeds as soon as possible.
As for Qinglong, he currently only has a mecha to support him and can only passively take beatings, which is far from enough.
(End of this chapter)
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