Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 246 - 166: Open Conspiracy

Chapter 246: Chapter 166: Open Conspiracy

The day of the assembly and departure arrived unexpectedly, and on this afternoon, everyone in the Imperial Court stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky.

The Ranger traced a dazzling trajectory in mid-air, continuing until it vanished at the edge of the clouds.

Although this universe had long entered the era of interstellar travel, for Blue Star, this was undoubtedly a historic breakthrough.

"The first" always held special significance.

That was the trajectory of hope.

People understood that the crew of the Ranger was not only embarking on their first interstellar voyage, they also carried the important mission of participating in the Sixteen Star Summit; perhaps in the near future, they could expect some good news.

Signing a non-interference treaty meant that from now on, they would no longer have to live at the behest of the corporations.

Of course, this moment might have come a little too late.

The civilization of Blue Star took its first difficult step, yet the "big version" of the entire universe had already advanced to the major release of "The Mystery of the Shan Clan." Once they left this planet, not many in the universe would care about Blue Star, this remote little planet; the focus of the entire universe was on the merger between Shanqi Commerce Association and Universe Company.

And there was the United Front.

The army of the United Front and the Iron Guard Consortium’s war had spread throughout the star system. Initially, no one thought that the natives of the governed Star Zones could really stand up to the corporations’ consortiums and even bring down several warships.

It was a full-scale war in the true sense, taking down not only the corporations’ flagships, but also completely turning several planets into "Dead Stars."

Every day, images of the horrific aftermath following the orbital cannon’s scouring of the land spread far and wide, with the scorched earth so black that even the bodies of organisms had evaporated, and the occasional building debris served as proof that people once lived there.

After Cosmic Pirates joined the fray, the United Front army was not to be trifled with.

Destroying the corporation’s transport ships, attacking the corporation’s space stations, sparing no one; not the wounded, nor the scientists.

Recently, Duan Mingyuan had been paying close attention to the news from the war zones every day, feeling that, as the conflict escalated, both sides had gone red-eyed, becoming increasingly crazed.

He disliked war, especially wars waged in his name.

For every flagship of the corporations destroyed, the United Front army would publicly salute their spiritual leader, while the rampant news condemned, making the entire universe believe he was a war criminal eager to instigate interstellar warfare.

An enthusiastic netizen, He Ya, said this was a typical tactic of chambers of commerce and companies—create a Great Demon King, then knock him down as the Savior, and amidst the praise of the people, some of the finer details would be easily forgotten.

And in this Era, Duan Mingyuan was the perfect candidate for "Great Demon King."

"As of now, everything is progressing in the direction they hope for."

"Not the He Ya you know" sent Duan Mingyuan an internal message, while she herself was visiting a star system being incubated by distorted creatures.

The photo showed her posing with a Brain Worm, standing on a fungal mat in a building that had long become a nursery for the distortions.

These distorted creatures claimed to be of the Devourer tribe, and though their appearance was fierce and terrifying, they were unexpectedly good at communicating.

He Ya said that she was trying to purchase a batch of Leviathan eggs from the Devourer tribe; Duan Mingyuan was her target customer. As the "Great Demon King" of this Era, once interstellar war truly breaks out, a lowly flying vehicle like the Ranger would undoubtedly be the laughing stock of the entire universe.

He Ya believed that by then, Duan Mingyuan would need some powerful allies that fit his "Great Demon King" status and could instill fear throughout the universe.

For instance, a fleet of Leviathans.

"Why do you assume that an interstellar war is imminent?"

Duan Mingyuan thought that this goddess of trade might just be the God of War in disguise; from the very first meeting, she exuded a sense of relishing in chaos.

"Because I understand them, persistent and arrogant; once they set their sights on a target, they’ll stop at nothing, even if it means being shattered into pieces."

If not, she wouldn’t have purified Flashing Star and turned all those vermin into cosmic refugees.

After all, although they were persistent and arrogant, their self-righteous demeanor unexpectedly provided comedic talent, always bringing joy to her.

He Ya paused for a moment, then sent another private message, "However, since they’ve proceeded as such, it means that at least they believe they have a secret weapon that can contend with the Transcenders. So think about it, I’m currently in talks with the chief of the Devourers, and if you go through the wholesale channels, the price of the eggs might be very low."

He Ya loved war, wishing for the entire universe to erupt in chaos.

In such tumultuous times, astute businessmen could become exceedingly wealthy.

The Shanqi Commerce Association had never stopped leveraging war for profit, and the Cosmic Pirates on the Eastern Battlefront they funded were their tools for "laundering money."

"What did you mean by ’everything is progressing in the direction they hope for’ just now?"

Duan Mingyuan had no interest in buying Leviathan eggs, even though they sounded valuable for research and cultivation.

His life’s ambition was never to become a Cosmic Overlord like Das-Vida.

"It means exactly what it says. Even though the rebel leader of the United Front shouts out to you across the void every day, after all, you’ve not yet committed any substantial acts befitting a universal war criminal. That’s why the Chamber of Commerce has decided to hold this summit at Mechanical Star. You must have seen the briefing, how familiar does it feel?"

With its highly centralized, rotten, and brutal rule, combined with the stark disparity between rich and poor, this planet had become a paradise for the nobility and hell for the commoners.

Anyone could deduce that their trip to Mechanical Star would encounter many unpleasant events.

Seeing that Duan Mingyuan hadn’t replied for a while, He Ya hummed a tune at the other end and replied, "To clarify in advance, no matter how unreasonable Mechanical Star’s social form may be, no matter how many things happen that you cannot tolerate, it is still a planet legitimized by corporations and chambers of commerce. The cruel rule imposed by the ruling class on the planet is sanctioned by legal provisions. Guess who in this universe doesn’t have to follow these rules?"

This was an overt plot.

She believed Duan Mingyuan must have seen through it the moment he read the briefing.

To subvert the rule of Mechanical Star like the rebels would only validate the public’s perception of the "Great Demon King."

Given He Ya’s understanding of Duan Mingyuan, once they reached Mechanical Star, he would definitely "not be able to stand the loneliness."

If Duan Mingyuan couldn’t even stand the practices of Shanqi Commerce Association in Siyang City, how could he possibly remain silent on a godforsaken place like Mechanical Star?

"So, you will use the Leviathan egg sooner or later."

A good merchant always knows how to prepare for a rainy day.

He Ya was in an excellent mood recently, sensing that this deal was a rare, once-in-a-century big score.

The communication ended.

"It’s all right, Mr. Mingyuan."

Jiuyue, who had been observing the whole process, comforting patted his shoulder, "I actually think the Cosmic Pirate King isn’t as bad as you imagine."

Jiuyue thought cosmic pirates were the freest people, not bound by any rules and acting according to their own hearts.

"Didn’t you say before that no one has declared that ghosts must be bad? The same logic applies here, who says the Cosmic Pirate King must be a bad person?"

Duan Mingyuan was momentarily at a loss for words; he hadn’t expected this little fox to utilize his own theory against him.

Jiuyue took the opportunity to hug Duan Mingyuan from behind, "Don’t worry, whether you become the Pirate King or the Great Demon King in the future, I will be by your side. Right now, I only have one question."

"Hmm?"

"Does the Leviathan count as poultry?"

She, unlike Duan Mingyuan, was very interested in the Leviathan egg mentioned by He Ya.

She had heard that the Leviathan could engage in interstellar travel.

If it could fly, wasn’t it just a subspecies of chickens?

"If it’s a type of poultry, I think we could introduce some; I could have the Bai Yu I raise behind the mountain help hatch the eggs."

Jiuyue’s ever-optimistic spirit was always able to infect others, and her off-the-wall remarks also helped to lighten Duan Mingyuan’s heavy mood quite a bit.

But this calm didn’t last too long.

A moment later, he detected a flagship nearly the size of a flying vehicle intentionally approaching them, with a very conspicuous emblem on the flying vehicle—a feathered quill pen that resembled something from a medieval magic civilization. As they got closer, the person on the flying vehicle revealed their identity and intentions to them.

——Reporter from the Peace Dove Press Agency.

——They needed to talk.

Duan Mingyuan had been closely following the cosmic situation recently and was naturally familiar with the Peace Dove Press Agency. It was a news agency established by war correspondents, most of whom were interstellar mercenaries.

Wherever there was war, there they would be, known for their fearlessness of danger and always being on the front lines, bringing firsthand news to the entire cosmos.

A quarter of an hour later, the robust reporter wearing Exoskeleton Armor from the Peace Dove Press Agency boarded the Ranger.

"My call sign at the press is Owl, Mr. Mingyuan, we need to talk," he said.

This seemed to be Owl’s catchphrase, for in the span of a short quarter-hour, Duan Mingyuan had already heard it five times.

It wasn’t hard to see the muscular reporter was indeed eager to talk.

Jiuyue originally had no interest in war correspondents, but when the man introduced himself with the codename "Owl," she couldn’t help but give him a second look.

This reporter had been a mercenary before joining the news agency and could skillfully operate Exoskeleton Armor.

Beyond that, his muscles were firm, fresh, and juicy...

"Jiuyue."

"Here!"

"Go prepare some snacks."

"Sure, Mr. Owl, please follow me to the kitchen."

"I asked you to prepare snacks," he stressed.

Not to turn someone into them.

Duan Mingyuan, noting Jiuyue’s distracted demeanor, emphasized.

"Oh, snacks, got it."

Jiuyue nodded obediently and headed for the kitchen.

"Mr. Mingyuan, who is this?" Owl asked once Jiuyue had left.

The reporter’s and mercenary’s acute intuition informed him that Jiuyue’s scrutinizing gaze didn’t seem well-intentioned.

"Her name is Jiuyue, she’s the chef aboard the Ranger. She’s in charge of the snacks and meals," Duan Mingyuan said, leading Owl to a small conference room. "You can start asking your questions now."