This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 365 - 196: Li Ming Takes the Initiative, Theo’s Confusion, Ulrich’s Bewilderment, Each with Their Own Scheme_2

Chapter 365: Chapter 196: Li Ming Takes the Initiative, Theo’s Confusion, Ulrich’s Bewilderment, Each with Their Own Scheme_2

At the edge of the Floating Island, a small dock, a group of people disembarked from the aircraft.

Ulrich had always landed at the dock of the Floating Island and walked over, never once directly landing in the center of the Floating Island.

Halfway through the walk, Ulrich furrowed his brow slightly, his instincts as an Advanced Life Form giving him an uneasy feeling.

He stopped to look around; piles of metal debris were everywhere, and the Floating Island had become a heap of rubbish, with a few rooms faintly visible amidst the metallic wreckage.

"What’s wrong?" Theo asked, stopping in his tracks, his expression puzzled.

"Nothing, just a very strange sensation." Ulrich shook his head, uncertain of where the feeling came from.

It was not until they reached Li Ming’s studio that Huo Tan went to knock on the door, then stood to one side.

In his mind, Theo considered that Ulrich always believed this person was under his control; it would probably be hard to imagine that the other could come and go as he pleased here.

Hopefully, the other hadn’t left the Land of Stars yet; in a rage, Ulrich would surely lock down his territory—if the other hadn’t left, there might still be a chance.

But Theo held little hope; the other had vanished for over a dozen hours, probably having left for good.

A moment later, the door opened, and Li Ming’s head popped out, looking quite surprised, "Collector, Your Excellency?"

Ulrich nodded slightly, but strangely felt that everything was normal, and yet not quite right.

Standing at the back, Theo’s pupils suddenly constricted as he looked at Li Ming emerging unbelievably from the door, his mind in turmoil.

He’s back!?

When did he return?

I had just left, and he came back? Such a coincidence?

Theo couldn’t comprehend; returning to the Floating Island didn’t take long, and although he deliberately took a detour to cover his flight trail, it only took about fifteen or twenty minutes.

He had lingered here nearly ten hours without sighting this fellow. The result was that just during the time he flew back, the man returned?

Theo didn’t believe it. Of course, there was another even more perplexing speculation—that the other had always been in the room, but he hadn’t noticed.

But that was nearly impossible.

Various thoughts interweaved in his mind, but he couldn’t come to a concrete conclusion.

"Lord Theo is here too?" Li Ming, noticing Theo at the back, asked with a tone of surprise.

After all, as an Advanced Life Form, he had already concealed any oddness in a moment, nodding slightly.

"Please come in, both of you." Li Ming stepped aside, showing no hint of his thoughts, with a spray gun in one hand and a welding torch in the other.

Upon entering, Theo felt an even stronger urge to vomit blood; he had been here for ten hours and was sick of it.

Li Ming seemed to be repairing the pale golden armor, giving Theo a sense of disorientation: had his previous visit really been to this place?

Ulrich furrowed his brow slightly, wondering what exactly was going on here...

He felt the uneasy sensation in his heart intensify, looking around without being able to pinpoint anything.

"Sorry, this is the studio, there’s not much of a place to sit, please forgive me." Li Ming said apologetically, setting down the spray gun. Without waiting for the others to speak, he took the initiative to say:

"Collector, Your Excellency, I was just about to come find you; I didn’t expect you to come first."

"Looking for me?" Ulrich was surprised, swallowing the words he intended to say.

"Yes..." Li Ming frowned, "I don’t know why, but I’ve had a bad premonition these past couple of days, like someone’s going to make a move on me."

"So, could I move into your castle? It would be convenient for my repair work..."

Ulrich’s face was a picture of astonishment. He hadn’t spoken yet, and Li Ming was already asking to move over?

With Theo here, Li Ming couldn’t speak openly, but Ulrich understood the implication was about repairing the Material Reorganization Machine.

He had thought of many arguments, yet hadn’t uttered a word.

Although it was what he expected, he didn’t feel a bit of happiness.

Volunteering implied the other wasn’t afraid.

Ulrich knew there was one thing unspoken between them—the fate of the great Mechanic after fixing the Material Reorganization Machine.

This device was Ulrich’s greatest secret, one he didn’t want more people to know.

Killing was the best choice.

He believed the other must have considered it, yet still was this forthright. Could it be...?

Ulrich conjured up various speculations and shook his head secretly—the old problem had struck again. When the time came, he would keep the subject under his own watch, with surveillance set up everywhere; he refused to believe that the other party would be able to cause any ripples.

Theo was full of doubts as he looked at Li Ming, volunteering to move into the castle?

With Ulrich there, that meant he couldn’t act freely, but this was too sudden.

Because of a bad premonition in his heart?

This reason sounded a bit far-fetched. Could it be that he discovered someone had been to his workshop?

Theo couldn’t figure it out, and this sense of confusion made him very uncomfortable.

All three harbored their own schemes, but Li Ming maintained a calm facade while he had cursed Theo eight hundred times in his heart.

Just what got into this guy that he wanted to target him? He wasn’t afraid of thieves stealing, but he dreaded thieves coveting.

Li Ming, often playing the role of the thief, naturally understood this principle well and planned to find a safer place.

As for the repair work on the Star King’s body, Li Ming didn’t care. The Star King had been paralyzed for so many years already; being incapacitated for a while longer was no big deal. Nothing was more important than his own safety.

"That’s fine..." Ulrich said reluctantly, "When do you plan to go then, do you need to pack up anything?"

"There’s nothing to pack, I’ll go now," Li Ming replied immediately.

More anxious than I am?

Because of the premonition in his heart, even more cautious than I am?

Ulrich was even more puzzled and felt increasingly inexplicable, but he found no reason to refuse and could only let Li Ming return with them. He also packed some materials and items, including the light-golden armor and a few mechanical bodies.

On the way, Theo made an ostensible inquiry about some A-level weapons, and Li Ming gave detailed answers, offering various suggestions.

After returning to the castle, Ulrich still felt strange and asked Huo Tan to arrange a room for him, while he went off to deal with certain matters.

"The guest room is on the third floor... the dining hall is on the fourth floor..." Huo Tan gave a running introduction.

Li Ming interrupted, "Are Lord Theo and Sandro on the third floor?"

Huo Tan nodded, "Yes."

"Which floor is Lord Ulrich on?" Li Ming inquired.

"The seventh floor," Huo Tan replied, not quite understanding.

"Is there another room next to his?"

Huo Tan felt disordered, shaking his head blankly, "No, the entire floor belongs to Lord Ulrich."

"Then how about the sixth floor?" Li Ming asked again.

"The sixth floor is where we stay," Huo Tan said.

"Then I’ll take the sixth floor. We’re all in this together; how could I stay in a guest room?" Li Ming said decisively.

Huo Tan seemed to have something to say but eventually just nodded, "Alright, I will have a room prepared for you as soon as possible."

"What about the fifth floor?" Li Ming followed Huo Tan into the elevator, but noticed that in the elevator panel, there was no option for the fifth floor.

"This..." Huo Tan hesitated, with evident difficulty etched across his face.

Li Ming said discontentedly, "We’re all in this together, is there something you can’t tell me?"

’One of us...’ Huo Tan grumbled inwardly, then explained, "The fifth floor is the workshop; some Mechanics work there."

"Oh?" Li Ming’s eyes lit up with interest, "Can you take me to see it?"

Huo Tan felt as if his teeth hurt, stating that he needed to consult Ulrich. After making the call, he then said, "Please follow me."

The elevator stopped on the fourth floor, and Li Ming followed him to a metal door at the end of the metallic corridor. After several checks, the door slowly opened with a buzzing sound.

Stepping inside, they ascended a staircase leading up, with the floor and walls all a uniform silver-white, virtually seamless, and the smell of metallic rust was overwhelming.

Upon climbing the stairs, they reached a vastly open space, a huge array of workbenches regularly positioned, with the shrill sound of friction, sparks flying, and the din of discussions incessantly ongoing, resembling a large factory.

The air was also suffused with the heat from high temperature smelting.

"Lord Huo Tan..." A little creature ran up to them, even shorter than a dwarf, reaching only up to Li Ming’s knees, with dark green skin, unusually large eyes, and a bald head—resembling a goblin.

With a sycophantic smile on his face, "Why didn’t you let us know ahead of time, does Collector have any instructions?"

"Brown, this is the Mechanic—Lord Azure Dragon. I’ve brought him for a tour," Huo Tan gestured towards Li Ming.