This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 599 - 314: Impact and Aftermath_2

Chapter 599: Chapter 314: Impact and Aftermath_2

"Prince Gabriel... is dead." Albert said through gritted teeth after some hesitation.

"What!?" Nicholas’s pupils shrunk suddenly, he stood up abruptly, and ripples of distortion spread around him as he moved.

Xavier, who had been slightly bowing his head, suddenly looked up, his face filled with astonishment.

Gabriel is dead?

"Do you realize what you are saying?" Nicholas’s expression was stern, but he controlled his emotions well, not overly displaying his disturbance.

Albert hardly dared to meet Nicholas’s gaze, quickly adding, "There were many unexpected developments, and I have already sent you the related report."

Nicholas stared coldly at Albert, but since the latter was a level S life form, not just a subordinate that Nicholas could scold or strike, he could only suppress his anger for the time being and opened the file that had been sent.

The related battle report had been summarized in the most concise form.

Nicholas read it word by word.

"...Li Ming and his master Azure Dragon were concealed in the shadows..."

"Azure Dragon?" Nicholas frowned, the name sounded somewhat familiar, and continued reading, his face gradually becoming puzzled and uncertain.

"...wearing the mecha and forcibly withstanding the frontal assault from Albert and Reina..."

This is actually a Casting Star Mechanical Master?

Nicholas’s expression turned ugly, and then he was startled again when he saw another familiar name.

"...subsequently, Dark Night joined the battlefield, Azure Dragon instantly repaired his damaged Star Slaying Gun..."

Albert wanted to say something but stopped. This simple sentence was actually the most astonishing, but he felt it inappropriate to interrupt; the Duke would understand when he saw the battlefield footage.

"Dark Night and Azure Dragon..." Nicholas’s expression was grim, and he continued to read.

"The Core Relics were also emptied. Nothing was gained."

Nicholas closed his eyes, the surroundings silent; Xavier too could see the war report, his heart churning with complex emotions.

After a long while, Nicholas slowly opened his eyes, his expression seemingly emotionless, but underneath hid a towering rage. He then opened another file, it was the autopsy report of Gabriel and Luo Nan.

"Busy for so many years, and one Azure Dragon messes it all up?" His voice was cold and quiet, as if questioning or merely talking to himself.

"Albert, in your opinion, who killed him?"

Albert hesitated greatly, "The report already..."

"I am asking you!" Nicholas’s eyes narrowed slightly, suddenly shouting.

Helplessly, Albert said, "I am not sure, but if I have to choose someone, it could only be Reina."

"I understand." Nicholas nodded, turned off the communication, the room becoming very quiet.

"Azure Dragon, Azure Dragon..." Nicholas murmured the name, suddenly asking, "Do you also think it was Reina?"

Xavier tensed, hesitating, "Father, before I answer this question, I need to ask you something first."

"Speak."

"Was Dark Night hired by you?"

As the words fell, Xavier felt a chill throughout his body; Nicholas had already approached him, his figure enveloped in the light from the virtual screen.

"You think so too?" Nicholas already knew the answer.

Normally, Reina wouldn’t kill Gabriel, but now the problem was that Duke Guya was assassinated first, even his own son suspected that Dark Night was employed by him.

Not to mention Duke Guya’s side, if they harbored such a suspicion, it wasn’t impossible for Reina to kill Gabriel.

And this Azure Dragon, his motive seemed insufficient, Nicholas couldn’t think of any benefits that would compel Azure Dragon to kill Gabriel.

"Albert is right, it can only be Reina." Nicholas turned around, "As for Asimara..."

Xavier frowned, "Father, whether it’s Azure Dragon or Reina, both are forces that Asimara cannot withstand."

Nicholas spoke calmly, "Exactly, so let her make amends for her crimes. Tell her, I will have Albert entangle Reina, and she must not let even a single person from the Judger Civilization leave the Red River Star Stream!"

Xavier inwardly sighed, but could only nod: "Yes."

......

"Reina said he didn’t do it, that leaves only one possibility—it must have been done by the Azure Dragon."

In the white room, there are precise instruments everywhere, and screens continuously displaying various data.

In the silver-white vertical capsule filled with translucent liquid lies a person, withered in appearance, hair grayed, naked.

The most eye-catching is the smooth, rounded cut at the heart area, the size of a fist, with no blood at the edges, as if a piece was magically removed, yet there’s a weird sense of harmony, as if it was meant to be.

Duke Guya, Satoru, not a titled Duke, signifies on some level his deeds are nowhere near those of Duke Bloodthorn.

His subordinates were reporting while Satoru stared intently at the battle reports, surrounded by a substantial number of gathered advisors, his think tank.

"Azure Dragon..." he uttered hoarsely, "What is his origin?"

Someone quickly responded: "We couldn’t find anything for now. He first appeared in the Land of Stars, with no prior clues, and he doesn’t match any known Casting Star Mechanics."

"Based on our conjecture, Nicholas will likely pin the death of Prince Gabriel on Reina and make us responsible," someone spoke gravely, "Should we contact him first to clarify?"

"Clarify? Did the Duke get a chance to clarify when he was assassinated?" Another person, with green skin and an unusually large head, shook their head, "His people have mocked us multiple times, ridiculing our failure to protect."

"He’s gained nothing this time; his son is dead, and there’s nothing to find on the Azure Dragon. Do you want him to focus on this person?"

The crowd was noisy, everyone having an opinion, believing Nicholas to be cold-natured, not caring about Gabriel’s death, but certain to use this incident to cause trouble and offset his own losses.

Satoru coughed dryly, and all fell silent, he spoke gravely, "Immediately find someone, the one called Blackbeard."

"To artificially create a new Undercurrent, a guide actually has this capability."

"You are wise!" A person took the order and quickly contacted Antonio, but the reply was unexpected.

"He took the payment and left immediately, now he’s untraceable."

Someone cursed: "This idiot, didn’t he realize something was wrong?"

"Forget it, tell him to leave quickly and be careful on the road," Satoru said, shaking his head.

"You worry?" The crowd was surprised.

Satoru sighed, "I hope I’m just overthinking, hope he remains sensible."

The crowd exchanged looks, and finally, someone couldn’t help saying: "You’re too merciful. Nicholas will definitely start a war, if you back down now, the upper layers to settle this matter will definitely make you pay a price."

No matter the civilization, distribution always happens by causing stirs.

"Go!" Satoru commanded sternly.

The crowd quickly nodded: "Yes!"

......

As time passes, the universal interest in the Tidal Period of the Red River Star Stream fades, only occasionally some marvels garner attention, returning to normal.

Northern Crown Star Ring, relatively close to the Red River Star Stream, had developed immunity to the Tidal Period; even describing it as annoying, it brought many inconveniences.

People often pray online for the Tidal Period to pass quickly.

In such circumstances, a video news from deep within the Red River Star Stream suddenly exploded.

Like a huge stone dropped in a calm lake, creating a monstrous wave instantly.

"Secret Wars at the Depths of Red River Star Stream—The Direct Collision of the Cosmic Jump Disaster and Fleets!"

"Ancient Civilization’s Relics—The Majestic Folding Fortress!"

"The Perish of the Son of the Empire Duke—Battle of the S-level Life Form!"

"Emergence of the Casting Star Mechanical Master—The Power of the Azure Dragon!"

"The Game of Four S-level Life Forms—The Compelled Spotlight!"

The Northern Crown Star Ring had been peaceful for a long while, used to seeing only fringe news about various celebrities.

But each of these news headlines hit the citizens like a shockwave.

Suddenly the entire Northern Crown Star Ring was shocked, and the news spread continuously.