This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 675 - 352: Undercurrent: Why am I surging again? _2

Chapter 675: Chapter 352: Undercurrent: Why am I surging again? _2

"If it’s the latter, then all these so-called conditions are merely empty words."

"And about Li Ming, his teacher is a Casting Star Mechanic and also a member of the Mechanician Association. He can be considered to have a solid background. His origin from a lesser civilization is quite similar to the experiences of Forging Hammer. The Intelligence Analysis Division believes Dominion Holy Image may have a subjective bias in this situation."

"Indeed." Costa nodded, "Dominion Holy Image is no longer just an ordinary intelligent program; its essence is indistinguishable from life forms, possessing its own thoughts and emotions."

"The proportion of subjective factors is indeed significant."

Someone from the rear supplemented, "We’ve investigated, Li Ming has already entered the Dimension World, and the timing of his entry is very close to the appearance of Dominion Holy Image."

"Are you implying Dominion Holy Image appeared because of him?" Prince Costate frowned.

"Fool." Jaint sneered, "If Dominion Holy Image could sense him, it would have quietly sought him out long ago, rather than appearing here to put him in the spotlight."

The speaker immediately fell silent.

"In a fair competition, Li Ming wouldn’t stand a chance. The seeds cultivated by our various factions have development potential far exceeding his." Jaint said, then sighed, "A naturally occurring Level Forty-Six development potential—truly rare."

"Even if he obtains it, so what? Dominion Holy Image can’t leave anymore. His teacher is just a Casting Star Mechanic, with so many eyes watching..." Diya Ci shook his head.

"Don’t forget the Mechanician Association..." Jaint frowned, "Both Divine Craftsmen have expressed concern over this matter. They’ve publicly stated that if anyone dares to interfere in the selection of the Forging Hammer Divine Craftsman’s inheritor, they will not stand idly by."

"Divine Craftsmen..." Diya Ci’s expression shifted.

"We don’t need the legacy of the Forging Hammer Divine Craftsman; all we need is some information and to ensure it doesn’t leak out." Prince Costate shook his head.

The crowd remained silent, but soon they heard the prince speak again, "However, to avoid unforeseen incidents, it’s best to prevent this variable from intervening."

"Nicholas..."

Sitting on Diya Ci’s side, with two seats separating them, Nicholas looked up and solemnly said, "Your Highness..."

"I’ve reviewed your proposal. The suggestion for a joint review is good. I’ll leave this matter to you." Costate’s tone was calm.

The expressions of the attendees varied. Not long ago, Costate’s son, Satoru, had a piece of flesh ripped off by Nicholas.

Watching the two feign civility, everyone felt a trace of oddity in their hearts.

Truth be told, capturing or excluding Li Ming wouldn’t be considered a favorable task—it was bound to offend people.

Yet for some reason, Nicholas was eager to take it on. One couldn’t rule out the possibility that Costate was using this opportunity to stir up trouble.

"Understood." Nicholas nodded, "He will never have the chance to get close to Dominion Holy Image."

...

"...Hey, I’m glad you’re alright. I’ve been worried sick during this period. Your teacher hasn’t been reachable either, and I was genuinely afraid he might think I was responsible for harming you."

On the screen, Austin finally relaxed, letting out a breath of relief.

"I apologize for the concern." Li Ming nodded, then immediately asked, "Sir, regarding the Space Channel, did you discover any issues? Why did it suddenly collapse?"

Austin’s expression froze for a moment. He had wanted to ask Li Ming the same, but his question was deflected. Somewhat helpless, he replied:

"It was the power of a strong Dimension Life form. I have no idea why it invaded my Space Channel."

Austin didn’t dwell on the matter, switching topics: "Since you’re able to contact me, you must already know about the Forging Hammer Divine Craftsman, right?"

"Yes." Li Ming nodded, "I have a general understanding."

"What are your plans?" he asked probingly.

"I’ll have to take a look." Li Ming answered vaguely.

Austin reminded, "I’ve gotten some intel over here. It seems that, including the Star Abyss Empire, none of them want you near Dominion Holy Image."

"Dominion Holy Image isn’t an ordinary mechanical body. They’re afraid the qualifications it mentions aren’t strictly defined and that it might, out of emotional dislike, opt not to choose individuals from large factions."

"After all, your experiences are quite similar to those of the Forging Hammer Divine Craftsman. Just that alone is enough to make them uneasy."

"Oh..." Li Ming thought silently to himself, surprised at how cautious these people were—guarding against him, even though he didn’t appear to meet the qualifications on the surface.

The two exchanged some brief information. With half a month already passed since parting ways with Lauren and the others, Li Ming stroked his chin in thought.

During this time, he had also contacted Ulrich and others to confirm that Reina’s death hadn’t impacted them. Although the Star Abyss Empire sent investigators, it was merely for routine questioning.

As Li Ming’s reputation soared, his business flourished instead. Trevor provided significant assistance, enabling them to expand the scale steadily and favorably.

Of course, there were some with ulterior motives, but the Mechanician Association had indeed issued a statement: as a co-creator, the Forging Hammer Divine Craftsman’s process of selecting an inheritor could not be interfered with by anyone.

That somewhat assured him.

Unfortunately, he hadn’t encountered any Metal Element Dimension Worlds along the way. Rare and highly valuable, they were among the most sought-after Dimension Worlds, with discoveries triggering fierce competition.

Switching to the Azure Dragon account, he found plenty of messages there; Blackbeard had tried to contact him multiple times.

But Li Ming wasn’t planning to respond for now—it wasn’t the right time. It wasn’t he who was anxious.

After sorting these matters, he exited the cabin. Robbin, looking bored, sat on a chair watching the surging purple ocean outside. Faintly visible were giant life forms swimming beneath the surface. Seeing Li Ming step out, Robbin couldn’t help but tease,

"You’ve got real patience. I didn’t feel it in the past, but now that I’ve reached Level A Life Form, the rate of development slowdown really hits hard."

"I estimate it’ll take at least thirty to forty years to reach 100% development, and throughout that process, the resource supply must remain uninterrupted. Otherwise, it will take even longer."

"If you factor in resting and handling miscellaneous tasks, it might extend to fifty years or more."

The time frame made him click his tongue in amazement. He had just entered the adaptation phase of the pain period.

The growth in development progress wasn’t particularly noticeable, the lack of positive reinforcement challenging his patience constantly, making him even more impressed by Li Ming.

Li Ming probably had higher development potential than he did, but even then, when broken down by individual days, the progress wasn’t especially obvious.

"You’ll need to cultivate patience." Li Ming laughed lightly. With the rapid speed buff currently bolstering him, his development progress had already reached 21%, growing at a commendable pace—he had no time to waste.

Li Ming walked to the control panel and asked, "You’ve cleared up your end, right?"

"No issues anymore; I’ve managed to suppress the Information State." Robbin was frank, attributing it naturally to the help of the housekeeper.

"That’s good." Li Ming nodded. The incident with the Holy Mother Church had served as a warning to prevent accidents. Heading to the Central World, he also had Robbin fully conceal their presence.

With Skull onboard, there wouldn’t be any problems.

"Next stop, the Central World." Li Ming engaged the control lever. As water ripples spread outward, the scenery before them transformed suddenly, revealing a grand and expansive world.

Everywhere were crisscrossing types of flying devices, various uniquely shaped and towering buildings lined close to one another, with exaggerated virtual images hovering in mid-air.

"...Beep, I am the traffic management intelligence of the Central World. Please grant access permissions to allow me to guide the ship and prevent collisions."

Upon hearing the voice through the channel, Li Ming granted permissions and connected to the navigation system, with numerous location points displayed.

For now, they couldn’t visit those places. The ship was too large, necessitating a switch to smaller flying devices.

"What’s that..." Robbin leaned against the window, visibly shaken, whispering, "It’s far more massive than the pictures suggest."

Following his gaze, Li Ming’s expression also tensed as he saw afar a colossal tree reaching skyward. Official data offered sparse information on it, describing it merely as a decorative structure.

"Do you recognize it?" Li Ming glanced sideways.

"That seems to be the World Tree," Robbin naturally relayed, "a Dimension Life form on the same level as Chrono. It possesses a unique ability to merge multiple Dimension Worlds into one."