This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 694 - 362: Luckily, I’m Not a Good Thing Either

Chapter 694: Chapter 362: Luckily, I’m Not a Good Thing Either

"This is the office building..." Prince Costat stood in a massive crater, "The level of destruction here is the highest, indicating the enemy infiltrated the core area before making a move."

"Who did Nicholas meet that day?" he asked.

The officer hastily replied: "Duke Bloodthorn didn’t meet anyone that day, but he did receive an item that wasn’t pre-registered."

"What item?" Prince Costat frowned.

"This..." The officer brought up an image, a rectangular object, "Based on testing, it appears to be a mechanical folding motorcycle."

"It was delivered by a soldier named Luo’er. Since it wasn’t registered, it was intercepted, but not long after, the Security Department received a direct order from Duke Bloodthorn demanding it be delivered."

"It was retrieved personally by Duke Bloodthorn’s secretary. We’ve conducted a preliminary interrogation of Luo’er, and he claims it was Duke Bloodthorn’s direct order to go to a specific location and retrieve the item."

"The object went through at least twenty tests without any anomalies being found. The material was just standard alloy."

"However, since the attack occurred shortly after the secretary delivered the item to Duke Bloodthorn’s office, we still suspect it may be related to the attack."

"We are currently preparing for a memory audit of Luo’er."

Two days passed. The audits and investigations had followed all procedural steps.

"Do we really need to investigate this further? There’s no need to guess—it must be Azure Dragon." Diaz interjected.

"He lured Nicholas with those coordinates, Nicholas passed them to us, and we foolishly followed them, leading to the sudden attack on the base."

After speaking, Diaz furrowed his brows slightly, "But if it really is Azure Dragon, how could he be certain Nicholas would stay?"

Before the echo of his words faded, he felt Prince Costat’s piercing gaze: "Are you suggesting I am under suspicion?"

Diaz stayed silent; he did not suspect Prince Costat was colluding with Azure Dragon.

He believed Prince Costat might have noticed something amiss but chose to feign ignorance, allowing Nicholas to be attacked.

Moreover, Prince Costat’s attitude was rather ambiguous—his anger about the attack on the base seemed even less intense than his frustration over Nicholas unauthorized use of the Terrax Stone.

"Diaz, you can eat recklessly, but you mustn’t talk recklessly." Jaint coldly stared at him, "Are you accusing a prince?"

"I wouldn’t dare." Diaz shook his head, speaking softly, "For such matters, extensive evidence isn’t necessary. I suggest directly reporting this to the Royal Council and issuing a warrant for Azure Dragon."

"We haven’t confirmed it was him." Costat’s expression remained indifferent, "He only has one clear motive: to eliminate Nicholas. It’s too simple, too pure. Why would he risk forming a greater enmity over a minor grudge? What does he gain?"

Diaz furrowed his brows, "Maybe he’s just being counter-intuitive."

Costat shook his head, unwilling to engage in such speculative reasoning, "We won’t rush to make this public. At the very least, we haven’t located Azure Dragon yet. If we fail to capture him, we’ll only embarrass ourselves."

"Besides, the Hammer Divine Craftsman issue has reached a critical stage, and that matter is even more important."

Jaint nodded, leaning towards this decision.

"Nonetheless, this matter needs continued investigation. First, confirm whether Nicholas is truly dead and trace Azure Dragon’s whereabouts. Diaz, you’ll be handling this." Costat issued the command.

Diaz opened his mouth to protest but ultimately resigned himself to the task with no choice.

......

Two and a half days after the attack, the entire Central World entered lockdown. Entry or exit now faced rigorous inspections, and the number of patrolling soldiers in public areas significantly increased.

Buzz--

The smart terminal vibrated, with a pop-up showing Blackbeard’s communication request.

Li Ming abruptly opened his eyes. Ever since returning, he had kept the Black Hole Network active, finally receiving Blackbeard’s call.

He didn’t answer immediately and let it ring until it ceased. Two or three hours later, he unhurriedly called back.

Almost immediately, Blackbeard picked up, and a suppressed voice filled with restrained fury emerged from the screen: "Azure Dragon, what... exactly are you doing!"

"What do you mean?" Li Ming feigned confusion.

"Wasn’t the Empire Base attack your doing?" Despite phrasing it as a question, Blackbeard’s tone carried utter certainty.

"You shouldn’t make baseless accusations." Li Ming continued to deny, "I wouldn’t dare be that bold."

Blackbeard exhaled heavily, rage mixed with helplessness, "This isn’t how things should be done. Nicholas may have been targeting you, but the threat he posed was limited."

"Acting so openly as you did provides absolutely no benefit; even killing him—what would it achieve?"

"All you’ve done is inflame the Star Abyss Empire’s fury, provoking them to consolidate their scattered forces, the exact result we’ve been working hard to avoid."

Blackbeard spoke solemnly. Their longevity allowed them to operate on plans measured in years—gradually applying pressure, carefully pushing the Star Abyss Empire to its breaking point.

Even isolating the Star Abyss Empire through the Mechanician Council was a milestone achieved through meticulous calculation.

The Mechanician Association was a civilian organization embedded in every civilization and externally presented a gentle, non-threatening image, while remaining relatively unstructured.

Using the death of the Hammer Divine Craftsman as a pretext to provoke the Star Abyss Empire meant their anger would find no outlet—they couldn’t treat the Mechanician Association as their enemy without suffering greater repercussions.

However, once there was a tangible and powerful adversary threatening them, the Empire’s disorganized forces would surely unite.

Azure Dragon himself wasn’t formidable enough to achieve this effect, yet his impulsive acts already caused widespread dissatisfaction, placing Blackbeard under significant pressure.