This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 746 - 388: The Grandeur of the Empire Half a Year

Chapter 746: Chapter 388: The Grandeur of the Empire Half a Year

He exhaled, rubbed his hands together, and immediately shared a video link. Quite aggressive.

Going head-to-head with an old fox like this—isn’t that interesting?

He raised his hand, the surroundings suddenly darkened, and his appearance changed. Azure Dragon logged in.

The screen flickered, and the authoritative face of Prince Costat appeared.

"Lord Azure Dragon..." Costat greeted courteously, "This should be our first meeting, I’ve long admired your reputation."

Li Ming was noncommittal. "Your Highness holds great power and prestige. Perhaps at some banquet, I had the honor of observing you from afar."

Costat’s eyes subtly moved, but he merely smiled and said, "Lord Azure Dragon is too kind. If we had indeed met, I am certain it would have left a lasting impression."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, neither gaining any valuable information from the other.

Costat stated his purpose, "I reached out to you primarily to express my gratitude. Even in the midst of the gravest danger, you did not hesitate to save Abel’s life."

He spoke solemnly, "This debt, I will always remember."

Old fox, Li Ming secretly sneered. On the surface, Costat spoke of Azure Dragon saving Abel, but he was also subtly reminding him that he had saved Li Ming as well.

Li Ming remarked, "Your Highness has already repaid me, hasn’t he? To stop Prince Ryan in front of everyone—it was truly moving."

Costat smiled, "I had already promised you, so naturally I fulfilled my pledge. Besides, even if I hadn’t intervened, with your abilities, I believe Li Ming would not be in mortal danger, would he?"

Li Ming’s gaze flickered. At that moment, Ryan was so close; for an X-level entity, survival hinged on a mere thought.

Saying "I could survive" sounded boastful.

Admitting "I couldn’t" made him seem weaker—almost as though he owed a favor.

"A Divine Craftsman is merely a Divine Craftsman, incapable of reversing time and space," Li Ming said helplessly.

Costat chuckled softly and was just about to respond when Azure Dragon continued:

"So, over the past period, I’ve been trying ways to repay Your Highness for his kindness."

"I have some connections within the Holy Revolution Army. Recently, I obtained a few videos."

Costat’s expression tightened slightly. The next moment, he received the file sent by Azure Dragon. As soon as he opened it, his pupils contracted sharply.

The video prominently showed a severely injured Diaz, wailing, "The Royal Family... it was the Royal Family that betrayed me! What exactly are they trying to do!?"

The prime suspect in Diaz’s attack was naturally the Holy Revolution Army, given that he disappeared while ambushing them.

Costat frowned slightly, unsure whether the video was genuine. It could have been fabricated, and the Diaz in the video might have been an impersonator.

However, upon seeing the earlier portions of the video, he fell silent. The footage started with battle scenes, where Diaz clearly displayed his Liberation Form.

The Liberation Form of an S-level life form was an essentially unique identifier. Combined with those warships, as long as the video wasn’t synthetic, its credibility was high.

And determining whether a video is fabricated is quite simple. He trusted Azure Dragon wouldn’t use such tricks to mislead him.

Thinking of this, his expression grew grim. The Empire had only recently managed to consolidate some strength—if this video were leaked, Ryan, that lunatic, certainly wouldn’t let it slide.

It would inevitably stir internal turmoil.

"This video carries significant weight." Costat’s tone was heavy. "I hope it doesn’t fall into other hands."

"Naturally," Li Ming said with a smile. "This was painstakingly acquired to repay Your Highness’s kindness."

Costat fell silent. Their initial clash using Li Ming’s life-saving gesture as leverage ended neither in victory nor defeat.

As for who killed Diaz—whether Azure Dragon or the Holy Revolution Army—it mattered little to him.

Costat composed himself, realizing he had no advantage to gain here. He went straight to the main topic, "Lord Azure Dragon, there’s an even more pressing reason for this contact."

"Oh?" Li Ming feigned interest, leaning in to listen attentively.

Costat elaborated, "With the current interstellar situation being precarious and undercurrents surging, the Empire, as a pivotal civilization entity, intends to establish a peacekeeping institution under the Interstellar Alliance. We aim to invite life forms of significant prestige and capability to join."

"The goal is to resolve numerous issues in the interstellar realm through non-combative means."

So this is the Empire’s countermeasure—recruiting allies early?

Under the Interstellar Alliance’s name, how did they manage to persuade the Federation and the Star Cluster Republic Alliance? Li Ming wondered.

"We’re calling this institution the High-level Life Form Alliance. Would you be interested in serving as its leader?" Costat finally revealed his true agenda.

"Leader?" Li Ming was surprised, then smirked inwardly. How bold of him to make such a suggestion.

These organizations carried more symbolic weight than practical effect. Moreover, since it was established by the Empire as an immediate response to the current situation, subsequent developments were uncertain—but the leader would undoubtedly bear the brunt.

Li Ming had no interest in becoming a target, nor even much desire to join.

But upon second thought, something felt off.

To this day, there was no unified High-level Life Form Union in the interstellar realm; the Mechanic Association remained the largest unofficial coalition.

A united high-level life form organization had always been resisted by major interstellar civilizations.

In history, there had been attempts to establish such coalitions, but the sheer threat posed by these groups was evident—even to the leaders of minor civilizations, let alone the top-tier interstellar powers.

This "peace organization" bore vague similarities to such efforts.

The Empire’s ambitions were grand indeed.