This is really not mechanical ascension
Chapter 761 - 395: The Sequence of Events and Serendipity_2

Chapter 761: Chapter 395: The Sequence of Events and Serendipity_2

The event encountered by Asimara and others is so shocking at the interstellar level that they dare not transmit information externally via the Black Hole Network, for a misstep could mean death.

"So why did Asimara send you to me?" Li Ming asked again, "Even if this matter is true, why should I help you?"

Lord Azure Dragon murdered Nicholas, and within the upper echelons of the Empire, and certain factions, it is essentially considered an unquestionable fact.

However, those of slightly lower levels have no way of knowing such highly confidential information, and the Empire would not actively publicize it.

So on the surface, he or Lord Azure Dragon and Prince Ryan seem to have almost no connection, the most would be a slight collision in the Central World, yet without fatalities.

Asimara, however, seemed vaguely certain that Li Ming would help her.

Feder seemed still in a daze, his expression confused. Li Ming asked again, and he then reacted, steadied his mind, hesitated for a while, and cautiously said:

"Because of those Blood Seeds, under the special request of that Prince, the places for the first sowing include the Blue Star Civilization and your Mother Star."

Suddenly, Feder just felt a chill in the room and hurriedly added, "To complete the entire plan will take at least half a year to a year, or even longer. The Blood Seeds need to be activated simultaneously, so there’s still plenty of time."

Asimara had told him then that Li Ming or Lord Azure Dragon and that Prince Ryan must have deeper connections.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t specifically target a lower-level civilization.

Li Ming remained expressionless, a cold light flashed in his eyes, maintaining his calm, and asked the last question:

"This matter doesn’t pose any harm to Asimara, right? Xavier will surely protect her and even the entire Yitelan Royal Family, and does she want to be the Holy Mother to save the Northern Crown Star Ring again?"

"The Royal Family can be protected, but not all the citizens of the Yitelan Civilization, though," Feder said dismally, knowing Li Ming’s concerns, he gritted his teeth and said, "You can allow me to search my own memory."

Li Ming raised an eyebrow, looking at Feder with a determination as if prepared for death, after being silent for a moment, he said, "No need."

Though there were many doubts, Li Ming had already believed most of it; everyone knew Li Ming was in the Mechanical Court.

Ryan couldn’t afford to go through all the trouble to set a trap for Li Ming, and he didn’t have the qualification.

Feder heaved a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but say, "Then... this matter..."

"You stay here for now, find a way to contact Asimara, and I’ll report to the teacher," Li Ming regained his composure and made arrangements.

Feder nodded, a complex expression emerged on his haggard cheeks as he looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar Li Ming and said hoarsely, "Thank you."

Li Ming smiled, "By the way, those people around Xavier, what are their life levels?"

Feder thought for a moment and shook his head, "Not too clear, I haven’t seen them take action, but one person feels out of place, doesn’t quite seem like Prince Ryan’s people."

He frowned, "It’s hard to describe, he’s too peculiar, I’ve only seen him once..."

"Vermilion Bird," Li Ming called out. The shadowy figure of Vermilion Bird appeared, standing on his shoulder.

"Vermilion Bird is my artificial intelligence, just describe the details to it," Li Ming said.

Feder nodded repeatedly, arranged the accommodation, and after sending away Feder, Li Ming quickly collected his expression, reviewing the situation carefully.

This information came somewhat suddenly; he examined it closely: Northern Crown Star Ring, with thirty-six star clusters, 1426 star systems, 1872 life planets, housing over ten trillion intelligent beings.

To kill them all was truly appalling; if it were leaked, one could only imagine the uproar it would cause.

"Is it the Empire’s directive, or is Ryan himself playing with danger?" He pondered, as the Northern Crown Star Ring almost neighbored the Empire’s territory.

Yet precisely because of this, if it were indeed Empire-endorsed, they wouldn’t act in such manner.

"At a further distance, it might be Empire-sanctioned, but given the proximity, why does it feel like Ryan is forcibly pulling the Empire into the mess to prevent unexpected issues?" Li Ming contemplated.

No one could withstand the backlash from this massive Star Ring level massacre event being revealed.

A sharp gleam flashed in Li Ming’s eyes, realizing the operation feasibility of this matter seemed quite high indeed.

But a question followed: What does Ryan intend to do by incurring such immense cost?

With the information available, Li Ming could not come up with an answer, but it must be significantly important. The enemy’s objective must be what he intends to thwart.

With a rough outline in mind, he acted swiftly; his gaze shifted slightly, promptly switching the [Quantum Communication Ring], the next moment descending upon the Iron Throne Hall.

The Iron Throne Hall had many functions: Summoning everyone or merely a few specific individuals could be achieved.

Shortly thereafter, shadows appeared before him and on the seats beside him.

He summoned the Navigator and the Fallen Blood.

The Pioneers have been stirring actively over the past six months, but they were also clever, with the Polk Declaration not being a general offensive horn but still focused on severing the Empire’s external appendages.

Their primary activities took place in the Sea of Stars, achieving remarkable results, essentially confining Ryan from venturing anywhere, significantly reducing the Empire’s stationed troops.

This portrays the Empire’s evident decline, arousing many opportunists’ greed.

While elsewhere, they mostly just laid groundwork without any grand plans.

According to Blackbeard’s words, "There are not so many grand plans; every grand plan takes unknown years to brew."

Li Ming would occasionally come and exchange information, having inadvertently discovered the true identity of a few members several times.

"Azure Dragon?" The Navigator was somewhat surprised, given Azure Dragon had never actively gathered anyone.

"What’s the matter with us?" Fallen Blood also expressed some surprise.

"Just heard an incredulous thing," Li Ming said.

"Incredulous?" The Navigator became interested, "What could make Lord Azure Dragon find incredulous?"

"Someone plans to blood sacrifice the entire Northern Crown Star Ring," Li Ming uttered those few words.

Once spoken, the other two did not speak at first, with the gray mist on their chairs swirling incessantly.

A moment later, the Fallen Blood, with some suspicion, said: "Blood sacrifice the Northern Crown Star Ring? How could we not receive any information?"

Such a major move seems unlikely to secretly occur.

The Navigator asked: "Who dares to do such a thing under the Empire’s nose? Isn’t it a blatant slap in the Empire’s face?"

Nearby the Northern Crown Star Ring, within the Empire’s borders, saying the civilizations within it are akin to leashed dogs at home wouldn’t fit, but it’s close.

Killing the dogs, yet the owner knows nothing?

"It’s still brewing, and as for who’s behind it," Li Ming paused then said, "Prince Ryan."

Upon hearing that, Fallen Blood spoke in shock and high-pitched disbelief, "This can’t be...he is still entangled by us in the Sea of Stars."

Li Ming glanced at him; so surprised?

The Navigator also dubious, "Where did you get this information from?"

"Believe it or not," Li Ming said flatly, "I plan to act on this matter, let’s discuss a plan. If handled well, it would surely severely impact the Empire."

Indeed, he intended to leverage the power of the Pioneers; dealing with such a major event single-handedly was quite difficult.

Seeing him so certain, the two fell into silence, until after a while, the Navigator spoke:

"Since you’re so sure, let’s start with intelligence gathering; Blackbeard and Falcon have some power in the Northern Crown Star Ring, have them assist."

"If confirmed that this matter is true, we’ll proceed with the next steps."

Fallen Blood remained silent throughout.

Li Ming knew he needed more concrete evidence to convince these two, and responded, "I’ll have my student go once, cooperate with them."

"By the way, hope you both won’t leak this information to others," Li Ming reminded again.

"The confidentiality of Pioneers, you should know," the Navigator replied calmly.

Li Ming knew the weight of these words; since the Pioneers gradually surfaced, not a few attempted to act opportunistically.

More precisely, there were three individuals who were purged three months ago, two months ago, and a month ago respectively.