This is not mechanical ascension...

Chapter 458 Invitation

In the Mechanical Royal Court, the core base, in Li Ming’s room, his consciousness returned to his body from the Holy Castle.

When he opened his eyes, the pain from being pierced all over his body had not yet subsided, and another surge of energy began to boil.

Li Ming secretly clicked his tongue, "Torturing, torturing, I am almost torturing myself to pleasure, there are not many people who work as hard as me."

He stood up and stretched his body. There was a crackling sound inside his body, and energy particles poured out from his pores, completing a breathing-like cycle to adjust his body's condition.

Following Suzaku's report, he turned on the smart terminal placed in the center of the table.

He found that Anduin had replied to him not long ago, so after a little thought, he simply called the number.

This time, the other party answered the call quickly and a bust popped up.

"Your Excellency Anduin..." Li Ming contacted the other party in the identity of Azure Dragon. Anduin responded calmly, nodded and smiled: "Your Excellency Azure Dragon."

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while, and Li Ming got to the point, "I contacted you this time because I actually have something I want your help with."

"Oh." Anduin's heart was slightly moved. "Just say it directly, Your Excellency."

The answer seemed generous, but it didn't say yes or no.

Li Ming didn't care and explained, "It's like this. I will be going to a secret place soon. I may not be able to take care of the Mechanical King's Court for a long time."

"In order to avoid certain unexpected situations, I would like to invite you to come and take charge of the Mechanical King's Court."

Sitting in the Mechanical Royal Court?

Anduin remained silent, but was considering in his heart. He said half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Is there anyone who dares to attack the Mechanical King's Court?"

Li Ming did not comment, "No one can say, so I would like to ask you to come and take charge."

Anduin remained silent. On the surface, the Mechanical Court was the business of Azure Dragon's students. Thanks to Azure Dragon's influence, its power was expanding extremely rapidly.

And he continued to purchase various cutting-edge alloys, probably for Qinglong to use.

However, it is widely speculated that this should only be a very small part of the Qinglong channel, but the future potential is huge.

Qinglong didn't want to reveal his hidden true strength, so he wanted to build an organization among the stars from scratch.

But no one should destroy things for no reason, as it would do more harm than good.

"How long will it take?" Anduin asked, but still did not agree.

"It shouldn't be more than half a year." Li Ming estimated that the matter of the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization was still a secret.

Not many people in the outside world know about it, and Li Ming does not intend to leak the news.

Anduin's expression changed as he thought about it.

Li Ming knew the other party's concerns, so he simply said: "Don't worry, I'm just taking precautions. In other words, I'm being cautious. If you really find an unexpected situation, you can leave on your own."

What else in this Mechanical Royal Court is worthy of others' covetousness... Anduin speculated, but said, "No problem, Your Excellency Qinglong has asked, so how can I refuse?"

We just said we wanted to work together last time, and it would be a slap in the face if we refuse this time.

Besides, if something unexpected really happened, he would have the means to escape.

Li Ming said: "Thank you very much."

After Anduin agreed, the atmosphere between the two men improved significantly, and they chatted some more before ending the communication.

Neither of them mentioned the reward tacitly, and the amount of the reward depended on the trouble encountered.

If everything remains peaceful during the time he is in charge, then this is just a simple favor and Anduin will definitely not ask for any reward.

But if you really encounter a strong enemy, the reward will definitely be different.

After thinking about it, Li Ming called the smart terminal again and asked Robin to come.

.........

"How about it?"

Heckler stared at the dark virtual screen in front of him, the sound wave lines on it rippled.

"There has been no response yet. He probably won't be coming."

"You won't come?" Heckler frowned upon hearing this. "You didn't tempt me with information about World Moon in the invitation?"

"I've made it very clear that if he is willing, he will definitely respond." The voice coming from the screen was indifferent.

Heckler's brows furrowed. "Did he just refuse the tasting, or did he refuse both?"

"There has been no response from either the tasting session or the evening banquet."

After hearing this, Heckler had a somewhat inexplicable look on his face, and said in a leisurely tone: "It seems that this Lord Qinglong is quite arrogant. Everyone wants to go to your evening banquet and is proud to receive the invitation, but he doesn't care at all."

Anatoly's voice remained calm as he listened to these obviously provocative words. "We are just having a meal together. Whether you come or not doesn't mean anything. As for not taking me seriously..."

There was even laughter coming from the screen. "There are quite a few people who insult me ​​on the Black Hole Network and the Interstellar Network. A random search would yield billions of results. Should I pay attention to every one of them?"

Hearing this, Heckler's face darkened, and Anatoly said slowly:
"Your Highness, I still have to deal with the lion-skinned dragons. There are only fifty of these precious ingredients a year, and my men are too rough. I hope to see you again in a year."

Heckler snorted coldly: "After the establishment of the Higher Life Forms United Organization, these guys have become more active."

dong dong!

There was a knock on the door, and Heckler said in a deep voice, "Come in."

Creak—the door of the room was pushed open, and it was John who came back in a hurry.

"Your Highness." He came in and was about to salute when Heckler interrupted him: "Just say it."

"Yes..." John nodded and reported in a deep voice: "Your Highness, our people have confirmed that the reason why the three civilizations delayed for a year is because Qinglong took out the relevant information of the Star of Eternal Silence at the negotiation meeting."

The Star of Eternal Silence!

Heckler's eyes lit up, his expression changed constantly, and he murmured in a low voice: "I knew this matter must not be that simple."

"What specific intelligence did they trade?" Heckler asked impatiently.

John shook his head hesitantly. "It's not clear at the moment. Qinglong did not reveal the information at the negotiation table. Instead, he simply forced Prince Costat to agree to his request for an extension."

"Smart." Heckler sneered, "If he tells it out, Adam will definitely not let it go. The harm will outweigh the benefits."

"However, Costat only promised him one year, and the information Qinglong holds should not be that important." Heckler tapped the table, his expression flickering:
"The Star of Eternal Silence is under Adam's control. This mission is extremely strict. Until now, no party has been able to find out any information. How did Qinglong get it?"

"Also, it's been several days since the incident ended, but Adam's side is as quiet as death."

Heckler was puzzled. Shouldn't Adam be uneasy when Qinglong had such important information?
Shouldn't we investigate how the information was leaked? This kind of silence reveals something unusual.

John added: "At present, other civilizations have already begun to act secretly. In just the few days after the meeting, several extremely secretive spies have emerged."

"In addition, this meeting also brought up another issue, the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization." "Oh." Heckler came back to his senses and looked up, "Tell me about it."

John continued to report: "Through investigation, according to the original plan of the Mechanic Association, the Creator God should be preparing to use the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization in exchange for more room for maneuver."

"But the coordinates of the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization seem to have been known by the Holy Emperor a long time ago, and he shared it with the three major civilizations."

"It's always Adam's style to eliminate all possible interference factors before taking action." Heckler nodded.

John continued, "Because of the impact of the Red River disaster, the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization will be accessible in half a year."

"Half a year later..." Heckler suddenly realized that he had some understanding of the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization and knew that it was a good place for mechanics.

His eyes were full of brilliance. "The three major civilizations will not let it go, and the mechanics will not let it go either. In other words, Qinglong will also go there at that time."

“Nine times out of ten,” Jörgen said, not wanting to be too sure.

Heckler nodded involuntarily, his eyes falling on Jon, "You did a good job this time."

He has been planning for the Holy Castle and Azure Dragon, and these two things have occupied most of his energy.

As for the intelligence collected by his subordinates, he will only see the final results. It is difficult to judge what is important and what is not important when the intelligence is first collected.

This will test the ability of your subordinates.

"It is my duty to help you solve your problems." John said earnestly, "However, Qinglong may take Robin with him when he goes to the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization."

"It is indeed possible, but that place is not a good place. There are people from the three major civilizations. It is not a good choice to take Robin with you."

Heckler shook his head and said in a deep voice, "Besides, he doesn't know our intention to attack. Let's prepare first. Once we are sure that Azure Dragon appears in the ruins of the Holy Spirit Civilization, we will take action."

"Yes." John nodded, then looked a little hesitant. Heckler noticed his strangeness and asked, "Anything else?"

Yoen hesitated and said, "Recently, someone in the royal family has been contacting us to trade information about Ryan, but the other party is acting in secret. I haven't found out who they are yet, so I dare not get too close to them."

"Trade Ryan's information?" Heckler was a little surprised and pondered: "Try to contact him first and see what the price is."

"Understood." John nodded.

.........

"Are you looking for me?"

In the room, Robin poked his head in, looking a little confused.

"Come, sit..."

Li Ming pointed casually, and as soon as Robin sat down, he heard Li Ming say, "I need to hide the butler for a while."

"Butler..." Robin's face changed slightly, and he realized something in an instant, "Someone wants to attack me?"

Li Ming nodded, not acting as a riddler, "Yes, someone from the Empire."

"Empire..." Robin's heart trembled, and he said helplessly: "I know that these great civilizations must know something about the chosen ones. Can I tell them that I have given up?"

"What do you think?" Li Ming grinned.

Robin couldn't help but feel disappointed, "I know."

After that, he looked at Li Ming eagerly, "Boss, you won't give up on me, right?"

"Don't worry, my...teacher is an experienced fisherman." Li Ming smiled.

Robin's throat rolled, but with Li Ming's promise, he felt relieved. He turned back and quickly brought back the butler.

Li Ming stuffed a new thing into his hand, a silver round metal ball.

"What is this thing?" Robin was puzzled, looking around at the metal ball.

"Just take it." Li Ming didn't explain too much this time. Robin fiddled with the metal ball and left in a daze.

Li Ming's thoughts were in a state of confusion. He was overwhelmed by the recent events, from the Mechanics Association to the Holy Castle, and many other things mixed in. He felt as if everything was happening at once.

He felt emotional. It was a rare occasion for him to leave the core base. The cool air blew against his face and flowed into his lungs. The earth was covered in silver and there were even snowflakes floating in the air.

"Winter?"

Li Ming looked up and saw that it was the planetary-level ecological controller that was at work, simulating the four seasons.

The metal-wrapped star seemed to be right in front of us, and various spaceships could be vaguely seen shuttling back and forth outside the hazy clouds. The Mechanical Royal Court was operating well.

Li Ming likes to see this kind of scene very much. It is like a simulated business operation reaching a certain stage. Just watching it gives him a sense of accomplishment.

After clearing his mind for a long time, he exhaled a breath of cold air, shook himself off, and turned back to the core base.

And this turn of events, with the sun rising and the moon setting, lasted more than four months.

On this day, thunder and lightning storms occurred one after another in the mechanical warehouse.

Blue arcs of electricity roamed freely in the darkness, while the purple lightning was even more violent, like brilliant fireworks blooming.

The sound waves echoed in the warehouse. Under the impact of this powerful energy, the metal walls flashed dazzling light from time to time. The temperature rose sharply and the air became hot and distorted.

The blue and purple lights intertwined with each other, and the mechanical body underwent drastic evolution. Li Ming had long been accustomed to it, until - boom!
Suddenly, a red arc of electricity exploded, and the strong light was like the scorching sun in the sky, making it impossible to look directly at it.

Under the impact of this electric arc, the mechanical body in the center seemed to have received some extremely strong stimulation, and the originally stable metal parts began to fly up and down uncontrollably.

As if being pulled apart by an invisible force, they danced wildly in the air, flashing a cold metallic luster and colliding with each other, making sharp chirping sounds.

At the core of the mechanical body, a powerful energy is surging, its shape is constantly distorted and deformed, and its original structure is quickly broken down and reorganized.

New parts grow from the inside, forming a more complex and sophisticated structure, the limbs become stronger and more powerful, and the flexibility of the joints is greatly enhanced.

The scarlet paint job is extremely eye-catching, with half of a red cloak torn out from behind, mysterious patterns gradually emerging on the metal surface, and a red energy blade condensed in his hand.

He is three meters tall, sturdy and strong, like a swordsman.

Li Ming's eyes lit up with joy, and he couldn't help grinning, "Finally, an S-class mechanical body appeared."

He couldn't help but walk up and take a closer look.

In the past four months, he has enlightened nearly one million mechanical bodies.

The number of A-class mechanical bodies in the Mechanical Royal Court has exceeded ten.

Now, an S-class mechanical body has finally arrived. Li Ming admired the mechanical swordsman in front of him, and his heart couldn't help but feel more and more happy.

With the close cooperation with Stargate Corporation, the cash flow of the Mechanical Royal Court has reached a new level.

However, Li Ming did not continue to expand the manufacturing of mechanical bodies. Instead, he maintained the original manufacturing speed and used all the excess funds to purchase metal energy.

Walking out of the warehouse door, Ulrich was waiting there as usual.

(End of this chapter)