Li Ming remained silent, his face not betraying much curiosity or inquiry. Having heard everything, he had a good idea what was going on.
So, Old Wu was also, in a way, a kept man.
"It’s a bit melodramatic, but Princess Asmara came across the teachers because she was trying to escape a royal marriage," Luo Chuan, walking ahead, added with a hint of subtlety:
"The teachers just thought she was someone from the Yitelan Civilization and had no idea about her true identity. They’d been roaming the Silver Group for a long time, killing space pirates and exploring the relics of civilizations."
"In the process, some team members died, and new ones joined, but the core was still Old Wu, Dean Chen, and Princess Asmara."
"After a series of events, the Yitelan Royal Family sent for Princess Asmara, but by then, the princess had grown from a simple girl into a resolute female warrior."
"I’m not quite clear on what happened afterward, but the Yitelan Royal Family didn’t make any further arrangements for Princess Asmara’s marriage, and Dean Chen and the teacher returned to Blue Star."
Because of Princess Asmara’s presence, Old Wu was able to act with utter impunity on Blue Star — such is the influence of a significant figure.
Even as a mere backdrop, no one dared to ignore her.
Li Ming felt he had resolved one of the puzzles in his mind. The Sela Civilization’s reluctance could be attributed to Princess Asmara.
But what about Old Wu’s so-called gene purification theory that garnered interstellar attention?
Most of the information he had obtained came from browsing on the Star Web or hearing it from others.
As everyone knows, the information circulating on the Star Web and the actual situation are mostly entirely different or even opposite.
"However, half a year ago, Princess Asmara got engaged to a major figure from another advanced civilization, and the wedding date is getting closer," Luo Chuan finally added.
Therefore, the protection Old Wu enjoyed was starting to crumble.
The protection from Princess Asmara, though unspoken, was clear to everyone — there might be some feelings between them.
What if Wu Yanqing and Dean Chen were killed and Princess Asmara went mad?
But now, with Princess Asmara about to marry someone else and leave the Silver Star Cluster, the situation was quite different.
Many were now restless, eager to uncover Old Wu’s secrets.
"Some senior professors mentioned that the Yitelan Civilization started requesting supported civilizations to select exceptionally talented individuals within their territory six months ago," Li Ming said, struck by a thought.
"Your intuition is quite sharp," Luo Chuan stopped walking, looking at him with a hint of surprise, "Indeed, something significant happened in the Silver Star Cluster half a year ago."
"The Satuoguya Civilization discovered a civilization relic near the Red River Star Stream. The specific information is tightly sealed. All I know is that the Yitelan Civilization was alerted and then blocked off that area."
"Subsequently, a series of upheavals followed, and Princess Asmara’s marriage alliance isn’t unrelated to this event."
"Civilization relic," Li Ming muttered to himself, recalling the broken armor in Old Wu’s underground lab.
However, the timeframe of half a year was too short and didn’t match the timeline of Old Wu’s rise to success.
He pondered and suddenly asked, "Did the teacher’s exploration team ever visit the vicinity of the Red River Star Stream?"
This so-called Red River Star Stream, a well-known interstellar spectacle within the Silver Star Cluster, was formed by a multitude of collapsing red giants and a lengthy meteor belt that covered several star systems.
"I don’t know," Luo Chuan shook his head, then with less certainty added, "But the Red River Star Stream is such a famous place, they must have been there, right?"
Li Ming nodded, vaguely forming a conjecture, while Luo Chuan continued abruptly:
"The teacher did mention that the Yitelan Civilization is looking for life forms that meet certain criteria, presumably required by that civilization relic."
Li Ming’s heart skipped a beat.
The vastness of the universe is boundless, and within the known cosmos, the alternations of interstellar bodies span countless epochs.
While civilizations are long-lasting, they too come to an end, but most civilizations are hard-pressed to leave traces in the interstellar space, and those that do can only be referred to as ruins, not relics.
"What criteria?" he asked casually.
"Apparently, it’s to have latent potential developed to the interstellar standard of level 20." Luo Chuan’s words had Li Ming frowning deeply.
"Level 20 is so rare. Even some of the rare, powerful interstellar species have at least level 10, but it’s hard to find level 20 potential," Luo Chuan sighed.
Uh, Li Ming looked peculiar, for according to the known standards, his latent potential was now at level 28.
Development speed is just the external manifestation of latent potential. Since the core factors cannot be detected or quantified, development speed, a measurable external data, is used as a rating standard.
Unless the Yitelan Civilization could detect the core factors, he would now meet and even far surpass the requirements.
Li Ming thought to himself but then noticed that Luo Chuan had stopped, and he realized that they had arrived at the door to his room.
Luo Chuan had other matters to attend to. After seeing him off, Li Ming went back to his room.
The arrival of the Sela delegation signified that the tension between Blue Star and the Sela Civilization had reached a certain level.
The delegation was here to resolve the issue, whether it would continue or cease.
"Star Creation Company seems to have some ties with this Sela Civilization," Li Ming remembered Qi Xing’s words.
The crystagold ore stolen from Silver Grey Star was sold to the Sela Civilization by Star Creation Company at a low price.