"Provide assistance?" Li Ming repeated the words.
Blackbeard, seemingly cautious about being asked for too much, added hurriedly: "Appropriate assistance."
Li Ming didn’t dwell on the matter. Instead, he shifted the conversation: "Without even considering ’at all costs’, I feel like your interest in this plan isn’t particularly high."
Blackbeard paused, his breathing even coming to a halt. After a moment, a voice finally emerged from the screen, tinged with resignation: "The plan is, of course, important, but ’at all costs’ might be going too far."
Li Ming remained noncommittal, though he was indeed considering using this opportunity to gain some benefits.
But given the gravity of the situation and the many unknowns at play—where even the smallest move could cause a chain reaction—he refrained from giving a rash agreement, merely responding, "Let me think it over..."
Blackbeard pressed on: "Your Excellency, based on our information, several major civilizations have already reached an agreement to send their secretly cultivated high-potential seeds for the Dominion Holy Image to select. A conclusion must be reached, and time is running out."
"Are you not interested in the legacy of the Divine Craftsman? The Infinite Hammer, and the most famous ’Mechanical Holy Spirit’ technique of the Hammer Divine Craftsman." Blackbeard urged with persuasive fervor, about to say more.
Li Ming interrupted abruptly: "I’ve got it. Let’s stop here."
In a hotel somewhere in the Central World, Blackbeard sat on the bed, rendered speechless. With a sigh of helplessness, he watched the screen fade to black.
Rubbing his temples involuntarily, he followed the regular procedures of his organization, realizing that joining the ceremony council required completing a slew of plans and trials.
But Blackbeard increasingly recognized that, even though he had extended an invitation for the other party to join, he struggled to maintain any upper hand against Azure Dragon.
Azure Dragon was simply too enigmatic, employing an endless array of tactics. It was precisely for this reason that Blackbeard refrained from mentioning trials.
He suspected that if he brought up any trials, Azure Dragon might immediately snap and flip the table.
This current matter was fraught with considerable risk for Azure Dragon, making it exceptionally tricky for Blackbeard, uncertain if the other party would ultimately agree.
Even though the Hammer Divine Craftsman’s legacy was tempting, Azure Dragon’s patience seemed infinite, leaving Blackbeard unable to discern whether Azure Dragon truly desired it or not. He could only keep attempting to persuade.
After all, Li Ming was the first person to catch the attention of the Dominion Holy Image.
Stowing away his intelligent terminal, Li Ming let a flurry of thoughts flash through his mind. On the surface, he obviously didn’t want to make enemies with the Star Abyss Empire; a starved camel is still bigger than a horse.
No matter how decrepit and bloated this empire might be, if it set its sights on destroying someone—whether that was him or some Overlord Level figure from the Chaotic Star Gap—it could certainly achieve it effortlessly.
However, regarding the Dominion Holy Image, even excluding any mention of inheritance and legacy, merely the combat strength of that ancient elephant alone was staggering.
Jaint, the Star Abyss Empire’s Guardian in the Central World, with over 60% development progress, had been subdued by a single stomp, completely powerless to resist.
One couldn’t help but wonder if that ancient elephant could be brought under control.
Then there was the Mechanical Holy Spirit, a renowned advanced technological method of the Hammer Divine Craftsman that involved in-depth research into mechanical bodies. Using this technique, countless mechanical bodies could be fused together to eventually form the "Mechanical Holy Spirit," unleashing mind-boggling combat power.
Li Ming’s thoughts, messy as they were, slowly calmed, as elemental fluctuations rippled faintly across the surface of his skin.
Although the situation was complex, improving his own strength would never be the wrong choice. In the current circumstances, there was no need to rush either.
"Might as well collect information about the Terrax Stone or the Metal Element World while I’m here," he reasoned.
Quietly planning, Li Ming considered this place as the hub of the Main Universe within the Dimension World, bound to host a wealth of relevant information streams.
Thus, he tidied up his thoughts, calming himself before continuing the development of his Genetic Seed. Activating the Gravity Generator, he instantly ramped it up to four hundred times Earth’s gravity.
Within the terrifying gravitational field, even the elemental flows across his skin’s surface struggled heavily.
About five or six days later, Robbin suddenly knocked on his door in a hurry. Sliding in through the door gap, he appeared anxious.
"Old Li, things are looking bad..." Robbin blurted as he entered, while Li Ming had already raised his twisted field.
Over the past few days, Robbin hadn’t been idle—after being cooped up on the spaceship for so long, he’d spent his time wandering the streets of the Central World. Thanks to his frequent roaming in interstellar spaces, he’d managed to befriend quite a few individuals.
"What happened?" Li Ming gestured for him to sit down, his demeanor remaining calm.
"Man, yesterday morning I was strolling around and saw a group of soldiers—in broad daylight—seizing several life forms right in front of me." Robbin ran his fingers through his hair while speaking, illustrating as he went:
"At the time, I thought it was strange. This Central World doesn’t really have any laws, right? Even if someone used a fake identity, most people would just turn a blind eye."
"I spent half the day digging around and finally pieced it together. Over half a month ago, three civilizations jointly formed a unified review task force dedicated to investigating anyone flagged as unusual during the Dominion Holy Image’s selection of inheritors."
"And the real kicker? Those who turned away from the Dominion Holy Image are considered priority observation targets, each one marked and systematically investigated one by one."
He concluded angrily, "We turned away at the time, no doubt we’ve already been marked. I bet it won’t be long before they come knocking."
"With the identity card we applied for earlier, they can track our every move without trouble."
Li Ming had more or less anticipated this outcome and simply nodded at Robbin’s words.
"You already knew?" Robbin asked, surprise evident in his expression as he saw Li Ming’s lack of reaction.
"More or less suspected it."
Robbin couldn’t help but ask, "So what do we do? Should we leave first?"
This place was the base of operations for countless factions, likely teeming with Advanced life forms. If they were discovered, Robbin couldn’t begin to imagine how they would escape.