"Blockade order?" Diwusi’s eyes narrowed slightly, still languid. "You want to silence the entire Interstellar Network?"
Prince Costat nodded and advised, "This matter seems to only concern the Empire, but in reality, it does not."
"The person behind this clearly seeks to incite interstellar turmoil; we must guard against it."
Diwusi pondered and suddenly raised a pristine white finger. "First, you won’t be able to suppress this. Without the Interstellar Network, there’s still the Black Hole Network."
"Second, what you’re applying for isn’t a small-scale network blockade, but one that targets the entire interstellar system. That’s simply impossible."
"We have to try; we only need a little time," Costat couldn’t help but say.
"Impossible," Crow directly extinguished Costat’s fantasy. "The Star Cluster Republic Alliance would absolutely not agree, and just think about how much trouble you’ve caused in the Sea of Stars."
Costat hesitated to speak, while Diwusi said at the same time, "We’ll be leaving for now. You two had better discuss how to explain this to your Holy Emperor."
"You’re counting on them for help?" Watching the two leave, Ryan sneered. "Who’s to say their two civilizations aren’t already involved in this? My suggestion: split them up and kill them off. Better than dealing with them as enemies on the battlefield later."
"Do you want to make things even messier?" Costat finally lost his temper, angered. "If it weren’t for you, would I have let Polk speak?"
"Me?" Ryan sneered coldly. "Don’t try to pin this on me. That Polk clearly came here with the intent to die. From the start, you walked right into their trap."
"My lord..." Jaint reluctantly stepped in, hesitant to speak.
He was followed by Diaz and Abel. Though Abel’s external injuries were nearly healed, his face remained pallid.
Costat suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice, "Sit down. Since this matter originated with us, let’s consolidate and come up with a contingency plan."
Abel’s expression was shameful, and his voice weak. "The Dominion Holy Image situation is my fault. My status as the Inheritor went to my head, and I didn’t think it through."
"Such theatrics. If you’re so ashamed, why not prove your regret by taking your own life?" Ryan said flatly.
Abel lowered his head without speaking, a flicker of venom passing through his eyes.
Costat soothed him, "Don’t take it too hard. No one could have predicted this. Now, tell us, what did you gain?"
Abel hesitated, sneaking a glance at Ryan.
Ryan burst into laughter. "Look at this—this is the son of the Holy Emperor, still indulging in internal squabbling even now."
Abel clenched his fists silently.
"Speak," Costat said expressionlessly.
"As you command..." Abel never once looked at Ryan and said cautiously, "I obtained all the technical data from the Hammer Divine Craftsman, except for the Mechanical Holy Spirit and the Infinite Hammer schematics."
"Also, the pursuit trajectories for the Eternal Silence Star and the anchoring program for the Terrax Holy Castle."
"Oh?" Costat perked up slightly. "Is this the super-program the Hammer Divine Craftsman meticulously designed? We only have a fragment of it and haven’t fully restored it to this day."
Abel nodded. "Yes, that’s the one."
But as he said this, Abel became hesitant and asked tentatively, "Was the Hammer Divine Craftsman truly killed by us?"
Costat slightly furrowed his brows. "The Hammer Divine Craftsman worked with our Empire in the past for mutual benefit. What happened was an accident. No one killed him."
Abel let out a long sigh, but Costat avoided a direct response.
"That’s all? What about the Infinite Hammer and the Holy Spirit Core?" Prince Ryan pressed unhappily. "Is there any need to hide it from me?"
"Other than those items, I’ve gained nothing else," Abel replied blankly.
Ryan stared at him for a long moment before sneering. "So, we got played by an old elephant."
"I wouldn’t say we gained nothing. These items are exactly what we need," Costat felt slightly relieved. At least there was some good news. "Today’s events were shrouded in uncertainty, but there are essentially two matters: the Dominion Holy Image and Polk."
"First, the Dominion Holy Image. This issue isn’t overly severe. The Mechanic Association isn’t a military force. At most, they’ll stage protests and inquiries. The Creator Divine Craftsman has already hinted to me that they might choose to withdraw the Mechanic Association from the Empire’s territory."
"Likewise, this would be a lose-lose scenario for them as well. Many Mechanics have their businesses set up within the Empire."
"We can use this to our advantage and, once the initial uproar dies down, stage a counteroffensive."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Prince Costat was indeed a master of internal affairs, and his proposal struck at the heart of the issue.
"As long as there are no unexpected developments, as long as we allow sufficient time and offer some compensatory measures, we can resolve this matter," Prince Costat declared confidently. He did not believe the Mechanic Association would be an insurmountable challenge.
If it were only this issue, it could at most be considered a tricky problem.
"But the Polk Declaration is troublesome," he said, frowning deeply. "It is a statement intended to tarnish the Empire’s dignity. Coupled with the allegations regarding the Dominion Holy Image, whether they intend to or not, the Mechanic Association will inevitably become the force to fire the first shot."
"We should respond with Thunder’s might. I will propose to the Empire that the Interstellar Alliance lead in forming a United Army to strike against the Holy Revolution Army."
"That won’t work." Prince Ryan interjected, cutting him off. As the highest military commander in the Sea of Stars, he had a keen understanding of the military dynamics. "First of all, the Holy Revolution Army is not classified as a terrorist organization by the Interstellar Alliance. Secondly, the Eternal Brilliance Federation and the Star Cluster Republic Alliance will not agree."
"Thus, other civilizations won’t agree either. Only a few sycophants would comply, and what good are they?"
He sneered coldly. "Unless they take this opportunity to carve a chunk out of us, I’ll give up my title as Prince."