Glancing at Robbin, he was still idly scrolling through the news.
Li Ming stood up and returned to his room. On the intelligent terminal’s screen, a scene of attempting to establish a communication connection was displayed.
He casually put the intelligent terminal aside, thinking that Abel wouldn’t connect immediately. Unexpectedly, just as he set it down, Abel’s voice came through:
"Li Ming, Your Excellency..."
Li Ming was slightly surprised, "Your Highness, you happened to be checking the Black Hole Network just now."
"I was looking at some dark-side information," Abel said helplessly. "Only now do I realize that the Empire’s enemies are truly endless."
Previously, he had hardly ever been involved with such matters and had never left the Empire’s borders. On the rare occasions he did, everywhere he went he was greeted with utmost reverence by other life forms.
Though he understood deep down that many civilizations were merely intimidated by the Empire’s might, he didn’t expect that when an actual crisis arose, so many enemies would emerge.
These past days have truly felt like everyone pushing a collapsing wall, something he found hard to adjust to.
"Well, you discovered it quite late," Li Ming muttered to himself. His private exchanges with Abel had started merely two or three days after leaving the Central World.
Initially, Abel was simply grateful for Li Ming saving his life, and they engaged in some casual chatter, exchanging shallow bits of information.
For instance, Prince Ryan’s departure was something Li Ming had long known, which allowed him to act more boldly.
Even the coordinates for several S-level Dimension Worlds were provided by Abel. Those worlds, though challenging to conquer, were rich in mediocre resources, left untouched after many years.
Through repeated tests and information exchanges, the two of them managed to establish a basic level of trust.
"The Royal Council’s closed-door meeting hasn’t finished, has it?" Li Ming asked.
"No, it hasn’t. It’s been ongoing for over ten days, and no one has been able to convince the others." Abel’s tone was filled with helplessness, tinged with frustration: "Even though both the Lower and Upper Houses are at this stage, they’re still afraid that ceding too many benefits will revitalize the Royal Family."
Li Ming silently shook his head, knowing all too well the troubles born from party conflicts.
Even in the face of an enormous external crisis, the first thought is always, "Why should I make concessions? Is the other side trying to suppress me?"
Abel, after all, still stood on the Royal Family’s side, criticizing the Lower and Upper Houses. Truly, no one is any better than the other.
Li Ming chimed in with a few remarks in agreement, and Abel soon growled bitterly, "Prince Costat has already ordered Diaz to leave the Central World for the third time, yet the guy still refuses to go."
Shortly after Li Ming left the Central World, both Prince Costat and Prince Ryan also departed, leaving only Jaint and Diaz to keep watch.
Normally, the Guardian would be Jaint alone, but Diaz shamelessly stayed back as well.
In truth, this amounted to interference in Dimension World affairs.
Dimension World had always been the Royal Family’s private domain due to the presence of the Terrax Civilization. From the very beginning, the Royal Family had invested significant resources here.
The Lower and Upper Houses had long coveted Dimension World but were unable to seize control. This time, with a rare legitimate excuse to intervene, they naturally wouldn’t let go easily.
"Diaz hasn’t left, huh..." Li Ming was a bit surprised, shocked by the internal struggles of the Empire.
"No..." On the screen’s other side, Abel shook his head, his voice low, "But he’ll be leaving soon. The Lower and Upper Houses plan to send someone to replace him and establish a prolonged presence. Only once his replacement arrives will he take his leave."
"Apparently, once he’s gone, he’ll be ordered to investigate your Mechanical Court."
Li Ming’s eyes flickered. Costat was intent on using Azure Dragon as an entry point to uncover forces hidden in the shadows.
But not everyone agreed with this; there were also hardliners who believed that at this critical juncture, being overly lenient wouldn’t suffice. A strong stance was needed to deter interstellar forces.
Ryan was clearly one of the hardliners.
"His Excellency Ryan is indeed tough, yet he acts without considering the consequences," Li Ming remarked, hinting, "This might be troublesome for me. I hope there’s a way to prevent this from happening."
Abel’s expression showed clear signs of struggle and hesitation. But when he thought of Ryan, the fear of facing death that day washed over him like a tidal wave. With a heavy tone, Abel said:
"The latest update is that he claims to have discovered a group of undercover Holy Revolution Army members in Dimension World. He’s preparing to take people there for an ambush..."
"Oh?" Li Ming raised an eyebrow in mild astonishment. Then, he silently curled his lips into a grin—this prince had finally made his first move.
"Is that so?" Li Ming feigned suspicion, "Are the reports credible? Could it be a trap set by the Holy Revolution Army?"
"No idea." Abel’s gaze darkened. "I thought you could help analyze this."
The intelligent terminal vibrated briefly as several files were sent over. Li Ming opened them, discovering itinerary plans and target locations.
"I’m clueless about all this; I can only attempt to research it." Li Ming deflected with apparent innocence.
After exchanging idle chatter for a while, their communication ended. The virtual screen in front of him disappeared, and the smooth surface of the intelligent terminal reflected a slightly distorted image of Abel’s face.
Startled, Abel hastily composed himself, recalling his actions just moments ago, overwhelmed by a sense of regret.
I am the son of the Holy Emperor—how could I betray the Empire’s secrets...
No, I’m not to blame. Diaz is stubbornly refusing to leave, and the Royal Family has no time to deal with him. If he truly establishes root in the Central World, it’ll be a disaster.
Besides, I only want Li Ming to tip off the Holy Revolution Army about the ambush so that their operation fails, thereby giving us grounds to oust Diaz completely.