"Gift?" Costate was a bit surprised and raised his guard.
Azure Dragon, after being tricked by them, would still prepare a gift? Or was he planning to trick them in return?
But as the saying goes, you don’t hit someone with a smile on their face. Costate hesitated for a moment, but eventually nodded, "I’ll wait here."
Li Ming smiled and nodded, ending the communication.
Just as Li Ming said, only a little over ten minutes later, a spaceship docked with them.
A team of humanoid mechanical bodies came up with a metal box. After going through multiple layers of detection, which took more than ten minutes, it was finally delivered to Costate.
"Your Highness, this is Lord Azure Dragon’s gift." The person delivering the package was the surgically modified Feder, polite and composed, even in front of a big figure like Costate, whom he had never met before, he remained neither obsequious nor arrogant.
Costate frowned slightly as his subordinates handed him an intelligent terminal that displayed various detection data and a 3D model of the internal items.
"This is a... small Mecha?"
Costate’s expression was odd. Feder nodded and calmly stepped forward, opening the metal box and gesturing to it, "Azure Dragon-manufactured -- Xi Gold Blue Handcrafted Mecha Model."
Looking at it, the Mecha model was only one meter tall, almost identical to the one Azure Dragon wore, with a blue-gold color, exquisite exterior, and well-handled details.
What did Azure Dragon mean by this?
Costate instinctively speculated, mocking the Holy Emperor as just an empty shell?
"The item has been delivered, so I’ll take my leave now." Feder bowed and then left with his team.
After the other party left, Costate took the Mecha model out of the small box and looked at the detection data, "It’s just ordinary Xi Gold material, it doesn’t emit any wavebands or spectrums, and its information state is stable, not a locator?"
He stared at it for a long time, then suddenly squeezed it, leaving a small dent in the metal arm, confirming there was indeed no problem.
"Is it necessary?" Costate shook his head and instructed his men to pack it up since it was confirmed to be fine; it would be taken back intact.
He looked up again through the porthole at the seemingly endless fleet of spaceships, hesitated for a moment, and then issued an order: "Let the Escort Ship clear a path."
He needed to take back not only his fleet but also the warship Ryan had brought.
Combined, they formed a massive scale, especially the Annushus, which, as a small Interstellar fortress, was particularly cumbersome to maneuver.
Additionally, he had to cut in line. Many ships received orders from the Empire and were dissatisfied, but they didn’t dare say anything and moved aside obediently.
Nearly two to three hours were wasted before the Empire’s fleet completely entered the Star Gate.
Within the fleet, in another inconspicuous little spaceship, the Navigator withdrew his gaze from the Empire’s fleet passing by, his expression gloomy.
The Pioneers were utterly defeated this time; they intended to expand their achievements through the Ryan incident, but the outcome was completely different from what they imagined.
"Azure Dragon..." The Navigator felt angry, knowing that this guy had turned around and collaborated with the Empire, making it highly probable that they had sold out the Pioneers.
They should never have been constrained by Azure Dragon back then. Now it had grown beyond control, and no one could figure out Azure Dragon’s true intentions nor how much information he had leaked to the Empire.
"Years of planning, I can’t let you ruin it for me." His eyes were cold, seemingly determined.
The return journey was not short. After entering the Star Gate travel state, Costate carried the metal box through the corridor and finally reached his room.
Before entering the room, he hesitated and looked at the box in his hand, temporarily handing it to his assistant.
Inside the box, Li Ming, already possessing the Mecha model, muttered to himself.
Using the same trick again, he possessed a small transport and easily avoided all detection equipment.
After entering the room, Costate activated various shielding measures and contacted his elder brother.
"Holy Emperor..." He nodded at the screen, "We have already entered the Star Gate and started the return journey."
"Hmm." Adam nodded. The battle process was broadcast live with real-time communication; he knew most of the events already, and everything was within expectations.
"Azure Dragon didn’t have much of an attitude afterward, did he?" he inquired.
"He seemed a bit dissatisfied, but didn’t do anything," Costate pondered, looking at Adam with admiration in his eyes:
"The matter offers him both advantages and disadvantages. Additionally, it was us who proactively extended the olive branch. I don’t believe the benefits the Pioneers offer him outweigh ours."
"After this, he might face considerable criticism within the Pioneers, and the day he turns against them is near at hand."
Adam said calmly, "I didn’t do it to make him turn against them."
"Not to make him turn against them?" Costate paused, feeling a lot of doubts rising in his heart, but he also sensed that Adam was playing a big strategic game. He could only grasp a little bit of it now.
What Adam didn’t want to say, he wouldn’t ask. He just let it pass in his mind and then said, "By the way, Azure Dragon sent you a gift?"
"Gift?" The usually calm Adam showed interest: "What kind of gift?"
"A Mecha model, made of ordinary materials." Costate said.
"?" A flash of confusion appeared in Adam’s eyes, "Mocking me as just an empty shell?"
He had the same first reaction as Costate, then dismissed it with a smile, "Bring it back, it can at least serve as a decoration."