Super Mothership
“The Ghost Captain?”
A black frame, sleek and simple lines, and a fully humanoid design...
As the mecha slowly emerged from its cloaked state before him, Chloros narrowed his eyes, immediately matching its appearance with the intelligence stored in his mind.
The long-lost “Fifth Legendary Mecha” of the Shattered Star Domain?
Chloros was more inclined to believe this was secret reinforcements from the Mechanical Race.
Could an outsider who had only recently arrived in the Shattered Star Domain really be so absurdly lucky as to stumble across a “lost” Legendary Mecha just by wandering around?
He had heard that members of the Mechanical Race possessed unwavering morale, but never that they received bonuses to their luck stats.
As a lackey of the imperial royal family, Chloros knew far more about the decapitation operation a thousand years ago than the rumors circulating outside. For example, he knew about the downfall of that legendary Star Cross Knight Order.
More than three hundred Legendary Mechas had been wiped out in a single battle. Chloros would sooner die than believe the Mechanical Race hadn't obtained at least a few mecha cores from that slaughter.
Rumor had it that the Ghost Captain was a mechanical noble. If so, getting his hands on one or two Legendary Mechas probably wouldn't be difficult for him.
“As a member of the Mechanical Race, you and I have no past grievances or recent disputes. Why do you insist on making an enemy of the Locke Consortium?”
Chloros didn't attack immediately. Instead, he wanted to extract some information from his opponent.
“What if I told you I was bored sitting at home and came out to find something fun to do? Would you believe me?” Nie Yun replied in his characteristic synthesized voice.
Chloros didn't get angry.
If his opponent had been a normal intelligent life-form, Chloros might have taken those words as a joke. But if the other party belonged to the Mechanical Race, with its extraordinarily long lifespan and near-immortality...
Well, that really was possible...
After all, stories regularly circulated within the Woolf Empire about some mechanical noble coming to their territory to experience life for a change.
Perhaps the other party had simply stumbled across the cosmic treasure possessed by Gemini while looking for something fun to do, then decided to seize it after becoming tempted by its value?
“Let's be frank with each other, then. You're after that secret treasure in Gemini, aren't you? Sneaking around, plotting behind people's backs, and stealing something right out from under someone else's nose aren't exactly the Mechanical Race's usual style.”
“Hmm! You're absolutely right!” Nie Yun admitted without the slightest shame. “But my current role is that of a pirate. Scheming, plotting, and snatching things right out from under other people's noses are all perfectly consistent with my character!
“Isn't freely improvising while staying true to your role part of an actor's professional training?”
Chloros: “...”
The Mechanical Race's role-playing was this immersive? What the hell?!
“Ahem! Fine. We'll accept our loss regarding the secret treasure. But since your side has clearly come out on top and the item is already in your hands, why continue pressing us and making things difficult for the Locke Consortium?”
“Pressing you? Are you referring to this wormhole?” Nie Yun smiled. “If you weren't planning to retaliate and take the item back, why are you still clinging to this place?
“If anyone is determined to make trouble for me, I'd say it's your side.”
Chloros narrowed his eyes.
“Hmph! Don't push things too far. Suppose I reveal the truth about the secret treasure to the outside world. Do you really think the Ghost Pirates and Gemini, even working together, could withstand the advance of the empire's great aristocratic houses?”
Faced with this threat, Nie Yun maintained his relaxed smile.
“Reveal it? Are you going to tell everyone that you've been operating undercover within the Locke Consortium while secretly serving another master? Or will you tell them that the Second Prince behind you has his eye on a secret treasure and intends to secretly take possession of it without informing anyone?
“Or perhaps... you'll expose those two people you've been hunting?”
With every sentence Nie Yun uttered, another bead of cold sweat appeared on Chloros's forehead.
They knew! They actually knew everything?!
Who had leaked the secret? Golden Dagger? Karon? Or had a traitor appeared right beside him?
Chloros seethed with anger, swearing to grind the traitor responsible into dust.
However, he quickly suppressed his negative emotions and began rapidly analyzing why his opponent had chosen to reveal his cards at this particular moment.
Clearly, this was a warning.
If Chloros dared to expose the secret treasure, Nie Yun would reveal every piece of compromising information he possessed about Chloros in return, ensuring that both sides went down together!
Having his identity exposed wasn't a big deal. At worst, he'd simply stop operating in the shadows and move into the open. Someone as insignificant as Jinlock wouldn't dare do anything to him.
But if the entire empire learned that a secret treasure had appeared here—and that the Second Prince was secretly scheming to obtain it—then the prince's political rivals would swarm in like a pack of hungry wolves. Even if they couldn't get the treasure themselves, they would do everything in their power to prevent the Second Prince from acquiring it.
The situation here would become far more complicated, and the chances of reclaiming the treasure would dwindle to almost nothing.
As for those two people, things would become even more troublesome if someone with ulterior motives exploited them...
Chloros suddenly realized that his opponent seemed to have more cards in his hand than he did.
“The All for One Society, is it? Impressive, indeed!” Chloros ground out through clenched teeth.
The secret treasure was already in the other party's possession, yet somehow, he was the one being threatened now. It was infuriating.
“Oh, nothing special! Everyone's just giving us too much credit!” Nie Yun replied sincerely.
“Since both sides have things they want to keep hidden, why don't we establish a confidentiality agreement?”
“A confidentiality agreement? What exactly would that entail?” Chloros raised an eyebrow.
“Simple. You keep my secrets, and I'll keep yours. We each have a few little secrets the other knows about. We can fight all we want, but behind the scenes, we're still good friends!”
In other words, neither side would expose the other's dirty laundry?
At first glance, this arrangement seemed more advantageous to Chloros's side.
Revealing the secret treasure would bring nothing but a pack of ravenous competitors. It would offer him absolutely no benefit, and Chloros had never seriously considered doing so in the first place.
Since the other party was proposing a confidentiality agreement that so obviously benefited him, it seemed the All for One Society had no intention of completely falling out with the Second Prince. They were still leaving some room for negotiation...
Chloros narrowed his eyes.
“Agreed. But you must hand over those two people first.”
“They're not my people. If you've got the ability, go catch them yourself!”
“Fine! It's a deal!”
Nie Yun genuinely had no desire to make a mortal enemy of the Second Prince. Otherwise, if the man simply summoned several thousand or even ten thousand regular imperial troops, Nie Yun would have no choice but to slink back to the Solar System and inherit his family fortune.
However, now that the grudge had been established and the two sides had fundamentally conflicting interests, reconciliation was out of the question.
All Nie Yun could do was make the other party hesitate to act.
As long as Chloros had reservations and dared not mobilize the empire's enormous official military forces, Nie Yun could buy himself enough time to develop rapidly.
As for the intelligence concerning those “two people,” that brought them to Karon, who had already become a plant-like beast...
Without anyone else noticing, the two sides quickly reached a private, under-the-table agreement. Nevertheless, the tense atmosphere between their mecha forces remained just as hostile as before.
“The Mechanical Race's precision manufacturing technology is renowned throughout the galaxy. I'd be very interested in testing the capabilities of the Legendary Mecha your side has modified.”
The red crystal spikes on the eight appendages behind Chloros's Crypt Lord began to glow and flicker. The machine looked ready to spring into action.
Too bad... I'm not actually from the Mechanical Race...
Nie Yun replied silently in his heart.
He understood perfectly well that with both armies facing each other and reinforcements readily available from the rear, neither side could do much to the other as long as they both possessed Legendary Mechas.
Chloros's challenge was simply an attempt to probe his side's capabilities. For example, by examining the technical details of his mecha, Chloros might be able to determine which Mechanical Duke's faction it belonged to.
After all, Chloros had the imperial royal family backing him. His understanding of the Mechanical Race far surpassed that of those pirates.
Faced with such an ill-intentioned challenge, Nie Yun, a complete fake when it came to being a member of the “Mechanical Race,” naturally preferred to avoid it whenever possible.
And so, before long, three more identical figures slowly appeared behind him...
“Hmm? What was it you just said?”
Chloros: “...”
TL Note- Negotiation....
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