Chapter 608: Probing
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Everyone looked toward the source of the sound. The sound came from the middle district of Bloodshed Land and the location of Heber’s palace.
Ames’s eyes gleamed coldly, and she looked at Hila and Aurora before letting out a soft sigh. Her palm was then lowered and hidden within her sleeves. She was no longer planning on taking action, and the force field that had been brewing disappeared.
The tense atmosphere relaxed in that instant.
She then looked at Carroll and Malekith who had blocked her attack and calmly said, “Don’t just stand there, lead the way.”
When she decided to accept the invitation of the Tyrant, Ames had already predicted that something like this would happen. Her previous attack had already displayed her attitude. However, since the Tyrant had interfered personally and she was in his territory, she did not want a greater conflict to break out. After all, she did not come here to create trouble.
Malekith nodded and led the way.
Han Xiao then turned around to glance at Carroll.
Carroll did not say another word as he witnessed Ames’ departure. He then retracted his smile and shook his head at the other two Vanguard Officials. “I thought that she would continue attacking despite the warning. Although I made sure not to go too far, with my understanding of Ames, this level of provocation should have been enough to enrage her.”
Another Vanguard Official then said with a sigh, “The Dragon Emperor has changed. The rumors are true. She indeed wants to expand.”
The Black Star Army represented Floating Dragon’s expansion. Many organizations had noticed this situation, and Bloodshed Land was no exception.
Carroll’s mission was to probe Ames’ attitude. The majority of his words were targeted at Black Star and did not directly humiliate Ames. Through Ames’ reaction, they would be able to gain plenty of information. If she truly wanted to expand, she would not provoke a greater conflict.
...
At the same time, in Heber’s palace, only Heber and a Klent emissary were present. The footage of Ames and her entourage was displayed on the screen.
The Klent Kingdom placed great importance on the Tyrant’s gathering and treated this as an important diplomatic mission. The emissary was a high official in the Klent Kingdom and personally attended the gathering to show the close ties between the Tyrant and the Klent Kingdom.
The Klents usually had slim figures, and when standing beside the seven-meter-tall Heber, the emissary seemed extremely tiny.
“Your Excellency Tyrant, you are as powerful as ever. You do not even need to make an appearance and can make the Dragon Emperor back down with a single roar. I still thought that I would be able to witness the majestic appearance of Your Excellency taking action,” the Klent emissary said with a respectful tone.
“Hmm.” Heber shook the gigantic, specially-made wine glass in his hands without saying a thing.
“It’s a pity. If only she had decided to take action.” The Klent emissary shook his head and smiled.
“The gathering this time is a huge event. She will offend many big shots if she creates trouble. Since she wants to expand, she won’t take action,” Heber said calmly.
“Aren’t you afraid of her taking revenge after the gathering?” The Klent emissary chuckled. “She is someone who would do something like that.”
“Isn’t that what you guys would like to see the most?” Heber asked calmly.
“Haha, you are right. That would give you an excuse to suppress Floating Dragon Island.” The Klent emissary laughed. He was the one who wanted to see Ames go all out without any consideration the most. “Even the Purple Crystal Civilization wouldn’t stop you from entering Colton with this reason.”
Heber glanced at him and could not be bothered to reply. While both parties were in an alliance, their motives were different.
The Klent emissary looked at Ames’ figure on the screen and muttered to himself, “Ames... tsk tsk. If I could obtain such a woman who has the halo of a beyond Grade A Super, all other women would pale in comparison to her.”
With his status and authority, he had countless partners, and appearance was no longer what he cared about the most. Status and identity were what made a woman more charming in his eyes. As the only female among the four beyond Grade A Supers in the Shattered Star Ring, Ames was naturally the woman who was the hardest to tame.
A Star System level civilization did not dare provoke a beyond Grade A Super, but to a Star Cluster level civilization, while a beyond Grade A Super was powerful, they would not be that wary of one.
Only a gigantic organization like the Tyrant’s would be of significance to a Star Cluster level civilization.
Thus, the Klent emissary did not mind displaying his desire for Ames. In any case, it was no more than a thought.
“I hate willful women,” Heber said slowly. “Her character needs to be polished more.”
Upon hearing that, the Klent emissary shook his head. Ames was no more than a thought for him, but Heber was the one with the capability to take action.
...
Han Xiao and the others were on their way to the guest room.
After the previous conflict, the mood of the group was a little downcast.
“Black Star don’t think too much,” Ames suddenly said. “Carroll said those words on purpose.”
“I know.” Han Xiao shrugged in response.
“They should’ve been following Heber’s instructions,” Ames explained. “I wonder what his intentions are. Aesop predicted that this gathering would be different and asked me not to act rashly.”
It turned out that Ames had already gotten Aesop to make a prophecy. Perhaps Aesop had also recommended that she come for this gathering.
“Carroll was one of the earliest members of Floating Dragon. However, he betrayed me for the Tyrant, gaining a high status in Bloodshed Land.”
Han Xiao stroked his chin and said, “To allow a traitor to take on an important position, the Tyrant is truly charismatic.”
Do not use an individual you doubt, and do not doubt an individual you use. Heber definitely needed to offer extremely plentiful conditions in order to poach people. When Malekith tried poaching him, Malekith had also offered him the position of Vanguard Official.
“He is the Tyrant, so he is not afraid of betrayals.”
“Why?”
“When Carroll betrayed me, the Tyrant was able to protect him, but if he betrays the Tyrant, no one in the Shattered Star Ring will be able to protect him.” Ames let out a sigh. “Furthermore, I have to admit that the Tyrant is far more charismatic a leader than I am.”
“Are you very wary of him?” Han Xiao said with his brows raised. “I still thought that you weren’t afraid of anything.”
“Of course, I am not afraid of him, but no matter how much I hate him, I cannot change the fact that he is extremely powerful.” Ames shook her head and paused for a moment before continuing. “Thus, try to remain low profile in the Tyrant’s territory. You don’t have to be angry because of Carroll. He said those words intentionally.”
Ames looked at Han Xiao and took the initiative to give an explanation. She was afraid that Han Xiao would take those words to heart.
Han Xiao felt warmth in his heart. He did not mind what Carroll had said but did not think that Ames would care about his feelings.
According to his understanding of Ames, she did not seem like the person who would care about others.
“I feel that you have changed.”
“How have I changed?” Ames smiled.
“You are more patient than before.”
Ames smiled and did not reply. She then turned around to look at Hila and Aurora.
“Aesop said that only a little child would act in such a willful manner. He asked me to change. If not, I will suffer a loss one day.”
Han Xiao rolled his eyes and replied, “That old Aesop is still so shameless. How does he have the right to say such a thing?”
“I think so too.” Ames broke out into a bright smile and chuckled.
...
The guest room provided was located in a building to the side of Heber’s palace. It was a gigantic castle that was made up entirely of guest rooms. There were already some guests who were currently staying in the guest rooms.
There were still a few days before the official start of the gathering, and many organizations would come earlier. The few days before the official start of the ceremony was the best chance to network and expand their social circle. After all, it was a rare opportunity for the big shots of the various organizations to gather together.
Malekith led the way into the castle.
At the moment, the main hall was filled with guests in small groups. The guests were all of different races and came from the different organizations of the Shattered Star Ring.
Upon hearing someone walk in, all the guests turned around to take a look. After recognizing that the incoming guest was Ames, all of them had strange looks on their faces. They wanted to come up to give their greetings but seemed to be wary about something and thus remained on the spot without moving.
All of them had heard the loud roar of the Tyrant. Since Ames and Heber had already clashed, they all felt that it was better for them to suck up to the Tyrant. Thus, no one stepped forward to strike up a conversation with her.
Ames could not be bothered, and their group left the main hall toward the rooms.
Bloodshed Land had prepared the rooms for them. Ames had her own room, Han Xiao had his own room, and Hila and Aurora shared a room.
When they got back to the rooms, Han Xiao was left alone.
He then activated a compressed orb, and it transformed into a detection device. After scanning the room, he confirmed that there were no listening devices.
Han Xiao nodded and took out another machine.
Buzz!
A brilliant beam of light flashed, and a holographic image covered the entire room. Even if there was a magic monitoring device, only the holographic image would be captured, and they would not be able to tell what he was doing.
While there were many big shots living in the castle and there should not be any listening devices, Han Xiao was used to being careful.
“Carroll...”
Han Xiao’s eyes flashed, and he transformed into his Chaos Body. Activating his Void Vision, his sight ignored all physical distance, and he could monitor Carroll’s actions.
The instant Ames had decided to step back, Han Xiao had planted an Observer’s Mark on Carroll and removed the position of the space pirate.
The Observer’s Mark was only there as a precautionary measure. In times of emergency, this Observer’s Mark could come in handy.
Furthermore, Carroll was the Logistics Manager of Bloodshed Land and could come in contact with important equipment and blueprints frequently. Han Xiao felt that there would be a lot to gain from him.
I can make use of the Observer’s Mark to gather intelligence during the gathering, Han Xiao thought to himself.
In his previous life, none of the players had discovered the Tyrant’s gathering because they were not able to reach such a level. This was the first time that he had heard about the gathering.
While there was a conflict along the way, this gathering should be relatively safe.
Ames was probably there to show her presence, but this was an extremely good opportunity to gather intelligence for Han Xiao. Han Xiao decided to make use of it well. With all the participants of the gathering being big shots, they might be able to reveal some important information. With his memory of the various storylines, a small hint would allow him to think of many things.
The Version refresh had always been something of great importance to Han Xiao. After all, the players in his previous life had only received very vague details of the exact timing of the refresh. Han Xiao needed greater details and hoped to gain some insights from this gathering.