Chapter 1116: Chapter 573: Aftermath
Prince Costat was startled, looking at the screen filled with the distorted face of Adam. Ever since Adam became the Holy Emperor, he had never appeared so discomposed...
No... he recalled the time when the Eternal Silence Star was lost, perhaps he also lost his composure back then, but he didn’t see it.
However, Adam’s lapse in composure didn’t last long, more precisely, it was just an instant before his snarling features gradually calmed.
His self-control was astonishing; after taking a deep breath, he sat back down.
What he meant by "strong" referred not only to strength but also to means and methods.
After all, this was the Holy Castle. Each of the Three Great Civilizations had a group specially trained to locate the Holy Castle.
Even so, the Holy Castle remained difficult to locate through conventional means, and it was almost impossible to determine when it would reawaken.
So, when Heckler found a method, his mind was truly conflicted, unwilling to see the other side succeed, yet the whole affair had unparalleled benefits for the Empire.
Although he secretly obstructed them, he maintained a certain limit, and when he discovered the other side had found the chosen ones, he hesitated for a long time before deciding to stop interfering.
In the end, he only realized now that everything he had done before was meaningless; the Holy Castle had long been almost claimed by the Azure Dragon.
The setback in terms of means affected him even more deeply than the sheer power the Azure Dragon had shown.
Seeing Adam seemed to have calmed a bit, Prince Costat explained: "I once tried to shut down the time-space barrier, but the fragments of the Eternal Silence Star seemed to have solidified, and all my attempts failed."
"That’s not important..."
Adam slowly closed his eyes, seemingly attempting to calm himself down as all known information intertwined.
What surprised him the most was that if it weren’t for the sudden appearance of those two Titan Branches, they would still be in the dark about everything regarding the Holy Castle.
Foolishly exerting force against the Holy Castle.
He could hardly fathom how the Azure Dragon managed to escape interstellar realms and accomplish all of this, surely not as another Titan Branch?
His brow furrowed. The only good news now was that the Azure Dragon hadn’t truly obtained anything from the Holy Castle.
Otherwise, once they vanished, there would be no place to search.
The information in the video was extensive, and Adam went through it once more in his mind.
The threat from the Azure Dragon was undeniable, yet he discovered something rather subtle, which made his expression somewhat peculiar.
Overall, the Empire’s dual-line plan could be considered a failure.
But from his personal position, at least on the matter of the Holy Castle, it wasn’t entirely detrimental.
Firstly, Heckler didn’t open the Holy Castle, and by a stroke of serendipity, the entire interstellar knew about it.
Following that, the Federation and Star Alliance would inevitably become involved in this matter.
Officially, only he could mediate with other civilizations, forcing Heckler to let him take over this matter.
Secondly, he always wanted to incite a conflict between Heckler and the Azure Dragon, and this time, they clashed almost irreconcilably.
Though he would have the opportunity to intervene in the Holy Castle, Heckler would never retreat empty-handed.
He could continue with his plans, using the Azure Dragon’s hand to eliminate some unwanted individuals.
Magically, his plan was back on track, even pushed forward significantly.
Realizing this, the anger in Adam’s heart largely dissipated helplessly, leaving his emotions more complicated; his hand clenched and unclenched repeatedly.
He now even felt a need to thank the Azure Dragon.
Taking a deep breath, he shook his head silently, knowing that gratitude was indeed nonsense.
But Adam had already outlined the following threads.
The Azure Dragon had become a very thorny problem, but this problem was by no means solely directed at the Empire.
For the Azure Dragon, this was probably also an unexpected event; he definitely didn’t want to confront the Three Civilizations like this, otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained hidden all along.
"But now it’s irreparable unless he gives up the Holy Castle and disappears."
"How to open the Holy Castle remains a question, but now there’s no need to consider it; the Empire can no longer monopolize it..."
"...Heckler, I’ve already given you a chance, so don’t blame me for being ruthless..."
With thoughts swirling, he had already made a certain decision.
Once he reopened his eyes, his demeanor and gaze had returned to normal.
Even traces of fighting spirit seemed to linger faintly.
The long-silent Prince Costat noticed this and couldn’t help but feel relieved.
As a direct witness to the entire event, the dread in his heart ran deeper, even forming an indelible fear of the Azure Dragon.
But seeing the Holy Emperor adjust his state so quickly served as a potent boost for him.
"In any case, come back first. There will be many things for which I need your assistance." Adam said to Costat in a deep voice.
Though he didn’t offer gentle reassurance, when Costat looked at Adam’s gaze, a faint flame ignited within his saddened heart.
Yes, they were the Empire, having weathered so many storms and hardships.
The current actual loss wasn’t so great; how could they be so disheartened?
Costat’s gaze gradually firmed as he solemnly said, "I understand."
After the screen darkened, Adam’s gaze wavered, as there was actually another foundation supporting his confidence.
The Azure Dragon was obviously a flesh-and-blood life form, and its simple and unadorned attacks relied purely on physical strength, most likely a Genetic Evolution Body.