Wei Zhenghong spoke with righteous indignation, but since the matter involved another living Morning Star within the faction, the others did not respond rashly for the mont.
Zhao Ming mused, "Perhaps Venerable Qin Yun truly knows nothing about it."
This man was sowhat older than Wei Zhenghong and was usually the most steady and prudent of the group.
Hearing this, Wei Zhenghong did not get angry, rely stating, "Whether Qin Yun knows or not is entirely irrelevant now."
"But after this trip to the Lost Flare, it seems only our Bronze Faction suffered no losses. Even the Royal Court lost at least one Morning Star."
Currently, this matter was still confined to a certain circle, kept in a state of absolute secrecy, and many in the lower echelons of the various factions were completely unaware of it.
But once news gradually spread out, there would undoubtedly have to be a proper explanation given for such a catastrophic loss, whether to those above or below, by reason or by logic. Zhao Ming's brow furrowed tightly as he added, "Could this be a conspiracy by the Royal Court?"
"Ah..." Chu Ran spoke with a trace of urgency. "Senior Brother Zhao, who cares if it's a conspiracy or not? If they want to prove anything now, they must produce evidence. Otherwise, those dead Morning Stars are a bitter pill that they absolutely refuse to swallow."
"I just hope there will eventually be a proper way to resolve this," Jiang Mufeng said rather helplessly. "Otherwise—"
The group fell into silence once more until Zhao Ming finally broke the quiet. "Since this has happened, will the Apex Star Gathering still be held?"
Su Chen's heart stirred. The Apex Star Gathering...
He had heard of it. It was a grand event that garnered imnse attention from the five great factions, the Royal Court, and factions large and small all across the Dust Star Sea.
Aid at determining the absolute strongest, it offered incredibly generous rewards and was held only once every ten years, making it a highly prestigious occasion.
Due to the vast interstellar distances, preparations had to begin two years in advance. The host location this ti was the Royal Court, and the preliminary hype was supposed to start right after the Emperor of the Vast Sea's birthday celebration.
"Before this matter is resolved, I'm afraid no one will even ntion the Gathering," Jiang Mufeng shook his head.
The group discussed their views and exchanged quite a bit of information. They agreed that as soon as news of the Prison-Suppressing King arrived, Jiang Mufeng would inform them imdiately.
'Verify whether the Prison-Suppressing King has awakened...' After the banquet ended, Su Chen left the gathering with his brow furrowed.
The final outco of this matter would very likely impact him, so he had no choice but to pay close attention.
By the ti he returned to the floating island, it was already the Dim Sun phase. Su Chen checked the ti. "They should be arriving soon."
"So this is the Bronze Faction... Incredible..."
A heavy transport carrier drifted out from the Star Gate. Bu Siqi stood before the porthole, looking out at the faint outlines of life-bearing planets in the distance and the Bronze Core up close, unable to hold back a gasp of sheer amazent.
On the journey here, passing through other transit hubs, he had already been shocked several tis, yet arriving at the very core of the Bronze Faction still left him thoroughly awestruck.
"Is that the Flare?" he asked, pointing at the massive fireball in the distance, srized.
In the past, he had only ever seen artificial suns, which lacked this comforting sensation that seed to drape over his body. He felt completely relaxed, though he was not sure if it was just a psychological trick.
"That's right, that is the Flare," the guard captain standing beside him nodded. The others who had accompanied them also gathered around, their expressions filled with wonder, though they remained a bit more composed than Bu Siqi.
Soon, the heavy transport docked at a nearby starport. The group disembarked one after another. There were many faction mbers coming and going, so radiating an overwhelming aura of vitality that made one's heart palpitate in fear.
The guard captain led them to an office deep within the starport.
Knocking on the door, the guard captain brought Teng Liang and the rest inside.
"Old Zhang, I need to process temporary entry permits for the Bronze Core."
The spacious, well-lit office was simply furnished. Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with thinning hair. He glanced up at the guard captain holding his helt, looking sowhat displeased.
His scrutinizing gaze then swept over Teng Liang and the others standing behind the captain.
Bu Siqi frowned slightly. He really disliked this old man's stare, but being in an unfamiliar place, he held his tongue and simply shifted his stance.
"Liu Yang..." the middle-aged man said with a trace of impatience. "Where did you bring these people from this ti? The faction has repeatedly issued strict orders forbidding the unauthorized smuggling of personnel from other planets."
Liu Yang's expression shifted slightly. The life-bearing planets governed by the Bronze Faction varied greatly—so were close, so were far, so were rich in resources, and others were completely barren.
Their departnt was primarily responsible for providing support missions.
Sotis, they inevitably skimd so benefits by bringing a few people over from those planets. If those people managed to stay in the nearby satellite cities, they could enjoy the faction's resources.
However, because this practice had grown increasingly rampant, the higher-ups of the faction had expressly banned it. Still, it was hard to eradicate completely. There were always workarounds, which simply required paying a little extra in bribes.
This was not his first ti dealing with the other party. This attitude simply ant Old Zhang wanted money.
But this ti was different. He scoffed coldly and rapped his knuckles on the desk. "Old Zhang, look closely. Where did I co from?"
"Where did you co from?" Old Zhang frowned. Seeing the confident posture of the man before him, his years of work experience told him not to lash out imdiately. He quickly pulled up the other party's mission log. "Six months ago, deployed to transport resources to Planet Red Thunder—Planet Red Thunder? Planet Red Thunder!"
He chewed on the na, finding it vaguely familiar. Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he asked tentatively, "His Excellency Su Chen's ho planet?"
Liu Yang gave a faint nod.
Then, Bu Siqi watched as the previously impatient old man's face instantly blood into an incredibly passionate smile as he hastily stood up. "Oh my, please have a seat, everyone. Please sit."
He ushered everyone toward the sofa. Seeing it was a bit crowded, he even dragged his own office chair out for them.
With a hint of complaint, he turned to the guard captain. "Look at you, why did you have to keep in suspense? You should have just told right away. It would have been terrible if there was a misunderstanding."
"Rest assured, everyone, I will process your paperwork imdiately."
"Wait," Teng Liang suddenly spoke up. Everyone's gaze instantly converged on him as he said in a low voice, "We should have an official quota..."
As newcors, they did not understand the intricate politics within the faction. Who knew if taking a shortcut like this would leave hidden troubles down the line? It was not as if they were illegal stowaways.
Manager Zhang paused for a mont before hastily explaining, "The paperwork I'm processing is just the procedural registration for taking the flight transport. I am not in charge of the specific identity verifications."
Teng Liang nodded and said no more.
The manager quickly finalized their docunts. Exiting the office and arriving at the transfer zone, Bu Siqi imdiately spotted Ming Lin looking around in the crowd.
"Hey, isn't that Ming Lin?"
Hearing the shout, Ming Lin also noticed them. A look of joy washed over his face, and he hurried over. "Senior Brother Bu, Senior Brother Teng, you're finally here."
His tone was exceptionally warm.
Back on Yingfeng, he had only been passing acquaintances with these two, barely considered nodding friends. Yet reuniting here within the faction brought an inexplicable sense of closeness.
"Co on, let's go. Old Su has already prepared a welco banquet for you. He's been waiting."
Ming Lin greeted the guard captain beside them before leading the group toward a docked transport vessel.
"You're doing pretty well for yourself, kid." Bu Siqi followed Ming Lin along the way, noticing quite a few people exchanging pleasantries with him.
This was the faction's temporary starport for traveling to other life-bearing planets, and Ming Lin seed thoroughly familiar with everyone from top to bottom.
"I can only say Old Su is amazing." Ming Lin made no attempt to hide the truth. "All these people are giving face entirely because of Su Chen. If it were just , they wouldn't even spare a glance my way."
"Is that so kind of uniform?" Teng Liang asked, eyeing the deep black light-duty armor Ming Lin wore.
"That's right, this is the Patrol Squad uniform. My guess is Su Chen will likely insert you all into the Patrol Squad as well."
Leading everyone onto the flying vessel, Ming Lin explained.
Teng Liang nodded thoughtfully. "Then tell us in detail about the general situation within this faction."
They were all crystal clear about their mission. Essentially, they were ant to serve as loyal and capable hands. To get to work as quickly as possible, they naturally needed to understand the specific circumstances.
"Alright." Ming Lin nodded. The transport vessel departed from the starport, heading straight toward the Bronze Core.
"An entire floating island!"
Bu Siqi stepped out of the transport vessel, looking around as he let out continuous exclamations of awe.
"Senior Brothers, you've finally arrived." Su Chen walked over from a distance, watching Bu Siqi and the others disembark one by one.
He had already learned from the faction that Chong Jingtian had sent Teng Liang and the rest over. This arrangent perfectly suited his needs, as both Teng Liang and Bu Siqi were trustworthy and capable.
"Junior Brother!" Bu Siqi was thrilled. He jogged forward, pulling Su Chen into a tight bear hug and shaking him by the shoulders. "It's been what, a year since we last saw each other? You're still as handso as ever, though it looks like you've grown a bit taller."
Bu Siqi clicked his tongue in wonder, making Su Chen chuckle. "I haven't grown taller. The soles of my shoes are probably just a bit thicker."
With that, his gaze fell on the rather gaunt figure of Teng Liang standing nearby, and he greeted, "Senior Brother."
Teng Liang was quite reserved, rely nodding at him before turning to introduce the others. "This is Qiu Jing... Luo Zhen..."
The remaining ten individuals had also been carefully handpicked by Chong Jingtian, mostly hailing from the forces under the various Inquisitors.
Su Chen greeted them one by one before leading everyone to the dining hall.
The banquet was ready. Reunited with Teng Liang and Bu Siqi, Su Chen was in exceptionally high spirits, drinking deeply and freely with them.
At first, the newcors were a bit stiff and uncomfortable, but as the alcohol flowed, they gradually loosened up.
"You're already at the Fifth Tier?"
Halfway through the drinks, Bu Siqi's eyes widened in sheer disbelief. "So fast! You were already a freak back in the Tribunal, but I didn't expect you to still be such a monster after coming to this faction!"
His cheeks were flushed red, dizzy from the alcohol. When he later heard Ming Lin ntion the Star Amber, his face went completely blank. "Star Amber? What Star Amber?"
Back on Planet Red Thunder, he had never even heard of the Profound Purple grade, let alone Star Amber.
Upon learning that Star Amber was a talent tier two whole levels above Crimson, he was utterly dumbfounded. He downed several heavy gulps of alcohol, taking a long ti to recover his senses.
This level of talent had far exceeded the boundaries of his comprehension. Ultimately, he could only squeeze out one word: "Monster."
The atmosphere was fiery, and everyone kept pouring drinks down their throats. It wasn't until they were completely blacked out drunk that Su Chen arranged for them to rest.
Massaging his temples, Su Chen stepped out into the open space outside the main building. The liquor they had consud was a fine brew unique to the faction. Even with his Gluttonous Stomach, he could hardly withstand it all and felt rather lightheaded.
He had called Ming Lin out separately. The latter was in perfectly fine condition, having restrained his drinking at the table.
"Phew—" Su Chen exhaled a breath heavy with the scent of alcohol. "I will integrate their identities into the Patrol Squad as quickly as possible."
"However, the main focus will still be on Senior Brother Teng Liang and Bu Siqi. As for the others, they will act as a smokescreen for now."
...
These people had been ticulously selected by Chong Jingtian, but to Su Chen, they were still strangers. Their trustworthiness naturally could not compare to that of Teng Liang and Bu Siqi.
"Understood." Ming Lin naturally knew this. Just as he was about to leave, Su Chen called out to stop him. "One more thing. You know about the Profound Heaven Apparatus, right?"
Ming Lin thought for a mont before replying, "I know. There's been a lot of discussion about it in the faction recently. They say it can directly elevate one's talent in an incredibly heaven-defying way. Is it real?"
Su Chen nodded. "It can indeed directly elevate talent. I have a slot available here. You should go make use of it soti.
"
"Alright—wait, what?" Ming Lin nodded subconsciously before startling in sheer shock.
"?" Realizing what Su Chen had just offered, he frantically waved his hands in refusal. "Is that really appropriate? What if others find out..."
Through mingling with the other faction mbers, he had already learned exactly how precious this opportunity was.
Forget about him; even among the top hundred geniuses of the Sanctum, very few were qualified to use it.
Strictly speaking, he was nothing more than a minor lackey on the outer fringes of the faction. If word got out, there would undoubtedly be whispers and complaints.
His Gluttonous Stomach was rapidly breaking down the alcohol in his system. Su Chen's expression was utterly indifferent. "Who would dare say anything?"
Hearing this, Ming Lin could not help but freeze.
On second thought, Su Chen indeed had the absolute authority to say such a thing. It was not like when he had just arrived at the faction.
Now, possessing Star Amber talent, reigning as the champion of the Fifth Tier, and holding excellent relationships with the likes of Wei Zhenghong and Shen Yian, his status as a Star Seed was fully cented in reality.
'Too fast...' Ming Lin's expression shifted, his feelings inevitably complex, but he did not decline again, nodding firmly. "I understand."
This was a privilege that ordinary Sanctum mbers could not even dream of enjoying. Only after accepting it did intense excitent well up in Ming Lin's heart.
Talent determined one's absolute ceiling. This was practically the grace of being reborn. The more he thought about it, the more his mind raced, so much so that his steps were practically floating as he walked away.
Lately, Ming Lin had basically been doing the work of three n, and Su Chen naturally saw this clearly. He looked up at the dimly glowing Flare, his thoughts drifting. The arrival of Teng Liang and the others made him think of many things.
"Junior Brother." A voice suddenly called out from behind. Su Chen snapped out of his daze and turned to see Teng Liang.
He had not drunk much and remained completely sober. With a gentle tone, he said, "The Chief asked to bring you so things."
"Oh?" Su Chen looked surprised.
"Do you have a completely private place around here?" Teng Liang asked.
Su Chen's heart stirred, and he led him straight into the training room.
Only then did Teng Liang extract a square tal box from his spatial storage. "These are letters written to you by your teacher and a few of your friends."
Su Chen reached out to take it but did not open it imdiately. He looked at Teng Liang, knowing this alone was not enough to require a highly secretive location to discuss.
Teng Liang then continued, "There's also the harvest from our recent purges of the Treacherous God Cult back on Planet Red Thunder. It mostly consists of Treacherous Artifacts and similar items."
"Oh?" A sharp gleam flashed in Su Chen's eyes.
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