Chapter 367: Chapter 38: Deterrence from the Stars, Brady County’s Choice (Part 2)

And at that moment, they finally understood.

They understood why the Legion Commander of this Alchemy Corps had said they had no intention of interfering with any peaceful world.

It made sense.

This Empire already possessed such unimaginable Mighty Power. Its territory was so vast it even spanned the Star Realm.

What benefit could they possibly gain from attacking unnecessary worlds?

Slaves?

The Intelligent Mechanisms could serve that purpose.

Wealth?

That was even more laughable. Take the Death Star base cities shown in the footage, for example. Whether it was Gold or any other rare mineral, what couldn’t be mined from a massive Death Star?

Of course, the importance of a Life Planet was also undeniable.

The more astute Professionals had already realized the one thing their world possessed that could be considered profitable to this so-called Star Empire.

The Magic Environment!

Yes, the Magic Environment of a Life Planet was irreplaceable.

In the Star Realm, across the Star Sea, Life Planets were so rare they could be considered a once-in-a-lifetime find.

Therefore, a few moments after Duke Zane and his retinue had fully processed the shock of the Star Empire’s existence, the Duke finally seemed to understand something.

His expression turned slightly bitter.

’So much for this Intelligent Mechanic Legion having no designs on our world.’

’That was just a courtesy, a way for them to let us save face.’

’An exercise? A Teleportation Array malfunction?’

’Traversing the Star Sea and ending up in our world because of some supposed spatial disturbance?’

’After learning how boundless the Star Sea is, not even a three-year-old would believe that.’

So, in Duke Zane’s view, this so-called Star Empire had likely calculated the perfect moment to suddenly descend its legion upon the Square World.

’So, could this Star Empire be related to the ’god’ of these corrupted Snake People?’

But then he considered the Empire’s style.

And their merciless attitude when killing the Snake People.

Duke Zane felt that even if there was a relationship between them, it had to be one of enmity.

’Enemies...’

’So, what are they really thinking?’

’To reap the spoils while others fight?’

It wasn’t hard to guess. Zane even suspected this legion’s appearance might just be a pretext.

——————

Soon, Duke Zane and his group departed after speaking with the Intelligent Mechanic Legion for about five hours.

They returned to Brady County City.

Meanwhile, in the City Lord’s Mansion, it was, without a doubt, a sleepless night.

In the dining hall, Duke Zane and the sixteen High Tier Professionals were seated around a table.

The table was laden with fine food and wine, but no one moved to touch it.

"Your Grace, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

After a long silence spent digesting the information, a High Tier Priest looked up at Duke Zane and was the first to speak.

"My thoughts?"

Duke Zane sighed.

"How we see it no longer matters. After all, this is far beyond our ability to interfere."

"Who says we can’t interfere? We Priests can pray to the Deities and report this..." another Priest on the other side suddenly interjected.

But before he could finish, a Warrior Professional cut him off.

"Priest Ryo, are you that eager to die?"

The Priest named Ryo was about to erupt in anger, but then, as if realizing something, he fell silent.

"Let’s not discuss the attitude of the Deities for now."

"Regarding the matter of the corrupted beings, we can be certain of one thing: in the Star Realm, the Deities surely don’t have much power to spare right now."

"Otherwise, based on past events, whenever Priests prayed—especially about the corrupted—even if the Deities didn’t send a projection, they would at least dispatch some attendants from their Divine Kingdoms."

"But now, as you’ve all seen, it’s not just a Priest’s prayers. Even the prayers of the Kingdom’s Archbishop might not be answered."

A Mage Professional spoke up with a solemn expression, analyzing the situation.

"To use the words of those High Tier corrupted beings, ’Even the Deities cannot escape the fate of corruption!’"

"For the mortal world to have decayed to this extent, I think you all know in your hearts how credible that statement is."

"Ultimately, our world is most likely doomed. In the Star Realm, the Evil Gods are powerful. The fact that even the great Twin Main Gods of Fate have yet to resolve the issue speaks volumes." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Furthermore, just think about it. How many Saints and Professionals in our world have been corrupted or killed over the years?"

"To put it bluntly, the Human Race in our world is already on the brink of extinction."

"Under these circumstances, a powerful third party has finally arrived. I don’t understand what there is to hesitate about."

The High Tier Mage’s expression was grave; he had clearly already made up his mind.

At this, everyone at the dining table fell silent for a moment.

"Indeed, there’s nothing to hesitate about."

"After all, their attitude was quite amicable, and they even approached us in human form."

"But we can’t fully trust the words of these Alchemy Puppets. Who knows if this civilization is actually dominated by an Alchemy... hmm... an Intelligent Mechanism Race."

"Those recorded images they showed us could just be a smokescreen."

"After all, none of us can personally confirm it, right? Besides, their intelligence is too high, far exceeding our understanding of Alchemy Puppets."

"I’ve heard that long ago, some evil Alchemy Professionals would even seal human souls into the cores of Alchemy Puppets to enhance their intelligence."

At this point, an assassin-class Professional suddenly voiced his concerns.

And this worry was certainly not unfounded.

"So, you’re worried we might be inviting another evil Race or civilization?"

"But do we have a choice?"

"Frankly, this is already a not-so-terrible outcome. After all, if both the corrupted beings and these Alchemy Puppets want to take our world, they will have to fight each other to determine a winner."

"In that case, we of the Human Race might be able to find an opportunity in the crossfire."

"Of course, this worst-case scenario assumes that the so-called Star Empire behind the Alchemy Puppet legion is just a sham."

"But if it isn’t, I think everyone knows what that means."

"As the ones who guided this Alchemy Puppet ’Vanguard Army,’ I believe the Duke’s status—and indeed our own—in this so-called Star Empire would be far from worse than our lives before the descent of the corrupted."

"After all, you all saw it!"

"This is a civilization that crosses the Endless Star Sea, a civilization that can roam the Star Realm at will!"

"Honestly, I desperately hope all of this is real. Even if we don’t get the chance for Ascension to Divinity, we’d at least get to see the splendors of the Star Realm, wouldn’t we?"

"We might even get to witness the sights of countless different civilizations in our lifetime."

"Such an opportunity is right in front of us. Don’t tell me that not even a sliver of this idea has crossed your minds."

As the others remained silent, another High Tier Warrior Professional spoke up.

"Fortune favors the bold."

"Everyone, I say we hold off on reporting this to the Deities through prayer for now."

"Besides, even if we don’t report it, given the likely mission of these Alchemy Puppets, another city will report it sooner or later. Therefore, we can risk bearing some of the Deities’ wrath to try and win the favor of this so-called Star Empire."

"If things take a turn for the worse, we’ll have an excuse to minimize the Deities’ anger."

"But if things are truly as those Alchemy Puppets claim, then our rewards... well, you can all imagine... Your Grace, what do you think?"

At that moment, an Archer Professional suddenly slammed his palm on the table, his gaze firm, having made his decision.

All the other Professionals turned to look at him.

"Regarding this matter, to be honest, I am also of two minds."

"But undeniably, what both Tania and Brook said makes a lot of sense."

"Moreover, Brady County has survived until now not because of me, but thanks to all of you here. So, how about this? Let’s put it to a vote."

Duke Zane was very clever. This way, regardless of the outcome, everyone present would have to bear the responsibility for the decision.

At this point, the sixteen High Tier Professionals present had no way to back down.

Therefore, the result of the vote was quickly decided!

And it was no surprise at all:

Brady County would pretend to know nothing and would fully assist and cooperate with the Intelligent Mechanic Legion.