After dozens of layers of buffs were cast on Ames, her fury was finally dampened. She snorted and deactivated her Esper ability.
Heber did not mind it; it was not the first time he had confronted Ames. He turned and nodded at Zoel.
âSo, I shall leave. I look forward to the result of your consideration.â Zoel got the gesture, gave his contact details to Ames, smiled, and was about to turn around and walk out of the room.
Looking at the envoyâs retreating back, Han Xiao was suddenly hesitant. Should I plant a mark on Zoel? It seems quite rewarding.
He did not forget that this was a private meeting before the party officially started. When the party started the next day, only then would Heber introduce Zoel to all the guests. That would be the time that things started to escalate.
The Crimson Empire would not s.n.a.t.c.h the territory themselves because once they did, the Federation of Light would act, and the conflict would grow into a much bigger issue. Since this was not yet the stage to have such a large-scale conflict, the Crimson Empire was trying to bond with the Shattered Star Ringâs organizations, drawing more chess pieces to their side of the universe chessboard.
Throwing an Observerâs Mark would allow him to see what the Crimson Empire was doing backstage and how many organizations joined the Crimson Empire. This was very precious intelligence.
However, although Observerâs Mark left close to zero trails and even Ames could not notice it, there were two more Beyond Grade As present, so there was a chance that he might get noticed. Plus, the Crimson Empireâs people might have special techniques to prevent things like that.
Hmm, Iâll give it a try. Even if I get noticed, itâs not too serious a problem. He wants us to be on his side, and weâre not enemies.
A tiny tint of gray light flashed through his eyes, and an Observerâs Mark was planted on Zoel.
Ames and Heber did not notice at all.
Neither did Zoel. He left the room, and the gate covered his figure.
This time, Han Xiao suddenly realized that someone was looking at him. He turned around and saw that Austin was staring right at him.
He noticed? Han Xiaoâs heart skipped a beat.
Everyoneâs abilities were different. Ames and Heber could not notice, but Austin was a Mage, so he was sensitive to all kinds of energy. Despite the ripples of Void Energy being miniscule, they did not escape his senses.
However, Austin did not say anything. He just gave Han Xiao a friendly smile and looked elsewhere.
Han Xiao did not get what he meant. Anyway, not being exposed was a good thing.
âIf thereâs nothing else, Iâm leaving.â Ames was annoyed by the sight of Heber and did not want to stay there.
âWait.â This time, Heber spoke.
âWhat else?â Ames frowned.
âI heard youâve been expanding your forces recently. We can work together,â Heber slowly said.
âWork together?â Ames gave a faint smile. âDo you think we have a very good relations.h.i.+p?â
âI can forget about that nonsense when you fought your way onto Planet Heber,â Heber said.
âThen keep remembering.â Ames could not be bothered to argue. She stood up from the throne, turned away, and left.
Han Xiao took along Hila and Aurora and followed her out of the room.
Austin laughed loudly. âHahaha, Heber, she just dislikes you more and more.â
âDoesnât matter.â Heber was not bothered.
âI thought you were going to make the marriage proposal again.â
âForget it, she probably wonât agree this time too.â Heber shook his head.
âSeriously, you both have very tough personalities. If you want to get her, you have to tone it down,â Austin said jokingly. His personality was very casual, and he had a good relations.h.i.+p with both of them. He knew the history of Heber chasing Ames.
âI wonât change for any woman.â Heber waved his hands.
He was not too determined about Ames. In the entire Shattered Star Ring, Heber thought only Ames who was Beyond Grade A like him could match him, only she was strong enough to be his partner. It had no element of love or emotion.
If he could get Ames, his organization would have two Beyond Grade As, which would be a tremendous increase.
Heber disdained deception and did not bother wasting time; he had always been straight forward and did not avoid speaking of his real goal of chasing Ames.
Austin still remembered back then when Heber first proposed to Ames and how furious Ames had been. He wanted to laugh every time he thought of it.
âŠ
When Han Xiao and the others reached the gate of the palace, Carroll just happened to be on the way in, and they met.
âYou people again.â
Carroll did not have any intention of taunting this time and did not glue his eyes to Ames, unlike last time. His expression was calm as if Han Xiao and the others were just pa.s.sersby.
Ames glanced at him. Although she was unhappy, she could not do anything in Tyrantâs territory, so she ignored Carroll.
Just as they were about to pa.s.s each other by, Han Xiao suddenly pressed onto Carrollâs shoulder and grabbed him tightly like an iron claw.
Puzzled, Carroll turned around and asked, âWhat are you doing?â
âI remember that you said before Iâm just your replacement?â Han Xiao squinted. âSince you call yourself my senior, give me some guidance then.â
Carrollâs expression changed. He had thought that the previous taunting incident was over, but Han Xiaoâs sudden action after a few days was unexpected to him.
Ames stopped, also surprised.
âWhat do you mean? Do you want to fight here? This is Planet Heber!â Carroll said in a slightly threatening manner.
âDonât worry, I just want to spar with you. I want to see how strong the traitor is.â Han Xiao chuckled. âThe Tyrantâs subordinate wouldnât not dare accept a challenge, right?â
âI got it. This is Amesâ orders, isnât it?â Carroll felt that he had guessed correctly. It had to be because Ames was unhappy about the outcome of what had happened earlier, so she had ordered Black Star to challenge him. If it was just a spar between officers, Heber would not say anything.
Hehe, is she this confident in this new officer of hers?
Carrollâs face turned cold and said, âOkay, I accept your challenge. Hope you donât lose too fast.â
Bloodshed Land was his stage; he could use countless machines. Even if Black Starâs name had been loud recently, he did not step back.
Carroll had heard about Amesâ new officer. He also wanted to gauge Han Xiaoâs full strength. He wanted to see what kind of person Ames had found to replace him.
Furthermore, his position was sensitive. He now represented the Tyrant. Since Ames had ordered Black Star to challenge him, he could not back down. Even though Heber could protect him, considering the Tyrantâs personality, things would not go well for him if he was afraid of the challenge.
Bloodshed Land despised cowards the most. Someone that was not a battle maniac had no chance of obtaining a high position under the Tyrant.
Han Xiao curled his lips and suddenly said, âWeâre both Mechanics, just sparring isnât fun. How about a bet?â
âOn what?â
âLetâs bet⊠five sets of machinery blueprints, what do you say? The loser has to give whatever blueprint the winner requests.â Han Xiao smiled wickedly.
Betting blueprints⊠Carroll frowned heavily. Blueprints were the lifeline of a Mechanic, so Mechanics betting blueprints on was not uncommon.
âOkay.â Carroll nodded.
Han Xiaoâs eyes sparkled.
There were many factors that had made him suddenly challenge Carroll.
Ames could not battle, but he could. Being high profile to a certain extent and showcasing his abilities was beneficial to increasing his position in this circle. Plus, it could help Ames relieve some anger.
If the Tyrant interfered in a spar between officers, it would be utterly embarra.s.sing.
Secondly, he had been peeking on Carroll for the past few days and roughly knew his strength. Knowing the enemy guaranteed him an edge in the battle. Furthermore, he had noticed that Carroll had a few rather good machines, so he had proposed a bet to win some machinery blueprints.
He would never fight a battle without benefits.
The third and the most important reason was that a new faction mission had appeared on his interface.
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[Amesâ Fury]
Mission Introduction: The traitorâs provocation and the Tyrantâs disrespect have made Ames enraged. As a member of Floating Dragon, you know what you need to do.