Florian responded: "Rest assured, it’s the Blood of the World."
Li Ming immediately asked: "Good, in that case, can we settle the payment first?"
He had been concerned about this information for a long time, thinking that he would have to wait for certain opportunities and pay some price to get his hands on it.
But Florian looked troubled: "Actually, you may still need to wait a while, the information on the Blood of the World hasn’t been obtained yet."
Upon hearing this, Li Ming’s voice deepened, "The Holy Revolution Army has always been reputable, which is why I helped you without hesitation before."
Florian was extremely embarrassed and confessed frankly: "Actually, it’s like this; we were originally going to give the information on the Blood of the World to you."
"Give it to me?" Li Ming said, noncommittal.
Florian sighed and slowly explained: "As a member of the Ten-member Council, you naturally know that the High-level Life Form Union has launched an attack against us."
"This time, the situation is severe. The High-level Life Form Organization aims to build prestige, and with the Empire’s instigation, they are here to completely annihilate us."
"But neither you nor Anduin voted in favor, so we wanted to win you over. The original bargaining chip we planned to offer was the Blood of the World."
Li Ming listened, somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected such matters to be happening in secret, realizing the value of his allegiance.
Florian shook his head secretly; the original price had been used.
To win over Azure Dragon, he might have to pay more.
"You speak sincerely, but..." Li Ming’s voice was calm, "How long must I wait? And what if you fail to obtain the information on the Blood of the World?"
No one knew whether Florian was speaking the truth, and Li Ming wouldn’t easily believe it.
Florian wasn’t surprised; if he were in Azure Dragon’s position, he too would be suspicious.
He glanced at Clyde beside him, who was momentarily stunned, unable to hear anything, but being experienced, he simply continued eating.
"Lord Azure Dragon, have you heard of the Pioneers?" Florian said in a deep voice.
Li Ming’s heart jumped, already having a premonition, "Are you perhaps..."
"Yes, I am the Guide." Florian nodded, taking out a black ring, similar to the one in Li Ming’s hand.
The Guide, one of the four core members of the Pioneers, was Florian?
Li Ming’s expression became complicated, but he vaguely felt it was reasonable.
This was indeed revealing everything, Li Ming thought, yet he thought of the Fallen Blood, asking involuntarily, "Did you establish the Pioneers?"
"No." Florian shook his head, "I was secretly invited into the Pioneers. By the time I joined, the Fallen Blood and Navigator were already there."
"At first, I was very cautious about this organization, only gradually trusting it over time."
Li Ming was thoughtful, "So, you don’t know the identities of the other two, but you know the identity of another member?"
Florian explained: "I don’t know either, the Caster was also secretly invited by the Fallen Blood and Navigator."
Li Ming contemplated, "All these years, haven’t you speculated about the identities of the other three?"
"Speculated, but we rarely act." Florian said helplessly, "Including myself, we all act very cautiously."
Adam is quite resourceful. Since Florian is the Guide, if the Navigator isn’t his, it’s likely someone extremely hostile to the Empire, and the Caster is probably similar.
Through the Pioneers, connecting the Empire’s enemies, finally to eliminate them all, establishing ultimate power.
So, what role do I play?
Li Ming pondered over this, unable to determine.
"So, rest assured, I am absolutely sincere, and the Holy Revolution Army is also sincere, even if we can’t obtain the Blood of the World, there will be other compensations," Florian said, revealing his identity to reassure Azure Dragon.
Also to make him feel like a "companion," extending this feeling to the Holy Revolution Army, laying the foundation for deeper cooperation.
Li Ming was noncommittal; the Pioneers were still dealing with the Eternal Silence Star, monitoring the Empire’s progress.
Adam still had uses for the Pioneers, so even if he discovered them, he had to reluctantly tolerate them for the time being.
He had no sense of belonging to the Pioneers, considering them mere tools, unaffected by their identities.
But Florian’s attitude made him less inclined to mind waiting.
"In that case, why don’t we head to the Red River Star Stream together?" Li Ming suggested actively.
"That was exactly my thought." Florian agreed decisively.
The ambushers were unknown, even with careful measures, he was still targeted. Traveling with Azure Dragon gave him peace of mind.
Except for Clyde... he was suspicious, unsure if the other party had noticed Clyde’s abnormality.
Tank Guard lifted, Li Ming was momentarily out of it, then sighed in relief, "Finally, I can eat."
No sooner had he spoken, he looked down to find the plates empty, Clyde awkwardly offered, "I’ll ask Dad to add more..."
...
"What is going on!"
Outside the Star Gate Node, the Spirit Leader was irate, staring at the crystal ball before him, a cold glint in his single eye.
"The Terrax Saint King’s bloodline has been found, but the person hasn’t triggered the King-making Trial."
The Holy Crystal and Eternal Holy Seat are integrally connected, only activatable by special means to reveal secrets related to the Terrax.