Chapter 567: The Million Spirit Beings Inspection Team
Chapter 567: The Million Spirit Beings Inspection Team
Black Hand's efficiency was impressive. He successfully assembled one million spirit beings and even conducted diplomatic negotiations with the powers controlling various star domains. This ensured that the spirit beings wouldn't be intercepted or detained when they arrived.
They were going through official channels, not sneaking in.
Given their massive size and the large number of personnel involved, it was impossible to keep their movements secret from those who were paying attention. Therefore, it was better to act openly.
They had already decided on a name: the Inspection Team. Each team would consist of ten spirit beings, and their purpose was to invest, acquire, and establish factories. This grand initiative also caught the attention of the higher-ups in various powers.
However, seeing that the spirit beings were divided into such small teams, despite the large-scale mobilization, the personnel and procedural approvals were all very standard. This made it difficult to fathom the intentions of the Endless Abyss.
Thus, some interstellar civilizations directly rejected Black Hand's Inspection Team, stating they had no need for it.
Black Hand was completely unconcerned about this attitude, which only made the high-ups of various civilizations even more puzzled. However, most actually agreed.
The reason was simple: regardless of whether the other party's intentions were genuine, once they entered their territory, it would be easier to take precautions. Otherwise, they might have refused without a second thought, but what if they were really there to invest?
The reputation of the Endless Abyss's arms dealers was highly respected, and all major civilizations knew that the Endless Abyss was incredibly wealthy. With every member equipped with an S-grade battle armor and S-grade mecha, what ulterior motives could such a wealthy group have?
Not only did they welcome the inspection, but they even greeted the teams with the highest honors.
Who wouldn't like a god of wealth?
While they appreciated the attention, the various civilizations didn't truly believe the other party was simply there to invest. It was impossible to send out so many people without a deeper agenda. Based on their perception of the Endless Abyss, it was likely a business-related plan, possibly aiming to monopolize the arms trade.
After all, apart from selling arms, the Endless Abyss had not taken many other actions. Even the slave trade had become almost defunct, clearly not lucrative enough to pursue seriously.
"This expenditure is truly significant," Qin Muye remarked, looking at the costs of this operation. The expenses were considerable, not only for lobbying but also for investment.
They were using the name "Inspection Team" and the content involved investment, acquisition, and factory establishment. They couldn't just go there to infect the Star Gods; that would be too suspicious. Therefore, they had to spend a lot of money to cover their true intentions.
With ten spirit beings per team, there were a hundred thousand teams, and the initial investment to study ten thousand star domains would be substantial. Fortunately, this was just the beginning.
In one to two months, the Star Gods would be fully grown, and the subsequent costs would diminish. However, this matter would likely raise suspicions among the various civilizations about whether the Endless Abyss knew about the Star Gods.
Of course, they could suspect all they wanted, but if any of them could spare the resources to target Qin Muye, it would count as a win for them.
Ten 8th-rank Star Gods per star domain was more than most civilizations could afford, and many had several star domains, especially the three major powers. When the time came, they would be in a real bind, as their star domains numbered in the hundreds of thousands, not just a few dozen.
However, the number of 8th-rank Transcendents in these three powers combined was only a little over two hundred. The situation would deteriorate rapidly.
Although the Star Gods had been infected with Abyssal power and had become avatars of Qin Muye, he would not directly interfere with their actions. The infected Star Gods were merely stepping stones for Qin Muye's plan to target the cosmic will.
The Star Gods themselves were not his primary goal. Therefore, no matter how much chaos they caused, it would not concern Qin Muye. He could not interrupt the process of the Star Gods merging with the Gestalt consciousness to become the cosmic will. Instead, he had to blend into this process without disrupting it.
If he were to interrupt, it would be simple—just reveal the Star God radar, and the various powers could eliminate the Star God threat within a month.
But what would Qin Muye gain from that?
The long-term operation would end, but he would gain no points, as the natives would have eliminated the threat. He wouldn't even be able to benefit from the chaos.
With three major powers looming overhead, it was difficult for Qin Muye to rise to prominence.
Might as well take a gamble for a change. Winning would mean a meteoric rise, and losing would mean running away with a bucket. From the very beginning, he had no worries, and even if he lost, it wouldn't be any different. What did he lose? Some resources? He could always farm more by raiding a world later.
So from the start, he had a no-lose situation and naturally had to play it aggressively.
"The expenses are high, but worth it," Qin Muye flipped through the data returned by the spirit beings.
His Star God radar and Abyssal power infection device were not limited to just detection and infection. Combined with the spirit beings' abilities, they could also monitor the growth and mental state of the Star Gods, among other data. Although the precision wasn't down to individual units, the general situation was clear.
For truly precise data, Qin Muye would have to do it himself, as the spirit beings couldn't determine it accurately.
"Estimated that it will take another one and a half to two months for a full revival. There shouldn't be much of a problem."
As long as the one million spirit beings completed their tasks, the subsequent infection with Abyssal power could spread through the Star Gods' Gestalt network. As long as the various civilizations could hold on, there wouldn't be an issue.
Qin Muye had calculated that the cosmic will wouldn't immediately integrate into a Gestalt consciousness once the Star Gods matured. Instead, it would need some time for the Gestalt network to grow.
Since the Star Gods were essentially fragments of the cosmic will, they needed to be re-nourished and revert to their original state. Qin Muye was intervening at this stage, and he had already succeeded halfway. As long as the spirit beings didn't encounter any mishaps, the rest would be smooth sailing.
Initially, he had underestimated the strength of the cosmic will, but he was confident now that he had taken corrective measures.
After reviewing the report, Qin Muye pulled out another plan from his backup strategy.
"The GROX Empire seems to have a significant problem."
Qin Muye couldn't help but recall what Ji Shan had told him. It seemed there was a certain possibility.
How could a power capable of imprisoning the cosmic will be so easily destroyed?
Of course, their destruction might be real, but there was a chance they were just biding their time, ready to rise again.
"We need to be well-prepared to avoid being outmaneuvered."
He had relied on caution for a long time. It was fine to outsmart the air, as long as nothing happened. But if he were to fail in a minor matter, it would be like doing all the work for someone else. Qin Muye would never accept that.
With about one and a half months left, if he worked overtime, he could complete several contingency plans.
Then, Qin Muye's gaze fell on Wang Wei.
"Could this also be part of the GROX Empire's plan?" Qin Muye observed that the fusion progress of the three supreme treasures in Wang Wei's body had completely stalled. There had been some activity before, but now there was no data change, as if it had been paused.
"Should I let Wang Wei leave the Endless Abyss?" Qin Muye speculated that the fusion stall was likely related to his presence in the Endless Abyss.
The Endless Abyss was isolated from the outside world, separated by a world barrier. The two worlds could hardly interact, functioning like two completely different systems. Thus, they couldn't permeate or assimilate each other, but could only cause harm through force or deliberate action.
This situation was the cause of Wang Wei's and his supreme treasures' anomalies.
"We can try. Find an uninhabited planet to set up a laboratory. This will help us test whether the GROX Empire is truly hiding or if it's just my paranoia."
Qin Muye began searching for a suitable planet nearby. It wasn't too difficult; as long as it was generally appropriate and in the right location, the environment wasn't a major issue. Qin Muye could modify the planet's environment to meet his needs.
He could also hire interstellar companies specializing in planetary ecosystems to assist, ensuring the planet's environment wasn't a problem. This was the smallest concern.
(End of Chapter)
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