Watching Ink Wash's sudden resurrection, not only were the brass nobles present stunned, but the dimensional viewers on Station 13 were also surprised by the outcome.
'Dude, his body was stuck in the wall. How is he still alive?'
'I thought something was off before! How could a big shot like Ink Wash die so casually?!'
'Change? I feel like Ink Wash is about to do something big.'
'Judging from his tone, is Ink Wash going to flip the table? Awesome! I've long been tired of these arrogant guys!'
Amidst the dense barrage of comments from the dimensional viewers, the council chairman's stern shout broke the deadly silence in the council hall.
"Ink Wash, you are an Association Star Envoy, yet you are recklessly interfering in non-Star Envoy affairs. Aren't you afraid of being reprimanded by headquarters?"
"Association Star Envoy?"
Tendo chuckled. A hint of playfulness flashed in the eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses.
"My status as an Association Star Envoy ended the day I died, so..."
Tendo habitually raised his hand to push his glasses. The lenses reflected the brass chandelier on the ceiling of the council hall. He said in a calm tone, "...the one standing in front of you now is just an ordinary calligraphy enthusiast."
As his voice fell, Tendo's gaze swept over the place where the projection of the steam furnace had dissipated. He said with emotion, "The original quantum information forging furnace... It's a miraculous thing that can turn virtual data into reality and materialize Mecha Souls, yet you only see it as a tool to create 'automaton puppets.'"
Tendo looked up, the gaze behind his black-rimmed glasses filled with sarcasm.
"This is truly a waste of a divine gift."
With that, Tendo looked at the council chairman not far away. "If you were willing to share the furnace's authority with those truly talented automaton Star Envoys, instead of holding it tightly as a bargaining chip for power, I think this city of steam would have become one of the most prosperous cities in the new federation, besides the seven floating cities."
"Impudent!"
A roar exploded. A brass noble slammed the table and stood up.
"This is the foundation built with the blood and sweat of our ancestors! Why should we share it with others?!"
Tendo looked at his flushed face and shook his head helplessly. He had seen similar situations far too often in his previous life. In order to hold on to their pitiful power, they would rather let gold be buried in dust and resist all change.
They weren't ignorant of what opening the furnace would bring. They were just more afraid of losing their current privileges. After all, the days of monopolizing the quantum equipment market in collaboration with the Machine God Cult were too comfortable. They had long made their choice between monopoly and benefiting the public.
"Decayed and pathetic."
Tendo's hand fell on Shattered Star at his waist. The patterns on the black scabbard seemed to come alive, and a faint inky mist began to seep out.
Seeing this, one of the brass nobles immediately shouted, "Guards! Where are the guards?! Are you blind? You let a dead man break in!"
"Stop shouting."
Tendo's voice was as calm as a deep pool. "Your voice can't be heard outside, and the signal sent by the data terminal has long been blocked by me."
Upon hearing this, the brass noble's face instantly turned Ember. No wonder he had been secretly sending signals since the moment Ink Wash appeared, but the screen of the data terminal remained dead silent. So the signal wasn't just not sent; it was cut off from the very beginning!
A conspiracy. This was definitely a long-planned conspiracy!
For a moment, the atmosphere of the entire meeting hall became eerie. A moment later, the council chairman first looked at Tendo, then glanced at Lyndon, who had remained silent in the corner. He said in a cold voice, "Ink Wash, Lyndon, what exactly do you want to do?"
"What do I want to do?"
Tendo smiled. His moon-white captain's robe fluttered without a breeze.
"It's simple. I want to borrow the steam furnace and then share this good thing with the people who truly need it."
"Are you insane?!"
The council chairman stood up abruptly. The brass crest on his chest burst into a blinding light.
"Insane?"
Tendo chuckled. Then he said, "What do you think President Enite of the headquarters will think if I open the steam furnace to all qualified automaton Star Envoys in the new federation?"
The council chairman's pupils contracted suddenly. Of course, he knew what the president would think about this. The envoy sent by the president had talked to them about opening the furnace on several occasions. But they, with the backing of the Iron Dome Family, had made outrageous demands, which led to the negotiations failing to produce a result.
The council chairman's face changed. Then he said with a grim expression, "Did the president secretly approve of you doing this?"
Tendo said calmly, "Not at all. This is all my personal doing."
Even though Tendo had told the truth, none of the brass nobles present believed him. They didn't think a mere branch captain would dare to challenge a new federation city, and a powerful Star Envoy family at that.
How is this possible?!
Although he already knew that things wouldn't end well today, the council chairman decided to try to persuade Tendo.
"Ink Wash, the president has always advocated for Star Envoy matters to be handled by Star Envoys and for ordinary people's matters to be handled by ordinary people. Aren't you slapping the president in the face by doing this?!"
"Are you still trying to use the president to pressure me?"
Tendo smiled as he drew Shattered Star from his waist. However, because he had covered Shattered Star with his own "Perfect Starlight Source," the signature cracked blade of Shattered Star did not appear before the dimensional viewers.
"Rules are dead, people are alive. As long as the outcome is good, Enite won't care about the process."
"Of course, all of this is based on the premise that you have already presented the good outcome to him."
"And I just happen to have what he wants."
With that, Tendo raised Shattered Star in his hand. Instead of the expected sharp aura, a vast amount of silent, inky starlight surged from the blade. The deep inky starlight instantly swallowed the light of the entire council hall. Wherever it passed, even the brass armrests and the chandeliers on the ceiling of the hall began to seep with black patterns due to the influence of Tendo's starlight.
"Alright, I've said what I needed to say. The rest is about clearing the obstacles on this path."
"Because in the new city of steam I have planned, there is no place for you guys."
With that, Tendo's inky starlight not only completely covered the brass nobles present, but also turned the dimensional screen completely black. Although the dimensional viewers didn't know what happened in the council hall afterward, they could roughly guess the outcome from the screams.
A revolution, led by "Ink Wash" and capable of influencing the entire city of steam, began to unfold in this council hall.