The dazzling starlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor, reflecting in Sorokin's pupils. He stood with his hands behind his back by the window, gazing up at the black velvet curtain of the sky adorned with diamonds.
"Gorutan is dead..."
Just a few days ago, he was drinking and laughing with Gorutan in the Beast Ancestor's palace. Now, his voice and appearance are still vivid in his mind. Sorokin couldn't help but mourn for three seconds.
Although he mainly acted as a mouthpiece in this matter, he secretly harbored the idea of pushing the situation forward. Now that all his plans had been thwarted by Black Star's force, he couldn't help but feel helpless that all his efforts had been in vain.
"It's a pity we couldn't use Hila to stir up conflict," Sorokin shook his head. "But losing Gorutan isn't so bad."
Gorutan is a shareholder of the Infinite Financial Group. Sorokin uses his shareholder position to gain protection, and also uses Gorutan's channels to consolidate his transactions with the Interstellar Black Market.
Over the years, Sorokin has already secretly infiltrated the Interstellar Black Market through Gorutan's channels. Even if Gorutan's channels are cut off now, it will not affect his business. However, he is unlikely to actively abandon Gorutan after using his connections.
Now, because of this incident, there is one less major shareholder who shares profits, which saves Sorokin costs. Some business channels that he had to give to Gorutan before can be taken back and operated normally. At the same time, he can also erode the main business and market of the Beast Ancestor's forces.
"Well, Gorutan's downfall isn't necessarily a bad thing for me. Perhaps I can use his remaining shareholder position as a bargaining chip to gain the support of other Interstellar Black Market Interstellar Black Market and become the new one."
Sorokin squinted, secretly calculating what benefits he could gain from this.
Although he had collaborated with Gorutan, Sorokin didn't consider his business partners to be true acquaintances. To him, they were merely partners on different projects, and their interactions were purely based on mutual benefit. So when Gorutan fell, he wasn't sad at all; on the contrary, he was happy that he had lost one of his share of the profits.
"However, Black Star's power in its unleashed form is indeed quite astonishing..."
Sorokin pondered to himself:
"After this incident, it's estimated that the Crimson Dynasty will reassess the relationship between the two sides. There's a 60% chance that they will temporarily set aside the dispute over the ownership of the Evolution Cube and instead compensate Black Star by opening up the right to sell totems, thus winning over people's hearts and showing their intention to win them over. Hmm... then I can put aside my deals with Glory, the Arcane, and the hardliners of the Empire for now. It's time to stop my commercial focus on the Black Star Army and withdraw my tentacles that have reached into Black Star's territory."
The Infinite Financial Group targeted the Black Star Army commercially after accepting various deals from different parties; the core reason was the issue of the Evolution Totem.
The Glory and the Arcane wanted to exert pressure on the Empire from multiple angles, forcing it to open up the right to sell totems, so they wanted to influence the Empire with Black Star's attitude. The Empire's hardliners, on the other hand, aimed to pressure Black Star into handing over Evolution Cube in exchange for other Universal Treasure... If the Empire opened up the right to sell totems, these two problems would be solved, and the Infinite Financial Group would naturally have no need to continue exerting pressure.
Putting aside considerations of self-interest, Sorokin also intended to lay low.
Black Star has achieved a record-breaking victory and established its authority. It is time for them to be invincible. If the Infinite Financial Group goes too far at this time, it will most likely provoke even more intense targeting from Black Star. Therefore, keeping a low profile is definitely not a bad thing.
Sorokin didn't want to escalate the conflict, after all, Black Star was the local power in the Shattered World. Minor squabbles were fine, but a full-blown falling out would be undesirable.
Even he had to take Black Star seriously in his burst form; he didn't want to expose his strength and lose his disguise as a "weakling" or a "noob."
"Hmm, and there's also this Traveler guy..."
Sorokin's eyes flickered.
"It would be best to get rid of him."
"I didn't expect Black Star to eliminate Gorutan so decisively; it seems my warning was part of the reason..."
In a certain part of the Shattered World's Free Competition Zone, the Secret Master watched the news broadcast on his communicator, wrinkles appearing on his forehead, which was covered in dazzling magical patterns.
He and Gorutan had been protectors of the Interstellar Black Market for many years, and had engaged in numerous open and covert struggles. He was well aware of Gorutan's strength and, in his heart, knew he was no match for him; otherwise, Gorutan wouldn't have become a shareholder of the Infinite Financial Group.
Seeing Gorutan defeated by Black Star, the Secret Master felt a mix of surprise, apprehension, and regret at losing his old rival.
Of course, as sentimental as he may be, if anyone wanted to redeem Gorutan, he would be the first to come and kill them.
After a short while, the Secret Master adjusted his mindset and began to think about how to profit from it.
"The power left behind by the Beast Ancestor is a piece of fat meat; it's perfect to divide it up and use it to strengthen my own power. Hmm, among his descendants, there are some quite talented fellows who can be recruited to my ranks and work for me... Taking them to Black Star to see the Gorutan specimens seems quite interesting..."
Thinking of this, the Secret Master couldn't help but smile.
"Black Star has done something big this time. It's best to keep in touch with him more often... Black Star will lead a united front of Beyond Grade A, and I should pay even more attention to this matter."
In the territory of the Crimson Dynasty, somewhere within the Constellation Corridor, an Imperial cruiser was leisurely sailing along.
On the observation deck of the ship's cabin, an Imperial man in a junior officer's uniform had his arms resting on the railing, holding a communicator, staring intently at it, grinning foolishly.
This man was burly and robust, with a simple and unpretentious appearance and a kind and honest demeanor. His first impression was that of a common soldier. If you didn't see the special rank markings on his uniform, it would be hard to imagine that he was a Grade C superhuman combatant in the Pugilist Class.
Just then, several colleagues on routine patrol walked over, caught sight of the burly man, and one of them called out:
"Hey, Carrot, what are you looking at, smiling so broadly?"
"Oh, I'm watching the news."
Carrot turned his head and gave a goofy smile.
This person was none other than the Beyond Grade A potential stock that Han Xiao had once paid attention to, the former empire's top muscle giant.
More than 20 years ago, he was just a teenager studying at the Dynasty Super Academy, and he hadn't even awakened his powers yet. Now, 20 years later, he has gone from a naive young man to a naive middle-aged man, and his strength has barely reached Grade C. His growth rate is not fast, but rather average.
Because of Han Xiao's interference, his growth trajectory deviated from that of his previous life, but it was largely the same. After graduating, Carrot still joined the Imperial Army and spent more than ten years in the military, where he remained a low-ranking sergeant combatant with almost no promotions.
At this moment, several colleagues gathered around and, seeing the news about Han Xiao on the communicator screen, couldn't help but laugh.
"News about Lord Black Star? Ha, I knew it was him."
A colleague winked and joked, "Alas, what a pity. You know Black Star, but Black Star doesn't know you, his number one fan."
Carrot: "He knows me. When I was little, Lord Black Star personally recruited me. He..."
Before he could finish speaking, his colleagues were already laughing so hard they were doubled over.
"Haha, here we go again!"
Keep blowing, don't stop.
"The legendary talent personally recruited by Black Star... Pfft, I can't take it anymore, let me laugh a little longer!"
Seeing this, Carrot wasn't angry. He scratched his head and just gave a helpless smile.
Ever since he met Han Xiao when he was a teenager, he had been following Han Xiao's news and gradually regarded him as his idol. When a colleague asked him why, he told him the story, but no one believed him, making him a laughing stock and a braggart among his colleagues.
Would Black Star personally recruit an ordinary, low-ranking Grade C Imperial officer?
Who would believe that? It sounds like pure bragging.
Status depends on ability. Even if Han Xiao personally recruited him, twenty years later, Carrot's growth did not live up to the word "talent," and the matter faded away and was not written into his resume. His colleagues did not believe him, and he did not have the intention to prove himself. He did not care whether others believed him or not, nor did he care about being ridiculed.
Initially, the academy placed high hopes on him because of Black Star's attention. Later, they discovered that he was mediocre, so they gave up on his special training. However, Carrot did not have any complicated thoughts or a desire to prove himself. He simply trained slowly and patiently, and enjoyed the process.
Over the years, Carrot has occasionally wondered if Black Star had misjudged him, but these doubts haven't bothered him.
The cold stares and disappointment of others didn't affect him much, and he didn't feel there was anything to be angry about.
If you're destined to be an ordinary person, then embrace mediocrity. Do your own thing and don't force others to respect you. This has always been Carrot's philosophy of life.
Shaking his head helplessly, Carrot ignored his mocking colleagues and looked back at the communicator. Seeing Han Xiao's sharp and charismatic presence on the screen, he couldn't help but break into a heartfelt smile.
February 18th, 730th year of the Galaxy Calendar, is a day that will be recorded in history.
On this day, Black Star waged a battle rarely seen in a century in the Shattered World. Originally, the hunt for Hila by the Glory and the Arcane was likely to become the fuse for the Three Universal Civilizations to break out into conflict again. However, Black Star almost single-handedly suppressed the budding storm, which shocked the entire universe!
This major news even overshadowed the entire Shattered World, creating a kind of silence effect. Competition temporarily halted, and the various forces in the Free Competition Zone fell silent for a while, observing how things would unfold.
Countless interstellar citizens know that Black Star is a top powerhouse in the universe, but Han Xiao, as a "newcomer" who has only appeared for a few decades, has very few achievements and his prestige is still far behind that of established Peak Beyond Grade A such as Manison and Kasuyi.
This news refreshed countless people's impressions of him, making his image even more imposing and mysterious, and causing his prestige to rise rapidly throughout the universe.
The events of that day were dubbed the "Black Star's Battle of Deification," surpassing all his previous achievements and becoming the most representative Beyond Grade A feat in Han Xiao's resume. It also became a topic of conversation for countless people.
Meanwhile, the super popular Veyne Cards released another announcement, stating that in the next update, Black Star's character cards will receive an epic buff, and a commemorative deck themed "Black Star's Battle of Deification" will be released, showing their adeptness at riding the wave of popularity.
Other neutral Beyond Grade A were equally astonished by Black Star's achievements. Considering the consequences of Gorutan's provocation, many were even more determined to adopt a strategy of making friends rather than creating enemies...
Can something of the Beyond Grade A be called acting from the heart?
Just as the impact of the incident was unfolding and countless people were once again focusing their attention on the Black Star Army, Han Xiao ignored the changing winds and returned directly to the Black Star Palace. He then publicly announced that he would be going into seclusion for a period of time to recuperate.
After returning to the Black Star Palace, Han Xiao didn't chat with the many cadres in detail. He simply greeted them briefly and then eagerly returned to his private training area, closed the door, and locked himself inside.
Fording and Nero were also among the welcoming cadres; Han Xiao had already briefed them on the matter.
At this moment, surrounded by the fragrant aroma of good fortune, he opened the task list and took a deep breath:
"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, I hope I draw something good."
After silently praying for a while, Han Xiao calmed himself down and selected the "Settlement" option for the [Hila Rescue Battle] mission.
[The Hila Rescue Battle is complete!]
[You have gained 920e experience, 4 random rewards, and 1 Blank Character Card.]
[You have gained 1 point of Universe Legend Points]
[Universe Legend Points: The Battle of Deification - You fought twelve against one, achieving an astonishing feat that left a deep impression on the entire universe. From this moment on, your name is etched in history, and you will be mentioned alongside the strongest figures in history. Even as stars shift and the world changes, your name will continue to live on, becoming one of the symbols of personal greatness!]
"As expected, this Legend Points is related to this aspect."
Han Xiao wasn't surprised. He rubbed his hands together and looked at the next hint with anticipation.
The rewards include four unknown character cards. With so many powerful participants, he doesn't know which characters he will draw.
If you draw a few weak characters, it's obviously not worth it. But if you draw a bunch of strong characters, the chance of getting powerful character cards will increase significantly.
Han Xiao's eyes lit up at the prompt, revealing a look of surprise.
[You have obtained the [Character Summon Card - Kasuyi]!]
[You have obtained the [Character Summon Card - Seraon]!]
[You have obtained the [Character Summon Card - Gorutan]!]
[You have obtained the [Character Summon Card - Hila]!]