The Emerald Star Cluster, the stronghold planet of the Beast Ancestor.
Two fleets bearing the insignia of the Beast Ancestor's forces are facing off in outer space, the atmosphere tense and on the verge of war.
The situation was clear: smaller units attempting to leave their base were blocked by the defending fleet.
On the command ship of the defense fleet, Beyram gazed at the deserter fleet preparing for battle, his heart filled with complex emotions. He opened the wide-area channel and spoke:
"Jotina, do you know what you're doing? This is defection!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the image of a female creature appeared on the screen in front of him. She had Xiaomai- colored skin, a seductive face, and black animal markings between her brows and the corners of her eyes, giving her a leopard-like appearance. There were several white stripes on each side of her cheeks, resembling the whiskers of a feline. She wore a wild outfit that revealed her stunning figure and exuded a wild beauty.
At this moment, the woman's face was resolute, and her tone was firm:
"Gorutan has fallen, and our minds are made up. If you want to stop us, you can try."
Looking at the woman on the screen, Beyram sighed inwardly.
This person is named Jotina. She has some beast Bloodline and is one of the "Four Great Generals" under the Beast Ancestor. Her position is similar to that of Vanguard Officers and Han Xiao's bodyguard officer. She is an ace combatant. Her combat strength ranks among the top among her many brothers and sisters. She is a Beyond Grade A Seed. In addition, her fierce personality makes many brothers and sisters fear her.
However, many people know that Jotina's stance is that of the rebel faction, and she has always deeply hated Gorutan. On the contrary, Gorutan doesn't care that his children hate him. His descendants are just tools to him. As long as he lives, he is not afraid of others breaking free from his control.
He maintained Force Control through his own strength, but after his downfall, the organization immediately split apart, and its members scattered like monkeys when the tree fell.
Today, Jotina rallied a large number of members from the rebellious faction, deciding to break away from the Beast Ancestor's power, thus triggering the current standoff.
Beyram, a neutral figure who lacked fervent loyalty to Gorutan, sighed, "We are all brothers and sisters, why must we kill each other? Father has only been captured by mistake; he may return in the future. Why not stay and get through this together?"
Jotina snapped, "Shut up! I've been waiting for this day for far too long. If you don't let us leave today, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Beyram remained silent, glanced at the indignant expressions of the Loyalists, shook his head slightly, and ordered, "Let them go."
Without an overwhelming force to restrain so many powerful individuals, the Beast Ancestor's power was already in disarray, with people filled with anxiety. Beyram was unwilling to fight against Jotina and her group.
However, the die-hard supporters objected. In their view, Jotina and the others were ungrateful wretches who immediately jumped out to separate from the family when their father was in trouble, and should be severely punished.
Although Beyram was in command, many cadres from other factions outwardly obeyed him but inwardly defied him, and suddenly opened fire without authorization, igniting a chaotic battle.
One warship after another was destroyed, fireworks lit up the universe, and figures of Calamity Grade powerhouses darted through the void, engaging in fierce battles.
The battle ended after a long time, leaving behind a large number of warship wrecks floating in the outer space of the planet.
After paying a heavy price, the defecting fleet finally broke through. The Beast Ancestor's loyalists also suffered heavy losses, with several officers killed on the spot by Jotina, so they did not continue the pursuit.
"With my father gone, other Beyond Grade A forces will come to recruit us. These die-hard loyalists will be purged sooner or later. I'd better find a way out as soon as possible."
Looking at the mess everywhere, Beyram sighed inwardly, knowing that the Beast Ancestor's power was about to become history.
On the other side.
"They finally escaped; they didn't catch up..."
In the battle-scarred command ship, Jotina sat leaning against the wall, exhausted, covered in wounds, blood gushing out and pooling beneath her.
Surrounding her sat many cadres who had defected together. They had just been in a fierce battle, and each of them was wounded, bandaging each other's wounds.
"Boss, where do we go next?" A Calamity Grade cadre, after stitching up the wound of his companion's severed limb, turned to look at Jotina.
Because Jotina was the initiator and also the strongest, she was the recognized leader of this defector group.
"Escape is only the first step. Don't forget our goal. We can't do it alone; we must seek refuge with a powerful force," Jotina said breathlessly.
Which one should we join?
"Whoever takes down Gorutan, we'll serve them." Jotina struggled to her feet, turning to look out the porthole, muttering to herself, "Black Star is someone we can entrust our lives to..."
Several days later, at the Black Star Palace Airport Terminal.
"I've bothered you for quite some time now; it's time to leave. Thank you for your help."
Silver Shadow stood in front of the spaceship's hatch, nodded in greeting, and expressed her gratitude to Han Xiao.
He used the Evolution Cube some time ago and then visited the Black Star Army. He kept in touch with Han Xiao, and their relationship warmed up a lot. They went from being acquaintances who had met a few times to good friends.
He had stayed for several days, but he still had things to do, so he said goodbye and left today. Han Xiao came to see him off.
"Alright, I won't keep you any longer. There's plenty of time in the future, come visit me again when you have time," Han Xiao said with a smile.
Silver Shadow nodded, exchanged no further pleasantries, shook hands with Han Xiao, then led a group of his underlings onto the ship and closed the cabin door.
Whoosh—the thrusters spewed out exhaust flames, and the spaceship accelerated in the blink of an eye, bursting out of the spaceport orbit, turning into a streak of light, and quickly disappearing into the universe.
Han Xiao watched the spaceship sail away and nodded in satisfaction.
His private interactions during this period have significantly accelerated his progress in winning over Silver Shadow. Given the extent of the favor Yin Ying owes him, he can at least borrow her car three more times.
With a flick of his robe, Han Xiao turned and left the dock, heading back to his office where he summoned Phillip.
Have the Three Universal Civilizations sent any messages?
"It hasn't buzzed yet."
"It's been so many days, they should have contacted me by now."
Han Xiao shook his head. He had been waiting for Glory and Arcane to contact him for the past few days. It seemed that the two families were still considering how to approach him, and no one had called yet.
During the Battle of Lighthouse Star, he handed over the prisoners to the Empire for negotiations. This time, however, he captured the prisoners himself, and his own strength had reached a new standard. Therefore, Han Xiao told the Empire that he wanted to negotiate with the Glory and the Arcane personally.
Just then, Phillip paused abruptly and reported, "Master, there's a new communication request. It's from the Arcane Church."
Hey, speak of the devil and he appears... Han Xiao perked up and had Phillip connect the call.
Soon, a remote projection appeared in the room. It was a Arcane official in charge of diplomacy. As soon as he appeared, he bowed to Han Xiao with a respectful attitude.
"Lord Black Star, I am a diplomat from the Arcane Church. First, on behalf of the Arcane, I apologize for this operation..."
"Alright, enough with the small talk, let's get straight to business." Han Xiao placed his hands on his nose, staring intently at the Arcane diplomat before him, and said in a deep voice, "If you want to get back Tolain, we'll see how sincere you are. I want to emphasize one condition: the compensation terms must include a public apology."
Upon hearing this, the Arcane diplomat blinked and whispered, "These are all easily resolved, but we can put the matter of Tolain aside for now. I'd like to discuss the matter of the Glory Prisoners..."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
Wow, the Arcane Church isn't in a hurry to ransom their own member Tolain, but instead wants to exchange him for a prisoner of Glory?
Although he could understand the Arcane's actions, Han Xiao couldn't help but inwardly complain.
Tolain is having such a tough time...
Shaking his head, Han Xiao asked, "You Arcane want to buy a Glory Beyond Grade A prisoner?"
"Not just one, but the more the better. I'm sure Lord Kasuyi has already told you that the Arcane want to obtain the bargaining chip to exchange for the Scepter of All Gods... Lord Black Star, we are very sincere this time and are willing to offer a very high price."
"How tall?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"These are the preliminary conditions we have drafted."
The diplomat pulled up a list and showed it to the public.
Han Xiao quickly glanced at the terms and conditions. Not only was there massive resource compensation, but the Arcane was also willing to exchange non-strategic Universal Treasure for the prisoners, making the terms quite generous.
However, he wouldn't agree so easily. He pretended to ponder for a moment before slowly saying, "If I sell the prisoners of Glory to you, I'll have to bear the pressure from Glory. Is that all? It doesn't seem enough."
"Why don't you take the initiative to name your terms, and then we'll..."
Han Xiao snorted, interrupting them, and said calmly, "Think for yourselves, and revise the terms until I'm satisfied."
He didn't bring up conditions himself because he wanted to manipulate Glory and Arcane, to wear them down, otherwise he was afraid they wouldn't learn their lesson, and it would also be detrimental to public opinion.
"Alright, we'll revise the terms later. So, you're not refusing to sell prisoners of Glory?" the Arcane diplomat asked.
"It depends on my mood." Han Xiao's attitude was ambiguous.
Seeing that Han Xiao remained unmoved, the Arcane diplomat had no choice but to take his leave and log off to report to his superiors.
He had barely left when Glory's communication request arrived.
What a coincidence, these two unfortunate brothers are quite destined for each other... Han Xiao muttered to himself, and then reconnected to Glory's communication.
"Hello, Lord Black Star, I am from Glory..."
"Alright, I know who you are. Stop talking nonsense and show me the terms for your ransom."
The Glory diplomat was momentarily speechless, his prepared lines swallowed back down, and he could only meekly present the terms of the agreement.
Han Xiao glanced at the list and secretly shook his head.
The price offered by the Glory was lower than that offered by the Arcane Church, since they were only offering a normal ransom.
Little devil, Glory is as cunning as ever. Three people have been lost, and he still doesn't want to bleed money?
It's truly a case of being ugly but dreaming big, like a toad trying to eat a swan's leg. In short, ptooey!
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, tapped his fingers on the table, and slowly said, "Just now, the Arcane Church contacted me and proposed an interesting condition."
What are the conditions?
"They want to buy your Glory Beyond Grade A prisoners from me... They're quite willing to spend the money."
Han Xiao gave the other person a meaningful look.
The Glory diplomat was startled and hurriedly said, "You... you didn't agree to him, did you?"
"Hmm, I'm still considering it, but the price for Arcane is very tempting."
"You can't make this decision on your own and sell out Glory's important ally to the Arcane, otherwise..." The Glory diplomat initially wanted to threaten, but then realized he was facing Black Star, the very party who had just caused them trouble, so he quickly changed his tune, weakly saying, "In short, as long as you don't agree to the Arcane ' demands, we will definitely make a response."
"That depends on your sincerity. How much are you willing to pay to make me reject the Arcane's proposal?" Han Xiao smiled faintly.
"Understood... Understood. I will immediately convey your message to the higher-ups and revise the compensation terms accordingly."
The Glory diplomat wiped away his cold sweat and hurriedly took his leave and logged off.
He knew Black Star was trying to raise the price, but there was nothing he could do. Even though he saw through it, he could only obediently comply, feeling helpless and frustrated.
After dismissing his two bratty younger brothers, Han Xiao leaned back and chuckled.
In the past, doing this would have been very risky, but after this battle, I have demonstrated enough strength and power to make Glory and Arcane feel at ease to sit down and negotiate, instead of continuing to have ulterior motives.
With several prisoners in hand, they have the space to make exorbitant demands. Even if it's clearly intended to pit the Glory and the Arcane against each other, they'll have no choice but to accept it.
This feeling of being in control is really great... Han Xiao chuckled to himself.
As he was pondering this, his communicator rang again. Han Xiao glanced at it and saw it was a call from Sylvia.
"Commander, the interstellar director I told you about a few days ago has arrived at the Black Star Palace."
"They arrived so quickly?"
"They were already on a Shattered World, and I've already sent someone to greet them. Shall we take them directly to the reception room later?"
"Okay, I'll go see him." Han Xiao stood up.
A civilian spaceship docked at the pier outside the Black Star Palace, and a group of people disembarked.
The leader was an old man with a big beard, a round head that gave him a prosperous appearance, and a head of unruly long hair that had an artistic flair, like a hard-boiled egg with hair growing on it.
This man is Benny Travol, the interstellar director from the Crimson Dynasty.
Upon disembarking from the spaceship, everyone looked around nervously, whispering amongst themselves.
"This is the Black Star Army's base. Are all these people around mercenaries?"
"They're all watching us, keep your voice down..."
Hearing the chatter of his assistants behind him, Benny Travolt frowned and whispered sharply, "This isn't some random place. Don't talk nonsense, or you'll regret it if Charge someone from Black Star."
Upon hearing this, everyone quickly fell silent, appearing extremely cautious.
They had followed Benny Travolta for a long time and were veterans in the entertainment industry. Countless people fawned over them. Although they weren't exactly arrogant, they were still quite haughty and capricious. When dealing with younger people in the entertainment industry, they acted even more superior and indifferent.
However, these people dared not put on airs here. The Black Star Army was a top-level super warlord, a completely different level of figures. Now that they had arrived at the heart of an armed warlord, everyone naturally felt afraid.
They were well aware that their influence was nothing compared to that of powerful figures who wielded real power and armed forces. Everyone abandoned their usual airs and behaved with utmost humility.
Before long, a legion clerk approached, smiling, and said, "Hello, Director Benny Travolta, please follow me. The legion commander is already waiting for you."
"Alright, thank you for leading the way." Benny Travolta smiled.
Seeing this, the assistants around him were secretly surprised. They knew their boss too well; he was always arrogant and rarely showed such a warm and ingratiating smile.
The group arrived at the reception room and entered. Upon entering, they saw Han Xiao sitting in the main seat. They hurriedly bowed and greeted him.
Benny Travol rushed forward, extending his hand to Han Xiao in a few quick steps, and said warmly:
"Hello, Lord Black Star, thank you for agreeing to meet with me."
"No need for such formalities, please have a seat."
Han Xiao shook hands with him and then invited everyone to take a seat.
The group sat down one after another, straightening their backs and pressing their bottoms against the edge of the chairs, not daring to sit properly, behaving extremely reservedly.
Meanwhile, everyone stared at Han Xiao with awe and deference, revealing stiff and ingratiating smiles. Many of them were people of status, and at this moment they could only stand aside and smile obsequiously.
Han Xiao shook his head. Status is an aura; even if you do nothing, others can't help but feel nervous.
He turned to Benny Travolta and asked with a smile, "Director Benny, I heard you want to make a documentary about me?"
"That's right, I've read your file. From humble beginnings to Galaxy rise, you are a true living legend. Those stories have inspired my creative passion. It would be my honor to make a biographical film adapted from the life of such a great figure as you..."
Benny Travolt skipped the formalities and went straight to praising his work, explaining his creative motivations.
When he got excited, he even stood up, gesturing wildly with his hands, his face flushed with excitement.
Han Xiao observed for a while and realized that this famous director wasn't there to flatter him; it seemed that he was genuinely inspired and wanted to adapt his story, probably due to the accumulated popularity of the Legend Points.
It's not surprising. To outsiders, their stories are indeed legendary, so it's normal for directors to take notice of them. Many films are based on true stories, and it's common for directors to seek permission from the real-life figures behind them.
After being licked for a while, Han Xiao felt quite comfortable. He waved his hand, interrupting the famous director's spittle-flecked speech, and said:
"So, you've come here just to get my authorization to film about me?"
"That's not all." Benny Travolta suddenly became nervous. "I have another request. I hope you can make a cameo appearance in the film..."
It took courage to say those words, because he knew very well that Black Star's status was far too high. When a warlord reaches a certain level, he becomes a political figure. This was like asking the head of state of an empire to make a cameo appearance in a movie—in short, it was a sign of complete ignorance.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, tapping his finger slowly on the table, without immediately replying.
As his expression changed, the atmosphere instantly plummeted to freezing point. Everyone's hearts raced, and no one dared to breathe. The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Han Xiao was about to speak when a task prompt suddenly popped up on the panel:
[[The Director's Invitation]]
[Mission Brief: A world-renowned director has taken a liking to you and wants to invite you to participate in the filming of a movie.]
[Task requirement: Appear in this film]
[Reward: 1.8 million experience points, random increase in reputation across star regions]
[Special Reward: [Celebrity Effect] - Specialty]
[Celebrity Effect]: Others are more likely to like you and forgive you.
Upon seeing this, Han Xiao's lips twitched.
What, are you trying to force me to debut as a celebrity?