"Dark Emperor Clottey has temporarily stepped down from his position as captain of the Imperial Head of Guard, Quantum Magic Spirit Judith will temporarily assume his duties..."
Han Xiao roused himself and scanned the intelligence report on the internal personnel changes, a thoughtful expression creeping onto his face.
Three Universal Civilizations has Peak Beyond Grade A member serving as the personal guard of its leader. The Crimson Dynasty has [Dark Emperor] Clottey, the Federation of Light has [Golden Ring] Oulu, and the Arcane Church has [God's Chosen] Urnos. All of them are direct descendants of Beyond Grade A members.
Within the Imperial Beyond Grade A circle, the Dark Emperor holds a transcendent position and is also notoriously unsociable. Through years of contact and his memories from his previous life, Han Xiao has come to understand Clottey's personality quite well.
This guy is extremely loyal to the Empire and will not resign from his position as captain of the personal guard unless there is a special reason.
Furthermore, this plot did not occur during the same period in her previous life, so the possibility of it being a private matter can be basically ruled out. It must be that Clottey accepted some special mission.
"I'm afraid it's another butterfly effect caused by me, perhaps related to the Evolution Totem or the Hila Rescue Battle..." Han Xiao thought to himself.
To be honest, he was a little worried about it.
Based on what I learned in my previous life, some direct descendants of advanced civilizations who Beyond Grade A are extremely loyal and dutiful, placing their civilization above their own Beyond Grade A status. The Dark Emperor is one of them. These people are not the targets of the Beyond Grade A united front; they may even be adversaries.
Allowing this monster to roam freely in the outside world could lead to unforeseen circumstances and potentially hinder the Shattered World Beyond Grade A Development Federation's plans.
But thinking about it now is useless. Because of my existence, the fates of many characters have changed, so we can only adapt to the situation... Han Xiao said helplessly.
As for Judith, the "Quantum Magic Spirit" who replaced Clottey, he is a direct descendant of the Empire's Beyond Grade A virtual mechanic, who has been guarding and maintaining the Empire's main AI "Heroic Souls" for many years, and his strength is also quite good.
"Speaking of which, the Imperial's direct line of Beyond Grade A soldiers doesn't have much contact with our allies." Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
Within the Imperial Beyond Grade A circle, the group of allies are the most fond of posting in chat groups, while the Imperial's direct subordinates seem to prefer staying hidden.
Unlike their allies, the Empire's direct line of powerful figures all hold official positions. Some guard outposts in Secondary Dimension, some serve as instructors for the entire Imperial army, and some command special fleets to defend the borders. They are not as free as their allies. Only semi-direct line members like Kohler have a more relaxed life...
Of course, it's also possible that the Empire thought he was too incompetent.
As he was pondering this, virtual particles appeared out of thin air before his eyes, coalescing into the image of Phillip.
"Master, Jotina and her entourage have arrived. It's time for their inspection." Phillip blinked his big eyes; this was a schedule reminder set by Han Xiao.
"Oh, have we arrived? Take them to the main hall of the inner ring base, and while you're at it, gather Hila and the other Calamity Grade officers to meet the new recruits."
Han Xiao stood up, put on the legion commander's cloak, and walked out of the room.
Following the receptionist, Jotina and her group arrived at the inner ring base lobby. Many legion officers also arrived one after another, curiously observing their future colleagues. Without the legion commander's approval, no one went up to strike up a conversation.
This group included not only the seven Calamity Grade soldiers who had initially switched sides with Jotina, but also a second group including Snake, bringing the total to eleven. They waited in the center of the hall, also sizing up the Legion's officers.
After a while, Han Xiao and Hila finally arrived, staring at each other blankly.
"Greetings Black Star Army Commander, and Vice Commander Hila Legion."
Jotina and her entourage immediately bowed.
Han Xiao chuckled, "Everyone's here! Welcome to the Black Star Army; you've all abandoned the darkness for the light. From now on, we're all on the same side."
"Yes, welcome." In front of others, Hila was serious and concise.
Eleven Calamity Grade constitute a formidable power, capable of dominating a region in the universe. Now that they have all joined, the Legion's advanced combat strength has increased significantly, and it also includes elites like Jotina and Snake.
Han Xiao personally inspects every high-level combatant who joins the team, and this is also why these original Beast Ancestor cadres came to the Black Star Palace.
"I haven't assigned you any positions yet. If you have any requests, please let me know, and I will consider them accordingly," Han Xiao said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, everyone said they didn't care, as long as they could serve the legion. Only Jotina raised a different opinion.
"Lord Black Star, if possible, I would like to become your personal guard."
"Oh?" Han Xiao glanced at her curiously. "What are your thoughts?"
Jotina raised her head, staring intently at Han Xiao, her eyes burning with desire, making no attempt to hide her thoughts. "The body doesn't lie, I have strong feelings for you, so I hope to be by your side often, and if possible, I hope something will happen between us."
The words had barely left his mouth.
The air fell into a deathly silence!
"Hmm?" Hila's eyes narrowed suddenly. She had been somewhat nonchalant, but now she was carefully examining Jotina from head to toe.
The officers around them thought they had misheard and looked on incredulously. They hadn't expected this woman to be so fierce and speak so bluntly.
Even Snake's brothers and sisters were shocked, staring in disbelief at their eldest sister who remained completely calm.
Holy crap, we just joined the legion and you're already publicly hinting at mating with a Beyond Grade A?
That's incredibly audacious!
Even if you have feelings for Black Star, you should take it step by step.
That was so direct... typical of you!
Han Xiao was stunned for a moment, then, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, waved his hand and said:
"Alright, alright, I'm not interested in this kind of thing. I'll try to consider your requirements for the position. Let's get serious. I need to get a preliminary understanding of your abilities. You'll all come up to me one by one and take a punch from me, so I can judge your capabilities."
He gently brushed the topic aside, and Jotina didn't press the matter.
The conversation returned to normal, but an awkward atmosphere lingered.
People kept glancing back and forth between Han Xiao and Jotina with strange looks. Some even carefully moved away from Hela, whose Hila were fixed on Jotina, for fear of getting splattered with blood.
A line of Calamity Grade beings walked up to Han Xiao. Nanoparticles surged from behind Han Xiao, fusing into a silver-black humanoid mechanical body that floated beside Han Xiao, looking just like a Stand user.
This humanoid mechanical entity delivered a powerful Iron Fist to each of the Primal Beast Ancestor cadres who stepped forward, inflicting damage.
Each Calamity Grade attribute was displayed in the battle information. Han Xiao quickly scanned everyone's abilities and soon had a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses.
Among this group, the most powerful is naturally the Beyond Grade A Seed "Claw Princess" Jotina. She is a hero among the martial arts masters of the Calamity Grade, proficient in the Beast Ancestor Style style of martial arts, skilled in claw techniques, with strength and agility balanced, making her fast and strong. She tends to use an aggressive, burst-damage style of fighting, with high output and a relatively high physique. She is an all-around warrior, and her combat power ranks among the top of the Calamity Grade officers in the legion, either third or fourth. She is a fierce general.
"The Great Python" Snake belongs to the elite Calamity Grade. Among this group, there are two others whose combat power is almost the same as his, and they are both quite strong and capable of standing alone.
Of the eleven people, nine are martial artists, and the remaining two are people with superpowers.
The Beast Ancestor's forces are mostly composed of muscle-bound brutes with poor judgment; almost no one likes to study, and you rarely see Mage Class or Mechanic Class.
Han Xiao planned to have all of these people serve as combatants, with a small portion assigned to the Guard Squad and the majority placed under Melos's command as high-ranking guards for different fleets.
After offering some encouragement, Han Xiao left with Hila, leaving the legion officers to bond with their new colleagues.
The two left the hall and strolled down the corridor. The legion members they encountered all nodded and saluted. Hila kept her eyes straight ahead, while Han Xiao returned their greetings with a smile.
"You seem to be quite popular."
After walking for a while, Hila suddenly spoke.
"You mean Jotina?" Han Xiao chuckled. "Well, I'm at the peak of my personal power, so it's normal for someone to idolize me. Don't you admire me too?"
"Nonsense, when did I ever admire you?"
Hila scoffed and looked away.
"Haha, when you were being besieged, you admitted yourself that you'd admired and been grateful to me for decades. Denying it won't work; I even have a video recording."
"Damn it, do you want to fight?!" Hila retorted angrily.
"Hehehe~"
Hila's forehead veins bulged, and she took several deep breaths to calm herself down.
Distracted by Han Xiao, she was no longer upset and frowned as she asked, "What are your plans for Jotina? You're not really going to make her a guard officer, are you?"
"She's so strong, why wouldn't she? Are you afraid of a Calamity Grade being doing anything to me? I'm Beyond Grade A." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"Hmph." Hila turned her head away.
Although she disliked the free-spirited Jotina, Hila wouldn't use her position to trip her up. She wasn't the type to resort to such petty tricks and wouldn't interfere with Han Xiao's decisions.
Seeing that Hila didn't speak again, Han Xiao thought for a moment and suddenly said:
"Speaking of which, the legion is expanding very quickly these days, with new members arriving every few days. This has led to a lack of familiarity among legion members, and they also don't know the higher-ups well, creating a sense of distance. This is not conducive to unity within the legion. I think we should hold large-scale events to promote mutual understanding."
Hila turned her head and looked at her. "What do you want to do?"
"I'm thinking about whether to hold some internal legion competitions, like a grand military parade or a major tournament..."
As he spoke, Han Xiao's eyes gradually brightened.
Currently, the Black Star Army is large in size and has a wealth of talent. It has ample resources to hold large-scale internal events, allowing legion members to participate in such events outside of their work hours. This helps increase their sense of belonging to the faction and promotes faction culture.
Han Xiao's idea is to create a league. While the professional league is an internal competition among players, he plans to organize a large-scale competition in the name of the legion, involving not only players but also all legion members.
The competition was a key part of it. He thought that the competition could be divided into different groups according to rank, from the Grade C group, the Grade B group, all the way up to the Calamity Grade group, to select the elites of each rank, and to publicize and praise them throughout the legion. At the same time, it would also allow members of lower ranks to see the high-ranking officers demonstrate their combat power.
Besides martial arts competitions, various other competitive events can be set up, such as driving, commanding, etc., or sports events exclusive to individuals with different superpowers can be set up. Even recreational activities like the Veyne Cards game can be set up as a separate leisure event...
In Han Xiao's vision, this event could be organized like the Legion Olympics, held every few years as a celebration for the faction, and also to showcase its strength to the outside world—a win-win situation.
If it were to be successfully implemented, its scale would be many times larger than a professional league for players; it would be a celebration for the entire legion, not just for the players.
Just thinking about it made Han Xiao a little excited.
"Holding such an event seems to cost a lot of money..." Hila hesitated.
"Hey, what kind of talk is that? Do you think we're people who're short of money?"
Soon he will be selling the Evolution Totem and becoming a shareholder of the Infinite Financial Group. Currently, Master Han is quite wealthy, having completely entered the father-level realm where being penniless is better than being rich.
If he can spend money to improve team cohesion and faction appeal, that would be a very profitable deal for him.
Han Xiao thought about it more and more and felt that it was a good opportunity. After he returned from the Secondary Dimension and resolved the matter of the Beyond Grade A Association, he would have plenty of time to hold such a celebration.
Now, we can propose a preliminary design for Sylvia to refine.
Anyway, there are dedicated people to handle miscellaneous tasks, so being busy isn't a burden. Exploiting his own chief affairs officer has become a habit for Han Xiao.
There was nothing he could do; Sylvia was both beautiful and easy to use, and he had already gotten used to using her.
Sylvia was very efficient; she finalized the draft of the Shattered World Beyond Grade A Development Federation within a day.
Han Xiao revised the document and then sent it to Manison to discuss the matter together. Although the two had a conflict of interest, they needed to cooperate on this issue.
"The Development Federation... this format isn't bad. Although it's an excuse, it's still reasonable enough to pass the test of the Three Universal Civilizations."
In the encrypted channel, Manison reviewed the draft while offering his opinions.
"Well, this is just a facade. On the surface, the cooperation is limited to the Shattered World. In reality, as long as this association is established, conflicts between Beyond Grade A forces in other star systems can be resolved on this platform. At the same time, it will form a network of interests spanning the entire universe, connecting the Beyond Grade A forces in various star systems and providing a platform for each member to communicate and cooperate with each other. This will achieve the goal of uniting forces," Han Xiao said.
Manison pondered, "Hmm, this is similar to an enhanced version of the Ancient Ones, but to achieve this, most Beyond Grade A need to voluntarily accept this cooperative approach, making their own forces a link in a network of interests. However, without benefits, most people are unwilling to cooperate, and there's also the obstacle of their respective factions..."
Han Xiao interjected:
"Therefore, we must declare that this association is a neutral exchange, merely a loose organization similar to the Ancient Ones, to minimize the conflict arising from affiliation. As for the benefits, larger Beyond Grade A forces need to set an example, that is, to become the leaders of the network of interests and proactively offer their share of cooperation. Only then will some Beyond Grade A forces be willing to join."
Who has been identified as the lead person?
"It's just you and me." Han Xiao shook his head and said, "Our power is considered a behemoth among the Beyond Grade A- Peak Beyond Grade A individuals, otherwise we won't be able to keep others in check."
"I understand what you mean." Manison agreed. "We need powerful forces with sufficient influence in various fields. I can try to lobby all the Ancient Ones, and it would be best to bring those protectors of the Interstellar Black Market over to take the lead as well. At the same time, we can't forget the top figures among the neutral Beyond Grade A. Oh, and Sorokin, who controls the Infinite Financial Group, his money is also very important."
In the Beyond Grade A circle, Sorokin is a recognized big spender with one of the largest assets. Although most people don't care about his combat strength, no one underestimates his financial power.
At that moment, Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
"I have a question: with so many people taking the lead... who will be the president?"
Upon hearing this, Manison narrowed his eyes.
Since we're going to form an association, we can't avoid this issue. The president of the Beyond Grade A Association is of great significance; it's equivalent to the position of the leader of a martial arts alliance, essentially being recognized as the chief by Beyond Grade A members.
Therefore, whether it is strength or influence, one must be able to win the respect of the masses. Peak Beyond Grade A is a prerequisite, and Manison will undoubtedly be a popular candidate. However, Han Xiao is now qualified to compete for the position of president.
The position of chairman is risky; it makes one a primary target of concern for advanced civilizations, drawing their attention and attacks. However, the potential benefits are equally enormous.
Manison was eyeing this position, naturally for his own benefit, and Han Xiao, as the main person in charge, had no reason to voluntarily relinquish the position.
After a moment of silence, Manison slowly spoke, avoiding the sensitive topic:
"It's just the two of us now, not everyone's here, it's too early to discuss this. Let's try to persuade the people we just mentioned first."
"Good."
Han Xiao nodded slightly, hung up the call, and then slowly exhaled, his brows furrowing slightly.
Because this is Beyond Grade A association, everyone here is a powerful figure, so it's impossible for one person to have absolute authority.
So, persuading other Beyond Grade A to join now is equivalent to gaining supporters for yourself. Only with enough support from Beyond Grade A can you rightfully become the president of the Shattered World Beyond Grade A Development Federation.
Simply put, this is a matter of "face" and "reputation"; strength alone is not enough.
"I have a wide network of connections, but compared to Manison..."
Han Xiao couldn't help but shake his head.
He was confident in his connections, but Manison had lived too long and naturally had far deeper friendships than him, making it difficult for him to compete.
If one wants this position, the only way is to focus on benefits, such as showing others who will benefit more from being the president.
"There are many difficulties ahead; it will probably be another open and covert struggle..." Han Xiao thought to himself.