[The Void Conqueror quest is complete!]
[Milestone successfully activated!]
As Han Xiao watched the last Void Lord being smashed into a pancake by the Mechanical Deity, he finally heard a pleasant notification sound pop up on the panel.
For the past ten days, he has been leading Ames to search for other Void Lord to cooperate with, and has been active in various peripheral areas of the Void Dimension.
Because not everyone intended to hire outsiders, the two were delayed for a while. However, overall, they completed the task efficiently. Once a cooperation agreement was reached, Han Xiao's strength would allow him to easily sweep away the opposing Void Lord forces.
"Finally done."
On the battlefield, Han Xiao's spirits lifted. He deactivated the Mechanical Deity and opened the panel to check the mission rewards.
The milestone bonus for [Void Conqueror] has taken effect, slightly enhancing various Void talents and providing 1600 free attribute points and 1 Divine Transformation point. It also grants +20 to Void creatures' natural affinity and adds a Legend Points [Void Celebrity], described as "Black Star" whose name is circulated among Void creatures.
He continued to save his free attribute points, currently accumulating nearly 4,000 points, giving him a solid foundation. As for the Divine Transformation points, Han Xiao continued his strategy of maxing out one path first, throwing them into his main career path, unlocking the fourth layer of effect for [Divine Transformation - Mechanical].
[Fourth Stage: Mechanical skill level of [Apostle Mechanic] and [Mechanic Emperor] stages +3, basic success rate of blueprint research +25%, basic success rate of Blueprint Improvement +15%, basic success rate of gold blueprint research +3%, chance of forming exclusive feat +1.5%, secondary branch ability enhancement +15%]
"Not bad." Han Xiao glanced at it.
The professional skills at the Apostle and Emperor stages are crucial, and strengthening them would be very useful. Based on this trend, Han Xiao estimates that the next stage will be to improve the skills at the Dominion and God Throne stages, which are even more important.
Overall, the bonuses at this level mainly focus on enhancing research and development. After all, Han Xiao is not a player who relies on loading bars. At his level, it is common for him to develop new blueprints based on his professional knowledge. The same goes for improving blueprints to enhance their basic quality. The blueprints he currently uses are all enhanced versions that he has improved himself, and they are all high-quality products.
What Han Xiao was more concerned about were the unique specializations. It seemed that old-timers like Manison and Sorokin all had their own unique specializations. Since players in his previous life didn't have this ability, Han Xiao had no clue how to acquire it, and the panel had never shown any similar prompts. He could only slowly figure it out.
The secondary branch enhancements improve Han Xiao's skills in weaponry and energy, basically encompassing all mechanical skills except for virtual technology.
Han Xiao was looking at the panel when the Void Lord, who was cooperating with him, finished devouring the opponent's core and moved closer to him.
"Black Star, a Void Archduke under Lord Kasuyi wishes to see you."
"They finally found us. I knew he wouldn't ignore my actions."
Han Xiao had anticipated this and was not surprised. He met with the other party as arranged by the Void Lord.
The Void Archduke's size seemed to reach the heavens and the earth, and its body color was even deeper than that of the Void Lord.
Upon seeing Han Xiao, he couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity, and for some reason, he found Han Xiao quite pleasing to the eye.
The Void Archduke had a good first impression of Han Xiao, but this wouldn't affect his attitude towards working for Kasuyi, and he asked directly:
"Black Star, we've noticed your recent frequent campaigns in the Void Dimension. Do you intend to subjugate the Void Lord and establish your own power here?"
"Don't worry, tell Kasuyi that I'm just signing some mercenaries and have no intention of building a power base. In fact, I've almost achieved my goal and will be leaving the Void Dimension in the next couple of days."
Han Xiao knew what the other party was worried about and stated that he was not there to compete with Kasuyi for territory.
"That's for the best. As long as you don't interfere too much in the affairs of the Void Dimension, we welcome you to visit us. Feel free to contact us if you have any needs."
The Void Archduke was relatively polite. As a subordinate of Kasuyi, he was not ignorant of the powerful beings in the main universe and knew that Black Star was someone not to be trifled with.
"Great, we might have a chance to do business together in the future," Han Xiao said casually.
Kasuyi's territory has a stable industrial chain that produces various void specialties, making it a good business opportunity. If you have any needs, you could cooperate with them.
At this moment, the Void Archduke took out a vial filled with a luminous blue solution, which emitted a soft glow on its own, and said, "This is a gift specially given to you by Lord Kasuyi. It is liquid Void Essence made from dimensional energy, which will help purify your Void Bloodline."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, accepted the potion without ceremony, and said with a smile, "Then please Kasuyi for me."
As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to him," this gesture was tantamount to offering a gift. Kasuyi's subtext was that Han Xiao shouldn't stay at his house any longer after accepting the gift. Han Xiao, who had no intention of digging up his vegetable garden anyway, naturally had no objection.
The negotiations went smoothly, Void Archduke left satisfied. Han Xiao also put away the vial of potion, estimating that it could increase the attribute completion during the next species ascension to some extent.
"Finally finished?" Ames chuckled softly.
Han Xiao had been busy with missions these past few days and hadn't been able to keep his promise about the trip. He felt a little guilty towards Ames. Now that he had finished his business, he felt relieved and waved his hand generously, saying:
"Come on, I'll show you around in the Secondary Dimension World."
While the two were traveling in the Secondary Dimension World, the situation in the main universe was also constantly changing.
Although the plans of the Shattered World Beyond Grade A Development Federation have not yet been made public, the unusual actions of several Peak Beyond Grade A forces have alerted many well-informed organizations to something amiss.
After the leaders were assembled, everyone gathered together for their first meeting.
In the round table conference room of a spaceship, the remote projections of many leaders were gathered here, sitting in their seats; they were basically all at the Peak Beyond Grade A.
The large round table had only one empty seat, which belonged to Han Xiao, who had not attended the meeting.
Manison clapped his hands, gesturing for everyone to look over, and slowly said:
"Black Star has gone to Secondary Dimension World and is not easily contacted. Only we are here for today's meeting."
"He is the main person in charge. The Development Federation needs the Black Star Army to act as a bridge. Is it appropriate not to invite him to such an important meeting?" the Secret Master questioned.
Everyone agreed.
Han Xiao now carries considerable weight in the Beyond Grade A circle. Although he wasn't there, no one would treat him like he was invisible. In addition, given the importance of the Black Star Army's influence in establishing the Beyond Grade A Association, many of the Peak Beyond Grade A present tacitly acknowledged his authority, and would consider his needs even if he wasn't there.
"Black Star himself said he wouldn't be attending." Manison waved his hand; he wasn't about to lie. He said, "He's already stated that everything will be based on the consensus reached at the Meeting of the Gods. Let us discuss it and come up with a result, then we'll notify him."
"Okay." Everyone nodded.
"Now, let's get down to business," Manison said slowly. "Since we're going to establish Development Federation, we must first establish rules, regulate the association's functions, clarify the nature of the organization, establish a development strategy, and formulate a code of conduct for members."
Kasuyi chimed in, "That's right. Our initial goal was to unite all Beyond Grade A forces, both present and future. However, the structure of the Ancient Ones is too loose, and the entry threshold is too high. This Development Federation cannot repeat the same mistakes; it must have clear rules and regulations."
A Peak Beyond Grade A member spoke up, "Black Star's proposal shows that the Development Federation's main function is to peacefully mediate disputes between Beyond Grade A. This idea is feasible, and it's best to start from this aspect. For example, members should not easily provoke armed conflicts other than sparring, thus maintaining the appearance of Beyond Grade A unity. Furthermore, members should not deliberately escalate conflicts, avoid peaceful negotiations, or compromise on the outcome of mediation. Punishments should be established to prevent anyone from going back on their word and damaging the organization's authority..."
Everyone started discussing it animatedly, and soon they had perfected various rules and regulations.
At this moment, Sorokin, the major financial backer, suddenly spoke up, "The rules are good, but the biggest problem is ensuring that Beyond Grade A are willing to abide by the organization's rules. Everyone knows that Beyond Grade A members are all unruly individuals who enjoy privileges and access to Tu Shu. Restraining them is not an easy task."
"That's right, that's the core issue," Manison interjected. "We not only need to get members to accept the rules, but also ensure that outsiders still choose to join the Development Federation after seeing these rules. The consensus Meeting of the Gods is one thing, but not everyone buys into it. To prevent others from ignoring us, we simply need to use both deterrence and incentives, showing other Beyond Grade A the consequences of breaking the rules while also showing them the benefits of joining the Development Federation."
Deterrence is simple; we veterans don't need to do anything—we are deterrents in themselves. Incentives, on the other hand, require a multi-pronged approach: building a network of interests among Beyond Grade A forces, integrating and sharing resources, providing economic, networking, and political support to other forces, and using our own resources to help newcomers establish Beyond Grade A power structures, as well as offering guidance and experience at the Peak Beyond Grade A power, etc.
We could even consider the Ultimate Knowledge of the five major systems as a benefit.
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback.
"Ultimate Knowledge? This is stealing the business that the Three Universal Civilizations rely on to recruit Beyond Grade A allies. They will definitely oppose it strongly; this is no joke."
Manison said slowly, "What was our original intention? Have we forgotten it so quickly? If we cannot break the Three Universal Civilizations ' strong monopoly on Ultimate Knowledge, then even if the Beyond Grade A Association is successfully established, it will only be a cripple, still controlled by the advanced civilizations, and forced to work for them."
Some nodded in agreement, but many more remained silent, feeling that the move was too ambitious and the risks were too high; opinions were divided.
"If you insist on this, then the Three Universal Civilizations and we will have a lot of wrangling going on," Kasuyi helplessly.
"So..." Manison surveyed the room, his true intentions revealed, "We need a leader, someone who can withstand pressure and never compromise, and only I can shoulder this responsibility."
Everyone glanced at him sideways.
Someone nearby chimed in, "Manison is strong, well-connected, powerful, and experienced; he's definitely the most suitable candidate."
Many of the people present were friends that Manison had brought in, and some had originally planned to support him.
At this moment, another Peak Beyond Grade A candidate couldn't help but speak up, "Who doesn't know what you're thinking? We're all in charge of the Development Federation, I think I'm more suitable than you."
Everyone here is Beyond Grade A, so it's impossible for one person to have absolute authority. Even if someone becomes the president, they will only have more say and won't be able to truly command their peers. Most important decisions still need to be made by the many elders together. However, due to the special organizational nature of the Beyond Grade A Association, this opportunity to establish everyone's ranking is very rare.
At this moment, Milizaus slowly said:
"Although Black Star isn't here, he's also considering running. The Black Star Army's power in the Shattered World is undeniable. If he becomes the chairman, our organization will truly live up to its name. Moreover, the Evolution Totem will soon be publicly sold, which will greatly increase Black Star's influence among the Three Universal Civilizations. He'll be suitable as a mediator between the two sides, significantly relieving the pressure on the association... I support Black Star as the leader."
Han Xiao's decision not to personally attend the meeting wasn't to shirk his responsibilities, but rather because he didn't want to directly confront other competitors, including Manison. Since he couldn't compete with them in terms of connections, he simply laid out the benefits he could bring and let them make their own Choice, thus avoiding Head-On Conflict with other Peak Beyond Grade A, especially since he didn't want to provoke Director McNison.
"Black Star is indeed very useful, but he's too inexperienced. I don't want a young guy riding on my head," Seraon sneered.
As people debated their differing opinions on the candidates, quite a few even voiced their support for Han Xiao, who was not present.
After a long while, someone spoke up:
"I think the management structure needs to be balanced. The president's position shouldn't be for life; it should be rotated every so often."
This statement was widely accepted by the crowd. They just didn't want to be the first to act now. Once the association stabilized, the advantages of being the president would naturally outweigh the disadvantages. From a balance perspective, no one wanted one person to be the president forever.
At this moment, Manison looked at Kasuyi, who had remained silent, narrowed his eyes, and said in a deep voice:
"You support me this time, and I'll fully support you as the leader next term. https://m. hedu. com"
Upon hearing this, Kasuyi felt a sudden chill for some reason.
Why do I suddenly feel like I'll need to activate my telekinetic shield at any time from now on...?