Jupiter, who had thought he was going to suffer a terrible fate, was stunned for a moment. Suddenly, he felt a surge of emotion. He was relieved to have escaped a disaster, but also moved by Han Xiao's attitude. Memories from version 1.0 to the present were awakened, and a wave of nostalgia and emotion welled up in his heart.
As a salaried professional guild leader, he was focused on how to run the guild. Although he had developed some affection for the Black Star Army over the years, he didn't identify with any faction like some ordinary players. The interests of the guild were his primary concern.
But at this moment, he felt a warmth in his heart, sensing a sense of nostalgia in Han Xiao's words.
Despite being touched, Jupiter couldn't help but ask, "Is this really alright? After all, we've caused a bad impression..."
Han Xiao waved his hand. "I already know the whole story. If you were specifically attacking the colony, the legion would have dealt with you without hesitation. But your target is an enemy who keeps disrupting your black market missions. Without killing him, you can't continue your missions in that area. Since I ordered you to take over the black market, I've given you the freedom to act. Although you've gone too far and I'm not entirely satisfied... But since the Feni Civilization has chosen to protect us, they're hindering our integration of the black market. Whatever the consequences, they'll have to bear them. We can't let our own people be bullied."
"But what about public opinion..."
Han Xiao interrupted him, casually saying, "Although you were the trigger, the fundamental issue is still the conflict between the Three Universal Civilizations and us. Even without this incident, they would have found other things to use to attack us through public opinion. I won't turn around and punish the members who have worked hard for the legion just because of the opponent's tactics, so you don't need to bear the pressure from the outside world this time."
Jupiter coughed and whispered, "But you've also become the target of public criticism. Aren't you worried about your reputation...?"
Han Xiao shook his head and said, "So I hope you will reflect on this mistake. Eliminating the enemy is fine. If you encounter the enemy again and they continue to obstruct the legion's mission, fight and kill them as needed, but be careful about the impact and do it cleanly. Unless absolutely necessary, try not to affect the civilians. You can apply for the legion's assistance for any action. Don't act on your own like this time and cause too much of a commotion."
After speaking, Han Xiao glanced at the surprised expressions on everyone's faces and nodded secretly, believing that these guys had understood part of the implication.
From beginning to end, what he wanted was not to eliminate such incidents, but to allow players to continue doing so, albeit with some guidance to make them behave more cleanly, but this was something he couldn't say outright.
In his view, the deed was already done, and any explanation given to the outside world would be a losing proposition. It would be better to play along, ignore the public outcry from the Three Universal Civilizations, and let the Legion continue to act as it pleased, both to increase the threat of the Cancer of the Universe and to reverse the Legion's "positive image" in the outside world.
Before the association and the Three Universal Civilizations came to blows, the Three Universal Civilizations had been promoting him, enhancing his reputation, and having the interstellar people adorn him with various halos. This was both praising him and restricting him; it was a double-edged sword.
The legions' actions are restricted by their reputation; if they do something against the rules, they will suffer the consequences. This is the rein that the Three Universal Civilizations are trying to put on the legions.
Han Xiao knew that the situation was becoming increasingly complex, and continuing to adhere to the rules set by the other side would only restrict his actions. Therefore, although the players had messed up this time, it might not be a bad opportunity to adjust his strategy.
The wanted criminals like the Sorokin have committed far more heinous acts, but most of the public only felt fear and dared not utter a word, because they knew they were villains and could not be trifled with. Now, however, the outside world is indignant, denouncing and condemning the Black Star Army. One important reason for this is that in their hearts, the Black Star Army was once a "good guy," and a "good guy" can be threatened with guns.
The longer you act like a "good guy," the less fear outsiders will have... Now, many civilizations in the universe that respond to the call of the Three Universal Civilizations and vigorously prevent the association from integrating the black market have more or less this mentality, believing that they have the "protective charm" of the Interstellar Convention, so the Black Star Army dares not violate the rules and do anything to them.
The Feni Civilization of protecting Dafis with their colony planet clearly stemmed from this mentality; if they truly cared about the casualties of their own people, they wouldn't have dared to do so.
If other civilizations follow suit and escalate their practices, the association's work will only become increasingly hampered, making it impossible to even talk about integrating the black market.
If the Planet Birger incident can amplify the threat of the Cancer of the Universe," making the outside world realize that the Legion contains a group of armed and violent individuals unafraid to break the rules, then some civilizations and Calamity Grade forces will reconsider the consequences before opposing the Association again...
Play around, joke around, but don't make fun of the Cancer of the Universe!
If similar incidents happen a few more times, making them fearful and wary, many problems can be avoided, which will help accelerate the consolidation of the black market.
However, these things can only be understood implicitly and cannot be explained in words, so the Legion will not acknowledge any accusations from the outside world, insisting that they are slanders, and leaving the truth to outsiders to figure out for themselves.
As for the impact on public opinion... the Three Universal Civilizations possess the most powerful propaganda tools, and his reputation will be tarnished sooner or later. Han Xiao was already mentally prepared for this. Going against them would inevitably come at a price, and besides, this reputation is just an empty thing.
Armed groups are not civilized regimes after all, and they have different concerns. In the current environment, public opinion is just a trivial matter. No matter how much noise they make, when it comes to practical matters, the Three Universal Civilizations still won't dare to take action.
During the previous period of cooperation, positive reputation helped the Legion seek more partners and build networks of interests. Now, the Three Universal Civilizations have issued a ban, prohibiting any civilization, consortium, or association from cooperating. Each phase has its own path, and now the "good guy" facade is basically useless; instead, the "bad guy" mask is more effective.
That's why Han Xiao doesn't mind switching the legion's reputation mode. To him, it's just a different method. As long as it helps the target, he'll use whichever is more useful.
Once the World Tree War breaks out, all these negative effects will no longer be a problem, and no one will care about such trivial matters anymore.
Of course, even if he temporarily switched to the "villain" path, there are limits to what he can do. Therefore, he still needs to impose certain constraints on the players' behavior. So he personally stepped forward and, by criticizing Jupiter and others, conveyed a subtle message to all players: small-scale friendly fire during boss fights is acceptable, but intentional acts are not.
With the discretion in their own hands and today's preventative measures in place, if a player goes too far and they simply "follow the rules," most players will find it normal.
Since the guild insists that it was unaware of the situation and will not prevent other players from following suit, and given that the Gods Guild was the representative first kill, its influence in the eyes of players has been amplified. Since its actions are still within the bounds, there is no need for any form of punishment today. Firstly, it will not give the guild any grounds for criticism, and secondly, it will express its attitude. Similarly, there will naturally be no reward, and the cost of killing the BOSS will be borne by the guild itself.
This goes against the simple intuition that "mistakes should be punished," but in complex situations, Choice are often not about right or wrong, but about what is appropriate or inappropriate, and often counterintuitive.
Another reason for this is that Han Xiao is very clear about who the teammates he should strive for are right now—the players are the foundation for his rapid improvement, and the 360 advancement is extremely important, the faster the better, so there is no need to hesitate about what is more important.
If the enemy provokes you first, Han Xiao will neither stop nor punish you unless your retaliation goes too far. Otherwise, it would convey the idea that you can only take a beating and not fight back, which would be a blow to the faction's appeal and would only make players feel frustrated, making it inevitable for them to leave...
Back in version 4.0, the Black Star Army clashed with several smaller factions. The smaller factions chose to restrain and blame the players, while the Black Star Army, by protecting its own, poached players from the opposing factions. Han Xiao, who had been exploiting players for years, would naturally not make such a mistake.
After all, players cannot be simply controlled by management methods, and the trend of challenging the Calamity Grade cannot be stopped. Han Xiao understands the players' mentality very well - since they feel restricted in fighting the BOSS here, they can just leave this faction. In any case, it is impossible not to fight the BOSS, and not everyone has a deep-rooted sense of faction affiliation.
As players grow stronger, their need for factions will gradually decrease. Strength is the greatest source of confidence. With strength comes bargaining power, and they will receive good treatment wherever they go. Moreover, Han Xiao never doubts the players' interest in establishing their own factions.
Now, among the factors that attract players to stay in the legion, the proportion of profit has decreased, while the proportion of belonging and habit has increased. The long-term investment in the past is providing more and more returns.
That's why Han Xiao personally spoke with the Gods Guild, playing the emotional card and using them to promote his "comradeship" on the forum.
He has taken control of the spaceship's AI, and players can only record videos through the control panel. Therefore, this video will only circulate on the forum and will not be seen by groups outside of the player community, thus achieving precise "advertising" targeting.
"I understand. We will definitely report any similar operations to the Legion in the future," Jupiter replied, his spirits lifted.
"Yes, that's right." Han Xiao nodded. "Work hard and take control of the black market in this area as soon as possible."
After giving a few words of advice, Han Xiao ended the communication, and the projection in the cabin disappeared.
The members of the Gods Guild exchanged glances, all letting out a sigh of relief, smiles of relief appearing on their faces.
It feels so good to have someone protecting you!
"President, I recorded the conversation just now. Should I post it on the forum?" Poseidon asked.
"Release it!" Jupiter was overjoyed and waved his hand. "This is Black Star's own opinion. We have firsthand information, which is beneficial to everyone. Release it in the name of the guild."