Sky Ring, Blades, and Purple Gold wanted money, while Han Xiao requested two Advanced Knowledge in Compression Technology as compensation. After the employers transferred the payment to the three legions, they came to Han Xiao to express their sincere gratitude.
The employer initially favored the three more prestigious legions, and the main reason for hiring Black Star was that other mercenary groups backed out; those cowards were unwilling to go to Dragon Calm, leaving them with no one to use. Unexpectedly, it was the inconspicuous little mercenary group that joined at the last minute that played a crucial role.
"Without you, my companions could not have returned safely."
As they spoke, the employer and all the rescued Silver Spirit People set aside their superiority as Cosmic Nobility and bowed solemnly to Han Xiao, expressing their gratitude in Silver Spirit culture.
Goya and the others received the same treatment and felt somewhat ashamed, knowing that they were only able to do so because of Han Xiao. They had been imprisoned the entire time, and it was Han Xiao who turned the tide and helped them complete the mission.
"It's a pity that your two companions died unexpectedly," Han Xiao said.
"Sigh, they were unlucky, it's not your fault. The Shattered Star Ring is too dangerous. We're leaving soon, and I'd like to hire you as guards to protect us on our way home."
The three legions politely declined, unwilling to travel such a long distance. The Sea of Star Spirits and the Shattered Star Ring are separated by two star systems, and even with inter-star system teleportation portals, the round trip would take too long.
"And what about you?" the employer asked Han Xiao.
Han Xiao shook his head, "Sorry, it's too far, it's not within my scope of business."
Although the resources in the Sea of Star Spirits are richer than those in the Shattered Star Ring, flying there would waste a lot of time, and by then it would be too late. Since he was going to make money and do quests anyway, he preferred to gather resources locally. The Shattered Star Ring was remote and dangerous, but it offered more opportunities.
"That's a real shame. If there's a chance in the future, I'd love to invite you to visit the Silver Spirit Constellation..."
The employer shook his head and settled the payment.
The panel indicated that the mission was completed, and Han Xiao gained over four million experience points, plus an additional 5,000 Enas. Including the extortion proceeds, Han Xiao personally earned over 40,000 Enas from this operation.
The other players didn't receive as many rewards as the guild leader, but they still received a fair amount, and they all wore satisfied smiles.
The communicator vibrated, receiving two pieces of information. This was a special reward Han Xiao received. He checked them, confirmed they were correct, and immediately chose to study them.
[Learning in progress... Learning successful! You have mastered [High-Density Matter Compression Technology]!]
[Learning in progress... Learning successful! You have mastered [Basic Spatial Technology]!]
[You have mastered the skill [Hypercompression Technology]!]
[You have learned the skill [Basic Mechanical Generation]!]
[You have mastered the skill [Weight Reduction Structure]!]
The familiar throbbing headache subsided after a while. Han Xiao, having mastered two pieces of knowledge, didn't hesitate and immediately spent 20 potential points to upgrade each to the highest level.
Mechanics acquire different knowledge based on their combat style, but only these three skills are essential for all mechanics and must be mastered to the highest level.
The three concepts of Compression Technology are implicitly linked; only by possessing all three can one master the skills of Compression Technology. This is the hallmark of the Mechanic's powerful rise in version 3.0.
[Hypercompression Technology] Folding Mechanics: As the ability increases, it can fold increasingly larger machines into the size of a finger. The effect is affected by the Mechanical Affinity, level, and intelligence attribute. At Han Xiao's current level, the limit is to fold medium-sized machines. For example, he can fold most of the machines he knows, such as firearms, Ranger, and Flying Serpent.
After compression, the mechanical volume decreases while the density increases. The mass of the object remains constant (m. hetushu•com•com), so there is still a load. The [Weight Reduction Structure] solves this problem by utilizing the principle of levitation. There are various levitation technologies, such as airflow, magnetic fields, sound, light energy, particle energy, etc. This technology adjusts the mutual forces of the particle structure of the object to generate internal repulsive forces, forming independent levitation. It maintains a very small weight in various gravitational environments, thereby reducing the load. It is suitable for materials with various properties and is the basic technology for completing large-scale compression.
To achieve this compression, the mechanics require additional folding structures, increasing their complexity several times over. For convenience, many mechanics are disassembled during folding, and [Basic Mechanical Generation] is used to instantly reassemble the structure upon unfolding, restoring the original form. This is also an active skill that consumes Mechanical Force, allowing for the rapid creation of weapons in combat. As long as the parts are available, the mechanic will never run out of ammunition.
In the past, when players engaged in PvP, the moment a Mechanic Class weapon or robot was destroyed, the remaining usable parts would be used to create other weapons, greatly increasing the Mechanic Class's sustained combat ability and how annoying they were to fight.
Without this ability to act as a kind of "waste recycling," the speed at which legion-based strategies burn through money would be several times faster than before.
In Han Xiao's view, only after acquiring these three abilities can his Mechanic Class profession be considered to have taken initial shape.
"With super compression and Basic Mechanical Generation, my combat style has been revolutionized and upgraded. All my equipment will be modified into compressed form. In my normal state, I can equip dozens of times more weapons than I do now. I no longer need to wear a mech to fire cannons and hack and slash people. Finally, I can use sheer numbers and the 'book' tactic to bully others."
Thinking back to his previous procrastination and how he had to do everything himself, Han Xiao couldn't help but sigh.
It wasn't easy, but the hard times are finally over!
At this moment, the senior executives of Blades & Soul and Purple Gold walked over.
"Black Star, we wish to sign a cooperation agreement with you and invite you to become our ally."
These two high-ranking officials hold positions equivalent to regional leaders in their respective legions, and their personal invitation demonstrates their sincerity.
The structures of large legions are not much different. Taking the Sky Ring Alliance as an example, the legion commander is the leader, the only fifth-ring level, and below him are two deputy legion commanders, Grade A strength, ace combat power, the left and right arms. Fourth-ring members are divided into two types: one type has a strength of B+ and is positioned as a senior combatant, and the second type is positioned as a high-level manager, responsible for a business area - one of them is the high-level executives of Sky Ring present, the person in charge of several nearby star systems.
Next are third-ring cadres like Goya, positioned as powerful combatants and the backbone of the legion. They generally lead large teams, but can also act alone, and have the authority to initiate temporary team mobilizations.
To put Han Xiao simply, this organizational structure is similar to a gang in a martial arts novel. At the top is the gang leader, followed by the deputy gang leader, the person in charge is the elder, and people like Goya are equivalent to protectors. Below them are hall masters, incense masters, and henchmen.
Han Xiao was the first to form an alliance with Sky Ring, and now Blades and Purple Gold have also witnessed Black Star's potential and have taken the initiative to extend olive branches. Large legions like this will only take the initiative to form alliances when they encounter peers they value enough.
Having another large legion as a partner means more mission opportunities, so Han Xiao agreed and signed the contract.
Blades and the Purple Gold Mercenary immediately looked at him with much more warmth; their collaborator was practically one of their own.
Sky Ring, Blades, and Purple Gold are the most famous legions in their respective star clusters. Becoming a partner with them is an extremely rare privilege. Many ordinary mercenary groups have little chance of getting a partnership with just one, but Han Xiao has managed to get all three.
After settling the payment, the Silver Spirit People boarded the spaceship and slowly took off.
The mercenaries were also preparing to leave. Goya found Han Xiao and the others and asked, "Where are you going?"
Han Xiao thought for a moment and said, "The first sector of the Colton Star Cluster, the Goddora colony planet ' Golden Palace '."
The players behind were somewhat surprised to hear this.
"Black Phantom, aren't we going back to Juberly Hub?" a player asked.
"Let's not go back yet, we have other things to do... Also, call me Black Star." Many players are so used to calling him by his old nickname that it's hard to change. Han Xiao patiently corrects them; even a person who's reached the heavens should have a nickname that keeps up with the times.
"What are you going to the Golden Palace for?" Melos asked curiously.
"I need to find someone."
Han Xiao didn't say anything, and the others didn't feel comfortable asking either; they just had to follow the leader.
He didn't plan to return to the Juberly Hub for the time being. The Whispering Bead was a hot potato, and he wanted to get it appraised first. He happened to know a top-notch Goddora mage who lived in seclusion on the Golden Palace. He was skilled at analyzing magic circles and charged clients to appraise unknown magical items. In the eyes of players, he was equivalent to a functional NPC who specialized in appraisal.
"Then we'll take you there first."
Goya said that if it were anyone else, Sky Ring would at most send them to a public planet and let them call a tour group themselves. They would never send them directly to their destination like they did with Han Xiao.
Boarding the Sky Ring spaceship, I felt the hull vibrate as it slowly ascended, the earth shrinking in my field of vision.
Han Xiao came to the bow of the ship and looked out the window. The two spaceships, Purple Gold and Blades, were on the left and right sides, taking off together.
They quickly climbed to an altitude of several thousand meters, beyond which lay the gradually darkening outer space, as they were about to leave the planet's atmosphere.
The Silver Spirit People' spaceship had taken off earlier and was already in space, far away, so they could only barely see it.
Just then, a thick laser beam suddenly pierced through the Silver Spirit People spaceship, and the next moment, the Silver Spirit People spaceship exploded into a firework in space.
The explosion was witnessed by everyone, yet no sound came through the vacuum. The Silver Spirit People, who had just invited them to visit their hometown, were all blown to ashes, dying silently.
The universe is silent, and death seems insignificant.
Outside, all was deathly silent, but inside the spaceship, chaos erupted!
"What's going on? Who's attacking the Silver Spirit People?!"
The Sky Ring mercenaries gasped in shock.
At this moment, spatial ripples appeared in the universe, and the huge, dark DarkStar mothership broke out of its Stealth state. Small warships detached from the mothership, like a dense swarm of black locusts, and sped towards it, their target being the mercenaries' three ships.
All the thugs who might have seen the Whispering Bead have been captured. DarkStar hasn't found the bead, leaving only the mercenaries as the most likely target. However, it's unknown who picked it up, so DarkStar decides to wipe out the mercenaries in one fell swoop.
After the Ashes' failure, DarkStar went to great lengths, sending Sarota's fleet to the planet where the Silver Spirit People' employers were located to capture all the mercenaries.
The contents of the Whispering Bead were purchased by DarkStar for tens of millions of Enas; they were key tools for implementing his strategic plan against Goddora, and he would not let them go so easily.
"It's DarkStar?!"
Upon recognizing the renowned DarkStar mothership, everyone was immediately stunned.
We've kept to ourselves with DarkStar DarkStar, so why did they attack us? And why such a large-scale attack, sending an entire fleet to deal with just three ships? What grudge do they hold against us?!
"Don't stand there, turn around!"
Han Xiao shouted, startling the pilot who was standing there in a daze. He hurriedly steered the spaceship into a dive and flew towards the ground. The other two spaceships followed suit.
Buzzing...
The sharp turn caused the spaceship to shake violently, and many people lost their balance and nearly fell.
An entire DarkStar mothership fleet surrounded the planet. The disparity in the number of ships and their combat power was too great. It was impossible for the mercenaries to break through. Once they entered space, there would be no obstacles, and they would be directly bombarded and destroyed. They could not break through the fleet's encirclement. They would be stopped before they could enter the warp drive, which meant they had no way to escape and no chance to fight.
The only way to survive is to call for help and delay the inevitable within the atmosphere. A slim chance of survival is better than certain death.
Han Xiao frowned. DarkStar's persistence and decisiveness were beyond his expectations. She was willing to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut rather than let go of any suspicion. She was relentless, which really confirmed his previous thoughts.
--The greater the value of the Whispering Bead, the greater the risk.
"Hey, what a coincidence, the Whispering Bead really is in my hands, they probably don't even know it themselves," Han Xiao thought to himself.
This could hardly be called a battle; it was more like a hunter chasing its prey. The mercenaries' small spaceships were utterly powerless against the DarkStar fleet. The disparity in strength was like a pack of wolves Pursuit three rabbits. The only good news was that DarkStar didn't open fire immediately, as if they wanted to capture them alive, which relieved everyone and gave them some room to maneuver.
"This is the most dangerous and desperate situation I've ever encountered!"
Han Xiao felt his heart pounding, but instead of panicking, a tingling sensation spread throughout his body.
"The chances of escaping unscathed are less than ten percent; that's what makes it interesting..."
He licked his lips, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
Those who have teetered on the Edge of Death either become cowardly or fearless. He happened to be the latter, having experienced countless dangers and even died once, so he no longer cared much.
Take life and death lightly, and fight if you disagree!