Sedim's claim that he was an underling of the Mechanic Emperor was unexpected information for Han Xiao. In his previous life, Sedim was not a well-known NPC in the eyes of players and had no storyline. He never expected him to be so secretive.
The Mechanic Emperor is a really powerful group. As a member of the Ancient Ones, they formed their own faction in the Super Calamity version.
Han Xiao was very sensitive to the name of Manison and did not want to have anything to do with him, precisely because of Aroshia.
She is a survivor of the AI Civilization conquered by Manison, Resta still hopes that she can stand up for them. Han Xiao holds a [Restart] mission in his hand.
However, he himself was unwilling to provoke this ancient and powerful being. The two sides had no prior dealings, and the Mechanic Emperor had no conflict of interest with him. Making such a powerful enemy for a simple mission would be a huge loss. He didn't actually want to do this mission, so he kept dragging his feet and delaying Resta. Resta also knew that this matter couldn't be accomplished without the help of Beyond Grade A, so he waited patiently and didn't urge him too much over the years.
Manison primarily operates in the Central Galaxy and the Ancient Star Desert, but his influence extends across multiple star systems, secretly recruiting talent. His nickname "Mechanic Emperor" refers not only to his mechanical troops but also to the sheer number of mechanics under his command that rivals that of a nation.
I never imagined that even the remote Shattered Star Ring had subordinates of the Mechanic Emperor; their influence is truly extensive...
' The Mechanic Emperor likes to recruit mechanics, Sedim, as his subordinate in the Shattered Star Ring, suddenly recruiting me is probably for this reason. No wonder this guy is so arrogant; he's got real power.'
A thought flashed through Han Xiao's mind.
However, although he was taken aback by Sedim's self-introduction, he quickly calmed down.
In any case, the Mechanic Emperor is currently unaware of his existence; there is no conflict between them, and neither side needs to be wary of the other.
Their advantage lies in the fact that they operate in the open while we operate in the shadows. Furthermore, the unexpected discovery that Sedim is actually a secret agent of the Mechanic Emperor is an even greater gain.
After feigning hesitation for a moment, Han Xiao shook his head and refused, "Of course I've heard of the Mechanic Emperor, but I still don't want to join."
Upon hearing this, Sedim's confident expression froze on his face, and he was stunned instead.
He thought that as long as he mentioned the name of the Mechanic Emperor, recruiting the man in front of him would be a piece of cake, but he didn't expect that "Barn" would refuse him.
"Don't you understand how valuable the resources controlled by the Mechanic Emperor are to a mechanic?"
Sedim's tone was strange, with a hint of annoyance that someone was giving you a great opportunity that you didn't know how to seize.
Manison has accumulated countless years of technology and blueprints. Not to mention cutting-edge knowledge, he probably has all the Ultimate Knowledge the top Mechanic Class. He also has various lost or secret blueprints from certain civilizations, and even the blueprints of spaceships and weapons from the three major cosmic civilizations. He can be called the library of Mechanic Class, attracting countless mechanics to join his ranks... Of course, all this knowledge and blueprints need to be exchanged for merit points.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"I understand what you mean, but not all mechanics are willing to serve under the Mechanic Emperor, right?"
He was indeed quite envious of the resources controlled by the Mechanic Emperor, but the knowledge, technology, and blueprints he had acquired weren't for nothing; he had to serve the Mechanic Emperor long-term to earn merit. Joining the Mechanic Emperor's camp was different from Sedim. He had the confidence to crush the Sedim, but he couldn't possibly overpower the Mechanic Emperor. So he could only obediently play by their rules. Moreover, with the Mechanic Emperor, his true identity would most likely be impossible to hide. Joining the Mechanic Emperor meant truly working for someone else.
Therefore, he couldn't possibly agree to it. It's like how, although working for a Fortune 500 company is good, he would rather start his own business and run his own company than become a senior executive there. Even though his company can't compete with theirs in terms of scale, he can enjoy all the profits!
Working is out of the question; the only way to barely make a living is by running a legion and exploiting its members.
Sedim narrowed his eyes, turned around and sat back down in his seat, expressionless, and said indifferently, "Then you can leave."
Seeing that "Barn" was determined to refuse his offer, he couldn't be bothered to waste any more words on the ungrateful fellow.
He wasn't afraid of Han Xiao knowing his identity. Having operated on Planet Maixibo for over a hundred years, his background wasn't a secret in some people's eyes. He dared to reveal his identity because he wasn't afraid of being exposed... He was operating on Planet Maixibo openly and honestly. So what if they knew he was a subordinate of the Mechanic Emperor? Manison wasn't a wanted criminal. Developing a base in the Shattered Star Ring wasn't illegal.
Han Xiao didn't care about Sedim's dissatisfaction, shook his head and left the room, feeling somewhat helpless.
He wasn't afraid of offending Sedim, but if he did, Sedim would definitely increase his surveillance of him, making it even harder to steal the Eternal Light.
"Fortunately, Sedim didn't see through my true identity. He misjudged my strength, which is my advantage. Some tricks should be able to fool him. But if I still can't steal it in the end, then I'll have to openly rob it under Barn's identity... Hmm, or maybe I should change my identity again?"
While contemplating murder and arson, Han Xiao slowly walked away.
After Han Xiao left, only Sedim remained in the office. He shook his head, looking quite disappointed.
I thought recruiting Barn would be a simple matter, but I didn't expect this guy to be so stubborn and unyielding.
Beep beep beep--
Just then, Sedim's communicator rang.
He glanced at the contact, his expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly connected to the call.
"Hello, Your Excellency Sisko!"
The person who contacted him was none other than Sisko!
The screen displayed Sisko's video call, and he asked, "If I remember correctly, Planet Maixibo is still your territory?"
"Yes, what can I do for you?"
Sedim spoke respectfully, a stark contrast to his attitude towards Han Xiao.
As the leader of the Star Pupil Protoss, it would be too easy for Sisko to contact the ruler of a well-known neutral planet.
Moreover, he had known Sedim for a long time. Seym's backer was the Arcane Church, which possessed a wealth of intelligence. Sedim's true origins were no secret to him.
Because of his connection to the Arcane Church, Sisko, despite being located in the remote Shattered Star Ring, is Number One figure in the Beyond Grade A circles of the Central Galaxy. Those big shots all know that he is a half-ally of the Arcane Church Arcane Church Cult and a heavyweight asset in the open for the cult.
Although Sisko focuses on managing his own clan, keeping a low profile and not as prone to causing trouble as the Tyrant, in terms of influence within high-level circles, Sisko is the leader among the four Beyond Grade A members of the Shattered Star Ring. He is a cool, low-key, and invisible big shot.
Therefore, Sedim respected him greatly, and the two had known each other for a long time due to their connection with the Mechanic Emperor.
"Well, there's something I need you to do," Sisko said slowly. "I need you to keep an eye on a type of spaceship called ' Light Fox.' I'll send you the details of its appearance later. Whoever boards this ship and goes to your location, keep a close watch on them. They're very likely going to repair their ship. Find a way to keep them on Planet Maixibo's."
"Okay, I've got it." Sedim agreed without hesitation. The boss had asked him to do something, so this was a favor that came to him.
Although he claims to be neutral, he is still clear about who should be given special privileges.
"We must keep them occupied and prevent them from escaping the Shattered Star Ring," Sisko emphasized again.
"Clear."
Sedim nodded.
Sisko then hung up the call.
Because the Number Two clone used teleportation to steal the Evolution Cube with Eklin and the others, the Star Pupil Protoss did not leave any image records of this group and did not know what Eklin and the others looked like. However, because of the battle between warships outside their home planet, they did remember the appearance of Eklin's group's "Light Fox" spaceship.
The mental imprint Sisko left on the Evolution Cube showed that the Evolution Cube had finally stopped jumping away and stopped for the first time. After checking the star map, Sisko discovered that the location where the Evolution Cube stopped was none other than Planet Maixibo.
Knowing the other party's spaceship and location, it's easy to guess the thieves' intentions: a final rest before their interstellar journey.
Sisko then devised a plan: he contacted Sedim and asked the local bigwig for help.
He was chasing after him, and if he could just delay for a few days, he would arrive.
With his power, Eklin and others could not escape his grasp.
Meanwhile, in outer space.
Eklin piloted the badly damaged "Light Fox" spaceship, slowly heading towards the spaceport of Planet Maixibo.
Thanks to the superiority of their spaceship engines, they maintained ultra-high warp speeds during jumps, taking nearly ten days to traverse almost half of the star system, leaving their pursuers far behind.
They have finally arrived at this famous neutral planet, Planet Maixibo's, which is the site they chose to repair their spaceship.