After waiting for a while, the screen of Han Xiao's communicator flashed, displaying the image of Imperial Envoy Suy.
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
The Crimson Dynasty's diplomatic mission did not reject his exchange request, indicating that they were interested in talking to him. This was a good start, as forming an alliance with the Crimson Dynasty was a crucial part of his plan.
With a slight smile, Han Xiao said, "It's been many years, Envoy Suy."
"Yes, the last time we met was more than ten years ago. You were attending the gathering of the Tyrant alongside the Dragon Emperor. I also remember you trying to persuade Ames to join the Crimson Dynasty, although it ultimately came to nothing. But I was very impressed with you at the time." Suy said with a smile.
He treated Han Xiao well, not only because Han Xiao was Beyond Grade A, but also because when the two first met more than ten years ago, Han Xiao showed a pro-imperial tendency.
"So you still remember." Han Xiao smiled gently. "Back then, I thought it was highly feasible for the Crimson Dynasty to take over the Shattered World, and now it has been proven that my guess was correct."
Upon hearing this, Suy's smile widened.
More than a decade ago at the Tyrant's Gathering, Black Star predicted that the Crimson Dynasty would successfully take over the Shattered World, which made Suy's evaluation of Han Xiao rise a few points.
"You have a very long-term vision, I admire that."
"Of course, I doubt anyone has a longer-term vision than me..." Han Xiao thought to himself.
The advantage of knowing the plot is that—even if you haven't eaten today, I know what kind of poop you'll take tomorrow.
After a pause, Han Xiao finally stated the purpose of his visit.
"My thinking remains unchanged from ten years ago, but now that the Black Star Army has broken away from Dragon Calm, I no longer need to persuade anyone and can make my own decisions."
Suy's eyes lit up. "If I understand correctly, you want to join the Crimson Dynasty?"
"That's exactly why I've come to see you today."
Han Xiao nodded.
Due to its advancement, the Black Star Army is qualified to become a Beyond Grade A force. However, the upper limit of its power still depends on factors such as resources and connections. In the Galaxy, the three major cosmic civilizations are the biggest backers. As long as you form an alliance with one of them, you can obtain unimaginable massive resources.
Similarly, he also needs a strong partner to protect the Evolution Cube. Sisko and the Arcane Church will not let this go, and the Federation of Light may also get involved. Countless powerful forces in the vast universe will cast covetous glances at him, not to mention the lawless thugs like the Sorokin. The Black Star Army, whose current power level is at the star cluster level, cannot withstand so much malice.
Among the three major cosmic civilizations, the Crimson Dynasty is the most suitable ally in Han Xiao's mind. It can provide an early ticket to the Shattered World, allowing him to bet on the future. Furthermore, by leveraging the connections of the Crimson Dynasty's high-ranking officials, Han Xiao can sabotage Krent's plans and secure victory in the Secret War.
These are all important factors concerning one's own interests.
Of course, there are other reasons as well.
In his previous life, Han Xiao was a member of the Crimson Dynasty faction. He remembered more about the Crimson Dynasty's storyline and opportunities. Moreover, among the Three Universal Civilizations, he admired the Crimson Dynasty the most.
The history of the Three Universal Civilizations can be traced back to the origins of the exploration era. The three civilizations were not born at the same time. The Federation of Light is the oldest, followed by the Arcane Church, and the Crimson Dynasty is the youngest. Their rise to power is separated by thousands to tens of thousands of years.
The Origin Era was a chaotic and poorly documented period when no powerful civilization unified the Galaxy, there was no communication between different star systems, and all civilizations were isolated, groping their way forward in the dark forest.
The Three Universal Civilizations were far from reaching their current level at that time. Other civilizations in their star systems were stronger than them. After years of development and war, the Three Universal Civilizations finally eliminated their rivals in their respective star systems, gained hegemony over a star system, and began to explore the outside world across the Desolate Universe Belt.
Today, the Central Galaxy, where the Three Universal Civilizations stand in a tripartite balance, is the origin star field of the three great civilizations. Since they are adjacent to each other, they naturally discovered each other. As the saying goes, "How can one allow others to sleep soundly on one's own bed?" All three wanted to kill each other, so the cosmic war Three Universal Civilizations broke out. This is the turning point in the historians' writings, from the Origin Era to the Exploration Era. The three parties joined forces to usher in a new era.
In the early stages of exploration, the Three Universal Civilizations waged war while simultaneously exploring the outside world. Centered on the Central Galaxy, the flames of war spread outwards, and more and more star systems were discovered. In the process of exploring these star systems, more and more civilizations were forced to participate in this great war, which escalated and caused countless civilizations to perish.
The war that swept across the entire universe was extremely brutal. Now, there are several Desolate Universe Belt on the Galaxy map. These were originally normal star regions, but they were forcibly turned into Desolate Universe Belt during the protracted war!
Back then, the Three Universal Civilizations didn't possess the overwhelming power they have today. There were several other powerful civilizations on the same level, including the Evolutionary Civilization. If these civilizations had survived to this day, they might very well have developed into cosmic-level civilizations, achieving the status of the Three Universal Civilizations... But unfortunately, they were all destroyed in the Exploration Era War. Only the Federation of Light, the Arcane Church, and the Crimson Dynasty survived, seized hegemony, and made peace with each other, allowing the era to breathe and enter the peaceful Galaxy Era, which led to the universe's current state.
After years of peace, the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church experienced varying degrees of stagnation in their development in technology, systems, and races, and their vigor declined to varying degrees. Only the Crimson Dynasty did not succumb to the corruption of peace and has maintained its ambition and drive.
Therefore, Han Xiao was optimistic about the Crimson Dynasty. An ambitious civilization would always create more opportunities for development, and forming an alliance with it would have a very promising future.
"Um..."
Upon hearing Han Xiao's confirmation, Suy did not respond immediately but pondered for a moment.
He originally planned to make some initial contact and test the waters, but to his surprise, Black Star took the initiative to approach him and directly asked to join the company.
It's not uncommon for Beyond Grade A being to join a cosmic civilization, but this undoubtedly exceeded his authority, and he had to report it to a higher level.
Suy secretly estimated Han Xiao's value.
' Black Star's strength and potential are beyond doubt. He's been a pro-empire faction for over a decade, so he's not a fence-sitter. The Black Star Army's influence in the Shattered Star Ring is considerable. An alliance with them could turn them into a new foothold for the Empire in this star system, beneficial for developing the Shattered World. Besides, he possesses the Evolution Cube... By the way, we need to discuss the Evolution Cube properly.'
The Evolution Cube originally belonged to Sisko and was protected by the Arcane Church. Now it's in Han Xiao's hands, and it's an important bargaining chip.
With this in mind, Suy asked directly, "There's a question I need to understand: what are your plans for dealing with the Evolution Cube?"
Han Xiao laughed.
"This is certainly part of our alliance conditions. We can handle it through a shared cooperation model: the Crimson Dynasty supports me in retaining the Evolution Cube, and you send people to use it—no limit on the number."
He was referring to Sisko's collaboration with the Arcane Church, but he didn't intend to share the benefits of the Evolution Cube with the cosmic civilization like Sisko did.
Sisko used an exclusive agreement to secure excessive support from the Arcane Church for the Star Pupil Protoss, while Han Xiao had no clan to support and was not burdened by many. Using the Evolution Cube to attract other civilization allies would be more beneficial for him.
"Hmm... not bad." Suy nodded; this was within his acceptable range. "The Imperial high command should accept this condition. We can help you overcome some external obstacles... Besides this, is there anything else you need?"
Han Xiao's eyes lit up; this meant that negotiations about interests were about to begin.
"I have a few requests." Han Xiao's smile faded, and he said seriously, "First, I want the Crimson Dynasty to provide resource support to me and the Black Star Army."
"No problem," Suy replied without hesitation, adding, "We have Evolution Cube, and we're willing to give you more resources."
"Secondly, I hope the Black Star Army can join the effort to explore the Shattered World."
"Haha, even if you didn't say anything, I think the Empire would have asked you to go anyway," Suy joked.
Han Xiao nodded.
Indeed, the Shattered Star Ring is closest to the Shattered World, so if the Crimson Dynasty needs to establish a vanguard, the forces within the Shattered Star Ring are its first choice...
The ticket to Shattered World stage is basically guaranteed.
"Third, I hope the Crimson Dynasty will not speak for the Krent Empire on the issue of Secret War."
Upon hearing this, Suy immediately frowned.
"This is a decision made by higher-ups, beyond my authority, and I cannot make any guarantees."
This problem was both unexpected and reasonable to him.
After so many years of Secret War, it's not surprising that Black Star wants to win. However, Krent is also an ally of the Crimson Dynasty. This is a choice that weighs the value of both sides, and Suy cannot guarantee the decision of the higher-ups.
"It's nothing," Han Xiao waved his hand. "These three are my biggest conditions."
"Yes, I'll report it."
Suy tapped the table and suddenly said, "By the way, do you need us to mediate your conflict with Heber?"
Since Black Star is also joining the Crimson Dynasty, then the Tyrant and Black Star are allies, and their conflict is like a flood washing away the Dragon King.
Although the public challenge cannot be revoked, as long as the news of Black Star joining the Crimson Dynasty is announced, the two will naturally not fight.
"No need," Han Xiao refused.
Suy thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, and chuckled, "You're right, I didn't think it through."
If the Crimson Dynasty were to intervene to resolve the conflict, it would be detrimental to Black Star's image. People would perceive it as Black Star seeking refuge with the Crimson Dynasty to escape the Tyrant's Pursuit, joining the enemy when he couldn't win.
"If there's nothing else to add, then I'll report your terms to higher-ups."
"Oh, right," Han Xiao suddenly remembered something, "I have another small request. I hope to acquire some cutting-edge knowledge from the Mechanic Class within twenty days."
The Crimson Dynasty naturally possesses a full set of professional knowledge; cutting-edge knowledge isn't that valuable to them. Perhaps I can activate all the skills of the Mechanic Emperor before the duel begins.
At Han Xiao's current manufacturing speed, twenty days is enough time to create a large number of machines using his new knowledge.
Suy nodded. If it were Ultimate Knowledge, the higher-ups would consider it, but cutting-edge knowledge would be given out casually, since the person was Beyond Grade A who was preparing to join, and this was basic treatment.
"Okay, wait for my message."
Suy nodded. This was the initial negotiation between the two sides. The specific outcome would depend on the opinion of the Crimson Dynasty's high command.
Meanwhile, in a region of the Shattered Star Ring, Sisko was piloting his spaceship toward the Colton Star Cluster.
"The Dragon Emperor has actually intervened, tsk, it seems things won't go so smoothly..."
At this moment, Sisko was in a very bad mood.
Heber wanted to fight Black Star one-on-one and refused his invitation to join forces, so Sisko had to challenge Han Xiao himself, but he also saw a good opportunity in the process.
It's all thanks to Black Star keeping the Evolution Cube portable. Black Star carries the Evolution Cube with him at all times. On the day of the duel, once he fights against _Book_ and the Tyrant, he will inevitably reveal a weakness, giving me a chance to take advantage of the situation and snatch the item back from Black Star.
Even if the Tyrant refuses to join forces, it won't matter. As long as they start fighting, I can intervene at any time, and no one can stop me.
Taking advantage of the chaos avoids a direct confrontation with Black Star and has a high success rate. Sisko's goal has always been to Evolution Cube, not to deal with Black Star. He doesn't care what others think; what does it matter if he loses a little reputation for the sake of the race's development?
Originally, there was nothing wrong with the plan. Black Star was fighting alone, and with the Tyrant distracting him, he would definitely be overwhelmed when facing a second Beyond Grade A.
However, Ames's intervention thwarted his plans.
Now that Black Star has a teammate, if he tries to ambush her, Ames will definitely stop him, making it impossible for him to steal the Evolution Cube when Black Star isn't paying attention.
Unless... someone can restrain Ames.
Austin was the best choice, but that old geezer insisted on watching the show and refused to help, which made Sisko so angry that his eyes hurt... all seven of them hurt.
Having no other choice, he had to find other help.
Fortunately, he had a powerful ally.
"It seems we can only ask the Shattered Star Ring garrison of the Arcane Church for help. If it's just about holding back Beyond Grade A enemies, they should be willing to send troops..."
Sisko's eyes flashed, like a light bulb.