Ambassador Krent glared angrily, pointing at Suy, speechless.
Suy said slowly and deliberately, "The specifics have already been explained. The Empire has decided not to comment on this issue. You can insist on submitting a proposal, but the success rate is very low. The Arcane Church will decide to reject your application. I am only suggesting that you abandon the idea of submitting a proposal on behalf of the Empire. I am not interfering with your decision. If you insist on going your own way, we will not stop you."
"I don't understand!" Ambassador Krent roared, "Why is the Empire helping Amethyst on this issue?!"
"The imperial high command has its own considerations."
"Is it because of the Evolution Cube?! That's why you suddenly changed your stance?!"
"I reiterate, the Imperial high command has its own considerations," Suy emphasized. "And you're wrong. The Empire adheres to its own position, and this principle has never changed. The Empire has never expressed support for your plans."
The Krent diplomatic ambassador gritted his teeth. The previous Tyrant had suffered a setback in the challenge, and they hadn't thought much of it. They never expected that it would be their turn so soon.
Krent has invested massive resources in the Secret War. As a lackey of the Crimson Dynasty, the Crimson Dynasty initially tacitly approved of it. However, the Crimson Dynasty has now abandoned its mission at a crucial moment, which means that Krent's ten years of investment may be completely lost!
They were certainly not happy about it.
No matter how you look at it, Ambassador Krent felt that this was the Black Star Army's doing. Although Suy did not explain why the Crimson Dynasty did this, he knew with his own eyes that the Black Star was definitely behind it!
At this point, Suy changed the subject, "The development of the Shattered World is about to begin. I hope you will quickly deploy your troops to prepare, as the exploration missions will be quite demanding."
Ambassador Krent understood immediately; this was probably a disguised form of compensation from the Crimson Dynasty, allowing them to seize more benefits in the Shattered World.
His expression shifted between light and shadow. After pondering for a while, he finally said in a low voice, "Since it's the Empire's decision, we will reconsider the proposal. As for the development of the Shattered World, please rest assured, Empire, we will do our utmost."
Upon hearing this, Suy smiled faintly.
After finishing their business and chatting absentmindedly for a while, Ambassador Krent hurriedly took his leave.
Upon exiting the Crimson Dynasty's diplomatic embassy, Ambassador Krent boarded a vehicle, activated his communicator to contact higher-ups, and reported the situation, sparking a heated debate.
Ultimately, the higher-ups reached a conclusion: they were helpless against the Crimson Dynasty, and even if they were dissatisfied, they could only endure it. Every Krent official felt aggrieved, becoming a lackey of a cosmic civilization, forced to act according to the other party's wishes, and constrained at every turn.
What they hated most was their "new ally," Black Star, who was secretly causing trouble—a perfectly good situation had been ruined by one person!
It can be said that Black Star alone overturned their ten-year plan!
"A cosmic-level civilization protecting its own interests will inevitably affect our interests. To them, what are we..." After turning off the communicator, Ambassador Krent leaned back in his seat, gazing absently at the rapidly receding scenery outside the window.
More than seven years ago, Han Xiao took advantage of the momentum of the Beyond Grade A Seed to expand his territory, laying the foundation for the following years. With experience, he made full use of his influence after advancing to Beyond Grade A this time. Moreover, with the protection of the Crimson Dynasty and the Amethyst Civilization, most of the hostile forces went quiet, and the expansion of the legion was almost without resistance and extremely smooth.
Countless free-spirited individuals responded to the Black Star Army's recruitment call Shattered Star Ring. Waves of new members flooded into the legion, and in a short period of time, the Black Star Army's membership expanded once again. The total number of members spread across various star systems in the Colton Star Cluster barely exceeded three hundred million.
Ordinary members are secondary; the core Grade B combat force has reached tens of millions, and the higher-level Grade A superhumans number over forty. In terms of the number of high-level combatants alone, the Black Star Army has surpassed most star system-level civilizations.
With its Beyond Grade A reputation and Han Xiao's influence, the Black Star Army expanded rapidly. It wasn't afraid of overeating, but rather of not being able to handle the workload. With numerous conglomerates investing and the Amethyst Civilization providing strong support, Han Xiao had ample funds to support the rapid expansion of the legion's size.
He threw the astronomical sum of Enas into the Logistics Department, using the production line to build more warships and assemble new satellite bases to deploy more branches in the Colton Star Cluster.
The Black Star Army's expansion was in full swing, and the interstellar citizens of the Shattered Star Ring were all watching the aftermath of the duel closely. They were concerned about the impact of the Black Star Army's open joining of the Crimson Dynasty on the Secret War.
Recently, the Secret War has entered a truce period. After the agreed-upon battle, neither the War Realm nor the Section Zero has tacitly started a war, and the situation is eerily calm.
Countless interstellar citizens are concerned about the direction of the Secret War, regarding it as a signal, because the next step in the Secret War, judging from the current situation, indirectly represents the outcome of the game between the two sides.
Just when everyone was eagerly anticipating it, the Secret War broke out, bringing news that shook the entire star system!
There was no fighting, no declaration.
Without warning, the War Realm abandoned all its outposts in the border star systems of West Wind, Kaya, and Chaida, and proactively withdrew from the Colton Star Cluster!
When this news broke, everyone and everything that was following the Secret War was shocked.
In the War Realm, Krent's attitude was represented by his voluntary withdrawal, which was tantamount to Krent abandoning his invasion plans and the gains of ten years of conquest... meaning that Amethyst won the war effortlessly.
A decade-long Secret War has come to an end?!
No one knows what kind of agreement the two sides reached behind the scenes. To outsiders, Krent's voluntary withdrawal is definitely inseparable from the fact that the Black Star Army joined the Crimson Dynasty, and there must be some kind of logical connection between them.
The most likely scenario is that the Black Star Army, by joining the Crimson Dynasty, somehow forced Krent to abandon his invasion, thus helping Amethyst win the Secret War!
Ultimately, the greatest credit should go to Black Star himself!
Advancing to Beyond Grade A rank, seizing the Evolution Cube, forcing back the Tyrant, joining the Crimson Dynasty... This series of actions is the sole reason for overturning the entire situation!
This also means that Black Star single-handedly ended the Secret War!
This is the truth as seen by people throughout the entire star system!
The aftershocks of the duel had not yet subsided when the Secret War came to an end, causing the Shattered Star Ring to boil over once again!
[The Grade S faction mission [Secret War - Section Zero] has ended]
[Settling tasks... Settlement complete]
[Task Evaluation: Incredible]
[You have gained 600,000 experience points, 5 random rewards, 40,000 contribution points to the Amethyst Civilization, and 1 Legend Points.]
[Star Cluster Legend Points (Colton Star Cluster): Secret War Contributor - You made great contributions in the Secret War and were a key contributor to the victory of the Amethyst Civilization. The people of the star cluster will remember your achievements.]
[You gain 2 Political Asset]
[Political Asset (2): Amethyst Civilization]
[You are beloved by the people of the Amethyst Civilization —when trading with citizens of the Amethyst Civilization, you can buy goods at a lower price and sell products at a higher price.]
[The Amethyst Civilization is willing to listen to your requests—you can make suggestions to the Amethyst Civilization, and depending on the reasonableness of the suggestions, there is a small chance that the Amethyst Civilization will adopt your opinions.]
[This is one of the symbols of political influence; your achievements are celebrated throughout the universe—when interacting with certain forces or figures, the efficiency of accumulating favorability increases by +45%.]
[You possess valuable experience - efficiency of gaining experience in all forms +45%]
[Note: The above effect takes effect only if the relationship with the Amethyst Civilization is maintained at [Revered]]
[Dungeon Generation: [Secret War]]
"Hmm? The Secret War main quest is finally over?"
On the star closest to Planet Golden Gate, clusters of intensely hot stellar energy swirled around a figure, its skin glowing a fiery red from saturated radiation.
With new members joining in batches, Han Xiao took time to practice the [Heber's Stellar Furnace Training Method] during the gaps in the legion's expansion. He was taking a bath on the surface of the star when the panel suddenly reacted, popping up a series of mission settlement messages. Only then did he realize that the Secret War had come to an end.
With a sudden thought, Han and Tu Shu connected to the quantum network in their minds and instantly found news about troop withdrawals in the War Realm. Their eyes lit up and they smiled.
"It seems that Suy has convinced Krent to comply with the treaty much faster than I expected..."
Krent's decision to withdraw troops from the War Realm was quite decisive, but Han Xiao knew that Krent was definitely resentful. They dared not express dissatisfaction with the Crimson Dynasty, and their hatred would most likely be transferred to him, which was unavoidable.
To mend Krent's wounded heart, the Crimson Dynasty must have been making some kind of deal with them behind the scenes, though the specific details were beyond his knowledge.
Han Xiao didn't care about offending Krent. Although they were nominally allies, they had fought for ten years, and the grudges between them could not be easily eliminated. It wasn't just that Krent hated him; he also remembered Krent's numerous assassination attempts over the past ten years and was equally dissatisfied. Naturally, he wouldn't give face to an enemy.
Han Xiao glanced at the mission rewards and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
His ten years of dedication to the Secret War were well worth it; this was a worthwhile investment, the rewards for an Grade S mission are indeed generous!
Even for a big spender like him, 6 billion experience points is a decent amount, and five random reward opportunities are more than the three opportunities he received from the [Bloodline] quest.
One point of Star Cluster Legend Points is not bad, and with the three points of Star Field Legend Points he gained from his battle with the Tyrant, his experience reward to players has almost doubled!
The biggest gain is the 2 points of Political Asset. These are extremely rare and only drop from very difficult missions. This increases the efficiency of gaining experience by 45%. Combined with the 30% from Goddora's Political Asset, it's like having a 1.75x experience card permanently active!
After reaching Beyond Grade A, the experience requirement for upgrading increases significantly. With the increase in Political Asset, the efficiency of harvesting resources can be greatly improved. After getting through the experience penalty of more than ten months, a large amount of experience should be accumulated to upgrade.
The [Secret War] instance is a byproduct of the main storyline, just like the previous [Six Nations and Germinal] instance. It allows players to extract battle fragments they personally experienced during the ten-year Secret War to form Dungeon Crystal.
Han Xiao immediately thought of another use for it.
"Players only participated in the final stages of the Secret War; the previous ten years of war were merely background information for them. Perhaps I could use a dungeon system to recreate the Black Star Army's wars over the past ten years, allowing them to personally experience the Legion's rise and understand its history. This would actually strengthen players' sense of belonging to the faction..."
After thinking for a while, Han Xiao felt that this idea was feasible, and a series of supporting ideas came to mind.
"They can also be given honorary titles within the legion, awarded only to players who participated in the Secret War, proving their experience witnessing the legion's rise, letting newcomers know they are veteran members, and allowing them to permanently enjoy certain discounts within the legion, which helps retain players..."
Thinking of this, Han Xiao couldn't help but open the player forum.
He obtained the main storyline of Secret War ten years in advance, so getting a high rating was inevitable. The final victory in Secret War also improved the mission rating, benefiting not only himself but all players of the Black Star Army!
Han Xiao wanted to see what the players' forums would say about this.