"I can offer you the qualifications to undergo transformation, and the conditions for cooperation are very simple."
Han Xiao looked around at everyone present, raised a finger, and slowly said, "The first one is, of course, money. You need to pay a certain amount of Enas every year in exchange for a fixed quota to receive the Evolution Cube modification. This is the basic borrowing fee, and it doesn't necessarily have to be money. Resources such as minerals, materials, and fuel can all be converted into monetary amounts."
"How much does it cost per year?" a representative of a star cluster-level civilization asked.
"That depends on your needs."
Han Xiao wore an honest expression that said, "I've always been fair and honest in my business dealings."
"Your annual borrowing fee depends on the number of basic slots you wish to purchase each year. You must apply to me in advance, and I will arrange a schedule for you to receive and modify them. Each faction can purchase a maximum of one million basic slots per year... After all, I'm quite busy."
Although Han Xiao has boundless energy, his time is ultimately limited. He can't possibly dedicate all his time to helping so many factions at once to using Evolution Cube for everyone. Moreover, the effect of repeatedly using Evolution Cube on the same person will weaken, so Han Xiao's limit on the number of users is also for the sake of long-term sustainability.
"What if we want the entire race to enjoy evolution?" someone couldn't help but ask.
"Good question." Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Besides the basic quota, you can purchase additional modification quotas, with Infinite on the number, but the price will be much higher than the basic quota. It's not that I'm underestimating your financial resources, but with the massive population of your civilization, paying this fee will likely be a huge financial burden."
Many representatives of civilizations expressed some regret. For them, a one-time evolution of the entire race would have been the best outcome. Unfortunately, Han Xiao was clearly unwilling to make a quick buck.
A galaxy-level civilization would have a population of at least tens of billions, and the cost would be astronomical.
However, thinking about it, the evolution of the entire race is indeed unnecessary. Every advanced civilization supports a large number of lazy, unproductive parasites, and buying them evolution slots is clearly a waste of money.
With millions of slots available each year, this elite program allows a select group to improve their genetic makeup first, a practice that is acceptable to representatives of various civilizations.
Han Xiao raised his second finger. "The second condition is business cooperation. This will be determined based on the nature of your respective forces. Civilizations can provide mining rights to resource planets, transportation routes, and the right to borrow military factories. Armed organizations will need to establish a military alliance with the Black Star Army. Intelligence organizations will share intelligence, and financial groups will provide more commercial cooperation... These are the prerequisites for you to purchase a spot from me."
The people present came from various factions. Han Xiao's move was to expand the Black Star Army's business, venture into different industries, find more monetization channels, and strive for success in all fields.
At the same time, through business cooperation, we will form deeper cooperative relationships with various forces.
This was expected and not surprising to everyone.
After analyzing various data, they learned that Black Star was an ambitious guy. Since he had the opportunity to advance to Beyond Grade A force, he would naturally not be satisfied with being just an armed organization.
"My last condition... I wish to have a seat in the Shattered Star Ring Civilization Council," Han Xiao said in a deep voice.
The Shattered Star Ring Civilization Council is similar in nature to the Galaxy Civilization General Assembly; both are political alliances of civilizations within this star system, and membership requires a galaxy-level civilization.
Representatives from various civilizations exchanged glances, and one hesitated, saying, "Only civilizations can join. Black Star, although your power is strong, you are not a civilization."
Han Xiao smiled. "Don't worry, I know this rule. I plan to take the seat in the name of my home planet."
Planet Aquamarine?
The group looked at each other in bewilderment.
"If I remember correctly, your home planet's civilization hasn't reached the galaxy level yet, so it doesn't meet the entry requirements..."
Han Xiao shrugged. "That's why I made this request."
Only by obtaining a seat in the Civilization Council can one gain overt political influence, that is, an official status. In this way, even if Planet Aquamarine does not reach the level of a star system, it can still enjoy the protection of the Peace Treaty.
They themselves can also benefit from it. Not only will their personal status be higher, but their Black Star Army will also be transformed into a semi-official military force. They will no longer be wandering interstellar free agents, and the legion members will be able to receive various legal protections, which is equivalent to a talisman.
Simply put, once this is accomplished, if other players attack members of the Black Star Army (including Legion players) at will, they will become red-name targets of many factions within the Order faction once discovered, and will also lose a lot of favor with those factions.
Upon hearing this, the representatives of each civilization looked helpless. This matter was beyond their authority, and they all said that they could not make a decision and that they would have to consult with higher-ups before they could give a reply.
However, Han Xiao was not worried. The Shattered Star Ring Civilization Council was controlled by the star cluster-level civilizations in this star field. Now that these star cluster-level civilizations wanted to cooperate with him, it would not be difficult for them to make an exception and add him to the list. For them, it would just be a matter of finding a reason.
During the Secret War, many star cluster-level civilizations were unwilling to see Black Star grow too powerful and secretly did a lot of sabotage. But now that the die is cast, they have no choice but to lower their heads and seek cooperation.
The Shattered Star Ring has been affected by the Crimson Tide for ten years, resulting in subtle changes to its own structure and a minor reshuffling of power. This juncture presents a perfect opportunity to seize the moment.
Having reached a preliminary agreement on cooperation, the visitors said their goodbyes and left. They were only expressing their intentions today; the specific details of the cooperation would need to be negotiated between the respective departments, which would fall to Sylvia and Phillip.
Han Xiao tapped the table in deep thought.
In his plan, this was a crucial step in the Black Star Army's expansion. Using the Evolution Cube as a starting point, he aimed to form Pan-Star Field Interest Alliance centered on the Black Star Army, turning the legion into a transit point for power cooperation!
They not only enjoy the business cooperation themselves, but also connect the channels of various forces to form a huge network of interests.
To achieve this, one's own power must be strong enough, and the Black Star Army, as Beyond Grade A power, possesses this qualification.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Black Star Army can grow rapidly. By maintaining this network of interests, they can indirectly use the Shattered Black Star Army Shattered Star Ring as their rear base and obtain a continuous stream of resources.
Currently, the Evolution Cube is key to attracting cooperation, but as long as it is managed properly in the long run, and the major powers see that the alliance itself is profitable, they will continue to cooperate even without the Evolution Cube. Just as Heber has managed the Tyrant's Gathering into a recognized high-level gathering, Han Xiao's goal is to make the Black Star Army a recognized cooperation hub and interest group in the Shattered Star Ring.
After three days, all the guests had finally arrived. Early that morning, Heber invited everyone to the palace to officially begin the gathering.
The hall was decorated like a banquet scene, with musicians playing their instruments, and representatives from various factions forming small groups of two or three, conversing quietly.
Han Xiao and his group also occupied a corner, surrounded by quite a few people.
The players who followed were also brought in, looking around curiously and constantly throwing [Reconnaissance] skills at people. Everyone in sight was a big shot, and several Beyond Grade A were chatting with people in the venue.
These players had been gathering information about the Tyrant's Gathering over the past few days, and now that they saw so many representatives from various factions, the gathering's prestige in their minds skyrocketed, leaving them astonished.
The numerous guests present combined constituted the ruling class of the Shattered Star Ring; it turns out Black Star was also at this level.
These high-level activities are usually inaccessible to players. It was only when these people posted about the Tyrant's Gathering on forums that many players learned about them and began to discuss them excitedly.
"So Black Star is dealing with people of this caliber now."
"Being a faction leader is inevitable."
"All five Beyond Grade A are here, haha, won't they start fighting?"
"Aren't the War Realm enemies of us? Why did Black Star go there?"
At this moment, Heber stepped forward from the crowd, and everyone stopped talking and looked at Heber.
"The Shattered Star Ring has experienced many upheavals in the last decade or so, but fortunately, we can still see so many familiar faces today."
Heber began slowly, "Before the party begins, I'd like to announce something."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Han Xiao and said in a deep voice, "After private negotiations, Black Star and I have reached a consensus to temporarily cease hostilities and jointly participate in the Crimson Dynasty's development of the Shattered World. You are all witnesses to this."
All eyes turned to him, Han Xiao nodded in greeting.
"Shattered World?"
Many players murmured to themselves, this information immediately catching their attention.
Han Xiao smiled inwardly. He knew Heber would definitely announce this at the gathering, so he immediately posted the prepared mission on the faction panel.
At the same time, the faction interfaces of many players changed, and the S+ level main quest of [Shattered World] was instantly pinned to the top of the list of available quests.
"Oh dear, a new main quest!"
"Holy crap, S+ difficulty? That's even higher than Secret War!"
"This will be our next main storyline in version 3.0!"
"Developing the Shattered World, it seems this is the Black Star Army's next major operation."
The legion players were overjoyed, and many accepted the quest.
Such a challenging main storyline clearly indicates a major event. After the Secret War ended, many players entered a period of aimless free exploration, but now they have a new objective.
Due to a series of recent events, players at this stage have an overwhelming sense of belonging to the Black Star Legion, and in their eyes, the Black Star Army's storyline is equivalent to the main storyline.
Players knew little about the details of the Shattered World, and countless posts appeared on the forums to discuss it. Han Xiao glanced at them and was quite satisfied with the effect of this pre-launch hype.
However, at this time, the Legion players did not know that [Shattered World] was not only the storyline connecting to the Secret War 3.0 version, but also the main storyline that runs through the next version.
The cooperation that needed to be discussed had already been completed a few days ago, so the formal gathering was just a formality for Han Xiao.
Since Heber had declared a truce, he naturally wouldn't allow his men to cause trouble. With her keeping him in check, Fosters, feeling frustrated, didn't cause any trouble, and things remained peaceful.
Having basically achieved his goals by attending the Tyrant's Gathering, Han Xiao was quite satisfied with the outcome of the trip.
After the party ended, he didn't linger. After using an Evolution Cube on Austin, he took Ames, Hila, and the other executives and headed back home, leaving without a trace.
call--
As the spaceship departed from Planet Heber, Han Xiao withdrew his gaze, turned on his communicator, and dialed Bennett's number.
In the past few days, those representatives of civilizations reported their cooperation requests to higher authorities, who have responded and agreed to their conditions.
Having secured a seat in the Shattered Star Ring Civilization Council in the name of Planet Aquamarine, Han Xiao was essentially assured of success, and only then did he contact Bennett.
The communication was established quickly.
"Han Xiao? What brings you here today?" Bennett's weathered yet hearty laughter rang out.
"There's something I need to tell you..." Han Xiao explained.
Upon hearing this, Bennett exclaimed with delight, "You helped the Aquamarine Federation Civilization enter the Shattered Star Ring Civilization Council? That's wonderful!"
Planet Aquamarine is merely a rudimentary interstellar civilization, far from meeting the entry requirements of the Civilization Council. Being able to enter the council through exceptional means is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Well, I'll be the representative of civilization, you don't have any objections, right?" Han Xiao said.
The seat of the Civilization Council belongs to the entire civilization. Usually, the representative of a civilization is the government. However, although Han Xiao and the Aquamarine Federation have a close relationship, they are still two separate forces. If this is done, even if the seat belongs to the Planet Aquamarine government, opinions can only be expressed through Han Xiao as the representative.
Bennett didn't hesitate at all. "This is an opportunity you fought for for us. Besides, you are the Protector of Planet Aquamarine. Giving you the position is actually beneficial to us. You have more say in the matter than we do."
He understood very well that even if Planet Aquamarine developed for many years, it would not achieve the level of success the Black Star Army had today. He did not want to see the Planet Aquamarine civilization make the wrong choices in the future, so he was paving the way in advance and trying to bind the Planet Aquamarine regime to the Black Star Army.
Han Xiao smiled, chatted for a few minutes, and then hung up the call.
After thinking it over, he decided to use the Evolution Cube on a large scale on Planet Aquamarine after he returned. Now that he had obtained a political seat on Planet Aquamarine, the better Planet Aquamarine developed, the greater his own interests would be.
"Oh, and while you're at it, go check on the Black Spirit Race. We can give them the Evolution Cube too..."
Han Xiao's heart stirred. This race worshipped him as a totem, so they could be considered half of their own.