The elite soldiers of the empire acted swiftly and decisively. After a brief self-introduction, the four men did not request a rest and immediately applied to undergo reformation.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao did not refuse, as there would be plenty of time to discuss it after the modifications were completed.
Sizzle...
A flash of blue-gold Mechanical Force appeared, and a small silver cube hovered above their heads. After entering the password to activate it, Evolution Energy immediately burst forth, spreading through the hall like a tidal wave and enveloping tens of thousands of elite soldiers dressed in imperial uniforms.
Han Xiao retrieved the Evolution Cube, looked at the black cocoons filling the hall, and nodded.
His gaze shifted to Tenny's black cocoon, and Han Xiao's lips curled into a smile. He thought to himself, "Since you've delivered yourself to my doorstep, how can I not invest in you..."
He was quite familiar with the life and career of this future imperial commander, and was one of the most famous NPCs in multiple versions of the empire.
Later, he independently commanded many large-scale Imperial fleets, known as the "Empire's Iron Hoof," achieving remarkable military exploits and winning numerous legendary battles. He has consistently demonstrated exceptional performance in various versions of the game. Players in the Imperial faction can choose to join his ranks, becoming his soldiers or officers, and will have ample opportunities for combat missions.
Tenny's two most famous feats are: first, in the [Super Calamity] version, he led his fleet to surround and kill a troublemaking Beyond Grade A without the help of any powerful individuals!
Secondly, during the invasion of the World Tree Civilization, for the sake of the overall war, he risked his life, leading his troops to charge through hundreds of star systems, hindering the enemy's large-scale invasion. He advanced with unstoppable momentum, forcefully carving into the heart of the World Tree Civilization and buying them a great deal of time. In the end, his troops were completely annihilated by the enemy, taking countless powerful enemies with them with him. He died on the battlefield, a tragic and heroic end.
Although Tenny's strength is only at the Calamity Grade, he is a very capable commander, military strategist, and fleet commander. He is skilled in large-scale coordinated operations, and the Imperial Fleet can exert astonishing combat power under his command. For the Empire, such a powerful military talent is even more important than Beyond Grade A individual with great strength.
According to his life trajectory, Tenny Armellos will hold a high position in the Empire and command a large army in the future. Now that there is an opportunity to make friends with the future military leaders of the Empire, Han Xiao will naturally not let it pass.
The empire is riddled with factions, and the first batch of imperial elites to undergo reform were all chosen by each faction from their own ranks. Most of the spots were already divided up. The young and middle-aged military faction represented by Tenny is a very powerful one, and he will become one of the faction's representatives in the future, making him worth befriending and winning over.
Han Xiao knew perfectly well that although he had become an ally of the Crimson Dynasty, this was only the beginning, and he couldn't rest easy. Even as an ally, he had to find ways to increase his influence within the empire, after all... he wasn't the only one with Beyond Grade A combat power in the empire.
"I've been operating in the Shattered Star Ring for over twenty years, so I'm considered a big shot. But in the Central Galaxy, there are far more Beyond Grade A beings than in the Shattered Star Ring, and many of them are long-established veterans. My influence there is quite limited," Han Xiao thought to himself.
The cosmic civilization is enormous, with numerous powerful figures, many allies, and a complex web of interests. Although I currently hold a position within the empire, my voice is pitifully weak, even considering the added value of the Evolution Cube.
The other three captains next to Tenny were also familiar and well-known figures, though they didn't have Tenny's level of achievement. But since these were easy targets, he decided to take them all in one fell swoop, leaving none behind.
"Speaking of which..."
Han Xiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"I possess the Evolution Cube, and the Crimson Dynasty will continuously send people over. Wouldn't you say I'm just waiting for... uh, waiting for leeks to sprout from a tree stump?"
The evolution lasted for half a day, with tens of thousands of elite imperial troops emerging one after another.
Tenny was the last to complete its evolution. It stretched out its palm, clenched its fist in front of it, and familiarized itself with the changes in its body.
"This feels amazing..." Lieutenant Kebos was overjoyed. He wasn't originally qualified to be selected, but he got this opportunity because he was Tenny's lieutenant.
"It's truly amazing; it feels even better than the genetic modification used by the Federation of Light." Tenny nodded calmly.
Newborns of cosmic-level civilizations typically undergo free genetic adjustment to enhance their potential upon birth.
The Federation of Light's gene adaptation technology far surpasses that of the other two civilizations, which is one of their distinctive features. The Federation of Light has the highest proportion of superhumans in the entire Galaxy.
The legion affairs officer, who had been waiting nearby, approached and said, "Friends of the Crimson Dynasty, the legion commander instructed me to wait here for you to complete your evolution, and then take you to the legion's guest room area to rest."
Everyone nodded. Some of them were going to join the Imperial Logistics Corps to explore the Shattered World, while the fleet was expected to rest and reorganize at the Black Star Army headquarters for a while. Naturally, they would stay behind to wait.
Another group of imperial elites came simply to undergo evolution, and would return to the Central Galaxy after the mission was accomplished. Tenny was one of them, and Han Xiao happened to plan to travel with them. Suy had already told them, so they also had to stay at the legion headquarters and wait for Han Xiao to set off together.
The group arrived at the guest room area and settled in. Before they had been sitting for long, Han Xiao arrived at their door, and Tenny and several of the team leaders came out to greet him.
As soon as Han Xiao entered, he asked everyone how they felt about the evolution. Then, the conversation turned to the situation inside the empire, and they chatted casually.
The elites from the Crimson Dynasty were indeed different. Perhaps because they were officers of a cosmic-level civilization and had seen many Beyond Grade A, the group was very natural, neither nervous nor arrogant, and chatted and laughed together.
His purpose in making this trip was to build relationships with these future high-ranking military leaders of the empire, enhance mutual understanding, and facilitate future friendships, sworn brotherhoods, and alliances.
He had a deep understanding of everyone present, and they had a very pleasant conversation.
But Han Xiao noticed that only Tenny was the calmest, constantly observing him, seemingly with a certain degree of wariness.
During their first meeting, Han Xiao didn't speak too much beyond their initial acquaintance. After getting to know each other a bit, he got up and left. Making friends without any ulterior motives requires a gradual approach. Launching an offensive immediately upon meeting _Tu_Shu could easily backfire.
After seeing Black Star off, Tenny watched his the Sight of Father's Back, lost in thought.
What's this guy up to...?
"Tenny seems wary of me; he doesn't seem easy to deal with..."
Back in the legion commander's office, Han Xiao seemed lost in thought, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the table.
It's true that highly skilled people are not easy to befriend; you have to cater to their preferences.
Han Xiao nodded secretly. This was indeed his advantage. He knew everything about Tenny's hobbies. This was all hidden information that players in his previous life had discovered through countless trials and errors... He wondered how many strange and unusual gifts Tenny had received over the years.
"He doesn't have high demands for material things, only liking certain types of gifts... Hmm, he seems to have a habit of collecting star core specimens? If I remember correctly, he also likes reading mechanical theory books written by advanced mechanics... Sigh, even the hobbies of outstanding people are so sophisticated."
Han Xiao shook his head. Such an obscure hobby meant that even if he wanted to give a gift, he had to do it in a more subtle way. Otherwise, it would be easy to reveal his true intentions and let others know that he had specifically investigated him, which might backfire.
"However, the mechanical theory book..." Han Xiao's heart stirred, "I'm Beyond Grade A mechanic, he might bring it up himself."
Putting this matter aside for the time being, Han Xiao called back Nero, who was being shown around headquarters by the Hila sisters, and also summoned Reynold.
Before long, Reynold pushed open the door and entered.
"Commander, you wanted to see me?"
I have a task for you.
As he spoke, Han Xiao turned to look at Nero, who was filled with curiosity about the aliens, and smiled, saying, "Nero, for the time being, you'll study mechanical theory with Reynold. I have some errands to run, and I'll personally teach you after I'm done."
Nero suddenly became anxious and said, feeling wronged, "You promised to take me to travel the universe..."
The universe was a completely unfamiliar environment to him, and his only source of support was Han Xiao. When he heard that he would be left alone at the legion headquarters, Nero panicked.
This reminded him of his father, Bennett, who repeatedly promised to take him out, but always used being busy with work as an excuse to disappoint him time and time again. In his young worldview, adults were always unreliable, and he was afraid that Han Xiao would do the same.
"Don't worry, when I get back I'll definitely take you to some fun places..." Han Xiao comforted him.
The Central Galaxy is teeming with powerful figures, and he himself couldn't predict what might happen. Nero was too fragile, and following him would be dangerous. It would be better for him to stay at the Legion Headquarters, where he would be protected by so many officers and allies, which would be much safer than having him by his side.
Besides, Nero has just awakened his Mechanical Force and needs to learn a lot of theoretical knowledge—anyway, it doesn't matter where he does his homework!
His decision to temporarily leave Nero under Reynold's tutelage was well-considered. While Nero was learning the basics from Reynold, perhaps the High-Level Lucky Halo could be stolen from Reynold, allowing him to steal the guy's Perfect Mechanical Sense... After all, he's a high-level protagonist-type character, anything is possible, and it's perfectly normal for him to awaken a special skill later in life.
"No problem, leave it to me." Reynold nodded.
Han Xiao paused, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, is your sister still in the legion?"
"Huh?" Reynold was taken aback. "She's still here. What happened?"
It seems that Lothaire hasn't run away with those three idiots yet... Han Xiao stroked his chin. Only he and Lothaire knew about this; even Reynold hadn't told them.
"What has she been doing lately? Has she been behaving strangely?"
"Unusual behavior... something seems off." Reynold thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I've noticed she hasn't been going out much lately, just staying in her room doing who-knows-what. She doesn't come to chat with me anymore either. I've asked her a few times, and she says she's writing something, but I don't know what it is. Do you need me to find out for you?"
"No need." Han Xiao waved his hand, roughly guessing what Lothaire was doing, probably working on the Silver Revolutionary Army's manifesto.
Although the goal of these founders was simply to overthrow the three major cosmic civilizations, give other civilizations a chance to rise again, and help one ruling class overthrow another, they certainly couldn't use this rhetoric to incite ordinary people. They were aware of this. Lothaire was the spiritual leader, and she wrote many slogans and ideas, infusing these thoughts with her own ideology and supernatural abilities.
He had no intention of interfering in the birth of the Silver Revolutionary Army, because it was a choice of the times, and he alone could not stop the wheels of the entire era. In summary, this plot can be seen as the first time in countless years of peace that various advanced civilizations have joined forces to challenge the dominance of the three cosmic-level civilizations... No civilization is willing to be ruled forever. When ambition and strength reach a certain limit, the clash between the newly emerging powerhouse and the established hegemon is inevitable and cannot be avoided.
Therefore, it's better to sit back and watch the situation unfold, and see someone you know well rise to power. At least you'll have the upper hand and they'll be easier to deal with than a complete stranger.
Putting the thought aside, Han Xiao casually picked up the aggrieved-looking Nero and placed him on his lap. He then called over Sylvia and Melos and asked:
"I'll be going to the Central Galaxy in a few days. Have you prepared the personnel, warships, and resources you've assigned?"
The three nodded in agreement.
"Very good." Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief.
This trip to Central Galaxy wasn't for tourism; he had many things to take care of.
Come to think of it, this is the first time in my life that I have left the Shattered Star Ring and traveled to another star system.