Everyone took their seats and began the meeting, which Tarrokov was giving to explain the current state of the exploration.
After listening for a while, Ravenlaude was in a good mood. He was also exploring the Gaolu Star Cluster. The long-distance stargate passage established by the Black Star Army gave him more options, which was very advantageous to him.
"I wonder what Black Star is thinking," Ravenlaude chuckled to himself.
Like Heber's steady and methodical exploration of the Renault Star Cluster, subsequent exploration teams found no profit and could only slowly warp in. The Black Star Army, however, seemed indifferent to their own interests, burning themselves to warm those who followed. What kind of spirit is this? This is the spirit of selfless interstellarism!
Ravenlaude glanced at Han Xiao, his eyes growing increasingly playful.
Noticing Ravenlaude's gaze, Han Xiao turned around and smiled at him, a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Although the long-distance stargate facilitated Ravenlaude's exploration, the greatest gain Space-Time Amber, had already fallen into his hands.
Moreover, even though Ravenlaude could freely explore many regions using long-distance stargates, all the richest and most famous planets from his previous life had been seized by Han Xiao, leaving Ravenlaude with very few high-quality planets left. Of course, Ravenlaude was completely unaware of this.
Their eyes met, and sparks seemed to fly, as if they had exchanged a silent message. Each of their eyes held a deeper meaning, which could be roughly described as follows:
Ravenlaude: Hmph, you got the short end of the stick.
Han Xiao: Tsk tsk, you little brat, you still don't realize you're the one who's at a disadvantage.
The meeting ended quickly, and everyone dispersed. Since the first exploration team, including Han Xiao and Heber, had already built the stargates and bridgeheads, the second exploration team could directly reach various star clusters without wasting time on Lighthouse Star, and they soon set off.
Milizaus and Beoni's troops were also mobilized, but they themselves stayed behind to accompany Han Xiao, acting as temporary guards for the Evolution Cube.
As both are Beyond Grade A combatants of the Empire, neither of them minds cultivating a relationship with their colleague, Black Star.
In the spacious room, the three sat facing each other, with three cups of steaming, fiery red liquid on the table. These were specialties brought by Beoni from his home, said to be a popular drink among the Flame Demon Race.
Han Xiao took a big gulp. The taste was thick and creamy, scalding hot, like a line of fire going down his throat. His stomach felt warm, and a series of "-0" damage warnings popped up above his head.
"It tastes good. What is this?" Han Xiao smacked his lips, finding it quite appealing.
"Hehe, this is magma from the Land of the Fire Core, and it's been mixed with concentrated alcohol. Tasty, isn't it?"
Damn it, you actually gave me lava to drink... Han Xiao's lips twitched.
The Land of the Fire Core seems to be the only Universal Treasure possessed by the Flame Demon Race. It appears to be a nurturing ground that allows nascent Flame Demons to grow rapidly. Han Xiao remembers that the Extinguished Legion has always wanted to destroy this thing.
After hesitating for a moment, Han Xiao still didn't put down the cup, and couldn't help but take another sip, licking his lips.
"... One more drink, please."
I must say, this taste is actually quite addictive.
Having lived in stars, drinking some lava is just basic stuff for them.
Milizaus stared speechlessly at the cup before him. Even as a magical avatar, he wasn't sure whether he should drink from it. He shook his head, interrupting the two, and asked, "Black Star, what was the deal you mentioned earlier?"
Han Xiao put down his cup and smiled, "The Dragon Blood Nation's various Dragonblood Elixirs are renowned throughout the universe. I'd like to exchange my Evolution Cube usage slot for a Dragonblood Elixir. You are the leader of the Astral Spirit Dragon, so you must also want some of your capable clansmen to evolve, right?"
Milizaus pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, how exactly do we exchange them?"
Dragon Blood Elixir was a specialty product that was sold, so Milizaus naturally wouldn't refuse. The Dragon Blood Nation was a hybrid dragon race created by nourishing dragon blood, and its members were vassals and armed organizations. The Astral Spirit Dragon were the foundation he valued.
"Two tons of ordinary dragon blood potion plus one hundred kilograms of refined dragon blood potion, in exchange for one hundred Evolution Cube slots."
Milizaus was somewhat bewildered.
ton?
Dragon Blood Elixir is usually sold by the bottle, damn it!
Milizaus said with dissatisfaction, "It takes the blood of over ten tons of Grade C dragons to extract one ton of dragon blood potion. The ratio for refining dragon blood potion is even more disparate. Why don't I just give you a few dragons and let you bleed them yourself?"
Han Xiao pondered seriously, "It's not impossible..."
"You're so dark-skinned!" Milizaus exclaimed angrily.
"It's not like we have to buy all the spots at once. We can take our time." Han Xiao chuckled. Friendships are friendships, but when it comes to business, you have to be ambitious.
He needs so much Dragon Blood Elixir, he certainly can't use it all himself, he mainly uses it to train capable cadres and resell it to players at high prices.
Selling products from another faction to broaden the Black Star Army's merchandise channels and indirectly increase the faction's attractiveness has become a habit for Han Xiao.
Milizaus was speechless. Even though we're large and have a lot of blood, you can't just keep squeezing us dry!
"If you have any concerns, I can let your tribesmen experience the actual effects of the Evolution Cube for free," Han Xiao said.
"Alright, let's find an open space. I'll summon a dragon." Milizaus nodded.
Han Xiao looked at Beoni, Beoni indicated that he had no objection and also wanted to observe the effect.
The three of them went out together and came to a spacious metal plaza.
Han Xiao looked up and saw a giant dragon descending from the sky.
whoosh--
With a flap of its wings, the Astral Spirit Dragon stirred up a howling gale, and landed on the plaza with a thud, causing the earth to tremble slightly.
Han Xiao looked the dragon up and down. The dragon was long and slender, about a thousand meters long. It had two pairs of wide wings on its back and three pairs of claws on its body. Its neck was raised high, like a thick python, and it was bent over. Its head was lowered and a pair of cold, golden dragon eyes stared at the three of them.
This is a normal Astral Spirit Dragon. Compared to Milizaus, its size is not as exaggerated. This Astral Spirit Dragon does not have the habit of running around naked. Its body is covered with sections of black metal armor, and most of its body is wrapped in specially made heavy armor.
The armor is also equipped with mechanical weapons, including ship-mounted turrets and warship shields, making it fully armed. This heavily armored dragon can be used as a warship, and the combination of machinery and flesh creates a powerful and aesthetically pleasing design.
Numerous magical circuits were engraved on these armors and dragon bodies, shimmering with a faint Glimmer, clearly indicating that they were enchanted.
"This is my Armed Dragon Guards. Let them test the effects of the Evolution Cube first," Milizaus said. As Beyond Grade A, he also had his own elite force, the Armed Dragon Guards, which was just like Austin's Forbidden Sorcerer Force.
Wow, this thing looks really cool... Han Xiao's eyes lit up. The image of this giant creature fully armed was just right for his taste.
Temporarily releasing the encapsulation of the Evolution Cube, Han Xiao activated it, and a surge of dark Evolution Energy erupted, enveloping the Armed Dragon Guards and forming an evolutionary black cocoon.
Click click...
Not long after, the black cocoon shattered, like a newborn hatching from an egg. In the keen senses of the three Beyond Grade A beings, the aura of this Armed Dragon Guards had grown considerably, its size had become significantly larger, and the heavy armor on its body no longer fit properly.
howl--
The Armed Dragon Guards suddenly raised its head and exhaled a burst of dazzling silver-purple dragon breath. The surging pillar of light was like a fountain shooting into the sky, spreading continuously like a magnificent sea of light. It exploded into jade-like light fragments thousands of meters in the air, like fireworks, with an astonishing momentum.
"It looks like it's working well." Beoni was a little envious. If this strengthened the females of the Flame Demon Race, they would be able to withstand more of his fiery essence, which would definitely be beneficial for the reproduction of his race.
You get what you pay for, and Milizaus was quite satisfied.
"Okay, at this price, I'll buy... two thousand spots."
"Two thousand isn't enough. Although your Astral Spirit Dragon has a small population, you still have at least a million dragons, right? Buy more," Han Xiao chuckled, urging them on.
"We'll talk about that later," Milizaus snorted.
If we buy tens of thousands of spots at once, our Astral Spirit Dragon can be renamed the Anemic Dragon Clan.
"I have one more request." Han Xiao chuckled dryly, his gaze sweeping over the Armed Dragon Guards before him. "I think your Astral Spirit Dragon are quite beautiful..."
"What are you planning to do now?" Milizaus asked warily.
"Would you mind if I recruited a few Stardragon and Spirit Dragons as companions...?"
"Don't even think about it!" Milizaus was so angry he almost lost control of his magical avatar.
Partner? Do you think I didn't see the lustful look in your eyes? You probably want my people to be your mounts! That's too much! Why don't you just ride me instead!
Milizaus had read Han Xiao's information before coming and already knew a bit about his shamelessness, but after actually meeting him, Han Xiao's shamelessness still exceeded his expectations. It was one thing to blatantly raise prices, but to his face to express that he wanted to ride his dragon sons and grandsons, how could there be such a shameless Beyond Grade A!
However, Milizaus didn't dislike it; on the contrary, he somewhat liked Black Star's style. In the universe, more than 80% of the Beyond Grade A beings were pretentious and always had a cold face, as if they were afraid others wouldn't know they were important. Occasionally, he would encounter someone with a different style, and he was quite happy.
Having lived this long, one either becomes indifferent to everything or develops a greater fondness for novelties. Milizaus and Iso share a common interest: they are both masochists.
Central Galaxy, Shining Silver Arm, the Mother Planet of the Arcane Church.
In a grand hall, the bishops sat around a round table, arguing heatedly about the problem of the Evolution Cube.
Deploying a large number of Beyond Grade A combatants at once is no small matter and requires a decision from the highest levels of the Arcane Church. However, due to the changes in Sisko, the opinions of the bishops have diverged.
I think we should abandon this plan!
As he spoke, a bishop stood up, his tone calm, "We've lost our connection to the Evolution Cube and are now in a dilemma. According to the latest intelligence, the Empire is aware of our intentions. Black Star has returned to the Lighthouse Star outpost, hiding under heavy protection. The Empire has also assigned him two bodyguards, ' Burning ' Beoni and ' Dragon King ' Milizaus. If we continue with our plan, we will be facing three high-ranking Crimson Dynasty fighters, which is already a Head-On Conflict and goes against our original intentions."
The area around Lighthouse Star is heavily guarded. If our smuggling fleet appears within Lighthouse Star's surveillance sector, it will be detected by the Empire, and we'll face the Lighthouse Star garrison, which has already completed its war preparations. The risk is too great.
Everyone looked at him in silence.
"More importantly, without the Evolution Cube's location, if Black Star hides it, we'll have no way to find it. Capturing Black Star alive is also an extremely difficult task; the rewards don't outweigh the risks. We..." The bishop paused, then sighed, "... let's abandon the Evolution Cube."
Unable to refute, the crowd instinctively turned to look at the main seat, which should have been the leader's seat but was now empty. However, they knew that the discussion taking place here had already reached the leader's ears.
The discussion has reached a stalemate; the rest depends on the coach's Choice.
After a while, a 3D projection suddenly appeared in the center of the round table, transforming into several lines of text—the papacy's reply. The bishops all looked over. (And-book)
The head of state responded with four messages.
"First, the gods have revealed that the Evolution Cube is still on Black Star."
"Second, the plan is changed; attack Lighthouse Star."
"Third, a new objective has been added, allowing the use of the [Scepter of All Gods] to attempt to kill Milizaus."
Fourth, the Federation of Light has agreed to provide assistance.