Soon, the communicator emitted a cone-shaped beam of simulated projection light, which quickly swept across the room. Wherever it passed, the scene in the room instantly changed, transforming into the conference room where Urranrell and a group of high-ranking military officials were located, as if one were actually there.
Han Xiao glanced around and found that everyone present was a high-ranking military officer, all staring at him with expressions of curiosity, scrutiny, admiration, and amazement, showing great interest in him.
"Black Star, you have made a great contribution in this incident, and the Empire will reward you for your contributions." Urranrell, sitting in the main seat, stared at Han Xiao, his tone full of praise.
"I was just trying to save myself." In this setting where the empire's top brass were gathered, Han Xiao couldn't help but say something polite and modest, which felt quite comfortable.
"In any case, you deserve credit." Urranrell made a rare polite remark before getting down to business, "Tarrokov has already described the course of this battle, but I'd like to hear your version; there are some questions I need you to answer."
Han Xiao didn't take it seriously. He viewed the battle from the perspective of Beyond Grade A player, so the information he had was naturally different. He recounted the whole story from beginning to end, but briefly mentioned the parts related to the control panel.
Urranrell nodded and asked, "I'd like to know if your method of resisting and sealing the Scepter of All Gods is a new Universal Treasure?"
"Yes, this is something I stumbled upon while exploring the Shattered World; it's a Cosmic Wonder."
"I see." Urranrell didn't press for the name and function of the Space-Time Amber. If Black Star was willing to tell her, he would; if not, she wouldn't force the meritorious official who had just made a contribution. Of course, Beyond Grade A was qualified to keep the secret of his own abilities. She only needed to make sure that Black Star was one of her own.
"I sealed the Scepter of All Gods. If nothing unexpected happens, the Arcane Church will have a hard time breaking my seal, they just don't know it yet... The Scepter of All Gods is Universal Treasure they value, they might try to negotiate with the Empire privately."
Upon hearing this, Urranrell's eyes flickered slightly, and he countered, "Are you sure it will be difficult for them to break the seal?"
"Nothing is absolute. The Arcane Church might be able to figure something out, but statistically speaking, their success rate in breaking the seal is very low. It's very likely that only I can help them break the seal on the Scepter of All Gods."
"I understand. If it's really as you say, we underestimated your contribution. With the Arcane Church losing the Scepter of All Gods, their deterrent effect on Beyond Grade A combatants will drop a notch. I've decided to retaliate against the Arcane Church Cult. You've reduced the chances of unexpected casualties among the Empire's Beyond Grade A combatants. Very good." Urranrell paused. "However, the incident on Lighthouse Star has strained relations between the two sides. In the short term, the Arcane Church won't negotiate with us privately; instead, they'll pretend they've broken the seal."
"Hmm, you're right." Han Xiao thought about it and realized that if the Empire wanted to retaliate, the Arcane Church wouldn't give in easily. They might put on a brave face, secretly struggling to break the seal while outwardly appearing strong but inwardly weak.
"Also, regarding the issue of the Sorokin, the Arcane Church has actually collaborated with the infamous Fallen Ark. The Empire will issue a statement to the entire universe condemning the Arcane Church's actions..." Urranrell changed the subject, "Don't worry, the Empire has no objection to your use of the Evolution Cube to appease the Sorokin this time."
Han Xiao was taken aback, then realized that his overt scheme against the Sorokin had worked, but in essence, he had still made a deal with the Sorokin. However, the Empire was not unreasonable. If it were a private deal with the Sorokin Sorokin in front of everyone was a helpless move. Urranrell's statement that he would not pursue the matter meant that the Empire's intention was not to allow anyone to use this incident to damage Black Star's reputation.
From this statement, Han Xiao realized that Urranrell was trying to recruit him into the leader's faction. Summoning him personally was not only a compliment but also a statement of this attitude. With such a vast empire, internal strife was inevitable, and factions were everywhere. Han Xiao had made a contribution this time and would be fine while he was at the height of his power, but after a while, some factions might take advantage of the situation.
'If any Imperial Beyond Grade A soldiers were to die this time, or if I hadn't captured Dilun, someone might have used this to force me to hand over the Evolution Cube...' Han Xiao was secretly startled. He hadn't thought about it in detail since the battle had just ended, but now, after Urranrell's subtle reminder, he understood the leader's good intentions.
"Thank you, Your Excellency." Han Xiao nodded.
Urranrell hummed in agreement. "As for Dilun, what are your plans for dealing with him?"
"I've decided to hand him over to the Empire," Han Xiao said slowly. "The Arcane Church suffered a crushing defeat this time, and they won't easily target the Evolution Cube again. However, if I keep Dilun as a prisoner, the Arcane Church, considering the opinions of their allies, will definitely not stand idly by and will take rescue measures. I don't want this incident to repeat itself. If it happens again, I might not be as lucky as I am today. It's better to hand him over to the Empire as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Arcane Church."
Although the Arcane Church was repelled this time, imprisoning Dilun in a personal capacity would be more than just a slap in the face; it would be trampling on the Arcane Church's dignity. After all, they are a cosmic-level civilization. Retaliation is not a problem, but completely enraging them would almost certainly lead to dire consequences. Dilun is a hot potato; keeping him in one's hands would do far more harm than good. It would be better to hand him over to the Empire, gaining greater merit and a large wave of faction contribution points, which could then be used to exchange for Ultimate Knowledge.
"You did the right thing. I thought the same thing. I was going to try to persuade you otherwise, but since you're willing to hand it over, that's even better."
A rare smile appeared on Urranrell's usually indifferent face. Knowing that Han Xiao had accepted her offer, she smiled faintly, "You've done a great job this time. Besides the Empire's praise and support for you and the Black Star Army, feel free to ask for anything else you need."
The Empire will definitely provide the Black Star Army with greater resource support this time, which goes without saying. Han Xiao then put forward what he hoped for most.
"I hope to gain more Ultimate Knowledge."
"Yes, no problem," Urranrell agreed. "I'll have the head of the Imperial Logistics Bureau speak directly with you; you can just make your request to him."
The emperor, busy with countless affairs of state, could not possibly handle such a trivial matter as exchanging knowledge personally.
Han Xiao smiled and nodded, secretly calculating that the merit he had made this time would definitely be more than just one piece of Ultimate Knowledge. At this level, each piece of knowledge could bring a huge boost to the mechanic's combat power.
However, it's impossible to obtain all the Ultimate Knowledge at once. While it's true that you need to make contributions, the rewards are also based on certain rules. Ultimate Knowledge is one of the important means to attract Beyond Grade A members to join. Even for Beyond Grade A members directly under the Empire, they still need to gradually earn merit to obtain it.
"The impact of this event will affect the entire universe." Urranrell resumed his serious tone, speaking in a deep voice, "The Arcane Church has provoked us, and the Empire must retaliate. However, the Federation of Light has always been inclined to hedge its bets, thus our efforts to explore the Shattered World will be hampered. With the Three Universal Civilizations clashing with each other, those supercluster civilizations will seize this opportunity to intensify their infiltration of the Shattered World. This is exactly what the Arcane and the Glory want to see—forcing the Empire to deal with multiple issues simultaneously, thereby miring us in a quagmire."
Han Xiao knew that Urranrell must have a purpose in saying that, so he asked in a humorous tone, "So what are your thoughts?"
"We need to deter supercluster-level civilizations, so we will gradually recall some of the Beyond Grade A combat forces and troops stationed in the Shattered World. Of course, their influence will continue to explore the Shattered World."
Han Xiao remained silent. He understood what Urranrell meant. The Empire couldn't keep so many Beyond Grade A in the Shattered World forever; they must have had this idea for a long time. However, he didn't care. His and Heber's territory was in the nearby Shattered Star Ring, so they were unlikely to be recalled.
Seeing this, Urranrell changed the subject and asked, "Black Star, what are your thoughts on the Empire's current situation?"
"There's not much difference between you and me. The struggle mainly revolves around the Shattered World, and not just anyone can participate in the competition. The aftershocks of the Crimson Tide are gradually cooling down, so interstellar society will not be affected much. Those star cluster-level and galaxy-level civilizations will become more docile." Han Xiao shrugged.
"Perhaps." Urranrell nodded slowly, then suddenly asked, "Do you have any suggestions for the Empire's counterattack plan?"
Han Xiao's heart stirred slightly. The head of state might not necessarily adopt his suggestions when discussing the empire's plans with him, but this attitude represented an increase in his status and influence within the empire.
After a moment's thought, Han Xiao's eyes flashed, he coughed, and said, "It is necessary for the Empire to retaliate, but the focus can be adjusted. The Arcane Church is also a cosmic-level civilization, and retaliating against them is only a necessary stance. I'm sure His Excellency the Head of State knows that it will be difficult to achieve any results."
"Continue."
"If you ask me, we should focus our retaliation against the Sorokin. The Sorokin also participated in the Battle of Lighthouse Star, and he is much easier to deal with than the Arcane Church. The Desolate Universe Belt in the middle of the Central Galaxy has always been the tacit battlefield where the Three Universal Civilizations clashed. It's a good opportunity to deal with the Sorokin at the same time. If we can eliminate the Fallen Ark, the Empire will have demonstrated a swift and decisive counterattack, which will be even more deterrent."
This incident presents a good opportunity to persuade the Empire to take decisive action against the Sorokin. If they can get the Empire's help, the chances of eliminating the Sorokin will be even higher.
Urranrell remained noncommittal, saying calmly, "I will have someone analyze your suggestion. The most urgent task now is to pursue the fleet of the Arcane Church and the Sorokin. Once reinforcements arrive, you will follow Tarrokov's command and cooperate with the Imperial fleet... You think you can just attack us and run away? Not so easy!"
After saying that, Urranrell nodded to Han Xiao, "You should go and rest first. We'll need you to continue fighting during the pursuit."
"Good."
After the call ended, the surreal projection in the room disappeared, returning to its original state.
Han Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, secretly pleased. The merits of this battle had made him stand out in front of the imperial high command. In other people's eyes, he had changed from a new ally to a reliable imperial Beyond Grade A, and had even gained the favor of the head of state, thus enhancing his status and influence.
After putting away the communicator, Han Xiao noticed a new notification pop up on the panel. He opened it and took a look.
[You gain 1 Political Asset]
[Political Asset (1): The Crimson Dynasty]
[You have made significant contributions to the Crimson Dynasty and gained considerable political influence—you can now offer suggestions to the Crimson Dynasty, and depending on the reasonableness of the suggestions, the Crimson Dynasty has a certain chance of adopting them.]
[You hold a higher status in the Crimson Dynasty - when interacting with certain factions or figures, the efficiency of accumulating favorability increases by 30%]
[You possess valuable experience - efficiency of gaining experience in all forms +30%]
[Note: The above effect takes effect only if the Crimson Dynasty's alignment is maintained at [Revered]]
"Oh, I thought there was only Legend Points reward, not Political Asset." Han Xiao was surprised, then realized that this was probably an extra reward triggered by Urranrell's attention.
However, maintaining this Political Asset is not easy. He needs to spend faction contribution points to exchange for Ultimate Knowledge, which means ensuring that his contribution points are not less than 6,000, which is half the cost of exchanging for one piece of Ultimate Knowledge.
Han Xiao glanced at the next hint and immediately raised an eyebrow.
[You have gained 10,000 Crimson Dynasty contribution points]
[You gain an additional 5000 Crimson Dynasty Contribution Points]
"I only got the contribution points after talking to Urranrell..." Han Xiao rubbed his chin. He had an NPC panel and could reward Black Star Army members with contribution points at will. Urranrell, as the faction leader, was the same in principle, but Urranrell was unaware of it.
The 10,000 contribution points were the reward for this battle, and the extra 5,000 points were probably the credit I gave to Dilun. Adding those to the 3,000-plus Imperial contribution points I had saved, that brings my total to over 18,000 points.
"That's enough to exchange for three Ultimate Knowledge." Han Xiao's eyes lit up.
Ultimate Knowledge is different from cutting-edge knowledge; the Empire won't give it directly. It's still done through exchange. The "care" that Urranrell mentioned seems to actually manifest as giving more contribution points.
"In that case, I can exchange for two knowledge points and keep 6,000 points to maintain my Political Asset. There's no rush to exchange them all."
After closing the panel, Han Xiao felt satisfied, experiencing the joy of finally reaping the rewards after hard work.
Just then, a blue light suddenly shone through the porthole, illuminating his sharply defined, eternally youthful face.
Turning to look out the window, I saw that not far from Lighthouse Star, the stargate had finally been assembled and activated, with a dark blue vortex of spatial energy spinning rapidly within the stargate ring.
"Finally here."
As time went on, batches of support fleets sailed out of the stargate, including the Imperial direct fleet, allies of star cluster-level civilizations such as Krent, and Beyond Grade A forces such as the Black Star Army and the War Realm.
Most of these troops are stationed around the outposts on the edges of the three star clusters. If the Arcane Church were to attack the current Lighthouse Star, their only fate would be to be swiftly annihilated and thoroughly beaten.
"The battle is over?!"
On Tarrokov's flagship, Heber, who had abandoned the main fleet and rushed back in a high-warp spaceship Ravenlaude, who had used arcane teleportation and a stargate to provide support, and Maxiler was projected remotely, all gathered together and sat opposite Han Xiao and the other three.
Upon learning that the Lighthouse Star Force had repelled the enemy without any support, Heber and his two companions couldn't help but show expressions of shock.
Under such overwhelming combat power, how did Lighthouse Star manage to hold out?
Black Star turned the tide of the Beyond Grade A battlefield, and not only that, he also captured one of his opponents alive.
Heber and Ravenlaude had mixed feelings. They had thought they were saviors, but before they even arrived, Han Xiao had already driven back the enemy, as if they were completely unnecessary...
However, this thought did not last long. Although they arrived late, they knew that it was precisely because of the pressure from reinforcements that the Arcane Church had retreated. Thinking about it this way, they felt much better, at least they hadn't just been there for nothing.
"Black Star, I heard you obtained a new Universal Treasure in the Shattered World, and you used it to block the Scepter of All Gods?" Ravenlaude couldn't sit still any longer and asked.
"Yeah, that's right." Han Xiao chuckled.
Upon hearing this, Ravenlaude felt a mix of emotions. He and Black Star had both been exploring the same star cluster, proving that this unknown Universal Treasure was located in the Gaolu Star Cluster, yet Black Star had gotten there first... If it weren't for Black Star, perhaps this Universal Treasure would have been his?
A strange sense of loss welled up in Ravenlaude's heart.
Heber turned to Austin, frowning. "What are you doing here? You've joined the Empire too?"
"I came here specifically to help Black Star," Austin said with a half-smile.
Heber's gaze swept between Han Xiao and Austin, a bitter feeling welling up inside him. When did these two become so close?
Ames and Austin both became friends with Black Star, Heber felt utterly alone in the Shattered Star Ring.
But then he thought of Sisko's situation. Without comparison, there is no hurt, and he immediately felt much more at ease.
However, Heber was not happy either. Black Star had captured Beyond Grade A enemy alive, something he had been pursuing for many years, but Black Star, who had only entered the Beyond Grade A level about a year ago, had obtained it. Heber was somewhat depressed and wanted to punch someone.
At this moment, Tarrokov spoke:
"I have already deployed troops from various regions to block the escape routes of the Sagman and Sorokin fleets. Maxiler has not yet arrived, so we cannot wait any longer. We have already assembled six Beyond Grade A fighters and can begin the pursuit."
His so-called pursuit was not simply chasing after them, but rather deploying Imperial fleets throughout the Shattered World to delay their journey, block their routes, and, based on the direction they were fleeing, send Imperial troops in advance to search for their secret stargates. In short, it was about mobilizing all Imperial forces in the Shattered World to use various means to encircle and intercept them.
On the star map, the fleets of the Arcane Church and the Sorokin appeared as a red mass, rapidly receding into the distance as they fled in different directions. In their escape routes, blue dots representing Imperial forces were blocking their way.
With reinforcements arriving and fresh troops available, the pursuit could proceed with confidence. This time, Milizaus and Beoni had no objections.
Austin said he needed to go home to repair the Palace of Hidden Spells and would not participate in the Empire's actions, Tarrokov did not force the outsiders invited by Han Xiao.
Heber composed himself and suddenly realized that this was an opportunity; perhaps he could fulfill his wish and take down a Beyond Grade A.
Thinking of this, Heber's spirits lifted, and he clenched his fist with tremendous force, creating a loud bang as he said in a deep voice, "Hmph, Motes, is it? I've heard of this guy. Leave him to me."
"Imperial dignity cannot be challenged. Milizaus is still injured, so I'll give Ninja to you." Ravenlaude's eyes gleamed with an arcane light.
External enemies have always been a good remedy for resolving internal conflicts. As a member of the empire, after setting aside the temporary competitive relationship, he also felt a sense of shared hatred against the enemy.
"Then I'll send my ranged mechanical units to support you." Maxiler, the only Beyond Grade A mechanic who wasn't present, looked at Han Xiao. "Black Star, your mechanical legion has suffered heavy losses. If you need it, my legion can be temporarily lent to you."
"Okay, thank you."
Han Xiao nodded, stood up, and looked around at all the Beyond Grade A present. A cold light flashed in his eyes, and his tone was sharp and piercing.
"In that case, let's take action and see if they can easily escape back to the Central Galaxy!"
The roles have reversed; the hunter has become the prey, and the prey has become the hunter.
The moment of counterattack has arrived!