The Empire's search in the Shattered Star Ring took longer than anyone expected; three months passed in the blink of an eye, and many of the Empire's Beyond Grade A were stationed in the Shattered Star Ring for that long.
However, the Empire's search did not yield much success. The Beyond Grade A agents who infiltrated interstellar society to disguise themselves were too secretive and flexible. In the past three months, the Empire had only captured many spies from the Arcane Church and occasionally obtained information about the whereabouts of suspected individuals such as Sagman, but all the Empire's Beyond Grade A agents' efforts came to nothing.
These spies from the Arcane Church were subjected to rigorous interrogation, pressed for details about the whereabouts of Sagman and his group. Even spies from a cosmic-level civilization couldn't hide their secrets under such circumstances. However, the Arcane Church had taken precautions; these spies didn't know Sagman and his group's exact location, only following orders to go to a certain place at a certain time. Some information was deliberately misleading, a smokescreen to the Empire, and very little useful information was available.
When the Arcane Church decided to activate the Shattered Star Ring's spy network, they were already prepared to lose them.
Besides the Shattered Star Ring, the Crimson Dynasty and the Arcane Church have also been active in other star systems. In the past three months, there have been multiple border clashes, leading to tense bilateral relations and a tense atmosphere that gives people a sense of impending doom.
In summary, the Crimson Dynasty came to demand answers with great force, while the Arcane Church acted aggressively, displaying its arrogance despite its lack of justification... At least from the outside, it seemed as if the two sides were on the verge of war.
However, as high-ranking officials of the empire, Han Xiao and others obtained inside information from Tarrokov that the Arcane Church had recently contacted the Crimson Dynasty privately, and the two sides were already discussing solutions to the matter behind the scenes. The attitudes of both sides were just for show, and in reality, a war was unlikely to break out.
The Arcane Church's submission was a last resort. Two of their own Beyond Grade A had been captured by the Empire, and they had to get them back no matter what. Otherwise, who would risk their lives for them? Fighting to the end would only make the Federation of Light laugh their heads off. Right now, the Arcane Church's biggest enemy wasn't the Crimson Dynasty, but the Federation of Light, that damned bastard.
The actions of the Federation of Light in the Shattered Star Ring could not escape the eyes of a cosmic-level civilization. Taking advantage of the situation and fueling the flames, the Federation, like the Empire, was searching for the whereabouts of Sagman and others. Although the cooperation between the two sides was limited to borrowing the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter, the Arcane Church was still very angry.
The Shattered Star Ring is the territory of the Federation of Light, with deep roots. Their involvement led to the large-scale exposure of the Arcane Church's spies.
Friction between civilizations is primarily about vying for interests, and the worship of Beyond Grade A is also for this purpose. The Arcane Church hopes to resolve this dispute through diplomatic negotiations and redeem Dilun and Motes.
Fleets and various high-tech weapons constitute the basic military strength of a civilization, while Beyond Grade A weapons are special weapons of a deterrent nature. In the course of exploration, if you capture an enemy's Beyond Grade A combat force, you either turn it into your own or kill it directly.
However, the Galaxy Calendar is more peaceful than the Exploration Calendar. After all, compared with the past, the current interstellar situation is generally stable and harmonious. No one can shake the dominant position of the Three Universal Civilizations. The battlefield has gradually shifted from military to political, cultural, economic and diplomatic aspects, and the bloodshed is not so intense.
Therefore, redeeming people is not impossible, as long as one is willing to pay a hefty price, it is negotiable. Over the long course of history, the three major cosmic-level civilizations have all had Beyond Grade A combat forces in each other's hands, and there is no guarantee that this situation will continue in the future. Therefore, they have all tacitly agreed to the unspoken rule of redeeming people, which has become a common practice. However, this treatment is limited to the three of them. Supercluster-level civilizations do not have the right to redeem people.
Han Xiao didn't care about this. He had already received his contribution points, and since he had handed over the prisoners, how to deal with them was a matter for the empire.
For the past three months, he has stayed at the Black Star Army headquarters. Even when he was conscripted by the Empire, he only sent Dark Emperor to lead the mechanical troops on an expedition, while he himself stayed at the headquarters and did not go anywhere else.
Like him, Maxiler, as a mechanic who can assign long-range troops to expeditions, has the advantage of being able to stay at home all the time.
Maxiler, a Beyond Grade A mechanic from the energy branch, stayed at the Black Star Army headquarters as a guest to exchange techniques with Han Xiao. The two had a pleasant conversation, and after three months of reading together, their relationship had grown much closer.
Han Xiao had thought that Ames would come looking for him, but after finishing the Stargate battle, Ames returned to Floating Dragon Island on her own and did not bring up the matter. Her attitude was as if she had only done what she wanted to do, and that this little thing was not worth mentioning and did not require thanks.
This unspoken understanding pleased Han Xiao greatly; what a reliable ally!
During this period, he spent most of his time manufacturing machinery. With the newly acquired [Endless Material Science], he was able to synthesize all sorts of incredible materials to improve the basic performance of many machines, thus comprehensively enhancing the combat power of the mechanical legion and putting greater pressure on Beyond Grade A machines.
The Mechanic Emperor can deal with Beyond Grade A with just its long-range forces and can fight multiple Beyond Grade A simultaneously in different locations. That's the orthodox way of combat for mechanics. As for his own hard power in this area, he's still lacking and has a long period of accumulation. After all, he's only been Beyond Grade A for about a year at most.
In the battle of Lighthouse Star, his mechanical legion suffered considerable losses. If it weren't for his mechanical legion holding the line, everyone would have been wiped out. Han Xiao used this time to replenish his mechanical forces.
Developing the Shattered World has brought him a continuous stream of Enas, making him incredibly wealthy. One of his goals in building such a vast power was to ensure that he wouldn't have to worry about the cost of manufacturing machinery.
Han Xiao gave the three newly created Apostle Weapon slots to Silver Flash, Giant King Kong, and Heavenly Wild Hunt. The three awakened their respective Apostle weapons, traits, and powers.
Silver Flash has enhanced ranged destructive power, making it a damage dealer. Its apostle weapon is an enhanced version of the Star Destroyer Cannon, transformed from its main body, and is unique to it, named [Destruction Spreader].
The Giant King Kong's defining characteristic is its role as a tank/meat shield, possessing immense strength. Its Apostle weapon is a fully-enhanced mechanical exoskeleton covering its entire body, which is detachable like armor and can transform into a giant shield. It is self-repairing and is called the [Titan War Armor], making it even more formidable. The Giant King Kong's size, combined with this armor, inexplicably reminded Han Xiao of certain comic book characters called "Celestials" from his previous life, as they shared a six or seven-tenths resemblance in appearance.
The Heavenly Wild Hunt is a beast-like mechanical lifeform with a body structure that differs from others, twisted and angular, possessing a rugged and savage charm amidst its exquisite and complex design. A pair of mechanical wings are attached to its back, covering an area of tens of meters when spread out. Its overall appearance is a combination of a tiger, leopard, wolf, eagle, and dragon. Its characteristic is assault and dash, agile and flexible. Its apostle weapon is an enhanced rapid-travel module with the ability to flash continuously, named the [Hunting Module].
Han Xiao generally allocates his Apostle Weapon slots to earlier-stage mechanical lifeforms, who have already matured and are relatively reliable. He also tries to allocate slots to different types of mechanical lifeforms to diversify the capabilities of his Apostle Weapon.
During these three months, Han Xiao issued faction missions, prompting many players to rush back to the Shattered Star Ring to participate in the search.
Unexplored star systems are not as lively Explored Universe. After spending a long time in the Shattered World, players have a deep understanding of the vastness and silence of the universe. Often, when piloting a spaceship through several star sectors, they do not see anyone, which can easily lead to a sense of loneliness and insignificance. Returning to the Shattered Star Ring can change their mood, and many players feel that the world has come alive again.
Exploring unfamiliar star systems is indeed epic, and players of the Shattered Star Ring know that Shattered World is a major event. However, after actual exploration, the novelty wears off. In contrast, some people prefer to stay in the Shattered Star Ring, where there are countless NPCs, diverse gameplay, and abundant events, making it more enjoyable.
Han Xiao didn't force these players. Although he occasionally joked that players were just laborers, he knew their nature very well. Sometimes, even profit had to give way to fun, which was what most ordinary players were after.
He won't forcibly restrict players' freedom; all he does is provide tasks and rewards. Whether players complete them or not is none of his concern. After all, these players don't yet know that the next version of Shattered World will be the most bustling place in the universe, bar none.
On the forum, Meat Bun edited his footage of the Battle of Lighthouse Star into a video, and filled in some scenes that were not filmed in the dungeon, which aroused a new wave of attention.
Everyone was very curious, and after watching, they were amazed. It was a melee of eleven Beyond Grade A, and it was the first time the players had ever seen such a scene.
It's worth mentioning that after Han Xiao obtained the right to generate the Battle of Lighthouse Star Dungeon Generation, he created Dungeon Crystal and sold them in the faction shop. Although the instance's intensity far exceeded what players could currently handle, he capitalized on players' curiosity about Beyond Grade A melee battles, seeing it as a business opportunity.
As expected, sales of Battle of Lighthouse Star Dungeon Crystal remain high. According to statistics, the average survival time of players in this dungeon is about 47 seconds, suffering madly but enjoying it nonetheless.
Players are primarily curious about the strength of Beyond Grade A, and what they most want to know is the true combat power of Legion Commander Han Xiao, something they now have a deep understanding of.
An ordinary cannon fodder mechanical soldier, after receiving Mechanical Force boost, is equivalent to a boss -Grade SS monster to the player. Taking down a ten-person player squad is as easy as cutting melons and vegetables. They have almost no chance to fight back, and even breaking through their defenses is difficult.
Looking at the cosmic battlefield, Black Star seems to have tens of millions of these mechanical soldiers...
Having endured a difficult journey, players have gained a clearer understanding of Han Xiao's actual combat strength.
Starting with version 1.0, Black Star's danger level has always been "Extremely Lethal," because the highest level is only "Extremely Lethal."
Knock knock knock.
There was a knock on the door of the mechanical modification room. Han Xiao, who was debugging the assembly line, stopped what he was doing and asked Phillip to open the door.
Lagi and a Forbidden Sorcerer dressed in a red robe walked in.
"Greetings, Lord Black Star." The Forbidden Sorcerer bowed. "Master Austin sent me to receive the agreed-upon materials."
"Okay, I've already prepared everything. Wait a moment, I'll have the workers load it onto your spaceship."
Han Xiao waved his hand, instructing Phillip to contact the Logistics Department and deliver the several large boxes of amber balls he had prepared to them.
This was one of the conditions agreed upon with Austin, and the old man kept his promise, so naturally he wouldn't go back on his word.
The Forbidden Sorcerer bowed again, exchanged a few casual words, and then took his leave.
Han Xiao was about to continue debugging the machine when he suddenly noticed that the Lagi station was standing next to him and showed no sign of leaving.
"Why are you still here?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
"You're looking down on me?" Hearing this, Lagi frowned. "Sure enough, someone like me won't be liked anywhere. My boss doesn't like me, I guess I should just switch jobs..."
"Nonsense, how could I possibly look down on you?"
Han Xiao had a headache and quickly stopped him, saying irritably, "What do you want to tell me? If not, go back to slacking off and don't bother me with my efforts to improve."
"Sigh, you weren't like this before. You used to treat me so respectfully when you asked me to enchant your things..." Lagi sighed, sounding resentful. "So, you don't even respect me anymore..."
What's with that complaining, woman-like tone you're using?!
Han Xiao's eyelids twitched, and he suppressed the urge to hit him, gritting his teeth and saying, "Get to the point, or don't bother me!"
Lagi shook his head and said, "I actually came to offer some suggestions."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao's eyes widened suddenly, and he looked at Lagi with an expression as if he had discovered a new continent.
What's going on? Isn't my position as deputy commander just for show?!
When will you offer suggestions?
Could it be that the sun is rising from the west today...? Oh, it's an artificial sun; it can rise from whichever direction it wants.
"What... suggestions do you have?"
Han Xiao unconsciously lowered his voice, feeling inexplicably cautious, like a hunter encountering a deer in the jungle, afraid of scaring his prey away, so he slowed his breathing.
"I heard from His Excellency Milizaus that your several pursuits have all ended in failure."
"And then?" Han Xiao nodded. Milizaus was a master of arcane arts, and for some reason, he seemed to admire Lagi.
As the vice commander of the legion, Lagi is a man of status. Recently, he has been frequently in contact with Milizaus, asking him for advice on a few secret techniques. Even if it's just for Han Xiao's sake, Milizaus wouldn't refuse.
"The Shattered Star Ring is so vast, how could Beyond Grade A possibly be found if they're determined to hide? I think we should give up the pursuit and let the Crimson Dynasty find it themselves. We shouldn't waste our manpower and resources," Lagi said.
"That's strange. Why are you suddenly concerned about this? Did you take the wrong One Leaf Green medicine?" Han Xiao asked, puzzled.
"As the vice-commander, isn't it normal for me to care about the legion's development...?" Lagi said with a troubled expression, "It seems that in your heart..."
"Stop!"
Han Xiao felt a headache coming on as soon as he heard Lagi speak.
In fact, most people who have been in contact with Lagi for a long time will have this reaction, Han Xiao decided to name this symptom "Lagi Syndrome".
"Alright, I've heard your suggestion, and I'll consider adopting it depending on the situation... Can you leave now?" Han Xiao asked patiently, a smile on his face and veins throbbing on his forehead.
"... So you still dislike me after all."
"Get out!"
Shattered Star Ring, a large neutral spaceport.
On the bustling dock street, Sagman and Taylor mingled in the crowd. The two disguised themselves with magic, becoming two ordinary-looking Aso Race, humanoid creatures with blue skin, distinctive features such as purple eye rims, only three fingers on each hand, and four auricles on each ear.
The two entered the port and underwent identity checks at the gate. Through facial recognition and communication card verification, the database of interstellar citizens was searched, and the screen confirmed their identities. Only then did they pass through the gate smoothly.
The two were disguised by spies from the Arcane Church who had recently contacted them. Their identities were real, and they had been given dozens of disguises that they could change at any time, making it difficult to leave any trace.
Upon entering the port hall, the two glanced around and noticed several suspicious individuals in a corner who were eyeing passersby with an aura unlike that of ordinary people.
Seeing this, the two began communicating through their consciousness.
"More spies searching our area."
"Even this and the book have spies. The Empire has really used a lot of resources to hunt us down."
"I wonder how things are going in Ninja..."
After escaping the Shattered World, the four parted ways, forming three groups: Ninja fled alone with the Scepter of All Gods, Sagman and Taylor joined forces, and Sisko acted alone with the help of the Star Pupil Protoss.
During this time, spies from the Crimson Dynasty and the Federation of Light were everywhere in the Shattered Star Ring, making it extremely difficult for Sagman and Taylor to move around. Fortunately, they received help from batches of spies from the Arcane Church, which allowed them to hide their tracks and remain undetected.
The two were extremely frustrated. As a Beyond Grade A being, they were respected wherever they went. Despite possessing immense power, they now had to avoid these weak spies, hiding and fleeing like rats... It was so humiliating!
The two changed spaceships many times along the way, basically changing to a different one every time they arrived at a new place. Not long ago, they used Enas's clean record to buy a new spaceship at this spaceport, which was currently stored in the port's hangar. The two were preparing to set off again.
As they walked, a slight commotion came from one of the dock passageways, a sound that did not escape their notice.
Looking around, a group of Space Marines in armor emerged from the passage. The emblem of their faction was etched on the chest of their armor, resembling a black star radiating light—the mark of the Black Star Army.
The crowded people parted to make way, and one by one, awe-inspiring gazes focused on the Black Star Army warriors, paying their respects.
As a rising Beyond Grade A force, members of the Black Star Army are often surrounded by onlookers and enjoy special treatment.
Sagman frowned. "They're from the Black Star Army."
"Black Star's men are very strange; avoid them."
The two looked away and hurriedly left in another direction.
Meanwhile, the Black Star Army warriors weaved through the crowd, thoroughly enjoying the awe-inspiring gazes of the passersby, casually scanning the crowd.
Just then, a legion member suddenly looked in the direction where Sagman and his companion had left, looking somewhat puzzled, and nudged his companion next to him.
"That's strange. I think I just saw two red-named individuals over there, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye. I don't know if I was mistaken."
"This is a neutral port; it's probably frequented by space pirates or something."
"Shall we go and take a look?"
"Hmm, that works too. We're here to turn in a mission anyway, so we can take down some space pirates along the way and earn some extra cash."