Before leaving the exhibition hall, Han Xiao took the initiative to give Li Yalin the hug she hadn't finished. At that moment, there was no difference in status, only the friendship of a long-awaited reunion.
More than 20 years have passed, and the friends he made at the beginning have all had their own lives and choices. He would not interfere in other people's lives, so after paying back the "debt," he did nothing more to Li Yalin.
After saying goodbye to Li Yalin, Han Xiao and Ames spent more than ten days touring the major cities of Planet Aquamarine. They were recognized by citizens in various places, and their journey was lively and bustling. Their last stop was Black Star City, where they visited Bennett.
Ever since countless photos of him with Han Xiao circulated on social media, Bennett knew that Han Xiao would definitely come to see him sometime soon. He simply waited and did not disturb their plans.
Now that Han Xiao and Ames both have close cooperative relationships with Planet Aquamarine, Bennett is on high alert when meeting with the two.
After finishing the formal conversation, Bennett couldn't help but ask about Nero's situation. Han Xiao truthfully told him about Nero's heavy workload. Bennett felt that Han Xiao valued Nello and was very happy, suggesting that Han Xiao increase the training efforts for Nero.
After finishing his inspection of Planet Aquamarine, Han Xiao went to Dragon Calm again. He originally planned to sneak into old man Iso's cellar and take some Void Dragon Bone Wine back to enjoy with Melos and the others. However, Iso foresaw this and moved the old man's bed and toilet into the cellar, guarding it tightly. Han Xiao couldn't just take it by force, so he had to return to the Legion Headquarters empty-handed.
Inside the Dragon Calm Palace, Ames watched the spaceship's warp light disappear into the distance, exhaled, and muttered to herself:
"I can't keep slacking off like this..."
Back at the Legion headquarters, Han Xiao immediately sought out Fording and Nero, discussed the matter at length, and while his good luck was still intact, he quickly returned to his room to settle the reward for drawing one of Ames ' abilities.
[You receive a reward: One of Ames ' abilities (skills/features) will be randomly selected.]
[Note: Ames is a psychic; some of the abilities available for extraction have been automatically adjusted based on your class.]
[Randomly selecting... Selection complete]
Please choose one of the following five abilities as a reward:
[1. [Pure Bloodline] - Specialty: Racial innate abilities are enhanced to a certain extent (due to differences in innate abilities, this cannot be quantified)]
[2. [Advanced Charisma Aura] - Specialty: Charisma +120%]
[3. [Favored by the Stars] - Skill: Passive ability, randomly triggered. Blessed by the Stars, gaining the [Great Luck] status, luck +90%, lasting 15 days.]
[4. [Potential Activation] - Skill: Unleash potential, ability strength +10%~15%, critical hit rate +200%, maintaining this state requires continuous consumption of stamina]
[5. [Mighty Wrist] - Specialty: You possess incredible wrist strength, a resilient body, and vigorous cellular activity. As your character's total level increases, your strength, stamina, and ability power will all increase—Lv1~Lv100, every 10 levels +30 Strength, +15 Stamina, +0.6% Ability Power; Lv100~Lv200, every 10 levels +45 Strength, +25 Stamina, +0.9% Ability Power; Lv200 and above, every 10 levels +60 Strength, +35 Stamina, +1.2% Ability Power]
"Wow, you're on a winning streak!" Han Xiao's eyes lit up.
Fording and Nero, two lucky players, seem to have brought them good fortune; the five abilities they drew this time are all quite good.
The bonus from [Advanced Charisma Aura] is considerable. Factions with the word "Advanced" in them are usually pretty good. However, Han Xiao doesn't have a high need for the Charisma attribute. Although both are swarm tactics, Mechanics don't rely on Charisma as much as Summoning Mages.
[Favored by the Stars] is a powerful skill with an extremely high luck bonus, but unfortunately, just like the Charm Aura, its demand is not high. Moreover... no matter how much you add to the base luck, it's practically the same as having none.
[Potential Activation] is a useful status-based skill that increases output, but it's not as good as the other two abilities.
Han Xiao's two favorite abilities are [Pure Bloodline], a rare feat that enhances the strength of innate skills and is very valuable, and [Mighty Wrist], a growth feat similar to rank feats. Although its bonus is far less than that of rank feats, it is still extremely rare and powerful.
There was only one reward, Han Xiao hesitated between the two. After thinking for a while, he made his choice.
[You have gained a new specialization, [Mighty Wrist]!]
[Current total increase effect: Strength +1230, Stamina +680, Ability Power +24.6%]
He is optimistic about this growth-oriented specialty, finding it stable, strong, and with potential.
In contrast, the effect of [Pure Bloodline] is uncertain, and judging from Ames's abilities, the bonus from this feat should be quite limited.
Moreover, with each racial ascension, innate abilities are naturally enhanced to a certain extent, so he is not lacking in this aspect. His combat mode is mainly based on mechanical legions, and his talents can only be used by his main body or the Dominion's carrier. The enhancement of ability strength applies to the entire mechanical legion, increasing overall damage output.
He currently only has two tier feats, [Extraordinary Power] and [Supreme Power], which directly increase ability strength. These two abilities significantly differentiate the destructive power between different tiers, making non-tier feats like [Mighty Wrist], which increase ability strength, extremely rare.
Han Xiao glanced at the attributes with satisfaction, then closed the panel and turned to consider his current situation.
"We're currently in the mid-game phase, the external environment is relatively peaceful, the Three Universal Civilizations need time to resolve their conflicts, and I've established my position. Nothing major should happen in the short term... so until the end of the version, it should be a period of stable development for me."
Han Xiao pondered for a moment. In the past year or so, he had shown his talent and prowess, leading to a rapid rise in the legion's strength. He needed a period of stability to slowly digest the various achievements he had made, such as the empire's increased attention, the fermentation of his deterrent power, and the profits from the Evolutionary Totem.
"The legion needs to keep a low profile now, consolidating its rapidly growing power and business while patiently waiting for the next opportunity for development." Han Xiao nodded to himself.
In his plan, the next development opportunity would come after the completion of the first phase of the Shattered World development, when the Empire would allocate territory to him belonging to the Legion, at which point he could vigorously develop mechanical civilization and the Black Spirit Race.
At the same time, this was also an opportunity to seize the advantage of version 4.0. With the opening of the global server for version 4.0, players from all star systems finally gathered together, launching a true faction free-for-all. The nicknames "Fourth Calamity" and "Cancer of the Universe" also began to spread from this version.
In the next version, player-driven unrest is inevitable. Establishing territory on the global server first will greatly benefit both the player and their legion. As the largest player faction in the Shattered Star Ring, the Black Star Army will inevitably be drawn into factional conflicts between players. There will be advantages and disadvantages, but some turmoil is certainly unavoidable.
Players of Shattered Star Ring have experienced quite a few major events in version 3.0, including the early Secret War, the Legion Commander's breakthrough to Beyond Grade A, the alliance between the Legion and the Empire, the opening and exploration of the Shattered World in the middle, the Battle of Lighthouse Star, the Sorokin's Fall, and later the player-driven Gural Civil War.
Han Xiao estimated that there was probably no major event happening in the Shattered Star Ring for the rest of the 3.0 version, so he could take this time to recuperate.
He was exhausted from fighting both the Arcane and the Sorokin, so he took this opportunity to gradually gain experience from the players and expand his mechanical legion once again.
Having been Beyond Grade A mechanic for less than two years, his mechanical legion still has a long way to go to reach the level of Manison. Not to mention Manison, his legion size is not large compared to other senior Beyond Grade A mechanics.
Let's keep a low profile and focus on farming for a while; let's not cause any trouble for now.
Han Xiao was made up.
Under Han Xiao's strategic instructions, the Black Star Army temporarily slowed down its aggressive development pace, focusing instead on stability, consolidating its current scale and business, while optimizing its internal structure and reducing its burden.
The trade in Evolutionary Totem has sparked a frenzy across the universe. Many wavering civilizations in various star systems have made up their minds and established cooperative relationships with the Empire in different ways, joining trade and political alliances led by the Empire in exchange for the right to purchase totems.
The Crimson Dynasty gained political influence, Han Xiao gained a massive number of civilized clients, and the legion's funds became incredibly abundant, achieving a win-win situation.
This monopolistic deal aroused intense envy among countless interstellar conglomerates, even attracting the interest of super conglomerates like the Infinite Financial Group. Unfortunately, with the Crimson Dynasty protecting them and the Black Star Army being a powerful local force far away in the Shattered Star Ring, these conglomerates were powerless to intervene despite their desire.
On the other hand, due to previous conflicts, Three Universal Civilizations consciously reduced friction, so the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church temporarily chose to wait and see on the issue of the Evolutionary Totem.
Thanks to the peaceful gestures made by the three parties, the interstellar environment has become stable again, and the effects of the Crimson Tide, which lasted for more than a decade, are gradually fading. The Three Universal Civilizations have dealt a severe blow to the disobedient children, demonstrating to the entire universe with a real-life example what it means to be a brat. The effect was remarkable.
The division within the Fallen Ark gradually settled down. Some criminals were captured and brought to justice by the Three Universal Civilizations, some joined criminal organizations in other star systems, and some set up their own operations, becoming independent and scattered.
The remaining small group of criminals were consolidated by some individuals and continued their activities under the name of the Fallen Ark. The new leader appears to be Harkison, a former deputy of the Sorokin. The new Fallen Ark's power has shrunk significantly and entered a frozen state, avoiding activity during times of crisis and keeping a low profile.
Legion players focus on two major events: one is the long-term exploration of the Shattered World, and the other is actively participating in the Gural Civil War, helping the Pioneer Party to gradually reclaim lost territory and crush the Ancient Emperor Party and the Descent Party. Players' influence on the civil war situation continues to increase, and they are therefore very enthusiastic about the war.
In summary, the interstellar situation is characterized by occasional friction, undercurrents, and overall stability.
Under the tacit and understated approach of the Three Universal Civilizations, a year and a half passed quietly.
Version 3.0 has finally entered its final stages.