Shattered Star Ring, War Realm.
"... That's the situation. In a short period of time, we've acquired a large number of business channels. Conservatively speaking, our revenue this year will more than double."
Inside the palace, Jorde excitedly read the report.
A tall, imposing figure stood by the window, the starry sky reflected in Heber's eyes, casting a deep emotion as he listened silently to the report.
Jorde continued, "The Black Star Army completed its power transformation several years ago, diversifying its operations. We, however, lack the Evolution Cube. Although we have Krent's support, our power transformation has been slow, constrained by our nature as a war mercenary organization. Seventy to eighty percent of our funding comes from various armed mercenaries, and the high cost of maintaining our troops has hampered our cash flow. Now, we've joined forces with the Infinite Financial Group, and they've greatly helped us in our power transformation. We're gradually taking shape."
Both the Black Star Army and the War Realm are Beyond Grade A forces in this star region, but their business directions are different. Under Han Xiao's leadership, the Black Star Army has transformed from an armed organization into a diversified organization with the help of the Evolution Cube, possessing both military power and financial resources. The War Realm, as its name suggests, is a model of militarism, and its channels for monetizing influence are quite limited, which has always been a problem for the War Realm.
With the help of the Infinite Financial Group, Heber's worries were relieved. If this trend continues, the War Realm will no longer be a group of reckless men who only like to fight, but will be able to truly compete with the Black Star Army for the position of the leader of the private organizations in the Shattered Star Ring.
"Well done," Heber said calmly as he turned around.
Jorde hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but ask curiously, "Your Tyrant, what exactly did you make with the Infinite Financial Group? Why are they going to such lengths to help you?"
"It's just a mutually beneficial arrangement." Heber glanced at him. "They want to enter the Shattered Star Ring and leverage our influence to better penetrate the local market. Hmph, although their targets are the Black Star Army's partners, we are also Beyond Grade A power. Joining us won't be beneath these companies."
These are the superficial reasons, but Heber does not intend to tell his subordinates about the deeper dealings.
Jorde's eyes darted around. Although Heber didn't say it outright, he vaguely guessed that the reason wasn't so simple. The Infinite Financial Group's decision not to cooperate with Black Star but instead to settle for them clearly indicated that they were targeting the Black Star Army.
The possibilities behind it were enough to send chills down his spine just thinking about them. Jorde didn't dare to press further; he still wanted to live to see the day he could hold his grandson.
Jorde wiped his sweat and left the room, leaving Heber alone. He looked out the window again, and after a long while, a smile appeared on his lips.
He maintained a composed expression in front of his subordinates, appearing calm and collected, but in reality, Heber was very pleased.
He didn't care whether the Infinite Financial Group succeeded or not, as long as it could take the opportunity to develop. The losses suffered by the Black Star Army Legion were not within his consideration. The two sides were allies of the Empire, but they had always been competitors. He couldn't be happier for the Black Star Army to suffer more losses.
On the other side, Carrot, who had rejected Han Xiao's offer to recruit him, returned to the Pugilist Class's freshman dormitory absentmindedly. Several of his roommates immediately surrounded him, looking on with curiosity.
"Hey, what did the principal want with you just now?"
Carrot is rather honest and simple, and his grades are among the worst, so he's quite popular.
When class ended just now, several of my roommates saw the principal come to find Carrot and thought he had done something strange, so they were all concerned.
Carrot scratched his head. "Nothing much, just that someone wants to see me."
"Who is it that managed to get the principal to come looking for you?"
A handsome roommate looked suspicious. He came from the wealthiest family in the entire dormitory, but he was still far from having any connection with the principal of the Dynasty Super Academy. Carrot's family was quite ordinary, which surprised him.
"He said his name was Black Star, and he wanted me to join the Black Star Army," Carrot helplessly.
As soon as he finished speaking, the group's eyes widened in disbelief.
"That legendary Black Star?!"
"You're kidding! Why would he contact you?!"
Seeing his roommates' horrified expressions, Carrot asked in surprise, "You all know him?"
"Oh my god, you don't know who Black Star is?!" One of the roommates almost popped his eyes out.
"I... I've never heard of him before." Carrot said, embarrassed but with a curious look. "Is he really an important person?"
"He's more than just a big shot! He's a Beyond Grade A powerhouse, the pinnacle of individual strength, someone who can chat and laugh with the head of state!" One person spoke excitedly, recounting Han Xiao's history since his rise to power as if he knew it all by heart. This was a true fan.
The group surrounded Carrot, pressing him for answers. Carrot then recounted the events, but his expression was clumsy, and it took him a while to make everyone understand that Black Star had no connection to his family; he had only taken a liking to Carrot's potential.
The handsome roommate felt resentful. Why did this opportunity fall to this bottom-of-the-barrel idiot instead of him?
At that moment, another roommate suddenly realized something, "You... you accepted Black Star's invitation?"
Facing the intense gazes of the crowd, Carrot felt somewhat uncomfortable. "I... I didn't agree."
"You actually refused the opportunity to join the Black Star Army?!" The group gaped, speechless, their faces filled with exasperation. "Are you stupid?! This was a chance to change your destiny! Ordinary people like us don't even qualify to join the Black Star Army, and you... you actually..."
Seeing that everyone was saying the same thing, Carrot felt confused and began to doubt his own choice.
Did I really do something wrong?
You should ask your family.
Carrot looked conflicted, took out his communicator, and ran to the side to contact his family. His handsome roommate watched Carrot's the Sight of Father's Back, a deep resentment and jealousy flashing in his eyes.
Why him? Why him of all people! He got this chance to change his destiny, but he didn't know how to cherish it. He's utterly hopeless. How could that legendary big shot possibly take a liking to someone like him!
He used to like Carrot quite a bit and was willing to take care of him, but now, all he feels for Carrot is disgust; he can't stand the sight of him.
The next day, Han Xiao temporarily put aside his troubles with the Infinite Financial Group and continued to observe Carrot at the academy, where he discovered something interesting.
Yesterday's events, after a day of fermentation, have spread throughout Carrot's class. The other freshmen's attitudes towards Carrot have changed; some are actively trying to curry favor with him, some are subtly ostracizing him, and some are watching coldly from the sidelines.
"Because of what I did yesterday, his entire student life has been rewritten. He can no longer be a nobody like he was in his previous life..." Han Xiao shook his head, gaining a deeper understanding of his status as a big shot.
Carrot's accumulation period is long, and getting involved in the turmoil early on will have an unknown impact on his development, which could be good or bad.
However, for now, it's actually helping him. Those who can become Beyond Grade A people all have a tenacity that doesn't easily give up. They only face difficulties head-on, and difficulties can only stimulate their potential. Carrot doesn't know that this trait lies dormant within him. Perhaps experiencing fierce competition in the academy will allow Carrot to transform sooner.
"Since that's the case, why not add fuel to the fire?" Han Xiao scratched his chin.
After waiting a while, the bell finally rang, and the students filed out of the classroom. Han Xiao didn't hide anything and called out to them in front of everyone.
"Carrot."
Hearing someone call his name, Carrot paused, turned around, and saw that Han Xiao's clothes were the same as yesterday. Only then did he recognize Han Xiao's identity and couldn't help but be surprised. He stammered, "Black... Black Star, it's you again."
His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to have a magical power. All the students around stopped, and countless pairs of eager and excited eyes focused on Han Xiao, stirring up excitement and whispering among themselves.
"You seem nervous?" Han Xiao glanced around, ignored the others, and smiled at Carrot. Although the virtual disguise prevented others from seeing his real appearance, it could still express his emotions.
"Dad told me to thank you, but he doesn't want me to have much contact with you." Carrot looked uneasy.
Han Xiao didn't take it seriously. With a flick of his finger, the communicator in Carrot's bag flew into his hand. He casually operated it a few times before handing it back to Carrot.
"It's okay, I'll leave you my number. You can contact me anytime if you change your mind."
Carrot was flattered, then looked insecure. "I... I really don't understand why you value me so much?"
"I'm simply passionate about nurturing more talent."
Han Xiao reached out and patted Carrot's head, taking advantage of the situation. Looking at the bewildered Carrot and noticing the change in the eyes of the surrounding students, a meaningful smile appeared on his face.
Hehe, I'll just enhance your protagonist-type character template a bit, you're welcome.
Han Xiao gave Carrot a deep look, then vanished without a trace before everyone's eyes.
The next moment, Han Xiao appeared on the spaceship in outer space, no longer staying on this planet, and ordered the fleet to set sail and leave.
In the days that followed, Han Xiao remained active within the empire. The empire's high command noticed that Han Xiao seemed to be visiting different people, some of whom were low- to mid-level members of the empire, while others were ordinary people.
The imperial high command understood Han Xiao's plan. Not only did the empire hope to rely on Black Star in the future, but Black Star was also laying the groundwork for the future, considering investing in talent and preparing for future influence.
However, what surprised the empire's high command was Han Xiao's choice of whom—instead of selecting current high-ranking officials, he went to find some strange people. What was the reason behind this?
The Empire had investigated everyone Han Xiao had visited. Some of them did indeed have extraordinary potential, but most of the targets did not seem to have much of a special quality.
The Empire's high command was perplexed; they couldn't understand the principles behind Black Star's investment decisions—it seemed too random...
Meanwhile, Han Xiao's visits to many future famous NPCs gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he were playing a game called "Galaxy Pokémon".
Most people, like Carrot, refused to join the Black Star Army, but some promising individuals accepted Han Xiao's invitation and poached a significant number of people from the Empire. Of course, those poached by Han Xiao did not include future imperial officials who would hold power.
Meanwhile, on the Shattered Star Ring side, Sylvia, following Han Xiao's instructions, took measures to contact many legion cooperative organizations. With the help of the pressure from the Infinite Financial Group, she prompted these organizations to form an alliance to jointly resist the Infinite Financial Group's acquisition plan.
This approach proved somewhat effective. Some of the Legion's partners decided to adopt the suggestion, unite, and form a loose alliance, which made the Infinite Financial Group's acquisition more difficult and hindered their acquisition momentum.
However, this is only a temporary solution and at best turns the situation into a protracted battle, with the risk of defeating the enemy piecemeal still present.
The Legion is not a true conglomerate, and its capital is not as abundant as that of the Infinite Financial Group. These partners are independent and not subsidiaries of the Legion. This is the limit they can achieve in the business world for now.
The most important thing is for the partners to hold on on themselves. For the rest, the legion can only start with those cooperating civilizations, offering some preferential policies to curb the relationships built by the Infinite Financial Group, and indirectly help the enterprises that cooperate with the legion.
The only way to completely solve this problem is for the Empire to open up the right to sell Evolutionary Totem. This is not something Han Xiao can decide alone. Since competition is unavoidable, Han Xiao didn't dwell on it too much. He silently trained his strength, waiting for his strength to reach the requirements of the advancement mission before he would go and cause trouble for the Tyrant.
This approach won't solve the problem, but it will only harm both sides.
The only one who can be dealt with by force is Heber. It would be pointless for him to challenge Sorokin to a duel. Sorokin is just a conglomerate leader who conducts business activities within the normal rules. If he were to use force against him, it would only make the citizens of the universe think that the Black Star Army is too arrogant and can't play games. Besides, Sorokin doesn't need prestige at all. Han Xiao could imagine 108 ways Sorokin would simply admit defeat.
But Heber is different. As an ally of the Empire, he's helping the enemy and holding them back. Beating him up is no problem for him. This guy cares about his reputation, and intimidation is very important to him. He won't admit defeat or avoid a fight. He'll grit his teeth and fight me anyway. Perfect, I can get revenge for when he bullied me when I first entered Beyond Grade A.
As the owner of the Evolution Cube, Han Xiao's every move attracts the attention of various forces. His aimless travels within the Empire have also drawn attention from all sides. Everyone knows that he is avoiding the limelight, and no one wants to disturb him.
But some people have different opinions.
Within the Crimson Dynasty, on the Planet Ladebudo.
This is a colony of a galactic-level vassal civilization. Due to the behind-the-scenes interference of a cosmic-level civilization, most of the vassal civilizations in the Central Galaxy adopt loose and backward political systems, and this civilization is no exception. The colony is governed by local lords. Unless in an emergency, the lords are not appointed by the central government, but are elected locally, making them semi-independent of the central government, equivalent to the regional governors of an independent principality.
This backward political system is detrimental to the unification of civilized power, and that is precisely why it exists.
The position of ruler of Planet Ladebudo has always been held by several noble families, who take turns becoming the planet's ruler, much like a family-based political party.
Although elections exist, according to ancient conventions, it's just a show; the families actually in power have already made their plans behind the scenes.
This year is election year on Planet Ladebudo, but unlike previous years, a young entrepreneur born there has returned to run for office, named Enterprise. Normally, outsiders like him would be suppressed and smeared by several families, and would only be able to play a minor role in the election.
However, in this election, the citizens of Planet Ladebudo seemed to be tired of the political game of several families taking turns in power and were eager for a new face. So they voted for outsiders. Enterprise was the most popular candidate. Firstly, he was a local, and secondly, he was a well-known entrepreneur in the civilization. According to the voting trend, he was the most likely candidate to be elected as the local lord.
We hope you will withdraw from the election.
In the penthouse suite of the world's tallest building, envoys from several families placed a communicator with a bank transfer interface on the table, directing the screen toward Interpuls on the opposite Enterprise.
"What does this mean?" Enterprise frowned.
Name your price.
"I don't need the money."
"Are you really going to block our way?"
Enterprise said in a deep voice, "I'm just running according to the rules of the game; that's the point of an election."
The envoys from several families exchanged glances, put away their communicators, and stood up as if to leave. One of them gave Enterprise a cold look and said indifferently:
You made the wrong choice.
After the family envoys left the suite, Enterprise finally breathed a long sigh of relief. His back was covered in cold sweat. He sat in silence for a while, a bitter smile on his face.
At this moment, a young woman dressed in a secretary's uniform and wearing gold-rimmed glasses walked in and stood in front of Enterprise, her face showing some worry.
They won't let you off easily.
"I know." Enterprise waved his hand and muttered, "If negotiations fail, they will definitely resort to force. The lightest outcome will be kidnapping me and smearing my name. The worst outcome... they won't let me live to see the end of the election."
"I've hired more interstellar mercenaries as bodyguards; they will definitely protect your safety."
"Mercenaries... people who can be bought with money cannot be trusted."
"... Brother, if it really doesn't work out, just give up the election. Life is more important than anything else."
This female secretary was not an ordinary employee, but a relative of Enterprise.
"No, some things have to be done." Enterprise shook his head.
The female secretary had a complicated expression, with a hint of admiration in her eyes. She had always admired Enterprise, not only because he was very capable, but also because he possessed a courage and sentiment that ordinary people did not have.
After a moment of silence, Enterprise suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up.
"By the way, I heard that important figure Black Star is currently traveling within the Empire. The last place he appeared was not far from Planet Ladebudo?"
"Uh, that seems to be the case."
Upon hearing this, Enterprise pondered for a moment, then his eyes narrowed sharply, a glint of shrewdness flashing within them.
"I have a bold idea, perhaps... we can make use of Black Star!"