After sailing for some time, the fleet finally returned to the Shattered Star Ring. Han Xiao immediately returned to headquarters and summoned many officers to summarize the work done during this period, gaining a more detailed understanding of the situation.
The problems are largely the same old ones, but the slightly better news is that the Germinal Financial Group is developing smoothly.
As a subsidiary conglomerate under the Black Star Army, it had people, money, status, and even the Legion's armed support. In the Shattered Star Ring, it was like having a cheat code of "face fruit" (a metaphor for having connections). It quickly consolidated a large number of the Legion's subsidiary businesses, negotiated long-term cooperation with countless commercial organizations, and streamlined the Legion's structure considerably.
It is worth mentioning that Enterprise, whom Han Xiao recruited from within the Empire, has demonstrated outstanding business acumen. The team he leads has consistently ranked among the top performers, securing numerous lucrative cooperation agreements for the conglomerate. In addition to consolidating subsidiary businesses, he has also strived to open up new channels.
Sylvia's assessment of him was that Enterprise possesses excellent business negotiation skills, strategic vision, leadership ability, persuasive eloquence, and calm judgment, among other qualities, making him a high-quality management talent who, after further development, could be placed on the shortlist for senior management positions.
Currently, the Black Star Army is full of talented people. Due to its huge size, there are many positions for officers at all levels. Phillip evaluates the members of the legion and selects different talents to form an extremely long list of candidates. The people on the list are all candidates for officers of the legion.
Han Xiao reviewed some backlogged documents, and after discussing official business, many cadres relaxed.
"By the way, how's Nero doing with his studies?" Han Xiao asked, turning his head.
"Yes, he's very talented," Reynold said succinctly.
"Hmm, I'll go check on it after the meeting." Han Xiao stroked his chin, then suddenly said, "I have a question I want to ask you."
"You said."
"What would you do if I had to kill your sister someday?"
Reynold paused, his expression hesitant, "This..."
"Don't be afraid, just tell the truth."
"... Why did you kill her?"
"Well, let's assume she did something wrong that jeopardized the Legion's interests."
Reynold exhaled, his face expressionless. "If that's the case, I won't hold a grudge against you. She needs to bear the consequences of her actions. But at that point, I won't be able to continue serving you. Please understand."
The atmosphere became tense, and everyone present had different expressions.
They knew Han Xiao wouldn't speak without reason. Could it be that Lothaire, who left the legion, had really done something?
Han Xiao looked at him for a while, then suddenly laughed, instantly dispelling the tense atmosphere.
"Who can predict the future? Don't worry about it, your answer was fine."
Reynold nodded silently, stepped aside, and seemed to be deep in thought.
Glancing at his expression, Han Xiao secretly shook his head.
Back when the three founders of the Silver Revolutionary Army came to the Legion to recruit people, he had already planted Observation Mark on Edmund. Not long ago, he saw the Silver Revolutionary Army officially established through the Observation Mark. Edmund and the others' actions could not escape his eyes at all.
His original plan was to watch the Silver Revolutionary Army grow stronger, firstly to nurture its members so that he could make a contribution when the Three Universal Civilizations paid attention to the Silver Revolution; secondly, to have someone he knew well instigate conflict between the Three Universal Civilizations and the supercluster-level civilization, making it easier for him to deal with it; and thirdly, to secretly plan ahead, thinking that there might be opportunities to take advantage of the Silver Revolution in the future.
However, Han Xiao's ideas were never static. He always flexibly adjusted his plans according to the situation. Now that his position in the empire was consolidated, he no longer needed this achievement.
The problem with the World Tree came later and has now become a ticking time bomb. With external threats coming earlier, the question remains whether to continue to allow the Silver Revolutionary Army to run rampant.
The conflict between the Three Universal Civilizations and the supercluster-level civilization is the trend of the times. These advanced civilizations will one day rebel against the dominant position, and the conflict will inevitably erupt. The Silver Revolutionary Army is the timely fuse.
Han Xiao knew that eliminating the Silver Revolutionary Army prematurely would not resolve the conflict, but it would offer an opportunity to postpone its outbreak.
Regardless of the choice, the Silver Revolutionary Army's leadership must be dealt with. Often, ideas are more frightening than guns and cannons, Reformer rarely have a good ending. Therefore, Han Xiao became concerned about Reynold's thoughts and wanted to give him a heads-up. However, once Reynold has made up his mind about something, he almost never changes it.
Sylvia looked around, coughed, and broke the silence, "By the way, I have an interesting proposal here. Please take a look."
As she spoke, she pressed a button on the communicator, which displayed a virtual screen showing a document.
Han Xiao glanced at it, raised an eyebrow, and said, "... A superhuman education program?"
"Yes, we have established training camps on many planets to train reserve members, but the management is too militarized. Only those who sign contracts to become reserve legion soldiers can receive training. This proposal, however, means that the Black Star Army will fund and provide personnel to establish numerous civilian superhuman and bibliographer schools in the Shattered Star Ring, where any civilian can pay to attend, no longer needing to be a legion reserve..."
"Wait a minute." Han Xiao held up his palm. "These superhuman schools are everywhere. Every interstellar civilization has its own official superhuman school. It seems unnecessary for me to do this."
"No, there are still some differences." Sylvia shook her head. "You are now the Strongest in the Star Field. This title has appeal and can attract students to the maximum extent. Our private school has a different meaning."
Han Xiao stroked his chin, browsing through the proposal, and casually asked, "And what about the benefits?"
"Establishing numerous superhuman schools under your name will effectively expand your influence; you can consider it a charitable act," Sylvia said calmly and confidently. "Many of the Legion's current operations are far removed from the lifestyles of interstellar citizens. Establishing schools will allow their admiration for you to translate into actual support, extending your influence into the masses. Incidentally, it will also give many idle Legion warriors something to do."
"That sounds good." Han Xiao nodded.
This method also helps cultivate new investors. We didn't do this before mainly because we didn't have enough influence or funding. But now, the Black Star Army is indeed qualified to run educational institutions.
No matter how strong or renowned Beyond Grade A is, to ordinary interstellar citizens, they are like celebrities—besides being topics of conversation and occasional media attention, they have little real impact on their daily lives. However, establishing schools is a way to monetize influence and provide benefits to the public. This will encourage the public to increasingly support the Black Star Army's various operations in their daily lives, offering long-term and multifaceted benefits.
Moreover, with the Black Star Army's size increasing so dramatically, many of its warriors have indeed become idle.
There's a limit to how many mercenary missions there are. Compared to before, the security in the Shattered Star Ring has improved considerably. The Black Star Army's Pirate Happy Hut has long been a taboo term, striking fear into the hearts of countless pirates and scavengers. As soon as they see the Black Star Army's insignia, they immediately pull up their pants and run away.
"Alright, let's do it your way. Let's start with a pilot program in the Colton Star Cluster, opening a few hundred schools first."
"And this funding..."
"It's approved."
Han Xiao waved his hand dismissively. The money was just sitting there doing nothing anyway, so he figured he might as well use it to buy something. Having money could be a real hassle.
"Since my name has been used, I am now the honorary principal. As for the actual management..."
Han Xiao glanced at Sylvia's seemingly receding hairline, coughed awkwardly, and looked away.
The sight of the hairy, absent-minded Lagi next to him immediately infuriated Master Han.
"You're the one, Lagi! You'll be the principal!"
Lagi snapped out of his daze, his face contorted with bitterness.
"Wasting one's life in a meaningless position—this is the fate of all beings. I never imagined that despite my best efforts, I still couldn't escape this cycle..."
Upon hearing this, everyone's lips twitched, barely suppressing their laughter.
You can even make slacking off sound so elegant and refined; you're a real talent!
After watching the dejected Garbage and the other cadres leave the room, Han Xiao took out his communicator and contacted Rotel to inquire about his recent situation.
Rotel's position is different from that of the Royal Guards. He is a Shadow Walker. The Royal Guards protect Black Star, while the Shadow Walkers operate covertly in the outside world, carrying out a series of missions such as assassination, espionage, infiltration, and sabotage. Currently, Han Xiao only has Rotel as a Shadow Walker.
After the Blood Gold Organization incident, Han Xiao instructed Rotel to infiltrate the black market organization, gathering intelligence while assassinating mid-level cadres of the Blood Gold Organization. After a long period of observation, Han Xiao decided to instruct Rotel to establish the Assassins Mutual Aid Society, just like in his previous life, as a secret subsidiary force under the Legion.
Rotel is very strong and decisive in his actions. He is a quiet and reliable adult man who can stand on his own. Han Xiao trusts him and is not afraid that he will squander his life.
After chatting for a few minutes and hanging up, Han Xiao went to the Logistics Department to visit Nero.
Nero had grown taller and, after undergoing grueling training, was now becoming more skilled. When he saw Han Xiao Han Xiao, he was very happy and rushed up to him, pestering him for a gift.
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then took out a cognitive technology learning enhancement device, placed it in Nero's hand, and successfully received a white eye attack.
As usual, Han Xiao gave Nero a needle prick. He then checked Nilo's stats; Nero was currently at [Advanced Mechanical Sense] and had not yet evolved further.
Han Xiao patted Nero's head and pondered for a moment before saying, "After a while, go back to Planet Aquamarine to visit Bennett, and stay there to study."
Upon hearing this, Nero's eyes immediately filled with tears, and he looked aggrieved. "Are you sending me back? What did I do wrong?"
Han Xiao chuckled, "Haha, you misunderstood. I was thinking that always having you bury yourself in your studies and lack social interaction isn't a good thing. It just so happens that the Legion is planning to open civilian schools, and Planet Aquamarine will definitely be one of the first pilot areas. You can study on Planet Aquamarine, spend more time with Bennett, and also take some time to study with Reynold. It's a good balance of work and rest; consider it a reward for your hard work."
Nero was horrified.
My godfather has changed his ways?!
They're actually giving me a holiday!!
"... What kind of look is that? It's like you've seen a ghost!"
"I... I'm just happy." Nero swallowed hard, secretly glancing at Han Xiao, afraid that someone else was impersonating him to play a trick on him.
Han Xiao wanted Nero to learn [Perfect Mechanical Sense] from Reynold in one go, but when he saw that Nero had grown half a head taller, he felt that he couldn't push him too hard—in a few more years, Nero's childhood would be over, and perhaps letting Nero relax for a while would help with the further improvement of his Mechanical Sense expertise.
As a philosopher once said, "If you only work and don't play, even a smart child will become stupid."
Having resolved various matters, Han Xiao entered the mechanical modification room for seclusion, beginning to update all the stockpiled mechanical legions, and incidentally set about creating another feature of the [Divine Throne Mechanic] – the Mechanical Divine Throne.