Funded by numerous interstellar conglomerates, the once desolate Shattered World is now a bustling and vibrant place.
Construction is underway on all three explored star clusters, planets are being terraformed, and progress is happening at an unprecedented pace. Engineering ships occasionally appear on the radar, making the wide-area quantum channel quite lively. The once desolate Shattered World has finally begun to show some signs of integration with interstellar society.
As usual, Han Xiao's fleet entered the Shattered World through the Imperial Stargate. The officers at all levels of the Exploration Army were very familiar with him, and the journey was unimpeded.
Upon arriving at the Lighthouse Star outpost, Han Xiao greeted Tarrokov, extorted a book and some local specialties from him, and then directed the fleet to detour to the Gaolu Star Cluster to inspect the territory.
The Purple River Star System is located on the edge of the Gaolu Star Cluster and is the location of the entry stargate. It is Han Xiao's territory, so a new entry stargate station was added next to the Imperial Military Stargate, managed by the Black Star Army.
Passing through the deep blue stargate and entering the Purple River Star System, following the star map's directions, a planet soon came into view.
"Commander, that's Black Gate Star, the gateway planet closest to the entry stargate. According to the construction blueprint, it will be built into a large entry transit station, becoming one of the landmark gateways of the Gaolu Star Cluster, and also a border planet of the Legion's territory."
Han Xiao stood with his hands behind his back in front of the observation window of the command room, gazing at the enormous planet. Beside him was a tall female secretary who was introducing him to the Han Xiao.
Sylvia was quite busy, so she sent one of her secretaries to accompany Han Xiao on his inspection. Han Xiao had some impression of this female secretary, remembering that her resume was quite outstanding and that she was one of Sylvia's trusted officials.
"Well, how's the construction going?" Han Xiao nodded.
"This planet previously utilized the Crimson Dynasty's planetary terraforming quick-access package. Based on this, the Logistics Department has developed a new blueprint, aiming for a hybrid of interstellar cities, military fortresses, and transportation hubs. Because the current focus is on developing resource-rich planets, surface terraforming on Black Gate Star is only 4.9% complete. Daily energy supply will primarily rely on nuclear fusion power plants, while dark energy power plants will be buried deep underground, mainly to power the military fortresses. However, since there are no natural stars nearby, additional energy is needed to maintain a habitable climate and an artificial sun..."
Listening to the female secretary's meticulous report, Han Xiao suddenly remembered the blueprint for the moving star in the Terx Mechanical Legacy.
When technology reaches a certain level, the constraints of environmental factors will continuously decrease. It will no longer be that individuals need to adapt to the environment, but rather that the environment needs to adapt to individuals. Cosmic civilizations can handle this with ease; each one is a cosmic architect.
Although the Terx People were not the victors of the exploration era, they were still considered a quasi-cosmic civilization with profound expertise in environmental modification.
'Perfect, I can use this star-moving device to modify the terrain and move the star to a suitable location,' Han Xiao thought to himself.
He always felt that these blueprints seemed to have an inexplicable connection with the Divine Throne Mechanic's [All Things Simulation].
Since changing jobs, Master Han has studied every new ability, but he's still a bit puzzled about the [All Things Simulation] ability. This ability simulates all natural laws through mechanical technology, and in his view, it has extraordinary potential...
Perhaps the astonishing technology that allowed the Three Universal Civilizations to modify the physical constants of their home planets was also related to [All Things Simulation].
Seeing that Han Xiao didn't speak, the female secretary paused for a moment, then continued, "There aren't many people on Black Gate Star right now. But once the Shattered World opens to the outside world, Black Gate Star will become one of the most populated landmark planets in the Gaolu Star Cluster, handling a massive number of tourists every day. This will bring you very considerable revenue. According to the Finance Department's statistics, it will take about six to eight years to recoup the cost of transforming the planet."
"It's fine." Han Xiao smiled.
The fleet slowly approached Black Gate Star. The star map showed the locations of multiple stargates, some leading to other star systems, and others to other locations in the Purple River Star System.
With the territories already determined, the Black Star Army's primary task is to construct a stargate transportation network across the seven territories.
During the exploration, the entire star cluster already had its own stargate transportation network, but those were long-distance stargates, part of the general framework of star cluster transportation. What the Black Star Army did was to refine the stargate network of its own territory, add more transportation routes, and ensure that the seven star systems were connected as one, with easy access in all directions.
The territory's stargate transportation system is now in its nascent stage, allowing direct travel from Black Gate Star to multiple star systems, a far more efficient route than the first phase of exploration.
With convenient transportation, travel time was greatly reduced, and Han Xiao led his fleet to travel through the seven star systems, visiting all the construction areas.
This was the first time he had personally inspected the territory.
"Purple River, Long Day, Sigoma, Odoran, Pangsalle, Fenrir, Edney... This is now the foundation of the Legion."
Seeing the area of the seven star systems with his own eyes, Han Xiao was quite satisfied.
His own blueprint was to transform the seven star systems into the core area of Gaolu Star Cluster, making it the most prosperous region. This would take decades, but the requirement of the second stage of the [Shattered World] mission was only to complete the basic construction of the seven star systems... As for the basic construction, a few years would be enough. With the investment of a large number of conglomerates, the legion's productivity was currently very strong.
After completing a preliminary survey of the territory, Han Xiao arrived at the Sigmar Star System in the center of the star cluster to check on the progress of the mechanical civilization of Planet Apostle.
Blue light flickered in outer space as the fleet leaped in. A silver-gray planet came into view, its surface covered with a large expanse of mechanically constructed land.
This is the first city built by the mechanical civilization, named Dark Emperor City!
The city's surface has been completely transformed into machinery, while underground are excavation shafts in the form of bases, continuously delving into underground veins to extract various mineral resources.
On the ground stand towering mechanical buildings. Under the leadership of Dark Emperor and other Apostle Weapon, more than 100,000 first-generation mechanical lifeforms have built facilities such as arsenals, repair shops, energy plants, refineries, and incubation rooms, incorporating various mechanical technologies. At the same time, millions of second-generation mechanical lifeforms are incubating. The whole thing looks more like the prototype of a military base.
In the center of the city stands a giant mechanical statue, sculpted in its own likeness, remarkably lifelike.
Seeing this, Han Xiao felt somewhat helpless.
I don't know why, but there are always people who are keen on erecting statues of him... Honestly, what's the point of erecting a statue for me? You might as well erect a statue for Fording; maybe that would even give you a luck boost.
Mechanical life forms reproduce on a large scale, requiring the consumption of their own seed energy and having a cooldown period. Therefore, the rate at which mechanical civilizations can produce troops increases exponentially; the larger the population, the faster the troop production.
The [Mechanical Life Seed Proliferation] and [Mechanical Civilization Enhancement] brought by the Divine Throne Mechanic have the effect of strengthening the reproductive capacity of mechanical life. Han Xiao plans to stay here for a while and obtain more first-generation mechanical life.
The mechanical civilization led by Dark Emperor is just beginning, and the overall population is still small. However, though small, it is complete in every way. Mechanical life forms of different models and sizes are working in their respective positions, making it look quite lively.
Not far from the city, Giant King Kong, hundreds or even thousands of meters tall, was leading a group of giant soldiers, moving mountains and flattening a towering, barren ridge.
Without disturbing anyone else, Han Xiao connected to Dark Emperor's quantum network frequency band alone.
Soon, a beam of blue light shot out from the ground and arrived in front of the fleet in outer space. It was Dark Emperor, the First Apostle, wearing a mechanical robe and holding a spear.
"Greetings, Dominion." Dark Emperor You nodded.
The hatch opened, and Han Xiao flew out, glancing at him and raising an eyebrow slightly.
Compared to the last time we met, Dark Emperor had some new parts on his body, which seemed to have been installed by him on his own initiative, and appeared to have filled some weaknesses.
That's the good thing about mechanical life forms; they can proactively replace parts to strengthen themselves.
"You did a good job, keep it up."
Han Xiao offered a word of encouragement, then a surge of blue-gold Mechanical Force shot from his palm, and he smiled:
Consider this a reward.
As he spoke, he flipped his hand and slapped the ball of Mechanical Force into Dark Emperor's body. This was the [Apostle Evolution] skill brought by the Divine Throne Mechanic.
In an instant, electricity surged through Dark Emperor's body, the fire energy within him suddenly grew stronger, and his internal mechanical structure underwent a baptism of strengthening.
Han Xiao watched from the side the whole time, and after a while, the evolution process of the Dark Emperor slowly came to an end.
He experienced the change in performance for a moment, then nodded to Han Xiao:
"Thank you for the gift, Dominion. My power has increased."
"No need to thank me, you deserve it. Just do your job well."
Han Xiao waved his hand, then opened the panel and glanced at Dark Emperor's current attributes. [Apostle Evolution] had comprehensively enhanced Dark Emperor's performance.
Apostle Weapon are capable of participating in battles at the Beyond Grade A. After being enhanced by [Apostle Evolution], they can fight more evenly against ordinary Beyond Grade A weapons with the added Mechanical Force, becoming increasingly capable of standing on their own.
According to Han Xiao's calculations, the current Dark Emperor should be able to defeat the ordinary clone of the Sorokin before its evolution in a one-on-one fight, provided that the clone does not acquire any overly abnormal abilities.
After sending Dark Emperor back, Han Xiao went to take a stroll around the territory of the Black Spirit Race.
Compared to the rapid development of mechanical civilization, the Black Spirit Race's situation seemed quite normal.
Although there is an efficient network for communication, no matter how efficient it is, learning itself takes time. At this moment, they are still slowly digesting the basic technological knowledge given by the Legion and cannot get on the right track for a while.
The Black Spirit Race was in an uncivilized and ignorant state, and this technological knowledge was too complex and profound for them to learn from scratch.
Only by laying the foundation in various disciplines can the role of the Psychic Network gradually emerge, enabling the entire community to share knowledge.
Once on the right track, the Black Spirit Race will evolve rapidly, skipping over the Stone Age, Iron Age, Enlightenment Age, Steam Age, Electrical Age, and other periods in a few decades, and entering the interstellar age.
Normally, besides survival, the biggest challenge for a civilization's natural development is the constraint of productivity and technological progress, which requires countless hours of exploration. However, with the intervention of the Black Star Army, these are no longer problems. The biggest challenge has been solved, and development will not slow down.
The technology tree that Han Xiao equipped for the Black Spirit Race not only improved various technologies, but also included methods for developing mental abilities.
The Black Spirit Race, possessing the ability to Psychic Network, are born with superhuman potential and are best suited to become telekinetic masters and magicians. Their awakening rate might even reach an astonishing 90% or more.
Of course, he would also welcome anyone who wanted to switch to the Mechanic Class.
However, the treaty Three Universal Civilizations that restricts the interference of advanced civilizations in the development process of lesser civilizations is not without reason. If we continue to develop along the path of our predecessors, we will only end up becoming what others want us to be, and a race's ability to innovate will inevitably be affected.
Han Xiao didn't have many solutions to this problem either. There's no such thing as a free lunch—high-speed development without paying the price. But the Evolutionary Totem could alleviate this problem to some extent.
Totems subtly optimize a race's genes, comprehensively enhancing various indicators of the population, including intelligence and innovation. With the uncertainty brought by the Evolutionary Totem, the Black Spirit Race may well experience those moments of brilliance that could propel the course of history.
Although civilization is a collective, sometimes the turning points in history are driven by great figures, and the existence of Evolutionary Totem increases the probability of the emergence of great figures.
Making a species better is the meaning of the Evolutionary Totem, but it is not a beautiful thing. Thinking about it deeply, it is actually an extremely despairing reality.
Imagine a new species, unlike any other in human-dominated world, emerging on a planet with a monstrous appearance. This species would be physically stronger and possess a more advanced brain, surpassing humans in learning ability, logical thinking, and all other qualities. At that point, humanity would no longer be worthy of calling itself the pinnacle of creation; its only remaining advantage would be the technology accumulated over many years, and it would inevitably be overtaken.
It is better than you.
The difficult choice becomes whether to coexist with them, slaughter them, or enslave them and eradicate their wisdom.
The crushing of species is bloody; there is never any tenderness involved.
This is the terrifying aspect of the Evolutionary Totem, and the reason why the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church cannot sit idly by and watch the Crimson Dynasty monopolize the totem... Fortunately, cosmic-level civilizations are advanced enough to possess certain genetic modification technologies, which allows them to control their desire for military conquest.
Taking advantage of the impact of the Manison incident, Han Xiao kept a low profile, stopped causing trouble, and began to quietly expand his mechanical legion and build up his territory according to the plan he had already set, steadily improving his foundation.
This is an inevitable stage for anyone becoming a mechanic.
After his victory, Manison took no further action. He returned to the Ancient Star Desert and did not provoke the Black Star Army again.
As the two remained at peace and quiet, the attention from various forces in the universe gradually decreased, and they shifted their focus away from Han Xiao.
With the first phase of exploration concluded and the Shattered World under construction, countless forces are observing the situation. As a result, the environment of the Explored Universe has entered a period of calm and stability.
Minor skirmishes occasionally occur in different regions, but no major conflicts erupt among civilizations at the star cluster level or above, as if there is a tacit understanding that allows them to choose to recuperate and rebuild.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Light and the Arcane Church continue to suppress and coerce the Crimson Dynasty in multiple areas, including the economy, politics, and people's livelihoods. Although there are many frictions, the situation remains under the control of the three parties.
The Crimson Dynasty is under considerable pressure, but it is still persisting. There are gradually emerging calls within the empire to open up the right to purchase totems, though these are still very weak.
If we were to choose a theme for this era, it would be "exploration and expansion".
This is not the development of a single civilization; a new star system is being incorporated into the map of the Explored Universe. Its significance is akin to the discovery of a new continent, enough to change the world's landscape and be closely related to the future of everyone.
Although there are frictions over the distribution of benefits, the entire universe recognizes this theme of the times and awaits the melody to begin, providing harmony.
Under the influence of this atmosphere, even the Beyond Grade A chose to remain silent. Han Xiao's battle with the Mechanic Emperor became the last Beyond Grade A confrontation before the period of stability.
In this delicate environment where everyone had their own agenda, time slipped away quietly.
January 17, 716 (Galaxy Calendar)
Shattered World, Black Gate Star.
The dark blue entry gate spun rapidly, and a stream of light suddenly shot out from the center of the vortex, revealing the silhouette of a medium-sized spaceship.
Inside the cabin, a large group of young people dressed in various styles crowded in front of the observation window, staring curiously at the distant Black Gate Star, chattering excitedly.
"So this is the Black Star Army's territory? We've finally arrived!"
"I heard Black Star has been staying in the Shattered World; it seems like it's been five years since we've heard from him."
"Yeah, yeah, do you guys think we'll get to see Black Star in person this time?"
"I wonder if he and Principal Lagi are similar in style..."
"Shut up! Don't mention that taboo name!"
One person clutched their head in pain and collapsed, as if having an epileptic seizure.
"Oh dear, someone come quick! He's having a post-traumatic stress disorder attack!"
Those around him immediately rushed to provide first aid, and as they watched the unfortunate man suffering from "Lagi PTSD" being carried away, they couldn't help but reveal expressions of poignant sorrow, as if they were witnessing a tragic loss.
"Sigh, another one has fallen."
Several young people stood at the edge of the crowd, exuding an aura that was quite different from others. Upon seeing this scene, one of the young men, who was about 1.7 meters tall, couldn't help but smile wryly.
"That's an exaggeration! I don't think the principal is that scary..."
A petite girl, half a head taller than him, rolled her eyes. "Of course you're okay. Don't you think about how much of a blow it is to the students who don't do well in school?"
"Really? I thought everyone liked the principal..."
The young man scratched his head and muttered to himself.
The young man was human, about sixteen or seventeen years old, but he looked very young. He had delicate features, red lips and white teeth, like a primary school student who hadn't grown up. He had a well-proportioned figure and was wearing a black and silver legion uniform with the Black Star Army's insignia on his chest.
The woman next to him was pretty, full of energy, and had a healthy Xiaomai. She had a hot figure, wore a martial arts bodysuit, and was quite close to the young man.
At this moment, the captain walked over, patted the young man on the shoulder, and said:
"The garrison has sent a message; you can reply to it to save yourself the trouble."
The young man nodded, pressed a few buttons on the spaceship's bulkhead, and a virtual screen popped up. On the screen was the fleet commander stationed on Black Gate Star, his face solemn, speaking in a deep voice:
"What department are you from? Why haven't I received an internal transit application?"
If it weren't for the Black Star markings on the spaceship, the garrison commander might have already seized it.
"We are the first batch of graduates from the Black Star Super Academy on Planet Aquamarine. According to the academy's rules, graduates can choose to join the training camp or serve the Legion for two to three years to gain the opportunity for further study. We are here to participate in the Legion's work. If you haven't received this internal information, it must be due to your oversight."
"Wait a moment, let me check." The garrison fleet commander frowned and searched for a while, then his brow relaxed. "Hmm, there is indeed a special request, but you've arrived far too late, well past the agreed time."
"Sorry, this is our first time visiting Shattered World. We visited some places along the way, which may have delayed our journey. You can check the ship's logbook."
The garrison fleet commander fiddled with it for a moment, then nodded and said, "Hmm, the spaceship passes inspection, you may proceed."
"Okay, thank you... By the way, could you do me a small favor and tell the legion commander that I've arrived?"
Upon hearing this, the commander of the garrison fleet looked completely bewildered.
Wow, that's quite a boast! What's their background?
He scrutinized the young man closely, but somehow felt he looked vaguely familiar, and couldn't help but ask in confusion:
"Who are you? What is your relationship with the legion commander?"
"I am Nero, Black Star is my godfather."
Nero grinned, his white teeth flashing with a dazzling light with a "ding".
"I'm here to give him a surprise!"