When they arrived at the conference room, Han Xiao had not arrived, and the reporters could only wait. However, they did not waste any time and began interviewing Herlous.
Herlous had already received Han Xiao’s orders, and he purposely stayed behind so that the reporters could interview him. He then began to illustrate the entire event honestly.
“DarkStar sent out a large number of spaceships to assault the Six Nations and us. Our captain was DarkStar’s target, and the enemy sent out a total of three Calamity Grade Supers to surround him!”
Black Star faced three Calamity Grade Supers single handedly? Since he was still alive, the outcome of the battle had spoken for itself!
All the reporters were dumbfounded and began scribbling down their notes.
“DarkStar sent out three Calamity Grade Supers to surround Black Star!”
Herlous then continued. “Our captain single-handedly tied down the three most terrifying enemies and bore the weight of the greatest danger. The three Calamity Grade Supers weren’t able to break our captain’s defense, and DarkStar was forced to use their mothership’s main cannon to attack our captain…”
The reporters gasped in shock and continued scribbling.
“Three Calamity Grade Supers were beaten up and forced to use their spaceship’s main cannon!”
“The two circular mountains on the outside are the result of the main cannon. Our captain used his own body to tank the cannon and emerged unscathed. Following which, DarkStar fired another shot, but they fell for our captain’s trap and almost caused the death of their own Calamity Grade comrade. As such, they didn’t dare fire another shot…”
This was truly some juicy news!
The reporters were all dumbfounded and hurriedly wrote.
“Tanking the main cannon with his body, Black Star arrogantly taunts for another shot!”
“Finally, the Godoran reinforcements arrived, and DarkStar wasn’t willing to fight Godora again. As such, they were forced to retreat. That’s what happened.” Herlous then shut his mouth.
The reporters gave a warm round of applause and wrote frantically.
“Black Star’s divine might, DarkStar’s pitiful escape!”
…
After estimating that Herlous’ interview should be over, Han Xiao entered the conference room.
All the reporters immediately jumped up with faces full of respect and cried out, “Sir Black Star!”
Han Xiao immediately felt as though he was the discipline teacher making his rounds in a school.
Han Xiao sat down, and the reporters began their interview. They first confirmed that what Herlous had described was the truth before showering Han Xiao with many other questions.
“Did you feel any pressure from facing three Calamity Grade Supers?”
“How did it feel to tank the main cannon?”
“What do you feel about the actions of DarkStar?”
The endless stream of questions made Han Xiao feel as though he was holding a press conference.
Han Xiao answered all the reporter’s questions patiently as he needed to rely on them to spread his name. This was an additional Renown reward. After all, an event that could give him Legendary Points would definitely have many hidden rewards.
As the interview came to an end, one of the reporters asked a final question.
“Sir Black Star, for you to stay behind on Planet Aquamarine and aid the planet in fighting the calamity and fending off the enemies, is it because this is your home planet?”
Hearing that, Han Xiao’s eyes glowed, and an idea popped up in his mind. “That is only one of the reasons…”
“Can you tell us the other reasons?” the reporter asked.
Han Xiao chuckled and said, “Of course. Planet Aquamarine isn’t only my home planet. The Black Star Mercenary Group also plans to expand to Planet Aquamarine and set up a branch division on the planet. This will also be one of the bases of the Floating Dragon armed division. A while back, the Dragon Emperor came to Planet Aquamarine to assess the location, and my job is to fight off all incoming enemies.”
The eyes of all the reporters lit up, and they were overjoyed! This was another juicy piece of news!
It turned out that Planet Aquamarine was a planet under the protection of Black Star and Floating Dragon!
From that day onward, Planet Aquamarine would no longer be a low-grade planet without anything special. The brand of Floating Dragon would be marked on it, and this brand would be a protective talisman for the planet. At the very least, ninety percent of those with ill intentions would be deterred.
After all, he would not remain on Planet Aquamarine forever, and this was beneficial to both Planet Aquamarine and his own base.
Apart from raising the level of security, the fame of Floating Dragon would attract merchants and investments to the planet. Some financial groups would invest in the planet, and this would speed up the process of Planet Aquamarine becoming connected to galaxy.
Since Planet Aquamarine was the territory of Floating Dragon, even if it was a backward planet for the time being, the financial groups would still be willing to carry out some investments and transfer some technological knowledge over to aid the Six Nations in their development. This way, he would be able to fulfil his promise to the Six Nations.
At the same time, stamping Planet Aquamarine with the brand of Floating Dragon was a precautionary measure. Even if the Six Nations developed in the future and became independent, they would not dare go against their contract with him. They would be extremely clear about the outcome of losing the brand of Floating Dragon.
As such, even though the regime controlling Planet Aquamarine was the Six Nations on the surface, the true ruler of the planet was actually…
Ames
It naturally was not him.
However, with Ames’ lazy nature, he would have an extremely large say.
Of course, Ames would not reject. As for the Head Butler Jenny, who was in charge of operations…
Ha! Loving colleagues like them should clean up after each other!
…
This trip of theirs was filled with rewards, and they all returned with satisfaction.
The next day, the various news agencies of the Garton Star System released detailed coverage of the ‘true story’ of the battle on Planet Aquamarine. It was coupled with photos of the circular shaped mountains being the main headline.
After taking a glance at the article, Han Xiao almost puked blood as he strangled Herlous and roared with anger, “Didn’t we agree to tell the truth‽ Just what did you tell the reporters‽ Did I ask you to brag? Did I‽”
Herlous was filled with grievances. “I really did tell the truth. Who knew that reporters would be so good at fluffing things up?”
This incident was spread far and wide in the galaxy. Not just the Garton Star System, even the other Star Systems of the Shattered Star Ring who were paying attention to the chaos created by DarkStar knew about a character called Black Star who fought three Calamity Grade Supers alone and tanked the main cannon of a DarkStar mothership.
Even a Star Cluster level civilization remembered Black Star’s name.
The entire Shattered Star Ring was shaken!
Chapter 577 - Attention from Everywhere, Black Star Army
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Godora paid close attention to the coverage. Nagakin had already reported Han Xiao’s personal strength, so the focus of the upper echelons was on another problem. Han Xiao had already declared to the galaxy through the reporters that Planet Aquamarine was a part of Floating Dragon.
Despite Floating Dragon being a neutral organization with no regime, its influence was not to be underestimated.
With the brand of Floating Dragon labeled on them, even though Planet Aquamarine was in Godora’s territory, it would be difficult for them to control or manage Planet Aquamarine. This planet would then become a special region within Godora’s territory.
Floating Dragon’s value had far exceeded the value of a low-grade planet like Planet Aquamarine. As long as there was no conflict between the two, Godora could only choose to close one eye.
Of course, compared to DarkStar, Planet Aquamarine was a tiny problem. After the news got out, Godora’s official media team also came forward to join in the fun and spread the news. As long as they could dampen DarkStar’s momentum, it would not matter who it was that defeated DarkStar.
…
As Jenny watched the news, her face turned dark, and she immediately contacted Ames.
Ames was currently roaming the galaxy, and Jenny’s holographic figure appeared on her communicator.
“What’s the matter?”
“Go and take a look at the news! Black Star is creating trouble again!” Jenny pressed a few buttons on her communicator and sent the news over.
After watching it for a while, Ames smiled calmly. “He’s not too bad.”
“That isn’t the point! Before gaining my approval, he announced to the galaxy that Planet Aquamarine is a division of Floating Dragon!” Jenny looked as though she was about to go crazy.
“But I agreed.” Ames blinked innocently.
Jenny had no choice but to force all her curses back down her throat.
“I took in two disciples recently, and they are both from Planet Aquamarine. Black Star will be bringing them to Floating Dragon Island soon, and you should look after them.”
After saying that, Ames cut off the line.
“Argh! Black Star!”
The employees outside the room heard Jenny’s enraged roar and all jumped out of their seats.
…
In some random place within the Shattered Star Ring where a beyond Grade A organization was located.
“Tanking the main cannon… he does have my style. Ames finally has a powerful officer.”
In the darkness, a giant who was seven meters tall sat on his throne and watched the news with a look of deep thought.
“Floating Dragon has begun to expand, and Ames is finally interested in building her organization. Hmm, I should find some time to propose to her again. Maybe I will succeed.”
…
The DarkStar mothership that had ambushed Planet Aquamarine was currently floating in space, and the three Calamity Grade Supers also saw the news.
“Bullsh*t! When did he beat us up‽” Degulish flew into a fit of rage. “It was obviously Black Star who was beaten to the point he couldn’t fight back. These reporters really know how to bullsh*t!”
“The truth is, we weren’t able to kill him,” Terry said helplessly.
Ember snorted but did not comment. He was thinking about how he could get rid of Han Xiao.
“He must have a weakness. We have to quickly plant spies within his mercenary group. We will only be able to find his weaknesses by coming into close contact with him.”
“Then, what should we do next?” Terry asked.
Degulish frowned and slowly said, “Black Star’s ability was out of our expectations, and our mission has failed. The leader said that this isn’t our fault as none of us knew how much strength Black Star is hiding. He ordered us to regroup with the main fleet and prepare for the next step of the plan.”
“Next step of the plan?”
“I am not aware of the exact details, but since he is gathering all the motherships, it will definitely be a large mission,” Degulish said.
DarkStar was still planning their next attack.
However, DarkStar did not know that Han Xiao had already snuck into their backyard.
All the hidden motherships were exposed under Risda’s surveillance, but DarkStar was still in the dark.
…
With the news being spread throughout the entire Shattered Star Ring, Black Star’s name was being discussed everywhere. His name spread far and wide, and Han Xiao received plenty of bonus Renown points.
DarkStar had finally paused for a moment after failing twice.
However, this was only the calm before the storm. The large storm that was being directed by Han Xiao was currently brewing.
Every now and then, Han Xiao would send the coordinates of the DarkStar motherships to the upper echelons of the War Bureau through Nagakin. Godora intended to destroy DarkStar in one fell swoop and secretly mobilized their forces without making any rash moves.
At the same time, Godora kept the mercenary groups on the payroll as insurance but did not reveal their exact plan to them. Godora only got Sky Ring, Purple Gold, Blades, and the other large mercenary groups to await their orders.
Han Xiao was still on Planet Aquamarine carrying out his plan to recruit the players. The plan was now at its most crucial phase.
By making use of this event, Han Xiao changed the name of his faction through the faction interface and Mercenary Alliance.
The [Black Star Mercenary Group] was renamed to…
[Black Star Army]!
Only large mercenary groups would dare have the word ‘Army’ in their name.
Because of the addition of a large number of players, Han Xiao’s faction had more than ten thousand members. His faction was already at the right level, and the mercenary world probably would not have any complaints about it.
Regarding this decision, Han Xiao gave a speech to all the players and emphasized the fact that their faction was only able to change their name thanks to the players. He wanted to make the players feel as though they were contributing to the growth of the faction.
By changing their name because of such a reason, Han Xiao would be able to cultivate a stronger sense of belonging and team spirit among the players. The players would then feel as though Black Star Army was a faction that belonged to them.
At the same time, this was a signal to the players that they were about to leave Planet Aquamarine and start the next phase of their journey. This was so that the players would have some mental preparation.
The way the players saw it, a change of name in the faction meant that they were about to enter the galaxy!
Of course, all his plans would only work if there were sufficient benefits provided to the players. Han Xiao had to make sure to launch new products from time to time.
Through the exchange center in the galaxy, Han Xiao spent more than 100,000 Enas to purchase new Pugilist and Esper knowledge and placed them in the faction store. What shocked the players the most was that the new knowledge did not require money like in the past but experience!
At the same time, there were no Favorability requirements to fulfil.
With respect to this incident, Han Xiao made an explanation through Phillip.
“The Black Star Army will provide these two Advanced Knowledges ‘free of charge’ to groom and train the new mercenaries.”
This action of his immediately drove the players mad with excitement!
Han Xiao sold his own Mechanic knowledge using the [Skill Impartation] method, but he sold the knowledge from the other two classes through the faction store. This meant that as long as players joined the Black Star Army, they would be able to learn those two Advanced Knowledges for ‘free’!
This immediately became a beginner benefit for those in the faction. It was just like how the players who joined the Godoran faction would be able to acquire knowledge if they accumulated sufficient merit. It was just that Han Xiao had removed all those restrictions and allowed the players to spend experience points to learn the knowledge without spending any money.
The players were overjoyed and felt as though they had made a huge profit!
The players who had entered the galaxy in Version 1.0 shared the price of that Advanced Knowledge in the galaxy. If they did not join a faction, the Advanced Knowledge would cost them tens of thousands of Enas to purchase.
In comparison, the Black Star Army seemed to be the kindest of saints!
The way the players saw it, this was all due to their contribution. It was because of them that the faction could grow to such a size. It
was because of them that the faction could change its name and provide such benefits. This was truly a faction that could grow!
Han Xiao intentionally made it so that only experience was required to learn the Advanced Knowledge. His target customers were the players of the other two classes, and his intention was to accumulate experience so that he could quickly hit level 140.
The Great Mechanic Han had over 10,000,000 Enas in his account, and the 100,000 that he had spent was peanuts in his eyes. In fact, he was even too lazy to collect a symbolic fee. Even if he only collected 1 Ena, the effect would have been grossly different from providing it for free.
Advanced Knowledge was a necessity, and the market was essentially all the Planet Aquamarine players of the two other classes!
After spending 100,000 Enas, if Han Xiao could not harvest a good amount of experience, he would be going against his conscience!
This was the only shop where they could purchase Advanced Knowledge at such a good price. None of the players hesitated in the slightest, and the experience points on Han Xiao’s interface rapidly shot up.
300,000… 600,000… 1,000,000,000…
The effect of it being ‘free’ was truly frightening!
Looking at the explosion of his experience points, Han Xiao was in a great mood.
After this harvest of experience, apart from being able to reach level 140, it will probably last me a long while.
…
In just one day, the amount of experience accumulated was enough to bring Han Xiao up to level 140.
In order to get to Grade A, Han Xiao did not even bother repairing his Mechanic Army. This ambush had allowed him to understand that it was best to harvest the vegetables when they were ripe. If he had already been at the Calamity Grade when facing the encirclement of the three Calamity Grade Supers, it would not have been so dangerous for him.
Han Xiao then walked into the training room of his second base and locked the door.
Taking in a deep breath, Han Xiao opened the interface and channeled his experience into increasing his level.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 350