“It’s actually not that big a deal. Since your Hutt Civilization doesn’t allow bail, I had no choice but to let a civilization that does allow bail take over.” Han Xiao raised his brows.
Wolman’s lips shivered, and he forced out a rigid smile. There were thousands of curses in his heart, but he did not dare say any of them.
From the side of his vision, he saw that his colleagues were smiling brightly as if they had known all along and he was the only one that did not.
At this moment, he felt that his most precious sense of superiority was shattered into pieces, by the Hutt Civilization government who had gifted it to him in the first place.
Han Xiao did not look at him anymore. He turned around and shook hands with the Purple Crystal emissaries, chatted for a while, boarded his spaceship, and left with Rossellin.
Wolman clenched his fists and forced out a smile to face the Purple Crystal emissariesdoing his job was more important.
After finally settling these emissaries down, Wolman returned to the office. He was the only one there.
Sitting in his chair, Wolman exhaled deeply. He wanted to suppress his thoughts and continue to read his book, but he realized that he could not concentrate on it at all.
Every time Wolman thought of Black Star, he felt unpleasant. He comforted himself that this was a matter for the superiors and had nothing to do with him.
There were no conflicts between him and Black Star. Fortunately for him, he had maintained his diplomatic etiquette. No one knew how he had ridiculed him in his mind, and no one would know that he felt embarrassed.
Beep beep!
This time, Wolman’s communicator rang. He opened it, and to his surprise, it was a message from his direct boss.
“His Excellency Black Star specifically told us that he’s very satisfied with your services and that it made him very comfortable. He also hopes to see you again next time. Therefore, your transfer request is temporarily postponed. You will continue to be in charge of the diplomatic tasks with the Black Star Army’s subdivision…”
Clank!
A few team members outside were just about to push open the door when they suddenly heard sounds of someone smashing things coming from the office.
The few of them hastily pushed the door open and saw Wolman’s usually calm face filled with rage. The floor beside his table was in a mess. The crystal cup that he always used was shattered into pieces, scattered around the floor, and the green drink had spilled over the physical books that he had always taken very good care of.
In the Blacklight Stealth’s main hall, three people sat on a circular sofa in a triangle. Rossellin’s eyes kept moving between Han Xiao and Reynold. Reynold was sitting straight and looking directly ahead. Han Xiao leaned back with one hand on the back of the sofa and the other carrying a wine glass, sizing Rossellin up with an interested look on his face.
“What do you want me to do for you for saving me? Come on, don’t be shy, tell me.”
Rossellin broke the silence first.
Reynold frowned. “I just wanted to save you…”
“Enough. Keep those lies for yourself.” Rossellin interrupted Rossellin, crossed her legs, and said with a mocking expression, “I don’t know who this ‘Excellency Black Star’ is. In order to get me out, you guys even contacted Purple Crystal, so the cost is probably quite high. I don’t believe that such a big price paid would just be to fulfil an idiot subordinate’s wish. Hehe, you probably told this Black whatever about my ability… Sorry, your nickname is too stupid. I’m too lazy to say it.”
Is this woman’s zodiac animal hedgehog? Stabbing whoever she wants…
Han Xiao remembered that Rossellin’s personality was not like this during the Silver Revolutionary Army era in his previous life.
Reynold said with a deep voice, “I asked His Excellency Black Star to save you in exchange for myself. Know your place!”
“Oh.” Rossellin curled her lips and raised her tone. “So, you thought I’d be grateful to you?”
“You!” Reynold was exasperated.
“I’m quite curious, what made this Black whatever guy accept this kind of request? Which part of you is so important to him?” Rossellin sized Reynold up.
“I’m a Calamity Grade now!”
“Oh, you’ve grown up, I see.” Rossellin opened her mouth wide with exaggeration before clapping a few times without any signs of being sincere. She shrugged and said, “So, you’re saying that you’re very important to him?”
Reynold could not reply. Han Xiao was right beside him. He could not praise himself and say that he was important to him.
“Ahem.” Han Xiao stopped the conversation between the two of them and said, “Contacting the Purple Crystal Civilization isn’t difficult for me. You’ve been imprisoned for too long, so you’ve never heard of me.”
Without a doubt, he was not going to use force. Even with his current position, if he actually attacked a civilization, he would still receive punishments.
In terms of retrieving the sub-base to express his attitude, it would give him a bad name. The other partner galactic civilizations would feel that he was forcing a government. He was not a Beyond Grade A yet, so he should not be too domineering. That would not be beneficial to maintaining stable partnerships.
Resolving this matter was actually very easy. Since the Hutt Civilization could take Rossellin from Ceciris, the Purple Crystal Civilization could also take her from them. It was just a handover.
Purple Crystal took him much more seriously than Hutt as he was a partner of Purple Crystal. Hutt, however, knowing that they had no chance to compete, were unwilling to woo him, so they did not want to give him face.
However, proving their loyalty to Purple Crystal was so much more beneficial. Therefore, when Purple Crystal took over the matter, the Hutt Civilization immediately agreed.
Efficient and effective, this was Han Xiao’s solution. If a player had to do this mission, they would basically have to break into the prison by force.
“I see, you seem to be someone very important.” Rossellin raised her brows. “It looks like I need to study the history of the past decade or so.”
Rossellin stood up and came before Han Xiao. She snatched his wine class and gulped it down. Then, she casually threw the empty cup away. She sat back down, burped, waved her hands, and said, “I’m thirsty, so I drank some. For such an important person like you, I’m sure you won’t mind.”
Han Xiao turned to look at Reynold. “Your sister has quite an interesting personality, like a rascal.”
“Ever since she was little, she has been willful, caustic, and mean, never considering the feeling of the others!” Reynold could not hold back anymore and started to complain. “Therefore, when she became a careerist that toyed with an entire civilization, I wasn’t even surprised!”
“That’s right, I’m a careerist, a caustic rascal. Countless people are going to suffer now that you’ve let me out. Are you regretting saving me, my dear little brother?” Rossellin made a funny face.
“No.” Reynold disdained quarreling with her.
“Tsk, I’m a little touched. It’s really true that no matter how you hurt your family, your family will still be willing to be taken advantage of.” Rossellin stretched lazily. “Since you guys aren’t going to make use of me, does that mean I can leave anytime I want? If you reject, it means you are planning to use me. Of course, you don’t have to be shameful about your hypocrisy; I’ve seen this kind of thing way too many times.”
Reynold turned to Han Xiao. He only wanted to save Rossellin. As for where Rossellin would go in the future, he did not want to care about it at all. Han Xiao was the one that could make the decision to let her go.
Han Xiao caressed his chin and suddenly said, “You built a new religion in your hometown and brainwashed countless people, making them worship you. Anyone would think you’re a careerist.”
“Hmm, you have such sharp eyes, just like every normal person in the
world, and you like to repeat obvious things.” Rossellin’s face was filled with mockery. “What, are you planning to judge my actions? Tell me then, I will try my absolute very best to repent for one minute.”
“I don’t think you’re a careerist; you’re a reformer.” Han Xiao leaned forward and stared into Rossellin’s eyes, speaking with a calm and normal tone.
The moment he spoke, Rossellin’s expression stiffened, and a tint of anxiety flashed through her eyes. She was stunned.
Chapter 700 - Rossellin Compound Fertilizer
“Interesting, this is the first time someone has used an outright lie to praise me.” Rossellin barely squeezed out a sneer to cover for the panic inside.
“You can disguise yourself with ambition, but you can’t fool everyone. You didn’t create a new religion and modify people’s faith because of ambition. You have other motives.” Han Xiao smiled.
Han Xiao had limited knowledge of the Rossellin before his eyes, but the players had gathered quite a lot of her information during the Silver Revolution version in his previous life. When Han Xiao recognized Rossellin, he recalled that information. Some of it was Rossellin’s past experiences. It seemed like she had told others about her past before. Although she did not tell the players where her home was, she did talk about what she did in her home and what her motive was.
According to that information, Han Xiao knew that Rossellin’s real motive had nothing to do with ambition. She did not control the faith of others for power. Han Xiao knew Rossellin better than herself.
Anyone who could become the backbone of the Silver Revolutionary Army, apart from having special skills, had a heart not satisfied with the status quo and a unique aspiration.
Rossellin was shocked. This was the first person to see through her disguise. She quickly held down her surprise then stabilized her mind with alertness and vigilance—this had been her habit for many years.
Black Star has only seen me twice. He definitely has a reason for saying these things… He must be exaggerating. How could he know what I’m thinking?
The real motive for creating a religion and gathering believers had always been Rossellin’s deepest secret. She had never told anyone, and she did not believe that Black Star could guess correctly.
Reynold turned his head and looked at Han Xiao with suspicious eyes—did his sister really have some other motives?
“Your ability is to subtly rewrite people’s mental outlook. Its impact isn’t very strong, and you can’t completely manipulate others to your likings. However, you can put all kinds of ideas in their minds,” Han Xiao, with a confident look on his face, said slowly. “The mind is intangible, but it’s like the strings that manipulate puppets, affecting every aspect of an individual. Whether one is loyal or rebellious, sincere or hypocritical, optimistic or pessimistic, depends greatly on one’s mind. The reason that the same environment creates different people is because of the mind, too.”
As he was speaking, he pointed at Rossellin, who was forcing herself to stay calm, and smiled. “Using your Esper ability, you are able to give them new ideas that are very contagious. In the eyes of your home government, your idea is a virus. But in my view, your idea is a seed, a seed that can turn around the thousands of ways in which the entire race can develop toward.”
“You…” Rossellin’s expression changed drastically.
Without waiting for her to respond, Han Xiao continued.
“The racial personality of a civilization depends partly on its nature and partly on the traditional ideas that have been passed down from ancient times, which cannot be controlled by future generations and will change independently at the various stages of the history as it develops.
“These ideas left over from history will dissolve into the blood of this race and become their spiritual identity. History only happens once, and a race doesn’t have a second chance. It can even be said that there is no opportunity for them to choose. From a macro perspective, the culture and character of this civilization is almost random; they’re not necessarily optimal results out of the infinite variables. Or maybe there’s no such thing as an optimal result.
“I call you a reformer because I know that you didn’t set up a religion in your hometown for power but to reform your own race. To be honest, I am a little impressed by your aspiration. Your goal isn’t to reform a government or system but the cultural ideology and spiritual goal of the race, thus changing the spiritual identity of the entire race!”
This information was like a hurricane that struck Reynold. He opened his mouth wide and stared at Rossellin, dumbfounded. If what Han Xiao said was true, his sister’s goal was indeed unbelievably huge.
As if Rossellin had been struck by lightning, she was petrified, and her face was covered in disbelief.
Han Xiao smiled in his mind. Those were the motives as Rossellin explained them in his previous life. Using them to trick her was extremely effective.
After a pause, he went on and said, “Whether it’s reforming the system or reforming the government, its effects won’t last as long as reforming the spiritual identity of an entire race. Many of the problems are because of the people. Character determines destiny. Without external influence, this law applies to a civilization.
“History has been established. In the course of a civilization’s development, there is basically no opportunity to change its character. What you have been doing is implanting new ideas and giving them the opportunity to change through the form of your Esper ability and religion. This is your ‘Race Transformation Plan.’
Han Xiao touched his chin. “Hmm, however, you’re just an individual in this race. In the eyes of others, you have absolutely no right to change the minds of everyone. Through growing up, everyone has created their own history. You can’t impact the deep-rooted traditions that have been around for thousands of years. Therefore, you became a heretic, a sinner.”
In his view, Rossellin’s actions were basically leading her to become a saint!
Han Xiao could not help but think, You denied history and the racial spirit that has been passed down. No wonder they locked you upyour ideas are way too dangerous.
Nonetheless, this woman’s thinking was not wrong. Assuming that there were no Confucius or Mencius in the history of his previous life, the ideas passed down by the people of the world would be different after thousands of years, and the logic of people would change to a certain extent as well.
“The easiest way to change the spiritual outlook of a group is religion and education, so you chose to establish a religion, gathering faith and subtly changing people’s character. This is your real motivation,” Han Xiao said, looking at Rossellin. “Am I right?”
Rossellin’s hands were shaking. She took a deep breath and looked at Han Xiao with great complexity.
“You’re… right.” Rossellin’s voice became low. Her cynical tone from earlier had completely vanished. Now, Han Xiao finally felt a faint aura of a religious pope in her.
She looked straight into Han Xiao’s eyes and said, “I am not noble. The parents of Reynold and I died during a political parade. The Ceciris Civilization disappointed me again and again, so I wanted to change something. You’re right, I don’t have the right to change the spiritual identity of the whole race, and they don’t necessarily need me. But if no one did anything extraordinary under all that pressure, nothing would change. I created a religion that lasted many years, and I only changed the character of a small group of people. Through the religion and my Esper ability, I made them positive, I made them grasp the present, and I made them better. As long as the religion continued, even without my Esper ability in the future, these ideas would have become more and more popular. Unfortunately, it provoked a backlash…”
After so many years of suffering, Rossellin had become deeply wary of everyone. Her harsh words and cynical attitude were her protective disguise—too many people lied, too many wanted to use her. She promised herself to never open up to anyone ever again.
Even if she was misunderstood, she would not defend herself.
But now, for the first time, Rossellin had spoken out.
She gazed at Han Xiao, her heart filled with complex emotions. There was shock, relief, and a hint of happiness of meeting someone who understood her. Those were the deepest secrets of her heart that she had never told anyone else, but Black Star had seen through her so easily. This was the first time that Rossellin had met someone that knew her so well; she almost lost her cool.
Speechless, Reynold looked at Rossellin with disbelief. He looked at her from head to toe again and again, seemingly wondering if his sister had been swapped. He could not imagine Rossellin having such huge aspirations and dreams.
Seeing that Rossellin had admitted he was right, Han Xiao was secretly excited.
This fertilization method is just as good as it used to be. This is probably how the Silver Revolutionary Army fooled her in my previous life!
“Ah-choo!”
On Planet Aquamarine, Bennett sneezed all of a sudden.
When Rossellin finished, the room became quiet. The few of them did not speak for a moment. Han Xiao knocked the table and spoke first.
“So, what do you plan to do in the future? You can’t go back to Ceciris, and you’re still considered Purple Crystal’s prisoner. I bailed you out, so I can’t just let you run around wherever you like.”
Rossellin turned and glanced at Reynold. She then smiled lightly. “I see. After saying so much, you still want me to stay.”
“You’re a talent. I like talent.”
Han Xiao, of course, did not have to deny it.
“Since my brother works for you, even if you want to use me, you won’t do anything excessive. Okay, you used your connections to save me, so I owe you one. My brother is my brother; I won’t use him to repay you. Also, I don’t have much combat capability, so I certainly won’t be a match for such an important person like you…”
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 440