The major organizations within the universe could feel the importance the dynasty viewed Black Star with.
But that was to be given. Black Star was still so young, yet he had grown so quickly. He would most likely end up as one of the pillars of the dynasty for the next hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Therefore, the dynasty would not neglect him.
After the announcement was released, the major financial groups also started to act. They began to contact the dynasty allies within the list. The Black Star Army was the most popular with the financial groups, with countless applications sent to Phillip.
While the territory of seven Star Systems seemed huge, there were just too many financial groups staring at the Flickering World. A financial group's goal was to profit, and with only that much territory, there was no way Han Xiao could choose to work with all of them. Han Xiao personally screened out the financial groups with limited power and sent his people to negotiate with the larger ones.
Because this was a big project, Han Xiao asked Sylvia to send staff from the various departments to form a team to negotiate with the different financial groups to discuss the details of cooperation.
The typical method of cooperation was for the financial group to invest cash, buy resources and engineering equipment, or help them to construct the territory. The invested party had to promise that after the Flickering World was opened up, these financial groups would get to operate or mine on certain resource rich planets or have certain rights when conducting businesses within the territory.
Because the territory was completely under one's jurisdiction, they had the final say in any transactions approved and did not have to face any pressure from a ruling civilization.
While Han Xiao was still wary of Sorokin, the two of them had already reached a preliminary agreement to cooperate, so in the spirit of keeping promises, he sent a message to Sorokin to set the terms of cooperation. However, the other party's investment amount was far below Han Xiao's expectations, almost to the point of an investment made while suffering from poverty.
"There's no reason for the Limitless Financial Group to only invest that amount. It seems like they do not respect me at all."
Within the office, Han Xiao observed the terms of the contract, his expression strange.
"Sylvia, when I asked you to check the Limitless Financial Group's movements, did you find anything?"
"Yes. The Limitless Financial Group split into two groups after they entered the Shattered Star Ring, with the smaller group joining the Tyrant's Party. If I'm not wrong, the Limitless Financial Group should have been evaluating their investment targets, and they seem to have chosen the Tyrant over us."
"That's strange. The territory I have is more than thrice that of Heber, yet Sorokin is focusing on Heber?" Han Xiao wondered aloud. "Could it be that Heber gave him some special terms?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Han Xiao did not continue struggling with this matter. There were many financial groups staring at this opportunity, and if the Limitless Financial Group did not wish to cooperate in depth, it was fine. What he did not lack now was potential partners.
After dealing with the matter at hand, Han Xiao placed the communicator down, opening the interface to view the Mission notification.
The first part of the [Flickering World] main mission was to explore the Garu Star Cluster. The moment the Crimson Dynasty announced the successful exploration of the first phase, the first mission would also be shown as completed and ready for Han Xiao to collect his rewards.
The players had also received this main storyline, but they had to wait till they returned from the version update to obtain their reward.
Han Xiao glanced at the mission description. He had accumulated a large number of Exploration Points, and the Mission Rating had long reached the highest tier.
"After several years of exploration, I've finally managed to complete the first part of this Main Storyline Mission," Han Xiao grumbled. "The Mission Rating is so high. The reward should also be enough for me to redeem the last Ultimate Knowledge I need."
As he spoke, he chose the option to obtain his Mission rewards.
_____________________
[Flickering World] First chain mission completed.
Your Mission Rating is S+.
You have obtained 2,000,000,000 Experience, x3 Random Reward Draws, 3,000 Crimson Dynasty Contribution Points, and x2 Blank Character Summon Cards.
The milestone [Exploration Pioneer] is now activated.
Milestone Requirements: Obtain at least 3 'A' Ratings and above for Mission Rating in the [Flickering World] Chain Missions.
Current Progress: 1/3
_____________________
"Yo, a milestone mission." Han Xiao brows went up.
These kinds of milestone missions usually gave either a unique title or Legendary Points. Some titles were just for bragging rights, while some had additional bonuses. Han Xiao remembered that he still had a [Legendary Hunter] milestone mission that had not been completed. The title would increase his damage against Beast-type creatures. On the other hand, [Exploration Pioneer] increased his rate of obtaining dungeon copies or random rewards.
The highest Mission Rating gave him twenty billion experience. While it was peanuts to him, for a player at level 120, it was enough to level up quite a few times. Based on the standards of this version, this reward could be considered sizable. The only other missions that gave him the same amount of experience involved fighting the Beyond Grade As, and comparing their difficulties, the [Flickering World] exploration was so much easier.
The second chain mission for the [Flickering World] also appeared, which was to complete all the infrastructure construction in the territory that the Black Star Army was assigned.
This Main Storyline was very flexible, and its specific requirements would vary according to one's faction and the actual situation. The mission requirements for Han Xiao and the army players in [Flickering World] were issued based on their position as the Crimson Dynasty and Black Star Army factions.
It was a pity that the players were all offline, missing out on this mission reward.
After letting his thoughts wander for a while, Han Xiao then collected himself and glanced at the faction contribution point bar. The most useful thing right now was the three thousand Contribution Points. With this, his total contribution exceeded twelve thousand points, enabling him to gain one more Ultimate Knowledge.
"Finally, I'm getting the number of Ultimate Knowledges needed." Han Xiao breathed out in relief.
…
At the same time in the Bloodshed Land, the Limitless Financial Group and Heber reached a consensus. Lovell served as a resident emissary in the Bloodshed Land, and Sorokin would pass her instructions by possessing her followers.
Not long after the dynasty announced the territory of its allies, Lovell contacted Sorokin in shock.
"The dynasty is too partial toward Black Star, giving them a whole seven Star Systems. Father, will it really be okay if we don't focus on investing in the Black Star Army?"
Sorokin also frowned. He knew that the dynasty treated Black Star with importance, but this was out of his expectations.
The Black Star Army had gathered more wealth and popularity than expected, which was detrimental to their plans.
Those cooperating internal factions mentioned that they were working internally to prevent Black Star from getting any good territory, but now it seemed that they had failed. This was not suppressing him but rather increasing the difficulty level…
His teammates were not useful at all!
Chapter 928 - Required Knowledges Gathered!
928 Required Knowledges Gathered!
Seeing the sullen look on Lovell's face, Sorokin eased his brows and calmly replied, "Forget it, it's just the first phase anyways. Although this is unexpected, this profit is not worth mentioning compared to our dealings with the three civilizations. The Bloodshed Land might have fewer territories, but they are
also valuable. We can focus on investing here and need not go over to Black Star to compete with the other financial groups."
Lovell pursed her lips and could only nod.
Sorokin paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he indifferently continued. "The Black Star Army has now gained such a huge territory, and there's a lot of room for development. Its ability to resist pressure has increased, but this is not completely to our disadvantage. The focus of the army will be directed toward the Flickering World, which allows us to weaken their original business dealings.
"First, attack the interest consortium of the Black Star Army within the Shattered Star Ring. We are still unable to shake their core businesses and can only start with the cooperative organizations of various industries that the Black Star Army is affiliated to. We can help Bloodshed Land to snatch a part of the business channels and cut off the arms of the Black Star Army, reducing the scope of their business. In this case, they will return to the original scope, which will make him unable to expand and develop comfortably."
Lovell hesitated before speaking in a whisper. "Father, the Black Star Army has great prospects, and their business is also booming. In all honesty, it is unlikely for such methods to shake them."
"Naturally, a Beyond Grade A organization is not so easily suppressed. That's especially so for Black Star with his growing momentum… but it's because this is difficult that the three Universal Civilizations came to me. Rice should be eaten a mouthful at a time. As long as one is willing to fork out the costs, they will be able to gradually erode everything."
Sorokin shook his head, his expression still cold. "Furthermore, I'm not here to destroy the Black Star Army but to make him feel uncomfortable. This will take a long time to take effect, so I'll take my time. Those cooperating with me are not even in a hurry, so why should I rush?"
While the father and daughter were cooperating, on the other side of Bloodshed Land, Heber was also in his palace reading the terms of the contract proposed by Lovell. He secretly nodded to himself.
The contract described the plans for the Limitless Financial Group to invest in Bloodshed Land. The goal was to let the Bloodshed Land learn from the Black Star Army and complete an organizational transformation, dealing not only in armed force employment but expanding to different industries, developing in an all-round manner.
Such business channels need not be laid out from scratch. They focused on the channels that many of the local organizations within the Shattered Star Ring had operated and perfected after many years. They would obtain them through acquisitions, where most of the costs would be borne by the Limitless Financial Group.
Seeing the investment amount proposed by the Limitless Financial Group, Heber coldly snorted.
"Really rich."
…
The Black Star Army had recently entered a busy state.
After the preliminary selection made by Han Xiao, each financial group then sent people to negotiate with the personnel of the Black Star Army.
Dillard, the team leader of Negotiation Team 098, was currently involved in the discussions with one of the higher ups of a financial group.
"Mr. Dillard, this is the third time we have modified the terms of cooperation according to your wishes. Are you satisfied with it this time?"
The executive of the financial group carefully watched Dillard's expression.
"You want the mining rights of at least ten resource rich planets for fifteen years, management rights for three of the planets and the right to modify its surface, operation rights for two regional quantum network channels, and preferential sales channels for dozens of rare resources… Hahaha, don't you think that this investment amount is insufficient to request such treatment?" Dillard raised his eyebrows, giving a smile that was not a smile.
"Based on the calculations done on my side, the amount of investments is equivalent to our requirements…"
"Do you wish to take advantage of our Black Star Army? If you don't have enough sincerity, we can stop the negotiations. We still have many others to choose from." Dillard's tone sank, and he looked ready to end the discussion.
"Wait a minute." The executive got a shock and immediately scrambled to reply. "Don't misunderstand, we never intended anything like that. Which part are you not satisfied with? We can always talk it out…"
As he observed the other party's careful expression, there was no outward change in Dillard's face, but in his heart, he was secretly very proud of himself.
He was just an ordinary worker in the Black Star Army with limited pay. In the galactic society, be it in status or assets, he was far inferior to the executives of various financial groups.
However, these rich and powerful executives were now trying to please him, a clerk, with enthusiasm as well as treading on thin ice to speak to him. Dillard had never been treated with such enthusiasm before.
Now that countless financial groups were seeking cooperation with the Black Star Army, as a negotiator, he held the initiative and power, and he had more confidence.
If not for the fact that he had joined the Black Star Army earlier, how could he have gotten such an opportunity, where those in the high ranks bowed to him?
In order to satisfy his own vanity, in addition to obtaining more benefits for the army, Dillard would set harsher and more unyielding terms, holding firmly to his initiative.
He knew that this was merely borrowing the name of the Black Star Army to strut around, like a fox pretending to be a tiger, but he was happy about it. Now that his affiliation was so powerful, if he did not take the chance to flaunt it a little more, there would never be a chance for him in the future.
The executives of the financial group knew what Dillard was doing, and they gritted their teeth in anger inwardly, but they had no choice as they were the passive party.
They would rather suffer a bit than lose out on the golden opportunity to cooperate with the Black Star Army.
…
In the Army Commander's office, a projection of Phillip about a thumb's size sat on the edge of the table with his legs swinging around, reporting to Han Xiao in a crisp voice.
"Investigation completed. There are forty-five negotiators who have received bribes during the negotiation process."
"Fire all of them and cancel the cooperation agreements that they've negotiated. We're no longer cooperating with these financial groups."
Han Xiao frowned.
As the scale of the army increased, it was inevitable for people to develop greed in their hearts and use the army's name to obtain personal benefits.
He did not mind the members flaunting the army's prestige, but if someone betrayed the army's interests, he could not pretend nothing had happened. As a Virtual Mechanic, the entire faction was within his control; nothing could be hidden from him.
After dealing with this annoying problem, Han Xiao rubbed his eyes and prepared to proceed to the training rooms to work on his Energy Training Technique. It was at this time that his communicator rang.
Picking up the communicator, Han Xiao's eyes sparkled.
His request to the dynasty had been accepted!
The Dynasty Contribution Points he had amounted to twelve thousand, and Han Xiao had sent in a request to redeem an Ultimate Knowledge.
In just a few short years, Black Star had made so many achievements that it was enough for him to obtain all the Ultimate Knowledges he needed. This efficiency was probably the highest in history. Because the biggest attraction for a Beyond Grade A to join a Universal Civilization was to obtain Ultimate Knowledges, now that Han Xiao had gathered up all the Ultimate Knowledges of the Mechanic department, the Crimson Dynasty was a little hesitant, and the approval time was much longer than before.
However, if there were merits achieved, the reward had to be given. Thus, Han Xiao finally received the final Ultimate Knowledge of the Mechanic profession.
Control Branch—[Relativity Theory]!
Just like how Beyond Grade A mages could travel thr
ough all secondary dimensions, this Ultimate Knowledge of the Mechanic profession could achieve similar results. As a sophisticated spacetime technology, it could be applied to the manufacture of stargates, Interstellar Navigation Technology, Hyperdrive transition engines, next-generation propellers, and many more devices.
In combat, this knowledge improved the maneuverability of machinery, and it was applicable to various spatial based devices. It could be used to attack and defend, and it was extremely good for crowd control.
With this Ultimate Knowledge, the difficulty of facing mechanics would increase more than one level. This played the biggest role in overcoming the core shortcomings of Mechanics, which was fighting people at close range. As Han Xiao was an anomaly, close ranged combat did not matter to him at all, so he had placed this knowledge at the very end of his collection.
Because this was considered general Profession Knowledge, the triple penalty did not apply to it, and every level only needed eight Potential Points. He had just enough to use it to complete the Class Advancement Mission [Erudite].
"After mastering this, all of my Ultimate Knowledges have been collected. The next step is to slowly max out all of my knowledges."
Han Xiao settled himself down and chose to learn it.
_____________________
Mechanic Class Ultimate Knowledge detected: [Relativity Theory]. Spend 8 potential points to learn?
Learning…
Successfully learned! You have learned [Relativity Theory]!
You have been awarded with the talent [Hyperspace Thought]!
You have mastered all available Ultimate Knowledge, and your talent [Ultimate Knowledge Possessor] has been strengthened!
You have learned all Class Knowledges. You have been awarded with the talent [Almighty Mechanic]!
Hyperspace Thought: Enhances all spatial device performances, control effect is significantly strengthened, and your domain related abilities and all space-related abilities will be enhanced. +50 – 100% increase in CC duration, +20% to mobility of all machinery equipment, +40% to mental resistance.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 626