At this time, Black Star was on the rooftop of Black Star Palace, hovering five meters off the floor.
Dozens of different-sized, ring-shaped mechanical devices hovered around him. From Han Xiao’s perspective, each of the rings was wrapped around hundreds of stars. Silk-like beams of light crisscrossed inside the rings like an energy filtering net, picking out tiny dots of light from nothing that landed on Han Xiao’s body and dissolved, absorbed by his skin.
He was training Ames’ (Dragon Emperor Star Energy Extraction Technique). The ring devices were the assistive tools he had built called Star Energy Collectors. They could enhance the effects of the Dragon Emperor Star Energy Extraction Technique.
Han Xiao let out a breath of air that consisted of star energy and felt the energy flow inside his body. It was as if his cells were shrouded in a fuzzy layer of star light. He tutted with satisfaction.
“Tsk, the effects of this energy training technique are even better than Heber’s Stellar Furnace Cultivation. Ames is quite creative. What a nice surprise this is.”
Not a single Super would be unhappy about having too much energy. Even Beyond Grade As who could infinitely regain energy would never stop training their energy. Every slight increase in their maximum energy was an increase in their limits, and Han Xiao was no exception. He had always taken energy training very seriously and frequently searched for all kinds of energy training techniques.
Originally, among all the energy training techniques he had, (Heber Stellar Furnace Cultivation] had the best effects. It gave him a total of 16,750 increase in his maximum energy. Now, its position was replaced by [Dragon Emperor Star Energy Extraction Technique).
This energy training technique gave him 800 base energy, but the training time limit was 800. Each period of training it would give him up to 30 energy. In the most ideal situation, this could increase his maximum energy by close to 25,000.
Such an amazing effect could totally increase his Energy Rank by a whole new level, giving him a new layer of attribute bonuses. The impact would be tremendous!
Even though he had (Radiation Absorption), which would make him stronger without him having to do anything at all, it only gave him about 16,000 energy over close to thirty years, still less than (Dragon Emperor Star Energy Extraction Technique).
Nonetheless, [Radiation Absorption] gave him quite a lot of attribute bonuses in Strength, Dexterity, and Endurance.
Old Man Manison had once said that the strength of Mechanics came from their foundation. The longer they lived, the stronger they were. This ability was the perfect proof of that.
The training for this time ended. Han Xiao put the Star Energy Collector away and headed down back to the office while browsing the forums.
There were still some days till the date of the guild alliance war. Almost all the guild alliances responded to it; the influence was clearly visible. The sales of the army’s faction store rocketed through the roof. The army players finally stopped saving money and spent like crazy. The EXP Han Xiao received in the past few days was massive.
On the other hand, the preparation for the fourth season of the Pro League had also started long ago, receiving quite the attention, indirectly increasing the players’ shopping desire, helping him once again before the version ended.
“At this speed, when Version 4.0 ends, not only will I have enough EXP to level up to 340, but I’ll even have quite a lot to spare.”
Han Xiao was quite satisfied.
A blonde female walked out from the corner ahead. When she saw Han Xiao, she was stunned for a full second. She then trotted and sprinted into Han Xiao’s arms.
“Uncle!” Aurora hugged Han Xiao tightly.
“How old are you now, still acting like a kid?” Han Xiao rubbed Aurora’s hair, pressed on her head, and pushed her away.
“I’ll always be a kid in front of you.” Aurora giggled.
She was indeed qualified to say this. Her overflowing vital energy had kept her looking like a teenager.
Han Xiao placed his hand on her head and asked, “How is your strength progressing?”
“Quite fast.” Aurora raised her hand and released a cluster of vital energy. It seemed to be brighter than before.
“Let me take a look.” Nanoparticles flowed at the tip of Han Xiao’s finger and formed a metal needle. He stabbed Aurora’s arm and triggered the combat information, seeing her full attributes.
Han Xiao looked at it and nodded with satisfaction.
Ever since Aurora became the master of the Holy Light Particle, Han Xiao had hired a ton of employees to specifically cultivate the Holy Light Seeds, helping Aurora become stronger. The effect of that was spectacular.
The Vital Energy Esper Ability was unique, so Aurora would never hit a wall. As long as she accumulated enough, her Grade would smoothly increase. Therefore, the method of harvesting leeks using the Holy Light Particle was perfect for her, making her grow at an incredible speed, much quicker than growing naturally. With her current growth speed, it would not take hundreds of years for Aurora to become a Beyond Grade A. The time would be reduced by roughly seventy to ninety percent.
Han Xiao smiled and said, “Not bad, not bad, I’m satisfied with your progress. Keep it up. Now go play,”
“Humph, I’ve been doing a lot of things in the army, not just playing. Don’t always see me as a kid!” Aurora puffed her cheeks, turned, and ran away.
You just said you’ll always be a kid, and now you’re unhappy about me seeing you as a kid. What in the world… Women are so unpredictable, even harder to understand than old man Manison’s Felon technology
en a
Han Xiao shook his head and did not chase after Aurora, instead returning to his office.
As soon as he walked in, his communicator rang. He looked at it, and to his surprise, it was a call from Kasuyi.
Han Xiao casually sat on the Throne, lay back, and picked it up. “Yo, Old Kasuyi, you rarely ever contact me. What’s this about?”
“Are you free?”
“What, you want to ask me out?” “Something like that. I’m planning to explore a special secondary dimension and hope to team up with a Mechanic. It’d be best if you’re free.” Han Xiao’s eyes flickered. He sat up straight slightly and asked, “Why didn’t you go to Manison? Aren’t the two of you quite close?”
“He’s not in a good situation at the moment, so it’s not wise to look for him. Comparatively, you’re my top choice. You’re more suited for this mission than him.” “Oh? Why?”
“Because that place is dangerous. I need a tank to stand in front, so… you know what I’m saying.” Kasuyi coughed.
Han Xiao tutted.
No wonder you came to me. Turns out it’s because of my tankiness.
Why hide something like this? You can just tell me you want my body.
“How dangerous is that secondary dimension?”
“I’ve never done field research, so I don’t know the details either. However, it’s definitely very dangerous. Even Beyond Grade As’ lives can be threatened.”
“Who else is going?”
“Just you and me. I don’t want too many people to take part in this operation.”
Hearing this, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
He felt that this was most certainly not just a simple exploration. He wondered what secret goal Kasuyi had.
“That’s about it. Black Star, when are you free?”
“Erm… in a few months. You know what’s happening between Modo and me. I don’t have time to do something else for the time being. Are you in a hurry?”
“Not really. I can wait for you, but don’t make me wait too long.”
“That’s easy. You can deal with Modo together with me, then I’ll be free sooner, right?” Han Xiao teased.
“Hehe, go trick someone else.” Kasuyi smiled faintly.
“I can surely go with you, but you’ll at least have to show some sincerity, you know,” Han Xiao said.
“What reward do you want? As lon
g as it’s a not too excessive request, I will agree.”
“Now that you suddenly say that, I really don’t know what I want… What about more requests?”
“No, just one.” Kasuyi’s expression remained the same.
“Then I’ve not decided yet.”
Han Xiao shrugged. This was a favor from Kasuyi, so he did not want to waste it.
“It’s still early anyway. Take your time to think about it. Tell me when you’ve made up your mind.”
After the agreement was made, Kasuyi did not waste much time. They chatted for a little bit before hanging up.
Han Xiao put the communicator down and pondered.
“Fascinating. Even Kasuyi needs a teammate to bear the risk together. What’s going on in that secondary dimension? Is it really that dangerous?” Sadly, no mission was triggered yet, so he had no clue.
After pondering for a while longer and still having no idea, he put this matter in the back of his mind.
In the next ten or so days, the Modo Civilization searched everywhere for Lothaire. However, it was not going smoothly at all, and accidents occurred frequently. The forces the Crimson Dynasty planted in Modo’s territory kept stirring trouble, obstructing the investigation in all ways possible, but they also lost quite a number of men who were captured and interrogated by Modo.
In this situation, the assassins inside Modo’s territory all stopped acting and went into hiding, afraid of being suspected. They were all shocked by how daring this assassin who killed the Modo Civilization’s leader was.
During the thorough investigation, Lothaire’s experience proved to be a huge help. He continuously hid, shifted locations, and covered his tracks, avoiding the soldiers time after time.
He had multiple stealth abilities to begin with and the bonus of the Medium Luck Glow, so he was able to rendezvous with the mechanical army Han Xiao had sent into Modo’s territory without getting caught in any battles.
The mechanical army successfully handed the King over to Lothaire. With it, he teleported away directly and finally escaped. He would never be found by Modo.
The Modo Civilization did not know about this. They were still searching everywhere. However, just a few days later, a sudden change happened in the Modo Civilization’s leading level again.
As one of Modo’s leaders had passed away, one of the Three Kings was missing. The race this position represented was very unhappy, and they did not want this situation to carry on. Therefore, a candidate quickly replaced this hole for the time being, and the Three Kings were complete again.
However, this new leader’s political stand seemed to be different from the other two kings—he did not support sending more soldiers to the Flickering World.
Due to all kinds of factors, the objecting faction seemed to have grown stronger once again. Those objecting faction upper echelons, including Marco, were all released after they were proved innocent. Under the protection of some kind of political power, not only were they not cleansed, but they were even firmer about objecting to the decision to continue participating in the Flickering War.
A storm started in the Modo Civilization’s leading level again, but this time was different from the public impeachment. Instead, it was all going on in private. The public did not know the truth; they only noticed that the shifting of officials seemed to be more frequent. No outsiders knew what kind of political strife and compromising the Modo upper echelons had made. They only knew that more than half a month after the assassination incident, the Modo Civilization publicly announced the progress of the investigation.
The report did not mention the names of the three Universal Civilizations and the Black Star Army at all. They only stated that many suspects had been caught, and they had made some progress, but the details of the progress were not stated at all.
At the end of the report, the Modo Civilization stated that they would be attacking all the terrorist organizations outside the territory that had claimed responsibility for the assassination. They expressed that this was an insult to Modo’s face, and these organizations were key suspects. Under the operations of the Modo Civilization, the public opinion of the nation was directed at these terrorist organizations. The hatred was shifted.
The spies and mechanical armies that Han Xiao had left in the Modo expeditionary army’s territory discovered their sudden movements -expeditionary army fleets disappeared in the territory one after another.
Very soon, not just the Black Star Army, but the three Universal Civilizations and the Super Star Cluster Alliance also noticed this.
Although it was not clearly stated, everyone could guess what the Modo Civilization was doing—the Modo expeditionary army was retreating!
The objecting faction rose, the nation’s internal state was in chaos, and there were many possible traps behind the assassination. In the end, the objecting faction got the upper hand. The two old kings of Modo were forced to compromise. The order to pull out the expeditionary army was made. They had decided to give up on participating in the Flickering War.
A simpler conclusion for this would be…
The Modo Civilization was now disqualified by Black Star!
Chapter 1184 - A Wise Assassin Is Not a Good Assassin
In the army commander’s office of Black Star Palace, Lothaire’s remote projection stood in the middle of the room. Han Xiao circled him, sized him up, and sighed from time to time.
“Kid, although you’ve successfully escaped this time, don’t feel glad. I need to properly talk to you about this.”
“What orders do you have?” Lothaire calmly accepted the scolding.
“Although the plan worked, you made the decision on yourself, and I had to clean up for you. I’m your boss, not the other way around. For something as big as this, you should ask me before you carry the plan out, got it?” Han Xiao stood in front of Lothaire with arms behind his back and reprimanded him.
“Won’t happen again.” Lothaire’s response was short and simple.
Han Xiao grunted, paused, and said, “The impact of this assassination was extremely severe. The Modo Civilization has given up on the Flickering War and is focusing on internal affairs. They definitely will not let this go easily. Therefore, all activities of the Assassin’s Society will cease for the time being. Hide and wait for this to be over. Only then will I allow you guys to be active again.”
“How long?”
“A few decades. You have to make use of this time properly to train,” Han Xiao said.
“Okay.” Lothaire did not complain and calmly obeyed.
He had acquired some new experience from this assassination. He was just thinking about digesting them too. Assassinating the leader of an advanced civilization was undoubtedly a legendary accomplishment. It had brought him subtle changes. It was like some kind of ability that increased his possibility of reaching Beyond Grade A. However, since Lothaire did not have the interface, he could not fully understand all that. He only got a blurry feel of it.
After giving him advice for a bit longer, Han Xiao ended the communication. His deliberately serious expression relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face. This assassination that Lothaire had never informed him till it was done really startled him, but the results turned out to be extremely good. As the Modo Civilization had withdrawn its army, the second requirement of [Kunde Race Leader’s Last Wish] was now complete.
If not for Lothaire’s assassination, the Modo upper echelons would not have shifted this drastically. In that case, he would have had to spend more time and pay a heftier price in order to force Modo to retreat. Furthermore, the chain of chaotic reactions caused by Modo’s leader being assassinated were also counted in the mission progress. Although Lothaire made this decision without consulting him, the results turned out to be reliable. Han Xiao always had high hopes for Lothaire. In his eyes, Lothaire had the potential to become a Beyond Grade A. His potential was much higher than lazy Beyond Grade A seeds like Hadavy.
One reason he froze
the activity of the Assassin’s Society was to wait till this was over, but another was to give Lothaire more time to find the opportunity for Promotion.
Han Xiao put these things in the back of his mind, opened the mission list on the interface, and looked at the two bright gold missions.
Both (Escape) and (Kunde Race Leader’s Last Wish]’s rewards could now be obtained. One of the two requirements of the latter was already complete. He could acquire (The Enemy), (Proof of Leadership), and (Kunde Rage] if he wanted.
Han Xiao thought about it and suppressed his temptation to complete [Kunde Race Leader’s Last Wish), as the first mission requirement was to ‘provide protection when the Kunde Race is being culturally modified’, which was not complete yet.
This Grade S mission was a single mission, not a chain mission. Therefore, once he clicked on completing it and accepted the reward, it would mean that he would not be able to obtain the reward for the first requirement. He wanted the four Political Assets rewarded by the first requirement. Anyway, he could decide when to conclude the mission. He could obtain the three abilities anytime he wanted, so he was in no hurry.
“I shall conclude Lothaire’s mission and get the reward first.”
Han Xiao headed out, turned left into the officer lounge to get some luck, returned, and quickly opened the interface.
[Escape] Completed! -3,000 Modo Civilization Favorability.
Current Relationship: (Archenemy)
You have received 8 Billion EXP, 2 Random Rewards, and the (Civilization Leader Slayer] milestone.
(Civilization Leader Slayer]: All civilization leader Favorability -10. Your words will be more heeded by the various civilizations. At the same time, when you, your organization, or your allies fight any fleets or Supers of your opposing civilization, their defense and various resistances will be reduced by 3% – 7%.
“This Milestone is definitely for the wanted criminals of the evil factions.” Han Xiao’s eyes twitched.
To wanted criminals, the Favorability of civilization leaders is complete trash, but since I’m someone with a high position and identity, the Favorability of civilization leaders is not useless.
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