Although the Galactic Era was open and the change of sex was widely accepted, Clotti had never liked the new trend. He could still accept it if they got along normally, but being teased made him feel a chill down his spine. He really could not accept it. This mentality was probably…
I treat you as a brother, but you actually want to sleep with me?!
“Ahem, everyone, now is not the time for small talk.”
Han Xiao quickly interrupted their conversation. He had yet to finish his business. If he allowed these people—who were related to each other—to start recognizing and chatting everyone up, when would he be done with his business?
“Hmm, that’s true. Let’s not talk about anything else. You resurrected us for a certain purpose. What exactly is going on?” The revived person from the Federation of Light also spoke up. This was a Psychic, the direct descendent who was a predecessor of Oulou.
The ones asking questions were mainly the direct descendants of the three Universal Civilizations, who gathered together on their own. The rest of the revivors looked at the communication between the two sides and quietly obtained information. As for the ten direct descendants of the Super Star Cluster, they hid at the side and maintained a high level of vigilance.
Hearing this question, everyone’s mental states perked up. This was what they were most wary of. They were afraid that the revival was done with bad intentions at play.
“Resurrecting isn’t just my idea. The three Universal Civilizations and the entire Galactic Society have the same idea as all the Beyond Grade As present.” Han Xiao paused and said with a deep voice, “Our hometown has met with a huge crisis, where a foreign Universal Civilization is invading our world. Their strength is beyond imagination and extremely powerful. The war has already broken out, and we need everyone’s strength!”
A Universe-level war?!
All the expressions changed.
That was true. If not for this level of danger, there would not have been a need to go through so much trouble to revive so many historical Beyond Grade As. However, from a personal point of view, most of the revivors were unhappy about being used by others.
The revivors looked at the hundreds of Beyond Grade As in front of them and finally understood the situation. The joy of reviving was gone, and they were filled with anger.
“If we’re not willing, what will happen? Will you force us?” A neutral Beyond Grade A frowned and said with dissatisfaction.
Han Xiao shook his head and said, “That’s not the case. We will try our best to convince everyone that everything is voluntary and we will not force you to participate in the battle.”
The Revivors were individuals with free thoughts after all, not slaves. Forcing them was not an option, not only because of their complex identities but also because of the feelings of the other Beyond Grade As.
Using a gun to force the Revivors to compromise would cause many repercussions. One of them was to make the other Beyond Grade As feel the same way. They were worried that they would receive the same treatment after reviving, so it was hard to say how many more association members would be willing to participate in the battle.
Surely there would not be many Revivors who would agree with him through verbal persuasion alone. Furthermore, force was an indispensable part of it. It was difficult for both parties, and Han Xiao had no choice but to grasp the problem. This was even more difficult to deal with than the previous two revivals. Han Xiao had long prepared himself for this hurdle.
This time, a Beyond Grade A with a medium built spoke out.
“We need to ask the upper echelons for their opinion. Can you give us a communicator?”
Han Xiao looked at him and recognized him as a direct member of the Super Star Cluster. His name was Mablo, and he had outstanding combat strength as well. It was a pity that he had died in the Tragedy of the Pinnacles.
“Sure, take it.”
Han Xiao did not reject this request. He took out a communicator and threw it at Mablo.
This was the condition of his deal with the Super Star Cluster. With the rich experience of the Super Star Cluster being persecuted, they would surely suspect that the three Universal Civilizations might secretly do something to their high-level combatants during the war, and thus would not allow the experts who had finally revived to participate in the war. Han Xiao did not expect all the revived members of the Super Star Cluster to participate either.
Mablo took the communicator, nodded slightly, and led the other nine members of the Super Star Cluster to contact their upper echelons.
For a moment, the majority of the Revivors fell silent. They exchanged looks among their acquaintances and hesitated to speak.
This time, Reeve let out a breath and said slowly, “Since the Dynasty is in trouble, I will not shirk my duty. Isn’t it just a war? As long as the Dynasty gives the order, I am willing to contribute my strength.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“I was already a dead man to begin with. If the Federation needs my strength to fight the foreign enemies, there’s no harm in burning myself again.” With Reeve taking the lead, many direct members of the three Universal Civilizations agreed and expressed their support.
Seeing this, Han Xiao heaved a sigh of relief.
The support from most of the direct members of the civilizations was within his expectations. High-level combatants who had undergone long-term patriotic education from the three Universal Civilizations were naturally reliable and willing to contribute to the explored universe.
However, since it involved a second life, things were obviously not going to go so smoothly. While many of the direct descendants expressed their stance, voices of dissent came from the crowd as well.
“Black Star, I’m sorry, but we don’t want to continue fighting.”
Han Xiao and the others looked over, and their expressions changed.
The person who spoke was not a historical expert, but a member of the association who had died on the battlefield not long ago. His name was Garoze, and he had briefly interacted with Han Xiao before.
The other members of the association who had died also followed beside Garoze. They had reached a consensus and mustered their courage to meet Han Xiao’s eyes.
As expected, even the Beyond Grade As who were willing to participate in the battle did not want to take the risk after dying once…
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. Although he was not surprised, he still shook his head and sighed.
However, before he could respond, another Revivor objected.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t plan to participate in this war either.”
Han Xiao turned around, his gaze startled.
The person who spoke was none other than Hilbert. He was the first direct member of the three Universal Civilizations to reject this conscription.
Reeve looked at him in surprise. “What are you…”
Before she could finish, Hilbert waved his hand and interrupted her.
“I’ve already sacrificed my life for the three Universal Civilizations and fulfilled my duty. Even if I’m a direct descendant, the Church can’t keep asking me to contribute. Even the upper echelons have a choice to retire. Furthermore, I died once, so everything was wiped out. Now that I finally have a second chance, I can’t keep working for them forever.”
As soon as he said that, many of the direct members of the civilization who were still in dilemma were stunned. They felt that he had spoken the truth and nodded in agreement.
Even the direct descendants of the civilizations who had already expressed their stand were shaken by these words.
The direct descendants of the three Universal Civilizations originally wanted to persuade him, but after hearing this, they were speechless.
“This doesn’t look good…”
Looking at this scene, the heads of the three Universal Civilizations who were monitoring remotely through the equipment all felt their hearts tighten.
Chapter 1350 - Conflict
“This guy…”
Looking at the broadcast on the virtual screen, the Pope’s eyes darkened.
Most of the direct descendants were stubborn. From the perspective of the leaders of the three Universal Civilizations, reviving the direct descendants and having them continue working for the three Universal Civilizations was natural. They wished they had the eternal loyalty of the direct descendants, but people’s hearts change. Especially after experiencing death once, even the direct descendants were not an exception.
After sacrificing one lifetime for the civilization, they felt that they were even and did not want to be commanded anymore. To the three of them, Hilbert’s idea was human nature, but the understanding was not in line with their current interests.
If it was during peaceful times, the three of them would not have minded if the other party wanted to retire. They would even have given him a title of merit, showing the glory that Hilbert had once served the civilization, to increase the loyalty of the other direct descendants. However, the situation was different now, and with Black Star agreeing to the terms of reviving, the three of them were in a difficult position.
After Hilbert finished speaking, the atmosphere fell silent again.
Hilbert looked around, then looked at Han Xiao and asked, “What do you think?”
Han Xiao did not reply immediately. Instead, he looked at Kasuyi with a meaningful look.
Kasuyi was stunned. “Hmm? Why are you looking at me?”
“Nothing, I’m just looking.”
Han Xiao looked away.
Tsk, the Arcane Church is indeed full of traitors…
Although Hilbert’s act of expressing his desires could not exactly be considered traitorous, it affected the mentality of the other Revivors, and in the eyes of the three Universal Civilizations’ leaders, he was probably no different from a traitor.
Various thoughts flashed through Han Xiao’s mind. He smiled and nodded.
“Your request is quite reasonable. Indeed, no one says that one has to work forever after becoming a direct descendant of a civilization. Even ordinary people have the privilege to retire. As someone who died for the civilization, you naturally have the right to do so.”
“So you have no objections?” Hilbert raised an eyebrow.
“I personally understand, but I don’t have the final say in this matter. The three Universal Civilizations bought the quota for your Sanctum Revivals from me, and they have paid the deposit. If the three Universal Civilizations wish to reduce the quota, I can cancel it.”
Han Xiao spread out his hands and continued, “In times of war, every resource has to be put to use. If you don’t show your usefulness, I guess they won’t be willing to pay.”
“In that case, take my life back.”
Hilbert opened his arms with a calm expression.
Seeing this, everyone looked at Han Xiao and Hilbert with complicated emotions.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
Was this guy really willing to give up the second life that he had painstakingly obtained? That was impossible. This was just a method of retreating in order to advance. He was certain that the three Universal Civilizations would not kill him, or else in the eyes of the other Revivors, it would be no different from a forced threat. This would go against their original intentions, causing more Beyond Grade As to waver, further damaging the loyalty of some of the direct descendants, making them feel like they were forever enslaved.
Just as Han Xiao was about to speak, he suddenly received a message from the three Universal Civilizations’ leaders. He looked at it and shook his head.
“Heh, you can rest assured. The three Universal Civilizations have just expressed that they will still pay for your revival and will not take back your life.”
The three Universal Civilizations reacted quickly, unwilling to damage the loyalty of more direct descendants.
“That’s good.” Hilbert lowered his arm without changing his expression as if he had already expected this.
Immediately after, he turned around and pointed at some of the revived direct descendants who had agreed with him.
“Since you did not reject our request and did not force us to join the battle, we should be able to leave?”
Han Xiao smiled and said slowly:
“You’re mistaken. You can’t leave on your own. You can only follow us.”
Hearing this, the faces of many revivors changed slightly.
Hilbert narrowed his eyes. “You mean to put us under house arrest?”
“You can think of it this way. All of you have been dead for a long time and have just revived. You don’t know much about the current galactic society. At the same time, the composition of the organizations is quite complicated. Because the current war situation is tense, in order to reduce unexpected factors, we will conduct unified supervision. None of you can move freely before you get permission.”
Han Xiao’s expression did not change, but his tone was firm.
This was a plan that had been devised long ago. Even if he did not force all these revivors to participate in the battle, he would not allow them to move freely. Otherwise, there would be no need for him to bring so many Beyond Grade As over.
This time, Garoze and the others could not help but say:
“Us too?”
Han Xiao looked at them and said with an expressionless face, “All of you died in battle against the World Tree. Of course, you don’t have to receive such treatment. Come over.”
In reality, he did not want to let these people go either, but he had to take care of the thoughts of the association members behind him. He still had to give differential treatment.
With his current position, he had no choice but to mediate and balance the thoughts of all parties. It was human nature to seek benefits and avoid harm. He couldn’t make people from different sides give up fighting for their own benefits.
Garoze and the others heaved a sigh of relief. Under the gazes of both parties, they left the position of the Revivors and stood among the Beyond Grade As behind Han Xiao. As long as they obtained the benefits they wanted, they naturally had no intention of standing on the same side as these Revivors.
The Beyond Grade As glanced at Garoze, not having any intention of looking down on him. Hilbert did not speak, but the neutral Revivors did.
“How long is the house arrest?” a dark gold-skinned Revivor asked in a deep voice. His aura was even more oppressive than Hilbert’s.
Everyone looked over, and their hearts skipped a beat.
Nilfgadi, the first Divine Throne Mechanic in history, the founder of the Machinery Faith!
All the Mechanics with the Machinery Faith bonuses were enjoying his protection. To a Beyond Grade A Mechanic, he was like the founder.
Han Xiao nodded and explained.
“Your Excellency Nilfgadi, there is no fixed time limit for the house arrest. Everything will be done according to the specific circumstances. Everyone will have to go through a long one-on-one screening. You will only be allowed to leave after we make sure nothing unexpected will happen.”
Hearing this, another neutral Beyond Grade A sneered.
“The criteria for the screening are decided by you guys. You can say whatever you want. I’m very curious, will our house arrest continue indefinitely if we don’t agree to participate in the war?”
Han Xiao turned around.
The person who spoke was called Aegon Vardnadze, nicknamed ‘Flowing Flame’. He was a peak Beyond Grade A and a shapeshift type Esper. He was from the same era as Dylan and was also an influential figure who had died in the Tragedy of the Pinnacles. At this moment, he looked at Han Xiao and the others with undisguised hostility.
Right then, a bunch of powerful people were revived. There were all kinds of extraordinary people.
“Of course not.”
Han Xiao replied casually.
The direct descendants of the three Universal Civilizations, th
e direct descendants of the Super Star Cluster, as well as the Beyond Grade As whose deaths had nothing to do with the three Universal Civilizations. Even if these people were not willing to participate in the battle, they would not do anything too extreme. However, the people who died at the hands of the three Universal Civilizations or the Tragedy of the Pinnacles were completely different. Their hatred was deep, and this was a thorn that was difficult to deal with.
Aegon Vardnadze coldly glanced at Hilbert and the rest of the revived direct descendants and said indifferently, “You received payment to revive these direct descendants, but you voluntarily revived us neutral Beyond Grade As, right?”
“You can say that.” Han Xiao nodded.
“Heh, I thank you for letting me live, and I owe you a favor. However, if you want to use this favor to hold me hostage to fight the enemies of the three Universal Civilizations, that’s impossible!”
Aegon Vardnadze stood with his arms crossed, and streams of red light flowed around his body. The temperature of the area rose rapidly as he said with a firm tone:
“I’m telling you clearly that I will not accept the three Universal Civilizations’ house arrest. This is the same as being prisoned. They will never let us victims of the Tragedy of the Pinnacles go. I’m leaving right now. Who wants to leave with me?”
Rumble!
As soon as he said that, many Beyond Grade As who had died in the Tragedy of the Pinnacles burst out with their auras and echoed with their actions. Some neutral Beyond Grade As who were not willing to be placed under house arrest also stood up, wanting to use the strength of the group to leave this place.
A huge energy wave spread out, and the alloy ground trembled, with depressions appearing one after another.
The direct members of the three Universal Civilizations, the direct members of the Super Star Cluster, and some neutral Beyond Grade As immediately retreated to the side. They did not plan to help any side and decided to watch the show and act according to the situation. The direct members of the Super Star Cluster who had retreated to the side communicated telepathically.
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