by <unknown>
“Third.” Han Xiao raised his brows. “You forgot the fight.”
“Alright.” Manison shook his head and chuckled. He did not mind.
Ever since that fight, Han Xiao had not made any moves for the next decade or so. Manison had already confirmed that Han Xiao had admitted loss and would not challenge his position again. Therefore, he had no problems with him.
He had already beaten a ton of Mechanics over the years. As long as the opponent admitted their loss, he would not continue to trouble them. He had to maintain his reputation as the main God of the Machinery Faith.
“This is the Void Overlord, Kasuyi. If I remember correctly, this should be the first time the two of you have met.” Manison turned his head and introduced Kasuyi.
“It’s indeed the first time, but I’ve heard a lot about you.” Han Xiao smiled and extended his hand. “I’m honored to meet you, Your Excellency Kasuyi.”
Kasuyi shook Han Xiao’s hand and said, “I’ve been hearing the name Black Star a lot. You’re a legend, too. Meeting you is also my honor. I heard you also have the blood of the Void Race. I think we’ll have a lot of common topics to talk about.”
After praising each other, Han Xiao guided everyone to their own room. After the federation and the church’s people settled down, Sorokin was the only one left.
“Your Excellency Black Star, it really shocked me how big your face is. So many important people are here.” Sorokin seemed like he was praising Han Xiao sincerely, but it sounded pretentious in Han Xiao’s ears.
Han Xiao curled his lips. “I thought you wouldn’t come.”
“Impossible! I have business in the Shattered Star Ring too, and you’re the top of this Star Field, so how can I not give you face? I know you have some misunderstandings about me since we have some competition in terms of businesses, but I personally have nothing but respect for you.” Sorokin smiled brightly. “We might even have the chance to work together in the future.”
Han Xiao knew that this guy’s shamelessness could match up to his own, so he was used to it. He tutted and asked, “Didn’t Heber come with you?”
“He said he’s going to come on the last day. Hehe, despite being the nearest to you, he’s trying to object like a kid.” Sorokin sold Heber out immediately.
“Humph, got it.”
Han Xiao waved and left the fake-smiling Sorokin.
Other than those allies who came because of the order from the three Universal Civilizations, everyone else had their own intentions. For example, Sorokin was probably there because he wanted to blend into the crowd, as well as to network with these Beyond Grade As. That old man Manison seemed to have other goals, too…
The Beyond Grade As who were staying at the Black Star Army could be classified into three types—the dynasty’s allies and those who were on his side, like Ames and Austin; the allies of the other two universal civilizations who came because they were ordered to do so; and the Beyond Grade As from the other factions as well as neutral Beyond Grade As, most of them whom had come to socialize.
However, the goals of these people would not impact this event too much, so Han Xiao did not mind.
To Han Xiao, the main focus of this Beyond Grade A gathering was the waiting stage before the official meeting. These Beyond Grade As would be waiting for more than ten days in their rooms, which would create a platform to communicate and socialize. Usually, due to factors such as distance and their respective factions, there were no occasions as public as this to gather so many of them together.
This way, everyone could socialize together, and it would be very convenient for him to find out more about the Beyond Grade As he would be meeting for the first time. Not only him, everyone’s circle would expand by quite a large extent, which would be beneficial to enhancing the relationship inside the entire Beyond Grade A circle.
Han Xiao did not just want to increase his reputation and maintain order within the Star Field; he also wanted the other Beyond Grade As to communicate and socialize. He was providing an opportunity for these people to build a good relationship with each other.
Although Beyond Grade As might have conflicts and grudges against each other, they would have no choice but to become comrades and fight alongside each other when the war of the World Tree erupted. He wanted to do something good in advance.
Furthermore, if the Beyond Grade As maintained the state of disunity, it would also lead to some very dire consequences.
“There were both natural and man-made reasons that led to the Calamity of the Supers, I hope this meeting will cause some changes…”
…
“Your Excellency President, there are already close to thirty Beyond Grade As who are now living in the Black Star Army’s headquarters. The estimate of the final count is around seventy to eighty.”
On the Federation of Light’s mother planet, Bader listened to the Chief Elder’s report with a frown on his face.
Considering the various factors, he decided to let the federation’s allies attend the meeting. However, he suddenly realized that the power of so many Beyond Grade As gathered in one place was too horrifying. Even though they were just meeting each other, it was still enough to shock the entire universe and stir up storms. The impact of this had exceeded his expectations.
“There are too many Beyond Grade As…”
“That’s right. In a few days’ time, the Black Star Army’s headquarters might be the most dangerous place in the entire universe.” The Chief Elder’s expression did not look good either.
“You misunderstand.” Bader looked up at him. “What I meant was… there are too many Beyond Grade As in the universe.”
The Chief Elder’s expression changed drastically.
Bader stood up, approached the window, and looked out. “The lifespan of a Beyond Grade A is very long. Without any accidents, they would live up to a thousand years, and there are also those Eternal Lives with seemingly endless life spans.
“Even though the chance of a Beyond Grade A appearing is extremely low, compare how long it takes for their life span to run out to how long it takes for a new one to appear—the number of Beyond Grade As in the universe will only keep growing. A hundred… two hundred… One day, sooner or later, there’ll be thousands of them!
“By that time, individual great power… will be uncontrollable!”
The Chief Elder’s expression became extremely serious. “You’re saying… to carry out a new cleansing? Like the Tragedy of the Pinnacles?
Bader shook his head. “The Tragedy of the Pinnacles was just an accident, but it hinted to us how to deal with the problem of Beyond Grade As. Although the number of the Beyond Grade As right now is still controllable, if we don’t plan ahead, the day when the peak of individual power overflows will come sooner or later… Therefore, cleansing the Beyond Grade As is a must. However, I don’t plan to do this during my term.”
The Chief Elder nodded. “Hmm, the Flickering World is very important to the entire universe right now. It isn’t the time for a cleansing.”
If there were too many individuals with extraordinary power that surpassed even logic itself, order would no longer be stable. In his eyes, cleansing the Beyond Grade As had nothing to do with hatred; it was only to maintain the stability of the universe. However, this would definitely cause unrest in the short term. Therefore, it was a hot potato to any leader of the universal civilizations—no one wanted to do such dirty work during their term.
To him, this was like keeping the ecological balance of the universe. This was not eliminating Beyond Grade As but controlling the total number of Beyond Grade As, keeping the ratio of individual power to collective power at a safe standard.
In peaceful times without exterior enemies, the consequences of this ratio being unbalanced would be unpredictable.
This was not his sudden idea. In fact, many years ago, the three Universal Civilizations had developed similar plans privately. However, the Beyond Grade As had never gone out of control, so th
ey had never executed this plan. This was a silent agreement between the three rulers of the universe.
“I wonder if Black Star hosted this meeting because of this too…” Bader thought of Manison’s attitude, paused, and said with a deep voice, “Manison probably guessed the inevitability of the cleanse, so he wanted to gather all the Beyond Grade As to show us their strength. Or is he trying to improve the position of the Beyond Grade As? Tsk… these two crafty guys.”
He had to admit that he did now fear the Beyond Grade As more, but there was no way to start the cleanse now, so the only thing to do was to turn this fear into showing that the Beyond Grade As were more important.
“Black Star, Mechanic Emperor… do you really want to ga
Chapter 1007. Meeting |
As more and more Beyond Grade As arrived at the Black Star Army’s headquarters, Han Xiao’s territory became increasingly rowdy. Within a few days, there were already about eighty Beyond Grade As and their fleets gathered there.
The Purple Crystal Civilization, which managed this Star Cluster, became nervous and secretly deployed some forces to set up defenses.
It was not just the Purple Crystal Civilization. All the Star Cluster civilizations of the Shattered Star Ring, as well as the three Universal Civilizations’ garrisons in this Star Field, started to secretly deploy troops to prepare for what might happen.
This many peak individuals of the universe would easily be able to turn an entire Star Field upside down, and they were all individuals with independent minds who carried the risk of not being controllable. These civilizations did not dare remain unprepared.
As for the Godoran Civilization, which directly ruled the Star Zone that the Black Star Army was in, all of their fleets had gathered around the Star Zone housing the Black Star Army’s headquarters as if they were facing a lethal enemy.
The things going on in the outside world did not affect the mood of the many Beyond Grade As. With Heber arriving last, the meeting began as scheduled.
The meeting location was a palace in the headquarters. The ceiling with a hundred meters tall, and dozens of floating thrones formed a circle five meters above the ground.
As the gate opened, the Beyond Grade As swarmed in. The tallest was the Beast Ancestor Gorutan, and the shortest was the finger-sized Sun Hunter. There were all kinds of appearances.
They all picked a location to sit one after another. The allies of the three Universal Civilizations all sat around each other in their own corner, with the Beyond Grade As of the other factions in between them.
After they sat down, they noticed three empty seats that were next to each other. Seeing that Han Xiao had yet to arrive, they casually started chatting while sizing each other up.
While waiting, many Beyond Grade As had moved around. In the past, some of them had only heard about some of the others but had never met. Using this opportunity brought by Han Xiao, these people had finally met each other and made some new friends.
Those who were visited most were the peak Beyond Grade As who had the highest positions and the strongest organizations in the circle. That included Manison, Kasuyi, Kant, and Gorutan. Clotti and a few of the other Beyond Grade As who did not come to the Shattered Star Ring, of course, did not participate in this meeting.
At this point in time, those who were sized up the most were the new members of the circle, those who only became Beyond Grade As in the past decade or so, such as the federation’s Hades, the dynasty’s Silver Shadow, and the church’s Tolaen.
After a while, three people walked in. Everyone stopped chatting and looked over at the gate—it was indeed Han Xiao, Hila, and Ames.
Han Xiao walked forward with wide strides, came before the mechanical throne, and sat down, facing all of the Beyond Grade A.
At the same time, Ames and Hila sat in the empty seats on his left and right.
Many looked at Hila with curiosity—there were a lot of people who were interested in this new Beyond Grade A of the Black Star Army.
Finally, the gate slowly closed.
With a smile on his face, Han Xiao looked around and slowly spoke, “Everyone is here. Pardon me for the wait. I appreciate all of you being willing to take part in this meeting…”
While saying the standard things, he observed everyone.
As he spoke, some sat tight and upright with a serious expression, some had indifferent and careless looks, some smiled to express friendliness, and some lay back in their chairs. He could see some of their attitudes.
Of the Beyond Grade As present, more than forty, including himself, were allies of the three Universal Civilizations. Most of the rest were on their own, and some were allies of the Super Star Cluster civilizations.
Many also had multiple identities. For example, quite a few Ancient Ones were there. There were also a few shareholders of the Limitless Financial Group. The Protector of the Galactic Black Market ‘Beast Ancestor’, ‘Secret Master’, and so on were here too. These were all very important people whom Han Xiao had to pay more attention to.
These people had very complicated relationships with each other. Some had good relationships with each other; some held grudges against each other; some were brothers on the surface but actually plotted against each other behind each other’s backs; some looked distant but were actually close secretly.
Han Xiao had moved around during the past few days too. He had managed to talk to everyone and successfully collected the combat information on everyone present. There were only a few whose levels were higher than his whose abilities he could not fully see. Still, he had the abilities of everyone else. He had obtained quite the amount of valuable intelligence.
These people, however, had no idea that Han Xiao knew even the color of their underpants.
“No matter why you are all here, I appreciate your arrival…” Finally, Han Xiao had finished the cliche opening and entered into the main topic. “I suppose everyone has already spoken with each other, so I will save myself the saliva of making introductions.”
The people all looked at Han Xiao, waiting for his next sentence.
Han Xiao softly patted the handle of his throne and said, “The reason I hosted this meeting is mainly to discuss the matter about the Shattered Star Ring with everyone…”
Before he could finish, a very intrusive voice sounded.
“Humph, can you represent the entire Shattered Star Ring?”
The look in everyone’s eyes changed slightly as they looked over at the source of the voice. The person who spoke was the Federation of Light’s Sierron, as well as a member of the Ancient Ones. He had a mocking expression on his face.
Without any change in his expression, Han Xiao smiled. “There are so many civilizations and organizations in the Shattered Star Ring. Of course, I can’t represent the stand of the entire Star Field alone.”
“Then, what right do you have to talk about this issue?” Sierron demanded. “Don’t forget, the Federation of Light is the actual ruler of the Shattered Star Ring. We’re the only ones who can speak for this Star Field, not you.”
The other allies of the Federation did not stop Sierron. They came to give face to Han Xiao, but as competitors, they were not going to make this too easy for him. Causing trouble was unavoidable. Even if they were not going to stop him, they did not want him to achieve his goal too easily.
“I cannot agree with that,” Han Xiao said slowly. “I’m a local of the Shattered Star Ring, and I’m stationed here on behalf of the dynasty. Also, I’m the strongest Beyond Grade A of this Star Field. Although I can’t represent the stand of this entire Star Field, I’m sure I have the right to speak for it personally. Furthermore, I’m not announcing some kind of order. I’m just here to discuss certain matters with all of you today.”
“The strongest Beyond Grade A of the Shattered Star Ring? Are you sure?” Sierron sneered.
Han Xiao raised his brow and slowly opened his arms. “Are you questioning my combat history?”
“Don’t
worry. I won’t deny that you’ve defeated Heber, Psyker, and Ames. As for Hila… she’s new, so she probably is no match for you.”
Heber’s expression was not looking too great. He did not like the fact that his defeat was mentioned by an outsider in front of so many Beyond Grade As.
Psyker coldly glanced at Sierron before glaring at Han Xiao. He was not happy about it either.
Ames, however, did not mind, and Hila’s expression was like a rock, as if she did not hear anything.
“Then, what’s the issue?” Han Xiao asked.
“Simple, there’s still one person who you’ve not defeated, the Magus, Austin!” Sierron shook his head. “He’s just too low profile, but it’s not certain he’s no match for you. Without defeating him, you can’t solidify your position as the strongest of this Star Field.”
Austin was stunned. Why mention me out of nowhere?
Then, he understood it immediately. Sierron wanted to put him on the spot, which might be an act to stir up disagreement. Although Sierron probably knew that he had quite a good relationship with Black Star, there was no harm in trying. After all, as long as the relationship between the two of them was tainted even a little, Sierron would benefit from it.
“I admit Black Star’s the strongest in this Star Field. I’m no match for him.” Austin curled his lips. This was the only thing he could say. It was not like he could spar with Han Xiao right there.
Hearing this, Han Xiao nodded at Austin before asking Sierron, “Do you have any other objections?”
“Nothing else.” Sierron saw that Manison had given him a look, so he closed his eyes and did not say any more.
Han Xiao looked around. Seeing that no one else had a problem, he said with a deep voice, “Alright then, since everyone agrees that I have the right to speak for the Shattered Star Ring, let’s get back to business… As the opening of the Flickering World is near, I can understand why all of you have come to the Shattered Star Ring to wait. However, I believe that everyone here knows that this many Beyond Grade As gathering in one Star Field will create a lot of unstable factors. As the peak of the Shattered Star Ring Supers, I have something to say. Please do listen.