The Legendary Mechanic, page 499
After a period of silence, when Edmond felt a little anxious, Rossellin slowly nodded. “Okay, follow me.”
Then, she turned around and led the way. Delighted, Edmond took his two friends and followed behind.
When they came to a corner with no one around, Rossellin stopped and turned around.
“Tell me, what do you want to talk to me about?”
“The three of us are from the Sea of Star Spirits. We’re planning to build a career, and we hope to invite you to join us.” Edmond got straight to the point.
“Interesting. You came to the Black Star Army’s headquarters and tried to recruit a Beyond Grade A’s officer. You have some guts,” Rossellin mocked. “Tell me about your so-called career. Don’t disappoint me.”
Edmond licked his lips, lowered his voice, and said, “We want to overthrow the three Universal Civilizations.”
Rossellin’s smile stiffened.
“…Allow me to confirm something.” Rossellin’s lips twitched. “You’re not mental, are you?”
“I know this sounds unbelievable, but this is indeed my aspiration.” Edmond’s tone started to get a little elevated. “The three Universal Civilizations have ruled the galaxy for way too long. In order to maintain their ruling position, they toy with the rules that they set under the name of maintaining order, eliminating the future of countless races.”
Rossellin frowned. “But it’s also thanks to those rules made by the three Universal Civilizations that the universe is as peaceful as it is today. If they disappear, countless civilizations will start a war to become the ruler that will spread across the entire universe. Quintillions of lives will be lost in the flames of war, only for new rulers similar to the three Universal Civilizations to be born in the end. What’s even worse is that maybe all civilizations will be destroyed. Don’t you know that?”
“I do. This is the price for overthrowing the current rules, but…” Edmond took a deep breath. “That’s what a revolution is.”
“A revolution is to create a better era, but the era now is peaceful—lives are decent. Since people can still live well, why do you want to revolutionize? If… and I mean if, you really overthrow the three civilizations, can you promise the future will be better than now?”
“No one can promise what will happen in the future. Whether a revolution will create a better era or not, I don’t know. But I’m not willing to deliberately ignore the problems of today because I can’t let go of the peace and watch the wrong things continue to exist without doing anything.” Edmond shook his head. “In this era, resources are rich—more than enough to feed everyone even if they choose to do nothing in life, have no motivation, act like walking bags of meat… The basic resources are no longer our reason to start a revolution.”
Rossellin narrowed his eyes. “Then what do you fight for? For those races you said are oppressed? Or for your own ambition?”
Edmond shook his head. “Neither… revolution itself is my aspiration.”
Rossellin sized up Edmond carefully again. He looked ordinary, but his guts were anything but ordinary. With the three Universal Civilizations’ position, this was equivalent to going against the gods!
“If the revolution succeeds, what will you do? Take over the three civilizations?”
“I don’t know,” Edmond answered truthfully.
“… Why me?”
“In order to overthrow the authority that the three civilizations have in the hearts of countless people, we need your ability. Furthermore, we heard about what you did,” Edmond said softly. “You were once a reformer with great aspirations, too, weren’t you?”
Rossellin closed her eyes and did not speak.
After a long silence, she reopened her eyes and slowly asked, “How many of you are there now?”
“Just the three of us.”
“You haven’t even built your organization, and you already want to recruit me‽”
Rossellin’s tone was filled with disbelief.
Edmond bowed and said with a sincere tone, “Yes, but my sincerity is true in every sense. I hope to gather those with the same aspirations and beliefs and create something together. Rossellin, I hope you can consider my request.”
This time, it was as if Rossellin saw Black Star’s shadow on Edmond.
Both were big swindlers!
“I will consider it. Give me your communicator number.”
After a lot of hesitation, Rossellin did not make a decision instantly.
After exchanging communicator numbers, Edmond’s face was filled with joy. This time, Kayde, who never interrupted, suddenly spoke.
“Since the matter is settled, we should quickly leave the Black Star Army headquarters and not let ourselves get discovered.”
Edmond nodded continuously. He bade farewell to Rossellin and hastily left with the other two.
Rossellin opened her mouth, but in the end, still did not tell the three of them. They thought that they had snuck in here, but Black Star Army’s surveillance system had undoubtedly discovered the three of them long ago. In the headquarters, nothing could be hidden from Black Star.
She just did not know why no one had gone to catch these three all along.
This was why Rossellin had been curious since the start—did Black Star purposely let the three of them in?
Beep!
At this time, Rossellin’s communicator suddenly rang, and Phillip’s voice sounded.
“Master wants to see you, hum…”
…
When Edmond and the other two headed to the port, the inspection in the hall had ended as well. All the paths were filled with people, and it became boisterous.
The three of them were relieved. With the crowd as a disguise, they felt that the chance of them being discovered was much lower.
When they passed by the hall, Han Xiao had yet to leave. The three of them gave him a quick glance and immediately looked away, not daring to attract Han Xiao’s attention. They then left along with the crowd.
They came to the dock, retrieved their spaceship, and left the Black Star Army. Only then did Edmond finally relax.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Kayde suddenly said with a frown. “Our infiltration was too easy.”
Even Haywal who complained at the start felt that it was strange. “The Black Star Army’s headquarters’ defenses can’t possibly be this easy to penetrate, can they? If we were killers, we might have already killed a few officers.”
The three of them could not figure it out at all. There was no way they would ever think that Han Xiao had deliberately let them in.
From their perspective, they were just a few ordinary people. Why would a Beyond Grade A recognize them?
To prevent any pursuers, Edmond hastily sped up and entered hyperdrive. The spaceship turned into a stream of light and disappeared.
At the same time, in the corridor toward the officer conference room, Han Xiao smiled.
In the vision of the Observer’s Mark, Edmond’s movements were clearly shown.
The reason he had remained in the hall was to secretly throw an Observer’s Mark on Edmond as it was somewhere they had to pass.
I didn’t expect to see the leaders of the Silver Revolutionary Army here…
Those three were the founders of the Silver Revolutionary Army, the people that would be the main focus of an entire version in the future!
These future celebrities had yet to reach their potential; they were still at the beginning of their career and had not officially created the Silver Revolutionary Army.
Edmond was a restless revolutionary, a challenger of the authority of the three Universal Civilizations. The him now might have no idea how much he would achieve in his career.
Taking Rossellin in was one of Han Xiao’s bets, but to his surprise, this really turned out to attract the Silver Revolutionary Army, the core members even.
Han Xiao decided to watch things unfold and not eliminate Edmond and the others. He had no conflict of interests with the Silver Revolutionary Army. Plus, they might even become one of his chess pieces.
Edmond and his friends were very weak; killing them was a piece of cake for Han Xiao. However, eliminating the Silver Revolutionary Army storyline in advance would not benefit him in any way. If he went to tell the Crimson Dynasty that he had killed a group of people that would one day shake their authority, the Crimson Dynasty’s response would just be one word—”Okay.”
Hence, Han Xiao did not chase Edmond away. He planned to establish a positive relationship with the future Silver Revolutionary Army. Plus, he had planted an Observer’s Mark on Edmond unnoticed, so he had already obtained the upper hand.
When he walked into the conference room, Rossellin was the only one inside. She sat on a chair and looked at Han Xiao.
“I knew it. You let these three in.” Rossellin shook her head.
Han Xiao sat down, tapped the table with his fingers, and asked, “What do you think about them?”
“In terms of what?”
“What do you think about their proposal?”
Rossellin smiled and said, “Are you asking if I’m going to betray the army?”
Han Xiao shook his head. “I won’t call it a betrayal. You’re Reynold’s older sister. You’re just staying in the army to help. I didn’t say I was going to keep you here all your life. I knew you’re a restless person long ago.”
Hearing what Han Xiao said, Rossellin truthfully said, “The reason I’m staying in the army is primarily the generous salary and reward. No matter what I want to do, I will need the funds. Secondly, my history. You said that as long as I work for you, you will clean up my history. Thirdly… maybe a little bit because I want to repay you for saving me, ahem, but just a little bit.”
“I know, don’t have to emphasize it.” Han Xiao laughed. He paused and asked, “So, what are your thoughts?”
As he had saved Rossellin in advance, he did not know if she would still join the Silver Revolutionary Army like she did in the previous life.
“Humph, there are so few of them, and there’s no benefit at all. They really are ignorant for even thinking they could take me away to join their revolution. I’m not interested in those three simple-minded men.” Rossellin despised them a little. “However, to be honest, overthrowing the three Universal Civilizations… seems very interesting.”
So, you are interested… Han Xiao was speechless.
It was indeed true that one’s personality defined one’s fate. For a restless reformer like Rossellin, even if she did appreciate what he had done for her, she would still end up walking down the same path.
“If you’ve made up your mind, come to find me anytime. I will allow you to leave.” Han Xiao stood up.
Although Rossellin was very useful, he was not planning to force her to stay. Rossellin would most likely be a pillar of the Silver Revolutionary Army in the future. Having a good relationship with her was equivalent to planting his chess pieces in the Silver Revolutionary Army in advance. Furthermore, through Rossellin, he could let Edmond and his friends know that they had been able to sneak in today because he had turned a blind eye. This way, he would establish a positive relationship with them.
Besides, letting Rossellin go might lead to a chance to trigger missions from Reynold in the future.
The Great Mechanic Han still had not given up hope on Perfect Mechanical Sense.
The Silver Revolutionary Army started to grow quietly in the various Star Fields except for the Central Galaxy, only to erupt when their forces were powerful enough. They had yet to even form, so that would be very far in the future.
It has only been about half a year since the start of Version 3.0, Crimson Tide, and the secret war main storyline is already coming to an end. The development of the Flickering World is around the corner. It’s the perfect chance to let those players explore it. The seed of the Silver Revolutionary Army has appeared as well. As the storyline of this version develops, the strength of the players will become more and more apparent.
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
The plan to expand the leek fields had to be brought forward. He could not be limited by the Shattered Star Ring.
Luckily, to respond to the Crimson Dynasty’s summon, he would have to visit the Central Galaxy later. This would be an opportunity.
…
At the same time, in the Crimson Dynasty Diplomatic Building on the Klent Mother Planet, a secret meeting had already lasted a very long time.
Bang!
Klent Diplomatic Ambassador slammed the table and stood up in a rage.
“Zoel! You’re crossing the line! Why is the Crimson Dynasty demanding that we give up submitting the proposal to re-classify the ownership of the Star Cluster? You’re telling us to give up everything we’ve done in the secret war for the past decade! Whose side are you on!”
Zoel wiped off the saliva that had splashed on his face and narrowed his eyes.
“I’m always on the Crimson Dynasty’s side.”
Chapter 784. Voluntary Retreat! |
The Klent Diplomatic Ambassador glared at Zoel and had no words.
“I’ve already told you the details,” Zoel said slowly. “The dynasty has decided not to take a stand regarding this issue. You can insist on submitting the proposal, but the chance of it being approved is very low. The Arcane Church will oppose your request. On behalf of the dynasty, I’m just suggesting that you guys give up on this proposal, not interfering with your choice. If you insist, we won’t stop you.”
“I don’t understand!” the Klent Diplomatic Ambassador said furiously. “Why is the dynasty helping Purple Crystal‽”
“The dynasty’s upper echelons have their considerations.”
“Is it because of the Evolution Cube‽ Is that why you people suddenly changed your stand‽”
“Let me emphasize again. The dynasty’s upper echelons have their considerations,” Zoel said with a heavier tone. “Plus, you’re wrong. The dynasty only upholds its own position, and this rule has never changed. The dynasty has never shown any support for your plan all along.”
The Klent Diplomatic Ambassador clenched his teeth. They did not think much when the Tyrant’s duel went south, but they had never expected it to be their turn so soon.
Klent had invested a ton of resources into the secret war. Initially, the Crimson Dynasty approved of this with silence, but now that the Crimson Dynasty had suddenly opposed it, this meant that Klent’s investments for the last decade might all go down the drain!
Of course, they were displeased with this.
No matter how the Klent Diplomatic Ambassador thought about it, he felt that this was because of the Black Star Army. Although Zoel did not explain why the Crimson Dynasty had decided to do this, it was painfully clear that this was certainly because of Black Star!
This time, Zoel changed the topic and said, “The development of the Flickering World is about to start. We hope you can dispatch your troops and make preparations as soon as possible. The exploration tasks will be rather complicated and difficult.”
The Klent Diplomatic Ambassador understood that this was most likely the Crimson Dynasty’s indirect compensation for them—allowing them to obtain more profit in the Flickering World.
After some pondering, he finally said, “Since this is what the dynasty has decided on, we will reconsider the proposal. As for the exploring of the Flickering World, we will definitely send our very best.”
Zoel smiled faintly.
After they were done with the business, they chatted for a while before the Klent Diplomatic Ambassador hastily left.
The Klent Diplomatic Ambassador walked out of the Crimson Dynasty Diplomatic Building, boarded a carrier, turned on his communicator, and contacted his superiors to report what had happened. This stirred up intense arguments.
In the end, the upper echelons came to a conclusion—there was nothing they could do to the Crimson Dynasty. No matter how displeased they were, they could only swallow it. Every Klent upper echelon felt wronged. As a civilization ruled by a Universal Civilization, they had no choice but to obey.
The person they hated most was their ‘new ally’, Black Star.
It could be said that Black Star had single-handedly shattered that decade-long plan!
…
More than seven years ago, Han Xiao had already vastly expanded his army using his fame as a Beyond Grade A Seed, which had built the fundamentals for him for the years to come. Since he had experience, this time, he used his influence as a Beyond Grade A to its fullest. Furthermore, with the Crimson Dynasty and the Purple Crystal Civilization backing him, most of his opposing forces did not dare make any moves. The expansion of the army met almost no obstacles at all and went extremely smoothly.
Countless free Supers in the Shattered Star Ring responded to the Black Star Army’s recruitment, and new members joined the army batch by batch. In just a short time, the size of the Black Star Army skyrocketed. Now there were more than three hundred million members of the Black Star Army across the various Star Systems in the Colton Star Cluster.
There were tens of millions of Grade Bs and more than forty Grade A Supers. Just in terms of high-level combatants, the Black Star Army had already surpassed most of the Star System Civilizations.
With Han Xiao’s influence as a Beyond Grade A, the Black Star Army expanded extremely quickly. With the investments from the many financial groups and the support from the Purple Crystal Civilization, Han Xiao had more than enough funds to support this quick expansion.
He threw an outrageous amount of money into the Logistics Department to build more battleships as well as new satellite bases so that he could have more divisions within the Colton Star Cluster.
While the Black Star Army was expanding at an astonishing speed, the galactic residents of the Shattered Star Ring were all paying attention to the aftermath of the duel. What they were interested in was what impact the Black Star Army becoming a Crimson Dynasty ally would have on the secret war.
The secret war had recently entered a ceasefire. After the duel, be it the Bloodshed Land or Section Zero, neither started any conflict. It was oddly quiet.
