The Legendary Mechanic, page 504
“Lend it to me? How about you give it to me?”
“Come on, we’ve known each other for quite some time. Don’t be so greedy.”
“This is a no, that’s a no, what can you do for me?”
Austin contemplated, then shrugged, and said, “Don’t know, but you won’t make a loss.”
Veins popped up on Han Xiao’s forehead. You don’t say. There’s no cost to let you use the Evolution Cube. Of course I won’t make a loss, but you will make a huge profit!
Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration.
“How about you help me to deal with EsGod?”
“… Let’s talk about killing Psyker.”
Psyker’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
The two of them negotiated back and forth for so long Ames started to yawn. Then Han Xiao and Austin finally came to an agreement.
First, a Beyond Grade A Mage could cross multiple dimensions and would frequently acquire some extremely rare materials. Austin had to provide some materials consisting of the genes of high-grade Void beings for free every year.
Second, the Hidden Red Robe Abbey would form a half-alliance with the Black Star Army. The Hidden Red Robe Abbey had to send high-level Mages to the army every year to train some Mages as well as teach some rare spells.
Last, Austin had to do something within his ability and not against his morals… and the final definition of ‘morals’ depended on Austin.
There was nothing Han Xiao could do about him. The two of them had quite a good relationship, and Austin even helped him a few times in the past. Thus, he was not willing to let that all go to waste over the Evolution Cube.
“By the way…” Han Xiao suddenly thought of something and threw an Observer’s Mark over to Austin.
“What are you doing?” Austin was confused and casually shattered the Observer’s Mark. As a Beyond Grade A Mage, breaking such a simple Void Energy application method was a piece of cake, even though Han Xiao was also a Beyond Grade A. After all, he was a Mage that could control energies of multiple dimensions.
Han Xiao did not give up and threw another Observer’s Mark, and Austin shattered it with his eyes opened wide again.
The two of them stared at each other and repeated the process more than a dozen times. In the end, Austin gave up resisting and allowed the Observer’s Mark to land on his forehead with resignation.
Only then did Han Xiao nod with satisfaction. He felt much better.
Heber felt a little bit of headache and regretted putting the two of them together.
The atmosphere had been so intense, but it was suddenly not serious at all!
Seeing that Austin had made a deal with Han Xiao, it suddenly occurred to Heber.
Among the five people present, it seemed like he was the only one that had no chance to use the Evolution Cube.
Heber looked at the Evolution Cube, then Han Xiao’s face, and his eyelids twitched slightly. Without even thinking, he knew that Black Star would definitely not agree to let him use the Evolution Cube.
Suppressing the desire inside, Heber adjusted his emotions and slowly said, “Black Star and I will stay here. The three of you can leave.”
“Looks like you guys had quite a good chat. Black Star, I shall leave first.” Ames stood up and stretched.
She was not interested in the matters discussed there. It looked like she had just attended to show her face, but as Han Xiao’s ally, showing up meant making her stand clear.
Among the five people present, she and Han Xiao were the only ones that were firm allies. Although the other three did not mention this, they knew it clearly. In terms of strength, given that Han Xiao and Ames were on the same side, they surpassed the other three completely.
The three of them left, and the gate of the hall closed again, leaving only Han Xiao and Heber in the room.
This time, the side door opened, and Zoel walked out with a smile.
“I’m glad the two of you have come to an agreement.”
“Envoy.” The two of them nodded slightly as a greeting.
Zoel was followed by a Klent representative. Everyone in the room was on the same side on paper, so it was clear that they were going to discuss official business.
As expected, Zoel pressed on his waist. A 3D star map projection appeared in midair, drawing out a new shining area in the wide universe map. It was marked as the ‘Flickering World’.
“Using this opportunity, let me explain the current situation in the Flickering World, so you guys can understand the rough process of the exploration,” Zoel said loudly. “Carefully prepare for your exploration plan. When the developments start officially, we’re all going to have missions.”
It seemed like this was for them to consider the areas they were going to explore…
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
Chapter 790. Main Storyline— Flickering World |
The 3D star map showed the Flickering World area. In the black unexplored universe, there was an area that was shining. This was the rich Star Cluster the three Universal Civilizations discovered outside the Shattered Star Ring using their radar. It was named the Dawn Star Cluster.
The Dawn Star Cluster was the area first detected by the radar and, currently, the only Star Cluster officially belonging to the Flickering World. As the starting point of the exploration of a new Star Field, it was marked in green. Outside it were the extremely wide unexplored areas marked in gray.
Being the only one that was lighted up, the Dawn Star Cluster was like an island in the middle of a wide sea.
Developing a new Star Field was a huge task, and the expected date of it completing was unpredictable. After all, the actual exploration was different from astronomical observation.
The Crimson Dynasty had spent more than a decade obtaining the Dawn Star Cluster from the Federation of Light and defined it as the starting point of the new Star Field. Due to the two of them restraining each other, the development of it had always been on hold. However, the astronomical observation of the three civilizations had never stopped. After observing it for more than ten years, the rough area included in the Flickering World was already defined.
In the star map given by the Crimson Dynasty, the Flickering World was divided into roughly nineteen Star Clusters with various sizes. The size of the Dawn Star Cluster made up only three percent of the entire Star Field. Everything else was unexplored.
The size of desolate universe belts varied, and there would usually be many small to medium desolate universe belts inside Star Fields. Only the extremely large desolate universe belts would be considered as the border of a Star Field. The Flickering World was no exception. It was estimated that there were more than 7,000 small to medium desolate universe belts within it, some between Star Zones and some between Star Systems, spread across the entire Flickering World.
Therefore, to the dynasty’s exploration team, selecting areas was very important. If the area they were going to explore was filled with desolate universe belts, the profit they made would be very low.
“The dynasty has decided to first explore the three Star Clusters around the Dawn Star Cluster for the first stage of the exploration,” Zoel said while pointing them out on the map. “They’re the Renault, Garu, and Crown Star Clusters.”
Han Xiao, Heber, and the Klent representative paid careful attention to the star map. This was the initial star map created by astronomical observation. Due to the complicated universe environment, it would be somewhat inaccurate, but the rough distribution of planets was usually correct.
Among the three Star Clusters, the Garu Star Cluster was the largest. It had a number of obvious desolate universe belts, and the other two were ordinary.
There were two types of desolate universe belts. One had very sparse planets that were very far from each other or lacked Fixed Stars or some high energy astronomical bodies—those were areas discoverable by astronomical observation. The other type of desolate universe belt were the ones that had generally poor planets with little resources. This type of desolate universe belt was more difficult to find compared to the former, as it would look like a normal area until field exploration proved otherwise.
Although there was already a rough sketch of the star map, basically every planet’s information was unknown. The aim of the Crimson Dynasty’s exploration of it was to compile detailed information on every planet in it and adjust the astronomical observation errors, as well as occupy the rich planets within it in advance.
This was the task of the exploration team—even obvious desolate universe belts had to be explored.
There were a ton of planets in every Star Field. Even though the dynasty only planned to explore three Star Clusters first, it was still a vast project.
Heber looked at it for a while and made his decision. “Renault Star Cluster.”
The Bloodshed Land and the Klent Kingdom would be developing the same area.
“Black Star, what about you?” Zoel turned around.
Han Xiao rubbed his chin and said, “I shall choose the Garu then.”
“I see, Garu, the number of people that have chosen this area is the smallest… alright.” Zoel nodded.
Han Xiao smiled in his mind.
He knew that among these three Star Clusters, the Garu Star Cluster had the highest potential profit.
It seemed like the Garu Star Cluster had more desolate universe belts compared to the other two, but the other two Star Clusters had quite a number of hidden desolate universe belts, so the difference was not really that large. Furthermore, in the desolate universe belts of the Garu Star Cluster, there were some Galactic Civilization ruins that possessed archeological value.
In terms of resources, the Garu Star Cluster was slightly larger. It had many Fixed Stars, habitable planets, and slightly more resource planets. In terms of species, the Garu Star Cluster had more intelligent species that had formed civilizations, and the majority of them were still in the surface civilization stage. This meant that exploring would be easier.
In his previous life, the Garu Star Cluster had been one of the most prosperous Star Clusters in the Flickering World. Therefore, after thorough consideration, Han Xiao decided to develop the Garu Star Cluster.
Another important reason was that in Han Xiao’s memories, that Universal Treasure in the Flickering World with no owner was located in a desolate universe belt near the Garu Star Cluster and not included in the areas for the dynasty’s first stage exploration. He would only be able to head there if he was close by.
For now, no one other than me even knows the existence of this Universal Treasure. Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
He had to obtain it.
This time, a notification popped up on the interface.
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You have triggered Grade S+ Chain Mission [Flickering World]
Mission Introduction: The Flickering World. A new Star Field represents a new structure. It’s your job to explore this Star Field, so it is your opportunity.
Hint: Mission requirements, mission rewards, exploration points, and the Mission Rating depend on your faction.
You belong to the Crimson Dynasty and the Black Star Army.
Mission Requirements: According to the areas selected, explore the Flickering World for the Crimson Dynasty as a member of the Black Star Army.
You have received the first round of exploration goals.
Current Exploration Area: Garu Star Cluster
Personal Exploration Points: 0
Total Exploration Points: 0
Current Rating: E-
Remarks: Your mission reward depends on the Mission Rating. The Mission Rating depends on the Total Exploration Points.
Exploration Points are earned from the results of the exploration, such as completing the field exploration of a planet, improving the planet information, adjusting the star map error, discovering a civilization’s ruins, contacting an intelligent species, operating a stronghold, discovering habitable and resource planets, discovering rare resources, and so on.
_____________
The main storyline mission of the Flickering World! Han Xiao was thrilled.
The scale of this main storyline was huge, and it was very complicated. It was considered a combination of a Chain Mission and Faction Series Mission. The main reason for it to be Grade S+ was because of how complicated and time-consuming it was.
Firstly, the details of this mission changed depending on one’s side. Not every player was a member of the Crimson Dynasty. After the Flickering World opened to the world, the players of the various Star Fields would represent different organizations and have different areas to explore, hence the different ways in calculating their reward.
For example, for the Crimson Dynasty, the area they explored was broad, meaning it would be more difficult.
The Personal Exploration Points were one’s own achievements, which would grant rewards when it reached a certain number. Compared to the other factions, the Exploration Points needed to trigger the reward under the Crimson Dynasty faction were higher, but the rewards were richer.
The Total Exploration Points were the total of all the Personal Exploration Points of the players in the same faction. This required the players of the same faction to work together. It also gave rewards once it reached a certain stage. The Total Exploration Points were also associated with the Mission Rating. When the Total Exploration Points were more than enough to increase the rating, all the players of the same faction would receive rewards distributed according to the players’ Personal Exploration Points ranking.
Every exploration area meant one round of the Chain Mission. Once done, the reward would be given based on the rating. When going to a new exploration area, both the Personal Exploration Points and the Total Exploration Points would be reset to zero. The Grade S+ overall mission [Flickering World] would only be completed after the entire Star Field was explored, which would then give rewards based on the Exploration Points and Mission Rating of every area.
Han Xiao pondered. The exploration had yet to officially start. Now that he had this mission, he could distribute it to the army players and make preparations in advance.
At the same time, he could let the players know that they had a new main storyline after the secret war.
After the business was settled, the star map shrank back to the device on Zoel’s waist.
Zoel smiled and said, “I will report your choices to the dynasty. There most likely won’t be a problem.”
The Shattered Star Ring was the nearest to the Flickering World, so the allies in this area would be at the frontline of the exploration. The areas they chose would mostly remain unchanged.
“One more thing.” Zoel looked at Han Xiao. “The first batch of elite personnel to accept transformation from the Evolution Cube have already entered the Shattered Star Ring following the dynasty’s transport team. They will arrive at the Colton Star Cluster in some time. Black Star, don’t forget about this. The first batch of resources for you are with them.”
“Hmm, I’ll head over after the meeting.” Han Xiao nodded before asking, “Who are the first batch of people?”
“I have a list here, take a look.” Zoel transmitted a document to him.
Looking through the list, Han Xiao was surprised.
There was a total of 30,000 people, all elite soldiers from the army selected by the dynasty. At the top of the list, he really did see familiar names, and more than one.
Among them, he had a very deep impression of one name.
One of the future dynasty marshals… Teny Amenos?
Han Xiao’s eyes widened slightly.
“After this group of elite completes the transformation,” Zoel said, “a small group of them will stay to take part in the Flickering World while the rest will return to the dynasty. You can go along with them to the Central Galaxy and meet the dynasty upper echelons… Black Star, Black Star?”
“Oh.” Han Xiao regained focus. “I heard you, let’s do that.”
“Okay.” Zoel did not suspect anything. He nodded and said, “That’ll be all.”
The others nodded, and Han Xiao left Heber’s palace directly.
…
Once returning to the suite, before Han Xiao sat down for long, someone suddenly knocked on his door. Hila opened the door, and a few people stood outside.
They were the representatives of a few other Star Clusters in the Shattered Star Ring. Seeing that Han Xiao had returned, they chased right after him and went to knock on his door almost immediately after he entered.
“Your Excellency Black Star, we hope to chat with you,” one of them said with a smile.
“Please come in.” Han Xiao invited them in and knew exactly why they were there.
As expected, they chatted for only a little bit before the topic became the Evolution Cube.
However, this was just a start. Right after, the various representatives attending the Tyrant Party all came to his doorstep.
Very soon, about ninety-five percent of the people in the guest castle had come.
The enormous suite suddenly became cramped.
Everyone wanted a piece of the Evolution Cube.
The Tyrant Party was initially an activity for Heber to toughen his influence, so the guests were all someone important in the Shattered Star Ring. This gave Han Xiao the opportunity to spread his network.
Using this, Han Xiao also started to talk about terms with the various organizations.
“As for the Evolution Cube, the Crimson Dynasty did not restrict my use of it. If you want to borrow it, it is possible if you can fulfill my terms,” Han Xiao said with a smile.
Everyone in the room kept quiet and listened. Han Xiao’s voice was the only sound in the room.
Ames looked at this from outside the room.
You really are good at operating an organization…
Chapter 791. Star Field Profit Blueprin |
“I can give you guys opportunities to undergo a transformation, and the terms are very simple.”
