The Legendary Mechanic

The spaceship returned to the mother planet. On it, the few Beyond Grade A allies no longer put on any airs. It seemed that they had genuinely accepted Han Xiao as a comrade, formally introducing themselves.

Han Xiao had long known the names of all the people and was merely going through the formalities. Some of them were related to the dynasty, some were characters who had influential power in the Central Galaxy, but only two of them were big names throughout a few Star Fields.

They came from the Sea of Star Spirits and the Primeval Star River respectively. The latter was a Beyond Grade A who leaned toward militaristic Beyond Grade As. Thus, within this crew, his attitude was the most favorable.

This guy was not that old, and his name was Beyoni. He had the nickname of 'Incineration' due to his Esper Ability, Original Source of Fire. He was able to ignite all types of things from a microscopic level, even if they seemed non-flammable at first glance. This was not limited to matter, as he could even burn energy. The most famous story was that a wandering planet had once been ignited by him, and all the trees, dirt, and metal were burned, turning it into a scorched planet.

Sometime ago, Han Xiao had spent some time with the elites of the dynasty, and the eyewitnesses had told him how he had taken care of Teny. This was interpreted as a sign of goodwill for the dynasty, as Teny was considered one of the core figures even though he had not actually entered the upper echelons, or else he would not be given the chance to undergo the evolution process.

Thus, because of factional reasons, Beyoni intended to make friends, and Han Xiao would naturally not reject. The two of them talked for quite a bit.

Other than him, another person that Han Xiao felt he needed to be careful of was Ravenlaude from the Ancient Ones. He was neither cold nor warm toward Han Xiao, and thus, he did not purposely associate himself with the other party.

The Ancient Ones were a loose alliance whose members were all strange people. Some of them were Beyond Grade A Supers—some possessed special abilities. Their common point was that they all had a long life span and lived far longer than other creatures. In Galaxy, the Ancient Ones were one of the most well-known organizations, with members from the three Universal Civilizations also within.

For example, on the side of the Crimson Dynasty, there were two members of the Ancient Ones. One was naturally Ravenlaude, and the other was one of the three strongest National Pillars.

The Federation of Light as well as the Arcane Church also had a few people inside the Ancient Ones. One of them would be the leader of the Mechanic Empire, Manison. While their empire was considered as one of their strongest allies, they possessed high independence. After all, he was the head of the entire Mechanic Empire. With so much power in his hands, it naturally turned into a faction of its own.

The Ancient Ones represented a huge pool of resources and connections. It was a pity that Han Xiao himself had not yet reached the required age, or else he would have given it a try.

Because of the previous spar, Han Xiao had obtained a certain level of respect. As the crowd returned to the mother planet, a discussion began on the spaceship. Since everyone had already acknowledged Han Xiao, so he was able to mix in with the rest.

A few of them required borrowing the Evolution Cube to use, but Han Xiao did not agree immediately. For the Beyond Grade As, this was like adding wings to a tiger. There was no free lunch in this world, and while Clotti had a direct relationship with the dynasty and was thus able to enjoy such a privilege, the same could not be said of the other allies. Without any benefits, Han Xiao would not allow them to improve their capabilities. After all, they had no relationship.

Hearing that Han Xiao wanted some benefits in exchange, the group had differing thoughts and did not immediately express their stand.

The majority originally thought that Black Star would be more pliable the first time they met and immediately take out the Evolution Cube to please them. However, Black Star turned out to be more difficult to deal with, so their plan went awry, and they could only wait till a later time to use the cube. As great figures themselves, they could not display any form of desperation.

After bidding goodbye to the group, Han Xiao and Ames returned to their residence. Seeing the duo return, Hila and the rest felt reassured.

This also counts as my official appearance within the circle of advanced combatants in the advanced civilizations. I'm now stepping onto the stage of the Central Galaxy, Han Xiao thought to himself. This was something long within his plans.

Having more friends would mean getting things done was easier. By befriending this group, he would also be able to utilize some of their connections. Of course, he would appear the same in the eyes of the others, and this was using each other's networks to one's benefit.

There were also disadvantages, however. They would be treated as chips on the table of the dynasty by the other organizations and would attract the attention of the greater organization. The hostility and strength of their opponents would naturally be higher in the future.

There was no way around it. To obtain so many resources from the dynasty, it would be a pipe dream to think that there were no conditions attached to it.

The Central Galaxy is controlled by the three Universal Civilizations, and its organizations do not have the freedom to develop and are not suitable for major operations. It is still necessary for them to look outward to the Shattered Star Ring and Flickering World for development. For this area… I'll just leave a contact point. After this is done, it would be better for me to stay away from this area unless necessary.

If one wished to increase their standing within the Central Galaxy, it need not be done within the area. The best way was always to be able to run an area properly. If one's value increased, it would be simple to obtain a rise in standing.

…

The same night, Clotti shared the information of Han Xiao's spar with Viru with Urranrell and gave his opinion about Han Xiao at the same time.

Even in the late night, Urranrell's office was still fully lit. She stared at Clotti and asked solemnly, "What do you think about the chances of Black Star being able to raise to a higher level in the future?"

"There is a possibility." Clotti simply phrased it as such.

The pioneers had already broken into this stage more than tens of thousands of years ago. After researching for so long, they had also started to give a proper classification to the tiers for the Beyond Grade A realm. With Black Star's current age and his lack of an apparent weakness in his fighting style, there was definitely room for growth in the future. Most might not be able to keep up with his pace.

Clotti was not stingy with the evaluation of Han Xiao. In his long lifetime, he had seen countless Beyond Grade As. Some of them had exhausted all their potential breaking through from the Calamity Grade, destined to stay at their current level forever. Some of them could continue to grow even after, and those were the geniuses among geniuses. In his eyes, Black Star belonged to the latter group.

However, he had already seen far too many of them, such that he no longer liked to communicate and meet with new people. Moreover, Clotti was directly related to the dynasty, and with his position, he need not butter up anyone. Thus, he did not show much attention toward Han Xiao.

After all, not every Beyond Grade A was like our Great Mechanic Han, who liked to have support and nurturing.

Urranrell leaned back on her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Since that's the case, it would be more useful for him to stay on the fringes of the Star Fields. His current mentality is geared toward developing the Flickering World, but after that, he might come over to the Central Galaxy to develop… However, there is sufficient manpower here, and we do not need him."

The three Universal Civilizations would occasionally have friction within the Central Galaxy, but because it was their base camp, they would never escalate into an all-out war. Thus, there was no need for so many Beyond Grade As to hold helm in the dynasty. They just needed a sufficient number for deterrence, and too many would instead waste their resources. It would be better to send the Beyond Grade As into other Star Fields to expand the control of the dynasty. This was the meaning behind the phrase National Pillars.

However, since the Central Galaxy was the heart of the Universe, countless people wished to have the right to speak there. To Urranrell, the number of allies they had there was too saturated, and she did not like to have so many people relying on the name of the dynasty to develop their organizations in this place.

Since Black Star had brought over his portable mobile fortress, it meant that he wanted to establish a branch there. To give face to her allies, Urranrell was willing to provide some help, but she was planning to secretly limit the expansion speed of the Black Star Army in the Central Galaxy. This was to stop him from coming over to the Central Galaxy, instead retaining his thoughts toward the development in Shattered Star Ring or Flickering World.

Urranrell believed in Clotti's judgement. Since he mentioned that Black Star had the possibility of advancing into the next tier, he would definitely not be wrong. As such, Black Star would be an important chess piece for them…

Since he was an important chess piece, he naturally needed to be placed at the proper position to display the best effects.

…

The news of Black Star being officially received by the Dynasty Ruler was spread throughout the channels of the dynasty. Based on what Han Xiao knew, they would not hide something like this and would rather announce that they had new chips.

His name now formally entered the sight of all the major organizations in the Central Galaxy. Han Xiao had no foundation in the Central Galaxy, however, and was unable to understand the responses of these organizations.

Over the next few days, the Dynasty arranged for the mother planet's garrisoned troops to undergo the transformation of the Evolution Cube, and Han Xiao focused on cooperating with them.

It took several days to finally complete the evolution of all the dynasty's garrisoned troops.

During this time, the Black Star Army did not idle. With the help of the dynasty, they used a small piece of land in the dynasty to create a simple office, only leaving a small group of staff for a long term stay for easy communication. Before they left, they had assessed this group of people and picked only those that were willing to stay in the Central Galaxy.

As for the mobile satellite bases of the Black Star Army, the dynasty would naturally not allow them to settle next to the mother planet, so they gave Han Xiao a star map, allowing him to choose a spot in the territory of the dynasty to set up the sub-base.

There was no need to hesitate in choosing since Han Xiao had long drawn up a draft.

Since it was meant to dig out more leeks to farm, the location of the subbase naturally would be the main activity area of the players.

Due to some matters, Han Xiao chose to temporarily stay behind on the mother planet. He commanded his troops to leave without him. Because of the stability and high security within the dynasty, his army did not require him to open the base there.

The reason he had chosen to stay behind, other than to accompany Ames and the rest sightseeing, was because he was planning to obtain some Ultimate Knowledge.

Urranrell had sent the list of tasks organized by her people over to Han Xiao, and after choosing, he had finally selected a mission.

The general miscellaneous tasks were not enough, and only the trickier ones would entitle them to obtain Ultimate Knowledge. What Han Xiao chose was a task that required a Beyond Grade A to participate… the clearance of the remnant Fallen Ark forces!

In other words, fighting EsGod!

The three star fields of the Central Galaxy were separated by a desolate universe belt, which was sensitive and difficult to manage. As a result, bandits and outlaws who dared not remain in the three Star Fields had poured into the border belt, forming a piece of polluted land.

This desolate universe belt occupied a large area. During the initial periods of the war, the three Universal Civilizations had fought their brains out on their doorsteps, and their battlefield had turned into this desolate universe belt. Countless planets had turned into barren wastelands because of their attacks.

A large number of outlaws hid themselves within, making them difficult to locate. With the border area connected to the desolate universe belt of the Central Galaxy, the connection between the two made it impossible for them to be eradicated.

This sensitive ground was not easily governed. Besides, the three Universal Civilizations had stargates connecting to each other, so most people would not even choose to travel along the desolate universe belt. Thus, its impact on the security of the Central Galaxy was not too huge.

EsGod's team usually hid within the seams of the borders along the desolate universe belt. Their presence had always been a secret, and only recently did they suddenly reveal their tracks, being caught by the dynasty's surveillance.

With the notoriety of EsGod, the three Universal Civilizations had long treated this job as ordinary, as though their daily tasks would be to eat, sleep, and fight with EsGod, thus the name 'Routine Clearance'.

Han Xiao still had a grudge to settle with EsGod. While EsGod had made him an offer, Han Xiao would not regard EsGod as an ally or friend. Since he was based inside the Lawful Faction currently, he had to draw a line between himself and this sort of notorious outlaw.

Speaking of which, it had always been EsGod that looked for him to create trouble. This was the first time that he was paying back his dues.

If it was not for the opportunity given by the dynasty, he would not have been able to do so. Having a backer was truly awesome.

However, he was a little anxious toward the strange abilities of EsGod, so he did not move solo, instead inviting a few Beyond Grade A allies of his for this operation.

Clotti had a position and thus refused without even thinking. The rest of them also made excuses, as they did not wish to provoke EsGod. Only one person agreed to his invite.

"When do we set off?"

The communicator showed Beyoni's horn-covered head, the volcanic texture for skin, and the fluttering around him of agile fire snakes. He was no human but rather an Esper of the Pyre Tribe.

"Tomorrow. I've already informed the people in the dynasty, and they will send us over." Han Xiao stroked his chin.

He had settled everything on the dynasty's mother planet, and there was nothing left for him to do. The next step would be to complete the two plans that he had in the Central Galaxy.

The first was to obtain the Ultimate Knowledge, and the second was to develop his leeks. The latter only needed the brand of the Black Star Army and did not require him to be there in person.

"It will be dangerous with just the two of us. EsGod's fleet is too large, and he himself is dangerous." Beyoni shook his head.

"We don't just have two Beyond Grade As here."

He glanced at Ames to the side. Upon knowing of this matter, Ames had automatically volunteered, as though she was worried about being left out, and more people would always be welcome.

Seeing him look over, Ames gave a light smile, as though she was raring to go.