The Black Star Army was already a famous organization in the Shattered Star Ring, and the sudden appearance of a satellite base caused a huge commotion on Planet Deirdre.
The Gelock Star Cluster had nothing to do with the secret war. The various financial groups located on Planet Deirdre and new players were extremely puzzled about the intentions of the Black Star Army.
A couple of battleships then left the dock and welcomed the arrival of the Black Star Army satellite base with caution.
The various financial groups immediately sent out a communication request, and they all wanted to talk to the commander of the fleet.
Very quickly, their requests were approved, and all the financial groups were pulled into a conference chat. Sylvia’s appearance then appeared on all their communicators.
It’s her! Black Star’s Chief Administrative Official!
As one of the important officers of the Black Star Army, Sylvia’s fame was not low, and many financial groups recognized her. Seeing such an important figure leading the group, they could not help but feel uneasy and felt that the Black Star Army was scheming in some way.
“I am Sylvia, the commander of this fleet.” Sylvia nodded and introduced herself.
“Why did you descend without informing us? Are you planning to go against the rules of the merchant world and snatch the business on Planet Deirdre?” one of the financial groups who seemed to be the leader of the group asked with an unfriendly tone.
The Odegen Financial Group was one of the largest financial groups on Planet Deirdre, and the one speaking was the person in charge, Carver.
The others shared the same thoughts as Carver. Planet Deirdre was like a treasure bowl to them, and they did not wish for others to snatch a piece of the pie from them.
Sylvia smiled and said, “Please do not misunderstand anything. Although our Black Star Army is an armed organization, we will not use force to coerce any legal financial groups. Furthermore, your operations on Planet Deirdre do not attract us in the slightest. All of you can be at ease.”
Hearing that, the faces of Carver and the others became unnatural. They treated Planet Deirdre as a treasure bowl, but the benefits from the planet were no more than peanuts to the Black Star Army. Sylvia had very obviously stated that they were not even interested in the little benefits of the planet, and this made Carver slightly embarrassed.
“Then, what is the purpose of your visit?” Carver asked with doubt. “You’ve even shifted an entire satellite base over. If I don’t remember incorrectly, the Gelock Star Cluster isn’t part of the secret war.”
Sylvia cleared her throat and said in a loud voice, “As an important member of the Mercenary League, our Black Star Army has decided to expand our mercenary operations toward the Gelock Star Cluster. Planet Deirdre is the planet that we have chosen to set up a branch on. We will take over the mercenary operations in this entire region, and all of you can treat us as an agency for the Mercenary League. If any of you need manpower in the future, you can make an application with us.”
The eyes of Carver and the others lit up. If the Black Star Army did not interfere in their operations on Planet Deirdre and only expanded their mercenary operations, there would only be benefits for them.
If a reliable mercenary group was set up on Planet Deirdre, the security of the region would be improved, and more people would be attracted to the planet.
Furthermore, with the Black Star Army around, they would not have to find other insignificant mercenary groups, and their safety would be ensured.
Currently, the Mercenary League was on their way to monopolizing the entire mercenary world in the Shattered Star Ring, and Carver felt that the Black Star Army was only expanding the operations of the Mercenary League as one of their members.
“We understand. We don’t have any opinions.” Carver was no longer as wary as before.
Sylvia then continued. “Very good. I have something to request. I hope that all those present here will make use of your influence to announce the news of our Black Star Army setting up a branch in this place. We will be able to open up this market very quickly with all of your help.”
As an organization that came from the outside, even if the Black Star Army was a huge conglomerate, Sylvia would still ease up their relationship with the local organizations. This would help to make their operations more efficient.
Carver began to hesitate upon hearing that.
At this moment, Sylvia added, “Of course, we will provide all of you with a discount should any of you need mercenaries in the future.”
“Don’t worry. We will definitely help you with the announcement.” Carver immediately agreed without hesitation.
Everyone on Planet Deirdre could see the gigantic satellite fortress floating outside the atmosphere of their planet whenever they lifted their head.
Just as everyone was filled with fear over the appearance of the satellite fortress, the financial groups made a public announcement that the Black Star Army had gone to Planet Deirdre with friendly intentions and had a cooperative relationship with the different financial groups.
The moment the announcement was made, everyone heaved a sigh of relief and was overjoyed.
The security situation in the galactic transit station was truly a problem, and the Black Star Army might be able to improve this situation.
Of course, not everyone welcomed the Black Star Army. For example, some small mercenary groups on Planet Deirdre felt immense pressure.
They all knew that their lives in the future would not be good, and all the mercenary missions would be snatched up by the Black Star Army.
However, the Black Star Army quickly released news that they were recruiting manpower and gave priority to the local mercenaries.
An endless stream of individuals immediately responded, especially the players located on Planet Deirdre.
The Black Star Army was a hot topic of discussion on the forums, and even the new players had a certain degree of understanding toward the benefits, storyline, and events of the Black Star Army.
The Black Star Army had already accompanied the players for two whole versions. With the players adding on their imagination and the legends of the Black Star Army becoming a part of the Galaxy Chronicles, many of the new players naturally felt a sense of belonging toward the Black Star Army.
In the eyes of many new players, the Black Star Army was like a player army in the Shattered Star Ring.
Because of their location, many of them did not wish to travel all the way to the Colton Star Cluster. Since the Black Star Army had expanded to the Gelock Star Cluster, most of the players no longer hesitated and joined.
The players who were hesitating were mainly concerned about the Main Storyline mission. The way they saw it, they would have to participate in the secret war storyline if they chose to join the Black Star Army. However, they did not wish to give up the freedom to explore other storylines.
However, after listening to the explanation of the other players who had joined the army, they realized that they were completely wrong. They needed to file for an application if they wanted to join the secret war. If they were not willing to join the secret war, the army would not force them, and they could choose not to trigger that storyline.
The players who did not join the war would be ordinary mercenaries in the Black Star Army, and they can choose the missions that they wanted to do while enjoying the benefits of the army.
Furthermore, they were surprised to realize that the Black Star Army was an upper echelon of the Mercenary League. They would be able to trigger the Main Storyline mission of the Mercenary League as well, so joining the Black Star Army was akin to giving them the choice between two Main Storyline missions.
There were some other players who wanted to participate in the Main Storyline mission on Planet Deirdre—helping the Odegen Financial Group chase away galactic pirates in the vicinity.
However, they were shocked to realize that the Odegen Financial Group had actually cancelled this mission. The Main Storyline mission of Planet Deirdre had mysteriously disappeared!
After asking around, the players finally understood what had happened. After all the galactic pirates in the vicinity of Planet Deirdre caught wind of the Black Star Army’s arrival, they immediately abandoned all their bases and escaped.
These galactic pirates were all frightened away by the Black Star Army!
There was not a need to even hesitate.
In just three days, over ninety percent of the players on Planet Deirdre had chosen to join the Black Star Army.
The benefits of the Black Star Army were truly too alluring to the new players. Not only was there a large amount of equipment and tools, they also had a full set of basic and advanced knowledge. There was no need for them to farm for NPC favorability all around to learn that knowledge.
The current level and needs of the players were akin to the players in Version 1.0, but they could enjoy the benefits of Version 3.0. This was an irresistible temptation that the players could not reject.
As Sylvia recruited the players on Planet Deirdre, Han Xiao’s interface received all the benefits.
The first thing all those new players did was learn knowledge.
He had the reward from the [Bloodline] mission, a Political Asset, and received a thirty percent bonus for experience. His experience pool, which had dried up, was very quickly replenished, and he had sufficient experience to level up once again.
After expanding his crops, the speed of harvesting experience had increased greatly. According to this efficiency, level 240 was not too far away.
The players in the army could be split into two different groups. The first were those who had reached Grade B and the second were the new players who had an average level of 20 to 30.
While the spending power of the new players could not match the old players, they had a huge hidden demand. Han Xiao decided to allow them to remain on Planet Deirdre and not force them to participate in the secret war. With their current strength, completing recruitment missions might be more efficient than participating in the secret war.
The Mercenary League’s Main Storyline mission would be more suitable for those newbies.
Han Xiao then thought to himself, The player market has doubled, and all these new players will have to learn all the various knowledge from scratch. However, their levels are still low, so I must groom them slowly.
Class Knowledge was a necessity, and the new players would have to learn them eventually. He was not in a rush at all. Ring ring!
His communicator suddenly rang; it was Ralph.
“Black Star, I heard that you set up a branch in the Gelock Star Cluster,” Ralph inquired.
You sure receive news very quickly. Do you have any issues?” Han Xiao raised his brows.
“Cough cough, I am only asking out of curiosity.” Ralph coughed dryly.
In truth, Purple Crystal hoped that the Black Star Army would always remain in Colton and did not wish for them to expand outward. However, this was not the time to talk about this.
Han Xiao then asked, “Why have you called?”
Ralph’s expression then turned solemn, and he said, “It’s like this. We received news that the Crimson Dynasty and Federation of Light have come to an initial agreement. We do not have much time left and must speed up our progress.”
The negotiations are about to be over?
The secret war would be over when the Crimson Dynasty and Federation of Light completed their negotiations. It was no wonder that Purple Crystal was feeling anxious.
“What is the reaction of Bloodshed Land?”
“They have become more active and sent out all their high-level combatants,” Ralph said. “Without your presence to suppress them, we have suffered quite a huge loss.”
Han Xiao immediately understood what was going on. Jorde had been misled by him, resulting in such a situation.
“We urgently need you to return to the battlefield. We are planning to launch another large-scale mission. Black Star, we need you to…”
At this moment, Han Xiao interrupted him. “I am sorry. I do not wish to participate in the upcoming mission.”
Ralph was stunned. Black Star was an important part of their strategy. If Han Xiao did not want to go, would that not disrupt their entire strategy?
Han Xiao thought for a moment and said, “You should know that regardless of the outcome, Heber definitely won’t let me off.”
Ralph fell silent. Purple Crystal did indeed know about this but did not inform Han Xiao about it. It was not that they did not care about Han Xiao’s life and death. However, the upper echelons were extremely pragmatic and would make use of Han Xiao as much as they could.
Seven years ago, Purple Crystal had recognized Han Xiao’s potential and begun to invest in him. However, seven years had gone by, and the upper echelons of Purple Crystal no longer thought that much of his potential after witnessing his growth stagnate.
Although they still placed great importance on him, the thoughts of the upper echelons had changed, and they no longer felt that Han Xiao would become a Beyond Grade A Super.
Purple Crystal would not allow the Tyrant to take revenge on one of their meritorious subjects, but the upper echelons had their own considerations. Although the chances of Black Star becoming a Beyond Grade A Super had been lowered, he was still a peak Calamity Grade Super, and there was still value in roping him in. Thus, they wished for Black Star to seek protection from them when the Tyrant took action. This would improve the relationship between both parties and would be extremely beneficial to the upper echelons.
As for the safety of Black Star, Purple Crystal was not too worried. Black Star had the Dragon Emperor behind him, and their presence was like the icing on the cake. They might also have a chance to form a relationship with Ames because of it.
Han Xiao was not too bothered by this. Both parties were only working together for their respective benefits, and Purple Crystal did not owe him anything. He slowly said, “Thus, I have to think of a way to break past the Calamity Grade bottleneck in this remaining time.”
“I understand.”
Since Han Xiao had laid his cards out openly, Ralph did not force the matter.
As for the situation in the secret war, Ralph understood it extremely clearly. Purple Crystal knew that they would not be able to chase out all the enemies and would probably lose a portion of their territory near the border. Their retaliation was only an attempt to reduce their losses.
Under such circumstances, Han Xiao’s refusal to participate in the war was something that Purple Crystal could accept.
Black Star probably knows this as well and thus made such a request… Ralph thought to himself and felt that Black Star was only finding an excuse.
After remaining stagnant for a full seven years, he did not think that Han Xiao would be able to make a breakthrough in the near future.
However, there was no need for him to spell things out so clearly.
“I will convey your message to the upper echelons,” Ralph said. “However, you can choose to be absent, but your Black Star Army must still participate.”
“Naturally.”
Han Xiao then heaved a sigh of relief after hanging up.
Purple Crystal and Bloodshed Land temporarily would not bother him, and he would be able to pull out of the secret war and find some talents to prepare for Beyond Grade A.
