He might be able to follow the lead brought by Brock and find the DarkStar leader!
With those thoughts, Han Xiao raised his eyebrows and smiled. He said to Brock, “You are quite skilled. I want to give you a special job. Are you interested?”
Brock was finally relieved. Suddenly, he felt like he had been too anxious.
I’ve really overthought this. There’s absolutely no way that I’m exposed. Brock was completely relaxed now. Acting as if he was flattered, he said, “What do you need me to do?”
“Er, I want you to become the drill sergeant of the training camp temporarily, helping me train the mercenaries who have yet met the requirements.”
“Sure, no problem.” Brock nodded, secretly overjoyed.
Although the trainer was not considered an officer, and there was no opportunity to touch the core of the Black Star Army, this was a good start. The fact that he had been given a special position as soon as he joined meant that Black Star had taken notice of him. This way, it would be easier for him to gain Black Star’s trust!
“Do your best. Go to the side and wait. After the test ends, I will make the appropriate arrangements.”
Han Xiao encouraged him and sent away the excited Brock, then secretly threw an Observer’s Mark onto the spy.
The Observer’s Mark could locate up to five targets at once, he had the last slot left, and he used it on Brock. Next time, if he wanted to mark a new target, he would have to remove one of the five old targets.
Brock’s spy identity was already exposed. However, not only was Han Xiao not going to eliminate Brock, he was boldly going to use him. With Phillip and the Observer’s Mark, none of Brock’s actions would escape his eyes. As soon as he did anything unusual, Han Xiao would know of it. Of course, Brock had just joined, so he definitely would not do anything bizarre for the sake of his disguise.
Most importantly, a spy would definitely work extra hard to gain his trust without any complaints. This was great manual labor. If he did not drain him properly, he would feel wasteful.
It just so happened that the training camp of Base No.1 had not yet been built, so only a Grade B could be the trainer of a large group of Grade C Supers. Training others was very troublesome, and Han Xiao did not want to waste his free time. Initially, he was going to call Ginette back, but now that Brock was there, it was enough. After all, no matter how much Han Xiao used or overworked him, he would not feel sorry for him.
…
This small incident did not cause any commotion and made many people more excited.
In their eyes, this meant that Black Star cared about talent. As long as they were strong enough, there was a chance for them to get a better position on the spot.
Time passed by, and Han Xiao tested them for another few hours more. More than 5,000 passed and became official mercenaries, and more than 1,000 failed and were sent to the training camp.
During the test, he discovered another three Grade B Supers. Sadly, they did not have any outstanding talents or abilities. They were considered regular Grade B Supers. Nonetheless, they were Grade Bs no matter what, so Han Xiao promoted these three to team leaders on the spot, giving them the authority to gather a certain number of Black Star mercenaries and form a fixed team.
There were two ranking systems implemented in the Black Star Army. One was based on merit, from 1-Star to 5-Star, followed by the honor title of ‘Black Star Eighteen Knights’. They were promoted through contribution points, earning better benefits.
Another was based on position, meaning the management structure of an army. Han Xiao had learned from the Sky Ring Army about using both the class ranking system and merit ranking system. The higher one’s contribution was or the stronger one was, the higher their position would be, and the more people they would be able to manage in a team.
Grade B Super met the requirement in terms of strength, so they got the position of team leaders.
Currently, the Black Star Army was divided into numerous factions: the Sunil Faction led by Herlous, the Battle Alliance Faction led by Harmon, the Associates Faction including Aroshia and other officers, and the Free Faction made by the players and some mercenaries. The Free Faction had the most people and could be considered the most common group of people.
Only Han Xiao could command everyone. Usually, these factions all did their own thing. This was most obvious for the Sunil and the Battle Alliance Factions; their members were close and very united.
Where there were people, there would be competition. Forming groups and factions was a problem that was definitely going to happen with larger numbers. As the Black Star Mercenary Group’s size grew, so did the difficulty in managing it. In order to develop better, they had to imitate other large mercenary groups and design a layered management system, making sure everyone had their own responsibilities. This was also something that Han Xiao had been thinking about recently.
The upper positions were a difficult problem.
Currently, all the officers were basically combat personnel; there was no clear difference in their positions other than Herlous, who could barely be considered his assistant. Many positions were unoccupied, such as Deputy Captain, Area Manager, Business Manager, Logistics, Spaceship Commanders, and many more.
These positions were like screw holes, and elites and officers were the screws. Han Xiao needed to find suitable screws, fit them into the right holes, and tighten them. Only then would the management structure of the Black Star Army become solid.
“The army has hundreds of thousands of members. The base manpower is very high, but we’re short of elite manpower. Sigh, I need to recruit more high-level people.”
Han Xiao shook his head. Although the size of his base troops was superior compared to many large mercenary groups, high level combat powers were the drawback of his faction at the moment. He was the only Calamity Grade Super in the Black Star Army, and they only had about ten Grade B elites. When compared to the Sky Ring Army who had three Calamity Grades and hundreds of Grade Bs, he was far below.
Han Xiao was not short in people with potential under him. Sylvia, for example, had been Grade A in the previous life, Herlous had the potential to reach Grade A, and Hila and Aurora’s Esper Potential even exceeded Grade A, not to mention the players with enormous potential.
However, the potential was not strength. These people had yet to fully grow, and Feidin who had the protagonist aura above his head was not his subordinate, just an employer who tagged along. The players had the version restrictions too. They could not become Grade B yet, at least not in Version 2.0.
It would be great if I could get a Calamity Grade Super.
Han Xiao sighed. Expanding his faction meant more accompanying difficulties. There were too many things that needed improvements.
The last candidate stepped forward. Han Xiao tapped him, and that person’s attributes appeared on his interface.
With just a single glance, Han Xiao’s expression changed.
Level… 135‽
This person’s level was the highest in all the freelance mercenaries!
Just seven levels lower than himself!
Han Xiao felt wide awake. He looked up at this freelance mercenary called Reynold.
Hmm… Spacehuman, snow-white skin, seems to be a hybrid. Longer than the usual face, high nose bridge, not as handsome as me but gives off a special vibe. Looks like his character is colder and more rational. This guy’s eyes are really bright… and he’s staring at me too.
Han Xiao raised his eyebrows and looked at the other attributes of this person.
Reynold… 1147 INT, Grade B+ Mechanic? Wow, that’s rare! This guy is the strongest among these people… Hmm, more than 600 blueprints, he has quite the rich pool of knowledge. Tsk tsk, as for talents… wait a minute, this guy has a Molding Talent‽
Chapter 602 - Perfect Mechanical Sense
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Great Mechanic Han had a total of twenty-three tal
ents, Reynold only had six fewer, seventeen talents. This was almost double what the three other Grade B freelance mercenaries had!
For those with high potential, as their level increased, they would regularly receive new talents.
In the current Black Star Army, Herlous was the one with the most talents among the officers—fifteen. He was much stronger than back then when he joined.
When Han Xiao recruited him, he had only had twelve talents.
In terms of the quality of talents, Feidin and Harmon were at the top. They both had Molding Talents.
Feidin’s Advanced Luck Glow, of course, was undisputedly overpowered.
Harmon’s [War God’s Tenacity] and [Desperate Straits] combined with his Basic Luck Glow as a protagonist type character was like a health lock cheat and unlimited buff cheat, which was also very powerful.
The Molding Talent was what differentiated regular people from elites and bosses. Han Xiao was genuinely surprised that Reynold had one too.
_____________________
[Perfect Mechanical Sense]
Total Machinery Affinity * 1.4. (Includes basic value, bonuses from passive abilities, and talents. This effect applies to the total value.)
When enhancing machines using Mechanical Force, the quality of the machinery will be temporarily increased by 1 – 2 Grades, up to Pink Grade.
+4 levels to all Mechanic class active abilities. This effect can exceed the level limit.
Remark: In your senses, every machine is a world of ecological balance.
_____________________
“It’s this talent!”
Han Xiao’s eyes sparkled.
In his previous life, there were players who had listed all the Molding Talents of the characters in Galaxy on the forums. Some of these talents were class exclusive; [Perfect Mechanical Sense] was exclusive to the Mechanic class and was considered one of the best Molding Talents. It influenced three things that were all connected to each other.
Needless to say, the 1.4 times multiplier to total Machinery Affinity was powerful.
Machinery Affinity was the core abilities of the Mechanic class, and it was used to increase the power of machines. For example, if a Mechanic had 500% Machinery Affinity provided by all his talents and abilities, [Perfect Mechanical Sense] would take 500% and multiply it by 1.4, making that 700%!
The rules of this bonus were the same as the Calamity Grade talent [Superhuman], applying to the total value. This meant that the stronger one’s fundamentals were, the higher the bonus was. As their level increased, the effect of this talent would become greater and greater.
The other two effects of [Perfect Mechanical Sense] were also useful. The temporary increase of the Machinery Grade meant an enhancement of the machines’ basic attributes. In simpler terms, trashy gray equipment would have the same effect as green equipment when he used it.
The last effect of adding four levels to all Mechanic class active abilities while ignoring the level limit meant the Lv.10 [Surging Mechanical Force] had the effects of Lv.14.
Those who had this talent could be deemed as ‘one in more than a century’ Mechanic class geniuses.
High level, strong talent, Grade B+… Reynold was the strongest person Han Xiao had ever recruited.
This was a high-quality wild leek!
“You’re a Mechanic?”
“Yes.” Reynold nodded.
“You’re very strong, stronger than all of the officers under my command.”
Han Xiao took it very seriously. He told Phillip to show him Reynold’s mercenary resume. As he looked, he frowned slightly.
“The data shows you’ve worked as a mercenary for seven years, moved through five small mercenary groups. You were active in the Hyde Star System in the earliest days, only coming to the Garton Star System in the last two years. With your strength, it’s more than enough for you to become a high ranking officer in large mercenary groups, why have you been in these small mercenary groups?”
He then stared at Reynold with inquiry in his eyes.
With a serious tone, Reynold said, “Large mercenary groups are too safe. I need more dangerous challenges to increase my alertness.”
Han Xiao squinted. “Then why do you want to join mine? My mercenary group is a large one.”
“I’ve faced enough challenges. What I need now is to break through, to learn more knowledge, to reach a higher level,” Reynold answered with a very straight face.
“What you mean is, you want to step into the Calamity Grade?” Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.
“Yes.” Reynold nodded heavily. “This is also why I’m here.”
Then, he lowered his head slightly and said respectfully, “We are both Mechanics, and you have stepped into the territory of the Calamity Grade. To me, you’re a pioneer on this path, and I’m still exploring, so… I hope to receive your guidance. For that, I’m willing to work for you.”
So that’s his motive for joining… Han Xiao figured it out. It was not the Black Star Army’s privileges that attracted Reynold but my strength.
This guy is Grade B+ and wants to become Grade A. Hence, he came to find me, a Grade A Mechanic, to learn from, wanting to become my student. Well, this motive is nothing but logical; I don’t see a problem.
In the five Super classes, Mechanics and Mages were keenest to learn. Exchanging and communicating knowledge was common for these two classes. Han Xiao understood Reynold’s actions very well. It was just like the players who looked for NPCs to learn abilities from.
This isn’t a bad thing… Han Xiao pondered silently. Reynold had a lot of potential. After recruiting him, the Black Star Army would have one more elite officer.
Sylvia was his only student, so adding Reynold would not be a problem. With his Calamity Grade strength and knowledge level, it was more than enough to teach Reynold.
As for helping Reynold get to Grade A, it depended on personal potential. Since Reynold had [Perfect Mechanical Sense], becoming Calamity Grade was basically a certainty, except Reynold did not know that himself.
Han Xiao made the decision very quickly. He nodded and said, “I can teach you, but you need to sign a longer-term contract.”
“Of course.” Reynold nodded. He believed that returns only came with hard work; Black Star was already much more casual about it than he had expected.
“Since you’re a Mechanic… how about this? You will be responsible for the logistics. You shall manage the workshop factory and the product line in the base, building more production lines and carrying out daily maintenance, repairs, and technical adjustments. This will all be your responsibility; you can gather some people to help you.”
Letting Reynold manage the workshop factory was very suitable. With his abilities, the machines that he built would be more than enough to meet the players’ needs—it would be just as popular.
Plus, Reynold knew how to build product lines, and he also knew many blueprints. He was the only one that could help Han Xiao in terms of building!
This way, the job of building new product lines could be entrusted to Reynold from now on. Han Xiao did not have to do everything himself anymore. According to the needs of the hundreds of thousands of players, he would be able to save at least one to two months every year for other things!
After all, the production rate of a single person was limited; a logistics department had to be created.
“No problem.” Reynold was very content with this position. What he wanted to do now was just train peacefully—he did not want to go out and fight people.
All the candidates were done with the test. Phillip made the new mercenaries sign the contracts before sending the information to the Mercenary Alliance. This way, the new mercenaries were officially members of the Black Star Army.
Other than a number of talented people, Han Xiao let Phillip arrange the positions for the new mercenaries and told Sylvia and some senior mercenaries to show the newbies around to familiarize themselves with their job. After all that, th
e newbies would take on their positions.
He had recruited thousands of people this time, so including the older mercenaries, Black Star Army had about 8,000 NPC mercenaries. It was many times larger compared to before.
Compared to the number of players, there were still very few NPC mercenaries. It was very difficult for it to explode in size, so the only way was to keep recruiting and building the numbers up.
The biggest surprise this time was Reynold. Even Han Xiao was tempted by the Molding Talent [Perfect Mechanical Sense]. If he could obtain this talent, he would not only be tanky but stronger in all aspects!
Sadly, he had yet to find a way to obtain this Molding Talent. Reynold was not an enemy, and even if he was, it was not certain that he could obtain [Perfect Mechanical Sense].
No matter, Han Xiao had plenty of patience.
…
Two days later, the new mercenaries all started to carry out their jobs.
The training camp of Base No.1 was officially built, too.
The more than a thousand unselected freelance mercenaries became the first batch of students. As the only drill sergeant at the moment, Brock officially took on the job.
On the first day, he was so exhausted that he almost vomited blood.
Training mercenaries was not as simple as just speaking—there had to be physical hands-on combat lessons, which was quite easy to get injured from. To train more than a thousand people alone, the amount of work Brock had to do was almost pitiful; he had completely no time to do anything else. After an entire day, he felt like his bones were about to collapse.
Remembering that he had to continue such a taxing job the next day too, Brock felt his world spinning.
However, after the first day ended as a trainer, Han Xiao deliberately went to encourage him. Brock was instantly motivated and full of energy.
Han Xiao’s attitude gave him the wrong idea. Brock thought that his performance had been noticed by Black Star. Him getting this special job right after joining meant that he was important to Black Star.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 369
