Apart from a few small skirmishes, the galaxy was extremely calm.
Under such circumstances, the second exploration phase of the dynasty was completed smoothly, and the dynasty started the third exploration phase.
In those peaceful times, time crept by silently, and many years went by.
Without too many setbacks, the third exploration phase was coming to an end.
On the 15th day of the 7th month of the 729th year of the Galaxy Calendar, the Crimson Dynasty finally announced a piece of news that everyone had been waiting for.
The fourth exploration phase was about to start, and the Flickering World would be opened!
It was like a psionic bomb being set off!
The universe that had been peaceful for over a decade was stirred again!
Chapter 992 - Incoming Storm 1
News of the fourth exploration phase spread through the entire universe like a storm.
The entire universe had been waiting for this day for far too long, and every Star Field became bustling with excitement. The civilizations of the various regions all began to recruit manpower and purchase resources.
The normal galactic residents also became excited. They could not wait to explore the new Star Fields, and many of them wanted to try their luck to get rich or migrate over.
Countless troops and resources were being mobilized all over the universe. The dynasty had only announced the time, but before the official opening of the Flickering World, all the manpower and resources would have to wait in the Shattered Star Ring. As such, the Shattered Star Ring would become bustling with activity during this period.
The opening of a new Star Field would reshuffle the current state of the universe once more.
A huge tide of migrants flooded toward the Flickering World from all directions.
…
On a red mining planet, there were many prisoners mining for resources.
In the middle of a circular mountain range, there was a prison with a grayish exterior.
“Congratulations, you’re finally out.”
After stepping out from the surveillance region of the prison, even the air smelt sweeter. Looking at the usually stern prison guards smile at him, Evans felt as though it had been an eternity.
He could finally leave the stinky sweat filled prisoner attire and was dressed in a simple top with light luggage in his hands. It had been a long time since he was so at ease.
A floating device was stopped not too far away. This was the prison’s bus that was in charge of sending the prisoners to the space dock outside the atmosphere. At this moment, there was a man in military attire standing beside the bus waving at him.
Although it had been a long time since they last met, Evans immediately recognized the man in military attire.
He could not help but smile and hugged the other party.
“I am here to fetch you. How have you been all this while?”
“Work, eat, sleep—every day is the same.”
They were both extremely excited to meet each other after so long and felt as though they had endless conversation topics.
Evans sized his friend up and lamented, “Time really flies. You were only a skinny child running behind me before I went into prison. Who would have thought that you’d join the military?”
“You have also changed greatly. Don’t just stand there. Get on.”
Both parties then took the bus to the space harbor and took a spaceship to a colonial planet not too far away.
This prison was located on a mining planet surrounded by various colonial planets. There were plenty of different prisoners housed within the prison being laborers on the mining planet.
Evans’ friend had already booked a room in a famous hotel and treated Evans to a good meal.
It had been far too long since Evans last tasted anything other than nutrition fluid. He immediately gobbled down all the food before him and stuffed himself until he could not eat anymore.
Patting his bloated tummy, Evans let out a sigh of satisfaction.
At this moment, his friend took out a box and opened it up. There was a Galactic Communicator, a translator, and other necessities in the box. There was even a portable mechanical suit in it.
“I prepared all this for you. I also opened up an account for you with 15,000 Enas inside.”
“I will accept the other items, but you can take the Enas back. I don’t need it. I did receive a salary in the prison, so I have some money.” Evans waved his arms.
“How can that do?” his friend immediately exclaimed. “You saved my life before. If not for you, how would I have my current life? You must definitely accept my repayment.”
He had always been thankful toward Evans. Evans killed an evil Super back then in order to protect him and went to prison because of it.
The supernatural abilities of a Super would enlarge the darkness in some people’s hearts. They would attempt to seek a sense of superiority from ordinary individuals and humiliate or torture these individuals with their strength.
They had once met such a Super, and their lives had been threatened. Although Evans was only an ordinary person, he had managed to find a way to get rid of that Grade E Super.
His good friend was already a military officer and had awakened his Super Gene. However, it was a pity that Evans did not have a Super Gene and would remain an ordinary individual for all his life.
With Evans’ abilities, if he has the talent to become a Super, he would definitely be more powerful than me in future.
Sigh, it is a pity that this is his destiny.
“Haha, I shall accept your sincerity, but I don’t need your money. Don’t think of trying to repay me with material items if we are brothers,” Evans said with a smile.
“You can come over to my place if you are willing.” His friend refused to give up.
“You are already married. I cannot disturb you.”
“I can try to get rid of your past record if you want to enter the military.”
“It’s alright. I am an ordinary individual and will only be cannon fodder if I join the army.” Evans knew that it would be impossible for him to become a Super but was not too bothered about it.
He did not have the bad habit of lamenting about life. The way he saw it, rather than spend time lamenting, he might as well spend the time on practical actions.
“Then, what are you planning to do in the future?” his friend said with resignation.
“Hmm, let me find a job first and talk about the rest later.”
Evans then began browsing the web with his communicator to view the employment advertisements. He was startled the moment he saw the advertisements.
There were plenty of jobs available but the first criteria of all the jobs was the same.
‘Job location: Flickering World!’
As long as they could work in the Flickering World and were not a wanted individual, they would be hired!
His friend looked over and shook his head.
“The Crimson Dynasty has finally announced the opening of the Flickering World, and every organization is hiring more manpower.”
In his memories, the Flickering World was still in the Crimson Tide era. The universe had truly changed greatly during his imprisonment.
He then lowered his head and looked at the recruitment notice before nodding his head.
“Flickering World… let me go and take a look then.”
…
“It is finally going to open up.”
On the Star Pupil Holy Race’s home planet, Psyker stood in front of a window.
After the Planet Lighthouse incident, he had maintained a low profile to recover from his losses.
After more than ten years, the negative influence of him giving up the Evolution Cube was already gone, and he was still the noble leader in the eyes of many.
Although he was extremely close to the Flickering World, he could only watch as Black Star and the Tyrant gained an early advantage in the Flick
ering World because he was a member of the church. Psyker was extremely envious and anxious. He had been waiting for this day for a long time and also wanted a slice of the cake.
The way he saw it, the Flickering World was an opportunity for the Star Pupil Holy Race. He no longer needed to be restricted in the Shattered Star Ring. His current situation would only become worse as Black Star and the Tyrant developed themselves. As such, he needed to find a new way out for the Star Pupil Holy Race.
As such, the Arcane Church had an excuse to interfere and support him. The more the benefits he could obtain in the Flickering World, the better for his race.
As he thought about the past, Han Xiao’s figure appeared in his mind.
“Black Star… he has also remained silent for more than ten years. It seems like his strength has stagnated after reaching peak Beyond Grade A…”
Chapter 993 - Incoming Storm 2
It was the day for Black Star’s Party again, and the Black Star Army headquarters located in the Shattered Star Ring welcomed the representatives from many different organizations.
Over the past ten years, Black Star’s Party had become an iconic event of the army.
Compared to the first few years, there were many more participants with many of the organizations coming from other Star Fields. They were all organizations preparing to head to the Flickering World. With the Flickering World about to open to the outside world, many organizations wanted to have a good relationship with Black Star, who had territory in the Flickering World.
The number of explored Star Clusters would be increased to nine, and the Dawn Star Cluster, which was the entrance to the Flickering World, was being managed by the dynasty. Garu, Renault, and Crown, which were explored in the first exploration phase, had been split up to the dynasty’s allies, and their basic facilities had been completed. The five Star Clusters of the second and third exploration phase had plenty of room for development, and the dynasty was prepared to open more slots and get the various organizations of the universe to bear the cost of developing them.
The dynasty announced that the Black Star Army would be given two Star Systems, located in the Russo Star Cluster of the second phase and the Mark Star Cluster of the third phase. Only a small portion of the other allies had a territory assigned to them.
Unlike the first phase, the dynasty would not give out too many territories but considered arranging various National Pillars to maintain their control over the various Star Clusters.
Within the territory of the nine explored Star Systems, the Black Star Army was the organization that had the largest territory in the Flickering World, except for the dynasty. Thus, there were many organizations fawning over the Black Star Army and hoping to gain more benefits from the Flickering World.
The party was boisterous and filled with individuals from many different races. It was almost as though it was a gallery to view all the different races.
There were many who were joining in Black Star’s Party for the first time, and they gathered in small groups to chat with each other while gossiping about the various Black Star Army officers.
“That woman with a Star Cluster representative beside her is Chief Administrative Official Sylvia. She is Black Star’s head butler, and I heard that she is extremely capable. The one beside her is Fleet Commander Herlous, and his student Mia is beside him. She stepped into the Calamity Grade a year ago and uprooted a traitor of a galactic civilization organization that had a Calamity Grade Super single handedly. It is said that she is the lover of Nero, the heir to the Black Star Army.”
“… Look there. That is Vice Commander Lagi, the former leader of the Hidden Red Robe Abbey. He is also the principal of the Black Star Super Academy and entered the list of Beyond Grade A seeds last year. The one beside him is Tomar, a genius Mage. It is said that Austin wanted to rope him in a few years ago but was rejected by Black Star.”
“The individual reading blueprints in the corner is Reynold, who is in charge of logistics. The one beside him is the vice head of the intelligence department, Shazik. There is also the upper echelon of the Germinal Financial Group, Iapetus… Most of the important personnel of the Black Star Army are gathered here. I think that there are more than thirty Calamity Grade Supers present.”
“This is only a small portion of the Calamity Grade Supers in the Black Star Army. The elite Black Star Guards such as Hadavy and Feidin are all in the Flickering World. The entire Black Star Army has about sixty to seventy Calamity Grade Supers with two Beyond Grade A seeds.”
“Black Star has lived in seclusion for the past few years and almost never made any public appearance. It is only possible to see him during Black Star’s Party. I wonder if there will be a chance to talk to him…”
Just as everyone was chatting, a holographic projection appeared on the stage.
The attention of the guests was immediately attracted by the screen, and they all greeted the silhouette that had appeared.
“Your Excellency Black Star.”
Han Xiao nodded and smiled. “Welcome to the Black Star Army.”
With his current life span, a decade was no more than a snap of his fingers, and he did not seem to have aged the slightest.
With the main character appearing, the plaza became boisterous with plenty of people coming forward to chat with Han Xiao.
Han Xiao was already used to this and dealt with them with a smile.
According to his memory, a portion of these organizations were active in the Flickering World.
Apart from the three Universal Civilizations and Super Star Cluster Civilizations, some neutral civilizations and civilian organizations also played an important role in the Flickering World.
Because of Han Xiao’s hard work, the army had gained an advantage in the Flickering World and had nine Star Systems as their foundation. They could make use of their foundation to build ties with more organizations and form a large net of benefits. This was also the reason for the party today.
Han Xiao dealt with all those who approached him while searching through his memories to match these individuals to their organization.
The banquet was a very successful one, and after sending away the guests, the officers followed Han Xiao into his office.
“Army Commander, the Flickering World is about to be opened to the outside. We need to make sufficient preparations and be prepared to fight off the various large organizations,” Sylvia said.
Han Xiao nodded and replied, “Just go according to our plan.”
The army had been preparing for more than ten years and had already made all the relevant preparations.
When the Flickering World opened, it would also be the start of Version 4.0 and the time for the players’ return. At the same time, inter-Star Field transportation would also be activated for the players, and all the players would flood toward the Flickering World.
Compared to the other players, the players of the Black Star Army obviously had an advantage as they had come in contact with the Flickering World during Version 3.0.
Han Xiao had been waiting for this day for a long time. The Black Star Army now had the foundation to welcome the new version, and they would be the leeks for him to harvest.
Through his hard work, the Black Star Army had become the largest private organization in the Flickering World and could provide the players with even more benefits to attract them.
Over the past ten or so years, the strength of all his officers had improved, and he had not remained idle either. He had replenished his mechanical army and perfected his Dimension Factory. At the same time, he had converted more first-generation Mechanical Lives to aid in the development of the machinery civilization.
Although he still was not capable of forging a Universal Treasure, Han Xiao would send his mechanical army out from time to time to search for opportunities to obtain some talents. He had also accumulated plenty of Random Reward chances.
The experience that he had accumulated was all spent on increasi
ng the levels of his skills to obtain Potential Points. As such, his level did not change much, and he was still around level 300.
Apart from this, Han Xiao also searched for more Energy Training Techniques to increase the upper limit of his energy.
Because of his interface, his training efficiency far exceeded the other Beyond Grade As, and the increase in his energy level was pretty substantial.
After over ten years of accumulation, Han Xiao’s foundation was no longer weak and could barely match up to his status of a peak Beyond Grade A Mechanic.
After remaining low profile for so many years, the outside world probably thinks that my strength has stagnated. I am already all prepared and only waiting for an opportunity. When Version 4.0 launches, my strength will be increased rapidly again…
Nero stood up and said, “Godfather, I have a request.”
“Speak.” Han Xiao looked over. Nero was already an adult, and although he still had a childish appearance and was still short like before, he had a far more stable aura.
Nero had acted as his right-hand man over the past few years and helped him greatly.
“I wish to apply for leave to accompany my father on Planet Aquamarine. I also wish to take Mia with me,” Nero said.
“Hmm, you should go back.”
Bennett was getting older and older. As the leader of Planet Aquamarine, he was extremely busy, and Nero would apply for leave to visit him from time to time. Han Xiao naturally did not stop him from doing so.
After checking on the work of all the officers, Han Xiao’s communicator suddenly rang.
Upon glancing at the caller, Han Xiao waved his arms and got his subordinates to leave the office before picking up the call. Tarrokov’s silhouette then appeared on the screen.
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