by <unknown>
“How do you know?” Urranrell wondered.
“This involves a certain Universal Treasure I acquired not long ago. It has special uses in the soul field.” Han Xiao smiled and did not give any details.
Urranrell knew that Han Xiao did not want to share, so she did not continue asking. Thinking of Sorokin’s actions in the past, she said, “If this is true, Sorokin definitely has a big plan. We’ll have to adjust our approach for him…”
She would not instantly believe what Han Xiao said. However, Han Xiao’s Political Asset count was quite high. He even had the bonus from the weird [Civilization Leader Slayer] talent, so what he said was taken more seriously.
Urranrell planned to secretly investigate Sorokin. Compared to Black Star, Sorokin was even more of an outsider.
Seeing this, Han Xiao stopped talking about this topic. He did not want to say too much; getting the dynasty interested in Sorokin was enough.
After all, making the Super Star Cluster Alliance take the blame was only the dynasty’s temporary solution. They would continue to search for the culprit in the future. Therefore, Han Xiao wanted to use this opportunity to mess with Sorokin.
This guy was a master in knowing when to be a coward. He was way too well hidden, so God only knew what he was planning. If Han Xiao could expose him, it was definitely a good thing.
With what had happened to Gaud, once Sorokin’s real strength was exposed, he would also be a suspect.
Although, from the way the Great Mechanic Han looked at it, Sorokin did not have any motive. However, at least he could disgust this b*stard…
Humph, who told you to plot against me secretly all the time. Did you think my little notebook is empty‽
“Alright, that’s the situation for now. I don’t have anything more to ask, so if there’s nothing else…”
Urranrell was just about to end the communication. However, before she finished, she heard Han Xiao speak again.
“Wait, one last thing.”
“… Go ahead.” Urranrell clenched her teeth in her mind.
She thought Han Xiao was about to make another report, but saw that Han Xiao suddenly put on a serious expression and said,
“Your Excellency Urranrell, I’m now speaking to you as the vice president of the Beyond Grade A Association. I fully support the dynasty’s decision to target the Super Star Cluster Alliance, but I hope this won’t impact the association’s members.”
Hearing this, the others looked at Han Xiao with surprise and became serious too.
“Go on.” Urranrell narrowed her eyes.
“I believe we both know that there are direct members of the Super Star Cluster civilizations hidden among the neutral Beyond Grade As. I am all for the dynasty’s plan to target the Super Star Cluster Alliance, but I don’t wish to see the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s Beyond Grade As included in the revenge target. I’m not covering the culprit. I’m asking the dynasty not to vent its rage on some neutral Beyond Grade As who might be direct members of the Super Star Cluster civilizations. The culprit might be among them, but before the real culprit is found, they’ll be protected by the association.”
Han Xiao spoke with a serious tone that felt like he was going to fight for this even if he would offend the dynasty for it.
Urranrell and the others understood what he meant immediately. Black Star knew how the evidence had come about. Though he supported the dynasty’s decision, he did not want it to become an excuse for the dynasty to target the Beyond Grade As. He was planning ahead.
You can beat up the Super Star Cluster Alliance, but you can’t drag down the unrelated Beyond Grade As!
His identity swapped smoothly. One second ago, he was the dynasty’s ally giving suggestions for the dynasty’s sake, the next he became the Beyond Grade A Association’s vice president thinking ahead for the association.
“You’re really thoughtful.” Urranrell had a complicated look in her eyes.
“If I don’t speak for the association, when word gets out, how can I remain vice president?”
“… Alright, I understand. The dynasty’s target is only limited to the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s forces. Before we acquire solid proof, we won’t target their hidden direct Beyond Grade A members. After all, the association has made a stand to help us too.”
Urranrell sighed.
Seeing this, Han Xiao finally smiled again. He thought for a while and said with a chuckle, “Alright, if the dynasty doesn’t mind, can you help me promote it? Just say that the dynasty initially wanted to investigate the neutral Beyond Grade As or even forcibly interrogate them, but I quarreled with the dynasty using logic, protecting the association’s members, and in the end, convinced the dynasty of only targeting the Super Star Cluster Alliance. And please emphasize the fact that I played a crucial part in the dynasty’s decision.”
“…”
Although the others did not speak, they had the same looks on their faces.
Wow, just how f*cking shameless can you be!
“… Okay.”
Urranrell took a few deep breaths to calm her emotions, or she was worried she might grab the cup on the table and throw it at Han Xiao.
Although she complained about how shameless Black Star was in her heart, she still decided to help him to promote, increasing Black Star’s position and reputation in the association. There were more pros than cons to having Black Star control the association.
Having received a definitive answer, Han Xiao only then bade farewell with a smile.
After deactivating the remote projection, his sights returned to the office where his original body was. He heaved a sigh of relief.
“This tempo I’ve set has finally completely deviated the dynasty’s direction…”
Han Xiao felt much more relaxed.
Luckily, he had enough Political Assets, which made making the dynasty accept his proposals easier.
If not because Manison and the Super Star Cluster Alliance were going at each other’s throats, he would have had to spend more effort. It could be said that these two sides helped him to make things easier. He grabbed the main conflict and did not need to make any flashy moves.
Furthermore, making the association’s members see that their vice president was so responsible he argued with the dynasty to protect their interests would increase his reputation considerably. This would probably make more people see the benefits of letting him lead them.
Even Han Xiao could not say how many birds he killed with this one stone. He only knew that the negative impact caused by Gaud being attacked was tremendously reduced. When the dynasty announced their plan to act against the Super Star Cluster Alliance, this matter should be considered settled for the time being.
As for the other unknown chain reactions, the only thing he could do was find out in the future.
…
On the other side, Urranrell and Clotti were the only ones left in the ruler’s office.
Urranrell pressed her fingers subconsciously with a hesitant expression. After some time, she finally softly said, “Do you think he’ll be the next Mechanic Emperor?”
Clotti glanced at her and shook his head.
“He’s a hundred times more dangerous than the Mechanic Emperor.”
Chapter 1233: Dust Settled |
The state of the Flickering World was extremely tense, like a volcano that was about to erupt.
Ever since Gaud was attacked, the investigation of the dynasty attracted the attention of the entire universe. A month had already passed since then. The dynasty made such a big deal out of it but still had yet to achieve anything. Voices of doubt started to appear in the outside world.
As the public opinion was getting more and more intense, the dynasty finally made a new announcement, producing a full chain of evidence that pointed directly at the Super Star Cluster Alliance. The public opinion was stirred up once again.
The dynasty claimed that this chain of evidence was carefully verified. They had discover
ed that the Super Star Cluster civilizations planned the attack on Gaud. Hence, the dynasty used a harsh tone to question them, demanding these three Super Star Cluster civilizations open up their databases and cooperate with the investigation, or the dynasty would take further actions.
The Super Star Cluster Alliance originally wanted to make Manison take the blame, but their moves against Manison were defused by a mysterious force time after time. In the end, it led to the dynasty being one step ahead. Facing such an obvious method to divide them, the Super Star Cluster Alliance strongly denied it and refused to cooperate with the investigation. They also made an announcement claiming that the Crimson Dynasty was only using this opportunity to accuse them of something they did not do. Since the two sides were already at war, they even stated the unfair treatment the three Universal Civilizations had been giving to the Super Star Cluster civilizations all these years, hoping to gain the moral high ground in the eyes of the public.
The federation and the church came to support the dynasty too.
The two sides’ conflict stirred up a storm in the galactic civilization. Most people trusted the three Universal Civilizations more, but there were some who saw through the dynasty’s plan. However, even though they knew something was going on, the situation would not be affected.
No matter how much was said, fists still spoke the loudest. After a few days of the situation fermenting, the dynasty took further action. They claimed that since the Super Star Cluster Alliance had already attacked a Beyond Grade A, the agreement they had made in the past was considered voided. The dynasty announced that they would be sending direct Beyond Grade A members into the Flickering War. The federation and the church followed and did the same after.
The Beyond Grade A Association who had made an agreement with the three Universal Civilizations long ago expressed their support, claiming that it was the Super Star Cluster Alliance who broke the rules first.
Very soon, the direct Beyond Grade A members of the three Universal Civilizations were heading toward the frontlines one after another.
With the Beyond Grade As joining the war, the intensity of it rapidly escalated. The three Universal Civilizations penetrated one stronghold after another. The Super Star Cluster Alliance was losing territories even quicker.
Originally, the outside world thought the Super Star Cluster Alliance would also send in direct members, but that did not happen. The Super Star Cluster Alliance only relied on the troops they had to fight the direct Beyond Grade As of the three Universal Civilizations. Even though they were losing quickly, they still did not bring out any hidden Beyond Grade As.
Questions related to this matter got brought up and spread on the internet, secretly guiding more galactic residents to feel curious about. When this matter attracted enough attention, a ‘mysterious person’ finally appeared and explained the reasons behind it with so-called ‘inside information’.
According to the information, the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s direct members might be hidden in the Beyond Grade A Association, and one or more of them might be the culprit who attacked Gaud. The dynasty planned to thoroughly investigate all neutral Beyond Grade As. However, when Black Star found out about this, he went to argue with the Ruler, despite knowing it would put him at a bad spot in his relationship with the dynasty. He insisted on protecting the association’s members’ interests, stating that unless solid evidence was found, he would not allow the association’s members to be affected.
After a negotiation that went on for days and nights, the dynasty was finally convinced by Black Star and decided to cancel this plan. Because of Black Star’s hard work, the Beyond Grade A Association did not receive the forced investigation treatment. The public speculated that the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s hidden members could only remain hidden because of this. Therefore, the Super Star Cluster Alliance would rather get beat up than expose their identities.
This news shocked countless organizations. In the face of the dynasty’s furious investigation, almost everyone would obediently cooperate. However, Black Star dared to reject it. Furthermore, the dynasty clearly knew that the culprit might be in the association, but they still agreed to Black Star’s request. Just how much weight did Black Star’s words carry‽
The galactic residents were dumbfounded.
No wonder he became the first ever consultant of the three Universal Civilizations. The dynasty had to give him face even when they were furious!
…
In the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s remote conference room, the leaders of the various civilizations had gathered. The atmosphere was tragic.
“We guessed right. The three Universal Civilizations decided to make us take the blame… Everything feels like it was planned!”
The Star Arc Civilization leader clenched his fists with rage.
Originally, Manison alone could not stop them. However, they discovered that a secret mysterious force was obstructing them and supporting Manison, slowing their plan down by a large extent.
The mysterious force that was helping Manison could only be the three Universal Civilizations!
“The three Universal Civilizations planned to make us take the blame. Therefore, after discovering what we were trying to do, they obstructed us secretly so that we wouldn’t have a chance of escaping the accusations and would have no choice but get targeted!” a leader said with an enraged tone.
The Super Star Cluster Alliance guessed what the three Universal Civilizations wanted to do. They were afraid of taking the blame, so they tried to frame Manison. Manison knew what the Super Star Cluster Alliance wanted to do, so he tried to protect himself. The three Universal Civilizations were one step ahead. They guessed that the Super Star Cluster Alliance had guessed what they wanted to do, so they helped Manison. Their final goal was still to target the Super Star Cluster Alliance.
Their hearts were filled with a strong rage and sense of powerlessness. It felt like the three Universal Civilizations had knitted a huge net. They had nowhere to run and no way of struggling.
“What do we do now? The three Universal Civilizations have sent their direct members, and we have limited reinforcements. If we don’t bring our direct members out, our loss is certain,” someone said with a worried tone.
The people exchanged looks and all looked troubled.
Someone sighed and said what everyone was thinking. “Forget it, don’t we all see the situation? Even if we bring our direct members out, we’d have no chance to turn the tables. We’d only be exposing their identities for nothing.
“Instead of that, we might as well let our direct members continue to hide their identities… Things are different now. Black Star is protecting the Beyond Grade A Association, so as long as our men’s identities are not exposed, they won’t be affected.”
Everyone else nodded.
Without the Beyond Grade A Association, the three Universal Civilizations would definitely thoroughly investigate most of the neutral Beyond Grade As, and no one would dare object. The result of that would very likely be another Tragedy of the Pinnacles.
With the Beyond Grade A Association, the three Universal Civilizations could no longer do whatever they wanted. Due to Black Star’s existence, the dynasty could not target the neutral Beyond Grade As without any consequences. This way, their secret members would also be protected.
“Black Star…”
Many civilization leaders felt complicated.
They did not like this guy at all, but what Black Star did protected their men. This was the indisputable truth.
The Star Arc Civilization leader sighed in his mind and said, “Our days are past. Don’t make any unwise moves. The three Universal Civilizations are forcing us to expose our direct members. Once we fall for it, they’ll have reason to carry out checks… Don’t waste the safety Black Star fought for. Let them continue hiding in the association.”
…
At the Beyond Grade A Association headquarters…
“It�
�s all thanks to Black Star this time, or we’d all be affected.”
Inside the round table conference room, the atmosphere was joyful. Many normal Beyond Grade A members had relaxed looks on their faces.
Ever since the incident happened, many neutral Beyond Grade As had been worried they might be affected by it. Now, the dust had finally settled. If not because this information got out, they would not even know that Black Star had argued with the dynasty and successfully protected their interests.
This really touched many Beyond Grade A. Only a leader who cared about the interests of his subordinates could be considered a good leader. Although they were not bosses and subordinates, it was exactly why they admired Han Xiao so much. Their sense of recognition increased too.
Facing everyone’s enthusiasm, Han Xiao waved with a ‘Sorokin smile’ on his face.
“I’m the vice president. I only did what I should have done. Don’t have to be so formal, guys.
“That won’t do. I have to properly thank you!” Lucie suddenly bowed toward Han Xiao. He said with an appreciative tone, “If not for you, God only knows when I’d be free. You’re being too humble.”
He had been caught tracking Gaud by the dynasty, and the dynasty had captured him. Lucie had spent many days in fear and only been released not long ago.
With such an experience, Lucie knew more clearly than anyone that without Black Star’s help and the association’s protection, he would most likely have died in the dynasty’s hands. There was no way he could regain freedom. Therefore, although he was a secret member of a Super Star Cluster civilization, the appreciation he was displaying now was not fake.
Lucie’s words were recognized by the others. Everyone had a balance in their heart. By placing the president and the vice president on the two sides of the balance, they could easily see that Black Star had brought more benefits to the association than the Mechanic Emperor.
Putting those purposes and claims on paper aside, they had joined the association for safety and benefits. They were willing to have anyone who could bring more benefits as their representative.
