Chapter 1 The Troublesome Reporter

Han Xiao followed two Imperial officers through the heavily guarded corridor to a large office, which had been converted into the three heads of state's temporary office. At this moment, the door to the innermost reception room was tightly closed.

The Secretary-General of the Imperial Head of State put down his work and greeted them respectfully.

"Your Excellency Black Star, the three heads of state are still talking. It should be over soon. Please wait a moment."

"Alright, I'll sit over there for a while."

Han Xiao found a seat and sat down. The Secretary-General had someone bring drinks to entertain him and sat down opposite Han Xiao himself.

To prevent Black Star from feeling neglected, the Secretary-General took the initiative to act as an escort, starting a conversation.

Having mixed in the Empire for decades, Han Xiao knew many high-ranking officials. It wasn't his first time dealing with the Secretary-General, so they chatted casually. Before long, the topic drifted to the little episode that had occurred during the ceremony earlier.

"Your Excellency Black Star, what do you think of that reporter from earlier?" the Secretary-General asked.

"Just a poor, unlucky guy."

"Indeed." The Secretary-General smiled. "When he was chosen, his career was destined to be affected. It's not hard to understand why he ultimately decided to gamble for maximum profit."

"Oh? I thought someone in your position had to maintain political correctness and say that it's right for him to actively expose the instigator."

"Hehe, we emphasize political correctness, but we have to get things done. The higher-ups don't like people who only shout slogans." The Secretary-General shook his head. "He's not a citizen of our civilization, so there's no element of patriotism. The chances of him actively exposing them are low. What would he gain by reporting to us?"

"A meager bonus, or a certificate of merit?" Han Xiao casually joked.

"Haha, you're quite humorous… but even that's wishful thinking. He'd more likely get demoted. He was originally a top reporter from his news channel, specifically responsible for attending our official intelligence briefings. If he exposed this, he wouldn't be treated favorably… You understand, we're a massive system, and each department not only works for the entire civilization but also has to consider its own achievements. So why would the news department risk letting a reporter with doubts continue to be responsible for attending official events? They'd probably contact the higher-ups in the reporter's media channel, so his company would consciously transfer him back and have him cover other news lines."

"Doesn't that show that this person is worth using?"

"Is it necessary? Isn't it easier to replace him? Is he an irreplaceable character?"

"Yo, a little cold-blooded, aren't you? Aren't you afraid of discouraging others?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.

"Haha, do you think we'd fight over a small reporter and let others see our protection of a small reporter, thereby increasing outsiders' confidence in cooperating with us, so that if anyone encounters such a thing in the future, they'll be more likely to come to us?" The Secretary-General chuckled.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Han Xiao asked with interest.

"Different levels have different ways of doing things. At our level, the approach is often contrary to the logic of ordinary people. It's basically the combined effect of many factors." The Secretary-General winked. "If it's someone with a higher status, or an organization with some influence, we might make an exception and do as you say.

But a small reporter? We won't waste our energy on him. Our propaganda war with the Star Cluster Alliance has been going on in secret. This isn't the first time this has happened. If he doesn't have connections, he might not even be able to secure a spot in our protection program… In the end, he's not an important person, so we won't pay too much attention."

"I never knew you were so bold with your words before," Han Xiao said, looking him up and down.

"Just telling the truth. Although public power is great, the resources available for exercising public power are limited. In the end, it's a matter of allocation." The Secretary-General smacked his lips and said, "Putting myself in his shoes, there's no benefit to actively exposing them, so it's better to agree to the mastermind behind the scenes. At least he can get a large sum of money on the surface, and what he's doing is within the scope of his normal duties, without overstepping the line… After all, it's a reporter's freedom to ask questions. We can't force them. The principle of freedom of the press can't be easily violated."

"Can't it?"

"…At least nominally. There's no budget for friendly questions at official events. We can only rely on authority to make people aware." The Secretary-General smiled slightly. "It's just that authority isn't always useful. There are quite a few reporters who dare to make things difficult for us. Some do it for performance, some are instructed, all kinds of situations have happened. Nothing is ever constant."

Han Xiao stroked his chin and suddenly said, "I get the feeling that you're hinting at something with these words?"

"Haha, you saw through me. Actually, I wanted to test you and see how the Black Star Army plans to deal with this reporter… With your decisive methods, you must have already made arrangements, right?" The Secretary-General laughed.

What decisive methods? Why don't you just say I'm petty…

Han Xiao muttered to himself and casually explained his plans.

"It's good that you didn't fall into their trap. It seems my reminder was unnecessary." The Secretary-General nodded with a smile.

"…It's exhausting to talk to you. Don't hide anything. Just say what you want to say directly," Han Xiao said helplessly.

"Hehe, we hope to handle this matter uniformly and discreetly, without posing a threat to the reporter's personal safety, so we need your cooperation. If this person's life is threatened, it will be easy for someone to make a fuss…"

"I don't think it matters whether you want to or not. Maybe the mastermind behind the scenes has already prepared to kill him and frame someone else, which would still smear your name."

The Secretary-General interlaced his fingers and said, "I understand your concerns. There is indeed such a possibility, but the chances are actually very low… First of all, such accusations aren't painful or itchy, and they're not beneficial to the overall situation. We simply don't want to create unnecessary trouble. But if someone frames us, there will inevitably be loopholes, and it will be easy to overturn the case. Besides, how many people do you think would care about a reporter's life or death? Once we start publicizing it, it will definitely expose the mastermind behind the scenes, and anyone with eyes can see it. Also, because the people involved this time are reporters, doing so will damage the goodwill of the media industry, and we can't do publicity without their cooperation… With so many factors, the mastermind behind the scenes wouldn't want to lose big over something small. For the same reason, this is why we're handling it discreetly."

Hearing this, Han Xiao remained noncommittal. The higher the level, the wider the knowledge. The progress of his own methods over the years has come to some extent from communicating with people from different classes, hearing and seeing, and expanding his experience.

After chatting for a few more words, Han Xiao suddenly remembered something, changed the topic, and asked:

"Ulan Riel's term should be coming to an end soon, right?"

In his previous life, not long after the end of the Shattered Star Ring storyline, the Empire replaced him with a new head of state. Counting the days, it should be soon.

The Secretary-General paused and subconsciously lowered his voice, "I can't say exactly how long."

"Alright, let's talk about you then. When Ulan Riel steps down, your position will also change, right? Any news?"

"When the head of state steps down, my term as Secretary-General will also come to an end. The change in position hasn't been decided yet, but I'll definitely be sent out to govern a region, probably a lateral transfer at the same level…"

Just as Han Xiao was about to casually ask more, the door to the reception room finally opened with a swoosh.

The Secretary-General stopped the conversation in a timely manner and made a gesture of invitation. Seeing this, Han Xiao got up and walked into the reception room. He immediately saw the three heads of state sitting behind the table, each accompanied by their own Super-A Grade bodyguard.

The door closed behind him, and Han Xiao casually greeted them.

Dark Emperor Clotti nodded slightly, without intending to speak.

On the other hand, Oulu scanned Han Xiao from head to toe with a measuring gaze and slowly said, "You caught quite a few of my friends some time ago. It's a pity I wasn't there, or you wouldn't have been able to succeed."

"Nice to meet you too. It's a pleasure to meet you." Sensing the unkindness in Oulu's tone, Han Xiao remained indifferent, maintaining a faint smile and not responding at all.

"Hmph."

Oulu snorted, didn't continue talking, and slightly raised his head, revealing an arrogant posture… although he didn't have nostrils.

The first impression this guy left on Han Xiao was arrogance.

Although Kasuyi said that Oulu was relatively mild, the frame of reference was the Dark Emperor, who was known for being cold, so Han Xiao didn't expect Oulu to be too enthusiastic, especially since he had caught several Glorious allies not long ago. It would be strange if Oulu had a good look on his face.

On the other side, Urnos didn't even open his eyes, as if he were asleep, and had no intention of paying attention to him at all, pretending not to see him.

Among the three, Han Xiao was most curious about Urnos. In his previous life, both the Dark Emperor and Oulu entered the front lines and died in the World Tree War, but Urnos never moved out. His past record was also very few, and he was extremely mysterious.

Generally speaking, when mentioning Super-A Grade experts, Urnos was rarely included, because he basically didn't fight with people, just like Sorokin was a unique existence, but the reputations of the two were exactly the two extremes.

At this time, Imperial Head of State Ulan Riel spoke:

"Black Star, how do you feel after receiving the Star Sea Medal?"

"Overwhelmed." Han Xiao said expressionlessly.

"But you don't seem too satisfied?"

"…You saw through me. Yes, I'm actually worried."

"Worried about what?"

"I'm worried that if I make new contributions to the universe in the future, will you give me a second or third Star Sea Medal… I feel like I need to create a special warehouse to store this thing, and maybe one day it won't fit, it's annoying." Han Xiao sighed.

Ulan Riel: "?"

Are you speaking human language?

"Let's skip the pleasantries. You didn't call me here just to encourage me, did you? Just say what's on your mind." Han Xiao spread his hands. He had been acting all day and didn't want to be polite now.

Badr pondered for a moment and said, "Then let's get straight to the point. I believe you've learned from other sources that the conflict between us and the Star Cluster Alliance is about to begin. As the leader of the Shattered Star Ring's private armed forces, we need you to provide some assistance."

Han Xiao frowned.

The three great civilizations have been trying to get the Super-A Grade Association to help them deal with the Star Cluster Alliance, and even decided to use the monopoly on occupational knowledge as a bargaining chip, but the Association has not agreed. The three great civilizations have not taken any further action since then, but now they have started again.

"You should know the results of the Super-A Grade Development Alliance's discussions some time ago, right? I thought that was the answer," Han Xiao said.

"Indeed, we know that the Super-A Grade Association intends to remain neutral, but that's your own agreement, not our demand," the head of the Virtual Church said indifferently.

Ulan Riel also echoed, "Black Star, we hope you can work on this matter."

The Crimson Empire divided up the territory among its Super-A Grade allies in the hope that its allies would contribute at this time, but the establishment of the Development Alliance exceeded expectations. The allies that had been scheduled to help now wanted to remain neutral, so they naturally wouldn't allow it.

Although the Black Star Army's territory was a reward for merit, giving it away also had a purpose. If it didn't achieve the effect the Empire wanted, they naturally wouldn't just give up.

"I thought we had already reached a consensus on this issue, but it seems you have some misunderstandings about my position," Han Xiao said, narrowing his eyes.

"Don't misunderstand. We understand what you mean, but this doesn't exceed the scope of our agreement," Badr said in a deep voice.

The three great civilizations had been building momentum for Black Star in order to seek a spokesperson for them in the Association, using Han Xiao as a link to influence the Development Alliance. This was the time when the spokesperson came in handy—the Star Cluster also had Super-A Grades, so the three great civilizations would not easily allow their allies to strike.

"If I do this, I will deviate from the united front and lose big for small," Han Xiao said, waving his hand.

"Don't worry, we've considered this and have already chosen a point of entry for you…" The head of the Virtual Church leaned forward. "Since you've publicly stated that you have personal grudges with the Modo Civilization, you can use this as a reason to work on it a little bit. You can use a reasonable excuse to get more Super-A Grades involved in the disturbance without damaging your reputation in the Association."

"You say it won't damage it and it won't damage it? No deal." Han Xiao waved his hand.

"Then let's take a step back. We won't force you to participate in the entire event, but if the Super-A Grades of the Star Cluster Alliance take action, I hope the Development Alliance will respond—since you've shouted the slogan of mediating all Super-A Grade conflicts, you should carry it out to the end. This is exactly within the scope of your duties, and it's justified."

Han Xiao immediately understood the plans of the three great civilizations, snorted in his heart, but made a difficult expression on his face and explained, "But in this case, the Super-A Grades who are willing to stand up for the Star Cluster must be their direct descendants, and you also have your own direct descendants. Isn't it just right for the direct descendants to fight the direct descendants? It's a bit inappropriate to ask the Association to take action, which seems to be a bias."

Badr raised his voice and said with dissatisfaction, "According to what you said, what do we need you allies for?"

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow and said in an unrelenting tone, "If you have the ability, cancel all the Super-A Grade alliances."

Badr immediately had nothing to say.

You're awesome, I'll shut up.