Chapter 1 The Super Star Cluster's Request

Upon hearing this, the super star cluster leaders present all had a glint in their eyes.

They had been somewhat apprehensive about making this request, worried that Black Star would flatly refuse. After all, the three great civilizations must have made similar requests, and the current sanctions against the Association indicated that Black Star had not agreed to their demands, likely motivated by a reluctance to fund his enemies.

Frankly, if they were in Black Star's position, they would also tightly control the Sanctuary Revival slots, unwilling to easily revive the direct descendants of other factions. Therefore, they weren't confident that Black Star would agree.

Now that they heard Han Xiao's response, everyone breathed a sigh of relief… It didn't matter if he thought the bargaining chips were too small; the important thing was that there was room for negotiation!

"These things can be discussed. What are your conditions?" the leader of the Star Arc Civilization asked.

Han Xiao stroked his chin and said slowly, "A Super-A grade can only receive Sanctuary Revival once in their lifetime. This is a one-time deal, so each slot is extremely valuable. You all agree with this, right?"

The others nodded in agreement.

Han Xiao smiled inwardly and said casually,

"So, don't expect me to revive all your direct descendants at once. I will do it in batches, each batch with a fixed number of slots. As for who specifically gets revived, it depends on which civilization offers me the most attractive bargaining chips. First come, first served… Of course, my needs will be different at each stage. Perhaps, the further we go, the less things will be able to move me, so you'll have to pay more."

The expressions of many leaders immediately stiffened.

This was a blatant attempt to make exorbitant demands.

Although they were allies, each civilization wanted to revive its own direct descendants. Black Star's actions undoubtedly aimed to make them bid against each other. This was a simple, open strategy. Either they didn't offer a price to revive their own direct descendants, or they willingly took the hit. A monopolized business had the confidence to do this.

However, the super star cluster leaders present were mentally prepared for this, so they weren't surprised, but they couldn't help but feel a sting of pain.

"Then what specifically do you want?"

Han Xiao casually counted on his fingers and smiled,

"Advanced blueprints, unique technologies, cosmic treasures, rare resources… nothing more than these. As for the standards, you can figure them out yourselves. After all, I don't know what good things you have. I don't care how you negotiate among yourselves, but don't think about playing tricks. This isn't about absolute highest bidder wins; you have to satisfy me.

"Of course, I also welcome anyone who wants to do backroom deals and make private offers. I still have some principles and won't easily reveal your respective bids… In short, it depends on how much you're willing to pay."

Upon hearing this, the Star Arc Civilization leader exchanged glances with the others, then took a deep breath and nodded on behalf of everyone.

"... Okay, we accept this condition."

"Then I am very happy to reach a consensus with everyone and look forward to working with you in the future. I hope to see your substantial support for the Association as soon as possible."

Han Xiao said a few polite words with a smile, confirmed that everything was discussed, and then cancelled the remote projection and disappeared from the room.

Seeing Black Star leave, the super star cluster leaders present relaxed their tense bodies, feeling quite helpless.

"Black Star has a big appetite."

"Hmph, he's driving up the price."

"What else can we do? Sanctuary Revival is the only option. Let's discuss what bargaining chips we should offer."

The crowd had mixed feelings. Currently, they could only follow the other party's rules. They didn't dare to play tricks—they had finally opened this channel. If they messed things up just to reduce costs, and accidentally offended Black Star, causing the opportunity for Sanctuary Revival to slip away, it would be penny-wise and pound-foolish.

Cosmic treasures, unique technology blueprints… Although they would feel the pinch, they could still afford to offer these things.

They planned to discuss among themselves who would be revived first and who would be revived later, arranging them in order, unwilling to blindly bid against each other and harm their harmony.

...

At the same time, Han Xiao ended the communication, his gaze returning to his office, his eyes flashing.

"Heh, I wonder how many good things I can get this time. Although the Super Star Cluster Alliance is a bit of a pain, they have quite a few treasures in their inventory."

Han Xiao took a piece of hard candy from the snack jar on the table and casually flicked it into his mouth. His mouth and heart were equally sweet.

From the beginning, he had thought that trading with these forces who needed to revive others was the correct way to maximize the benefits of Sanctuary Revival. Previously, in order to maintain mystery and stabilize the situation, he had not engaged in this business. But now that the situation had changed, he planned to adapt to the changes and adjust his strategy.

Sanctuary Revival was a rare commodity, and Han Xiao wasn't worried that the super star clusters wouldn't agree. For him, this was actually a way to get something for nothing, continuing to pretend that Sanctuary Revival was a one-time opportunity, inflating prices, and tricking the super star clusters into taking out some gold-grade blueprints and cosmic treasures in exchange for "one-time" precious slots.

As for how to revive them and when to revive them, he had the final say. A simple "the time is not right" could easily shut down the super star clusters' dissatisfaction. These leeks had no choice but to wait.

However, Han Xiao wasn't entirely trying to rip them off. Reviving a small number of the super star cluster's direct descendants was actually not a bad idea.

This move could allow the Super Star Cluster Alliance to taste the sweetness, deepen their trade cooperation, and also make the three great civilizations angry, causing the two sides to fight each other. As long as the number of revivals wasn't too large, the situation would still be under the control of the Association and the Holy Covenant.

After all, the super star clusters were different from the three great civilizations. If the three great civilizations had too many experts, they would definitely think about monopolizing the situation. On the other hand, if the super star clusters had more high-end combat power, they wouldn't be able to implement a cleansing plan. Instead, they could put pressure on the three great civilizations, restrain them, and indirectly benefit the Association's cause.

Therefore, Han Xiao would only do this deal with the super star clusters and would not agree to the three great civilizations' demands. Otherwise, it would be funding his enemies and would also make the three great civilizations think that the sanctions were very effective, believing that they had successfully forced the Association to admit defeat.

However, if the World Tree War broke out, that would be another matter. If the situation was not good, Han Xiao wouldn't mind reviving a large number of combat forces to deal with the World Tree Civilization's invasion. The main thing was to act according to the circumstances and flexibly adjust his strategy.

Just as he was thinking, Philip popped up from the table, holding a virtual screen that was several times larger than his body in both hands, and said in a childish voice:

"Master, master, many civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring have sent communication requests. Do you want to answer them, buzz~"

Han Xiao came back to his senses, glanced at the caller ID on the screen, and curled his lips.

"Heh, these guys are just afraid of offending the three great civilizations on one hand and not wanting to offend me on the other, so they're running over to apologize and explain to me… Let's see what kind of sweet talk they can come up with."

Han Xiao glanced at it and chose the Purple Crystal Civilization, which had been cooperating for many years, and answered the other party's call.

The diplomatic representative of the Purple Crystal Civilization appeared on the screen, bowing respectfully and saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency Black Star…"

Han Xiao waved his hand, interrupting the other party's words, and said, "Get straight to the point. I'm a little busy recently."

"Okay, okay, I'm here on behalf of the Purple Crystal Civilization to apologize to you…" The Purple Crystal Civilization representative glanced at Han Xiao's calm expression and said cautiously, "Regarding the sanctions imposed by the three great civilizations, the Shattered Star Ring Civilization Council has already passed the bill. We had no choice but to cooperate. All along, the Purple Crystal Civilization has enjoyed a pleasant cooperation with you, but now the situation is a bit grim. We hope you can understand us…"

"So you want to end all cooperative relationships with me?" Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.

"Cough, cough, please believe that this is only temporary. You also know us. If possible, we hope to continue cooperating with the Black Star Army, but now the attitude of the three great civilizations is very tough. We're just avoiding the limelight. When the problem is solved, we will immediately restore the cooperation agreement and give you some compensation… As for the sanction clauses, you don't have to worry too much. We will implement them flexibly so as not to embarrass you…"

The Purple Crystal Civilization representative spoke earnestly, emphasizing their helplessness in every sentence.

Han Xiao was not convinced in his heart, but he did not refute. He expressed his understanding and comforted the other party instead.

Then, he answered the calls from the other civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring one by one. Basically, they all had the same attitude. They all came specifically to apologize, saying that they had to cooperate with the sanctions and hoped to get his understanding.

After hanging up the last call, Han Xiao curled his lips.

"Hmph, a bunch of weathervanes."

When they wanted benefits, they sought cooperation with the army. Now that they were under pressure, they kicked the army aside and even targeted it. They were typical fair-weather friends.

Of course, these civilizations had to take care of themselves and had no reason to support the Association. Han Xiao certainly understood, but he would not forgive them. There was no reason for him to forgive them just because they were in trouble.

These civilizations simply believed that the three great civilizations' rule over the interstellar society was still stable. They would rather offend the Black Star Army slightly than be put on the three great civilizations' little black book. For civilizations, it was easy to make a choice between the Black Star Army and the three great civilizations.

Therefore, Han Xiao was too lazy to force these civilizations to take sides. Otherwise, it would only lead to a falling out. It was better to maintain the current state of affairs, making the other party feel that they owed him something. Although it might not be of much use, it was better than a falling out.

He chewed the candy in his mouth and chuckled.

"When the sanction problem of the three great civilizations is solved, I will make you pay a heavy price… Heh, these civilizations still think that the interstellar society will continue to be stable under the rule of the three great civilizations. When foreign enemies invade, they will know how vulnerable this peace is. Let's see if the three great civilizations you trust will have the extra energy to protect you then."

After complaining for a few sentences, Han Xiao put away his emotions, summoned the officer, and asked him to handle the handover procedures for these civilization cooperation projects.

Then, he opened the star map with the distribution of forces and pondered with his chin in his hand.

"Expanding and controlling the interstellar black markets in various places is the next key point for the Association. The three great civilizations will definitely not sit idly by. If things go wrong, there will be another secret war. The mortality rate will definitely not be low, so players are most suitable for handling the black markets. Their strength is already good, and they are not afraid of death, so they are sufficient to shoulder this mission."

As he said this, Han Xiao wrote down this idea on the star map memo and decided to issue this order in a few days, sending the players collectively to perform the task.

"Also, in terms of high-end combat power, I have to put pressure on the three great civilizations. I promised the three great civilizations before that I would not revive historical Super-A grades casually. Now that they are doing this, I definitely have to return the favor. It's a pity that the Sanctuary Key hasn't been fully collected yet, and there aren't many mediums, so I can't revive a new batch…"

Han Xiao's thoughts raced, his eyes flashing.

"The Holy Covenant can be put to use. There are still many people hidden in the organization. I might as well pull some more Super-A grades into the organization and pretend that they are newly revived… It's convenient to have trump cards. I wonder what the three great civilizations will do."

...

On the other side, in the joint conference room of the three great civilizations, the three leaders gathered together, secretly discussing.

"The Association has frozen the membership privileges of our direct descendant Super-A grades, and has also publicly announced that it will not accept any help from the three great civilizations. Heh, these are all expected methods, but they are meaningless."

The leader of the EsGod calmly said.

Louis nodded. "The Association's next move is estimated to be the integration of the black market. This is their main resource channel in the future. We have already laid out plans in advance and will not let the Association succeed so easily."

Mablus said in a deep voice, "These are not the key points. The core issue is to test whether Black Star can freely perform Sanctuary Revival."

"Yes, with Black Star's personality, he will definitely take counter-measures, such as contacting the Super Star Cluster Alliance and reaching a cooperation. The Super Star Cluster will probably propose reviving their direct descendants as a bargaining chip. It is hard to say whether he will agree… But even if no transaction is reached, Black Star should try to revive other historical Super-A grades to put pressure on us. Now it depends on whether he can do it."

"If he can't do it…" The leader of the EsGod's eyes flashed, "Then everything he is doing now is undoubtedly stalling for time!"

The three leaders promoted the sanctions not only to curb the Association's expansion momentum, but also for a hidden purpose: to test Han Xiao's control over Sanctuary Revival.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment idea, but a new discovery by the joint Sanctuary Revival Research Institute of the three parties. Although research progress was still limited, it had technically confirmed one point: the Sanctuary was very difficult to open and seemed to require some unknown medium. Therefore, Sanctuary Revival was not something that could be done casually and was subject to great restrictions.

Therefore, the three had a new idea about Han Xiao's behavior: could it be that Black Star was also unable to use Sanctuary Revival temporarily and was just scaring them, letting them overthink and be afraid, in order to deliberately stabilize the situation?!

Based on this idea, after repeated secret discussions, the three leaders launched the current sanctions. If it was confirmed that Black Star could not revive people at will, then now might be the best time to implement the cleansing plan, and the opportunity might be fleeting. If they hesitated, Sanctuary Revival might become a reality.

But even if Black Star revived a new person, it might not be an opportunity, as it would be equivalent to forcing Black Star to consume a medium, and Sanctuary Revival would likely enter a cooldown period.

Of course, it could not be ruled out that Black Star saw through their intentions and deliberately held back, which was the risk.

This was undoubtedly an extremely risky behavior that would come at a great cost and was not in line with the three great civilizations' need to maintain order. Therefore, the three had not yet made a final decision and were just trying to test the waters beforehand.

At this time, the leader of the EsGod looked at Louis and asked:

"By the way, how is your action against Manison being prepared?"

Louis nodded steadily. "It's almost deployed. Thank you for your help. I will return what I promised to the EsGod soon."

"Not bad." The leader of the EsGod responded lightly.

When the Federation of Light came to him for help, he proposed exchanging it for the All-Knowing Staff.

Because he had been unable to crack the Time Amber for many years, coupled with other considerations, the Federation of Light finally agreed to the EsGod's request, choosing to return the All-Knowing Staff sealed inside.

At the same time, the Federation of Light also had a hope. After all, the EsGod Civilization was the place of origin of the All-Knowing Staff. If the EsGod could be lucky enough to unseal or copy the All-Knowing Staff, then this thing could be of great use in the Super-A grade cleansing operation that might happen in the future.