Chapter 161 Palace

Tyron Hamill Palace's internal reception facilities were individual villas.

Han Xiao and his group followed the reception staff into one of these villas, which would be their temporary residence.

After settling in, Han Xiao locked himself in his room, pondering the events of the next day.

"Tomorrow, I'll be meeting with the leader of the Empire and those Super-As. What will the Empire's leader want to talk about... Well, besides a welcoming formality, they might propose that I use the Evolution Cube on a large scale here, and invite me to participate in certain activities, pushing me to the forefront, making my debut in the Central Star Sea, and announcing that the Empire has a new trump card..."

"As for those Super-As, it'll be about accepting me into their circle. We're all allies, with the same stance, supporting each other..."

He knew the list of the Empire's Super-A members, and he also knew the personalities and preferences of some of them, but he didn't yet know who the seven who would be present were.

"The Super-A combat power of a Universe-level civilization often consists of veterans who have survived for many years, possessing a large number of specializations and skills, with profound energy and formidable strength..." Han Xiao mused to himself.

He felt that his meeting with the Super-As tomorrow would probably not be so easy; it wouldn't be a simple meeting and exchange.

Super-As were individuals who had mastered great power, and strength was the foundation upon which they stood. A newcomer squeezing into their circle would probably have someone wanting to test his mettle. Even if the weak were accepted into the circle, they would still be marginalized. Only the strong could have more say.

The Empire's Super-A allies were also led by the three strongest. He didn't know how many would be coming this time.

"Although my combat power isn't bad, I've only just barely crossed the threshold of Super-A, and some of my attributes are still not high enough. I've already practiced half of the Heber Star Furnace Forging Technique, which has given me nearly 10,000 points of energy... I've improved a lot on the mechanical side though..."

During this time, in addition to dealing with the affairs of the legion, Han Xiao had also devoted a lot of his free time to building machinery, stocking up on a lot of goods.

He already possessed all the cutting-edge knowledge. Through these technologies, Han Xiao integrated many new mechanical blueprints. In addition to adding to the Mechanical Legion's organization, he also created some advanced machinery with various functions, steadily increasing his strength in the way of a Mechanic.

Han Xiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"Since I know some information about these Super-As... maybe I can strike first tomorrow?"

...

After a night's sleep, an imperial envoy came to the door early the next morning.

Hela opened the door and saw the envoy standing outside, looking respectful.

"Hello, His Excellency Black Star is invited to meet with the Head of State."

"Let's go." Han Xiao walked out of the room and nodded.

Hela and the others wanted to follow, but Han Xiao waved his hand, asking the adjutant to stay behind. Seeing this, the envoy, who wanted to dissuade him, swallowed back his words.

The airspace above Tyron Hamill Palace was a no-fly zone. The two boarded a land-based hovercraft that was already waiting at the door and drove all the way to the city center.

The city center was the office area of the highest level of the Empire, a magnificent and huge palace, which was also the main structure of Tyron Hamill Palace.

The closer they got to the center, the tighter the security became. There were sentries every five steps and guards every ten steps. Various mechanical detection instruments covered the area, and teams of elite Imperial espers were constantly patrolling. With just a quick glance, Han Xiao noticed the auras of no less than ten Calamity Grade espers, and this was only in one direction. This gave him a glimpse of the terrifying defense forces of the Imperial capital.

A Universe-level civilization not only controlled the Central Star Sea, but also had some control over other Star Fields. The talent resources were abundant and the base was huge. Moreover, there were various advanced esper academies within it to cultivate talent. The proportion of Calamity Grades was the highest in the Star Sea. With these two factors, the civilization had many powerful beings under its command.

The vehicle stopped outside the palace, and Han Xiao followed the envoy inside, passing through layers of checkpoints and riding an internal hover elevator all the way to the top floor. This floor was the office area of the Empire's leader.

After passing through the sentry post and the secretary's area, the envoy opened a door and made a "please" gesture.

Han Xiao nodded to him and strode in, taking in the layout of the room.

This was a spacious office. The room structure was rectangular, and the walls were reddish-brown, with floor-to-ceiling windows on each side.

The floor was covered with a red carpet, and green potted plants were placed in the corners, seemingly carefully maintained, emitting a soothing fragrance. Two rows of bookshelves filled with books were close to the walls. On the other side, there was a small white stone round table and a red sofa for guests. The center of the room was empty, with a huge chandelier above it. A little further back was a desk, with a figure sitting behind it, and a second person standing beside him with his hands behind his back.

Han Xiao recognized the sitting Empire's leader at a glance.

With her white hair tied up in a bun and a pair of solemn eyes, her imposing temperament made people ignore whether her appearance was beautiful or not.

Ulan Rier Xin Rebette, Head of the Red Empire!

That's right, this generation of the Empire's leader was a woman!

The Red Empire prided itself on iron and blood and respected the strong, regardless of gender.

The succession of the Empire's leader was a cultivation system that had nothing to do with blood ties. During the term of the previous leader, the selection of candidates for the next generation of leaders would begin, and there was more than one candidate. They were absolute elites selected through consultations between senior officials and various factions.

Bang.

The envoy closed the door from the outside.

"Black Star, I am Ulan Rier, Head of the Red Empire, please sit down." Ulan Rier stood up, her tone steady, and greeted him, extending her palm.

The man behind her followed closely, his sharp eyes fixed on Han Xiao, as if no movement could escape his eyes.

"Hello." Han Xiao shook her hand, and the two sat facing each other on the guest sofa, while the man behind Ulan Rier remained standing behind her.

"This is Klotti, captain of the Empire's Head of State's personal guard." Ulan Rier briefly introduced the man behind her.

Klotti was expressionless and nodded in greeting.

Han Xiao's face remained calm, but his mind was very active.

In his previous life, the leaders of the Universe-level civilizations had changed many times during the version iterations. Ulan Rier was the Head of the Red Empire during one of those stages. During her term, the achievement that players were most familiar with was the struggle and development of the Shattered Star Ring, opening up new territory and acquiring a new Star Field for the Empire.

In his previous life, players knew very little about this Empire's Head of State, because in her version, the players' active stage was mainly the Shattered Star Ring and their respective Star Fields, and they had not had much contact with the higher levels of the Universe-level civilizations. To them, the leaders of the Universe-level civilizations were just a few lines in the background introduction.

But now, Ulan Rier was appearing alive in front of him. This woman was one of the three people with the greatest power in the universe. She could even be said to rule the universe, and the meaning she symbolized had completely overshadowed her own beauty, ugliness, and gender.

Klotti behind her was her bodyguard, a veteran Super-A trained by the Empire, an Esper of the ability system. His ability was to manipulate dark energy and dark matter, and his nicknames were "Dark Emperor," "Dark Matter Dominator," "Light Without Shine," and "Celestial Body Twister."

This person was one of the three strongest in the Empire's Super-A group!

"First of all, on behalf of the Red Empire, I welcome you to join us." Ulan Rier went straight to the point, staring into Han Xiao's eyes.

"It's my honor." Han Xiao said politely.

Ulan Rier said slowly, "Regarding the initial exploration of the Shattered Star Ring, the Empire needs your and Heber's strength. According to our cooperation agreement, in addition to the Empire's resource support, after the matter is completed, you will be able to obtain a managed area in the Shattered Star Ring, with independent development rights..."

Han Xiao nodded, "I understand that."

"You are an ally of the Empire. As long as you contribute to the Empire, the Empire will not be stingy with resources. The more responsibilities you are willing to take on, the more resources the Empire will give. At certain times, the Empire may issue summons, dispatching Super-A combat power, including you, to perform certain tasks. Of course, if you encounter any difficulties, you can apply for the support of the Empire's Super-A combat power. Remember, you are the Empire's pillar of support, and at the same time, the Empire is your backing."

Ulan Rier's tone was serious.

Hearing this, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, feeling quite satisfied. Obligations and rights were intertwined. He had joined the Red Empire and become their super combat power, and he also had a strong backing. The many Super-A allies were not only the Empire's resources, but he was also qualified to borrow them. It was like shooting an arrow through the clouds, and thousands of troops would come to meet him.

"As for the Evolution Cube in your hand, you can rest assured that we welcome you to hand it over voluntarily, but even if you don't want to, the Empire will not snatch your treasure. However, I have a request. The Empire does not object to you using the Evolution Cube to contact other forces, but the Empire has an unlimited number of modification slots and can send people to the Black Star Army for modification at any time."

"Of course, that's no problem." Han Xiao nodded. He restricted the number of slots for other civilizations, so naturally he would not set limits for the Red Empire, his greatest ally.

Moreover, the Red Empire had too large a population and would not make excessive demands such as the evolution of the entire race. Even if they themselves possessed the Evolution Cube, they would not do so.

"Now that you have come to the Empire's Mother Planet, you might as well stay here for a few days and modify the troops of our Mother Planet along the way." Ulan Rier said.

As expected, this is one of the important reasons why you called me over... Han Xiao's heart stirred.

Compared to selecting elites to go to the Shattered Star Ring for modification, it was obviously more convenient to call him to the Red Empire.

Moreover, the Mother Planet's troops could not be moved around at will. They were all the Head of State's confidants, so having him come over to modify them was the best way. There was no need to consult with the various factions about the number of slots.