Chapter 1 The Eruption

After the time and location of the battle between Black Star and Overlord were announced to the outside world, it ignited a craze in the Shattered Star Ring.

In an instant, hundreds of millions of spaceships from various star clusters and galaxies rushed to the border of the West Wind Star System in the Colton Star Cluster, the location of the battle. Countless people flocked to the scene, eager to witness this rare event in the star field!

Whether they were free interstellar citizens or major forces or civilizations, no one wanted to miss this rare interstellar event, so they rushed to the scene to witness everything.

As one of the parties involved, the War Domain deployed a massive fleet in the barren space zone on the border of the West Wind Star System, defining the battlefield. The Purple Crystal staunchly supported Han Xiao, acting as his backing, and mobilized the Zero Authority's troops to be stationed at the location of the battle, confronting the War Domain.

The Black Star Army was not idle either. Under the orders of the various cadres, countless fleets escorted armed satellite fortresses from different star systems to the battlefield to support the legion commander.

The War Domain and the Zero Authority lined up in confrontation, and the area separating them was the designated battlefield, which was very vast.

Around the battlefield, countless spaceships driven by interstellar citizens who came to join in the fun were neatly suspended in all directions, up, down, left, and right. All kinds of ships were densely packed, forming an ocean. Despite the vastness of the universe, the sea of spaceships was still boundless.

Looking from afar, it was like a nebula composed of the lights of spaceships.

Extremely spectacular!

Moreover, more people were driving spaceships to the scene every day, finding a place for themselves as an audience, and the number of spectators on the scene was increasing all the time.

Hundreds of thousands of interstellar news media from various star systems moved at the news and waited early at the location of the battle, debugging broadcast equipment.

The date of the battle was still early, and none of the Super-A Grades had arrived yet, but countless people were already waiting here in advance, presenting a scene of teeming humanity!

This was not only a conflict between Super-A Grades, but also a super event in the Shattered Star Ring.

Super-A Grades had a transcendent status. In the hearts of interstellar citizens, Super-A Grades were like the biggest stars in a star field. Almost everyone knew them, and everyone wanted to see their power with their own eyes.

The twenty-day reservation period made the event's attention even greater, and almost six or seven out of ten Shattered Star Ring citizens talked about this topic in private.

As the date of the battle approached day by day, the interstellar citizens were enthusiastic and became more and more impatient.

...

The interstellar gambling industry would not let go of such a good business opportunity, and various gambling companies controlled by consortia began to act.

The betting games on both Overlord and Black Star were quickly opened, and for a time, countless people actively participated, and a huge flow of funds poured into the games.

The odds given by countless betting companies were different, but overall, Heber's odds were lower than Han Xiao's, proving that most people were more optimistic about Overlord.

Although they were both Super-A Grades, Han Xiao was, after all, a newcomer with only one battle record against a Super-A Grade, which was to retreat unscathed from Sisko. Overlord was different. As a veteran powerhouse, he had many achievements.

As a Super-A Grade who had only been born for a month, Han Xiao's position in the hearts of the people of the Shattered Star Ring was naturally not as deeply rooted as Overlord's.

Most mercenaries were gambling addicts. Although it was the boss's battle, the warriors of the Black Star Army couldn't help but bet, and even the cadres were no exception.

Melos bought the most, all of which was placed on Han Xiao. Most of the cadres bet on their own legion commander like him. It didn't matter how much money they had, what mattered was expressing their loyalty and trust.

There were only a few exceptions.

"You bought Overlord?!" Sylvia's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at Reynold.

Reynold said seriously, "According to probability and statistics, after my calculations, Overlord's winning rate is thirteen percentage points higher than that of His Excellency Black Star."

Sylvia helplessly supported her forehead, "Don't you have any trust in Teacher?"

"I only believe in science." Reynold looked serious.

Lothairen, who was on the side, leaned on the sofa, sitting gracefully, wearing a gorgeous priest robe with a black background and gold trim, embroidered with the pattern of the Black Star Army. Her temperament was elegant and noble. She drank wine while listening to the two chatting with interest.

Lothairen was now the Black Star Army's Great Educator, mainly responsible for the spiritual civilization construction of the legion members, responsible for popularizing the legion culture, increasing employees' sense of belonging, doing the work of a political commissar (fertilizing), and had been in this position for several years with strong fertilizer power.

At this time, Lothairen smiled lightly and interjected, "As far as I know, our vice-leader also bought Overlord, and he bought a lot."

"Laggy!!" Sylvia was furious, stormed out, and went to Laggy to settle the score.

She was the chief executive officer with real power. Although Laggy was the vice-leader, he basically didn't care about anything. Sylvia had the confidence to confront Laggy - as the vice-leader of the legion, he actually bought the enemy to win, which was too outrageous!

Hearing this, Reynold's face changed slightly.

"Oops, Laggy also bought Overlord, the legion commander's winning rate will probably increase by at least ten percentage points because of this!"

Lothairen smiled playfully, "Yo, don't you believe in science?"

"Magic is also part of science..."

Reynold was helpless.

However, betting was just betting, and he still hoped that Black Star could win in his heart.

...

Due to the battle between Black Star and Overlord, the Secret War fell into a standstill, causing the participating players to have no battles to fight.

Even the main quest was suspended because of this. For the players in the Shattered Star Ring, this was the most influential legendary event in the past three versions.

Black Star was already a recognized faction leader in the minds of many legion players. Now that he had advanced to Super-A Grade, his position in the hearts of the players had risen to a higher level.

Although Han Xiao did not release faction missions, two or three million legion players scattered all over the place shared the same hatred and were unwilling to be lonely. They followed the legion fleet and went to the location of the battle together to watch and cheer for the legion commander.

This was not the first time that the Black Star Army players had experienced a collective large-scale faction event, but this was the only one that was spontaneously organized, and it was the faction action with the largest number of participating players in history!

Countless posts on the forum were analyzing the causes and consequences of this event. One saying was most widely recognized by players, who believed that this battle was a turning point in the fate of the Black Star Army.

Now the Black Star Army was the main camp in the hearts of the Shattered Star Ring players. Since version 2.0, it had been acting as a guiding camp, and its power had continued to expand. The resources and benefits that players enjoyed had also increased with the version, almost satisfying all needs such as upgrades, quests, skills, knowledge, equipment, and so on.

One camp could be worth countless camps for players in other star fields, saving the Shattered Star Ring players the time to grind reputation with different camps. Therefore, the Black Star Army was once considered to be an exclusive treatment for starting out in the Shattered Star Ring.

Therefore, there had always been people analyzing the future prospects of the Black Star Army. Based on the experience of players in other star fields, some people were worried that the Black Star Army would not always exist. Perhaps after a certain version update, the Black Star Army would suffer an unprecedented blow, and the benefits they were currently enjoying and the events they had experienced would become an irretrievable past. The legion members would part ways and join different camps like players in other star fields.

Could they really stay in the Black Star Army forever? No one knew.

This kind of conjecture had actually always existed, but it was rarely mentioned. Every thing that was once at its peak would be pessimistically viewed by some people, but most players were not interested in worrying about it. Only plot-oriented veteran players liked to ponder this kind of prediction... The Summer Night Flower was an example.

In the forum's heated discussions, this battle was regarded as an important reference factor for predicting the future. In the players' view, if the legion commander won, the Black Star Army would likely soar into the sky, and the camp would grow again and become a higher-level force, continuing to appear in the next version.

But if the result of this battle was not satisfactory, the players' feelings for the legion would also undergo subtle changes.

The topic on the forum affected Dumpling, and the Black Star series of videos was his most popular work. Among all the players, he was the one who hoped that the Black Star Army would develop smoothly.

"This time, I must collect enough material to make a high-quality video." Dumpling secretly made up his mind.

...

Hyla Federation mother planet, Black Star City, Government Building.

Bennet put down the interstellar communicator in his hand, his face unable to hide his worries.

The intelligence about the battle between Black Star and Overlord was constantly being forwarded in the various quantum network channels of the Shattered Star Ring. Now the Hyla civilization had been connected to the interstellar world, and everyone could browse the interstellar network. What happened in the universe was no longer a secret to the people of Hyla.

"This is probably the strongest opponent you've ever encountered..." Bennet murmured with emotion.

"Dad, what are you talking about?" Niro, who was burying his head in copying his homework, looked up and asked curiously.

Bennet beckoned, and Niro obediently came to his father and sat on his lap.

"Your godfather is now involved in a dangerous situation. A powerful opponent has challenged him, and he has chosen to accept the challenge..." Bennet briefly summarized it. Now that Niro was still a child, he omitted many things and only let Niro know that Han Xiao was currently in danger.

Niro was Han Xiao's adopted son, and Bennet was determined to stay on Hyla and prepare to entrust the child to Han Xiao.

"What should we do then?" Niro scratched his head. "Dad, will you help godfather?"

Bennet smiled helplessly, "Your godfather doesn't need my help. You'll understand some things when you grow up."

The difference between the two levels was too far, and he didn't even intend to contact Han Xiao, not wanting to disturb him.

Bennet hugged Niro and looked up at the sky outside the window. He knew that Han Xiao was somewhere in the depths of the starry sky, silently praying for Han Xiao.

"Old friend..."

...

The huge fleet that departed from the Black Star Army headquarters merged with Longtan in the middle of the journey, and the two sides traveled together to the West Wind border.

Before long, Sui took the initiative to contact Han Xiao and brought the Crimson Dynasty's reply.

"The dynasty attaches great importance to your proposal. We agree to your request. On behalf of the dynasty, I welcome you to join."

Sui finished speaking this good news in a formal tone, and then laughed, adding, "We are now our own people."

It's settled. Super-A Grades really have face... Han Xiao clenched his fists secretly, feeling excited.

"I hope we can cooperate happily in the future."

"Don't worry, the dynasty is very experienced in this area and has always treated Super-A Grade allies with sincerity. You can rest assured," Sui said with a smile.

The three great cosmos-civilizations competed with each other, and each Super-A Grade ally was an important strategic deterrent piece, so there would be no situation where a big store bullied customers.

Once an alliance was confirmed, the cosmos-civilization would use high-quality treatment to retain its allies.

Sui: "Now the Crimson Dynasty is dealing with the follow-up affairs of the Flickering World, which will pass through the Shattered Star Ring. Maybe you won't have to wait too long, and the resources supported by the dynasty will be in your hands... But you have to wait until your battle with Overlord is over before we can officially start cooperation. After a while, the dynasty's official alliance contract will be sent to me, and you just need to sign it then."

Although the contract had little binding force on Super-A Grades, this was an official written acknowledgement, which was equivalent to having a name and had political significance.

Han Xiao nodded upon hearing this.

Joining the Crimson Dynasty was a stepping stone to a higher level, and the benefits would gradually be reflected. Now he had to deal with Overlord, and only after dealing with the menacing powerful enemy would he have time to deal with the development of the Black Star Army.

"Also, the dynasty has a request for you. They hope you can take the time to go to the Central Star Sea. The dynasty's high-level officials want to meet you and introduce you to other Super-A Grade allies of the dynasty."

Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat. This meant that he would appear in the Central Star Sea as an ally of the Crimson Dynasty, which was equivalent to the Crimson Dynasty showing off a new bargaining chip to its two neighbors.

He didn't have any thoughts on this. Since he wanted to enjoy the support of the Crimson Dynasty, he naturally had to bear the corresponding obligations.

Although this meant that he would be labeled as the Crimson Dynasty by many forces and would be targeted by the dynasty's enemies, he mainly operated in the Shattered Star Ring, and sensible forces would not specifically come to make trouble for him.

"No problem." Han Xiao shrugged his eyebrows.

"Well, there's one more thing. My intelligence channels have discovered that the Arcane Church's garrison in the Shattered Star Ring is showing signs of unusual movement, and it seems that they are heading to the location of the battle, possibly to support Sisko," Sui said slowly. "So I have mobilized the Crimson Dynasty's garrison, which will also arrive on the battlefield at that time. This is the condition we agreed upon earlier, to help you resist external resistance."

"You're going to watch the battle too?" Han Xiao stroked his chin. "Is that okay? Won't others suspect your intentions?"

"Of course not." Sui spread his hands. "After all, Overlord is also our ally."

Han Xiao almost laughed out loud when he heard this.

That's right, the Crimson Dynasty could use Overlord as an excuse to say that they were sending troops to support Overlord, and no one would suspect their intentions. No one would have guessed that they were actually here to help him.

The Crimson Dynasty would not interfere in the battle between Han Xiao and Overlord. This was considered an internal conflict—although Overlord himself was still in the dark.

But Sisko was not one of his own and belonged to an external threat, which was also an unstable factor in this battle.

The Arcane Church's goal in sending troops was obviously the Evolutionary Cube, and the Crimson Dynasty could not allow the Evolutionary Cube to be snatched back.

"There's one last thing." Sui tapped on the table. "Your application for advanced knowledge has been approved, and I'll transfer the information to you later."

Han Xiao's eyes lit up.

Compared to those resources that he had not yet received, this was a real benefit.

There were a total of nine types of mechanical system advanced knowledge, and he had already learned the four types possessed by the Purple Crystal, leaving five types that he had not yet mastered. He had specifically listed them and handed them over to Sui. He didn't know how many advanced knowledge the Crimson Dynasty would give him.

"Let me ask, how many advanced knowledge did the dynasty decide to give me?"

"How many? Do you have some misunderstanding about the cosmos-civilization?"

Sui shook his head and smiled.

"We're giving you all of them."