Chapter 196 Seed

War Realm headquarters, Heber Star.

Intelligence from the front lines was relayed to the command center. Jod saw Heber and reported on Black Star’s performance, which he felt was necessary.

Heber sat on the massive throne in his palace, his gigantic, burly frame like a small mountain, his back ramrod straight. After hearing Jod's report, he didn't get angry but instead revealed a look of interest, opening his mouth slowly, his voice like muffled thunder.

"I knew I hadn’t misjudged him. It's a waste of talent for Black Star to stay with Ames; he should be my subordinate."

Heber shook his head. He had always been optimistic about Han Xiao’s abilities, but Han Xiao had already rejected him twice, and he wouldn’t make an exception to invite him a third time.

"The Klent are not very happy. They believe that Black Star is an unstable x factor and should be eliminated as soon as possible," said Jod.

"It's not their place to teach me how to wage war," Heber said calmly. "What do my Eight Vanguard Officers think?"

"Uh, Frosyth said he has disgraced the War Realm’s reputation and is deeply ashamed. He wants to wash away today's humiliation with one hundred victories."

Jod carefully chose his words. In reality, Frosyth's emotions weren’t this stable; he was traumatized by the beating.

Upon hearing this, Heber slowly said, "The War Realm’s status will not be lowered because of one battle. He is the victor, so don't act like a loser. In the Shattered Star Ring, there are dozens of Calamity Grades with Super Grade A potential, yet after all these years, there are still only four Super Grade As…"

After a pause, Heber's tone became stern, and his overbearing aura swept out. Jod felt as if someone had grabbed his neck, and his breathing immediately stopped.

"Potential is just potential. With me here, there is no need to be wary of anyone."

Jod’s spirit lifted. Heber’s domineering nature made him admire him greatly; this was the spirit worth following to the death.

…

At the same time, on the Purple Crystal Civilization’s mother planet.

The two failures of the No. 0 Bureau made the Purple Crystal Civilization’s upper echelons very dissatisfied. Black Star's performance was the only good news among many pieces of bad news.

High-ranking officials from various powerful factions, such as the Secret Intelligence Agency, the Strategic Department, and the military, held a private meeting to discuss the issue of Black Star.

"Super Grade A seeds are rare. Although Dragon Emperor is neutral, Black Star is pro-Purple Crystal. He has a high investment value."

"That's right. Black Star's forces are all located in the Colton Star Cluster, so he is naturally close to us. If he can become a Super Grade A powerhouse, it means that a Super Grade A force will emerge in Colton, which can make up for the gap between us and the Klent."

The Purple Crystal Civilization was very envious that the Klent Empire had an ally like the War Realm.

If they also had a Super Grade A force as an ally, they wouldn't have to go to the trouble of forming the No. 0 Bureau, and the secret war wouldn't be so passive.

Black Star had potential, and his motivation far exceeded Dragon Emperor. In addition, his political leaning made the Purple Crystal Civilization feel that he was worth nurturing.

This meeting was to discuss the attitude they would adopt toward Black Star in the future. They saw a more long-term benefit in Han Xiao than this war.

Star cluster level civilizations were not afraid of Super Grade A powerhouses, but that didn’t mean they didn’t want them. Various star cluster level civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring attached great importance to the cultivation of espers. Various public academies recruited potential students, producing talents every year to replenish various departments with fresh blood.

However, home-grown flowers were not as fragrant as wild ones. At most, they could cultivate Calamity Grade powerhouses, but Super Grade A was hopeless and could not be forced.

Therefore, a Super Grade A seed close to the Purple Crystal Civilization was enough for senior officials to put down their work and sit down to have a meeting.

"If Black Star becomes a Super Grade A, we can help him build a Super Grade A force, cultivate it into an organization comparable to the War Realm, so that we can offset the Klent’s advantage, and also further expand our influence in the Star Field."

"Cultivate our own Super Grade A ally… This idea is good, but the premise is that Black Star fulfills his potential."

The crowd discussed endlessly.

After a while, they finally reached a consensus:

Change the way they invested in Black Star and increase resource support for the Black Star Mercenary Group—after all, the cost of attracting a Calamity Grade was not comparable to that of attracting a Super Grade A. The sooner they attracted him, the lower the cost.

The Purple Crystal had no shortage of resources and was willing to make an early investment, betting on Black Star's potential.

At the same time, they would raise the Black Star Mercenary Group's status in the No. 0 Bureau, focus on Black Star's growth, and provide certain strategic protections to prevent other forces from secretly attacking Black Star.

A Super Grade A seed was a new level beyond ordinary Calamity Grades. Everyone was the focus of attention of major forces, meaning they would face more storms.

The fame Han Xiao gained in this battle completely changed the attitude of the star cluster level civilizations towards him. Many invisible undercurrents gradually revolved around him.

With the spread of those who had ulterior motives, the news that Black Star had become a new Super Grade A seed quickly spread throughout the Shattered Star Ring, making him famous. Forces with ulterior motives secretly hyped him up, letting countless star citizens know the news, and it was not an exaggeration to say that everyone knew about it.

Even other star cluster level civilizations that didn't have any conflict of interest with the Purple Crystal Civilization were unwilling to sit back and watch the Purple Crystal obtain a potential powerhouse who might become a Super Grade A. Out of a desire to kill him with praise, they not only didn’t hide their attention to Han Xiao but also actively revealed it.

In the process of spreading the news, people with ulterior motives distorted the rumors time and time again. The process was enough to write a paper on "How Rumors Spread". In the end, the rumor became "Black Star will be the fifth Super Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring in the future"!

This was even more shocking than the simple "Super Grade A seed", which was equivalent to putting Han Xiao on the throne in advance, causing an uproar!

The big forces knew that this was nonsense, but most of the people didn’t know the inside story. Under the highly sensational and high-profile reports of various media outlets, many people really believed the rumors, calling their friends and relatives, spreading the news, and vigorously promoting the imminent birth of the fifth Super Grade A in the Shattered Star Ring.

The news also reached Longtan.

…

*Chi—*

The alloy door of the training room opened, and Hela wiped the sweat from her forehead as she walked out with her long legs.

In the two or three years of training in Longtan, she had changed her never-changing black combat uniform and put on a custom-made red windbreaker. Advanced shields were engraved on the special fabric, as well as magic enchantments that amplified her abilities.

If Han Xiao were here, he would definitely find it familiar. The style of this windbreaker was quite similar to his outfit during his Black Phantom days.

"It's been almost three years. My abilities are becoming more and more refined. According to the universe's evaluation standards, I have stabilized my Grade B position. According to my current progress, if I don't encounter any bottlenecks, I will probably become Grade B+ within three years. Ames said that I have the potential to reach Calamity Grade…"

Hela felt her increasingly handy abilities and was in a good mood.

Ames was a master of esper abilities, and the experience she taught had benefited her a lot. In order to catch up with Han Xiao, Hela didn't slack off for a single day.

She was satisfied with her progress, which was the result of her hard work.

"Sister, I have good news!"

Just as Hela was about to go back to rest, Aurora ran over excitedly with a face full of joy.

"What good news?"

Hela was in a good mood, pinched Aurora's elastic little face, and asked with a smile.

"It's news about Han Xiao. Everyone says he will soon become a Super Grade A powerhouse, and even the news has reported it!"

Aurora raised the communicator playing the news and handed it to Hela as if she was taking credit, eager to share the news.

Hela was stunned.

"He is about to become a Super Grade A?"

Ames was a Super Grade A powerhouse. Didn't that mean that Han Xiao was about to become as powerful as Ames?!

Hela gritted her teeth. She had been very satisfied with her progress, but at this moment, she felt a sense of urgency. She felt that she could never catch up with Han Xiao.

Compared to him, what was this little bit of progress?

Still not hard enough!

Aurora was saying excitedly when she suddenly saw Hela turn around and walk into the training room, slamming the door shut. The next moment, the "in use" signal light lit up in the training room.

"Sister?"

Aurora was stunned.

Neither of them saw that Ames was hovering in mid-air at some point, looking down at them.

"With such a competitive nature, Hela's progress will be faster than I expected."

Ames smiled.

Although she was lazy, she appreciated the hard-working Hela very much.

Every Super Grade A had a difficult period of struggle before they took shape, during which they created their own legends. She seemed to see herself in her younger years.

As for Black Star, Ames couldn't understand her officer at all.

As Han Xiao made one amazing feat after another, Ames' impression of him had been shattered and reorganized many times. Now, she was no longer willing to waste her energy trying to figure out Han Xiao's potential. She only had one simple evaluation of him:

Unfathomable!

Ames had never thought that a mercenary she had recruited casually would have today's achievements.

Her requirements for Han Xiao had been reduced to the lowest.

—As long as Black Star stood by her side, she would be satisfied.

…

Most of the Star Field was hyping up his name, blowing it out of proportion, and even Han Xiao couldn't help but feel ashamed.

Are these people really talking about me?

When did I fight the Tyrant to a draw?!

When did I pursue Ames?!

When did I threaten to challenge the Crimson Dynasty?!

When did I chat and laugh with Austin… Oh, that's true.

Han Xiao was speechless. Don't these reporters who spread rumors know that they will be held responsible in the future?

When he returned to the base in the Garton Star System, he realized the impact of this incident.

The Godoran Civilization's attitude had changed significantly. Their posture was lower, and they were very respectful. They took the initiative to propose extending the cooperation time between the two sides and further opening up material channels to provide more strategic-level resources.

Han Xiao also heard that Caesar the Fifth was recently planning a star system-wide tour, and the first stop was Golden Gate Star to visit him publicly.

The stated reason was "to conduct a cordial and friendly visit to the holder of the Golden Galaxy Medal and conduct deeper strategic cooperation on the Black Star Mercenary Group's employment business in the Garton Star System." This was definitely the usual phrase used in the "it's useless to change the channel at seven o'clock" program.

The Purple Crystal Civilization's compensation resources had been delivered to the base. The cash alone was ten million Enas, far exceeding the amount originally promised by the Purple Crystal Civilization. The resources had been increased several times, which was a complete surprise.

Han Xiao clicked his tongue secretly. He knew that his performance would cause a sensation, but he didn't expect the impact to exceed his expectations. The Purple Crystal Civilization's attention to him had obviously increased by several levels.

This greatly accelerated the plan he had set before the war began.

He immediately had Phillip, Milos, and Sylvia operate to replenish the lost warships and manpower, while he went to the training room, took out the communicator, and opened the [Aberrant Energy] knowledge materials sent to him by the Purple Crystal Civilization.

"As long as I learn this knowledge, my combat strength will increase exponentially. The annihilation of the Mechanical Army is actually a good opportunity for a comprehensive renovation."

Han Xiao was secretly excited and opened the interface.

[Detected Mechanical System Advanced Knowledge: [Aberrant Energy]. Do you want to spend 12 potential points to learn it?]

"Confirm."

[Learning in progress, please do not terminate… 9%… 34%… 58%…]

[Learning successful! You have mastered [Aberrant Energy]!]

Profound and complex knowledge poured into his mind. Han Xiao digested it for a while and let out a breath.

Of course, it was nonsense that he told Lefay he would need a month to learn it. Others didn't know that he could learn so quickly. This reason for slacking off was impeccable.

"I finally have my first Advanced Knowledge."

Han Xiao looked happy, and the class advancement requirements had already been met.

The interface immediately popped up a new notification:

[Class Advancement Requirements Completed!]

[You have obtained the new class [Mechanic of Truth Lv1], Stamina +210, Strength +2, Agility +4, Endurance +4, Intelligence +10. You have obtained 7 free attribute points and 1 potential point.]

Done!

Han Xiao didn't bother to look at the new skills and talents brought about by the class advancement. Joy appeared on the corners of his eyes and brows.

[Mechanic of Truth] was an advanced class of the Mechanic System, one level higher than [Star Sea Mechanic], and its level limit was also level 25.

The name of this stage represents that the Mechanic had begun to touch the truth of mechanics.

However, in the eyes of the players in his previous life, this name had another meaning:

—Within range, I am the truth!!