Chapter 174 Gathering

The musicians began to play, and the gathering officially began. The guests present all had their own interests and demands, and they dispersed in small groups, finding more private locations to discuss business.

Heber led several guests up the stairs, and not far away, a high-ranking Klent official also led several people up from the other side.

Seeing this scene, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, deep in thought.

"The Overlord and the Klent are allies, and he has secretly defected to the Red Empire. Perhaps the Klent have also become friends of the Red Empire, and even earlier than the Overlord. After all, if the Red Empire wants to win over forces in the Shattered Star Ring, the most prioritized choice should be the Star Cluster civilizations. The Klent were won over first, and then they recommended their ally, the War Realm. The Overlord introduced the special envoy to the Dragon Emperor and the Sorcerer, most likely at the behest of the Klent, to communicate with the Beyond Grade A powerhouses..."

Han Xiao's thoughts raced. If that were the case, the Klent Empire, among the seven Star Cluster civilizations in the Shattered Star Ring, had likely already defected to the Red Empire.

Connecting this to the events of his previous life, the main storyline of Version 3.0, "Red Tide," was that the Red Empire's expansion caused turmoil in all star systems, the Shattered Star Ring being no exception, but much of the chaos was not directly caused by the Red Empire, but by the various forces in each star system stirring things up themselves.

At the time, the players didn't know the inside story, but now, Han Xiao connected the two... Perhaps the forces that stirred up trouble in "Red Tide" were all instructed by the Red Empire, affecting the whole situation and deliberately creating chaos in the interstellar landscape.

Heber did not introduce Sui to all the guests, probably because the Red Empire did not want to be too high-profile. Perhaps they would only privately meet with representatives of some powerful forces, just like the Beyond Grade A meeting yesterday.

"The storm has already begun to brew..."

Han Xiao silently shook his head. According to his calculations, the impact of the Red Empire's actions would not be evident during Version 2.0. The greatest possibility was that it would gradually occur during the decade or so after the Version 2.0 update, and then evolve into Version 3.0, "Red Tide."

Currently, it was still early in Version 2.0. Apart from the Aquamarine Star players, the players on other novice planets were still playing in the mud. There were still several years before the version update, and the possibility of a major event occurring during this time was very low.

The original main storyline for the Aquamarine Star players was the conflict between DarkStar and Godora, but DarkStar had already collapsed, and his Black Star Army had become the players' new main storyline. The plot had become a semi-free exploration mode, so the players would basically not encounter any major events in 2.0.

This was the best time to develop the faction.

As the great mechanic Han was pondering, Rossos approached.

"Black Star, I have some things I want to discuss with you."

"Your Excellency Rossos, what suggestions do you have?"

Han Xiao came back to his senses, smiled slightly, and nodded in greeting.

Rossos habitually rubbed the messy small tentacles on his chin and said, "I want to invest in Longtan and your Black Star Army. Perhaps we should discuss the terms of cooperation in detail."

Han Xiao's eyes lit up. Ho, lucky him, another moneybags was here!

He glanced back at Ames, who did not object and authorized Han Xiao to handle it entirely. Han Xiao then pulled Rossos aside, and the two discussed the details.

Before long, the two quickly finalized the investment plan. The terms were similar to those of the Norios Financial Group: the financial group would provide long-term resources to Longtan and the Black Star Army in exchange for returns in other areas.

Investing in armed forces had always been an important investment for large financial groups, and Rossos was no exception. After confirming the details, he walked away satisfied.

The official contract and payment would be sent over after the gathering. Han Xiao was quite happy. In this way, the Black Star Army would have another benefactor, which would be very helpful for the development of the faction. The Norios Financial Group and the Rossos Financial Group were now the financial backers of the Black Star Army for the time being.

"Black Star."

At this moment, someone called him from the side.

Han Xiao turned his head and saw that it was Austin, who had come before him with a group of Witches.

"Your Excellency Sorcerer, what can I do for you?" Facing a Beyond Grade A, Han Xiao's eyes were quite solemn.

Austin didn't speak. He smiled faintly, spread out his palm, and a deep blue light lit up in his palm, turning into a vortex. Soon, the light disappeared, and a small gray ball appeared in his palm.

Han Xiao took a closer look and saw that this small ball was not a solid object. It was actually a ball of gray mist, surging endlessly, but it was restrained and compressed by some force, maintaining the shape of a small ball.

"This is..." Han Xiao was a little puzzled, unsure of Austin's intention.

Austin played with the gray mist ball and said slowly, "Once, when my mental spirit traveled to a secondary plane of a certain phantom level, I encountered a powerful and strange Void Overlord. It almost eroded my spirit, but I finally defeated it. This is the essence core left behind after that Void Overlord dissipated. I want to give it to you."

Han Xiao was stunned.

The core essence of a Void Overlord was an extremely rare item, and almost only mages could collect this kind of material.

Traveling to secondary planes was an ability possessed by advanced mages, and they could often obtain all kinds of bizarre props.

In terms of merchants... cough, in terms of production capacity, mages and mechanics were the most esteemed among the five major superpower systems. In terms of collecting materials, mages might even be stronger than mechanics.

Mechanics were often in a state of bankruptcy, while mages were the opposite. A profession that could burn mana bars and make money at zero cost (enchanting) was simply a public enemy. There was a reason why they were called dog mages.

Han Xiao knew the principle that there was no free lunch. Austin suddenly giving him a gift, what did this mean? Was he trying to poach him like Heber? Heber was taking the direct route, so was Austin taking the subtle route?

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"Because I think you might need it more than I do." Austin blinked.

Hearing this, Han Xiao suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

That's right, Austin discovered me when I applied an observation mark on Sui yesterday.

Could that be the reason?

"You are not a mage, but you can use void energy. It seems that you have been eroded by the void gene. Most species eroded by the void eventually become monsters, but you have mastered it and turned it into your own ability. Your luck is very good. In that case, the essence core of the Void Overlord can enhance this ability and allow you to obtain even stronger power..." Austin confirmed Han Xiao's guess.

Austin didn't know that Han Xiao had a player panel. In his opinion, Black Star could use void energy simply because he had been eroded by the void gene, and the bones of the Void Dragon were buried in Longtan Floating Island. He thought he had guessed the whole story, so he wanted to help Ames' cadre.

Anyway, it was just a small effort for him.

"..." Han Xiao had to cough and default to Austin's statement, secretly pondering.

He was already a Void Race, and the essence core of the Void Overlord could enhance the intensity of the void gene, increase his attributes. Moreover, during the next race sublimation, he would have the opportunity to cross the next stage of the evolutionary chain and directly enter a later stage, resulting in a more powerful Void Race option.

It was indeed quite useful, a good thing, and its rarity was at the level of being priceless.

"What do I need to pay?" Han Xiao narrowed his eyes. Although he was tempted, he knew that he couldn't accept something for nothing.

Austin possessed vast resources, and the core essence of the Void Overlord was just a drop in the bucket, but he didn't think it was necessary for Austin to give it to him.

Even if Austin was helping her cadre for Ames' sake, Han Xiao was unwilling to rashly accept the kindness of a stranger Beyond Grade A.

His relationship with Austin had not yet reached the point where he could accept a gift with peace of mind.

"This is a gift for you, you don't need to, um..." Austin seemed to have thought of something. He changed his words halfway through, "Maybe one day in the future, I will need your help. Let's treat this as advance payment."

"Sounds good, as long as it doesn't violate my position and principles."

"Of course."

Han Xiao nodded, took the core of the Void Overlord, and glanced at it.

[Essence of the Void Overlord: The core of a high-level void lifeform, containing high-quality void energy. It is very precious, and many mages would offer a high price for it. You can also give it to certain special people to trigger tasks, or even eat it, as long as you are not afraid of getting a stomachache... Oh, I mean being eroded by the void.]

Han Xiao put the thing in his pocket, and then nodded his thanks to Austin.

Austin smiled slightly, his face looked very cute, and said slowly, "Heber is brainless, and Ames is indifferent. I know your potential better than them. Maybe one day, you will break away from the Dragon Emperor and establish your own faction. This star field has been without a new legend for too long... I will keep watching you, don't let me down."

Without waiting for Han Xiao to reply, Austin turned around and walked away with the Witches.

Han Xiao's expression was strange.

Austin was unpretentious, his attitude was also very kind, and left a good impression on him. However, his last words gave him a sense of facing an elder for some reason...

...

The gathering was in progress, and the big shots present had their own business to discuss. The guests chatted enthusiastically, and occasionally someone would talk to Han Xiao about some topics, but not frequently.

Apart from Rossos and Austin, the other people who came to talk to him were basically just chatting. Han Xiao was happy to be idle. When no one was chatting, Han Xiao and Ames enjoyed the food and drinks in the corner, talking and laughing.

As time passed, the gathering gradually came to an end. Everyone basically obtained the information or cooperation agreements they wanted. Han Xiao also overheard some information that was not confidential, but ordinary people could not know. After all, everyone present was a big shot, and any information they revealed had considerable value.

And in a private room upstairs, the Red Empire special envoy Sui had already privately met with one big shot after another...