Chapter 1 The Guardian

The Guardian took everyone on a flyer to another city. In the center of the city stood a skyscraper that towered above the steel metropolis, like a middle finger erected on the earth.

At the top was a helipad protected by a transparent罩zi (cover). The cover slowly opened, and the flyer landed on it. Beside the passage leading from the helipad to the interior of the building stood many guards. Han Xiao and his party followed the Guardian through the passage and entered the interior of the top floor, which was luxuriously decorated like a mansion.

A man sat on a sofa with his back to the group, so only the back of his head could be seen. On the wall in front of him were many virtual screens, all displaying surveillance footage of the battlefield.

"Look what you've done to my planet."

The man pressed a button, and the sofa automatically turned, changing from facing away to facing the group. Only then could his appearance be seen. He had a very strong presence. Han Xiao felt he looked familiar, and suddenly remembered… he had seen a photo of this person.

A few days ago, he was still playing cat and mouse with Izo. Izo had requested that he steal some ornament. At the time, he had asked Philip to search online, and the ornament was a gift from the head of the Norios Consortium to his, he didn't know which, wife. The man in front of him was precisely the head of the consortium, called… what was his name again?

"Locke Ferris, I am the owner of this planet." The man's tone was calm. "I know who you are. Nagokin from the Godora War Affairs Bureau, Weysander, the Dragon Emperor Guard Captain, and Black Star, the Dragon Emperor's Field Force Commander."

Because it nominally belonged to Dragon Emperor, the Black Star Mercenary Group was considered a unit under the Dragon Emperor. Han Xiao didn't care much about this. Since joining Dragon Emperor, the effect of this identity had been more beneficial than harmful. It allowed his mercenary group to be temporarily tied to a transcendent camp, which greatly benefited the growth of the mercenary group's reputation.

"I also have a rough understanding of what happened. I have no interest in interfering in the conflict between Godora and DarkStar, but your actions have caused damage to my planet, and Godora has no law enforcement power in my territory. So I need you to give me an explanation and demand legitimate compensation. My people are calculating the losses, and we will discuss the specific amount in detail when it is determined."

Locke Ferris didn't give the two a chance to interrupt, and spoke decisively and authoritatively.

"I will report to headquarters. Godora will compensate your losses. Black Star is just a mercenary I hired. Their actions were at my request, and Godora will bear his compensation. Godora will never mistreat friends."

Nagokin said, having killed Anul, he was in a good mood. This achievement would also make the War Affairs Bureau very happy. Officials of his level inevitably caused damage when acting abroad, and the War Affairs Bureau would clean up after them. He hadn't intended to avoid compensation anyway.

Because Locke Ferris had deep connections and good relations with many political figures in the Shattered Star Ring, Godora was unwilling to offend such a large capitalist.

"Don't worry, I wasn't planning on asking him for money anyway." Locke Ferris said, looking at Han Xiao and smiling. His tone became much warmer and less aggressive. "Give my regards to Ames."

He's not asking for compensation? Han Xiao's impression of him immediately improved. "You know Ames?"

"Hahahaha, who in the Shattered Star Ring doesn't know Dragon Emperor?" Locke Ferris laughed. "I have commercial cooperation with Dragon Emperor. We are on the same side. I heard that Izo wanted you to steal something from me, but you caught him. Haha, well done."

Han Xiao suddenly understood. So Izo and Locke Ferris knew each other. No wonder he made such a prank.

He didn't find it strange. Izo had lived for so many years and was a legendary figure himself. He had accumulated countless connections, and had friends all over the world.

Moreover, given Izo's abilities, the people he knew were mostly powerful figures, forming a vast network of relationships. Now that Ames had taken Izo back, the Dragon Emperor camp would benefit from this, and its influence in the dark would probably increase exponentially.

In fact, Locke Ferris's enthusiasm wasn't entirely because of Izo. He had been providing funds to Dragon Emperor for a long time, rarely asking for returns, which was equivalent to subsidizing them. Locke Ferris wasn't the only consortium doing this. There were at least twenty consortiums subsidizing Ames. When Ames was building Dragon Emperor, she issued a public notice asking for money, and countless consortiums rushed to send money. To this day, many consortiums still maintain their subsidizing relationship. Otherwise, Dragon Emperor's appalling operating situation wouldn't be able to afford such high repair costs, fuel costs, maintenance costs, and so on.

Behind each of the four Beyond Grade As in the Shattered Star Ring were many investing consortiums. Powerful individuals or forces always had consortiums willing to invest in them, so many strong individuals didn't have to worry about money even if they didn't work. Many interstellar consortiums had long passed the stage of simply accumulating wealth. Unless they turned money into influence, relationships, or actual goods, money was just a string of numbers. And investing in organizations, strong individuals, and politicians was the path for these capitalists.

For example, in Ames's case, it wasn't that she was asking people for money, but that others were actively waving banknotes to give her money, and whether she accepted it depended on her mood.

As long as one became strong, many problems would be solved, but at the same time, the problems involved in one's words and actions would become more complicated.

In the later versions, some large guilds were qualified to cooperate with consortiums, obtain funding and loans. The players' influence on the Star Field continued to deepen, and the ways of interaction became more and more diverse. The impact on the regional structure was dynamic, so the sense of immersion was very strong, keeping the players passionate.

"I knew you were in Norios as soon as you arrived. I'm only meeting you now. You're more impressive than the rumors say."

Locke Ferris took the initiative to extend his hand. Han Xiao shook it and smiled without saying anything, but a thought floated up in his mind.

The preparatory plan for Version 2.0 required funding. To accommodate tens of thousands of players, the mercenary group's hardware facilities had to be upgraded on a large scale, and all of this would cost money.

If he could find a patron like Ames, funding might become more abundant.

Because Han Xiao was used to being alone in his previous life, he only had a general understanding of the cooperation methods of guilds and NPC camps, but he hadn't tried it himself. All the funds in the plan needed to be earned by himself, but now he had a new idea. The role of camp influence might be greater than he thought.

All along, Han Xiao's core industry was earning money from players to feed back to himself and his camp. But could he add a new idea, using players to make NPCs voluntarily pay while reaping the players' wallets?

A flash of inspiration, a new idea emerged in his mind. Han Xiao immediately became excited. This idea couldn't be implemented now, but when Version 2.0 opened, it might greatly expand the benefits that players brought him—of course, provided that it developed according to plan.

"Locke Ferris, I actually have something I hope to ask you for help with. I hope we can arrange a time to discuss it in detail." Han Xiao said.

Locke Ferris nodded. "Okay, I'll give you my private number. After this matter is resolved, we'll talk in detail."

…

A consensus was reached on the aftermath. Godora would bear the compensation, and Locke Ferris arranged an absolutely safe stronghold for everyone to stay in. Everyone would stay here until Godora's reinforcements arrived.

Arlochius joined Owen and the others. Owen was relieved to have escaped death, and the Teleportation Mage left after receiving his reward. He didn't want to get involved with this group of jinxes.

In the next few days, the impact of this storm began to spread rapidly. Various interstellar news channels broadcast the incident, with headlines more sensational than the last. Through the dissemination of these media, the story of "Godora and DarkStar engaging in a fierce battle, and a Calamity Grade expert dying in battle" quickly spread like wildfire.

The details of the incident were not revealed. The news only broadcast a part of the process and results, but it still caused a sensation. Among the notorious list of "evil forces" in the Shattered Star Ring, DarkStar was not the most powerful organization, but it was the most radical, having destroyed countless civilizations in the Garton Star System and displaced countless citizens, thereby dragging down Godora. However, there were few news reports of head-on conflicts.

This time, a powerful DarkStar member died in full view of the public, which was simply great news.

As the news spread, Han Xiao's reputation panel constantly prompted that his popularity was increasing in these days. As before, the increase covered different star clusters. The popularity level in most areas reached [Slightly Famous], and in the Garton Star System, where he was often active, the popularity level was already [Well-Known].

In the minds of most interstellar citizens, Ames's strength was the only reason for maintaining Dragon Emperor, but most of her subordinates had limited fame and rarely appeared outside. This was far worse than the other three Beyond Grade A big shots who had large families and businesses. They had skilled soldiers and strong men like clouds, while Ames was almost a lone commander with only a few cats and dogs.

The forces of the other three Beyond Grade A strong individuals in the Shattered Star Ring, even without their leaders, were still powerful organizations that dominated one side. Dragon Emperor was far behind them compared to them.

In the last incident where Ames smashed the DarkStar mothership, the public's attention was more focused on Ames's strong performance and the fact that Black Star was a new member of Dragon Emperor. But this time's news was made by Black Star, and the strength he displayed was stronger than before. Many interstellar citizens and forces who were paying attention to this matter had the same idea.

——Ames is starting to have capable subordinates who can stand on their own. Oh my god, it's not easy!

Godora knew more details. Nagokin reported the specific situation, and the War Affairs Bureau Intelligence Department immediately raised the level of importance attached to Han Xiao. Counting the previous capture of the DarkStar mothership, this was the second time that Black Star had taken action against DarkStar. It could be understood as being a pro-Godora faction, and he had also helped Nagokin kill Anul, which had helped them a lot.

After this joint battle, Nagokin attached great importance to Han Xiao.

In these days, Han Xiao had deliberately cultivated his relationship with Nagokin. This was also the reason why he accepted this mission. Getting to know Nagokin was equivalent to obtaining a channel to directly contact the upper echelons of Godora.

…

After waiting for a few days, the Godora fleet arrived in Norios. This incident finally came to an end. Nagokin took Owen to the dock, where Godora's huge fleet was docked in the port.

Before leaving, Owen took the initiative to shake Han Xiao's hand heavily and said, "You saved my life. I owe you a favor. If you need my help one day, I will spare no effort."

Nagokin nodded to Han Xiao as a greeting. "It was a pleasant experience working with you. The War Affairs Bureau will pay the reward for this mission. I hope we have the opportunity to cooperate in the future."

Han Xiao smiled. "Don't worry, we'll meet again soon."

Nagokin was stunned. He thought Han Xiao was just being polite. He didn't say anything, and took Owen aboard the ship. The fleet rumbled and set off, soon turning into a stream of light and disappearing into the universe.

[【Nagokin's Request】 has been completed]

[You have gained 5,800,000 experience, 24,000 Enas, Godora camp relationship +850]

[Godora Civilization: Respect (3190/6000)]

[Nagokin's favorability +30]

[Owen's favorability +30]

"One action added nearly two thousand points of camp favorability, and the Godora relationship directly rose to Respect. That's not bad."

Closing the panel notification, Han Xiao put away his smile. Originally, Nagokin would have been crippled, and Owen would not have survived, but their fates had been changed by him. DarkStar would also pay more attention to him. He didn't know how they would react.

"Where are we going now?"

Melos opened his mouth, and the officers looked at Han Xiao.

Han Xiao touched his chin. Before the version update, he had set two goals: one was to advance, and the advance had already been completed. Now that he was finally free, it was time to start the second goal, preparing for Version 2.0. This was a big project.

"I'll go see Locke Ferris first."