Chapter 186 Two Blueprints, Two Skills, One Talent

"Two blueprints, two skills, one talent..."

Looking at the five selectable rewards he drew, Han Xiao pondered.

Among the abilities drawn this time, the most valuable was obviously the [Innate Machina Affinity] growth talent. At his current level, it would provide him with a total of 220% mechanical affinity and 150% virtual technology bonus, a high-level mechanical talent.

Of the other four options, [Apostle-Grade Machina Affinity] was impossible to choose, and while [Legion Fire Barrage] was good, its cost-effectiveness was limited. The two blueprints were quite advanced, but he had similar equipment, so they weren't particularly necessary.

"The result is not bad." Han Xiao was quite satisfied.

As a Mechanic, most skills were compatible, which meant the range of abilities he could draw was much higher than other classes. Mechanics were known for having many skills. A Mechanic of Manison's caliber must know countless blueprints. To draw a high-level mechanical talent from such a vast base was already extremely lucky.

Manison's power was built up one talent at a time. With a huge base, a qualitative change could occur. Although he didn't draw a top-tier template talent, obtaining a high-level talent from the Arcane Nation narrowed the gap.

What comes from the goose, goes back to the goose. These abilities were drawn from Manison; the more he learned, the smaller Manison's advantage over him became. Gaps are shortened step by step. Faced with someone like Manison, who was covered in high-level talents, it was difficult to become a fatty in one bite.

The level 300 [Innate Machina Affinity]'s mechanical affinity bonus was higher than [Overlord-Grade Machina Affinity], and it had a better effect on virtual technology. Coupled with [Virtual Overlord]'s 2.5x coefficient, it provided a 375% virtual technology bonus. All things considered, the total effect was about the same as a core class talent like [Mechanical Emperor].

With a firm decision in his heart, Han Xiao made his choice.

[You have gained [Innate Machina Affinity]!]

As if a flash of inspiration pierced his brain, the theoretical structure in his mind underwent subtle changes. He had a new understanding of mechanical technology and gained some insights.

After adapting to the change, Han Xiao let out a breath.

"Manison not only has [Perfect Mechanical Sense], but also a series of mechanical talents such as [Innate Machina Affinity]. This guy's talent is too good."

To tell the truth, he was a little... cough, very envious!

Han Xiao looked at the Manison Character Summon Card he drew this time. The effect of this card was even more powerful, with +20% Intelligence, +10% Mystery, and +2 to all skill levels. It wasn't a mechanical ability, but came from an ability called [Ancient One].

He didn't know if this ability required him to join the Ancient Ones organization, or if it was just a matter of surviving long enough...

The 70 billion+ experience points were more than double the reward for the Overlord Quest, replenishing his dwindling experience reserves.

However, this quest didn't give him Legend Points. Looking at the name of the quest, Han Xiao had some guesses. The quest title specifically emphasized "Virtual Combat," perhaps a formal battle was required to get Legend Points.

After looking at the new abilities for a while, Han Xiao closed the panel and thought about the gains and losses this time.

"Manison came suddenly this time, prepared, stole some data, and made me use a Perfect Mechanical Sense Character Summon Card. If I hadn't gotten two new abilities, it would have been a loss... Manison suppressed me in his professional ability, achieving his goal, and also alerted the Empire, so the possibility of him continuing to cause trouble in the short term is not high."

Han Xiao's eyes turned slightly.

He had been showing off too much lately, so he might as well take advantage of this incident to keep a low profile.

His foundation was still too weak, and he needed to develop it well. Before the leeks return, he would loosen the soil and nourish the soil fertility first.

Losing a Perfect Mechanical Sense Character Summon Card wasn't a big problem. Han Xiao had several blank Character Summon Cards in stock, some from random rewards, and some from the [Flickering World] quest. They were originally intended as backups. He just needed to find a time to use them on Reynold and copy another [Perfect Mechanical Sense].

Speaking of which, he had accumulated several random reward opportunities recently and could find time for a series of draws to see if he could get something good.

Well, he should wait until Fordin and Niro were together before drawing. One to neutralize his bad luck, and the other to provide him with good luck...

In the eyes of Great Technician Han, Fordin and Niro were his two door gods, one on the left and one on the right.

After summarizing the losses, Han Xiao stood up, opened the legion's internal network, and swiped his fingers on the virtual holographic screen, writing a simple internal statement:

"To all colleagues of the Black Star Army:

Just a while ago, the intelligent core of the legion's headquarters was invaded by Manison of the Arcane Nation. With the help of all members and the Empire, we successfully forced Manison back. During this period, there were various fluctuations in the internal network, which have now been resolved.

I do not wish to be enemies with the Arcane Nation, but reality is always beyond one's control. Today's events are a signal, so please be prepared to face the Arcane Nation someday.

The Black Star Army has been established for more than twenty years, growing from a mercenary group with shallow roots to a leading armed group in the star field. This achievement cannot be separated from everyone's dedication. In these more than twenty years, we have walked through thick and thin together, encountering all kinds of difficulties and obstacles. This is a path destined to be uneven, and there are more difficulties waiting for us to overcome in the future.

The universe is vast and boundless, but no matter how vast the world is, it cannot accommodate endless ambition. As long as intelligent species exist, competition will be an eternal melody, as it was in the past, as it is today, and as it will be in the future.

In the past, I have created many miracles. In the future, I am also not afraid of competition and hope that you will work hard with me.

Your Legion Commander, Black Star.

Star Sea Calendar, September 11, 710."

After taking a look and seeing that there were no problems, Han Xiao modified it slightly and then sent it out, notifying all members.

The purpose of this move was to calm the restless hearts of the legion, boost morale and cohesion, and weaken the negative impact of Manison's actions. Although he didn't need to care about the thoughts of most members, it was better to do it than not to do it.

After dealing with this matter, Han Xiao swallowed a few nutrient bars, went back to his room to rest for a while, and then returned to the mechanical modification room to continue manufacturing and strengthening his machines.

Recognizing the gap between the Arcane Nation and his own strength, Han Xiao's enthusiasm for improving his foundation became even higher, so during this period, he planned to retreat and build, sitting in headquarters to prevent Manison from making a comeback... although this possibility was not high.

Once he was sure that the storm had completely passed, he planned to go to the Flickering World to personally control the development of the Mechanical Civilization and the Black Spirit Race.

...

On the other side, the Star Spirit Sea, the headquarters of the Infinite Consortium.

In the huge pure white office, Sorokin was multitasking, checking reports on business in various locations. At this moment, the communicator suddenly rang.

When he was working, the communicator was set to prioritize communications. Only important people with high priority could contact him directly.

Sorokin put down the financial report in his hand, picked up the communicator, and the screen showed Manison, who had completed the invasion.

"Your Excellency, Arcane Nation, did you succeed?"

"Yes, Black Star's virtual technology is not weak. The Empire sent Kant over, so I only got a portion of the information you wanted and have already sent it to you," Manison said indifferently.

Sorokin shook his head after looking at the data Manison sent.

"These internal materials are a little helpful to me, but they are not confidential documents... well, such things cannot be forced. By the way, why did you contact my main body directly? Just send the information to my clone in the war domain."

"Just being cautious."

Manison's tone was casual. He was experienced and didn't want to transmit data within the Shattered Star Ring, so as to prevent Black Star from tracking and intercepting it.

Dealing with Black Star this time was just a routine matter for him to consolidate his position. Other than becoming more and more interested in Black Star, Manison had no other thoughts.

"Alright," Sorokin nodded. "This time, you defeated Black Star and have formed a grudge with him. Aren't you afraid of Black Star taking action?"

"If he's not convinced, I don't mind defeating him a few more times."

"Hey, Black Star is not your match now, but he may not be in the future. Don't forget his terrifying potential..."

Manison glanced at him indifferently. "Put away your little thoughts."

Sorokin smiled playfully and changed the subject.

"By the way, the shareholder dividends for last month have been calculated and will be distributed in a few days. If you need to purchase any resources, give me a list, and I'll give you a discounted exchange."

"Same as usual."

Manison didn't care. Although the consortium's dividends were generous, at his level, he didn't care much about money anymore.

After chatting for a few words, the two hung up the communication.

Putting down the communicator, Sorokin's eyes flickered slightly, and he muttered to himself:

"Arcane Nation... Black Star..."

...

Central Star Sea, Red Empire's home planet, the President's office.

Before Ulanriel was a virtual screen, and the Empire's main intelligence "Ingram" was showing the internal statement Han Xiao had just released.

After reading it, Ulanriel nodded lightly.

"It seems that Black Star understands what we mean and didn't overreact."

The [Dark Emperor] Clotti, who was beside him, crossed her arms and said lightly, "Black Star is a superpower genius who has never appeared in history. Generally speaking, geniuses have a high degree of arrogance. He has been showing off recently, but he can quickly recognize reality. This mentality is good."

Even the Red Empire, known for its stubbornness, understood the way of forbearance. Black Star had shown amazing potential, and the Empire was worried that Black Star would be too rigid and easily broken. However, it seemed that Black Star was still very clear-headed and didn't clash with the Arcane Nation.

The Empire also knew that the Arcane Nation was not easy to deal with. Calculating from many aspects such as status, combat power, and power, Manison's level was even higher than Old Dragon and Kant. He was the Light Federation's number one ally, an existence at the level of the Other God, and only the Empire's direct super thug Dark Emperor could barely be compared with Manison.

To choose one top Super-A Grade from each of the three major civilizations, the Light Federation's trump card was "Arcane Nation" Manison, the Red Empire's trump card was "Dark Emperor" Clotti, and the Void Spirit Religion's trump card was "Void Lord" K'Su'Ye.

The three major civilizations considered problems from the perspective of the entire civilization. Unless necessary, they would not easily involve the civilization in the struggle between Super-A Grades. Therefore, for the competition between Super-A Grades, as long as it did not cause casualties or provoke the authority of the civilization, the three major civilizations adopted a tacit attitude to maintain the balance. After all, they could not completely restrict the daily activities of their allies.

Kant's remote projection was also in the room, shaking his leaves and sighing, "That being said, Manison has been sitting firmly in the main god position of the Mechanical Church for too long."

"There's nothing we can do about it. It's not just happening to Mechanics. Even those experts in the Void Spirit Religion who play with gods are helpless," Clotti snorted. "Even if we can kill all the believers of the Mechanical Church, faith itself cannot be killed. It will only forever prevent the possibility of the Mechanical Church worshiping the Empire's Mechanics."

Ulanriel tapped the table. "There's no need to say these things. After this incident, Black Star may have some complaints about the Empire and needs to be appeased."

"Why not send him some blueprints? Nothing can soothe a Mechanic's injured little heart more than advanced blueprints."

Kant said irresponsibly, glanced at Clotti, who was full of force, and suddenly became interested, activating his talent, and his carrot-like body quickly turned into Clotti's appearance, exactly the same.

"Don't turn into my appearance."

Clotti frowned in dissatisfaction, too lazy to look at Kant, turned to face Ulanriel, and said slowly, "I, Kant, and Milizaus will all pass away sooner or later. Black Star is the next generation of the Empire's Super-A Grade mainstay and needs to shoulder the important task of guarding the Empire. He has proven that he can be of great use. I suggest being bolder in supporting his resources."

"Hmm..."

Ulanriel pinched her smooth and fair chin and fell into contemplation.

...

In the interstellar era, the efficiency of information dissemination was extremely high. The virtual battle between the Arcane Nation and Black Star in the Shattered Star Ring quickly spread.

Many interstellar citizens had new topics of conversation after dinner, but the influence of the incident was not as great as the battle between Black Star and Overlord.

Because virtual battles themselves were not as popular as Super-A Grades fighting each other with their sleeves rolled up, and there were no restricted-level images leaked, the influence of the incident was naturally not great.

Although rumors said that Black Star had suffered a defeat, in the eyes of most people, this didn't seem to be a big deal. The name of the Arcane Nation was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Black Star losing to the current strongest Mechanic was not a rare thing. After all, there were many people in history who had lost to the Arcane Nation.

The major interstellar forces didn't care about the results, but instead focused on the issue of the Arcane Nation and Black Star not being on good terms. A considerable number of forces were secretly pleased.

Sisco was a typical example. The more powerful the opponents Black Star provoked, the happier he would be. Being watched by the four pro-Empire Super-A Grades in the Shattered Star Ring, he was now living a very low-key life.

The external influence of this matter was average, but it had a considerable impact in the circle of Mechanics. Black Star was a new star Mechanic who had recently advanced to the Divine Throne, and the Arcane Nation was a veteran big shot, both of whom were highly regarded. The two collided, and the result was that the Arcane Nation's style was still as good as it was back then, suppressing the younger generation who wanted to challenge him, proving that he was still the fierce man who pissed three zhang in the wind, and received a wave of heated discussion.

After this battle, in the eyes of most Mechanics, there were still only two kinds of Mechanics in the world, one was the Arcane Nation, and the other was other Mechanics.

Han Xiao didn't care about the rumors in the interstellar world. Regardless of whether Manison made a profit or not, he didn't lose out.

Moreover, reducing the attention of outsiders to him was in line with the idea of ​​accumulating a foundation in a low-key manner. In the short term, Han Xiao didn't plan to challenge the Arcane Nation's position.

After all, he was different from Overlord and rarely did things that exceeded his abilities.

The logic of being a player in the past had penetrated deep into his bones:

——What to do if you can't beat the Boss? Level up first! What else can you do?!

After squatting in headquarters for more than half a month, confirming that the Arcane Nation would not come to cause trouble again, Han Xiao gathered a fleet and set off for the Flickering World, leading the leadership to go to the countryside to inspect the territory.