Chapter 1 Guest Room

The two left through a side door of the venue and entered a reception room in the corridor. Philip closed the door, the soundproofing here was excellent, and the noise of the banquet outside was blocked.

The two sat down face to face. Han Xiao snapped his fingers, and a simulated mechanical waiter on standby in the room poured two glasses of amber-colored liquor, added a few ice cubes, and placed them on the low table in front of them.

"Now you can talk." Han Xiao swirled his glass, the fragrant and mellow liquor licking the rim.

He was now a big shot in the Shattered Star Ring. With his current status, he no longer actively sought tasks, but tasks actively sought him. There were always people who came to him for help.

This phenomenon was not limited to him alone; players could also do it. Suppose a player had been in a certain star system for a long time and made a name for themselves, they would occasionally encounter NPCs who took the initiative to come to them. This was the effect of regional reputation.

"It's like this, my request concerns the future of the Gular civilization…" Sesilinn sat upright.

*Called it.* If it wasn't something of this magnitude, who would bother a Beyond Grade A for no reason… Han Xiao remained expressionless, raised his hand, and motioned for him to continue.

"Before that, please allow me to briefly introduce the current situation of my civilization." Sesilinn said seriously, "The Gular civilization has always been in a state of military division. The three main parties have formed their own military regions, opposing each other and dividing the territory. These three parties are the Ancient Emperor Party, the Pioneer Party, and the Advent Party. The ruling party that currently represents the orthodox government of the Gular civilization is the Ancient Emperor Party. They conduct diplomatic activities in the name of Gular. My teammates and I who came this time are all members of the Ancient Emperor Party."

As one of the edges of the explored universe, the Shattered Star Ring has a more complex situation due to the lack of management. Some civilizations are very stable and peaceful, while others are plagued by internal and external troubles all year round. A situation like the internal military division of the Gular civilization is considered a rather serious internal strife.

"Yes, I understand. What do you want to request?" Han Xiao asked.

"I implore the Black Star Army for war assistance to end the division of the Gular civilization and allow us to achieve peace."

"Oh, I see. You want to apply for war employment, let my people assist the current ruling party, and suppress the other two parties, right?" Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.

However, Sesilinn shook his head and gave an unexpected answer.

"No, I hope the Black Star Army can assist the Pioneer Party, overthrow the rule of the Ancient Emperor Party, and suppress the Advent Party."

Han Xiao became interested and sized up Sesilinn, "You are a member of the Ancient Emperor Party, yet you are acting as a lobbyist for another party. Could it be that you have secretly joined the so-called Pioneer Party and are a spy?"

Sesilinn shook his head, "No, I was born on a colony planet controlled by the Ancient Emperor Party, and I served in the Ancient Emperor Party's army after adulthood. So far, I have not joined any other party."

"Then what are you doing this for, benefits? Did the Pioneer Party promise you benefits?"

"No, I hold a high position in the Ancient Emperor Party and am a war hero. The Pioneer Party would not try to win over a staunch member like me. Moreover, with my status, what the Pioneer Party can give me, the Ancient Emperor Party can also give me. I am not doing this for benefits."

"Then what is it for?"

"Ideals." Sesilinn said in a deep voice, "I agree more with the Pioneer Party's ideals. The Ancient Emperor Party is already corrupt, and only the Pioneer Party can fill the future of civilization with hope."

"I understand." Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, "You are a traitor. The Ancient Emperor Party gave you power and status, and even allowed you to enjoy a spot for the Evolution Cube, yet you are secretly thinking of overthrowing its rule?"

"From their standpoint, I am indeed a betrayal, but from the Pioneer Party's standpoint, I have become someone who abandons the darkness and turns to the light. The wording depends on the standpoint, so I only want to focus on actual actions and not care about other people's evaluations." Sesilinn said in a low voice, "When I was young, I was a passionate youth who always wanted to serve the civilization, but at that time, my thinking was not mature. Like many people, I was also keen on maintaining the orthodox Ancient Emperor Party. Because I was born on their colony planet, my position was largely determined by innate factors… But after serving for so many years, I began to doubt the Ancient Emperor Party's ideals and style of doing things, and my beliefs became increasingly shaken."

Han Xiao looked at him without speaking, and asked Philip to search for detailed information on the Gular civilization. He would not listen to one-sided statements.

At this time, Sesilinn's tone fluctuated, containing a hint of hidden anger:

"Due to the party opposition, the Ancient Emperor Party has carried out many bloody incidents against their compatriots in secret in order to maintain their absolute rule. I have participated in some of them, and now that I think about it, I regret it very much. I have seen the darkness of politics, the bloodiness of rule, and the imprisonment of thought, and I once fell into self-doubt. My house is full of medals awarded to me by the Ancient Emperor Party. I used to like to look at them and recall the glory of the past, but now when I look at these medals that I was once proud of, I seem to be able to smell the disgusting stench of blood in my nose."

Han Xiao stroked his chin, "So you decided to betray the party that nurtured you?"

"To be precise, after experiencing self-doubt, I felt like I had unlocked some kind of shackle." Sesilinn picked up his glass and took a sip, took a breath, and sighed, "I have always been bound by my identity. At that moment, I realized that the three parties are just internal divisions of the civilization, and the so-called opposition is meaningless. The future of the entire civilization should be of greater concern. Whoever can bring a brighter future to Gular, I should help them. So I got rid of the entanglement of being a member of the Ancient Emperor Party, got rid of the position that had been binding me, and chose to follow the free thought, to follow my inner judgment, so I chose the Pioneer Party, which is supported by the people, they can take Gular further."

"So you think you are great?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.

"I don't have such thoughts." Sesilinn shook his head.

"... Regarding your choice, I am just an outsider and don't want to comment on it."

Han Xiao said slowly, "I just want to know, you said you didn't join any other party, so why are you representing the Pioneer Party to talk to me about cooperation?"

"I am not representing the Pioneer Party now, but making a request to you in my personal capacity."

Han Xiao laughed, "Then why do you think you can persuade me to intervene in a civil war that I don't care about at all? You haven't reached a consensus with the Pioneer Party. Putting aside whether they intend to let me intervene, realistically speaking, can you afford the reward for war employment? Why should I kick away the Ancient Emperor Party that is currently cooperating with me to help you? What can you bring me?"

"I know it's abrupt to ask in a personal capacity, but I have no choice." Sesilinn said in a deep voice, "The Ancient Emperor Party sent me here this time, and also gave me a task, which is to let me, as an envoy, represent the Ancient Emperor Party in proposing a war employment application to you. They are preparing to use force to eliminate the other two parties and recover all the divided areas."

"So that's how it is." Han Xiao understood.

The Ancient Emperor Party wanted to solve the division once and for all, but they didn't want to be controlled by advanced civilizations, so they didn't ask for help from star cluster-level civilizations, but instead planned to hire foreign aid, that is, interstellar mercenaries. In the Shattered Star Ring, there are several of the largest mercenary forces, among which the three most representative are the Mercenary Alliance, the World of War, and the Black Star Army.

Since the Black Star Army is the chief director of the Mercenary Alliance and is also an ally of the Empire along with the World of War, as long as the Black Star Army is hired, the mercenaries in the Shattered Star Ring will basically not be hired by employers who oppose the Black Star Army. After all, the Black Star Army has a high status and strong strength. Although mercenaries value money, they don't want to die. At the same time, mercenary groups with cooperative relationships are not hired by mutually hostile employers. This is a potential industry rule in the mercenary industry.

In the mercenary world of the Shattered Star Ring, the status and influence of the Black Star Army have reached the pinnacle.

As the ruling party, the Ancient Emperor Party has already established a connection with the Black Star Army. As long as they get assistance, the Pioneer Party that Sesilinn values will definitely be doomed. Therefore, he can only take a risk and make a request directly to Han Xiao without sufficient preparation.

Tsk, to choose you, a traitor, as an envoy, they are really out of luck… The corners of Han Xiao's mouth twitched slightly.

Could this be "I had no choice before, but now I want to be a good person"?

Han Xiao shook his head, "Let's talk about something practical. No matter which party is in power, it doesn't make much difference to me. The Ancient Emperor Party must have proposed a substantial price for cooperating with the Black Star Army, but you came to me so rashly, and you can't guarantee anything… Forget it, I don't want to say unpleasant things, this conversation can end."

Saying that, Han Xiao put down his glass, stood up, and walked towards the door, feeling a little dissatisfied in his heart.

Sesilinn's words sounded nice, but he didn't talk about any substantial rewards. Han Xiao didn't care about the party struggle of a strange civilization. The Black Star Army retained its mercenary business after its transformation, but mercenaries don't run charity halls.

Violating professional standards is a behavior without professional ethics. Without actual benefits, you want to fool a Beyond Grade A with your mouth?

To think so beautifully, why don't you just die of beauty!

"Please wait." Sesilinn stood up quickly, "Just as you said, which party is in power has no impact on you. The Pioneer Party will also maintain a cooperative relationship with you. I beg you to help the Pioneer Party. The stronger the Gular civilization becomes, the more rewards it will bring you. The Ancient Emperor Party is already corrupt, and the Pioneer Party is the righteous one."

"What does the justice in your mouth have to do with me?" Han Xiao said without turning his head. Just by touching his upper and lower lips, he set up a banner of justice for himself. Everyone is just trying to survive, it's meaningless to do this.

His kindness only exists among acquaintances, and is very limited to strangers. This is both a personality trait and the indifference created by the times. Moreover, after experiencing so many things, he will naturally not be easily persuaded by outsiders.

"Please help the Gular civilization!"

*Dong.*

An unusual sound came from behind. Han Xiao turned around and saw Sesilinn prostrate on the ground, a Disaster Grade making the most humble gesture to ask for help, his tone anxious, he had no other words to say.

After glancing at it, Han Xiao remained unmoved, retracted his gaze, and was about to push the door and leave.

Just then, the panel popped up with a mission.

[You have triggered the S-level mission [Gular Civilization - Pioneer's Fire]!]

[Mission Introduction: The Gular civilization is a star system-level civilization suffering from internal divisions. Serious party opposition has kept this civilization in the shadow of war. The civilization has not made progress for many years, and is even constantly regressing. In order to break the deadlock, Sesilinn, a high-level member of the Ancient Emperor Party, decided to defect to the Pioneer Party and made a request to you]

[Mission Requirements: Overthrow the rule of the Ancient Emperor Party, eliminate the Advent Party, and make the Pioneer Party the ruler of the Gular civilization]

[Failure Condition: The Pioneer Party is destroyed]

[Reward: After completing the mission, the reward depends on the performance evaluation]

"S-level mission?" Han Xiao paused. A political change in a star system-level civilization is basically the same as an all-out war. It is indeed S-level difficulty. It is difficult for players to influence the internal war of a star system-level civilization.

Of course, he is different. The Black Star Army has a very large force, so it is naturally qualified to intervene in the war of a star system-level civilization. This mission is not difficult for him.

After thinking about it, Han Xiao didn't stop, opened the door silently and walked out, leaving Sesilinn lost in the room.

The S-level mission is indeed attractive, but if helping the Pioneer Party gives a mission, there is no reason why helping the Ancient Emperor Party wouldn't have a mission. Han Xiao is experienced and can tell at a glance that this must be a series of missions.

Han Xiao plans to communicate with other high-level members of the Gular civilization first, trigger the mission of another party, and then see how to choose.

He has never been the kind of obsessive-compulsive person who must do a mission as soon as the panel pops up.

A war employment of the S-level mission level is not a small matter. Although the Black Star Army now has a status comparable to that of a star cluster level, it does not mean that it can ignore a star system-level civilization.

Han Xiao is very clear that although the Black Star Army has a high status, this is due to his own factors. The development time of the faction is limited after all. The military strength of the army is no problem in fighting a star system-level war, but it is still far from a star cluster-level civilization.

Han Xiao doesn't really need the rewards of this mission, and he doesn't care about the rewards of a star system-level civilization. He cares about this matter mainly for the players.

He naturally doesn't plan to personally intervene in this war employment - it's too bullying for a Beyond Grade A to intervene in the struggle of a star system-level civilization, which is not in line with his status and is not conducive to his reputation. Moreover, during this period of time, he just wants to stay quietly at the headquarters to build machines and wait for the experience penalty period to pass, so this mission is of course thrown to the players to do.

Moreover, players are indeed the best executors of this kind of mission, which can greatly reduce the casualties of the legion soldiers.

The Lighthouse Star battle has come to an end, and it is estimated that there will be no other major events for a long time. Players can only do side quests. Exploring the Flickering World has its benefits, but it is a bit boring for players, so he is thinking about creating a new major event to fill this gap and take care of the players' experience in the legion.

On the other hand, this is also to allow the legion players to obtain more rewards before the professional league. The rewards of the S-level war employment mission must be more generous than the side quests.

Helping players grow faster within the boundaries of the version can strengthen the appeal of the faction. Han Xiao has always done this.

At this time, Philip bubbled up in the quantum network.

"Master, I have found the information on the Ancient Emperor Party you requested."

Hearing this, Han Xiao's mind entered the quantum network to check the information.

In this regard, Sesilinn did not lie - and he did not dare to lie. The Ancient Emperor Party is indeed unpopular, the rule is corrupt, the powerful collude, corruption is serious, and the citizens are full of resentment, but they are controlled by high pressure and dare to be angry but dare not speak.

The Advent Party is not a good thing either, and is in some ways more radical, and the Pioneer Party itself is not as good as Sesilinn said, but with two peers to compare, it is indeed the most reliable of the three main parties, which can be regarded as picking a general from the dwarfs.

After reading it, Han Xiao nodded secretly.

Seeing is believing, with the actual information, he has a clear understanding in his mind.