Chapter 1 Resuming Operations

Having put on his clothes again and tidied his appearance, Han Xiao pushed open the door of the combat training room and walked out.

Outside was a silvery-white alloy corridor, the embedded ceiling lights shining with white light. The corridor was ring-shaped, with combat training rooms on either side. Each alloy door was engraved with its room number in black font, and a floating virtual screen displayed the user's identity. This area was a training ground exclusively for the cadres.

The Black Star Army's headquarters satellite was enormous, with the surface divided into multiple bases. Han Xiao was currently in the core main base.

Han Xiao rubbed his stomach. He had just completed his advancement, and his stamina was full, but mentally he felt as if he had used up a lot of energy. After thinking about it, he decided to treat himself to a good meal in the dining area. If he kept swallowing nutrient paste every day, he feared his taste buds would become numb sooner or later.

The dining area was a living facility, and because the tastes of various races differed, the chefs came from all sorts of races.

The base was large, and the mode of transportation was an anti-gravity levitating spherical vehicle, all products of the logistics department. In his own home, Han Xiao wouldn't bother running for no reason. He casually found a levitating sphere and slowly flew toward the dining area.

From afar, the sea of people in the dining area came into view. As the distance closed, the noise grew louder and louder. No matter what, the flow of people in the dining area was always the densest.

Han Xiao landed on the docking platform in the dining area, casually parked the levitating sphere, and stepped inside. Some Black Star Army warriors who had finished eating and were chatting idly by the door noticed Han Xiao's figure, and their lazy bodies leaning against the wall suddenly straightened.

"Army Commander!"

"Yo, you too. Have you eaten?" Han Xiao nodded and casually greeted them.

Usually, when he encountered subordinates greeting him at headquarters, he would basically respond. He put on airs for outsiders, but his attitude toward his own people had always been very easygoing.

Entering the spacious dining hall, many people noticed Han Xiao, and pairs of eyes gathered. The atmosphere quieted down for a moment, and then many people looked excited and stood up to salute, greetings rising and falling. Some people sat in their seats and continued eating, only looking up to size up Han Xiao with curious eyes.

As the Black Star Army continued to expand, many new members had never seen Han Xiao in person. Han Xiao didn't usually appear in public areas either, so even within the army, Han Xiao's image as the boss had always maintained a certain mystique.

Moreover, the Esper God incident added a layer of halo to Han Xiao, and his reputation was increasing day by day, making his image in the eyes of the army members even more towering.

Large forces generally had internal conflicts, and the Black Star Army was the same. At its current size, the internal factional issues were even more obvious. Warriors from different departments, races, and backgrounds spontaneously formed small circles. Only Han Xiao could completely suppress everyone. As long as he was there, the army would be as solid as a rock.

"Don't stare at me, eat your food," Han Xiao said helplessly, waving his hand. This was why he didn't like showing up much.

Every time he wandered around the base, it felt like a leader's inspection. How lonely.

"Teacher, here, here!" At this moment, Han Xiao heard a familiar voice and turned his head to look. He saw Sylvia also eating here, waving to him, with Aroshia sitting next to her.

Han Xiao walked over and sat down opposite her, casually picking up a leg of meat roasted to a caramel brown color from the plate and taking a bite. The meat was tender and juicy, sliding lightly on his tongue, and the perfect taste of roasted meat fat and special sauce danced on his taste buds. After chewing a couple of times, it released an even richer aroma.

"The taste is not bad. The chef here deserves a raise." Han Xiao finished chewing a leg in a few bites, smacked his lips, and picked up other dishes, still not quite satisfied. "Remember to allocate funds to the cafeteria department to research new flavors of nutrient paste."

"Got it. You really have a deep love for nutrient paste," Sylvia muttered, cutting vegetables.

"Eating a meal takes ten minutes, but drinking a tube of nutrient paste only takes three seconds. I like highly efficient methods. Learn from it, little sister," Han Xiao joked.

I'm the one managing the chores. You're much more idle than me all day long. What the hell do you need to save time for… Sylvia rolled her eyes and ate in silence.

Han Xiao looked at Aroshia next to him. "How have you been recently?"

"Mmm…" Aroshia didn't look up, focusing on the food in front of her. Her expression was blank, and her cheeks moved as fast as a squirrel's. The number of plates in front of her was more than ten times that of Sylvia's.

She and Sylvia had known each other for a long time, and the two had always had a good relationship. Aroshia's strength could no longer keep up with Han Xiao's pace, and she was gradually unable to act with Han Xiao, but she had a special status within the army. Because of her seniority and the fact that she was too beautiful, she was the secret crush of countless army members, and she also strongly attracted a wave of player fans, boosting domestic demand.

Because of the [Restart] mission, Han Xiao had always been a little reluctant to see Aroshia and Risda. At his current level, it was really not worth it to fall out with the Machinery Country over this small matter. Risda kept pestering him, but Han Xiao currently had no intention of helping them, and he didn't have the ability to do so at this stage.

"By the way, since I saw you here, I don't need to send you a message." Han Xiao said, "In a while, the Federation of Light will send someone to meet with me. You can arrange it then."

Sylvia was startled and looked up. "Teacher, you're an ally of the Empire. Isn't it a little inappropriate to meet with the Federation of Light?"

"Others took the initiative to want to meet me. I should at least listen to what they have to say, right?"

As Han Xiao was speaking, a voice suddenly rang out behind him, interrupting him.

"Black Star, I-I have something to give you!"

Han Xiao turned his head to look and saw a male player with an ID on his forehead standing behind him awkwardly, holding a dark thing in his hand.

Another one sending gifts to curry favor… The players regarded him as an NPC, thinking that giving the right gift would increase favorability. Han Xiao was also very helpless.

Once he showed up at the base, someone would always make this kind of attempt. He was already used to it.

He took the gift and looked at it. It was a slightly rarer mineral material.

…To be honest, Han Xiao didn't understand why someone would send him a mineral. Did they think he couldn't afford it?!

Looking at the other party's expectant face, Han Xiao's mouth twitched. He resisted the urge to lower his favorability and forced a smile. "Thank you."

The male player waited for a while and found that there was no prompt to increase his favorability. He scratched his head and stared at the rare material in Han Xiao's hand, his expression somewhat reluctant.

"Th-that, can I have the gift back?"

Han Xiao's face darkened.

Bro, you're too realistic.

"No."

"Sigh, a loss, a loss." The male player was not reconciled. "Then do you have anything I can do for you?"

No, get lost!

Of course, this was just what he thought. He couldn't be so rude to players.

"...I don't have anything for you to do right now. If you're very free, why don't you go to the Gular Civilization to participate in the war, or go to the Shattered Star Ring to participate in the exploration? There's always work that's suitable for you."

Han Xiao's smile revealed an mmp. (internet slang for "f*** my life")

"Okay…" The male player looked regretful and turned to leave.

To avoid being surrounded by players who came after hearing the news, Han Xiao quickly finished his meal and left the dining area as if fleeing. He changed course to the logistics department, intending to check on Nello's studies.

The [Perfect Mechanical Sense] template was his long-awaited class specialization, and he had been paying attention to Nello's progress.

Arriving at the logistics department, Han Xiao walked into Leonard's office and saw Nello lying on the table doing his homework.

Having drunk the Dragon Blood Potion, he was refreshed, energetic, and full of vitality. Nello's face was rosy and healthy, but his expression was extremely bitter, as if he had swallowed a pile of Coptis chinensis. His facial features seemed to be crumpled into a ball, and the force of his writing went through the paper, as if he wanted to slash the thick workbook into a thousand pieces with his pen.

"Little Nello, Godfather is here to see you." Han Xiao walked over with a smile.

Nello didn't even look at Han Xiao, turning his head away with a resentful look.

Han Xiao turned to look at Leonard. "How's he learning?"

"The Dragon Blood Potion is very effective. It saves extra sleep time, and the learning progress has accelerated a lot. He will soon learn the introductory theory. I plan to add some practical mechanical assembly courses to his next stage of learning plan," Leonard said in a serious tone.

"(´◉.◉)" Nello's hand shook, and the pen fell on the table with a thud. His whole body petrified.

The corners of Han Xiao's mouth twitched.

You're a devil…

At this moment, the door opened again, and Fording, wearing a loose blue robe, walked in. He was stunned when he saw Han Xiao and raised a warm smile like spring. "Black Star, you're here too."

"What are you doing here?" Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.

"I'm here to see Nello," Fording said with a smile. "And play cards with him."

Nello hurriedly got up and threw himself into Fording's arms, his expression as if he had seen a savior. He turned his head back and made a face at Han Xiao.

"Cough, Fording sometimes comes over to play cards with him. This is his entertainment time," Leonard explained.

Han Xiao's eyes were surprised, and the expression on his face seemed to be asking, "You actually give him entertainment time?"

"Uh, once every half a month."

"Oh, I'm disturbing you."

Finally able to play, Nello couldn't wait to take out Vayne cards, tugging at Fording's sleeve to urge him to start quickly. Fording smiled and slowly took out the card deck and played with Nello.

Seeing this, Han Xiao's eyebrows moved. He always felt that Fording doted on Nello very much. Could it be because Fording and Morning Star couldn't have children?

Although Han Xiao didn't like playing cards, he still understood the rules. He only glanced at it, and Han Xiao gasped.

Th-this is the war between the Chosen Ones?

He seemed to see the Goddess of Luck practicing ambidexterity!

Looking at Nello's skillful techniques, Han Xiao's heart ached a little.

My child… you were finally corrupted by Melos and Hadaway.

"I still have to correct it."

Han Xiao resisted the urge to laugh and threw a [Curse of Bad Luck] on Nello, shaking his head and quietly leaving the scene of the crime.

…

After waiting at the headquarters for a period of time, familiarizing himself with his soaring strength and handling some accumulated chores, the envoys of the Federation of Light arrived as scheduled.

The spaceship landed at the Black Star Army headquarters. Mona led a group of people off the spaceship and went to the reception room led by the reception robot.

Han Xiao waited in the reception room for a while. The door slid open automatically, and the envoy team from the Federation of Light walked in. After exchanging greetings, they sat down one after another.

"Federation of Light High-Level Esper Officer, Mona," Mona introduced himself.

Han Xiao sensed the energy in the other party's body and realized that the other party was a Calamity Grade. Then he opened the interface and took a look. Sure enough, after personally contacting the Time Freezer race, the Time Amber task popped up with a prompt.

[【Legacy of the Progenitor - Time Freezer】 Second stage has been completed!]

[【Time Amber】 Soul Linkage +1]

[Current Stage: 2/5]

[【Time Amber】 has started to become closer to you]

[The effect of your buff 【Time Amber's Feedback】 has been refreshed]

[【Time Amber's Feedback (Second Stage)】: Your Stamina Limit +15%, Your Strength, Agility, Endurance +120, Your Intelligence +240, Your Mystery, Charm +50, Your Basic Space Resistance +70%, Your Basic Mental Resistance +30%, all Space related abilities you have mastered have their actual effects increased by 18%~32%]

[Buff Duration: Constant]

Han Xiao was delighted in his heart, but his face remained unchanged. The deepening of the soul connection made him feel a sense of affinity for the Time Amber. In his senses, the Time Amber seemed to have become an old object that he had been playing with for a long time.

Improving the soul linkage would also increase the efficiency of manufacturing amber orbs, but he was currently meeting with people, so he couldn't test it for the time being.

Han Xiao also looked at the third stage task.

[Third Stage Task Requirement: Go to the homeland of the Time Freezer race and tour the homeland with his remains]

Okay, so there's no way to be opportunistic… Han Xiao muttered secretly.

The homeland of the Time Freezer race was in the territory of the Federation of Light. If he wanted to complete the third stage, he could only make a trip himself. After all, they couldn't implement the wandering planet plan and transport the homeland planet to him.

Turning off the interface, Han Xiao got straight to the point. "I haven't had much contact with the Federation of Light. What is your purpose in looking for me?"

Mona said sternly, "That's right, let's not beat around the bush. We in the Federation of Light are very curious about the Time Amber. After consulting the information, we found that the Time Amber seems to be related to a Super-A Grade that we once had in our history."

"Oh, there's such a thing?" Han Xiao pretended to be suspicious, but his heart skipped a beat. The Federation of Light had confidential information about the Time Freezer, and their guess was really accurate.

As for the Federation of Light openly stating that they were interested in the Time Amber, Han Xiao was not surprised at all. After the Beacon Star battle, basically every interstellar force was curious about his two Universal Treasures and must have done research in private. There was nothing to hide in this regard.

"Do you know about the Time Freezer?" Mona asked.

"Let me check."

Han Xiao acted with his heart. After waiting for a while, he nodded and said without changing his expression, not even blinking his eyes,

"Well, now I know. You mean, the Time Amber is related to the Time Freezer?"

Mona had been observing Han Xiao's expression and couldn't see anything. Hearing this, he said,

"We can't confirm either. This is just a guess. I am a descendant of the Time Freezer race, so I requested the Federation of Light to send me to contact you, hoping to understand the origin of the Time Amber."

"Why should I care about the origin of the Time Amber? What good will it do me?"

Han Xiao raised his eyebrows, but he understood in his heart.

The reason why the Federation of Light did this was because they thought that he had just picked up the Time Amber by luck and didn't know the origin behind this Universal Treasure. So, they linked the Time Amber with the ancestors of the Mona clan and used this as a reason to contact him. Mona wanted to find the traces of his ancestors, which didn't involve any interests. This request seemed reasonable, but the Federation of Light naturally knew that he wouldn't let outsiders contact the Time Amber for this reason, so it was just a reason to get close to him.

"Don't worry, because it's related to our clan's ancestors, the Federation of Light just wants to help us investigate, supplement the information for this newly born Universal Treasure, and record it in the public database. They have no other ideas about your Time Amber," Mona explained.

"I believe you." Han Xiao said seriously, "Really."