Chapter 1126 An Opportunity for a Deal

Everyone took their seats and began the meeting. Tarrokov’s presentation covered the current state of their exploration.

Listening for a while, Ravenlaude was quite pleased. He was also exploring the Gorol Star Cluster. The long-distance Star Gate passage established by the Black Star Army gave him more options, which was very beneficial to him.

"I wonder what Black Star is thinking." Ravenlaude chuckled inwardly.

While Herber was steadily exploring the Lenore Star Cluster, the subsequent exploration teams found little profit and could only warp slowly. The Black Star Army, on the other hand, seemed not to care about its own interests, burning itself to warm those who came later. What kind of spirit was this? It was the spirit of great selflessness and interplanetary camaraderie!

Glancing at Han Xiao, Ravenlaude’s eyes grew more playful.

Sensing Ravenlaude’s gaze, Han Xiao turned back and smiled at him, his eyes also hiding a touch of amusement.

Although the long-distance Star Gate facilitated Ravenlaude’s exploration, the greatest prize, the Spacetime Amber, had already fallen into his hands.

Moreover, even if Ravenlaude could freely explore many areas with the help of the long-distance Star Gate, all the most resource-rich and famous planets from his previous life had already been seized by Han Xiao. There were few high-quality planets left for Ravenlaude. Of course, Ravenlaude was completely unaware of this.

Their gazes met, as if sparks flew, like a silent exchange. Their eyes were full of hidden meaning, which could be described as follows:

Ravenlaude: Hmph, you’ve lost out.

Han Xiao: Heh heh, you little rascal, you don’t even know you’re the one losing out, do you?

…

The meeting ended quickly. Everyone present dispersed. Since Han Xiao, Herber, and the other first-batch exploration teams had already built Star Gates and bridgeheads, the second batch of exploration teams could directly reach various star clusters without needing to delay time at the Lighthouse Star. They soon set off on their respective journeys.

Militzaus and Beyoni's troops also moved out, but they themselves stayed behind to accompany Han Xiao, serving as temporary guards for the Evolutionary Cube.

As both were Super-A Grade powerhouses of the Empire, neither of them minded building a connection with their colleague, Black Star.

In the spacious room, the three of them sat facing each other. On the table were three cups of steaming, fiery-red liquid. This was Beyoni’s specialty brought from home, said to be a characteristic drink beloved by the Fiery Demons.

Han Xiao took a big gulp. The texture was thick and smooth, scalding hot, like a line of fire flowing down his throat. His stomach felt warm, and a series of "-0" damage notifications popped up above his head.

"The taste is not bad. What is this?" Han Xiao smacked his lips, feeling good.

"Hehe, this is magma produced in the Land of the Fire Core, with concentrated alcohol mixed in. Delicious, right?"

MMP, you actually gave me magma to drink… Han Xiao’s mouth twitched.

The Land of the Fire Core seemed to be the only cosmic treasure possessed by the Fiery Demons, a cradle that allowed young Fiery Demons to grow rapidly. Han Xiao remembered that the Extinguishing Legion had always wanted to destroy this thing.

Hesitating for a moment, Han Xiao still did not put down the cup and could not help but take another sip, licking his lips.

"...Another cup."

Have to say, the taste was really a bit addictive.

He had even stayed in a star before, so drinking a little magma was just basic operation.

Militzaus looked speechlessly at the cup in front of him. He, a Mana Avatar, did not know whether he should drink it or not. He shook his head, interrupted the two of them, and asked, "Black Star, what is this trade you mentioned earlier?"

Han Xiao put down the cup and smiled, "The Dragon Blood Kingdom is famous throughout the universe for its various Dragon Blood Concoctions. I want to use the slots to use the Evolutionary Cube in exchange for Dragon Blood Concoctions. You are the leader of the Astral Spirit Dragon Race, and I believe you would also want some capable clansmen to evolve."

Militzaus pondered for a moment and nodded, "Yes, how specifically do you want to exchange?"

Dragon Blood Concoctions were originally specialties that were sold, so Militzaus would naturally not refuse. The Dragon Blood Kingdom used dragon blood to cultivate and create mixed-blood dragon descendants, which belonged to the clan's vassals and armed organizations. The Astral Spirit Dragon Race was the foundation he valued.

"Two tons of ordinary Dragon Blood Concoctions plus one hundred kilograms of refined Dragon Blood Concoctions in exchange for one hundred Evolutionary Cube slots."

Militzaus was a little confused.

Tons?

Dragon Blood Concoctions were usually sold by the bottle, you bastard!

Militzaus said with dissatisfaction, "It takes more than ten tons of C-grade individuals' dragon blood to extract one ton of Dragon Blood Concoction. The proportion of refined Dragon Blood Concoctions is even more disparate. Why don't I just give you a few dragons and let you bleed them yourself?"

Han Xiao said with a serious expression, "That's not impossible..."

"You're too greedy!" Militzaus said angrily.

"It's not like you have to buy all the slots at once. We can take it slow." Han Xiao chuckled. Friendship was friendship, but when it came to business, he still had to have a big appetite.

He wanted so many Dragon Blood Concoctions, of course, he could not use them all himself. The main thing was to use them to train capable subordinates and sell them to the players at a high price.

Expanding the Black Star Army's product channels by selling specialties from another camp and indirectly increasing the camp's attractiveness had become a habit of Han Xiao's.

Militzaus was speechless. Although they were large and had a lot of blood, you could not just keep squeezing them dry!

"If you have any concerns, I can let your clansmen experience the actual effect of the Evolutionary Cube for free." Han Xiao said.

"Alright, let's find an open space, and I'll call a dragon down." Militzaus nodded.

Han Xiao looked at Beyoni, and Beyoni indicated that he had no objections. He also wanted to observe the effect.

The three of them went out together and came to a spacious metal square.

Han Xiao looked up and saw a giant dragon descending from the sky.

Whoosh—

The dragon wings flapped, stirring up a howling gale. The Astral Spirit Dragon landed on the square with a bang, and the ground shook slightly.

Han Xiao looked up and down. The giant dragon was slender, about a thousand meters long, with two pairs of large wings on its back and three pairs of dragon claws under its body. Its dragon neck was raised high, like a thick python, and its dragon head was lowered. A pair of golden, cold dragon pupils stared at the three of them.

This was a normal Astral Spirit Dragon. Compared to Militzaus, its size was not so exaggerated. The Astral Spirit Dragon did not have the habit of running around naked. It was covered in sections of black metal armor, with most of its body wrapped in specially made heavy armor.

The armor was also equipped with mechanical weapons, including naval gun turrets, warship shields, and so on. It could be said to be fully armed. Such a heavily armed giant dragon could be used directly as a warship. The combination of machinery and flesh created a heavy sense of beauty.

On these armors and dragon bodies, a large number of magic circuits were engraved, flashing with a faint glow, and were obviously enchanted.

"This is my Armored Dragon Guard. Let him try the effect of the Evolutionary Cube first." Militzaus said. As a Super-A Grade, he also had his own elite troops, and the Armored Dragon Guard was just like Austin's Forbidden Witch Troops.

Ho, this big guy looks really awesome… Han Xiao's eyes lit up. The style of this giant creature in full armor was really to his liking.

Temporarily removing the packaging of the Evolutionary Cube, Han Xiao activated it. The dark Evolutionary Energy surged out and wrapped around the Armored Dragon Guard, forming an Evolutionary Black Cocoon.

Crack crack…

Before long, the Black Cocoon shattered, like a newborn breaking out of its shell. In the keen senses of the three Super-A Grades, the Armored Dragon Guard's aura had grown a lot, and its size had obviously become larger. The heavy armor on its body had become a little too tight.

Roar—

The Armored Dragon Guard suddenly looked up and spat out a brilliant silver-purple dragon breath. The surging beam of light was like a fountain rising into the sky, constantly spreading and resembling a dazzling sea of light. It exploded like shattered jade in the sky thousands of meters high, like fireworks, with amazing momentum.

"Looks like the effect is good." Beyoni was a little jealous. If the Fiery Demon race's females were strengthened, they would be able to withstand more of his fiery essence, which would definitely be conducive to the reproduction of his inherited race.

You get what you pay for, and Militzaus was also very satisfied.

"Alright, at this price, I'll buy… two thousand slots first."

"How can two thousand be enough? Although your Astral Spirit Dragon Race has a small population, you still have millions of dragons, right? Buy more." Han Xiao chuckled and urged.

"We'll talk about those later." Militzaus snorted.

If he bought tens of thousands of slots in one go, their Astral Spirit Dragon Race could change their name to the Anemic Dragon Race.

"I have another request." Han Xiao smiled dryly, looking up and down at the Armored Dragon Guard in front of him, "I think your Astral Spirit Dragons are quite beautiful..."

"What do you want to do again?" Militzaus was wary.

"Do you mind if I recruit a few Astral Spirit Dragons as partners..."

"Don't even think about it!" Militzaus was so angry that he almost could not maintain his Mana Avatar.

Partners? Did you think I didn't see the desire in your eyes? You probably want my clansmen to be your mounts! That's too much. Why don't you just ride me!

Militzaus had read Han Xiao's information before coming, and he already had some understanding of his shamelessness, but after actually getting in contact with him, Han Xiao's shamelessness still exceeded his expectations. Openly raising the price was one thing, but to actually say in front of him that he wanted to ride his dragon sons and dragon grandsons, how could there be such a shameless Super-A Grade!

However, Militzaus did not dislike it. On the contrary, he liked Black Star's style. More than 80% of the Super-A Grades in the universe paid attention to their image, always keeping a cold face for fear that others would not know they were important figures. It was quite fun to occasionally encounter someone with a different style.

Having lived for so long, either you became indifferent to everything, or you became more fond of novelties, and Militzaus and Isora had quite a few things in common. They were both masochists.

…

Central Star Sea, Bright Silver Arm, the Arcane Church's Mother Planet.

In a huge hall, the Council of Bishops sat around a round table, arguing incessantly, discussing the issue of the Evolutionary Cube.

Mobilizing a large number of Super-A Grade combatants at once was no small matter and required the decision of the Arcane Church's highest echelons. Due to Sisko's incident, the Council of Bishops' opinions had diverged.

"I think we should abandon this plan!"

With those words, a bishop stood up and said calmly, "We have lost our sense of the Evolutionary Cube and have fallen into a dilemma. According to the latest intelligence, the Empire is aware of our intentions. Black Star has returned to the Lighthouse Star Outpost, hiding under heavy protection. The Empire has also assigned him two bodyguards, namely 'Annihilation' Beyoni and 'Dragon King' Militzaus. If we continue the plan, we will be facing three Crimson Empire high-level combatants, which already falls into the category of a frontal conflict and violates our original intentions.

The Lighthouse Star is heavily guarded. As long as our smuggling fleet appears in the Lighthouse Star's surveillance sector, it will be discovered by the Empire. Then, we will be facing the Lighthouse Star garrison, which has completed its war deployment. The risk is too great."

Everyone looked at him in silence.

"More importantly, without the location of the Evolutionary Cube, if Black Star hides it, we will have no way to find it. Capturing Black Star alive is also an extremely difficult task. The gains are not proportional to the risks. We…" The bishop paused, sighed, and said, "Let's give up the Evolutionary Cube."

Everyone could not refute him and subconsciously turned to look at the main seat, which should have been the seat of the Chief, but it was vacant. However, everyone knew that the discussion here had already been conveyed to the Chief.

The discussion had reached a stalemate. The rest depended on the Chief's decision.

After waiting for a while, a holographic projection suddenly appeared in the center of the round table. The projection changed into several lines of text. This was the Chief's reply, and the bishops all looked over.

The Chief's reply contained four messages.

"First, the Gods have revealed that the Evolutionary Cube is still on Black Star."

"Second, the plan has been changed. Assault the Lighthouse Star."

"Third, a new action target has been added. Permission to use the [Scepter of All Gods]. Attempt to kill Militzaus."

"Fourth, the Light Federation has agreed to provide assistance."