Everything was peaceful. Bloodshed Land's people did not start another conflict, and the Tyrant's Eight a.s.s Kissers… ahem, Eight Vanguard Officials did not appear again.
Other than not being allowed in the restricted areas, the guests could move freely in Bloodshed Land, and the soldiers would lead the tours.
Han Xiao occasionally toured Bloodshed Land.
Even the regular soldiers in Planet Heber's headquarters were low-grade Supers; there were almost no normal people. The people under the Tyrant were mostly Pugilists, so buff guys could be seen everywhere.
The soldiers wore gray, specially-made heavy armor, which enhanced their body strength and the effect of their Pugilist energy.
Han Xiao noticed that other than the normal soldiers, Bloodshed Land also had some elite soldiers. Their individual physique was stronger, and they wore better armor. Their armor had many exterior prosthetics such as tails, wings, huge claws, and so on. From what the soldier that led the way said, those soldiers were called Thousand Beast Soldiers, one of the elite armies of Bloodshed Land.
Han Xiao was more interested in Bloodshed Land's weapons and carriers; they were all incredibly unique and exclusive to Bloodshed Land. Clearly, the Tyrant had a group of Mechanics designing special equipment.
Bloodshed Land was happy to showcase their power to the guests, but what they showed was only the tip of the iceberg.
Han Xiao could not help but feel a sense of pressure. He was building his own organization, and although they had risen very quickly, there was still a very vast difference between them and large organizations like this, which had been around for so many years and gathered so many resources.
There was still a long way to go for the Black Star Army.
Over the past few days, guests had been arriving and entering the castles continuously.
Although Ames had come to attend the party, she was clearly unconcerned about such things. She had been staying in the room to teach Hila and Aurora, while Han Xiao represented her and socialized.
When he was not touring Bloodshed Land, Han Xiao was chatting with the guests. The guests all represented known organizations in the Shattered Star Ring, so this was a good opportunity to expand his connections and get to know other people.
There were leaders of huge financial groups, representatives of Star Cl.u.s.ter Civilizations, and the most successful people in various industries such as intelligence organizations and ammunition organizations. Han Xiao even saw the Mercenary Alliance's person in charge of Shattered Star Ring, who was very friendly and had a great chat with Han Xiao.
The position, ident.i.ty, and influence of the guests invited were all at the top of the pyramid in the Shattered Star Ring.
Most of the organizations had heard of Black Star. Although they did not pay much attention to him, he represented Floating Dragon, and the Black Star Army had become quite famous lately.
Han Xiao's current Renown and Legendary Points had reached a certain level, so most of the guests acknowledged that Han Xiao could be part of the circle.
Up until now, Han Xiao had only been active around various Star Systems, which were just the tip of the iceberg of the Shattered Star Ring, so his influence was limited. Now, he had finally stepped into a higher level and met with the people that made up the 'core' of the Shattered Star Ring.
The other guests were divided into several levels. The comparatively lowest level consisted of the large financial groups, and in the middle were the large organizations. Floating Dragon Island was between the low and medium level.
The highest level comprised enormous organizations like Bloodshed Land, as well as the representatives of the seven Star Cl.u.s.ter Civilizations of the Shattered Star Ring. The degree of acknowledgment that they had for Han Xiao decreased as their level increased.
The att.i.tude of the Star Cl.u.s.ter Civilization representatives toward Han Xiao was mostly limited to formalities, except two civilizations who were friendlier—the Purple Crystal Civilization and the Klent Kingdom.
Colton was Purple Crystal's territory. Plus, Dragon Emperor had been hanging around the Colton Star Cl.u.s.ter. To the Purple Crystal Civilization's representative, Han Xiao was considered half an ally to them. The Purple Crystal Civilization's att.i.tude was gentle and friendly.
The Klent Kingdom's high ranked officials were more pa.s.sionate. They even actively approached Han Xiao to chat, clearly showing their intention of establis.h.i.+ng a relations.h.i.+p. Of course, Han Xiao had no reason to refuse.
Nonetheless, he had never had contact with any Klents, so he was quite confused as to why this guy was as pa.s.sionate as an animal in heat…
After a few days, Han Xiao's communicator obtained the contacts of hundreds of people, who were all the best in their industries. Just these connections had already made this trip worth it.
When he returned to Floating Dragon Island and shares these contacts with Jenny, she would definitely be very touched.
…
Finally, the last day before the party arrived.
That day, to their astonis.h.i.+ng surprise, the Tyrant sent someone to Han Xiao and the others, inviting them to attend a private meeting hosted in Heber Palace.
"Heber wants to meet privately? What's his goal?" Han Xiao was curious.
"No idea." Ames shook her head. "We'll know when we get there."
She wanted to know Heber's stance, so she accepted the invitation.
They walked into Heber Palace and arrived at a huge conference room. Three thrones hovered three meters above ground in a triangular shape.
On one of the thrones sat a seven-meter-tall giant, giving off a very strong vibe. As soon as they walked into the room, they subconsciously looked over. Heber's presence was dominating, so he could attract the attention of others immediately.
This was the first time that Han Xiao had met Heber in person, and he was instantly reminded of a crouching lion.
Huge. That was Han Xiao's first impression of Heber.
"Sit." Heber looked over. His eyes were tranquil, and his tone was calm, yet it possessed a natural pressure as if dominance was deeply embedded in his bones. No matter what he did, it would give people that feeling.
Ames snorted. She hovered up and sat on one of the thrones. Han Xiao and the two sisters stood beside the throne.
"What did you call me here for?" Ames asked in a deep voice.
Heber looked at the empty third throne and said, "There's one more person missing. We'll talk when everyone's here."
Then, Tyrant closed his eyes and rested, leaving Ames aside.
a.s.sertive… Han Xiao's lips twitched uncontrollably.
Ames snorted, already used to it. This was Heber's way of doing things. Straight forward and forceful, he did not like to have peaceful chats.
After a while, the gate opened again.
A child wearing an oversized Mage robe floated in wobbly, and a few tiny magic dragons swam around his body obediently.
This child's face was chubby and round, and his ears were sharp. He only looked six or seven years old. A red and white Mage robe hung on his tiny body, like an exquisite and luxurious blanket. Instead of him wearing the Mage robe, it was more like the Mage robe wrapped him up, the tail of which almost touched the floor.
Beneath the child were a few masked men wearing black hooded robes. They were looking down as they walked, seeming mysterious.
"You're here, too?" Ames' tone heightened.
"Heard there's something huge this time, so I'm here to take a look." The child sat on the empty throne. With an exceptionally tender and childish voice, he nodded at the other two and said, "Ames, Heber, it's been some time since we last met."
Han Xiao then realized that this child was another Beyond Grade A in Shattered Star Ring—[Magus] Austin. An unfathomable Mage.
Austin looked very young, but he actually belonged to a long-lived race. He was born with an incomparable Magic Affinity. Like the others, he had many t.i.tles: 'Bender of Rules', 'Creator of Forbidden Spells', 'Half Spell Body', 'Ruler of Arcane', and others.
Han Xiao looked at the hooded black robe masked Mages below Austin. Every Mage crossed their arms in front of them, their hands hidden in the large sleeves, and stared at the ground like silent sculptures.
So, these are the Forbidden Sorcerers. Han Xiao squinted.
[Magus] Austin's organization was called Hidden Red Robe Abbey, one of the holy lands of Mages in the Shattered Star Ring. They focused on studying and discussing magic, occasionally handling magic-related investigations for some civilizations. As long as one was a Mage in the Shattered Star Ring, most of them would be willing to join Hidden Red Robe Abbey. That organization had the characteristics of a guild.
Hidden Red Robe Abbey was separated into outer members and inner members. Outer members were all free people that would not have to hold much responsibility, if any. If one wanted to learn deeper magic, they had to pa.s.s tests and sign a magic contract to become inner members of Hidden Red Robe Abbey, following orders.
Only the inner members were considered to be under Austin's command. The Forbidden Sorcerers were Hidden Red Robe Abbey's elites. Due to different organizational structures, their military power was not as strong as that of Bloodshed Land, but if the outer members were included, their numbers would probably be much larger than Bloodshed Land.
Other than Ames, Heber had invited another Beyond Grade A. There were four Beyond Grade As in the Shattered Star Ring, and three were gathered there.
Heber then opened his eyes and said, "Everyone's here. Let's get down to business."
"Wait, where's the other guy?" Ames asked. She was talking about the last Beyond Grade A who was not there.
"He said that it's too far, and he's too lazy to come."
"That sounds like him indeed." Austin chuckled.
Heber did not want to waste time chitchatting. He got straight to the point and slowly said, "The purpose of this meeting is to introduce someone to you guys."
The other side of the gate opened, and a person walked in. Everyone looked over with curiosity, wanting to see who this person that Heber wanted to introduce to the other two Beyond Grade As was.
This person was a human species, about 2.5 meters tall. His skin was light red, he had short hair, and his face was unique but mostly suited the aesthetic of s.p.a.cehumans. He wore a soft, uncommon robe, it looked very complex and luxurious; the material could not be determined. The patterns on the robe were exquisite, the base of which was crimson red.
Facing three Beyond Grade As, this person remained calm. He stood in between the three thrones and greeted the three of them gently.
"Let me introduce," Heber said slowly, "the Crimson Empire's envoy, Zoel."
The pupils of everyone instantly contracted.
Han Xiao's face remained the same, but there was a storm in his mind.
The Crimson Empire, one of the three Universal Civilizations!
The highest level civilization sent an envoy to attend the Tyrant's party‽
Has Heber already formed connections with the three Universal Civilizations?
Wait a minute… Han Xiao suddenly realized a problem.
On paper, the Shattered Star Ring belonged to the Federation of Light's territory. However, the Crimson Empire had sent an envoy secretly to the Tyrant's party where all the important people would attend. The meaning of this was extraordinary.
Han Xiao's mind worked fast. Suddenly, he recalled something, and the look in his eyes changed slightly.
He remembered that the background of Version 3.0 [Crimson Tide] was the expansion of the Crimson Empire, affecting various Star Fields.
It turned out that a sign had already appeared.
Han Xiao took a deep breath and calmed his emotions. The Tyrant's party might be an ambus.h.!.+
Ames frowned slightly and recalled Ames's prophecy before departing.
This party is indeed not simple…
The room fell silent.
Zoel looked around slightly and broke the ice. "I'm honored to meet the three Beyond Grade As of the Shattered Star Ring."
"We're honored, too," Austin replied before looking at Heber inquisitively.
Introducing a Crimson Empire envoy, what did this mean?
"What we are going to talk about next is the theme of this party. I'm now telling you guys in advance," Heber said with a deep voice. "Not long ago, the Exterior Universe Explorer Device that the Federation of Light had outside the Shattered Star Ring sent a report back. It crossed an enormous area of desolate universe and was circling around a new Star Cl.u.s.ter area outside the edge. That's an unowned Star Cl.u.s.ter, and it needs to be explored and included in the Shattered Star Ring's map."
The others had different expressions on their faces.
No wonder the seven Star Cl.u.s.ter Civilizations all sent a representative to attend this party, Han Xiao realized.
Ever since the Peace Treaty was signed, all three Universal Civilizations had been trying to explore the unexplored universe and expand the known universe.
Every time a new land appeared, new battles erupted.
Since all the Star Cl.u.s.ters of the Shattered Star Ring belonged to the seven Star Cl.u.s.ter Civilizations, the new Star Cl.u.s.ter was a cake that everyone wanted a piece of, if not the whole cake.
"The Federation of Light wants the new Star Cl.u.s.ter to be added to the Shattered Star Ring. We, however, want to deem it as the starting point of a new Star Field," Zoel said.
Although he did not speak of the details, everyone understood what he meant.
The Shattered Star Ring was Federation of Light's territory, but a new Star Field did not belong to anyone. The Crimson Empire's goal was huge—what they wanted was not just a Star Cl.u.s.ter.
In the explored universe, the center Star Fields were bustling, and the Star Fields at the edge were more chaotic and backward. Star Fields at the border like the Shattered Star Ring were where the compet.i.tion was most intense—only these places had opportunities to continue to explore and expand further.
"Therefore, on behalf of the Crimson Empire, I hope to receive help from you." Zoel stated his goal.
Heber stayed silent. He had introduced the Crimson Empire envoy to the others, so it was clear that Bloodshed Land had made its decision.
So, the Federation of Light or the Crimson Empire?
Austin and Ames exchanged looks and stayed silent.
Han Xiao's eyes became firm. They're making a big move!
