Chapter 543 Butterfly Effec (1/2)
Han Xiao was taken aback and had a strange look on his face.
All of these assault spaceships were obviously his spoils of war. Why did Barette suddenly want them?
A couple of guesses flashed through his head, but he quickly eliminated them all. Just a few small-sized assault spaceships were not enough to make Godora interested. Could it be that Barette wants these spaceships to increase his battle merits? However, that did not seem likely either. According to how Barette behaved when they were fighting together, while Barette could not be bothered about Planet Aquamarine, Barette showed a basic level of respect toward him. At the very least, Barette would not come into a conflict with him because of these little spoils of war.
Barette's face was extremely calm and did not appear guilty in any way. Han Xiao could not help but emphasize. ”Are you sure that these assault spaceships are your spoils of war? Why do I remember that I was the one who shot them down?”
”Indeed, that is so.” Barette nodded. ”According to the procedures recorded, all the losses suffered by DarkStar in the calamity planets will be Godora's spoils of war. This is the most basic requirement for us to protect the calamity planets.”
”Procedures?”
”Oh, this is the rule that the War Bureau set.”
You want me to follow the rules that Godora set? With a frown, Han Xiao said, ”You guys gave up on Planet Aquamarine at the most critical moment, resulting in the enemy's assault spaceships entering the atmosphere. At the very end, I was the one who defeated the enemy.”
Barette shook his head and said, ”We didn't give up. We were only applying pressure on the enemy's forces. After all, it was too late for us to send reinforcements, and we only made the most appropriate decision in the ever-changing battlefield. If not for my fleet tangling with majority of DarkStar's fleet, you would have faced an enemy many times your size. Thus, it can be said that we exerted a greater amount of strength in this battle. I hope that you will cooperate with me.”
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
Indeed, without Godora's fleet facing the enemy, he would have had to face more than just a small assault force, and it would have been difficult for him to achieve the current victory. For Godora to protect the planets, they naturally did not want to put in effort for nothing, and all the spoils of war obtained by the calamity planet would have to be given to them.
While it sounded logical on the surface, he would only have to follow the so-called procedures set by Godora if he was a subordinate under Planet Aquamarine's regime. However, while Han Xiao was protecting Planet Aquamarine, he was an independent entity, and Godora's rules would not be able to govern him. It would be impossible for him to comply, and there was no need for him to behave meekly either.
”There seems to be something that you aren't clear about. I am the head of a Mercenary Group and the Field Team of Floating Dragon. I am not part of the regime of a backward planet that you can order around as you wish.” Han Xiao's eyes gleamed coldly, and he said slowly, ”What right do you have to order me around?”
Barette's face darkened, and he glared at Han Xiao.
This was a conflict of interest, and both parties glared at each other, refusing to give way. While Barette wanted to behave forcefully, he did not have the ability to command the famous Black Star. After all, Han Xiao's status was far superior to his in the universe. Han Xiao was a famous officer under Floating Dragon while he was an ordinary commander in Godora's War Bureau.
The situation there quickly drew the attention of those in the surroundings. The mercenaries, Godoran soldiers, and players all gathered around. Especially the players who had already turned on their recording features with Bun-Hit-Dog standing at the very front.
”What's going on?” Right at this moment, Nagakin walked over after noticing the commotion.
Barette helplessly explained what was going on. He did not feel that he was in the wrong and was only harvesting the spoils of war according to the procedures. Who would have thought that Han Xiao would not accept his request and end up in a face-off with him? Now that the high ranking Nagakin had arrived, he would have more backing, and Barette heaved a sigh of relief.
Yet, outside his expectations, Nagakin roared at him with displeasure after hearing what had happened. ”Barette! Are you an idiot‽”
”Ah?” Barette was stunned.
”If not for Black Star joining the battle, we would only have been able to watch as the DarkStar fleet escaped from us. Who do you think is the one who helped us capture the DarkStar flagship‽” Nagakin roared at Barette. His rank was higher, so he had the right to reprimand Barette. When Barette refused to listen to his previous commands, Nagakin had already been dissatisfied with him. Now that he had the opportunity, he naturally would not show any mercy.
Black Star's status and strength were not to be estimated. Nagakin was not willing to ruin his relationship with Black Star over something so small. His status was higher than Barette's, and with him representing Godora in reprimanding Barette, it provided a way out of this stalemate.
Barette had initially thought that Nagakin would help him say a word, but never had he imagined that Nagakin would stand on Black Star's side. He was immediately depressed but could not interrupt Nagakin.
After a round of scolding, Nagakin looked at Han Xiao and said, ”This is a misunderstanding.”
”I guessed so.” Han Xiao chuckled.
”You can deal with your spoils of war as you wish, and we won't interfere. Godora will never mistreat our friends.” Nagakin nodded and dragged Barette away.
With the mini storm being settled, everyone in the surroundings heaved a sigh of relief. If the two protectors had broken out in a fight, all of them would definitely have felt anxious. Han Xiao's eyes narrowed as he witnessed the Godorans leaving without saying another word. He then called his fellow mercenaries to enter the assault ships and check the damage.
One would only gain respect with sufficient strength. If he had been an ordinary individual today without any fame, Nagakin would not have spoken up for him. This was something that Han Xiao was extremely clear about. He did not feel gratitude toward Nagakin because of today's event. Those Godorans were all the same. They were usually high above and would act according to the situation, afraid of the strong but bullying the weak. In fact, the majority of civilizations were as such, so it was nothing strange.
Nagakin's attitude today proved that his actions had finally given him a status that Godora would treat seriously. Han Xiao would not become proud because of this but would maintain his usual cool. As long as he had sufficient strength, everyone else would take the initiative to give him the respect that he deserved.
The small conflict that had happened there was quickly spread to the Six Nations through various channels. When the upper echelons of the Six Nations witnessed the respect that Godora gave Han Xiao and thought about their own status, they were certain that their previous promise to Black Star was the right decision.
On the forums, a couple of players asked around about the entire battle and managed to recreate the battle. They naturally did not like DarkStar, who caused them to have a drop in their Main Storyline Mission progress, and were even more dissatisfied with Godora, who had abandoned them at a critical juncture.
Only Han Xiao's performance did not disappoint the players. Not only was he able to defeat the enemies, he had even managed to capture the enemy flagship. While it could not be said that he single-handedly turned the entire battle around, he was definitely a large contributor toward the outcome of the battle. The players had always felt goodwill toward Han Xiao, and together with this forum post, all of their goodwill was increased even further.
People with a reliable vibe like him had always been popular. Together with his charisma, good public image, and suave appearance, Han Xiao was certain that he would be able to attract a great deal of female fans this time!
In actual fact, he would not mind if his fans were boorish men either. As long as they were fans, he would not reject them.