Chapter 995 - Exchange Three for One? (2/2)

“Do you want to continue?” Han Xiao communicated within the mental network with a jovial tone.

“… This sort of battle can’t hurt me.” Silver Shadow struggled for a while before realizing that it would be hard to extricate himself. He then decided to pull out his head, separating himself from his body and turning into a miniature version of himself.

“I know, your body is extremely durable, and my troops can barely harm you.” Han Xiao nodded and smiled. “However, just this point is not enough to gain the advantage against me… Believe me, I have sufficient experience in this regard.”

In fact, he was the natural counter to Silver Shadow. If he had utilized the Spacetime Amber, with Silver Shadow’s smaller frame, it would have been easy to encase and seal him within before slowly weakening him. However, this was only his avatar, so the Spacetime Amber was not with him.

Silver Shadow sighed before hiding his arrogance and nodding. “You’ve won.”

He originally wanted to rely on his high speed and the ability to split up his body to gain the upper hand for a while. He had no confidence in being able to defeat Black Star, even if this was just an avatar.

But the offensive that he had been preparing for a long time was dissolved by Han Xiao easily, and he ended up falling straight into the grasps of his opponent. This allowed him to feel the disparity between their abilities.

With more than half of his body currently trapped by Han Xiao, it was pointless to continue fighting. Furthermore, Black Star had given him face and allowed himself to display his strength. Silver Shadow understood that clearly and did not wish to fight for a lost cause. While he wanted a strong opponent, he would not seek ridicule needlessly.

Hearing this, Han Xiao released the restraints, and Silver Shadow regained his original body. Han Xiao laughed. “Now you owe me one.”

“What will you have me do?” Silver Shadow asked.

“Er, just remember it for now. I’ll look for you when I need your help.” Han Xiao thought about it before deciding to shelve the matter.

He actually wished to research Silver Shadow’s body, to activate the Universal Treasure hidden attribute, but they did not have that good of a relationship. To suddenly suggest such an absurd thing… this was a dangerous topic for all Beyond Grade As.

So, it was better to cozy up to him first. This was not a one-off matter, so a better relationship would allow him more usages of Silver Shadow if need be.

In the past, Karlot was a good friend of Silver Shadow’s, so he was about to enjoy such personalized service free of charge.

Speaking of which, Karlot should have entered the dynasty army right now. While he was still far away from the time he was supposed to take shape, it was unknown if history would change due to Han Xiao’s interference.

“Ok, I’ll remember it.” Silver Shadow nodded.

“If you have time, you can come over to the Shattered Star Ring or Flickering World to look for me. If you have any problems, I can help too.” Han Xiao laughed in return.

Silver Shadow nodded quietly, accepting Black Star’s friendliness. Black Star sounded like an older brother right now and was just lacking the words ‘I’ll protect you’.

He felt a little emotional in his heart.

All the other Beyond Grade As were trying to make things difficult for him, but only Black Star was different. This was the attitude that the future pillar of the dynasty should have!

Seeing that the battle had ended, the rest of the Beyond Grade As flew toward them.

The result of the battle was not out of anyone’s expectations, but the calmness with which Black Star had handled this battle left everyone sighing in awe. In just twenty years, Black Star’s bearing no longer gave one the feeling of a maverick who did not stick to conventional means but rather a straightforward suppression, easily pulling it off.

While they did not cross swords, everyone could judge what would happen to them if they were faced with Silver Shadow’s skills. Their conclusion was that while Silver Shadow might be a newcomer, his combat capabilities were good. Even Kohler or Beyoni might not be able to win.

This was especially so for Kohler. He was secretly thankful that Silver Shadow did not accept his invitation to spar, or else it would have been really embarrassing.

However, Black Star could deal with Silver Shadow so easily. It represented the gap between their realms.

Other than Clotti, the respect that the other Beyond Grade As had for Han Xiao deepened.

Upon returning to the spaceship, the group set up to return to Planet Crimson Ring. While Han Xiao chatted with Silver Shadow, he summoned the interface and saw that the mission of fighting against Silver Shadow had already been marked as ‘completed’.

However, he did not settle it immediately, instead choosing to wait until he returned. He had to molest Feidin before he drew his reward—this ritual could not be skipped.

…

Once they returned to Planet Crimson Ring, they exchanged communicator numbers before Silver Shadow bid his farewell, returning to his quarters to rest.

Han Xiao was about to release his Lord’s Descent, when a member of the dynasty’s army approached him.

“Your Excellency Black Star, Mister Bekorodi requests an audience with you.”

“Bekorodi?” Han Xiao knew that this guy was the most important leader of the hawk faction, totally not in line with him. They did not have many dealings, so he curiously asked, “What is he looking for me for?”

“He wishes to discuss with you the problem of the Evolution Cube.”

Han Xiao was surprised. Over the past few years, the federation and church did not stop their pressure, which caused many of the dynasty’s upper echelons to question the ownership problem of the Evolution Cube. Bekorodi was one of the hardcore supporters of the dynasty owning the cube. That much, Han Xiao knew.

Then, what does he wish to talk to me about?

Han Xiao was a little curious and nodded. “Alright, please lead the way.”

“Please follow me.”

The dynasty officer guided Han Xiao to a government building, passing through layers of restrictions, before they arrived at a secret conference room.

Han Xiao went in and saw an old yet majestic dynasty official seated at the head. His skin was stretched, the wrinkles deeply carved, and his nose a little big. With his dead-set eyes and mouth, he looked like a stubborn man.

“Nice to meet you, Black Star. I’m Bekorodi. This should not be our first time meeting.” Bekorodi squeezed out a small smile.

Han Xiao sat on the other side of the conference table as he replied, “It’s the first time we’ve met in private though.”

He had only seen this person during the meeting of the senior officials of the dynasty, but they had not communicated much.

“I’m not a person who likes to talk nonsense, so I’ll get straight to the point.” Bekorodi supported his hands on the table and spoke in a deep voice. “The dynasty hopes to exchange items for your Evolution Cube. The conditions can be freely raised by you.”

Wanting to exchange for my Evolution Cube? Han Xiao’s eyes moved.

In fact, such signs had appeared a long time ago, but this was the first time the dynasty had approached him directly.

“This should not be your personal intention, right?” Han Xiao gave a smile that was yet not a smile.

“That’s right. I hope you understand. This is no personal grudge, and the reason we did not do so in the past was because the Evolution Cube was not worth much. However, the Evolutionary Civilization blueprints that were in the EsGod’s hands use the cube as the core of their technology, so its importance has changed. The dynasty hopes to obtain such a strategic Universal Treasure, but we had not asked you up till now because of the Ruler’s support for you.”

Han Xiao nodded. This was understandable. As a civilization, there were a lot of points to consider, and they would only be reassured if they could hold the strategic level object in their own embrace.

Not to mention the Crimson Dynasty, be it the federation or the church, as long as the Evolutionary Totem as well as a bunch of related techniques appeared in their hands, they would also make the same choice.

If he was a Beyond Grade A of the civilization, the rest would probably have forced him to give it up directly, rather than talking conditions.

Since he was an external ally, the dynasty could not force him to hand over his items, or it would result in a negative impression.

For the advanced civilizations, a Beyond Grade A was merely used as a tool for war, and the civilization itself was the main character of the universe instead.

However, to a Beyond Grade A, there were few who were actually willing to help a civilization to the end. They were merely exchanging services and benefits.

“Letting me make conditions at will, this is really generous…” Han Xiao smiled. “There should be an upper limit though. How about you make an initial offer?”

“Good.” Bekorodi nodded. “The dynasty is willing to use a Universal Treasure to exchange for your Evolution Cube.”

Han Xiao shook his head. “You’ve already said so yourself. The Evolution Cube’s meaning has changed. Wouldn’t a one to one exchange be detrimental to me?”

“You’re mistaken. It’s not a one to one.” Bekorodi smiled before dropping the bombshell. “Three Universal Treasures in exchange for the Evolution Cube! This is a sincere offer from the dynasty. What do you think about it?”

[1] F2A should be describing a macro bot in Starcraft that was so powerful that all it needed to do was to press F2 (select all armies) and then A (attack) to win any battle.