Chapter 787 Showing One“s Face for the Mission
“Heber invited me to his party?”
In the Black Star Army headquarters, Han Xiao glanced with interest at Malekith, who had a strained expression.
“That’s right. His Excellency Tyrant mentioned it.” Malekith’s hands already had a layer of sweat on them.
It was only because both sides had given face to the Crimson Dynasty that they had become allies on paper. However, their relations.h.i.+p remained delicate, as the confrontation of both sides over the decade was hard to resolve. Now that Malekith had come with an invitation letter, this resulted in tension within the enemy camp.
Looking at Han Xiao, who was seated on his Mechanical Throne, Malekith had mixed feelings.
He had once tried to recruit Han Xiao, but after more than a decade, he was still the Chief Vanguard Official under the Tyrant, whereas Black Star had leapt toward the sky and become a Beyond Grade A, the same realm as the Tyrant.
Han Xiao tapped the armrest of his throne with his fingers, deep in thought.
He had once attended a party of the Tyrant’s when he was following Ames. This was a party for the upper echelons of the Shattered Star Ring created by Heber, and all the major characters would partic.i.p.ate in the show.
However, due to his defeat in the war, the Tyrant’s reputation had taken a hit, and the Bloodshed Land as well as Klent had been silent for a while. Heber was eager to convene a new round of meetings as he had intended to stabilize his position.
Since the Tyrant wished to maintain his current influence, he would definitely take the chance to invite this new Beyond Grade A. Or, it could be because Heber was grudgingly agreeing to the request of the Crimson Dynasty, enduring and trying to be nice. Then again, this could also be a Hongmen Feast[1], but the chances of that were not high.
Because the secret war had not ended too long ago, there were still many conflicts of interest. Perhaps this meeting was also to clarify such matters.
As his thoughts spun, Han Xiao nodded.
“Return and tell the Tyrant that I’ll attend.”
Malekith breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly bid farewell. Standing in front of Han Xiao gave him great psychological pressure.
The date of the meeting was set a month later. Because the secret war had just ended, Klent also had no choice but to endure their anger to negotiate with Purple Crystal to open the stargates at the borders of the Star Cl.u.s.ter, allowing both of their Star Cl.u.s.ters to be reconnected once more.
Based on the news that he had heard from those in the Purple Crystal Civilization, due to the intervention of the Crimson Dynasty, the negotiations between the two Star Cl.u.s.ter civilizations had gone pretty well, and they were expected to officially reopen the channels in the next ten days.
“In one month’s time, well, by then, the expansion of the Black Star Army will be almost complete. The Crimson Dynasty will also send in their first batch of elites to accept the blessing from the Evolution Cube after this meeting, so the time is just right.”
During the expansion, other than practicing Heber’s Stellar Furnace Cultivation and reforming his organization, he did not have too many things to do. Thus, he had time to drop by the Tyrant’s party to discuss things with the other organizations.
At this moment, Harmon suddenly pushed open the door, entering the room.
“Black Star, I’m leaving,” Harmon loudly said.
“Oh?” Han Xiao recalled now. “That’s right, you’re returning to fight for the position of chief, right?”
Harmon was a main character template for the Luhan Beastman Tribe. The Luhan beastmen were an interstellar civilization, and their brutal tradition was governed by a tribal system where each tribe would control several planets.
Their system had a special origin to it. The Luhan beastmen were not indigenous people but nomads who had been exiled from other star systems a long time ago. They were scattered on different planets in the same area and had developed independently to form different tribes. All of them had the same origin tradition, but due to the long evolution, each tribe now had a different culture. When they finally united as one, they chose to retain each respective tribe’s independence, resulting in this system.
Their method to select the chief was to randomly throw all their candidates to different planets in the universe, letting them hone themselves in the interstellar area, forming their own ‘War League’.
When the stipulated deadline arrived, each candidate would take their own War League back to battle for contention of the chief’s position. Since the campaign date for Harmon’s Rockfall tribe was arriving, his mercenary career was about to come to an end, and he was ready to return to inherit his interstellar tribe.
In order to recruit Harmon more than a decade ago, Han Xiao had also joined his War League, and thus, this mission was still hanging on his interface.
“Black Star, you’re part of my War League, and you need to come over to help me.” Harmon snorted.
“The Luhan Beastman Civilization is located in the Seoul Star Cl.u.s.ter…” Han Xiao stroked his chin. “It’s on the way to the Tyrant’s Party. That’s good. When the time comes, I’ll bring you along.”
This was an age-old tradition of the Luhan Beastman, and since he had promised it earlier on, Han Xiao was not prepared to go back on his words.
When Harmon left, Han Xiao took out his communicator and sent the news to the Dragon Emperor.
“Ames, the Tyrant has organized another meeting. Have you received the invite? Come over, we can set off together.”
Very soon, he received the reply from Ames.
“Ok.”
…
A few days later, Ames took a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p to the headquarters of the Black Star Army.
They were now allies, tied to the same thread, and already old friends. There was no need for formalities when meeting each other, and they were very easygoing.
Han Xiao only took his Black Star Guards along this time as he left the headquarters. Harmon and his War League were included within, as well as a few players who had accepted the mission of the War League. All of them travelled toward the battlefield together.
Since there were two Beyond Grade As inside this s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p, alongside a group of high levelled Calamity Grades. The lineup could be described only as luxurious.
When they arrived at the border of the Star Cl.u.s.ter, because the stargates that had been closed due to the secret war had reopened, there were countless s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps present, lining up to bypa.s.s the desolate universe belt. From afar, they resembled a winding dragon.
During wartime, the population from the two Star Cl.u.s.ters were unable to access each other’s areas due to the traffic restriction. This had just been restored.
Upon entering the Seoul Star Cl.u.s.ter, Han Xiao adjusted the direction and shot toward the territory of the Luhan Beastmen tribes.
At the same time, on Luhan’s Blood Planet…
This was a desolate planet almost totally covered in gray. It had a special place in the tradition of the Luhan Beastmen. Every tribe’s candidate for Chief would use this planet as a battle platform.
Luhan’s Blood Planet had a broken stone colosseum present. Each new tribal election would result in a new colosseum being built, leaving behind many wrecks and relics.
In a certain area of the planet, a fierce looking Luhan Beastman’s s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p rested on the surface, and surrounding it was a newly built colosseum, which would be the battlefield of the current chief candidates that the Rockfall tribe would use to compete for the inheritance.
The current chief of the Rockfall tribe, Faleta, was a burly Beastman. Based on the Beastman aesthetics, the number of hairs one had on their body indicated their age, and Faleta was almost completely covered in hair, showing his old age.
He was the father of Harmon, who was the second heir to the right of chief.
“Mogo, Getaw, Thaler… of the twenty-five chief candidates, only six have returned. The rest should have died in the Universe.”
Looking over where the rest of the candidates were together in their respective War Leagues, he shook his head.
Most of the candidates were descendants of the superior tribes. The Luhan Beastmen were tribes that leaned toward the martial, and only the strong had the capability to rule over the tribe. After all the candidates were expelled from their home planet, they could not accept any kind of help from their tribes except the War League that they brought with them. This was to examine the candidate’s comprehensive survivability, if they could live on and return. Such candidates would then be eligible to compete for the Chief position. This was a screening in itself.
The candidates could not actively contact anyone in the tribe as well, otherwise they would be disqualified and mocked. Candidates could only pa.s.sively accept their tribal notifications, so Faleta was not sure of Harmon’s current situation as well. He only knew that he had joined the Black Star Army and was still alive.
“Don’t even know if his War League is strong enough…” Faleta secretly worried.
The fight for the position of chief was a battle of life and death. There was no tradition of the Luhan Beastmen showing mercy to their own enemies. The six candidates had returned after more than a decade, bringing with them strong War Leagues, of which Mogo and Getaw’s were the strongest.
Mogo had joined the Bloodshed Land and brought many good warriors back with him, including many Grade B Supers. As for Getaw, he seemed to have become an important partner of some financial group, with a group of mercenaries behind him, but far less compared to Mogo’s.
The two of them stared at each other across the distance, regarding each other as the greatest compet.i.tor this time round.
“Relax, Mogo. We’re the elites from Bloodshed Land, and the enemy is only a bunch of ragtag warriors that have no fame. Their numbers are also fewer than ours. They are not our opponents.” One of the Bloodshed Land officers patted Mogo on his shoulder. They had fought side by side for many years and had a deep relations.h.i.+p.
Mogo grinned, waving his war hammer twice as he replied, “Among all the candidates, I’m only afraid of Harmon. A pity he didn’t come back, probably died in the universe. Other than him, the rest cannot defeat me. For someone like Getaw, I can settle him in a few blows.”
On the other side, Getaw secretly whispered to one of the mercenaries, “Boss, I’ll be counting on you later.”
“Relax. With me around, you’ll definitely get the position of chief.” That man coldly laughed. He was called Riel, and his real ident.i.ty was the leader of one of the rogue organizations around Seoul Star Cl.u.s.ter. He had a notorious reputation.
Getaw had entered this particular rogue organization. However, there was a rule in the chief selection that a candidate could not choose the path of an outlaw. Doing so would forfeit their right as a candidate since a chief could not be a wanted person in the universe. However, Getaw was not willing to give up the position of chief and thus tried to disguise the ident.i.ty of his group as wandering mercenaries.
His reliance was on Riel, who was the only Grade A Super among all the candidates’ War Leagues.
Riel had promised to help Getaw become chief, and in exchange, Getaw would provide them with supplies and logistics.
Although the Rockfall tribe was only one of the various tribes in the Luhan Beastman civilization, they had a few planets under their control, which meant that they were rich in resources.
The time pa.s.sed while waiting, and dozens of other chiefs of the Luhan Beastman took their seats. All had come to witness the election of the Rockfall Tribe Chief. When the time was almost up, Faleta loudly spoke.
“The time is almost up. Mogo, Getaw… everyone is to take their War Leagues onto the battlefield and select a position. Prepare for battle!”
Everyone snaked onto the battlefield like fish swimming before taking up a certain area, confronting the others.
Faleta was anxious as he looked at the time. Candidates who returned after the official start of the war were considered late and directly disqualified, but Harmon had not yet arrived.
At this moment, Riel stepped out under the command of Getaw, releasing his Grade A energy fluctuations. His momentum rose into the sky.
“Calamity Grade‽”
The other candidates’ faces changed dramatically.
Faleta was also shocked. As a star system civilization, the Luhan Beastman also had a dozen Calamity Grade Supers, of which three were in the stands. Getaw had brought a Calamity Grade into his own War League, and his strength immediately overwhelmed the other candidates.
At this time, two of the candidates on the battlefield suddenly threw down their weapons and raised their hands. This move represented surrender, and before they started fighting, the two men gave up their qualifications for the chieftain. While it might be shameful, they at least need not fight with a Calamity Grade and could keep the lives of themselves and their War Leagues.
There was a commotion in the stands as this happened.
“Are we really going to fight against a Calamity Grade?” Seeing the situation, the Bloodshed Land’s officer also started thinking of retreat. He threw his originally eloquent words into the clouds and beyond.
“Fight!” Mogo’s expression changed several times, but he gritted his teeth and held on tight to his war hammer.
“This… can I still give up now?” One of the Bloodshed Land warriors threw away his weapon, slowly retreating.
They were willing to help Mogo by being part of his War League due to their relations.h.i.+p, but they were not willing to throw their lives away.
Mogo’s expression was also extremely ugly.
On the other side, Getaw raised his eyebrows and exhaled, a proud expression on his face as he arrogantly surveyed the audience. Standing beside Riel, he had the feeling of being a false sense of dominance.
Faleta, who was in the stands, was astounded and conflicted. At this moment, Getaw’s father, who was at the side, opened his mouth.
“Chief, don’t try to stall for time. Let us start now.”
Getaw’s father was also an upper echelon of the tribe, and while he was usually quite low key, he was different this time.
It’s also good that Harmon is not back yet… Faleta sighed, and just as he was about to speak, a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p descended from the air, attracting the attention of the audience.
Whoosh.
The s.p.a.cecraft landed in a corner of the battlefield. The hatch opened, and Harmon walked out with a group of people.
“Harmon is back!”
Many of the members from the Rockfall tribe felt their spirits get refreshed. Harmon was very prestigious in the tribe, and his bravery was recognized by the tribe members.
There was a flash of panic in Getaw’s eyes. Having been pummeled by Harmon all his life, he had a deep shadow in his heart. However, the moment he remembered Riel beside him, he regained his confidence and stared at Harmon with gritted teeth.
“It’s useless even if you come back. Whoever fights me today will die!”
Hearing the cheers from the stands, Riel knew that Harmon should be a compet.i.tor with some fame. He coldly snorted and revolved his strength, viciously pressuring Harmon and his group in an attempt to deter this group and force them to retreat.
At this moment, a voice sounded.
“Yo, little brother, you are a bit arrogant.”
From Harmon’s back, out walked several people. Han Xiao was at the very front, and he stared at Riel with a funny expression, as though watching a peac.o.c.k challenge. His Black Star Guards that had expanded to nine people followed directly behind him.
Hila raised her brows and reversed the pressure in a flash.
The other party also has a Calamity Grade‽
Riel felt his chest tighten. He rubbed his eyes, and after taking a good look at Han Xiao and his entourage, he froze for a few seconds before suddenly turning pale and taking a few steps back, tumbling into Getaw’s chest.
“Black Black Black… Black Star‽”
He uncontrollably screamed out the name, and everyone’s gazes landed on Han Xiao and his group. Their expressions changed as well.
An uproar rose up in the stands. Everyone stared in shock, unable to believe their eyes.
That was… Black Star?
Beyond Grade A!
Harmon had actually invited a Beyond Grade A over‽
Faleta was dumbfounded.
Ding ding dang dang!
At this moment, all the compet.i.tors threw away their weapons.
Even Getaw quietly chose to forfeit, his heart extremely unwilling.
He had originally thought that being backed by a Calamity Grade would allow him to win the tribe chief’s status. To think that Harmon would actually invite a Beyond Grade A over!
Who would be able to win against him‽
Mogo said in a tiny voice, “If only His Excellency Tyrant was willing to help me…”
“Are you dreaming?” The Bloodshed Land officer looked at him with an expression as though he was looking at an idiot. “What kind of status does the Tyrant have? Would he even notice you?”
Mogo pointed at Han Xiao in return, causing the Bloodshed Land officer to be rendered speechless.
Seeing this, the spectators of the various tribes in the stands went crazy. This is the only time in the history of the Luhan Beastman that all candidates had abstained, and it is also the first time that a Beyond Grade A has become part of the candidate’s War League!
“Uh?” Harmon had a look of confusion. He scratched his head, still puzzled. “Why did all of them stop fighting? Is that it?”
Hearing this, everyone gritted their teeth, wis.h.i.+ng nothing but to beat him to death.
A Beyond Grade A has arrived, and the gap in power is so huge. Why should we fight‽ Do you want all of us to die‽
“Just like that?” The interface showed the completion of the mission, and the players who followed almost fell over in disbelief.
They did not even do anything and only came here to see a cutscene. Their mission was completed like that?
We thought there would be a bitter battle!
The whole audience stared at him, causing Han Xiao to helplessly shake his head. With his current status, many low-level tasks could be completed directly by just showing his face.
It was good that he had gone to help Harmon get the chief’s position.
[1] Hongmen Feast is a figure of speech used to refer to a trap or a situation that looks joyous but is in fact treacherous.