The Legendary Mechanic

As time passed, Hila pondered in silence. Han Xiao waited with a smile on his face; he was in no hurry.

After quite some time, Hila slowly breathed out.

"I choose to be independent."

Han Xiao's brows rose. "Alright, then I shall have Sylvia…"

Before he finished, Hila cut him off and added, "But not now."

Han Xiao's face twitched. Seeing the teasing look in her eyes, he felt funny and speechless.

Kiddo, you dare tease me?

If you enjoy not finishing your sentences, why not go write a book?

Hila sighed before speaking from the bottom of her heart.

"In the past, I lacked a sense of security. I always wanted to keep up with you, so my only goal was to become stronger and stronger till I had enough power to protect myself. Now that I'm finally a Beyond Grade A and can protect myself in most situations, I haven't really thought about what I should do next. So, I might as well stay in the army for now. If I change my mind in the future, I'll think about it by then."

Hila had already thought about this matter on the way back. What should she do after she had the power of a Beyond Grade A? She had no idea.

In the past, in order to become stronger, most of her time was spent in battle; she never stopped to appreciate the beauty of the universe. At least for now, Hila did not want to form her own organization.

Furthermore, thinking back on the path she had taken to get there, Han Xiao had given her way too much help. Without his referral, there was no way Ames would have taken her as her student. God only knew when would she have been able to become a Beyond Grade A.

After owing Han Xiao so much for so long, feeling like what she did in return was almost trivial, she absolutely did not want to split off as soon as she became a Beyond Grade A. Her personality would not allow her to always owe Han Xiao so many favors.

Back then, Black Star did indeed form his own organization as soon as he became a Beyond Grade A, but he had already made huge contributions to Floating Dragon, so he was in a good position to do so. Hila felt like her contribution to the army was far from what Han Xiao contributed to Floating Dragon in the past, so she could not shamelessly do the same as Han Xiao.

Most importantly, Hila knew how to kill and how to fight, but not how to form and operate an organization, nor did she want to waste her energy on such things. She had really inherited Ames' 'talent' in this respect. She would rather use these times to strengthen her power. She was not interested in forming an organization right now.

From the way she looked at it, with her strength and her close relationship with Han Xiao, her position in the Black Star Army would basically be above all but one. If she wanted a force of her own, staying in the already enormous Black Star Army was better than spending time building a new organization. Furthermore, the Black Star Army was now at the top of the organizations in the Shattered Star Ring, so it was not suitable for her to create a new Beyond Grade A organization since she would not be able to obtain too many resources.

After hearing Hila's explanation, Han Xiao laughed and said, "Okay, then stay in the Black Star Army for now. My promise will always be effective. If you want to split off and become independent one day, I will still help you."

"Hmm." Hila nodded.

"You're already a Beyond Grade A, so it's no longer suitable for you to be one of my Black Star Guards. Let's see, I shall officially make you the Vice Army Commander of the Black Star Army. Your position will only be below mine and no one else, including Lagi. You will be involved in the most important decisions made in the army, and you will manage some of the daily functionalities such as mining of resources, arming the divisions, and so on. You will be given the power to command part of the army's fleet, as well as have the position of the Commander of the Black Star Guards. However, you will not be part of my personal guards."

With just a few sentences, Han Xiao promoted Hila and gave her a lot of power within the Black Star Army.

After all, her value was now different. Even if Hila did not need it, he had to give it to her. One reason for this was to show that Hila was very important to him and to emphasize the relationship between her and the army. Another was to prove to the outside world that he followed the rules of this industry.

Han Xiao was very content about keeping Hila.

He had thought of multiple scenarios, and Hila choosing to stay was the best outcome.

This was the first Beyond Grade A Officer in the army. Having one or two Beyond Grade As in one organization were two completely different concepts.

In the past, the army only had me to hold the ceiling. With Hila, she will be able to take care of many things for me, and it's also beneficial to increasing the influence of the army…

"Vice Army Commander? Whatever." Hila did not care about positions much. Suddenly, she pressed onto the edge of the table, leaned slightly forward, and said with a passionate look in her eyes, "We'll talk about these things next time. I have a request. Let's have a fight."

"Sure," Han Xiao agreed. "But not today. You have only just returned to the headquarters. Let's get to that after you rest. Spend some time with your sister. I'll need to take care of some matters too. In a few days, I will beat… ahem, fight with you."

"Okay."

Hila nodded and suppressed her heart that was filled with anticipation for the time being. Ever since she became a Beyond Grade A, she had been eager to discover how large the difference between the two of them was.

After chatting for a while longer, Hila left the room and went to see Aurora—the two of them had endless things to talk about after not seeing each other for quite many years.

Watching Hila leave, Han Xiao smiled. This time, the communicator suddenly rang.

He looked at it, and it was from Urranrell.

For the dynasty to contact me now, it's probably about Hila… Han Xiao pondered for a moment before picking up the call.

"Your Excellency, what made you call me with your extremely busy schedule?" Han Xiao smiled as Urranrell appeared on the screen.

"I heard one of your Officers became a Beyond Grade A. Congratulations." Urranrell nodded.

"Haha, her name is Hila. She's not just my Officer but also an old friend. Her and I…" Han Xiao raised his brows and said, "Oh, almost forgot, you guys definitely have her information."

"Hmm, have you spoken with Hila?"

"Coincidentally, I was just done speaking with her."

"And how did it go? What's her plan?"

"She doesn't want to form an organization because she thinks it's too troublesome, so she's decided to stay here and assist me."

"I see…" Urranrell paused, stayed silent for a moment, before slowly saying, "I have something to ask of you."

"Go on."

"If possible, I hope you can convince Hila to join the dynasty."

As expected… Han Xiao smiled and did not speak.

His relationship with Hila made the dynasty feel that they had a very high chance to obtain a new Beyond Grade A ally, so they looked for him directly to make the first move.

Seeing that Han Xiao did not reply, Urranrell then asked, "What do you think?"

"No problem, I will try to convince her, but I can't promise I'll succeed," Han Xiao replied.

"I understand." Urranrell nodded. She would not force it.

This time, Han Xiao changed the topic and said, "By the way, since you contacted me, I have something to report to you. You asked me to maintain the order of the Shattered Star Ring, and I have an idea that can be used during such times. However, it's quite an impactful one, so I need the dynasty's support."

"Tell me about it."

"Due to the Flickering World, the Beyond Grade As of the various Star Fields will gather in the Shattered Star Ring, which will make up to at least ninety percent of all the Beyond Grade As in the entire universe," Han Xiao slowly said. "Since that's the case, I might as well take the lead and invite these people to gather in one place, hosting an enormous party for the Beyond Grade As of the entire universe and having a chat with everyone. This way, I can come to an agreement with all of them at once to not cause problems in the Shattered Star Ring."

Hearing Han Xiao's idea, Urranrell started thinking.

This would basically be equivalent to inviting all the Beyond Grade As in the entire universe, which would indeed be way too impactful. These people were all symbolic individuals of their various Star Fields. If this succeeded, it would be more than enough to cause a sensation throughout the universe.

It might even be written in history as a memorable major event.

As for what Black Star would gain from it, it was rather clear. First, it would save him time and energy to resolve the matter of Star Field stability at once, be it with negotiation or showcase of power.

Furthermore, if he could really gather all the Beyond Grade As together, as the host, Black Star's influence would increase tremendously. It would be proof that all these Beyond Grade As were willing to give him face.

"How confident are you in being able to gather all of them?" Urranrell asked.

"About fifty percent."

"Really?" Urranrell somewhat doubted him. "Most Beyond Grade As are smart; they know very well that answering your invitation means they're indirectly helping you make an even bigger name for yourself. The dynasty's Beyond Grade As are no problem, but can you ensure that the federation and the church are willing to give you face?"

"I can't promise, but…" Han Xiao chuckled. "I think my face should be somewhat useful. As for those I'm not able to invite, I'm going to need the dynasty's help."

"Alright, it's worth a try. I'll have some people assist you." Urranrell thought about it and approved of this plan, expressing that she would provide assistance.

"Then I shall thank the dynasty in advance." Han Xiao smiled. He then suddenly said, "Other than that, I have something else to say."

"Go on."

"About the Evolution Cube, I've already thought about it." Han Xiao shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't plan to use the Evolution Cube to exchange for something else for the time being. The truth is, I've read through the list the dynasty gave me many times, but sadly, there's no Universal Treasure in the list I'm really interested in. I'm very appreciative of the fact that the dynasty is very sincere in this matter, but I've made up my mind."

Urranrell stayed silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "No problem, we won't force you. If you changed your mind, contact me anytime."

The two of them then chatted for a while more before ending the call.

Han Xiao played with the communicator, thought back about the conversation, and nodded.

After thorough consideration, he had decided to decline the dynasty's proposal and keep the Evolution Cube.

The dynasty wanted ownership of the Evolution Cube to completely control the business of the Evolutionary Totems, which just so happened to be exactly what he wanted to control as well. This was a conflict of interests. Even if the dynasty would not be happy about it, he had to keep this crucial business in his hands.

Instead of relying on others, he preferred to rely on himself. His good relationship with the dynasty was not because of sentiment but because he was useful to the dynasty, and that was the foundation of the army.

Declining the proposal might make the dynasty unsatisfied, but there was absolutely no chance it would destroy their relationship—the dynasty still needed him.

The act of first mentioning the plan to gather all Beyond Grade As before his decision about the Evolution Cube was also a small test to see the change in attitude of the dynasty.

In order to control something, he had to have enough strength to match up to it. Indeed, the dynasty was undoubtedly a giant, but the current Black Star Army also had enough power to keep this profit in its hands, even more so with Hila's return.

The root cause of the pressure from the federation and the church was the dynasty forbidding the sale of the totems to outsiders. However, if that was no longer the case, the answer to whether the federation and the church would want the dynasty or the dynasty's allies to control the cube was extremely clear. They would rather have the dynasty's ally to have the profit made from the totems than have their direct competitor control the business.

Although, on paper, both these cases would still mean that the dynasty was the one benefitting from it, the ownership of the profit was completely different.

"The dynasty will definitely make some moves privately. Let's see what they're going to do."

Han Xiao shook his head.

…

The next day, an announcement was made in the Black Star Army.

"The sixth Beyond Grade A of the Shattered Star Ring who defeated Tolaen, Hila, will become the Black Star Army's Vice Army Commander."

Not splitting off and forming her own organization but continuing to stay in the Black Star Army!

Countless organizations were paying close attention to the matter. As soon as the news was out, the entire Star Field was shocked!

Everyone knew that since the Black Star Army had double Beyond Grade As, their influence would surge drastically.

Although Black Star could easily thrash multiple ordinary Beyond Grade As alone, to the galactic residents all around the entire universe, it was a world of difference.

Many organizations with ulterior motives were looking forward to Hila splitting off, but things went the complete opposite direction from what they hoped. They could not help but feel disappointed.

You're a Beyond Grade A, yet you are satisfied with being below Black Star and working for him?

Can you have some backbone‽

Why not learn from your seniors and form your own organization!

Damn it, there must be a way to split them up!

On the other hand, to the partners and members of the Black Star Army, this was undoubtedly good news.

Knowing that Hila was staying, the entire army was thrilled!

With one more Beyond Grade A behind their backs, the army members were so much more confident that even the way they walked became prouder.

The influence showed very quickly—the army's appeal to high standard talents became much higher.

Seeing that Han Xiao seemed to really have cultivated a Beyond Grade A, many Supers could no longer sit tight and only watch. Among which, the most affected ones were the neutral Beyond Grade A seeds, as the chance of becoming Beyond Grade As was lethally attractive to them.

…

Somewhere in the Shattered Star Ring, in an Arcane Church fleet…

The conference room of the main fleet was filled with projections of the Arcane Church's allies. Tolaen was the only one present and sitting in the middle.

"… You're saying that Hila's Esper Ability has extraordinary damage to living things, and when it exploded, you were heavily injured in one hit?"

"That's right. It was really painful. Also, she could even damage my mind. I'll have to rest for at least a few years." Tolaen clenched his teeth.

Tolaen was furious about losing to Hila. Not only did he lose, he even suffered damage that he could not easily recover from. It was mainly the damage caused to his mind, which needed to be dealt with slowly. Before he recovered, his control of spells would be reduced, and he would not be able to fight at his peak power.

After resting for a few days, he had contacted the others today and reported Hila's ability.

Kasuyi slowly shook his head. "The Black Star Army has obtained a new Beyond Grade A with extraordinary potential. His organization has become stronger again."

Many people were frowning because of this.

Among the three Universal Civilizations, the Arcane Church was the one that did not want the Black Star Army to become stronger the most. After all, they had suffered a huge loss during the Planet Lighthouse battle, and many people there held grudges against the Black Star Army.

At this time, Sun Hunter suddenly looked at his communicator. "Hmm? Black Star sent me a message."

"What did he say?" Kasuyi turned and looked over.

"Er, he's sent an invitation to us, asking us to go to his place as guests," Sun Hunter said with a strange tone.

"Us?"

"Yes, he's inviting… all the Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church."

Other than Kasuyi, the expression on everyone's face changed, filled with shock and confusion.

Inviting all the Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church?

What is Black Star doing? Is he itching to get beaten up‽

If it were others, they would think that this was basically suicide. But since it was Black Star, the people there believed that he could really just be itching to get beaten up.