The Legendary Mechanic

After waiting for several days on the planet, Han Xiao witnessed the increase in the planetary security levels. A regular military force arrived, taking over the responsibility of protecting the planet, sealing the line defense, and making it nigh impenetrable.

Around half of the planet had entered martial law, and various advanced defense measures had also been arranged to prevent long-range strikes from threatening the celebratory planet.

While the Intelligent Plague broke out in the Ancient Star Desert, and it was more reasonable for the ceremony to be held there, the three Universal Civilizations took into account the fact that many of the Beyond Grade As were currently in the Flickering World and changed the venue, quoting symbolic significance. After all, this was another major exploration result of the galactic civilization after so many years.

The leaders of the three Universal Civilizations attended the ceremony together, which was a rare scene. Due to their sensitive identities, such an event would generally be held in the Central Galaxy rather than other Star Fields. Even with careful security, life was unpredictable, so leaving the Central Galaxy was undoubtedly a risky move.

Han Xiao was sure that there would be some organizations with ulterior motives moving around. While the three Universal Civilizations had a mature operating system, such that their government would not be disturbed much even if their leaders were assassinated, there would still be some temporary chaos, which could be what these people were looking for.

Of course, if an organization really dared do this, then they would no longer have a place in the explored universe, as they would be hunted until every last one of them was dead. The relationship with the faction would forever be at 'Hatred'. Moreover, with so many armies and Beyond Grade As gathered in a place, the success rate of an assassination was negligible.

But well, this does not hinder them from scheming some deliberate framing.

Han Xiao suspected that the three Universal Civilizations might engage in a self-directed act, pretending to have some outsiders assassinate them during the ceremony, before using this to put blame on their targets to get an excuse for a crusade.

This method seems familiar, as though I've seen it somewhere before…

Could it be that I'm the one that inspired them‽

Han Xiao had experienced a 'back stab' not too long ago, so his memory was still fresh. At this moment, his thoughts could not help but be biased toward this aspect, and his imagination was running wild.

With his understanding of the three Universal Civilizations, it was not impossible that they would do such a thing. The chances of it happening was probably around twenty percent, and he could not ask Urranrell for verification just like that.

During the few days he stayed on the planet, he did not contact the head of the three Universal Civilizations but rather sat in the officially arranged guest house just like everyone else, waiting silently.

On the day the ceremony was held, Han Xiao and the guests were all transported to the ceremony site in official vehicles. The venue was a large hall decorated in the style of the dynasty. One could see countless invited guests lining up to enter the venue, but no loud noises were heard, only the rustling of quiet conversations. The entire atmosphere was quite serious.

Han Xiao's seat was arranged at the front table, with Kasuyi, Kant, and the other peak Beyond Grade As.

After greeting, Han Xiao sat down next to Kasuyi, glancing at the people, before whispering, "Mechanic Emperor didn't come?"

"He's here, but it's just his avatar." Kasuyi gestured toward the back.

A steel lump was sat at the edge of the venue, but even if it was covered in a layer of iron, Han Xiao could smell Manison's aura on it.

"He won't cause trouble during the ceremony, right?" Han Xiao blinked.

"Manison is not that crazy yet," Kant replied.

Today, Kant appeared as a handsome middle-aged galactic human, with a tall nose, deep eyes, and sharp facial features.

Han Xiao glanced at the security personnel at the edge of the venue before whispering, "I keep thinking that this won't go so smoothly. Maybe there might be an assassination."

"With so many of us Beyond Grade As here, who'd have such big guts?" Sun Hunter said.

"It might be a self-directed act…" Han Xiao winked.

Secret Master could not help but roll his eyes at Han Xiao as he coldly snorted, "Enough with that. You think the three Universal Civilizations are like you, to perform such a lowly act?"

"So what if it's lowly? What matters is that it's useful." Han Xiao clicked his tongue. "Wanna bet?"

"You dare bet‽" Secret Master was stunned.

Aren't you clear what sort of luck you have?

If one were to liken my luck to a flawless gemstone, then yours would be like the moldy green moss along the wall of a stinking ditch. How dare you bet with me, a master of luck? Are you feeling that charitable?

"Alright, then what are you going to give me?"

"I'll bet Sun Hunter. If I lose, then I'll give him to you. How about that?" Han Xiao reached out his thumb and finger, pinching the tiny guy's head and pulling him up.

"Huh?"

Sun Hunter, who was being dangled in midair, had the expression of the confused Nick Young meme.

What the f*ck does it have to do with me? Watch out before I blast your ass.

Secret Master was speechless, immediately patting Han Xiao to put Sun Hunter down. He apologized before whispering angrily to Han Xiao, "Who uses another person as a gambling stake‽ His Excellency Sun Hunter might be a little pocket-sized, but how can you make fun of his size."

"We have a good relationship, don't worry."

Han Xiao flicked his finger, bouncing it against Sun Hunter's head, earning him an angered glare from the other party before he sheepishly smiled and gave it up. He had always wanted to do so in his past life, and he had finally ticked it off his bucket list. With all of them being on equal footing, this little joke was harmless, but if it was an ordinary Beyond Grade A that did this to Sun Hunter, the person could probably apply for disability protection.

"Since you don't like this bet, then I'll change to something else."

"What?"

"I know you have some issues with me, so let's do it like this. If you win, I'll stand still for ten minutes and let you vent your frustrations. If I win, you do the same. Fair?"

Secret Master simply shut his mouth and turned his head away, not wanting to speak with Han Xiao any longer.

Forget about it, who here doesn't know of your Indestructible Body's tankiness? Fair my grandpa, I still want to live for a long time.

The group at the table chatted for a while, and suddenly, a group of officers strode into the venue, surrounded by their respective leaders. The venue immediately calmed down as the atmosphere turned solemn.

The Dynasty's Ruler Urranrell, the Federation's President Bader, and the Arcane Church's Pope swaggered to the high platform of the venue under the eyes of everyone present, sitting at the specially arranged seats with the podium next to them.

Han Xiao had only seen Urranrell personally, and this was his first time meeting Bader and the Pope. While both of them had different temperaments, they possessed the same aura of power like Urranrell, causing everyone to turn serious subconsciously.

However, the focus of his observation was not the two leaders, but the personal guards around them, all of which were of the same stature as the Dark Lord Clotti.

On Bader's side was a male with a white complexion and similar body structure to humans, except that he had a straight horn on his forehead, forcing him to keep his hair to an appropriate length. His hair color was golden and was tied into a twisted braid that hangs down to the waist. He seemed to have some elf blood as he had long ears, deep purple eyes, and a well-proportioned mouth but did not have a nose. The part that was his nose that was supposed to be flat was strangely not ugly—it instead appeared harmonious with his features.

This person wore a robe that was dotted with light gold and ice blue colors, revealing an elegant nobleness and gentle temperament. This person was the Personal Guard of the Federation, the peak Beyond Grade A 'Golden Ring' Oulou.

Oulou's ability was to borrow the power of a specific secondary dimension. It sounded like the dead Traveller's ability, but his combat power was not the same. This guy was at the same level as the Dark Lord, able to fight Kasuyi hand to hand and not lose.

Han Xiao turned his head to the other side.

Next to the Church's Pope was a huge guy, not the kind that got to this size through training but rather naturally huge, as though he had some giant blood running within. This was the Chief Guard of the Church, the one who was stationed at the Temple of God, 'God's Chosen' Wuornos.

Compared to Oulou's glamorous outfits, Wuornos' looks and temperament were low-key, as if he was just an ordinary middle-aged man with wrinkled eyes. He wore a silver-gray priest robe, and if not for the robe, one would probably not recognize him if they threw him into a crowd of people.

"Oulou and Wuornos…" Han Xiao softly muttered.

Both of them were just like the Dark Lord, generally only following the Head of State, hardly participating in activities other than their duties.

Glancing at Han Xiao, Kasuyi leaned over and casually said, "This is your first time meeting them, right? Here's a piece of advice, you can joke with Oulou and fool around, but don't go and provoke Wuornos."

"What's with that?" Han Xiao was curious.

"While Oulou is the chief guard, his personality is different to Clotti's, warmer and not so indifferent. Other than occasionally showing some superiority, he's not bad. However, Wuornos… heh, just don't mess with him."

"You're making me more curious. You're the ally of the Arcane Church. Do you know some gossip?"

"Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you. I can only say that he's the Beyond Grade A publicly acknowledged to be the strongest, and naturally, there's a reason." Kasuyi blandly smiled.

At this time, Urranrell stood before the podium, surveying the scene before speaking.

"Dear friends and guests, today, we're holding a grand award ceremony to commend all the heroes who made great contributions in the Intelligent Plague disaster. The ceremony will honor every hero with an outstanding meritorious service.

"First, on behalf of the three Universal Civilizations, I would like to extend my warm congratulations to the heroes of the universe who will be receiving the Medal of Honor as well as the honorary titles, and I extend my highest respect to them.

"We've gone through many ups and downs, and today, we have united as one and once again eliminated another new disaster.

"Since the establishment of the galactic society in the last years of the exploration era, generations of heroes with a sense of responsibility have given up themselves to overcome difficulty after difficulty, shaping the cornerstone of today's galactic society. While many have passed away, their glorious deeds will always spread from generation to generation.

"Only by crossing new mountains can we see a wider distance. Under the leadership of the three Universal Civilizations, we have overcome obstacles, constantly explored the unknown universe, and expanded our territory. Now, we're in the Flickering World, a milestone achievement and a fruitful result of our external exploration.

"Such an achievement cannot be achieved with the cooperation of the entire galactic society. It's this bond of order that connects us and creates a never-ending pioneering spirit. Anyone who tries to disrupt this order and unity will become the enemy of the entire universe…"

The media was broadcasting Urranrell's speech to the entire universe. When she finished speaking, there was a tsunami-like applause in the venue. Han Xiao and the other Beyond Grade As also gave face to clap a little.

Han Xiao heard that in Urranrell's words she emphasized the importance of collectivism, on the correctness and achievements of the leaders of the three Universal Civilizations, vaguely throwing arrows at the Super Star Cluster Alliance as well as the Mechanic Emperor. While she did not explicitly mention anything, everyone knew who the so-called 'people who disrupted galactic civilization and society' were.

Bader and the Pope also gave some short speeches before entering the formal award process. One by one, the heroes came to the stage, accepting the honors and making a speech. Some also answered questions from the reporters.

Before long, the ceremony approached the end. There was only one person left, and everyone's eyes were focused on Han Xiao.

"Black Star limited the outflow of the virus during the disaster and discovered the true character of the virus core at the critical moment, reversing our erroneous strategy and allowing us to reformulate our plan. He alone changed the course of the disaster. He later captured the virus core and destroyed it, completely eliminating any hidden dangers, putting an end to the crisis of a second outbreak of the Intelligent Plague, saving countless lives. His contribution is huge and thus needs to be rewarded."

After Urranrell spoke, Han Xiao stood up, stepping onto the stage and shaking hands with the leaders. Numerous news media reporters in the audience took videos and photos, turning the stage white with their flashes.

"Black Star has many good qualities. He is determined, resolute, flexible, and strong in principle…" Bader gave a series of praise, finally coming to the conclusion. "In view of his achievements, we have decided to jointly award him the Galaxy Medal."

The moment he finished speaking, everyone in the audience paused.

The Galaxy Medal, which was the highest symbol of honor jointly set up by the three Universal Civilizations since their establishment, was the golden glory of the explored universe. There were only a few winners of this medal in history.

While many of them had this expectation in their hearts, they were still shocked to hear it. They always felt that although Black Star had great achievements, there was still a certain distance from this medal. Now it seemed that the factor behind this medal was if the three Universal Civilizations would support them.

But no matter what they thought, the honor was real, and the audience burst into applause.

Pa pa pa…

Amid the warm applause, Urranrell took out a star-like dazzling medal, placing it in her palm, while the other two held it by the edges, handing it to Han Xiao.

This image seemed to freeze, and the flashes under the stage flickered, recording this historic scene.

The commotion lasted a long time, and it took dozens of seconds before all movement gradually ceased.

Han Xiao reached out to accept the medal, pinning it on his chest before shaking hands with all three of them once more. He came up to the podium, clearing his throat.

"Many thanks to the Crimson Dynasty, Federation of Light, and the Arcane Church. To be able to receive this award is an honor for me. As part of the explored universe, I have the responsibility and obligation to maintain our stability and prosperity…"

Reading from his prepared script, Han Xiao raised his head to gaze at the clock on the venue before smiling.

"Since I'm the last person, it means that the ceremony is about to end. I won't do a lengthy speech. Everything is about the same, and I feel that everyone here is already tired of hearing it…"

The audience let out laughs.

Han Xiao smiled as he nodded. "In short, what sort of person I am can be seen from my actions. I believe that society has its own views of me, and I don't need to repeat it, so let's skip that and go to the questions… Anyone?"

Hearing this, many of the reporters raised their hands enthusiastically, hoping for him to point at themselves.

Just as Han Xiao was about to pick someone, one of them stood up on his own and began to speak.

"Your Excellency Black Star, I heard that the Mechanic Emperor Manison also made a great contribution to the Intelligent Plague. Without him, the three Universal Civilizations would not have been able to find the location of the virus core. Thus, it can be said that a third or even half of your Galaxy Medal belongs to Manison… but for this award ceremony, the Mechanic Emperor did not obtain anything, and you seem to have forgotten about it and ignored his merits, accepting the medal with a peace of mind. What do you think of this?"

The originally enthusiastic venue suddenly seemed to have been doused in cold water, instantly quieting down.

Everyone moved their eyes subconsciously to Manison, who had been sitting indifferently at the edge of the venue.

Han Xiao narrowed his eyes a little as he sized up the reporter. He saw the cold smile on that person's face, obviously wishing to embarrass himself and the three Universal Civilizations in public.