As time passed, Hella pondered in silence. Han Xiao, on the other hand, was not in a hurry. With a smile on his face, he waited for her reply.
After a long time, Hella slowly exhaled.
"I choose to be independent."
Han Xiao raised his brows. "Since that's the case, I'll let Sylvia …"
Before he finished, Hella added, "But not now."
Han Xiao's face twitched. Looking at her teasing eyes, he felt helpless and amused.
Little guy, you dare to tease me?
You like to speak halfway. Why don't you go write a book?
Hella sighed. It was rare for her to speak from the bottom of her heart.
"In the past, I lacked a sense of security and always wanted to catch up to you. Thus, my only goal was to become stronger and stronger until I had enough power to protect myself. Now that I've finally become a Beyond Grade A, I can protect myself in most situations. However, I haven't thought about what I should do in the future. I might as well stay in the army for now. If I change my mind in the future, we'll talk about it in the future."
On the way back, Hella had already thought about this question. What should she do after obtaining the strength of a Beyond Grade A? She had no clue.
In order to increase her strength, she had spent most of her time in battle and did not have the time to appreciate the scenery of the universe. At least for now, Hella did not have the mood or ambition to form her own organization.
Furthermore, thinking back to her experiences along the way, Han Xiao had provided her with too much help. Without his recommendation, Ames would not have taken her in as a student. She did not know when she would become a Beyond Grade A Super.
She had received so much help from Han Xiao and owed him a huge amount of favors, but her return was extremely meager. She was embarrassed to become independent as soon as she became a Beyond Grade A Super. Her strong personality determined that she was not willing to keep owing favors.
Back then, Black Star had established his own faction after becoming a Beyond Grade A, but he had made a huge contribution to Floating Dragon, so he was qualified to do so. Hella felt that her contribution to the army was far less than Han Xiao's contribution to Floating Dragon, so she was too embarrassed to follow Han Xiao's example.
Most importantly, Hella knew how to kill and how to fight, but she did not know how to build and manage a force, nor did she want to spend time on it. In this aspect, she had inherited Ames's "talent". She would rather use this time to consolidate her power and was not interested in the force at the moment.
The way she saw it, with her strength and her close relationship with Han Xiao, she could be considered above everyone else in the Black Star Corps. If she wanted to borrow power, staying in the Black Star Corps would be much better than spending the effort to form a new organization. Furthermore, the Black Star Corps was the leader of the private organizations in the Shattered Star Ring. It was no longer suitable for her to form a new Beyond Grade A organization, as she would not be able to obtain much resources.
After hearing Hella's explanation, Han Xiao laughed heartily.
"Alright, then you can stay in the Black Star Corps for now. My promise is still valid. If you want to become independent one day, I'll still provide help."
"Hmm." Hella nodded.
"You're already a Beyond Grade A, so it's no longer suitable for you to be my Black Star Guards. How about this, I'll officially appoint you as the Vice Army Commander of the Black Star Corps. Your position will be only below mine and higher than Lagi. You'll be involved in the highest decision-making of the army's affairs, and your daily management duties will cover the division's armed forces, resource extraction, mercenary coordination, and so on. You'll be able to command part of the army's fleets, and at the same time, you'll be the Commander of the Black Star Guards."
With just a few words, Han Xiao promoted Hella and gave her a lot of real power.
After all, her status was no longer the same. Even if Hella herself did not need the power, he still had to give it to her. On one hand, it was to show that he valued Hella, showing the relationship between Hella and the army. On the other hand, it was to show the outside world that he followed the rules of the industry.
Leaving Hella behind, Han Xiaoxin was very happy.
He had thought of many possible outcomes, and Hella choosing to stay was the best outcome.
This was the first Beyond Grade A officer in the army, and it was a qualitative change. Having one or two Beyond Grade As in an organization was a completely different concept.
Originally, the army only had one pillar, and that was me. Now that Hella is here, she'll be able to share a lot of the burden for me, and it'll be beneficial for the army to expand its influence … Han Xiao thought.
"Vice Army Commander? Up to you. " Hella did not care too much about the title. She suddenly placed her hands on the edge of the table, leaned forward, and said, "Let's talk about this in the future. I have a request … fight with me."
"Sure." Han Xiao agreed. "But not today. You just returned to the headquarters. Rest for a while and spend more time with your sister. I have some errands to handle as well. In a few days, I'll beat … cough cough, fight with you."
"Okay."
Hella nodded and suppressed the eagerness in her heart. After stepping into the Beyond Grade A realm, she had always wanted to see how big the gap between the two of them was.
After chatting for a while more, Hella left the room and went to find Aurora. The two sisters had not seen each other for many years and had endless things to talk about.
Watching Hella leave, Han Xiao smiled. Just as he was about to write the Appointment Letter, his communicator rang.
Looking at it, it was a call from Uranril.
The dynasty is probably contacting me because of Hella … Han Xiao thought for a moment before answering the call.
"Your Excellency Ruler, what's the matter?" Uranril's figure appeared on the screen, and Han Xiao smiled.
"I heard that one of your officers has become a new Beyond Grade A. Congratulations." Uranril nodded.
"Haha, her name is Hella. Not only is she my officer, but she's also my old friend. She and I … Oh, I almost forgot. You guys definitely have her information." Han Xiao raised his brows and pretended to speak.
"Hmm, have you talked to Hella?"
"You came at the right time. I just finished talking to her."
"What's the result? What's her plan?"
"She thinks it's troublesome and doesn't want to form an organization for the time being. Therefore, she decided to stay here and be my right-hand woman."
"I see …" Uranril paused, pondered for a moment, and slowly said, "I have something to ask of you."
"Speak."
"If possible, I hope you can persuade Hella to join the dynasty."
As expected … Han Xiao smiled but did not say anything. He had expected this.
Due to his relationship with Hila, the dynasty felt that there was a high chance of obtaining a new Beyond Grade A ally. Thus, they came knocking on his door, wanting to make the first move and strengthen their Beyond Grade A team.
Seeing that Han Xiao did not reply, Uranril could not help but ask, "What do you think?"
"No problem. I'll try my best to persuade her, but I can't guarantee success." Han Xiao did not express his opinion.
"I understand." Uranril nodded. She would not force him.
This time, Han Xiao changed the topic.
"By the way, since you contacted me, I have something to report to you. Didn't you ask me to maintain the security of the Shattered Star Ring? I have an idea, and I can use this opportunity to show it. However, it's a bit big, so I need the dynasty's support."
"Tell me about it."
Han Xiao slowly said, "Because of the Flickering World, the Beyond Grade As of the various Star Fields have gathered in the Shattered Star Ring. At least ninety percent of the Beyond Grade As in the entire universe are here. Since that's the case, I might as well take the lead and invite these people to gather together and hold a large-scale gathering of the Beyond Grade As of the universe. I'll invite everyone to come and discuss with them and reach a consensus with them not to cause trouble in the Shattered Star Ring."
Hearing this, Uranril immediately began to plan.
This was almost equivalent to inviting all the Beyond Grade As of the entire universe. Indeed, the commotion would be too big. These people were all iconic figures of the various Star Fields. If they succeeded, it would be enough to set off a wave of public opinion that would sweep across the entire universe.
Perhaps it would even be recorded in the annals of history and become a memorable event.
As for what benefits Black Star could gain from this, it was obvious. First, he could save energy and solve the problem of the stability of the Star Field in one go. Regardless of whether it was negotiations or showing off his strength, he would use all kinds of methods to make all the foreign Beyond Grade As give up on the idea of causing trouble and wait patiently for the opening of the Flickering World.
The second benefit was that if he could really gather all the Beyond Grade As together, as the leader, Black Star's influence would increase greatly, proving that all the Beyond Grade As were giving him face.
"How confident are you that you can invite everyone?" Urranrell asked in a low voice.
"Half."
"Really?" Uranril was suspicious. "Most of the Beyond Grade As are smart people. They know very well that accepting your invitation is to support you and help you increase your fame. The dynasty's people won't have a problem, but can you guarantee that the people of Radiance and Ethereal will give you face?"
"I can't guarantee it, but …" Han Xiao chuckled. "I think my face should still be of some use. As for the people I can't invite, I'll have to ask the dynasty for help."
"Alright, it's worth a try. I'll get someone to cooperate with you." Uranril thought for a while before nodding and agreeing to this plan, indicating that she would provide help.
"Then, I'll thank the dynasty in advance." Han Xiao smiled. Suddenly, his eyes flashed, and he said, "Other than that, I have another matter."
"Speak."
"I've already considered the proposal regarding the Evolution Cube." Han Xiao shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't plan to use the Evolution Cube to exchange for anything else for the time being. In fact, I've looked at the list the dynasty gave me several times, but there's no Universal Treasure that I particularly like. The dynasty is very sincere, and I'm very grateful. Unfortunately, I'm not lucky, so I can only express my regret."
Uranril was silent for a few seconds before slowly saying, "It's alright, we won't force you. If you change your mind, feel free to contact us."
Then, the two of them chatted for a while before hanging up.
Han Xiao played with the communicator, thinking back to the conversation just now and nodding.
After thinking about it for a while, he finally decided to reject the dynasty's proposal and keep the Evolution Cube.
The dynasty wanted to obtain the ownership of the Evolution Cube and completely control the Evolutionary Totem business, which was exactly what he wanted to control as well. This was a conflict of interest. Even if the dynasty was unhappy, he had to keep this business in his hands.
Counting on others was never as good as counting on himself. He maintained a good relationship with the dynasty not because of personal relations but because he was useful to the dynasty. This was the foundation of the army.
If he rejected the exchange, the dynasty might be unhappy, but there was no possibility of them breaking off their relationship … because the dynasty still needed him.
Han Xiao had first thrown out this plan to gather all the Beyond Grade As before announcing his decision regarding the Evolution Cube. This was also a small test — he wanted to use this project to test the dynasty's change in attitude.
If he wanted to control a portion of the profits, he had to have the strength to match it. The dynasty was indeed a giant, but the current Black Star Corps also had the qualifications to control this profit. With Hella's return, the army was even more confident.
Radiance and Ethereal's suppression was mainly due to the dynasty's ban on selling totems to the outside world. However, if the ban was lifted one day, whether Radiance and Ethereal wanted the dynasty to control the Evolution Cube or an external ally to control the Evolution Cube would be an obvious answer.
They would rather let an ally of the dynasty control the profits of the totems than let their competitors control the totems business.
Although the businesses belonged to the dynasty in name, the ownership of the profits was fundamentally different.
"The dynasty will definitely do something in private. Let's see how they plan to do it."
Han Xiao shook his head. In any case, he would deal with whatever came his way.
…
The next day, the Black Star Corps publicly announced a personnel appointment.
The Sixth Seat of the Shattered Star Ring, the new Beyond Grade A who defeated Tolaen, Hella, who did not have a nickname yet, would be appointed as the Vice Army Commander of the Black Star Corps.
She did not establish her own organization and continued to serve the Black Star Corps!
Countless organizations were paying close attention to the development of this matter. As soon as the news came out, the entire Star Field was shaken!
Everyone knew that the influence of the Black Star Corps, which had two Beyond Grade As, would definitely skyrocket.
Although Black Star alone could beat many ordinary Beyond Grade As, to the galactic residents of the universe, the difference between having a single core and having two cores was like heaven and earth.
Many organizations with ulterior motives hoped that Hella would split up, but the development of the situation was contrary to their expectations. They could not help but be disappointed.
A Beyond Grade A actually succumbed to Black Star's tyranny and worked for him?
Can't you have some backbone?
Why don't you learn from your seniors? It's impossible to work for him. Go start your own business!
Damn it, I have to think of a way to break them up!
To the members of the Black Star Corps and their partners, this was undeniably great news.
Knowing that Hella would stay, the entire army was excited!
With a Beyond Grade A backing them, their confidence skyrocketed. The members of the army had even become more arrogant when they walked, learning how to walk without a teacher.
The impact was quickly felt. The army's attractiveness to high-end talents increased greatly.
Seeing that Han Xiao seemed to have really nurtured a Beyond Grade A, many Supers could no longer sit still and were tempted. Among them, the ones who were the most tempted were some neutral Beyond Grade A seeds. Becoming a Beyond Grade A was a fatal attraction to them.
Every time this happened, Hardaway would be especially happy.
I had the foresight to let go of my reservations and join the Black Star Corps. In the future, when these guys join, they will all be my underlings!
The feeling of throwing away my integrity is so good!
…
Somewhere in the Shattered Star Ring, in the Arcane Church's fleet.
The main ship's conference room was filled with projections of Ethereal's Beyond Grade A allies. Tolaen was the only one sitting in the middle. The scene was like a trial.
"… You're saying that Hella's Esper Ability is extraordinarily lethal to living beings, and when it erupted, it heavily injured you in one blow?"
"That's right, it hurts. Plus, she can damage my mind. I'll need to rest for at least a few years." Tolaen gritted his teeth.
Tolaen was furious that he had lost to Hella. He felt like he had been full of confidence but had been killed by someone in the online battle.
Furthermore, not only had he lost, but he had also suffered injuries that were difficult to recover from. The main reason was that his mind was heavily damaged, and he would need to slowly recuperate. Before he recovered, Tolaen's control over his spells would be reduced, and his strength would not be able to reach its peak.
Tolaen could not take this lying down. He rested for a few days and contacted the others today to report Hella's ability.
Kasuyi slowly shook his head. "The Black Star Corps has obtained a new Beyond Grade A with extraordinary potential. Their forces have grown stronger again."
Hearing this, many of the people present frowned.
Among the three Universal Civilizations, the one that did not want the Black Star Corps to grow stronger the most was the Arcane Church. After all, they had suffered such a huge loss in the battle of Planet Lighthouse, and many of the people present already had a grudge with the Black Star Corps.
At this moment, Sun Hunter suddenly glanced at his communicator and said, "Black Star sent me a message."
"What did he say?" Kasuyi turned to look.
"Er, he sent us an invitation and wants us to visit him …" Sun Hunter's tone became strange.
"Us?"
"Yes, he invited … all the Beyond Grade As of the Arcane Church."
As soon as this was said, other than Kasuyi, the expressions of everyone present changed. They were filled with shock and confusion.
Inviting all the top combatants of the Arcane Church?
What was Black Star doing? Was he itching for a beating?
If it were anyone else, they would have thought that they were courting death. However, the target was Black Star. Everyone present believed that he was just itching for a beating.
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