Han Xiao followed the two dynasty non-commissioned officers through the tightly guarded corridors to a large office, which had been refurbished for the three heads of state. Right now, the door of the innermost reception room was closed.

The Secretary of the Dynasty Ruler put down the work on his hands, approaching them with a respectful tone.

“Your Excellency Black Star, the three Rulers are still in discussion. Please wait for a moment.”

“Alright, I’ll sit by the side.”

Han Xiao casually found a place to sit down, while the Secretary assigned people to bring refreshments for him before sitting opposite Han Xiao.

In order not to let Black Star feel left out, the Secretary turned into an escort and started talking

Having spent decades in the dynasty, Han Xiao knew quite a few of the high-ranking officials, and this was not his first time talking to the secretary. As they talked, the topic shifted to the little incident that had happened just now.

“Your Excellency Black Star, what do you think of that reporter?” the Secretary asked.

“Just an unlucky sod.”

“Indeed.” The Secretary laughed. “The moment he was selected, his life was destined to be affected. It’s understandable why he would choose to gamble for the greatest benefits in the end.”

“Eh, I thought you’d have to maintain political correctness in your position. You should have said that he should have immediately reported the orchestrator.”

“Hehe, we pay attention to political correctness, but we also have to be practical. The upper echelons will never like a person who only knows how to blindly shout slogans.” The Secretary shook his head. “He’s not our citizen, nor is there any patriotic factor about him. The probability of expecting him to actively expose the other party is low. Tell me, what would he get in return?”

“A tiny reward, maybe a medal?” Han Xiao casually joked.

“Haha, you’re quite humorous… However, these are extravagant hopes. What he’ll get is likely a downgrade of his position. He was originally a big-name reporter belonging to a news group, who was responsible for attending our official events, so it should be considered a top-level position. But if he exposes this matter, there won’t be preferential treatment for him… You also understand that the civilization is a huge system, with each department not just working for the civilization but also looking out for their own political achievements. So, why would the news department take such a risk to allow a suspicious person to remain? They will have a good talk with the news channel’s upper echelons, then that guy will likely be shifted elsewhere.”

“Doesn’t that mean that the person would be worth taking care of?” “Is there a need? It’s easier to swap with a new person. Is he working in a non-replaceable role?”

“Oh, that’s a little cold blooded. Aren’t you afraid of making people disheartened?” Han Xiao raised his brows.

“Haha, do you think we will surround and protect a small reporter so that others will see our care and increase their confidence in cooperating with us? So, in the future, it’s more possible for them to seek us out to expose others?” The Secretary laughed. “Isn’t that a good thing?” Han Xiao was interested.

“Different levels have different logics in dealing with matters. At our level, many times, the policies for dealing with such matters run contrary to ordinary people’s thinking logic. It’s basically a combination of many factors.” The Secretary blinked. “If it’s a higher position or character, even an organization with a certain power, we may make concessions as you mentioned.

“But for a small reporter? We will not waste our time on him. Our war with the Super Star Clusters on public opinion has always been going on in the dark, and this is not the first time such matters have happened. If he has no contacts and is totally unable to fight for the protection that we have planned… he’s not an important figure, so we shall not focus so much on him.”

“I didn’t know this in the past, but your words are really bold.” Han Xiao sized up the Secretary once more.

“It’s just the truth. My authority might be huge, but the resources available to exercise them are also limited. In the end, it boils down to a question of distribution.” The Secretary smacked his lips as he said, “It’s no good for them to proactively expose it, so it’s better to agree to the orchestrator behind the scenes. At least, you can obtain a large sum of money, and the things you do are within your scope of normal duties. You have not crossed the line… After all, questions asked by the journalists are from their own free will. We cannot change that.”

“Can you really not?”

“… At least in name. There is no official budget for friendly questioning, so we can only rely on hard authority to make others more self-aware.” The Secretary smiled. “But authority is not always useful. There are not many reporters who dare make things difficult for us. Some do it for performance; some are instructed. All sorts of scenarios have been experienced before, but how could there always be the same root issue?”

Han Xiao stroked his chin before suddenly saying, “Why do I feel that your words carry a deeper meaning?”

“Haha, I’ve been seen through. My idea was actually to test you out and see how you intended to deal with this journalist, Black Star… With your swift and vigorous means, you’ve probably already deployed your measures.” The Secretary laughed.

What vigor and resoluteness, you might as well just say that I’m petty… Han Xiao secretly scolded but casually revealed his plan.

“It’s good that you did not fall for the trick. It seems that my reminder was unnecessary.” The Secretary smiled.

“… It’s really tiring to talk to you. Don’t hide things, just tell me directly.” Han Xiao was helpless.

“Hehe, we hope to downplay it and not impose any personal threats on the journalist, so we need your cooperation. If this person’s life is threatened, it’ll easily turn into a fuss…”

“I think it’s useless even if you don’t wish to do anything. The people behind might choose to silence him, which will also allow them to smear the blame on you.”

The Secretary folded his hands as he replied, “I understand, and there is indeed such a possibility, but the probability is low… First of all, such accusations are not damaging enough for us to make trouble. If someone tries to place the blame on us, there will be flaws, and it would be easy to reverse the case back onto them. Furthermore, how many would care about a journalist’s life or death? The moment the news is spread out, those with a discerning eye would immediately see through the issue of the problem. In addition, those who are likely to care about the news are also journalists themselves, and spreading the news will only spoil the image of the media industry… With so many factors, this is why we chose to downplay it.”

Hearing this, Han Xiao did not agree nor disagree. The higher one’s level, the wider their knowledge. The progress of his own methods over the years came, to a certain extent, from his exchanges with the people of different classes, influenced by their own methods.

After chatting a while longer, Han Xiao suddenly recalled a certain matter and changed topics.

“Urranrell’s term should be almost over, right?”

In his previous life, after the end of the Flickering World storyline, the Crimson Dynasty Ruler changed. The day was almost here.

The Secretary paused a bit before subconsciously lowering his voice. “I cannot share the specific details yet.”

“Alright then, let’s just talk about you. If Urranrell were to retire, your position would also have to change, right? Any news for you?”

“The moment the Ruler retires, my term as Secretary will also come to an end. The change of position has not been decided yet, but I’ll definitely be one of the foreign delegates for the government, likely within the same rank as well…”

Just as Han Xiao was about to pursue the topic, the doors to the reception room opened.

The Secretary stopped talking at the right time, gesturing for Han Xiao to enter. Seeing this, Han Xiao walked into the reception room. The first thing he saw was the three leaders behind their desks, with the various Beyond Grade A personal guards beside them.

As the door closed, Han Xiao casually greeted them.

Dark Lord Clotti nodded slightly, with no intention to speak.

It was instead Oulou who swept Han Xiao from head to toe before slowly saying, “You caught quite a few of my friends previously. It’s a pity I was not there, or else you would not have succeeded.”

“Good day to you too. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” While he sensed the hostility in Oulou, Han Xiao remained indifferent, keeping a slight smile without trying to provoke the other party. “Humph.” Oulou snorted and did not continue talking, only raising his head slightly and showing an arrogant posture.

The first impression this guy gave off was really just arrogance. While Kasuyi had mentioned that Oulou was more moderate, this was in reference to the Dark Lord, who was known for being cold. Han Xiao did not expect Oulou to be enthusiastic toward him, especially given the fact that he had captured a few Federation allies not too long ago.

Wuornos did not even open his eyes to look at Han Xiao, as though he had fallen asleep.

Among the three, Han Xiao was the most curious about Wuornos. In his previous life, both the Dark Lord and Oulou had entered the main battlefield during the World Tree War and had perished. Only Wuornos had not been dispatched. Furthermore, his previous records were also few and between, making him extremely mysterious.

Even in normal times, when it came to Beyond Grade A powerhouses, Wuornos was rarely counted because he basically did not move against anybody, a weirdo just like Sorokin. However, their reputations lay at the two extremes.

At this moment, the Dynasty Ruler Urranrell spoke. “Black Star, how does it feel to have the Galaxy Medal?”

“I’m flattered.” Han Xiao was expressionless.

“But you don’t seem too satisfied?”

“… I’ve been seen through. Yes, I’m actually a little worried.”

“What are you worried about?”

“If I ever make new contributions to the universe in the future, will I then get a second or maybe a third Galaxy Medal? I feel that I might have to open a warehouse to store this stuff. It might even have no space in the future to store all these medals. What a headache.” Han Xiao sighed.

Urranrell was perplexed. Can you please speak coherently? “Let’s skip the polite remarks. You’re not just looking for me to encourage me, right? Just tell me if you have something.” Han Xiao spread out his hands. After putting up a front for the whole day, he did not wish to be polite anymore. Bader sighed before speaking. “Then let’s get straight to the point. I believe you’ve learned from your channels that the dispute between us and the Super Star Cluster Alliance is about to begin. For the Black Star Army, as the leader of the private armed forces in the Flickering World, we require you to provide a certain amount of assistance.” “Hmm?” Han Xiao frowned.

The three Universal Civilizations had been trying to get the Beyond Grade A Association to help them deal with the Super Star Clusters, even using the monopoly of Class Knowledges as a bargaining chip, but the union had never agreed. There had not been any unnecessary actions for a period of time, but now it had started once more. “You should be aware of the results of the Beyond Grade A Union’s vote some time ago. I thought we already gave our answer,” Han Xiao said.

“That’s right. We know that the Beyond Grade A Association plans to abide by its neutral stand, but that is your own agreement, not our request,” the Pope drily said.

Urranrell also added, “Black Star, we hope that you’ll work with us on this matter.”

The Crimson Dynasty originally allocated its territory to the Beyond Grade A allies, hoping that they could contribute at this time. But the development of the union exceeded their expectations, and now, their original allies wished to remain neutral. Of course, they were displeased.

While the territory of the Black Star Army was given as a reward for meritorious service, there was also a motive behind giving it away, and if it could not achieve the effect they wanted, they would not call it quits so easily.

“I thought that we had reached a common consensus on this issue, but it seems that you have misunderstood my position.” Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.

“Don’t misunderstand. We understand your intentions, but this is not beyond the scope of our agreement.” Bader interjected.

The three Universal Civilizations had created momentum for Black Star because they wished to gain a spokesperson for them within the union. They wished to utilize Han Xiao as a link to influence the entire Development Union. Such a juncture like this would be when the spokesperson came into play-on the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s side, they had their Beyond Grade As, so the three Universal Civilizations would not easily allow their allies to go on strike.

“If I do this, I’ll deviate from the united front and lose the bigger picture because of small gains.” Han Xiao waved his hand.

“Relax, we’ve taken this into consideration and have chosen an entry point for you…” The Pope leaned forward. “Since you’ve publicly expressed your personal grievances with the Modo Civilization, just use this as a reason to move a little. You can use these reasonable excuses to get more of the Beyond Grade As to intervene in the storm without damaging your reputation.”

| We

“Will it not be damaged just because you say so? Don’t start.” Han Xiao waved his hands again. “Then we each take a step back. We will not force you to participate in the event throughout, but if the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s Beyond Grade As takes action, I hope that the Development Union will respond. Since you have shouted about regulating all Beyond Grade A conflicts, it should be implemented to the end. This perfectly falls within your jurisdictions.”

Han Xiao immediately understood the intentions of the three Universal Civilizations and put on an embarrassed face as he explained, “But in such a situation, those who are willing to help the Super Star Clusters are definitely of their direct line. Since you also have your own direct Beyond Grade As, isn’t it appropriate for both direct lines to fight? It will not be suitable for the union to take action as it will make us biased.”

Bader deepened his tone in dissatisfaction, “If you put it like this, then what do we need you allies for?”

Han Xiao frowned, and he raised his tone, not ready to be outdone. “If you have the ability, just cancel all the Beyond Grade A ally contracts now.”

Bader was rendered speechless.

You’re good, I’ll shut my mouth now.