“The first exploration phase of the Flickering World will soon end, and construction will follow shortly after. At that time, a large amount of resources and manpower will be required. The army has no lack of funds, and together with the support from the Crimson Dynasty, there will be no need for me to worry about resources during the version update period.”

He had a monopoly in the Evolutionary Totem business, and it was his faction’s specialty. It brought him a large amount of profit, and among the Beyond Grade A allies of the dynasty, he would probably belong to the group that had no lack of money.

In his plans, the mechanical civilization and the Black Spirit Race would be his focus for development. The former would be his source of high-quality soldiers while the latter had great potential. He would be able to allow them to grow without any hindrance and concern in his own territory.

He was no longer watching the Black Spirit Race develop but personally intervening in the development of the race. The Black Spirit Race had a strong ability to accept changes, and as long as their development was on track, they would definitely soar forward rapidly.

The version update period from Version 3.0 to Version 4.0 was a couple of decades. The players would return when the Flickering World opened to the outside world.

With the experience from his previous life, Han Xiao knew which organizations would compete in the Flickering World, and this was a huge advantage for him.

During this version update period, the entire galaxy would be focused mainly on expansion. The Crimson Dynasty would probably face huge pressure, and Han Xiao himself would likely meet some trouble because of the Evolution Cube. However, with his current strength and status, there should not be that many threats from the outside.

The Black Star Army had only been around for roughly twenty years, and the version update period was going to last for a few decades. This would be a good time to let the Black Star Army solidify their foundation and transform from a ‘newborn organization’ to a ‘veteran organization’.

“Hila is still continuing to grow, and although her growth speed isn’t as fast as in my previous life, she has greater potential with my aid. During the version update period, it is very likely for her to become a new Beyond Grade A…”

Han Xiao’s eyes gleamed.

This way, his organization would have one more top combatant. Even if Hila chose to become independent, both of them would definitely remain allies.

At that time, the Shattered Star Ring would have six Beyond Grade As, and the army would be able to benefit greatly from it.

Psyker, on the other hand, definitely would not have a good time.

During the entire Version 3.0, Han Xiao had harvested a large amount of experience from the players, and it was stored in his interface. The players would be offline during the version update period, and huge events would be rare. This accumulated experience would be the strategic resource for him to last through this version update period.

At his current level, leveling up once would require a sky-high amount of experience. Although Han Xiao’s stash was great, it would not be enough if he used it all to level up. A couple of decades was a long time, and he had to use his experience sparingly.

In his plans, he would obtain a new Class Advancement and Race Advancement after reaching level three hundred, and he would have to increase the level of his skills to obtain more Potential Points so that the levels of his new knowledge would all be increased.

The experience required to increase his level in the future would only increase, and developing more crop fields would aid in his efficiency of harvesting experience. Version 4.0 did not only have more competition from the world but also gave him the opportunity to develop a new batch of crops.

The players had settled the Gulal civil war a while ago, and the [Gulal Civilization: The Flames of Pioneers!] mission on his interface was also completed.

The Mission Rating of this mission was dependent on the performance of an individual. He had thrown the mission over to the players and did not do it himself. As such, his Mission Rating was not high. However, the experience that he gained from the mission was not the main point. The experience that the players obtained would eventually flow back to him through their purchases, and that profit was many times that of the mission.

After three versions of hard work, the Black Star Army had developed to its current state, and Han Xiao was no longer as worried about the version update period.

“I am already fully prepared and waiting for the day the dynasty divvies up the territories.”

…

After the end of the Pro League, the version update date drew nearer and nearer. The attention of the players was also diverted from the Pro League to the new version.

Many players kept a large amount of experience and wanted to use it to reach the next level limit in the new version.

The players were all gathered in the Black Star Army headquarters, chatting with their friends while waiting to go offline.

At the corner of the plaza, the professional players were gathered together, chatting among themselves.

“There are plenty of new players in this version. Did we see so many players in the previous two versions?”

Twinkle Fried Rice shook his head.

“The more the merrier. This way, the Pro League will have higher viewership rates.” Li Ge chuckled.

“I wonder how long the version update period would be this time,” Maple Moon said curiously.

“It shouldn’t be too long, right? Our Flickering World mission hasn’t ended yet. We will definitely get to continue the exploration during the next version,” Frenzied Sword replied. “I am truly curious to see what the Black Star Army will be like during the next version.”

The few of them chatted and suddenly saw King Admiral waving at them from afar. Frenzied Sword and the others then went over.

King Admiral chuckled and said, “Since everyone is here, let’s find a day to have a meal. We can take it to be a celebration for obtaining both the championship and first runner up.”

“Sure.” Li Ge was the first to agree.

“I remember that we did so after the previous season ended as well,” Sleepy Winter said while stroking his chin.

“That’s right. We should just make it a tradition. The champions shall be in charge of treating all the Chinese players. We can go for a vacation together.”

“Better treat us to something good. Don’t be like Long Sky and only treat us to some roadside store.”

“Dining at a roadside store is value for money,” Hao Tian said bitterly.

Everyone then cheered at the proposition, and King Admiral had no choice but to accept it.

Very quickly, all the players went offline, and the entire plaza became empty.

A notification also popped up on Han Xiao’s interface.

_____________

Version 3.0 update activated.

Saving data… Save complete!

Player forums closed.

Update Duration: Unknown. Please wait patiently.

_____________

Han Xiao then looked up, and the player forum button had turned gray.

“The players are all offline…” Han Xiao took a deep breath. “It’s now time to start planning for Version 4.0.”

…

At the same time, at the entrance of the Shattered Star Ring stargate, a trade fleet had just exited the stargate. The spaceship had an egg-like shape with silver armor. It looked extremely simple yet high tech. The insignia of the Limitless Financial Group was carved out on the exterior of the spaceship.

The main flagship was a gigantic flying saucer. In the command room, a tall man stood in front of the window and looked out at the view.

His figure was slim, and his skin was extremely fair. He looked very gentle and did not have the pressure of a powerhouse. He was dressed in luxurious clothes from head to toe and was emanating with the feeling of wealth.

This man was the current head of the Limitless Financial Group, Sorokin. He was one of the richest men in the galaxy.

A secretary stood beside Sorokin and said softly, “Your Excellency Sorokin, we have arrived.”

“Hmm…” Sorokin replied. “Follow our schedule and head to the Black Star Army headquarters. Get our Shattered Star Ring branch to show me information about their performance over the past five years.”

“Understood.”

The Limitless Financial Group had property everywhere, and the Shattered Star Ring was no exception. But because of the poor public security of this region, the Limitless Financial Group did not place much emphasis on the Shattered Star Ring, and their operations were not large there.

If not for the fact that he had accepted the proposition of his three Beyond Grade A shareholders, Sorokin would not have established a large scale operation over there.

Although his current goal was to make trouble for Black Star, they were not direct enemies in business competition. Sorokin was also interested in meeting Black Star.

The way he saw it, Black Star should be happy to meet a wealthy individual like him. Although one of his subsidiary organizations had been wiped out by Black Star, his identity was not revealed, and Black Star should not know that he was the mastermind behind the matter.

As such, this would be their first encounter in Black Star’s eyes.

With Black Star being kept in the dark, he would have a slight advantage.

He could also make use of this opportunity to come into contact with the Black Star Army’s immortals and complete his previous goal.

Just as Sorokin was in thought, the hatch to the command room opened, and a woman walked in. She was dressed in the manager attire of the financial group.

This woman came to Sorokin’s side and lowered her head slightly.

“Father, what are your instructions?”

She was Lovell, Sorokin’s daughter.

Sorokin had many children, and they took on various positions in the financial group.

Turning to look at her, Sorokin flipped open his communicator and sent an invitation to her.

“Take this Tyrant’s Party invitation and go to Heber. Meet him on my behalf.”

Lovell was startled and asked, “Didn’t you want to invest in the Black Star Army?”

“I will only make a decision after meeting Black Star. Before that, we cannot let go of any other investment opportunities,” Sorokin replied.

His deal with the three shareholders was a secret. Apart from himself, everyone in the financial group thought that he was making a trip to the Shattered Star Ring for an ordinary investment.

Although he was planning to use money to compete with the Black Star Army, he needed to use the money wisely. While money would allow him to snatch a larger portion of the market, he did not like suffering losses.

Sorokin wanted both the deal with his shareholders and the opportunity to invest in the Flickering World!

As long as he invested in the right target, things would go smoothly for him.

He wanted to compete with Black Star head on but also not anger the dynasty. Thus, there was a suitable investment partner in the Shattered Star Ring.

After all, the Black Star Army was not the only organization that had the right to begin construction in the Flickering World.