After rebuking Bader, Han Xiao felt much better.

While he might have become the Special Consultant for the three Universal Civilizations, his previous grudges against the church and the federation had yet to disappear, so being impolite to them felt pretty good.

Seeing this, Urranrell took over and solemnly said, “Black Star, this matter is of utmost importance. I hope that you can assist us in proposing it to the union.”

Toward his own ruler, Han Xiao would naturally hold himself back a little. However, he remained firm. “The Development Union should not and cannot favor any party. If we act according to your requirements, when your direct lines step forward, will we need to restrain them as well? Can you accept mediation? If we treat you the same, will you be offended? You understand what I mean. I personally have a reason to deal with the Modo Civilization, so I declared that in advance. This is not against the united front, but it’s better for the association itself to remain neutral.”

He knew what the three Universal Civilizations were planning. The purpose of the Beyond Grade A Association was to mediate with all Beyond Grade A conflicts. The three Universal Civilizations wished to take advantage of this and turn the association into an indirect third-party ally.

If the Super Star Clusters take out their direct Beyond Grade As, then we will fight you, but if the three Universal Civilizations take out theirs, then we’ll pretend we did not see anything

In this manner, the final result would make people mistake the development union as the dog of the three Universal Civilizations.

Han Xiao naturally would not agree to this. He was the Vice President of the Beyond Grade A Association as well as a common ally of the three Universal Civilizations. His identity now was sensitive, and both sides needed him, so he could not go down the wrong path.

The three Universal Civilizations had an advantage in terms of the number of their Beyond Grade As, so they definitely would not agree to being treated fairly.

Sure enough, after hearing Han Xiao’s statement, the leaders rejected the proposal. As a ruler, it was impossible to give an external union a higher law enforcement power than themselves.

The Pope slowly spoke. “Black Star, let us be open. We understand your position very well. The Mechanic Emperor wishes to create opposition, but you are different. You don’t wish to separate the Beyond Grade A group from us. It’s not as though you are refusing cooperation with us, so we are optimistic that there is actually some room for negotiation. Just say what you want.” “That’s right. My aim is to form an cooperative partnership between the Beyond Grade As and the advanced civilizations, not just being your vassals or sheltered under you. As for the premise of equality… you have to at least let go of most of the shackles against the Beyond Grade As, such as the monopoly of Class Knowledge.”

“Isn’t that what we proposed before? To use the removal of knowledge monopoly as a bargaining chip in exchange for the development union to deal with the Super Star Cluster Alliance, but you refused.”

“How should I put it? Using this as a deal is actually a threat or coercion in the eyes of many of the Beyond Grade As. Another purpose of this union is to bring all the Beyond Grade As together and not continue to force them into factional disputes. Thus, most people hope that the three Universal Civilizations will unconditionally let go of many restrictions including the monopoly of knowledge as well as reform the alliance system. Only after this will we then be willing to talk about the new cooperation conditions. This is an issue with the order it is being done…” Han Xiao explained. The union could technically be likened to a strike, aimed at improving the welfare of the entire class and fighting for better treatment for themselves, so they would be quite united before the benefits were obtained.

“Assuming we do this, what form of new cooperation do you hope to achieve?” The Pope threw the question back. “To be honest, the opinions within the union have also not been unified as of now, but the majority suggest reducing the nature of allies and strengthening the employment relationship. That is to reduce compulsion and increase our freedom. The cooperative relationship should also be no longer limited to one, and it should be in the form of employer and employee. In addition, we will not be affected by the aftermath between faction battles…”

Han Xiao repeated the expectations of the development union. There were too many twists and turns in this, as the needs of the advanced civilization allies and the free Beyond Grade As were basically different. When different positions fought, it would be difficult to come to a result that everyone was satisfied with.

The three leaders shook their heads. Neither side could make any concessions, so the talks could only come to an end without any common goal reached.

Walking out of the reception room, Han Xiao sighed in resignation.

Following the rise in his position within the universe, the choices he faced every day were becoming increasingly critical. Every decision could have a profound impact on his own development, and if he did not pay attention, it would easily deviate from the tracks he envisioned and become difficult to remedy. Only through experiencing this would one then be able to understand the danger involved.

The moment Han Xiao left, the three leaders shared a glance.

“It seems like there’s no need to count on the development union to provide assistance. Black Star was not perfunctory at all. He has a clear conscience when accepting rewards and can reject without feeling guilt at all. Heh, his principles are really strong.” Bader sneered.

“Enough. This was not our main objective in building momentum for him as well. This was something we expected. It would be too simple if such a small reward moved a pinnacle Beyond Grade A.”

“There’s no problem for Black Star to cherish his feathers. We cannot lose sight of our long-term goals just for some short term gains. We still need him to act as a link to guide the development of the union… It’s just that their requirements now are still a little whimsical.”

“The Beyond Grade As can’t be without restrictions. If their shackles are completely removed, it will be a hidden danger in the future.”

“We don’t have the time to deal with this now. Shelve the negotiations and observe Black Star a little longer. No matter what, having him in the top position is better than the Mechanic Emperor.”

Under the vigorous propaganda of the three Universal Civilizations, the various Star Fields broadcast the award ceremony, causing extensive discussions among the numerous galactic residents.

Among the hottest topics was Han Xiao himself. Some people thought that the Galaxy Medal he obtained was well-deserved, while others thought that his merits were not great enough when compared with the previous Galaxy Medal winners.

But in any case, the facts could not be changed. If one were to count Han Xiao’s deeds of catching EsGod, stopping the disaster, fighting the Mechanic Emperor, and contributing to the stability of the universe, most people would hold a positive attitude. However, the enthusiasm for the discussion of the award ceremony in galactic society lasted for only a few days before a sudden change attracted the attention of the entire universe.

Just a few days after the end of the award ceremony, the largest armed conflict so far broke out in the free competition zone. Many of the organizations launched attacks on multiple planetary strongholds without warning, as if they had agreed beforehand.

The free competition zone suddenly fell into chaos.

Hong long long long!

The earth rumbled continuously, and a series of heavy ground combat vehicles tens of meters high advanced. Wherever they passed, mountains and forests fell, bunkers shattered, and ground defense lines were breached.

Troops of armored soldiers raised their weapons and fired frantically at the intruders. The muzzles ejected intense beams of light. However, a group of vigorous and powerful figures shuttled through the artillery fire, easily decimating the troops. The small team easily shredded the defending front, and the mud thrown up by the vehicles and explosives buried the corpses of the soldiers.

This was a resource-rich planet located in the middle of the free competition zone. It was originally discovered by a vassal Star System level civilization under the three Universal Civilizations, and they established a stronghold here. However, they were ruthlessly attacked today.

Their attacker was a large fleet bearing a common logo of a snowflake shaped emblem with two spears staggered at the bottom. This represented the organization known as ‘Northern Battlefront’. Established in the free competition zone, they had no major records, but no one expected them to come and attack a planet occupied by a Star System civilization without warning.

The Northern Battlefront fleet had dispatched tens of thousands of Grade B players as well as a large number of warships and ground combat equipment. It did not take long for the defensive forces of the stronghold to fall into a full retreat as they were unable to withstand the Northern Battlefront’s offensive.

This was because the Northern Battlefront was actually a player-formed organization, created by a large number of guilds banding together. They also recruited many solo players with capital, so they had a good foundation to support a certain level of interstellar warfare. After all, they had gone through four versions in Galaxy, so the guild had accumulated quite a lot of money.

There were tens of millions of active players in Galaxy, of which the Black Star Army probably recruited a little more than ten million and was the largest player faction. The rest of the players were scattered among various organizations, with equally large numbers each as the guilds could afford to recruit them.

Within the stronghold was a group of players from the three Universal Civilizations stationed on guard, with probably about one or two hundred of them. However, they were soon overwhelmed by the army and could not withstand the waves of attacks.

A warship of the Northern Battlefront was suspended high in the sky, and within the command room, the leader of the Northern Battlefront looked down on the battlefield with a smile.

“Victory is before us. Quickly deal with the enemies. We still have other strongholds to conquer.”

He was the leader of the Northern Battlefront that was jointly elected by the many guilds forming the coalition, and he was responsible for the operation this time. His ID was ‘Fire of Northern Sea’, and he was the president of a large club in Europe.

“Where shall we hit next?” asked another senior who was part of the guild.

“Whichever is nearest. We’ll carve a path for ourselves.”

Fire of the Northern Sea waved his hand energetically.

The Northern Battlefront had communicated with the NPC organizations and reached an agreement with the Super Star Cluster Alliance, acting as an agent to help the Super Star Cluster Alliance conquer the various strongholds.

Every time they occupied a stronghold, they would get additional rewards, and they did not even need to struggle in occupying the planets. The Super Star Cluster Alliance was responsible for initiating the war, and the high resource sharing provided to them was equivalent to a steady stream of funds. At the same time, the Super Star Cluster Alliance would provide resource support to them during the campaign, such as material purchase discounts and other benefits.

It was not just the Northern Battlefront; even the Galactic Business Alliance and the 5C Alliance, other player made alliances, had also reached an agreement with the Super Star Cluster Alliance to temporarily fight for them.

The conflict between the three Universal Civilizations and the Super Star Cluster Alliance was an open secret, and the Super Star Cluster Alliance would not be afraid of the three Universal Civilizations and the Black Star Army like the smaller factions. The clubs of various countries saw this opportunity and hopped on the bandwagon to participate in this national war.

Them starting a national war was not just for entertainment but more for profit.

By doing so, they could utilize this channel to cozy up to someone powerful such as the Super Star Clusters, recruit more players through the wars and strengthen their organization, and obtain resources. Furthermore, they would fulfil the main storyline of faction war and perform some off-field preparations for the Pro League this season, easing the dominance those in the Black Star Army had.

And now, due to the Super Star Cluster Alliance being the preemptive one, the Northern Battlefront and the other guild alliances took the chance to attack and expand their territory in the free competition zone for the Super Star Cluster Alliance.

Fire of Northern Sea opened the star map, watching the real-time expansion of the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s territory in the free competition zone as he excitedly clenched his fists.

“This is an unprecedented event. The Black Star Army has too great an advantage in the Flickering World. Only if the Super Star Cluster Alliance wins will we be able to turn the tides and obtain equivalent resources to them!”

This similar war scene appeared on multiple planets in the free competition zones. In addition to the player alliances, other private armed organizations also robbed territory for the Super Star Cluster Alliance.

Around 2,400 planets were invaded on the same day, most of which were resource rich planets, transportation hubs, or other strategic locations. At the fourth exploration phase, the maps were basically complete, and the Super Star Cluster Alliance could accurately select the high value targets. Facing the sudden problem created by the Super Star Cluster Alliance, everyone was left shocked! “Galaxy Chronicles—The First World Server War

“On February 25, 732, the three Universal Civilizations held an award ceremony for Black Star, awarding him the Galaxy Medal.

“On February 29, 732, a large-scale armed invasion broke out in the free competition zone of the Flickering World. The Super Star Cluster Alliance instructed multiple armed organizations to expand their territory, which eventually became the fuse for official conflict between them and the three Universal Civilizations. This was the prelude to a national war and went down in history as ‘Eve of the Incident’.”