Chapter 1 Palace Banquet

As night fell, the palace was brightly lit. The invitees changed into the exquisite formal attire brought by the functionaries and attended the evening banquet. Palace attendants led the way to the garden courtyard, which had been transformed into an open-air banquet hall. Bright, warm light dispelled the darkness of the night, and long tables were laden with delicate foods: vibrant green, bright yellow, and luminous purple fruits and vegetables; fragrant roasted meats from unknown beasts; sweet pies oozing with fresh milk; and light blue, clear wine brewed from the Source Water. Attendants weaved through the crowd with platters, while musicians sat in the center, playing strangely shaped instruments. Notes danced merrily on the strings. The light blue-skinned Voin nobles mingled and toasted each other in the courtyard. The banquet had only just begun. In a pavilion at the corner of the courtyard sat the Voin King and high-ranking nobles, frequently glancing toward the entrance. As soon as the warriors from the upper realm arrived, the King cleared his throat and stood up to greet them.

"Welcome to the palace banquet, everyone. I am Garle Mio, and I thank you for your generous assistance..." the King said. "Mio" in the Voin language meant "king" or "leader," and it was also the King's self-appellation.

King Garle was a rather stout middle-aged man. As he delivered his words of gratitude, he stepped down from the pavilion and personally greeted them, showing no airs. The other nobles stopped their conversations and bowed respectfully to Han Xiao and his group. They knew their noble status was meaningless before the guests from the upper realm. This was a difference in levels, somewhat like a tribal chieftain facing guests from a civilized metropolis, but the gap was even wider. The upper realm warriors were powerful dragons who could ignore the local snakes.

Linge acted as if he would follow Han Xiao's lead in everything, so Han Xiao had to step forward as the leader and exchange pleasantries, saying it was a matter of lifting a hand, a trivial matter, and so on. Then King Garle tried to build rapport by telling a few jokes that weren't funny at all, but the nobles roared with laughter as if they were the most hilarious quips imaginable.

A group of Guardian Mages walked out carefully carrying a galactic communicator as if it were a sacred object. After a few manipulations, a virtual projection of an Ascendant appeared in the center of the courtyard, eliciting gasps of wonder from the Voin. Han Xiao heard an old noble beside him say to his offspring, "Cherish this moment. Only when important guests are present can we witness such a miracle."

Volga the Eldest curled his lip. "These people are really unsophisticated."

The Second coldly glanced at him. "Weren't we like that when we were kids?"

The Eldest was speechless. He grunted and stopped talking, turning his head to see the Third gnawing on a beast leg with gusto, his mouth dripping with grease.

King Garle exchanged a few words with the Ascendant. The Ascendant thanked everyone for their help and transferred the reward money to their accounts. Then, the communication ended. King Garle said with a hearty laugh, "Please, enjoy the food and drink to your heart's content. This is a wonderful evening."

Hosts and guests were happy, and everyone blended into the festive atmosphere of the banquet. Different civilizations and races had their own cultural customs, and everyone did as the locals did. Nobles came over to chat from time to time, their attitude cautious yet curious. There were also performances at the banquet. Before long, a group of dancers took the stage, weaving through the crowd with spinning and leaping, their eyes flirtatious.

Han Xiao felt nothing for these blue-skinned Voin. He took a few sips of Source Water wine and turned to see Aroshia staring at the food on the table, seemingly hesitant to eat.

Han Xiao walked over, habitually put his arm around her shoulder, and leaned in to take a look. He chuckled and said, "There haven't been any battles lately, so you don't need to use your Esper abilities. Eat something."

Aroshia ignored Han Xiao's gesture. She picked up a purple fruit, bit her lip, and hesitated. She didn't need to eat to sustain herself; she automatically absorbed free energy from the environment to maintain her consumption, which was a characteristic of energy-based life forms. But Han Xiao had been curious about what would happen if she ate something, so he had coaxed her into eating some food. Although Aroshia didn't feel hunger, she tasted the deliciousness of the food and found eating to be an interesting thing. Eating became her form of entertainment. Compared to her dazed and extremely calm personality nine months ago, Aroshia now had more human-like traits.

Aroshia's digestive system was very powerful. All food was broken down into energy, leaving no residue, so she didn't need to excrete. However, a bizarre accident had once occurred. Energization only worked on herself and could not be applied to external objects. If she energized before the food was digested, the undigested residue in her stomach would splatter out. At the time, everyone was about to go to war with a group of enemy troops, and this scene stunned both sides. Everyone stared at the splattered food residue beneath the energized orb, falling into a deep silence.

From then on, Aroshia would count the days on her fingers before eating, calculating whether she would need to use her Esper abilities before the food was digested. Oh, and her Esper strength was growing rapidly, not inferior to the players, having already reached C+, only half a grade away from the B-grade required for the mission.

After picking it up and putting it down several times, Aroshia finally took a bite of the fruit, revealing a happy expression. She handed the bitten fruit to Han Xiao. "Delicious, you try it."

Han Xiao crunched down on a bite, his face instantly contorting. He pushed Aroshia's hand away. "Ew! Sour! You have a strong palate. Keep it for yourself."

Han Xiao guided her in exercising her qi. After spending a long time together, Aroshia became more and more affectionate toward Han Xiao. The interactions between the two were intimate, but there were no improper thoughts. Han Xiao didn't treat Aroshia as a normal female being at all. In his eyes, she was a genderless energy body, very pure. Aroshia herself didn't have the feeling of being female, so putting an arm around shoulders felt very natural.

Walking to the side, Han Xiao estimated that enough time had passed. He found King Garle and expressed his desire to talk. King Garle invited Han Xiao into the pavilion and asked with a smile, "Commander Black Star, what would you like to discuss with me?"

Han Xiao lowered his voice. "It's like this. I want to inquire about a situation. To be honest, I have a special intuitive ability. When I arrived, I felt that there seemed to be some kind of interstellar virus present on Dusk Star."

King Garle was startled and sat up straight. "Are you saying our planet is infected with some kind of disease?!"

"No, no, it's just a feeling. You'll have to check if there have been any large-scale occurrences of the same symptoms recently to determine if there's a virus."

King Garle took it seriously and ordered the functionaries to compile information from all the territories. The Voin Kingdom had existed for many years and had a vast intelligence network. From time to time, the various lords would submit territory reports, making collection very convenient.

Before long, the functionaries returned to the banquet courtyard and presented a report of several pages. King Garle looked at it and shook his head. "These are all normal infectious diseases. There doesn't seem to be any large-scale new symptoms..."

Han Xiao raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't necessarily have to be an illness. It could also be abnormal behavior, such as... drowsiness?"

King Garle was stunned. Who would bother to investigate sleep? Everyone closed their doors to sleep. No one would go around asking about the quality of last night's sleep. There were no records of the citizens' sleeping habits.

"Hmm..." King Garle suddenly thought of something. "This year, the mineral output of various territories is 16% lower than last year, but the ore veins haven't dried up, and there are more miners than last year. The only factor that could affect output... seems to be working hours. Could this be related?"

"Maybe." Han Xiao looked at King Garle again. To be able to discover a potential connection from another seemingly unrelated matter, this king seemed to have some ability.

The Heteromorphy Virus had a long incubation period and many routes of transmission. The early symptoms of infection were drowsiness, becoming increasingly prone to sleep. The symptoms would continue to worsen, with the infected being able to sleep for two or three days at most. At that point, the Heteromorphy Virus would be about to erupt. The higher the growth of the virus, the shorter the incubation period and the more severe the symptoms, even skipping the drowsiness stage and entering the next stage directly. Based on the version timeline, the Heteromorphy Virus was still in its early stages and very hidden.

"I wonder how Planet Aquamarine is doing now," Han Xiao thought to himself.

King Garle was somewhat worried and asked if there was a solution. Han Xiao shook his head, saying he didn't know what it was, but they should be careful. Then, he took his leave. Han Xiao had obtained the information he wanted and given King Garle a reminder, so that Dusk Star wouldn't be completely unprepared. After all, this planet was also one of the mission objectives.

During the incubation period of the Heteromorphy Virus, there was nothing Han Xiao could do to solve it, unless he was willing to abandon the [Heteromorphy Disaster] mission that hadn't even started yet, and face the huge risk of handing over the Heteromorphy Virus seventh-generation prototype to Godora to manufacture an antidote before the disaster occurred. He would also face Godora's suspicion and questioning... Doing so would be too much of a loss. Only when the disaster broke out and caused a sensation, when Godora and DarkStar formally clashed, could the things in his hand be used to their maximum value.

"The only preparation I can make for the Heteromorphy Disaster is to increase my combat power. Other measures must wait for the right opportunity."

...

The next day, Han Xiao declined King Garle's repeated invitation and bid farewell to the royal capital. In the wilderness, he called a spaceship from a nearby partner, picked up Melos and Rezart, and set off back to the Juberly Hub.

Linge obtained Han Xiao's communication number and happily left with his people.

Now, the Black Star Mercenary Group was considered a minor celebrity in the Juberly Hub. They finally enjoyed the treatment they had seen the Sky Ring Army receive when they first arrived a year ago. They didn't have to wait in line, and many services had priority. As the group walked down the street, many mercenaries and passersby gave them friendly glances and nods.

Returning to the base, he knocked Rezart unconscious and placed him in an empty room, using it as a prison. He threw him there and left him alone for the time being. There was a more important matter to pay attention to at the moment.

The International League was opening in three days!

The international competition was divided into two stages. The first round was the regular season. All the participants were divided into groups and competed against each other in turn. It was a points system, and the top eight teams in total points would enter the international finals. The individual competition would have the top sixteen players enter the finals.

The second stage, the finals, was a head-to-head battle, best of five games, to determine the international champion.

From China, the teams with qualifications to participate were Wang Hou Jiang Xiang's Dynasty, Hao Tian's Azure Sky, and Li Ge's Temple of Gods. The individual competitors were Wang Hou Jiang Xiang, Xue Ran Fan Hua, and Kuang Dao Nu Jian.

Other professional players who didn't make the cut accompanied them in practical training day and night, generously lending their equipment to the participants. At such an important moment, everyone put aside their usual grudges and united as one. Clubs in other countries were the same, giving their best equipment and skills to the participating players. Each participating player embodied the best essence.

This was the first time they would appear in an international competition. Apart from Wang Hou Jiang Xiang, who was the most calm, the other participating players were more or less nervous. Not only them, but professional players from all countries had the same mentality, nervous and expectant.

As the grand event approached, the players' enthusiasm was reignited. The forums were full of information on clubs from various countries, and various analysis posts and prediction posts were coming out. Compared to regional competitions, the international competition was even more heated. Players from different countries discussed together, and the forums were lively.

Meatbun, being close to the water, was the first to benefit, temporarily stopping the Black Star series, which had already done sixteen episodes, to produce a special episode interviewing the Chinese participants in the mercenary group before the competition.

...

ps: (Alas, another book I was following recently has been censored. It's truly terrifying. I've written five books before, and three have been blocked. So why isn't there a female lead? Because I'm afraid I can't control myself. Writing about sex and violence is fun for a moment, but the next day, you're going to the Eastern Depot... Damn, that rhymes.)