Chapter 142 Fame

Without information blockade, two days later, the video of the battle on Earth Ring Star blossomed across the internet, spreading rapidly and shocking the interstellar citizens.

The Black Star Army's missing person notice had been somewhat well-known recently. The interstellar society thought Black Star was simply looking for someone, and many people enthusiastically participated. But unexpectedly, without paying attention, such an unexpected and explosive piece of news broke out.

Wasn't he looking for someone? How did Black Star end up fighting the Machinery Nation again?!

Not only did they fight, but this time he actually won!

During the Intelligent Plague incident, the Machinery Nation's reputation plummeted due to its exposed position. However, this had limited impact on its overall strength and status. Although the three great civilizations had been promoting a nominal tie, the propaganda effect was somewhat lacking due to insufficient evidence.

However, Black Star's strength was clear for all to see. While many people wouldn't necessarily scoff, they understood that there was some exaggeration. It was just that everyone was being supportive of Black Star, so no one would come out to contradict him.

But this time, the leaked video footage recorded the entire process without any omissions. Black Star basically won the fight single-handedly, proving the truth of his victory. This caused an uproar among the masses.

The powerful image of the Machinery Nation, which had been shaped in the minds of countless interstellar citizens, gradually began to fade, while Black Star's image became more and more profound, gradually taking away the Machinery Nation's prestige.

For decades and even centuries, the Machinery Nation had given the impression of never suffering a loss. However, in less than a year, the Machinery Nation had been thwarted twice, and both times by Black Star alone!

Black Star's sudden emergence had created a series of legendary events in just a few decades, becoming recognized as the most eye-catching Grade Super-A in the last half-century. This incident had an even greater impact than the last one. Most of the interstellar society felt that the times were changing, and that a new round of generational change was happening right before their eyes.

Of course, while shocked, most interstellar citizens were even more puzzled by the cause of the matter, curious as to why Black Star and the Machinery Nation had fought this time.

The interstellar society knew that these two were the president and vice president of the Super-A Grade Association, and that the association's stated purpose was to mediate violent conflicts between Super-A Grades. But now, the president and vice president were taking the lead in violating the rules. In the eyes of some of the public, did this mean that the Development Union was only in name, and that these individuals with great power were incorrigible, like dogs that can't stop eating excrement, fond of fighting and unwilling to settle down?

A significant portion of interstellar citizens held deep-seated prejudices against Super-A Grades, both respecting and fearing them, both yearning for and detesting them. However, Black Star was one of the few exceptions.

Regarding this matter, another version of the conspiracy theory was more widely circulated, believing that the Machinery Nation must be secretly brewing some conspiracy, and that Black Star had once again stopped him—with the Intelligent Plague incident as a basis, the Machinery Nation's good reputation was completely ruined, and as long as its behavior was a little out of line, it would touch the public's sensitive nerves, making people subconsciously think that it was plotting some conspiracy detrimental to the peace of the universe.

Moreover, this statement was not groundless. In the video from Earth Ring Star, it was clearly shown that the reason for the Machinery Nation's blockade of the planet was to track down a fugitive, and the identity of the fugitive made it difficult not to associate it with Iso, who was recently wanted by the Black Star Army.

In this way, many people "suddenly realized" that the truth had come to light.

So that's how it is. The Machinery Nation must have discovered that Iso was missing, so it wanted to interfere and secretly kidnap Iso in order to threaten the Dragon Emperor and Black Star!

This person is too bad. It was clearly the Black Star Army's own business, but he wanted to take advantage of the situation and kidnap other people's relatives, which is despicable!

This version of the conspiracy theory seemed reasonable and well-founded, and was recognized by more and more people. On the Internet, the actions of denouncing and despising the Machinery Nation intensified, as if overnight, the Machinery Nation suddenly became an object of public scorn, notorious.

Such rapid dissemination of public opinion naturally required the backing of behind-the-scenes manipulators, and not just one. Forces that had grievances with the Machinery Nation in the past, or had never liked it, were all taking advantage of the situation, secretly fueling the flames. Given the Machinery Nation's reputation among its peers, it was not difficult to guess who sent these uninvited water armies.

And after the public opinion had fermented for several days, the Black Star Army issued a short public statement, pushing the matter to a new height.

The Black Star Army claimed that they had recovered Iso, and discovered that Iso's departure was not voluntary, but was kidnapped. They had verified that the Machinery Nation was one of the accomplices, and that the real mastermind behind the scenes was the Modo Civilization. The army stated that it did not rule out the possibility of taking further action.

Of course, the official statement was more euphemistic, but the interstellar society understood Black Star's subtext.

——Little brat, you want to stab me in the back? Wash your neck and wait!

…

"It can be confirmed that the Soul Transfer Device has fallen into Black Star's hands…"

In the Modo Civilization's high-level conference room, it was as if the air had solidified into a colloid. Every breath of everyone present was stagnant and heavy.

They knew the inside story and naturally knew that the real reason for the fight between Black Star and the Machinery Nation was to seize the Soul Transfer Device. The Machinery Nation had personally confirmed that the Soul Transfer Device had fallen into Black Star's hands.

Modo didn't know at first that Manison was after the Soul Transfer Device, thinking that the information was well hidden, but now it was too late.

Even if the Machinery Nation's cooperation motivation was not pure, it was Black Star who ultimately succeeded. It was no longer meaningful to dwell on the Machinery Nation's actions, and it might even terminate the cooperation and lose a helper.

In comparison, Modo would rather the Machinery Nation had snatched the Soul Transfer Device, but it had fallen into Black Star's hands, which was the worst result for them.

"The Soul Transfer Device is too suitable for planting spies. If Black Star infiltrates the high levels of the expeditionary force, it will become a black hole, devouring all the troops and supplies we put in." The military high-level looked ugly.

"He will definitely do this. The Black Star Army's statement is his declaration of war. We will suffer larger-scale attacks, and even Black Star himself may take action."

"We can only try our best to remedy the situation and find a way to eliminate the Soul Transfer Twins so that Black Star cannot use the Soul Transfer Device." Modo Three Kings said in a deep voice.

Because they had no source of intelligence, everyone naturally did not know that the Soul Transfer Twins had already died. At this time, in the speculation of the Modo high-level, Black Star also controlled the Soul Transfer Device through the Soul Transfer Twins, so the plan to eliminate the twins was brought up again.

Hearing this, everyone nodded and agreed, feeling that this was one of the few feasible plans at present.

Failure to act would naturally come at a price. The Modo Civilization knew the risks and could only blame themselves for their bad luck in losing the bet. How to respond to Black Star's counterattack was the important issue now. The pressure from Black Star was too great, and everyone was worried and faced a formidable enemy.

If they had known that it would cause such a chain reaction, they wouldn't have instigated the Kunde Race to attack the Crimson Empire in the first place. They had lost big for small, and many of the high-level officials present felt a strong sense of regret.

The Super Star Cluster allies were unreliable. They were too lazy to deal with the mess that Modo had caused, and only hoped that Modo would resist Black Star alone and not cause any more trouble, affecting the overall strategy… But this was obviously impossible. No one was willing to pay without corresponding gains. Modo was unwilling to be trapped, and would definitely plan for itself.

Due to the difference in positions, the Modo Civilization's behavior was tantamount to harming others in the eyes of other Super Star Cluster civilizations. Instead of resisting Black Star obediently, it might provoke him to personally take action, so the dissatisfaction of the Super Star Cluster allies could be imagined.

A high-level official hesitated for a moment and carefully said, "It's useless to say more now. Given our current situation, if the situation is not right, perhaps we can only withdraw from the competition for the Flickering World…"

"Impossible!" Modo Three Kings said decisively, "As long as there is still a chance, we must spare no expense and never withdraw from the competition for the Flickering World!"

As soon as the words fell, everyone quickly echoed, showing their political correctness.

However, in their hearts, not every high-level official agreed. It was naturally important to seek a future for the civilization, and they didn't mind working hard for it, but if the price was to affect their original status, thereby indirectly damaging the power and status of people in these positions in the universe, then the attitude of many high-level officials would be more ambiguous.

From the Exploration Era to the present, the leadership had changed one after another. Even if the spirit of progress still existed, the overall concept was still constantly becoming more conservative. This was an inevitable natural law.

Compared with the high-level officials who grew up in blood and fire, not everyone in the current high-level officials had a lofty sense of mission. No system could curb the spread of selfishness… What the future of the civilization would be was a matter for the future after all. People living in the present were still most concerned about the present, or rather, the power and status they could enjoy while they were alive.

In the opinion of some people, if things could not be done, maintaining the status quo of the Super Star Cluster civilization was not bad. The number of people willing to go all the way to the dark would never be the majority.

…

Ancient Star Desert, a temporary residence of the Mechanical Church.

Zax put on his best suit, looked in the mirror, rolled up the cuffs stained with oil, stuffed a few pieces of cardboard into his collar to smooth out the wrinkles, and groomed himself for a full five minutes before pushing open the door and walking towards the sacred mountain temple in the center of the city. On the way, he could see batches of neatly dressed Mechanical Church believers also heading in one direction, smiling at each other and nodding in greeting.

The Mechanical Church had the characteristics of a nomadic tribe, constantly migrating in the universe. Each high priest controlled a migration team. Every once in a while, the high priest would hold a unified festival, and all the believers in their respective residences would wear their best clothes to participate. This was one of the traditions of the Mechanical Church.

Zax was an ordinary believer, and his position was heavy mining armor operator. He originally worshiped Manison, but after the Intelligent Plague incident, he changed his object of faith and began to worship Black Star.

Therefore, he had received a lot of cold stares from his neighbors in the past few months, because most of the time, believers with the same object of faith would choose to live in the same area.

Although the Mechanical Church advocated freedom of belief, ordinary believers who were completely unaffected were a minority after all, so Zax, who openly changed his allegiance, was very conspicuous in the community. Although the neighbors couldn't do anything, they certainly wouldn't give him a good look.

Especially a good friend named Modier, who was a staunch believer of the Machinery Nation. After Zax changed his belief to Black Star, Modier came to persuade him more than once, but it would eventually turn into a fierce debate. The theme of the debate was the credibility of the tie in the past. Zax thought it was reliable, while Modier insisted that the tie was just a means of fabricating and smearing the Machinery Nation.

Neither of them could convince the other, and they gradually stopped interacting much. He hadn't contacted the other party for many days.

While thinking, Zax maintained a pious attitude and followed the crowd to the temple square. He received the festival supplies from the priest, distinguished the direction, and walked towards the Black Star Temple. Each mechanical god had its own separate temple.

Walking on the road, Zax discovered something different. In the past, there were basically no believers who worshiped Black Star. Although there were a few more after the Intelligent Plague incident, the number was still small, at most only one-tenth of that of the Machinery Nation. The other temples had always been deserted, far less bustling than the Machinery Nation Temple.

But this time, he found that the number of believers going to the Black Star Temple was several times more than before, and he couldn't help but feel refreshed and happy.

"There are more and more like-minded people. My choice was indeed correct. Black Star is more worthy of faith than the Machinery Nation."

He was secretly happy and walked into the Black Star Temple. At this time, it was very lively inside, gathering several times more believers than before. If he didn't know the situation, he might think this was the Machinery Nation Temple.

Soon, Zax completed a whole set of festival procedures and was preparing to make way for the people behind him when suddenly his eyes turned and he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure not far away.

"Oh, Modier? What are you doing here?"

Hearing someone call him, Modier turned his head to look over, and when he found that it was Zax, his face suddenly became unnatural. He quickly covered his face with his hand and walked away.

Seeing this, Zax quickly chased after him and grabbed Modier's arm to prevent him from escaping.

"What a coincidence, I didn't expect to see you here." Zax said with a playful look.

"Hehe, yes, what a coincidence. I originally wanted to go to the Machinery Nation Temple, but I got lost." Modier's smile was stiff.

"The Machinery Nation Temple is in the opposite direction. You actually got lost. Could it be that you followed the crowd because there were so many people here, so you mistook it?" Zax teased.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it." Modier quickly echoed.

"Then… what is this!" Zax suddenly reached into his pocket and took out a mechanical product, which was a Black Star figure statue, a household model for worshiping in the house. He looked at the embarrassed Modier and smiled, "Don't tell me you bought the wrong one. Only a blind person could mistake a god statue. Tell me the truth, did you also betray the Machinery Nation and change your belief to Black Star?"

"Nonsense! What betrayal…" Modier's face flushed red, and he defended himself with a stiff head, "Can the beliefs of believers be considered betrayal?"

Zax looked contemptuous and didn't say anything, just chuckled twice.

Under the gaze of his old friend, Modier's momentum quickly weakened, and he muttered in a low voice, "Stop laughing, I admit it, I've started to believe in Black Star, okay?"

"Oh, you admit it now, why were you still quibbling just now?"

"Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding…" Modier's face was flushed with shame.

The two of them had debated more than ten times before, and he insisted that Black Star was not as good as the Machinery Nation. However, the video of Black Star directly blasting the Machinery Nation's clone a few days ago slapped his face so hard that it was swollen. So he secretly cursed the Machinery Nation and secretly changed his belief, hiding it from others for fear of being laughed at. When he met his old friends, he couldn't wait to hide away.

Looking at his appearance, Zax shook his head dissatisfiedly, "I can tell that you haven't believed in Black Star for long. You're completely a newbie, and you haven't grasped the essence at all."

"Essence?" Modier was very interested, but he was too embarrassed to ask.

"Hmph, look at you, you feel embarrassed and ashamed when you encounter this little thing. It's too outrageous. Where is the appearance of our Black Star believers? As a believer of Black Star, you can be without anything else, but your skin must be thick!"

Zax put his hands on his hips and said righteously.

"There's such a saying?" Modier's eyes widened.

"Of course! This is the attitude to life that Black Star taught us. Many times, you feel ashamed and embarrassed, but… who cares about your feelings! Don't be sentimental!"

"Huh?" Modier opened his mouth wide, wanting to say something but hesitating.

"Shut up, don't ask so many questions, listen to me spread the doctrine." Zax glared.

"…I haven't asked yet?!"

"Cough, in short, as believers, we must learn from the excellent qualities of our idols. Black Star's skin is known throughout the universe. Look at me, I don't even change my community, I don't care what they say. If they dare to come and debate with me, I'll treat it as evangelism. Look at you again, you believe in Black Star, but you're still afraid of others knowing. You're unqualified!"

"It sounds like there's some truth to it… Are there any other things to pay attention to?"

Modier was shocked and ashamed, and quickly asked for advice humbly.

"Of course, Black Star tells us that a qualified mechanic should exercise every day and develop a strong physique!" Zax rolled up his sleeves and puffed up his knobby arm muscles, with knotted muscles.

Most people have never believed in Black Star. The doctrines and rules are all set by people. Believers will extract characteristics from the actions of idols and treat them as the tenets of the sect. As for the characteristics of Black Star, many believers have seen a new world and broken old concepts.

It turns out that a true mechanic should demand himself to the standards of a martial artist. As long as his physique is strong, he can make up for his weaknesses and use himself as a trap to lure enemies to attack him!

Black Star has already proven with his actual record that this is a more advanced tactic!

The news of Manison's first defeat by Black Star led to a large loss of believers for the Machinery Nation. Many people changed their allegiance and joined the Black Star's sect. For a time, a fitness craze arose in the Mechanical Church, and fitness equipment was often out of stock. The same scene was staged simultaneously in many Mechanical Church residences.

…

"This Black Star guy is getting better and better at fighting…"

In the Infinite Wealth Alliance branch, Solo Gin looked at the news reports, his face uncertain.

Even with his critical eye, the Machinery Nation was one of the few strongmen in history. Black Star was still being abused pretty badly more than ten years ago, but now he can actually make Manison suffer head-on, and twice at that.

A guy who suspects that he knows his secrets and has such strong fighting power is not good news for Solo Gin.

"With Black Star's current fighting power, if I want to attack him and eliminate the hidden danger, I must take back all the soul seeds and restore the strength of the complete body. But if I do that, this body can't bear it and will basically be scrapped. I have to change my identity again…"

Solo Gin paced back and forth, feeling annoyed.

Among the many Super-A Grades, some seek fame, some seek power, some pursue strength, and some have no desires… But he just wants to make money.

Over the years, in order to achieve various plans, Solo Gin had changed one identity after another, but this time, he was reluctant to give up the identity of the head of the Infinite Wealth Alliance. It had taken too much effort to accumulate such a huge amount of wealth.

…

On the other side, in the Black Star Army's return fleet, Han Xiao finished dealing with many chores, freed up time, and finally remembered to test the characteristics of the Soul Transfer Device, so he summoned Fording and temporarily took back the Soul Transfer Device.

His fingertip rubbed against the mirror surface, trying to press it in, but it couldn't go in at all. No matter how much force he used, the Soul Transfer Device would rather die than submit. The situation was completely opposite to when it actively absorbed Fording.

"It turns out there's also a saying about suitable people. Let me see, what exactly are you…"

Han Xiao's eyes moved, and he activated [The Bold Explorer].

——

(Thank you to the Silver Alliance for the million rewards for not writing seriously and broadcasting the abuse of Pi Pi Jia! Good name! I slept until the afternoon today, and I didn't see it until I got up. I haven't had dinner yet, and I just finished writing. This is the Silver Alliance crowdsourced by everyone, thank you very much to every brother who contributed! The moderator has recorded the list and will post it in the work related (˘͈ᵕ˘͈❀)