Chapter 147 Deep Talk

Li Hao nodded. The first part was a trial, but the latter was interesting – the Galaxy Emperor… Their eyes met.

Shilada seemed to be pondering. "There's a line in the Emperor's sayings: 'Fate is a test, which can be seen as a chessboard. Only by realizing the game and becoming the player can one possess the future.'"

Li Hao's pupils flickered as he looked at Shilada. Shilada smiled gently, "I am a priest, so I remember these very clearly. But mortals are all pawns. Who can truly see the game clearly? Oh, by the way, do you know Dasha of the Ghost Empire?"

"Dasha?" Li Hao was taken aback. "Yes, she tricked me a bit when I first arrived at the Tribunal. It seemed she had some kind of purpose, but then she disappeared."

"She's dead. But we received a timed message from her, probably because she felt she was in a very dangerous situation. It's the kind of message that sends automatically if death is unavoidable," Shilada said. "Although she was a saint, she actually gained the qualifications to enter the Star Alliance by accepting the power of the void. She also mentioned some things: the void faction is infiltrating us more and more seriously. What they want most is for the entire Star Alliance to fall into war and chaos, so they have more opportunities."

A collapsing order was clearly what those people wanted most; it would give them plenty of room to maneuver.

Dasha… the void faction. Li Hao knew this wasn't about the mysterious creatures of the void, but the part of the saints who had fallen and turned to the void.

"In the information Dasha provided, part of it concerns you. Actually, saints tempted by the void have existed since the time of the Galaxy Empire, even including generals. Dasha may not be the only sleeper agent. Their existence is a great threat to Her Highness, and the appearance of the Super God Weapon is likely to exacerbate this," Shilada said. "The Ozir Empire seems to be reviving, but the internal and external troubles are no less."

"High Priest, although the enemies are very dangerous, your strength is even greater. The Ozir Empire has a lot of generals, right? It seems…" Li Hao felt it wasn't that serious. "To take a step back, the void issue is a problem for the entire Star Alliance."

Shilada shook her head. "That's your understanding as a human. The Heavenly Race is not unified on this issue. Some even think the power of the void is a kind of gift. To be honest, the independence and autonomy of generals are very strong in any country, and the main energy of the peak generals is on the Star Alliance front, so they cannot be arbitrarily transferred."

"What does the High Priest want me to do?" Li Hao asked. The Star Alliance front was probably where they fought against the power of the void and maintained the stability of the galaxy. Now that he thought about it, ordinary generals might not even go to the front, and with the strength of Man Ci Jiu, he should be a standard Star Alliance front guardian. Either he had hidden his strength in some way, or he had… joined the void.

"Your identity is quite special, perhaps you can help us observe in secret," Shilada said with a smile. "And your luck is very good. It's strange that someone like Dasha would self-destruct."

Li Hao smiled. "I feel my luck has improved since I came to the Tribunal."

Shilada was also amused by Li Hao's interesting expression, which relaxed the atmosphere. "That's fate. Your combat power should be no less than Zhou Gang's, but be careful of all kinds of strange powers. It is very important to advance to general as soon as possible. When you reach Zhou Gang form, all your abilities will undergo a qualitative change. Don't use Zhou Lan-level power to speculate about Zhou Gang-level. Oh, I forgot, you are a special existence who defeated a general. I'm being a bit presumptuous."

Li Hao knew that Shilada was giving him a hint. The outside world was saying that Pule used a black hole weapon from Ozir, or even a test product of the latest killer weapon secretly researched by Ozir, but Shilada was very clear that it was not provided by them.

He smiled wryly. "High Priest, don't laugh at me. That really wasn't something I could do with my power. I can only say that my luck was explosive. It was a near-death experience, and I also realized the gap. Facing a general, I don't even have the chance to run away. I just came into contact with the Star Alliance and found a way to advance to general, but it doesn't feel that easy."

Shilada didn't pursue the question. The Star Alliance had actually investigated the black hole, and it was very likely that it was a forbidden weapon secretly researched by the orc general from Ma Sa, but it may have been out of control for some reason. The Star Alliance nominally prohibits it, but privately, almost every country with a little strength is researching it, let alone the orcs.

"Generals are not all the same. Zhou Gang-level is just a step beyond Zhou Force, the essence of which is the real use of one's own talent and power, and can transform into power that is closer to the rules of the universe. But the type and nature of talent and ability are based on the foundation laid before Zhou Gang. And the stronger the Zhou Force, the lower the sensitivity will actually be. The more powerful the power and rules are, the more confused they become, and the more dull the perception becomes. The foundation before this is extremely important. The Heavenly Race's various families will lay a solid foundation before advancing. Your situation is quite special. You may want to accumulate intermediate soul tonics while improving your ability types and intensity. In particular, you should focus your energy on A-level and S-level talents. This is the key to releasing great power after advancing to general. In this type of task, you may want to communicate more with Her Highness Hermia."

Li Hao nodded. "High Priest, how many attempts does it generally take for someone with good talent to succeed?"

"Emperor Augustus was the most talented warrior of the Heavenly Race in the last hundred years. He succeeded in his third attempt to become a general, with 99 bottles each time. More is meaningless, and less is a waste. Generally, someone with good talent needs eight to ten attempts. I succeeded on my ninth attempt," Shilada said.

Li Hao nodded. The secrets and some key factors here are really only known to generals. If the talent ability is not good enough, even if you advance to general, the power will not be able to be released. And when you reach the Zhou Force intensity of a general, the difficulty of sensing better talent will be even greater. He felt that Man Ci Jiu of Ma Sa was just strong enough in Zhou Force, but did not show power beyond his understanding. As for the ghost ability he acquired… how should he put it? It was really laughable. It would be better to give him a few more bottles of soul potion.

"Oh, right, High Priest, Dasha mentioned some details when she was deliberately approaching me." Li Hao suddenly remembered and told her about Dasha's initial rhetoric when she met him and wanted to be his servant, as well as various tests.

Shilada nodded, not too surprised. "People who can transmit dimensional power like to play tricks and package themselves. However, to be able to reach this level and cultivate a chief officer with such excellent abilities as Dasha, the other party's power and talent are extraordinary and should belong to S-level. Moreover, it's a bit strange that they are coming at you so directly. It may be that the person behind them recognizes you."

Cultivating an excellent chief officer like Dasha could definitely infiltrate the upper echelons of the Star Alliance in the future, but they risked exposure to use her on Li Hao, and even killed her immediately after the mission failed to silence her. "They are very afraid that you will obtain information about the mastermind from Dasha. They should know you very well and be very wary of you. Do you have any ideas?"

Shilada was someone who could discover clues from a simple process.

Li Hao also felt the same way. "Actually, she wasn't completely exposed. She could still cover it up, but the other party's attack was really ruthless. I do have someone in mind who can do this, but he's already dead. I used to be very sure, but after experiencing the Star Alliance, it seems that the death I used to believe was not necessarily real. Can souls be transferred?"

If it wasn't Hirian, then it was very likely Nangong Yuhang. He probably wasn't dead. The reason wasn't Nangong Yuhang himself, but Blee. Hirian received it, Nangong Yuhang received it, and he received it. There may even be other civilizations. Could it be the same one?

Shilada pondered for a while. "Soul transfer, symbiosis, and even other more profound soul techniques exist. Soul-type talent is also an S-level ability. If that's the case, you have to be careful. Humans are not as simple as they seem. I consulted the information. Although the Star Alliance's archives say that the solar system also belongs to the Seed Civilization Project, and it has always been thought of as such, the original documents no longer exist because of the war. Now, after evaluation, it's a bit wrong."

If the person Li Hao was talking about was human, then human potential and performance were far beyond what a seed civilization could compare to. More than a dozen successful Heavenly Race seed civilizations had joined the Star Alliance and possessed good combat power, but their soul comprehension was far too poor. They were an effective supplement to interstellar combat power, but they would definitely not have a high growth ceiling.

Humans were different.

And back then, the Emperor… Shilada looked at Li Hao, hesitant to speak. It wasn't time to say it yet.

"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it!" Li Hao shrugged indifferently. "I see that there are a lot of delegations coming to the Tribunal this time, and the personnel are very mixed. My identity is indeed quite convenient for observation. Is there anything special I need to pay attention to?"

For Hermia, she didn't necessarily need much direct combat ability and talent. She only needed enough powerful Zhou Force, enough resistance, and control over the Super God Weapon. After all, not every emperor could be like Augustus.

"There is a delegation from the Star Forging Dragon Clan," Shilada said, showing her trust in Li Hao. One had to know that the Dragon Clan was an ally of the Ozir Empire. "There is a very special dragon in this delegation. Please pay more attention to her for me: Ji Yao, the Star Dragon."

There were many types of Star Forging Dragons, the strongest being the Star Dragons. Ninglong belonged to the Fire Dragons.

Shilada didn't say much, and Li Hao probably knew the scale – just see if there was anything unusual.

"Okay, let's talk about your requests. I heard that you started complaining to Helena as soon as you met her. It's rare to see a governor like you," Shilada said with a smile.

As soon as he heard this, Li Hao immediately perked up. "High Priest, alas, I really don't want to be this governor. I was forced into it. I thought things would get better, but when I saw Kepler's financial situation, I almost fainted. It's darker than a black hole…"

"Stop, stop. Don't pour your troubles on me. I'm not Her Highness the Princess, so I won't empathize with you. If you want to trade, take out good chips," Shilada said directly. These negotiation tricks were useless against someone her age. Besides, she wasn't Hermia.

Li Hao's face had long been trained to be indestructible when he was selling pizzas. To get good reviews, you had to be able to withstand the pressure; otherwise, how could he get the gold medal? Seeing that Shilada was in a good mood, he immediately put forward the several requests that everyone had asked him to memorize. Shilada listened silently. In fact, these conditions were not too difficult for the Ozir Empire and could be done. Moreover, the empire did have plans to support humans. This was also the reason that the Council of Elders and the Tribunal Committee could accept on the surface. But from a profit point of view, they would often try to take advantage of the other party. The exchange of interests between countries was quite a tug-of-war. However, from Shilada's positioning of Li Hao and humans, it was mainly Li Hao. Frankly speaking, the Ozir Empire did not lack "hitmen." They valued Her Highness's mood more. From the Super God Weapon's point of view, Li Hao could assist Her Highness.

Of course, she also understood Li Hao's personality and that he would use some tricks in this regard, but in fact, it would be more harmful than good to have problems at critical times.

Shilada pondered for a while. "The matter of establishing diplomatic relations is not a big problem. After Her Highness inherits the throne, it can be quickly put on the agenda in a few days. This will break your diplomatic predicament, and at the same time, it will allow some countries to establish diplomatic relations with you. The matter of Heavenly Martial Arts technology and production lines can be considered. There will be some problems, but I don't think there will be too much resistance to Hermia's first proposal after she ascends the throne. This will be of great help to both Kepler and the solar system."

At this point, Shilada glanced at Li Hao. Li Hao was also looking at Shilada intently, his heart pounding. Shilada didn't say much, but she hoped that Li Hao understood how important this help from Ozir was to a country. It could be a matter of saving countless human lives. The Heavenly Race's excellent Heavenly Martial Arts technology was not a joke. Even if it wasn't the latest type, once humans mastered it, with their learning ability, they would at least no longer be at a disadvantage when facing third-level civilizations.

"High Priest, I am very clear about the weight of this!" What else could Li Hao say? Shilada had no personal relationship with him. He had to sell his life.

"As for starships, I can't make a promise, but if the solar system can afford the price, we can add you to the military purchase list in accordance with Star Alliance practice," Shilada said, which meant that she had agreed to most of Li Hao's requests. As for starship technology, humans were a bit too greedy, and the Council of Elders would not pass it. Even if the Empress forcibly requested it, it would only put herself in a passive position.

To be honest, Li Hao himself was quite surprised. He originally thought that it would be a win if they could establish diplomatic relations, but this was a bit too good to be true… It seemed that the things he needed to do later would not be easy either.

Overall, both parties were very satisfied with the talks this time, and they took a step further in better cooperation and impression.

Leaving the Hall of Valor, Li Hao walked on the Tribunal's Holy Song, feeling the joy and bustle around him. The High Priest's current promises were all verbal promises. To put it bluntly, it still depended on his performance. According to Kevin, humans were qualified to be used as an A card by the Ozir Empire to deal with the Lalutu orcs, which also facilitated the Ozir Empire's game with the Silverheart Alliance. This was also an important factor in their willingness to agree.

When it came to the transfer of technology and a series of other issues, there would definitely be more cumbersome details. It wouldn't be given away for free. Shilada and others only needed to give policy guidance, and the empire would have special personnel in charge. But in any case, it would be the greatest benefit to humans. One had to know that this was something that Markum and the others were racking their brains to break through now.

Because there was no way, let alone the opportunity to negotiate with someone of Shilada's level, let alone have a basis of trust.

This was also an important foundation for many collaborations. This was why they had to go out and not close the country to international intercourse. Opportunities would come with communication.

No matter what happened later, Li Hao's mood was much lighter. Then he thought of Dasha… the person Dasha mentioned, who was targeting him so much and using dream control, had obviously exerted a considerable influence on Dasha and helped Dasha grow from an ordinary ghost clan member to a chief officer and complete the class leap. This technique and these means… how were they so similar to… Nangong Yuhang?

It was no wonder that he thought so much. After all, Hirian was not dead. If Nangong Yuhang had come into contact with the Star Alliance earlier, and Hirian felt that he was just a step away, then he felt that Nangong Yuhang had crushed Hirian. Would such a person have other ways to survive?

He always felt that he won the battle on Kepler… a bit too easily. It didn't seem like Nangong Yuhang's personality. He was someone who would use any means to win and wouldn't care about face. If he knew that he couldn't win, he would definitely leave himself a way out. This was reflected in the Nimeier Secret Realm.

Could it be him?

The aura on that Dasha was too much like him. If he was alive, he would most likely respond to the power of the void. That would be really troublesome. In addition to himself being taken care of by Blee, Nangong Yuhang had also received Blee's information. Blee said that this was just the dimensional power's projection signal in the solar system.

The signal was this representation, but who was the person who projected it? Was there a possibility that Theseus was not all of Nangong Yuhang?

What if he was the same level of existence as his own Blee? Even he could reach this point, so how could Nangong Yuhang die so easily?

…Of course, it was indeed possible that he was too subjective, and it was also possible that he was being targeted because of Brother B. He even hoped it was the latter.

On the contrary, Hirian… didn't seem to be that much of a threat. Nangong Yuhang was right: he also felt that Hirian was easier to deal with.

…Speaking of Hirian, Li Hao really had some scores to settle with him. The most direct fuse of the Ma Sa incident this time was his five spaceships. Afterwards, he asked Kevin to check the route. It was indeed okay to pass through the orc territory. If he said that he completely circumvented the humans, they wouldn't have that face, but there was a detail: the Cthulhu family's caravan didn't conceal anything when transporting these five G800 ring spaceships. They even flaunted them, as if afraid that outsiders wouldn't know.

Normally, such valuable spaceships would be transported as quietly as possible.

He killed two birds with one stone. The main thing was solved, so he should settle the score with Hirian. He was definitely two percent responsible for this. How could he suffer this loss in silence?

At this time, Hirian was also paying close attention to Li Hao's every move. He was extremely bothered by Shilada's invitation to Li Hao to attend the ceremony. He even felt that it was a bit targeted at him.

He didn't think Li Hao could take a step further with the Ozir Empire. Li Hao's identity was too different. He was not worthy, but if he was used to annoy him or even pull conditions, it would be very useful. They wanted to use Li Hao to form a competitive identity and exert pressure, and there would be no side effects on the other party's situation.

High Priest Shilada played a good game.

"The Ozir Empire plans to support humans as their secondary combat force, so they will definitely take the first step to win them over," Ninglong said with a slight smile. "I didn't expect human combat power to be so amazing, and the human population is also very large."

Hirian nodded silently. Although he hadn't lived as a human for long, human reproduction ability was second only to that of the orcs. Not only did the Ozir Empire think so, but so did the Seventh Art.

But he didn't want Li Hao to get a bargain, especially to let Li Hao rise as a human. It felt like a slap in his face. A local loser actually became the governor of Kepler. This could actually happen. Back then, Romero was a hero, and he needed to manage the giant insects. He had the right time, place, and people, and the approval of the Star Alliance before he could take the position of governor. Why didn't the greedy old ones in the solar system covet this important position? It was completely inconsistent with their style.

"I think we should try to win him over. Since Li Hao is here, and the previous cooperation was good, why not strengthen it?" Linglong said with a smile. Many things that the Dragon Clan and the Seventh Art were inconvenient to do could be done by humans. It was the same principle as the Orc Empire.

They had supported a few, but they weren't as useful as the orcs.

The ruthlessness and desperation of humans in Ma Sa, plus their potential, made the Star Forging Dragon Clan also look at them with new eyes.

"Are you very optimistic about his role in the Dragon Alliance?" Hirian asked.

"Yes, he is very special. You also know that more and more saints have fallen in the past few decades, and in the past few years, they seem to have found some very key person or factor, and their behavior has become even more unscrupulous. We need more power," Ninglong said.

In the saint camp, the Dragon Clan was the core force. In all aspects, the Star Forging Dragon Clan was a firm defender of the Star Alliance. Compared with the power and resource disputes of the Star Alliance, their focus was on maintaining the balance of the Star Alliance.

When more and more fallen ones, especially those hidden in the saints, began to plan in an organized and aligned manner, the problem became a bit big, and void rifts were becoming more and more frequent. Various void infection events were also somewhat unusual. For example, the people around Dasha were also void fallen ones, and they were unprepared and didn't even notice.

The void fallen ones had been at a disadvantage in the thousands of years of fighting, mainly because they didn't control the mainstream power. Having enough power in the Star Alliance would affect the pattern of the Star Alliance. When they discovered this and began to plan to infiltrate the Star Alliance, it would be very terrible.

(End of this chapter)