…
At this time, Han Xiao was far away back in his Black Star Palace, not paying attention to the competition, but rather watching the public trial of the dynasty.
The video showed the surface of a barren planet, where Traveler and another Beyond Grade A who was captured were bound and made to kneel on the execution platform, in a near-death state.
The two were in an extremely poor condition. Because of Clotti’s dark energy circulating within their bodies, their regenerated cells were constantly being destroyed, keeping them in a severely injured state. The two had basically lost all their combat capabilities and were unable to break free.
Beside them, a remote projection of a dynasty officer stood in front of the camera, reading the decree out loud.
The content of the decree was the crimes of the two, such as crimes against public order, war crimes, and mass killings. All sorts of crimes were smashed onto their heads, making them seem as though they were heinous criminals that were wasting the very air in the universe.
What Han Xiao was concerned about were the charges the dynasty issued against Traveler, and as expected, the dynasty then mentioned what he wanted to hear.
“… Traveler has always operated as a neutral mercenary, but it has been verified that his true identity is that of the Beyond Grade A descendant that was secretly cultivated by the Modo Civilization. He tried to stir up disputes between the dynasty, the federation and the church, disrupting the order of the explored universe. At present, it is unknown if anyone part of the Modo Civilization orchestrated this matter, and the dynasty will retain an attitude to pursue accountability.”
Hearing this, Han Xiao’s mouth twitched.
“Humph, retaining an attitude to pursue accountability, how like the usual style of the three gangsters. It seems like the dynasty has already talked to Sorokin…”
He hypothesized that the Modo Civilization, which was originally lying back with popcorn to watch the show, would now have a stunned expression, as though struck silly by a pot that fell from the sky out of nowhere.
As for Traveler’s true host civilization, the Star Arc Civilization, they would probably feel surprised and happy.
However, Han Xiao did not intend to keep Star Arc out of the matter like this. He summoned Phillip.
“Conceal your tracks. Anonymously send out a piece of information to the upper echelons of the Modo Civilization.”
“What should I send, hum?”
“Reveal that the Star Arc Civilization is the real backer of Traveler.”
Han Xiao evilly snickered.
In this manner, the bewildered Modo Civilization would think that their being made a scapegoat was the act of the Star Arc Civilization or that Traveler was being a rabid dog, going around biting people out of desperation.
As for whether or not the Modo Civilization believed in this, he did not care. Since he had provided a clue, the Modo Civilization would definitely find a way to verify it. With the Star Arc Civilization being the guilty party, regardless of whether the clue was checked, both sides would develop some grievances.
This would not only weaken the relationship between the Super Star Cluster Alliance but also earn Modo a new enemy. All he had to do was send a simple message.
The cost of doing things is low, so why not do it?
Tsk, I’m truly an evil person…
Han Xiao was in a good mood as he turned his attention back to the screen.
At this moment, the sentencing had come to an end, and the dynasty officers looked upright at the camera, solemnly speaking.
“… For the above crimes, the Crimson Dynasty has decided to issue a death sentence!”
After that, the remote projection disappeared, and suddenly, a gap was exposed at the foot of the execution platform, where a fist-sized device rose up.
This looked very familiar to Han Xiao, and his eyes flashed as he slowly whistled. “The Universal Treasure of the dynasty, the Key of Destruction…”
At this moment, the surface of the Key of Destruction lit up in a matrix-like energy loop, and a circle of spatial channels suddenly appeared, unfolding in front of the two.
At the other end of the passage were the long-distance cannon rays of the dynasty’s army, filling the area with a dazzling glare.
Boom!
The next moment, a world-destroying energy surged out, filling every inch of the screen!
The picture panned out rapidly, turning into a wide-area perspective which overlooked the planet from the distant starry sky.
One could only see a glimmer of bright light blooming on the surface of the planet, followed by a dazzling star-like energy cluster, which expanded rapidly and in turn wrapped the planet in it.
As the energy cluster expanded to its limit, all of a sudden, the huge ball shrank to a point, like the image when an old-fashioned television was turned off.
Within the picture, the explosion site was totally empty, with the planet having disappeared without a trace, completely annihilated.
Traveler and the other Beyond Grade A who were already at death’s door had no power to resist the Key of Destruction, and not even their bones remained.
What a waste…
Han Xiao’s mouth contorted slightly.
In order to pull off this huge affair, the dynasty had deliberately chosen to utilize the cannons, pulling down a planet together with both of them. It was a pity that the bodies of the two were extremely rare research materials.
They were indeed a Universal Civilization. After so many years, they probably had a sizable collection of Beyond Grade A corpses within their freezer, so they had no need for more…
While Traveler was an enemy, seeing another Beyond Grade A being executed by a Universal Civilization still left Han Xiao a little depressed. He estimated that the other Beyond Grade As would also feel the same way.
Sigh, no matter how big a universe is, it cannot exceed the size of ambition. It’s difficult for the two parties to have a harmonious existence… In the face of the advanced civilizations, the Beyond Grade As are still in a weak position, and there are too few of us…
Thinking about the situation of the Beyond Grade As, Han Xiao sighed.
Just as he was about to turn off his broadcasting screen, he noticed a strange mental fluctuation through his senses.
“Who are you‽”
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, snapping his head to look at the center of the room. His eyes sparkled with Mechanical Force as he instantly entered a combat state.
Within his vision, black flames were suddenly borne out of thin air, converging into the appearance of the Holy Accord’s leader, Oathkeeper.
Oathkeeper lightly stepped on the group, walking toward Han Xiao as he spoke.
“Black Star, there’s no need to be nervous. This is just a mental projection without any sort of combat capability. I came here specially to meet you. It’s good to see you. I would like to propose a deal with you.”
“You…”
Hearing this, Han Xiao furrowed his brows, sizing him up before speaking in an uncertain tone.
“… Are the Holy Accord’s leader?”
As he spoke, Oathkeeper stumbled and very nearly hit his head.
Hidden under his hood was a dumbfounded expression.
F*ck me, how do you even know this‽
Chapter 1098 - there must be a traitor
How does Black Star know my identity‽
Oathkeeper originally wanted to show off his Beyond Grade A strength, attracting Black Star’s attention before negotiating a deal. He did not expect that the moment he appeared, he would be exposed without any preparation. Thus, his act of being mysterious failed.
Seeing Black Star recognize him at a glance, Oathkeeper went through a storm of emotions at once.
Where did he receive intelligence about me? What has been leaked within the organization, to the point that he even knows of my name‽
A series of question marks popped up in his mind,
and Oathkeeper’s mood suddenly turned heavy.
The Holy Accord had always been hidden in the dark as they had too many secrets. Now that Black Star could call out his identity, how much exactly did he know about the Holy Accord? Did he also learn of their ultimate mission?
As this thought flashed through his mind, he suddenly felt killing intent, wanting to silence the other party.
However, this murderous intent was forcibly suppressed by him.
There was no other reason than the fact that Black Star was too strong.
This sort of meat-shield like pinnacle Beyond Grade A could not easily be killed. The use of force should be a final resort, and negotiations should take priority.
This was the good point in having great strength, as it would make people more reasonable toward them.
I’ll first test how much Black Star knows. If he understands the basics of the Holy Accord, then I’ll have to calculate and plan accordingly. After so many years of planning, I cannot take any risks…
Suppressing his inner shock, Oathkeeper adjusted his emotions. He did not proceed with negotiations; the most important thing to him now was to test Black Star.
Oathkeeper slowly sat down opposite Han Xiao, whispering, “Do you understand a lot about the Holy Accord?”
“Not much, just the slightest bit.”
Han Xiao made a gesture, leaving the slightest gap between his thumb and forefinger, his smile full of meaning. He had on an expression that seemed to say, “I have seen through everything.”
In reality, the Great Mechanic Han really only knew a little about the Holy Accord. He only knew that they resurrected a great number of the Primordial Ones in the later versions but not the inside story. It could be said that he only knew what the Holy Accord’s behavior would be but not their intentions.
He only recognized Oathkeeper because Oathkeeper was still the leader of the Holy Accord even in the later versions, and he had received great attention during the World Tree Civilization War. Han Xiao did not know of his origin either.
Thus, Han Xiao only put on this posture of ‘I know it in my heart’ just to fool the other party, not allowing Oathkeeper to figure out his bottom line.
Seeing this, Oathkeeper was uncertain in his heart, but on the surface, he remained expressionless, softly asking, “I’m curious, but how did you recognize me? Have we met before?”
“That’s right.”
“Is it…” Oathkeeper got a shock, immediately racking his brains to try and remember when he had dealings with Black Star. But no matter how hard he thought, he could not discover anything.
At this moment, Han Xiao spoke with a straight face. “We met before in our dreams.”
Oathkeeper did not know how to respond.
Are you talking about your mom?
Black Star was obviously making a joke, but in the eyes of Oathkeeper, his attitude meant that Black Star knew a lot more than he let on, thus his mood got more solemn, causing him to over-imagine.
“Let’s not talk about this for now.” Han Xiao waved his hand, squinting. “You just said you wish to make a deal with me. Let me first hear what it is.”
Oathkeeper sorted out his mood, temporarily putting aside his thought of testing him. “I wish to make an exchange for a part of the Holy Light Particle.”
“Oh?” Han Xiao glanced at him. “What can you offer me then?”
“It depends on what you want. We’re willing to use other Primal Energy Entities to trade for your Holy Light Particle.”
So, it turns out that the Holy Accord wished to obtain the Holy Light Particle through negotiations. This should be how they cooperated with the EsGod in my previous life. My plan of luring the snake out of its hole really worked, Han Xiao secretly thought.
By publicly stating that the Holy Light Particles were in his own hands, he wanted to lure the Holy Accord into making contact with him. According to his judgement, after the last sneak attack, they would either attack him again or perform a trade in exchange for the Holy Light Particle. Either way, the Holy Accord would be fished out.
If the Holy Accord remained in the dark, Han Xiao would not be able to find them, and it was detrimental to him. Now that there was an opportunity for dialogue, there would be room for manipulation.
Han Xiao pretended to ponder for a while before tapping on the table with his finger, suddenly changing the topic.
“If I remember correctly, you guys just snatched the pp… cough, I mean, a portion of the Primal Chaos Mysterious Energy from my hands a while ago.”
Indeed, Black Star knows that the people who attacked him before belonged to the Holy Accord…
Oathkeeper suddenly realized a crucial factor.
Did Black Star only learn of their organization after being attacked, or did he already know of their existence even before he was attacked?
There was a difference!
“Are you sure that the people who attacked you the last time belonged to the Holy Accord?” Oathkeeper tested him.
“Huh, want to deny it? Did you think I wouldn’t recognize you if you only sent your peripheral members?” Han Xiao stroked his chin and spoke in a playful tone. “Dimensional Exile Bullets, Formatted Viruses, High-Level Life Form Energy Disorder Shockwave—all these are things that your Holy Accord is famed for. Did you think I was unaware?”
Under his hood, Oathkeeper’s face turned gloomy.
The facts had proven that what Black Star knew exceeded his own imagination, and he had long known of the existence of the Holy Accord!
The Holy Accord had obtained that technology as a result of researching the Primal Esper Ability Entities. They were all their killing moves that they rarely used. For Black Star to even call out the names of these techniques, there was only one possibility left…
There was a traitor in the organization!
Furthermore, it was someone in the upper echelons!
The faces of the various officers flashed through Oathkeeper’s mind in anger.
Who was it that broke through the limits of the Soul Flame, betraying their organization‽
Even Black Star knew about this, so how much intelligence had been leaked? Could it be that, within the vaults of the advanced civilizations, there were already a multitude of files and folders on their Holy Accord?
If that was the case, then the Holy Accord that prided itself on keeping its secrets for so many years had basically turned into the laughingstock of the entire universe!
Oathkeeper’s mentality exploded in an instant.
He was someone who remained mostly stoic and calm, but the mental stress he had suffered that day was just overwhelming, causing him to lose control of his emotions.
Feeling the unstable mental fluctuations of Oathkeeper, Han Xiao hesitated.
It seemed like he had gone overboard with his acting and scared the other party quite terribly.
Han Xiao sighed empathetically.
Alas, these brainiacs focused heavily on their intelligence, so they were naturally suspicious all the time. A little detail would cause them to constantly focus on it. It was not because he had gone overboard but rather because the other party was just too sensitive.
In fact, Han Xiao objectively viewed the Holy Accord quite neutrally. He had no good feelings or grievances toward them. In his previous life, the Holy Accord Organization was not a villainous organization that created trouble, nor did they produce any pests. The only well-known incident that involved them was the revival of the Beyond Grade As and Primordial Ones from history, which involved some unknown method during the World Tree War.
While the Holy Accord’s participation in the war was mainly due to them being next in line if the Universal Civilizations fell, they contributed a lot to the World Tree War and brought about a wave of important reinforcements. Credit still had to be awarded where due.
In this regard, Han Xiao stood on the same side as them. The revival of the Beyond Grade As in history would instantly enhance the combat power of t
he Beyond Grade As in the explored universe, such that there would be more bargaining chips against the World Tree. He would not stop the Holy Accord from achieving its goals.
That being said, the Holy Accord attacked him without being provoked, so Han Xiao had already made a mental note of this. Let them hit him for free, how could there be such a good thing in this world? Without settling the score, he would not let them go.
As for whether or not the revival of the Primordial Ones was related to the Holy Accord, Han Xiao could not be sure, but he wholly suspected that their excuse of surviving in the life-sustaining cabins was fake news.
In fact, he could understand why the revival of the Primordial Ones would be an important fuse leading to the Calamity of the Supers. Just think about it from the perspective of the three Universal Civilizations…
F*ck me, you guys that were supposed to be dead have revived‽ Then, does that mean every Beyond Grade A that died will also be eligible for revival? If the number of people revived grows to the certain point that can overthrow our rule, what are we supposed to do‽
The advanced civilizations had always attempted to control the ratio of individual might to collective strength. To suddenly discover that the individual might could now be resurrected and that they were no longer in control of the situation, their mentality would definitely burst.
Thus, regardless of whether the Primordial Ones were awakened from cryostasis or resurrected, they would have to say to the outside that they had been lying within the life sustaining capsules, otherwise the problem would only get worse, and there was no knowing what the three Universal Civilizations would end up doing.
As both of them were engrossed in their thoughts, it took a while before they realized they were still in a conversation.
Oathkeeper calmed himself down before solemnly speaking.
“I can provide compensation as a form of apology. I hope that you can forgive the negligence of my subordinates.”
“How are you going to compensate me for my mental loss?”
“What do you want?”
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 772