“Yes, a phenomenon.”
Han Xiao waited for Oathkeeper to carry on, but Oathkeeper had no intention to.
The two of them looked at each other, and the conversation got cut off. Seeing this, Han Xiao knew that Oathkeeper was not willing to continue on this topic, so he changed the question and asked, “So, what’s inside the sanctum?”
The two of them continued to look at each other.
“How many Sanctums are there in total?”
This time, Oathkeeper replied. “Six.”
Han Xiao was a little stunned. This answer was not what he expected.
He asked a few more questions such as how to find the Sanctums, how to open the Sanctums, and so on. Without exception, Oathkeeper said nothing about any of that.
This guy definitely knows more, but he’s just not willing to share any key information. Hence, the Sanctums are definitely something very important… although I still don’t know what their uses are.
This thought flashed past his mind. Seeing that he could not obtain any more information from Oathkeeper, Han Xiao ended the Sanctum topic and went back to their deal. They decided on a new date, location, and method of the deal and agreed on it.
Having achieved what he had come for, Oathkeeper’s silhouette exploded, turned into flowers of black flame, and dissipated.
Han Xiao sensed around, made sure that Oathkeeper had left, then caressed his chin and started pondering.
The Holy Accord organization seems to know about a lot of secrets. I might have to think of a way to get more information from them. The only way of contacting them now is when Oathkeeper contacts me, so I’m a little passive in this respect. During the deal, I can try tracing their emissary… By the way, there are six Sanctums?
are
Han Xiao was confused. This was different from what he had guessed. He originally thought there were only five Sanctums. Why six?
However, Oathkeeper was very ambiguous on this matter and was not willing to share any more information.
He had an idea.
After the deal is done, I can consider bringing up their intention to revive the Primordial Ones. Maybe I can use that in exchange for information about the Sanctums, counting it as the price for keeping my mouth shut.
Inside the secret temple in the Holy Accord organization base, Oathkeeper, who was floating in midair with his legs crossed, deactivated his spiritual projection. The clusters of flames floating around him went back into his body.
“How did it go?”
Law and Fay were waiting below and looking up at their boss.
“Black Star was friendly. The deal has been reestablished,” Oathkeeper said slowly. “Prepare our chips. The method of the deal remains the same as planned, so we won’t be tracked by Black Star.”
“Understood.” The two of them nodded.
Oathkeeper nodded and said with a tone that was a little grave but had some anticipation in it, “Due to the information state disturbance Destiny’s Child talked about, the promised day has been brought forward. After we acquire the Holy Light Particle, we’ll prepare to activate the Third Sanctum and the awakening ceremony. Thousand Shadows’ Esper Ability is the foundation of the fusion. We have no time to wait for him to completely transform, so we’ll have to start finishing it.”
While speaking, Oathkeeper’s eyes looked like they were staring deep into the universe.
“It’s time to fulfill my promise and welcome the return of history.”
“The spy…” The two of them brought the matter up at possibly the worst timing. Oathkeeper’s emotions were interrupted. He ground his teeth and said with frustration, “Humph, stop looking for one. I might have been mistaken.”
In the Underworld dimension, the shattered black floating islands had assembled together into a black land. It looked like a flowing desert, sometimes with tall mountains, sometimes with deep cliffs. Its terrain kept changing
In the sky, heavy black clouds covered the sky, some darker and some lighter. A pale white sphere of light floated in the middle of the sky like a moon. Its gently silver light penetrated the clouds, illuminating the land. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful.
More than half a year had passed since Hila started to refill the dimension’s core energy. The broken space walls there were already repaired, and the chaotic space streams were blocked out. It was no longer in a horrible and heavily damaged state. This was what the Underworld dimension should really look like.
At the heart of the Underworld was a red lake. There was no wind, only high tides. When looking at it more closely, this was made of highly condensed and almost liquid formed energy. It was indeed Hila’s death energy.
At this time, the piercing bright red had tints of faint black. This came from the Underworld and was applied on Hila through the Mark of the Underworld. Her connection with the Underworld enhanced the strength of her Esper Ability tremendously. This was the inheritance of the former death energy Esper, which was given to Hila and made her much stronger.
Above the bright red lake, Hila was floating in midair with her legs crossed. She was surrounded by faint red energy, her eyes were closed tight, and her eyelashes were shaking. She was releasing her energy and giving it to the Underworld.
At this time, Onicelu appeared beside Hila.
“Your connection with me is stronger.” Hila opened her eyes and said with an expressionless face, “How much have you recovered after absorbing my energy for a few months?”
“About three percent, more than enough to fight against the chaotic space streams of the secondary dimensions.” “So little?” Hila frowned.
“After all, the energy of the Underworld comes from two Esper Abilities. If the vital energy Esper reaches Beyond Grade A and feeds the Underworld energy together with you, it will cause resonance and increase the speed of the Underworld’s recovery tremendously. You’re the only one now, so of course, it won’t be as efficient,” Onicelu said with a smile.
“I see…” Hila suddenly thought of something and asked, “By the way, since the Underworld is stable now, can the souls of the Hero Spirits be released?”
“Well, they can be, but it’s too early, so I don’t suggest you do that.” Onicelu shook her head. “This is the graveyard of Hero Spirits. There are a lot of souls here. Their activities will consume the energy of the Underworld. The stronger the Hero Spirits were when they were alive, the more energy they will consume, which will decrease the speed of the Underworld’s recovery even further. Before the Underworld recovers to thirty percent and the stable way of putting them to sleep is recovered, it’s best to keep them sleeping.”
“So, you’re saying there’s not enough power output now?”
“You can say that.”
Hila sighed. Although the Underworld was powerful, there was a long way to go till it reached its peak, so it would take a very long time before she could summon Hero Spirit warriors like the founders.
This time, Hila suddenly got curious and asked, “Speaking of which, the Underworld can let the souls of the past temporarily awaken and let them come to this world again, so are there any other ways to let dead people appear in this world again?”
Hearing this, Onicelu searched her memories for a while then said with uncertainty, “When Nerkese and Eros, the two old masters, were still alive, I seem to recall hearing them speak about a special phenomenon related to the dead reviving.”“Really? What’s that?” Hila asked.
“It’s something called the Sanctum, I think… The two masters had an argument because of it once, and they hardly brought it up after that. It seems like someone invited them on a mission related to the Sanctum. I don’t know the details, but they rejected it.”
“So, what is the Sanctum? Is it similar to the Underworld?”
“No idea. I don’t know much about it. I only overheard their conversation. However, from what I’ve heard, the Sanctum is very powerful, and reviving the dead is only one of its functions.” Onicelu shook her head.<
br />
“I see…”
Hila shook her head. She was only casually asking, so she was not too concerned. However, Onicelu thought about it for a while and said, “If you’re very curious, there are some Hero Spirits of Primordial Ones in the Underworld. They might know something. However, if you wake them up, you won’t be able to force them to go back to sleep.” “Never mind then. I’ll think about it when they can go back to sleep after being woken up. There’s no hurry.”
Hila shook her head.
She memorized the information about the Sanctum and planned to share it with Black Star to discuss it.
Chapter 1126 - Stuarts Peace Prize
The three Universal Civilizations’ official announcement quickly spread across all the Star Fields and resolved the panic and unease of the galactic society brought by the Intelligent Plague. Although most civilizations and races were displeased with how the three Universal Civilizations did some things, they still had strong trust in the three Universal Civilizations when it came to matters that involved the safety of the entire explored universe. They could always make people feel assured.
Before the impact of the announcement was gone, the three Universal Civilizations officially opened up the Ancient Star Desert in less than a month, connecting this Star Field with the galactic society once again. The first-generation Virtual Mutiny Virus was mostly wiped out. The three Universal Civilizations installed special firewalls in various Star Fields. Without the virus core, these viruses could no longer cause a problem. They would completely disappear with time, so the threat was already defused.
Word from the Ancient Star Desert got out along with it, revealing many more details than in the three Universal Civilizations’ announcement. The passion and interest of the galactic residents rose once again.
Han Xiao paid attention to the public opinion of the galactic society on the way back. It was almost all compliments of the three Universal Civilizations and the Beyond Grade A Mechanics with him at the top of it, mixed with criticism of ‘Mechanic Emperor’ Manison and complaints about the order of the area.
During the Intelligent Plague, the various Star Fields were not peaceful. Most problems were caused by local rebellious forces attempting to incite panic but were all stopped by merciless methods. As for those mercenaries who tried to smuggle the virus out of the Ancient Star Desert, most of them entered the prisons of the three Universal Civilizations, while the rest all became wanted criminals.
Public opinion was going in an excellent direction. There were not many negative opinions, or the negative opinions were censored
Like sharks that smelled blood, the galactic media groups of the various areas swarmed to the Ancient Star Desert and visited the various planets, digging for more detailed information about what happened during the pandemic. In a short time, they produced a large number of themed shows to compete for attention, which was approved by the three Universal Civilizations behind the curtains.
Their power came from obedience. The three Universal Civilizations had just done something great and heroic—this was the time the media’s compliments and discussions were needed so that their positions as the rulers would be firmer and receive more recognition. The Black Star Army fleet carrying Han Xiao and the others had only arrived at the Shattered Star Ring through the dynasty’s military stargates when the dynasty sent someone to contact Han Xiao right away.
“An award ceremony?”
Han Xiao heard this from the dynasty’s exploration marshal, Tarrokov.
“That’s right. Led by the three Universal Civilizations, the explored universe has once again defused a universal disaster. This will undoubtedly be written in the history books. As for the heroes who aided in defusing the disaster, we’ll be hosting a large-scale award ceremony to emphasize what they’ve done and reward them. Of course, you’re on the invitation list.” Han Xiao was not unfamiliar with this. Although he felt this was a rather formal event, he knew that events like this had to be held.
“Okay, where will the award ceremony be held? When? I’m not going to have to make a trip to the Central Galaxy, am I? I’ve only just returned to my headquarters.”
“The three Universal Civilizations will be hosting the award ceremony together, so to keep up with the times and make it more convenient for all the Beyond Grade As to attend, it’s been decided that it’ll be held in the new Star Field, the Flickering World. The date is in three months, so there’s plenty of time.”
“Convenient, indeed.” Han Xiao nodded. Suddenly, he kept his voice down and asked with a mysterious tone, “Tell me, have you guys finished preparing to target the Super Star Cluster Alliance? When are you guys going to do it?”
“I don’t think this is a suitable time to talk about that…” Tarrokov coughed. He also kept his voice down and said, “Anyway, the three Universal Civilizations will only consider redistributing the Super Star Cluster Alliance’s territories after the fourth phase of the free competition zone’s exploration finishes, not taking them back but sharing them with free organizations and other civilizations… Maybe an excuse similar to the ‘New Star Field Anti-Monopolization Exploration Regulations’ will be made as the reason.”
Pot calling the kettle black… Han Xiao curled his lips. This was what happened in his previous life, so he was not surprised. “Speaking of which, before you opened up the Ancient Star Desert, did you guys do anything to the Super Star Cluster civilizations there?”
“We really didn’t this time, and you understand why… However, although we did not make an attempt on them, we left a lot of eyes and ears behind, closely monitoring the whereabouts of the military and resources of civilizations like the Star Arc Civilization, all to prepare for the conflict that might occur soon,” Tarrokov explained.
“Tsk, evil,” Han Xiao joked.
“You’re one to talk.” Tarrokov rolled his eyes. “Don’t think I don’t know. I heard quite a lot of rumors from the intelligence department that you left quite a lot of things in the Ancient Star Desert’s black market.” “You and I both.” Han Xiao did not mind.
The two of them were already old friends who had known each other for many years. They joked around for a while and prepared to end the communication.
This time, Tarrokov suddenly thought of something and said, “If you have the time, you can go and watch this show. My colleagues in the public opinion management department seem to have sent some of your information over.”
After the call ended, Han Xiao received a link from Tarrokov.
An episode of a political talk show appeared on the virtual screen. It seemed quite recent. This was a show similar to Ruden’s Show, but it was more authentic and official. It was called Focus Talk, targeted at people with higher positions in society.
This episode was about the Intelligent Plague. It analyzed the impact the Intelligent Plague had on the Ancient Star Desert. Han Xiao fast-forwarded for a while and finally saw his name.
A well-dressed Godoran was speaking fluently on the show. The subtitles below said this was an advanced researcher of galactic society, a scholar.
“… Before Black Star left Planet Aquamarine, the Godoran Civilization had already heard of him. With our very own eyes, we saw this powerful neighbor, the Black Star Army, rise step by step. We even fought alongside them. The Black Star Army has gotten past the growing stage, and it’s not difficult to notice they’re trying hard to take on more responsibility in society from the recent Black Star Cup, the Holy Light Emissary project, and the Intelligent Plague.
“Although Black Star is a universe-level warlord, his principles are different from the others. Currently, he controls a large number of resources, and instead of simply keeping all of them to himself, he seems more passionate about using these resources to maintain and improve the environment of the universe. The other Beyond Grade A warlords make us feel afraid and fearful, but toward Black Star, we mostly feel admiration and reverence. He gives us a completely different image, reducing the inst
inctive fear the galactic residents have toward those strongest individuals in the universe. Perhaps this is this source of his extraordinary affinity…”
While Han Xiao was enjoying his compliments, the images changed, and his deeds flashed past the screen one after another, accompanied by a serious narrator summarizing the events. It sounded quite like an official news segment.
Very soon, the recent events were brought up. This show was able to get their hands on the exclusive first-hand video footage of the confrontation on Planet Magnetic Cloud and played it to the entire universe.
So, this was the promotional material the dynasty sent.
The video captured him fighting Manison in a third-person view. He heard himself saying that sentence again, and it got a close-up.
“… This universe has an end no matter how enormous it is, but ambition has no limits.”
Han Xiao stared at the screen and smirked.
He had to admit that at this instant, he looked very handsome in the video.
The dynasty probably sent this video out because they felt that this scene was beneficial to improving his public image.
The next moment, the narration ended, and the scene changed to a grand office. The interviewer changed into someone very famous too. The subtitles showed that this person was the president of the Stuarts Committee.
Kraber Peterhius, a tenured professor of the Federation of Light’s Advanced Supreme Science and Technology Institute, principal of the Truth Academy, winner of ‘Stars’ and Heller’s Eye medals… There were so many titles that the subtitles had to keep rolling down to display all of them.
The Stuarts Committee was not some little organization but had an extremely long history and superior position. Its founder was the founder of the Energy Rank theory, Professor Stuarts Ona, traditionally known as the ‘Father of Supers’.
In his late years, he founded an award under his name. It was used to reward professionals who had made a huge achievement in various areas. The committee was the organization that managed and assessed the award. It was similar to the Nobel Prize in Han Xiao’s past life, but this was even more impressive and had been going on for thousands of years.
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