How does Black Star know my identity?!
The Oathkeeper originally intended to display his Beyond Grade A strength to attract Black Star's attention and gain the upper hand in negotiations. However, he didn't expect that his whereabouts would be exposed as soon as he appeared, leaving him unable to maintain his mystery.
Upon seeing Black Star, he recognized him instantly, Oathkeeper a surge of emotions welled up within him.
'Where did he get this intelligence? Where was the organization exposed? How does he even know their names?!'
A series of doubts and surprises surfaced in his mind, and the Oathkeeper's mood suddenly became heavy.
The Sanctum Organization has always remained hidden in the shadows, shrouded in too many secrets. How much does Black Star actually know about the Sanctum Organization, given that he was able to uncover his identity? Does he also know their ultimate mission?
The thought flashed through his mind, Oathkeeper murderous intent, conceived the plan to kill the witness.
But in the next instant, he forcibly suppressed the murderous intent surging within him.
There was no other reason; although he wanted to kill him to silence him, Black Star was too strong.
This type of tanky Peak Beyond Grade A fighter cannot be easily dealt with; resorting to force is the last resort, and negotiation should be the priority.
--That's the advantage of being powerful; it makes others more willing to reason with you calmly.
"Let's first probe how much Black Star knows. If he knows everything about the Sanctum, I'll have to reconsider. Years of planning can't be risked..."
The Oathkeeper suppressed his shock, composed himself, and no longer prioritized negotiation and trade. In his eyes, the most important thing now was to probe Black Star's true strength.
Thinking this, the Oathkeeper slowly sat down opposite Han Xiao and whispered:
"You know a lot about the Sanctum Organization?"
I don't know much about it, just a little bit.
Han Xiao gestured with his fingertips, his smile full of meaning, as if he were saying the opposite of what he meant, as if he were saying the opposite of what he meant.
In reality, Master Han only knew a little about the Sanctum. He only knew that they resurrected a large number of the First Ones in later versions, but he was basically unaware of the inside story. It can be said that he only knew about the Sanctum Organization's actions, but not their motives.
The reason Han Xiao recognized the Oathkeeper was that, in later versions, the Oathkeeper was still the leader of the Sanctum Organization and gained attention for his participation in the World Tree War. However, Han Xiao only knew that he was the leader of the organization and knew nothing about his background.
Han Xiao deliberately adopted this "I know what I'm doing" attitude to deceive the other party and make the Oathkeeper uncertain about his true abilities.
Seeing this, the Oathkeeper was inwardly surprised and uncertain, but outwardly remained expressionless, and said softly, "I'm curious, how do you recognize me? Have we met before?"
"Yes, we've met before."
"Really...?" The Oathkeeper was startled, racking his brains to recall when he had ever crossed paths with Black Star, but after going through his memories three times, he couldn't find anything.
At this moment, Han Xiao spoke up in a serious tone, "We met in a dream."
The Oathkeeper: "..."
What the hell are you talking about?
Black Star was clearly making a joke, but to the Oathkeeper, this attitude only confirmed that Black Star knew a lot, which made him feel more and more serious, and his mind wandered with all sorts of thoughts.
"Let's not talk about that now." Han Xiao waved his hand, narrowed his eyes, and said, "You just said you wanted to do a business deal with me. Let me hear what kind of deal it is."
The Oathkeeper composed himself, temporarily setting aside his probing thoughts, and said in a deep voice, "I wish to exchange this for a portion of Holy Light Particle."
"Oh?" Han Xiao glanced at him sideways. "Then what can you offer?"
"It depends on what you want. We're willing to exchange parts of other Primal Esper Ability for the Holy Light Particle you possess."
So the Sanctum wanted to obtain the Holy Light Particle through negotiation. This must be the way they cooperated with the Sorokin in their previous life. My plan to lure them out of their hole worked... Han Xiao thought to himself.
He publicly stated that he possessed the Holy Light Particle in order to lure the Sanctum Organization into contacting him. According to his judgment, after the last sneak attack, the Sanctum might attack him or try to trade for the Holy Light Particle. Either way, he could lure the Sanctum Organization out.
If the Sanctum had remained hidden in the shadows, unseen and unreachable, it would have been of no benefit to him. Now that there was an opportunity for dialogue, there was room for maneuver.
Han Xiao pretended to ponder for a moment, tapped the table with his finger, and did not answer the question immediately. Suddenly, he changed the subject and said:
"If I remember correctly, you recently snatched the Chaos Mysterious Energy chicken... cough, part of its body from me."
As expected, Black Star knew that the group that attacked him last time was from the Sanctum Organization...
The Oathkeeper suddenly paused, realizing an important issue.
Did Black Star discover the Sanctum Organization 'Sanctum Organization intelligence after the attack, or did he already know of its existence before the attack?
This difference is important!
"I don't understand what you're saying," the Oathkeeper tentatively began.
"What, are you trying to deny it? You think I won't recognize you just because you're hiding?" Han Xiao stroked his chin, his tone playful. "Dimensional Banishment Projectile, Formatting Virus, and Advanced Life Form Energy Disruption Wave —these are all the signature technologies of your Sanctum Organization. Do you think I don't know them?"
The Oathkeeper immediately turned grim under his hood.
As it turns out, Black Star knew far more than he imagined; he had known about the existence of the Sanctum for a long time!
The Sanctum Organization researched Primordial Esper Ability Entity and derived these technologies, treating them all as trump cards, never selling them to outsiders, and rarely using them. Yet Black Star could clearly name these technologies, so there's only one possibility...
There's a mole!
And it was at the higher levels!
The image of various officials flashed through the minds of the Oathkeeper, filling them with rage.
Who on earth dared to break through the limitations of the Soul Flame and betray the organization?!
Even Black Star knows about this; just how much of this intelligence has been leaked? Could the databases of those advanced civilizations already contain files on the Sanctum Organization?
If that's the case, then all those years of keeping secrets by the Sanctum Organization have turned them into a laughing stock in the eyes of others!
The Oathkeeper instantly lost their composure.
He is usually a steady man, but today he has encountered too many shocks, and his emotions are starting to get out of control.
Sensing the unstable mental fluctuations of the Oathkeeper, Han Xiao hesitated.
It seems I overdid it and scared them...
Han Xiao sighed.
Sigh, these smart people love to overthink things, they're always paranoid, and the slightest detail can make them shudder... It's not that we're overreacting, it's that others are too sensitive, we're not taking the blame.
In reality, Han Xiao's objective view of the Sanctum Organization was relatively neutral; he neither liked nor disliked it. In his previous life, the Sanctum Organization was not a villainous organization that caused trouble; it didn't do anything particularly outrageous. The only well-known incident was that it somehow revived a large number of historical Beyond Grade A and sent them to participate in the World Tree War.
Although the Sanctum's participation in the war was mostly driven by a sense of interdependence, it did contribute to the World Tree War by bringing in important reinforcements, so it deserves credit.
In this regard, Han Xiao's position is the same. The resurgence of historical Beyond Grade A can instantly enhance the combat power of Beyond Grade A in the Explored Universe, thus increasing the bargaining chips for resisting the World Tree. He may not necessarily want to prevent the Sanctum Organization from achieving its goal.
However, the Sanctum Organization attacked him a while ago, and Han Xiao made a note of it in his notebook—they punched me and ran away. There's no such thing as a free lunch. He won't let this go until this score is settled.
As for whether the First Ones group that revived the Super Calamity had any connection with the Sanctum Organization, Han Xiao was unsure. He strongly suspected that the story of the life support pod in his previous life was just an excuse to fool the Volkswagen.
He could actually understand why this group of resurrected the First Ones was a major trigger for the Super Calamity; it became clear once one considered it from the perspective of the Three Universal Civilizations...
--Holy crap, you bunch of dead can come back to life? Does every dead Beyond Grade A have the right to be resurrected? What if more and more people die and one day they all return to try and overthrow our rule? What will we do then? We'll have to cheat!
Advanced civilizations attempt to control the ratio of individual power to collective strength, only to discover that individual power can somehow be resurrected and manipulated, rendering them unable to control the situation and inevitably causing them to lose their composure.
So regardless of whether the awakened the First Ones of the Super Calamity were resurrected or awakened from slumber, they have to tell the outside world that they have been lying in life support pods all along, otherwise there will be huge problems, and who knows what the Three Universal Civilizations will do.
Both of them were deep in thought, and it took them a long time to come back to their senses.
The Oathkeeper composed himself and said in a low voice:
"We can offer compensation and apologize for this behavior. We hope you can forgive my subordinate's mistake."
How do you plan to compensate me for my emotional distress?
What do you want?
"Hmm, let me think..." Han Xiao propped his head up with his hand, "The Sanctum Organization has a long history, they should have a lot of stock, right? Give me ten or eight finished Universal Treasure or blueprints, and I'll forgive you."
Why don't you just rob me... Oh, you are robbing me.
The Oathkeeper immediately shook their head.
"Too many, we don't have any."
"How could that be?" Han Xiao chuckled. "Many of your members are descendants of Beyond Grade A beings. Didn't your ancestors leave behind any legacies?"
You even know that!
Just how much intelligence was leaked?!
The Oathkeeper gritted his teeth, wanting nothing more than to find the traitor and flick his penis to death.
"... In short, we don't have that many Universal Treasure, but we do have two blueprints in stock, which we can compensate you with."
"Two copies..." Han Xiao muttered to himself, "That seems a bit few. How about you make a copy of all those superpower technologies for me?"
"Impossible!" the Oathkeeper declared firmly, indicating that there was no room for negotiation.
Fine, two is fine, at least I got some meat.
Trading a piece of Chaos Mysterious Energy for two golden blueprints is practically a sure thing... well, a risk-free way to make a fortune.
Han Xiao clicked his tongue twice, his expression turning serious. He placed his hands on the table, clasped them together, and slowly said:
"The deal can proceed, but the Chaos Mysterious Energy parts you stole will also be considered part of the deal, as if I sold them to you. In other words, you will have to give up two portions of Primal Esper Ability in exchange for a portion of Holy Light Particle."
[Primordial Esper Ability Collector] is only two Primordial Esper Ability Entity away from meeting the requirements. The mission can be completed with the help of the Sanctum, and the reward is a milestone aura for ability users, as well as a skill fragment of [Third Sanctum].
"Okay, deal." The Oathkeeper nodded decisively.
The Sanctum Organization has collected a large number of Primordial Esper Ability Entity; cutting them into pieces and putting them on the shelf is no big deal for them.
Although the art style is a bit weird, we're not exactly good people, so let's not dwell on that.
The Black Star Army now dominates a region in the universe. Oathkeeper has mastered the essence of "survival is the key to victory." Although he is not afraid of the Black Star, he will avoid violence if possible.
At this moment, the Oathkeeper's eyes flashed, and he tentatively asked, "Black Star, what are your thoughts on the principles of our Sanctum?"
Much information has been leaked, but the Oathkeeper still clings to a last shred of hope. Although Black Star seems to know everything, there is a slight possibility that he is unaware of the Sanctum's ultimate mission.
"Purpose? Aren't you just an organization researching Primal Esper Ability technology? What, what other schemes are you plotting?" Han Xiao raised an eyebrow.
The Oathkeeper stared intently at Han Xiao's expression, but couldn't discern anything amiss. He couldn't tell whether Han Xiao genuinely didn't know or was pretending.
But regardless, upon hearing these words, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Black Star is unaware of our Sanctum's objectives, meaning this unexpected factor is still within a controllable range. This indicates that although the mole is a high-ranking official, he hasn't yet reached the core level.
"No conspiracy. Our organization's mission is to believe that superpowers have infinite possibilities and can bring technological breakthroughs to the universe time and time again..." The Oathkeeper started spouting nonsense. This was the philosophy that the Sanctum conveyed to its lower-level members, a layer of disguise.
After a brief chat, they set a time for the transaction. The Oathkeeper disappeared, preoccupied with his own thoughts, rushing back to thoroughly investigate the mole. It's easy to imagine the Thunder reaction he would cause within the organization.
Han Xiao leaned back in his chair, gently rubbing the back of his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He didn't expose the other party's intention to revive a group of historical Beyond Grade A beings just now. First, he didn't know what methods the other party was using, and second, he didn't know what the Sanctum's goal was in reviving historical Beyond Grade A beings. If he had revealed it rashly, it might have caused unforeseen circumstances.
If you've already scared enough by your own antics, continuing down this path might backfire.
... At least until he gets the blueprints as compensation and the two Primordial Esper Ability Entity, he doesn't want to fall out with the Sanctum for the time being. He wants to get the benefits first, and whether to fight or negotiate later is another matter.
Moreover, Han Xiao doesn't mind a group of historical Beyond Grade A reviving. Compared to the World Tree, impacting the cosmic situation is a minor matter. Every bit of strength gained in attacking the World Tree Civilization is beneficial.
"In my past life, the Sanctum Organization was supposed to cooperate with the Sorokin. Now, I've taken the place of the Sorokin, becoming the Sanctum's partner and the mastermind behind it all. Hmm, under my influence, the plot lines are changing more and more drastically. And that coordinate leading to the World Tree — the Logistics Department's research hasn't succeeded yet, and I wonder how the Empire's research is going..."
Han Xiao was pondering when he suddenly paused, remembering something.
"By the way, the Sanctum Organization has a long history and was so powerful in its past life, it might know something about the Sanctuary. I'll have to subtly ask them about it next time."
On the other side, somewhere in the Ancient Star Desert.
The pirate fleet was intercepted by three small warships bearing the insignia of the Federation of Light. After a fierce battle, all the pirates were captured.
On the deck of the main ship, the charred corpse of the pirate leader lay on the ground, with all his underlings crouching on the ground, their bodies covered in wounds, trembling and afraid to look up. A group of soldiers in high-tech uniforms of the Federation of Light stood around them.
The leader was a citizen of the Federation of Light, dressed in a more advanced uniform with a badge on his chest representing his position as a Space Overseer.
Cosmic Watchers are special departments established by advanced civilizations. They patrol different star systems and hold higher ranks than security guards. They specialize in detecting various anomalies, somewhat like the role of federal secret agents.
The Federation of Light Observers paced before the Stars pirates, slowly removing his blood-stained black gloves, his tone deliberate and measured:
"Five days ago, signs of a cosmic-level energy surge appeared on your ship. The energy fluctuations spread outwards, alarming numerous advanced civilizations, including the Three Universal Civilizations. This energy wave was unprecedented, and we do not know what this phenomenon is..."
Smack
The Federation of Light Observers suddenly stopped in front of a space pirate, grabbed his chin by the crease of his buttocks, forcing him to look up and meet his sharp gaze. He said in a deep voice, "Can you tell me what happened here?"
"It's... it's a safe..." the space pirate stammered, explaining the situation.
"An antique safe for sale at an auction?"
The Federation of Light Observers's eyes flashed as he retrieved information on the auction items intercepted by the space pirates, and the data on Harrison's team appeared on the screen.
"A group of scavengers, whether lucky or unlucky..."
The Federation of Light Observers narrowed his eyes, abandoned the space pirates, turned and left, leaving behind a single sentence.
"Let's go, find these people!"