Explored Universe, and discovered the colony of a galaxy-level civilization.
In a rented temporary stronghold, the high-ranking members of the Silver Revolutionary Army gathered together, most of them with gloomy expressions.
"While the competition to Shattered World has caused turmoil in the cosmic landscape, the effectiveness of our efforts to promote our agenda has fallen far short of expectations; in fact, progress has stalled and we have made no progress at all."
Edmund, the current leader of the Silver Revolution, frowned.
Silver Revolution had foreseen the conflict in the Shattered World and wanted to take advantage of the turbulent times to expand its forces. However, while the conflict did break out, spreading its ideas was not as easy as they had imagined.
A bespectacled man adjusted his glasses and said, "According to research, the popularity of the Three Universal Civilizations across the universe is 1174.1% higher than the mathematical model's prediction for the same period... In other words, the Three Universal Civilizations are more popular than predicted during this period. The turmoil in the Shattered World should have made interstellar citizens see once again the domineering and greedy ways the Three Universal Civilizations Three Universal Civilizations their dominance, but it hasn't significantly worsened their image as predicted."
"How so?"
"According to calculations, the root cause of the deviation in reality lies in the recent sudden Intelligence Plague event... This disaster terrified countless interstellar citizens, but the Three Universal Civilizations responded very promptly, resolving this highly threatening cosmic crisis in just about six months. This demonstrated the executive power of the Three Universal Civilizations in power to the interstellar citizens, and thus won their hearts and minds."
Black Star played a crucial role in this. It could be said that without Black Star's extraordinary achievements and the wolfish ambitions of the Mechanic Emperor drawing hatred, the Three Universal Civilizations would have undoubtedly lost a significant portion of their popular support during the conflict in the Shattered World. And now, their base of influence is extremely solid.
Upon hearing this, the senior executives of Silver Revolution present couldn't help but show a bitter expression.
The Shattered World conflict should have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for development, but now it seems that this opportunity will no longer meet their expectations, with the results being at least 90% less than previously anticipated.
Without this opportunity, everyone suddenly felt that the future was bleak. Many people secretly complained about their bad luck and blamed the Intelligence Plague for ruining their plans and causing them to lose the advantage of timing and location.
Unbeknownst to them, the Intelligence Plague in their previous life was a pivotal event in their rise to power, but now, due to the butterfly effect stirred up by Black Star, it has become a huge obstacle to their development.
Edmund turned to look at the dignified woman reclining on the sofa not far away and asked:
"Mentor, what do you think?"
Everyone looked over expectantly. Although those present were all high-ranking officials, they all understood that Lothaire was their pillar of support.
Lothaire swirled her wine glass, a half-smile playing on her lips as she surveyed the crowd. She said nonchalantly, "Since progress is stalled, let's take it slow. People's hearts are fickle and unpredictable. Those who support you now may turn into enemies tomorrow. Be patient."
"This..." someone hesitated before speaking, "You also have no way to solve this problem?"
Upon hearing this, Lothaire covered her mouth and laughed.
"Heh, do you think I'm omnipotent? It's the trend of the times, I can only go with the flow and continue to lie low. What can I change by myself?"
With that, Lothaire stood up, walked to the front of the group, and smiled faintly.
"Anyway, things are tough right now, so I'm planning to do something else in my spare time. Black Star messaged me a while ago, saying he needs me to do something for him."
Everyone was immediately taken aback.
"You still have connections with Black Star?" Edmund, his voice filled with suspicion.
"Why not?" Lothaire shrugged indifferently. "After all, I worked under him for a while, and he didn't stop me from leaving. I owe him a favor."
Edmund's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "We're currently engaged in a major operation against the Three Universal Civilizations. Who is Black Star? He's a crucial ally of the Three Universal Civilizations. How dare you continue to maintain contact with him?!"
"To be precise, it was Black Star who contacted me unilaterally," Lothaire said dismissively. "Besides, he already knew what we were up to; he probably just saw us as a joke."
Edmund's expression turned solemn. He paced around the room twice, then hesitated before asking, "What does Black Star want you to do?"
"He wants me to go to the Modo Civilization and use my abilities to exacerbate social conflicts," Lothaire clicked her tongue. "He certainly trusts my skills..."
A high-ranking Silver Revolution member exclaimed in surprise, "No way! Black Star not only didn't expose our actions, but he also instructed you to incite social conflict in a highly civilized society. Isn't he a great man who cares deeply for the common people?"
Lothaire smiled knowingly. "How could a ruthless tycoon who built such a vast empire over decades be as kind as portrayed in the news? He just knows how to maintain his image, leaving the dirty work to others. And now it's my turn to do the work..."
After saying that, she left the room without waiting for anyone's reply.
Black Star's task for her was to incite internal conflicts within the Modo Civilization as much as possible, leaving the rest to her discretion. Lothaire already had a vague plan of action—in her view, Modo was a federation of three main races, which might be a good place to implant divisive ideas.
To be honest, I originally planned to overthrow the Three Universal Civilizations and regarded the Supercluster Civilization as a potential supporter. I never expected that I would now have to turn around and overthrow one Supercluster Civilization.
Lothaire didn't mind. Unlike most of the Silver Revolution's high-ranking members, she didn't have the conviction that she had to accomplish great things. To her, dealing with the Three Universal Civilizations or the Supercluster was just a challenge in her eyes. This kind of antisocial person who feared nothing more than a peaceful world didn't care about having another opponent temporarily.
Explored Universe, the secret base of the Assassins Mutual Aid Society.
Ding ding dong--
Hundreds of assassin apprentices in training uniforms are practicing in an open-air training ground, the only sound being the clash of weapons.
On the stands of the training ground, several instructors stood with their arms crossed, supervising their apprentices' practice, while Rotel stood at the very front, his gaze indifferent.
About twenty years have passed since Han Xiao ordered him to secretly form the Assassins Mutual Aid Society. Over the years, he has left a terrifying record of assassination exploits in the black market, secretly recruited many assassins and killers, and continues to train new people. Now the organization has grown to a considerable size.
Beep beep.
Just then, the communicator suddenly rang.
Rotel glanced at it, then turned and left.
"Cease training, gather all personnel, prepare the spaceship, and get ready for takeoff."
Several officials lowered their hands, looking on with curiosity.
Where are we going?
"On a mission, to Modo."
Rotel finished speaking succinctly, his the Sight of Father's Back disappearing into the passageway.
He had no interest in power and always remembered that the organization he had built was a hidden weapon of Black Star, aimed at the target Black Star was targeting.
In the Ancient Star Desert, within the territory of the Modo Civilization, at a secret military base.
Tap tap tap--
Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway outside the door, slowly approaching.
With a click, the door burst open, and a blinding light pierced through the pitch-black darkness.
A squad of soldiers stood at the doorway, silhouettes against the light, and the leading officer spoke in a completely emotionless voice:
"Soul-Switching Twins, we have a mission."
After the words were spoken, there was no response, only deathly silence.
However, the silence did not last long. A rustling sound came from a corner where the light did not reach, and a humanoid creature shrouded in shadow and mist emerged from the darkness. On his shoulder lay a baby-sized figure, also shrouded in shadow.
The only thing visible about the two was their pair of blood-red eyes; their species were indistinguishable, clearly indicating some kind of mutation. Only their body shape allowed for differentiation.
These two are the Soul-Switching Twins; the one with a normal body size is the older brother, while the one with a body only the size of an infant is the younger brother, which looks quite eerie.
"Modo allowed us to go out for some fresh air again?" the younger brother, perched on his shoulder, asked, his voice hoarse like that of an old man nearing the end of his life.
Upon seeing the two, the officer said in a deep voice, "The usual procedure: board the ship with us immediately. You can only access the Soul-Switching Device once we reach the mission location."
"Hmph, who are we supposed to deal with this time?" The tall figure spoke indifferently, his voice sharp and filled with resentment.
"Black Star!"
Upon hearing the name, the twins exchanged a glance, a strange emotion flashing in their eyes.
There was no tension in his eyes, but rather a hint of excitement and greed, as if he had suddenly discovered a treasure.
At this moment, the officer took out a round bead imbued with magical energy and said, "The target we're dealing with this time has prophetic abilities. This magic orb is engraved with top-tier spell circuits that conceal your aura. Wearing it will effectively interfere with and mislead your prophetic abilities, preventing them from accurately predicting details related to the two of you."
Upon receiving the magic orb, the soldiers immediately stepped forward, carrying the Soul-Switching Twins away from the room. Each soldier's face was tense, revealing a mixture of solemnity and apprehension. Their pace quickened unconsciously, clearly indicating their desire to get the Soul-Switching Twins onto the spaceship as quickly as possible.
Before coming into contact with the Cosmic Wonder known as the Soul-Switching Device, the Soul-Switching Twins were also quite dangerous, and spent most of their time imprisoned.
Although the Soul-Switching Twins are not of high rank, prolonged contact with them will cause others to experience more and more hallucinations and auditory hallucinations, resulting in a continuous decrease in their SAN value.
Perhaps because of this anomaly, twins are the only qualified users of the Soul-Switching Device, and both of them must be present at the same time to activate this special Universal Treasure.
At the same time, on the Floating Dragon Island, Shattered Star Ring, Iso suddenly raised his head, his gaze filled with surprise and doubt as he looked out the window.
The next moment, Iso closed his eyes, activated his ability, and his thoughts seemed to traverse through dimensions, locking onto the territory of the Modo Civilization.
"The alert comes from the Modo Civilization. What unusual activity have they made? Hmm, they seem to be using a concealment device; our perception is very vague, and we can't see any concrete possibilities for the future..."
Iso frowned, looking somewhat uneasy.