At the same time, at the Black Star Palace.
[Return to the Historical Stage] Completed!
[You have gained 1 Legend Points!]
[Universe Legend Points: [The First Ones' Awakener] -- Due to the activities of the Sanctum Organization, a group of the First Ones were resurrected from oblivion. You secretly facilitated this event and are one of the key figures behind the return of the First Ones. Your actions are likely to have a profound impact on the entire universe.]
[Baigel Kiolamir's favorability towards you increases by 25 points]
[Trip Sunstrider Doncord's favorability towards you +25 points]
[Pangon Felix's favorability towards you +25 points]
In the private machinery factory, Han Xiao, who was engrossed in his research, suddenly received a bunch of panel notifications. After opening them and glancing at them, his face lit up with joy.
"The mission is complete. Does that mean the Oathkeeper succeeded?"
Only a few hours had passed since the player logged off, Han Xiao was surprised to receive such good news.
The Oathkeeper had been missing in the Sanctuary for so long, has finally shown some signs of life.
The rewards for the "[Return to the Historical Stage]" mission include 1 point of Legend Points and 25 points of Favorability for all the revived Beyond Grade A. These numerous Favorability notifications should refer to the Beyond Grade A that have been revived this time.
Han Xiao carefully browsed through the list, his eyes sparkling with interest. The names of these people were all well-known; he could easily find their life stories and achievements in the exploration history by simply searching their names online.
"Pangon, the ' King of War '; Baigel, the ' God of Magic '; Trip, the ' The Omniscient '... all are renowned figures from the First Ones of history."
As the first group of people to reach the Beyond Grade A, the First Ones had one thing in common: their nicknames were usually quite impressive, and they had taken away a lot of good nicknames.
Han Xiao immediately discovered another benefit of this mission reward: he could immediately see who the resurrected targets were, and he had a clear idea of who they were.
Some of these people were the very ones who appeared during the Super Calamity, which solves the case and proves that their resurrection is indeed related to the Sanctum.
Han Xiao wrote down all these people's names, counted them, and suddenly frowned slightly, muttering to himself.
"The number of resurrected doesn't seem to match up..."
He remembered the total number of all the resurrected Beyond Grade A in his previous life. A group appeared during the Super Calamity version, and another group appeared during the World Tree Civilization era. Together, their numbers far exceeded the current number.
Moreover, all the people appearing in the current favorability prompts are the First Ones. In the previous World Tree War version, among the large number of revived Beyond Grade A brought by the Sanctum Organization, there were also many historical Beyond Grade A who were not the First Ones.
But the number of people resurrected now is much less than the total number in the previous life. What is the reason for this...?
A sudden inspiration flashed through Han Xiao's mind.
"... I think I understand!"
In a flash, he pieced together the clues in his mind and suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment.
Jess revealed the mechanism of the Sanctuary Revival, and with this crucial information, he finally understood the Sanctum Organization's modus operandi from his previous life.
In version 5.0, the Sanctum revived a group of the First Ones. Some of them likely had disagreements and went their separate ways, causing the Super Calamity, but they probably didn't reveal the secrets of the Sanctum. The remaining the First Ones, led by the Oathkeeper, continued to lie low. The reason for this is probably that the Oathkeeper discovered the secret of the revival in the Sanctuary and wanted to control this Beyond Grade A lifeline, so they have been developing in secret.
During this period, the Sanctum must have achieved new results, revived more Beyond Grade A, and somehow persuaded others to participate in the project, which is why the total number of resurrected individuals at this time does not match that of the previous life.
They quietly developed their Sanctum Organization until the World Tree War version, when, due to the principle of mutual dependence, they were forced to reveal themselves and join the war, shocking the Explored Universe.
That makes sense!
In this light, the nature of the Sanctum Organization in the previous life was similar to that of the Beyond Grade A Association today, with very similar goals, both planning and laying the groundwork for the future of Beyond Grade A.
"This is probably the whole story behind this plot point from my past life..."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered.
Although it was just a guess, his gut feeling was that it was probably true.
If that's the case, then the Oathkeeper already knows the true mechanism of the Sanctuary Revival, and he and Kasuyi are no longer the only two people in the know. Therefore, his plans may need to be changed, and perhaps he should reach a deeper level of cooperation with the Sanctum.
The attitude of the Oathkeeper is crucial. Han Xiao knows little about him and doesn't know what the other person is thinking.
Just then, black flames suddenly appeared in Han Xiao's vision, coalescing into a familiar figure.
"Speak of the devil, and he appears! I was wondering when the Oathkeeper would come knocking on my door, but I didn't expect him to arrive so soon..." Han Xiao's eyes lit up.
Soon, the Oathkeeper's mental projection took shape and nodded towards Han Xiao.
"It's me again, Black Star. I've returned from the Sanctuary."
"So you're planning to honor your deal today?" Han Xiao's eyes flashed, and he deliberately asked, "Did your Awakening Plan succeed?"
He didn't yet know how much intelligence the Oathkeeper possessed, so he didn't want to reveal his hand immediately. He planned to probe the Oathkeeper's true intentions with words to see just how much he knew.
"It went well, quite smoothly." The Oathkeeper nodded.
"Wow, I didn't expect this method to actually work. How many people have been resurrected?" Han Xiao pretended to be invigorated, putting on an expression of great interest.
"A few dozen, I suppose." The Oathkeeper's answer was ambiguous, clearly indicating that he didn't want to reveal this information to Han Xiao.
"Hmm, quite a few people." Han Xiao naturally knew the exact number. Seeing that the Oathkeeper didn't want to say, he wasn't surprised. He didn't dwell on it and changed the subject, asking, "What's the situation inside the Sanctuary?"
The Oathkeeper thought for a moment, then spoke with some uncertainty:
"The feeling inside was like being in a dream, my consciousness floating up and down. It seemed like I experienced many things, but it also felt like only a moment had passed. My only clear impression was that I was in a boundless space, with countless white orbs of light floating within my field of vision. Most of them avoided me, as if there was some repulsive force on me. I seemed to see different images within each orb of light..."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao stroked his chin, seemingly lost in thought.
Based on Jess's statement, those orbs of light may be Information State entities containing different contents. One orb of light may represent a civilization, a Beyond Grade A being, or even a period of history. It's hard to say.
Is it dangerous in there?
"There shouldn't be..." the Oathkeeper hesitated.
Han Xiao pondered for a few seconds, then smiled and said, "Let's talk about the method of reviving Beyond Grade A using the Sanctuary first. We agreed that you would tell me the relevant information after the Awakening Plan was completed. You won't go back on your word now, will you?"
"Of course not, our understanding of the Sanctuary is this..."
The Oathkeeper the oath's eyes flickered; he knew his chance had come.
As planned, he recounted the relevant information that the Sanctum Organization had previously accumulated, without correcting any erroneous assumptions, and concealed the repeatability of the Sanctuary Revival, deliberately portraying it as a one-off event.
His explanation was quite simple: because the revival method is related to Information State Projection, he deliberately distorted the concept, describing the revival process as "cutting out" the target's information from the Sanctuary, implying that the corresponding information in the Sanctuary would disappear in this way. Thus, he naturally characterized it as a one-time function.
On the other hand, the Oathkeeper did not reveal the origin or purpose of the Sanctuary, and did not mention any information about the Universe Iteration or the Great Restart, intending to make Han Xiao mistakenly believe that the Sanctuary only had the function of revival.
The Oathkeeper rambled on and on, spouting nonsense that was completely different from what Jess had said. Han Xiao sensed something was amiss halfway through the conversation.
The two versions of events are different, so one of them must be wrong. Based on the situation of the Federation of All Stars and Jess's motives, Jess's version is more credible.
So, did the Oathkeeper make a mistake, or were they deliberately lying to me...?
Hmm, considering the actions of the Sanctum Organization in my past life, this guy is definitely trying to fool me!
Han Xiao's eyes narrowed suddenly, a hint of amusement flashing across them.
He didn't immediately refute, but waited for the Oathkeeper to finish speaking. Then he suddenly sighed, changed the subject, and said, "I'm very curious. You just said that the existence of the Sanctuary is closely related to the Information State, and that revival is accomplished through methods such as Information State Projection. Does that mean the Sanctuary records all the information of Beyond Grade A beings?"
"Hmm, that should be it..." the Oathkeeper replied cautiously.
"Then I find it strange that the Sanctuary would store information of Beyond Grade A. Don't you find that puzzling?"
"Uh, I am indeed very confused," the Oathkeeper, trying to control their tone.
Han Xiao pretended to ponder, frowning as he said, "I feel that the Sanctuary doesn't seem to be a naturally formed phenomenon. It's very likely the product of some person or civilization, and its function should be more than just reviving Beyond Grade A... What do you think?"
"I'm not sure either. To me, it doesn't seem like something a civilized civilization would make. The Three Universal Civilizations don't have that kind of technology, and the older civilizations were even less capable. I think the Sanctuary might be some kind of Cosmic Wonder..." The Oathkeeper had no choice but to continue the conversation, subtly leading the conversation, not daring to directly refute it for fear of being exposed.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao stroked his chin, pretending to be analyzing something seriously, and slowly said:
"Okay, let's assume the Sanctuary is Cosmic Wonder in the Information State realm, capable of recording Beyond Grade A information... Then tell me, wouldn't those resurrected Beyond Grade A beings, moving around in the universe, refresh the Sanctuary's information? In that case, although resurrection cuts up the original records in the Sanctuary, new records will appear in the Sanctuary. So, the next time you enter the Sanctuary, wouldn't you be able to 'cut' the same objects again?"
"This..."
The Oathkeeper was speechless; the analysis was so logical and well-founded that he didn't know how to explain it.
If you're going to object, he's only been to the Sanctuary once, so what makes him so certain about the next time? He shouldn't know so much information; Black Star is cunning and shrewd, he'll definitely suspect this.
But if he doesn't object, Black Star might think that the Sanctuary Revival can be repeated many times, which would contradict his own intentions.
This guy is so hard to fool!
After thinking for a while, the Oathkeeper couldn't come up with a suitable explanation and could only say dejectedly, "I didn't think of that."
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes, a playful glint in his eyes. "So you admit you were lying to me just now? Looks like I need to reassess our agreement."
"Cough cough cough, I just simply didn't think of that possibility, how can that be considered lying?" the Oathkeeper quickly retorted.
"Hehe."
Han Xiao chuckled twice expressionlessly, put his hands behind his back, walked around the Oathkeeper, and calmly spoke:
"If I'm not mistaken, those resurrected the First Ones have weakened, and each of them has lost some abilities to varying degrees, right?"
"Yes, they... wait! How did you know?!"
The Oathkeeper suddenly widened their eyes.
This matter was only discussed privately among this group of Beyond Grade A individuals. The First Ones couldn't possibly have been in contact with Black Star, nor had they leaked any information. In just a few tens of minutes, how did Black Star find out about it?!
"I know more than you think." Han Xiao paced back and forth slowly, saying, "I wonder if you're familiar with the terms ' Great Restart ' and 'iteration'?"
"!!!"
The Oathkeeper turned pale with fright, took two steps back, and stared at Han Xiao in disbelief, utterly shocked.
"How could you possibly know these things?!"
He was completely stunned, his mentality instantly shattered, his abilities went out of control, and the body projected from his mind fluctuated violently, as if it were about to collapse at any moment.
The Oathkeeper's brains were boiling once again!
I entered the Sanctuary alone this time, so there couldn't have been a mole. How would Black Star know all this?!
Who betrayed me, and whom did I betray?
Could it be that Black Star has planted eyes in me, allowing him to see everything I do?!
So... I really did betray myself?!
Shocked, the Oathkeeper's thoughts became disordered, and he felt a chill run down his spine. Han Xiao's image in his mind became mysterious and unpredictable, filling him with immense awe and fear.
--Just how much does this guy know? He just gave me a long, detailed analysis, turns out he was just laughing at me!
Enjoying the panicked expression on the Oathkeeper, Han Xiao, with his hands behind his back, slowly said:
"I showed you my sincerity, and I hoped you would reciprocate in kind, but it seems you don't really value my friendship."
He wasn't actually sure how much intelligence the Oathkeeper possessed, but he felt that anyone who entered the Sanctuary should understand the basic concepts of iteration. This was just a bluff, and he wasn't 100% certain of success, but it had a surprisingly good effect. He managed to trick the other party into revealing all their secrets in one fell swoop, and incidentally, he scared them so much that they were completely disoriented and terrified.
That's much better; in this way, we have complete control over the situation.
Han Xiao maintained his inscrutable demeanor, looking down at the Oathkeeper, his tone playful:
"What, do you think I don't know what you're thinking? Are you trying to monopolize exclusive information and trick me into investing resources to do your bidding and help you control the channels for the Sanctuary Revival?"
The Oathkeeper was deeply shaken.
Black Star saw through all his plans. At this moment, he felt as if he were naked in front of Black Star, with no secrets left. All that remained in his heart was horror and panic.
He had considered the possibility of failing to fool Black Star, but he never expected Black Star to expose him so brutally in this way, directly revealing all his hidden secrets and tearing apart all his Lie!
At this moment, the Oathkeeper stood there dumbfounded, completely stunned, his face shifting between light and dark, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.