In the Dragon Emperor Palace in the center of Floating Dragon Island, Han Xiao's figure teleported in. Looking up, he saw a round table in front of him, neatly arranged with exquisite snacks and fruits. Ames was sitting in a chair, seemingly prepared in advance.
Ames was smiling at the communicator when she saw him arrive. She then ended the call, put away the communicator, and turned her gaze to him, her lips still curved in an upward smile.
"I knew you'd come. Please have a seat; the wine is ready."
Han Xiao stepped forward and plopped down next to Ames, saying helplessly, "I've been quite busy lately and haven't been here for a while. I'm sorry for neglecting you."
"When are you not busy?" Ames remained noncommittal.
Han Xiao shook his head, picked up his glass, took a sip of wine, and smacked his lips. "Why does it taste different than before?"
"After Iso returned last time, he improved the recipe."
Ames manipulated the force field and poured Han Xiao a full glass of wine.
Han Xiao chuckled, "Speaking of which, after Iso's kidnapping, I was quite surprised that you didn't refuse Iso request to go on a trip. I thought you would confine him for a long time."
"If it weren't for the Soul-Switching Device, I wouldn't have agreed," Ames scoffed.
After Fording obtained the Soul-Switching Device, Han Xiao offered Iso a plan. After much consideration, Iso adopted his suggestion and asked Fording to temporarily transfer his soul to another powerful being so that he could travel with them in secrecy and safety. Ames ultimately agreed to his request.
"The Soul-Switching Device is indeed a good thing, but unfortunately Fording is only at the Calamity Grade, so its effectiveness is limited." Han Xiao shook his head, then suddenly remembered something and changed the subject, "I have a gift for you."
"Give me something?" Ames raised an eyebrow.
Han Xiao took a small, pure white ball out of his pocket, handed it to Ames, and said with a smile, "This is a Universal Treasure I obtained by chance. It can help those with Esper Class develop their powers. It's yours."
Ames took the ball, Force Field Manipulation it fly around a few times, and asked curiously, "What's this thing called? How do you use it?"
"Let's call it the Esper Ability Enhancement Sphere. It's very easy to use; just permeate it with your Qi every day and work on it."
Han Xiao briefly explained its function.
This thing was one of the Universal Treasure that Sorokin had secretly collected, and he had seized it. The item description on the panel showed that its function was to randomly enhance the various ability parameters of a superhuman. It required wearing it for a long time to have a chance to trigger the effect, the probability was unknown, and the increase in power each time it was triggered was not high.
When accumulated to the limit, the superpower potential can be raised by one level at most, allowing the ability to undergo an upgrade and transformation. After that, it will become ineffective for the same user.
However, the enhancement effect is not guaranteed and may be completely useless. According to the introduction, the probability of triggering the enhancement depends to some extent on the luck attribute... Basically, it can be understood that people with bad luck are not welcome.
Han Xiao had previously used the Dragon Scroll and remembered that Ames had a high luck stat, so she should be able to trigger this treasure. After using it, given her relationship with Hila and the others, how could he not lend it to them? It was perfect.
"Then I'll accept it, thanks." Ames played with it for a while, then put it away.
Over the years, Han Xiao has often given her gifts. A few years ago, Han Xiao even secretly gave her a complete set of knowledge about Esper Class, which almost made her think that Han Xiao had gone to infiltrate the Empire's database.
The two ate snacks and chatted casually.
Most of the time, Han Xiao did the talking Ames listened, resting her chin on her hand and staring at Han Xiao with a smile.
After chatting for a while, Ames suddenly spoke up, interrupting Han Xiao.
I've noticed you've seemed preoccupied these past few years.
Han Xiao was taken aback. "How did you figure that out?"
"I know you too well." Ames smiled gently. "Would you like to have a heart-to-heart talk?"
Han Xiao looked helpless.
Indeed, since learning the secrets of the Sanctuary and the Iteration, his psychological pressure has increased. In the past few years, he has been buried in research, keeping himself very busy and daring not to slack off.
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "In recent years, I've been pondering a question: what if our world is merely a phantom of the past, and the reality we see is just an illusion within a cage?"
"Why did you suddenly have this idea?" Ames asked curiously.
"... I just came across some information and made that connection."
Han Xiao's answer was ambiguous; naturally, he wouldn't easily reveal information such as the Federation of All Stars, the Universe Iteration, and the Sanctuary.
In fact, he had this suspicion a long time ago, but he knew that this question was difficult to answer, so he kept it to himself until he came into contact with the Sanctuary and the iteration, which gave him more ideas.
Although Ames didn't understand what Han Xiao Han Xiao was saying, she could sense the pressure in his tone, which seemed to carry a sense of detachment and a rare feeling of confusion.
Most of the time, Han Xiao was very confident. She rarely saw Han Xiao like this. Although she didn't know why Han Xiao had been under so much pressure in recent years, these were all unimportant details to her. She only knew that Han Xiao needed her comfort.
Thinking of this, Ames smiled faintly.
"It doesn't matter, all I know is that breathing is real, temperature is real, touch is real..."
As she spoke, Ames held Han Xiao's hands in her palms, blinked her eyes, and whispered:
"I am real too."
The two locked eyes, staring at each other for a good ten seconds.
"... Ahem, be more reserved, this isn't a Secondary Dimension."
Han Xiao suddenly coughed and withdrew his hand.
"Heh." Ames chuckled softly, her expression enigmatic.
The two tacitly moved on from the topic and chatted casually for a few more hours before Han Xiao got up to say goodbye and teleported away.
Looking at the empty seats, Ames suddenly sighed softly.
Having spent so much time together, she had long sensed that although Black Star seemed to have a wide circle of friends, for some reason he always kept his heart closed, not letting anyone get to the deepest part of his heart.
A secret military training base of the Crimson Dynasty —this is where Gaud was "cultivated".
A spaceship docked at the port, its hatch wide open, revealing two long lines: one for boarding and the other for disembarking. Most of the people in the former line looked dejected, while those in the latter line were mostly full of confidence.
This is the transport spacecraft that carries a new batch of trainees, and it is also responsible for picking up trainees who are eliminated from the training base.
Carrot mingled in the line boarding the ship, and couldn't help but glance back in the direction of the training base.
Carrot had always been on the verge of being eliminated in each round of training. If it weren't for Gaud's words of support back then, he might have been kicked out by the base manager long ago. Now that Gaud had vanished, his words had lost their effect, and the base manager no longer gave Carrot special treatment, placing him on this round's elimination list and no longer giving him any special attention.
"I've studied here for almost ten years, but unfortunately, I still couldn't stay here forever..."
Carrot sighed softly.
He wasn't particularly frustrated, just felt regretful.
After working so hard for so long, I finally discovered the training secrets of the superpower system, but before I could even change my training methods, I was kicked out...
"Well, at least I didn't waste these ten years of study. As long as I've gained something, that's enough."
Carrot shook his head, looked away, and strode onto the spaceship. His spirited demeanor stood out starkly against the dejected crowd around him.
With the dust settled on the incident involving Gaud and Sorokin, interstellar society finally entered a period of stable development.
The Supercluster Civilization, defeated in the Shattered World Battle, silently licked its wounds. The various participating forces recuperated and continued to digest the benefits of exploration. The Crimson Dynasty and the Federation of Light underwent leadership changes and needed a period of stability. Meanwhile, the Beyond Grade A Association continued its chemical reactions, forging a coalition of interests.
Amidst the atmosphere of tacit understanding and peaceful development among all parties, Shattered World successfully completed all its exploration plans, including the fifth and sixth phases, and finally formally incorporated the entire Shattered World into the map of the Explored Universe. As a result, interstellar society became more prosperous, bringing countless business opportunities.
Even a pig can fly if it stands in the right place at the right time. The development of the Shattered World has spurred the emergence of many new forces, and every now and then, new conglomerates appear in the Shattered World.
After absorbing a portion of the Infinite Financial Group's business, the Black Star Army developed even more rapidly, expanding quickly across various star regions and growing increasingly powerful, which also elevated Han Xiao's status accordingly.
With the two potential threats, Gaud and Sorokin, resolved, Manison quietly accumulating strength, no one in the universe dared to provoke Han Xiao during this time, allowing him to finally enjoy the longest period of peaceful development to date.
With the external environment calm and peaceful, Han Xiao spent most of his time, apart from his daily activities, engrossed in studying Jess's technological treasures and occasionally attempting to analyze life energy. He was busy and fulfilled every day.
As a figure who has long been at the center of public opinion, Han Xiao always ends up contradicting himself every time he says he wants to keep a low profile. But this time, he has finally faded from the public eye, retreating behind the scenes like other normal Beyond Grade A cultivators who are in seclusion for cultivation.
Although the universe remembers him, the stage has been vacated, leaving room for newcomers to rise to prominence.
This situation continued until the year 780 of the Galaxy Calendar, when the Beyond Grade A Association celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.
This also means that the 50-year term of the president's position has finally come to an end.