The Ancient Star Desert, the secret base of the Sanctum Organization.
A flash of light, and Han Xiao, wearing the Sovereign Mecha, was teleported to his personal Throne teleportation platform, where Luo and Fei were already waiting.
"Lord Black Star." The two stepped forward and greeted him.
"Where is the Oathkeeper?" Han Xiao glanced around.
"He's waiting for you at the Child of Destiny's Lab. It happened very suddenly, please come with us."
Without saying much, the two led the way, and Han Xiao followed them all the way to their destination.
Upon entering the laboratory, Han Xiao saw busy operators everywhere. He immediately spotted the Child of Destiny trapped in a transparent container, and the Oathkeeper standing beside it.
At this moment, the Child of Destiny had awakened from his slumber, his body curled up and trembling incessantly, flashing white noise-like spots like a projection during a poor signal, becoming extremely blurry, while the Oathkeeper released Soul Flame, seemingly to soothe the other.
The researchers in the room were sweating profusely as they operated the instruments, running the constraint force field and the real-world stability anchor at full power.
What's the situation now?
Han Xiao approached the instrument and glanced at the various parameters, his tone curious.
The Oathkeeper the oath frowned.
"The Child of Destiny has awakened and is currently experiencing Information State Disturbance. The amplitude is the highest it has ever been, almost breaking through containment and transforming into High-Dimensional Information State. This is not over yet."
Have you found the cause?
"It's not clear yet; we can only communicate with him after he's calmed down."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao snapped his fingers, summoning a set of stabilizing anchors to place around him for assistance. He also took the opportunity to carefully examine the Child of Destiny, as this was the first time he had seen its true form.
Each time the Child of Destiny activates their power, it generates Information State Disturbance, causing random offspring to be born throughout the universe. Lodi, who has been receiving treatment, is one of the offspring that awakened after the last disturbance, and he has managed to stop the transformation process.
Just then, the Child of Destiny suddenly stopped trembling, turned to Han Xiao as if observing him with curiosity, and suddenly raised his hands to press against the inner wall of the container, releasing a joyful mental wave. Everyone heard a childlike laugh out of nowhere.
The Child of Destiny stared fixedly at Han Xiao for a short while before its flickering body gradually stabilized and returned to calm.
Upon seeing this, the Oathkeeper stopped what they were doing, looking astonished.
"How come you solved it as soon as you arrived? He seems to really like you."
"This is our first meeting, isn't it a bit too forward... By the way, why does your tone sound like you've been robbed of your love?"
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Han Xiao teased the Oathkeeper, but he was also secretly surprised.
The Child of Destiny seems to have an inexplicable affinity for him; could it be due to his [Primordial Esper Ability Entity Affinity] and [Perfect Energy Affinity Physique] at work?
That's possible, after all, Chaos Mysterious Energy has thought I was handsome more than once, and even wanted to mess with me...
Perhaps for Primordial Esper Ability Entity, these two specializations are like catnip to felines. No wonder the Child of Destiny was captivated by me at first sight; after all, my allure to energy-based beings is simply too great.
Han Xiao muttered to himself for a moment, then raised his hand and tapped the container. The Child of Destiny immediately imitated him, and the two interacted happily.
This scene left the Oathkeeper feeling rather disheartened.
Previously, the Child of Destiny adored him, and he personally handled the daily comforting tasks. Unexpectedly, Black Star only visited once, and the Child of Destiny, with whom he had cultivated a bond over many years, immediately ignored him.
What's most infuriating is that even before Black Star appeared, the Child of Destiny wasn't that close to him or that proactive...
It was clearly me... never mind, let's not talk about that.
After watching sourly from the sidelines for a while, Oathkeeper spoke up:
"Alright, whatever the reason, it's enough that it's stabilized. I'll ask it what happened."
As he spoke, he pushed Han Xiao aside, gathered his Soul Flame, and communicated with the Child of Destiny.
A few seconds later, the mental fluctuations re-emerged, and Han Xiao heard the Child of Destiny's fragmented words.
"I sense... the feedback from the sub-entity... the convergence of information sets... a threat..."
As the Child of Destiny spoke, Han Xiao's mind was filled with a series of chaotic and blurry images.
Han Xiao's eyes narrowed instantly. Among these intricate images, he saw information about the World Tree, such as the World Tree stretching across the starry sky, or a group of robed figures entwined with blue-green energy sitting on the ground in meditation.
The Oathkeeper was unaware of the existence of the World Tree and was completely bewildered.
What are these?
"Wait, I have a few questions..."
Han Xiao didn't have time to explain to him, so he asked a few seemingly random questions, which he quickly received a response to.
After listening attentively to the answer from the Child of Destiny, Han Xiao's mind raced as he pieced together and analyzed the information.
The Child of Destiny's sudden and unusual reaction stemmed from the World Tree. The two became entangled at the Information State level, and the Child of Destiny sensed that the World Tree was using some method to locate the Explored Universe.
The reason it can sense this is because of its offspring. The offspring that were once created are randomly distributed throughout the universe. Not only Explored Universe, but some offspring, like those of the Child of Destiny on the other side of the World Tree, have awakened the ability to foresee the future.
For the Child of Destiny, these offspring are like its eyes, ears, and antennae, gathering information from the outside world.
Not long ago, the child entity on the other side of the World Tree activated its precognitive ability. Because the medium was related to the information collection of the Explored Universe, the two intersected. Since this was the location of the original entity, the warning mechanism was immediately triggered. Thus, the Child of Destiny activated its ability to foresee the future and shared the child entity's memories and vision.
During this process, the Child of Destiny sensed a natural threat from the World Tree and foresaw the possibility of World Tree Devour by it. He almost tried to escape by transforming into High-Dimensional Information State, which led to the unusual behavior just now.
'So, the World Tree is using precognitive abilities to sense the Explored Universe, Three Universal Civilizations have already given themselves away?'
Han Xiao's heart tightened.
Sure enough, once contact began, the situation became irreversible. They quickly became aware of each other's presence. The World Tree Civilization was more powerful than the Three Universal Civilizations. Even the Three Universal Civilizations of the previous life had not figured out all of the World Tree's abilities and technologies. Completely hiding their tracks was still too idealistic.
In their past lives, the Three Universal Civilizations were battered and bruised. Even though they were fortunate enough to win a Pyrrhic victory in the end, they never fully understood the World Tree. Some special technologies, such as the Information State Warning Network, which were not used in the war, were unknown to the Three Universal Civilizations.
Because the World Tree launched a large-scale invasion, the Information State Warning Network designed to prevent outsiders from spying was essentially useless. Even the Three Universal Civilizations were unaware of it, let alone the player community from the previous life.
'The only good news is that the World Tree Civilization has only detected the presence of outsiders, not much intelligence, so they used Information State methods to search, which led to their intersection and was noticed by the Child of Destiny...'
Han Xiao's thoughts raced.
Fortunately, the Child of Destiny scattered his offspring across the Galaxy; otherwise, they wouldn't even know they'd been discovered. We might be foolishly spying on intelligence while someone suddenly raids our base and attacks our towers, catching us completely off guard.
The Child of Destiny refers to the World Tree as its "natural enemy," one being Primordial Esper Ability Entity and the other Cosmic Wonder. Both possess Information State abilities, but their focuses differ significantly.
According to the Child of Destiny's explanation, it can share information about the child's contact. Because the child World Tree Connection, it can observe the overall movements of the World Tree Civilization in real time to a certain extent, but there is also a risk of exposure.
Only when the child entity actively uses its precognitive abilities and Information State entanglement occurs can the main entity use this as a disguise to obtain the information held by the child entity; otherwise, it is easily detected by the World Tree.
Even so, the Child of Destiny is probably the only low-risk channel for monitoring the World Tree's movements, which is more convenient, covert, and efficient than the detection methods of the Three Universal Civilizations.
Such an intelligence channel is a welcome surprise, and there's no reason to ignore it.
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then said in a deep voice through the mental link, "If you don't want to World Tree Devour, helping us is the best choice. Only by eliminating the opponent can we eliminate the threat once and for all. Otherwise, even if you escape far away, there will always be risks."
Upon hearing this, the Child of Destiny swayed slightly, his voice ethereal.
How can I... help you?
"While concealing your own identity, monitor the other party's movements as much as possible, and then tell me everything."
"I can."
The Child of Destiny did not refuse. Suddenly, he clasped his hands together, and a small white ball of light separated from his body, floated inside the container, drifted towards Han Xiao, and stuck to the inner wall.
Han Xiao understood the meaning and raised an eyebrow.
"Is this for me?"
"Use it... to create a sub-body... to extend my senses..."
In the midst of the mental fluctuations, the Child of Destiny explained the purpose of this orb of light.
When it activates its ability, it can give birth to offspring across the entire universe or in a designated area. However, the latter has a prerequisite: it needs to use its own energy to encircle an area in advance, turning this area into an independent "information collection" before it can be designated as the birthplace of the offspring.
Simply put, it's like a horse racing to mark off territory... or you could say it's like a yellow dog urinating to mark its own spot.
Just as Han Xiao finished listening to the Child of Destiny's explanation, the panel suddenly reacted.
[You have triggered the quest "[The Child of Destiny's Request for Help]"!]
[Mission Brief: The Child of Destiny has a strong liking for you. Feeling threatened, it has decided to ask for your help and requests that you do something.]
[Mission Requirements: Go to the designated location and use the power of the Child of Destiny to delineate a sufficiently large area.]
[Rewards: 120e EXP, +25 Favorability with the Child of Destiny, 1 Random Reward, Milestone Feat - [Deep into Enemy Territory]]
[[Deep into Enemy Territory]: When you are operating within enemy territory, you are less likely to be detected, and you also gain a 3% bonus to all attributes.]
"You want me to go to the World Tree Civilization to claim territory?"
Han Xiao was taken aback.
By limiting the birth range of the Child of Destiny's offspring to the territory of the World Tree Civilization, the number of offspring increases, which is equivalent to constantly planting wards and intercepting more and more intelligence.
Although the ability to claim land is time-limited, it is measured in years and is sufficient for long-term use.
"This kind of flexible work seems to be only suitable for me. It looks like I'll have to apply to the Three Universal Civilizations to go to the World Tree Civilization..."
Han Xiao nodded secretly.
He instructed the Oathkeeper to temporarily open the container and take out the orb of light.
Upon contact, the ball of light entered his palm, transforming into a mark containing the energy that the Child of Destiny had lent him for the purpose of claiming territory.
"What's going on here? What are you talking about?"
The Oathkeeper looked completely bewildered and remained in a state of continuous confusion.
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then pulled the Oathkeeper aside and briefly explained the situation.
"You mean the Three Universal Civilizations discovered an even more powerful unknown civilization?" The Oathkeeper looked surprised, then suddenly realized what was going on. "No wonder the Three Universal Civilizations made so many concessions; so that's what happened."
"It's best to keep this to yourself; it's not appropriate to tell anyone else for now. Remember to keep it a secret."
Han Xiao gave his instructions in a deep voice.
By leveraging the power of the Child of Destiny, he naturally couldn't avoid the Oathkeeper. Only by letting the other party know the truth and understand the importance of the matter would they fully cooperate.
Besides, the person Oathkeeper has been tested and is quite trustworthy, so it's fine to let him know.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about something this important."
The Oathkeeper had a serious expression, then paused for a moment and asked in a low voice:
"You mentioned in the regular meeting that the Three Universal Civilizations recognize the Association's status, and that we will help them at some point. Is that what you meant?"
Han Xiao nodded. "That's right. If war breaks out, all members of the association will have to participate fully in the war and fight against foreign enemies. This is a deal, and we all have our own interests at stake. So I need you to prepare more Sanctuary Key."
"I understand your plan, and I will fully cooperate with you."
The oath and the book-binder exhaled.
If Beyond Grade A fighter were to fight with all their might, they would likely suffer heavy casualties. Black Star probably wanted to use this opportunity to reveal the truth about the Infinite Sanctuary Revival. As someone in the know, he believed this was indeed a highly feasible plan.
As he was pondering, Han Xiao suddenly patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction.
"Then do a good job. If you succeed, the organization will reward you handsomely."
The Oathkeeper: "..."
Damn, I was so busy processing the information that I forgot to grab my lines!