The flowing light particles formed an endless tunnel before my eyes, extending Infinite until there was only a single point of light at the end. Time and space were stretched into an Infinite long line in my senses, spanning an unknown distance and lasting an unknown amount of time, yet it seemed as if only a moment had passed.
Countless bizarre and fantastical scenes flashed past outside the passage. My body floated as if it had turned into a wisp of smoke. For a moment, I could not perceive my own body. All my senses, which I used to perceive the world, were in a jumble. But in the next moment, all my senses returned to normal, and my vision suddenly changed. I had arrived in a new space.
Endless black fog permeated the area, occasionally flashing red lightning, like a storm cloud brewing lightning, or like the lava clouds from Volcano eruption, a scene of apocalypse.
A black mountain range, shimmering with a crimson glow like lava, floats amidst the black mist, like a rootless floating island. At its very center, the peak is steep and towering, bound by a rusty, dark gold chain that forms a spiral pattern, connecting to a black crystal-like platform suspended in the air. Seated atop this platform is a colossal black Mountain, its countless glowing red eyes swirling and looking down upon the figure.
"Oh dear, this art style is going to lower my sanity level."
Han Xiao glanced at it, then clicked his tongue, enjoying the scenery of this Secondary Dimension with great interest. He even took a picture to remember it, otherwise, if a fight broke out later, he might accidentally crush it.
Looking up at the Mountain- like figure, Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
"You are the King of the Boundless?"
It has to be said that this guy's appearance is quite intimidating. An ordinary person would probably be so shocked at first glance that they would lose their composure and develop a deep-seated fear of giant creatures. However, Han Xiao has seen a lot, and this kind of scene has no impact on him at all. The shock is far less than a fleet salvo in the Interception Circle Battle.
"Yes, I am waiting for you, Black Star," the King of the Boundless replied slowly.
You know me?
Han Xiao was somewhat surprised. He looked down at the Babu Aenica in his hand and remembered that he hadn't introduced himself... Could it be that his name had already spread from the main universe to the deeper layers of the Secondary Dimension? That's quite impressive!
"I know why you've come. You want to take this fleet and this intelligent being named Harrison, right? I learned about your civilization from their memories."
The King of the Boundless sat motionless, but a patch of black mist in the sky suddenly parted, revealing a fleet—the very same fleet of the Three Universal Civilizations' expeditionary forces. However, it was only shown briefly before the black mist covered it up again, making it impossible to detect.
The unconscious Harrison then flew off the platform and hovered in front of it.
Han Xiao's eyes flashed, but he wasn't in a hurry to make a move. He asked curiously, "So that's how it is. Then what are you waiting for me here for?"
The King of the Boundless did not answer immediately, but slowly said, "I usually digest my prey immediately, but I learned of your name from their memories. To be honest, I am wary of you advanced life forms from the prime material universe. Because of your existence, I did not devour them immediately."
"You're quite calm."
Han Xiao looked the King of the Boundless up and down, somewhat surprised.
Your cowardice saved you, baby!
Just knowing that I'm such a powerful backer from Harrison and the others' memories is enough to deter them from attacking the expedition... It seems I still have a lot of influence and prestige.
Seeing that the other party was giving him face, Han Xiao's expression softened a bit. He extended his hand and said with a smile, "Since that's the case, I don't mind making friends with you. Let's release the person first."
The King of the Boundless shook his head, "I didn't say I'd return him to you."
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao paused.
"If you don't want to provoke me, and you don't want to repay the debt, then what are you going to do?"
I want to make a deal with you.
"A deal? Although you didn't eat these people, you were the one who captured them. They don't owe you any favors. You think you can use them as bargaining chips? I think it's highly unlikely."
Han Xiao stood with his arms crossed and gave a casual reply.
The King of the Boundless slowly said:
"No, my bargaining chip is the information about the Three Universal Civilizations in their memories. You are currently at war with the World Tree, and I believe the World Tree would love this information, as it would allow them to trace the clues and attack your Secondary Dimension territories. And I happen to have a way to contact the World Tree's kin."
This news came as a surprise. Han Xiao's eyes narrowed, and he immediately lowered his hands, suppressing his smile and becoming expressionless.
"Threatening me? Are you tired of living?"
"It's not a threat, just self-defense. Even if you agree to the deal, I'm afraid that after I return the person to you, you might retaliate against me. I'm not confident I can beat you... But with this trump card, I believe my safety will be guaranteed. This is the basis for reaching a deal."
The King of the Boundless spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"... You claim you can contact the World Tree Familia? How can I believe you? You think you can fool me with just a few words? It's not that I'm afraid to bet you learned the term from their memories, show me the evidence."
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
The King of the Boundless didn't take it to heart and explained:
"I understand what you mean, but I'm not lying to you. Although you and the World Tree are fighting in the main matter universe, the Secondary Dimension World are actually their base of operations. They have devoured one Secondary Dimension after another over the years."
However, the Secondary Dimension are endless, and the World Tree doesn't devour them one by one. Its main method of expansion is to take root, imprinting each Secondary Dimension with its mark, turning them into territory, and granting it the ability to travel quickly. For certain special Secondary Dimension, they don't even interfere, focusing instead on observation and research.
While expanding, they sent countless Familia out to explore, spreading the name of the World Tree and its communication channels, similar to what they did in the prime material universe. One of their Familia exploration teams once passed through my outer territory, and one of my Guardian learned a great deal and reported it to me...
As he spoke, the King of the Boundless shared a small portion of the relevant memories through mental communication.
Han Xiao checked it and found no signs of forgery; it did indeed contain the World Tree Familia's contact information, which immediately gave him a headache.
'This is a bit tricky... Killing this guy doesn't guarantee we'll stop the information leak. If the World Tree opens Secondary Dimension front, our situation will worsen.'
A glint flashed in Han Xiao's eyes as he quickly began to calculate in his mind.
The World Tree's main body is rooted in Secondary Dimension, which is its key territory. Although the location of the main body was found in the previous life, it would have been almost impossible to break through the Secondary Dimension's defense perimeter near the World Tree's main body if the High-Dimensional Apocalypse Teleporter had not parachuted into the heart of the territory and launched a decapitation strike.
The Three Universal Civilizations are currently in a relatively good position, largely because the World Tree, unlike in its previous life, did not have time to thoroughly explore the Secondary Dimension territories of the Three Universal Civilizations and did not open this front, thus relieving much of the pressure.
Seeing Han Xiao's changing expression and the occasional flashes of killing intent, the King of the Boundless spoke again, saying:
"You don't need to worry that I'll use this as leverage to blackmail you. With the capabilities of advanced life forms like you, even if your civilization is destroyed, you'll most likely be able to Escape with Your Life. At that point, this trump card won't be able to protect me anymore... So you can rest assured, I only want to make a deal with you. I won't force you to do anything excessive. As long as you don't attack me, I have no reason to betray you. Believe me, no one wants to deal with the World Tree willingly."
The King of the Boundless spoke with sincerity. Although he had been given leverage, he dared not make excessive demands. He did not believe that this trump card would allow him to act recklessly in front of the other party. In his view, he had only gained the right to make a deal with the other party.
Han Xiao stroked his chin, looking thoughtfully at the King of the Boundless.
This King of the Boundless is a powerful dimensional deity with an impressive title, yet he always maintains a humble posture in front of me. Although he holds useful leverage over me, he is not tough at all, but rather somewhat cowardly.
Han Xiao hesitated for a few seconds, temporarily suppressing his hostility, and asked:
"... Tell me about your deal. What do you want me to do for you?"
"There are only two things. One is that after you start fighting, allow me to project my power and harvest the souls of the fallen and the wreckage of damaged warships on the battlefield. Matter from the main universe is quite valuable to us."
Are you trying to steal business from the Netherland?
And you even do part-time warship wreckage collection? Are you some kind of interstellar junk collector?!
Han Xiao's expression turned strange. He glanced at the slowly flowing black mist around him and felt that his image as the King of the Boundless had suddenly become that of a garbage dump manager, and his prestige had vanished instantly.
"... And the second thing?"
"I once had a special Secondary Dimension, but it was stolen by another group of dimensional entities. They are very difficult to deal with, and I have never been able to resolve the issue with them. I hope you can help me reclaim it."
Han Xiao clicked his tongue, neither confirming nor denying:
"I can help you with these two things, but since you say that informing is only a means of self-defense rather than a threat, I won't use it as a bargaining chip. And the price you've offered isn't right; I need more."
"What do you want?" The King of the Boundless did not refuse to bargain.
"I need more information about the World Tree in the Secondary Dimension. Tell me everything you know. Also, I need some of that black substance for research. Finally... perhaps we can cooperate to deal with the World Tree. They've been expanding in the Secondary Dimension and will reach your territory sooner or later. It's best to strike first," Han Xiao said slowly.
"I can agree to the first two points, but as for dealing with the World Tree, forget it. I can't afford to mess with them either; I'll just have to stay out of their way."
As he expected, the King of the Boundless refused.
Han Xiao smiled.
"Don't be too afraid. The World Tree has a weakness: its main body. Once you destroy the main body, your threat will be eliminated once and for all. Isn't that a good thing? And it might even free up a large number of souls to feed you."
Although the capture of Harrison and others has created a potential leak of intelligence, Harrison's luck might turn this into a positive one. On the bright side, this could also be an opportunity to learn about the World Tree's influence in the Secondary Dimension from informed sources.
Therefore, he did not launch a sudden attack, but instead tried to find a new ally. After all, he was once a successor of socialism, and uniting all forces that could be united had become a habit.
"That sounds tempting, but we're not sure if the actual entity even exists yet. Let's talk again once you find it."
The King of the Boundless remained noncommittal.
Seeing this, Han Xiao didn't press the issue. He already knew the other party wouldn't agree easily, so he moved on from the topic.
Just then, the panel suddenly moved and a prompt popped up.
[You have triggered the quest [The King of the Boundless's Deal]!]
[Mission Brief: For certain reasons, the King of the Boundless has a request and has proposed a deal to you.]
[Mission Requirement: Recapture the target's Secondary Dimension]
[Rewards: 2500e EXP, +25 Favorability with the King of the Boundless, Character Card x1]
[Note: This task may have unknown consequences; please accept it with caution.]
Han Xiao's heart stirred with curiosity.
What kind of Secondary Dimension could it be that would make the King of the Boundless risk offending him to snatch it back...? Could it be his wife?!