The Secret Church of the Red Robe, a renowned Beyond Grade A organization, has its headquarters located in the Goron Star Cluster, a publicly known location known as the "Palace of Hidden Spells."
The Palace of Hidden Spells is a vast palace suspended in space. Originally Austin's mage tower, it was used as the base for the Secret Church of the Red Robe.
The mage tower is an important piece of equipment for mages, useful in both combat and research. The Palace of Hidden Spells, as the mage tower for Beyond Grade A mages, is said to have solidified 48,000 rune arrays, possessing perfect attack, defense, movement, life support, energy, and other mechanisms, and its projection extends to hundreds of Secondary Dimension, allowing it to leave the main universe and enter Secondary Dimension at any time.
If classified by equipment quality, Austin's Palace of Hidden Spells surpasses orange-tier equipment, reaching the level of "Universal Treasure," making it the top-tier gold equipment.
The spaceship slowly approached the Palace of Hidden Spells, and Han Xiao and his two companions observed the renowned mage's palace from afar through the porthole.
The Palace of Hidden Spells is magnificent and opulent, built with a base of adamantite and mithril, adorned with a dazzling array of magical crystals. It resembles a dreamlike cosmic castle, layered upon layered with numerous secondary towers. Tide waves of magical Glory envelop the luxurious palace, casting a colorful and hazy aura over it. Countless energy arrays are distributed across the protective shield, drawing dark energy from the universe and shimmering with intricate runic circuits.
"That's spectacular," Fording said with admiration.
"It's magnificent," Marion said with awe.
"So rich." Han Xiao squeezed out an envious voice through gritted teeth, his focus clearly different from others.
If the Mechanic Class are businessmen, then the mages are tycoons, especially mages of Austin's caliber, whose wealth is so immense that even Han Xiao can't help but envy them.
Han Xiao sent a landing request to the Palace of Hidden Spells and, after receiving permission, piloted his spaceship to land at the spaceport.
At this moment, many different types of spaceships were docked at the airport, all from different star systems, and were mages who came to study. The Palace of Hidden Spells has always been open to the outside world, and countless mages stay here to study spells. It is very prosperous. Here, a brick can kill at least two mages.
The Secret Church of the Red Robe a transcendent, neutral magical force. Austin does not cooperate with star cluster-level civilizations, nor does he engage in armed expansion. He allows most Order-based mages to join the organization for further study, sharing knowledge and increasing their membership level to access more advanced magical knowledge. The organizational structure is loose, but the number of members is greater than that of the War Realm. Only the Forbidden Sorcerer and a few other units are Austin's direct subordinates.
According to Han Xiao's understanding, the Secret Church of the Red Robe was a private magic school, with Austin as the principal, the direct subordinates as leaders and lecturers at various levels, and the Forbidden Sorcerer troops as equivalent to the student council or the school discipline inspection team. Thinking about it this way made it much easier to understand.
The three stepped onto the airport dock, where someone was already waiting to greet them. It was none other than the Forbidden Sorcerer Desoro, whom they had met once before and who had taken Lagi away.
"Haven't seen you in over ten years, and you still haven't been promoted?" Han Xiao remembered him and joked.
"You're joking. The Sorcerer is in the main hall. Please follow me."
Desoro's attitude was even more respectful than last time. Ten years ago, he still dared to fight Han Xiao, but now he no longer had any desire to compete with him.
The group chatted casually as they entered the Palace of Hidden Spells and headed towards the main hall.
"The energy level here is so high." Marion took a few deep breaths, her eyes sparkling.
"Yes, the Palace of Hidden Spells absorbs the dark energy and magical elements that float in the universe, and increases the concentration of magic power here through energy-gathering arrays. Mages meditate here with astonishing efficiency, and the abundant magic power also facilitates various magical researches... Even if you're not a mage, breathing the air here will energize you."
Desoro explained.
Fording rubbed his temples, surprised. "My telekinesis seems to be suppressed; I can't project it too far. Beyond fifty meters, there's a huge blockage."
"That's right," Desoro explained. "Many mages stay here to conduct their own magical research, and they set up various restrictions to prevent mental detection. Releasing psychic power here is taboo."
As the group entered the main hall, the scene inside came into view.
Countless heavy magical books floated in the air, radiating a silvery Glory, like a sky full of stars or a dazzling galaxy. Hundreds of semi-transparent Austin sat cross-legged in mid-air, flipping through different books; these were all projections of celestial bodies. Austin's true form sat on a throne, eyes closed, his hand supporting his chubby little face, as if he were fast asleep, with a glistening moisture seemingly clinging to the corner of his mouth.
As soon as Han Xiao and the others walked in, Austin noticed them, his brow twitched, he woke up, opened his eyes, yawned, and looked sleepy.
"Black Star, come on over!"
Austin wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and the drool transformed into a finger-sized, sky-blue magical dragon, which flew away joyfully.
"Your Sorcerer."
Han Xiao nodded and greeted them, Fording and Marion followed suit.
Desoro wisely left and closed the door.
"It's rare for you to come to me for help. Let's talk in detail later. First, I want to see what Sisko has done to you."
Austin stepped down from his throne, and the countless celestial projections returned to his main body like birds returning to their nests, disappearing without a trace. He walked up to Han Xiao with his short legs, his height only reaching Han Xiao's waist, and his ill-fitting, wide red robes trailed on the ground like a red carpet.
Austin shook his head, lifted his feet off the ground, and rose to eye level with Han Xiao. He stretched out his short, delicate fingers and gently tapped Han Xiao's forehead. After looking at the Psionic Poison, he exclaimed in surprise.
"How is it?" Han Xiao's heart skipped a beat. Even Beyond Grade A was moved. Could there be some hidden danger in his situation?
"I see, this is a bit troublesome..."
Austin withdrew his fingers, put his hands behind his back, and circled around Han Xiao. "How much do you know about Sisko?"
"I don't know too much about him..." Han Xiao thought for a moment. He remembered the information compiled by players in his previous life, but there was very little about Sisko's deeds, and players didn't have access to the higher-ups, so there should be some information that he didn't know.
"Alright, first I have to tell you, the official name for this Psionic Poison is Soul Embryo, and I can't help you get rid of it."
Han Xiao was taken aback. "Even Beyond Grade A mage like you can't do that?"
"Magic isn't a magic solution," Austin said, shaking his head helplessly.
Lagi said the same thing...
Han Xiao muttered to himself.
"Let me explain. Just like I occasionally make magic scrolls myself, Sisko also uses activation techniques to store his psychic attacks. Our Beyond Grade A disposable weapons circulate on the black market and sell for exorbitant prices. What injured you this time was a disposable psychic weapon made by Sisko."
To be precise, it includes not only Sisko's telekinesis, but also another kind of power.
As far as I know, before Sisko became Beyond Grade A, he roamed the Ancient Star Desert, an ancient star field. There, he obtained a Universal Treasure called the Evolution Cube, the product of some lost civilization, whose origins are unknown.
Upon hearing this, Han Xiao was slightly taken aback.
It's this?
At this moment, Fording asked curiously, "What is the purpose of the Evolution Cube?"
Austin glanced at him, found Fording agreeable, and explained, "Sisko has kept the Evolution Cube very well hidden. I've never seen what Evolution Cube looks like, nor do I know its specific workings. I only know of two instances where Sisko used it."
"First, the Evolution Cube can unleash the potential of a species, causing it to evolve rapidly in a short period of time and automatically adjust to the most compatible gene sequence. Sisko used the Evolution Cube to complete his Beyond Grade A Species Metamorphosis. His activation of his ancestral bloodline was also thanks to the Evolution Cube."
Marion's breathing became heavy. "This treasure can lower the threshold for Beyond Grade A?"
"That's not all."
Austin slowly said, "Sisko also used the Evolution Cube to influence all his kind, completing the species evolution of an entire civilization. They easily traversed a process that would take other civilizations tens or hundreds of thousands of years to complete. His race has reached the perfect state of its own genetic sequence. Their physical condition, lifespan, intelligence, and other qualities far surpass those of normal species. A newborn's combat power is close to that of Grade C superhuman."
Fording looked astonished. "The existence of such a treasure is unbelievable! Won't other forces covet something this powerful?"
"Of course, some people were tempted. The Arcane Church took the initiative to approach them, and Sisko made a deal with them, agreeing to use the Evolution Cube to serve the Arcane Church in exchange for the Arcane Church's protection of the entire civilization."
Originally, Sisko's civilization was just an ordinary galactic civilization, but it developed rapidly and showed signs of becoming the next cluster-level civilization. Although cluster-level civilizations already existed in his region, Sisko had the support of the Arcane Church, so his competitors dared not openly suppress him and could only watch him rise.
Han Xiao nodded secretly. This was similar to the information he had. Sisko was focused on leading civilization and managing his own little corner of the world, and did not like to get involved in the conflicts of other regions.
He felt that given Sisko's personality, the likelihood of him running away to participate in the Secret War was very small.
Fording felt a sense of admiration. "He sounds like a hero of his own civilization."
Austin remained noncommittal, continuing, "The second manifestation of the Evolution Cube is the amplification of mental power, with an unknown upper limit. That's why Sisko's psychic power is incredibly strong; in terms of mental power alone, it's higher than mine... Most importantly, the power of the Evolution Cube is intertwined with his psychic power, producing a special reaction that imbues his activated psychic power with a strange vitality."
"The Psionic Poison in your brain are actually the embryo of a new soul, or what you call a secondary personality... And this unborn soul has already taken root in your mental world and is linked to your original soul. Although I can destroy it, you will suffer irreversible damage," Austin said, spreading his hands.
"Irreversible damage refers to..." Han Xiao asked cautiously.
"I don't know, but I'd love to try if you want," Austin chuckled.
Han Xiao was exasperated. "Isn't there any other way?"
"No, that's not it." Austin's smile was enigmatic. "If it were me or Ames who suffered the same injury as you, we would recover very easily."
Han Xiao's eyes flickered, and he understood something. "You mean..."
"While Sisko's psychic power is strong, it's far from insurmountable at the Beyond Grade A. Beyond Grade A individuals possess extremely solid and resilient mental strength. Once you reach Beyond Grade A, you won't need anyone else's help; you can recover on your own."
Austin stared at Han Xiao with interest and added, "You know, I wouldn't say this to anyone else, but you're different. I've seen your potential for a long time. You might become Beyond Grade A before you're corrupted and escape this predicament."
"... Actually, there's an even simpler way," Han Xiao couldn't help but say. "With your testimony, ask Sisko for help. He definitely knows how to deflect his own attacks. You two seem to have a good relationship, right?"
"Nonsense, I don't know him, I'm not familiar with him." Austin denied it without even thinking.
Han Xiao rolled his eyes.
I don't believe you for a second! You're a really bad old man. You didn't say that when I asked you for help.