"How did Black Star block my telekinetic perception of the Evolution Cube...?"
Beep beep!
Sisko's face turned green. Just as he was filled with shock and doubt, his communicator suddenly rang. He took it out and his eyes narrowed sharply as he gritted his teeth.
Black Star's call!
"Hello, is this Sisko?" Han Xiao appeared on the screen.
"Black Star! What have you done?!" Sisko shouted.
Seeing this, Han Xiao feigned surprise, "Oh, it's been a while, why has your skin turned green?"
After making a joke, seeing Sisko's angry expression, Han Xiao laughed to himself before waiting for a reply, and hung up the call, no longer teasing Sisko.
To verify the effect, Han Xiao took the initiative to call Sisko. Hearing the tone of the other party, he knew that the telekinetic positioning had been successfully blocked. In that case, there was nothing more for him and Cisco to talk about, and saying another word would be a waste of breath.
Sisko's ability to sense the Evolution Cube had always been a hidden danger, as he was in the dark while his opponent was in the light. But now, Sisko's advantage has finally been thwarted, making it impossible for Sisko to track him, which puts Han Xiao at ease.
The Arcane Church has no intelligence network in the Shattered World. If they want to deal with him, they will most likely rely on Sisko's perception of the Evolution Cube to track him. Now, this move has deprived the Arcane Church of one of their key assets.
The Arcane Church's obsession with the Evolution Cube stems partly from Sisko's telekinetic location, which they believe gives them a good chance of reclaiming it. Once they lose this trump card, they'll have to think twice before targeting the Evolution Cube again.
Although he decided to stay on the Imperial outpost Lighthouse Star to avoid trouble for a while, he couldn't hide forever. Besides, the Arcane Church wouldn't be so sure that the Empire couldn't guess their intentions. If there really wasn't an opportunity for a sneak attack, it wasn't impossible for them to launch a direct attack on the Imperial outpost.
Because of the exploration of new star fields, the Empire is currently at a disadvantage among the Three Universal Civilizations, while the other two are eyeing it covetously. The Arcane Church may not be afraid to have Head-On Conflict with the Empire... Although it is unlikely that the Arcane Church would take such a radical approach, Han Xiao does not rule out the possibility.
After all, he had changed the plot, and the power dynamics between the factions had subtly changed compared to the same period in his previous life. He didn't know what the Arcane Church would do to seize the Evolution Cube.
It's not the theft itself that's scary, it's the thief's eye on you. If you can make the Arcane Church back down this time, you won't always be in a passive position in the future.
As for whether Sisko, having lost his sensory abilities, would still join the Arcane Church to deal with him, there's no need to worry. Even if it's just to check why his telekinetic location was blocked, Sisko would still come. The Evolution Cube once belonged to Sisko, Arcane Church wouldn't leave its former owner hanging. Therefore, he could still indirectly learn some of the Arcane Church's actions by keeping an eye on Sisko's whereabouts.
"You..." Sisko was about to continue questioning when he realized the communication had been cut off. He felt a lump in his throat, and his heart pounded with anger.
After a pause, Sisko, with a sour face, turned and contacted the higher-ups of the Arcane Church.
"The situation has changed; I can no longer pinpoint Black Star's location."
"What?" The Arcane Church's higher-ups were shocked and troubled. "The action plan had already been finalized, and this unexpected incident has occurred..."
Since we can't pinpoint Black Star's exact location, we need to change our strategy.
The Arcane Church originally planned to secretly gather an overwhelming number of Beyond Grade A combat forces, smuggle them into the Shattered World, and launch a surprise attack on Black Star while he was out exploring, killing him in one fell swoop. The premise of this plan was Sisko's assessment of Han Xiao.
Sisko's location had been working perfectly until now, when Black Star suddenly found a way to cut off Sisko's connection to the Evolution Cube, disrupting the Arcane Church's plans.
Originally, they planned to have a group of Beyond Grade A combatants take action when Black Star was alone, allowing Black Star to fight them all single-handedly. This would ensure a quick victory, crushing and annihilating Black Star. Afterward, everyone could immediately return to the Shattered Star Ring through the secret star gate.
Since they can't directly pinpoint Black Star's location, they might have to abandon the kill plan and instead capture Black Star alive to interrogate him about the whereabouts of the Evolution Cube. In that case, their Beyond Grade A combat power might be delayed in the Shattered World for a long time.
In this new starfield, the Arcane Church has almost no foundation. Every second these Beyond Grade A combatants stay increases their risk. If their secret stargate is discovered and destroyed by the Empire during the operation, these Beyond Grade A combatants will be unable to escape the Shattered World and will become trapped.
"I need to report to the head of the papacy and the bishops' conference so they can reconsider," the high-ranking official said hesitantly.
Because of this unexpected turn of events, the risks of this operation have increased significantly, exceeding his decision-making capabilities.
However, he was secretly glad that this change happened before the operation. At this time, the smuggling team was still taking a detour to the Gaolu Star Cluster and had not yet established the exit of the star gate passage. The Beyond Grade A combat power of the Arcane Church was naturally still waiting at home, and there was still a chance to change the plan.
"Fine." Sisko sighed helplessly. Although he was extremely anxious, he knew he couldn't command the Arcane Church.
After using the stargate, Han Xiao only beat up Hadavy for a few days before the fleet returned to the Imperial outpost, Lighthouse Star, in the Dawn Star Cluster.
Tarrokov had already informed Han Xiao and knew that Han Xiao would be lying low on Lighthouse Star during this period, so he personally led people to welcome him at the dock.
The fleet landed, Han Xiao led his officers off the spaceship to meet Tarrokov.
"Commander-in-Chief."
"Lord Black Star."
They shook hands and greeted each other, then traveled together to the base on Lighthouse Star, chatting in the vehicle.
"I wonder who the Imperial allies are in the second batch of exploration participants?" Han Xiao asked casually.
Tarrokov, with a "I knew you'd ask this" expression, pressed his bracelet, projecting information on eleven factions.
Han Xiao glanced at them briefly and nodded secretly. He recognized all these forces; they were all well-known forces from different star regions. Among them were Beyond Grade A allies and star cluster-level civilizations like Krent who had pledged allegiance to the Empire. They were all members of the Empire itself.
"The Arcane Research Institute of the Constellation Corridor, the Flame Demon Race of the Ancient Star Desert, the Dragon Blood Nation of the Black Hole Edge, the Giant Ship Ring City of the Sea of Star Spirits... a total of four Beyond Grade A forces. Oh, and three of them are familiar faces."
A few months ago, during a trip to the Empire's home planet, Han Xiao met seven Beyond Grade A Empire allies, three of whom joined this exploration team.
The leader of the Arcane Research Institute is Ravenlaude, one of the Ancient Ones and a member of the universe's renowned group of elderly people.
The leader of the Flame Demon Race is an old acquaintance Beoni, with whom he once fought against the Sorokin. The leader of the Giant Ship Ring City is also Beyond Grade A member whom he has met once before; he is also a mechanic.
The only one they hadn't met was Milizaus, the leader of the Dragon Blood Nation. He was one of the three strongest Pillar of the Nation, on the same level as "Dark Emperor" Clottey, and the strongest member of this exploration team.
Of the four, Han Xiao paid more attention to Ravenlaude, because the area this guy explored was the same as his own, the Gaolu Star Cluster, making him a direct competitor. Ravenlaude was also the first owner of the Space-Time Amber after its creation in his previous life.
Of course, Han Xiao got there first this time, Ravenlaude has already missed out on the Space-Time Amber.
Han Xiao thought for a moment and asked, "The Empire said it would send a direct subordinate Beyond Grade A to protect me from a surprise attack by the Arcane Church. Who is that person?"
Tarrokov waved his hand. "The plan has changed. Milizaus and Beoni have volunteered to protect you; this is a better option."
Han Xiao was taken aback, then understood and laughed.
"They must have set conditions."
"Yes," Tarrokov laughed, "They want to trade for the chance to use the Evolution Cube."
Han Xiao had already expressed his stance: he would not use the Evolution Cube on other imperial allies without compensation. If they wanted to borrow it, they would need to exchange something for it. Milizaus and Beoni both intended to take this opportunity to make a deal with Han Xiao.
"What do you think? Should we agree to their conditions?"
Han Xiao thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."
This was one more helper than originally planned, and a more powerful one at that, so he naturally had no objections and could even use the opportunity to curry favor.
He remembered that the Dragon Blood Nation's specialty products were various dragon blood potions that could permanently increase attribute points. He thought he might be able to get some this time. Han Xiao didn't have any grand ambitions; getting a few dozen or a hundred tons as a token gesture, along with some books, would be fine.
The second batch of exploration teams had different routes; some arrived in ten days or so, while others might take a month. However, they had already assembled their troops, so they wouldn't waste any extra time.
Upon arriving at the base, accommodations had already been arranged, and Han Xiao and a group of cadres moved in.
He stayed here for the time being, temporarily ceasing to go out, only remotely commanding the Black Star Army to explore on their own. Normal exploration did not require his personal involvement; he rested and watched the players work and collect the maps, feeling quite content.
Central Galaxy, Desolate Universe Belt.
The massive Fallen Ark fleet is slowly moving through the universe, like an ocean of warships.
"The Arcane Church says they want to postpone the operation?"
The Sorokin was awakened, and upon hearing the Harkison, he narrowed his eyes.
"Reason?"
"The Arcane Church says there have been problems with the construction of the Stargate, and the Crimson Dynasty has promptly dispatched a second exploration team, increasing the risks of the operation. They need to adjust their plans, so we should remain calm and continue to wait," Harkison reported.
Upon hearing this, the Sorokin slowly nodded.
"Then let's do as they say."
"There's one more thing," Harkison sneered, "The Arcane Church might launch a full-scale attack, and hopefully we can deploy more of our fleet then."
"Because the risks have increased, they want us to send more people to minimize losses... Their methods are becoming more and more like the Federation of Light." The Sorokin spoke indifferently, seemingly unconcerned. "Just agree to their request."
He didn't care about the casualties of his men as long as he could get his hands on the Evolution Cube.
Because they were tricked by Black Star with a fake Evolution Cube last time, the Sorokin's intention in seeking cooperation with the Arcane Church was to use the Arcane Church as an intermediary and leverage Sisko's telekinetic abilities to locate them, thus avoiding a repeat of the same mistake.
This is also an important link in the cooperation between the two sides.
However, Sisko's telekinetic positioning had already failed by this point. If the Sorokin knew this, they would most likely reconsider their cooperation...
However, although the Arcane Church had not yet finalized a new plan, they still did not want the Sorokin, their pawn, to withdraw from the operation. Therefore, they deliberately concealed the information that Sisko's location had become invalid from him, and found another reasonable reason to explain the postponement of the operation, without mentioning Sisko's problem.
Because of their deep-seated hatred for Planet Avitan, the Arcane Church naturally wouldn't tell Sisko that the Sorokin were also involved in this operation.
Therefore, the Sorokin were unaware of the changes on Sisko's side and remained in the dark, waiting for the operation to begin.
After spending two days on Lighthouse Star, Han Xiao had finished reading all the information Phillip had collected about the Space-Time Freezer and learned about their backgrounds and life stories.
As expected, after reading it, a prompt popped up on the panel, indicating that the first task was completed quite easily.
With the reward in hand, Han Xiao's Soul Connection Level the Space-Time Amber increased slightly, and he immediately felt a different sensation.
In the darkness, it seemed that his spirit had established a connection with the Space-Time Amber, and he no longer needed any auxiliary devices; he could directly activate the effects of the Space-Time Amber with his spirit.
At the same time, a special energy flowed into his body through the soul connection, making him feel warm all over. Han Xiao couldn't help but sigh with relief.
The energy lasted for a while before disappearing. Han Xiao's senses were extremely sharp at this moment, and he immediately felt that the energy had strengthened him to a certain extent. He immediately opened the panel to check the new prompts.
[You have formed a soul connection with [Space-Time Amber], current level: 1/5]
[[Space-Time Amber] Quality: Gold, Item Type: Universal Treasure]
[You have gained the buff [Space-Time Amber's Feedback]]
[[Space-Time Amber's Feedback (Level 1)]: Your maximum stamina +10%, your strength, agility, and endurance +50, your intelligence +100, your mystery and charm +25, your base spatial tolerance +50%, your base mental resistance +20%, and all your space-related skills receive a 12%~24% bonus to their actual effects.]
[BUFF Duration: Constant]
"The effect of the first layer is already so good." Han Xiao's eyes lit up.
Just as the Evolution Cube enhances Sisko's telekinesis, establishing a soul connection with the Space-Time Amber also strengthens him.
Han Xiao took out the Space-Time Amber and tried it out. He found that the energy output power had increased, and the amber-making speed had significantly improved, by about 20% to 30%.
"It seems that the deeper the Soul Connection Level, the faster the amber can be created using this thing."
Han Xiao looked at the second task, the reward of which was also +1 to Soul Connection Level. The task required finding the whereabouts of the Space-Time Freezer race and contacting their descendants who had survived to this day.
"Uh, this request..."
Han Xiao's expression was strange.
It's not that we can't find the descendants of those Space-Time Freezer, it's that they're too easy to find.
He had read through all the information on the Space-Time Freezer and knew that their descendant race still existed and had always been subordinate to the civilization to which the Space-Time Freezer had served.
The only problem is that... every Beyond Grade A inherited race basically possesses extraordinary talent, with an extremely high proportion of superhumans. They have always been regarded as an important resource by various civilizations, who support and cultivate them into warriors.
The lineage of the Space-Time Freezer is also protected by their respective civilizations, and they are generally not allowed to have contact with any outsiders.
This civilization survived the Exploration Era War and has now grown into a colossus...
It is the Federation of Light, one of the three great cosmic civilizations!
I, a Beyond Grade A belonging to the Empire, rashly ventured into the territory of the Federation of Light...
"Does this mean we have to infiltrate again? If we get caught, I'm afraid I'll be beaten to death by a mob on Federation of Light territory..."
Han Xiao's lips twitched. He was currently in the Shattered World and didn't have time to get away. The second stage of the mission was obviously not something he could complete in the short term, so he simply put it aside.
Since he already has his baby, there's no rush; he has another thing to do right now.
Seven days have passed since the last use of [Bold Explorer], and the cooldown is over.
This skill is like an alternative form of divination; it seems very mystical, but after testing, the results are indeed outstanding.
Han Xiao pulled up the wormhole data that the Sorokin wanted, and a smirk appeared on his lips.
"Finally, we can see what secrets this data holds!"
Although this data has been shared with the Empire, it is highly likely that it will be deciphered in the future by the Imperial Academy of Sciences of Sciences, yielding precise clues.
However, today he chooses to believe in metaphysics.