"Unable to crack?!"
In the president's office, Bader received a detailed report from the research station. He read it with a frown, his eyes revealing undisguised astonishment.
He never doubted the technological prowess of the Federation of Light. He originally thought that breaking the seal of the Scepter of All Gods would be a piece of cake, but the research station gave him a "surprise".
"A special substance of Cosmic Wonder caliber, it seems to be a solidified spacetime with anomalous physical constants..." Bader read the report carefully again from the beginning, muttering to himself.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed as he remembered something. He logged into the internal network, pulled up a classified document, and the cover was marked with a file number and a "Level 16" icon. This was the confidentiality level of the document. In the Federation of Light, the confidentiality of internal documents was divided into levels 1 to 20.
Levels 1-5 are publicly available information, such as annual financial statements, which the public can access. Levels 6-10 are classified as general secret, which most government members can access, but only for information related to their own positions. Levels 11-15 are classified as top secret, with all access records documented, and depending on the reader's background and access privileges, there may be appropriate redactions to conceal some details. Levels 16-19 are classified as top secret, which is generally only accessible to high-ranking officials with real power. Level 20 is classified as special information, which is not allowed to be accessed proactively and is almost never disclosed to anyone.
"Identity verification in progress... Welcome, Your Excellency President. You have level 19.5 reading privileges. Privilege verification successful. You are authorized to view the complete document. Removing smears... Removal complete."
Bader tapped the virtual screen with his finger to turn the page; the title page was the actual document's title.
The Space-Time Freezer Files!
This the First Ones served the Federation of Light during the exploration period. The Federation of Light kept his file, which contained information many times more detailed than that outsiders, including records and analyses of his special abilities. After reading the research station's report on the Space-Time Amber, Bader immediately thought of this the First Ones, whose abilities were somewhat similar.
The leaders of cosmic-level civilizations undergo special training, possessing an intimate knowledge of their civilization's history, classified intelligence, and technology, which they store in memory palaces. These are essential courses, which is why Bader was able to immediately recall the existence of the Space-Time Freezer.
"[Space-Time Freezer] Frogo possesses the ability to Space-Time Freeze, an ability listed in the ' Extremely Hazardous Esper Ability List.' This ability can freeze time and space in a designated area or target, having a significant impact on Beyond Grade A, far exceeding the effects of Mage Class time-space spells. He has a history of freezing entire planets [see Appendix B-004 for details], and has repeatedly frozen enemy fleets on the battlefield, rendering them helpless and allowing our fleet to gradually erode their strength, thus turning the tide of hundreds of local wars [see Appendix B-027 for details]..."
According to investigations, maintaining Frogo Space-Time Freezing effect in an area requires a continuous expenditure of energy [specific parameters are in Appendix A-001]. If the energy supply is interrupted, the freeze effect will quickly disappear. The method of using this ability can be fine-tuned. Frogo has used freezing the space around him for defense, providing excellent defense against physical entities and most forms of energy. However, it is not immune to mental attacks that directly affect the mind. Subsequent tests showed that while this ability can imprison a soul, it cannot stop the soul's conscious activity. This is a flaw in Frogo's ability, proving that his ' Space-Time Freezing ' is not perfect...
Frogo died in the Battle of Millennium Star [see Appendix B-1940 for details], and his body disappeared without a trace.
Bader frowned, deep in thought. "They are indeed very similar. Could there be some connection between the two...? But even Frogo himself doesn't have the ability to materialize frozen spacetime. What exactly is this...?"
He naturally didn't know that the Space-Time Amber had been wandering in the universe for many years, absorbing all kinds of cosmic radiation, and had long since mutated. Superpowers are products of genetic mutation. Frogo's own ability had a flaw; although he could Space-Time Freeze, he could not resist mental attacks. However, the Space-Time Amber, after its mutation, no longer had this weakness, and even mental attacks could not penetrate the amber it created.
After thinking for a moment, Bader transmitted the data to the head of the research department, hoping it would be helpful to his research. After completing this task, Bader rubbed his forehead in distress and helplessness.
The difficulty in deciphering the Space-Time Amber was beyond his expectations. Bader was in a bit of a predicament. He thought he had seized the Arcane Church's trump card, but although he had taken it back, he could only look at it and couldn't use it; it was just a decoration.
Thinking about it carefully, it seems that even if the Arcane Church takes it back, they probably won't be able to crack it.
What should have been a headache for the Arcane Church Arcane Church has now become our headache, and we've even managed to offend them badly, only to end up with something that nobody can use...
So what's the point of us taking this thing back?!
This situation, where the hunter is unaware of the hunt, seems like a huge loss!
Bader is in a terrible mood.
Black Star, that bastard... no, I'm the president, I can't swear... Black Star is truly despicable!
"No wonder Manison thought I would send someone to see Black Star; he also noticed the strangeness of this thing... It seems I really need to find an opportunity to contact Black Star privately."
Bader shook his head; he was unwilling to possess the Scepter of All Gods but be unable to use it.
"Perfect, we can have the descendants of the Space-Time Freezer act as envoys. Perhaps, as fellow clansmen, they can discover some clues and see if the Universal Treasure in Black Star's hands are truly related to their ancestor, the Space-Time Freezer... "Bader thought to himself.
On the other hand, the Arcane Church faces the same dilemma.
After negotiations, the Crimson Dynasty agreed to let the Arcane Church redeem one Beyond Grade A first. After paying a considerable price, the Arcane Church exchanged Dilun for the Empire. Actually, they wanted to exchange for "Photon" Sagman, but the Empire disagreed. After all, according to normal logic, the first thing returned is usually the weakest.
However, Dilun's Space-Time Amber seal remained unbroken. The Empire declared that the Arcane Church should resolve the issue themselves, primarily to verify Han Xiao's claims and see if the Space-Time Amber was as troublesome as he described.
On the other hand, the Crimson Dynasty was unaware that the Federation of Light had stolen the Scepter of All Gods. Therefore, Urranrell thought that if Dilun were to suddenly appear alive and well, it would indirectly prove that the Arcane Church had lifted the seal on the Scepter of the Scepter of All Gods, preventing them from being caught off guard again.
The Empire refused to lift the seal, claiming that Black Star was in seclusion and they didn't want to disturb him. What could the Arcane Church do but take matters into their own hands and have their researchers attempt to break Dilun's seal?
The result was exactly the same as that of the Federation of Light; they had no way to deal with the Space-Time Amber for the time being.
The Arcane Church was equally annoyed, but apart from that, they were also somewhat relieved.
What infuriates them is that the Empire has tricked them again, and they have to pay an even higher price to ask the Crimson Dynasty for help in unsealing the Scepter of the Gods. What is fortunate is that the Federation of Light is probably in the same boat as them, helpless against the seal on the Scepter of All Gods.
Although their own Universal Treasure was taken by the Glory Backstab King Federation, fortunately, the other party could only watch helplessly from behind a protective barrier, unable to use it even if they wanted to. It was quite like having one's own wife fall into the hands of a villain, but the villain was powerless to help.
That's very comfortable.
If it weren't for the enmity they had formed, the Arcane Church would almost have wanted to praise Black Star.
The Federation of Light and the Arcane Church were therefore paying close attention to each other's research, wanting to see what progress their opponent was making, much like classmates craning their necks to secretly peek at each other's answers during an exam.
With the indirect capitulation of the Arcane Church, the conflict between the two sides was no longer sharp, and the heavy troops that had been exerting pressure on the border gradually withdrew. The interstellar forces that were paying attention to this matter breathed a sigh of relief. As the two dominant forces, their actions had far-reaching consequences. Only because the conflict had not completely erupted could they have a better life.
After minor fluctuations in the overall interstellar situation of the Explored Universe, it gradually calmed down.
The Federation of Light and the Arcane Church temporarily ceased their activities, and the supercluster-level civilizations that had been trying to exploit the situation also kept a low profile. No one wanted to provoke the Crimson Dynasty any further at this time; everyone was waiting for the storm to completely pass.
The Black Star Army fleet, carrying a large number of Space Marines, arrived in the star system where the Gular Civilization was located.
The Pioneer Party's outpost planet was in sight. Guided by personnel at the ground base, the Black Star Army fleet landed in batches. Legion members poured out of the thousand-meter-long black warships like a tide, gathering at every port and dock.
Besides the regular Legion warriors, millions of Legion players also participated. War mercenaries are a major collective event, and it's more interesting than exploring the Shattered World, so most people accepted this Grade S mission and came as mercenaries to participate in the civil war of a galactic civilization.
More than half a month ago, the Pioneer Party announced its alliance with the Black Star Army. The mere news of the Black Star Army's intervention caused a huge uproar within the Gular Civilization. The Ancient Emperor Party and the Descent Party were terrified, and their parties fell into a brief period of internal strife. Some high-ranking members fled or defected to the Pioneer Party, while the remaining hardliners decided to strike first. The two parties joined forces and attacked the Pioneer Party's territory from different directions, and the Pioneer Party directly confronted them.
The three parties launched a war without prior preparation, as the long-standing division had kept the three major parties in a state of wartime alert. They divided the territory of the Gular Civilization, forming three power sectors in this star system, each deploying military fleets on the edge of its territory, and maintaining a long-term standoff. The foreman could just shout and start fighting.
Therefore, the Black Star Army intervened precisely when the three parties were locked in a fierce battle.
Following negotiations between the Pioneer Party officers and the Black Star Army fleet commander, the star map and list of optional missions for millions of Legion players were updated.
The Pioneer Party provided military star maps, marking the detailed distribution of influence of the other two parties across nine star sectors in this system.
Most of the Black Star Army's personnel returned to explore the Shattered World, while the rest were tasked with guarding various bases. As a result, the number of mercenaries sent was not large, and they did not possess an overwhelming advantage. Therefore, this civil war could not end in the short term. The main objective was to annihilate the enemy forces and reclaim the opponent's colonies. It required a step-by-step approach to advance and continuously reclaim territory.
Every unreclaimed colony, resource planet, and military base is a battlefield mission for players to choose from, so there are plenty of opportunities for ground combat. After all, this is a civil war, and they won't choose to bombard colonies to reclaim them. This gives players a chance to shine – millions of Grade B players are experts in ground combat!
After reading the mission description, the players became excited. Having experienced many events so far, they immediately knew that this was the most comfortable kind of mission. Fighting alongside spaceships was troublesome, and what players preferred most was fighting monsters on the ground. In this battlefield mercenary mission, their role was obviously to be a ground force that would be airdropped and cleared out the enemy. They didn't need to think about anything else; they could just enjoy the battle.
The size and level of enemies on each colony are clearly marked, allowing players to choose accordingly. The enemy hierarchy is also very clear. Based on the player's current strength, enemies can be roughly divided into ordinary grunts that can be easily defeated, high-level monsters with Grade C combat power, powerful elite monsters with Grade B combat power, relatively strong mini-bosses within Grade B combat power, and some named Calamity Grade big bosses.
Many players are very satisfied with this mission; they are important participants in the war and have been able to fight to their hearts' content.
--At least it's not just a cutscene anymore!