“H-how did you…”
Oathkeeper’s heart was heavily shocked, and his mind was in a bit of a trance. He was filled with questions.
Black Star definitely knew this secret all along but had been hiding it, and I was totally fooled. This b*stard is so evil! Seeing Oathkeeper was appalled, Han Xiao looked surprised. “Hmm? Why are you still here? Weren’t you leaving?”
“I know you don’t want to leave me, but since you’re in such a hurry, you’d better go back quickly.”
“Act-Actually, I’m not in that much of a hurry. We can chat for a while… a while more…” Oathkeeper laughed awkwardly. This dog is definitely doing this purposely! How can I leave before I find out the whole truth? Han Xiao’s words made Oathkeeper immediately give up on wanting to leave as soon as possible. Instead, he insisted on staying and making sure his questions were answered. “Since you’re so enthusiastic, it’ll be rude for me to refuse you then.” Seeing that Oathkeeper looked emotionally unstable, Han Xiao stopped kidding and invited him back to his seat.
Oathkeeper took a deep breath and cautiously asked, “So you know about our goal. Where did you hear about it?”
Black Star directly pointed out the Holy Accord’s purpose, so he knew that there was no point in hiding it anymore. Furthermore, he felt that Black Star definitely had a motive, or he could have hidden the fact that he knew about this. Deliberately exposing their goal did not seem like something an enemy would do. He wondered what Black Star was planning. “I have my intelligence channels.” Han Xiao gave a perfunctory answer, clearly expressing that he would never reveal his sources. Oathkeeper did not hold any hopes for it anyway. If he was in Black Star’s position, he would not expose who the spy was either. Oathkeeper had no choice but to clench his teeth and accept that. He said, “Since you already know our goal, what are you planning?” He put himself at the lower position, which he had not done in a very long time. If he was facing an ordinary Beyond Grade A, Oathkeeper would most likely have thought of killing him. However, facing Black Star, he really did not have complete confidence he would be able to-Black Star was too damn tanky.
On the other hand, if Black Star wanted to, he could leak this intelligence out any time he wanted. Since his weakness was in Black Star’s hands, he had to be cautious.
“What do you think I’m planning?” Han Xiao smiled faintly.
“I don’t know.” Oathkeeper had several guesses, but he did not dare to say them out loud.
From the way he looked at it, there were only a few reasons Black Star would do this, including extortion or interrupting. It was not like Black Star only did this to scare him out of boredom… right? “Why not take a guess?”
“… I have no guesses.”
“Tsk, you’re so boring.” Han Xiao shook his finger. “Why are you so nervous? Since I did not reject your deal, don’t you understand my stance?” Oathkeeper’s eyes flickered. “You’re saying… you don’t plan to stop us?”
“Why should I?” Han Xiao crossed his arms, narrowed his eyes, and said, “I’m the leader of the Black Star Army and the three Universal Civilizations’ Special Consultant, but I’m also the vice president of the Beyond Grade A Association. If you’d paid attention to the Meeting of the Gods a few years ago, you’d know that the Mechanic Emperor and I have come to an agreement…”
Oathkeeper hastily thought back. Suddenly, a flash of insight passed through his mind and cleared the fog. “You’re saying… there are too few Beyond Grade As?”
“That’s right. The Mechanic Emperor and I both said that. Now you understand.” Han Xiao smiled.
Oathkeeper suddenly felt that everything made sense now, and most of his questions got answered.
No wonder despite knowing our goal, Black Star still chose to let it happen. This might be the only chance of tremendously strengthening the Beyond Grade A level in the short run, so it fits his goal. However, Oathkeeper still had some questions.
“I thought you were on the side of the three Universal Civilizations. I didn’t think you’d do this.”
“That’s just because of the promotions recently. Of course, in terms of overall stand, I’m on the same side as the three Universal Civilizations, but that doesn’t mean I’ve become their vassal. I stand against Mechanic Emperor only because his methods are too radical, but we both have the same wish for the total number of Beyond Grade As.”
“So, you plan to work with us on a deeper level?”
“That’s right. I won’t stop you from executing your plan, but I have my demands too. I hope that the Beyond Grade As you revive will all be on my side.”
Oathkeeper nodded before shaking his head. “This isn’t that simple. They all have their own minds. Even if I’m the one who revives them, they won’t become my puppets.”
“By the way, I’ve always wondered, why do you guys want to revive the already dead Beyond Grade As?” Han Xiao asked.
He had been curious about this question in his previous life. Logically speaking, the Holy Accord organization should have been very ambitious since they revived so many extremely strong individuals. However, the Holy Accord and the Revivors only appeared to fight the World Tree Civilization during the World Tree war, and they seemed to appear just because they had no choice. God only knew what they were doing before.
As for that group of Beyond Grade As who were revived during the Calamity of the Supers, he was still unsure whether they also came from the Holy Accord. “Because of a promise, an oath…” Oathkeeper’s voice became low and spoke in a storytelling tone. “Tell me about it.” Han Xiao was very curious.
Oathkeeper stayed silent for a moment, seemingly hesitating over whether he should leak more information. Then, he thought of his position, and he had no choice but to slowly explain. “The Holy Accord was founded toward the end of the exploration era by some of the Primordial Ones. Our purpose is to revive those who died in the war… Although when we talk about that history now, we say it quite casually, but Black Star, you should understand the frustration of the Primordial One. They spent their lifetime breaking through the limits of individual strength, only to be used as new tools of war, killing each other, dying one after another. “Even if they did not want to take part in the war, the unstoppable tide of the era still dragged them in. You can do some research. How many Primordial Ones met a good end? “At the same time, because we’ve evolved to a new level, countless people envied us, feared us. You know what it’s like. When an individual becomes too powerful, the masses will surely be wary about the individual. This has never changed… We’re just the extreme minority in the universe who are both admired and feared.
“Among the Primordial Ones, some regretted being born in the chaotic war era and hoped to go to the prosperous peaceful era, but they were limited by their life span. Some regretted dying in the war. Even after they were scarified, they tried to be reborn in the future. Therefore, many people started to look for ways to revive them secretly, and these people were separated into different factions. “Some of those people created the Holy Accord organization, and that’s our origin, also our promise…”
“I see…” Han Xiao started pondering.
He could understand why the Primordial Ones hoped to get through the exploration era using the method of getting revived in the future—they had reached the absolute peak of individual strength in the galaxy, yet they had become mere tools of war. At that time, there was no room for Beyond Grade A organizations. Other than the extremely few exceptions, most of them could only become the warriors of civilizations; maintaining a neutral stance was an extravagant wish. Anyone would feel frustrated in their position.
Furthermore, as the Beyond Grade As had just appeared, no civilization did not want to study them further. The environment the Primordial Ones were in was extremely harsh, far less free, safe, and comfortable compared to the modern Beyond Grade As.
The Primordial Ones had thought of all sorts of ways of reviving, and the Underworld might have been one of them, but very few chose to use that method. After all, not everyone was willing to become a subordinate of the sisters who were the former owners of the Underworld, and they were not that reliable either.
No wonder Onicelu said that the two sisters were once invited to take part in a plan related to the Sanctums that probably had something to do with the Holy Accord organization. However, the two sisters rejected it; they did not seem to want to be revived.
Han Xiao caressed his chin and pondered. “So, how do you plan to revive those Beyond Grade As?”
“I-I can’t tell you that.” Oathkeeper shook his head. Han Xiao said with a dissatisfied tone, “Humph, I can guess even if you don’t say it. It probably has something to do with the Sanctums. Come on, I’ve already made my stance clear. Show some sincerity.” Oathkeeper hesitated for a while before nodding solemnly. “Yes, it’s the Sanctums. I really can’t go into further details now. After I fulfil the promise, I’ll share the method with you.” Han Xiao curled his lips and changed the topic. “Then let’s talk about our partnership. I can provide convenience for your plan and keep it a secret for you, and you will have to give me some things in return…”
Han Xiao then stated his requirements. Resources and intelligence were not the most important. What he mainly wanted to obtain was the way to revive the dead through the Sanctums, as well as a part of the special technology the Holy Accord organization had, while at the same time being on the good side of these Revivors.
Whether Oathkeeper was willing or not, he had no choice but to trust Han Xiao and accept him as a partner. Otherwise, if Han Xiao leaked any of their secrets, there would be even more trouble. Oathkeeper had no certainty that Black Star had no ulterior motives, but he was not to be trifled with either. He did not want to fight now, but he would not be afraid to fight if he had to. The two of them negotiated for a while and settled on the partnership agreement. Oathkeeper had no choice but to leave a stable communication channel so that Black Star could contact him anytime and not just wait for him to contact him.
After all this was complete, Oathkeeper went offline with a belly full of questions. He might have to see a therapist after he returned.
Han Xiao stayed in the office, crossed his legs, caressed his chin, and pondered.
Everything he told Oathkeeper was true but not the whole truth. He did indeed want to increase the number of Beyond Grade As. One reason for that was to make the Beyond Grade As’ position more important across the universe while increasing his position in the association, and another was to deal with the World Tree. Aesop’s prophecy and the progress of the dynasty’s Science Institute led to him having no choice but to prepare in advance and find more helpers.
At the same time, he was also very curious about how the Holy Accord revived the Primordial Ones and wanted to find out more about the Sanctums’ functions. Furthermore, he did not wish for the Holy Accord organization and a group of Beyond Grade As to hide out of sight. He suggested this partnership to have a stable means of contacting them, so he could monitor what they were doing.
The last motive was that the Great Mechanic Han wanted to try triggering a mission. He felt that the chance of that was quite high.
And as he expected, a notification did pop up on the interface.
You have triggered the hidden mission (Return to the History Stage] Mission Introduction: You found out from Oathkeeper that the Holy Accord organization’s goal is to revive some of the Beyond Grade As who’ve died in history. You have chosen to work with Oathkeeper. Mission Requirements: Assist the Holy Accord organization to successfully complete their awakening plan. Reward: +25 Favorability of all the revived Beyond Grade As, +1 Legendary Point. Remarks: This mission is a Series Origin Mission. Once accepted, you will have a higher chance of triggering more hidden missions in the same series.
“Series Origin Mission, meaning this mission is the entry point to a storyline… makes sense. If I did not work with the Holy Accord, what happens afterward would have nothing to do with me.” Han Xiao accepted the mission without hesitation.
He had a feeling that this series mission might be related to many version main storylines.
In a certain secret base of the Holy Accord organization, Oathkeeper retrieved his spiritual projection and took a long breath. He was still a little stunned, digesting what had just happened. Law and Fay were standing below and saw Oathkeeper’s expression. “Boss, how was it?”
“Did Black Star complete the deal, or did he change his mind?”
Oathkeeper regained focus, straightened his facial expression, and said reluctantly, “From now on, Black Star is temporarily our ally.” Law and Fay’s eyes widened with confusion. What happened? Why so sudden? The Holy Accord organization has never had a partner. This is the first! Wasn’t this just a simple trade? Why have Black Star suddenly become our ally? We’ve heard a lot of Black Star’s excellent skills in making friends. Did the boss fall to him too?
