Chapter 1213 Intention to Cooperate
"How did you…"
Oathkeeper was filled with question marks, finding it difficult to control the stormy waves of emotions.
He had not even gotten familiar with all the top-secret intelligence, and he had already heard it from a second person. It was just as though he had chatted with a random girl on a dating site last night, and his girlfriend called him the next hour to lash out at him.
Without any warning, his privacy was intruded, and this feeling gave him gooseb.u.mps.
Han Xiao held out his palm, interrupting his words. "I said before, I have my own sources. You only need to remember two things. First, I have far more intelligence than you. Second, our goals are roughly the same. As for the details… you don"t need to ask so much."
Oathkeeper shut his mouth, his brain whirring as he tried to guess Han Xiao"s intelligence source.
Under the sudden mental impact, he had temporarily lost his senses. He had almost thought that the problem lay with himself, but after recovering his senses, his reasoning told him that this possibility was slim, and it was likely because of other reasons.
The Great Reboot and Iterations were top-secret information, only known to those who had been in contact with the Sanctums. The only more plausible reason he could come up with was that Black Star had interacted with the Sanctum under certain circ.u.mstances and thus had learned of this intelligence by chance.
Beyond Grade A Supers had a very low probability of coming into contact with the information generated by the Sanctums, thus obtaining random revelations. The earliest information about the Sanctums in the Holy Accord was obtained in this manner as well, which was the basis for the establishment of said organization.
But when Oathkeeper thought of the previous exchanges he had with Han Xiao, he felt that things might not be that simple. Black Star must have had some means that outsiders were not aware of.
He could not think of an explanation that could convince himself, so he felt that Han Xiao was veiled in mystery.
At this moment, Han Xiao put his hands behind his back, putting on a profound image. "Your little thoughts can"t be hidden from me. I don"t like others trying to fool me, and I hope this is the last time, otherwise… Since we"ve all laid our cards down, I think we can be more honest with each other."
Oathkeeper could only reluctantly push down his inner turmoil and carefully ask, "How do you plan to go about it?"
"Firstly, I hope that you will tell me the actual intelligence. This is the basis for our mutual trust." Han Xiao raised his eyebrows.
Hearing this, Oathkeeper struggled for a few seconds before speaking truthfully on the intelligence without tampering.
He knew that he had already lost the initiative. Black Star had likely acquired the most important secret, so it did not matter if he revealed it. He did not dare play tricks anymore.
Han Xiao patiently listened and smiled. "You know how to admit your wrongs. Not bad."
This time, Oathkeeper"s recount was the same as Jayz, obediently telling him the true mechanism of the Sanctum.
Having finished speaking, Oathkeeper paused for a while before saying, "I"ve told you all that I know. Now that you know the true situation of the Sanctum Revival, you should also know what this means for the Beyond Grade As. You will not try to monopolize it, right?"
Han Xiao did not directly answer but changed the topic to ask, "Do you think that the Sanctum will be monopolized by anyone?"
"What do you mean?" Oathkeeper could not understand Han Xiao"s sudden question.
Han Xiao took two steps as he slowly explained, "Let"s put it this way. The existence of the Sanctum is independent and should not be controlled by anyone, just like a public library… Since we can borrow the functions of the Sanctum as such, others will definitely be able to. Have you ever thought about what will happen when the advanced civilizations like the three Universal Civilizations master a stable method of Sanctum Revival?"
Oathkeeper thought about it before speaking uncertainly. "They will continuously resurrect their direct lines, maintaining the scale of their high-level combat power and using this as a bargaining chip to recruit allies."
"That"s right, and in the long run, this is inevitable. What will happen is that once the advanced civilizations master the method to enter the Sanctum, they will begin a period of rapid development, widening the gap between the strength of a civilization and the free Beyond Grade As. By that time, the Beyond Grade As will come to a forked path in their destinies."
Han Xiao looked at the pondering Oathkeeper.
"Imagine, if there was no Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation, no Holy Accord, no stable Beyond Grade A group that can stably perform Sanctum Revivals. The Beyond Grade As will be forced to sell themselves to a civilization. Those who choose to be free will not be revived by the civilizations, while those who are disobedient will be eradicated. In this manner, there will only be the obedient Beyond Grade As left in the universe, quietly being dogs for the advanced civilizations. They will forever be trapped in faction disputes, having to kill each other with no choice…"
He explained the situation of the Celestial Star Alliance in a hypothetical manner. The more Oathkeeper listened, the more frightened he became, realizing that the situation Han Xiao spoke of could likely happen.
"That"s right. This possibility has to be guarded against. I did not expect you to see that far. You indeed have foresight!"
Oathkeeper let out a gasp of amazement.
That"s not the case. You thought I was predicting, but I"m actually spoiling it for you!
Han Xiao secretly grinned, but he revealed a solemn expression on the surface as he heavily spoke again. "In order to prevent such a future, we have to let the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation master the method of stably reviving all the Beyond Grade As, so I said we have a common goal. This is for the entire cla.s.s; every Beyond Grade A is a beneficiary, and no one can monopolize this."
His words went straight to Oathkeeper"s heart, which coincided with his thoughts. A burst of heroism rose from his heart as he recognized Han Xiao as someone similar to him.
"So, you"re proposing to cooperate in this manner?" Oathkeeper"s eyes lit up.
Han Xiao nodded.
"We"ll do it this way. You are in control of the Holy Accord, while I"m in control… well, about to control the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation. We"ll unite a part of the Beyond Grade As together and produce different resources. As long as we become strategic partners, we can work together to complete this important task sooner, allowing the Beyond Grade As to completely unite to rewrite their fate."
Oathkeeper helplessly shook his head. "Actually, I have no choice. You"re the second insider, so we can only cooperate… but who is going to control the channel, the Holy Accord or the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation?"
Hearing this, Han Xiao laughed.
"Naturally, both of us will control the channel. The Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation will be the main force on the surface, striving for the recognition of the advanced civilizations, while the Holy Accord will take in those Beyond Grade As who wish to stay hidden as secret insurance. After all, the advanced civilizations will not easily accept the fact that the Beyond Grade As can constantly revive themselves. They are likely to do something to the a.s.sociation, so it"s best to hide a portion of Beyond Grade A strength under the surface and prevent them from seeing our full strength."
If possible, Han Xiao would have wished to have the a.s.sociation monopolize the Sanctum Revival, but now that Oathkeeper was an insider, he could only form a partners.h.i.+p with him instead of doing things separately. There was not much conflict of interest, and their goals aligned.
Furthermore, it was not a bad thing to allow the Holy Accord to stay hidden. Both sides could form a mode of complementary and mutual a.s.sistance. Beyond Grade A could go to the Holy Accord if they wished to stay hidden, whereas if they wanted a place in the universe, they could proceed to the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation. They could switch at will, just like staying at the office or going out to the field.
Oathkeeper nodded in acceptance.
Seeing this, Han Xiao made his tone a little more serious. "We"d better finish this business before the advanced civilizations come in contact with the Sanctums. Do not reveal the truth of the Sanctum Revival to anyone. Only the two of us should know."
Kasuyi was also in the know, but Han Xiao would naturally not reveal this detail, or else it would reveal too much about his process. He would rather leave the mysterious impression of himself on Oathkeeper.
"Oh, I naturally will not reveal anything." Oathkeeper knew of the importance behind this matter and solemnly nodded.
The two of them discussed specific cooperation projects for a while, reaching a united direction.
Oathkeeper also divulged his method of entering the Sanctums, claiming that the method used for all six Sanctums were different. The Holy Accord only knew of the method to enter the Third Sanctum, which consumed Primal Esper Ability Ent.i.ties as keys to enter and would need to recollect them from scratch.
As for the ideation behind the method, Oathkeeper said that it was a vague revelation obtained by some of the Beyond Grade A members during the exploration era, while the rest was derived from Destiny"s Child. He mentioned how Destiny"s Child was special and might reveal the keys behind each Sanctum. However, the possibility was very low and completely random.
Han Xiao was more interested in the First Sanctum, but at present, entering the Third Sanctum would be the faster route. The Holy Accord had prior experience, and with its resources, it would greatly shorten the time needed for Han Xiao to gather the keys again.
However, if one wished to resurrect more Beyond Grade As, then they would need to collect related information, and the descendants of the Beyond Grade As were the easiest targets.
"That"s right. Since we"ve decided to cooperate, I hope to meet with the revived Primordial Ones."
"Why do you need to see them?" Oathkeeper subconsciously replied. He still did not completely trust Han Xiao.
Han Xiao smiled. "I remember you told me that you cannot force the revived Primordial Ones. There should be many of them who wish to occupy a place in the universe and re-develop their own organization. In this case, the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation is the best backer for them. I hope to get in touch with them and convince them to support me after joining the a.s.sociation."
The first batch of Primordial Ones definitely had their own goals. Being previous Beyond Grade As who could call on the winds and rains, forcing them to remain anonymous was basically impossible. Some of them would do things in the universe like what happened in his previous life, shocking the galactic society and becoming the fuse of the Calamity of the Supers.
With the Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation now, Han Xiao felt that he could absorb some of them to strengthen his own faction.
With the a.s.sociation intervening, the situation of the Calamity of the Supers could also be greatly changed… Han Xiao thought.
Hearing this, Oathkeeper thought for a while before he eventually nodded.
"I"ll arrange for you to meet with them as soon as possible. However, you have to be mentally prepared. They died early and have not experienced the generations of changes in the Beyond Grade A realm. They are not as low key as I am and might be a little… arrogant."
"It"s alright." Han Xiao"s lips curled. "I specialize in treating such negativity."