Chapter 254: Key of Evolution, and the Deal with the Rebirth Empire
“No, this can’t go on any longer!”
Seeing the spaceship nearing the Star Gate, the temporary captain, Antoine, gritted his teeth and decided to destroy the ship outright.
As a Death Warrior bait meant to lure Bai Fu into the trap, his strength wasn’t actually that great—just at peak A-rank.
So for him, destroying the ship was still somewhat difficult.
Fortunately, since he was inside the ship, if he spent a bit more time, he could still smash the operating system and the power system to pieces.
“Go to the weapons storage and—”
Halfway through his words, the small side door of the cockpit suddenly opened. Standing behind the door was a row of rescue robots.
Weren’t these robots supposed to be dormant in the storage room? Why would they… Oh no!
Antoine realized the danger, but it was already too late.
The ship must not be allowed to be destroyed by the criminal Antoine!
With this conviction, the rescue robots drew their weapons one after another.
Biubiubiu!
After a flurry of gunfire and explosions, the spaceship’s cockpit was blown apart—just like the body of Antoine lying on the ground.
“It’s over.”
That was Antoine’s last thought before his consciousness faded.
The enemy had gone to great lengths to do this, so they clearly had a major objective—but now, he no longer had the strength to think about it.
When the dust settled, the rescue robots poured into the cockpit in formation. They stood in neat ranks, staring straight ahead, as if awaiting inspection by their new owner—Bai Fu.
Not bad, not bad.
This Domination-level Mechanic’s Virtual Heart really was impressive.
Bai Fu lightly tapped the heel of her high-heels.
Tap, tap, tap, tap…
One after another.
The sound fell into the ears of the Head of State’s Trusted Aide, who was in constant communication with her, like heavy hammers pounding on his heart, making it hard to breathe.
Ruined!
All of it’s ruined!
This mission… how did it turn out like this?
Time ticked by, second after second.
Before long, the ship ahead reached the Star Gate leading near Bovalya, and the pursuing fleet quickly followed—keeping a delicate distance: close enough not to lose them, but not enough to catch up.
“You stay here and keep watch. I’ll contact Nellis to see if Lester has made any moves.”
Leaving those words, Bai Fu returned to her own room.
She first pretended to chat with Nellis for a while, then opened the in-game map. On it, the red dot representing the Eye of the Dark Moon had been moving for days, but finally came to a stop.
“Reached the Ten Saints Council’s hideout?”
Bai Fu maximized the Eye of the Dark Moon’s effect.
Gradually, she heard footsteps approaching from afar, along with hearty laughter.
“Frank, it’s been six years since we last met, hasn’t it? Haha, welcome, welcome. The Saint is already waiting for you—come with me.”
Saint?
Bai Fu opened her quest panel, and sure enough, the sub-quest 2 of the hidden main quest [The Returned Exile] she had triggered earlier was now ready to turn in.
She decisively destroyed the Eye of the Dark Moon to avoid being discovered and traced back.
Turn in quest.
Bai Fu tapped her finger.
【You have completed the hidden main quest [The Returned Exile] Sub-quest 2, and received the reward Key of Evolution.】
Looking at the milky-white light orb shaped like a key floating in her palm, Bai Fu’s smile widened.
“Let me take a look!”
A line of item description popped up.
【Key of Evolution】: A key that opens the door to life’s evolution. After use, you can designate the direction of your next evolution.
“What the hell?”
Bai Fu was stunned after reading the description.
Psionicists, as their strength grew, would undergo multiple life evolutions. These evolutions seemed controllable, but in reality, you could only choose from a limited number of species options—picking the one that seemed better. Even after choosing, no one knew exactly what the final form would be until the evolution was complete.
This could easily lead to results far from what the Psionicist actually wanted.
Take Bai Fu herself as an example—during evolution, stat bonuses would be triggered. As a spell-tank, she naturally wanted more points in Constitution and Inspiration. But in practice… Inspiration might go up a lot, while Constitution was far less certain.
But now, with the Key of Evolution, this problem was no longer a problem!
The Key of Evolution could not only set the direction of stat bonuses, but also skills, talents, resistances, and other aspects—absolutely amazing.
“No wonder it’s a reward from a hidden main quest!”
Bai Fu quickly checked the details of the newly triggered next-stage quest.
The new quest, [The Saint’s Lament], was extremely simple: destroy the hideout to give the returned Ten Saints Council a show of force.
The quest reward was unknown for now—determined by contribution.
Judging from the value of the previous quest’s reward, this one’s prize would definitely be generous, but…
Bai Fu shook her head.
That so-called Saint was rumored to be at Transcendent rank—completely out of her league. When the time came, she’d honestly just hand the intel to the Three Universal Civilizations. As long as she could sip some soup from this hidden main quest, it would be enough—the Taim Civilization main story was the real stage for her brilliance.
Bai Fu stored away the Key of Evolution and continued monitoring the Glorious Forces ship’s movements.
…
A day and a half later.
Bovalya, temporary gathering point of the Ten Saints Council.
A group of bored people were chatting together.
“Lord Frank’s luck is really something. Even though the mission failed, he still replaced Lord Fire Rat to get a meeting with the Saint.”
“When Lord Fire Rat wakes up and finds his spot stolen by Frank, he’s probably going to lose his mind—he was the one charging at the front, after all.”
“Shh, you’d better just think that in your head. Saying it out loud—are you tired of living?”
“Well… hehe.”
They gave awkward laughs and didn’t continue on this sensitive topic.
Just as they were about to change the subject, the entire factory suddenly shook violently, rumbling loudly.
“What’s going on?”
“Could it be that Lord Frank came back and heard what we said?”
“It’s not Lord Frank. That emblem… it’s the Glorious Forces! The Glorious Forces’ ship suddenly broke into the airspace over the factory—alert, everyone on alert!”
“Damn it, why would the Glorious Forces suddenly attack us?”
The factory where Frank had been hiding instantly descended into chaos.
Some rushed out to attack the Glorious Forces’ ship.
Some on the ground urgently activated the defense systems.
Others immediately contacted Frank, who was still on his way back.
Frank had been in a good mood, but upon hearing that his ‘home’ was under attack, it felt like biting into a fly during a fine meal—utterly disgusting.
“Who gave the Glorious Forces the guts?”
No—that wasn’t the main question. The real question was why the Glorious Forces were attacking here.
Bovalya was an utterly ordinary planet—no military facilities, no major industries, and unremarkable geography. Normally, an organization like the Glorious Forces had no reason to attack it.
Unless…
“How many ships did they bring in total?” Frank asked quickly.
“Just o—no, not just one. Another few dozen just arrived. Lord Frank, the situation is dire—if you don’t get back soon, we might not hold out!”
Frank’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
A few dozen ships arriving at once—this was clearly a premeditated strike!
The other side making such a big move could mean only two things.
One possibility was that they were here to settle a personal grudge against him.
The other possibility was that they had already discovered that this place was a gathering point for the Ten Saints Council.
The Ten Saints Council had only just returned not long ago and weren’t prepared for full exposure. If they were exposed now—and it was because of him—the Saint might be furious enough to want to kill him.
“Why did this have to happen right after my promotion? I can’t even make it back in time now, this luck is just too—”
Huh!
Frank was suddenly struck by a thought.
Could it be that it wasn’t bad luck at all, but that the other side had deliberately chosen to act while he was away?
As for how they knew he was gone—could there be… a mole among them?
Damn it!
Frank flew into a rage. “Hurry up and contact the members of the Bovalya Planetary Defense Council—see what they have to say.”
“Yes.”
A few minutes later, Frank’s subordinates reported back.
“Our request for joint defense was rejected. The people from the Bovalya Planetary Defense Council said that the attackers are the Head of State’s Special Forces Unit, and they have no authority to interfere.”
“The Head of State?! Wasn’t it the Glorious Forces? How did it become the Head of State all of a sudden?”
“I was puzzled too, so I pressed them for details. Their answer was that there’s no such thing as the Glorious Forces.”
So they had disguised themselves as the Glorious Forces?
Forget it. There was no point dwelling on that now.
Frank was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
He had no enmity with the Head of State, so the only reason the Head of State would send people to attack him now was if they had found out about his connection to the Ten Saints Council.
“Damn it, the Head of State must have such low approval ratings lately that he’s trying to boost them by striking at the Ten Saints Council. Fine, fine… vermin, I’ll make you understand just what kind of monster you’ve provoked!”
Knowing the situation in Bovalya was beyond saving, Frank immediately contacted the Saint and told him what had happened.
To his relief, the Saint didn’t curse him—only fell into a long silence.
“Saint, what should we do now?”
“Since the Head of State attacked Bovalya and not my location, that means the mole who leaked the intel is among your people. Otherwise, he would never attack Bovalya first—doing so would only alert the enemy.”
“Yes, yes, Saint, wise as always.” Frank was drenched in sweat.
The Saint said calmly, “What’s done is done. We can only abandon Bovalya. Frank, just come back.”
Frank didn’t dare refuse. Even if returning meant he’d likely be punished, he could only grit his teeth and do it—punishment was better than being hunted down by the Ten Saints Council.
…
While Frank was nervously communicating with the Saint, the Head of State’s Trusted Aide was also reporting to the Head of State.
“Something’s off in Bovalya. As soon as we showed up, the people in that factory attacked us with everything they had. When I shouted that I was the Captain of your Special Forces Unit, they didn’t stop—they fought even harder.”
The Head of State listened while glaring at the map before him.
Damn it.
He had originally planned to take this chance to kill Bai Fu and, in the process, deepen the conflict between Nellis and Gustav. But because there was a traitor within the Glorious Forces, the entire plan had collapsed.
When would he get another chance like this to lure Bai Fu in and kill her?
Irritated.
Frustrated.
Furious.
As the saying goes, “When an emperor is enraged, corpses fill the fields.” Although he wasn’t an emperor now—just a “fallen” Head of State—once he got angry, someone still had to die.
“Since they’ve chosen to resist to the end, that means they’re definitely hiding something shady. We’re already here—wipe them all out for me!”
After ordering his Trusted Aide, the Head of State went to the Glorious Forces’ supreme commander.
One word—
Kill!
Kill all the traitors for me!
While the Saint and the Head of State were both turning their blades on their own people, Bai Fu was happily watching the drama unfold.
Bullying Frank’s subordinates didn’t require her personal intervention—letting the Players take their ships out for some fun was enough. She was already thinking about which of the Three Universal Civilizations she should approach to trade for advanced knowledge.
Supernova Battle Group? Titan Industries? Rebirth Empire?
Thinking carefully, she realized she didn’t actually know much about any of the three.
The information online only said that they were ancient and powerful civilizations. But deeper details—such as which had more reserves of Domination-level psionic knowledge, or which was more open to cooperation—were nowhere to be found.
“Looks like I’ll have to ask the all-knowing Dora Yin Zhu!”
As the Head of State’s Trusted Aide finished mopping up Frank’s men and headed back toward Lockheed, Bai Fu contacted Yin Zhu.
“I’ve found the Ten Saints Council’s hideout in the Edge Worlds.”
“What?”
Hearing that, Yin Zhu—who had been helping the Oathmaster trim his garden—nearly fell off her ladder.
“How did you get involved with the Ten Saints Council again?”
“It’s not me bothering them…” Bai Fu gave a brief explanation.
“You’re very wise to choose not to intervene directly and instead sell this intel to the Three Universal Civilizations. The Ten Saints Council is far stronger than the Star Pact. In the past, they caused no end of trouble for the Three Universal Civilizations, and even now they remain on their most-wanted lists. So if the Three Universal Civilizations learn you’ve located one of their hideouts, they’ll certainly reward you generously.”
Yin Zhu paced around the garden for a long moment before replying to Bai Fu.
“If your goal is Domination-level advancement knowledge, your best trading partner is the Rebirth Empire. Remember what I told you before? The advancement knowledge the Oathmaster gave you came from the Rebirth Empire’s Ethereal Realm Research Society. Although the Supernova Battle Group and Titan Industries also have Domination-level psionic advancement knowledge, they can’t match the richness of the Ethereal Realm Research Society’s.”
Bai Fu nodded—she had also been inclined to work with the Rebirth Empire.
Yin Zhu continued, “Here’s the contact information for a certain member of the Rebirth Empire’s Security Bureau. I’ll send it to you now. When you negotiate with the Rebirth Empire, keep your wits about you. If your intel proves genuine, you can get far more than just two sets of Domination-level advancement knowledge—you can try asking for more of what you currently need.”
Good stuff.
So this intel was worth that much?
Bai Fu’s mind raced.
She had already decided what extra request to make of the Rebirth Empire—
A body-enhancement item!
Preferably one that could let her undergo another racial evolution.
That way, when advancing to Domination, she could evolve again, receiving the evolution reward twice in total—giving her a head start over other Dominations right from the starting line.
“Thank you for the reminder, Miss Yin Zhu.”
Yin Zhu smiled. “If you run into any trouble or confusion, just come to me. I’ll help wherever I can.”
Bai Fu said, “I’ll remember the help you and the Oathmaster have given me.”
Ending the conversation with Yin Zhu, she immediately contacted the number Yin Zhu had sent her—before the Ten Saints Council could change their hideout location.
…
Billions of light-years away.
In the Crown of the Universe Star Sector, within the Rebirth Empire.
Julian walked into his office at the Security Bureau’s Second Subdivision. He took off his wide overcoat, sat down in his one-piece molded composite-material chair, and leaned back with his hands behind his head, looking utterly relaxed—as if he’d come here for a vacation, not for work.
Back when he had first joined the Security Bureau years ago, Julian had been highly motivated.
At that time, he was young, at Calamity-class, and thought his future was limitless.
But after spending enough time in the Bureau, he realized that what he had once been so proud of counted for very little in a universe-scale civilization like the Rebirth Empire.
The Rebirth Empire was simply too vast—there were countless others at his Calamity-class level.
Unless he could advance to Domination, becoming one of the top few dozen single lifeforms in the Empire, or achieve some unprecedented merit, no matter how hard he worked, it would be nearly impossible to create a real qualitative gap between himself and his slacking colleagues.
And if that was the case, why not slack off too?
“Slacking makes me happy!”
Julian hummed a little tune that had recently become popular in the Empire. But just then, the slightly noisy chime of an incoming communication cut into his pleasant slacking time.
“Who has nothing better to do than contact me at this hour?”
Julian frowned, seeing it was an unfamiliar number—but the note attached to the call was interesting.
【Introduced by Star Pact Secretary-General Yin Zhu, I am Bai Fu, founder of Dark Moon Tide】
Bai Fu?
That name sounded somewhat familiar.
As for Yin Zhu—there was no need to explain. When the Empire had been trying to wrest control over the Edge Worlds, they had secretly contacted the Star Pact many times. Back then, Julian had been the special envoy leading the mission, and the one who received him on the Star Pact’s side had been Secretary-General Yin Zhu.
Julian didn’t answer right away—he first looked up Bai Fu’s information online.
“A Calamity-class with a chance of advancing to Domination, recently working in Taim Civilization territory under a commission from Nellis… If I recall correctly, Nellis was working with the Supernova Battle Group, right?”
Julian pondered for a few seconds before accepting Bai Fu’s call.
“Mr. Julian, I have some special intel here that I think you’ll find very interesting.”
Very interesting?
She sure sounded confident.
Julian didn’t even bother to get up, replying lazily, “What intel?”
Bai Fu smiled. “I know where the Ten Saints Council’s hideout is in the Edge Worlds. If you’re lucky, you might even be able to block the Ten Saints Council’s Saint there directly.”
“The Ten Saints Council’s hideout? That’s it—wait, did you just say the Ten Saints Council?!”
Julian’s eyes widened.
The Ten Saints Council.
Holy crap.
The Ten Saints Council!
He slapped the table and sprang to his feet.
Slack off?
Slack your damn off!
Now taking the stage—The Empire’s Rising Star, I-Desperately-Want-to-Improve Edition—Julian!
Julian sat back down, replacing his expression with a smile.
“Let’s talk. We can talk slowly—we can talk about everything.”