Chapter 268: Bountiful Harvest, Snuggles Make Bai Fu Stronger
While Bai Fu was secretly feeling smug, Sui Xi, who had been holding it in for a long time, finally mustered the courage to voice her doubt.
“Respected Apostle, why didn’t you stay in the Ethereal Realm, and instead reincarnated here to us?”
“That—” Bai Fu gently shook her head, her gaze drifting off as if reminiscing the past.
“It’s a long story, and now’s not the right time to explain. If I take too long, Rufus and the others might grow suspicious of you. I’ll explain it to you in detail when there’s a chance in the future. For now, just remember this—relationships between Apostles aren’t harmonious.”
Bai Fu’s expression suddenly turned very serious.
What was this girl asking that for? I need more time to fabricate a flawless backstory—I'll tell you then.
Right now, go play somewhere else, don’t interrupt me while I tally up the quest rewards!
Sui Xi nodded vigorously.
She thought she wouldn’t get any answer at all, maybe even be scolded for overstepping.
But the result was completely beyond her expectations.
Even in matters this serious, Apostle Bai Fu still showed a heartwarming side.
Apostles should be like this!
But perhaps… Apostles being like this wasn’t always a good thing.
Kindness could move many people, but there were always some who refused to be moved.
Those who crossed the line repeatedly and remained incorrigible—such people should be eliminated.
Otherwise, how could the world ever find peace?
She wondered… could Apostle Bai Fu make such a ruthless decision?
If not, then perhaps… it would be her turn to act.
The watery glimmer in Sui Xi’s eyes froze into icy needles.
She believed that under Apostle Bai Fu’s guidance, she would one day become the razor-sharp dagger in the Apostle’s hand!
But...
Sui Xi recalled Bai Fu’s final reminder.
『Relationships between Apostles aren’t harmonious.』
Was Apostle Bai Fu hinting that she had become like this because she was plotted against by other Apostles?
Birth!
It seemed that from now on, she had to be extra cautious when dealing with anyone claiming to be an Apostle.
She must never fall into their trap!
With that thought, Sui Xi said, “Respected Apostle, if there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave?”
Bai Fu said, “Mm, go ahead.”
Sui Xi walked up to the False True Spirit Pillar and once again activated the sensing ritual.
This time, Bai Fu personally witnessed a black teleportation channel open up before Sui Xi.
Just before stepping into it, Sui Xi suddenly picked up a longsword that had fallen to the ground and slashed her arms, legs, and abdomen several times.
Apparently still feeling unsatisfied, she grabbed a particle gun from the wall, disabled its safety, and fired several biu biu shots into her chest and left arm.
Blood spurted, flesh tore, and parts of her body were already starting to carbonize.
Bai Fu was dumbfounded.
What the hell was that?
Was she warning me not to let her down?
That if she could be this ruthless to herself, she’d be even more ruthless to me?
Sui Xi explained, “If I go back completely unharmed, it’ll definitely raise suspicion, so I need to create some wounds.”
“Please rest assured, Respected Apostle, I’ll refine the injuries to make them look more realistic.”
Bai Fu: “……”
She used to think Cersia looked like a yandere and was already pretty extreme.
But ever since the Secret Tower was destroyed—and after realizing she couldn’t beat Scarlet Leaf—Cersia had mellowed out a lot.
But Sui Xi...
This one was truly heavyweight!
No doubt about it—anyone worthy of being the “main character” had to have some kind of “special shine.”
No.
This wasn’t just a “shine”—this was the level of a flashbang grenade!
Bai Fu felt like she was about to be blinded.
Terrifying.
“From now on, no more of that, okay? It’s not good.”
Sui Xi smiled.
Apostle Bai Fu was showing concern for her again. So nice.
For Apostle Bai Fu—charge!
She turned around and entered the teleportation channel, vanishing quickly.
As the channel disappeared before her eyes, Bai Fu grabbed the fake pillar that had been left behind in the room.
Whoosh—
Yulia blinked into view.
“Want a bite?”
“What do you think? Gimme!”
“Alright, alright, here you go. But... don’t you want to clean it first? It’s kinda dirty to just eat it like that.”
“You think I’m gonna actually bite it? I’ll just use my hand. Stop dawdling already. Are you trying to starve me to death?”
Bai Fu shoved the fake pillar into Yulia’s palm.
In an instant, a dense white light bloomed from Yulia’s hand.
The light surged, quickly engulfing the entire fake pillar.
The process didn’t last long—only a few dozen seconds.
Yulia’s body stopped trembling, and as the light faded, the fake pillar disappeared.
Bai Fu focused her eyes and noticed that two new status effects had appeared next to Yulia’s name.
【Fusion】 and 【Evolution】.
Perfect. Simple and straightforward status names!
“You okay?”
Bai Fu looked at Yulia.
Yulia was soaked from head to toe in sweat, like someone who had just been fished out of a bathtub.
Yulia shook her head. “No big deal. Just felt super hot. Couldn’t hold it in. My body started sweating on its own.”
Bai Fu said, “That’s good. If you’re fine, then hurry back inside me.”
Yulia didn’t object.
This place wasn’t safe to linger.
Better to leave quickly.
She turned into a stream of light and flew into Bai Fu.
And you know what? The moment she entered, that suffocating heat completely vanished, replaced by the comfortable sensation of soaking in warm water.
“Phew~”
Yulia let out a relaxed, happy sound.
She was excited—and so was Bai Fu.
After digesting this fragment, Yulia would definitely advance to the Calamity-class.
It was unclear whether any new abilities would unlock, but her existing talents would surely improve.
That meant she’d be even more capable of satisfying Bai Fu’s hunger after becoming a Dominator.
“Even though the quest only rewarded me with 10 million experience, the combat power boost is way more than just 10 or 20 percent!”
Bai Fu was thrilled.
She flew straight out of the room and was about to blink away when she suddenly spotted a familiar face.
Yo, isn’t that Frank?
Been a while—why’s he looking so miserable?
Under the bombardment of artillery, Frank looked utterly battered.
His injuries were even worse than the ones Sui Xi gave herself.
Given that she hadn’t officially accomplished anything during this trip, Bai Fu immediately flew in front of Frank and grabbed him.
“You—Bai Fu?!”
Frank’s face changed dramatically, but it was too late.
Bai Fu forcibly dragged him onto the Empire’s planet-class mothership.
At this moment, on the ship, the Empire soldiers were cursing nonstop.
They had made thorough preparations, but never expected the Saints to have a backup plan—escaping through a suddenly appearing teleportation channel.
“Damn it, are these bastards rats or something? How the hell did they escape?!”
“What a waste. I had already shattered Corona’s mechanical colossus. Just give me half an hour more, and I swear I’d have killed him.”
“Apostle Holy City’s capabilities are stronger than I imagined.”
“The Saints were way too cautious. We didn’t find much intel on Apostle Holy City.”
Bai Fu walked up to the crowd and tossed Frank out.
“We didn’t find any people from Apostle Holy City, but we did catch Rufus’s subordinate.”
“Rufus entrusted him with the collection of True Spirit Pillars—such an important job—and didn’t kill him afterward to tie up loose ends.”
“Clearly, he holds a high position in the Myriad Souls Society and probably knows a lot of Rufus’s secrets.”
Dmitry and Chong Xiao were already seething over the Saints’ escape.
The moment they saw Frank thrown over, their gazes turned even colder.
“I…”
Frank was about to wet himself from fear.
He was just a Calamity-class.
Did they really need four Transcendents and nine Dominators to “welcome” him?
What a sin…
Frank deeply regretted it now.
If only he hadn’t stayed behind to taunt Bai Fu after stealing the “True Spirit Pillar,” maybe he wouldn’t have been caught by her today.
“Interrogate him! I want to see if the Empire’s torture methods can crack his mouth open!”
Frank was dragged away.
The other members of the Ten Saints Council and the Myriad Souls Society who were captured didn’t escape their fate either.
The Empire was fuming, and their methods were naturally… ruthless.
Among those captured were not only hardened individuals but also those whose memories or minds had been tampered with.
Still, because so many had been caught, the Empire managed to find a breakthrough on the very day they set course to return.
“According to Frank’s confession, the Saints didn’t hand the Crystal Orb of Insight over to Apostle Holy City, but instead made a usage agreement with them.”
“Apostle Holy City learned about the Three Major Interstellar Civilizations through the Saints. The reason they haven’t made any moves so far is because they’re looking for the Psionic Sanctuary, wanting to use its power to artificially create Apostles.”
“Rufus only started colluding with the Saints a little over twenty years ago. Since then, Frank has been helping collect the True Spirit Pillars.”
“At first, Frank thought Rufus joined up with the Saints simply to grow stronger using the Crystal Orb of Insight. But the more he thought about it, the less it made sense.”
“Because even after the Saints had already let Rufus use the Orb, he still stuck close to them.”
“During the interrogation, Frank also mentioned something that’s related to you.”
Bai Fu was stunned. “Related to me?”
She hadn’t even been in the Star Sea for ten years—how could she have any dealings with Rufus?
Julian said, “Strictly speaking, it’s related to Scarlet Leaf.”
“When Scarlet Leaf was in her early teens, didn’t her hometown suffer a Void invasion?”
“According to Frank’s confession, the Void invasion outbreak in the Sea Lion Galaxy during that time was actually triggered by Rufus.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a mission completion prompt rang in Bai Fu’s ears.
【You have completed the hidden quest ［Malice from the Void］ and received 1,000,000 EXP as a reward.】
This quest had been triggered ages ago.
The completion requirement was to keep Scarlet Leaf’s favorability above 60 until a new quest was triggered.
Now that it had been completed, did that mean Frank’s confession was true?
At that moment, a new prompt appeared.
【You have triggered the hidden quest ［Another Dimension］】
【Quest Description: Even Frank, as a trusted aide, had no clue why Rufus made contact with the Void. This secret may concern the fate of the entire world. To uncover the truth, perhaps the only way is to ask someone involved in the Void Invasion incident.】
【Quest Objectives:
Branch 1. Ask Rufus why he made contact with the Void;
Branch 2. Use Void Resonance Consciousness to awaken the consciousness of Scarlet Leaf’s older sister sleeping deep within her soul.】
【Rewards: 1,000,000,000 EXP, Random Void Talent, Exploration Points, Title Fragment of “Original Seeker” *1】
Whoa—those rewards!
Bai Fu was stunned.
High EXP, rare Void Talent, and Exploration Points were already incredibly enticing.
As for that title fragment, she didn’t know the exact effect, but every part of it screamed powerful.
Original Seeker!
And for this level of quest, it only gave a single fragment?!
Bai Fu beamed with joy.
This interrogation of Frank had yielded huge gains.
Not only had she triggered Scarlet Leaf’s follow-up quest, but she also learned that Apostle Holy City was searching for the Psionic Sanctuary.
Wasn’t the Psionic Sanctuary the very location Cypriss mentioned as the greatest secret of the Dark Domain Zerg?
It was said that the Needle of Sin and Punishment had been discovered there by the Zerg.
Looks like she needed to help Cypriss recover her Domination-level strength quickly.
Otherwise, if Apostle Holy City joined forces with the Zerg Queen of the Dark Domain, she might lose access to the Sanctuary’s treasures.
“Being able to access this many secrets—thank goodness I hugged every NPC with a good-luck trait I could find!”
Hehe.
Thank you, past me, for your hard work.
Bai Fu sincerely thanked Julian for bringing her such valuable intel.
In the days that followed, she wrapped up the quest 【Conspiracy of the Saints】 and successfully obtained the blueprint for the Divine Staff and 300 million EXP.
Crafting the Divine Staff was a pain, and she didn’t have enough materials on hand.
She’d have to wait for the Empire to deliver her requested rewards before getting started.
After that, she had no urgent business to attend to and began strolling around the planet-class mothership.
But Bai Fu wasn’t wandering aimlessly.
She was actively searching for espers with Grade A or higher abilities.
When she found them, she’d stand nearby and use the Psionic Evolution Tree Diagram to catalog their powers.
By the time the ship arrived at the Reticulum Transfer Station, counting the day of departure, she had successfully catalogued five new abilities.
Not many.
But just thinking about having five new “little toys” to squeeze players with made her hum with delight.
“Please wait here a moment. Your reward will be delivered shortly.”
“You’re too kind.”
Bai Fu smiled and waved at the Empire’s envoy.
After dropping her off, Dmitry and the others immediately piloted the ship away.
They had to hurry and raid every outpost the Myriad Souls Society had in the outer worlds, hoping to gather more useful intelligence.
They had invited Bai Fu to join them, but she flatly refused.
Because of Kaid, she was already enemies with the Ten Saints Council, Rufus, and Corona.
But the grudge wasn’t that deep yet.
In the current situation, those people wouldn’t risk everything to come after her.
However, if she actively helped the Empire attack the Myriad Souls Society, the whole situation would change.
Now wasn’t the time to completely tear things apart.
Bai Fu waited at the Reticulum Transfer Station for a day and a half before the Empire’s cargo ship finally arrived.
The rewards this time were exceptionally generous.
They included—but were not limited to—large quantities of rare crafting materials and upgrade items, Calamity-class advancement knowledge across the body-tempering, spiritual, and technological paths, numerous rare ability manuals, higher-level Prayer Card factory blueprints, advanced Prayer Card design methods, a Transcendent-tier psionic advancement guide 《Frontier Knowledge: Divine Theory》, a rational planning guidebook for the Psionic Legion, a repair kit for the Virtual Heart, prototype code for a super AI, and so on.
These items would greatly strengthen both her power and the foundation of the Silent Court.
Along with these supplies came direct contact from Whitney of Dimensional Capital.
“Two months from now, the Ethereal Realm Research Society will be holding an offline gathering.”
Two months?
Bai Fu calculated—it would only take a little over ten days to get from the outer world to the Society’s headquarters.
If there were more large-scale star gates in the outer world, that time could’ve been even shorter.
Well, she’d just wait a while before going.
Bai Fu planned to first digest the wave of resources she had on hand.
That way, she’d have more confidence attending the meeting.
And she could help players develop a bit more before Version 2.2 arrived.
2.2 wasn’t far off.
It would go live while she was en route to the Society.
“Don’t forget the date. If you miss this offline gathering, you’ll have to wait another six months to join the Ethereal Realm Research Society.”
“The Empire’s new plan requires a huge number of psionic priests. The earlier you join the Society, the earlier you can set up your own strategies and get a slice of the pie.”
“Trust me, the benefits of this plan will not disappoint you. If you can seize this opportunity, you might be able to advance to Transcendent.”
Whitney had revealed some critical intel.
Bai Fu nodded.
A grand plan that could let her reach Transcendent?
Whitney didn’t even know she had a player panel, yet still said that.
This plan was probably going to be the main storyline of a major future version.
In that case, she needed to strive to reach Transcendent before the plan fully launched!