Chapter 146 He's Been Swapped Out!

"Where did you learn about the Sanctuary?" Han Xiao asked with a hint of surprise.

"Netherworld told me..."

Hela briefly repeated what Ouni Celue had said. Seeing Han Xiao's reaction, she couldn't help but snort.

"So you knew about the Sanctuary all along and didn't tell me."

"Cough, that's because my own knowledge was incomplete, and I was still investigating it in secret."

Han Xiao coughed lightly, his mind racing.

Hela's news was a pleasant surprise. He had only wanted to extract information about the Spirit Emperor from the heroes of the Netherworld, but he didn't expect to get new information about the Sanctuary as a bonus.

According to Hela's account, someone had invited the previous two sisters to participate in an operation against the Sanctuary, indicating that some of the Firstborn had more information about it. However, the previous two sisters didn't participate. Later, for some unknown reason, the information about the Sanctuary seemed to have a break, and fewer and fewer people knew about it.

Moreover, Han Xiao learned a significant piece of information from Hela, which was that one of the functions of the Sanctuary was to revive the dead. This was the first function of the Sanctuary he knew, finally lifting a corner of its mysterious veil.

The Covenant Organization, the revived Firstborn, the Sanctuary...

Han Xiao suddenly understood and finally felt a line connecting everything.

No wonder the Oathkeeper behaved that way...

He hadn't connected the two before because he didn't know the specific function of the Sanctuary. But now, he had a clearer understanding of the Covenant Organization, no longer limited to a superficial understanding.

'My Original Esper Ability Collector milestone mission, one of the rewards is the Third Sanctuary skill fragment. There's some connection between the two. So the Covenant Organization is sparing no effort to collect Original Esper Abilities. Their real goal is to open the Sanctuary and revive the strong...' Han Xiao's thoughts raced.

Seeing Han Xiao deep in thought, Hela frowned and asked, "Is this information useful to you?"

"Useful, very useful." Han Xiao came back to his senses, pleased. "Actually, I've been secretly investigating the Sanctuary's information. You've helped me a lot this time. Well done."

"It's good that it's helpful to you." Hela's brow relaxed, and she nodded slightly. "What were you going to talk to me about earlier?"

"Haha, I happened to want to ask the Netherworld heroes for information too. Now I have one more question to ask."

"Do you need me to wake up the heroes right away?"

"Wouldn't that affect your development?"

"If you need it, I don't care." Hela didn't hesitate at all.

"The Netherworld is the legacy you inherited after all, don't only think about me." Han Xiao shook his head, helpless. "Let's not rush for now. Wait until you've restored the Netherworld."

Right now, Hela was like jungling. He had an advantage in his lane, and Han Xiao didn't want to delay her development. It wouldn't be too late to call for her when needed.

"Whatever you want. Just tell me when you need me, and I'll help you anytime," Hela said casually.

"We'll see when the time comes." Han Xiao nodded, changed the subject, and smiled. "By the way, I brought you a gift this time. You should like it."

Hela's eyes lit up. "What is it?"

"I reached an agreement with the three Universal Civilizations. I can exchange three shares of Esper Ability System Ultimate Knowledge for you. I brought one for you this time. I'll have Phillip send it to you later."

"Okay." Hela's lips curled up, revealing a slight smile. She was very satisfied with this gift, even more satisfied that Han Xiao remembered her even while on a business trip.

...

After chatting for a while, Han Xiao finally logged off.

Disengaging the remote projection, his perspective returned to his main body, in the command room of the flagship.

At this time, the fleet was traveling in the Morning Star Cluster, the gateway to the Shattered Star Ring. It was estimated that it would take a few more days to reach the edge of the Gulu Star Cluster and return to the legion's territory from Blackgate Star.

Standing by the huge floor-to-ceiling porthole, Han Xiao looked at the starlight passing by outside, recalling the situation during the meeting.

"Manison's risky operation has lost him the support of the association and damaged his network. If there are no accidents, it will be difficult for him to be re-elected as president in the election fifty years later...

"But old Manison isn't the type to sit still and wait for death. He's busy dealing with the suppression from the three Universal Civilizations right now, but he won't always be passive. He will definitely plan other ways to improve his situation. With his philosophy, it's impossible for him to admit his mistake and return to the embrace of the Crimson Dynasty. That would only make people suspicious, and he can't go back to the past.

"He'll probably restore his independent faction status like in his previous life, but this time it may not be limited to the Super-Power Calamity version alone. He'll completely become a marginal figure. Even if he doesn't nominally dissolve the alliance, it will be difficult for the three Universal Civilizations to reuse him..."

Han Xiao pondered secretly.

Manison's gamble eliminated his backers, but he himself was his own backer, and he had the confidence to do so.

If he hadn't taken the initiative to point out the core of the virus to the three Universal Civilizations in order to reduce disaster losses, Manison wouldn't have taken the risk and would still be comfortably acting as an ally.

Thinking like this, Han Xiao opened the panel and looked at the [Key of the Machinery Faith].

The impact of their confrontation was significant. As the Cloud Magnet Star Mechanical Church members vigorously spread the news, the message that he and Manison were evenly matched was widely circulated within the Mechanical Church, shaking a small portion of Manison's faith and attracting a new batch of believers to him.

After this period of fermentation, the buff of the [Key of the Machinery Faith] had increased a lot. The buff range of this specialty was very comprehensive, basically covering all aspects of mechanical abilities. Currently, the Mechanical Affinity was around +600%, and all attributes except Luck had gained hundreds of points of bonuses. At the same time, depending on the believer's tendencies, mechanical abilities in multiple fields such as armed and virtual were also gaining targeted bonuses. In addition, the efficiency of manufacturing, repairing, and strengthening was additionally enhanced, and the efficiency of different types of machinery in his hands was also more or less improved.

There were many items in this specialty, and the enhancement range was so comprehensive. The bonus was still rising with the growth of believers, and Han Xiao didn't know if there was an end.

"The buff to me personally is secondary..." Han Xiao's eyes moved, and he grinned.

The increase in his [Key of the Machinery Faith] meant that he had taken away the Mechanical Nation's believers, causing Manison's specialty effect to continuously decrease.

The longer I get, the shorter Manison gets.

With the rise of one and the fall of the other, the gap between Manison and everyone else was gradually shrinking.

I may not be the one earning the most, but Manison is definitely the one losing the most.

...

After several days of sailing, Han Xiao, who had been away for many days, finally led the fleet to Blackgate Star, the entrance to the legion's territory. He planned to rest here for half a day, and then take a detour to the Black Star Cup arena.

During the days he was away, the construction of the legion's territory progressed steadily, the Black Star Cup was successfully launched, the members who were eliminated early returned to their respective posts, and the eliminated players returned to the fourth stage of the Shattered Star Ring's free competition zone to continue occupying strongholds... Everything was in order.

Now, the vast majority of the Black Star Cup events had ended, leaving only the final two highlights: the finals of the Disaster Grade's solo project and the finals of the Player Group's four-way team battle.

The two players in the former were both elite guards under Han Xiao's command, one was the old bootlicker Hadaway, and the other was the new bootlicker Jotina. Both had the strength of a Super A Grade seed, standing out among the legion's many Disaster Grades.

Not counting Han Xiao and Hela, these two were already recognized as the top two strongest in the legion.

Originally, Laki and Rothere had the ability to compete for the chief position of the legion's Disaster Grades. However, Laki promoted the style and gave up in the preliminary rounds.

As for Rothere, due to his position, it was inconvenient for him to show up in public, so he did not participate in the Black Star Cup.

As for the other Disaster Grades, they were currently no match for Hadaway and Jotina, even Fording and Nero, who had the halo of luck. Luck couldn't make up for the gap in direct strength.

As for the four-way team battle players in the Player Group, they were Kuang Dao's Jiangcheng Team, Wanghou Jiangxiang's Dynasty Team, Jiang Yuluo's Storm Team, and the Golden Team, which was composed of a group of scattered masters.

Only one of the four major Chinese guilds made it to the finals, because the Black Star Cup's mechanism was more free, and there were many more random and dramatic elements than the official league. In general, in the four-way melee, the major guilds would always encounter the joint attacks of the other three parties. As a result, Changkong, Temple, and Yuxiang Qiezi all ended up falling by the wayside, taught how to behave by their enthusiastic fans.

At this moment, the fleet stopped at the Blackgate Star's public dock.

As soon as Han Xiao got off the ship, he saw Sylvia waiting at the dock. A cordon had been set up around the area, and many passersby were curiously watching from outside, including legion warriors and players.

Not only that, but couplets were also hung overhead, with "Iron shoulders bear righteousness" written on the left, "Compassionate heart carries the common people" written on the right, and "Welcome the universe hero home" written as the horizontal inscription!

"What the..."

Han Xiao was dumbfounded. He retreated back to the cabin, closed and opened the door again, confirming that he was not hallucinating.

Am I opening the door in the wrong way...

While he was in a daze, Sylvia came up and solemnly saluted with a group of cadres, shouting slogans as if afraid others wouldn't hear them.

"Welcome the legion commander's return!"

The corners of Han Xiao's mouth twitched. He didn't need to ask to know that this scene must have been Sylvia's work.

It didn't matter if others praised him, but it was too embarrassing for his subordinates to boast and praise themselves, especially since this was still in a public place, giving him the feeling of being transformed into a Stellar Ancestor.

"Why are you doing this again?" Han Xiao pulled Sylvia aside and whispered, speechless.

"This is an indispensable welcoming ceremony to let the entire legion know that you've returned with merit, which is conducive to strengthening the members' sense of identity." Sylvia was serious, but the corners of her mouth were upturned, betraying her inner thoughts.

Han Xiao was a little pained. He quickly pulled Sylvia and strode towards the dock exit, changing the subject along the way.

"The Black Star Cup is finally coming to an end. How are the preparations for the closing ceremony going?"

Speaking of business, Sylvia also put away her smile and said, "It's all been arranged. You'll need to give a speech at that time, and personally commend the winners of each event."

"So many events, how many people will there be..."

Sylvia rolled her eyes. "You're the one who asked for it, hero."

"Okay, I'll be there then." Han Xiao said helplessly.

"Also, for the last two games, I suggest you watch them in person. Since you're back, it's best to attend the finals and show your attention to the event."

"Anyway, it's not like I'm short on time, so I'll just do it together."

The group hurriedly left the dock, and in the crowd outside, a group of players stretched their necks to look at Han Xiao's back. Many people recognized them. This group was the Golden Team, which had made it to the finals of the Black Star Cup's Undying Group's four-way melee. They were all a group of scattered masters who had attracted many fans due to their outstanding performance in the Black Star Cup.

Watching Han Xiao leave, the members of the Golden Team retracted their gazes and all looked at a Mechanic teammate in the middle.

"We actually managed to squat Black Star here."

"How is it, has the character card been generated?"

"What skills did you engrave?"

Everyone asked questions at once.

The purpose of their gathering here today was to have the Mechanic teammate, who had a blank character card, engrave Black Star's ability in order to obtain a trump card for the finals.

Because Super A Grades were rarely seen, they had originally planned to engrave a Disaster Grade and be done with it. But it just so happened that the legion commander had returned, and no one was more suitable as the target of a blank character card than Black Star. The cost performance was the highest.

"Don't worry, it's still generating."

The Mechanic teammate opened the team display function of the panel and stared at the panel nervously with everyone.

After waiting for two or three seconds, the panel finally popped up with a prompt. Everyone's spirits lifted, and they hurriedly looked over.

[You have obtained [Character Arrival Card - Black Star]]

[Character Card Ability: [Myriad Machine Nations - Manison]]

[Number of Uses: 0/1]

"???"

At this moment, everyone had a black question mark on their faces, completely dumbfounded.

What's going on?

Aren't we touching Black Star? Why did we draw Manison?!

At this moment, several people suddenly trembled. They looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes, feeling that they had discovered a shocking secret.

There was only one explanation for this situation!

The legion commander has been swapped out!

That Black Star must be fake!