"An Astral God's creation?"
Tassadar subconsciously glanced at his second-in-command, Lohana, who stood behind him.
She was the Archivist of the [Garden of Recollection] and the First Officer of the [Spear of Adun], responsible for all research and weaponry-related work on the Super Titan-class starship.
After a very brief psionic communication with Lohana—
"Regrettably,"
"We do not have any of Lord Fuli's personal items in our possession."
Creations of Astral Gods were rare objects.
Even without powerful functions, they were revered as "holy relics" by their retainers, serving as spiritual anchors for worship. Moreover, the reality was quite the opposite: every creation of an Astral God was an item that had reached the pinnacle of excellence in some aspect.
Tassadar did, in fact, possess a creation of Fuli, but this item could under no circumstances be traded, for it was...
The starship core of the [Spear of Adun].
That's right.
A Super Titan-class ship could not be created by the power of a civilization alone. All Super Titan-class starships bore the mark of an Astral God's involvement.
On a side note, in a certain sense, the [Astral Express] could also be classified as a Super Titan-class vessel.
"However, according to what you said earlier..."
On Tassadar's shoulder, a section of his golden armor slowly opened. A sphere inscribed with complex, arcane runes gently emerged and was pushed by Tassadar to float above the center of the meeting table.
"If it is simply a matter of collecting creations of Astral Gods, this item should satisfy your 'Emperor'."
"This is—"
Ziz could only tell that it was a sealing device, but she could not sense the power of any Path from within, let alone the majestic aura of an Astral God that should have been present. Even the surprised expression on the face of Lohana, who was one of Tassadar's own, indicated from the side... that she had never seen the item the Executor was presenting.
"The Chaotic Enigma."
Tassadar spoke the name of the object within the sphere.
"None of you should be able to sense the Path aura within. This is not due to a lack of ability or a counterfeit item, but rather stems from the object's fundamental properties."
"It is the creation of 'Mythus, the Astral God of Mystery'."
"Furthermore, it is the spoil of war obtained after the first captain of the [Spear of Adun], High Templar Adun, sacrificed his life to shoot down the Super Titan-class starship of the [Riddlers], the [Star of Falsehood]."
The [Riddlers] were the retainers of "Mythus, the Astral God of Mystery."
"Mythus" had never revealed their true form in the cosmic sea and was even hostile to several Astral Gods who should have been in the same faction. They believed that all things were unknowable, that the finite could not comprehend the infinite, and that the cosmic sea could not be fully understood. Simply put, their philosophy was "all things return to chaos" and "truth only brings destruction."
Their two factions of retainers (the other being the [Fictionalist Historians]) were dedicated to destroying the certainty of "language" and "history." They were beings with lofty, altruistic goals, yet were ostracized by most civilizations as "madmen."
Evidently, the Path of "Mythus" was in direct opposition to those of "Fuli" and "Nous."
---o---
"Was that the battle that caused the Wepa Nebula to disappear?"
After hearing Tassadar's explanation, Jorah, who had been a silent presence until now, spoke for the first time.
"Correct."
"The [Chaotic Enigma] before you is the spoil from that very campaign."
Tassadar confirmed Jorah's question.
"..."
Ziz and Eden exchanged a very subtle glance.
"This item must be extremely precious."
"Indeed."
"In terms of value and the energy contained within, the [Chaotic Enigma] is in no way inferior to the [Astral Express]."
Tassadar replied very directly.
"During the Wepa Nebula campaign,"
"We paid the price of the [Memory of Nezin] being heavily damaged. Only with an absolute numerical advantage of three-to-one did we manage to destroy the [Star of Falsehood] controlled by the [Riddlers]."
"The problem is,"
Tassadar's tone shifted.
"We are fundamentally unable to utilize the power within it."
"The [Path of Mystery] affects us Protoss like the most terrible poison. Once we come into contact with the aura of 'Mythus', we, who possess vast memories, would likely be assimilated into the [Riddlers] in a very short time."
The [Riddlers] were originally geniuses from various fields across the cosmic sea. After encountering "Mythus," they abandoned their original Path powers, and even their faith in their original Astral Gods, and without exception, all became part of the [Riddlers].
"This sealed object,"
"Was created only through the joint efforts of the two Grand Monarchs of the [Garden of Recollection], with the help of Lord Fuli."
"Preserving this item is the duty of every captain of the [Spear of Adun]."
"..."
This was an open scheme from Tassadar.
The [Chaotic Enigma] concealed immense power. This item absolutely could not fall back into the hands of the [Riddlers], and it was a huge problem for the [Garden of Recollection]. Sending it away through a transaction was naturally the best option.
Only a Grand Monarch would dare to handle it, and only an Astral God could modify it. Since your "Emperor" is fond of Astral God creations, this item could indeed be considered a grand gift.
In this way, he could both gauge the strength of this unknown "Grand Monarch" and indirectly deduce whether there was an "Astral God" backing them.
It was definitely killing two birds with one stone.
As for whether they were related to the [Riddlers]... the aura and the "unpopularity" of that faction were as conspicuous as those of the [Antimatter Legion].
"And then there's this."
Perhaps feeling it was a bit inappropriate, after presenting the [Chaotic Enigma], Tassadar casually took out another item from his personal Imaginary Space: a purple and gold vambrace.
"This is the [Blade of Refracted Light], a weapon once used by Lord Adun, personally forged by a Nerazim Khalai (Khalai: the highest rank among Protoss artisans and inventors)."
"Although it is not a creation of an Astral God,"
"It is definitely among the top tier of all 'mortal' weapons. Even a mighty [Emissary] must possess an extremely powerful mind (psyche) to wield it."
"At the very least..."
"It is sharper than the [Noble Inlay] in Miss March 7th's hands."
Tassadar added.
"If that 'Emperor' is truly willing to safeguard the [Chaotic Enigma], we will also present this relic of Lord Adun, in accordance with his last will."
---o---
The brief meeting came to an end.
In the end, Ziz completed the transaction proposed by the Protoss on behalf of the Monarch.
The core of [Hyper Zetton] (mainly its design schematic) was indeed valuable, but it was not applicable to the Empire. Only a super-faction like the [Garden of Recollection] could mass-produce celestial weapons with Stellar-class destructive power (though the Protoss's nominal claim was to find Hyper Zetton's weakness).
Whether it was the raw materials or the technological processes, the Empire had never even come into contact with this completely unfamiliar field, let alone hope to meet the standards.
Notice how even the [Antimatter Legion] only modified the Zettons from the M78 Galaxy instead of mass-producing them.
Of course, this was also related to the nature of the [Antimatter Legion]'s Path. Neither mining nor scientific research was their area of expertise.
As for the two items received in exchange...
The [Chaotic Enigma] and the [Blade of Refracted Light].
The Protoss could be considered "magnanimous in action, meticulous in calculation." The value of these two items was undeniable, but their actual use was basically as Ziz had jokingly mentioned: "as collectibles." A "Grand Monarch" could, at best, handle the [Chaotic Enigma] without being affected. To think of using it to create a "Super Titan-class" ship was wishful thinking.
And the weapon inherited from Adun was completely unusable.
The Protoss had refined Imaginary energy into two sub-categories, "Psionic Energy" and "Void Energy" (similar to Honkai Energy). Most of the [Garden of Recollection]'s weapons, including their starships, required these two types of energy to be activated.
Adun, as a high-ranking Protoss who had once reached the [Emissary] level, had even fused these two psionic energies into one, creating a psionic power of the same level but with certain differences from Imaginary energy. This special psionic power was a prerequisite for using the [Blade of Refracted Light].
Although the weapon could be activated with a large dose of Imaginary energy, the blade's power would be greatly weakened. But if one were to study the special psionic power developed by Adun... becoming a believer of Fuli would not be a joke.
"The Protoss, who never lie but are full of cunning schemes..."
Illusions woven through verbal traps and the concealment of partial truths were far more effective than the most skillful lies.
"Top-tier civilizations are truly not to be trifled with."
However!
The Protoss had indeed profited, but the Empire had profited even more.
This brief excursion had brought Ziz into contact with three powers she had never encountered before: the [Star of Brocade], representing the [Path of Beauty]; the [Chaotic Enigma], representing the [Path of Mystery]; and the [Blade of Refracted Light], representing the [Path of Remembrance].
They were useless in her hands, but once they reached Little Bai... three brand new Dominions would be added to the path of the Empire's advance.
---o---
"Cheche, stop eating for a moment."
Ziz interrupted Cheche's actions.
Of course, it was only a verbal interruption. Even Ziz wouldn't dare to physically intervene... Snatching food from a tiger's mouth was something only Little Bai could barely manage without getting bitten (Leviathan had once lost one-ninth of her head for half a month because of it).
Among the materials the Protoss used to help [The Nameless] repair the Astral Express were a lot of [Polarized High-Energy Crystal Ores]. This mineral was essential for constructing the top-tier starship armor, [Hard-Light Composite]. Out of gratitude and the "it's not my money anyway" mentality, [The Nameless] had allowed Cheche to use these [Polarized High-Energy Crystal Ores] to replenish her energy from the previous battle.
It was worth noting that Cheche possessed a massive Imaginary Space within her body. Her stomach capacity and digestion speed far surpassed most species in the cosmic sea—a situation that would become even more terrifying once Little Bai obtained the [Dominion of Voracity].
Even now, looking at the supply warehouse with less than a tenth of its original stock remaining... Ziz felt it was necessary to make Cheche stop, to avoid any unnecessary complications. The value of these [Polarized High--Energy Crystal Ores] alone already exceeded half the construction cost of the "Cosmic Island" spaceport. If Cheche continued to eat, whether the Astral Express could even be repaired would become an issue.
"Hmph."
Cheche raised an eyebrow unhappily.
Her star-shaped cross pupils nearly transformed into the "X"-shaped combat mode, and the color of her irises shifted from gold to red, making Ziz almost raise a shield in defense.
Finally, after a long internal struggle, Cheche released the last half of a crystal she had yet to put in her mouth. Her digestion was so fast that not even a single "glass shard" was left over.
"The faceless ones are bad."
"They wouldn't dare say anything even if I ate more."
Cheche was not good at communication, but she was far from "stupid."
The Protoss had many branches, and Tassadar's clan had no mouths or noses, so calling them "faceless ones" was quite apt.
"Have we completed all the objectives Little Bai mentioned?"
"Barely."
Ziz spread her hands.
"We obtained one more Dominion than the best-case scenario. The original plan was to consider it a success if we got one, and an overwhelming success if we got two."
"However, I'm afraid Eden's mission here can't continue."
Ziz glanced at the busy [Probes] in the corridor. They were automated robots operated by Protoss artisans, equipped with micro-spatial beacons and teleportation matrices. They could even perform incredible feats by integrating a Protoss's spiritual essence into the probe's core.
"The [Astral Express Cannon] was repaired quickly, but the 'one-time fix' consumed the train's already scarce resources and caused considerable 'extra' damage to this high-powered main cannon."
"Coupled with over 70% damage to the train's hull."
"Even with the aid of the [Garden of Recollection], it will probably take several months to repair... and that's the best-case scenario estimated by the Nameless."
Ziz stated the final conclusion.
"Then let's go back quickly."
Cheche said to Ziz, while casually glancing at the half-crystal in her hand.
"Once the flow of time becomes more chaotic, Little Bai won't be able to exert his full power 'externally'."
"..."
After a moment's hesitation, Ziz suddenly asked:
"A premonition or foresight?"
"It's probably the effect of the [Dominion of Finality]."
"Ever since Little Bai ate the 'branch of the Tree,' I've been able to see some blurry images when I sleep... You should be the same, Little Zi."
Cheche still ate the last half-crystal in her hand.
Minerals that could serve as an energy source for her were few and far between. Eating more now meant she wouldn't regret it when she needed it in the future. This was also the reason she had refrained from using the [Great Sun Collapsed State] in the battle with [Hyper Zetton].
"Hah."
"More or less."
Ziz sighed softly, then confirmed Cheche's guess.
"Where's Eden?"
"Saying goodbye to her 'friends'."
"...Leave an anchor for her. We'll go ahead."
That was just Eden's personality. Ziz did not interfere.
"We should get these things back to Little Bai as soon as possible."
"That plan..."
"It's just too daring."