Chapter 670: Life Is Like a Play—It's All About the Performance

The fish had taken the bait—after using a disguised contact signal to call a hidden channel in the Dark Meteor Domain, a hyperlight communications array linked to Deeprock Fortress actually received an unknown feedback signal. The signal's source was vaguely directed at a patch of deep space at the junction of the Dark Meteor Domain and the Great Triangle Nebula, and its encoding matched the results of Luo's recent decryption work.

Mo Mo had already activated the acoustic field shielding in the communications room. Within the safe zone, the technical staff immediately got busy:

"Quick, quick, quick—lights in position, lights in position!"

"Boss, just focus on your lines later. Also, don't make too big a move—be careful not to tear off 'Old Joe's' arm."

"Effects team, effects team, get the interference effects ready for later..."

"All units ready!"

"Received the second handshake signal. Preparing to power on the communicator in five seconds! Everyone mute, 'actor' entering the stage—"

The communication device set in the center of the room emitted a low hum. Above it, the large holographic projection quickly displayed lines of trembling light. The signal from the distant deep space, encrypted and disguised multiple times, entered Deeprock Fortress and was restored to a clear communication signal by the method Luo had recently cracked—those trembling lines formed a figure in a white robe, whose background seemed to be a magnificent palace.

The other party's face had been processed, covered with a blurry filter, and the voice, when it came through, also carried a noticeable modulation: "Why are you suddenly contacting us? It's not the scheduled communication time..."

Erin suddenly tugged at Yu Sheng's hair. Even though they were within the acoustic field shielding, she still instinctively lowered her voice: "Hey, do you think we can get rid of that mosaic on this guy's face?"

Yu Sheng: "Probably not. This should have been processed on the sending end..."

Erin: "Oh."

At the same time, "Old Joe" on the communication platform had already leaned forward, pressing his hands on the railing in his signature aggressive posture that conveyed pressure and dissatisfaction. His voice came out coarse and angry from his chest: "Don't talk to me about scheduled communication time—how many things are you still hiding from me?!"

Yu Sheng secretly gave Luo a thumbs up: Full of emotion, expression on point, movements smooth, and the lines weren't wrong either.

The Inquisition cleric on the other end of the communicator was clearly taken aback by this sudden and imposing interrogation. When someone is subjected to an unexpected questioning, their ability to observe and think obviously declines. He instinctively started to speak: "What does that mean..."

"Old Joe" roughly interrupted him: "Why didn't you warn me that the 'Luo' might have an angel relic in her possession!"

With just that one sentence, any other doubts the cleric on the other end might have had were instantly swept away—Yu Sheng even saw clearly that the white-robed figure shook, followed by an uncontrollable low cry: "Heavens, an angel relic?! Do you know what you're saying?!"

"Old Joe" straightened up slightly at the right moment, putting on a convincingly puzzled look, and his tone also eased a bit: "...You didn't know?"

"Of course not!" The cleric on the other end could hardly contain his agitation. The calm and noble demeanor he had at the beginning of the call was long gone. "What's going on? Weren't you supposed to be regrouping to deal with that woman? Why does an 'angel relic' come into this?"

"Old Joe" assumed a contemplative and pondering posture. Only after the other side urged him again did he speak in a low voice: "That woman stole something when she escaped from the Borderlands—something from the Special Services Bureau."

The white-robed cleric's posture didn't change, but it seemed he took a deep breath—obviously, he was connecting it to the intelligence the spies had recently sent back from the Borderlands. The collapse of the Bridge of Realms, the scattered Angel Catalyst at the border, the black market purge, and the search teams the Special Services Bureau had recently dispatched... It all fit.

"Old Joe" then, after leaving a few seconds for the other side to think, continued at the right time: "...Two days ago, I organized another encirclement. This time, I finally managed to push that woman into a corner. I was about to catch her, but then she activated a strange device—I didn't know what it was at the time. It tore through space-time right in front of me. The impact of the rift opening killed half of my soldiers! "Then she fled through the rift—I couldn't stop her in time. The rift collapsed, leaving only a black stone on the spot."

"Old Joe" deliberately paused here. The white-robed cleric on the other side immediately spoke: "A black stone? Where is that thing now?"

"Don't be so impatient—" "Old Joe" slowed his speech, "I already know what that thing is now—I have my own intelligence channels in the Borderlands. It seems... that thing is indeed very important to you, isn't it?" After asking, "he" fell silent, leaving the rest for the white-robed cleric to fill in.

The figure on the other end of the communicator swayed slightly. He raised his hand to signal the other side to wait briefly, then seemed to communicate quickly with someone else via the communicator. After a long while, the other party's voice came through the speaker: "We know your intention—name your price, as long as we can accept it."

"Old Joe" pressed both hands on the railing again, issuing a threatening voice: "Name my price? That thing killed over a hundred of my soldiers and almost took my life!"

"But that's not our problem—that woman stealing the Angel Catalyst from the Special Services Bureau was an unforeseen situation." The white-robed cleric said calmly. Then, under Old Joe's unrelenting posture, he hesitated for a moment and reported a string of numbers.

Yu Sheng had no concept of the number the white-robed cleric reported, but he turned to glance at Luo and saw that the golden-haired elf was not only glowing in the eyes, but her entire body was emitting a golden light...

"I've never seen such a big deal in my life! Enough to build another Black Rock Station!" Luo noticed Yu Sheng's gaze and turned to say quickly, "This f*cking... This is the kind of money you only get from running a cult."

"Stay calm!" Yu Sheng immediately warned when he saw her state. "Don't agree right away—act according to Old Joe's character and the reaction he should have at this moment. Watch your lines and expression!"

Luo quickly adjusted her mindset, and while sighing inwardly at how rich the cultists were, she continued to concentrate on controlling the puppet on the communication platform and uttered the most insincere words of her life: "You think a sum of money can move me?"

This sentence seemed to be expected by the white-robed cleric. He assumed a thoughtful posture, quickly communicated with someone far away for a while, and finally reported another price.

"...This is a good deal for you," he added after reporting the price. "That thing is useless to you. Keeping it will only increase danger and attract the attention of the Special Services Bureau. Better to sell it at a good price."

Luo was dazed after hearing the second price. Her two seconds of blankness were obviously interpreted by the other side as hesitation, so the cleric immediately continued at the opportune moment: "Worldly money is a fleeting and limited illusion, my friend—it is merely a stepping stone on the path to sanctity. We are engaged in a greater cause, its achievement far surpassing any wealth. You should see the value behind this deal. As long as the Gate of Eden can be successfully opened, any constraints this filthy, broken universe imposes on you will become meaningless. In the new world, you have infinite possibilities.

"Remember? Opening the Gate of Eden—that is our common goal."

Luo took a light breath. She quickly weighed whether to agree at this moment—agreeing too readily or showing too much hesitation could arouse the other's suspicion. Although the Angel Catalyst itself was enough to make those cultists relax their vigilance to some extent, any doubt from them before the catalyst was actually delivered to the Inquisition's lair could cause the entire plan to fail. She had been out of Old Joe's control for nearly two hundred years.

Finally, she exchanged a glance with Mo Mo. The other nodded slightly.

"Alright, it's a deal then," "Old Joe" on the communication platform finally nodded. "Getting rid of that damn strange stone early is also a good thing—I hope your technology is as reliable as you boast."

"A wise decision," the white-robed cleric in the communication interface finally showed a relieved expression, but then asked another question, "Is the previous delivery channel still safe? Has the Special Services Bureau gotten onto you?"

"They don't know that thing has now fallen into my hands, and their reach doesn't extend into the Dark Meteor Domain," "Old Joe" replied immediately. "I'll send the stuff to the 'Fault' side—we'll set a time, and both sides' people will enter simultaneously. But on the condition that the price you promised must be paid first. Also, it must be in Unified Exchange Currency or Algared Energy Currency. I only accept those two."

"...The second point is no problem, but we need to confirm the condition of the 'Angel Catalyst' before we pay," the white-robed cleric shook his head. "It's not suspicion of you, but necessary caution—the world knows little about the 'Angel Catalyst,' and that cunning 'Director' of the Special Services Bureau is always full of tricks. We must ensure that thing hasn't been tampered with."

Luo suddenly felt that everything the other side said was correct, and even felt like standing up and giving a round of applause, but she still controlled "Old Joe" on the platform to appear resistant and hesitant—after several rounds of such back-and-forth argument and confrontation, she finally pretended to be convinced by the other party's excellent negotiation skills, reluctantly agreeing to let the other side pay one-third of the deposit first, and then have the Inquisition's "expert" check the authenticity of the Angel Catalyst at the delivery location at the Morona Fault.

Everything was settled. The white-robed cleric in the holographic projection finally relaxed slightly, then nodded and said in a sincere tone, "If the Angel Catalyst is real, then we no longer need those 'data.' The sages will have their own ways to repair the flaws in that gate. Our noble cause has taken a great step forward. Your contribution will be permanently recorded on the monument of the Path to Sanctity."

"Whatever, as long as you remember your promise." "Old Joe" said in a deep voice, then cut off the communication cleanly.

The holographic projection quickly faded, and the humming communication device fell silent. After confirming the channel was completely cut off, "Old Joe" on the platform slumped his hands down, turning back into a lifeless iron shell.

Then the entire hall erupted in thunderous applause...