Chapter Thirty-Three: A Great Harvest

After everyone had been transported away, the star representing Script Six in Yang Qiu’s mental universe rapidly expanded. Once it finished swelling, it was larger than the other five combined, and the remaining scripts automatically linked themselves to it, beginning to orbit around it. At the same time, Yang Qiu distinctly felt his mental power capacity rise to a new level.

Script Six: The Ouroboros Trial

Script Summary: A newcomer assessment organized by the mysterious Ouroboros organization. For the first time, the powers of the occult appear before the eyes of those outside the supernatural world—wailing spirits, cruel cults—it all seems to herald the opening of a grand new act...

Script Evolution Result: Excellent

Script Evolution Products: Ouroboros Emblem, Official Knight Genomi, Mage Apprentice Fina, Druid Apprentice Vernon, World Energy Level Up

Ouroboros Emblem: A badge of identity for Ouroboros members. By consuming energy, it enables the transport of personnel and items within the planet. It also allows for issuing and verifying tasks, recording points, and various other functions.

Official Knight Genomi: A knight who has advanced through orthodox breathing techniques. Related organization members and ability paths pending further evolution.

Mage Apprentice Fina: An apprentice mage who has advanced through orthodox meditation. Related organization members and ability paths pending further evolution.

Druid Apprentice Vernon: An apprentice druid who has advanced through orthodox communion with nature. Related organization members and ability paths pending further evolution.

World Energy Level Up: The planet’s current energy activity has increased; all advancement thresholds for various paths have been lowered, as has the threshold for energy perception.

After the script settlement finished, Yang Qiu immediately gathered up all the related knowledge. His previously meager knowledge base suddenly became abundant.

And that wasn’t all—the materials Fina used in her mission, the various seeds Vernon employed, and the special weapon in Genomi’s hand also entered the scope of what Yang Qiu’s mental power could manifest.

However, since the script evolution had fallen short of perfection, the various mysterious strongholds Yang Qiu had only briefly mentioned did not materialize. He had already anticipated this, though.

Upon joining, the three—Genomi, Fina, and Vernon—were immediately assigned investigative tasks. The sole purpose was to prevent them from realizing that the bases in their memories had yet to appear. As for their current accommodations, Yang Qiu had recently secured a now-unused Supreme Mage Association station from Gu Yi, which suited their needs perfectly.

Meanwhile, just after leaving the assessment site and before she could even check the updates on her Ouroboros Emblem, Natasha found herself facing Nick Fury across the table.

“Well? Did you manage to pinpoint the location?” Natasha asked. She always carried a miniature global positioning device.

“Satellite data shows that after you left headquarters, you appeared near an abandoned haunted house on the outskirts. You lingered there for a few minutes, then the satellite lost your signal,” Nick Fury summarized. “Where did you go after that?”

“I was still there, but perhaps in the past,” Natasha replied. The memory of her recent experience still felt astonishing—the power of time itself was shrouded in mystery.

“The past?!”

“I’m fairly certain. From what I’ve observed, there really is a parallel side to our world, one made up of all sorts of supernatural forces.”

Natasha proceeded to recount her experience.

“Mages... Druids... Truly unexpected,” Nick Fury remarked in amazement.

Had Genomi overheard, he would surely have wept—so knights just aren’t as eye-catching as spellcasters and get overlooked like this?!

“Indeed. I recommend forming a dedicated task force to re-examine all past incidents suspected to be supernatural. I’m sure many things we thought were normal weren’t normal at all,” Natasha suggested immediately.

“Good idea, but a little late,” Nick Fury said as he tossed over a file.

Natasha opened it and saw it was a supplementary law enforcement document, clearly stating that some of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s enforcement powers had been reclaimed by the permanent members of the Security Council. Each member nation had now established its own rapid-response supernatural unit, and they had already taken over relevant matters.

“How... How did they find out so quickly?” Natasha was surprised. Ouroboros intel had been tightly contained.

Nick Fury shook his head, unwilling to say more. In the face of top national powers, S.H.I.E.L.D. was like a sieve—information could never be fully contained.

“The situation is clear now. Compared to these shortsighted people, we have only one remaining advantage: you have already set foot into the so-called supernatural world,” Fury said, feeling a surge of superiority from who knows where. He couldn’t help but think S.H.I.E.L.D. benefited humanity more than any other nation.

“No, there are two more—one is Frank, the former Marine, and the other is Blade, the vampire hunter,” Natasha added.

“I already know. Frank will never agree to rejoin the service—what he’s been through has completely destroyed his trust in the government, and since yesterday he’s disappeared from our radar. As for Blade, he and his mentor have managed to evade our surveillance,” Fury responded grimly. S.H.I.E.L.D. was facing its most severe test yet.

Natasha fell silent, looking at Fury. If this was true, she realized she was in danger. As a former Soviet defector with a known location and identity, she’d be the easiest target if the powers-that-be wanted to make an example.

“You’re overthinking it. A meeting just ended, and during it, Russia raised an objection about your status, demanding your extradition. The U.S. opposed, and China took a neutral stance. For now, things are in a strange balance, but as long as we don’t make any mistakes, you’re safe for the time being,” Fury explained, seemingly having guessed her thoughts.

During the recent video conference, if not for the distance, the diplomats on each side would have come to blows.

“In addition, after joint analysis by multiple intelligence teams, we believe the most likely reason the supernatural side is suddenly recruiting outsiders is that the one who established the rules—The Ancient One—may not have long to live,” Fury added.

“Wait, who’s The Ancient One?” Natasha was confused.

With a snap, Fury placed a USB drive in front of her.

“This arrived from Frank half an hour ago. It contains what he knows about the supernatural world. The Ancient One is the direct cause of its current seclusion, and one of the world’s most powerful mages,” Fury explained, rubbing his aching head. Frank had left a final note on the USB: that now, they were even.

Trading a personal favor for information that absolutely had to be disclosed—Fury couldn’t help feeling that he’d gotten the short end of the stick.