"The information you found gave us new leads. After much investigation, we found a clue about the origin of Germination in the sealed confidential files of a defunct nation..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the quest log finally popped up with the mission completion.

[【New Era—Origin】 Part 1 Completed]

[You gained 350,000 experience]

[Completion Rating: Good]

[You gained an additional 280,000 experience, you gained Lv45 Rare Large Instance Dungeon Crystal -【Golan Defense War】x5]

[Listen to Hannes's explanation]

Hannes began to explain in detail.

"In the old era, there was a small country called Golan. Historically, the ruling government experienced many upheavals and changes. In a certain year of the old era, a terrorist organization targeting Golan quietly appeared, called 'Mingmoke.' They carried out multiple attacks within Golan, causing social panic. The government took action, but the members of Mingmoke seemed to be everywhere. Repeated malignant incidents crushed the Golan people's sense of security, demanding that the government take stricter measures. So the Golan government did just that, issuing various harsh laws, the domestic system became strict, and the people of Golan were subjected to close surveillance and management, calling it 'protective measures.' Since then, Mingmoke seemed to disappear overnight, and there were no more major malignant incidents. The measures seemed to have worked."

"However, Mingmoke was actually an organization secretly cultivated by the Golan government to inflict violence on its own people. The Golan people, for the sake of security, voluntarily accepted strict 'protection.' The government took back rights from the people one by one, controlling all media. All platforms that could make a sound were under the strict control of the government..."

Bennet nodded, interjecting, "This is a reign of terror, creating an enemy in opposition to the people. Then you stand with the people, making them feel the danger firsthand. When security is not guaranteed, fear will prompt most people to surrender their freedom and accept strict systems for the sake of security."

"Indeed." Hannes nodded, continuing, "The reasons why the Golan government of that time chose this method of rule are no longer known. Perhaps it was because they did not want to repeat the mistakes of history. However, paper cannot contain fire. Some pioneers revealed the truth about Mingmoke. The government's tricks were exposed, becoming a scandal sufficient to bring down the government. The Golan people were furious, marching and protesting in the streets, forming civil resistance organizations, resulting in repeated violent clashes, wanting to overthrow the government."

"And just as the internal strife in Golan reached a fever pitch, interstellar civilizations descended, bringing knowledge that subverted the world. At that time, the whole world was showing signs of chaos. Finally, war broke out. Golan was invaded by a neighboring country, which diverted a lot of the Golan government's energy. Under internal and external troubles, the government collapsed, the country was occupied, and Golan was destroyed."

"And Mingmoke is the predecessor of the Germination organization."

"The current leader of Germination is a Golanese. He was once a member of the Golan civil resistance organization."

Han Xiao said in surprise, "Oh? The Golan civil resistance organization and Mingmoke should be enemies... What exactly is his identity, what's his name?"

Hannes shook his head. "The era is too far away. Specific identity information can no longer be found, but it is certain that the Germination leader was once just a small figure. After the fall of Golan, Mingmoke survived. After breaking away from the government's control, Mingmoke's leader was ambitious, turning the organization into a hungry wolf seeking opportunities in war. They were once active for a period of time in the early stages of the old era wars. But one day, Mingmoke suddenly disappeared without a trace, only to reappear before the world after many years. At that time, it had been renamed Germination, and its power had expanded dozens of times, from a small shrimp to a shark. The organizer also became the current Germination leader, and the original Mingmoke leader disappeared... This is all the information I've found."

The scene quieted down, and the three looked at each other.

Han Xiao pondered, "It sounds like the leader took Mingmoke..."

Bennet was more concerned about another issue, "What about the other Golanese?"

"Some were executed by the country that occupied Golan, some were naturalized and accepted, and the rest became refugees." Hannes paused and said, "Also... the country that invaded Golan is now Rylander."

"I see, now we know the motivation for the Germination leader's hostility toward the Six Nations. He is also a refugee from a fallen country. Germination's philosophy is also his personal experience, isn't it? This is revenge against the Six Nations." Han Xiao nodded, hugging his chest with one hand and touching his chin with the other, striking a standard detective pose.

People in the world all have hope. Hope grows into a desire, and then, as experience deepens, desire continues to grow and become a philosophy. Different philosophies will diverge into forks in the road, and finally collide in this world. Thus, struggle begins, and war is the ultimate form of struggle.

Germination was established in the old era and has always been at the forefront of courting death, yet it has survived to this day and is still growing stronger. It sounds like the leader's experience is also legendary, from an unknown ordinary person to a leader of a great force that rivals the Six Nations. He is worthy of being one of the protagonists of Aquamarine Star.

But the leader's specific thoughts and exact experiences are only known to him personally.

At this time, the quest log refreshed again with the second part of the 【New Era—Origin】 quest. It was the same type as the first part, still many small tasks to unearth clues around the world, as many as nine, even more cumbersome. Han Xiao decided to use the old method and split it up for the players to do.

"This hidden main storyline is about excavating sealed historical secrets, and the description says that it will cause unknown effects on Aquamarine Star. Could it be that some explosive material will be unearthed, changing the perception of the entire world?" Han Xiao secretly guessed.

The basic reward for the second part is 800,000 experience, and the evaluation reward is still unknown. This quest rewarded five instance dungeon crystals in the first part. This is a large instance dungeon for twenty people, which can save progress and be played for several days. Large guilds will definitely have a demand for this, and he felt he could sell it for a good price.

After chatting for a few more words and lamenting about history for a while, the three returned to the convoy.

Han Xiao sat on the side, munching on dry rations. Suddenly, a fragrant breeze blew towards him.

Hela came to his side and said with a grim face, "We've already escaped. When are we going to pick up my sister? I'm very worried about her."

Stuffing the last piece of compressed biscuit into his mouth, chewing a few times, and swallowing this lumpy, throat-scratching biscuit crumble, Han Xiao wiped the corner of his mouth and said, "To pick up your sister, we have to quietly return to the New Stone Wasteland. Those people from the Six Nations definitely won't agree to take the risk."

"Then we'll go ourselves," Hela said decisively.

Han Xiao shook his head. "If I go back again, the leader might make a comeback, creating more complications. What's that saying? A real man doesn't turn back."

Just as Han Xiao said at the beginning, rescuing Aurora was a troublesome matter, but separating was necessary. If he brought Aurora, he would have to take care of her, unable to fight with all his strength, and the action would be hindered in many ways. Furthermore, Aurora herself would be in danger and could become a breakthrough for the enemy. If the enemy discovered that the two were protecting Aurora, they would desperately focus their fire on Aurora, and the two would also be in a panic, revealing more flaws. Bringing her along, they might not even be able to break out of the initial New Stone Wasteland encirclement.

Hela frowned, her cold eyebrows furrowed. Without saying a word, she believed that Han Xiao would not go back on his word, since they had experienced life and death together.

The four ironclad rules of life: having carried a gun together, having been in the same class, having divided the spoils together, having prostituted together. He and Hela could be considered comrades who had carried a gun together.

At this time, Hela was still too young and immature compared to the cold and unfathomable Goddess of Death in his memory. But it was precisely because of the contrast that Han Xiao found it fresh, being able to see the immature appearance of a future powerhouse, making him feel very happy.

Friends made in difficult times are naturally closer than friends made after success.

Standing up, he patted Hela's shoulder and smiled, "Don't worry, I have a better candidate."

Hela frowned tightly. To be honest, she didn't want outsiders to pick up her sister, but Han Xiao must have his reasons for saying so, so she asked, "Is that person reliable?"

Han Xiao touched his chin with one hand and thought for a while, then nodded and said, "I have a transactional relationship with him. He has no reason to be my enemy, and his abilities are most suitable for this task."

Hela nodded, choosing to trust Han Xiao, and followed beside him. Han Xiao took out his tablet and dialed a communication. After waiting for a few seconds, the tablet played a voice.

"Black Phantom?"

"It's me." Han Xiao smiled, "How have you been, Dean?"

"...I didn't expect you to contact me at this time. Aren't you on the battlefield? Information about you is flying everywhere." Dean was surprised. The current Han Xiao had amazing influence and was a big figure, so his tone became slightly warmer.

"Then you need to wait and see the latest intelligence." Han Xiao greeted him, "How's business lately?"

"Very good. At this critical time of war, there are many big clients willing to pay."

Han Xiao said, "I was just planning to buy something from you. The Bonfire Reactor from last time, as well as the PE-0 nano-muscle fiber, etc. I want to buy a few more copies. Money is no problem. I'll give you a list later."

Viper · Modified is gone. Han Xiao plans to build a new one. Now that his skills have improved, he wants to make a stronger, modified version.

As a Mechanic, he can just rebuild equipment that's been blown up. That's life...

"Okay." Dean agreed readily, "I'm also on Andrea Continent. You know, war is business opportunity. You tell me a location, and I'll deliver the items to you... Well, it's best not to get close to Oddifen's base."

"You're on Andrea? Perfect, I want you to do me a small favor."

"What is it?"

"Help me pick up a person."