On the Eight Extremes Star, I awakened the twelve talismans.

Lingling stood beside him and watched the whole scene unfold.

She clapped her hands, her tone tinged with a sense of satisfaction:

"That's how a master should be, a bit domineering. If the master hadn't specifically told me not to cause trouble, I would have gone up and beaten them up."

Snow White and Dia smiled at each other.

Both of them knew why Ye Han had taken action, and they were extremely displeased that those offensive words were directed at them.

Ye Han suppressed his killing intent and shook his head helplessly: "It seems there are scoundrels like this everywhere. I didn't want to cause trouble and would leave after gathering information, but they asked for it."

"Let's go, let's find a decent place first and ask around."

After wandering through the city for a while, the group found an intelligence company called Deep Eyes.

This building is quite different from the bustling shops around it. Its appearance is low-key and austere, with its black metal exterior almost blending into the shadow of the rock wall. Only a minimalist sign at the entrance indicates its identity.

Upon entering, the receptionist was polite and restrained, offering no unnecessary pleasantries. After learning our purpose, she led us directly upstairs.

A figure walked towards us.

The waiter politely greeted, "Boss."

"Hey, Ye Han? What are you guys doing here at Devil's Footprint?"

Ye Han looked in the direction of the voice and saw a familiar face—Kalia.

They had a fight on Mars back then, which could be considered a case of "no fight, no friendship." Later, Ye Han found Sardine through Kalia's connection.

That's when we parted ways, and I never expected to run into you here.

Reuniting on this underground planet at this moment evokes a strange sense of familiarity.

Dia was also somewhat surprised.

The Black Flag pirates abandoned their original jobs and instead opened an intelligence company. Judging from the storefront and the pomp and circumstance, they seem to be doing quite well.

"Kalia? What are you doing here?" Dia asked.

"It's a long story. Come, come, don't stand here, let's talk in my office." Kalia greeted them warmly, waving to the receptionist that they didn't need to bring anything.

He personally led everyone in the private elevator to the top floor.

The elevator slowly ascended, and through the glass, one could see the entire city.

During their casual conversation on the way, Ye Han learned why Kalia had appeared there.

After he and Sardine left Mars, the team gained a few more members, and the group set off towards the Devil's Footprints.

If you calculate the time, it was only a few months ago.

They wandered around the Devil's Footprint galaxy for a long time before finally finding Magnetic Cloud Star and choosing to settle there.

Devil's Footprints is outside the jurisdiction of the Alliance, making it a perfect haven for people like them with criminal records.

Kalia, working with Sardin, quickly established himself here, built a successful career, and embarked on a completely different path from the past.

"Initially, our group was aiming to conquer this galaxy."

Kalia opened the office door and asked everyone to sit down.

He walked behind his desk and pulled out a bottle of wine that looked quite old from a drawer.

The bottle had a faded label with the words so blurred they were almost illegible, but the bottle opening was sealed tightly, and a rich, mellow aroma wafted out as soon as it was opened.

He took several wine glasses and filled them to about seven or eight-tenths full.

He laughed as he leaned back, saying, "But when we tried, we got completely crushed. This galaxy is full of hidden talents; the natives' fighting power far exceeded our expectations."

"Back then, we were young and fearless, thinking we'd pick the nearest planets to practice on first, but we didn't even last the first wave and were utterly defeated."

"Since then, we've toned it down a lot, knowing that we simply can't do it with our current strength. We had no choice but to stick to this industry—intelligence trading, resource transfer, you name it—and managed to establish ourselves on this planet, at least on the right track."

He poured the wine, pushed the glass in front of everyone, took a glass for himself, leaned back in his chair, and acted casually.

Ye Han picked it up and smelled it. The aroma of the wine was mellow but not pungent. He took a small sip. The temperature was just right, and it was slightly sweet as it went down his throat.

Kalia downed his drink in one gulp: "The reason I chose Magnetic Cloud Star is simple. The environment here is very beneficial to me. On a planet with such a unique magnetic field and frequent gravitational fluctuations, my strength can be greatly amplified. Dealing with some powerful enemies won't be a problem; at least I have the confidence to protect myself."

Lingling held the wine glass and curiously sniffed it: "Isn't that the same principle as the giant stone frog on Gravity Planet? In the right environment, it can perform a function far beyond its own level."

Kalia smiled and glanced at her. "The little girl is right. Certain abilities can indeed have a synergistic effect in specific environments. I just happen to be that kind of person; I probably wouldn't be so comfortable on another planet."

The conversation lingered over the cups of wine.

Kalia and his group have been established here for several months and must know much more about this star system than we do.

This saved Ye Han the trouble of going around in circles to find someone else, so he got straight to the point.

Ye Han put down his cup and went straight to the point: "Since you've been here for so long, I'll tell you the truth."

"We were planning to go to the Rainbow Sea deep within the Devil's Footprints, following the designated route, but we were blocked by a black hole halfway there. So we came here to gather information and see if there's an alternative route to get around it."

Kalia's tone became more serious upon hearing this: "I know about the black hole you're talking about."

"To be precise, I happen to know a bit about it. That black hole isn't fixed in place; it's a moving supermassive black hole with a very slow orbit, periodically appearing and disappearing from its path. In other words, to get through that region, you can only wait for it to move away on its own."

How long will it take?

Kalia shrugged and spread his hands. "I don't know about that. I heard from the locals that the black hole's orbital period is very irregular. Sometimes it moves every three to five years, and sometimes it doesn't move for decades."

"Back then, Merlin was lucky. He chose the right time, just in time for the black hole to move away and the passageway to be clear, which allowed him to enter."

"As for whether Merlin actually found the Rainbow Sea, no one can say for sure. So many years have passed without a trace, and there's been no further news from him. It's very possible he encountered an accident during his voyage."

Speculating on things that have no conclusion is futile.

Whether Merlin is alive or dead, whether the Rainbow Sea is real or fake, cannot be answered by simply sitting here analyzing.

I still need to see it for myself.

"The Devil's Footprint has never been a place that humans can conquer, so I advise you not to have too high hopes. Nobody can predict the shift period of that black hole; it might be next month, or it might be several years."