In the basement of the Starry Sky Group office building that night, Liu Hui was communicating with Alexander from the Magic Plane via the Plane Trader.

Alexander appeared very excited on the screen of the Plane Trader. "Esteemed Master, I truly admire you. Who would have thought the effect of that Church of Light would be so profound? You instructed me to establish the Church of Light, and I followed your orders. When I explained the doctrines from the Holy Scripture of Light to my clansmen, they were all completely stunned. They never imagined that the lowly Human Race was created by the great Creator God, the God of Light, and were actually the first beings in the world, possessing a noble bloodline. Now, they are all extremely devout to the God of Light, praying daily. As the Pope of the Church of Light, my status is now incomparably lofty; my word is law, and no one dares to contradict me anymore."

Liu Hui nodded. "My dear Alexander, this is merely the beginning. As the doctrines of the Church of Light spread further, your position as Pope will rise, the power in your hands will grow, and the strength you command will increase. If things continue this way, within a few short years, the Human Race will be able to contend with the Elves, no longer suffering their oppression, and they can live lives of freedom and abundance."

Alexander laughed. "It is all thanks to your guidance, Master, that we have achieved this much. We have established a foothold in that canyon and are constantly expanding outward. The number of Human Race members gathering in the Great Canyon is also increasing; it now exceeds one hundred thousand. Thanks to your funding, our basic needs for food and clothing are guaranteed, and we are living the kind of good life we could never have imagined before."

"You don't need to thank me; the good life you lead is the result of your own efforts. I only lent a small hand," Liu Hui replied.

"Esteemed Master, the land in our Great Canyon has all been leveled and is ready for planting. What sort of things do you think we should cultivate?" Alexander inquired.

"Heh heh, I have already found what you should plant. Look, it is this," Liu Hui spread his right hand, and resting in his palm was a single plant seed.

"Master, what is this?" Alexander asked curiously, having never seen such a seed before.

"Heh heh, this thing is very important to me. Just plant them in the land you have opened up. I have a few pictures of this plant here; you can look at them first," Liu Hui smiled, then placed the color pictures and the seed onto the Plane Trader.

Alexander clicked the trade button, and the seed and the images transferred to his side. Seeing the trade complete successfully, Liu Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief. He had been anxious, unsure if seeds could be transferred via the Plane Trader. Since this transaction concerned his long-term plans, seeing the seed successfully traded instantly removed a great weight from his mind.

"Esteemed Master, what kind of flower is this? It is so beautiful!" Alexander asked, deeply surprised when he saw the flower depicted in the pictures.

"Heh heh, this flower is called 'Poppy' here. After it blooms, it produces a fruit, from which a black, mud-like substance can be extracted. Finally, from that black substance, a white powder can be refined, and that white powder is what I need. You can start planting this immediately and use the resulting white powder to trade for the material necessities you require for life," Liu Hui said with a smile. At that moment, he felt like the Big Bad Wolf, wickedly plotting to have the Pope of a sacred sect help him cultivate narcotics.

That was right; Liu Hui was setting his sights on the Magic Plane. He planned to cultivate poppies on a massive scale there, refine them into drugs, and then trade those drugs with the Zerg for gene medicine.

Liu Hui currently possessed over one hundred tons of drugs, and he expected to acquire another hundred tons from Mullah Mohammed in Afghanistan in a few months, totaling over two hundred tons. However, as his scale of trade with the Zerg continuously expanded, his demand for drugs was also rising; those two hundred-plus tons would not last more than a few years. Furthermore, the US military's activities in Afghanistan were becoming increasingly frequent, constantly narrowing the operational range of the Taliban forces like Mullah Mohammed's. If they were annihilated by the US military, Liu Hui would lose his source of drugs, leaving him with nothing to trade with the Zerg, and his development would immediately stagnate. Therefore, he was now turning to Alexander on the Magic Plane, hoping to utilize the fertile soil and abundant manpower in the Great Canyon to grow opium for him. With this fallback plan, even if Mullah Mohammed was wiped out by the US military, he would not have to worry about a shortage of narcotics.

"Master, this flower is incredibly beautiful; I am quite fond of it just looking at it. Are you certain you want us to plant this plant called Poppy?" Alexander asked happily.

"Yes, I want you to plant this. I have already prepared a large quantity of seeds. I will trade these seeds to you now," Liu Hui said, placing several large crates onto the Trader. Those crates were filled with poppy seeds, enough to cover the entire Great Canyon.

After Alexander clicked the trade button, all those crates appeared on the Magic Plane. Alexander was standing right inside that enormous cavern. Following Liu Hui's suggestion, he had installed large doors at the entrance of the cavern and assigned guards to monitor it day and night, treating it as a secret base that absolutely no one was allowed to enter. Thus, as soon as the crates were traded, they were immediately stacked inside the cave because it was perfectly safe there.

Liu Hui then explained the contents of the few pictures to Alexander, detailing how to plant the poppies and noting important considerations during the process. Alexander’s exceptional memory allowed him to quickly master the cultivation techniques.

Liu Hui felt relieved; the opium cultivation on the Magic Plane was now settled. Alexander would naturally arrange the planting schedule and provide technical guidance to his clansmen. He was confident that before long, he would receive an endless stream of vast amounts of drugs from Alexander, freeing him from ever worrying about shortages or having to wage wars and rob for narcotics.

After stacking the crates, Alexander clapped his hands and exclaimed happily, "I can finally do something for Master; I’m no longer just a freeloader. This feeling is truly wonderful!"

Liu Hui watched Alexander with pleasure. Alexander was wearing the red clerical robes made according to his instructions, but due to the limitations of their current manufacturing technology, the robes looked oversized and old-fashioned, which displeased Liu Hui; he felt it didn't suit Alexander's current status as Pope. He suddenly recalled several pieces of equipment that had been sitting in his storage space for a long time—items obtained after slaying Augustus of the Vatican Court. Since he lacked the mana to use them himself, and considering Alexander was growing opium for him as a Pope, he might as well let him use them.

"My dear Alexander, I have a few pieces of equipment here. Since they are of no use to me sitting here, why don't you use them?" Liu Hui took out the "Crown of Sanctity," the "Scepter of Divine Punishment," and the "Shield of Holy Light" and placed them on the Plane Trader.

Liu Hui had only ever given Alexander a sniper rifle and some ammunition before; he had never given him any truly significant equipment. Seeing three pieces now, Alexander was delighted. He clicked the trade button, and the three items appeared in his hands. Holding the gear, he asked, "Master, how do I use these items?"

"Alexander, first drip some of your blood onto these three items, and then you will understand their marvelous uses," Liu Hui instructed. The methods for using this equipment were all recorded in Merlin’s The Magic of Light, so Liu Hui knew them thoroughly.

Curiously, Alexander pricked his fingers and dripped blood onto each of the three items. They immediately emitted a hazy white light and shot toward Alexander's head. Then, a large segment of information appeared in his mind.

"Master, this..." Alexander was utterly astonished. The information that just flooded his mind explained how to use the equipment and revealed its immense power.

"Alexander, try testing their power first," Liu Hui suggested.

So, Alexander first donned the red robe called the "Shield of Holy Light." He channeled his mana into it, and a dense white radiance instantly enveloped him, protecting him and making him appear incredibly sacred.

"Master, this equipment is miraculous! I can feel that with its protection, even the fiercest magical beasts cannot harm me," Alexander exclaimed happily.

Liu Hui had witnessed Augustus use this "Shield of Holy Light" before, but at that time, it only emitted a faint white glow, nowhere near this powerful. Could it be that the strength of these items was scalable, only manifesting their true power when wielded by someone with higher magical ability?

Liu Hui said admiringly, "Not bad, not bad. You finally exhibit a bit of the bearing of a Pope."

Alexander picked up the white staff called the "Scepter of Divine Punishment," infused it with his mana, and recited an incantation. A massive white sword of light instantly manifested in the cavern where he stood. The light sword was enormous and looked incredibly condensed, appearing just like a genuine treasured blade.

Waving the staff, Alexander declared, "God said, the sinful shall be punished."

The white sword of light struck the cavern wall, which was pierced as easily as mud, leaving only the hilt sticking out.

Liu Hui was shocked. In Alexander’s hands, the "Scepter of Divine Punishment" displayed far greater power than it had under Augustus. The current white greatsword was easily more than double the size compared to when Augustus used it and looked significantly sharper. It now seemed clear that these artifacts' capabilities were linked to the user's magical strength. If Augustus had been able to unleash the true potential of the "Scepter of Divine Punishment," Liu Hui suspected he would have been cleaved in two with a single exchange.

Finally, Alexander placed the "Crown of Sanctity" upon his head. He poured his mana into it and chanted loudly: "Creator God of Light, descend with a Battle Angel, cleanse all sin from this world, and restore a bright, clear universe under the decree of the God of Light! Descend, invincible Battle Angel, and destroy the wickedness before us!"

As Alexander finished his invocation, the "Crown of Sanctity" on his head emitted a burst of white light that shot straight toward the cavern ceiling. Suddenly, the ceiling seemed to open a window out of nowhere, revealing a blinding radiance accompanied by a soaring, sacred hymn. Then, the shadow of a four-winged angel appeared from the light. The shadow gradually solidified until it became a tangible, physical four-winged angel.

Liu Hui was stunned again. He had not expected Alexander to summon a four-winged angel, which was clearly far more powerful than a two-winged angel, as evidenced by the terrifying aura emanating from it.

Alexander was ecstatic. He retracted his mana, and the four-winged angel vanished into thin air. He told Liu Hui, "Esteemed Master, thank you so much. These three pieces of equipment you gave me are incredibly potent. I believe with their aid, our Human Race will certainly restore the glory of our ancestors and welcome back the God of Light."

Liu Hui smiled. "Alexander, now that you are wearing this set, you truly possess a divine aura, and your demeanor is increasingly fitting for a Pope."

Alexander touched his head and chuckled, "This is all thanks to your help, Master. Please rest assured, Master, I will certainly urge them to plant this flower called Poppy for you and refine the white powder, not failing your expectations of us."

Liu Hui nodded and smiled. After bidding farewell to Alexander, he closed the Plane Trader. Barely had he disconnected when another call pinged on the Trader. He checked and saw it was Xiaoyaozi from the Cultivation World calling him. Liu Hui immediately accepted the communication.

"Young friend, how are you?" Xiaoyaozi appeared on the screen, his face ruddy with good cheer.

"I'm not well. I’m still waiting for the item you promised me," Liu Hui stated.

"Heh heh, young friend, there's no need to be so anxious," Xiaoyaozi chuckled.

"Why shouldn't I be anxious? So much time has passed since you promised me," Liu Hui retorted.

"Heh heh, I came to find you this time precisely to discuss that matter," Xiaoyaozi said with a smile.

"Could it be you’ve finally refined the item I asked for?" Liu Hui asked, overjoyed.

"That is for certain. Ever since our trade three months ago, I purchased that small object back. After continuous repairs by us during this period, the Suspended Peak has been fully restored and is floating in the air again," Xiaoyaozi said with some excitement.

"Senior, has the item I requested been refined yet?" Upon hearing that the Suspended Peak was finally fixed, Liu Hui immediately changed the respectful address he used for Xiaoyaozi.

"Look," Xiaoyaozi smiled and opened his hand. A white sphere floated in the air above his palm.

"What is this..." Liu Hui asked hesitantly.

"Heh heh, this is the Energy Storage Orb I refined for you. It can store the True Essence of cultivators. As long as you can guide it out, you can use this True Essence to set up battle formations. This Energy Storage Orb is the first item refined after the restart of the Suspended Peak. If we hadn't had the necessary materials in reserve, we couldn't have refined it so quickly," Xiaoyaozi explained happily.

"Senior, then quickly trade this Energy Storage Orb to me," Liu Hui urged impatiently.

Xiaoyaozi placed the Energy Storage Orb on the Plane Trader. Liu Hui immediately clicked the trade button and took the soccer ball-sized orb into his hand.

"Senior, how do I use this thing?" Liu Hui inquired.

"This item must first be bound to you so you can know its status. As long as your body circulates spiritual energy—the kind generated in the initial stage of cultivation you are currently in—you can inject that spiritual energy into the Orb to activate the True Essence stored within. However, I must tell you one thing: the True Essence stored here has completely changed its attributes after passing through this Orb. It can only be used for setting up formations; it cannot be absorbed for cultivation or used for spell attacks," Xiaoyaozi clarified.

"Heh heh, understood, Senior. I wasn't planning to use it for attacking others anyway. Goodbye," Liu Hui said with a laugh. Having obtained the Orb, he was eager to test it immediately, so he bid farewell to Xiaoyaozi.

Liu Hui closed the Trader. He focused on the Energy Storage Orb in his hand, then carefully dripped a drop of his fresh blood onto it. The Orb flashed red and instantly established a connection with him. He immediately sensed the powerful True Essence stored inside—substance generated only by cultivators at the Foundation Establishment stage, which Liu Hui could not yet produce.

Liu Hui channeled the spiritual energy from his body into the Orb. He carefully guided the flow of the stored True Essence. The True Essence was balanced and gentle, obediently moving wherever Liu Hui directed it, making it very convenient to handle.

A thought struck Liu Hui. He carried a table from the basement over and drilled several holes into it, stuffing several low-grade Magic Beast Cores into the openings. After finishing this setup, Liu Hui picked up the Energy Storage Orb and carefully directed the True Essence within to flow into the embedded Beast Cores. Following a specific sequence, he connected the Beast Cores with True Essence. When the True Essence connected to the final Beast Core, a profound circulation began. All the Beast Cores flared brilliantly, then vanished from the tabletop, and the entire table levitated into the air.