by <unknown>
The host then asked a few more questions before turning to Rivervale.
“Team Rivervale, although all of you didn’t manage to clinch the championship, your contributions can’t be underestimated. Your team kicked out Key during the semi-finals and locked in the championship title for China ahead of the final. I thank you for your contributions on behalf of our audience.”
“We only did something within our capabilities,” Frenzied Sword said humbly.
“Rivervale is a new team but has shown rapid improvement. Your score has been rising over the three seasons, and many people feel that Rivervale is a new super club. What are your thoughts on that?”
Frenzied Sword nodded and said, “I will have to thank our fans for their love. During the semi-finals, countless individuals provided us with strategies and information. We were truly moved by that.”
“In this season, Maple Moon made a large contribution for Rivervale. As the captain, what do you think about her?” the male host asked.
Frenzied Sword thought for a moment before saying solemnly, “The best decision that Rivervale has made to date is signing Maple Moon. She has greatly increased the strength of our team and is an irreplaceable team member.”
After three seasons, Frenzied Sword was no longer a new player in the eyes of the players but a god level player. His status was equivalent to Hao Tian, and Maple Moon had become a core member of Rivervale. Her status was like Second Prince in Dynasty and Sleepy Winter in Long Sky.
The host then continued the interview, and Long Sky was extremely bitter. Although finishing in the top four was not too bad, it was considered a step back for them.
It was finally the turn to interview Temple of God, and the comments section became active.
“How are your feelings as the sacrificial lamb?”
“I thank Temple of God for their contributions. They lit themselves up to shine brightly for others.”
“So, it turns out that I’ve always blamed Li Ge wrongly. You are truly sacrificial and a saint who can endure humiliation.”
“Everyone, cry out together with me, brother Temple of God!”
“Temple of God’s contributions are truly the greatest. If any of the other three teams had been picked to enter Division A, we would have wasted a slot. Temple of God would probably have been eliminated in the first round regardless. If Long Sky had been chosen, they may not have been able to make it into the top eight, and this would be akin to losing two slots… Since Temple of God entered Division A, we sacrificed our lousiest to ensure the smooth victory of the other three teams. Thus, it can be said that Temple of God is truly the biggest contributor to China!”
The teams then chatted about other interesting parts of the competition, and the interviews came to an end. They then started the next topic, which was the prediction for the next version.
“With the increase in Grades of the players, there are more regions being opened up,” the female host said. “We had predicted that the inter-Star Field travel would probably be activated in the next version.”
“There have already been examples of inter-Star Field travel in Version 3.0, and it was related to the Black Star Army and the Shattered Star Ring,” the male host said. “The Black Star Army once provided a channel to cross Star Fields for the players in the Constellation Corridor.
“At the same time, the players of the Shattered Star Ring could also enter the Flickering World Main Storyline Mission. With the scale of the Flickering World mission, it is very likely to be an important event for the players in the Shattered Star Ring during the next version.
“All these signs point to inter-Star Field travel being very likely during the next version. Furthermore, the Black Star Army will probably play an important role for this.”
Galaxy Times had once made such a guess when the players from the Constellation Corridor were allowed to cross Star Fields. They restated their prediction once again.
The presence of the Black Star Army was truly too great in Version 3.0. According to their experience from the previous two versions, the actions of the Black Star Army would usually hint at future development. As such, the actions of the Black Star Army were important evidence for Galaxy Times.
Han Xiao nodded and thought to himself, Because of the Main Storyline Mission, the players can guess that the Flickering World will probably be a big event in the next version. However, no one’s guessed that it will be a world server…
During Version 4.0 in his previous life, the Flickering World had completed their initial exploration phase and had been opened up to the outside world. Many factions began recruiting members to head toward the Flickering World to compete with each other while exploring new regions.
High mobility was a foundation of the galactic civilizations. Mobile residents, resources, finances, and so on were the blood and vessels that connected the various Star Fields. No civilization was a lone island anymore.
As such, a new Star Field would definitely open up to the outside. Furthermore, a new Star Field represented new opportunities for development, which gave some factions hope to gain a territory. As such, many organizations that no longer had a way to advance would migrate to the Flickering World and engage in a competition for territory and resources.
The Crimson Dynasty had the highest authority in the Star Field. They chose to open the Flickering World for two main reasons. First, it was the natural course of development in the current generation, and second, others would share the construction cost.
The amount of resources and manpower required to develop was far greater than exploration. Even if they were a Universal Civilization, it would be an enormous project for them to build up a new Star Field from scratch. Furthermore, there were still two other civilizations eyeing them covetously from the side, trying to seize the opportunity to suppress the dynasty. As such, the dynasty needed to give the job of development to the countless organizations and use methods like tax to digest the benefits of the Flickering World.
The entire universe had their sights set on the Flickering World, and even the tyrannical Crimson Dynasty knew that they did not have the ability to swallow it all by themselves. Greed and poverty were two sides of the same coin, and the outcome of them trying to swallow everything by themselves was extremely clear.
The galactic society believed in free economic trade, and unless there was a need, the Crimson Dynasty would not restrict their allies from competing with each other. Besides, using competition to spur the outside organizations on was also a situation that the dynasty was willing to see.
The dynasty would only hold the most lucrative region in their hands and a portion of the Star Field would be controlled directly by the dynasty. As for the rest, it would be split among important allies of the dynasty like the Black Star Army to protect the Flickering World and ensure that the dynasty had control over the Star Field.
In such a situation, the players would have a large space for them to display their abilities. Even without a mission, the players would definitely compete with each other for sure.
Chapter 920. Prospect and Version Update 2 |
“The first exploration phase of the Flickering World will soon end, and construction will follow shortly after. At that time, a large amount of resources and manpower will be required. The army has no lack of funds, and together with the support from the Crimson Dynasty, there will be no need for me to worry about resources during the version update period.”
He had a monopoly in the Evolutionary Totem business, and it was his faction’s specialty. It brought him a large amount of profit, and among the Beyond Grade A allies of the dynasty, he would probably belong to the group that had no lack of money.
In his plans, the mechanical civilization and the Black Spirit Race would be his focus for development. The former would be his source of high-quality soldiers while the latter had great potential. He would be able to allow them to grow without any hindrance and concern in his own territory.
He was
no longer watching the Black Spirit Race develop but personally intervening in the development of the race. The Black Spirit Race had a strong ability to accept changes, and as long as their development was on track, they would definitely soar forward rapidly.
The version update period from Version 3.0 to Version 4.0 was a couple of decades. The players would return when the Flickering World opened to the outside world.
With the experience from his previous life, Han Xiao knew which organizations would compete in the Flickering World, and this was a huge advantage for him.
During this version update period, the entire galaxy would be focused mainly on expansion. The Crimson Dynasty would probably face huge pressure, and Han Xiao himself would likely meet some trouble because of the Evolution Cube. However, with his current strength and status, there should not be that many threats from the outside.
The Black Star Army had only been around for roughly twenty years, and the version update period was going to last for a few decades. This would be a good time to let the Black Star Army solidify their foundation and transform from a ‘newborn organization’ to a ‘veteran organization’.
“Hila is still continuing to grow, and although her growth speed isn’t as fast as in my previous life, she has greater potential with my aid. During the version update period, it is very likely for her to become a new Beyond Grade A…”
Han Xiao’s eyes gleamed.
This way, his organization would have one more top combatant. Even if Hila chose to become independent, both of them would definitely remain allies.
At that time, the Shattered Star Ring would have six Beyond Grade As, and the army would be able to benefit greatly from it.
Psyker, on the other hand, definitely would not have a good time.
During the entire Version 3.0, Han Xiao had harvested a large amount of experience from the players, and it was stored in his interface. The players would be offline during the version update period, and huge events would be rare. This accumulated experience would be the strategic resource for him to last through this version update period.
At his current level, leveling up once would require a sky-high amount of experience. Although Han Xiao’s stash was great, it would not be enough if he used it all to level up. A couple of decades was a long time, and he had to use his experience sparingly.
In his plans, he would obtain a new Class Advancement and Race Advancement after reaching level three hundred, and he would have to increase the level of his skills to obtain more Potential Points so that the levels of his new knowledge would all be increased.
The experience required to increase his level in the future would only increase, and developing more crop fields would aid in his efficiency of harvesting experience. Version 4.0 did not only have more competition from the world but also gave him the opportunity to develop a new batch of crops.
The players had settled the Gulal civil war a while ago, and the [Gulal Civilization: The Flames of Pioneers!] mission on his interface was also completed.
The Mission Rating of this mission was dependent on the performance of an individual. He had thrown the mission over to the players and did not do it himself. As such, his Mission Rating was not high. However, the experience that he gained from the mission was not the main point. The experience that the players obtained would eventually flow back to him through their purchases, and that profit was many times that of the mission.
After three versions of hard work, the Black Star Army had developed to its current state, and Han Xiao was no longer as worried about the version update period.
“I am already fully prepared and waiting for the day the dynasty divvies up the territories.”
…
After the end of the Pro League, the version update date drew nearer and nearer. The attention of the players was also diverted from the Pro League to the new version.
Many players kept a large amount of experience and wanted to use it to reach the next level limit in the new version.
The players were all gathered in the Black Star Army headquarters, chatting with their friends while waiting to go offline.
At the corner of the plaza, the professional players were gathered together, chatting among themselves.
“There are plenty of new players in this version. Did we see so many players in the previous two versions?”
Twinkle Fried Rice shook his head.
“The more the merrier. This way, the Pro League will have higher viewership rates.” Li Ge chuckled.
“I wonder how long the version update period would be this time,” Maple Moon said curiously.
“It shouldn’t be too long, right? Our Flickering World mission hasn’t ended yet. We will definitely get to continue the exploration during the next version,” Frenzied Sword replied. “I am truly curious to see what the Black Star Army will be like during the next version.”
The few of them chatted and suddenly saw King Admiral waving at them from afar. Frenzied Sword and the others then went over.
King Admiral chuckled and said, “Since everyone is here, let’s find a day to have a meal. We can take it to be a celebration for obtaining both the championship and first runner up.”
“Sure.” Li Ge was the first to agree.
“I remember that we did so after the previous season ended as well,” Sleepy Winter said while stroking his chin.
“That’s right. We should just make it a tradition. The champions shall be in charge of treating all the Chinese players. We can go for a vacation together.”
“Better treat us to something good. Don’t be like Long Sky and only treat us to some roadside store.”
“Dining at a roadside store is value for money,” Hao Tian said bitterly.
Everyone then cheered at the proposition, and King Admiral had no choice but to accept it.
Very quickly, all the players went offline, and the entire plaza became empty.
A notification also popped up on Han Xiao’s interface.
_____________
Version 3.0 update activated.
Saving data… Save complete!
Player forums closed.
Update Duration: Unknown. Please wait patiently.
_____________
Han Xiao then looked up, and the player forum button had turned gray.
“The players are all offline…” Han Xiao took a deep breath. “It’s now time to start planning for Version 4.0.”
…
At the same time, at the entrance of the Shattered Star Ring stargate, a trade fleet had just exited the stargate. The spaceship had an egg-like shape with silver armor. It looked extremely simple yet high tech. The insignia of the Limitless Financial Group was carved out on the exterior of the spaceship.
The main flagship was a gigantic flying saucer. In the command room, a tall man stood in front of the window and looked out at the view.
His figure was slim, and his skin was extremely fair. He looked very gentle and did not have the pressure of a powerhouse. He was dressed in luxurious clothes from head to toe and was emanating with the feeling of wealth.
This man was the current head of the Limitless Financial Group, Sorokin. He was one of the richest men in the galaxy.
A secretary stood beside Sorokin and said softly, “Your Excellency Sorokin, we have arrived.”
“Hmm…” Sorokin replied. “Follow our schedule and head to the Black Star Army headquarters. Get our Shattered Star Ring branch to show me information about their performance over the past five years.”
“Understood.”
The Limitless Financial Group had property everywhere, and the Shattered Star Ring was no exception. But because of the poor public security of this region, the Limitless Financial Group did not place much emphasis on the Shattered Star Ring, and their operations were not large there.
If not for the fact that he had accepted the proposition of his three Beyond Grade A shareholders, Sorokin would not have established a large scale operation over there.
The way he saw it, Black Star should be happy to meet a wealthy individual like him. Although one of his subsidiary organizations had been wiped out by Black Star, his identity was not revealed, and Black Star should not know that he was the mastermind behind the matter.
As such, this would be their first encounter in Black Star’s eyes.
With Black Star being kept in the dark, he would have a slight advantage.
He could also make use of this opportunity to come into contact with the Black Star Army’s immortals and complete his previous goal.
Just as Sorokin was in thought, the hatch to the command room opened, and a woman walked in. She was dressed in the manager attire of the financial group.
This woman came to Sorokin’s side and lowered her head slightly.
“Father, what are your instructions?”
She was Lovell, Sorokin’s daughter.
Sorokin had many children, and they took on various positions in the financial group.
Turning to look at her, Sorokin flipped open his communicator and sent an invitation to her.
“Take this Tyrant’s Party invitation and go to Heber. Meet him on my behalf.”
Lovell was startled and asked, “Didn’t you want to invest in the Black Star Army?”
“I will only make a decision after meeting Black Star. Before that, we cannot let go of any other investment opportunities,” Sorokin replied.
His deal with the three shareholders was a secret. Apart from himself, everyone in the financial group thought that he was making a trip to the Shattered Star Ring for an ordinary investment.
Although he was planning to use money to compete with the Black Star Army, he needed to use the money wisely. While money would allow him to snatch a larger portion of the market, he did not like suffering losses.
