"Sounds good." Han Xiao chuckled as he silently put away his gun.
"I will count it as my bad luck for meeting you," Kerlodd said dejectedly.
"I'm pretty happy though," Han Xiao replied happily.
The spaceship shook once before it finally came to a stop. The exit slowly opened up, revealing a white platform in front of them. The dock was as massive as a city square, and there were bright lights all over the place. The ceilings must have been at least a few hundred meters high to be able to fit the entire Short Horn Star inside. At the end of the platform was the entrance into the space station.
When Han Xiao brought the players off the ship, he was able to catch a glimpse of Lerden, who hurriedly dragged along his bounty and was walking at the front of the group.
After the attack, Han Xiao did not get another opportunity to converse with Lerden, and their relationship did not progress any further, but that was fine for Han Xiao.
We should be able to meet again as long as I interact with the Sunil Storyline.
After walking through a long, winding passageway, they finally arrived inside the Juberly Hub, and the space around them suddenly opened up. They were currently at the Hub Center of the space station. However, although it was called a center, the place was more like a city and measured several dozens of kilometers in length.
At the edge of the Hub Center was a gigantic, arched French window through which they could see the vastness of space that was just outside. The group had walked into through an entrance near the French window.
The Hub Center's ceiling was also extremely tall, and the top was over a thousand meters away from where they stood. At the very middle was a white tower that was built right through the ceiling. Countless buildings surrounded this tower, forming rings upon rings of structures. The buildings were all built with drastically different designs, and each building took up a large amount of space. Each floor was a huge platform on its own, built with all kinds of facilities and areas. There were also bridges that connected these tall buildings with one another. The dizzying number of bridges and walkways between the buildings formed a maze-like megastructure, while many public air transport vehicles darted through the open spaces.
The ground was also dotted with a variety of massive infrastructures such as gyms, theaters, and public parks. This was a place where countless different species interacted with each other. Transport could be seen flying around the air at all times. The players almost felt like this was all too much for their eyes to take in. It was like they had entered an unimaginable world, and everything that had only been a figment of their imagination in the past had become reality.
Basically, they were speechless and really excited.
The Hub Center offers many features.
Han Xiao's memories all started to come back to him.
It can be divided into approximately ten or so areas, and there are all kinds of restaurants, equipment shops, and entertainment centers such as bars and race tracks of all kinds of species.
There are also training grounds designed for Supers, which offer gravity training rooms, combat simulators, meditation rooms, mechanical workshops, as well as offices that offer jobs and employment for Supers.
There are powerful entities such as the Mercenary Alliance and the Mage's Organization; there are also financial groups and other forces that are interested in hiring Supers. There's also the trading center, which allows one to trade with people from all over the cluster, and there are also shipyards that specialized in building and repairing spaceships…
Essentially, this place would be able to meet all his needs for a while.
Juberly Hub would be a long-term base for his plans in the future.
Chapter 330 - Happiness of the Poor
Translator:Atlas Studios
Editor:Atlas Studios
"Can I go now?" Kerlodd asked.
Naturally, there was no need for Han Xiao to break the promised of allowing Kerlodd to leave after reaching Juberly Hub. Han Xiao suddenly had an idea. Kerlodd was an investigator that had landed on Planet Aquamarine, and maybe Han Xiao could hint about the Mutation Disaster since he was a citizen from Planet Aquamarine.
"There's something I need to tell you; I hope you can put it down in the report."
"Before you say anything, I respect my work as an investigator, so don't bother telling me to write fake news," Kerlodd said with a confused expression.
If you respect your work, then pigs can also fly!
After Han Xiao went speechless for a second, he continued speaking with a serious tone. "Planet Aquamarine is now covered in a mist of shadow. I believe that there will be a disaster that could wipe out the entire planet. I hope that you can emphasize this point on your report, and if the department has plans to investigate Planet Aquamarine again, I suggest that they look for clues about the disaster."
Kerlodd did not really pay much attention, but he said, "I'll put it in the report."
Han Xiao was not sure whether the Mutation Disaster had begun. It would not be a disaster that could shake the entire version if the cause was easy to find. The probability that the Godoran Investigation Department would listen to his suggestion was ridiculously slim, but Han Xiao's purpose was not actually to get Godora to find some clues. This action was to prevent problems in the future.
If Mutation Disaster did happen on Planet Aquamarine, then Godora would remember this report, and he could build up a proper relationship with Godora. Kerlodd would be a middleman facilitating the communication.
"Okay, that's it. You can go now. Hope we'll meet again." Han Xiao then suddenly said, "Remember to take your first step with your left foot."
"Huh?"
Kerlodd was extremely confused. He waved as he said goodbye. After some thought, he stepped out with his right leg and disappeared into the distance.
"Hehe, he's so obedient," Han Xiao muttered with a smile.
After the farewell against Kerlodd, Han Xiao needed to deal with proper business.
Juberly Hub had a lot of opportunities, and Han Xiao still remembered the majority of them. However, the most urgent matter was to rent a resting space and store the supply boxes. He would have to stay in Juberly Hub for a considerable amount of time, so he had to get a room so that the players would know where to meet up. Moreover, the resting room could be set as a save point for players to go on and offline.
The registration office for the resting room was in the central white tower. Han Xiao and the others hopped on a small public flying device and reached the destination.
The flying device was used to replace walking. It was easy to use, and the design was similar to a small UFO. There were four holes on the bottom that were an anti-gravitational device, which was releasing a dark-blue light. Han Xiao was used to this, but this was a new and exciting experience for the players, as if they were babies exploring the outside world.
The third level of the tall tower was the registration office. A lot of people were lining up, and Han Xiao was one of them. He slowly inched forward with the line.
After half an hour, Han Xiao saw a group of people cut through the line and stand in the VIP channel. The staff of the hub appeared and respectfully welcomed the group.
The group was wearing pure-white battle mechanical suits that looked like normal plated armor. On each of their chests was an upside-down triangle with different colors. Three thin pipes were extended from the three angles of the triangle. Two of them went across each shoulder, and the other pipe covered the crouch. The three lines then intersect at the back of the suit, the position of intersection point was directly behind the triangle.
"Why don't they have to line up?" Maple Moon asked curiously.
Han Xiao recalled the sign and said, "They are people from 'Sky Ring', and they are also called the Sky Ring Army. There are tens of thousands of members in the army. This organization comes from the Gelock Star Cluster and does not belong to any civilization. They are free mercenaries who are famous in
the Shattered Star Ring. They are hired to be bodyguards, soldiers, explorers, and directors to start a colony. They even take jobs to fight in wars. They have a famous reputation, so they get the VIP treatment."
The Gelock and Colton Star Clusters were neighboring Star Clusters in the Shattered Star Ring. The Sky Ring members probably got some mission in Colton. This showed that the market for the Sky Ring was extremely large since they got requests from another Star Cluster.
The Sky Ring had created a huge name for themselves, so the members had all sorts of benefits across the Shattered Star Ring. Reputation in the universe was an important factor, and this scene just showed that if one was famous, one could go through the VIP channel with ease, while the rest of the common travelers yawned in line, waiting their turn.
Han Xiao could not help but remember that he had the same special treatment in Planet Aquamarine. Now, in the universe, he had to build everything from the bottom up. However, Han Xiao did not miss the benefits that he had on Planet Aquamarine. Han Xiao had an adventurous trait in his genes. If one never left one's comfort zone, one would only remain in the same position and never improve.
After waiting in line for what felt like an eternity, it was finally Han Xiao's turn. There were all sorts of rooms, and since Han Xiao still had money, he rented a middle level resting room with a storage room. The room was large enough to fit in a dozen of people, and it only cost forty Enas per month.
The resting room was located in a building nearby. Han Xiao looked at the door number and quickly found the front door for the room. He opened up the lock with his authorization, and the heavy metal door slid open, revealing the room inside. The room was simple, and space was large enough.
Everyone rushed into the room and pushed the supply crates into the warehouse. Han Xiao coughed purposefully, and everyone looked at him. He then said, "We will stay in the Juberly Hub for a while. This will be our base for now. Since this is the first time that you have all left the planet, take some time to adapt to the new environment."
No one had any objections as they were still in the state of confusion in the new world.
"Why are you so familiar with all of this?" Maple Moon asked. "Isn't this the first time you have left the planet as well?"
The things that Han Xiao had done on Planet Aquamarine had only given the players the impression that Han Xiao was a local. However, after stepping into the universe, Han Xiao acted like it was his home. No one paid attention to this except Maple Moon.
Han Xiao thought for a while and said, "You all know that I can see the future. Even though this is the first time that I have physically traveled into space, I can see things far away. More importantly, I have this."
Han Xiao took out his communicator.
Maple Moon suddenly felt that she had asked a stupid question. She pouted and looked upset.
Han Xiao took out a book containing all the rules on Juberly Hub. "Read the regulations first. Don't break the rules, or else you will be captured by the security team. I need to do something first, so you all stay here and don't leave the room."
Juberly Hub had a security team to facilitate safety and peace. They would instantly catch anyone committed a crime or broke the rules. The players all gathered around and read the regulations.
Han Xiao left the resting room alone and headed to the exchange center. With the money that he had left, he first had to buy some class advancement knowledge.
The exchange center was separated into small individual rooms with a control interface. Han Xiao walked into a room and opened up a trading list. Countless items filled the screen. With the name, introduction, price, seller, and delivery time, the interface looked a lot like websites for online shopping.
The regional online exchange center aggregated all the items for sale in the stellar area. Sellers just posted the items that they wanted to sell, and the variety of options made it more convenient for buyers to purchase. The items were all verified, so it was impossible for anyone to buy a fake item.
Han Xiao directly chose mechanic Super knowledge. Colton Star Cluster did not have a lot of sellers for knowledge, and there was no knowledge that was in a complete set. From the three branches and fifteen knowledges in total, only eight were on sale. All the prices for the items were more than ten thousand Enas. Knowledge like [Advanced Mechanic Power] and [Advanced Energy Theory] were sold up to fifty thousand Enas.
The reason that the knowledge was this expensive was probably that the major organizations did not have to share the information, and people did not want to build relationships with camps, so they could only spend a fortune to buy the knowledge.
However, this was not a problem for Han Xiao. He could make a few copies of class advancement knowledge and sell it to the players, so he could easily earn back the money. To make the players buy the knowledge from him, the price had to be a bit lower, but this could also build a better bond between him and the players and perhaps gain even greater benefits.
Unfortunately, it was just an ideal dream. The restriction that he faced was demand for the market, and for Han Xiao, the players were the only market that he had. However, each player only had 1,500 Enas, so he had to put the idea aside. Even though he did not have much money, Han Xiao would never auction the knowledge to the players. To let the players easily get this knowledge did not fit Han Xiao's vision.
So, not only did he have to make himself rich, but he also had to make the players rich. He had to build up a small society and foster everyone for a better life.
After searching through the list, he could buy a class advancement knowledge that was barely useful. It was [Advanced Radar Technology] with the price tag of eleven thousand Enas. The knowledge was more utility based, where it focused on detection and scouting using methods such as radiation, waves, and light spectrum.
At least it's better than nothing.Han Xiao sighed and confirmed the payment. He connected the personal communicator and uploaded the information to the interface. The personal account balances started rolling, and in an instant, the balance was left with only two thousand Enas.
Han Xiao felt tears running in his eyes.
It's back!
Everything is back!
It's this feeling! The excitement of a mechanic!
Every time I spend money, my blood pressure skyrockets!
The happiness of the poor…
Happy my ass!
Chapter 331 - Black Star: The Beginning (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
_____________________
Advanced Mechanic Control-type Knowledge detected: [Advanced Radar Technology]. Learn in exchange for 2 Potential points?
Learning… 15%… 74%…
Knowledge successfully learned! You have learned [Advanced Radar Technology]!
_____________________
The new knowledge had been imprinted his mind, and his Potential points dropped two points from the previous fifty-five points.
Potential points were used to learn and level up knowledge. Although it did not seem like much—as all fifteen advanced knowledges could be learned in exchange for thirty points—one would keep running out of points the moment they tried to max out those knowledges. Han Xiao had run into this problem in the past, which was why he was extra careful about spending his Potential points this time around. He rarely spent his Potential points unless necessary.
Due to the limit of the Potential points, Mechanic players were forced to branch out in specific paths; it was impossible to be a master of all. Aside from earning a Potential point upon leveling up, players could also earn a Potential point from raising their mastery of an ability to the max. So, players could further their knowledge and thus increase their strength even after they had already reached the maximum level.
Mechanic just so happened to be a class that never ran out of new abilities. Each new blueprint counted as a new skill, and all they needed was experience points.
Han Xiao had a massive advanta
ge when it came to experience, and the amount that he had amassed was far beyond what the players imagined to be possible in the current Version. He had the luxury of branching off in several directions, giving him a huge edge over the players.
_____________________
You have acquired a new blueprint: Simple Multi-function Detector!
_____________________
This was the basic blueprint that came with learning the radar knowledge.
Most players would come to find radar technology very helpful. It could be used for making observations at long distances as well as scanning the electromagnetic radiation in the surroundings. Although it could not directly improve their strength, it was still an important blueprint to have. As the players leveled up in the later Versions, combat became much more dimensioned, and without sufficient radar technology, one was as good as blind. However, the majority of the players opted for the store-bought detection tools, and only the large gaming and merchant guilds would have access to such knowledge.
It’s actually not a bad knowledge. It suits my needs quite well. I can sell the detectors to the players after producing them en masse. This kind of supportive equipment could be viewed as absolutely necessary by many players.
He had now obtained three advanced knowledges and was only in need of two more to meet one of his class change requirements. Now, the problem was money. However, Han Xiao’s motto was to get rich together with the players, expand their market, and earn the NPC’s money with the players.
Han Xiao had the advantage of knowing about the Storylines already. Although this part of the game was kind of a gray area in his memories, he could still remember enough bits and pieces to matter. For example, he knew where to find the long-term mercenary contracts that could get him quite a lot of money.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 189