Current relationship: Cold (0/300)
_____________________
The players were not surprised, as something like a faction notification was everyday business to them.
Han Xiao’s Faction Management system started listing out the names of the member players. His eyes flashed, and he gave out another notification.
_____________________
You are the Black Star Mercenary Group’s first batch of recruits. You have gained 300 contribution points. Current relationship status: Neutral (300/1000)
_____________________
“There’s something like this?”
“We got the neutral status directly.”
The players were overjoyed, and they hurriedly studied the faction interface. They wanted to find out what benefits they could get out of earning contribution points.
Once they entered the faction reward page, an assortment of items was displayed in front of them. Most of these items were originally in Han Xiao’s personal NPC shop, and he simply moved them over to the faction page. Moreover, he also threw in some good stuff that was not available from his shop. There were the Ranger 2.5 robots, each costing 1,500 contribution points to exchange; mini mobile turrets, each costing 1,200 points; and the original Python mechanical suit, which cost 6,000 points.
The equipment and items instantly caused a reaction from the players.
“Good stuff!”
“God-tier gear!”
The players were moved. These items had previously been unavailable to purchase no matter how much money they had.
“The mercenary group is newly established, and the credibility rating is still quite low,” Han Xiao said. “Only by raising our credibility rating can we take on higher level missions. We’re all comrades-in-arms now. Let’s work hard together for the future of the mercenary group.”
Immediately after, he made the faction size information visible to all the players in the interface. He wanted to use this as a reminder for them that they could take on jobs with better pay once they raised their rating. Moreover, he wanted the players to feel like they could directly contribute to the faction’s growth with their own actions.
The players were taking a while to process all this information.
Then, Han Xiao turned his attention to finding missions or job notices given by the Sunil tribe for his subclass. He quickly found several available missions; however, their faction’s credibility rating needed to be at least 120.
120 points? Han Xiao thought as he touched his chin. If he did things normally, he would be able to acquire 120 points after taking several outbound combat missions. However, he decided to take those menial labor missions that awarded at least one credibility point per mission. These daily missions were safe and easy, and they could be completed within the hub. Although it would take more missions, was this not what the players were for?”
He immediately used the newly gained interface to issue a faction mission.
_____________________
Faction Mission [Credibility Standard]
Mission Introduction: Black Star Mercenary Group has decided to take on an outbound assignment. However, the minimum credibility rating must first be met. (Note: This is the prerequisite of the first outbound assignment taken on by the faction.)
Mission requirement: Complete the daily missions and jobs at the Hub Center until the Black Star Mercenary Group has acquired 120 credibility points.
Reward: 45,000 experience and 300 faction contribution points
Remark: The three top contributors to meeting the credibility rating minimum will receive additional benefits.
_____________________
“There isn’t much experience awarded, but the contribution points rewarded are not bad.”
“Did you not see? This is only the first part. We will be able to take on the combat assignment later on. That’s where we’ll be able to get the experience.”
“This is a team mission, right? It’s asking for everyone to contribute to the 120 points total.”
“Hoho. You even get benefits for being the top three.”
Frenzied Sword, Hao Tian, and the others got excited and could not sit still after seeing the reward. They knew better than anyone that Han Xiao’s ‘benefits’ would definitely not be ordinary.
The mission only required taking on the daily missions in the hub. These missions usually only had to do with cleaning and some other utility-related work. The good thing was that they did not have to go through the trouble of leaving the hub. If the fifty players worked together, they would be able to meet the credibility rating requirement very fast. Han Xiao was not worried at all. Moreover, the players had only been getting benefits ever since they joined the faction. So, they naturally had no reason to refuse the faction invitation.
After receiving Han Xiao’s orders, the players spread out and left to take on the daily missions. With this group of helpers, Han Xiao was able to clear out a lot of time for himself to deal with some other business. After he returned to the resting room, he decided to make some preparations as well as think through his future plans.
A few hours later, Li Ge and the others returned to the resting room. They had been walking around outside for quite a while. Li Ge had left for space because he wanted to trigger all those new missions. With so many new NPCs at the Hub Center, he could not wait to explore around and see what missions he could accept. However, he found out that most people there were travelers, and they all laughed Li Ge and the others away when they tried to offer help. The NPCs asked them why they did not just go to the Mercenary Alliance if they wanted to take on jobs.
Although they could not receive any missions, they were able to get a new piece of information. After heading to the Mercenary Alliance and busying themselves for half the day, they finally registered themselves as mercenaries. Seeing the countless listings of jobs and missions convinced them that they had made the right choice in coming to space.
Furthermore, Li Ge believed that acting by themselves was the right action to take, as they had gained a lead on the other players.
The group of people chatted as they walked to the room’s entrance.
“We have gained an advantage this time. Do you think we should tell others about this mercenary thing?”
Li Ge shook his head. “This is an opportunity that we found. We’re all competing against each other here. There’s no need to tell them straight away.”
“But should we tell them if they were to ask?”
Li Ge thought about this, and he appeared to be troubled. Hiding away information like this after being asked would cause trouble easily. Just as he was trying to decide what to do, the group opened the door to the room. However, they realized that not a single player was in the room.
“Hmm.” A Temple of God player was confused and asked, “Where did the others go?”
“No idea.” Li Ge was glad and secretly let out a deep breath. He no longer had to be afraid of being questioned by the other players.
Chapter 334 - Black Star: The Beginning (4)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
They all turned around, but they only saw Han Xiao alone in the room playing with the communicator. He quietly said, “You guys are finally back. You are the only ones left.”
“What do you mean?” Li Ge asked.
“All the other players have already joined my Mercenary Group. How about you?”
Li Ge froze.
Does that mean that everyone else has already become mercenaries? Then what was the point of all our hard work‽
And what’s a Mercenary Group?
A bad feeling slowly arose in their hearts.
“We’ve already registered as mercenaries,” Li Ge replied honestly.
Han Xiao raised his brows and announced a mission to join the Black Star Mercenary Group. Li Ge had nowhere else to go, so they quickly accepted the mission, went to the Mercenary Lobby, and joined the Mercenary Group.
&
nbsp; Right after that, they activated the mission that other players had begun a while ago. Seeing the Faction Introduction and the mission requirement, Li Ge and others could not believe their eyes.
Li Ge was upset. This was supposed to be their treatment, but because they had moved on their own, they were behind in process compared to the other players. Just before they got back, they had been feeling pleased with themselves, but now, Li Ge only felt embarrassed. He had wasted so much time and energy wandering around, and he had not achieved anything other than lagging behind in progress.
After talking with the other players, Li Ge also found out that the other group of players had gotten a reward of 300 Contribution Points.
His mood was extremely poor. He regretted that he did not stay put and instead ran around like a monkey. Why did they think that they knew more about the universe than Han Xiao?
The other players soon heard about Li Ge’s anguish and laughed. At the same time, they had more faith in Han Xiao—Han Xiao was the only beam of light that they should follow. If they followed Han Xiao, they could get the most benefits rather than trying their luck outside.
…
With the hard work of the players, the Mercenary Group’s Credibility Rating increased little by little.
Han Xiao rented a machinery modification room and tried to make a new battle helmet using the new knowledge that he had gained and the resources that he had brought from Planet Aquamarine. He called it [SIN – Type-A Carbon Life Form Radar (Helmet)]. It had multiple layers of detection and could detect living creatures within several kilometers. It also had a strong radar function and strong life support systems such as air filtration. Han Xiao made a dozen of them and prepared to sell them to the players. The helmet was essential equipment for missions in space.
After a few days, Bun-hit-dog finally released the first episode of his space adventure, and the forums seemed to only discuss the topic.
[Galaxy Exploration Diary: Black Star (1)]
The title of this episode indicated that it was the start of a new series. The editing of the opening of the show changed to the view of Short Horn Star, Juberly Hub, and an alien creature with a weird shape. A few minutes had passed, and viewers flooded the channel in an instant. Bun-hit-dog’s Black Phantom show had built a solid, loyal fan base.
This trailer for the new series also garnered a lot of attention. It was the first show about space, and not only the players from Planet Aquamarine, even foreign players from other new planets were excited about the show. The view count rose exponentially, and within a few minutes, it almost broke the record for the highest view count in the past shows.
Bun-hit-dog was showered with attention, and his popularity was boosted once more; he was undoubtedly the top figure in the Galaxy film industry.
“What? There’s actually an update!”
“What the hell! There are three million and two hundred people watching right now! Am I seeing this correctly?”
“I’m so excited!”
“Let me see what you’ve got, you foreign friend!”
Bun-hit-dog’s large face then showed up on the screen. He used his disgusting voice and started the show. “Welcome to the Galaxy Exploration Diary. I am Bun-hit-dog. You might be wondering if something is missing. That’s right, since I haven’t had enough time, there won’t be a poem to start off this episode.”
Bullet comments instantly covered the screen.
“One can never be too careful.”
“This host doesn’t have any dignity.”
“Screw your family.”
For the first episode of the Black Star Series, Bun-hit-dog used a different editing method, which did not follow the previous format where he focused on informative content. He filmed the entire process of Han Xiao leading the players up to the Short Horn Star and then on to Juberly Hub, then he edited the video in the style of a movie. It gave up the informative tone that the previous show focused on. For this new show, there was barely any narration, and with some adjustment to the color of the scene, the audience had a new experience as if they were watching a TV series.
Because there was too much materials to use, Bun-hit-dog could not edit the size down. So, he directly changed the show to a video with a story, and the video was an hour long. After the success of his Black Phantom Series, Bun-hit-dog had become more motivated about trying new styles of film that had more artistic value, rather than limiting himself to informative content with a sarcastic tone. The change was evident, and he achieved great success.
As the video went on, the scene of space unfolded in front of audiences’ eyes. In the unfathomable depths of space with all sorts of spaceships zooming around, the show was like a black hole, sucking in all the attention in to this beautiful scene. When Han Xiao appeared on the screen, the bullet comments went on a rampage again.
“Han Xiao finally showed up!”
“Suck everything out of Black Phantom!”
“Hugging Black Phantom is just a 100-meter sprint!”
“Han Xiao is my husbando, don’t you dare touch my love!”
“Oh my. Black Phantom is now up in the heavens. There are no more boxes for me to open. I still need to gamble! I need to prove my true lineage!”
“Bro, just go sleep. You can find anything in your dreams.”
The text on the bullet comments flew by, and there were quiet some fan girls in there, but it was unclear how many old uncles were in there as well.
Bun-hit-dog also edited in some interactions of the professional players. Of course, he had gotten their approval to use the footage first. These players had gotten to know each other as the days passed, and their relationship had become closer and closer. Their interactions were funny and entertaining, which also attracted a lot of fans to watch the show. Quite a number of fans of the professional players also sent out bullet comments.
Suddenly, the scavengers showed up, and Han Xiao and the players protected the spaceship. The bullet comments flooded the screen again, and all sorts of messages were there.
“Holy cow. In this new simulation of space travel, you can also kill monsters and get experience.”
“Black Phantom is still so strong. He still owned the aliens like it was nothing.”
“Seeing that Han Xiao is still wrecking everyone, I can now drop my worries.”
In the journey to the Juberly Hub, the large space station made the viewers’ jaws dropped. The video also came to an end there. In the last scene, Han Xiao led the players to the Mercenary Alliance, and everyone registered as a mercenary. As the camera zoomed in, it looked on the words ‘Black Star Mercenary Group’ and froze the frame for three seconds! The audience also stared at those words.
Then the screen turned black with three words—To be continued.
Bun-hit-dog had decided to cut the video there because he saw that there would be great potential for the Faction. Other than the leader, all the other members were players. The journey of an NPC leading the players to the world of adventure would definitely lure the interest of the audience.
And he was right. When the video ended, the audience was greatly unsatisfied, wanting to see more of the show, feeling the emptiness of not being able to watch a new episode.
The last three seconds of the show created great interest and curiosity of the name ‘Black Star’ in the hearts of the audience.
Of course, this episode hinted at the great potential storyline in the future.
“I can’t wait for another episode!”
“I won’t go anywhere until I see the next episode!”
“Ahhhh. I want to lock Bun-hit-dog in my basement as my slave to pump out more shows.”
“Um… I think he would like that.”
“Hey, what are you thinking? I’m ashamed of you dirty minded creatures.”
The view count of this episode skyrocketed to an unprecedented level. The audience cheered, and the players who had not been chosen by Han Xiao were drowned in jealousy, hating themselves for
not being able to last thirty seconds. The influence that this episode brought made the Galaxy Times add another section to their new show.
“A long time ago, we deduced that the storyline character had its own limit, where once they finished their storyline, they would turn into a nobody. However, this incident shows that we were completely wrong. [Black Phantom] Han Xiao… Oh, I mean [Black Star] Han Xiao proved us wrong. His activity was not limited by the level of the civilization. He headed deep into space and became the first man from Planet Aquamarine to explore the universe. This is his new arc!
“We thought that Han Xiao was only a character on Planet Aquamarine. From what we have seen now, everyone guessed wrong. He did not have only one war storyline. He has another more advanced main storyline on space exploration. Compared to other beginner planets, Planet Aquamarine’s potential was limited, but after the rise of Han Xiao, he has opened a path to explore new territory and storylines.
“Black Star Han Xiao was not the main character of this planet!”
[Galaxy Times] was brave in recognizing its base mistake, and its honest attitude garnered a positive reaction from the viewers. The segment also boosted the popularity of Han Xiao and promoted his status to a level above the ‘main character of a planet’ to something even higher. This raised another question from the players.
How far could he go?
Han Xiao also saw the show, and the effect achieved what he wanted. The players looked up to him even more, which meant that Han Xiao was accepted at a deeper level in their hearts.
Thousands of players discussed frantically on the forums, and the heat of the topic did not stop.
However, no one would think that Bun-hit-dog’s episode was not only popular for a short period of time. The show stayed relevant for much longer than people had thought. In the future, countless people would go back to this episode, which became known as…
The beginning of Black Star.
Chapter 335 - Cheap Bait
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The daily missions were the low-level missions. Once a faction’s credibility rating had reached a certain level, daily hiring missions could no longer be used to gain credibility points. This ensured that faction’s credibility rating reflected their actual capability.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 191