Version 3.0 would bring about a new wave of players joining the game, and the introduction from Galaxy Times would sway many into choosing the Shattered Star Ring as their starting point. This would directly result in a large increase in the number of players.
Knowledge can only be learned once, and these new players represent a new market. Apart from Planet Aquamarine, there are a few other novice planets in the Shattered Star Ring. I need to find some time to construct a Black Star Army base on those planets and bring those players into the army.
Apart from the players who started off with him from Version 1.0, it was time for Han Xiao to increase the size of his crops.
The players from the other Star Fields also represent a huge market. It is a pity that the distance between Star Fields is too large. The Black Star Army still isn’t able to leave the Shattered Star Ring, and there isn’t any hope of capturing those markets for now.
Han Xiao shook his head silently. He had always been eyeing the players from the other Star Fields, but because of the distance, he had not been able to include them in his plans.
While casually glancing at the posts, one of the posts caught his eye.
The title of the post was ‘The True Strategy of the Secret War’.
What is this true strategy? Why don’t I know about it?
Han Xiao clicked on the post, and the owner of the post was someone called Summer Night Flower. The content of the post made Han Xiao raise his brows in response.
“… there are actually two factions that we can choose from in the secret war, and everyone should already know about this. However, we all belong to the Black Star Army and automatically belong to the Purple Crystal faction. Since that’s the case, why can we still choose the Klent faction? I think that a hint is hidden behind this.
“This hint is: Joining Klent will bring us more benefits than staying in the Black Star Army!
“This is the true strategy of the Main Storyline Mission!
“I am not spouting nonsense. Firstly, I’ve investigated the events that have happened over the past ten years. Bloodshed Land have had the upper hand from the beginning of the war, and they still have the advantage. They are invading more and more territories, and it seems like Klent has a much larger chance of victory.
“By looking back at the example of the Germinal Organization and Mutation Disaster, I have concluded that the Main Storyline Missions are out of our league, and players aren’t able to affect the direction of the storyline.
“The secret war is fought between two Star Cluster Civilizations, and I don’t think that we will be able to affect the outcome of the war.
“In other words, Klent will be the final victor of the war!
“While we will be able to receive benefits from staying in the Black Star Army, we will fail the Main Storyline Mission, which will result in a lower Mission Rating. If we join Klent, even if we skip the missions, our Mission Rating will be increased.
“Second, there aren’t many players joining Klent at the moment, and the competition is low. This means that we will have a greater chance of obtaining more resources. The Black Star Army has over a million players, and with so many people fighting for resources and missions, we will have to expend more energy to receive reward.
“Third, the connection to future versions. Klent’s backer is the Crimson Dynasty, which is one of the three great Universal Civilizations. The future versions will probably revolve around the Universal Civilizations, and joining Klent will open a door for us that leads to the Universal Civilizations.
“Regardless of how powerful the Black Star Army becomes, it will be impossible for them to exceed a Universal Civilization.
“Thus, we will only be able to enjoy short-term benefits if we join the Black Star Army and will end up losing more opportunities. Perhaps the benefits of the Black Star Army are no more than a trap. Only an intelligent individual will be able to see through it and join Klent!”
After reading the post, Han Xiao had a strange feeling
He recognized this player called Summer Night Flower. In his previous life, Summer Night Flower was a famous player who triggered a hidden storyline. He enjoyed analyzing storylines, and he had some fame.
If Han Xiao was being honest with himself, Summer Night Flower’s analysis truly seemed extremely logical.
However, Summer Night Flower was wrong from the very beginning. This was something that Han Xiao had purposely created, and there was no hidden hint or anything.
If someone really believed this post and chose to join Klent, the outcome would truly be terrible for them.
Han Xiao had a look of resignation on his face.
Even if you wanted to come up with a hypothesis, you should at least get your facts straight.
Hopefully no one ends up being fooled…
Chapter 722 - Going to War
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Han Xiao committed Summer Night Flower's name to memory before throwing this matter to the back of his mind.
This was something that would definitely happen. Players were explorers after all; there would be some who wanted to seek something fresh. Since this could not be avoided, Han Xiao could only let nature take its course.
Only the crops that went through wind and rain would be truly precious.
After browsing through the forums for a while, Han Xiao suddenly felt the sofa tremble slightly, and someone sat down beside him. Turning around to look, it turned out to be Reynold.
"Not playing cards anymore?"
"Lagi dragged Feidin over. What's the damn point of playing?" Reynold replied expressionlessly.
Han Xiao then chuckled before casually saying, "You must let me know if you have any requests."
"No."
"Think about it carefully again. Don't need to worry about troubling me. You must let me know if you have any problems…"
Reynold had a strange look on his face. "Why do you ask me this question every month or so?"
"It's just me showing concern for my subordinates…" Han Xiao let out a dry cough. In order to obtain Reynold's Perfect Mechanical Sense, Han Xiao showed concern to Reynold every now and then in an attempt to trigger a mission.
However, ever since Han Xiao saved Rossellin, not a single mission had appeared from Reynold again. Just when would he be able to finally obtain the Perfect Mechanical Sense talent?
Should I get some people to kidnap Rossellin so that Reynold will seek my help to save her?
"Your Excellency Black Star, how long do you think this war will last?" Reynold suddenly asked.
Han Xiao thought for a moment before saying, "If you were to ask for my opinion, a war represents opportunity, and the longer the war, the better. However, this war can only be considered ordinary when compared to the other galactic wars, which last hundreds of years. As long as the Crimson Dynasty finishes their negotiations with the Federation of Light, Klent will retreat. According to some intel that I received, the Universal Civilizations will probably finish their negotiations in a few years."
Reynold shook his head. "Looking at the current situation, Klent has completed almost half of their plan. When the Crimson Dynasty has fulfilled their wish, they will help Klent redraw the territorial borders of the Seoul Star Cluster and include the few Star Clusters conquered by Bloodshed Land in the territory of their Seoul Star Cluster. If Purple Crystal doesn't find a backer, they won't get any help for sure."
"That's right. An independent civilization will have to endure all this," Han Xiao replied. He had some thoughts of his own but did not feel that it was necessary to let Reynold know about them. After pausing for a while, he continued, "However, even after the end of the secret war, the Crimson Tide won't disappear quickly. It is just like how a rock being thrown into still waters won't only create a splash but ripples as well.
"There are numerous civilizations in the galaxy, and they all have their own desires for more, which is like extremely combustible firewood. Th
e Crimson Tide is like a spark to light up their dormant desires. The moment their desires are ignited, they won't be extinguished easily.
"Purple Crystal also know that they cannot let Bloodshed Land occupy so many Star Systems. The purpose of this battle is to organize a large-scale retaliation, clear out all the strongholds that Bloodshed Land have in the Kant Star System, and snatch back control of the entire Star System. This is the largest military operation that Purple Crystal has launched since the start of the war, and they are sending out almost all their forces."
In two days' time, the Black Star Army would be officially deployed to meet up with the other members of Section Zero and head toward the Kant Star System.
This time, he was prepared to give the players a chance to show off their abilities and give all the dirty work to the players. More importantly, he wanted to groom the players and make them perform more war missions so that his crops could grow up healthily.
Since the players would not die, if they did not go to hell, who would?
Furthermore, the overall gaming experience would be better if the game was more dangerous. If the players did not experience some deaths, they would not be motivated at all.
…
Summer Night Flower had his eyes fixed on the forums, paying attention to the replies to his posts. Disagreements formed the majority of the replies, and his expression became ugly as he saw them.
He had only managed to create this post after some deep thought, and Summer Night Flower had felt extremely delighted at that moment. The way he saw it, he would definitely be able to knock many of the players awake and lead them in the right direction, gaining their praise in the process.
However, the reaction to the post was completely contrary to his expectations, and most of the players sided with the Black Star Army. Most of the replies were extremely sarcastic and said that his post was completely worthless and no more than a blind guess. This made Summer Night Flower extremely infuriated.
"These people do not know how to think at all!"
As Summer Night Flower saw more and more sarcastic replies, his mood became terrible, and he decided not to read the replies anymore.
Summer Night Flower edited his post and added, "All of you will know who is right and who is wrong when the truth verifies my thoughts. At that time, it will be too late for all of you to regret!"
At the same time, another player called 'Hate the Heavens' also saw Summer Night Flower's post.
Hate the Heavens had always felt that he was extremely good at spotting hidden storylines that no one knew about. He was also an avid reader of the post by Galaxy Chronicles and had even set up a small guild for players who enjoyed digging up hidden storylines.
When he saw the post, Hate the Heavens immediately felt that Summer Night Flower must be right.
The Main Storyline would not give them a meaningless faction, so there must be a hidden storyline in Klent!
Hate the Heavens made his decision and sent a link to Summer Night Flower's post to all the members in his guild.
"All of you look at this post. I think that it is extremely logical, and I plan to join the Klent faction."
The guild immediately broke out into commotion.
"You must consider this matter carefully Guild Leader! You will be screwed if your guess is wrong!"
"I think that it makes sense. Guild Leader, count me in. This trip will definitely be interesting."
"Guild Leader, how are you planning to join them? I don't think we have a path to join them, right?"
"I searched for some information, and there is a news report of Bloodshed Land hiring soldiers in Colton," Hate the Heavens replied. "I think that there will be a chance to join the enemy if we go to the frontline stronghold of the enemy alone. We can make use of this opportunity to change factions."
"This can be considered betrayal, right? We won't be able to return to the army again in future," another person added.
"So what if we can't return? Bloodshed Land is a large faction, and it may not be any worse than the Black Star Army. Furthermore, we may have the chance to come in contact with the Crimson Dynasty in the future," Hate the Heavens replied indifferently.
"All of these are guesses. Guesses can be wrong."
"I feel that it can't be wrong." Hate the Heavens shook his head. "Besides, with so many players being in the Black Star Army faction, we will know about any developments in the army. However, no one has triggered the hidden storyline in the Klent faction, and I want to play a storyline that no one knows about…"
"But the benefits of the Black Star Army are so good…"
"Haha, I am not a professional player. Why do I need to be so powerful?" Hate the Heavens replied with loud laughter.
He was a player who craved satisfaction, and the allure of a fresh storyline was far greater than benefits. Among the players, there were plenty who felt the same.
Summer Night Flower's post did have some effect. Apart from those who replied with sarcasm, there were some who began considering his words and grew curious about the Klent faction.
There were a small portion of players who were like Hate the Heavens and sought a fresh storyline, but the majority were gambling on the benefits that the Klent faction could bring to them.
…
Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
It was the day to go out for battle, and all the manpower had been gathered up. A large fleet was awaiting orders in the military dock of the headquarters.
More than a million players formed a special fleet and waited on-board the battleships with excitement.
They were no longer strangers to these large-scale missions, but most of them still felt excited whenever they participated in a mission that involved more than a million players.
As a faction that had gathered all the players together, such missions gave them a sense of belonging, and they felt as though they had a mission on their shoulders.
All the members participating in the battle waited in their respective battleships with Lagi's face being displayed on the screen of all the battleships. He was currently briefing all the participants of the mission. This should have been the job of the faction leader, but Han Xiao felt that Lagi was a demonic talent when it came to boosting the morale of the troops and thus allowed him to take this job.
As such, everyone had no choice but to listen to Lagi's monotonic voice.
"We will all die eventually, and the difference is only whether we die today or tomorrow…"
-20 Morale.
"Regardless of whether we are powerful or weak, we cannot avoid death. Being alive is only a process of rotting away slowly. Everything you do is meaningless to the universe, including this battle. Regardless of victory or defeat, it has nothing to do with all of you…"
-40 Morale.
"However, even if we know that the outcome cannot be changed, we will still continue to work hard. Even if we know that life is more important than everything else, there will be some who take risks. Even if we know that we are no more than a small chess piece in the war who will be reduced to dust by the various weapons, we are still willing to fight… Why is this?"
The morale slowly rose back up.
"It's because of money!"
The morale instantly went back to zero!
"We will only be able to enjoy life with money. We will not have to bend our backs to others if we have money. We will be able to take care of all our problems easily with money! We are warriors, and fighting is the way for us to earn money. Do you lack money? Then pick up your weapon and slaughter the enemy. A war is the best opportunity for us to earn money. Every single enemy has a price on their head, and your earnings shall be determined by the number of enemies you kill!"
A special effect has been triggered: +80 Morale.
Any righteous slogan would only make the members of the army sneer in disdain. After all, the secret war was a battle of benefits between Klent and Purple Crystal. They had nothing to do with the war
but chose to participate in it for money. As such, the best way to stir the army would be to tell them the truth and let them know how much money their enemy was worth.
All the players looked at each other with dumbfounded expressions on their faces. They had thought that they would be listening to an inspiring speech but never expected it to be such a pragmatic one.
Black Star, you have changed.
But we like it!
Han Xiao stifled his laughter and hurriedly kicked Lagi away, who wanted to add something. If he allowed Lagi to speak freely without following the script, the morale of the army would definitely vanish.
Han Xiao coughed dryly and added, "Set off."
Boom!
The next moment, the surface of the Black Star Army's satellite headquarters opened, and a large catapult rail was revealed. Thousands of battleships took off from the catapult rail and formed neat rows outside the atmosphere of the headquarters.
The fleet entered hyperdrive at the same moment and transformed into rays of light disappearing into the universe.
If the pedestrians on Planet Golden Gate stopped what they were doing and looked up, they would be able to see thousands of shooting-star-like objects disappearing into the horizon.
…
On Planet Heber, the Bloodshed Land headquarters…
"Your Excellency Tyrant, intelligence from the frontlines reported Section Zero sending out all of their forces. Their target is the Kant Star System, and Black Star has personally set off," Jorde reported to Heber respectfully. "I have arranged for the forces from other Star Systems to reinforce them."
"Mhm." Heber's soft murmur indicated that he had heard the report before asking, "Has Black Star grown up yet?"
Jorde hurriedly replied, "It has been a full seven years, and Black Star's strength has not changed up until now."
Talking about this, Jorde could not help but heave a sigh of relief. Back then, Black Star's fame was peerless, and it was as though he could become a Beyond Grade A Super anytime. However, seven years had gone by, and Black Star had not achieved a breakthrough. His fame was no longer as high as before, and some organizations no longer paid close attention to him.
The Legendary Mechanic c1-1385 Page 457