by <unknown>
“Yeah, I only registered recently. I hurried over when I heard that your people were facing a crisis. I never thought that I would be fighting alongside you.” Han Xiao made sure to make good use of this opportunity. “I have friend in town that I would like to visit. Could you do help me?”
“If he’s your friend, then there’s no problem,” Neville added.
Lerden thought that as the two had already fought alongside each other once, even though he did not really know him, he felt like Han Xiao was not a bad person. Also, he was quite powerful. There was no harm in doing him this favor. Lerden then nodded and said, “Sure. I will accompany you into town.”
“Thanks.” Han Xiao smiled. It sure was convenient to have met someone that he was familiar with. One sentence, and the problem was solved. He no longer had to worry about taking the risk to sneak in.
…
It had been a while since they saw each other, and Lerden’s bionic body parts had already been repaired. Han Xiao passed the security station with Lerden, along with the other Sunil Supers, who also wanted return to the city after returning to the planet. Han Xiao and Lerden followed behind this group of people.
Huuu!
Sounds of cheers suddenly exploded from both sides of the road. There were posters of the Sunil Supers that still adorned the walls of the city, and the Sunil people rushed out to welcome their heroes home.
Chapter 338. The Ordnance Engineer |
The upcoming Catastrophe instilled horror in people’s hearts, but the people on the street currently had broad smiles on their faces, as if the Supers had driven off their fear.
“Under regulation, I need escort you into the city, ” Lerden said.
“It seems like your civilization really worships the Supers,” Han Xiao commented.
“It’s more like gratitude rather than worship,” Lerden replied calmly. “After our race faced sudden changed and migrated to this planet, we still don’t have enough power to stand on our own. The efficiency of resource gathering is too slow for us to sustain our consumption, and we needed to purchase a lot of materials from the galaxy. Therefore, our expenses are greater than our production.
“In order for us to survive, Supers that are strong enough will head into the universe and become mercenaries. Most of their rewards are sent home, and it is the main source of economic income. There was no way for this civilization to build enough weapons to fight the Catastrophe.”
Han Xiao had a better understanding of the situation. The Sunil was a civilization in crisis. They could only temporarily rely on strong individuals, such as the Supers, to support the entire economy of the race. That was why the people treated the Supers like heroes, and one held great honor if one was a super.
Han Xiao still remembered that Lerden was extremely cheap. In reality, Lerden gave all his income to the race, so he tried to spend as little as possible, all to contribute more to the race.
“It will bring disastrous effects if this civilization keeps on relying on the Supers.”
Lerden nodded. “That is indeed true, but we do not have any other choice. In the end, it is all because of the Catastrophe, which is slowing down our recovery. We have to split significant portions of our funds to build weapons and military equipment to defend against the Catastrophe. Our development in infrastructure and industries has been held back because of all the extra expenses that won’t help the economy.
“If we don’t solve problem of the Catastrophe, we cannot break away from this vicious cycle, and our civilization would always suffer till the end of time.
“We tried a lot of ways to solve the problems, and we even considered killing all the beasts, but that is worst option. Not only is it impossible to deal with, once the food chain is destroyed, the entire planet will face an inevitable death. Thus, we chose another way—trying to excavate the Prophecy Stones and deal with the cause of Catastrophe once and for all. The project has been going on for years, and we are cleansing the stones bit by bit. One day, the Psychic Current will disappear, and the race will never have to face the tragedy of the Catastrophe again…”
Lerden’s face let out a sense of hope. “There’s always light at the end of the tunnel.”
Han Xiao had a decent impression of the Sunils. They were a resilient race with the Supers carrying more and more responsibility in order for the civilization to live on. They had no complaints.
What a pity… Han Xiao sighed as he remembered the fate of the Sunils in the previous world.
The Supers spread out after they reached the city and went back to their home. The crowd also slowly scattered.
Han Xiao used his distorted memories and finally reached an alleyway after circling around. He stopped in front of a black narrow door, and a wine glass was hung on the sign.
“A bar? The person you want to visit is here?” Lerden frowned.
“Do you have problem with that?”
“… No.”
Lerden remained expressionless. He looked down on people who spent their money for leisure as he thought that it was being wasteful of their money and their life.
After all, he had lost his right to enjoy his life.
They pushed open the door and walked into the bar. The bar was dim, and there were not any customers. The city was in an emergency state, so no one had to guts to get drunk in a bar. Han Xiao walked in front of the counter, and a soft snore came from the back of the counter.
The Great Mechanic Han looked over and saw a man sleeping with his head on the counter. He was well asleep alongside a pile of empty bottles.
Bang!
Han Xiao smacked the counter as hard as he could and shouted, “Customer is here! Wake up!”
The man’s fingers moved at first, and he let out a long breath from his nose. He then finally stood up with the stench of alcohol oozing from his body. His eyes were lifeless, and he looked like he was only half awake. The man then asked, “What do you want?”
“Two signatures.”
“One is enough,” Lerden interjected.
The man yawned. “Pay first.”
Han Xiao took out his communicator and prepared to pay. The man suddenly laughed out loud and said, “My dear, you are not trying to pay with Enas, right? This is a small business, so we only accept local currencies.”
Lerden frowned. He usually spent his time in the galaxy, so the Sunil currency was not worth much for him. He reached for his pocket and wanted to pay for Han Xiao, but at the same time, Han Xiao laughed. “I don’t have Sunil currency, can I use another method of payment?”
The man did not look at Han Xiao and reached for another bottle. “Like what?”
“A name.”
The man frowned, looking annoyed. He glared at Han Xiao and replied, “I don’t have time for a game. Get out if you are not paying.”
“Delvis,” Han Xiao said in a calm voice, but it was as loud as thunder in the ears of the man.
The man froze as he tried to take a sip from the bottle. The relaxed atmosphere vanished, and he became expressionless, as if he was not drunk at all. The dizziness in his eyes disappeared instantly, and he stared right in Han Xiao’s eyes.
He quietly put down the bottle and said, “Wait for a moment, I need to wash my face.”
The man walked away from the counter and went to the bathroom.
Only Han Xiao and Lerden were in the bar, and Lerden said, “You don’t even know him, so you are not visiting someone you’ve met before.”
“I know his brother, that’s why I decided to visit him,” Han Xiao explained.
The drunk man was Herlous, and Delvis was his older brother. The subclass that Han Xiao was interested in was called [Ordnance Engineer]. For players, this subclass was extremely rare, and there was a method among the Sunils to change his class. The item for activation was called [Delvis’ Journal].
Delvis was a famous ordnance engineer before the Sunil race was attacked. He created a lot of inventions for military equipment, and he wrote all his t
houghts in his journal. After DarkStar attacked, Delvis died in the battle, and the journal was handed to Herlous.
Han Xiao wanted to borrow the journal from Herlous to change his class.
After a while, Herlous got back to the counter with his head washed. He was a middle-aged Sunil. His skin was light blue, and there were a few wrinkles on the side of his forehead, far fewer than one might expect of a hundred-and-fifty-year-old. Other than that, he was almost the same as a Super.
Herlous opened up a bottle and brought it to Han Xiao. “I don’t know how you found me, but my brother’s name is worth a bottle. I brew this myself.”
The bottle was covered with white smoke, and the smell of alcohol penetrated their noses. Alcohol made by Sunils was usually made from the leaves of a certain tree, which had a bitter taste. After a sip, Han Xiao felt the spiciness on his tongue.
“I am just a mechanic. I have heard your brother’s name, and I want to borrow his journal.”
“Is that it?” Herlous raised his eyebrows and tried to get more information.
“That’s it for now.” Han Xiao laughed and glanced at Lerden. “Do you think I have another purpose?”
Herlous heard the obscure response and asked in a cold voice, “Do you think this is threatening?”
“No, no. I am being friendly.” Han Xiao smiled. “But for a nice person like yourself, you won’t reject this small request, right?”
On the side, Lerden did not understand what was happening. Were they still speaking with a real language? Why could he not understand?
Herlous hesitated for a while, but his expression showed that he had given up. He went into the house and came out after a while with the journal in his hand. He slammed it on the desk and said, “Leave when you are done.”
Han Xiao touched the journal, and the interface popped out a hint.
_____________
You obtained [Delvis’s Journal].
_____________
He had finally obtained it! Han Xiao suppressed his excitement as he opened the diary. He acted like he understood everything, but the journal was written in the Sunil language, which looked like cursive English. However, it did not matter if he don’t know the language. The interface showed a progress bar, and as long as he finished ‘reading’ the book, he could change his class.
Through the normal mission, one needed to be extraordinarily lucky to obtain the journal. The procedure to obtain the journal was complex, since no one knew the identity of Herlous. Most people would not think that a stranger working in a bar was that man. Most of the time, the players would only find out about the journal by becoming friends with Herlous and drinking with him. Only then would Herlous would start talking about his brother when he was drunk.
However, Han Xiao knew the information, so he directly cut to the end without going through the complicated procedure.
Lerden was surprised and asked, “Can you read Sunil?”
Han Xiao closed the book and said, “I can’t”
“Then why are you reading it‽” Herlous stared at Han Xiao with his eyes wide open.
“Just think of it as me paying my respects to your brother. Thanks for the drink.”
Han Xiao put down the journal and smiled as he turned away.
“What a weird guy. Don’t disturb me again!” Herlous shouted from behind Han Xiao.
“Maybe I will.” Han Xiao looked back playfully.
After walking out of the bar, Han Xiao opened up the interface and looked at the new hint. He was in a good mood. He had finally gotten the subclass, and the explosive amount of experience points could finally be used!
_____________
You obtained the class [Ordnance Engineer].
Chapter 339. The Rush Strat |
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[Ordnance Engineer] Lv.1
+1 END, +3 INT, +1.5% Machinery Affinity, +2 Free Attribute points, +1 Potential point.
You acquired the skill [War-machinery Mastery].
You acquired the skill [Quick War-machinery Repairs].
_____________
There was a chain of effect between Ordnance Engineer and Mechanic class. The skills and attributes perfectly fit with the Mechanic class, and this subclass was equivalent to half of the main class. The levels used for this type of subclass were used at their maximum potential value.
Engineer-type classes focused on intelligence, and they did not provide any combat abilities. However, being an Engineer was more valuable compared to having some additional combat skills. Ordnance meant war machinery such as turrets, armor, shields, and so on. This subclass would provide additional buffs when creating and using war machinery.
Han Xiao pulled out the stack of experience that he had accumulated and spent it all on those two skills.
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[War-machinery Mastery] Lv.10: When using war machinery, get an additional 18% attack and defense bonus.
[Quick War-machinery Repairs] Lv.10: When repairing war machinery, the efficiency increases by 24%. During the repairing process, randomly restore 3% – 6% durability. The chances depend on INT. No maximum occurrence.
_____________
The effects on these two skills were simple yet brutal, and they were extremely useful for the current Han Xiao. However, the main reason that he wanted to obtain the subclass was the ability unlocked after maxing it out.
He directly used 90 million experience points to max out the subclass.
_____________
[Ordnance Engineer] has reached Lv.10 (Max.).
+1 END, +3 INT, +1.5% Machinery Affinity, + 2 Free Attribute points, +1 Potential point.
_____________
In total, this class gave him 10 Endurance points, 30 Intelligence points, 15% Machinery Affinity, 20 Free Attribute points, and 10 Potential points. There would also be additional Potential points, including the reward, after maxing out the levels of the skills.
Currently, Han Xiao’s intelligence attributes reached 391. If he used all his Free Attribute points, it would surpass the requirement of his class change—400.
Ordnance Engineer was maxed out, and just like the Night Stalker, he also got a new ability.
_____________
You acquire the skill [Military Modification].
You acquire the ability [Military Machinery Enlightenment].
[Military Modification] Lv.10: When creating or modifying war machinery, the status of equipment increases by 8% – 14%. (Note: The buff is based on the original status and does not include statuses from other buffs.)
_____________
This is the same as having another power boost for the machinery. Han Xiao nodded and looked at the other ability, which he valued the most.
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[Military Machinery Enlightenment]: You have been enlightened. When building new war machinery, +30% success rate when building a new production line, +10% Quality of Production Line, -18% resource costs, and +20% speed of production.
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Productivity was the essence of this subclass.
A mechanic had multiple stages in their development, and each of them was indicated by certain benchmarks. One of them was fast building while fighting, which was one of the reasons the mechanic became powerful in Version 3.0. As for the assembly line, it was the mark of the later stages. Mass production was a vital step to develop the most explosive, most brutal, and most costly tactic, which was known as the Rush Strat.
For normal mechanics, they would use the best weapons made out of the best materials. For mass production, the equipment created had low quality. Although the difference in quality would increase between normal Mechanics and Mechanics that used mass production, the latter could stack up an uncountable amount of machinery and suppress the enemy with numbers.
Mechanics and Mages were two powerful classes in the later stage. The Rush Strat from the Mechanic and the Summon Rush Strat could turn a one-on-one battle to survival against a zombie horde. These two battle sty
les ruined the game experience as exceedingly few players could win against them.
However, even though these two strategies were strong, the cost was obscene. The cost of building one single army was detrimental to the players. Moreover, at the later stages of the game, all players had the ability to fight against an army. So, although the Rush Strat could overpower the opponent, there would also be an unneglectable cost in their own army. If they joined the competitive scene, with matches after matches, the combat ability of the army would also decrease, and after ten or twenty matches, the player would use up everything they had.
And if two used the Rust Strat, then everything became simple. With one team-fight between two armies, both sides would lose all their forces in one match.
Therefore, in the previous world, the Rush Strat was seen as a myth. One hardly found these players. So, if anyone was such a player, they would treasure that moment, since the meta could change at any time.
Han Xiao had analyzed the situation. Because the players were in a weaker stage, he could deal with them with ease. However, the players would be deadlier in the later stage, and different sorts of powers would arise. So, Han Xiao did not want to take risk, and the Rush Strat was the obvious choice.
What, the Rush Strat was costly‽
In the eyes of the Great Mechanic Han, money was not a problem.
Especially since he had obtained the ability to reduce cost, Han Xiao had no worries about costs and money in the future.
Han Xiao had a long-term plan for his development. Even though he had not learned the knowledge to create assembly lines, he had gotten all the important abilities.
Level 80 would mark another class change, and the class advancement mission required 60 million experience. Han Xiao let out a sigh—it was a piece of cake for him.
In Version 2.0, the maximum level was 90, but that of the current version was level 60. Players in Version 1.0 did not know anything about class advancement missions. Because they could not break the barrier, the players had to experience two class advancement missions at level 60 and level 80. The class advancement at level 60 would make a huge, but not so much for the one at level 80.