Chapter 331: Black Star: The Beginning (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
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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]!
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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 advantage 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.
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You have acquired a new blueprint: Simple Multi-function Detector!
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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.
After he returned to waiting room, he found that most of the players were waiting there patiently. However, after scanning the room, he realized that Li Ge and the Temple of God players were nowhere to be found.
Han Xiao frowned and asked, “Where are the others?”
“They said that they wanted to take a look outside to familiarize with the environment and would be back in a moment,” Bun-hit-dog explained.
Han Xiao narrowed his eyes.
Bullsh*t. Do they think I don’t understand how their minds work? They’re just excited about entering a new environment and couldn’t wait to interact with the new NPCs and trigger missions, thus ignoring my instructions.
Most players were selfish. This was an indisputable point. It was even more so for the pro players. But really? Could they not even wait there for a few minutes? Clearly, the allure of the shiny new world had gotten to them.
This was also one of the things that Han Xiao worried about. As new opportunities popped up one after another, the players would start getting ideas of their own and would have less reason to always stick with him. They would also be interested in joining a more powerful organization.
To ensure that the players never left him, Han Xiao had long since prepared a plan, and it was about time to implement that plan.
“Follow me. It’s time for work.”
Han Xiao turned and walked out the doors with the players following right behind him.
The group of people arrived in front of a huge building with a main hall that was similar in size to a town square. People of different species could be seen throughout the building, going about their business. Some sat, some were walking around, and some conversed with each other. However, all of these people were fully clad in battle gear, and pretty much all of them were Supers.
“What is this place?” the players asked as they looked left and right.
“The Mercenary Alliance,” Han Xiao said slowly. “A powerful neutral organization that offers swords for hire. This organization’s business can be seen in all corners of the universe. It was founded by the three big Civilizations in space. They maintain absolute neutrality, and all intelligent lifeforms can register to become one of their mercenaries. The Alliance ranks their mercenaries with different levels, and the difficulty of a mission, the value of reward, operation funds, and other benefits all depend on your level. The Mercenary Alliance is an ancient organization, and like the Intergalactic Bank, they never interfere in matters in space. It also pays great attention to protecting the rights of both the clients and the mercenaries. Mercenaries would never be forced into doing missions. It serves as a fair platform.”
He also knew that the original intention for the founding of the Mercenary Alliance was to give the Supers something to do. Being able to earn money and make a living with their power meant that they would have less time and energy to cause trouble everywhere. The effect that the founding of the Mercenary Alliance brought was evident. Not only did it make good use of the Supers’ abilities, it also contributed to maintaining the security in an area.
But the players did not need to know about that.
The players were stunned, and for a while, it was as if light was coming out of their eyes. They had come to space so that they could take higher-level missions, and they could not wait to head into the building right now. However, everyone stood still as they saw that Han Xiao was not making a move yet.
Multiple fist-sized metal balls could be seen floating around the great hall of the Mercenary Alliance. These balls would fly toward players with a wave from their hands, forming a virtual screen upon contact. This was a kind of an automatic management system that allowed the mercenaries to take on jobs on their own.
Han Xiao retrieved a ball and opened up the virtual interface.
“Please enter your mercenary account username to proceed.” A robotic voice sounded out of the small ball.
Han Xiao directly selected the ‘register’ option, and the screen changed. After entering his identification information, his account could not be connected to his bank account.
Han Xiao entered the information for his own bank account, and with a flash, the screen refreshed and displayed his basic information. There was only a name and a single entry in his resume—Protecting Short Horn Star. This ‘resume’ would automatically record his official accomplishments, and as he had only entered space not too long ago, it was still as blank as a sheet of paper.
These accomplishments were basically the physical record of his renown, but the accomplishments that were made with no witnesses around would likely not be recorded. However, the renown on the player interface was different. Even without someone spreading the news, the renown points would still increase on its on whenever a player did something big.
Han Xiao needed a mercenary nickname. He was called “Black Phantom” on Planet Aquamarine, but he felt like that name wasn’t domineering enough. He decided to use a new name to to also pique the players’ interests.
After a bit of thinking, Han Xiao said slowly, “Then let’s call myself... Black Star.”
Black Phantom was a name for a killer and felt a little bit edgy. He felt that the new name sounded much more ‘righteous’ and fitted his image quite well. The Great Mechanic Han was pleased with himself.
He chose the color black because he felt a connection to this color. He had liked to wear black clothing even in his past life, not because he thought it looked cool, but because he was too lazy to wash his clothes.
After entering a bunch more information, the little ball revealed a small probe and reminded, “If you’re a Super, please release your energy toward this probe. The system will analyze your class for you, and this will determine the difficulty of the missions that will be matched to you.”
Han Xiao held the probe and sent sparks of energy out of his fingertips. He used about eighty percent of his power, and C class was displayed on the screen.
“Data collection complete. Creating file...”
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Mercenary Codename: Black Star
Credibility Rating: 10 (Starting Value)
Strength Level: C
Class: Mechanic
Certificates and Badges: None
Faction or Group: None
Summary: Mercenary Recruit
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“File creation complete. Data has been entered into the system. Black Star, welcome to the Mercenary Alliance.”