Chapter 152: From Country Bumpkin to Planetary Protagonist, Bai Fu’s Path to Advancement
Compared to adventuring in unknown worlds, Bai Fu preferred playing in familiar ones alongside the Players. If there was something to do, let the Players handle it; if there was nothing to do, she'd "slaughter" them for fun—an embodiment of ease and freedom.
But who told her that higher-tier Psionic Knowledge couldn’t be collected on Origin Star?
Without collecting Advancement Knowledge, she couldn’t trigger the Class Transfer quest. That meant, no matter how much XP she squeezed out of the Players, with version updates, the Players would eventually surpass her one after another.
Among so many Players, it was inevitable that a few chaotic-type Players would want to kill her. To avoid dying at the hands of the Players, she had to always stay ahead of them in level.
Thus, she came to the Star Sea. After spending nearly half a month fully exchanging criminal experiences with the scoundrels along the Road of Chaos in the Sea Lion System, she finally succeeded in unlocking the Class Transfer quest.
【Branch 1. Warrior's Glory - Reach 1000 Combat Points】
【Branch 2. Famous Across the Galaxy - Raise Reputation of one region to 50】
【Branch 3. Power of Knowledge - Collect two additional Psionic Advancement Knowledges】
【Quest Reward: 3 million XP, 1 random Talent or Passive Skill, Class Transfer Eligibility】
Bai Fu's gaze swiftly scanned across the Class Transfer quest interface in front of her.
Just like the last time she unlocked an Advanced Class, the rewards for this quest were also quite generous, but completing any of the branches wouldn’t be easy.
Branch 1 required monster-slaying. Each monster defeated would grant a certain number of points, and gathering 1000 points would complete the quest. However, there were limitations—monsters too low-level wouldn’t yield any points no matter how many she killed.
Branch 2 demanded Reputation farming. Although “50” looked like a small number, the “region” mentioned referred to at least the level of a star system. Raising the Reputation of a star system to 50 was no simple feat.
Branch 3 required collecting more Advancement Knowledge—seemingly straightforward, but not simple in practice.
Bai Fu had searched at the Trade Market. Purchasing two additional Psionic Advancement Knowledges would cost 30,000 Titan Credits. Based on prior experience, as long as she led the Players to “Borrow Money” around 60 to 80 times, she could earn those 30,000 Titan Credits.
But this was all theoretical.
Players weren’t puppets she could manipulate at will—they had their own calculations.
The reason they followed her to the Star Sea was in hopes of accessing higher-level quests, more interesting gameplay. "Borrowing" money from NPCs might be amusing, but even the most entertaining task, repeated nearly a hundred times, could make someone vomit.
Moreover, that quest didn’t even grant XP. Bai Fu felt that if she truly kept leading the Players to “Borrow Money”, the situation would soon evolve into—
【Queen Fu-fu governs poorly, sins are unforgivable, causing Players to voice their grievances and ultimately flee en masse!】
Hmph, no reason in that! How dare the chives who entered her Secret Garden think of escaping?
As the Grand Farmer of Origin Star, she would never allow it!
“Gotta find something else for the Players to do, and then finish the Class Transfer quest while they work. As for after the transfer...”
Bai Fu pondered briefly.
After resolving the issues brought by the Pillar of the True Spirit, she already had a clearer plan for her future.
Just like on Origin Star, she planned to continue expanding her forces. To do that, the first thing she needed was territory—for instance, buying a planet. Her plan was to lure all the Players from the Beginner Planets near the edge worlds to her Garden of Silence. To accommodate that many Players, not having her own planet was out of the question.
Bai Fu reopened the Trade Market’s item panel, searched for “planet”, and sorted by price ascending. Yet even the cheapest planet price made her scalp go numb from all the trailing zeroes.
“No use fretting. Let’s make money first.”
Bai Fu shook her head.
What satisfied her most since coming to the Star Sea was that the Star Sea had a very mature Commission Platform. She no longer had to rack her brain daily like she did on Origin Star to figure out how to give the Players more quests.
The Pan-Galactic Commission Platform—a platform built through cooperation by hundreds of members. From finding lost cats and dogs to kidnapping Empire princesses, all sorts of bizarre quests could be found here.
Because the platform’s business spanned every star system with intelligent life in the known universe, the number of quests available on the platform was countless. Even now, with only a few dozen Players beside her—let alone millions following her—this Commission Platform could easily keep them all well-fed.
Without the burden of worrying about quests, the only thing Bai Fu needed to do was to turn herself into a golden brand, so that Players would believe that even in the Star Sea, following her would never be worse than following other NPCs.
That was difficult. Possibly even harder than becoming the game’s Poster Girl. But still, she had to try.
She could only steal Players from other NPCs—never allow them to steal hers.
“Let’s go. Let’s check it out.”
Under Bai Fu’s lead, the Players excitedly entered the Pan-Galactic Commission Platform’s office.
The office was lively, as was the Livestream room of Excavation‑Princess.
While other Players were still running around bitterly on the ground, Excavation‑Princess and her crew were already teasing NPCs in the Star Sea, which made other Players green with envy.
【Not continuing to scam NPCs today?】
【Wish I could take her place!】
【Unfair! Unfair! Strongly request every Beginner Planet to be assigned one Fu-fu】
【Whoa, quests—so many quests!】
Excavation‑Princess ignored the jealous Live‑stream Comments and cheerfully began explaining the development history of the Pan-Galactic Commission Platform.
Halfway through her explanation, a commotion suddenly broke out in the main hall. She quickly turned her camera that way. On screen appeared a brown-skinned Cosmic being in black armor, face shielded by wind and frost, and a slick-headed female Fishman receptionist.
“Mister Vic, we are already doing our utmost to match you with a suitable Hunter. However, your bid...” The receptionist wore a helpless expression. “If you could lower your requirements a bit, I guarantee a Hunter will show up within an hour.”
The Cosmic being called Vic was visibly agitated. “What’s the point of lowering it? That’s all I’ve got! Isn’t your Pan-Galactic Commission Platform supposed to be able to solve any problem? Then find a way to solve mine!”
His furious roar echoed throughout the vast hall, drawing the attention of many, including Bai Fu and Excavation‑Princess.
However, most people looked over briefly, then returned to their own business.
They’d seen this kind of thing many times before.
Posting a commission without money?
Don’t be ridiculous.
The Star Sea was a very realistic place—just like certain game companies, it often boiled down to: no money, go play something else!
Vic remained indignant. He kept shouting and even slammed his hand heavily on the service desk. This time, even the receptionist began to lose her composure. “Mister Vic, if you continue causing trouble, our Security Robots will escort you to the Planetary Public Security Bureau. If you get detained, your fellow countrymen might be in trouble.”
“This...”
Vic’s body suddenly froze. He stared at the receptionist for a long time before dejectedly turning to leave.
The Pan-Galactic Commission Platform was an entity even the Star Web Commonwealth couldn’t afford to offend. What else could he do?
As he walked, Vic fumed inwardly with anxiety and frustration. Just as he exited the office, a voice called out from behind him.
“Wait a moment.”
Hm?
Vic turned around and saw that the one who called out to him was a girl who looked very much like a Star-Adaptive Human.
"Do you need something from me?"
Bai Fu remained calm as she looked at the Attribute Panel floating in front of her.
【Name】: Vic
【Template】: Special - Mental Mutation
【Main Class】: ? Lv6 [+50], Space Cruiser Lv11 [+10]
【Sub Class】: Pastry Chef Lv3
【HP】: …
【Stats】: …
【Skills】: …
【Talents】: Lucky, …
To Bai Fu, Vic’s template, class, and skills weren’t important, but the fact that he possessed the Talent 【Lucky】 was very important.
Her experiences on Origin Star had taught her that NPCs with the Lucky Talent were either protagonists of Hidden Plotlines or key participants in the Main Storyline.
The hidden main story she had wrung out of the hidden protagonist Pratt on Origin Star had profited her massively. The benefits carried by the hidden protagonist of the Star Sea might very well make her pass out from excitement.
Once she realized this, Bai Fu immediately chased after him.
"You seem to be facing some difficulties. Perhaps I can help."
Bai Fu led with a sweet face and gentle voice, but that only made Vic more wary—because from any angle, Bai Fu did not look like someone who could solve his problem.
Holding back his frustration, he said, "What I need isn’t just an ordinary Hunter, but an A-rank Psionicist at least as strong as I am."
Bai Fu’s eyes lit up. "What a coincidence, I’m exactly who you’re looking for!"
"You, an A-rank Psionicist?"
Vic’s eyelid twitched. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to believe it, but… alright, he really didn’t believe it.
"Can I see your Hunter License?"
Bai Fu replied, "I’m not a Hunter, so I don’t have a Hunter License."
Well then, never mind.
Vic turned to leave, but before he could even lift his right foot, Hei Fu, Yulia, and Anya walked over.
"The license is ready," Yulia said.
Bai Fu nodded and pulled out her Hunter License. "Now I am. Take a look."
Vic: "..."
Wait, how is this any different?
Out of courtesy, he looked at Bai Fu’s Hunter License.
【Codename】: Silver Moon
【Points】: 0
【Record】: None
【Rank】: A-
Wait a second, that rank…
Vic’s eyes widened suddenly in disbelief.
Bai Fu smiled. "Just because I’ve only just registered doesn’t mean I’m a rookie. I have a professional team that specializes in solving all kinds of problems."
She pointed to the Players who had followed her out. The Players Bai Fu pointed at all straightened up proudly, radiating confidence.
"The difficulty you’re facing must be urgent and hard to solve. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have lost your composure in front of the receptionist. Since you can’t find a suitable Hunter anyway, why not tell me about your situation?"
Vic frowned. He couldn’t shake the feeling that Bai Fu’s motives were impure, but just like she said, he was in no position to be picky right now.
With a deep sigh, he sat down on a bench at the office entrance.
"Three days ago, I suddenly received a distress signal. My hometown was attacked by a group of interstellar slave traffickers. In seven days at the latest, they’ll leave with the captives. How can I stand by and watch them commit atrocities in my homeland? But I alone have no power to stop them, so I came to the Pan-Galactic Commission Platform hoping to hire some powerful Hunters to go with me."
At this point, Vic gave a bitter smile.
"But I can only offer up to 2,000 Titan Credits. Honestly, I know that’s not enough to hire even one A-rank Psionicist, let alone several. So after I posted the mission, I went everywhere to borrow money. The legitimate banks refused me because I was too poor, so I turned to loan sharks, willing to stake my life as collateral. Guess what happened?"
Vic slammed his fist on the bench and raised his right hand emotionally. A virtual webpage popped up before Bai Fu, displaying a news article about how Bai Fu and the Players went around "Borrowing Money," causing great suffering to the criminal loan syndicates.
"The news says these people would try to run as soon as they got the money. Even when caught, they had a terrible attitude. The loan gang I contacted got so enraged they killed all those people. It blew up into a huge incident and caught the attention of the Public Security Bureau, and the gang was ultimately wiped out. Actually, it’s a good thing those lenders were arrested. But why now of all times… sigh, I couldn’t borrow money. I got anxious and ended up arguing with the receptionist. Tell me, aren’t these people crazy? Did they really think they could run? In the end, they died before they even spent the money they borrowed."
Vic grumbled endlessly about the news, clearly harboring deep resentment.
The surrounding Players glanced at each other, momentarily unsure how to respond.
Bai Fu nodded solemnly. "Listening to your story, they certainly don’t sound like normal people."
"Exactly," Anya supported Bai Fu. "But don’t worry, our Boss isn’t like those people in the news. She’s the most reliable. Anything she sets her mind to, she gets done. Meeting her today is basically—striking gold!"
"It’s not as exaggerated as Anya says."
"Boss, don’t be modest."
"You flatter me."
"No…"
Watching the tall and short pair—one curvy, one slim—Yulia’s ice-cold face became even colder.
Are you two doing a comedy sketch or acting like an old married couple?
In the Livestream, the Players were laughing themselves silly.
【It’s gotta be Anya. Just standing next to Fu-fu creates content.】
【This is the legendary tag-team technique of the Abandoned Cooling Plant duo!】
Vic, who had been frustrated, strangely calmed down after Bai Fu and Anya’s back-and-forth.
He looked up. What met his eyes was Bai Fu’s flawless face—so beautiful it transcended race.
But his attention wasn’t on her face. It was on the sheer veil gently illuminated by the sunlight around her body.
He seemed entranced. Was this… an angel descending upon him?
Bai Fu beamed with joy.
Yes, yes, I’m your angel. Hurry up and post the quest!
Vic turned around and found that the one who called out to him was a girl who looked very much like a Star-Adaptive Human.
"Do you need something from me?"
Bai Fu's expression was calm. At that moment, Vic’s Attribute Panel appeared before her eyes.
【Name】: Vic
【Template】: Special - Mental Mutation
【Main Class】: ? Lv6 [+50], Space Cruiser Lv11 [+10]
【Sub Class】: Pastry Chef Lv3
【HP】: ……
【Stats】: ……
【Skills】: ……
【Talent】: Lucky, ……
To Bai Fu, Vic's template, class, and skills weren’t important, but the fact that he had the Talent 【Lucky】 was very important.
Her experience on Origin Star had taught her that NPCs with the Lucky Talent were either hidden plot protagonists or crucial participants in the main storyline.
The hidden main story she had reaped from the hidden protagonist Pratt on Origin Star had made her an incredible profit. The benefits that might come with a hidden protagonist of the Star Sea could very well make her pass out from excitement.
Realizing this, Bai Fu had immediately chased after him.
"You seem to be in some trouble. Perhaps I can help you."
Bai Fu's core strategy was her sweet voice and beautiful face, but the more she acted this way, the more guarded Vic became. From any perspective, Bai Fu didn’t look like someone who could help solve his problems.
He held his temper and said, "What I need isn’t just a regular Hunter, but an A-rank Psionicist who’s no weaker than me."
Bai Fu's eyes lit up. "What a coincidence, I’m exactly the person you’re looking for!"
"You, an A-rank Psionicist?"
Vic's eyelid twitched. It’s not that he didn’t believe it, it’s just that… fine, he didn’t believe it at all.
"Can I see your Hunter License?"
Bai Fu said, "I’m not a Hunter, so I don’t have a Hunter License."
Well then, forget it.
Vic turned around, ready to leave, but before he could stretch out his right foot, Hei Fu, Yulia, and Anya came over.
"The license is ready," said Yulia.
Bai Fu nodded and pulled up her Hunter License. "Now I am. Take a look."
Vic: "……"
Wait, how does that make a difference?
Out of courtesy, he still looked at Bai Fu's Hunter License.
【Codename】: Silver Moon
【Points】: 0
【Record】: None
【Rank】: A-
Wait a second… that rank...
Vic’s eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with disbelief.
Bai Fu smiled. "Just because I just registered as a Hunter doesn’t mean I’m a rookie. I have a professional team specifically assembled to solve all sorts of problems."
She pointed at the Players who had followed her out. Each Player Bai Fu pointed at stood tall with pride and full confidence.
"The problem you’re facing must be urgent and very difficult, otherwise you wouldn’t have lost your temper at the receptionist. Since you can’t find a suitable Hunter anyway, why not tell me what trouble you’re facing?"
Vic frowned. He still felt Bai Fu’s motives weren’t pure, but as she said, he was in no position to be choosy.
Thinking of this, he sighed and sat down on a bench at the entrance of the office.
"Three days ago, I suddenly received a distress signal. My hometown was attacked by a group of Interstellar Slave Traffickers. In at most seven more days, they’ll leave with the captives. How could I just watch them commit atrocities in my homeland? But with my power alone, I can’t stop them, so I came to the Pan-Galactic Commission Platform, hoping to hire a few capable Hunters to join me."
At this point, Vic gave a bitter smile.
"But I can only offer 2,000 Titan Credits at most. Honestly, I know that’s barely enough to hire a single A-rank Psionicist, let alone several. So after I posted the quest, I went around borrowing money. The official banks thought I was too poor and refused to lend. I turned to private lenders, planning to pledge my life as collateral. And guess what?"
Vic punched the bench and emotionally raised his right hand. A virtual webpage appeared before Bai Fu, showing news about her and the Players going around “Borrowing Money,” making the criminal lending groups suffer miserably.
"The news said these people ran as soon as they got the money. Even when they were caught, their attitude was extremely bad. The lending gang I dealt with got so furious they killed all of them. The incident got so big it attracted the attention of the Public Security Bureau, and the entire gang was wiped out. Actually, it was good that those lenders were arrested, but why did it have to happen now… sigh, I couldn’t get any money, got anxious, and ended up arguing with that receptionist. Tell me, aren’t these borrowers insane? Did they really think they could get away? In the end, they died before they even had the chance to spend the money they borrowed."
Vic wouldn’t stop ranting about the news. His resentment ran deep.
The surrounding Players looked at each other, momentarily unsure how to respond.
Bai Fu nodded seriously. "Listening to you, they really don’t sound normal."
"Exactly, exactly," Anya chimed in. "But don’t worry. Boss isn’t like those people from the news. Boss is the most reliable person ever. Whatever she sets out to do, it gets done. Meeting Boss today—you’ve basically hit the jac… uh, struck gold!"
"It’s not as exaggerated as Anya says."
"Boss, don’t be so modest."
"You’re exaggerating."
"No…"
Watching the tall and short pair—one curvy, one slim—Yulia's ice-cold face became even colder.
Are you two doing a comedy show or putting on a husband-and-wife act?
Meanwhile, the Players in the Livestream were laughing themselves silly.
【It’s gotta be Anya. Just standing next to Fu-fu makes content.】
【This is the explosive combo from our Abandoned Cooling Plant duo!】
Vic, who had been extremely anxious, surprisingly calmed down after Bai Fu and Anya's exchange.
He looked up. What entered his eyes was Bai Fu’s flawless face—so perfect it transcended species.
But what caught his attention wasn’t Bai Fu’s face, but the veil softly illuminated by sunlight around her body.
He looked a little dazed. Could it be that an angel had descended before him?
Bai Fu smiled happily.
Yes, yes, I’m your angel. Hurry up and post the quest!
After a long while, Vic suddenly snapped back to his senses.「You already know, I only have 2,000 Titan Credits on me. That amount isn't enough to hire an A-rank Psionicist.」
Bai Fu said,「If the money isn't enough, other things can be used instead, such as Psionic Advancement Knowledge, Mechanical Advancement Knowledge, or some other kind of knowledge. If you don't have those, then skill manuals, special blueprints, or resources could also work.」
Vic pondered for a good while.「I don't have the types of knowledge you're talking about. I'm a Mental Esper. What I can offer is only the insights I've gained through my journey so far and some special techniques for applying Mental Force. As for resources, I don't know if the ones from my hometown would be of interest to you.」
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Fu received a game prompt.
【You have triggered the hidden quest [Vic’s Request]】
【Quest Description: ……】
【Quest Objective: Assist Vic in stopping the Interstellar Slave Traffickers who are about to leave his hometown】
【Reward: 2,000,000 experience points, Vic Favorability +60, Vic’s Mental Secret Scroll】
【Note: This is a chain quest. Completing it may trigger follow-up quests】
Judging from the rewards, this quest was significantly easier than eliminating the Flame Transfer House. That made Bai Fu breathe a sigh of relief. With the right planning, she should be able to complete this quest smoothly, and once it was done, her Class Transfer quest would probably be almost complete too.
「Just as I suspected, this is a chain quest. I wonder if the hidden storyline lies with Vic himself or with his hometown.」
The first part of the quest already offered 2,000,000 experience points and a cultivation scroll for Mental Espers. The rewards to follow were bound to be even more tempting.
Let this quest be the starting point of her ascent to the peak of the Star Sea!
Bai Fu accepted the quest without hesitation.
「Let’s go through the Commission Platform. That way, I can earn some Commission Points after completing the quest.」
Vic had no objections.
At this point, if even Bai Fu couldn’t be relied on, he would have no choice but to return alone to save his hometown.
Under Bai Fu’s instructions, all the Players who had registered as Hunters took on Vic’s commission as her followers.
For the same quest, the rewards given to Players were much lower. After all, Vic’s commission was mainly directed at Bai Fu, and the Players were simply tagging along and catching a bit of the leftovers.
But that "less" was only in relative terms—after all, this was Bai Fu’s leftovers. In truth, it was a generous and filling amount.
【Whoa, completing the quest gives 320,000 experience—that’s enough to level me up!】
【There must be plenty of kill rewards along the way too. If they're lucky, Treasure Digger and the others could probably net 400,000 experience on this run. Is this what high-level Star Sea quests reward you with?】
【All thanks to Fu-fu. Without Fu-fu leading, how could we possibly access such high-level quests?】
【Aaaah, I want to drink the soup with Fu-fu too!】
【Treasure Digger, I hate you. Why’d you show me this? I won’t be able to sleep tonight.】
The chat barrage went wild, while the Players beside Bai Fu were grinning from ear to ear.
No point in being anxious—no matter how anxious you are, all you can do is stare while we follow Fu-fu’s lead and drink soup like mad!
「Move out!」
Once the deal was made, Bai Fu didn’t delay and boarded the spaceship with Vic.
Vic’s hometown was called Ulysses Star. It was originally located in the Dark Zone. Over a hundred years ago, a mining team from the Sea Lion System accidentally discovered Ulysses Star, and from then on, it connected to the Star Sea.
With the Warp Engine at full power, a day and a half later, the spaceship passed through the Star Gate and arrived near Ulysses Star.