Chapter 157: The Terror of the Star Sea Succubus, Bai Fu Prepares to Return to Origin Star?
After news of Brom's death spread, the Ulysses people began openly judging the Administrator.
During the trial, the Administrator wept bitterly, claiming he cooperated with slave traders to protect the majority by sacrificing the minority.
Some of the Ulysses people showed understanding, but times had changed. They had already decided to resist to the end and could not forgive the Administrator for knowingly leading Brom to them, despite knowing their decision.
Under the fury of the crowd, the Administrator was sentenced to hanging.
Vic stood in front of the gallows for a long time, shaking his head with a sigh before finding Bai Fu, who was browsing information on the Cosmic Web.
"Something urgent?" asked Bai Fu.
Vic said, "The Administrator is dead. Everyone now hopes you'll become the new Administrator."
Bai Fu walked over to the window, outside of which excited Ulysses people had already gathered densely.
It was no longer a matter of whether or not they would offer her the yellow robes, but how many layers of yellow robes they were ready to pile upon her!
Bai Fu thought if she wanted, she could become a true queen now—after all, back on Origin Star, her title as a queen was merely symbolic.
But she'd better forget it.
Being a queen and revered by many certainly felt good, but it didn't align with the image she'd constructed before the Players.
How could the dignified Sovereign of the Shadowed Night truly become a queen?
Actually, even without being officially crowned, her status among the Ulysses people was practically the same.
"Ulysses Star belongs to the Ulysses people. It's more appropriate for you to become the Administrator," Bai Fu replied.
"This…" Vic wanted to argue further, but seeing Bai Fu's firm attitude, he could only nod. "I'll let them know."
Ultimately, Vic formed a Revival Committee on Ulysses Star, becoming its president while Bai Fu assumed the honorary presidency.
Bai Fu was quite satisfied with the outcome of this Ulysses trip. She initially intended only to complete a Main Class quest but unexpectedly obtained a planet where favorability was already maxed out. Now she didn't have to spend money buying planets. Who wouldn't be happy about this?
With the Ulysses people around, once she brought the Players over, she wouldn't need to expend much effort recruiting NPCs to provide basic services.
"It's time to earn some money."
The next afternoon, Bai Fu temporarily bid farewell to Vic, piloting her spaceship to leave Ulysses Star.
She split her forces into three groups. The guild Players were left behind on Ulysses Star as temporary bodyguards. Hei Fu and half the Players escorted the slave traders to the Chaotic Star Road.
Finally, she herself, Yulia, and Anya flew straight towards the Star Web Commonwealth, intending to register a private armed company.
Establishing a private armed company would allow her to better assign tasks to Players. After Players completed tasks, she and her private armed company could also gain corresponding Reputation rewards.
With sufficient Reputation, many matters could be solved by relying on the "fruit of face."
["Give me, Fu, some face!"]
Bai Fu decided to name this private armed company "Tide of the Dark Moon." Indeed, it was precisely the version name for 1.1.
The version name "Tide of the Dark Moon" was originally supposed to represent a version centered around Players active in the Dark Zone—the tide referring to the Player tide. However, due to Excavation‑Princess's wild imagination, most Players now believed the Dark Moon referred to Bai Fu herself, with the "tide" simply being hers as well, the exact meaning unimportant.
She didn't name it Garden of Silence partly to continue implying things to the Players, and partly because, from the Players' viewpoint, she had fled to Origin Star due to betrayal. It would be strange to continue using the name Garden of Silence after returning to the Star Sea.
Acting required dedication; that's professionalism!
…
A day later, Hei Fu piloted her spaceship and smoothly reached Fengdeng Star in the Chaotic Star Road.
Fengdeng Star was located near the transportation hub of Fengdeng Starport. Over time, it naturally became one of the most renowned planets in the Chaotic Star Road.
Long before arriving at Fengdeng Star, Hei Fu had thoroughly researched the slave market's location. After docking, she immediately led Players to the destination.
The Star Sea was vast, but news spread rapidly, especially in bustling places like Fengdeng Star.
Hence, as soon as Hei Fu appeared in the busy streets, a roadside vendor running "Quesanti’s Mysterious Shop" immediately recognized her.
"Wait, isn't that hardcore savage Silver Moon who's been famous recently?"
"She really doesn't look as ruthless as the rumors suggest. Her arm is even thinner than my thumb."
A crowd watched from afar, eager to approach, yet deterred by thoughts of Brom's tragic fate.
Silver Moon appeared normal now, but who could guarantee she wouldn't suddenly snap, drawing weapons and firing wildly?
Some even wanted to secretly report Hei Fu’s appearance to the Singularity Company, but they were quickly restrained by those around them.
"You value your life or not! If Singularity Company fails to kill her and she learns you secretly informed on her, you're finished. Even Brom couldn't beat her, can you?"
The more they thought about it, the more terrified they became, too afraid to move carelessly. Having money but no life to enjoy it was pointless.
Only after Hei Fu walked away did they dare to gather and discuss.
"What’s Silver Moon doing on Fengdeng Star?"
"It seems like she's heading to the slave market?"
"Is she going there to demand Ulysses people from slave traders?"
Driven by curiosity, many braved their fear and followed to watch the spectacle.
Slave market.
The boss targeted by Hei Fu sweated profusely, as if a small hose was attached to his body. He, too, assumed Hei Fu was here to cause trouble.
His backers were powerful, but facing a ruthless person like Silver Moon, strength of backing was meaningless. If any mishap occurred, he would be chopped into pieces long before his backers arrived.
Driven by fear, the boss desperately provided considerate service.
He brought chairs, food and drinks, personally fanned Hei Fu, and kicked away a robot attempting to replace him. He was even willing to kiss Hei Fu’s shoe tips if he thought she would appreciate it.
This was truly treatment befitting a queen.
Players from Fu Sect looked on scornfully, remarking that the boss was shameless and begging to switch places with him.
Hei Fu calmly sat for a while. "Relax, I'm not here to trouble you. You don't need to fear me. After all, I'm not some demon. I'm here to do business."
You're saying you're not a demon—do you think I believe that?
The boss suppressed his fear and asked what business Hei Fu wanted. Hei Fu didn't beat around the bush: "I have a batch of people I want to sell you. Name your price."
"Ah… people? What kind of people?"
“It's those slave traders who went to Ulysses Star trying to kill me earlier. Although they wanted to kill me, I've always been kind-hearted and don't like seeing too much killing. So I thought it better to sell them instead. This way, I get compensated, and they get to survive—a win-win situation for everyone.”
Huh?
All the NPCs around were dumbfounded.
Selling slave traders? Could any normal person do such a thing? And you call this a win-win?
Kind-hearted my ass—normal demons weren't even as terrifying as you!
The boss was terrified.
He felt extremely fortunate that he had rushed to flatter Hei Fu the moment he saw her; otherwise, he might have already been dragged to the shop next door and sold off.
The boss quickly said, "Alright, I'll buy them, but let me inspect the goods first so I can set the right price, okay?"
Hei Fu didn't object.
The transaction went extremely smoothly. After being intimidated by her for half a day, the boss didn’t dare haggle and honestly paid her 520,000 Credit Coins.
After receiving the money, she distributed some to the Players who helped her a lot and Vic, leaving herself with 400,000 Credit Coins. She had instantly transformed from a Star Sea pauper to a moderately wealthy lady in the Star Sea.
Nice!
If not for fear of provoking public outrage, she'd have gladly captured more slave traders to sell.
While Hei Fu cheerfully investigated news about Singularity Company, events on Fengdeng Star reached the company's ears.
They had received news of Brom and others' gruesome deaths just a day ago. Now, with this fresh news, they had only one thought—
Numb!
"What kind of crazy person is this? An abstract hardcore savage?"
The senior executives of Singularity Company quickly convened a meeting.
The more they discussed, the more absurd they found Silver Moon. To kill Brom, she had directly ordered her subordinates to crash spaceships into him. Did her followers have no objections at all? They obediently followed her around—either they were masochists who enjoyed abuse or she possessed special seduction techniques like those Succubi.
Damn, such a leader with followers like these was truly terrifying.
"Investigate her origins first, see if she really has charm abilities."
They did not rashly act, nor did they request help from their backing forces. Capturing the Ulysses people was a task assigned by their patrons. If they begged for help at the first sign of trouble, wouldn't that make them look like useless trash?
……
Inside the Star Web Commonwealth, Bai Fu, who had just registered her private armed company, browsed through intelligence on Singularity Company recently purchased by Hei Fu.
The intelligence revealed that Singularity Company had over a thousand employees. Their strongest member was called Jai, merely a peak A-rank Mage, which relieved Bai Fu somewhat. Even if the entire Singularity Company attacked her, she wouldn't win, but escaping would be easy.
However, the forces connected to Singularity Company were a headache—three pirate crews, including the Deadline Pirate Crew closely related to Lava whom she had encountered upon entering the Star Sea. Deadline Pirate Crew's strength was not much weaker than Crystalite.
Besides pirates, Singularity Company also seemed connected to an unknown organization.
Bai Fu suspected that the organization had a close relationship with gene optimization potions.
"Singularity Company hasn't made trouble for me lately. They must be intimidated and still strategizing. However, if this drags on, they'll definitely continue attacking Ulysses Star."
This trouble needed to be solved quickly.
Bai Fu glanced at her newly acquired Credit Coins—it was time to spend and get stronger!
A dozen minutes later, at the nearby Trade Market, newly minted rich lady Bai Fu spent 130,000 Credit Coins at once to purchase four sets of advanced knowledge—
『Psionic Fine Control』, 『Psionic Conversion』, 『Advanced Summoning Theory』, 『Psionic Amplification Theory』.
These four sets of advanced knowledge gave her three new skills and two new blueprints.
【You have comprehended new skills [Basic Psionic Fine Control], [Boundless Darkness], [Summon: Legion]】
【You have comprehended new Prayer Card blueprints [Summon Spearman!], [Sage Mode]】
The effect of 【Basic Psionic Fine Control Lv1】 was to reduce Psionic consumption by 5%, and to reduce the damage inflicted by Psionic skills on allies by 10%. Yulia possessed the complete version of this skill, causing no damage to allies, and Bai Fu had been coveting it for a long time.
【Boundless Darkness】 was a control-type skill, placing targets into Boundless Darkness state, blocking their five senses. Duration depended on the difference in energy intensity between both sides. 【Summon: Legion Lv1】 increased summoned legion members' attack and defense by 2%, being one of the core skills of the Psionic Summoning style.
Bai Fu's current path was Prayer Card + Summoning + close-range tank Mage. Combined with the newly acquired skill and [Summon Spearman!] Prayer Card blueprint, her summoned legion took initial shape.
Her level hadn’t increased, yet she confidently stated that her current self was 10-20% stronger than not long ago.
The 【Sage Mode】 card was also a treasure—a fixed attribute enhancement card. Not overly useful for Bai Fu herself, but for Players, it was an exceptionally valuable asset.
With 【Sage Mode】 card, Players running simpler Instances no longer needed a dedicated attribute-boosting support and could opt for an extra DPS, tank, or pure healer instead.
So why wait?
【Sage Mode】 now included in Bai Fu’s deluxe Player-harvesting package!
After buying advanced knowledge, Bai Fu spent another 30,000 Credit Coins on a rare Combat Suit blueprint.
In fact, she also wanted to buy a Prayer Card production line blueprint, which would have eliminated the need to arrange Hei Fu and so many mini-Hei Fus for card production. Unfortunately, that blueprint cost 330,000 Credit Coins, far beyond her means.
Bai Fu uploaded the new blueprint to her panel and merged it with her own Psionic Construct.
The appearance of 【Psionic Construct-Fu II】 drastically changed. It remained a black tight-fitting style, but special structural modifications were made at the joints, waist, shoulders, and neck, significantly enhancing the texture. While accentuating her figure, it also brought out a sharp metallic feel, becoming several times more attractive.
These new designs didn’t just improve visuals but also functionality.
Compared to 【Fu】, 【Fu II】 had its defense and flight altitude increased by 20%, durability by 30%, provided an additional 50 points of Strength and 80 points of Agility, four new retractable cannon ports capable of firing Psionic cannons, and a full-body massage function.
"Absolutely worth every penny spent!"
Bai Fu was thrilled.
Actually, Psionic Constructs also had a hidden benefit: as an extension of her Psionic energy, when worn directly against her skin, her perceptive abilities greatly enhanced.
In battle, perception could sometimes determine the outcome.
"Your clothes can freely change appearance?!" Yulia exclaimed, shocked by Bai Fu’s suddenly transformed clothing. "Can it also adjust coverage and transparency, like into swimsuits, stockings, or transparent latex outfits?"
"Of course."
Oh, that's interesting.
Yulia nodded seriously, sensing great potential for creative uses with Psionic power.
If she also learned how to craft such clothing, that would be even more fun!
Bai Fu snorted lightly, too lazy to continue engaging Yulia.
After spending considerable time at the Trade Market, Bai Fu finally spent another 180,000 Credit Coins on seven low-purity Psionic crystals.
She had to admit these were extremely expensive, but she currently needed them to upgrade her Psionic Construct, 【Phenomenon Construction】, and 【Apostle’s Will】.
After smashing six Psionic crystals into it, she successfully upgraded 【Fu II】 to Lv3, boosting all its bonuses by an additional 20%, significantly increasing her power.
With one Psionic crystal remaining, Bai Fu planned to save it. Upgrading Phenomenon Construction required ten low-purity crystals, and upgrading Apostle’s Will required twenty. She simply couldn't afford that now.
Easy come, easy go—money flowed like water.
Just as she was about to tuck the remaining Psionic crystal into her pocket, Yulia suddenly stopped her.
"Wait a second."
"What’s up?"
"Can I touch it?"
Yulia stared intensely at Bai Fu, strange red lights flickering in her blue eyes.
Hold on, what exactly do you want to touch in broad daylight?
Bai Fu became wary.
Ignoring everything else, Yulia stepped forward and placed her hand firmly on the Psionic crystal Bai Fu was holding.
Oh, you wanted to touch this?
Bai Fu handed the Psionic crystal to Yulia. "Is something wrong?"
Yulia raised the crystal high: "I suddenly feel incredibly hungry, like I want to eat it."
"?"
Bai Fu was stunned.
Eating rocks? Can you even digest that?
Wait—she suddenly recalled that Yulia wasn’t ordinary. She was a Child of True Spirit fused with the Pillar of the True Spirit's spirit core. Perhaps she really could digest Psionic crystals.
But what changes would it bring?
A single low-purity Psionic crystal cost more than 20,000 Credit Coins. It was extremely expensive, but considering Yulia’s immense potential, Bai Fu gritted her teeth and painfully decided to try it out.
"Eat it, go ahead, don’t be polite."
"Then I won’t stand on ceremony." Yulia didn’t pretend to hesitate. "Anyway, I already owe you a lot. If you need me, just call, and I'll do my absolute best!"
Hmph, just wait until I squeeze you dry, recouping every bit of investment!
Yulia swallowed the Psionic crystal in one gulp.
Bai Fu used Psionic Vision to read Yulia's stats panel. A few minutes later, changes appeared.
Yulia’s class Blessing of the Mind-user rose from Lv10 to Lv12, her awakening progress as Child of True Spirit increased from 1.1% to 1.4%, several skill levels increased, and her favorability rose from 92 to Everlasting Devotion (99).
"!"
Bai Fu was shocked.
She had expected some effect, but not something this significant.
A single Psionic crystal increased awakening progress by 0.3%. To reach 100%, she only needed another 329 crystals… As if!
"329 crystals—that’s over eight million Credit Coins! Ahhhh, you spendthrift girl!"
Bai Fu felt like pinning Yulia down and hammering her face in frustration.
Even if Bai Fu were made of gold, she couldn't afford Yulia's expensive cravings.
Bai Fu looked up and saw Yulia seductively licking her lips, then gazing at her innocently.
You're the real Succubus here, you're going to drain me dry sooner or later!
Bai Fu pouted, knowing poverty was truly the root of all evil.
If she were wealthy, she’d buy a mountain of Psionic crystals, max out all her skills, and feed Yulia until she awakened completely. By then, controlling both multiple Psionic Constructs and a fully awakened Yulia, no normal A-rank Psionicist in the entire border region could rival her.
"There are more and more places demanding money, and I can't handle it alone. I need to quickly bring more Players to the Star Sea so they can help me raise Yulia."
Actually, Bai Fu lacked not only money but also XP. However, at this stage, acquiring XP was much simpler than earning Credit Coins.
After leaving the Trade Market, she intentionally used Excavation‑Princess to deliver a message to all the Players on Origin Star:
【Fu-fu said once she obtains a spaceship capable of resisting Spatial Distortion damage, she plans to return to Origin Star to visit everyone. As far as I know, that kind of spaceship is usually very large, capable of carrying at least a thousand people.】
What?
This news immediately shook all Players on Origin Star.
Didn't this mean when Fu-fu returned next, another thousand Players could enter the Star Sea in advance?
They certainly weren’t sleepy anymore!
Instantly, all Origin Star Players confident in their level, strength, grinding ability, or wealth took action, frantically leveling up and boosting their combat capabilities.
Since they wanted to enhance their power, they inevitably needed to buy items from Bai Fu's Instance Store.
Taking advantage of the situation, Bai Fu put up new cards such as 【Summon Spearman!】 and 【Sage Mode】, and also sold the original Prayer Cards divided into various upgraded tiers from +1 to +N. To better milk the Players, she also purchased batches of Profession Knowledge Books and Knowledge Chains from the Star Sea and placed them in the Instance Store.
Such items were scarce on Origin Star, taking Players significant effort to acquire. Yet, in the Star Sea, it was just a minor expense.
Within just two days, Bai Fu harvested a total of 13 million XP from this round.
The efficiency was lower than before, mainly because most Players hadn't recovered from her previous squeeze. Even squeezing harder wouldn't yield much more XP.
"Slowly but surely. With this hook baiting the Players, I'll steadily earn something each day."
Bai Fu wasn't worried about Players becoming resentful, because she genuinely intended to return to Origin Star.
As for when she'd go back, it depended entirely on how hard the Players worked behind her back.
If their efforts were strong enough to push her quickly to the peak, she’d return sooner.
Including the XP earned from killing Brom and other slave traders, Bai Fu now had over 20 million XP. It was enough for two level-ups, but she didn't rush. Instead, she invested XP into maxing out the five passive skills she had previously acquired.
At this stage, enhancing skills clearly offered more benefits than gaining two levels.
The remaining three million XP was entirely spent upgrading Tiny Bai Fu card and Tiny Hei Fu card, each raised by five levels. Their appearances changed little, but their functionality drastically improved. For instance, Tiny Hei Fu now had flexible tiny fingers and toes, thicker HP bars, and could even use a miniature Psionic Burst.
"Excellent!"
All preparations complete, Bai Fu promptly opened the Commission Platform, searching for a commission targeting Singularity Company.
This was a group commission. She planned to sneak into it and join other Hunters to tackle Singularity Company.
Even if the operation failed, Singularity Company wouldn't immediately pinpoint her for revenge, giving her extra time to maneuver.