The Legendary Mechanic, page 183
Han Xiao recalled the sign and said, "They are people from 'Sky Ring', and they are also called the Sky Ring Army. There are tens of thousands of members in the army. This organization comes from the Gelock Star Cluster and does not belong to any civilization. They are free mercenaries who are famous in the Shattered Star Ring. They are hired to be bodyguards, soldiers, explorers, and directors to start a colony. They even take jobs to fight in wars. They have a famous reputation, so they get the VIP treatment."
The Gelock and Colton Star Clusters were neighboring Star Clusters in the Shattered Star Ring. The Sky Ring members probably got some mission in Colton. This showed that the market for the Sky Ring was extremely large since they got requests from another Star Cluster.
The Sky Ring had created a huge name for themselves, so the members had all sorts of benefits across the Shattered Star Ring. Reputation in the universe was an important factor, and this scene just showed that if one was famous, one could go through the VIP channel with ease, while the rest of the common travelers yawned in line, waiting their turn.
Han Xiao could not help but remember that he had the same special treatment in Planet Aquamarine. Now, in the universe, he had to build everything from the bottom up. However, Han Xiao did not miss the benefits that he had on Planet Aquamarine. Han Xiao had an adventurous trait in his genes. If one never left one's comfort zone, one would only remain in the same position and never improve.
After waiting in line for what felt like an eternity, it was finally Han Xiao's turn. There were all sorts of rooms, and since Han Xiao still had money, he rented a middle level resting room with a storage room. The room was large enough to fit in a dozen of people, and it only cost forty Enas per month.
The resting room was located in a building nearby. Han Xiao looked at the door number and quickly found the front door for the room. He opened up the lock with his authorization, and the heavy metal door slid open, revealing the room inside. The room was simple, and space was large enough.
Everyone rushed into the room and pushed the supply crates into the warehouse. Han Xiao coughed purposefully, and everyone looked at him. He then said, "We will stay in the Juberly Hub for a while. This will be our base for now. Since this is the first time that you have all left the planet, take some time to adapt to the new environment."
No one had any objections as they were still in the state of confusion in the new world.
"Why are you so familiar with all of this?" Maple Moon asked. "Isn't this the first time you have left the planet as well?"
The things that Han Xiao had done on Planet Aquamarine had only given the players the impression that Han Xiao was a local. However, after stepping into the universe, Han Xiao acted like it was his home. No one paid attention to this except Maple Moon.
Han Xiao thought for a while and said, "You all know that I can see the future. Even though this is the first time that I have physically traveled into space, I can see things far away. More importantly, I have this."
Han Xiao took out his communicator.
Maple Moon suddenly felt that she had asked a stupid question. She pouted and looked upset.
Han Xiao took out a book containing all the rules on Juberly Hub. "Read the regulations first. Don't break the rules, or else you will be captured by the security team. I need to do something first, so you all stay here and don't leave the room."
Juberly Hub had a security team to facilitate safety and peace. They would instantly catch anyone committed a crime or broke the rules. The players all gathered around and read the regulations.
Han Xiao left the resting room alone and headed to the exchange center. With the money that he had left, he first had to buy some class advancement knowledge.
The exchange center was separated into small individual rooms with a control interface. Han Xiao walked into a room and opened up a trading list. Countless items filled the screen. With the name, introduction, price, seller, and delivery time, the interface looked a lot like websites for online shopping.
The regional online exchange center aggregated all the items for sale in the stellar area. Sellers just posted the items that they wanted to sell, and the variety of options made it more convenient for buyers to purchase. The items were all verified, so it was impossible for anyone to buy a fake item.
Han Xiao directly chose mechanic Super knowledge. Colton Star Cluster did not have a lot of sellers for knowledge, and there was no knowledge that was in a complete set. From the three branches and fifteen knowledges in total, only eight were on sale. All the prices for the items were more than ten thousand Enas. Knowledge like [Advanced Mechanic Power] and [Advanced Energy Theory] were sold up to fifty thousand Enas.
The reason that the knowledge was this expensive was probably that the major organizations did not have to share the information, and people did not want to build relationships with camps, so they could only spend a fortune to buy the knowledge.
However, this was not a problem for Han Xiao. He could make a few copies of class advancement knowledge and sell it to the players, so he could easily earn back the money. To make the players buy the knowledge from him, the price had to be a bit lower, but this could also build a better bond between him and the players and perhaps gain even greater benefits.
Unfortunately, it was just an ideal dream. The restriction that he faced was demand for the market, and for Han Xiao, the players were the only market that he had. However, each player only had 1,500 Enas, so he had to put the idea aside. Even though he did not have much money, Han Xiao would never auction the knowledge to the players. To let the players easily get this knowledge did not fit Han Xiao's vision.
So, not only did he have to make himself rich, but he also had to make the players rich. He had to build up a small society and foster everyone for a better life.
After searching through the list, he could buy a class advancement knowledge that was barely useful. It was [Advanced Radar Technology] with the price tag of eleven thousand Enas. The knowledge was more utility based, where it focused on detection and scouting using methods such as radiation, waves, and light spectrum.
At least it's better than nothing.Han Xiao sighed and confirmed the payment. He connected the personal communicator and uploaded the information to the interface. The personal account balances started rolling, and in an instant, the balance was left with only two thousand Enas.
Han Xiao felt tears running in his eyes.
It's back!
Everything is back!
It's this feeling! The excitement of a mechanic!
Every time I spend money, my blood pressure skyrockets!
The happiness of the poor…
Happy my ass!
Chapter 331. Black Star: The Beginning (1) |
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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.”
Chapter 332. Black Star: The Beginning (2) |
The Colton Star Cluster had quite a few opportunities, and the Mercenary Alliance’s dataset was the easiest way to find the missions. Han Xiao picked some of the missions that he knew.
To be a free mercenary was a very good choice. One could earn a lot of money while networking with major organizations. It was a free path of promotion to the higher status.
But Han Xiao’s plan did not stop there. The next action was the most crucial.
Mercenaries identity interface had an option ‘Create a Mercenary Group’. Han Xiao clicked in without hesitation.
“Are you sure that you want to create a mercenary group?”
A mercenary group was a team made out of mercenaries that could accept people’s missions. A mercenary group also had rating system, and all their actions would be recorded in the system.
Even a member who finished a mission by themself would be recorded in the ratings of the mercenary group. At the same time, if a member left a bad record, it would also influence the rating of mercenary group. Han Xiao’s record for his mercenary missions was still blank, and the same went for this group.
Sky Ring Army was another large-scale mercenary group that took missions all over the place. They had a wide market with new members joining every day. Their reputation was well known.
If one did not have an extremely bad history, anyone could start a mercenary group. One person could only make one mercenary group. One could not create a new group unless the previous one was disbanded.
“Please enter the name of your mercenary group.”
