Soaring Bounties
When they left the Twin Twin Stars, another Energy Gathering Mirror appeared on the top of Gu Ding's Titan Warship. Robert had purchased two five-star Energy Gathering Mirror and modified them with a large amount of other materials; it was stronger than the previous five-star Energy Gathering Mirror, but due to a lack of advanced materials, it was only for temporary use. They were also somewhat worried about encountering large creatures like the Crimson Blood Beast in the Universe Sea.
Meanwhile, the disguise of the Titan Warship, the One-Star War God, was finally removed. During their day on the Twin Twin Stars, they saw many different types of ships coming and going. Although there were almost no ships as large as the Titan Warship, other five-star ships appeared several times, and they were all different in shape, but they did not attract much attention.
The Titan Warship, restored to its original state, is completely different from the previously disguised One-Star War God, and looks quite imposing.
Inside the spaceship, Bigge's dinner was quickly prepared, and everyone sat down together again. Dokter and Tagore were still absent.
Taking advantage of everyone's gathering, Sea Emperor began to explain the situation in the Universe Sea.
"Entering the Universe Sea is different from being in any Universe Country before."
"First of all, the Universe Sea is no longer entirely under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, and the concept of Universe Country no longer exists. Only if you have sufficient strength can you occupy one or even several universes in this Universe Sea and become a ruler. Truly powerful forces can even occupy tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of universes and establish an empire more powerful than a five-star Universe Country. Because there are so many different forces, the rules are not set by the Federal Government. This has led to a very chaotic order in the Universe Sea. But one thing remains unchanged: the strong rule, and wherever you go, might makes right."
"Secondly, the Universe Sea is managed in regions, with each faction occupying one or several regions. They manage these regions in their own way, so the rules differ from region to region. In some regions, there are indeed parking fees for spaceships, or other charges. If you don't pay, you'll offend the administrator of the corresponding region. Those who can occupy a region in the Universe Sea generally possess Combat Strength above that of High-rank God. Furthermore, some rich regions are occupied by powerful Peak-rank God."
"Thirdly, in the Universe Sea, human life is the least valuable thing. Once you offend someone, it's normal to be hunted down. Enemies usually don't leave any survivors for the other to take revenge. So you must remember this too. When you encounter any enemy, try to kill them if possible, and don't leave any survivors."
"Fourthly, for those major powers, the Universe Sea is a testing ground, a place to cultivate outstanding talents and train their troops. Therefore, various powers will send their best talents in without reservation, allowing them to grow and become stronger through various battles. The Federal Government is no exception; in the Universe Sea, they will spare no effort to hunt down all kinds of wanted criminals. Some other powers also dislike Interstellar Pirate and will participate in the hunt. In addition, Interstellar Pirate are not friendly to each other. Therefore, the mortality rate of Interstellar Pirate in the Universe Sea is very high."
"Fifthly, the Universe Sea is divided into three layers. We are currently on the outermost layer, which is called the Shallow Sea Zone. The forces here are not very powerful because resources are scarce. The Second Level the Universe Sea is called the Deep Sea Zone. Many powerful individuals will emerge there, and the resources are much more abundant. The competition among various forces is also very fierce. The farthest layer from us is the Third Level of the Universe Sea, which is known as the Undersea Forbidden Zone. That is where the real powerhouses Gathering Place."
"If we use a game as an analogy, before entering the Universe Sea, the game difficulty is just normal mode. But once you enter the Universe Sea, the game difficulty upgrades to hell mode, and this hell mode will continue to increase in difficulty, is that what you mean?" Gu Ding explained his understanding.
"That's one way to understand it." The Sea Emperor thought this interpretation wasn't wrong.
"According to the Sea Emperor's statement, there are actually some areas in the Universe Sea that we should try to avoid. For example, areas under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government, and some areas that are hostile to Interstellar Pirate. Therefore, we need to be selective in our travel routes." Liliath understood another layer of meaning.
"That's right, that's exactly what I was thinking. There are many powerful forces in the Universe Sea that occupy more than just one area. For example, the Federal Government occupies about 50 percent of the territory, and these areas are scattered. So, we often encounter their jurisdictions as we advance, and we may not be able to bypass them. In such cases, conflict becomes inevitable." The Sea Emperor continued, "It's unrealistic to think that we can avoid all conflicts."
"If the spaceship only makes a brief stop to replenish some supplies, will they still take action?" Gu Ding couldn't help but ask.
"They will definitely not wait for us to dock in port before opening fire on us. This is the fundamental difference between the Universe Sea and the Universe Country we were in before." The Sea Emperor felt that Gu Ding was thinking too simply.
"Are the people at the Federal Government Headquarters really that stingy?" Gu Ding said, pursing his lips.
"To them, we are enemies, so of course there's no need for them to be polite to us." The Sea Emperor seemed to think this was perfectly reasonable.
"After saying all this, a question suddenly came to mind. If each faction occupies a different area, won't there be conflicts between them? For example, if one area has more resources, won't the administrators of nearby areas fight over it?" Gu Ding suddenly thought of the issue of regional ownership.
"Under normal circumstances, they would definitely fight over it!" the Sea Emperor replied affirmatively. "However, the truly resource-rich areas are all controlled by powerful forces. If it is just a relatively resource-rich area, and the rulers of some nearby areas don't have much of a background, they will definitely fight each other."
As everyone discussed various information about the Universe Sea, the dinner lasted much longer than usual.
Just as everyone was clearing away the plates, the Sea Emperor suddenly called out to everyone, "Don't rush to clear away the plates, everyone. I have received some new information regarding the amount of your bounties."
As the Sea Emperor spoke, he projected the latest Bounty Order for everyone.
Wanted Criminal: Gu Ding
Gender: Male
Age: 15
Gene Level: 13
Combat Strength assessment: Mid-rank God
Bounty: 210 million Universe Crystal
Latest crime: None
Official assessment: Extremely skilled in close combat, possesses incredible fighting techniques and terrifying combat talent, and exceptional leadership and team cohesion.
Danger level: Four stars
Wanted Criminal: Bigge
Gender: Male
Age: 16
Cultivation Level: Four-Star Low-rank God
Combat Strength assessment: Mid-rank God
Bounty: 200 million Universe Crystal
Latest crime: None
Official evaluation: A swordsmanship master who is a once-in-a-millennium talent.
Danger level: Four stars
Wanted Criminal: Elsa
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Cultivation Level: Demigod
Combat Strength assessment: Mid-rank God
Bounty: 180 million Universe Crystal
Latest crime: None
Official assessment: A powerful Viking Clan bloodline has awakened, possessing an astonishingly strong and robust aura.
Danger level: Four stars
Wanted Criminal: Liliath
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Cultivation Level: Demigod
Combat Strength assessment: Mid-rank God
Bounty: 100 million Universe Crystal
Latest crime: None
Official assessment: A soul-mutated illusionist with special Pupil Technique.
Danger level: 3.5 stars
Wanted Criminal: Robert
Race: Mechanical Race
Age: Unknown
Cultivation Level: Mid-rank God
Combat Strength assessment: Mid-rank God
Bounty: 120 million Universe Crystal
Latest crime: None
Official assessment: Mechanical Race from the Middle Ancient Era, crafting class.
Danger level: 3 stars
After reading the latest Wanted Order, Gu Ding was somewhat surprised. He and his group hadn't even had a chance to cause trouble in the Universe Sea before the Federal Government Headquarters issued a new Wanted Order. Moreover, his bounty had skyrocketed from 2 million to 200 million. This increase clearly indicated that the Federal Government Headquarters took him very seriously. The official evaluation was also extremely high, making Gu Ding feel a little embarrassed.
"Such a big increase?" Bigge also somewhat surprised when he saw his bounty amount.
"All Interstellar Pirate, upon entering the Universe Sea, undergo an assessment by the Federal Government Headquarters, which assigns an initial bounty. This amount may be higher or lower than the Universe Sea. The Federal Government Headquarters has a unique assessment system, but it primarily relies on Combat Strength. Initial bounties exceeding 100 million are actually very rare. Newcomers typically only receive a few million, and less than one-tenth receive over ten million," the Sea Emperor explained. In his view, this amount indicated that the Federal Government Headquarters was paying close attention to the Gu Ding Team.
"Strange, why aren't Dokter and Tagore here this time?" Gu Ding noticed this problem only then.
"They've been in seclusion these past few days. They haven't shown themselves in the Universe Sea, so the people at the Federal Government Headquarters can't make an assessment, and it's been temporarily put on hold." The Sea Emperor was very familiar with the Federal Government Headquarters' assessment process. Besides considering the individual's past experiences, the main focus was on their strength. And strength, besides being directly demonstrated in combat, could also be judged by the intensity of their blood and qi, the strength of their soul, and the strength of their aura.
"The initial bounty for entering the Universe Sea, to some extent, reflects the level of attention the Federal Government is paying. The higher the bounty, the greater the attention from Federal Government Headquarters. Although it seems glamorous, it's also a dangerous thing. Because the higher the bounty, the stronger the pursuers dispatched by the Federal Government will be, and it will also attract the covetousness of Interstellar Hunter and other Interstellar Pirate." The Sea Emperor also pointed out the drawbacks of high bounties.
"A challenge makes the journey less boring," Gu Ding grinned, revealing his clean, white teeth. "Bring it on!"
~~~
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