After the battle with the Ghost Overseer Commander, the players also realized the gap between their faction and the Instant Ghost General.
Thus, a leveling craze swept through the player camp.
At the same time, many Berserkers, driven by their desire to advance to Rune Warrior, began leaving the Underworld and heading into the outside world in search of advancement materials.
To save players the large amount of time wasted traveling, Lu Wu used 5,000 soul power to form two teleportation arrays, placing them at the entrance to the Ghost Mountains and outside the Underworld respectively.
He also released an announcement: teleportation arrays could be built in any region that players had explored 100%.
This was undoubtedly good news for the players. After all, every time they revived and headed to the Ghost Mountains to level up, they had to spend a great deal of time on the road.
Of course, the teleportation arrays established by Lu Wu could not possibly be free. A transmission fee of 1 Soul Coin was required.
What Lu Wu had not expected was that on the very first day after the teleportation arrays were established, the fee had already earned back half of its cost.
While the players were swept up in the leveling craze, another new section was launched on Battle Online's official website.
It was the live streaming feature that many players had long awaited.
This gave players who died in the game and entered their cooldown period somewhere to satisfy their cravings.
At the same time, in order to earn more Soul Coins from the players, Lu Wu imitated other Live Stream Platforms and added a tipping feature.
However, the tips did not cost cash, but Soul Coins from within the game.
Lu Wu had set up six types of gifts in total.
They were:
Heart (0.1 Soul Coin), Cake (1 Soul Coin), Ring (5 Soul Coins), Flying Saucer (20 Soul Coins), Yacht (100 Soul Coins), Lucky Crystal (1,000 Soul Coins)
Of course, streamers did not pocket all the tipped money. Lu Wu took a 50% service fee from every tip.
In other words, these streamers were effectively working for Lu Wu in disguise.
Yet on the first day this feature went live, more than 1,000 streamer registration applications appeared.
After the reviews were completed, all kinds of streams gradually went live, and many active streaming channels appeared on the website.
Some particularly bizarre streamers quickly attracted a wave of fans.
For example:
(No money to whale, a cute girl streaming to earn Soul Coins to support herself), viewers: 390
(Solo leveling guide for the Ghost Mountains, teaching you how to make all kinds of traps and challenge wild monsters above your level), viewers: 1,200
(Building your own house in the game, how to make sensible use of wilderness materials to build a mud house), viewers: 876
(Old De's wilderness survival, opening up a new region. I swear I won't go home until I gather all the materials for Rune Warrior), viewers: 2,876
(Live stream: taming a Corpse Wolf in Liuli District, eighth attempt), viewers: 3,294
(Berserker close-combat fighting techniques, taught by a real-life special forces soldier), viewers: 2,341
(Spring has come for mages, wilderness PK tutorial. I've already taken down five Berserkers today. That felt so good!), viewers: 976
(Assassin_Creed, the Grim Reaper wandering Liuli District searches for lone ghost soldiers...), viewers: 2,111
The emergence of a huge wave of streamers further enriched the ways Battle Online could be played.
In the underground R&D lab of Black Sea Technology Company in the capital of Dragon Country.
Virtual Game Pods with flashing lights stood one after another, undergoing their final test runs.
The senior executives of Black Sea Technology Company all watched the experiment nervously, because they knew that if the test succeeded, they would gain the advantage needed to rapidly seize market share.
In the development of Virtual Game Pods, time was the most precious thing. Fall behind others, and they would be constrained at every turn.
"Beep~!"
As green indicator lights lit up on every Virtual Game Pod, the senior executives of Black Sea Company all revealed excited expressions.
"Congratulations, the development was successful! With this batch of Virtual Game Pods and Nutrient Solution, players can remain inside for twenty-four hours without their bodies suffering any adverse effects!"
The white-haired elderly researcher spoke with a face full of joy.
As soon as he finished speaking, the R&D lab erupted into an uproar, and everyone began applauding.
After confirming that everything was in order, the delighted senior executives held an emergency meeting.
"Since we are putting it on the market, how to quickly seize the entire market is crucial. What are your thoughts?"
The CEO's words plunged the room into silence, after which everyone began voicing their opinions.
Most of them involved lowering prices to open up the market first, or finding agents and the like.
At that moment, a young-looking man seated at the very end stood up. "Since our product primarily serves games, why don't we cooperate with game companies? Using their name recognition to open up the market would be ideal!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present nodded subconsciously.
"To rapidly seize the market, carry out all the plans you mentioned at the same time. Xiao Li, you will be responsible for liaising with the game companies. Don't disappoint me!"
Just as the board made its decision, the secretary ran in with a somewhat panicked expression.
"President Chen, Jie De Corporation of Country A just announced at a press conference that they have developed Virtual Game Pods!"
Hearing this news, everyone present was shaken.
The secretary then held up a tablet and connected it to the conference room projector. Soon, footage from the press conference appeared.
"After years of research, the virtual world will enter a new era starting today, because the Virtual Game Pods everyone has long awaited have been successfully developed. After countless rounds of data testing, I can assure everyone of the Game Pod's stability..."
Seeing this news, everyone present felt as though they had been doused with a bucket of cold water. Their previous joy vanished without a trace.
Nothing compared to the extremes of great joy and great sorrow.
After a period of silence, the president of Black Sea Company immediately announced that they would hold a press conference at once and rapidly roll out all planned promotions.
They had to secure the domestic market in the shortest possible time. They absolutely could not allow Jie De Corporation of Country A to seize the initiative, while also finding ways to open up new overseas markets.
The entire company immediately fell into tense motion.
At the same time Jie De Corporation released the news, Lu Wu and Bei Li were sitting on the bed, leisurely eating snacks and watching television.
"Hm? Virtual Game Pods? A twenty-four-hour experience?"
Seeing this news, Lu Wu's body jolted.
After all, what most restricted the players now was time.
For the players' physical safety, he had established a twelve-hour gameplay system. But seeing this advertisement, Lu Wu felt that an opportunity had arrived for the Underworld player camp to develop even faster.
Just then, Lu Wu's phone suddenly rang.
After answering it, Wu Guoyi's voice came through the phone. "Brother Lu, hurry and watch the news! Jie De Corporation has released Virtual Game Pods! You can experience the game for twenty-four hours!"
"I happened to see it. Why are you so excited, Brother Wu?"
Wu Guoyi took a deep breath. "Jie De Corporation's operations department just contacted me. They want to cooperate on promotions, and you and your game were the first thing I thought of."
"This is mutually beneficial. Your game can use Jie De Corporation to break into overseas markets, while Jie De Corporation can use our game to open up the domestic market. Their representative will come to 173 headquarters tomorrow to discuss it with me. I've invited thirty major game companies, including yours. Make sure you arrive on time tomorrow morning!"
Before you continue