It was time to go back for a visit!
Xi Ye watched the busy crowd outside the base and thought to himself.
According to the intelligent prompt, more than a hundred thousand people were lining up outside, while six thousand subjects had already signed contracts inside the base. The base was now nearly at full capacity.
The Nutrient Pods in the base had required people to line up for use since last week, and Hulk's mining picks were gradually becoming insufficient as well. Fire Ant Ore was inherently a high-energy ore, so it had to be mined with special picks. Moreover, the mining process still caused a certain amount of damage to the picks. Thus, as the ore reserves increased, the consumption of mining picks grew tremendously as well.
Then there was lodging. Although players could log off, their ** would not disappear after they did so, and would instead pile up inside the base. When there had been fewer people, the base could make do, but as their numbers grew, it naturally could no longer hold them all.
The Hulk were fine. Most of their logout points had been moved to the mining factory. Even if it became too full, the players inside could simply toss them outside the factory. Those things were thick-skinned and couldn't be killed by the sun anyway. The other two races, however, couldn't do that.
The developers needed no explanation. Without special spacesuits, they would explode into minced meat from the overly weak gravity as soon as they went outside. The elves couldn't be thrown outside either, which was why, these past few days, the base was often littered with Elf Balls. Xi Ye now had to walk extremely carefully whenever he was in the base, terrified that he might accidentally crush two more...
So the lodging problem couldn't be delayed either!
There were also various other miscellaneous problems. For example, if the crop pilot project succeeded, large-scale planting would require purchasing seeds and special fertilizer. The species from the biological specimen pilot project would also need to be increased in quantity. An energy field would have to be purchased, and production machines for some basic items would have to be acquired as well.
And then there was... he had been away from home for ten thousand years. It was time to go back for a visit.
He had to bring two followers and a large amount of fused Fire Ant crystals back with him. Buying so many things would cost money, but he definitely had none. The two old men in his family had probably already stepped down, and getting money from the family was likely impossible. That left only one avenue: taking out a loan.
But taking out a loan required sufficient collateral. Among the various banks in the Federation, interstellar lords had priority access to loans. Not only were the interest rates low, but the funds were also disbursed quickly. The prerequisite, however, was that one couldn't borrow against nothing. First, one had to prove to the bank that one wouldn't become a bad debt!
Thus, he had to bring some capital that could prove his potential: a high-quality Hulk and Fire Ant crystal ore, along with a guarantee from a level-eight life planet. That should be enough to secure a sizable loan.
After making up his mind, Lord Xi Ye returned to the base and selected a few followers. He chose the top three people on the Honor Ranking: Yu Nv Wu Gua, who was first in points; King of Liver Kings, who was second; and Little Fairy with Athlete's Foot, who was third. But after thinking it over, he decided to bring only a Hulk and a developer. The group of elf players might cause trouble again later, so in the end, he also brought the elf with the highest score: My Ancestor Lu Benwei Didn't Cheat.
When the few of them heard that their lord was taking them to the Greater Federation, excitement immediately appeared on their faces. Were they finally going to see the greater background of this game?
The people around them, meanwhile, wore expressions of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
"What is this? A hidden quest?"
"Damn, having a high score really is useful. Huh? Why can that guy surnamed Lu go too? His score isn't even half as high as mine."
"He's probably taking care of the elf players. Ugh, if I'd known elf players were so uncompetitive, I wouldn't have chosen this stupid Hulk bloodline. I work myself to death every day, only to be suppressed by some suicidal Liver Emperor."
"Huh? You weren't saying that when you were ** elfing..."
"That's why it's such a huge flaw that this game doesn't allow you to pay to win. I'm a dignified ninth-generation rich heir, yet I have to mine for points alongside you ** losers? How am I supposed to enjoy showing off?"
"Exactly. This garbage game does nothing but make us mine all day. Is being a celebrity not fun, or am I not throwing money around fast enough? Why the hell did I come here to work as a laborer in a game? I'm uninstalling this lousy game later!"
The people around them looked at the two with disdain. These two, who claimed to be rich for N generations, had been shouting about uninstalling the game for half a month. Every time, they ended up mining more diligently than anyone else.
Actually, everyone could understand them. Ever since the intelligent era began, the average physical constitution of humanity had declined rapidly. More than ninety percent of young people were in a state of sub-health. It was rare to find a game with such realistic full-body immersion. In this game, they possessed powerful physiques and inexhaustible strength. That sensation was something their kidney-exhausted bodies in reality simply couldn't compare to.
Sometimes, they even found themselves thinking: If only this world were real...
Xi Ye naturally couldn't understand the players' thoughts. At this moment, his mind was filled with matters concerning his return home.
He obviously couldn't fly back. Who knew how far this place was from the Federation? If not for that wormhole, he might not have been able to fly here even after a hundred thousand years.
Since he couldn't fly back, he could only use teleportation!
The Celestial Group gave every graduating student a Teleportation Device. The return coordinates were set at the Reception Department of the school. The energy for teleportation was free, and students who teleported back would receive a warm welcome.
Back when he was still studying, he had often seen teachers pull senior brothers and sisters who emerged from the teleportation gate over to share their stories of how they had built themselves up. This repeatedly reignited the aspirations of students who already felt that their tuition was expensive and their studies arduous.
As for why they were so generous, Xi Ye only understood after he began wandering. Anyone with the nerve to teleport back was a potential star who might contribute to the school in the future!
Think about it. When you teleported back and faced enthusiastic teachers and expectant junior brothers and sisters, would you have the nerve to say that you had been wandering outside without making a name for yourself and were preparing to go home and live off your parents?
Perhaps students in other majors could fall on hard times and shamelessly return home to live off their parents, but students of the Celestial Race absolutely could not!
Since its founding, the Celestial God Academy had experienced countless eras. Those who graduated from it were either overlords of one region or interstellar legends who influenced an entire age. By now, the Celestial Race's territory spanned the universe, leaving almost no room for other races to struggle. As a result, the Federation had all but tacitly accepted the belief that only members of the Celestial Race could become lords.
Now, in the Federation, aside from a few extremely ancient beings, every interstellar lord was a member of the Celestial Race!
This environment meant that graduates of the Celestial Race could only become kings; there was absolutely no possibility of them working as someone else's lackey. In the minds of nearly everyone, the Celestial Race was synonymous with bosses and local emperors—the topmost echelon of the universe. That was why countless families bankrupted themselves to send their children to the Celestial God Academy, hoping their own family could become imperial relatives for once!
They weren't even allowed to lower themselves to take a job, let alone go home and live off their parents. They would probably be drowned in spit!
It was only after graduating that Xi Ye learned this race wasn't as glorious as it appeared... at least, not everyone enjoyed such glory. Among the Celestial Race students of his year, aside from a few with wealthy family foundations, most were just like he had been before, still drifting through the universe.
Students who hadn't made a name for themselves absolutely wouldn't shamelessly teleport back. Once they decided to embark on an interstellar journey, only two paths lay before them!
Either they would return home in glory, or they would die far from home...
Before you continue