Bai Fu gave herself a score of ninety out of a hundred for her second appearance in front of the players.
She hadn't given herself a perfect score because she was afraid she'd get cocky.
Only a few minutes had passed, and word of what had just happened had already spread through the Star Travel Society.
The players were mainly interested in three things.
1. Her name.
2. The money she'd given to the players who had died in battle.
3. Her Favorability with the players, which had reached a whopping 82.
Each of these topics was being discussed extensively in the Star Travel Society.
Quite a few players were showing off the mental state of modern-day gamers—in other words, going completely bonkers.
The rest were showing off the aggressiveness of modern-day gamers.
But it was worth mentioning that this wasn't one of those keyboard warrior showdowns where people swore on their mothers. It was a one-sided beatdown of the players making snide remarks by the players supporting Bai Fu.
To explain, this was really a continuation of "The First War."
"The First War" was the players' shorthand for [The First Above the Stars Most Popular Female NPC Contest].
The outcome had originally seemed clear, but Bai Fu's sudden rise had thrown the whole competition into disarray.
Most players didn't really care. They were just there for the spectacle. And among the NPCs, Bai Fu's looks were second to none. She was also a beloved white-haired beauty, so fourth place was perfectly reasonable.
But there were always a few players who weren't happy.
The one who'd suddenly shown up to pick a fight this time was [Epic of Mules and Horses], a supporter of the NPC "President," whom Bai Fu had bumped down from fourth place to fifth.
The President was a famous rich woman on another beginner starting planet, with a kind of plain, unpretentious beauty.
[I'm so done with you people. You're making a big deal over that little bit of money? Each person only got one Credit Coin. The President would crush her without breaking a sweat!]
Through his actions, Epic of Mules and Horses gave everyone a firsthand demonstration of how "one sentence can get a player a thousand replies."
But not everyone charging into the fray was a Bai Fu supporter. Plenty of troublemakers were just chanting, "The strong should humiliate the weak!"
That was until Patrick Star himself jumped in.
[What counts as a lot, and what counts as a little?
There's no way to quantify it, because "a lot" and "a little" are relative.
That's right, Bai Fu didn't give us much money. But that was all she could afford!
Do you think that gesture meant a lot or a little?
I won't give you an answer. But take a good look at her Favorability score, which is a whopping 82.
Now let's look at the President again. She's rich, and when it comes to money, she absolutely crushes Bai Fu. But so what?
Has she ever even looked at us? Has she given us so much as a single coin? Do you really think all that wealth means anything to us?
Probably not.
Just my two cents. Take it for what it's worth. Fighting is wrong, after all.]
For players who'd played other games, the name Patrick Star was anything but unfamiliar.
[No way, it's Pai Da! Pai Da carried me through a dungeon back when I played Cape Sun Sword!]
[Is that the Patrick Star who got the Martial God title with a Roaming Gunner in Season 1 of Prime Reality?]
[Pai Da nailed it!]
Patrick Star changed the tone of the whole fight all by himself.
Before he showed up, the players had been tearing into Epic of Mules and Horses. Once he arrived, they switched to comforting him instead.
[Bro, take it from me: stop simping. You've been doing it this whole time and gotten nothing. What's the point?]
[Exactly. If you're really going to be a simp, at least pick someone who'll react to you. Otherwise, what are you even doing it for?]
[Have some self-respect!]
[Excuse me, sir. Could I have a few minutes of your time? I'd like to tell you about our Fu Bao.]
[Bro, it's not too late to come to your senses. Join Fu Sect! You don't have to simp for Fu Fu here. She'll give you money and worry about your safety all on her own. You might even unlock a high-level quest!]
[Kid, I've been there. I understand how you feel. Hang in there!]
[Don't give up! You can do it!]
[Look ahead. Don't turn back!]
Epic of Mules and Horses had been so furious at the insults that he'd prepared to fight to the bitter end. But when he saw all the comforting words and encouragement in the post, he completely broke down.
Combo attacks, percentage-based damage, and true damage—come on, you can't play like that!
He stared fixedly at the community page, his eyes locked on the two words "Fu Sect."
Fu Fu Fu Fu...
Fuck, all I can think about is Fu. I can't take it anymore. I'm defecting!
Epic of Mules and Horses took one last look at the President's photo. After leaving behind the words [Goodbye, President. Today, I'm setting sail], he promptly deleted his account.
That day, the world lost one [Epic of Mules and Horses].
That day, the world gained one [Convert to My Fu]!
In fact, Epic of Mules and Horses wasn't the only one to delete his account and start over. After seeing that post, quite a few new players joined the mass migration to Zu Yuan Star.
However, there was more than one beginner village on Zu Yuan Star, and players couldn't choose which one they started in. As a result, only a small fraction of those who migrated ended up at the Abandoned Cooling Plant.
[Fu Sect!]
It had to be said that Epic of Mules and Horses had made an indelible contribution to Bai Fu's growing popularity.
After he disappeared, the community once again became the troublemakers' playground.
Some players were promoting Fu Sect. Others were putting Bai Fu's Credit Coins up for sale. Still others were grilling Qinnü, hoping "The Second War" would come soon.
[I want to see blood running in rivers!]
Digging Princess couldn't help laughing at the scene.
Good, good! With Patrick Star stepping in, her odds of successfully growing her faction had gone up again!
She hurriedly sent Patrick Star a friend request.
Hey, buddy, let's be friends. We can spend the future singing Bai Fu's praises together!
While Digging Princess and Patrick Star exchanged pleasantries, Bai Fu closed the community.
That settled most of the uncertainty around her popularity. Next, all she had to do was deal with her status as a member of the Wildfire Gang, and she'd be completely free of her cage.
But before that, she needed to get some more experience and level her Spiritual Apprentice up to Level 5 as soon as possible, unlocking her class-exclusive passive.
A class-exclusive passive was the core of a class.
Sometimes, different classes could learn the same skills. But since their class-exclusive passives differed, the same skill could produce vastly different results.
"Without a quest, earning those 200 experience points will be tough. What a shame. If the old geezer's lackeys hadn't run off, I could've taken them out and handed in the debt-collection quest. That would've been enough experience."
Bai Fu frowned slightly.
As she pondered what to do, An Ya's voice rang out beside her.
"Boss, over here! Look!"
Bai Fu turned around and saw An Ya bouncing up and down behind a railing, waving at her. Two people stood beside An Ya. They were two of the four lackeys who'd fled with Brother Dabiao in the confusion.
She cast [Spiritual Vision] at them twice in succession.
The skill check succeeded, displaying the detailed data for [Thug B] and [Thug D].
Bai Fu's mouth twitched.
Now that's an efficient way to name people.
She opened Thug B's panel first.
[Name]: Thug B (Weakened) (Injured) [Template]: Ordinary [Main Class]: Unemployed Lv. 2 [Sub Class]: None [Health]: 29/40 [Attributes]: Strength 5, Agility 3, Constitution 4, Intelligence 3, Spirit 2, Inspiration 3 [Skills]: None [Talents]: None [Favorability]: Slightly Hostile (-13) [Threat Level]: Green
Thug D's panel was more or less the same. Both had the Weakened and Injured debuffs. Weakened reduced attributes by 15%, while Injured reduced them by 10%.
Bai Fu smiled.
Good, good! You really know how to show up just when I need help!
Before you continue