Holographic Call

The deadline for the return has arrived.

Although Cecilia was reluctant to see Bai Xiaowen go, she could only send him off.

Now that White Stone City has received the compensation and supplies from Blackrock City, it has begun a new round of construction, and there is a bustling scene of activity everywhere.

"Your return this time has solved a major problem for the territory and broken through the bottleneck to development. Dio, I really wish you could stay longer," Cecilia said with emotion, looking at the bustling construction scene.

Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "This time we gave the Ironthorn Clan a good beating, and there will definitely be some aftereffects. I estimate that the Ironthorn Clan will send in spies to investigate the true situation of White Stone City. We need to keep an eye on the behavior of those 42 professionals who were sent over."

Cecilia nodded.

"Actually, as long as we don't let outsiders get close to the research institute, that's fine," Bai Xiaowen said. "If they don't get close to the research institute, they won't know if we have the plague drug. The Ironthorn Clan, who have a golden rice bowl, won't go head-to-head with us."

After a pause, Bai Xiaowen continued, "Of course, the Ironthorn Clan will likely try to influence the imperial court and pressure White Stone City to prohibit us from using plague medicines or similar remedies. If the empire issues such an order, just agree; don't suffer a loss in the short term."

Cecilia said, "What if the Ironthorn Family decides to go to war with us? Should we inform you, and if so, how should I do so?"

"If it's just minor friction or trade disputes, you don't need to tell me; you can handle it yourself. But if you encounter a serious threat, such as the Ironthorn Clan launching a full-scale war, or the imperial upper echelons intervening militarily, you can notify me via the warehouse."

Outside, every time Bai Xiaowen transferred supplies out of the warehouse, there was a prerequisite: Cecilia had to order people to put some of the supplies and equipment produced that day into the White Stone City warehouse.

Currently, the supplies being put in daily include food, equipment produced by the blacksmith, and Spirit Realm silver ingots produced by the silver mine, among others.

Bai Xiaowen and Cecilia agreed that if a major incident occurred and Bai Xiaowen had to come to Kane to take charge, he would put some low-quality jewelry into the warehouse as a signal.

Because low-quality jewelry wouldn't fetch much on Earth, it's simply not within Bai Xiaowen's scope of transshipment. Putting unwanted, low-quality jewelry into the warehouse is unusual behavior and can serve as a warning.

After agreeing on the code word, Bai Xiaowen immediately chose to return, and his figure disappeared in a flash of white light.

This return to Earth is different from the previous returns from the Spirit Realm; there is no main quest or completion reward.

This means there's no way to upgrade the equipment.

"What a pity. I thought I could upgrade my equipment anytime I wanted after returning from Kane's update."

Equipment enhancement is an important way to increase the strength of awakened individuals, but it is somewhat inconvenient that enhancement can only be performed after returning from exploration missions in the Spirit Realm. Bai Xiaowen has Permanent Fief Deed, which allows him to freely enter and exit the Kane Plane. He originally thought he could take this opportunity to enhance the newly added equipment and enjoy the enhancement effect in advance, but now it seems that is impossible.

With a touch of regret, Bai Xiaowen chose to return to Earth.

In a flash of light, Bai Xiaowen appeared at Li Beihai's home.

The living room was empty. By the window, two White Eagle, Yi-Yi and Er-Er, were leaning against each other, occasionally pecking at their Plume, and sometimes flapping their wings, making a fluttering sound.

Upon seeing Bai Xiaowen, the two White Eagle paused for a moment before spreading their wings and flying over. They perched on Bai Xiaowen's outstretched arms, their pale yellow, hooked beaks rubbing against Bai Xiaowen affectionately.

Bai Xiaowen had dried mutated beast meat in his Storage Space, and he hurriedly took out a few pieces and fed them to the two White Eagle.

Xiao Wen, you're back!

The balcony door opened, and Li Shuyi peeked into the living room. Upon spotting Bai Xiaowen, she immediately smiled, closed her book, and quickly walked in. "Are you hungry? There's some pork rib soup simmering in the pot; I'll get you some."

"Well..."

Bai Xiaowen scratched his head, feeling a pang of guilt... Recalling the indescribable things he had done with Cecilia during his time in the Kane Plane, how could he not feel guilty?

However, Bai Xiaowen had expected Li Shuyi to be in a bad mood, and even if they didn't have a big fight, she would at least give him a hard time... But Li Shuyi's behavior completely baffled Bai Xiaowen. Her demeanor as a virtuous wife and loving mother made him a little uneasy.

Soon, Li Shuyi brought over a bowl of steaming hot pork rib soup.

"Huh, it's hot?" Bai Xiaowen was a little surprised. He looked up at the wall clock; it was four in the afternoon, not lunchtime.

Li Shuyi smiled and said, "I roughly calculated that you would be back this afternoon, so I prepared it in advance and simmered it over low heat. My cooking skills aren't very good. Although I consulted Assistant He, the taste is still a bit inferior to that of Psionic Chef. Why don't you try it?"

Bai Xiaowen slurped his soup, his guilt growing stronger. He thought to himself that he must treat Li Shuyi even better.

"Oh right, I need to charge my phone quickly so I can tell everyone I'm back," Bai Xiaowen said.

After plugging in the charger, Bai Xiaowen chatted with Li Shuyi for a while, giving her a general account of his trip to the Kane Plane. Of course, there were many unspeakable details, which Bai Xiaowen wouldn't be foolish enough to reveal.

"That was truly amazing... I'm starting to regret not going with you." Li Shuyi said with a smile after Bai Xiaowen finished speaking, her chin resting on her hand.

Bai Xiaowen felt a little awkward. What kind of sparks would fly if Li Shuyi and Cecilia met...? She really didn't know.

However, Li Shuyi quickly added with a smile, "Don't worry, I won't go. This is just an unspoken understanding between Cecilia and me."

Li Shuyi changed the subject. "You mean the territory can produce blue equipment now?"

"That's good. Not only are there blue equipment, but also upgraded food and snacks. This is a new source of profit... I'll transfer a batch of blue equipment over later and sell it in the Virtual Hall. As for the Rye Pastry, give them to the two of us first, and sell any left over."

Upon hearing that a piece of Rye Pastry could restore 25 Life Value, Li Shuyi's expression turned serious. Restoring 25 Life Value might not seem like much, but how much Life Value could an ordinary Awakened One actually have? Even Advanced Awakened, if not a tank, only had two or three hundred Life Value points. In a critical moment, these 25 Life Value could save an Awakened One from near death or pull them back from the brink of death.

While her phone was charging, Bai Xiaowen sent messages to Xiao Jun, Sister Zheng, and other relatives and friends, while Li Shuyi picked up her phone and reported to Li Beihai that she was safe.

"Oh, right, Teacher Yan from school called me the day before yesterday and said that the first round of the National Championship draw is about to begin. She asked you to inform the University Team members not to go to the Spirit Realm during this period," Li Shuyi said.

"Haha, I think Teacher Yan mainly wanted to inform you and me... We two do go to the Spirit Realm more often than others. However, even if Teacher Yan hadn't said anything, I planned to take some time to reflect and practice my special skills and talents."

Li Shuyi nodded and said, "Our current level isn't low, but our Battle Specialty and skill levels are clearly lagging behind. I did get special training from a powerful Spirit Realm in the Black Tide Plane thanks to you, which allowed me to acquire level 7 One-Handed Swordsmanship ahead of schedule. However, I still need to practice my other specialties, such as hand-to-hand combat, and the newly learned Shadowless Slash is still at a very low level."

Battle Specialty and skills require higher proficiency as the game progresses. Bai Xiaowen had Cecilia train him for a period of time in the Spirit Realm before he finally reached level 4 in Shooting Specialty.

As the two were discussing their plans, Bai Xiaowen's phone suddenly rang. It was Holographic Call invitation from Sister Zheng.

Bai Xiaowen clicked "agree," and a beam of light projected onto the phone screen, causing Sister Zheng's virtual image to coalesce at the top of the screen.

Holographic Call are similar to video calls, but much more realistic. During the call, a holographic projection of the other person is generated. Except for the inability to touch it, everything else is impeccable, truly realizing a communication method that makes distant places feel close at hand.

"You're back. I hope this vacation in the Spirit Realm will make things a little easier for you, since there's still a lot for you to do," said Sister Zheng's virtual holographic image.

As Bai Xiaowen's agent, Sister Zheng also learned about the Assassination attempt. However, Sister Zheng was just an ordinary person after all, and she couldn't help Bai Xiaowen in this regard; she could only offer some psychological comfort and consolation.

Bai Xiaowen smiled and said, "I'm fine, Sister Zheng, you underestimate me."

The path of the Awakened is inherently fraught with danger. Even without Assassination from other Awakened, they might encounter inescapable peril in the Wilderness Zone or the Spirit Realm, ultimately losing their lives. Bai Xiaowen has ventured into the Spirit Realm many times, and the strength of her heart is beyond what Sister Zheng, an ordinary person, can imagine.

For example, Li Shuyi did not take this Assassination attempt too seriously.

Sister Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and then flashed a charming smile, "It's good that you're alright. I called you this time mainly to talk about two things..."

"First, the sales of your Virtual Battle Platform characters have fluctuated a bit. According to the player feedback I've collected, everyone has raised one issue... your templates are just too difficult to use!"

Bai Xiaowen said with a smile, "I was mentally prepared for this."

Not everyone has Super Brain like Bai Xiaowen's, capable of multitasking. Having multiple summoned creatures means having to operate on multiple fronts, and each summoned creature has different skills. Controlling a summoned creature to unleash the appropriate skill in the chaotic battlefield is indeed not easy.

Moreover, Bai Xiaowen's Spirit Channeling includes the crucial skill of Fine Control. His Battle Specialty, especially in melee combat, will significantly impact the effectiveness of his summoned creatures. What Melee Specialty can an ordinary player possess? They cannot fully utilize the power of Fine Control, and their summoned creatures will only be able to perform basic attack actions based on instinct, making them no different from the summoned creatures of an ordinary summoner.

In addition to the battle mode, the Player Platform also features a challenge mode where players can earn rewards by completing various special levels. These levels are divided into beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. For example, intermediate levels cannot be challenged using character templates of level 7 or higher.

Many players who bought Bai Xiaowen's Hero Tier character template immediately rushed over to challenge the insane levels in the Intermediate Arena.

As a result, without any skill in controlling the monsters, the summoned creatures could only fight individually, and the players who challenged the level naturally ended up failing.

This undoubtedly disappointed some players, who began to criticize Bai Xiaowen's character template in the comments section, feeling that they had wasted their money.

Bai Xiaowen looked through the posts and found that there were indeed a lot of defamatory comments. Some people even said that Bai Xiaowen's template was far inferior to the second and third ranked newbie templates, and that the price of 9900 points was really too high!

"The second-ranked template, I remember, was called... Navy Marshal?"

"Yes, Navy Marshal Ouyang Heng, the Violent Warrior template, is a level 6 Hero Class with decent equipment. Among mid-tier character templates, he's considered very high-quality, especially considering he's a third cheaper than you," Sister Zheng laughed. "Of course, the Violent Warrior is one of the easiest character templates for players to pick up."

"How could it not be simple? Charge in, lock onto the target, add one or two stun skills, and then a few basic attacks are enough to take down an opponent of the same level..." Bai Xiaowen complained. "If it were all controlled by ordinary players, the Spirit Channeling Prince template would be completely outclassed by the Navy Marshal, right? And then those players who bought my template would blame me for the problem..."

While the Spirit Channeling Prince template does possess the powerful control skill "Intimidation," Awakened players can use control-removing items in battle. As for Talisman Switching, it's a complex card-switching skill; players with low proficiency simply can't switch to the desired Spell Talisman in time before being overwhelmed by the Warrior's three-hit combo...

"Yes, many of the negative posts in the comments section are just venting from players who bought the Spirit Channeling Prince template but got crushed by the Navy Marshal template," Sister Zheng said.

"Then sales will probably be affected," Bai Xiaowen pointed out the key issue. Actually, he didn't care about the money from sales, but the issue of World Fame was something every Awakened One would take seriously.

If sales are sluggish this year, will Virtual Battle Company still be pushing themselves next year?

Obviously not, because the loss would be in terms of brand recognition!

Sister Zheng nodded slightly. "Sales have indeed dropped somewhat, but I already have contingency plans. First, I've tried your character template. Even if the controller does nothing and just summons creatures to attack, it still has decent combat power and can easily defeat most Elite Template of the same level..."

"Players won't be satisfied with that," Bai Xiaowen shook his head.