Void True King, one of the upper-middle-ranking members of the Universe Mercenary Alliance, Hu Yanbo thought.
But what about more specific information? His contact details? His Virtual Universe ID? His coordinates? Was he even still alive?
Hu Yanbo's memories were completely blank on all of this. Even if he wanted to find out, he had nowhere to look.
There were only a little over a hundred thousand King-level Immortals, particularly among humans, and their whereabouts were secrets of the human race.
Hu Yanbo did have some self-awareness.
Although he was an Immortal, he was only a Marquis. Nor had he joined the Core Layer of any of the five major powers, such as the Virtual Universe Company or the Giant Axe Arena. He was essentially a lone wolf.
With his status, trying to directly access detailed information on a King-level Immortal was nothing short of a pipe dream.
Official channels would not be open to him. Asking around privately would not only be inefficient, but might also cross forbidden lines and bring unnecessary trouble.
It looks like trying to find Void True King directly won't work, Hu Yanbo quickly concluded. Then I'll have to use the most "clumsy" method, which might also be the most effective-make him come to me!
Wasn't a certain colossal organization the perfect platform for that?
I'll enter the Virtual Universe and take a look first, Hu Yanbo decided, immediately connecting his consciousness to the Virtual Universe Network.
The next moment, he appeared inside an enormous estate, his login point in the Virtual Universe.
Hu Yanbo did not linger there. Instead, he headed straight for his destination.
"Teleport to the Universe Mercenary Alliance plaza on the Ganwu Continent."
Space shifted, and his surroundings instantly became the grand plaza of the Universe Mercenary Alliance's base on the Ganwu Continent.
An endless stream of people passed around him. Lifeforms of all shapes wore mercenary combat armor and badges of different ranks, hurrying about as they discussed missions, exchanged intelligence, and conducted trades.
Although this was the Virtual Universe, he could still sense the air of bloodshed and adventure permeating the place.
Hu Yanbo surveyed his surroundings, then walked straight toward the entrance of the grandest hall, which shimmered with deep blue light-the Mercenary Mission Posting Center!
Each of the five major powers in Human Territory had its own distinctive character. This place was utterly unlike the elite, orderly atmosphere of the Virtual Universe Company's bases, the pure battle frenzy that pervaded the Giant Axe Arena, or the pervasive sense of capital at work around the two major banks.
The Universe Mercenary Alliance was more like an immense, all-encompassing free market for adventurers and a black market for information, full of opportunity, chaos, and the gritty reality of living on a knife's edge.
Here, there were fewer rules and greater freedom, but the risks and rewards were correspondingly more direct and stark!
I can't find Void True King directly, but I can use the Mercenary Alliance's rules to make him-or the "eyes" he sends out-come to me.
One of the Mercenary Alliance's rules was that almost any need could be met, provided one could pay the price.
The interior of the hall was as vast as a separate galaxy. Countless floating screens displayed scrolling mission requests from across the Ganwu Universe Country.
From capturing rare beasts on primitive planets to exploring unknown secret realms, hunting members of alien races, and seizing divine weapons... the missions ranged from one-star (Universe Level) to five-star (Marquis Immortal), with countless categories and bizarre requirements.
Clients could remain anonymous or reveal their identities.
Rewards could be Universe Coins, Hunyuan Units, rare metals, secret technique manuals, promised favors, or even the right to receive instruction from a specified supreme expert!
Without hesitation, Hu Yanbo accessed the mission posting system.
He selected "Absolute anonymity" for his identity.
At present, he still lacked the strength to confront the threat of Demon Hand King head-on.
He therefore had to act carefully and meticulously!
After a moment's thought, Hu Yanbo entered the following into the mission form:
Mission title: Seeking in-depth instruction from His Excellency Void True King! Mission rank: Six-Star. Mission details: The client has reached a critical bottleneck while practicing the "Void Tower" secret technique and encountered a difficulty. The technique's sole creator, His Excellency Void True King, is requested to personally provide one instructional session. Mission reward: Primary reward: 3 million Hunyuan Units! (Negotiable) Important additional reward (successful referral fee): Anyone who successfully provides a referral and helps secure His Excellency Void True King's acceptance of this mission will immediately receive-100,000 Hunyuan Units! (Paid immediately upon certification by the Mercenary Alliance) Special requirements: None Posting time: Immediate Mission duration: Until the client confirms completion or voluntarily withdraws the mission.
Seeing the reward list, Babata, the virtual assistant perched on his shoulder in the real-world ship's hall, nearly had his blood-red eyes pop out. He could not help screaming in Hu Yanbo's mind, "Master? Three million Hunyuan Units? Isn't that the money you set aside to train your disciples? And haven't you already mastered the Void Tower?"
Babata knew Hu Yanbo's financial situation very well.
Hu Yanbo had invested most of his lifetime savings in projects that enhanced his combat strength, such as modifying the Yunmo Star Ship and raising plant-type Immortals. He had very little cash left.
Hu Yanbo replied calmly, "Babata, calm down. Material possessions mean nothing compared to my life. I've only just begun the seventh level of the 'Void Tower.' With Void True King's guidance, I won't be left so helpless the next time I face Demon Hand King."
Hu Yanbo was not telling the truth here.
His seventh level of the Void Tower was already perfected. That was also the extent Void True King had reached when he created it.
But he could not explain the Prepayment System to Babata, so he could only conceal a little of the truth.
"All... all right! I support your decision." Babata had only spoken out of concern. Once Hu Yanbo made up his mind, he would support him wholeheartedly.
Hu Yanbo said no more and mentally confirmed the submission.
In an instant!
In the Universe Mercenary Alliance's virtual mission hall, a line of text suddenly appeared in the previously empty Six-Star mission section, accompanied by an alert:
"Ganwu Universe Country regional announcement: An anonymous client has posted-a Six-Star commission!"
Bzzz!
It was as though someone had pressed pause on the entire enormous mission hall.
The clamor, discussions, and sounds of trading instantly fell silent.
Six-Star... a Six-Star mission?!
Among the 1,008 High-level Universe Countries in Human Territory, the Ganwu Universe Country was relatively weak. The same was true of the Universe Mercenary Alliance's local branch.
Routine missions were mostly two-star and three-star (Domain Lord and World Lord). Even an occasional four-star mission (Ordinary Immortal army lord) was enough to cause a small stir. Five-star missions (Marquis Immortal level) were exceedingly rare, scarcely appearing once in tens of thousands of years.
As for Six-Star missions?
In the core regions of Human Territory, such as the Universe Mercenary Alliance headquarters, they were not exceptionally rare.
But in the Ganwu Universe Country... the last similar public mission had appeared over a hundred epochs-a million years-ago! Its reward had already been hailed as astronomical, but the process of completing it was said to have been extraordinarily brutal.
The silence lasted only an instant before a tsunami of uproar erupted!
"Look at the reward! By my Immortal True God! Th-three million Hunyuan Units?!"
"With that kind of money, the client must be a Marquis Immortal!"
"That's not all! Read the detailed list! Anyone who helps bring Void True King on board can get a referral fee of a hundred thousand Hunyuan Units!"
The entire virtual hall of the Mercenary Alliance erupted! Three million Hunyuan Units might be beyond their reach, but the referral fee of a hundred thousand Hunyuan Units alone was enough to tempt many Marquis Immortals into action.
Before you continue