Nearly a month later, the Black Star Palace outer ring base of the Shattered World Gaolu Star Cluster.
Today is the day of the version update, and the lobby is packed with people. Countless players have gathered here, chatting in twos and threes, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere as they wait to log off.
Meat Bun wandered through the crowd, turned on the video recording function, and enthusiastically filmed the scene in the hall, accompanied by a small assistant.
In version 4.0, Meat Bun's career made new progress. He became an important collaborating reporter for the club, so he established a studio. He no longer edited videos alone, but hired some employees to handle various matters, the most important of which was to help him collect materials.
These employees all have their own work accounts, with the studio prefix in their IDs. The assistant next to him has the ID "Meat Bun Studio · Xiaomai," and looks like a chubby, comical guy.
"Boss, what are we doing filming the base here? Is this going to be used as source material?" Xiaomai asked curiously.
"You're so silly! Who knows what the Legion will be like in the next version? If there are any changes in the future, this will be historical data. We can totally make a retro video or a filler video." Meat Bun earnestly instructed.
"Boss, you have great foresight!" Xiaomai gave a thumbs up.
"Hmph, your skills still need improvement. Watch carefully and learn properly," Meat Bun grumbled.
In a corner not far from the two, a group of professional players formed a circle, murmuring softly.
I'm preparing to retire.
Kings and Generals spoke, it immediately caused everyone to gasp in surprise.
Frenzied Saber, who had always Kings and Generals, found it hard to believe, "We just won our third consecutive championship, why are you retiring?"
"Yes, yes, now is the time when Huaxia is at its peak," someone next to him chimed in.
"Hehe, it's precisely because we've won three consecutive championships that I can retire with peace of mind. I had this idea after winning the last championship, but I waited another year just to achieve a dynasty." Kings and Generals waved his hand dismissively and casually said, "I'm not young anymore, and I can feel my competitive level starting to decline. Now is the perfect time to retire at the peak of my career. I've already submitted my retirement application to the club's management, and the team respects my choice. From now on, Tai Erzi will serve as the captain of the Dynasty Team. I also need to give others a chance."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Tai Erzi standing to the side.
Tai Erzi had always hoped to surpass Kings and Generals and seize the captain's position, but now that his dream had come true, he did not show any joy. Instead, he remained silent and somewhat depressed.
The Kings and Generals at him and laughed, "Didn't you want the captain's position? Now that you've been officially appointed, why aren't you happy?"
Tai Erzi forced a smile, "Nonsense, I'm actually very happy, I finally outlasted you, haha."
Everyone shook their heads, all of them could see that Tai Erzi was not being sincere. He was clearly sad and disappointed, but he was still stubborn and unwilling to admit defeat. He was tough on the outside but soft on the inside.
Since joining the team, Tai Erzi has fought alongside Kings and Generals on the field. Although he usually enjoys verbal sparring and arguing, he has always regarded Kings and Generals as his closest comrade-in-arms. He is competitive and hopes to surpass Kings and Generals, but he does not want to gain the captain's position in this way.
The thought of not being able to fight Kings and Generals in the future filled Tai Erzi with emptiness and sadness.
"Don't worry, although I've retired, I'm still working at the club, and I'll probably be a team coach." Kings and Generals patted Tai Erzi on the shoulder and laughed, "So... that means I'm still above you, so don't miss me."
Although he didn't say it directly, his words conveyed the same meaning.
--A younger brother will always be a younger brother. You think you can turn the tables? Dream on!
Tai Erzi instantly changed his expression like a Sichuan opera character, yelling, "Who's going to miss you? Quit your job and get out of here! I hate seeing you!"
Everyone immediately looked away, unable to bear the cloying, love-hate relationship.
"Speaking of retirement, I've actually had that thought too," Long Sky of the Long Sky Team sighed. "I'm probably the oldest veteran here, and I can't keep up anymore. Now is the best time to retire, to retire gracefully. I feel like this year will see a wave of retirements, and it's time for newcomers to take the lead. Jiangcheng is playing very well, isn't he? He's a rising star."
"It's alright. Oh, by the way, we won the championship this year, so it's our turn to treat." Frenzied Saber scratched his head sheepishly.
A group of professional players were discussing their careers here. Li Ge was secretly delighted, wishing that all his competitors would retire. He seemed to see the Temple Team about to rise.
Time passed slowly, and before long, the update time arrived. Flashes of white light appeared, and players logged off one after another. The once bustling base lobby suddenly became empty.
[Version 4.0 update enabled]
[Saving data... Saving complete!]
[Player forum closed]
[Update time unknown, please wait patiently]
In the private machinery factory, Han Xiao shifted his gaze from the surveillance screen in the base lobby and glanced at the panel that was beeping with a notification sound.
"The player has logged off."
Han Xiao let out a breath and quickly adjusted his mindset.
This time, the reforestation program will last longer, so we need to fertilize the land properly.
The fourth professional league gave him another wave of experience at the end of the version, but his reserves were still not much. The experience cost of leveling up was too high at the moment, and even with the rewards from the Federation of All Stars missions, it was still not enough to level up quickly.
Over the decades since this version update, Han Xiao has decided to focus on the Divine Transformation route, first upgrading the Mechanical branch to its maximum level, and then working on the Void branch.
Reaching the tenth level of Divine Transformation requires a prerequisite quest. It has been tested that Mission Settlement Card are effective for this. Han Xiao plans to complete more quests with random rewards during the version update and obtain more Mission Settlement Card, which will save a lot of Divine Transformation points.
On the other hand, the main source of Divine Transformation Points is currently the creation of Golden Blueprints. Jess's technological treasure trove contains many Golden Blueprints, which is a significant source of points. Han Xiao decided to study the technical data in this area first.
With the technological treasure, there's no need to exchange blueprints with the Three Universal Civilizations, nor to complete tasks to earn contribution points. This saves a lot of time and energy, and can also cause the Three Universal Civilizations to misjudge his technological prowess, making them think he doesn't have many golden blueprints. There are many benefits to this.
"In a few decades, another batch of new Beyond Grade A talents will emerge. I wonder if any of my subordinates will be promoted..."
Han Xiao stroked his chin and began to calculate.
In his eyes, among the legion officers who had a chance of stepping into the Beyond Grade A realm over the past few decades, there were only a handful: Aurora, Fording, Hadavy, Jotina, Rotel, and Lagi.
Aurora has no bottlenecks and her normal development is very slow, but with the Holy Light Seed harvesting technique, her development process can be greatly accelerated. Fording and Rotel are both exceptionally talented and have the potential to break through. As for Hadavy, Jotina, and Lagi, they have deep foundations and have the chance to accumulate strength and then make a breakthrough.
Evans' training career is too short; decades are not enough for him to grow. The "New Sorokin Training Program" still needs time.
As for Carrot, he's a late bloomer, still far from his peak in his previous life. However, Han Xiao doesn't know if Carrot's growth curve will change this time because of his influence.
"It's more reliable to focus on developing Aurora. We need to help Germinal achieve a triple Beyond Grade A ranking as soon as possible, so that the Germinal spirit can be revived in us..."
Han Xiao chuckled inwardly.
At the same time, at a Sanctum Organization.
A secret hall was set up as a large laboratory. In the center of the room was a circular mechanical base with a diameter of about fifty meters, covered with intricate patterns, energy transmission pipes, and magic circuits. At first glance, it looked like some kind of ritual site.
Meanwhile, numerous Sanctum Organization members dressed in white lab coats were busily adjusting various instruments, with Luo and Fei supervising the process.
How long until the agreed-upon date?
"Three minutes remain until the preset timeframe for hetushu. com. The receiving device has warmed up and is ready to be activated."
"The Information State stabilizer has been set up, and all procedures are ready."
Luo glanced at the time, his expression grave, his palms sweaty.
Today is the day the Child of Destiny confirmed the agreement. According to the information passed down by the organization, the spacetime flow of the Sanctuary is very special. It briefly overlaps with the main universe at random points in time. Once the time node is missed, it will take a long time to wait. The arrangement in the venue is for docking with the Oathkeeper. This is the first time that everyone present has tried it. They don't know how well it will work.
Everyone was on edge as time ticked by, and finally the designated time arrived.
"Start!" Luo shouted immediately.
The next moment, all the instruments were activated in sequence, the circular mechanical base in the center of the room started operating, and the energy circuits on its surface lit up one by one from bottom to top.
Buzzing--
A vibrating sound echoed in the room, and the space above the base appeared to distort visibly.
This continued for more than ten seconds, then a portal of light suddenly appeared in the sky, spitting out a figure, which then vanished in the blink of an eye.
Everyone quickly looked up and their faces lit up with joy. The Oathkeeper was the one they hadn't seen for many days.
Luo and Fei rushed over and helped the Oathkeeper up. They found him dazed and confused, as if he had just woken up, and just standing there in a daze.
"Leader, you're back. How are you feeling?"
The Oathkeeper stared blankly at the two of them, looking completely bewildered. After a while, as if remembering his identity, his gaze gradually focused, and he slowly came to his senses. He immediately covered his forehead and groaned:
"It feels like I've had a very long dream. There's a strong sense of unreality in the Sanctuary, like being in a dream. I seem to have discovered many astonishing secrets, but only a small amount of fragmented information has remained in my memory. Let me sort it out..."
He covered his forehead, struggling to recall what he had seen and heard in the Sanctuary. He vaguely remembered the profound shock that had penetrated his soul, but the memories were fading rapidly, leaving only fragments. He couldn't remember the details, just like how one quickly forgets a dream after waking up.
After a while, the Oathkeeper gradually pieced together some of the information, and was immediately shocked, a look of horror flashing across their face.
"Did you remember something?" Fei caught the fleeting look of shock on the Oathkeeper's face and asked.
"No, it's nothing."
The Oathkeeper took a deep breath, suppressing their emotions.
The Great Restart, the Iteration of the Universe, the Function of the Sanctuary Revival... fragments of information flashed through his mind. These things were so revolutionary that he decided to keep them a secret and not tell his subordinates the earth-shattering information he had seen in the Sanctuary.
'Currently, I'm probably the only one in the entire universe who has obtained this information. Its value is immeasurable; it's almost a prophetic advantage. Our future course of action needs to be drastically adjusted...'
The thought flashed through the mind of the Oathkeeper.
At this moment, Luo looked around but saw no one else. He couldn't help but ask, "Leader, did our plan succeed? Did you bring back the resurrected people?"
Upon hearing this, the Oathkeeper seemed to remember something, and turned his palm over. A peculiar golden mark appeared on the back of his hand. In his remaining memories, this was a one-time Sanctuary Revival Mark, which allowed him to revive those historical Beyond Grade A beings who had established connections through a medium in the main universe.
"It should be a success..."
The Oathkeeper paused, looked around, then suddenly raised his voice and said loudly:
"Clear the area immediately and join me in welcoming the return of the First Ones!"