In the Black Star Palace office, Han Xiao leaned back in his chair, staring at the clock, silently waiting for the notification that the version would be launched, as time ticked by.
Over the past year, relations between the Three Universal Civilizations and the Association have reached a freezing point, and the Empire has not contacted him for a full year.
A year ago, the Three Universal Civilizations announced that they had begun research on the Sanctuary Revival, but there has been no follow-up news since. It is unknown how far their research has progressed. However, the Revived say that the Three Universal Civilizations are still trying to win them over in private, so it is estimated that the research progress of the Three Universal Civilizations is not very promising.
Meanwhile, the Sanctum has been secretly collecting keys. Although the lack of access to the Three Universal Civilizations has made it difficult to collect some materials, it's not a big problem; it just requires more money and time. The Sanctum now has multiple key recipes, giving them more opportunities. However, a mere year is not enough time to collect another key.
On the other hand, the military forces of the Three Universal Civilizations have been making unusual movements recently, seemingly preparing for action. This has attracted the attention of Han Xiao and other association members, and the atmosphere in the universe has become increasingly tense lately.
Players returning at this crucial juncture can be said to have caught a "good time".
Han Xiao rubbed the back of his hand, his eyes flashing.
"The arrival of players presents me with an opportunity to quickly advance to level 360. The current situation is at a stalemate. If I can achieve a breakthrough in my personal power level, it might be a turning point and a way to break the deadlock."
The current situation was within his expectations; the stalemate was exactly the result he wanted. If it weren't for factors such as the Sanctuary Revival and the Association's increased power, the armed conflict of the Super Calamity might have already broken out as it had in his previous life, but now he had suppressed it.
Although this is a powder keg, the more it is suppressed, the stronger the backlash will be, but this is not absolute. In his view, breaking the deadlock is just a few opportunities away. If successful, it can truly eliminate the Super Calamity and prevent it from escalating into large-scale internal strife.
The current tactics are all just buying time for the Sanctum. Han Xiao is well aware that a battle between the two sides is inevitable, and the Association must suffer heavy casualties. This is the opportunity. As long as the Infinite Sanctuary Revival is revealed at that time, most of the problems can be solved. The Sanctuary Key is essential to breaking the deadlock.
If, on this basis, one can use a higher level of personal power to intimidate the Three Universal Civilizations and attract Beyond Grade A members, that would be the icing on the cake.
Just as he was pondering and analyzing, the long-awaited panel finally responded, displaying the same version update notification as the player.
[Version 5.0 is now available!]
[Retrieving data... Data retrieval complete!]
[Player forum open]
Welcome to Galaxy 5.0 – [Black Star Era]!
"Um?"
Han Xiao was taken aback.
This version's name isn't "Super Calamity"?!
And it even became my name!
In the previous four versions, although I, as a small butterfly, had some influence, I was just a tiny individual compared to the overall trend of the times. The versions mainly reflected the changes of the times.
But this time was different. He had almost single-handedly stirred up this storm, becoming a trendsetter of the times. The butterfly effect was so strong that it even distorted the version's name...
This also indirectly illustrates his current pivotal position in the universe and his importance in this turmoil.
"They even included my name in the version name, that's impressive."
Han Xiao's face twitched, revealing a strange smile.
What is prestige? This is prestige!
If players saw this... wow, it would be a super-effective fertilizer to help me harvest their wealth!
"Haven't seen them in fifty years, I really miss these little cuties... my wallets."
Han Xiao raised an eyebrow, summoned the lobby's surveillance camera, and stared intently at it.
At the same time, in the outer ring base hall of the Black Star Palace, countless white lights flashed one after another, and players who had been away for fifty years finally logged in in large numbers.
The once quiet and deserted hall instantly transformed into a bustling and lively scene, with countless players excitedly shouting and yelling.
"Hahaha, I'm back! Stars, tremble beneath me, my cannon is itching for fire!"
"Damn it, it's been five versions already and they still haven't fixed the bug where you can't take your pants off. Thumbs down!"
"Hmph, I can tell you're not a hardcore veteran player. Still worrying about whether your pants can be taken off? You're so pathetic, kid! Do you know what it means to have pants on but not in your heart? You can't understand my level!"
"How long ago was this update? The base doesn't look changed much, it shouldn't have been long ago."
The crowd chattered excitedly, opening their panels to check the notifications. The next moment, a chorus of "Holy crap!" and "WTF!" erupted from the crowd.
"Look at the version name this time, I'm shocked!"
"Holy crap, version 5.0 is called Black Star Era?!"
"What did he do during the update?!"
Countless Legion players widened their eyes in shock, and an uproar erupted.
To everyone's surprise, their faction leader would become the theme name of this version!
From the players' perspective, the name of a version represents the main storyline of that version. In the past, the names of several versions were either disasters or the tides of the times, but this version actually focuses on a single character!
What a show!
The players in the legion trembled with excitement, their hearts filled with intense curiosity—what earth-shattering thing had their legion leader done?!
The professional players who had just logged in were equally surprised.
Frenzied Saber hurriedly opened the calendar and glanced at it, then gasped sharply.
"This version update comes fifty years ago!"
Everyone checked the date and was astonished.
"That's true!"
"I remember when we logged off, it was around 734 AD, and now it's 782 AD!"
"That's a huge leap, more than twice the time it took for the last update."
"I wonder if my wife Sylvia is still alive..."
"What the hell are you thinking? She's clearly my wife!"
"Quickly go online and check what the situation is now."
Many players hurriedly took out their communicators to search online, eager to see what Black Star had done during the update.
Following the timeline, news quickly came to everyone's attention that the Shattered World Battle had ended decades ago, causing a stir of surprise.
When they logged off, the Shattered World Battle was still ongoing. They thought the war would continue once the new version was released, but unexpectedly, the war ended early in the update period.
As they continued watching, the expressions of the many players grew increasingly bewildered, and exclamations of surprise occasionally rose from the crowd.
The murder of Gaud, the escape of Sorokin, the collapse of the Infinite Financial Group's business empire, the change of leaders in the Three Universal Civilizations, Aurora's Beyond Grade A level, the Sanctuary Revival, the return of the First Ones the dead, the conflict between the Beyond Grade A Association and the Three Universal Civilizations... a series of major events were presented to many players. Just by reading the text descriptions, many people could imagine the turbulent times at that time.
"Wow... such a big change!"
"Aurora's really become Beyond Grade A... Holy crap, who's this blonde mature woman? I'm fucking in love!"
"It's confirmed! Germinal is the strongest surface organization in the entire universe, with three Beyond Grade A experts. I ask you, who else can compare!"
"The spirit of Germinal life will never fade! Rua!"
"As expected of a fifty-year span, the original cosmic order has been completely overturned."
"Black Star is too powerful. No wonder this version is named after him."
Everyone was shocked; they felt as if they had woken up to find that the world had changed.
Seeing Black Star's actions during the update, many players finally understood why version 5.0 was named "The Black Star Era".
Our legion commander has become the "Martial Arts Alliance Leader," possessing unparalleled courage and leading the Super A Tier against the overlords Explored Universe. He is undoubtedly the leader of this era, single-handedly igniting this era of great strife!
The version's theme, "Black Star Era," is truly fitting!
"Wow, that's incredible! Old Black is practically a cheat code!"
"Legion Commander, you're a bastard! (voice cracks)"
"From now on, don't call him Black Star, just call him Black God."
"I don't know why, but I felt a sense of paternal pride..."
Many players were thrilled.
Black Star's presence has been felt throughout several versions, and now he has become a main storyline, leading a new era. His status and position are unique in the universe, and in everyone's eyes, Black Star's status as a cosmic-level protagonist has been confirmed!
Many veteran players have witnessed Black Star rise from humble beginnings to legendary status, and they feel a sense of pride, as if they are witnessing a legend continue to unfold.
Meat Bun trembled with excitement, pinched his assistant Xiaomai hard, and exclaimed, "Footage! So much footage! Enough for at least twenty episodes of videos! Quick, quick, record it all!"
Xiaomai nodded hurriedly and got to work.
On the other side, Frenzied Saber and the other professional players suppressed their emotions and checked their attribute panels.
"It seems the level cap has been raised to 180 this time."
"Speaking of which, a normal Calamity Grade character usually enters the Calamity Grade around level 160 to 170. Although we are a bit weaker among those of the same level, we might still be able to reach Calamity Grade at level 180, right?"
"It's possible. The skill gap among players might widen dramatically in this version. Those who can reach the Calamity Grade will be able to easily defeat a large number of Grade B players."
After a brief discussion, the group suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, I remember the main quests for the Shattered World Battle for other factions haven't been completed yet. Now that the battle is over, I wonder how things are going."
Someone asked a question out of curiosity.
In the previous version, the main storyline of the Black Star Army in the Shattered World Battle was a disguise created by Han Xiao and was already resolved, while the other faction players received the real main storyline, which was only resolved after the battle.
Upon hearing this, many players flocked to the player forum, and after just one glance, they were immediately amused.
The Shattered World forum was incredibly lively, with posts scrolling by rapidly. A quick glance revealed a large number of tearful complaints from Infinite Financial Group players.
[Fan Shuishui: Where's my faction? My huge faction is gone?!]
[Atlas: Damn it, Hollisette, where did the Infinite Financial Group go?!]
[The Adventures of Tintin: Shattered World, Shattered World! The largest interstellar corporation, the Infinite Financial Group, has gone bankrupt! Boss Sorokin, after indulging in gambling and womanizing, racked up a debt of 350 million and ran off with his mistress! We've worked hard for half a year without pay! You bastard Sorokin, you're not human! Give me back my hard-earned money!]
On the forum, a large number of players who lost their faction were lamenting that all the contribution points they had accumulated in previous versions had gone down the drain.
Players who joined a faction live in constant fear with each update, terrified that their faction will be gone and they'll lose everything.
Players who had joined major factions weren't worried about this issue, but the Infinite Financial Group was no small force. With even this faction gone, the few remaining players under its command were filled with regret.
If I had known this would happen, I should have joined the group that switched factions during the national war and jumped ship to another faction!
"That's so unlucky."
"So choosing the right camp is very important, just like choosing stocks, you have to be careful!"
Fortunately, our Black Star Army is resilient enough.
The legion players watched the spectacle, laughed for a while, and then couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Even a behemoth like the Infinite Financial Group can collapse one day. Although the Black Star Army is powerful now, it has provoked Three Universal Civilizations, and its future has suddenly become bleak.
Although the Legion Commander is formidable, the Association is powerful, and the Sanctuary Revival is miraculous, their opponents are, after all, the Three Universal Civilizations superpowers of the universe. Their original cooperative relationship has now turned into enmity, and many are somewhat unsure of themselves in the face of them. If anything goes wrong, they might lose their allegiance just like the Infinite Financial Group players.
"The factional struggle between the Beyond Grade A Association and the Three Universal Civilizations should be the main storyline of this version. We are inherently on the side of the Association, but can we really win?"
"Yeah, if the association loses, will the legion disband? Wouldn't that be a huge loss for us?"
Some people were whispering and wavering in their opinions; these were mostly newcomers who joined in version 4.0.
As for some veteran players, although they were also worried about the safety of the legion, their stance was very firm.
Most veteran players have long regarded their legions as their own faction. They have worked hard to contribute to the faction's growth to where it is today. Even if the enemy they face is powerful, they don't want to switch sides. Since they are not afraid of death, they might as well fight for their own faction.
For many years, the Legion has been committed to cultivating a sense of belonging to the faction, and it has achieved remarkable results. Players value benefits, but often they are unwilling to pursue benefits and avoid harms. While benefits are an important factor guiding players, the real core logic that determines players' actions is just one sentence. "I'm happy to do it!"
"Bite!"
Just then, all the legion players' panels simultaneously chimed with notifications.
[You have triggered the Grade S main quest [Super Calamity: Black Star Army]!]