Hundreds of thousands of players gathered in the plaza, their faces filled with anticipation and excitement. Just an hour earlier, the Sanctuary had broadcast an announcement that Black Star would be giving a speech in the plaza, and Bennett had temporarily erected a platform in the center of the plaza for this purpose.
The impact of the return was still fresh, creating a huge sensation. Residents of the entire Sanctuary came, and the area from the plaza to several surrounding blocks was packed with people. The best viewing spots around the high platform were naturally occupied by hundreds of thousands of players, forming layers upon layers.
Everyone wanted to hear what Black Star, who had returned from interstellar travel, had to say.
Tap tap tap...
Han Xiao, clad in a flowing black cloak, emerged from the core area, followed by a swarm of mercenaries. Pairs of eyes turned toward them, filled with excitement and anticipation. Wherever they passed, the sea of people parted automatically, like the opening of the sea in a mythical tale, their prestige rising ever higher.
As he walked up the platform several meters high, the mercenaries waited to his side. Han Xiao looked around and saw a sea of people, with millions of eyes fixed on him from all directions. Every move he made was under everyone's watchful eye.
Han Xiao remained calm. With his thick skin, he had no idea what the word "nervous" meant. He slowly raised one hand, and a compressed ball rolled out of his sleeve, landing in his palm. He casually tossed it behind him.
Sizzle!
A flash of blue lightning streaked across the sky.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the compressed sphere rapidly transformed, and a silver-black alloy mechanical throne unfolded beneath Han Xiao. He slowly sat down, and the mechanical throne gradually rose into the air, hovering more than ten meters above the ground. The bottom of the throne emitted a ghostly blue light from an anti-gravity stabilizer, looking down upon the crowd on the ground.
Immediately afterwards, three identical Void Mirror Image appeared behind them, facing different directions, thus taking into account the crowds from all sides.
The Sanctuary is surrounded by a fleet arranged in a ring above, and the plaza is located in the center of the ring, with Han Xiao at the center point.
Instantly boosted my sophistication!
Holy crap, he's so handsome it's like an avalanche!
"A true big shot making his entrance! I feel like I'm seeing a second Dragon Emperor!"
That's seriously awesome!
Master Han continued his high-class approach, sitting on a flying throne, which looked really cool and excited the players.
He glanced around, cleared his throat, and spoke in a deep, serious tone. His voice carried very far through the miniature megaphone.
"I'm back."
boom--
With just this one sentence, the residents of the Sanctuary erupted in cheers. As the creator of the Sanctuary, Han Xiao's reputation here was off the charts. He was extremely popular and won the hearts of the people. The players were infected by this atmosphere, and Han Xiao's image became even more prestigious.
He raised his hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, and soon the entire room fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop, as everyone waited for his next words.
Two years ago, I foresaw this catastrophe and resolutely went to space to seek a solution. I made a promise that for the sake of my homeland, I would return and face the disaster with everyone... Now, I have kept my promise.
The universe is treacherous. I've overcome numerous obstacles to gain my current power. The dangers involved are unknown to you; it was suffering I willingly endured, ultimately earning me the ability to cope with disasters...
Han Xiao used ambiguous language, glossing over his specific experiences in interstellar space, indicating that he did not want to talk about it in detail, which aroused the imaginations of many Sanctuary residents.
The players, however, chuckled inwardly. They already knew about Black Star's experiences in interstellar space through Meat Bun's videos. Even if Black Star didn't want to talk about it, they knew everything, and Black Star was unaware of this.
Many players exchanged glances and winks, all knowing the unspoken agreement, with expressions that said, "We knew it all along."
Han Xiao glanced at the player, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He said this on purpose to make the player feel superior, as if they knew him inside and out. The moment they had this thought, they had already fallen into his trap. This not only made the player recall the story to deepen their impression, but also provided implicit help for their next actions.
"We are all in the midst of a catastrophe; no one can remain uninvolved. I am willing to generously share the knowledge I have gained from interstellar travel to help everyone grow together and overcome this difficult time!"
Hundreds of thousands of players' eyes lit up; they'd been waiting for this line for so long!
I fucking want to unpack... oops, I want to learn skills!
After saying a few more Inspiration words, Han Xiao concluded his speech and left the stage.
The Sanctuary residents dispersed with hope in their hearts, while the players swarmed in and surrounded Han Xiao.
"It's been a long time, Inhuman Warriors. I can sense that you are stronger than you were two years ago."
Han Xiao nodded, his face serious, pretending as if he really didn't know anything about the players.
You're the one who's changed the most!
Many players couldn't help but complain in their hearts.
After saying a few simple words that sounded like what an NPC would say—his acting was as natural and harmonious as ever— Han Xiao decisively began selling skills. After holding back for so long, he was finally able to reap the rewards from his beloved players again, and his joy was almost overflowing.
After version 1.0, players were very familiar with Han Xiao's skill transfer interface and shop interface, so they took it for granted and were used to it. Seeing it again now brought back a lot of memories.
Selling one's own skills and knowledge is equivalent to a mentor imparting skills; one can set their own price and thus obtain "tuition fees" from players. Han Xiao mainly sells Mechanic Class skills, and these are the main skills that players can learn on their own once they reach a certain level. Since the players are currently at a low level, it gives Han Xiao the opportunity to teach them in advance.
However, Han Xiao wouldn't teach players any very important skills, such as compression technology or mass production solutions. He would mostly teach them basic skills that increase Mechanical Affinity, as well as some less important low-level blueprints—blueprint skills are generally very popular.
As for Mechanic Class knowledge, in addition to the complete set of Basic Knowledge (after all, most players haven't even learned the basics yet), Han Xiao also picked out a few less crucial Advanced Knowledge to teach. He didn't teach too much Advanced Knowledge before, but now that it's the new version, he naturally doesn't have that concern. He just wanted to steal it.
Of course, letting players learn future skills in advance isn't entirely unfair; it could be considered a win-win situation, since learning them early is more useful, just like using them early means they have a shorter cooldown...
Since players need to find someone to learn things anyway, and I have a full range of services here that are cheap and convenient, how great would it be to monopolize the market? There are no anti-monopoly laws here to restrain me, it's simply wonderful.
"Wow, so many Mechanic Class skills I've never seen before."
"Heavy Mechanical Modification, Advanced Detection Technology... there's much more Advanced Knowledge than before!"
The players looked at the dazzling list of skills, their excitement almost bursting from their eyes.
As expected of the new version, there are so many skills, many of which I've never seen before. Black Star's trip to interstellar space has not only boosted his prestige but also improved his benefits.
Because players reached the level cap at the end of version 1.0 and could only upgrade their skills, everyone had a lot of experience points in their pockets. Han Xiao was aiming for their accumulated savings!
With the new version starting, players won't be stingy with experience points; they're all big, burly, and incredibly wealthy. Master Han won't stop until he's emptied their wallets!
Not long after he started selling, Han Xiao's experience points skyrocketed, and message notifications flooded his screen. A large number of players didn't hesitate to learn the skills and spent their experience points lavishly, making him a fortune.
Looking at the constantly fluctuating numbers on the experience panel, Han Xiao smiled with satisfaction, like an old farmer who had worked hard for half a year and finally reaped a bountiful harvest, feeling completely content.
He had been looking forward to this moment for a long time!
The experience gained from learning skills by players was like a river overflowing its banks, rapidly filling Han Xiao's depleted experience bar. The number, which was originally less than one hundred million, skyrocketed like a rocket.
And Tu Shu, two hundred million... three hundred million...
This is much faster than version 1.0!
The Sanctuary houses hundreds of thousands of players. Thanks to Han Xiao's efforts in version 1.0, Mechanic Class players now make up over 30%, a much higher percentage than in his previous life, indicating a large market with strong purchasing power. Han Xiao won't price skills and knowledge outrageously high, but they won't be low either. Compared to the thousands of yuan per unit in version 1.0, he now prices them at least in the tens of thousands. Since he's currently the only player with this service, he doesn't need to compete by lowering prices—that's the benefit of a monopoly.
If just a hundred people learn a few skills, that's already millions of experience points. The benefits gained from around two hundred thousand Mechanic Class players will definitely be far greater than 1.0, at least in the billions. However, the cost of leveling up at Han Xiao's level is also extremely high, and the expenses will be even higher in the future. The more experience points, the better.
Only Han Xiao could level up so quickly. When other players reached his level, they had to do a lot of quests to accumulate enough experience to level up, and they were as happy as an old mother chrysanthemum... It's a bit embarrassing to say, but in my previous life, when I was still a tender newbie, Master Han was like this. Later, I gradually developed the nature of an old salty fish. Alas, once a dashing young man, once you enter the world of martial arts, time flies by. How touching.
"At this rate, the experience I gain today should be enough to reach level 120..."
Han Xiao pondered to himself. Upon reaching level 120, he would be stuck on an advancement quest. He had a Mission Settlement Card on hand, and if the quest was too troublesome, he planned to use it directly. After all, he was currently staying on Planet Aquamarine and couldn't spare the time to do quests.
Reaching level 140 requires a massive amount of experience, and one harvest might not be enough. Imparting skills and knowledge is not a one-off deal. When a player learns the same skill a second time, it's like having a mentor upgrade the skill level, which has long-term benefits. Han Xiao is very patient about this.
It's not just about making a quick fortune, but about ensuring a steady, long-term success that lasts for generations.
His personal skills are geared towards Mechanic Class players, but he naturally hasn't overlooked players from the other two factions on Planet Aquamarine; a balanced approach is the key.
"They're all Mechanic Class skills, it's so frustrating!"
Black Star is the mechanical mentor, and the happiest of all are the Mechanic Class players. Their faces are beaming, as if they're about to burst into laughter. Pugilist Class and Esper Class players can only feel envious and jealous. Who told us not to switch to the Mechanic Class back then? If only Black Star were their mentor!
Unable to learn Black Star's skills, the other two faction players could only open the shop interface, only to discover that they could access the Black Star Mercenary Group's faction shop, which greatly surprised them.
"Isn't this the faction shop from the Meat Bun video? It's open to us too?"
"By the way, I wonder if we could join the Black Star Mercenary Group and become one of them? Maybe we could even appear in Meat Bun's videos."
"Hey, these items are all grayed out, we can only look at them, not buy them. Oh, I see, we can only view faction-specific items, we can't buy them if we haven't joined a faction."
"Wait, look at what's up there!"
Many players carefully browsed the faction shop and were suddenly overjoyed. In addition to various mechanical equipment and books, the shop interface also contained Advanced Knowledge of Pugilist Class and Esper Class!
However, the faction shop can only be viewed, and it indicates that you must join a faction to make purchases. Moreover, the prerequisite for purchasing these two Advanced Knowledge is that your mercenary group's faction relationship reaches [Friendly], which is 1000 points of faction relationship.
"Black Star, we want to join your mercenary group!"
How can I join the Youth League?
Players rushed forward, bombarding each other with questions. Due to Han Xiao's established image and Meat Bun's video footage, they already had a favorable impression of the Black Star Mercenary Group. Seeing these tangible benefits, they immediately became determined to join and couldn't wait.
"Want to join my mercenary group?"
Han Xiao feigned surprise, then hesitated for a moment before saying:
"It's not impossible, but... our members are all elites who have undergone rigorous selection. If your abilities meet the standards, I would welcome you to join us."