The two met and chatted for a few words. Then Han Xiao entered the Goddora camp, temporarily escaping the players' encirclement. He didn't intend for the players to hear his conversation with Nagokin.
Players can move around in the Goddora camp, but the core area is not open; Goddora soldiers are keeping players out.
The two entered the room and sat down.
"How's the disaster relief situation going?" Han Xiao asked with a smile.
"The situation is steadily improving, and order is slowly being restored. The intelligence you provided has been a great help. Not only on Planet Aquamarine, but also on other affected planets, the disaster relief teams are acting according to the intelligence, and the situation is very stable. As long as the scale of the disaster is controlled, the remaining problem is waiting for the research department to develop a complete antidote."
When it came to serious matters, Nagokin straightened his expression.
The two then had an in-depth discussion about the disaster relief situation on Planet Aquamarine, pointing out the current difficulties and management problems. After talking for a while, Han Xiao casually asked, "By the way, when I came over just now, I saw you recruiting Inhuman."
"Haha, yes." Nagokin was straightforward and made no attempt to hide his feelings, laughing, "I didn't expect such a strange phenomenon to exist on Planet Aquamarine. After observing them for a while, I've discovered they do have great potential. No wonder you've been recruiting them. We're also planning to recruit some Inhuman."
Han Xiao stroked his chin, showing no emotion, and echoed, "Yes, I've known about these Inhuman for a long time. Your investigators didn't understand their origins either. Later, seeing that they acted no differently than ordinary people, they got used to it. Indeed, they have potential, and their numbers are considerable."
"By the way, you have a high reputation among the Inhuman, could you help me?" Nagokin's eyes lit up, thinking that Black Star could provide assistance.
Seeing that the Black Star Mercenary Group wasn't accepting all indiscriminately but rather selecting Inhuman, he concluded that Black Star didn't actually intend to monopolize all Inhuman, so they shouldn't be angry. Han Xiao's calm attitude further confirmed his thoughts, which reassured Nagokin, who then asked for help.
Han Xiao's expression was slightly strange. Was this really going too far? Not only were they trying to steal my man, but they were also asking me for advice on how to wield a hoe properly?!
He remained expressionless and nodded, saying, "I can offer some advice, but I can't guarantee it will be effective, after all, the Inhuman is not my subordinate."
Nagokin thought for a moment and asked, "What method did you use to make those Inhuman so eager to join your mercenary group?"
Han Xiao chuckled, "Actually, it's nothing. It's just like what you guys do: introduce the mercenary group's background, the interstellar landscape, mention the benefits, and the rest depends on the Inhuman ' own wishes. As long as you keep popularizing Goddora's background, you'll eventually attract some people."
"I think so too." Nagokin nodded, acknowledging that his strategy was correct, only Black Star had beaten him to it.
Since the direction is correct, Nagokin has no intention of changing his policy. Compared to a mercenary group, joining the Goddora Civilization is naturally better. It seems that all that is needed is time for the Inhuman to gradually understand this.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Han Xiao took his leave and walked out of the Goddora camp, shaking his head and chuckling to himself.
Nagokin was right. He wasn't angry because he had known all along that Goddora would be his rival. Nagokin's actions were within his expectations... There was another rival DarkStar, but since the Germinal had already died out, DarkStar wouldn't appear for the time being. Moreover, since he was tied to Goddora, DarkStar was practically out of the game, and he had one less competitor.
Han Xiao was familiar with Nagokin's player recruitment process; it was nothing special, just like what he was doing now—simply introducing their background. The only difference was that back then, players could only choose between good and evil. Unlike his previous life, the order now included the Black Star Mercenary Group, so Goddora couldn't monopolize the market.
After his long-term activities among the players, Nagokin thought he could easily shake his position in their hearts with just a swing of his hoe... Han Xiao could only encourage them to continue sleeping.
Even with all the perks offered by Goddora, its core competitiveness is far inferior to its own. Meat Bun's numerous videos have had a significant impact, giving players a clear understanding of the Black Star Mercenary Group and sparking their aspirations and expectations. This serialized format has created an initial sense of belonging.
He has the upper hand in terms of profit, sentiment, and entertainment... Having gained every advantage, he doesn't even know how to lose. On the road to exploiting people, Goddora is just a junior.
Because of thorough preparation, they were confident and didn't need to take any action themselves; even Goddora couldn't defeat them.
Moreover, players can theoretically join both factions at the same time. In Han Xiao's view, the real Choice will come when leaving the planet, at which point players will have to choose who to follow, so he's not in a hurry at all.
When players have to choose between two options, their side will definitely have an absolute advantage. Coupled with the herd effect, more players will choose their side, making it almost like a mobile main city!
Meanwhile, Goddora's side must be desolate, bleak, and miserable.
However, Han Xiao never hesitated to use more methods. Even with an obvious advantage, he would not sit idly by and would secretly ponder countermeasures.
"Goddora is still a partner, so it's impossible to openly break ties—that would be too irrational. Although Goddora isn't as competitive as me, there are thousands of players, and some people will always choose them, so there's no need to worry about that. As long as the mercenary group's size meets my expectations, that's enough... Hmm, and after this is over, we can establish a branch base for the mercenary group on Planet Aquamarine, and there will be a steady stream of new recruits..."
Han Xiao pinched his chin with his fingers, pondered for a moment, and had already thought of two ways to deal with it.
"As for the countermeasures, the first is to increase our own appeal. Players now know most of the benefits I can offer them, but there's still room for improvement. To get players to follow the mercenary group to interstellar space, we need to make them feel reluctant to leave... Hey, it's a very simple method."
With a soft chuckle, Han Xiao immediately had an idea. Just like the ring-based ranking system of the Sky Ring Alliance, he could also implement a straightforward ranking system in the Black Star Mercenary Group.
For example, when a player's total accumulated contribution points reach a certain value (including the faction contribution points spent), they can reach a new rank. They should then assign different honorary titles to these ranks, which will be recorded in the player's mercenary profile.
Besides giving players a sense of accomplishment, there are also tangible benefits, such as reaching certain rank and receiving different discounts when purchasing faction-specific items. This makes players reluctant to give up their previous accumulations—mainly because they are reluctant to spend the money—naturally increasing the faction's attractiveness and sense of belonging.
"The achievement system is also key to a faction; it's like the faction's organizational structure. With the number of members increasing, let's get it up and running soon for easier management. Hmm, we also need to think of some cool level titles."
Han Xiao clicked his tongue and made a "dede" sound, in a good mood. Naming things was something he was best at.
Besides increasing its own attractiveness, another strategy is naturally to strike at competitors.
Since they can't openly confront Goddora, they can only resort to underhanded tactics behind the scenes, and the only option left is to use public opinion as a weapon.
Han Xiao immediately had a target in mind.
--Player forums are the best platform for public opinion. They circulate only among players, making them discreet and easy to use. Even if Goddora is tricked, the other party won't know what happened.
His eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "Looks like we'll have to use Meat Bun."
Nighttime, in the core area of Sanctuary, a group of players were heading to Han Xiao's residence. The ones who received the notification were Frenzied Saber, Meat Bun, Hao Tian, and Maple Moon, who were the first four to receive special treatment.
"Black Star suddenly summoned us; I wonder what it's about."
Not long ago, their panel suddenly triggered a faction quest, requiring them to find Han Xiao immediately, with a substantial reward. Without delay, the group formed a team and set off right away.
Upon arrival, Han Xiao, dressed in black, appeared before the four of them. He nodded expressionlessly, greeted them, and led them through a maze of turns to a secret interrogation room, where they were astonished to find Bennett there as well.
This protagonist-type figure from Planet Aquamarine is almost universally known. With two important figures appearing at the same time, Frenzied Saber and the others realized that something was amiss.
"What are we supposed to do?" Maple Moon couldn't help but ask.
Han Xiao turned around and said slowly, "A few days ago, we captured someone. The information we obtained was so shocking that we had to interrogate him dozens of times with different people. You are my trusted partners, and I need you to interrogate him again for me."
As he spoke, he assigned a new task called [Interrogation] to the four people present, allocating all of today's reward funds, which was quite generous.
Upon hearing this, the four instinctively turned their heads and looked through the one-way glass of the interrogation room, where they could see the person being interrogated.
A Goddora person with a panicked expression, looking left and right.