The sheer size of the Black Star Army startled the players. The video continued playing, then the scene shifted, finally revealing what the players were most curious about: the specific deeds of the Black Star Army over the past decade.
In the year 695 of the Galaxy, the Crimson Dynasty expanded, codenamed the Crimson Tide. Affected by Crimson Tide, the Shattered Star Ring was thrown into turmoil. The Krent Empire, under the direction of the War Realm, invaded the Amethyst Civilization, triggering Secret War. The Black Star Army joined the Amethyst and fought for them. The war lasted for ten years and continues to this day. During this time, the Black Star Army fought in hundreds of battles, large and small, repeatedly clashing with the War Realm and earning a formidable reputation...
Lothaire explained the background of the Secret War, which surprised everyone.
Crimson Tide? Isn't that the version name? It turns out it really refers to the expansion of the Crimson Dynasty. Black Star had vaguely revealed information about it at the end of version 2.0. It turns out that was indeed a cryptic message for the next version.
The Black Star Army has actually gotten involved in a war between star cluster-level civilizations. So, the main storyline of version 3.0 should be related to the Secret War... Many people are secretly speculating.
Following this line of thought, the Black Star Army's expansion must be related to its involvement in wars; it must have profited from them.
However, they were only half right; what followed immediately ignited everyone's passion.
"... In this war, leader Black Star revealed his potential as Beyond Grade A being, crushing all the enemy's advanced combat forces and becoming invincible. He is the most promising Shattered Star Ring Beyond Grade A powerhouse in decades. At the same time, under his leadership, the Black Star Army, riding the wave of Beyond Grade A Seed, expanded significantly, attracting the allegiance of Amethyst and dozens of star system-level civilizations, ultimately forming its current scale."
As the leader of the faction, Han Xiao was introduced to Lothaire in great detail, explaining his terrifying combat record and his important influence on the development of the Black Star Army.
Many players understood that the video meant that the Black Star Army's development to its current state was 90% due to Black Star. If it weren't for Han Xiao demonstrating Beyond Grade A potential, the Black Star Army wouldn't have been able to stand out even if it participated in the war.
It was Black Star who built the legion to this size in just ten years!
The player suddenly realized the key point.
Beyond Grade A!
After two versions, they already knew Black Star was very strong, but they never expected that Black Star could still break their preconceived notions and give them a new surprise!
Beyond Grade A is the supreme powerhouse standing at the top of the Galaxy. Black Star is a character who appeared in version 1.0 and whose story spans three versions. Now, he has actually gained the qualifications to become the supreme powerhouse, and he is probably also a major character in version 3.0.
Han Xiao was already considered "one of our own NPCs" by the Huaxia players, and their sense of identification with him was off the charts. Seeing their own faction's leader even more ferocious than if he had eaten Wei Ge, the players became excited and couldn't stop smiling.
Before the update, countless players were already looking forward to what the Black Star Army 3.0 would be like. The result made them very satisfied and even surprised them. While we were away, Black Star was as reliable as ever, managing the Black Star Army so well. It was amazing.
The guild leader is still awesome!
With such a strong leader, the faction has an even higher potential for development, and players' enthusiasm for the Black Star Army has surged.
The video continued, and Lothaire went on to recount specific events, the battles the Black Star Army had fought and the achievements they had made over the past ten years, interspersed with Han Xiao's personal exploits... countless times fighting against multiple enemies single-handedly, striking fear into the hearts of his adversaries, defusing assassination attempts time and again, battling Sorokin, destroying DarkStar, and so on.
The course provided a comprehensive overview of the Black Star Army's history. After the video ended, many players were left wanting more. Thanks to the foundation laid by Meat Bun's Black Star series videos, this video felt like watching a TV series. They had caught up on ten years of the Black Star Army's story in one go, experiencing an epic sense of profound changes and feeling completely refreshed, as if they had just finished watching a long, uninterrupted journey.
"This can be considered the background introduction for the new version."
"It feels more like a transitional animation to me..."
Black Star is awesome!
"As expected of a growth-oriented faction, their future is bright, hahaha!"
The players present were still excited and discussed among themselves.
The changes in the Black Star Army truly surprised them, and after the initial shock, they were overjoyed.
Since it's a positive change, the players are relieved. The more powerful the Black Star Army becomes, the happier they are, as this is their favorite faction that they've witnessed for three whole versions.
"I never imagined so much would happen while we were away," Frenzied Saber remarked after a moment's thought.
Meat Bun was heartbroken. "So much news material, what a waste! How many videos could we have made from that?"
The video outlined the Black Star Army History, giving players a clearer understanding of their faction. Han Xiao has consistently dedicated himself to enhancing players' sense of belonging through faction achievements, with remarkable results. A faction with a rich history possesses a unique culture, and a sense of belonging has always been one of the most important factors influencing players, besides interests.
Through these ten years of events, all players have gained a basic understanding of the situation in version 3.0. It can be said that under Han Xiao's guidance, players are adapting to version 3.0 at the fastest speed, which is also what Han Xiao wanted to see.
With the completion of the second stage of the [Ten Years] quest, Han Xiao immediately issued the third stage quest, continuing to remotely guide the player.
All Legion players received a new introductory quest.
[Third Ring]
[Mission Introduction: You are aware of the situation in the Shattered Star Ring. The Black Star Army is involved in Secret War. As a member of the Legion, you must make a choice.]
[Mission Requirements: Accept Secret War mission through internal procedures]
[Reward: Secret War storyline unlocked, Black Star Army favorability +800]
"The main storyline can be triggered right from the start? Looks like it's the same as version 2.0."
The Mutation Disaster version also entered the main storyline as soon as it was released. Many players did not suspect anything and selected the option to apply to participate in the Secret War through the Phillip subprogram.
In the previous life, after entering version 3.0, players went through an exploration period before gradually participating in the main storyline of the Secret War under the guidance of their respective factions. Now, Han Xiao has simply thrown the main storyline in front of the players, saving them a lot of time and allowing them to join the battle earlier, which is more beneficial to him.
Originally, the way to trigger the Secret War main storyline was to join the War Realm or Section Zero. However, Han Xiao knew this beforehand, so he spent ten years developing the Black Star Army into an important member of Section Zero, connecting it to the main storyline and binding it to the faction. This way, players don't need to join another faction; as long as they stay in the Black Star Army, they can still access the Secret War main storyline!
Han Xiao's achievements during the version update are gradually becoming apparent.
The next moment, a notification popped up on the players' panels, triggering the main quest that Han Xiao had obtained ten years ago.
[Grade S Faction War Mission [Secret War - Section Zero]!]
[Mission Introduction: The Krent Empire has invaded the territory of the Amethyst Civilization, and you have chosen to stand with the Amethyst Civilization]
[Mission Requirements: Follow orders and repel all enemies invading the territory of the Colton Star Cluster]
[Different rewards will be given based on the task evaluation after completion.]
Grade S main quest!
The players' eyes lit up. The main storyline missions in the previous two versions were all Grade A, and this was the first time they had received an Grade S mission.
Han Xiao obtained this main storyline ten years earlier than the players. Although the evaluation of Grade S mission is only displayed after the mission is completed, he knew without even looking that he had already obtained the highest evaluation.
"This main quest has a suffix, um, does that mean we can also do this quest in the Krent faction?"
Meat Bun is quick-witted and can apply what he's learned to other situations; he guessed the truth.
In the original storyline, players could choose to join either the Krent or the Amethyst. Both factions had their own appeal. The Colton Star Cluster, where the Amethyst was located, was considered the player's birthplace, giving them a geographical advantage as the defenders. Meanwhile, the Tyrant in the War Realm was Beyond Grade A faction, which held the initiative and was also highly attractive to players.
In the original 2.0 version of the storyline, the Black Star Army did not exist. Goddora and DarkStar were the forces that guided players into the universe, each recruiting a group of players who embarked on different paths.
Some of the players recruited by DarkStar seamlessly transitioned to the Krent faction in version 3.0 due to the relationship between Krent and DarkStar. In addition, many players chose to join the War Realm due to the appeal of the Tyrant. However, since Section Zero was playing very passively, relatively few players joined.
However, Han Xiao had already changed the course of the story. He laid a good foundation in version 2.0, squeezed out Goddora and DarkStar, and lured away almost all the players of Planet Aquamarine.
Now, the Black Star Army is one of the most important members of Section Zero, which means that players are essentially on the side of Amethyst from the start!
Children make choices, I want them all!
Krent would mean all the investment in the Black Star Army in the previous two versions would go down the drain. The cost for players to switch factions is extremely high. Although players don't like being forced, the sense of belonging from the previous two versions provides a foundation, so Han Xiao's move of acting first and asking questions later will not cause most players to rebel.
The Beyond Grade A Tyrant is indeed somewhat attractive. However, just now, players learned through ten years of history that Black Star also has the potential to become Beyond Grade A player. This has caused the War Realm to lose its core competitiveness and the faction's appeal to plummet. At least most people, even if they realize they can switch factions, will not do so because it's not worth it.
Therefore, Krent and the War Realm will never again attract as many players as they did in their previous lives!
The butterfly effect caused by Han Xiao's 2.0 version continues to this day.
However, players All Kinds of Oddities, and there's no telling if there will be any scoundrels who want to join the traitorous association. Han Xiao had already prepared countermeasures.
Over the past decade, he has considered all sorts of possible unforeseen events.
While the players were excitedly discussing the main quest, Han Xiao stopped pretending to admire the scenery and returned to the satellite fortress, pondering silently.
"The first step is complete, now it's time to fertilize..."