One after another, transport ships slowly landed and came to rest at the headquarters airport.
More than 700,000 players from the Constellation Corridor set foot on the ground of the headquarters, and millions of Legion players rushed over to watch. The airport dock and the hall were packed with people, a sea of people. Fortunately, the area of the Legion headquarters satellite base was large enough to accommodate hundreds of millions of members.
This was the first time players from different star systems had met outside of the professional arena. Whether they were Huaxia players or players from Russia, Australia, or other countries, they were all international friends in each other's eyes. It was inevitable that they would sized each other up for the first time.
A quick comparison reveals a clear difference between the two sides.
The more than 700,000 players of the Constellation Corridor have equipment of varying styles, colors, and patterns, making it look quite messy.
Meanwhile, the millions of Legion players primarily wore black and silver armor and weapons. Although there were various styles, it wasn't as diverse as the 700,000+ foreign players. Most Legion players were knowledgeable and, through practical experience, used the few Legion combat armors generally recognized as having superior performance. They looked like a well-trained army, giving a sense of order, with less noticeable differences in individual equipment. Moreover, all their equipment was engraved with the Black Star Army's insignia, making it seem like the difference between a legitimate and a ragtag army.
After disembarking, some of the more than 700,000 new recruits greeted each other and chatted, some curiously observed the headquarters and headed to various functional areas, while others interacted with the legion's NPC members. The massive crowd dispersed in small groups as they entered the headquarters and familiarized themselves with the environment.
Ordinary players each had their own methods, while Strong Vodka and Captain Old Henry, along with several leaders of major Russia and Australia guilds, approached the leaders of major guilds in Huaxia.
At the guild headquarters rented by the Long Sky Club from the Black Star Army headquarters, Sky Domain Guild Leader Azure Sky and Eternity in One Dynasty Guild Leader Morning Snow and Evening Frost, representing the two powerful guilds, received the leaders of several large guilds from Russia.
"Friends from Huaxia, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I am the Vice President of Strength and Glory, 'Strong Vodka '."
Strong Vodka and his companions introduced themselves.
"Isn't it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?" Azure Sky smile, the translation function conveying his meaning to the Strong Vodka, and others.
After a few casual words, the real business came up with the Strong Vodka.
"The higher-ups want us to operate branch guilds across star systems. We've already negotiated with our respective clubs recently, and they said that you two powerful clubs will provide us with some initial assistance..."
Morning Snow and Evening Frost chuckled, "Yes, if I may ask, how many guild members did you bring to manage the branch guild?"
Strong Vodka: "I've brought 12 core guild members, 150 official members, and 1200 peripheral members."
Representatives from the other guilds also spoke, each with around 1,000 members. The core and official members of large professional clubs have a legitimate job, earning salaries for playing games. As for the peripheral players, some are volunteers, and some are from studios, but they also receive club bonuses.
"You several thousand people are running this branch guild here, starting from scratch. You need money to buy all kinds of tools, props, and vehicles, as well as to repair, strengthen, and upgrade equipment. There are also expenses for building the guild headquarters, travel costs for going out to do missions, and so on. Moreover, you need to find stable sources of experience, materials, and money to generate income. The sooner you turn a profit, the better, right?"
The group, including Strong Vodka, nodded repeatedly. For them, running the guild was a job, a task they were assigned. A well-managed branch was a performance achievement for them.
Morning Snow and Evening Frost and Azure Sky You exchanged a quiet glance, smiled slightly, and slowly said:
"A while ago, we completed the Black Star Army's main quest, [Secret War]. Many people received the Legion's internal merit title, [Secret War Combatant]. With this honor, you get a 10% discount on all purchases within the Legion. Of course, you don't have this benefit."
This benefit is only available to players who participated in the Secret War. It's an exclusive title issued by Han Xiao, and players who joined later no longer have the chance to obtain it.
These cross-star system guilds had figured out this situation early on through the forums, so it's impossible not to feel envious.
"You mean..."
"Yes, we can provide you with discount channels. We'll buy Legion products at a 10% discount, and you can buy them from us at a 3% discount. We're a powerful Legion with enough funds and contribution points to meet your bulk purchase needs... Of course, you can also find ordinary players and give them money to buy for you, but there's always the risk of being scammed."
He remained noncommittal about the Strong Vodka, but it was clear that the Dynasty and Long Sky wanted to profit from the price difference, so as the branch manager, he had to be meticulous in his calculations.
Rather than purchasing supplies from the Huaxia Club, he preferred to cooperate with reliable ordinary Huaxia players, using their privileges to buy at a 10% discount, and at most sharing some resources with the cooperating players periodically. This was still more cost-effective than a 3% discount.
However, Morning Snow and Evening Frost saw through the thoughts of the Russia Grand Guild representatives and smiled faintly, "If you purchase from us, we will provide you with assistance in other ways."
In which aspect?
"For example, we can provide high-quality mission resources, hidden information about NPCs, and if you accept certain high-difficulty missions, we can offer manpower to help you. Also... we can guarantee your safety."
"Safety?" The expression on the Strong Vodka changed. "What do you mean?"
Morning Snow and Evening Frost: "The Shattered Star Ring is territory that our Huaxia Club has been operating for several versions. Dozens of large guilds and countless small and medium-sized guilds have divided up many high-quality resources here. As outsiders, you have rashly come to our territory to operate a branch. I cannot guarantee that there will be no disputes with other guilds. Moreover, you are just a branch that has come from afar, with limited manpower. If a guild war breaks out, you will be at a great disadvantage."
One of the club guild's business objectives is to provide resource support for the club's professional players. The major guilds in different countries are each other's biggest competitors. The Huaxia clubs could not sit idly by while other professional clubs operated their branches peacefully on their turf. The higher-ups issued an order for their guilds to find ways to curb the development of their competitors.
Even if these foreign clubs and guilds are wealthy and powerful, if someone constantly sabotages their missions, seizes their resource points, and Pursuit their members, causing them to encounter obstacles at every turn, they will not be able to develop and will remain in a state of loss, never achieving anything significant.
Morning Snow and Evening Frost's words were a reminder to the Strong Vodka and others that if they didn't pay some "protection money," the first and second-tier clubs below would have plenty of people causing them trouble.
Of course, the Huaxia club didn't go too far. After all, players from all countries were watching the first batch of cross-star domain players closely. As the host, they couldn't openly bully a group of outsiders with no background. Even though they were competitors, they had to consider the recent attention and didn't want the Huaxia professional scene to leave a bad impression on other countries. So they gave a slight discount as a formality, so that the foreign clubs wouldn't seem to lose out on the surface.
Ordinary players are naturally not targeted, but clubs in various countries are first and foremost commercial groups. In order to operate better, they need to rely on the honor of professional players. While making money, they also bear the expectations of players. Professional players compete on the field, and these official guilds also have to compete in the game. If Huaxia club were to open a branch in another star system, it would encounter a similar situation and be subject to constraints at every turn.
The group, including Strong Vodka, exchanged glances and reluctantly agreed, but they weren't so easily swayed. They secretly decided to find opportunities to cooperate with ordinary players in the future, to deceive the Huaxia Club and pay less protection money.
Meanwhile, at the Temple Club's guild headquarters.
The guild leaders of the other two prestigious clubs Jupiter and Altair, are meeting with Captain Old Henry head of the Kangaroo Boxing branch, and other representatives from the Australia guilds to discuss the exact same matters as those between Long Sky and the Dynasty...
The four powerful families had already secretly formed a united front; compared to their plans, this protection fee was just a pittance.
For the more than 700,000 new players, the Legion Headquarters is their new main city.
While they were getting familiar with their surroundings, Han Xiao returned to the legion commander's office, where the officers who had stayed at headquarters for two months were waiting to report to him.
Han Xiao leaned back in his chair, glancing at the group of cadres including Sylvia, Melos, and Reynold at the table, and raised his chin.
"How is the Legion doing while I'm away?"
Sylvia stepped forward. "During this time, we've absorbed the gains from our last expansion and successfully integrated our business channels with many allies in the Shattered Star Ring. Now, the Black Star Army's operations cover more than a dozen industries, forming a complete trade system, intelligence system, transportation system, and so on."
Reynold said in a deep voice, "The Logistics Department has added 126 machine workshops and factories in various locations, and is accelerating the production of more satellite bases. According to the Legion's blueprint, we will gradually deploy more branches in the seven star clusters to expand our sphere of influence."
Melos nodded. "Because of the increased membership and expanded influence, the Legion's fleet is also expanding, and the Logistics Department has a huge backlog of work. So we've placed orders with our partner consortia and civilizations, and new warships are being produced every day."
Han Xiao nodded; these were all the instructions he had given before leaving. He asked, "Besides these, is there anything else?"
Sylvia was a little embarrassed, "Well... we're running low on funds..."
Han Xiao's eyes widened. "With so many businesses, including the mining rights to resource planets shared with us by many civilizations, how could we be short of money?"
"The expansion costs are too high. The legion's maintenance fees are extremely expensive, and the Logistics Department is operating at full capacity to increase production at breakneck speed. The capital consumption is terrifying; it's burning through too much money. Moreover, it's currently the off-season for trade, and many cooperative consortia have seen a decline in sales, which has extended the profit period for mining resource planets, causing our cash flow to become somewhat tight..."
"Didn't you contact the Crimson Dynasty and the Amethyst Civilization to ask for funding? Didn't I say that we can ask them for money if we need funds for normal operations?" Han Xiao asked, surprised.
"I asked..." Sylvia said helplessly, "They didn't refuse, but they said they would only release the loan if you personally gave your word, they only care about your reputation."
"Alright, I'll contact them later." Han Xiao's lips twitched. These two only recognized him as their ally. There was nothing he could do; although the legion was large, the true core was still himself.
"There's one more thing. You asked me to assemble the forces for developing the Shattered World. I've already made preparations. They've been divided into many fleets, standing by at various sub-bases in Colton, ready to depart at any time, awaiting only your orders," Sylvia said.
"Good, I reckon Suy will be urging me to leave soon, so I didn't delay anything."
Han Xiao stared at Sylvia with considerable admiration.
The three of them reported on the details again, finished discussing official business, and seeing that Han Xiao had no further instructions, they relaxed and started chatting.
"Why don't I see Lagi? I'm back, and he, a deputy commander, doesn't even come to see me. What's he busy with every day?" Han Xiao asked curiously.
"Wow, he's so busy every day, either playing cards or sleeping!"
Sylvia got angry at the mention of Lagi, then turned and glared at Melos, "And you, he drags you to play cards every day, and you don't even refuse?!"
"You don't know anything about the fun of playing cards," Melos grumbled.
"Don't mention playing cards in front of me," Han Xiao said irritably. "I'm asking you, how well has Lagi been training Tomar?"
Tomar was a protagonist-type character whom Han Xiao had recruited; Han Xiao hadn't forgotten him.
"I heard they learn very quickly."
Han Xiao nodded, then looked at Reynold, his tone somewhat expectant, "What about my godson? Has he shown any special mechanical talent?"
"Uh... no," Reynold said truthfully, "But he learns very quickly; he has a natural talent for mechanics."
Sigh, I wonder if this trick of shifting the blame will be able to steal [Perfect Mechanical Sense]... Han Xiao waved his hand helplessly.
"I'll take him out for a stroll in a few days, you guys go ahead."
The three nodded and left the room. Han Xiao took out his communicator and contacted the Amethyst Civilization and the Crimson Dynasty, successfully securing loans from both.
Suy also casually reminded him that the Crimson Dynasty had completed the recruitment of its development forces and instructed Han Xiao to lead his men to the Dawn Star Cluster in the Shattered World soon to join the Empire's forces. At that time, they would officially begin exploring the Shattered World.
After dealing with the backlog of miscellaneous tasks, Han Xiao then observed the actions of the more than 700,000 new players at the Legion Headquarters.
These players from the Constellation Corridor were still familiarizing themselves with the headquarters map when they noticed a phenomenon: although these 700,000-plus people had crossed star systems, they still habitually posted in the original Constellation Corridor section of the forum.
Although players from both sides communicated quite a bit on the forums, only a small number of players interacted with each other at the legion headquarters. Although they had all become legion members, there were still clear differences between the players from the two star systems. They weren't exactly separated; they were more like groups of their own, each playing their own game.
"That won't do..." Han Xiao shook his head upon seeing this.
It's like a blind date. If both sides meet and neither of you speaks, and you just sit there staring at each other, that won't do.
He thought for a moment, then quickly wrote two faction quests and released them to all players in the legion through the faction panel; only players could receive them:
[Instruct the Recruits] (can be repeated)
[Mission Brief: The Black Star Army has recently expanded once again, bringing back new warriors from other star systems. Veteran members of the legion can choose to mentor the new recruits, helping them quickly become familiar with the legion's operations.]
[Mission Requirements: Team up with a novice warrior (player) from another star system and complete any Legion mission.]
[Reward: 100-300 Black Star Army Contribution Points]
[Note: This task is only available to players who have been in a legion for more than one year.]
[[Seek Advice from Veterans] (can be repeated)]
[Mission Brief: As a newcomer to the Black Star Army, veterans are the best people to learn from. Go and ask them for advice; let them help you understand the Legion's situation.]
[Task Requirements: Team up with a veteran Black Star Army player (a player who has been with the Legion for more than one year) and complete any Legion quest.]
[Reward: 100-300 Black Star Army Contribution Points]
[Note: This task is only available to players who have been in a legion for less than one year.]
"Hehehe..." Han Xiao chuckled slyly as he looked at the two tasks he had posted.
In the three versions of Legion management, Legion contribution has long become a key resource no less important than Enas's, and no one can have too much.
He didn't want players from the two star regions to form different groups. Those clubs and guilds were business competitions and there was no way around it. But ordinary players were different and didn't have so many profit factors. Internationalization had been advocated for many years. Now that they had come to his base camp, they were all just like a bunch of leeks. He needed these newcomers and old people to interact on a large scale and play together.
Social interaction is a crucial aspect of the player experience!
Since the players on both sides were so reserved and didn't take the initiative to communicate with their international friends, Han Xiao enticed them to socialize, and the sparks flew.
This approach helps players from the Constellation Corridor integrate into the Legion's system, allowing them to adapt to the new environment sooner and gradually shed the "Constellation Corridor" label, transforming their mindset into that of "Legion players."
In this way, interpersonal relationships between players will become another reason for them to stay in the legion, using players to "attract" other players, thereby indirectly strengthening the appeal and sense of belonging of the faction!
Han Xiao suddenly slapped his forehead, his expression turning strange.
"It feels a bit like pimping..."