Two days later, in Hesla, Morning Wind City.
This is a border coastal city with excellent ports and wharves, handling a huge number of transoceanic cruise ships every day. It is prosperous and developed, with towering buildings everywhere.
Hesla is primarily a naval power with numerous coastal cities, and its naval strength is arguably the strongest among the Six Nations. The four landmasses of Planet Aquamarine are separated by oceans. As the old saying goes, whoever controls the backboard... uh, sorry, sorry, wrong script, let's start over.
Whoever controls the sea has a huge advantage.
The seabed contains abundant energy resources, including oil and natural gas, and energy extraction is the economic focus of the Hesla.
Han Xiao remembered that Hesla secretly had a military plan called "Fourth Major Crisis Contingency Plan," which involved building many 1,000-meter-long ark motherships. If the country were to suffer a catastrophic disaster, such as a global nuclear war, it could preserve its survival and relocate its population to the arks, becoming a floating nation at sea.
Well... although this plan ultimately benefited someone else, this pessimistic spirit of fearing national annihilation and harboring a sense of crisis is worth learning from. There's a saying that goes, "Born in hardship, die in comfort," meaning that it's better to die than to make a fool of yourself.
Something seems off... Hmm, it's not important.
At this moment, Han Xiao, whose appearance had been altered, was staying at the Farian Group's headquarters in Morning Wind City. Thanks to the black gold card he obtained from Matthews, he received VIP treatment and had a place to stay for the time being.
With more than three months until the public beta, free movement can generate the greatest benefits. He has access to Farrian's supply channels, has a lot of savings, and can buy parts to manufacture machinery to gain experience. He no longer needs other people's orders and can completely produce and sell his own products.
Old Man Lü's hidden storyline won't trigger until some time after the public beta launches. We've already established a relationship with him beforehand, so there's no rush.
Han Xiao jotted down the key development points for the final period before the public beta test on a piece of paper.
First, trigger those rewarding quests and obtain some rare skills and feats to improve your strength.
Second, obtain a stable supply of materials, and gain experience by manufacturing machinery while completing tasks.
Fourth, they engage in a series of destructive behaviors targeting Germinal.
Fifth, increase the reward amount for the tasks you post in preparation for the public beta.
"That's roughly it."
Han Xiao put down his pen and pondered. He remembered many large-scale missions, so the first point was not a problem. The supply of materials was also simple; he had the black gold VIP card of the Farian Group and could purchase their supplies.
Destroying the Germinal is for the purpose of completing the Grade A mission. He already has a preliminary idea: to maximize his intelligence advantage, he needs to focus on all forces that are hostile to the Germinal.
Regarding increasing the reward amount, Han Xiao's goal is to Legend Points. The experience reward amount for issuing tasks is divided into the maximum amount for a single task and the total daily amount. The Legend Points can increase both at the same time, and the total daily amount increases exponentially, making it the most cost-effective option.
Brother Xiao's Legend Points is currently zero, but that's okay, there will be bread, and there will be geoduck.
Legend Points are obtained through three methods. The first is by completing high-level and rare missions and obtaining a high contribution level. Usually, only the main storyline missions of a planet reward Legend Points. Your own Grade A mission [The Seed Sleeps in the Dust] belongs to the planet's main storyline.
Each planet (not just beginner planets) has one or more main storyline events. For example, in version 1.0 of Planet Aquamarine, there are two explicit main storylines and one hidden main storyline. The war Six Nations and Germinal is one of the explicit main storylines. The other explicit main storyline will appear around the early part of the public beta. As for the final hidden main storyline, it depends entirely on luck.
This method of acquiring Legend Points is time-consuming and difficult, and it is impossible to achieve in the short term.
The second method is very random, involving some well-known deeds, related to faction relations, depending on the specific deeds, and varies from person to person. No one has ever compiled a detailed algorithm for it, and it is unreliable.
Han Xiao was interested in the third method, which was also the easiest way to gain Legend Points status—reaching the top of certain leaderboards.
Some factions have established certain recognized rankings. If you climb to the top of the rankings, you can gain Legend Points. However, this is unstable. Once a newcomer pushes you out of the rankings, the Legend Points will change hands. This is the source of Legend Points for most players. Legend Points can accelerate the accumulation of goodwill with certain factions, grant discounts on purchases, or serve as a prerequisite for triggering certain rare quests.
"Tap tap tap..." Han Xiao tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought, and casually picked his nose.
However, before taking action, it's best to deal with any burdens (experiences) you have on your shoulders.
Looking at the panel, he saw a total of 720,000 experience points. He immediately invested them in leveling up, raising his level to 30 and further enhancing his attributes.
[Mechanic Apprentice] Reaching the maximum level results in a greater attribute boost at the final level, and this time is no exception. The upgrade from lv9 to lv10 grants him 90 points of stamina.
All six points of free attribute were put into Intelligence, which brought the score to exactly one hundred.
A sliver of clarity rose in my mind, and I felt my mastery of machinery became much easier. Intelligence influences every aspect of a mechanic: manufacturing speed, product quality, and the power boost from using machinery. For example, a pistol with an attack power of 20 will have its attack power amplified in the hands of a mechanic. Therefore, although other professions can use equipment created by Mechanic Class, the effect is not as good as that of a mechanic.
[Mechanic Apprentice] Max level, job advancement requirement: Learn twenty types of blueprints.
"The requirements for this random job change are quite simple."
Han Xiao was overjoyed. He counted and realized he now knew twelve types of blueprints, only needing eight more.
He didn't want to randomly merge useless blueprints; he wanted to make good use of every bit of experience. After all, the experience was stored in the panel, so it wouldn't make a difference to change jobs a little later.
In the office of the Farrian base in Morning Wind City, the person in charge Antonov, had a cigar in his mouth. His fat, bear-like body filled the sofa. He exhaled a puff of smoke and stared at Han Xiao on the opposite sofa with his small eyes that were almost closed, sizing him up.
At this moment, Han Xiao was wearing a black trench coat, and the Simulation Mask made him look like a middle-aged, unemployed man. He was plain and unremarkable, and this was the face he was going to use to create a new identity.
Han Xiao pulled out a materials list from his pocket and said slowly, "I want the things on this list."
Antonov reached out, took the money, glanced at it, and said, "One hundred thousand in total, but with the black card, it's 20% off, so eighty thousand."
"I also need a certificate from the Blood Pact Union, an affiliate of the Dark Net Organization."
Antonov narrowed his eyes. "Two hundred thousand."
The Dark Net serves as an intelligence hub for the underworld. Dark Net Organization are the forces behind it, operating as neutral entities that avoid conflict and infighting, quietly developing and adhering to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence. Many factions are partners of Dark Net Organization, providing various services to those in the underworld, including but not limited to arms purchases, supply delivery, safe houses, intelligence trafficking, bounty hunting, mercenary services, and body disposal.
The Blood Pact Union is a mercenary assassin organization operated by Dark Net Organization. Obtaining a certificate allows one to become a contracted assassin and enjoy the aforementioned services. For Han Xiao, obtaining the certificate is equivalent to opening up an alliance relationship.
The Blood Pact Union's official name is a bit lacking, but its other name is very famous.
Assassin Alliance!
Of course, if you prefer, you can call it a killer social gathering, but that instantly lowers its prestige.
For a player to join Dark Net Organization, they have to go through a series of complex and tedious quests. Time is precious to them, so rather than wasting dozens of days, they might as well just spend money to get a certificate. Two hundred thousand is a huge sum of money for a player, but it's nothing to them.
"It's really great to be rich." Han Xiao sighed. Back when he was a player, he had to carefully calculate every penny he spent on buying materials. He could never have experienced the joy of spending money like this.
Antonov arranged a private workshop for him, and the parts and materials were quickly delivered. Han Xiao repaired the equipment damaged in the battle with Pan Kuang.
What remains are materials for manufacturing new machinery.
"Since I'm operating alone without teammates to support me, my combat style during this period should focus on staying away from danger. Sniping suits me best for now. I need to develop more powerful Sniping rifles and more new ammunition. Hmm... I also need some bombs, traps, and anti-vehicle weapons. Finally, I need to deal with close-range mechanical enemies, such as some small, concealed, high-damage weapons for close combat..."
Han Xiao pondered for a while, then brought up the panel and began the knowledge fusion process, deciding to start with the new bullets.
[Perform knowledge fusion (Basic Weaponry Lv3, Complete Compendium of Basic Materials Lv3, Basic Principles of Mechanics Lv2)? This fusion will consume 15,000 experience points!]
[Fusion successful! You have developed the [Spindle-Shaped Piercing Bullet]!]
[Perform knowledge fusion (Basic Weaponry Lv3, Complete Compendium of Basic Materials Lv3, Basic Biochemistry Lv1)? This fusion will consume 15,000 experience points!]
[Fusion successful! You have developed the [Heim Bullet]!]
[Perform knowledge fusion (Basic Weaponry Lv3, Complete Compendium of Basic Materials Lv3, Basic Optics Lv2)? This fusion will consume 15,000 experience points!]
[Fusion successful! You have developed the [Light-Shaking Bullet]!]
"Now I've really become an ammunition expert." Han Xiao scratched his head.
There are still over 200,000 experience points left, not enough to Sniping build. We need to take it one step at a time.
Han Xiao thought for a moment and decided to upgrade his core skill, Sniping, to level 5, further enhancing its accuracy and range.
He had taken the Sniping rifle from the Hesla Logistics Department. It was called the Red Falcon, but its black exterior was a misnomer. It was of gray quality and had very average attributes. He immediately began to enhance and assemble it.
This upgrade focuses on power, with the Red Falcon's attack power reaching 92-103, a firing rate of one shot every two seconds, and a range of only 600 meters. However, with the help of Mechanical Affinity and the Sniping skill, this range can be increased to about 750 meters, which is sufficient.
With tens of thousands of experience points remaining, Han Xiao didn't use them but instead started manufacturing three new types of ammunition.
New bullets are being fired in batches.
The lathes from the Farian Group, specifically designed for arms manufacturing, could save considerable time, a fact that reminded Han Xiao of this.
"Should we build some mechanical assistants to help me manufacture parts?"
He now possesses the blueprints for intelligent chips and more technology. Once he raises his [Basic Programming] level, he can create simple assistant-type Ranger. However, since he doesn't have a fixed base, it's not the right time for him to build robots yet.
Footsteps sounded, Antonov entered the workshop, placing a uniquely shaped dark gold coin on the table. He said in a deep voice, "Your credentials."
Han Xiao chuckled slightly; the sentence structure sounded like your Extra gum.
[You have unlocked a new faction reputation!]
[Blood Pact Union: Indifferent (0/300) - [Preparatory Assassin]]