"The Crimson Dynasty's first phase of development on the Shattered World is nearing completion, and construction will soon commence. This will require a massive investment of funds and resources. Currently, the legion has ample funds, God's support, I don't need to worry about resources during version updates, allowing me to focus on construction..."
Han Xiao nodded secretly. The Evolutionary Totem was a monopolistic business. As a faction-specific product, it brought him a huge flow of funds. Among all the Empire's Beyond Grade A allies who jointly developed it, he was probably one of the least short of money.
In his plan, the mechanical civilization and the Black Spirit Race were the key targets for development. The former was his source of high-quality military force, while the latter was a race with great potential. Only within his own territory could he confidently and boldly support and expand them.
Instead of passively watching the Black Spirit Race develop naturally, they personally intervened in the process of civilization, imparting knowledge. The Black Spirit Race's terrifying communication efficiency and greatest strength lay in their ability to accept knowledge. Once on the right track, their level of civilization did not develop gradually, but rather skyrocketed like a rocket.
The update spanned several decades from version 3.0 to 4.0. Players arrived during the open competitive period and were immediately faced with an already nascent power structure. The initial development of the Shattered World served as background information, while players would personally experience this blank stage of initial development, which offered a lot of room for maneuver.
Having the experience of his past life, he was well aware of all the forces vying for Shattered World, which was a huge advantage.
During this update period, the overall tone of Galaxy is development and expansion. The Crimson Dynasty may face tremendous pressure, and due to the Evolutionary Cube, I will also encounter some trouble. However, given my status and strength, there are very few direct threats from the outside.
The Black Star Army has only been established for a little over twenty years, and the decades of version updates have been just enough time for the Black Star Army to accumulate strength, complete the transformation from a "new force" to a "veteran force", and lay a more stable foundation.
"Hila has been constantly growing, though not as fast as in her previous life. But with my help, her potential is even greater. With decades of updates, she has a real chance of becoming the new Beyond Grade A..."
Han Xiao's eyes flashed.
This would add another top-tier fighter to their side, strengthening the legion's influence. Even if Hila were to become independent, given the relationship between Dragon Calm and themselves, they would inevitably remain allies.
By then, the Shattered Star Ring will have six Beyond Grade A, from which the Legion will greatly benefit, significantly enhancing its status and influence.
--Things got even harder for Sisko...
Throughout version 3.0, he amassed a massive amount of experience from major events and players, all of which was stored in his panel. During version updates, players would log off, and major events were less frequent. This accumulated experience served as a strategic reserve to help him get through the version update phase.
At this level, the experience cost for leveling up is extremely high. Although Han Xiao has a lot of experience stored up, he can't keep up with the rate at which it is consumed if he uses it all to level up. Decades is a long time, so he has to be careful with his spending.
In his plan, after reaching level 300 and obtaining a new job change and species enhancement, he will focus on improving his skills, acquiring potential points, and upgrading all his professional knowledge to perfect his combat power in that area.
As you level up, the experience required will only increase, so developing new farming areas can improve the efficiency of gaining experience. Version 4.0 presents competition in the global server, but it also offers an opportunity to acquire a large number of new players.
Some time ago, the player resolved the Gural Civil War, and the [Gular Civilization - Pioneer's Fire] stat on Han Xiao's panel was also reset.
This task was rewarded based on individual performance evaluations. He delegated it to the players without personally participating, resulting in a low evaluation and a meager experience reward. However, the task reward was only a small part; the real benefit was the experience gained by the players, which flowed back to Han Xiao through purchasing faction products. This return was many times greater than the task experience itself.
After three versions of struggle, the Black Star Army has achieved its current status. Having gone through so much, Han Xiao's attitude towards version updates has become increasingly relaxed.
"Now everything is ready; we just need to wait for the first phase of development to be completed so the empire can divide up the territories."
With the league coming to a close and the update date fast approaching, Legion players' focus has gradually shifted from defending their league title to the update itself.
Many players have accumulated a lot of experience points, waiting for the next version to raise the level cap.
At the Black Star Army headquarters, countless players gathered, chatting with friends while waiting to log off. The place was packed with people, as noisy and chaotic as a bustling market.
In one corner of the square, a group of professional players looked at the endless crowd and chatted casually.
"There are so many new players flooding in this version; you couldn't see this many people in the previous two versions."
The Frenzied Sword Fried Rice shook its head.
"More people means more viewers; that's how the league gets higher ratings," Li Ge said with a smile.
Maple Moon asked curiously, "I wonder how long this update will last?"
"It shouldn't be too long, our Shattered World quest isn't over yet, we'll definitely continue exploring in the next version," Frenzied Saber chimed in.
"Sigh, I'm really curious what the Black Star Army will be like in the next version."
As they were chatting, they suddenly noticed that the Kings and Generals waving at them, so Frenzied Saber and the others walked over.
As everyone gathered around, the Kings and Generals a smile, "Is everyone here? Let's have a get-together during the holiday to celebrate this title defense."
"I have no objection," Li Ge the first to agree.
"I remember we had a get-together after the league last year," Long Sky, stroking her chin.
"Yeah, let's make this a regular event for winning the championship. The champion will treat everyone to a trip, including all the Huaxia athletes."
"Eat something good. You've won the championship prize money, after all. Don't treat us to a cheap food stall like Long Sky did last time."
"The street food stalls are the most affordable," Hao Tian said sullenly.
The crowd cheered, Kings and Generals, looking helpless, agreed.
Soon, all the players logged off one after another, turning into streaks of white light and disappearing, leaving the crowded square empty.
Han Xiao, who was monitoring the situation in the square from his office, also received a notification pop up on his control panel.
[Version 3.0 update enabled]
[Saving data... Saving complete!]
[Player forum closed]
[Update time unknown, please wait patiently]
Han Xiao looked to the upper right corner and saw that the player forum option had turned gray and could not be opened.
"The players have all logged off..." Han Xiao took a deep breath, "We need to start planning for version 4.0."
Meanwhile, the entry gate of the Shattered Star Ring.
A trade fleet emerged from the stargate. The ships were egg-shaped with smooth, mirror-like silver armor. Their overall design was simple yet technologically advanced, and the Möbius strip symbol of the Infinite Financial Group was engraved on them.
The main ship was a giant silver flying saucer. In the command center, a tall man stood by the porthole, silently gazing at the cosmic scenery outside.
This man was tall and slender, with fair skin, handsome features, and gentle eyes. He did not exude the imposing aura of a powerful figure. He had a stubble beard and some fine, curved silver scales on his sideburns. He wore magnificent and expensive clothes, and his whole person exuded an aura of wealth and nobility.
This man is none other than Sorokin, the current head of the Infinite Financial Group, one of the richest people in the universe, and a person who has truly maximized the power of money.
"Sorokin, we have arrived."
A subordinate dressed as a secretary stood next to Sorokin and whispered.
"Hmm..." Sorokin responded calmly, "According to the schedule, head to the Black Star Army headquarters and have the branch in the Shattered Star Ring retrieve their operational data from the past five years and send it to me."
"Clear."
The Infinite Financial Group invests throughout the universe and has businesses everywhere, including the Shattered Star Ring. However, due to the poor security environment there, the Infinite Financial Group has never paid much attention to the Shattered Star Ring, and its business scale is not large.
If it weren't for accepting the proposal from the three Beyond Grade A shareholders, Sorokin wouldn't have wanted to operate on a large scale here.
Although the purpose of this trip was to cause trouble for Han Xiao, legitimate business competition does not necessarily mean direct hostility, and Sorokin was also interested in meeting Black Star.
In his view, Black Star should also be happy to see him as a financial backer. Although one of his subordinate forces was destroyed by Black Star, his identity was not exposed. Black Star certainly did not know that the Infinite Financial Group was the mastermind behind it all.
In Black Star's memory, this should be the first time the two sides have crossed paths.
In this way, Black Star was kept in the dark, giving him a subtle advantage.
Perfect opportunity! This meeting provides a chance to make contact with the Black Star Army's undead army and achieve our initial goal...
As Sorokin was pondering, the command center hatch opened, and a tall woman walked in. She wore a magnificent corporate executive uniform, had long, flowing white hair, and wore delicate makeup, making her radiant and captivating.
The woman approached Sorokin and lowered her head slightly.
"Father, what are your instructions?"
--Loffer, daughter of Sorokin.
Sorokin had many children, who were trained to be elites and held various positions within the conglomerate.
He glanced at her, Sorokin opened his communicator and sent her an invitation.
"Take the invitation to the Tyrant's Gathering and go to Heber's place to meet with him on my behalf."
Loffer's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought you were coming here to invest in the Black Star Army."
"I'll have to wait until I meet with Black Star to decide. Until then, I can't let other investment opportunities slip by," Sorokin said ambiguously.
His transactions with the three shareholders were confidential. Apart from himself, everyone in the consortium thought he was there to make a normal investment in the Shattered Star Ring, and they were all kept in the dark.
Although it's about spending money to compete with the Black Star Army, there's a skill involved. Sorokin doesn't want to fight the Black Star Army head-on. While financial power can seize market share, he doesn't like making a losing deal.
Sorokin wants all the Shattered World opportunities presented by the three shareholders' deals and investments!
Investing in the right things can make all the difference.
To compete fairly with Black Star without angering the Empire, Sorokin, after conducting research, concluded that the Shattered Star Ring region was the most suitable investment target.
After all, the Black Star Army is not the only force capable of building Shattered World power.