Chapter 1015: Star Sea Times, Behind-the-Scenes Control of Master Technician Han

Chapter 1015: Star Sea Times, Master Han's Behind-the-Scenes Manipulation

Han Xiao clicked into the thread, and as the video loaded, two fresh hosts materialized on the screen, once again a man and a woman.

Male Host: "Greetings, fellow players. I am Awei."

Female Host: "And I am Cuihua."

"Welcome to the Star Sea Times, dedicated to delivering firsthand gaming intelligence and safeguarding your virtual journey."

Following the customary introduction, the duo launched into their obligatory segment, straining through painfully awkward banter.

"The new update has been live for over half a month, and players across the globe are still finding their footing. Compared to 3.0, the 4.0 [Shining World] expansion brings sweeping changes. A quick heads-up: today's episode is packed to the brim, and we will guide you through the intricacies of the new meta."

"Speaking of the new update, it reminds me of something. I have a friend..."

Before he could finish, Cuihua cut him off. "I know exactly who that friend is. Please, proceed with your performance."

"...My friend, he recently ran into a ghost."

"With which body part did he collide?"

Awei fell silent for a moment before pressing on. "...One night, my friend returned from overtime work in the dead of night. His family was already asleep. After a hurried wash, he climbed into bed and held his wife. Half-asleep in the witching hour, he heard footsteps outside the door, and he..."

Cuihua suddenly interjected, her expression twisting into something peculiar. "Wait... what does this have to do with the new update?"

"Ahem, I am merely using it as a conversational springboard. Pay no mind to the details."

"...Carry on, then." Cuihua rolled her eyes.

"Only my... friend and his wife lived in the house. Assuming a burglar had broken in, he bolted upright and flipped the switch, yet found no one. The front door was securely locked, so he went back to sleep. But when he rose for work the next morning, he discovered the door ajar, left with a mere crack. Nothing was missing. Convinced he had dreamt it, he hastily woke his wife and asked if she had heard anything in the night. She had heard nothing. Tell me, isn't that terrifying? He definitely encountered a spirit."

Cuihua: "...You should eat more leafy greens in the future. Good for the body and mind."

"By the way, if you actually ran into a ghost, what would you do?"

"I would smack it to death with a national flag. Do you take my aura of dialectical materialism for a joke?"

Through this exchange, the two hosts successfully dragged the players' soaring excitement back to earth, transforming their jubilant grins into utterly deadpan expressions.

Han Xiao listened to the cringe-inducing skit with a stoic face until the pair finally broached the main topic.

Awei: "But back to business. Half a month into the 4.0 [Shining World] expansion, its defining feature has already revealed itself. That is right, the global server!"

Cuihua: "Indeed. After the trials of three previous updates, players from every nation can finally gather under one sky, exploring the same star cluster. This is a monumental shift in gameplay. We can foresee a fiercely lively era, one that may very well ignite cross-national wars, devolving into a draconic struggle among players worldwide."

"Speaking of foresight, I am reminded of the Star Sea Times' final broadcast for version 3.0. Back then, we predicted that 4.0 would fully unlock cross-cluster travel. Our speculation has largely come to pass; the only element that eluded us was the activation of the global server."

"With the advent of the global server, players from the Shattered Star Ring possess two inherent advantages. First, geography. The adjacency of the two star clusters allows Shattered Star Ring players to arrive at the global server far earlier than their counterparts. Second, they enjoy an unparalleled factional advantage."

"Precisely. Among all factions currently accessible to players, the only one that made contact with the Shining World in the previous update is the Black Star Army, which encompasses the vast majority of Shattered Star Ring players. They followed the Army into the first phase of exploration, laying a solid foundation."

"Moreover, in this new era, the Black Star Army has risen to become the most formidable power in the Shining World, second only to the Empire. One still remembers how the Army served merely as a guiding faction in version 2.0. Now, having swollen into such a colossal entity, it can offer immense support to Shattered Star Ring players within the Shining World, granting them an innate edge."

"Yet I believe every coin has two sides. As the ancients warned, the tree that stands tallest bears the brunt of the wind. The advantaged players of the Shattered Star Ring may very well become thorns in the sides of players from other clusters."

Playing off each other in perfect harmony, the two hosts dissected the shifting tides of the update.

"Regarding the global server's meta, countless threads across every forum are breaking it down. Based on our synthesis, competition in 4.0 will likely revolve around guilds. Solo players enjoy greater freedom and room for unorthodox maneuvers, but their resource acquisition efficiency simply cannot rival that of organized guilds."

"And the cornerstone of our reasoning lies in the Black Star Army's recently decreed policies..." Awei's voice suddenly hitched, hesitation creeping in. "Come to think of it, how many of our update predictions have used the Black Star Army as our weather vane?"

The moment those words left his lips, the attentive viewers instantly erupted into a frenzy, a dense storm of scrolling comments sweeping across the screen.

"Confirmed. The Black Star Army is the origin of all things. Without the Army, Star Sea Times wouldn't even know how to produce a show."

"Awei: Predicting the meta is a breeze. Just summarize the Black Star Army's movements and call it a day."

"Trash show, completely carried by the Army (troll face)."

"Official bootlickers. No washing this away, no washing at all."

"Black Star: Indeed, I am simply the sharpest dresser in the Shattered Star Ring."

"...User above, are the windows to your soul malfunctioning?"

"Azure rises, battle robes donned as one, meat buns to the left, Times to the right, Black Star shines forth, star seas surge in endless tide~"

"You there? Are you the great literary master?"

"If you speak so well, publish a book already."

The delightfully absurd netizens were flexing their wit once more, and Han Xiao watched with a thoroughly amused grin.

This wave of sycophancy felt exceedingly pleasant; it was a worthy return for his consistent distribution of perks and his subtle steering of the update's trajectory.

Cuihua cleared her throat. "Back to business. The Black Star Army's movements are a crucial benchmark. Their recently enacted policy centers on transforming player guilds into legitimate cosmic organizations, offering players an opportunity akin to striking out on their own."

"The independence playstyle remained rather niche in previous updates, primarily due to unripe conditions. But with 4.0 raising the level cap and amplifying the impact of autonomy, this path may well rise to prominence."

"The Black Star Army is pioneering this approach. Given their history of ferocious exploits, this could very well become the dominant meta of 4.0, encouraging a surge in guild formation."

"However! A word of caution to all players! Standard independence requires severing ties with your original faction. To date, only the Black Star Army offers a semi-independent framework. This means only Army players can establish autonomy while retaining their factional allegiance! Yet another unparalleled advantage!"

"It remains unclear whether this is a unique trait of the Black Star Army. If factions in other star clusters lack such a system, I suspect a mass exodus of foreign players defecting to the Black Star Army... Which begs the question: if everyone ends up in the same faction, how exactly will national wars even happen?"

Their analysis is surprisingly on point... Han Xiao mused silently.

This worked entirely in his favor, serving as free propaganda for the superiority of his systems, clarifying the Army's conveniences to the player base, and bolstering his faction's allure.

The broadcast proceeded to meticulously dissect player possibilities within the global server and track movements across various star clusters. Han Xiao watched it through to the end, his focus primarily locked on the maneuvers of players from other regions.

Unlike the Shattered Star Ring, other clusters lacked a unified player faction; allegiances were fractured and scattered, with most currently trailing their respective factions across interstellar distances. A considerable number had gone rogue as solo wolves, predominantly Americans and Europeans. After all, the land shapes its people; breathing that sweet, liberal air had subtly etched the gene for freedom into their very bones.

The foreign factions harboring these players warranted attention, though they were mostly small to mid-sized organizations.

Minor groups posed little threat. The Shining World teemed with towering powers, and 4.0 would fling open the gates for recruitment on a massive scale. As the saying goes, water flows downward, but men climb upward. Surrounded by countless disheveled, coquettish vixens waving invitations, how could players resist? They would swiftly discard the old for the new, abandoning their first loves without a second thought.

Moreover, many disdained amicable partings. They preferred outright betrayal, committing to their treachery with shameless clarity, turning into double agents who sold out their former masters to farm contribution points for their new patrons.

Han Xiao recalled numerous such cases. Some players even deliberately provoked leviathans under the banner of their small guilds, only to defect in a single stroke. They would draw unstoppable foes down upon their minor organizations, ensuring their old employers were utterly annihilated, while they themselves climbed the ranks and fattened their purses within the hostile new faction. It was chaos ideology, utterly devoid of moral compass.

To many players, integrity was worth less than dust. Small organizations held no allure; they were feeble, and players felt no attachment to them. Conversely, a major faction like his own, brimming with perks and martial might, would be cherished by any sane player. They would not dare stir up such trouble.

Beyond the minor groups, foreign players also served formidable powers: the Infinite Financial Group, the Interstellar Black Market, the Extinguished Army, and various cluster-level or even super-cluster civilizations. Depending on the region, these entities harbored varying numbers of "Undying" from different nations.

"Especially that slippery bastard Sorokin. He has recruited quite a few players and even probed Army members in the past. I would not be surprised if he tries to poach my people in the Shining World." Han Xiao curled his lip in silent disdain.

The Infinite Financial Group primarily recruited in the Sea of Star Spirits, drawing mostly Japanese and Korean players, while the Extinguished Army stood as a major faction for Americans. Between them, these two powers likely commanded the largest player populations outside the Black Star Army.

The mention of the Extinguished Army inevitably brought Beoni to mind. Beoni led the Flame Demon clan, whereas the Extinguished Army was dominated by Frost Demons. The two were natural adversaries. Beoni controlled the Land of the Fire Core, while the Extinguished Army held the Land of the Frost Core; even their respective racial artifacts bore an uncanny resemblance.

As his thoughts wandered, a sudden stir in his chest prompted Han Xiao to flick open his attribute panel. His experience bar was climbing at a breakneck pace.

"Heh, looks like my little promotion is doing its job."

...

Aristocratic guilds like Dynasty, Temple, and Longsky, alongside other top-tier professional clubs, had all registered as legitimate organizations within the Black Star Army. They kept their original titles, directly inheriting their guild names.

Acting on Han Xiao's explicit instructions, Philip gave the green light, rapidly rubber-stamping the formalization procedures for each guild. The organizational structure of the Army's players underwent an earth-shattering transformation, officially morphing into recognized subsidiary guild teams with established dossiers within the military archives.

Upon completion of registration, these powerhouse guilds immediately dispatched a portion of their members to tackle mainline exploration quests, thereby unlocking the myriad discounts Han Xiao had promised... For these major guilds, such perks also served as bait to lure in countless currently unaffiliated players, a mutually beneficial arrangement.

After two decades of relentless, liver-burning labor by the logistics department, the Army's arsenal now boasted entirely new models. Meanwhile, the players were still clad in obsolete gear from twenty years prior, desperately in need of an upgrade. Coupled with the tantalizing seventy percent discount, their consumer lust reached unprecedented heights, swiftly triggering a shopping frenzy at the quartermaster's depot.

A torrent of Enas flowed into the coffers, yet to Master Han the Artificer, the monetary income from players was now mere pocket change. Experience was the true prize. He had recently attached experience costs to a wider array of faction goods and instituted a novel policy: players could choose between two payment methods, pure currency or pure experience. If their pockets were empty, they could simply pay with experience points.

To other Army personnel, this might appear somewhat bizarre, akin to handing out gear for free. But Han Xiao's wings were fully grown now. When dealing with the players, he no longer needed to tread with the cautious delicacy of the past. A simple declaration that the Undying units possessed special clearance would suffice to smooth over any questions.

The consequence was a precipitous surge in the efficiency of harvesting experience—that peculiar currency belonging solely to players. For now, only the Black Star Army offered the alchemy of trading experience for coin, a monopoly other factions could scarcely hope to replicate, no matter their envy.

Within a matter of days, millions of legion players streamed into the Black Star Palace, while their foreign counterparts across distant star sectors still endured the grueling trek. By the itineraries of various nations, the next to breach the world server would be the Southeast Asian vanguard from the Black Hole Border—hailing chiefly from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Singapore—yet that arrival lay many days hence, granting the Chinese players ample hours to widen their lead.

Under the strategic orchestration of the Black Star Army, the masses divided their forces along two broad paths: one contingent fell in behind the fleet commanded by Hela, setting course for the fourth-phase exploration zone to thrust themselves into the fray of rival external powers.

The remainder, predominantly guild brethren, seized upon the concessions Han Xiao had pledged, staking out territories within the legion’s domain to raise their strongholds. With collective merit points, they purchased resource nodes and commercial franchises, quietly laying the bedrock for their guilds’ enduring legacy.

Guided by Han Xiao’s invisible hand, every legion player was roused to action, marching in lockstep along the trajectory he had charted. Employing the proven meta-strategies of a past life, they methodically cemented their dominion, widening their supremacy across the world server with each passing hour.

Meanwhile, the armada under Hela’s command slipped into the fourth-phase exploration zone, arriving in tandem with the other encroaching external powers.

As for the state of affairs awaiting them, a single phrase sufficed to paint the scene:

——A pandemonium of dancing fiends!

……

(A cross-promotion for a fledgling serial, Rebirth: I Will Be the Richest Man. Synopsis: The wealthiest man enjoys three blessings: boundless coin, a vigorous life, and scant regrets. Reborn in 2008, Shen Yan resolved his path: he would simply become the richest man alive!)