Chapter 1043: Three Axes, Make You Cry

Chapter 1043: Three Axes to Bring You to Tears

I'll fucking burn your dreams to ash!

Within the grand hall of the Black Star Palace's outer perimeter base, a guttural roar suddenly tore through the air, followed by the flare of a white light column that swiftly coalesced into a resurrected legion player, his tag reading Beneath the Flying Clouds, unmistakably of Chinese origin.

The hall bustled with players moving to and fro; hearing the thunderous outburst, they all turned their heads, their gazes converging on Beneath the Flying Clouds, whose chest heaved violently beneath a mask of seething indignation.

What's got your goat, brother? So much fire in your belly, who messed with you? a veteran player passing by remarked, utterly unfazed.

A bunch of foreigners just corpse-camped me, and they had the nerve to taunt me. This is the third time! Beneath the Flying Clouds spat, fury boiling over.

Sigh, we're in the 4.0 global server now. The outside is crawling with players from other factions. It's not like the earlier versions when we were confined to the Shattered Star Ring. You've got to watch your back out there, the veteran muttered, shaking his head as he drifted away.

Beneath the Flying Clouds's expression darkened considerably.

He was a newcomer who had only joined during the 3.0 patch, favoring a leisurely pace and harboring little interest in player-versus-player combat.

In the previous version, before the global server launched, venturing out as a legion member meant mostly encountering allies, with rare instances of hostile attacks, allowing him to play comfortably. Now, stripped of that former security, he had been maliciously harassed by players from rival factions multiple times while on quests, which was utterly infuriating.

The stark contrast between the two versions left him deeply unsettled, making his overall gaming experience feel like it had plummeted.

He glanced around, noting foreign-tagged players scattered throughout the hall, mostly recent recruits to the legion. A small cluster of them deliberately scanned the passing legionnaires, their eyes occasionally lingering on him... Such behavior strongly suggested they were spies planted by foreign guilds.

These constant corpse-camping incidents are likely the fault of those spies. They must be leaking my movements, which is why I keep getting ambushed, Beneath the Flying Clouds concluded, convinced of his theory, his teeth grinding with irritation.

He harbored a strong dislike for the foreign players who had recently joined the legion, a sentiment shared by many Chinese players. The earlier versions had been so pleasant, with everyone being compatriots, but since this influx of foreigners, they had been forced to stay on guard. The deteriorating internal atmosphere had made the game exhausting for many.

Having only joined in the last version, Beneath the Flying Clouds lacked the deep-seated loyalty of the hardcore veterans and had not invested much time or energy into the legion, leading him to quietly entertain the notion of switching factions.

I really don't want to deal with more corpse-camping nonsense. It completely ruins the mood.

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the communicators of every player in the hall chimed in unison. Those in motion exchanged startled glances, promptly halting their steps to check their screens.

Beneath the Flying Clouds retrieved his own device, and upon closer inspection, realized it was a series of three consecutive announcements from the legion's internal system.

[Legion Bulletin 1 - Preferential Policy for New Recruits]

[To all warriors of the legion: As we stand at the dawn of the Great Expansion of the Radiant World, we have recently welcomed numerous new soldiers from distant star systems. To facilitate their swift integration, we hereby reactivate our mentorship initiative. Veteran members guiding newcomers on missions will both receive exclusive privileges, supplemented by the legion with allowances including, but not limited to, Inar currency, contribution points, ammunition resupply, and complimentary enhancement or repair services. Details are available in [Appendix - Benefit Guidelines] (Collapse/Expand). We encourage all to actively assist our new recruits... Regardless of your home star system, once you join the Black Star Legion, you are comrades whose backs you can trust. Legion Commander, Black Star]

So it's this policy, Beneath the Flying Clouds mused, a flicker of realization crossing his mind.

During the previous version, when the legion recruited a wave of veteran Russian and Australian players from the Constellation Corridor, a similar directive had been issued. After yielding positive results over a period of time, the benefit program had been temporarily suspended.

The efficacy of this program had been proven in the last patch. The incentives had successfully ignited veterans' enthusiasm for mentoring, rapidly bridging the gap between old and new, fostering camaraderie rather than isolated play, which allowed those Russian and Australian recruits to seamlessly blend into the legion.

Now, those seasoned Russian and Australian members coexisted harmoniously with the Chinese players, unlike the recent wave of foreign newcomers. Han Xiao's revival of this initiative aimed to help the latest international recruits quickly assimilate into the legion's collective, experiencing the warmth of veteran guidance and dissolving the barriers erected by unfamiliarity.

Beneath the Flying Clouds was not surprised by the announcement, yet a pang of resentment stirred within him... With so many veterans currently being corpse-camped, was the legion really expecting them to mentor newcomers?

Though the spies constituted only a tiny fraction, he couldn't help but direct his anger toward the entire cohort of new recruits. In his eyes, the policy felt like being bullied and then being forced to assist the bullies, a thought that only fueled his irritation.

This is utterly outrageous!

Beneath the Flying Clouds knew he couldn't blame the non-player characters, but he found himself simmering with quiet frustration.

But in the very next moment, as his eyes fell upon the subsequent two announcements, he froze, his eyes widening in sheer astonishment.

[Legion Bulletin 2 - Faction Warning List]

[Recently, a significant number of legion Immortals have reported to command that they have been wantonly assassinated by Immortals of rival factions while on duty. Following a thorough investigation, the legion has confirmed the veracity of these claims and identified the specific factions deliberately targeting our members. Full details are available in [Appendix - Faction List] (Collapse/Expand). Though Immortals fear no death, I regard these actions as a direct provocation against the Black Star Legion. I hereby issue a public warning to these factions: rein in your Immortal subordinates, or I will interpret your inaction as a declaration of war. Do not blame me for visiting you personally to discuss the matter. Therefore, the factions listed herein are advised to treat this with utmost seriousness, as I will be watching closely. Legion Commander, Black Star]

[Legion Bulletin 3 - License for Counterattack]

[Until these factions rein in their subordinates and put an end to the ambushes against our Immortals, we will enact countermeasures. All legion Immortal warriors are hereby notified that they may launch targeted retaliatory strikes against the Immortal members of the aforementioned factions (targets restricted to Immortals only). Taking a blow without striking back is not our way. To encourage such conduct, the legion will provide additional subsidies, including but not limited to Inar currency, rare materials, and contribution points. See [Appendix - Reward List] (Collapse/Expand) for details. Repeated eliminations qualify for multiple reward claims; combat footage must be uploaded via the Philip Subroutine for each engagement to claim compensation (duplicate footage of the same kill will not pass verification).]

[Concurrently, legion bounty orders will be issued against repeat offenders who have repeatedly attacked our members. Each elimination of a designated target will yield special rewards. Refer to [Appendix - Bounty List] (Collapse/Expand) for specifics. Remember this well: those who defy Black Star shall be pursued and punished, no matter how far they flee. Legion Commander, Black Star]

The moment Beneath the Flying Clouds finished reading the two bulletins, a wave of murmurs erupted around him, and many players instantly bristled with excitement.

Holy shit, what is this? The legion is actually making a move.

Does player-versus-player combat actually trigger faction shifts now?!

Hahaha, those damn fools, camping us on purpose? Do they think our legion membership is just handed out for free!

So this is what it feels like to have backing. Now that's comfortable~

The legion commander really knows how to command respect. Look at that, warning entire factions directly. What a presence.

The recent spate of corpse-camping and taunting had left many legion players seething, but lacking any organized response, they could only look out for themselves, praying they wouldn't cross paths with hostile players from other factions.

But now, the Black Star Legion had issued a direct faction-wide announcement, its wording fiercely authoritative, declaring open retaliation against opposing factions. This stance instantly brought a wave of relief and satisfaction to many legion members.

Especially with the promise of rewards for eliminating players from those factions, everyone suddenly found their motivation reignited.

Han Xiao's trio of announcements constituted a comprehensive, multi-pronged strike. First, leveraging the Black Star Legion's overwhelming prestige, he took the high road to warn the factions housing these troublemaking clubs, forcing their own leadership to hold them back.

Second, the blanket authorization for counterattacks mobilized every legion player to hunt down members of those factions. This would not only vent their frustration and bolster factional loyalty among legionnaires, but also force veterans and newcomers to fight side by side, rapidly forging bonds.

Furthermore, by dragging international newcomers into the fray and binding their fates together, it drastically increased the difficulty for foreign clubs to stoke discrimination. Try inciting national prejudice? Your own country's regular players are hunting you down too. If you have the guts, complain about them as well.

The troublemaking clubs operated with limited manpower, merely annoying legion players. But if every legionnaire turned the tables and hunted the hostile players from those factions, it would be enough to make the opposing factions question their very existence. Consequently, regular players within those factions would grow weary of the harassment and defect, thereby shrinking their numbers, expanding the legion's own recruitment pool, and turning their own tactics against them.

Third, the internal bounties on the most vocal hostile players would serve as a stark warning of the consequences for provoking the legion. This would make others hesitate before acting, effectively reducing the number of participants in these schemes and stripping the clubs of their available manpower.

Overwhelmed with delight, Beneath the Flying Clouds glanced around and noticed several suspected spies standing utterly rigid.

Witnessing this, Beneath the Flying Clouds felt all his pent-up resentment drain away, leaving him thoroughly refreshed. His sense of factional belonging quietly ticked upward, +1, +1.

Haha, karma turns its wheel, and Black Star spares no one!

Beneath the Flying Clouds burst into laughter, his spirits soaring.

A perfectly content casual player, he now found himself rubbing his hands together, eager to form a party and go on a rampage.

From this day forward, Black Star is my boss. Whoever messes with the legion answers to me!

...

The moment the Black Star Legion's three announcements were broadcast, they ignited a storm across the player community.

Players were no strangers to this format of questing; this was nothing short of a faction war!

Legion players descended into a frenzy. Many abandoned their regular quests entirely, rallying friends and forming parties with giddy enthusiasm, marching toward the listed factions like a swarm of locusts crossing a border.

The Black Star Legion was the first force in the Radiant World to issue a faction war directive. In the memories of legion players, similar bounty orders had been posted in the previous version when someone defected to the warfare sector, but compared to this, that was merely a drop in the ocean.

This was a massive group engagement involving hundreds of thousands, even millions!

Players were far more prone to chaos than non-player characters. Quests could be ignored, but how could one miss an event of this magnitude!

Whether veteran or newcomer, everyone's passion was ignited!

Especially the recent international recruits, who proved even more enthusiastic than the Chinese players. Many had defected from these very factions, knew their structures intimately, and charged ahead faster than anyone when hunting their former comrades. Numerous veterans were happy to take one or two of these guides along.

The hostile factions Han Xiao had listed were all organizations serving various troublemaking clubs. Hailing from disparate star systems, none possessed overwhelming power, and in the Radiant World, they stood no chance against Black Star, the undisputed local dragon.

Consequently, faced with the Black Star Legion's warning, the majority of these factions were utterly bewildered.

What's going on, warning us? We haven't provoked you Black Star at all?!

After conducting their own investigations, these factions uncovered the truth, and their anger instantly twisted their features.

They had harbored no intention of targeting the Black Star Legion, yet a segment of their own Immortals had acted on their own, inviting this calamity. It was a grievance as profound as that of Dou E.

It was the epitome of sitting safely at home while the blame fell from the sky!

Most factions hastily responded to the Black Star Legion's warning, urgently broadcasting public statements to Han Xiao insisting this was not their doing, that it was merely a few subordinates losing their minds, and that they harbored no enmity toward the legion. They pleaded with him not to come and have a chat, warning that their fragile hearts could not withstand such a surprise.

Internally, these factions clamped down ruthlessly upon the Immortals, decreeing that without explicit orders, no further provocation of the Black Star Legion was to be tolerated, lest severe retribution follow; several instigators were duly disciplined... Translated into the cold arithmetic of the interface, the penalized players found their faction standing and character affinity drained by substantial margins.

Yet a handful of factions entertained rather peculiar notions; weighing the Black Star Legion's peculiar prestige among the Immortals, they slapped their thighs in sudden revelation and arrived at a verdict:

Spies! Every one of these self-appointed agitators was a covert operative planted by the Black Star Legion!

The Legion must seek to devour us whole, hence these agents deliberately stir the pot, manufacturing a righteous pretext for their assault!

These cunning little foxes retreated into even deeper caution, vowing that no matter how provocatively the enemy danced, they would not so much as twitch toward the trap.

A mere sliver of factions entertained an even more refined hypothesis, suspecting a frame-up; they believed these troublesome Immortals belonged to neither their own ranks nor the Black Star's, but rather to some shadowy third party.

Their sole aim, to ignite a clash between them and the Black Star Legion, that the clam and the snipe might fight while the fisherman reaps the prize!

Regardless of whether the truth aligned with such theories, these factions clung to the conviction as if it were carved in stone.

And thus, the Infinite Consortium, currently the most voracious in its recruitment of players, became the perfect scapegoat.

Upon reading this tidbit, Sorokin felt his very composure scatter like leaves in a gale.

The logic was sound; he indeed harbored such a scheme...

Yet he had not even begun to set it in motion!

Could this be the very essence of foresight?!

Han Xiao's trio of proclamations stirred the very winds of fate, plunging the entire global server's player base into absolute pandemonium.

The foreign clubs responsible for the agitation were left utterly stupefied by Han Xiao's swift, threefold strike.

...Wait, players squabbling and clashing is par for the course, so why is your NPC faction throwing the biggest fit?!

We merely ambushed one of your Immortal squads, and you escalate it to this degree? Have you no shame?!

Their grand designs were crippled at the very threshold, nearly stillborn; even if they managed to limp forward under such circumstances, the results would fall woefully short of their ambitions.

The club executives were instantly left grasping at straws.

Had a full-scale faction war erupted, they would not have felt particularly cheated; pooling their numerous factions, they might not best the Black Star Legion's players, but they could certainly trade blows, and the conflict would serve to fortify the loyalty of their own common members.

Yet their own factions cowered immediately, refusing to strike back and instead chaining the hands of their own players.

With superiors forbidding retaliation, a faction war could not possibly ignite, leaving them entirely on the defensive, absorbing blows without recourse.

The Black Star Legion cheered its players on and issued faction quests, whereas their own powers offered neither reward nor support, only hindrance; the contrast between the two factions was starkly glaring.

They knew that such humiliation would chill the hearts of their common players, and some might well embrace the pragmatic creed of joining the victor, defecting straight to the Black Star Legion to turn their blades against them.

Their meticulously laid plans had been shattered by an anomaly beyond all precedent; the foreign guild leaders were nearly driven to despair, once again bowing to the profound truth of clinging to a mighty patron.

To dwell within a powerful faction yields dividends beyond measure!

Yet the most bewildered were not these clubs, but the common players bound to their factions.

Confronted with this absurdity, countless souls were left utterly adrift.

I have barely risen from my bed, have not even brushed my teeth, and you tell me I am being hunted by millions of players?

What in the world are you doing?!

...

While the player masses engaged in their joyous digital brawls, Hela, stationed within the Emerald Star Cluster, received a peculiar communication request.

It came from the Void Spirit Sect, the Grand Master himself!

——

(Finally finished, and not past midnight. The official account will soon publish a roster of Super-A tier paragons, featuring several figures yet to make their debut; those intrigued may search for "Qi Peijia". P.S.: A slight spoiler—the era's universally acknowledged mightiest Super-A has yet to formally appear, but will be introduced in due time (??????).)

(The official Qidian team has drafted a chibi sketch of Ames, now posted on Weibo; fellow readers interested may follow "Qidian Qi Peijia" there (?￣?￣?).)