Chapter 199

Chapter 199: Star Ocean Pop Idol Cultivation, Fu Fu is the Best! [57k]

When Tessia ran off, Bronze Cauldron saw the situation was amiss. After shaking Eron away with a punch as he had almost reached his limit, he glared at Eron angrily. Suddenly, a golden octahedron appeared in his palm.

“This time you’ve tricked us, and I never expected you to have conspired with the Tide Civilization. But don’t think that this means you’ve won, hahaha…”

Bronze Cauldron unfolded the octahedron, and the golden light emanating from it surged like a tide, completely engulfing his body.

By the time Eron got up to try to stop him, Bronze Cauldron’s figure was nowhere to be found in the air, leaving behind only an unsettling laughter echoing through the ruins.

“Space定向 Teleportation Device?”

Eron’s expression was uncertain.

Bronze Cauldron had escaped, which should have been a good thing, but Eron couldn’t feel happy at all.

Why were there two S+ level superhumans hiding in this laboratory? If he had known how dangerous it was here, even if he had hired Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf, he would not have dared to come here rashly.

This time they relied on Bai Fu’s sudden burst of power to hold Night Mother Tessia alone; otherwise, all of them would have died here.

If people die, everything he looked forward to would just become mirages.

Eron felt a chill of fear. Amidst his fear, he also felt immense shock.

The last time he met Bai Fu, she was just an ordinary S-level superhuman, far inferior to him using the Descent Secret Art. However, less than two months had passed, and Bai Fu could now fight back and forth with Tessia.

How did she improve so fast? Could it be that she had deliberately concealed her strength before?

Eron shook his head forcefully.

Bai Fu had no direct conflict with him, and their relationship had been maintained well so far, but he still felt somewhat uneasy.

After finally obtaining intelligence about the True Essence Pillar, why was the situation becoming increasingly unpredictable?

“Catastrophe”

This word suddenly popped into Herbert’s mind.

My goodness.

Herbert was scared and quickly retreated behind everyone, fearing that Bai Fu might see him.

But the more one worries about something, the more likely it is to happen. As soon as Herbert peeked out, he noticed Bai Fu smiling at him. He tried to dodge, but the area was exceptionally open, leaving him nowhere to hide. He could only force an awkward smile in response to Bai Fu’s grin.

What a disaster!

Herbert’s mental state was crumbling.

He didn’t believe that Bai Fu could advance from an ordinary S-level to near Catastrophe or Catastrophe-tier in just over a month. Therefore, the truth was only one: Bai Fu had hidden her true strength!

Why would Bai Fu hide her strength?

It was unlikely she was plotting against the Star Treaty organization’s assets; if that were the case, Bai Fu wouldn’t appear so conspicuous now.

After much deliberation, Herbert thought Bai Fu was probably here for Scarlet Leaf, though what exactly for remained unclear—it could be due to some special relationship, perhaps lusting after Scarlet Leaf’s body, or craving Scarlet Leaf’s abilities.

Regardless of the exact reason, he was doomed.

Bai Fu was here for Scarlet Leaf, and he had been bullying Scarlet Leaf right in front of Bai Fu. At this point, forget competing for the position of minister; if Bai Fu became angry, whether he could survive was questionable.

Herbert grew increasingly afraid, his face turning paler, and his body started trembling.

“Are you alright?”

Eron looked at Herbert with concern.

Herbert struggled to say, “I’m actually fine, I can still stand.”

Eron was confused; wasn’t the one who fought against Bronze Cauldron earlier him? If he wasn’t injured, how could Herbert be injured?

He stopped paying attention to Herbert, who looked like he had kidney problems, and turned to Bai Fu to discuss important matters.

Now that the mission was completed, it was time to give Bai Fu her reward.

“200,000 credit points have already been transferred to your account. This is our Blessed Sect’s cherished knowledge, ‘The Truth of Reality.'”

Eron took out his communicator and forwarded a document to Bai Fu.

Upon seeing the advanced knowledge, Bai Fu became excited.

Good, good, good! With this, she only needed to collect one more piece of advanced knowledge to unlock her class change quest!

“Since we’ve obtained what we came for, let’s leave now to avoid the People of the Tower of Secrets coming back.”

Eron had no objection to Bai Fu’s suggestion, just as Bai Fu was eager to return and digest the newly acquired advanced knowledge; he was also anxious to analyze the data obtained from the lab.

However, just as they boarded the starship, a small fleet of about a dozen starships suddenly appeared overhead.

“Is it the People of the Tower of Secrets?”

Bai Fu’s expression changed abruptly.

Scarlet Leaf quickly pulled her shoulder, “Don’t worry, it’s the people from the Tide Civilization.”

…

According to the original plan, the small fleet of the Tide Civilization was supposed to arrive at the laboratory in more than 20 minutes. However, halfway there, they suddenly received news that intense fighting had broken out in the laboratory, so they disregarded any concerns about revealing their presence and immediately accelerated.

They worried that the battle would alert the Tower of Secrets, leading to the failure of this operation. Even while en route, the fleet commander frowned and kept complaining.

But when they arrived at the scene and learned from Eron what had happened, they stared at Bai Fu, their eyes nearly popping out.

Holy cow, this is truly a savior maiden!

They weren’t exaggerating Bai Fu; they sincerely admired and appreciated her.

The Tower of Secrets hid two S+ level superhumans in the laboratory, which meant that the laboratory was originally set up as a trap for them!

Had Bai Fu not suddenly appeared and driven Tessia away with her formidable strength, they would have plunged into the trap, and it would have been lucky for even one in ten to escape alive.

“Thank you so much, thank you so much!”

Bai Fu smiled and nodded.

You’re too focused on thanking; give some benefits instead!

While everyone surrounded Bai Fu singing her praises, Eron’s communicator suddenly rang inappropriately.

“What is it?”

Eron glanced at the contact and answered after recognizing someone from the Blessed Sect.

“Bad news, Holy Son, our cathedral has been attacked by the Tower of Secrets, suffering heavy losses, and the people from the Tower of Secrets captured earlier have been taken away!”

Anxious shouts came from the communicator.

“What?”

Both Eron and Su Xi’s expressions changed simultaneously.

The bad news continued, but this was just the beginning. Soon, the fleet commander of the Tide Civilization also received a message.

“While we launched our raid, the Tower of Secrets simultaneously struck multiple locations, causing devastating damage to several long-distance communication stations and star gates!”

“Damn bastards, this is definitely a feint tactic!” The fleet commander of the Tide Civilization angrily waved his fist. “Let’s go back, we need to get back quickly.”

The special actions of the Tower of Secrets threw the entire Initial Gateway Star Cluster into chaos. All major civilizations thought they had found the hidden base of the Tower of Secrets, but they ended up falling into its trap. Pessimistic emotions spread everywhere online, but amidst the darkness, there was always a glimmer of hope, and this time that hope was Bai Fu.

Single-handedly driving away the infamous Night Mother Tessia, thwarting the Tower of Secrets’ scheme against the Tide Civilization, and ensuring that no one in the fleet sent by the Tide Civilization was harmed—this was no ordinary glimmer of hope; it was the brilliance emitted during a supernova explosion!

Originally, Bai Fu’s fame was limited to the Sea Lion Galaxy System and its surrounding areas, but now, the entire Initial Gateway Star Cluster was singing her name. The nickname “Savior Maiden” gained widespread recognition.

While Bai Fu and Scarlet Leaf were still on the spaceship returning to the branch of the Star Treaty, many companies within the Initial Gateway Star Cluster urgently convened meetings, and the theme of the meeting was not to let the Star Network Community eat alone. They wanted to capitalize on the traffic generated by the “Dark Domain Queen · Savior Maiden · Bai Fu.”

“Find a way to contact Bai Fu and send her an advertisement invitation!”

“Boss, we can’t afford that much advertising fee.”

“Ah, wait… Since we can’t invite Bai Fu, then invite the people around her, such as Wei Ke, Youlia, Anya, etc. With Bai Fu’s current popularity, anyone related to her can bring us traffic.”

As various companies in the Initial Gateway Star Cluster actively participated, the production company of “Cosmic Web” also paid attention to Bai Fu for the first time.

“Next time when launching a new card pack, consider including Bai Fu. With her current popularity, it should increase the sales figures of the company in the Edge World next quarter.”

“Start with basic cards first. If her fame grows larger later, release SP, purple exclusive, gold cards, platinum cards, and other expansion packs.”

…

Some people are happy, while others are sad.





Bronze Cauldron was now in deep distress.

The Tower of Secrets’ operation could be considered highly fruitful. In exchange for sacrificing a few minor and unimportant outposts, they achieved favorable results in many places, erasing the gloom brought by their previous defeat in the Sea Lion Galaxy System.

However, this joy had nothing to do with him. He was the only one among all the action teams who failed.

Bronze Cauldron couldn’t help but wonder how Tessia couldn’t even take down Bai Fu?

He found it very hard to believe that Bai Fu could really have a strength comparable to Tessia’s. If Bai Fu were truly that strong, she wouldn’t have needed anyone else’s help during the battle at Heaven Lake Star; she could’ve single-handedly wiped out the Bug Tide.

What? You’re saying Bai Fu wasn’t that strong back then and has grown stronger in these few months?

It was too absurd to think someone could grow so fast in just a few months, and Bronze Cauldron found it even harder to believe.

He glanced at Tessia, then looked at his own hands, wanting to question if Tessia was deliberately going easy on Bai Fu. But once he thought about the gap in power between Tessia and himself, he temporarily set aside such thoughts, deciding to wait until they returned before addressing the matter.

When Tessia and Bronze Cauldron returned to the Tower of Secrets headquarters and saw the Head Butler, he was in the middle of reprimanding someone.

“I hear Bai Fu’s advertising rate has risen from an average of 2 million to 4 million credits. Tell me, how much of her current value is due to our contribution?”

There was no trace of anger in the Head Butler’s voice, but the statement carried an alarming amount of weight, leaving no one daring to answer directly.

After a long while, the Head Butler raised a finger.

“Nine-tenths, or possibly all of it. We indeed excel in cultivating super-popular idols. Within just a few months, we’ve cultivated a celebrity renowned throughout the Initial Gateway Star Cluster, a feat unmatched even by the top entertainment companies in the Initial Gateway Star Cluster. At this rate, Bai Fu will sooner or later become the most commercially valuable star in the Initial Gateway Star Cluster.”

The listeners present were drenched in sweat.

“You’re flattering us too much! Next time, we’ll work twice as hard to make Bai Fu the star of Daming!”

The room was filled with an oppressive atmosphere until Tessia and Bronze Cauldron appeared, which slightly improved the situation.

“Tell me the situation. Some say Bai Fu might have already reached the Tiān-Zāi Jié level. What do you think?”

The Head Butler had lost interest in looking at Tessia and Bronze Cauldron.

Bronze Cauldron turned to Tessia, who explained: “Based on my fight with Bai Fu, she should still be stuck at the S+ level, weaker than me. However, her abilities are quite special. She can transform into a unique energy form, making most of my attacks ineffective against her. Meanwhile, she uses high mobility to continuously harass me. Although her attacks find it hard to deal substantial damage to me, they are extremely annoying.”

The Head Butler nodded nonchalantly.

He actually had high hopes for Tessia, but her recent performances on missions disappointed him greatly. Combined with Bronze Cauldron secretly reporting suspicions of Tessia letting Bai Fu off easily, he decided to put Tessia on hold for now.

“You will remain within the Tower of Secrets and focus on improving your abilities. Unless I give orders, you’re not allowed to leave anywhere.”

Tessia knew the Head Butler was disappointed in her.

In the past, she would never have said anything more because it wouldn’t have mattered, but things were different now. When parting ways with Bai Fu, she had intentionally made threats to her. If she couldn’t leave the Tower of Secrets, wouldn’t that mean breaking her promise?

This couldn’t happen.

To ensure catching Bai Fu, she had deliberately hinted to Bai Fu that the Tower of Secrets had their eyes on Jin Gu Star, intending to lure Bai Fu there.

“Head Butler, I…”

The Head Butler’s expression darkened. “You don’t need to say anything. Just follow orders. How to deal with Bai Fu is something I’ll decide.”

Tessia nodded and stopped arguing further.

She returned to her quarters, took off her torn clothes without bothering to change into anything else, and lay directly on the bed.

Closing her eyes, she wanted to sleep to relieve her tensed nerves, but every time she closed her eyes, scenes of talking with Bai Fu on Ulysses Star, fighting Bai Fu recently, and being scolded by the Head Butler earlier kept flashing through her mind.

Now, she was completely unable to fall asleep.

Even if Bai Fu’s attitude towards her was all fake, it was better than the people of the Tower of Secrets who didn’t bother pretending.

Summoning a virtual screen in front of her, this time, Tessia actively searched online for news about Bai Fu.

Among them, the hottest piece of news was written by a journalist who specifically went to the Star Treaty Initial Gateway branch to interview Bai Fu.

In the photo, Bai Fu wore a casual white dress, with her pale feet showing through the thin veil of the skirt’s hem, tightly crossed together, drawing particular attention.

It was the first time Tessia had seen Bai Fu dressed like this, giving her a refreshing impression.

Next to Bai Fu stood Scarlet Leaf, always standing beside Bai Fu, whether doing missions or posing for photos during interviews.

Tessia rudely erased Scarlet Leaf from the photo.

She stared intently at Bai Fu.

“I will definitely go to Jin Gu Star. I will kill you there, definitely, definitely!”

The more she muttered, the emptier Tessia felt inside, and the more empty she felt, the more she wanted to do something.

Finally, her hand rested on her belly where Bai Fu had landed three punches, gently massaging it.

…

“This trip was worth it!”

While Tessia was trying to relieve her worries, Bai Fu maintained a high spirit.

Having obtained the knowledge she sought for advancement and receiving numerous advertisement invitations, she couldn’t help but feel happy.

Since returning to the Star Treaty Initial Gateway branch, Bai Fu had been busy for two and a half days straight, walking around tirelessly, her feet sore, yet she enjoyed every moment.

If she could keep earning money at this speed, she’d find it worthwhile even if her feet got twice as tired.

Besides, when her feet started to ache, someone was always willing to massage them for her.

“Boss, you’re truly amazing!”

Anya held Bai Fu’s foot, enjoying the massage while laughing.

Nearby, Scarlet Leaf, Youlia, and Xia Shi remained silent, simply watching.

Bai Fu lazily narrowed her eyes and said, “Once this rush is over, we should have calculated Jin Gu Star’s exact location. There will be more work then.”

“I’ll go with you,” Scarlet Leaf quickly responded.

From Bai Fu, she learned that Bai Fu’s strength had significantly increased recently, but she was still worried. After all, going to Jin Gu Star meant potentially encountering the Tower of Secrets.

Bai Fu didn’t refuse.

Having Scarlet Leaf by her side certainly boosted her sense of security.

She wasn’t concerned that wandering around with Scarlet Leaf would affect her chances of succeeding Lemang as the Branch Director.

After the mission in the Tide Star System, Herbert seemed utterly frightened. These past few days, whenever he saw her, he greeted her with smiles, pleasantries, and bows. He even directly returned Tai Ergen and others. If it weren’t for maintaining appearances, judging by how he kept staring at her shoes, Bai Fu guessed he might do even more submissive acts.

In short, Herbert shouldn’t dare to compete with Scarlet Leaf for the position of Director anymore.

As for the other supervisors, there was nothing to worry about now.

Even if she wandered around with Scarlet Leaf and didn’t take any proper commissions, the position of Director of this branch would almost certainly fall to Scarlet Leaf.

So what if it’s zero points?

As long as all the other competitors drop out of the exam, zero points would still be first place!

Time flew by.

Two and a half days later, Bai Fu successfully obtained the exact coordinates of Jin Gu Star from the relevant expert at the Star Treaty.

“I’ve already contacted Manu’s side. To prevent informants from leaking the information to the Tower of Secrets, Manu suggests waiting for the Tower of Secrets to act first before contacting other civilizations to encircle them from behind,” Youlia said.

Bai Fu had no objections to this proposal.

She wasn’t the mother of these civilizations in the Initial Gateway Star Cluster, so what opinions could she have, even if she did, they wouldn’t matter.

“Just in case, we should prepare more this time. Fortunately, I’ve earned some money recently, so let’s get more equipment before setting out.”

After signing a pile of advertisements and endorsement contracts, Bai Fu was now a true big-shot in the Initial Gateway Star Cluster. She had already built ten prayer card production lines and reserved a lot of funds to upgrade Source Star and Ulysses Star.

A day later, Bai Fu, along with Scarlet Leaf and the others, embarked on the journey to Jin Gu Star after having made a landing announcement through Jiujiao beforehand.

At this point, all the players on Jin Gu Star were in jubilation.

[Fufu is number one!]

[Amazing, amazing, amazing!]

[But it’s a bit unsettling that the Tower of Secrets is also watching us.]

[With Fufu here, everything will be fine!]

Bai Fu smiled and nodded happily.

At this pace, before the launch of version 2.0, she should be able to clean up 10 rookie planets and complete the mainlines of 5 or 6 planets, ensuring her promotion to the Tiān-Zāi Jié level.

“Reaching the Tiān-Zāi Jié level will allow me to interfere with most quests in the Edge World. This way, even when the Star Ocean Era fully begins, I can maintain my status in front of the players, avoiding being overshadowed by unexpected rivals.”

Bai Fu meticulously planned her future on the starship, while on the other side, the Head Butler of the Tower of Secrets was arranging the combat plan for Jin Gu Star.

Capturing Bai Fu and retrieving the lost prototype this time was secondary; the key was to capture a large number of undead beings. Research on these undead beings might determine the future of the Tower of Secrets.

Just as the Head Butler was speaking confidently, someone suddenly rushed in.

“Head Butler, there’s trouble.”

“What’s the problem?”

“Tessia is missing!”

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