Chapter 145

### Chapter 145: Swearing Allegiance to Queen Fu and the Path to the Star Ocean [6k]

Under the impact of a series of explosions, the signal tower, which had lost its underground support, finally collapsed, toppling southward like a severed tree, crashing onto the ground with a loud rumble, stirring up a cloud of dust that lingered for a long time.

The collapse of the signal tower signaled the end of the Seven-Man Council’s and the alien’s control over Sea City, the enormous settlement built on the wasteland.

As something fades away, something new emerges.

The fall of the signal tower brought up a cloud of dust, but the fall of the Seven-Man Council and Shatterstar would undoubtedly bring Bai Fu to the forefront.

Standing atop a massive tilted stone slab, Bai Fu held a black scepter in her hand. Despite not wearing a crown symbolizing authority, her cold aura and the faint swirling superpower field around her body exuded an intimidating presence.

Queen without a crown.

Whether it was the psychics hiding in the shadows who dared not show their faces or the civilians who had just evacuated under the players’ protection, all of them thought similarly upon seeing Bai Fu’s slightly blurry figure amidst the dust.

First eliminate the Truth Society, then take down the Gene Progenitor—Bai Fu, with her superhuman achievements and those who obeyed her unconditionally, told everyone on Source Star—

Great people, times have changed!

Leaves carried the message; on Source Star, Bai Fu ascended the throne, ushering in a new era for Bai Fu!

Though three of the former five powers still lived, everyone believed that even if they united closely, they would find it difficult to defeat Bai Fu.

No, those advanced psychics hiding in the shadows felt they should be bolder and change their statement to say that the three forces uniting together could hardly withstand Bai Fu’s attack.

Who could blame Bai Fu for being so formidable?

Before Bai Fu appeared, some believed that the President of the Truth Society might be the strongest person in Source Star’s history. Of course, this view did not gain widespread acceptance.

But now things were different. Anyone who had practiced knew that Bai Fu was undoubtedly the first superpower in Source Star’s history!

She likely broke through some limit. If she decided to go all out, no one on Source Star could guarantee survival under her assassination attempts.

In this post-apocalyptic era lacking large-scale weaponry, she was a walking nuclear weapon!

“I knew Satoru and the others couldn’t hold out, so I didn’t bother with Pang Baton. Now, as expected, the machinery and Shatterstar’s immunity to damage mean nothing to Bai Fu.”

“Of course, if the President of the Truth Society hadn’t been transformed into a mutant using Shatterstar’s technology, Bai Fu wouldn’t have needed to step in. The previous attack by the Truth Society would have been enough to finish them off.”

Satoru’s strength was considerable, placing him among the mid-tier of high-level psychics. However, compared to the President of the Truth Society, he fell short. His victory was entirely due to exploiting the President’s physical defect.

Facing a defectless, “Source Star’s Destruction Dragon” hexagonal fighter like Bai Fu, his outcome was predictable.

“Have the Railway Guild received the news? I wonder how they’ll react. Suddenly having an uncrowned queen must be hard to accept, even if she is very beautiful.”

A senior psychic with shallow ties to the Gene Progenitor laughed heartily, feeling relieved.

In reality, the Railway Guild was much calmer than he imagined.

This was mainly because the Railway Guild had cooperated extensively with Bai Fu before. To achieve cooperation, they agreed to Bai Fu’s demands, allowing Su Li, who lacked qualifications, to rise to the position of minister.

Moreover, before Bai Fu attacked Sea City, they contacted the film company where Igor worked, obtaining substantial intelligence from him.

For instance, Bai Fu planned to collaborate with Igor on a documentary, hinting at organizing undeads to explore polluted worlds, and revealing her preference for staying at home once not fighting.

These pieces of information made the Railway Guild believe that even if Bai Fu truly became the queen of Source Star, it wouldn’t be entirely bad for them.

Staying at home meant Bai Fu would delegate power.

Organizing undeads to explore polluted worlds was even better. Undeads don’t truly die; they weaken after death, making them ideal for such tasks and preventing them from frightening children.

If this plan succeeded, there was hope for Source Star to return to its pre-disaster state.

Thus, although they now had Queen Fu above them, they would actually benefit since they could manage larger territories.

With this in mind, after finishing the conversation with Igor, the Railway Guild’s leadership immediately called Su Li over.

“Can Bai Fu win against the Gene Progenitor?”

“She can win.”

Su Li had full confidence in Bai Fu.

The Railway Guild’s leadership trusted her, but to show goodwill, they dispatched a team of elite agents to visit the Gene Progenitor borders.

Upon receiving the news of Bai Fu successfully eliminating the alien, the Railway Guild’s leadership was ecstatic, feeling they had made the right bet.

Unlike them, the Former Republic and People’s Alliance were in chaos.

After defeating the Gene Progenitor, would they be next?

“We don’t have the backing of the Gene Progenitor or the aliens, and those aliens seem useless. Once Bai Fu attacks…”

They felt hopeless, unable to think of any way to resist.

Facing a high-level psychic like Bai Fu, merely piling up minions was meaningless.

“Let’s send someone to probe the situation at the Gene Progenitor. Just say we want to see what evil deeds they’ve done behind our backs.”

Soon, various groups rushed towards the Gene Progenitor.

Most of these people went to see Bai Fu, curious about her next move after defeating the Gene Progenitor.

A new king has ascended, and understanding the king’s character and policies is essential.

Others wanted to take advantage of the chaos to gain benefits, including daring wanderers and bandits. They often took advantage of such situations, drinking plenty of soup when the remnants of the Truth Society were on the run.

However, this time they hit a brick wall. Most players had a sense of justice and, without Bai Fu’s orders, charged forward on their own.

[Here comes the dessert, brothers!]

[Wow, experience drops!]

Players united to crush the troublemaking wanderers and bandits completely.

“Well done.”

Bai Fu praised generously upon hearing the news.

She intended to turn Source Star into a secret garden providing endless support, so she would not tolerate raiders and bandits causing trouble.

After leaving Black Fu and Small Black Fu to watch over Sea City, Bai Fu followed the few high-ranking researchers she had caught to the spaceship Shatterstar had boarded.

A century ago, Shatterstar landed in the White Tower Republic aboard a spaceship. Since Source Star residents didn’t know how to activate it, the ship remained parked in the White Tower Republic, now within the Gene Progenitor territory.

An hour later, in an inconspicuous cave north of Sea City, Bai Fu finally saw the spaceship she had longed for.

The size of the spaceship was not exaggerated. According to the high-ranking researcher, it was a light cargo ship, 42.6 meters long, designed as circular as possible for cargo purposes rather than complex designs, resembling a droplet from above.

Despite being a cargo ship, according to the intelligence gathered from Shatterstar, it possessed impressive combat capabilities. It was equipped with a new II-type warp engine, shattering kinetic cannons, disintegrators, plasma torpedoes, and cocoon-shaped force fields. Its output was comparable to some low-grade star civilizations’ space destroyers, though it was mediocre in other aspects.

Persistence wears down even the hardest stone. After much exploration, Bai Fu finally saw hope for reaching the celestial sea. Suppressing her excitement, she asked:

“How fast is the II-type warp engine?”

The high-ranking researcher shook his head. “Shatterstar didn’t tell us these key data. We only performed maintenance based on his instructions. According to him, despite some damage, the ship can still return to the celestial sea.”

Bai Fu asked further, “Didn’t you mention earlier that you could only operate the ship once he resurrects?”

The researcher hurriedly explained, “Actually, there is an operation manual, but we can’t understand it. It’s written in interstellar common language, which only Shatterstar can read.”

Language barrier?

That was indeed a problem.

“So, how did Shatterstar communicate with you initially?”

“He had a special device called a Language Sensor. He learned Source Star’s international language through it, but the device was lost long ago, and no one knows where it is.”

Bai Fu rubbed her temples.

No way, after finding a chance to reach the celestial sea, would she have to give up because she’s an “interstellar illiterate”?

She had considered torturing Shatterstar, but he was a fearless man who didn’t beg for mercy even when his soul was shattered.

“No other way?”

The researcher spread his hands. “There is, but it’s also troublesome. There’s a main computer on the ship that can automatically control it. It also learned Source Star’s language from Shatterstar, but it’s locked. No matter what we try, it insists on accepting commands only from the owner of the True Essence Pillar. Even Shatterstar can’t persuade it.”

True Essence Pillar?

Bai Fu was stunned.

Isn’t that Black Basalt? She currently had two fragments of Black Basalt. If she could get the third fragment, wouldn’t she become the owner of the True Essence Pillar?

With this in mind, Bai Fu quickly led her team toward the two laboratories already controlled by Anya.

The laboratories were not far apart. This trip allowed her to complete the last two branches of the hidden main quest [“The Savior’s Ambition”] she obtained from Pratt.

Branch 3 [“Dusty Secrets”], the objective was to uncover secrets hidden in the third branch of the Spirit Energy Research Institute.

Branch 4 [“The Last Fragment of Black Basalt”], the objective was to find this fragment.

Bai Fu first arrived at the Spirit Energy Research Institute’s third branch, studying spirit energy knowledge. When she arrived, Anya had already subdued the laboratory personnel.

“Humph, trying to ambush me? That’s just wishful thinking! With Queen FuFu’s prayer card, even high-level psychics find it hard to ambush me, let alone you!”

Anya, wearing power armor, strutted through the corridors, with fallen lab guards lying around. Seeing Bai Fu enter, she ran up quickly.

“Boss, I’ve found everything you asked for!”

She removed her helmet, her tiny face eager for praise. While saying this, she glanced at Youlia.

If she could, she would prefer to stay home and enjoy the compliments from the undeads. Everything was Youlia’s fault!

As the world’s top Fu chef, she clearly understood what Youlia’s intentions were.

Clearly, Youlia wanted to hide away and do something improper with the boss!

It was too much; she was the one who initiated it.

But the crucial point was Anya’s poor impression of Youlia. She remembered Youlia beating Bai Fu at the abandoned cooling plant.

Who knew what ulterior motives Youlia had in approaching Queen FuFu?

Guarding the best Queen FuFu, it’s my duty!

With this mindset, Anya was highly motivated, both in training and work, hoping to surpass Youlia.

“You’ve done well.”

Bai Fu ruffled Anya’s hair.

As Anya said, all research records and spirit energy knowledge from the third branch were concentrated. Quickly reviewing everything, the game notified her that the task [“Dusty Secrets”] was completed.

Unfortunately, she didn’t find any new knowledge chains in the spirit energy knowledge. It seemed she had mastered all six knowledge chains in Source Star, and to break through again, she could only venture into the celestial sea.

“The restrictions in the newbie village are too tight.”

Bai Fu shook her head and put away the research records, planning to add them to her documentary to make it more interesting.

“Let’s go check the other laboratory.”

This time, she encountered no obstacles.

After the news of the Seven-Man Council’s annihilation spread, most Gene Progenitor members lost their will to resist.

Without a leader, what else could they do?

Give up, Bai Fu will do as she pleases.

Using her Spirit Vision skill, Bai Fu quickly discovered a hidden wall in the laboratory. Breaking it, she found the last fragment of Black Basalt she had longed for.

“At last, I’ve collected all three fragments.”

Bai Fu sighed in relief.

She looked at the fragment in her hand, then at Youlia. Youlia’s power probably came from the True Essence Pillar, but with all three fragments in her possession, what part of the True Essence Pillar did Youlia fuse with? Could it be that anyone exposed to the True Essence Pillar gains similar power to Youlia?

She felt the situation wasn’t that simple; otherwise, she could start mass-producing super-soldiers.

“Let’s discuss this with Youlia after returning.”

With the last fragment of Black Basalt in hand, Bai Fu’s mission to the Gene Progenitor was essentially successful.

She began tallying her rewards from this action.

First, the two branch quests of [“The Savior’s Ambition”]. Branch 3 [“Dusty Secrets”] gave her 2 million experience, while Branch 4 [“The Last Fragment of Black Basalt”] provided 700,000 experience and an orange-quality rare prayer card [“Mind Blessing”].

This was her only orange prayer card so far, and she was eagerly anticipating its effects.

“It should be a strengthening prayer.”

Bai Fu opened the detailed description of the prayer card, nearly laughing out loud.

[Mind Blessing]: Sacrifice 50% of your Spirit Energy to pray to the Void Realm, and you will receive a blessing from a Void Apostle. For the next 3 minutes, your Inspiration attribute +20%, other attributes +10%, all resistances +15%, cooldown 24 hours.

Isn’t this equivalent to spending 50% of her Spirit Energy to activate a second stage?

This second stage effect was far superior to the half-baked superpower burst she learned from little Youlia.

Superpower bursts not only cost health but also provided minimal boosts and only increased Strength, Agility, and Spirit attributes. In contrast, the +20% Inspiration boost was invaluable for Bai Fu.

Considering she currently had 360 points in base Inspiration, a 20% increase would add 72 more points, significantly boosting her output.

The only downside was that using Mind Blessing consumed a lot of Spirit Energy, requiring a 50% deduction.

But to her, this might not be an issue since she had Mana Master Youlia.

You never know, rescuing Youlia from the Truth Society might be the best decision Bai Fu ever made.

Now, only one problem remained: as she leveled up, her needs would grow, and Youlia might not be able to meet them.

Currently, her Spirit Energy class was level 50, with 5430 Spirit Energy. If her Spirit Energy class reached level 100, even draining Youlia dry might not cover her 50% Spirit Energy consumption.

“While leveling up, I need to encourage Youlia to train her abilities more. Finding a quick awakening method for her would be even better. Unawakened, she’s already this powerful; I don’t believe awakening won’t satisfy me.”

Excitedly, Bai Fu added Mind Blessing to her prayer card guide and then opened the task [“President of the Truth Society’s Last Wish”], completed after defeating Shatterstar.

The reward was generous, giving her 1.5 million experience and a common card [“Ordinary Touch Card”].

Don’t let the name “Ordinary Touch Card” fool you; its effect allows copying a skill from an NPC whose total level is below 60!

Bai Fu swiftly turned to face Youlia, eyes gleaming like a tiger ready to devour prey.

Youlia was bewildered.

If she recalled correctly, Bai Fu used the same look on her after defeating the President of the Truth Society. Hey hey hey, could Bai Fu have a special fetish for eating her after a fight?

Bai Fu decisively used the Touch Card on Youlia, acquiring her superpower field. This was a skill she had always desired. She had deeply regretted not getting the superpower field when extracting Youlia’s skills or talents before, and now, after completing the task for the President of the Truth Society, she finally had the chance.

Definitely, the President of the Truth Society is her biggest fan. As for Youlia, she could now be considered her big sister!

Bai Fu opened the superpower field description.

At Level 1, the superpower field effect was ordinary, but it could reach up to Level 10 and possibly advance further. From this, the superpower field’s effect seemed extremely impressive.

Including the experience gained from the faction battle against the Gene Progenitor, Bai Fu now had 9 million experience. Without hesitation, she invested all of it into the superpower field.

As a super-rare skill, the superpower field was an experience hog, yet Bai Fu managed to raise it to Level 8.

At Level 8, the superpower field was incredibly effective, covering a 40-meter radius. Upon activation, it reduced incoming damage by 32% (excluding special damages like mental damage). Every second, it dealt (Inspiration * 0.8) damage to hostile targets within the field and applied a repulsion effect.

With Bai Fu’s current Inspiration, activating the superpower field against players meant that unless they played tank classes, no player could survive more than five seconds.

This was the suppressive power of Queen FuFu!

“Alright, alright. Next, I need to grind more experience to max out the superpower field.”

Bai Fu was overjoyed, already clear on what to do after leaving the Gene Progenitor.

First, naturally, synthesize the True Essence Pillar fragments and see if the spaceship can be activated. Then, film the documentary and promote her Source Star reconstruction plan before the game’s new version arrives, attracting more players to Silent Courtyard to contribute to her great cause.

However, she knew there were still matters to handle before embarking on these tasks.

The Railway Guild and other factions would surely be restless after hearing she defeated Shatterstar. To avoid unnecessary conflicts, she needed to contact these factions.

Unlike the Great West King’s expression, she wouldn’t just shout “kill kill kill” at everyone. If the Railway Guild and other factions were willing to cooperate with her Source Star reconstruction plan, that would be ideal.

Just as Bai Fu was contemplating, her personal terminal rang.

Su Li?

Speak of the devil.

Bai Fu pressed the answer button. “What do you need?”

Su Li said, “I won’t beat around the bush. Because you eliminated that alien, the Railway Guild, the Former Republic, and the People’s Alliance want to gauge your stance.”

Bai Fu nodded. “Let’s meet somewhere and talk. I have a plan to share with you.”

The coronation ceremony is over. Now is the time to announce to all players that I am the true protagonist of Source Star!

PS: Thanks to the Rainbow Bridge for the donation.

Writing the data took quite a while, or I could have posted this half an hour earlier.

I should be able to write more tomorrow, probably around seven thousand words.

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