Chapter 146: Popularity Surges, Bai Fu – the True Main Character of the Source Star Goes Live! [79k]
It was already half a day later when Bai Fu met the representatives sent by the Railway Guild and other forces in Sea City.
During this half-day, under the supervision of players, Sea City, which had just gone through a great upheaval, became even safer than before the battle. Any evil was immediately dealt with by the players who were roaming around looking for quests.
This astonishing efficiency left the representatives from the Railway Guild and other factions amazed, while at the same time making them increasingly wary of Bai Fu.
Bai Fu is currently only the nominal queen of the Source Star, or rather, she is the undisputed queen in the eyes of superhumans. To ordinary people, her image is more often associated with words like “stronger” and “hero.”
But if these undead followers of Bai Fu continue to do things like maintaining public order in Sea City, once Bai Fu’s popularity among the common folk accumulates to a certain extent, many ordinary people will surely spontaneously support her as the true queen of the Source Star.
With the cold weather, it’s time to add a yellow robe for Fu Fu.jpg
Living in the wasteland, following anyone is still following someone; since that’s the case, why not support Bai Fu, who appears much kinder and gentler than the heads of other factions?
Besides, Bai Fu is beautiful. Even giving speeches on TV filled with soporific words, at least Bai Fu has the advantage of being visually pleasing.
“Thankfully, those people upstairs hinted before coming that they intended to swear allegiance to Bai Fu. Tens of thousands of undead, plus the first person in history—none of that is easy to provoke.”
After settling down in the meeting room, the agents of the Railway Guild appeared extremely relaxed.
They were cracking sunflower seeds and drinking water, even beginning to consider whether they should custom-make a new queen’s outfit for Bai Fu.
Since they were going to swear allegiance, naturally they needed to make the ceremony impressive enough, otherwise others might doubt their sincerity.
In contrast, the representatives from the Former Republic and the Human Alliance were somewhat restless, especially the Former Republic’s side. Just thinking about what the predecessor Orin did before the Great Catastrophe made the Former Republic’s representatives worry that Bai Fu would scatter their ashes just like she did to the Gene Progenitor.
Perhaps it’s better to defect now and sever ties with the Former Republic.
【I stand against all evils!】
But would Bai Fu accept that?
It feels quite difficult. So far, there hasn’t been any news of anyone getting Bai Fu’s favor by simply lying down and licking her boots. They might want to grovel, but Bai Fu probably wouldn’t let them.
The more the Former Republic representatives thought about it, the more they felt overwhelmed. In their eyes, Bai Fu was no longer a succubus skilled in charming the undead; she was clearly a terrifying demon king.
Regarding this perception, Bai Fu commented—
So young, who says a succubus can’t be a demon king?
She stood in the meeting room for a while, waiting until the Former Republic representatives were sweating profusely before starting the discussion.
“I know why you’ve come to see me, so I’ll say it directly. You don’t need to worry that I’ll lead the undead to attack you next. After all, I’m not some demon. Of course, this is predicated on you not secretly plotting against me.”
The corners of the mouths of the others in the meeting room twitched.
Plotting against her?
That would cost two lives!
Bai Fu’s words slightly relieved the representatives of the Former Republic and the Human Alliance.
“So, what are your plans next?”
Bai Fu glanced at the agent from the Railway Guild: “You should have heard some news from Su Li and Igor, right?”
The Railway Guild agent nodded repeatedly, passionately saying: “About your Source Star Reconstruction Plan, we indeed have heard something. We are very interested and willing to join in, accepting your command and contributing our part to rebuilding the Source Star!”
Source Star Reconstruction Plan?
When this term came up, the representatives from the other two factions were confused. Could it be…
“The Source Star Reconstruction Plan refers to…”
Bai Fu briefly introduced her ideas to everyone in the meeting room.
After hearing her words, the few representatives from the Former Republic suddenly stood up and then awkwardly sat back down.
They were too excited.
Their guess was correct. Bai Fu really wanted to extend what she did in the Goli Desert across the entire Source Star. This idea could only be described as crazy.
But upon careful consideration, this plan actually had a chance of succeeding. According to incomplete statistics, there are hundreds of thousands of undead scattered across various places on the Source Star. If these hundreds of thousands of undead follow Bai Fu’s instructions and join the reconstruction plan, even if the entire Source Star isn’t rebuilt, it’s highly likely to truly connect all the large settlements on the Source Star. This way, their normal activity areas could expand dozens of times over.
The only issue is that to completely rebuild the Source Star, merely eliminating mutated life forms isn’t enough. All pollution sources must be cleared. The undead may not die, but they can still be polluted. If they get contaminated during the process of dealing with pollution sources, all efforts would be wasted. A solution must be devised.
“This is simple. I will have the undead cooperate with experts in this field for research. With sufficient samples, I believe effective anti-pollution drugs will soon be developed.” Bai Fu proposed a solution.
As long as one lies in the lab for a while, they can gain experience, and even if they die during experiments, they won’t lose experience. She believed that many players would take on such tasks.
Indeed!
Bai Fu’s words made the heartbeats of those representatives from the Former Republic speed up involuntarily.
They looked at each other and saw anticipation in each other’s eyes. They didn’t know what their superiors would think, but at least they themselves were very excited about the future Bai Fu depicted.
“I…” One representative from the Former Republic emotionally said, “Hope what you said is true.”
If Bai Fu wasn’t deceiving them, then even if their superiors disagreed to cooperate with Bai Fu, they would actively join the Silent Courtyard and shout together with those undead—
Yeah, Queen Bai Fu, we admire you!
“That will happen. That’s all I want to say now. As for details, we can discuss them after you reach a consensus internally.”
Bai Fu smiled as she sent off the representatives from the three major forces.
On the evening of the same day, the film crew sent by Igor arrived in Sea City.
After cooperating with them to record a documentary, she gathered the surviving managers of Sea City to hold a meeting, instructing them to continue managing Sea City. These people dared not refuse and obediently agreed.
After arranging the affairs of Sea City, Bai Fu set out on the road back to the Silent Courtyard with the spoils of this expedition.
Because Xia Shi’s condition was very poor, even worse than the initially rescued Youlia, she didn’t drive fast. Two and a half days later, the convoy reached Bai Fu Town via Shelter No. 5.
Just like last time, the residents of Bai Fu Town held a grand celebration for her again. The difference was that this time, there were many players standing by the roadside who couldn’t participate in the operation against the Gene Progenitor due to their low levels.
These players looked at Bai Fu with much more ardent eyes than Bai Fu looked at Youlia.
They regretted deeply.
Why didn’t they join the Silent Courtyard earlier? Why didn’t they complete more quests at the time and learn more skills in the shop to enhance their strength?
Now, they missed the opportunity to fight against the Gene Progenitor and could only watch helplessly as other players in the Silent Courtyard earned huge profits during the operation.
“Ah, I envy them so much.”
“Are there any new main quests on the Source Star?”
“There should be.”
“After defeating the Gene Progenitor, aren’t we going to fight the Former Republic and the Human Alliance next? I must sign up this time!”
“Count me in!”
Initially, Bai Fu was secretly pleased with the enthusiastic welcome from the players, but after overhearing their conversation, her lips twitched.
If it weren’t for the absence of the Former Republic and the Human Alliance, they would definitely have been scared by these energetic players.
“You guys, don’t come closer!”
Bai Fu waved to the NPCs and players on the side of the road. She knew that the players on the Source Star were worried that there would be no main quests after the fall of the Truth Society and the Gene Progenitor, but she didn’t intend to reveal her Source Star Reconstruction Plan yet.
She had already discussed with Igor to disclose the plan in the trailer of the documentary as a super advertisement for the documentary.
Anyway, let these players wait for a few days. The longer they wait, the more intense their release will be once they find an outlet.
This is very beneficial for her plan to raise her status on the Source Star and become popular again.
“Gao Yuan, arrange accommodation for Xia Shude and his daughter Xia Shi first, and also find a doctor and nutritionist to check Xia Shi. Her body was already weak, and after being detained for a period, she looks malnourished.”
When Bai Fu conducted a physical examination on Xia Shi in the car, she was shocked. When she grabbed Xia Shi’s leg, she thought she had grabbed the tip of a bamboo chopstick.
However, Xia Shi’s capture this time turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
While checking for abnormalities in Xia Shi’s body, Bai Fu casually threw a divination skill and discovered that her attribute panel was vastly different from their first meeting.
Most notably, her talent bar had two new talents—[Mechanical Sensitivity] and [Magnetic Chain Resonance].
The former gave her a significant boost in learning mechanical knowledge and manufacturing machinery, while the latter provided her with an unparalleled bonus in controlling machinery, and the more machines she controlled simultaneously, the higher the positive feedback between the machines, similar to the effect of placing crushed stars in an egg-shaped room for protection.
“These are essential talents for becoming a legendary mechanical engineer!”
Bai Fu was curious where Xia Shi got these two talents. After poking the detailed button behind the talents and questioning Xia Shude, she gradually understood everything.
Shattered Star was actually a very talented mechanical engineer. To resurrect himself, he instructed the Gene Progenitor to create many artificial beings, all genetically edited according to his requirements.
Due to Shattered Star’s limited understanding of genetic editing technology, combined with the Gene Progenitor’s less-than-perfect execution, over the years, most of the artificial beings they created did not show remarkable talents, and Xia Shi was no exception. During her time in the artificial being training camp, Xia Shi seemed unremarkable, which is why the Gene Progenitor allowed Xia Shude to take her home to raise her.
But neither Shattered Star nor the Gene Progenitor could have anticipated Xia Shi’s strong luck talent.
The strong luck talent did not give Xia Shi a happy life full of good fortune but caused her body to mutate positively due to defects in the genetic editing, and it was this mutation that enabled Xia Shi to acquire two new talents related to machinery.
Bai Fu understood.
This was called awakening!
She guessed that in the original plot, Xia Shi should have awakened new talents during a sudden event while collaborating with players, thereby turning the tide.
As for what exactly that sudden event was…
Perhaps it was Xia Shude sacrificing himself to the heavens.
Turning pain into daggers aimed at the enemy’s heart, ascending amidst despair to become the mechanical empress of the Source Star.
Considering Xia Shi is more like the protagonist and Youlia more like the antagonist, perhaps players making certain special choices might even witness a scene where Xia Shi and Youlia fight.
But now, they probably won’t have the chance to fight.
“After all, they both joined the Silent Courtyard and became my wings.”
For the Silent Courtyard to grow stronger, it still needs a mechanical engineer to oversee operations.
Upon receiving the order, Gao Yuan nodded: “I’ll make the arrangements. By the way, the laboratory I built for Youlia is almost finished.”
He handed over a key.
“You’ve worked hard.”
Bai Fu took the key, watched Gao Yuan leave with Xia Shude and Xia Shi, and then turned around.
“Let’s go take a look.”
Before heading to the laboratory, Bai Fu went home first and retrieved two fragments of the True Essence Pillar she had hidden.
A few minutes later, in the newly constructed laboratory.
Youlia was excitedly inspecting the equipment in the laboratory, while Bai Fu placed the three fragments of the True Essence Pillar on the ground one by one.
Unexpectedly, before she did anything, the three fragments automatically generated deep purple electric sparks between them.
[True Essence Pillar fusion in progress, progress 1%…]
This process lasted nearly ten minutes. As the progress bar increased, the three fragments drew closer and closer, and finally clicked together, fusing into a palm-sized black stone slab.
Bai Fu cast a divination skill on it.
[True Essence Pillar (Defective)]
[Quality]: Red
[Item Description]: A defective True Essence Pillar, rumored to be a strange object born in the cosmic wonder known as the Void Realm Stairway. Due to the loss of its spiritual core, it cannot fully function.
[Note]: The interstellar pirate Shattered Star hijacked the cargo spaceship transporting the True Essence Pillar, and subsequently suffered an attack from an unknown spaceship. In his critically injured state nearing death, he accidentally drove the spaceship containing the True Essence Pillar to the Source Star.
The moment Bai Fu emerged, she received a new game prompt.
【You have triggered the hidden quest [The True Essence Pillar Lost in the Dark Domain]】
【Quest Description: The True Essence Pillar plundered by Shuixing amidst the chaos is an extremely rare Spiritual Energy artifact. Several factions within the Sea Lion Galaxy System are highly interested in this True Essence Pillar. Now that it has fallen into your hands, how you deal with it will be up to you.】
【Quest Objective:
Branch 1: Deliver the True Essence Pillar to the Red Moon Mercenary Group. Reward – 3 million Experience Points, unlock affinity with the Red Moon Mercenary Group faction, unknown;
Branch 2: Deliver the True Essence Pillar to the Blessed Sect. Reward – 3 million Experience Points, unlock affinity with the Blessed Sect faction, unknown;
Branch 3: Deliver the True Essence Pillar to the Shiji Crystal Security Company. Reward – 3 million Experience Points, unlock affinity with the Shiji Crystal Security Company faction, 10,000 Titan Credit Points, Shiji Crystal Company Purple Crystal Client Card;
Branch 4: Keep it for yourself. Reward – None.】
【Note: This quest has a high probability of triggering subsequent quests, depending on your interactions with other factions.】
Bai Fu glanced at the quest description. Though the details were vague, she felt that to better complete the quest and trigger follow-up quests, she should hand over a complete True Essence Pillar rather than the damaged one she currently held.
“A complete True Essence Pillar.”
Bai Fu looked up, her gaze falling on Youlia.
She thought she had almost figured out the current situation. Youlia’s awakening of her Spiritual Energy Talent was most likely due to her unintentional fusion with the Spirit Core that flew out during the True Essence Pillar’s explosion.
She didn’t know how to retrieve the Spirit Core, perhaps killing Youlia would be necessary. Therefore, her answer was that she wouldn’t give the True Essence Pillar to anyone.
“It’s mine, why should I give it to others!”
“Apparently, they’ve fused together? Hmm, the pattern on the stone tablet is exactly the same as the one on my body.”
As Bai Fu was pondering, Youlia approached her.
Without any hesitation, Youlia parted her collar, and with Spiritual Energy circulating, a purple pattern slowly appeared at the canyon entrance.
Bai Fu’s eyes were momentarily dazzled by the large pattern.
“Have you made any deeper discoveries?”
Youlia asked seriously.
Bai Fu: “…”
While asking, she leaned closer. Are you doing this on purpose?
Bai Fu handed the True Essence Pillar to Youlia. “There’s something called a Spirit Core inside the True Essence Pillar. Your power probably comes from that Spirit Core. Since the Spirit Core is lost, this True Essence Pillar is incomplete now.”
“Hmm?”
Youlia nodded seemingly understanding, then placed the True Essence Pillar between the pattern on her body.
After two seconds, she regretfully said, “Unfortunately, I thought this might extract the Spirit Core and hand it over to you.”
She returned the True Essence Pillar to Bai Fu.
Alright, maintaining a cold face while playing around so formally, huh?
This was the first time Bai Fu had encountered such an aggressive woman.
Good thing she had already sparred with Youlia before, otherwise, she might have been deceived into thinking Youlia was naturally innocent.
Never mind, not worth arguing with this resourceful woman.
Just as Bai Fu was about to put away the True Essence Pillar, an unexpected event occurred. Suddenly, the True Essence Pillar in her palm shattered again into three pieces.
“?”
【True Essence Pillar Fragment】: After wearing, enjoy blessings from Youlia.
Bai Fu widened her eyes and quickly opened the detailed description. This blessing was actually the previously acquired 【Blessed Link】 buff after touching the pattern on Youlia’s chest, which increased all attributes by +10.
The difference was that the 【Blessed Link】 only lasted for four hours, whereas the effect of the True Essence Pillar fragment would remain as long as it was worn, and there were a total of three fragments.
“One for me, one for Anya, one for Xia Shi, just enough to share.”
Well done!
Bai Fu lightly patted Youlia’s shoulder. If it weren’t for Youlia squeezing the True Essence Pillar, she wouldn’t have known about this effect.
The effect of the Blessed Link would increase as Youlia’s strength improved. It seemed necessary to find ways to enhance Youlia’s power since she was now bound to Youlia. The stronger Youlia became, the stronger she could become.
Youlia stared at Bai Fu with confusion.
Again, that strange look!
She was certain she desired Bai Fu, but how did Bai Fu perceive her?
Puzzling. More aggressive testing was needed.
After leaving the laboratory, Bai Fu headed straight for the spaceship they found within the Gene Progenitor’s territory.
This time, she floored the accelerator, speeding all the way. They reached the spaceship in half the time it took to return to Bai Fu Town, though the cost was that Youlia, whose physical condition was far inferior to hers, ended up feeling nauseous.
“Not everyone has a physique like yours!”
Bai Fu’s physical prowess startled Youlia, making her worry about her own future.
“Sure, sure, next time I’ll be more careful.”
Bai Fu pulled Youlia into the spaceship.
As expected, the computer onboard recognized not the empty shell of the True Essence Pillar but the Spirit Core that had already merged with Youlia. In other words, Youlia had become the key to this spaceship.
【Authentication complete, RX0713 cargo spaceship awaits the master’s new instructions】
Inside the cargo ship’s cockpit, a blue virtual figure appeared before Bai Fu, speaking the international language of the Source Star learned from Shuixing.
Youlia transferred control to Bai Fu, who asked, “Can the spaceship return to the star system where it was previously?”
The AI responded, “Due to the attack the spaceship suffered and the unexpected incident during landing, I recommend conducting a comprehensive self-inspection before returning.”
“How long will the inspection take?”
“Three days. After the self-inspection, based on the technological level exhibited by this planet, repairs will take approximately one to two months.”
A maximum of two months?
Bai Fu didn’t mind. Having found a way to leave the Source Star, she wasn’t in a rush to go now.
Her plan was to wait until the reconstruction plan for the Source Star was on track, become the true queen and protagonist of the Source Star, and then leave with the resources harvested from the Source Star and the experience points gathered from players.
This was a safer approach.
With these experience points and resources, she only needed to collect higher-level Spiritual Energy knowledge in the Star Ocean and complete corresponding promotion tasks to quickly raise her level without having to start from scratch in the Star Ocean.
“Can you teach me the interstellar universal language?” Bai Fu asked.
The AI immediately transmitted its compiled linguistic knowledge to Bai Fu. With the game’s learning function, it only took her an hour to successfully master the interstellar universal language.
Great! This way, she would appear even more like a real alien!
“When the self-inspection is complete, notify me, and I will help you gather the materials needed for repairs.”
“Understood.”
On the way there, Bai Fu drove; on the way back, it was simpler—the spaceship soared directly into the clouds and stopped near Bai Fu Town in just an hour.
“Still, ordinary cargo ships fly too slowly when moving on the planet’s surface.”
Bai Fu shook her head, planning to get a better spaceship once she reached the Star Ocean.
After disembarking, she listed the interstellar universal language in the faction instance store as a new product for sale, priced at 3000 Experience Points.
This action quickly caught the attention of players in the Silent Courtyard.
【Look, there’s a new item in the store, [Interstellar Universal Language]. Holy cow, is this preparation for entering the Star Ocean? Is the next version going to be the Star Ocean version?】
Players in the Silent Courtyard got excited instantly.
Players from other planets were confused.
Wait, guys, we’re still crawling on the ground, and you’re flying already?
No way, you can’t do that!
【I don’t think so】
【I think so】
【I don’t know if it’s true, but I can definitely tell you, something big is coming!】
As players in the Silent Courtyard argued with those from other planets, a player from the Railway Guild suddenly brought some big news.
【What’s the big thing?】
【I’m not sure, but judging from the Railway Guild NPC’s reaction, it must be huge!】
【How huge?】
【As big as Fu Fu】
Soon, players within the Former Republic and the Human Alliance also joined in.
【I swear, he’s right, something big is indeed coming!】
【Alright, alright, if it’s not as big as Fu Fu, I’ll blow you up】
Players were arguing fiercely in the community, but as time passed, some observant players noticed that since Bai Fu defeated the Gene Progenitor, the atmosphere on the Source Star had indeed changed slightly.
In the following ten days, many people came to Bai Fu Town, and Bai Fu herself went out several times.
On the tenth day, a new piece of news suddenly spread.
【At eight o’clock tonight, please tune in to the Railway Guild’s Agate Channel. The superhuman named Silver Moon, Bai Fu, will be a guest on the Agate Channel to share her views on the future of the Source Star】
Wow!
This news instantly ignited various settlements, shelters, and player communities across the Source Star.
The future of the Source Star?
This live broadcast topic was truly enormous!
【Quickly, don’t hog it. Start a live stream while watching; we want to watch it too】
When the time finally came at eight o’clock, NPCs and players gathered in front of TVs or radios across the Source Star.
Igor’s voice came through: “Since the fall of the Truth Society and the Gene Progenitor, Bai Fu has become the focal point of the Source Star. Who is Bai Fu? Why is Bai Fu so powerful? Why did Bai Fu oppose the Truth Society and the Gene Progenitor? What does Bai Fu intend to do afterward? These are questions many people are concerned about. Today, a special program called ‘Fireside Chat’ has been launched, and the first guest is Bai Fu!”
Amid cheers and applause, Bai Fu, dressed elegantly yet mysteriously in a custom-made uniform from the Silent Courtyard, appeared on the TV screen.
Following the initial rehearsal format, Bai Fu began chatting with Igor, answering his questions one by one. She announced her cooperation with Igor to shoot a documentary detailing the origins and aftermath of the World War and the Great Cataclysm on the Source Star.
“Many documents are being disclosed for the first time. Everyone can look forward to them. I believe all those living on the Source Star deserve to know what caused our world to become the way it is today. However…”
At this point, Bai Fu suddenly stood up.
“Rather than looking back, I prefer to look forward.”
“I often ponder a question. I have lived in this world for many years, and one day, when I decide to travel far, I must do something for it.”
“Before appearing on the show today, I conducted multiple consultations with the Railway Guild, the Former Republic, and the Human Alliance. We unanimously agree that after eliminating the threats on the Source Star, it’s time to restore the Source Star to its original state!”
“A world where one can freely travel far, a world where one doesn’t have to worry about being attacked by mutated creatures along the way!”
“I have already tested it in the Goli Desert, and I believe the successful experience of the Goli Desert can be extended throughout the entire Source Star. Here, I sincerely call upon…”
Bai Fu’s passionate voice resonated through time and space, deeply touching the hearts of most NPCs listening to her speech.
Especially after leaders of factions like the Railway Guild joined the Agate Channel to support her, an uncontrollable thought arose in everyone’s minds—
What if it succeeds?
The program was not yet over, but at this moment, Bai Fu had already transformed into the most popular super idol on the Source Star, earning titles such as Queen and Goddess.
Players watching the live stream also exploded in excitement.
Previously, they had been wondering whether there would be no main quest left on the Source Star after the Truth Society and the Gene Progenitor fell. But Bai Fu’s words clearly told them that if they wanted a main quest?
Rebuilding the Source Star as the main quest—how big is that?
From the Goli Desert to the Source Star, from destruction to construction, from being a bystander in major events to becoming a hero of the Source Star, if they performed well, their names might even be permanently etched onto the Source Star, becoming city names or landmark building names. All of this was incredibly enticing to players.
【I’ve been pondering who the main characters of the Source Star are. Were they the five NPCs that once appeared on the official website? Now I’m certain—the only true protagonist of the Source Star is
Fu Fu!】
Bai Fu’s television appearance achieved greater success than anticipated.
Her bow to the audience followed by raising her right hand and shouting “Long live the Source Star!” became the annual photo of the Source Star and the cover of numerous posts and videos on community forums.
After ending the live stream, Bai Fu immediately opened the community forum.
She had made her move; now it was time to see how players and planners would respond.
PS: Although the delay was due to writing 1000 more words than planned, I still apologize. It seems updating before nine o’clock is a bit challenging. I’ll try to ensure updates around ten o’clock.
![[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come](https://i3.wp.com/darkmtl.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/1737407792-8993-TS-The-end-of-magical-girls-has-come.png?resize=85,105 "[TS] The End of Magical Girls Has Come")
