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Chapter 162: Source Star, Your Queen Bai Fu Has Returned! [58k]

On the way to Ulysses, Bai Fu reviewed the gains from her mission.

After settling the commission, she now had 100,000 credits on her. To an ordinary person, this was a huge sum, but for her, who was already a gold-devouring monster and supported another such monster, Yulia, this amount was insufficient.

Bai Fu shook her head and took out the dissociative medication she had obtained from Singularity Inc.

The prototype she had handed over to Yulia, who was accomplished in medicine, was currently torturing some researchers she had caught.

[Dissociative Medication (Purity 56.2%)]: After use, increases Spirit by 5 and Intelligence by 3, with a chance to trigger a spirit mutation.

[Note]: Cannot increase attributes after four uses.

Without hesitation, Bai Fu injected herself with four vials, gaining 20 points in Spirit and 12 points in Intelligence. Unfortunately, there were no other changes.

“I am not a Spirit-type ability user, so the fusion rate should be very low. I need to find a way to increase the success rate.”

She called Anya over.

Due to being a spirit overclocker, Anya gained 6 points in Spirit each time she injected the medication. Furthermore, when she injected the fourth vial, Anya’s talent list suddenly added a [Spirit Mutation].

This talent gave Anya an additional 10% bonus to her Spirit attribute, and her Spirit Impact also came with a ripple effect.

However, this wasn’t the most impressive part of the talent. Just like racial evolution, spirit mutations had countless branches. Breaking through this barrier meant Anya had more possibilities for evolution. If she could roll a good branch, combined with her existing spirit overclocker template, her talent rating would skyrocket.

“It’s not easy.”

Bai Fu sighed, remembering how difficult it was just to get enough food back then. Now, they were far ahead in the path of evolution compared to many others.

Dinner time, Bai Fu invited Scarlet Leaf to join her, but Scarlet Leaf declined.

“Do S+ class superhumans not need to eat? Or do you not trust my cooking and plan to use nutrient paste instead?”

Scarlet Leaf shook her head. “Most S-class superhumans still need to eat, but I am not normal. My blood flows with void energy, which is why I am called the Void War Princess.”

“Void?” This was the first time Bai Fu heard this term in the game.

She immediately thought of a certain Daughter of the Void. Upon further reflection, given Scarlet Leaf’s muscular legs, she imagined Scarlet Leaf in a bright, high-waisted leather pants like the KDA’s Daughter of the Void, which seemed quite fitting.

“Is the Void related to the Void Realm?” she asked humbly.

Scarlet Leaf explained, “The Void Realm is the highest heaven of spiritual energy faith, while the Void is an unknown space, possibly a higher dimension or another universe. Life born in the Void is unpredictable. The Void blood I carry changed my racial traits, placing me between energy and matter. I can sustain myself by drawing Void energy, so I don’t need to eat.”

Bai Fu understood, and nearby players listened intently. Scarlet Leaf was the first S-class superhuman they had encountered, making them very interested.

Several players tried to interview Scarlet Leaf before dinner, which bewildered her.

Scarlet Leaf didn’t think much about it, but as her loyal follower, Green Mud felt he should do something — at least make these undead people respect their leader. They were nominally under her command.

After dinner, Green Mud approached Bai Fu and mentioned the players’ situation.

“They are like that, I will remind them to pay more attention.” Bai Fu said.

Green Mud nodded, “Since you have officially joined the Star Treaty, let me tell you about the Star Treaty and your leader. Compared to the two ultra-class forces in the Edge World, the Star Treaty is more loosely managed, which has to do with the personal character of The Sworn One. She likes to meditate alone at home, so she manages her subordinates rather loosely.”

He then talked about the internal structure of the Star Treaty and Scarlet Leaf’s position.

Scarlet Leaf belonged to the Combat Department of the Initial Gateway Star Alliance. This department had seven supervisors, each leading a team responsible for external tasks. The supervisors had a mix of cooperation and competition.

“Scarlet Leaf Supervisor has both background and strength. I’m lucky to join.”

Bai Fu smiled.

She felt everything was coming back. Since the Truth Society President left, she hadn’t felt like the top player for a long time.

Green Mud’s reaction was odd. After being praised, his expression became strange.

“Actually… How should I put it, Supervisor…”

“How?”

After hesitating, Green Mud revealed the truth.

In short, Scarlet Leaf’s situation was not as good as expected. Because she was brought into the Star Treaty by The Sworn One, many people initially thought she would quickly break through to the Catastrophe Tier. However, she remained stuck at the S+ tier for years, unable to take the crucial step. During this process, The Sworn One either became distant or forgot to contact her, causing her to become marginalized in the Star Treaty.

Her career suffered setbacks, and her subordinates ran away, leaving only those who had received her favors, like Green Mud.

Good news: Scarlet Leaf’s subordinates are now brave and determined.

Bad news: Scarlet Leaf doesn’t have many subordinates.

Bai Fu: “…”

That’s pretty much it.

From the beginning, she never expected Scarlet Leaf to help with missions. Her main goal was to leverage the Star Treaty and Scarlet Leaf’s influence to reduce unnecessary troubles and gain resources through the Star Treaty platform. This current situation was actually good news for her.

The more awkward Scarlet Leaf’s situation, the more important she and the players would appear. This would give her more freedom.

Moreover, “the Empress” was weakening, and if she worked hard, she might eventually usurp the Empress!

…

A few hours later, the spaceship arrived at Ulysses.

To intimidate slave traders, Scarlet Leaf deliberately showed off during the trip through the starport, appearing alongside Vik in front of everyone.

Vik was moved to tears. Without Bai Fu, he and other Ulysses residents would likely be in endless disaster.

At this moment, he fully regarded Bai Fu as his leader.

“I must protect her with all my might. Only if she lives can Ulysses have hope.”

When he entrusted this will to Bai Fu, she received a new quest ring for the main quest.

[Ulysses Glory Returns]

This quest had several branches: rescuing scattered Ulysses residents, rebuilding Ulysses, cultivating talents for Ulysses, and promoting Ulysses.

The quest types were diverse, and although the rewards weren’t explicitly stated, they were certainly substantial. However, Bai Fu didn’t plan to undertake this quest herself because it was too time-consuming, especially the branch of rescuing scattered Ulysses residents, which would require a lot of travel time.

She intended to assign this quest to the players, sharing the rewards with them. This would also earn the players’ goodwill. Entering the Star Ocean without understanding the situation, she directly fed them the main quest, showing great care. Players would be ungrateful if they didn’t appreciate it.

Upon landing, Bai Fu and Vik received a warm welcome.

Vik had already informed his tribe about Singularity Inc.’s downfall. The hospitable Ulysses people prepared a grand welcoming ceremony with their treasured food.

Bai Fu was used to such situations, having experienced them often on the Source Star. Scarlet Leaf, however, looked quite uncomfortable.

“This is my first time.”

Her face flushed, lacking the usual pressure from her identity and strength, adding a youthful charm.

Bai Fu comforted her, “It’s normal to feel a bit out of place the first time. With practice, you’ll get used to it.”

Scarlet Leaf nodded, about to say something when her communicator rang.

“Herbert?” Her expression changed slightly, but she answered hesitantly, “What is it?”

The apparition before her was a man with dried skin like tree bark and slender as peach wood.

“Only ten days until the agreed time. Why did you suddenly come to Ulysses? Others are already on their way. Don’t be late as the host.”

“No worries,” Scarlet Leaf replied casually, “I’ll set out tomorrow to join you.”

“This time is different. Your individual performance affects not only your monthly score but also the Star Treaty’s image.”

“Got it.”

Scarlet Leaf chuckled, seemingly relaxed, but Bai Fu noticed her toes gripping tightly, breaking a blade of grass.

Impressive?

“If you have this awareness, that’s great.” Herbert nodded and ended the call.

Bai Fu asked, “Mission?”

Scarlet Leaf shook her head, “It’s a commission from the Star Network Commonwealth to resist the flood. You don’t need to worry about it; I can handle it myself. You’re new here, follow Green Mud to familiarize yourself.”

She stood up and called Green Mud over.

From Green Mud, Bai Fu learned more details.

Recently, the Star Network Commonwealth commissioned the Star Treaty to help resist the worsening floods. The Combat Department of the Initial Gateway Star Alliance sent five supervisors to handle the issue. The two mentioned earlier were among them.

This commission appeared cooperative on the surface but inevitably involved competition due to its official nature.

Due to having few subordinates, Scarlet Leaf’s monthly scores had been consistently at the bottom for the past seven months.

This frustrated her, and she wanted to turn things around in the Star Network Commonwealth’s commission.

Bai Fu was confused, “If you want to turn things around, why not involve us in the action?”

“Resisting floods is not easy. The casualty rate is extremely high. The supervisor didn’t arrange for you to join because she feared scaring you with such a task. She has been reflecting on her mistakes…” Green Mud worriedly explained.

Wasn’t he worried?

The supervisor was likely to end up at the bottom again, increasing her stress and making her more anxious, creating a vicious cycle.

“Understood.” Bai Fu nodded, “Although floods are scary, my followers are undead. I think they might contribute significantly to this commission.”

Green Mud shook his head regretfully, “While they are undead, facing overwhelming bugs, their numbers are still too small. They need to grow further.”

Bai Fu couldn’t help laughing.

Yes, these ninety-odd players were indeed few, but who said she only had ninety-odd players?

“If I could bring more undead?”

“What?” Green Mud was stunned, “More undead? Do you mean there are more than these?”

“Exactly. As long as you lend me a ship that can withstand spatial distortions, I can continuously transport undead from my second home!”

Bai Fu was confident, seeing this as an excellent opportunity to bring players into the Star Ocean. She was ready to go all out.

Green Mud instinctively asked, “How many can you bring?”

Bai Fu held up two fingers.

“Two hundred?”

“No, with enough time, I can bring at least 200,000 undead!”

Wow?!

When Green Mud heard the number 200,000, he was stunned.

He suspected either he was hallucinating or Bai Fu was talking nonsense.

200,000 undead, not pigs! Even if they were all C-class superhumans, that would be an earth-shattering force!

Green Mud’s intense reaction caught Scarlet Leaf’s attention, who hurried over, fearing a conflict between Bai Fu and Green Mud.

“What’s going on?”

Bai Fu explained before Green Mud could.

Wow?!

Scarlet Leaf was also shocked, but her thoughts differed from Green Mud’s.

200,000?

She couldn’t even manage 200 people. If 200,000 undead suddenly arrived… it would be disastrous.

“There’s no need for me to lie about this.” Bai Fu smiled, “This is easy to verify. From here to my second home, a fast ship can make the round trip in six or seven days. You might worry I’ll escape with the ship, but I’ll leave most undead here. Also, my sister, Black Fu, will stay here when I go to fetch more people. This way, you won’t worry about me escaping with the ship.”

Scarlet Leaf was stunned. This was indeed reassuring, but the key issue wasn’t resolved. She had just recruited Bai Fu, and now there was a trust crisis. How could they collaborate in the future? If Bai Fu ran off like others before, she would be devastated.

“Just a ship. Given my experience, I can requisition it. I trust you, no need for hostages.” Scarlet Leaf displayed her magnanimity.

Green Mud was getting anxious, giving Scarlet Leaf signals, but she seemed oblivious.

In the end, Bai Fu stepped forward saying a hostage was necessary, which was a genuine gesture.

Looking into Bai Fu’s clear eyes, Scarlet Leaf felt truly lucky. Green Mud also respected her greatly.

How honest was that?

“By the way, I mentioned before that your second home faced a great calamity due to spiritual energy overflow.”

Scarlet Leaf contacted the Combat Department, instructing another subordinate to bring the ship over and bring purification equipment for spiritual energy.

Bai Fu thanked her, “I’ll definitely bring enough undead back before the mission starts!”

Scarlet Leaf responded, “Don’t rush. It’s fine even if you miss it. Don’t get into trouble because of haste.”

After saying this, they looked deeply into each other’s eyes, feeling a sense of missing each other.

Scarlet Leaf: The people from the Dark Domain are so simple and sincere, they moved me.

Bai Fu: The people from the universe are so simple and gullible, I’m amused.

If Scarlet Leaf knew Black Fu wasn’t really her sister but a summoned entity that could revive, she might shout, “Give me back my sincerity!” and strangle her with her feet.

After agreeing on a meeting spot, Bai Fu went to find Youlia, Anya, and Jiujiao to explain the situation.

“Going back?”

Jiujiao’s eyes lit up, and she quickly opened the community to announce the news.

Bai Fu stopped all players with similar plans, “Don’t rush. It’s not a big deal to wait a couple of days. Don’t tell anyone on the Source Star yet. We’ll surprise them when we suddenly show up.”

This was a perfect opportunity to build hype and gather popularity. Bai Fu wouldn’t take it lightly.

She had been looking forward to this moment.

When she first left the Source Star, she was a pioneer of the Star Ocean era and the representative of the Star Ocean version. These titles sounded impressive but weren’t significant because most players thought her story had temporarily concluded, and she was no longer the version protagonist.

But now, things were different. When she appeared above the Source Star in a giant spaceship, what would the players think?

Bai Fu: I’ve mastered the method to travel from the Source Star to the Star Ocean. I’ve also prepared a complete main quest in the Star Ocean, plus a tower defense mission against bugs. Tell me, am I the protagonist? Am I more like a protagonist than those playing on beginner planets?

Players are eagerly awaiting the 2.0 version. If they knew they could enter the Star Ocean en masse without waiting for 2.0, the hype would explode. As the lead, her popularity would soar!

This was the perfect time to exploit the players and push her level to the peak of A-tier!

The next day, a nearly thousand-meter-long spaceship landed on Ulysses.

After handing over to Scarlet Leaf, Bai Fu, along with Anya, Youlia, Jiujiao, and a few players wanting to return, headed straight for the Source Star via the original route.

The spaceship’s warp speed was several times faster than the old freighter from Shattered Star, so they arrived above the Source Star in just two days.

“It’s been two months. I wonder how much the Source Star has changed.”

The spaceship pierced through the atmosphere, heading towards the Goli Desert.

Soon, the spaceship broke through the thick clouds.

“Holy crap, a spaceship?!”

A player buying items at Anya’s mysterious store fell and got scared when they saw the spaceship.

Everyone was stunned. Why was there such a large spaceship here?

Within a minute, everyone ran out of their houses upon hearing the commotion.

News of the spaceship spread rapidly to various factions. The Railway Guild, Former Republic, Human Alliance, and Darknet convened online meetings to discuss strategies. Players worldwide started discussing on forums and global channels.

This was unprecedented. It seemed the Source Star might soon face an alien invasion, leading to a planet-wide battle for survival.

Could they win?

They couldn’t even beat Shattered Star, relying entirely on Bai Fu for victory. Now, Bai Fu was gone, and the incoming spaceship was dozens of times larger than Shattered Star’s. What were they supposed to do?

Despair began to spread.

Why was the Source Star thriving only to face such a crisis again?

Just as Su Li and others were about to explode, a more explosive piece of news reached the conference room.

It was a video showing the spaceship landing outside Bai Fu Town. Then, the doors opened, stairs descended, and a foot wrapped in high heels emerged.

It was a beautifully crafted foot, but no one was admiring it. Everyone’s attention was on its owner.

“This face… isn’t that Bai Fu?”

The conference room erupted.

Oh my god.

That woman, the queen of the Source Star, has returned!

Within minutes, news of Bai Fu’s return to the Source Star spread throughout the Source Star and the player community.

PS: At the beginning of the month, please vote for me for next month!

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