Chapter 177: To Save the Ancestral Star, Bai Fu Debuted as a Poster Girl
About twenty minutes before the Tianhu Star Fleet docked at the military port, the Star Web Commonwealth, in conjunction with the Tide Civilization, the Eye of Heaven Alliance, and the Kast Civilization, released a public announcement. The announcement stated that the four civilizations, upon receiving the intel transmitted from Tianhu Star, had immediately formed a joint fleet to launch a surprise attack on the Secret Tower, successfully thwarting its plan to use the flood disaster as a cover to invade the Sea Lion System.
The spokesperson for the Star Web Commonwealth presented a vivid and detailed account, accompanied by a substantial amount of evidence. As a result, the announcement instantly exploded across the Star Web Commonwealth’s networks.
Although the joint fleet had achieved only a minor victory in this war—merely destroying a little over twenty escort ships from the Secret Tower—when one thought about it, this was actually the first time in over a decade that the Secret Tower had suffered a setback, and it happened at the hands of the Star Web Commonwealth.
Hiss—
Just the thought alone filled the people of the Star Web Commonwealth with genuine pride.
“We Star Web people are just too damn amazing!”
Amidst the celebrations, the Tianhu Star Fleet and Bai Fu once again landed in the headlines of trending topics.
After all, it was the Tianhu Star Fleet that transmitted the crucial intel, and it was Bai Fu who lured out the people from the Secret Tower, thereby exposing their scheme. Had there been any misstep along the way and allowed the Secret Tower’s plan to succeed, who knew how many people would have fallen victim to their terrorist attack.
In truth, Bai Fu’s contribution in the war on Tianhu Star wasn’t the greatest—at the very least, Hiye had contributed more than she did. But compared to Hiye, there were simply far more things to talk about when it came to Bai Fu.
First of all, Hiye had already been well-known in the Sea Lion System for a long time—everyone had seen plenty of her.
Secondly, Bai Fu was not only a newcomer, but a newcomer from the Dark Zone.
Finally, Bai Fu’s looks were in no way inferior to Hiye’s. In fact, she was taller, standing like a towering peak. At a glance, she seemed more capable of rallying public sentiment than Hiye.
The Star Web Commonwealth’s news media knew the moment they laid eyes on Bai Fu that they wouldn’t have to worry about lacking headlines for the foreseeable future.
A “queen” from a small civilization who emerged from the Dark Zone, entering the stars and, within just two and a half months, delivered a slap to the notorious Secret Tower, making a name for herself across the star sea—this was a story that needed only a bit of hype to generate more buzz than a schoolkid defeating world-class sprinters in a hundred-meter dash!
Thus, upon learning that Bai Fu was about to arrive at Azure Sky Star, a large number of reporters rushed to the military port there.
Traffic, delicious traffic—they loved it and wanted more!
They stood ready, and the moment they saw Bai Fu, they surged forward like a frenzy.
“Ah ah ah—”
Deafening screams filled Bai Fu’s ears.
...
“I knew it would come to this.”
Manu turned to look at Bai Fu. As a Star Web native, how could he not know the nature of the Star Web's media?
He hadn’t taken Bai Fu through a side path, but instead chose to walk straight through the main gate, precisely because he knew there was no way Bai Fu could shake off these reporters anytime soon. Since that was the case, it was better to graciously accept the interviews now, rather than let the reporters try all kinds of underhanded tactics. With him standing by her side, the reporters would restrain themselves somewhat and wouldn’t ask overly strange or inappropriate questions.
Like—
“Saint, Saint, do you have a partner?”
“Saint, Saint, how many Void Battle Maidens can you eat in one sitting?”
When it came to writing gossip news, Star Web journalists were at the forefront of the Initial Gate Galaxy Cluster’s industry.
Manu didn’t want a pure girl like Bai Fu, who hailed from the Dark Zone, to be led astray by these reporters and end up disgracing the Star Web.
After exchanging a few words with Manu and learning about the reputation of Star Web journalists, Bai Fu stepped forward to face the crowd.
Her favorite segment—gaining Faction Reputation—had arrived!
Seeing her approach, the few reporters at the front quickly fired off the questions they had prepared long ago.
Bai Fu knew very well that there were two key issues Star Web people cared most about right now. She had already done her homework before disembarking: first, whether she truly came from the Dark Zone; second, how she, who had dazzled so brightly on Tianhu Star, felt about the Star Web—especially the second question.
After news of the joint fleet's strike against the Secret Tower spread, Star Web citizens went wild online, endlessly praising the Star Web. This annoyed people from other civilizations.
Praising your damn self, huh.
Admittedly, the Star Web had performed well this time, but wasn’t it mostly Bai Fu who had exposed the Secret Tower’s mastermind? Bai Fu was from the Dark Zone—what did that have to do with the Star Web?
This rebuttal left many Star Web people disgruntled. They wanted to argue back but had no idea how to, because Bai Fu wasn’t nurtured by the Star Web, and she had never publicly expressed any affection for it either.
Bai Fu’s purpose in this interview was precisely to address these two doubts for the Star Web people.
“I do come from the Dark Zone, from a planet called the Ancestral Star…”
She repeated what she had previously said to Hiye. The difference was that this time, she adopted a method of praise followed by criticism. She first extolled the former beauty of the Ancestral Star, then described its misery after being polluted by psionic energy, and finally, she revealed a determined gaze.
“I believe that through the joint efforts of myself and all Ancestral Star people, the Ancestral Star will surely return to its former beautiful appearance—just like those Star Web planets that were once invaded by floods!”
At the end of her statement, she deliberately drew a comparison between the Star Web and the Ancestral Star, subtly complimenting the Star Web, which immediately boosted the favorability of those around her.
In truth, Bai Fu was merely laying the groundwork for what she was about to say next.
As for what she was about to say…
Haha, here comes Fluff Fu!
Right in front of all the cameras, Bai Fu directly launched into praising the Star Web.
Things like how Star Web people were passionate, kind, and brave; how she had previously misunderstood the Star Web due to the Chaos Starpath; and how it wasn’t until she came into contact with the Star Web that she realized how beautiful it was; how arriving here felt just like coming home.
To sum it up in one sentence—
We Star Web people are just too amazing!
This round of flattery left reporters, onlookers, and Star Web people watching the live broadcast utterly dazzled.
“So it turns out our Star Web is that great? Hearing this is making me a little embarrassed. Bai Fu couldn’t possibly be lying to us, right?”
“What’s there to lie about? The reason why the Saint’s praise feels a bit much is because you’re not seeing things from her perspective.”
“From Bai Fu’s perspective?”
“Think about it—she’s from the Dark Zone. Even if she’s like a queen in that civilization, she’s still a Dark Zone native. For someone like that to leave the Dark Zone and arrive at a big place like ours, wouldn’t everything seem amazing? But there’s no need to feel down—be confident. We Star Web really are impressive. Otherwise, someone as honest as the Saint wouldn’t keep praising us. Just look at how she never has anything nice to say about the Chaos Starpath.”
True that!
This analysis won widespread agreement from Star Web citizens, and their favorability toward Bai Fu surged dramatically.
If there were a poll now for the most popular person in the Star Web, Bai Fu would undoubtedly be at the top.
And that was exactly the effect Bai Fu was aiming for.
An interview?
It was just an advertisement for herself!
Premium Idol Bai Fu Would Never Fall from Grace, Those Wanting to Book Ads Better Hurry Meow!
Fighting and killing was exhausting and slow to make money. Filming a few commercials was much faster.
Bai Fu wasn’t worried at all about being accused of fraud.
What’s wrong with that, huh? Was it a crime for a simple country girl like her to say that a big city like the Star Web was beautiful?
Bai Fu was delighted, and so were the reporters interviewing her. If it weren’t for Manu’s urging, they would have continued asking for hundreds more questions.
“Lastly, does Saint Bai Fu have anything to say to everyone?”
Bai Fu cleared her throat and spoke with emotion: “I’ve heard all the compliments everyone has given me. What I want to say is, the victory in the Tianhu Star War wasn’t just my achievement—it was a collective honor earned by the countless people who fought bravely. Like General Manu, like Sister Hiye, like… and also like…”
As she spoke, Bai Fu suddenly paused and asked, “May I use this interview to send a message to a kind-hearted person?”
The reporter nodded.
Bai Fu said, “I’d like to thank a hero who came to Tianhu Star aboard one of the ships. It was he who, at a critical moment, gave me two Psionic S-Class Advancement Knowledges, which allowed me to create Prayer Cards capable of resisting the Insect Swarm invasion. He’s a good man, a good man who did good deeds without leaving his name. If I get the chance, I hope to thank him in person!”
Wow.
The reporters and crowd on-site all widened their eyes. So there was something like this? Giving away two S-Class Advancement Knowledges just like that, and not even leaving a name afterward—truly worthy of being one of our Star Web people, what a boost to the Star Web’s reputation!
Star Web citizens watching the news broadcast were also thrilled. No wonder Bai Fu had such a favorable impression of the Star Web.
The only ones unhappy were the members of the Secret Tower, who were also watching the news.
Kind-hearted person?
Wasn’t that Holt and his subordinates?
They killed Holt, and now she was making this kind of sarcastic remark in front of the media. It was utterly insulting!
“Let me take care of her.”
At that moment, Cersia stepped forward and made a request to the Chief Steward of the Secret Tower.
The Chief Steward pondered for a moment and approved Cersia’s request. Though the Secret Tower had suffered many losses in the Sea Lion System this time, it was worth noting that this operation had also confirmed the success of their research into the Dissociative Agent. By consuming the Dissociative Agent, they had successfully gained the ability to communicate with the Dark Zone Insect Swarm, laying a solid foundation for their return to the Initial Gate.
“I’ll assign some personnel to assist you. Go take care of Bai Fu, retrieve the Original Sample, and complete these tasks listed in the document while you’re at it.”
The Chief Steward sent a document to Cersia. Cersia quickly nodded, assuring that she would complete the mission.
Just the chance to lead a team on a mission alone, without needing to collaborate with others, already thrilled her. The thought of capturing Bai Fu and Hiye made her even more excited.
How should she deal with Bai Fu and Hiye then?
Certainly couldn’t just kill them outright.
She had to exact proper revenge. Otherwise, those scars they left on her would go to waste.
...
Azure Sky Star.
After leaving the crowd of reporters, Bai Fu followed Manu to the administrative center of the Star Web capital planet.
There, she and Hiye were received by the members of the Joint Council. The Star Web intended to strengthen ties with the Star Covenant, so the reception was conducted with great ceremony.
The banquet lasted until midnight. The next day, Bai Fu rose early and hurried off to meet representatives from the companies she had contacted earlier.
Yulia and Hiye followed her.
Hiye was deeply moved when she heard that Bai Fu wanted to take advertisements to earn money for her “homeland.”
Becoming an idol to save the Ancestral Star—wasn’t that just too cool?!
She immediately offered to help anchor the scene, in case Bai Fu got cheated by unscrupulous merchants.
Yulia’s reason was far simpler. A popular idol needed a manager, right? Great—she, Yulia, would take that role!
The negotiations between Bai Fu and those companies went extremely smoothly. Since it was her first time taking ads, she had put considerable effort into selecting her partners.
She definitely wouldn’t take ads from underwear brands, and she refused to work with companies that had shady reputations.
In the end, after negotiating six ad contracts, she effortlessly raked in over 5 million credits.
That price was actually on the high side. Hiring an S-Class esper to carry out dangerous missions usually cost that much. As for hiring celebrities and idols to shoot commercials… well, most Star Web stars and idols weren’t worth nearly that much. The only reason these six companies were willing to offer such generous contracts was because, first, Bai Fu had just massively boosted her public image with her Fluff Fu performance yesterday—her entire persona practically radiated righteousness—and second, she now belonged to the Star Covenant, with Hiye personally backing her.
How could they not raise the price in such a situation?
After sending off the company representatives, Bai Fu made a special visit to meet with the Sea Lion System representative of the Pan-Galactic Commission Platform.
The Pan-Galactic Commission Platform was a colossal presence across the entire known universe. Although the platform’s actual controller hadn’t reached the Transcendent tier, his network of connections was vast. He maintained solid ties with the three major cosmic civilizations and most Transcendent-level espers.
Becoming the poster girl for such a platform, even if only for one division, would be hugely beneficial for Bai Fu’s public profile.
The platform’s desire to have Bai Fu as their poster girl stemmed precisely from her identity.
A queen from the Dark Zone who, within just two months of registering with the Pan-Galactic Commission Platform, had rocketed to top-tier popularity in the Sea Lion System.
Maximum promotional effect, obviously!
Join the Pan-Galactic Commission Platform and become a Hunter—maybe the next Bai Fu could be you!
Bai Fu chatted and laughed effortlessly with the platform representative.
Upon learning that Bai Fu planned to officially launch her registered private military company, Dark Tide of the Moon, the platform representative, Abel, immediately expressed interest in forming a deeper partnership. He offered to act as an intermediary between Dark Tide of the Moon and potential clients. A private military company composed of Undeads was sure to draw a great deal of attention.
The two parties reached an agreement. Abel paid Bai Fu 800,000 credits, and Bai Fu filmed a set of promotional videos for him.
“Pleasure doing business, Miss Bai Fu!”
“Pleasure doing business!”
In just one day, Bai Fu had become a small rich lady carrying over 6 million credits.
With money in hand, the next logical step was, of course, to go on a shopping spree!
“You’re buying psionic crystals?” Hiye called out to Bai Fu.
Bai Fu nodded. “What’s wrong? Is something off?”
Hiye replied, “Don’t go to the trading center. It’s too expensive, and the quality is inconsistent. Just apply through the Star Covenant. For bulk orders, low-purity psionic crystals only cost 18,000 credits each.”
“!”
Whoa—18,000? That’s 7,000 cheaper than the trading center!
Saving 7,000 per crystal meant saving 700,000 on 100 crystals. The value of joining the Star Covenant and hugging Hiye’s thigh just increased again!
Under Hiye’s guidance, Bai Fu logged into the internal mall of the Star Covenant and purchased 200 low-purity psionic crystals in one go. She also bought a large quantity of Prayer Card raw materials, Assembly Line materials for Prayer Cards, mechanical manufacturing materials, and some special equipment.
Such as a virtual battle platform, and a low-level AI system—these were things she intended to install in her main base, Ulysses, to serve the players.
While waiting for the delivery, Bai Fu filmed advertisements with the six companies she had previously signed with, brushing her face in Azure Sky Star several more times.
On the fifth day, the goods were delivered from the Star Covenant headquarters to Azure Sky Star. Upon receiving the psionic crystals, Bai Fu first used 30 crystals to upgrade Psionic Construction and Apostle’s Will to Lv2. This allowed her to control two psionic constructs that could persist and be upgraded.
The first psionic construct was a combat suit; the second was reserved for a weapon.
Bai Fu modeled a brand-new psionic construct after the Dark Scepter, then invested 34 more crystals to upgrade Psionic Construct - Fu II and Psionic Construct - Dark Scepter both to level 5.
The Lv5 Fu II combat suit provided attribute boosts of +70 Strength and +112 Agility, and added new functions: color change (including transparency) and -5% physical damage.
The Lv5 Dark Scepter could still freely switch between three forms, but the switching speed had increased. Active psionic skill effects were enhanced by 33%, and it additionally granted 20 points of Inspiration and 20 psionic regeneration per second.
These two psionic constructs brought Bai Fu a significant boost in power.
“-5% physical damage—I've become tankier,”
Bai Fu chuckled to herself.
Now that she had a psionic construct version of the Dark Scepter, the original one became obsolete. She planned to use it as a prize—“Bai Fu’s Lightly Used Dark Scepter”—and hype it up as bait to fleece the players once she returned to Ulysses.
As for how? Just like the last time during the celebration on the Ancestral Star. Old tricks didn’t matter—if they worked, they worked. Besides, she had other methods waiting for those players who were sitting on mountains of almost-overflowing experience points.
“Eat up.”
Bai Fu handed the remaining psionic crystals to Yulia.
Yulia didn’t hold back. The stronger she became, the more she could help Bai Fu—and make Bai Fu more reliant on her.
After consuming 27 psionic crystals in a row, she finally stopped. She clearly felt a massive surge of heat flowing inside her body. That heat was blocked by some obstacle, but under the pressure of the surge, the obstacle was ultimately shattered.
Hua—
The surging energy gushed out from the breach where the obstacle had collapsed.
At that moment, Yulia felt she had surpassed a peak and reached a higher mountain.
She had advanced!
After being stuck at B-rank for years, she finally stepped into a new world.
“Main class total level 51, 31 levels lower than me, but regardless of level or the rating system of the star sea, Yulia has now officially stepped into the A-rank!”
Nice!
Bai Fu was overjoyed.
Yulia didn’t just level up—many of her skills were also upgraded, and she even gained several new ones. Her strength had increased by several times. Although her level was still lower than Vik’s, in a real fight, Vik might not be her match.
Her Awakening Progress also jumped from 1.4% to 8.1% in one go.
“How do you feel?” Bai Fu asked.
Yulia replied, “I can’t digest any more psionic crystals for now. As for my strength… why don’t you try it for yourself? Since your body has changed too. How about this—I’ll check your body, and you check mine.”
With that, she dragged Bai Fu into the lab.
During past experiments with Bai Fu, she never made it to the normal end of the experiment. This time, she was full of confidence and wanted to teach Bai Fu a lesson. She even emptied all the water in the lab in advance, hoping to watch Bai Fu beg her for water.
Bai Fu’s comment on this?
“Bai Fu banters at the door—knows not the depth.”
Level, stamina, combat technique—she had the upper hand in all. What did Yulia have to fight with?
As expected, even though Yulia was full of confidence, she was utterly defeated by Bai Fu.
“With all your power-ups, you still haven’t mastered a faster way to recharge psionic energy?” Bai Fu asked, puzzled.
Yulia shook her head.
She actually had mastered it long ago. She could recharge Bai Fu’s psionic energy remotely—but she simply chose not to. She was just playing around!
The next day, after bidding farewell to Manu and the others, Bai Fu and Hiye piloted their ship toward Ulysses.
She could hardly wait to start milking the players.
Without farming experience, she felt all kinds of uncomfortable.
Besides squeezing the players, she had a lot of other things to do. For instance, having Yulia use the Original Sample of the Dissociative Agent to produce more doses, allowing her, Yulia, Hiye, and Xia Shi to all trigger Psychic Mutations. Or having Hiye find professionals to locate other novice planets, so she could go harvest some newbies.
Oh right, she also needed to start preparing for promotion to Cataclysm-level.
Cataclysm-level was a very special rank. Even if one had the level and the Advancement Knowledge, completing the advancement was still extremely difficult. That was because Cataclysm-level was a transcendence of life itself. Only by reaching a certain threshold of life intensity could one advance. In simpler terms, it required exceeding a certain attribute baseline and completing special Awakening Tasks.
“Starting now, I need to find ways to boost my Inspiration as much as possible. Special tasks, special items, racial evolution…”
There were many paths—but none were easy.
Take it slow. There was no rushing this kind of thing.
Right now, she still had two main story quests: Vik and the Ancestral Star. Completing either would likely net her significant benefits.
First, Bai Fu asked the commission platform to promote the name of her private military company, Dark Tide of the Moon.
Riding on the wind of her new role as the poster girl of the commission platform, Dark Tide of the Moon quickly drew lots of attention.
Just as the ship was about to arrive at Ulysses, she received a commission request.
[Client: Holy Blessing Cult]
Wait a second—wasn’t that one of the three forces seeking the True Spirit Pillar?
Back when she first entered the star sea, she had gone through a lot of trouble trying to avoid being tracked by those three groups.
Bai Fu’s eyes narrowed.
The Holy Blessing Cult was a religious organization headquartered in the Sea Lion System. It worshipped psionic energy and was rumored to be backed by an even more powerful force—though no one knew who that was.
“Let’s engage and see. Let’s find out if they’ve come for the True Spirit Pillar. If possible, maybe I can extract more intelligence about it from them.”