ctnovel The final tutorial in Chapter 5: The Homestead System
The final tutorial in Chapter 5: The Homestead System
After Jiang Yong traversed the dense forest for a while, the settlement notification on the panel finally appeared.
Veteran Bart has taught you combat techniques; you have gained 0 experience points.
[The contractor "Veteran Bart" has come to challenge us!]
Veteran Bart has dispatched "ship-eating insects"!
……
You killed veteran Bart, gaining 0 experience points.
[You have defeated a level 5 Ship-Eating Bug, gaining 0 experience points.]
[You have killed veteran Bart again, gaining 0 experience points.]
Jiang Yong's eyes twitched as he watched. If this misjudgment continued, this broken panel would be ruined sooner or later.
……
You have earned the approval of veteran Bart.
"6".
[Mission
"Another 2000 experience points have been credited to my account."
Jiang Yong skillfully invested all his experience points into Xi Yong, raising her to level 20.
(Doubt), (Full of food), (Refreshing), (Trying to share)
The meaning of "doubt" is easy to understand; it simply means not knowing why one is suddenly full. However, the emotion of "trying to share" surprised Jiang Yong slightly. He had not expected that Xi Yong could have such a slightly more complex way of thinking, and then he couldn't help but smile helplessly.
It wasn't that he didn't want to upgrade himself, but rather that he was too clean and there was nothing worth investing in.
A contractor's level depends on the sum of the levels of all their professions; the higher the total level, the more experience is required to level up. Each profession has its own characteristics, additional skills, attribute biases, and development potential, making the choice of profession a crucial consideration for players. Jiang Yong currently only has the "Unemployed" profession, even worse than the starting profession "Recruit" for most players; leveling it up would be a pure waste of experience. The "Vacuum Sensing Technique" is only the most basic skill, and its upgrade efficiency is lower than that of the "Chrysalis" technique, which has unlocked the Necromancer branch.
In addition to this, Jiang Yong had an even more important consideration.
"The combat strength on Planet Carlo isn't high. Even the weakest F-rank contractors are extremely rare, and they're referred to as 'experts' here. After discovering my whereabouts, Tiandu City will probably send two or three contractors of this level to hunt me down. I'm only level 1 now, so the pressure will be immense."
"But once I complete the final tutorial, the experience I gain will be enough for the Chrysalis to evolve and its strength to increase significantly. Plus, the locals are unfamiliar with the undead attribute..."
"In short, the advantage is on my side!"
(Confused)
"...It's okay, I'll treat you to something nice later."
Jiang Yong rubbed his forehead, then stopped and looked around: "Not bad, the terrain is high and provides cover, this will do. Hopefully we won't have to wait too long."
He then sat down on the spot, continuing to cultivate the "Vacuum Induction Method" to gain experience points while patiently waiting, and incidentally releasing the pupa onto the ground to pupa.
A moment later, the panel finally refreshed and displayed new information.
[New Mission: Lesson 3: Homestead!]
[Mission Description: Besides interstellar exploration, a comfortable space for you and your elf companions to rest, as well as a stable logistical supply chain, are of paramount importance. Follow the instructions to begin constructing your home and lay the foundation for your future life!]
That's right, the final part of the tutorial missions is the Homestead System, which is the most important source of logistics and economy for players in the early stages and an indispensable weapon in the later stages.
As we all know, a contractor can only fuse with a limited number of spirits at the same time, but there is no limit to the number of spirits that can be contracted. This leads to the fact that, except for a very few exceptional warriors, almost everyone will encounter problems such as having too many spirits and nowhere to take them, or not being able to use or afford to raise some of the spirits.
In traditional Pokémon games, the solution to this problem is the "Poké Ball." However, while Star Age: Evolution also features a similar "Fusion Ball," its use is subject to strict limitations.
As designed, the "fusion sphere" stores spirits in a way that mimics the principle of body fusion between contractors. However, most inexpensive fusion spheres are not comfortable for spirits and are only suitable for short-term carrying. Most interstellar civilizations even have explicit rules prohibiting the long-term confinement of spirits in fusion spheres, believing that this would lead to a decline in the intimacy and rapport between the spirit and its master, and even cause psychological problems and the risk of losing control, which are considered moral and safety hazards.
But one can't die from holding in one's pee. After countless trials and improvements, a "Homestead System" specifically for the Contractor system was created.
The foundation of this system remains "vacuum energy." Once a contractor finds a desirable area, they can use their vacuum energy to gradually permeate the space and matter there. After reaching a certain standard, the contractor will develop a high affinity with the area, and both the contractor and their contracted spirit will receive faster recovery speeds and significant attribute bonuses when in this location.
Once contractors reach the later stages of their development and master spatial abilities, they can carry their own homes with them and deploy them directly in battle, granting their side extremely high amplification effects; they can even build their homes into war fortresses in advance, providing amplification while also covering firepower!
In the early stages, many people choose to set up production equipment in their homesteads, allowing the pets they keep there to perform simple tasks such as generating electricity, planting, and forging. If managed well, this can not only generate a considerable amount of output, but also train the pets to gain experience and even increase their affinity.
—Your feeling is correct, it's basically a sewn-up version of "Fantasy Beasts*Lu".
Each contractor can only bind one homestead at a time, but it can be changed, and the area increases with the level. Moreover, once you have a little money, you can bind your homestead to your private spaceship and take it anywhere, without being confined to a fixed area.
However, that's a matter for later. For Jiang Yong, the most urgent task is to quickly obtain the completion reward of the tutorial, and then use the terrain advantage provided by his homestead to deal with the pursuers behind him.
[Follow the map directions to choose a home in the residential area. Distance: 297214...]
Jiang Yong was already familiar with the system's behavior. As usual, he ignored the long string of numbers and started doing high knee jogging in place. Before long, the system triggered a check.
[Do you want to choose this location as your starting home?]
"……Sure."
Jiang Yong glanced at the unchanging landscape around him and nodded in confirmation with practiced ease. Then, a whole host of information suddenly appeared in his mind.
You have learned the skill "Anchoring"!
"Anchoring": A technique that utilizes vacuum energy to bind an area to a home.
[Note: Do not use this skill in the public domain of the Federal Republic; otherwise, you will be subject to a fine of up to 20 Star Coins and 5 to 10 days of detention, depending on the severity of the offense.]
[Use skills to bind to your initial homestead...]
Jiang Yong activated the vacuum energy according to the information in his memory, and white flames reappeared from his body.
However, this time it was different from the surging power during battle. Instead, it was like some kind of burning fluid, flowing along his body to the ground, pooling at his feet, and then gradually expanding. After occupying an area of about several tens of square meters, it stopped spreading. Then it began to burn more and more fiercely, with the high-flying flames seemingly able to burn the void, causing the surrounding air to distort slightly, but without the slightest feeling of heat.
As the vacuum energy rapidly dissipated, Jiang Yong's stamina began to plummet. The feeling of exhaustion, like the last ten seconds of a plank, swept over his entire body, causing his legs to tremble and his clothes to be soaked with sweat. He could only hold onto his knees with both hands, gritting his teeth to squeeze out every last bit of vacuum energy to maintain the release of "anchoring".
"Damn it, I miscalculated..."
His expression was slightly distorted.
This isn't part of the normal beginner's game experience—the homesteads provided by interstellar civilizations use energy-affinity materials, with binding costs far less than natural materials, making them incredibly smooth to use. By the time contractors need to build outposts on the surface of newly developed planets and relocate their homes, they're generally already in their teens or twenties, so handling this level of resource consumption is no problem for them.
As it turned out, Jiang Yong overlooked this point and suffered an unnecessary injury.
After a long while, just as Jiang Yong's vision was about to black out, the frantically leaking vacuum energy stopped abruptly after reaching a certain threshold. At the same time, pleasing text finally appeared on the panel.
You've gained a new home!
[Quest