ctnovel Chapter 6 Rewards Settlement and the Chase
Chapter 6 Rewards Settlement and the Chase
As the notification on the panel refreshed, the white flames that had filled the entire space quickly faded and dimmed, as if they had merged into the ground.
"Finally done, phew..."
Jiang Yong swayed, then plopped down on the ground. After catching his breath for a moment, he raised his hand to wipe the hair and sweat sticking to his face, and casually stroked the cocoon that had just come over and seemed a little lost.
He could feel the land around him, every blade of grass and tree on it, and even the air flowing into it, all becoming incredibly intimate with him. In just a few breaths, abundant energy surged into his body with the air that filled his mouth and nose, invigorating him and dispelling his previous fatigue and lethargy. His almost depleted stamina began to recover at a visible rate.
[You have entered the Homestead area and are beginning to receive Homestead buffs!]
Your health and stamina regeneration rate is increased by 100%, and you will regenerate an additional 1% of your maximum health per second!
[All your skills have their cost reduced by 10% and cooldown time reduced by 20%!]
Your entire set of attributes has been increased by 20%!
[Your experience gain efficiency has increased by 10%!]
(The above effects apply simultaneously to the contractor and all contracted spirits within the home's area.)
"Cool!"
(Cool!)
Looking at the long list of buffs and feeling a real sense of fulfillment, Jiang Yong let out a heartfelt sigh, then rubbed his hands together excitedly. With the homestead buff, his chances of dealing with the pursuers from Tiandu City would increase significantly—the homestead system was a technique created after interstellar societies had developed for a long time, and it was nothing but a fantasy for surface civilizations.
Moreover, even in his previous life when playing games, almost no one would venture into the enemy's home territory to fight when their levels were similar. This experience of being able to beat up people in their own home territory so early in the game was something that even a veteran player who had lived two lives would find very novel.
"not to mention……"
You have completed all the beginner tutorial tasks!
[Claim your reward now?]
Jiang Yong looked at the message that floated silently on the panel, then looked down at the excitedly flitting pupa, and said with anticipation, "The main event has only just begun!"
"Once you collect these experience points, you can evolve!"
Then he suddenly waved his hand and slammed it into the non-existent virtual panel.
"Yes, collect it immediately!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the previously semi-transparent panel burst into light!
You have become a qualified recruit and are about to officially embark on the journey to develop the Fire Ring Galaxy, facing the unknown and challenges, enhancing your strength and knowledge, and making new friends and partners...
The Arcadis Federation looks forward to your performance and will always be your strongest support.
Before your journey officially begins, the Federation has a few final small gifts for you, hoping they will be of assistance...
……
Immediately afterward, to Jiang Yong's astonishment, several real items appeared in the light of the panel and landed in his hands!
You have obtained "Explorer's Belt"*1!
You have obtained 10 "Basic Recovery Potions"!
You have obtained 10 "Fusion Orbs"!
You have obtained "Interstellar Communication Terminal" *1!
You have gained 10000 experience points!
After the final rewards were tallied, the light on the panel faded, returning to its illusory state. The items that had appeared earlier floated in mid-air for a short while before falling back to the ground with a clanging sound, which startled Jiang Yong, who was still in a daze.
"...The control panel can actually distribute items directly??"
Jiang Yong snapped out of his daze, squatted down, picked up a few items from the scattered pile of objects, carefully examined them to confirm they weren't illusions or fakes, and then his eyes gradually lit up with surprise, his smile becoming increasingly twisted.
"I should have said so earlier! I wasn't even expecting any rewards from the start!"
"Isn't this just indiscriminate killing?"
He pounded his chest hard, making a dull thud to vent his excitement.
Previously, when the interface readily provided him with knowledge and experience points but required him to travel over 30,000 light-years to retrieve an elf, Jiang Yong assumed his game system could only transmit data and couldn't generate real items, thus lowering his expectations for the beginner quest rewards. This latest development, however, truly gave him a huge surprise.
"I don't know what the limitations of the panel are. These equipment, like the initial spirits, are supposed to be obtained on-site in the Federation's area... Could it be that they can't provide life? Do plants like nutrient fruits count?"
While lost in thought, Jiang Yong quickly began organizing the newly acquired supplies.
Basic items like fusion orbs and recovery potions need no introduction, but what pleased Jiang Yong the most were the "Explorer's Belt" and the "Interstellar Communication Terminal".
The "Explorer's Belt" is a storage device with a hidden five-cubic-meter storage space inside. It cannot hold living beings, but it can store fusion orbs. In advanced civilizations, it would be a basic piece of equipment for every person, but on a surface civilization like Carlo, which can't even go into space, it's a complete cheat code!
Having this item is like having an inventory in a regular game, which greatly enhances the gaming experience.
The "Interstellar Communication Terminal" is one of the cornerstones of interstellar society, roughly equivalent to a modern smartphone. It is used to access information networks in the universe anytime, anywhere, and to use one's own virtual assets. Its importance goes without saying, and its greatness needs no further explanation.
After putting on the Explorer's Belt and tossing the scattered potions and fusion orbs into his storage space, Jiang Yong eagerly activated the communication terminal and skillfully began operating it with a hint of anticipation.
"...Okay, no signal after all."
After fiddling with it for a while, Jiang Yong shook his head as expected, but he wasn't discouraged—this model of terminal was the most basic one given to new recruits, typically used on planets that had already been marked and included in the signal coverage area. In 3301, the Federation's exploration of the Fire Ring system had only just begun, and Carlo Star was located deep within the system, far beyond the Federation's current signal coverage. Jiang Yong would be completely bewildered if there really was a signal.
Terminals capable of transmitting signals over extremely long distances do exist, but the requirements are much higher; they can only be purchased by the user or obtained after undertaking more challenging exploration missions.
But this doesn't mean it's just for show. Besides internet connectivity, this terminal, specifically designed for planetary explorers, has a wealth of practical local functions to help them cope with various potential crises. These include, but are not limited to, life radar, terrain scanning, an encyclopedia of spirits, matter analysis, and data capabilities capable of overwhelming surface civilizations with their information technology, and much more…
For Jiang Yong, these were the truly valuable aspects, which could give him various unexpected advantages.
Like right now!
Jiang Yong manipulated the terminal, causing a metal probe to extend from its top. He then took the walkie-talkie he had previously obtained from the agent and inserted it into the probe. The probe itself began to liquefy, seeping into the walkie-talkie's seams. After a moment, the walkie-talkie emitted static, which gradually transformed into clear speech. A map even lit up on the terminal screen, clearly showing the locations of several other signal sources.
They can even hack into primitive walkie-talkies and significantly improve signal reception range; that's how powerful the products of interstellar civilization are.
"(Buzz—) This way."
"(Buzz—) Are you sure this is the mark left by that expert? He didn't have a vehicle or a Flying-type Pokémon? He just walked?"
"It is a bit strange, but it's more likely that the person simply discovered the scene by chance and took action after cleaning it up, rather than planning it. The situation you were worried about, sir, didn't happen..."
"But he'll most likely report him to a nearby city-state (ssss) so we can get rid of him in time."
"...The hunter bat is reacting again. This time it's this way, and he's moving uphill..."
Wow, it's being broadcast live!
Jiang Yong almost laughed. When the call connected, he thought he would only hear conversations between pursuers and radio operators, simple reports of location and status, and that the communication would be intermittent and constantly switching on and off. It seemed that no matter how far apart they were, their real-time communication was always on.
This approach has its advantages, such as the lookout who successfully escaped benefiting from it. However, the downside is that if the communications are hacked, the entire team's security is compromised.
However, Tiandu City has always possessed the strongest technological capabilities in the entire Carol Federation; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to create Lord-level elves. Their subordinates basically never considered the possibility of being hacked themselves.
"There are three people coming this way. At their current speed, they'll be here in a few minutes."
In a short while, his stamina had almost fully recovered. Jiang Yong rolled to his feet, turned to look at his cocoon, and smiled.
"Ready to evolve?"