107: Chapter 107 On the Eve of Returning to Earth

Two missiles produced by Blue Star were handed to Master Engineer Gena of the Raccoon race; the Shael gave him only three days to crack them.

As an engineering product of an unknown civilization, engineering also belongs to a type of 'Humanity Power.' Without understanding the logic behind the 'Humanity Power' of an unknown civilization, no matter what level of engineering product the missile was, it would not be easy to crack, even for a master-level engineer.

"Three days is definitely not enough for normal research. The only way is to use an 'Engineering Branch' to break through. Is there anyone among the students who hasn't selected an engineering branch willing to use this item as a guide to determine their branch?"

Determining the engineering branch as [Blue Star Branch Engineering] would make it easy to crack the secrets of these two missiles.

Master Engineer Gena had already determined his own engineering branch, so this matter could only be left to the newly advanced junior engineers.

An engineering branch from an unknown civilization, and a low-level one that had never participated in the Star Chess War at that—choosing such an engineering branch was undoubtedly sabotaging one's own future.

Yet, many Raccoons on the scene still voluntarily attempted to comprehend this engineering branch line. There was no help for it; after all, this was a task issued by the City Lord, and the Raccoon race were servants of the Shael.

But engineering requires talent. One after another, the Raccoons stepped forward, attempting to use the 'Blue Star Missile' as a guide to determine their branch, but without exception, they all failed.

If the base number was large enough, talent could be ignored. Not all young Raccoons were willing to sacrifice their future as a dowry. Master Engineer Gena did not immediately force all the junior engineers present but instead spoke up,

"This concerns the City Lord's task; if it's not completed, the whole race will suffer. I'll leave the item here. For the next two days, any young engineer willing to contribute to the Raccoon race can come and contemplate it at any time. After two days, if no one can comprehend the branch of this item, I will have no choice but to force you all to comprehend it one by one."

After leaving these words, Master Engineer Gena walked away with his hands behind his back. His retreating figure looked somewhat desolate; it was unclear whether it was because of the lack of willingness to contribute from most young Raccoons, or because of the harshness of the City Lord's task.

Chen Aoyun, disguised as a Raccoon, remained calm. Ten seconds ago, his mission had updated:

[Tang Junlin's Guidance: The conditions to return to Blue Star are ripe. You have two choices: Choice one, after mastering the 'Blue Star Engineering Branch,' touch the mission item directly; the mission item will provide a Blue Star anchor point and take you directly back to the Blue Star world. Choice two, after determining the 'Blue Star Engineering Branch,' report to Black Smoke Bastion and lead the existence from the other world back to Blue Star together.]

It seemed only a traitor would choose the second option, but Chen Aoyun did not jump to conclusions. He did not think Tang Junlin was giving him an opportunity to come to another world to become a traitor to humanity. The branch mission stated clearly that he was here to understand the enemy and to dig pits for the traitorous civilizations of Blue Star.

There were two days left before his disguise expired and two days left until Master Engineer Gena's deadline. Chen Aoyun prepared to gather intelligence first before making any plans.

Black Smoke Bastion was a city that had nights but never slept, especially since it housed a large number of servant races. The servant races worked day and night, belonging to the true definition of pure beasts of burden.

Mingling among the hurried beasts of burden, Chen Aoyun first bought a map of Black Smoke Bastion, and then, following the markings on the map, he prepared to explore two special buildings: the library and the auction house.

He arrived at the library of Black Smoke Bastion first. Chen Aoyun had not expected that for the Shael, who had the appearance of beasts, the city's library would be so large! It covered an area roughly the size of a football field. Looking up, the height disappeared into the nightfall. Was the height truly lost in the nightfall, or did the black smoke billowing from the top of the building restrict his vision?

It didn't matter, because before Chen Aoyun, disguised as a member of the servant race, paid a silver coin to enter the library, he was informed in an icy tone by the Shael guards watching the library: servant races could only consult materials on the first floor of the library; any attempt to climb the stairs to higher levels would be regarded as a provocation and executed on the spot!

He only had ten silver coins, which were the rewards after the battle with the Naga ended. It didn't matter if he couldn't reach the higher levels; the collection on the first floor was already enough for Chen Aoyun to read.

Under the protection of Tang Junlin's mission, Chen Aoyun not only had the disguise of a Raccoon but could also read most of the characters of 'Terry World.'

Chen Aoyun focused on reading books related to the Star Chess War. Although a large portion of the images provided by Tang Junlin were related to the Star Chess War, there was a big difference between the macro perspective and the detailed explanations in the books.

He stayed in the library for a full day and night, and Chen Aoyun managed to thoroughly understand the content related to the Star Chess War and the invasion. "Invading Blue Star using the Star Chess War requires three stages: the Contact Stage, the Arrival Stage, and the Annexation Stage. There is very little that can be done during the invasion in the Contact Stage, and it is impossible to send out powerful individuals... None of the books here mention 'Closed Beta,' so it seems Tang Junlin's work is indeed unique."

Thinking of this, Chen Aoyun became conflicted: should he really be a guide? Terry World had already discovered the existence of Blue Star and seemed very interested in it; invasion was only a matter of time. Rather than leaving Terry World without doing anything, why not take advantage of the fact that the Game of National Destiny closed beta had not yet disappeared and become a guide?

The rules of the closed beta were different from a proper Star Chess War, and powerful individuals could not be sent out during the Contact Stage. If he brought existences from another world into Blue Star, the ones who would be confused and restricted would definitely be these invaders!

Moreover, there were some civilizations on Blue Star that were easily bewitched. Instead of not knowing when a traitorous civilization would catch the eye of their wild daddy, it would be better to actively participate in it himself. If he could be a middleman, that would be even better; if not, he could at least know himself and the enemy.

He smiled bitterly, "It seems I am destined to be this guide. I hope this decision won't make me a sinner of Blue Star."

Chen Aoyun did not like to cause trouble, but he would not avoid it when it came. After making up his mind to be a guide, Chen Aoyun walked out of the library. With a day and a half left, on the way to the auction house, Chen Aoyun had a doubt in his heart, "There isn't a single book about the history of Terry World in the library. Are these books on the higher levels, or do people of the other world not have the habit of recording history?"

Not every civilization liked to write and record things like the Huaxia Civilization. Not to mention the other world, even among other civilizations on Blue Star of the same race, the only one that properly recorded history was Huaxia.

Tang Junlin herself did not know the reason for her own strength, but Chen Aoyun offered a guess: "Tang Junlin said Blue Star is special; her strength is related to Blue Star and the Huaxia Civilization. Could it be that what she meant was this point about recording history?"

Recording history, having inheritance, having disciplined records, sorting out history, taking history as a mirror, and the civilization's records must not be interrupted; the script must be inherited, and future generations must be able to read it. Among such civilizations, Blue Star only has Huaxia.

'Humanity Power' is the source of strength for a race and a civilization; the recording of history is very important!

Walking step by step on the stone road of Black Smoke Bastion, a flash of realization suddenly crossed Chen Aoyun's mind. It seemed that his previous thoughts complemented something, but the inspiration flashed by and was not caught.

In his thoughts, Chen Aoyun had already arrived at the auction house of Black Smoke Bastion. Opening the auction house page, the dazzling array of goods made Chen Aoyun gasp. "Skill scrolls for general skills? Even the cheapest and lowest-grade ones cost 1 gold coin?"

'General Skills' corresponded to the skills in the [Path of the Professional] during the closed beta, but they transcended the limitations of 'professions' and could be flexibly matched. If this stuff could be brought back to Blue Star in large quantities, it would allow all the [Roleplayers] of the Dragon Kingdom to become 'all-rounders.' It seemed that there was no difference in skill effect compared to the skills in the [Path of the Professional] in terms of intensity, but it could bring strategic changes to conquering the Game of National Destiny. It was of great significance!

He continued to view the auction house page, "Look at what this is! Star Chess War reward items that can be used off-field! Items that are regarded as foundations by various countries on Blue Star are actually just thrown into the auction house here?"

Thinking about it, it was reasonable. Terry World was conducting Star Chess Wars all the time, and there were rewards for Star Chess Wars. Weren't those two Blue Star engineering missiles found by the Shael from the rewards? From simple technological weapons to Star Chess War rewards. The originally ordinary missiles became 'engineering items' blessed by the rules once they arrived in Terry World, which was also the reason why Master Engineer Gena could not easily crack them.

A large number of foundation items, regarded as treasures on Blue Star, were lying on the auction house page. Chen Aoyun was envious, but he couldn't afford them. Any foundation item of the lowest quality was priced at over a hundred gold. Chen Aoyun only had 9 coins in his hand and couldn't afford them at all. There were also various potions, equipment, and engineering gadgets in the auction house... these things could help in the Game of National Destiny if brought back to Blue Star, but he just couldn't afford them.

"Are even books sold here? What is this? A biography of a Raccoon noble?" There was no general history like in Huaxia. Much like other civilizations on Blue Star, it was based on families, great people, and strong individuals, recording clues to 'Humanity Power.' Chen Aoyun needed intelligence on Terry World. The library only had books in the knowledge category. A silver coin was very cheap, so Chen Aoyun bought this biography of the Raccoon noble at a fixed price.

[Ding~ You have obtained an item from another world; Backpack System activated.] A golden finger? No, every race surviving in Terry World had a backpack system. Ignoring weight, identical items could be stacked up to 99. It was just that Chen Aoyun's backpack was too small, a 5-slot bag. The auction house sold larger backpacks, but an 8-slot bag cost three gold, and he couldn't afford it.

"Earn money, earn money, earn money. If I can find a way to earn money, I can stock up when I come to Terry World next time!" Just as Chen Aoyun was thinking about how to earn money, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an engineering order on the auction page! [Exquisite Cloud Copper Arrow Order: With this order, one can submit Exquisite Cloud Copper Arrows at the Black Smoke Bastion administrator; Cloud Copper Arrows X20 as a set, purchase price 5 silver. (Order valid for 3 months)]

One piece of Cloud Copper ore cost 2 silver coins and could produce a set of Cloud Copper Arrows. Subtracting the cost, he could net 3 silver. The most critical thing was that a junior engineer could craft it. There were only two days left before returning to Blue Star, and he didn't know when he would come to Terry World next time. This order had risks, but after thinking about it, Chen Aoyun still bought the order for 5 silver and bought two pieces of Cloud Copper ore while he was at it.

With not a single penny left, just as Chen Aoyun was about to close the auction page, a commodity called "Arcane Dust" caught his attention. He was attracted by the price; this thing was sold very expensively. A set of 20 Arcane Dust cost two thousand gold, averaging one hundred gold each. But the function of this thing was worth its price!

This was an item that could adjust the values of 'General Skills.' Taking the general skill [Mighty Strike] mastered by Chen Aoyun as an example: [Mighty Strike: Inflict damage on the target with (Level + Strength) X2 of self's attack power]. If Arcane Dust was used to change the value, 'X2' could be gradually increased to '2.1'... '2.5'... '3'! After the increase, the effect would become [Mighty Strike: Inflict damage on the target with (Level + Strength) X3 of self's attack power]! From 'X2' to 'X3,' if one wanted to increase it further, they would need to use the more expensive 'Arcane Essence,' one thousand gold coins each!

Besides this, 'Pseudo Heroic Spirit Skills' also had corresponding upgrade items: 'Magic Light Fragments,' one fragment for ten thousand gold! Skills could be upgraded! Another good thing! It was so meaningful for Tang Junlin to let him come to Terry World in advance!

In Chen Aoyun's heart, there was the Peach Blossom Spring of Huaxia, and Heroic Spirits were his trump card. But in a Game of National Destiny, Heroic Spirits could not be summoned at will; it required Construction Power and the completion of their respective storylines. However, to obtain Construction Power, the Roleplayers and Strategists themselves had to be strong enough, otherwise, it would be like walking a tightrope as in the last Game of National Destiny. Items that could change values were very good, one could say they were incredibly good. Chen Aoyun dared not imagine how simple it would be to obtain Construction Power on the battlefield of the Game of National Destiny if all the Roleplayers and Strategists of the Dragon Kingdom used these things to strengthen their own abilities!

Not just for the closed beta version of the Game of National Destiny, even if the real Star Chess War descended, these things could help humanity resist the invasion! Where was Terry World strong? Perhaps besides the high-level foundation items not thrown into the auction house, the skills of the Strategists and Roleplayers were all enhanced, which was the confidence they had to invade other worlds! Good things were expensive; Chen Aoyun was already drooling. But with not a penny left, Chen Aoyun could only choose to silently close the auction house page.

After closing the auction page, Chen Aoyun became even more determined: he would come to Terry World again, and he would come often. "Anchor point! The guidance mission mentioned an anchor point in Terry World. I must set the anchor point in Terry World before returning to Blue Star." Establishing an anchor point was part of Tang Junlin's guidance mission and did not require Chen Aoyun to pay anything; he just needed to choose a place where no one was around to set it. Finding a secluded corner of the city wall, Chen Aoyun set the anchor point and returned to the Raccoon race's stronghold to rest for the night.

The next morning, there was only this last day left before his disguise expired. Chen Aoyun was preparing to be a guide! The two Blue Star missiles, which had become engineering items due to the blessing of special rules, were lying quietly by the side of Master Gena's lecture podium. Today, Gena still did not lecture and sat silently on the side with his eyes closed. Chen Aoyun, disguised as a Raccoon, walked over and reached out to touch one of the Blue Star missiles. Before he touched the Blue Star missile, Master Gena suddenly opened his eyes,

"Think it through. If you are truly fated with this item, an engineering branch of a low-level civilization will accompany you for the rest of your life. You are a junior engineer who advanced using Heroic Spirit abilities; your talent is good, and your engineering branch will also bind with the Heroic Spirit..."

A junior engineer with Heroic Spirit blessing wasting his talent on an engineering branch of a low-level civilization—even if he couldn't sense which Raccoon Heroic Spirit was on Chen Aoyun, Gena felt some regret. The missile was the anchor point to return to Blue Star; Chen Aoyun had no choice, but Gena's words also made Chen Aoyun suspicious.

"Heroic Spirits bind with engineering branches? I used [Lu Ban]'s ability to advance to junior engineering. If [Blue Star Engineering Branch] only binds with [Lu Ban], then if I switch to another Heroic Spirit, can I learn other engineering branches? Speaking of which, it's strange; I still haven't figured out who the shadow Heroic Spirit in the human panel is. It can both release [Seven In, Seven Out] and provide Lu Ban's [Craftsman Family] ability... Hiss~ Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait! That flash of inspiration earlier! The inspiration about recording history earlier... I understand! Haha, I finally know who you are!"