Volume 4, Chapter 71 – Afterword

The first summer storm over the Tabus Western Continent had finally passed.

The story surrounding that storm had also come to a temporary end.

Many things had happened, and many people had died. The consequences left by the collapse of the hovering station, which had stood hundreds of meters high, had so far revealed only one side of themselves.

But uplifting news soon followed.

After an extensive pursuit, agents of Nine Songs found the people of Morningstar at the end of a hidden passage.

By then, however, they had already become corpses. No one knew who had done it, but the government forces could now loudly announce that they had achieved final victory in their battle against Morningstar. The anti-government organization was finished, and its remaining members would soon be completely wiped out.

The game forums, however, were not nearly as cheerful. There was even a faintly solemn atmosphere.

Since Anran had been inside the tower when it collapsed, there was an eighty-percent chance that she was gone.

[This Post Offers Our Deepest Condolences to Anran]

[In Memory of Anran]

[On the Creation of a Successful NPC]

[The Mechanic’s Last Faith Is Gone. I’m Changing Professions, Everyone]

[I Don’t Believe It, I Don’t Believe It, I Don’t Believe It! Anran Must Still Be Alive!]

[Hahaha! The weather in the game may be terrible, but today is such a wonderful day! That dumbass NPC is finally dead!!! Hahahaha!]

Monster Mountain Hermit: [What did you say? Are you looking for a fight?]

Leading the Escape: [Bastard! Do you have no compassion at all? You still dare jump out and seek attention at a time like this? You’re absolute scum!]

[Denounce the scumbag!]

[Oh, the faction war hasn’t been settled yet anyway.]

[All right, I’ve already cut him down.]

“Beep, beep…”

The busy signal from the phone made Li Zhuying lower it helplessly. She tossed and turned on her bed, her eyes hollow and unfocused.

It was over. Anran was gone.

Grabbing a pair of panties and draping them over her face, Li Zhuying was completely losing it.

To hell with staying calm. How was she supposed to calm down?

There was no need to wait until tomorrow. She was going to find the official account manager right now.

…

[Petition Signed in Blood by Ten Thousand Players: Official Team, Please Bring Anran Back to Life!]

“…”

For some reason, this was all rather amusing.

In the control room,

Anran rose from her chair and finally closed the forums. She had rested enough. It was time to take stock of her gains.

Aila was crouching on one of the seats below, occasionally pressing the complicated controls in front of the large screen.

Travel route configured.

Cabin environment configured.

Remaining energy checked. Sufficient to reach Senting Star.

The spacecraft had already left the atmosphere. Their next destination was a small stargate established by the Ninth expeditionary army outside the local star system. Through that stargate, they would travel to the edge of Sea Blue Forest, where Senting Star was located.

Sea Blue Forest and No. 1886 both belonged to the Lightwheel Galaxy. However, No. 1886 lay at the edge of the galaxy, while Sea Blue Forest was closer to its central region. The distance between them exceeded six thousand light-years.

That was an absurdly vast distance. Without a stargate, a small civilian spacecraft could never travel that far.

There were currently three known methods of interstellar travel in [Night of the Stars].

They were curvature drives, hyperspace drives, and jump drives, each corresponding to different distances and technological levels.

Stargates made use of hyperspace drives.

“Don’t worry, Anran. I’ve already mastered the controls of this spacecraft,” Aila said.

By connecting to the spacecraft’s support system and combining it with the information she had learned earlier, Aila was now more proficient than many veteran captains.

Why are you so skilled?

Because she’s Aila!

“Mm. I’ll leave this place to you.” Anran nodded.

It was time to count her mission rewards.

First came the missions she could submit manually.

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[Life Sacrifice]. During the entire mission, Anran had killed a total of 127 players and NPCs. Submitting the mission awarded her 254,000 Free EXP.

[Fading Starlight II] submitted. Heloise hunted down. Contribution rate: 53%. Variable reward: 115,000 Free EXP, along with the special reward [High-Level Bloodline].

[High-Level Bloodline]: Talent skill. The holder possesses unparalleled physical advantages over ordinary people.

Effect: HP +1,000, Stamina +1,000, Strength +20, Agility +20

At this moment, Anran felt very powerful.

Three thousand HP and three thousand Stamina.

A Mechanic with 78 Strength, 96 Agility, and 108 Intelligence.

Something about that seemed slightly wrong.

In any case, there was no longer a humanoid NPC anywhere on No. 1886 whose total attribute points exceeded Anran’s.

Even if a fully recovered Heloise stood before her now, Anran believed she could stab her to death all over again.

Moreover, she still had other rewards left to claim.

[Fading Starlight III], the mission to hunt down Morningstar’s leader, had also been completed.

The game had notified Anran after Jarrod was killed.

Although she was not entirely clear about the inside story, Dawn, who had nominally been Morningstar’s leader, was merely a figurehead. The person controlling everything from behind the scenes had always been Jarrod.

A blue-skinned alien from Night Owl.

His corpse was still where they had left it. Once the people from Nine Songs saw it, they should be able to piece together most of the truth.

This explained many things.

Night Owl had killed Morningstar’s previous leader and then installed a puppet.

They had only treated Morningstar as a tool for accomplishing their own objectives. They did not care what happened to Morningstar’s reputation, which was why the organization had carried out such a bizarre series of operations.

It did not matter how many people died or how terrible its reputation became afterward. What mattered was that everyone’s attention had been drawn toward the Canyon Continent.

Without sufficient reinforcements present, Night Owl could successfully carry out its operation to destroy the trade station.

No one currently knew why they wanted to destroy it, but that reason would probably not remain hidden for long. The day would eventually come when it was revealed.

A reward of 165,000 EXP, along with:

Title [Medal of Valor of No. 1886]:

(Once, they were people of purpose who began resisting because they could not accept their circumstances. Then they fell until others saw them as terrorists. The former Resistance has now become an obstacle preventing No. 1886 from entering the interstellar age.)

Effect: Strength +3, Agility +3, Endurance +5, Intelligence +5, Spirit +5

The missions had been submitted. Next, once the game determined that Morningstar had been completely destroyed and the faction war ended, Anran would also be able to submit her main mission, [Aila’s Heart].

The time to distribute rewards according to contribution was also approaching.

…

Twinmoon City.

In the nearby countryside.

The winter cold had covered the trees outside the house with icicles.

Dressed like a married woman, Anna emerged from the house carrying a basin of hot water.

“Splash!”

She poured the hot water into the frozen drainage channel, sending up a cloud of white steam.

Now a newlywed, she had married Feilian.

At that moment, Feilian slowly walked out of the house as well.

“It’s been more than two days.”

Feilian sighed.

He had just contacted Rodney. More than two days had passed since Trade Station No. 3 collapsed, but Rodney still had no new information.

Anran had not returned. All her belongings were still at the inn and in Rodney’s office.

The people investigating Trade Station No. 3 had found no trace of her either.

In truth, finding anyone in a place like that was extremely difficult.

A tower hundreds of meters high had collapsed along with four enormous cantilever arms, reducing the entire trade station to ruins. Anyone struck by the debris would have been turned into minced flesh. As for finding a body, well, there probably would not even be a body left.

Feilian was deeply worried.

Anran…

She had promised to attend his wedding, but now she had been missing for two days.

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Her phone could not be reached, and no one could find her.

Two days, three days, one week.

For a long time, there was no further news about Anran.

Nothing from Rodney, and nothing from Minister Lü.

Alas…

Thus, half a month later, a new grave suddenly appeared on the hill behind Feilian’s hometown.

Mm.

Anran’s grave.

People came to pay their respects whenever they had nothing else to do.

Paying respects was good for your health.

…

One week after the incident, the government of No. 1886 issued an official statement. The main forces and senior leadership of the reactionary organization [Morningstar Resistance] had been wiped out. The organization that had caused chaos for thirty-two years was officially finished!

Finished!

That bastard [Morningstar Resistance] had gone out of business!

Big news.

The faction war had ended.

Morningstar no longer existed as a faction on No. 1886.

Immediately afterward, the game system officially confirmed the truth of the announcement.

The player forums exploded.

With the faction war over, it was also time to distribute the rewards.

[How miserable. My contribution rate has several zeroes after the decimal point, so naturally I barely received anything. Just a few thousand EXP and several bottles of medicine. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone traveling.]

[Haha! Besides the EXP, I got two pieces of blue equipment and a skill book.]

[Hehe. I heard the rewards for players in the Morningstar faction were reduced by 30%. Their contribution rates were already low to begin with. LMAO.]

[Ohohohoho…]

[Huh? A Basic Mechanic profession knowledge book? What the hell am I supposed to do with this? Anyone want to buy it?]

[I’m out.]

[Tsk, tsk. A Mechanic profession knowledge book.]

[Leveled up twice. Feels great!]

[Purple equipment! I got purple equipment!]

[Stop dreaming, person above. Purple equipment? You think I don’t know your contribution rate? Did you even get twenty thousand EXP?]

[Mercilessly exposed.]

[Pfft…]

…

“Puhahaha…”

She had hit the jackpot.

After receiving the same game notification, Anran knew she had struck it rich.

Her contribution rate toward destroying Morningstar was 2.09%.

That was only because Morningstar’s main force had already been completely wiped out, while the survivors had planned to flee to other planets once the operation ended. Whether they lived or died would not affect the predetermined fact of Morningstar’s destruction. Otherwise, killing Jarrod and the others alone could have raised her contribution rate by several dozen percentage points.

First came the EXP, a full 10.45 million.

Then came the item rewards.

A six-by-six-by-six subspace, equivalent to an inventory in other games or a storage pouch in cultivation games.

In [Night of the Stars], players normally had to reach a higher level and gain access to spatial technology or spatial abilities before they could use such a convenient function.

For a Mechanic, this function was incredibly useful.

Anran would never again need to pile all her belongings onto a vehicle like she had before. If she had obtained this subspace earlier, those possessions would not have been lost.

Thinking of everything she had left at the inn and in Rodney’s office, the corner of Anran’s mouth twitched. She could accept losing most of it, but losing that Mechanic’s toolkit genuinely hurt.

Sigh.

She threw Heloise’s Soul Orb, the exoskeleton armor, and everything else into the subspace all at once. It worked very well and was easy to operate. Just like in an ordinary online game, she only needed to select an item’s name and confirm that she wanted to retrieve it.

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However, when she tried putting Aila inside, she received a failure notification. The subspace could only store “items,” while the game had already classified Aila as a “living creature.”

She had grown up. She was no longer that “ordinary” robot.

“What’s wrong, Anran?” Aila looked at her in confusion.

“Nothing. How much longer until we reach Senting Star?”

“The calculated travel time is three days,” Aila replied.

After passing through the stargate, they had entered the territory of Sea Blue Forest.

Looking out from the spacecraft, the deep space before them truly had a sea-blue hue as its dominant color.

Compared with the emptiness around No. 1886, this vast region of deep space was far busier. They had even encountered a transport ship earlier.

A grand and bustling atmosphere washed over them.

Anran continued taking stock of her gains.

Apart from the subspace, she had also received a blueprint for an internally powered gun, a pile of medical supplies, potions that temporarily enhanced perception, and the knowledge book Basic Theory of Force Fields.

She learned the blueprint and knowledge book immediately, then tossed everything else into the subspace.

Anran began spending a vast amount of EXP to level herself up.

Reaching Level 30 cost only 4.8 million EXP.

With the remaining EXP, Anran raised both Apprentice Engineer and Apprentice Scout to their maximum levels.

She also raised most of her commonly used skills to Lv. 10.

Her new skills were [Basic Combat Mastery], [Crossfire], [Electric Surge], [Electromagnetism Mastery], and [Hacker Infiltration].

As long as she obtained the advanced knowledge required for Intermediate Mechanic, Anran would immediately enter an entirely new realm.

A world in which a Mechanic could truly bring their combat power to bear.

She was strong now, but not yet completely strong.

Gradually, a massive greenish planet appeared beyond the spacecraft’s viewport.

Senting Star.

The first stop on their long voyage.

It lay in Sea Blue Forest, within imperial territory under the jurisdiction of Governor Fitch.

This was a chaotic border region.

“Whew…”

…

Half a month after Morningstar’s complete destruction was announced, Trade Station No. 2, which had been shut down because of Morningstar’s attack, reopened.

Flights to Sea Blue Forest, departing once every three days, resumed.

Players who had grown tired of No. 1886 and accumulated some savings could board a spacecraft bound for Sea Blue Forest for 5,000 Bilu, provided they carried a special permit issued by the government.

Farewell, No. 1886.

The sea of stars will surely remember the great name of Zhou Jieyu!

After abandoning Leading the Charge and sneaking away alone, Zhou Jieyu raced aboard the spacecraft.

She took her seat, logged out, and waited offline for the spacecraft journey to finish.

Meanwhile, another official update had been placed on the schedule.

The update from V1.02 to V1.10.

The update included profession balance adjustments, the release of new races, minor adjustments to the unlocking of intermediate professions, the opening of the online arena, and the launch of the official competitive modes “Battle Royale” and “Cops and Robbers.”

“Ding! Dear players, [Night of the Stars] will undergo update maintenance in two hours. This maintenance is expected to last two days in the real world. Please visit the forums to review the detailed maintenance notes.”

“Ding!…” ×2

————

————

Character Sheet [Anran] as of the End of Volume 4

[Name]: Anran (Weight: 43 kg; Height: 158 cm)

[Age]: 16

[Race]: Human

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[Gender]: Female

[Level]: Level 30 (based on highest primary profession)

[HP]: 4,300/4,300

[Stamina]: 4,200/4,200

[Primary Professions]:

Apprentice Engineer Lv. 10

Basic Mechanic Lv. 30

Apprentice Scout Lv. 10

[Secondary Profession]: Pastry Maker Lv. 3 (301/5,000)

[Six Attributes]: Strength 105, Agility 115, Endurance 110, Intelligence 165, Spirit 67 (+16 from Mental Barrier), Charisma 10 (+2 with the government forces of No. 1886; +1 when the Rain Concealment Set does not obstruct her face)

[Free Attribute Points]: 3

[Skill Points]: 22

[Talents]:

Dexterous Hands: Increases efficiency when performing manual work by 10%.

Exclusive Craftsmanship: Increases the efficiency of crafting processes by 10%.

Low-Level Recovery Resilience II: Increases recovery ability by 60%.

Berserk (Intermediate Elite): Activates when HP falls to 50%. Strength, Agility, Spirit, and Resistance increase by 15% for 10 minutes.

High-Level Bloodline: HP +1,000, Stamina +1,000, Strength +20, Agility +20

[Skills]:

Basic Circuit Theory Lv. 10, Basic Repair Lv. 10, Basic Mechanical Theory Lv. 10, Basic Assembly Lv. 10, Basic Analysis Lv. 10, Basic Mechanical Enhancement Lv. 10, Basic Mechanical Mastery Lv. 10, Basic Reading Comprehension Lv. 10 (Efficiency +50%)

Basic Scouting Lv. 10, Backstab Lv. 10 (100%, 30s), Stealth Lv. 10, Precision Shooting Lv. 10 (100%), Mechanical Interference Lv. 10, Lockpicking Lv. 1, Basic Programming Lv. 10

Basic Load Charging Lv. 10: When actively used, instantly charges purple-grade or lower equipment by 50 units. Cooldown: 12 hours. Stamina cost: 300.

Rapid Repair Lv. 10: When actively used, restores 35 Armor to a piece of equipment. Cooldown: 15 minutes. Stamina cost: 200.

Precision Mechanical Enhancement Lv. 10: Enhances one selected attribute by 100%. Stamina cost: 200.

Passive Mental Barrier: Converts 1/10 of Intelligence into Spirit.

Basic Combat Mastery Lv. 10, Electromagnetism Mastery Lv. 10, Hacker Infiltration Lv. 10

Crossfire Lv. 5: Increases the damage of a crossfire network by 50%.

Electric Surge Lv. 5: Produces oscillating interference in electrical energy.

[6×6×6 Subspace]: Heloise’s Soul Orb…

[Reputation]: None

[Equipment Slots]: Omitted

[Mechanic Blueprints]: New blueprint: Internally Powered Gun (Electromagnetic Launcher)

[Knowledge Reserve]: New: Basic Theory of Force Fields

[Pastry Maker Recipes]: Mung Bean Cake, Osmanthus Cake, Fruit Osmanthus Cake, Fruit Mung Bean Cake

[Faction Favorability]: Nine Songs: 580

[Item Inventory]: Recovery medicines, perception-enhancing potions…

[Personal Favorability]: Aila: 100

[Titles]:

1. Morningstar Hunter Lv. 3: HP +400, Strength +9, Agility +7, Endurance +5, Spirit +1, Charisma +2 with the government forces of No. 1886

1. Illusory Pursuer Lv. 1 (79/100): Strength +3, Agility +3, Spirit +2

1. NPC-Exclusive Title [The Most Evil Person] Lv. 3 (40/100): HP +300, Stamina +150, Strength +5, Agility +5, Endurance +5, Intelligence +5, Spirit +5, Charisma +3

Note: Killing the same player again within 24 hours grants no bonus.

1. Dawn Concerto Lv. 1 (3/25): HP +100, Stamina +100, Strength +3, Agility +2, Spirit +1

1. Medal of Valor of No. 1886: Strength +3, Agility +3, Endurance +5, Intelligence +5, Spirit +5

1. Planetary Turmoil: HP +300, Stamina +200, Endurance +5, Spirit +3

[Medal]: Nine Songs Bronze Medal: Strength +3, Endurance +3, Spirit +3.

[Food Effects]:

Ordinary Mung Bean Cake: Stamina +3

Ordinary Osmanthus Cake: Stamina +5

Fruit Mung Bean Cake: Stamina -5/minute

[Special]: Aila’s Heart: … (To be revealed in the next volume)

[Assets]: 0