For a while the system gave Liang Chuan nothing but silence — as if it had sniffed his intent to freeload even more quest rewards and gone to think it over. Seconds later, a chill little reply popped into his mind.
System:Any task that matches current player activity and the ongoing "plot" may be issued.
"So who decides whether a task matches?" Liang Chuan asked.
System:The system decides.
Liang Chuan: "..."
Perfect — whether a mission goes live now depended entirely on the system's whim. He nearly grinned and nearly cried at the same time.
He tried anyway. "Can I post a daily commission to kill monsters?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a ding sounded inside every player's head.
Daily Commissions Published.
————————————
Daily Commission — Clear Monsters
Objective: Kill any 5 monsters.
Reward: 100 EXP, 1 silver.
————————————
Faces across the base went from calm to "what the hell" in a blink.
"Bro, you should have posted that sooner! I could've joined FireFlameYan's raid!" someone groaned.
The reward was generous: even a Level-1 player could hit Level-2 from one daily. Reluctantly, squads reformed and many players streamed out to hunt.
Liang Chuan kept pushing. "What about 'Evil Expansion'? 'Shield Crisis'? 'Food Orders'?" Every attempt got system-denied — until one final success slid through.
Daily Commission Published — Explore
Objective: Reveal 1000 meters of unexplored area.
Reward: 100 EXP, 1 silver.
That one forced map-running; players trudged off in new waves. The base emptied of loungers and craftsmen until only a few remained to watch the workbenches hum.
With the mini-crises handled, Liang Chuan had his own plan: build a second Bio-Energy outpost. In player parlance, open a branch base.
When Natlan erupted in full war, abyssal gates would scar every region — he needed terminals scattered everywhere. The first one sat with the Feathery Plume; the second would be placed near the Mistsplitter.
He set off southwest. As expected, players trailed to "protect" him. He tried to wave them off, but the first main storyline he'd published — protect Liang Chuan — bound them. He couldn't chase them away, and anyway a lone scout ran faster, so he activated Gale Step and slipped away under their noses.
By now, players' efforts had pushed his level up. He checked his panel:
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Name: Liang Chuan
Race: Human
Level: 12 (33%)
Class: Dragonborn
Constitution: 28
Strength: 17
Agility: 15
Spirit: 14
Unused points: 0
————————————
Those were his raw stats. After borrowing passive talents from his summoned players — the likes of Sturdy Physique and other buffs — his effective attributes ballooned:
(Constitution 154, Strength 85, Agility 60, Spirit 42).
A few minutes of arithmetic and talent stacking and his numbers had multiplied several times over. Dragonborn gave huge per-level gains; level growth now meant exponential power.
Liang Chuan dropped back into the players' column and followed their route: the Hilichurl camp sat across a shallow river before Mistsplitter territory. If the camp wasn't cleared, his path onward would be a jungle of trouble.
He kept to the rear. If the camp only held ordinary Hilichurls he could pop out and help; if a Rift Shaman or Abyssal Caster showed up he'd rather watch the fireworks from the outside.
Ahead, FireFlameYan rallied everyone in team chat:
"Form up! Tanks and warriors up front to soak! Assassins on the flanks to cut the shamans and archers! Archers, prepare a volley to open the fight!"
"Where are our mages?" someone piped.
"Mages—stay in logistics and top up consumables," FireFlameYan barked, then signaled the archers.
"Archers—FIRE!!!"
A thousand arrows trembled on string and loosed. The camp erupted: feathered Hilichurls scattered as the volley cracked through the morning air. Dust and cries answered the rain of shafts; the formation flowed like a single organism. Tanks surged, shields slammed against crude spears, assassins vanished into stealth for quick cuts. The whole operation moved with the nervous, ruthless choreography of players who had learned to act as one.
Liang Chuan watched from the second line, a smile tucked in the corner of his mouth. The system had finally blessed him with activity he could monetize: players exploring, killing, and bringing back bio-energy — and he, the invisible conductor, would keep collecting the proceeds.
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