Chapter 233
“I understand, thank you.” She merely glanced at it before withdrawing her gaze, silently following the other’s gesture to touch the diamond crystal with her mental energy.
A page appeared that was identical to the points exchange area of the jade terminal, but the content displayed was something that had never appeared in the exchange area before.
Seeing this clearly related technology, Ye Bai was almost certain that the jade terminal originally came from the Qunxing Church.
‘Mind Link Technology, Memory Fabrication Technology, Gene Directional Evolution Technology…’
As her eyes scanned the rewards page, Ye Bai suddenly understood the primary research foundation of the black hole. It seemed that the black hole had gradually acquired such vast knowledge, as broad as the stars, by completing tasks for the Qunxing Church and exchanging them for ether laboratories and technologies.
It was highly likely that the ether laboratory, which embodied extraordinary technology, was also something the black hole obtained through task exchanges, though its value was evidently much higher and not included in this task's rewards.
What should she exchange for?
Ye Bai meticulously scanned the exchange list, noting that the A-level rewards were all some form of technology, while the B-level rewards consisted of physical items and points.
Seeing that Ye Bai hadn’t made a choice immediately, the steward seemed to recall something and added, “You can also choose a B-level technology, which will grant you an additional 2000 points.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Bai asked, “What if I don’t choose a technology…”
The steward’s brow furrowed slightly, as if she found it hard to believe that Ye Bai would ask such a question, but she still replied, “You can exchange everything for points, which would give you an extra two thousand points.”
Ye Bai immediately understood. Clearly, the value of the technology rewards was much higher than that of the physical rewards, and all items that had never appeared in the points mall were worth more than points. That was why the steward had reacted this way.
With this understanding, Ye Bai confirmed that her priority would be in the realm of technology.
Since she hadn’t prepared in advance, she didn’t have any particular inclination at the moment.
Choosing a technology research that piqued her interest would be a good option, but Ye Bai hadn’t fully absorbed the knowledge from the black hole laboratory yet, making it a bit premature to select her own research direction.
The technology related to ‘time,’ which should have been prioritized given her current abilities, didn’t seem to be represented in this extensive list of advanced technologies.
She didn’t know if it was simply absent or if the rewards for this task were insufficient.
Thus, sensing the steward’s growing impatience, Ye Bai made her choice.
“I’ll exchange for the technology to create Youci (幽磁).”
If there was one technology that caught Ye Bai’s attention at first glance, it was this one.
When she saw it on the list, she felt taken aback.
Throughout her time in the Star Alliance, she had learned that Youci was a rare natural material in the universe, capable of shielding mental energy and serving as the core material for creating ‘mental energy suppressors.’
Even a small Youci-made mental energy suppressor, the size of two needles, had been able to bind the mental form of the B-level powerhouse Xiliana from the Tianluo Clan, highlighting its unusual properties and scarcity.
But now Ye Bai discovered that this material was not natural; it could be artificially manufactured. In the B-level physical rewards, one could exchange for a large piece of Youci. It seemed that the Makur Group, which had been heavily involved in smuggling mental energy users, might have had the support of the black hole, a powerhouse from the chaotic star sea, and thus didn’t lack Youci.
“Good.”
In the next moment, it was unclear what the Qunxing steward had done, but as the confirmation information arrived, Ye Bai received her points and technology in her jade terminal, just like the instruction manual she had received when accepting the task.
“You can leave now,” the steward said casually, then turned her gaze back to the crowd below. “Next, the second place.”
Seeing this, Ye Bai flew back among the other taskers, not daring to leave recklessly.
After her selection, the other taskers took turns to exchange their rewards. The second and third place A-level powerhouses also stayed put after completing their exchanges, returning to their original spots to wait.
Ye Bai noticed that everyone seemed accustomed to this, their expressions unchanged, indicating it was a fixed process.
The current task exchange format also held intriguing implications.
From the fact that the rewards were ultimately sent to the ‘jade’ terminal, it was clear that it was technically feasible for taskers to choose their rewards directly on the terminal. This redundant step had always existed, suggesting that its formal significance outweighed its practical value.
The Qunxing Church, for some reason, retained the ritual of reward distribution, akin to a compliance test directed at the chaotic star sea, showcasing its authority and control.
Ye Bai had initially thought the chaotic star sea was genuinely chaotic, not realizing that beneath its tumultuous surface lay the formidable and enigmatic Qunxing Church.
However, upon recognizing this, Ye Bai was filled with doubt. From these actions, the Qunxing Church didn’t seem like a selfless organization. How did it maintain a balance with the Star Alliance without conflict?
In fact, many current phenomena suggested that the true situation of the chaotic star sea was well concealed from the Star Alliance.
As everyone completed their exchanges, the Qunxing Church steward retrieved the diamond crystal, casting a faint glance over the taskers. After nodding, she turned and stepped into the miniature wormhole that had just opened behind her.
With the steward’s disappearance, the previously tense atmosphere dissipated, and the taskers began to engage with one another.
Whether it was trading or… fighting.
The fact that the Qunxing Church’s jade terminal was ‘anonymous’ indicated that this faction didn’t care about taskers competing for rewards.
In this regard, Ye Bai’s immediate concern was, of course, the attacker who had a grudge against the black hole, while she contemplated how to draw the battlefield to a place more suitable for her to exert her abilities—like a planet with gravity.
“Black Hole!”
However, the moment Ye Bai’s gaze met that of the attacker, she saw the individual, who seemed to harbor a deep grudge against the black hole, tremble with a mental energy shock as if about to attack, only to suddenly change direction the next moment.
The person’s half-mechanical hands and feet emitted four jets of flame, retreating at a speed that left Ye Bai astonished.
They were… running away?
Though they fled, the attacker didn’t forget to throw a taunt at Ye Bai: “You really know how to put on a show.”
Ye Bai stood there, momentarily stunned, before realizing the reason behind it. The attacker probably misunderstood her true strength based on her performance in the task, thinking that her combat prowess was all an act.
Perhaps because of this, no one around her dared to approach.
“Well, I guess I am quite good at putting on a show…”
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Chapter 157
After the steward from the Church left, the taskers in the area dispersed with remarkable tacit understanding.
Some began to fight, while others engaged in trade.
Due to the high efficiency of task completion, it inadvertently aroused the wariness of other taskers, saving Ye Bai a lot of trouble. As she chose a direction to leave, those nearby instinctively avoided her.
The further she moved away from the wormhole area, the darker and deeper the surroundings became. With Ye Bai’s eyesight, she could only see a faint starlight from who knows how many light-years away.
Fortunately, with the enhancement of her mental energy, the psychological fears that some intelligent beings experience during their vulnerable periods had mostly vanished. Flying alone in such an environment, she felt no unusual sensations, instead focusing on distancing herself while sorting through the gains from this journey.
Two thousand points of flexible Qunxing credits, along with the manufacturing technology for the rare material Youci.
No wonder the task quickly attracted a hundred willing B-level and A-level mental energy users as soon as it appeared. Ye Bai’s first-place reward was undoubtedly the most generous, but the other ordinary taskers likely didn’t fare too poorly either. At the very least, it was certainly more stable and rewarding than earning points in the trading area.
Of course, what likely attracted the taskers even more was that the Qunxing Church possessed advanced technologies that were even rarer than those in the exchange area.
The technologies currently available in the exchange area were clearly filtered second-tier technologies. Even Ye Bai, seeing them for the first time, could discern their nature, let alone others who had been active in the chaotic star sea for a long time.
Then, Ye Bai recalled the content of today’s task, still filled with confusion.
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