Chapter 34: Startup Funds

Chapter 34: Startup Funds

An hour later.

A series of blinding lights flashed as 52 figures respawned at the revival point in Dizhong Village.

As soon as they logged into the game, members of Yang Tianxuan’s Weapons R&D Division were stunned by the scene before them, struggling to believe this was a virtual world.

By instinct, they immediately began testing the environment’s realism.

Gravity perception tests, stone-throwing parabolic trajectory observations, olfactory checks, physical coordination trials—their actions drew confused stares from other players. Yet the team was thoroughly impressed by how seamlessly the game mimicked reality.

“Chief,” said a white-haired elder beside Yang Tianxuan, “Lunar Eclipse Clan’s technology has taken another leap. To create a game world this authentic is incredible.”

Yang Tianxuan remained silent, his mind reeling beyond words.

He’d long dreamed of testing weapon performance in virtual environments. Five years ago, he’d tried this in Lunar Eclipse Clan’s previous game, Land of Sin, but the results were underwhelming enough to abandon the effort.

Creating a game that perfectly replicated real-world physics was nearly unthinkable. He’d analyzed the challenges before: server capacity alone would need to handle unimaginable loads, while interaction frequency, data processing, and rendering quality had to reach absolute perfection.

A virtual world would need to simulate every physical phenomenon—gravity, light, materials, sound—with computational power far beyond current understanding to ensure real-time accuracy. Every detail, from architecture to terrain and weather, demanded meticulous simulation, overwhelming data centers. Worse, the game had to process massive volumes of dynamic player inputs instantly—like recalculating environments when a player destroyed something.

To Yang Tianxuan, building such a world was akin to creating an entirely new Earth, requiring resources equal to the planet itself. Yet here it was—Lunar Eclipse Clan had somehow achieved it, leaving him awestruck by humanity’s technological gap.

But this realism also ignited excitement. With such a lifelike simulation, his team could push boundaries without worrying about real-world constraints like safety or environmental damage.

“Chief,” another member interjected, “I checked the Mall. No equipment for weapon development’s available. We’ll have to start from scratch… but they’re selling Spirit Stones. Maybe we can make Spirit Energy Firearms first.”

Yang Tianxuan nodded in agreement.

Producing advanced tech weapons required forging tools, machining equipment, and calibration devices—a complex process to build from zero. For now, they lacked resources.

Spirit Energy Firearms, however, were a different story. A foundational technology provided by Lunar Eclipse Clan, these weapons used Spirit Ore energy paths with Spirit Stones as bullets. Compressed Spirit Arrays inside shaped the stone’s energy into projectiles on trigger-pull, unleashing explosive damage on impact. Perfect for early-game survival.

“Let’s start with Spirit Energy Firearms,” Yang Tianxuan confirmed.

Just then, a grizzled middle-aged man frowned.

“Director, the problem is everything in the Mall requires Sacrificial Power. There’s no recharge option on the Function Panel. Where do we get the startup funds?”

Yang Tianxuan fell silent.

“Contact Qin Ye,” he finally said. “He entered earlier. Ask how much Sacrificial Power he’s got.”

A man in his thirties messaged Qin Ye, then winced. “He’s got 239 points. Not enough for our needs.”

“Then buy from other players. We’ll cover the costs ourselves—no need to wait for budget approvals.”

Instantly, their team posted dozens of offers in the regional chat, offering 1:20 exchange rates for Sacrificial Power. But their messages drowned in a sea of spam, including mockery from players calling their offer laughably low.

Realizing the problem, the team raised the rate—20:1, 50:1, eventually 100:1. Yet no one bit.

Yang Tianxuan was baffled until Qin Ye’s reply arrived: the market rate had already skyrocketed to 150:1, with players hoarding their reserves.

Two reasons: Sacrificial Power consumption far outpaced generation, leaving players scrambling to upgrade themselves. Worse, its value kept rising, incentivizing everyone to hold onto it for future gains. Selling early meant falling behind permanently.

Frustrated, Yang Tianxuan called Qin Ye again. “Any quick ways to earn Sacrificial Power?”

Three options,” Qin Ye replied. “Hunt monsters outside Dizhong Village, gather rare spirit plants during exploration… but I recommend Gloomspire Caverns for mining. That’s the fastest route.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end