Chapter 213: Hidden Identity, So Bai Fu Came from the Esper Garden?

Bai Fu speculated that, in the original storyline, the main quest 【Dark Domain Insect Swarm’s Conflict】 should have only been triggered in version 2.0, or even later.

Normally, players would accidentally obtain a Dissociative Agent Base Sample during their interstellar adventures, triggering a prerequisite quest for the main storyline. After successfully collecting five samples, the Dark Domain Insect Queen would be resurrected, painting a grand vision and coaxing players into helping her reclaim her throne.

Players, unlike her, cared about experience rewards. Even knowing that the Dark Domain Insect Queen was just bluffing, most would likely still accept the quest and charge into battle for her sake.

Then, as players continued helping the Dark Domain Insect Queen gather samples, this group of players who had accepted the main quest 【Dark Domain Insect Swarm’s Conflict】 would end up fully opposing the Secret Tower, fighting them to the bitter end.

Whether in the end the Secret Tower succeeded in their plans, or the Dark Domain Insect Queen achieved revenge and reclaimed her throne, that would be uncertain.

The game’s plot developed dynamically. There was no such thing as guaranteed justice triumphing. Without her intervention, once version 2.0 of the Starsea Era launched, the Secret Tower should’ve successfully recruited quite a few players. With players clashing violently against each other, victory and defeat would be full of uncertainties.

In version 1.4, the player level cap was 35. Even if hundreds of thousands gathered, they still wouldn’t be able to influence the direction of a galactic-level civilization war.

But by version 2.0, the level cap might rise to 45. At level 45, that was already nearing the peak of B-rank. Those with special encounters or multiple class advancements might even be able to solo defeat weaker A-rank espers.

Tens of millions of players at that level clashing in the Starsea War—the spectacle would be unimaginable.

Bai Fu was already sweating on behalf of the major factions in the Gateway Cluster.

She held up the Insect Egg, examining it back and forth.

【Is there something wrong with me?】

The Insect Egg’s voice sounded.

Bai Fu shook her head. “Nothing, I was just thinking about where to go next to help you gather the remaining four base samples.”

【That’s simple. I can sense the general locations of the other samples.】

Oh?

That would drop the difficulty of the quest by a significant margin.

Bai Fu smiled and nodded.

Actually, that wasn’t what she had just been thinking about at all. She had been pondering whether the tactic of “using the emperor to control the feudal lords” would work on the Dark Domain Insect Swarm.

【You wouldn’t want your queen to be stomped on and rubbed back and forth under my jio, would you?】

No matter how unwelcome this little creature was, due to her bloodline or other reasons, there had to be a group of die-hard supporters within the Dark Domain Insect Swarm, right?

If she could control those loyalists, dealing with the Secret Tower and that backstabbing new Insect Queen would be much easier.

Bai Fu called Yulia and the others back in and told them about the Dark Domain Insect Swarm.

“So powerful, even smashing it doesn’t kill it?”

Yulia walked up to Bai Fu, eyes glowing. Something this amazing—how could she not research it with Cecia?

The Insect Egg was terrified by Yulia’s gaze.

【What does this woman want to do? Is she trying to eat me? Quick, quick, put me away!】

It wasn’t until Bai Fu sent Little Black Foxtail out to walk the Insect Egg around that it finally let out a sigh of relief.

Too scary. Although it had been resurrected, it had been brought back by a wicked woman. It had to find a way to escape her clutches, or else she would consume it whole eventually.

...

“Alright, now we can talk business.”

In the lab, Bai Fu began a meeting with Yulia and the others.

Version 1.4 had already been live for a while. Judging by the game's past update frequency, at most two years later version 2.0 would officially launch. At that time, all players would enter the Starsea in succession, becoming a tidal wave that would thoroughly reshape this world. She had to improve herself and Dark Moon Tide's strength as much as possible before the update. That way, once version 2.0 launched, even if she didn’t go recruiting players, a good number of them would come flocking to her on their own.

“First, we need to build a base!”

The Star Agreement’s division in the Gateway Cluster was excellent. It could accommodate not just two million players, but even several times that. Its infrastructure was solid—just needed some slight modifications.

But Bai Fu still wanted to create her own base.

If she stayed at the Star Agreement too long, she might lose all the players she had painstakingly seduced to the Vow Master. If that happened, she’d probably die of anger on the spot.

Bai Fu had long since chosen the location for the base: Onandi Star. Nearby was a very stable natural wormhole, perfect for spaceship travel. The only issue was that the current Onandi Star had nothing—no buildings, no NPCs.

But that wasn’t a problem.

With no buildings, once players arrived, she could assign them construction quests—something to do for those who didn’t like fighting.

With no NPCs, she could use robots, Onandians, and the evolved Little Black Foxtail in the early stages. Later on, she could bring in Onandians and other partners.

As long as she created a stable development environment for Onandi Star, there would be no shortage of NPCs.

“A few years from now—ten years at most—Onandi Star will become the new center of the Gateway Cluster!”

As an Onandian, Vic was impressed by Bai Fu’s grand blueprint, but he didn’t let himself get carried away by the bright future.

“What if the Secret Tower suddenly attacks us during construction? Should we delay the plan a bit?”

Bai Fu nodded approvingly at Vic. “You’re very thoughtful. That’s why, before officially building Onandi Star, we need to do a little side job.”

In her view, the chance of the Secret Tower attacking her base wasn’t an “if” but at least a 50% probability!

She couldn’t help it—she had done too many “good deeds” recently.

She had taken out several S+ rank espers of the Secret Tower in one go on Jingu Star, kidnapped Cecia, and boldly snatched four samples. The Secret Tower Master was already a radical type. Even a calm person might start spewing fire like they’d eaten devil’s chili peppers.

One reason for building the base on the uninhabited Onandi Star was exactly her worry about Secret Tower retaliation.

If she built it in a populated area and the Secret Tower pulled out neutron weapons again—what then?

Players could respawn. Civilians who died were gone for good. If that happened, the impact would be disastrous. Then malicious trolls and schemers would definitely use it to attack her. She had no patience for internet fights.

Bai Fu shared her plan with Vic and the others.

Right now, the Secret Tower held great animosity toward her. The longer that anger simmered, the more explosive it would become. So she planned to give them a target to vent on. Once their anger subsided, they wouldn’t come after her with such desperation.

Her plan was to first build a “fake base” on Onandi Star using cheap materials, deliberately exposing lots of weaknesses to lure the Secret Tower into attacking. During construction, she would station many players there. When the Secret Tower raided it, they’d definitely abduct all the players.

Destroying her base and stealing her people—the Secret Tower Master would be thrilled. But he’d never guess that all those players were undercover!

“Oh, right, let’s build a statue of me in the center of the fake base too. That way they’ll be even happier when they attack. Their joy will be my joy,” Bai Fu added.

Yulia, Scarlet Leaf, Summer Poem, Vic: “……”

Everyone in the lab except Anya was speechless.

Why is your mind so devious?

Anya, on the other hand, was enthusiastically taking notes. As expected of the boss—coming up with such a brilliant plan with ease. When the time came, they would have over ten thousand undercover agents within the Secret Tower. If even 1% of them got promoted, fighting the Secret Tower would be like having a full-map cheat.

After a while, Scarlet Leaf asked, “Should we contact designers and contractors now?”

Bai Fu nodded. “As soon as possible. Aside from building the base, I have another plan.”

This new plan had nothing to do with the Secret Tower and was about expanding the Quiet Garden faction.

So far, the Quiet Garden had developed well, but it was still too thin. Aside from players, it had only five formal members in the Starsea—herself, Anya, Yulia, Summer Poem, and Vic. For a large faction, that kind of structure was very unhealthy. She decided to use the incoming player wave as an opportunity to change this.

Step one: Bai Fu planned to bring over the 【protagonists】 from Indigo Star and Jingu Star who had already joined her and have them work under Anya.

These protagonists were all highly potential NPCs. Even if they couldn’t advance to Calamity level, with enough resources they could at least reach S-rank.

Step two: Bai Fu planned to establish an investment division, dedicated to funding NPCs with 【Luck】 or 【Fortune】 traits—though when explaining it to Yulia and the others, she’d just say they were investing in promising people.

If those NPCs were willing to join the Quiet Garden, great. If not, no problem—they could still build goodwill. In the Starsea, power was important, but so were connections.

In future conflicts, she could shoot a signal arrow and summon a swarm of 【Luck】-blessed or 【Fortune】-gifted helpers. Wouldn’t the enemy be terrified?

Step three: Bai Fu intended to form comprehensive partnerships with factions on Ancestral Source Star, Indigo Star, and Jingu Star. She would provide money, materials, and advanced knowledge, and they would train cadres for her faction.

With a combined population of billions across those three planets, not leveraging them would be a huge waste. Even if they didn’t produce top-tier masters, producing some B- and A-rank espers would be excellent. A great faction needed both a backbone and branches.

After hearing Bai Fu’s plan, Vic nodded, then frowned. “It’s definitely a good plan, but carrying it out will likely cost quite a bit.”

“That’s not a problem. Dark Moon Tide’s operations are already expanding. We’ll soon have steady income. And in the early stages, the plan won’t cost much.”

Bai Fu held great expectations for this plan.

If it succeeded, the Quiet Garden would rapidly grow. Beyond that, she’d gain an additional hidden benefit.

When players discovered that the Quiet Garden housed many NPCs suspected to be protagonists—and most of its allied NPCs were too—how would they view the Quiet Garden, and how would they see her, the garden master?

Though some players would definitely compare her positioning to that of Dominator Xiongba in Wind and Cloud, far more would see her as the “protagonist among protagonists, the one who connects the entire story.”

Once this golden title was firmly established, she would never have to worry about someone suddenly appearing to steal her players again.

Time to act!

As soon as the meeting ended, Bai Fu got to work.

Scarlet Leaf was tasked with contacting designers and contractors. Yulia continued researching Cecia’s hair. Anya and Summer Poem were responsible for receiving players.

As for her, she went to find Treasure Digger. She intended to let some information leak through Treasure Digger.

It was midday, the sun was shining brightly, and a warm breeze brushed against the face.

Treasure Digger was live streaming. While walking toward Bai Fu’s residence, she cheerfully greeted the viewers in her livestream room.

【Just received a sudden message from Fufu, saying there’s something very important to discuss with me. She didn’t reveal what it was, but judging by her tone, it must be something huge. Let’s go find out together.】

Her words instantly sparked intense discussion in the chat. Once the news spread to the community, many players stopped what they were doing and rushed to the livestream to watch.

Lately, players from starter planets like Ancestral Source Star had been getting pulled into the Starsea by Bai Fu’s ships batch after batch. This had been a hot topic in the community, and everyone was curious what Bai Fu was up to this time.

【Could it be that Fufu is preparing to expand into a fourth starter planet?】

【Impossible. Bai Fu doesn’t even know where the starter planets are—how could she expand, teleport there?】

【Then what could be the big deal?】

As the chatter continued, Treasure Digger arrived at the door of Bai Fu’s residence.

【Miss Treasure Digger, welcome.】

The AI butler’s sweet voice rang out, and the white metal door opened automatically.

Treasure Digger thanked it, stepped over the threshold, and once inside, glanced around. She spotted Bai Fu sitting by the window.

Today, Bai Fu wore a simple plaid shirt and wide-leg jeans, topped with large round glasses—her whole appearance exuding a striking artistic flair.

【666】

【As expected of Fufu, she looks good in anything】

【Start absorbing!】

But more than Bai Fu’s looks or outfit, what really drew the attention of Treasure Digger and the viewers was the virtual screen floating in front of her.

Though they were several meters away, thanks to the zoom feature, everyone could clearly read the contents of the screen.

【Decline of the Esper Garden】

【With the disappearance of the God of Myriad Phenomena, the war that lasted over a hundred years finally ended with the victory of the three cosmic civilizations. Most of the espers from the Esper Garden signed the peace accord, though a few chose to leave…】

Just as Treasure Digger was about to read more, Bai Fu suddenly stood up.

“You’re here… Ah, I almost forgot. Welcome, welcome.”

Bai Fu chuckled and lightly patted her forehead. As her hand lowered, she swiftly closed the virtual screen.

Treasure Digger asked, “Fufu, were you reading something?”

“It’s nothing. Not important. Let’s get down to business.”

Bai Fu pointed to the chair in front of her, clearly unwilling to discuss what she had just been reading.

Treasure Digger didn’t press the issue. She sat down and quickly got into business mode.

This time, Bai Fu had called her over to collect intel.

“I plan to build a city on Onandi Star. Since this city is primarily for the Undead, I want to hear more voices from them before construction begins—functional buildings, entertainment facilities… anything you want, feel free to suggest. I’ll try my best to accommodate.”

Hearing this, Treasure Digger’s eyes widened.

Was this going to be a player capital?

The news itself was shocking enough, but what surprised her even more was that Bai Fu had taken the initiative to collect player feedback for building a capital city!

【What the heck?!】

The already lively livestream room was instantly flooded with bullet comments.

【Is this for real?!】

【I declare, Fufu is the best in the universe!】

【I think the dev team should kneel to Fufu. They’re always missing in action, and it’s up to Fufu to fix the frustrating parts of the game】

Soon, the news spread across communities and video platforms like it had wings. Many players gave Bai Fu a new title—

【The NPC Who Respects Players the Most】 and 【The NPC Who Pampers Players the Most】

What, you disagree?

Then name another NPC in the game who treats players as well as Fufu does!

Can’t think of one? Exactly.

This round of battle between trolls and Fufu supporters ended in a landslide win for Fufu’s side. A complete sweep.

Bai Fu successfully gained another wave of reputation among the player base, elevating her image even further in their eyes.

But this wasn’t her only gain.

She had deliberately shown the virtual screen to Treasure Digger, letting her glimpse the keyword 【Esper Garden】. Sure enough, shortly after the livestream ended, Treasure Digger released a new video centered on 【Esper Garden】.

【My Take on Fufu’s Backstory】

Treasure Digger now had millions of followers. With such a direct title, the video instantly drew massive attention.

【She’s back! Treasure Digger finally dropped a new video】

【Yes! It’s my favorite kind of plot analysis video. I like this even more than Starsea anecdotes】

Bai Fu clicked open the video. She had to admit, Treasure Digger’s production quality had greatly improved since she rose to fame. Not only was there a custom intro, she even commissioned a unique BGM.

As the gentle music played, Treasure Digger greeted the viewers with a smile.

【I’m sure everyone noticed Fufu reading earlier during the livestream. After the stream, I looked up that book and the Esper Garden it mentioned. I didn’t expect what I found—it blew my mind!】

【We knew Fufu was the Lord of the Dark Night, but we didn’t know where she ruled, or what kind of faction the Quiet Garden really was. But after reading that book, I think I’ve figured everything out!】

【Listen up, everyone—here’s my analysis!】

Treasure Digger pulled out a book and began introducing the Esper Garden and its war against the three cosmic civilizations based on the content.

After finishing the introduction, she smiled.

【Remember how Fufu said during the Gene Progenitor assault that she’s been searching for a way back to the Rebirth Empire?】

【Notice the coincidence? That’s right—the Star Ring Island region under the Rebirth Empire used to be territory of the Esper Garden!】

【Here’s my bold conclusion: I believe the faction Fufu belongs to—the Quiet Garden—was founded by espers who left the Esper Garden after its defeat!】

【As for whether Fufu herself is from the Esper Garden or from elsewhere and joined later, I can’t say without proof.】

【What I’m sure of is that the Quiet Garden fractured due to internal divisions. Though the specific reasons are unclear, someone must have colluded with outsiders, causing the collapse of the Quiet Garden. Fufu had to flee with Anya, eventually arriving at Ancestral Source Star—where our story began!】

【Knowing Fufu’s backstory helps explain her quests.】

【First: Rebuilding the Quiet Garden. Judging from current developments, the faction is thriving. I predict that when Fufu’s quests officially launch, players who contribute will be greatly rewarded.】

【Second: Revenge. First against traitors. What other enemies might arise later is uncertain. Oh, and we might even get to explore the Esper Garden someday—but that’s likely a 4.0 version storyline.】

Treasure Digger’s detailed commentary won wide approval, both from video comments and bullet chats.

Esper Garden, a cosmic-level force—so Fufu had such a powerful background?

Awesome!

Now they had to keep supporting Fufu!

While the Vow Master was an adorable Transcendent-rank Psionicist NPC, compared to Fufu—who carried so much and was clearly a crucial figure in the game’s plot—he still fell short.

“Keep supporting Fufu meow!”

Bai Fu nearly burst into laughter.

She had only meant for Treasure Digger to make the connection between Quiet Garden and Esper Garden. She hadn’t expected her to go further and suggest that helping Quiet Garden would bring players great benefits.

That pie... clearly many players were already hungry for it.

Now that’s what you call a spokesperson!

She needed to give Treasure Digger some perks to encourage her good work.

After receiving several more waves of players, Bai Fu publicly awarded a new honor medal to Treasure Digger, who had been loyally following her and tirelessly promoting her.

The medal didn’t have any special design, but its wearer could receive a large gift pack from the Quiet Garden every month, containing Prayer Cards, vouchers, and special items.

These items didn’t have much practical use for Treasure Digger, since she rarely participated in combat, but they symbolized honor and acknowledged her contributions.

After seeing the medal, players became even more convinced that contributing to the Quiet Garden would bring great rewards in the future.

...

As more players arrived, the private armed company Dark Moon Tide officially began operations.

Bai Fu took on a large number of commissions suitable for players at the current stage within a short time. The players did not disappoint her, completing the tasks with outstanding efficiency and nearly 100% positive ratings.

Thanks to the players’ efforts, the reputation of the Dark Moon Tide company spread across the commission network in the Gateway Cluster. Those who had been hesitant began to send their commissions to Dark Moon Tide, and other clusters nearby extended olive branches as well.

Since players didn’t truly die, it meant that commissioners could send them on dangerous missions without worrying about getting entangled with Dark Moon Tide in case of accidents.

While managing Dark Moon Tide, Bai Fu also stationed a large number of players in allied factions like Star Agreement and Tide Civilization, having them assist with various tasks to further strengthen their ties.

At the same time, the fake base project on Onandi Star to attract attention from the Sanctum and the investor recruitment plan were both launched simultaneously.

To better persuade the factions on Ancestral Source Star, Indigo Star, and Jingu Star, Bai Fu boarded a ship and personally visited all three locations.

Guilds like the Rail Union never imagined that Bai Fu would return again—and propose new collaborations.

Their previous cooperation had gone smoothly, and upon witnessing her current strength and resources, they barely hesitated before agreeing to the new proposal.

“I thought you’d forgotten about us old friends.”

Gao Yuan and Su Li grinned at Bai Fu.

“Wanna come with me to the Starsea again? Just like before, let’s expand and strengthen the Quiet Garden together!”

Bai Fu tossed out a tempting offer.

Gao Yuan and Su Li hesitated for a while, but ultimately couldn’t resist the bait. They weren’t the only ones drawn in—Old Nisen was, too.

Despite the “old” in his nickname, Old Nisen wasn’t even fifty. He just looked worn due to his tough life. With Bai Fu’s city now managed by Shawn, he planned to follow her to visit Yulia and make a name for himself in the Starsea. After all, fifty was still a prime age!

Taking along Old Nisen, Gao Yuan, Su Li, and a few willing B-rank espers, Bai Fu then paid visits to Indigo Star and Jingu Star.

These trips were equally smooth. On Indigo Star in particular, she had barely spoken before Ichi and Teresa—now full-blown fans—immediately expressed their willingness to follow her to the ends of the galaxy.

“Damn this irresistible charm.”

Bai Fu smugly kicked up her heel.

A month passed in such busy flurry. When Bai Fu returned to the Star Agreement’s Gateway Cluster branch, aside from the Investment Division not yet officially running, everything in the Quiet Garden faction was progressing well.

“Sanctum hasn’t made a move yet. Is it because they haven’t noticed, or are they hesitating? Looks like I’ll have to provoke them a bit.”

Bai Fu conveniently accepted a TV interview, where she spoke extensively about the Onandi Star base. She expressed her high hopes for it and revealed that she had stationed nearly twenty thousand players there to accelerate construction.

“What do you think?”

In the Sanctum’s meeting room, the Vow Master looked around the table.

The chief steward frowned slightly. “It could be a trap laid by the Starweb in collaboration with Bai Fu, just waiting for us to walk into it.”

The Vow Master replied, “That’s not out of the question. But there are nearly twenty thousand Undead there. Didn’t you want to capture more Undead for brainwashing?”

The chief steward shook his head. “The risk is too high.”

The Vow Master smiled. “What if we used the Abyss Stalker?”

The chief steward was stunned.

The Abyss Stalker was a special starbeast with interstellar travel capabilities. If deployed, even if Onandi Star was a trap, they could still withdraw in time.

But...

“Wouldn’t it be bad to reveal the existence of the Abyss Stalker prematurely?”

“It’s going to be exposed sooner or later. Striking now lets us capture a large number of Undead and gives us a chance to retaliate against Bai Fu!” A cold glint flashed in the Vow Master’s eyes.

The chief steward nodded. He could tell that the Vow Master had already made up his mind. Then so be it—time to move.

They would send the Abyss Stalker and a large group of espers to launch a surprise attack on Onandi Star, while also sending people to approach Dark Moon Tide and lure more Undead into the ambush they had prepared.

If Onandi Star turned out to be a trap, the Abyss Stalker would serve as a smokescreen for the other operation.

If it wasn’t a trap, even better—two simultaneous capture efforts would ensure a massive haul of Undead. Once Bai Fu learned of the loss, she’d probably faint from anger. And with that grudge vented, the Vow Master likely wouldn’t act recklessly again.

“Begin the operation.”