Chapter 67: The Birth of the "Family"
Sterl himself didn't care at all. When he initially refined Teresa as a subordinate star, he had already considered that if he found someone more suitable, he would kill Teresa to make room.
He had no interest in a bunch of newly-acquired subordinates.
However, due to the strong demands from many players, Sterl decided to announce that all the contribution points from the player who wanted to exchange his ring would be distributed to the others, quelling the unrest.
Sterl knew that managing his subordinates was very important. Exchanging the ring first wasn't a big deal, but Sterl had just given the players a huge benefit by leading them through the hidden quest. In such a situation, he needed to establish his authority.
Rewards must be accompanied by punishments. Otherwise, how could he command respect?
Sterl had been lost in the immense rewards he had just received and hadn't thought of this, but Teresa reacted quickly.
Sterl cast a look of approval at Teresa, making the young girl smile, feeling that her efforts hadn't been in vain.
Meanwhile, Daphne, who was standing nearby, was overjoyed.
Oh my, the big shot looked at me! And he smiled! Could it be that he's interested in me?
Even though I haven't done anything, I still have to thank myself for all the effort...
...
Later, with Sterl's permission, most of the other players exchanged their rings for contribution points.
They didn't think they could continue to coast through the second stage of the hidden quest, especially with the priest subtly reminding them: "Mighty warrior, you may not be able to help your kin pass the upcoming trials smoothly."
Ordinary players naturally didn't hold out hope of continuing to exploit the hidden quest's rewards.
Then, the priest waved his hand, and everyone's vision went black. They found themselves back in the temple where they had been before entering the quest.
As they were about to part ways, Teresa took the lead in organizing a set of communication signals among the players to facilitate future service to Sterl.
One by one, the players bowed respectfully to Sterl and slowly retreated.
At this moment, Sterl also realized that after the hidden quest, these subordinates were genuinely convinced and could be considered reliable.
"Big shot, do you have any plans afterward?"
"Why not come to our base and take a look?" Daphne suggested excitedly once most of the other players had dispersed.
Sterl hesitated slightly, but Daphne immediately jumped in, "You really helped us out this time."
"I'd feel guilty if I didn't properly thank you."
Sterl watched as the petite girl rubbed herself against him, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Teresa also seemed to be showing a hint of interest.
"Consider it a reward for her."
"Teresa had been helping me round up my subordinates and established my authority. This mission had indeed been quite a hassle for her." he thought as he casually nodded.
"Yay!" Daphne jumped up, hugging Sterl's arm!
Her soft and ample chest rubbed against him rapidly, making even Sterl feel a slight stir in his heart...
...
After running in the wilderness for a few hours, the three finally arrived at Advanced Base 113.
Sterl used his identity as a member of the Spark Project to enter.
While there, he took a leisurely stroll around the advanced base. It was indeed far superior to his old home. Walking down the streets, he was surrounded by bustling shops. For a moment, Sterl felt as if he had returned to the big cities from before his time travel.
He spent quite a few credits, buying a bunch of snacks, stuffing them into his mouth.
This was what life was all about!
Sterl also noticed that the ordinary people in the advanced base looked relaxed. They casually bought various daily necessities and food on the streets, clearly having a decent income level.
"I can't wait any longer! I need to finish my current hidden tasks and immediately join the selection competition to bring Linna, Rayna to the advanced base!"
Sterl thought to himself.
Next, he went to the Expansion Hall and bought all the discounted stamina and endurance potions he could as a Spark Project member. Sterl even wanted to buy some at full price, but such potions were in short supply across the entire Earth human race. He couldn't get any more.
Both Teresa and Daphne offered to give him their stock of potions for free.
But Sterl declined. These potions were meant to be stockpiled and used after some evolution. Getting more of the unevolved versions wasn't particularly useful. He wanted to buy more just to avoid making another trip.
The three continued their shopping. As Sterl was examining a small stall with interest and casually buying a couple of trinkets, not far away—
Teresa held Daphne's hand, "We returned safely this time and gained so much. Maybe we can report this to the family to get more support."
"I'll leave that to you, please. I really don't want to deal with those lunatics."
When she mentioned the family, Teresa's eyes showed a hint of fear and unease.
The so-called "family" was not a traditional Earth human bloodline clan. Simply put, it was connected by bonds rather than blood.
When the Earth human race entered [Transcendence], almost all familial and clan relationships collapsed because "people" were produced on assembly lines in factories.
Take Sterl, for example. His genes must have come from a biological mother and father, but their pairing was entirely automated and random. The individuals providing the genes might have lived decades or even centuries ago.
Rayna and Linna, who lived with Sterl, were in the same situation. They all grew up in social orphanages and only formed families voluntarily after needing to be self-sufficient at age 15.
Typically, parent-child or close family relationships only existed among "big figures," who were at least base commanders. These individuals had the authority to allocate limited resources to "create" children with their partners.
As for the origin of "families," they arose because players who had undergone three transformations and attained legendary status permanently altered their bloodlines. Their offspring had a chance to inherit higher-grade talents.
Thus, within the Earth human race, numerous players who had undergone three transformations and achieved legendary status banded together to form "families." These transformed players, with the support of the human race, fervently produced offspring in the real world.
They then subjected these offspring to extremely rigorous training programs. Those who awakened B-level or higher talents by the age of 18 would become peripheral members of the family, while those with A-level or higher talents would become official family members.
Anyone else would be expelled from the family and exiled to various lower-level bases.
Teresa and Daphne were both born into such families. They had never experienced any familial warmth—only fear and disgust toward the core members of their families!
Teresa always hated dealing with family reports. But fortunately, Daphne was adept at navigating these matters and could help her out...
Daphne readily agreed to handle the task and took out a tool to report their gains. Her expression was joyful. Clearly, she was in a good mood.
The massive rewards from this hidden quest would significantly elevate their family's training evaluation, allowing them to receive more resources.
As Daphne slipped into a nearby alley and her voice faded away, Teresa's expression changed. She quickly walked up to Sterl.
"Master, you probably don't have a place to stay in the base, right? Why not come to my place to rest for a while?"
"It's also around mealtime... Shall we head back?" Teresa suggested in a gentle tone.
Sterl didn't think too much about it and casually nodded.
He followed Teresa to a scenic villa area in the base, surrounded by mountains and water. Teresa respectfully led Sterl into the largest villa.
It wasn't until Sterl sat on the sofa, gazing at the lush trees outside the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, that he noticed Teresa had somehow changed into a set of black lace lingerie.
Normally, Teresa exuded an aura of distant elegance, like an untouchable piece of cold jade.
But now, her perfect figure, accentuated by the lingerie, radiated a captivating allure.
Teresa's face was flushed, feeling utterly embarrassed by her bold actions, but she had no choice. Daphne's constant advances had made her feel increasingly threatened.
Teresa even feared that her position as Sterl's secondary star was unstable.
Daphne might be infatuated with Sterl's disguised identity. But what if other women approached him in the future?
Teresa didn't dare to hope to monopolize her master, but she wished to at least be more important to him.
"??" Sterl raised an eyebrow, surprised by Teresa's initiative.
"No need to trouble yourself." Teresa stepped forward, helping Sterl remove his clothes. Then, she positioned herself in front of Sterl's penis and slowly opened her mouth.
"Mm...Oh yeah..."
Teresa took it all in one go, her throat trembling, providing Sterl with a tightly bound, compressive, and constrictive sensation that was both delicate and resilient...