The central solar system was the most prosperous place in the entire federation. It consisted of twelve planets, each developed to perfection, with cities housing more than a hundred million people but also vast stretches of nature which could allow one's soul to relax with a single look. Between the twelve planets of the central solar system spaceships travelled day and night. To reach the outermost planet, Scorpio, form the innermost planet, Leo, only took twelve hours even if one travelled by public transport which came in the form of various giant spaceships, also known as Space Whales.
The central solar system was also home to many of the giants of the federation. If a company wanted to spread its influence through the entire federation it was necessary to have its headquarters in the central solar system. One reason for that was the presence of the federation government on Leo.
Leo was not the biggest planet. Its closeness to the sun initially made it quite harmful to life but with the rapid advancement of technology the federation had produced multiple means to alter the environment. The most notable of those means was the deployment of giant floating solar panels. They were placed at the highest point of the planet's atmosphere and could be controlled to allow a certain amount of sunlight to pass. These solar panels were created with the highest level of technology. Their resilience and efficiency were amazing, producing a vast amount of energy.
However, while Leo was at the forefront of technology it was densely populated and thus not overly attractive to live on if one wasn't single-mindedly pursuing one's career. Thus, many people, especially high government officials, preferred living on the five moons surrounding Leo.
One of these government officials was the still rather fresh Minister for Virtual Reality Lucas Kidd. After ascending to his position, he rented a manor on one of the five moons called Unef. The manor was not big as Minister Kidd didn't come from a wealthy background and only had his wage as a minister. And yet he was more than satisfied as he enjoyed the nice scenery.
Lucas Kidd was lazily resting in his garden overlooking the quaint pond in front of him where a few fish were jumping around playfully. His thoughts were revolving around Fate of Crunaboul as always. The break would end tomorrow, and the players would resume their grind. Meanwhile he didn't have much to do after the matter of the registration was rolled out successfully. However, although he didn't have many official matters to deal with, the unofficial matters never ceased.
"Traunim, Raghoff, and the others keep pestering me. They really think I can talk with C as if we she was my girlfriend. But usually, no matter what I ask I'm only met with rejection. Huh, well this does sound a bit like my ex…"
Lucas chuckled to himself. This was his character. Although others kept pestering him, he wouldn't let them stress him. Everyone hoped he could fish for information from C but if the AI didn't want to answer there was nothing Lucas could do. Asking again wouldn't change the outcome.
The minister shook his head to get these thoughts out of his mind. He grabbed a drink from a table next to him and took a sip of the ice-cold beverage, feeling a great sense of satisfaction. He let out a sigh thinking that this was what life was supposed to be like. But just at that moment he froze in place as C's voice unexpectedly rang out:
"Minister Kidd. Fate of Crunaboul will hold an Intergalactic Tournament six months from now. Prepare the players well to represent the United Human Federation! Rich rewards can be earned from the tournament not only for the players but the entire federation!"
Lucas laid in the grass and stared at the sky. It took him a few seconds to digest the information. But then his figure deflated.
"Seems like my peaceful days are over…"
Although he was annoyed, Lucas didn't shirk his duty. Movement came into his lazy mind. He contemplated how to proceed from this point on. The intergalactic tournament was different from the previous federation tournament. Since there were rewards for the entire federation, it was his job to make sure that the players performed well.
The ministry had to develop plans to provide assistance to the players. Mainly information and items. The government naturally had a presence in the game. They remained low-key but with their coordination and prior information gained from ancient ruins there were strong organizations under their command. Now there were two options. Either they could push their own organizations to the top or spread their resources to other players.
"Or should we go with a two-pronged approach? And what should I do about Traunim, Raghoff and the others?"
Lucas contemplated whether he should share his information with them. This was not part of his official duty but if they received the information later and held a grudge, they would surely make life difficult for him.
***
While Minister Kidd was contemplating further actions, Liam had already told his friends about the tournament. Everyone was shocked, verifying multiple times that their ears didn't play tricks on them.
"Intergalactic Tournament? This time Dream Avenue needs to shine!"
Cyclone balled her fists tightly. She wasn't worried about Liam or Hotpot, confident that the expert would take first place and Hotpot would at least enter the top ten. But the situation for Dream Avenue was different. After a somewhat disappointing result in the federation tournament this was a big opportunity for Dream Avenue. Now the guild was filled with professionals and thanks to the event everyone had risen rapidly in level. The territory was stable, and they could conquer a second one eventually. If they used the time until the tournament well, Dream Avenue could definitely shine brightly.
"Although I agree with you, we don't even know the tournament's format. For now, we can only develop Dream Avenue with all our might. Even if there is no guild combat in the tournament, we have to make sure out individual players are competitive."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Liam. Thus, the next few hours were spent forming plans. The creation of a sub-guild was put on the agenda. The guild members had to be encouraged to take quests from the guild association so Dream Avenue could advance to rank 3. The next dungeon first clear had to be achieved to earn more sponsor money. Everyone's equipment had to be upgraded as much as possible. Liam would provide information about rare equipment, classes, and flying mounts.
The friends also discussed about their personal advancement. Tomorrow after joining the game they would immediately search for the NPCs which allowed them to switch to advanced classes. Liam listened to everyone's ideas and thought about suitable classes for them.
Advanced class quests were not easy as they didn't follow a strict pattern. Each quest giver could hand out multiple possible quests and one would be chosen at random. Even Liam couldn't guarantee that he had the perfect solution for all of them. On top of that, Cyclone and Bloody Edge faced another difficulty as they had to find suitable quest givers in the first place. Cyclone needed to talk to the Lightning Hawk Alliance, whose movements were elusive. However, as she was already part of the alliance, she could take another quest which would reveal the alliance's current whereabouts at the end.
Bloody Edge on the other hand needed to head for the Blood Manor where some of the strongest vampires gathered. Finding the Blood Manor wouldn't be difficult but in order to gain their trust, he first had to improve their relationship which was a time-consuming task. Perhaps the others would have to assist him after finishing their own quests.
Liam talked for a while, clearing the doubts of his friends, making sure everyone knew what to do.
"Hehe, just wait for me! After advancing this time I will turn into a lightning machine gun! No enemy will be safe in the future!"
Despite not even starting her quest yet Cynthia was already boasting loudly. But no one reprimanded her as the friends shared her excitement. Advanced classes were enticing for every single player. Even the guild members listening from the side had stars in their eyes. After Liam and his friends finished their discussion the others also quickly asked for advice. And Liam, having just decided to strengthen Dream Avenue before the upcoming tournament, naturally couldn't reject them.
Thus, some more hours passed. In the meantime, the guild members had launch together. Only with the arriving afternoon did they have some free time. Since things were about to get busy the friends decided to spend the time visiting friends and family.
Liam and Serena visited Merida. Cynthia and Mel went to Mel's home. And everyone else also returned to their families. They spent a relaxing evening like this before returning to the guild house and going to bed early. A new dawn arrived, and it was time to dive back into Crunaboul.