As expected of a main city, the resources converted at once were worth more than a dozen small strongholds combined. Three thousand soul crystals is not a huge number for Jack, but it is a decent income. The real value lies in the other two items.
One is the skill "Return to City Technique." The other is the blueprint "Energy Absorption Tower."
The former is a Tier 2 Lord skill, requiring 800 points of mental power to use. Jack, being Tier 3 and not lacking in mental power, immediately used the skill crystal to master the Return to City Technique.
From now on, no matter where he is, as long as he is not sealed and has enough mental power, he will have the ability to instantly return to his Lord's main city. This skill is very convenient and also serves as a lifesaver, making his safety more secure in the future.
The cost of the Return to City Technique is related to the location where the skill is activated. If Jack is within his Lord's territory, the skill's cost is almost zero. In other areas, the farther away he is, the higher the cost. Overall, it is a valuable Lord skill.
However, this is just icing on the cake. What truly satisfied Jack was the blueprint he obtained this time.
**[Blueprint: Energy Absorption Tower]**
Tier: 2
Type: Special Blueprint
Construction Cost: 3500 soul crystals, 1000 mental power, 500 units of Tier 2 Material Essence.
Tier 2 blueprints are not cheap and are hard to find in the novice Lord market. Moreover, the "Energy Absorption Tower" is a rather rare Tier 2 blueprint. This facility is a Tier 2 building as soon as it's constructed, but the construction cost is steep. It consumes a significant amount of soul crystals and mental power, as well as 500 units of Tier 2 Material Essence.
This essence is converted from Tier 2 quality materials. Of course, it can also be synthesized from Tier 1 materials through special facilities. Five hundred units of Tier 2 Material Essence is roughly equivalent to five thousand units of Tier 1 Material Soul. This number is indeed exaggerated and almost impossible for a novice territory to afford. Whether it's worth paying such an expensive cost depends on the territory's needs.
For most ordinary territories, the function of the Energy Absorption Tower is optional and not essential. Its function is straightforward: it actively absorbs and converts the energy of Adventurers, allowing them to consume more energy in Secret Realms while converting all consumed energy into soul crystals.
Generally, Adventurers only condense soul crystals when they die in a Secret Realm. If they clear it and exit safely, this process does not yield soul crystals. With the Energy Absorption Tower, as long as energy is consumed in the Secret Realm, it can be absorbed and condensed into soul crystals, which is equivalent to guaranteed income.
Of course, it can also actively absorb energy, leading to additional consumption during Adventurers' adventures. This function is mostly ineffective, as Adventurers are not foolish and are unlikely to willingly pay extra energy costs. Energy absorption cannot be completed if they resist.
For Miracle City, this is a practical function. Miracle City does not solely aim to kill Adventurers. In the future, Miracle City will likely launch expansive, narrative-driven, life-simulation Secret Realms, and even large-scale online game Secret Realms.
How to charge Adventurers? Various open-world games like GTA, Zelda, or casual/management games like Minecraft, The Sims, and Clash of Clans don't have the fast pace of linear story or action games. Theoretically, one point of energy can be played from morning to night.
This not only leads to insufficient harvesting of the 'leeks' but also affects the Adventurer's growth speed. If Miracle City builds enough Energy Absorption Towers, this problem can be easily solved. By making slight adjustments to the mechanism, it could resemble a time-based charging model, similar to point cards.
For example, deducting one point of energy every two hours. Jack believes that as long as the Secret Realm is well-designed and the game's stickiness is high enough, Adventurers can completely accept it. This would greatly broaden the diversity of Miracle City's future Secret Realms.
Furthermore, this is one of the essential infrastructures for building large-scale online games in the future. Of course, the function of the Energy Absorption Tower is limited, and there is a daily cap on the amount of energy it can absorb and convert.
If Jack truly intends to create MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) Secret Realms like Legend, Dungeon & Fighter, or World of Warcraft, he needs to build a considerable number of Energy Absorption Towers. Additionally, several other facilities are needed for assistance. Only then can it accommodate tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of players adventuring in one Secret Realm simultaneously.
Miracle City's current scale, population, and infrastructure do not meet the conditions for creating such Secret Realms. However, while large-scale role-playing online games cannot be built, some small-scale multiplayer online games are feasible.
Jack is already planning the Tidal Secret Realm's competitive gameplay focused on PVP. CS and Battlegrounds require this kind of infrastructure. In the future, if there are games like Diablo, which are not multiplayer but can be played online in teams as RPGs, the Secret Realm's operation can also be considered through "time-based point card charging."
Of course, without the relevant materials, these discussions will be postponed. For now, he can only add competitive gameplay according to the original plan.
"I was just worrying about how to get this blueprint. I didn't expect to acquire one myself. It's like someone sent a pillow when I was sleepy!"
He had initially planned to procure one "Energy Absorption Tower" blueprint and one "Secret Realm Control Tower" blueprint. These are the two major infrastructures that must be constructed to create the competitive mode.
The latter is also a Tier 2 facility but is relatively common and easier to obtain. Each Secret Realm Control Tower can be bound to a Secret Realm, allowing real-time control during the Secret Realm's operation, such as temporarily changing settings or manually adding monsters. It is an essential fun tower for 'old sixth' Lords.
Of course, Jack is not this kind of 'old sixth'... Okay, although he doesn't rule out occasionally wanting to have some fun, his fundamental purpose for wanting this tower is the ability it grants the territory for real-time control over Secret Realms.
Simply put, using the "Secret Realm Control Tower" to quickly reset characters can help Adventurers avoid death. Using the "Energy Absorption Tower" to collect fees from Adventurers will ensure Secret Realm income.
For example, an Adventurer can consume one point of energy to get thirty minutes of free play in CS mode. During these thirty minutes, no matter how many rounds they play, it will not incur additional consumption.
Developing a CS or Battlegrounds mode doesn't cost much in resources. This kind of competitive gameplay often has a longer operational lifespan than level-based modes.
Jack can even implement some tricks. He can use the Mercenary Guild as a server to save Adventurers' personal game information. In this way, each Adventurer in the Tidal Secret Realm's "competitive mode" can create their own account, building their character library, weapon library, and various skins.
Adventurers can spend territory contribution points to purchase game characters and weapons... Only 888! How about the Fire Kirin?
By operating with the mindset of running similar online games, this model, once it runs smoothly, will create a way to recycle contributions with zero capital and huge profits.
After all, for the territory, releasing some ordinary characters and equipment has almost no cost, but it can widely harvest the 'leeks' and recycle a lot of contribution points. This will reduce the liquidity of contribution points, thus making them more valuable and also harvest the fruits of the Adventurers' labor, making them work harder in Secret Realms and more actively submit various resources.
When these Adventurers painstakingly earn contribution points by farming soul crystals, they ultimately turn into virtual assets within the Secret Realm. This not only makes Miracle City's contribution points more valuable but also makes Adventurers invest sunk costs and become more addicted. For Adventurers, it is not necessarily a bad thing.
As long as the scale is properly controlled, they will only be willing to endure. Even for comparison, they will work even harder!
This is definitely a business model worth trying, and in the long run, it will not only make the territory's economy healthier but also foster greater loyalty to Miracle City among Adventurers, making them inseparable!
"I must increase my efforts to acquire the 'Control Tower' blueprint as soon as possible!"
While Jack is very much looking forward to the launch of the Tidal Secret Realm's competitive mode, this matter is not urgent. Being anxious is useless anyway, as whether the blueprint can be bought depends on fate.
Before obtaining the blueprint, Jack will remain focused. After all, the second core has already been secured. For him, the top priority right now is to develop the "Foreign Lands Chronicle"!
Although the first Secret Realm has immense potential and prospects, the second Secret Realm is equally impressive. Jack currently wants to launch the Ashina Country story as soon as possible.
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