Chapter 420: Private Mech and Customized Mech

"Alright, next time I'll definitely call you in the game." Upon hearing this, Li Xiaodao's expression immediately returned to normal; after replying, he walked past Wang Yu as naturally as if they were merely ordinary acquaintances.

When Ouyang Jia passed by, she also smiled at Wang Yu, though her eyes clearly held a hint of curiosity.

As Wang Yu ascended to the second floor, he could still faintly hear the woman's questioning voice.

"Big Brother Li, who is this guy? Your friend?"

"Someone I met in Star River, but not very close. How about I head to that nice Western restaurant nearby for dinner?" Li Xiaodao's reply was gentle, yet deliberately steering the conversation away from Wang Yu.

Wang Yu's gaze flickered slightly; he retracted his spiritual sense and headed toward the third floor.

That Li Xiaodao had become so familiar with Ouyang Jia in such a short time was somewhat unexpected—he suspected something had occurred between them these past days that he knew nothing of.

Though this made him slightly wary, he didn't dwell on it.

As a former member of China's special forces, Li Xiaodao would strictly adhere to confidentiality protocols and could not possibly leak anything related to him.

As Wang Yu thought this, he arrived at the staircase entrance on the third floor.

A silver door blocked his path.

After Wang Yu scanned his retina with the door's scanner, the door opened automatically.

He walked straight in.

The third floor held no one—only several isolated VIP rooms, each clearly labeled with a number.

Clearly, in Pengjie City, one of Xierde's largest metropolises, the number of certified mech pilots was limited, and most players who became certified mech pilots had already purchased private game pods; thus, few came to Star River Bar to play.

Wang Yu pushed open the door to VIP Room No. 3. The interior was simply and elegantly furnished: all tables and chairs were silver-white metal, yet at the room's center stood a game pod, pitch black as ink.

After locking the door from within, he scanned the room with his spiritual sense, confirmed no surveillance devices were present, then opened the pod's hatch and lay down inside.

Though he had encountered Chen Boshi twice in the game, the man had shown no intention of further contact; otherwise, Wang Yu would have sought him out immediately after learning about the Kleri.

A flash of white light, and Wang Yu appeared directly in the base's main hall. After scanning the bustling crowd of players, he headed toward a counter marked "Bounties."

His purpose for logging into the game this time was to obtain his first private customized mech as a certified mech pilot.

In the Star River game, there were two currencies: one, the electronic currency "Star Coins," used for daily consumption by everyone—mech pilots and base logistics staff alike received a fixed monthly allowance.

The other was Merit Points, accessible only to base military personnel.

This special currency, earned solely by slaying Nebula Beasts or achieving military accomplishments, was the true hard currency of Star River—usable for everything from spaceship and mech exchanges to food, drink, and entertainment.

Thus, the number of Merit Points one possessed was the sole standard for evaluating a player's wealth in Star River.

Originally, after passing the novice trial, players could claim a low-grade standard mech for free—but this mech was owned by the base, and if destroyed, it could be replaced at no cost at the base.

However, if one spent Merit Points, they could purchase a private mech belonging to themselves.

These private mechs were owned personally by the mech pilot and could be used in most game dungeons and mech pilot rankings.

But if a private mech was damaged, one had to spend Merit Points to repair it or exchange it for a new one.

When Wang Yu first passed the novice trial, he received a base-owned "Tulong I-Type" mech; after completing several missions with it, he entered the Immortal Cultivation Realm. When he returned to Blue Star this time, he directly took the certified mech pilot exam.

During that exam, all probationary mech pilots used the base-issued "Tianyi Standard-Type" mech.

Thus, officially, as a certified mech pilot of Star River, Wang Yu owned no private mech at all—only the base-owned "Tulong I-Type," making him worse off than even an average probationary player.

But this wasn't Wang Yu's fault; other players spent all day in Star River, completing tasks and clearing dungeons, naturally accumulating plenty of Merit Points to easily exchange for private mechs.

He had entered Star River only a few times total, had never taken many missions, and had never cleared a single dungeon—so naturally, he had zero Merit Points.

His purpose for entering the game this time was to clear the game's "No. 1 Dungeon" to accumulate Merit Points and customize his own private mech.

According to Star River's rules, a certified mech pilot's private mech could be either a standard model issued by any base, or a customized mech tailored to personal style.

Customized mechs weren't necessarily superior in performance to standard ones, but they were built to match the pilot's habits and traits, generally allowing better expression of the pilot's mech skills.

Thus, most certified mech pilots opted for customized mechs suited to themselves; the "Tulong I-Type" and "Tianyi Standard-Type" mechs Wang Yu had previously piloted were classic examples of standard models—one a low-grade basic type, the other a mid-grade standard type.

In terms of performance, mid- to high-grade mechs were far superior to basic models, but for many probationary and even certified mech pilots, higher performance wasn't always better.

The more advanced and higher-tier a mech, the more it tested the pilot's own abilities.

If a pilot's mech skills were insufficient, his spiritual power weak, or his physical condition inadequate, piloting a mid- or high-grade mech would be less effective than piloting a basic model, which allowed smoother, more natural control.

Following Star River's core principle—absolute realism—both standard and customized mechs had to be manufactured one by one in base production workshops, requiring time, resources, and materials.

The former was simpler: since manufacturing blueprints were already mature, as long as the base had the required materials, production was swift, and most base warehouses typically stored numerous standard mechs.

The latter was far more complicated; even customized mechs were divided into two major categories: modified and independent.

Modified mechs were standard models altered in specific components according to the pilot's personal requirements.

Independent mechs were entirely new designs, fundamentally different from any existing standard model, incapable of mass production, and suitable only for individual pilots.