Chapter 160: Public Announcement: Monster World

The next day, on the Moon.

In Moon Eclipse City, at the special briefing for the Dark Lands.

Before the livestream had even begun, the number of viewers in the channel had already approached three billion.

As time passed, the viewer count continued to skyrocket.

Netizens across the entire network were filled with curiosity regarding the special briefing on whether two versions of the Dark Lands existed.

Prior to this, the Moon Eclipse Clan had never held a press conference even when launching the Dark Lands, yet now they wished to proactively explain the situation due to an online public opinion incident.

This completely contradicted the operational style of the Moon Eclipse Clan's high command.

One of the mocking nicknames for the Moon Eclipse Clan on the internet was "Beings of the Upper Realm."

This title had two layers of meaning.

The first reason was that the Moon Eclipse Clan was the only race in the Earth Alliance that did not reside on Earth; members of all races in the alliance could look up and see the moon in the sky, the place where the Moon Eclipse Clan lived, so they jokingly referred to them as Beings of the Upper Realm.

The second reason was the Moon Eclipse Clan's cold diplomatic posture.

Although there were numerous large-scale aid projects externally every year, apart from those arranged by the Star Net, no matter how other races sought help, the Moon Eclipse Clan would pay no heed, leaving little room for negotiation; their lofty attitude resembled that of Beings of the Upper Realm.

In fact, the Moon Eclipse Clan had always been the core cornerstone allowing the Earth Alliance to operate stably.

They were both the leader of the Earth Alliance and the imaginary enemy that fostered internal unity among the various races.

All races, including the Human Race, held very complex feelings toward the Moon Eclipse Clan.

This insurmountable leading position made all races, possessing a sense of historical pride, feel resistant from the bottom of their hearts.

An environment of absolute peace was also unfavorable for resolving internal racial issues.

Especially when internal contradictions became prominent, these races needed to create a powerful imaginary enemy to force their members to unite as one, thereby forgetting their internal conflicts.

The powerful Moon Eclipse Clan was the perfect vessel for this imaginary enemy.

The Moon Eclipse Clan had never cared about being viewed with hostility; they even actively cooperated, shifting the contradictions into the game.

They allowed the Moon Eclipse Clan to become the challenge target for netizens of all races in the virtual world, helping various races resolve their internal contradictions.

Therefore, this Moon Eclipse Clan was both a leader and the cornerstone of unity.

This time, the Moon Eclipse Clan publicly stated they would explain the online public opinion issue, which truly caught netizens of all races off guard and attracted the attention of the entire network; this was also one of the rare opportunities to see the Moon Eclipse Clan's high command on the internet.

The last time was fifteen years ago.

Before the briefing had even begun, netizens in the livestream channel had already started chatting enthusiastically.

"I don't understand why the Moon Eclipse Clan needs to explain this publicly; could it be that there really are two versions of the Dark Lands?"

"I was stunned when I saw the news saying the Moon Eclipse Clan would explain online conspiracy theories; this doesn't fit the Moon Eclipse Clan's usual cold image."

"Even if there really are two versions of the Dark Lands, I feel that given the Moon Eclipse Clan's external style, there would be no need to come out and explain; after all, the Moon Eclipse Clan has always been the Beings of the Upper Realm who pay no heed to the thoughts of mortals in the lower realm (lol.jpg)."

"Where there's smoke, there's fire; the Moon Eclipse Clan doesn't care about online public opinion at all, so coming out to explain means something they care about has happened; since all of the Moon Eclipse Clan's actions are guided by the Star Net AI, and the Star Net AI is oriented toward the interests of the Moon Eclipse Clan, there must be an interest issue behind this briefing that the Star Net cares about, possibly related to the development of the Moon Eclipse Clan."

"I treated that post from the Human Race as a joke; I can't understand why the Moon Eclipse Clan would take it seriously; my curiosity is overflowing, just waiting for the briefing to start."

"Let me predict the content of the briefing in advance: the Moon Eclipse Clan's Chief Administrator No. 1 will state there is only one version of the Dark Lands, and all online rumor-mongers will have their accounts banned (lol.jpg)."

Just as netizens were heatedly discussing whether two versions of the Dark Lands existed.

A Moon Eclipse Clan man dressed in exquisitely tailored black clothing steadily approached the podium and stood firm, his gaze fixed on the livestream camera.

The Moon Eclipse Clan man in the livestream frame possessed a handsome appearance with slender ears, resembling an elf from a fairy tale, very much in line with human aesthetics.

This was precisely the current Chief Administrator No. 1 of the Moon Eclipse Clan.

He lowered his head, his gaze sweeping over the reporters of all races below the podium, nodding slightly in greeting, then raised his head; a faint glimmer flashed in his deep blue eyes as if organizing his words.

"Reporters of all races and netizens of all races in the livestream channel, good afternoon."

"We have paid attention to all kinds of statements regarding the Dark Lands on the internet."

"The game Dark Lands is the crystallization of our Moon Eclipse Clan's years of hard work; for countless days and nights, the Star Net AI and our research team immersed themselves in an ocean of code, carving every detail within the game, solely to bring everyone an ultimate gaming experience; this is not merely a game, but a virtual world full of vitality and life."

"We deeply understand that the game carries everyone's longing for another kind of life, as well as curiosity about the unknown, so we meticulously crafted the Dark Lands; here there are vast fantasy continents, mysterious ancient ruins, and every inch of land hides numerous stories... waiting for you to discover your own infinite possibilities."

The words of Chief Administrator No. 1 seemed to possess a kind of magic, causing everyone present to involuntarily sketch that wonderful game world in their minds.

But as soon as this speech ended, netizens in the livestream began to vent their anger.

"You speak so well, so why weren't game qualifications issued to us of the Rock Race? Several rounds have been distributed already; is this racial discrimination?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Where is the ultimate experience? Does it refer to the experience of fighting for qualifications? If you have the ability, just open the game for download directly; instead, you dole out batches stingily as if giving alms to beggars; it's disgusting."

"So since you claim to care so much about the player's experience and feelings, when will qualifications be fully opened? Did you eat my qualification?"

However, the comments from netizens in the livestream did not disturb the speech of the Moon Eclipse Clan's Chief Administrator No. 1.

After briefly introducing the original intention behind creating the game Dark Lands, Chief Administrator No. 1 shifted his tone:

"Recently, we discovered that the question of whether two versions of the Dark Lands exist has triggered heated discussions across the entire network; I will now explain the situation in detail."

Upon hearing these words, the bullet comments in the livestream instantly decreased.

Everyone was waiting for Chief Administrator No. 1's subsequent statement.

"The facts are exactly as the netizen who made the post stated; we, the Moon Eclipse Clan, did indeed create two games; one of them is the Dark Lands sold through official channels that many players have already experienced, which is what we refer to in our promotions as an epoch-making virtual game; this game does not have any issues of simplified configurations or censored game content mentioned in online rumors."

"As for the cracked version of Dark Lands mentioned by the Human Race netizen 'Kindergarten Principal' in the Human Race Rise Forum, that is actually the next-generation game we are developing, currently in the closed beta stage, so we have not publicly released any related content for this game; whether in terms of game quality or realism, this game far surpasses Dark Lands, and the name of this game, internally, we call it: Monster World."

"Therefore, there is only one game called Dark Lands, while the other game is Monster World, which has not been publicly released."

Chief Administrator No. 1's explanation immediately caused the livestream channel to explode.

Bullet comments and reviews flooded the screen at a speed of several million per second, making it impossible to read the specific content.

"Holy crap, a closed beta version of the next-generation game with better quality? This is too outrageous; how am I just finding out about this news now? How do I get closed beta qualifications?"

"Damn it, free closed beta lets you eat meat, while buying the genuine version makes you eat shit; Moon Eclipse Clan, I f*** your XX; why did I spend 128,000 to buy a worse quality version? No wonder the player who made the post had a mental breakdown; I would have broken down too; in fact, I'm already broken down; I demand that my Dark Lands qualification be converted into a Monster World game qualification."

"Stupid Moon Eclipse Clan, pulling these shady tricks, huh? Secretly releasing a closed beta version and distributing it via links is simply disgusting; even if it's a closed beta, you could have openly let players fight for qualifications; before this, we didn't even know such a game existed; back then we were still replying to mock the OP, thinking the OP was spreading rumors, and now you tell me it's real."

"I'm so upset; good things are given away for free, while the inferior version costs money; as expected of the Moon Eclipse Clan; Beings of the Upper Realm are indeed willful."

"Yesterday I was ecstatic that I finally grabbed a game qualification for this round, and now you tell me this is just a transitional version and there's a better one? I'll punch the moon to pieces with one fist."

Facing the frenzied fury in the livestream bullet comments, Chief Administrator No. 1 remained calm, lowering his head to look at the reporters of all races below:

"Reporter friends of all races, are there any other questions you wish to ask?"

At this moment, a reporter from the Human Race raised her hand; after receiving a nod of permission from Chief Administrator No. 1, the female reporter stood up:

"Hello, Chief Administrator No. 1, I would like to ask a question; the post described that the cracked version... that is, the game Monster World, has physical performance that perfectly simulates reality; is this true?"

Facing the inquiry, Chief Administrator No. 1 nodded:

"We are very proud to announce that the game Monster World has achieved physical performance nearly identical to the real world; the modeling, environment, and physical feedback in the game all follow the same laws as the real world; every NPC in Monster World, even the minor mobs, possesses intelligent AI support surpassing the core NPCs of Dark Lands; you can even understand Monster World as a perfect virtual game; for the next few hundred years, or even into the more distant future, there will not be a game capable of surpassing it."

"We believe this game will bring players an unprecedented immersive experience."

These words once again triggered heated discussions across the entire network; while players in the livestream felt surprised, they couldn't help but angrily criticize the Moon Eclipse Clan for hiding such a good thing and not making it public.

At this moment, Dark Lands completely lost its appeal.

They had just discovered that the epoch-making game in their eyes was merely a transition, and the Moon Eclipse Clan still held a perfect game countless times better than Dark Lands in their hands.

This sense of disparity was too intense, especially for players who had already obtained Dark Lands game qualifications; this was simply a backstab from the Moon Eclipse Clan.

The reporter from the Human Race continued to ask at this moment:

"Chief Administrator No. 1, could you take this opportunity during the briefing to introduce the game Monster World in detail?"

Facing the inquiry, the Moon Eclipse Clan's Chief Administrator No. 1 fell silent briefly before stating with an unchanged expression:

"Monster World is still in the closed beta stage; we will find an appropriate time to publicly release related content; for now, there is nothing to comment on; specific details will be arranged according to the Star Net's decisions."

After the reporter from the Human Race sat down, a reporter from the Strike-Breaker Race raised his hand.

After receiving a nod from Chief Administrator No. 1, the reporter stood up and asked:

"Hello, Chief Administrator No. 1, I would like to ask you if you have considered at what point in time to fully open the game Monster World, or to distribute purchase qualifications for Monster World to the public through official channels."

"This question is tentatively set aside; we need to wait for a specific answer from the Star Net; for now, I cannot answer."

"There are comments online saying that the game Monster World occupies a large amount of the Moon Eclipse Clan's information processing resources, which is why the distribution of qualifications for the other party in Dark Lands is slow; does this issue exist?"

"It does indeed exist; Monster World is the future in our eyes."

After the reporter from the Strike-Breaker Race sat down, a reporter from the White Mountain Race, having received permission, stood up and asked:

"Since the performance of Monster World is already so perfect, why is closed beta testing still necessary? We have collected online comments and found that many netizens are puzzled by this; could you answer this question?"

The Moon Eclipse Clan's Chief Administrator No. 1 nodded:

"The production of the game Monster World is complete, but there may still be some issues we have not discovered, so we need to conduct inspections through closed beta testing, and then present it to everyone in the most perfect form."

"There is another question; based on statements from players who obtained Monster World game qualifications online, I discovered that the group obtaining the most closed beta qualifications comes from the Human Race Federation; this makes me very puzzled; why was the closed beta not conducted internally within the Moon Eclipse Clan, but instead secretly distributed externally, with members of the Human Race Federation as the main recipients?"

After nodding, Chief Administrator No. 1 spoke in a grave tone:

"I find it necessary to explain this question in detail."

"We secretly developed the game Monster World for fifty years, investing massive resources, computing power, and energy during that period; after the game production was completed, we asked the Star Net for detailed arrangements regarding this game; the Star Net's answer to us was that the positioning of this game is a game for the world, supervised only by the Star Net."

"In other words, from the moment of its birth, this game was not supervised by us, the high command of the Moon Eclipse Clan; it belongs to all players of all races worldwide."

"Presumably everyone knows that the Star Net has always been striving to build a racial alliance structure for global unity; this is a gift from the Star Net to the entire world; here I can guarantee to all players that this game will be permanently free; even when qualifications are fully distributed in the future, no qualification fees will be charged."

"Chief Administrator No. 1, your answer makes me full of anticipation for the game Monster World, but you still have not answered the core question in my previous inquiry; why was the closed beta mainly targeted at players of the Human Race Federation instead of being tested internally within the Moon Eclipse Clan?"

Speaking, the reporter from the Strike-Breaker Race swiped twice on the tablet in his hand and continued:

"If this is the Star Net's idea, then why did the Star Net make this decision? Even if the Star Net has the idea of building a prosperous Earth Alliance, it takes the interests of the Moon Eclipse Clan as the core; this seems inconsistent with the Star Net's usual decision-making."

This question was undoubtedly very tricky, but the Moon Eclipse Clan's Chief Administrator No. 1 remained calm:

"I have already explained the reason; perhaps you did not understand clearly; the Star Net explicitly stated that this is a game gifted to the entire world, so qualifications are completely gifted to players of all races worldwide in a random manner; we all know that the Human Race is the race with the largest population base in the Earth Alliance; from a probability standpoint, it is very reasonable for the Human Race to obtain the most game qualifications."

"Chief Administrator No. 1, if we analyze your explanation from a probabilistic perspective, the entire world including the Moon Eclipse Clan has a population approaching 15 billion; players of the Human Race Federation can be the largest group in the game, but looking at the proportion of players who obtained Monster World closed beta qualifications, it has far surpassed other races; is this just luck?"

"Yes, random distribution means anything is possible; even the possibility that all distributed quotas belong to players of the Human Race Federation is a probability that exists; the method of distributing qualifications is controlled by the Star Net AI; apart from it, we cannot give an accurate judgment either; you can also understand this as simply luck."

After the reporter from the Strike-Breaker Race sat down, a reporter from the Cloud Radiance Race raised his hand.

Receiving a nod of approval, the reporter from the Cloud Radiance Clan stood up and asked:

"Greetings, Executive One. I wish to know how many qualifications released by the Star Net have been obtained internally by the Eclipse Clan during this current closed beta phase."

This question immediately drew the attention of the high-ranking officials of all races; they too wanted to know how many testing qualifications the Star Net had distributed within the Eclipse Clan.

Especially the high-ranking humans.

They felt deeply puzzled as to why players in the game all reported mentioning one issue: they had never encountered any Eclipse Clan players within the game.

Even if the Star Net intended to create a virtual game gifted to the world, the interests of the Eclipse Clan should still be placed at the core position; there could be no such thing as true randomness, and such randomness did not align with the Star Net's settings.

Facing the question, Executive One did not hesitate even for a moment before replying:

"The quota of qualifications distributed internally is temporarily confidential, but what I can tell everyone is that we, the Eclipse Clan, have naturally participated in the closed beta; however, an additional server was opened specifically for internal testing within the Eclipse Clan. You may understand it as follows: the testing version used by qualifications distributed externally is Version B, while the testing version used internally by our Eclipse Clan is Version A; data and content between the two servers are not interoperable."

"Therefore, players who have already obtained the game will discover one problem: they have not encountered members of our Eclipse Clan within the game."

"In the future, members of our Eclipse Clan will also enter the game scenarios of Version B, the testing resources of Version A will be cancelled, and we will merge into Version B to embark on new adventures in the Monster World alongside players of all races."

"Additionally, I guarantee to all players across the network that in this game, Monster World, members of our Eclipse Clan will not receive any special treatment from the Star Net; all players share the same starting point upon entering the game, with no hidden data adjustments or provision of extra benefits for our clan's players. What we wish to create is a fair gaming environment, which has always been the goal the Star Net has strived to achieve."

"The game Monster World has been infused with the highest-level resources of our Eclipse Clan; I believe that upon its official release in the future, it will surely bring everyone a satisfying gaming experience."

After answering this question, a reporter from the Star Map Clan seated below raised their hand.

Receiving a nod, the Star Map Clan reporter spoke with a respectful tone:

"May I ask, Executive One, you stated that the game Monster World can perfectly simulate real-world environments; does this mean all experiments can be attempted within the game environment, and the data obtained can be used as real data, such as testing dangerous weapons, testing dangerous potions, and so on?"

"I can answer this question clearly: all data obtained within Monster World can be applied in reality, and furthermore, Monster World possesses a higher-level experimental environment."

"Executive, what do you mean by a 'higher-level experimental environment'?" the Star Map Clan reporter asked with a puzzled expression.

"Reality is limited by environmental extremes; some experiments cannot be conducted, such as simulation tests under extreme weather conditions. However, while extreme weather in the real world has its limits, the intensity of extreme weather in Monster World will far exceed that of the real world; you can carry out even more crazed various experiments there."

"Others include surgical simulations, drug testing, dangerous weapon development... all can obtain the most advantageous testing environment within Monster World."

Executive One's answer caused an uproar across the entire network.

Especially the high-ranking officials of all races, who could no longer sit still.

A perfect simulation scenario meant that all conceived dangerous technologies could be verified there without worrying about repercussions.

[122] A perfect simulation scenario meant that all conceived dangerous technologies could be verified there without worrying about repercussions.

For all races, this was no longer simply a matter of a virtual game.

The perfect virtual scenarios provided by Monster World could significantly accelerate the progress of real-world technology, possessing unparalleled strategic value.

Subsequent questions from reporters of all races revolved around the content of the game Monster World.

To these, Executive One of the Eclipse Clan responded that Monster World was still in the testing phase, and relevant information within the game would only be disclosed after the Star Net gave a clear response.

Just as the briefing was about to conclude, Executive One smiled and spoke:

"I know many players will not understand our actions, even feeling that the existence of another, more perfect game is a betrayal of the players of Dark Land, that the officially released game through legitimate channels is surprisingly inferior to the beta version. Taking player sentiments into account, I hereby offer everyone two solutions."

"Solution One: After this briefing concludes, I presume some players will apply for refunds for Dark Land. Although we clearly stated in the terms upon Dark Land's release that refunds are not supported after 300 hours of gameplay experience..."

"...we can understand the players' feelings. Compared to the game Dark Land, everyone looks forward more to the perfect quality of Monster World. Therefore, on behalf of the Eclipse Clan, I announce that regardless of how many hours a player has experienced Dark Land, refunds will be supported."

"However, the refund method is limited to a currency exchange refund system for Monster World."

"You may understand it this way: this refund model is also designed to promote the game Monster World and foster the development of the game ecosystem. For all players who obtain qualifications for Monster World in the future, after paying according to the currency exchange ratio between the game and reality, a compensatory refund will be issued at a ratio of 1.5 times."

"Therefore, refunds can only be processed on the basis that the player owns both games, Dark Land and Monster World. Taking the release price of 1,000 Moon Coins (120,000 Credit Points) as an example, a player can pay Sacrificial Power equivalent to 1,000 Moon Coins within Monster World to receive a refund compensation of 2,500 Moon Coins in real-world currency."

"Through this method, we hope to build a tighter gaming community, strengthen the connection between the game and reality. In the future, we will also introduce a game currency recycling mechanism to allow wealth in the real world to be redistributed."

"Next, regarding Solution Two: if gameplay experience is less than 300 hours, one can directly apply for a refund on the official website for qualification applications, or, after obtaining Dark Land, proceed with the compensatory refund according to the first solution."

"Finally, let me mention that all players who own Monster World can register their identity on the Eclipse Clan official website prior to refunding; we will respond promptly to meet player needs."

As Executive One's voice fell, the briefing officially concluded.

Players across the entire network now knew of the existence of a game with quality higher than Dark Land, distributed via mysterious links with limited quotas and random external issuance.

Although the refund plan offered by the Eclipse Clan satisfied many players.

The problem lay in the fact that the Eclipse Clan seemingly had no intention of distributing qualifications for Monster World on a large scale.

This caused great dissatisfaction among players across the entire network.

Not knowing was one thing, but now that they knew, all players wanted to own the game Monster World.

Although qualifications for Dark Land through official channels were issued with limits, everyone at least had a chance to grab a qualification, but the distribution of qualifications for Monster World was completely random.

Judging by the distribution speed currently hotly debated online, by the time one obtained a qualification, one would probably be six feet under.

To enjoy this game in advance, netizens protested the Eclipse Clan's actions en masse, demanding the immediate opening of Monster World to all players on the network, insisting the closed beta could end early.

The live broadcast of the briefing ended, but comments and danmu in the live stream room continued to pop up at high frequency:

"Positive reviews for the 1.5x compensation! Continue playing Dark Land for now, wait until I get the Monster World qualification to happily earn a profit. Truly the rich and powerful Eclipse Clan."

"The mindset of feeling superior after obtaining Dark Land qualifications has vanished completely. Turns out there is a hidden realm above us Dark Land players called Monster World. Crying myself to sleep in the bathroom."

"Begging for Monster World qualifications! My interest in Dark Land has greatly diminished; I only want to experience Monster World now."

"After watching the briefing, a doubt in my heart has been answered. Rumors circulated externally back then that the Eclipse Clan's next game would be one with 100% realism. We all thought it was Dark Land, but only after entering the game did we discover Dark Land's quality wasn't as good as the rumors claimed. Now I understand; the information circulating back then was actually referring to Monster World, not the transitional version Dark Land."

"I found it strange back then; although not officially promoted, rumors of a new game with 100% reality simulation persisted externally. Now it's confirmed: the new game refers to Monster World, not Dark Land distributed through official channels."

"Why did you have to let me know? I can no longer happily play Dark Land. I want to play Monster World, ahhh!"

"So after talking for so long at the briefing, when exactly will the closed beta end and qualifications be distributed? I really want to experience Monster World. Even if you don't plan to yet, releasing some gameplay content videos would be fine. You have to give us a clear concept of the game; why hide and conceal? Disgusting."

Facing player demands, the Eclipse Clan returned to their former aloof posture, offering no further response.

Yet the news given at this briefing had already set the entire network ablaze.

All races were discussing the game Monster World, but suffered from a lack of any specific content, unable to ascertain just how expressive the performance of Monster World truly was.

In the interim, players who had obtained Monster World qualifications spoke online describing the game's content, making those without qualifications feel even more agonized.

Unparalleled immersive experience, a dual feast for vision and hearing, infinitely free exploration modes, vast explorable regions... various descriptions made players who had not touched Monster World incredibly envious, sighing only at why they were not the ones to obtain qualifications.

No netizen doubted whether the statements of these Monster World closed beta players represented the game's true quality.

The official Eclipse Clan, always known for its rigor, had already explained personally; thus, the corresponding quality must exist, and perhaps even be better than described.

This feeling of knowing the truth yet being unable to possess it drove countless players mad.

Just as some netizen complained: If I didn't know the truth, I could happily continue playing in Dark Land, but the moment I learned the truth, Dark Land had changed its flavor... Had I never seen the light, I could have endured the darkness.

But the most intense reaction across the network belonged to the netizens of the Eclipse Clan.

Before the briefing was convened, Eclipse Clan netizens paid no attention to the network-wide discussion on whether two versions of Dark Land existed, dismissing it as merely another widely spread conspiracy theory.

After all, in the internet world, every few years a conspiracy theory becomes hotly debated.

For example, that the Eclipse Clan was using the Star Net to mentally control the entire world.

Or, that behind the Eclipse Clan's establishment of the Earth Alliance lay some unspeakable mysterious purpose.

The virtual game Sin Land, released several years ago, was even rumored to be a product through which the Eclipse Clan drained players' vital energy via the virtual game.

Having seen so much, one grows accustomed to it.

This incident was no exception.

But what surprised the members of the Eclipse Clan was that the high-ranking officials interfacing with the Star Net AI actually intended to come forward and explain the detailed reasons.

Yet even so, members of the Eclipse Clan still did not feel there was any problem, assuming it was merely the high command issuing clarifications and debunking rumors regarding internet-hot events.

But Executive One's answers at the briefing left them dumbfounded.

Monster World?

As members of the Eclipse Clan, they had never heard of such a virtual game project existing internally.

Before this, all internal promotions spoke of Dark Land, stating this game would be the core direction for the Eclipse Clan's future.

This left all Eclipse Clan members feeling incomprehensible, and it gave them a strong sense of disparity.

After the game Dark Land was released, it first satisfied their own Eclipse Clan players, and only then considered players of other races.

But this time, the Star Net had actually decided to place players of all races on the same growth starting point.

On the Star Net forum, Eclipse Clan members expressed their views on this matter one after another, but the viewpoints basically leaned positive.

Some Eclipse Clan netizens stated they would forever support any decision of the Star Net; history proved the Star Net's decisions had never been wrong, and every seemingly incomprehensible decision would ultimately benefit the Eclipse Clan.

Other netizens expressed hope that after the Star Net Ancestor saw their posts, they would quickly arrange a closed beta qualification for them too, as they also wanted to experience the game Monster World.

It could be seen that although Eclipse Clan netizens felt puzzled by this secretly developed project called "Monster World," they firmly believed in the Star Net, considering that any decision made by the Star Net was inevitably for the development of the Eclipse Clan.

The core issue discussed by Eclipse Clan netizens was when qualifications for the game Monster World would be opened for distribution and the closed beta ended.

As well as, at the current stage, exactly how many closed beta players within the Eclipse Clan were experiencing this game, and so on.

After the press conference officially concluded, high-ranking officials of all races within the Earth Alliance immediately convened top-level meetings.

The content discussed was the game secretly issued by the Eclipse Clan: Monster World.

Executive One of the Eclipse Clan's answers at the briefing made them realize how terrifying the potential of this game was.

Although finding 100% reality simulation hard to believe, since the truth was now before their eyes, what they had to do was plan ahead.

The core topics exchanged in the top-level meetings of all races were highly consistent: how to obtain testing qualifications for Monster World from the Eclipse Clan, and how to use the perfect virtual environment to create advantages in technological development.

Immediately after concluding their meetings, all races chose to contact the high command of the Eclipse Clan through diplomatic channels, hoping to obtain a testing qualification for Monster World.

Applying in bulk was clearly unrealistic; after all, even qualifications for the game Dark Land were difficult to obtain through diplomatic means.

Therefore, all races simply abandoned requests for bulk applications, applying only for a single closed beta qualification to understand the game Monster World in detail, which could significantly increase the probability of obtaining a qualification.

But all races also clearly understood that the decision on whether to grant qualifications lay with the Star Net AI, not with the high command of the Eclipse Clan.

And a request for a single qualification would not affect the Star Net AI's layout for the future.

All races of the Earth Alliance rubbed their hands in anticipation, full of expectation for this epoch-making game, also awaiting the Star Net's affirmative response.

Meanwhile, players of all races who had already obtained game qualifications were incomparably delighted.

Only now did they realize that the cracked version they had been playing sneakily was actually the closed beta version of the next-generation game, which was even higher grade than the official version.

The official version required a purchase of 120,000, but although the closed beta version they used was free, it was something no amount of money could buy.

The players who had already obtained qualifications finally understood one thing.

Why they had never seen players of the Eclipse Clan in the game.

It turned out the Eclipse Clan was using the internal Alpha version of the Monster World, while they were using the Beta version of the Monster World.

In the future, the development of the Monster World would also focus primarily on the Beta version they used, and the Alpha version would be completely canceled soon.

By then, these closed-beta players would possess a higher starting point for development than the members of the Eclipse Clan.

The forum within the Monster World boiled over completely.

All the players were cheering and celebrating; the heavy stone pressing on their hearts had shattered.

They knew they no longer needed to worry about a series of risk issues such as their game qualifications being revoked or their accounts being banned.

Administrator No. 1 had already explained clearly at the briefing that the closed-beta qualifications were issued by the Star Net.

Therefore, they were all closed-beta chosen ones selected by the Star Net.

Qi Sheng, situated behind the scenes, also watched the Eclipse Clan's briefing.

Regarding the Eclipse Clan's explanation, he was extremely satisfied.

The Eclipse Clan had indeed explained the existence of the game called Monster World in the manner he had requested.

Just as the Star Net had guessed at the time.

Back then, when he contacted the high command of the Eclipse Clan via a divine descent, it was precisely to avoid the Eclipse Clan entering a state of war mobilization.

According to the analysis from the Guide, facing the irresistible invasion of the Black Black Tide, the Star Net would try everything to accelerate the development speed of the Eclipse Clan.

This created a relatively high probability scenario.

Resources were ultimately limited; for the Eclipse Clan to enter a stage of comprehensive development, they would inevitably have to squeeze the living space of other races, or even plunder the stockpiled resources of other races.

This would inevitably cause violent turmoil in the real world, even triggering war.

The resulting impact would severely hinder his progress in building the player legion, and might even cause many lives that could have become players to die in reality due to the war.

He needed to maintain the existing state of peace within the Earth Alliance.

Contacting the high command of the Eclipse Clan was actually a form of appeasement, giving new hope to the already despairing high command of the Eclipse Clan, allowing them to continue maintaining the current situation of the Earth Alliance rather than entering a radical state of war mobilization.

The high command of the Eclipse Clan also implemented his idea.

They explained the existence of the Monster World as a game secretly developed by the Eclipse Clan.

And with this briefing, the Eclipse Clan had also made preparations in advance for entering the Monster World in the future.

The seemingly generous refund explanation was actually intended to obtain sufficient resources for rapid development after entering the Monster World.

This was the core reason for holding the briefing; all objectives were hidden within the final refund segment.

It was foreseeable that the game called Dark Land would still be frenziedly snapped up.

Players who managed to grab a qualification, regardless of whether they entered the game to experience it, would apply for a refund with the Eclipse Clan after obtaining the Monster World game qualification, seeking to receive high cash compensation.

While this appeared to be a loophole in the compensation clause, it was actually the result of careful arrangement by the Star Net.

According to feedback from the Guide, the Star Net had even arranged for public opinion manipulation.

After the members of the Eclipse Clan entered the Monster World, the Star Net would cause a voice to appear online, letting some Dark Land player post that qualifications for Dark Land grabbed after the briefing ended could also receive 1.5 times compensation refunds, claiming there was a loophole in the Eclipse Clan's refund terms.

High-end hunters often present themselves in the form of prey.

What the Star Net wanted was to give all players across the network the concept that "they had profited," and then, carrying this joy, exchange the resources of the Monster World for the premium refund compensation held by the Eclipse Clan.

After watching the Eclipse Clan's briefing, an idea surfaced in Qi Sheng's mind.

What had always limited the recruitment speed of Monster World players was not reality, but the growth of the player legion within the Monster World.

The acquisition speed of Sacrificial Power and the expansion of spatial area brought by accommodating Domain Nodes; these two were the key factors affecting recruitment speed.

At the current stage, the player legion already had corresponding player clans for sea, land, and air.

Future development would also gradually tend toward diversification.

They could completely loosen the method of issuing qualifications, allowing more players from alien races to join the game.

In other words, future qualification issuance would be distributed randomly across the entire network at random times, and all players from alien races could obtain them through connection.

Doing this offered one benefit.

The players entering the game would be completely random.

For example, in the next round of issuance, some clans might only receive one game qualification.

Then, those players who obtained qualifications and wished to grow quickly would have to integrate into the player teams of other races.

Over the long term, the player teams within the game would tend toward racial diversification.

Instead of forming small groups among players of their own race, feeling a natural resistance toward players of alien races.

Distributing the Monster World game qualifications in fragmented pieces could solve this problem.

Since the Monster World had been officially made public, Qi Sheng decided to establish an official website for "Monster World" within the Star Net.

Providing players from the outside world with relevant content about the Monster World to understand it in advance.

Doing this would help facilitate a quick start after obtaining qualifications in the future.

In the future, game qualifications would also be issued externally through the Monster World official channel, rather than spreading in the form of links within different Group Chat Realms.

However, the specific speed of qualification issuance would still depend on the player output within the game.

(End of Chapter)