Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'

"There sure are a lot of things going on with the new version!"

Jiaozi Niu finished reading the game forum post, and one thought lingered:

"Why is this world always at war?"

Undoubtedly, this is a full-scale war engulfing the entire Azure Star. The Red Arrow Empire is about to invade Sky Ring for a holy revenge, and at the same time, the internal conflict of Frost Plated is becoming more severe.

The most unimaginable of all is Zhengxu, once a human paradise, now fallen.

Amidst the sighs, players were more focused on discussing the new game mechanics.

"Submergence Starry Abyss—it seemed to have been mentioned in previous storylines."

Jiaozi Niu was reading the update log and posts when a chat icon suddenly lit up.

"The version has been updated. Any thoughts?"

Cumin Powder got straight to the point and asked:

"What's the next plan? Submergence Starry Abyss, or back to the Azure Star Main Quest?"

It was evident that Cumin Powder had been following the update early on and had already begun planning for the new version's exploration.

As expected, she probably would still be his regular partner.

'Speaking of which, Cumin Powder didn't even make it to the tournament this time, must be feeling quite unreconciled.'

Despite this thought, Jiaozi Niu still frankly said:

"I haven't decided yet... Azi, what do you think?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Cumin Powder sent a pink bunny smoking emoji: "We've been on Baizhu Star, already in space before the update, why go back?"

"So, no more Azure Star Main Quest, right?"

"What's the point of going back?" Cumin Powder's tone seemed displeased: "Those who compete rarely got to space early; their gear is a structured set matched perfectly. I didn't even have a chance to play, I'll just explore on my own."

Jiaozi Niu sensed something was off; Cumin Powder was particularly grumpy today. He quickly asked:

"...Did something happen at the club?"

"Didn't you see the news in the Esports section?" Cumin Powder asked in surprise.

"I never watch the news. Forums to me are just for looking at fanart and funny videos..."

"Well, you are a public figure now, better keep an eye on the industry trends."

Cumin Powder gave a reminder, showing a straightforwardness rare among professional players, almost like a good buddy.

Just as Jiaozi Niu was about to express gratitude, before he could finish typing, Cumin Powder sent over several screenshots.

"What's this?"

Jiaozi Niu clicked open out of curiosity, reading:

"Breaking News —[Qiongyu] acquired 51% of [Fragrant Chicken]'s shares; Director Lin Daqi stated: There will be personnel adjustments in the future, team mergers not ruled out."

"Frequent team changes in the S2 season's pre-season, with many veteran professional players' salaries disclosed."

"[Old Chilly Oil] team player Garidon announced retirement, has now joined Sesame Live, becoming a full-time streamer."

Each news packed a punch of information, but Jiaozi Niu only reacted after reading the last line.

"Garidon retired..."

"S1 team's performance was poor, without any distinctive highlights; retiring now can still catch the streaming boom."

Cumin Powder didn't mind.

"Speaking of which, Azi, your team was acquired by Yutianxiao's family, huh." Jiaozi Niu typed out a message: "So, are you going to train with Qiongyu people from now on?"

"Doesn't affect me, I haven't received any personnel change notices at the moment."

Cumin Powder said:

"Anyway, I'm not involved in joint training anymore."

Hearing this, Jiaozi Niu was taken aback:

"What's the situation?"

"Qiongyu's boss, actually Long Yuqiong, whose real name is Ou Shen, is both a player and a sponsor. The entire club is under his control; he chooses the training plan and personnel configuration."

Cumin Powder casually mentioned:

"That guy fired a bunch of people, then recruited many experts from various fields on the social side, specifically to form the guild's own Starry Abyss strategy group, even acquired many small guilds, seems to be building a huge player alliance—I've already been taken out of the competitive team, and it's still unclear what will happen next."

"So what will you do, Azi?"

"What else can I do?" Cumin Powder was straightforward: "Either get transferred pre-season, find a new home, or get relegated to the second team as a backup. Anyway, the strategy group doesn't want me—could also be wary other clubs might need me, so they're keeping me around. Seems like the latter two are quite likely now."

"Isn't that just being sidelined?" Jiaozi Niu expressed discontent: "That's too much. You're still so young, haven't had much time on the field, and the team wants to shelf you already."

"Don't get worked up, in some sense it's a good thing."

Cumin Powder sent a sunglasses emoji, acting indifferent:

"Since the team doesn't want to manage me, I can go wherever I want next—that's why I came to you, alright, solo runner-up Caramel Snail, got any suggestions?"

"For me, it feels like Submergence Starry Abyss would be quite nice..."

Jiaozi Niu was about to reply when scenes suddenly appeared in front of his eyes.

"Welcome to Ziluo Star."

Li Aozi's visage emerged before him:

"The full name is—medium-sized Parasite [Melodic Society] Melodycal."

"50 years ago, this planet was already parasitized. A girl named 'Xia Beiluo' was replicated into a meme; the whole planet has largely fallen to the 'rock' cultural invasion, irreversible."