Jace opened his wrist device and displayed the map on a holographic screen.
"The location is nestled among towering mountains. According to Atticus, even fifty thousand people would struggle to contain them, let alone twenty thousand." The problem was headache-inducing. It wasn't about inability to annihilate the giant lizards—no one wanted to endure heavy losses.
By nightfall, forces from various guilds had gradually amassed, totaling thirty thousand. Most major guilds had arrived, but they still couldn't devise a viable strategy. Damian monitored the situation closely; if the guilds truly failed to breach the defenses, he would deploy warships. He couldn't allow the guilds to launch a frontal assault—the casualties would be too great.
But by dawn, a solution emerged.
"Fire!"
"It's autumn on the Giant Lizard Star. The trees are parched. One spark could ignite everything."
"They're hiding in the mountains—it's suicide. Once the fire spreads, there's no escape."
"Our job is simple: seal all major mountain passes. Anyone who flees gets eliminated."
The proposal came from Orion. Everyone studied his cheerful expression, then felt a chill. This man was clearly dangerous—a ruthless strategist who stopped at nothing.
Jace voiced a concern: "Will setting the mountains ablaze anger the Conductor?" They couldn't gauge Damian's temperament.
Soon, however, someone noticed incendiary grenades appearing on the market.
"Ha! The Conductor must approve. Rush back and stock up!"
"Buy as much as possible—split the cost."
In the cockpit, Damian praised the fire strategy. "There's no morality in civilized warfare. The only goal is mission success. Besides, the Giant Lizard Star will be obliterated eventually. Burning it down is irrelevant."
Operations proceeded smoothly after that. Incendiary grenades were readied, awaiting execution.
On January 21st, under the noon sun of the Giant Lizard Star, six divisions of fifty thousand each surrounded the mountains, blocking all major exits. They coordinated via wrist devices:
"East sector prepped—ready when you are."
"Southeast in position."
"North sector locked down."
"West ready."
"South all set."
"Southwest's prepared—let's begin!"
With Jace's final order, dozens of small ships ascended, scattering incendiary grenades across the valley. Firestorms erupted, fed by dry tinder. Smoke billowed as autumn winds spread the blaze. Trees collapsed in waves.
Sentinel lizards spotting the fire raced back to report. Though intelligent, they couldn't decipher humanity's intent. Their leaders ordered retreat behind mountains, assuming the fire wouldn't follow. But when ships circled to light the opposite slopes, flames closed in from all sides—a death trap.
Finally, the lizard chieftains realized their mistake. Panicked, they ordered a breakout. Chaotic lizard forces scattered toward different exits—fortunately for the guilds, they lacked unified direction. If they'd attacked en masse, one route might've collapsed with heavy losses. As it happened…
At the western pass, lines of armored warriors braced shield walls, rifles at the ready. Purple Shu stood watch atop a rise. "Here they come! Open fire in volleys!"
Trapped between fire and humanity, the lizards hurled themselves recklessly. Gunfire thundered. Even their tough hides crumpled under bullet storms.
From the cockpit, Damian reflected: "Ultimately, we relied on technology. Even with victory, there's nothing to boast—it's sheer suppression." He'd remained a distant observer.
[Master, our civilization is Tier 0.3, while theirs is Tier 0.2. Victory is inevitable even without technology.]
"Such strict ranking? What defines Tier 1?"
[Tier 1 evaluates overall strength, including tech. "Transcendent Tier 1" judges solely by supernatural prowess.]
[When enough passengers become Star Walkers, we'll achieve Transcendent Tier 1.]
"Understood."
Suddenly, the battlefield quivered. Advanced second-tier lizards burst through defenses. Guilds needed numbers and advanced weaponry to counter them. As the battle wore on, members reaching second-tier made the fight easier.
By 6 PM on the 21st, the three lizard tribes were eradicated—swiftly, unexpectedly. But at a cost: the northern hemisphere's largest mountain range smoldered, black smoke staining the atmosphere. Compared to victory, the collateral damage mattered little.
"Wait—why hasn't the main quest updated?" Anticipating rewards, players scanned their logs. Someone clarified: "Two conditions—destroy all tribes *and* kill 90% of lizards. We hit the first, but likely missed the second."
"Easy fix—hunt the remnants!"
Guilds transitioned to mop-up operations, completing the main quest by 9 AM on the 22nd.
[The Giant Lizard Civilization has been destroyed. The war state ends.]
[Congratulations to all guilds for jointly completing the main quest! Rewards (10 million star coins) will be distributed based on contribution.]
"What? The pool jumped to 10 million? Where did that come from?"
"Doesn't matter—the more, the better!"
During the payout phase, Damian published the leaderboard:
[1. Hope Guild: 120,400 star coins]
[2. Nightfall Guild: 118,600 star coins]
[3. Science Guild: 113,000 star coins]
[4. Versatile Guild: 110,500 star coins]
[5. Dragon Soul Guild: 109,000 star coins]
[6. Lily Guild: 107,000 star coins]
...
The crowd gasped—over a dozen guilds surpassed 100,000 coins! Hope and Nightfall dominated, but upstarts like Versatile and Lily shone. Mighty Dominion, once boastful, fell outside the top ten due to Cedric's earlier missteps. Mid-sized guilds raked in tens of thousands—no small haul.
...
[Master, why distribute so many star coins?]
"First, they're drowning in debt. After paying it off, they need reserves to sustain their guilds."
"Second, star coins are just data. Increasing supply keeps them motivated."
"Xiaoyao, reset market prices and release new products—clothing, food, shelter. Now that they're flush with cash, encourage spending. No matter how much they 'save,' it'll never be enough."
Money isn't a gift—it's a tool to drive ambition.