Apocalypse Gachapon Chapter 1925: Prize (3)

"The leftover forty percent of the earnings goes to the race that unlocks the Novice hunting ground, meaning the one that claims the top spot."

Cheng Liujin caught Ye Zhongming's gaze, and Ye Zhongming figured this setup sounded quite favorable. Should the Star-Eye Clan unlock this planetary hunting ground, they'd hold onto forty percent for their own use, plus snag a good portion from the twenty percent shared pool. Putting it all together, even if it fell short of fifty percent, it ought to hit close to forty-five percent, didn't it?

How come this leader of the Gold Order wore such a troubled look on his face?

From the look on Ye Zhongming's face, Cheng Liujin could tell what was running through his mind, and he let out a heavy sigh. "It's not quite that straightforward."

"To start with, launching this planetary battlefield demands massive expenses. Take this, for instance—you wouldn't simply dispatch a single tiny spacecraft carrying just a handful of folks, would you? Even without any casualties in the skies, what kind of kill count could you rack up over a full year? Even the biggest super clans typically gather a whole fleet, ship over a bunch of elite fighters and specialists to set up a stronghold, and then branch out from there to keep the hunt going strong."

Ye Zhongming recalled the Star-Eye Clan's earlier circumstances well, aware that their spacecraft ran on Moonspan Gold for fuel. Were the Star-Eye Clan to launch a planetary hunting ground, they'd no doubt need to ferry over a huge contingent of warriors to that world. The sheer expense of that alone likely exceeded what the Star-Eye Clan could handle.

"What about the rotation problem?" The idea struck Ye Zhongming suddenly.

Cheng Liujin gave an approving nod, impressed by how this newcomer's mind branched out and dug deeper into the challenges.

"Exactly, you wouldn't leave a single squad of warriors stuck there for an entire cosmic year, would you? Looking at it from training needs, the mental strain on those fighters, or even clan-wide equity, swapping out forces on the battlefield is a must. As a result, the fuel costs for every shift keep piling on heavy burdens. Profits only get tallied up once the planetary battlefield shuts down, meaning you can't just fund the fight through more fighting."

All these hurdles hit hard—not just for Cheng Liujin, with his sharp insight into the clan's woes, but even for Ye Zhongming, despite his limited knowledge, who could sense the dire straits gripping the Star-Eye Clan.

"Opening up the planetary battlefield means you can't tackle it solo, correct? That'd be like taking on every mighty force across a whole world single-handedly. Not even super major clans attempt that; they always pull in allies from their alliance. And we're far from that league."

"Yet if you let other races join, how do you divide the spoils? Two-fifths head to the common pot, one-fifth gets doled out as prizes, and two-fifths stay with the battlefield opener. So why would anyone else bother showing up? To labor away without pay? It looks like you pocket forty percent, but in reality, you end up with far less."

Ye Zhongming paused briefly, then caught the full picture.

The rules for the planetary battlefield leave out specific shares for other races joining in, yet all the end results have to be split evenly. This forces the top Novice battlefield race into a dilemma: handle it by themselves or invite others and carve up the rewards among them.

That decision wasn't tough at all. Going it alone and hogging everything doesn't fly in the world of cosmic races.

Still, bringing in other races requires splitting based on what each side puts in. No overseers track it all; the eventual handout can only aim for rough justice, not perfect. A supermajor clan could pull it off—their clout and might ensure they grab the biggest cut. For the others, any minor slip in shares wouldn't sting too bad, and they'd have ways to make it up down the line.

The Star-Eye Clan, though, lacks that pull. Their weakness is the core issue. Inviting outsiders usually ends with those groups reaping the rewards; the Star-Eye Clan trails along, picking up scraps if they're lucky. They could even face deception, leading to their hunting ground forces getting slaughtered. Ultimately, they foot the bill to open things up, watch others claim the forty percent haul, and scrape by on a sliver from the twenty percent split. That setup screamed injustice.

Refusing to open it leaves them with nothing at all, while other races heap on the demands.

As things stand, the best path looks like unlocking the planetary battlefield without committing their own forces. No risk there—just sit back and claim the small first-place slice from the twenty percent.

Once Ye Zhongming pieced it together, a wave of frustration washed over him too. The top total score prize had seemed like a massive win at first. Yet beyond the spokesperson slots and access passes, the trading perks and planetary battlefield—supposed to be huge boons—left the Star-Eye Clan scraping for crumbs, barely tasting what others left behind. This was rough...

Little surprise Cheng Liujin stayed stone-faced, no spark of joy.

"Is that all the rewards?"

Ye Zhongming couldn't help feeling a pang of frustration on behalf of the Star-Eye Clan.

"There's one more: the pardon right."

Pardon right? A spark lit in Ye Zhongming's thoughts, prompting him to press Cheng Liujin for a full rundown. He learned that cosmic races operated under their own codes of conduct. Rule-breakers faced penalties. This prize allowed the winning race to spare a specific member from punishment or halt an ongoing one.

"Does the Star-Eye Clan have anyone who needs a pardon?"

Ye Zhongming probed. Cheng Liujin's downplay of it suggested no one in the clan fit that bill.

As expected, Cheng Liujin's response backed that up. Lately, the Star-Eye Clan had played it safe, steering clear of any jailed or banished members.

"Could you trade it to another race?" Ye Zhongming zeroed in on this crucial angle.

Cheng Liujin paused in surprise, then grinned and dipped his head. "Yes, that's possible."

They let the topic drop there, both clear that hashing out the details would come later.

"Now, onto the individual prizes."

At Cheng Liujin's words, Ye Zhongming perked up. This part was all his, no strings attached.

"Starting with Moonspan Gold: ten thousand units."

Straight to the point—pure cash!

Ye Zhongming had no clue on the exact worth of ten thousand units of Moonspan Gold, but it had to be a hefty amount.

"Here's a sense of scale: I hauled warriors from the Star-Eye Clan's Survivor Fortress to this spot using a mid-sized spacecraft. The back-and-forth burned just over three thousand units. Naturally, distance plays a role."

With that, Ye Zhongming realized this was a truly staggering fortune.

"Next up, a full gear set from the Talos Red Dwarves. Seven items altogether, every one at Red Condensation grade."

Yet another prize that stirred excitement in Ye Zhongming.

The Talos Red Dwarves sorted their gear into tiers. It began at the basic Common grade, climbed to the Counter Metal grade—often tailored defaults for different species—reached the advanced Red Condensation grade, moved to the rare Raini grade, and topped out at the supreme Intense God grade.

From Ye Zhongming's grasp, this Red Condensation gear set roughly matched something between gold and purple tiers. The grade might not dazzle, but the features packed a punch. In real fights, it outshone the purple gear he could craft on his own right now.

Beyond the practical perks, Ye Zhongming, as an elite artisan, burned with curiosity over Talos Red Dwarves' creations. He yearned to examine as many as he could; such insights could skyrocket his own skills.