Despite the recent outbursts of players in the community shouting "Fufu, take me with you," there weren't actually many players who genuinely expected Bai Fu would suddenly return.
Even the optimistically famed Champagne Faction players thought so when analyzing the situation in online posts.
The reason was simple.
"Previously, Fufu said to return safely to Ancestral Origin Star, she needed a spaceship that could withstand the impact of warped space, and such spaceships were expensive. Even with Fufu's strong earnings, it would take about a year or two."
"Also, if you were the plot planner, would you have Fufu return early, or precisely between version 1.5 and 2.0 to act as the guide leading us into Star Sea?"
This analysis was logical and well-founded. Once posted, it garnered affirmation from a broad range of players, even receiving a like from Digging Girl.
Digging Girl was a renowned expert on Bai Fu. If even she approved of the analysis, what more could other players say?
Players on Ancestral Origin Star could only work on the main task of rebuilding Ancestral Origin Star while occasionally watching livestreams from Digging Girl and others to soothe their craving for Fu.
Overall, the players of Fu Sect in version 1.3 were mostly laid-back.
There was no helping it; even if Bai Fu created a lot of excitement, the real witnesses were just a few players like Digging Girl—most players were too far removed, so what else could they do but stay detached?
As players became detached, the attention Bai Fu drew also declined.
In version 1.3, all Newbie Planet's main storylines experienced a surge, and players from various planets were now focusing on their tasks, naturally leaving them little time to pay attention to Bai Fu.
Bai Fu considered herself fortunate that she had brought along Digging Girl, adept in publicity. Otherwise, two months out of the public eye would have surely decreased her popularity.
When an icon's screen time decreases, so does their popularity, let alone Bai Fu.
The current situation wasn't too bad; her popularity had not dropped much. It was just that recently, characters from other planets who had been far behind her had made significant gains in popularity. Previously, these characters couldn't even catch her dust, but now they could almost see her backside.
For instance, one of the leading characters from Superpower Planet, Mei Lulu, who sacrificed herself to create the only opportunity for players to defeat a powerful enemy. An edited video accompanied by melancholic BGM made her momentarily famous across the entire community.
And like those NPCs selected as Profession Tutors by the officials, their popularity was already high, and naturally, it surged further with the unfolding of the main storyline.
However, all these issues came to an end as Bai Fu descended from the spaceship.
An outdated past Fu? Temporarily becoming a passerby leading lady after going to Star Sea? Generational talents emerge?
Today, I, Bai Fu will tell you—
With each version comes a new "god," but in every version, there's Bai Fu!
Bai Fu didn't know if she could become the highest mountain among the NPCs of Stars, but as long as she didn't die suddenly, she was confident enough to become the longest river.
She descended the ladder extended from the spaceship; with every step, it seemed she wasn't stepping on metal steps but the hearts of players.
With her steps light and confident, she purposefully wore a black formal dress accentuating the curves of her legs and torso, holding a scepter in her hand.
When such an image appeared on camera, a similar thought arose in many people's minds—
Holy crap, isn't this scene just like the Queen returning from a "ball" visit?
With a shout, the streets emptied, the live stream filling with dense bullet comments making the screen entirely unseen. Ironclad public households and the Human Alliance, upon recognizing Bai Fu, cut off their meetings without another word. Screw the meeting, going to meet Bai Fu was the top priority.
Minutes later, at the entrance of Bai Fu Town, Bai Fu was surrounded by countless players.
"Long time no see, everyone."
She smiled and gently waved her right hand.
She's back, the familiar voice, the familiar gentle demeanor, all familiar—players were so thrilled that they shivered all over, their scalps numbing as if their purple moods were short-circuiting.
"Fufu, I missed you so much!"
"Fufu, will you leave again this time?"
The players shouted incessantly, their excitement owing partly to missing her and partly because they saw that huge spaceship.
If a small cargo ship could carry 100 people, how many could this huge spaceship carry?
They were too excited about the prospect of following Bai Fu to Star Sea; who wouldn't love happily sipping soup behind Fufu's back?
That taste was unforgettable!
"I won't stay too long this time, just four or five days," said Bai Fu, pausing deliberately to tease the players into showing disappointed expressions before continuing, "This time I'm just scouting, and incidentally dealing with the Spiritual Energy pollution on Ancestral Origin Star. When I come back next time, I plan to build a Star Port on Ancestral Origin Star, it shouldn't take too long, probably just a few months."
Building a Star Port?
That must be the storyline linking Newbie Planet and Star Sea in version 2.0.
But soon, some players realized a problem: Bai Fu said she would come back in a few months to build the Star Port, which would be just after the launch of version 1.4.
"Holy smokes, we can go to Star Sea en masse in version 1.4?"
"I want to report Ancestral Origin Star players for cheating!"
"They said Bai Fu turned into a passerby after entering Star Sea, but what kind of passerby is this badass?"