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[Fixed Placement Benefits Limit: Astral Point 0 / 2,000, information state particle 0 / 20]
[Please select your main action objective, secondary focus, event processing mode, battle mode, and interaction mode…]
[Remarks: During placement, the synchronization rate will not increase. The higher the synchronization rate, the better the Astral Apostle can deal with complex events and act flexibly according to the objectives of the Placement.]
[Remarks: Even when the Astral Apostle carries out the placement objective, their behavior will still follow that of the original model template personality]
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Zhou Jing took a look and came to a realization.
“Placement model… So this is how it is after returning. When I don’t control the apostles from the astral world personally, they act according to the plan I set. They’re just like robots with standard artificial intelligence in the main world? Fixing their placement model is equivalent to building a robot’s behavior program and logic chain…”
He had been wondering if the Apostles would disappear together with him after he returned or if there would be a time halt in the other dimension.
From the looks of it, time in the other world still flowed. The apostles would stay in the world and continue to collect astral energy according to his plans.
However, unlike when he was controlling it personally, the Astral Apostles had a limit when it came to gathering points. It depended on the synchronization rate.
Every 25% increase in synchronization rate was a dividing line that separated the Apostle into four stages. For every stage, the upper limit of the yield would increase.
The upper limit of each stage depended on the rarity of the model template. For every increase in a stage, the upper limit of the benefit would multiply by at least a fold. Hence the upper limit at the fourth and final stage would be at least eight times more than the upper limit of the first stage.
The moment an Apostle reached the upper limit of his cumulative benefits, he would not be able to obtain any more earnings. He would have to personally descend to increase his synchronization rate in order to expand the upper limit of his obtainable benefits.
Only the Astral Apostles who had completed their main missions and had their synchronization rate reached the fourth stage could have no limit to their benefits.
Zhou Jing nodded secretly. “So, increasing synchronization rates is a high priority target. Compared to controlling them personally, the Astral Apostles will spend more time in the placement mode.”
He carefully read through the details of the placement.
The placement mode had many settings and covered several areas.
He summarized it and simply divided it into two categories. One was the target of the action, and the other was the mode of action.
The former was to determine the purpose of the apostles in the Astral Realm. To explore a new area or to stay in the same place—to focus on training or to cause trouble everywhere.
If he were more detailed, he could even specify a particular detail. For example, he could choose to focus on training and set which skill or attribute he wanted to prioritize.
The latter was the way to deal with various events, such as radicalism, conservatism, balance, and so on. However, it would be affected by the current traits of the Apostle — personality, style, alignment, and so on.
“Let’s give it a try and see what the results are like…”
Zhou Jing thought for a while and quickly decided on a safe and balanced plan.
He would do a run that emphasized stability first.
[Placement plan has been saved. Effective immediately.]
[Do you wish to open the map overview mode and additionally specify the activity area during the placement or to plan out an activity route?]
[Remark: This is an optional decision. Astral Apostles can also decide the area and scope of activity according to the Placement.]
The map’s interface popped up. This time, it was no longer completely black but a small area. It was the area that Zhou Jing had walked through in the Black-Clothed Forest the last time. It could be zoomed in and selected.
Additionally, this unknown area was now available as an exploration target in the Astral Apostle placement mode.
“No designated areas.”
Zhou Jing rejected the suggestion.
Currently, there was nothing much to explore. He had to wait for Griff to bring the astral apostle Will·Wood to Frostwood Village to unlock the area.
After doing this, the interface flashed, and the interface where the placement plan was situated disappeared. A new message appeared:
[Set-up complete]
[Shutting down the projection shuttle space]
[Countdown to next projection: 12 hours]
Suddenly, Zhou Jing’s vision went dark.
In the next second, his vision was restored. He was no longer looking at the interface panel and the starry space. He had returned to his room.
The neon lights were still flashing outside the window, illuminating the steel forest-like skyscrapers and flying vehicles.
Zhou Jing blinked a little in surprise.
Back already? Just like that?
I thought it would transport me back like the Astral Realm projection.
By the way, what time is it?
Thinking of this, Zhou Jing sat up in bed and turned on the digital clock on his phone.
5 am in the morning.
He estimated that more than six hours had passed since he fell asleep.
In the preparatory stage before the projection, it showed that the time of the projection could be set manually. Because the duration of time in the two realms was different, the main body would be fixed to experience six hours, while that duration would be converted to reflect the time in that realm itself.
Zhou Jing was still quite energetic at this time and did not feel any fatigue.
I can travel through the astral plane by projecting my consciousness. During this period of time, is my main body sleeping? If someone wakes me up during this process, will I continue to travel through the astral plane, or will I return immediately? Would I just wake up from the astral plane?
Zhou Jing was curious about this.
After spending six days in the astral world, he had a deep impression of his adventures. However, during this period of time, he would remember the main world from time to time, so there was no confusion.
Zhou Jing didn’t know if it was an illusion, but he realized that his memory had improved a lot. With a thought, he recalled the experience of his main body the day before he traveled.
Oh, I just got home from an interview. My family told me that I needed to undergo forced immigration. My life plan was messed up…
Zhou Jing let out a sigh. He was not as disappointed and angry as he was when he first heard the news.
After staying calm for a few days in the astral plane and wandering between life and death, he suddenly became more open to many things.
Although he did not gain any benefits, such as changing his body structures, he realized that his mind had changed.
There had never been a moment when it was like this from when he was born up till now. It was as if an invisible burden had been removed from his shoulders, so much that the weightlessness felt as though it had reached his bones. It was as if he was infinitely at ease.
Zhou Jing’s eyes flickered. Finally, he made up his mind and let out a long breath.
” I guess I have to make a decision.”
…
…
Outside the Black-Clothed Forest was a winding river that was clear like sapphire. On the other side of the river was a verdant plain.
On the plains, there was a human village called Frostwood Village. It stood along the river and had built a small stone bridge that connected to the forest.
The sky was slightly bright, and the day was slightly warm. In the peaceful village, the farmers yawned and walked out of the house. They brought their farming tools and prepared to work in the fields.
At this moment, three miserable figures carrying people on their backs ran out from the forest on the opposite shore. They stepped onto the stone bridge and stumbled into the village. As they ran, they shouted anxiously, quickly attracting the attention of many villagers.
“They can’t hold on anymore, save them!”
“Call the witch doctor!”
Instantly, the entire village boiled with attention.