Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1419 Consumer Trap
Antonio and a bunch of fun-loving folks rushed outside and joined the chaotic dance floor. They quickly blended in with all sorts of creatures, occasionally appearing in the disorderly sequence.

Lin Fan didn't like that kind of hustle and bustle. He originally wanted to accept Wu Yi and the others' invitation to browse the virtual world of StarNet or find a game to pass the time, but he unexpectedly received an invitation from Cen Fangyuan to go out with him.

Cen Fangyuan was more interested in the management and environment of Liuguang than in the colorful entertainment options.

However, even when he was on Lanxing, he rarely ventured into such places. His long-standing sense of crisis prevented him from recklessly venturing alone into any location, even within the supposedly safe Star Nexus Ring.

Since Lin Fan seemed to have nothing to do anyway, he decided to trouble her to accompany him.

With Cen Fangyuan managing it, the Noah has always operated smoothly and in an orderly manner.

Lin Fan had basically not had to worry about anything and was grateful for Cen Fangyuan's efforts, so naturally he couldn't refuse the rare request that Cen Fangyuan had taken the initiative to make.

Moreover, Cen Fangyuan's underlying reason wasn't the Noah—he wanted to learn from Liuguang's advanced experience and apply it to the Noah.

Actually, Cen Fangyuan can also absorb spiritual energy.

But management work took up most of his time, so he didn't have time to cultivate, and even his fighting skills were the same ones he had been forced to learn in the 800.

Moreover, because of his older age, his performance was mediocre; he was the kind of person who could be easily defeated by magic practitioners, who were not good at physical combat.

With most of the Noah's crew having improved their physical condition through cultivation, the only ones with weaker physical abilities than Cen Fangyuan are probably the researchers who are hunched over inside the transparent partitions, constantly writing and taking notes with their little machines.

Fortunately, they understand the importance of physical health and schedule regular basic training sessions, treating them like a task. However, this intensity is definitely incomparable to that of highly trained cultivators.

"Then I'll come too." Jin Sichen put down her cup and got up from the soft seat. "I was just about to go out and try to find someone."

Wu Yi knew Lin Fan had important business to attend to, so she waved to her and said, "I will definitely try my best to use up your data allowance as well."

She was referring to the network traffic required for personal terminals to access the satellite network.

When purchasing the terminal, one could directly log in to the StarNet. Everyone was immersed in the novelty and no one thought about it.

The next day, when they found they couldn't connect to the internet, Ruberu told them that internet data needed to be purchased separately. Their previous ability to connect directly was due to trial data included with the device purchase…

Although paying for online services is a perfectly normal and reasonable behavior, at that time, everyone gained a deeper understanding of the Star Nexus's unscrupulous methods of making money.

Internet access is expensive, and there are no monthly plans; you are charged based on the amount of data you use in real time.

The advantage is that it can be used in both administrative and natural regions within the radius of the Star Pivot Ring.

In other words, the star system where Noah is currently located—including, but not limited to, the territories of all the different races and shops seen on the Nexus Ring—can directly use this network. And their payment recipient is simply the Nexus Ring.

Lu Xinyuan immediately checked the network coverage area and was amazed by the vast power of the Nexus Ring, its reach extending so far. He also wondered why planets with independent governments would agree to concede to the Nexus Ring.

“That’s the power of the Star Ring,” Rubel praised admiringly. “The Star Ring gives different administrative regions a certain percentage of profits. They can benefit from it without having to do almost anything. Why wouldn’t they take advantage of it?”

“Besides,” he added, “the current StarNet was the last one completed by the Star Nexus Ring. If any administrative star region disagrees, it naturally can’t join the StarNet, essentially playing on its own local area network. It can’t access the latest interstellar information and loses a large amount of income that it could earn by sitting at home doing nothing… I doubt anyone would be foolish enough to choose that.” One-time payment, shared across the entire star region.

Even disregarding the convenience of Noah's journey afterward, the countless new sights and experiences they've seen on the StarNet right now are already worth the price of admission.

It was precisely because of these past few days that the Noah had accessed a large amount of overly rudimentary information about civilizations on the StarNet, leading the Star Nexus's AI to misjudge their strength. Only after big data analysis were the odds for the Noah's crew's first match set at 1:100.

As a result, this supposedly most scientific and authoritative calculation led to a major disaster for the Nexus Ring...

Of course, this was something the Noah crew, who were then immersed in billions of pieces of information on the StarNet and overwhelmed by it, had not anticipated.

Moreover, although there are no monthly subscription discounts, there are discounts based on your membership level!
The higher your status level, the greater the discount you will receive when making purchases in the Star Nexus Ring.

All the personal terminals of the Noah crew members are bound to the Noah faction's account, and all data consumption is settled by the Noah.

Everyone on the Noah knows that materials for exchanging for credits are hard to come by, so they try to save as much as possible when surfing the internet.

Now that Noah has won big, he can basically enjoy free internet access. But the little robot said that all expenses within Flowing Light, including venues, food, entertainment, and internet, are included in Flowing Light's pricing and will not incur additional costs.

Wu Yi is not Antonio; judging from Liu Guang's attitude, it's clear that the price won't be cheap.

Since we've spent so much money, it would be a waste not to use it.

Games I didn't play before because I was reluctant to use up my data, models I didn't download, and all sorts of other random stuff...

Wu Yi decided to place as many bets as possible. Oh, and remember to place Lin Fan's bet too.

Although it was Antonio's money that was spent, it saved Noah's money!

Many others shared her thoughts. They wandered aimlessly through the StarNet, downloading anything they could easily find to their devices, just in case they needed it in the future.

The researchers even sat in rows, crowding together in the scientific literature section, downloading files in bulk...

All purchases made under the Noah's name will be calculated as credit points, which will then be converted into reward points. These points will help upgrade the Noah's status level, and then translate into larger discounts, ultimately benefiting the Noah itself…

"So in the end, it will become a cycle of exchanging consumption for discounts, because discounts will in turn promote consumption, creating a virtuous economic cycle." Cen Fangyuan walked between Lin Fan and Antonio and analyzed the situation to the two of them via internal communication.

The area outside the private rooms was divided into many zones. The three of them were walking around the gravity dance floor area toward the adjacent public dining area.

"It does sound like a trick to fool people." Lin Fan dodged a dancing creature in front of him, took a few steps closer, and then realized it was a holographic image. "Having spent so much here, the level I've gained has unconsciously cultivated my loyalty. When the discounts get bigger, I actually feel like it's a gesture of goodwill, so I'm even more willing to pay."

Jin Sichen slightly tucked her chin, revealing a hint of pink in her eyes through the top edge of her sunglasses, and looked at the stone man who was passing by.

Unfortunately, they didn't make eye contact. He raised his head and turned to Lin Fan, saying, "That's right. The consumption model of the Star Pivot Ring is essentially a series of psychological traps—investing too much time and money will become a sunk cost, and the status level will generate identity recognition."

"When you develop a unique recognition and preference for a 'brand,' the so-called reward discount will give you greater psychological satisfaction, thus significantly reducing the psychological resistance when making a payment. This is a common consumer psychology trap. It seems that no matter how high the level of civilization, some things are still the same."