Promoted?
Minister_of_Excuses froze. He hadn't expected his suggestion to be accepted, let alone result in a promotion from King Viserys, who now looked less like a beggar and more like a true Dragon Lord.
Grenadier Corps. That name sounded awesome. It immediately gave off an "elite unit" vibe.
"Thank you, Your Grace!"
[ SERVER ANNOUNCEMENT ]
> Player Minister_of_Excuses has been appointed by King Viserys III as the Commander of the Grenadier Corps.
> Obtained Title: Commander of the Grenadier Corps.
> Bonus: While equipping this title, King's Affinity +20.
> Rewards: 1x Legion Commander's Cloak, 100 Kingdom Coins, 5 Iron Chests, 1 Bronze Chest.
> Guild Perk: Soldiers recruited into the Corps by Commander Minister will receive 1 Iron Chest and 20 Kingdom Coins.
Whoa!
The players were in an uproar. This was the most generous reward they had seen since the server launched.
Of course, the veterans suspected that some sly players might have secretly obtained high-level rewards without bragging, but nothing beat the prestige of a server-wide announcement.
Instantly, the members of the Pyromancer Guild puffed out their chests, strutting around like victorious roosters.
Several solo Pyromancers who had initially refused to join the guild, as well as a few small groups, suddenly found themselves standing next to Minister_of_Excuses, trying to look like they belonged.
Players who had previously avoided the Wildfire like the plague now looked at Minister with regret, realizing they had let a huge opportunity slip through their fingers.
Step_Sis_Im_Stuck, a veteran player with his own small clique of Scout newbies, felt his group looked like a bunch of street thugs compared to the official "Grenadier Corps."
Why didn't you say so?! If I knew you liked weird stuff, I would have been a madlad too! Step_Sis stared at Viserys's back with resentment.
Why do I feel a chill down my spine? Viserys frowned, wondering who was cursing him.
So the King likes eccentric ideas!
In the crowd, Mouse_Is_Duck, who had just received his reward for assassination, looked at Minister with jealousy. I was here first! Suddenly, my 'Tears of Lys' doesn't seem so impressive anymore.
But in a flash, the Master Assassin spotted a loophole.
If Minister can get promoted for inventing suicide bombers, I just need to come up with some brilliant ideas too. What kind of tricks can an Assassin pull...
Under the envious, jealous, and hateful gazes of almost every other player, the members of the Pyromancer Guild walked out sideways like crabs, owning the place.
Seeing this, the other players made up their minds. They had to come up with some "hardcore" strats for the King to exchange for rewards or maybe even get a government job.
After emerging from the hole, Minister_of_Excuses—feeling like the valedictorian—accepted his reward amidst the flattery of his guild members: the Legion Commander's Cloak.
As the saying goes, clothes make the man. Once he threw on that flashy cloak, Minister actually started to exude a bit of an aura.
Wait, since when did the guild have this many members? Minister looked around confusedly at the twenty-something Pyromancers surrounding him, realizing half of them were strangers.
It seems every single Pyromancer player currently online has gathered around me.
Whatever. I'll just shove them all into my Grenadier Corps.
Now my guild is definitely the Number One Guild in the server.
Enjoying the compliments from the surrounding players, the corners of Minister's mouth twitched upward uncontrollably.
This game is great. I'm playing this forever!
With the players working together, the large stockpile of weapons, armor, spices, and dragon bones (minus the Wildfire) was moved to the surface warehouses.
Inside one of the warehouses, Zhao Xiaotian (Serious_Bush_Camper) looked at the dozen or so Warrior players who were collecting their meager rewards for moving boxes. He shouted:
"Brothers!"
As a veteran player and a fellow Warrior, Bush_Camper had some face among the newbies. Everyone turned to look at him.
Naturally, this included FaFo, who already had his own small group and some prestige among the Warriors.
"Brothers, Minister and his crew formed the Pyromancer Guild and have now transformed into His Grace's Grenadier Corps. This proves that players can establish guilds, and the game system allows, or even encourages it!"
Everyone silently agreed with Zhao Xiaotian's words. But his intentions were obvious to everyone—he wanted to create a guild and be the boss.
The problem was: unlike those chaotic Pyromancers, why should a bunch of Warriors who lived for "kill and loot" listen to him?
Because he was handsome? Because he was a veteran? Don't make me laugh. The game had been open for a few days. Calling him a "veteran" was being polite. If they drew swords for a 1v1, who knew who would be left standing?
"I'm sure you guys know what I mean. I want to establish a guild in the game so we can pool our efforts and gather resources together."
Zhao Xiaotian had attended social events with his father in real life, so he didn't falter under the gaze of a dozen people. He spoke confidently.
"I agree with Bush_Camper's logic. However, I also intend to establish a guild. So, sorry."
As soon as Zhao Xiaotian finished, FaFo chuckled and interrupted him. The future trend of the game was clear.
He also wanted to develop in the game to gain benefits in reality. Based on a few days of in-game interaction, he wasn't going to give up his infinite potential to play second fiddle to someone else.
After FaFo spoke, the atmosphere became awkward. But soon, Golden_Winged_Eagle (Li Peng), Optimus_Prime (Zhang Quan), FBI_Open_Up, and four or five other Warrior players stood behind FaFo.
Li Peng and Zhang Quan were FaFo's roommates, so naturally, they were closer to him than to Zhao Xiaotian, whom they had only known online for a few days.
As for FBI_Open_Up and the others, to be honest, FaFo was the one who taught them Basic Swordsmanship. Where was Bush_Camper back then? And now he wanted to step up and convince them to work for him with a speech?
Yeah, right.
An ordinary person might have backed down in embarrassment, but Zhao Xiaotian's expression didn't change. Instead, he raised his arm confidently:
"I won't beat around the bush. My real name is Zhao. My father is Zhao Hongtian. I'm sure some of you have heard of him. Here's the deal: Anyone who joins my guild gets a 10,000 RMB signing bonus IRL.
"Plus, there will be a monthly salary. For now, 3,000 RMB per person. You play the game, gather resources with the guild, and get paid real money in real life. Think about it."
As soon as these words came out, the mockery and dissatisfaction in the eyes of the Warrior players vanished, replaced by dollar signs.
Why didn't you just say you were a whale? Why bother talking about guilds?!