"So he's the eldest son of the Zhao family. No wonder he's so arrogant."
"Damn, getting paid to play games? Only an idiot would say no! Guild Leader, count me in! I'm your man!"
"Me too!"
With Zhao Xiaotian's promise of cash, the malice from the other players evaporated instantly. The whale just wanted to be the boss—what was wrong with that?
Over a dozen players, including the two standing next to FaFo, immediately flocked to Serious_Bush_Camper's side, showering him with compliments.
After all, making money isn't shabby.
FaFo exchanged a glance with his two roommates. They felt like the sky had collapsed. A competitor using the "Pay-to-Win" strategy... who could compete with that?
"Wu, even though the game has huge potential, going solo is risky. But Young Master Zhao is handing out cash right now. We're just small fries. Let's not be too greedy. Trying to run a guild against him... we can't win."
Li Peng put his arm around FaFo's shoulder. He was tempted. Although the pie Wang Wu painted was perfect, Young Master Zhao was smashing them with real money.
Sigh. FaFo understood. Compared to Bush_Camper throwing money around, he couldn't recruit anyone. And why would players who didn't need money submit to him?
FaFo's expression shifted multiple times before he seemed to make a difficult decision.
"Ahem. Um, Boss... do you need another accessory for your leg?"
Seeing everyone run over to Bush_Camper, FaFo—a man who knew when to bend and when to stretch—walked up to Zhao Xiaotian with a straight face. Under everyone's stunned gaze, he hugged Bush_Camper's thigh.
Zhao Xiaotian's expression remained unchanged, as if FaFo hadn't just been standing against him a moment ago. He helped him up.
"With Brother FaFo, it is like adding wings to a tiger!"
When FaFo looked up again, his face was full of emotion. "My Lord is like the green mountain, and I am like the pine!"
"Guild Leader!" FaFo's eyes were brimming with tears, as if he had graduated from the Beijing Film Academy.
"Vice Guild Leader!" Young Master Zhao was equally dramatic.
Urgh!
Watching the two cosplaying a touching scene between a monarch and his minister, the other players had black lines on their foreheads. Bro, this is a medieval setting. You're on the wrong channel.
Under the affectionate gazes of Serious_Bush_Camper and FaFo, the Royal Kingsguard guild was established.
At the same time, the successful transformation of Minister_of_Excuses's Pyromancer Guild into an official military unit triggered a wave of imitation among the nearly 200 players.
But establishing a guild wasn't as easy as in other games. Many people talked until their lips were dry, only to form small groups of four or five people—basically just a squad.
Obviously, without the offensive power of money, players generally wouldn't submit to others. However, this didn't stop some talented individuals.
Take player Pineapple_Pizza_Lover, for example. He didn't have FaFo's minor prestige, nor did he have Young Master Zhao's wealth. But he had an advantage no one else had.
He had a lot of scumbag friends in real life.
Looking at the twenty-something Warrior players surrounding him, plus a mix of Beastmasters, Bards, and Assassins totaling nearly thirty people, Pineapple_Pizza_Lover just wanted to shout:
"What is Face?!"
"Guild Leader, when are you going to get us a Corps title too?" Player Akainu_Is_Just_A_Dog raised his hand and shouted.
Amidst the laughter of the players, the Knights Templar guild was established.
Of course, this only worked because Young Master Zhao was still giving his acceptance speech in the warehouse. Otherwise, Pizza Bro's team would have scattered like birds at the sight of money.
Throwing money was a good strategy, and Zhao wasn't the only one who thought of it. Mouse_Is_Duck, the Master Assassin and also a second-generation rich kid with some assets, used cash to smash together a guild of over ten Assassins: the Brotherhood Without Banners.
Although he couldn't match Zhao's "10,000 RMB per person" offer, his "3,000 RMB signing bonus" and "500 RMB monthly salary," plus the perk of the Guild Leader buying gear for members, were still very attractive.
Thus, the 164 players were divided into four main guilds, plus some small squads of less than ten people caught in the middle.
Knowing about the establishment of these player guilds, Viserys couldn't help but sigh: Shallow water, many turtles. Everyone wants to be the Big Brother.
After the farce of players fighting to be boss, Viserys thought they would settle down.
Unexpectedly, these players—who possessed less than 100 Kingdom Coins on average—started a trading market right under his nose.
"The Royal Kingsguard is buying crossbows! If the quality is good, our Guild Leader will pay cash offline!"
"Bro, that's obviously from an Iron Chest. It looks old. And you want 500 for it? Maybe if you trade the one you got from the armory today!"
"Why do you say it's old? It's new! Are you blind? Even the expert Mouse said my bow is good. They just use crossbows because Assassins aren't used to longbows, so they didn't buy it. And you're only offering 300?"
Watching the scene, which was as noisy as a vegetable market with spit flying everywhere, Viserys frowned.
Think about it. If players use real money to trade offline, what happens to my Player Shop? How am I supposed to earn Kingdom Coins to buy a dragon egg?
No. I have to find a way to redirect their attention to earning Kingdom Coins and spending them in the Player Shop.
[ Quest: Expand your Player Legion into every corner of Pentos under the surveillance of the various factions in the city. ]
Reward: Issued based on completion percentage.
Just as I was dozing off, someone handed me a pillow.
Viserys, who already had designs on Pentos, stroked his chin. He had the quest to dangle in front of the players, but how could he get them to infiltrate every corner of the city?
Viserys was pondering this when his gaze inadvertently fell on the noisy players. That's right! I can throw the player guilds out there to deal with the sellsword companies!
Although Pentos's military power was restricted by Braavos, preventing them from openly hiring sellsword companies, it didn't stop the Magisters from hiring mercenaries privately.
If a sellsword company "voluntarily" stayed in Pentos and the Magister signed a secret contract with no paper trail, the Braavosi couldn't do anything about it.
Even if they were caught red-handed, receiving higher-than-market pay from the Magisters, the sellswords would just insist they were free agents not bound by any contract.
Viserys knew there were several such sellsword companies in the city.
The players could use this method to invisibly take control of the entire city of Pentos. This would not only make it easier for him to control the city but also force the players to earn Kingdom Coins and spend them in the Player Shop.
Kill two birds with one stone. Thinking of this, Viserys decided to proceed with the plan immediately.