"Brother, you really keep your talents hidden! I'm impressed!"
On a merchant ship sailing straight for King's Landing across the Narrow Sea, player Moon-Fang Strike leaned against the galley stove. Seeing that everyone else had left, he turned around with a look of pure admiration at Iron-Pumping Superman, who was casually munching on an apple.
"Hmph. Don't let my Fighter class fool you. This kind of stuff? Piece of cake." Iron-Pumping Superman tossed the half-eaten apple onto the floor and pointed a finger at Moon-Fang Strike.
"I showed you my skills, but don't you dare try this back in the real world."
"Understood," Moon-Fang Strike grinned sheepishly. "But Brother, with skills like that... could you teach me a thing or two here in the game?"
He was genuinely impressed by the man who had just snagged a bunch of grapes from the counter. He thought sneaking onto the ship would be a huge hassle, but this guy had effortlessly guided him past the inspections and onto the boat without spending a single copper on a ticket.
Heh. Iron-Pumping Superman smiled but didn't say anything. Moon-Fang Strike took his silence as agreement and busied himself bringing more food to his mentor, eager to please.
---
"Holy shit! Is being a spy that lucrative? Duck-Pointer is already a landed Lord?"
"Damn it! If I'd known, I would've signed up to be a spook!"
"If I'd known... well, hindsight is the most expensive thing in the world to buy!"
As news of the first player Baron broke, the offline game forums and the online chat channels exploded.
Solo players who didn't care about politics shrugged it off, while others were consumed by envy, jealousy, and hate. Some started plotting their own treacherous paths to power, hoping to become the Littlefinger to Viserys's throne. It was chaos.
Offline.
Nine-Thousand-Years contacted Storm-Overlord.
Nine-Thousand-Years: Boss, I got intel. You interested?
Storm-Overlord: Just give me a price, brother.
Nine-Thousand-Years: Five thousand RMB. Friend price.
Storm-Overlord: [Red Packet Sent]
Nine-Thousand-Years: Generous as always, Boss! Here's the scoop: The Boss—Viserys—is about to implement a military merit system similar to the Qin Dynasty. In three days, he's going to inspect the troops and march on Ghoyan Drohe.
Storm-Overlord: Thanks for the tip, brother.
Receiving the intel, Storm logged in immediately and secretly gathered his guild members.
The second-in-command of the Heroes Guild, I-Am-Actually-Kinda-Awesome, looked at his guild leader in confusion.
"Boss, why are you calling everyone together? What's up?"
"I got intel. The Boss is going to order an attack on Ghoyan Drohe any day now, and he's setting up a merit-based promotion system. You know the saying: the early bird gets the worm. My plan is for us to head out right now and hit Ghoyan Drohe before anyone else gets there."
Storm-Overlord never beat around the bush. He laid his plan out straight.
"Holy crap, Viserys knows about the Qin Dynasty merit system?"
"Duh. The Boss is probably role-played by some game dev behind the scenes. Of course he knows."
As soon as Storm-Overlord finished speaking, the guild's officers started buzzing.
"The Boss makes sense. First come, first served. If we get there first, we'll definitely get better rewards than the others. Plus, from what I know about the Ghoyan Drohe region... apart from some sellswords and bandits backed by Braavos, it's just Andal villages and Rhoynar tribes. They're no threat to us."
I-Am-Actually-Kinda-Awesome nodded in agreement.
The others quickly concurred. Sometimes, if you aren't one step ahead, you won't even get the leftovers, let alone the meat.
"Good. Since there are no objections, everyone pretend to log off tonight. But keep your gear ready. once the other guilds log off, we move out under the cover of darkness!"
Storm-Overlord looked at his subordinates.
"If anyone has something real to do or can't get time off work tomorrow, let me know. You all know me—if you ride with me, I won't let you walk away empty-handed."
No one objected. After a few brief instructions, everyone dispersed.
Staying together too long would attract attention.
With thousands of players crammed into the barracks, there were too many prying eyes. Storm-Overlord didn't want his plan to turn into a joke before it even started.
Night fell slowly.
Many players muttered about having work in the morning and hurriedly logged off.
As the general population thinned out, the 700 members of the Wind-Mane White Cloud Legion lay in wait, fully armed and ready to slip out of the barracks.
Yes, faced with a choice between their day jobs and their Guild Leader, every single player in the legion chose the Guild Leader.
After all, the Boss was generous. Tonight's operation paid 1,000 RMB per person. Taking a day off work might cost them a hundred bucks in lost wages, but here, they'd get paid per kill once they reached the target. They knew which deal was sweeter.
"Let's go!"
Judging the time was right, Storm-Overlord opened his eyes and led his men out of the tents.
Shadows moved in the darkness of the camp. Within moments, 700 fully armored players wielding swords and spears had gathered before him.
"Boss."
His second-in-command, I-Am-Actually-Kinda-Awesome, led a unicorn foal toward him.
Although still a foal, the unicorn—named "Shadowfax" by Storm—was already as tall and long as a Mongolian horse from the real world. It was big enough to ride.
One could only imagine how majestic this beast would be when fully grown.
Storm-Overlord didn't waste words. He vaulted onto the unicorn's back and waved his hand sharply. His players understood the signal and surged toward the camp exit.
"Boss, what are they doing?"
Player Red-Dog-Roadside watched the departing figures, then looked at his own guild leader, Pineapple-Lover, in confusion.
"Hmph. Whatever they're doing, I want a piece of the action. Sneaking around in the middle of the night? They're definitely hunting for treasure." Pineapple-Lover had been about to log off when he noticed the movement in the camp and accidentally spotted the Heroes Guild's operation.
"Go. Gather every brother who hasn't logged off yet. We're tailing them to see what kind of fruit they're trying to pick!"
After watching for a moment and confirming that most of Storm's forces had left the camp, Pineapple-Lover patted Red-Dog on the shoulder and gave the order.
"On it, Boss."
The two moved quickly.
---
"Who goes there?!"
Outside the camp, the scout leading the way reined in his warhorse, staring into the darkness with alarm.
"Who are you?!"
After a moment of silence, a voice shouted back from the darkness.
"Light the torches!"
Storm-Overlord rode to the front and barked the order.
Flames flared up behind him, illuminating the scene. Finally, his players could see who was blocking their path.
"Motherfucker! It's the Thunder Hall guild!"
"Shit! That eunuch Nine-Thousand-Years sold the same intel twice! It's those bastards from the Heroes Guild!"
Soon, Storm and Tempest, the two rival guild leaders, met face-to-face, both looking black as thunder.
"If I said I brought my boys out to enjoy the scenery, would you believe me?"
"If I said I brought my boys out for a fishing trip, would you believe me?"