Chapter 130: Winning Hearts and Minds

Murong Shanshan immediately spent 5,000 gold pieces to broadcast a system notification: "The first guild in all of 'Moonlight Constant,' 'Sword and Rose,' is now recruiting members at the East Gate Plaza of Silvermoon City. Joining a party for leveling grants an experience bonus! All players level 35 and above with good equipment, please come to sign up! We have set up five recruitment stations and are sincerely awaiting your arrival!"

Needless to say, the entire server must be in an uproar right now. Those guys from Korea and Europe had been clamoring to establish the first guild, but unfortunately, the Chinese players had snatched the lead once again. To make matters worse, the person who established the guild was a delicate young lady. I wonder what those guys, who think of themselves as being as twisted as cross-dressers, must be thinking.

Leaving the foreigners aside for a moment, the person most furious right now was not them, but Xue Hong, who had spent 400 million to buy the Guild Creation Proof!

Xue Hong must be absolutely livid this time; the investment of those 400 million funds had lost at least half its value!

As I expected, shortly after Murong Shanshan’s message went out, Xue Hong also issued a system announcement. It contained only two words: "Bullshit!"

Xu Lin and I shared a knowing smile. During lunch, while drinking tea, we had used the restaurant’s computer to look him up. Xue Hong is a big boss and is famous for his good temper, always upholding the belief of "winning people over with virtue."

It is said that there was a beautiful young department manager in Xue Hong’s company who once pointed at his nose during a high-level meeting and cursed him for being despicable and harassing female employees. Just when everyone thought that manager was finished, to everyone's surprise, Xue Hong just gave a faint smile and used the excuse of "maintaining social and family harmony" to handle the matter privately.

Even with such a good temper, after wasting hundreds of millions, he finally couldn't help but explode!

...

"Xue Hong definitely won't sleep well tonight!" Xu Lin laughed happily.

I glanced helplessly at the gloating beauty. Since the "spoils" had been divided, it was time to return to the city to repair our equipment. After the high-intensity combat just now, the durability of our gear was nearly depleted.

I clapped my hands and said, "I’m heading back to the city to see how Murong Shanshan’s recruitment is going. What about you guys?"

Xu Lin looked at Xinyu and Lu Xuehan and said, "We’re going back too. How about we all go to the Silvermoon Mountain Range to level up together?"

Xinyu and Lu Xuehan both agreed, and the next moment, the four of us returned to the city.

My designated respawn point was the East Gate. As soon as I entered the city, I was startled by the scene before me. As the most magnificent human city in the Chinese region, Silvermoon City’s architecture was quite vast; the East Gate Plaza alone was large enough to hold nearly ten thousand people. Yet, even so, I was pushed toward the center of the plaza by the crowd. Fortunately, my strength stat was relatively high, otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to control my own movement.

The players were acting quite frantically. It was the first guild to be established, and it was formed by the popular beauty of the Chinese region, Murong Shanshan—it would be strange if people didn't come to join.

Regardless of whether everyone's motives were pure, Murong Shanshan had achieved a huge success this time. By establishing the guild before Xue Hong, she could snatch up many high-level players. This human resource was something even Xue Hong valued highly. People who could stay ahead one month into the game were rarely pushovers; these individuals would be the core force for future guild wars!

"Whoosh!"

A firm hand landed on my shoulder. Even though I knew that few people dared to engage in malicious PK within the city, I was still startled. I turned around to see the mage "Youthful and Frivolous." I remembered I had tried to recruit him back during the Brave’s Challenge.

"Hey! Why aren't you going over to join the guild?"

I was slightly stunned, then replied with a smile, "Who do you think I am? Do I really need to squeeze in with those guys?"

Youthful and Frivolous smiled slightly. "That’s true. But honestly, if Murong Shanshan could pull you into the guild, it would really bolster her momentum. Right now, you are the highest-level player in Silvermoon City."

"Haha, leveling is difficult now, so the level gaps aren't that big anymore. Didn't you also reach level 39?"

"That’s because I only sleep six hours a day. If my level wasn't high, I wouldn't have the face to see my brothers." Youthful and Frivolous touched his nose and laughed, then added, "By the way, since you introduced me to Murong Shanshan’s guild back then, could you open a back door for me and my brothers now?"

I pointed at the crowd in front and said with a smile, "There you go, just sign up at the front. With your level, are you afraid they won't accept you?"

Youthful and Frivolous showed a look of surprise. "You aren't joking, are you? With so many people, a weak little mage like me would probably have his guts squeezed out before I even got inside..."

I laughed out loud. Intuitively, this guy, Youthful and Frivolous, wasn't bad. At least every time I met him, I didn't feel any aversion.

"How about this, let me see how many brothers you have and what their quality is like first?"

Youthful and Frivolous smiled slightly and said confidently, "There are nearly 500 of us, including my brothers' friends. These people are quite reliable; most are already over level 35, and their equipment is decent. Most importantly, these are all veteran online gamers. I can't say much else, but for guild wars, they are absolutely practical."

This guy spoke very directly. I thought for a moment and said, "Alright, have your brothers gather at the Grand Cathedral. I’ll contact Murong Shanshan and have her go there to receive you!"

"No need for screening?" Youthful and Frivolous was a bit surprised. Normally, guild recruitment required careful vetting, otherwise, it would be bad if spies were let in.

I nodded. "That's the procedure, but I absolutely trust you, brother!"

Youthful and Frivolous did his best to put on a moved expression, almost squeezing out a few tears. "Then I'll have my brothers gather at the Grand Cathedral."

I immediately contacted Murong Shanshan: "Shanshan, I’ve recruited 500 experts for you. Send someone to the Grand Cathedral to receive them."

"What experts?"

"Remember that 'Youthful and Frivolous' from before? He’s bringing 500 veteran players to join. You wouldn't turn them away, would you? That doesn't sound like your personality!"

Murong Shanshan was decisive: "Fine, the Grand Cathedral, right? I'll be there right away to accept them in person!"

...

Almost everyone was gathered in the plaza, while the Grand Cathedral appeared quite deserted; only a small portion of players studying priest skills would come to such a place.

Before long, a group of about a hundred players gathered in the cathedral. When they arrived, they greeted me and Youthful and Frivolous; they were the first of Youthful and Frivolous's group.

Murong Shanshan quickly pushed her way out of the crowd. The moment she appeared in the cathedral, Youthful and Frivolous’s men were all stunned...