After the award ceremony was over, the crowd dispersed. Stranger of Three Lifetimes tossed the trophy to Eyes Like Water and jumped off the stage with a smile. "Lu Chen, guild leader Eve, you came early!"
He Yi and I smiled and nodded.
It was at this moment a group of students rushed over with their phones in their hands and shouted, "Stranger of Three Lifetimes, come and take a photo with us! You have no choice, we're all your food!"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes was stunned. She was pushed and shoved by the bustling crowd, and then her face was slapped by the camera flashes.
Of course, there were a lot of people who were staring at He Yi beside me. Today, He Yi was dressed elegantly, and her beautiful face and alluring figure were more than enough to one-shot any man in the room. Even I was sneaking glances at our beautiful guild leader from time to time, but He Yi didn't expose me. Instead, she just giggled happily inside her head.
A while later, Stranger of Three Lifetimes struggled out of the crowd and pointed at me and He Yi. "The real god is over there, stop pestering me …"
"Ah?!"
The students stared at me and He Yi in shock. "This … this handsome guy, is he … Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand?"
"It really is Lu Chen! I recognize him! I've seen a photo of him kissing Lin Yixin on the forums before!"
"Yes, yes, yes! Someone took a photo of him shopping with Beiming Xue! It's him!"
"Is that beauty next to him from Water?
Haha, it's true! The two best players of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls are here at CCPL! "
… …
In the next moment, countless people came over to ask for a photo. After taking a few photos, I grabbed He Yi with one hand and Stranger of Three Lifetimes with the other and left. This was not a place to linger!
The three of us entered the backstage under the cover of the staff. Eyes Like Water and the rest of the girls followed us, so there were a total of five Blazing Hot Lips members. Including me and He Yi, there were seven of us. We found a pretty good restaurant on the side of the road, booked a private room and started eating.
We ordered some drinks. A man trying to force a woman to drink in front of a group of girls meant that there was something wrong with his karma. In any case, I would never do such a thing.
"Alright, why don't you introduce yourselves?"
I smiled and rose to my feet. "I'm Lu Chen, the vice leader of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls. Er, male …"
The girls giggled and said, "Alright, we know. Lu Chen, sit down!"
He Yi rose to her feet and said with a smile, "I'm the guild leader of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls. My name is He Yi, and my ID is From Water. I'm sure everyone already knows that."
Stranger of Three Lifetimes nodded and smiled. "You're welcome, Sister Eve. Have a seat!"
"Yes."
After that, Stranger of Three Lifetimes glanced at the group of Blazing Hot Lips girls and started introducing themselves. "I'm Eyes Like Water. We've fought in the arena before. Hehe, let's spar again when we're free!" Eyes Like Water was as capable as ever.
"I'm the Soul of the Beast Summoner, Yoyo. Everyone knows that I can summon countless Goblins in an instant …"
"I'm Archer Nono, hello everyone!" That girl was a bit shy.
"Er … I'm Yu Tong. We're both mages, just like Sister Momo!"
The youngest girl stood up with a red face and looked at me. Her voice was as small as a mosquito's. "Er … the person I admire the most is Lu Chen. Can I take a picture with you after dinner?"
I was caught off guard. "Of course, of course …"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes giggled. "Yu Tong is the youngest among us, but don't underestimate her. She's the strongest mage in Blazing Hot Lips besides me. That's why I brought her along for the CCPL tournament. Of course, she has a lot of potential, but she still can't compare to Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls' Lian Xin …"
I smiled. "Er, Yu Tong is so strong at such a young age. It's rare …"
"Cut the bureaucratic crap …" Stranger of Three Lifetimes glared at me before letting out an exasperated laugh. "Lu Chen, if you're unaccountably solicitous, then you're hiding evil intentions. You've never contacted me on your own, so tell me, why did you even drive all the way here to treat us to a meal? Hmph hmph, have you fallen for one of our Blazing Hot Lips girls?!"
I pursed my lips and said, "Fallen for the girls?
Of course not. Am I that unambitious?
It's just that Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls has its own difficulties … "
"Alright, spill it." Stranger of Three Lifetimes twirled her chopsticks and said with a smile.
He Yi was also looking at me curiously. Even now, I still hadn't told her why I was looking for Stranger of Three Lifetimes.
… …
"The great events of the world are bound to break apart and reunite after a long separation …"
I cleared my throat and said righteously, "Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls has never been founded for hegemony. We only want to spread our name throughout the world, and this is something that we've proven in the three Nation Wars. Blazing Hot Lips is our staunchest ally, so I won't beat around the bush. Not long ago, our number one mage, Moonlight Stone, was poached by that bastard Candlelight Shadow. Thousands of top-ranked mages were also poached by guilds like Candle Dragon and Warsky Alliance. In fact, some of them were poached by unrated guilds like Mad Dragon and Flower Room …"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes nodded. "Yes, I'm aware of this, and I sympathize with you. Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls' performance in the Nation Wars was simply too strong, and competing guilds like Candle Dragon and Warsky Alliance probably wouldn't allow you to continue growing stronger. So, poaching is the most common strategy.
I nodded and leaned against the back of my chair. Then, I sucked in a deep breath and said, "I don't know when the next Nation War will happen, but our biggest weakness is gradually being exposed. We may have the best cavalry in the world, but we are severely lacking in ranged classes, especially our mages. Right now, Lian Xin is the only mage in Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls. How long can a mage's firepower cover?
Fifty yards?
A hundred yards?
That's already the limit. Once a Nation War breaks out, the battlefront will stretch for several kilometers. That's why Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls doesn't have a group of high-level mages to lead us! "
Yu Tong nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too. I just didn't dare to say it out loud. Big brother Lu Chen truly is a wise man."
Stranger of Three Lifetimes took a sip of her tea and smiled. "Yeah, you're right."
I continued, "The world is unpredictable, and the three main cities of the China server are located at the center of the entire continent. To the north is Hero City, Seven Star City, and other wolf cities. To the south is Iron Horse City, Frost Sword City, and other major Russian cities. To the east is Elephant City, Purple Grape City, Cyan Earth City, and other major Indian and Japanese cities. To the west is the territory of the Night Creatures, and I suspect that we don't have any allies in this region. If war breaks out, we'll be surrounded by enemies from all sides, and it's very likely that all three main cities will be destroyed!"
Yu Tong shivered when she heard this. "Big brother Lu Chen, that can't be, can it?"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes was a lot calmer than I was. She smiled and said, "Nothing is impossible in this world. If we don't deal with the relevant matters properly, it's very possible. Lu Chen, you're right. The Center is a big cake, and everyone is waiting to get their hands on it. Now that the Nation Wars are over …"
He Yi smiled and said, "That's why super guilds like Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls, Snowy Cathaya, Blazing Hot Lips, Candle Dragon, and Warsky Alliance will play a very important role in the upcoming Nation Wars. In fact, a large guild can even lead a main city to victory in a Nation War. Fans love to read:!"
I cheered on the inside. He Yi seemed to have understood my intentions. What a smart guild leader.
Below the table, I gave He Yi's warm hand a squeeze, and she returned the gesture with a smile.
… …
I continued, "That's right. It's exactly because the strength of a guild is so important that we work hard to develop it. Blazing Hot Lips is our ally, and they have the strongest mage party in the entire China server. In fact, they're even stronger than Purple Lily. Everyone knows that Blazing Hot Lips' mages make up almost 25% of the guild's members."
"Erm … Why do I smell an ominous smell …"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes looked at me warily. "Lu Chen, what are you trying to do to Blazing Hot Lips?"
I smiled. "Look at you, you're too sentimental. Why would I have any ulterior motives toward Blazing Hot Lips?
It's just that I hope that our loyal ally, Blazing Hot Lips, can lend us a helping hand in our time of need! "
Stranger of Three Lifetimes immediately smiled. "Oh, I see. Er … the landlord doesn't have any surplus food either. Blazing Hot Lips has just started developing, and we don't have any money or manpower. The only thing we can do to help you is wave the flag and cheer for you …"
I curled my lips. "There are plenty of people who can wave the flag and cheer for us, but you're not one of them!"
Yu Tong blinked a few times before asking, "Then what do you want, big brother Lu Chen?"
I sucked in a deep breath and said two powerful words, "I want to borrow — troops!"
… …
The atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment. A long while later — "Borrow troops …?"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes pursed her lips and asked, "What do you mean, Lu Chen? I don't think there's such a thing as' borrow troops' in the game, is there?"
I nodded. "There wasn't in the past, but there will be in the future. Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls' mage party is currently empty, and we desperately need a strong mage party to boost the development of the entire mage class. That's why I want to borrow 5000 high-level mages from Blazing Hot Lips for two weeks!"
"What?!"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes jumped to her feet. "5000 mages?
You … you might as well take my life instead … "
He Yi rose to her feet and pulled Stranger of Three Lifetimes back to her seat. She smiled gently and said, "Calm down, Momo. Everything is negotiable!"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes pouted. "No, Lu Chen is asking for too much. If he asks for 5000 top-tier mages from us right from the start, Blazing Hot Lips will be crippled for sure!"
I replied, "You can bargain with him!"
"No way!"
"You're so stingy, Momo!"
"So what if I'm stingy …"
"Stingy girls don't have gas, so their breasts can't grow. It's only a matter of time before they reach 31A cup!"
"I …"
Stranger of Three Lifetimes looked like she was going to compromise. She looked at me pitifully and said, "I'll give you a hundred people at most, or else there's nothing else to say!"
I pointed at the dishes on the table. "Do you have the nerve to say that you're only giving 100 people just because of these expensive dishes?"