Lord's Path

Soon, the sixteen outstanding newcomers followed the staff to the awards ceremony.

There weren't many spectators here, but it was still grand and solemn.

Mu Yuan understood. Xuan Country had put so much effort into assisting newcomers and presenting awards to them, so it was reasonable to have some sense of ceremony.

He wasn't impatient at all.

Some rich second generations, however, complained that the venue was too small, with few spectators, and they were unaccustomed to not being praised.

As the awards ceremony began, some newcomers reluctantly put away their phones and turned their gaze towards the stands.

"...Next, let's welcome the Vice President of our Bai Jiang Association to give a brief speech."

A burly figure strode forward, his imposing gaze sweeping across the entire venue.

Mu Yuan's eyes widened.

Wasn't this the burly man who had been his examiner before? He was actually the Vice President of the Baijiang City Association.

Jiang Cheng!

This was a true player big shot!

Alright, Mu Yuan didn't actually know him at all, but to be able to serve as Vice President in an important department like the Bai Jiang Association, this person must be at least one of the top few big figures in all of Bai Jiang, right?

Vice President Jiang Cheng didn't use a microphone. With just a simple cough, his voice spread out like waves, reaching every corner of the venue.

Mu Yuan felt his spirits lift.

The Liver Emperor next to him, who looked like he was about to ascend with his dark circles, suddenly became energetic as if experiencing a final burst of vitality.

But of course not, the Liver Emperor had genuinely recovered. The Vice President had used an auxiliary aura ability, and a single cough had swept away the players' physical and mental fatigue.

Jiang Cheng paused and then spoke, "First, congratulations to all of you for passing the assessment. You only need to pass the Trial to become true Lords."

"But... being a Lord is just the beginning. As a Lord, you can have power and enjoy life, but it also means you will face more dangers and bear more responsibilities."

"Saying this now is a bit early for you, you will understand slowly, and don't forget your identity as a Xuan Country citizen."

"As long as you are a Xuan Country Lord, Xuan Country will always be your backing."

As a player big shot, Jiang Cheng naturally acted decisively and didn't have the habit of talking for three hours with only three sentences.

But not only him and the Liver Emperor, even those rich second generations and Game Second Generations sat obediently, listening to Vice President Jiang's teachings, without any hint of rebelliousness.

Game Second Generations? Their older brothers and elders were just weaklings in front of Vice President Jiang. Precisely because they knew how high Vice President Jiang's status was, they all behaved like obedient kittens. If they could be favored by President Jiang, they would soar to success.

Unfortunately, President Jiang's gaze didn't linger on them. He just said a few words and then strode away.

Well, yes, it was difficult to gain the favor of such a big figure.

After Vice President Jiang Cheng left, staff members at the scene issued assessment certificates to the players.

This certificate was not just a formality, but also a credential. Players could use the verification code on the credential to obtain a higher level of authority, thereby accessing some advanced information related to Lords.

When receiving the credential, the staff also reminded them not to leak the information.

At the same time, the staff also gave an on-site introduction, explaining some basic points, mainly for the benefit of the bewildered Civilian Players.

"Lord players hold a high status and great power, but building a territory is not easy... In fact, it's not something that can be accomplished by individual strength alone."

"Troops are only responsible for combat, but a territory needs to handle many affairs besides fighting. Management, finance, logistics, production... When you start operating a territory, these problems will appear one after another. If you don't prepare beforehand, you'll be overwhelmed."

"Therefore, there are generally three types of Lords."

Official Lords;

Group Lords;

Individual Lords;

The former, as the name suggests, are Lords who accept official investment to jointly build territories, similar to state-owned enterprises.

The Safe Cities where the rescue teams previously sent new players are Official Lord cities.

"Although Official Lords have slightly less power, they are easier and safer. Firstly, Official Lord cities have stronger defenses and don't need to worry about monster tides. Secondly, the officials will set up important facilities like Player Associations and resource transfer stations within the city. This means that Official Cities are almost the central areas of the surrounding region, making it easier for them to prosper."

"And as Lords, you can also continuously grow stronger as your territory improves. This is the advantage of being an official Lord."

Group Lords are Lords supported by great nobles and invested in by large financial groups.

Sometimes, Civilian Players and ordinary Game Second Generations lack the resources to build territories, so they accept investment from some large groups, similar to joint-stock companies.

But groups are not philanthropists. Some reputable groups are only responsible for earning investment returns and do not interfere with the player's internal territory affairs. However, some groups not only interfere but even try to find ways to sideline the inexperienced Civilian Lords.

Historically, such incidents have occurred.

"If you want to accept group investment, you must keep your eyes open and inquire clearly about the group's reputation."

Individual Lords, naturally, are Lords who do not accept external investment and maintain complete autonomy.

They seem the freest, but they are also the most difficult.

Such Lords are rare, either extremely weak or extremely strong.

The staff member then said, "Of course, whether they are Group Lords or Individual Lords, or various merchant associations and organizations, they are all part of our Xuan Country, an inseparable part of our Xuan Country located in the Eternal World - the 'Tai Xuan Alliance'."

"To this end, Xuan Country has launched the 'Tai Xuan Covenant' platform. Individual Lords and Group Lords can accept tasks issued by the officials and earn Contribution Points to exchange for various rare resources that are difficult to purchase elsewhere."

This is equivalent to Xuan Country's cooperative Lords.

Individuals have autonomy over their territories, but they also need to follow the pace of the Tai Xuan Alliance in major strategies.

The Alliance will not require Lords to cooperate unconditionally, but they cannot avoid it at critical moments.

In this world, absolute freedom does not exist.

Moreover, new territories are located in the outer areas of the Tai Xuan Alliance. Many times when they encounter monster sieges, the Lords in various places still rely on official reinforcements.

So for the officials, Lord players are actually more reliable than Ranger Players.

The Lords' territories and foundations are all on the Tai Xuan side.

This is also one of the reasons why the officials are willing to spend a large amount of resources to cultivate new territories.

"It is said that there are also support programs for outstanding Individual Lords within the Tai Xuan Covenant. As long as they perform well enough, they can receive various resource rewards?"

"At most, sometimes, as a rookie Lord, you'll need to compete with young Lords from other countries to fight for the interests of the Tai Xuan Alliance?"

This seems to involve the distribution of some important resource areas.

This is voluntary, but if you can earn resources for Xuan Country, rookie Lords can get considerable rewards. A lot is given!

Overall, individual Lords need to strive more. If they don't strive, how can they support their vast territories?

"Most newcomers want to take the path of an individual Lord, but as they walk, they find this path is full of thorns, and in the end, they have to yield to reality."

"If you really want to take the path of an individual Lord, you can't miss those precious opportunities."

"Being cautious is certainly not wrong, but when it's time to compete, you should act decisively."

The above were the words of Vice President Jiang Cheng after the ceremony ended, when Mu Yuan went to collect the extra newcomer benefits.

In the Vice President's office, Jiang Cheng stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the players leaving one after another.

"I hope this batch can produce a few more accomplished rookie Lords."

He murmured.

The orange-red afterglow sprinkled on him, reflecting his sharp, granite-like muscles. His eyes shone brightly, like a fire spirit bathing in the blazing sun.

He thought of the young man who, despite having a huge advantage in the examination hall, still used 'cautious' tactics to defeat two Great Goblins.

Very steady.

Without the recklessness, arrogance, and conceit of some young geniuses.

When Jiang Cheng taught younger players, he always told them to be cautious and then cautious again. One wrong step wasn't death, but it was a heavy loss.

This was also the reason he valued this young man, and not just because of his strength.

Only by operating cautiously and steadily can one laugh last in the crisis-ridden Eternal World.

However,

Jiang Cheng always felt that this young man was too steady?

The lineup of ten Skeleton Soldiers was already quite excellent for a newcomer player from a civilian background, but he inexplicably had a hunch that this was still not the kid's full strength.

It wasn't a matter of just a few more Skeleton Soldiers.

During the assessment, leaving a few troops to guard the home base was a necessary operation.

Jiang Cheng just felt that Mu Yuan not only left troops but also left his trump card.

"Could it be that this kid has already recruited a Rare Troop?"

Is this possible?

Thinking of Mu Yuan's performance, Jiang Cheng vaguely felt... it really might be possible!

He shook his head and chuckled, "Whether it's true or false, competing with rookie Lords and the like is still too far for him. Let's see how far this kid can go first. Perhaps, this kid can make it onto the Trial Rankings as a civilian and get a good ranking?"

Jiang Cheng was looking forward to it.

Compared to rich second generations and Game Second Generations, he preferred to see civilian newcomers stand out. Not only because he was also from a common background, but more importantly:

"Mu Yuan is from a civilian background and is an orphan. He has come this far entirely through his own efforts. Only such a person can go far and have that slight chance to climb to the peak."