The long string of notifications about starting reputation at the Respected level made Bai Xiaowen feel immensely pleased.
More notifications followed.
"Note: Your reputation with each neutral faction will take effect upon your first direct contact with that faction, or when your reputation with that faction changes."
"Warning: If you lose the equipment Son of Heaven's Crown Tassels, the starting Respected reputation in its hidden state will be cleared."
The notes were perfectly normal. For example, Bai Xiaowen's reputation with Ma Teng's Army was currently hidden at Respected, but no one in Ma Teng's Army had ever met him, so there was naturally no actual reputation yet.
Once Bai Xiaowen went as an envoy to Ma Teng's Army and made first contact, the starting Respected reputation would take effect.
Or, if Bai Xiaowen did something earth-shattering and news of it reached Ma Teng's Army, the starting reputation would also take effect when his reputation changed.
Bai Xiaowen roughly reviewed the factions. More or less all the expected ones were there: Liu Zhang, Liu Biao, Sun Ce, Ma Teng, Zhang Lu, Zhang Jiao...
That was right. Zhang Jiao's faction was still around. The Great Worthy Teacher was still kicking, though he was far from his former glory.
According to Yuan Xi's memories, Zhang Jiao had vanished after the Battle of Julu. No one knew which remote corner he had hidden in with his defeated remnants. He had abandoned the strategic land of Jizhou and gone into hiding to watch how the world changed.
When Bai Xiaowen emerged, several soldiers beside the carriage hurriedly greeted him.
Bai Xiaowen looked over. Cecilia and Li Shuyi, the two deputy generals, stood to his left and right, while Han Xu and Qiao Rui, the two military commanders, followed behind.
Other than those four teammates, who