Veto Power

After reading the system announcement.

Lu Xiu brought up the System Panel and carefully checked if there were any specific rule details.

But after searching for a long time...

They discovered it didn't exist at all.

The so-called multiple updates were not explained in detail, and even the highlight, the multiplayer dungeon mode, was only given a few vague sentences.

However, based on the few lines of text that exist, some key information can still be extracted.

The most obvious point.

That means that Nine Provinces can finally have substantive communication and contact with players from other regions of the world.

For example, the Franca faction, which, like Nine Provinces, achieved victory in a special event.

As for the specific mechanics of this multiplayer instance...

Is it a pure PVE mode like Left 4 Dead or Nightreign, focusing on fighting monsters and emphasizing team survival and exploration? Or is it a PVP mode that incorporates battles between two or even more players?

Based on current information, it's not clear yet.

But if it's the latter, then this so-called multiplayer dungeon will become a disguised cross-server arena battle.

But thinking about it again, it makes sense.

Previous special events, including the current arena event, were actually just previews of the new expansion.

The idea of including previews to allow players to get a feel for the gameplay in the official version seems to make sense.

certainly.

This is just speculation at the moment.

"Are you just trying to whet our appetites?"

Looking at the partially obscured intelligence report, Lu Xiu couldn't help but mutter a complaint.

But soon...

She shook her head.

never mind.

Thinking about it all the time is pointless.

Lu Xiu stretched, the hem of her loose white T-shirt rising slightly with the movement, revealing a small section of her fair and slender waist. "Let's wait for the official launch. The Architect should also open the related placements at the same time."

Once the permissions are granted, the exact mechanism will become clear.

Whether it's PVE or PVP, she can come up with suitable game models.

Just as Lu Xiu was thinking this...

The second announcement followed.

[Bite!]

[At midnight today, the three-day truce officially begins.]

[During the ceasefire, both sides may conduct exchanges and mutual visits.]

Players from both factions can register to travel to the opposing faction's territory for combat. While in the opposing faction's territory, they will be protected by the system and will not be harmed by players from the opposing faction, but at the same time, they cannot harm players from the opposing faction.

[During the truce period, the victor and vanquished sides will conduct final settlements and negotiations regarding the occupied territories.]

[Given the Nine Provinces faction's undisputed victory in this arena battle, the settlement method will be decided entirely by a vote within the Nine Provinces faction!]

[All Nine Provinces players, please choose one of the following two settlement modes (12-hour countdown):]

[Mode 1: All-Out Mode]

[After selecting this mode, a vote will be held among all players in the region to decide whether to implement a "Plunder" or "compensation" mode for the occupied areas.]

[If the vote is to Plunder: Nine Provinces will permanently annex the occupied Prison Rock territory. Furthermore, on the day the arena battle begins, all skills, items, Survival Points, etc., of all Prison Rock players within the occupied area will be forcibly stripped by the system and distributed to Nine Provinces players according to their battle merits.]

[If the vote chooses compensation: The system will automatically assess the value of the occupied territory and forcibly deduct resources from all players on the losing side as the price for reclaiming the territory, which will then be distributed among the Nine Provinces players according to their war merits.]

[Mode 2: Agent Negotiation Mode]

[Upon selecting this mode, the Nine Provinces faction will have a fully authorized representative who can directly travel to the Prison Rock faction to conduct face-to-face negotiations with their representative.]

[The agent may freely demand any valuable bargaining chips based on the actual resources of the Prison Rock. If negotiations fail, the agent may still choose the forced Plunder mode.]

The system will ensure the safety of agents during negotiations and act as an impartial and executor of the negotiated contract.

[Note: A ruling organization has been detected in Nine Provinces. Selecting this mode will automatically grant the ruling organization of Nine Provinces the status of an agent, but all contracts will require the signature of the person ranked first on the war merit list to take effect.]

After reading the long announcement and seeing the newly opened voting window, the entire Nine Provinces forum instantly erupted in chaos.

Lu Xiu was also somewhat surprised.

Is it even possible to do that?

I thought the redemption process involved direct negotiation—turns out it was a player-selected option.

She looked at the two options and thought about them carefully.

If you're thinking about your own performance, then Mode 1 is undoubtedly the best, since all top players will benefit from the rewards based on battle merits.

Lu Xiu, who ranks first on the battle merit list, will likely receive the most benefits.

But this isn't very friendly to lower-level players.

The number of players at the lower and middle levels is definitely the largest.

In situations where direct benefits are asymmetrical.

Most players are unlikely to choose the all-out mode.

While Mode Two appears to entrust one's fate to others, it stems from an instinctive preference for non-zero-sum games—

Mid- to low-level players should naturally tend to maximize their total revenue.

After all, agents have the right to demand any bargaining chips, and can forcibly Plunder even if negotiations fail. For most players, supporting the agent model is a strategy with a guaranteed minimum and no upper limit, and a high probability of negotiating public benefits.

In addition, the public vote in Mode 1, whether it's for Plunder or compensation, effectively locks the upper limit on the value of the currently occupied area.

That's too conservative.

The Coordination Bureau will most likely try every means to steer the pace towards mode two.

Having thought this through, Lu Xiu could roughly guess the final outcome and continued reading.

Then.

She saw that note.

"----Does the person ranked first on the battle merit list still have such rights?"

Lu Xiu was very surprised.

It has to be said that the system's mechanism amplifies the weight of individuals to an exaggerated degree.

She really hadn't expected this—and she didn't know if it would lead players to choose other options.

After all, once this condition is added, the decision-making process is no longer a collective effort, but rather a matter for specific individuals.

I thought about it.

Lu Xiu opened the forum, and sure enough, the homepage was completely flooded with player discussions, with posts refreshing at a dizzying speed.

But to Lu Xiu's surprise...

As the forum discussion progressed, the situation did not backfire as she had feared, due to the decision-making power being given to an individual.

On the contrary, there is quite a lot of support for Mode 2.

Lu Xiu quickly browsed through the posts with the most replies.

[How do I choose? My subconscious thought was the All-Out Mode, but my battle points aren't high enough, so I feel like I won't get much in All-Out Mode.]

[I chose the proxy mode! Because Lu Xiu was the one who signed in the end! A pretty JK (high school girl) wouldn't lie—okay, actually, it's mainly because I watched her entire battle. She's also the top Architect in Nine Provinces, with countless Survival Points. I don't think she'd even bother with those paltry sums.]

[I also think we should choose the agency model. At least we know that our interests aren't tied to a vague group, but to a specific person, and that person has indeed proven themselves.]

[The top-ranked player on the battle merit list has this authority? Isn't that a veto? I think we should be cautious. What if, after the negotiations are successful, Lu Xiu, for her own benefit, directly vetoes the collective interest?]

Is it really that exaggerated?

[I choose to believe Lu Xiu. Although the dungeons she created are all very challenging, aren't they all designed to increase the strength of all players in Nine Provinces? Back then, the Sekiro ticket price was forcibly reduced to one. I know the Coordination Bureau must have had a role in this, but ask yourselves, if you were Lu Xiu, would you have done the same?]

[To be honest, after watching the group battle, I also chose to believe Lu Xiu. I can't quite explain why, maybe it's because she was always at the forefront of every boss fight, or maybe it's because of her declaration of Jian Ning and the others' treason. Anyway, I know very well what she did.]

[Damn it, why hasn't Lu Xiu added me yet? I want to discuss the negotiations with her! I'm a negotiation expert!]

[The agent mode is too unfair for us low- to mid-level players, since we're all fighting together in the arena. —Lu Xiu seems reliable; everyone has seen what she's done.]

[----]

Looking at those posts from people who believe in themselves.

Lu Xiu scratched her cheek.

The announcement clearly states that the contract requires the signature of the person ranked first on the battle merit list to take effect.

This means that lower- and mid-level players need to shift the final decision-making power from a credible official group to an uncontrollable independent individual.

This will almost always cause big problems, and players should be unhappy about it.

But now the art style has completely changed.

Is it because of the dungeon? Players are clearly calling her crazy.

Collective warfare?

That's possible.

But Lu Xiu only wanted to win.

"Never mind----"

Lu Xiu looked at the posts, shook her head slightly, and decided to stop thinking about them since she couldn't figure it out.

But to be honest, she was still happy.

Let's Constructed Instance then to enhance all players.

----Hmm, let's reward these players with a few grueling multiplayer dungeons!

At the same time.

Countless guild leaders fell silent as they read the final note of the announcement.

regret.

I just feel extremely regretful.

This is the best opportunity ever! A chance to completely break free from the control of the Coordination Bureau!

They just slipped away like that.

I should have acted with Lu Xiu and the people from the Coordination Bureau.

Especially Li Zhong, the guild leader of the United Will Guild, which ranks among the top in terms of battle achievements.

He looked at the announcement and remained silent for half a minute.

But soon...

When he opened the battle merit rankings, he quickly felt relieved.

Even if you knew beforehand, it seems impossible to secure first place; the gap is indeed too large— Lu Xiu already has over 100,000.

Looking at the announcement, Li Zhong suddenly murmured, "How enviable—faced with such a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, what kind of demands will Lu Xiu make?"

Next.

He looked at the battle merit list again. "If there's another event like this, I must seize the opportunity, even if it means going against the Strategy Group."

at the same time.

On the other side, the Prison Rock camp.

Royal Court.

The Prime Minister of Prison Rock looked at the announcement floating in mid-air before him and couldn't help but let out a heavy, weary sigh, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

Before he could even speak...

Gallagher, the Chosen Player representative from Prison Rock, spoke first, saying softly, "I hope this multiplayer dungeon—please don't let it be PvP. And even if it is PvP, please don't let us run into Nine Provinces again."

Hearing this spineless remark...

The Prime Minister immediately closed his eyes.

These once-arrogant top players have had their spirits completely shattered by the Architect of Nine Provinces.

--

Now, even when I see the words "cross-region interaction," my first reaction is to pray that it doesn't involve Nine Provinces.

but----

The Prime Minister gave a bitter smile to himself.

Didn't he think the same way himself?

He felt a wave of powerlessness whenever he thought about that first team battle.

The Prime Minister took a deep breath, shook his head, and forcibly dispelled the suffocating feeling of powerlessness.

Now is not the time to think about the content of the new version.

The current mess is the most fatal flaw.

In the past month of arena battles, Prison Rock suffered a crushing defeat, and almost all areas of their capital Obsidian City, have been occupied by Nine Provinces.

Once the truce ended...

The arena is closed.

What followed was a period of humiliating negotiations.

What price must be paid to redeem Obsidian City, the core area of Prison Rock?

What outrageous demands will Nine Provinces make this opportunity?

Everything is still unknown.

"----Before the arena opened, you Chosen Player confirmed you weren't in Obsidian City, right?"

The Prime Minister opened his eyes, looked down at Gallagher, and asked in a hoarse voice.

Gallagher nodded. "Yes."

Upon hearing this answer...

The Prime Minister exhaled a long breath.

This was probably the only good news he had heard in the past two weeks.

If Gallagher and his group had been in Obsidian City at the time, then everything would have been over.

"Thank goodness----"

The Prime Minister murmured something, then remained silent for a moment before continuing, "Then let's leave the rest to the Royal Court. The Royal Court will do everything in its power to redeem Obsidian City; after all, it is our foundation."

At this point, the Prime Minister paused slightly, glancing around at the Chosen Player below.

"And Gallagher, you also have things you must do."

"We lost this time in the ring, we lost miserably."

"The main reason is that Architect named Lu Xiu, but our arrogance also plays a part."

"During the truce, we can exchange ideas and visit each other. I hope you Chosen Player can take this opportunity to visit Nine Provinces in person. As for the Architect like Helag, you absolutely must go."

"I hope you can go and see what their world is like, and understand the mentality of their players."

"If you can----"

"It would be best to find a way to meet with that Architect and have a face-to-face discussion."

"That Lu Xiu is the real key to victory or defeat in this arena battle."

"Defeat is not terrible."

"The most terrifying thing is that after you fail, you still refuse to face your opponent squarely."

Gallagher and the other Chosen Player, along with the Architect like Helag, all nodded silently upon hearing this.