White Tower Forum.
[Is Songbird about to officially announce Zheng Xun? Get in here and discuss]
: As the title says (link: Singing Sparrow Guild to hold a press conference in two days)
: Second floor. I'm early and don't know what to say. Waiting for the experts to come discuss it.
: This article is really vague. Songbird only said it was holding a conference.
: The attendees are listed at the end. Zheng Xun's name is there.
: Erchui is last? Doesn't look like an official announcement. If they were announcing a new team member, wouldn't they put him first?
: My guess is they haven't reached a deal. Erchui did so well in the Locust Sound dungeon that Songbird is a bit beneath him.
: They offered him a silver-plus contract and he still won't take it? Zheng Xun had better not be stupid. His style stands out too much, so he'll have trouble fitting into other guilds' team systems. He could easily become dead weight.
: God Zheng needs you to tell him what to do? Stop lecturing him.
: ? What's the person above going crazy about?
: Seriously? Zheng Xun is still a rookie, and he already has fans like this?
: Probably an anti pretending to be a fan.
: We'll know in two days. Hope Erchui doesn't get the short end of the stick. When you're dealing with a guild that big, it's easy to get cheated out of your life savings.
: If Songbird hasn't secured Zheng Xun, shouldn't the other guilds be making a move?
: I haven't heard of any guild contacting Erchui in private. Mostly because Songbird looked like it had him in the bag, so the other guilds probably didn't have an opening.
: I say Erchui is already Songbird's man. If I'm wrong, I'll run a dungeon standing on my head.
At nine in the morning two days later, the press conference was held as scheduled.
Songbird had made a big production of the press conference, inviting dozens of media outlets to attend.
The event was so grand not just because of Zheng Xun, but also to formally introduce the guild president to the public.
Zheng Xun and the others were in the lounge while stylists got them ready.
The young woman in charge of makeup stood there with her makeup case, at a loss. Zheng Xun, who had finally been persuaded into a suit, lay sprawled over the table like a boneless worm.
"If I'd known, I wouldn't have agreed..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
At five that morning, someone had knocked on his door. A few strangers had dragged him outside and started changing his clothes and styling his hair.
Zheng Xun could never get enough sleep in the real world. If he didn't have dungeon missions, he wanted to get up at noon every day.
After more than two hours of fussing, he'd finally gotten a moment to breathe, only for them to want to put some light makeup on him.
Zheng Xun refused at all costs. If this went on, he'd fall apart before the press conference even began.
"People in your guild really have it rough," he said, planting his face on the table and refusing to lift it for anyone. "We're all players. Why make yourselves look like celebrities?"
Xiao Jun adjusted his tie in the mirror as he answered.
"The guild needs an image, and managing its fanbase properly is good for business."
He straightened up and told the helpless makeup artist, "If he doesn't want it, forget it."
Five people were the main attendees at the press conference: Tao Xueji, Xiao Jun, Zheng Xun, Su Hairong, and Cheng Jie.
At 8:50, they entered the venue. Camera flashes went off one after another, and Zheng Xun narrowed his eyes slightly.
The press conference was being broadcast live. All players could watch it through their wristbands or other electronic devices.
The conference had three parts. To start, Xiao Jun briefly explained what had happened on their dungeon run and praised Zheng Xun.
Next, Songbird's president, Tao Xueji, introduced himself and briefly outlined Songbird's future development, then praised Zheng Xun again.
The last part was questions from the media.
Nearly every question was directed at Zheng Xun.
"Mr. Zheng, do you plan to stay with Songbird?"
"Are you satisfied with Songbird's silver-plus contract?"
"You performed so well. Have you considered other guilds?"
The assistant, Su Hairong, coughed twice.
"Please maintain order. If you have a question, raise your hand. We'll give everyone plenty of opportunities to ask questions."
She glanced at Zheng Xun past the two people between them. He nodded and switched on his microphone.
Every camera was trained on this dazzling new star.
"Mr. Zheng, you reset the Locust Sound dungeon seventy-six times in total. Do you think spending that much effort on a single dungeon was worthwhile?"
A tall male reporter asked the question.
Zheng Xun nodded.
"It was. I got quite a few gold coins from failing, after all."
"Then do you consider rewards more important, Mr. Zheng? If someone offered you a high price, would you enter a dungeon at any cost?"
"Staying alive is more important. Without your life, you have nothing."
"Your first battle with Songbird was in such a difficult dungeon. Do you think that was a reasonable arrangement for a rookie?"
"They offered me a price I couldn't refuse."
"So you still believe money and rewards outweigh everything else in the White Tower Game?"
"I said, staying alive comes before everything else."
After that round of circular talk, the reporters looked at one another.
How had they talked for so long without saying anything?
Meanwhile, comments were flooding the live chat.
: Hahahahaha, is Erchui some kind of modern-day master of saying nothing?
: Erchui is right, though. Isn't surviving in the White Tower all about staying alive and making money?
: What a conversational genius. His answers might as well not have been answers.
: Let's see who calls Erchui the Master Ma outside the White Tower now. He's obviously much smarter than Monkey Ma.
: Erchui: If possible, please don't compare me to Monkey Ma. Thank you.
The reporters asked a few more questions, but Zheng Xun wasn't very interested. After picking a few to answer, he lost interest and didn't want to talk anymore.
Xiao Jun stepped in at the right moment and took over, getting Zheng Xun out of the situation.
Xiao Jun remained mysterious about where the rookie Zheng Xun would go, offering few answers.
Only at the very end of the press conference, when all the reporters thought the old fox was going to dodge the question altogether, did Xiao Jun suddenly address it directly.
"As for where Zheng Xun will go, we will now make a joint statement."
The reporters perked up instantly, and the number of viewers in the livestream jumped by tens of thousands.
: Here it comes, here it comes.
: Finally getting to the important question? Listening to that old hand Xiao Jun is exhausting. He can ramble from District 0001 all the way to District 0999.
: Why am I getting nervous? Is he staying with Songbird or not?
: He isn't really going to another guild, is he?
: @ the guy who said he'd run a dungeon standing on his head.
: Zheng Xun can make a name for himself wherever he goes. Let's support his decision.
: Yeah, yeah. He's a rookie who's only cleared two dungeons. His future looks bright, so don't box him in.
: Go to Ten Thousand Ages. They're wealthy and powerful.
: Come to Nine Cauldrons. We treat rookies well.
: Pfft. Anywhere but your Nine Chickens.
: What's wrong with Nine Cauldrons? Did we eat your rice? Is some Ten Thousand Ages dog yapping again?
: Shuishui Gang! Consider the Shuishui Gang!
The forum and the livestream chat were both frantically discussing where Zheng Xun would go. Someone had started a poll, which had already risen to the top trending spot on the forum.
After briefly explaining the situation, Xiao Jun turned to look at Zheng Xun.
You tell them? he mouthed.
"I will."
Zheng Xun pulled the microphone toward himself, a carefree smile on his face.
"Thank you to the reporters and the viewers watching for your support. You can stop guessing now. You won't guess it.
"I'm going to establish my own guild. The new guild will be called 'Xunhui.'
"At the same time, my guild will maintain a friendly cooperative relationship with the Singing Sparrow Guild. The Xunhui Guild will loan the player [Zheng Xun] to the Singing Sparrow Guild.
"The loan covers three dungeons, at A-plus, for a one-year term."