(LG) "Baron, I don't want to keep your allies waiting so how about you tell them to get back to your HQ first. What comes next only concerns you as the leader of your faction. What will your faction be called?" Li Guang asked politely.

(BM) “It will be called Under 1 Banner,” Baron said with a tone akin to satisfaction and immediately signaled for Jaxon, Lu Mu, Guan Yu, and Yue Fei to head back to the HQ. Which they recognized and understood the situation.

(LG) “That name sure has underlying tones, Baron. Now, come with me. I will guide you to the new area that is granted to all factions upon winning one of the 3 faction selection tournaments. This place will be free of charge for the first year, then you will have to pay for using the property to the Sun Alliance.”

(BM) “Wow, it sure must be good to be the faction ruling such a large community, you all sure do find the easiest ways to make some extra coins,” Baron said as he followed Li Guang to a part of the community that previously was barred for him. Li Guang showed him one of the buildings that were 5 times larger than his current HQ.

(LG) “So, what do you think?”

(BM) “I love it.”

(LG) “Good, once you have enough faction members, you will have to start expanding. That is what makes this place so great, you can expand quite a bit before you bump into your closest neighbors. The land granted for you to use is about a square area that is about 5 kilometers by 5 kilometers. For most factions, this should be more than enough. Unless, of course, you grow to become a great and powerful clan.”

(BM) “Not bad. How much area does your Sun Alliance occupy?”

(LG) “In total, probably about 10 times what you are granted for the moment. Not including all of the other buildings that are ours scattered around the Chinese community.”

(BM) “Impressive.”

(LG) “Haha, yea. I like you, Baron. You are fresh blood that has risen in popularity explosively. Let me give you a bit of advice on how to run a successful faction. This is coming from someone who is touted to be the next leader of the Sun Alliance so you best heed well.”

(BM) “Advice from someone of your stature and standing are always welcome.”

(LG) “Hah. Well, first, remember what I told you about before we left your allies?”

(BM) “To attract people to my faction, I have to get their attention in a way that stands out from all of the other recruiters?”

(LG) “Good, you were listening. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you this, but the majority of the people in the Chinese community are simply not aligned with any faction due to the strict rules that outweigh the benefits. In that aspect, the Sun Alliance is far greater than most of the other factions, but we take in only a few elite strategists a month after rigorous testing. Much like the Yellow Wang faction.”

(BM) “Mmm, yes I remember.” He said as he recalled what Xuan Feng had told him about using their fights as assessments for new recruits.

(LG) “Anyway, that is one way to get a good quantity of strategists on your side, but then, what good is large numerical values of strategists if none of them are halfway decent tacticians?”

(BM) “Won’t some of those that join naturally be better than the others?”

(LG) “That is naive thinking. At best, you can only expect about a fifth of your new recruits to be up to your standards at warfare, and that is a generous estimate. Now, in addition to bulking up your numbers, you will also need to find a way to attract talents to your faction. If you were a great powerful faction like the top 3 or Madam Zheng’s, then many will naturally flock to you. However, you have neither the reputation nor influence to have this luxury so you will need to find another way.”

(BM) “I haven’t thought of it like that. What can be done about this matter?”

(LG) “You are still young here, Baron. You have lucked out many times since coming here. First, Yue Fei, then madam Zheng, Han Xin, and Guan Yu. These people are powerful in their own rights and have been regular presences in this community for enough time for their reputation to precede them. Having them as allies will surely help you immensely at the start due to their vast influences. However, you can not and should not rely on that forever. On this planet, the strong gravitate towards each other. So you must do your utmost to make sure you never stop improving yourself.”

(BM) “I won’t. I am driven to one goal and one goal only now. There is no way I will stop.”

(LG) “Baron, the last thing that you should know is that it is relatively easy to recruit members, but making them stay is another matter. Make them love you or make them fear you. Those are the only choices that you have in front of you. You, your allies, even I have yet to see how vast this plane really is, it is best to tread lightly.”

(BM) “Thank you, Li Guang, for taking the time to guide me through this process. It feels reassuring.”

(LG) “Baron, I don’t think we will see each other for a very long time after this. Unless, of course, you are invited to the individual strategist tournament held by my faction. Unlike the other one where anyone with money can enter, only the strongest and brightest of each of the top factions are allowed to enter. I can’t do anything for you, but if you aren’t too busy or aren’t invited, make sure to at least take a look at tournament highlights. You could learn a thing or two about how the upper echelon of the Chinese community fights.”

(BM) “Thank you, I will.”