(XF) “Lun Hu, it looks like that Baron which we had fought before has managed to get himself instituted in his own little faction.” Xuan Feng, of the all-stars of Lian Po, said to Lun Hu, another all-star, and Li Guang.

(LH) “I have also heard of this. Even though his opponent was Wang Yi, he did admirably.” Lun Hu responded.

(XF) “Quite right, I wonder how long it will take them to become a faction rivaling some of our smaller factions. I have heard that one of there is a particular someone in the third Yellow Wang faction that stands head and shoulders above the rest, I’m starting to wonder how she would compare to Baron. Even if he wasn’t all that powerful in the Sun Alliance tournaments, he showed great potential.”

(LG) “Could you two be talking about Huang Gui Gu? I have also heard of her exploits. Isn’t she in the same generation as Baron and Zhang Da Zhi?” Li Guang, the face of the Sun Alliance, asked.

(XF) “She sure is, we have fought both Baron, Qi Ji Guang, and Zhang Da Zhi. They may be considered powerhouses in their own generation, but they are far from surpassing their preceding generation of geniuses.”

(LH) “Hey, Li Guang, you have had conversations with both Baron and Zhang Da Zhi. Who do you think will be able to get out of this little competition that they have going on with more talents on their sides?”

(LG) “At first, I would have given it to Zhang Da Zhi and Qi Ji Guang as they have two factions under their name, but with the inclusion of Madam Zheng’s influence into this, then it might go to Baron.”

(XF) “That witch’s influence in this is a double-edged sword. Once she brought her alliance with Under 1 Banner forward, Vesper’s name also got dragged inside. In all honesty, I’m quite surprised Baron allowed this in the first place.”

(LG) “Who knows what either side is thinking. The latest thing I have heard from the Dragon factions led by Zhang Da Zhi and Qi Ji Guang was that they started to copy some of Baron’s tactics in gaining members.”

(LH) “Heh, that pissant blueprint that the Dragon factions are giving to their members are might be considered pretty good for the average strategist, but it is nowhere near enough to sway members their way. Especially considering the Mark V tank that Baron and his gang are giving away.”

(LG) “You aren’t wrong, the Dragon factions are relying a bit too much on their name and reputation to gain followers, but they will never be able to win since the mindset of many people here is to get as many benefits as possible. Even in that department, they are quite far from what Baron is offering.”

(LH) “Zhang Da Zhi and Qi Ji Guang are failing to understand one thing, that they are at war with Baron for resources right now. It is definitely not the time to be stingy. I wonder how long it will last, the Dragon factions’ ignorance that is.”

(XF) “Well, it doesn’t matter, say, Li Guang…”

-------------

(LP) “Have you heard of the latest developments of the Baron-Zhang Da Zhi faction struggle?” Lian Po, one of the leaders of the third most powerful faction in the Chinese community, asked his fellow leaders.

(BQ) “What does it matter, that has absolutely nothing to do with us.” Bai Qi responded.

(LP) “This is actually quite important. 3 top-tier factions and one mid-tier faction have signed an alliance with the two Dragon factions. There is no way that they managed to do this in such a short amount of time, most likely this was done prior to the faction selection tournament.”

(BQ) “Again, why does this concern us.”

(LM) “Why are you acting like such a child, have you still not accepted the fact that you lost to one of them?” Li Mu teased.

(BQ) “You shut your trap Li Mu, they got lucky once, never will it happen again.”

(LP) “... As I was saying, it looks like one of our more prominent enemies has started to move. The Femme Fatale faction. I have no idea how it was possible they got them to form an alliance with each other. Perhaps it has something to do with Madam Zheng, otherwise, I have no clue.”

(LM) “The Femme Fatale has not made a move for centuries, why would they do so now? The intelligence I’ve received doesn’t indicate they are making any big moves. Vesper faction, on the other hand, seems to be preparing to make a few big moves.”

(WJ) “...”

(BQ) “I see.” Bai Qi said as he made eye contact with Wang Jian.

(LP) “I had thought that with the announcement that Sun Tzu would be coming back soon the Vesper faction would begin to stifle their activities a bit, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Whatever they are planning, they must be quite certain that they will be able to get away with it.”

(BQ) “I’m sure that Zheng He has something in his mind that he wants to get before Sun Tzu comes back, otherwise he wouldn’t risk it like this. Let’s get back on topic, the Femme Fatale.”

(WJ) “Right, the Femme Fatale should be our main concern for the time being.”

(LP) “I don’t believe that Madam Zheng has enough power on her own to be able to get the Femme Fatale to do anything as she is just a regular member there. One of the lowest in fact. Perhaps there is another intermediary?”

(BQ) “That might be the case, this type of alliance is quite unlike them. To ally themselves with a mostly male faction has only happened once before when they allied themselves with Zhu Ge Liang’s old faction. That was how they were able to grow so powerful back then, what possible reason could they have for wanting an alliance with a newly instated faction like Under 1 Banner?”

(WJ) “Whatever it is, I hope they haven’t forgotten that they aren’t as powerful as they were before.”