The Chinese community, as with other communities around this time, was alive with a flurry of activity. Especially for the ruling faction as well as any others who were to participate in the mock tournament. Around this time was when Jaxon Long finally managed to build a working satellite and worked out the kinks with the programming, engineering, and a hundred other disciplines. He was rewarded handsomely. In the end, the Femme Fatale faction that paid Jaxon to research and develop this blueprint sold it to the Sun Alliance for a hefty sum.

The Sun Alliance bought the blueprint with the intention of making it so that everyone in the community would be able to take one home and experiment with it, free of charge. No one had any idea what they were thinking of giving free access to such an important piece of technology away for free.

As the biggest contributor to this project, the Sun Alliance decided to award Jaxon Long with one group spot in the mock Death Match Tournament. Naturally, he decided to pick Roxi, and Baron to fight alongside him. Roxi had actually decided to go traveling the world but decided to wait until the mock tournament ended before she embarked on her own adventures.

During this period leading up to the tournament, Roxi, and Jaxon mostly spent their time either researching/developing or training in simulations. As for Baron, he spent the vast majority of his time going through reports as well as recordings of strategists who had come to the Chinese community in the past and participated in tournaments. This was in part to make a preliminary analysis of who was likely to participate, what their style of fighting was, and what he needed to do to prepare.

As for the other members of the Under 1 Banner inner circle members, there were now 5 of them in the elders’ position. Elder Yue Fei and Elder Guan Yu were already part of this group prior to joining the faction. Elder Xiao Cong who joined after the creation of Under 1 Banner. Finally, Elder Li Xin, and Elder Ban Chao who became elders after the creation of their faction. As for Han Xin, and Xu Da, they still did not quite like the responsibilities associated with the position so they chose to keep out of the limelight.

Despite all their hard work, not even a decade passed before there were sweeping changes inside the internal politics of the Chinese community. For one, Sun Tzu, the head of state of the Chinese community decided to leave his post as one of the three highest elder positions to focus solely on the head of state and finally fill up the vacant spot. As well as the spot he just made a room for.

Currently, the only other high elder position belonged to Wu Qi, a reputable land-based strategist, but his absence in centuries prompted those to ask wonder what he was doing. There were many rumors floating around about, but no one could confirm anything. Within days of Sun Tzu renouncing his position as a high elder, Wu Qi along with his Middle Kingdom faction made the official announcements that they would be merging with the Sun Coalition. Announced by the man himself, no less.

As for the two vacant spots left for the second most important position within the Chinese community, two tournaments would determine the people who would be right for the job. These two tournaments focused on naval and aerial warfare.

For the naval portion, there were really only three candidates in for the running. Zheng He of the Vesper faction, Madam Zheng of the Forever Pirates, and Wu Zi Xu of the Sun Coalition. Those three along with a few other individuals were invited to participate. In the end, it was a repeat of what had happened in their previous simulation and Wu Zi Xu promptly wiped the ocean with his opponents with even more unexpected strategies.

On the other hand, the aerial tournament was just a ploy by the Sun Coalition to confirm what Sun Bin had assured them of. That Jaxon Long was unparalleled in aerial simulations. Jaxon did not disappoint and became the youngest-ever person to hold such a high position in the Chinese community. A talking point which earned him much envy, and jealousy by all those who pined away for years to no avail.

Something else that the ruling faction made sweeping changes on was the elder system of which they expanded to include 5,000 individuals. Not only that, but there was also a reworking of the ranking system. This meant that everyone already part of the 100 elders would need their rank recalculated. In the end, only Yue Fei, and Guan Yu remained in the very outer fringes of the top 100.

Even Xiao Cong, whose contributions to the Chinese community dwarfed many others in the old rankings, was relegated to only the top 500 positions. The main reason that this was the case was that he had not really contributed much to the community ever since he joined Baron’s Under 1 Banner faction. As well as the fact that the new rankings emphasized one’s strategic prowess. Of which Elder Xiao Cong had not participated in a simulation for at least the last few hundred years.

One final change that Sun Tzu made that affected a huge majority of the populace was the opening up of the restrictions placed on foreigners entering into the community. In the past, it was quite hard for anyone else to come into the community, assuming it wasn’t business-related, or without a backer as Eumenes and William Bridges were backed by the Yellow Wang faction. This came after seeing just how prosperous and successful the US community had been regarding such matters.

-----

The first meeting of the head of state Sun Tzu and high elders Wu Qi, Wu Zi Xu, and Jaxon Long began shortly after their appointments. This meeting was considered by many to be the first time in a long while that the Chinese community actually had any semblance of leadership. These 4 held almost unparalleled power within the Chinese community. Of course, with all of them being from the same faction, there were many who opposed the use of such an easily exploitable system.

“Haha, it looks like the system that was put in place before me is finally being put to good use again. It’s been over a thousand years if memory serves.” Sun Tzu said with a slight smile on his face.

“Am I really the right person for this position? It just seems like there are so many others that are more qualified than I am.” Jaxon Long asked the three individuals whose presence dominated the room that they were in.

“Young man, there is no need to belittle yourself. Yes, there are others more qualified, but they are lacking in one key area that you possess. Your knowledge of aerial warfare, blueprints, and now, satellite technology.” Wu Qi, who had not shown himself for centuries, assured Jaxon.

“I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“We haven’t, but I’ve heard all about your incredible feats, Jaxon. With you guiding us on all matters related to aerial and space advancement, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. I daresay that your position might be even higher than mine and Wu Zi Xu in terms of importance.”

“Hey! Speak for yourself. There are still a lot of naval matters that can be improved upon in our Chinese community.” Wu Zi Xu jumped in to defend the type of warfare he was most comfortable with.

“I understand where you are coming from, Jaxon, but there is nothing for you to worry over. You just focus on the tasks that I assign to you. There will be many benefits to you and your pals over at Under 1 Banner if you do so.”

“That wasn’t really my concern. I’m just unsure if I have the capability to endure all of this responsibility. I might have led the aerial division of the Chinese forces when I was alive on Earth, but that is a far cry from what will be on my shoulders here on out.”

“How about we let it be and see how appropriate this position is for you? If it’s not for you, then you can always step down. You will need a very good reason if you decide to go down that route. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Excellent, now on to the most pressing issue in our immediate future. The mock tournament that I orchestrated will include 12 communities. This is to serve as an indicator on which communities have advanced how far before the actual Death Match Tournament. Any questions?”

“Yea, Sun Tzu, I wasn’t there like Wu Zi Xu, nor am I oblivious to matters regarding some communities as Jaxon is. However, I’m just very curious as to why you even bothered to invite places such as the Greco-Roman, and Ottoman communities? They already cease to exist on Earth. I can understand inviting the Mongolians since they have recently added a few incredible figures into their ranks, but I’m unsure of the rest.”

“The reason for that is simple. I intend to show them that they will not be able to survive in the new age that we are in right now. With enough persuasion, they will see that they are truly lost in this age. I also plan on extending a helping hand out to them once they see their inadequacy so that they will be indebted to us. One can never have too many favors to call upon, after all.”

“So your centuries-long journey was nothing more than an attempt to convince others to come join our community?” Jaxon questioned Sun Tzu.

“Yes, you seem to oppose the idea.”

“I don’t oppose the idea, more just think that is a terrible way to go about doing this.”

“Jaxon, you are still young, there is much that you have not-”

“It’s alright Wu Zi Xu. I can handle myself. Jaxon, you are quite green, Wu Zi Xu is not wrong about that, but you are skilled. You are wrong about one thing. That everything you enjoyed back on Earth during your time can be directly implemented here. Earth and Planet 4 are very different. I was naive like you once, but I quickly learned that this world is unforgiving.”

“Hang on-”

“I wasn’t finished.”

“Sorry, go on.”

“The laws of this world are fundamentally different. That should come as no surprise to you. However, you have not lived on this planet for thousands of years as I have. You have not even stepped a foot outside of this community. You are quite privileged and blessed to have both the backing of my faction and skills that are in high demand. During my first few hundred years here I had to dethrone the previous regime.”

“...”

“That’s what I thought. You are quite fortunate that I am not a tyrant like my predecessor. If I had not taken over, the Chinese community would not be as well off as it is now. Jaxon, my dear boy, I think you are a bit too inexperienced in the one aspect that is most important on this planet.”

“What would that be?”

“That even though no one needs to eat, drink, sleep, work, or anything else for that matter. Suffering still persists, as does class inequality, wealth, and just about everything else that exists on Earth. Especially outside of the communities. It is a fate worse than death in my opinion.”

“Suffering, how?”

“Those who were kicked out by their communities, or belonged to one that ceases to exist, or simply being the only one of their kind. That is part of the reason that I relaxed the immigration laws concerning our community, but truth be told that isn’t going to reduce the amount of suffering on the outside. Not by a long shot.”

“...I see. I hadn’t considered any of those points before. Didn’t even occur to me.”

“It’s an honest mistake, but this world craves warfare whether it’s between classes, communities, brothers, you name it. One big neverending war that no one ever will come close to ending…” Sun Tzu had to take a moment to take a deep breath in and close his eyes, reminiscing about his past before opening them up again.

“That’s enough of that, Sun Tzu, how about we get on to the mock tournament?” Wu Zi Xu decided now was the perfect time to intervene and change the subject.

“Yea, I got my answer.”

“Right, where to begin… Jaxon, you and the two strategists that you pick will make up one of 33 teams to compete in the group portion of the tournament. Some of the other team captains that I have decided on will be the 4 co-leaders of the Yellow Wang faction, Madam Zheng, Zheng He, myself, Huan Yi, Wu San Gui, Lady Xian, Yue Yi. Zhang Da Zhi, Xuan Feng, and a few others from our faction and others.”

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but shouldn’t there be many others who are better strategists than the few that you have listed? Why aren’t you having them participate?” Jaxon asked.

“It’s simple really, some don’t deserve the honor, some are still in training for the actual tournament, some would rather hide their skill for now and not reveal it to potential enemies, and others are still traveling about in the other communities.”

“I see.”

“Plus, this will be a great chance for training some of our strategists with high potential. Such as you and Baron and your other friend. Although it seems to me that she is more of a mercenary than a strategist, it's your choice.”

“Do you think the other communities will send out strategists like we do or do you think they will send out the lineup that they plan on sending to the Death Match Tournament?” Wu Qi asked.

“We’ll have to assume that there is a healthy mix of both. However, the stakes of this tournament aren’t high so we can afford to be a little riskier with our lineup. Also, there seems to be a letter that got delivered recently from the most important man on this planet, Luca. The head of the Jordsand community.”

“What do the letters say?” Wu Qi asked curiously.

“This is the first time he writes me a letter and he seems a bit informal, among other things. The letter is more of a demand for how we are going to go about the group portion of the tournament. He wants us to use the Emu war as the preliminary ranker before any fighting begins.”

“The war of the emus? Is that as absurd as it sounds?”

“It’s even more ridiculous. However, I am not one to reject someone of his authority, so implement it I must.”

“That is all well and good, old friend, but who will take on the solo portion of the tournament?”

“Sun Wu will.”

“You trust him that much?”

“I trust him more than I trust just about anyone else in this world, Wu Zi Xu.”