Hideki Tojo looked out into the mix of cameras and VIPs that stood before him. As the winner of the first-ever Sun Tournament, he had to announce this achievement to the world. He had confidence since the beginning that he would win this tournament. It should have been a great honor. However, now that he had seen the capabilities of Maksim, his hubris had subsided a bit.

"Dear all, I understand that Japan's semi-seclusion from the world has surprised many of you. I have emerged as Japan's head of state during that period. As of now, Japan will be open to the world once again."

He paused to think and closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he took a deep breath then continued, "those of you who have watched the events of the final battle between the twelve communities should know that this victory that I have earned is nothing more than in name only. Maksim and the US community have proven themselves to be even more capable than I. That is why the Japanese will do everything we can to catch up. That is all."

With that, Hideki left the stage without another word. He didn't make contact with anyone else and just left the venue. For someone as nationalistic and proud as he is to not revel in his victory is a rare occurrence. Neither he nor any of the other high-ranking Japanese officials stayed.

Due to this abrupt exit, Sun Tzu had to take over pretty quickly. "Hello everyone, I am Sun Tzu. Head of state of China and the organizer of this massive tournament held in my name. As all of you know, the Japanese community took first place in this tournament thanks to Hideki Tojo's win in the solo match. Coming in second place is the United States. They are followed closely by Germany, Russia, China, France, India, England, Egypt, Greco-Romans, Mongolia, and the Ottomans."

Sun Tzu took a moment to let the results sink in, then spoke once more, "with the Death Match Tournament under a century away. Time is running short. Whatever inventions of war that you are developing, you better make it quick. Whatever strategies and counterstrategies you are thinking, best to iron out all the details and get your practice in. To help with that, here is Xerxes of the Jordsand community."

"Thank you for allowing me this time to speak, Sun Tzu. Many of the participants of the Sun Tournament has had the chance to test out this little disc," Xerxes said as he held up the little invention that he had showcased before the tournament. "From the feedback that my team has gathered, it seems that most people find this little gadget quite useful. It attaches to your clothing like so, and once it is on and synced, you can access all kinds of statistics."

Xerxes gave a little demonstration. "Say you want to access the information of the Sun Tournament, you can do that, and a whole lot more. There is no limit to the usefulness of this device, and the best part is that it is free of charge. The head of state of each community will organize the distribution of these devices."

"That's right," Sun Tzu spoke up, "for anyone currently in China, you may begin getting yours from any of the hundred thousand shops spread out across the community starting tomorrow. As there are many visitors currently here, you can also pick one up. One more thing, as a gesture of goodwill towards the other communities, all simulations from our community members, excluding our top 1,000, will be made available to anyone with this disc."

"Thank you, Sun Tzu. That is incredibly generous of you. To entice you all to make use of this disc, the Jordsand community will do something similar. All simulations from our bottom 500 will be released as well. Seeing as there are only a few thousand in our community, this is what we have prepared to share with the world. Study these simulations well, learn from them, produce counters. We at Jordsand expect much in the upcoming Death Match Tournament."

The announcements would go on for another little while. To summarize the rest, it boiled down to formalities, the success of the Sun Tournament, the distribution of rewards and honor upon the more notable contestants, and some more talk about the upcoming Death Match Tournament. Once they finished, the cameras and attendees dispersed. Some would stay for a bit to claim their prizes, and some would pack up and leave. The festivities were now over. All the fun and excitement to be had were in the past.

However, this was not the case for many of the top brass of any given community. These individuals had to ramp up preparations for the most important event of the Millenium. There was a fundamental shift of power from the old communities to the new. Countries like the US and Germany now held more concentrated power and influence than all the previous champions combined.

Meanwhile, other communities who have been falling behind found themselves in an ever-increasing gap between them and those who would make history. Being strategically gifted now was no indicator of success. It was all about who holds the best in terms of technology and human advancements. The Sun Tournament exposed that fact painfully clear.

For Baron's faction, Under 1 Banner, there was also a crucial shift occurring. Due to the success of Baron's run in the tournament, many people wanted to join. Likewise, prominent factions finally acknowledged Under 1 Banner and started to take the initiative to begin business relations. For the upper echelon of this faction, these were all great news. Sure, it would be more work, but they were finally going to make it big.

Baron, however, had some other plans. He explained to Guan Yu and Yue Fei that the Sun Tournament had made him realize how small his world view was and how limiting staying in the Chinese community would be. It was time for him to get a feel for the world, as is tradition for most strategists aiming to become the best. Yue Fei and Guan Yu understood and advised Baron on his next steps as best as they could. The two of them would take care of the faction in Baron's absence.

There was just one more person Baron had to talk to before he left. It was Jaxon Long. He managed to catch Jaxon after an important meeting later that day.

"What's going on, Baron? You look like you're in a hurry," Jaxon asked.

"Well, I think I will be taking Roxi's path and embarking on a journey to see other communities. I just wanted to let you know."

"I see. Where do you plan on going?"

"As much as I would like to follow Roxi, I think I have to pay homage to the earliest human civilizations first. I'm already quite acquainted with China, which leaves India, Egypt, and the Greco-Roman communities."

"What, no Mesopotamia?"

"I hear that they've immigrated to the Egyptian community. That one is the one I am most excited to visit."

"Good for you, Baron. I actually have some good news myself. I am going to the US community. Once there, I will be conducting research and development along with some of their best and brightest. On the command of Sun Tzu."

"Oh, that's great. How long will you be staying there?"

"25 years. If you have some time, why don't you visit sometime?"

"I will if I can. Although, with how vast this world is, I can't guarantee I'll make it."

"I understand. Keep in mind that the US is where the action for the next Death Match Tournament will be. You shouldn't miss it."

"I'll try not to. Good luck to you, brother," Baron reached his hand out.

"To you as well," Jaxon shook Baron's hand.

The two didn't speak anymore, just nodded with understanding and determination. Who knew when they would see each other next. It could be a decade from now or even a century from now. Life, or unlife in this case, has a way of being unpredictable.