Before the tournament even ended, Roxi had left the Chinese community to find out who she was. When she first arrived on the planet and met Baron, she thought she knew. Following Baron around was something that entertained her for a bit. However, that didn't last long. Eventually, she had grown ambitions of her own and decided to pursue that instead. Her first step was to visit the surrounding communities. Thus, opening her eyes to the vastness of Planet 4.

For Jaxon Long, he had his own goals. It was not difficult to convince the head of state Sun Tzu that he should travel to the US community to forge a better relationship between the two. What he didn't reveal was that he was more interested in the offer from Henry H. Arnold. From what William Leahy told him in the banquet before the tournament, Arnold was a pioneer in aerial technology. Something that intrigued Jaxon immensely. He just had to take a look.

Similarly, Baron had stayed in the Chinese community for many centuries now. He started here, made incredible allies, founded a faction, and gained recognition beyond just China! As much as he was thankful for all that this place had done for him, he just felt stunted. There was a world outside of his home community. The Sun tournament widened his worldview enough to leave a sense of wonder regarding the rest of the planet. What secrets did it hide?

He had decided soon after the tournament that he would travel the world by himself. It was about time, after all. Most promising strategists would embark on such a journey after getting into good graces with a sponsor. However, Baron did not need that. The code that Cornelius Victor Blaze, Roxi's great grandfather, had given him had worked like a charm. He planned to see all the sights and learn as much as he could from everywhere he visited.

The first place he decided to visit was one of the only places where their history surpassed China, Egypt. Then, he would travel to India. With luck, he would be able to meet King Ashoka once more. Finally, he would travel to some of the most well-known strategists of the ancient world, Greece, Rome, and Macedonia. After visiting these three communities, he would take a moment to consider his next move. After all, he had no clue if he would stay at each community for a year or a decade.

Soon after the excitement of the Sun tournament died down, Baron made his way to the Egyptian community. After leaving the teleportation room, his first impression of the Egyptian people was that of a proud people. As Baron walked around, he could sense that there was some uneasiness in the atmosphere. Looking around the shops, Baron stumbled into someone who recognized him.

"Hey, I know you. You're Baron."

"Yes, and you are...?" Baron asked. He didn't want to come off as disrespectful, but he did not recognize the person in front of him.

"Figures you can't reciprocate. I am Ptolemy the First."

"Ptolemy?" Baron thought for a second. "Ah yes, I have heard of you before. Researched you even."

Ptolemy and his descendants ruled Egypt for 300 years. However, Ptolemy I Soter himself was not of Egyptian origin. Instead, he followed Alexander the Great from Macedon. Alexander had conquered much before his young demise. However, his empire fell apart into four distinct territories after his death. An Egypt ruled by Ptolemy was one of them.

"How flattering. So, what brings you to this community?"

"I decided it was time to culture myself. After all, there is only so much I can do in one community."

"Wise words. I have gone on a similar journey. I may not be much of a strategist myself, but there is just some undeniable appeal to this planet that I cannot explain. "

"I know what you mean. So, are you planning on buying a blueprint?"

"I'm only browsing, but there's almost always nothing great to sell in this community. The blueprints I saw in the Chinese community are more expensive, but they are generally more advanced."

"Are there no private auctions for the rich and powerful in this community?"

"There are, but they don't invite me."

"...Could it be that you are considered an outsider here?"

"Something like that. The purebred Egyptians only ever tolerated my faction being around. They have taken every opportunity to weaken us. Despite my mistreatment, it is infinitely better than the treatment that awaits me if I were to go back to any of the Greek and roman Communities."

"Ah, because of your actions after the death of your king?"

"Yes, they praise loyalty quite highly. These people won't take me back. Plus, it's not like we can pack up and move to another community. Our home is here."

"Yes, politics always seem to be at the heart of warfare. No matter the millennia."

"Baron, allow me to invite you to the Ptolemy faction as an esteemed guest. I hope you accept this offer and help me with a few matters in turn."

"Of course, how could I refuse. I'll be in your care." Baron accepted Ptolemy's offer.

"Before we talk any further, let's go to my headquarters."

The two of them made their way to an impressive-looking building that was comparatively larger than most in the surrounding area. However, compared to Baron's HQ, it was still lacking. Ptolemy noticed this in Baron's expressions. They sat down in the grandest room in the building before Ptolemy resumed their conversation.

"Indeed, it is not that impressive, even compared to the other high-profile factions in the Egyptian community. My faction has been declining for quite some time now. At the height of our power, we were the second strongest faction here, but it did not last. We've been deemed outsiders for as long as we have been around."

"That's unfortunate."

"As sad as the situation is, we've come to terms with it. Although, we do still love this community and hope for the best. After the Sun tournament, many have realized that we are far behind."

"That makes sense. I think most of the other communities that have put off investing in research and development have finally got off their pedestals and are frantically trying to catch up."

"I suspect that is the case as well. However, Egypt is in a bit of a special situation."

"What kind of special situation?"

"There exists a path where we can essentially skip a few steps and increase our power significantly in a short amount of time."

"Oh, that's pretty good."

"Yes, but there are some consequences if we decide to go down that path."

"Consequences?"

"There exists a powerful force within our community that threatens Egypt's great history. The new generation of strategists is strong, incredibly strong, and equipped with many destructive blueprints. However, they have decided that they do not need the strategists of the old ways."

"No way."

"They have banded together and forced the rest of the community to come to a decision. Either hand over the reins to the community, or they will create their own."

"Given by how grave you sound, it seems like you need them, but they don't need you."

"Exactly so. Giving free rein of the community away would wipe out all the glorious history of this great community. 90% of the inhabitants here don't want that. So the question becomes do we make enemies of our youngest and most advanced strategist, or do we make a choice which a vast majority of our people oppose?"

"Have any of them participated in the Sun Tournament?"

"No, we tried to get them to join, but they were adamant on showing how outclassed and outdated we were. I'm ashamed to say we were wrong."

"It is good that you realize it now and can prepare yourself for the upcoming battle."

Just then, a man and a woman walked in. The man wore a stern expression while the woman had a striking resemblance to Ptolemy.

"Ah yes, Baron, allow me to introduce you to Mark Antony and Arsinoe III. With the way my kids had kids, Arsinoe was probably one of the last few to not be born out of an incestuous nature. There are 15 Ptolemy's after me, followed by many Berenices, Arsinoe's, and Cleopatra's. I really can't keep track of them."

"Right. That seems to be a common theme in Egyptian royalty."

"Anyway, these two are the best I have in my faction. However, Mark Antony here is more of an honorary member since he is more faithful to Caesarian Ambition in the Greco-Roman community."

"Are you staying because of Cleopatra VII?" Baron asked Mark Antony.

"No, the two of us had a falling apart. I'm more into Cleopatra II now," Mark responded.

"You know what, I'm not going to get into this. I'm not a genealogist. Ptolemy, why did you bring the two of them here?"

"How about a quick, friendly simulation? Please, don't hold back."

The three of them found no reason not to, so they began at once. Ptolemy did not participate, instead opting to watch from the outside. Arsinoe and Mark were on the same side while Baron would take them both on. At the request of Ptolemy, Baron approached the simulation with the utmost care.

In the end, they completed three simulations. Three undisputable wins for Baron. Three incredibly disappointing losses for Mark and Arsinoe. After the simulation, Baron was shown to a guest room and left there for a little while. Meanwhile, Mark, Arsinoe, and Ptolemy went to another room to discuss the simulations. Just as Baron was getting settled in, Mark and Ptolemy barged in.

"Where did Arsinoe head off?" Baron asked.

"She...had some errands to run," Ptolemy replied.

"Really? Why even lie? Your words were pretty harsh. That's why she left in tears," Mark said.

"..." Baron kept quiet, not knowing what to say.

"Watch your mouth. You are in my faction."

"You mean the faction you wouldn't even have if you didn't steal your dead king's land?" Mark shot back.

"This coming from someone who stole their dead emperor's bride? Compared to that, I'm a saint."

"...Alright. Do you want to go over the simulation with me or not?" Baron butted in, trying to steer the conversation.

"Right, anyway, What notes do you have."

"Look, if the two of you are the best in this faction, and let's assume top 10% in the entire Egyptian community, then you are in trouble. But you already knew that. The strategies you use are decent, although many counters are available to your enemies. If those are some of the best blueprints you have, then you have to find some way of getting better ones."

"We really can't argue with anything you have said. Tell me, where do you think you stand right now in the Chinese community?" Ptolemy inquired.

"I really can't say. I feel like I'm around the top 10 to 15%. Hopefully, at the end of my journey, I will have learned enough to crack into the top 5%."

"How about any advice you have?"

"Hmm, I don't suppose you have gotten the discs made by the Jordsand community yet?" Baron asked.

"No," they both said in unison.

"Please get one. The data and information that it contains are worth more than several advanced blueprints. I've heard the English, Russian, and Indian communities have started to release some of their simulations for everyone to view and learn from."

"Alright, I suppose that's a good idea as any. That somewhat solves our strategy deficiencies, but what about our blueprint shortage?"

"I may be able to set up a few shops here to have some advanced blueprints. However, with the paperwork, that could easily take months or even years. I don't know if I will even be able to stay that long to oversee its construction."

"Don't worry about that. Even if they do not like me in this community, I still have some influence I can exploit. However, for this to work, you will have to make a name for yourself here and manage to ignite the flames of warfare," Ptolemy promised.

"What kind of flames?"

"Hold a tournament here with some crazy blueprints. That should get a lot of people's attention. For a fee, we could take care of that for you."

"Alright then, I guess that is what the next step in my journey will be. Set it up. In fact, set up several."