Chapter 47: Managing the Masses, The Guild Code!
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If a person isn't elegant, what's the difference between them and a "sand sculpture"?
Seito looked at the sea of players before him. Every single one of them seemed to be competing for the title of the biggest goofball in the server. He felt like he had accidentally kicked a hornet's nest of idiots.
I'm a refined, sophisticated gamer, Seito thought, falling into deep contemplation. So how did I end up surrounded by so many weirdos?
Ten minutes flew by. The "Mass Group Hug" (group beatdown) of the Western players had come to a satisfying conclusion.
The only one left was the Laughing Coffin officer, currently held by the collar by Amou kirukiru. His skull mask was gone, and his face was so swollen and bruised that he was practically unrecognizable. Blood decorated his face like a messy graffiti project.
"I... I didn't expect... a master like you to be here..." the officer stammered, his voice trembling. He swore that he would never use the "Realistic Sensory" setting ever again.
'It hurt. It hurt so damn much.'
There wasn't a single inch of his digital body that didn't ache.
"Heh, calling me a master? You flatter me."
Amou kirukiru didn't waste any more breath. She tightened her grip, snapping the man's neck with a sharp twist. His head lolled to the side, his HP bar hit zero, and he dissolved into a pillar of light.
The 100,000 players looked around at the aftermath and then, as if drawn by a magnet, began to converge on Seito's position.
"GUILD MASTER!"
The excitement in the air was palpable. Amou strolled over to Seito's side, a playful smirk on her lips. "So? Am I a welcome addition to your guild or what?"
"Highly welcome," Seito smiled. He cleared his throat, his expression turning solemn as he addressed the massive crowd.
"Listen up! Since you've all joined the Fatui, I don't care if some of you are spies from other guilds. Right now, I'm going to lay down the law: our management model and our rules."
"First! The top tier of this guild consists of eleven seats, known as the Eleven Harbingers. Below them are various cadres, and then the general members."
"The current seating is as follows: I am the 1st Harbinger. Blank (Sora and Shiro) occupy the 2nd Seat. Maple is the 3rd Seat, and Sally is the 4th Seat."
He gestured to the woman beside him. "And this beauty right here is the 5th Harbinger. The remaining seats are currently vacant."
The players listened in rapt silence. They understood that for a guild this size to thrive, a powerful hierarchy was essential. Amou's eyes flickered with a brief flash of surprise at being given such a high rank, but she quickly masked it, standing tall beside Seito.
"Next, the economy," Seito continued. "Most guilds use a point system. We don't do that. We use the hard currency of God's Domain: Gold."
"You've probably noticed that players rarely sell gear to the system NPCs because other players pay more. In the Fatui, guild-stocked gear will be available for Gold, but at a price significantly lower than the market rate."
"Of course, the guild takes a small commission on these sales to fund our operations. If you trade gear privately, that's your business."
With 100,000 members, the Fatui was likely at capacity for the foreseeable future. Managing a small city's worth of players was no small feat. He looked at Amou kirukiru.
"Amou, identify the most capable players among the new recruits and appoint them as cadres. You're in charge of the day-to-day management."
Seito was going to be the hands-off boss.
"No problem. Leave it to me," Amou grinned, fully aware of his lazy intentions but happy to take the reins.
Seito nodded, then addressed the crowd one last time. "Right now, most of you are in Green gear. A few have Blue. Moving forward, the guild will periodically stock Purple gear, and eventually, even Orange (Legendary) items."
"So work hard. Level up. Prove your worth!"
If any other guild leader said this, they would be laughed at. But Seito was a top-three player. His words carried the weight of a divine decree.
"Don't worry, Guild Master! we won't let you down!"
"Yeah! We're all honest grinders here. We'll party up and smash the leaderboards!"
"We're a 'civilized' guild! We won't go looking for trouble with other players!"
"HOLD ON!"
Seito interrupted, pointing at the last speaker. "Not looking for trouble with normal guilds is fine. But if you see a guild with a 'rotten' reputation? Smash them immediately. God's Domain has no room for trash."
If they robbed innocent guilds, they would be seen as villains. But if they did it under the banner of "Maintaining Order," they could slaughter to their heart's content and loot everything in the name of justice.
The players caught the hidden meaning instantly, and a wave of mischievous grins spread through the crowd.
Seito cleared his throat again, his gaze sharp. "Finally, the most important point. Blank and I are the faces of this guild. Your actions reflect on us. So, if we go to war in the future, do not—I repeat, do not—act like the pack of wild animals you were just now while beating those Westerners."
"Maintain an air of Elegance. Even if you can't be sophisticated, at least try not to be an embarrassment."
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Thank you for reading