“Apologies. May I ask a few more questions?”
Madam Zheng’s smile was still there, but it seemed a little forced after Baron’s comments. “What is it?”
“Yue Fei couldn't answer this question — and he told me it was an upper-echelon secret"
“Yes?”
“Why is everyone here so good looking?”
“Oh haha, that's not really a secret. We just don’t know why.”
“It seems weird to be that they’d change everyone’s looks for this world. I mean, it’s nice, but it seems unusual.”
Madam Zheng shrugged. “I haven't put much thought into it, and neither should you. Maybe one of the top elders knows, but no guarantees. Besides, we have more important matters to worry about.”
“Oh wait that reminds me, I have one more question. Does time pass here at the same rate as on Earth?
“Do you know what year I died?”
"1844.”
“That's...weirdly impressive. What year did you die?”
"2020.”
“Well, I’ve been here for about 80 years, instead of… 176. So yes, time travels a bit differently.”
“Then can you tell me what this Death Match Tournament is about?”
“You should forget about the tournament for now. You wouldn't be able to enter anyway.”
“What? I have to enter — it's my ticket back to Earth.”
“The tournament is held once every thousand years. Everyone who has been on planet four can participate, but only if they have been chosen to represent their community.”
Baron sighed. It seemed that he wouldn’t be able to achieve his goal as quickly as he’d hoped.
Seeing Baron’s disappointment, Madam Zheng moved to reassure him. “Don’t worry. If you’re thinking of your family, if you win you’re allowed to choose what period of Earth’s timeline you return to. You can return to when you died, or five hundred years earlier, or a thousand. At least, that’s what I’ve heard”
“Oh, that's good...”
“But, you won't be able to win, even if you have had excellent performances in your first few simulations.”
“Is it because of the level of competition?”
“That’s part of it. But the other is, the Jordsands level of warfare is significant. Not only do they have weapons of war that are technologically leagues ahead of what anyone else has, but they seem to know everything about, well, everything.”
“Are they employing unethical practices?”
“Could be. Which country do you think has the most underhanded war tactics on Earth?”
“Save for a few, every country has had their fair share of generals who have utilized some underhanded methods.”
“That's quite an insightful answer, and you're right. But these Jordsand strategists are on another level entirely. I presume you know of the four great generals of the warring states period?”
“Li Mu, Lian Po, Wang Jian, and Bai Qi, I believe.”
“Yes. Those four and I are the top five elders in our community. Those four challenged one of Jordsand’s elders, and even the four of them were defeated by just one of their regular elders. Just that shows how strong they are.”
Baron’s eyes lit up. “That’s incredible! Do we know anything more about what happened to create such a result??”
“Unfortunately not. What I just told you is public news — they broadcasted the results of the simulation to all of planet four, and we don’t know much more about it.”
“I really wanted to know in what aspect those four were bested by.”
“The broadcast made it sufficiently clear that we were bested in every conceivable aspect.”
Baron sighed. “That’s incredibly disheartening… even more so since I absolutely have to win the next time around. When is the next tournament after this coming one?”
“The next one is in 400 years, the one after that will be another 1,000 years after that.”
“I see, I see…” Baron’s eyes almost imperceptibly narrowed as he began to make his move. “How many blueprints do you have?”
“Oh, I have a few hundred, but most are useless to me because I specialize in naval battles. Our Chinese community mostly has blueprints for land-based weapons and machines, so I have to go to other communities to buy the ones I find useful.”
“How about a trade?”
“You? I doubt you’ve gained enough in the last few weeks to have earned something that would impress me. But I guess you can try for a pitch.”
“I'd like for you to trade all of your blueprints to me for a blueprint of a basic sea mine.”
Hearing Baron’s words, Madam Zheng leaned forward, clearly interested. “Oh? That is indeed something I'd be interested in. How did you manage to get this?”
“I studied all aspects of warfare while I was alive — that includes weapons and machines.”
“Wait a minute, are you saying that you understand the inner workings of many of the technologically superior weapons?”
“Those of note, yes. The repeating crossbow, and basic landmines, minesweepers, and rocket launchers to name a few.”
Madam Zheng sighed in exasperation. “Do you really not realize what this means?”
“Please tell me, senior.”
“Our blueprint library is above average compared to other communities, but we are seriously lacking in strong weapons made after the 1900s. With your help, we could expand it. You’d also gain a great deal of favor from the elders.”
She expected Baron to agree, but...
“Sorry I don't think that's a good idea. Now, do we have a deal or not?”
Madam Zheng blinked twice before leaning back in her chair. “If that is your wish, then so be it. And yes, we do have a deal, but I want to test it, and you, out before we make this transaction. Even if these blueprints are worthless to me, they still represent the strength of our community. I can't give it to an idiot can I?”
Chapter 21
Protection
Although she’d thought that she wouldn’t be surprised by anything Baron had to offer, Madam Zheng was quickly proven wrong. The sea mine was absolutely destructive.
Thinking carefully before speaking this time, Madam Zheng could barely contain her excitement.
“This is quite an impressive weapon. I don't know if this is worth all of my blueprints, though.” She said in an indifferent manner.
“Now that I think about it, I don't really need all of your blueprints, I just want to pick a few out of your arsenal.”
“Which ones are you thinking?”
Baron shrugged. “I’ll know after I see them all. Just keep in mind though, if you don’t have anything I want, you won’t be getting your sea mine blueprint.”
Madam Zheng couldn’t conceal her anticipation. “Alright then, I’ve seen enough. Let’s return to my place to see if anything in my arsenal is worth trading.”
For her, this was a very important trade — if she could just get this blueprint, she would further solidify her position as the queen of the sea. Although it was just a blueprint, it was rather advanced, and she was rather certain that if she researched it enough, she would be able to make even better versions of it.
The two made their way to the first, larger room, and Madam Zheng laid out a few of her better blueprints for Baron to see. He took a look, but didn’t find anything of interest.
Unperturbed, Madam Zheng laid out even more, but Baron wasn’t impressed, either.
Baron shook his head. “It doesn't seem like you have anything that I'm interested in. How about you trade something else in order to obtain this blueprint from me?”
“What would you like?” Madam Zheng could already guess what Baron wanted. He wanted her protection. The reason that Baron hadn't had too hard of a time upon arriving at planet four, was because she’d announced her interest in him. But that level of protection would only last for so long.
“I'm sure you know what I want.”
Mad
am Zheng frowned. “You would benefit too much off of such a trade.” Although she wanted the blueprint, she didn’t want to lose out in the trade.
“Well, if you will not consider such a trade, then I suppose our little meeting had ended.”
Baron, of course, knew that Madam Zheng just wanted to haggle. She definitely wanted the blueprint badly. But if he were to accept a loss at this juncture, then he would be considered by her, and others, and a pushover.
He wanted Madam Zheng’s protection, but he also needed to establish himself.
He stood up and nodded. “I have a few errands to run, so I won’t be keeping you. Why don’t you think about the proposal before making any final decisions. I’ll be leaving. Thank you for taking the time to see me.”
“Alright then, I won't see you out.” Madam Zheng said in a daydreamy voice. Although she’d expected Baron to acquiesce to a bit of haggling. His instant refusal was surprising, to say the least.
The two went their separate ways, but both immediately moved to inform their closest allies of what had come of their discussion. For Baron, this would be Yue Fei, and for Madam Zheng, this would be her two husbands that acted as her left and right-hand men.
***
Madam Zheng’s first husband spoke up. “This newcomer sure knows how to bargain.”
The other responded. “This isn't bargaining. He knows how precious this weapon is to us, so he purposely did it in such a shameless way.”
“The point remains that the sea mine is still highly valuable to us. I think giving protection is a small price to pay for it.”
“It's true that giving him some light protection is no big deal for us, but think of what the others will say about us.”
“It matters not what they say. We will simply prove them wrong with strength. With that in mind, I trust Madam’s choice in this trade.” The first husband crossed his arms.
“Well, of course you'd say that. Hmm...” The second husband rubbed his chin as he weighed the pros and cons of such a trade. “The two of you are right. We need to acquire this weapon and learn about it before the tournament. Baron… may also prove to be a valuable ally.”
“So it's decided then?” Madam Zheng had made her decision long ago.
Her first husband nodded. “Yes, but we can talk to him later, as we have more important things to discuss. The Vesper group is still trying to suppress us because of our quick rise to prominence.”
Madam Zheng snorted. “Let them try. Once we get this blueprint, and have invested enough resources into it, we will be powerful enough that they won’t be able to suppress us anymore..”
“That may be true, but the development will still take some time. We need a more immediate solution.”
***
Yue Fei grinned and slapped Baron on his back. “Good work, good work! Are you sure they’ll accept the proposal?”
“Based on what you told me, they should. They’re being suppressed by the Vespers, right? They should be extremely incentivized to gain such a weapon as a sea mine. They’ll take a bit of a loss on the trade, yes, but it’ll help them in the long run.”
“Good, good. We just need to wait for them to contact us now.” Yue Fei sat back, confident in Baron’s predictions.
Baron hummed before speaking. “I've been meaning to ask how do we create our own group or faction here?”
“A faction?”
“Yeah. After my chat with Madam Zheng, I realized something. If I want to win the Death Match Tournament, I’ll need a faction of my own, and a strong one at that. It’s a good thing I have so long to prepare.”
Yue Fei warned Baron. “Don’t get cocky or complacent. Some of the old demons have been here for well over ten thousand years, yet they haven’t won yet. I’m telling you, these Jordsand strategists are on an entirely different level. It’s almost as if they know your next move before you even do.”
“Really… well, we’ll have to deal with that when it comes. For now, how do we form a faction?”
“It won't be easy, I'll tell you that. You need at least five strategists to form a faction.”
“Well that’s fine, we already have five strategists. I assume Madam Zheng went through the same process?”
“Yes, she formed a faction with her two husbands and two generals who’d served under her when she was alive.”
“So, who has the authority to approve new factions?”
Yue Fei took a sip of his drink before responding. “Every two hundred years three factions will be approved. It’s a battle-royale mode where factions can choose to fight in either the land, sea, or air battle. The victor of each mode will be allowed to create their faction.”
“Hmm, the three battlefields should have reached some kind of equilibrium when it comes to difficulty, right? Some faction startups aren't strong enough to win land or sea battles so they would choose to do air battles.”
“You guessed it, but choosing which battlefield to compete in is still extremely important. It's not just about which one has the least competitors. It's about what you are most skilled in. Too many don't realize this and go for the air battles, just to make a fool of themselves.”
“I see. Then which battlefield do you think we should compete in?”
“How confident are you in air battles?”
Baron grinned. As someone who’d been raised as an officer in the 21st century, he should have an advantage in this area. “Very confident.”
Yue Fei nodded. “Well then, we’ll take part in the air battle.”
Chapter 22
We Have a Deal
“What about yourself? Are you confident in air battles?”
“It's not that I'm confident in winning an aerial battle, but I’m not confident in winning the other two battlefields. You see, there’s multiple elders that will be taking part in the three competitions, and all of them are ranked higher than me. I’m no fool — I’ve faced off against some of these fellows before, and they’re all monsters.”
“You have difficulty defeating them? You’re quite skilled, though.”
Yue Fei sighed in despair. “Baron, you’re too naive to think that way. There are people who have competed for hundreds or thousands of years, with hundreds of blueprints in their arsenal. The only advantage of being a new startup faction is that everyone has to register the battlefields they’re going to fight in — and even when they fail, they rarely change.
“And the majority of them are competing in the land and sea battlefields?”
Yue Fei nodded. “Yes, and there is something else you should be aware of. There are many people who don’t carry the title of elder, but are still at or above my level. The elder ranking system is based on contributions, not just strength.”
Baron got up to get some food before responding. “How many potential factions will we have difficulty against?”
Yue Fei sighed again. “It’s not a definite answer, but I believe there are thirty-three groups who are worthy opponents. Fifteen of these will be competing on land, twelve in the sea, and five in the air.”
“No wonder you wanted to go for the air battle.”
“Yes. Although there is less honor in winning the air battle, that doesn't mean much to me.”
“Nor should it. Honor may be important here, but strength is still absolute. And what better way to prove our strength than to form our own faction.”
Yue Fei rubbed his hands together a bit as he thought of his next question. “There is just one more matter we need to discuss, who will be the faction leader?”
“I'm afraid I'll have to rely on you for this position. After all, no one will respect us if someone as new as I is the faction leader. But you’re already famous here, and many of the factions will respect us purely because of that. I need to lay low for a little bit, anyway.”
“Yes... Madam Zheng and her group rose to prominence a little too quickly. That's why they are being targeted by the Vespers and their allies. Things aren't looking good for them at the
moment.”
Baron nodded. “That's exactly what I mean. What about resources? Once we have a faction we need resources to run it right?”
“Yes, that's the other thing. Running a faction takes a huge amount of resources. An amount that we need to be ready to pay once we actually start one.”
“How can we acquire the necessary resources?”
Yue Fei spread his arms. “There are many ways — the fastest of which is selling blueprints. The second is to contribute somehow to the Chinese community. You can also enter competitions both within and outside the community. If you enter the top five in any of these competitions, you’ll receive good prizes. If you rank otherwise, you’ll still receive prizes, but they’ll pale in comparison.”
“I see... then we'll talk about this later. You’re sure your ally will be joining us, right?”
Yue Fei emphatically nodded. “Absolutely. He’s someone I know from when I was alive. He’s as trustworthy as they come.”
“Good, good. That puts me at ease. How long is it until the next faction selection competition?”
“About a hundred and twenty or so years.”
“Oh, then it's still quite a ways away then.”
Yue Fei raised his fist and smiled. “All the more time for us to prepare.”
Baron crossed arms with Yue Fei. “To preparation.”
At this moment a person wearing an outfit with a battleship logo walked towards Baron and Yue Fei. The battleship represented the Red Flag Faction, Madam Zheng's faction.
“Please come with me, Baron. Madam Zheng has made a decision regarding your proposal.” The messenger beckoned for Baron to follow him.
Baron looked at Yue Fei, who waved him off. “You better go, best not to make someone like her wait for you.”
“Alright then, I'll be off.”
The messenger and Baron returned to Madam Zheng’s headquarters, where Baron began to discuss business with her and her two husbands.
“So, what have you decided, seniors?”
Madam Zheng’s second husband responded. “We’ve decided to take you up on your offer. I hope you won’t go back on your side of the agreement.” He took care to speak politely.
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