Chapter 141: The Tribe of Extraordinary People

Thankfully, since Tang Yao had already set the baseline, they weren’t too shocked. Nie Yan’s level was clearly raised together with Tang Yao’s.

Meeting two level 14 players today, both classmates, was already surprising enough. Especially Nie Yan, who had always been unremarkable except for his academic excellence, turned out to be so impressive. Guo Huai, Zhao Li, and He Cheng all felt a bit dazed.

“We knew back in middle school that you were very low-key. You usually hovered around tenth place in regular exams, but whenever there was a major exam, you’d suddenly jump into the top three. This definitely fits your style. We always thought you didn’t play games, yet once you do, you’re so fierce. Even making it onto the leaderboard secretly. Definitely, we aren’t quiet enough, nor flashy enough,” Guo Huai said with a bitter smile.

Guo Huai had always been rather low-key. Among all their classmates, only Nie Yan, Tang Yao, Zhao Li, and He Cheng, who were particularly close to him, knew that his family was wealthy. Normally, this guy seemed honest and down-to-earth. But now it seemed Nie Yan was the most low-key of all.

“Calculating this way, the five of us actually have pretty strong power. Should we try establishing a guild?” He Cheng asked excitedly. His father ran a martial arts school and had extensive connections, so he could probably recruit many people if they started a guild.

“I think so too. Why don’t we give it a try? I can bring in many classmates,” Zhao Li said. He was slightly lacking, but he was good at socializing and always popular wherever he went, especially with girls.

“If we’re going to establish a guild, let’s do it properly. At least make it look professional. As for the shares, you guys discuss it and come up with a plan,” Nie Yan thought for a moment and said. If he could delegate the guild management, he wouldn’t have to work too hard and could focus on his own things. Guo Huai, He Cheng, and Zhao Li still had potential—they were young and full of drive. Plus, they had chosen a good starting point, first recruiting classmates and then expanding outward. Everyone knew each other and was relatively reliable. Completely preventing spies from other guilds was difficult, but at least they could ensure the team was relatively pure. A group of people aged eighteen to twenty often had higher gaming talent than older players.

Zhao Li quickly waved his hands and said, “I don’t want any shares. I can help out a bit, though. After all, we’re all brothers.”

Guo Huai shook his head, rejecting Zhao Li’s idea. “Precisely because we’re brothers, we should determine the shares from the very beginning.”

Guo Huai’s family was in business, and he had seen too many cases where brothers fell out after their business grew due to improper initial equity distribution.

“Guo Huai, you decide how to distribute the shares,” Nie Yan said. Clearly, Guo Huai was more experienced in business matters.

“I’ve thought about it. The guild is built on your and Tang Yao’s reputation, so you two should take the majority—85%. We three can split the remaining 15% equally. Financially, once the in-game currency exchange opens, I can invest in the guild, though it won’t be much. If it doesn’t work out, it’s fine. If it succeeds, the guild can repay me later,” Guo Huai said after thinking. He didn’t take too much, just 5% as a symbolic share.

“If they get 5%, I’ll take 5% too, but please don’t assign me any management duties,” Tang Yao, a lazy guy, didn’t want to get involved in complicated affairs.

Nie Yan pondered for a moment and nodded. “Guo Huai will handle the guild management, with He Cheng and Zhao Li assisting. Tang Yao and I will form an elite team.” Guo Huai and the others would never guess how valuable that 5% share would become. Nie Yan would rely heavily on them in the future. Only by treating the guild as their own venture would people truly commit 100% effort. In his past life, Nie Yan had observed their characters and personalities. Compared to the bond of two lifetimes, 5% shares were nothing.

“I think that works,” Tang Yao immediately agreed.

“Then it’s settled. You guys need to level up faster, especially Tang Yao. Once we secure a spot on the leaderboard, we can recruit people under your name. So you just focus on leveling,” Guo Huai said. This was crucial; otherwise, nothing else could proceed.

“Don’t worry. I’ll reach the top of the level leaderboard tomorrow and defeat Potian,” Tang Yao said confidently.

“That fast?” He Cheng asked in surprise.

“How did you level up so quickly?” They were all puzzled.

“You should ask Nie Yan, but don’t worry. Once the guild is set up, I’ll take you leveling. I guarantee you’ll reach level 15 in a day,” Tang Yao patted his chest, looking at Nie Yan, who didn’t object.

“That’s your word.”

“Don’t back out. If that’s the case, why bother leveling now? Let’s recruit people first tomorrow,” He Cheng said excitedly.

“You guys recruit people. I’ll go set up the guild warehouse after leveling tomorrow,” Nie Yan said. Establishing a guild warehouse was crucial after forming a guild.

A guild warehouse symbolized a guild’s strength, consisting of hundreds to thousands of pieces of equipment across various levels. These items would be available to players with sufficient guild contribution points. Once a player’s contribution reached a certain level, they could exchange it for an item. When they outgrew the item, they could return it for a higher-level one. If an item was lost, contribution points would be deducted. Meanwhile, donating equipment to the guild warehouse could increase contribution points.

The completeness of a guild warehouse directly determined the guild’s future development. Each guild needed substantial financial investment when establishing a warehouse. If the warehouse didn’t match the guild’s strength, many players might leave. Conversely, a larger and better-equipped warehouse would attract more players to stay. As players stayed longer, they developed a sense of belonging and donated equipment to increase their contribution points. Ultimately, the items in the guild warehouse belonged to the guild, merely lent to players.

A guild’s rise or fall was closely tied to the completeness of its warehouse.

“Can you start setting up the guild warehouse now?” Guo Huai asked in surprise.

“I can manage a bit. Bronze and Silver equipment aren’t expensive, so I should get many pieces,” Nie Yan calculated. At the start, having thousands of Bronze and hundreds of Silver items in the warehouse should attract many guild players to boost their contribution points.

“Yes, having Bronze and Silver equipment is already great. Many players now wear White and Bronze gear, with Silver being rare. How many can you get?” Guo Huai asked.

The others also looked at Nie Yan, as his words would be crucial for the guild’s future.

“I can allocate 20 gold coins for equipment procurement. I also have over a hundred Silver and dozens of Gold items. That’s all I can offer for now,” Nie Yan said. He had a pharmacy providing a steady income and had farmed many items from bosses, elites, and sub-elites, expecting more in the future.

Hearing Nie Yan mention 20 gold coins, the four, including Tang Yao, gasped. They knew Nie Yan was strong, but they hadn’t expected him to be this powerful. Even major guilds couldn’t afford such a sum. Let alone having so many Silver and Gold items. Nie Yan’s resources were truly frightening.

“Awesome. With the current purchasing power of in-game currency, 20 gold can buy many high-quality Silver items. The better the items in the guild warehouse, the more players will contribute to gain access, increasing their contribution points. Stabilizing them will attract more players. Then form an elite team, create some secondary teams, and continuously supply equipment to the guild warehouse. Use the elite team’s outdated gear to support the secondary teams, and the secondary teams’ outdated gear to support regular players,” Guo Huai explained. He had studied all guild-related matters and understood them thoroughly.

“It seems better than we expected,” He Cheng sighed in relief. He thought they’d start from scratch, not knowing Nie Yan was such a wealthy player.

“Next, let’s decide the guild name,” Guo Huai said.

“I’m good at this. How about Phoenix Reborn?” Tang Yao suggested enthusiastically.

“Nope, that name’s already taken.”

“Unbelievable! Someone stole the guild name I thought of.”

“Pfft, who’s more shameless,” Zhao Li joked with a laugh.

“You guys think of something.”

They scratched their heads, unsure what name to choose.

“How about Conquer the World?” Tang Yao suggested another.

“Still taken.”

“…”

“How about ‘Awesome Tribe’? Everyone in the guild is awesome. Once we sweep the level leaderboard, dominate the entire Carol City, and conquer the whole Grilan Empire, it’ll be awesome,” Tang Yao said excitedly. “I don’t believe this name is taken too.”

“This sounds a bit tacky, but it’s okay,” Guo Huai thought.

“But it’s actually a good omen,” He Cheng somewhat agreed, though not entirely sure.

Hearing their discussion, Nie Yan’s heart stirred. His father had established a guild named War God Tribe in his past life. Now Tang Yao suddenly suggested Awesome Tribe. Was it a coincidence or fate?

“Let’s go with Awesome Tribe,” Nie Yan decided.

“Alright, the guild name is settled,” Guo Huai agreed.

Like many companies in their early stages, a table, three or four people, passionately discussing, finally decided their plan. They had nothing, starting from scratch, yet years later, they might either fade away or rise to glory.

Everything seemed so ordinary, just like countless others.