“Every one of them?”
“Most of them. I believe the only one to reject this policy is the newcomer Madam Zheng, the naval genius.”
“Oh, really now...” Baron's voice trailed off as he began to think about certain thing.
“How many weapons do you know the schematics of?”
“A few.”
“I've been here for so long, but I've only managed to get my hands on six blueprints. Yet, you came to planet four knowing as many blueprints as me already? That’s not exactly fair.”
“Well...” Baron started before he paused to think. “How about we form an alliance?”
“Alliance? What are your conditions? It seems that you have more to say than I.”
“My conditions are simple. Be my follower and give me your absolute loyalty.. If you do well, I'll give you some blueprints.”
“Follow you?” Ban Chao had quite a reputation in the community, so how could he just follow a newcomer like Baron? On the other hand, it was extremely enticing to be able to earn rewards…
It wouldn’t be too exaggerated to say that as long as one had enough blueprints, they would have an absolute advantage in most scenarios. Whether that advantage could be capitalized, of course, would be up to the strategist.
“Well, how about it?” Baron knew he had Ban Chao in his grasp.
“I accept.” Ban Chao said a little regretfully. He would gain from this agreement, but he was throwing away his face in order to do so.
Chapter 18
No More Competition
“I'm glad.” Baron smiled. He’d gained another capable ally.
“Just don’t forget your end of the bargain.” Ban Chao said with a sour heart.
“Don't worry. Perform well and I will keep my word.”
Ban Chao shrugged. “Good, so how should we resolve this simulation then?”
Baron scratched his chin. “To be honest, I need to keep my head low for now. If I keep beating everyone I’ll attract too much attention.”
“That makes sense, but wouldn't that mean you are handing over the victory to me?”
“It’s unimportant in the long term. I’ll be able to keep in the shadows and gain an ally from this battle — in my eyes, I’ve already won.”
“Then, how do you plan to lose to me?”
“That's easy, you just have the rest of your men launch a night assault against the steep impasse to the west of here and I won't notify them of the attack. Just press through, and I’ll surrender.”
“As you say... Boss.”
“Oh, don't be like that. Just call me Baron, you are still my senior and all that.”
“Alright then. I'll take my leave.”
After the two finished their chat, the battlefield stayed silent for the rest of the day.
Baron ordered his troops to take a well deserved rest until nightfall. On the other hand, Ban Chao told the remaining 30,000 or so soldiers on this battlefield to stay on standby. He himself left to go command his other troops, the two hundred thousand soldiers he had that had not taken part in the battle yet.
As the night fell, Ban Chao readied his army and set forth to forcefully push through the location Baron had specified. With a quick flurry of arrows, followed by a mad rush by his soldiers, Ban Chao’s men were able to quickly push through to Baron’s men and engage them in combat. A quarter of Baron’s troops were decimated by the arrows before they even knew they were under attack, and the rest were quickly picked off as they tried to retreat into the various hidden passageways.
Baron's men kept shooting their repeating crossbows, but with how they’d been immediately forced to retreat from their initial position, they didn’t have enough bolts to continue firing after much longer. Without ammo, and without adequate leadership, they quickly fell to Ban Chao’s troops.
Within moments, Ban Chao was in control of the battlefield.
Soon thereafter, the four thousand or so remaining soldiers of Baron's army were encircled by Ban Chao’s entire army. In such a clearly disadvantaged position, Baron realized immediately that all was lost and quickly surrendered.
Back in the gaming room, the observers gossiped about the match they’d just witnessed.
“See, I told you Baron just lucked out against Yue Fei and Xu Da. No way this newcomer could beat them in a straight battle of tactics.”
“I can't believe Baron was so careless to let Ban Chao sneak behind him. I guess I overestimated him too much.”
“Indeed, he's a fool for letting old Ban Chao get the better of him like that. Baron barely did anything to counterattack.”
“He even has the blueprint to the repeating crossbow wasn’t capable of using it. Shame, what a shame. Such a wonderful blueprint is wasted on trash like him. He should just give it to me, haha.”
Baron heard the insults from those around him, but he didn't mind. Including Ban Chao, Baron had acquired three relatively well known, respected, and powerful comrades. He had to be careful though, as their alliance wasn’t powerful enough to be publicly announced yet.
Ban Chao walked up to Baron so that they could shake hands, as was customary after a simulation. They shook and Ban Chao left to tend to other matters, while Baron continued to be challenged by others. However, everyone after Ban Chao was rather weak, and they constantly made mistakes that Baron was able to capitalize on.
During one simulation, Baron personally took to the field to kill all of the strategist’s officers, leaving only his opponent to direct his troops.
Without capable officers to carry out his orders, the opponent’s army quickly fell into disarray and Baron swiftly won the simulation. Needless to say, Baron's enemy was completely humiliated, and once the simulation ended he left in a hurry without even shaking Baron's hand.
In another simulation, Baron showed his superiority in deception by sneaking into the enemy camp as a messenger. By feeding his opponent false information, he was able to manipulate the battlefield at will. By the time his opponent finally figured out what was going on, he didn’t have enough troops left to capture Baron.
Baron was challenged almost endlessly, but he made sure to lose a few simulations here and there so that he didn’t shine too brightly. And, there were those sitting on the sidelines, silently observing Baron’s battles, his tactics and quirks.
They would have been able to prepare strategies to Baron’s methods, but he purposely stuck to unconventional warfare, They would have prepared sufficient counter strategies to Baron's many tactics, but Baron showed so many outlandish ones, a few of which that absolutely didn’t work, that they didn’t know what to think.
Gradually the amount of strategists interested in challenging him decreased. When the line finally ended, Baron breathed a heavy sigh of relief. It was hard to win against capable opponents. It was even more difficult to control one’s win ratio — Baron wanted his win rate to be higher than average, but he didn’t want to do so well as to attract too many eyes.
Thankfully, he succeeded, and he was able to earn himself some peaceful days. Baron, Yue Fei, Xu Da, and Ban Chao had formed a solid friendship amongst themselves, and it was a common occurence to find them laughing and drinking to their hearts content as they talked about various battle strategies, counterstrategies, and the incredible simulations the top brass played against each other.
Yue Fei suddenly smacked his forehead. “Oh right, I almost forgot. You should probably go and see Madam Zheng as soon as you can. I’m sure you still have many questions for her.”
“You’re right. She’s probably getting impatient.”
Xu Da raised his eyebrows. “Woah, you even got the naval genius to notice you? Way to go, seems like you’re doing quite well for yourself.”
Ban Chao grunted in agreement. “It is indeed quite amazing that you’ve already gained an audience with her. Have you considered why she's giving you the time of day?”
“Actually, that's a good question. Yue Fei, do you know anything? You’re the only one
who has seen her before.
“Sorry, I've got no clue.”
“It's probably time for me to go meet this lady, then. Where can I find her?”
“Just go down to the portal room and enter the portal labeled elder’s hall. Ask someone there to guide you to Madam Zheng.”
“Okay.”
Chapter 19
Madam Zheng
Baron stepped out of the portal into a large room bustling with noise. There were many tables in the room, at which many people were seated. He raised his eyebrows as he realized what was going on in the room — strategic prowess competitions.
Suddenly, a soft voice spoke up from behind him.
“Hello sir, I am an apprentice here. How may I help you?”
“Hello there, sister. Could I trouble you to take me to Madam Zheng's place?”
“Do you have an invitation? Most elders don't allow just anyone to meet them.”
“I was invited — it was Madam Zheng who invited me.”
“Then, may I know your name?”
“It's Baron Magellan.”
“Alright, just wait here for a bit and don't disturb anyone. I'll go inform Madam Zheng of your arrival.”
“What is it exactly they do here?”
“I'm sorry? How new are you?”
“I've only been here a couple of weeks.”
The apprentice scowled. “Do you think I'm a fool? No way someone as new as you could have gotten an invitation from someone like Madam Zheng.”
Baron shrugged. “You can doubt me, but Yue Fei was the one who personally told me that Madam Zheng wanted to chat with me.”
“Now you’re trying to name drop elders? Despicable. Guards! Throw him -"
Baron sighed. “Wait a second...”
Li Xin, a senior apprentice, happened to be in the area. “What’s going on?”
Li Xin was an apprentice favored by one of the top elders of the Chinese community. For this reason, none dared to respect him — not even the top twenty elders would, unless they had a strong reason to.
The first apprentice spoke up. “This youngster here is trying to get an audience with the great Madam Zheng, but he's only been here for a few weeks.Most people don't even get an invitation after being here for centuries. Only a fool would believe him. Humph.” She said ever so smugly.
“Haha, there is no need to be so anxious over such a trivial matter. We are all intelligent people, so let's resolve this matter peacefully. Young man, may I know your name?”
“Greetings, I’m Baron Magellan. May I know your name?”
“Good kid, I like him already. My name is Li Xin and I am also an apprentice here, though I am not very highly ranked myself, I have many ties with fairly strong individuals and even some elders.”
“Hoh. Impressive.”
“You say you got an invitation from Madam Zheng? Who delivered this message to you?
“Elder Yue Fei. He was the one who tested me when I arrived on this planet.”
“Ahh, now I remember who you are. One of the elder’s actually told me how Madam Zheng practically declared her interest in you in front of all the other elders.”
Li Xin turned to the female apprentice, who was visibly embarrassed. “What are you waiting for? Go inform Madam Zheng that her honored guest has arrived.”
The lady opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't manage to form any words. So she huffily turned around and walked off.
As for Li Xin, he hadn’t risen to his position for nothing. If Baron was something Madam Zheng was interested in, he had to be special in some way. So...
“Let's have a seat and chat while we wait for her to come back.” Li Xin gestured toward some chairs. “Do you know I am?”
“I think I do, yes. You are one of the Qin commanders of the warring states period who helped to usher in the very first unified China.”
“Good, good. So how have your first few weeks been here?”
“You know what? I'm kind of alright. Dying didn't seem to affect my mental stability as much as I would have imagined.”
“You are quite an interesting lad. However, I do understand where you're coming from. Back when I was alive, the seven states vied for control without care for the humans slaughtered, lives ruined. All they cared about was being the strongest, the best, the greatest.”
“In a way, that mentality continued long after your death. China has continuously united and divided itself. We’ve only just recently united again.”
“How long did it take after my death?”
“Close to another 2,000 years"
“It took us that long to become unified? Looks like old Ying Zheng didn’t make much of an impact on China's history then.”
Baron shook his head. “That's not true. If it weren't for you guys, CHina would be in a far worse place now.”
“I'll have to take your word for it. I'm glad the struggles I went through have helped future generations.”
The two continued to talk until the female apprentice returned.
“Madam Zheng is prepared to see you now, Baron.”
“Ah excellent, I'll see you around then, senior Li Xin.”
“I haven't had a nice chat with anyone from the youngest generation in a long time, so let's talk later if we get the chance.”
“Definitely.”
The apprentice led Baron down many twisting corridors and pathways. Finally, she stopped into an ostentatious door, and informed Madam Zheng that Baron had arrived.
Baron saw three people sitting at a huge table, with many maps scattered across it.
“Ah, hello there, you must be Baron. I am Madam Zheng, one of the pillars of the Chinese Alliance. These two men beside me are my husbands from back when I was alive.”
“Oh, uh, greetings seniors.” Baron was quite caught off guard, but quickly recovered and cupped his hands in greeting.
Madam Zheng chuckled. “My, aren’t you just respectful. If only there were more like you.” She motioned and led Baron to another, smaller room. The two sat in chairs before she continued.
“So, before we get to my questions, do you have any for me?”
“Thank you, senior I do indeed have a few questions for you. First of all, what is this place? There’s so many people scrambling about.”
“We’re currently at the central barracks for Chinese strategists. As for those people outside, they are your countrymen, and they are preparing for the Strategists Death Match Tournament in a few years. Anything else?”
“If the tournament is a few years away, why is everyone preparing so frantically for it already?”
“That's because even the slightest advantage in preparation can determine the outcome of a match. After all, it is better to over prepare than to be underprepared, is it not?
“Yes, of course. I have a few more questions — when I first registered in the afterlife, the counter worker told me that I was lucky to be chinese, as our community is ranked fairly high. My question is, is there a ranking system specific to this planet, and if so, who or what decides the rankings?”
“There is, in fact, a ranking system on this planet and it is decided by the tournament. The top five currently are the countries of Jordsand, the United Kingdom, China, Mongolia, and the USA.”
“Jordsand? Who are they? And how are they first?”
“It is a mystery of how their strategists are so capable despite the fact that their country no longer exists on Earth. We believe, though, that these Jordsand strategists are not actual representatives of the Jordsand people, but the...”
She leaned in closer to Baron and whispered. “Observers.”
Chapter 20
Speculation
“The game masters? Who are these observers?”
“This is hard to explain, and much of this is speculation. However, nobody can doubt that planet four, and the entire reality that is the afterlife is a bit...strange.” Madam Zheng thought carefully before answering.
Baron raised an eyebrow. “In
what way is it suspicious, senior?”
“Haven’t you noticed? Our lives here on this planet consist of just one big never-ending battle, consisting of endless smaller battles. These battles have to have a purpose, an end goal that the common soldiers, we strategists, are just not understanding.”
“Could it be... To these game masters, we are nothing but pawns? And even the two current top elders are just the lowest of peasants sent to the battlefield to bolster their numbers…"
Hearing Baron’s words, Madam Zheng’s smile twitched upwards.
“Oh?”
“I'm sorry?”
“That has been one of my conclusions as well. Now, what do you think is the end goal of these game masters?”
“Well… I’m not sure, but they seem to be willing to be trying to find incredibly talented strategists… to lead… an army? For their own battle, perhaps?”
Madam Zheng’s smile widened, but her cold and calculating eyes seemed to pierce into Baron’s soul. “How do you think they will manage to do that?”
Baron slapped his head in realization. “The tournament. Jordsand’s strategists must be here to assess the planet’s strategists.”
Madam Zheng shrugged. “That’s just one of the possible realities. It’s anyone’s guess as to what we’re actually doing here. Still though, you’re able to connect the dots better than I’d thought. That’s a valuable skill here.”
“You flatter me, senior. I have to ask. Why are you telling me this? What are you planning?”
“Oh? Can't I take interest in my fellow clansmen?”
“The lady apprentice just now said that elders hardly ever grantnormal clansmen audiences, yet you chose to invite me over. I'm no fool, I know that while you were alive you were quite the -"
“Don't you dare say it. I get it. You've clearly done quite a bit of research on me.”
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