While they were teaching March Rain how to burn a Paladinās mana, Lu Liās communication device rang.
He delegated his position to another Thief and relieved himself.
Lu Liās individual strength was too great anyway; these last-minute sparring partners couldnāt withstand his explosive attacks. March Rain also found that they were applying less pressure, which was quite different from the special training that they had.
The training benefits would be much more effective if they changed to a regular Thief instead.
As Lu Li sat in the seats, he noticed that Square Root 3 had sent a message.
Lu Li had recently sent a message to invite him for a chat, but he didnāt think that he would get a response this quickly.
"Where are you? Iāll find you."
Lu Li didnāt elaborate much further, but he did quickly mention the topic of their discussion. The fact that Square Root 3 was willing to come to Lu Li meant that he regarded this conversation with importance.
"The Arena"
Lu Li gave him the arena number and the password. Soon, Square Root 3 arrived.
"You guys areā¦" Square Root 3 was a little surprised to see Lu Li sitting on the seats while two three-person teams were fighting on stage.
"Some extra training ā our Priest is still a little inconsistent." Lu Li didnāt mind exposing their weakness.
"She might be inconsistent, but she shows a lot of promise. In the last few games, she has improved the most." Square Root 3 sat down next to Lu Li and appreciatively praised March Rain.
"So, you have been paying attention to us. Square Bro, tell me whether you want to take up the offer." Lu Li got straight to the point. He didnāt have any negotiating skills, nor did he have time to waste.
Being straightforward was the style of the poor.
Of course, some people also thought that this was the style of an overlord.
"Haha, I had planned to take a good rest. Iāve been a guild manager for 5 years; itās quite tiring".
Square Root 3 was beating around the bush. He hadnāt accepted, but he hadnāt directly rejected either.
"I caused the Star Moon Guild to be eliminated. Shouldnāt you hate me?" Lu Li asked tentatively.
Lu Li was worried that he had undermined Square Root 3ās work. Even if he wasnāt hated, he had still put him in a difficult position. It was impossible for him to imagine that he had gained his respect with what was basically a verbal slap.
"I hated you a little at first, but the affairs within Star Moon got too complicated and I started to hate the guild more," Square Root 3 admitted sadly.
"Actually, when I first joined Star Moon, it was for the helmet. I had thoughts of helping the guild grow, but Richy Rich was just too much and the President was too apatheticā¦" Lu Li spoke so genuinely that even he almost believed it.
"I understand," Square Root 3 said as he patted Lu Liās shoulder. "Thatās why I left as well."
The initial barrier between them had instantly disappeared like smoke.
"You did the right thing; everyone knows that. Itās just too bad that the Star Moon Guild has changed and is no longer a suitable place for players with ambition. It was good that you left because we can start anew. We donāt need five years; we could probably overtake them in one or two. We might even win a championship in the process." Lu Li didnāt speak particularly passionately, but his words were still persuasive.
He didnāt shy away from saying what was on his mind.
The Xin Xin Mercenary Groupās funds couldnāt be compared to the Star Moon Guild. Their number of members couldnāt be compared either. However, he assured Square Root 3 that their growth would be far superior ā they had even made it into the top 16.
The fact that Star Moon Guild found difficulty in getting into the top 100 was ironic.
"You make the championship sound like a game."
Square Root 3 wanted to make fun of Lu Li for overestimating his abilities, but he thought better and swallowed his words.
"We plan on starting a club and a guild. We donāt have much money at the moment, but we should be able to pay for half of it for now. We just need a guild president, but we recognize that this role should be given to a professional," Lu Li said as he stretched out his hand.
Square Root 3 stared at Lu Liās hand before looking up at his face.
Lu Li didnāt know what this meant, but he could only steel himself and keep his hand stretched.
After quite some time, Square Root 3 lifted his hand and held Lu Liās.
"Even if it is another five years, I wonāt be 30 yet. Iāll play."
Lu Li shook his head and tried not to laugh; these words were truly a little disheartening.
"You definitely wonāt be wasting five years. We are already in the top 16. Soon, we will make it into the quarterfinals, then the semifinals and then the finals. Even if we donāt win, the players will remember us.
"I hope these arenāt empty promises," Square Root 3 nodded before finally relaxing.
"Youāll be getting 5% of the clubās shares and become the guild president. You can develop the guild however you want; we will only give you advice."
Lu Li told him the system that he and Wandering had discussed in an attempt to shock him.
5% shares and his salary amounted to over a million dollars a year.
This assumed that they would make it into the top 100 every year, but it would be better if they could get even further. The better the achievements of the club, the bigger his bonuses would be.
However, Square Root 3ās expression didnāt change; he didnāt seem particularly interested in the money.
He listened to Lu Li describe how they were going to develop the club while watching March Rain work up a sweat on stage.
"The guild will need to recruit new players. The salary and other perks will need to be good; they should at least be better than an average guild," Square Root 3 reminded as he slowly entered his role.
"Relax. We had planned to give out some shares as reward to guild members as well," Lu Li explained.
These shares were coming from his portion, so he had every right to do this. Wandering had been speechless towards this kind of generosity.
In reality, it wasnāt that Lu Li was naturally generous, but rather that he was lacking in charisma. As such, there was no way he could recruit players who would do work for him without pay.
He couldnāt ask a horse to gallop but not let it eat, so he had to give out some benefits.
"I wonāt intrude in the affairs of the club, but there is one thing I feel I should know. What will my contributions go towards?" Square Root 3 asked quietly.
"Of course."
Lu Li then explained the clubās future structure to him.
Square Root 3ās brow wrinkled when he thought about the risks of trusting a mere Mercenary Group. However, his worries were dispelled when he realized that these players had gotten First Clears and were on the top of the rankings.
The guild was going to be his domain while the club was going to be the Bossā private domain. He could do as he pleased with it.
As long as it led to growth.
After the training, Lu Li bought Square Root 3 to be acquainted with everyone. Soon, the Mercenary Group would be history and a new guild and club would emerge.
Then, Square Root 3, Wandering and Lu Li discussed the construction of the guild.
Clubs were dependent on fame and performance in competitions. Lu Li had this covered and it could be easily developed over time. However, the guild wouldnāt necessarily grow, no matter how famous it got.
Elite groups needed to be set up and tasked with clearing Instance Dungeons.
Rare materials, equipment and skill books needed to be transferred to the club to sustain them. At the very least, Lu Li wouldnāt need to buy skill books at such exorbitant prices again.
Of course, there was still one important question. What kind of name should the guild have, so that it would at least give off an air of grandeur?