Chapter 466 - -

Chapter 466: Chapter 463 - "You Belong to This World."..."

Looking at Lu so close to him, Su Ming’an felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Sorry, I got a little excited."

Seeing this, Lu immediately let go of his hand.

Even in making such a gesture, his tone was very gentle, and the force he used was so gentle that it didn’t even wrinkle the clothing on Su Ming’an’s shoulder.

"...It’s rather embarrassing to admit, but your very large-scale arrangement has been going on for over three months, and I only recently noticed it," Lu said. "If it weren’t for the New Year, when I saw that world-class birthday celebration video, I really wouldn’t have realized... your influence has reached such a terrifying level."

Looking at the somewhat excited Lu, Su Ming’an didn’t know how to respond.

"Those people were just fan clubs," Su Ming’an said. "As an Adventurer Player, I don’t have enough time to manage them."

"So, Su Ming’an," Lu countered, "—haven’t you thought about the world’s layout after the game ends? As the Number One Player, once everything is over, when humanity no longer needs you, do you know where you should stand? Praised as a Hero, worshipped, revered as a deity... or ostracized, deemed unnecessary by interest groups, stripped of your influence?"

"Isn’t all that you have done geared towards the layout after the game ends?" Lu’s face showed a bit of confusion. "You must have thought about it, the world returning to normal won’t need existences like us who, whether in terms of strength, influence, or status, are above others. Setting aside the current tensed situation, but when everyone returns to square one, each interest group settling into their place... those of us who stand out but are not controlled, are actually not needed by people."

"Everyone would rather have a dead ’Hero’," Su Ming’an said.

Listeing to Su Ming’an’s words, Lu raised an eyebrow, his face breaking into a smile.

"It’s good that you understand," he said, smiling. "Only a dead Brave is the best Brave. If you are alive, to them... it means an uncertainty, a turmoil. Even if you don’t have the heart to rule, they won’t believe it."

"Do you see humanity as too dark?" Su Ming’an said.

"Do you underestimate the bad roots of human nature too much?" Lu questioned. "Su Ming’an, even if ninety-nine percent of people are good, we still need to guard against that one percent of evil. If we wait until disaster strikes before we take actions, it would be too late."

Su Ming’an understood as well.

Lu’s situation was similar to his own, or perhaps it could be said... the situation of all the Peak Players was similar.

However, as the Number One Player, he seemed the most dangerous and the most threatening. Because of his influence and theories, a large group of people had emerged who were almost fanatics.

Like man-made deities, this would produce skewed faith and radical behavioral patterns.

Lu wanted to establish a community with aligned interests with him.

After all, there has never been a rule that Adventurer Players must serve any particular organization.

That was—Lu wanting to form his own interest group.

Lu’s thoughts were indeed far-reaching; he had already considered the layout after the game ended, and also the positions such prominent players should occupy.

At the game’s end, the stronger the player, the more they would bring back, thus the world couldn’t possibly return to its original order.

A hobo who had been scavenging through garbage in a tunnel might suddenly possess the power to oppose firearms. A convict locked in jail might escape being shot. And a wealthy billionaire, a top-tier celebrity, might end up at the bottom of the food chain.

The world’s layout... would undergo drastic changes. No matter how you put it, it wouldn’t be the same as it was before the game started.

"We need to take measures in advance," Lu said. "Su Ming’an, I respect you, your network is actually quite perfect. Next, we just need a certain ceremonial sense. For example... setting different levels and titles, implementing various ceremonies properly, these quantified rules will become the framework of your group, supporting up the group that was already quite sizable. We need—strength that can contest the post-game layout."

"Wait," Su Ming’an said. "Are you thinking of... creating a deity?"

Setting titles, formulating ceremonial rituals... wasn’t this creating a deity for people to worship?

Lu’s words were really too dangerous, luckily he had turned off the live stream.

"No," Su Ming’an immediately refused. "This plan absolutely won’t work."

"Is that so, can’t you accept it?" Lu’s expression wasn’t surprised; in fact, he was just testing Su Ming’an’s boundaries.

He wasn’t sure about Su Ming’an’s ambitions, but knowing that the other wasn’t overly greedy for power settled his mind somewhat.

"Then, we can try another method," Lu said.

"You mean...?" Su Ming’an asked.

Lu glanced around; next to him, Guide Mocha nodded, walked up the stairs, and went to ensure that there was no one eavesdropping nearby.

Lu, facing the harmless mouth of Xiber’s gun, leaned close to Su Ming’an, speaking in a low voice:

"Actually, my real idea is..."

As he walked out of the large processing plant, Su Ming’an’s expression was somewhat grave.

The cold wind rolled leaves in front of him, his gaze still unfocused.

Lu had already left through the Hand of Redemption, and before he left, Su Ming’an heard his ideas and agreed to his request.

Lu said that he had already contacted several top players to establish a "Peak Alliance."

The "Peak Alliance" was a group with unified interests. Centered around the strongest Adventurer Players and surrounded by various Auxiliary Occupation Players, it helped worship them by providing stable, suitable equipment output. The specifics of how the equipment would be handed over could be discussed later.

The maximum number of Adventurer Players was tentatively set at nine. The number of Auxiliary Occupation Players, however, could be unlimited, as they were just supplementary personnel, not the core of interests.

...The core was just those nine Adventurer Players.

Unlike the United Group, these nine Adventurer Players did not need to lend their names to anyone, nor worry about their identities being exploited by any organization—because each of them was a pillar of this alliance, absolutely central. Their rights were completely in their own hands.

The obligations of these members were to assist each other, not to stab each other in the back, not join other large organizations, and maintain individual independence. Meanwhile, the rights of the members were the basic "trust."

For these Peak Players, even the most fundamental trust is as precious as a diamond.

Currently, those who have joined the alliance include Lu, Luna, Alger, Bei Wang, and, with the addition of Su Ming’an, there are five people. These individuals are all powerful players ranking among the top hundred, with strong abilities, stable mindsets, and simple backgrounds. Among them, Bei Wang is even a Peak Player who has achieved a Perfect Pass.

As for the remaining four seats, Lu is still considering who to include. At present, for people like Yamada Machiichi and Flora, who lack a particularly strong background, he is still testing the waters. He mentioned that if Su Ming’an had any preferred candidates, he could let him know.

"Sigh..."

The cold night wind brushed against Su Ming’an’s face, making it feel somewhat hot.

He exhaled and had not yet recovered from Lu’s words.

He had indeed not expected Lu to come up with such a grand plan with him.

While Adventurer Players and Casual Players were still at odds with each other, Lu was already trying to use the title of Adventurer Player to actively attract Casual Players, attempting to establish a post-war "council" system.

His ambition was immense; he seemed eager to transform these nine seats into a governing body for the world thereafter.

Lu wasn’t doing this purely for power. In fact, he was more interested in stabilizing the post-game world order. He had anticipated the chaos following the end of the game—a world bereft of systemic integrity and moral constraints. He was unwilling to see his homeland reduced to a war-torn realm where the strong prey on the weak; he hoped to use the "council’s" influence to establish organizations like the Superpower Control Bureau to maintain peace after the game.

He said that such an interest group, if not established by him, would be established by more sinister, power-hungry conspirators. Therefore, rather than leaving the initiative to others, it would be better for them, as Peak Players with greater resources, to take the lead. At least, the mindsets of these nine people were more inclined towards stability and peace.

Regarding Lu’s idea, Su Ming’an did not comment much.

He could easily see the naivety in Lu’s proposal, but Lu himself had likely recognized it too, no need for him to point it out.

For example, since it involves human governance, it would inevitably breed corruption and mistakes. Even if their intentions remained pure initially, undoubtedly, some would change over time, just like Princess Tulip of Pulaya.

For example, even if their interests align currently, as time progresses, the battle lines will inevitably shift. The Organizers are particularly skilled at dividing others, and they are merely isolated boats drifting aside, unable to guarantee they won’t capsize in the waves of the world.

For example, even with a council system, even with only nine people, conflicts and ideological clashes would still exist among them. The post-war world order couldn’t possibly be left to just nine people to decide; it’s not like a meeting of deities.

For example, in actuality, if Su Ming’an achieved a Perfect Pass in the end, he wouldn’t need such a council; he personally had no interest in fighting for power.

But actually, given the current situation, if Lu’s idea was for self-preservation, it was feasible.

Even if various changes might occur later, as of now, uniting is beneficial for them.

In a dark forest where no one lights a fire, anyone might encounter dangerous beasts. Lu took the initiative to arm himself, using his current reputation to rally an alliance to ensure a certain degree of authority, to prevent being abandoned after the game’s end, which is to be expected.

Moreover, compared to a United Group that is messily entangled with countless interests, this small council of just nine members is much simpler and clearer.

...because they are all Adventurer Players who have not served in other major groups and have simple backgrounds.

Lu, inherently a person with little real power who frequently switched allegiances between forces. Alger, a defiant misfit with a very strained relationship with the United Group. Luna, whose eyes are only on her own Sword of the Yellow Rose Guild, which is also a small and simply structured Adventurer Guild. Bei Wang is no different, with a background as thin as Su Ming’an’s.

With the remaining four seats, by adding more individuals with a peaceful mindset and simple backgrounds, their continuously evolving small group would thus be formed.

Although it appears fragile and thin, ready to capsize at any moment, as long as the few core members stand firm, it is much more robust than it seems.

After all, what the world would become after the game ended, no one knew. By then, such influential Commanders as they might provide those in chaos with a temporary unified direction.

Even if the alliance disbanded and they had to reconnect with their original organizations, it was better than having nothing. At least they had the capital to have equal dialogues with other organizations, instead of being passively abandoned after being used.

This alliance was just a simple structure, an opportunity ... that could let these nine players soar to great heights and transform into "Alliance Leaders" who shared a common cause.

From then on, they were no longer individual Peak Players but existed as a unified entity in the eyes of the people.

Just like Su Ming’an’s Lighthouse theory, this was an act of deepening people’s impressions and elevating the scheme. They would release their names to attract others, proactively post Strategy threads, and suggest tips for Perfect Pass to expand their influence, much like the United Group’s "Hero Project."

—Only this time, they themselves were the ones creating the momentum.

Lu was a smart person, and those who joined were not foolish either. They clearly understood where their interests came from, and they would not refuse such acts of promoting fame and deepening impressions.

Travelers once stared at each other from separate ships, people being solitary islands unto themselves.

... And Lu was trying to turn them into partners.

The reason why Lu was so eager to find Su Ming’an was that Lu hoped Su Ming’an could serve as the Leader of this alliance.

The few who had already agreed were people with simple backgrounds, even combined, their influence fell far short of Su Ming’an’s. If they wanted to establish an alliance, the Number One Player was a necessary element. If the Number One Player were not part of it, the alliance would not be stable since they could not attract enough support from secondary Occupation Players, and if Su Ming’an chose to join any other large organization, this self-named alliance would collapse instantly.

And since Su Ming’an had joined, no one else would be more suitable as the Leader besides him.

Lu said, as of now, the layout of the Number One Player was the best, the most perfect, and so far, he had already garnered immense influence and so many followers.

Perhaps, no one knew that what Su Ming’an initially thought was just to divert the Organizers’ attention, to conceal the secret of Perfect Pass, and that was all.

Lu said.