Chapter 508 - 3: An Invitation from the Empire

Chapter 508: Chapter 3: An Invitation from the Empire

Hearing the Legion Commander’s slightly accusatory tone, Lin Yu hurriedly denied, "No, no, that’s not it. I just haven’t decided which faction to join. Look, there are so many people and so many factions here. I don’t know anything about their strength, so I can’t just pick one at random, can I?"

Levin Zack looked into Lin Yu’s steady eyes, confirmed he was telling the truth, and nodded. "As expected of this year’s number one. You really are different. Everyone else is worried no one will want them, but you’re worried the factions here aren’t strong enough for you."

Lin Yu was, of course, telling the truth. If there was any faction with potential and strength equal to or even greater than his own, he would be more than happy to pledge his allegiance.

But if there wasn’t, then so be it. He would naturally find a way to get through the initial development stage on his own.

"By the way, I wasn’t paying attention. Which factions did Yun Qihao and Qian Duoduo join?"

"Ah, them..."

"They’re different from you."

"The Goddess of Wisdom and War ascended to godhood from this very Lord competition. Starting from the fourth stage, she has her own faction in every subsequent stage. Yun Qihao will be teleported directly to the Goddess’s territory. How he develops from there is not our concern—that’s a matter for the Goddess."

"Qian Duoduo’s situation is much the same. The Qian Family on Cuiwei Star is just one branch of the main family. They originally got their start by reselling all sorts of resources within the Lord competition. And while no one in their family has ascended to godhood, they still have powerful factions in every stage of the competition."

"And also..."

Levin Zack knew that Lin Yu was a civilian and wouldn’t be aware of the backgrounds of Cuiwei Star’s high-society families, so he proceeded to introduce the factions backing each of the promoted Noble Lords in attendance.

As Lin Yu listened carefully, he realized that more than half of the promoted Lords in the room were descendants of noble families.

Furthermore, each of them had at least one powerful faction in their corner, guaranteeing that they wouldn’t be hindered by other lords on the Contested Continent upon entering the fourth stage.

These very factions were all participating in this meeting, and they were the strongest group in attendance.

’So, in other words, this recruitment fair is really just for the promoted Civilian Lords?’

"Lord Legion Commander! If I may ask, in previous years, how many of the lords who advanced to the fourth stage were Civilian Lords?"

"Heh heh heh..." Levin Zack chuckled as he looked at Lin Yu, a hint of appreciation in his eyes. "In a good year, we might see double digits. In a bad year, it’s in the single digits."

"Oh..."

Lin Yu finally understood completely. No wonder so many factions had shown up.

In the past, these factions, who all held stable footholds on the Contested Continent, had relied on cultivating their own members to bring fresh blood into their ranks.

Each year, they would occasionally take in one or two lucky Civilian Lords to supplement their forces.

But now, because Lin Yu had rampaged through the third stage, this year’s cohort had produced over 200 promoted Civilian Lords, instantly drawing the eyes of every faction in the Empire.

’So, while this meeting is supposedly for us to choose a faction to join, it’s actually an opportunity for the factions to pick and choose fresh talent.’

"Lord Legion Commander, can I choose not to pick one for now?"

Levin Zack shook his head, his tone grave. "Young man, don’t be so arrogant. The sooner you choose a faction to back you, the greater the help you will receive."

"It seems you really were daydreaming earlier. As I just explained, only after you’ve chosen a faction to back you will anyone offer you assistance. That way, you won’t waste these twenty precious years of development time."

’I see. It looks like I have no choice but to pick a faction!’

Just as Lin Yu was regretting attending the meeting and wondering if he should find a chance to slip away, Levin Zack’s tone suddenly shifted.

"Of course, if you’re not impressed with any of these factions, it’s also possible not to join them."

"After all, while you may not be the first Lord in the competition’s history to possess such a vast territory, you *are* the first from our empire whose lands are larger than all the other promoted Lords’ territories combined. That earns you some special considerations."

"Lord Lin Yu, in my capacity as the Legion Commander of the Cuiwei Star Lord Corps, I hereby invite you to join our core legion."

"If you agree, you will become the head of the Cuiwei Star Lord Corps’s stronghold on the Contested Continent. You will have full authority over our corps’s operations base for the fourth stage."

"Huh?"

Lin Yu’s eyes flew wide with surprise. From the moment Levin Zack had personally approached him and explained so much, he had known the Legion Commander wanted to recruit him.

But he never imagined that Levin Zack would offer such incredible terms.

From the exchange catalogs the legion had repeatedly provided, he could tell the Cuiwei Star Lord Corps was a force to be reckoned with in the competition; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to offer so many valuable items.

The catalogs indicated that the legion had high-ranking members active in the later stages, capable of redeeming high-tier materials from the competition’s point store. It also meant they had plenty of Lords who were consistently producing resources throughout the competition.

’And now, Levin Zack was actually going to appoint him as the head of the legion’s Contested Continent operations?’

"On what grounds?"

"What do you mean, ’on what grounds’?"

"I mean, why do I deserve such good treatment? Is it just because my territory is huge?"

"A large territory isn’t proof of my strength, I think. It just proves that I have good luck."