“Then, all newly joined guild members, please teleport to the [Guild Building].”
A faint smile touched Yan’s lips as he typed out this message in the guild channel.
“We’ll gather in the open area of Sky City.”
“Consider it a preliminary meeting, a chance to get acquainted.”
****
“Sky City? What’s that?”
Voices of confusion surfaced in the guild channel, and immediately, outside the Guild Hall, successive blue teleportation lights flickered into existence.
“Well, let’s go take a look ourselves. I’m quite eager to see what kind of people these three hundred newcomers are,” Yan said with a smile to those around him, rising from the long table.
“Oh,” the others responded, following Yan as he headed out of the Guild Hall.
****
“Is this really Sky City?!”
“Incredible! As expected of one of the five guilds to open first on the new server.”
Exclamations of awe rippled through the players gradually gathering outside Sky City. Hearing these anticipated cries of wonder, Yan couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“Indeed, this is Sky City, [White Cloud Snow]’s Sky City, the Sky City belonging to every player in our guild.”
He spread his arms wide, addressing the numerous players before him.
“From the moment you joined [White Cloud Snow], this place becomes our shared home. All guild members are free to enter and exit any area of the guild that has been opened.”
“Oh, of course, except for the guild vault,” Yan added, shrugging with a wry, helpless smile.
“Hahaha.”
Many burst into laughter at Yan’s jest, and the atmosphere grew lighter and more cheerful.
“Now, back to business.”
Yan’s smile faded, replaced by a serious expression, his bright eyes sweeping across the steadily gathering players.
“A most heartfelt welcome to all of you joining the [White Cloud Snow] guild.”
“First, let’s have some self-introductions, shall we?” Yan said with a slight smile, glancing at his companions.
“Well, I imagine all of you are players who pay close attention to the world channel’s happenings…”
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have managed to secure one of the initial three hundred guild slots amidst so many competitors.
“So, I presume everyone knows me?”
“Allow me to introduce myself nonetheless. My name is Yan, though most of you might know me better by the moniker players bestowed upon me during the first arena event: [Spearmaster]. Still… that’s merely an exaggeration by the players; I’m not that formidable.”
A lively clamor rose from the crowd below.
“Too modest, Guild Master!”
“And then, those you’re likely most familiar with would be [Immovable Fortress] An Dong and [Divine Eye Archer] Lian, wouldn’t they?”
A mischievous grin played on Yan’s lips as he cast a sidelong glance at Lian beside him, then looked back at the numerous players.
“I’m well aware of the little schemes brewing in your minds.”
“I suspect quite a few of you joined my guild because of Lian, didn’t you?”
A rare, faint blush graced Lian’s exquisitely beautiful, expressionless face.
“You bet!” a broadsword player with the appearance of a handsome middle-aged man said with a frank laugh.
“A beautiful archer who can instantly kill opponents with a single arrow—that title is far grander than [Spearmaster].”
“Alright, alright…” Yan chuckled helplessly, finding such straightforward players rather endearing.
“Now, let your beautiful archer say a few words. This ‘irrelevant person’ shall step aside for now.”
He stepped back with a smile, ceding the spotlight to Lian.
“Hey, hey, don’t talk as if you aren’t the Guild Master of this guild,” Qing Bai muttered with a helpless sigh from behind Yan.
“Cough, cough.”
Lian cleared her throat, shaking off the slight bashfulness from being teased by everyone.
Then, she once again raised her clear, captivating eyes to look at the crowd, a subtle curve touching the corner of her cool, elegant lips, perfectly conveying her friendliness.
Indeed, she seemed like a mountain flower—pure, beautiful, yet seemingly out of reach.
“Thank you all for coming here. Since you’ve joined [White Cloud Snow], we are all friends playing together in the same guild.”
“You can just call me Lian from now on,” she said, seemingly a little unaccustomed to being called ‘beautiful archer’ by everyone.
“That’s all I have to say. Although we’ve only just met and aren’t familiar with each other yet, I believe we’ll find great joy in our interactions throughout the game from now on.”
“I look forward to our time together.”
With that, she tilted her head slightly, her limpid eyes blinking softly, and the smile on her face became even more captivating. This rare sight stirred another excited clamor among the players.
Then, she took a step back, having finished her greetings to everyone.
An Dong stepped forward, his characteristic boisterous grin on his face, his voice booming.
“Hoo hoo, hello everyone, I’m An Dong…”
Following this, the others accompanying Yan took turns introducing themselves to the assembled players.
“Even though… even though I haven’t been playing this game for long, Tian Jiu will try her best! Please… please guide me!”
It wasn’t until Tian Jiu, last in line, finished her shy, timid greeting to the players that Yan finally stepped forward again, smiling as he looked at the three hundred new guild members.
“Now, please introduce yourselves and get to know each other. Though I can’t remember all your names right now…”
A wry, helpless smile touched Yan’s face as his gaze swept over the gathered crowd.
“From this day forward, all of us here will spend a considerable amount of time together. I will ensure we all truly savor this game; on this, you have my word.”
“Alright!”
Cheers erupted from within the crowd, and seeing their enthusiastic support, Yan couldn’t help but smile faintly.
“Then, let’s start with you. Please introduce yourself…” Yan said with a smile, pointing to an unfamiliar player standing to his left.
****
After all, with three hundred players, this single process consumed a significant amount of time. In truth, there was no strict necessity for them to introduce themselves, yet Yan had no desire to skip this step.
Indeed, back in the [Blazing Dragon] guild on the old server, Yan could recall every single player’s name. Moreover, the active players were all quite familiar with one another; every player who stepped into the Guild Hall would happily chat animatedly with everyone present.
And before that, self-introductions for every new member were indispensable.
Yan had always done it this way.
For only by knowing one another first… can we truly understand and accompany each other.
Yan smiled faintly, carefully listening to each introduction, a lengthy process though it was.
Yet, it was punctuated by amusing jests from unfamiliar players and playful banter from the more lively ones, which kept the lengthy self-introductions from becoming tedious. Yan even managed to remember the names of several particularly distinctive players.
The other guild members felt much the same.
Before long, all three hundred newly joined and present players had finished their self-introductions and collectively turned their gaze to Yan.
“Well, since the guild has only just been established, there aren’t any activities we need to organize everyone for at the moment, so it seems there’s little else to say,” Yan said with a smile, stroking his chin and pondering for a moment.
“Players who wish to tour Sky City are free to explore. If you have any questions about the game, feel free to ask me or any other player. Social interaction within the guild is unrestricted; any player can seek out friends for adventure, companions for dungeons, or simply call out in the guild channel if they need a role filled.”
A peculiar smile touched Yan’s lips.
“You can even fall in love, or ‘marry’ within the game! I’ll ensure the entire guild joins in celebrating your unions~”
“Hahaha.”
Another round of roars of laughter erupted from the crowd.
“Oh, right, before we conclude, there’s one more thing to mention.”
A sudden thought struck Yan, and his bright eyes swept across the gathered players.
“While [White Cloud Snow] is no longer openly recruiting, if any existing members wish to invite their friends to join the guild and play together, that is also permissible.”
“Our guild is free and democratic, and we won’t set any unpleasant rules like regularly clearing out inactive players. So, under normal circumstances, we won’t kick anyone; there’s no need to feel pressured.”
“However…”
Yan’s expression turned serious, and a slightly cold gaze fell upon everyone. The previously boisterous crowd instantly hushed.
“Should I discover any player leveraging their guild membership or numerous friends to bully others, or casually stirring up conflict within the guild and causing general unpleasantness… should any actions potentially tarnish the name of [White Cloud Snow] occur…”
“Then do not blame me for acting mercilessly.”
With that, a warm smile once again graced Yan’s face.
“So, there’s nothing else to say, really~”
A subtle smile playing on his lips, he cast a final glance over the three hundred players.
“And with that, the first full guild meeting of [White Cloud Snow] concludes~”
“Meeting adjourned.”
“Clap, clap, clap~”
The players burst into applause, and the clamor resumed.
“Hey, wanna go fight a boss together?” some players immediately rallied a few people to form a party, eager to tackle a boss dungeon.
“Haha! You’re interesting, aren’t you? How about it? Add me as a friend?” many other players found like-minded friends within the guild and were standing in place, enthusiastically chatting.
“This Sky City is truly incredible! Let’s go explore that side!”
However, more players opted to tour the city’s interior and exterior. After all, during the meeting, everyone had only gathered in the open area outside Sky City and hadn’t seen what the interior of that fantastical, snow-white castle truly looked like. Their curiosity piqued, groups of players continuously flocked into the city.
“How wonderful,” Yan mused, a satisfied smile on his face as he watched these scenes unfold. A guild, at its core, serves as a platform for players to connect. Only a guild where players can freely forge friendships and enjoy the game together can truly be harmonious and friendly.
“Let’s head back to the Guild Hall, then,” Yan said with a smile to Tian Jiu and the others beside him.
“Mhm.”
Just as they responded and were about to follow Yan, turning to step through the castle’s snow-white gates, a youthful female voice called out to them.
“Wait a moment! Guild Master Yan! And Big Sister Lian!”
Yan turned his head in surprise, looking at the young female player running towards them.
This player was one of the few among the three hundred whose name Yan could distinctly remember.
He thought it was…
“Ling Guo… right?” Yan asked with a friendly smile.
“Is something the matter?”