Zhang Pingfan felt a pang of eagerness the moment he saw the instance, wanting to try his hand at it.
"Ding! Forget it, the instance is only open to players, you can't get in."
"...Can you stop prying into my thoughts? Can't I have any privacy?"
"Ding! No! Unless you give up this system!"
"..."
Never mind, this world has already changed, and perhaps the system will play a crucial role in the future.
"Youyou, you're the guild leader now. Start recruiting people. First, bring in all the guards from Pingtan City. I won't force them to join the guild. Those who are willing can join, and those who aren't, I'll directly dismiss them from their guard status. Good things should naturally be kept for our own people!"
"Yes, Master. My sister said that after I create the guild, she will manage it on my behalf, and I will continue to level up as diligently as before!"
Zhang Pingfan nodded, as he was considering this matter himself.
Dou Youyou must reach level 50 as soon as possible, otherwise, his own level would not break through.
"Alright, you two discuss these matters yourselves. However, players who want to join the guild must be loyal. If they are players who are only here to get equipment and don't offer much help to the guild, kick them out immediately!"
"Understood. Master, I'll go do it now!"
"Yes, the sooner the better. Let's grow our guild as much as possible!"
"Understood!"
Dou Youyou created the guild, and most players didn't discuss it much.
But the players of Pingfan City were overjoyed.
"Our organization is finally established. We're just waiting for Sister Youyou to invite us to join the guild!"
"Exactly. It will be much more convenient to communicate from now on."
Dou Youyou found Zhao Xin, who then contacted other guard members. Soon, all the online guard members gathered in Pingtan City.
Dou Youyou directly stated her purpose, and not a single guard member present refused. Everyone unanimously agreed to join.
At the same time, Tianqi Huang, Bingshan Hanyue, and Liudao arrived in Pingtan City.
Since the guild token had been released, it was also time for them to find Zhang Pingfan, the village chief.
Led by Tianqi Huang, the three arrived and stopped in front of Zhang Pingfan's small courtyard.
"Knock, knock, knock! Village Chief, I am Tianqi Huang from Tianqi Dynasty!"
While not sleepy, Zhang Pingfan was about to continue practicing his painting skill.
Unexpectedly, just as he took out his brush and paper, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
With Zhang Pingfan's permission, the three were able to enter his small courtyard.
It was the first time the three had visited the legendary village chief's courtyard.
The courtyard was unremarkable, with no sign of anything unusual.
"Village Chief, this is Bingshan Hanyue, the guild leader of Yuegong. This is Liudao, the guild leader of Liuli Men!"
Zhang Pingfan nodded.
However, he didn't stop what he was doing and continued to upgrade his painting skill.
"Speak, why are you looking for me so late? You're not here for tea, are you?"
Tianqi Huang said with a wry smile, "Village Chief, aren't you mocking us? We've already heard the news about the guild creation!"
"Well, the announcement was so loud, you'd have to be deaf not to hear it! Tell me, have you considered it?"
"Village Chief, the three of us have unanimously decided to agree to your terms: one token for ten million, oh no, one thousand gold coins, plus becoming an affiliated guild of Exclusive Mythology. From now on, our three major guilds will be at your disposal!"
Zhang Pingfan looked at the other two, and they both nodded.
"That's right. My disciple told me that your three major guilds have been suppressed by those major families recently."
The three nodded. They had indeed been suppressed lately, but their scale was large enough that the current suppression was insignificant to them.
However, if it continued, it would be entirely different once those major families' influence grew.
"Village Chief, as you can see, those major families are too overbearing. Relying on their background, they completely disregard us major guilds. If you personally warned them, would it be better?"
Zhang Pingfan looked at Tianqi Huang. This guy wanted to use a borrowed knife to kill, or rather, to use his name to suppress those major families.
But Zhang Pingfan knew his name was hollow. They treated him as a game NPC, and he was ultimately just a game NPC.
If Zhang Pingfan went too far, it might backfire.
"Your player feuds have nothing to do with me. What I can do is help you grow stronger as much as possible, but the prerequisite is that you must be loyal to me. Otherwise, no other matters will be discussed!"
As expected, the three knew that the village chief would not directly help them.
But they were also grateful that they had found the village chief, because the village chief had promised to help them become stronger.
"Village Chief, don't worry. Our online gaming guilds value loyalty the most. In the gaming world, loyalty is even more real than in reality, at least for me!"
Bingshan Hanyue said with a serious expression. She wasn't trying to flatter Zhang Pingfan; it was just her personality.
Whether it was towards subordinates or friends, she basically treated everyone equally, punishing the deserving and rewarding the deserving.
Moreover, most of the players in Yuegong were female players, and these female players were more convinced by Bingshan Hanyue's personal charisma.
Liudao said, "Village Chief, don't worry. I know at this age, there's no other way but to go all out!"
Zhang Pingfan paused his writing.
"Very good. Since we have all reached an agreement, the three of you shall sign this contract."
This was a type of contract within the game, usually possessed only by NPCs.
The contracts obtained by players could at most be used to subdue demonic beasts.
But NPCs were different; their contracts could control players themselves.
The moment the three received the contract, they were clearly reluctant, because it clearly stated that anyone who reneged would repay all gains a hundredfold!
Once the contract was signed, the three major guilds would only be affiliated guilds of Dou Youyou's guild in the Mythology game. This path was now set in stone.
Unexpectedly, it was not Tianqi Huang, who had been speaking all along, but Liudao, the eldest and quietest, who signed the contract.
"Stop dawdling, what's there to consider? We've come this far. Village Chief, how do we sign?"
Zhang Pingfan said, "The first drop of blood on the contract can complete the signing! After signing, it will be effective not only in the game but also in reality!"
Liudao said, "Village Chief, don't worry, I, Liudao, can see that clearly!"
A dagger cut Liudao's finger.
A drop of blood landed on the contract and emitted a golden light.
"Ding! System prompt: Contract established!"