LOL: My talent is top-tier, my professional skills are unparalleled.

Chapter 599: Factory Director Retires, Uzi Retires! The Old Era is Over!

at this time.

The scene at the AccorHotels Arena in Paris, France.

On the main stage, a grand awards ceremony was drawing to a close.

In the background music.

The award presenters all left the stage.

Each EDG player wore a gold medal around their neck, symbolizing their status as world champions, and stood under the spotlight, being photographed by photographers from all over the place.

corresponding.

The host then began the closing procedures.

Finally, let's once again congratulate EDG on successfully defending their title!

"Congratulations to Kshine for winning this year's FMVP, becoming the first jungler to win the FMVP!"

"Therefore, I hereby declare the 2019 League of Legends World Championship to be—completed!!"

The host waved goodbye and said, "See you next year, everyone!!"

The words fell.

On the main stage, the curtain slowly rose.

The EDG players left the field amidst the reluctant farewells of the audience, returning to their rest area.

of course.

For them, today's work is far from over; there's still the post-victory interview to come!

"what……"

Saint Gun leaned back on the sofa, his mouth slightly open, looking like his soul was about to leave his body: "Can we not go?"

Honestly, after a whole day of competition and going through the trophy-lifting and award-presentation process, everyone must be exhausted!

God knows when this round of interviews will finally end!
"That's probably not possible."

Abu stood not far away, shrugging, and said, "The announcements have all been issued."

"Depend on."

Saint Gun's head tilted to the side, his eyes lost their luster, as if he had lost all hope in life.

"Cheer up, guys."

Seeing this, Abu changed the subject: "You guys are triple champions! Just think about how famous you'll be in the future, and think about the victory celebration tonight!"

He hasn't finished speaking yet.

Saint Gun Bro interrupted weakly, "No, I only have two championships."

Saint Gun's words were only spoken inside the EDG rest area. If he had said them outside, countless players would have thought he was talking about Versailles.

Abu was taken aback at first, then realized what was happening, paused for a moment, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Uh..."

Really not!

Of the six players on EDG, only Flandre and Scout have won two championships!
After all, Flandre only joined EDG in S8, while Scout went to KT, which delayed his time by a year.

Even iboy, who was a substitute AD carry, managed to win a championship in S7, so he can barely be considered a three-time champion AD carry!

Finally, Wang Yao, the most experienced interviewer, stood up and said, "Alright, alright, let's go. The sooner we finish the interview, the sooner we can leave work."

"Makes sense."

The others nodded and stood up as well, as if they were about to fight a long and arduous battle.

To know.

They don't just have to give interviews to the officials from each competition region.

There are countless media outlets waiting in the wings!

Especially in the last two years, the popularity of the league has soared, leading more and more media outlets to focus their attention on this huge pie that no one has ever explored before!

Everyone's waiting to get a piece of the pie in this massive surge of online traffic!
then.

When the EDG team finished their interviews and returned to the rest room...

It was already 10 p.m.

They all looked completely drained as soon as they got back, slumping onto the sofas and chairs, their souls emptied, not wanting to move at all.

but.

Abu already had a solution to this.

He clapped his hands and shouted, "The boss's red envelopes for everyone are ready!"

really.

The moment the words "red envelope" were uttered, everyone in the lounge perked up, and their eyes instantly brightened!

The effect is truly outstanding!

Seeing this, Abu smiled and said, "Let's go have a big meal first. Our boss is already waiting."

"The boss is in France?"

Meiko and the others exchanged glances: "Didn't you say you were too busy this time to come?"

"The itinerary was specially changed."

Abu said with delight, "The Triple Crown winners, how could they not come?"

As he spoke, Abu stood up and walked outside, turning back to say, "What are you all standing there for? Grab your things and let's go."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment, and then all followed suit.

"OK, let's go, let's try some French cuisine!"

"GOGOGO!"

"By the way, is snails a must-have in French cuisine?"

"That's for sure."

"..."

A celebratory banquet was over.

It was almost midnight.

When they came out of the hotel, everyone in EDG had a satisfied smile on their face.

Compared to the so-called "feast" I had in South Korea, the food in France was much more substantial.

Of course, there is another important reason for this satisfaction - the red envelope from the boss!

It's clear the boss has been very busy lately. After handing out the red envelopes and offering some congratulatory words, he left in a hurry.

But that doesn't matter!

Anyway, the red envelope has already been sent.

"Let's go, let's go back and get some sleep!"

As he walked, Flandre stretched and yawned, saying, "After working so hard for so long, I can finally take a nap!"

"really."

Meiko nodded, agreeing, and said, "Don't wake me up tomorrow morning."

no way.

Since the start of the S-series, they have hardly had enough sleep!
Not to mention that their daily training intensity has been consistently high since the end of the Spring Split!

Now that the entire S9 season is finally over, my tense nerves have completely relaxed, and of course I want to take a good rest.

However, just as everyone was walking forward...

Wang Yao, who was not far away, stopped and stared at the screen of his phone, typing intently.

Seeing this, Holy Gun Bro turned around with a strange look on his face and said, "Brother Yao, let's go."

Hearing the voice, Wang Yao came back to his senses, looked up and blinked: "Uh, you guys go back, I have something to do, someone is waiting for me."

"what?"

Saint Gun was initially puzzled, but then suddenly realized something, his eyes widening: "Damn! I just remembered you're different from us!"

He hadn't even finished saying what he wanted to say.

"I'm so angry and cold!"

Saint Gun rolled his eyes, as if he had been force-fed dog food!
……

The next period of time.

The storm surrounding S9 continues to sweep across the internet worldwide.

Even on foreign websites, the level of discussion surrounding this topic is incredibly high!

After all, this is the new three-time champion team!
A team with an even more glorious record than the former SKT dynasty was born under the watchful eyes of the world!

This is not only a grand occasion for the league's events, but also signifies that the league's popularity has reached an unprecedented peak!
Korean online forum.

The discussions were just as heated as those on domestic online forums!

"Sigh, although I hate to admit it, the title of the best team in LOL history has indeed changed hands since S9."

"As an SKT fan, seeing SKT get eliminated time and time again really breaks my heart!!!"

"Damn it... We used to call ourselves the number one region, but is SKT all we have to uphold our reputation? Isn't there any new team that can step up?!"

"Upstairs, have you forgotten about Samsung's S4? Although Samsung is completely finished now."

"No matter what, the darkest era for LCK has arrived."

"I've said it before, as long as Kshine is there, no other team has any hope of winning."

"So, SKT or Samsung should invest in buying this guy! The chaebols have plenty of money anyway!"

"..."

The entire forum was filled with wailing and lamentation.

Some SKT fans, in particular, felt as if the sky was falling.

Three years.

During S7, when LPL won the championship, LCK didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just a flash in the pan.

In S8, LPL won the championship again in Incheon, South Korea, and the entire LCK gradually realized that this was a real formidable opponent.

But this year, with LPL winning the S9 championship for the third time in a row, the situation has completely changed!

Just like in the LPL back then, everyone turned pale at the mention of Faker, as if no team could beat him.

The same applies to the LCK now!
of course.

This situation is something that the EU and NA have long been accustomed to.

Regardless of whether LPL or LCK wins, they're just there to make up the numbers and play supporting roles; whether they win or not is irrelevant.

Therefore, online discussions in Europe and America almost entirely focus on another point.

"It's a pity for FPX, they played so well in the first two games." "There's nothing we can do, we all know that as long as Kshine gets going, EDG becomes invincible, it's become a law."

"So do you think G2 will have a chance to buy Kshine next year?"

"Huh? G2? Sorry, C9 will be offering a higher price!"

"Are you kidding me? Even if Kshine were to join C9, I don't think they would have a chance to win the championship!"

"Exactly! At least G2 made it to the semifinals this year! C9, on the other hand, didn't even make it out of the group stage. They're just points babies for G2 and GRF!"

"Fuck! You damn Europeans, just you wait! Next year, when C9 signs Kshine, you'll be the first ones they'll eliminate!"

"Haha, your impotent rage is hilarious, just like your team that got eliminated in the round of 16."

This is quite common between the NA and EU sides; they often end up arguing with each other while chatting.

But anyway.

It's quite obvious that the number of discussions about S9 across the internet is growing at an alarming rate!

With the conclusion of S9, the surge in League of Legends' popularity has been witnessed by players worldwide.

Just look at the viewership data released by Riot Games.

2019 World Championship Finals.

It was broadcast on more than 20 platforms in 16 languages!
This marks a new record high on top of the already ridiculously high data of the S8.

The average viewership per minute (AMA) reached 3420 million!
At its peak, the number of online viewers reached 5630 million!

Over the course of the five-week event, fans worldwide watched more than 14 billion hours of content!

This simple sentence perfectly illustrates just how terrifying the League of Legends hype was during S9!
And this is not over yet!

It was seven days after the finals ended.

It was December 11th.

At the Esports Awards ceremony held in the United States, League of Legends also won the Best Esports Game of the Year award!

The League of Legends 2019 World Championship also won the Best Esports Live Event of the Year award!

Riot Games even won the Best Esports Publisher of the Year award!

A series of awards and a deluge of discussions have propelled the entire league to a level of popularity that even Riot Games itself couldn't have imagined!
League of Legends, in its ninth year since its public beta launch, has finally reached its peak!

Online, as time goes by.

As the hype surrounding S9 gradually fades, new topics are emerging.

Yes—the transfer window!

Starting November 19th, which is the ninth day after the end of the S-series, the biggest transfer period of the year has begun!
This year's transfer news has been incredibly exciting, perhaps even the most exciting ever!
For the next month or so, the entire LPL was in constant turmoil!

Initially, it was OMG-xiyang (夕阳) who announced his retirement.

This marks the beginning of the entire transfer window.

First it was BLG.

They officially announced the acquisition of top laner Kingen from KT, and then immediately announced the departure of mid laner Kuro, bringing in mid laner FOFO from LMS's JT team.

However, BLG's influence was not significant at this time, and not many people paid attention to their news, so it did not cause much of a stir.

Next up is Top Esports (TES).

It was officially announced that jungler Karsa was acquired from RNG, and AD carry Photic and support yuyanjia (Prophet) were promoted from the youth team to the main team.

Furthermore, by letting go of Korean players Loken and Ben, TES has essentially turned itself into an all-Chinese team!
This has attracted a lot of attention.

Next up is Suning SN.

Bin, the top laner from the youth training team, was promoted to the main team, WeiWei, the jungler, was moved to AD carry, and Sofm was brought in.

The lineup itself isn't particularly impressive, but it's already starting to take shape.

Next up is IG, one of the former top three teams.

This one is even more heavyweight!
Former champion top laner Duke announced his departure from IG, and JKL did not accept IG's contract renewal and entered the free market. There are even rumors that JKL will join RNG!

And then came a bombshell – the factory manager retired!
LPL001, Disconnected!

In an instant, countless longtime viewers were moved to tears upon seeing this news.

It's like a dream in your heart being buried, never to see the light of day again.

However, not long after the news of Clearlove's retirement came out, EDG announced that coach Clearlove would be joining the team!

For a time, many viewers were completely baffled.

"???"

"Alright, alright, so you'll continue to contribute your remaining energy to the competition, right?"

"Got it. The head coach is warming up for next year's World Championship!"

"Haha, just kidding, can't a three-time world champion jungler become a coach?"

"Factory Manager: Next year, I will win another championship as a coach!"

"..."

In conclusion, EDG's move has brought the transfer window to a new high.

As the saying goes, pigs and dogs can't be separated.

News has broken from EDG's side.

RNG will naturally have plenty as well.

Perhaps because the results in S9 were so terrible, breaking team history, laughing all the way to the top 16, etc., all sorts of memes flew around.

Therefore, RNG's management decided to carry out a major overhaul.

First, the entire coaching team was replaced!
Coach Steak, assistant coach Dandy, and assistant coach Greentea all left the team, and Mata was brought in as coach, with Tabe as analyst.

Subsequently, it was officially announced that jungler Karsa, top laner AmazingJ, and substitute top laner LoveZrr had left the team.

Next, they brought in jungler Xiaolongbao from YM, the "Whampoa Military Academy" of esports, at a high price!
It seems they want to replicate the miracle of Ning and Xiaotian.

Finally, there's Uzi, who has garnered immense attention.

No longer a starter!

Instead, they started Betty as the AD carry.

In other words, although Uzi has not officially announced his retirement, he is basically in a state of retirement.

In an instant, countless RNG fans broke down in tears.

"Sigh, without Gouzi, RNG is doomed."

"Betty? That AD carry who couldn't even make a name for himself in the LMS, is coming to take over Uzi's job?!"

"Hey, he even abandoned Karsa and went to get a Little Dragon Burger. Wasn't this guy just hyped up by Ning and Xiaotian?"

"There's nothing to say. I hereby declare that I won't watch a single game without Uzi."

"..."

This is the end.

Two former star players in the LPL have gone from retirement to coaching to semi-retirement, with one retiring and the other becoming a coach.

It can be said that almost all the remnants of the old LPL era have disappeared.

And immediately after.

And then something even more exciting happened.

FPX.

This is a rising star team from the LPL that just won the runner-up title.

First, it was officially announced that substitute Xinyi would be transferred to RW.

Following that, FPX officially announced the acquisition of Khan from LCK as their starting top laner!

Immediately, many FPX fans reacted enthusiastically to this message, and surprisingly, there were quite a few cheers!
"Little Phoenix is ​​ambitious! They've actually filled their last gap! Gongzi is on defense, Hanzi is on offense, they've got everything at its maximum!"

"My house is not only sturdier, it's been reinforced? FPX, awesome! (winking face)"

"No, we just won second place, we have a good chance next year, why change the lineup?!"

"I heard that this was Gongzi's own request, as he wasn't feeling well."

"This lineup looks like it'll be ready for next year too!"

have to say.

As a newly emerging team, FPX was basically unknown before S9.

But in S9, FPX defeated SKT and IG all the way and finally made it to the finals, meeting EDG in Paris, which made the entire FPX famous overnight!
FPX's popularity is skyrocketing!

Therefore, a simple top lane rotation has sparked a lot of discussion throughout the LPL!
Just when everyone thought that this was enough to shock and stun,

Even more shocking news has emerged...

That means the peak of IG is now history, and this once invincible IG team has completely disbanded!

Coach Mafa left the team, and Karam was brought in.

Support player Baolan left the team and became a free agent, and Puff was brought in.

AD player Jackeylove left the team and became a free agent, and Southwind was brought in.

Leyan was brought in to play the jungle position for rotation.

In an instant, the entire internet went crazy!

The comments section under EDG's official Weibo account was absolutely chaotic!
"what?!"

"Huh? Am I still half asleep?"

"Are you all crazy, or am I?!"

"No way, has the principal lost his mind? Is he just quitting the game altogether?!"

"It's fake, right? It must be fake! You bastards, say something!!!"

"..."

Not to mention the audience.

Even the other LPL clubs were stunned!
IG, which was once on par with EDG, has crumbled just like that?
Coincidentally, EDG also announced that their three-time world champion bot laner, ADiboy, is leaving and will soon be transferring to the VG team.

Scout and Meiko signed maximum-salary one-year extensions, preparing to fight for another year, while top laners Flandre and Wang Yao have not yet made any moves to renew their contracts.

This means that the three-time champion team also faces the possibility of being dismantled during this year's transfer period, and their key player, Wang Yao, may be transferred!

Furthermore, the crucial AD position in the bottom lane is now vacant, which casts a sense of uncertainty and déjà vu over the entire EDG team.

In an instant, countless eyes from all over the world turned to it.

have to say.

The scale of the turmoil stirred up by EDG during the transfer period is probably unprecedented in the history of the LPL.

(End of this chapter)