Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Wang Mian also spoke up: "One more thing, don't forget that not all players in our Dragon Kingdom are level 99. Many casual players and support players level up much slower to begin with. Also—" He glanced at Liu Nian, "besides our Dragon Kingdom players, there are many players who aren't on the same wavelength as Leon's group. People like Yelena and the War Bear Guild are helping out in Dragon City right now, they get along well with us, and they're very supportive. We can't just condemn everyone, can we?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Nian immediately pictured Yelena's exquisite face.

That woman wasn't particularly bright, but she was reliable and loyal. Back in the Underdark, she and her War Bear Guild brothers were truly fearless in their fight. And then there were those ordinary players who consistently contributed to the guild and never caused trouble…

Liu Nian nodded slightly; these people really couldn't be ignored.

Wu Zhan also fell silent.

Although he has a fiery temper, he always has a clear sense of right and wrong. He will scold those who deserve it to the death, and he will also help those who deserve it without hesitation.

"And what about those newcomers who just entered Cyber ​​Hell?" Yun Xiangrong added. "During the Ascension War, there will definitely be new players from the Dragon Kingdom joining. We can't just leave them out there to fend for themselves, can we?"

The group exchanged glances, all realizing the complexity of the problem.

There are approximately four thousand players in the Dragon Kingdom. Among these four thousand, there are combat players who are skilled in fighting, and there are also casual players who only know how to craft equipment, mine, and fish...

"So," Yun Xiangrong spread her hands, "I think we still have to fight this promotion war! But we can't do it like before, we have to adjust our strategy."

Wang Mian calmly analyzed, "Currently, the Dragon-themed guild has recruited about two thousand players. The remaining two thousand are a mixed bag—some are not strong enough, some are lone wolves who don't like joining guilds, some are in other small guilds, and some..." He paused, "...have some problems with their own ideology and stance, and have been excluded by us."

"We don't need to worry about the problematic ones," Wu Zhan waved his hand. "They brought this on themselves, so they can't blame anyone else. But we definitely can't abandon those who are honest and law-abiding, but lack the strength!"

Liu Nian, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up: "What are your thoughts?"

Wu Zhan's eyes lit up, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips: "You've come to the right person! What do you think about becoming a vassal?"

"Vassal?" The group of people were all taken aback.

Liu Nian raised an eyebrow, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "You mean...?"

He immediately understood Wu Zhan's idea: Wu Zhan wanted players from the Dragon Kingdom who were willing to ascend to become vassals of Liu Nian (a descendant of the Divine Dragon). In this way, regardless of whether they successfully ascended or not, they would already be considered a completely new faction.

Under normal circumstances, this kind of thing is impossible, because everyone is in the "newbie village" and has no chance to come into contact with players who have successfully leveled up.

However, Liu Nian's current situation is very special. He has successfully leveled up, but has not broken through level 99, so he is still staying in the "newbie village". This is equivalent to exploiting a loophole.

Furthermore, Liu Nian's own status as a city lord and leader grants him the right to accept vassals. (PS: This setting seems to have been omitted when I wrote the previous text: Not all players are qualified to accept players of other races; generally, it's the leader of a faction, at least at the city lord level, or the one with the strongest faction in terms of combat power.)

For players from the Dragon Kingdom, becoming vassals of the Dragonborn is essentially an extra buffer and safety net.

As everyone followed Wu Zhan's train of thought, their eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Become a vassal—

This means that regardless of whether Dragon Kingdom players succeed or fail in their ascension, they will automatically be categorized under the Dragonborn faction. If they succeed, they will still be Dragonborn; if they fail, they will remain human vassals of the Dragonborn faction and will not become monsters due to their failure in the ascension battle!

This is a perfect buffer and safety net mechanism!

As mentioned before, not all players are combat geniuses. Old Chen, the blacksmith, has maxed out his forging skills; he's good at blacksmithing, but asking him to fight pigmen is asking too much. Little Newbie, the fishing enthusiast, enjoys fishing by the river, leveling up entirely through the experience fish he catches. Asking him to take on leveling challenges? That's practically suicide.

And those healer players, their damage output is practically zero. They need their teammates to protect them even when fighting monsters in a party. Asking them to solo level-up bosses? Are you kidding me!

But once we became vassals, all these problems were solved!

Even more wonderful is—

"Becoming a vassal means being under your absolute control." Wang Mian also realized this, his eyes growing brighter. "Once they betray you, you don't even need to use the Banner of Exile; you have the right to banish them as ronin!"

"That's right!" Wu Zhan slammed his hand on the table, causing the flags in the sand table to sway wildly. "If any ingrates like Charles try to sneak in again, just kill them! We won't even need the exile flag!"

"And there's the most crucial point," Liu Nian said slowly, a hint of amusement in his voice, "As a race that has successfully ascended, if the Divine Dragon Descendants were to conquer the main cities of the three chaotic races—"

"What will happen?" Yun Xiangrong pressed.

Liu Nian's lips curled into a smile: "I think there's a high probability the system will classify it as 'an upgraded race defeating a non-upgraded race,' and directly 'devour' that city's main city status!"

hiss--

Several people gasped in shock.

Void Devouring means this city has vanished directly from the promotion battle's chessboard! In other words, this region has lost three main cities for nothing… The remaining three factions can only compete for the single promotion spot. Humanity already has no main cities; if they lose three more… then this region will never be able to promote!

"Damn it!" Wu Zhan cursed, "If we take down all three main cities of the Chaotic Three Races, wouldn't those Western trash be..."

"Not only will they not be able to advance, but they will also face the furious retaliation of the Demon Bear Clan or the Eagle Wings," Wang Mian added. "I don't think they can defeat them."

"Fight my ass!" Wu Zhan laughed loudly. "Those cowards can barely even take down a pig, let alone a demon bear with the Heart of Elune? Or are they going to fight an eagle with natural air superiority? Isn't that just suicide?"

"That makes perfect sense!" Yun Xiangrong exclaimed, slapping the table in admiration. "This kills several birds with one stone! Let me count them—first, it protects our own people in China; second, it eliminates the possibility of traitors; third, it puts those Western idiots in a very difficult position; and fourth, it cuts off their path to promotion! My goodness, when did our boss's brain become so sharp?"

Wang Mian said quietly, "Are you sure you're smart? Or just got lucky?"

"Get lost!" Wu Zhan laughed and cursed, but he couldn't hide the smugness on his face.

He'd suffered so many losses at the hands of those people, how could he not seek revenge? Did they really think I, Wu Zhan, was some kind of saint?!