Crown of the Cutting Edge

The immersion was simply too strong.

Cheng Shuili watched for a while, and it felt as if she had been transported back to the days when she was job hunting.

Back then, due to certain circumstances, everything was done through online interviews, and this was a perfect recreation of that experience.

The two of them were so completely immersed in their work that they didn't even notice when Cheng Shuili arrived.

After watching for a while and confirming that everything was running smoothly, Cheng Shuili simply returned to her vehicle to grab a meal.

Once these two were finished with their tasks, it would be her turn to get busy.

...

After asking the final candidate their questions, Zhou Zhuxing and Ailin let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.

Cheng Shuili spoke up at just the right moment, "How did it go?"

Both of them were startled.

Zhou Zhuxing took a deep breath and began her report, "There were over a thousand private message applications, but only about two hundred met the hard requirements. Ailin and I did a preliminary screening to filter out those with obviously flippant attitudes or impure motives. There are about one hundred and fifty people left who need further vetting. Here is the list and some brief notes."

Cheng Shuili took the notebook that Zhou Zhuxing handed over.

Ever since Zhou Zhuxing lost access to her interface, she hadn't used electronic devices much, but this kind of record-keeping was actually quite nice—simple, clear, and easy to grasp at a glance.

Cheng Shuili scanned it. The list was densely packed with IDs, primary abilities, and brief first-impression evaluations from Ailin or Zhou Zhuxing, such as:

"Good combat awareness, but a bit arrogant."

"Combined bachelor's and master's degree in clinical medicine; a professional."

"Bachelor's degree in automotive repair; worked as an automotive engineer after graduation; a professional."

"Looks very nervous, but claims to be a fan of the boss; doesn't feel like a good fit."

It all looked quite professional.

The reputation of the Crow's fans had taken a bit of a hit, but...

"You've done well."

Cheng Shuili affirmed, "Thank you for your hard work. I'll handle the next round of screening. You two go get something to eat first. Send for Jiang Tang and have her notify those who met the requirements to prepare for my private chat interview in the order of the list."

The two of them clocked out, and Jiang Tang and Cheng Shuili started their shift.

Jiang Tang was still wearing her little dinosaur pajamas. She had just finished eating, and hearing that the boss had summoned her, she had specifically made sure not to bring any snacks.

Following Ailin's instructions, she contacted the people on the list one by one.

Cheng Shuili sat in the main seat, opened the private chat function, and began the interviews!

She had given this matter some thought.

Although she hadn't been an interviewer in her previous life, she had at least seen how things worked, hadn't she?

Furthermore, as a lord, she already had ideas about how her faction should develop and what kind of members she needed.

Everything is difficult at the start, but once she had a clear train of thought, everything else became simple.

Cheng Shuili's interview style was more direct, perhaps even a bit "brutal." She didn't care if the candidates were nervous, nor did she care how they boasted about their strength. Her questions were sharp and to the point, or designed specifically to test their bottom lines.

"Setting aside the pleasantries, tell me directly: what is the main thing you hope to gain by joining my faction? Safety? Resources? Power? Or something else?"

There were plenty of similar questions.

These questions caused many players who were harboring wishful thinking or just trying to bask in the glory of a top player to reveal their true colors.

There were also those who, despite being nervous, answered with sincerity and honesty, showing enough genuine character.

The entire interview process lasted nearly two hours, and Cheng Shuili selected over eighty people from the one hundred and fifty candidates.

These eighty-plus individuals met her requirements in terms of strength, character, expertise, and identification with the faction.

They could be considered her first batch of strategic partners!

"Alright, that's it."

Cheng Shuili handed the finalized list to Jiang Tang, "Have Guanghui notify these eighty-plus people that they can pay their sincerity deposit now. Once paid, invite them directly to join Black Feather."

"Got it, boss!" Jiang Tang was also very happy. She tapped on Guanghui's small window and followed Cheng Shuili's instructions to arrange the tasks.

Guanghui had always been efficient.

Soon, system notifications began to pop up one after another on Cheng Shuili's faction panel:

【Player "Rock Shield" has joined the faction!】

【Player "Firefly" has joined the faction!】

【Player "Mu Yu Cheng Feng" has joined the faction!】

...

The new members excitedly greeted each other in the faction channel or introduced themselves, and the atmosphere was incredibly lively.

Cheng Shuili said a few casual words and gave a brief introduction to the warehouse functions, but didn't say much else.

As for things like cohesion and a sense of belonging...

Expecting those from members who had only just joined a day ago would be asking too much, wouldn't it?

Just as Cheng Shuili was thinking this, a panel suddenly popped up in front of her.

【Your faction has earned the "Crown of the Cutting Edge" title! This title is determined by a comprehensive assessment of territory area, faction headcount, and overall faction strength! Congratulations on breaking through the competition among numerous factions! Would you like to issue a full-server announcement?】

【Crown of the Cutting Edge: Faction title, automatically takes effect upon acquisition. Increases the Cohesion Aura by 1% permanently!】

Cheng Shuili was stunned, her eyes lighting up immediately.

This was an unexpected surprise; she hadn't expected there to be faction titles.

But then she became puzzled. She had started recruiting relatively late, so how could this title possibly fall to her?

Cheng Shuili looked closely at the prompt, and when she saw the words "territory area," everything became clear.

So, that was considered part of a faction's strength as well. If it came down to that, very few people could actually compare to her.

Cheng Shuili smiled brightly and clicked "Yes"!

Good news like this must be announced to the world!

【Full-Server Announcement: Congratulations to the player Angry Crow Takes Flight for establishing the faction Black Feather, which has earned the "Crown of the Cutting Edge" title! This is hereby commended as a token of encouragement!】

The golden, flashing full-server announcement scrolled across the screen three times, followed by a voice broadcast, instantly dropping a bombshell on the entire player base.

The faction channel was silent for a split second, and then messages surged out like a volcanic eruption!

"Holy crap?! Full-server announcement?! Boss is a beast! Black Feather is a beast!"

"Crown of the Cutting Edge! Are we actually the first faction to receive a title?"

"Hahaha, just joined and caught a full-server announcement. This sincerity deposit was well worth it!"

"Cohesion Aura +1%! Although it's not much, it's permanent! Amazing!"

"Worship the boss! Followed the right person!"

The already lively channel was instantly submerged in emotions of wild joy and pride.

This announcement acted like a shot of adrenaline, giving the new members who had just joined and were still strangers to one another a shared sense of honor and a common topic. That Cohesion Aura, which required team formation to take effect, seemed to have begun working silently and imperceptibly.

Cheng Shuili watched the channel, which was instantly flooded with messages, and the corners of her mouth curled upward.

This was exactly the effect she wanted; not only would it boost internal morale, but it would also further spread the name of "Black Feather"!

It really was a wonderful piece of good news!

Cheng Shuili opened the regional channel and looked at what everyone else was saying.

"Holy crap?! Full-server announcement?! Crown of the Cutting Edge?! Black Feather already got a title?!"