"Lord Shanhai!"
Seeing Lin Feng arrive, Li Xieqian quickly stood at attention like a well-behaved student.
His attitude towards Lin Feng was visibly different from before.
After exchanging greetings, Li Xieqian introduced the others to Lin Feng.
Lin Feng committed their faces to memory and nodded at them.
"Wait here for a moment, I'll go get certified and be right back..."
With that, Lin Feng left first.
These people gathered here, no doubt, to show their faces before him and profess their loyalty.
Lin Feng understood their deeper intentions too; they likely wanted to ascertain his modus operandi so as not to cross him.
He couldn't say whether he liked or disliked such overt behavior; it was simply normal.
However, to Lin Feng, these individuals were just minor characters. He had no intention of settling down and developing within Black Robe.
As soon as Lin Feng left, the atmosphere in the room eased, and the others resumed their seats.
"Up close, Lord Shanhai is truly young..." Hai exclaimed.
This was the first time he had seen Shanhai up close. Although he had heard about him and watched the faction war on the terminal, seeing him in person was far more real.
"But he doesn't seem as terrifying?"
"This seems different from the records?" Hannah muttered, not loudly, but clearly audible to everyone present given their strength.
The records described Shanhai as exceptionally volatile, but Hannah's first impression was of a boy next door, sunny and prone to smiling.
Li Xieqian shook his head.
"Don't underestimate him. You must show him the respect he deserves, or you don't know when that thing on your neck will be gone!"
Li Xieqian pointed meaningfully at his own head.
Having lived for so many years, Li Xieqian, though not the most senior among them, was certainly the most cautious and cunning.
Yet, even such a Li Xieqian had never been able to fully comprehend Shanhai.
Shanhai's actions, in his eyes, were completely devoid of logic or discernible patterns.
Hannah rolled her eyes. She wasn't an idiot and had no intention of deliberately provoking Shanhai.
The blond middle-aged man remained silent, listening to their discussion.
In a corner sat a man who had remained silent the entire time, an incongruous figure.
As the group conversed softly, Lin Feng returned in a short while.
Led by a maid, Lin Feng quickly completed the internal certification.
The process was simple and swift. The moment Lin Feng killed Jin Henry, he had already gained clearance within the internal system; only the final handover was needed.
"Uh... go get some more tea, please."
Lin Feng said to the maid, not bothering to ask her name, as he felt it unnecessary.
The maid nodded and obediently left.
Seeing Lin Feng return, the group once again adopted the posture of elementary school students.
Lin Feng found it somewhat amusing and walked over to sit in the main seat.
"There's no need to be so formal. You're all waiting for me here, wanting to know if there will be any new regulations or changes to the faction after I take over the Fifth Faction, aren't you?"
Lin Feng cut straight to the chase, directly stating their purpose.
No one felt awkward; they were all smart people, and their intentions were transparent.
However, Lin Feng's directness in addressing the matter was something they noted.
One of Lord Shanhai's characteristics was his straightforwardness; he disliked beating around the bush.
Lin Feng continued, "I can state clearly here that your positions will not change for the time being."
"All the faction's rules and regulations will also remain as they are for now."
Regarding the current rules and regulations, Lin Feng had only skimmed them on the terminal and hadn't thoroughly reviewed them yet.
These rules were all devised by Jin Henry. While seemingly fair, they were, to varying degrees, beneficial to Jin Henry.
Lin Feng planned to review them carefully after today's business. If anything was unsuitable, he would change it.
This planet was merely a cog in his grand plan. It was important in its way, but also, in another way, not so much.
Upon hearing that their positions would not be altered, the five individuals collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
He had addressed their most pressing concern right off the bat. Indeed, Shanhai was the kind of leader they had imagined – direct and concise.
This was far better than Jin Henry, who used to act like a riddle-maker, making people guess his meaning for ages.
With their main concern resolved, the atmosphere in the room immediately became more relaxed.
"In that case, thank you, Lord Shanhai." The blond middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting with a smile.
He lowered his head slightly, displaying his deference.
"To celebrate Lord Shanhai's ascension, our Sequence is willing to increase our annual resource feedback by twenty percent!"
The Second Sequence was required to submit annual resources to its superior First Sequence, which included various high-value materials and items.
These items were converted according to mission tiers. For example, a faction was required to submit at least fifty S-tier missions annually, along with various other tiered missions. This detail will not be elaborated upon further.
"This is excellent."
Lin Feng nodded, his expression unreadable, giving no hint of his thoughts.
More resource feedback was merely a way of buying peace of mind with money.
Lin Feng was indifferent to these development resources; they were of little use to him. However, he would accept them if offered. After all, why refuse something given freely?
Besides, if Lin Feng refused, the blond middle-aged man would likely feel uneasy.
Seeing the blond man's declaration, the others cursed him internally as shrewd and immediately stated their willingness to increase their feedback by twenty percent as well.
Smiling obsequiously on the outside, their hearts ached with blood.
Twenty percent meant at least ten more S-tier missions and a considerable amount of other resources.
Ten percent was insignificant, but twenty percent undoubtedly stung. Still, they couldn't possibly offer less than the blond middle-aged man. What if Shanhai took a disliking to them later and caused trouble?
Lin Feng accepted their offers with a smile, dismissing the matter briefly.
"Let's not dwell on that for now. I have some information I need to inquire about."
"Please, ask anything you wish, Lord Shanhai."
Li Xieqian was the first to respond.
"Did Jin Henry have any 'Death Guards'?" Lin Feng asked, while observing their expressions.
'Death Guards' here did not refer to the wisecracking mercenary, but rather individuals cultivated by Jin Henry, akin to fanatically loyal followers.
Although Jin Henry was gone, if such devoted followers existed, they would not obey Lin Feng. Most likely, they would secretly plot against him.
As factions grew larger, this was an unavoidable issue.
Those fanatical followers were akin to the Kryptonians Lin Feng might cultivate. If Lin Feng were to perish, those Kryptonians would not only refuse to submit to his killer but would also charge in suicidally to avenge him.