Chapter 685. Is He Listening?~A Song for the Aspiring Clan~ (2)
And aside from the fact that the number of officers might be ‘slightly’ insufficient, there were also other parts that would normally cause concern.
“By the way, Commander, what if we send out invitations to join the clan’s officers and they refuse?”
“Hm? Refuse?”
“Yes, no matter how strangely loyal they are to you, no one can predict how people will act, right?”
“Hmm…that’s a valid point.”
As Jessica had just pointed out, even users who embody the concept of fanaticism wouldn’t react well if suddenly asked things like ‘Won’t you come dance with us?’ or ‘Shall we do group assignments together?’ or ‘Student, have you considered graduate school?’
In such cases, normal users would undoubtedly experience mental turmoil in various ways. Of course, at first, one could try saying something like ‘If you guys deny the empire now after all your talk about it before,’ causing them to proclaim ‘Oh yes, we are citizens of the empire!’ and somehow manage to sway them…
“Ultimately, though, it’s because Commander’s usual jokes haven’t strayed far from reality.”
“Heh, that’s true.”
No matter how positively one looks at it, it’s still just exchanging ‘cheap jokes,’ isn’t it?
Perhaps tying everyone together through empire-themed humor might last only up to a month after the clan is established. Afterward, complaints like ‘We can’t keep tolerating this boring nonsense forever’ or ‘This joke isn’t funny anymore, running the clan is hard’ would likely lead to mass desertions.
Thinking logically, it became increasingly clear that preparation was necessary on many fronts.
And after reflecting on this…
“…Hold on, does this mean we can’t actually form a clan?”
“Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem entirely wrong.”
This won’t work, that won’t work. The foundations I thought would support my clan-building ambitions turned out to be like milk nearing its expiration date—barely usable.
I felt my previously soaring confidence plummet to rock bottom.
“Also, Commander, have you discussed forming this clan with the ‘village chiefs’ you mentioned?”
“Ah…no, not yet. It just came to mind.”
“Then before we start talking about forming our clan, you should probably discuss it with those who would take on officer roles first.”
Jessica spoke calmly, without any particular emotion. Her words made me realize that I had simply acted impulsively on a sudden idea without any real preparation.
Nodding in agreement with Jessica, I opened the village chief chat window and decided to begin basic discussions about forming the clan step by step.
However, once we started, events unfolded that neither Jessica nor I, as reasonable and sensible individuals, could have anticipated…
<ul>
<li>[Everyone, I have a question.] (Icarus)</li>
<li>[What is it?] (Chen)</li>
<li>[?] (Murasama)</li>
<li>[Could it be some grand announcement about forming a clan? Haha] (Tsmelingvice)</li>
<li>[Nah, surely our Emperor wouldn’t do that. What’s up?] (Hasegi)</li>
<li>[About clans…do you guys know anyone interested?] (Icarus)</li>
<li>[Oh.] (Tsmelingvice)</li>
</ul>
Following the plan, I indirectly brought up the topic to the village chiefs. However, the moment I mentioned anything related to “clan creation,” chaos erupted.
<ul>
<li>[The Emperor has officially declared the establishment of the Empire!!!] (Chocolate Pasta)</li>
<li>[Let this news be known throughout the world!] (Hasegi)</li>
<li>[It’s real.] (Tsmelingvice)</li>
<li>[Do you want to create a clan? Okay, let’s go!] (Vermouth)</li>
<li>[What the hell?!] (Icarus)</li>
</ul>
Those crazy village chiefs seemed to momentarily freeze for ten seconds before their chat exploded into madness. And then…
<ul>
<li>[Ladies and gentlemen, there is an extremely important announcement!!!!!] (Tetrapod)</li>
<li>[??]</li>
<li>[Extremely important news, please listen, tenants or citizens.] (Bopallabbit)</li>
<li>[Why are the village chiefs making such a fuss all of a sudden?]</li>
<li>[Why indeed?]</li>
<li>[His Majesty Emperor Icarus has finally supported the creation of the clan-empire!!!!] (Oden)</li>
<li>[Hahaha]</li>
<li>[???]</li>
<li>[Is this some kind of hidden gem prank?]</li>
<li>[<Image: Icaros's chat capture.jpg>]</li>
<li>[Behold, His Majesty’s grand decision.] (BuildingOwnerProfit)</li>
<li>[You bastards, you’ve been hiding this all along.] (Icarus)</li>
<li>[Hahaha]</li>
<li>[Finally!]</li>
<li>[Finallyyyyyy!!!]</li>
<li>[Are we really becoming a clan?]</li>
<li>[Yeah, this is it.]</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>[What the hell is going on?] (Icarus)</li>
<li>[Your Majesty, please stay calm. We’ll prepare the coronation ceremony for you.]</li>
<li>[Haha]</li>
<li>[Gazaaa!!]</li>
<li>[Hey, you guys…] (Icarus)</li>
</ul>
Staring at the wildly chaotic chat window, I couldn’t help but curse both in the chat and in real life.
“What the hell is this?”
“Everyone seems incredibly prepared, Commander.”
Did I even directly bring up the topic?
Not only was it indirect, but I barely hinted at it with just a toe dipped in the water.
“I-I merely asked whether they liked the idea of forming a clan!”
“Even that much reveals your intentions clearly enough. Everyone seems genuinely enthusiastic.”
It’s like putting Mentos in cola—why are they reacting so explosively?
And those damn “so-called citizens” secretly planned everything for the clan creation without telling me.
<ul>
<li>[Will the fleet review be held at Daedalus?]</li>
<li>[Yes, bring your ships.]</li>
<li>[Should we bring the biggest ones?]</li>
<li>[We can notify galleries and acquaintances too, right?]</li>
<li>[Yes.]</li>
<li>[Should we contact Attila Clan and Blizzard Clan?]</li>
<li>[Attila has already surrendered, so they’re on our side now.]</li>
<li>[I’ve already contacted Blizzard.]</li>
<li>[How about our titles?]</li>
<li>[That sounds most appropriate.]</li>
<li>[Agreed.]</li>
<li>[Citizens from Tanhoizer region, please use the portal. It takes over three days one way to get here.]</li>
<li>[Of course, we’ll hurry.]</li>
<li>[Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Kraken.]</li>
<li>[Should we bring gifts?]</li>
<li>[Anyway, shouldn’t we invite representatives from the Four Great Clans too?]</li>
<li>[Already contacted them; they’re reading this chat now.]</li>
<li>[Great job, cheers!] (Humanity Representative)</li>
<li>[Haha, this is actually happening.] (Loki Representative)</li>
<li>[Okay.] (Justice Representative)</li>
<li>[Congratulations on forming the clan! ^^] (Magellan Representative)</li>
</ul>
Before I could say anything, they had already taken charge of organizing a fleet review, inviting neighboring clans and friends, and even contacting the representatives of the Four Great Clans to receive congratulatory messages.
Realizing that some sinister plot had unfolded behind my back, I fell into deep confusion.
