Future Gods

Summer, the rainy season. None of them leave the Blue Rain clubhouse if they can help it; even the G City natives can't stand the heat for long.

In the afternoon, it storms. The 15th Season went to New Excellent Era, led by their young general, Qiu Fei.

"So this boss hunting, how is it?"

"Terrible." Sometimes, Blue River envied how Yang Zhan had an excuse to devote all his time to the 17th Server. Unfortunately for him, the 10th Server's Blue Brook Guild was already well-established, and as a result Changing Spring enlisted him to go help kill some wild bosses in the Heavenly Domain. "Happy's team roster always comes to steal. You'd think over the summer, they might visit their family, take some time off from Glory, but no! The season's over, so they run directly to the game!"

"Oh, please let them have mercy on your poor soul."

Blue River makes a face. "See how you feel in two years' time, when you can't stop the Small Guild Alliance from snatching your lowly Level 65 boss."

His junior only laughs. How cruel the younger generation has become!

"This year, the summer once again didn't belong to Blue Rain. How old is the Vice-Captain this year?"

This year? Huang Shaotian.... "Twenty-seven? Twenty-eight? Hey, don't go hoping Lu Hanwen will inherit Troubling Rain soon. He still has a few years."

"Obviously. I just wanted to know how old he was."

Learn to make up better lies, bro. "No, you wanted to know if Huang Shaotian was getting too old for the Alliance."

"... Can't you give me a little face? You can't be a real Blue Rain fan if you aren't wondering how much longer the Sword and Curse will last."

A part of Blue River shakes his head. "They'll last for long enough that you shouldn't be worried about it now. You should get back to work before your Courting Holy Water dies."

"I'm in Congee City, they can't kill me! I wanted to ask you who you think should get the title of 'Battle God!'"

"Why are you asking me? None of them are on Blue Rain. They're all skilled."

"Tang Rou?"

"... She's certainly fierce."

"Sun Xiang?"

"Well, I wouldn't call him Samsara's ace." That's still Zhou Zekai.

"Qiu Fei?"

"I don't know! They're all skilled in different ways! Look, it's as if you took Ye Xiu and split him into three." Blue River ticks them off on his fingers, one by one. "Sun Xiang has One Autumn Leaf. Tang Rou fights like he did. Qiu Fei captains New Excellent Era. You decide, they all have a bit of Battle God within them."

"Well, is the new Excellent Era anything like the old?"

"It's like the Excellent Era that just created a dynasty, not the one that made Ye Xiu retire. But so is Happy. Both of them, they're fighting bitter battles against commercializing the Alliance. All their players are on the team because they love Glory... It makes me wonder how long it will last. But if Qiu Fei is the successor to the title of 'Battle God', it's because he takes after Ye Xiu's spirit most."

"Can't you apply that same logic to Tang Rou?"

"There's a difference. Happy has the early Alliance's passion, but Tang Rou does not represent the team. She has a determination and ferocity people would associate more with Han Wenqing. It's that she inherited Ye Xiu's brutal, simplistic playstyle that she represents a part of the Battle God."

"Then what about Sun Xiang?"

"He inherited the character called 'Battle God', that's all. He never studied under Ye Xiu, but he took One Autumn Leaf and the title they gave it."

"So what's the big deal about this Battle God debate, then, if it's the title given to One Autumn Leaf?"

"Because it's complicated. All titles are given because of what the account is most known for. 'Battle God' is more than just One Autumn Leaf… It has become what Ye Xiu stood for. Strength. Simplicity. Your love for Glory. In the rawest, most basic sense, the Battle God represents a legend. The top three Battle Mages each share a part of that legend, and the debate has become nothing more than what part of Ye Xiu was most important.

"To be honest, though… 'Battle God' is not Ye Xiu. He had the title first, but he's far more than what it implies. He isn't defined by One Autumn Leaf, his playstyle, or his rebirth. There's Happy, for one, his four championships and his status as a former Master Tactician. His reputation, too, back when he was still building a new start in the 10th Server. He isn't confined to the Alliance, and he isn't just a god of fighting. He's more than the 'Battle God'... He represents Glory.

"So when people ask me who's the new Battle God, I ask them 'why can't the three of them share the title?' None of them can take after Ye Xiu on their own, but together, at least they're a memory of his Battle Mage."

"Well." The corners of Yang Zhan's mouth twitch upwards, like he's trying to hold back a very bad joke. "They could make them share the title, but then how can we tell them apart? We might have to make up new names to differentiate them. Lady Battle God. Captain Battle God… Ah, um… Samsara Battle God."

"The more I listen to you, the more stupid I think I'm getting."

"Then pretend I never said anything! Disappointing that his Unspecialized's legacy can't continue, but maybe that's how he intended it? Nobody can kick dirt over his character and record now, the Alliance just has to dust off the old urban legend from time to time."

"He doesn't need to remind everybody of Lord Grim, trading rare materials with Happy ..." His face sours at the memories. "And they have Qiao Yifan now, as captain. I'd bet Ye Xiu is fairly satisfied about their placing third in playoffs. Wang Jiexi is definitely proud of his junior."

"Could he succeed Li Xuan?"

"... He raised One Inch Ash with his own hands. There will be a time when he takes on Li Xuan's reputation, but he'd never give up his own account for Crying Devil. Crying Devil will no longer be the number one Phantom Demon when Qiao Yifan inherits the title. The accounts will stay where they are, Crying Devil with Carved Ghost, carrying Void's legacy. Happy will snatch their reputation from under their feet." Like what they do with other team's players. Even after Ye Xiu's retirement, they still manage to be so shameless. Could it be contracted, like a disease?

"Then…" Yang Zhan raises both eyebrows, glancing questioningly at Blue River.

Are you even a real Blue Rain fan, kid?! "No, Sword and Curse isn't going to retire soon."

"But⁠—" He glances around, like he's about to talk about a government conspiracy. Considering that they're in Guangzhou… This level of caution might be appropriate, lest he get punched in the face by a more passionate Blue Rain fan. "You've been saying, these titles don't always remain with the account. What if little Lu doesn't become the next Sword Saint?"

"Like Liu Xiaobie can even contend? His only trick is hand speed."

"Are you saying that because he's in Tiny Herb? Hey, look, nobody can replicate Huang Shaotian's trash talk, but it's not like "Sword Saint" is permanently glued onto Troubling Rain." Yang Zhan frowns. "Right?"

"Well, the Sword Saint is staying on Blue Rain because Lu Hanwen will succeed the title, and it's staying with Troubling Rain because that's what Lu Hanwen will inherit."

"You don't even give Flying Sword a chance."

"He doesn't deserve one."

Pot, meet kettle. What did you say about the younger generation being heartless? "...At least say a few nice things about Gao Yingjie?"

"Not when he's succeeding Vaccaria."

How deep, exactly, does this hate run?! "He does nothing wrong! Don't bully him behind his back. Besides," He tilts his head in thought. "The Magician'll fade with Wang Jiexi, and he doesn't have much longer…"

"Good."

Yang Zhan almost coughs blood. Don't be so mean to your rivals, bro! "I'll stop asking. I mention any 'Herbs' and it suddenly looks like you're planning murder."

"Like how I should be. Huang Shaotian will definitely retire earlier than his captain, he depends on hand speed while Yu Wenzhou is mostly tactics. Even the captain will only have a few years by that point, so little Lu… He has to take his senior's place. They don't have the same playstyle, that much is true, but without Huang Shaotian on the team… He has to become some kind of Huang Shaotian. The whole team has to adjust when half its core is gone. The Sword and Curse will continue, but without their Master Tactician… The future's Blue Rain will be a far cry from what it is today.

"Think of it like Excellent Era was when they returned to the Alliance in Season 11. Lu Hanwen is our Qiu Fei, and he will have to carry the team's burden on his young shoulders. We'll have the same class composition, the same name and colors, but our playstyle, passions, our reputation… It's the successor's job to uphold it, or change it as they will."

"Well, Yu Wenzhou is hard to live up to. His successor isn't much of a Tactician, far as I know."

"Without him as captain, it looks like Blue Rain will experience a revolution. Yu Wenzhou is what keeps all these unique styles coordinated. There is no other person who can play tactics for the team; we don't have one of those so-called 'New Master Tacticians'. He may be talented, but the future of the team won't be kind to Lu Hanwen. It may be too heavy for him to handle himself… Perhaps in those first few years after the original Sword and Curse retires, Blue Rain's summers will shrivel up into a short period of winter. But they will adapt. They have to, if they remember our Glory. Spring will come, Blue Rain isn't the old Excellent Era. We would do anything to keep ourselves from falling from the peak."

"That… That's a bit hard to assume, would it? It's impossible for us to get relegated, but." At the thought of Blue Rain's downfall, Yang Zhan takes on a brooding expression. Worry. Determination. "In the Alliance's early years, Hundred Blossoms was comparable to powerhouses like Tyranny. They didn't win any championships simply because⁠—" He makes an uncomfortable snickering sound. "Excellent Era was too strong. I heard they were seriously struggling after Zhang Jiale left… And they only picked up after Yu Feng joined them…"

"I can only put so much faith into the team. I trust that Yu Wenzhou understands this, and that he'll send our little commander off fully prepared for the future, or as much as within his power."

"What would we do without a tactician? A 'Yu Wenzhou' is central to Blue Rain's strength. And it's not like we can ever poach Luo Ji from Happy, or steal Qiu Fei's vice-captain—"

"We'll persist. Blue Rain never went through so many changing seasons to only perish after the latest winter. Fans like us… Probably unlike you… We want consistency. We want Sword and Curse to stay forever, but these last three or four years is a blessing enough. The teams will have to change as the players age and leave, and the only thing keeping rookies at carrying on these memories is their own sentimentality. We can't expect future gods, different generations, to be the same as the old. They want to carve out their own paths. How boring would the Alliance become if we're all rejecting fresh blood and keeping that tired old heart beating? What's this about a new Battle God, the Four New Master Tacticians, new Excellent Era? They don't have to cling onto the past."

"And you don't have to cling onto calling me a fake fan."

Blue River almost rolls his eyes. "Here, listen, I'll even say something nice about Tiny Herb. It's a good thing the title of 'Magician' stays with Wang Jiexi. Gao Yingjie shouldn't spend his career trying to fill in those shoes. They shouldn't expect Happy under Qiao Yifan to as shameless or domineering. When Lu Hanwen takes Blue Rain's mantle in a couple years, I hope they don't expect him to magically turn into Huang Shaotian. But I've been speaking for so long, I'm starting to feel dizzy." He turns his attention back towards his computer. "Idling in Congee City isn't very becoming of a guild leader, you know."

"Neither is hiding from your obligation to hunt wild bosses!"

Yang Zhan's protests fall on deaf ears, muffled by a headset. He sighs and starts wandering back to his seat, mumbling something about biased seniors or the like.

"What the hell, fifteen years? Give me thirty. The pantheon's only gonna grow."