It would be bizarre if there were no factions within an organization.
Internal conflicts exist within any group—this Gu Nan was well aware of, but it was really the first time he'd seen someone like Daoist Lingyang, who talked about factions so openly.
However, the old Daoist quickly gave his explanation.
One should know that all members of the Heaven-God Alliance were existences at the level of Star Rulers or gods, so they didn’t have a high demand for resources. Thus, it could be said that there were rarely any direct conflicts of interest.
In this case, instead of devolving into a chaotic mess, it would actually be better to divide the organization into clear factions, which would be more convenient for management and collaboration.
After all, factions didn't necessarily have to be in conflict with each other; they could also have a cooperative relationship.
In Daoist Lingyang's vision, the future Heaven-God Alliance would exist in the form of an alliance of several major factions. This idea was also accepted by Xue Ren and Zi Luo Elder.
"That doesn't sound too bad." Gu Nan was no stranger to this kind of organization. In fact, a certain well-known assassin organization also used a similar organizational framework.
Since Gu Nan had no objections, Daoist Lingyang handed him a list of gods who had applied to join the Heaven-God Alliance.
"We need to assess the strength and goals of the applicants, mainly the latter," Daoist Lingyang explained.
The strength of various gods wasn’t much of a secret. On the other hand, their motives for joining the Heaven-God Alliance warranted an investigation.
"Assess them in what way?" Gu Nan asked while looking at the names on the list.
"There are no restrictions. You can choose any method." Daoist Lingyang gave Gu Nan complete authority over the process. "It’s fine even if you forgo an assessment altogether and just recruit people directly.”
"But if something goes wrong, I, the faction leader, will need to be responsible?" Gu Nan raised an eyebrow.
"That's right. But ‘faction leader’ doesn’t sound very impressive, so I’ll have to think up a more imposing title in the future," Daoist Lingyang replied with a smile.
After knowing him for a while, one would realize that this old Daoist was actually quite a humorous person and wasn’t as old-fashioned as he looked.
Allowing core members to become leaders of their respective factions and developing new members by developing their factions wasn’t an inefficient choice.
And to ensure that no one would add people indiscriminately, there was also a reasonable accountability system holding the core members responsible for their factions.
It was no wonder that the other core members were so slow with their assessments. Perhaps they never had any intention of adding too many people in the first place.
As gods from this side, they already had their own network, so they could just directly choose people from there.
"Is Sylvia a core member?" The first thing Gu Nan thought of was naturally his card buddy.
"She has a lot of seniority, but she hasn't been very involved in the organization's affairs, so she's not considered core."
Daoist Lingyang paused a little, then added, "The older batch of members must also belong to a major faction. You can take Sylvia under your wing as long as she’s willing."
Gu Nan nodded noncommittally, then circled two names on the list.
"I’ll go with them. I think I have some idea of what these two are here for."
……
"You're actually going to accept Karina into the organization… I, I don't agree!"
In Gu Nan's room, card buddy Sylvia had just agreed to join Gu Nan's faction and was immediately shocked by the bombshell that followed.
That’s right—one of the two names Gu Nan circled was none other than the Wrestling Goddess Karina.
"Oh." Gu Nan nodded at Sylvia's protest. "It's your turn to play a card."
"All you care about is playing cards!" The Goddess of Shadows angrily threw aside her cards. "Do you know why Karina wants to join the organization?"
"If it’s not because of you, then it’s because of me…" Gu Nan answered without the slightest care. "By the way, Karina's card skills aren’t bad. Do you two want to try a round sometime?"
Sylvia left furiously, probably going off somewhere to find someone to complain to, while Gu Nan didn't care at all.
It was a waste to not use Karina, a combat power he can get for free. Besides, the one he was really interested in this time was the other god he chose.
David, the God of Labyrinths. His divine power was very special in nature and could create labyrinths impossible to escape from, as well as track something back to its origin.
His second ability was exactly what Gu Nan needed right now.
Gu Nan's Divine Kingdom was in the Myriad Heavens, so he wasn’t able to farm too many points on this side, but there were still plenty of good items worth acquiring in this territory he was familiar with.
For example, after getting Karina's broken spear, one can use it to unlock a treasure that contains an item that can help the Divine Kingdom immensely.
However, Gu Nan hadn't done this mission before and was still considering how to find the treasure’s location when David delivered himself to his door just in time.
……
In the Luxuriant Blossoms Divine Kingdom, Xue Ren and Daoist Lingyang were sitting across from each other.
"Gu Nan went to assess the newcomers, and Mad Fist ran off to challenge some gods. Are you still going to stop me?" Daoist Lingyang asked calmly as he stared at Xue Ren.
"Looks like you have already prepared everything." Xue Ren nodded, then sighed softly. "Still can't let go after all these years?"
Daoist Lingyang chuckled. "This is the only reason I joined the Heaven-God Alliance and have been planning for so many years—all for today."
"You won’t wait until the old man finishes his breakthrough? All of us can help you then." This was one of the rare times where no smile could be seen on Xue Ren's face, only seriousness.
"Senior Zi Luo has already saved my life, and all of you from the Heaven-God Alliance have nothing to do with this matter, so why drag you guys into this mess?" Daoist Lingyang’s expression was still full of calmness.
"You don’t believe you have any chance of success." Xue Ren stared into his old friend's eyes.
……
When Gu Nan met this God of Labyrinths, his downtrodden appearance almost startled Gu Nan.
Speaking of which, Gu Nan had also met the God of Labyrinths when he was playing the game, and David certainly did not look this miserable back then.
The God of Labyrinths was dressed in tattered clothes, and his face was covered in dirt and grime, as if he was a beggar who had wandered for a long time.
"You are David, right? Your appearance…"
"Your Excellency Gu Nan." David revealed a bitter smile. "I'm afraid I can only appear like this for the near future… I accidentally offended that one from Mist Town."
Gu Nan instantly understood when he heard that and laughed. "You offended Diana? Your courage is commendable."
God of Poverty Diana, one of the Three Sisters of Misery. Offending her was equal to being cursed by the God of Poverty, the God of Decline, and the God of Misfortune at the same time.
David, the God of Labyrinths, was famous for his ability to attract aggro. He could always offend people no matter where he went. So as soon as Gu Nan saw his name, he knew that this one must have come to take refuge.
"You want to join the Heaven-God Alliance?" Gu Nan asked bluntly without beating around the bush.
"Yes, Your Excellency." David straightened his clothes, making himself look barely presentable.
"This humble one has long heard of your noble organization's impressive reputation, and—"
"Alright, drop the flattery," Gu Nan interrupted. He didn't believe that this fellow, who was always terribly busy all year round, would know much about the Heaven-God Alliance.
While speaking, he brought out Karina's divine spear again.
"These two spear shafts are stained with the blood of the first Blacksmith God. Help me find the source of the blood, and the Heaven-God Alliance will be able to protect you."
David's face stiffened. "The first generation Blacksmith God—that was during the First Great War. It would take an unimaginable amount of divine power to find him…"
Gu Nan tapped his arm with a broken spear. "You'll lose all your divine power if you can't find him."
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