Chapter 187: Roster Officially Announced! A Great Earthquake in the Transfer Period!

Due to the sudden changes, Ye Bo has been quite busy these past two days.

A transfer is no small matter; many complex issues require coordination, such as commercial addendums in contracts and a series of rights and interests that must be confirmed and signed in advance.

After all, these are Ye Bo's own rights, so he does not resist flying across the country for several days in a row—his only requirement is that he must have ten and a half hours of "sleep time" every day.

There is no way around his real-life training time being occupied, but the trial grounds cannot be occupied any further; this is Ye Bo's bottom line.

As for that extra half hour every day, a person needs time for entertainment, after all!

It was just these past few days.

News of the LPL transfer period has already begun to fly everywhere, with rumors half-true and half-false.

The audience finds it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood, but they are certainly enjoying the drama.

He Youjun moves quickly and is very proactive; after arranging to bring Deft and Beryl to China, he did not immediately settle them at the Shenzhen home base—instead, he brought them to the Magic City first.

Beryl treats it like a vacation and is happy to see it; besides, having just arrived in a foreign land, he certainly wants to accompany Deft.

As for Deft coming to the Magic City.

"Oh, my old Alpaca!!" Ming Kai gave the other party a big hug as soon as they met.

Meiko, standing to the side, quickly walked up as well, and the two embraced excitedly once more.

Deft was clearly also very high-spirited: "The base has really changed a lot."

The EDG base building was completed in early 2015, and Deft had trained in this building back then; returning to his old stomping grounds, he was filled with mixed emotions.

Viper and Jiejie greeted this "senior" in every sense of the word one after another.

Beryl looked a bit shy, nodding and waving from behind.

"Let's go! I'll take you for a proper tour, and we'll eat at the base for lunch!"

"Uh, this... this, there's no need for that." Deft suddenly had a conditioned reflex when he said this, and even his Chinese seemed to become a bit more fluent.

"Don't worry, Brother Alpaca, the base cafeteria has changed; now the brats from the branch next door are crowding in every day to mooch a meal~" Ye Bo joked while pulling him along.

Everyone burst into laughter.

He Youjun stood to the side watching.

This man is also a shrewd operator; he knows that these few people on his team all have deep feelings for EDG, including the most important one, Ye Bo, and perhaps they never even wanted to leave EDG in the first place.

Therefore, maintaining a good relationship with EDG is definitely a plus in the hearts of these players and can only be beneficial for team building.

"Boss He, care to join us?" Ming Kai also knew what He Youjun was thinking and specifically invited him.

"Ah, no worries, no worries. It just so happens I have some people I need to meet later... Actually, I do have an uninvited request: later, could I borrow the base equipment? I've scheduled tryouts for a few junglers. If we can finalize one, we'll head back to Shenzhen together tomorrow."

"Of course, no problem. Just tell me if you need anything."

V5 is only missing a jungler, and EDG's jungler, Jiejie, is already a fixed choice, so there is no risk of leaks.

He Youjun is quite anxious about the roster announcement.

He is very clear about his current advantages.

With V5's current lineup, it holds huge appeal for the vast majority of players; as long as they extend an olive branch, it is estimated that few people could refuse—what he fears is actually having no one left to talk to by the end!

For V5, now is the time for speed; dragging it out for one more day could lead to accidents, and who knows if the desired player has already signed elsewhere.

At the dining table.

A happy Ming Kai raised his soda can.

"Today, we can consider it a homecoming for three generations of EDG members!"

"From me, Alpaca, and Meiko, to Xuanjun, Jiejie, and Viper, to our Master Ye, everyone has worked hard."

"We'll send Viper home later, and send Master Ye, Xuanjun, and Alpaca to their new home. Anyway, before we leave, let's use Pepsi as a substitute for wine and have a toast!"

Ming Kai's eloquence is only strong when he's talking trash; once he has to speak from the heart, he has to shrug like a bear, speaking in a stuttering mess.

But even so, the genuine emotion in his words still touched everyone.

Everyone clinked their colas together.

The crisp sound of the clinking was like the beating of several hearts and the transmission of unspoken warmth.

Beryl had a strange point of focus... why are all the drinks in this club Pepsi!?

However, he held back and didn't ask.

"Zhao Lijie, you'd better be careful next time we meet, oh. Master Ye and I won't go easy on you; just watch how we beat you to a pulp!" Li Xuanjun teased arrogantly.

"Oh right! Then I'll have to observe your new jungler carefully later!" Jiejie also joked back: "And I've been connected to Master Ye's Wi-Fi for so long, maybe I can figure out a counter-strategy!"

"That might be a bit difficult; maybe by then, our jungler will switch networks several times in one match~" Ye Bo said, seemingly with deep meaning.

"But Saint Gun Brother is right, oh. When we're on the field, we won't go easy on you! Brother Viper, you too; everyone must do their best!"

Viper smiled slightly and nodded: "Of course we can't go easy. I heard MSI is going to be reformed this year, and one region can send two teams. I hope we can meet at MSI then."

"That's for sure! We'll see each other soon!"

Starting from 2023, MSI has undergone huge changes; both the Chinese and Korean regions can send up to two teams, greatly increasing the competitiveness.

V5 naturally has the confidence to aim for one of those spots!

And GEN, where Viper has gone, is itself the boss of the league's internal wars, so they have pretty much locked in a spot.

However, it's a bit hard to say for EDG now...

It was as if they were timing it perfectly.

Just as everyone finished their meal, He Youjun brought people back to the base... only his mood didn't look very high.

"An unexpected situation occurred."

Only after everyone asked did they find out.

The thing He Youjun was worried about had happened—the other teams moved too fast!

Although He Youjun had blocked the news as much as possible, the word inevitably leaked out. It didn't take long for other teams to know V5's lineup and the jungler position they were missing.

All the top teams immediately rushed to secure their own intended junglers, and at the same time, several popular choices on the market were suddenly given extra attention.

"I had already talked to Tian, and it was agreed he would come for a tryout today; he also expressed great interest." He Youjun looked troubled.

"But I don't know what Guo Hao said to him; just now, Tian signed to stay with TES, and the salary wasn't any different from what we offered..."

"Not only that, the competition for several of the most popular junglers is now extremely fierce."

Because the quota for outside regions is full, non-Korean players like Karsa, Junjia, and SofM cannot be included in the selection range for the jungler position.

There are not many domestic jungler candidates that V5 can choose from.

In total, there is only Wei, Weiwei, Tian, Leyan, H4cker, Beichuan, XLB, and Xun.

Among them, Tian has already been quickly snapped up by TES.

The remaining top-priority ones are undoubtedly the two "Wei"s.

And as the jungler for RNG last year, Xiao Wei won the 2022 MSI championship with the team and is undoubtedly the hottest choice of the transfer period.

Weiwei was a very stable player for BLG last year, and his performance during the team's "three super-core" lineup period wasn't bad either; he can be considered a very stable player among functional junglers.

"Can neither of them come?" Ye Bo also felt it was a bit tricky.

He Youjun looked apologetic, feeling that he hadn't been able to fulfill his previous big talk.

"I originally heard that Bai Xing was going to use Wei to pay off debts, and BLG also seemed to want to trade Weiwei, so I thought there was a chance to compete for them... but Bai Xing and the WBG top brass are relatives! These two parties had actually reached an agreement in private long ago!"

Ye Bo also suddenly remembered.

It seemed that when the WBG manager was making promises to him before, he had mentioned that they would package RNG's mid and jungle.

"Then what about Weiwei?" Saint Gun Brother asked.

He Youjun looked helpless: "The accident I mentioned is this: BLG also took a fancy to Wei; they are preparing to use 20 million in transfer fees plus Weiwei to trade with WBG for Wei!"

"It is said that it's because Wei's ability to protect lanes is stronger; this is a point their top laner made. Oh right, they also want to buy IG's rookie Xun as well."

Everyone finally understood why He Youjun was so worried.

Not to mention that the contracts of both Weis were locked, they simply couldn't get a foot in.

After He Youjun put together the current four-man lineup, although the budget left for the jungler position wasn't small, it clearly couldn't withstand paying another sky-high transfer fee.

And with Tian + both Weis all locked up, there are really less than a handful of candidates left outside.

"But I have already brought everyone else who can try out." He Youjun still had one piece of good news.

"Xun, Beichuan, Leyan, Xiaohao, and our previous jungler XLB will all be here soon."

Ye Bo recalled these IDs in his mind.

To be honest, he didn't have much of an impression of them on the field; the one he had the most impression of was even Leyan—and that was because of his "One Shot, One Dragon" play in ranked!

As for Xun, who was at IG this season.

Because IG was already rotten to the core last season, even letting go of the last veteran, Rookie, and finishing third from the bottom in the annual league standings—in the words of netizens, it was "purely roadside"!

In a tanking team, Xun naturally couldn't have had any achievements or on-field performance, and his market value was pitifully low.

BLG bought him, it is said, because someone wanted to play "Brother Alliance," and anyway, it was almost at a minimum wage salary; it just so happened that they failed to bid for Left Hand in the mid lane, and they had so much budget they didn't know where to spend it...

Deft relayed the situation to Beryl.

However, Beryl's expression didn't change much, as if he didn't care too much.

"Anyway, our requirements for the jungler position really aren't high. If the rhythm is bad or the awareness is lacking, it can all be changed; Master Ye and I can help them train!"

"The main thing is that their hands must be solid; if that doesn't work, it really can't be changed..."

After hearing the translation, He Youjun immediately replied: "Good, anyway, you four can decide later."

Before long, the personnel arrived.

The tryouts officially began.

The content of the tryout was also very simple—directly pull EDG people to play 5v5!

Factory Manager will make do as the mid laner, Jiejie will sub in for the top laner, leaving the jungler positions on both sides empty.

Anyway, the people laning won't initiate attacks at all; it just depends on the junglers' own choices and operations. It can be said to be a relatively intuitive testing method.

"Everyone relax and play, don't be nervous!" Before starting, Ye Bo was still comforting the few people being tested.

However, it must be said.

These few people were clearly more nervous than the last.

After all, these were all players from "fringe" teams, and compared to V5, a lineup that looked like it was full of star players, the contrast was extremely sharp.

Of course, that was also why.

In the eyes of these people, each one carried a huge longing.

Finally, after several rounds of practical testing.

All the examinees went downstairs to wait for the verdict, while the four members of V5 were having an internal discussion.

"How does it feel? Are there any usable ones? If there really aren't..." He Youjun spoke up from the side.

"There is!" "There is!"

Two different voices rang out at the same time; it was Ye Bo and Beryl.

The two turned to look at each other.

Though they were not yet very familiar with each other, they saw an inexplicable sense of tacit understanding.

Seeing the "two brains" of the team give the same affirmative answer, He Youjun was immediately relieved.

And the unified answer given by the two was—Xun.

"Xun? His performance just now didn't seem to be the best, though..." He Youjun recalled the performance just now.

Ye Bo spoke a fair word: "I feel this is the type we need. As for the performance, it might also be an issue of being in a nervous state."

Beryl also nodded: "There are indeed some small problems, but comparing it comprehensively, I think... I don't think he will be weaker than Wei!"

RNG was defeated by DRX in the S12 Play-ins, and he knew Wei's playstyle very well; it was a choice of utility plus shot-calling.

It was not the type of "hitter" they wanted to find.

Deft and Flandre didn't express any opinions, and seeing the two nod, He Youjun no longer hesitated.

"No problem! Then we've settled on him!"

"Wait a moment..." Beryl stood up again to find the translator: "Help me tell Player Ye and President He, if possible, I think there is one more person who is also good."

Hearing the relay, Ye Bo immediately had an idea.

"Is the one you want to talk about that Lee Sin player?"

"Yes! You thought the same, right!" Beryl's expression was clearly a bit excited as he listened: "It's that Beichuan, I don't think he is worse than Wei either!"

Xun and Beichuan had extremely similar experiences.

Neither of them could be considered "professionally trained from scratch"; both first made a name for themselves in the ranked solo queue, and many players already knew their IDs before they entered the professional scene.

But the previous teams of these two people—one was IG, which had already started to slack off, and the other was even more of a slacker king, T2.

However, this type of player is actually not rare, and only a minority can make it—for example, former EDG top laner Xiaoxiang, LDL jungler Xiaohuangren, and Able.

But there are also positive examples—such as LNG jungler Tarzan, and current KT starter Cuzz.

Not to mention there is a "most successful positive case."

Ye Bo also made it out that way!

"Understood, I will go communicate immediately." He Youjun nodded.

"These two are actually both very cheap, signing them both won't be a burden at all; it just depends on their own willingness, whether they are willing to compete for the starting spot."

Obviously, only a fool would refuse.

If Xun went to BLG, he would still have to compete with Wei for the starting spot; there is no difference.

Not to mention that Wei is an MSI champion jungler, while Xun is currently a nobody who hasn't even made the playoffs; it is simply hell-level competition!

Beichuan was even more aware of how much his team was slacking off; staying in such a team, he didn't know when he would be able to wait for a chance to rebuild and turn things around, so it was better to go to V5 and give it a shot.

Not to mention that both of them were extremely clear.

How precious this opportunity was for players like them... This could be seen from the extremely envious eyes of the others!

After all, even taking a step back—just staying on the bench and sitting on the bench with this team for a year would absolutely result in earth-shaking changes!

He Youjun led the two back into the room.

The expressions of the two were clearly still full of relief after extreme surprise.

Although He Youjun didn't understand the game that well, he understood human nature very well—he had just privately told the two that it was Ye Bo and Beryl who chose them.

Just because of this, it is thought that the future mid-jungle-support synergy will naturally eliminate some barriers.

"Hello Brother Ye! Hello Brother Ye!" Xun came up and caught Ye Bo to greet him first, then prepared to greet the others behind him one by one.

"Master Ye!! I'm an old fan, I'm your fan!" Looking at Beichuan, he was clearly a master of surfing the internet, and he exposed his fan status as soon as he came up.

Xun instantly sensed something was wrong.

Damn!!

You kid are already "competing" now, aren't you?!

He hurriedly followed suit and changed his words: "Master Ye! I am also your fan! Really!"

"From now on, we are all teammates, let's work hard together!" Ye Bo was very friendly to the two newcomers and enthusiastically hugged them one by one.

Flandre in the back also received a wave of greetings from the two competitors.

It could be seen that they really wanted to improve!

Deft's attitude was as gentle as ever; he was also one of the few big brothers who didn't have those bullying habits from the LCK, otherwise, he wouldn't have such a reputation among his past teammates, and he nodded friendly to the two respectively.

As for Beryl, still due to language issues, he just awkwardly smiled and waved at the two.

Seeing that things were settled, Mingkai walked up with a smile and leaned on Ye Bo's shoulder: "Master Ye, now you know what it means to grow up, you have reached the time when people will say they are your fans~"

Ye Bo didn't mind at all and put his arm around him: "Don't be like that, Manager, I heard that next season you will be our EDG's true head coach, I will still say this to you then!"

Mingkai had a new job for the new season.

After all, Maokai was nominally a proper two-time champion coach, and his salary level was top-notch, so he had received many invitations.

And during this period, especially in that month of the World Championship, Mingkai could be said to have learned a lot from Ye Bo.

Not learning knowledge, but learning the other person's "research method."

So, as a coach who was originally just a figurehead, he was finally ready to officially take up the banner for the new season, which could be considered sharing the burden for the team.

Seeing that the overall situation was settled, the heavy stone in He Youjun's heart finally fell.

"To celebrate! Let's all have a meal together tonight, as a commemoration of us being together for this glorious EDG!" He Youjun spoke again with high emotional intelligence.

With the other side's attitude being so good, Mingkai naturally had no reason to brush off the other's face, and agreed readily.

At this time, Xun suddenly thought of something and asked quietly with some hesitation: "By the way, big bosses, who is our coach?"

He Youjun smiled: "Our competition training team is very professional, we have everything we should have, as for the head coach..."

He pointed to the two people in front.

"Look, the two head coaches are right here, you must respect the coaches more in the future~"

"Yo, that's great!"

This was also something V5 had decided a few days ago.

V5's competition training team, analysis department, data department, and information department had everything they should have; what was missing was a leading head coach.

Competition for popular coaches was fierce, and basically, they had all been locked in; the only one outside with a chance was Maokai.

Originally, He Youjun had his eye on Maokai, but later, Flandre put forward a bold suggestion.

Mainly because in S12, EDG and DRX—neither team was almost ever coached during the draft!

It could be said that the two "best coaches" were right here.

Then what kind of coach did they need?

Just like that rookie coach of DRX, Beryl still had to explain to him why he wanted to pick this champion when picking, which was completely redundant and useless.

He Youjun was naturally happy with this, and he was also very "sensible."

He decisively made the decision to use the budget for hiring a coach as a bonus for Ye Bo and Beryl; he would never let them work for free!

The 2023 season V5 team.

Just like that, inside the EDG base, it was officially announced to be established!

That night.

He Youjun held a banquet at the Peace Hotel on the Bund in Shanghai as a farewell.

Professional players were all disciplined and not allowed to drink, so they used Pepsi instead; only He Youjun and Mingkai had a few drinks as representatives.

Everyone chatted about the future, recalled the past, and joked around in the private room.

The pleasant atmosphere seemed to temporarily cover up the reluctance of the impending separation.

"Boss He, Ye Bo and Flandre are both treasures of our EDG, especially Ye Bo, he is still young, you must take good care of them..." Mingkai was clearly already a bit tipsy, pulling the other person and muttering.

"Manager, you can absolutely rest assured about this!" He Youjun had a much better tolerance for alcohol and hurriedly patted his chest firmly: "Ye Bo is absolutely not just EDG's treasure, he is also the most important core of our V5!"

"Mm."

When Mingkai walked back to the private room, he seemed to secretly raise his arm and wipe his face.

After the dinner ended, everyone sent the EDG members back to the base together and prepared to head to V5's team base in Shenzhen.

And when it finally came time for the real separation, Mingkai, who was still a bit tipsy, was nagging Ye Bo, Deft, and Flandre.

Ye Bo was also quite nostalgic for this place.

Standing at the door, looking at the open gate, looking at those familiar scenes, his mind was full of memories from this period of time, and suddenly he was really a bit reluctant...

"Manager, do you think I can take something with me to commemorate it..."

"Of course, I said this is also your home, anything is fine," Mingkai said almost without hesitation: "Do you want to take that replica trophy? Anyway, we can go find the official to make another one."

"I don't want the trophy, what about it..."

"？？"

"？？？？？？"

"No, Master Ye! You are going to be the death of us at EDG!!"

The V5 vehicle drove away from the Magic City.

That night, the EDG base felt incomparably quiet.

It seemed like a few meows were missing.

And it was on that very night.

The V5 Club and the EDG Club officially posted on Weibo together to make the final formal announcement.

【EDG Electronic Sports Club V+】

{Based on full respect for the player's wishes, the club's legendary player Ye Bo (ye) is joining the @V5 Electronic Sports Club}

{Based on full respect for the player's wishes, the club's meritorious veteran Li Xuanjun (flandre) has reached the end of his contract and is joining the @V5 Electronic Sports Club as a free agent}

{Facing a brand-new journey, player ye has chosen to step into the unknown. In just half a year since his debut, his brave performances have continuously painted little fireflies across the starry sky of the Canyon, eventually becoming the brightest star in the Canyon. Although the path we walked together was not long, we believe the shared memories are enough for us to remember each other forever}

{Since joining EDG, player flandre has always infected everyone on the team with his optimistic and open-minded attitude. He is not only the glue of the team but also a pioneer on the field and a pillar of the team. We thank player flandre for his constant hard work and dedication}

{A new dawn is about to rise, and we are about to embark on a brand-new journey together. May the flames of our passion surge and never cease!

{We hope that in the coming year, both players will have smooth sailing and work hard toward their goals with the support of the EDG family. See you on the field! Let's go!

With every word sincere, the EDG fans below flooded the comments with tears and blessings.

And at the same time the EDG official Weibo posted this message.

The V5 official Weibo immediately stole the spotlight completely!

【"Do not forget the lofty aspirations of youth, once promised to be the best in the world" ——— We are honored to welcome the double-champion top laner Li Xuanjun (flandre) to join @V5 Electronic Sports Club!】

【"Insight into the astral realm to grasp the heavenly secrets, the two spirits join hands to forge a divine oracle" ——— We are honored to welcome the legendary support player Zhao Qianxi (beryl) to join @V5 Electronic Sports Club!】

【"Nine years of chasing dreams, a heart of innocence, wishing to continue a new history together today" ——— We are honored to welcome the legendary AD player Jin Hekui (deft) to join @V5 Electronic Sports Club!】

【"First came the ninja art of the lone sting, then the history of breaking the path, the storm of crows guards the pavilion, writing the annals of the Canyon from here on!" ——— We are honored to welcome the FMVP champion mid laner Ye Bo (ye) to join @V5 Electronic Sports Club!"】

【Welcome the excellent @ig-xun and @tt-beichuan to join @V5 Electronic Sports Club as junglers!】

Weibo exploded almost overnight.

No one expected such massive news to be announced all at once overnight, without any warning!

Five official announcement posts in a row drew everyone's attention, and all previous speculation and public opinion became even hotter topics of discussion.

【Damn, is this EDG's second team? () But I have to say, this lineup is actually legit!?】

【Except for the two junglers who I don't know and seem a bit weak, the rest is truly legit! Best mid in the country! Best top in the country! Paired with the second-best bot lane in history!】

【Can the Pilot count as second-best in history? I don't buy it. If this lineup got Brother to join, it would be truly invincible! A pure trident!】

【You want to get Brother to be the trident head again, huh? And don't look down on the Alpaca; if they had swapped to a different AD for several games last year, DRX would have lost long ago!】

【Holy crap, Master Ye and Beryl—won't these two brains clash?】

【I feel the biggest issue is the language barrier. I have a plan! Why not let Beryl play Genshin Impact in Chinese?】

【I dare not imagine how terrifying this team will be from BP to the game process if these two actually find synergy. The others are going to suffer!】

【Holy crap, it's blowing up! Latest news: Left Hand is going to JDG, Chicken Saint is going to Weibo! Little Tiger actually went to TES!?】

(End of chapter)