Chapter 321: Crown of the New Elite

The immersion was just too strong; Cheng Shuili watched for a while and immediately dreamed herself back to when she was job hunting.

At that time, for certain reasons, all interviews were online, and now it's basically a full recreation.

The two were completely immersed, and even Cheng Shuili's approach went unnoticed.

After watching for a bit and finding no issues, Cheng Shuili simply returned to her vehicle and went to eat first.

When those two finish their tasks, the one who'll be busy is her.

After questioning the last person, Zhou Zhuxing and the other both exhaled in relief.

Cheng Shuili spoke at the right moment, "How's it going?"

Both of them jumped in surprise.

Zhou Zhuxing took a deep breath and began reporting: "There are over a thousand private‑message applications, but only about two hundred meet the hard criteria. Miss Ailin and I preliminarily filtered out those with obviously flippant attitudes or impure motives; roughly one hundred fifty remain for further screening. Here's the list with brief notes."

Cheng Shuili took the notes Zhou Zhuxing handed over.

Since Zhou Zhuxing no longer has a panel, she rarely uses electronic devices, but this kind of record is fine—simple, clear, and easy to read.

Cheng Shuili glanced over; the list was densely filled with IDs, primary abilities, and brief first‑impression ratings from Ailin or Zhou Zhuxing, such as:

"Good combat awareness, but a bit arrogant."

"Studied clinical medicine from bachelor through master, a professional talent."

"Bachelor's in automotive repair, worked as an automotive engineer after graduation, a professional talent."

"Looks very nervous, claims to be a fan of the boss, doesn't seem convincing."

Seems quite professional.

It's just that Wu Ya's fan reputation got tangled, but…

"Did a great job."

Cheng Shuili affirmed, "Thanks for the effort; I'll handle the screening now. You go eat first, summon Jiang Tang, have her notify the qualified candidates in list order, and prepare them for my private‑chat interviews."

The two clocked out, and Jiang Tang and Cheng Shuili began work.

Jiang Tang was still in her little dinosaur pajamas; she had just eaten, and reportedly Lao Da told her specifically not to bring snacks.

She followed Ailin's instructions, contacting the people on the list one by one.

Meanwhile, Cheng Shuili sat at the main seat, opened the private‑chat function, and began the interviews!

She had already thought this through.

She hadn't been an interviewer in a past life, but you've seen a pig run even if you've never eaten pork, right?

Moreover, now that she's a lord, she has ideas about how the faction should develop and what kind of members it needs.

The beginning is always hard; once the thinking is in place, everything else becomes simple.

Cheng Shuili's interview style is more direct, even somewhat "brutal." She doesn't care if the interviewee is nervous or how they brag about their strength; her questions are incisive, or outright tests of their limits.

"Skip the pleasantries and tell me directly: what's the main thing you hope to gain by joining my faction? Safety? Resources? Power? Or something else?"

There were many similar questions.

These questions exposed the true colors of many players who were banking on luck or merely trying to ride the big‑shot's aura.

Some were nervous yet answered sincerely and showed enough genuine intent.

The whole interview lasted nearly two hours, and Cheng Shuili filtered out over eighty people from the one hundred fifty.

Those eighty‑plus met her standards in strength, temperament, expertise, and sense of belonging to the faction.

They're essentially the first batch of strategic partners!

"Alright, that's it."

Cheng Shuili handed the finalized list to Jiang Tang, "Have Guang Hui notify those eighty‑plus people; they can now pay the sincerity fee. After payment, directly invite them to join Black Feather."

"Sure, boss!" Jiang Tang was pleased; she tapped Guang Hui's little window and followed Cheng Shuili's instructions to set things in motion.

Guang Hui is always efficient in handling matters.

Soon, system prompts began popping up consecutively on Cheng Shuili's faction panel:

【Player "Yan Dun" has joined the faction!】

【Player "Ying Huo Chong" has joined the faction!】

【Player "Mu Yu Cheng Feng" has joined the faction!】

The newly joined members excitedly greeted each other in the faction channel, introducing themselves, and the atmosphere was lively.

Cheng Shuili said a few casual words, gave a proper intro to the warehouse's functions, and left the rest unsaid.

As for cohesion and sense of belonging…

Expecting those from just one day in to have these is probably too demanding, right?

While Cheng Shuili was thinking, a panel suddenly popped up before her.

【Your faction has earned the "Crown of the New Elite" title! The title is judged by territory size, member count, and overall faction strength! Congratulations on breaking through the crowded competition! Publish a server‑wide announcement?】

【Crown of the New Elite: Faction title, takes effect automatically upon acquisition. Cohesion aura permanently increases by 1%!】

Cheng Shuili was startled, and her eyes lit up instantly.

It was an unexpected delight; she hadn't expected a faction title.

But then she wondered, since she started recruiting late, could this title really fall onto her?

Cheng Shuili examined the prompt closely, and seeing the words "territory size" made everything clear.

Turns out territory size counts as part of faction strength, and few can surpass her in that regard.

Cheng Shuili smiled broadly and clicked "Yes!"

Such good news must be proclaimed to the world!

【Server‑wide announcement: Congratulations to the faction Black Feather, founded by Wu Ya Zuo Fei Ji, for receiving the "Crown of the New Elite" title! This is an official commendation to encourage you!】

The golden‑glowing server announcement scrolled three times in succession, followed by a voice broadcast, instantly dropping a bombshell across the entire player community.

Inside the faction channel, there was a moment of dead silence, then information surged out like a volcanic eruption!

「Holy shit?! Server-wide announcement?! Boss is awesome! Black Feather is awesome! 」

「New Elite Crown! We're actually the first faction to obtain a title? 」

「Hahaha, just joined and caught up with the announcement—this sincerity gold was totally worth it! 」

「Cohesion Halo +1%! Although it's small, it's permanent! Awesome! 」

「Worship the boss! We've followed the right person! 」

The already lively channel was instantly flooded with joy and pride.

This announcement was like a shot of adrenaline, giving the newly joined members, who were still somewhat strangers to each other, an instant sense of shared honor and topic; the cohesion halo that requires forming a team to take effect seemed to have already begun working silently.

Cheng Shuili watched the channel instantly fill the screen, the corners of her mouth slightly rising.

This effect was exactly what she wanted—it not only boosts internal morale, but also further spreads the name of 「Black Feather」!

This is truly a great thing!

Cheng Shuili opened the area channel and checked what those people were saying.

「Holy shit?! Server-wide announcement?! New Elite Crown?! Black Feather already got a title?! 」