League: What? A bunch of old men can win a championship?

"Beep beep beep—"

The annoying alarm clock rang, and Lu Yingdong groggily opened his eyes and glanced at the time displayed on his phone.

12:00

As previously agreed, Lu Yingdong was supposed to go to TES's base for a tryout at 2 PM. He should get up now, have some food, and then slowly make his way there; it should be just about right.

Lu Yingdong turned off the air conditioner with the remote control, drank a large glass of water to relieve the dryness in his throat, and then got up and slowly put on his clothes one by one.

As soon as Lu Yingdong opened the door, he saw the factory manager walking past.

The EDG base has many rooms. Apart from the first floor which is used for training, the second floor is basically where the starting lineups of each team live.

Lu Yingdong and several other substitutes, as well as the retired legend, the factory manager, lived on the third floor.

"Oh, what a coincidence." The factory manager walked naturally alongside Lu Yingdong, then asked, "Wait a minute, are we going to take down Top Esports?"

"Okay." Lu Yingdong nodded. "Let's go see what they're like."

"Alright then." The factory manager didn't say much, and the two of them simply walked down together.

When he got to the second floor, he saw that Jie Jie was also coming over, so he naturally joined the group.

"Dong-ge, you're not really going to sign with Top Esports, are you?" Jie-jie asked. "That won't do."

"Hey, don't be too nervous." Lu Yingdong chuckled. "EDG is my home, of course I want to stay home."

JieJie was a little confused: "Then...why are you still going to TES?"

"Let's go take a look," Lu Yingdong explained. "I've been a substitute for so many years, and I've never been to another club. I should at least go and see what it's like, right?"

Jie Jie understood what was going on, so they stopped talking and the three of them sat in the training room for a while before leaving the base together and having lunch at a restaurant next to the base.

After finishing his meal, Lu Yingdong did not hesitate and immediately took a car towards the TES base.

TES's base is located on Kangqiao East Road, which is more than 30 kilometers away from EDG's base on Lingshi Road. Moreover, the journey involves passing through congested sections of the road, and it takes at least an hour to get there.

While walking, Lu Yingdong unexpectedly received a call from Abu.

Abu cut to the chase: "Are you already on your way to Top Esports' base?"

"Um."

"It's still too late..." Abu sighed and said, "I talked to Ed Zhu yesterday and told him about your performance."

"Hmm, and then?"

"We've known each other for so many years, so I won't say anything more. I'll just tell you Edward Zhu's exact words to show you EDG's sincerity."

Lu Yingdong raised an eyebrow and said, "OK, go ahead."

The reason Lu Yingdong didn't rush to sign with EDG was that he wanted to compare the terms of the two clubs.

TES and EDG are both top clubs in the LPL, and the conditions they offer are certainly not bad, but there is always a winner.

The concept of "conditions" is actually quite diverse, but it can be mainly divided into two categories.

One of the most important factors is salary; money is the foundation of one's livelihood.

In fact, Lu Yingdong is not worried that EDG will be stingy in this regard. After all, EDG is indeed rich. It is the only club that can make a profit with the operator. Secondly, EDG just lost two top-tier core players, which freed up a lot of salary space, so of course they are generous.

Secondly, there are the team composition requirements, which are also part of the conditions.

In League of Legends, teammates are indeed crucial.

EDG did have money after losing two core players, but their strength also dropped significantly. Even if Lu Yingdong has a cheat code to make up for Scout's losses, it is still unknown whether Viper's losses can be made up.

If the AD position is Leave? It's not bad, but it's not enough either.

So Lu Yingdong's main purpose in going to TES was to ask about TES's roster plans for S13.

If TES has a better roster, then Lu Yingdong would indeed consider choosing Top Esports in order to pursue the championship.

Abu said, "No matter what price Top Esports offers, EDG will increase it by 500,000. We will never shortchange you in terms of salary. As for the roster for the new season, we cannot guarantee it, after all, anything can happen during the transfer period, but I can say with certainty that EDG's goal has always been the championship, and we will definitely pursue the top players."

EDG has shown great sincerity in terms of both salary and team conditions.

Lu Yingdong could tell from these words how much EDG valued him.

"Yes, I'll consider it," Lu Yingdong replied. "Like I said before, my first choice will always be EDG."

"..."

An hour later, the car stopped at the entrance of the TES base.

With prior contact, TES team manager Guo Hao was waiting at the entrance of the base early in the morning.

The fact that the manager personally greeted Lu Yingdong shows how much TES values ​​him.

Guo Hao was quite capable; while Lu Yingdong was still taking out his phone to scan the QR code, Guo Hao immediately stopped him and offered to pay the taxi fare.

"No, no, no." Lu Yingdong didn't want to owe anyone a favor, so he quickly scanned the code to pay before getting out of the car.

"Dong Shen! I've heard so much about you!" Guo Hao was truly a top-notch manager, much more enthusiastic in his work than Abu. He couldn't wait to have Lu Yingdong personally carry him back to the base.

Lu Yingdong was even a little surprised for a moment.

It seems... yesterday's training match really scared them.

Lu Yingdong followed Guo Hao into the club. Guo Hao said, "Now that you're here, get to know your teammates. I heard you're quite familiar with JackeyLove?"

Lu Yingdong smiled and said, "It's alright, we chat occasionally."

JackeyLove and Lu Yingdong are similar; both are the type who are very popular. Of course, these two popular people also have a personal relationship.

That's why JackeyLove was joking around so openly in the training room yesterday.

Of course, Rookie got a bit sullen after being beaten up, and JackeyLove wisely kept quiet...

"As long as we can chat, it'll be fine," Guo Hao said. "That way, our teammates won't feel awkward around each other."

Teammates? Getting along?

Lu Yingdong felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and after thinking for a moment, he asked directly, "When does the training match start?"

"There are no practice matches," Guo Hao replied.

Lu Yingdong asked, somewhat puzzled, "No practice matches? What do you mean?"

"Yesterday's match was our training match against you," Guo Hao said. "You performed exceptionally well, and everyone in our club is very satisfied with you. So, if you're willing, we're ready to sign a contract anytime."

Lu Yingdong was at a loss for words.

"Then... what about Rookie?" Lu Yingdong asked again.

Guo Hao said with a smile, "Rookie... is not as high a priority as you here."

Lu Yingdong fell silent for a moment.

They defeated Doinb on EDG's side.

TES defeated Rookie...

In a training match, he defeated two champion mid-laners.

Is his priority really that exaggerated?

Of course, Lu Yingdong immediately understood why it was given such high priority after seeing the contract offered by TES.

It's still cheap.

"The club offered three million a year," Guo Hao said. "That's many times more than your previous contract with EDG."

Lu Yingdong nodded upon hearing this.

To be fair, it has indeed increased many times over.

Because he was previously a substitute, his contract was the minimum stipulated by the league, with a monthly salary of 20,000 and an annual salary of 240,000.

This three million contract is more than ten times his annual salary, which is quite generous.

After all, no one would set a salary for a player who has never played a match; no matter how rich you are, you can't do that.

But... he still can't compare to Rookie.

If TES were to sign a mid-laner like Rookie, the price would definitely start at tens of millions.

This is an honor, and the added value that fame brings to Rookie.

Lu Yingdong thought for a moment and then asked, "Have the other members of the team been decided?"

"That depends on your opinion," Guo Hao continued. "Our main targets during the transfer window are the support and mid-lane positions. If the mid-lane position is secured, we can consider signing a top-tier support player like Liu Qingsong or Shi Senming. We've been communicating with them for the past two days, and choosing one shouldn't be too difficult."

Lu Yingdong pursed his lips, understanding Guo Hao's meaning.

The implication is simply that if he joins, the team will have more salary cap space and more room for maneuver.

If he doesn't come, then the lineup is none of his business.

Lu Yingdong couldn't help but think for a moment.

To be fair, the conditions offered by TES weren't bad.

Replacing the left-handed player with him saves salary space, allowing the team to sign a top-tier support, which is definitely a major boost for the team.

Lu Yingdong believed that he could never be worse than his left hand.

But on the other hand...

EDG also made a promise to him.

If he joins, EDG will definitely field a top-tier roster.

The question now is whether EDG can find a top-tier AD carry, given that both teams have championship-level junglers and supports.

If the two teams have similar rosters, Lu Yingdong would naturally lean towards EDG...

【Drip-】

Just then, a system notification sounded.

[Host detected has entered the team selection phase! Main task: Secure a starting position - Complete!]

[Mission Reward: Veteran Bond Module Unlocked!]