League of Legends: Reborn in Season 3, Tuning the Entire League

Chapter 206 Blitzkrieg in North America?

"Come on, contestants, look at me!"

"Tuck your chin in a little, a little more... Your gaze can be slightly calmer, and your forehead can be tilted forward."

"Yes, yes, there's no need to be too flamboyant. If we're too flamboyant, our shots will look cheap."

"You know what an arrogant brat and a confident strongman are? We need the latter."

Inside the photography studio, Gu Zening, who originally just photographed graduating students at a job fair at Jinling University, successfully joined NXG and became the club's full-time photographer.

Standing outside the venue, Chen Muxin watched Gu Zening busy himself with several newbies from the university photography association who were responsible for assisting and gaining experience. She couldn't help but sigh in her heart—her boss was just too versatile.

As it turns out, Jiang Ming's eye for talent was incredibly sharp; he identified this potential SSR simply by glancing at a candid photo of his senior.

Take the team's promotional photos for the upcoming tournament as an example. The other party didn't adopt any of the suggestions the club had prepared. Instead, she spent time sitting in front of the computer and came up with a completely new plan that she could say was impeccable.

Chen Muxin sighed inwardly, thinking that Gu Zening felt the same way.

Three months ago, when he set up his tripod at a job fair at Jinling University, he never imagined that the sight of the suited graduates in his camera lens would eventually lead him into a professional space with an eight-meter-high ceiling and an equipment room that resembled a small equipment exhibition.

And personally control the camera to capture the images you want to present.

Although the venue was rented, the equipment they had was top-of-the-line.

I heard it was just a complimentary gift provided by the sponsor...

Even last night, when he talked to his family about this job for the third time, his parents were still wondering if he had joined a pyramid scheme.

The benefits are already incredibly good, but the future career development paths offered by the club are what truly make it irresistible.

Oh, just to correct myself, I'm an employee of "Jingjie Culture"!

It's just a photography NPC currently used for promotional purposes by the NXG club.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through his mind, and once the contestants were ready, Gu Zening once again entered his state of mind at lightning speed:
"Sorry, lower your arm swing a bit, and be careful not to cover the right side of your uniform!"

"We're preparing to sprint, not actually run. Door, keep your feet on the ground."

As the photographer's instructions came in rapid succession, a look of utter despair gradually appeared in the eyes of Song Yuan and the others.

Sure enough, even if you can dominate the field, posing for photos is still as difficult as the journey to the West!

Half a day of shooting promotional photos and recording a departure video left everyone with aches and pains, which was even more exhausting than training for two or three days straight.

Oh no, that's not quite right either. Of the five, Xu Jing, the flamboyant AD carry, seems to be having a lot of fun.

As the only outlier in the NXG five-member group, Xu Jing was making a heart shape with his hands in front of the camera. The upward curve of his mouth was so wide that it was almost as wide as a hook for a child to run errands. He was so flamboyant that even Gu Zening, a professional, couldn't help but laugh twice.

"Sorry, I think we should tone it down a bit."

In an era where esports players stumble over their words during interviews, Xu Jing's social terrorist persona is far too ahead of its time.

After finishing his solo shot, Pang Ran slumped into a folding chair in the studio, tugged at his collar, and struck up a conversation with Xiao Shitou sitting next to him: "Hey Shitou, what do you think we should prepare for our trip to North America for the competition?"

"I don't know." Little Stone's eyes were blank, clearly still not recovered from the photographer's "expression management training". "I've never been abroad either. I'll just listen to what Ming and the club arrange. They'll definitely teach me."

There is a fine tradition in their NXG club.

That is, never skimping on employee training.

Boss Duola A Ming-Jiang firmly believes that "there are no contestants who cannot learn, only inadequate teaching". Whenever they come to a new field, they always invite professional teachers or prepare a complete set of materials, and arrange everything for them clearly, from competition etiquette, post-competition interviews and communication, getting along with fans, and live broadcast scripts.

"It's done!"

Two hours later, Gu Zening finally shouted "That's a wrap!"

The five members of NXG, who had been almost completely drained of energy, immediately sprang up like springs. Even Xu Jing, who had initially made a flirtatious heart gesture to the camera, drooped his tail and scurried out of the studio, looking like a flock of tired birds that had been chased all night.

"Let's head back to base now."

"Sister Chen, I just remembered I still have two ranked games to play today!"

"My aunt had her fourth child, so I called to congratulate her..." "Take a break tonight, and send it to me once it's finished." Chen Muxin felt a little sorry for Gu Zening, who was covered in sweat, but considering the club's subsequent promotional plans, the LPL uniforms were still waiting to be released, and now all that was left was the external promotion. In the end, she swallowed back the words "maybe we can do it tomorrow" and could only let her junior suffer a little longer.

Gu Zening did not show any resistance to his boss's dreaded overtime demands.

As a newly hired employee, he was eager to achieve something to prove his worth.

Of course, a more realistic consideration is...

Gu Zening slumped in the folding chair, rubbing his stiff shoulders, staring at the massive amount of unexported negatives on the computer screen and muttering to himself: If the boss finds out that he's dragging his feet on supervising even a few promotional photos, he might just poach a "more experienced" senior from some back alley. In that case, forget about promotions and raises, his workstation might even be taken over by interns.

Thinking of this, he sat up abruptly, yelled an apology at the manager, and began his attack on the materials library.

……

While Chen Muxin led the players to a rented photography studio for a promotional photoshoot, the rest of the club members were also busy.

For example, regarding the players' concerns about participating in competitions abroad, the club had already completed all the necessary preparations well in advance.

To be precise, a detailed plan and arrangements for the team's trip to the United States to compete were made more than a month ago.

After all, it's better to leave the blitzkrieg against Poland achievement to EDG.

As a newly established club, NXG had no experience leading a team to compete abroad. However, they had other teams in the region, such as WE and IG, so they could ask any of them for experience. The previous training sessions and operational strategy sharing were all for the purpose of this resource exchange.

Well, it's better to ask IG. WE just confirmed they can't go to Worlds, so asking them this question now is a bit like asking them directly.

After learning about the various precautions for international competitions, Jiang Ming specifically assigned a club staff member to be responsible for the preparation and submission of all kinds of materials throughout the process.

For this trip to North America, the NXG team consisted of nearly ten people, including players, training staff, and support personnel, a size almost equivalent to the rosters of the two Royal Club teams next door.

Given the complexity of international events, it is essential to anticipate all potential problems as early as possible.

The most pressing issue is the potential problems that may arise during the visa application process.

For example, in terms of visa type, other members of the team can apply for B1/B2 business and tourist visas, but players and core coaches generally need to apply for P1-A professional athlete visas.

Fortunately, Tencent helped coordinate things in the middle; otherwise, a bunch of inexperienced newbies would have been exhausted just preparing the application materials for a passport with a six-month validity period.

Jiang Ming wasn't afraid of being laughed at, but in both his past and present lives, he had never actually learned about the specific procedures for going abroad.

He only knew that he needed to prepare both electronic and paper photos with a white background. As for details such as the English itinerary, proof of funds, and even avoiding words indicating immigration intent when scheduling the visa interview, he was completely clueless.

With the visa issue resolved, the next step is to plan the itinerary for all team members.

Considering the need to adjust to the time difference, Jiang Ming arranged for the team members to enter the country ten days in advance. Following the advice given by Comrade Xiao Wang, the team members were gradually adjusted to the North American time by having them adjust their sleep schedule two hours earlier each day.

Two days in advance, the logistics support staff will be responsible for arranging the team's food and accommodation, as well as preparing training equipment.

The 13 World Championship was held in California, USA. The group stage quarterfinals were held in Riot Games' studio, the semifinals were held at the Galen Center, and the finals were held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Considering the distance and convenience of the competition schedule, Jiang Ming simply booked the same hotel as Xiao Wang and the others: The Standard Hollywood Hotel in western Los Angeles. As a four-star hotel, the price of a standard suite should be around one hundred US dollars, which is not cheap, but it is within an acceptable range.

Entering Season 3, players no longer need to endure the harsh conditions of the previous two years, such as having to take a slow train and crammed into a room with four or five people to play a match.

The itinerary planning and preparations were fine, but the contestants' diet and health management were the biggest problems.

For players who are used to the Chinese food prepared by the cafeteria ladies at home, if they go to North America and can't find a substitute, if they have to eat the kind of white food that is so sweet it's sickening, then even if NXG is very talented, they will become Muggles.

Another issue is medical care. In addition to bringing commonly used medications, it would be best to bring a team doctor or similar personnel.

Many players in the original timeline might find it strange that professional players in North America don't go to the hospital for timely treatment when they feel unwell.

Do you think it's because they don't want to?
Ultimately, it's because healthcare in North America is just too damn expensive.

Meeting a doctor, exchanging a few words, and getting a touch can cost you three thousand dollars. Even middle-class families can't afford this kind of pricing, so they have to stockpile painkillers at home by the bottle. Not to mention a bunch of e-sports players who are cleaner than their faces and still hope to win championships and earn prize money.

"We still need to provide training for the players before the competition!"

After sorting out his thoughts, Jiang Ming realized that the country he was going to was one of religious freedom, where American-style Iaijutsu was prevalent. The club's preparations were one thing, but the players' basic knowledge was also essential.

(End of this chapter)