When Twilight Echo received the news of Nature Hall's withdrawal, silence reigned of the Guild Leader's office. The dozen or so Guild upper echelons in the room didn't know how to react to this development.
"Nature Hall gave up? But why?"
"What did Zero Wing's members do?"
Nature Hall had intended to use Twilight Echo as an example to stabilize its rule in the Storm Empire and expand its influence past the empire's borders. Nature Hall had been adamant on destroying Twilight Echo.
They had been discussing their safe withdrawal from the Storm Empire and their defense against Nature Hall, but after nearly an hour, their despair had only intensified. The difference between their two Guilds was too ma.s.sive. At this point, Nature Hall only needed a fraction of its strength to remove Twilight Echo from G.o.d's Domain.
Even with Zero Wing's help, they didn't think that they could withstand Nature Hall. Zero Wing was, after all, only on par with a first-rate Guild.
Yet, Nature Hall had unexpectedly withdrawn its a.s.sault.
They couldn't help but wonder how Zero Wing had accomplished the feat.
A powerful background?
A transaction?
They considered many possibilities, but none seemed reliable or possible. However, it was an inescapable fact that Zero Wing had convinced Nature Hall to leave Twilight Echo in peace.
Dark Wave turned to Aqua Rose, a myriad of emotions overwhelming his heart.
When Violet Cloud had informed Owl Life that Zero Wing intended to protect Twilight Echo, Dark Wave had a.s.sumed it had been Zero Wing's way of taking a stand against Nature Hall. He hadn't actually believed that her Guild could protect his. Looking at it now, however, it seemed that Violet Cloud had meant what she had said.
This was the Storm Empire's overlord they were talking about!
Although he did not know how Zero Wing had stopped Nature Hall, its success in doing so proved the Guild's strength.
When Aqua Rose had left Twilight Echo to join an insignificant, upstart Guild from some backwater kingdom, many of the Guild's members had mocked her for her foolishness. They had all thought that she was stupid. If she hadn't been so stubborn, she would've kept her position as an Honorary Elder and had access to plenty of opportunities to display her talent. Twilight Echo had been a veteran first-rate Guild for decades, not a force a small Guild without a background could compare to.
Who would've thought that the small, insignificant Guild Aqua Rose had joined would grow to become so powerful?
Not only was Zero Wing Star-Moon Kingdom's overlord, but it also commanded the strength of a first-rate Guild. Now, it had saved Twilight Echo from the brink of destruction, convincing a superpower like Nature Hall to abandon its plans. After this series of events, Dark Wave couldn't fathom how powerful Zero Wing truly was, despite the fact that he led a veteran first- rate Guild.
If news of this reached Twilight Echo's Guild Elders, the old fellows and company representatives that had mocked and ridiculed Aqua Rose would likely die from embarra.s.sment. They had all played a major part in dismissing her from her position as Honorary Elder.
Due to this incident and her position in Zero Wing, Aqua Rose would have considerable influence in Twilight Echo from now on. The Guild might even follow her whims.
Dark Wave wasn't the only one to think this. Every upper echelon in the office realized the implications of today's events. Their views of Aqua Rose had utterly changed.
Aside from her joy, Aqua Rose was stunned, as well. She hadn't imagined that s.h.i.+ Feng would actually be able to stop Nature Hall.
Shortly after, Violet Cloud relayed s.h.i.+ Feng's latest message to Twilight Echo's upper echelons, informing them that as long as the Guild left the Storm Empire, Nature Hall wouldn't take further action against it. The young woman then left Twilight Echo's Residence, returning to Star-Moon Kingdom with her team. As for Aqua Rose, she only intended to return after dealing with a few matters with her old Guild.
Twilight Echo's upper echelons eagerly hoped that Aqua Rose would stay for some time.
Twilight Echo was going to leave the Storm Empire and find another kingdom to continue its development. This meant that it would have to deal with the overlord of whichever kingdom they chose. If they had the help of a powerhouse like Zero Wing, settling in their new home would be far easier.
Meanwhile, news of the events between Nature Hall and Twilight Echo soon reached G.o.d's Domain's many superpowers. Nature Hall was one of them, and even though this incident was a small matter in the other superpowers' eyes, it was still necessary to watch the situation.
Ore Empire, Crimson Flame Fortress:
"How can Nature Hall be so dumb? It gave up such a good opportunity to stabilize its position in the Storm Empire just because of Zero Wing? Did Zero Wing offer the Guild some ma.s.sive bribe?" Jing Yang, who stood inside Blackwater's Vice Guild Leader's office, ranted his confusion after reading the latest message.
Nature Hall had been developing rapidly lately, and it easily ranked among the top ten fastest developing superpowers in G.o.d's Domain. Many veteran super-first-rate Guilds were even starting to feel threatened.
Yet, out of respect for Zero Wing, the Guild had abandoned its plans. It was truly surprising.
"Not bad. It seems Zero Wing is quite capable, after all. It's no wonder why it rejected my offer of cooperation," Xuanwu Chisa said, a charming smile forming on her face.
"Vice Guild Leader, you think too highly of Zero Wing. I don't know what benefits it offered Nature Hall to settle this matter, but Zero Wing hasn't solved its predicament in White River City. Ignoring the several powers that desire the city's Auction House, Zero Wing has its hands full with its own internal problems," Jing Yang said. "Starlink has recently invested a lot of capital into hindering Zero Wing. It is even trying to poach Zero Wing's upper echelons and core members by offering to triple their current salaries. Starlink has also begun to claim commissions meant for Zero Wing by offering lower prices, slowly chipping away at Zero Wing's financial situation. I doubt it will be more than a month before Zero Wing crumbles in on itself."
Larger Guilds had both advantages and disadvantages. When a Guild had a low member count, its daily expenditures were relatively small. Hence, its finances were easy to handle. However, as a Guild grew, it would face more difficult financial problems. Including hostile corporations' intervention, a Guild's financial problems could become even more challenging.
Hence, although Zero Wing seemed to have grown quite powerful, it had acquired new weaknesses.
Zero Wing had still been a relatively small Guild without a headquarters in the real world, and as a result, it hadn't had to contend with major expenditures. Its size had rendered hostile corporations' interference ineffective, but things had changed. Now, not only had Zero Wing purchased Ouroboros's main headquarters, but it had become even larger than Ouroboros at its peak. Its monthly expenditure was easily dozen of times larger than Ouroboros's had been.
This was why the various first-rate Guilds feared the various superpowers. Not only could a superpower crush a first-rate Guild under its military might, but it could also launch an economic a.s.sault.
Meanwhile, after s.h.i.+ Feng's party returned to Star-Moon Kingdom's White River City, he sent Fire Dance and the others to continue their Team Dungeon raids and collect as many Epic materials as possible to prepare for the Auction Arena.
It's about time that I deal with my Elemental Cores.
s.h.i.+ Feng grinned as he opened his bag to inspect the Elemental Cores within. He then altered his appearance using the Demon Mask and visited White River City's Teleportation Hall. Spending 4 Gold, 30 Silver, he teleported to the distant Sea of Illusion.
