Unyielding Soul's upper echelons sat with solemn expressions in their Guild Hall's top-floor meeting room. The room was depressingly silent.
The Guild's core strength had taken severe damage in the battle at the Buried Bones Fortress. Now, the Guild was utterly powerless against Starlink in the contest for the Ancient Undead Country. Hence, the Guild Leader had called an emergency meeting to discuss Unyielding Soul's next move.
"Crimson Emperor has already withdrawn from the Ancient Undead Country. The Guild isn't even willing to meet with our representatives. I'm afraid that we can no longer hope for its help," Mu Lingsha reported, frustrated.
Starlink had relied on the fortress as an advantage for its development in the neutral map. To counter this problem, Unyielding Soul had secretly partnered with Crimson Emperor. Including the Stamina Gemstone supply from Zero Wing, Unyielding Soul had barely been able to withstand Starlink's hara.s.sment.
However, not only had Unyielding Soul suffered grievously, but Crimson Emperor had also withdrawn from their alliance. Now, Now, they had no way to contend with Starlink in the Ancient Undead Country.
The Ancient Undead Country had far better resources than other neutral maps, and if Starlink were allowed to monopolize those resources, it would only be a matter of time before Unyielding Soul lost any foothold in the Dark Night Empire.
"Zero Wing's Stamina Gemstones and Exotic Stamina Potions are our only hope now. If we can get a large stock from the Guild, we'll have enough strength to keep fighting. Players' Stamina consumption is far higher than in any other neutral map, and so far, only experts have been able to survive in the area. That means that Starlink hasn't been able to send a lot of players to explore the map. At least, it hasn't been able to send enough to impact the situation between our Guilds," Unyielding Heart said after giving the matter some thought.
Although the Ancient Undead Country was a fat piece of meat, ordinary players had no hope of surviving there due to the harsh environment and high-level requirements. At this point, only expert players stood a chance against its monsters. Although Unyielding Soul had suffered significant losses, the situation wasn't irreparable. As long as Unyielding Soul had a Stamina recovery advantage, it could still farm the Ancient Undead Country for resources.
"Zero Wing has already used all of the Stamina Gemstones and Exotic Stamina Potions in its stock to retaliate against Starlink in the Dark Night Empire. Asking for more might be..." Mu Lingsha said as she shook her head.
How far you have fallen, Heart! Zero Wing is just some kingdom's small Guild. How much do you really think it can accomplish in this situation? Zero Wing only dared to show itself in the empire because of our Guild and Crimson Emperor. Now that we've taken so much damage, such an insignificant Guild will do everything it can to avoid the Dark Night Empire. Do you really think Zero Wing would willingly work to help us?" a golden-armored, Level 67 Guardian Knight named Soul Oath criticized. "I told you that we should've moved to another location when Starlink had still been growing, but you insisted that we should partner with Zero Wing to stand against the superpower to the bitter end. Look at where your decision has gotten us!"
As Soul Oath's words echoed through the room, everyone fell silent.
Soul Oath was right. If Unyielding Soul had conquered several other kingdoms as soon as Starlink had claimed Dark Night City's Auction House, the Guild's development might have slowed, but it would've been in a better position than it was now.
"Enough!" Silent Soul, Unyielding Soul's current Guild Leader, abruptly shouted. "We are not here to lay blame! We are here to find a solution!"
With Silent Soul's reprimand, Soul Oath's jaws clicked shut before he could criticize Unyielding Heart further. The Guild upper echelons nodded in agreement with their Guild Leader. The events had already taken place; now, they had to find a way to fix this issue.
While these players ruminated over the Guild's future, the meeting room's doors swung open, and a Level 66, Tier 2 a.s.sa.s.sin hurried inside.
"What's wrong?" Silent Soul demanded.
"We've just received news that Zero Wing has purchased 45 Shops in the Dark Night Empire's top-ten cities from the various major powers," the a.s.sa.s.sin reported.
"What did you say? Zero Wing purchased 45 Shops in the Dark Night Empire?"
"But how?!"
The Guild upper echelons were stunned by the news.
"Are Zero Wing's leaders stupid? Don't they know that Starlink is already on its way to conquer the Ancient Undead Country and has begun to solidify its position and influence in the empire?" Soul Oath wondered incredulously.
The Dark Night Empire's major powers had been doing everything to escape the empire, yet Zero Wing eagerly picked up their territories as if Starlink didn't matter in the least.
For a moment, Soul Oath wondered if Zero Wing hadn't heard that Unyielding Soul and Crimson Emperor had been rendered powerless against the domineering superpower.
"Wonderful! Zero Wing hasn't abandoned us!" Mu Lingsha could not contain her joy.
Hearing Mu Lingsha's unintentional comment, the Guild's upper echelons shot Soul Oath a glance. He had called Unyielding Heart a fool for trusting a small Guild like Zero Wing, accusing the First Vice Guild Leader of dragging the Guild down with him, yet Zero Wing had stepped up to the plate without hesitation. It was no exaggeration to claim that Zero Wing had just declared war against Starlink in the Dark Night Empire.
"It's too early to celebrate! Zero Wing is still facing a financial crisis in Star-Moon Kingdom. This stunt in the empire will only drag it further into the jaws of death!" Soul Oath said, sneering.
Unyielding Soul, who had been silent, fell deep into thought.
What is Zero Wing trying to do? Although he was grateful that Zero Wing was still willing to help Unyielding Soul in this crucial moment, he had to admit that it seemed like a fool's errand.
The Dark Night Empire was Starlink's home-ground. Declaring war against the superpower here was suicidal.
Zero Wing's latest disruption caused an uproar among the Dark Night Empire's various major powers. None of them knew whether the small Guild was foolish or impressively brave.
While they thought that Zero Wing's decision was simply suicidal, the empire's independent players disagreed.
"Is Zero Wing starting a war against the empire's overlord?"
"I thought I've heard that Starlink has been suppressing Zero Wing in Star-Moon Kingdom, and the Guild is barely holding on."
"Amazing! Even Super Guilds think twice before provoking Starlink, yet not only has Zero Wing been hara.s.sing Starlink in the Dark Night City's Auction House, but now, it has also purchased 45 Shops in the empire's top-ten cities!"
"c.r.a.p! Forty-five Shops in the top-ten cities? Is Zero Wing trying to become the empire's fourth t.i.tan?"
For a time, the Dark Night Empire's independent players bubbled with excitement.
They had all witnessed war between Guilds before, even between superpowers, but this was the first time any of them had seen a Guild without any background openly challenge a superpower.
For a time, Zero Wing's fame in the Dark Night Empire was unmatched due to its recent purchases. Many players even began to show interest in the Guild, expressing their desire to join Zero Wing's ranks.
While news of his exploits spread throughout the empire, s.h.i.+ Feng took the Mana Stones he had synthesized to a border town in the Dark Night Empire. He then used the Seven Luminaries Ring to teleport to the neutral map located closest to the Ancient Undead Country before mounting his Demonic Flame Tiger and riding toward his target.
