A Strategic Alliance and a Glimpse of the Past

Upon arriving at the village, Lin Shenyue and Ye Jue spotted Bloodthirsty Rose storming out, her expression a thundercloud of fury.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so angry?” Lin Shenyue asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Seeing Lin Shenyue, Bloodthirsty Rose immediately launched into a torrent of complaints, recounting everything that had just transpired.

Lin Shenyue’s brow furrowed slightly after hearing the story. After a moment of hesitation, she inquired, “Is the Heaven Guild planning to form an alliance with the Flowing Cloud Clan?”

Bloodthirsty Rose nodded resignedly. “The Heaven Guild didn’t have many players occupying the area in advance this time. Because of this, Hades urgently needs to find an ally.”

“The Flowing Cloud Clan isn’t particularly strong, but they perfectly fit the Heaven Guild’s criteria for an ally. They’re at a middling standard, making them easy to control while also helping the Heaven Guild avoid being besieged.”

Ye Jue, meanwhile, recalled events from his previous life. Back then, the Heaven Guild was rumored to have officially entered the game only half a month after its grand opening.

At that time, their entry sparked a new round of conflict, fueled by the resistance of numerous other guilds. Yet, somehow, the Heaven Guild managed to acquire several smaller guilds, ultimately forcing the resisting alliance to disband.

Of course, this alliance of resistance did not include major guilds of the same caliber as the Heaven Guild; otherwise, the Heaven Guild alone would never have been able to suppress them.

Lin Shenyue hesitated for a moment, then finally asked, “Does your guild not have any allies?”

“Of course we do,” Bloodthirsty Rose replied. “But those allies are unreliable. It’s more like some of the girls in our guild have boyfriends who are high-ranking members in other guilds.”

“This naturally leads to some simple alliances, but their guilds are relatively small. I doubt they would dare to oppose the Heaven Guild for our sake.”

Ye Jue found himself without a good solution. It was still the early stages of the game, and his advantages had yet to fully materialize. After all, to truly challenge the Heaven Guild, economic strength was paramount, and he currently lacked it.

For now, he could only strive to suppress the Heaven Guild’s development before they fully established themselves in the game. To do so, he needed to strike when they were at their most vulnerable.

‘In my previous life,’ Ye Jue suddenly thought, ‘the fifth-ranked guild among the top ten, Fantasy City, had considerable friction with the Heaven Guild.’

‘This animosity reportedly stemmed from previous games, and it was even rumored that Fantasy City subtly orchestrated the resistance against the Heaven Guild. After all, without an organizer, it would have been impossible to unite so many guilds.’

‘Naturally, these details only came to light much later. Fantasy City suffered significant repercussions for this, yet as one of the top ten guilds, they still managed to cause considerable trouble for the Heaven Guild, eventually forcing them to back down.’

‘Given their current situation, if Fantasy City learns of the Heaven Guild’s predicament, they’ll likely be more than willing to sabotage them,’ Ye Jue mused inwardly.

****

Lin Shenyue and Bloodthirsty Rose eventually concluded their discussion without much resolution. Lin Shenyue simply handed over the three bronze and eight iron-tier items she had obtained from the dungeon, explaining it was a token of gratitude for Bloodthirsty Rose’s recent assistance.

After a brief protest, Bloodthirsty Rose, unable to refuse Lin Shenyue’s persistence, accepted the gifts. Following their parting, Lin Shenyue walked alongside Ye Jue, contemplating the current situation.

“I have a way to resolve their current predicament, though it’s only a temporary measure,” Ye Jue suddenly announced.

Lin Shenyue paused, slightly surprised. “What method?”

Ye Jue narrowed his eyes, stating calmly, “Using another’s hand to strike.”

When Lin Shenyue looked puzzled, Ye Jue didn’t prolong the suspense, instead laying out his plan for her. Lin Shenyue listened intently, then mused, “So, the first step is to find someone from Fantasy City?”

Ye Jue chuckled. “That’s simple enough.” With that, he directly typed a name into his friend request interface. He then looked at Lin Shenyue’s questioning gaze and explained, “I know someone, a high-ranking member of Fantasy City. Through him, we can contact their guild leader.”

Lin Shenyue nodded, settling in for the wait. By the time they reached the Village Chief, Ye Jue had already made contact. He nodded to Lin Shenyue, saying, “I’ve connected with them. Their guild leader has agreed to meet at the tavern in ten minutes.”

Lin Shenyue nodded once more, then proceeded to submit her quest to the Village Chief.

“Ding! Congratulations on completing the quest ‘Clear Desert Scorpions’! You have gained 3900 experience and 50 silver coins. You have received a pair of ‘Exquisite Embroidered Shoes’.”

Upon seeing the pair of shoes, Lin Shenyue frowned slightly. They were distinctly feminine, and her first instinct was to discard them. However, after a moment of hesitation, she ultimately equipped them.

Seeing Lin Shenyue turn in the quest, the Village Chief looked slightly surprised. “You finished so quickly! I thought it would take you at least two days.”

Lin Shenyue smiled faintly at the system notification. “You underestimate me, Village Chief. I’m quite formidable, you know.”

The Village Chief stroked his beard. “Indeed, it seems simple tasks no longer pose a challenge for you. I have a more dangerous quest for you next. Are you willing to undertake it?”

Lin Shenyue nodded without hesitation. “Of course.”

“Ding! Do you accept the quest ‘Activate the Teleportation Array’?” “Yes!”

The Village Chief sighed after Lin Shenyue accepted. “Our village wasn’t always isolated from the outside world, but one day, the teleportation array was inexplicably destroyed. To reactivate it, we need the skull and soul crystal of the White Tiger King from outside the village.”

“However, for some reason, everyone I’ve sent has vanished without a trace. Logically, even if they couldn’t defeat it, someone should have returned with a report, but each time, the entire party has been wiped out. I’d like to ask you to investigate, but please be extremely careful. I suspect there’s a hidden conspiracy at play.”

Lin Shenyue’s expression grew serious. “Understood, Village Chief. I will investigate thoroughly.”

Meanwhile, Ye Jue once again experienced preferential treatment, though he had grown accustomed to it. He calmly accepted his next quest. This teleportation array quest was available to all players, but each beginner village could only complete it once, and the rewards were substantial.

Completing it for the first time globally yielded even richer rewards. After accepting her quest, Lin Shenyue’s gaze drifted towards Ye Jue. Caught by her clear eyes, Ye Jue found himself momentarily lost in thought.

Noticing his distraction, Lin Shenyue felt a touch of helplessness. Fortunately, being in the first beginner village, it was mostly populated by expert players, so she didn’t have to worry about lecherous individuals bothering her. However, observing Ye Jue’s repeated moments of distraction, she began to understand her own captivating influence.

Snapping back to reality, Ye Jue quickly averted his gaze. For some inexplicable reason, Lin Shenyue’s contradictory aura particularly drew him in. Perhaps it was due to her inexperience with the world, but her eyes seemed utterly transparent to Ye Jue, making her appear even more pure.

Lost in a daze, Ye Jue led Lin Shenyue forward, his mind still replaying her gaze. After a considerable time, he finally came to his senses, a faint, bitter smile touching his lips. ‘Could I truly be falling for Yue’er?’

While Ye Jue wrestled with his thoughts, Lin Shenyue looked around, hesitantly asking, “Aren’t we going to the tavern? This path looks like the way out of the village to me.”

Ye Jue, realizing his mistake, quickly scanned their surroundings, then met Lin Shenyue’s questioning gaze, his face flushing. “No, no, this is the way to the tavern. You must be mistaken.”

Lin Shenyue nodded, still a little unsure. She had merely felt it was the way out, but her instincts weren’t always reliable. Perhaps she truly was mistaken.

Ye Jue subtly changed direction, leading Lin Shenyue towards the tavern.

****

Inside the tavern, Fantasy City had already arrived, accompanied by another individual.

“Night’s Enigmatic Cloud, are you certain this person isn’t a scout sent by the Heaven Guild to test us?” Fantasy City asked calmly.

Night’s Enigmatic Cloud pondered for a moment. “Guild Leader, it should be fine. I’m not particularly famous within the guild. Even if the Heaven Guild wanted to find you, they wouldn’t go through me, would they? Perhaps this person coincidentally learned about me in another game and used me to relay their message.”

Fantasy City nodded, then after a moment of thought, suddenly asked, “He said he knows the Heaven Guild’s weakness?”

Night’s Enigmatic Cloud affirmed, “That’s precisely what he claimed.”

Fantasy City smiled faintly. “Then, regardless of who he is, it’s certainly worth meeting him.”

Night’s Enigmatic Cloud agreed. “Few know that our guild is preparing to deal with the Heaven Guild. I’m very curious how he found out.”

Fantasy City’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Regardless of how he knows, the guild will need to conduct a thorough internal investigation.”

Night’s Enigmatic Cloud nodded. “I will keep an eye on it.”