An Unlikely Alliance

Ye Jue led Lin Shenyue to the inn, heading directly for the second floor. He scanned the room numbers, found room 205, and knocked.

Fantasy City gestured to Night’s Enigmatic Cloud. He cleared his throat and said, “Come in.”

After Ye Jue and Lin Shenyue entered, they exchanged glances, assessing each other.

Two figures were seated at a table. The person in the main seat possessed handsome features, their eyes curving into a smile as they watched Ye Jue and Lin Shenyue, their thoughts inscrutable.

Beside them sat a young man, clearly lacking the composed demeanor of the person in the main seat. Upon seeing Lin Shenyue, he visibly froze, then quickly averted his gaze, his cheeks flushing crimson.

Lin Shenyue glanced calmly at Fantasy City. A flicker of awe in his eyes didn’t escape her notice, and she felt a familiar helplessness. She knew her presence would inevitably draw attention, but thankfully, she had grown accustomed to such gazes over the past few days. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, she still felt a pang of annoyance whenever Ye Jue looked at her.

As a guild leader, Fantasy City naturally possessed considerable self-control, thus avoiding any awkwardness in front of Lin Shenyue. Turning to Ye Jue, he spoke coolly, “You’re the one who contacted me?”

Ye Jue met Fantasy City’s gaze with composure and settled into a chair. “I wonder, how does Guild Master Huan plan to deal with the Heaven Guild?”

Fantasy City’s eyes narrowed. “Our conflict with the Heaven Guild is merely a minor disagreement. We have no intention of targeting them.”

Ye Jue chuckled. “If you don’t seize this opportunity, while the Heaven Guild is short-staffed, to suppress their development, your guild will be overwhelmed once they fully establish themselves. You’ve been suppressed by the Heaven Guild for so many years. If you intend to remain cowering beneath their heel, then you can disregard our visit.”

Fantasy City took a deep breath after hearing this. Their guild’s growth had been stagnant for years, precisely because of the Heaven Guild’s subtle suppression. Were it not for this, their guild would certainly not be languishing in fifth place, especially given their considerable influence in the real world. He looked at Ye Jue, eventually sighing in resignation. “Alright, then tell me your plan.”

Ye Jue could sense Fantasy City’s frustration. His guild had been stifled by the Heaven Guild for years, severely impacting their progress. While they had managed to cause some trouble for the Heaven Guild, the latter’s backing was far stronger, resulting in minimal losses for them. Fantasy City’s own benefactors had grown increasingly displeased, facing suppression from the Heaven Guild’s patrons in reality and from the guild itself in the game. This had become a persistent source of irritation for Fantasy City.

Ye Jue looked at Fantasy City, finally stating, “Firstly, the Heaven Guild currently only has about one-tenth of its members logged in. I assume you’re well aware of this?”

Fantasy City nodded. He had indeed been searching for opportunities to create problems for the Heaven Guild. Each time the game launched, his guild would typically send half its members to scout, assessing whether the game was worth their investment. Regrettably, even with their early entry, they were still no match for the Heaven Guild once it established itself.

Ye Jue continued, “The future prospects of this game are self-evident. Eventually, the Heaven Guild will deploy its full roster. At that point, halting their growth will become exceedingly difficult. We must exploit their current predicament—their limited personnel—to curb their development. However, their vice-guild leader seems to have realized this and is already planning an alliance with the Flowing Cloud Clan.”

Fantasy City mused, “The Ruffian Clan? Don’t they worry about that guild dragging down their reputation?”

Ye Jue replied calmly, “Was their reputation ever stellar to begin with? Besides, they don’t need a reputation. As long as their strength is sufficient, no one will dare to criticize them.”

Fantasy City stared at Ye Jue. “You’ve spoken at length, yet you still haven’t revealed your strategy for dealing with them.”

Ye Jue stated plainly, “Horizontal and vertical alliances. Simply put, unite the guilds that have been oppressed in the past. Before the Heaven Guild fully mobilizes, deliver a crushing blow to their vanguard. This will delay the progress of their main force.”

Fantasy City scoffed. “Those fickle opportunists are unreliable. Moreover, they are likely to submit to the Heaven Guild’s powerful backing.”

Ye Jue nodded. “That’s true, but before that, they can at least cause significant trouble for the Heaven Guild, can’t they? What they lack now is a leader, and your guild happens to fit the role perfectly.”

Fantasy City looked at Ye Jue, saying coolly, “Are you using us as your pawns?”

Ye Jue shook his head. “No, no, I’m merely seeking an ally.”

Fantasy City sneered. “An ally? You think you’re worthy?”

Ye Jue said calmly, “What if we were the first to clear the Hell difficulty dungeon? Would that be enough?”

Fantasy City was instantly astonished. “You cleared the Hell dungeon?”

Ye Jue nodded. “Indeed. I can provide you with dungeon strategies to enhance your strength, also because we share a common goal. Of course, these strategies are not free.”

Fantasy City pondered this. He didn’t believe the person before him was lying, as it would be easy to expose. If what Ye Jue claimed was true, then an alliance was crucial. Their preference for allies over joining meant they wouldn’t integrate into his guild, so fostering a good relationship was the only recourse.

Fantasy City ultimately agreed. After all, even without them, he had harbored similar intentions for a long time, but various reasons had prevented him from acting. Now, with relatively strong support, he could finally implement his plan. He looked at Ye Jue and asked, “You surely haven’t just approached our guild, have you?”

Ye Jue shook his head. “For now, it’s just your guild. Afterward, it will be up to your people to put in the effort. As a preliminary note, you can try to win over Pink Rose, and you can also target guilds hostile to the Flowing Cloud Clan. Furthermore…” He looked at Lin Shenyue, who nodded upon sensing his gaze. “If needed, we can help your guild secure first clears for dungeons. Of course, there will be a price; we can discuss the details later.”

Fantasy City hesitated, then asked, “May I ask for your names and classes?”

Lin Shenyue briefly introduced them. “I am a Priest, my nickname is Yue’er. He is a Warrior, his nickname is Peerless Karma Fire.”

Fantasy City thought for a moment. He hadn’t heard these names in previous games, so he guessed they were newly emerged experts. He ultimately decided to try to recruit them. “Would you like to join my guild? Our guild offers excellent benefits and a truly fair system.”

Lin Shenyue directly declined on their behalf. “At present, we have no intention of joining a guild. Our apologies.”

Fantasy City wasn’t disappointed, as this outcome was within his expectations. He then said, “Then, if you ever do consider joining a guild, please prioritize ours.”

Lin Shenyue nodded. “We can do that.” After all, they already had preliminary plans to create their own guild, so they wouldn’t join any other guild regardless. Agreeing for now was a reasonable compromise.

Once Ye Jue and Lin Shenyue had departed, Fantasy City asked Night’s Enigmatic Cloud, “What do you make of this situation?”

Night’s Enigmatic Cloud pondered for a moment before responding, “They intend to use us to deal with the Heaven Guild, and we, of course, have similar intentions. If they truly were the first to clear the Hell difficulty dungeon, then agreeing to their proposal will undoubtedly benefit us.”

Fantasy City nodded. “With two such individuals targeting the Heaven Guild, I doubt the Heaven Guild will have an easy time in this game.”

After leaving the inn, Lin Shenyue asked, puzzled, “Are you so certain they won’t betray us?”

Ye Jue replied with certainty, “They won’t. Firstly, we already possess the fundamental capital to be their allies. Moreover, they themselves intend to confront the Heaven Guild; we are merely providing a catalyst.”

Lin Shenyue hummed in acknowledgement, then asked, “So, our next step is to complete the Village Chief’s quest?”

Ye Jue deliberated for a moment before finally saying, “Let’s take on some other quests. The Village Chief’s quest to repair the teleportation array won’t be easy to complete.”

Lin Shenyue nodded. Perhaps she hadn’t noticed, but she was now largely following Ye Jue’s lead, having developed a certain reliance on him.