Heaven Guild’s Sudden Influx

Lin Shenyue waited bored outside for ten minutes.

Finally, Ye Jue emerged. Lin Shenyue stepped forward and asked, “How did it go? Did you find out anything?”

Ye Jue nodded. “The beggar told me that his mother once instructed him to take a jade pendant and seek out the Azure Dragon City Lord in Azure Dragon City if life here became unbearable,” he explained.

‘Could he be the Azure Dragon City Lord’s son?’ Lin Shenyue’s mind raced with countless possibilities. Ultimately, she voiced the one she deemed most probable.

Ye Jue was speechless upon hearing her. “Do you think this is some dramatic TV show? How could there be such a cliché plot?” he retorted, though he, too, had almost entertained a similar thought. Only his knowledge that the Azure Dragon City Lord was, in fact, a formidable woman prevented him from concluding she was the beggar’s father.

Seeing Ye Jue’s speechless expression, Lin Shenyue immediately felt a surge of embarrassment. She couldn’t fathom how her thoughts had veered so wildly in that direction. With a hint of vexation, Lin Shenyue asked, “Do you have a problem with that?” As she spoke, she playfully shook her small fist at Ye Jue.

Ye Jue quickly replied, “How could I possibly have a problem? Let’s just drop the topic. Since he refused to hand over the jade pendant, and still harbors doubts about his mother’s death, he doesn’t want to leave this city. Thus, we’ll have to find our own way to meet the Azure Dragon City Lord and inform her of this matter.”

Lin Shenyue frowned, deliberating. “That seems impossible right now, doesn’t it? Even when we met the Vermilion Bird City Lord, it was only through the Village Chief’s letter that we gained an audience.”

Ye Jue considered her words, then finally nodded. “Let’s focus on other quests for now.”

****

A new post had appeared on the forums, spreading with astonishing speed.

[Breaking News: Novice Village #32984 Swarmed by Heaven Guild Players!]

The楼主 (OP) was a complete novice, at least in this game. Having initially decided to quit, the OP re-entered the game at a friend’s persuasion, only to find a massive influx of players instantly pouring in, leaving them utterly bewildered. The OP’s friend, upon seeing the crowd, was shocked, stating that these were Heaven Guild members. ‘Is Heaven Guild planning to shift its focus entirely to this new game, given such a rapid deployment of players?’ the post wondered.

Numerous screenshots accompanied the post, clearly showing the names ‘Heaven · XX’ above the players’ heads, signifying their affiliation with the Heaven Guild. To this day, no one dared impersonate a Heaven Guild player; those who had tried were directly blacklisted by the Heaven Guild within the game and never reappeared in any other virtual world.

Hearing this news, Fantasy City, the guild leader of Fantasy City Guild, furrowed his brow and pondered for a moment. Ultimately, he decided to inform Peerless Karma Fire. He had not anticipated Heaven Guild’s reaction to be so swift; they had rapidly deployed a large number of players the day after suffering a blow. In such a scenario, the unorganized players of smaller guilds stood no chance of impeding Heaven Guild’s growth.

As Ye Jue and Lin Shenyue were completing some daily quests, Ye Jue’s brow furrowed instantly upon receiving this private message from Fantasy City. Although Heaven Guild had only deployed a fraction of their forces, it was still far earlier than their collective entry two weeks after the server launch in his previous life. Moreover, most of them would still be able to participate in the first expansion pack.

‘I merely took a small step, yet history has already deviated so significantly,’ Ye Jue murmured to himself.

Noticing Ye Jue’s sudden pause and frown, Lin Shenyue inquired, “What happened?”

Ye Jue thought for a moment, ultimately deciding to inform Lin Shenyue. In their subsequent actions, they were bound to encounter Heaven Guild members. Furthermore, Heaven Guild was the dominant guild in Azure Dragon City, meaning they would inevitably deal with them if they pursued that hidden quest.

Ye Jue stated gravely, “Heaven Guild has begun a massive influx into this game. If you choose to stay with me, you’ll likely face a lot of targeted aggression. There’s still time to choose otherwise.” Ye Jue’s words held a deeper meaning of ‘being together,’ but Lin Shenyue didn’t quite grasp it.

Lin Shenyue fell silent for a moment. Initially, she had simply wished to play the game quietly, enjoying its pleasures once her body recovered. However, accompanying Ye Jue would place her in a considerably more perilous situation. Lin Shenyue was not one who particularly enjoyed fighting; despite it being an online game, she mostly played it like a single-player experience. Thus, Lin Shenyue hesitated. While she didn’t understand why Ye Jue was targeting Heaven Guild, it was clear that reconciliation between them was impossible.

As Lin Shenyue wavered, Ye Jue seemed to sense her internal struggle. He finally said calmly, “If you don’t wish to participate, I won’t stop you. But afterward, we’ll have to try to avoid contact, otherwise, Heaven Guild might very well implicate you.”

While Lin Shenyue was still wrestling with her thoughts, a system notification suddenly appeared: [The number of players who have reached Level 10 has reached 100,000. The system will update in 5 minutes. Please prepare. Update time: 2 hours.]

Ye Jue exhaled slowly, saying with an air of composure, “In that case, take your time to think. Give me your answer after the update.” Internally, Ye Jue was certainly not as calm as he appeared, but he had to maintain a composed facade, unwilling to pressure Lin Shenyue.

Lin Shenyue also let out a breath. Although various reasons had left her conflicted, she was sure she didn’t want to leave. This update also granted her a moment to catch her breath and reflect. She nodded. “I understand.”

Ye Jue smiled. “Don’t feel any pressure. Whatever you choose, I will respect it. I’m going offline now; you think about it.”

Lin Shenyue nodded again, watching Ye Jue log off.