…

Real World

Soaring Continent, Eastern Sea Region.

In the port of the Corner Stone City, a military ship ducked itself, letting its passengers disembark from it.

Bang!

Right after the metal bridge connected to the dock, soldiers in uniform walked through it in a very orderly manner. They formed a pair of lines on each side of the metal bridge as the representatives, delegates, and officers walked through the aisle.

It was not rare for such a scene to take place in the Soaring Continent, especially when they were known for their military forces.

Drills and similar military practices were quite common everywhere in the Soaring Continent, so the people, who saw this scene were not bothered by it. They were treating it as a normal occurrence.

After the officials disembarked from the ship, a pair of beautiful young women walked out. They were Shiella and Alyssa, who were currently in disguise.

They immediately attracted the attention of those who saw them just by their appearances. Such a pair of heavenly beauties were bound to attract attention anywhere they went.

Behind them was another beautiful woman of an older age. It was Anna, Shiella’s assistant and bodyguard.

Following behind her was a man, who was being escorted by soldiers. He had slightly decent features, but it was overshadowed by a blank and absentminded look on his face.

There were no obvious signs of physical abuse or beating on him, but it seemed like the mental damage that he had suffered was quite serious.

It was clear that he suffered mental torture during the entire trip here.

Right after her foot stepped on her homeland, Shiella felt more relaxed. She sighed before looking over her shoulder. “Auntie, you can bring the guy to Uncle Nathan. Let him deal with the rest as I want to relax a little.”

She then turned to Alyssa and asked. “Do you want to come with me, or do you want to explore on your own?”

Alyssa stared at Shiella as she thought to herself. It felt like the latter was treating her a little too formal. At times, she felt a hint of unfriendliness for some unknown reason.

The quick shift in the mood confused Alyssa, making her unable to read this person.

After some thought, she chose to politely refuse the offer with a smile. “Thank you for your kind gesture, but I think there is no need to trouble yourself with me.”

“I can go on my own from here. If I need something, I can just call David for some help.”

“Once again, thank you for helping me this time,” she bowed as she bade her farewell.

Shiella slightly nodded her head as she watched Alyssa walk away.

Behind her, Anna walked over and whispered. “Are you sure about this, young miss? Can we let her roam freely like this after the commotion that she had created in the Sun-Moon Continent?”

Shiella shook her head. “It is fine, Auntie. I think she is not that kind of person. I understand her actions there, so there is no need to be too wary of her.”

“Besides, we can put the blame on David if she causes more trouble here. They have a pretty close relationship after all,” she then walked away, not waiting for Anna to say anything.

Anna, on the other hand, felt something strange in the tone that Shiella had in the latter part of her words. She was not sure what it was, but she could at least tell that it was something new.

She then smiled and shook her head before signaling the soldiers behind her. “Let’s go. We are going to send this trash to Commander Nathan. As for the rest, let the delegates handle them. It is their job to report to the higher-ups anyway.

***

Virtual World – Atlas World

Aurora Continent, Blue Crimson Empire

This empire was the place where the Wing’s Alliance set up their main base of operation. Almost all the strongest members along with the elders and minor leaders of the guild were gathered in this place.

This empire had become their main turf as most of their forces and army were concentrated here. Every region and city in this place was almost under their control as they had great influence in the entire empire.

They even set up multiple strongholds and built up cities on the outskirts of the empire as they planned to spread their controlled territory toward the Neutral Maps near the empire.

It was just a pity that there was an internal conflict within the guild, making their progress slow down. If not for this, then they would most likely be one that was facing either the Hydra Guild or Central Order in the battle for the so-called first territory of the game.

The Alliance Leader of the Wing’s Alliance had previously asked for some assistance from the Empyrean Talons. It was Arthur, who received it and relayed the news to Shin and the others.

The group had suspected that this was most likely one of the plots by the players from the Evil Faction, most probably either the Pandemonium Descendants once again or another hidden Superpower that was trying to accumulate more powers in the dark while also disrupting the other rivals that they had.

The Wing’s Alliance was just a little unfortunate that they had been targeted by quite a lot of guilds recently.

…

Arthur was currently sitting in one of the secret bases of the Wing’s Alliance. He was currently being treated as a VIP as he was a guest of the Alliance Leader, though this meeting was supposedly a secret to the other elders of the guild.

The only people, who knew that he was here were the most trusted people of the Alliance Leader.

“I must say that these guys from the Wing’s Alliance are sure to love showing off their wealth,” commented Arthur as he relaxed on the sofa.

Not long after, the door of the room suddenly opened followed by the entrance of someone. This person wore a black cloak with golden feathers embroidered on its edges. There were also purple lines tracing the edges of these feathers, highlighting the design.

This player was wearing a set of golden armor, hidden underneath the cloak while carrying a shield on his back and a longsword sheathed on his waist.

He was the personal guard of the Alliance Leader and the leader of the Golden Feather Squad of the Wing’s Alliance, the hidden unit of the guild and their trump card.

Behind this person, was a player wearing a luxurious robe that seemed to be from ancient times. It was greatly similar to the red robe that the Eastern kings used to wear in the past. A crown was also present on the head of this player, seemingly trying to say that his status was higher than any player.

A sheathed sword was in his hand while a short scepter was in the other, signifying that his class was not an ordinary one.

Seeing their appearance, particularly the latter, Arthur could not help but stare at them with a blank look on his face before busting out with crazy laughter. “What the heck? What are you playing right now? An ancient king of something?”

“It seems like being the current Alliance Leader of the Wing’s Alliance turns you into a ‘chuunibyou’ or something! D*mn! I shall take more photos of you and spread them around in our circle of friends!”

This Alliance Leader sighed helplessly when he saw that reaction before walking toward Arthur and sitting across the latter.

In the meantime, the other player glared at Arthur before turning around stepping out of the room, and closing the door behind him.

“Don’t get me started. This is not something that I want. This certain quest requires me to always wear this set of equipment if I want to clear it,” said the Alliance Leader, trying to explain his current situation.

“And you are the last person that I want to hear those words, you dragon fanatic,” he added while glaring at Arthur.

It took Arthur quite a long time before he was able to calm himself. He then tried to collect himself as he refuted. “Well, I at least don’t look as ridiculous as you.”

The two chatted for a couple of moments before they finally got down to business.

“So, what is your take on our current situation? Will you be able to help me with my problem?” asked the Alliance Leader while wearing a serious look on his face.

Arthur also stopped joking around when he saw that expression. He then pursed his lips a little before explaining their situation. “As you can see, we are all busy with our own things. I can’t guarantee that we can provide you enough support.”

He then clicked his tongue as he commented. “Tsk! This is the problem of guilds that are built from the collective interest of different groups. You guys should have not accepted such an investment in the first place. Look at the mess that you guys have gotten yourselves into.”

The Alliance Leader smiled bitterly. “You should have known that I didn’t have enough power at that time. I am nothing but a sharp sword of the guild at that time, who knew nothing but fight our enemies.”

“A simple workshop that turns into a corporation and a hegemon within the virtual world. That sure is amazing, but turning your passion and dream into business has never been a good thing,” commented Arthur as he was aware of the history of the Wing’s Alliance.

The Alliance Leader turned silent for a moment while wearing a helpless expression. “It has become a family thing. It can’t be help.”

Arthur also sighed as he was also aware of this. He then proceeded to the main topic. “You said that the current Grand Elder of the guild is trying to take over everything. You also discovered that he is constantly making contact with outsiders of the guild.”

“Have you gathered enough evidence?” he asked as he recalled the instructions that Shin had given him.

The Alliance Leader nodded at first before shaking his head. “Those evidence are no longer useful since I have also discovered that the influence of the Grand Elder has not only spread within the guild but also in the corporation in the real world.”

“I want to deal with him, then I must fight him both in the virtual world and the real world. I also have to fight those outsiders, who are setting their eyes on us.”

Arthur thought for a moment as he tried hard to find a solution. But he also knew that this was not his strong point, so he instantly gave up after just a few minutes. “Let’s forget about this for now. What I need is to give us the exact commission that you want from us.”

The Alliance Leader smiled for a moment before sending a file to Arthur through an in-game message.

Arthur did not even bother to read it as he quickly forwarded it to Shin and Cloe right after receiving it. He might be a vice commander of the adventurer team, but those two were the ones who were actually in charge of these things.

The Alliance Leader might not exactly know what Arthur did, but he at least knew that this guy did not bother to read what he sent. He knew Arthur for a long time now and knew how this guy dealt with things.

He just smiled, not minding those actions. Instead, he continued to chat with Arthur while waiting for the other side to reply.

While they were in the middle of their chat, the person guarding the door suddenly entered in a rush, seemingly in a little panic.

“Alliance Leader, we have a situation. It seems like an emergency from the headquarters,” said the man as he entered.

The Alliance Leader remained calm as he seemed to expect something like this to happen during his absence.

Arthur, on the other hand, smiled as if he thought of something. “Interesting. They come at the right time as I am about to get bored.”

…