"Fifty percent?"
In the hall, whether it was Mu Yun or the several higher-ups from Hundred Blossoms Palace, all of them couldn't help but show faint bitter smiles.
Even fifty percent was something Hundred Blossoms Palace simply couldn't afford. After all, the shops and land plots the guild controlled were fundamental to its development—not things you could just buy whenever you wanted.
If they lost these assets, even if the guild could continue developing within the Dark Night Empire, the decline in resources and funds would force it to scale back. Recovery after that would be extremely difficult, since land plots in mainstream NPC cities were essentially fixed—not something money alone could buy.
"I know this isn't an easy decision, but we have our own difficulties here as well. Why don't you go back and think it over?" Shi Feng looked at the silent Mu Yun and the others and spoke.
"Guild Master, Zero Wing will be expanding into the Twin Towers Kingdom soon, which will require a great deal of manpower. If we're to help Hundred Blossoms Palace, we need to plan ahead. If this keeps dragging on, it'll seriously disrupt our original plans." You Lan hurriedly interjected.
Hearing this, Mu Yun and the others' expressions turned somewhat unsightly.
As guild higher-ups, they understood perfectly well that any large-scale operation required advance planning. If Zero Wing truly diverted a large number of people to the Twin Towers Kingdom, getting their help afterward would be even harder—they might not even help Hundred Blossoms Palace resist the Star Ring Guild anymore.
"How much time can you spare at most?" Shi Feng asked.
"One day," You Lan calculated quickly. "That barely leaves enough time to catch the optimal window for guild expansion."
Mu Yun and the others wanted to say something, but couldn't bring themselves to speak. They could hardly tell Shi Feng that simply gathering the guild's elders and senior members would take considerable time—let alone the corporate representatives backing them. One day was nowhere near enough for Hundred Blossoms Palace to reach any conclusion.
Even the previous proposal to leave the Dark Night Empire and develop in other kingdoms had taken ages of deliberation before they reached a decision, let alone this current proposal. After all, the interests of too many people were involved—persuading them would be incredibly difficult.
"How is that enough time to deliberate? Find a way to squeeze out more!" Shi Feng looked at the visibly embarrassed Mu Yun and the others, his voice sharp.
For such a major guild matter—especially involving an established first-rate guild with such a wide-reaching membership—it truly wasn't something that could be sorted out in just a moment.
"Two days, Guild Master—that means missing the best window to press our advantage in the Twin Towers Kingdom." You Lan said urgently, as though even one more second would make Zero Wing bleed.
"Thank you, Guild Master Black Flame." Mu Yun looked at Shi Feng and expressed her sincere gratitude. "However, before I speak with the guild's senior leadership, may I make an unreasonable request?"
"Go ahead and tell me. As future solid allies, I'll help however I can." Shi Feng thought for a moment and nodded.
"I'd like to borrow Zero Wing's strength—have the guild's senior leadership see the hope of resisting the Star Ring Guild during the meeting. I think that would make it much easier for them to agree." Mu Yun glanced at Wusheng Daoker and the others standing beside Shi Feng, her voice tinged with hope.
Wusheng Daoker and the others were all second-tier classes above level sixty-one, each one giving off a dangerous aura—power that no guild could afford to ignore.
With this group of Zero Wing's experts, she believed the guild's senior leadership would be much easier to convince.
After all, compared to developing in other kingdoms, Hundred Blossoms Palace would fare better in the Dark Night Empire. They were more familiar with the Dark Night Empire and wouldn't have to start from scratch elsewhere.
"That's absolutely no problem. When you hold your meeting, I'll make sure Zero Wing's sincerity is conveyed." Shi Er Fen also understood Mu Yun's thinking and had no objections.
Empty words were far less persuasive than firsthand experience.
Mu Yun then led her subordinates and departed Zero Wing's headquarters immediately, heading straight back to the Dark Night Empire to relay the news to the entire guild. Their urgency stemmed not only from Zero Wing's deadline, but also from the fact that Hundred Blossoms Palace couldn't hold out much longer in the Dark Night Empire—they had to act fast.
After Mu Yun and the others left, the atmosphere in the office hall gradually relaxed. Manggu Yijiu and Can Yun, former adventure party leaders, both looked at Shi Feng seated in the guild master's chair, unable to hide the deep admiration in their eyes.
Their previous adventure parties had been well-known within kingdoms and empires, but compared to first-rate guilds, they were utterly insignificant—something they could only look up to.
Yet now, even an established first-rate guild like Hundred Blossoms Palace had to submit before Shi Feng.
"Guild Master, Hundred Blossoms Palace's survival in the Dark Night Empire is hanging by a thread. But with Vice President Mu Yun's status alone, I'm afraid it'll be hard to convince those old-timers at Hundred Blossoms Palace. I suggest sending Huo Wu and the others. I'm confident those old-timers would agree even if they didn't want to. That way, we could establish ourselves in the Dark Night Empire without wasting vast amounts of time and manpower rebuilding from the ground up." You Lan spoke slowly after Mu Yun had left.
"Forget about Huo Wu and the others—they're deep in intensive training right now. Better not to disturb them." Shi Feng shook his head. "Let Wusheng and the others handle it instead."
Although Wusheng Daoker, Manggu Yijiu, Can Yun, and the others hadn't been with Zero Wing for long, their training in the Tower of Transcendence had already yielded some results.
It had to be said that training in the Realm of Reason was enormously beneficial to expert players.
Even without stepping into the Realm of Reason, the training in the Tower of Transcendence had allowed each of them to master one or two advanced combat techniques. Combined with their existing skill close to the Perfection level, they could hold their own against Perfection-level experts in terms of technique.
Not to mention the weapons and equipment on Wusheng Daoker and the others—these were top-tier items that even major superpowers found extremely difficult to obtain at present. In terms of current combat power, only the very top experts of superpowers could suppress them.
"Well..." You Lan glanced at Can Yun, Manggu Yijiu, and the others. Although she understood their skill was no less than her own, she still felt it wasn't quite enough.
"I understand. Don't worry—before they leave, I'll give them something good. When that happens, Hundred Blossoms Palace will naturally make the wise choice." Shi Feng smiled, then asked, "How are the materials I asked you and Youyu Weixiao to gather coming along?"
"We've been collecting as much as we can, but the required materials are not only vast in quantity but each one is extremely rare. Even after gaining access to two of the Starlight Alliance's town warehouses, we've only managed to gather a limited amount. So far, we've barely put together enough for five sets." You Lan replied.
"Good! Send all the materials to the Torchfire Trading Company in White River City immediately." Shi Feng's face brightened upon hearing this. "Notify Youyu Weixiao to prepare the personnel we discussed earlier."
This was the moment he had been waiting for so long—finally, he could begin crafting the Guardian Puppets!