Cold Spring Great Forest, Free Inn of Stone Forest City.
In a splendid, gilded conference room, dozens of imposing Tier 3 experts with overwhelming auras gathered around a round table, yet the entire room was utterly silent.
If one observed their auras carefully, one would notice that many of them emanated an intense aura of blood energy, their dark energy incredibly dense—far beyond what ordinary Dark players could muster. These were none other than the higher-ups of Dark Rhapsody, one of the three great dark guilds of the Dark World, and the leaders of top-tier dark adventurer teams.
Besides these renowned experts of the Dark World, the other Tier 3 experts present were no less extraordinary—either high-ranking members of the supreme guild War Soul Unyielding, or guild masters of first-rate guilds, with the least among them being team leaders or vice leaders of top adventurer teams.
All of them directed their gazes at a refined young woman seated at the table, wearing a Master Blacksmith badge, who bore no particular aura of power—yet it was clear they all deferred to her.
But the expression on her face was indescribably haggard.
"Facing Star Ring's covert harassment and the secret moves of the various superpowers, I'd like to ask everyone to increase their manpower. Rest assured, Zero Wing will provide adequate compensation. Other than that, is there anything else?" Melancholic Smile swept her gaze across the room and asked softly.
Ever since Shi Feng and the main force members had left the Eastern Continent, Star Ring and the major superpowers had never stopped probing Stone Forest City—economic attrition, material raids, and wilderness ambushes occurred virtually every moment of every day. As Tier 3 expert players continued to increase in number, the area the Knight Corps could guard shrank ever smaller.
To make matters worse, the vice guild master was also absent and unreachable, leaving her with no choice but to shoulder the burden herself.
But as the various destabilizing factors around Stone Forest City multiplied, the number of players willing to operate in the city dwindled day by day, causing Stone Forest City's economy to deteriorate steadily. At present, the city's revenue had fallen to less than half of its peak, while Zero Wing's daily expenditures to protect Stone Forest City's surroundings, as well as Zero Wing City and Silverwing Town, continued to climb higher and higher...
"On our side in the Dark World, there have been some issues. Lately, with the number of Tier 3 experts continuously increasing, several dark world factions have joined forces to launch assaults on the teleportation gate. Dark Rhapsody has managed to hold them off for now, but if this continues, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold for much longer."
Qing Hong said to Melancholic Smile with a helpless look.
"Additionally, there's the situation with Tyrannical Domination. Things have been getting turbulent there recently as well. Based on our intelligence, a major operation is likely imminent. Our guild hopes Zero Wing can allocate more of the Free Inn's resources to recruit powerful factions from the Dark World, which would help stabilize the teleportation corridor."
As Qing Hong spoke, Liang Jing, seated beside Melancholic Smile, also furrowed her brows slightly.
A significant reason Stone Forest City still maintained its current level of economic revenue was the Free Inn. To secure Stone Forest City's safety, they had already allocated a large number of the inn's rooms to various factions and adventurer teams, allowing their experts to counter the superpowers' sneak attacks.
If they were to give up even more rooms, not only would Zero Wing's own usable portion shrink, but the Free Inn's revenue would also drop significantly. Whether it could still sustain Zero Wing's current operations would be doubtful.
The Dark World's teleportation gate also contributed a substantial portion of their income—especially the magic crystal trade, which had become Zero Wing's primary revenue source. They couldn't afford to lose that either...
"I understand. I'll find a solution for this as soon as possible." Melancholic Smile pressed her temples and nodded. "If there's nothing else, let's adjourn for today."
As Melancholic Smile finished speaking, the attendees began to disperse one by one, with only Mu Lingsha from War Soul Unyielding slowly walking toward Melancholic Smile, who had already stepped outside.
"Miss Melancholy, if you're facing any financial difficulties, please don't hesitate to say so. War Soul Unyielding and Zero Wing have been allies for a long time. We may not be able to provide manpower to help Zero Wing, but reallocating some funds would be no problem at all." Mu Lingsha looked at the visibly worried Melancholic Smile and said quietly.
"Thank you," Melancholic Smile replied gratefully. "Actually, funding isn't really the issue right now. The key problem is the various superpowers coveting Stone Forest City, as well as the situations in the Star Moon Kingdom and the Black Dragon Empire. If the main force members were still here, those superpowers would at least exercise some restraint. They wouldn't have coordinated with Star Ring to ambush our Zero Wing members one by one, making our expansion in the Star Moon Kingdom and the Black Dragon Empire increasingly difficult..."
Financial issues were trivial for Zero Wing—the critical problem was the severe shortage of Tier 3 experts. It was only thanks to War Soul Unyielding sending many Tier 3 experts to help guard Stone Forest City's surroundings that the city had held together. Otherwise, the city's fate was unthinkable.
"By the way, Vice Leader Lingsha, is there still no word from Pavilion Master Feng of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion?" Melancholic Smile suddenly remembered and asked.
Zero Wing had collaborated extensively with Feng Qianyu of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion—they were absolute allies. She and Feng Qianyu had interacted frequently through business dealings and had become fairly good friends. After the major superpowers began targeting Stone Forest City, she had tried to contact Feng Qianyu to resolve some matters in the Black Dragon Empire, but couldn't reach her no matter what—as if the woman had simply vanished from the face of the earth. The Dragon Phoenix Pavilion seemed completely unconcerned, as though the person didn't exist.
"We've already sent quite a few people to investigate. It's quite strange—forget Feng Qianyu herself, even her trusted subordinates, and even the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion's Grand Master and the Nine Dragon Emperor, have all gone completely silent. Right now, the entire guild is being held together by the elders. And from what we've learned, even those elders have no idea what happened..." Mu Lingsha said slowly.
"Vanished?" Melancholic Smile was stunned.
How could the entire core leadership of a supreme guild vanish overnight without a single trace? Who would believe such a thing if told?
"But I've heard that the Sacred Sculpture Alliance Summit hosted by Illusionary Myth in the Fire Dragon Empire has also invited the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion. After the summit concludes, we might receive some news about Pavilion Master Feng," Mu Lingsha said.
"Alliance Summit?" Hearing this term, Melancholic Smile's expression grew even more haggard. "It seems this time things are really going to be difficult for us..."
The summit hosted by Illusionary Myth was ostensibly about addressing the Sacred Sculpture problem, but in reality, it was nothing more than a pretext to unite the major superpowers for an assault on Stone Forest City.
If the superpowers finalized their plans for carving up Stone Forest City at this summit, the next step would be a direct attack.
Stone Forest City's current defenses might hold, but the city's entire economy would be ruined...
It wasn't just Melancholic Smile who had a headache over this—even Mu Lingsha's side wasn't faring well. The alliance targeted not only Zero Wing but also War Soul Unyielding. The situation was growing more dire by the day, yet they were utterly powerless.
Because more than fifteen superpowers would be gathering for this summit, including no fewer than three super-guilds—it was without question the grandest conference ever held on the Eastern Continent. What these superpowers could accomplish when united was beyond imagination.
Just as Melancholic Smile and Mu Lingsha were feeling utterly helpless about the situation, Liang Jing, who had been checking messages nearby, suddenly showed a rare smile.
"No! The ones who are going to have trouble aren't us—it's them!"
"What happened?"
The sudden change in Liang Jing left both Melancholic Smile and Mu Lingsha bewildered, unable to understand why she was smiling.
"He's back!"
"He?"
"The... guild master! The guild master... is back!"