Players on the street heard the name Zero Wing and immediately turned to look at the flag atop the advanced guild hall.
"That really is the Six Wings emblem!"
"No way!"
"The top guild in the Star Moon Kingdom is opening a branch here?"
The players who had come to check out the newly appeared advanced guild hall were almost all drawn in by it, and none of them had paid attention to the guild flag flying high on the roof.
Now that they saw the flag, many of them felt a chill run down their spines and shudder from head to toe, unable to believe it was real.
This was the Black Dragon Empire, true enough, but the Empire wasn't far from the Star Moon Kingdom, and news from surrounding kingdoms traveled quickly. On top of that, they frequently purchased the Expert Power Rankings, and the name Sword King — the president of Zero Wing — was known to everyone now. The Dragon and Phoenix Pavilion, which ruled over Black Dragon City in the Empire's capital, had even suffered losses at Zero Wing's hands.
Now that such a powerful guild had appeared in Lake Heart City, how could they not be excited?
"If Zero Wing is setting up here… does that mean we'll have a chance to join?"
"Probably. When a guild expands to a new city, they usually recruit some local players and gradually grow."
"I heard Zero Wing's benefits are incredible — even better than first-rate guilds. In other guilds, private guild rooms are only available to core members, but at Zero Wing, even elite members can rent private rooms in the guild hall to store double the experience points."
"I've been wanting to join Zero Wing for ages. Too bad the teleportation fee from the Black Dragon Empire to White River City was way too expensive. Now I'd be saving a fortune on travel costs."
Many solo players who saw Zero Wing's base couldn't help but get their hopes up. Cross-kingdom teleportation fees were far too steep for ordinary players, and spending everything you had only to fail the recruitment — that would be truly miserable.
They were already familiar with Lake Heart City. If they tried to develop in an unknown city, their leveling speed and income methods would take a massive hit. Add to that the companions they'd made here, and very few could afford to make the trip to White River City.
But now things were different.
News of Zero Wing's branch hall spread across the entire city in no time.
Some rejoiced while others worried. For solo players, this was great news, but for the local guilds, it was anything but. The second-rate guild that ruled Lake Heart City — Crimson City — immediately called an emergency high-level meeting.
"Why would Zero Wing suddenly come to a backwater like Lake Heart City?"
"If Zero Wing really sets up here, they'll definitely go after the high-resource zones we've been controlling."
"So what? Even if Zero Wing is big in the Star Moon Kingdom, this is Lake Heart City — our turf. We know the local terrain far better than they do. If it really comes to all-out war, who wins is anyone's game."
The Crimson City executives all chimed in with their takes.
Lake Heart City's leveling environment wasn't the best, but once you got used to it, your pace wasn't bad at all. With fewer competing players around, Crimson City could also secure plenty of raw materials. It wasn't like other cities, where guilds were abundant and players were even more numerous — gathering herbs and ores in the wild was a real headache elsewhere.
"There's no need to worry too much," said a stern middle-aged man seated in the guild master's throne. He swept his gaze over the bickering executives and spoke in a deep voice. "I've heard that things in the Star Moon Kingdom are rather unstable right now. Zero Wing won't be able to devote much attention to Lake Heart City. And since the Dragon and Phoenix Pavilion has a grudge against Zero Wing, all we need to do is report Zero Wing's every move to them. The Pavilion will naturally take care of Zero Wing and settle old scores. For now, keep a close eye on Zero Wing's people, and once you've gathered information on the branch, hand it over to the Dragon and Phoenix Pavilion."