Silverwing City, South District.
On a quiet, sparsely populated street, four players clad in black cloaks made their way into a narrow alley, occasionally scanning their surroundings to make sure they weren't being followed.
After venturing deeper into the alley for some distance and confirming that no players were tailing them, the four finally let their guard down slightly.
"I really don't understand what Guild Leader Black Flame is thinking, making us be so careful and absolutely not letting anyone catch on," said a beautiful female knight with shoulder-length hair, a note of displeasure in her voice.
"Qingyi!" Huanyu, standing beside her in a pristine white robe, shot the female knight a glare. "I made a special exception to bring you along this time, so you'd better watch your words and behavior!"
Qingyi Duxing served as the vice-captain of her main raid team and was also recognized as one of the guild's top three rising talents among the new generation, serving as the main tank of the main team. She was a trusted confidant slated to eventually take over the vice guild leader position. However, she shared the common flaw of new recruits from super-first-rate guilds.
That was, she didn't take anyone seriously who wasn't from a super-first-rate or super guild.
The beautiful female knight shrank back after Huanyu's glare, not daring to say another word.
"Sister Huanyu, I won't say it again. But you can't possibly leave me out of something this good," Qingyi Duxing said in a pitiful tone.
"Mind yourself next time." Huanyu gave the female knight an indulgent look and said nothing more about it. She then turned to Budie Zhanxin and Mu Lingsha nearby. "Sorry you had to see that."
"Some pride from a newcomer is perfectly normal. Without it, they wouldn't have achieved what they have. Vice Leader Huanyu, there's no need to worry about us," Budie Zhanxin said, clearly used to this sort of thing.
In other virtual games, it would have been entirely normal for a genius newcomer from a super-first-rate guild to carry that kind of arrogance. After all, in the past a single super-first-rate or super guild could dominate several virtual games, reigning supreme with no rival. How could the top talents nurtured by such guilds not be a little proud?
They certainly wouldn't deign to notice any newly risen guilds in those games.
Because for the longest time, the virtual gaming world had lived by a single saying: The games come and go, but the guilds remain.
No matter how the games changed, these super-first-rate and super guilds had never been shaken. Meanwhile, first- and second-rate guilds might rise in prominence thanks to a particular game, only to fade just as quickly when the next one came along—they could never last.
But things were different now. Divine Realm had become the only game that truly mattered, and even the world's major financial conglomerates had gotten involved. The influence of a guild or faction that rose within Divine Realm was hundreds or even thousands of times greater than in any previous virtual game—it defied all conventional judgment.
Though Qingyi Duxing didn't say anything, a hint of defiance flickered in her eyes.
"Still, I wonder what was so important that Guild Leader Black Flame called us here," Mu Lingsha mused curiously. "He specifically sought out both of our guilds and insisted on absolute secrecy."
In the present, Zero Wing was at the peak of its power in the Divine Realm. Solving its current predicament would actually be quite simple—all they had to do was let the major conglomerates that believed in Zero Wing invest.
With ample funding and backing, holding onto their current territory would be child's play.
But Shi Feng hadn't done any of that. Instead, he had summoned their two guilds to discuss a matter, which was truly puzzling. What exactly did he have in mind to break out of this predicament?
"I can't guess what Guild Leader Black Flame is thinking," Huanyu admitted with a shake of her head. "But judging by his actions, I'd say this matter is anything but simple."
Shi Feng had brought her far too many surprises and miracles already. If he was about to pull off yet another one, there was nothing surprising about that—after all, Zero Wing had already sent Frost Sky's Sword to the sixth reserve seat.
"There's no point in guessing." Budie Zhanxin pointed toward a section nearby that was completely enclosed by high walls. "That should be the place Guild Leader Black Flame mentioned. Let's go hear what he has to say."
The others looked toward the high walls Budie Zhanxin had indicated, mildly surprised.
They hadn't expected such a massive, concealed structure to be hidden deep within this unremarkable alley.
The walls were only about ten meters tall, but the area they enclosed was substantial—roughly the size of a sports stadium. A building of this scale was at least a high-tier facility, yet no one had discovered it until now.
As they approached the steel gate set into the high wall, all four of them froze in their tracks.
Standing before the gate were no fewer than four Gold-grade guards at Level 130 or above, and concealed in the shadows lurked a Level 133 Tier 3 Dark Gold-grade Archmage guard. The sheer defensive power on display was nothing short of staggering.
With just these five NPCs, they could wipe out any current Tier 3 thousand-player raid party without breaking a sweat.
Gold-grade and Dark Gold-grade guards were treasures that every major guild pampered and lavished resources upon. Yet here was Zero Wing using them as gatekeepers...
"Excuse me, this is private property. What is your business here?" one of the Gold-grade guards in gray leather armor asked, eyeing Budie Zhanxin and the others with a somewhat unwelcoming expression.
"We've been invited by Guild Leader Black Flame."
Budie Zhanxin produced Zero Wing's invitation, which bore the guild leader's official seal to verify its authenticity.
"The magical seal is correct." The Tier 3 assassin in gray leather armor nodded, then said, "Please follow me."
The four of them followed the Tier 3 assassin through the gate.
Once inside, all four of them drew a sharp breath.
"A teleportation hall?!"
"How is this possible?! Isn't this restricted by the Kingdom as a transportation facility?"
Qingyi Duxing stared at the teleportation hall, which soared a full four or five stories high, unable to believe her eyes.
She had never imagined that Zero Wing had the means to construct a teleportation hall of this magnitude in Silverwing City.