Chapter Nineteen: A Narrow Path for Foes

Chapter Nineteen: Fateful Encounter

Even in his previous games, Shen Ce had never joined any sort of organization, but he had at least heard of city defense battles. If players wanted to establish a guild, having the guildmaster’s token alone wasn’t enough. Before obtaining a base, they would also face a monster siege challenge. If the guild couldn’t withstand the monster siege, the right to establish it would be revoked. Many game developers, eager to profit, would even increase the monsters’ strength to make it more difficult.

Seeing Shen Ce remain silent, Han Qishao smiled as he poured him a drink. “This wine is called ‘Flame Iris.’ It’s strong and aromatic, my favorite every time I come to the Delor Tavern.”

Shen Ce swirled the goblet, watching the liquid inside—a red so vivid it almost looked unnatural. He couldn’t help but recall the long string of zeroes next to its price on the menu. His eyes flickered, but in the end, he drained the glass with cool indifference.

It was indeed excellent wine, with a subtle spiciness, but a lingering fragrance that clung to his palate. As he set the glass down, it was as though fireworks exploded in his mind, leaving him feeling weightless, slightly dizzy. Shen Ce rarely drank in real life, and had never realized how low his tolerance was.

Perhaps it was the muddled state of his mind, but when he managed to suppress the illusions, he heard himself utter a single word: “Alright.”

Han Qishao lounged comfortably back on the sofa, his posture relaxed and casual. “I knew you’d agree, Zero.”

Agree to what? Shen Ce looked at the other’s arched brows, puzzled. Judging by the situation, he’d probably just agreed to take part in the city defense battle. He’d never tried it, neither in “Seeking Immortality” nor any other game. Since he wasn’t joining a guild in any binding sense, there was no harm in giving it a try.

“Since you’ve promised to defend the city, let’s head to the City Lord’s Mansion and complete the final paperwork. I’ve already chosen the guild base. Since you’ve time today, I’ll take you for a tour.” Han Qishao, chin propped in hand, regarded Shen Ce with a half-smile.

Shen Ce nodded, genuinely curious about the base Han Qishao had selected. After their transaction, he followed Han Qishao to the City Lord’s Mansion. Han Qishao did most of the talking along the way, while Shen Ce responded distractedly.

As they neared the mansion, Shen Ce suddenly recalled the “Flame Iris” wine from the tavern. For some reason, he found himself linking the dizziness from the wine to the strange sensation he’d felt when wearing the “Devil-Cursed Soul Ring.” He pondered this, but couldn’t make sense of it. At last, he asked, “Qishao, does that Flame Iris wine have hallucinogenic effects?”

Han Qishao was momentarily taken aback, but quickly resumed his usual smile. “I hadn’t thought of that, but come to think of it, drinking Flame Iris does make you feel wonderful. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if the game company added slight hallucinogenic effects to the drinks for profit.”

The two exchanged a glance and fell silent. In real life, any distillery pulling such stunts would be breaking the law, but in a game, it was all a gray area. As long as the developers didn’t go too far, everything could proceed smoothly.

Soon, they found the office for guild applications. Behind the counter sat a man with a square face and deep-set eyes, his skin sun-darkened, exuding a certain ruggedness. Yet in stark contrast to his stern appearance, he sat slouched, listlessly fiddling with a seal, looking bored out of his mind. It was understandable; since guild applications opened half a month ago, he’d been stationed here, but the difficulty of the guild quest meant he’d had next to nothing to do. The spacious room felt as deserted as a haunted house. Yesterday, a rare applicant showed up—just two, in fact. The tedium was overwhelming.

Stretching and yawning, the clerk glanced outside and spotted Han Qishao and Shen Ce approaching. His eyes lit up, his energy instantly revived. “Finally, someone has come again.”

As they drew near, the clerk stood up with a cheerful air. “Are you here to apply for a guild? Do you have the guildmaster’s token and the land deed?”

Shen Ce said nothing, while Han Qishao produced two items—one, the dark gold badge Shen Ce had just traded to him, the other, a thin stack of papers.

The clerk’s eyes widened at the sight of the dark gold badge. He hadn’t expected anyone to possess such a thing. Coughing to cover his surprise, he accepted both items. When his gaze fell upon the papers, he couldn’t help but mutter, “Do people have this much money nowadays?”

Shen Ce found the clerk’s muttering rather odd. Who would have thought that this burly man would gossip like a wedding officiant in a chapel? Clearly, the NPCs in “Dominion of Heaven” had some peculiar personalities.

Amazed as he was, the clerk worked quickly. In just a couple of minutes, everything was done. He handed back the dark gold badge and half the papers to Han Qishao. “Take these and don’t lose them. The badge is proof of your authority—without it, you can’t command the garrison. The land deed gives you buying and selling rights; if you lose it and something happens, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Han Qishao thanked him, storing the deed and pinning the badge to his light armor. “Thank you for the reminder. How many troops will be assigned, and when will they arrive?” He’d read on the forums that the first guild in Lingshui City would get just ten NPC soldiers, all level thirty. Still, ten were better than none; they were higher-level than most players, and while their AI was clumsy, they were an important asset for the city defense. To get more or higher-level troops, guild prestige had to rise, but no one had that kind of reputation yet.

The clerk glanced at the badge on Han Qishao’s chest. “You’ve established a B-rank guild, so you’ll get twenty troops. They should arrive tomorrow.”

Han Qishao nodded and thanked him again, preparing to leave with Shen Ce. However, barely had they taken a few steps when a noisy commotion erupted—men and women, a sizable group.

As they proceeded, a crowd suddenly appeared before them, led by a warrior both of them knew well—none other than Bloodfang Wolf.

Bloodfang Wolf clearly hadn’t expected to run into Shen Ce and Han Qishao. He was surprised at first, but his expression quickly twisted into a sneer. “Fancy meeting you two here. Fate really does have a twisted sense of humor.” The four men and women flanking him closed in, clearly intent on bullying with numbers.

Shen Ce narrowed his eyes, scanning the group encircling him and Han Qishao. What were these people thinking? This was the City Lord’s Mansion, a safe zone—any attempt at violence would be futile, and they might even get cut down by NPC guards and sent back to the infirmary.

Han Qishao cast a lazy glance at the five opponents, his lips curling in mockery. “You’re the ones blocking the way. Of course it’s narrow. If you want a fight, I’m always ready—outside the safe zone. But here and now, what’s the point?”

Bloodfang Wolf snorted, motioning his people to step back. His eyes flashed with malice. “Han Qishao, you talk big. Today’s just my unlucky day, running into you also applying for a guild. From now on, our Wolf Gang and your people are enemies. Don’t think getting ahead means better resources. Wait until you see no one joins you—then you’ll know what regret is.”

“Exactly!” chorused his lackeys.

Shen Ce’s eyelid twitched. Where did these people get such confidence?

Han Qishao raised the badge on his armor, his smile full of scorn. “Wolf Gang, is it? As I said, ‘Divinity’ welcomes you anytime.”

Only then did Bloodfang Wolf notice the badge on Han Qishao’s chest. He stared at the unremarkable dark gold, his lips trembling. “Impossible! I could have sworn you were doing the chain quest for the City Lord’s favor, which should only get you the guildmaster’s token, not the badge!”

His face darkened, veins bulging at his temples, as if clouds had shrouded the sky. “This must be a fake! No way!”

Han Qishao broke his delusion with a smirk. “You can check the world channel yourself. Zero, let’s go.”

Shen Ce left calmly with Han Qishao. Curious, he checked the world channel, just as Han Qishao suggested. Sure enough, a trending topic about the “Divinity” guild dominated the top spot, with new replies flooding in every half-second—players clamoring to join and see what a B-rank guild was like, eager to meet its extraordinary guildmaster.

As they stepped out the door, a furious, beastly howl erupted behind them—so intense it was almost terrifying. Shen Ce’s eyes darkened; he suddenly felt a bit sorry for Bloodfang Wolf. To be humiliated repeatedly in front of his own followers—there were few things more devastating in “Dominion of Heaven.”