Reign of the Hunters

Chapter 406 A Dating Hotspot?

Human beings must always be advancing forward in life, as staying stagnant meant falling behind.

The growth of a guild was the same.

It had been a long while before Ye Ci last dealt with the Iron Blood guild. They were nothing but a mere medium sized guild in her memories. She did not know the guild very well even during her fight with Dong Yin.

Bai Mo had prepared the intelligence of the Iron Blood guild prior to the guild battle, and Ye Ci was certain that they would have information on Upwards Ho! as well.

She let out a low whistle when she saw the latest report on Iron Blood, “They’ve sure grown a lot.”

“Right? Bai Mo nodded, “I was surprised as well. The equipment of their core players is almost on par with ours now.” it was apparent that Bai Mo was excited for the battle ahead.

“What? Have you been looking down on Thousand Sunsets?” Ye Ci laughed, “He might be selfish, but he’s a very diligent man. He is willing to clear a single dungeon a hundred times just to obtain an item with very low drop rates.” Ye Ci shrugged, “You, on the other hand, do not have his patience.”

Bai Mo nodded in agreement, and said with a smile, “That’s nothing. It’s a sign that I have better luck.”

Ye Ci rolled her eyes at Bai Mo. Flaunting your good luck in front of me now, are we?

“What a shame.” Ye Ci sighed, a frown appeared on her face, “It’d be nice if they select the battle mode without a fixed number of members.”

Her thoughts might be a mystery to anybody else, but not Bai Mo, who eyed her with disdain, “We all know that you just want to loot their equipment. They’re not stupid. It’s not easy to get all those gears.”

“Then it’ll be boring. I guess I’ll sit this one out.” said Ye Ci, “I thought I could get some good equipment out of this battle. I guess there’s no hope at all.”

“The only equipment change you had after hitting the lvl60 mark is your weapon?” Bai Mo eyed Ye Ci’s equipment.

Ye Ci nodded and glared at him, “It’s your fault... You guys refuse to let me tag along in your dungeon clearing expeditions.”

But her complaint fell on deaf ears as Bai Mo said with a nod, “Since your equipment is so bad, you’re not needed in the battle. Wait here, I’ll send you a recording once it’s over.” and he left to assign tasks to the leaders of each squadron while ignoring Ye CI’s glare. Then why did you call me to come back?

Of course, Ye Ci was not truly angry at Bai Mo. She knew why Bai Mo made the decision to keep her out of the battle.

Due to her absence in guild activities, information about her was very scarce. Her participation in the Guild Battle would only reveal her level, equipment, skills, and her pet to the opposing guild, and through them, Golden Era.

While Ye Ci did not know how long she could keep her strength hidden, she knew that it was wise to keep it a secret for as long as possible. She needed time to acquire a good set of equipment and hone her skills. And she needed more time to get used to fighting with Ol’ Six by her side.

And more importantly, she knew that she should not be reckless.

For as the saying goes, recklessness is the work of the devil.

“How is it? Are you done yet?” asked Bai Mo at Ye Ci who sat watching the recording in the guild conference room.

“Iron Blood is not the guild that I left anymore. Our victory is very narrow.” said Ye Ci as she played the recording once again.

“Indeed. We wouldn’t have won if not for our teamwork.” stated Bai Mo as he watched it with Ye Ci, “They might not have the numbers, but all of their members are good. But...”

“But what?”

But...” Bai Mo continued, “Shouldn’t Iron Blood be fighting against Battle Spear instead of us? That guild has been growing very rapidly. Is Thousand Sunsets not worried that his guild will be taken over by Battle Spear? What is he thinking?”

“Who knows...” Ye Ci had her own thoughts regarding this matter, “Normal people like us will never understand the power struggles between the rich.” she smiled at Bai Mo, “But it doesn’t mean that we can’t make a profit out of it.”

“If even we know how to sell the recording, do you think Iron Blood will do the same?”

“And who will they sell it to?”

Bai Mo pursed his lips, “Little Ci, you know very well who will buy it.”

Ye Ci sighed, “Now that you mention it... Perhaps I really should take part in the Guild Battle earlier on.

“It won’t work. Breeze is a smart man.” Bai Mo yaned, “By the way,” he spoke to Ye Ci who had stood up and made her way to the entrance, “Our Rogues discovered a safe route to Sodom. I’ll let you know once we’re ready to attack.”

“Alright.” Ye Ci waved lazily at Bai Mo as she walked out of the conference room, “Unbridled Willow, meet me at the Lakeview Tavern of Red Lake City.”

The Lakeview Tavern was well known in Red Lake City. While it was surrounded by water and not easy to access, the tavern was still packed full of players due to the beautiful scenery.

It was also a popular spot for couples to go on a date.

Unbridled Willow sat at a secluded corner of the tavern. It was not the best spot, but he was in view of the lake, and was also in a position where he could listen to the singing of the NPCs in the tavern.

He felt very out of place. It had become an unspoken rule between the patrons of the tavern to remove their armor and weapons and only enter the premises in fashionable clothes so that the atmosphere of the place would not be ruined.

But Unbridled Willow came dressed in heavy armor with a large sword and shield on his back. It was only natural for him to receive stares from the players around him. He dismissed it as people admiring his armor as it was a very rare set of equipment in the entire game. But he started to feel that something was off.

As he was not one to allow a lady to wait for him, Unbridled Willow arrived at the venue half an hour before the agreed time. But Ye Ci was a very punctual person. She would never arrive late, nor would she arrive early. And that was why Unbridled Willow had to endure the stares that and glares that came his way for a full thirty minutes.

The answer was finally made available to him when he paid a player working at the tavern a small sum of money for information. While the situation was awkward, there was nothing he could do as he did not have even a piece of fashionable clothing with him.

This persisted until Gognzi You finally showed up, clad in armor and with a bow slung behind her back. She walked up to Unbridled Willow, paying no heed to the stares she received from the players around her.

Had he been alone, Unbridled Willow would never attract so much attention. But the presence of Gongzi You effectively guaranteed that even more attention was focused on their table, “Why are you dressed like this as well, Gongzi You?”

“What do you mean?” Ye Ci looked at her clothing, “I’ve always been dressed like this.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Unbridled Willow let out a cough when he noticed that Ye Ci remained oblivious of the situation, “So why did you want me to meet you here? This place...” he wanted to tell her that this was a dating hotspot. He did not know why Gongzi You chose this spot. Is she interested in me? Was the recording just an excuse to ask me out?

But such a scenario was very unlikely. She might not even harbor such a thought, and her rumored lover would never let such a thing slide.

“This place? Don’t you know that they sell food that can increase one’s physical attack by 100 that would last for three hours? I’ll be an idiot to not come here.” Ye Ci immediately looked at Unbridled Willow as if he was an idiot.

Unbridled Willow let out a sigh of relief. It seems that I was just overthinking. She didn’t even know that this is a dating hotspot! This person is only interested in battle, stats, and dungeons...

He looked at Gongzi You, and sighed again. I wonder what would happen if she really developed an interest in me. I bet she will push me down like a queen...

Unbridled Willow shuddered at that thought. He did not enjoy gossiping, but it did not mean that rumors had not made themselves into his ears. He knew of the relationship between Fleeting Time and Gongzi You, and held nothing but respect for the man.

“I can’t guarantee you that they’re still hiding an ace up their sleeves, but they performed quite well during battle. Offer me a price.” said Ye Ci as she sent a small clip of the recording to Unbridled Willow as she ordered food from a passing NPC.

That’s right, she ordered the food that would increase her Physical Attack by 100 for three hours.