Zhongsuyuan City, the Land of Twilight, also went by the title of the Qi Kingdom.
So leading figures of the Wicked Unionmainly Lone Wolf and Belugagathered as they were waiting for soone who had requested a eting. In addition to the two aforentioned mbers, only Elso and Hong Tong accompanied them.
Elso was standing uptight, his gaze wandering around in search of danger. As for Hong Tong, although he looked like a weak scholar on the surface, his position in the Victorious Wolves Sect was one of the vice-leaders. He rarely appeared in public due to personal reasons such as being available at different tis, out completing solo quests, or simply considering the public appearance too troubleso. In any case, his strength was highly comndable. In the Victorious Wolves Sect, each vice-leader specialized in different departnts, and regarding strength, he ca out on top. Even though he wasnt as well-known, everyone in the guild knew that his ability was only slightly below Lone Wolfs.
The four of them were waiting inside a sloppy house with a Chinese pattern located at the border of the city, next to the wasteland which led to the Desert of Death. The usual uncomfortable heat during the day turned into a chilling cold at night. The icy wind breezed past their skin as their breaths beca visible.
No one said anything yet. They simply waited.
He ca, Beluga suddenly spoke up, He really did co alone.
The four originally stayed in complete darkness because no one needed a source of light to see in the dark. However, once the person they were waiting for approached, each of his steps left a cluster of flas on the ground shortly before disappearing. It was the sole source of light in the vast wasteland.
Actually, its not in my nature to arrive late. The playful voice was tinged with the feeling of friendliness.
The great city ruler said he had sothing to discuss with us lowly peasants, so we had to make haste when coming here, so as to not displease you, Venerable Fla Monarch. Beluga smiled.
Revin opened his system window, which prompted Elso to imdiately stare daggers at him. Noticing the gaze, Revin slowed down his action. Hey, calm down, man. Im not doing anything suspicious. Im just trying to take out a torch. Do you guys like staying in the dark or what? How weird.
Revin was searching for half a minute and eventually closed his system window. I cant seem to find it. I was sure I put it there though.
Lone Wolf placed his palm on a wooden table. Flas soon ignited on it and spread around, expanding into a ring of flas surrounding the entire house. The darkness was replaced by warm light. For the record, the control over these flas was top notch as the intensity of the flas was only at the level to brighten the room, neither damaging it nor spreading elsewhere.
This should be enough, right? asked Lone Wolf.
Revin approached the four without paying their doubtful eyes any mind. He sat down on a wooden bench, right between Lone Wolf and Beluga, as if they were intimate companions.
By the way, I forgot to ntion that Im only the deputy ruler. The actual city ruler is still Montra. Well, I can issue one or two orders in this city though.
A smile was still hanging on Belugas face, but he beca noticeably less talkative. In that case, what do you want from us, sir deputy city ruler?
Im here just to seek the answer of a single, short question. Revin held up one finger and spun it around in circular motion. What is the Wicked Union?
Lone Wolf declared, The Wicked Union is a group of people who gathered with the intention to oppose the Heavenly Dragon Guild. We hold virtue in high regard and wont yield under greater power being used for incorrect paths. If what the Heavenly Dragon Guild does is considered actions of the righteous side, well gladly take on the role of the wicked villains.
Revin nodded. Interesting. Truly interesting. And what exactly is the virtue you spoke of?
Beluga smirked. Didnt you say you ca here to ask a single question? That was the second one.
Dont misunderstand. I genuinely want the answer to that one question. However, the answer provided by Lone Wolf still has a part that I dont understand. I need to ask further to clear the possible confusion. I heard that Lone Wolf gave people virtuous speeches during the gathering party in order to convince players to join your alliance. Regrettably, I didnt attend that party, so I hope I can get to hear them once today.
Lone Wolf still sat with his back up straight. His eyes were determined as if they were two suns that wouldnt ever lose their glow. Being virtuous is acting with moral and personal beliefs, while not harming others. The Heavenly Dragon Guild threatens, kills, plunders, collects protection fees, and causes troubles to a majority of people. We cant accept those kinds of actions.
Revin nodded. Oh, I see, I see. Hm? But?
Beluga began to dislike the current atmosphere. Although Revin acted in a friendly manner and didnt show any malice, sothing about him made Beluga feel restless. His intuition warned him to be watchful around this man nad Revin.
But what?
I just think that maybe there is so misunderstanding between us. The Heavenly Dragon Guild in my eyes doesnt seem to match what you said. What we do is for the sake of the community at large. Actually, the guilds goal is for creating Heaven on Earth, opening up the opportunity for players to fight and grow together. Even though we conquered the three main cities, we havent prevented entry or exit. Our products are reasonably cheap, even cheaper than what you can find elsewhere. About the protection fee, its like how its na suggests, its a fee for being under our protection. Compared to having to wander in the wild and risk encountering monsters, paying so small cash to support the army guarding the cities is quite logical.
Beluga argued, Those are re facades youre putting on. The Heavenly Dragon Guild in the past is far from being virtuous. Its still the sa even now. Youre just becoming more brazen.
Lone Wolf smiled at the usual sharp-tongued Beluga. In any case, he was worried as Revin, too, was smiling. It was a smile that seed like it belonged on a mask rather than soones facea smile that made him feel a sense of discomfort.
Is that bias Im sensing? Our guild is large. We admit our backbone players sotis failed to keep every guildmate in check. Its possible that they might be off track and do bad deeds sotis. However, as everyone knows, were always trying our best to punish those players and prevent others from following in their footsteps.
After keeping his silence for a long ti, Elso spoke, Are you saying that all those evil acts, perford by the Heavenly Dragon Guilds mbers, always went unnoticed by Montra, the guild master, and that they had nothing to do with him? Isnt that too irresponsible?
That wasnt exactly what I wanted to convey. Montra noticed so, but not all of them. That was why he had to spend ti investigating the bad seeds, then focus on getting rid of them all in one go, which I must say was quite effective. You guys know that most if not all of the bandit gangs targeting new players have been taken care of by us, right? Revin spun his finger around, his red eyes gleaming as if they were flickering candles.
Lone Wolf interrupted, The guild leader must be held responsible for the actions done by their teammates.
Beluga let out a hearty laugh. Hahaha! What a bullshit excuse! So youre saying Montra is actually a good guy and we should go back to sleep, huh? We all should stop fighting. Easy peasy like that, huh?
Revin also joined in the laughing. He opened his system window and took out two discs, before sliding them to Beluga and Lone Wolf.
Four years ago, soone in the Victorious Wolves Sect used your na, Lone Wolf, to extort money from new players in the Town of Beginnings. As for the Mountain Thieves League, one group of players in your guild plundered a small trading caravan traveling from Zhongsuyuan City to Colossia City. More details can be found inside. You can keep it. No need to return them.
Lone Wolf and Beluga tried opening the files and found the details of the investigation, including the testimonies of victims and eyewitnesses. Upon coming to know this information, they were doubtful. They had never heard of this kind of thing before.
This is the first Ive heard of this, said Lone Wolf as he turned to Beluga, who was reading the information thoroughly with an expression saying that he, too, had never known about such a scandal before.
Revin continued, Im so jealous. The Victorious Wolves Sect and the Mountain Thieves League have such skilled vice-leaders like Miss Ratri and Miss Nednapha, who are capable enough to shove these kinds of things away behind their guildmasters backs.
Following that line of thought, Lone Wolf and Beluga realized those two won were indeed inclined to do whatever must be done in order to preserve the guilds dignity and prevent them, the guild leaders, from feeling unnecessary worry.
Now Beluga was aware. Revin had long since unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the twos necks. He was simply waiting for them to advance.
I believe that the two of you were really clueless about these events. Its not like you intended to overlook them to avoid taking responsibility. Revin paused for a mont, allowing everyone to follow his flow of speech. Its difficult to completely control a guild with a large number of people. Its normal for so guildmates to lose sight of the guilds vision and go out of control. What Im saying is Montra has been trying his best to fix that.
Now the two realized that Montra was indeed superior to them. At the very least, Montra was aware of the problem and tried to fix it. anwhile, both of them were completely clueless about the bad seeds in their guilds. It could be said that they were even more irresponsible than Montra.
While speaking louder, Revin stood up. Now I understand what virtue is for the Wicked Union. Its discrimination. You are rciful toward your own side, overlooking your own mistakes while finding faults in others and totally ignoring the good actions that the Heavenly Dragon Guild performs. You used your convenient bias to judge that they were facades. How interesting.
What are you trying to say? Lone Wolf stood up, his brain still unable to completely process the new information.
Revin gazed into Lone Wolfs eyes, which used to radiate calmly and steadily, and noticed the hint of uncertainty in them. His assignnt was already half-finished. Switching his gaze to Beluga, he realized that the second half of the assignnt would fail. Beluga didnt show any signs of confusion. He simply absorbed the new information without swaying.
Uwah~ I cant do it after all, thought Revin.
Revin divided people in the world into two categories: those seeing the world in black and white, and those seeing the world in gray. Lone Wolf was among the first category. They clung to the concepts of absolute right and wrong. For them, things must always be judged to be either just or wicked. There was a strong pillar separating goodness and malignance. If this pillar broke apart, their beliefs would crumble. These people were like a white sheet of paper, easily stained.
The second category ant the people who lived without such a fine line separating good and evil, such as him, Montra, or Beluga. They looked at the world in gray, knowing that everyone has their own reasons and beliefs. It was difficult to shake the resolve of this type of person. At the sa ti, they were often rather pessimistic.
Revin didnt an to judge which type was better than others. He just thought that people of the first category were more suited to a peaceful world. They were unsuited to the world where tons of people were striving for survival.
And especially unsuited to Monster Soul.
That was the reason why Montra wasnt concerned about Lone Wolf as much as he was about Cross or Beluga. He judged Lone Wolf as soone being in the wrong place and at the wrong ti. Given his personality, Lone Wolf didnt belong to the black world like Monster Soul from the beginning.
Ahem. Revin cleared his throat. Sila brought harm to a lot of people just for the sake of obtaining power and skills. When Lost Grea City was under his managent, he exploited his rights by selling items at an unreasonably high price, greedily pocketing the profits. The truth is right in front of you. As soon as Montra conquered the city, the price of every item sold in the city dropped imnsely. Everyone can enjoy a happy life and live with all of the necessities. However, you guys disregarded our contributions and frad us as villains using your fake virtue.
Of course, Revin was bluffing. He didnt know for certain whether Sila sought power, skills, money, or whatever. Nevertheless, that wasnt important anymore. The main point was that he had successfully shaken the Wicked Unions core, which was Virtue and also what was binding the alliance together. As long as he could take it down, the alliance would fall apart without him having to wage war.
Revin believed that everyone in the world was considered half good and half bad, and that their actions were the result of their circumstances.
What the hell do you really want? Beluga kept the disc with him and asked. There was no longer a sense of playfulness in his eyes. He finally ca to understand Revins goal. He got it once he looked into Lone Wolfs eyes.
Doubt was clearly written on Lone Wolfs face.
Revin spun his finger again. I already said it though. I ca here to ask. What is virtue?
My question must have been too indirect, then. What exactly do you want to obtain from the answer to that question? asked Beluga.
Cease the war. We dont have to spill any more blood. Anything that the system will give to the winner, we will distribute them evenly to all guilds we dont consider our enemies. This deal is present for every guild that is a part of the Wicked Union. In addition, if you are afraid that the Heavenly Dragon Guild would be too powerful if left unchecked... once the war event ends, Montra will dismiss the guild, hand over the three cities to suitable people, delete his avatar, and never return to the ga. This is the most we can offer.
The proposal was extrely beneficial to them. Too beneficial, in fact, to the point where Beluga doubted its integrity.
What will Montra get from all of that?
Revin shook his head. Montra wont get anything, except for the long-lasting peaceful era of Monster Soul... Erm, I personally disagree with him in this regard though. I think the peace will last for only three or four years at most until a new tyrant steps up and everything goes back to how it was. Well, the point is that he is willing to sacrifice his self-interest for the well-being of everyone else. That is Montras virtue.
Virtue? What exactly is it? Beluga questioned it and was still in the middle of seeking the answer. Is it the act of being good or being kind to others? What if the receiving side doesnt want said goodwill or kindness, then? Will the sa action still be regarded as a virtuous act?
Beluga declared resolutely, That sounds too naive for soone like Montra. War was never an act of virtue since the very beginning. I play this ga, seeking excitent and thrilling monts, enjoying the experiences I cant find in real life. If I truly wanted such a long-lasting peaceful era, I would have played dating simulators or farming gas instead and wouldnt be standing here in Monster Soul.
Well, I already expected you, Beluga, to say sothing along this line. So the negotiation failed, I take it?
This was never a negotiation from the start. I heard that killing the deputy city ruler is equivalent to killing the city ruler themselves. This house is located within Zhongsuyuan City. How can a mountain bandit like miss such a great opportunity, dont you agree?
Revin still showed the sa playful expression despite being in the center of four powerhouses of the opposing side.
What will you do, Lone Wolf? I wont mind if you abandon virtue and stoop so low as to gang up on . I would consider it an achievent if I can manage to drag a person like you into the mud.
I have sothing to ask Ratri. Please excuse . Lone Wolf leaped out. anwhile, Hong Tong showed a sign of hesitation for a brief mont but ultimately decided to stay.
Belugas gaze followed the departing figure of Lone Wolf, feeling disappointed in the man. Does it matter if what Revin said was true or false? No man can change the past.
Lone Wolf was too pure. He was a perfectly white sheet without stains, a good guy among good guys. However, the more white the sheet was, the easier it is to spot any dirt on it, and Lone Wolf wouldnt stop until it was spotless.
What Beluga was trying to say was, for him, virtue was sothing judged by others. Even if you eternally lived your entire life as a good guy, you can still be considered a villain if people in the world said so, maybe out of jealousy, envy, or whatever. Hence, it was best to ignore others opinions. Just staying true to your beliefs is a virtue by itself.
Three against one, then. Well, war is not about fairness.
Revin turned his back, showing openings. Easy, n. Im in a good mood today. Lets fight for real in the real warhaving only one life, dying ans the end. It will be more fun that way. I wont take advantage of you today.
Take advantage of what? Beluga asked, trying to pull Revins attention.
Even without orders, Elso and Hong Tong imdiately took actions. Elsos black saber jabbed forward, shooting a thin line. anwhile, Hong Tong fired a qi bullet using Yizichan. Both attacks flew to Revins back and neck.
Two tallic sounds simultaneously rang out. The black saber and the qi bullet were stopped one inch away from Revin.
Revin spun his finger again. His smile seed dangerous and tempting. He was like a fla. It wasnt strange that many won had fallen for his enticing charms.
I spared your life three tis already. This ti makes four... Lets part without trouble today and see each other again in the war event. My Zhongsuyuan City will always welco you.
The silhouettes of more than ten ancient warriors in ethereal forms erged inside and around the house. Among them, two were guarding Revin, blocking the previous attacks.
Revin walked away, leaving the system notification to inform the rest of consecutive and endless monster appearances.
Like I said, its not in my nature to arrive late. That was why I sent these guys to welco you before you arrived.
Beluga swallowed his saliva as the soul warriors gradually faded away. The soul race could beco invisible at will. Every ti that Revin spun his finger ant he could have killed the four once. Even though these monsters were weaker and lower in quantity compared to Siaferias Android Army, they were nonetheless fearso invisible assassins staying active in Zhongsuyuan City.
Why didnt you? Elso was about to ask why Revin didnt use this chance to kill them, but Revins reply ca with the wind before he could finish the sentence.
Im like Beluga, entering this ga to seek thrilling monts. Itll be more exciting this way. However, the next ti there will be no warnings. If you die, you will only have yourself to bla.
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