Chapter 28 The Twelve Guild Alliance

Gu Fei and the others' teaching schedule started at four o'clock, one hour per lesson, for a total of four. After teaching everything, it was already past eight in the morning. They encountered an ambush on the way, and although the fight was quite dangerous, in fact, the whole battle only lasted about ten minutes. It was only just nine o'clock when everyone returned to White Stone City.

Seeing that Gu Fei didn't need their help with the meeting, these people started preparing to log off. However, they saw Gu Fei following them towards the offline area.

"Aren't you supposed to be meeting someone?" Yu Tian Shen Ming asked, puzzled.

"I never said I was meeting them right now," Gu Fei replied.

"Then when?" Yu Tian Shen Ming asked.

"Tonight. What if the negotiations don't go well and we have to fight? I need to log off and recharge first," Gu Fei said.

Yu Tian Shen Ming shuddered. He felt that Gu Fei didn't seem to be very sincere about negotiating, and that he was just looking for a fight. Sure enough, he was a PK fanatic.

But the events in the game didn't stop because Gu Fei and the others logged off. After the White Mill training ended, a new round of battles for leveling areas broke out. Brother You's earlier prediction unfortunately came true. Many members from large guilds had infiltrated their students to learn the techniques. Once they had learned and memorized them, they quickly began organizing their own guild members to come and learn.

This time, the guilds were no longer limited to White Stone City. Guilds from surrounding main cities, and even distant main cities, were coming. Regardless of whether they were going to organize their guild members to level up here, they wanted to learn the leveling method first.

In the morning, most of the guilds organizing to attend the training were still from this city. But after noon, guilds from nearby main cities such as Moonlit Night City and Shady Forest City arrived one after another. Later, there might even be guilds from more distant main cities coming over.

This time, everyone wouldn't be as disorganized and undisciplined as they were at the Wilderness Camp. The guilds staked their claims in the leveling area, and some independent players wisely gave way, not wanting to fight. Those guilds that knew each other coordinated early on and divided up the territory without saying a word. Those who didn't know each other didn't rashly fight, but sat down and negotiated!

In the end, the entire leveling area became orderly. Guilds guarded their respective territories, while individual players had to swallow their anger and squeeze together in one area. Everyone felt depressed but helpless, and no longer had the mood to fight over monsters. They were crowded together, with too many people and too few monsters, making leveling extremely inefficient. But although the guilds had many people, they were organized! There certainly weren't enough monsters for an entire guild to level, but they didn't send everyone at once. First, three to five hundred people would level up for an hour, then they would switch to another group. In this way, everyone enjoyed a two or three times leveling efficiency per hour, which was better than these scattered players who could see but not touch.

The balance between the guilds was quite delicate, and everyone carefully guarded their own little piece of land, without crossing boundaries. Because the strength of the guilds present was about the same, if a fight broke out, no one could swallow the other whole. In the end, they would all be damaged, and the third party would benefit.

The guild leaders clearly understood the stakes. As long as they could secure a piece of land for their guild, that was enough. Moreover, everyone had a tacit understanding that no guild's territory should appear larger than the others. There were generally the same number of small monsters in everyone's area, so no one had any complaints.

Everyone thought this balance was pretty good, so several guild giants privately agreed on a defense alliance. They decided that the current guilds present would take charge of the leveling area, and no newcomers would be allowed in. If anyone caused trouble, they would all attack together.

This alliance had a bit of the flavor of the beachfront marketplace in Linshui City. The contract was signed at noon that day. At this time, there were a total of twelve guilds stationed in the White Mill leveling area. These were mainly local guilds from White Stone City, as well as guilds from the three surrounding main cities of Moonlit Night City, Shady Forest City, and Stormwind City.

Among them was the Ten Guild Alliance of Moonlit Night City.

Although the Ten Guild Alliance was made up of ten guilds, outsiders treated them as one guild. With more than 4,000 members, they were much stronger than an ordinary level six guild. However, Yun Zhong Mu didn't intend to monopolize the leveling area because of this. He wasn't stupid. One look at the situation and he knew that trying to dominate the leveling area would anger everyone.

Although the Ten Guild Alliance was strong, it was already difficult to dominate a main city. Now that they had come outside, Yun Zhong Mu knew that it was unrealistic to try to intimidate the big-name guilds from other main cities. If they were pushed too hard, they could immediately create a temporary ten-guild alliance with ten level six guilds, directly totaling more than 10,000 people. What would Yun Zhong Mu's ten-guild alliance be then?

So, when he saw everyone dividing the leveling area in a very united and friendly manner, Yun Zhong Mu happily integrated into it. These guilds had long heard that the people of Moonlit Night City were fierce and prone to PK. The Ten Guild Alliance was currently the largest organization in the Parallel World. At first, everyone thought a storm was coming when they saw them. But they didn't expect them to abide by the current temporary division rules of the leveling area.

However, Yun Zhong Mu argued that because his guild had more people, he hoped that his leveling area could be larger, according to the proportion of people. From the perspective of equality and friendship, Yun Zhong Mu's request wasn't excessive. In addition, the guild leaders didn't want to confront the Ten Guild Alliance. So Yun Zhong Mu got an area that was four times larger than those of ordinary level six guilds, as he wished. As Yun Zhong Mu got more, everyone then thought that those who had less should get even less. So the leveling areas allocated to several level five guilds with less than level six were further reduced according to the proportion of people.

Yun Zhong Mu saw that the twelve guilds had already divided up almost all of the leveling area. But this didn't guarantee that no more guilds would arrive. Yun Zhong Mu and the others were neighbors, setting off in the morning and arriving here close to noon. If it were a main city further away, they might be on the road now, and might arrive at two or three in the afternoon.

To prevent their leveling areas from being divided up by newcomers, Yun Zhong Mu proposed the agreement that the twelve guilds would occupy the White Mill. After all, he was the leader of the Ten Guild Alliance, and he was very experienced in forming alliances. This suggestion was very much to everyone's liking. Originally, there were only three major guilds in White Stone City, and they were dividing the area happily. But when the guilds from the three surrounding main cities arrived one after another at noon, dividing it once for each arrival, the original three pieces were quickly cut into twelve pieces, which everyone found very painful. Everyone was aware of the problem that Yun Zhong Mu had thought of. Who would want the leveling area to be divided again and again?

So as soon as Yun Zhong Mu made this suggestion, everyone immediately applauded. The alliance of the twelve major guilds gave everyone the momentum to challenge the world. So they decided that if any more guilds came, they would never back down.

At this time, some smaller guilds arrived and, seeing this scene, already classified themselves as independent players, not daring to come forward in the name of a guild. As expected, around three o'clock in the afternoon, as everyone had expected, a guild from a main city two cities away arrived. The first to arrive was the Green Gorge Guild of Linshui City.

The leveling area in front of them was clearly divided into pieces, and the guild leader, Dan Qing Xia Ying, knew what was going on at a glance. However, he didn't realize that these guys had agreed to divide the territory after friendly communication. He thought of it as a buffet, assuming that each guild that came could carve out a piece of territory to level up. So he led his people in a swaggering manner towards a place without flags.

The area without flags was the area where independent players leveled up. From an overall perspective, it was even larger than the territory of Yun Zhong Mu's Ten Guild Alliance. This was intentionally left by the twelve guilds when they divided the leveling area. They didn't want to be too ruthless and had to give the majority of players without guilds or power something to eat. The number of people in this part of the leveling area was completely out of proportion. Many people were just relying on luck, hoping that a monster would happen to spawn near them. They were completely relying on the heavens for food, but they were reluctant to leave.

Dan Qing Xia Ying was new and didn't understand. He thought that the area for independent players was a free market, where you could take whatever you wanted. So he led his troops, glaring fiercely, and squeezed into this leveling area, wanting to cut a piece of cake.

This caused a big misunderstanding. Dan Qing Xia Ying saw that the twelve guilds were leveling up comfortably and thought that this leveling area was open for anyone to take. How could he know the many twists and turns in this? In fact, the leveling area for independent players was very large at the beginning. The three local guilds occupied a disproportionately small area, so the independent players didn't take it seriously at all. After that, guilds arrived one after another, moving a little, then a little more, until Yun Zhong Mu and the others finally arrived, carving out an area four times larger than an ordinary guild. Only then did the independent players realize that their area had become much smaller.

This was a death by slow boiling, unconsciously and comfortably eating away at their area. In the end, when they wanted to speak up, they couldn't find anyone to lead the charge among the scattered players, so they could only swallow their anger. But Dan Qing Xia Ying's actions were too drastic, leading people directly into the area. Everyone had been swallowing their anger for a long time, so the powder keg exploded with a single touch. Someone immediately burst into curses.

Dan Qing Xia Ying hadn't figured it out yet and was furious. He thought, "You don't curse at those dozen guilds, but you curse at me. What, are you looking down on me?" He immediately ordered his subordinates to surround and attack the several players who were cursing the loudest, wanting to kill one to warn a hundred.

But the problem was... there were more than a hundred players in the current leveling area. Moreover, the leveling area was so large that many players couldn't see his brutal actions at all, they only heard rumors.

"Damn, another guild has come, and they're so arrogant, killing people as soon as they arrive!!"

"Damn, even when the Ten Guild Alliance came, they weren't like this. Who the hell are these guys who are so arrogant?"

"Let's fight them! The area is already so crowded, we can't play if they take any more."

"Fight! Fight! Fight!!!"

Where there is oppression, there is resistance. In fact, there is always oppression, and there is always resistance. It's just that if the oppression isn't strong, the resistance won't be intense. For example, the twelve guilds occupying the territory earlier was also oppression, but it was done more gently, so everyone's resistance was just a few curses in their hearts.

But now Dan Qing Xia Ying was doing it too intensely, so everyone's resistance was intense. Shouldn't they take action when it was time to take action?

The independent players collectively erupted, and Dan Qing Xia Ying was a little flustered. But now it was impossible not to fight. Dan Qing Xia Ying quickly organized the guild to face the enemy.

In a group PK, the difference between organized and unorganized, between having tacit understanding and not having tacit understanding, was too great. Although there were many players, they weren't able to instantly drown the opponent in the ocean of people when facing organized and coordinated resistance. However, Dan Qing Xia Ying also understood that if this continued, his side would be exhausted, and in the end, both sides would be injured. So he ordered everyone to break through the encirclement and prepare to escape.

Who knew that at this time, the people from the twelve guilds suddenly moved upon hearing the news, and each organized a team to more effectively surround Dan Qing Xia Ying, immediately taking down a circle of their people.

Dan Qing Xia Ying was shocked and thought, "We're all competitors for the leveling area, why are you suddenly attacking me? What went wrong?"

"Don't fight, don't fight, we're on the same side!!" In desperation, Dan Qing Xia Ying shouted without any dignity.

"We're hitting you! We told you not to take the leveling area, we told you not to take the leveling area!!" Everyone cursed, and their firepower became even fiercer.

"Damn, aren't you guys taking it too?" Dan Qing Xia Ying roared, but his voice couldn't be heard. When he just shouted "Don't fight, don't fight," he jumped out of the crowd. Everyone saw that he was the leader, and forty or fifty tracking arrows flew towards him, from the sky and the ground, where could he run?

The Green Gorge Guild suffered its most devastating blow in history. A total of 748 people participated in this expedition to the leveling area, but only 35 escaped. The remaining were all wiped out. Those 35 were able to shamelessly tear off their guild badges and hide them in their pockets at the critical moment, so they were able to get away with it. Otherwise, they would have been completely killed.

"Oh! Oh!!" Cheers echoed in the skies above the White Mill, cheering for driving away the invaders. After that, everyone started leveling up again. The twelve guilds and the independent players got along even more harmoniously. The independent players didn't even realize that they had slightly expanded their leveling area after this battle.

After this, several more guilds arrived, but none of them were as rash as the Green Gorge Guild. Want to take the leveling area? The twelve guilds didn't even need to speak. The eyes of the independent players were now full of confidence. They all knew that if another guild came, the twelve guilds would join them to drive away the invaders. The independent players were helpless because they were weak and outnumbered, so the guilds took their leveling area. But now that they had a backing, who would want that? Naturally, they would glare coldly. If any guild approached with intentions, everyone would fiercely stare together, making the other party give up.

Except for the unlucky Green Gorge Guild, the White Mill was very harmonious that day. The twelve guilds were inspired and wanted to develop the Wilderness Camp as well, but they couldn't help but sigh at the so-called customs. The Wilderness Camp had been open for so many days, and it had now formed a rough and disordered style. The twelve guilds ultimately received "fierce stares." Conquer with force? After thinking about it, everyone didn't want to cause more trouble, so they obediently went back to the White Mill side.

At seven o'clock in the evening, Gu Fei logged on. He opened his friend list and saw that everyone was there, including Hongchen Yixiao. So he sent a message: "Are you going tonight? Give me a word, don't make me wait in vain."

"Going," Ye Xiaowu replied.

"See you there," Gu Fei replied directly. He closed the message and headed over there. The guys in the mercenary channel greeted him, asking where to meet and whether he needed support.

"No need," Gu Fei refused calmly.

"What exactly do you want to do?" Everyone was curious.

"I just want to hear what he wants to do," Gu Fei said.

"A debate about balance and harmony?" Everyone guessed.

Gu Fei didn't answer. He arrived at the agreed tavern at 7:40, but Ye Xiaowu was already waiting there. He didn't come alone, Duan Shui Jian was also with him.

"Long time no see," Gu Fei greeted first.

Ye Xiaowu nodded.

"What have you been busy with lately?" Gu Fei asked politely.

"..." Ye Xiaowu.

"Cough..." Gu Fei sat down, ordered a glass of wine, and started the conversation: "Aren't game workers not allowed to play games? How have you been playing so rampantly lately?"

Gu Fei had known for a long time that Ye Xiaowu was a game worker, but at the beginning, Ye Xiaowu told him that he entered the game to understand the situation. Moreover, the amount of time that Gu Fei saw Ye Xiaowu online was indeed very little, even less than him. But recently, it had been abnormal. He was playing more because he was on winter vacation, but this guy was directly like a professional player, frantically staying in the game for a long time.

"I resigned," Ye Xiaowu said.

"Resigned? Why?" Gu Fei asked.

"..."

"Huh?"

"Let's talk about the main business of today..." Ye Xiaowu said.

"There's nothing big," Gu Fei said, "I just want to understand, what exactly do you want to do after going through so much trouble?"

"I already said it earlier, right? Your existence is a threat to the game. You will destroy the balance of the game, so I must stop you," Ye Xiaowu said.

"Stop..." Gu Fei took a long breath, "How do you stop me? You can't kill me. This is just a game, I can always stand in this world."

"So I can only do my best to minimize your influence," Ye Xiaowu said.

"What influence do I have?" Gu Fei smiled.

"You have repeatedly destroyed the world process of the game, the werewolves in Nightlight Village, Giordano in Cloudmist City... and so on. After these processes are triggered, they destroy the overall rhythm of the game. Your powerful PK skills, and this efficient leveling method that you recently came up with, have also caused a considerable degree of chaos among players. I know that you are a game newbie, and you may not even know how much impact this efficient leveling method has. Ask your friends, they may know better," Ye Xiaowu said.

"At first, I thought it was because your Dark Night Flowing Light Sword and Dark Night Spirit Robe magnified your advantages. If those two pieces of equipment could be destroyed, your influence would be limited. But this efficient leveling method finally made me understand that for you, equipment is a label rather than the root. The root of your power is still your kung fu," Ye Xiaowu said.

"What's wrong with kung fu? Can't you play games if you have kung fu?" Gu Fei asked.

"You can play, but I hope you don't use kung fu to do too many things," Ye Xiaowu said.

Gu Fei suddenly stood up and kicked over the table. Ye Xiaowu didn't expect his emotions to change so drastically and was stunned. Duan Shui Jian even thought that Gu Fei was going to go berserk and quickly stepped in front of him.

"Liars can cheat in the game, robbers can rob equipment in the game, the rich spend money, the poor earn money, and even interest groups make a living here! But kung fu is not allowed? Twenty years of martial arts... Forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. In short, if kung fu is not allowed in the game, please tell us this when advertising the game. What do you think I'm gaming for? If I can't use kung fu, is the game fun?"

"You insist?"

"Nothing can make me give up kung fu, let alone for the sake of the game. You're too ridiculous."

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Whew, that was close. It's been several days since I've had such a close call. I almost didn't finish writing it!