"Amazing! Why have so many Guilds gathered in Dark Night City?"

"They must be here for the same reason as those adventurer teams that showed up earlier, to discuss an alliance with Zero Wing."

"Zero Wing sure is impressive. If it allies with so many Guilds, not even Starlink could afford to target Zero Wing rashly."

"That's not all. Do you see those people wearing s.h.i.+ning Tiger's Guild Emblem? The Guild recently became a superpower. I've heard that it isn't any weaker than Starlink and far stronger than the declining Unyielding Soul. If Zero Wing partners with s.h.i.+ning Tiger, Starlink will find the Guild to be a far more difficult target."

"If that happens and Zero Wing really intends to develop in the Dark Night Empire, we're going to see a ma.s.sive war erupt."

Players from the empire's various powers chatted amongst themselves when they noticed Sixteenth Cloud and the other Guild representatives in Dark Night City's Teleportation Hall. Many of them could already imagine the battle between the Dark Night Empire's countless Guilds.

Players like them wanted nothing more than that outcome.

Heroes only emerged when there was trouble. No player or power dared to act up in the empire while Starlink was in control, and most conflicts were limited to small skirmishes. Starlink would jump to quash any larger fights, and because of this, expert players struggled to make a name for themselves within the Dark Night Empire.

Of course, everyone paid more attention to s.h.i.+ning Tiger's presence than the potential turbulence.

If s.h.i.+ning Tiger and Zero Wing agreed to an alliance, Zero Wing would have the capital to develop in the Dark Night Empire. Partnering with Dark Night City's other Guilds wouldn't help the Guild much in this matter, and no one even bothered to take into account the Secret Pavilion or Unyielding Soul.

Unyielding Soul had constantly fought Starlink in the empire, so whether or not it allied with Zero Wing, its situation wouldn't change. Furthermore, Unyielding Soul had already begun to decline.

As a famous, transcendental power, the Secret Pavilion wouldn't involve itself in the struggle between G.o.d's Domain's various powers. It focused solely on its business and finances. The potential profits that were at stake were the only reason that the Secret Pavilion had sided with Zero Wing in the battle for Stone Forest City.

However, s.h.i.+ning Tiger was a different story. s.h.i.+ning Tiger was a foreign superpower to the Dark Night Empire, and if it were dragged into the empire's struggles, the resulting power s.h.i.+ft would be significant.

"So, this is Starlink's main headquarters? These players' average standards are quite high. They're almost a match for those in the Glory Empire. I see now how Starlink has developed so quickly," Sixteenth Cloud commented as she briefly evaluated the players in the Teleportation Hall. "If Zero Wing intends to battle Starlink to the bitter end, we'll have to reevaluate our interest in an alliance."

Overall, the Glory Empire was stronger than the Dark Night Empire, and although the former didn't have a G.o.d Mode Regional Dungeon nearby, it had quite a few Asura Mode Regional Dungeons. These Dungeons were more than enough for s.h.i.+ning Tiger's needs. The Guild wasn't hard-pressed to secure the Bottomless Abyss's resources.

If the Guild Elders hadn't expressed their slight interest in the Bottomless Abyss and White Tiger Dojo hadn't made such a strong recommendation, s.h.i.+ning Tiger wouldn't have been interested in Zero Wing in the least.

"Indeed. These players are certainly high-quality. Obtaining fresh blood should be quite easy for Starlink. Including its possession of that item, its development speed should be astounding," Sorrowful Silence said as he nodded in agreement. "However, since we are here, we should pay Stone Forest City a visit."

Superpowers typically avoided provoking each other. Even if they had to do so, they weighed the potential benefits and costs before acting. Naturally, s.h.i.+ning Tiger wouldn't agree to challenge Starlink just for a particular grinding spot that it didn't even need.

"Of course. We will need a proper explanation for the Guild Elders, after all." Sixteenth Cloud nodded.

As Dark Night City's players watched, Sixteenth Cloud and the other Guild representatives teleported to an NPC town nearest to the Ancient Undead Country. Following Aqua Rose, the group crossed one neutral map after another. As their escort, Zero Wing's main force dealt with any monsters in their way.

The main force members' performance surprised the various representatives.

Once they had entered the Ancient Undead Country, Zero Wing's main force had eliminated the Level 60-plus Great Lords they had encountered as easily as if they were chopping vegetables. Aqua Rose and Gentle Snow's performances were particularly eye-catching. Each of the women single-handedly took on several Level 65 Great Lords at once, maintaining their upper hand in the battles. Only Level 65 Grand Lords had proven strong enough to make Gentle Snow struggle...

The various Guild representatives were utterly astonished by these players' Basic Attributes.

"Aren't Gentle Snow's Basic Attributes a little too high? Not even our Guild's Chief Berserker is quite as strong," Sixteenth Cloud commented as she watched the woman in question tank a Level 65 Grand Lord by herself.

Although Berserkers were famed for their Strength, this was the first time Sixteenth Cloud had seen a Berserker that could solo-tank a Grand Lord.

"Her Basic Attributes aren't her only powerful quality. I doubt I'd even be a match for her in a frontal confrontation,"

Sorrowful Silence said solemnly.

"Is she that strong?" Sixteenth Cloud gave her companion a skeptical look.

Others might not know how powerful Sorrowful Silence was, but she was very familiar with the middle-aged man's strength. Even though Sorrowful Silence was an a.s.sa.s.sin, he had a Peak Legacy, the Blood Warrior hidden cla.s.s. His Strength was no lower than normal Berserkers of the same level, and his Agility was far above what normal a.s.sa.s.sins possessed. He certainly wasn't a weakling in PvP.

Sorrowful Silence was even more of a threat on a lawless battlefield. Unlike in official compet.i.tions, Domain Realm experts could display their full potential on a battlefield without rules.

Sixteenth Cloud had watched Zero Wing's performance in White River City's Auction Arena, and while she could admit that Gentle Snow was strong, that had been an official compet.i.tion. In a field battle, it would be a different story.

"I wish I were wrong, but she is truly that powerful," Sorrowful Silence answered with a bitter smile.

He was very confident in his estimation of others' combat power. This ability allowed him to slay one superpower's expert after another. However, Gentle Snow felt like an extreme threat. He had also failed to mention the fact that she wasn't the only one to feel like that.

Zhao Yueru and Violet Cloud, who stood beside Gentle Snow, felt just as dangerous, although they didn't seem as deadly as their Vice Guild Leader.

While the various Guild representatives gained a better understanding of Zero Wing's main force, the group arrived in Stone Forest City.

The moment they crossed the threshold to the city, they were shocked by its Mana density.

"How can this place have such dense Mana?" Sixteenth Cloud, an Elementalist, was shocked as she sensed the unbelievably dense Mana around her.