Chapter 2569 – Gathering for Nothing?

Cold Spring Forest, Stone Forest City:

As news of the Dark World’s Teleportation Gate’s opening had already spread across the entire Cold Spring Forest, the tension in Stone Forest City had increased, and many of the city’s resident players had decided to leave and develop somewhere else. This development left the once bustling city quiet.

Stone Forest City’s previously crowded main street now had less than half the players it originally did. Moreover, it was only because of the newly established Freedom Hotel that this many players chose to remain in the city. However, the majority of these players were actually experts belonging to the various major powers. Very few were independent players.

At this time, a group of cloaked players entered the Freedom Hotel’s first-floor lobby, the appearance of these players triggering loud discussions among the other players there.

The reason for the strong reaction was the Secret Pavilion’s experts guiding this group of nearly 100 cloaked players. Standing at the head of the Secret Pavilion’s experts were the well-known Yuan Tiexin and a male Half-elf who looked to be in his forties.

“Amazing! Who are those people? They’re actually being guided by an Elder of the Secret Pavilion!”

“Those people must be bigshots of superpowers. I recall that the Secret Pavilion is a shareholder of Stone Forest City. Now that the Dark World’s players have entered Cold Spring Forest, Stone Forest City faces a very bleak future. Those cloaked people might be reinforcements the Secret Pavilion recruited.”

“Reinforcements? What’s the point of calling in reinforcements? That’s an entire world we’re talking about. That’s not something any individual superpower can go up against. Even multiple superpowers working together won’t be able to stop the Dark World’s invasion.”

The various major powers’ experts in the lobby were eaten up with curiosity as they discussed the identities of the cloaked experts.

Nowadays, Stone Forest City was already a holy land for players who wanted to develop themselves. After all, the city boasted not only an incredibly high Mana density but also the Freedom Hotel, which greatly amplified the rate at which players accumulated the Double EXP buff. It was even rumored that the Freedom Hotel’s top-floor rooms could accelerate the removal of foreign energy from one’s body and increase the efficiency of one’s training in combat techniques.

In the current era, where combat techniques had become more commonly available in God’s Domain, the Freedom Hotel’s functions held a fatal temptation to expert players. If a power could develop their expert players using the Freedom Hotel’s functions over long periods, the development speed of said power would reach unimaginable heights.

Since the Secret Pavilion was one of Stone Forest City’s shareholders, the Guild naturally wouldn’t give up on the city without a fight.

Only, now that the Dark World’s Teleportation Gate was open, the various major powers’ experts found it inconceivable that any power could stop the Dark World’s players.

“Please wait a moment. I’ll go rent an advanced reception room,” Yuan Tiexin said to the cloaked players behind him.

He went up to the front desk and presented a gold card to the receptionist there. And upon seeing the card, the various major powers’ upper echelons were green with envy.

The Freedom Hotel’s Gold Membership Card!

Due to the Freedom Hotel’s amazing functions, the various major powers all sought membership in the Freedom Hotel, the higher, the better. However, doing so was incredibly difficult. Even now, those major powers had managed to gain only a Bronze Membership. If they wished to elevate their membership status to Silver, they would need to accumulate a large number of Contribution Points in the Freedom Hotel, which could be acquired only by selling rare materials and doing quests. Moreover, each player could sell only a limited amount of materials per day.

Meanwhile, a Gold Membership allowed players to rent the rooms on the Freedom Hotel’s top floor.

While Yuan Tiexin was handling the rental procedures, the cloaked players standing behind him studied the Freedom Hotel’s interior.

“So, this is Zero Wing’s Freedom Hotel? This place really is amazing!” said a cloaked, male youth radiating dense darkness energy. He sighed ruefully when he sensed the density of the Mana inside the hotel and the Mana’s effects. “It’s no wonder Zero Wing dared to offend our Guild before.”

“So what if Zero Wing dared to offend us? In the end, Zero Wing still lost to Vice Guild Leader Light,” a Level 109 Elementalist standing beside the male youth and similarly radiating darkness energy said disdainfully.

This time, the Secret Pavilion had not only taken the initiative to invite the various superpowers that Demon’s Heart had secretly partnered up with but also extended an invitation to Demon’s Heart. One could easily imagine the direness of Zero Wing’s current situation.

Unfortunately, even if the Secret Pavilion stepped forward this time, it couldn’t do much to change the outcome of this war, as the various superpowers present were hell-bent on obtaining Stone Forest City.

As the two experts from Demon’s Heart quietly conversed with each other, Illusory Words, who similarly stood among the cloaked players, wore a frown on her face.

“Illusory, it seems the chances of Zero Wing surviving are slim. So many superpowers have actually gathered to obtain Stone Forest City. I doubt even the Secret Pavilion expected such a development,” the fierce man standing beside Illusory Words said, sighing.

The Secret Pavilion had invited all the superpowers targeting Stone Forest City to the negotiations. Crimson Emperor had estimated that six or seven superpowers, at most, had their eye on Stone Forest City. However, the actual number turned out to be more than ten. Even Battle Wolves, which had an irreconcilable feud with Demon’s Heart, had decided to join in the fray.

If these superpowers banded together, they would have a minimum of 4,000 Tier 3 experts with very high combat standards. If they worked together with the Dark World’s forces and attacked Stone Forest City from both the inside and outside, Stone Forest City wouldn’t stand a chance.

Of course, the fierce man could also understand why the various superpowers were willing to go to such lengths to obtain Stone Forest City. After all, the advantages the city brought were simply amazing. This was especially true for the Freedom Hotel. No superpower would pass up the Freedom Hotel’s benefits.

Moreover, Zero Wing had even taken the initiative to meet the Dark World’s army at the Teleportation Gate. That was simply suicide. Now, even if all of the Five Great Super Guilds banded together, they still wouldn’t be able to save Zero Wing.

At this moment, let alone Illusory Words and the fierce man from Crimson Emperor, even Yuan Tiexin, who had invited the various superpowers secretly targeting Stone Forest City, was surprised by this situation.

He never thought that there would be more than ten superpowers targeting Stone Forest City this time. Aside from Demon’s Heart and Starlink, which bore deep hatred for Zero Wing, the superpowers included the Ten Saints Empire’s Demon Palace, the Shadow World’s Shadowless Empire, and the Super Guilds Battle Wolves and Pantheon. Not to mention, Mythology, one of the Five Great Super Guilds, which wasn’t present among the superpowers he invited, was sure to be taking action in secret against Stone Forest City as well.

If all these superpowers worked together, they could shake the entire eastern continent, what more a measly Stone Forest City. For a moment, Yuan Tiexin could not help but doubt if the negotiations this time would truly yield any results.

Hahaha! Zero Wing is doomed now! Troubled Times, who had come with Flaming Light, could not help but grow ecstatic as he took in the various superpowers’ representatives around him. With so many superpowers gathered here, even a Super Guild won’t be able to stop the upcoming assault!

Previously, when Shi Feng had publicly executed Troubled Times in Demon City, not only did Troubled Times’s strength diminish greatly, but his reputation in the Dark Den had also fallen into ruin.

Originally, Troubled Times thought that he wouldn’t have an opportunity to get revenge on Zero Wing. However, his chance had come so quickly.

“Everyone, the reception room is ready. Please follow me,” Yuan Tiexin said to the cloaked group behind him.

However, just as Yuan Tiexin was about to lead the group to the Freedom Hotel’s top-floor reception room, a figure suddenly appeared before him. The other players present in the lobby gaped in shock at the development.

The players the Secret Pavilion invited might be hiding their identities, but they had not done anything to conceal their auras—and their auras made it clear that every one of these people was a peak expert or above. Anyone that dared to stand in their path had to be tired of living.

However, someone actually dared to do so. Moreover, this person was a woman wearing Zero Wing’s Emblem, and her level was only a pitiful 100.

“Miss Melancholic, do you have business with us?” Yuan Tiexin asked in confusion. He had recognized this woman immediately.

This woman was none other than Melancholic Smile, the manager of Zero Wing’s Candlelight Trading Firm as well as one of the Freedom Hotel’s managers.

Yuan Tiexin had not intentionally tried to conceal the fact that he had invited the various superpowers for negotiations. And in his opinion, Zero Wing should have no reason whatsoever to stop him from doing so. After all, the Secret Pavilion was one of Stone Forest City’s shareholders, and negotiating with the various superpowers could reduce the number of enemies Zero Wing would have to face.

Now, however, Melancholic Smile had suddenly appeared before their group.

“It’s nothing important,” Melancholic Smile said, shaking her head. “I’m just following the Guild Leader’s instructions to relay a message to these people.”

“Relay a message? Is he taking the initiative to hand over Stone Forest City’s shares now that he knows he can’t win?” Troubled Times asked, laughing in ridicule.

Upon hearing Troubled Times’ words, the various superpowers’ experts present also started laughing.

With things having reached this point already, wasn’t it a little too late for regrets?

“Our Guild Leader has stated that if you wish to develop in Stone Forest City with peace in mind, then Zero Wing will welcome you with open arms. However, if you wish to meddle in Stone Forest City’s affairs, you’d best return to wherever you came from instead of asking for trouble!” Melancholic Smile declared calmly as she swept her gaze across the players before her.