Chapter 2409 - Thunder Eagle Reappears
Molten Ruin, inner corridor:
A team with fewer than 50 members fended off two Level 106 Grand Lord ranked Guardian Knights while desperately trying to retreat toward the Molten Ruin’s inner corridor.
Although the team had so few members, as many as eight of them were Tier 3 experts, including the female Guardian Knight that stood 1.9 meters tall and single-handedly held her ground against the two Grand Lords. She wore black and white runic armor, carried a shield engraved with dark runes in one hand, and wielded a two-handed sword in the other.
This female Guardian Knight’s outstanding performance was the only reason that the other Tier 3 players on the team could focus on stopping the dozen or so Great Lord ranked Mechanical Puppets, allowing the rest of the team to pull back safely.
The Guardian Knight was none other than Zwei, Heaven’s Blade’s famous commander and the very soul of the adventurer team.
Suddenly, a Level 101, Tier 3 Assassin appeared beside Zwei, reporting, “Commander, I’ve just received an offline message from Cleansing Flame. She says that she ran into Zero Wing’s Guild Leader, Black Flame. After negotiations, Black Flame stated that his price for rescuing us is one of the Tree of Life’s main branches.”
The team members fell silent when they heard the Assassin’s statement.
“What a big appetite!” a Level 102, Tier 3 Berserker snarled. “We’re fighting so desperately to survive in the main corridor to protect the main branch, yet Zero Wing wants it in exchange for saving us? If we just give it to Zero Wing, we’ll have wasted all of our efforts!”
“That’s right! We might as well offer it to War Blood or some other superpower. At least they’ll have a better chance of saving us,” a Tier 3 Elementalist said, nodding in agreement.
The rest of the team expressed their disapproval, as well.
They had gone to great lengths to protect the main branch. There was no way they’d hand it over to Zero Wing. If they had to give it away in exchange for their safety, they’d be better off making a trade with a true superpower. They’d be far more confident of a superpower saving them than Zero Wing.
“Shadow, what do you think of this?” Zwei asked the Tier 3 Assassin next to her.
When she spoke, Zwei’s voice sounded sacred, and the entire team quieted down. Everyone perked up and waited to hear their vice commander’s opinion on the matter.
“I’m afraid that keeping the Tree of Life’s main branch will be too much of a challenge for us, commander, and the side branches aren’t nearly attractive enough to the various superpowers. No one will offend War Blood for a few side branches,” Divine Shadow, the Tier 3 Assassin, said. “However, I think we’ll have more options if we use the main branch as a bargaining chip.”
“What do you suggest we do?” Zwei asked calmly.
“We definitely cannot allow War Blood to benefit from our work. Zero Wing’s help is negligible, as well, and we can’t rely on most superpowers. I’ve just received an offline message from Thirteen Thrones. I don’t know how they found out, but they know we have the Tree of Life’s main branch. They’re willing to help us. Not only will they send reinforcements to get us out of here, but they’ll also provide protection and conveniences on Dragonheart Island in the future as long as we give them the main branch,” Divine Shadow said.
No one was happy with it, but they understood Divine Shadow’s reasoning.
The Molten Ruin was extremely dangerous. Although Dragonheart Island’s various superpowers were here to find Horned Eagle Eggs, most of them couldn’t get past the ruin’s outer region. Very few superpowers were strong enough to explore the inner region. Heaven’s Blade’s team had only managed to make it that far by relying on special means.
Although Zero Wing’s peak combatants were no weaker than those from the various superpowers, if the superpowers couldn’t set foot in the inner region, Zero Wing’s experts wouldn’t be able to either. Thirteen Thrones was their only reliable option now.
After listening to her vice commander’s view, Zwei fell silent as she considered her options.
Her team waited silently for her decision, but they wouldn’t hesitate to follow their commander’s orders, regardless of what she decided.
“Alright, let’s go with your suggestion,” Zwei said.
“I’ll notify Thirteen Thrones, then,” Divine Shadow said as he prepared to back out of the game.
“Notify Cleansing Flame as well. Tell her that if Zero Wing can reach us first, Heaven’s Blade will offer Zero Wing the main branch. Tell Thirteen Thrones the same thing,” Zwei said after giving the matter some thought.
“Understood.” Divine Shadow nodded before disappearing from the corridor.
War Blood was persistent in chasing their team in the inner corridor, and as they delved deeper into the Molten Ruin, they’d encounter more danger. Their team could only survive for a short time. They couldn’t just rely on Thirteen Thrones’ promise to save them.
Moreover, Zero Wing had done the adventurer team a favor when it had saved Cleansing Flame’s team. Outright refusing the Guild wouldn’t be wise. Although Zero Wing had a slim chance of reaching their team, at least it had a chance to compete against Thirteen Thrones with equal conditions.
Once Divine Shadow had logged out, he notified Cleansing Flame and Thirteen Thrones’ representative of Zwei’s decision. Whichever Guild reached Zwei’s team first would become Heaven’s Blade’s business partner.
Meanwhile, Shi Feng and his entourage rested in a dense forest within the Molten Canyon while they waited for Cleansing Flame to log back into God’s Domain.
“Guild Leader Black Flame, if you can reach our commander before Thirteen Thrones, she’ll agree to your demands. I hope you can understand,” Cleansing Flame apologized after returning to the game.
Naturally, Thirteen Thrones had more members in the Molten Ruin than Zero Wing. The superpower had long since dispatched a large force of experts to the ruin to search for Homed Eagle Eggs. In fact, it had been the first Guild to send experts into the Molten Ruin’s inner region.
Ordinary expert teams had no place in the Molten Ruin’s inner region. Even with more than 20 Tier 3 experts leading its team, Thirteen Thrones had taken nearly three hours to reach the inner corridor. The monsters that guarded the path to the inner region were immensely powerful, and ordinary superpowers were utterly powerless against them. Heaven’s Blade’s team had only reached the inner region by relying on special means.
In contrast to Thirteen Thrones’ team, which was already in the area, Zero Wing’s main force hadn’t even gathered in the Molten Canyon yet. By the time the team arrived, Thirteen Thrones would’ve secured her commander’s team.
Shi Feng had saved her team, but Cleansing Flame knew she couldn’t change her commander’s mind. This concerned the adventurer team’s survival, after all.
“I understand. The survival of your adventurer team comes first. Commander Zwei has made a wise decision,” Shi Feng said, chuckling. He knew what Heaven’s Blade was trying to pull. “I just want to clarify You’re saying that if Zero Wing’s members reach your commander and rescue her first, she’ll hand us the Tree of Life’s main branch, right?”
“I believe that’s the case.” The question confused Cleansing Flame a little, but she nodded after finding no flaws in Shi Feng’s statement.
“That will make things simple,” Shi Feng said, smiling. “Would you be willing to sign a contract with Zero Wing regarding this matter?”
“Simple?” Cleansing Flame was even more confused, but she agreed to sign the contract. Her commander had already agreed to the conditions, and there was no harm in her representing her commander and adventurer team on the contract.
Cleansing Flame and Shi Feng signed a contract while one of her subordinates reported back to Heaven’s Blade’s commander.
“Since that’s taken care of, let’s go,” Shi Feng said, satisfied with the contract.
“Go? Go where?”
“To save your commander, of course,” Shi Feng said, smiling. He then took out the Thunder Eagle’s Summoning Flute and summoned the Flying Mount. A gigantic eagle with a wingspan of over 20 meters appeared above the forest with a deafening screech that echoed throughout the Molten Canyon.