Chapter 1306 The 'Withering' (Part 2): Invitation
...…
Leonard headed to another Kingdom to scout a group of people. He wanted to pull some elite members of the Central Order who were kicked out due to their internal conflict.
Legolas and Aragorn were some of the elite players in the game. Both were Titled Rankers with a lot of people respecting them. They were regularly participating in ranking matches and other tournaments and always stumbling on each other.
They were great rivals that clashed repeatedly until the higher-ups of the Central Order had scouted them.
They were invited to just such a powerhouse guild and did not hesitate to agree since the benefits that were offered to them were the best among all the guilds that wanted them.
From great rivals, they became good friends and fought side by side in countless battles. They had become one of the best duos within the virtual game as they led the Central Order to victory in many battles.
They had become important figures within the Central Order. They became the generals of their core forces and continued to build their reputation through tough battles and wars.
However, due to their limited talent, they were unable to break through to the next level. They failed to become Godlike Players time and time again. Despite their hard work and great performance, they still failed to reach the peak in God's Tournament and earn themselves a position.
Even though they were capable of fighting some of the Godlike Players and Maverick Gods, they always fell a little short whenever they were about to achieve the title that they were looking for, and unable to catch up with the rest of the players running ahead of them.
This was one of the reasons why they had fallen in grace. Their position within the Central Order had also suffered greatly, making them fall from being great generals to a mere captain of a unit.
A lot had overtaken them, which was why they were being underestimated by the elders of the guild as well as the others who had taken over their positions.
In the eyes of the upper echelon, they were no longer worthy of investment, which was also the reason why those elders did not side with them during the previous conflict.
Given the fact that Elrond had pushed almost all the blame on them regarding the failure in the Blind Abyss Empire, they two were unable to fight back and defend themselves. Especially when the entire guild had suffered huge losses during that operation.
They had been pushed greatly into the corner, so Legolas chose to leave the guild along with Aragorn as well as the loyal brothers that fight with them in countless battles.
Naturally, they had to pay quite a lot due to the breaking of the contract. The two had exhausted almost all their savings just to pay the penalties. They also had to return all their equipment in the process just to reduce the amount that they had to pay.
They had also paid extra to cover the life-and-death brothers who were leaving the guild with them. These people depended on the virtual world to live, so Legolas and Aragorn refused to make them pay the separation fees.
Despite all the accumulated wealth that the two had throughout their career within the virtual world, the two were barely left with anything.
Fortunately, the money that they were left with was more than enough to build a gaming studio with the brothers that they had.
Since they had to leave the headquarters of the Central Order, they were also kicked out of their dorms and unable to use any gaming helmets and cabins to log in to the game.
Legolas and Aragorn had to find a good place that they could rent for the time being to shelter everyone and turn it into a real gaming studio. They had also brought everyone with the cheapest gaming cabins so that they could play the game once again.
With this funding, the studio had kicked a great start. They might have lost their equipment, but their skills and techniques remained the same.
With their abilities, they were able to earn enough gold to support themselves and the entire studio.
Although they were still far from the ideal state that they wanted, it was more than enough to run their activities regularly.
They had to thank the gold to real-world currency conversion for this. Even though the currency conversion was not as high as before, it still had a great ratio for most professional gamers, especially when it no longer moved to its current state.
With all of these, Legolas and Aragorn built a Mercenary Group instead of an Adventurer Team or a small guild. The profit for this line of business would earn them enough to support their gaming studio and earn them some extra that they could use for development.
With this number of members that they had that was almost reaching fifty, their business was quite good compared to most of the mercenary groups that were recently formed.
With their skills and background, the two leaders of their group were more than qualified to put everything on the right track.
…
At this point, Legolas and Aragorn just finished completing yet another commission that they had accepted. Since both were quite free, and there was no other work waiting for either of them, they decided to partake in the mission.
They had helped a first-rate guild secure a foothold that would become a guild base after a certain development period.
The leader of the first-rate guild had wanted them to join the guild and even offered two elder positions, but the two refused.
They were from a powerhouse guild, so how could such positions entice them?
They just accepted the commission fees before packing up and preparing to leave and return to their base.
"The business here in Scarlet Horizon Kingdom is pretty good. Should we transfer here and build our base in this location?" asked the vice-leader who was accompanying Legolas.
Legolas put some thought into it before inclining his head. "The business here is quite good, but it is not that good in the long run."
"The kingdom is quite small and lacks any kind of high-level regions. We will only be limiting our growth if we stay here. It is fine to accept certain commissions from them from time to time, but it will not be good if we stay here for an extended period," added another person, who was also holding a vice-leader position.
This person was the most loyal brother who left the Central Order with the two, so Legolas and Aragorn fully trusted him. They also accept his advice as most of them saved their lives during dangerous operations before.
Legolas turned his head and smiled at this player before nodding his head. "I agree with Old Green. It is better to look for a better base of operation. This one can give us a lot of opportunities, but it will not last that long since this kingdom lacks that sense of 'competition'."
"Urgh! Boss, can you not call me with that nickname? It is embarrassing," Old Green could not help but complain as he heard that nickname. It was always reminding him of a certain tale about a wife cheating on her husband.
And if ever, Legolas should be the one to be called that nickname since his name was supposed to mean 'green leaf'. But he could not bring himself to voice out those thoughts since he knew that he would be beaten up later.
"Then you should have not chosen that name when you were creating your first virtual character," Aragorn suddenly appeared at that moment and chimed in.
The others turned to him and greeted him.
Legolas stood from his seat. "How is it? Have you dealt with everything properly?"
Aragorn shook his head as he answered. "Of course! What do you think of me? I handle these things very well."
Legolas shrugged his shoulder picked up his body and hung it behind him. "Then let's go back to the base. The 'Big Sister' must be waiting for us already. I heard from the others left in there that they are suffering due to her training."
Aragorn chuckled when he heard that. "Who would have thought that Big Sister Aurora would come with us after hearing what just happened?"
Legolas shrugged his shoulder for another time. "I don't know either. I've just heard that she also left the guild after hearing what just happened. Then I heard from my boys that she is already training them at our base."
"What do you expect from the 'Valkyrie'," commented Aragorn before adding. "This is also good for us. She can work as a part-time leader whenever we are not around. She can also become our handler since she has a lot of connections!"
Legolas paused for a moment and stared at Aragorn for a few seconds before shaking his head. "Don't let that big sister hear what you've just said if you don't want to be punished greatly."
Aragorn paused them swept his gaze at everyone with a sharp glare before warning them. "Don't you guys dare report this to her if you don't want to experience my newly improved style?"
The others ignored what he just said and started laughing at him.
The humorous atmosphere continued as Aragorn turned back to Legolas. "Let's talk about your discussion earlier. Have you found any good region that can be our main base of operation?"
Legolas thought for a moment before replying. "I know quite a few places, but all of them are quite far from here. It will require us a lot of funds to transfer to those places, so we must wait until we earn extra money for the travel fees alone."
While they were discussing this matter, an unfamiliar voice suddenly interrupted them.
"Should I have you with this problem of yours?"
When the group heard that unfamiliar voice, their bodies suddenly trembled. It only lasted for an instant as they quickly responded and took out their weapons to get ready for the battle.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Clank! Clank!
Swords, shields, bows, guns, and staffs were taken out from their inventory, sheaths, and back while pointing them toward a certain corner of the room.
They had reserved the entire bar for themselves, so they were only the ones that should be present in this place, and no one else.
The bar was quite small but would fit the members that they had brought for the earlier commission.
Given that it was just an ordinary bar, they could not rely on the security level that it had. It was to be expected that there might be someone who would be able to sneak inside. But that was also the reason why they stationed the sharpest members that they had near the entrance.
Both were Archers with high awareness stats, so it was supposedly impossible for anyone to sneak inside without their notice.
Moreover, Legolas was also present, so he should be able to sense if someone entered the room if ever those two guards failed to notice it.
But to their surprise, this unknown person appeared at the corner of the room without their knowledge and seemed to be sitting there for quite a while already since he had overheard their conversation.
As the strongest and sharpest members of the group, Legolas and Aragorn were sensitive to threats. They could instantly tell how dangerous the unknown person was sitting in the corner of the room.
And when that person slowly raised his head and took off the hood hanging over him, the entire room was suddenly enfolded with complete silence.
That Lion's Head Helm was very famous within the game. It was the symbol of a certain Godlike Player, who had become a legend despite his very young age.
"War God Simba!" shouted Legolas and Aragorn almost at the same time.
As people who were regularly in contact with these legendary figures, the two were able to identify the opposing party almost at the same time.
Leonard, who just revealed himself, waved his hand and explained himself. "You guys don't have to be too wary of me. I am here to scout you guys."
He then paused as he realized the misunderstanding that his words could give before clarifying himself. "I am here to propose a partnership. I am sure that you guys will like it since it perfectly fits your current needs."
Legolas and Aragorn were unable to respond to his words as they were still in the process of adjusting their moods.
It took them quite a while to recover their composure.
Aragorn was the first to recover and asked carefully. "Can I ask God Simba to elaborate?"
Leonard crossed his arms as he replied. "Main base of operation. I have the best place for your group to operate. It is also a place that can make you and your members grow much stronger and at a much faster rate."
"Can we ask where this place is, God Simba?" asked Legolas as he chimed in.
Leonard scratched the back of his head and found this question quite troublesome. In the end, he was forced to disclose a few information. "I can't say the exact information, but I can guarantee you that you have the right to hunt in a lot of high-level regions if you agree to be our partner."
"The contract will be quite strict, though," he added as he warned them that this was not going to be as smooth as they imagined.
Regardless, the pair understood a few points. A place that a god like the one in front of them worthy to be called a high-level map was not as simple as the ones that most of the players were thinking.
It was without a doubt a map filled with treasures and resources.
Thinking for a moment, Aragorn suddenly asked. "Can we ask for a copy of the contract?"
Leonard was already prepared for this, so he sent a copy to them right after hearing that. Shin and Shiella had already prepared the contract a long time ago.
Legolas and Aragorn browsed through the contract before wearing a deep frown just after reading the first few lines.
"Thirty percent of what we have earned just for the tax? Isn't this no different from a robbery?" asked Aragorn with a heavy tone.
Leonard knew that it was quite high for such a contract, but he also knew why Shin had put it on the clause. He also followed what Shin had instructed him to say. "You may see it that way normally, but you will understand that we are being generous once you arrive in our place."
He then paused and continued. "You can also read the rest to see if we are sincere or not."
Legolas, who was still reading the contract at that time, listed out a few important points. "A whole twenty percent discount on every product and service of the Hand of Midas Guild. A priority commission when asking for the service of the Assassin Union. A ten percent discount when looking for information from the Secret Recipe."
Those were just a few of the benefits and there were still a few more listed on the contract, but those were not as huge and appealing as the first three. It was because the organizations behind those three services were as big as their previous guild – all of them were Powerhouses within the game in their respective field.
In front of these benefits, the thirty percent tax fees were indeed very generous. Even though there were still quite a few fees that they needed to pay, the overall conditions written in the contract were not that bad.
They even think that even if the fees were forty percent, they would still find it quite reasonable given the list of benefits laid in the contract.
"We can discuss further if you want to. But I must warn you that if you try to fight for a few more benefits, you may even lose some since the ones that you will be facing for that are a pair of 'Devil's Advocates'," said Leonard, sincerely warning them.
After all, with Shin and Shiella combined, these people were bound to lose the benefits that they already offered rather than earn more.
While Legolas and Aragorn were in deep thought, Leonard suddenly received a message. When he read through it, he suddenly turned to them and said. "It looks like we will have to save this for the future."
"For now, I have a commission for your group. Do you want to hear the details? The pay should be quite satisfying since it is a very big 'operation?' What do you guys think?"
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