Chapter 78: Beacon Fires for a Joke

Main City Kaijistan.

First, the new player members and third-line field-farming members of the Invincible Guild recalled to the city. Other players didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just a routine meeting.

Then, the Frontline Assault Squad, with an average level exceeding 25, returned in a formidable rush. Clad in silver-black full-body armor and mounted on war horses, they charged back to the city with an imposing momentum.

Every member of the Frontline Team was covered from head to toe in the blood and entrails of monsters. Some even had their war horses’ hooves stained with the blood of creatures trampled along the way, having returned without time to clean up.

They exuded an overwhelming aura that made ordinary players dare not look directly at them.

With so many recalling at once, and according to Sen Qiang, the overall captain of the Invincible Guild’s Frontline Team, there were still 70 to 80 members of the Second-Tier Team outside the city who hadn’t made it back yet.

Other ordinary players suddenly sensed that something was amiss. It felt as if various forces were converging on the capital to protect the throne, yet the overall atmosphere seemed more like a dynastic upheaval—as if the sky was about to change.

A skilled player from a Beta Tester’s squad approached and asked, “Hey, Sen Qiang, what’s your guild up to with such a big move?”

Sen Qiang replied bluntly, “How should I know? The Guild Leader called us back, so we came back.”

The player pondered this and was about to press further.

Debe, the deputy captain beside him, wearing a succubus-style goat-horned helmet and clad in form-fitting purple-black armor, immediately interjected, “What our guild does is none of your business. Sen Qiang, keep your mouth shut.”

Realizing he had spoken out of turn, Sen Qiang frowned and fell silent at once, cracking his whip to speed toward the Guild Manor.

“So it was President Li’s order. I thought something had happened to the strongest guild.

At this critical juncture, the Invincible Guild is a major force standing against the official power faction. Nothing bad must happen to them,” the skilled player from the Beta Tester’s squad remarked with relief.

Li Changde watched through the glass window as the Frontline Team members rode in unison toward the Guild Manor.

He smiled delightedly. “Just as I guessed. The Frontline Team really is faster than the Second-Tier Team.”

Kamiyu was puzzled.

Li Changde said with a smile, “Miss Jia, please come with me. Let’s head to the training ground in the backyard.”

“Huh? Me? Is that appropriate?” Kamiyu’s social anxiety suddenly flared up.

Li Changde reassured her, “With me here, don’t worry. Your identity won’t be exposed.

The guild suddenly acquired 2,500 potions, and there’s been a major shift in our dungeon grinding and material farming strategies. I need to offer an ‘explanation’ to everyone.

Otherwise, those intelligence operatives outside might expose you, Miss Jia.”

Hearing his explanation, Kamiyu instantly understood and countered, “So, instead of hiding my existence, it’s better to make my profession and talent appear as a reasonable presence, so no one will suspect anything.”

Kamiyu meant that she would pose as a new Pharmacist player supplying potions to the guild. Then, Li Changde would explain to the members that he had established a connection with the Beta Tester “Kamiyu,” urging everyone to focus on material farming.

What a clever method—fabricating an identity to deceive everyone.

This way, she could stay in the guild as a Pharmacist, while Li Changde would transfer materials to the non-existent “Kamiyu”—yet both identities were, in fact, her own.

Li Changde praised, “Exactly, Miss Jia, you are truly clever.”

Kamiyu was a bit worried that this might be going too far, feeling more like a spy game than a monster-slaying, leveling-up, weapon-enhancing game.

Li Changde noticed Kamiyu’s concern and continued explaining, “According to our statistics, there are now over a dozen to twenty players entering Crimson Earth every hour, with at least several hundred new players daily.

This is an abnormal phenomenon.

Currently, the official factions and our civilian player factions have been competing for recruits, engaging in both overt and covert struggles. I feel a major conflict is about to erupt.”

Kamiyu understood that even the original 11 civilian beta tester players were unwilling to see a new beta tester rise, let alone those from the official factions.

She was still very weak, and until she gained sufficient strength, she could not expose herself.

Kamiyu said, “Then I truly thank you, President Li, for taking me in.”

Without the support of a major guild, Kamiyu’s rise would be even slower.

Li Changde quickly stopped Kamiyu from saying such things, “Miss Jia, please don’t say that. It is our honor to be able to cooperate with you.”

“If I must say, the greater the storm, the more valuable the fish. The greater the risks we take now, the greater the rewards will be in the future.

I choose to believe in Miss Kamiyu, to believe in your strength.”

After hearing this, Kamiyu felt a warmth in her heart. This person was very good with words, and her original worries were instantly dispelled by him.

Truly worthy of being an executive of a Fortune 500 company.

Like the tavern, the guild manor used a spatial expansion effect. As the two reached the entrance to the first-floor training ground, Li Changde opened the door for Kamiyu, and a beam of light shone into her eyes.

Unlike the gloomy weather outside, the training ground was very bright and spacious. The ceiling was a special device that emitted light, illuminating the training ground, which was as large as a football field, with remarkable clarity.

The two stepped into the training ground.

“Hello, Guild Leader.”

“Hello, Guild Leader.”

…

Kamiyu saw that the members’ discipline was excellent, especially the first and second-tier teams. They all stood beside their war horses, arranged in vertical rows of ten per small squad, totaling thirteen squads.

The third-tier exploration teams were also decent. The three-person squads exchanged map intelligence among themselves, but as soon as the guild leader arrived, they immediately stopped talking and formed orderly lines.

The newcomer players lacked a sense of belonging, standing lazily in twos and threes, with some even sitting on the ground. Some were still talking even after the guild leader arrived.

At that moment, the tall and burly Sen Qiang, clad in full armor, stepped out of the ranks and approached the newcomer players. He shouted loudly, “Quiet! Line up properly. How dare you talk when the guild leader is here?”

The group was immediately frightened into standing at attention.

Seeing this scene, Kamiyu felt as if she had entered something like the KK Park.

Li Changde turned back and smiled at Kamiyu, saying, “Miss Jia, I apologize for this unsightly display.”

Kamiyu, wearing a face mask, quickly shook her head and said, “No, no, it’s fine.”

The veteran members were astonished by this scene.

They thought to themselves, “The usually stern and often angry guild leader, who is fiercer than a demon when angry, is actually smiling now?”

“Who is this female player? I’ve never seen her before.”

“Look at her shoes—they’re still real-world fashion. She must be a new player. New players should stand at the back. Why is she following behind the guild leader?”

“The Guild Leader is chatting and laughing with this little one. Could she be his lover?” Deputy Captain Debe of the Frontline Team thought warily.

“Gathering all the Players here—could it be to announce her as the new Vice Guild Leader?” Debe’s imagination grew wilder.

“At such a critical time, calling all members to the training grounds is like lighting a beacon to amuse the nobles. Guild Leader, you’ve lost your senses,” a bespectacled Vice Guild Leader sighed.