For the next three days, the ten-person team of the Scarlet Moon Knights lived a life of "leaving their homes." Lin Zhao led the group through Fufeng County. The guilds stationed in Fufeng County were extremely diverse, with not a single guild above T3, but countless low-tier guilds. The maps within the county suitable for Lin Zhao and the others to level up (levels 50-60) were all occupied by guilds of varying sizes.
The Scarlet Moon Knights were genuine "outsiders." To survive here, they could only snatch resources from others. However, Lin Zhao was unwilling to become a game bandit, so he could only pick at the "scraps" in others' resource maps. More importantly, leveling up within the unbound county reduced the experience gain by 30%, resulting in extremely slow leveling progress for the Scarlet Moon Knights over the three days. Chen Xue, Ding Chi, Rong Xing, and others only gained 2 levels, while Lin Zhao, the highest level player, only gained 1 level.
What's more, in Fufeng County, players with the "Cloud Prefecture" insignia above their heads had to endure mockery from others. In the eyes of Fufeng County players, they were merely "homeless dogs" with no right to be in Fufeng County. They only refrained from saying so directly because of the group's strength.
...
One night.
A group of people, dragging their weary bodies, returned to Cloud Prefecture to rest. Lin Zhao looked at his slow leveling progress and frowned. After repairing his equipment and replenishing his potions, he went to the East Gate bridge. Outside, there were still 200 people from the Azure Knights guarding the gate. The opposing side was not holding back, blocking the entrance regardless of whether the Scarlet Moon Knights were present.
"Sigh..."
Lin Zhao sighed. Dealing with the despicable members of the Azure Knights and Prosperous Peony was truly troublesome. He needed to find a way to break this deadlock.
"Bai Yi, Big Brother."
Suddenly, someone called him from behind. Turning around, he saw Rong Xing and the sibling duo, Yao Guai.
"Hmm?"
Lin Zhao smiled and asked, "Rong Xing, Yao Guai, do you need something?"
"Yes, there's something..."
Rong Xing appeared hesitant and said, "It's better to speak to you face-to-face."
"Alright, go ahead."
"My sister and I..." Rong Xing's expression was complicated. "Our family is not well-off. We rely entirely on the money earned in the game to supplement our household expenses, so we have no choice but to make a living. In the current state of the Scarlet Moon Knights, we have almost no chance to get any valuable equipment or much gold. As long as the Azure Knights and Prosperous Peony block us for one day, we will have no hope of progress."
"I know."
Lin Zhao replied, "But the situation will definitely change. Chen Xue, everyone, and I are all working hard to find a solution..."
"We can't afford to wait..."
Rong Xing continued, "This morning, I received an invitation from the Starlight Guild. So, my sister and I discussed it and hesitated for a long time. In the end, we decided to accept the invitation. We've decided to terminate our contract with the Scarlet Moon Knights and pay double the compensation as per our original contract, after which we will join Starlight."
"What did you say?!"
Beside them, Ding Chi trembled with anger. "Rong Xing, are you that spineless?!"
"Spine?"
Rong Xing gritted his teeth. "When everyone charged forward together, did I, Rong Xing, ever hesitate for even a moment? But my family needs to eat, we need to pay high rent! Ideals are ideals, but reality is cold and stark. The Scarlet Moon Knights cannot break this deadlock right now. How can we break it? Two major guilds with thousands of people pressuring us, and we only have a few people. What can we do? Are we going to starve together for the sake of a Scarlet Moon Knights banner?"
"Rong Xing!"
Zhang Jun frowned. "What you're saying is going too far, isn't it? Why can't we break this deadlock? Even if we've been living under others' roofs in Fufeng County for these few days, so what? On any given day, doesn't the equipment you sell from monsters earn you over 1000 universal coins? Will 1000 universal coins a day lead to starvation? Do you have a hundred people in your family? Is the house you rent the Oriental Pearl Tower?"
Rong Xing gritted his teeth. "I... I just feel that continuing to stubbornly hold on is meaningless."
Chen Xue stood beside him, her beautiful eyes expressionless. She gently took Lin Zhao's arm, afraid he might punch Rong Xing. To her surprise, Lin Zhao was even calmer than she was.
"I understand."
He looked at Rong Xing and said, "If you want to terminate the contract, then terminate it. However, there's no need for double compensation. Rong Xing, I am very grateful for your contributions to the Scarlet Moon Knights during this period. Since everyone has their own aspirations, if you want to go to Starlight, then go to Starlight. I will not resent you, only wish you a bright future, sincerely."
"Bai Yi, Big Brother, I..."
Rong Xing felt rather ashamed.
"Big Brother, we..."
Yao Guai, who loved to eat people's hearts, pursed her red lips. "I'm sorry, please don't blame us. My brother is just... he's just been too repressed these past few days, so he wants a change of environment. Really, his mood has been exceptionally bad these days."
"I can understand."
Lin Zhao nodded. "It's my fault for not leading the Scarlet Moon Knights well, and it's our Scarlet Moon Knights' fault for not creating an optimal development environment for everyone. This is my responsibility. Rong Xing, Yao Guai, I will approve your contract termination documents online. From now on, you are free to go wherever you please."
"Mmm..."
Yao Guai nodded, unsure of what else to say.
"If that's the case, let's go."
Rong Xing cupped his fists slightly towards everyone and said, "Brothers, we'll meet again in the martial world!"
"Get lost!"
Ding Chi and Zhang Jun said in unison, without any pleasant expression.
Rong Xing chuckled and, taking Yao Guai, teleported directly to Haixi County to join the Starlight Guild.
...
"Damn it!"
Ding Chi lightly punched the white wall of the Great Hall and frowned. "What the hell? Just a few days ago, he was given the number one flowing gold ring in the entire server, and now he's joining Starlight with that ring? Damn it... it's disgusting. How long has Rong Xing been in the Scarlet Moon Knights? When has he ever considered the Scarlet Moon Knights his home?"
"Can't be helped."
Lu Li's beautiful eyes also clearly held anger. "Big Brother is right. Everyone has their own aspirations. Rong Xing never considered himself one of the Scarlet Moon Knights. To put it bluntly, whoever gives him milk is his mother. He probably never intended to share hardships with the Scarlet Moon Knights, only thinking of sharing prosperity."
Chen Xue's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Rong Xing..."
She paused and said, "He is someone who understands the times very well and knows where to maximize his interests. His strength is indeed close to first-class, a rare talent. But unfortunately, this person is an extreme egoist, which is why he parted ways with us during the Scarlet Moon Knights' most difficult time."
"Big Brother!"
Lu Li looked at Lin Zhao with her beautiful eyes. "No matter what happens to the Scarlet Moon Knights, I, Lu Li, will not leave once I've joined. I will always be a member of the Scarlet Moon Knights. Even if I'm killed by the Azure Knights to the point of deleting my character, I will still occupy a spot in the Scarlet Moon Knights!"
Qing Ning, holding her staff, pursed her red lips and said, "Me too!"
Mo Yin, holding dual blades, smiled slightly. "When I was a super noob, the Scarlet Moon Knights took me in. So there's nothing more to say. Whatever Big Brother Bai Yi instructs, this little brother will never refuse!"
"But the current situation is different."
Chen Xue glanced at Lin Zhao and said, "If everyone doesn't leave the Scarlet Moon Knights, there will be no room for development. How about this... Lu Li, Qing Ning, Mo Yin, I will send you unconditional contract termination documents later. You can sign them. Also, Ding Chi, Roman, Zhang Jun, the three of you should also leave the Scarlet Moon Knights' team mode. Let's just have Chen Xue and Lin Zhao remaining in the Scarlet Moon Knights."
"Ah?"
Lu Li's cherry-like mouth opened slightly. "Why? What did we... what did we do wrong?"
"You didn't do anything wrong..."
Chen Xue smiled lightly. "Asking you to leave is just a temporary measure. After you leave, you can go out of the city to level up within Cloud Prefecture's territory. Don't delay your leveling progress. Lin Zhao and I will think of a way within the team. It won't take long; we will reassemble everyone in these few days. The reason for terminating contracts with you is just to keep it a secret from the Azure Knights and Prosperous Peony. After all... each player's contract status can be checked on the official game website. After you guys terminate your contracts, leveling up together outside the city and quickly catching up to Lin Zhao and me is your current mission."
"Can we..."
Qing Ning pursed her red lips. "Still come back to the Scarlet Moon Knights?"
"Naturally."
Chen Xue's pearly dimple showed a shallow smile. "Ultimately, this is your home!"
"Mhm mhm!"
...
Shortly thereafter, except for Lin Zhao and Chen Xue, the Scarlet Moon Knights insignia above everyone else's heads disappeared. After a sigh of regret, they all logged off. Lin Zhao was bewildered, not knowing what Chen Xue was up to. As he logged off and left the gaming pod, Chen Xue grabbed his wrist and said, "I know you must be confused. Come to my room, and I'll explain the situation."
"Tsk tsk..."
Ding Chi and Zhang Jun wore knowing smiles.
Roman's pretty face was filled with worry. "Brother, be careful!"
Lin Zhao rubbed his forehead, wishing he could kick the three of them downstairs one by one.
...
"Clatter!"
In Chen Xue's room, after Lin Zhao entered, Chen Xue closed the door. The room was filled with a faint fragrance. Lin Zhao's heart immediately stirred. The scent of a woman's room was indeed captivating. Ding Chi was not wrong.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the door, saying, "Go ahead, tell me, what exactly is going on?"
"A temporary measure."
Chen Xue frowned slightly. "Why is every step the Scarlet Moon Knights take in Cloud Prefecture so difficult? There's only one reason: there are too few people. How can a mere ten people contend with hundreds or thousands of others? That's right, your individual strength is indeed formidable. If the Scarlet Moon Knights had 100 Lin Zhaos, we could kill them all. But we don't. Therefore, the Scarlet Moon Knights lack people; they lack a formal army."
"And then?"
"I've calculated."
Chen Xue continued, "Our studio's total income recently has been substantial, and we've sold a lot of equipment before. We now have about 400,000 universal coins. I want to take this 400,000 universal coins to take a gamble, but I need your approval."
"What do you mean?"
Lin Zhao was slightly stunned.
"I want to..."
Chen Xue smiled slightly and said, "Use these 400,000 to rent an entire team of 500 people, and have them join the Scarlet Moon Knights to fight for us!"