Cold Spring Canyon, Stone Forest City
Inside the luxurious meeting room of the city lord's mansion a group of people made their way to the head office as they followed two magnificent girls dressed in luxurious mage robes.
"This is the waiting room. Our guild leader has to meet with some important guests so it may take some time, please relax while you wait." Thoughtful Rain informed the group.
"Thankyou Rain, we'll have to trouble you then," Melody the guild leader from Ninth Heaven said.
Thoughtful Rain and Blue Bamboo then entered the guild leaders office to report.
While they left a displeased tiger kin girl sucked her teeth. "Guild leader, Zero Wing is too arrogant! How can they make nearly two dozen guilds from the Fairy Country wait! The guild thinks too highly of themselves." The tiger girl said.
The group of beastmen and half elves behind her nodded in agreement. They were all from large guilds from the Fairy Country. Even though they were not a match for superpowers like Zero Wing, their racial talents made them far stronger than ordinary experts. Fairy Country also housed many rare and valuable resources that human guilds desperately wanted. Even Super Guilds will show them respect in order to get their cooperation.
"Frost, remember we're here for Zero Wings help. Be on your best behavior and don't annoy Guild Leader Black Flame, or else things can end badly for us," a tough and grizzled looking man warned his companion. Despite being a half elf, the man resembles a beast kin.
Even though he reprimanded his allies, he understood why they felt like that. Superpowers usually looked down on first rate and lower powers like them. In order to have Zero Wing take them seriously each of their guilds has sent their best experts to represent them. Every person in the group were experts among experts and capable of ranking on the God's Domain Expert list, many of them were Refinement Realm experts as well. Their prideful nature is well deserved.
"Melody, are you sure Black Flame will help us. We can't be wasting our time here for empty promises" the man said.
"Big Brother Clove, as long as we offer up something that interests Black Flame, then he is sure to help. He isn't the type to take advantage of others' precarious situations. Let's just wait for now."
The group then went to find a place in the lounge to wait, when somebody with sharp eyes noticed three people sitting down.
"Huh, aren't they from the Secret Pavilion?!" A person almost shouted out in surprise.
When that person said this, everyone in the group lost their breaths.
Even though they were from the very far off Fairy Country, the Secret Pavilion had a huge presence there, in the form of a branch guild. As representatives of their guilds they naturally did a lot of traveling so they have done research on the prominent people of God's Domain, so they wouldn't accidentally offend the wrong people.
While the three weren't neutral race players they recognized all three of them.
The gorgeous girl that wielded an impressive gem encrusted greatsword sitting on the right was Purple Jade the Secret Pavilion's number one prodigy. She has built up a name for herself by traveling all across the game and defeating one powerful expert after the other, especially swordsman class experts. At this point everyone knew that the Pavilion was nurturing her to become its future guild leader, her identity as a peak expert and a future potential guild leader meant her status is leagues above even theirs.
The old man in the middle is Yuan Tiexin. His individual strength is leagues above all of theirs and he is the right hand man of the Pavilion's guild leader. Every upper echelon of any organization is aware of his existence.
Finally the youth on the left is somebody just as great as both Purple Jade and Yuan Tiexin. The young man could only be described as immaculate, calling him handsome is an understatement and a disservice to his looks. Despite all that the young man gave off a very humble feeling. His aura was like a prince that had the world in his hands but wanted none of it.
His temperament and looks made the faces of the females of the group of neutral race players turn red, nearly awakening their lust and wanting to jump and devour the young man.
This young man is called White Soul. He's the Secret Pavilion's second peerless prodigy. His fame isn't as high as Purple Jade or Cold Autumn among the common populace because he mainly only deals with superpowers affairs. His status as one of the Secret Pavilion's 3 Great Geniuses still warrant for these people to know him.
"Just what type of guild is Zero Wing?" Clove the leader of the group asked as he turned his head towards Melody.
Melody couldn't even say anything in response. She had no idea that Zero Wing possessed a close relationship with the Secret Pavilion. Not only that, Zero Wing was actually making the Secret Pavilion's people wait.
This group of three were akin to a prince, a princess, and a royal advisor. Yet all three were waiting just like them. Not even the Five Great Super Guilds will do this.
"Let's find a place to sit. When we meet with Zero Wing you all better be on your best behavior," the tough grizzled half elf told everyone.
The rest agreed and patiently waited as well, not daring to utter a single complaint.
"Uncle Yuan, I wonder who Zero Wing could be meeting with," White Soul said. Even the Five Great Super Guilds desperately wanted to cooperate with the Secret Pavilion. At the very least a guild elder should be attending to them
Yuan Tiexin chuckled, "Soul, even though Zero Wing is powerful, when it comes to management the guild can't even match first rate guilds."
"Let them get things sorted out with whoever they're meeting with. Besides it's us who came to them unannounced."
When a guild grows large their management team grows with them. It's normal for first rate guilds to have around five vice guild leaders and dozens of guild elders, not to mention the complex and intricate structures of Super First Rate guilds and Super Guilds.
All the while Zero Wing only has four vice guild leaders and one guild elder. Not one of them can easily make big important decisions without the guild leader's consent.
What Yuan Tiexin didn't know is that Shi Feng has long been aware of this problem and it's not that he doesn't want to do something about it, he just couldn't.
In order to have a vice guild leader or elder level position, he needs someone he could trust. Unfortunately all those he could trust weren't particularly good managers. Liang Jing, Youlan, Blackie and Melancholic Smile had other responsibilities to take care of.
If it weren't for the fact that Aqua Rose and Gentle Snow were such talented and capable managers, the guild would have collapsed on itself a long time ago. He's surprised that the two women hadn't chained him to his desk and made him do his managerial work a long time ago.
"I see. I guess all we can do is wait then," White Soul said as he gave Purple Jade a quick glance. He didn't care about having to wait, he just really wanted to see Black Flame.
He had been interested in Purple Jade for a long time but the girl only cares about her responsibilities and growing more powerful. If it weren't for the fact that the two were cohorts and he was very strong himself, she would never have given him the time of day.
Yet Black Flame was one of the few people that could awaken any interest in the girl. This made him extremely curious to meet the rumored Sword King.
....
Inside the guild leader's office, Violet Cloud, Youlan, Thoughtful Rain, Blue Bamboo and Liang Jing couldn't help the nervousness they felt.
In front of them sat a man in a suit of golden armor with a set of white robes. Electric arcs were faintly visible as they surrounded and coursed through his body. Two Sacred Swords hung from his waist, one red and one blue. His smooth golden hair and young face left one speechless. Female players would consider this man to be a god of male beauty.
This man is Thunder Emperor Kaiser.
Except for Liang Jing they had all seen powerful tier 5 NPCs, but this one was in a league of his own. Violet Cloud who is the strongest person in the room couldn't even fathom the level of power in this man. She felt like she was looking at a bottomless abyss.
"Here is your tea sir," Liang Jing nervously said as she handed Kaiser a cup of tea. This is the beast tea Zero Wing has to offer. It comes from a basic master recipe and uses precious materials. The guild usually serves it to very important guests or to the guild's core upper echelon.
"Thank you young lady," Kaiser said. He then took the cup and sipped the tea, his every action smooth and natural. This mesmerized the girls, they felt like they could watch Kaiser drink tea all day.
"What wonderful tea. I haven't had tea this delicious in a long time, incredible job," Kaiser praised but he noticed that no one had responded to him and they just kept staring at him as if he were a treasure.
The next moment in came Shi Feng, Gentle Snow, and Fire Dance. Before Shi Feng can get a word out, he noticed Violet, Youlan, Rain, Blue, and Liang Jing all in a daze.
Seeing Shi Feng, Thunder Emperor Kaiser got up to greet him. He smiled as if he saw an old friend, "Adventure, it has been a long time. You've grown so much stronger since then," he said in a joyful tone.
"Indeed, I have not expected to see you, but..." Shi Feng looked around him and he noticed that Fire Dance and Gentle Snow were also in a daze. They all stared at Kaiser as if they were looking at a statue.
Shi Feng let out a chuckle. He couldn't blame Kaiser, this was just a problem that all beautiful high tiered NPCs have. It wasn't their looks that captivated players; after all the girls in the room were great beauties themselves. No, it was these NPCs' temperaments.
The way they moved and conducted themselves was so graceful and natural that players just weren't used to seeing such things. If Shi Feng hadn't spent ten years playing God's Domain and having insane will power he would be no different than Gentle Snow and the rest, or Sharlyn would have robbed him of every single coin he had by now.
In the future when Anna and Laura reach tier 5 they should be able to do the same as well.
Shi Feng sent out multiple finger flicks sending air blasts to each of the girl's foreheads and he sent one to a corner of the room.
"Guild leader!"
After getting hit by the air flicks they all came out of their daze looking at Shi Feng with confusion.
Shi Feng ignored their pained looks at him as he said "All of you need to train your willpower. We'll do some training when we get the chance okay."
He then focused back on Kaiser. Shi Feng very much admired Kaiser. They were both swordsmen and magicians. The Thunder Beast Empire that Kaiser used to rule was known for its knowledge on magic arrays. Kaiser being the ruler of such a powerful empire must have been a famed magician at the very least.
Shi Feng also couldn't help but glance at the Thunder emperor's two Sacred swords. In his entire career in God's Domain Kaiser's Sacred Swords were the only weapons he's seen that can freeze the space around it just by existing.
After wielding Crown Sword for a while, Shi Feng figured that Kaiser's swords might be divine artifacts.
The Thunder Beast Empire was one of the strongest empires to exist in history. Many powerful kingdoms and empires came from it. With such level of strength the Empire should have amassed many treasures and artifacts. It would be surprising if it had a Godly Relic though.
It's only natural to see the emperor of such a nation wield a few divine artifacts. If he could get the Abyssal Blade and Crown Sword to full divine rank he could walk around acting like an emperor himself.
Shi Feng sat in his chair, Emperor Kaiser, what can i do for you," he said
Kaiser let out a bitter laugh, "please, I have long given up that name. Just call me Kaiser."
"Okay Lord Kaiser"
Shi Feng gave him an understanding look. A emperor and a guild leader were very similar. It's their jobs to lead their people to glory and protect them, but in the pursuit of power, Kaiser had committed many taboos and led his nation and people to ruin.
As if Shi Feng following his request loosened some shackles on him, Kaiser released a solemn smile. "Little guy, as you know I have done a lot of wrong in my life. To make up for it I have been traversing the continent and restoring peace to areas affected by mistakes."
God's Domain is a living breathing world just like the real world. An NPC won't remain static just because their particular quest has been finished. A NPC like Kaiser will definitely have his own goals and aspirations.
Kaiser continued, "one day throughout my journeys an old sword came into my hands," Kaiser then brought out a magnificent looking black and gold greatsword. The rooms mana rising a little. Shi Feng's eyes widened in shock when he saw the sword.
Everyone's eyes were glued to the weapon. Gentle Snow's eyes lit up after seeing it. From a glance she could tell this greatsword rivaled her legendary rank Glorious Will. Her Glorious Will is a replica of one of God's Domain Ten Great Legendary Weapons, making it far stronger than regular legendary weapons.
The fact that this greatsword is as strong as it at the very least goes to show the power of the weapon.
Shi Feng was very familiar with this sword as well, it was Canyon Cutter. It used to belong to that Fallen NPC Kent that gave him Ember's egg. But Canyon Cutter turned into a beam of light and disappeared.
Apparently it immediately went to Kaiser, but why.
Kaiser continued. "This sword used to belong to a good friend of mine, but like me he had gone down the wrong path. Thank you for bringing justice to him, little guy."
Again Shi Feng was shocked. Based on what Kaiser said, Kent must have been hundreds of years old. Not even a Demigod should live that long.
Kaiser still looked young because he had been cursed by the endless abyss and not aging. The only explanation he could think of was that Kent had eaten a fruit of life or seven colored fruit.
Did Kent commit some atrocities towards the elves, Shi Feng wondered.
"My friend had left me a message. If possible may I see the ArcFairy if you have hatched it?" Kaiser asked.
Shi Feng then summoned Ember. The lazy girl had been taking a nap not expecting to be called. She then slowly woke up, yawned and rubbed her big round eyes. Her every action as adorable as can be. She looked towards Shi Feng as if it were dinner time.
Kaiser's eyes widened, "we've spent so many years trying to bring the egg back to life but failed. How did you do it?"
Shi Feng didn't know what to say. He just followed the necessary procedures for hatching eggs with powerful creatures in them. If Ember was a dead egg then Kent must have done something to bring some life back to her.
As if Shi Feng's silence was an answer Kaiser didn't press the issue. "Adventure. I request your help in fulfilling my friend's last wish. Help me search for the Art of War so we may prevent the invasion of the demon gods," Kaiser requested.
Again Shi Feng's eyes almost fell from his sockets. The Art of War was rumored to be one of the most powerful items in the game. Just having one chapter from it was equivalent to having an imperial heirloom.
In his past life a second rate guild called Sun Family beat a Super First Rate Guild in a war and it wasn't a normal defeat either. That Super First Rate Guild suffered a humiliating defeat at Sun Family's hand.
After that The Sun Family grew from second rate to a pseudo Super First Rate guild in under two years. The incident had shaken all of God's Domain.
Many people suspected that Sun Family actually had a chapter from the Art of War. While Shi Feng was thinking the sound of the System rang in his ears.
System: Will you accept the Inferior Legendary Quest, 'Search for War'. Failure to complete quest will result in a loss of 30% of your attributes, -10,000 humanity reputation points, and being unable to log into God's Domain for 2 weeks.
Rewards Unknown.