After thinking about it for a while, Liam decided to log back into the game.
There were still a few things he wanted to check out in the real world. For instance, the places which were currently being affected by earthquakes and other areas that were being overwhelmed by new changes.
However, there were also pressing matters that he needed to attend to back inside the game. Luna's condition was not improving, Derek was still missing and more importantly, he had to deal with his corrupted mana core, the thing that Grandmaster Acalan warned him about.
Liam did not plan to take that warning lightly as the man seemed to genuinely be on his side irrespective of whatever his ulterior motives may be.
"Liam, how long do you think that will you be away for?" Mia asked. The game at the moment had suddenly become extremely turbulent.
The news about the various government forces covertly trying to take charge of the game had spread and no one paid any more attention to the ban on the game.
Though several political leaders explained that they had done this for the safety of the citizens, everyone could see the reality and the truth about the death toll was also leaked to the media.
Because of all of this several players began forming their own theories, each wilder than the previous one. One group even strongly advocated that the in-game powers were going to come out and their planet was going to enter a new era.
The world immediately criticized this radical group and called them lunatics and conspiratory theorists but inwardly everyone began doubting the same.
The player base inside the game had also returned back to its former glory because of these recent developments. There were more players than ever and all the companies were starting to dig their heels in the game through sponsorships.
Mia and her personal team of loyal company employees analyzed these developments and all of them agreed that the next couple of weeks were going to be the most crucial time for development inside the game.
With a few strategically placed moves, there was a chance for other smaller guilds to overtake the bigger guilds. Money was flowing into the game endlessly as there were no gold caps. All the real-world cash was being converted into in-game gold coins.
How was this even possible without the full disclosure about the game and revealing the game's secrets? No one knew the answer to this question.
Some people speculated that the top ten richest people in the world were secretly running this game but no one knew the truth. Irrespectively, a huge influx of players entered the game and the atmosphere inside had completely changed once again.
So Mia asked Liam more than once if he was really sure about leaving the Kingdom at the moment at this crucial time. Even her cold indifferent face shows traces of nervousness and anxiety.
Liam smiled, "I am not going to leave the guild just like that." With that, he took out the pair of daggers from his inventory and gave them to Shen Yue who was silently standing on the side.
The girl's eyes instantly widened on seeing these daggers. Legendary weapon!
Other people also recognized these daggers and gaped in awe. Almost everyone in the core team knew about this weapon by now and they also knew how important these daggers were to the guild.
"Liam… I…" Shen Yue gulped. She couldn't possibly accept something like this.
"Accept it, sis. What are you waiting for?" Rey grinned. He had a sheepish smile as if he knew something that others did not.
Hearing him, Shen Yue became bright red. She became even more flustered and held the daggers in her hand as if it was a hot potato that she did not want.
Liam saw this and shook his head helplessly. He did not intend to put the girl under so much pressure. His intention was in fact the opposite.
"I am not simply handing these over to you. It is only temporary. I know that you will use them well, but if someone else surpasses you, you would have to give it to them."
In other words, she had to earn it. Shen Yue now became more at ease. She also had a determined look on her face as she did not want to let Liam down.
Liam smiled and patted her and then looked at the other sheepishly smiling figure. "Mei Mei, how much have you progressed with your Emerald Crown's quest?"
"Brother…"
"Whatever I said to Shen Yue holds true for you as well. If another player performs better than you, feel free to kiss your crown goodbye."
"Ah!" The little girl immediately panicked in shock. She clutched her crown tightly, not wanting to let it go under any circumstance.
She had grown used to the crown so much that she couldn't even picture herself inside the game without it. With all the ridiculous buffs and regeneration, she absolutely did not want to lose it.
Shake. Shake. Shake. "Brother, no way. This is mine. I won't give it." She blurted out and then added with an awkward as met Liam's stern gaze, "I mean I will work hard, brother. Please."
"Ok. Then I will leave the guild in both of your hands." Liam chuckled.
"Our guild should be the only one with two legendary weapons. So use this momentum to our advantage. Only travel in groups and focus on learning combat."
After addressing the group for some more time, Liam took Alex and Mia to the side and handed over to them the two golems and the bombs he had remaining.
"It is important that I leave at the moment. Therefore, everything will be in your hands. Keep me updated about Derek's condition and also my sister and Shen Yue… keep an eye on them."
Mia silently nodded while Alex rolled her eyes, "You don't have to tell us. We know."
"Is that so?" Liam chuckled. It was good to see her back in her former state. "By the way…" He filled in Alex about the details of the Kingdom quest and the plot their guild was built on.
"You gave that idiot a quest like this?" Alex couldn't believe it.
Rey felt a chill run down his spine as he could feel his sister's sharp gaze on him every now and then. "Fuck. I really need to hurry now." He ran away to Yleka city as fast as he could.
Seeing this Alex shouted, "You better pray that I don't catch you. How dare you slack on such an important quest?"
"I am really trying, sis. Aiyaaa." Only Rey's voice was heard and his figure soon disappeared.
"Hmph. I will make sure that this quest is handled." Alex answered in confidence.
"It's not that. Only nature affinity players could-" Liam was about to explain when he realized that perhaps there was a way for the divine affinity players as well to bless the land.
"Ok. Good luck." He stopped and instead nodded. The two of them prepared to leave thinking that the debriefing was over but Liam still remained on the spot.
"Anything else?"
Unexpectedly, Liam took out the three slave contracts in his possession. Seeing this Alex and Mia shuddered as they felt something tug at their soul.
They stared at him in shock wondering what was he going to do now and why he took these out. Perhaps he did not trust them enough to leave them alone with the guild like this?
Several confusing thoughts popped up in their mind. There was a tinge of sadness in Mia's eyes and Alex gritted her teeth and looked away.
No matter what had happened, this would forever be a sour spot for them as it showed that in the end, this relationship they had with Liam was very one-sided. They could never be true friends or comrades. He simply did not trust them that much.
"Why you-" Alex opened her mouth but Liam did not let her speak. Without saying anything, he lifted the contracts one by one and tore them apart. Both the women stared at him stunned silly.
"Liam!" Even Mia became emotional.
"I am not going to apologize. My circumstances were as such." Liam tore all three contracts without any hesitation. "I hope we can all survive until the end."
There was a seriousness in his voice that made the two utterly silent. No one said anything as the weight of the future started to sink in. Just what sort of a year lay ahead of them?
Liam then gave the duo a dozen of the body cleansing elixir bottles he had made. After that, he spoke a few more words of warning and bid farewell to the two and the guild residence.
Bringing Luna along with him, he hopped onto Talon and disappeared from sight quickly.
Alex and Mia could only stare dazedly at the spot where he disappeared. For Liam to act like this, the two of them were utterly speechless.
"Mia, let's work hard," Alex muttered and the other party nodded.
