Chapter Seventy-Two: Disrupting Social Order

The devout archer, Longbow Sunshot, sacrificed himself in a moment of recklessness, forever altering his legacy. In my memory, he had never died with such significance before—his powerless death proved the impossibility of assassinating the holy city's guards, indirectly saving the lives of many who were eager to try. I often wondered, if it hadn’t been for that fool recklessly charging out alone, waiting until we had coordinated a group attack, our fledgling guild would surely have suffered far greater losses. In that sense, Longbow Sunshot’s death was noble and immortalized.

However, our efforts to recruit the dark elf, Redwolf, met tremendous resistance here. We simply couldn’t find a legitimate way to incorporate this foreign stranger into our ranks. Frankly, I had almost given up on this impractical notion.

Just as everyone was at a loss, even Feiyin reluctantly prepared to abandon what had become a lucrative means of profit, Foshao suddenly emerged from Redwolf’s hiding spot and stepped forward calmly.

“I have an idea. It might just work.”

Everyone looked at this unfamiliar human swordsman with suspicion. So many failures had drained their spirits, making it difficult to muster the will to try again.

“Oh? Do tell,” Feiyin feigned interest.

“To kill those two guards at our level? Impossible. But…” Foshao paused, scrutinizing the guards more closely before continuing, “...to lure them away, that might be doable.”

Foshao gathered us together to explain his plan in detail. As he spoke, our spirits rose from despair to determination. Feiyin’s already large eyes widened further, sparkling like two extremely valuable sapphires.

After some selection, we chose the minotaur paladin, Bull Million, and an elf mage specializing in lightning magic, Skyburner. Everyone else stepped back, leaving these two in the center.

“Crack!” A basic lightning arrow struck Bull Million, who then swung his massive stone pillar, tapping Skyburner gently but firmly.

As we had predicted, the two guards, bound by their strong sense of duty, could not ignore the illegal brawl unfolding near the notice board. They drew their longswords, shouting, “In the name of the divine, we uphold honor and order!” and charged at the two provocateurs, seeking to stop the fight and administer proper punishment.

Seeing the trap spring, Bull Million immediately activated his invincible “Holy Light Protection” skill and began to flee, while the elf mage employed “Teleport,” quickly putting distance between themselves and the guards.

This was precisely Foshao’s plan: provoke a fight in front of the city guards to draw them away from their posts, buying time for the dark elf to sign the guild charter.

“What if we get cut down like Longbow Sunshot with one strike?” Skyburner hesitated before the plan was set in motion.

“That’s impossible,” Foshao replied confidently. “You should carefully read the rules. Attacking city guards results in immediate lethal retaliation—that’s considered self-defense. But fighting among yourselves in the city? The guards only intervene to stop you, then punish with imprisonment and fines.”

“Why is that?” Bull Million asked, puzzled.

“Fool! Use your bovine brain for a moment. Attacking guards is murder—a serious criminal offense. But a brawl is just disturbing public order. Who’s going to execute you for that?” Xiange Yayi, whose wounds were finally healing, couldn’t help but explain.

“My brain isn’t pig-like, it’s bovine!” Bull Million grumbled in protest.

“I’ve witnessed some city brawls, and while the fighters never stand a chance against guards, they aren’t completely powerless. They can at least buy some time, and some quick-footed ones even manage to escape…” Foshao ignored their bickering and continued.

Foshao’s analysis was sound. As a former city gate guard, I had stopped many brawls within the city and knew this situation well. Bound by strict discipline, we never executed troublemakers on the spot. In hindsight, those troublemakers were fragile like newly hatched chicks, easily slain, yet they always had a chance to struggle—though none ever escaped my grasp. In a city like Kampnavia, only novices below level ten lingered; they hadn’t yet learned escape skills.

Foshao assigned roles to the two agents: “Once they make a move, the paladin immediately activates invincibility, runs while healing, and the mage teleports to keep distance. But don’t run too far—keep them chasing you as long as possible. The farther, the better.”

“If the plan succeeds, we gain up to fifteen seconds. Signing the charter takes five seconds, plus Redwolf’s walking time—it’s just enough.”

Our plan went smoothly. As predicted, Longbow Sunshot’s helpless demise was not repeated with Bull Million. His “Holy Light Protection” shield alone forced the guards to strike four times before breaking. Then, relying on his thick skin and vitality, Bull Million stubbornly ran several steps before capture. Skyburner did even better. After teleporting, he didn’t flee immediately but maintained a safe distance to ensure the guards followed him. Only after Bull Million fell did he take over the distraction and sprinted away, even casting “Ice Seal” to slow the guards, buying nearly ten extra seconds before surrendering.

Bull Million and Skyburner’s excellent performance won ample time for Redwolf. As soon as the guards left, Redwolf appeared before the notice board, nervously glancing back to ensure they wouldn’t return soon. He grabbed the quill stuck in front of the board and reached out to sign our guild charter.

Until that moment, none of us dared hope: would the divine-imbued board reject a dark elf from the Withered Lands? Would hostile adventurers be permitted to join a guild under the Continental Alliance? Every pair of eyes stared wide, praying Redwolf could sign his name. When he finally did, clear and unmistakable, an involuntary murmur of surprise swept through the crowd, as if no one believed it could happen.

Like everyone else, the dark elf took a full five seconds to inscribe his name, then quietly slipped away, vanishing once again. Nearby, the two sword-wielding guards returned swiftly, carrying the thoroughly beaten Bull Million and Skyburner. They jogged back to their posts.

“Well? Well? Did it work?” The frail elf mage, bound tightly, was held lightly by a towering guard, anxiously shouting at us.

“Nicely done! We succeeded!” Feiyin couldn’t contain her excitement, making a victorious gesture and proclaiming loudly.

“Really? That’s great!” Bull Million, tied like a giant sack, was similarly lifted by another guard with ease. The sixty-level guard’s expression remained calm, unaffected by the minotaur’s bulk, inspiring respect for their strength.

“Since the mission’s complete, hurry up and free us!” Skyburner struggled and shouted.

“Sure, how do we get you out?” Feiyin replied cheerfully.

“Just pay ten gold coins bail, and we’re released…” The elf mage said anxiously, clearly unaware of Feiyin’s nature. “…Otherwise, we’ll be locked up in a dark cell for five minutes.”

“Eh, it costs money?” Feiyin’s face instantly paled, hand instinctively clutching her pouch. “Ten gold coins? That’s so much! Can’t we get a discount? Maybe twenty silver coins?”

Feiyin thought it over, then quickly added, “Can we pay in installments?”

“Now’s not the time for jokes…” Skyburner grimaced, struggling in the ropes. Judging by his expression, being tied up like that was far from pleasant. But moments later, likely reading our sympathetic looks, he made the right assumption:

“You’re not serious, are you?”

“Forget it, brother. Even if we got a life sentence, she wouldn’t pay a single coin to bail us out.” Compared to the panicked mage, Bull Million clearly knew Feiyin better and was mentally prepared to rot in jail.

“Hey, didn’t you say joining the guild means regular pay, priority loot in dungeons, special sponsorships for high-level gear, commissions for recruiting, three gold guaranteed, and excellent benefits?” Skyburner pleaded, trying to stir Feiyin’s sense of responsibility.

His words made those of us familiar with Feiyin sweat cold. Under her command, those benefits probably existed only in dreams—no, if you really dreamed of them, Feiyin would likely charge for “selling you a beautiful illusion.” To recruit, this fearsome woman used every trick in the book.

“You’re right, but I never said I’d pay your bail,” Feiyin said innocently, blinking her big eyes at Skyburner.

As the only officially sanctioned violent enforcement agency in Freshit City, the City Guard was not one to haggle, and the honor represented by the Holy City’s many deities surely wasn’t worth a mere twenty silver coins. Eventually, the patrol carried away Bull Million and Skyburner, locking them in jail. There, they would share a memorable half-hour with bedbugs, rats, and the cold damp walls.

“I’ll miss you…” Feiyin stood nearby, sorrowfully waving a pristine handkerchief in the bright sunlight, her skirts fluttering gently like a lover bidding farewell, reluctant to part.

“If you really do, then help pay our bail now… Hey, don’t pretend you didn’t hear me! Turn your head, I’m talking to you… Hey…” As the patrol faded into the distance, Skyburner’s final plea fell on deaf ears.

Thus, our formidable Lady Feiyin, with one hand, successfully recruited the dark elf assassin Redwolf into the guild, while with the other, she effectively sent two innocent comrades to jail.

“Are we really not going to bail them out? That doesn’t seem right,” I whispered to Feiyin, glancing back at our captured guildmates, feeling uneasy.

“Do you think I want this?” Feiyin rolled her eyes. “Forming a guild requires a 5,000-gold deposit. You paupers barely scraped that together. Guess who’s underwritten the rest? Don’t think I’m rich—after that deposit, I have less than ten gold left. Where would I get spare money to bail those two out?”