Ye Ci was momentarily stunned after hearing the name. She narrowed her eyes and did something she usually might not do. She asked again with uncertainty, "Who was it again?"
"Fleeting Time." Fluttering Red Feather did not know Ye Ci that well. Their encounter was entirely by chance and they had no conflict of interest, even their character was quite similar. That was why they had managed to form a good friendship. Despite that, Fluttering Red Feather did not know Ye Ci enough to understand her habits.
That was why Fluttering Red Feather repeated his answer again without doubting Ye Ci's request.
In Fate, there was no possibility that players would have the same name, just like every other game. That was why Ye Ci remained silent after receiving confirmation from Fluttering Red Feather.
Fluttering Red Feather, who had no idea what was going in in Ye Ci's mind, thought that she was afraid of trouble and did not wish to help his guild out. He began to beg Ye Ci earnestly, "Gongzi, I know my request is very unreasonable. You're not a member of my guild and have a guild of your own. I know that your guild is also trying to explore a dungeon as well, and it's unfair for me to ask for your help at the expense of your own guild, but I really have no choice."
After listening to Fluttering Red Feather's words, Ye Ci did not immediately speak her mind. She narrowed her eyes again while silently waiting for him to continue his explanation.
"My guild is one of the largest in the Southern Continent, but we haven't obtained many First Bloods. Although it does not affect the growth of our guild, there will still be people who doubt our capabilities. I do not wish for my guild to get bogged down. I thought we could have it easy with this dungeon since Awing The Heavens is way weaker than my guild. I did not expect them to receive outside help."
With that, Fluttering Red Feather let out a long sigh. He stole a glance at Ye Ci and was slightly disappointed to find a calm face. It was as if Ye Ci was devoid of emotion, "And also, that outside help happened to be Fleeting Time."
Ye Ci was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Although Fleeting Time had better mechanical skill than even Ye Ci, he tended to be low profile. He was keeping everything low key, to the point that not many knew that he was a very skillful Hunter. Nobody would've thought that he would be dubbed the "God among Hunters" in the future.
If Fluttering Red Feather was wary of him, they might have already fought against him, or it might because of Ye Ci's match with Fleeting Time back in the New Year's event.
Although Ye Ci did not care about her fame, she was nonetheless very famous in the Eastern Continent and even the entirety of Fate due to her exploits. To be able to obtain a draw against the role model of all Hunters in Fate, Fleeting Time had gained instant fame overnight.
Even if both of them were unwilling, the name of Gongzi You would always be associated with Fleeting Time by players. They were a pair… Of rivals.
That was why Fluttering Red Feather immediately asked for Ye Ci's help right after he found out that Fleeting Time was going to fight alongside Awing The Heavens.
Ye Ci made up her mind after observing Fluttering Red Feather's desperate and helpless face. She had always wanted to defeat Fleeting Time. Especially after their last battle, she did not think that she could defeat her extremely skillful opponent easily. Besides, it was only a friendly match last time. This time however, they would be facing off against each other in an actual combat between 2 guilds.
One should not be afraid of a godlike enemy, but a pig-like ally.
This was a saying that had been passed down throughout the history of gaming. In a web game, having a good team was very important.
Ye Ci had never worked together with Black Plum Guild before. Ye Ci hesitated, because this meant that she would have to challenge a strong opponent under such circumstances. She was not afraid of losing, but she did not like losing because of dubious reasons. Not having any experience working with Black Plum Guild would place her in such dubious environment. This was the source of her hesitation.
Although Black Plum Guild was way stronger than Ye Ci thought they were, she was somebody who expected the worst. Expecting the worst gave you the ability to handle any and all situations.
Should she help Black Plum Guild out?
Ye Ci leaned against the back of the chair, staring silently at Fluttering Red Feather. She did not pay attention to the man and was instead immersed in her own thoughts. After weighing her options, Ye Ci felt that it was an opportunity that she did not want to miss.
She spoke up slowly.
"I can help, but…" Fluttering Red Feather's expression immediately brightened up after Ye Ci agreed to help. The "but" however, made him shudder internally.
"But what?"
"But, I'm only there to fight against Fleeting Time. As for your First Blood… There's no guarantee." Ye Ci felt the need to be careful.
Although it was not an answer that Fluttering Red Feather was expecting, it did not stop him from feeling overjoyed. After all, having Gongzi You agreeing to fight for his side meant that there was someone who could keep Fleeting Time at bay. With a little more effort from his own members, his guild would be able to achieve First Blood easily.
"It's okay, Gongzi. As long as you can pin Fleeting Time down for us, we'll handle the rest." Joy was practically radiating off Fluttering Red Feather.
Ye Ci nodded.
She was actually very pressured. She had never felt that she herself was strong. She would never be able to help Fluttering Red Feather out against enemy players while simultaneously fending off an opponent as tough as Fleeting Time.
With an agreement reached, both parties parted ways after agreeing on a time and place to meet up later.
After leaving the tavern, Ye Ci walked along the bustling street and stopped just outside the city.
Far in the distant horizon, the morning sun was rising.
The red sun rose slowly above the horizon, casting its warm light on the land, chasing away the cold of the night. Warmth seeped into Ye Ci's body, followed by relaxation.
Ye Ci squinted her eyes, staring at the sun. There was excitement in her heart.
Fleeting Time, oh, Fleeting Time…
Do you know? I get to challenge you once again.
And this time, I will defeat you.
The day was Friday, and the scheduled time to explore the dungeon was set for 4 days later according to real world time. Ye Ci and Bai Mo had already gone back to her parents' place early after classes were over.
Since they were early, there was nobody home, just a huge pile of snacks on the coffee table. Bored out of their minds, the two switched on the TV and began wolfing down the snacks.
Shortly after that, the main door creaked open and Tan Polang entered the house. He studied the 2 happy faces and gritted his teeth as his sight drifted towards the empty snack bags on the table.
"Ah, Polang, you're back? Do you want some chips?" Ye Ci shook a bag of half-eaten chips in front of Tan Polang, offering him some food.
Tan Polang slammed the door shut and rushed at the duo, trying desperately to rescue his remaining few bags of snacks while shouting, "You shameless bastards! Those are mine!"
The two calmly evaded Tan Polang while finishing up the rest of the snacks.
When they finally settled down on the sofa while sipping freshly brewed tea, Tan Polang was left with empty snack bags. He wept silently in a corner while cursing the shameless thieves.
"Those are my weekly snacks! Aunty bought them for me this afternoon! You two bastards! I hate you!" Tan Polang grumbled, tears welling in his eyes.
The two did not even pay Tan Polang any heed.
A newsflash went across the TV screen, attracting Ye Ci's attention.
"The annual International Cyber Games Tournament will be held in our nation's D City. Many famous players from all around the globe have signed up to join the tournament. The number of contestants this year has hit a new height, with 5,000 participants. According to the organizers, the mysterious player named King who was the champion of the tournament for 5 years straight will not take part in this year's tournament. This leads to a question: who will be the champion this year? One of the most likely contestants to be champion would…"
"Wow, King will not take part in the tournament?" Bai Mo sighed, "It's a shame. He was one of the best players in China. If he does not take part this year, I guess the tournament will not be held in China the next year."
Ye Ci was unconcerned, "He was champion for 5 years. I think it's a wise choice for him to not take part."
"Why is that?"
"With the rise of new stars, his playstyle has already been studied by gamers for so many years. It's good if he wins this year, but what if he lost? It's tactful for him to retire this year. He'll be able to keep his fame and record. If I was that person, I would definitely not take part in the tournament this year as well."
"I guess you're right." Bai Mo nodded.
"Hmph! King is not that kind of person!" Tan Polang, who had been silent, spoke up all of a sudden.