Crimson Bloom's promotion didn't just rattle Caleb Mordant—it caught the eye of every top-tier guild leader on the server.
Draevan—wielder of Ashfang and leader of Ironclad Citadel’s premier guild, Titan Guard—was already on Lila’s friends list. The moment his current boss monster shattered into loot, he sent her a message.
"Congratulations, Guild Master Lila."
"Thank you, Draevan."
"Mind telling me the requirements for a Level 2 Guild?"
"One hundred members at Level 35."
"Ouch. That's going to take a while. How was the upgrade quest?"
"You'll see when you get there."
"Haha, playing it close to the chest, are we?"
"Not exactly. But intel this valuable is reserved for my Allied Guilds."
"Allied Guilds? Now I'm listening."
Lila quickly explained the new alliance mechanics available to a Level 2 Guild.
Draevan didn't hesitate. "Done. Titan Guard will join Crimson Bloom's alliance. Perfect excuse to come check out your new Territory, too."
"Don't laugh when you get here," Lila warned. "We have a lot of space, but it's completely empty."
"You're too modest. Land is the hard part; the rest will follow."
"I'll see you soon, then."
When Draevan arrived with a five-man squad, he realized Titan Guard wasn't the only guild taking a tour of the new Crimson Bloom Territory.
Gilded Hand and Orion were there representing The Assemblage. Silverwind stood nearby for Silverwood, alongside Apocalypse_Dreadclaw from Apocalypse. Even the local Starlight Town guilds had shown up: Lotusbond from Petal Veil, SkyVault from Eternal Legacy, and MirthBringer from Laughing Tribe.
Each leader had brought their own small entourage. Entering the private territory required authorization—meaning every group present had likely signed the same Allied Guild agreement.
Draevan immediately started working the room. "Gilded Hand! Taking a walk? Did your forge finally cool down? Dreadclaw, it's been a month since the Hidden Realm, hasn't it? And Silverwind, you fake scholar, don't you start bullying Lila now..."
The other guild leaders exchanged friendly banter in return.
Seeing everyone assembled, Lila made the necessary introductions, specifically integrating the Starlight Town locals with the heavy hitters. Then, she ushered the group into the main hall.
Inside, three towering pagodas dominated the center of the room.
Draevan pointed at them. "Are those the Relics the system rewarded you with? What do they do?"
Lila smiled. "The system reward is the Tower of Everspring. It gives our guild members a flat two percent boost to their maximum health. As our Allied Guilds, you get half of that effect. Check your buff bars."
None of them had bothered to check their statuses upon entering. Prompted by Lila, they quickly opened their interfaces. The Tower of Everspring icon rested neatly in their active buffs.
"It's not just the Tower of Everspring," Silverwind noted, reading his interface. "There's also a Glazed Pagoda and a Tower of Valor."
"He's right," Draevan said. "The perks of a Level 2 Guild are no joke."
Apocalypse_Dreadclaw, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "Lila, were all three of these Relics awarded during the quest, or...?"
Every leader in the room turned to Lila, instinctively leaning in. It was the million-dollar question.
"The Glazed Pagoda and Tower of Valor were boss drops," Lila explained. "Only the Tower of Everspring was a system reward."
A collective chill swept through the room. None of the relics were guaranteed. Crimson Bloom was the first guild to complete the quest, so naturally, they enjoyed a higher drop rate and a first-clear system reward.
Would the rest of them get that lucky? More importantly—could their guilds even clear the bosses?
Dreadclaw pressed the issue. "Then please, tell us the exact details of the upgrade quest so we can start preparing."
As a veteran leader from traditional MMOs, Dreadclaw never missed a beat.
But Lila deflected. "Let's put a pin in that for a moment, Dreadclaw. I invited you all here today to discuss two things."
The guild leaders exchanged glances. They knew there was no such thing as a free lunch. Lila wasn't going to hand over top-tier intel without getting something in return.
"Lay it on us, Lila," one of them said. "We signed the alliance to help each other out, right?"
Lila nodded, cutting straight to the chase. "First: as you can see, our Territory is a blank slate. It requires massive manpower to build up. I need your guild members to come over and grind our construction quests in their downtime."
She paused. Seeing the hesitation on their faces, she continued. "I know everyone is focused on leveling right now, especially rushing to hit that hundred-player quota at Level 35..."
Heads nodded around the room.
"...But don't worry about the grind. I can help with that. I'll explain the details shortly, but first, I need an answer: will you send your members to help with our quests?"
"Absolutely."
The immediate replies came from the three Starlight Town leaders and Gilded Hand.
The remaining three hesitated briefly before nodding.
"As long as it doesn't impact our leveling efficiency," they agreed. The crafty veterans couldn't help but attach strings.
Not that they had a choice. Refusing meant walking out the door empty-handed. They were desperate to know how Lila planned to power-level them. Was she going to share...
The three veterans shared a look. They all reached the same conclusion: the Blight Swamp dungeon.
Lila's next words confirmed their suspicions. "Thank you all. In exchange, I'll be sharing the entry requirements and complete clear strategy for the Blight Swamp."
Six guild leaders bolted out of their chairs, visibly thrilled. "Thanks, Lila!"
Only Gilded Hand remained seated, completely unbothered. He didn't give a damn about leveling anyway.
"What's the second thing?" Draevan asked. "Whatever it is, I'm in."
Lila motioned for them to sit. "The second item on the agenda is our siege on Starter Village 9139 in four days. If you can join our faction when the time comes, I want you with us. If you can't, I just ask that you grab some popcorn and watch the show from the sidelines. Deal?"
It was an easy condition to accept. Naturally, she didn't want to hand-feed a bunch of potential rivals right before a major battle.
Seeing their agreement, Lila let out a silent breath of relief. Remembering Caleb Mordant's smug face, she scoffed inwardly. You might have planted a spy to steal my secrets, Caleb. But you definitely didn't expect me to just give them away.
She turned her attention back to the room. "Alright. Let's talk about the guild upgrade quest."