Chapter 513: A Deeper Analysis

“That is a very accurate analysis.” Sword Demon nodded in agreement to Coco’s words.

“Still, you should know that I don’t wish for you to do anything like that,” Coco said.

“I know… Which is why you should treat this as me merely completing my ‘Daily Mission’!” Sword Demon turned to head into the jungle after he had said this. He was just about to venture in when he stopped. “Oh, yeah. No need to tell anything to my comrades, either.”

“I refuse…” Coco said this and left in the opposite direction, showing her back to Sword Demon’s.

——————————–

Gu Fei was walking along the muddy streets of Linyin City. The lush greenery in this city lent a serenity that was out of this world. Furthermore, the purity of the air made it utterly relaxing and refreshing. To think a wonderful place like this would have such a troublesome matter happening. What made this all the more annoying was the fact that this matter mainly impacted Sword Demon. Were this Gu Fei’s problem, he could have free reign on how solve it, but precisely because it happened to be someone else’s business, it made him feel anxious and powerless to achieve anything.

“Mister, I have equipment straight out of the forge; would you be interested in getting some?” Hearing someone ask this brought him back from the depths of his thoughts. It was rather amazing that someone had managed to get so near him without him even realizing it. However, he had never seen someone peddle wares like The Flower Girl ¹ ! Gu Fei thought of this and turned his head to check the person out, only to be greeted by a familiar face.

“Why is it you…” Gu Fei said.

“I should ask you the same question.” Standing beside Gu Fei was, astonishingly, Xi Xiaotian.

“What are you doing here?” He observed his surroundings, looking to see if there was any victim within the vicinity that was hunting her down.

“It’s rare for me to travel so far out here, and since there’s no group activity holding me back, it’s only natural for me to visit and sightsee the various cities of Parallel World,” she stated.

“No city would welcome a walking disaster like you,” he said.

“That’s not necessarily true, for I often contribute to the market’s thriving economy in the game! It is you, however, that has caused huge sweeping changes across the Five Unyielding Experts and Ten Great Adepts with just this one trip. These level losses have something to do with you, right?” Xi Xiaotian said.

“I have a clear conscience,” Gu Fei said.

“So do I!” She laughed.

Gu Fei no longer had any words. A swindler would never feel ashamed of his or her action, so it only made sense for Xi XIaotian to be unburdened by guilt. This was a warped logic, but there was no rebuttal to it. Once more, he felt the urge to give her a good beating.

“Speaking of which, your emotions are very exposed. That’s dangerous as it gives people like me a chance to capitalize on them,” Xi Xiaotian said thusly. Gu Fei had also made sure to remove the camouflage paint on his face after leaving the tavern. Who would be willing to continue having their faces smeared when there was no longer any need for it, anyway?

“Is that so? Then, I’m sorry for making you worry about me,” Gu Fei said rather indifferently. He was just about to leave when he heard someone go ‘whoa, whoa, whoa’. The speaker then drew nearer.

“Whoa! This’s too much! Everything has become like this, yet you are actually still in the mood to flirt with the ladies, you rascal!” Coco came stomping out from an alleyway as she made a beeline for Gu Fei.

“Where’s Sword Demon? Isn’t he with you?” Gu Fei looked around but did not spot the man anywhere.

“I was just looking for you guys! Sword Demon is about to kill off Broken Water Arrow,” Coco said.

“That’s great! Where is he? I’ll head over to help!” Gu Fei instantly perked up after hearing this news.

“Great, my foot! Think of the consequences of such an act!” Coco berated.

Gu Fei wrinkled his eyebrows. He and Young Master Han had already deduced what would be the likely outcome of killing Broken Water Arrow, but if Sword Demon himself had made such a decision, it only meant that he was willing to forgo his friendship with Deep Waters just to protect the latter and his guild, right?

“That guy…” Gu Fei had no words for the man. He did not know if he should be touched by his actions or call him stupid!

“We need to find a solution – a perfect resolution!” Coco stared at him imploringly.

“I take it that you want us to find a solution where Sword Demon won’t have to make such a sacrifice yet still prevent Broken Water Arrow’s schemes from coming to fruition.” Gu Fei made a summary of her request.

“Yup!” Coco looked earnestly.

“I’m not Ikkyu ² …” Gu Fei answered.

“Oi. How can you still crack a joke at a time like this?!” Coco was infuriated when she saw his cavalier attitude.

“If the situation runs its course, your guild might collapse as a result of Broken Water Arrow’s scheme, but Deep Waters would see Sword Demon’s sincerity to him; meanwhile, hunting down Broken Water Arrow might prevent him from destroying your guild, but Sword Demon would ultimately lose Deep Waters’ friendship. That’s an option Sword Demon chose, and we both know how he must likely came to the decision without even a moment’s hesitation. I’m sure he won’t regret it as it leads to the conclusion he’s hoping for the most. Maybe it’s best if we respect his decision,” Gu Fei said.

“What are you talking about? He was forced to make such a decision as well! Do you really think he wants this?!” Coco demanded.

“Lady. Surely, you know that it is precisely because there isn’t a perfect resolution to this matter that he had made such a decision. If there’s a perfect solution available, why will we be standing here like idiots?” Gu Fei asked.

“There’s gotta be a solution!” Coco insisted.

“Reality is sometimes cruel.” He was helpless.

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“Uhm. Sorry to bother you…” Unable to bear it any longer, Xi Xiaotian interrupted the two. “The topic you two are discussing sounds really profound… Do you mind telling me what’s all this about? I might be able to help.”

“Who are you?” Coco asked.

“A swindler,” Gu Fei interjected.

Coco was perplexed, yet Xi Xiaotian was unperturbed, even proudly adding, “And a professional one, too.”

Gu Fei flared his nostrils and spat to display his disdain. Calling herself a swindler was already shameless enough; the fact that she actually felt pride toward the title made it really intolerable for him.

“Say…” Xi Xiaotian pointed to him as she spoke to Coco. “If even this man is unable to do anything about it, it’s obvious that the trouble you’re in is something where violence isn’t the solution. Perhaps what you need is a bit of knowledge and smarts!”

“Do you really have a solution?” Coco asked.

“Don’t be clutching at straws out of desperation!” Gu Fei warned.

The two ladies gave him the side eye, each exuding a thick killing intent.

“This is what happened…” Coco gave a quick rundown of the entire situation to here.

“It’s too unprincipled,” Gu Fei muttered at the side.

“So that’s what’s going on…” Xi Xiaotian nodded his head. “It’s evident that the opponent this time has already homed in on the personality of this foolish guild leader; that’s why he managed to tailor such a scheme that specifically targets your guild. Taking advantage of your guild’s desire to emerge victorious in this upcoming City War, he presented something of great value to earn a favorable impression and expectation from the people involved. Once in, he strove to elevate the members’ feelings for him to the point where they trust, depend, and even worship him. At the right time, this man would be able to replace that stupid guild leader’s position in a single move. Such a plan would usually take a long period of time to come into fruition in real life, but because everything happens at an accelerated pace in games, and with how the skills of an individual can be very intuitively experienced by others, all it takes is a month for everything to reach the current stage.”

“Your analysis is very well put,” Coco commended.

“Of course, she’s demonstrating her skills to earn your favorable impression and trust…” Gu Fei pointed out.

Nobody cared to bother with the man. Coco hurried to add, “Oh, and that foolish guild leader you keep referring to is my hubby.”

“Is that so? He’s quite capable to have developed the largest guild here in Linyin City,” Xi Xiaotian remarked.

“Wow. Seriously?” Gu Fei was astonished. Was it not a little too obvious to instantly change her stance about Deep Waters from ‘foolish’ to ‘capable’?

“One more thing; did you just say that this plan needs a month?” Coco asked.

Xi Xiaotian nodded. “Considering the environment a MMO provides, a month is already considered to be fast.”

“But if the City War starts in a month’s time, and he has yet to ruin our guild, won’t that mean all his effort is for naught?” Coco asked.

“You’re mistaken. He’s not trying to ruin the guild but to usurp it, instead. He may not even reveal his intention to do so even when the City War begins. He’d seek to use your guild’s manpower, material, and financial resources to obtain victory in this city-wide event. Consider this: Who will everyone think has the greatest contribution if you guys win that war?” Xi Xiaotian asked.

Gu Fei and Coco involuntarily looked at each other.

“Now that he has your trust, has become popular, and has even made large contributions, becoming the guild leader will be as easy as pie. After that, I’m afraid whatever benefit or boon you gain as the guild in control of the city will simply be irrelevant,” Xi Xiaotian said.

“Indeed. That’s the epitome of a perfectly crafted scheme,” Coco agreed.

Xi Xiaotian shrugged. “Also, how can you say for sure that he’s the one who discovered you guys tailing him? It’s possible for him to have accomplices.”

“Accomplices?” Coco was stunned.

“This sort of plan, especially in games where guilds exist in a relatively simple and casual environment, needs helpers. There’s bound to be a bunch of people who have infiltrated your guild with him. That’s to make sure to spread word of his existence and to promote his status among the players time and again. If he is being extremely cautious, it’s not impossible for him to designate a few men to take note of his surroundings as he goes about doing his business,” Xi Xiaotian said.

Gu Fei was shocked by this. While they were stalking Broken Water Arrow, the man kept to the small fringe groups within the training region. There were players all around them, so avoiding the gazes of those men were not possible. That was why the two could only focus on avoiding detection from Broken Water Arrow as they continued to act as if they were passing by or in the middle of training when others saw them. It would not be all that strange for some of those people to act as Broken Water Arrow’s eyes upon discovering their true intention.

Speaking of which, Gu Fei and Sword Demon were careful enough during all that and kept at least a 10-meter distance from their target. Gu Fei had been wondering just how Broken Water Arrow detected them, so the explanation Xi Xiaotian gave helped answer this perfectly.

“I don’t recall other players joining the guild with Broken Water Arrow,” Coco said.

“Joining together will too conspicuous, so I doubt he’d do something like that. But members who have joined the guild a short time before or after are all suspicious,” Xi Xiaotian said.

“Hey!” Gu Fei suddenly recalled something. “Don’t Rice Soup and White Sand fit the bill?” Those two were new additions to the guild; it would make sense if they were Broken Water Arrow’s accomplices. They must have exposed themselves the instant Coco introduced them with their bogus identities to Broken Water Arrow.

“No, it can’t be those two,” Coco denied immediately.

“Actually, it doesn’t have to be a recruit. It can also be long-time members who have been lying in wait inside the guild. There’s also the possibility of someone getting bribed, too,” Xi Xiaotian said.

“Bribed?” Gu Fei found this situation getting more and more ridiculous.

“That’s right. If the mastermind is a workshop or other profit-based organization, bribery won’t be off the table in terms of the actions they take,” Xi Xiaotian added.