Shadow Seer (Rogue Merchant Book #3): LitRPG Series by Roman Prokofiev (english reading book TXT) 📗

clan and alliance. Second, put him on your KOS list. Third, refuse to shelter him, assist him, or support him. We’ll know it anyway. You’ll be surprised how many eyes and ears we have.”

“I’ve heard about that. It’s a murky case,” Komtur said, nodding again. “You don’t have any proof of Cat’s guilt. You started it, not him. Am I right?”

“You’re not. Proof doesn’t matter. We don’t need it, and we don’t care about the others who do. We just want him to be living on a volcano. Listen, Komtur, so far, you and your allies are of no interest to us. Don’t get involved, or—”

“Or what?” Komtur asked, coldly staring into Phantom’s eyes.

“Don’t play the hero. This is our ultimatum.”

“I understand. This isn’t just about my clan but also the alliance,” Komtur said. “We’ll confer and give you our answer.”

“Your voice is the loudest one in your carebear alliance; I’ve heard all about that.” Phantom chuckled. “So try to communicate my...recommendation to everyone. We won’t speak again.”

Balian the Raccoon: I’ll be damned! They’re nuts!

 

Damian: We always get in trouble because of Cat, don’t you think? He’s sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong!

 

Abel: He does a lot of good, too. But that’s not the point. He’s our clanmate.

 

Komtur: Exactly. And before making a decision, I’d like to hear out everyone’s opinion.

 

Olaf: It doesn’t matter who’s sticking their nose where. Cat’s completely in the right with the Pandas. They started it, and they don’t have any proof that he blew up their juggernaut. The problem is, they mean business. We’re no match for them. Are we prepared for a war—I repeat, a war—because of a single player’s ambitions? I think we should sacrifice Cat for the good of the clan.

 

Balian the Raccoon: They’re spitting in our face, and you suggest we turn the other cheek? What the hell, Olaf?

 

Abel: Anybody could be in Cat’s place, any player, any one of us who has a beef with the Pandas. Will we turn everybody in? What does it say about us, then?

 

Olaf: We and Pandorum are in different leagues. Yes, they’re weakened now—they lost two flagships, their castle is in shambles—but they’re still much stronger than us. Do you realize that we’re playing with fire? We could lose everything we have!

 

Komtur: Everything we have, you say? Don’t you remember how we got it in the first place? Who brought us land, riches, castles, reputation? People, Prophet. Players like you and me who logged in at night to farm, who spent days grinding... The greatest asset in Sphere isn’t money, territory, or ships. It’s our people. If we have a clan, we can protect or regain everything we want. If we lose them, sooner or later, we’ll lose everything else as well.

 

Balian the Raccoon: And if we lose one of us, we’ll lose our face. What clan would hand out its own member to the enemy? This is some fucking shitty politics, excuse me! Also, please don’t be offended, but I’ll say it to your face. Don’t you think that you’ve become too obsessed with farming? Dungeons, instances, Helt Akor... Clan storage is filling up, and our pro players are slowly losing their edge. When was the last time we went to an actual war? Half a year ago? Behind our back, people are saying that the Watchers have become carebears. I don’t know about you, but I take offense. That’s not what we were supposed to be.

 

Abel: I agree, Raccoon! How can you think about giving up and yielding? Let’s give the Pandas a kick in the nuts!

 

Damian: I’m with you. But what will our allies say?

 

Komtur: Unity’s with us, and so are Brethren. I’ve talked to Goodfellow; he’s even happy to get some action. Crow and Madman...well, they’ll come to it. We can also call our friends, the Phoenix, and others.

 

Olaf: The Phoenix... Have you heard what’s going on in the east? It’s been all over the news!

 

Komtur: I stopped following the reports after Black River grew quiet. What’s going on?

 

Olaf: A real mess. It’s unprecedented. Ananizarte’s gone mad. She’s rallied the entire House of Darkness and started a faction war with everyone who didn’t take her side.

 

Damian: Well, a faction war, even a big one, is a common event...

 

Olaf: It’s anything but common! NPCs have never conquered player castles. Well, other than that one time... Anyway, there are two large coalitions. Sixteen clans, including PROJECT HELL, joined the House of Darkness.

 

Balian the Raccoon: It figures.

 

Olaf: Yes. Two castles are already down. Nobody’s counting the outposts—they’re burning down like matches. Chaos lost their stronghold the day before yesterday. It was a huge fight. There are videos and battle reports; look it up. Brutal.

 

Komtur: Chaos, hmm. It’s a strong clan.

 

Olaf: Yes. Things are moving fast. Cardeval’s occupied. The Lady’s hordes are turning around to Kidon and Cydwen, and then the Fairs and the lands of the Phoenix. My point is, the Reds won’t be able to help us. I think they’ll ask for our help, actually. It’s going to get rough.

 

Komtur: All right. We’ll see. As for the Pandas, I never doubted you. Now listen up. We have plenty to do. We need to return from Helt Akor and stop farming, fortify our defenses, set timers to our prime time, upgrade the magic shields in all of our outposts to level four, deliver the ellurite, and buy weapons and ammunition. Where’s Cat?

 

Olaf: I’m tracking him. He’s in the Hole doing his super quest.

 

Komtur: It’s time to stop idling around. Get him back; we have our plate full. If he stirred the pot, let him clear it up!

 

Komtur: Oh, and one more thing. Let’s keep it under wraps; this is a private conversation. Cat doesn’t need to know about it—knowing him, he’d leave the clan to avoid endangering us.