Slime Evolution

Chapter 382 - Gossip

The Horizon Bazaar was packed, and Lohan’s various clones, rolling discreetly beneath the shadows of the molded wooden stalls and several other spots, began picking up fragments of conversation that made him focus intently.

Lisa walked alongside his real body, the pouch of silver coins swaying gently around her neck, pretending to be just an exotic mount while she filtered the information through telepathy.

Even though they had the Astral Chest, this pouch around her neck was still useful when dealing with other people without wanting to expose owning a spatial item, and besides, for Lisa, this item was a nice memento of how they’d started out.

"Did you see the recruitment thing in the central plaza?" a level 11 human man asked his companion, while examining some cold iron daggers. "The Broken Suns Guild opened up twenty more slots. They say they’re already the biggest organization in Thalendor, and that they have direct backing from the noble Eldamar family. Bro, if I manage to get in, my experience grind is going to be three times faster."

His companion, an Uncommon base half elf, shook his head doubtfully. "I don’t know, Rick. I heard some weird rumors among the east gate guards. They were saying the Broken Suns are all show, loud but with no real technique behind them. One of the NPCs I know told me that compared to Astralis Requiem, which is also operating here in Thalendor, they don’t look nearly as flashy."

Rick stopped looking at the daggers and stared at his friend in shock. "Astralis Requiem? Seriously? The one from the global announcement? I thought they were in Aethelgard or some human city. If they’re here in Thalendor, why haven’t they opened recruitment? Why hasn’t anyone seen this Halon guy?"

"They say they keep a low profile, but a few weeks ago some arrogant NPCs got beaten down by them, and had to apologize publicly all across the city." The half elf replied, his voice dropping to a respectful whisper. "I’d rather wait for a shot at joining a real elite guild than just be cannon fodder for the Broken Suns and their loud parties, have you seen how they act? I’d die of embarrassment walking around with a group like that."

A third Player, sitting on a nearby bench adjusting his leather boots, froze upon hearing Astralis mentioned. He wore the gold and orange cloak of the Broken Suns, showing he’d recently joined the organization. His face went pale, and a look of restrained anger flashed in his eyes.

"Astralis Requiem is here?!" the young man muttered to himself, pounding the wooden bench in frustration. "Shit... I spent my savings buying this cloak and swearing loyalty to Gideon and those idiots in the Suns because they said they were the only big name around here. If I’d known Astralis was based here... damn it, why didn’t I wait a little longer?!"

Lohan felt a cold amusement run through his biomass hearing the young man’s regret, and a bit of pity too.

The name "Gideon" echoed in his memory, he remembered an arrogant elf he’d killed in the forest, and it hit him that maybe this guy knew that guild?! Or was this just a coincidence? After all, names could repeat in Elysium, people didn’t have to call you by the name of the character you created.

The fact that Players were starting to compare the two guilds was a sign that Astralis’s prestige was growing organically through rumors among the NPCs, which was worth far more than any marketing campaign could achieve.

"Halon... did you hear that?" Lisa said, a trace of amusement in her voice. "I didn’t know our reputation in Thalendor had already reached such a high level."

Lohan let out a mental laugh that made his gelatin vibrate gently against Lisa’s paw. "Yeah haha, maybe we should invest even more in showing our presence around here, so something like this doesn’t happen again. This Suns group... they’re moving fast. If they already have backing from minor nobles and are grabbing the attention of solo Players, they could become a real nuisance to our expansion."

"Exactly," Lisa agreed, her tone turning professional again. "And the fact that they already ’handled’ the mission Yrneha wanted to give us shows they have information or methods they shouldn’t have. We need to organize our own vanguard. Skye, Devon, and Jenny need to be briefed on this investigation as soon as we get back to the tree headquarters. They know the malice of the Lower Zone, and the Broken Suns seem to me like just a luxury version of the gangs they used to face back in Sector 4."

They continued walking, passing groups of Players fervently discussing Gold earnings and their prospects for growth.

Lohan realized Thalendor was becoming the epicenter of a war of influence without them even knowing it.

On one side, the Broken Suns, using corporate gold, flashy cloaks, and mass tactics to recruit as many Players as possible, while on the other, Astralis Requiem acted like an invisible force, whose power was felt but rarely seen, which made the guild’s mystique stronger, but held little appeal for people looking for instant gratification.

As they crossed the north gate to head back to the shelter of Mythlorien’s trees, Lohan looked back, watching the glow of Thalendor’s magical lights.

He felt the weight of the Advanced Mana Stone Yrneha was going to give him as part of the payment, and the hunger for evolution in his core became almost unbearable.

Even though he’d gone through a major evolution recently, knowing there were enemies so close by trying to build themselves up in his territory stirred up Lohan’s hunger for strength and control once again.

He’d been feeling settled and thought he was on top of the world these past few days, with power going to his head, but thinking about how humanity handled problems on a macro scale, his individual power still wasn’t enough to ignore all of that, he needed to strengthen the guild while also continuing to strengthen himself.