The Great Thief

The two Infernals delayed Ruling Sword’s attack, but once Fat Monkey and Azure Sea Breeze returned to the fight with the Fel Reavers, the battle became quite one-sided.

They were about to lose!

Sorrowless’ eyebrows wrinkled as he sighed silently.

He just needed two more periods to integrate new defensive capabilities. By then, no one would dare to attack him like they were doing now.

Lu Li didn’t know what Sorrowless was thinking, and even if he knew, he would probably be taunting him.

When a guild owned six Strongholds and did not have good macro control, their general defence was bound to be weakened, which would make the outcome of these battles uncertain.

Victory!

Stranglethorn Vale had changed hands as Ruling Sword became the new owners.

The Stronghold that Glory Capital had built there had been removed, and Ruling Sword could now place one of their existing Strongholds there or create a new one.

The pressure from Ruling Sword meant that the defences of the other Strongholds had been diluted by a lot. Blood Red War Flag also managed to recapture their Stronghold from Glory Capital. They had finally regained the Hillsbrad Hills, and the other one now remained in the hands of Gale Legion.

As a result, Glory Capital only had four of its six Strongholds left. They had lost two in this Stronghold War.

No one knew how Sorrowless was feeling.

Drizzle Court and Ruling Sword had many players attacking them, but these were weak small to medium guilds. They were entranced by the possibility of victory but ultimately defeated on the battlefield. In the end, they lost their money and their equipment.

Thousand Needles, which was co-owned by Majin Temple and Gods of Dusk for only two periods, had been captured by Azure Guard.

In any case, Azure Guard was definitely strong enough that there were few Strongholds that could defend against them. Everyone knew that they were bound to gain one eventually; it was just a matter of whether they were unlucky.

Azure Guard had held Arathi Highlands for only one period before it was taken by Stellar Union.

From Lu Li’s professional perspective, he could see and understand things that most players couldn’t. Azure Guard hadn’t bothered defending their Stronghold, and instead chose to pursue a new one.

In this Stronghold War, Ruling Sword and Blood Red War Flag were the biggest winners.

They had both pried a Stronghold from Glory Capital grasp. Blood Red War Flag was now a guild with multiple Strongholds, with one in Hillsbrad Hills and another in Desolace.

The question of who would face Glory Capital’s vengeance the next week was a hot topic of discussion.

The guilds that had been eager to use Ruling Sword as a stepping stone had also calmed down.

However, Lu Li was very disappointed about this. He had been looking forward to standing on a tower in Stormwind City and lamenting about how he had been bullied.

Someone did come, not to attack him, but to give him money. It was Wings of Dawn; they obviously had not yet calmed down from the previous excitement.

“Hey, why didn’t Elevenless come?” Lu Li asked as he sat crossed-legged on his seat. He was seated in a luxurious club while pretending to appear casual. However, he was actually quite distressed because he had booked this place for four hours and all the food and drinks had cost him tens of thousands in real money.

“He doesn’t want to see you. Isn’t this the first time you’re hosting?” Dream 13 asked. He was sitting across from Lu Li.

“Hey, what’s up with his attitude? He is acting like a child. This isn’t an ideal situation for having a conversation,” Lu Li said, trying to rile up the other person.

“Don’t waste my time with this talk. Just name your price – how much for Stranglethorn Vale!” Dream 13 questioned as he waved his hands. “We have to get this Stronghold.”

Stranglethorn Vale was one of Dawn’s largest Strongholds. It had rich produce and beautiful surroundings. No matter what level you reached, this place would never be deserted. The large Instance Dungeons like Zul’gurub here also guaranteed that there would always be high traffic.

In a sense, it was a better than Grey Valley and the Black Sea Coast.

Unfortunately, Lu Li had other ambitions and hoped to one day occupy the Elf capital city.

The Fel Reavers would be nerfed sooner or later, which would affect either their strength or durability. At the very least, they would no longer be an overpowered force that could fight on their own. The rise of Ruling Sword actually broke the balance that Lu Li had in memory and the impact of the Fel Reavers was much more exaggerated.

The Infernals had been weakened, so why would the Fel Reavers be left unscathed?

The next update to the Stronghold Wars would also make defence a lot more difficult, so it was definitely not a good idea to retain too many Strongholds. Selling was definitely the better option for Lu Li.

As for who the buyer could be, Wings of Dawn was certainly not the only option.

However, they were the first option.

They were the first option because they currently didn’t have a Stronghold. As a guild that

could beat Ruling Sword, not having a Stronghold was just ridiculous.

The second reason was because Wings of Dawn had money to spend. Dream 13 and Elevenless were part of two separately rich families. They had also taken many capital injections. If you only measured by this metric, they were even better than Glory Capital.

The third reason was because Wings of Dawn wanted to go public. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to say that all of these old large guilds wanted to go public.

However, with no Strongholds to your name, how would you convince the investors to believe in your strength? After all, these investors were also playing the game.

As for any other potential candidates, Lu Li had also sent them a message.

“You can have it for 200 million and 20% of the Stronghold’s income for each period,” Lu Li offered with a smile.

“Who are you fooling? You’re asking for 200 million and you still want income from each period? Do you think you have a Stronghold that is filled with gold?”

“If you don’t want it…then leave,” Lu Li retorted without a change in his facial expression.

“Wow, you’re actually ruthless.”

Of course, Dream 13 wouldn’t just lave. He sat back down and started talking more reasonably.

“But the price is too high. Please elaborate on this price.”

“In three minutes, Jade Flower Lover will come in. Thirteen minutes after that, Unforgettable Maple will be here. Don’t think that you’re the only one I’m hosting,” Lu Li reminded.

“Okay, you have a of clients, but you want us to buy it, right?”

Dream 13 felt a headache coming on. He knew that Lu Li wasn’t kidding as there was a real chance that Jade Flower Lover would buy it.

“Yeah, why don’t you already have a Stronghold?” Lu Li shrugged.

“200 million is acceptable, but 20% of the profits is too much. How about we give you 250 million and you give up the second clause?” Dream 13 offered. He had to serious consider Lu Li’s price.

“300 million in one lump sum. Otherwise, I can’t accept it.”

Lu Li had turned into an auntie at the markets. He had mentally rolled up his sleeves and prepared to fight Dream 13 for a hundred rounds.

Dream 13 thought about it before nodding decisively.

“Okay, we’ll take it then.”

Lu Li: …