Although the Silver Lotus had come across as quite dominant when dealing with those henchmen from the Asphyxia Gang during their first encounter with Lohan, that didn’t change the fact that their group had fewer than 10 members.
As long as their individual strength didn’t see a significant qualitative improvement, with group members capable of fighting dozens of opponents at once, the quantitative disparity would always be a limiting factor for them.
For a group with so few members, having one Epic Base, two Rare Bases, and one Uncommon Base was already a frighteningly high ratio.
But at least for now, when the advantages they received from that other world weren’t yet so evident, dealing with a large group of ordinary people was impossible.
So even if Lohan didn’t want to join them, befriending another Epic-tier Player would bring them a huge advantage in times of need!
Skye sighed, crossing her arms and glancing at the white motorcycles for a moment before looking at Lohan again. Frustration was visible on her face, but there was also a reluctant acceptance. She knew that, in the Lower Zone, trying to force the loyalty of someone with Lohan’s potential after the disastrous first encounter they’d had would be practically impossible.
"Considering you took down two of my best scouts in seconds, I should have figured you wouldn’t be all that interested in joining us right off the bat. But understand one thing, Lohan... the Lower Zone is a maze of rats and traps. Having a solid base in Elysium is one thing; the potential for all the power you could receive is beautiful, I understand that perfectly, but surviving out here while you’re connected and vulnerable in the game is something else entirely. It’s in moments like these that having allies to protect you makes all the difference."
Lohan kept a neutral expression, but inside he agreed. He remembered how the fat landlord had tried to extort him, practically breaking into his apartment, and how the Asphyxia Gang operated freely in the alleys.
The advantage of having allies to help in times of need like that was invaluable.
"I’m not ungrateful, Skye," Lohan replied calmly. "And I saw how you handled those members of the Asphyxia Gang who wanted to intimidate a child; it’s because I value something like that that I’m still here talking to you."
Skye gave a small, sidelong smile upon hearing the mention of little Oliver. The fact that Lohan had intervened to help the child even before they arrived was also the only reason she was still talking.
Since the two of them valued something in common so highly, the ease of negotiation increased significantly.
"Alright. If you don’t want to wear our jacket, I won’t insist... for now." She said the last part with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "But let’s make a neighborhood agreement. Although we don’t have many direct members, the Silver Lotus has eyes in every corner of this sector. If you need support out here, even though our main strength is here in Zone 4, or if the folks from the Upper Zone start sniffing around too close to your apartment, you have my contact through Devon. Consider this a helping hand."
Lohan accepted the offer with a nod. It was exactly what he intended: to create a safety net in the real world without compromising his identity as Halon or his guild’s sovereignty. He knew Skye was playing the "long game," trying to draw him in gradually to eventually convince him to join her group, but for Lohan, this was a two-way street.
"Deal," Lohan replied curtly and directly. "If I need help, I’ll let you know. And the same goes for me, as long as it’s within my power, you can contact me, and I’ll extend a helping hand just as generously."
Devon, who was visibly tense standing nearby, exhaled the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. He smiled at Lohan, satisfied that he’d managed to avoid a conflict while simultaneously securing a powerful ally for the group.
Skye uncrossed her arms and gestured to Zach, who was still wiping grease off his hands. "Zach, give him one of our encrypted radio frequencies. If Syn’s network goes down because of an electromagnetic storm or corporate interference, we’ll still be able to talk to each other."
As Zach approached with a small frequency chip, Lohan looked around the warehouse one last time.
He could still sense Jenny’s distrust and Kai’s unease, but the atmosphere of pure hostility had dissipated; now those people looked at him more with anticipation and curiosity than with their initial hostility.
And that change was very pleasing to him.
With these "negotiations" concluded, Devon decided to give Lohan a brief introduction to everyone, and Lohan finally left.
He didn’t want to stay too long at Silver Lotus and waste their valuable leveling time in Elysium.
He was only 14,000 experience points short of reaching Level 11 and undergoing his first qualitative evolution.
From the descriptions the new Astralis members gave of the process they went through, the evolution would not only boost the power of the skills the Player already possessed, but the Player’s body would undergo a minor transformation, as if he were approaching a higher plane of existence with each level-up.
Normally, the higher the rarity of that Player’s Race, the greater the advantage they would receive, such as Justin Matlock, the guild’s archer who came with Alice, who was a Half-Elf.
While humans received only a general boost to all basic stats, Justin described feeling that his Agility and magical Perception stats were enhanced to an even greater degree than the others, and as if a small lock inside him had loosened even further.
According to him, the same thing happened with his Uncommon Class, which, upon evolving at Level 11, became much more versatile and controllable, making it far more useful.
Alice and WyrmWood, who had Rare Classes, said the same thing, but to an even greater extent than what the other group members with Uncommon Bases had felt.
And this excited Lohan even more, as he was dying of curiosity to know what he would receive from his Double Mythic Base!