After Yanhuan left the estate to return to the World Tree after a month-long absence, Wei-Lan reached out to Bishop Va'ren.
"I am satisfied with your work… my son's transformation, both physically and mentally, has shown me some hope that I can leave my lineage's future in his hands."
"That's what you get when you work with the best in the field."
Bishop Va'ren enjoyed the compliment dearly… While other Bishops were using the CRS platform to collect rare materials and forbidden knowledge for their personal growth, Bishop Va'ren wasn't in a rush like them.
Instead, he was in this war for the sake of advancing his career as an Alchemist first, so he could handle the creation of his own evolutionary formula, not hire another Alchemist like the others did.
"What about your end of the bargain?" Bishop Va'ren asked calmly, "It's been a month already… we are near the end of our preparations, and you haven't spoken to the boy once."
"If I am going to talk to him, it will come from a place of strength." Wei-Lan replied coldly, "Once my child defeats him, we will have our talk."
"I don't care if your son defeats him or has his face used to wipe the floor by Levi… I want the boy on our side, today." Bishop Va'ren's tone turned frigid, "You better not ruin my plans with your ego… Grovel before the boy if it's a must… You won't be able to handle the consequences of your failure otherwise."
Before Wei-Lan could get another word in, the call was hung up… As he listened to the beeping noise in his mind, Wei-Lan's expression turned hateful.
Crash! Crash!
Instantly, he was surrounded by a wild hurricane of bluish mist. It ravaged the peaceful room, erasing all furniture, and even the walls weren't spared, appearing as if an infinite army of termites chewed on them.
Grovel? Him? Before a hairless kid no older than eighteen years old? It was the highest form of insult for a man of his stature and strength.
Yet… the burst of anger died off, and the room returned to its peaceful, but shattered state.
For he knew dearly… he couldn't afford the consequences of failing to keep his word after Bishop Va'ren delivered his end of the deal.
Bishops weren't like normal people… they saw life as black and white. Excuses weren't accepted, especially in such sensitive matters.
Darius was the best example… he was killed off without an ounce of hesitation, even when he was considered a vital part of Bishop Na'thir's circle.
All because he chose to protect his ambition rather than acquire Bishop Na'thir's last piece of the puzzle for his promotion.
"He needs to die… only then will I be truly free." Wei-Lan narrowed his eyes coldly, "As long as he has those remaining orders above my head, I am a slave."
Wei-Lan said that he was waiting for his son to win against Levi so he could approach him from a place of strength… but in reality, it was a bullshit excuse.
He delayed his move so he could have time to prepare his plan for this whole situation, because he knew that if Bishop Va'ren were to win, he would only become stronger and more resourceful.
As his slave… it was the last thing he wanted to see.
***
Meanwhile, back in the World Tree…
Levi, Arthur, and the girls were summoned by Dominic to the central conference hall… and they weren't the only ones called.
Evangeline's Squad, Tyrese's Squad, and Yanhuan's Squad were also called… These were the four teams that managed to earn their slots to participate in the upcoming Faction Event.
Even when Yanhuan's squad participated in the Raids without their captain, replaced by the invisible sixth reserve member, they still managed to secure their position among the top four.
Evangeline and Tyrese also had to try their hardest to carry the new members on their teams to secure their slots… It was still a close call, as a few teams almost touched their ankles and stole the slots from them.
The only ones untouched and unbothered by this competition were Heliodor's Raiders… They focused over the past month on training together to keep their synergy intact. After all, most of them had powerful upgrades, which forced changes in their fighting styles, and the others had to adapt as well.
"The Death Game in the Faction War has been dropped by the Gamemaster," Dominic informed them calmly after noticing that everyone was here except Yanhuan.
"I hope the map is in our favor." Li Mei murmured with a wishful tone.
"The event is hosted by the Duskbound Order and the Solar Aegis Sanctuary… I doubt the map will be in any faction's favor." Evangeline shook her head.
"You're right… It will be equally deadly for both sides."
Following Dominic's ominous voice, a massive dimensional screen appeared before them… It displayed the game's details boldly, stealing everyone's attention.
//Game Type: Faction Event (Conquerors vs. Raiders)
Game Format: Survival / Resource Domination.
Game Name: The Giant's Swing.
Participants Number: 36 (18 vs 18)
The combined average power level: 49N… Range (30N–59N)
Ranks Allowed: Invader, Marauder, Sentinel.
Battle Map: The Howling Abyss.
The treasury's value: 1 million Nocrix Credits / 900k Solar Aegis Coins.
OmniGenie's Condition: Best Performing Team / The Chosen One.
Rules of the game:
1- Abilities allowed.
2- Flight not allowed… Rifters can stay up to three seconds away from the rope… if they go beyond three seconds, the abyss will drag them for about ten seconds into its depths.
3- One artifact allowed per Rifter… (Grade A and below)
4- Two Giants will stand on opposite sides of an immense chasm, peering into a pitch-dark abyss… They will spin a giant rope above the Howling Abyss.
5- Each faction will start on one side of the abyss… the order of ascending the rope will be randomized.
6- Horns will spawn periodically across the full length of the rope… There will be Jackpots (Winged Horns) spawning away from the rope by a minimum of hundreds of meters.
7- Regular Horns count as one point… Winged Horns count as more, depending on the harsh conditions of claiming them.
8- Each Rifter's collected Horns will be displayed above their head.
9- Eliminating Rifters will award the assailant half of the stolen Horns… not the total.
10- The rope's spinning speed will increase or decrease over time… The spinning direction may change periodically as well.
11- Game Duration: 30 minutes.
12- Victory Condition: The faction with the highest amount of points wins… the team collecting the most points within the winning faction will be the final winner.
13- The Rifter with the most points in the entire game will earn the title: The Chosen One. The title grants access to a unique genie wish that can only be used on themselves.
14- The winning team will be awarded a collective Genie Wish and a higher percentage of the loot (50%).
For more information, please open your CRS Profile Interface… Good luck to all Rifters//
After everyone finished reading the game details, they began exchanging serious glances. What troubled them most was the way such massive rewards for individual and team performance were placed on full display, while nothing was mentioned about faction-wide victory.
"I know what you're thinking, and you're right to think that way." Dominic said calmly, "The Gamemaster's main goal is never to see one side win… it is to sow as much chaos as possible among both factions, ensuring the birth of infighting under the spectatorship of billions, if not more… drama equals entertainment, which means higher viewership and more money in their pockets."
"I doubt money guides most of them." Evangeline remarked coldly, "Those vicious squirrels seek to climb the ladder and host games at higher ranks… and the main condition for climbing that ladder is viewership numbers."