After Carmen's determined and decisive decision to give the EXP Potion to him, as well as her exposing his desire, Xu Feng no longer acted humble.
Without hesitation, he accepted the trade and promptly received the EXP Potion. Having received the EXP Potion, Xu Feng was feeling somewhat complicated.
Such generosity was hard to find in the Divine World, especially when interacting with someone you met briefly.
His generosity to Zhao Kai could not be counted, given he knew the latter for a long time and trusted him well enough to keep secrets.
"Now I really want you to join my future guild," Xu Feng calmly said, expressing his intention yet again.
"I know you see potential in me, but I don't want to join any guild at the moment, Feng." Carmen revealed a bitter smile and continued, "I don't like to be restricted by the guild. Many guilds wanted to recruit me, but their restrictions were too much."
While saying that, she emphasized one of the guilds was the most ruthless one.
The guild's restriction was harsh, prompting her to opt for the more casual teams' invitation. But even then, because of not knowing much about the Divine World, she was eventually kicked out as well.
Ever since that incident, she had been playing solo, with zero desire to join another party, until she encountered Xu Feng.
Jeff was not included in her mind since he was an NPC and not a player.
Meanwhile, Xu Feng's expression might have remained unchanged, but inwardly, he was celebrating.
'So it was the restriction that made her frown and hesitant to join my future guild only?' At first, Xu Feng thought it was about something major, such as the usual cliche backstory of a greater power threatening her, causing her to refuse his invitation to not cause him any trouble.
"If it's the restriction that you are worried about, then that's easy to resolve." Xu Feng exclaimed, more than willing to comply with Carmen.
Of course, this only applied to capabilities like Carmen, who was guaranteed to reach the apex power.
"Huh?" Startled, Carmen looked at Xu Feng in confusion. "Do you even know what the guild restrictions were when I saw them?"
Xu Feng shook his head. "I might not know what restriction you have seen, but please don't lump me in with those bunch. It's an insult to me."
Unfazed by his quirky remark, Carmen continued, "The restriction is that I cannot do things independently without their permission. I must adhere to all commands that the higher-ups assign to us. Additionally, if we want to leave the guild after joining, we must pay a fee and sign a confidential document."
Initially, Xu Feng's expression was somewhat lax, not expecting much of the restriction.
However, after listening to her words, his expression gradually changed to a solemn one.
After all, he could not be more than familiar with such a restriction that a guild would impose despite the Divine World being in its early stage.
The Reaver Guild!
'This bunch have already bare their fangs huh.' Xu Feng clenched his fist.
There was also something else that Carmen didn't say regarding her explanation.
"Where did they kill you when you refused to join their guild, Carmen?" He proceeded to ask, stunning the latter.
"H-How did you know they killed me?" Carmen asked, her eyes widened in surprise and shock.
It wasn't a good experience, to say the least, so she didn't want to reveal it to others. Nevertheless, after that experience, she no longer had any interest or goodwill toward guilds, especially the one that attempted to recruit her.
Contrary to her shock and disbelief, Xu Feng didn't find the matter surprising. After listing out such horrible restrictions, it would be a miracle if Carmen got away scot-free without joining them.
Such was the ruthless method that the Reaver Guild often used to intimidate and warn others of the punishment for going against them.
Meanwhile, once Carmen noticed Xu Feng's silence, she smiled bitterly and confessed, "They killed me in my original starting town, RedEagle Town. After I was killed, I decided to leave that town and moved to Riverwood Town since I read about the town in the game forum posts."
Although Carmen tried to make light of the situation, Xu Feng knew fairly well why she chose Riverwood Town. It was a town he was currently operating in, so the Reaver Guild would be dreaming if they thought they could step foot here.
Due to his influence and support, Gentle Wind technically got control of Riverwood Town on the surface.
Thus, the Reaver Guild's influence and might could not penetrate Riverwood Town, prompting Carmen to move over here.
'Oh, Reaver Guild. You really are predictable as usual, but to think you gave me such a welcoming gift is amazing.' Xu Feng sneered inwardly.
Who would have thought he didn't even make a move against the Reaver Guild, and they had already shot themselves in the foot?
Killing the future demoness?
That was akin to asking for annihilation. Even if he didn't need to make a move, based on the demoness' personality, she already held a deep grudge against them now, albeit very covertly.
Carmen didn't display any anger, only bitterness, but Xu Feng would be damned if he were to say she didn't hate the Reaver Guild.
"You can rest assured, Carmen." Xu Feng suddenly flashed a gentle smile and said, "The Reaver Guild touched one of my dear members, so how can I let them off easily?"
"W-When did I agree to join you?" Baffled, Carmen furrowed her brows and questioned.
"Heh, not rejecting it means you aren't in disagreement. Plus, I'm not like those tyrants. I won't impose such restrictions on you."
Despite saying so, Carmen's predicament served as a strong warning to him.
'The Reaver Guild is already expanding their influence. The RedEagle Town was a great location to develop, but they'll be screwed sooner or later.' He would be smacking himself for allowing the Reaver Guild to develop without any hindrance.