Oakwood Town was a quaint settlement nestled amidst towering oak trees and sprawling farmlands.
With simple wooden houses and a bustling marketplace, it served as a welcoming hub for adventurers starting their journey in the Divine World.
At the teleporter platform, Xu Feng subsequently arrived at the town after spending a hefty amount of coins.
'Ugh, just like that, I lost 6 copper coins in one trip.' He sighed inwardly.
Although he could be considered wealthy, to lose money like this definitely stung him a bit.
After all, he wouldn't have needed to teleport all the way over here had it not been for Zhao Kai.
Shaking his head, Xu Feng promptly walked to a nearby bench and sat, patiently waiting.
As he was waiting patiently, he received a message from Gentle Wind.
Gentle Wind: Hello, Lin Feng's boss, I came here to express my gratitude and thanks on behalf of your subordinate. He was excellent.
'Lin Feng's boss? Express gratitude? What does she want now?' Xu Feng tilted his head slightly, seemingly confused by her message.
Was she here to rejoice in her rewards from the Inferno Tyrant?
Given their prior contract, Xu Feng didn't take any of the rewards from the Inferno Tyrant.
That was despite the fact that some of the loot was amazing. He kept his principles and integrity, honoring the contract.
Anonymous User: I suppose Guild Leader Gentle Wind is enjoying the rewards from the Scorched Caverns. As for gratitude, there's no need for it when we are merely obliged by the contract clauses.
He responded somewhat politically, keeping a great distance from her.
Just because he assisted her greatly didn't mean he was trying to establish a more thorough relationship with her.
Meanwhile, Gentle Wind on the other side was rendered speechless by the somewhat cold response from Xu Feng.
"He sure is putting his guard up." Gentle Wind smiled bitterly.
"Not surprising. With a capable subordinate like Lin Feng, he would definitely act cautious." Autumn Breeze chimed in from behind.
"Based on his response, it's clear that he doesn't want to interact much further besides business talk." She added, understanding his intent.
Nodding her head in agreement, Gentle Wind also understood the meaning.
However, understanding and complying were two different things.
"If I didn't check on the recording and notice just how many things Lin Feng was secretly doing to prevent casualties, then I wouldn't have mustered up the courage to contact him again." Gentle Wind sighed softly.
Previously, her mind was occupied by the bountiful rewards, followed by the enthusiastic cheer from the crowd, prompting her to be unable to review the recording footage.
And now that she had somewhat gotten everything under control, she checked on it, only to realize Xu Feng had been discreetly buffing and healing her guild members in a timely manner.
Without this assistance and great timing, she was positive that the casualties would have been sky-high.
"Well, I have to admit that Lin Feng is extremely adept in his skills, even superior to the Clerics under us. But his deduction skill is a little lacking." Autumn Breeze suddenly said.
"After extensive investigation, Rageheart had indeed betrayed us and was helping your rival, but not SilentWhisper. She was just really timid and terrible that she got mistaken for betraying us."
"Ahem, we can't blame Lin Feng given the situation back then. SilentWhisper could only blame her bad mechanic skills for being sacrificed, but we will compensate her a bit on behalf of Lin Feng." Gentle Wind faked a cough, defending Xu Feng's action.
It was definitely not a crime to be terrible at the game, but it surely was if you were terrible enough to be mistaken as sabotaging the team.
That was especially true when they were playing at a high-risk difficulty.
Therefore, even if Xu Feng was half correct in his decision, Gentle Wind had zero intention of blaming him for it.
Had it been her who had discovered and found them suspicious, she would have done the same thing.
After all, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"I've already gone ahead to pacify SilentWhisper. When I got there, she was bawling her eyes out and apologizing for being nervous at that moment." Autumn Breeze smiled awkwardly.
"It's indeed unfortunate for her to be wronged. But anyway, that rival of mine must be feeling like crap right now."
"Hah, your rival is being reprimanded hard according to my spy. Even the board directors this time were overwhelmingly disappointed at him and were praising you."
"These board directors are just a bunch of useless old men that got lucky with their purchase of shares. Once I have enough shares, I'll turn the table on them." Gentle Wind snickered coldly.
She then turned to Autumn Breeze and flashed a coy and docile expression. "Zhao Xin, when will you stop your behavior and help this little sister out?"
'Zhao Xin? Not good, she's doing it again.' Autumn Breeze exclaimed inwardly, retreating a few steps.
"Didn't you say to only call us by username and not by real name?" Autumn Breeze, otherwise known as Zhao Xin, responded.
"Oh come on, my big sister Zhao Xin. There's only us two here and no one else. Won't you help this pitiful little sister out?" Gentle Wind latched herself onto Autumn Breeze, flashing a cheeky smile.
"You are playing rogue, Qing Rou!" Autumn Breeze screeched, trying her best to push her face away from her.
Alas, Gentle Wind was like a leech, unable to be removed easily no matter how hard she mustered her strength.
"If playing rogue will get you to help me, then I don't mind." Gentle Wind smirked.
"My dear and lovely Xin. You have full control of the Zhao Enterprise. Also, haven't I been indulging in you to act willfully and naive despite your actual capability?"
Speechless, Autumn Breeze knew she was caught in her trap this time.
"Ugh, if I help you, then how are you going to justify yourself? Don't forget, your father would definitely complain to my father at that time for intruding in your family business." She softly explained.
