Natural Orator

"Senior Dark Gold Rose, what you said was simply wonderful, uuuugh."

"Senior Dark Gold Rose...."

Someone was so moved that they beat their chest and stomped their feet, wailing with tears and snot streaming down their face.

"I'm willing to give everything for Senior Dark Gold Rose!"

"So it turns out everything I just said was in vain." Xu Xiaoyou sighed helplessly and stepped down from the stage, walking over to that player and patting them on the shoulder.

"There's no need to give everything for anyone. Even within a collective, you must live for yourself, my friend."

"Contributing to the collective is predicated on being able to receive a return from that collective. All sacrifice is meant to secure a better life for yourself."

That player became even more moved. Xu Xiaoyou silently dodged the player's hands that were covered in tears and snot, maintaining her smile.

"Tsk......" In the corner, the black-haired girl who had been silent all this time suddenly let out a faint, disdainful sound. "Full of pretty words, how disgusting."

Even though the voice was small, it was noticed by the sharp-eared Xu Xiaoyou. She recognized the other party; it was that one!

The player whose ID was "Black Crow."

The other party was one of the few members of Light-Chaser Garden who had currently reached grade 3, making her part of the guild's current first-tier combat force.

Xu Xiaoyou didn't say anything, and the girl seemed to notice her gaze. Somewhat uneasy, she turned and went to an empty corner, leaning against the wall in silence.

Over the next hour, Xu Xiaoyou watched as these players spontaneously organized themselves, fully exercising their subjective initiative. They reached into their own pockets to buy a large amount of basic infrastructure.

Training facilities like "gravity rooms," "meditation rooms," and "holographic combat simulation platforms" were the most basic additions. Even the pink-haired girl named Fei Yueyue, who knew where she got the money, set up an open-air swimming pool on the second floor. In the blink of an eye, several guild members were seen raising champagne glasses in the pool, shouting, "Long live Sister Yueyue!"

Seeing two guild members hauling a "Divine Calculation Machine" into the hall, Angelina couldn't help but frown deeply.

"You really are something, tricking these guys into running around in circles with just a few simple sentences."

"I'm really curious, how will they feel when they find out the hypocritical true face of Dark Gold Rose?"

"How can you call it hypocritical, little Anya?"

Xu Xiaoyou tilted Angelina's chin up, raising an eyebrow as she looked into those dull red eyes.

Since the incident in Oasis City, the other party didn't seem as resistant to her. Now, Angelina crossed her arms and looked coldly at Xu Xiaoyou's dramatic gesture, no longer slapping her hand away as she used to.

"Think about it carefully. When have I ever broken my promises? I've always been very honest in that regard, haven't I?"

"Yes, yes, whatever makes you happy."

Angelina grabbed Xu Xiaoyou's restless hand and pulled it into her embrace, lazily resting her chin on the girl's head. She glanced at the lively players in the hall and let out a sigh, as if lamenting the bleak future of these lambs.

At this moment, Akabane Tsubaki returned. Seeing the fully equipped and arguably luxurious first-floor hall, her mouth fell open, and the two pots of crying "hugging flowers" in her arms nearly fell to the floor.

"This is...."

"Yuzu, did you... buy all of this?"

Xu Xiaoyou spread her hands and gestured with her chin toward the guild members in the hall.

"Whoa!"

Akabane Tsubaki's eyes lit up. She had originally lost hope regarding the confiscation of her secret savings, but now it seemed that Yuzu's influence was much larger than she had imagined.

Akabane Tsubaki leaned in close to Xu Xiaoyou's side, not daring to get too close to Angelina. "Then my secret savings......"

"I worked so hard on commissions to save that up."

"Don't worry, I'll make it up to you."

"Hehe, with those words from you, Yuzu, I'm relieved." Akabane Tsubaki broke into a joyful smile.

Watching the dark-red-haired girl run off excitedly to draw lots in front of the Divine Calculation Machine, Angelina let out a cold laugh.

"She looks like she only knows how to roll around on the ground."

"Anya still holds the most weight in my heart, right?" Xu Xiaoyou whispered into Angelina's ear.

"I don't care." Angelina pushed Xu Xiaoyou away expressionlessly. "I'm just worried about whether she and those other few will drag me down."

"Especially that crazy woman. Aren't you worried she'll go mad and attack her own people?"

Without waiting for Xu Xiaoyou's answer, Angelina shrugged. "Forget it, I don't care. That's your business. I'd love to see you lose everything."

"Really?" Xu Xiaoyou blinked, her expression rarely serious. "Anya really wants to see me lose everything and have nothing left?"

Angelina paused for a moment and only after a long while did she whisper, "So annoying."

With everything ready, Xu Xiaoyou stood before the group and clapped her hands, signaling everyone to look over. "Everyone, the battle for Pangard City will be the first battle for Light-Chaser Garden to establish itself. For both you and me, it is a battle of extraordinary significance."

"Countless jackals from the outside world are closely watching our every move. If we want to stand firm in the future and not be collectively marginalized by other guilds, we must win this battle beautifully. We must get the name of Light-Chaser Garden out there and make everyone realize they cannot ignore our power!"

The cat-tailed girl with the ID "Silver Light" sharpened her claws and stretched, her peripheral vision glancing at Xu Xiaoyou with interest.

"I don't have high demands for you. You can act freely within the instance, and you can autonomously cooperate with other factions. There is only one prerequisite—that at the critical moment, you follow my call, execute my judgment, and remain unshaken by anything else."

"I will show everyone the rising star that is Light-Chaser Garden."

"I wish you all constant victory and that you may bathe in glory."

Xu Xiaoyou issued the command.

"Enter the instance."

All the guild members present responded one after another, transforming into pillars of light.

Just as Xu Xiaoyou's hand pressed the teleport button for the instance, Akabane Tsubaki quickly walked to her side, as if summoning a great deal of courage.

"Yuzu, the song I sent you... have you finished listening to it?"

"What's wrong?"

Xu Xiaoyou didn't understand why the other party was asking this at this time.

Seeing her reaction, the girl seemed a bit empty, yet also as if she had breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I was just asking randomly, haha. Don't worry about it too much."

"We'll meet in Pangard City later. Don't go running off alone."

"Mhm, mhm, mhm. I will, I will."

After speaking, Xu Xiaoyou was also enveloped by a pillar of light, leaving Akabane Tsubaki standing alone on the spot, pursing her lips with complex emotions shining in her eyes.

"Don't worry about it too much...."

Entering the instance, Xu Xiaoyou opened her eyes in a pitch-black basement.

"The world instance 'Terminal Illness Patient' has been generated for you."

"Current number of players in the instance: 87,625."

"This instance is a stronghold exploration type. Once the exploration value of all players reaches a certain level, subsequent main storyline missions will be unlocked."

"The guild leaderboard has been opened. Your guild, 'Light-Chaser Garden,' is currently ranked outside the top 100. Please keep working hard."

"Players are encouraged to actively participate in instance exploration. Instance evaluations will be improved based on exploration degrees, and league point rewards will be distributed as the instance progresses."