Chapter 13: The Dark Guild

After leaving the Death Mine, Li Bin directed the Graveyard Fiend toward Bloodlust City while urging Tordinna and Deirdre to speed up the transformation of undead units, hoping to assemble a force capable of self-defense as quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Li Bin himself accelerated his research into undead constructs. Judging from recent battles, his troops still fell short of expectations.

On this particular day, just as his research into the undead ballista was making progress, a wisp slave floated in unexpectedly.

“What is it?” Li Bin, his concentration broken, was hardly in a good mood. Darkly, he thought that if this wisp slave didn’t bring him important news, he’d be sent to the hardest labor.

“Great master, we discovered a small building hidden nearby. Would you like to take a look?” The wisp slave, oblivious to Li Bin’s thoughts, answered earnestly.

“A small building?” At once, Li Bin’s mind skipped past mercenary camps, defense towers, and arenas—structures that offered attribute bonuses. He jumped to his feet, saying, “Call Tordinna and the others, and come with me.”

However, upon finding the small building, Li Bin realized he had been mistaken. It was nothing more than a Dark Guild outpost. With his current strength, he could only purchase some intelligence here or accept D-rank or lower dark missions.

He spent a hundred metals to buy some information and was about to leave when the branch leader of the Dark Guild suddenly stopped him.

“Sir, may I ask if you already possess a City Heart of your own?”

“Well…” Li Bin was unsure of the branch leader’s intentions and hesitated to answer.

“Please don’t worry. We currently have no missions requiring a City Heart. I merely wish to inquire if you plan to establish a Dark Guild in your own city someday?” The branch leader, noticing Li Bin’s hesitation, hastily clarified.

“Establish a Dark Guild? What benefits would that bring me?” Li Bin pondered aloud.

“That depends on how vast your future territory becomes,” the branch leader replied with a mysterious smile. “However, if you decide to set up a branch now, I can sponsor you with a contingent of troops.”

“Sponsor me with troops?” Faced with such an offer, Li Bin was all the more suspicious.

“Don’t worry—they will be entirely yours. They cannot fight on the battlefield, however, and must share experience from your campaigns. In the future, when you have your own territory, they will become elite members of the Dark Guild there. How does that sound?” the branch leader explained with a smile.

“If you’re offering such advantages, what do you require in return?”

“Nothing at all. As you know, our Dark Guild is suppressed in many lands—some branches have to be built in secret places. If you permit us to set up a guild in your territory, that alone is the greatest support you could give us.”

“In that case, very well.” Though fully aware of the likely intrigue, Li Bin agreed. For now, this assistance was too beneficial to refuse.

Seeing Li Bin’s acceptance, the branch leader clapped his hands in delight. Three squads promptly emerged from behind the building.

The first to appear were cloaked in black, masked, each wielding twin daggers and a hand crossbow at their belts—thieves.

“These are level 0 thieves, the best scouts. Marching with them, you can acquire detailed intelligence within a ten-mile radius. As they advance, they’ll learn skills such as assassination and theft.” The branch leader introduced them.

The second squad gathered next—a group of burly, one-eyed men, each bearing a curved blade.

“These are level 0 bandits. Marching with them, any victory lets you plunder extra wealth from your foes, equivalent to basic war pillage. As they level up, they’ll acquire abilities like interrogation and kidnapping.”

The third squad arrived soon after: more burly men, wielding large sabers in one hand and iron hooks in the other.

“These are level 0 pirates, useful for sea expeditions. With them, your naval operations speed increases by thirty percent. Upon leveling up, they’ll learn to seize ships and boost morale.”

Li Bin nodded at the three squads, then asked, “Do you have any undead units? I worry that bringing them along will lower morale.”

“There’s no need for concern,” the branch leader reassured him. “These three unit types are special; no matter your race, they appear the same after training, and their combat power isn’t high. We hope you won’t send them into battle. Here’s a list of their possible advanced professions after leveling up—I’m sure you’ll be satisfied.” He handed Li Bin a manual with a smile.

Li Bin glanced at it and smiled. “Very well, I’ll gladly accept them. Once I establish my own territory, how shall I fulfill my promise?”

“No need to worry. When the time comes, simply build two taverns in your city. That will be our signal, and we’ll send our people as needed,” the branch leader replied cheerfully.

“Two taverns, is it? I understand now. Thank you for your hospitality, but it’s time for me to take my leave.” With everything settled, Li Bin wasted no time and returned to the Graveyard Fiend with his newly acquired squads.

No sooner had he arrived than one of the thieves, who had been following him, stepped forward. “Master, here is intelligence for the surrounding ten miles. Aside from the Dark Guild, all other locations are included.”

Li Bin studied the report and found it far more detailed than his scouts’ previous maps. Not only did it list terrain and resources in the ten-mile radius, it even provided the precise troop numbers at a boar-man settlement five miles away.

After reviewing the map, Li Bin nodded without betraying his thoughts. He instructed the wisp slaves to arrange accommodations for the new units, then dispatched a team of undead gargoyles as scouts.

He then spent a long time in careful thought, using the map provided by the thieves to chart a new route for the Graveyard Fiend. Once set, he returned to his undead research lab to continue developing new undead units.