New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live

Chapter 965: An Extra Pair Of Hands

He then turned his gaze back to Alexander and Kary, his face becoming stoic once more.

"And as such, I come bearing this offer. Through our many chats, Riri has already told me that you were going on a trip to Korea. And from my understanding, you were to do there something very important.

"Alas, he hasn't told me much more, as he is more tight-lipped than I thought about matters of the guild. But, from what I see here, or more likely what I feel, important is a rather lacklustre word for it."

Alex's gaze hardened as he looked over at Rì-Chū.

But Liu Yan raised his hand to grab his attention again.

"Please don't lash out at him. He said nothing of this. It is information I surmised from our conversations. He only talked about an upcoming trip to Korea. The rest I found out myself."

Kary observed him and found him to be rather difficult to read. Which was surprising, given he looked so young.

Even if he claimed to have taken medical school, he didn't look older than twenty-five, which would mean he wasn't even done with it, under normal circumstances.

How he got to be so informed was a mystery. One she intended to elucidate in due time.

But, right now, it was time to find out what he wanted, more than what he knew.

"We're still waiting for an offer, Stormbringer," Kary said, her tone a bit cold.

"Yes. I was coming to it," the young man said, his face turning to a sharkish grin.

"Since I've already found out about your expedition, I wanted to offer my help. I'm sure one more magic-enabled person would not be too much, and it would allow me to see if we are a good fit."

"A good fit for what?" Alex asked, even though he already assumed the answer.

"A good fit for me to finally settle into a guild."

Kary frowned at him.

"Why would you suddenly want to join a guild, when you've been an established solo player for half a decade?"

Liu Yan looked at her and smiled.

"Because I can tell. As many people can, I'm sure. I wouldn't be the only known solo player to finally put their foot into a guild after New Eden launched.

"People are moving. Pieces of the puzzle are falling into place at a pace that keeps speeding up. And I refuse to be left behind. If I'm right, which I often am, New Eden is more than a game. And it wasn't meant to be played solo."

Kary was about to ask him how he knew about all this, but Alex spoke faster than she could.

"I couldn't care less about everyone's reason for suddenly wanting to be part of a guild. But I do want to know one thing. Why did you pick Paragons?"

Liu Yan stared at him before breaking out into a smirk.

"How about this? Let me come with you guys. Once we are done, and I have decided if you are a good fit for me, I'll tell you why I chose Paragons over any other large guild. Deal?"

Alex looked at him with a stony gaze.

"I'm not sure I can agree to this. I would rather know why you want to join us beforehand."

But Kary was of the opposite opinion.

"Deal. But we will also be looking to see if you are a good fit for us. If either of us thinks the match wasn't made to be, then I hope you can agree to never disclosing our combat abilities to any other guild you would join," she said, extending her hand.

"That goes without saying," Liu Yan agreed, shaking her on it.

Alex was a bit dejected that she had agreed so fast, but he was used to deferring to her judgment on people, so he did so again in this situation.

"Then I hope you are packed already, because we won't be here for much longer," Alex said, looking out the window, where the tanker truck was already retracting its fuel pump.

Liu Yan smiled at him, waving at himself.

"I don't need anything else than what I'm wearing. Anything else I would need, I'll just buy as the need arises," he claimed, a sassy smirk on his lips.

"Born into money. Gotcha," Alex replied, chuckling.

The young man didn't deny or acquiesce about his statement, but it was apparent.

His current clothes all reeked of designer brand, and even his shoes looked expensive.

But Alex couldn't care less.

"Fine. Let's do it that way. But if you put any of my people in danger, you'll have to deal with me personally. And I don't forgive easily," he growled.

Liu Yan responded with a nod, keeping his mouth shut. But he could tell Alex was not kidding. The coldness of his gaze, as he made his threat, was unmistakable. He wouldn't hesitate to deal with him if he willingly threatened his friends.

However, Liu Yan found himself respecting him more for this.

'If he is this protective of his friends, then I understand how their guild has flourished so much, so fast. People feel safe around him. Let's see how that transcribes in a dangerous situation,' he thought.

Major Schrute's voice came over the intercom, interrupting his train of thought.

"The plane is refuelled, and we've been directed to head to the runway to await liftoff. If you are all ready, I'll be closing the doors and starting to taxi toward there. So get yourselves in a seat and buckle up."

Looking around, Alex could see almost all his people, aside from David, who he assumed was somewhere in the cargo hold, and Killian, who was still out cold.

So he got up and pressed the intercom button.

"We are ready, Major. Thanks for the heads up."

There was no reply, but he felt the plane shake a little as the cargo bay door shut, and the plane's engines started whirring to life.

"Alright, you heard her, everyone. Buckle up. I don't want to see anyone moving out of their seat until we are airborne."

But he could tell it wouldn't be an issue, since most of them were almost comatose from mana exhaustion. He simply smiled and went to sit back down across from Rì-Chū and Liu

Yan.

'This will be a much more interesting hunting trip than I thought...'