Chapter 208 – The Collapse of Hegemony (Part 1)

Fang Zheng and Meng Chudong logged into the game at 6:30 PM. Knowing that the Sapphire Kingdom would be the stage for many tough battles that night, they had chosen to log off near a commercial town close to the Sapphire Kingdom after disbanding in the early hours. The seven kingdoms—Crimson, Amber, Yellow, Emerald, Azure, Sapphire, and Violet—weren’t arranged in a straight line but scattered irregularly, separated by mountains, oceans, swamps, or forests. The town connected to the Crimson, Emerald, and Sapphire Kingdoms in three directions, equipped with everything from pharmacies and general stores to Demon Refining Workshops, Weapon Workshops, and Accessory Workshops. As a result, players of all progress levels often stopped here to replenish their supplies.

But today, the town seemed unusually crowded.

At first, Fang Zheng didn’t think much of it. But when he and Meng Chudong were surrounded by three or five players jumping in circles while buying HP and MP potions at the pharmacy, and then pointed at by seven or eight players lurking in the corner while restocking scrolls at the general store—how did he know they were gossiping about him? Because one pig teammate forgot to switch channels and kept using [Local]!—he finally sensed something was off.

“Did you notice?” Fang Zheng, not yet in YY, asked Meng Chudong while staring at the screen, “It feels like people have been giving us weird looks the whole way.”

Meng Chudong had noticed it earlier, but without more clues, he decided to quell his commander’s curiosity to prevent any unforeseen heroic acts in pursuit of the unknown: “You’re mistaken. Their looks aren’t weird—they’re admiration. Our legion’s been pretty famous lately.”

Fang Zheng was overjoyed: “Really?”

Meng Chudong closed his eyes, recalling a post he’d seen fifteen minutes ago on the Huaxia Forum titled “Surpassing the Ancients, Crushing the Newcomers: The Ghost Server Legion, a Demonic Assembly!” Then he nodded solemnly: “Mhm.”

Fang Zheng: “Hahahaha, I knew our legion would have its day!”

Meng Chudong: “That phrase is usually used when vengeance is served. The original line is, ‘Heaven has eyes—you’ve finally met your match.'”

…No wonder it felt off when he said it. =_=

“I’ve got everything I need,” Fang Zheng said, closing his fully stocked inventory. “What about you?”

“Still missing a few things. You go ahead to the meeting point,” Meng Chudong replied.

“Alright, hurry up then.” Fang Zheng didn’t dwell on it, immediately sending his little healer sprinting toward the gates of the Sapphire Kingdom.

Twenty minutes later, Meng Chudong arrived. By then, all members of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce except Don’t Stop the Meds had gathered, while the Ghost Server side was missing March and 438. With ten minutes left until the 7 PM assembly time, the Ghost Server team hadn’t joined YY yet. Both sides just exchanged a few words in Local Chat and wandered nearby, occasionally taking potshots at any Cupids they spotted.

Bored out of his mind, Fang Zheng started missing a certain someone: “What the hell is Yao Yao doing~~”

This was purely a mutter to himself, not expecting an answer, since without YY, his only audience was the little bird beside him.

But he forgot—there was nothing the Surveillance Bird didn’t know: “Unifying Huaxia.”

Fang Zheng didn’t get it: “Huh?”

Meng Chudong looked at him: “The Yao Yao you’ve been pining for day and night is currently unifying Huaxia.”

“First of all, I haven’t been pining day and night!” Fang Zheng felt that if he didn’t clarify immediately, he’d die a horrible death. =_= “Second of all, what the hell is ‘unifying Huaxia’?”

Meng Chudong was pleased that Fang Zheng prioritized clarifying the “not pining” part, so this time, he explained gently and patiently: “He wants to replicate the Holy Light Sanctuary’s unification strategy on other servers, eventually turning the entire Huaxia Online into his Dutch Chamber of Commerce.”

“He can’t seriously believe he can recruit every player into the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, right?” Fang Zheng knew Don’t Stop the Meds had a few screws loose, but not this loose. =_=

“Of course not absolutely,” Meng Chudong mused. “He probably wants to establish a Dutch Chamber of Commerce branch in every server and eventually make it the largest, most influential legion there.”

Fang Zheng still found it hard to believe: “You think it’s feasible?”

“Hard to say,” Meng Chudong assessed objectively. “Right now, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce has the most purple-tier gear in all of Huaxia, which means they don’t rely on luck to clear dungeons—or they’ve already developed a solid, efficient strategy for endgame content. That’s the hard power of a legion. Plus, their frequent appearances atop city gates in other servers via Dimensional Rifts are a promotional tactic, solidifying their image as a dominant force. Hard power + soft promotion—recruiting shouldn’t be hard.”

Fang Zheng frowned: “Don’t tell me they’ve already started establishing branches and recruiting in other servers…”

Meng Chudong: “Most players are still in the Lover’s Constellation event and can’t switch legions, so I doubt their branches are fully operational yet. But starting today, they’ve set up recruitment booths on major marketplace streets to register players interested in joining after the event ends.”

“That place where we just bought potions—they have a recruitment booth there too?”

“Yep.”

“No wonder the streets felt more crowded than usual… Earlier, when you said you needed to buy more stuff, you were actually checking this out?”

“Just felt something was off, so I stayed around a bit longer.”

Actually, Meng Chudong had found the players staring at Fang Zheng on the road and in the pharmacy suspicious and stayed behind to investigate, only to stumble upon the Dutch Chamber of Commerce’s recruitment booth. Upon closer inspection, the most common questions in Local Chat weren’t just the usual “What benefits do you get for joining your legion?” or “Can you guarantee helping every member farm dungeons for gear?” but also “Aside from individuals, do you absorb smaller legions?” and “Your commander’s been collaborating with the Ghost Server Legion lately—are you considering bringing them into the Dutch Chamber of Commerce?” The Dutch Chamber’s HR reps answered with “All possibilities are open,” a classic Don’t Stop the Meds shameless style.

After hearing this, Fang Zheng’s eyes widened in shock: “I thought he was joking. He’s actually serious about unifying Huaxia?”

“Every great legion commander dreams of being Qin Shi Huang.” The Sharp Bird delivered a flawless summary.

Fang Zheng sighed: “Honestly, if he weren’t so full of himself, it’d be fun to play together and farm dungeons as a group.”

Meng Chudong raised an eyebrow: “Oh?”

Fang Zheng felt a chill down his spine and immediately declared righteously: “If he wants to be Qin Shi Huang, we’ll be Jing Ke!”

His deputy kindly reminded him: “Jing Ke failed and died.”

Fang Zheng doubled down: “Then we’ll be Chen Sheng and Wu Guang!”

His deputy reminded him again: “Their rebellion failed, and they died.”

Fang Zheng: “…”

Deputy: “Don’t Stop the Meds is here.”

Sending someone to the heights of ruthless mockery only to extend a helping hand was the deputy’s unique way of expressing affection. In all the world, only the commander understood this, so Fang Zheng happily climbed down the ladder and seamlessly switched gears to greet his old friend—

[Local] Milk is Mom: Yao Yao~~~ You’re late! Did recruiting in other servers not go well? ~~~~

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: You’re well-informed. So, want to be a branch commander for me?

[Local] Milk is Mom: If I recall, not long ago, you had our deputy relay a similar invitation~~~

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: Is your answer still the same?

[Local] Milk is Mom: Well, after fighting side by side for so long, our bond isn’t what it used to be~~~

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: So?

[Local] Milk is Mom: All possibilities are open~\(≧▽≦)/~

Don’t Stop the Meds knew Fang Zheng was messing with him. While he genuinely admired this team, it was clear they weren’t the type to obediently follow orders. The second invitation was just teasing—if they agreed, it’d be a pleasant surprise; if not, it was expected.

At exactly 7 PM Beijing time, March to Liangzhou appeared in the last three seconds, and 438 popped up at the very last second from who-knows-where. If you zoomed in close enough, you might even see the dirt he’d been gathering or… the blood of some unfortunate mob that couldn’t bear living under oppression and bit its tongue to death.

The whole team regrouped in YY and stepped through the gates of the Sapphire Kingdom.

The Sapphire Kingdom was much smaller than the Azure Kingdom. Not far from the gates stood the royal palace, where the group was stopped by guards—

[System] Palace Guard: Who goes there!

The group handed the guards a letter written by the Azure Kingdom’s queen to deliver to the Sapphire Kingdom’s queen. It turned out the Azure and Sapphire Kingdom queens were sisters—clearly, the Crimson Kingdom specialized in beauties, which was why the Azure and Sapphire Kingdom princes both had hair the color of the ocean. However, the Azure queen’s letter only mentioned that the warriors were searching for an escaped evil sorcerer and asked her sister for help, with no mention of the mermaid princess. After all, her nephew had already thrown the girl the warriors actually wanted to save into the dungeon. Even as an aunt, she couldn’t outright say, “Please release her,” so she had to take a roundabout approach, getting the warriors into the palace first.

The letter was delivered, and everyone waited idly. But instead of a reply, they were met with kindred spirits—Iceborn and Silence.

After handing over their own letters and waiting, four teams, eighty eyes meeting…

[Local] Milk is Mom: How’d you end up behind us? ~~~~ Hehehehe ~~~~~

The ever-merciful Ghost Server Legion Leader broke the silence that could’ve killed anyone with social anxiety, but… must you always pull aggro?!

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: Questing is like sailing against the current—if you don’t advance, you regress.

Stop pouring fuel on the fire!!!

The Dutch Ghosts, helpless against their leader, could only pray for the NPCs to hurry up and advance the plot. =_=

Silence’s various branch leaders had long grown accustomed to Milk Mom’s antics since the Flagship days and were now completely immune—they’d even feel something was missing if he didn’t stir the pot. =_= But some members, especially those with old grudges against the Ghost Server, felt differently—

[Local] Today’s Demon King: Heard you guys played till dawn yesterday, some didn’t even sleep before work. Still holding up?

When called out, Your Uncle couldn’t resist and started hammering his keyboard. But before he could respond, 438—who also hadn’t slept during the day—countered for him—

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: I’m still in school, but I didn’t sleep either—went straight to my winter break homework, then straight to the game. Let me tell you, I’m bursting with energy, my mind’s sharp as ever. Don’t believe me? I’ll recite the Lagrange Mean Value Theorem for you!

[Local] Today’s Demon King: I wasn’t even talking to you, but since you’re here, go ahead. We’re all ears.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: If f(x) is continuous on [a, b] and differentiable on (a, b), then there exists some c between a and b such that f(b) − f(a) = f′(c)(b − a).

……

Today’s Demon King suffered 10,000 points of academic damage. Dead.

All present teammates, friend or foe, suffered 8,000 points of academic damage. Critically wounded.

The only one immune to such damage, Blood Bulls Don’t Graze, was absent.

……

The palace guard finally returned, appearing like a savior bathed in holy light to the players.

[System] Palace Guard: The queen invites you inside. Follow me.

Since the Dutch Ghosts had submitted their letter earlier, the NPC’s dialogue was directed only at them. As they followed the guard, Iceborn suddenly spoke up from where they waited—

[Local] ice Iceborn: See you inside.

The Dutch Ghosts couldn’t reply mid-NPC interaction, but that didn’t stop their internal discussion—

Drink Your Sister 3X: “He really is a man of few words. Thought he was faking it when we met in YY, but he’s genuinely this cool!”

Milk Mom: “Your Sister, stay focused. Don’t start simping for the enemy!”

Mad Lad: “When your own commander never shuts up, it’s hard not to admire the strong, silent type.”

X: “Girl, you met him in YY? Which one? Doesn’t seem like his style.”

Drink Your Sister: “During the Eden raid, I happened to team up with one of Iceborn’s guys, and they invited me to their YY.”

X: “That makes sense. A loner like him wouldn’t just drop into random YYs.”

Rain Ceases: “Quiet, yeah, but no joke in skill—on par with Thousand Mountains. Just too low-key, so he’s underrated.”

Thousand Mountains: “Hey hey, I’m not ‘showy,’ I’m just a diamond that shines wherever it goes.”

Dutch Souvenir: “Never seen a diamond grow legs and run around PK-ing glass cutters.”

Thousand Mountains: “You’re asking for it again, aren’t you…”

Fortunately, the graceful queen’s timely appearance prevented the two from coming to blows.

[System] Queen Winsted: I’ve read my sister’s letter. Thank you for your help, and I’ll do everything I can to assist you. Night has fallen, and a banquet has been prepared. Young warriors, will you allow the Sapphire Kingdom to host you? By sunrise tomorrow, portraits of the one you seek will be posted throughout the streets.

No one turns down an NPC’s offer, but—

Little Willow: “I’ve got a bad feeling every time I hear ‘banquet’ now…”

Rain Through the Woods reassured him: “The game wouldn’t repeat the same design. Relax.”

Your Uncle also reassured him: “Yeah, relax.”

Little Willow wasn’t convinced by the Little Lucky Charm’s comfort.

The moment they stepped into the banquet hall, the screen went black. After a brief loading bar, a cutscene began.

The twenty players were seated on either side of the hall, with the king and queen at the head table. Beside them sat Prince Maximilian, whose blue hair matched the Azure prince’s. The king raised his glass, everyone stood, and the hall filled with the light, cheerful melody of a harp—a scene of warmth and celebration. Suddenly, a hook-nosed man in a sorcerer’s robe whispered into the prince’s ear, and the prince’s face twisted in rage as he smashed his glass!

The cutscene ended abruptly, returning to gameplay.

[System] Maximilian: Guards, seize these insolent fools!

[System] Winsted: My child, what’s wrong?

[System] Maximilian: Mother, they’ve deceived you! Their true goal is to free that wicked witch!

As they spoke, guards swarmed the players, launching attacks!

The Dutch Ghosts weren’t pushovers either. The moment the prince turned hostile, they formed ranks. Facing the onslaught of soldiers, War of the Gods opened with Bloody Sandstorm, dealing AoE damage and instantly killing one of the weaker guards. Don’t Stop the Meds’ Papa Seahorse followed up, spewing a swarm of Baby Seahorses to unleash a brutal AoE assault.

Clearly, the soldiers weren’t the main event. Within minutes, as only seven or eight wounded guards remained, the hook-nosed man suddenly led out a monstrous beast—part dragon, part crocodile!

By then, everyone else had fled, leaving only the players, the beast, the wounded guards, and the hook-nosed man in the banquet hall!

As the man released the beast’s chains, it pounced on the nearest target—Polly!

Birdy quickly aborted his attack on a guard, leaping aside—but still lost a third of his HP!

Without hesitation, he downed a minor HP potion and bolted, putting distance between himself and the beast. The beast didn’t pursue, as Drink’s Taunt + Rally combo instantly locked its aggro!

With the last guard defeated, the quest updated: “Slay the Imperial Sorcerer’s Beast!”

The hook-nosed man was the Sapphire Kingdom’s Imperial Sorcerer. Following the pattern of the Crimson, Amber, Yellow, Emerald, and Azure Kingdoms each having an evil sorcerer, the Sapphire Kingdom was no exception—this so-called Imperial Sorcerer was the sixth evil sorcerer in hiding.

“The beast doesn’t have AoE attacks yet, but stay alert,” Don’t Stop the Meds commanded. “Healers spread out on the perimeter, buffs up, melee—go all out!”

Before Boss Yao could finish speaking, the battle formation was already in place. The synergy forged through countless hard-fought battles wasn’t just empty talk.

[Combat] Little Lucky Charm has died.

Of course, no amount of synergy could suppress the innate nature of the Ghost Server Legion members.

Don’t Stop the Meds: “What the hell happened?!”

Your Uncle: “No one told me the Imperial Sorcerer could attack too TAT”

To be fair, it wasn’t Your Uncle’s fault. Everyone had assumed the Imperial Sorcerer had fled after summoning the beast. But no, he had just hidden in a corner, waiting to ambush the nearest poor soul. This attack might not have been fatal against someone else, but Little Lucky Charm was a squishy Spirit Master, turning the ambush into a one-shot kill.

[Combat] Passing Master uses Resurrection.

[Combat] Passing Master uses Silent Nourishment.

[Combat] Passing Master uses Revival of the Withered.

[Combat] Passing Master uses Trickling Stream.

Clearly, Passing Master had a soft spot for Your Uncle.

But—

Don’t Stop the Meds: “If you keep healing him, he’s gonna burst! Can you please heal someone else?!” Watching Passing Master waste one healing skill after another—each with far greater potency than any other healer’s—Boss Yao was heartbroken.

Passing Master: “Okay okay >_<"

[Combat] Passing Master uses Silent Nourishment.

Passing Master: “Used a small one first, the others are still on cooldown. Just wait a sec.”

X: “Uh, Passing, did you actually mean to heal me, or did you just misfire?”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “ZOMBIES DON’T NEED HEALS!!!”

While Passing was giving Boss Yao a headache, the beast and the Imperial Sorcerer were also starting to wear on everyone’s nerves. The beast didn’t have any particularly deadly attacks, but it was absurdly tanky—no matter how hard they hit it, it just wouldn’t go down. The sorcerer, on the other hand, kept darting around unpredictably. Unlike the beast, which focused on whoever had the highest aggro, his attacks were completely random. To make matters worse, his ST Attack packed a punch—if the healers weren’t quick enough, someone would inevitably get one-shot. But none of this was the most frustrating part. The most frustrating part was the Stone Prince suddenly jumping out of the crystal orb, demanding to join the fight!

Normally, an NPC joining the battle could be part of a questline. As long as it didn’t interfere with the players, having an extra deadweight wasn’t a big deal. But the problem was—he could be attacked by the sorcerer! And if he died, the beast and the sorcerer would reset to full health, rendering all the damage the party had dealt completely useless!!!

“Passing Master, stop healing everyone else—just focus on the Stone Prince!” Boss Yao had finally found the perfect role for the celestial healer.

Passing carried out his task meticulously, and surprisingly, the chaotic situation slowly stabilized.

The team let out a collective sigh of relief, ready to refocus and pour everything into whittling down the beast’s seemingly endless HP bar. But just then, someone shouted over YY: “Dammit, they’re here too!”

“They” were none other than Iceborn and Silence.

Clearly, they had also attended the banquet, watched the cutscene, and were now embroiled in the same battle as their own group.

The only difference was that the Dutch Ghosts couldn’t see the opposing team’s beast or sorcerer on their screens—only twenty players arranged in a similar formation.

But the other team was clearly handling things more smoothly, as evidenced by the fact that they still had the bandwidth to taunt them—

[Local] Today’s Demon King: Thought you guys would’ve cleared it by now. Guess sleep deprivation really does slow you down.

The Dutch Ghosts were too busy struggling to respond—or even care. But one person thought differently, and conveniently, this person was a ranged DPS who didn’t need to focus as intensely on mechanics. So—

[Local] Little Lucky Charm: 438 already stood up for me earlier, so I didn’t bother responding. But let me tell you, I’m the legendary madman who pulled an all-nighter, worked all day, and is still grinding tonight! And you know what? Not sleeping doesn’t just not affect me—it makes me even stronger! Even if the sky started raining knives or fireballs, I’d still tank it all!!!

Inner thoughts of the entire Dutch Chamber of Commerce: Didn’t you literally just die not long ago? =_=

Inner thoughts of the entire Ghost Server Legion: WHY DID YOU HAVE TO PROVOKE HIM INTO SAYING THAT, DEMON KING, I SWEAR TO YOUR UNCLE!!!

[System] Imperial Sorcerer: Mighty Echidna, rain down your flames and burn these foolish rebels to ashes!

Almost the instant this summoning message appeared, countless fireballs rained from the sky, as if the banquet hall had suddenly been engulfed in a blazing firestorm! The hall burst into flames, fireballs crashing onto the floor, the tables, the players…

“What the fuck?!”

“What happened?”

[Combat] Scholar Lu has died.

No need to ask—the fireballs were poisonous!

The next victims were Dutch Souvenir and Mad Lad. After being struck by the fireballs, their HP plummeted, and even if they avoided further hits, their health continued to drop steadily!

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Watch out—don’t get hit again!”

Mad Lad: “What kind of bullshit mechanic is this?! Are they even trying to let us live?!”

[System] Imperial Sorcerer: Mighty Echidna, rain down your flames and burn these foolish rebels to ashes!

The team was on the verge of tears: “Again?!”

Birdy, who had been observing, quickly pieced together the pattern: “The fireball summon happens every two minutes, lasts for thirty seconds, and is concentrated within a five-meter radius of the beast. So when the summon starts, all melee DPS except Dutch Souvenir should back out and let the ranged attackers keep dealing damage.”

Mocha: “But won’t that cut our DPS in half?”

Polly: “Better than a wipe.”

Little Willow: “No other way?”

Polly: “You can keep brainstorming. Or ask Iceborn and Silence—maybe they’ve figured something out.”

No. 4 Coffin Shop: “Speaking of them, if they actually find a way and kill the boss before we do…”

Your Uncle: “Don’t say such terrifying things! Our faces would be completely destroyed TAT”

Don’t Stop the Meds: “I’ll destroy your face before he does! XX, mute his mic!”

—Through sheer insight, Boss Yao had single-handedly pierced through Little Lucky Charm’s disguise and uncovered the true nature of “Your Uncle’s Mysterious Curse.”

Perhaps muting the mic was the lucky break the Dutch Ghosts needed—the beast finally collapsed under their relentless assault!

But before they could even cheer, the Imperial Sorcerer tore off his robes, revealing his monstrous true form!

The fireballs no longer came at two-minute intervals—they now rained down continuously, more densely, and with even deadlier force! Worst of all, the firestorm’s range expanded, now hitting even the backline healers!!!

[Combat] Scholar Lu has died.

Scholar Lu: “Why is it always me?!”

Before his voice even faded, Mad Lad and Your Sister fell one after another!

Crossplayer immediately stopped rallying and rushed to cast Blessing of Resurrection, only to be struck by another fireball!

[Combat] War of the Gods has died.

[Combat] Little Willow has died.

[Combat] Rain Ceases has died.

[Combat] No. 4 Coffin Shop has died.

[Combat] …

March: “Welp, looks like a wipe.”

X: “Could you maybe not sound so calm about it?! The wipe is whatever—the real tragedy is getting humiliated!”

[Party] Little Lucky Charm: Should I just quietly log off? Otherwise, that Demon King guy is definitely gonna mock me to death TAT

Entire Party: “Log off my ass! Get back in there and fight!!!”

Fang Zheng was frantically reviving teammates while dodging fireballs, so at first, he didn’t hear the faint call. It wasn’t until the fifth attempt that he vaguely caught two syllables—something like “Commander.”

Fang Zheng: “438, you calling me?”

438: “Yeah, Commander. I was wondering—does this Imperial Sorcerer drop any good loot?”

Fang Zheng wasn’t sure why he was asking but answered anyway: “Probably not. The beast didn’t drop anything when it died, so he’s probably just a quest NPC.”

438: “Uh, ‘probably’ means there’s still a chance, right?”

Even the famously patient Ghost Server Legion Leader was starting to get annoyed: “Right now, I’d just be happy if he dropped dead already!”

438: “Really?”

Ghost Server Legion Leader: “Dead serious! Even if he doesn’t drop anything, I’d gladly drop something for him if it meant he’d just die already!!!”

The Demon Refiner hesitated no longer. He opened his inventory, selected an item, and double-clicked—

[Combat] Refined Into a Demon 715 uses Purple-Gold Red Gourd.

[Combat] Imperial Sorcerer has died.