CHAPTER 221: UPGRADING THE WALLS [1]

At the entrance of the bandits’ camp, two ladies could be seen standing. The militants and awakened on the walls kept a watchful gaze, ready to act if they suspected any movement.

One of the women wore a flowing green gown that did a poor job concealing her voluptuous curves. Her face was hidden by a thin, slightly transparent emerald veil. Even through the veil, one could sense her intense green gaze.

The other had short blond hair and wore a slim jumpsuit. Although her beauty couldn’t be compared to the veiled woman, she had her fair share of admirers—men willing to lay down their lives for her.

Naturally, these two were Sophie and Cassie. Shortly after Gabriel’s guild announcement caused waves, they had gone to the adventurers’ guild and resigned.

"Are you sure this is the place?" Sophie asked, her lips pressed together as she took in the walls of the settlement and the militants.

Cassie frowned and nodded. "Yes. Alice wouldn’t give us the wrong coordinates. Though that brat can be mischievous at times, she wouldn’t play with something like this."

Just then, the wooden gate was rolled to the side, and some individuals Sophie and Cassie recognized stepped out.

Leading them was none other than Gabriel, who approached with calm, measured steps as if he owned the place... which technically, he did.

A strange gleam flashed across Sophie’s eyes when she caught sight of him. Subconsciously, her heart began to pound fiercely.

She swallowed nervously, shifting uncomfortably as Gabriel and the others covered the final distance between them. Forcing herself to appear confident, Sophie smiled. "How have you been, Gabriel?"

"I have been well," Gabriel replied in a firm tone, shifting his gaze to Cassie and giving a nod of acknowledgment. "I’m quite surprised to find you two out here in the wilderness... what brings you to my camp?"

At that, Sophie smiled, her pearly teeth glinting under the glare of the sun. The others behind Gabriel, who caught sight of her beauty, sucked in a deep breath.

If she could draw such a reaction with half of her face covered, how powerful would her charm be once the veil was removed?

"I heard about your guild," Sophie began. "If you don’t mind, we would like to request to join. We promise not to be dead weight and will only work hard to make the guild prosper and reach higher realms."

A trace of surprise, nearly unnoticeable, passed through Gabriel’s eyes. He knew how powerful Cassie and Sophie were. He had witnessed it during their time together in the Skeleton Paradise Dungeon, the ruin exploration, and the Inter-Guild Display Event.

Sophie was a mage who possessed the class [Nature’s Beloved], while Cassie was a support-type adventurer with a support type class.

Both of them possessed powerful skills.

Even though Gabriel had said there would be no recruitment for now, these two would undoubtedly be very valuable to the guild.

After a moment, he displayed a light smile and nodded. "Sure, welcome to the Broken Dawn Guild."

When they heard this, a huge weight seemed to have been lifted from their shoulders.

Gabriel was very unpredictable. Neither Cassie nor Sophie ever dared to arrogantly assume he would accept them just because they had gone on some missions together.

"However," he suddenly spoke, "be warned. I already have enemies everywhere. My enemies are also the enemies of the guild. I know you’re aware of my current status with the Holy Church, Crimson Star, the Edgeburne family, and the Tempest family."

"You need not worry about that," Sophie replied in the same calm tone. "We’ve already thought it through and considered all the consequences of our actions before making this decision."

"Besides," Cassie chimed in, "after their loss in the event, I doubt Crimson Star would make any moves just yet."

Gabriel nodded. "Very well then. Welcome to Broken Dawn Guild once again."

After some back-and-forth, everyone returned to the camp, and just like that, the number of Broken Dawn Guild members reached 25.

Because the meeting had been cut short, everyone gathered again in the temporary surveillance room.

Anna and Bunny briefly explained the current situation to the two. Once Sophie and Cassie understood, the meeting proceeded.

They discussed for some time about ways to make the camp more conducive, but most of the conversation revolved around the pressing food issues.

"Before we head for the northern trade supply route... let’s pay a visit to the Crane Base first. We might find some interesting things there," Gabriel said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

Hearing this, the eyes of warmongers like Ragnarok99 and BrawlerX lit up with grins.

"I’ll rally the troop for the operation," Bunny suggested.

"No need for a troop," Gabriel said with a wave of his hand. "We don’t need an army to crush a few ants."

"Then what does Sir Broken suggest?" Bunny asked eagerly.

From the start, Bunny had always acted like Gabriel’s second-in-command, and he didn’t find this annoying at all. If anything, he appreciated this side of her. She was like an eager assistant, obsessed with keeping everything in order.

’I should probably reward her for her efforts,’ he inwardly thought.

Meanwhile, Sophie regarded the otherworlder with a slightly hostile look, a tinge of jealousy creeping onto her face. She wanted to help as well but didn’t really know how, so she could only watch.

For a moment, Bunny felt an intense gaze on her from a certain direction. She raised her head and swept her eyes across the long oak table but failed to find the source.

’Weird,’ she shrugged.

At that moment, Gabriel spoke again. "I need only three people to accompany me on this mission."

Everyone’s eyes fixed on him. Apart from Amelia, who wasn’t an adventurer, all of them wanted to follow.

"Sophie and Cassie," Gabriel called out. "Prepare by tomorrow morning—we leave for the east."

***

Thanks to all those that support Extraction Talent with their valuable Golden tickets and power stones! I really appreciate.