The Great Thief

“Soul Eater’s temper has gotten worse and worse recently, especially when you guys show public displays of affection,” Vegetarian Mosquito said as he looked at Lu Li. He never understood how Lu Li was better than Soul Eater – in his eyes, Soul Eater was much more manly and a better leader.

In terms of physical appearance, Soul Eater was definitely more handsome than Lu Li.

He did respect Lu Li for what he had achieved by himself despite coming from poorer circumstances.

“My bad.”

Water Fairy glared at Lu Li and he felt guilty.

She didn’t hate Soul Eater anymore and knew what his reasoning was.

Lu Li hated Soul Eater and Soul Eater hated Lu Li.

If you loved a woman and she had an admirer who she trusted a lot, sometimes even more so than the boyfriend himself, it would be impossible for them to get along. The boyfriend would either have to be a saint or the girlfriend would eventually cheat with the admirer.

On the other hand, Soul Eater also had his reasons for hating Lu Li.

He had been right beside Water Fairy for so many years, doing anything and everything she asked for. Even though she had rejected him once, he never gave up on pursuing her. If he gave up after being rejected once, then could you even call it true love?

Water Fairy had very high standards so he thought that he could quietly stay by her side for a long time.

Perhaps one day, Water Fairy would change her mind and realize that she could not lose her right-hand man. If there were no other candidates, then Water Fairy might as well give Soul Eater a chance.

Who would have thought that Lu Li would come out of nowhere?

“Thank you for letting me know. Whether it’s Drizzle Court or Peerless City, we’ll always welcome you back.”

Water Fairy had already come to terms with the fact that Soul Eater would betray her. She had always trusted him and never expected him to do such a thing.

“Thank you, Water Fairy. I just want to perform well in competitions now,” Vegetarian Mosquito said. He was afraid that he would leave a bad impression in Water Fairy’s mind despite helping her.

From a certain standpoint, Vegetarian Mosquito was also a traitor.

He had been poached from a different guild and after a short while, he betrayed Soul Eater again.

“I understand. I’m in the same boat.”

Water Fairy smiled; she was grateful. If no one had told her, then the end result would probably be terrible.

Soul Eater would have taken 30 to 40 Elite Groups with him, as well as half of the tournament players. It would be difficult for them to recover from that despite being a Top 10 guild. Not only would they lose players, but their reputation would also take a hit, making it even more difficult to climb back up to their former days.

Drizzle Court would also be affected and their reputation tarnished, since they were affiliated.

Lu Li logged off and bumped into Square Root Three while getting food.

“Why’d you come here by yourself? Did you break up with that person?” Square Root Three asked, making fun of him. In reality, Lu Li rarely went out to eat with Water Fairy. However, whenever they were spotted, everyone talked about it, which was why everyone thought that they were always together.

“Something happened. How come you’re by yourself as well?”

Lu Li did not laugh; he was worried about Peerless City.

If someone wronged Drizzle Court, it directly related to Water Fairy, and if Water Fairy was wronged, then Lu Li would do whatever it took to rectify the situation.

“That’s such a mean question. Sorry I’m single, unlike you love birds. Who else can I eat with?” Square Root 3 snapped back. Lu Li seemed to have accidentally pushed his buttons.

“Aren’t you going to ask what happened?” Lu Li asked, changing the topic.

“If you want to tell me, then just say it – don’t beat around the bush. I’m a busy man.”

Square Root Three knew by Lu Li’s body language that he was going to tell him anyways.

And so, Lu Li updated Square Root Three as to what had happened.

Lu Li trusted Square Root Three completely, otherwise, he wouldn’t willingly tell him everything in detail.

In reality, Square Root Three was to Lu Li as Soul Eater was to Water Fairy. Obviously, Square Root Three had no romantic interest towards Lu Li, unlike Soul Eater. Lu Li trusted Square Root Three as much as Water Fairy had trusted Soul Eater.

Soul Eater betrayed her because he couldn’t get what he wanted.

However, Square Root Three would never do this because he wasn’t into guys. If Square Root Three was a girl, then things might have been different.

Once romantic feelings were involved, people would lose their rationality.

“To be honest, I’m not that surprised,” Square Root Three commented after analyzing the whole situation, then shook his head calmly and continued, “I was kind of close to Soul Eater and it does sound like something he would do, so Mosquito’s speculations are most likely true. We should stop testing him in case Soul Eater finds out.”

“Oh, you knew Soul Eater?” Lu Li was surprised.

“We’re more like acquaintances. The advisors of different guilds would sometimes speak to one another. When I first left Star Moon Union, Soul Eater even offered to find me a job,” Square Root Three said.

“What do you think about him?” Lu Li asked.

“Soul Eater is a very capable man and he has a big heart.”

Square Root Three was careful with his words. He did not make him sound like a bad person and it was a well-known fact that Soul Eater was very capable.

The fact that he has a big heart caught Lu Li’s attention.

“He came from a poor background and was the only child. He almost starved to death when he was little. Later on, he joined the game and created a small guild. Unfortunately, he didn’t have enough money or the talent to keep up the guild and it was disbanded after around two years. He then met Water Fairy and she gave him a stage to perform. First, he built up Drizzle Court and then Peerless City.

“Then why did he betray her? Is it really only because of Water Fairy?” Lu Li did not understand.

“I’m guessing that’s only part of his reason. Since you and Water Fairy got together, his departure was inevitable. He either leaves quietly or takes away what he thinks he deserves,” Square Root Three explained. “To be blunt, if Soul Eater got with Water Fairy, then both Drizzle Court and Peerless City would belong to him. However, because of you, his dreams were ruined. You’re lucky he didn’t find someone to kill you.”

“Bring it on.” Lu Li wasn’t afraid.

“Soul Eater won’t be that much of a problem. He must have forgotten where he would end up without the funding,” Square Root Three said coldly. “If Water Fairy was mean, she could completely shut off Soul Eater from the entire community. He’s just a guild advisor, unlike you, a competitive player and a guild leader.”

It would be impossible for a guild advisor to gain much power or popularity, unless he had a huge amount of funding to begin with. Then, he could start poaching players and win a few competitions to build up his reputation. However, in reality, there was not much else that Soul Eater could he offer.

If Soul Eater tried to find sponsors…

His reputation would already be tarnished because he betrayed the most popular female player in the game. Who would dare to sponsor him?

Water Fairy’s trust and support towards Soul Eater had been widely discussed in the community and many did not understand.

Peerless City would sometimes do better than Drizzle Court which was something that was unheard of in the history of gaming. Glory Capital’s sub guild, Gale Legion, also performed well, but the star players still remained in Glory Capital.

If Soul Eater was to leave, they would have to offer him more power and authority than what he had now.

No other guild in the game was capable of this.

“How sad..” Even though Soul Eater was his enemy, Lu Li couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for him. However, he still wouldn’t hesitate in bringing him down if he had the opportunity.

“Sigh, say… Lu Li,” Square Root Three began, as he stepped closer towards him.

“What do you want to say? Stop being so mysterious.”

“If you marry Water Fairy in the future, then will Drizzle Court, Peerless City and Ruling Sword all join together?” Square Root Three asked with a smile.

“What are you talking about?” Lu Li was surprised.

“You’ve definitely thought about this right?” Square Root Three questioned, feeling slightly annoyed. “I feel like you’re becoming more and more secretive about your life. Or have you never thought about marrying her and are just playing around?”

“Bro, shut up.”

Lu Li wanted to tear open his mouth.

“Or are you guys going to be one of those married couples with separate bank accounts? Joining the two guilds together would accelerate the growth exponentially.”

Square Root Three was making it sound as if Lu Li was only with her for her assets.

“I don’t think I need to combine my guild with hers to become the best. Ruling Sword will become the most powerful guild either way,” Lu Li said confidently.

“No matter how big Ruling Sword grows, it will never be as big as combining all three guilds. Did you not go to school? This is basic maths..”

Square Root Three was laughing his head off.

“Shut up. Keep talking and I’ll kill you,” Lu Li threatened.

“Even if you guys keep the guilds separate after you guys marry, what about your child’s inheritance? Are you going to split the kid into two or something?” Square Root Three kept taunting him.

“Unless you’re gonna force Water Fairy to have three kids. If she knew about this, she would probably dump you.”