Chapter 276 - 185: An Acquaintance in the Shadow Cave

The first large-scale war was a real blast for the players, an exhilarating thrill from head to toe.

For most of them, it was their first time experiencing naval combat, battling enemies on the open sea. It felt completely immersive and incredibly exciting.

Of course, on the flip side, the players left behind to hold down the fort were utterly bummed.

It was a no-brainer that large-scale regional wars like this didn’t come around often, and being excluded because they weren’t strong enough was a bitter pill to swallow.

So, to prevent this from ever happening again, many of the newer players began to grind with a vengeance—leveling up and clearing dungeons, striving to build up enough strength before the next big war...

The War Contribution earned from this war was untradeable and not awarded in large amounts. Most players chose to save it up, with only a small portion exchanging it for supplies.

As the old saying goes, war is an expensive business.

This held true for Luo Ge as well.

The moment the war began, his Wax Oil started to deplete rapidly due to the unrestrained use of Spirit Candle Power.

On top of that, he had to help with the Resurrection of players who had died so many times they ran out of Wax Oil. Add in the War Contribution and other rewards he distributed at the end, and one can only imagine the total cost.

He was now left with only a few tens of thousands of Wax Oil.

But it was worth it, of course. He couldn’t just cut and run without firing a shot just to save some Wax Oil, could he?

Candle Island returned to its usual tranquility... for all of two days, of course.

Because Le Ti soon found the Storyteller, who had set up a stall in the Shadow Cave.

"Ohoho~"

"Well, look who’s still alive... Congratulations, you clever little Candle Spirit."

Le Ti chuckled as he walked over. His tone was smarmy, but it wasn’t hard to see that he was quite pleased.

He hadn’t shown up for the past two days, likely off swindling someone somewhere. His sudden return was probably because he’d heard the outcome of the war between Candle Island and the Firewood Thieves.

His words left the Storyteller speechless.

But he understood what Le Ti was after and cut right to the chase.

"Do you want me to contact the Candlekeeper for you?"

"That would be for the best, you clever Little Candle Spirit." Le Ti’s smile widened.

The Storyteller just shook his head helplessly at Le Ti’s glibness and didn’t say much else. He quickly got up and went back to inform Luo Ge.

Before long, Luo Ge and Le Ti met at the entrance to the Divine Hall Ruins in Gael’s Depression.

Facing the Candlefire Controller, Le Ti instantly put on a different face, his smile brilliant and full of warmth.

"Please allow me to offer my sincerest congratulations on your great victory, O Candlefire Controller. It is a testament to your Wisdom and Power."

Le Ti bowed respectfully.

Luo Ge was unmoved by the guy’s brown-nosing. He knew exactly why this character, Le Ti, had come.

He gave a slight nod and said calmly, "Enough with the pleasantries. Have you chosen the person for the contact point?"

He had previously made a deal with Le Ti. The deal was for their two sides to establish a point of contact, but Le Ti had shown his sincerity by providing Candle Island with some information in advance.

It had been a risky investment on Le Ti’s part, a gamble that Candle Island would not be destroyed by the Firewood Thieves’ Attack.

Now, it was time for Candle Island to fulfill its end of the bargain.

"Of course." Seeing that Luo Ge had no intention of breaking his promise, Le Ti’s smile grew even wider. He then excused himself to Luo Ge and took out a badge, fiddling with it for a moment.

A moment later, a woman with a beautiful but cold and grim demeanor stepped out of a swirling Teleportation Gate. She pulled back her hood, revealing a single eye covered by an eyepatch.

She glanced at Luo Ge, made no move to greet him, and then looked away.

Luo Ge didn’t think anything of it.

Le Ti, however, looked a little embarrassed and shot the woman a meaningful glance.

But after a single glance in his direction, the woman ignored him completely, remaining rooted to the spot.

Le Ti’s mouth twitched. He wiped away some sweat and gave Luo Ge an awkward smile.

"My apologies, Candlefire Controller. This colleague of mine, her name is Luo Di... she’s not much of a talker. But don’t you worry, she and I take turns, haha..."

Le Ti could only laugh awkwardly.

Luo Ge wasn’t bothered by this. The Shadow of Deceit’s contact point wasn’t that important anyway; it didn’t matter who they sent.

"With this Token, you can enter the area under Candlefire’s control. You can go find a suitable place to set up your contact point."

"However, it will take some time before the contact point can be opened. I will notify you via the Token when the time comes."

Luo Ge spoke coolly as he handed a delicate Candle Lamp to Le Ti.

This thing was, of course, a replica he had made. It wasn’t difficult.

The area open to them, however, was limited to the already-anchored Jinghai Islands. They wouldn’t be able to leave it. There wasn’t a single building there, and only players would wander in for a stroll.

That guy Le Ti had only opened a single location, the Shadow Cave, to Candle Island. Naturally, Luo Ge wasn’t about to throw his own gates wide open. It was only right to return the favor.

After taking the Candle Lamp from Luo Ge, Le Ti gave a sly chuckle and started laying on the flattery again.

Luo Ge had no time to listen to his bullshit and left directly.

Only after he was gone did Le Ti turn to the woman beside him with a helpless look.

"Look, didn’t we agree to show him some basic courtesy? Why did you go back on your word? This could have been..."

In response to Le Ti’s questioning, Luo Di just gave him a cool glance and cut him off before he could finish.

"I was being polite."