059 Aegis and Divine Wings!

Baru was a calculating man; even Chen Feng had not expected him to split the Magic Ring into two parts. One had to realize that after consuming more than nine rings, the benefits to one's attributes became negligible; consuming any more was essentially a waste. Yet, Baru had the foresight to divide the ring into two, ensuring that even if he failed once, he would have a second chance.

"Beautiful Gwen, I planned this operation. Shouldn't the Magic Ring go to me?" Outless had walked away with nothing and felt that the mission to kill Baru had been a total loss—a wasted trip.

"What do you think?" Gwen was no fool; she would never hand over a ring she had already secured. Having consumed Baru’s ring, Gwen’s own ring had instantly absorbed ten in total, nearly catching up to Chen Feng.

Outless was the type who put in no effort during a fight, always looking to pick up easy gains, yet he demanded the lion's share when it came to dividing the loot. If he weren't so formidable, Chen Feng would have killed him long ago and forced him off the stage of the Magic Ring struggle.

"The act is over, and the loot is divided. Let’s disperse!" Chen Feng looked at Gwen and said, "Beauty, you took the largest share of the treasure and the loot from the kill. How about you treat us to some beer?"

"Fine. Where do you want to go?" Gwen was in a great mood; she had obtained an orange-tier piece of equipment and ten Magic Rings on her very first day with this team.

"District 23. That’s where we usually go!" Chen Feng returned to the city and teleported to District 23.

Just as Chen Feng reached the entrance of the Twilight Tavern, two people were waiting for him. A man and a woman, both with golden hair—they appeared to be foreign players. Judging by their physiques, they were clearly skilled fighters, likely top-tier players.

"Hello, Duan Chen Feng. I am a member of the Aegis Association. My name is Mary, and this is my colleague, also from the Aegis Association, Ampere." The slender female hunter reached out to shake Chen Feng’s hand.

The Aegis Association! Chen Feng knew they were likely trying to recruit him. Given his strained relationship with the Cobra and Acid Rain organizations, and their primary goal of countering groups that killed players for loot, Chen Feng—who was strong enough to suppress high-level players from Cobra—was a perfect candidate for the Aegis Association.

"We would like to invite you to join the Aegis Association. Are you interested?" Mary stated the purpose of their visit directly.

Chen Feng raised his right hand, deliberately showing off his Blood Magic Ring. "I possess a Magic Ring, and I will be hunting down other ring-bearers everywhere. Isn't the Aegis Association supposed to stop malicious gaming disputes and maintain world peace?"

"The struggle for Magic Rings falls outside our jurisdiction; it is a competitive mode of the game. Even if we possess rings, we compete according to the game's rules. The Aegis Association targets organized, malicious killing and the looting of player items for profit. Organizations like Cobra, Acid Rain, the Assassination Guild, and Black Fog are our primary targets," Mary explained.

Joining the Aegis Association was one of Chen Feng’s goals; he could use them to deal with the Cobra organization and have a legitimate reason to oppose them. Just as Chen Feng was about to agree, Outless happened to pass by. Seeing Chen Feng in contact with the Aegis members, he immediately activated his rocket boots to dash over. "Crow, you want to join the Aegis Association?"

"Outless, we tried to recruit you, and you refused. Are you here to stop us now?" the male player, Ampere, snapped. They had just tried to recruit Outless, but the man had been incredibly rude, complaining about the low pay, the danger of losing equipment without compensation, and the poor benefits, adamantly refusing to join.

"Crow is a member of my team. I have every right to interfere with him joining any organization." Outless turned to Chen Feng. "Crow, you should know that once you join the Aegis Association, you’ll be under many constraints. It’s not as sacred as they make it sound. Personally, you don’t look like the type to sacrifice yourself to save the world, do you? Why not help me instead? I’ll give you five times the salary."

"Shorty, if you interfere with me joining the Aegis Association, I’ll just quit your team." Though Outless’s team was powerful, it wasn't as reputable as the Aegis Association, and Chen Feng's primary goal was to cripple the Cobra organization and prevent them from growing.

Knowing that further talk was useless, the short man pulled Chen Feng aside. "Crow, don't agree so quickly. I’ll get you into a much more powerful organization soon. I’ll discuss it with them and get back to you."

A more powerful organization? Chen Feng knew Outless was no simple man, but no one knew what lay behind him.

Chen Feng wasn't in a hurry to join Aegis. After they left, he told Mary he needed some time to consider it and would give her an answer after a meal. After adding each other as friends, they left. The Aegis Association didn't force players to join, and they sensed Chen Feng was interested, despite Outless’s interference.

Chen Feng went in to drink with his group, discussing orange-tier equipment. Many people were unaware that such equipment possessed hidden attributes. Currently, orange-tier equipment was seen as merely better than epic-tier, but by completing specific quests or testing for hidden attributes, its true power could be unleashed.

About an hour later, Outless arrived and called Chen Feng to the city walls to look at the view. "Crow, I’ve spoken with our organization. They are all interested in having you join."

"Shorty, what kind of organization is yours that’s so arrogant? Compared to the Aegis Association, where do you rank?" Chen Feng found it amusing; Outless really thought quite highly of himself.

Outless sneered. "The Aegis Association is easy to join, but ours is not. There are only five senior members in our organization, but our network spans the entire world. In the game, we are the ones who make money the fastest. The reason you can join is, on one hand, we need someone who can help us make big profits, and on the other, I strongly recommended you."

"So mysterious. What organization is it?" Chen Feng had never heard of an organization that made huge profits through gaming. Games could indeed generate money, but big profits required the support of a large organization, and the overheads were massive.

"God’s Wing. Ever heard of it? Our organization aims to maximize profits through legal means, and gaming is the easiest way to do that. Of course, 'legal' means staying within the letter of the law, though we occasionally calculate risks for things that skirt the edge, like money laundering." Outless began to introduce the group. "The top management of God’s Wing consists of only five people, and you will be the first member I’ve personally pushed to join that inner circle. Our organization has no defining characteristic other than having a lot of money."

"Sounds pretty good. Doesn't that mean I’m hitting the jackpot?"

God’s Wing was one of the three most mysterious organizations in the gaming world, on par with the Cobra organization. Chen Feng had never imagined that Outless could join such a powerful group. However, entering the top echelons of God’s Wing couldn't be that simple.

"Crow, the organization has a test for you. If you pass, you’re in," Outless said. "Bring out that high-reaching orange-tier katana, and give the organization the information you have on synthesizing equipment. If they can truly craft an orange-tier weapon using your data, the organization will let you in."

"I have no problem giving you the katana, but the equipment synthesis data... I’ll have to think about that. If I give you that information, you could create countless epic-tier items. You’d truly be making big money then." Chen Feng’s data was the result of four years of research by analysts from the old Cobra organization; handing it over now was worth a fortune.

Chen Feng understood why Outless had been able to convince God’s Wing; he possessed a plan that would allow them to make massive, legal profits. God’s Wing might truly be capable of making a fortune in-game.

"Crow, if you can join God’s Wing, you’ll earn even more money in the future. Once you reach our top level, you’ll never have to worry about money again." Outless knew about Chen Feng’s data; it was capable of crafting the orange-tier weapon *Frostmourne*. His own *Storm Hammer* was orange-tier, and the reinforcement plan for it had been written by Chen Feng himself. "Everyone in the top circle of God’s Wing is a global elite, looking down on the world."

"Fine! Here is the data, take it!" Chen Feng had long since prepared a copy of the equipment synthesis information, having saved it in the game for fear of forgetting it. He sent it directly to Outless. Joining God’s Wing was a great move. Whether the organization could deal with Cobra remained to be seen, but getting inside was a start, and at least Chen Feng wouldn't have to worry about money when he started making big moves.

As for the Aegis Association, with Chen Feng’s strength, he could join whenever he wanted. But Aegis had too many rules, which would be a nuisance. Joining God’s Wing seemed better.

After chatting for ten minutes, Outless received a message. "Crow, welcome to God’s Wing! I will mail a specialized ring for top-tier members to your residence in the real world. If anything comes up, use the ring to contact us."

"That was quick? Didn't you say you needed to check the orange-tier equipment?" Outless had previously suggested crafting an item to test the data, but now it was already settled; it was all happening very fast.

Outless smiled. "One of our high-level members is an analyst who loves synthesis; he’s been studying this for a long time. Your plan requires many materials and specific combinations, and he realized that the bottlenecks he’d been facing were completely solved by your data. He’s convinced your information is genuine."

Outless added Chen Feng to a private channel; including Chen Feng, there were only six people. The others were: "Engineer," a Dwarf Thief from the US region; "Safe Passage," a Human Mage from the Korean region; "World Bank," a Human Warlock from New Zealand; and "Play the Earth," a Human Paladin from the UK.

"Welcome to God’s Wing." As soon as Chen Feng entered the channel, everyone expressed their warm welcome.

World Bank had already calculated the returns. "With this data, we can earn at least 200 million. If we invest in further development, I think we can expand that to 500 to 800 million."

So valuable? Chen Feng knew his data was worth money, and selling it to a pro-team would have fetched millions, but he hadn't expected it to be worth this much to God’s Wing. He finally understood the capabilities of this organization; their ability to generate wealth was the most formidable in the gaming world, and every business they touched was highly lucrative.

"Duan Chen Feng, you and Outless will be our combat players. Our other members rarely take action themselves. This doesn't mean we are weak or better than you, but in our organization, we rely on a division of labor, and your capabilities in the game are indeed stronger and more suitable for this role." Safe Passage, the only female player in the association, briefly introduced Chen Feng’s position.

"I’m just a street punk. It’s an honor to join your association, and being a hired gun is my greatest strength. If anyone offends you in the future, just send me their game ID and a screenshot, and I’ll take care of them for you." Chen Feng lacked high academic credentials or significant real-world capital; the main reason he had been admitted was that Outless valued him and knew he had a strong gaming background. Of course, Chen Feng emphasized his role as an assassin—his specialty—so they would know his true value.

"Chen Feng, we hope you keep all God’s Wing matters highly confidential. Under no circumstances should you leak anything. If you run into any trouble, our members will do everything in their power to help you." Engineer reminded him that confidentiality was paramount. While making money inevitably led to some leaks, few people would dare expose God’s Wing; it posed no threat to them, and they wouldn't get the benefit of future cooperation.

"No problem." Chen Feng had heard of God’s Wing back when he was in his old organization; they had once requested a batch of equipment from them. The organization was incredibly mysterious, and Chen Feng had only ever heard the name, never knowing the members. There were only six of them, so the chance of a leak was minimal. However, the organization had many peripheral members scattered across the globe. As capital became globalized, they needed investments to keep their funds rolling, and those investments acted as their eyes and ears.

In God’s Wing, using gaming as a primary source of income was effectively a "bug" in this era; it allowed for rapid capital accumulation without breaking the law, ensuring their safety while playing to their strengths. Given their status, they had no need to engage in dangerous activities or tarnish their reputations.

With God’s Wing as his backing, many things became easier for Chen Feng. "I intend to take over the Iron King City. When the time comes, I’ll need your cooperation. If this main city belongs to us, it should be worth a lot of money."

"The Iron King City in District 25? That’s no child's play. Chen Feng, how certain are you?" Safe Passage was shocked. They had thought Chen Feng just had some data to help them make a quick buck; they hadn't expected him to have such grand schemes. Even they wouldn't dare target a tribal main city, yet Chen Feng had a plan.

Outless felt he hadn't misjudged Chen Feng. He hadn't expected this guy to be so formidable—daring to target Iron King City, the most powerful main city besides the Orc King City in the center of the continent.

"I’ve already received the mission, though it’s not yet time to act. As long as I build up enough military strength and hire people to handle the perimeter, it should be no problem." Chen Feng thought of something. "I received intelligence: in four days, the tribes will launch a massive army to attack every national region. Think about whether there’s a way to profit from that."

Chen Feng’s data wouldn't turn into cash if kept in his head; the greatest skill of God’s Wing was maximizing the value of information. Chen Feng was happy to let them handle it. This would also elevate his status within the association, ensuring he wouldn't be ranked lower than Outless.

"Crow, I didn't know you had so much intel! You should have said something sooner!" Outless felt Chen Feng had truly exceeded his expectations. How did he get this info? Even Outless couldn't get his hands on it, yet Chen Feng knew.

"You didn't ask. You’re God’s Wing; if you’d given me some money, I would have told you earlier." Chen Feng couldn't be bothered with Outless. They were friends and enemies at the same time, and Chen Feng wasn't about to spill his secrets. Even as members of the same organization, that wouldn't change.

Outless had recruited him largely because if Chen Feng had joined the Aegis Association, he would have blocked Outless from doing many things. Outless had never feared anyone in the game except for Chen Feng. The biggest enemy of God’s Wing was the Aegis Association, and many past deals had been ruined because of them.

Chen Feng’s value was increasing. In God’s Wing, everything was about profit. The more he could provide, the faster he would be recognized. His ability was already acknowledged by everyone. His status within the association would only rise.

"We will calculate the potential profits from the data you provided and begin disseminating it through our channels. If you have any more information, notify us as soon as possible so we can monetize it." After receiving the news, World Bank began various assessments to maximize the value of the intel. Every piece of information had value, and it was just a matter of finding the right channel to capitalize on it.

Exiting the God’s Wing channel, Chen Feng sent a message to Mary, turning down the invitation to the Aegis Association.