-368- Can't really be serious

At the edge of Floria, there is a luxurious mansion covered in flower gardens and blossoms.

This is a mansion like no other in Floria, boasting a vast garden filled with beautiful landscapes surpassing those on the streets. Various types of flowers and plants are meticulously planted in every corner, and several hired NPC gardeners are seen watering them.

"Gu!"

"Gu!"

Saichou and Hanachou, like returning birds to their nest, happily cheered and frolicked in the garden.

Rozen and Asuna, on the other hand, entered the small stone pavilion in the garden and took a seat.

"Have a cup of tea," Rozen said, as he took a white porcelain teapot that had been sitting on the stone table and poured tea into the small white teacup in front of Asuna.

"Sure," Asuna replied absently, still mesmerized by the beautiful garden outside. She subconsciously reached out to take the teacup and sipped it before being surprised.

"This... this is really delicious!" Asuna exclaimed, nearly a reflexive reaction.

Rozen chuckled. "This is a rare floral honey tea, made with a special honey that only generate a small cup each day, and it's brewed using various premium ingredients. It was immediately given the name 'Aromatic Honey Tea' by the system. If it's your first time drinking it, your AGI (Agility) will permanently increase by 1 point. Even Argo, that little rat, once begged me for a cup. It's worth 1000k, you know?"

Asuna's expression stiffened upon hearing the value. "1000k...?"

Does that mean this small cup of tea is worth 1,000,000 Col?"

"Isn't this valuable enough to buy a substantial residence on a lower floor?" Asuna exclaimed, unable to contain her complaint.

"You're putting something this precious outside? Isn't that too careless!?"

Rozen didn't seem to care. "Well, only guild members can enter here, and everyone in the guild has already had it. If they want more, the system will automatically deduct 1000k from the guild's operating funds. So, no one would want to touch it.

Given that player-owned buildings could have restricted access, Rozen set this mansion, which served as Crimson Wing's base, so only guild members could freely enter. Other players had to be brought in by guild members. As a result, basically no one except guild members could enter this place.

And since all guild members had already had the tea and received the permanent AGI boost, there was no incentive for anyone to pay 1,000,000 Col for another cup.

However, Asuna was still uneasy. "Are you sure it's okay for me to drink such a precious item of your guild?"

Rozen playfully teased, "No worries. If the other guild members find out they can invite 'Flash' for a cup of tea, they might be willing to pay 5,000k for it, especially during this time of year."

"Time of year...?" Asuna was puzzled.

Rozen sighed. "Never mind."

Although Asuna felt a bit dissatisfied, she didn't say anything further.

"I didn't expect Crimson Wing's base to be like this," Asuna commented as she admired the garden. "Our guild's headquarters is so formal and cold in comparison."

It's unavoidable, really. After all, the base of the Knights of the Blood Oath is located in Granzam, known as the City of Iron.

In such a steel city, the buildings are naturally all cold, fortress-like structures, quite the opposite of Florelia.

Asuna seemed to be affected by this realization.

Rozen, sipping his honey tea, glanced at Asuna's thoughtful expression and casually asked, "What's wrong? Are you not enjoying your time in the Knights of the Blood Oath?"

Asuna fell silent for a moment before picking up her teacup. She took small sips and softly replied, "Maybe I don't have the right to say this, but the atmosphere in the guild is just too serious and cold, almost suffocating."

The atmosphere within guilds could vary greatly depending on their operating policies.

The Moonlit Black Cats were like friends, fostering warmth and camaraderie.

The Divine Dragon's Alliance pursued their goals ruthlessly, driven by selfishness.

Crimson Wing was a bit casual and eccentric, especially recently under Rozen's influence, causing its members to become somewhat eccentric.

In the case of the Knights of the Blood Oath, looking at Heathcliff's mechanical pursuit of rationality and Kuradeel's obsessive behavior, one could imagine that the guild's atmosphere wasn't too relaxed.

"In the past, I might have understood, but now the guild has gradually become strange. It recruits members solely based on their strength, and those who can't keep up with the main force are kicked out. So players like Kuradeel can join the Knights of the Blood Oath, and it worries me about what our guild will become if this continues," Asuna lamented with a hint of bitterness.

"Of course, part of the blame is on me," she added.

In the past, Asuna had been single-mindedly focused on clearing, demanding that everyone devote all their efforts to this goal, which was one of the reasons why the Knights of the Blood Oath had become so devoid of camaraderie.

"I understand that as guilds grow larger, they inevitably become less casual. For the sake of the guild's development, more rationality and order are necessary. Only small guilds like Fuurinkazan, which don't aim for guild size and are just a group of friends clearing together, can maintain their original intentions."

Asuna looked at Rozen and continued, "But Crimson Wing seems to be an exception."

She expressed her feelings this way, and if Crimson Wing's members were to hear it, they would probably agree.

"We have a guild leader who looks lifeless every day, and a dual-blade swordsman who showoff his "Successful" life all the time. We really can't be serious," Well, as the main influencer of this habit, Rozen don't have a say in this.

Rozen, almost without thinking, said, "Well, why don't you just leave the Knights of the Blood Oath and join Crimson Wing?"

Upon hearing this, Asuna's eyes widened slightly, her cheeks turned slightly red, and she lowered her head.

Rozen suddenly realized what he had said. However, the words were already out, and there was nothing he could do but awkwardly drink his tea.

An ambiguous atmosphere hung between the two of them.