The Cost of Success  

"Congratulations, dear friends from Tsimikas." Said Sylvester Reinhardt with a snicker.

Letty, still acting as Queen Abyss, walked forward to talk on behalf of her friends, "Lord Reinhardt, thank you for your kind words, but it was a group effort." As Letty spoke, she removed her hood, revealing her appearance. Everyone expected her to be beautiful due to her incredible body visible through her tight robe, but not to this extent.

The woman in front of Reinhardt had slightly tanned skin devoid of any imperfections, a slim, pointy nose, and slightly plump, cherry-like lips, which made people want to bite them. Her exotic looks left people wondering about her actual age, but she still did not look older than twenty-five.

She had hazel-coloured eyes, plus a pair of perfect, long eyelashes which would definitely make any man with working nether regions unable to look away each time she blinked.

Why? Because her beauty was not anything less than divine! She was a goddess! One that very few people would be able to measure up to in terms of looks. However, when speaking of working nether regions, her slim waist, massive bosom, and wide hips were simply too alluring.

She wasn't as tall as Reinhardt, she was actually a few heads shorter than him, and she would probably also be much shorter compared to other girls her age.

However, most people, not necessarily only men, wouldn't give a dog's shit about that. Her figure was even better than that of a model, resembling a perfect hourglass, and even her slightly oval face was that of a beautiful actress!

The long, voluminous, raven black hair broke free of the constraints tying them into a ponytail and fell down her back like a waterfall. Reinhardt found it difficult to take his eyes off her, but he was able to because Letty was not the only attention grabber as well.

Alice wore tight-fitting leather armour that left little to the imagination. Her skin was as smooth as the finest jade. Not a single blemish or flaw was in sight. Her blonde hair flowed like water down a heavenly stream, unrestricted. Her blue eyes contained attractive wisdom that could not be hidden. The figure was so seductive that it seemed mathematically unsound. Her breasts were like mountains. Standing large and proud. Her hips were incredibly large, and her waist was so slim it made one want to hug her.

'Where did Tsimikas get these heavenly beauties? Since when were they this common?'

Alice had already caused a commotion among the observers long ago, and now Letty added to that equation. Reinhardt was normally quite composed, but there was no hiding the raging lust in his eyes. Letty did not bother hiding her disgust and crossed her arms across her ample bosom.

"I assume you did not come here to congratulate us?" she said with an unfriendly tone.

"Well, how astute. Anyway, my friends and I have come to make a proposition." Said Reinhardt with a smile.

As he grinned, the nearby users enclosed the Tsimikas contingent and started to gather the World Energy in the surroundings.

"What is the meaning of this?" barked Letty as she backed up slowly.

"Well, it has occurred to me and my friends that Tsimikas has been getting a bit too big for its shoes. I heard that you have some mythril. These days, holding onto something that dangerous without having the power to back it up can be a bit…dangerous.

Of course, if you submitted to Reinhardt and joined my nation by becoming a vassal, I would be more than happy to protect you and your friends." Said Reinhardt as his eyes roamed around the bodies of the two otherworldly beauties.

"You can take the mines; we don't need them." Said Letty after a moment. Her words stunned the listeners. They had expected some resistance, but she had surprisingly acquiesced easily. The others could not understand why she had done so, but Duke and co did nothing to oppose her decision.

'It seems the analysis was right; she is useless in an area surrounded by concentrated yang energy!'

Duke's Solar Burst Arrow had turned the environment into a concentration of positive energy. The worst possible environment for a Necromancer. Letty could not even exhibit 10% of her power under such circumstances. There were no more souls and undead for her to use. Duke had also exhausted a lot of energy. Divine Energy of that tier was not something that level 99 fighters could use so casually. Thus Letty and Duke were no longer threats to the others.

Reinhardt was shocked but pleased. His eyes then landed on Duke as he said, "Splendid then, all you have to do is hand over the Sun Chasing Bow, become my woman, and the deal will be complete!"

Duke narrowed his eyes as his suspicions were proved. The mythril was indeed important, but it paled in comparison to the value of a divine object with a complete inheritance. Everyone present had seen the power of the bow. Although Reinhardt wasn't an archer, he could still trade it to one for an object or knowledge of equal value. If he allowed a small nobody like Duke to hold onto such a treasure, he would be seen as a laughing stock.

His desire for Letty was also expected. Beauty and power were the most attractive to any user in the system. Duke was surprised that Reinhardt had not actually demanded Alice as well.

Letty scoffed in derision and said, "And what if we refuse?"

"If you refuse, we will wipe you all from the map." Said one of the leaders behind Reinhardt. He was a lightning mage called Emile the Azure, well known for his destructive capabilities and the leader of the Smith-Rowe Alliance. 

Reinhardt smiled as he said, "There is no need to be impulsive. You are still young and talented. Besides, Duke received knowledge and a blessing from Hou YI; even without the bow, he will still become a future powerhouse. If you join me, I can introduce you to the true peak of the world. Kolladas Tis Moira is small and Ta Dasi even smaller. The 8 of us are planning to unite our nations and rise to the level of a City. With our combined might, we can unite all of Ta Dasi, Kolladas Tis Moira and spread out from here!" said Reinhardt with a passionate fervour.

"You are destined to be a queen, and only one such as Reinhardt is worthy of being your king. Joining us can only have benefits," said Emile.

Another mage by his side in white robes and also a leader chimed in, "Be appreciative of this opportunity, I would do anything to be Lord Reinhardt's woman, but he has chosen you, so be grateful!"

'Seems the rumours are true.' Mused Duke as he watched the ongoing discussions.

Rumours had been flying around stating that Reinhardt was the child of a powerful user from a neighbouring region that had control of a powerful City. Thus he had an incredible backing that many feared and respected. It was not surprising that many would want to ride the wave of his backing and ascend to the heavens.

Letty did not have to bother thinking before she gave her reply, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I cannot agree to those terms."

Reinhardt had expected to be rejected; after all, he had not instilled any fear into her. He had expected some resistance and even hoped for it. That way, he could thoroughly beat her and make her submit. 

'She doesn't know who she is dealing with.' Reinhardt and his friends had not shown their true strength and thus believed Letty underestimated them. In truth, they could all match Duke without him using Soul Chain Share, and the more talented ones, like Reinhardt, had already started to apply concepts to their attacks. Even if Letty and Duke were at their peak, Reinhardt was confident in defeating them.

"It's a shame; I don't know why you have to be so stubborn; do you know how many women would kill to be in your position?" said the white-robed mage in rage.

"Well, I have a good reason." Letty's actions were carefully scrutinized by the others. It was well known that Queen Abyss did not speak much, but today she had said a lot. This gave her words more weight than usual, compelling others to pay attention, "I can't give away what doesn't belong to me."

It took a moment for her words to register in the minds of the listeners. Reinhardt was no fool and quickly understood her meaning. His attention turned to Duke, his eyes filled with burning hostility. If Duke was the one who was truly in charge, it would be unacceptable. 

As far as Reinhardt was concerned, he was the only man worthy of controlling Letty and having beauties such as Alice under his command. He had completely disregarded Woodsy and the others. These words had turned Duke from an eyesore to a threat, one that had to be removed.

Gazes filled with envy were directed at Duke. He quickly raised his hands and said, "Hey man, I'm not in charge either." Duke's words quickly diffused the situation and calmed the observers, but his words also led to some confusion.

"If you are not in charge, then who is it?" asked Reinhardt. The others also looked, eager to see who the leader was. Was it the simple-looking Woodsy? Or the devilishly enchanting Alice? Perhaps it was Achilles? Before other assumptions could be made, a calm voice reached the ears of the observers.

"I believe she is talking about me, bro."