[Biden Town. Viper Guild Headquarters.]

​Sunny and the group, stopped in front of a huge, imposing building in Biden Town. The architecture was solid, grim, and utterly lacking in ornamentation, reflecting the guild's ruthless reputation. Sunny glanced over his shoulder, noticing all the commoners swiftly keeping their distance from Elara and her team—a clear testament to their notoriety.

​"It seems you have a difficult task at hand to rehabilitate your image," Sunny commented, turning to face Elara, whose face was usually hard but now showed a fleeting expression of concern.

​"I know," Elara replied with a small, determined smile. "But I can do it. The price you are paying gives me the leverage to demand it."

​"Sir Alex!!"

"Boss!!"

​The group turned their heads as Qin Li, dressed in elegant training robes, rushed towards them. Following closely were Precious, the leader of the Rising Star Guild, and ten of her best-trained mercenaries.

​Qin Li stopped before them and immediately fixed a confused, severe frown on Elara. As the Young Master of the Qin family, he knew the Viper Guild's reputation.

​"Sir Alex, is something wrong? Do you need help?" Qin Li asked, instinctively assuming Sunny, the valuable foreigner, was in danger or being strong-armed.

​"Oh no," Sunny said, a subtle, confident smile playing on his lips. "Elara here is now my Subordinate, or rather, the leader of my newest acquisition. Elara, this is Young Master Qin Li of the Qin family, an acquaintance, and this is Precious, the Leader of the Rising Star Mercenary Guild—a key asset of mine."

"....?!!"

Qin Li and Precious were stunned by his words.

​Elara's eyes widened slightly in surprise, confirming her earlier suspicion that he already possessed a network. 'So he has a successful, established guild already working for him. If this goes smoothly, the Viper Guild will be his second, doubling his immediate operational power.'

​She quickly addressed Sunny, her voice dropping to a serious, informational tone. "Boss, one of the elders, Marcus, is difficult. He is at the late stage of the Third Order rank. I know he is weak compared to you, but he currently holds the majority influence among the old council. The Viper Guild has a total of fifty members, and forty-five of them are inside."

​"Fifty. That's impressive for a guild not aligned with a major clan," Sunny nodded, jumping down from his Lion mount and helping Josephine descend. He was perfectly aware of the power dynamics.

​"Open the door," he commanded.

​One of Elara's men rushed forward and unlatched the heavy wooden door. The view revealed a huge, dimly lit hall, filled with rough-looking men and women from the Viper Guild. Standing at the center were the three elders: Marcus, Lucy, and Turner—all Third Order powerhouses, radiating suspicion and defiance.

​"I will come with you, Sir Alex," Qin Li offered, walking a foot behind Sunny and Josephine, his presence a subtle backing. Elara took the steps ahead, leading the way into the hall.

​"Marcus, Lucy, and Turner," Elara called out, her voice echoing in the hall as she stopped before the elders. She turned around to face the assembled members, her stance one of defiance against the sudden internal challenge she sensed.

​"All of you," she announced, her voice strong despite her apprehension. "You all know we are an independent guild; no one can buy us, not the Qin, nor the other families. But this young man here—Sir Alex—just did. And his offer will benefit every single one of us."

​She spoke not of power, but of the chance for redemption and wealth. "We have done a lot of bad things because we needed money, some things we hated ourselves for. But now, we have the chance to change all that! To buy our reputation back!" She snapped her fingers, and the five bags of gold coins appeared on the floor in front of her.

​"These five bags are filled with 10,000 gold coins. That's the first monthly payment for the five of us who just pledged fealty. If you want yours—your guaranteed wage that will exceed our current four-month collective earnings—you just need to sign the bond scroll," she challenged.

​"And what is that?" Lucy, a grim-faced woman, asked with a skeptical frown.

​Elara turned to Sunny, who waved his hand. Forty-five identical Alliance Bond Scrolls materialized instantly, hovering silently in front of every person present, bathing the hall in a faint, otherworldly glow.

​"Sign it with your blood, and you get yours," Elara directed.

​"Hahaha!!" Marcus burst out laughing, a loud, derisive sound. He reached out, grabbed the nearest scroll, and tried to tear it with his strength. It didn't budge.

​"....?!"

Marcus added more force, channeling his full late-stage Third Order strength, but the parchment remained whole. He was genuinely stunned.

​"Forget it!" He tossed the scroll aside, his face red with indignation. He pointed his finger directly at Elara.

​"While you were away chasing a mad scheme, I called everyone back and held a vote! The majority decided on changing the current leader of the Guild!" Marcus declared, seizing the moment of perceived weakness.

"And now... you come in here saying we should submit to this young guy? Claiming he has that much money? Look here, there are forty-five people here! Does he have that much gold for all of us every month?!"

​Elara was momentarily stunned by the internal betrayal. "You guys voted?" she asked, the surprise audible in her voice.

​"Yes!!" Marcus roared, bringing out a rolled-up parchment. He threw it at her feet. "You are nothing anymore! You no longer speak for the Viper Guild!"

​Elara was speechless, feeling the rug yanked out from under her. She looked over her shoulder at Sunny, awaiting direction.

​"Handle this," Sunny commanded simply, remaining silent, his gaze impassive. He was testing her leadership and commitment, not his own power.

​Elara nodded, understanding the immediate test of command. She wouldn't fail.

​"Ok then!!" Elara yelled, her voice cutting through the hall's tension. "All of you know if I was a bad or a good leader! I don't care about this fabricated vote or your petty internal squabbles! What I care about is changing your lives—securing your futures with wealth and legitimacy!"

​She pointed a commanding finger toward Marcus, then back to the scrolls. "If you want to join Marcus, move to his side now! If you want to join the new Boss—Sir Alex—and gain your guaranteed 10,000 gold coins every single month, move towards me!" Her gaze was cold, demanding commitment and loyalty right now.

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