"Great..." Linlin nodded before continuing, "You see, I noticed you've been going to the palace quite frequently—"
"No." Rael cut her off. "I'm not going to incriminate myself."
"Hear me out." Linlin shot back with an annoyed glare. "It's nothing like that, I just need you to get a message across to someone."
Rael tilted his head. "Sure?"
As long as the message she wanted delivered wasn't anything outrageous, he could bring it up to Zafira in casual talk.
"I started an organization... But I want to make it into an Order," Linlin said, making his brows twitch.
Is she crazy? She wants something on par with the royal knights?
"To form an Order, you need at least 500 people. Do you have that many on board?" Rael asked, giving her the benefit of the doubt.
"There are eleven people in my organization," Linlin replied flatly. "But I can assure you, all of them are skilled, intelligent, and, of course, ready to help Celestara in its time of need."
Rael let out an exhausted sigh. "I can't help you. You know the rules. Despite my relationship with the queen, I can't risk sabotaging everything over some random whim of yours."
"It's not a whim!" Linlin stated. "I'm serious about this, look..."
As her words fell, a system prompt appeared in front of Rael.
Hmm...? Rael's curiosity was immediately piqued upon seeing the name.
However, a moment later, his eyes widened.
Radiant fucking Dawn? The same powerhouses who numbered less than 20 and controlled an entire continent?
They were a ragtag group, and even without his interference, they would be recognized as an Order within a year or so.
But of course, they wouldn't be tied down to Celestara.
Nonetheless, he put those thoughts on hold and clicked on the pop-up.
Immediately, it displayed all of their main achievements, while neatly hiding the names of the other 10 members.
<(x109) Level 150+ Dungeons Cleared!>
Despite seeing only three, Rael was convinced.
The level scaling back in the game was massive, and the higher you were, the higher you could go.
While he was still level 209 and messing around, some players had already reached the late 1000's.
But still, for Linlin and her newly formed group, this was impressive.
"How new is this group of yours?" Rael asked.
"I formed it two months ago, during the time when the former king of Celestara and the current queen were still going at each other's throats," Linlin explained patiently. "The people in my organization are those I trust with all my heart."
"I don't doubt that..." Rael grumbled inwardly before narrowing his eyes. "You know freeing me in the courtyard isn't enough for this kind of favor, right?"
"I'm aware..." Linlin said, falling silent. "I'm sorry for acting tough with you, but I really need this. I'll do anything."
"Anything?" Rael asked with a raised brow, causing her to flinch. "I'm just kidding. I don't need any sexual favors. But I want you, or rather, this group of yours, to owe me one."
"That's fine." Linlin replied with a relieved sigh. "We'll back you in case something is up... Of course, that's only if you succeed in convincing the queen."
"I'm aware, nudist girl." Rael said as he walked past her. "Whether it works or not, I'll let you know later."
Just as he was about to leave, a thought struck him, and he turned toward her.
Zafira managed to send him a friend request somehow, so he tried replicating it.
Instead of tapping something in the air, he focused on Linlin's eyes, thinking of sending a friend request, and it seemed that was all it took.
"Hm?" Linlin tilted her head, her eyes widening, before pressing in the air.
"See you later." He waved with a teasing smile and began walking away, leaving her in the alleyway.
It seemed like a bit more work was added to his nightly routine, and he might as well finish it now.
Checking his friends list, he pressed on Zafira Sutekh.
Immediately, a messaging interface popped up.
Rael didn't waste any time and began detailing his encounter, while also trying to convince Zafira why this was a good idea.
Which, frankly, seemed stupid and selfish as he finished writing, but he still hit send.
He paced around until finally, his system dinged, and with that...
A smile tugged at his lips.
With that, he decided to break the news to Linlin.
There was a moment of complete silence, but it was soon broken by her message.
"Pfft..." Rael held back a chuckle as he finally arrived at the banana juice inn.
"Ready to get some banana juices inside you—Oh, it's you. Welcome back." The innkeeper nodded at Rael, who merely sat down and ordered a pizza.
In the meantime, he checked his messages, as Linlin sent another.
Bruh. Rael couldn't help but facepalm.
He could only laugh at her awkwardness, but at least that was settled for now.
A strong ally was always valuable, and if things went right, he would have some end-game protection.
But for now, he would focus on setting himself up for the beta release instead.
<(x3) Crystallite Set (Common) has been crafted!>
[MP -150,000 17,100/167,100 (Crystal Weaving)]
It's time to pull an all-nighter.