"Are you willing to waste that kind of time though?" WintersEmbrace fired back as she stepped out from the crowd. "We can easily grab some followers and leave before you can do anything about it!"
The rest of the crowd nodded in agreement with her argument, giving Exile pause to his threat. 'I see. This must be why Valheim is so quiet. They're struggling to find an answer to this problem.' Exile secretly tried to activate Minor Miracle while targeting Winter's oracle, who stood beside her. However, even he seemed to be protected. 'I guess that solution is out of the window...'
'Even if Bjorn attacks them, I doubt Ania and he have any protection from their miracles...' Exile's eyes reduced themselves to slits as he glared at the players. 'It would be a massacre if I tried to target them that way...'
Exile felt a headache coming on as he realised the gravity of the situation. 'The others must be facing something similar...' Eventually, he let his expression soften as he focused on Winter. He had a rough feeling that she was the cause of the players banding together like this.
"Let's talk openly then... What will it take for you to leave? Just remember... I can always hunt you down later..." Exile was in no mood to let them think that they entirely had the upper hand in this negotiation.
There was a slight pause in the crowd as a few of them stared at the ground. Nobody wanted to offend someone who was already higher level than them. Especially with the penalty involved for losing their oracle or dying too many times.
"You said that you have a Pantheon?" A cunning smile crept across Winter's face as she eyed Exile up. "Then I think we have a solution..."
Exile frowned as he heard this. He had a feeling that he knew where this was going. "What do you suggest?"
"Simple! Let us all join! It'll be a win-win for all of us. You get more players on your team, we get experienced players to help us survive. What do you think?" Winter's smile almost reached her eyes.
However, Exile's frown grew deeper. He felt like the group had been angling for something like this from the start. 'It makes sense... They'll be easy prey once they reach Valheim. They need to rely on someone stronger. This was never about followers!'
Exile stroked his beard as he considered the proposal. Although he was unhappy at being manipulated this way, it was an excellent opportunity for them to quickly fill the Pantheon's ranks. 'If there's thirteen of them here, how many at the other temples?' This was one of the issues that held Exile back from agreeing right away.
After all, they only had eighteen spots left in the Pantheon. He had a suspicion that the number would grow as the Pantheon's tier increased. However, they did not know how to do that yet. They could be stuck with this first batch of players for months before they found a clue. There was no way they could stop some kind of conflict if this was the same scenario playing out at the other temples.
'Plus, we don't know these people. We'll be outnumbered by the new teammates. It'll be hard to keep them in check...' Exile sighed as he considered the pros and cons. That was when a thought struck him. 'Maybe... I can play them off against each other...'
"Indeed... Your suggestion sounds like a good one. However, we can't just take anybody..." Exile let out a savage grin that froze the smile on Winter's face. "We have limited slots available and your group is not the only one trying to join us."
The crowd before Exile suddenly started to complain. They had thought that this would be a done deal. However, they had not expected the player in control of this area to already be in a Pantheon. They had originally thought to threaten him and form a new Pantheon altogether, using the experienced player for their Pantheon Leader.
"Since you want to join The Ragnarok Pantheon, I will set a test. Not only do you have to outperform those around you, but also those in the other areas. Nothing is guaranteed." Exile cast his gaze over the players one by one. He had to stifle a laugh as he saw the ugly expression on Winter's face.
"Go to Korden, those who prove themselves by gaining followers and improving their levels will have a spot in Ragnarok!" Exile declared loudly, leaving them no time to think about it!
Immediately, several players broke off from the pack with their oracles and sprinted in the direction that Exile was pointing! Winter looked around helplessly as her plan of a united front fell apart! This had now just become a competition where everyone was out for themselves!
Winter shot a hate-filled glare at Exile before turning on her heels and racing off! There was no way she could afford to miss out on this opportunity! Those who got left behind after this would most likely not amount to much in the game. Ania and Bjorn stared at the crowd rushing towards Korden in shock.
Exile could not help but laugh as he thought about the disaster that he had just sent Donna's way. 'Oh, she's really going to hate me now! I'll need to get in touch with the others and have them set up something similar...'
"Lord Exile..." Bjorn began as he stared at the gleeful expression on Exile's face. "If you wanted to take control of Korden, I would have happily set up a temple for you there...."
"Forget it, Bjorn... That place is DonnaThaGreat's territory. It's better to attack her with gods who can't be traced back to us..." Exile smiled warmly as he glanced at his side.
"Hm? But she has no power there since I killed her oracle? Did she find a new one? Or did I get the wrong person?" Bjorn grumbled in a low voice that Exile failed to hear.