"Wow, the list is quite extensive."

"They even got the cities they control and where the key buildings are."

"This definitely doesn’t sound like an impromptu hit list."

The elite team leaders muttered among themselves. Such a hit list was way too detailed to be thought of on the spot.

"How long had you planned on targeting them?" Veronica twitched her brows and inquired. As someone who was the closest to the operation that Vanguard Guild does, she was actually clueless about this topic.

In fact, she didn’t even recognize more than half of the NPCs on the hit list.

As for the players that were also included in the hit list, she wasn’t surprised by it because they were the same people whom she had informed Xu Feng.

Carmen remained silent, but her gaze was locked on Xu Feng.

"You all know about my promotion to a Viscount, right?" He exhaled softly and said. "Then you should also know that NPCs behave no differently than players. And since that was the case, my promotion would definitely invoke some jealousy among those who are close to promotion or even have the chance to gain a promotion."

They all nodded their heads in agreement.

The Vanguard Guild would have also reacted the same if it weren’t for the absolute fair conduct and transparency that allowed them to see where they fell short.

No nepotism, no bribing, and absolutely no corruption.

Well, the first one was a bit skeptical to most members, but later on, when the contribution and achievement were revealed, it proved that the promotion was logical.

After all, Zhao Kai’s presence was truly close to invisible to many members, and they seriously doubted he should have a Guild Commander rank unless some nepotism was involved.

And they would be correct that nepotism was indeed a bit involved, but the latter soon proved himself with factual evidence.

Hence, all the resentments and grudges were wiped clean.

"Damn, to think NPC is also a bunch of jealous fucks!" Lightning Blade cursed loudly. He couldn’t fathom these NPCs’ actions.

Just because of jealousy and a lost chance of promotion, they were willing to twist black and white to target their own people.

It would have been fine if the world were still peaceful. But the current world was at war with the Colossuses.

Was it really the time for internal conflict when everyone’s attention should be targeted at the threat?

"Blade, you should try to watch some drama or read novels. There are indeed villains with a brain the size of a pea living here. They don’t care about the overall situation and only themselves." Xu Feng ignored his curses and calmly explained.

To be honest, he wasn’t that surprised by the NPCs; he remembered to pull the same moves as his past timeline.

Some people could indeed change their ways, but oftentimes, the majority would never change.

"Sigh, people really are something else." Carmen frowned.

"It goes to show that the Divine World really is like the real world." Veronica wasn’t that surprised by the selfishness of some people.

"Yeah, the world is really shit!" 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Good thing that there are some exceptions."

The others nodded in a sentimental mood. They had seen their fair share of selfish people, especially in the workplace.

"Anyway, now’s not the time for some world philosophy." Xu Feng clasped his hands. "For the hit list, I will make a team of 2. So with 8 people here, we should have 4 teams."

"What about you then?" Carmen questioned. In the end, he was still going on a solo adventure while assigning them something else.

"Me?" Xu Feng pointed at himself. "I naturally need to head to the Empire’s council for a hearing."

"A hearing?" Aside from Carmen, almost everyone raised their eyebrows in confusion.

What did he mean by a hearing?

"Do you not know about courts?" He was pretty certain people should understand laws and courts by now. After all, there had been so many dramas revolving around the courtroom.

"Courts?" It took Carmen a few moments before realization dawned upon her. "You mean like a noble courtroom for the accusation thrown at you? Is that actually possible within the Divine World?"

"My goodness... Why do I feel more and more terrified by the Divine World’s conduct?"

"Indeed, it’s like we’re really living in another world. The only difference is that we can just log out and call it a day when we’re tired."

While they were baffled by the news, Xu Feng’s system message had been bombarded by NPCs.

There was the Starfall City Adventure Guild’s Howard and Jessica, City Lord Magnus, and, even more surprisingly, Herbalist Elias.

He hadn’t heard from Herbalist Elias much ever since he sold the herbs he had robbed from the Miracle Herb Garden. This goes to show how serious and severe the accusation was if he didn’t show up at the Aetheria Empire in time to defend himself.

After all, this was a very sensitive time. It wasn’t even an exaggeration to call it a witch hunt, in which all those accused of betraying humanity would be subjected to many investigations.

Needless to say, it wasn’t like the authorities were going to blindly believe the accuser either.

The accuser needed to provide ample evidence to support their claim; otherwise, they would be punished according to the same crime they tried to pin on others.

With such a system, it was obvious that nobody would attempt to falsely accuse another unless they were prepared for death.

And now that so many nobles had collectively come forward to accuse him of betraying humanity, the higher-ups were definitely alerted and treated this case with utmost importance.

’Good thing Herbalist Elias is on my side.’ Xu Feng thought to himself when he finished reading the message from Elias.

Herbalist Elias: I’ve heard the accusation thrown by those fencesitters. Do be reassured, as I’ve made my stance clear to those in the law circle. If they dare to paint you as a traitor without sufficient evidence, then they can forget about having any herbal supplies.