The Shelter Game: Me, Starting with a Tenfold Drop Rate

As Irving and Vicky made their escape toward the headquarters of the Angel Guild, the atmosphere inside the Angel Guild headquarters grew increasingly oppressive. Aron and Anna, along with the members of the Angel Guild, had been searching the premises for a long time, but they had failed to locate the Envoy of Filth. This situation made both of them feel a sense of impending danger.

"What kind of method is the Envoy of Filth using to hide? How is it even possible?!" Aron paced anxiously in the conference room, continuously questioning Anna.

Anna's expression was filled with worry at that moment. She wanted to answer Aron's questions, but she didn't know the answers either. "I think we can't rely on our own strength to find the Envoy of Filth. Shouldn't we ask Irving for help? I believe Irving has already dealt with the trouble from James."

After thinking for a moment, Anna ultimately felt that seeking Irving's assistance was the best course of action. However, Aron did not accept Anna's suggestion. To him, they could not delegate everything to Irving. If every issue had to be resolved by Irving, what purpose did their existence serve?

"We cannot ask Irving for help right now! We're not even sure how he is faring himself! If Irving is in crisis too, we cannot be a burden to him."

As soon as Aron finished speaking, there was a heavy knock on the conference room door.

"Come in!" Aron shouted toward the door.

A regular member of the Angel Guild pushed open the conference room door. With a slightly nervous tone, he addressed Aron and Anna, "Both of you, we just received news from Nick. Nick said that Irving and James lost their battle against Elder Astra. Irving managed to escape somehow, but James is missing."

Upon hearing this news, shock washed over Aron and Anna's faces.

"How could this be? How could Irving and James possibly lose?" Anna muttered in disbelief.

Aron was not as panicked as Anna, but his expression had grown considerably more grim. "Alright, I understand! Don't share this news with anyone else for now! We will quickly formulate a plan for our next steps!"

Aron dismissed the Angel Guild member immediately. "We must find the Envoy of Filth as soon as possible! If we don't locate the Envoy of Filth within the next 15 minutes, we must retreat from here immediately!"

Aron realized that the situation had become extremely dire.

Aron felt that if Irving and James had already failed, they could no longer stay at the headquarters of the Angel Guild. Although the Angel Guild's headquarters was the most important base for the organization, there were other bases available. In the surrounding cities of the City of Warding, each city had a branch base of the Angel Guild. Aron believed that at the very least, the ordinary members of the Angel Guild should retreat to a safer branch base.

Anna did not oppose Aron's decision. In fact, she was so overwhelmed by the shocking news that she had lost her ability to think clearly.

"Are you listening to me? Stop spacing out! We need to take action immediately!" Aron slammed his hand on the table.

It was only then that Anna snapped back to reality. She quickly nodded and said, "I understand! I will find the Envoy of Filth as soon as possible."

With that, Aron and Anna hurriedly resumed their search for the Envoy of Filth. They had not been searching for long when Irving arrived at the entrance of the Angel Guild headquarters with Vicky.

This time, neither Irving nor Vicky was stopped by anyone. All the members of the Angel Guild had gone off to search for the Envoy of Filth, leaving the headquarters unguarded.

Seeing the chaos inside the headquarters, Irving's expression soured significantly. "What on earth is going on? Is this place not safe anymore?"

While Vicky also sensed that something was amiss, she remained calm and even attempted to reassure Irving. "I think you shouldn't panic just yet! Perhaps the chaos at the Angel Guild headquarters is some kind of ruse."

Irving nodded. Although he did not fully agree with Vicky's assessment, he hoped that she was right.

Thus, Irving and Vicky entered the headquarters of the Angel Guild. It soon became evident that Vicky's assumption was incorrect. The chaos within the Angel Guild headquarters was not a ruse; there were very few people on guard, and everyone seemed to be anxiously searching for something.

While Vicky was unaware of what the members of the Angel Guild were looking for, Irving knew all too well. In disbelief, he muttered to himself, "Haven't they found the Envoy of Filth yet?! What are they doing?! Are the members of the Angel Guild just a bunch of useless fools?!"

Irving's anger was certainly understandable, especially since before he left, Aron and Anna had assured him with utmost confidence that they would find the Envoy of Filth as quickly as possible.

Irving quickly found Aron with Vicky by his side. Upon seeing Irving, a smile finally appeared on Aron's face. "I'm so glad to see you're alright! I just received word from Nick that you suddenly disappeared. I was worried you were facing a huge crisis."

Looking at Aron's smile, Irving coldly replied, "I was indeed in a significant crisis! However, I've managed to escape it for now. What I want to know from you is how the situation at the Angel Guild headquarters became like this. Didn't you promise me that you would find the Envoy of Filth as quickly as possible? You have yet to locate him, haven't you?"

Faced with Irving's inquiry, Aron's expression quickly turned serious. "You're right; we haven't found the Envoy of Filth. He has managed to hide himself through some means. All the members of the Angel Guild are working hard to search for him."

Upon hearing Aron's affirmative answer, Irving's expression darkened even further. He felt that the dangers were increasing more and more. He even believed they were on the brink of a catastrophe.

"If you can't find the Envoy of Filth, then stop looking for him! The other members of the Night Blades will be here any moment! We must prepare for defense!" With that, Irving turned and headed deeper into the Angel Guild headquarters with Vicky.

Irving planned to hand Vicky over to the knowledge fairy for protection. After everything that had happened, he had lost all trust in Aron and Anna. If they couldn't even find the Envoy of Filth, how could they possibly protect Vicky?

Once Irving left, Aron made a decisive call. He felt that Irving's decision was indeed the wiser one, so he immediately issued orders to the members of the Angel Guild. "All members of the Angel Guild, cease the search! Return to your posts! The headquarters is about to face an enemy attack, and we must prepare for defense!"

Under Aron's command, the members of the Angel Guild returned to their respective defensive positions.

Anna quickly returned to the previous conference room. "Why did you suddenly issue such orders? Didn't you just tell me to find the Envoy of Filth as quickly as possible?"

Anna confronted Aron, her voice filled with frustration.

Aron responded calmly, "Irving is back! And he brought some very disappointing news! We are about to be attacked by the Night Blades! So we must immediately enter a defensive state!"

Aron's answer finally brought Anna back to her senses. Although she also felt that the situation was dire, she quickly adjusted her mindset. The members of the Angel Guild headquarters immediately entered a defensive stance.

Meanwhile, Irving made his way to the innermost part of the Angel Guild headquarters. In the storage area at the deepest point, he brought Vicky to meet the knowledge fairy.

The moment Vicky saw the knowledge fairy, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Irving asked with concern.

However, it was not Vicky who answered him, but the knowledge fairy. "She will be fine. She just received an overwhelming amount of information the moment she entered here. If she rests for a bit, she will return to normal."

The knowledge fairy's response did not ease Irving's worries. He coldly asked, "So Vicky's unusual state is because of you?"

"Anyone who enters here will experience a shock from the flow of information. You should have known this, so bringing her here was quite unwise," the knowledge fairy said, observing Irving's reaction.

The knowledge fairy possessed a certain degree of prophetic ability, so he understood that Irving's purpose for coming here was to seek protection for Vicky. However, the knowledge fairy was unwilling to offer that protection, believing it unnecessary to involve himself in the conflict between Irving and the Night Blades.

During the conversation, Irving began to grasp the knowledge fairy's thoughts. But having made up his mind, he was not going to give up easily. "I hope you can protect Vicky! If you can keep her safe for a while, I will offer you a suitable reward. The reward I provide will surely satisfy you."

Upon hearing Irving's words, the knowledge fairy transformed into Vicky's likeness. "I certainly know that the reward you can offer will be satisfactory. But don't you think that doing so would put me at great risk? Why should I oppose you and the Night Blades?"

The knowledge fairy posed a question that Irving found difficult to answer. After all, the knowledge fairy was not completely antagonistic toward the Night Blades like Irving was. In fact, the knowledge fairy could collaborate with members of the Night Blades, who could provide him with valuable information and knowledge.