"Ah! I didn't mean to scare you," Ume gasped, offering her hand.

I was sensitive due to Bloodline Resonance and radiation from the High-Tier crystals, so Ume's sudden appearance produced a shocking reaction in my body.

"Have you handled the situation outside?" I asked, rising to my feet.

"Umm… y-yes… I did," she murmured, averting her eyes.

"What are you hiding?"

"No… nothing," she stammered and immediately changed the topic. "You defeated the beast so fast. You didn't get injured, right?"

She scanned my face and hands, making sure that I hadn't suffered any wounds.

"How did you get this cut?" she asked, looking at my hand.

"Oh, it's nothing. The essence inside needed proof of me as its owner, so I poured my blood onto it," I replied nonchalantly.

"Huh? But why would you do that when you aren't even its owner?"

"Similar to the Amrita water, I can feel the same familiarity with the essence, so it acknowledged me as its owner when I poured my blood into it."

"Hmm, your bloodline is truly mysterious," Ume murmured, her arms folded in deep thought.

"So where is the essence?" she asked after a brief pause.

"The essence is unstable because of the missing parts, so I didn't bring it with me," I sighed. "We need the remaining two shards to make it stable."

The two of us left the tunnel, and as I reached the underground village, all the slaves were gathered before the wall, bowing to me.

"Harbinger of the Dawn!"

"Harbinger of the Dawn!"

"Harbinger of the Dawn!"

.

.

.

"Long live Sir Lucifer Morningstar!"

"Long live Sir Lucifer Morningstar!"

"Long live Sir Lucifer Morningstar!"

.

.

.

The underground village resounded with the cries of the freed slaves, their grateful faces turned toward me as though I were a divine presence.

"U-Ume, what did you do?" I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.

"I merely stated the facts—that you brought an end to El Dorado, and that your current efforts are focused on liberating the Abandoned Land by removing the remaining criminal forces and abolishing slavery," she murmured in a low voice.

"Sigh… now I feel guilty for coming only for the essence."

---

The task of wiping out the guards and knights, below and above the city, which we thought would at least take a day or two, was done in less than an hour. Even the main mission of killing the beast behind the gate was also completed within the same day, as the over-exaggerated beast turned out to be disappointingly weak.

The ring that Ume gave to Vyrion and Jambavan contained a teleportation array which Ume had created and linked with Nyx's arrays.

"Vyrion's group probably hasn't reached Ashenfall, and Jambavan will take a whole month to reach Hollowreach," I sighed, sitting at the threshold of the Mayor's castle. "We can't go anywhere for the next ten days."

Although the castle wasn't as grand as the one in Forlorn City, it had its own advantage of being on the upper surface.

"You are correct, but we shouldn't leave the city in turmoil after suddenly overthrowing the ruling bodies," Ume replied, sitting beside me. "Use this time to establish the new order in the city."

"But I don't know how to do that," I frowned, releasing a lazy sigh.

"You mustn't make excuses," Ume nagged. "I'm aware of your leadership qualities. You have performed admirably in establishing order in Forlorn City. Besides, I'm also here. I shall guide you on how to calm this unrest."

And just like that, she coaxed me into spending the next ten days calming the chaos in the city. We held several exams for different kinds of services—new guards, knights, watchmen, and also for a new Mayor.

The question paper was personally created by Ume, which made the examinees show their real nature and values on paper, so every person we selected was perfect for that specific role.

We used the same payment system for the mine workers that we had created in Forlorn City.

---

"Don't abuse your powers. Rule the city well and make it prosper," I said to the woman kneeling before me whom we chose as the new Mayor of the city.

She was what the people of this era called a lowborn—a twenty-five-year-old daughter of a shoe shiner, but pure of heart and clever of mind. Short hair, an upfront personality, and the desire to make this city a better place for everyone. The name of this woman was Saleria.

"I thank you for trusting me with such a heavy duty, Sir Morningstar," Saleria said in a loud, firm voice. "I vow to use this power only for the benefit of the citizens of this city!"

We completed the ceremony at the city square, letting the entire population know that I was the one who made her Mayor, and that opposing her would be the same as opposing me.

I handed her the keys to the castle and declared while walking past her, "An inspector will come every month to collect the Soul Stones and check the condition of the city. I hope the city won't disappoint me."

The city's people gave a ninety-degree bow to us as Ume and I left the city.

---

"Finally, it's done!" I exclaimed, raising my hands the moment we exited the city gates.

"You have done well," Ume said, patting my back.

"Huff… it was so tiring, but I did learn a lot."

I softly grabbed Ume's hand, kissed her dorsum, and murmured, "Thanks for guiding me, my Lady."

"Don't forget to buy me a lot of ice creams," Ume replied with a bright smile, making my heart skip a beat.

"Y-your smile is so heavenly, Ume," the words unknowingly left my lips.

"Aiyaa! Stop with your cheesy lines," she blurted, grabbing my hand tightly.

The two of us reached the teleportation array in an awkward silence, holding each other's hands.

"I should check if they set up the array," Ume said, pulling her hand away and moving to the pole of the array where another High-Tier crystal lay at its center.

She passed her Soulforce into the stone and, a moment later, declared, "I can sense the teleportation array in the east."

"Hell yeah! Let's go!!"

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