***

The next day.

Mavelard City.

The city's economic situation was gradually improving. Many guilds had started coming in solely to cooperate with LionArk, and many players were arriving because they heard that Mavelard was no longer the same place it used to be.

LionArk's influence was still present, but not overly dominant. Because of that, the city had taken on a more liberal shape, where everyone had the right to uphold their own freedom.

The LionArk guild headquarters had become the busiest place in the entire city, handling all kinds of things such as new-member training, batch-two recruitment, guild visitors, and much more.

That was where Ethan's attention was entirely focused. He didn't have much free time that day. His entire schedule was buried under piles of documents and papers.

Several people walked in and handed him new files. Many others entered the office accompanied by guild members who wished to meet Ethan in person.

When it came to land purchases in Ring 1 through Ring 3, Ethan held full authority. He alone could determine who was allowed to live and conduct business in Ring 1, Ring 2, or Ring 3.

Not only land matters, but Ethan was also responsible for the city's security, law, and military affairs.

That was why Ethan had become the most powerful person in Mavelard regarding law and security.

As for Ashley, she handled economic policy, cooperation, guild-related matters, and major decisions affecting the city. She understood economics far better than Ethan did.

The man wasn't working alone. Out of the twelve officers who had been selected, he had chosen five officers to work directly under him.

They carried out whatever tasks Ethan assigned. Three of them handled security and law, while two were responsible for land affairs.

"S-Sir Ethan?" a woman called out.

The door opened, and a female staff member stepped inside to meet him. She was the person Ethan met most often, because Ashley had assigned her as the special staff for the Vice Guild Leader.

Out of all LionArk members, she had been chosen to become Ethan's personal staff.

It was a point of pride for her, knowing she could work beside Ethan. There was even a chance she might come to know him better than anyone else, aside from Ashley.

"Come in, Sherly," Ethan answered. The staff woman's name was Sherly.

"What is it?"

"There is an envoy who has arrived at LionArk headquarters. He wants to meet with the Vice Guild Leader," Sherly explained.

"An envoy? From which guild?" Ethan asked.

"It's… Sword Liberation," Sherly said.

Ethan flinched in surprise, pausing his work the moment he heard that a representative from Sword Liberation had come to visit.

It had been quite a while since he last met them. Ethan had no idea what their condition was now, especially their current ranks.

"Bring them to my office, Sherly."

"Yes, Sir Ethan."

She returned to the first floor and approached Sword Liberation's representatives.

The four people nodded in acknowledgment and followed Sherly up to the third floor, where the Vice Guild Leader's office was located.

When they arrived, the door to Ethan's office opened. Sherly stepped inside with the four individuals trailing closely behind. Ethan lifted his head, then broke into a wide smile.

"Long time no see, Lara, Luca, Nuwa, Celica," Ethan greeted.

Lara smiled. She and the others immediately kneeled, giving Ethan a formal bow. Sherly was still standing.

She had kneeled to Ethan once before, but he refused it and instructed her to show respect by only lowering her head.

Ethan rose from his office chair and walked around the desk until he stood directly in front of the four guests.

Lara and the others stood, smiling brightly as Ethan approached.

"You can go back, Sherly. They're my friends," Ethan said.

"Very well, Sir Ethan."

Sherly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her. The moment she left, their true personalities surfaced. Lara casually sat down on the sofa in Ethan's office.

Luca panicked, trying to remind them that they were inside someone else's guild. Celica wandered around the room, examining the collection of books, while Nuwa remained standing, shaking her head at her friends' strange behavior.

"Do you all remember why we came here in the first place?" Nuwa asked.

"You're right," Lara said.

The woman immediately stood up and moved to stand in front of Ethan. Celica also slowly approached. All four of them began to show a serious demeanor.

"We need your help," Lara said.

"What kind of help?" Ethan asked.

"Porco City… is currently in a civil war."

Ethan stiffened in shock. His eyes shifted to the side as he examined the others carefully. They all wore the same expression, firm and completely serious.

"Isn't Porco City led by the Alanor Guild?" Ethan asked.

"Correct. They moved to your city, to Mavelard."

The man narrowed his eyes again. He reopened the documents on his desk and quickly found the records stating that Alanor had indeed established their headquarters in Ring 1.

They purchased a total of eight land complexes, with five of them adjacent to each other while the remaining three were scattered farther away.

The five adjacent complexes became their headquarters, while the other three were used for their business operations.

For people like Lara and the others, Alanor's decision might seem foolish, abandoning Porco City like that. But not for Ethan.

Alanor had just taken a strategic step by setting up their base in the only large city in the east.

This was merely the beginning. In the future, they would be able to gain huge profits without having to rule a city.

In short, they wanted strong connections, safety, and flexible business networks.

Now, they had already secured two of those things: connections and safety. But they had only just begun establishing their business.

"Alanor bought land in Ring One. It seems they sold the city's assets and used that to relocate to Mavelard," Ethan said.

"Exactly. They left Porco suddenly without giving any further instructions. Because of that, the guilds in Porco are now fighting over the City Authority Token."

"A civil war broke out. There are two factions there: the red faction and the white faction."

"What about Sword Liberation's position?" Ethan asked.

"Luscho decided to ally with the white faction, the faction led by the Avalon Guild," Lara answered.

Lara continued, explaining in detail about the white faction and the red faction.

The white faction consisted of guilds that agreed that the City Authority Token should be handed over to Alanor's allied guilds, with Avalon being the most deserving candidate.

Meanwhile, the red faction rejected the idea. They insisted that the City Authority Token should be given to whichever guild demonstrated the most capability. The red faction was led by the Eagle War Guild.

Other guilds were divided, forcing them to choose sides in the growing conflict. Lara explained that the conflict had only begun the previous week, and tensions were rapidly escalating.

Now I understand why so many guilds from the south are coming to buy land, Ethan thought. Many of them are purchasing land in Ring Three of the western district.

Porco, a city that had once been full of promise. But not anymore, because many beginners had already advanced far beyond their early stages.

Despite the dilemma of personal gain, Ethan couldn't ignore them, especially Sword Liberation and Avalon. Sword Liberation was the guild that had helped Ethan during the Thousand Stars Event, while Avalon had been Leon's first guild.

Ethan sat in silence for quite a while. Lara and the others exchanged glances, wondering what his answer would be.

"This issue involves two guild alliances that are at odds. I'll need to think it through and discuss it with Ashley," Ethan finally said.

"You can return tomorrow. Sherly will arrange accommodations for you during your stay," he added.

"All right. We truly hope you can help us, Ethan."

"I'll do my best."

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