***

The next day.

LionArk Guild Headquarters.

Ethan stood in his room, already dressed in his LionArk uniform and cloak. Today he was scheduled to go to Porco City to begin acting as a mediator in the conflict.

He needed to do it to show that LionArk was there to help their neighboring city, even though Ethan knew Hans' small team had already left the night before to carry out their shadow mission.

KNOCK!

"Sir Ethan," Sherly greeted.

Ethan answered. He stepped toward the door of his room and opened it slowly. Sherly stood clearly in front of the doorway, waiting for Ethan to be ready to leave.

When Sherly saw Ethan, she felt certain he really was ready to depart. He was already wearing the LionArk uniform and cloak, exactly as she had imagined.

"How are the preparations for the place and everything else?" Ethan asked.

"Some people have already gone south. They've prepared it. I'm still communicating with them," Sherly replied.

"Good. Keep me updated if the representatives from both factions have arrived at the negotiation site," Ethan said, and Sherly nodded.

Sherly walked down the stairs, and Ethan followed right behind her. As he was about to step forward, his attention shifted when someone called out to him.

Ethan turned his head and clearly saw Ashley walking out of her office, with Jill beside her.

"Be careful, Ethan."

"I will," Ethan answered.

He continued walking until he stepped outside the LionArk headquarters. Sherly had actually prepared a carriage for him, but he refused.

Ethan was more comfortable riding a horse than sitting in a carriage. For some reason, being on horseback made him feel more dignified and masculine.

Sherly was already there, sitting on her mount. That morning, Ethan wasn't traveling alone.

He was accompanied by five people from the Law Authority. Darcy refused to come because he needed to lead the investigation into possible corruption and bribery inside LionArk.

Even so, he had sent his best members to assist Ethan.

Once everything was ready, Ethan and his group left the LionArk complex and headed toward the southern gate.

They rode along the city's main road, passing through the morning crowd full of people going about their activities.

As Ethan and his group passed, many people waved and greeted him, offering prayers for his safety.

They rode past the city's southern gate and kept moving, with Ethan at the front and Sherly beside him.

Sherly had already calculated their estimated arrival in Porco City.

If they traveled on foot, it would take four hours. But on horseback or by carriage, only one to two hours.

For them, it wasn't long at all. They could reach Porco City quickly.

"The representatives of both factions arrived at different times," Sherly reported.

"All right. We'll pick up the pace. Tell them we'll be there shortly," Ethan said.

"I understand."

Two hours passed. Ethan slowed his horse when he saw the devastation outside Porco City.

Inside the city, thick black smoke rose into the air, a clear sign that chaos was still happening nonstop.

Sherly and the others looked at the same sight. None of them expected Porco City to suffer this much damage in less than a month.

"If we let this continue, they'll end up killing each other," Sherly said.

"Let's go."

Ethan urged his horse downhill, and Sherly and the others followed behind him. Once they reached the main road connecting the cities, Ethan saw a large exodus of people migrating north, hoping to find protection from LionArk.

One of them turned and saw the approaching riders. His eyes widened in shock. They clearly saw LionArk coming with a strong, heroic presence.

"L-LionArk."

"Please save us, LionArk."

"Give us the best protection in Mavelard."

Ethan slowed and looked at them clearly, seeing despair, weakness, and surrender on their faces.

Many of them weren't registered with any guild, and there could be many reasons for that. With the current situation, Ethan guessed their guilds had already been defeated.

"For those of you who still have decent ability, LionArk is open to accepting you as our members!" Ethan declared.

"Go to the city and head to the LionArk headquarters. Lady Ashley will assist you there," Ethan added.

"Inform Ashley about them," Ethan instructed Sherly, and she nodded obediently.

After finishing with them, Ethan continued riding into Porco City. They entered through the northern gate, and the smell of burning smoke hit them immediately.

The streets, once clean, were now muddy and dirty, filled with clay and dust. Ethan realized Porco City was far from safe. Not many people would be able to stay here anymore.

As soon as Ethan arrived, a LionArk member approached him on foot. He informed Ethan of the location of the first negotiation for the Porco City Conflict.

Ethan, Sherly, and the others pushed their horses forward toward the negotiation site.

It was quite far from the northern gate, located in the city hall, where half of the building looked destroyed.

"That's LionArk. They've arrived."

"Finally, peace might actually happen in this city."

"The civil war will end soon. We can rebuild this city."

Ethan arrived and saw many members from both factions standing on opposite sides. The white faction stood on the south side of the hall, while the red faction stood on the north.

All eyes focused on EthanArk. Everyone already knew what Ethan was capable of when he helped take Mavelard from Silver Star.

With his skills and experience, they believed EthanArk could mediate the conflict.

"The Deputy Leader of the LionArk Guild has arrived. All attendees from both sides, please stand!" shouted one of the LionArk members.

The hall doors opened. Ethan walked in while removing his white gloves.

A round table sat in the center, with the red faction representatives on the north side and the white faction representatives on the south.

"I hope you didn't wait long," Ethan greeted.

"We've been looking forward to your arrival, Deputy Leader," the representatives said, each accompanied by five people beside them.

Ethan took his seat, and they all sat down as well. Without asking them to explain the origin of the conflict, Ethan immediately proposed a resolution.

"I already know the cause of your conflict. Porco City has been destroyed in less than a month," Ethan stated.

A representative from the Alanor Guild sat beside Ethan as an observer. Ethan continued explaining the importance of Porco City and its history.

"Many players have become victims, especially those who had nothing to do with this conflict," Ethan said.

"I propose a two-day ceasefire. The city gates and the city hall will serve as neutral areas guarded by LionArk."

The proposal was heard by both faction representatives. Evan from the Alanor Guild stood and agreed with Ethan's statement.

A neutral zone was needed to make sure negotiations continued.

"The ceasefire is to evacuate the city's residents to a safe place. During the evacuation, LionArk will take the lead," Ethan said firmly.

The white faction's representative, the Deputy Leader of the Avalon Guild, raised his hand. He fully agreed with Ethan's proposal.

"Too many innocent players have died. We must stop the fighting for now," Ross said.

"Don't dodge it, Ross! You're just using the ceasefire to recover your people, aren't you?!" Jacques, the red faction representative and Eagle War's deputy leader, snapped.

"Have you forgotten the Starry Night battle? Which one of us got the absolute victory?!" Ross shot back.

Ethan let out a breath, making it clear he would ensure the ceasefire would be the moment where everyone held themselves back.

"Our top priority is the city's residents. Don't let them become victims of your selfishness," Ethan warned.

Jacques fell silent. Ross, Ethan, and Evan had already agreed to the ceasefire. Now only the red faction hadn't given its answer.

"Fine. A two-day ceasefire," Jacques said, clearly unable to withstand Ethan's pressure.

"That's good."

"LionArk members will guard the borders of your territories to ensure no one cheats during the ceasefire."

"If anyone is caught cheating, LionArk won't hesitate to punish them."

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