***

Five days later.

Requests to join the Eastern City Alliance continued to rise at an alarming pace.

Ethan had officially opened the alliance to the public, and news of its existence spread rapidly. Before long, nearly everyone across the eastern continent had heard about it.

Even though the alliance was publicly open, strict criteria were put in place to filter who could join.

Only Rank A guilds were eligible, each required to have a minimum of one thousand members. In addition, they could not already be affiliated with any other alliance.

These conditions were non-negotiable. Ethan had no intention of allowing weak or unstable organizations to dilute the alliance's strength.

Registration centers were established in five major cities, one of which was Mavelard. As expected, many guilds within Mavelard expressed strong interest in joining.

Ethan and Hanss worked side by side, carefully screening each application that came in.

The proposals were submitted directly to LionArk, marking this as the third day since the Eastern City Alliance had been opened to the public.

On this particular day alone, six guilds submitted their proposals. All of them were Rank A guilds.

The enthusiasm exceeded Ethan's expectations, and as a result, he was forced to personally review each proposal rather than delegating the task.

Every guild proposal contained detailed information.

It listed the guild's identity, the identity of the guild leader, the total number of members, the number of officers, and even a breakdown diagram of the members' classes.

Some guilds specialized in archers, prioritizing long-range combat and battlefield control.

Others focused heavily on mages, favoring destructive spells and area suppression. Each proposal had to be studied carefully to ensure that the alliance's composition remained balanced and reliable.

The news of the Eastern City Alliance, often shortened by people to simply the Eastern Alliance, traveled far beyond the eastern continent.

Whispers of it reached the central lands, as well as the southern and western regions.

Arthur heard about it as well. Up to this point, Redemption Sword had not initiated a city alliance of its own.

Arthur believed that alliances, rather than uniting players, often ended up dividing them. In his view, they complicated matters and made it harder for players to focus on their original goals.

Still, he kept a close eye on the developments in the east, knowing full well that Ethan rarely made moves without purpose.

Back at LionArk's headquarters, Hanss returned once again to Ethan's office.

This time, he arrived with his aide, carrying the proposal files from the last guild to register that day. In total, seven guilds had submitted applications.

"Have you decided who will be joining?" Hanss asked as he placed the proposals on Ethan's desk.

"I've made decisions on several of them," Ethan replied calmly.

"But I'll inform them two days from now."

"Do you need my help?" Hanss asked.

"There are twenty-three guild proposals you still need to read."

"No need," Ethan said.

"I can handle it, Hanss."

"In that case, you won't refuse if I'm the one who comes to help you, right?"

Ethan's attention shifted forward as he heard that familiar voice. Ashley was walking toward him. Jill was nowhere to be seen.

She and Sherly were still on their Raid Tower expedition and would not be returning for another eight days.

Because of that, both Ethan and Ashley had to shoulder an even heavier workload to keep things running smoothly.

"I only need to check a few more proposals," Ethan said.

"You must be exhausted. You should rest, Ashley."

"No," Ashley replied.

"I'm not that tired."

"Let me help you," she added firmly.

Ethan let out a quiet sigh, then turned toward Hanss and gestured for him to return and get some rest. Hanss nodded in understanding, and he and his aide left the office without protest.

Now, only Ethan and Ashley remained in the room.

Ashley sat down in the chair across from Ethan's desk. She picked up one of the guild proposals and began reading it carefully, her expression serious and focused.

"This alliance isn't just beneficial in terms of military power," Ashley said.

"It's also useful for boosting the economy of the five major cities in the eastern continent."

"Yeah," Ethan replied.

"One of the biggest advantages of an alliance is how easily economic cooperation can be established," he added.

Ashley nodded in agreement. She would fully support this alliance as long as it brought clear benefits, whether military or economic, to the cities involved.

She was also painfully aware that future threats still loomed on the horizon. Silver Star was slowly recovering from its fall, and Scavenger might already be plotting something against LionArk.

The Eastern City Alliance was the only realistic solution to counter those threats, especially the ones that had yet to reveal themselves.

The more members joined the alliance, the higher LionArk's position would rise. Its influence would grow, and its prestige would become even more firmly established across the continent.

"How's the city reconstruction progressing?" Ethan asked.

"Everything is going well," Ashley replied.

"The city walls are almost fully repaired. Right now, my focus is on restoring buildings inside the city and reviving the economy in the districts that were destroyed."

"That's good," Ethan said.

"No guild will dare challenge us again. As long as I'm in the city, Mavelard will be fine."

"I'm grateful for that," Ashley said sincerely.

They continued reviewing guild proposals until late at night.

Ashley felt that most of the proposals were solid, but Ethan had his own specific criteria for determining which guilds deserved to join as non-permanent members of the alliance.

Ashley trusted his judgment completely. She was certain that Ethan's choices would be better than her own.

Just as the two of them were speaking quietly, their attention was drawn away by the sudden arrival of a city security squad member. The man saluted sharply as he reported in.

"Report, Sir Ethan. There's chaos in the southern district, Ring Three," the man said.

"What happened?" Ethan asked immediately.

"A conflict between two guilds escalated into riots and fires," the man replied.

"Security Authority Team Three and Team Five are currently working to secure the situation."

"I'll head there right away," Ethan said.

The man nodded and took his leave.

Ethan stood up from his seat and turned toward Ashley.

"I'm going to check the situation personally," he said.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"I don't think so," Ashley replied.

"I'm going to rest."

Ethan nodded in understanding.

He extended his hand, summoning the Tempest Reaver sword. The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, his body flared with energy.

His appearance shifted, power surging through him as agility dominance activated.

[Tempest Mode Activated]

With lightning-fast movement, Ethan shot forward, leaving the office behind as he raced toward his destination. His target was clear: the southern district, Ring Three.

People caught glimpses of a gray streak of wind flashing across rooftops, leaping from one building to another in rapid succession. It was so fast that most could barely register what they were seeing.

Ethan came to an abrupt halt upon arriving in Ring Three of the southern district. The area was usually quiet, lined with shops owned by Rank B guilds. Now, it was chaos.

As the security officer had reported, a massive fire was raging through the district. Twenty-five shop buildings were engulfed in flames.

Mages worked together desperately, casting water spells to contain and extinguish the fire before it spread further.

Ethan landed beside Hanss, who had arrived earlier. Hanss immediately noticed Ethan's presence and turned to greet him.

"What happened here?" Ethan asked.

"The work of the Shadow Guild, Sir Ethan," Hanss replied.

"What?" Ethan asked sharply, startled by the answer.

"They provoked two Rank B guilds into fighting each other," Hanss explained.

"We're still investigating the case."

Damn it.

Who is really pulling the strings behind the Shadow Guild?

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