***

The next morning.

Ethan woke up in a modest room located inside the Town Center.

Pale sunlight filtered through the wooden window frame, casting long streaks of light across the floor.

He sat up slowly, letting his senses adjust, then walked over and pushed the window open.

Below him, the city was already alive.

The streets were crowded with residents moving back and forth with clear purpose.

Some carried stacks of lumber on their shoulders, others hauled stone blocks using carts pulled by NPC laborers.

Blacksmith apprentices moved between workstations, sparks flying as metal struck metal.

There was a rhythm to the chaos, a sense of structure that told Ethan the city was functioning exactly as it should.

Last night, he had ordered Hanss to oversee the construction of a military barracks and a tavern.

Now, seeing it with his own eyes, Ethan could confirm that both projects were already underway.

Wooden frameworks were rising from the ground, scaffolding wrapped around half-finished structures, and builders moved in organized lines under the guidance of system-assigned supervisors.

It's progressing faster than I expected.

After washing up and changing his clothes, Ethan left the Town Center. He walked through the city, heading toward the construction site of the military barracks.

His presence immediately drew attention. Team members stopped what they were doing, some offering brief nods, others straightening their posture instinctively.

Hanss noticed him almost immediately.

The man turned reflexively and lowered his head slightly in greeting. "Good morning, Sir Ethan."

"How's the city doing, Hanss?" Ethan asked calmly.

"Everything is under control," Hanss replied without hesitation. "You don't need to worry."

Ethan nodded but kept his gaze forward, studying the half-built barracks.

Thick support beams had already been installed, and the layout suggested a structure designed to house a large number of troops.

"How long until the barracks are finished?" Ethan asked.

Hanss raised his hand and opened his authority panel, translucent blue light reflecting in his eyes.

He adjusted the interface and turned it slightly so Ethan could see.

"Approximately two days," Hanss said. "That's with the current number of NPC builders assigned."

Two days.

The man standing beside Hanss cleared his throat quietly. It was a reasonable amount of time, all things considered.

A military barracks was not a simple structure—it was essential infrastructure, meant to support training, storage, and command operations.

Ethan shifted his attention to another area nearby. Several team members had gathered there, watching the construction of the tavern with visible impatience.

Some of them looked exhausted, clearly longing for a place to rest and recover.

"Will the tavern take longer?" Ethan asked.

"No," Hanss replied, still scanning the panel. "The tavern should be completed in about five hours."

That made sense. Compared to a barracks, a tavern was far less complex.

While important for morale and recovery, it didn't require the same level of structural reinforcement or system integration.

Ethan accepted that without complaint.

He turned his attention to the assault unit—fifteen out of the team's total twenty-five members. Their current assignment was scouting.

The captain of the unit, Elvan, stepped forward and explained the situation.

"I've already sent half of our members out," Elvan reported. "The nearby areas have been fully explored, so they're pushing farther out now."

Ethan opened his map. The fog of war was slowly being peeled back, revealing new terrain as their servants moved through the land.

To the north, rocky mountains formed a natural boundary between the desert and a tropical forest region.

Compared to the harsh sands surrounding Lion City, the tropical lands were rich with natural resources.

That area will matter eventually.

Just as he was monitoring the scouting progress, a sudden disturbance caught his attention.

A foreign soul servant appeared in the sky above the city.

She hovered in midair, her presence immediately drawing the attention of everyone nearby.

Team members reacted instinctively, hands reaching for weapons, bodies tensing as they prepared for combat.

Ethan raised his hand.

"Stand down," he said firmly.

The team hesitated, then obeyed. Weapons were lowered, though their eyes never left the hovering figure.

"A single soul servant won't cause any damage," Ethan said calmly.

The woman extended her hand. A rolled parchment materialized in her grasp, glowing faintly with system energy.

Without warning, she hurled it toward Ethan.

Ethan caught it easily.

The moment the scroll was delivered, the soul servant turned and flew away, disappearing from Lion City's airspace within seconds.

Hanss frowned. "Should we chase her?"

"No," Ethan replied. "She didn't come to attack."

Breaking the seal, Ethan unrolled the parchment. His eyes moved across the text slowly, carefully.

Each sentence carried weight, and the implications were impossible to ignore.

Hanss watched him closely, curiosity clear on his face. Ethan's expression gradually hardened.

When he finished reading, he closed the scroll and ignited it with his power, reducing it to ash.

"What was that?" Hanss asked.

"A city called Lotus," Ethan said. "Ruled by a woman named Lyra. She wants to meet me."

Hanss blinked. "Meet you? Lotus City? Where is that?"

Ethan turned and explained. According to the letter, Lotus City was located to the northeast, bordering the tropical region.

Lyra had discovered Lion City after one of her soul servants spotted Ethan alone in the desert the day before, moving southward.

That morning, she had confirmed her suspicions.

Lion City belonged to LionArk. EthanArk was its ruler.

Hanss crossed his arms, his tone uneasy. "I'm worried. That invitation could be a trap."

"I've considered that," Ethan replied. "If they truly needed me, they should have come here themselves."

The distance alone made the proposal risky. Ethan had no intention of leaving his city undefended.

Managing resources and overseeing the construction of vital buildings took priority.

"Strengthen surveillance at the watchtowers," Ethan ordered. "Report anything suspicious immediately."

Hanss nodded, and so did the rest of the team. They returned to their posts, resuming their duties while waiting for the tavern to be completed.

As they worked, Hanss spoke quietly about Ethan's reputation on the global chat forums.

Stories about Ethan destroying a starting city had spread rapidly. Discussions about capturing or eliminating him were becoming common.

Ethan wasn't surprised.

"I already know," he said, folding his arms.

Hanss hesitated. "Then… what do you plan to do?"

Ethan walked closer to the barracks site, his footsteps slow and deliberate. Hanss followed. As vice leader, he deserved to know the plan.

"I'm going to eliminate threats within LionArk's territory first," Ethan said. "Once I've secured enough troops, the invasion of other cities will continue."

Hanss looked at him carefully. "So you're not going to care about them?"

Ethan smiled faintly and placed a hand on Hanss's shoulder.

"For now," he said, "no."

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