This incident caused quite a stir within the Light Sect, but they didn't spread the news outside. The outside world had no idea that someone from the Shadow Council came to the Light Sect to steal something.

After all, it's just one assassin from the Shadow Council for now. If the news got out, there would likely be a constant stream of people coming.

Although the Light God Court inside the idol already had an owner, others wouldn't see it that way and would definitely continue to cause trouble here.

The Holy Artifact left by the God of Light is immensely tempting to anyone.

Duke being able to obtain the Light God Court meant he was recognized by the will of the God of Light, making him the most important figure for the Light Sect.

It can be said that he has invisibly become the future hope of the Light Sect, holding great influence.

Although Duke hasn't wielded any authority yet, if he wanted, he could command the people of the Light Sect to do his bidding.

He didn't do that because his current strength was lacking, and he couldn't act recklessly just because he received the recognition of the God of Light's will.

Duke always believed that what external objects provide is illusory, and only his own strength is truly reliable.

He found that the Power of Faith inside the Light God Court was considerable, fully enough to charge the Coordinates Earring, meaning he could return to the Wood Elf Plane at any time.

But before going back, he had to arrange some matters since he shouldn't return for a while after leaving.

Firstly for the Light Sect here, he had a private chat with Holy Daughter Dali.

"Mr. Duke, where are you going?" Holy Daughter Dali said worriedly, not out of concern for Duke's safety but rather worried that if Duke left and never returned, the newly kindled hope of the Light Sect would be gone again.

Duke knew what she was worried about and said, "Don't worry, I won't leave forever. I'll just be away for a while but will come back later."

He naturally wouldn't say that he was actually from another Plane, nor would he inform Dali where he was going.

Dali was somewhat reassured upon hearing Duke's words. If Duke really intended to leave for good, he wouldn't have had a private chat with her.

As for where Duke was going, since he was reluctant to say, Dali wisely didn't press any further.

After talking to Holy Daughter Dali, Duke called Robert to his shop and said, "Robert, I will be out traveling for a while. I hope you will have grown by the time I return."

"Lord Duke, how long will you be gone?" Robert asked, slightly surprised.

He hadn't expected Duke to stay in Azure Vault City long; these NPCs often appeared and vanished mysteriously.

"The time isn't certain, it could be one or two months, maybe half a year. You can join the Light Sect later; I've already talked to Holy Daughter Dali. If you have trustworthy subordinates, you can recommend them to join too," Duke said.

He had already paved the way for Robert, and while he was away, he wouldn't be able to contribute to Robert's growth, so the Light Sect could cultivate this small group of players for him.

Robert and his people could just grow with the help of the Light Sect, and when they had the strength and influence, they could do more for Duke.

This was also another matter Duke wanted to discuss with Robert, which was about forming an organization constructed by players.

Getting an NPC to manage players is difficult, but player-managed players are different.

Duke instructed Robert to form a gaming guild, which would recruit all sorts of skilled players, and Robert would manage them professionally like a job, paying salaries in reality.

Meanwhile, Duke would just give some orders to Robert and wouldn't have much direct contact with other players, hardly even appearing before them.

Duke left Robert a batch of Secondary Potions, of various types, and ten Secondary Black Sail Shields.

These Secondary Black Sail Shields were leftover stocks from the Alchemy Factory, useless to Duke and were just lying around in the Space Ring collecting dust.

Now they could be handed to Robert, equipping him and his players.

To Robert, these were rare-quality magic equipment, and he received ten pieces at once.

He noticed that these Secondary Black Sail Shields seemed standardized, indicating that Duke likely had the ability to craft magic items, an ability previously unseen.

The Secondary Black Sail Shields had good defensive effects against magic, offering decent resistance to most secondary spells, making them extremely useful for the current players.

"Do your best, Robert. I hope to see a strong team when I return," Duke urged.

Robert nodded, "Rest assured, my lord, I will strive to develop this force! By the way, my lord, what should we name our guild?"

"Let's call it... Star Embers," Duke said after a moment's thought.

After their agreement, a player guild named Star Embers was officially formed, its members entirely composed of gifted individuals, becoming another rising force in Azure Vault City.

Although the game "Oracle" didn't have a guild system, it didn't hinder Robert from forming this force, as he had extensive management team experience and many professional managers under him.

At least for now, all players joining Star Embers are professional players, indistinguishable from employees, with management completely different from ordinary game guilds.

Currently, this guild is still small, with just a few dozen members. To develop into a force useful to Duke, it still has a long way to go.

...

Once Duke arranged everything, he prepared to return to the Wood Elf Plane.

He had been away for several months and had no idea how things were there, so he needed to get back quickly to handle matters.

As for explaining his sudden appearance, there wasn't much need for a detailed explanation; simply saying he used some special means to return to the Wood Elf Plane would suffice.

Being a Wizard comes with various methods, mostly related to personal secrets, so others usually wouldn't inquire unless necessary.

Duke was no criminal and wouldn't face any severe punishments or questioning.

Strictly speaking, he was implicated due to official duties, and the Black Sail side would likely compensate him.

Duke tidied up his shop, having given many refined Secondary Potions and a small batch of Level 1 Potions to Robert, allowing him to continue running the Magic Potion Shop while he was away.

The sold items would be proportionally shared with Robert as the operating fund for Star Embers.

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