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Roughly an hour earlier..

Inside Aeredale City's central area..

A beautiful lady sat in a restaurant booth, casually sipping an unknown beverage with what seemed to be a distant gaze, focused on whatever currently troubled her. Leaning forward, she cradled the cup in her hand, gently blowing away the steam that rose.

'An opportunity to be undermined exists at every turn. I've already dedicated so many of my accolades to the guild.. yet they continue to assume I'm weak or something, utilizing a hidden proxy.'

The beautiful woman with jet black hair the color of polished black onyx was naturally Ezra, who was admittedly missing in action for quite some time.

Following her chat with Kieran after the Gladiator's Coliseum, her presence within Zenith Online was sparse. In fact, there was a reason for that—the board members of her guild's controllers.

Much of Eclipse's recent activity was led by another Vice Guild Master, which wasn't Lux, who currently sat across from Ezra with a similarly tense expression.

"What are our plans? You've been excluded from Eclipse's decision-making because you refused to sever ties with Aatrox," Lux said, addressing the white elephant in the room.

"Our plans?" Ezra muttered, her eyes flashing with brief astonishment. "Lux, you do know this doesn't involve you, right? You're too valuable to Eclipse for them to target you."

Evident by his current expression, which darkened further, Lux's swift rebuttal was honest. "The same could be said about you. Your value as the Guild Master was pretty much unmatched."

"I'm not sure if you're blindly believing your words.. or you've forgotten how originally I ascended to the position of Guild Master," Ezra answered, finally placing down her cup with a heavy sigh.

Her burdens seemed to overflow, attempting to consume her. historical

Taken aback and perplexed at first, Lux gradually came to understand the meaning of Ezra's words. "Wait.. is that what was discussed after the board dismissed everyone from the meeting? The former Guild Master is returning?"

"Correct. It appears that man is making a return, and he agrees with the board's suggestions," Ezra admitted, massaging the bridge of her nose while somewhat embittered.

Eclipse's board members had decided that, although the potential gains of allying with Kieran were significant, the burdens attached to such an alliance were more of a liability than they were profitable.

At this moment, at least four of the Behemoths had their eyes on Kieran, setting plans in motion to monitor his progress and current actions. This act alone required vast resources, resources one would only expend when preparing to take future action.

Following a rueful sigh, Lux mustered the courage to ask the question weighing on his mind. "What did they tell you exactly?"

"Golden Brigade, Apocalypse, Calamity, Apotheosis, Dark Fantasy.." Ezra paused.

The sigh she released this time sounded empathetic. Every name she listed was known to employ dastardly methods to eliminate problematic issues.

Though, from the way Ezra tensed and struggled to release the vice grip her teeth placed on her lip, it seemed she wasn't done speaking. "And Slayer Asylum.."

"Slayer Asylum?! Aren't they owners of Psyche Ward?"

"Correct. I don't know who or what triggered those bunch of madmen, but someone has quite literally poked the hornet's nest."

Appalled by the information he had just discovered, Lux was compelled to dig deeper. "Which side of the Slayer Asylum has been called upon?"

"The Psyche Ward portion.. naturally. They understand that Aatrox is too big of an opponent in the game. He's essentially unmatched. That's why they're set on eliminating him altogether."

"Don't you think this is something Aatrox should know about? I don't think his connections are that great. He's probably lacking a whole heap of vital information."

Ezra agreed with Lux's opinion; most of this information could greatly assist in helping Kieran prepare to weather the storm. However.. the problem with letting him know was not simple.

After all, it would make her stance clear.

In the eyes of the board members, she would be seen as siding with an immense threat. And because of the implications of this threat, she would be stripped of all her roles.

In other words, Eclipse would sever all ties with Ezra if word of information, which was only meant to circulate throughout the channels available to high-level guilds, was revealed to have reached Kieran's possession.

This would only be possible if someone in that circle disseminated the information to Kieran.

Considering this, Ezra was troubled.

Although she knew Kieran had ties to Advent, their current information system was riddled with leaks and issues, so the odds of that guild shouldering the blame essentially didn't exist.

Ultimately, it was a decision Ezra had to make.

However, Ezra groaned rather than answer Lux's question, spilling her grievances seconds later. "I exhausted so much of the accumulated funds to begin Eclipse's production force. Money that I earned through my efforts. And I'm not reaping any of those benefits!"

"Hey," Lux suddenly said, drawing Ezra's curious gaze filled with complaints. "You win some, and you lose some. Suffer a loss now. Didn't you say it before? Though minute in number, Aatrox's training honed areas of your swordsmanship that you didn't even think to correct. The decision is right in front of you, but you're scared. Trust me.. I understand that, Ezra."

Lux's words struck a chord in Ezra's heart and mind. She knew what she wanted to do, but Eclipse was something she poured her essence into.

All in all, this entire situation didn't sit well with her.

However, before she could respond to Lux's comment, the notification of Sanguis Requiem's creation flashed before Ezra's face, stunning her.

In her silence, Ezra gasped and swallowed.

Meanwhile, Lux's expression was the definition of clarity. There was even a hint of correlated expectations in his eyes. It wasn't something that he had voiced before, but if there was anyone he expected to launch the first guild, it was Kieran, who he only knew by Aatrox.

"If I remember correctly.. your argument was that abandoning something you put your all into didn't seem right? As I see it, there's an opportunity sitting right in front of you: Sanguis Requiem. Let one bond die to supply another—one with possibly limitless potential."

Ezra's attention and focus fell into her cup after all.

Silence ensued for several minutes, each one giving birth to a new string of thoughts, concerns, and variables in Ezra's mind. Lux understood the heaviness of her decision, so he sat wordlessly, allowing Ezra to ruminate over it all.

By the time she came to a decision, a second notification had caused a massive wave throughout the entire city.

The uproar of players could be heard outside the store, with the booming voices causing a thundering rumble reminiscent of an earthquake!

As for the message, it was quite simple.

┌───────────────────

?Global Player Announcement?-

The first player-owned business, the Godhand Bazaar, owned by the Godhand Consortium, is now commencing its very own grand opening! Located in the heart of Aeredale City, visit the establishment and browse its variety of items.

The coordinates of its location are posted below.

(Click here.)

└───────────────────

"Godhand Consortium. Godhand Bazaar. If memory serves me right, isn't that the Union under Aatrox's ownership? In other words.. the man has simultaneously established a guild and launched an in-game business?!" Lux exclaimed.

The moment Lux made this comment, Ezra shot to her feet.

Based on the look in her eyes, it was evident that Ezra had made her decision. The assurance in her gaze stunned Lux, but her next question didn't.

"What are you going to do? I mentioned your position isn't in jeopardy.. but here you are.. with me."

"My loyalty is not with Eclipse; it is with you. Our friendship stretches back too far for me to allow a guild to come in between that. Besides.. I'm not the only one." Lux laughed in response.

..

A crowd of players flooded the streets in front of the Godhand Bazaar, but surprisingly, they parted after sensing the arrival of a new party. Some did so unwillingly after sensing the presence of the incoming individual.

Upon recalling the rumors of the incident before, they would prefer not to be tossed aside like rag dolls.

Kieran, walking in tow with his guild members, approached the Godhand Bazaar's doors. After placing his hand on the door, he glanced over his shoulders.

"There are rules to visiting the bazaar. If you're caught disobeying those rules, you'll have to deal with me personally. I hope that's enough for you all to make a reasonable decision."

Seeing as this crowd was not made up of rowdy and lawless children, Kieran didn't feel the need to go into great detail regarding etiquette and decorum while browsing someone else's establishment.

With his permission, the Godhand Bazaar's grand opening commenced. But surprisingly enough, the crowd didn't just involve players.

The large crowd in the city's heart generated a lot of interest, leading some straggling NPCs to inspect the event.

The moment players entered the shop's first floor, they were amazed by the scenery and overall display.

Milana coached the other boys and girls to gracefully tend to the potential customers that stepped inside the store.

Aside from the service, what really caught their eye were the special enchantments for sale.

"Am I reading this correctly? Can these enchantments directly increase our attributes and weapon attributes alike?!"

"Wait, really? No way! I need to have a look."

"HUH?! Look at the damned price tag. You can't tell me this isn't robbery! 10 Gold?! That's so damned expensive."

"You're quite dumb. They're not all priced the same. I think the price differs based on supply and the effect of the enchantment."

Within minutes, the bazaar's first floor was bustling, but attention was soon drawn to the staircase that led upstairs.

In the meantime, Kieran retrieved an item from his inventory and stared at it.

'They've been briefed.. so it's about time I start handling all these matters.'