We sit in the middle of the living room of the premium suite, and Maria recounts the events of the past week in full detail.
The fact that my ranked-up buff worked on her without any resistance, and the plumes of green energy coming off of her from my lie detector skill reassure me that everything she's saying is the truth and her mind isn't altered in any way.
She goes over the battle that took place at the observatory, and I'm impressed with their quick and powerful victory.
Maria begins to explain what happened after they went back to the house.
"Then, a man named Lith Galeheart showed up at the door once we got back to Chester's home. He said he knew you and gave us an ultimatum with an offer we'd be stupid to refuse."
I raise an eyebrow, not liking the sound of this, but let Maria continue.
"Go on... what did he offer?"
"Well, Lith said we could come with him and he'd fix the mess we made. That includes faking our deaths, giving us the means to get stronger, and the opportunity to become forces of political pull in the world to make sure scenarios like the one we just left never happen again."
She pauses.
"Sometimes punching things in the face isn't the best way to solve every problem..."
Although the offer sounds good, a lot of things aren't adding up still.
"Okay, and if you refused? What's the other option? How'd he get everyone to accept and come here so easily?"
Maria lets out a sigh.
"Well, the other option was for him to just walk away and let us deal with the situation we created on our own. He never forced us to come to Valor City, he just gave us the option."
I think about what we'd do if we were still in Sector 4 right now, and the gears in my head start to turn as a fascinating idea fills my mind.
Maria continues as my eyes start to sparkle with curiosity.
"We killed 2 out of the 4 main powers on this continent over a single kidnapping. These powers maintain peace, order, and massive trade deals across this continent and even to cities outside the walls. For anyone connected to the Association, or with advanced intel on missions, our fingerprints are all over their disappearances. With no help, we'd be on the run for the rest of our lives. Permanent enemies of the Dark Continent Underground leaders, and the Hunter's Association world wide network."
I nod slowly, and the room fills with silence. It takes me about 30 seconds to formulate my thoughts before replying.
"So, what you're saying is... Someone needs to fill those two empty leadership positions."
Maria grins.
"Exactly."
She reaches into a small item box by her side and pulls out 2 teleport crystals, tossing me one.
"These will take us directly into the inner wall undetected, straight into the Galeheart Tower. Lith would like to formally meet you. Abby should be just about done with her training for today too."
I catch the crystal and toss it up and down in my hand before replying immediately.
"What about everyone else? Arie, Fisher, Lydia? And even Chester? What happened to all of them?"
"They're all out on missions of their own to make preparations for what's to come. It will take quite a while, but we've got a pretty good head start going while you were asleep and healing. A lot can get done in a week."
She looks at me in the eyes and keeps talking.
"Arie and Chester went back to Sector 4 not too long ago. Arie has been power leveling him in the dungeons out there to raise his base stats up high enough to fend off low-level thugs if needed. Meanwhile, Chester has been using all of his old business connections to fix up the underground lair beneath Solara. With some extra funding from the Galeheart guild, they reinstalled even more powerful shielding and security to the whole place in a matter of days."
My eyes widen at the thought.
"So that means... Chester is taking the place of the new Sector 4 Leader?"
Maria shrugs and laughs a little.
"Who else would be better for the job? He knows every merchant and every crook in the city already. After Arie pushes him over level 400, he trains the guards sent over by the Galeheart guild, and throws on a mask, it'll be like nothing ever changed."
My shock turns to a smile, then I speak up again with another question on my mind.
"What about Fisher and Lydia? Where are they off to if not in Sector 4 or here training with Abby?"
"They went to scout out the Sector 2 region. Even Lith said most of it is a mystery to him. Many of the scouts he sent out over the last few years just went missing or turned back before getting any information on the region. The old leader didn't like visitors."
I scrunch my eyebrows, remembering the mysterious Sector 2 leader I fought with the Mythic grade crafting skill.
"That's where a lot of the rare items were produced and shipped out from, right? Meaning soon supply will be very limited, and the demand will only rise."
Maria nods.
"Yup. We still haven't heard much back from them, only a few transmissions. They haven't made it to the capital city yet. The Sector's size is similar to the 4th, so it figures they're taking time to note down everything important. Both of them have transport crystals, so they'll be back once all the proper intel is recorded."
After this, my mind races to the only logical conclusion. I could take the craftsman's place, and be the leader of Sector 2. Lith wants our help taking over the region. Whether he knows about the fact that I have the Mythic Grade skill or not, it doesn't matter. The guild leaders intentions are pretty clear.
However, that's a lot of responsibility, and with such immense help from the Galeheart Guild, this must all come with an overwhelming cost.
Nothing in this world is ever free.
I tighten my gaze at the floor, thinking deeply to myself, then finally look up.
"What's in it for Lith? Is this all in exchange to help him fight against the Sector 1 Leader? Does he want us to work under him? He's sending out subordinates to work for Chester in Sector 4, will he do the same for all the other Sectors? Are we just pawns in his master plan, playing along for a small slice of the pie?"
Maria looks at me with a troubled but curious stare. Then, replies.
"I'm not sure. These are good questions."
She lifts up the transport crystal in line with my gaze.
"There's only one way to find out, ask him yourself."
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