...…

Shin walked out of the Mayor's Residence with a huge smile on his face as his 'negotiation' with the Eternal Hope and Secret Society Adventurers Teams went too well. In fact, it seemed to be a one-sided negotiation where he literally took control the entire time.

Since he stated that he was acquainted with the Dragon God and War God, there was no reason to refuse his offer; especially when he added that those two were also planning to stay in his City.

With that deal being done, everything that Shin needed to prepare for the City that he was going to build. Well, aside from a suitable place where he could relocate it.

He would try to look for it as soon as possible. But if he couldn't find one, then he would have no other choice but to let Shiella deal with it. Though, it would give her a little edge on their next negotiation.

After that, Shin went to the Hand of Midas Trading Firm to restock his supplies before contacting the group, telling them that it was now time to move towards their next destination.

...

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the meeting place.

"Ah~! This is going to be interesting. I wonder how strong that pair who discovered the legendary Sky Island," said Arthur while stretching his waist left and right.

Hearing that, Leonard nodded his head before commenting. "I heard that the Wingmen Race was discovered in that place."

"Then why is it still unavailable to the public?" asked Shin curiously.

"Probably those two who discover that place are still in the process of completing the quest to unlock that race," answered Arthur while shrugging his shoulders.

"Who knows, we may be able to lend them a hand at doing that quest?" he added while rubbing his hand excitedly.

A moment after he said that, Cloe suddenly kicked him from behind which made Arthur stumble forward.

"Hey! What's that for?" asked Arthur with an unsatisfied tone while looking at Cloe aggressively.

"You better not cause any trouble when we get there!" warned Cloe sharply while giving a deadly glare.

She then paused for a couple of moments before continuing. "We are going there to explore the place not to wage war with the other Powerhouse Guilds in there."

The corner of Arthur's mouth couldn't help but twitch when he heard that and wanted to refute Shin's words. But he chose to remain silent before giving Shin a bitter look. 'Why not warn this clues guy instead? Most of our problems are caused by him.'

At the same time, Cloe turned her attention to Chaotic Luck who was a new face to her.

"Who is the new guy by the way?" she asked while knitting her eyebrows.

Hearing her, the three simultaneously turned their heads towards Chaotic Luck and stared at him for a couple of moments before Shin introduced their 'apprentice' to her. "Oh! This guy? We meet him by chance in the Blind Abyss Empire and he also helps us in our quest."

"We are applying for a position on our team, but we are still testing his skills," added Arthur noddingly.

He then remembered something which made him pause a little. After that, he quickly put his arm around Chaotic Luck's shoulders before adding. "You know, this guy is somewhat talented and there are also quite a lot of things that he can do. Maybe, we really should consider recruiting him for real."

Shin understood what Arthur meant with those words, so he suddenly asked with a smirking tone. "Did you experience it too? So, what are your thoughts?

"Strange, I felt really strange when I experienced it for the first time! At first, I thought it was just a fluke, but after testing a few more times, I really have no choice but acknowledge it as his talent!" replied Arthur instantly as he was trying to remember his little sparring match with Chaotic Luck.

At the same time, Leonard was also nodding his head while commenting. "It is as if Heaven is on his side."

"Exactly!" said Shin and Arthur simultaneously when they heard those words.

Meanwhile, Cloe couldn't take it any longer and shout at the three. "What in the world are you guys talking about! Explain it to human language so that I can understand what you are saying!"

**************

In the meantime, in some corner of the Atlas World (In-game world), there was a group of thirteen players gathered around in front of a ruined church in the middle of a forest.

From the auras that these players were emitting, all of them seemed to be top experts who stood at the peak of the gaming world. Some of them even had a heavy atmosphere surrounding them, signifying that they were some people that could be trifled with.

It was even more true for the person who was emitting the most powerful aura from the group. He was wearing a set of full-body armor with a deep blue color and some mysterious patterns on its surface.

The left arm of his armor was quite similar to a demon's arm with metallic scales that were segregated in a horizontal manner. The gauntlet attached at the end of it possessed razor-sharp claws that were seemingly able to tear any kind of defense.

This guy was sitting on top of a ruined wall with his halberd leaning on his shoulder and the knight's helm placed right beside him. He was sitting silently on his spot as he let his teammates talk among themselves.

A few moments later, he took a quick look at his digital clock, checking the time. And when he saw that they were already waiting in this place for more than half an hour, he couldn't hide his little displeasure by wearing a deep frown with his eyebrows.

One of the members noticed that look on his face and immediately reacted. "I guess she really is not going to join us in this raid, Captain. I suggest we find a substitute for her – we can't always give her a special treatment even if she is the best healer that we can have; there are still a lot of skilled priests out there."

This guy seemed to be a barbarian based on the leather clothes that he was currently wearing and the strange helm that was hanging over his head. At the same time, he was also holding a huge iron club with a lot of metal spikes on its head.

His voice was quite loud which was why the other members of the group simultaneously turned their heads at him. And after a brief moment of pause, they turned their gaze at the guy who was addressed as captain.

On the other hand, the guy that was in the center of attention stared at the barbarian with squinting eyes before warning him threateningly. "You better watch your words, Jugo. One more 'foul' word comes out from your mouth and I will cut off your tongue. Literally, in Real Word."

"Want me to do it for you, Captain?" said a Female Dark Elf who was wearing a set of armor that seemed to be short on materials.

She had a very seductive body – and since she was wearing a set of revealing clothes, any man would surely have a hard time suppressing their inner desires when they saw her.

Unfortunately, this woman was also a venomous snake that would secretly strike down the target she had chosen.

In the meantime, Jugo suddenly felt an intense chill that ran through his back when he heard those words from her. He then turned his head towards his captain and quickly apologized. "Please forgive my incompetence, Captain. I really don't mean those words – I'm just acting without thinking."

Hearing those words, the other members of the group started smirking while looking at him full of pity.

"You already know what kind of punishment that you need to receive, right?" asked the Captain while looking coldly at Jugo.

"Yes, Sir! I will do it immediately right after we are done with this raid," replied Jugo while giving his captain a deep bow.

Nodding his head, the Captain of the group turned his head to a female shaman of the group before asking. "Hannah, what did your friend tell you?"

The Shaman named Hannah hesitated for a moment before giving her a reply. "I'm sorry, Captain. I tried to persuade her many times but it seems like she really wants to play with her friends for the time being."

Hearing her words, another member of the group couldn't help but feel skeptical and said sneeringly. "That is why I told you to make her sign a contract, Captain. She can't be the sole casual member of our group. Look at the trouble that she gave us whenever she is not present."

In a sense, this guy's words were pretty much similar to what Jugo had said earlier. But the Captain couldn't directly refute those words since it was more sensible in comparison.

But he was still quite stubborn to listen. "I'll try to persuade her to sign a contract with us when I talk to her next time."

After that, he picked up the helm beside him and wore it before standing up with his halberd in hand.

"But before that, let's finish our current task in hand first so that we can finally head back to the city," he said while turning around and looking at the entrance of the ruined church.

He then started walking towards it while thinking to himself. 'Let me finish this quest first before I take back what is originally mine,' while clenching his hand.

...…