Sasha left the Main Hall of Demon King Castle. In front of her, mummies sold cursed objects and vampires traded human blood.

That was the Demon Kingdom, and laws had become increasingly problematic over the years.

Ever since Carlos decided to Quit the game, the country’s administration had been in the hands of a few council members. Of course, such council members were mostly old players, but one had to be aware of what it meant to live 100 years.

Unlike Jack and Elicia, who were used to sleeping all the time and had created a perfect-and-peaceful-looking small totalitarian society under them, the Demon Kingdom had been living through strife and intrigue ever since its foundation.

Had it not been the fresh memory of how Jack destroyed millions in an instant, and this war-and-intrigue-plagued country would surely have plotted against the small draconic utopia.

With time, even the softer of hearts would begin being corrupted and stained with the burden of the world around them.

These players had had many delusions. Most had been betrayed multiple times, their weaknesses used against them without mercy.

The establishment of the slavery system and the usage of the disparity in power between races to stop the weak from growing and boosting the growth of the strong was a given.

Sasha, by its time, wasn’t properly an ambassador - but something close, no doubt.

Since her son was Dragon King Jack, it was a given that she would be treated as so - not to mention she was a powerful being on her own right, being one of the few Max Level players which the world now hosted.

The reason for such, well, not only wars had taken their tool on the world, the very fact of Max Level players being in the limelight and neuromancers existing was enough to put a huge burden on their very existences.

A single Max Level player would be able to establish its own small Kingdom over the “Hundred Kingdoms” area, but it would never be able to find peace.

With time, many had decided to go into the hermit lifestyle, and no one ever listened about them again.

In the end, a hundred years also meant the contact with the outside world was almost lost in its entirety as well.

Mafia, dangerous people, all kinds of personages from the dark underworld of politics and lawless… those people usually didn’t want to die. Not at all. And, sometimes, losing power over an enemy taking over was even worse than death.

Thirty years were enough for most neurosets left in the world to be either destroyed so others wouldn’t take them as spoils of war, or plainly used as means of avoiding death in the real world.

Now, only a few organizations, armies and intelligence agencies truly used them - and to the dismay of most of them, with less and less influence over Another World, since the players here had lost almost all emotional connection to those in the Real World.

Sasha left the streets of the city of Meredith. Walking slowly at first, teleporting after a while, going stealth and using a number of skills, soon she had shaken most of those following her.

The ones who managed to keep on her track were people she was more than familiarized with.

- You folks can come closer now. Let’s talk a bit - Sasha’s tone was surprisingly light while carrying a hint of happiness.

- Ah, finally. I thought you were going to go straight home this time - A middle-aged elf said, while leaving the shadows of the nearby trees.

- Don’t even joke around. Do you know how much time we would have to expend pretending to follow her if she did? - At the same time, an armadillo-looking animal dug his way up.

- As if that mattered. You take your job too seriously, you know? - The middle-aged elf retorted.

- That’s true. Those old folks can come and do it themselves if they want to really track Sasha down. Heya, my dear. How do you do? - A half-orc cowgirl appeared from thin air as the elementary invisibility spell she used was dispelled. Her mount - a bird which would remind one of a young chick - chirped happily.

- Danielle. Still using that ch*c*b* imitation, I see. - Sasha retorted, as to which Danielle rolled her eyes.

The party was quite lively as more and more max-level and semi-max-level players gathered around Sasha. They had been tailing her for a while now. At least a few years. And any new additions to the group would then be “initiated” on the small brotherhood’s ways of “forget about your mission and let’s enjoy time together” ways… or gain a free reincarnation ticket.

In truth, a handful of those old timers were probably the only ones Sasha truly trusted in this world. Many decades of friendship with people who were as old as her and had similar life experiences were one of the few reliefs she had in life.

***

-So, have you decided on it? - Danielle was the first to ask, after most of the others were a certain distance away and only the closest friends walked side-by-side with Sasha.

Sasha sighed - Not yet. I don’t know how to tell Jack. - She seemed a bit defeated at this moment.

- Isn’t your relationship really weird? I thought you hated his guts. - Said the armadillo, which now happily carried everyone on his back.

- I did… - Sasha caressed the armadillo’s back - But I think I’ve finally understood Christina's decision now… so, I think I can forgive him.

- That’s some progress you’ve made, eh?! Congratulations! - Dick, the middle-aged elf, replied - I myself should follow suit after you go. This world just doesn’t give me the kicks anymore.

- Dick, you too? - Danielle seemed at a loss - Am I the only one who’s not tired of living?!

- I’m not too! - The armadillo answered.

- That’s because you keep walking around on your armadillo form! Also, you’re what, on your fiftieth son?

- Fiftieth-sevent! And he’s hellishly cute as well, Haha! - The armadillo laughed, however, after this short exchange, everyone remained speechless for a while. Silence issued, and Sasha sighed once more. At their current speed, it would take them five years to reach Dragon Island (2).

And she was fine with it.