ACT 4: See you again, Silvana!

Crack!

The door broke off with a harsh sound.Several knights and soldiers suddenly came through the door. The priest who was praying got up with a surprised expression.

What are you doing? Dont you know where this is?

Shut up!

The knights glanced at the soldiers and pushed the priest outside.The soldiers held up a bucket with a strange smell and poured it on the statue. The statues face instantly changed into that of a crow.

Ankh, the god of death!

The knight exclaimed and pulled out his sword.

There is no need to look anymore. Capture all the wicked ones! If they become rebellious then kill them!

A continuous uproar took place.The priests began to resist, forcing the soldiers to draw their swords and a messy fight suddenly occurred.It wasnt limited to that room. Throughout the cathedral, the same scene was occurring at the temples that worshipped Asyeosu. However, in this situation the soldiers had already completely surrounded the temple. The priests soon gave up their resistance and the soldiers bound them.

This room belongs to Asyeosus Archbishop!

The soldiers who were clearing the top floor of the temple plunged into the room.However, the Archbishop was not in the room. He had sensed the commotion and fled.

Damn..he couldnt have been able to run far away. Send soldiers to every exit and block his escape!

I understand!

The soldiers ran away in a hurry.Soldiers from the Schudenberg Kingdom were raiding Asyeosus temple!They found a secret meeting place to worship Ankh inside the cathedral. After searching and seizing documents, they found irregularities with the church of Asyeosu. Unfortunately, the Archbishop and several senior priests had fled beforehand but the church of Asyeosu was still destroyed.Taking into consideration the impact on the kingdom, they did not disclose any further details.Thus the church of Asyeosu quietly disappeared into the depths of the history books, while a hobbit merchant who was imprisoned for life in the cathedral dungeons was released.

Uh, my sore eyes.!

The hobbit frowned at the painful sunlight.It was none other than Sid who had spent a month in jail.

I wonder why I was released?

Sid didnt know what had changed. His day in the prison had begun like normal until a soldier suddenly approached and asked.

Are you Sid?

Yes? Yes I am, but why?

Youve been released from prison.

The soldiers just released Sid without any notice.He didnt know what happened today but Sid didnt bother questioning it.

Anyway, I can now play the game again. Ill never come near the Cathedral again!

Sid quickly left the tedious Cathedral.But a few minutes after Sid had gained precious freedom, his face darkened.It was because he had found a letter from Ark in his mailbox.

Have you left? Please come to Silvana castle in Nagaran immediately!

Although I managed to get the confiscated 5000 gold back, there is no way to obtain the 3000 gold that you lost to a scam. In such a situation Ark had no intention of letting his food go.The poor hobbit had once again gone from the mouth of a tiger into the wolfs trap.

Since the letter is written by Ark-nimit is impossible not to go..

Sid sighed and headed towards Nagaran.

How did my gaming life become like this?

The King congratulated him after listening to the situation. But there were still remnants of the social party. The church of Asyeosu had gathered a lot of social power, so if it was discredited then confusion would spread throughout the continent. So he had to wait for the Kings permission to disclose the secret. Once the political situation calmed down then he would have a chance.

Huhuhu, okay, Alan and the Cathedral have been dealt with.

There was a sudden warm smile on Hyun-woos mouth.Yes, it wasnt necessary to explain once again but Ark was behind the churchs downfall.Ark collected the fragments of memory crystal from the dungeon and headed straight to the young Lord of Jackson. He relayed what he found with the memory crystals as evidence. After that it progressed rapidly.The young Lord realised the severity of the problem, the King mobilized his troops and Asyeosus temple was raided.Of course, Asyeosus destruction was unrelated to Alan and Sid.However, Ark had gained a lot of recognition from the situation and Sid was released from the prison based on his words. Well Sid was imprisoned for an ambiguous reason by the church of Asyeosu in the first place, so he was released once the charges were reviewedBut what made Ark even more cheerful was the situation surrounding Alan.

The Pope had sent him a report from the King.

Judging from the circumstances, I think that there is a secret deal between Alan and the Asyeosu church in regards to Sid like you claimed. The information the knights confiscated from the temple is the proof. Alan clearly knew the truth behind the church and hid it. Unfortunately, there is no way to prove that he had anything to do with what happened to Sid. But he cant escape the charge of conspiring with the church. Arrangements have been made for Alans downfall. Because I have to conceal the contents, the public charge will be that he made a ghost guild in Nagaran and deceived the Kings of the Three Kingdoms. Once he is caught then there will be a big punishment.

Now he doesnt have a chance.

The crime of socializing with the church was hidden.Instead his sin was deceiving the kings using a ghost guild.Thanks to that, overnight Alan went from being a Lord to a fugitive.The guild master was accused of a crime so the Dawn Blade guild was also dissolved. Alan had lost all his power and his entire support base. But was that all? Since he was a wanted man then he couldnt even hunt properly. If it was to this degree then Alan was already over.In addition, the same thing applied to Andel who relied on Alan.

You shouldnt have picked a fight with me.

Ark felt refreshed at the thought of their downfall.But it was only the start. Arks motto was to step on them again and again until they became trash.

Even though the conclusion is that I won, Alan still has my 3000 gold. I wont be pleased if it ends like this. Since his crime was stealing my money, using Lariette and killing Roco, I wont be pleased until I kill him at least three or four times!

Once he made up his mind, Ark was more persistent than anyone else.

We have the same thoughts. We wont be satisfied with this.

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members nodded.

Park So-mis medical expensesurgh, the resentment of 3000 gold is deep!

How dare he kill our cutie Roco right in front of us!

Thats not the problem. Alan used a woman as a shield! I have to make sure such a person doesnt step foot into New World again.

Roco growled fiercely.Ark who had been listening in silence finally said.

The problem is that there is no way to figure out Alans location. When Alan was the Lord the castle was his resurrection point. Since weve captured the castle, he will resurrect in the location before the castle. But we cant just go out and search the 1~2 villages in the vicinity. And Alan probably wont travel like he did before.

The time has come to show my skill.

At that time, Hae Gyeol-sa smiled and cut in.

Dont you know Im a professional at finding people?

Hae Gyeol-sa..In other words, his former job was recovering money from people. Thus he was an expert at finding people who hid with the money.

But isnt this a game?

The method to find people doesnt actually change. Everyone has similar habits in regards to hiding. If I go out and search the vicinity then Ill quickly be able to catch his trail.

Hae Gyeol-sa replied.Ark had already seen Jjak-tungs and Tazzas skills a while ago. Hae Gyeol-sa would only tell him that if there was a good reason.

It will be difficult aloneif I had a few people then I could find Alan within a couple of days.

Id go. Because I have no interest in levelling up.

It might be too dangerous with just you.

Tazza and Bul-kkun volunteered.

Okay lets start straight away. Send any information about Alan to my mail.

So Hae Gyeol-sa, Tazza, and Bul-kkun left to track Alan.

Now I just have to wait.

Once Ark organized that he turned his attention to the problem of Silvana castle.There was no way that Ark could defend Silvana with his power.He had no money or organizing ability to create a ghost guild like Alan did. When the next siege began there was a 100% chance that he would have his Lordship taken away. At best he would only receive 1 copper from being the Lord before being kicked out. But Ark had already found a way to solve the problem.

For the moment, Im going to transfer this castle to Raiden.

What?

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members eyes opened.

W-what are you talking about?

Why are you handing the castle over to the guy who betrayed us?

Of course its not for free.

Ark shook his finger left and right as he laughed.

As you know, we dont have a way to keep the castle. But we have the right to choose a challenger. Ill sell that right to Raiden. Since hell definitely obtain the castle once he gets the challenge right, there is no way Raiden would refuse.

Certainly but.

Giving a castle that we worked hard to capture to a guy like him.

Didnt you hear? I said for the moment.

Huh? For the moment?

JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members were puzzled.Ark smiled and explained in detail what he had envisioned. And JusticeMan and the rehabilitation members expressed their admiration.

That, that method..!

Now do you understand? Silvana isnt like that now, but in the future it will be a goose that lays golden eggs. It isnt possible to overlook such a place. So Im going to install a few precautions before I pass it to Raiden. And since I developed the idea, I want Hyungs to make it possible.

I got it. Leave it to us.

The rehabilitation members rolled up their sleeves with excited faces.JusticeMan nodded and looked at Ark with admiring eyes.

I see why you picked Raiden to make the deal with.

I have to return the favour at least once.

Ark replied with an evil grin.Although he had to deal with Alan, there was still a debt that Raiden needed to repay.A few hours later, Ark sat facing Raiden in his office. Raidens face was haggard since he couldnt sleep after the siege.Indeed, on the way here Raiden vomited on the road which Ark noticed and couldnt help making insinuations while smiling.

What happened to your pretty face?

You bastard..!

Raiden drew his sword as his shoulders shook with anger.Well, if he tried to kill him then the NPC soldiers would expel him like a dog..Ark seemed carefree as he said.

In this situation there is no reason to be angry with me.

Did you call me just to say things like that?

No, I called because I have a good proposal.

What? Proposal?

Ill skip the small talk and just simply say it. Do you want Silvana castle?

Raidens eyes flinched.

What does that mean?

The next siege is in 5 days. If you want then Ill give Silvana to you then.

Are you serious?

Raiden asked Ark in an incredulous voice.

Of course its not for free. 6000 gold.

What, what the? This kid, are you crazy?

Raiden jumped in surprise.However, Ark just replied as if he hadnt said such outrageous words.

Hey, were talking about the Lordship here. You could get that much from selling cookies at a small store, yet you think that 6000 gold for a territory is too expensive? Besides, you offered me 3,600 gold the other day. Youre willing to spend that much on war funds but you wont part with 6000 gold to buy youre precious territory?

T-that is.

You wouldnt have this issue if you had just given it to me in the beginning.

Ark coolly replied.Ark and Raiden had been willing to spend money during the siege because they thought there would be an enormous profit once they had the castle. But that wasnt what he found once he finally occupied the castle.Occupying the castle would certainly be profitable. However, he had to defend it until he obtained the profits. Even if Hermes was an enormous guild, it wouldnt be easy for them to have the funds necessary for the siege.Since he had been in Nagaran for a while, he probably already knew that. There was a high chance that Raiden had already organized that with the other guilds in the alliance.The 5 guilds invested in such a way that they would receive the profits after the estate upgraded.After all, Raiden betrayed Dark Eden over the promise of 30%. No, Ark was the one who didnt know anything when he was making the demands.

The problem was that I didnt know anything about the castle. Anyway, my requirement is 6000 gold. You decided whether you will take it or not.

The salary of Silvanas Lord is only 3000 gold!

As a pioneer, he also had access to such information.However, Ark retorted without even blinking.

Yes, so that payment is the profit for two months.

Dont joke around. Do you think Im a fool? Two months in New World is 3 weeks in reality. Ill have to participate in three sieges in the meantime. We need that money to pay for it. Thanks to the siege, developing the estate until its not in a deficit anymore would take a few months. But you want to receive 6000 gold without even lifting a finger?

Im not playing around.

The smile disappeared from Arks face.Ark lowered his upper body and threatened.

Werent you aware of it before the first siege? You had confidence that you would be able to obtain a profit, wasnt that why you started the siege in the first place? And if you defend it a few times then youll definitely get a lot of benefits. Well, I lack the ability to defend the castle which is why I proposed a deal. But Im the Lord now. I can choose any challenger.

What?

Apart from you, there are other people willing to buy the castle. For example, the Grey Wings guild.

Grey wings!

The Grey Wings guild would respond to my offer without complaining. Nevertheless, I offered it to you first. Although you betrayed me in the end, I still managed to occupy the castle because of you. I have my own kind of loyalty. Thats all I have to say. Do you want to buy it or not?

Raiden rolled his eyes at Arks words.But he had already decided the answer from the beginning. If Silvana was owned by the Grey Wings then Raiden would have no choice but to siege again. That would require thousands more gold to be poured into his military power.There was also no guarantee of a victory.So he might not even get a profit from it.All Raiden could do was bargain for the best price.As expected, Raiden muttered in a strained voice.

But right now 6000 gold.

I made the right call. He should be a beginner in regards to these kinds of deals.

Ark didnt seem like he would be good at it compared to Raiden. However, Raiden didnt know that Ark had been in charge of the family budget since he was young, so he had twice the experience in making money transactions.

Ill simply say it. How much can you possible save up?

I can only gather 3000 gold in a week.

Thats a bit difficult.

W-wait a minute. I will give you 3000 gold in a fortnight and write up a contract.

I do not believe in contracts now.

Ark added in a cold and quiet voice.

But the circumstances are difficult so Ill concede one thing. 4000 gold in cash. Ill allow you to use something else to pay the remaining 2000 gold.

Something else?

The shoes that Duke is wearing.it looks pretty good?

Raiden was surprised and shook his head.

Thats impossible.

I wont accept anything else. 4000 gold and Dukes shoes. Or Ill meet up with Grey Wings and sell them the challenge rights next week. If I dont receive a call tomorrow then Ill see it as a rejection and make a deal with the Grey Wings guild.

Then Ark ended the negotiations.Shoes that enabled him to move freely without breaking his posture!It wasnt an exaggeration to say that Arks primary purpose was those shoes.

Raiden had just gone through a siege.In order to get the money, he would have to scrape it from his war funds. If he paid Ark 6000 gold then Raiden would have no money left in his funds.The maximum he could get from scraping money together was 4000 gold. So Ark asked for 6000 gold and stealthily sneaked in Dukes shoes as if it was just a side concession.These kinds of sale pitches done in black market shops were nothing to Ark.

Raiden absolutely cant refuse. He will bring the shoes even if he has to kill Duke.

As expected, Raiden sent a notification the next day accepting the deal.

The deposit is 1000 gold. The rest will be paid after you accept Hermes challenge.

Okay.

Raiden will regret this decision for the rest of his life.

Ark gave a wicked smile and collected the 1000 gold. Anyway, his problem regarding Silvana was solved. Silvana which had been empty will be turned into 4000 gold and unique shoes after 6 days.

In the meantime I wont just play around!

Ajusshi, has everyone done what I told them to?

Yes, Berami will take care of the rest.

Then gather all the NPCs together. From now on were exploring the dungeon!

Good, Ill finally get to see an elite monster!

JusticeMan grinned and raised his arms.

What? What did you say?

Duke looked at Raiden with an amazed expression. Raiden scratched his head and muttered an excuse.

That.you know the guilds situation. Since we had to pay for the siege before, weve ran out of money. It is much easier to gather 4000 gold in a few days than 6000 gold.

But to give that guy Ark my shoes? Does that make sense?

I didnt want it to be this way either! All of this is to take the castle away from him. Im the one that should be more irate at him! Even though I want to kill him dozens of times, I cant think like that!

While he was trying to persuade his guild members, Raidens resentment burst out.

But there is no other way. We cant miss this opportunity to occupy the castle. I know, I know. After being threatened I also felt ill. But now there is no way to turn around. Ive already given the 1000 gold deposit to Ark. If I dont pay the rest then that would be wasted for nothing! Furthermore, all of our efforts will be in vain if Ark just hands the castle to the Grey Wings guild.

Indeed.

The guild members that had been gathered nodded.In fact, so far the power of Hermes outnumbered Grey Wings by 6:4. But if Grey Wings occupied the castle and becomes the Lord, that would change.Since theyve already participated in a siege, they knew that defending was more advantageous than attacking. If they took into account the damage Hermes received in the failed siege, their current ratio was 4:6.No, Grey Wings would have the upper hand with a ratio of 3:7.No matter how much time and money they spend, it would be impossible to take back the castle once it is in Grey Wings hands. He wasnt going to let his pride get in the way.

I promise that when we occupy the castle, Ill reward you first.

Yes, the guild master is right.

Well help you get some shoes later.

Youre not going to betray the guild just because of some shoes are you?

The guild members surrounded Duke and started pressuring him.

Damn, I handpicked that item and now I have to give it to that guy.

Curses rose in Dukes throat.Those shoes made moving while shooting possible!It wasnt an exaggeration to say that it had the best possible option for a ranger.Although his level was less than the other pioneers, he was able to fight side-by-side with Raiden and Jewel because of those shoes.

However..now he had to give it to Ark?

Frankly, in this situation he was angrier with Raiden and his guild then about giving Ark his shoes.Meanwhile, the guild members had slowly narrowed the distance.They had already decided to just peel Dukes shoes off.

No! Ill never do it!

Duke stared at Raiden and the guild before turning around. He was going to defend his shoes. He just had to hide until the next siege occurred in several days.Well, he might be chewed out by his guild later on but it was better than being deprived of his shoes.

Eh? Catch him!

Raiden shouted when he sensed Dukes aim and Duke ran away.However, Duke used his shoes to escape from the guilds encirclement.

I did it! Heh, do you think I would give up these shoes so easily?

Duke smiled with satisfaction as he walked through the door.Then a dozen wind chains abruptly rose from the ground and wound around Duke.

-You have been caught by the advanced Restraint spell.

<You will not be able to move for 1 minute>