When Lux arrived in Leaf Village, the first thing he noticed was how different it was since the last time he saw it.

More structures had been built in the surroundings, with some of them even being three stories tall.

“Pa!”

“You’re right, Eiko. Leaf Village is starting to look more like a town than a village.”

“Un!”

The Half-Elf felt happy about these changes because Leaf Village held a special place in his heart.

The Half-Elf was about to go find Grandma Annie in her candy shop when he heard someone calling out to him from behind.

“Lux, my boy! You’re finally here!”

The red-headed teenager couldn’t help but smile after seeing the Village Head, Cedwyn, running towards him with an excited look on his face.

“I’ve been waiting for you for a long time,” Cedwyn said. “I know you are busy, but you should find some time to visit us from time to time.”

“I’m sorry, Sir Cedwyn,” Lux replied. “Things have been quite hectic on my side that I haven’t been able to find the time to visit. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to pop in here once in a while moving forward.”

Cedwyn nodded before dragging the Half-Elf towards the West Gate of the City. There, he found a large building that he hadn’t seen in the past.

It was none other than a barracks that could house at least five hundred people, and their mounts.

“Monsters no longer attack the village due to the Guardian Crystal, so we can now focus our attention on expansion,” Cedwyn explained. “With Commander Thoram’s approval, the Village Guards have been promoted to the Riders of Leaf Village. This Barracks was built so they can train, as well as Master the techniques they need so they know how to be efficient Dwarven Riders.

“Currently, we are sending people to the Savage Lands to accompany Cadmus (Draconian Kobold) and Sid. The growth of the new recruits is quite phenomenal and all of them are Grade C and Grade B Apostles now.

“Although they are weaker compared to your bodyguard, and the Kobolds, they still hold their ground against the lackeys of the strong monsters they come across in the Savage Lands. I have a feeling that if they continued to grow at this pace, they will all become Initiates in a few months time.”

The Village Head even motioned for Lux to crouch down a bit so that he could whisper something in his ears.

“When do you think we can add them as members of the Guild?” Cedwyn whispered. “I can tell that you’re already at the peak of the Initiate Rank and will become a Ranker soon. I’m not saying that we should announce our name for the entire world to hear, I just think that we should bolster our ranks more.

“This will allow us to do many things at once. For example, while you are handling your stuff, we can explore Dungeons or gather information. Heck, we can even open shops all around the Kingdom, selling stuff, but their real purpose would be to gather important intel that will benefit our Guild Members as a whole.

“You already have Commander Thoram, and the head of the Adventurer’s Guild in the Stronghold of Norria, Keelan. Just the two of them alone can gather a lot of important information. We are just not doing it right now because we don’t have your orders to do so. How about you choose a representative to handle the Guild’s matters here in the Kingdom of Gweliven, while you go off on your adventures?”

Lux pondered for a bit and realized that what Cedwyn said was right. Currently, everything going on in Heaven’s Gate revolved around him.

Wherever he went, his Guild Members would follow.

Since he was the Guildmaster of the only Mythical Guild in the world, his members’ actions were limited because they had no idea of what the Half-Elf envisioned for the future.

“I’m sorry, Sir Cedwyn,” Lux said with a bitter smile. “I hadn’t thought that far. You are right, we need to expand our guild’s operations, even when I’m not around. So, what do you think? Who should I choose to become the representative of Heaven’s Gate here in the Kingdom of Gweliven?”

Cedwyn already had a candidate in mind, so he told Lux the name of the one whom he deemed fit to take on the job.

“It is impossible for Commander Thoram to take control of the Branch Guild because he has a lot of responsibilities and answers directly to His Majesty,” Cedwyn stated. “Therefore, I suggest that we pick Guildmaster Keelan. With his connections, he will be able to effectively lay out the foundations for our Guild without arising any suspicion.

“You have chosen Ex-General Garret to become the steward in the Outer Reaches, so it will be best if you inform him about Keelan, so both of them can effectively collaborate with each other. Who knows? With two great minds working together, they might surprise you one of these days!”

Lux nodded his head to acknowledge Cedwyn’s words.

Garret was once the Great General of the Haca Dynasty, which meant that he was a man who stood above tens of thousands. No one would become the Great General of a nation unless he had the skills to back it up.

Guildmaster Keelan was the Head of the Adventurer’s Guild in the Stronghold of Norria. Lux was certain that someone of his standing had a few tricks up his sleeve.

In fact, the Half-Elf was feeling that if Garret and Keelan really worked together, they might create an organization that might threaten the stability of an entire kingdom.

‘They’re not going to launch a Coup d’etat, right?’ Lux thought.

He could tell that Garret and Keelan were both ambitious people. If given enough time, resources, and manpower, they might really threaten the Kingdom of Gweliven if Lux didn’t rein them in.

Even so, he was very eager to see how far, and how wide the influence of his guild would become in a few months, after he had given the nod to mobilize their people. ʀᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀᴛ N(o)vl(ꜰ)ire.nt

‘Now I’m feeling like one of the leaders of those shady Dark Guilds that only operate in the shadows,’ Lux mused. ‘Still… this is worth a shot.’

Because of Cedwyn’s suggestion, Lux decided to talk with Garret and Keelan privately in the Guild Chat.

A year from now, the Half-Elf would realize that he made the right decision in designating the two capable individuals to manage his guild for him.

Garret and Keelan would go above and beyond their means to ensure that their Mythical Guild would truly be able to show their might the moment they decided to make their presence known to the entire world.