—

The celebratory banquet lasted a few hours before concluding. All the welcomed guests were escorted to their respective vehicles or other means of transportation after sharing their final congratulations with Zerim.

Soon enough, all that remained was Zerim and his family, with Kieran standing close by.

Zerim held an exquisite box in his grasp while approaching Kieran.

“I understand your schedule may be full, so I won’t invite you to stay longer than you must. However, I want to ensure this makes it into your hands because, as my family promised, you deserve a commemorative gift.”

Kieran accepted the box, and while no energy leaked from it, Kieran could feel a subtle warmth. That warmth was naturally the presence of a Core Flame, admittedly a Tier 3 one since Ezrath suggested Zairen prepare one of this level.

Out of curiosity, Kieran opened the box to reveal a purplish flame. The color seemed to be a mix of purple with hints of red. Though Kieran couldn’t feel much heat emanating from the fire, the purity of its color caught his eye.

「 Amaranth Continuity Flame (Core Flame)

Item Rank: Tier 3

Item Level: N

/A

Item Usage: When used in production, this flame decreases the length of the purification process by up to 50% and decreases the likelihood of destroying the material by 20%. (The higher the grade of the material, the smaller the decrease.)

If used in an area where there is ample flame energy to feed upon, the flame will continue to burn without additional attention.

Description: A derivative Core Flame that feeds on residual flame energy to produce a false sense of immortality. It is rumored to be an offspring flame of a fabled flame lost to the annals of history.

Requirement: At least 3 Focus Points (The difficulty to wield will change according to points above this level.) 」

Kieran’s pupils rattled after reading through the effects.

The effects were far beyond some of the Tier 3 Core Flames he witnessed in his past. Based on the baseline he was familiar with, the Amaranth Continuity Flame should be a superior flame amongst its caliber of Core Flames.

If not for the fact he possessed no production class that required a flame, Kieran would have undoubtedly sped away to begin experimenting with this item.

Purifying the hidden impurities from certain materials would become a walk in the park once one grew accustomed to wielding this flame.

“Thank you for the impressive gift. I can’t stress how practical a gift it is,” Kieran said. He closed the box and placed it within his inventory with a delighted smile.

“This goes to show. The Ignis Family always makes good on its promises. Your master can attest to that,” Ezrath proudly commented, his head held high with dignity. Untrustworthy people were something he couldn’t tolerate and vowed never to become.

Kieran replied with a smile that spoke for itself.

He didn’t wish to ruin the atmosphere, but his view was somewhat cynical after what he had experienced in life. He believed that one should only acknowledge half of what he saw but none of what someone voiced.

Rather than listen to an individual’s words, Kieran listened to their actions and studied their body language to understand their true intentions.

‘Being double-crossed has taught me to delve deeper.’

While the Ignis Family sought a genuine alliance, Kieran couldn’t ignore the fact that they approached him because of his potential and background. If it were before he spoke with Ezrath, Zerim, and Zairen, he would have judged harsher than he currently did.

Though his criteria remained stringent, the Ignis Family had passed his first round of speculation. From what he experienced while in their presence, they were genuine people.

His Vengeful Soul, albeit in a partially weakened state, didn’t sense malicious intentions hidden within their actions.

“Do you need an escort back to the War Deity Council or anywhere else?” Ezrath asked, unsure whether Kieran possessed an exclusive mount for travel. Rearing a mount was costly, especially if its rank was high, so not everyone could afford it.

“If possible, I’d like to be escorted to the Vizcarra Kingdom, specifically its capital city,” Kieran responded.

The Vizcarra Kingdom was one of the kingdoms within the Protus Empire reputed for its traffic of goods. A large portion of those goods consisted of herbs and minerals, which could be used for alchemy and forging—two things Kieran required if he wanted to convince Sorcia and Hamon to come under his wing successfully.

“Vizcarra? That’s possible,” Ezrath said.

Afterward, he brought his fingers to his lips and called for his Zephyr Hawk, which perked its head up beside a large shed. It had moved away from the fountain once many visitors arrived.

Kieran said his final round of farewells before waving goodbye and boarding the Zephyr Hawk behind Ezrath.

A gust of wind was kicked up when the Zephyr Hawk flapped its wings and levitated a few meters above the ground. Everyone covered their face, intending to see Kieran off until the naked eye could no longer view him.

…

Meanwhile, inside Aeredale City…

Ezra tapped on her lips while sifting through some information before her.

Numerous dungeons had been found, and several had their highest difficulty cleared, so there were no exclusive rewards there.

But aside from viewing this information on dungeons, she analyzed Kieran’s gameplay, precisely his match against Bracca and Ronan. She had noticed a few fascinating things during these two matches.

‘Calling Aatrox’s last stepping technique absurd would be an understatement. How could one move that fast with our current limitations? My eyes are trained and enhanced, yet I can’t grasp his movements or how he reappeared like that. I wonder if he’ll teach it to me if I ask him.’

Ezra’s mind moved a mile a minute, configuring a way to ask Kieran for more exclusive training without being rejected.

She suspected he was swamped since they hadn’t been in contact for many days after their quest, which is why she didn’t disturb him or bring up the topic during their brief conversation.

While Ezra was lost in thought, Camila walked up behind her and touched her shoulder.

Ezra jumped at first but sighed when she saw it was Camila. “Haven’t I told you many times not to sneak up behind me with your soundless steps? You’re not an Assassin, so stop acting like one.”

Camila giggled before sitting across from Ezra with a somewhat severe expression after. “The guild’s shareholders have called for a meeting. I believe they have some important matters to discuss. I’m not sure how it will transpire, but I advise you to mention the injection of Gold you received.”

“Mm?” Ezra raised her brow, looking at Camila dubiously. “Why would I do that?”

“Well, you initially exhausted all of the guild’s liquid funds to come to this kingdom. Naturally, the shareholders won’t be pleased. I think you should give them some reassurance, Evie,” Camila advised.

“Reassurance? When have I led the guild astray in my past three years of leading it? Part of its success is due to my insight and understanding when taking a leap of faith is necessary.”

“Yes, but… many talented people are beginning to emerge, and the shareholders are catching wind of this. Aatrox’s streams are bringing people out the woodworks to broadcast their abilities.”

“Aatrox,” Ezra uttered with a pleasant smile. “He does that have that effect. Even on you. After all, isn’t he why you’ve become open with me once again?”

“I suppose,” Camila looked down, avoiding Ezra’s gaze. She could feel the smug expression across from her.

“Let the shareholders know that I will be attending the meeting. But don’t mention anything about the Gold. I want to know the reasoning behind this meeting first. After I ascertain that, I’ll decide my next course of action,” Ezra said.

Camila gave a small sigh while reluctantly nodding. “Understood, Evie. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I ask myself the same question. I hope I know what I’m doing.” Ezra’s voice sounded as if she was trying to convince herself. After all, she tended to concede in the presence of the shareholders since they alone dictated the future of Eclipse.

This pressure led to Ezra stifling some ideas she felt could benefit Eclipse immensely.

Once Camila left, Ezra switched from analyzing information regarding dungeons and Kieran’s gameplay to looking at the list of Lifestyle players that agreed to join Eclipse unofficially.

It was official in terms of signing a written contract, but it was unofficial as far as Zenith Online went because the only current guild was the Adventurers’ Guild.

‘With the cost of materials and the success rate of the Lifestyle Players, employing too many people would be suicide. The farming teams have only recently become stable, so we can’t rely on them for steady income. I may need to take Aatrox’s advice and eliminate many of these names.’

Ezra wasn’t the only Guild Master making such moves. Lifestyle Players were slowly becoming the focus of many guilds, so much so that the dungeon aspect of Zenith Online suffered some neglect.