I Ascend to the Divine Throne through Arcane Means

Mora had no objections to the name Lis had decided on.

"It sounds pretty good, just not sure why White Dove represents peace."

Since Mora had no objections, the name of the Guild was thus settled between the two.

Lis and Mora rode toward Koln Street in a carriage driven by Bender.

With Mora's introduction, Lis briefly surveyed the area they had acquired on Koln Street.

The area used to be a slum, and though it was slightly better than Langai Street, it wasn't by much; garbage piled up along the roadsides, clearly neglected and uncleaned.

Pointing at the deserted street in front of them, Mora said to Lis:

"I've bought this whole street; it should be sufficient for our use."

"Even if it's not enough, it's fine. People around here have been asking if we're still buying houses, after all, we've been offering a fair price."

"I'll arrange for someone to clean it up later, and then it'll be ready to move in."

"The house at the end of the street, I had someone modify it to sell food and daily necessities. It should meet your requirements."

Lis nodded his approval, satisfied with the situation. He had experienced the dire states of players when they first entered the game in his previous life, suffering from exposure and a lack of proper clothing before advancing to become Professionals.

And anyway, it didn't matter much if the houses were a bit run-down; if players didn't like them, they could just build their own, right?

White Dove Chamber of Commerce could certainly provide a full range of services from materials and construction to decoration, as long as the players could afford it.

"By the way, buy a few more streets around here too. It won't be a loss," Lis said, nodding.

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to do it."

Mora didn't mind at all; with land being both plentiful and cheap in the Lower City District, buying more wouldn't strain the White Dove Chamber of Commerce.

"So who exactly are you preparing all these for? I haven't heard of a large influx of people coming to Bright City lately," Mora was more curious about whom Lis was making arrangements for than the reason for acquiring properties.

"Haha, you'll know when the Sacrificial Festival is near!"

Lis didn't answer directly but chuckled.

"Alright then."

Seeing that Lis didn't want to talk about it now, Mora shrugged his shoulders.

Sacrificial Festival, is it for the people coming to celebrate in Bright City?

Mora felt it couldn't be that; after all, the Sacrificial Festival happened every year, and there hadn't been any news about this year's festival being particularly special.

After leaving Koln Street, Lis and Mora headed toward Gedo Street.

On Gedo Street, Lis had Mora prepare a storefront base not far from the Mercenary Guild, to be ready for recruiting players later on.

Lis planned to recruit players under the guise of hiring hands for the White Dove Chamber of Commerce.

How to distinguish the players from the natives?

Small issue, just recruit those who behaved oddly or looked like they had mental issues—surefire way to spot them!

Although the game announcement suggested players imitate the natives' behavior and not attract too much attention,

players, well, most are agents of chaos, fun-seekers, and experts in courting death. Expecting them to quietly avoid causing trouble was truly a daunting task.

Once the player community reached a certain level of power, they truly would be unconstrained and delight in courting chaos.

Many major powers were troubled by this, unable to kill or detain the players; it was indeed a hassle.

It wasn't until later that someone discovered that players could be restricted through sealing methods, which then subdued the players' arrogance.

After all, for the top powers of Gaia World, there were plenty of sealing techniques.

...

As Lis and Mora were exiting their own shop, Lis seemed to notice something and turned his head to look in another direction.

At a stall across the way, a man dressed in a black tailcoat was particularly conspicuous in Lis' eyes, appearing to be purchasing something from a street vendor at the moment.

He quietly asked Angela, who was leaning on his shoulder:

"Is that the vampire Marion?"

"Mmm."

Angela stared intently at the man, having also noticed Marion's presence.

For some reason, Angela seemed quite concerned about the vampire called Marion, as if there was a bloodline connection calling to her.

However, Angela had no intention of initiating contact; life after emerging from the tomb, with eating, drinking, and sleeping to her heart's content, was far too comfortable compared to before. Explore stories on empire

Angela was quite content with her current life, and as long as the heart of that Duke-level vampire hadn't been depleted, she didn't have to worry about the speed of her strength improvement.

At this moment, Marion seemed to sense the gaze and turned around to spot Lis.

With a smile, Marion walked towards Lis.

Seeing this, Lis wasn't worried, with the "Dimension Shield" uses in his ring still available, he didn't have to worry about this seemingly mentally unstable vampire attacking him.

"Mora, you go back first, I've still got something to deal with here."

Mora glanced at Lis's serious expression, nodded, and quickly left the scene without looking back.

That's the understanding between best friends.

"We meet again, Lord Lis Kain."

Upon reaching Lis, Marion bowed slightly and greeted him.

"Hello, Lord Marion."

Lis looked at the Bright City grilled chicken and the fruit tea that Marion held in his hand, presumably just purchased from the stall.

To say you and Angela have no connection, I wouldn't believe it!

Lis thought to himself with an internal eye-roll but didn't want to directly ask Marion about Angela.

After all, Lis was quite suspicious of the vampire's mental state in front of him, though he seemed normal now, there was no guarantee he wouldn't suddenly attack like he did in Old Jack's store.

"Didn't expect you to enjoy human food too?"

Lis remarked, looking at the food in Marion's hands with a suggestive tone.

"It's sort of a hobby of mine, I think the greatest human invention is their various cuisines. Every time I go out, I make sure to thoroughly enjoy the local delicacies."

Marion didn't hide anything, laughed as he said this to Lis, and casually took a sip from the fruit tea he was holding.

"Is it your first visit to Bright City?"

Lis refused the chicken leg offered by the vampire and asked.

"Indeed, it is my first time. I've mostly stayed in the south before and seldom come to this area."

Marion replied with ease, subtly finishing off the chicken leg he had casually retracted.

"Do you have any specific business in Bright City?"

Lis, seeing that the other party was quite forthcoming, cut to the chase.

"Haha, a superior arranged for me to find someone, nothing too important."

Marion casually tossed away the trash in his hand, and a faint smile appeared on his somewhat pale face.

Finding someone?

You stir up such a commotion in Bright City searching for someone, and you show yourself so brazenly in public?

Lis was somewhat speechless, uncertain of how to continue the conversation.

Seeing that Lis did not continue, Marion said:

"Lord Lis, seeing as I've been so sincere, might you be willing to do me a favor?"