The carriage continued on, drawing pointing and murmurs from the surrounding players as they speculated about which big shot from Scorched Earth City was inside.
After a while, a group of players in matching Armor came running over. They shouted, drove the onlookers to the sides of the road, and divided into groups to guard the carriage. One player even blocked its path.
The carriage stopped.
Inside, Bulaishini felt much more relaxed.
Hailuot watched the scene outside. The players being driven back did not complain; they cooperated without resistance.
Hailuot noticed that Bulaishini had relaxed and asked, "Do you know the person blocking the road?"
Bulaishini answered, "They're from the Eight-Armed Ape Guild. The City Lord hired them to maintain Western District's Public Order. With them protecting us, we're safe."
Using a Player Guild to maintain order—Dorothea certainly has original ideas!
Wasn't she swindled while helping them count their money?
At that moment, the player blocking the road approached the carriage and bowed respectfully. "My Lord inside, the Western District isn't safe. Where are you headed? Our Eight-Armed Ape Guild will escort you there."
A protective Light Barrier covered the carriage window, so no one outside could see in.
From inside, however, they could see out clearly.
The player outside wore pitch-black Full-Body Armor. His barrel-shaped, fully enclosed Helmet had only a slit for the eyes. He carried a greatsword two palms wide on his back, and a Three-Eyed Crow the size of a rooster perched on his right shoulder Armor.
On his left chest armor was a guild badge, engraved with an image of a gorilla with eight arms.
At a glance, he was clearly someone with real strength.
Hailuot spoke up and answered, "We're headed to 63 Tibia Street."
The black-armored player bowed again. "As you command, my lord. We will escort you there."
The black-armored player took the lead, while the other Eight-Armed Ape Guild members formed a Guard formation.
The carriage began moving again.
With the Eight-Armed Ape Guild clearing the way, players along the route stepped aside, making the journey much smoother.
Hailuot returned to the Chat Channel. He could not leave the feature off forever, or he would miss information about the Players. After being taught the same lesson twice, he did not unblock every muted channel. He opened only the Area Channel and used the range function to limit the information he received to a small radius.
Messages from Players appeared in the Information Panel, replacing the chaotic scroll of noise.
"Who's in the carriage? The Eight-Armed Ape Guild even sent Forgotten Mist Island to escort them in person. That's an incredible amount of face."
"You can tell you're a total newbie! Look at who's driving the carriage first."
"Whoa! Vampire Guards! Even the bats hanging around the carriage are the City Lord's Vampire Guards."
"The horses pulling it aren't Skeleton Horses but higher-tier Ghost Horses. Look at the carriage's craftsmanship, too—it's definitely the finest work in Scorched Earth City. The patterns aren't mere decoration; they can trigger Defensive Magic in an emergency."
"Anyone who can ride in a carriage like that must hold a high position in Scorched Earth City!"
……
"Hey! Look, Forgotten Mist Island looks like a dog!"
"Hahaha, he really looks like a dog!"
"The Eight-Armed Ape Guild only got their privileges in the Western District by sucking up to Dorothea."
"Have you licked Dorothea's feet? How would you know if they stink!"
……
"You're calling our big brother Forgotten Mist Island a dog? Then say it without hiding behind anonymity!"
"What's wrong with calling Forgotten Mist Island a dog? Your whole Eight-Armed Ape Guild is a pack of dogs!"
……
"Tell me, does Forgotten Mist Island look like a dog or not."
"He does!"
"Getting called a dog and just taking it — Forgotten Mist Island really is a dog!"
"Hahahaha……"
Hailuot laughed as he watched the flame war in the Information Panel. He looked at the black-armored player clearing the way ahead and figured that he must be Forgotten Mist Island.
The Eight-Armed Ape Guild and Forgotten Mist Island had a rotten reputation among Scorched Earth City's Players.
Still, Forgotten Mist Island could take an onslaught. The Players hurled insults at him, but he kept leading the carriage forward and clearing its path.
The Information Panel was full of entertainment!
As he kept watching, the carriage came to a stop.
Forgotten Mist Island approached the carriage again, bowed, and said, "My Lord inside, we've arrived at 63 Tibia Street. May I have the honor of opening the door for you?"
Hailuot answered, "Go ahead."
Forgotten Mist Island opened the carriage door and looked inside, trying to identify which big shot from Scorched Earth City had arrived.
But upon seeing Hailuot, he froze.
A human!
And a player, no less!
Hailuot's clothes looked unlike the game's usual style, so Players had assumed they were a Costume bought with cash.
And then……
Forgotten Mist Island turned to Bulaishini, removed his Helmet, and extended a hand. "My lady! Your beauty could stop my heart. Please allow me to help you down from the carriage. I am your loyal Rider, Forgotten Mist Island."
Seeing Bulaishini erased Forgotten Mist Island's anger at the insults. His gaze fixed on the radiant, beautiful Vampire before him, and he thought only about raising his favorability with her.
As for that eyesore of a Player, he would deal with him in private later.
But what Forgotten Mist Island never expected was……
But Bulaishini said, "This is Lord Shatterbone, the Special Affairs Advisor of the Vampire Guards, personally appointed by City Lord Dorothea. I'm only the Guard at Lord Shatterbone's side."
Forgotten Mist Island's eyes went wide, and he turned to look at Hailuot.
He hoped he'd misheard, but clearly he hadn't.
Who was this player called Shatterbone?
Why had he never heard of him before?
Dorothea's Vampire Guards recruited only Vampires—so how had a human gotten in? And he was a Special Affairs Advisor, clearly no low-ranking position.
Questions flooded Forgotten Mist Island's mind. He also felt as if someone else had slept with the woman he was about to marry.
The Eight-Armed Ape Guild had spent four years building roots in Scorched Earth City!
Over those four years, the Eight-Armed Ape Guild defeated countless rivals and invested enormous effort to secure its special standing in Scorched Earth City.
The Eight-Armed Ape Guild now enjoyed City Lord Dorothea's deep trust. She had hired it to manage Western District's Public Order, while multiple guild members held official positions in Scorched Earth City and climbed step by step toward the center of power.
The guild's future looked wide open.
But where had this Shatterbone come from? He had entered Scorched Earth City's core military as a human and held an important post. The carriage's quality and the Guards assigned to him showed how much Dorothea valued him.
He was unquestionably a rival threatening the Eight-Armed Ape Guild's core interests.
Forgotten Mist Island asked Hailuot rudely, "Hey, what quest are you doing? Share it so I can see it."
Forgotten Mist Island's abrupt change in attitude disgusted Hailuot. He sneered, "You called me 'my Lord' a moment ago, and now I'm 'hey.' Back off—a good dog doesn't block the road!"