Chapter 1490: Guild Hall

Jonah looked different now. His brown hair was now tied back in a ponytail. Even more, he had a beard now that he had grown over the course of the past year. There was no resemblance to the young man that Arthur knew.

A scar ran down his left eye and reached his cheek. Arthur knew that whatever happened during the merge had affected him a lot, but he was still laughing and smiling all the time, much to Arthur’s belief.

The object of his laughter was none other than Ellen. Arthur was taken aback when he saw the young woman, now with her hair cut short and clad in armor, sitting in the Vice-Guildmaster’s seat next to Jonah.

He was still in the process of learning the names of everyone, and Julia made a note regarding the two. It seemed that fate had worked in mysterious ways, and Jonah had rescued Ellen during the merge. Even more, they were now romantically involved with each other.

There were other familiar faces in the crowd. The Knight of Courage sat at the back next to Oriole, who had managed to wake up earlier. She was talking to the alchemist about something serious as her brows remained furrowed.

Arthur also spotted Joe among the newcomers and Mr. Tate. The two of them, having traded artifacts before, were part of the Artifacts Guild of Ascent.

Overall, the hall had close to two hundred people gathered together. Julia even mentioned that these were the ones who could make it. Arthur was happy to see Seraphine sitting on the side next to Rae, and the two aloof women, despite looking nothing alike, sat there in comfortable silence.

After he recognized the people he knew, Arthur moved to examine some of the people who were just as curious about him. Some of them he had never met before but had heard their names.

One of them was a giant bear — a legacy labeled as a Shifter, someone who could alter their appearance. For some reason, he chose a bear for this meeting.

Another person was a man with metallic skin. He sat there like a statue, and Arthur would have thought of him as one if he didn’t laugh every now and then.

There were a few demi-humans who nodded at him when their eyes met. Arthur could see some of them were snake-warriors, gorilla-tiger hybrids, and a giant bird that occupied an entire table.

The humans, while the majority, couldn’t look more different. Some of them had darker skin, and some looked as pale as paper. Most of them were covered with scars that bespoke countless battles before.

Arthur was looking at them from behind an invisible door inside the Runic Dome. He wanted to learn their names and characters from Julia first — any notable people or quirks — before the meeting began.

"This will be the first grand meeting for the guild," Julia said. "Most of the people here were handpicked among thousands to lead our forces, but none of them have met you before. There’s a general consensus that you have abandoned the guild."

"What? How did that rumor even emerge?"

"...It’s not a rumor," Julia said with a sigh. "You’ve been gone for too long, doing your own thing. Although we tried to maintain your image as the guildmaster, no one has seen you for the past few months."

Arthur let out a sigh. It was similar to his latest conversation with Oriole. Although he hated to lead, he recognized it as an opportunity to make the world a better place. His guild was still directly involved with several major battles happening around the world.

"Let’s do this," Arthur said as he picked his robes from the chair and threw them around his shoulders. Julia smiled as she followed after him. The two of them walked through the corridor until reaching two large doors with the words Guild Hall written across them.

The twin doors slid open with a mechanical sound. Arthur stepped through the doors, followed by Julia, straight into the guild hall. The loud noise of chatter died down almost instantly.

Everyone stopped their conversations and looked at Arthur, who walked between them in a straight line toward his seat at the far end of the hall. It was atop a pedestal and behind a desk filled with enough runes to protect an entire city.

Arthur stopped in front of the table, and Julia stopped behind him. She seemed to hold back a smile as he surveyed the crowd. Everyone was looking at him. Those who knew him stared at him with either the joy of reunion or the scowl of his absence, but those who didn’t—the majority—stared at him with blank expressions.

"Good evening," Arthur said as he stepped forward and placed a hand on the table. His gaze pierced through the crowd. "I believe everyone here should know who I am, but I have to start this with an introduction. My name is Arthur Netherborne, the Guildmaster of Ascent."

There was a long pause.

"Most of you have never met me, but all of you used the legacy I created to make the world a better place. With a glance, I can see... that everyone here is someone I approve of, in one way or another."

Arthur looked at them as their levels appeared above their heads. They might not know this, but Arthur could even access their legacy menu and see their information directly — but he didn’t.

"The legacy was something I created with a dear friend of mine, the Scholar Guardian. We wanted a way to give the world a fighting chance. You became the embodiment of that vision. I’m damn proud to be in your presence today. I can tell that none of you turned your backs on the weak. I believe that many outside think that Ascent is strong because of my name, but that couldn’t be more wrong. It’s strong because of you, the heroes who give away their rest and sleep to fight against the terrors plaguing our world."

There was a change inside the guild hall following his words. The eyes looking at him weren’t cautious or curious but filled with pride and an undying ember. They sat straight, and their tense bodies loosened.

A hand rose from the crowd. It was the bear-creature, who seemed to be a human shaped as a bear. Arthur realized that his hands were human but covered with fur.

Arthur nodded toward him.

"I joined Ascent a month ago," the bear said, with a voice that sounded like the low rumble of an engine. "But I didn’t join it because of you. My people were saved by a guildmaster here. I owe them my life. But I don’t owe it to you, Arthur Netherborne."

"Your lives are yours," Arthur said with a laugh. "I never joined a guild before for this exact reason. I didn’t want to be used. But here in Ascent, we do things a little differently. Everyone has a choice regarding anything we do."

"You led your men to Runera to capture it. I heard thousands died for your cause," the bear said. "Was it their choice?"

"It was," Arthur said with a somber expression. "I don’t deny that sometimes, I’ll ask for your help. But in return, I have supplied the guilds that saved your people with artifacts, powers, and this headquarters. I didn’t do it because I wanted your loyalty. I did it because I wanted these people saved. I want my comrades, every single one of you, to return home to the smell of homebrewed stew and the laughter of your young."

The bear let out a grunt as he nodded. Then, no one else tried to ask anything more. Arthur surveyed the crowd again, looking at as many people as he could, as he spoke the next words.

"This is a safe home for every single one of you. But remember this," he said. "I am the Guildmaster of Ascent, Ruler of Runera, and the Sovereign of the Lower Realms. I don’t need your respect and loyalty, but as long as you carry my name on your backs, then I expect them."

No one inside the guild hall could utter a word. Arthur nodded and took off his robes, threw them on the chair, and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.

Then, he raised his hands atop the table. Holograms appeared in front of them, showing the entire world. Atop the desk were individual sceneries that everyone could recognize.

"These are our current locations across the globe," Arthur said as he turned toward them. "I will discuss each and every single one of them. Once I pull out a location, I want whatever guild stationed there to stand, report, and answer my questions."

The crowd stared with nervousness. Arthur nodded and continued to pull out the first location for them. It was within the forests of Shon, right at the edge of the uninhabited lands. Rae rose from her chair, and several more did.

"It’s been a while since we met," Arthur said with a grin. Rae returned his smile. "Let’s hear how your fight is going against your father."

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