"Thanks." Leila accepted the compliment with a small smile as she gave Kashi a once-over. "You've gotten a lot stronger since our last meeting."

"Haha, it's nothing," Kashi laughed as he waved his hand and reverted to his daeben form. "I've recently had a bout of luck."

"Luck, huh," Leila muttered as she crouched to examine the fallen loot. "Would it be we were all as 'lucky' as you." The wisben made a mental note of the materials, as well as the best method to distribute them within the guild then rose to her feet. She then turned to Kashi with a half teasing smile. "So, have you come to resume your Guildmaster duties? I have kept your office nice and clean, ready for you anytime."

Kashi recalled the mountain of paperwork he saw on Leila's desk and instantly paled. Laughing nervously, he refuted "Haha... No. Of course, not. As long as our great vice-guildmaster is here, I can rest assured the guild is in guild hands. I'll leave that up to you!"

Leila rolled her eyes as she suppressed her laughter. "Fine, then. If you did not come here to relieve my stress, did you come to add to it?"

"Eh..." Kashi hesitated as he scratched his cheeks. "I'm not too sure if it's one or the other." The daeben proceeded to explain everything about his world and Drixlia's evolution in full detail, leaving nothing out. "With your permission, I'd like to move our HQ into my inner world, and use it as a hub connected to several places on the continent."

Leila thought about it and nodded, "I think that's a good idea too. Secret attacks against our guild have been escalating recently. We've intercepted numerous spies trying to steal all our secrets, including the blacksmith manuals. We do not have to move the entire Headquarters, but certainly, we can safeguard the more sensitive materials in your world."

"I agree," Kashi stated. "But aside from that, I was wondering if we could use the world as a hub for adventurers to travel between the major cities. You know, we charge them to use the gateway into my world, from which they can then take the gateway to some city I've painted on the continent."

"That's a good idea, but wouldn't it prematurely kill the train and skyboat business?" Leila's brows furrowed in thought. "Miote will kill you if he finds out."

"Don't worry, I already considered that possibility," Kashi assured her. "I have two solutions. First, I intend to have the public gateways only access a couple of major cities. The trains will remain the main mode of transportation within a country. Also, the gateways will only take individuals, not luggage. Like this, merchants will choose to use either the skyboat and train for travel. Second, we make the gateway price much higher than the train. Most people should choose to take the train then, leaving only the insanely rich or adventurers. The skyboats will specialize in long-distance travel, ferrying goods, and people between countries. I don't think it'll be affected much."

"Miote did say our main target should be the poor and middle-class Residents," Leila muttered as she absorbed the details of Kashi's plan. "Your plan does exactly that, while also accommodating the rich. Miote would be proud of you."

Kashi scratched the back of his head, as he replied with nervous laughter, "Haha, like you said, if I did not come up with a good plan, Miote would kill me for destroying the train business before it even started." The daeben patted his chest and released a nervous breath he was not aware he was holding. "So, what do you think? I can present this proposal to Miote, right?"

"It could use some polish here and there," Leila replied with a thoughtful gaze. "But the groundwork is solid. You can leave the rest to Miote. He'll make sure to squeeze out the highest possible profit."

"Ah, okay, that's good then," Kashi said with a smile. "Next, to the real reason, I'm here."

Leila's brow rose. "Oh? There's more?"

Kashi nodded, and then said, "I want to visit Serisis. I'll need you to be the bridge."

"The battle's just around the corner," Leila replied with a raised brow. "I don't think you have time for a round trip to Serisis. You still have a lot of work that needs wrapping up in Merriheim."

Kashi grinned as he procured a scroll with a painting of Rine's Bar. "Did you forget who I am? Getting back to Merriheim will only take me a second."

Leila rubbed her forehead as she issued a frustrated smile. "Ah, yes. I forgot about your ability to teleport." The wisben shook her head as she thought of another problem. "Is it just us two?"

"No," Kashi replied. "It's been a while since I've seen the King. He'll have to accompany us. Of course, with as many aides or ministers as the trip requires."

"The King? You mean Paris?" Leila questioned in shock. "This trip. It's not just to save the orc and dwarf, is it?"

"No, it isn't," Kashi replied. "It's about the upcoming battle. That prophecy. So many people heard it, which means many armies will be heading there intending to prevent it from happening." The daeben's eyes narrowed as he continued, "I'm no expert on game design, but if they felt sending out the prophecy worldwide was the only way to stop it, don't you think that means that the force trying to carry out the prophecy is that strong? Strong enough to contend against the entire continent?"

Kashi thought about the cult he kept encountering. The Order of Chaos. Who knew just how deep their forces were. If they had a hand in the battle, then Kashi could not afford to take it easy, "I hate to admit it, but I do not think our guild's army will be enough. We need the combined forces of the three countries to stand a chance."

"Three?" Leila's brow rose in shock. "You're adding Merriheim to the mix?"

"Yes," Kashi replied. "I will fetch the dwarven king after we clear this dungeon. We will then get Rosendun's King, before heading for Serisis. There, we'll have the first real summit of the three powers. We can also use the chance to plan our path ahead."

"It's a good plan," Leila praised, but then added with furrowed brows, "but then, why do I feel so uneasy?" The wisben's eyes narrowed as she glared at Kashi. "I'm probably overthinking things here, but you would not possibly be thinking of gathering everyone, then leaving all the talking to me, will you?"

Kashi's eyes widened, his panicked expression akin to a deer caught in headlights. "Uh... *cough* *cough*." Kashi cleared his throat as he stuttered and began to take a newfound interest in the ceiling lamps. "Wow... those lamps look so good. We should consider—"

"Kashi."

Kashi felt a hand clamp on his shoulder, and he winced as he knew what was coming. The daeben looked down and met Leila's gaze, which was drained of all emotions. 'Crap! She's mad!'

A vein popped on Leila's forehead as she squeezed the daeben's shoulder. "Hey, Kashi, are you the Guildmaster, or am I the Guildmaster?"

Kashi winced in pain as he shamefully replied, "I am the Guildmaster."

"Do you think it makes sense, that in a summit of three kings, organized by the Guildmaster, that said Guildmaster ducks the summit and leaves it in the hands of the Vice-Guildmaster?" Leila scolded, each of her words whip striking the daeben. "Is such conduct disrespectful or not?

"It's disrespectful." Kashi obediently replied like a schoolboy caught in a lie. "I was wrong. I'll do it myself."

"Well, that's enough," Leila said as her lips curled up in a teasing smile. She patted Kashi's shoulder and assured him. "Do not worry. I will assist you. Ah, no, I must assist you. Who knows what nonsense you'll end up agreeing to if I let you go alone."

Kashi grinned as he looked at Leila with a knowing smirk. "I knew you would help. You were never good at being mean." To which Leila replied with a frosty smile that immediately drained the mocking in the daeben's eyes. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again," Kashi apologized with a formal bow.

"Woah! Check this out!" A voice shouted, drawing Kashi and Leila's attention to the room's entrance. The Maggots had finally finished with the cambions in the hallway and had just reached the room where a field of loot awaited them. It was no wonder someone shouted in shock.

However, it only remained as a shock. Even faced with the mass of loot, the Maggots did not lose their cool and quickly got into formation as they systematically logged and stored every piece of loot, no matter how invaluable or valuable it appeared.

Kashi watched the Maggots' systematic sweep with praise in his eyes. An actual test of a guild's strength was not in the battles they fought, but their behavior in the presence of loot. Any guild could gather and train warriors to defeat bosses and conduct successful raids. But the yardstick that determined if the guild would last long was the guild members' reactions when they had to decided who got which loot.

A terrible guild's members would fight and squabble over every piece of loot. A good guild's members might rush for the plunder, but they would not harbor ill-will in their hearts in the event they missed out. A great guild, however, had a fair and just system for distributing loot which every member could quickly point to and reference when the time came for a decision.

The Hopeful Maggots used the tried and tested Guild Merit Point system. Each member got merit points based on their contribution to the guild, whether it be through helping in raids, crafting items, or joining the army. There were clear, distinct rewards for each activity. These merit points could then be exchanged for items or equipment stored in the guild's vault.

The guild's vault meanwhile was filled by members of the guild through three methods. First, every loot gained during a raid was stored in the guild vault, except if someone exchanged merit points for the item during the raid. In the second method, guild members who stumbled upon loot during their adventures could sell it to the guild for merit points or cash. However, most guild members chose merit points, as items in the guild vault could only be purchased with merit points.

Finally, the third and most important method was through the guild's in-house craftsmen. After Kashi transcribed the blacksmith manual, many guildmembers switched to the blacksmith profession for a chance to view the manual themselves. Beginner artisans got a few introductory blueprints to start. After seeing the options on this equipment, and realizing how much profit they could make through sales, the craftsmen would request higher-level designs.

However, the only way to acquire these blueprints were with the use of merit points. The merit cost for blueprints was very high, so the craftsmen needed to craft, and then turn in a good number of products before they could earn merit points for the next tier.

The options of Maggot-crafted weaponry were superior to anything found on the market, and this was the main reason why its guildmembers fought so hard to contribute to the guild. Who needed to search outside for better equipment, when the Maggots had the best right at home?

Kashi revealed a proud smile as he turned to look at Leila. There was no need for any complicated speech. He only said, "Thank you..."

"No, thank you," Leila replied.

Neither needed to explain why they were thanking the other. Such was the history between the leaders of the Hopeful Maggots.

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