Chapter 188: Death or Tower Raid

The investigation began under Darcy’s lead, together with a team from the LionArk Guild Law Authority.

The security team members escorted Jason and Bernice away to be punished according to the rules of Mavelard City.

Leon left with the two suspects, while Jill went to help investigate the case, including examining Jason’s subordinates.

There was a chance that this bribery attempt was structural and involved several people at once.

Darcy and Ethan stepped out of LionArk’s headquarters and arrived at the front courtyard, where many applicants were training and fighting in a 5v5 format.

“The city’s condition still isn’t stable. Crimes can happen when we least expect it,” Darcy said.

“Yeah, I’m aware of that,” Ethan replied.

“What’s your plan?” Darcy asked.

Ethan turned toward the training arena, watching the LionArk applicants who were still practicing.

They needed to complete several stages before they could be considered ready to protect the city properly.

Because LionArk didn’t yet have enough members, Ethan was forced to hand over the city’s security matters to the Twin Sun Guild temporarily until LionArk could handle it themselves.

Darcy nodded. Twin Sun was one of the many guilds loyal to LionArk, and entrusting the city’s safety to them was the right decision under the current circumstances.

Just as Ethan and Darcy were discussing the situation, they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Ashley walking out of LionArk’s headquarters.

She came alone, having just finished resting and planning to meet Ethan.

On her way down to the first floor, Ashley had seen the LionArk Law Authority team confiscating documents and interrogating members.

When she asked them what was happening, they openly told her that they were investigating suspected bribery among LionArk officers.

Ashley was shocked to hear that. Never in LionArk’s history had anyone accepted bribes.

She finally arrived in front of Ethan. Seeing Ethan standing beside Darcy, the Head of the LionArk Law Authority, made Ashley even more certain that Ethan knew something.

“What happened?” Ashley asked.

Ethan turned to her, and Darcy gave a nod.

Soon after, Darcy began explaining the initial events leading to the arrest—starting from the land dispute all the way to Jason’s capture.

Ethan suspected that someone else was involved in the case, so he decided a full audit was necessary.

“This is to clean LionArk’s bureaucracy and administration from bribery or corruption,” Ethan said.

“I didn’t expect this. Since when have they been taking bribes?” Ashley asked.

“Judging from his attitude, I think Jason’s been doing it for a long time. But unfortunately for him, he got caught directly by me,” Ethan replied.

“What does that mean?” Ashley asked again.

Darcy answered on Ethan’s behalf. He explained that Ethan intended to execute Jason and negotiate with Bernice.

Jason would be executed as a warning that even in a game world, laws still existed and had to be obeyed.

Ashley fell silent. She shook her head a moment later, rejecting the idea of executing Jason.

She believed it was too extreme for someone who had contributed greatly to LionArk.

Ethan and Darcy said nothing. They listened to her because Ashley was the guild leader, and her view had to be considered.

Even though Jason was a suspect, his strength and skills were still valuable to LionArk. Ashley was unwilling to lose someone with such a high individual level.

Hearing Ashley’s opinion helped Ethan find an alternative punishment for Jason.

If Ashley refused execution, then Ethan could suggest sending Jason to the Tower to serve LionArk there.

By using the special mission feature, Ashley could assign Jason to the Tower and force him to complete a solo raid within a set time limit.

Ashley seemed far more comfortable with this option than with executing Jason. With this method, she wouldn’t risk losing a high-level member permanently.

Darcy excused himself. He explained that he needed to assist his team in leading the bribery investigation and other related matters.

Ethan agreed, leaving only Ashley and Ethan together in the courtyard.

With the bribery issue resolved for now, their attention shifted forward toward the busy streets of the city.

Most of the city had been restored. Many guilds had purchased land and established businesses.

The central district was far livelier than it had been a week ago.

Ethan invited Ashley to walk around the city, enjoying the nighttime crowds, the lights, and the cold evening air. Ashley agreed, mentioning that she was also a little hungry.

They walked side by side from the main road toward the city center. Many people were spending their night browsing the shops on both sides of the street.

There were taverns, equipment stores, restaurants, parks, and even brothels.

Because the rent prices in Ring 1 were high, most goods sold there were expensive but high quality.

Occasionally people turned their heads to glance at Ethan and Ashley walking together. They were, after all, the Guild Leader and Vice Leader of LionArk.

“Leader Ashley? You look beautiful tonight. You can take this,” said a cotton candy vendor.

“Eh? How much is it?” Ashley asked.

“For you, it’s free. It’s my way of thanking you for taking Mavelard back from Silver Star,” the man replied.

Ashley smiled and thanked him for the gift. The two continued walking until they reached a restaurant owned by an A-rank guild.

They were confident in their cooking, confident enough to open a restaurant in the Ring 1 area. Curious, Ethan and Ashley decided to have dinner there.

They walked inside and examined the architecture, which reminded Ethan of a Latin restaurant he had once visited.

They had many dishes on the menu, but their signature dish was Pollo a la Brasa, a Peruvian-style roasted chicken.

The restaurant could serve it because they had access to all the necessary ingredients, even though this was only a game.

After ordering, Ethan and Ashley sat across from each other at a table on the first floor. They talked about the guild, the Tower, and the upcoming War Guild event.

There was still no information about the event. Ethan didn’t know when it would appear, but he was sure it wouldn’t take long.

“So, you’re not returning to the Tower anytime soon?” Ashley asked.

“Doesn’t look like it. But we need to build cities at least on floors 10, 30, and 45.”

“Cities inside the Tower will make it easier to mobilize our members and supply their needs,” Ethan replied.

Ashley nodded. Since Ethan now held the City Authority Token, he could access the City Management System.

Through that feature, Ethan could see the conditions of cities like Mavelard. Not only for Mavelard, but the system also allowed management of cities inside the Tower.

Unfortunately, LionArk didn’t own a single surviving Tower city. All had been destroyed due to abandonment or attacks from other guilds.

“If I remember correctly, building a small city in the Tower costs around 5,000,000 Gold,” Ashley said.

“15,000,000 Gold, huh? Unfortunately, our treasury doesn’t have anywhere near that amount,” Ethan replied, and Ashley nodded.

“Let’s put the gold problem aside for now. I’m sure we’ll find a solution later.”

“Alright, Ethan.”

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