Chapter 96: Gold-Rank

“These herbs you’ve collected,” Ethan gestured toward the glowing specimens. “What’s their success rate for Gold-rank advancement?”

“Perhaps twenty percent for someone at my level. Higher for those with more powerful talents.”

“For someone like you… considerably better odds.”

Almost guaranteed, considering my unique advantages.

Ethan nodded, looking at the containers.

“Are you planning to use those?”

Ezekiel shook his head without hesitation. “No. Before everything happened, I was thinking of taking a few more years to acquire additional specimens. Better herbs, complementary effects, as an insurance against failure.”

“But after seeing you… I changed my mind. I’d rather you reach Gold-rank first, then share spoils when you kill Gold-rank opponents and obtain their cores.”

He has some practical reasoning. Invest in the stronger player, so they can carry him.

The strategy made perfect sense. Ezekiel’s advancement chances remained marginal at best, while Ethan’s unique capabilities suggested near-certain success. Better to ensure one Gold-rank ally than risk losing the herbs entirely.

“I will definitely make sure you reach Gold-rank after me. That’s a promise.”

Cooperation deserves reward.

Ezekiel nodded, carefully transferring the precious containers. “These represent years of accumulation. Use them wisely.”

“Do you want this place?” Ezekiel gestured toward the mansion’s opulent surroundings.

As the new city lord, a proper residence would be expected.

Ethan shook his head. “You can keep your home. I’m not becoming the new city lord to evict you from your own house.”

“But having a place in the First District would be useful.”

“There’s an estate three blocks north. It’s large, luxurious and empty. If you want, you can check it out. If you like it, you can take it.”

Ethan nodded.

“I will check it out soon.”

The conversation highlighted broader challenges ahead. An entire city’s administrative structure needed evaluation, reformation, and optimisation for actual service rather than personal enrichment. Decades of corruption couldn’t be dismantled overnight.

“When do you plan on announcing your new position?”

“Let’s let everything calm down first,” Ethan decided. “Get survivors relocated, infrastructure repaired, commerce restarted. Once normal life resumes, we’ll announce leadership changes.”

Ezekiel nodded.

“What’s our immediate priority list?” Ethan moved toward the maps covering administrative districts. “Most urgent needs first.”

“Medical supplies for the outer districts. The Third District hospitals were destroyed, and patients were evacuated to overcrowded facilities elsewhere.”

“Food distribution next—supply chains disrupted, warehouses damaged.”

“Security patrols to maintain order while reconstruction begins. Housing for displaced families. Body recovery and burial services.”

The list continued.

“Resource allocation?” Ethan studied the district boundaries marked in different colours. “How much surplus exists for reconstruction funding?”

“Limited. The treasury has reserves, but not enough for rapid district-wide reconstruction.”

After talking with the city lord for a while about the next steps, Ethan left with the rare herbs in his storage ring.

He checked out the mansion that Ezekiel had spoken about and found it to be quite good. It was luxurious, spacious and empty.

He decided to take it and headed back to the second district to meet Tiana and the others.

….

After talking with the city lord for a while about the next steps, Ethan left with the rare herbs secured in his storage ring.

The mansion Ezekiel had mentioned stood three blocks north of the City Lord’s residence, its marble gleaming in the morning sunlight. Ethan approached the ornate gates, finding them unlocked as promised.

The interior revealed spaces designed for comfort. High ceilings, natural lighting.

This will work perfectly.

Room after room confirmed his assessment.

The previous owner had some decent taste. Although it’s quite primitive, it’s still a nice mansion. Maybe I can somehow start bringing Earth’s modern things here slowly, maybe start with a decent Western toilet.

Satisfied with his new residence, Ethan departed for the Second District. The streets were filled with cleanup crews labouring to clear rubble and tending to the wounded.

Signs of recovery flickered like candle flames—small but growing stronger.

Resilience. Humanity’s greatest strength.

The apartment building emerged ahead. Ethan scaled the exterior wall once again, finding the window open this time.

They left it open.

These people believed he would return, believed his promises.

“Ethan!”

Tiana’s voice carried relief as he slipped through the window. The others gathered immediately, Lin bright-eyed despite exhaustion, Hong Wei, and Uncle Lin.

“How did everything go?” Tiana asked, grabbing him by his hand before settling onto her modest sofa.

Ethan chose his words carefully. No need to burden them with political complexities they couldn’t influence.

“The monster leaders are dead. The City Lord and I reached an understanding about restoration efforts. The immediate threat has passed.”

“What were they like?” Hong Wei leaned forward

“The monsters, I mean. Were they as big as the ones we saw when you escorted us?”

“Bigger.” Ethan’s smile held no humor.

“The behemoth was the size of a building. The harpy commanded the wind like a weapon. And the monkey…”

He paused, remembering its golden eyes. “The monkey was more dangerous than both combined.”

Lin’s fingers worried at the edge of her sleeve. “But they’re gone now? All of them?”

“All of them.”

The simple confirmation seemed to lift invisible weights from their shoulders.

Hong Wei stood abruptly.

“Can we go see it? I want to see what happened to the Third District.”

Ethan considered the request. The devastation would be traumatic, but avoiding reality never helped anyone process grief. Better to witness the truth than imagine horrors.

“Alright. But prepare yourselves. It’s…not like before.”

They gathered and followed him through the recovering streets.

The Second District wall appeared ahead, or what remained of it. Stonework lay shattered across a hundred-meter span, creating gaps large enough for armies.

Repair crews used their talents to clear debris while engineers assessed structural damage.

Even the Second District wasn’t safe.

They climbed the remaining battlements, finding vantage points that overlooked the devastation beyond. The Third District stretched below like a wound in the earth’s flesh.

Total destruction.

Where bustling neighborhoods had existed twelve hours earlier, rubble fields extended to the horizon. Buildings reduced to foundation stones. Streets transformed into crater-lined valleys.

Entire city blocks simply… gone.

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