Not wasting time, John rushed through the winding streets until he reached the last intersection and his eyes fell on the Silverstar Enclave.

From the distance, the shelter's walls seemed unchanged, but where previously was the street and the neighboring villas, only flattened ground remained.

No, not ground, John realized. It was the same polished stone that filled the inside of the shelter and it now formed an outer circle with roughly five-times the radius. Hell, it enveloped almost a third of the street and funnily enough, there was one mansion standing on the circle's edge and its entire right half was just gone.

Is all that area going to become the new bastion?

Noticing movement by the corner of his eye, he turned toward the main gate from which was exiting a small squad that set out his way.

"Halt! No sudden movements," shouted an Aerilian woman leading a four-man group as they carefully walked forward.

"Whoa there," John lifted both hands palms in what he hoped was a non-threatening gesture. "Galan'il should be expecting me, I am John."

After mentioning both names, the woman's eyes briefly widened in recognition and after a short discussion with her squad mates, she offered to escort him inside.

As they were passing through the gate, he overheard a couple of muffled words, but there was one he heard clearly enough, the progenitor.

Hmm, it's not the first time I've heard that, but… Huh? His musing was interrupted by the sight before him.

The previously calm shelter was now bustling with people. However, what stood out was that most of them were looking kind of lost. They gathered before a hastily constructed stage on which stood Karak'gu, the leader of the second scouting party, and he seemed to be in the middle of some lecture.

That was not the only thing that caught John's eye. The other prominent feature was a stone archway with a structure very similar to his own. The main difference was its size, though. Where his was just big enough for a single person to pass through, theirs was more than three times as wide and almost twice as high.

Until now, it was inactive, but as he remained observing the moving Aerilians before him, their archway suddenly pulsed with blue light. A moment later a silver surface that looked like a pond on the windy day formed within and another couple of seconds later two pairs of their people stepped out.

"Huh."

"I've heard that you had a crucial role in our swift advancement," said one of the squad.

"I did help a bit," John answered noncommittally. "How many people can get through?"

"A few hundred," the Aerilian in a simple grey robe answered. "From fifty to five hundred total. Some of them are non-combatants, but with your help, we should be able to hold out."

"If I may ask, why did you side with us?" Asked the woman leading the squad. "When we were chosen as part of His Highness's retinue, we…" Her pause and anxious demeanor made John look around, but she continued speaking before he came to any conclusions. "...we expected to either end up as the oldest prince's lackeys or worse yet, dead."

"Braia'na," spoke another man from her squad in a warning tone.

"What," she snapped back. "There is no shame in admitting the truth. We all knew that following prince Melis'ar in here was a great risk, and…"

"Sorry, sorry," the man waved his hands before him. "You are right, but perhaps this is not the best place to have that conversation?" He meaningfully looked around him.

"Argh, right," she stammered, visibly flustered.

"Well, why did I side with you?" John asked rhetorically. "Because the humans I worked with seemed like a bunch of incompetent idiots. They cared more about personal gains than building a strong collective. Besides, Melis'ar seems like a reasonable person and if we use our cards well, I believe we can do much more together than either of us could on our own."

"That, I can respect," nodded a blonde woman who until now remained quiet.

That was followed by a couple of grunts, but a moment later Braia'na pointed in the direction of the Desperate Fool's Inn.

"I see Galan'il and the Wicked Weaver."

"Hm?"

"I mean, Her Excellency, lady Dilah'ec. We should return to our post, may Tarasil'ab smile upon you." They left with hurried steps in the direction of the main gate.

Shaking his head, John sped up and caught the noble pair just as they reached the glass door of Al'drul's emporium.

"John, I see you are back. How was your hunt?" Galan'il asked with a smile on his youthful face.

"Good, finished the challenge with one hour to spare."

"Impressive," Galan'il nodded, pushing on the glass door.

Walking through, John surveyed the inside but let the pair make their purchases first.

"So, what are your plans, John?" Asked Dilah'ec as they were moving up in the queue.

"Frankly, getting some sleep," John sighed. "I've been killing things since the early morning and the idea of lying down on the comfy bed in the inn is feeling damn great."

"Hah," Dilah'ec snorted. "There's no rest for us, not for a while."

"Unfortunately so," Galan'il agreed. "There have been two shelters that chose war, and with the exception of Ulian'al's one, the other five remain undecided.

Thinking about Valiant's stand, John asked if they knew which ones turned hostile, and at least that one was among the other five.

However, he was also told that the two seeking war were both in the center, giving him an inkling of which faction it would be.

"Hmm, if they are who I believe, diplomacy won't be an option."

"And will that be a problem?" Galan'il asked, showing a hint of uncertainty in his body language.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"No," John replied with a steely voice. "No, it won't."

He could see Dilah'ec about to press for details, but there must have been some silent conversation because she only glanced at Galan'il and nodded.

"We would like to have these cards unsealed to rare rarity," Dilah'ec spoke, her voice filled with reverence as she and her Knight-Protector summoned five cards on the glass counter.

"Huh?" John stared at the blurred cards in confusion, unable to make out either their names or their rarities.

"Come now," the deep voice of the obsidian merchant reverberated in mirth. "You are smarter than that.

With a jerk, John finally realized what was feeling odd in here. Sure, there was the bustle and bits of conversations, but he couldn't actually make anything out. Hell, that sentence was the first thing he heard Al'drul say ever since he stepped inside.

It's all somehow protected to ensure privacy.

Seeing John's eyes widen in realization, Al'drul's mouth stretched into a wide smile.

"See, I knew you'd figure it out."

"Damn, that's…"

"Useful?" Al'drul offered.

"Mm, I'd go with convenient, but sure." Looking left, he noticed that neither Dilah'ec nor Galan'il reacted to their conversation. Instead, they were trading with the… merchant who was ignoring them and talking with John?

Another rumbling laughter echoed out, making John shake his head in defeat.

"Ok, ok. You got me."

Seeing the pair bow and step away, John walked in front of the immaculately polished glass counter and asked for yet another pair of uncommon single-use attribute cards.

"That would be fourteen thousand four hundred whites," the merchant announced, sliding a pair of cards toward John.

"Of course," John agreed and placed his palm over the yellow gem.

After today's grind, his wealth reached over nineteen thousand worth in whites, leaving him with one hundred and fifty blues and one thousand and three hundred whites after the payment.

"Oh, Al'drul. I was wondering," John spoke out after securing both of his new cards inside the deck. "The discount is not linked only to my emporium? After all, this shop is still missing the upgrade."

"Ehh," the obsidian merchant shook his hands from side to side. "Normally it would, but we both know that would create only a mild inconvenience and since the System didn't push against it, I was able to slightly bend the rules."

"I see," John nodded. "I really appreciate all you did for me."

"Just go," he waved with his right hand. "You are keeping everyone else waiting."

"Oh, right," John stepped away after seeing the long queue behind him. "Once again, thanks, and take care."

Leaving the shop, John rejoined the pair standing outside.

"Hey, could you let Melis'ar know that I am going to take a nap?" He asked. "If anything important happens, wake me up. Otherwise, give me at least a couple of hours of sleep."

"Yes, we were about to head to the royal princes anyway. I have some questions of my own," Dilah'ec agreed and walked in the direction of the Desperate Fool's Inn.

Melis'ar sat at the head of the furthest table with Ulian'al on his right and an empty chair on his left. Behind him stood Duraq'er who was in animated conversation with an even older Aerilian wearing golden armor.

It was, surprisingly, a woman with ashen-grey hair and a weathered face. Unexpectedly, where John expected to see weariness and perhaps frailty, he instead saw an unyielding presence and sharp eyes that seemed to keep awareness of the entirety of the inn despite her animated conversation.

His gut was giving him a clear warning, that lady is dangerous.

As if feeling his eyes on her, she turned and briefly glanced at him with her pale blue eyes.

Uhh…

Before John thought about how to react, she turned back to Duraq'er and continued their conversation.

Putting her out of his mind, he walked to the bar and asked for a room. Here, he was asked for a small fee, but it was nothing significant and a moment later he headed upstairs.

"One twelve… one fourteen… one sixteen… aha!"

Opening the door, he was greeted with a carbon copy of the room inside his own inn with the same trophies and everything.

Time to get my Perception and Focus into the D-grade.

Tossing his torn-up clothes into the magic wash machine, he briefly examined the new holes in his chainmail before lying down and using both of the new cards in quick succession.

Feeling as if sinking into the bed, he kept his eyes firmly closed, afraid of getting distracted or doing something stupid. Luckily, the odd roller coaster of tactile senses combined with the tiring day knocked him out.

----------------------------------------

"Uhh, what is going on?" John mumbled, waking up to the sound of loud knocking.

Pushing himself up, he yelled out, "Yes, give me a moment!"

His vision seemed much crispier and it was noticeably easier to pick up finer details on the decorative pieces around him.

Damn, even the sheets feel somehow smoother and richer in texture.

Walking into the bathroom, he pulled out his cut-up clothes from the cleaning box, dressed up, and answered the door.

"Sir, your presence is needed downstairs," an Aerilian woman spoke and then followed up with a short bow.

"I see. Oh, how long was I asleep?"

"I apologize, but I am not privy to that information. Perhaps, knowing that it has been almost four hours from the beginning of the promotion would help?" She offered with a hopeful smile.

Hmm, so at least three and a half hours of sleep, not bad, John thought.

Thanking her, he closed the door to his vacant room and followed her down.

Looking around the ground floor, the majority of tables were filled to the brim, and going by the jovial atmosphere, the Aerilians seemed happy with their current situation.

Sure, there were a couple of distrustful or downright unpleasant stares, but most ignored him and some even offered respectful nods.

The last table on the left was shrouded in a misty bubble, but after an encouraging nod from his guide, he stepped through it.

"...must make sure that… John, take a seat please, we could use your advice," Melis'ar gestured to one of the empty chairs. "Latest reports indicate two separate groups of natives preparing for a possible confrontation. One, significantly larger, is remaining in the center, but the other, coming from the west, is already on the move. Am I correctly assuming that those are the people you mentioned previously working with?"

"Yes," John answered. "Those should be from Valiant's stand."

"And do you believe them inclined to a diplomatic solution?"

Will they be?

"Let's hope so," he nodded. "I'll try to convince them, but if I fail…"

"I can offer an exemption from taxes and access to some special benefits," Melisar offered, "but if they refuse or attack my people without provocation, we will have to retaliate."

"I understand," John sighed. "What about the other shelters?"

"Better than we expected. One pleaded fealty, two chose war, and the last two are, as of yet, undecided." Answered Galan'il. "The one which pleaded fealty is in the southeast, close to Ulian'al's shelter, and the two remaining undecided are in the west and deep southwest."

"The group coming from the west may be a joint effort from both shelters," Dilah'ec clarified.

That would explain why it took them this long. After all, I met with Lin more than three hours ago, and the timing of my warning was hilariously accurate.

"Right, that is what we think is happening," Melis'ar amended. "And to be frank, John, we have to deal with them before the other group begins marching north."

John watched as Melis'ar tilted his head and then nodded twice.

"New report just came in," the prince said. "Their group is crossing the bridge and they are expected to arrive in the next twenty minutes."

"How many?" Asked Duraq'er in his typical gravelly voice.

"One and a half hundred. Six of them are in E-grade, but only one is deemed a significant threat."

"Good. I'll head out and finish preparations for the possible assault," the older Knight-Protector offered, and left.

The rest of them followed shortly after, making their own preparations for what will hopefully develop into a peaceful talk.

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst, John chuckled, thinking about what was about to come.