There was already a queue before dawn at Crescent☪Moon, and queue numbers needed to be issued. The economic vibrancy caused by Crescent☪Moon brought other positive effects. First, Crescent☪Moon was expensive, a meal was priced 3 to 6 times more than others. In this world without entertainment to spend money on, there were no players who would hesitate in paying this amount of gold. But even so, they still needed a sizable amount of cash on hand. If you ate 3 meals at Crescent☪Moon a day (If you somehow managed to buy so many!), you would spend 1350 gold a month. Up until now, life in Akiba didn't require much cash. There were some people who just curled up in a ball in the ruins somewhere, drowning in their sorrow of never returning home. But even players like them were thinking of earning money. This was a major change. Akiba's central square had not seen people recruiting for raiding partners in a long time. This was unrelated to guilds, just a temporary team of random players going out farming or raiding together. In this world, this was a rare sight, and it garnered more attention than usual. As they left, Crescent☪Moon employees in the same area would shout "Bon Voyage!" together and cheer them on. Of course, these groups would buy a bottle of Black Rose Tea before leaving, maybe they knew the staff personally. But this had never happened in Elder Tales’ new world before, and it was a wonderful and heartwarming scene. The leaving party would have a soothing smile as they began their journey.
Black Sword Knights’ Grand Commander Isaac. Honesty’s Guildmaster Eins. D.D.D’s Chief 'Berserker' Krusty. Silver Sword’s young leader William. West Wind Brigade’s harem style Guildmaster Soujirou. Oceanic Systems' 'Strong Armed' Michitaka The Rodrick Firm’s Guildmaster Rodrick. 8th District Shopping Center’s young boss Charasin. Crescent Moon Alliance's Maryele. Grandeur’s Alchemist Woodstock. Radio Market’s expert mechanic Akaneya. And Shiroe of Log Horizon. Behind the twelve leaders, they had a few aides with them. The thirty-odd players in this spacious room all had different expressions. Some felt uneasy, some were surprised, a few were expressionless, and there were those who looked confident. All of them received the invitation to gather here the night before. The agenda was 'the future of Akiba'. Hosted by Log Horizon's Shiroe and Crescent Moon Alliance's Maryele together. Most who were gathered here were leaders of large guilds. Oceanic Systems, The Rodrick Firm, and 8th District Shopping Center were all major production guilds. Black Sword Knights, Honesty, D.D.D, Silver Sword, and West Wind Brigade were either large-scale or successful battle guilds. Crescent Moon Alliance, Grandeur, and Radio Market were part of the leading group that failed to form an alliance among the small guilds. Only Log Horizon was a totally unknown guild. But the people qualified to gather here had a wide information net, and those who were surprised by Shiroe's presence were less than a quarter. As the people gathered began gauging each of the participants, Crescent Moon Alliance's Serara came in and served cold fruit tea to everyone. This beverage had not been sold in Crescent☪Moon yet, surprising all of the participants. But this small sense of shock passed quickly, and the room remained silent. Shiroe sat calmly. But his emotions were not calm. This meeting was Shiroe's battlefield. He was not losing to a major raid battle where the fight spread across the arena. Shiroe felt the fever of a heatstroke and the chill of the tense air. The participants were all people he needed to consort with, but only a few were allies he could trust. No matter what happened, he could not let them know how perilous his position was. (This is a fight I started on my own will.) Just like Soujirou said, this world was a prison, everyone was bound by the need to survive. The hopelessness of being trapped, the monsters in the wild, and the feeling of helplessness bound them. Shiroe had been busy with various events since the Catastrophe, dealing with the problems at hand, and increasing the odds of surviving. But this campaign was different. No matter if it was rescuing Tohya, saving Minori, or building some form of order for Akiba, in the extreme you could say it was just Shiroe's selfish will. This was Shiroe's dream he wanted to fulfill even at the expense of fighting unnecessary battles. Of course Shiroe thought this action was beneficial. Not only beneficial to himself, but also the people important to him and to the whole Akiba city, Shiroe believed. Even so, this was still Shiroe's willfulness, this fact could not be changed. Based on this, Shiroe had found freedom for the first time since the Catastrophe. He used his willfulness as a starting point, started battles for the sake of fulfilling his wish, and gave it his all. This brought a high degree of tension and pressure that made him weak. But it also brought along a strong sense of joy. "Shiroe-chi? Are you fine nya?" Nyanta who was standing behind him asked. Shiroe could accept this concern directly. Including Nyanta and the two not present, Naotsugu and Akatsuki, they had also accepted the Log Horizon label. This was the first challenge of this guild with only four members, and even though they were carrying out different assignments, they had a common battlefield. To fight and win for your comrades. Shiroe swore with determination in his heart The tension increased in the room. Everyone was finally seated. Shiroe stood up to give the opening speech. "Thank you everyone for making time from your busy schedules, I am very grateful. My name is Shiroe from Log Horizon... I invited all of you here to discuss an agenda. The content is complicated, and I will need to spend some time on this, so please be patient." Shiroe paused momentarily, looking around the table. (... No matter what happens, I am grateful that everyone attended, probably with the help of Soujirou working behind the scenes... But this will save time visiting all the places to convince them. On the other hand, this is the final battle.) "Keep your speech short, 'Debauchery's' Shiroe, it's not like we don't know each other." The one speaking was 'Black Sword' Isaac, one of the top few players in the Japan server. He had experienced hundred of battles, leading the way as the vanguard in various major raids. Shiroe was invited to lend his support several times too. Shiroe thought he wouldn't remember a player with such an unpopular class as Enchanter, but it seemed that was not true. "What is the purpose of this meeting?" The one commenting impatiently was Silver Sword's young leader William. This youth had a head of long silky white hair tied behind him. He had the appearance of an elf prince. He kept crossing his legs alternately, and seemed to have little patience. "Since someone wants to speed it up, let's go directly into the main topic. Should I say question or proposal? I want to discuss the current situation in Akiba. As everyone knows, we are stuck in this alternate world since the Catastrophe with no way to log out, and no clue on what to do. This is something we have to live with. On the other hand, the atmosphere in Akiba is deteriorating, a lot of our friends are losing their drive, and even giving up on life. The economy is poor and exploration efficiency is not improving. I want to settle this situation, that is the reason why we are here." Shiroe said with his eyes half open. No problem, the words he needed to say flowed in his mind. It was so clear that he could almost touch them. "And we are here to do what?" "So troublesome..." "Why do we need to discuss this sort of thing?" "I understand what you mean, but what can we do?" Calming down the chatter in the room, Honesty's young guild master Eins asked. "Something like the small guild alliance?" "Sort of, but I heard that the plan was a failure." Shiroe swept his gaze towards the plan's initiators, Grandeur's and Radio Market's guild representatives, who nodded their pale faces in agreement. They... including Crescent Moon Alliance, were all small guilds, and they did not seem qualified to sit here with their small scale operation. There were plenty of guilds that had fifty-fold their membership. "That plan has been dissolved, but I feel it is because we were pushing too hard on a lot of issues. The plan back then was to unite the small guilds to compete against the major guilds... In other words, the small guilds allying together to protect our common interest. That's why our plan failed." "Yes, we agreed to work together on the surface, but we ended up pursuing our own agendas in the end, so there was no unity and the plan broke down." The master of the making of watches and fine devices, the high level subclass mechanic, Radio Market's Akaneya chipped in on Maryele's speech. "So you want to gather all the... or at least the guilds that can represent Akiba's influence to readjust our relations in the city?" "... small guilds cannot ally together, even more so if they affect the power balance of the major guilds, this is madness!" The people present started reacting to Maryele's speech. The invitation included Maryele's guild as the host, this made the participants think that 'In other words, this is the follow up of the failed small guild alliance?' (This is the natural conclusion...) Even if some people knew about Shiroe, it was hard to gather everyone for this meeting by using his name. Maryele's fame, in addition to the fact that Crescent Moon Alliance equated to Crescent☪Moon, the weight of these two names had somehow managed to get the meeting underway. But they needed to clear this misunderstanding soon. "The agenda is not the same. It is the improvement of the situation in Akiba." Shiroe's words were interrupted by the sound of a chair moving. "If that is the case, please allow us to leave first." The one standing up was the one who had been unhappy and impatient all this while, Silver Sword's Guildmaster William. He adjusted his dagger on his waist and put on his cape. "We are a battle guild. The atmosphere in Akiba has nothing to do with us. In other words, we are fine with the city being in chaos or in harmony. The affairs of the city should be left to those who are interested. It is probably a waste of time, but we don't think this is a bad thing. We are just simply not keen to take part, so count us out." William left after saying his piece. A wave of commotion started in the room. Grandeur's, Radio Market's, and Crescent Moon Alliance's leaders all had sour faces. Shiroe heard that the small guild alliance had lots of guilds withdrawing like this in the latter phase. But Shiroe who was chairing the meeting had already expected this to happen. (Silver Sword withdrew...) Shiroe analyzed the effect of this incident on the battle and adjusted the scorecard in his heart. Silver Sword was indeed a big-scale battle guild, but their presence was not crucial here. If the biggest battle guild, D.D.D, and the biggest production guild, Oceanic Systems wanted to withdraw, Shiroe already had a plan in place to convince them to stay. But Shiroe had already planned for 1 or 2 guilds to withdraw. More importantly, the atmosphere in the room was getting rowdy after William and his guild members left. This could not be ignored. "Even though there are now 11 of us left, let me continue. As Silver Sword's guildmaster mentioned, the reason for inviting all of you was to form an organization known as the 'Round Table Alliance' to discuss the operation of Akiba as a city. There are two major goals. The first is improving the atmosphere of Akiba, to guide the citizens to revive their vigor. The next is the improvement in security. I hope the organization can operate with these two goals in mind, and slowly become the tool that can solve the problems in the function of the city." The room was silent once again. This is because the participants were probing each other for any reaction.
"Based on your concept, this is not illegal, because the guards did not attack them. But that is not what the law is about right? This action can be done in this world, it is possible. But a legal system is different, the question is 'Is this acceptable to us', that's how the law should be like, correct? We need rules to govern ourselves." You could make as many excuses as you wanted. For instance, confining the beginners was for their protection. Taking the 'EXP Pot' was to make up for their lack of combat ability to make money, so they needed this to offset their living expenses. The selling of NPCs as slaves could be waived off with the excuse 'they are slaves and have no human rights'. Nobody could prove they were human, so they had no rights. And rights were not something you get just because you proved something. It's something you earned after winning fights. The history of the real world had already proven this point. That's why Shiroe's tactical goal was not to use logic to break all these excuses, but to make them realize 'we need to regulate ourselves in this lawless world.' The point Shiroe raised made everyone start to talk among themselves. Some expressed their views in a loud voice, not just the guild representatives, but their aides as well, making the room noisy. There were two types of reactions. One thought that there needed to be some ground rules. The other thought there was no way they could come to a consensus.
"But you will need the help of battle guilds like us to achieve this, correct?" 'Black Sword' Isaac reminded Shiroe. "In the end, if it is 10 or 20 people, we can perform this type of punishment. But assuming if one of the major guild here opposes this and ignores the decision of the council and announce that the law can go and eat shit... that will be war then? Even if the organization is formed, there is no guarantee every issue will be settled smoothly, I want to know if there is a way to integrate all our views? If someone objects and causes a war, won't this meeting be pointless?" Isaac had a point. The participants agreed softly, and the sound of chatter spread through the room.
Taking this point into consideration, even if Shiroe's suggestion succeeded, and the big guild was able to bully the council to support their agendas, then it would be the same as the current situation. Shiroe lowered his gaze, and adjusted his glasses. (It has been going just as planned. Normally that would be the case, even if the council is formed, what follows will be settling the infighting and disputes... But it won't be like this.)
Among the participants, there was a feeling they had been shot with an arrow. Everyone took a bit of time to understand what his words meant. "I have the authority to change the settings of the zone, including who can enter the zone... In simple terms, I can blacklist anyone and ban them from using the guild building. This means they cannot use their guild hall, the bank, and the warehouse." Everyone had the expression as if they were choking on something as they stared at Shiroe. Only Henrietta let out a sigh. In this spacious meeting room, only she had seen through Shiroe's intent. When Shiroe heard her sigh, he let out a sheepish smile momentarily. "See, it's so black that it shines." Henrietta seemed to say with a tone of both sympathy and the feeling that it could not be helped. This made Maryele who was holding her breath nod in agreement. Shiroe's words sounded like a death sentence. 3 After waking up in the morning, she used the water in the bucket to wash her face. This shabby bucket was meant to be used in stables to store hay. Minori used the cold water from the dirty bucket to wash her face, and wrapped her dirty cloak around her. This was one of the rooms in the Hamelin guild hall used to let the beginners sleep. There were only simple furniture and minimal facilities inside. (I need to go to the kitchen...) The time for morning preparation was very tight, everybody started to move, doing the jobs they had been forced to perform. Minori was in charge of distributing breakfast, she had to collect the food from the kitchen. Minori prayed that nothing would happen today. Today was a special day. Minori hastily tidied her dress and headed to the kitchen. Comrades with the Chef subclass definitely woke earlier to prepare for making bread. Minori didn't think this was coarse food. No matter how high-class the meal looked, they all tasted the same. Putting it another way, even bread with water was a sumptuous meal, Minori had warned herself for the past two months. Minori greeted the Chef softly and took out a large tray hastily. Apart from the beginners, there was a guard posted to watch them here. Minori tried her best not to meet his gaze and hurriedly filled the flask with well water. A total of 35 sets, Minori placed the bread and water on the wooden tray. "Stop." The man's voice made Minori shrink her body in reflex. She felt cold sweat coming out of her palms. (Why... I didn't do anything, this was just as usual...) Today needed to be the same as always, but something just had to happen so early in the morning. "Eh, yes." Minori squeezed out a reply, even she felt that it was soft like the hum of a mosquito, and could not be heard. "Ha, just look at your smelly face... What is it? Don't you know how to greet others properly?" "Yes... good morning." The guild member on guard duty corrected her as he snorted. Minori suppressed her emotions and greeted him. "Nevermind... You are a Tailor right? What level?" "Level 31." "That means you can sew level 30 leather armor, help me make a leather apron and gloves today as your training." "I understand." Minori bowed repeatedly and left the kitchen, her heart pumping so fast like it was going to break down.
There were no mid-level guild members in the room. The beginners who had gathered around stole glances at Minori. Minori nodded to acknowledge them, and encouraged them softly. Shiroe's lessons were mostly related to the basic functions of Elder Tales. It was very basic knowledge, but in this world with no internet access, the knowledge and the tips became a huge advantage for Minori and Tohya. Not limited to class or subclass this common and basic knowledge separated them from the normal beginners. The two of them used this knowledge to settle the unreasonable demands of Hamelin the best they could. This attitude had earned the trust of the other beginners over time. Minori took some warm water for her comrade that was not feeling well. As she handed it over, she continued to think. Shiroe said he would make contact today, and to take action immediately after that. She had already mentioned it to her comrades, Tohya definitely knew that they needed to act today. Even though she didn't know when the message would come, Minori predicted that it would either be at dawn or at night. Tohya would be going out to farm during the day, if the rescue subjects were separated, it would be hard to execute. After finishing the bread, the farmers moved under Tohya's lead to the other room to prepare. The beginners involved would be ordered to gather, confirm the farming location, party members, and assignment. The appointed party members would check and put on their equipment and then head out. At this moment, a ringtone sounded in Minori's ear. (He's coming... it is Shiroe-san!) Her heart beat like a fire alarm bell, from the tense feeling of the coming commotion. Even if her brain knew she wouldn't die even if she was killed, she would still be afraid when a weapon was pointed at her. Minori knew what kind of battle plan would come next, but it might become violent, and there was a high chance it would turn into a battle. But Minori had already considered that might happen, and was determined not to show her shameful side.
Tohya secured his cheap taichi to his waist, faced the door, and said to his comrades behind him, "The help that I mentioned before is coming... Move to the guild building lobby now, hurry." A choking sound came from behind, everyone should have sensed the situation and started moving in a hurry. Someone wanted to bring his stuff along, but was stopped by the words 'don't bother with that, we got nothing valuable anyway'. Yes, Tohya said they didn't have anything that could be described as wealth. The most he had was the cheap Bag of Holding that ignored the weight of items, and the clothes and junk inside. Tohya put his ear on the door and looked behind him. Several comrades nodded in reply. Tohya opened the door that led to the corridor of the guild hall, and headed straight to the other beginners' room. Tohya walked to the door, and heard a scream and the sound of a collision. Tohya opened the door without hesitation, and he saw Minori struggling with a mid-level guild member. (They found us out?)
"Take everyone and go!" Tohya's voice made Minori stand up and lead her female comrades to the entrance of the guild hall. There was no time to waste, she could only cheer them on and guide them. On the other hand, Tohya was facing off with the mid-level bandit. He had a rough face and eyes burning with hatred. The beginner he looked down on made him lose his voice, spurring his wrath. Tohya and him had a difference of 20 levels. The bandit drew out a curved knife that was 50cm long from his waist and slashed at Tohya. 'Lanius Capture' could only remove the ability of chanting spells and talking, which was a threat to sorcerers and healers. But it could not seal the combat ability of a melee character like him. The bandit's knife was sharp, breaking through Tohya's defenses easily and cut his body. The difference in ability between the two of them was too big. Tohya's surprise attack worked because of two reasons. The first one was the arrogance of the opponent who was careless in thinking that the beginners would not revolt. The 2nd was that Tohya used 'Lanius Capture'. Samurai's skills had long cool down times, most of them could only be used once every 5 to 10 minutes, they were single-use skills. But in contrast, all the skills were set to be very strong and accurate. This special trait meant that the skill was effective even on a player who was 20 levels higher. The moves were strong and had many varieties, but convenient mid-level skills to tide over the cool down time were few in number, that was the Samurai's characteristic.