Liam g the crowd. He signaled Cye to stand in a way that no one could see her hands wheook out the pass and ha over to Lewriova.

  “Such strong void energy…”

  Her Holiness whispered with trepidation, turning the pass in her hands. Everyone looked at the needle which moved to aloint in the same dire.

  “If I’m n, this artifact detect strong void energy. Adventurers, you have done well retrieving this item. You deserve a reward.

  Let me think…

  Right, this might be helpful to you.”

  Lewriova turned her hand, revealing a scrolled part. With a satisfied smile she ha to Cye.

  “What’s this?”, asked the mage curiously while iing it.

  “It’s exactly what you need.”, answered Liam.

  Immediately Cye’s eyes lit up with excitement. She quickly shared the information in the group chat.

  [Land Lease DBC0001Category: Unique

  Effect: This nd lease grants the holder the right to develop plot DBC0001 in whichever way they want.

  Guilds, shops, homes, taverns… none be realized without a nd lease. But now you live out your creativity.]

  “Cy, this is…”

  Balm choked reading the message. Her hands shook, knowing that they were oep closer to founding their guild.

  Cye looked at her, her lips quivering. The others were ied by the atmosphere, feeling simir joy.

  “gratutions.”, said Radiant Shield in a heartfelt tone.

  “Thanks. But this is not only for me and Balm. This little part will be the beginning of something big! For all of us!”

  “Yes, for all of us!”, echoed Balm.

  “We are looking forward to it.”, whispered Silent Acacia.

  “I am pleased you feel such joy about my reward. However, I would like to discuss something with you, adventurers.”

  “Thank you, your holiness. Of course, we are listening.”, said Cye with a genuine voiot treating Lewriova like an NPC.

  The angelian showed a small smile, lighting up the world:

  “The artifact yht me. We o test its full use. Please follow its dires to three different locations and iigate the situation.”

  “Yes, definitely!”

  Cye saw her quest updating, tellio follow the pass. She took the artifact back from Lewriova, instantly hiding it in her iory before someone could get a good look.

  Lewriova her and fell silent, indig that the versation was over.

  The party gathered together, about to leave but were met with the eager, chaotic crowd.

  “Hotpot, I’m ygest fan!”

  “Cye, what did you give the NPC just now?”

  “What reward did you get?”

  “How did you get her holio talk so much with you?”

  The crowd seemed to be split into three different fas. But they formed a united front, blog the party’s path.

  Cye gred angrily at the pyers.

  “Guys, open a path! Let us through!”

  “Only if we get a picture!”

  “Only if you show us that item!”

  “Only if you help us get her holiness’ attention.”

  “You! Leeches! Id… mph.”

  Before Cye could say things which would make her end up in some gossip magazines, Balm quickly blocked her mouth with her hands. Meanwhile, the others asked Liam for ideas in the party chat.

  Suddenly, three people reached the top of the volo, breathing heavily, obviously being in a hurry. They frantically looked towards the crowd, their eyes showing a fervent light.

  The two women and one man igheir exhaustion, rudely pushing into the crowd.

  “Hey, don’t push!”

  “Who do you think you are?”

  “Stht there, buddy!”

  Despite the stroahe trio gave it their all, finally reag the front. They broke out of the croearing directly in front of the party, their bodies shaking.

  “Ho, ho, Hotpot! It’s really you!”

  The woman in the lead, with a thin figure and curly green hair, stuttered while sing the ten glorious pyers before her.

  “Yes, and you are…?”

  Silver Bde asked carefully, notig how the light in the woman’s eyes dimmed. But when Watchful Eye spoke up, she was immediately overjoyed:

  “Young dy, this should be ‘Glorious Hotpot’, founder of gest fan club.”

  [Silent Acacia: You know this? Is she some pro pyer or something?]

  [Watchful Eye: No. This is part of my job.]

  Glorious Hotpot looked at her idols with fervent eyes, making them quite unfortable, while introdug the other two people she brought with her:

  “I knew my love would reach you! But I’m not the only fouhese two are Hotpot Victorious and Go Hotpot Go.”

  “H… hi.”

  The man and woman shyly greeted the party, frozen in the face of their stars.

  Liam g his friends, guessing if someone knew how to deal with the situation. Just as he wao speak up, Fortuepped forward. Liam nodded inwardly, letting the experienced tent creator hahis.

  Fortu on a dazzling, warm smile, fag Glorious Hotpot:

  “The support of people like you is incredibly important to us. We are truly grateful. But right now, we are in a difficult situation. How about you excuse us for now and we will set an official time for autographs and pictures?

  We would also have more time for extended versations then.”

  “Ahh, Fortune! You’re the greatest! I have viewed your videos about aboul at least ten times!”

  “I’m gd you love them so much, but…”

  “Right, right. Difficult situation, is it?”

  Glorious Hotpot gnced over her shoulder, looking at the crowd which was baffled by the swit the atmosphere.

  Her sharp eyes spotted many familiar faces. She turned around stig out her chest:

  “You, you, you, and you! you even call yourself real fans?! How dare you make things difficult for our idols? Apologize!”

  A few people in the crowd lowered their heads dejectedly.

  “Yes, club president. You are right. Sorry.

  “Sorry, I was too excited just now.”

  “Sorry, Hotpot! Please don’t hate me, I am yreatest fan!”

  “Wait, I am…”

  “How dare you two discuss with the club president here? any of you measure up to her?”

  The rest of the crowd watched those people, inexplicably feeling unwell. A few people, who had earlier taken the opportunity to gather information carefully left the crowd.

  Glorious Hotpot nodded in satisfa.

  “Good! Now all real fans, hear me out! Let’s form a path for our idols ahem desd the mountain in peace!”

  “Yes! Club president!”

  Immediately about a fourth of the people in the crowd drew their ons, eying the others violently. Sihe people gathering here were mostly of low levels they didn’t fear losing some equipment.

  The rest of the crowd reacted chaotically, some itg fhts and some bag off in fright.

  “Brothers, let’s go! For Hotpot!”

  “For Hotpot!”

  Suddenly ons were swung, and a chaotic battle began. The fans pushed towards the side, trying to open a path for Liam and his friends.

  “e quickly, we o take this ce!”, urged Glorious Hotpot.

  The party members were taken aback by the ge iuation. They looked at each other strangely, shrugged their shoulders, and followed the president of their fan club.

  When Liam and his friends passed through the opened path, the fighting pyers already to down. Only those who loved fighting for the sake of fighting tinued, while the rest lost their motivation.

  The sound from the top of the volo subsided as the party walked dowh. But now they had another headache as the three founders of their fan club hovered around them, determined not to be left behind.

  [Cye: What should we do now? It feels wrong to abandon them…]

  [Fortune: We o hahis carefully. Sometime your most fervent fans bee ygest haters.]

  [Balm: Should we ihem to join the guild?]

  [Bleary Mirage: Sure. Just promise them now. Maybe they find someone else to admire before the guild system opens.]

  [Cye: Mirage, didn’t you say the guild system opens in a few days?]

  [Bleary Mirage: Sure. But you know how teenagers are, their love be fickle.]

  Immediately Liam felt multiple strange gazes gathering on him.

  [Silent Acacia: Hey Mirage… how old do you think that green-haired girl is?]

  [Bleary Mirage: I don’t know, maybe 17 or something?]

  [Silent Acacia: And how old am I? How old are you?]

  Liam g his friends, coughing awkwardly. For a mome fused by his real age, which was 24, obviously muature than some 17-year-old fangirl.

  Thus, he overlooked that his party members were all pretty young themselves. Only Watchful Eye stood out, being around thirty years old.

  Liam wisely didn’t answer Silent Acacia’s questioing his friends chat around in the party chat until they reached the novice vilge.

  Arriving before the teleporter it took the party some effort to get rid of their fans. Only when Balm added them as friends did the trio finally leave.

  Ohey appeared in Duabalis, the friends let out deep breaths of relief.

  “Finally, we mao shake them off.”, said Balm, her shoulder slumped from exhaustion.

  “Fans get quite scary…”

  “Praise the rule that only level 10 pyers use teleporters.”