Ethan couldn’t help but gasp as he observed the somewhat overpowered ability of the Holy Light Angel. 

This Holy Light Angel could be deployed as a suicide soldier in battle. 

If several Holy Light Angels unleashed their special abilities simultaneously on the battlefield, the damage inflicted on the enemy would be truly terrifying.

After assigning the newly summoned units to their respective positions, Ethan didn’t rush to summon the Defenders. 

At this point, he didn’t need many defensive units.

Summoning them would merely be a wasteful use of food. 

Besides, the first level was still guarded by Baymax, so there was no need for additional defense.

He opened everyone’s interface, individually assigned tasks to maximize work efficiency, and dispatched all the Divine Dragon Soldiers to explore the unknown areas. 

By now, the progress on both unknown areas had reached 90%. 

They could have been completed yesterday, but the attack on the Orc Dark Lord had delayed the process.

Ethan then constructed two more plantations. 

Although they did not have the benefit of the mutant seeds, they could still provide a certain amount of food. 

After processing in the workshop, the quantity of food became quite substantial. 

He assigned the Orc Warriors to the plantations, which allowed the full potential of each individual to be realized.

Now all the Earth Dragon Laborers were busy constructing buildings, and Ethan, sitting on his throne, looked at the thriving camp with satisfaction.

Meanwhile…

In Riverside, after a joint decision by the Lord’s Mansion, Black Rose, Mutual Aid Guild, and Bounty Guild, the decision to abandon the temple was officially passed with 301 votes in favor, 20 against, and 5 abstentions.

In the Lord’s Mansion’s Great Hall…

The Lord stood up from his chair, and the noisy room instantly fell silent. 

He said in a deep voice, “Preliminary findings point to the Dark Lord being responsible for the disappearances in the abandoned temple area. After the first punitive expedition conducted by Black Rose, it is clear that the mysterious Dark Lord is very powerful, posing a certain threat to the Riverside area and must be eradicated! We are officially approving the expedition to the abandoned temple to subdue the Dark Lord, led by the Lord’s Mansion. Each of the participating major alliances should send at least one hero with a minimum rank of C.”

After the Lord finished reading the paper in his hand, his sharp eyes scanned the crowd. “Do any guild leaders have objections?” 

His gaze first landed on Black Rose.

Rose stood up from her seat, her mysterious black attire as alluring as ever. 

“Black Rose has no objections. The abandoned temple is too close to Riverside. If we let the mysterious Dark Lord continue to grow, it could become the biggest threat to Riverside. Also, we are very grateful for the opportunity given by the Lord’s Mansion. We will fully commit and cooperate with the Mansion’s operations.”

The Lord’s face broke into a smile, and after a nod of acknowledgment, he turned his attention to the Bounty Guild in the middle of the hall.

A portly man with various luxury accessories on his hands stood up. 

He grinned, his shiny gold teeth almost blinding the others. 

“I represent the Bounty Guild in full support of the Lord’s Mansion. I personally will bear all the expenses for this expedition!”

This statement was met with applause from the Bounty Guild. 

The portly man looked at Rose sitting next to him with a satisfied grin, saying meaningfully, “I’m a bit crude, preferring to express myself through actions.”

Rose remained indifferent, not even giving the man a glance.

The Lord nodded, stroked his white beard, and said, “Excellent.”

Following this, the representative of the Mutual Aid Guild on the right side of the hall rose. 

The man in white robes with kind and benevolent eyes squinted and said, “The Mutual Aid Guild has no objections.”

The Lord Mayor then spoke, “Good, in that case, I ask that the three major guild leaders conscientiously select suitable candidates. This mission is of great importance, we cannot afford to fail, success is the only option!” 

The Lord Mayor’s face was full of worries at this point. 

As the city leader, often he could not freely handle affairs as he wished. 

Due to Riverside’s uniqueness, compared to other cities, it was even harder to get things done.

Take this matter as an example, he first had to report to the Sunset Empire, followed by a long wait. 

Once he had received the approval from the Sunset Empire, he had to consider all kinds of resources within the city lord’s mansion, as well as the consequences of potential failure.

He was somewhat apprehensive about this mission to subjugate the dark lord. 

Although there were many experts of B+ level strength within the city lord’s mansion, he couldn’t send too strong a candidate in order to maintain the facade of the mansion. 

If he did, it would imply to other cities that Riverside was struggling and living off past glories.

At the same time, he could not send someone too weak. 

If the mission failed, Riverside would become a laughingstock and the city lord’s mansion would lose its authority.

After much consideration, the Lord Mayor decided to put more people onto this chariot of war. 

These alliances were excellent candidates. 

They were looking to recruit young people in Riverside, for which they needed a base of strength. 

If these guilds couldn’t even deal with the dark lord, who would want to join them?

As the Lord Mayor announced the end of the meeting, the three major guilds disbanded and returned to their own turfs.

Late at night, Rose leaned back in her chair, looking at a few lists on the table. 

Speaking to herself, she said, “The candidate must have at least C-level strength, and they must be exceptional. Otherwise, they might struggle against the other two alliances who could obstruct and trip them up.”

After much consideration, Rose decided on Michael Anderson.

She chose Michael Anderson based on two aspects. 

The first was his strength, which was definitely comparable to C+. 

Although his intelligence was somewhat lacking, in this mission to subjugate the dark lord, it could be considered his battleground.

The second reason was to restore Black Rose to its former state. 

The two deputy guild leaders were already fighting for the position of guild leader candidate, causing Black Rose to split into two factions. 

This was something Rose found hard to accept. 

The internal state of Black Rose had become similar to enemies meeting face-to-face, ready to fight at any moment.

This outcome would no doubt let Rose’s hard work go to waste. 

If Michael Anderson could participate in this mission, she could use this opportunity to reappoint him as deputy guild leader. 

This would certainly improve the situation. 

No one in the alliance would dare to fight openly, fearing to give an advantage to the other party.

Once she decided on the candidate, Rose reclined in her chair, and fatigue overwhelmed her. She fell into a deep sleep.

She woke the next morning to the sound of knocking at the door. 

Seeing the time, she hurriedly began to arrange a series of tasks.

Before long, Michael Anderson stood before Rose. 

He hung his head, not daring to speak. 

Rose looked at Michael Anderson and sighed, saying, “I don’t want to dwell on your past mistakes anymore. I have a mission for you now. I’ve chosen you for this mission, what do you think?”

Michael Anderson looked shocked, staring incredulously at Rose. 

He initially thought he was being called to account for his previous failures and had prepared himself for the worst. 

However, to his surprise, the guild leader was offering him a chance for redemption.

This was a mission led by the city lord’s mansion, with each major alliance sending a representative. 

It was an excellent opportunity for anyone to boost their reputation. 

There were no obvious dangers and it was highly prestigious. 

Many were waiting for a chance to become famous overnight.

Pointing at himself uncertainly, Michael Anderson asked, “Guild leader, are you asking me to go?”

Rose nodded, then walked over to Michael Anderson, speaking in a low voice, “You’ve seen the state of Black Rose, we’re just a spark away from disbanding. I hope you can seize this opportunity. I plan to promote you back to the position of deputy guild leader afterwards. You know what that means, right?”𝑜𝒱𝑙xt.𝒸𝐎𝓂

Michael Anderson nodded, anger evident on his face. 

“Guild leader, rest assured, I promise to complete the mission and restore Black Rose to its former glory!”

Rose nodded again, saying, “Good, I’ll be waiting for your good news. Off you go.”

“Yes!” As Michael Anderson closed the door behind him, Rose stared out of the window, her mind full of concerns. 

She muttered to herself, “I hope there won’t be any more trouble this time…”