Outside Heavenly Citadel, after the six hours passed since Jack requested the Imperial Rescue. The Themisphere army was slowly making their way to leave the place.
The coalition that had been waiting all the time there immediately moved. They charged to where Heavenly Citadel stood. They saw that the outside was oddly empty, with no defense whatsoever. Perhaps the loss suffered by Everlasting Heavenly Guild was much more severe than it seemed. If so, this was the perfect chance for them to mount their assault.
Everyone was in high spirit. They swore to wash away the shame of failing the assault earlier today. They will show this backwater guild that the coalition is not something a nobody like them can afford to offend.
As they charged, the frontline banged onto an invisible wall. The ones behind were so passionate in their charge that they couldn't stop their momentum.. Everyone ended up banging the ones in front, with the first row continuing getting sandwiched by the invisible wall and their comrades from behind.
Every time they banged onto the invisible wall, notification voices telling them that the Everlasting Heavenly Legends was in protected status kept on being repeated.
After much chaos, the entire charge was finally managed to be stopped. The people in the front row didn't suffer any damage, but the feeling of getting squished onto a sturdy wall of air was absolutely not pleasant.
The leaders of the coalition stood before the wall as they touched the invisible wall and heard the notification about the protected status. The notification told them the protection status lasted one week.
"Protection status?"
"Does it mean that every time an attack failed, the defending guild will go into protection status?"
The leaders of the coalition discussed heavily regarding this feature. They roamed around the invisible barrier, trying to check if there was any gap. After some time, they gave up. Since there was nothing they could do at this time, they could only leave. It's not like they had no other things to do. They still left several squads to roam around the place, to send news if there was any development.
Inside the Heavenly Citadel, Jack slept inside the Lodging Quarter until sunset. When he woke up, the sky was dark already.
Since he had only one night, he went to work immediately. He went to collect all the common equipment, iron ores, and steel ores from the warehouse. The quantity was enormous. The collection from the previous 900 members was no joke. Since everyone did not need these goods, they just threw them here because this guild exchange contribution points for them. If they sold them in the city, the coins they got were meager. Other guilds were also not interested in this rubbish.
He spent more than half of his contribution points to take out the goods. Even if he was one of the leaders of this guild, the system didn't allow him to take things from the warehouse freely. Even the bonus contribution points that Jeanny provided to compensate the fallen members, were deducted from the guild coins reserve. So contribution points were not something that could be abused. It was a main currency within the guild and was governed by an absolute system of this game world.
After taking out the goods that he needed, he didn't forget to put in the warehouse all the unusual materials and ingredients that he had collected all this time. He informed Jeanny about them and let her decide how to deal with them.
Jack then look at the number of goods he had taken out of the warehouse. "This is going to take a lot of time," he said to himself. Luckily, he had the Large Bag to hold all these goods. After emptying the warehouse from this so-called rubbish, he went to check the Blacksmith Workshop.
The workshop was rather pathetic, there were only three forges for working, two players were using two of the forges. Two of the forges used common tools, while the third used uncommon tools. It must be because the workshop was still level 1. It should develop into a better facility once this structure was leveled up. But currently, with limited resources, Jack didn't think John would allocate any to upgrade this workshop.
Since there were no rare tools in this workshop, his Master Hammer and Master Mobile Anvil provided a better bonus. Jack returned to the lodging Quarter. A large part of the lodging Quarter had bunk beds for mass usage, but there were also a few private rooms. These were exclusive for the guild's higher rank members. Jack entered one of these rooms and locked the door.
Inside he took out his Transformation Prism, Master Hammer, and Master Mobile Anvil.
"All right, let's get to work," he said.
The next morning, Jack sent a message for Jeanny to assemble all the core members in the Guild Hall. Though she was confused as to the purpose, she still did as was asked. It took her an hour to organize the gathering. After everyone was present, Jeanny sent a message to Jack. Jack went to the Guild Hall immediately. On the way, Jack checked the guild page and saw that Paytowin was not yet a member. He sighed. If his friend didn't feel like it, he won't push it.
Inside the Guild Hall, fifty-three core members were chatting, John was by himself working on the hologram platform, while Domon just stood by at one corner. The old man found it awkward to be amongst all these youngsters.
Jack looked at everyone when he entered. He then went to the front where the Guild Core was. He moved a table to his front and then called out, "everyone, come near, please. I have a gift for everyone!"
"A Gift?" The others who heard were thrilled. After all, who didn't like gifts? Everyone immediately crowded over him, most passionate were the bunch from Men of Solidarity.
"Hey, hey! I said come nearer, but not swarm me like this. Get back! Get back!" Jack shooed them to give him some space. "I will call you one by one. The one who I call please come before me."
"Jeanny," Jack called the first name.
"Me?" Jeanny came forward with a confused expression. She thought Jack was just rewarding the members to motivate them so they will do more works for the guild. As a leader herself, she needed no such motivation.
When she came before the table, she heard Jack read from the list she had given him yesterday, "Jeanny. You have a rare spear, rare headgear, and a rare arm guard. Apart from those, all are still uncommon equipment."
Jack then laid down five pieces of equipment onto the table before him. He said to her, "Take these to replace your uncommon equipment."
Jeanny checked on all the equipment on the table. She was astounded to find all of them were level 40 rare equipment. "These… all level 40 rare?" She was speechless. Even the three rare equipment she currently wore were only level 31. The other gasped after hearing her.
When Jack saw she was still standing there looking at the equipment on the table, he said. "Lady, can you please take these and admire them somewhere else? The others are still in the queue behind."
Jeanny looked back, after the others saw the gifts were high-level rare grade items, they were now even more eager. They didn't say anything, but their eyes beseeched her to hurry up. She quickly took all the equipment on the table, thanked Jack, and moved aside.
"John!" Jack called next.
After John arrived, Jack read from the list again, "John, you…"
"There is no need to read the list," John cut him. "I have six equipment below rare, just lay them out on the table."
Jack stared at him. "Should have called you last," Jack grumbled with annoyance. He took the six rare equipment that he had prepared for the guy and put them on the table.
John made a quick scan then stored them all inside his inventory and walked away while humming.
'Not even a thank you, a*shole!' Jack complained in his mind.
"Bowler," Jack called next.
Bowler approached with anticipation. After John's comment, Jack didn't bother to read the list anymore. He just laid out the equipment on the table.
Bowler was gleefully taking the equipment before he frowned and asked, "why are they only level 37?"
"I don't have enough ores. Those of the latter half was even only level 35," Jack replied. "Are you going to complain? I will take them back if so."
"No, no! No complaining! Thank you for the gifts," Bowler hurriedly said as he collected the equipment.
Next, he called Fierce Flame, then The Man. Afterward, Trinity Dawn, Giant Steven, Viral Cora, and the rest that accompanied him during the expedition to Temple of Divine Squall. This first half got level 37 rare equipment. The rests afterward were given level 35 rare equipment. After Jack's comment to Bowler, none questioned about the lower level. Wearing level 35 full set of rare equipment was still much above current players' standard.
Jack didn't call Domon since the equipment he wore at the moment was already the best Jack could provide for him.
He also informed Jeanny and John that he had donated some rare equipment into the guild's warehouse. The two immediately opened up the warehouse interface to check. The warehouse that was full of common equipment and common ores before was now empty with only a few equipment inside, twenty-three equipment, all of them rare grades.
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