"Welcome to Minami," Shiroe said, almost expansively for him. He was again sitting in the head seat of the table in the conference room. He was sitting upright but relaxed, his elbows on the arms of his chair and his hands clasped horizontally in front of him. The precise way his leg was crossed over his knee went with the precise creases of his cream-colored negotiation suit. His eyes were very clear and unusually piercing this day. Nothing was out of place as he faced both People of the Land delegations. They were seated to either side of the table and Nakalnad was sitting at the opposite end from him, finally also looking formal instead of like the casual carpenter. Shiroe had browbeat him into it.

Kazuhiko was standing to Nakalnad's right and just behind him in the position of an advisor, while Michitaka was standing in the same position for Shiroe. The delegates were looking slightly confused and weren't sure which end of the table to address. "We're pleased you've been able to come so quickly," Nakalnad said. He was sitting upright but relaxed, with both arms resting on the arms of his chair, also in a position to say he was in control. It was the afternoon of the day the replacement to the pass system had been announced.

"We've asked you to come so that we can renegotiate your treaty with the Adventurers of Minami," Shiroe explained.

"The previous leadership of the Ten-Seat Council has been dissolved as a result of the internal conflicts of three days ago that have now been settled. You'll be working with the Ministry of Minami from this time on," Nakalnad informed them.

"We are willing to continue to allow Lord Loriel Dawn to remain on the Ministry Board as an advisor and ambassador, without voting rights," Shiroe spoke in turn again.

"We are also willing to allow a replacement in the same capacity from the Senate," Nakalnad continued. The delegates were beginning to looked like they were getting whiplash, trying to look from one end of the table to the other.

"However, we have several conditions that must be met for that to be allowed which will be included in the treaty we will sign today," Shiroe took his turn.

"First - there will be a clause included that will hold the Cathedral of Minami sacrosanct. Any actions taken against it will be met with sure and sudden death. If it is determined that a major offensive against it is being prepared, that death will come in the form of all allied Adventurers of Yamato marching against both the House of Saimiya and the Senate until they are wiped off the face of the land, to insure the continued safety of said Cathedral." The delegates paled at Nakalnad's words.

"Second - any and all weapons and spells formed to be used against Adventurers, particularly for the express purpose of killing them so that they can't resurrect again, will be destroyed and any research related to them will be also. The researchers who have the knowledge within their minds will either have that knowledge erased, or they must die." Adding Shiroe's words made it worse.

"We desire the remainder of the treaty to create terms of trade for the mutual benefit of Adventurers and People of the Land. Peace will be maintained as long as the two conditions are met." Nakalnad gave the first concession.

And Shiroe gave the second: "As a show of good faith, Plant Hwayden will release all properties it now owns back to the land, save those zones that the Adventurers find most important for maintaining the peace of their own, namely: the Guild Hall, the Cathedral, the Government Center, and the Adventurer Prison. What the Ministry of Minami chooses to do with those four zones is solely and completely up to the Ministry to determine."

"We have asked the Minami representative of the Cunie to be present today, so that we may explain what the treaty will mean for the mobile armor and those who wear it," Nakalnad looked over at that representative who was sitting at his left. He had the usual calm poker face on, but he seemed just a little unsure, maybe.

"Because the mobile armor is specifically formed to be used to control Adventurers, and any Person of the Land can wear it, it will be deactivated at the time of the signing of the treaty. Thereafter, any Person of the Land who attempts to wear it or reactivate it will be disintegrated, along with the armor that was worn," Shiroe explained calmly. Slight beads of sweat appeared on the Cunie's forehead to match the ones on all the other delegate's faces.

"We therefore recommend that you deactivate the protective circle around the city before the final signatures are placed on the treaty," Nakalnad suggested. "You already know they're useless anyway, and we're perfectly capable of protecting ourselves, as evidenced by the battle last night that not a single mobile armor unit appeared to put down, and by the fact that Akiba still stands a year and a half after they closed their's down."

The Cunie looked at the leaders of the Senate and House of Saimiya who had come. "You do not need their permission," Shiroe said quietly, his gaze piercing the Cunie. He'd had to do business with them many times. "You only need ours. Minami is an Adventurer city, not a Person of the Land city, for all that we are willing to share the space with them. You have been given your orders. Go see they are carried out."

The Cunie had done business with Shiroe before, too. He glanced at Nakalnad, who looked at him with a "what are you waiting for" expression. Taking a quiet breath, the Cunie stood, bowed stiffly and walked out of the room. Nyanta and a representative from Nakalnad's army followed him out so that they could confirm it had been done and to report back when it was completed.

"Please, feel free at this time to offer your suggestions for how you would like to see trade of items and services between People of the Land and Adventurers," Nakalnad offered, "keeping in mind that we will treat both parties equally. You have chosen to divide yourselves, however the division we will respect is that I have just mentioned." The next part of the negotiation - which was rather long actually - revolved around the two factions of People of the Land having to negotiate between themselves the level of relations they would accept the other having with the Adventurers.

Shiroe took notes of the things that were agreed upon by the People of the Land and added written comments occasionally. Every so often, Nakalnad would also pick up a pen and write a line. If anyone had been looking over their shoulders, and their advisors were, they would have seen that Shiroe's notes showed up in green on Nakalnad's piece of paper and Nakalnad's notes showed up on Shiroe's paper in green. It was rather like passing notes in class, actually. When Kazuhiko and Michitaka had comments, they leaned down and voiced them quietly. Every so often, a red line would show up on both papers.

By the time the People of the Land were done finalizing their recommendations, the Ministry of Minami had their response ready. They generalized the suggestions so that it would fit trade with any Person of the Land, rejected anything that would bind the Adventurers to the two factions, and simplified the terms from about ten items down to four. Then they didn't budge, continuing to use the back and forth bullying until the two factions caved. Shiroe pulled out the scroll he had already begun with the initial terms already carefully worked out so they were both general enough and didn't have any worm holes left in the wording of them. He added the four trade agreement terms, then had Naotsugu pass the contract, ink, and pen around the table for signatures.

By the time it came back to him again, Nyanta had reported that the magic circle around the city had been taken down properly. Shiroe put the pen to the paper and signed his own name. As he did, it glowed, then the paper as a whole glowed and disappeared as it was registered in the Guild Hall. He put the pen and ink away and copies of the treaty appeared before each signatory. "Thank you for coming," he said to the delegates. He pulled out another scroll and tore it in half and another sparkling glow drifted up from it as it disintegrated. "The zones are now returned to the land, as was negotiated."

"We look forward to doing business with you in the future," Nakalnad said. "We're sure you'll be wanting to get back to your respective houses to report and make sure your researchers are still living, so we won't detain you any further." They rose together, making the delegates rise also.

When the Adventurers were alone again, Nakalnad said, "I'm not sure, but I feel like scolding you for signing it, too."

Shiroe pushed up his glasses. "Just consider it signed by an ally that will come help stomp them if the Cathedral is threatened," he said mildly.

"Is KR going to complain that he didn't get to sign it, too?" Kazuhiko asked. He had signed it and so had Michitaka as a pro-tem member of the Ministry, making it a majority.

Shiroe and Nakalnad both shrugged their shoulders. "It's doubtful," Shiroe said, "but you never know with him. He's more likely to be upset that we just made his job too easy, taking everything away. He can at least confirm those who had the data are either forgetful or dead, though."

"Ah, hey?!" KR's voice came over the Ministry group chat.

"Yes, KR?" Nakalnad said calmly.

"I was sitting here having tea with Jared Gan, trying to convince him he wasn't going to come cause more trouble, and he just keeled over dead. His assistant nearly lost consciousness and has a massive headache now. Do you know anything about this?"

"Yes," Nakalnad said. "We just finished signing the treaty. Don't talk to the assistant about it any more or he'll go, too. Just congratulate him for us on becoming the new Wizard of Miral Lake and put him to bed. Go check on all the rest on the list and make sure they fall into one of those two categories as well. I'm also interested in knowing if there are any smoking holes over at the Senate and House of Saimiya."

There was a pause, then a slightly sullen, "Okay. But I really was looking forward making those smoking holes myself."

"You'll probably get to make more later," Nakalnad said. "Just because they signed the treaty doesn't mean they won't keep trying."

"Okay." That seemed to mollify KR enough. They all relaxed slightly.

Nyanta walked into the room, looking stiff. He walked up to Shiroe, picked up his copy of the scroll and skimmed it until he reached one of the line items and read it very closely. He put it back on the table and pointed to the line item. "What did this wording do to my wife?" he asked quietly.

Shiroe held very still. Nyanta's killing intent was very cold, though not surface yet. "Nothing," he answered, "at least it shouldn't have. Her spell isn't written with the intent to kill. It was the best I could do. There is the possibility it will have made her forget the spell, if the world believes it falls under the first clause rather than the second...and I don't believe that is all bad." Nyanta's whiskers twitched. Cautiously Shiroe asked, "Is there a reason you think something did happen?"

"There were four explosions in town on my way back and Tetorō-kun is reeling in the hallway. He says there was a blinding flash in the code realm and he has at least one hole in his mind."

"Have you asked him to look for her?" Shiroe frowned, worried.

"He can't, nor can Michael-nyan. They are both too much in pain - Michael-nyan to the point he is nearly unconscious."

Shiroe shook his head. "It figures he'd have thought about it more, being here and all. I'm honestly surprised he's alive, but it's on purpose, Nyanta." Shiroe looked at the felinoid solemnly. "I don't want any more Adventurers threatening Adventurers either. In the future, it should just erase the spell as they begin to create it. Only if they insist and persist should it cause death, though it will just be a punishment. If it was going to cause permanent death, I'd be dead, and probably all of us who signed it."

"What?!" The other three Adventurers who'd signed the document said at once. "Our lives were on the line if you did it wrong?"

"Sorry," Shiroe said simply. "Intent played the largest part in it. The world can't live both laws at the same time - capriciousness and intent. Intent trumps. ...Though it's way too ethereal for my tastes when it comes to this kind of thing." He looked into Nyanta's eyes. "I'm sorry, Nyanta. It was a fine line, but I believe she really should be fine."

A glow caught his eye. He looked at the earring in Nyanta's ear and smiled. "She says she is."

Nyanta took the earring out and looked at it, nodded once and put it back. "Fine," he said and turned away. "I'll go take care of Tetorō-kun and Michael-nyan."

When the door closed behind him, Shiroe slumped onto his hand, propping his elbow up on the arm of his chair. "You had to know that was coming," Naotsugu queried.

Shiroe was quiet for a while, then sighed. "Yes...I did. I lost a lot of sleep over that one. I really hope I never have to write such a difficult line again. In my nightmares I kept seeing exceptions where I'd wished I'd never done it. They actually helped me walk the line to change single words here and there, and adjust the intent of the spell, but it really needed to be done."

"But...it shouldn't have affected people from Akiba?" Kazuhiko asked. "It was a Westlande treaty."

Shiroe stood, not looking at the Minami complement for a moment. His copy of the scroll disappeared, then he looked up. "That line item affected the entire world." He walked out the door with his guild members to stunned silence.

"What's it done to dungeons, then?" Nakalnad asked in a stunned whisper to the empty chair in front of him. He picked up his copy of the treaty and read it again. Setting it down, he tapped the words on the line: ...particularly for the express purpose of killing them so that they can't resurrect again... "Well...that is a fine line, isn't it? But," he rose and put the treaty in his personal item list, "I can live with it."

-:-:-:-:-

Nakalnad and Kazuhiko arrived next to Shiroe again just outside the Government Building a few minutes later, where Communication mages were setting up for the final joint press conference. They mutually didn't talk about the treaty. Michitaka and Calasin were there as well. On the vid screen was a preliminary picture of the things going on around their location, showing their faces as if it were a news production. There were even two commentators talking about all the changes that had been going on who were speculating about the coming words they would be hearing from these dignitaries. Such a thing had yet to happen in Minami and many people were pausing to watch the screens, slight grins coming on their faces at the nostalgia.

When they were set and in place, and the voice amplification spells cast, the screens got formal again and the commentators said, "It looks like we're ready. We'll hear from the Council members of Minami and Akiba now."

Nakalnad stepped forward. "Citizens of Minami. The investigations have concluded. We wish you to understand what changes have occurred in the leadership of Minami. Princess Nureha has stepped down as Guildmistress, shamed by the corruption she did nothing to prevent. Indicus still has not appeared. At this time we expect that she killed herself in her attempt to kill KR. We are still asking that if she should appear, that she be brought to justice."

"Zeldus has been dismissed and sentenced to three years in the 1HP prison as a party to the Adventurer deaths, in knowingly allowing funds to be used for the research, and other similar research projects. Mizufa has been sentenced to death, which will be carried out in the 1HP prison...," he turned to Kazuhiko who nodded and spoke in a chat with his subordinate at the prison, "...now." He waited until Kazuhiko nodded, then turned back to face the square. "Quon has resigned due to personal reasons. Jared Gan has committed suicide because of his part in the deaths of the Adventurers. His assistant will not be offered a seat."

"I will be sitting as the Guildmaster for now," he continued. "Kazuhiko remains in charge of internal security and human resources. KR will remain as the head of intelligence. Lord Loriel Dawn will remain as an ambassador only, and another ambassador will be sent from the Senate when one has been chosen."

Nakalnad paused. "The Ten-Seat Council is dissolved and replaced by the Ministry of Minami, made up of myself, Kazuhiko, KR, and the two People of the Land ambassadors. Because of the gaps currently in the leadership, we have accepted temporarily Michitaka of Marine Organization as Pro-Tem Minister over technology and development and Calasin of Shopping District 8 as Pro-Tem Minister over finance and revitalization. They will be looking for proper replacements to train immediately, to be completed within two months. We are grateful to them and the other guildmasters of Akiba who have worked with us at this time to bring a quick and peaceful resolution to the recent crises."

Nakalnad shifted slightly before continuing. "We have renegotiated with the leadership of the Senate and the House of Saimiya, confirming with them that neither attacks on the Cathedral nor death attempts on Adventurers will be tolerated with any leniency. We have relinquished our hold on their zones as compensation, and we have negotiated a proper trade agreement with them. Those line items will be displayed after this conference so that all may know what to reasonably expect from both sides. The Ministry of Minami would like to remind you to please be respectful of all. I think the final word really is, 'play nice'." He stepped back.

Shiroe stepped forward. "Thank you Ministry of Minami, citizens of Minami, for being patient and tolerating our involvement in this issue that was applicable to all Adventurers. We hope for a bright future for all of Minami and Westlande. Please come and visit Akiba in two months and eat all the pumpkin you can stand!" He smiled gently and stepped back.

Kazuhiko turned to him and shook Shiroe's hand. He said a few words of thanks that weren't picked up, since he hadn't had the broadcast spell put on him. Handshakes went around the group generally, then the video screens cut to displaying the text from the lines from the treaty that were specifically about the trade agreements and the commentators came back on the air. They were mostly ignored, like all TV commentators on Earth and went off the air in five minutes as well.

There was a stir of excitement generally in the air of Minami that early evening. They had been told there would be more freedom to choose, been reminded that being an Adventurer could be fun, and been given a reason to go out and earn money - to visit a festival - and the guild had been restructured to be more democratic than despotic.

It wasn't perfect. There were people who weren't sure they wanted Nureha to just disappear. There were people who still wanted to be lazy. There were people who were still prejudiced against Akiba. There were people frantic to insanity that their worlds had been turned upside down (most notably the Department managers under Michitaka, Calasin, and Ains).

The majority, however, had some level of hope now, that things could get better. Food was available to anyone, really, if you were willing to do some level of minimal work. Many people who had ideas of what they wanted to do were already beginning to work on it (one notable was a young Adventurer who was sitting at his desk frantically writing a favorite Conan anime script).

-:-:-:-:-

On the vid screens around town, the new treaty lines regarding trade and services with the People of the Land was being displayed so that everyone knew exactly what to expect when they went looking for quests, or for the shops in town with proprietors on either side to understand how they now fit into the new direction the city was taking. It didn't affect Adventurer-to-Adventurer trade, though, and Calasin was directing the setting up of a stage in the central square of Minami. Things had been so exciting that day that there were still many people crowded in the square.

At the north end of the square was the Government Building. On the East side was the Guild Hall, with the bank and other services. On the South was the Cathedral, with a long garden leading to it, and on the West was the Technology Building. The prison was hidden deeper in the city so as to be out of the eyesight of the people. The vid screen in the square was attached to the upper portion of the Technology Building. When the setup was complete, and Calasin was standing on the stage, he nodded to the Communication mages he'd received for rental time on the vid screen (the way the Ministry had set up for that Department to earn it's keep - also just like television at home).

The vid screens all over Minami shifted to show Calasin, all smiles. "Citizens of Minami! Congratulations! We are so excited for the new changes coming to make your lives better and easier. I'm Calasin of Shopping District 8. We wanted to let you know of one more thing to make your life a bit easier. You'll particularly enjoy this if you're planning on leaving town to go treasure hunting in preparation for the Akiba Pumpkin Festival in two months."

"How many of you have been frustrated with the limited number of item slots you have for carrying treasures, food, items, etc.? I know many are, really. We at Shopping District 8 have a solution!" He paused for dramatic effect. "I have a box," he held up a cardboard box in his hand. "We wish we could call this a magic box, but we can't yet. However, it's nearly that for what it holds in potential, so watch closely." Most of the crowd that had been hanging around the square had either wandered over to his stand or were watching the vid-screen.

He repeated almost exactly the demonstration that Akaneya had put on for Akiba, including calling up an Adventurer of Minami to help him. When the help had moved off stage, Calasin concluded. "This is such a wonderful little product, the nesting box. We are taking orders at all Shopping District 8 stores. There is a limited supply, so we are limiting the total number of boxes you can walk away with for the next week, but if you put in a full order, we'll contact you as soon as we have more from the production line."

"Given that many still need to earn gold, we're willing to take items as payment as well, for a limited time." He listed off the items that Marine Organization needed to make the boxes, and a few of the other items Michitaka had asked for other products that were coming off the line, mostly simple-to-get items. Calasin's goal was to collect enough to send home for the production of more boxes to be delivered, and then to sell or trade the excess to crafting houses of Minami so they could also increase their output. The list of items they needed was shown on the vid screen, so people could get it written down or memorized. "We at Shopping District 8 will be happy to help you with your department store needs, and increasing your list capacity today! Thank you." Calasin waved to the people in the square, and thus on the vid screens. The Communication Mages cut the line and it went back to the list of the treaty agreements.

Calasin was swamped with questions as his men took down the stage and packed it back up. The store, and it's satellites, were swamped shortly after. They'd prepared, though, having seen the response in Akiba. Even adding twenty-seven slots in one would be helpful and mean an Adventurer could stay out longer. Those who had already been thinking they might like to go out and farm were first in line for the first Akiba Adventurer quest request to Minami Adventurers.

The next morning there was a rather high percentage of the city that left out the gates. It made the guards nervous, since they'd been conditioned to not let most of them out, and even worse, to not let them back in later. They also didn't want to have to search everyone when they came back in. Kazuhiko had to field complaints from the guards for a while until they found a workable solution that reduced their workload but still kept the undesirables out of the city. He was grateful when it also cut down on the number of people he had to have working the gates at each shift. (They were, too. Most of them immediately put in vacation requests to go farming, which opened it's own can of worms that he had to deal with, but it eventually settled down.)

-:-:-:-:-

Shiroe called a meeting after the final press conference at the main Shopping District 8 department store of all the people from Akiba who would be going on the raid to the Maze of Eternity. He also invited his sub-guild and those of D.D.D., Honesty, and Knights of the Black Sword that weren't going with them. He spread the maps of the maze out on one of the cafeteria tables and put his fingertips on the pile. "The Maze of Eternity is likely the hardest of all dungeons on Yamato, and it's not meant to be a dungeon that is conquered. It's a puzzle to be solved and handled delicately. Within its center lies the Adventurer Tree of Life - that which allows us to return to be resurrected. Any damage we cause in that inner room will kill any number of us, most likely."

He looked soberly at them all. "We're going in not because we wish to win a prize, but because it's been broken by what was done here in Minami and it needs to be repaired. It sent out the message that we are needed to make that repair. However, given its nature, we have to get through the highest level protections that are in place just to be able to make those repairs. There will be monster drops, of course, so it isn't like we'll get nothing out of it, however the end prize is the repair itself. I'm hopeful that from that repair we'll also receive the reward of having those Adventurers who've been removed from the resurrection cycle returned to us." The return looks were just as sober as his was.

"Because the damage was caused here in Minami, the Adventurers of Minami were sent the messengers that the repairs were needed. They went only partially heeded, so the messengers came to Akiba. We'll be doing this as a joint raid with Nakalnad and a half-legion that's already been through the Maze of Eternity a sufficient number of times they know how to lead us through it. I expect we'll take the first section of the maze just shaking down the parties and integrating, though we'll do a little on the way. It's fairly easy with a boss of expected legion difficulty at the end of it."

"After that, it's a little different. The drop from that boss is a tempting high level artifact that is meant to make a casual legion raid party leave. There is no door farther in at that point. However, Nakalnad discovered there was a Vengeful Spirit in the room. When they gave it the drop, it vanished and a secret continuation door opened. The second level of the maze is difficult. It is meant to discourage all but the most tenacious legion raid groups. The boss at the end is a double legion raid boss room. There are two Vengeful Spirits in that room and the two dropped items must be given to the correct Vengeful Spirit to open the next secret continuation point. Give them the wrong one and they disappear with both drops and the door doesn't open. It's meant to warn off anyone who would go farther. If we guess wrong, we start all over from the beginning again." So far, it was making sense to everyone, given his lead-in.

"The remaining are correspondingly worse, of course. We should expect to all go up about three levels in experience - even with the deaths - just to get through to the end of the last level." Given they were all ninety-eight and above, except Michael and WolfMan6, that was saying rather a lot. It took a lot of experience points to rise a level when at that kind of level to begin with. "Likely Nakalnad's people will carry us a lot until we get our stride. I've put him in charge. I'll be the Master Strategist, but have to learn like you as we go."

"To date, they've gotten to the boss at the end of the last layer and been blocked from going farther. They have learned how to empty the room, but there are no Vengeful Spirits to give what minor drops they do receive." He looked around the room. "When we came here, we learned that there were more Vengeful Spirits here in the city. Last night we performed a preparatory mini-puzzle raid to collect all the Adventurer-based Vengeful Spirits to take back with us. I believe we have to have them all so that we can perform the repair, but I also believe that there is one key that will let us find and open the door. That key is the messenger that came to Akiba. We'll be taking that messenger, that key, in with us this time."

"I expect the final room to be massively trapped and extremely difficult to be faced, but what might be in it to protect the Adventurer Tree of Life...I have no idea. No one has ever been in it before. The threshold shouldn't be casually crossed, I do know. We may only have one opportunity to enter and make the repairs. If anything deserves reverence and awe from Adventurers it is that which allows us to be immortal. We will go cautiously if the door does appear for us."

He shifted to sit a bit on the table to rest his feet. "The appearance of Technicians and Hackers just before, or as part of, this quest that the world has given to us to repair the Tree, says to me that they are needed in order to properly repair the Adventurer Tree of Life. This is why we are taking four Hackers and Nakalnad is bringing four high-level Technicians from here. I expect them to be needed, at the very least at the end. We'll spend the first layer or two learning how to work in teams with our Hackers, and in concert with their teams containing their Technicians. I expect the first two layers to be gone through at least three to four times before we get the second door opened correctly and we figure out how to integrate the new sub-classes smoothly. It helps that I've already fought with one of the Hackers, but I haven't fought with any Technicians yet, so that will also be part of my own learning curve."

"I'm hopeful we can complete the remaining layers in two to three tries each. I'll be super relieved if the repair can be completed on the first try, but don't be surprised if we have to redo the entire dungeon all over again from the beginning several times. We'll take a break at the two-month mark if we get thrown back out to the beginning anytime within the week before that mark. We should all be at Akiba for the first outreach to Minami. If we haven't completed the full raid, though, we'll be returning after that until the winter festival at Minami. That will be another break, and if necessary we'll return again after that." People were looking a bit panicked and overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "but the world has requested it, and it was our fault to begin with. We cannot refuse. Let us do our best to finish it in the first two months. Nakalnad and his people have already been trying for four raids worth of time. They have gained the data. We have the final key they need. I believe it is possible, now." He looked at his people. "Michael, you'll go with Rieze's party. Tetorō, you will go with Isaac. WolfMan6 is already with Ains. Rieze has supplied my party with a Cleric, and Isaac with a Kannagi. Isaac, Rieze, Ains, for the second full-raid set, please divide your people into two per party from each guild. As a city we need to practice mixing the fighters of the guilds. We are very good within the guilds, but now need to be very good within Akiba as a whole. Please plan on continuing to practice joint raids after this."

The guildmasters sat up at this. "You just had us divide into smooth groups. Why mix us up?" Isaac wanted to know.

"We divided the production up and streamlined the production guilds. It isn't working to do the same for the fighting guilds. While I do think that each fighting guild has strengths and specialties, I believe that it will take integrating them to understand what their real strengths are." He folded his arms and considered the floor for a bit, then looked up and pushed up his glasses. "We are going to march on all of Yamato soon. Economically. We are going to march on all of Theldesia eventually, both economically and militarily. I don't expect we'll go to rule. I expect us to go to create unity so that through that unity we can more efficiently return home. I believe there are more people in Theldesia than me that are working to get home, that are working to help all Adventurers, but we need to go find them and let them know we are also here to help them. It is time to prepare the military side."

Shiroe's face twisted with sad remorse. "I've moved too slowly. If Minami has learned to be destructive to the Yamato Adventurer Tree of Life, who knows what's happening to the main servers of the other regions by now? We may have to repeat this more than this once. ...It's my belief, that to allow it to continue unrestrained will unravel the fabric of this world before we can return home. My proof," he took a breath, "is the Navigators. They are unable to come here without the creatures of our server. They aren't able to return home either, wherever home is for them. I believe that they didn't figure it out in time and destroyed their Trees of Life, thus locking themselves in their main server on the moon. That will also happen to us if we don't correct this error, and any similar errors that may have already happened elsewhere on this planet that we Adventurers now have to call home, even if temporarily."

"Please, this is not to be spread about to cause panic. But you who are going to be sacrificing to go into the Maze of Eternity need to know why it's worth it to do so." He looked at the people in the room with him. It was the first time he'd been so open with them about his world-wide plans, but then, it was also the first he'd really understood the full impact of what he'd been shown by Purrcy. It really wasn't anything he could do alone anymore, and these people in particular he would need now, and most likely in the future as well. "We need Nakalnad's people, or I'd be taking you all in. There is a high likelihood they will bail if it goes past Christmas, and I expect half to bail if it just goes past the Pumpkin Festival. I want the rest of you on standby. It will slow us down a little, but if you're all working together in mixed groups between now and then, we'll be closer, just a little bit faster to pick up the speed again."

He looked at Michael's group. "Eagles, I want you to stay here in Minami and work with the others, in particular D.D.D. Get in-town experience as much as possible. We'll need to continue to use your skills if we have to collect ghosts again in the future. When Calasin sends his first wagon train back to Akiba, go out with the guards he needs on those wagons and see it reaches Akiba safely. Then work on your grinding out-city. If at all possible, we need you all over level sixty by the time we get to the two month mark and into the eighties by after Christmas. You may also have those breaks to recover. Rest is important too, and I want the rest of the city to get to know you. Log Horizon is also ambassador guild with D.D.D. and Marine Organization."

He looked to the three warrior guildmasters. "Please, approve and assign members here and at home to work with my newest guild members. They are very capable and eager to learn. When they've learned what they need to here and have reached what they can do on their own, turn them over to West Wind Brigade for fine-tuning. Rieze, I'll continue to rely on you in particular." Rieze tipped her head and Isaac and Ains also nodded their agreement.

"You may have the time to review the maps tonight," Shiroe touched the map next to him again. "We'll leave first thing in the morning, on foot this time since it's with twice our number as before and we need to travel with Nakalnad. Purchase anything needful, but as I said before, we'll be going through several ingredient drops on our way, mostly for the sake of Nakalnad's group that just got back to town. They used up their stores and haven't had time to replenish them." Shiroe rose from the table and moved off to the side to sit with his senior officers of Log Horizon.

Rieze and Isaac walked up to him, though Ains went directly to the map. "Who's your sixth?" Rieze asked, point blank.

Shiroe looked at the two guildmasters, his face slightly closed. "It's the slot for the key. We'll be fine."

Isaac looked his group over again. "I don't see your Hacker, Shiroe. ...Is that the key?"

Shiroe pursed his lips, and so did every member his group, their eyes going hard. Both guildmasters raised eyebrows and put up hands in defense. "That's harsh," Isaac said.

Rieze nodded. "The whole guild as tight lipped as Akatsuki with a Log Horizon secret. We'll let it pass." They escaped to the map and the Log Horizon contingent relented very slightly, not looking at each other. Nyanta got up to go to the kitchen. Tetorō went with him and Michael went to listen in on the discussion his squadron was having with the members of D.D.D., Honesty, and Knights of the Black Sword that were staying behind. Akatsuki sat close to Shiroe and leaned on his shoulder. He put his arm around her, but stayed tense until Naotsugu sat close by on the other side. Slowly, as he became lost in his thoughts about the future again, Shiroe relaxed, his friends by his side.

-:-:-:-:-

The next morning saw busy activity at the Shopping District 8 warehouse as the half-legion party readied itself. By the time the sun was burning the dew away, they were walking towards the city gate of Minami. There they met the other half of the legion. The two parties eyed each other with some distrust and concern, but their leaders said "go" and they went. For that and the next two full days they marched towards their goal, stopping at one fighting zone per day to train the groups together and increase their food supplies. At the end of the third day they arrived outside the raid zone and set up camp just inside the zone, where they would arrive each time they died in the zone, at it's mini-recovery point.

The warriors were still not completely trusting of each other, but they were beginning to get a feel for each other. It was just enough that they began to fight against each other, with words and silences. The first round through the first layer got everyone well familiar with each other's weaknesses. They all managed to make it through without too much damage to individuals. The first time through the second level made them get past that to an uneasy peace as they began to learn the necessity of relying on each other. The fourth time of not getting the treasure right at the second door, and the party from Minami snapped. The leaders made everyone take a break and listened to the concerns of both sides, then properly scolded and promised and apologized.

When the men and women had rested sufficiently, and the plan agreed to once again, they went in. That time, they made it through and into the third level. That honed them into a team - they weren't going to make it through without it at that point - and they all got serious. Somehow, they managed to survive the first time through to the boss room and even by the skin of their teeth (and three surviving warriors), to break through the third door. They pulled back and rested again, carefully going over the strategies that worked in the past, taking three days to get ready, then they entered the fourth layer, taking it slowly, learning as they went. With careful planning, they managed to keep at least one person at a minimum as a retreat card so they didn't lose all four layers again until they finally reached the door to the last room of that level.

"Shiroe," Nakalnad said solemnly as they sat at the strategy table, "you have to understand the rules of this room. Let me go over them with you one more time, but with everyone." Shiroe stood and they walked out from under the canopy to stand side by side in front of the sitting groups of warriors. They waited until they had the silent attention of everyone. "The next room's more tricky than the rest," Nakalnad said. "My men have fought it before, but I think even for them, to say it again won't hurt."

He looked around at the group. "The next room is a mirror room. If you look into the mirror, your double steps out to confront you. If you hide your eyes and never allow your double out, we will sit there waiting on you. If that fits the strategy, fine, but don't expect it to let us through just because you don't want to face yourself. Your double knows everything you know today. And if you defeated it the time before, it knows that, too. If you worked out a solution to that defeat, it knows that, too. It is you but without emotion or error. Don't waste your items. It has everything you do in its lists. It will chose a weapon of yours at random. If you own one you don't like, or are weak to, unequip it and leave it here before we go in. Same for items. Anything you think will make your mirror double weak will make you weak and isn't worth taking in."

Nakalnad looked at Shiroe. "It isn't necessary for the warrior to fight their own mirror image, but that is who they will be closest to from the beginning, unless eye contact with the mirror is made at a distance, and that is who the double will gravitate to. They don't appear until everyone is in the room, and we can't leave the room until one side or the other is all wiped out. If we do, the living doubles remain, and then double again when we re-enter. We only did that the first time. It wasn't worth it to fight that many of us when the doubles doubled right along with us." Lots of people in the room shuddered. "If we just give up and die the room resets. We'll have to start at level one, room one all over again, but it's worth it, trust me." He looked at Shiroe sharply. "This will be your greatest test. Do you really know everyone?" They took into the fifth day to prepare.