"In that case, please come to our guild," Jack said to Freddie. "Even better, join our guild! I believe my grandfather will be happy to see you again. Uncle Jet is also there."
"Jet? That clown is still alive? Sigh… I don't like him. He always made fun of my height. Just because he has an abnormally tall frame, doesn't mean he can ridicule others who have normal height."
"I have a feeling you will have a good time when you see him," Jack said, smiling mischievously.
Freddie didn't understand Jack's smile. He said, "All right, I'll join your guild."
"Great!" Jack sent him the guild invitation.
Hearing about the guild, Stefan, Richard, and Naomi also came before him. They looked sheepish.
"Um… I know we have fallen to level 1. Is it still okay for us to join your guild?" Stefan asked.
Jack smiled. "Don't worry. We have something that will help you to level up to level 30 and get your elite class back in two days. But after that, you have to abide by guild requirements and do guild tasks."
"No problem!" The three exclaimed simultaneously.
So, Jack sent them guild invitations as well. Their guild almost had full members, but they usually left around ten to twenty empty spots just in case they met rare talents. Stefan and the others weren't rare talents but Jack rarely invite members so he figured he had the executive right to fill a few of these spots.
Jack then saw Dina pull Tom over.
"Can we join as well?" Dina asked. "We're originally in another guild, but we checked just now we are no longer part of that guild. I guess they kick us out because we have been out of contact for so long."
"You don't want to return to that guild?" Jack asked.
Dina shook her head. Tom was just silent.
"All right, but same arrangements. Once you get to level 30, you have to do guild tasks," Jack said.
Dina nodded. When Tom didn't respond, she forced him to nod as well.
"Do I also have to do guild tasks?" Freddie asked.
"You don't need to, Uncle Freddie," Jack answered. "I'll let everyone know you are a core member. You can just hang back at the headquarters with my gramps."
"Uh… Why does he not need to do guild tasks while we…"
"Because I say so. Got a problem with that?" Jack asked before Stefan finished his question.
"No problem. Everything's good, boss," Stefan answered.
"No problem with the guild tasks. We are already glad you can help us get back to the elite class in two days," Naomi stated. She then added, "Is that truly possible?"
"It is. You'll see once we are back in Themisphere. Hm… Speaking of which…," Jack muttered as he thought of something. He then called all the players who were still there.
"Everyone! Listen up…!"
After making sure he got everyone's attention, he said, "There is an organization that can help you level up fast to level 30, so you can get your elite class back in two days. Have anyone of you heard about the Growth aid agency?"
When everyone showed confused expressions, Jack said. "That's okay. The fact is they can help you get to level 30 fast. All they need is five gold coins for each person. If any of you is interested, go to Thereath. You can either look for this organization yourself or find the info from my guild, Everlasting Heavenly Legends."
When Jack expected their happy faces from hearing the news, the players instead looked at each other with blank faces. One of them finally said, "But… We don't have anything anymore. We lost everything when we were killed in the game and revert to level 1. It will take us quite some time to gather five gold coins."
"You didn't store anything in the banks in the cities?" Jack asked.
Most of them shook their heads.
"I will pay for their fees," Talia announced. "Their situation is my faction's fault. I will take responsibility. In addition, I will give everyone here a set of armor and weapon to get you back on your feet. Okay, everyone can start lining up now!"
Talia again summoned her faction legacy. From that orb, she conjured 10 gold coins and a Town Return Scroll. She then gave them to the nearest player. She then asked that player his preferred equipment. After getting an answer, she conjured a set of armor and weapon and gave them to that player.
Seeing that, the other players started lining up.
While the players were lining up, Jack saw a group of players who just stood there without responding. Jack came to them and was surprised to see they all had blank looks and empty eyes. It was as if they were sleep-standing. After seeing these players, he had an inkling as to who these players were.
Thella noticed Jack's attention. She told him, "They were the players from the basement."
"You know about them as well?" Jack asked.
Thella nodded. "Though we were imprisoned inside the happy dolls, our beings were tethered to Euphosine and her worlds. So, we could roughly sense what was going on. I guess their minds broke after the repeated process of having their rebirth energies taken."
"They have become vegetative…," Freddie remarked. He and the others had followed over. All of them were glad they didn't share these players' fate. Especially Saddie. She was about to give up if she had to go through another one of Euphosine's games. If she knew this was the fate that awaited her, she wouldn't dare do so.
Some could still react, but they talked incoherently, like people with brain damage.
"Can they recover…?" Grace asked.
Thella shook her head. "We don't know. We are not experts regarding outworlders."
"When you traveled to Themisphere, do you mind bringing them as well?" Jack asked Thella.
"We can do that," Thella answered.
"Do you know something that can help them?" Freddie asked.
"I don't know, but I know some people who might want to take care of these poor people. At least until they get better," Jack answered.
Jack was thinking about Florence and her Missing Outworlders Coordination Center. At this stage, fewer players were searching for their family members. Most could already travel to all seven countries and this ease of access allowed them to find the ones they were looking for.
Considering that, the members of that organization should have the time to take care of these poor players. Also considering Florence's personality, she wouldn't just leave these vegetative players on their own. If she needed funds to care for these people, Jack won't mind giving her the coins she needed.
