After Lux had disappeared from Wildgarde Stronghold, his friends and the elderly that had a good relationship with him and Vera had become quite worried about the two of them.
Vera's disappearance had caused a great stir, since even her fellow Guardians didn't know her current condition, except for Gerald, Natasha, and Rainer, who had been told by Alexander that his mother was in critical condition and was in an intensive care unit that forbade any visits from anyone who wanted to see her.
The moment the Half-Elf stepped out of the Teleportation Gate with Cai and Keane, news of his arrival traveled all over the entire Stronghold like wildfire.
It didn't even take ten minutes before Gerald, Natasha, and Rainer came to look for him to ask about Vera's current condition.
"Grandma is recovering well," Lux replied. "I'm sure that the next time you see her, all of you will be very surprised."
The trace of mischievousness in the Half-Elf's tone didn't escape the three Rankers, which made them breathe a sigh of relief.
If Lux was able to joke about his grandma's condition, it meant that Vera was no longer in danger and would soon return to the Stronghold.
Gerald, Natasha, and Rainer, followed Lux back to his home because they still had a lot of sensitive questions to ask, which were not meant to be heard by the public.
A few minutes later, the three Guardians, along with Cai and Keane, entered Lux's home.
There they sat in the living room, while Lux prepared to serve them some snacks and tea. When the preparations were done, the Half-Elf also sat and waited for his seniors to ask him the question that had been bugging them for quite some time.
"After you founded your Guild, you left to go to Elysium again, but no one knew where you were," Gerald said. "The Skystead Alliance and the Xynnar War Pact have been looking not only for you, but for Cai and Keane as well. The three of you hold the precious slots to enter the Domain of the Fallen, and they badly want to negotiate with you for the opportunity to enter it once more.
"Emperor Andreas had even sent his Ambassador to formally apologize for what happened in their territory when you were still doing your Trial of Leadership."
Lux snorted after hearing Gerald's words.
If it weren't for his Grandma, he would have been seriously injured in the City of Dainsleif, which belonged to the Vahan Empire.
To this day, Lux still held a grudge against Emperor Andreas for setting up a farce just to teach him a lesson.
Vera was still recuperating inside Blackfire because she had forced herself to appear despite the fact that she still hadn't fully recovered.
Although Lux wasn't too worried about her Rank going down, he still didn't want his Grandma to suffer because of him. For him, Vera and Iris were his only family in the world, and he would kill anyone who dared to hurt them.
As for Alexander, the Half-Elf didn't have to worry about his safety because his Stepfather was a Saint.
He would be more worried about the people who were foolish enough to get on his bad side.
"Einar, Val, and Xander must be feeling pretty anxious right now." Lux chuckled. "Sucks to be them."
Natasha shook her head. "You have no idea. Those three are at their wit's ends because they didn't want to offend anyone. Right now, they have implemented a rotation system where the Six Kingdoms, the Skystead Alliance, and the Xynnar War Pact would take their turns exploring the Domain of the Fallen and Sacred Dungeon, one after the other.
"This is working at the moment, but I'm sure that all of them are getting impatient by the lack of opportunities to explore the Dungeon in full. It will still take at least seven or eight months before the Domain reopens for everyone, and when that happens, everyone would definitely fight for the quotas to enter it."
Lux nodded his head in understanding. "If I remember correctly, only 500 slots are available each time the Domain of the Fallen opens to the public, right?"
"Right," Gerald replied. "By then, everyone might get a better chance to explore freely, but now, it is only you kids who hold the key to enter the Domain of the Fallen. All of you are like hot potatoes that everyone wants to take a bite out of."
Lux smiled because he understood that what Gerald was saying was true, however, he had other plans for the time being.
"I came here because I plan to go to the Domain of the Fallen with Cai and Keane," Lux stated. "Also, I plan to keep my promise to the Stronghold about sending fifteen members of the Storm Dragon Guild to explore it."
Gerald, Natasha, and Rainer looked at the Half-Elf as if he was an ancestor who had come back to life to give them gifts for being good boys and girls.
"This is indeed good news, but I'm afraid that the Six Kingdoms, Skystead Alliance, and Xynnar War Pact wouldn't like it," Rainer said as he rubbed his chin. "The entrance to the Domain is being managed by the combined forces of the three factions, and no one would be able to go inside without their approval."
Lux arched an eyebrow after hearing this development. However, he already had a plan in mind to pacify the three factions.
"Tell the Ambassador of each faction that I plan to let them use our slots for free after Wildgarde Stronghold has had their turn," Lux stated. "We will no longer hold an auction for the limited slots and allow everyone in each faction to enter it once a month.
"We will go with the rotation system that Einar, Val, and Xander are implementing right now. If we follow this format, each faction will be able to send thirty of their members inside the Dungeon, which is a sizable force, allowing them to clear one of the gates in Hell Mode. I'm sure they would like this offer very much."
Gerald, Natasha, and Rainer glanced at each other before nodding their heads in agreement.
"Very well, we will go with this plan," Gerald said as he stood up from his seat. "I will contact their people right now and discuss the conditions that you have presented. What should I say if they try to impose other conditions before they agree to your proposal?"
Lux smirked as he gazed at the commander of Wildgarde Stronghold, who was unable to sit still knowing that their own force would be able to monopolize the Domain of the Fallen for a time.
"Simple," Lux replied. "Just tell them that the deal is off. If they want to block our way then we can always ask Cai's Grandpa and my Stepfather to escort us to the entrance of the Domain. That way, even if they want to say something, they will have no choice but to hold their tongue. Cai's Grandpa is notorious for being a hot-head, and I'm sure that not even the Skystead Alliance wants to be on his bad side."
"Ahem!" Cai raised its snout proudly because, for it, its Grandpa was its idol. "Those little sh*ts won't dare to say anything once my grandpa is there. If they want a fight, they will have a fight!"
Keane, who was calmly drinking his tea on the side, was quite impressed by the Boar's unwavering confidence to its grandfather.
Gerald also thought that this was a good countermeasure in case the other parties decide to ask for something unreasonable.
After finalizing the details with Lux, the Commander of Wildgarde Stronghold went to Elysium to have a meeting with the Ambassadors of all sides.
Meanwhile, Natasha and Rainer summoned Nero to tell him the details of the expedition to the Domain of the Fallen.
Now that Lux had decided to let their Stronghold take the spotlight, they must do everything in their power to ensure that they would return home with as many gains as possible by the time their expedition was over.
After the three adults left, the Half-Elf told Cai and Keane to rest for the time being because they would be going to the Domain of the Fallen the following day.
Back then, they had entered the Gate of War, while the representatives of the Vahan Empire entered the Gate of Conquest.
The Half-Elf was very curious whether he would meet Watson and Sherlock again if he entered the Gate of Conquest this time around.
'I hope I see them there again,' Lux thought as the image of the two leading figures of the Gnome Kingdom appeared inside his head.
If his hunch proved to be true, then it might allow him to gain a better understanding about how the Gates of the Sacred Dungeon worked, and the possibility of predicting what would happen the next time they enter its doors.
