Days after leaving the Bellowing Garden, Minos' group finally arrived in Examire that afternoon.
When they entered the city, Minos and Maximillian were no longer inside the body of the level 108 slime that had helped them recover from their injuries. Both had finished their treatment the previous day and could now return to their routines within the guild.
Minos and Maximillian heard from their group what had happened after they fainted in front of a level 110 Sovereign. When they heard the rumors circulating around Examire, they had no trouble understanding how the war had ended.
After they were saved by a level 110 Sovereign from the guild, Armhands moved and sent someone to finish the war while they returned to Examire.
A level 114 Sovereign from Armhands went to Silverdawn's headquarters in Misthall and delivered an ultimatum to the master of that sect. Either they surrendered to Armhands, or the Chief Commander of the guild himself would exterminate that organization!
Silverdawn hesitated, but on the second day after the ultimatum, they gave up their resistance and agreed to join Armhands in order to preserve their existence.
Thus, the confrontation between Armhands and Silverdawn had come to an end, and that sect had become an arm of the guild in the Bellowing Garden.
According to the rumors, soon, members of the guild and the sect would exchange positions, with the weaker members of that sect having to come to the headquarters to undergo the natural process of growing within the guild.
As for the stronger ones, some of them would also come to the headquarters, but others would stay behind in Misthall to take care of the sect's business in that area.
Finally, with this information, the group arrived at the guild's entry point, where they would soon ascend to the floating island where the guild's headquarters city was located.
...
"Home at last," Rhett commented to his group as they exited the elevator at the same place Minos and his people had arrived about five years ago.
"Do you like staying inside headquarters, Officer?" Minos asked the man as they walked to the stairs of the hill in front of them.
"Yes, I do. Many guild Officers take the time to travel and experience the continent as soon as they become guild internal members. But honestly, the dangers in Zocarro are too great. It's much easier to grow up here. There are good jobs even for people stronger than me.
So why leave if we can stay here and grow safely? I only leave when there are missions that pay very well for their risks." Rhett replied to the group.
There were many members like him in the guild. Some saw this place as a prison, but others considered this floating city a home where they could grow up without risking too much.
And, in a way, the people of Minos couldn't disagree with this alien. There really was a way for them to grow to the high level of the 11th stage without even leaving this headquarters.
However, that wasn't an option for them.
"So it's normal for Officers to have time off when they're promoted?" Maximillian asked.
"Yes, Officers can come and go from headquarters as they please. As long as they complete their mandatory missions, they can even stay for years without returning to the guild."
The mandatory missions for guild members decreased in number as their positions improved. However, the difficulty and relevance of each mission became greater the higher the Officer's position.
The members of the guild council had slightly more complex functions, so although they had more freedom, the Officers were the ones who usually behaved more freely.
"Why do you want to know that, Soldier?" Rhett asked Maximillian.
"We have some goals to complete outside the guild in the future."
Rhett advised. "Well, if that's the case, keep working hard. When you become Officers, do your mandatory missions and prepare yourselves so you don't miss the moment to return to the guild. Anything is possible as long as you follow the guild rules."
The group soon crossed the hill in their path, reaching the entrance to the wall and then returning to the outside area of the guild's headquarters city.
Before splitting up, the group went to the hall responsible for the mission they had received, where they were soon attended to by an Officer of a higher rank than Rhett.
They all earned merits for successfully completing the mission, with three of them earning extraordinary merits and the others receiving bonuses for being part of the team that solved the mystery of that conflict.
Rhett earned 60,000 merit points, while the robot and the human who had stayed by his and Ruth's side earned 35,000 merit points each.
Ruth had received extra merits for her excellent performance as a doctor in the wounded camp, which earned her 45,000 merit points for this mission.
Maximillian earned 70,000 points for partnering with Minos to discover the real reasons for that unauthorized conflict, while Emperor Stuart, who had taken the greatest risk, earned 100,000 points.
These two also won other things as prizes. Maximillian won the right to claim a pill and a weapon from the second level of the guild vault. At the same time, Minos received the right to claim a potion, a pill, and a weapon from the first or second level of the guild vault.
They also received letters congratulating them on their service, with signatures from several of their superiors in the guild.
Finally, when they parted at the end of the day, they each went to their rooms to rest from their hard journey over the last few weeks.
Now that they had completed their mission, it was time to rest and cultivate in seclusion for a while!
...
In the blink of an eye, the next six months would pass quickly, with Minos' group improving its position within the guild's external area with new promotions and new additions to the team.
Some of the individuals who had failed to join the guild with them 5 years ago had finally had the chance to retake the guild selection test. This time, they made it through the selection and finally became recruits.
Meanwhile, Minos was the first of the group to become an Elite Soldier, having achieved this after taking advantage of the opportunities following Misthall's return.
Maximillian also achieved the same, while Ruth became a Rank-and-File Soldier with another group member.
