Ethan could easily imagine such a scene.

"Just like this?"

"Isn't this enough?"

"...I understand."

Suddenly, Yoda had an unrealistic feeling. Ethan's demeanor was unlike those lofty guild administrators; rather, he seemed like one of them. This was more like something said by a Grade C investigator during a guild interview.

"If the rest of your people have nowhere to go, you might consider trying your luck at the Imperial Capital. I've heard the Henry Royal Family is actively recruiting, seeking talents from various fields."

Ethan pointed Yoda in the right direction, "Of course, you can also tell them that the remaining people can simply disband and go home."

As far as he knew, the King of Gold's recruitment methods were filled with coercion, much like an evil big boss who brainwashes talents to work for him. He could only lament that it was fitting for someone who started as a tomb raider, naturally adept at illegal activities.

"I'll seriously consider that."

"Before that, I have one more thing to ask of you."

"Just say the word."

"I want to visit Transit Station 003, and also bring back your Grade C investigator."

"Ah, me?"

Su was momentarily taken aback, surprised as she pointed to herself.

In front of her were one who took down the King of Gold and another chosen personally as a minister by the King of Gold. They were not the kind of big figures she usually encountered at her level.

"Didn't you want to go back?"

"That's true... But this place seems nice too."

After this mission, Su felt exhausted and thought maybe staying here wouldn't be bad. With Professor Bazatous here, along with the rich and diverse arts, she might secure a good position at the Ministry of Magic with her talents and background, ensuring a worry-free future.

And what benefit does going back offer?

First of all, the guild points rewarded for this mission were quite vague. Looking back, perhaps the head of Transit Station 003 never expected her to return alive. It's possible the guild had already held a simple memorial service for her, adding her, Zack, and Zul'gara to the death list.

This sudden return might be rather awkward if she ran into acquaintances who had mourned her.

"Well... Didn't you just say the empire is recruiting? I exchanged some survival skills at the guild, which should come in handy."

After much deliberation, Su sheepishly proposed her idea.

This would be the last stop of her journey, and it was time to retire in this peculiar yet alluring dimension. She already planned her future path even before Ethan returned—first, she would make the best of her time at school, especially try to foster a good relationship with Professor Bazatous, ideally becoming his last disciple.

The next step involved the magical network, recently a popular topic among the professor and students. Once the magical network was rebuilt, perhaps she could leverage her past knowledge to make a fortune.

Staying on campus post-graduation seemed like a good option too, with two holidays a year and lighter duties as a deputy professor. However, the grading criteria were a bit stringent, with fierce competition in recent years, and required publishing at least three academic papers in major newspapers.

Thinking of it, her college life was quite fulfilling.

"Since you've decided, I won't force you."

.....................

Thus, on this day, Transit Station 003 descended into chaos.

They received numerous pieces of bad news.

The guild administrator, the King of Gold, had unfortunately died while exploring an abnormal dimension, and a suspected murderer, a "native," had sent a visit request to Transit Station 003.

They had never encountered such a wild "native" before. Typically, guild members were superior beings during investigations. According to the guild's agreement, if necessary, they could decide how to deal with natives during exploration, only those with "hero," "Evil God," or similar tags posed a threat.

Turning a native into a guild member required complex procedures, foremost among them being the need for a sponsor. The sponsor had to assess the recommended native and clarify the recommendation reasons in the application.

Worse yet, the investigators at Transit Station 003 witnessed ships of the Golden Fleet warping in with such grandeur it was as if launching a great expedition. They found it hard to imagine what dreadful primal creature had appeared in the abnormal dimension, necessitating such a display from a guild administrator.

"We can't keep it up like this; we must find a way to escape to other transit stations!"

An investigator of Grade A called out, but all portals to other dimensions had closed.

The attitude from other transit station heads was clear—if you can't manage, deal with it internally. After all, morally speaking, the guild started the war; should the native decide to slaughter an entire transit station, at least keep the casualties from spreading further.

The general headquarters branch had even begun drafting a plan marking everyone at Transit Station 003 as dead and labeling the area as a "dead zone."

As witnesses of the war, when the Golden Fleet warped in, many of them suffered ruptured eardrums, blinded temporarily by the intense light, only recovering days later. They couldn't fathom what terrifying manner the killer of the guild administrator might appear.

"It's too late now..."

Despair spread through the bar.

The welcoming ceremony had already begun, but they even lost the courage to fight, collapsed on the ground, awaiting fate.

Perhaps the sky would suddenly turn blood-red, just like those recorded "dead zones," with inexplicable phenomena descending from above, rendering Transit Station 003 a desolate place in an instant.

The head of Transit Station 003 held his breath, instinctively craning his neck. In his conception, the abnormal creature capable of killing the King of Gold must be dozens of meters tall, destroying the roof of the transmission area upon its arrival.

Time was running out, his only chance was to disassociate Transit Station 003 from the war before the opponent acted.

The white orb began to flicker, its opposite view unclear.

All sounds dissipated, leaving only the investigators' heartbeats, as if the apocalypse was imminent, everyone awaited the final moment.

Then, a voice snapped the head back to reality.

"Is this Transit Station 003? I'm Ethan, you can call me Old Sen."

It was a young male, his race exceedingly close to human.

But from Yoda's intelligence, he should possess the "ancient people's" blood.

This man, who killed the King of Gold and could annihilate all of Transit Station 003 in a blink, was casually carrying a fruit basket.

His voice was clear and gentle, "This is a special product I brought for you from the Imperial Capital."

On the young man's right shoulder perched a beautiful white ragdoll cat, with rare red eyes. Judging by size, it must have just turned one-year-old, lazily raising its right paw to groom its white fur.

As for the fruits...

They were just ordinary fruits, devoid of magical effects, but from the fullness, they must have been carefully selected.

Numerous data sparked in the station head's mind, yet none indicated Ethan was a terrifying entity who slew a guild administrator.

The conversation felt peculiar, like preparing to greet the apocalypse, yet more akin to receiving a young investigator transferred from another transit station, or a hometown relative having heard of his position, entrusting his nephew to him here.

"Do you... have any requests?"

The station head cautiously asked.

"I'm here to discuss cooperation; does your magical network have any authorized agency or outsourcing concept?"