Martial Online.

At Jack's study in Rothsmith Estate.

The room was decorated with antique furniture and adorned with bookshelves filled with leather-bound classics.

The air was filled with the pleasant scent of old books, and the soft glow of the antique desk illuminated the walls covered in richly colored wallpaper.

Creak—the door creaked open, and Mark Rothsmith, the head of the Rothsmith family, trotted inside with a drink in hand and a casual smile on his face.

He passed the elaborate window with its intricate stained glass and stepped onto the old desk, which had seen years of use.

As he sat down, the door felt a swoosh of cool air as more people entered the room.

As more and more people crowded inside the small study, the room felt packed and cramped, with barely enough space to move around.

Matilda and Jack sat on the only couch in the study, Anna and Nyx's father, Percy, leaned against the bookshelf, and the rest of the guests gathered in corners and along the walls.

At the doorway, Nyx and a few of her distant cousins stayed outside but still kept their attention peeled to what was happening inside the study.

"Father, why have we gathered in here?" Percy asked with a monotone tone.

He was Nyx's father, and there were some similarities between them, especially their distinct dark hair and piercing blue eyes.

Since the death of his wife and Nyx's mother, their relationship has grown somewhat tense, but every Sunday, they would still go for a walk in the park together, even if they didn't speak a single word.

Percy's question hung in the air as everyone turned to Mark, waiting for an answer.

Mark chuckled with his raspy voice and said, "As all of you might know, our shares within the company have dropped significantly in the past month."

The room stayed quiet, but they all acknowledged it.

"Well, we are not the only ones." Mark rummaged through the drawers and brought out a cigar.

"Ah, that's mine..." Jack said with exhaustion, but his words entered deaf ears as the elderly man lit up the cigar and placed it between his lips.

After taking a long puff, Mark said. "The economy has changed since the arrival of Martial Online's Reality Market. It changed everything and how the business is done.

"Our rival companies jumped the bandwagon and began trading inside the game, and we have also started our own virtual marketplace to stay competitive in the market."

"You haven't told us our role yet, father." Percy said with his arms crossed.

Since he was Mark's oldest and most important son, only he was allowed to speak casually with him.

Matilda, too, had a nearly equal amount of authority within the family, but she often stayed out of business-related things.

"The influence is power." Mark said coolly. "We need the players to count on us, and therefore, we must establish ourselves as a powerful force within the game.

"Since we have already started the preparations and have already secured several towns between the major cities, we can start building a trading route.

"Between the towns that are now ours, there are multiple forests; within them there are caves, tombs, and dungeons, all of which have riches and treasures waiting to be discovered.

"The mountain is especially rich with silver, and it can be the perfect mining ground.

"Therefore, I need y'all to recruit a big enough workforce, from your companies, of course, and start assigning them roles from miner to dungeon explorer and everything in between.

"We need to act quickly so that we can begin extracting the valuable silver and maximize our profits."

Everyone in the room nodded and began exchanging hushed whispers.

"It had been tough for our companies lately." Mark said and removed the cigar from his lips, then held it between his fingers. "Do not recruit players. They might steal from us. Our workers cannot, because we know where they live.

"When you have left here, go to Morningville, Sylveon Town, and Cryssallis; those are our three towns. Each has an acting mayor, so find the mayor, and they'll get you sorted."

Mark then put the cigar out and waved his hand. "You all may leave."

Tap, tap—footsteps sounded as the crowd began dispersing.

However, Matilda and Jack still stayed in the study alongside Percy and Anna, with Nyx leaning on the door.

"For the rest of you, I have different assignments." Mark leaned on the chair and sighed. "Most old fuckers of our rival companies have ignored an important thing about Martial Online."

"And what is that?" Matilda asked.

"The importance of strength." Mark interlaced his fingers and said, "In that world, strength is everything. We might be able to build a commercial empire, but that can all come down because of a strong entity or even a player.

"In time, the companies will start hiring those players as bodyguards, and that will cost lots of money.

"In the future, the strong players will be the ones to determine the success of any company!

"We cannot underestimate their value. They possess unique skills and abilities that can greatly contribute to the growth and protection of a company."

"Aren't you overestimating them?" Percy asked. "If we hire a hundred more employees for a cheap price, then make them level up to maybe level 50, aren't they enough?"

"Hah." Mark chuckled. "Son, you should visit me in Martial Online once; your eyes might pop open. I have seen some strength—real strength!"

"Did something happen, and is it something we have to worry about?" Jack asked.

"I met a person." Mark smiled with fear and excitement. "He went by the name of Matchitehew. I met him randomly at the crossroads between the north and south. It was as if that place was the center of the universe.

"Even the clouds high above circled around that place. There was truly something spectacular about that."

Mark then remembered a sight that he doubted he would ever forget.

"This Matchitehew laid his eyes upon me, and I only saw his white eyes for a single moment, and my mind ascended to a whole new realm.

"I still remember those flashy, otherworldly images. In my mind, that lasted over a hundred hours, but in reality, it lasted less than a millisecond, as when I saw his eyes, my mind actually broke.

"My avatar was like an empty shell, devoid of any consciousness or presence.

"My consciousness had truly been wiped away.

"I don't know, or whether it was some game's safety mechanism, but I returned back to reality, feeling disoriented and disconnected from the world around me.

"It took me over three days to move again from bed."

Mark chuckled as he looked at his son, whose look was confused and rather skeptical.

It was hard to believe something like that, which sounded impossible and out of the realm of mortal understanding.

"That's why I need y'all to begin recruiting some players. They are simply bodyguards, so keep a close eye on them. They could easily try to steal from us."

They nodded, and after they received their roles, they began leaving the study one after another.

Mark turned the chair around and gazed out of the window towards the vast garden beyond.

"Matchitehew..."