Destination: Silver Horn City

Legion of Shadows—ranked sixth among the top ten guilds. Their main area of activity was in the northwestern region of the Unicorn Duchy.

Scarlet Legion—ranked tenth among the top ten guilds. They operated primarily in the southwestern part of the Unicorn Duchy.

Holy Concord Guild—ranked second among the top ten guilds. Their influence stretched across the entire eastern region of the Unicorn Duchy.

And right in the east was Dunmire, the capital city of the Unicorn Duchy.

"Legion of Shadows, Scarlet Legion, Holy Concord Guild… If even they aren't an option, then the only choice left is the military." Ethan scribbled a few more strokes on the blank sheet in front of him, forming two distinct characters—military.

In this world, in what was once North America, military = government.

In chaotic times, power comes from the barrel of a gun.

That truth never changes.

Who had the most money in the North American gaming scene right now? No need to think—the military, hands down. But dealing with them? Small trades were fine, but anything big would be scrutinized inside and out. If he could avoid it, Ethan definitely didn't want to go down that road.

"Let's start with the closest option…" He pulled up a rough map of the Unicorn Duchy in the game world.

Sylvanwood lay to the north. If he could make it all the way through, he'd reach the frozen tundra—territory controlled by Russian players, known as Staghelm Duchy.

On the other hand, heading south or southwest would put him in the domains of either Legion of Shadows or Holy Concord Guild.

"Holy Concord Guild has always been aggressive in their dealings. Doing business with them could be a headache."

"Legion of Shadows, though… After that disastrous expedition into Sylvanwood a couple of years ago, they took a massive hit. They still haven't fully recovered… Which means they're probably desperate for high-tier units, right?" Ethan muttered to himself as he quickly navigated to the largest in-game trading platform, heading straight for the unit purchase requests section.

The listings were endless, packed with all kinds of offers. But almost immediately, one pinned at the top caught his eye.

"Top Ten Guild—Legion of Shadows. Bulk purchasing all 1-6 Tier Basic Units and 7-8 Tier Elite Units! Fair prices, no scams."

"Found it…"

Ethan clicked in to take a closer look.

He skipped over the prices for 1-6 Tier Basic Units.

For 7-Tier units, the starting offer was 60,000.

For 8-Tier units, the starting offer was 300,000.

And that wasn't in real-world currency. That was in-game gold.

"Well, damn. No wonder they're a top guild—they're loaded." Ethan raised an eyebrow, a grin spreading across his face.

300,000.

And that was just the starting price.

Clearly, there was room to negotiate.

For him, this was practically free money.

The moment that thought crossed Ethan's mind, his excitement started to build.

His gaze returned to the purchase request, scanning it once more. After a moment, his eyes landed on the very last line, and he couldn't help but chuckle softly.

"As expected of a top guild—thorough and meticulous, leaving no loose ends."

At the bottom of the listing, a short message stood out:

"Unicorn Duchy, Silver Horn Tavern—LoS_Marty awaits your esteemed presence!"

Clearly, this was meant for big sellers like Ethan.

After all, making transactions through the online marketplace left a digital trail—one that could easily be traced back to the seller's identity. But in the game world? As long as you weren't careless, no one would ever know who you really were.

Of course, anyone who could afford to sell high-tier units wasn't weak.

In fact, they were probably very strong.

But avoiding unnecessary trouble? Who wouldn't prefer that?

"Silver Horn Tavern…"

Ethan closed the marketplace tab, murmuring to himself.

From what he'd read online, Silver Horn City was one of the twenty-eight count-level territories in the Unicorn Duchy.

But the real question was—how to get there?

With Green Dragon's flight speed, he should be able to make it out of Sylvanwood, right?

Dragons were the undisputed rulers of the skies. Aside from the Angelic faction, nothing could challenge them in aerial combat.

So even though Seraphina and Cicero were still young dragons, as long as they focused on flying and avoided fights, they should be able to make it out of Sylvanwood safely.

No point overthinking it—time to move!

Ethan logged back into the game and immediately found Seraphina and Cicero.

"Seraphina, I'll be heading out for a while. You'll have to level up on your own for now!"

Right now, Seraphina was his greatest hope.

Ethan had already decided—he wouldn't compete with her for experience points.

For her, the fastest way to grow was solo grinding.

"Chirp… chirp…"

Seraphina hesitated for a moment, reluctant to part with Ethan. But after a brief pause, she nodded her dragon head firmly, signaling that she understood.

"Good."

Ethan reached out and patted her head before turning to Cicero.

"Cicero, can you fly me out of here?"

As he spoke, he pointed southwest—the direction of Silver Horn City, where Legion of Shadows was based.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Cicero let out a confident roar.

As long as they didn't run into angels or demons, he wasn't afraid of anything—not even Tier-13 flying units like Red Dragons, Firebirds, or Bone Dragons. Worst case scenario? Just fly away!

"Alright then! We'll head out as soon as Elynn finishes training the Silver Pegasus Knights!" Ethan declared, his voice full of excitement.

He'd been playing this game for so long, and not once had he encountered another living player.

But once he left Sylvanwood?

Finally, he'd get to show off—

…Ahem, no, he meant… finally, he'd get to properly interact with other players!

"ROAR!"

Half a day later, a dragon's cry echoed through Emerald Castle.

Cicero shifted into his optimal flight form, spread his wings, and shot into the sky like a bolt of lightning, disappearing into the clouds…