Hazel and Astrid followed Anais back to the Jetport base, where Zoe was waiting for them. On the third floor of the building, they met the knight as they stood around a large plastic table that looked like something from a banquet party.

"Nice table," Hazel noted.

"If it makes you feel any better, it's only temporary," Zoe told her. "We plan to find a better one soon while also securing a better location within the building for private meetings and such."

That made sense to Hazel. Now that the threat of the spider queen was taken care of, Zoe could now focus on other things, which include the development of her guild along with establishing connections with other guilds around Portland.

"So, why did you call us here?" Hazel asked curiously. "Is something wrong?"

Zoe shook her head. "Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to know something."

Hazel leaned her head to the side. "Know what?"

"I heard from your mother that you plan to take Astrid back to her village."

Hearing this, Hazel and Astrid immediately tensed. While they figured that Zoe would find out sooner or later, neither of them expected the Knight to call them so they could discuss the topic. Mainly because there shouldn't be anything to talk about in the first place.

Astrid sternly stared at Zoe, wary of the Knight's intentions, while Hazel mentally tried to come up with some lie or excuse regarding the truth of their departure. However, Zoe quickly noticed the change in atmosphere from the pair and quickly raised her hands defensively.

"Before this causes some kind of misunderstanding, I have no intentions of preventing you from leaving the Jetport base or Portland in general."

"Then why are we talking about this?" Astrid said with a stern tone, causing Hazel to panic due to her attitude.

Instead of being offended or angry at the dark elf's behavior, Zoe remained calm and collected, as if her words did not faze the knight. "We are talking about this because I was wondering if we could try and establish...a relationship with the residents of the Great Forest of Meir."

"A relationship...?" Hazel muttered.

"Are you asking for an alliance with the Greyvolk tribe?" Astrid questioned, narrowing her gaze.

"If possible, yes," Zoe nodded. "As we all know, our world is in shambles in more ways than one. And while it is in this state, it would be beneficial to establish as many connections as possible. Not just with the guilds in Portland but with all the important figures around the world, including those that reside in the Great Forest of Meir."

Hazel was beginning to understand what Zoe's intentions were. She was essentially getting a head start in establishing international connections with other big figures around the world, and she was starting with the residents within the Great Forest of Meir. It honestly wasn't a bad plan. Because of how chaotic everything was, it would be best to take advantage of the chaos as much as they could.

And trying to ally with Astrid's tribe seemed like a good start. According to Astrid, the Greyvolk Tribe was one of the leading figures of the Great Forest of Meir. If Zoe could convince Astrid to try and establish a partnership of sorts with Zoe's guild, then she would basically have the backing of a political figure.

Although Hazel wasn't very interested in politics, she could tell that this conversation was diving into that topic. Normally, if she saw something political on TV, she would change the channel, since she had no desire to know the political world. And yet, instead of being bored, she was a little intrigued by what the outcome would be of the conversation between Zoe and Astrid.

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"Even if the world is in chaos right now, my people and I are only concerned about the state of the Great Forest of Meir," Astrid asserted. "That is why we have been a neutral nation within the Continent."

"Maybe so, but even the residents of the Great Forest of Meir should know how serious this matter is. And remember, to complete the second phase of the Integration, we must have a World Guild to represent our world."

The dark elf scoffed. "And what, you wish for my tribe to support you in representing our world?"

Zoe laughed. "I am not that conceited or bold to ask for such a thing. But I wish for us to work together to prevent very distrustful and dangerous groups from representing our world. Including the High Elves, if possible."

As soon as the knight mentioned the High Elves, Astrid's eyes narrowed in anger, and her hands clenched tightly. Hazel could tell from her partner's reaction that although she didn't trust Zoe, her hatred for the High Elves outweighed that. By a lot at that.

"While I do agree with that state," Astrid said while gnashing her teeth. "This is not something I can decide myself when it comes to something this serious. The other high-ranking members, including the chief, must be informed of your proposal before any decisions can be made."

"That was why I wasn't asking for the partnership now. I merely wish for you to tell the other members of your tribe of my proposal so that you all can come to a decision."

"And may I ask what this partnership will entail?"

"For now, a simple alliance where we would support one another, within reason. No assisting in wars, trading between guilds, or anything of the sort. Not yet anyway."

Hazel could tell that this little partnership proposal was just the start. For now, she simply wished to try and form a connection with the tribe to where they were friendly toward one another. After the world had stabilized a bit and order had been established, it was clear that their alliance would then move on to the next step.

Instead of butting in, Hazel simply watched from the sidelines along with Anais, who was standing right next to her as the Guild Leader and Dark Elf conversed with one another.

"So, will you inform the Chief of this proposal?" Zoe asked.

Astrid was hesitant at first before she released a heavy sigh. "I will tell him, along with the rest of the members who watch over my tribe. Though I am curious about how you plan to proceed. If you managed to convince the Chief of my Tribe to accept your proposal, do you plan to establish connections with the other residents of the forest?"

"While the thought had crossed my mind, I do not believe so. That would be too greedy, even for me. Though I do wish to be on friendly terms with the Residents of the Meir Forest."

Astrid let out a laugh. "And here I thought you would try and convince Chegyaeyi to try and make a connection with the Kabtāya Tribe."

"I won't lie and say that I didn't consider it, but I also know that it would likely be a touchy subject for Chegyaeyi, and I would rather not create friction because of my greed."

Astrid's brows rose. "Oh? Then you have an inkling as to her situation?"

"Well, I'm not that well-versed in the Kabtāya tradition, but I do know that being a former member of the tribe is rather rare, and if anything, unheard of."

Hazel had no clue what they were talking about now. She heard about the Kabtāya tribe before. That was the Lizardfolk tribe that Chegyaeyi was a part of. But she didn't have the faintest idea as to why they were talking about them. Hazel knew that the Kabtāya was a renowned and noble tribe, but other than that, she didn't know much.

"Do you perhaps know anything?" Zoe asked.

Astrid shook her head. "I do not. Even if I did, it would not be my story to tell."

"I understand. Forgive me for being invasive."

"It's fine, honestly. Besides, much like you, I am also a bit curious regarding her situation with her tribe. Sadly, I have too many things to worry about myself to intrude on another person's private matters."

"You and me both," Zoe sighed.

For a while, the two players continued to converse with one another. Their subjects of conversation varied from the terms of their partnership with one another to their future plans regarding potential threats that would attempt to become representatives of their world. After a while, Hazel grew bored and mentally checked out, letting her thoughts wander to try and pass the time. Despite being so interested in their talk in the beginning, she should've known that she wouldn't have lasted long listening to them any further.

It didn't take long before the tiresome conversation was soon finished.

"By the way, Hazel," Zoe turned to face the witch. "I know this may be too much to ask since you have a lot on your plate already, but would it be possible for you to lead a scavenger team into Portland to gather some materials?"

Hazel took a moment to consider her request. So, they went from a political meeting to another RPG quest. At this point, Hazel couldn't even complain, knowing how different everything was.

"Yeah, I can do that," She agreed without hesitation.

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