Kaylin spoke with utmost seriousness,
"Demi, it's our duty to inform every Association about participating in the Association Alliance's rankings. Whether they choose to show up or not is their business.
But if we fail to properly deliver the notice, and the Headquarters finds out, dereliction of duty would be the lightest punishment.
Worse yet, if one of those hot-tempered Associations finds out they were skipped, and they decide to erase us from existence, the Headquarters wouldn't even bother defending us."
Upon hearing this, the woman called Demi immediately fell silent.
After all, such a case had happened before:
An old, once-forgotten Association had been overlooked.
Later, when one of its founding elders returned from his travels, he flew into a rage—
and personally cut down several figures from the Headquarters with his sword.
The incident had caused a massive uproar, and at the time, even the strongest figures in the Headquarters had dared not say a word.
Of course, though Demi didn't argue any further, deep down she remained disdainful.
In her heart, she thought it was absurd.
After all, just hearing the name Punching Feminists made it sound like a worthless, backwater Association.
It certainly wasn't worth their precious time.
Not long after, the three of them followed the directions on the map and arrived at the mountain where Punching Feminists was supposedly located.
However, upon reaching what appeared more like a desolate mass grave than an actual settlement, Demi rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
"Captain, are you sure we're at the right place?
This place looks like a ruin!
The main hall is half-collapsed, and even the name on the stone tablet doesn't say Punching Feminists!"
Kaylin was also taken aback by the surroundings.
They had visited many Associations before, but never had they seen one in such a pitiful, dilapidated state.
No wonder they only had four members left.
Just then, an elderly woman appeared before them.
She wore a bright, welcoming smile and spoke eagerly,
"Judging by your attire, you must be envoys from the Association Alliance! Please, this way!"
She gestured warmly, trying to lead them inside.
However, Kaylin shook her head and pointed at the inscription on the stone tablet.
"Chief Sybil, is it? Explain this stone tablet to me first."
"Oh, you mean that?" Sybil chuckled.
"Our Association has recently undergone a renaming.
A great master advised us that changing the name would alter our fortunes—
that we would rise anew and flourish!"
Kaylin stared speechlessly at her.
Picking such an absurd name... weren't they afraid of being forcibly disbanded by the authorities?
Or perhaps crushed by some cranky old powerhouse who found it an eyesore?
But ultimately, none of that was Kaylin's concern.
All she needed to confirm was that this was indeed the former Punching Feminists.
"Remember this well: the Association Alliance ranking event is about to start.
All Associations are required to participate.
Don't blame me later for not warning you!"
"Also, one more thing."
As she spoke, Kaylin pulled out a portrait from her coat.
"Have you seen this young man?" she asked seriously.
Sybil took a glance, then shook her head firmly.
"No, never seen him."
Of course, she recognized the man in the portrait—it was John, who had recently left.
John was a great benefactor to their Association.
He had not only gifted Monica a large sum of silver coins to jumpstart their rebuilding efforts,
but had also brought in two new members.
Most importantly, he had served as a spiritual mentor, pointing their Association toward a brighter future!
How could she possibly betray someone like that?
"Honored envoy, who is this man? Is he wanted?" Sybil asked, feigning ignorance.
Though she already guessed the reason:
John must have been responsible for eliminating the corrupt City Lord of Whitespire and the City Lord's Guard.
In her view, those people had committed countless evil deeds—they deserved their fate!
John had only done what was right.
Where was the crime in that?
Kaylin answered calmly,
"This man killed the City Lord of Whitespire.
He has no respect for the rule of law and has been officially declared wanted by the Headquarters.
Anyone providing information about him will be handsomely rewarded."
Sybil nodded with an obedient smile.
"Understood. Thank you for the warning, honorable envoys.
If I hear anything about him, I'll report immediately!"
Kaylin gave a brief nod, then turned to leave with her two companions.
As they walked away, Demi couldn't help but grumble,
"Captain, after traveling all the way here, aren't we going to collect a little 'service fee'?"
It was a well-known unspoken rule—
As emissaries of the Headquarters, it was common practice to squeeze some extra benefits along the way.
Kaylin replied coolly,
"You saw it yourself.
Their hall is practically falling apart.
Do you think there's anything worth taking?
No point wasting time on them.
Let's move on to the next Association."
Shortly after, once the Headquarters received the report and the portrait,
the Association Alliance swiftly issued a wanted notice across the region.
After all, the City Lord of Whitespire was an official appointed under the Macedonian Kingdom.
He could not simply die without explanation!
As the body responsible for overseeing the Awakeners and Associations alike,
the Association Alliance was duty-bound to handle such incidents.
While Awakeners indeed enjoyed many privileges, there were hard limits they could not cross—
and killing government officials was one of those inviolable laws!
Yet, judging from the portrait transmitted by Kaylin's group,
the youth looked far too young.
The officials believed that it was unlikely the young man alone could have achieved such a feat.
There had to be a larger criminal organization behind him—
perhaps even an underground cult!
After all, the captain of the City Lord's Guard had been a Platinum Rank Awakener.
Such strength wasn't something a mere silver-ranked youth could easily overcome.
Meanwhile...
After leaving the now-renamed Beauty Club,
John continued his journey alone toward the Imperial Capital.
Along the way, he had just dispatched a notorious bandit attempting a major robbery.
While gleefully looting the bandit's corpse, John happened upon a folded piece of paper.
Curious, he opened it—only for his face to darken immediately.
Good grief.
It was a wanted poster.
And the face on it—was his own!
Issued officially by the Association Alliance!
He had officially become a public enemy?!
John promptly shredded the portrait into tiny pieces, shaking his head in exasperation.
"What the hell kind of world is this…" he muttered.
"I clear out the scum, and they put a bounty on me?
Where's the justice in that?"
After venting his frustration, he resumed his journey.
Meanwhile, he idly swung his iron sword, gazing at the semi-transparent system interface hovering before him.
[Absolute Diarrheasword Art Lv1 – A concept-level skill, capable of inflicting diarrhea upon all enemies in front.]
[Absolute Diarrheasword Art Lv2 – Concept-level skill; against non-human enemies without digestive tracts, it can instantly kill them—
because if you're not even human, you're not worthy to stand before me!]
John hadn't yet encountered truly powerful non-human entities,
but he knew full well that magical beasts and other bizarre creatures roamed this world.
Many of them had no shame, no digestive systems—
and against such foes, his current skill would be ineffective.
If he could evolve it further, however,
it would become devastating even against the strongest non-human opponents!
Thus, he resolved to upgrade this bizarre skill as quickly as possible.
Just then, two young women—both exceptionally attractive—approached him from up ahead.
The girl leading the way grumbled,
"Big sis, we've been starving for three days straight!
Is this how you treat your little sister when traveling the continent?
What do you think this is, Survival in the Wild?"