While Vicente turned his attention to producing artifacts in Grandis, Rory and the others had crossed the entire Seidel Kingdom and arrived in Metal City.",

That morning, Rory, Sarah, Casey, Onyx, and the Dark Path woman of the 5th stage arrived near the city Vicente had founded five years earlier.

At the sight of the metal jungle that had sprung up in this area, surrounded by mountains, the group that had last passed through over 2 years ago couldn't help but smile to see the place today.

The Metal City was standing and much larger than before, having passed the 400,000 mark of people living there, with all the land that could be used for construction having been used.

Trains could be seen leaving the city, heading into the interior of Scott Province, a grand sign, an indication at least some of what they had prepared before they left had held.

However much their plans for Diamond Province had gone wrong, the situation in Scott Province was more or less what they wanted.

Of course, they didn't want parts of the province's border and cities far away from the core of the territory to fall to the monsters. But given the special circumstances of this area, the situation in the Metal City and the Scott Province was the best they could hope for.

Rory told the group. "We're going to enter the city and see how things are going. Then we'll split up and head for Martell Village and Millfall."

From what they had heard in their quick passage through Grandis, the village and the former Fuller family seat were currently two of the five largest cities in the kingdom.

The village had left its former status behind and had grown considerably in the past two years, becoming a city of over 200,000 inhabitants. As for Millfall, it currently had 350,000 inhabitants, ranking second among the remaining cities in the province.

Since each member of the group had the power of a Low-level Paragon, they were already considering splitting up to protect each of these remaining areas of the province.

With this in mind, the group made their way to the entrance of the Metal City, quickly gaining access when they were recognized by the guards on the outskirts of the city.

As soon as they entered the area of the city where even peak 4th stage monsters would have trouble approaching, they felt the auras of the strongest ones there.

Rory noticed the cultivation of Bart, Eve, Nova, Prisiche, and other Earth and Sky Sovereigns, and couldn't help but feel relief when he realized his old companions and allies were indeed fine.

As he and his group were watched with admiration, respect, and hope by the local men, they made their way to the center of the city.

The Metal City, unlike Dresbert and other surviving areas that had spun out of control amid the crisis, was not at all disorganized. The place had taken in people amid the crisis, but not only that, because it was connected to other cities, it didn't have to take in everyone.

Many of the people interested in living in Metal City were currently living in Millfall or Martell Village, good places to get the opportunity to migrate to Metal City.

As a result, the streets and squares of the city were not filled with camps and tents housing refugees from the disaster. On the contrary, the place was very well organized and clean, with people moving around the city on beasts, carriages, or on the sidewalks as if the crisis hadn't happened.

Judging by the clothing of some locals and the number of services available, the group quickly realized that the nobles of the province had taken over this city on a large scale.

But that was to be expected. After all, the rich and noble of the province had been the first to invest in this place after Vicente's presentation.

Not bothered by this reality, Rory and his companions soon arrived at the Fuller family's headquarters, where only Bart and Eve were present now.

Nova was working at the city's army post, while Nina was at the branch of the Seidel Magic College, built in Metal City six months ago to house the students and teachers who had left the capital.

Noticing Rory, Casey and Sarah's mental fluctuation, Eve quickly appeared in front of the large mansion in the center of the city.

"Rory?" she exclaimed at the sight of the red-haired young man, unable to contain the smile on her face at the sight of her old friends.

"We're back in the kingdom, Eve. Vicente is in the capital with the others, but he'll be here soon." Rory went straight to the most important point, so that the beautiful blonde woman who came running up to them wouldn't worry about things she shouldn't have.

Eve understood, but asked anyway. "How are they? Did they accomplish their goals? Did they get all their pentagrams without problems?"

"We had some problems, but we came back in one piece and with all our goals accomplished." Casey sighed as he answered, seeing the large basilisk approaching them.

"What about Nina and the others?" Rory looked into Eve's clear eyes. "How are they?"

"Well, as well as possible. We're all living under stress, but fortunately the worst of the crisis has only recently reached us. Besides, we're all stronger and more hopeful about Vicente's return." She tried to be optimistic, despite the many headaches she has had in recent months.

"How is the situation in the city and the province? We're thinking of splitting up to help the area while Vicente is not returning." Sarah asked Eve.

"The city is fine, as you can see. The problem is the province. We've lost practically the entire north and east coast of the territory to the monsters. Saltstar City was destroyed, along with practically every sea town we had.

Only Ironcrest has survived so far. But that place is in a terrible situation. We might lose it at any moment!"

Hearing this, the five of them looked at each other and realized that they had to act quickly regarding Ironcrest.