"Please, both of you—just a moment."
Sandora hurried forward, placing herself slightly between the two sides. Though her voice was gentle, there was unmistakable authority in it.
"I don't know what grievances exist between you, but could you at least calm down for now?
"The North District's Outer Gate has only just recovered from the Demon Lord's assault. The Black Death may have receded, but many people are still weakened from the illness. If we're dragged into another large-scale battle now… the consequences would be unimaginable."
She took a steadying breath before continuing.
"I've already learned the full story from my brother. This Demon Lord incident was, in large part, the result of Salamandra's own misjudgment.
"And the reason everyone in the North survived this time is largely because of Ghost Travel. As for what the 'Pied Piper of Hamelin' did… I have no intention of pursuing it further."
Seeing that Shiroyasha and Ren Kuroda were on the verge of clashing head-on, Sandora had no choice but to intervene.
Shiroyasha was a Floor Master of the highest tier—her strength was beyond question.
And as for Ren and his companions? Sandora had witnessed their power with her own eyes during the earlier battle.
If those two sides truly fought in earnest, there would be no one left in the North capable of stopping them.
And the North District—having just endured the devastation of a Demon Lord—could not withstand a second battle of that magnitude.
Shiroyasha clicked her tongue softly, then let out a sigh.
"My apologies, Sandora. I did not think it through. I forgot this is the North District, not the East."
She folded her arms, glancing sideways at Ren.
"For the North, this brat is the true hero of the Gift Game. Meanwhile, I did absolutely nothing."
She gave a short, humorless laugh.
"This is the North District's Outer Gate. You are its Floor Master. As the Floor Master of the East, I have no authority to interfere in your affairs."
Then, after a brief pause, her expression softened—just a fraction.
"Still… I'm pleased. You've become a proper Floor Master. In that regard, you surpass your brother, Mandara."
Sandora blinked at the unexpected praise, then bowed slightly in gratitude.
"Thank you."
After that, she turned toward Ren and his companions and bowed deeply as well.
Although she hadn't known earlier that Ghost Travel was itself a Demon Lord-class community, one thing was clear:
If Ren hadn't negotiated the interruption window of the Gift Game down to a single day—and if he hadn't entered the battlefield with such overwhelming strength—the game would not have ended so quickly.
And the North would not have escaped without casualties.
"There's no need for thanks," Ren replied calmly.
"We helped defeat Pest because we were dragged into the Gift Game ourselves."
He paused briefly, eyes narrowing.
"As for why I pushed to shorten the time limit… there's something I'd like to ask you."
His gaze swept across Sandora and Mandara.
"In the lower levels of the North District—are there any particularly valuable treasures? Something even a Demon Lord would covet?"
Sandora and Mandara exchanged startled glances, confusion written clearly across their faces.
They seemed genuinely unsure why he would ask such a question at a time like this.
Ren, however, appeared completely out of patience.
"If you're still planning to withhold information," he said bluntly, "then whatever treasure or Gift you're protecting in the North is about to be stolen by another group with less honorable intentions."
His voice hardened.
"Pest and her group were nothing more than a smokescreen—a diversion meant to confuse both the North District and Shiroyasha."
"I was previously approached by an organization calling itself the 'Demon Lord Alliance.'"
A murmur rippled through the surroundings.
"I doubt they came to the North simply to watch a show. If they were willing to sacrifice a rookie Demon Lord like Pest just to draw your attention, then the only logical conclusion is that they're targeting something specific here."
"And whatever that is… obtaining it likely requires time."
The moment Ren finished speaking, both Sandora and Mandara's expressions changed dramatically.
They spoke in unison, their voices tight with alarm.
"The Simulated Star Creation Chart of the Star-Sea Dragon King… and his dragon horn!"
The so-called "Simulated Star Creation Chart" was, in essence, an independent cosmology—a self-contained universe.
It was a Gift even more extraordinary than Solar Authority.
Across all of Little Garden, the number of beings who possessed a Simulated Star Creation Chart could likely be counted on both hands.
The founder of Salamandra—the Star-Sea Dragon King—had wielded such a power.
Its name was Void Star Tai Sui.
Its ability allowed it to seal the strongest species—excluding dragonkind—into a fabricated world. Even against beings that were not among the strongest species, it could forcibly halve their spiritual rank.
In Little Garden, spiritual rank directly equated to battle strength.
"Halving spiritual rank" meant reducing one's combat power by half.
When Ren heard that something this absurd existed in Little Garden, even he couldn't help but be stunned.
And his instincts told him that this so-called Simulated Star Creation Chart was almost certainly the true objective of that "Highness" and the Demon Lord Alliance.
Mandara frowned.
"But… even if the Demon Lord Alliance is after the Simulated Star Creation Chart, why go through such trouble to obtain it?
"Yes, it's powerful—but not just anyone can use it. Otherwise, why would Salamandra leave such a tremendous power buried alongside the Star-Sea Dragon King?"
The Simulated Star Creation Chart was not like Solar Authority.
Though both were among Little Garden's pinnacle powers, not everyone could wield them.
One's own nature and conditions had to align with the cosmology contained within the Simulated Star Creation Chart in order to possess and use it.
"No," Ren said quietly.
"You're only thinking about the Simulated Star Creation Chart."
He looked up—just slightly.
"You're forgetting something equally important."
"The horn of the Star-Sea Dragon King."
The moment those two items were mentioned together, Shiroyasha's expression changed.
From the instant she heard that a Demon Lord was targeting something in the North, she had felt a faint sense of unease.
But now—
Now that the Simulated Star Creation Chart and the Dragon King's horn were being discussed in the same breath—
That unease intensified sharply.
Most people would instinctively focus on the more powerful and valuable Gift—the Simulated Star Creation Chart—and dismiss the dragon horn as secondary.
And in truth, the horn left behind by the Star-Sea Dragon King did not contain any overwhelming Gift of its own.
It carried more memorial value than anything else.
But Shiroyasha knew better.
Beyond its symbolic meaning, the dragon horn had another, far more dangerous purpose.
It was one of the keys required to release one of the "Final Trials of Humanity"—
Absolute Evil, Azi Dahaka.
At the mere mention of that name, even the gods of Little Garden would pale.
Azi Dahaka once possessed the power to single-handedly repel a million-strong pantheon.
Because of his unique nature, only humanity could slay him—making him effectively invincible within Little Garden's divine order.
Years ago, the predecessor of No Name had united the entire lower levels and succeeded in defeating him.
However, their leader at the time accidentally ascended to godhood during the battle, leaving the realm of humanity.
And since only humans could kill Azi Dahaka, they had ultimately been unable to destroy him.
They could only seal him.
To seal Azi Dahaka required two keys.
One was the former community flag of No Name.
The other—
Was the horn of the Star-Sea Dragon King of Salamandra, who had once been their ally.