Chapter 344: Joy of Justice

After about an hour of driving toward the city center, the cab slowly rolled to a halt. The traffic ahead was completely jammed.

Loud, rhythmic shouting, the blaring of horns, and the popping of fireworks echoed from the streets outside.

The sun was currently setting, and it was peak rush hour, so heavy traffic was expected. However, the massive, roaring parade currently blocking the entire avenue was not normal.

Balzac lifted his silk mask from one eye, glanced out the tinted window, and let out a tired sigh.

"What is happening out there?" Solomon asked, leaning forward.

"People are celebrating," Balzac responded lazily, dropping the mask back down.

Solomon furrowed his brow in confusion. "Celebrating what?"

"Why don’t you get out and see for yourself?" Balzac suggested.

Solomon opened the car door and stepped out onto the crowded pavement. The crowd filling the avenue was massive and incredibly wild. He grew curious as to what could possibly trigger such a big, spontaneous city-wide festival. He walked toward the edge of the parade, intending to pull a random civilian aside to ask what was going on.

Before he could ask, he read the hand-painted flyers and sprawling cloth banners the citizens were holding high above their heads.

The bold, painted letters read: JUSTICE IS FINALLY SERVED!

Another banner declared: GOOD RIDDANCE TO THE CORPORATE VULTURES!

A massive flag waved in the wind, stating: TRUTH ALWAYS COMES OUT! KARMA IS REAL!

Other signs read: THE SHIELD IS BROKEN! and AVENGED AFTER THREE YEARS! and DISTRICT SEVEN REMEMBERS THE FALLEN!

There were also beautiful, hand-drawn portraits and framed photographs of the two hundred adventurers who had died in the dungeon tragedy three years ago, held high by weeping, smiling family members. The crowd was actively chanting the names of the fallen heroes, their voices rising in a joyful, deafening chorus.

Everyone was smiling, laughing, hugging strangers, and celebrating as brilliant, colorful fireworks exploded in the twilight sky.

It was an incredibly beautiful, overwhelming scene. But what made it truly breathtaking was the reason behind the celebration.

That was when Solomon finally realized what the festival was about. They were celebrating the destruction of The BlueYorker’s Shield guild. The public of Blue York had taken to the streets in a massive, uncoordinated wave of catharsis.

Solomon stood frozen on the sidewalk. He had cynically assumed that the citizens of the city had simply forgotten about those two hundred brave adventurers. He thought they had just moved on and returned to their selfish, daily lives after a few days of mourning, a bitter assumption that had fueled his anger and frustration over their perceived ungrateful nature.

But that was absolutely not the case. They had all remembered. They had carried that grief and anger for three long years, and now they were finally allowed to celebrate the downfall of the untouchable corporate tyrants.

And the sole reason they were all so incredibly happy, the reason they had finally regained their shattered hopes in justice... was entirely because of Solomon.

He looked down the avenue. Local police authorities and riot squads were forming lines, trying their best to peacefully disperse the massive crowds.

The mainstream corporate media had clearly suppressed the news of the celebration, as Solomon hadn’t seen a single broadcast mentioning the riots all day. If his cab hadn’t passed through this street, he never would have known the public was celebrating his actions.

The corporate elites and the Dungeon Regulatory Bureau were clearly trying to control the media narrative, desperate to prevent the working-class citizens from waking up, realizing their own power, and demanding their rights against the other monopolizing guilds.

However, the local police officers were working against the city’s corporate orders.

The newly appointed City Commissioner, Valerina, had issued a strict, overriding order commanding her officers not to harm the citizens or use any riot suppression force.

"The citizens of this city have every single right to celebrate their relief, just as they had the right to mourn their losses three years ago!" Valerina’s passionate, recorded speech echoed loudly from the massive digital billboards surrounding the plaza, playing on a continuous loop to deter corporate interference.

The ones actively trying to control the crowd and suppress the media coverage were not the police, but the private enforcers hired by the Dungeon Association and the terrified corporate bodies of the city.

Meanwhile, the City Mayor had publicly thrown his political support behind Commissioner Valerina and her protective speech, effectively shielding the celebrating public from corporate retaliation.

Solomon stood on the curb, watching the fireworks reflect in the glass windows of the surrounding skyscrapers. A profound, overwhelming sense of peace finally settled over his heart.

A while later, the massive crowd began to coordinate themselves. They moved to the sidewalks and formed organized lines, actively working together to ease the heavy traffic so emergency vehicles and commuters could pass through the avenue without causing any accidents or unintended casualties.

Solomon climbed back into the cab as the vehicle began moving slowly through the eased traffic.

The cab driver turned up the volume on the local radio. The broadcast continuously relayed traffic instructions, informing drivers which specific avenues were blocked by the celebrations and which alternate routes remained open.

The local news anchors also provided live, cautious updates regarding the ongoing situation and the sheer scale of the public demonstrations.

Suddenly, the broadcast cut to a sharp, high-priority breaking news alert.

The anchor announced that the newly appointed City Commissioner had just issued a legal statement regarding the fallout of the corporate massacre. The City Mayor had also officially signed the executive order, ensuring the decree took immediate, binding effect.

The radio then played the live audio of Commissioner Valerina delivering the official press statement from the precinct podium.

"Because the corporate entity known as The BlueYorker’s Shield no longer exists, and the primary shareholders and corporate investors have all been confirmed deceased, the exclusive dungeon exploration and management rights for the stabilized dungeon currently known as ’Fantasy Land’, located in District Seven, have officially been revoked from their corporate holdings," Valerina’s voice echoed clearly through the cab’s speakers.

"As per the foundational laws of the Dungeon Regulatory Bureau, when a primary holding guild dissolves, the ownership rights naturally default to the next highest surviving contributor of the original clearing expedition," Valerina continued.

"Therefore, the ownership and management rights of the District Seven dungeon are hereby legally transferred to Mr. Ben Walker. This decision has been finalized after extensive legal review and thorough discussion, keeping in strict accordance with the established rules of the Adventurer Association and all other governing bodies involved in dungeon regulation."

Solomon heard the news and leaned back against the leather seat. He stared out the window at the passing city lights.

’Ben probably will not appreciate this sudden bureaucratic generosity,’ Solomon thought to himself, knowing the former Guild Master despised the very dungeon that had claimed his daughter’s life.

’Then again, owning the rights to a stabilized dungeon provides an infinite stream of passive income. He can use those funds to completely rebuild the ’Grace’ guild without ever having to worry about corporate sabotage again.’

A while later, the cab finally reached the bustling plaza of the Terminus.

Solomon and Balzac stepped out of the vehicle, grabbing the bags of homemade snacks from the trunk. They walked into the massive interdimensional hub.

Balzac quickly handled the necessary departure procedures and security formalities at the front desk. An official academy agent was already waiting for them near the designated departure archways. The agent verified their credentials, activated the runic console, and opened a swirling blue spatial portal.

Solomon hoisted the bags of snacks over his shoulder, offered a final, silent goodbye to his home city, and stepped through the portal right behind the professor, leaving the modern world behind to return to the Live Streaming Academy.