Chapter 578: The Muster Ground

Thoren left the Great Market after a long conversation with Lorwen. The exchange had been more useful than he’d expected.

He’d entered the Knight Order’s underground headquarters with only a few questions in mind, but he left with a much clearer understanding of what was happening to Suncrest City and the Federation as a whole.

There were still many things he didn’t know, and the more he learned, the more complicated everything seemed to become.

But at least now he understood that the crisis wasn’t simply the work of the Slave Trade Guild.

Powerful factions were moving behind the scenes, awakener families were choosing sides, and awakeners strong enough to influence the entire Federation had their hands somewhere in this.

For now, that was enough.

And as for the rest, he would investigate himself.

This time, he left the Great Market without the military convoy, driving a jeep alone through the streets and out toward the outskirts of the district.

Thoren drove through it all without paying much attention to the frightened citizens, his mind still turning over what Lorwen had told him. Level Ten awakeners. Two factions working together.

A Governor whose true intentions remained unknown. And somewhere in the middle of it all, the Slave Trade Guild.

He needed more information but before he could chase down everything else, there was somewhere else he needed to go first.

The muster ground.

That was his destination, and it was no ordinary location.

It served as the headquarters for every soldier stationed in Suncrest City and stood among the most heavily guarded locations under the Federation’s authority.

While the defense base near the Abyss gateway existed mainly to monitor the gateway and prevent uncontrolled beast outbreaks from reaching the city.

The muster ground was something else entirely.

It was where the city’s entire military structure was coordinated, where orders were issued, troops deployed, and weapons, vehicles, and supplies stored.

If Suncrest City ever fell into full-scale war, this was where that war would be run from.

Thoren knew exactly what he’d find there.

He didn’t believe those hooded figures had been the true masterminds. They were simply cannon folders.

If he wanted the truth, he needed to follow every lead available to him, and the military was one of them. And now, the muster ground was the core of everything.

According to Lorwen, if he truly wanted to unearth everything related to the hooded figure and likely find out who was sponsoring chaos in the city. The answer lies in the Muster Ground.

His grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.

Even with chaos spreading both inside and outside the city, the powerful factions hadn’t stopped watching each other’s movements.

They couldn’t afford to.

Every important person was under observation.

Every major family kept an eye on its rivals.

The factions monitored their enemies.

And Thoren was naturally one of those people.

His return from the Abyss had already caused enough disturbance, and his actions in Glimmer District had only made things worse for those trying to hold onto control.

There was no way his movements could slip past their notice.

The moment he left the Great Market, reports began reaching several forces at once..

In the Governor’s office, the middle-aged woman frowned deeply at the news.

"Are you sure?" she asked, disbelief thick in her voice.

"Yes, ma’am," her assistant replied, standing a few steps from the desk with a communication device still in hand.

Like everyone else who’d heard, she was troubled by the same question running through her mind.

Why would Thoren go to the muster ground?

It wasn’t an ordinary military facility.

It was the heart of Suncrest City’s military power, and anyone who entered without proper authorization would draw immediate attention.

And Thoren was the least of all people who could be treated like a casual visitor.

The Governor leaned back in her chair, her brows creasing as thoughts churned through her mind.

She’d already been uneasy about his return.

The chaos in the city was already giving her a headache. With many forces pulling many strings at the same time, the city was on the brink of destruction and if it was not handled carefully.

Everything would be gone. And now, the place holding everything together was going to be visited by Thoren Starfall.

She would be a fool if she thought he was going there for a casual stroll.

Sighed.

She rubbed her forehead.

She didn’t want to get on his bad side, that much was certain.

After hearing what his undead had done, she already understood he was far more dangerous than she’d first believed, and if he ever became an enemy.

Dealing with him would be anything but easy.

At the same time, she couldn’t simply let him move through the city unchecked. There were limits even she couldn’t ignore.

The muster ground was her seat of power, the place where the city’s military authority was concentrated.

Nothing could be allowed to happen to it.

If something did, the consequences would ripple through the entire city.

She looked toward her assistant.

"Why would he go there?"

"I don’t know, ma’am," the assistant admitted.

"We only know he left the Greet Market alone and is heading straight for the muster ground."

The Governor’s frown deepened.

Alone.

That detail struck her as particularly strange.

Thoren had previously moved through the city with a full convoy.

Now he was driving to military headquarters by himself, and that could mean any number of things.

She couldn’t determine which, and that uncertainty was exactly what unsettled her.

She sat in silence for a long moment.

Outside, the city continued to tremble under the weight of the crisis.

She knew the factions were watching everything. If she opposed Thoren openly, they might read it as a declaration of war.

If she supported him openly, the opposing factions might turn their attention toward her instead.

And that was something she did not want to see... not yet.

Slowly, her gaze hardened.

"Tell our people not to give him any problems." The assistant looked at her in surprise.

The Governor raised her head. "They must cooperate with him."

Her tone left no room for questioning or doubt. Nodding her head, her assistant replied.

"Yes ma’am."