Following the second stage of Shiroe's plan, Marielle and Henrietta meet with Karashin—master of the Shopping Street 8 guild to discuss an agreement involving the exchange of food ingredients. Karashin tries being coy in his attempt to establish an exclusive deal with the Crescent Moon Alliance's food business. Having already anticipated this, Shiroe has Marielle and Henrietta introduce their intention of bringing in the masters of the other business venturing guilds—Michitaka and Roderic of the Marine Agency and Roderic Merchant Guild respectively—thus forcing Karashin to hurriedly accept the Alliance's proposition at a severely reduced price. Meanwhile, Minori laments all of the struggles she and Tohya faced when they became trapped within Elder Tale and that they didn't heed Shiroe's advice before it was too late, thus making them unworthy of Shiroe's rescue. Back at the meeting, Shiroe has Henrietta play a dangerous game of baiting the three guild masters into investing the remaining amount of gold under the false pretense of an extremely profitable legendary Novasphere Pioneers quest led by non other than the "Villain in Glasses" himself—Shiroe. Afterwards, Tohya relates the same feelings of undeserved rescue to Minori before the Crescent Moon Alliance and Log Horizon issue invitations to Akihibara's largest guilds for a conference to discuss the city's future.