|
Class
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
|
Dealer of Desire Lv. 26 [Master of Legacy]
|
|
Valorous Lord Lv. 21
Trainer Lv. 08
|
|
Charisma
|
19
|
|
Intelligence
|
15
|
|
Vitality
|
16
|
|
Strength
|
16
|
|
Skills:
|
¡¤ Trustful Presence
¡¤ Goods Instinct
¡¤ Solid Contract
¡¤ Torch for Seeker
¡¤ Consecutive Strikes
¡¤ Blitz Steps
¡¤ Insightful Reading
¡¤ Price Is Right
¡¤ Mauling Strike
¡¤ Silver Tongued
¡¤ Gymnasts Grace
¡¤ Sight Through Veil
¡¤ Every Ear Listens To My Words
¡¤ Blade Of The Gale
¡¤ Mood of the Subjects
¡¤ Privacy Sphere
¡¤ Command Projection
¡¤ Get Ready
¡¤ Quick Parry
¡¤ Sharpness
¡¤ Active Presence
¡¤ Vision Projection
¡¤ Instant Recollection
¡¤ Artistic Dealings
¡¤ Copy Skill - Focus
¡¤ Telepathic Call
¡¤ Energizing Essence
¡¤ Gymnasts Control
¡¤ Lord''s Presence
¡¤ March Of The Braves
¡¤ Laws of My Land
|
|
Legacy
|
Demesne of Desire II
|
|
Skills
|
¡¤ Master of Legacy
¡¤ Laws of Legacy
¡¤ Share Authority (5)
¡¤ Vault of Ru
¡¤ Demesne Expansion
|
|
Attribute Points
|
0
|
Chapter 384: Training
Click!
I passed through the door and entered the indoor training space. It is big, with several sparring rings, big weapon racks, and other training instruments.
I had been here a few times with Lancel. It was funny to see the people fawning over him, taking hits and even losing intentionally. I didn¡¯t blame them, I myself did the same when he asked me for a spar.
Lancel was a sour loser. He used to get angry when lost.
I am here today because I am going to resume training. It will be the first time since the first battle. I have been trying to find time for training but have been extremely busy. Even now, I am, but that is no excuse.
I need to be in shape and trained to face any challenges that would come to me. The last enemy I had fought had been very strong. If not for the retreat, he would have defeated me.
I don¡¯t want to face such circumstances again.
I didn¡¯t start immediately. Instead, I went to the center of the practice ring and started with the yoga.
Hun!
Within a minute, I was surprised. I shouldn¡¯t have been, but I am. It felt easy, too easy.
The Gymnast Grace had already made it easy and now with Gymnasts Control, it had become easier.
I stopped, took a deep breath, and concentrated on the skills. I breathed out slowly while doing that, I lessened the power of the skills.
It is hard with the passive skill, but I have been focusing on learning to control my passive skills. Especially in the past three weeks, since I had got the Silver Tongue and Lord''s Presence.
Those skills are very good and have a powerful effect, but there is a problem. Trustful Presence from the Dealer of Desire.
The two skills work well together, but many times messes things up when I want to intimidate the person. I want them to fear me, but it is hard to achieve that when a Trustful Presence makes them feel peaceful in my presence.
Trustful Presence is a skill that has grown powerful with the constant advancement of my primacy class. Currently, it is as powerful as the Lord''s Presence. More, seeing a Dealer of Desire is at a higher level than a Valorous Lord.
I want the message to be clear, not confuse people with mixed signals.
It made me refocus on passive skills again. I have been spending considerable time learning to control them. My focus had been on mind-attributed skills, not the physical ones, but control is control.
If I can control one. I would be able to control others, not nearly as well, but still with sufficient mastery.
By the time, I had exhaled, the power of both of the skills halved by nearly half. Which is good. It is not as good as some girls, I know, who could reduce the power of their passive skills to 20%.
Margaux and Lola could do it to 10%.
A master could control it to 1%. I have one person, who had such precise control. She had been training me and it was because of her that I have been able to make such fast progress.
Though, it would take me years or decades of constant practice to reach close to her mastery.
Once again, I began the yoga, and this time, things are much better. To make it more challenging; I had gone for the harder positions.
Some, I had never thought, I could do in my life.
Thud!
I fell, nearly spraying my wrist. I had underestimated the difficulty of the positions too much.
It didn¡¯t disappoint me. Instead, there was a smile on my face. I would have been disappointed if I had achieved it easily.
I stood up and tried again, but fell down once again and got up a second later to try again.
I kept failing over and over, but I kept trying again and again. Nearly an hour passed, and I hadn''t succeeded at all.
¡®Let¡¯s see what happened, with the full power of the skills,¡¯ I thought and let the control over the skills go. The Gymnasts Grace and Gymnasts control came back at full power, and I tried again.
Thud!
I lasted a few seconds longer before falling down once again.
¡®It seemed like, I had underestimated it too much,¡¯ I thought. People take years to master those positions, which I tried to achieve in minutes.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
I would need to put in some real work to succeed in that position and several more, which are even more difficult than it is.
The failure had made me happy and proud of the place of I had come from.
Happy because there is a challenge ahead and proud because I know, not all things can be surmounted with skills and classes.
I will need to put in some hard work. If I want to succeed in it.
¡°Major Petrus, let¡¯s start,¡± I said to a thin, tall man, standing beside Shaun. These two have become my permanent protectors, along with Jon and Zela.
There was too much pressure on those two, especially Zela.
She is a mage and as a new advanced High-Mage; she needs time to learn the new spells. So, now the guards worked in two shifts, giving time to both Shaun and Zela to learn the spells.
Speaking of spells. Those things are damn expensive.
I have bought a couple of them from the merchant state, and they have cost me arms and legs. Those are far from enough; I need more spells for my mages. Not only Grade 4 spells, but also the lower-level ones.
The man bowed and came toward the ring. He stopped at the weapon rack, before picking up a practice weapon.
The man in front of me was tall and looked to be in his early thirties or late twenties. He is handsome with black hair and pale blue eyes and would have been more if had been not so thin.
He is Cardin¡¯s man; the only one to level up to Lv. 30 from the men who come from the mirador hold.
¡°Shall we?¡± I asked as the man appeared in front of me and he nodded.
I moved with the Blitz Steps and a surprise flashed into his eyes. Till now, very few have been aware of my advancement. They know, I had leveled-up, but they don¡¯t know, how transformative it is.
As I appeared in front of him. I attacked with Blade of the Gale, which had become even more powerful than before.
He responded a moment later, and while he responded late, his saber was fast but not faster than mine.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed, and I activated Quick Parry wanted to move at him, but to my surprise, he broke my parry. He didn¡¯t use any skill or superior force; he did it using pure skill.
Stone had praised him for his combat technique and control, and I could tell he was.
He pushed me back and came at me. I reacted quickly to defense and was about to clash with his saber when he avoided mine smoothly and came at me.
Phak!
I retreated, but he was ready for it and moved with me. A second later, the saber hit my chest sharply.
Clang Phak!
He didn¡¯t stop with the attack and attacked again immediately, which I was able to defend before he hit me again.
The spar continued, he kept attacking, barely giving me any chance to offense. I did find a few, but those were the exceptions.
My strength had increased, but not enough to fight against Lv. 30+. They won''t even need a minute to finish me off, but I already expected that, and my purpose is not to defeat him, but to train.
I need to get used to my skills, and learn to use them expertly and efficiently.
Clang!
I finally got another attack, which he defended easily. He moved for another attack, but stop seeing me, stop.
¡°Thank you, Major,¡± I said to the man breathlessly. He nodded and bowed before walking out of the ring.
I stayed there, feeling tired. We have been sparing for two hours non-stop. It had made me thoroughly tired and got my body aching.
Though not as much when I train with Jon.
Major had held back a little with his hits on my body. Jon and instructor David rarely do. It is such a regret that the man had left the city, he was really good.
Hun!
I walked out of the ring, only to see the children standing not far away from the ring. They didn¡¯t have their nanny with them; she was likely waiting outside.
I had restricted this area when I was practicing. Only those very trusted could come in.
¡°When you do you come?¡± I asked them as I walked out of the ring. ¡°Not long ago,¡± replied the boy.
It had been over a month since they came, but the slight awkwardness had remained between us. It is disappearing slowly, but it will take time.
¡°Do you like it?¡± I asked, and the boy nodded. ¡°I will arrange the trainers for you,¡± I said, and his expressionless face cracked as joy appeared on his face.
Seeing that, a smile couldn¡¯t help, but appear on my face.
¡°Did you train before?¡± I asked, and the boy nodded again. ¡°Yes, Mom had taught me a few things,¡± he replied, and I smiled.
She had trained me, since I was a child till the day she left. After that, it was trainers that father had hired. ¡°And you, Josie, do you want to train too?¡± I asked the little girl. ¡°I don¡¯t like, fighting,¡± she replied.
I was surprised at such a blunt answer from a child.
¡°Mom tried to teach her, but she didn¡¯t have any interest in it,¡± he said. Lovingly riffling her hair, for which she glared at him. They may act perfectly, but they have their differences, which is normal for siblings.
I was a little worried when I saw how perfectly they acted around each other. Siblings should have differences and rivalries.
Love alone isn¡¯t enough for a healthy relationship.
¡°That¡¯s fine, too. You need to focus on your studies,¡± I said to the child, before walking out of the training hall.
As I had expected, their nanny was waiting outside for them.
Soon, I went back to my suite, removed my sweaty clothes, and showered. I didn¡¯t apply numbing cream; it is still hurting, but not as much as before. In an hour, every pain will be gone on its own.
Fifteen minutes later, I finished with a shower and stepped out of it, and changed into a suit, before walking out.
When I entered the kitchen, Carla and the children were waiting for me at the breakfast table, as always.
¡°Good morning,¡± I said and took the seat and soon the staff served us breakfast.
¡°Have you made all the preparations?¡± I asked, ¡°Yes, I have triple-checked everything,¡± she said, sounding faintly nervous. She is usually not nervous, but the place she is going to isn¡¯t normal.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will not meet any elders,¡± I said.
¡°Even if you meet them, you won¡¯t be able to recognize them; those who came out of the hidden city are capable of casting a glamor to hide their features,¡± I added, and she smiled nervously.
She is going to Nova Elyra with Lady Blackwell and Miss Ulaxasys for the business. Plants to exact.
She will not go to the hidden city. That place is restricted, but Yaris. One of four cities of Nova Elyra. Of all the states of merchant states, Nova Elyra had the least population. It only had four cities.
It is also a restricted state; even the citizens of merchant states would need permission to enter it or rather enter its cities.
Anyone could travel through the river route. Docking the ship is an entirely different question.
¡°I had read about that place when I was a child. I had a book, which had a story about it. My mother used to say, that one day, we will visit this place when we travel the world,¡± she said, with tears dripping from her eyes.
She had told me, a few things about her mother. One of which was that she wanted to travel the world.
¡°You will be fulfilling her dream by visiting,¡± I said, taking her hand in mine and pressed it gently.
She nodded and wiped her tears.
¡°These are happy tears,¡± she said to the children, seeing them looking at her worriedly.
¡°I will miss you, Carla,¡± said Josie. ¡°I will miss you too, dear,¡± she replied and kissed the cheek of the little girl.
Chapter 385: New Job
Step!
I stepped out of the carriage and walked into the city hall with the Lord''s Presence while keeping the Trustful Presence down as much as possible.
The people turned toward me, feeling my presence, and bowed. I have to say, the respect and prestige of it is a little addicting.
No wonder the lords desire this skill so desperately.
Click!
¡°Master Silver, your nine-thirty appointment is waiting inside,¡± informed Jill. ¡°Thank you, Jill,¡± I said and walked into my office.
Ina is already there, along with the appointment.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± greeted the handsome man. ¡°Locke,¡± I said as he sat in my seat and looked at my friend, who did not seem happy to see me.
¡°What can I help you, my lord?¡± He asked, there was a faint bit of anger in there. He tried to meet several times in the past week, but I didn¡¯t give him any time.
I knew what it was about and didn¡¯t want to deal with that before it was time. Today is the time.
¡°I want you to resign from your job, Locke,¡± I said to him, and could see a surprise appearing in his eyes before the hurt took over.
I didn¡¯t have to tell him, what job I was talking about. It is the job of the vice Guildmaster.
There is going to be a meeting at twelve in the merchant guild, where the guild leader will ask the whole council to resign. The guild leader will also resign from the merchant guild, along with vice-guild masters, deacons, and leaders of sub-guilds.
Tomorrow, the new appointments will be made.
Many are going to lose their job, some will be demoted, some will be promoted, and a few will be reappointed back to their position.
I was going to do this in the week of the second battle, but the undead attacked and things got delayed.
¡°I really like my job,¡± he said softly, after a few seconds of silence.
¡°I know,¡± I replied with a sigh.
¡°Am I now good enough for the guild?¡± he asked. I could see the hurt in his eyes and the accusation of betrayal. It pained me to see it, but it needs to be done; I need him somewhere else.
¡°You are, but I have a different position that, I think will be more suitable for you,¡± I said, and a surprise appeared in his eyes and then curiosity.
¡°Which is it?¡± he asked.
¡°Education. I want you to head it,¡± I replied, and his expression turned strange, and anger flashed in his.
He opened his mouth immediately to say something, but closed it, before opening it again a moment later with a much calmer emotion.
¡°Apologies, my lord, but I am incapable of handling such a massive responsibility,¡± he replied, with clear sarcasm and anger.
He felt disrespected, anyone in his place would feel the same. I mean, what is education? Most cities didn¡¯t have that department at all. It is the church''s responsibility to teach the children.
The state only takes responsibility for education after they reach fourteen when they can be admitted into academies and less than 1% of people go to the academy.
There are only a few countries that focus on education. Merchant States, are one of them, but I plan to go above them.
I smiled and pushed a file toward him.
¡°At least read it before making up your mind,¡± I said. He didn¡¯t touch the file or even look at it. Instead, he kept looking at me.
He was angry and considered this as a pity job, I am giving him, after taking
It is not a pity. I genuinely feel he is the best candidate for it. If I did not; I would have kept him in a merchant guild; he was doing a good job, there.
Finally, after over a minute; he looked down at the fire and opened.
The file is my education plan. What I had done, what I wanted to do, how much I was willing to spend, and others. It is far from complete, but one could get a clear idea, of what I wanted to do.
His expressions were angry at first, but soon a frown appeared on his face, before turning to surprise and then shock.
On each page, he turned. His expressions turn intense before finally he reaches the last page, where his hands begin to shake.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
It took a while for him to calm down before he took a deep breath and closed the file gently.
¡°Are you in your right mind?¡± he asked. There was genuine shock and confusion in his voice.
¡°I am not actually,¡± I replied.
¡°Then why are you spending so much on things that church does for free?¡± he asked and the smile on my face disappeared, and my expressions turned serious.
¡°Education is one of the most important things there is. It is through which we could shape the future generation, the people who will become pillars of the city in the future. It is also one of the reasons behind the merchant state''s success,¡± I said intensely.
I had given a lot of thought to it. I could just hand it to church; it would save me a lot of money, which I could use for defense and other things, but education is important and I want to focus on it for the growth and prosperity of the city.
¡°The money; it is huge. I don¡¯t think the city has any,¡± he said, and I nodded. ¡°We didn¡¯t, but our condition is improving,¡± I replied with a smile.
We are receiving the taxes from route as well as from the city; it is far from peak, but still better than anyone would have expected.
The condition might improve in the next few weeks.
Hardt and Lola are leaving for the negotiations tomorrow. If it worked, we would have another trade route and a source of income.
Robin is in a merchant state. If he succeeded, it would elevate some of our financial worries.
¡°Still spending so much on education, didn¡¯t seem wise. When you could spend it on defense, it is a thing you should be focusing on most,¡± he said.
¡°I am focusing on defense, but other things education needed the focus. Even in a time like this,¡± I replied.
We are still recruiting the people, training them, buying weapons and ammunition, and other things that are required for defense. It is taking an insane amount of money, but as Locke said, it is necessary.
He looked at me before opening his mouth but didn¡¯t speak for a few seconds.
¡°I assume, a few of those buildings being worked on are for the schools?¡± he asked, and I nodded.
I had the plans. I had created them for the count, but the bastard even looked at them. The moment, school came out of my mouth.
The schools were part of a reconstruction package; not all were built. More than half of the buildings were repurposed as schools, which is much cheaper than building from scratch.
It was a wise decision to buy the properties right after the battle. They came dirt cheap, seeing many willing to take, whatever they could before leaving the city.
I had brought them with my own money and leased it to the city. Currently, I am not charging anything, but I will after the city gets out of the financial strain, which will take some time.
¡°Fine, I will take the job, but only because you are my friend,¡± he said finally and a big genuine smile appeared on my face.
¡°Thank you,¡± I said.
Locke is the best candidate for it.
People might see him as a merchant, and scion of a wealthy family, but he is very educated. He is a student of the Imperial Academy and has two masters. He was pursuing a third when his family pulled him out of the academy and threw him into the business.
¡°It says here that you plan to start the schools within a month?¡± he asked, opening the file again.
¡°Yes,¡± I replied.
¡°That means hiring a hundred teachers and other staff. Buying all the furniture and the tools that are required, informing the parents about it, and other things. It is too much to do in a month,¡± he said, and I smiled.
The buildings are nearly done, and I have done some work, but still much has remained. He had to achieve that in a month.
¡°I am confident, you will be able to do it,¡± I said. It is a big responsibility, but if anyone could do it, then it would be him.
¡°I don¡¯t,¡± he replied grumpily, but I could see, the faint excitement in his eyes. He already likes the job.
¡°I had prepared a space for your department in the city hall, including an office for you,¡± I informed.
The education department needs its own dedicated place, but currently; I am trying to save every penny, I could and not spend any money on things that could be managed.
Ten minutes later, he walked out of the office, and I went back to my work.
The next couple of days are important. Tomorrow, the police will shift into their new headquarters and start to work in a way, that I had been training them for the past one and half months.
All the new recruits and the old ones were being trained in a certain way. I had even taken help from the old woman to give them the etiquette training, along with a few other types.
I want the city to prosper. The professional and approachable police will play a big part in that.
¡°Any message from Robin?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, he said, negotiations are going well,¡± she replied, and the relief flooded into my heart.
He had gone to a merchant state for the aid. They have given us aid, but we want more. I don¡¯t like it, but I need it and am grateful for it.
If it wasn¡¯t for the aid from the merchant state, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to recruit enough people for the second battle and buy the mines other armaments, and strategic resources for the battle.
Every day the city is growing, and more people are returning.
It is nothing compared to its peak, but it is happening. The activity was picking up, first, it was construction, but now the other business also slowly rising, creating jobs and attracting more people.
Those who are coming to the city know, that things are dangerous, but they have no choice. Seeing the empire isn¡¯t in the best state right now.
The civil war is spreading, and our enemies are also making progress. Making many people leave their homes.
Most of them escaped toward the Namdar. Currently, it is the safest place in the whole empire. Everywhere in the empire, the prices of real estate are shrinking, but in Namdar are skyrocketing.
The house of silver is raking in cash up there.
Gerald had made a huge real estate investment; it was a risky bet, that if he had failed, would have cost him, his future as the successor. He succeeded, and the bed instead cemented his position further.
If the undead hadn''t invaded, a good share of those people would have come to the Greltheaven, not only the peasants and poor but also the rich ones.
We would have been further away from the conflict, but still in empire. It is also the place with legacy and a few hours away from merchant state; where they could run, if conflict arrived in the region.
The undead had messed it all up.
Still, I have not given up on those people, and they will come, but to bring them, I will need to make the city attractive and there are two things, that will do that.
Security and legacy.
They need to feel the city is safe. We have won the two battles, but it is not enough. We need to do something more and I already have a plan for that.
It is Stone¡¯s plan and overambitious, to say the least, but if we are able to achieve that. My god, the changes will happen.
The legacy will bring even bigger changes.
The amount of loans is increasing every day. Going far beyond the initial budget. Though, I am not scared of it.
I know, I am on the right path, and I will succeed.
Chapter 386: Merchant Guild
Ina
The guards bowed and opened the door to the merchant guild for me. I nodded at them and strode inside with my heels clicking loudly across the floor.
I don¡¯t like wearing heels; the pain and uncomfortableness are too much, but I still wear them every day.
I know what I am, and it will never change. Nor I am trying to change that; it may be dark, but it is what made me who I am today, and I am using what I had learned there.
Beauty is a privilege. It makes a lot of things easy, and I used it every day to get things done like I did for the decades in the brothel.
The merchant guild was filled with people, and I could see them looking at me. They are aware, of what I am here for today.
Many nodded at me, but I could also hear their whispers calling me harlot and silver¡¯s whore behind my back. I got used to them a long ago, but they are still a little every time I hear them.
Yesterday, the whole guild resigned to the order of Master Silver. Today, the new members will be chosen. Hundreds have lobbied for the positions; some were powerful and connected.
It took us longer than we had anticipated, but we had chosen the members.
As Master Silver said, the new merchant guild will be lean and mean. Its members have been cut in half, but it is good. Now, all the members will be able to focus on the job better, without interference from others.
We have also cut many of the guilds'' powers. According to Master Silver, the merchant guild doesn¡¯t need those powers.
They make the guild sluggish and inefficient.
I didn¡¯t accept it till he showed me the actual proof and I understood, how bad the condition of the merchant guild was.
It is not just the merchant guild of the Greltheaven, but also the most merchant guild in the empire. Only a few merchant guilds, like the merchant guild of Namdar, work efficiently.
Soon, I reached the conference room.
There is no one aside from the two guards at the door. The conference room is empty, aside from the old man.
Mr. Oakley, the legal head of the merchant guild.
¡°I have prepared the contracts,¡± he said and looked at the contract in front of each chair, which had the name of the people sitting at the table and the position they would be holding.
We have already sent them their new appointment letters and asked them to keep it silent until this meeting is over.
I picked up the contract and began to read it. The old man is trustworthy, but there is no harm in double-checking things. I especially check the clauses that could mess things up.
A few minutes passed, and I checked a few more contracts, before walking out of the conference room to check a few other things.
Half an hour later, I returned and waited.
Click!
I didn¡¯t have to wait for long. The door opened, and the first person who came out was the old man. He was smiling when he came and the smile on his face became even bigger when he saw his name on the head chair.
He had his eye on the chair since the merchant guild opened and in the past two months, he had sat on it as the interim head, but today the position became permanent.
Soren Arryn is the head of the merchant guild from today.
¡°Adviser,¡± he greeted, ¡°Guild-master Soren,¡± I replied. He smiled and walked toward his head; he looked at the names on the table and his expression couldn¡¯t help, but change.
He may have heard the rumors, but still, the man didn¡¯t expect them to come true.
He had just sat down when the door opened, and another man came out. He is a short bald man in his late fifteen and when he saw his name with the vice-guildmaster below it, tears started to flow out of his eyes.
¡°Adviser Knox,¡± He greeted, before turning to Soren. ¡°Guildmaster Soren,¡± he said a moment later.
¡°Vice-guildmaster Reed,¡± replied the man with a smile.
Beckett Reed was the deacon before one of the two, representing the small business. He was the deacon in name but didn¡¯t have much power compared to other deacons, most belonging to mid and big business.
When I met him after the battle, he directly asked for the position of vice-guildmaster when I had stated that half of the positions would be filled by the small business.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I told him; he would be considered. If he was able to keep, the businesses from running away.
I have to say, he did a much better job than I had expected. Not only he was able to persuade most of the small business owners to leave, but he was also able to bring some to the city, in the past two weeks.
Master Silver has a high hope for him.
A few seconds later, the third person came. She is a woman in her mid-thirties; tall, beautiful, and savvy.
She is the second person from a small business to get the position of vice guildmaster. She was nothing before the battle, where her husband died the strange circumstances.
She took the reins of the construction business in her hand, and it was thriving, grabbing many constructs with the consortium of the business.
She seemed to be hardly believing, it was all true. She is a few people who hadn''t lobbied at all for it; it must have been a real surprise when a letter arrived in the morning.
Soon, another person, a woman again in her late forties.
¡°Adviser Ina,¡± she greeted with a familiar smile. ¡°Vice Guildmaster, Reija,¡± I said. I knew this woman well. She had come to the Navr with me many times; she is daring and ambitious.
She had lobbied hard for the position and I, myself, had suggested her name. She will be a representative of a mid-size business along with the man, who came behind her.
We had cut the positions of vice-guild master¡¯s in half. There are now, only four positions, two held by the representative small business and the other two held by the representatives of medium-sized business.
After them, more people came. All deacons.
There used to be twenty-four deacons'' positions. We had reduced it to half. Twelve, of which six went to small businesses, three to mid-size businesses, and the last three to big ones.
It is the opposite of before when over 70% of positions were filled by the big businesses and last with mid-scale. The small bossiness had only two seats and it was nominal, without much power.
Master Silver is focusing more on small businesses, calling them the lifeblood of the city.
The same is going on with the woman. 40% of the seats here are occupied by them. four times more than before, where they only have three seats; all deacons, of course. Now two women vice-guild masters.
There are many like Soren who kept their jobs. Though it only happened with Guild-master and deacons¡¯ positions; it didn¡¯t happen with the vice-guild master.
We had offered three former vice-guild masters the position of deacon, but all of them rejected, feeling disrespect. It might feel like it, seeing it is a demotion, but still, they should have accepted it.
I could see the great future of the city and the merchant guild under Master Silver. It wouldn¡¯t take the city long to reach the level, it had been before the attack and then go beyond it.
¡°Please, read the contracts in front of you. You all have fifteen minutes to sign them,¡± I said.
They have got the positions, but it won¡¯t be official till, they have signed it.
Some had started to read the contracts carefully, while others simply read for a minute before signing them. They might have signed without reading, didn¡¯t want to be seen desperate.
Click!
Soon fifteen minutes passed, and Mr. Wembley collected the contracts, when the door opened, and everybody got up.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± they greeted as he walked inside.
I could see, some of the people faintly shuddering under the power of his skill. It is suppressive; it is a powerful skill. I wish I had something like this; I had presence skill, but it worked as Master Silver¡¯s other presence skill.
It makes people see me more attractive and receptive to me. It doesn¡¯t suppress, like this new skill of Master Silver.
I will never get it. It is a ruling class skill.
¡°Everyone, congratulations on your new positions,¡± he congratulated. ¡°Thank you for the opportunity, Lord Silver,¡± said Soren Arryn and others in unison.
¡°The merchant guild is now, smaller than before and it is not because of us losing a quarter of the population,¡± he said, drawing the laughs.
¡°It is because the old merchant guild was fat, with many responsibilities it could not handle. The merchant guild now is leaner, with focus responsibilities and people who are capable of achieving them,¡±
¡°I am confident in all of you. I know you will handle your responsibilities, exemplarily.¡±
Many nodded with the smile on their faces. Especially the new faces, the ones who never thought, they would sit here one day. Every one of them is capable and has something to offer.
If they were not, we wouldn¡¯t have chosen them despite the massive lobbying they have done.
¡°I will not say much, other than wishing you all good luck.¡±
¡°I am sure, under the leadership of the guild leader, you all will do well and help the city, its people, and your fellow merchants reach the height of prosperity, they have never seen before,¡± he finished, and people applauded.
¡°We will not disappoint you, my lord,¡± said Soren Arryn, and Master Silver smiled, but his skill became stronger.
¡°I know, you will, Guildmaster Arryn,¡± he replied before the power of the skill went back to what it was.
He didn¡¯t talk about a single word of the consequence of failing, but with that skill, he told them, there would be.
The city is in dire condition, and everybody needs to do their best to move it forward. We will accept mistakes, but they will need to learn from the mistakes they make. Those who do not will find that cushy position gone.
He didn¡¯t stay any further and walked out with his guards following behind them. It is a busy day for him.
He is inaugurating the new police headquarters and a couple of police stations today. There are also several meetings with people coming from merchant state.
The door closed, and I sat in his seat, before turning to the merchants.
¡°Lord Silver is giving you complete freedom to do your job. That we will not select, who will do what job. It will be the responsibility of the guild master,¡± I said, and a surprise flashed in the eyes of many.
Though joy had lit up on the face of Soren Arryn. Some powers may have taken away from the merchant guild, but in exchange, they got the freedom.
It was not the case before; the lord and the advisers used to decide on everything.
It used to depend on lobbying and connections, which is one reason why the wrong people were responsible for the wrong things and small business representatives were just figureheads without any responsibility.
¡°Though we will provide some guidance,¡± I added and opened the file in front of me.
Half an hour later, the meeting ended, and everyone left except for the guild master.
¡°Please thank the Lord Silver for giving me this responsibility. I will not disappoint him,¡± said the old man. ¡°Lord Silver knows that already, Guild master. It is why, you were chosen,¡± I replied, and he smiled.
¡°Though he did want me to tell you something,¡± I added.
¡°I am willing to follow any order, my lord has,¡± he said. To that, I shook my head. ¡°It is not an order guild master, just a suggestion,¡±
¡°He wants you to distribute the responsibilities on them based on their capabilities, rather than the gender and the wealth they have,¡± I said.
¡°I understand,¡± he said.
I smiled and walked away. I have a busy day today; there are several meetings I need to attend, one with Bishop. I also need to meet Director Locke. He said he needed my help with something.
Chapter 387: Silent
¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking. Why did you spend so much on the new headquarters, when our former place would have been more than enough?¡± asked Commissioner Julian as stepped inside the building.
We are walking toward the door of a five-story building with a large compound.
It is a square-shaped building painted in grey color. It used to be an office building, looking better than it is right, but the police headquarters didn¡¯t need to look good. It needed to look like, it meant business.
It is why there is a big stone board with police headquarters carved on it.
¡°It is a symbol and perception commissioner. It is important for people to not only feel safe but also see the city as safe. The police headquarters will help a long way with that,¡± I replied.
Click!
The guards bowed as we entered inside, where people wearing grey and black uniforms, men, women, orcs, and half orcs.
I had hired orcs and half-orcs; they were not from the prisoners, but from new orcs that came to the city.
Still, with many people, it looked a little empty, which isn¡¯t surprising. It is built to handle higher numbers than we have. If the city prospered; it won¡¯t take long for it to feel crowded.
I checked every floor, till we reached the top floor, where his office was.
It has a good view; I could see everything coming and going through the gate. It reminded me of the establishment.
I was able to see the people coming and going. It is why, the windows of his office, have the enchantment that gives them a clear view of the ground.
¡°How is the job?¡± I asked as I sat down. ¡°A lot more complex, than I had thought,¡± he replied. ¡°There is a problem every day; the wars may stop, but crimes don¡¯t,¡± he added, with a smile.
The job isn¡¯t as easy as he had expected, much harder than his previous job in the army, but the man likes it and doing a great job.
¡°How are the people from Owlspring?¡± I asked, and his expression turned serious. ¡°They are good. It would be great. If some of our people were able to gain those classes in a year,¡± he replied.
I had hired a few detectives and instructors from the Owlspring to teach the police work.
We had a few people with investigative classes, but those people left and they didn¡¯t train anyone. The people from the Owlspring are expensive, but they are necessary, just like this headquarters.
The police are new; it is best time ingrain them with skills and professionalism and make it a culture. If I waited, and if they developed some bad habits. It would be hard to get rid of them.
I asked a few more questions and looked at the files.
Clean records are one of the things, I had demanded. It gives a clear idea of the state of crime in the city and the progress the police are making in dealing with them.
Currently, it is manageable, but we could do better. I want them to do better; that is why, I am spending so much money on it.
¡°Let¡¯s go, check out the stations,¡± I said and walked out of the office.
A few minutes later, we were in the carriage. We didn¡¯t talk much, busy in our thoughts.
I am worried about the merchant guild. I have taken a big risk; it had made many big merchants angry, some threatening to leave the city, but I needed to take the risk and I did.
Now, I hope, it will pay off. If it didn¡¯t, it would be me and the city, that will pay the price.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
I was in my thoughts when the carriage stopped and we got out, with a smile on my face.
In front of me is a tiny grey, single-floor rectangular building, with the police station written top of on it in big bold letters. It is small and only has a single room, with two desks and chairs.
In those chairs are sitting six people; two orcs, and four humans.
This is a community police station inspired by those in Japan. It is a small, and friendly police station. It will take small reports such as accidents, help the people with directions, and patrol the area among other things.
The office officers in it are specially chosen and trained for friendliness and calm nature, but they are also strong and capable of handling criminals.
Many of them are veterans of battles, while others are trained to fight and they also have to train every week. They also act as the reserve personnel, in case of a battle.
In the last battle, I didn¡¯t use the police, nor did I plan to, but I needed them ready to fight, in case we needed them.
There are twenty-four of them across the city, with four central police stations above them. On the top is the headquarters, led by Commissioner Julian.
¡°Lord Silver, Commissioner,¡± they stood up and greeted. ¡°At ease,¡± I said, and they relaxed.
I walked inside through its big doors, which cover 70% length of the building. It gives the feeling of openness.
The city guards didn¡¯t have the best reputation. I want to change that with the police. It will bring more trust to the city by the citizens, merchants, and tourists that I want to attract.
¡°How is it? Do you all like your new place of work?¡± I asked them, suppressing the Lord''s Presence and enhancing the Trustful Presence.
Still, the skill couldn¡¯t ease all the nervousness on their faces.
¡°It is good. Different from what we are used to, my lord,¡± said a man who looked to be in his early fifties. He is Conner Davis; he is a city guard, with nearly four decades of experience, retiring, only after losing a leg.
He used to run a small business, but during the battle, he volunteered and fought well, even with the wooden leg.
He joined when we opened the recruitment for the police. Handing the business to his wife and children. Julian had offered him a bigger position, head of one of the central police stations, to be exact, but the man rejected it.
Saying he doesn¡¯t want to take too much stress.
¡°It is different, but I hope, all of you will work hard to make it good,¡± I said. ¡°We will, my lord,¡± he replied.
I talked to them for a few more minutes before visiting another small police station and then going to the central police station. By the time, I had reached the city hall; it was afternoon.
Ina had returned from the merchant guild and she had briefed me before my one pm appointment came.
Click!
It was six when I was free.
Though not for long, half an hour later, the door opened again and Stone walked in with Colonel Cardin and Colonel Azalea.
I promoted her after the second battle.
¡°Any news?¡± I asked. To which he shook his head. ¡°No, everything is silent. There is no movement,¡± he replied, and I nodded.
¡°It is good news, but I am not feeling as happy as I should be,¡± I said. Feeling I shouldn¡¯t get too relaxed.
It had been three weeks since the battle, and there was no movement from the undead. Aside from Gailhorn; they have lost all three battles.
I thought they would be sent horde again, not letting us recover, but they are silent.
¡°It is wise; letting our guard down against the undead is a sure way to become a part of them,¡± he replied and I smiled.
¡°Still, it would be great. If we know the reason for the delay,¡± I said.
¡°It might be due to the new offensive they are pushing at Mayhurst,¡± said Colonel Azalea. ¡°It might be, it might be something else,¡± said Stone and sighed.
It is really hard to know without concrete intelligence. The merchant state didn¡¯t inform us about it; they might not know it or they are not just telling us.
As for the new offensive push in Mayhurst; I don¡¯t think so. There is always a new offensive push every few months, from the undead.
They won¡¯t stop until they conquer the entire island.
I think, it is something else or it might be the offensive push. Seeing the sheer number of undead, those bastards use on the island. It is a massive tide of millions of undead, where Lv. 30+ necromancers are the pillars, instead of command.
I shudder whenever I think about those hordes.
A single horde of such size is capable of sweeping through the whole region unopposed and those bastards have many of them.
What they are attacking us is the weakest of their force, and I am glad. We are no match for even slightly strong.
¡°Still, keep your ears open for any news. Until then, we will keep recruiting more people and prepare. They will come at us again, stronger than before, and we need to be ready to deal with them,¡± I said, and the three of them nodded.
Fifteen minutes later, they left.
I stayed in my office for seven and a half, before leaving the city hall.
I had dinner with my siblings, before going to my office, where I had a meeting with Lola and Hardt.
They are leaving for the Gailhorn tomorrow night for the negotiation.
It is dangerous, but we are desperate for the money. The trade Gailhorn could provide that to us. We are not the only ones negotiating, the people from Mirador Hold and Nakar Baronies are also coming.
It was past ten when we were finished, and immediately, I went to my suite and slept. I need to wake up early for practice.
Chapter 388: Yaris
Kairos- The Hidden City
¡°No,¡± replied the younger woman. Her answer was resolute, as always. ¡°Sometimes, I really wish you hadn''t been as stubborn as my dearest sister.¡± Said the older woman and sighed.
¡°Well, I am her daughter, aren¡¯t I,¡± said the younger woman, sarcastically, while the elder one sighed once more.
¡°It had taken me a long time to convince the council to seal the other half of your magic, not to remove it entirely. You should accept it; it is the best offer you are going to get,¡± she said, turning to the younger woman.
Her crystalline eyes, to be exact.
One is green, like the most verdant forest; the very life is emitting from it. She had inherited it from her father; the man she once adored.
Her other eye is darker than the night. It opposes life itself.
The death element. Cause of her nearly century of captivity.
She had not inherited the magic from her mother, but she inherited her nature and that same headstrongness.
¡°I will not accept it. Death magic is magic and practicing it, I didn¡¯t break any law,¡± replied the younger woman.
She hadn''t broken any law, but the practice of death element is a complicated subject.
Especially given her mastery of it. The last person who had gained such mastery of the death element had caused irreversible damage to them, and the younger woman was the one who suffered the most.
Her house is destroyed. She is the last member of it.
¡°Fine, do as you always do, but remember, the council wouldn¡¯t let you out until you seal it,¡± said the older woman.
¡°Thanks, aunty,¡± said the younger woman, while the older woman just rolled her eyes.
There was a silence of nearly half an hour before the older woman opened her mouth.
¡°I heard you are doing some business with a legacy in the wasteland?¡± asked the older woman. They may have held the younger woman captive, but they didn¡¯t stop her from doing business or her research.
They couldn¡¯t stop her, even if they wanted to.
Behind her is the tower, the magic tower of the high house. Grand enough to make even the archmage envious. It is one of the oldest towers on the continent. Even the Council didn¡¯t dare to bring her out of its domain by force.
They don¡¯t need to; her captivity is symbolic. It will stop others from doing what she has done.
Everyone needs her help; the high houses, the council, and powerhouses from the other states. As long as she remained in her estates and tower, they wouldn¡¯t do anything to her.
¡°Yes. It is interesting,¡± she replied, and a surprise appeared on her face.
¡°I didn¡¯t think, you would find anything interesting in the Grade 1 legacy, dear niece,¡± said the older woman.
The younger one smiled and handed the emotion slat to the older woman. The same one Silver had given to the sister.
¡°Tell me what you notice about it?¡± asked the younger woman. The older woman looked at the slate.
¡°Aside from a large collection of emotions, I am not seeing anything special in it,¡± replied the older woman.
She had already got information about it. Including the emotions present in it. Which has one of the greatest numbers of emotions she has seen. More emotions mean, the host could harvest more emotions essence.
Still, it is not surprising for her. To others, it may be, but not to her. She had seen a few in her long lifetime.
¡°Look deeply, dear aunt,¡± said the younger woman and older one, looking at her for a second, before turning back to the slate, and a moment later a huge purple magical circle enveloped them.
A few seconds after that, another bigger one appeared and another one after that.
If anyone were to see this; they would be shocked out of their lives. It would make even the Grand Mage shudder in fear and excitement.
The older woman is the leader of the high house and a member of the council that rules the hidden city. She is one of the most powerful people in the merchant state and the entire continent.
¡°Witchcraft!¡± said the older woman after over an hour, before looking at her niece, who was smiling at her, which dimmed her smile.
¡°You still missed one thing, aunty,¡± said the younger woman. ¡°No, I did not,¡± replied the older woman.
The younger woman didn¡¯t say anything. Instead waved her hand, and the slate floated in the air, before a large green circle, with a layer of black runes, enveloped it.
The expressions of the older woman changed a little after seeing the black runes, but she focused on the thousands of specks of emotions, that flying out of the slate.
A minute later, those specks fall down back into slate, but not all. There are three specks remained and, seeing them, a surprise appeared in the eyes of the older woman.
¡°Grade II,¡± she said.
¡°The legacy is less than six months old, and it has already, reached Grade II. There had been very few legacies that were able to achieve this feat,¡±
¡°It¡¯s interesting, isn¡¯t it,¡± said the young woman. ¡°The legacies are always dear,¡± replied the older woman with a smile.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
There was a silence for a few minutes before the older woman got up.
¡°Please, think about the council''s offer,¡± said the older woman one last time. ¡°You already know my answer, aunty,¡± the younger woman replied.
The older woman just shook her head and hugged the younger woman. ¡°Sometimes, it is just too painful with you. You remind me too much of your mother,¡± said the older woman before letting go and walking away.
The younger woman watched till the older woman disappeared, before turning back toward the tower.
¡
Carla
¡°I have received a message; we have a meeting in three hours,¡± informed Miss Ulaxasys suddenly with a big smile.
I turned my eyes away from the dress and turned to them. ¡°It had taken them quite a while to respond,¡± I said.
Saying I am angry would be an understatement.
We had been to Yaris for three days and there was no reply. My time isn¡¯t useless and while the city is beautiful; I would like to return home, there are hundreds of things I have to do.
I also miss the children a lot. In just two months, they have become a large part of my life.
¡°It was worth it. We are not meeting the representative they have in the Yaris, but the person from the hidden city,¡± replied Miss Ulaxasys, surprising me once again.
¡°Is the person going to be?¡± I asked, feeling a little nervous and excited. It is the elder, I am talking about.
¡°Don¡¯t know, and I didn¡¯t ask. Our purpose is the deal; it didn¡¯t matter to us, who is making it and what race they belong to,¡± said Lady Blackwell.
I nodded, but still couldn¡¯t help, but feel excited about it. I have never seen the elder, I had seen the elder-blood, but Stone is giant-blood. The elders of the hidden city belong to a different race.
We finished our shopping at the boutique quickly and went to our hotel room. There, I went over the preparations.
Soon, we reached the place.
¡°It would be my first time entering a mage tower,¡± I saw as I came out of the carriage.
The name of the tower is Galegem Tower. It is very tall; ninety-two floors tall, to be exact, and covered an enormous area. It looked like it was made of lustrous white tiles.
It may look like a tile, but not a tile. It is a magical paint, that looked like tile.
This is the third biggest mage tower in the city. The tallest one goes beyond the hundred floors.
As I got close to it, I felt all the hair on my body stood up and I felt like I was entering the jaws of the behemoth. The mage towers are dangerous, many cities want them, but not every city afford them.
They are damn expensive to build and maintain.
Soon, we reached the door and entered inside. Into the massive lobby, which is a work of art.
I mean, it is really huge, and there are people everywhere belonging to all races. Including those that are not native to the continent.
I have been in the empire and hadn''t seen an elf or orc before I came to the Greltheaven and began to travel. Still, even after a year, I am surprised to see different types and races of people.
We walked into the elevator and Miss Ulaxasys touched the floor number.
The elevator moved, and it was very fast, but also smooth. Far smoother and faster than the elevator we had at the circle.
Ting!
We reached our floor and stepped out, before walking into a large hallway.
A minute later, we stopped at the room with the glass door. Miss Ulaxasys showed a small scroll and the guard standing by it opened the door.
There was already a person sitting there, a handsome half-elf man with dark green hair.
It is a lavishly decorated conference; our conference rooms pale compared to these. They are not just look good, but they are also magical, if what Lady Blackwell said is right.
¡°Lady Blackwell, Miss Ulaxasys, Miss Carla. I am Daxyl Carl. I am the tower aid,¡± he introduced and informed us of a few things.
He is a clerk plus a technician. He has the job of activating the tool and acting as the helper.
Hun!
¡°It is time,¡± said Daxyl a few minutes later and pressed her palm on the table.
Immediately, lightning the whole room. The runes become visible, and they are everywhere from the walls to the table, even the chairs we are sitting on are covered by them.
They shone for several seconds before they dimmed and when it was, I saw a masked woman, appear in the room.
She seemed tall with green hair and green eyes. That is the only thing I think is visible with the plain ivory mask.
¡°I am Janice Emerald, I will be negotiating the deal,¡± she introduced and looked at Daxyl, who immediately put the three stacks of papers in front of us.
It surprised me, but I had opened the file.
¡°The deal is simple. I will provide you with plants without a charge, but in exchange. You will give me half of the harvest for the decade,¡± she said, stopping me in my tracks; the sisters were surprised too.
There was nothing about the percentage in our correspondence.
We had come with the intention of buying the plants with the money, not giving them a percentage of the harvest.
¡°My apologies, Lady Emerald, but we can¡¯t accept that,¡± I replied immediately. We are not going to accept it; I didn¡¯t even have to ask Remus to reject the deal.
The woman said nothing to that and turned to Daxyl. He brought out the white crystal bar and tapped on it, immediately, it glowed, and a projection appeared over it.
¡°The bar contains the list of plants; all the plants here are beautiful as you require, but also expensive. Each one of them is in high demand from the alchemists and will sell at a high price,¡± she informed as if she hadn''t heard the rejection.
We might have accepted the percentage. If it had been 5% to 10%, but she was demanding 50%, which we could never agree.
Hun!
I once again opened my mouth to reject the deal but felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.
¡°It would be impolite to reject the deal before we fully look into it,¡± said Lady Blackwell gently.
I nodded gratefully at her. If it had any other merchant, I have dealt with it; it wouldn¡¯t have any problem, but the person in front of me from the hidden city. The most powerful place in the merchant state and it isn¡¯t wise to reject the deal they are offering, without looking into it.
The sisters turned to the crystal bar and began to operate it and within a few seconds, a surprise appeared in their eyes.
That surprise becomes bigger till they see the vine, which turns into a shock.
As the mask women had said, all the plants are beautiful. The magical plants are beautiful, but the beauty of these plants is on a different level.
There are also a lot of texts around them; some, I understand, but much of what was written, I had gone over my head.
There are names of plants, many of which are the old language that I couldn¡¯t pronounce properly. There is also efficacy value, which I know, but don¡¯t understand.
It is things alchemists looked at when looking at resources.
There are also many other things, which sisters are looking for. Seeing that, I decided to turn to the contract. It is what the masked woman had said but in much larger details.
¡°These plants are really good. I think you should inform Lord Silver about it,¡± said Lady Blackwell.
I nodded and turned back.
¡°Lord Silver said that he will need some time to think about it,¡± said Aaron behind me.
¡°Lady Emerald, we will need some time to think about it, before we negotiate,¡± I said to the masked woman.
¡°There will be no negotiations. There is only, a yes or no to the deal. You have till six to answer,¡± replied the woman, and the projection disappeared.
I felt irritated at her curtness but refrained from saying anything. Instead, walked out of the conference room.
Half an hour later, we were in my suite discussing things with Remus, who was in contact with the alchemist. These plants aren¡¯t only for the show; Remus also wants to sell them.
The resources produced from emotions essence are expensive, but they also provide strategic value.
Remus wants to make the city strategically important enough, that others would be more inclined to help us, in these troublesome times.
It is a double-edged sword. Seeing enemies would want to conquer us more, but Remus thinks the trade would be worth it. Seeing it will help the city prosper, which in turn will give us the ability to support a bigger army.
At six, we returned to the tower and signed the contract.
Remus had contacted many alchemists, and all of them were in favor. Those plants are extremely rare, and some even suggested, that we should agree, even if they demand 75% of the harvest.
They have even offered us a massive amount of money, in exchange for resources, that hadn''t even been planted yet.
Of course, we didn¡¯t accept.
They are precious, which makes it even more important that we don¡¯t make any deal until we actually have those resources in our hands. It will give us a far greater leverage.
Chapter 389: Cartis
Cartis
¡°It¡¯s not good. You have made a mistake here and here,¡± I said as I looked at the chair, my employee was making.
It is much easier working with only four employees, that I myself had trained, but now there are fourteen of them and some are not as good as I like them to be. They take longer to finish the product.
Let¡¯s hope the five that arriving tomorrow will be good.
I had received a large contract from the city to make tables and chairs. It is the biggest job, I have ever got, and I have to do it perfectly as possible if I want the contract from the city again.
It is supposed to be for the schools that opening in the next month.
The people from the city hall come every few days to check on the progress and the quality of things we are making.
The contract wasn¡¯t this big, but some had failed, and their contract was awarded to me. I didn¡¯t want to fail when I had made such a big investment.
I rented a warehouse and brought tools and more employees, along with other things. If I am able to finish the contract, I will get good money.
Most importantly, more contracts from the city.
It is hard for people like me to get them before I could never dream of getting them. They go to the big stores and those with connections.
Here too, I had the same thought, and the only reason, I had applied was because Beckett had asked me to do it.
When I received the acceptance proposal, I was quite shocked. I had never expected to get it.
I checked the work of my employees before returning to my workstation.
Every hand is required to finish the contract, including mine. I have been working late every day; the last time, I worked so hard was during my apprentice day.
I was fourteen and a half when I finally was able to get the apprenticeship. I knew, I only had six months before I got the class, and I wanted the Carpenter Class instead of a peasant or serf.
Hours passed, and I was working when I saw the carriage stopping in front of the warehouse with the flag of the merchant guild.
I stopped working and looked at the bald man that came out of it.
¡°Producing crappy work, as always, Cartis,¡± said Beckett as he looked at the small table I was working on.
¡°Says the man who sells the spoiled goods,¡± I replied dryly before a smile appeared on our faces and I hugged my old friend. Intentionally, pressing myself on him, so that sawdust would stick to his suit.
I want him to take out his little brush to clean that.
¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said with a wave of his hand. A moment later, the sawdust falls down while I watch in surprise.
The sawdust not only cleared, but all creases had also disappeared, and dirt cleared from suit and shoes.
¡°Quite a new skill, you got,¡± I said, and he grinned. ¡°Jealous, right?¡± he asked, and I nodded. Yes, I am jealous; I need cleaning skills; every day, I need to bathe after work to wash the sawdust and other things off.
¡°It had been quite a while since I had leveled up, much less got a new skill,¡± I said and sighed.
It had been years.
¡°Complete, this contract well and you might level up and even gain a skill,¡± he said as he sat down on the chair after cleaning it with his handkerchief.
¡°I really hope so. It was one of the reasons I had taken this contract,¡± I replied. It might not be a reason, but I really hope to level up, but it is not easy, especially at my age.
¡°So, how is it going?¡± he asked, looking around the warehouse.
¡°Slower than I liked, but five more coming tomorrow. Jameson is sending them,¡± I replied as I sat beside him. Unlike him, I didn¡¯t clear the dust; there was no need to see it already sticking to every part of my body.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
¡°Your brother-in-law had good people,¡± he said.
He does and his business is also big, at least bigger than mine, employing over twenty people, but he had started to feel the pressure, with the state of empire, that affecting his business.
¡°So, why are you here? I mean, you are not the person, who would come to meet me in the middle of the afternoon,¡± I asked, and his expression turned serious.
Beckett is an old friend; I have known him all my life. I am the one, who brought him here. It is why, I could tell, that it was not a usual friendly visit.
¡°Yes, I need something. Haydens, to be exact,¡± he replied and immediately two people two people came into my mind.
They were neighbors; we had shops side by side.
¡°I want you to invite them to the city,¡± he said, and a frown couldn¡¯t help but appear on my face.
¡°I am not comfortable inviting them here, given the state of the city, and I don¡¯t think, they would come, even if I had invited them,¡± I replied.
I was leaving the city after the first battle; the only reason I had stayed was because Beckett had asked. He nearly begged me. Still, I had sent my wife to the children; I might risk my life, but I don¡¯t want to risk hers.
I will not feel comfortable inviting Haydens to the city, seeing it could be conquered by the undead at any time.
¡°They might,¡± he said, and worry filled by heart. ¡°Have you heard something?¡± I asked immediately and to that, he nodded.
¡°Yes. Two days ago, Edruin attacked several cities in the rohm region. Mavkal being one of them; they were not able to conquer it, but they had destroyed quite a lot of it, including boris lane, where their shop was,¡±
¡°I heard they have lost everything,¡± he replied, and I shuddered. ¡°Are they fine?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, they are fine,¡± he replied, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
I received their letter, three months ago. The business was going well, and they had even told me about the expansion they did to their store.
Now everything had gone to ashes, including the savings they had spent on the expansion.
¡°Ask them, whether they are willing to come to the city. The city will fund their travel and even help them get a small loan to start their business,¡± said Beckett, and forwarded the pouch toward me.
¡°For message,¡± he said, and I was about to curse at the bastard when I stopped seeing the emblem of the merchant guild.
¡°I will ask them, but I can¡¯t guarantee it. Whether they will accept to come to the city,¡± I said finally, and he smiled.
¡°That is all I want,¡± he replied.
For a few seconds, there was a silence. I looked at my friend, who was wearing a suit; it was not a new suit. It is an old one, I had seen him, many times wear it, but he never looked so confident wearing it as he is right now.
He also seemed happier than I had ever seen him.
¡°It seemed like, you are enjoying your job vice-guildmaster,¡± I said, and he smiled. ¡°I am. I like it; I had dreamed about it,¡± he said, and I nodded.
There is no one in the city who knows it better than I do. For years, he tried for the merchant, but he could never become more than a member.
It is here, that he became a deacon. Though it was an empty position with no responsibility, which he hated.
¡°I am glad,¡± I said. For a few seconds, he didn¡¯t say anything and just looked around before turning to me.
¡°Inform me, when they reply,¡± he said and walked away. Soon, his carriage disappeared, and I went back to my work.
I will go to the messenger guild in the evening. I wanted to send a message to my wife. I will send one to Haydens too.
I hope they don¡¯t come here.
I had stayed because I was desperate. The shop is my everything, and I had no savings. I didn¡¯t want to depend on the children, who had just started their own families.
Still, I miss my wife, but I couldn¡¯t take the risk of her staying here.
After the second battle, I want to call her back, but it is too dangerous. The undead have captured half of the cities of the region and they won''t stop till they capture all.
It is pretty dreadful, but what I could do other than have faith in the city and the lord to protect the citizens.
Hours passed, and soon it was five.
I stopped the work and left the warehouse. I first went to my small apartment and showered before walking toward the messenger guild.
I looked around and couldn¡¯t help, but get surprised seeing the changes happening around the city. It does not feel like the city is broke; it feels like the city has the money and being broke are rumors started by enemies.
Even when Count Darrow was in charge; there weren¡¯t such big changes happening as it is right now or any changes in the city.
Now, the roads are widening and the sidewalks getting built. The streets remained clean and there was proper security, even at midnight.
Speaking of which, I nodded at the orc and the human man wearing a grey uniform passing by me. These city guards or the police they are calling themselves now are a lot more polite and respectful.
It was the shock of my life when I heard them call me sir.
The guards never refer to people like me, sir. They would shout and even hit if they were in a bad mood. These ones not; just yesterday, I had seen them bandage a small injury on a child, who had hit his head while playing.
Soon, I reached the park and took a turn.
It was an open space where young people used to drink, now, it is a children''s park, with slides and all.
It had opened three days ago, inaugurated by the lord himself. Now, instead of drunk youngsters, there are children playing.
Seeing them, I couldn¡¯t help but think about my grandchildren.
It had been six months since I had seen my children; they had come to the city to visit me and their mother.
We had gone to the Owlspring for a small family trip. It was a good trip.
I sighed and pushed the memories away. It will be months before I will meet them, but first, I need to finish the contract and gain a few more.
I need to have enough money to shift, along with my children. The place, they are at is not that safe. Merchant State is safe and Namdar, but both of these places require money, which I don¡¯t have.
A few minutes passed, and I reached the messenger guild.
There, I sent the message to my wife and Haydens. I told them about the help the city is willing to provide if they shift here and also the risks associated with it. Leaving, the decision to them.
After I sent the messages, I went back to the warehouse and started working.
Chapter 390: Dropping off
¡°Are you excited, Josie?¡± asked Carla as our carriage left the mansion. ¡°Yes,¡± replied the little girls excitedly.
I am taking her to school. Well, both of them.
Today is their first day; they had come yesterday when I had inaugurated the schools and mingled with the children who would be their classmates.
Today would be a proper school day.
I had spent massive money on the schools. I needed to since there are twenty thousand children in the city, of which over 90% had been admitted to the school. I had made it compulsory for every child of fourteen and below to attend the school.
Only those who are being tutored by private tutors have been given the exception. A lot of wealthy people had taken that exception.
Most wealthy didn¡¯t have children in the city. They have sent them to safe places like Namdar and merchant states, but those that had only 10% admitted them to the school.
Even they wouldn¡¯t have. If not for me admitting my own siblings.
The schools are associated with poverty in the empire. Only the poor children went to the school. The wealthy ones have their tutors to teach them.
I am not much worried. My target was the common people, and I achieved it. While I dislike the method I use, I am not ashamed of it.
As for the wealthy children, they will come eventually.
I looked at my siblings, both of them wearing the uniforms, which are perquisite. They will be going to schools, which I want to turn into most premier schools; I have spent more on those three schools than any other schools.
A few minutes passed, and a carriage stopped in front of a big, beautiful mansion.
It was one of the most beautiful mansions in the city. Designed by the man who had designed the city. It was a second home of Count Darrow, but now it had turned into Esanor Raak School.
I had named it after my mother; the high school that Heron will go to is named after my father.
The preschool after my grandmother. I got the thank-you message from my grandfather, last night, along with big funding from the house of Silver for all three premier schools.
Some had suggested that I use silver as my mother¡¯s surname, but I didn¡¯t. The woman was quite proud of her name. She wouldn¡¯t like it. If she came to know, I had used Silver as her surname.
She was never a Silver and didn¡¯t want to be one.
Click!
The door opened, and I walked out, with Josie coming behind, with her little bag on her shoulders.
¡°Come,¡± I said to Carla, seeing her still sitting in the carriage. She was surprised, but soon a small, but radiant smile appeared on her face as she came down.
She appeared by me, and we walked Josie toward the gates.
There are many parents dropping their children to school, but many come through the school carriages. It might be a premier school, but not all admitted here are rich; half of the pupils aren¡¯t rich.
Most of the children are human, but there are also orcs.
Soon we stopped by the gate, and I turned to Josie. ¡°Be good,¡± I said to her, the young girl nodded and hugged me before hugging Carla and walking through the gate nervously.
Both their schools are in the range, and I have made enough preparations for their security.
It would be really hard to harm them.
We watched till she disappeared, before coming back to the carriage. A few minutes later, the carriage stopped again, and we dropped Heron to his school.
¡°Thank you,¡± said Carla as we sat in the carriage.
I smiled and turned toward the window. She does not need to thank me; she has been taking care of the children since the day they arrived. She deserved to be there at their important moments as I am.
I looked at the city, and it looked so different from what it was three months ago after the first battle.
It looked such, that it would be abandoned within a day. I thought it would, but many stayed in desperation and hope and since then helping in every way.
After three months, the city has already started to look different, not only with the buildings and roads but also with people.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
First is, of course, the orcs, one could see them in every area; they are still coming every week.
Now, the most are coming aren¡¯t the families of prisoners, but those of different tribes. While most are still coming from the Blackwell¡¯s territory, some are coming from the cities of the merchant state.
They are not citizen of the merchant state, but refugees from Mayhurst Island. Even the humans who escaped from Mayhurst Island are coming.
Merchant state is rich, but it¡¯s not easy to make a living there, while in my small city, there are a lot of opportunities to make a living.
Still, it is not enough to attract people from the empire. One day, the city will.
I am spending every penny, I am earning. The biggest share is going to the army and the salaries of the employees, but the rest is for development.
I am planting trees, adding fountains, and building parks, among other things and it is improving the city. These changes are one of the reasons why, the people are not leaving the city.
I am aware of the people''s thoughts. Many want to make as much as money possible before leaving it. I want them to stay and it has started to work, but it will take a few months before I will know concretely.
Every month, more and more money comes to the city¡¯s coffers through the city and the river route.
Today is important, the first batch of goods is coming from Navr after three months of break. It is not us who brought it, but Gailhorn.
It is basic goods, a very few among them are dual.
Merchant state had warned about it and their representative was present at the Mirador Hold to check things. We also going to check them in the city; we don¡¯t want to empower the enemy, who wants to conquer us.
Many of the goods will go to the undead without a doubt, but they will also provide us with taxes. They have brought a massive number of goods, and the number will increase even further.
After all, they control half of the cities of the region, and a lot of people, still live in those cities.
It is expensive to bring the goods from the Mayhurst island. It is much easier to get them locally.
This trade will provide us with a lot of money. Most importantly, it will force our merchants to do business with Navr. Till now they are careful, but they could see the profit, they could earn from trading with undead or rather Gailhorn.
We will never trade directly with the undead. It is Gailhorn we are trading with, which is an ally of the undead.
The merchants won¡¯t be able to resist for long.
I think some will start trading within a week, seeing the number of inquiries the trade department is getting from the merchants.
Soon, the carriage reached the open ground. It is not so open anymore. The trees are being planted everywhere, with a lot of artificial hills, ponds, and lakes, which are yet to be filled with water.
There is a massive excavation going around the edges of the establishment¡¯s estates. It is a new addition to the plan.
In these three months, we have made many changes to the plans, and we will make further. We wouldn¡¯t have, if had months or even a year, to develop the plans, but we did not.
We didn¡¯t have a proper week before we started working on them. Especially the plan of establishments estate.
It had taken more money than the initial budget of the establishment, but seeing how it is going. I know, it will be worth it.
I turned to the establishment; the tower had already gone over ten floors and its progress was getting faster every day. In a month, the shell will be finished, and other work will start at full speed.
It had already started.
Miss Rolgath had started even before the first brick of the tower was laid. She had needed to work immediately, seeing the timeline of the project.
She is doing great.
I heard there was quite a disagreement going on with her and the sisters. It is a vision dispute, and nobody seemed to be backing down.
I am not going to interfere unless it affects the work.
¡°How is the proposal?¡± I asked Carla. She turned to me from the file she was reading. ¡°You will have it on a desk in three days,¡± she replied.
The establishment won¡¯t take up all the space in the tower. Half of the space would be open for the other businesses, but not every business will be able to get the space.
We will only give space to those with the capability to generate greater emotions for legacy to harvest.
In Grade 2, the establishment can only cover half of the tower, but I am confident once it reaches Grade 3, it will cover the whole tower.
It will take a few years, but it will happen, and I want to be ready for it.
The carriage stopped, and we got out. In front of me, is the tower, which had more than completed. I could already imagine how it could look and can¡¯t wait for it to be completed.
I looked at it for a minute before looking around.
There is a big garden being built around the tower. It was my original plan, before it became bigger and bigger, before transformed into the park.
The plants are beautiful, that I just want to touch them. Some even had flowers on them, that many people are admiring. Though they are nothing compared to magical plants, that are coming from the hidden city.
Currently, they are in a special greenhouse. Taken care of by the people sent by that person from the hidden city.
Every week, I had to give them bottles of emotions essence to grow those plants. My heart bleeds with every bottle, but it is necessary.
When I had made the deal, many wanted to me reject it, but all the alchemists I had talked to had asked to accept it. Even if I get 10% of the harvest, they said it would be worth it.
Of course, I had not listened to them alone.
Still, I got an estimate on the value of the plants from them and compared it to the other estimate, I had gotten from the sisters.
The difference is massive.
Even if I give 50% of the harvest; I would earn at least six times more. They also had a far bigger strategic value than other plants, I was going to plant.
There is extremely high-demand for the plants grown using the emotion essence. Only legacies could grow them, and there are not many legacies that grew them in the large amount to satiate, the need to market.
They couldn¡¯t satiate even 1%.
The earlier estimate was conservative. The value could easily go above ten times.
Alchemists are crazy about these things, and willing to pay any price. I have seen it, with the undead bones.
Those mad bastards are willing to pay any price for them. There are also the hidden hands that want them.
The bones turned out far more valuable than I had thought. Everybody is willing to pay a massive price for them. I am selling them every week in a small number, but sometimes, I want to sell them all, given the price they are offering.
I needed money, and I could get a lot of it from it, but I did not.
The bones value doesn¡¯t lie in only money. They offer a lot of more.
Every week, I have been contacted by powerful people, not just alchemists. I was able to convince a few of them to make an investment in the city.
The plants will have an even bigger effect. I will need to use those resources wisely for my benefit and the benefit of my city.
Chapter 391: Proposal
Lola
His eyes fluttered open, and I nearly looked away, before smiling at his handsome face.
We had slept late, but I am used to waking up early. I also have the Rest Skill. I do not need as much rest as he does.
He deserves the rest, after what he pulled last night.
¡°Like what you see?¡± he asked while caressing my lips gently, which sent shivers of desire through my whole body.
¡°Yes, very much,¡± I replied and leaned for a kiss. It was soft and gentle and sent butterflies through my stomach, as always.
I let go of the kiss and moved on top of him, wanting to go for another round, but he stopped me, which surprised me. He never seemed to control himself with me, but now he stopped me with his expression becoming serious.
¡°Marry me,¡± he said.
It felt like lightning had crashed on me. The words froze my mind for a second. It was not something, I had expected to hear from him.
I like him and even love him. However, I never let my thoughts go in those directions. Knowing that direction always causes pain.
I looked at him and he was dead serious.
I would be lying to myself if I said his proposal didn¡¯t make me happy. It made me ecstatic, but it also filled my heart with unbearable pain.
I know what I am; a whore, this fact will never change, while he is a scion of a powerful merchant house and one of the heirs. The union is not possible.
It won¡¯t be fair to him, and I will not become a mistress.
¡°No,¡± I said, and could see pain filling his eyes, but there was no surprise at my rejection.
¡°Is it because of the contract? I am sure, Remus will let you go,¡± he said, and I shook my head.
¡°No, it is not a contract. It is our worlds,¡± I replied with a small smile.
If I didn¡¯t have the baggage of the past, I would have accepted instantly. I would have done, if it were me two years ago; that me was selfish and impulsive, but current me love this man and marrying him, would be doing him a grave injustice.
It will ruin him. His family would never accept me; they would disown him, than accept a whore into family.
¡°Then why?¡± he asked, with pain dripping through every word.
The silly man understood I would reject the proposal, but didn¡¯t understand the reason. There are several, the first being him and the second me.
I don¡¯t want to marry. I had just taken a step toward becoming something more than a whore. I don¡¯t know what I want, but I know, I want to become something, reach the height where the whore does not feel an insult to me.
I am not ashamed of my past. It is what saved me from the worse fate, I would have suffered, but whenever I heard the word ¡®whore¡¯ it hurts me.
The day, it didn¡¯t. I will think about the marriage.
¡°Let¡¯s not ask why and enjoy ourselves. I have planned a lot of things for us,¡± I said and slid down on his member slowly and closed my eyes to forget everything else other than his love and pleasure.
¡
¡°They are fattening us,¡± said Colonel Cardin.
¡°Letting us grow our army and population. So, when they attack this time, they will have a pretty good harvest,¡± he added.
¡°It is one possibility,¡± I replied, looking at intelligence files, which were telling us nothing. It had been four months since the first attack and two and a half months since the second and since then, there had been no movement from the undead.
¡°What else it could be? I have read what they have done on the island, and it is classic fattening,¡± he asked.
Nobody said anything, but he is making a compelling point.
Every city in the region is investing in security. The population had stabilized and, in some places, growing. Undead like such things, especially trained and leveled armies, that they could turn.
¡°It would have helped us. If we had some concrete information,¡± said Colonel Azalea. There is a clear frustration in her voice.
¡°Whatever their reason is, we need to be prepared,¡± I said and turned to Colonel Cardin.
¡°How is the factory coming?¡± I asked.
¡°Great, in two days, another delivery of tools coming from Namdar. If we are lucky, it should be finished by the end of the month,¡± he replied.
We are building a cannonball factory. We use a lot of cannonballs and while they are not expensive, at least the common ones, we use them in large amounts, and that costs a lot of money.
It is an expensive project, but it will serve well in the long term.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
It is imperative that we have our defense production. We can¡¯t depend on others for our every defensive need.
The cannonball factory is the best choice to start, seeing we have the most important material.
It is available quite cheaply for us.
The energy crystals. We have a lot of them and the great thing about it, is that for the common cannonballs, we don¡¯t need to process them as long as they have a certain level of purity.
Thankfully, we have crystals of the required purity.
The meeting was over a few minutes later, and I went out to inaugurate the hospital, before going to the establishment to check the progress. It was ten minutes to five when I returned.
I have a meeting at five and important. I am going to do something that I had wanted to do in the past five months, but it was not the right time.
Today is the right time.
Click!
¡°Master Silver, Mr. Ashav is here for you.¡± Said Jill. ¡°Send him in,¡± I replied and a second later, the door opened, and Ethan walked in.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± he greeted. He is smiling charmingly as always, but there is sadness in it. I wanted to ask the reason but decided not to; it is not my business.
¡°Take a seat, Ethan,¡± I said.
¡°So, have you brought it?¡± I asked. I am excited. Though more than me, the man behind me, I could feel his palpable excitement.
¡°I said yes to the messages, didn¡¯t I,¡± he said and began taking out the stuff, or rather books. He placed four stacks of them, on my deck and three wooden boxes; seeing them my eyes couldn¡¯t help, but light up.
¡°Fourteen Grade I spells, eleven Grade II spells, eight Grade III spells, and five Grade IV spells.¡± He said, looking at books, before turning to the boxes.
¡°The first box, had the potions, the second one had ink, and the third one, the other stuff in your list,¡± he added.
I didn¡¯t check the stuff and looked at the man with a big smile.
¡°Thank you, Ethan,¡± I said. He is the scion of a powerful house and one of his successors. I have him doing the deliveries like a common merchant. Even with emotion''s essence, it is beneath him.
I know he is doing it to build the connection for future deals and has other priorities in the city, but I am grateful for him doing this and today, I am going to reward him for all the help he had provided.
¡°You don¡¯t have to thank me. You have paid for them,¡± he replied.
I did, and quite handsomely, I might say.
These spells are damn expensive. I cry whenever I pay for them. They come from reputable sources, which makes them even more expensive. It is important for the spells to be from a reputable source, as the spells being the same are not the same.
Consider a classic fireball spell. If one buys from different sources, they will see the difference in spells.
Some are efficient, but some use too much mana. In the worse case, some drizzle out, before they even hit the target.
The spells from trusted sources are efficient as well as powerful. Not all mages are capable of making changes in the spells, and even that takes months and years and dangerous things, especially when done outside of the tower.
I paid a lot of money for these spells. Yes, money, I wouldn¡¯t use emotion essence for the things that could be brought with money; that would be idiotic, but emotion essence does make things smoother.
The spells of Grade IV and above are restricted, and the merchant state didn¡¯t easily permit to sell them. Especially to the citizens of the empire, the only reason I am getting them smoothly is because I am selling them the emotion essence.
Ina walked to him and put away the boxes and books, before placing a wooden box in front of him.
He was surprised to see a single wooden box as in the past two months, there had been five boxes, and a month before that was four, but now there is only one.
¡°I know, this month there would be less emotion essence since you are planting those magical plants, but still it is much less than I had expected,¡± he said, looking at the wooden box.
I didn¡¯t say anything and watched him. He looked at it for a few seconds before taking out the white envelope on top of the box and opening it.
A surprise appeared on his face soon enough and he turned to me.
¡°The essences in the box would be far from enough to pay for the things you want in here,¡± he said, as he placed the letter back in the envelope.
I didn¡¯t say anything and kept looking at him.
Click!
His eyes became hesitant, and he finally opened the box. Immediately, his eyes went round as the saucers were in shock.
In the box are tiny bottles of the emotion essence; like the emotion essence, I had sold him before, this is not mixed emotion essence. Here, the essence of every emotion is separate and pure.
Mostly importantly, it is Grade II.
He has helped me a lot. Now, I am helping him.
There is a vast difference between Grade I and Grade II emotions essences.
What I provide is also pure emotion essence, without the faintest contamination from other emotions, which is hard to see in emotion essence by Grade II legacy.
Grade III legacy could harvest as such, especially the old ones with experienced hosts, but they didn¡¯t. I mean, why would they, when they could harvest Grade III, which is even more expensive.
¡°I think, it would be enough to get me those things,¡± I said, and he smiled brightly.
¡°Oh, definitely,¡± he said.
There was silence for a couple of seconds as he admired those tiny bottles before he turned to me.
¡°Have you thought about what I had said last month?¡± he asked, and I sighed. ¡°Ethan, I haven¡¯t even planted those plants yet,¡± I said.
¡°I know, but my house is bugging me every day. We want those things, and we will pay any price for it,¡± he said, and his eyes turned desperate.
House of Ashav deals with magical materials. They are one of the biggest in Oksall. So, it is no surprise, that they want the plants I am planning on planting.
He is one of the few people I had contacted, aside from the alchemists, before signing the contract.
It would help, the house of Ashav tremendously if they were able to get a deal with me about those plants.
¡°Tell them, that I won¡¯t be making any deal about till I have the harvest in my hand,¡± I said. He isn¡¯t the only one, who has asked me about the deal; hundreds of alchemists and merchants have made the enquiries about it.
¡°Fine, I will tell that, but I hope, you will not forget me when the harvest came,¡± he said.
¡°I will not,¡± I replied.
A few minutes later, he left. The moment he did, Zela turned to Ina, who without saying anything, handed her the thick book.
¡°Finally. I had wanted this spell for a long time,¡± said Zela, as she hugged the book, before turning to me.
¡°Thank you, Lord Silver,¡± she thanked.
Every month, I am buying spells. It is costing me a lot, but I need it. Last time, we were lucky, that we had enough powerhouses and the only thing our High-Mages needed to do was defend.
The only High-Mage who killed the enemy was Valentina.
The next time, our mages won¡¯t be this lucky, they needed to be prepared with an arsenal of spells.
We have a big list of spells from Grade 1 to Grade 4. There are a thousand spells on the list, and we have only been able to get one hundred and sixty-two.
¡°I am glad, you liked the spell, Zela¡± I replied and focused on the work.
At six, I got out of my office and toward the conference room where Carla and others were waiting for me.
The proposals had got replies. Far more than we had thought.
I thought not many would want to bet such huge money which could be attacked by the undead, but it seemed like, I had underestimated the allure of the legacy.
The businesses from Namdar to merchant states want the space in the tower and are willing to pay a good price for it. Now we have to choose it and it is not going to be easy.
I know a lot of people who want the store. Many of them won¡¯t like the rejection, but I will do what is necessary.
It is my vision, that matters and nothing else.
Chapter 392: Eva Charles
Eva
¡°It does not look good,¡± said Cara as we walked out of our suites.
¡°The city had fought two battles. I say it is looking better than I had imagined,¡± I replied as I looked at the port.
The last time, I had come here was a little over six months ago; at the legacy¡¯s party.
At that time, the city was growing with a lot of people and ships at its port. Currently, the number is half, which is better than I had expected.
Though there are a lot more ships sailing through the river than before. Which isn¡¯t surprising given what is happening in the empire.
I had seen, the cities of this size getting ruined by a single battle. It destroyed their economies, and it took them years for them to recover; some were never able to.
Here it had been less than six months and the city seemed to be doing well. It is especially remarkable considering this is a wasteland with no natural resources.
¡°Mom, please think about it. Investing here is a risk; we have already suffered enough losses in the empire. We should focus on stores we have in safe places and expand there,¡±
¡°Instead of investing in places like which could be conquered at any time and cause us great reputational damage,¡± said Cara. It is not the first time; she has tried to dissuade me from it.
¡°It is the opportunity of a lifetime, darling. We are getting a space in the legacy,¡± I said, but the girl just shook her head.
¡°We are not getting a space in the legacy, Mother. We are getting space in the same building as the legacy. There is a vast difference between the two,¡± she corrected, using mother instead of ¡®mom¡¯.
She does that when she is frustrated with me.
¡°Besides, the contract clearly states that he could remove us any time he wants. So, there is no chance of our store being part of legacy after it advances to Grade II and Grade III,¡± she added, displeased.
¡°Be that it may be, but I see a clear potential in the city,¡± I stated, and she just shook her head.
¡°We have to take the risks, dear daughter; everybody is moving to Namdar, and more stores are popping up, giving competition to established businesses like ours. If we don¡¯t take risks, we will regress and I refuse to let that happen,¡± I said.
I understand her worries, but I feel like this is a wise choice.
The competition in the Namdar is heating up. Every business in the empire is moving there, giving us tough competition.
I am confident in our ability to compete, but that is not enough. We need to expand, and there aren¡¯t many places we could expand into the empire.
Greltheaven had many risks, but it had enormous potential because of its close proximity to the merchant state and having our store in the same building as a legacy, which will give us recognition.
¡°Fine, mother,¡± she said.
A few minutes later, the ship docked in the port, and we walked out. There was already a familiar woman waiting for us.
¡°Welcome to Greltheaven, Miss Eva, Miss Cara,¡± said the woman. ¡°Miss Cain, you didn¡¯t have to come to get us,¡± I said to the pretty redhead.
¡°I wanted to,¡± she said and took us to the carriage.
Soon, stepped inside and it began moving through the port, which looked more orderly than before. It is not because of the smaller crowd I have been to sparse ports than this and there is always chaos.
The best ports are those who could manage the chaos and they seemed to be doing that.
¡°How was the journey? Was there any trouble?¡± asked Miss Cain. ¡°It was a smooth. Though, every moment, I was worried about undead jumping on us from the water,¡± I said, smiling nervously.
¡°I know. We are living in the same fear, here,¡± replied Miss Cain.
¡°Yet, you are still here and investing so much, despite the risks?¡± asked Cara. The woman smiled.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
¡°The city had given me everything, I have. I was nothing before coming here and I want to return the favor. As for the risk, it is everywhere, and I rather die a success, than live poor,¡± Miss Cain replied.
I like this woman. She seemed pretty and fragile, but the woman had steel.
Soon, the carriage passed through the gates and entered the city.
¡°The city has changed a lot since I had been here, last time,¡± I said, and the woman nodded.
¡°It has,¡± she replied.
Ten minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of the five-story building. It is a standard office building, with more security presence than average.
Which isn¡¯t surprising, since it belongs to the lord of the city.
We stepped out and walked toward the door.
¡°Miss Charles, Miss Cain, please follow me,¡± said a beautiful blond woman in her early twenties waiting for us at the door. We followed her, and she took us to the elevator, which stopped on the fourth floor.
We stepped out of the elevator and walked into the floor, before stopping at the white door.
Click!
¡°Please,¡± said the woman as she opened the door, and we entered the conference room, where there were already people waiting inside.
One side had six people, while the other side had three. Of the six, I instantly recognize four.
First is Carla Salt, who is responsible for Remus Silvers''s businesses, including the Legacy, the second is Madam Caena, the madam of Legacy, and the third woman Headmistress Margaux.
The fourth man, I had known the longest. He was Silver Senior¡¯s assistant, and now working for his son.
The other two are likely their lawyers.
¡°Miss Charles, Miss Cain,¡± greeted Sabastian, our lawyer. He had been here in the city for a few days, negotiating the contract, which he finished.
¡°Sabastian,¡± I said as I sat down.
¡°Thank you for coming personally, Eva. It means a lot to us,¡± said Carla as she looked at me and Cara. ¡°There is no need to thank me, Carla. It is business; I never depend on others for it,¡± I replied.
¡°Miss Charles, Miss Cain. We have finished the negotiating; these are the contracts,¡± he said, motioning to two sets of contracts in front of us.
The first contract is about the store space; the second is about our partnership with the velvet garden. Cara had reservations about the first; she had a little less about the second one, which I think is far riskier.
The second contract is about us providing all the clothing, jewelry, shoes, and other things to the velvet garden.
It took quite an effort to make Remus agree to it, and he agreed, only after the condition of non-exclusiveness was added.
He could choose other stores along with ours.
He is such a control freak. Many would have accepted the offer immediately, seeing the deal was saving them a massive amount of money. He would have needed to spend on those items, which we will loan him for free.
He is signing with us, but I heard he is also negotiating with three other stores from the merchant state.
Though they may sign the contract, I am the one, getting the store in the building.
I read through the contract of the store. Cara and Miss Cain beside me are doing the same.
Miss is my partner in the store. It is why, I got the whole damn floor; I am the only one to get that.
Remus put a condition in front of me. I could get an entire floor if I partnered with Miss Cain. If I didn¡¯t. I will get the small part of the floor of around ten thousand square feet.
Which is enough for a city of this size, and I would have accepted it. If not for Miss Cain being a partner.
I have been selling her designs for the past few months, and they have become bestsellers. She is the fastest designer to reach it in my stores and I don¡¯t want to lose her, which I could.
I know, the other store had approached her, including my direct competitors in Namdar and stores in merchant states.
Her contract would end in a few months, and she had hinted that she would stay with me if I partnered with her for the store.
Cara didn¡¯t think it was worth it, but I do. I have seen the evolution in her designs and am confident, that she could produce multiple bestsellers.
I finished reading the first contract and signed it, before turning to the second contract.
With this contract, nearly everything in our stores will be available to Silver without any cost. The things will be on loan and will be returned to us after a fixed time.
It is a risk, considering I would be associating myself with the brothel, with the things I sell would be worn by the whores.
It could damage the store''s reputation that, I might need years to recover from, but if worked in our favor, it will also provide tremendous benefits to me and the company.
There is one entertainment type-legacy in the Namdar, and I have been trying to get a contract with them for decades, but it is damn hard. That is why, I decided to take the take the risk with Velvet Garden.
Currently, the legacy is only in Grade 1, but I believe in Remus enough that, I am sure, in a decade or two, he will be able to take his legacy to Grade II and Grade III.
That will be the time to reap the tremendous benefits of this partnership.
I am so invested in it that I am designing a new collection of jewelry inspired by the velvet garden. It had been a long while since I had designed a complete collection.
I planned to make the ladies of Velvet Garden wear it first, before bringing it to the stores.
I brought the designs, which I will be showing to the Angestel in the evening with my meeting with him.
He is the head stylist and the man responsible for the wardrobe. From what I heard, even Silver didn¡¯t interfere with the department, handling him the complete responsibilities.
Scratch!
I read the contract and signed it. Felt their strong bindings before they vanished.
¡°I hope we will have great cooperation, Miss Charles, Miss Cain,¡± said Carla as we finished.
¡°We will, Miss Salt,¡± I said and shook her hands.
Half an hour later, I walked out of the building with Cara and Miss Cain.
Our destination is the tower; there will meet with Miss Rolgath. She is responsible for the interior of the whole tower, including the legacy and my store.
I have my own interior designer, but Remus asked me to use her as the primary. Mine is coming tomorrow and he will work with Miss Rolgath, in creating an interior that has the essence of both the Velvet Garden and Charles stores.
As I had said, the man is a control freak. He is not giving me the freedom to decide my own store''s interior.
Chapter 393: Postpone
Rolgath
¡°Drink it,¡± said Amryn as she placed a steaming hot cup of tea in front of me. I looked at it before focusing on the designs; I have been working on.
¡°Stop, first drink the tea,¡± she insisted, placing her hand, on the design, I was working on.
I sighed seeing, her acting like a child.
¡°There is a lot of work needed to be done, Amryn. There are only two weeks before the opening,¡± I said. There is a lot of work; I never thought I would have so much work in my life.
I am responsible for the interior of the whole tower. Not just the legacy, but also every store, which is much harder than the legacy.
Here, over half of the store owners have brought their interior designer, and working with them is hell, but it is also fun. I like the challenge and the different perspective, no matter how much frustrating it is.
Though no one is as frustrating as the Ulaxasysis sisters. They are equal in authority; I can bully them into listening to me as I could the interior designers.
I am glad I had left the work of the headmistress¡¯s domain after a month of working. I was regretting it, but it had been a wise decision.
¡°We are on time, I heard Lord Silver is postponing the deadline,¡± said Amryn, and I laid back on my chair.
¡°I really hope so,¡± I replied.
I had also heard whispers that Lord Silver was planning on postponing the opening of the tower by a few weeks. I don¡¯t know the reason, but the extra three weeks will instantly relieve a lot of the load off me.
¡°I will not believe it until I hear it officially,¡± I said. ¡°You might, at today''s meeting,¡± said the half-elf.
¡°I hope so,¡± I replied.
I am confident that I will be able to finish the work on the schedule, but it would be great if I had more time. Seeing we haven¡¯t even started shifting the plants yet, which could only happen, after the affirmation from Irgal.
Even the sisters, who are responsible for the plants couldn¡¯t do anything about it.
I picked up the steaming cup and took a sip while inhaling the wonderful citric aroma of it. The tea is delicious; its flavor is light, but filling.
I gulped a lemony sip, which seemed to send a wave of relaxation through my body.
In the past few months, I have been waking up at dawn and sleeping at late night. I used to sleep for seven to eight hours, but in the past three months especially, I don¡¯t think, I had slept for over five hours.
There is too much work. It is why, I slept here most of the time; the legacy gives the relaxation of eight hours of sleep in the five.
¡°This tea is really good. You should ask Madam Caena for more,¡± said Amryn. I glared at her but didn¡¯t say anything.
The tea blend was a gift from Madam Caena. I had nearly finished it, which is quite regrettable as I really liked the tea.
I emptied the cup and focused back on my work. Fifteen minutes later, I was out of my office, or rather the tent, which I fixed on the sixteenth floor of the tower.
As I walked out, the different sounds immediately hit me. I had covered myself with isolation skills to focus on the work; it is hard to work under all the noise.
¡°Jorah,¡± I called the man responsible. The man was talking to the artisan working on the wall, but came as I called him.
He is a middle-aged man with a decade of experience, in the field.
¡°These are the new changes; I want them done today,¡± I said and handed the design to the man.
¡°It will be a challenge, Sharn,¡± he said, without looking away from the designs.
¡°I am sure, you and your people will be able to do it,¡± I said, and he turned to me. ¡°It will be hard,¡± he said with a sigh, before turning back to the design.
Jorah and his people are capable. It is the reason I had chosen them, among hundreds of other agencies, that applied to work.
It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, something that they could be proud of all their lives.
They are also getting paid for every minute they are working.
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
If Lord Silver had wanted, he could have made them work free. Top interior agencies were ready to do that, but he is paying everyone fairly, including me.
He studied the design while I walked around the floor. Staying far from the white fluff devil, laid in the corner on its little bed.
When I looked at it; it glared at me hard.
I don¡¯t know why; it didn¡¯t like me. It lets many people pet it, but as soon as I try to touch it, it growls and scratches me with its sharp claws.
I was glad, that Amryn picked it up and took it away. This is no place for cats, but it didn¡¯t like to leave its owner for too long; I still remember the mess it had made of the room, the first day, we kept it there.
I pushed the thoughts of the devil cat and focused on work.
The workers and artisans are doing the job with a complete focus. All of them are higher level. There is not a single person here, who is lower than Lv. 25.
Jorah is over Lv. 30.
I have known him since, my early days in the agency. He was one of the people nice to me and helped me learn the trade before branching on his own.
Unlike me, who had nearly closed my business before the Legacy saved me. He had done well.
I looked around and I talked to Jorah for a few minutes before going to the floor above. I checked the progress on each floor and talked to the supervisors, especially those behind the schedule.
Most of those behind the schedule are those working in the spaces that businesses had rented.
There, I need to work with the interior designer of those businesses.
It was the most tiring thing, but it was work and needed to be done.
By the time, I finished checking out all the things; there was less than half an hour to the meeting.
Seeing that, I walked out of the tower quickly, adjusting my coat. The snow is still falling, but it is light. which made me relieved. If it had been as heavy as the last night, it would have taken me a few minutes more to reach the city hall.
I didn¡¯t want to be late to the meeting; I had been at the last meeting, and it was embarrassing seeing everyone had arrived on time, including Lord Silver.
¡°Sharn, going for a meeting?¡± asked Ed, ¡°Yes,¡± I replied as I walked toward him.
¡°Come, we will go together,¡± he said, and I nodded.
His carriage was already in front of him, so quickly stepped inside and it moved toward the city hall.
¡°How is work?¡± he asked. ¡°Stressful,¡± I replied, to that he laughed.
¡°I am glad, I moved out of that phase,¡± he said, and I wanted to glare at him, and I did.
For the four and a half months, he had felt the stress; I am feeling right now. He is relaxed now that he finished building the tower.
He still had a lot of work, but it was not as stressful as it had been. He had already finished with the most important job, which he had handed to me for the interior.
¡°When are you going to fill the water?¡± I asked after nearly a minute of silence. He is not responsible for it, the sisters are, but he is responsible for the tunnel, that will bring the water needed from the river.
¡°Three days later, but it might change, depending on how the meeting goes,¡± he replied.
¡°Is, Lord Silver really postponing?¡± I asked, with some hesitation.
If anyone knew that, then it would be him. He is friends with Valentina Elar and she knows everything.
He didn¡¯t answer and looked outside of the window.
We need to be quite careful with the words, seeing the contract we had signed. It is strict, and the consequences are heavy. I had felt the power of the contract when small confidential information slipped through my mouth.
I was really glad; Miss Carla was near and helped me to deal with it and also explained it to Lord Silver.
I had thought the contract was excessively strict, but in these five months, I have made a few observations. One is most shocking; I am not completely sure about it, but if it is true, it will shock the whole continent and the world.
I didn¡¯t dare to talk about it to anyone, to even hint at it. Including Miss Carla, who was safe from all secrets; I won¡¯t receive the punishment if I utter the confidential information in front of her.
Though, I don¡¯t plan to.
I don¡¯t want to do something, that will compromise this amazing job. It had changed my whole life. My business had gone from being broke to having the jobs, that I had only dreamed about.
Since I started here, I haven¡¯t accepted any job, but there have been hundreds of inquiries about my availability.
Enough that for a few years; finding work is the last thing, I will need to do. It is all thanks to a legacy for which I will be eternally grateful.
I looked outside the window and at the huge park. I couldn¡¯t help, but feel envy for the sisters; they are amazing. In just a short six months, they were able to build such a big park.
¡°Those sisters are talented, but I wish, they weren¡¯t so challenging to work with,¡± I complained.
¡°They said the same thing about you,¡± He replied, smiling.
¡°I am not challenging to work with, they are. You know, I need to argue with them for every little thing,¡± I said.
¡°I am not saying anything,¡± he said and looked out the window as the carriage passed over the beautiful bridge.
The next week is going to be challenging. They were bringing the plants inside and there had been a lot of arguments about their placements and there would be more when they actually came to the tower, which I am responsible for.
Minutes passed in silence before the carriage reached the city hall and moved through the gates, before stopping a few seconds later.
Click!
We got out and walked toward the city hall, with barely anyone looking at me with an odd gaze.
I still remember the first time; I had come to the city. I had to cover myself from head to toe; it was restrictive and slightly humiliating, but necessary given the political landscape of that time.
Now, less than a year later, an orc is no strange thing in the things. I could see, a couple of them going in and out of the city hall.
Soon, we reach the familiar conference room. The guards standing there opened the door, and we walked inside.
There are already people there, aside from Madman Caena and Headmistress Margaux, there are Mr. Hendriks and Miss Ulaxasys.
Madam Carla isn¡¯t in the city, and Lady Blackwell is returning in a few days from Amberhold.
I nodded at Miss Ulaxasys and sat beside her. We have differences professionally, but personally, we are good.
I talked to her others before stopping and getting up as Lord Silver walked in with Miss Valentina.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± we greeted. He nodded and sat down with sitting after him.
¡°I am sure all of you have already heard the rumors. They are true. I have decided to postpone, the deadline by three weeks, after looking at all the factors,¡± he said, and I took a visible sigh of relief.
I am not the only one, Miss Ulaxasys also seemed quite relieved hearing it.
I could finish the job on time, but an extra three weeks will give me a chance to do it better.
Chapter 394: Greenhouses
Ashton Harbor
"Those bastards!" cursed the man with the staff.
Though, he is relieved. It is a good thing. We had paused their secret mission, seeing the merchant state had started snooping.
They seemed to find out that we were looking for something and sent their agents.
"They are trying to catch the bastards. We might be able to do it," said the armored man, but the man with the staff just shook his head.
"No use, but let them try," he said with a sigh.
The agents of the merchant state aren''t easy to catch, but it would be great if they were able to do it. The bastards were able to find out, the last location, the secret mission, was looking into before the higher-ups paused it.
The intelligence apparatus of the merchant state is powerful. Even on the island, we kept finding their spies.
The secret mission is the reason we have come here in this forsaken wasteland, and now we couldn''t even do that as well because of the damn merchants.
I couldn''t release the horde at the cities to elevate my frustration. We don''t have enough undead. We have enough numbers to attack all the cities, but not enough to deal with unforeseen things, like interference from merchants or even empires.
So, unless the higher-ups sent more. There won''t be any attack.
It is frustrating to just sit and do nothing, but it is also had advantage. The cities are fattening up, filling with people, and recruiting more into armies.
We need that; the resistance on the island has slowed down our progress. The quality of undead made by the soldiers helps a lot; I hope they will build large armies because the next attack won''t be small.
¡
Step!
I stepped out of the carriage and behind me came Heron. It was his first time coming here, he wanted to come here before but was not allowed.
I had brought him here today as a reward for doing good in school.
"There is a lot of security," he said, adjusting his clothes to protect himself from the snow. "It is necessary," I replied as I walked forward.
In front of us is a group of greenhouses. There are a total of seven of them, protected with tight security, including a Lv. 30 powerhouse.
I don''t think nobody in their right mind would dare to do anything here. Not because of me or the tight security, but the person who has half-ownership over the plants in the greenhouse.
They belong to me as well as that person in a hidden city and nobody with little of a bit of intelligence would dare to do anything here.
We entered the compound with thick snow crunching under my boots.
There was a heavy snowfall since the morning. I thought it would subside by the afternoon, but it did not.
The winter was in its full swing, which usually slowed things down a little, but it didn''t this time. The city is not stopping and will not stop, till it achieves its rightful place in the region and empire and the continent.
We stopped in front of the central greenhouse, which is also the biggest greenhouse of the seven.
There are guards at the entrance. One is the orc, and the other one is the elf. They aren''t my people, they belong to that person.
The plants aren''t the only things that came from the hidden city.
The guards bowed faintly and opened the door for us. I nodded and walked inside the greenhouse and instantly felt warm and humid, but I forgot all that when I looked at the plants and inhaled their mesmerizing smell.
Every time, I looked at them. They mesmerize me. They are beautiful and their smell is enchanting.
Gasp!
A gasp of shock came out of the Heron''s mouth as he looked around with wide eyes. I couldn''t help, but smile seeing that.
When I sent the request for the plants, my first point had not been they be plants, that would bring me money. No, I wanted them to be beautiful and release the smell that could mesmerize anyone.
It is by vision. I want everyone who entered the establishment to have a time of life. Have an experience they could never forget.
Every plant here is beautiful in its own way; even those that looked ugly at first sight are beautiful when one looks at them closely enough.
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
There are also sorts of plants here, from flowers to fruits, and each and every plant will produce resources that will fetch a high price.
"These plants are beautiful," said Heron breathlessly. "They are and they are still growing; they will be even more beautiful when they mature fully," I said.
It is one of the reasons why I had delayed the opening. I want the plants to mature more.
I was admiring the plants when a graceful half-orc man wearing simple white clothes came toward me. He is a half-orc, but his other half isn''t human but an elf.
It is rare, but it happens.
He is handsome with a slim physique of elves and looks to be in his mid-twenties. He inherited those enviable cheekbones that elves are famed for and had orcish brown hair, but they were soft and shiny like elves, not frizzled like most orcs.
His skin is grey as the orcs, but vibrant, and has canines. They looked like they were carved by the artist.
However, his eyes are his most prominent features. They are green with a faint crystalline sheen.
He is the most dangerous man in the city; even Stone said, he won''t be able to defeat him. Like him, this is also elder blood and awakened it, but it is not the blood of the giant that he has.
"Lord Silver," he greeted as he stopped in front of me. "Mage Irgal,"
"How are the plants progressing?" I asked as I looked at the plants around me. "They are growing at a speed that stated to you, Lord Silver," replied the man, without change in his expression.
His expressions never really change. It had been two and a half months since he had come here, and I didn''t see them change even once.
"It is a good speed, but I am wondering, whether they could grow faster? I want some of these plants to fully mature before the opening," I asked, and always there was no change in the man''s face.
"These plants are extremely delicate, Lord Silver. Using growth magic isn''t wise. They needed to grow at their own pace," he replied, clearly rejecting what I was implying.
I had postponed the opening by three weeks, but even by then. There are less than 5% of plants will reach maturity; I want at least 10% of them.
Which won''t be possible. I have looked at the growth sheet; if I want the 10%, then I will have to wait for two weeks more, which I am unwilling to do. Even three are hard and if I had not felt it was wise, I wouldn''t have done that.
"Mistress had asked me to give you this if you asked this question," he said suddenly as I was wallowing in disappointment.
I looked at him and saw him extending the white envelope.
Hun!
I took the envelope and turned. Immediately, a shock appeared in my eyes when I saw the emblem on it.
It was a struggle to not let my whole body shake.
It had been nearly four years ago at the headquarters of a house of silver. Former headquarters.
The new headquarters of the House of Silver had shifted to the Namdar, now.
In the headquarters, there is a place where only a core member of the house could work. Even they have to be invited by the grandfather.
That place had a secret library, which books, far less than even the personal library of my father, but every one of the books there was important, nearly a quarter of them were forbidden.
In it, there was one book. It was about Kairos, the hidden city, and the people that run it.
The high houses.
Tear.
I tore open the envelope with my nails using Sharpness and took out the letter. I unfolded it and saw there was only one line.
When I read it, my whole body shook.
''Fucking elders!'' I cursed before taking a deep breath.
I knew it was a risk, and I took it fully, knowing it. It is clear they know it and I hope they will keep it to themselves.
They likely would. It is the reason why I chose to take the risk.
However, from now on, I will need to be far more careful in dealing with them. More than before.
I took out the firestone and burned the letter to the surprise of Heron. It burned to ashes, which I collected in my hand, before placing them into my bag, which finally brought a faint change in Irgal''s face.
I can''t take the risk; there are spells out there, that could read what''s in their letter, with the ashes of it.
I turned to Irgal and sighed, before taking out the seven bottles of emotion essence. He recognized them, but there was no change on his face; he likely knew what was in the letter.
"I hope, these will fasten the process a little?" I asked as I handed him the six bottles of grade two emotions essence.
"It will," he replied.
I know it will. The growth sheet he had provided me had clearly started the effect on plants if Grade II or Grade III essences were used.
''For the fast growth. Use Grade II emotion essence,'' is what is written in the letter.
Caena had said it would be extremely hard for others to find out it is a Grade II legacy from the slate, but those people of the hidden city are not common.
They are the elders and are known as the masters of magic. It is very hard to hide things from them and I truly hope, they haven''t found out everything about my legacy or I could be truly fucked.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the man.
I talked to him for a few minutes more, before exploring the greenhouse with Heron. There are seven of them, all of growing different types of plants; the similarity, they share is that they consume the emotion essence.
Their appetite is ravenous, and since I want to plant them across the whole tower, it is going to consume a lot of emotion essence.
Though, I will gain far more in return. Even with the half of the harvest.
Finally, we reached the last greenhouse. The guards guarding it opened it for us and we walked inside.
Immediately, a surprise appeared on Heron''s face.
This greenhouse is different from the six others. It only had one plan called network vine; it is a thin blue vine with crystalline leaves; it is beautiful.
"This wine must be special to occupy the whole greenhouse alone," said Heron, touching the leaves of the vine lightly. "It is the most important of all the plants," I replied, and he turned to me in question.
"The tower is huge, but the legacy only covers a third of it. We want to plan, these magical plants on each floor, but all these plants require emotion essence for sustenance,"
"This vine will absorb the emotion essence from the legacy and supply it to the plants outside the domain of legacy," I explained.
"Amazing!" he exclaimed and looked at the vine with the shining eyes.
It is amazing, this vine will act like a modern wire that supplies electricity to the appliances. It took a lot of emotion and essence to grow this vine, but it will be worth it.
It is also the best among all the network vines, with a loss percentage of only 12%.
It is very low, considering all the vendors we have talked about have network vines with the lowest 23% lows percentage.
Supplying emotion essence isn''t the only it can do. Every part of it is valuable, especially the leaves, which are used in all kinds of potions and alchemical products.
We spend a few minutes in the greenhouse before stepping out of it and walking toward the carriage.
"When will I get to see the tower?" he said, looking at the tower. I didn''t reply to that. It is a little complicated seeing the business I run.
Chapter 395: The Canal
"The preparations have finished. They are ready to release the water in two hours," informed Zela.
"Good," I replied.
It was supposed to happen a week ago, but something had come up and we needed to delay it.
Today was supposed to be the opening for the establishment, before it was postponed. It was a wise decision. Despite everything being on schedule, it was hurried. If we had gone with it, the opening wouldn''t have been as perfect as I wanted.
We were already seeing many mistakes.
The extra three weeks had relaxed everyone. They are working with calm minds; it didn''t give me the feeling of impending doom anymore.
''Master Silver, Miss Maeve is here for you,'' said Jill through the intercom. ''Send her in,'' I said.
Click!
A second later, the door opened, and Maeve walked in. As I saw her, I couldn''t help but become surprised.
She had changed, from her hairstyle to her clothes, everything was different from before.
"Lord Silver," she greeted.
"Miss Maeve, I had expected change, but didn''t expect the change would be this big," I said to the woman as I offered her seat.
Her cheeks reddened.
"I am saying as a compliment; the new look suits you," I clarified and could see, relief on her face, but her cheeks were still red.
For the past five months, she had been overseas. At Nazhar, where she was training in the legacy spa.
Her focus was on the management, while the others who went with her learned the methods and techniques.
She had returned yesterday and even brought the few Nazarian staff of that spa. That spa is big and not everyone sees their future there and some were willing to come here when we offered them a job.
We didn''t do it behind the back of the spa. They had given us the list of employees they are willing to let go, and we have approached those employees with the offer.
"How was Elysian Serenity?" I asked, and a big smile lit up across her face.
"Amazing." She replied. "Those people have created a heaven in there," she added with her eyes turning dreamy for a moment.
"I hope, we will be able to make our spa as memorable as Elysian Serenity," I said. "Definitely," she replied, with confidence burning in her voice.
There are only two legacy spas in the entire world. A few other legacies are doing, what I do by adding the spa, but those two are considered the best.
I have asked for their help. The first one gave nothing, but Elysian Serenity was very helpful. They had initially helped me with the tips and later with training and other things.
I had spent a lot on the spa, and Miss Rolgath had done a wonderful job in designing it. Yesterday, we added the last edition to the spa; it made it feel like heaven.
"You have a lot of tasks ahead of you. I hope you will be able to finish them before the opening," I said. "I will not give you a chance to complain, my lord," she replied with excitement filling in her eyes.
A few minutes later, she left while I focused back on the work.
For the past two weeks, a lot of people have returned from various places I had sent them. Including the new people; I had hired a lot of people, many having the experience of working on the legacy.
"The storm tower has acknowledged that they have received the invitation," informed Zela.
"Did they say who they will be sending for opening?" I asked. "No," she replied.
We have started the invitation to the opening a week ago. It is also my birthday. I am sending invitations to everyone important, from the princes to legacies to nobles and governors.
It is a great opportunity, and I want to milk it for everything it has.
I finished up the work and walked out of my office.
When I stepped out of the city hall; the carriage was waiting for me. The guard opened the door, and I entered inside.
Carla is already sitting there, along with the children.
"Are you guys excited?" I asked. Heron nodded while Josie looked at me, turning her face cute. I know what is coming. She had been doing that in the past week, in different ways.
"Will I be able to see the flowers?" she asked in her most cute voice, and I shook my head. Her expression turned like a big bright balloon getting punctured by the needle.
Ever since I took Heron to the greenhouses to see the plants. She wants to see them too, but she won''t unless she shows the result.
"As I told you before, you need to do well in the school before I take you to see the flowers,"
"You only have a week. After that, they will go to the tower and you will see them with everyone else," I said, and the girl glowered at me before turning to Carla.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"Carla, please. I really want to see the flowers," she said cutely; even turning her eyes misty. It is having an effect as Carla turns to me.
"Let the girl see the flowers. She had been doing well in the school," said Carla. "Not well enough," I replied, looking at the girl, who had started glaring at me.
For the first few months, children had been closed and polite, but now nearly six months later, they have revealed their real personalities.
Heron is straightforward, honest, and hardworking, while Josie is lazy and willful. She is smart but refuses to use intelligence, where it is needed, and focuses more on manipulation to get what she wants.
It is important, that I remain strict with her.
She is my blood-sister and likely heir till I have children of my own. I haven''t made it official, but I will in a few months.
I don''t want her to turn like someone like Lancel; he was smart but too obnoxious and susceptible to the influence of others. It is not just him. More than half of the people born with privilege are like that.
I have seen it everywhere, here, on earth; in my own family and I will be damned. If I let my sister, turn like that.
Carla and I talked as the carriage moved toward the destination while the children remained quiet.
I could feel the angry eyes of Josie, but I didn''t look at them and focused on my conversation with Carla.
"By the next week, all the girls will return to the city," said Carla. "Good, we will need them all here a week before the opening," I said.
We are going to open the college a week before we open the tower. Yes, we are calling the residence college now; we can''t call it a circle, since there isn''t a circle anymore.
It is like a collage, as it will be a place. They will stay and learn and work.
I plan to do a soft opening of the tower a week before the official opening with a limited number of people. It is not only for businesses but also for the girls; I want them to practice in the place before we open officially.
It will also act as publicity.
Soon, we reached our destination, and the carriage stopped.
Click!
A second later, the guard opened the gate, and I walked out, behind me came Carla and the children.
I am at the edge of the massive park. I could see the tower at a distance and in between them small hills of lush grass; trees and small gazebos, benches, and other things.
Surrounding the massive park is a large, dugged ring. Covering the entire park, which is circular in shape with a tower at its exact center.
It is massive and took a lot of mages, and workers, and now today, we will fill it with water from the river. The water will come through the tunnels, filling the large artificial canal.
It is as wide as the grand canals of Venice; it is from which it had been inspired.
The canal surrounds the whole park, and people will be able to ride the boats in it. They will be able to go to any section of the park through it.
It will be beautiful.
Thousands of people have gathered to watch it, and the heavy presence of police is keeping them back.
I could feel their emotions with the Mood Of The Subjects; they are excited and curious, while the police are stressed.
Josie got a little scared seeing so much people and got closer to Carla. She said something to the young girl and took her hand, before saying something, looking at the people, many of whom looking at her.
Carla''s words seemed to Calm her down, and a few seconds later, she looked at the people and smiled as she had been taught.
I never took them in large public, fearing their safety. The undead are quite apt in using assassins and they are not the only ones that want to harm me.
If it was not under the legacy''s domain, where me and Carla could summon tens of spells in an instant; I wouldn''t have brought them out in front of such a large public.
I was looking at them when I saw Miss Ulaxasys, coming toward me with her sister, Lady Blackwell.
There is also Eudo, Valentina, and Shaman Trik with them.
"Lord Silver, we can start with your command," said Miss Ulaxasys, without wasting any time.
"Good. Fill the canal," I commanded and used my skill Every Ear Listens To My Words, so the crowd behind me could hear them.
Bmoooooo!
Her ring lit up, and a moment later, I heard the loud horn.
For a few seconds, there was nothing, before I heard a gentle tremor under my feet. Three seconds after that, I saw the water coming out in a large force from the tunnel, not far away from me.
There are several tunnels and all of them are pouring the water into the lake.
It looked amazing; it had attracted the complete attention of the children and the crowd.
It was not initially within a plan, but as the size of the park increased. We have decided to add it. It will mark the boundary of the park, presenting a beautiful scenery of blue water, boats, and bridges.
I could clearly imagine how it would look. The people enjoying themselves in the beautiful evening.
Minutes passed, and the level of water kept increasing, filling the canal.
"Halt!" ordered Miss Ulaxasys, and a few seconds later, the water stopped coming from the tunnels. Most of these tunnels will be closed or diverted; only a single one will remain open to fill the water in the canal.
This is enough, seeing there won''t be any draining and refilling; the cleaning will be done through the spells.
So, aside from evaporation, there will be no loss of water.
"Would you like to be first, my lord?" asked Miss Ulaxasys. I nodded and walked toward the canal, where the boats were already waiting.
The boats were ready. The moment the canal was filled, the boatmen placed their boats into the water.
"Gently dear," said Carla when Josie excitedly tried to step into the boat and nearly stumbled. Soon we all sat in a bright, orias boat, a narrow and long type of boat, that bore a resemblance to gondolas.
As we sat down on the comfortable seats, the boatman dipped the paddle in the water and the boat began to move.
It is gentle and smooth, like the music, the musician started playing at the back of the boat. As I had said, I just didn''t want to make the city prosper, but turn it into a cultural powerhouse.
I want it to attract people from all over the world, to experience its wonders.
We are not the only ones in the boats. Behind us, there are a few with Ulaxasys sisters, Valentina, and others.
"It feels good, calming," she said, looking around. Her gaze has stopped for a moment, at thousands of people looking at us. She is still not fully comfortable seeing me in public with me and avoids it when she can.
"It is," I said, dipping my hand in clear blue water.
Josie tried to do the same but was stopped by Carla. The anger in the girl''s eyes had vanished; she was now enjoying herself.
Soon, the boat appeared in front of the collage.
In the earlier plans, the collage and legacy were apart, but the park had become so big that it had enveloped the collage in it.
The collage has its boat stands for girls to enjoy boating. A quarter of the canal in front of the collage is marked as being restricted. Only boats of the girls would be able to move through that area and no others.
The boat passed through another stone bridge.
The canal is wide. Bridges are necessary to cross it to reach the park. These bridges are designed with aesthetics in mind and are beautiful. It took thirty-six minutes for the boat to make a complete circle of canal, before stopping at where we started.
I would love to go for another round, but there is a lot of work waiting for me at the city hall.
"Thank you," I thanked the boatman and looked at the children, who also thanked him.
"Miss Ulaxasys, you have done a wonderful job," I praised the woman. "Thank you, Lord Silver," she replied.
"Now, only the small lakes have remained," I said. There are multiple lakes in the park that would need to be filled.
"We will finish them by tomorrow," she replied.
I talked to her for a few minutes before stepping into my carriage with Carla. Children aren''t coming with us; they are going back home with their nanny, while we are going to the city hall.
Chapter 396: Seamstress
Rustle!
"It''s done," said Miss Rolgath as she adjusted the vine with tiny red flowers covering it around the column.
It was the last plant to be planted in the tower; they had been doing that for twelve days. It was a complicated and complex job that required extreme care.
"Many of the plants are sensitive, Lord Silver; I hope, your patrons will keep their hands off them," cautioned Irgal.
He will stay for a week more before leaving, but not all of his people are leaving. Half of them are staying here to take care of the plants.
According to the agreement, I will provide space and emotion essence while the person in the hidden city will provide the persons, expertise, fertilizers, and other things.
They will also train some of our people. It is the only condition in which we had negotiated. I was pretty adamant about it.
"You do not have to be worried about it, Mage Irgal," I replied and looked around.
The plants have merged well with the interior, becoming one. Creating not just a visual feast, but also an olfactory one with their fragrance.
"I think we should see how it feels under the power of the legacy," I said, and the eyes of everyone lit up.
The power of legacy which had been at 5% of Grade 1 started to climb up.
The mist appeared and got denser, forming a cloud at the ceiling, while its effects began to affect us.
Soon, the effects reached 15%, 20%, and then 25% of the power. It was what I had been showing to the world before.
I had never needed to use the full power of the legacy, seeing I had charms, and they acted with precision.
Its effects were at 25%, but to others, it felt 100% because of the targeted approach.
I could see the change in the expressions of people. Some even had tears appearing in their eyes. Some looked completely lost in the sensory overload.
Finally, I stopped at 50% of Grade 1 and the effect is stronger than I thought.
The beauty and fragrance of the plants mixed with the power of the legacy had created an effect far more powerful than I had thought. It mesmerized me, who is resistant to such effects due to being the host of it.
It is only a 50% power of Grade 1, not full. I didn''t even touch the power of Grade 2, which I felt, might make people lose their minds.
Even if I kept it at such power, it would get stronger over time as the power of the plants and legacy mixes.
''Should I change my plans?'' I thought to myself, before putting those thoughts away.
"My god; it is stronger than I had thought!" said Miss Ulaxasys, gripping the chair to stabilize herself.
Some, like her sister, sat down, while Mage Irgal had taken out the floating blue scroll and started to write fast.
"You are a visionary, Lord Silver. You have created something incredible," praised Lady Blackwell as she got her emotions under control.
"It wouldn''t have been possible, without your help, my lady," I replied, and the women smiled.
It took them a few seconds to get adjusted to it before all of them started to look around, while I was thinking of what could happen when I took the power to Grade II. The effects would be far stronger.
The difference between a Grade I and a Grade II is huge. It is not power, but quality that changes with the advancement of grade.
I turned to the man, who was still writing rapidly on his scroll. It seemed like I would have to talk to him; not him, but his boss.
They might be able to provide help with the questions I have.
An hour and a half later, I walked out of the tower. It is ready for the soft opening tomorrow.
People from the city, empire, and merchant state would be part of it. Tomorrow is also the day, the girls will move into the college, which will happen in the morning while the soft opening will be in the evening.
¡
Eliyen
I walked out of the bathroom after taking a shower and immediately, other girl went inside. When I looked ahead, I saw a lot of girls waiting for their turn.
I had never seen such a crowd, especially this early.
The reason I woke up early was to avoid such a crowd. It is a habit I had developed in past brothels.
It was the only time in a brothel, where it was completely peaceful.
I looked at the widow, and it was still dark, with the sun barely starting to come out. Usually, barely anyone wakes up, but now it is akin to the rush before breakfast.
Today is special. Today, we are going to the college; the place where we will live and work.
I still remember the circle; I only got to live there for six days; five and a half, to be exact. My contract was brought, and three days before, the undead invaded the region and fucked everything up.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
My room was in the underground because all the space above was occupied, but that room was bigger, and I only shared it with a person.
It was a beautiful room with a private bathroom.
The circle had everything. A library, a playroom, and classes, which I was never able to take in there. I had only filled out the forms and got the schedule for my classes, but could never attend them because of the undead.
In the past six months. I have been to the four cities, learning different things, before I returned here a week and a half ago. Since then, I have been living here, sharing the room with four other girls.
Click!
''Things are going to get better from today,'' I thought and opened the door of my room, gently.
My roommate usually didn''t wake up for one and a half hours more, but now, I am seeing two of them woke up. Preparing for the shower, while the third one, I had seen in the line for the showers.
"You should have woken me up!" said Coleen accusingly. "I did, several times, but you said, let you sleep and even cursed at me," I replied.
The human girl''s cheeks reddened, hearing that.
Coleen is a late sleeper. Many times, she had to forgo the breakfast, because she hadn''t woken early enough. The breakfast lasts only an hour, from eight to nine, before the training starts from nine and a half.
Since I returned to the city, the classes had been paused. It is only training now, with the actors.
We are doing that from morning nine and a half to nine and a half in the night. With only two bathroom breaks and two meal breaks.
I had only heard about it in the past six months and was quite excited about it, but now, I little dread it. Those actors are sharp critics, and so is Madam Onaz.
Every expression, every gesture, and every laugh needs to be perfect. We have been training for this for months and I thought I was good, but they have shown me, that I am not as good as I think, I am.
Thankfully, they are helping. I am making fewer mistakes, than I did, on the first day of the training.
Today, this training will shift from the rooms of the building to resplendent halls of the legacy.
I had seen the tower from a distance. It is grand; it is the biggest building in the entire city. I wanted to see it from closer, but unfortunately, I could not see it, just like I could not see the college.
Those restrictions are going to disappear today.
I changed into my best dress before looking in the mirror. My skin is soft, and my hair is smoother than it had ever been. The elves had the advantage of beauty, but this is beyond our natural gifts.
They have provided us with expensive beauty products that I could never afford, even after working a year, and dresses that I had only seen rich people wear.
Speaking of dresses, we will get to try the dresses in the establishment. The current dresses we have are good, but Madam Onaz said, the new dress we will wear in the establishment will make the ones we are wearing feel like rags.
It is not just dresses, but everything, every, shoes and other stuff; there is also the spa.
Unlike us, madams aren''t restricted, and they share a few bits with us.
They had taken my measurement two months ago in Owlspring. They have measured every inch of me; they have measured things, which I thought weren''t necessary.
The dietician I met a week ago said that my weight remained the same. The dresses made for me, won''t need to be adjusted. Which he thought wasn''t surprising; our diet needs to be changed drastically to affect our physique and even then, the change is slow.
It is much easier with humans and orcs.
I sat on my bed and picked up the embroidery, I had been working on. It is not a fancy hobby as other girls have chosen, but I love it.
I wanted to seamstress since I could remember. My grandmother was, but never got the chance. My fate had changed as such, that the first class I had got was not Seamstress but Prostitute.
I have a Seamstress Class now; I had gotten it five months ago and took it to Lv. 8 already.
An incredible speed, anywhere, but not here, it is not special.
The girls here level up at crazy speed; I have seen a couple of girls getting class and reaching Lv. 10, all within six months.
I have also been able to level-up my prostitute class twice, taking it to seventeen. Both level-ups were a great surprise to me, seeing I haven''t fucked a single client since they brought my contract.
I have made a lot of decisions about many things in the past few months, but one thing, I wasn''t able to decide.
The magic talent; I have it. I have been learning the theory, but don''t know whether I want to peruse it.
I heard they had built a mage suite, bigger with better facilities. Many girls are excited to learn magic, even those older than me. Everyone wants to learn to cast a spell, seeing Madam Margaux doing it.
I can understand the appeal. Magic is a great elevator. Enough to wipe the make of a whore.
Seven women, including Madam Margaux, could use the spells.
Magic is great, but I want to keep myself focused on the Seamstress Class. Anything could happen; the circle was destroyed less than a week after I had arrived here.
The legacy could also be destroyed.
So, I want to keep my focus on the Seamstress Class. Learn as much as possible from the teachers. If I am able to take it to Lv. 15, then it will be enough to get hired by shops; it is high enough, that people will ignore my Prostitute Class.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the work I was doing.
I am trying to learn the new embroidery technique and it is hard, even with skills like Steady Hands and Mend Threads.
"Eli!"
I was working on it when I heard my name called and looked up.
"What?" I asked Ulban, the orc girl. "It is time for breakfast," she replied. Immediately, my eyes went to the clock. It is past eight.
"Thank you," I said to her and put embroidery into my already packed bags before walking out of the room with her.
Soon, we reached the cafeteria and picked up the plates before taking the food and sitting at our usual table.
Two of our friends were already there, and we sat beside them.
All four of us are new. Yani and I came two days before the undead invasion, while Uban and Sanja were after. None of us worked in the establishment.
Though we will from the next week. All four of us have cleared our interview.
The interview struck me as the strangest of all. These people had brought contracts, but if we wanted to do the job, we would have to do an interview and what is even stranger, is that we worked hard to pass the interview.
The money is hard to resist. It is huge; I have seen the money, the old girls have, and it is eye-watering.
If I had such money, I would have started my own business already.
It is not just the money, but also the power. Forget Carla, the positions of Miss Ina, Miss Lola, Miss Andrea, and a few others were able to reach, were too hard to believe, and the story is that none except for Carla had slept with Silver.
Which I find hard to believe, but most old girls seemed to be sure of that.
"Today is the day," said Yani. "It is, and I am quite excited," said Ulban; she is the youngest; in her early twenties.
"Fantasies are more beautiful than reality. Things we heard might not be as good as they seemed," said Sanja, cynical as always.
"Shut up, Sanja." Said Ulban.
"I am just saying when people stay away from the thing. They tend to forget the bad things and remember only the good ones," she replied with a shrug, making Ulban even angry.
"You are a bitch, Sanja. I hope, you know that," cursed Yani angrily, before focusing on the breakfast.
Of course, we know there are problems. No place is perfect, but it is a thousand times better than where we had been before. Even this place we are staying is a hundred times better than any brothel I had been to.
So, even if the next place is only slightly better; I would be ecstatic.
Soon, we finished the dinner. On the way back, I picked up the newspaper from the stand as I always do.
Forty minutes later, I walked out of my room with Ulban with my bag in my hand.
I had already sent my other bag yesterday. They said it will be in my new room, waiting for me.
I hope nobody steals it; I don''t want to lose my things. They are the best things I had and losing them would be heartbreaking.
Chapter 397: Eliyen
Eliyen
"It seemed like, we are the last ones," said Ulban as we stepped out of the building and saw two hundred girls already there with their bags in their hands.
Since the circle was destroyed; all the girls never stayed in the same place. Madam Onaz said, there was no place big enough in the city to keep us together. There is also, a thing about us needing different things.
We have grouped here based on the hobbies we have selected, our levels, and a few other factors.
Finally, the carriages came and stopped in front of us.
Immediately, the girls rushed toward them. Forgetting all the lessons and discipline; they had been taught in the past half a year.
"Don''t rush girls!" shouted Madam Onaz and a moment later, I felt her skill.
I am not moving, but I felt the powerful compulsion. It hit the girls even harder as they slowed down. They moved slowly and in order.
"She is Lv. 25+, might even be level or two away from the Lv. 30," said Yani. I couldn''t help, but nod.
Madam class is hard to level-up, but every madam, I had come across here, seemed to be at Lv. 25 and above. The only one who is not is young Madam Gloria, but she is young.
She is barely eighteen, but she has not only got the madam class but is also able to take it to Lv. 20.
It is extremely hard to achieve something like that. First and foremost, such young girls, don''t get such responsibilities, and even if they do, most cave under the sheer pressure of the job.
I wanted to take my Prostitute class to Lv. 20. It had many privileges attached to it, including the private room; Madam Onaz had said the rule that the private room would remain the same.
The carriages filled one by one and the new ones took their place.
Finally, the last carriages came, and we walked toward it.
I didn''t rush toward the carriages. I didn''t see the point of doing it. We all were leaving for the same place; it didn''t matter if we reached there a few minutes later.
The eight of us sat in the carriage, and the driver closed the door. A second later, it started moving.
In the past few months, rapid changes have occurred in the city.
From bustling, a growing small city to nearly deserted after the battle, to the bustling again. I read the newspaper earlier and the headline was the city''s population had reached to level. It had been before the battle.
It shocked me because I know how hard it is. Cities like these get ruined and abandoned after the battles like those.
It happened in my city.
The name of the city was Ekri, and it was on the eastern side of the Oksall; one of the closest to the Navr. The undead attacked, and they had broken through the city like they did seven years earlier.
I had lost them in that battle, I didn''t even remember them; I was three years old when it happened.
Nineteen years ago, when I was ten. They attacked and broke through the city, once more.
Oksall and the whole merchant state didn''t think the city was important and didn''t provide any reinforcement.
The city and its people fought bravely but lost.
The undead did what they always do; they took people. This time, it was my grandmother. I still remember as it was yesterday. The undead broke through our little house and dragged my grandmother away.
I still hear her screams in my nightmares.
The city tried to get on its feet after but failed and was abandoned.
I had spent a few years in the orphanage and when I was fifteen. I had sold myself to the brothel.
It is not like, I didn''t try. I did, for almost a year, do all kinds of jobs, including begging, but even in a place like a merchant state, it''s hard. Especially two decades ago, when the war against the undead got especially bad.
So, I made a choice between starving and a brothel.
Soon, the carriage turned and entered the square. My expression changed and turned somber.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
"This place," said a blond woman, whose name I can''t remember, but everyone nodded.
The explosion is still fresh in my mind.
When the undead attacked. We were moved to a safe zone; we were in that building on the left. I was terrified as it brought back the memories of what, I had suffered two decades ago.
I was also cursing myself for not leaving when I had time.
We were given the chance to leave when the news of the undead spread. Many girls left, but I was too terrified to make a decision and went along with what madams had said.
Though, when I saw the undead through the window, I had decided, that I would leave the city. If I had survived.
"It was glorious and sad. If I were to die; I want to die like that," said Ubal, wiping the tears off her face.
I was terrified seeing the undead attacking the building, with guards barely holding them back. I thought it was about to end, when I saw, the familiar woman, being chased by hundreds of undead.
The same woman, who had greeted me when I came to the city and brought me to the safe zone.
She was leading the undead, attracting more.
It was a horrifying sight, and I expected her to get swallowed by them when she stopped at the dead center of the square.
She didn''t. Instead, she brought out hundreds of bombs and threw them all around her before activating them together. The blast that was produced was so strong that it shook the buildings.
When the smoked cleared, every undead died. She had sacrificed herself to kill them all, and it is because of her sacrifice, the thousands of people, including those orphan children for whom, she had sacrificed her life for alive.
It was then and there, I decided, that I wouldn''t run away. Give a chance to a place that forged a soul like her.
The somber mood stayed for a few minutes before the vibrancy returned to the conversation and the girls became excited again.
"The tower," "The canals,"
The guards called out as the carriage entered the mason road. Providing the view of the tower at the center of the park and the canal, which is beside it.
I could even see the faces of people on the boat.
"Did I tell you before that my father was a boatman. I could rove the boat," said Yani, looking at the boats excitedly.
"Many times," replied Ubal and me in unison.
It is especially true in the past two weeks since they filled the canal. Currently, only police and important people can boat, but in a week, it will be open to the public, like the park and the tower.
The bright boats looked good, and I heard the whispers that we might be able to ride it. I don''t like water much, but I like to ride in a boat, at least once.
The carriages moved through the road by the canal, passing the bridge, leading to the park. There are four bridges leading to the park. Three will be open to the public, while the fourth will be restricted.
A few minutes passed, and another bridge came into view. Past it, is the collage.
Soon, the carriage reached the beautiful stone bridge across the canal and moved toward it. Everyone moved their heads toward the windows, trying to see as much as they could.
The carriage passed through the bridge and entered the collage.
"Look, there is a huge garden around the buildings," said Ubal and everyone looked harder.
I had heard about the garden and couldn''t help, but feel excited as I saw it.
It looked even bigger than I had imagined.
Click!
The carriage stopped at the entrance of the garden surrounding the buildings. We nearly stumbled as I got out.
"Thank you," I said to the driver in a hurry and moved toward the gate to the garden. Which is being guarded by the man and woman. They didn''t stop us as we entered inside, admiring the most beautiful garden I had ever seen.
There were gardens in Oksall and other cities, but I never got to see one, other than the small one in Ekri.
There are hundreds of girls, moving around the garden, looking at beautiful plants and flowers. Some didn''t even listen to signs and plucked the flowers.
I wanted to do that too, but I controlled the urge.
As I looked at the garden, I could imagine spending my days here. Studying, working on my stitching, under the shade of a tree or one of those beautiful benches by the fountains.
It is truly beautiful and the more I look at it, the calmer, I feel.
I looked at it for a few minutes, before turning to the buildings.
"Classical Harsorthian mixed with Geasik. Architecture Amellus has really built a work of art," said Yani and I count help, but nod.
There are four big buildings. I turned to the biggest one.
It''s a seven-story building, and it is beautiful. It will take the breath of anyone, who would look at it. Especially those massive wooden doors.
It will easily be able to hold eleven hundred and thirty-seven girls. It is bigger than the circle and will be our residence; the lessons will be held in other buildings.
If I am not wrong, the five-story building of similar architecture is where the learning will happen.
"It is a good thing; they have kept the residence and school separate. There is a need to be a space between them," said Yani.
She is interested in architecture and has been taking classes. She had even gone to visit a couple of projects that Elar and Amellus were working on.
"That should be a magic suit, right?" I asked. Looking four-story square-shaped building. It is the smallest of three big, but just as beautiful.
"Yes," replied Yani.
"I thought it would look more like a tower," I said. She turned and looked at me as if I had said the most idiotic thing.
"The mage tower is only built when there are elemental pools. It is considered an affront to tradition, to build a magic tower without them. Mages took a great offense to that and destroyed such things," she replied.
Her words left me bewildered. For a moment, I thought, she was joking with me, but she was dead serious.
I turned to the last building. It is five stories tall and in the shape of a tower. It is the only thing, that didn''t follow the similar architecture as other buildings.
It is a spa, and it is built nearly the same as the previous one in the building. Only bigger in size. There is a spa in the tower, but that is for the patrons.
This one is only for us.
I admired it for a few seconds before turning to the small buildings. There are several of them. I don''t know their purposes, but I will know soon.
"There are pools, big swimming pools behind the building,"
Screamed some girl and many ran toward it. I didn''t move and explored the garden. I would have liked to enter inside the building, but the doors are closed.
I explored the area and even checked out the pools; there are three of them and all of them are big. Far bigger than the ponds that used to be a small garden in the circle.
Many girls have already removed their clothes and are swimming, not caring about the cold. The temperature may be cold, but the water is warm.
I wanted to swim too, but I didn''t want to catch the cold. Especially not at an important time like this. It could derail my debut in the legacy.
It is not a price, I am willing to pay for a few minutes of fun.
Chapter 398: Mena Horn College
¡®Girls, gather in front of the rose circle,¡±
The familiar voice rang out in my mind, surprising me. It was the first time; I had heard it directly in my mind.
The others seemed to have heard it too as they got out of the pool and dried themselves on the drying stations, before wearing their clothes.
I didn¡¯t know about the rose circle is, but many did, and I followed them. It turned out to be the place, where there was a thing covered in black cloth, surrounded by rose flowers of all kinds.
It turned out statue; they had not removed the cloth, but most girls are saying statue, and it feels like a statue.
When I reached, I saw there were people standing by the statue. Important people, including Silver.
I bowed as I had been taught before, standing in line and looking at people.
It was not my first time seeing him, but it was the first time, I had seen him, so close and he was young. Though I heard about it, I still hard time believing it. Even now, I am having a hard time; it feels like he is an older man with high vitality.
If it is high enough, it slows down, aging considerably. It felt especially true when I looked at his silvery-grey eyes; they looked older than he looked.
He is talking to several people, including Carla Salt.
The woman is responsible for all his business, including the legacy. She is also his mistress and the only whore he fucked, among all the whores, which I very much doubt.
There is also the Headmistress Margaux, Madam Caena, Madam Della, and two other women, I didn¡¯t recognize.
¡°Who is that blond and brunette woman and middle-aged man?¡± I asked the short-haired girl in front of me.
¡°That is Ina Knox and Lola Monet,¡± replied the girl with an idealizing expression.
¡®So, they are the ones who are flying high,¡¯ I thought.
I heard about them every day; the girls idolized them. More than Headmistress and Madam Carla. They are whores, that had reached high. So high, that even the ¡®Whore Classes¡¯ had left them, becoming something else.
Seeing them, the admiration and jealousy couldn¡¯t help, but rise in my heart.
¡°And that middle-aged man?¡± I asked again, looking at the middle-aged in conversation with Headmistress Margaux.
¡°I think that is Commander Stone,¡± she replied, and a visible surprise appeared on my face.
¡°Isn¡¯t he supposed to be all muscly and big?¡± I asked. Giant-bloods are big; all giant bloods are big and tall.
The middle-aged man was not even six feet tall, and I couldn¡¯t see any muscles through his clothes.
I think I had seen Commander Stone once when Silver came and gave us a choice to stay or leave; he was his bodyguard at that time.
He was a big man with a big sword on his back.
¡°I heard the awakening had changed him. Now, he is big only when he uses his powers,¡± the girl replied.
I nodded and looked at other people, including assistant madams and even that young woman, Gloria. It seemed like everyone important was here.
My eyes focused on the middle-aged woman, laughing as she talked with the madams. If I am not wrong, that is Barb Utsa; the woman who breathed fire. Many girls, had seen her breathing fire at the undead, burning.
I would have seen it too. If not for being pushed away from the window. All I was able to see was burning undead.
A few minutes passed, and everyone seemed to gather.
Headmistress Margaux coughed gently, and everyone turned to her.
¡°From today, the new chapter of your life begins.¡± Said Headmistress, looking at every eye, looking at her.
¡°Many of us come here without our will and in despair, but I promise you all that you will leave this place, it will be with your own will and a great future,¡±
Her words have lit up hopes in the eyes of new girls, while old ones nodded. They had benefits; they had the new classes and skills, that would help them live a respectful life and big savings for the twilight days.
¡°I hope, your time here will be joyful despite the nature of our business. We will make sure, you learn everything that will help you all live a respectful life, without the burden of our profession; it is our promise,¡± she said.
Clap Clap Clap
Immediately, applause rang out from a thousand girls and lasted for nearly a minute.
It was not a great speech, but it told the girls what they wanted to hear.
When it calmed down, Silver took one step forward, becoming more regal. His presence becomes heavy, but it also excludes the trust.
It made me feel like, I could trust him to make my life better.
I instantly knew he was using skills, and I wanted to resist them, but they were so damn powerful that I got swept into them.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
¡°Our business is considered the filth of society, but I consider it the most noble. Without us, society wouldn¡¯t have the order, it has. It is us that keep this chaos of men and bury it in lust,¡±
¡°You all should be celebrated. Instead, get the scorn that you do not deserve,¡± he said and to my surprise, the man is believing what he is saying.
He is truly thinking the brothel is a noble business.
I have seen many delusional people, but not as much as him.
People around me were shocked by his words, but I could see the admiration for him increased tenfold in their eyes. It is not just the brothel owner saying those words, but the lord of the city.
¡°The velvet garden is the best among all, not because it is a legacy, but because of you all. It is you all that turned into a legacy; it is you all that raised it to the height it is and for it, I am grateful to you all.¡±
His eyes looked at us, and I saw none of the repulsiveness, I saw it from the men. They want to fuck us, but they are also repulsed by us. Sometimes, after finishing, they cursed themselves for falling into temptation and then blamed us for it.
I can¡¯t remember the times I heard them cursing me, before hitting. A couple of times, it was really bad.
¡°It is from you all, that we got our finest; the ones that kept their self-respect in front of the mighty lord, the ones that stared down the undead. The ones that selflessly sacrificed themselves so others could live,¡± he said, and tears flowed down from his eyes.
He wiped the tears and looked at Barb. She nodded and gripped the silk cloth covering, the statue, before pulling it hard, revealing the five meters tall black marble statue of a beautiful woman standing bravely.
It didn¡¯t even take me an instant to recognize, who she was. I could never forget that face and those expressions, she has on her face.
Whoever made the statue, was able to bring out the essence of her. The essence of that moment.
¡°She is the finest of what velvet garden produced. Her courage and bravery will inspire generations.¡±
¡°Today, I name the collage after her. From this moment onward; it will be Mena Horn Collage,¡± he declared.
Clap Clap Clap
The resounding applause rang out; the girls began to clap, while tears flowed from their eyes. It is not just the girl crying, but also the Madams; they seem to be crying harder.
Silver hugged them and said something, I couldn¡¯t hear, before walking away with Carla Salt and a middle-aged man.
I wiped the tears from my own eyes and looked at the statue. It is big, beautiful and inspiring.
¡°Girls, there is one more important announcement,¡± said Headmistress Margaux, bringing our attention to us.
¡°Della Web will be the resident director,¡± she said, looking at the older woman beside her
Nobody seemed surprised. She had been second in command of Headmistress Margaux in the circle and only with the position of Asst. Madam, who didn¡¯t work in the legacy aside from Madam Gloria.
It is said, she had been offered but declined it.
¡°I am grateful for the responsibility; Master Silver, and you have bestowed on me. I will not disappoint you,¡± she said and turned to us.
¡°Girls, follow me,¡± she said and walked ahead. We followed behind the older woman.
¡°The rules are unchanged from the circle. If you have any problem, you come to me or any assistance madam in the residence,¡± she added.
¡°Have the rules about advancement and privileges remained the same, Madam Della?¡± asked the girl from the front.
¡°Yes, they are the same,¡± she replied.
¡°Till you reach Lv. 20, you will share the room with another person At Lv. 20, you will get your own room, and at Level 25, you will get an upgrade of the interior and a prize,¡± she added.
¡°What will we get after reaching Lv. 30?¡± asked another, and the older woman stopped and turned.
¡°Reach Lv. 30 and you will know,¡± she replied with a mischievous smile, before turning back and resumed walking.
Soon, we reached the resident building. The place we will live.
¡°There is one more thing. Those who picked flowers will receive no dessert for today. Consider it a lighter punishment since it is the first day, but next time, it will be a suspension of bigger privileges,¡± she said.
Immediately, the expressions of many girls changed.
It is a good thing; I hadn''t touched those flowers. I like sweets; it would have been regretful if I had missed that.
Krrrrrr!
Soon, the older woman reached the enormous doors and pushed them with both of her hands, revealing the massive lobby.
¡°The envelope, you have received has the key to your rooms. The first number is the floor, the second number is the suite, and the third number is the room inside the suite.¡±
¡°I am sure, you are capable of finding it on your own. If you still have any problem, ask them,¡± she said, pointing at four teenage girls; wearing identical white dresses with name pin on the shoulder.
I barely looked at them as I was busy being mesmerized by the huge lobby. It is beautiful, with murals on its domes and beautiful statues and paintings.
There are also four elevators and stairs, with information boards everywhere.
I took out the envelope and tore it open, revealing the key. Many had opened them yesterday when they received it, but I wanted to open a mine on time.
I looked at the key, which had ¡®03-11-02¡¯ carved on it. It means I have to go to the third floor. I looked at the elevator; I loved them.
The circle had them; on my first day, I had used them tens of times. I wanted to use one right, but seeing the crowd, I don¡¯t think. I would be able to.
So, I took the stains, not immediately. I waited for a few minutes as they were too crowded, before walking on them.
The stairs were beautiful marble, and I wanted to touch them with bare feet. They are laden with art like in the lobby, and it is good. It brings the life to the whole place.
I looked at each one of them, till I reached the third floor,
Each door is carefully marked, with many girls opening the doors of the suite, leading to their room.
Soon, I reached the eleventh suite and saw a red-haired half-orc girl opening the door. I recognize her. She was in the same building as me, but we had never talked.
¡°Which room are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Second,¡± I replied, and the smile on her face became bigger.
¡°It seemed like we are going to be room partners,¡± she said, showing me her key, which is the same as mine.
We entered inside the suite, and like the last time, each suite had four rooms with one private room in the middle.
The suite is bigger than what was in the circle and has far more luxuries. From the quality of the furniture to the paint covering the walls, everything looks better.
Click!
This is our room, she said and opened the room, and we entered inside.
¡°Wow! It is better than I had imagined,¡± said the woman as she unlocked the room. It is amazing, slightly bigger than before, and has better furniture; there is also a window, providing a view of the park.
¡°You are from the latest batch?¡± I asked. She nodded as looked around the room and I looked at her.
She is a half-orc, short of five-five, and has green skin, which is the same shade as the orcs, but she is slimmer like humans, with a round face and blue eyes.
She is beautiful, especially when her canines come out.
¡°I am Eliyen,¡± I introduced. I know her name from the door, but an introduction is necessary. It creates familiarity.
¡°Batul,¡± she replied and shook my hand.
¡°Which side, do you want?¡± she asked, turning to beds. ¡°Anything is fine with me,¡± I replied.
I don¡¯t have a preference. Though some like Ubal are particular about them.
¡°Then I am going to take the left,¡± she said and picked up her bags from the floor and put it on the table, before jumping on the bed.
¡°So, soft!¡± She cooed.
I smiled, seeing that, and picked up my bag and placed it on the bed. I had just opened it when she turned to me.
¡°We can do that later. Let¡¯s explore this place first,¡± she said, getting up from her bed. I wanted to decline, but I nodded.
¡°Sure,¡± I replied.
I am curious about this place too and want to see everything it has to offer. Especially look for the sewing room, the circle has it; I hope this place has it too.
Chapter 399: The Opening Day
Homers
"Mom, I want to come too," said a young woman of fourteen.
"You know, we can''t take you, honey. You have to stay in the territory till we return," I said to my daughter.
She wanted to come, since we received the invitation; the last when I returned, she was shocked seeing me and wanted to go to the spa.
We can''t take her, she is too young, also because she is the heir, and one will become a lady of territory. She needs to be here to take reigns of territory in case something happened to us, on the trip.
It is not Silver or Dane we fear, but the undead. They had turned such parties bloody, but we needed to go.
It will be the first exchange with Greltheaven, aside from various negotiations, that had been happening in the past six months.
A few tidbits have leaked over the week, and that made me extremely excited. I want to see it with my own eyes, while Elias does his business. Though, I hope, he will find some time for the spa.
The last time was memorable, especially the time after treatments; it had lighted up the fire in our sex life, that had been nearly dead.
It will not be just a trip for pleasure. Elias and other members of the council are going to have a negotiation with Silver.
It will be on many things, but one of the most important is emotion essence or rather potions with the emotion essence.
Those things are lifesavers. We want them and have been asking Silver about it, but till now, he has not budged even an inch on that.
We know his legacy is producing the emotion essence and selling them to merchant states for potions with emotion essence and other things. His army had used them in both of the battles; it is what saved many of his powerhouses from dying in the battle.
We need them; the monsters are attacking regularly and also Dane. He had suffered a humiliating defeat in the battle against us and that only increased his resolve to put the Baronies under his thumb.
Getting those things from silver will help our powerhouses against Dane.
"Are you ready?" asked Elias as he walked into the parlor. "Yes," I replied. "Let''s go. We have to reach Lauryl in time," he said.
A few minutes later, the carriage moved out of the castle toward the Lauryl.
Silver had invited all the nobles, but the council had decided to send only six. They have also decided to not send the most powerful ones, seeing the state of baronies where we are keeping a tight eye on the monsters and mirador hold.
Of six three are council members. Including its leader, Baron Husk, Elias, and, of course, Baroness Laila.
She is becoming essential, one of the four pillars of baronies. She had become as powerful as the other three; unlike the three, she is a mage. She might be lower level than three, but equally powerful due to the spells.
Silvers may be merchants, but they have produced two talented people. I heard Remus Silver was quite good at fighting too; he had fought both of the battles when he could have easily stayed behind.
This is good news for us, the stronger these people are, the better our security of baronies will be. However, they shouldn''t become too powerful; we want baronies ruled by a council, not by a sole leader.
Soon, we reached the Lauryl, and it was not the town it had been six months ago. It had turned into a city, with its population going past fifty thousand people and increasing faster.
"Silver is really good; the plans he made for it will turn Lauryl into a prosperous city," I said as I looked around.
The council had made only a slight change in the plans, that Silver had crafted for the city. They are so good, that they couldn''t find anything better and just rebranded it in their names. "If we kept growing as such; it won''t take us more than three years to catch up to the Greltheaven," said Elias. I couldn''t help, but nod at that.
The Greltheaven has its advantages, because of the river, but it is a city without resources. Unlike it, Lauryl had the resources from mines to agriculture to trade links between Oksall and Navr, which is growing every month.
There is also the rising industry of tanning and monster part packaging.
Monster''s attack and we have created an industry out of it. Earlier, we used to sell it. Semi-processed leather, meat, and other things came from the monsters, but now we process every part of it from leather, bones, blood, and others before selling.
It had brought a lot of people to the city and gave them the job. Not to mention the money.
Soon, the carriage entered the hold, and we exited. Elias went to his meeting while I went to the parlor, where ladies were already waiting, including Mrs. Silver.
She is coming. I heard she doesn''t like the bastard of her husband much.
"Ladies," I greeted as I sat down.
"What are you all talking about?" I asked, the eyes turned to Mrs. Silver for a moment, before turning back to me.
"We are talking about the disrespect Lord Silver had caused us, sending his whore with the invitation. He should have sent, a foreign chief or a treasury chief or even the head of merchant guild," said Baroness Husk.
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Her husband, Baroness, is head of the council and also the least powerful member of it. Only he was in the council and became its leader because of neutrality; he didn''t swing toward any faction.
"It is not a slight, since it is a legacy that invited us and not, the city. Miss Carla is head of legacy; I would say they have shown us appropriate respect," I replied.
Many were surprised, but it is the truth.
"Still, she is a whore, and he had sent her to our dominions," said Mrs. Silver and I could see the changes appearing in the eyes of many women.
The woman is intelligent. Knows, how to play with the words.
I remained quiet, while others nodded at her words. I don''t want to be seen favoring silver. Nakar baronies had broken away from Greltheaven.
Like Greltheaven, we are an independent entity and will remain independent, till the chaos in the empire calms down and one emperor or empress emerges.
The subject of conversation moved toward the other topics.
An hour and a half later, Elias returned, and we got out of the parlor and back to our carriages, which were being surrounded by a force.
Only six barons are leaving for the Greltheaven, but many others are sending their representatives, mostly family members. More than half of those representatives are women, and they are excited.
I had never seen any woman this excited about the brothel, but I can''t really blame them, seeing I am excited myself.
So, is Elias, though he isn''t showing it.
It is all because of the spa; the invitation had a booklet, which had information on all the services the tower and legacy will be offering. Including a spa, which covers, the total four floors of the tower.
I have seen the number of treatments they are offering. More than two of last time.
Most importantly, this time, they have people trained in Nezhar at the legacy spa and even brought the people who worked there. They have also brought tools and products, that will be used in the treatments.
"I didn''t believe, I would be able to see one of Rosen''s plays again; I thought he was dead," said Elias suddenly.
Rosen was a rising star in the business of theater two decades ago. He was an actor, writer, and director. He seemed unstoppable, till he cursed the prince in public and it all went downhill for him.
Prince Mather is not a man to forgive a slight. No matter how, big a rising star, one is.
He was in jail within a week and stayed there for five years and when he came back, he became a drunkard.
There were rumors that he died, in some back alley, drunk.
"It is such a regret what happened to that man. He is the reason we have met," I said, remembering the first time, I had met Elias.
"Me too; you had kept staring at me, from your balcony," he said, and I rolled my eyes. "It''s because of your hair. They are glowing," I replied, with his cheeks reddened in embarrassment at the memory. I wasn''t the only one staring at him, nearly everyone was.
If he wasn''t from the powerful merchant house. He would have thrown it out.
"It was a prank from my cousins," he said, and I smiled. His cousins, still play pranks, even after decades.
"Let''s hope, he has the same magic," I said. His plays were amazing; the tragedies were such that it had made even the cruelest people cry.
I talked to Elias, before closing my eyes to sleep.
When I woke up. It was a morning. Elias had already woken up and reading the documents.
"We are just fifteen minutes away from the river," he informed.
I nodded and activated Baroness Is Always Ready. Immediately, all the creases on my dress vanished and my hair fixed itself. I also felt refreshed, with not even a hint of sleep remaining in my eyes.
I loved the Baroness Class. I got it, five months ago, and it upgraded nearly all my skills and gave me amazing new ones.
Finally, we reached the river, and carriages stopped.
Hun!
When I got out, I couldn''t help, but become surprised. There is a pier in here; there was a pier before, but this one is much bigger, with boats carefully lined up.
There are also uniformed guards that keep keeping eye on everything.
I was looking when I saw the old man coming toward us, with four uniformed guards behind him. He looked familiar; I felt like, I had seen him somewhere.
"Hendriks, he was a personal assistant of Silver Senior," Informed Elias.
"My Lords, ladies, please," said the old man as he stopped in front of us, before leading us to the boats.
The boats are beautiful, and one by one, we sat on it, before it began to take us to the other side.
"It has been a while, Hendriks," said Mrs. Silver. "Exactly, two years, madam," he replied to the old man. A flash of guilt appeared in the eyes of Baroness Leila''s eyes, while sparks of anger appeared in the eyes of Mrs. Silver.
"I heard you are working under a whore. Quiet a fall from the job, you had," she said, shocking everybody.
Immediately, all the conversation stopped, and the eyes turned to her. Even she seemed to realize, she had said something she shouldn''t have.
It is fine if she calls Carla a whore in front of us, but she is calling her whore, in front of her colleague, in the dominion of silver. Carla isn''t just the business head of Silver, but also his mistress.
I heard he is quite smitten with her.
This woman despite being intelligent wasn''t able to control her emotions and said what she shouldn''t have.
"Mother," said Baroness Leila, and she was angry. There is a fire burning in her eyes. "My apologies, Hendricks. I misspoke," Mrs. Silver apologized.
The old man didn''t say anything other than smile. It is wise for him to not say anything because it is not his place to forgive. It is his place to repeat what he heard to his boss.
A good servant always reports to his masters.
The rest of the ride went in silence. It was awkward. Nobody knew what to say. It''s all because that woman couldn''t keep her enmity at bay.
Finally, the boat reached the other side of the river and what I saw couldn''t help but surprise me.
The bustling port. I had heard it had reached its former peak, but still, I thought it was an exaggeration, but it didn''t seem like it.
The port is far more bustling than its peak. I was here when it was at its peak and the port wasn''t as bustling as it is right now.
"It''s likely because of the opening," said Elias. Even he and the other nobles were surprised by the bustle.
We got out and saw three people waiting for us. The one on the left, I recognized immediately. Damon Hardt; the former head of the merchant guild and the new director of trade.
On the left is the woman I didn''t recognize. She is young, in her early to mid-twenties, strikingly beautiful, with skin that seemed to glow in the morning sun. Every man, including Elias, had to struggle to move their eyes away from her.
I looked at them focusing on the boy in the middle of them. He looks to be eleven or twelve with bronze skin; he is also quite handsome. Might even be able to beat Silver, when he reaches the age.
Every eye had turned to him.
"Welcome to Greltheaven, dear Lords and Ladies," said the boy and bowed faintly with grace.
If I am right, then he is Heron Raak, Silver''s brother, who came out of nowhere. I heard he is not Silver''s blood brother; the other child that came with him is his blood sibling.
Nobody knows where they came from. Only Baroness Leila seemed to know the answer. The council had asked her, but she replied it was a family matter.
"Thank you, for greeting us personally, Master Raak," said Baron Husk, while Mrs. Silver, looked at him, like she wanted to bore a hole into him.
The hate is evident in her eyes.
Before them, if something had happened to Silver, everything he had would have been theirs. Likely Baroness Leila''s, but now with them, the chances of it happening had disappeared.
Silver had hinted in the past few weeks that he was thinking of making his sister his heir, till he had his own children.
We talked to the four before they led us to the carriages waiting for us, which took us to the city.
Chapter 400: The Park
"The day is good," I said as I looked at the sky.
I was worried that it was going to be another cloudy day as it had been for the past three days, but it was not.
It is a sunny day, marking the end of winter.
It is a comfortably warm day, enough to sunbathe. Which is good. If it had been cloudy, the experience of the park wouldn''t have been as good as it will now be.
"I am leaving everything to you, Robin," I said to the man beside me. "Go, I will handle everything here," he replied.
I nodded and walked toward the carriage.
Today is the day of opening. I want to focus on my legacy and hand everything to Robin.
The guests have already started coming in. The nobles of Nakar Baronies had come half an hour ago and more were coming every hour.
There are multiple welcoming parties with Carla and Robin, along with Heron welcoming the most important people.
Last night, I received the news of someone important coming.
They were going to send the representative, but changed his mind at the last moment, likely because of his mistress who will be in Greltheaven in two hours.
She is coming to the spa.
She had come to the spa last time, a week before the undead attacked. She was thoroughly impressed, she had told me that personally.
His appearance will bring a lot of confidence in the city.
Except for the nobles of Nakar Baronies and him, everybody is sending their representatives. Even the princes have sent their representative; I had met one last night, and I wanted to punch the man.
Click!
I pushed those throught aside and stepped into the carriage.
It got out of the city hall and moved toward the tower.
Today, the city is feeling more vibrant. There are more people on the street than usual. I have been informed of the high number of people entering the city.
They are from merchant states, but also from Deerpond and Inam. Even people from Gailhorn are coming and not the only ones I had sent the invitation to.
The relationship with the Gailhorn is good. Trade with them is increasing every month; even our merchants have started to trade with Navr. Though nearly all things they are buying, they are selling outside.
Mostly to the empire. The city and region are still not ready to accept the things coming from the undead kingdom.
Soon we reached near the park, and this area was most crowded.
The circular area by the canal had become the prime real estate. The prices had shot past what they had been in the peak and after the opening; they will increase further.
The girls have made a lot of real estate investment and it has already started giving them great returns.
I could see the crowd of people by the canals, waiting for the park to open, while many passing the time by shopping in beautiful shops by the canal and eating in the restaurant.
The opening will be in phases throughout the day.
The first one to open will be the park; it will open at one and half an hour later at ten. At twelve, the five floors will open, along with the spa, and at six, the brothel, the theatre, and Eva''s store.
At nine, the top three floors will open; it is where the opening party is being held.
The carriage crossed the bridge and moved along the beautifully paved road. A few minutes later, it entered a huge garden surrounding the tower, before stopping in front of its doors.
Click!
I got out and admired the tower; it was even more beautiful than the vision. One look and anyone would want to enter inside.
There is also that faint fragrance that pulls one toward the tower.
This is no normal fragrance. It comes from plants that consume emotion essence as food. Those powers of emotion essence, mixed with fragrance from plants, create a deadly combination.
I have looked at it many times, but every time I look, I get mesmerized by it.
I pulled myself a few seconds later and walked inside. It was when the real thing hit me.
Outside, it is a faint fragrance, but inside it is a wave, that submerges you, the moment you step in it.
In this vast lobby, there are plants everywhere, but they do not feel crowded. Each of these plants is beautiful, so much, one would get enamored by them instantly.
Initially, I wanted to have the stores in the lobby, but I have decided against it.
Aside from plants, there is beautiful furniture, from sofas to tables to chairs. Its walls have beautiful paintings. There are statues and other art pieces.
All of them are loaned from different people and my house. I can''t put cheap art in my legacy. Every piece is beautiful and complements the plants to increase the beauty of the lobby.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
It is good, but it still pales in compared to the legacy where the emotion mist is everywhere and so are the effects of the charms.
With the plant, they create such a combination. Once they entered there, they didn''t want to leave. It enthralls them.
Providing them with such experience, that they had never got in their life.
Here the plants are being supplied the emotion essence through the network vine
In front of me, there is a long white stone desk attached to the wall.
Behind it are three girls.
Two are teens, while in the middle woman in her early thirties.
That is Lorle; she had left the brothel and wanted to serve her contract in a different capacity. In the past six months, I had sent her to the hotels to learn. She had come back, learning a lot.
"Master Silver," she greeted. I nodded and walked toward the elevator before entering the room.
The elevator moved, and it was fast, but not enough. One could see what was on the floors, they were passing by.
We had intentionally selected this speed for the elevator. We could have made move faster, but this is the best speed to serve our purpose.
Ting!
The elevator stopped at the top floor, and I stepped out into the velvet blue.
I had changed it from Velvet Restaurant. It now covers three floors. One could enter the first, with reservation, but to enter the second floor, one would need to be on the Madam''s list, and for the floor, they would need to be on my list.
We haven''t even opened yet, but the reservation list had become months long. We only opened the reservation yesterday.
It is not special to the establishment, but all the legacies.
There are a few in the world, and everyone wants to get into them. Even the people with good money need to wait for years to get reservations in legacies.
I hope, that when it opens tonight, it will make a splash big enough, that reservation list will stretch for years.
I took a deep breath, controlling my emotions. This place is enthralling; even I, who is resistant to the effects, am getting enthralled by it. It is at 50% of Grade I; Grade II gives a feeling of being in heaven.
I looked at the preparations before walking toward my office.
Click!
When I entered. Caena was waiting in my office.
The new office is big, with a large desk and an even larger widow. Which gives me the whole view of the northern side of the city.
The tower is the tallest building in the entire city. From the roof, I could see the whole city; it was amazing.
"How are the preparations?" I asked. "Everything is moving according to the plans," she replied.
"I heard, there was a problem in the kitchen?" I asked. "It''s been fixed," she replied.
I trust her enough to believe her words, but I will be looking forward to the report on the incident. I want everything cataloged, every little incident.
A few minutes later, she left, and I read the reports in front of me.
''Master Silver, Miss Eva, and Miss Cain want to see you,'' said Jill.
They didn''t have an appointment, but I had been expecting them. I thought they would come sooner. The moment, they found out.
Click!
''Send them in,'' I said.
A few seconds later, two women came in. Miss Cain''s expressions are normal, but Eva is visibly irritated and angry.
"Lord Silver," they greeted.
"Eva, Miss, please take a seat," I offered. "Thank you, my lord," they replied.
"What can I do for you, ladies?" I asked as they sat.
"The timing, my lord. We had been informed, that the sixteenth floor, will open at six, in the evening instead of twelve in the afternoon," said Eva, in clear irritation.
"Ah, yes. There had been a slight change in the plans," I replied, without a hint of apology, which seemed to irritate her further.
"May I know, why, My Lord?" she asked. With a smile on her face, all the anger and hesitation there had disappeared.
She is a businesswoman with decades of experience.
I saw anger and irritation because she wanted it to see me and now that I saw it, hid it in her heart.
"I felt the six would be a better time to open than twelve," I replied, not really answering the question.
Which irritated Miss Cain, but the woman was as well as Eva at controlling her emotions.
"Please reconsider it, My Lord. Twelve would be a great time for opening. There are important people coming for the spa,"
"It would help, the store''s reputation. If we got the patrons like them," she said.
"You do not have to worry about that Eva. Six is better timing, believe me," I replied. She faintly opened her mouth to press, but closed it after seeing me expressions.
I have made my decision, and I am not going to change it.
"Thank you for your time, my lord," she said and bowed before walking out of my office.
They might be angry, but in a few hours, they will be overjoyed.
Click!
Soon, an hour passed, and I walked out of my office and took the stairs to the roof.
Carla and Caena were already there. I nodded at them, before turning to the city.
From this place, I could look at the entire city and the river. Even the dots on it, which are the ship.
The city is smaller than almost any city, I have even been in this world, but it has great potential. It is my duty to grow it to that.
Minutes passed and soon, there was only one minute to ten, when Caena twirled her finger and immediately, the things from far began to get closer.
Now, I could see the canal, the bridges, and thousands of people, waiting for the garden to open.
If I concentrated, I could even see their faces and excitement in their eyes as they looked at the garden that was a few steps away from them.
They are not just people from the city, but also from outside; they all come for the grand opening of the legacy.
They are going to bring a lot of income to the city.
Gong!
Seconds passed and at exactly ten, I raised my hand up. The power moved around me, and a deep, sonorous sound rang out.
It spread through the whole city. The guards also listened and finally moved away, opening the way for the people.
Immediately, thousands of them rushed toward the three bridges across the park.
There are four bridges, but one is only for the college.
"They might crush each other if they move like that," said Carla worriedly. "They won''t. The guards have crowd control skills," I replied.
The rush surprised me, but I had prepared for it.
They are rushing, but there won''t be a stampede. I am looking at guards and they are doing a good job of managing the crowd.
The crowd entered the parks and moved in different directions.
Half of them walked toward the tower, while many went toward the boats. Some just found the spot and took out the blanket from the basket and the day down by the lake.
The idea was of the garden, but it had turned into the park, before becoming even bigger.
Now, the whole park covers two hundred and fifty-three acres of land. It had everything, gardens, lakes, hills, gazebos, and paved trails.
There are also cute shops selling snacks and souvenirs.
"It didn''t take even a minute, for all the boats to get into the water," said Caena.
The people brought tickets so fast. That they got sold out, within seconds.
There are a limited number of boats, for them to have a memorable experience. So, even if all boats entered the canal, like right now. It won''t feel crowded.
"Those poor children; I wish, they could come in the park," said Carla, looking at me. She wanted access open to the children too, but I am opposed to it.
The entry is fourteen plus.
Though, the canal is accessible to people of all ages, including children.
I would have liked to give them access to the park and tower, but I know, the business I am running. It might seem hypocritical, but I want to shield them.
It is not the final decision. I might reduce the age by a year or two, but it won''t be lower than twelve.
The rush continued for minutes. The people spread into every corner of it, that the massive garden begins to feel small. It made me happy, to see it is not overkill for a small city.
We watched for half an hour, before walking out of the roof.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done. The park''s opening was the easiest; the others won''t be as smooth as this one.
Chapter 401: Tower
Click!
The door closed, and the carriage began to move toward the legacy.
There are ten minutes to eleven and we have an appointment of twelve-thirty at the spa.
It is a little early, but we want to see things.
We arrived in the city a few hours ago and held a meeting with a few people, but we were able to get one with Silver and his people.
They do not have time till tomorrow.
"Were you able to get anything from Gina Arryn?" Elias asked, and I shook my head.
"That woman isn''t willing to let even a single word slip.
She is my second cousin, and we had good relations. I wanted to find out what the merchant guild is thinking about our proposal.
We sent one to them a few days ago and there will be negotiations with a merchant guild of two cities a week later.
It is pretty important, and I hoped to gain some insight, but the woman isn''t willing to give even a single hint.
"I didn''t have any success either; they aren''t willing to talk business unless it is in an official capacity," Elias said, and I sighed.
"Silver is running a tight ship," I stated.
It wasn''t so difficult when the Count was in charge. You could pretty much know anything as long as you know who to ask.
Since Silver took charge, he has replaced nearly everyone, including those in the merchant guild, and now they aren''t willing to do something, that will cause them to lose their jobs.
Many had lost their jobs due to the loose tongue.
"Still, we need to try," said Elias, and I couldn''t help, but nod.
There are people in the baronies providing Silver information. Not just the officials, but also the Barons themselves.
Silver knows things he shouldn''t. It''s clear, that people are providing him with information.
It had given him an advantage in the negotiations with us.
We would like some advantages too and one of the objectives of this trip of cultivate the sources, that will provide us with that.
Things are difficult, but we have several targets and I plan to succeed in at least convincing one.
Minutes passed, and the park came into view. I have never seen it before, but there is only one place in Greltheaven with a canal.
As we got closer, I saw the boats moving on it.
There are people sitting alone, couples, families and friends. They even have a musician playing the instrument and singing.
"I want to ride on those boats," I said. "We will," replied Elias with a smile.
Soon, the carriage crossed the bridge.
"Stop," I said to the driver, and Elias looked at me in confusion.
"Let''s walk,"
He nodded, and we walked out of the carriage. It moved toward the tower while we walked on a beautifully paved road.
There are people everywhere, sitting on the small hills. On benches, picnic tables, and blankets.
There are lakes, walking trails, and cute shops, selling souvenirs and snacks. People seemed to having fun, seeing how their faces were glowing.
"We need a park like this," I said. We have built a few gardens, but no park.
It would be much cheaper in Lauryl, considering its soil is fertile. There is no power, like a wasteland, that stops anything from growing.
This means the maintenance would also be cheaper.
"Such an enormous expense wouldn''t be possible before we build the wall," replied Elias, and I sighed.
Council had ambition for Lauryl and the first thing, they wanted to do was build a wall. We have a wall, but it is of the wood.
We need a real wall, like the one Greltheaven, and other cities have.
We need it, desperately, not only to defend against the Dane''s advances but also against the monsters. If an especially powerful horde came, then Lauryl would be the only place we could take shelter in.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
We need it as protected as possible.
Hun!
"What was there? It seemed to be protected," I asked and turned to the guards behind me.
We have our guards, but there are two in black uniforms, that Silver had provided us.
"It is a lake Baroness," replied the orc guard.
The answer confused me. There are lakes in the park, but they are not hidden. Some of these lakes are for show, not touched, while others have people playing in them.
"Why it is protected?" I asked, and his cheeks seemed to redden.
"It is an adult lake, my lady," he replied, clearly looking uncomfortable. This confused even me further, because it is an adult park. Those below fourteen aren''t allowed here.
"We should check it out," I said, and he opened his mouth to say something, but closed it, seeing his partner shaking his head.
Elias, too, seemed curious and walked toward the protected lake, which is blocked by the veil of tall bushes, with guards at its entrance.
Soon we reached it and entered the inside unopposed.
Hun!
As we did, we stopped. The cheeks of both of us flooded red, seeing the scenes in front of us.
In front of us is a large lake; one of the biggest in the entire park.
In it and around it are people, like many other lakes, but unlike those people who are wearing proper clothes, these people here are walking around in their underclothes.
Showing so much skin, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Men, women, most of them are young. They are playing in the lake, some are swimming deeper into it, while some are lying on peculiar beds, bathing in the sun.
"This is human dominion for god''s sake, not a land of elves!" I exclaimed, flabbergasted, seeing the scandalous scene.
Something I had never expected to see in the land of empire.
I wanted to look away, but having a hard time averting my eyes away from them.
They are having fun, without a care in the world.
Most of them seemed to be mid-teen to mid-twenties. Some of these people seemed familiar, a few I had recognized.
As I was looking at them, my gaze fell on the near corner of the pool, where two young couples were making out.
As we were watching it, a group of two women and three men in their late teens came from behind.
They quickly went to the cute store by the pool and selected colorful underclothes, which they called bathing suits.
They paid for them before going to the wooden boxes and came out wearing underclothes.
A minute later, they were in the lake with a group of friends.
"What in the damn world silver is doing?" asked Elias breathlessly. I could see the shock and worry in his eyes.
Our daughter is nearly the same age as some of these people and I don''t know what I would feel, if I saw her with these people, wearing such clothes.
If someone had asked me before, I would have told them I would use sticks, but seeing these young people laughing and enjoying themselves, I don''t feel that same resolve anymore.
"I think, we should leave or we will miss the time of our appointment," I said to Elias, who nodded blankly.
The scene seemed to shock him; he wasn''t the only one. I am shocked too. It is something or even allowed anywhere in the empire.
On the way to the tower, we were quiet. We didn''t even talk a single word.
It was only when we reached the tower that we pulled ourselves out of our thoughts and looked at the marvelous thing.
It is not the biggest building, I have seen. I have seen many, including the Mage Tower, some of which go over a hundred stories.
This is smaller than many, but the most beautiful.
The tower is twenty-one stories tall, with huge columns on every floor. Many of these columns have beautiful plants covering them, some have plants on them.
The tower is beautiful, but one would instantly notice a flaw.
The pale yellow color feels odd to the beautiful architecture of the tower. It is the color of the wastelands'' soil, but when looked at it is long enough with the plants.
The flaw becomes a become strength.
The tower isn''t completely covered by them. Some of its columns are covered so thoroughly that one couldn''t see even a small part of it, but some columns are naked.
Some floors are densely covered in plants, but others are sparse
It creates a contracting visual. It fills one''s mind so that one can think of nothing other than it.
There is also the faint smell. It is a mixture of hundreds of flowery smells that affect every part of the body and pull one toward the tower.
"Silver had really created something incredible," said the familiar voice.
I turned and saw Baron Husk, with his wife. There is also Baroness Leila and Madam Silver. She is looking at the tower with hate, but also admiration.
"He has," said Elias, before we walked toward the door of the tower.
Gasp!
We stepped through the enormous doors, and I heard the gasps. Only to realize I was one of the people who had gasped.
It is too shocking to not gasp in shock.
Seeing the tower from outside, I knew inside, would be incredible, but what I am seeing is still beyond anything I had imagined.
There are plants everywhere, beautiful plants like the work of art, releasing the smells that enthralled me.
These plants, and the smells, released from them meld wonderfully with the amazing art pieces, that are placed around the lobby.
"Luminous sylphwell, wyvern flowers, darkblo¡"
I was looking at them when I heard the faint voice. Only to see, Lady Husk naming the plants.
The woman who only gossiped had effortlessly named these plants. I wouldn''t have been surprised if it was Baroness Leila, but very much with Baroness Husk.
It seemed like, she was not a simple woman.
Seeing us, looking at her, she stopped, with her cheeks reddening.
"All of them are extremely rare plants. They consume emotion mist for food." She said, before walking toward the tree with dark flowers.
She was about to touch them when she stopped and moved her hand back.
She seemed to have felt something, seeing how her expressions changed. I am not surprised to see that. These plants are precious and there must be protection around them.
"Silver is going to earn a lot of money and influence from these plants," she said and began to look at the other plants in the lobby.
Of course, we knew that, and it was going to be one of the topics for the negotiations.
We want some of it.
A few alchemists in merchant states have contacted us.
They are willing to sell us potions with emotion essence and other restricted goods if we are able to provide them with the resources produced by these plants.
It will be hard to get them from silver, but if we did. Baronies will benefit tremendously.
We looked at every plant and wonderful piece of art. Many of these are popular, like the kavas portrait, in front of me.
It is from the collection of a house of silver. Their name was written on the metallic plaque below it.
There are many other pieces, and they are different sources. Including the House of Ashav and the House of Blackwell.
"He had turned this lobby into a freaking museum. Each one of these pieces is worth a fortune," said Elias, and I couldn''t help but nod.
He is not talking about just the art, but also the plants. If anyone was able to steal, even a few of them; they would never need to work in their life.
We looked at them before unwillingly walked to the elevator.
We would have liked to stay further, but there''s only ten minutes to our spa appointment.
Chapter 402: Spa I
Rutto
¡°Greltheaven, once again,¡± I said as I walked down from the ship.
I had come here nine months ago but needed to return immediately. Those bastards didn¡¯t even let me enter the city and sent me back from the port.
It was embarrassing for me in the court. It had ruined my reputation and made me bankrupt.
If not for that, fortunate incident, that brought me back to the good graces of his imperial majesty. I would have been still in that hellhole.
Those months were the worst time of my life.
Coming here is a dangerous decision. Seeing the undead could capture the city, but there was no future in the court.
It is also not safe. Especially for me, who could barely protect himself.
To me, this place will be much safer than the court.
Prince Grelt is dead. That bastard Darrow is also dead.
Without them, the old man is no threat. I would have really liked it if the old bastard had been here. I wanted to take the revenge on him.
I looked at the city and the barely visible tower.
Soon, I will be its guardian and all that emotion essence will be under my control. So are those precious plants, that his majesty wants.
Not to mention the whores. I didn¡¯t get a chance at them last time; time, they will be mine. ¡
...
Homers
Ding!
The chiming sound rang out, as the doors of the elevator opened.
We stepped out and immediately felt the familiar sensation of the legacy that filled our souls, and this time; it is far more powerful.
I still remember the feeling of last time and what I had felt last time pales compared to what I am feeling right now.
For a moment, I thought the legacy had advanced. Which is obviously not true. It is still Grade I, but more powerful than the last time.
It is not just the power of the legacy, that overwhelmed me, but also the enthralling smells and beauty of the plants around me.
I thought the plants in the lobby were the most beautiful, with the most wonderful smell, but I had been wrong.
These plants are more beautiful and the smells coming from them had reached my soul. They have started to bring out emotions that I hadn¡¯t felt in a long time.
I looked at the beautiful plants and the emotion mist covering them. They look so beautiful like the parts of heaven brought into the mortal world.
I found tears had started to come out of my eyes.
I looked around and saw nearly everyone had tears in their eyes. The only one among us, that felt less affected is Baroness Leila.
Even her eyes are misty.
The woman is very good at controlling her emotions. I had never seen her show emotions when she didn¡¯t want to, but this place had affected her, too.
¡°Welcome to the velvet spa, ladies and gentlemen,¡± said a young voice.
Only to see a young woman in a white dress standing in front of us.
She is a teen girl, of fifteen-sixteen years. She had short blond hair, barely reaching her neck, and pale green eyes, that highlighted her delicate face.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
She had been there from the beginning. We just didn¡¯t notice, as the feeling of legacy beauty and fragrance of plants enveloped us.
¡°Please follow me,¡±
The teen led us through the beautiful hallway covered in plants, into the room with mats.
Gasps!
The gasps rang out around me as they saw the marvel in the center of the spa.
¡°Mistral Cascade; it covers all four floors of the spa,¡± informed the teen with a bright smile on her face.
It is a spiral vortex rain waterfall, and it is not common water flowing through it, but water, that is densely mixed with mist of legacy.
It had turned every drop velvety, and the sound they made seemed to soothe my soul.
¡°Ah,¡±
I moaned as my legs became weak and I sat on the mat.
First, the spa had only overwhelmed my visual and olfactory senses, but now even my auditory senses were overwhelmed with this waterfall.
These three together created such cadence that emotions rose out of me in bursts and began to flow out through the tears.
I lost control over my emotions, and I didn¡¯t try to control them. Instead, let them flow out through the tears.
The world is hard, and at every moment, I need to guard my emotions.
I needed to do that every day after we became nobles and intensified when the barony separated itself from the Greltheaven.
I had bottled all those emotions and now they are coming out of me in a flood.
Minutes passed when finally, the flood of emotions stopped.
I felt calmer than I had never felt become. It felt like the mountainous weight that had been on my shoulders had lifted up.
It felt so good that I couldn¡¯t describe it. Nor did I try to. I simply closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling of peaceful emptiness, that I am feeling.
I kept my eyes closed for minutes, before finally opening them with a gentle smile on my face.
I looked and saw myself sitting on the mat with mist covering me. I looked around and realized there were people everywhere, sitting on mats covered in dense mist.
I hadn¡¯t noticed them when I had come into the room.
They had mist covering them and it was dense enough, that I couldn¡¯t see their faces, but through their body language, I know they are also crying.
I looked at my husband and saw him shaking.
I could tell he was crying too, and I wanted to comfort him but stopped myself.
This is extremely personal, and even I don¡¯t have the right to invade this moment. I wouldn¡¯t have liked it if Elias had come when the emotions flooded out of me.
I looked at him for a while, before turning to others. All of them are crying, especially the men; they are crying hardest.
Which isn¡¯t surprising. Men aren¡¯t allowed to show emotions or cry. From childhood, they keep it all bottled up, rarely letting them out.
Now, it is all coming out.
I saw a door opening and three more people coming inside the hall.
The mist had enveloped them as they came through the door. I couldn¡¯t see their faces at all and I don¡¯t think my ocular skill will be able to peer through it.
Mist felt strong, and I didn¡¯t forget the suppression that I felt here when I activated my skills last time.
The three people shook as we did, but the woman helped them sit on mats before they could fall on the ground.
Within a second, they begin to shake wildly.
I was looking at them, when a woman in her middle age, with Nazarian features, wearing in spa uniform in fuchsia colors, stopped beside me.
¡°My lady. If you are emptied, I could take you to the waiting room.¡± She said, in a most soothing accented voice.
I nodded and even took her help in getting up, which I wouldn¡¯t have if it had been under any other circumstances.
She opened the door without any sound and took me out of the hall to the waiting room.
It is huge and beautiful with plants, and the waterfall, which I think connects to all the rooms. They have built rooms around it.
¡°What was that? The sensory outburst was sudden and controllable,¡± I asked the woman.
¡°The legacies are places that harvest emotions. When it mixes with things that overwhelm the senses. It triggers the flood of emotions,¡± she replied in a calming voice.
¡°It was extreme,¡± I said, and the woman smiled.
¡°That is good. I am sure you have started to feel the benefits of it already,¡± she said and I couldn¡¯t help, but nod.
I am feeling calm as I had never before; even calmer than after the spa treatment last time.
She led me to a seat, and I sat down before handing me a catalog.
¡°Thank you,¡± I said, and the woman smiled. ¡°If you have any queries about any treatment, please ask any of the assistants,¡± she said and walked away.
I watched her leave and look at the assistants. The teen girls strategically stood around the different parts of the waiting room.
I turned to the catalog and started to read.
The first time when I came, there were only two treatment packages. One for men, one for women; each one offering four treatments.
Now, there are over twenty packages, offering every type of treatment possible.
Hun!
I was reading it when I noticed a woman coming and sitting by me.
It is none other than Baroness Husk.
She looked different; a few lines on her face seemed to have vanished, making her look a little younger.
¡°It had been a decade since I cried like that,¡± she said, with a small peaceful smile.
¡°But it feels good, right?¡± I asked, and the woman nodded. ¡°Like the load, I never knew lifted from my shoulders,¡± she replied.
A few minutes later, Baroness Leila came, and then Madam Silver. Who, for the first time, looked calm since coming to the city.
I wonder how long that is going to last.
I was getting worried about Elias when I finally saw him coming, making me feel relieved.
He sat down in front of me. Our eyes met before he turned to the catalog. We didn¡¯t talk, nor did we need to.
I know he is fine, better than fine.
Chapter 403: Spa II
Homers
Hun!
I was studying the catalog when I noticed a striking half-elf coming out of the room.
There are many come out, including two elves, but this one is special.
Not only because she was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, but also because, as she came out, Maeve Hanson walked to her with a big smile on her face.
The head of the spa didn''t come to meet us, or even Baroness Leila, but she had gone to meet this half-elf personally.
I looked at my peers to ask. If they recognized her, when I saw a surprise, on Baroness Leila''s face.
"Do you know her Baroness?" I asked her and every head turned to her as she nodded.
"Safmae Tylcharis. Mistress of Lord of Owlspring," she replied.
Immediately, information about her flooded in.
The woman is the bellowed mistress of the Lord of Owlspring. He is so smitten with her, that it is said, he had left his every other mistress.
She also wields huge political power as much as his wife. More than her, seeing how much the Lord of Owlspring adores her.
Which is quite surprising seeing, it had been barely three years since she had become his mistress.
"Mistresses are the scourge. There should be laws like the Kingdom of Sukar in the empire," said Mistress Silver, drawing a glare from her daughter.
Kingdom of Sukar, where infidelity is punished with burning one at the stake.
I looked at the woman, who still had hate in her heart, despite the emptying of emotions a few minutes ago.
"Have you chosen?" Elias asked. I nodded. It was a struggle, since everything looked good. Including the package I had chosen last time.
I wanted to choose it again, but pushed that thought aside, no matter how enticing it looked.
"You?" I asked, and he nodded too.
Seeing that, I turned to the assistant, and immediately, the girl felt my gaze and walked toward me, while the other girl came out and took her place.
I had looked over twenty packages before choosing one. It is quite expensive, but I know it will be worth it.
Ethereal Bliss
1. Luminous Facial.
2. Oruan Hand and Foot Ritual.
3. Dreamweaver Hot Stone Message.
4. Serene Scalp Treatment.
5. Hydrating Masin Bath.
The teen girl appeared and gave a graceful bow. She did it better than most of my staff.
"Have you chosen your package, my lady?" she asked, "Yes. Etherial Bliss," I replied.
"And you, my lord?" she asked, turning to Elias. "Hydrating Farer," he replied.
"You two share two treatments. Would you like to do them together?" she asked, and I looked at Elias, who nodded.
"Yes," I replied.
A minute later, we changed into our robes and went for our treatments.
Elias had treatment on the same floor, but I had needed to go floor below.
As the girl had said, the waterfall did cover the entire four floors. We moved around it, before stopping at the room with a beautifully carved white door.
Click!
The girl opened the door, and I walked inside.
The room is small but beautifully decorated. It has plants and shelves filled with different beauty products and tools.
In the center is a black spa chair and beside it is a woman.
She is an elf with aqua-blue hair and blue eyes. She is wearing a fitting fuchsia spa uniform, with a name tag on her chest.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
"Welcome, my lady. I am Yarwyn and I will be giving you the luminous facial," she said as I walked inside.
"I will be in your care," I said and sat down in the facial chair.
Her gentle hands moved across my face. I could feel her skills accessing my face; they stayed there for a minute before she pulled back.
"You have chosen well, my lady. Luminous facial is best for the skin like yours," she said, and tapped on the crystal water container attached to the wall.
Immediately, the water came out, and she took it in her hands.
The tap stopped automatically, and she separated her hands, but instead of falling down as water would usually do. The water formed two giggly blobs in her hands.
"This is the water from Teran''s spring. It is a spring in the extreme region, of the kingdom of Naros. It is the best water for cleansing," she informed, and the surrounding mist moved.
It funneled into a colorless blob of water, turning them colorful.
"Kingdom of Naros; nezharian kingdom, right?" I asked.
"Yes, my lady," she replied.
A moment later, I felt those blobs against my skin. I wanted to ask questions further, but I stopped and closed my eyes as the water balls cleaned my face.
It felt amazing to feel those water blobs sliding on my face. Clearing all the make-up, dead skin, and other things of it.
I wanted to moan in pleasure, but I controlled myself. Though only for a few seconds.
It was so good that I wasn''t able to resist it for long.
It continued for a few minutes before she finally took away the balls. They were so dirty, that I couldn''t feel ashamed.
"The cleansing is over; I will now scrub your skin, my lady," she informed and took out a small glass bottle from the shelf.
From there, she took a handful of grainy blue cream. It smells good, but I am more focused on the bottle, emblem, to be specific.
"I heard many of the stuff you are using is from Elysian Serenity?" I asked, and the elf smiled.
"Yes. Over 50% of the products we are using in the spa are from Serenity," she replied, before applying the scrub over my skin with experienced hands.
The mist had covered her hands, and I felt it across my skin.
I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feeling.
Minutes passed, and her hands continued to move across my face. It lasted for a minute before she cleaned the scrub off my face.
After that, it was a black mask that remained on my face for fifteen minutes before she peeled it perfectly without any breakage.
The massage after that made me moan every second, and I wish it continued for much longer.
Unfortunately, it ended too quickly.
In the end, she applied a cool moisturizer that made me feel as if my skin had come alive.
"There is no mirror, right?" I asked, as the facial ended and the elf smiled.
"No, my lady," she replied.
I shook my head with a laugh and thanked the woman before walking out.
As I did, I noticed the light mist covering me, like a cloak.
"My lady," the girl greeted, not one bit surprised to see a cloak of mist covering me and leading me toward the place, where I would have a hand and feet ritual.
A minute later, I was there, and it was as heavenly as the facial; it left me moaning in pleasure and wanting more.
Elias and I had a Dreamweaver hot stone massage together, but we hardly talked to each other during it. We were both busy enjoying the amazing massage.
It was a serene scalp treatment at the next, which was heavenly, and after that was a hydrating masin bath.
Ah Ahh Ahhh
I moaned as the two women bathed me in a round stone pool, filled with water mixed with mist and covered rose petals.
Elias is on the other side of the pool, with a velvety curtain of mist separating us.
It was our second treatment together, but I had not seen more than a silhouette of my husband.
I will see him soon, till then I will enjoy this bath.
It is really good, that I wish, I could have a bath like this everybody.
Unfortunately, I couldn''t.
It is not a question of staff or money, I could afford it, but it is a damn legacy. It is what makes the whole experience special.
The bath lasted for an hour and I wish it would have lasted more.
Two women brought me out of the pool and wiped all the water away from me, before coating my body with a cream.
It seeped into my skin, making my skin even more lustrous and vibrant than before.
"Thank you for allowing us to serve you, my lady," said the woman.
"It is I who should be thanking you. It was a wonderful experience," I thanked and both of them smiled.
I walked toward the door and saw Elias was doing the same and once again, he was covered in mist and so was I.
Click!
We got out of the room and the girl was waiting for us outside.
"My lord, my lady, have the treatments been to your satisfaction?" asked the young girl. "It was an experience I would never forget," I replied, and the young girl smiled.
"Do you want me to take you to the changing room, or will you rest?" she asked.
Elias turned to me as I turned to him before we turned to the girl.
"We will rest," I replied.
Silver had created a spa, but he kept the roots of the brothel intact. It wouldn''t be a full experience if it didn''t end with that.
The girls nodded and took us to the elevator. This one is small and hidden; have a space for only four people.
The door closed, and the elevator moved above. Soon, it reached the upper floor of the spa, but it didn''t stop there and kept moving up.
Ting!
It stopped at the floor above. The door opened and walked ahead, while we followed behind.
As we were going toward it. I saw the people coming and felt a spark of fear, but there was also dark excitement, which surprised me.
I had not expected I would feel such emotions.
It would be embarrassing or even damaging if people recognized us, but that fear disappeared as I looked at them properly.
The people are covered in the mist, and it is not light. One couldn''t even see their silhouette properly.
I looked at Elias and saw the mist surrounding him had also turned denser.
The mist was magical. Despite getting denser, it didn''t impede my vision, I could see everything clearly.
Click!
Soon, the girls stopped by the door and opened it.
"Have a good rest, my lord, my lady," she said. I looked at the girl and entered inside the beautiful room.
I looked at it, especially our clothes, which were hanging on a rack as if they were expecting us would be doing this.
I was looking at the clothes when I felt an intense gaze. I turned to Elias, and my breath got stuck.
All the mist covering us had disappeared.
He looked handsome as the day, I first saw him, except for the glowing hair.
He had that same intensity in his eyes that drew me toward him.
Feeling those eyes, my cheeks reddened and my heart began to beat wildly.
He kept looking at me for several seconds, before raising his hands up and pulling the sash of my robe, which fell to my feet.
"I love you," he said breathlessly and took my lips for a kiss, making me feel like, the first time he kissed me.
I melded into him, pouring all the love I have for him.
A minute later, the gentle kisses begin to get passionate. I moved my hand toward his robe and pulled it.
It fell down, and we moved toward the bed, without lips leaving each other.
Soon, we were on the bed, with our bodies moving in rhythm.
Gentle moans escaped from our lips, as we made love as we did the first time on our wedding night.
Chapter 404: Store
Click!
I returned to my office after checking things. It is five, already, only one hour before the store and theater open and four hours till the party.
Everything is ready.
Still, I couldn''t help but feel nervous, but also excited.
I took a deep and sat on my chair, before closing my eyes.
They remained closed for over a minute before I opened them. I am not in my office, but in a dark space, with a huge sun in front of me.
The core is shining brighter than ever before.
It is absorbing a large amount of emotions. I had it earlier and now it is even greater.
The amount of emotions is nearly as much as the day legacy advanced to Grade II. Where the people were scared of the undead, giving core to massive emotions to absorb.
The day after that, the legacy exploded.
It was the last time it had harvested such essence before today.
I had expected a good harvest from the spa, but not this.
The crying hall really worked.
It is sensory therapy, and I wasn''t trying to create it, because it is damn hard to create something, that will affect all three senses and trigger the floor of emotions.
It had occurred right after we opened the vortex waterfall.
People begin to cry, inconsolably.
Understanding what is happening. We removed what it was before and created the sensory therapy room.
In that place, people release their emotions in flood and give them peace. The legacy absorbs those emotions and gives me emotion essence.
We have also found out that people release emotions after that are less, but far purer.
It is why. It is a mandatory spa policy to take every patron to the sensory hall before they start with the other treatments.
It couldn''t help but make me ecstatic, because this was from the spa alone.
When the other twelve floors of legacy open. The harvest would double, at least. Which will be greater than what I had estimated.
The sheer amount of emotion and essence I will get from it. Even after spending on the plants; I will have enough to achieve a lot of things.
I might not even need to wait for several months to start that plan.
I looked at it, before focusing on the planets. These are getting strengthened by the emotion essence, which is the core sharing with them.
They had absorbed a lot of emotions'' essence, becoming stronger.
It is not only the emotion essence; the legacy harvested from people, that is strengthening them, but also the ones from two dead legacies.
I wish I could have taken more, but I didn''t want to be suspicious. My legacy already is doing things that the normal legacy of Grade II couldn''t.
A moment later, everything had disappeared.
I need everything to go perfectly. The survival of the entire city depends on it.
¡
Eva
"Enough mom, everything is perfect!" said Cara as I adjusted the mannequin gently.
I stopped and sighed.
I always get like this whenever; the new store is close to opening.
The store will open at six, less than an hour away. I am still a little irritated that it didn''t open at twelve, as they had said it would.
"Where is Elese?" I asked.
"There," Cara pointed, and I saw Miss Cain sitting on the sofa with her eyes closed.
She is the opposite of me. Calm, with all worry and nervousness, buried in her heart.
I looked away from her and looked around the store.
We got the entire floor; the only ones who got that, and Miss Rolgath and Colt did a wonderful job of mixing Remus''s vision and mine.
The Charles Stores are boutique stores, but this is Eva Cain, and it is a Couture Store.
A level above.
First, we decided to name the store Charles Cain, but I don''t want the store associated with the Charles brand.
I had tried to venture into couture space before, but the competition was brutal, and I had suffered heavy losses. I had promised myself to never venture into that space again, unless I was really prepared.
I felt I wasn''t, but Remus had forced me.
Remus said he would only give me space. If it is a Couture Store. If I decline, he will find Miss Cain another partner.
It was the biggest reason. Cara had intense opposition to the investment here.
Here, all the clothes are designs of Miss Cain, while the jewelry is mine. The stuff like perfume, shoes, and other things are from our best in-house designers and exclusive partners.
Everything here has never been sold anywhere, including our stores.
All the designs are new, as Remus wanted.
The demands of Remus were too much. Not any sane person would have accepted it. Especially in the city so small, that barely a hundred people could afford what we are selling here.
Still, I had a gut feeling, and I took the risk.
If it failed, it would cost me a lot. I am not worried about money, despite spending a substantial amount of it. I am worried about the reputation.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
I looked around the store and it felt like a piece of heaven. Our most beautiful pieces among the magical plants.
It doesn''t just look like a piece of heaven but also smells like it, feels like it.
No store of ours is as beautiful as this one. No, I have never seen any store as beautiful as this one, even the legacy store.
Cara had gasped earlier when she looked at it.
She arrived today in the morning, and it shocked her. I had never seen her as shocked as I had seen her in the morning.
This had lessened her complaints. Since she appeared, she had never once called me a mother. Which she did, last time when she came to the city with me.
I walked through the store, before stopping in front of the tree.
It is not the silvers, but mine.
Cara had brought it in the morning. It will stay here for three days before leaving with me.
It is the centerpiece of our flagship store. I created it after the undead incident.
My nights were filled with nightmares of the undead. I used to sleep for two or three hours, at most.
So, I started working.
I had no inspiration for the jewelry. So, I moved to an art piece, which isn''t my specialty.
These designs aren''t mine entirely. It was my mother''s; she was a carver and carved it from a big piece of wood. Inspired by the news of my birth.
It used to calm me down.
Hers was wooden, while mine was metallic, with a silver body, golden leaves, and gem fruits. It had taken an entire year and a fortune to make it.
A few hours ago, Remus came and shamelessly asked for it to be placed in the lobby.
I decline.
I already gave him five of the most precious pieces in my collection. One of them is in the lobby, while the other four are on the floors above.
The tree isn''t the only thing I am using. There are other pieces too in the store, but it is the one that shone brightest.
I looked at it for a couple of minutes before I started walking around the store. Unlike Elese, I can''t stay in one place.
I looked at everything for any flaws, but there were none.
"Eva, only a minute had remained before opening," said Miss Cain, bringing me out of my chaotic thoughts.
I didn''t even notice her getting up from her seat and coming beside me.
I looked at the wall clock; the very expensive one. Made by the most famous clockmaker of Namdar.
I took her hands into mine while watching the thin needle move.
Seconds felt like a minute before finally the needle completed the motion and the big needle moved to six six perfectly.
"Open,"
I heard the sound reverberating through the store. It is Silver''s, but he is not in the store.
Gasp!
I was thinking about the skill he might have used when I heard a gasp.
It is from my daughter, and it was louder than the one she had in the morning.
I looked at her to know the reason, when I noticed what made her stop. It froze me on my spot; shocked me so much that I felt my knees go weak.
The only reason, I remained standing was because of Miss Cain.
The emotion mist has come to the store, getting denser every second.
I felt the power of the legacy covering me as it did in the spa.
The smells from flowers begin to get stronger and more complex.
The plants also begin to look more vibrant as they start to consume the emotion directly from the source rather than the network vine.
Ting!
I was watching the changes in shock with Elese, Cara, and my staff when I heard the soft chime of the elevator. The door opened and two people walked out.
"Do you like the surprise, Eva, Miss Cain?" asked Remus with a big smile on his face.
I tried to bow hastily, but he waved his hand.
"Is it permanent?" I asked.
There is a clause in the contract that states he has the power to remove us. If it ever got covered in the power of the legacy.
"It is. As long as it brings the good emotions," he replied, and that turned my expression serious.
To host of legacy. It is the emotions that matter, more than money.
A sovereign could provide them money if they suffer loss, as long a host of legacy keeps providing them with emotional essence.
"That won''t be a problem. Look at the store; it''s so beautiful," said Carla, rolling her eyes.
I looked, and it is beautiful.
Earlier, it looked like it was a piece of heaven. Now, it is a piece of heaven.
Nobody would dare to argue with it.
"Good luck. Eva, Miss Cain; I hope you both get all the success you deserve," he said and walked out with Carla, while I remained on my spot.
"A legacy store; I had never thought I would have it. Only dreamed about it," I said, making Miss Cain and my daughter smile.
The legacy had turned the store into something out of a dream.
It had enhanced the beauty of every piece in the store, making them look ever more enchanting.
Especially my trees. The way the colorful mist moved around it, made it look more beautiful than before.
The pieces in the store become more enchanting. They will become more as they absorb the mist.
It is why everything coming from a legacy is precious. Especially the things that remained in contact with the mist for a long time.
Just last week in Namdar. There was a spoon set that stayed in the legacy for two decades.
It sold for exorbitant price; there was a bidding war for it.
"Should we increase the prices?" asked Cara, understanding the value of mist.
Both me and Miss Cain shook our heads immediately.
Remus said it is an experience that he wants us to provide. Something people never forget. We have to follow that vision.
He was not joking. When he said he would kick us out, it didn''t provide him with enough emotions.
Besides, our prices aren''t low at all. He had asked us to set the prices of pieces as high as possible. Rejecting the prize charts twice before accepting.
Now, our prizes are among the highest of couture stores.
"What about changing the invitation-only policy?" she asked, and I shook my head again.
Couture Store, invitation only, were his ideas. He would have told us if we needed to change that.
Ting!
We were talking when the elevator rang, bringing us the first patrons.
It is a group of five; someone I know, well.
"Ahhh!"
They were frozen for seconds before a loud excited scream rang out and the triplet of girls of seventeen years came screaming into the store.
They begin to look at the pieces with bubbling excitement and desire.
I know these girls, and they are a handful.
Their parents simply shook their heads before coming toward me.
"Eva, you were so modest, when I had asked you about the store," said Waris.
"Just a small couture store. You had said," added his wife as she looked around in marvel.
"Well, I wanted to make it a surprise," I replied humbly, while husband and wife rolled their eyes.
I knew Waris Scent in passing two years ago and didn''t like him much, but after surviving the undead together, we had become friends.
"Your store is the most beautiful, thing I have ever seen in my life."
"Looked at these dresses and these shoes, I don''t think. You are selling them in your store in Namdar?" asked Lori as she looked at the pieces.
"They are couture designs; they are for this store only," I replied.
The pieces aren''t just beautiful, but the material they are made of is expensive as well. Every piece had at least 25% material in them.
"I had brought the dress, shoes, and everything from the city for the party, but they seemed pale compared to what you have here," said Lori, enamored.
"There is a time to the party. If you buy it within time, we can help you get ready."
"The beauticians we have are capable of using the mist," I said, and women''s eyes lit up.
It is there, Remus had interfered again. I had trained beauticians, but he asked me to take three more, saying they were trained in the legacy.
They were his whores, but I accepted it, seeing he presented it as a favor I will do to him.
I thought he had sent them to learn in the store, but now I understand why he did that. Unlike the beauticians I have, his could use the power of legacy.
He may have said it is a favor to him, but he is doing the favor to me.
I am going to ask him to let my beauticians use the mist.
While the store is part of the legacy. We wouldn''t be able to use the mist without his approval. It is not just staff; I will ask for myself too.
I know things could be achieved with mist, and I want it.
Ting!
The elevator rang and three women walked inside. I don''t recognize them, but I know them; they are noble ladies from baronies.
One by one, the elevator kept ringing, bringing more and more people in within a minute. There were people in every corner of the store.
The staff moved to accommodate them while serving them with light liquor, which had aired with a mist of legacy.
The invitation to the store had gone with an invitation to the legacy.
This invitation is a membership card. There are three types of it: a single visit, a year, and a decade.
One could also apply for them. They could get it within a day, as long as they satisfy all the conditions.
The guests received the cards, but I had also sent them to the many people I know. A few came, but after today, I am sure many would.
Some wouldn''t care about the undead. That could capture the city at any time.
"How are things going?" I asked Cara.
I am creative and good at conversations, while my daughter didn''t inherit even a hint of creativity, but she is good at business.
"Great, our staff is barely able to keep up with the guest," she said, and I felt activating her skills.
Shining Smiles. Spendthrift.
I activated my own skills. I don''t think, I need to use it, especially Spendthrift, but I am a businesswoman and need to earn money.
The rent isn''t cheap.
"Still think, it is a terrible investment, daughter dearest?" I asked.
The girl glared at me, before walking away without a reply, but I did catch a small glimpse of a smile on her face.
The girl is good at business, but she needs to learn to listen to her guts.
It is not all numbers and stats. They are important, I looked at them, but I placed equal importance on my inner voice.
It had played an important part, in the success I have today.
Chapter 405: Theatre
Rosen
¡°How is it?¡± I asked nervously as a beautiful woman in a red dress came toward me.
She is Audrid, my assistant.
¡°Seats are filling rapidly,¡± she replied.
¡°Good,¡± I said and looked at the chaos in the backstage. Controlled chaos.
I have seen, how quickly it could turn into uncontrolled and mess things up.
Actors are getting ready, stagehands moving the stuff, production manager throwing the orders. It is all happening in a small space.
Thank god, there are not many plants in here. A few are in places where they couldn¡¯t be harmed.
I would have hated it, if something had happened to the precious plants.
I looked around and still couldn¡¯t believe, it was all true. A few months ago, I was living in a small room, working in a small town as a scribe.
Nobody wants to hire the man, who cursed the imperial prince publicly and has imperial skill hanging on them.
One had half a decade ago. I was one most recognized names in the theater in the empire, but one fateful night changed it all.
I pushed the thoughts and looked at the performers getting ready for the play. That will start in half an hour.
They had a smile, nervousness, and others¡¯ emotions on their faces. Some are reading their lines, while some playing with the mist.
They are enamored by it, and I can¡¯t blame them. I myself am enamored.
It has been my dream since childhood to perform at Akanar Theater. It is the dream that every theater person.
It is one of the nine spirits, after all.
I was so confident that one day. I would reach high enough, that a call from that theater would come for me until all changed.
I had never thought, I would ever work in theater again. Much less in theater in the legacy.
It is all because of Uncle Vanis. He sent me to Silver, once again saving me.
I am scared. It would grand understatement to say I am not. I felt like I had lost my charm, and nobody would like my play.
I wanted to use one of the old plays, but Mr. Silver had asked me to use a new one.
I shouldn¡¯t have told him about them.
I have new plays. I have written several in the past one and a half decades. There was too much spare time after I gave up the bottle.
We have been rehearsing for one and half months, every day from morning to night.
I had made sure every actor could recite their lines, even their dreams.
Still, I am scared. If it didn¡¯t work, I wouldn¡¯t be able to work. People will know, I am not the Rosen, I used to be.
I looked at them once again, before walking toward the small window, that gives the look of seats.
Till now, I didn¡¯t dare to look, but I have to.
So, I did and what I saw, made me take a breath of relief. Audrid had said, but I didn¡¯t dare to believe her, but now, after seeing my own eyes, I could.
The theater occupies three floors and is the most beautiful one.
It was designed by the foremost theatre designer of the empire.
It had a classic imperial theater aesthetic; I am glad, Lord Silver had chosen this one over the softer style of merchant state.
I hate the empire for what it did to me, but I also loved it.
Like all the floors of the tower, it had plants, which I didn¡¯t think would suit a theater, but they enhanced the beauty of it further.
They are special plants; I am not saying they are special plants because they are magical plants, or because they consume the emotion essence.
I am saying this because these plants release fragrances that are affected by emotions.
They evoke them.
Though not artificially. The fragrances wouldn¡¯t affect the people if they didn¡¯t already feel those emotions.
If they were the plants that artificially evoked the emotions.
I would have tried my everything to ask Lord Silver to remove them.
No actor, or playwright worth their salt would use such things. Those that believe in their art, would shun those things.
The theater is spacious with comfortable seats. It had a capacity of one thousand and twenty with two floors of balconies.
If Lord Silver wanted it; he could have easily added another two hundred seats and another balcony, but he didn¡¯t.
I am glad, he didn¡¯t.
Unlike most of the theater owners, Lord Silver¡¯s purpose in building the theater is purest. It is not praise, but priorities.
For most theater owners, they want to earn money, but Lord Silver does not need money. He said he could give them all free, and it wouldn¡¯t matter to him much.
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
What he wants is emotions.
He wants the play, that will evoke the maximum emotions, which align with our creed.
Over 90% of the seats have already been filled. The rest are coming in, guided by ushers.
I was watching them when I heard the steps and saw a blond man coming toward me.
¡°How are things?¡± I asked my old friend. The only person in the theater world who kept a contact with me came to meet me at jail and after.
When Silver offered the job; he was the only person, I had asked to join me, and he did.
We started at the theater the same day. We were barely ten. We didn¡¯t like each other at all for several years and even fought.
A small smile couldn¡¯t help but appear on my face, remembering those fond memories.
¡°Fucking worse! Not a single person, could do their job well,¡± Zalis replied, with his usual expletives.
This means everything going well.
¡°I am sure, you will handle them,¡± I said. ¡°Of course, I will. I can make babies fly in the emperor''s procession. These people are nothing,¡± he replied.
Zalis is a stage manager. The best one; it was such a regret, that incident affected him too and destroyed his future.
The best thing he could manage was the traveling plays.
¡°I am glad, you are here, old friend,¡± I said.
¡°Me too. If you hadn¡¯t called me, I would have been applying balm to my bum to relieve myself from the damage the carriage did,¡±
He controlled his words, seeing Audrid beside me.
A moment later, a smile on his face vanished and his eyes turned serious.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, Rosen. You had written a wonderful play and made them work their ass off. Now leave everything to me and be ready to receive a standing ovation.¡± He said and walked away.
I took one last look at the window before starting to look at the preparations.
When there were only ten minutes to play. I entered the private box; there were six people sitting there. Four teens, and two adults.
I looked at a teen with raven hair. It is my third time seeing her.
The first time was when she was born. The second time was two and a half months ago when I reached Inam.
Today is the third.
She is Alina Lindgren, Uncle Vanis¡¯s great-granddaughter.
¡°Thank you for coming, Alina,¡± I said to the teen. ¡°Grandfather wanted to come. He said he is very proud of you,¡± she said, and my eyes couldn¡¯t help but water.
¡°I am glad,¡± I said.
¡°He sent this for you,¡± she said and gave me an envelope. I took it but didn¡¯t open it.
I nodded at her and walked into my own box.
There are two people already there. Zalis¡¯s wife, Ota, and his nearly twenty-year-old son, Zale, who is still looking at everything with enamored eyes.
¡°Nervous?¡± Ota asked, and I nodded.
¡°It is strange seeing you like this. It felt like just yesterday when your shows would open and there would never be worry or nervousness on your face,¡± she said, studying my face.
¡°Those were the different days. I am a different person now,¡± I said, and she smiled.
I was a different person back then. Had no fear for the world.
Maybe it is why, I did what I had done.
I am now, a completely different person than I had been sixteen years ago. Nervous, cautious, mature, the qualities, I used to hate in those days.
Soon, the last person came.
Now every seat in the theater is filled. Even those at balconies, it felt like, only our box has an empty seat.
A minute later, the lights begin to dim. I could see the anticipation in the eyes of people.
Finally, the curtain opened with a sonorous tone.
The live music. I always hated recorded music and never used it in my plays, despite the precision and control they offer.
The live music is dynamic and engaging and gives a greater emotional impact.
It is also expensive, and a mishap could occur, but budget here isn¡¯t a problem and I did everything I could for no mishap to occur.
The curtain opened, and the actors came alive.
The lights moved, and spells filled the stage, but the focus was still on the actors.
Most of the actors are from the empire, but there are some from the merchant state too. A few we had hired from Greltheaven.
Though their numbers are twice in the understudies. Lord Silver had asked to focus a little extra on the local actors.
I had even hired a few orcs and elves. They will play their races, unlike in empire, when we needed to make a human play elf or orc.
I interviewed each one of them myself and chose only the best.
Minutes passed, and with every minute, I felt like my lost confidence returning.
I didn¡¯t let myself get completely engrossed in it. Instead, looked at it critically, for any flaws that it might have, and it has none.
Or at least not big ones; it is going much better than I had imagined.
The mist and plants are magic; the way they are reacting to emotions is simply unbelievable. They are enhancing the entire experience.
I had seen it working when rehearsing, but not at this scale.
The rehearsals had less than a hundred people watching, but here, there are thousands of them. The numbers have created quite an effect.
I could see how the mist was reacting to emotions, like the notes of music, while the smells of the plants completed it, creating a surreal experience.
I wish Lord Silver had been here. He had watched it during rehearsal, but it was a completely different experience now.
Unfortunately, he is busy with opening, but he said, he will watch it this week.
Minutes passed and soon everything turned blurry, and a face appeared in front of me.
There is never a day when I don¡¯t think about her and wish she had been on that stage.
She used to breathe life into the theater and bring out any emotions that scenes require. So, expertly, that one would forget anything but her.
I left acting, seeing hers and focused on writing.
Before I knew it, an hour and twenty minutes passed, and the play stopped for the intermission.
I cleared my thoughts and looked at the people. Many are getting up to stretch and break, while others ordering food and drink.
Soon, the break was over, and the play resumed.
The second half is intense, and it affects the mist and smells heavily. The way it moves around the actors, and reacts to sounds with their emotions, is simply beautiful.
What is even more amazing is that it didn¡¯t take the focus away from the play, but helped in attracting all their focus to the play.
¡°How were you able to make it past master of revels? Even with your abilities, it is quite a feat,¡± said Ota, seeing the scene, that would have been cut anywhere in empire.
Even the merchant state, where they give little more artistic freedom, might not have been comfortable with this scene.
¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± I replied, and Ota turned to me with wide eyes.
The same, expressions, I had when I looked at the script returned from Lord Silver.
I had asked for an edit book. The list of edits I have to make. The reply I got was shocking.
They said there was none.
To be honest, I had edits ready. I had diluted many scenes. Made them acceptable.
Lord Silver accepted the script as a whole.
They never do. I had given the script to a master of revels and they came back with edits. Here, I got none and even asked Lord Silver personally, to be sure.
He even said, he liked the controversial part.
Seeing that, I made the changes to the script. Made it more daring and, once again, it came back without any edits.
There was only one suggestion. It was about historical accuracy, where I needed to change the name of the year.
¡°Come again?¡± she asked. ¡°There were no edits,¡± I replied.
Her eyes widened, and she shook her head, before focusing on the play.
The play continued and soon, less than ten minutes remained before its end, when I got out of the box and walked backstage.
I nodded at Zalis as the redemption arc played out.
Clap Clap Clap!
As it ended, there was a silence for a moment. I heard a sound for a second before the applause began.
Seeing that, a smile couldn¡¯t help but appear on my face.
¡°You did it, Rosen.¡± Said Zalis, patting on my shoulder.
¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been possible, without your support,¡± I replied to my friend.
Soon it was time for the curtain call.
¡°It was an amazing play. I hope I don¡¯t get assassinated for it,¡± said Marten, the lead.
The man isn¡¯t joking. The scene was pretty controversial. A few actors had refused it before Marten accepted it.
Some might take offense and assassinate him. Things like that, aren¡¯t rare.
¡°I hope not. At least not before your understudy is fully ready,¡± I said, and the man laughed before we stopped at the stage with other actors and bowed.
Clap Clap Clap
The people stood up and begin applauding loudly.
My eyes begin to tear up. I didn¡¯t want to cry, in front of all these people, but tears kept coming as the applause continued.
It continued for over three minutes, my longest ever, before it finally stopped.
¡®I am back.¡¯ I thought, before bowing again.
Chapter 406: The Opening
Ashton Harbor
"I want every detail of the tower. Every plan, every floor," said the man with the staff.
"I have already instructed our people. You will have completed the information by the morning," replied the armored man.
He had received the message from higher-ups, and it made him excited.
They are showing great interest in the legacy. More than before, which is good. The greater interest they show, the sooner, they send forces to attack.
He too very interested in the legacy. The benefits he will get from it will help him a lot.
Especially now with the plants, there have been many alchemists and other people from the island who have contacted him.
Promising the high price, they are willing to pay and favors they are willing to do.
He might not get anything out of the secret mission, but he plans to get many things from the legacy.
Let''s hope, he gets the order to attack soon.
He is sick of waiting and wants to conquer this damn wasteland.
¡
Eliyen
"I want every one of you at your best behavior and remember you can always say, no," said the Headmistress to all hundred and sixteen girls.
We are part of the night batch.
There are two batches. A day batch and a night batch. The night batch is obviously the desirable, our work thrives in the night.
There will be a total of nine hundred and eight girls working in the tower.
Five hundred and eighty-two girls will work in the night batch, while three hundred and twenty-six will work in the day batch.
I am in the night batch, while my roommate is in the day batch.
The places in it are subject to change, on our performances and the opinions of madams.
Four batches of hundred and sixteen had already gone to the tower.
Ours is the last.
The tower may be big, and the beauty studio is massive, but not enough to make nearly six hundred girls ready in record time.
At night nine and a half, we will open. It is only for today. From tomorrow, we will open at six.
"And be prepared for the surprise," she added.
It was not the first time; I had heard of surprise. I have been hearing that for a few days.
They are saying there will be a surprise and asked us to tell our patron about it as if it is a big secret. It will be revealed at exactly ten.
"Now go and make the establishment proud," said Madam Della, and we walked toward the door.
Not the one in the front, but the one underground. There is an underground tunnel beneath the building, leading directly to the tower.
Soon we reached it, and the carriages were waiting there.
We sat down and the carriage began to move through the lighted tunnel.
I felt Yani''s hand gripping mine tightly; she also had her eyes closed. The human girl didn''t like tunnels; she had an unnatural fear of them.
I gently messaged her hand, till the carriage stooped at the basement tower.
Like the rest of the tower, this place too had plants. A lot of them. I heard there are plants on the floors below.
I took a deep breath and enjoyed the beauty of these plants before walking toward the elevator.
The groups have already formed on the floor they are working on, and each group begins to enter the elevators by their group.
The elevator isn''t big, but it could still squeeze nine people easily. Most importantly, it is fast, really fast. Enough that few people vomited on the first day.
It is why, there is an operator there with skills. He is good enough, that nobody has vomited since he had started.
One by one girls entered the elevator and soon it was my turn.
There are only four of us. We are the only ones on this badge, going to the seventeenth floor. The fourth floor of the Velvet Red.
There are five floors of Velvet Red, formerly Velvet Garden. They changed the name because the tower is the velvet garden.
The velvet red occupies the floor from the fourteenth to the eighteenth. The higher, one goes in velvet red; the more exclusive it is.
Of five hundred and eighty-two girls, the top two floors will have only seventy-six girls.
Twenty-four at the top floor, fifty-two at the second top, and the rest five hundred would be on the bottom floors.
It was a shock to me today when I found out. That I would be working on the second top floor.
I am one of only nine new girls, that will be working there. The rest will be experienced ones.
Still, it is quite regretful; that I wasn''t able to get a slot on the top floor. There are only three slots for the new girls; I wasn''t able to get it.
I will be trying, though. The higher, you go, the more money you will earn.
There are also gifts. The older girls said the people on higher floors give more expensive gifts.
The gifts that, the establishment never touched.
The door closed, and the elevator moved. It moved fast, and in four and a half seconds, we were on the seventeenth floor.
Ting!
The door opened, and we got out immediately, after nodding. Old Samis; the old is an operator, and I heard, he had a good collection of skills.
I looked around, at a space filled with plants densely.
From below, this floor is one of the barren floors, but it is an illusion of clever architecture and mist. It is not barren, as it looked from below.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
It has as much as plants as on every other floor.
I took a deep breath and smelled their beautiful smell but didn''t feel any power of legacy.
Not every part of it is covered in the power of the legacy. On the floors of a legacy like this, only half of the area is covered in the power of legacy.
Only half of the area on sixteen floors is covered in the power of the legacy.
They have smartly used every inch to use the power of the legacy.
I looked around for a few seconds before walking toward the crystal door, with beautiful carvings.
Click!
I opened it and went inside and into the most beautiful space. It is a dream of every woman, a heaven.
There are dresses on the mannequins, shoes on racks, and jewelry that would make anyone want to never take it off.
Each piece is worth a fortune, be it shoes or jewelry.
The beauty-studio is big, but small compared to those on the floors below, but it had the second most beautiful pieces.
The level and beauty of pieces go higher with each floor. So is their price. The value of every single dress in here is more than enough to make a small family live comfortably for a year.
Never, in my life I had dreamed of wearing pieces as beautiful as the ones around me.
They are even more beautiful than the ones, I had seen ladies wearing in the cities.
"Eliyen, stop staring bumpkin and sit," said nezharian half-elf with a thick accent.
There are only seven seats here, with seven beauticians and three helpers.
Vernis is the leader and has a little temper.
The beautiful plants around us that would calm anyone didn''t help her that much.
I quickly went to the small room with the curtain and undressed quickly.
I removed everything and placed it in the box with the name on it, before wearing a black silk robe with my name monogrammed on it.
I sat down on the chair and immediately felt the effect of the legacy. As I had said, they were using every inch of legacy expertly.
Only around 10% of the studio was enveloped in the legacy''s power.
The chairs are in the domain of legacy, and thus beautician could use the mist, in their work.
"You have such a beautiful skin. You should have taken proper care of it," she said as she moved her hands across the skin.
"Brothel isn''t exactly the place where I could get expensive beauty products," I replied, not caring if she got angry.
"They had done a wonderful job, in fixing these flaws and bringing it to its natural quality," she said, as if she hadn''t heard me and begun working.
Since I came here, they have started working on me.
I had my skin checked on the second day and a few hours before the news of undead came, I received the skin care products.
In the past few months, it happened regularly, with the spa doing the best work.
Vernis might be a bitch, but she is as great as what she does.
The control she has over the mist is simply incredible. Which isn''t surprising, seeing she had worked in the legacy for two decades.
She started on my face, before doing my hair, while I watched quietly.
"Get up and remove your robe," she said.
I got out of the chair and walked on a circular stand, before removing my robe.
It is embarrassing, but not humiliating. I know, it is for me.
She took the lotion and began to slather it across my skin, along with the mist. Her hands are precious and experienced, but they still give me a shiver whenever they move over my sensitive parts.
Soon, she finished and began to apply another lotion, a glittering one on my legs.
She used a few more things, some in places, that made my cheeks reddened.
"The red lingerie from the sereh collection," she said, and immediately, the raven-haired teen girl moved and brought her what she wanted from many lingerie sets.
The lingerie is a work of art with a beautiful lacework.
I am learning lacework, along with embroidery and other things. I am incapable of such craftmanship; I might be able to do it after I reach Lv. 20+.
I raised my leg and wore the lingerie.
It is quite an experience that even after a week. I didn''t get used to it.
I am used to being naked in front of men and women, but not them helping me wear clothes.
When I tried to do it myself on the first day. I got slapped on the wrist.
"The magenta gown," she said, and a teen brought the most beautiful gown I had ever seen.
I had worn it a few days ago to test the fitting.
The clothes are tailor-made for me. The skills could adjust the fitting, but according to them, the clothes tailored to one are better than those adjusted with the skills.
It is a column gown of magenta color, that had high sleet.
It is off the shoulder that highlights my breast. Made them look bigger than they are.
I wanted to look in the mirror before she stopped me.
The next article, I wore was the red shoes with four-inch-high heels. I hate them; they make my feet hurt, but I need to wear them.
Beauty is pain.
The last was jewelry. It is a beautiful red diamond set with a necklace, earrings, and bracelets.
I heard Eva Charles had designed them herself and like everything I am wearing, the jewelry too belongs to her. We are just borrowing it.
"You can now, look at the mirror," she said, and I turned to the mirror.
A moment later, tears started to come out of my eyes.
The woman staring back at me looks completely different. If anyone from my former brothel looked at me now, they wouldn''t recognize me at all.
Click!
"Thank you," I said to the woman, before walking into the fourth floor of the velvet red.
It is a piece of heaven with mist everywhere.
There is a modern-style bar in the center, with chairs and tables around it, with beautiful places of art on the wall and of course the plants.
Some of the private rooms are completely covered by them. They are everywhere, but they do not feel excess at all.
I felt like, it would have been fine. If there had been more plants.
The most beautiful thing about this place is the chandelier. It is big with bright white crystals and a shining vine wrapped around it.
I could see most of the girls were sitting at their tables. Seeing me, they smiled.
"Don''t worry too much. If you are lucky, you will get someone who you will enjoy," said Calis.
She has been here from the start. She came to the city with Carla and others.
I nodded and walked to the bar.
"Can you give me something to take an edge off?" I asked Jalir.
"Sure. What do you want?" he asked with a smile. "Shimmering tide," I replied.
I had tasted many drinks, but I loved the shimmering tide. Likely because it faintly smells like, the homebrew my grandmother used to drink.
He began to make my drink, while I watched. He is a showman. The way, he played with liquor and mist is mesmerizing.
"One shimmering tide for you," he said as he placed the drink in front of me.
"Thank you, Jalir," I said and took a shimmering blue drink into my lips.
"Ahhh¡"
I moaned gently as I took a sip of a delicious drink. Its taste filled me while my emotions moved like a tide.
Before I knew it, I finished the drink.
I am feeling much better now and returned to my table. It is only a few minutes before we open.
"To your places, girls. We will open in ten minutes." Ordered Madam Jenna.
She is a floor leader.
Immediately, the girls who were not at their table moved back to their places.
"This is an important day, and I am sure, many of you are nervous. Hell, I am nervous," she said, and many of us laughed at her admission.
"Don''t let this nervousness get to you. You have a job to do. You have been trained for it and there is no one in the whole world is better than you at it."
"So, conquer the night girls!"
Her words rang through the hall, and they helped. More than the drink.
I could tell, she truly believes in our abilities.
Minutes passed, and we got closer and closer to the opening, till finally, the clock hit nine.
''Open The Gates,''
The commanding voice with the weight of authority filled the whole floor.
For a moment, I didn''t recognize the voice at all. Madam Caena usually does not keep such authority in her voice.
As her command rang out; the whole atmosphere changed. I could see, the girls becoming more confident and, the staff moving to their places.
Ting!
Seconds passed, and a familiar ting rang out. Four human men, who looked to be in their late thirties, came out.
They are wearing fine clothes and have confidence in their eyes, but as they step out. A clear shock appeared in their eyes.
The shock deepened when they looked at us before it got replaced with ecstasy.
They looked, drinking the beauty.
I could see, the familiar lust and desire in their eyes as they looked at us, but I didn''t see the usual degust and hate, that accompanied them.
Instead, there is admiration and excitement. The emotions, I have never seen in the eyes of men for us whores.
"Welcome to the Velvet Red gentlemen," welcomed Madam Jenna, bringing them out of their thoughts.
They entered inside and looked, before taking the seats with the girls.
I am a little disappointed, seeing not one of them came at me, but I didn''t show it to my face.
They had just sat down when the elevator opened again, and three people sat down.
With the passing seconds, more and more people kept coming. Sitting in front of girls; it took a while before a man appeared in front of me.
Seeing him, I know, the wait was worth it.
The man looked to be in his mid-thirties. with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. He is sporting a scruffy beard, that enhances his roguish look.
"May I?" he asked, in a cultured imperial accent.
Most people that came were from a merchant state; it is clear by their accent, but this man is from an empire.
"Please," I said to the man.
"Mathias," he introduced. "Eliyen," I replied.
"You are a very beautiful woman, Eliyen," he said, looking at me up to down intensely, in a non-creepy way.
"You are not bad yourself, Mathias," I replied, checking him out in the same way.
A faint surprise appeared in his eyes before the smile lit up on his face.
"Thank you. It means a lot from a beautiful woman, like you," he said, and my cheeks reddened despite the efforts.
Minutes passed, and I found myself enjoying the conversation with the man. I didn''t even notice when the whole place, was completely filled up, nor did I care.
I am completely focused on the man in front of me and the good time I am having.
Chapter 407: Party I
''Open the Gates,''
Caena''s voice rang out and I felt the doors of the velvet red opening.
The patrons started coming immediately.
Soon, they will fill the five floors, where the girls will be waiting for them with their beautiful smiles.
I had spent a lot on them.
Their training, their beauty and they didn''t disappoint me.
From today, they will use the knowledge, those skills, they have learned.
I do not doubt that they will provide every patron the experience, they will never forget in their life.
Just thinking about it made a smile appear on my face.
I shook my head and turned to the core, where the harvest was lessening as the play ended.
The store and theater are doing just as great.
Many were opposed to the theater; at least didn''t want to be on legacy.
Which is understandable.
Of all the sixteen floors of the legacy, the theater will be the only place that will be open for the shortest time. There will only be two shows, which means it is six to seven hours.
Every other floor will remain open for at least eighteen hours.
Including Eva and Miss Cain''s store.
I created a theater, not only to give an unforgettable experience but also to bring a cultural shift to the city.
Art is the greatest force of the culture.
I might not have any interest in the theater, but I know, how effective it is in bringing the cultural shift.
As for the emotions essence, I don''t think, we are not losing any.
During the play, the harvest of emotions had tripled, while it was only for three hours. It is a lot; most importantly, it is not as bad as everything thought.
The harvest of emotions was much better than any of us had imagined.
Which made me relieved. The emotions essence is important and if possible, I don''t want to lose any of it.
I moved my eyes away from the core and focused back on the most important floors.
I may have added the other things, but the brothel will always remain the core part of it. It is what lighted the legacy.
I could sense the guest coming. Feeling them moving toward the girls, who are shining like the beacons.
It is quite regrettable, that I couldn''t completely focus on it today. I have a party to host.
At nine and a half, the guests will start to arrive and at ten, I will have to make an entrance.
It will be quite an entrance, that they will not forget in their life.
"There is a message from the synods, representative," informed Zela.
I opened my eyes, and everything disappeared. I am back in the real world.
"The same question?" I asked, and she nodded. "Reply to them with the same answer," I ordered.
The smart ones have already realized, and now they have questions. They have been bugging since the afternoon as they realized the anomalies.
They will get the answer to that question at exactly ten.
"Any intelligence on anomalies?" I asked. "No, everything is silent from the undead," she replied, and it made me take a sigh with relief.
There will be nothing worse than the news of the undead attacking.
It will spoil the entire party.
Click!
A few minutes later, I walked out of the office and stepped into the elevator.
This elevator is a secret. It is for madams, a few important staff and me.
I want to take a glimpse of the establishment before the party begins. Once it started, I wouldn''t be able to leave till midnight.
Ting!
The elevator stopped at the sixteenth floor, and I got out. I could staff moving around, some stopped and bowed, but I waved them away.
I didn''t immediately check the halls. Instead, I went to the kitchen, which was very busy.
The servers lay down the orders and the chefs cook them. Drev is also here, tasting dishes and giving out the orders.
With the legacy expanding, his job had also changed. He is now an executive chef; the man responsible for the food and every aspect related to it.
In addition to the development of dishes and menu creation which was part of his earlier responsibilities. Now, he has management, planning, budgeting, and guest relations, in his kitty.
There are two main kitchens on the five floors of velvet red and three floors of velvet blue, along with three satellite kitchens.
All the staff had been either from the establishment or trained in the legacy.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
I had trained my people in the legacy, but also hired a lot of people, that worked in the legacy.
It is why, they are so expertly using the mist in creating every dish. It is so mesmerizing that, I could watch for hours and not get bored at all.
"Lord Silver," he greeted.
"Seemed like, everything is going well," I said. "Everything is good, my lord," he replied.
"I want you to focus more on blue, today. We have a lot of people to impress at the party," I said, and the man nodded.
"I am aware, my lord. I had only come here for a few minutes to check things out," he replied.
I nodded and walked out of the kitchen, after taking a last look at Wanda, who had earned the place among these chefs.
I took the elevator and came out of the fourteenth floor. The first floor of the velvet red.
I walked directly to the large window, which is one and a half meters long and one meter wide. It gives me a wide view of the legacy.
They wouldn''t see me looking at them. Instead, they would see a beautiful painting.
It is a very precious painting. From the collection from the house of Ashav.
Though, he told me, not to place a plaque on it; no art piece in velvet red had a plaque on it.
Nobody wants others to know, that they have given the brothel the paintings.
However, they are very particular about having a plaque of their name beside the art piece in every other part of the tower.
The hall is completely filled and despite being the one with most tables. It doesn''t feel crowded at all.
Every table is occupied, and so is every chair on the bar.
I could see that the people were clearly having fun. The girls are making them have fun.
They have been trained to engage with even the most boring person.
They have been taught by the people with classes like ''Conversationalist'' and older girls have also shared their tips and tricks.
The actors also gave them a good score.
Only those who passed through various tests are working and this time, the passing score was quite high. Over 90%, which is highest till now.
I looked for a minute, before walking into the fifteenth floor.
It is more exclusive and with the open tables as well as the private rooms.
It is also more expensive.
The sixteenth floor is a tavern or made in tavern style. The bartenders working there used to work in Bloody Fork. A legacy tavern in the kingdom of Ataren.
It died four years ago, and these people were working in other bars and hotels.
However, the moment, I made an offer. They accepted it immediately, without even discussing their salaries.
Some even said, they would have come. Even if I didn''t pay them a single penny. Nothing could compare to the legacy. No matter how great it is.
They do not need to worry about money; the sheer tips, they will get would be huge.
Not that I am not paying them. I am matching or even paying more than their past job.
I walked to the seventeenth floor; the truly exclusive one. Like the upper two floors of velvet red. Here, the reservation alone isn''t enough.
You have to be someone to be here.
Even then, it is up to madam to accept whether let you here or not.
There are only fifty-two girls in here at any time. No more than that.
I had spent as much on this floor as on the three floors below. Every piece of furniture, napkin, and porcelain is expensive and crafted specifically for the legacy.
So are the dresses and accessories, the girls are wearing.
They are not things, that even the relatively wealthy could afford.
Even I would have thought about it a hundred times before buying them. Seeing how damn expensive every piece, the girls are wearing is.
Thankfully, I didn''t.
I signed a contract with Eva Cain. Everything the girls are wearing is a loan from them.
It is good because I had amassed a massive loan. Whenever I think about the amount; I start to sweat.
It is too much.
I looked at it, before walking into the top floor. Where there are only twenty-four girls and a single soloist singing a beautiful song.
The most exclusive floor. Every person, sitting there is someone.
From assistant of Lord of Owlspring to the scion of the house of Gyliphor. My cousin, that bastard wanted to come here, but he is on the fifth floor.
I wanted to keep looking, but less than five minutes remained, till the party began, I had to prepare.
So, I took one last look, before going back to my office.
Finally, the clock hit nine and a half and I gathered the power of the legacy around me.
"Open," I said, and velvet blue opened.
Today, the blue will host the party. Tomorrow, it will open for business.
A minute had passed, and the line of carriages appeared. They would stop in front of the tower before moving away to the park.
It is happening smoothly without traffic.
Most of them are guests. They walked into the tower before taking the elevator to the Velvet Blue.
There they are welcomed by Caena, Margaux, and Carla.
Last time, I had used my family. This time, I am keeping the distance, while Heron and Josie are too young to welcome the guests here.
I watched the carriages for a few minutes, before changing into the suit.
It is tailored for this occasion and is quite good. It felt so soft and light, that I wanted to sleep in it.
I didn''t and instead returned to my office, where Eudo was waiting for me with his things. I sat down and began to do his magic.
"You are really a magician, thank you," I said, looking myself in the mirror.
It is not over the top; he had just enhanced what I have. Still, the effects are big; I have never looked as handsome as I am right now.
"You are welcome, Lord Silver," he replied and left.
Click!
Minutes passed and when there were only five minutes to ten, Carla came in and I froze.
She is blinding. So, much, I stopped breathing seeing her beauty.
"You look"
I wanted to say ''beautiful'', but that word felt insufficient to describe her.
She seemed to like my reaction as a smile appeared on her face, making her look even more enchanting.
She is wearing a shimmering back gown, made of all magical threads, and has work of thousands of tiny red rubies.
It had a V-shape neck, that showed a glimpse of her bountiful breasts, but not scandalously.
The dress was designed by Miss Cain and brought to reality by Eva''s people at the Namdar.
Her heels were four inches high and if I had not been wearing shoes, she would have been as tall as me.
I kept looking at her before walking toward her. I stopped, in front of her and took her lips into mine.
The dress is beautiful, but I want to tear it apart and have her on my desk. Unfortunately, I will have to wait for a few hours for it; till then I will have to be content with her lips.
"I have something for you," I said, and she arched her brow.
A moment later, a beautiful jewelry box appeared in my hand, with the emblem of Eva Cain.
Gasp!
I opened the box and immediately a gasp rang out of her mouth.
"It''s beautiful," she breathed out, before shaking and touching the beautiful necklace. I had asked Eva to design it for Carla and she didn''t disappoint.
The necklace in front of big and elaborate.
There are nine green diamonds in it, with the biggest one being as big as my thumb.
"Let me put it on you," I said and took out the necklace, before putting the necklace on her and activating the mirror spell, so she could see herself.
Tears appeared in her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror. My own eyes were a little misty, seeing how beautiful and graceful she looked.
She looked at the mirror for a while, before turning to me.
"I took to have something for you," she said, and a small box appeared in her hand, with a familiar emblem.
Click!
She opened the box and inside was a brooch. It is rose-shaped, made with delicate white gems which are clearly magical.
She took it out and attached it to my chest.
"Happy birthday," she wished.
"Thank you," I said as I looked at myself in the mirror. It really looks good; she understood my taste well.
"It is time," she said as I was looking at us in the mirror.
I looked at the clock, only to see there was only a minute to ten. We have to make an entrance at the ten.
Immediately, we walked out of my office, and a few seconds later, appeared by the door.
"Ready?" I asked her as I took her hand into mine. "Yes," she replied.
This time, there was no hesitation, like the last few times, when she asked to make entrance alone.
She knows I want her with me.
Click!
I opened the door and stepped into the other onto the shimmering rainbow stairs of light.
They are not physical stairs, but a spell.
I could see the heads turning on all three floors. Feel their eyes, including that of the Lord of Owlspring.
I didn''t move and looked back at them, with a smile on my face.
''Let''s give them something, that they will never forget,'' I said to Carla telepathically and took a step down.
Immediately expressions of everyone changed.
Chapter 408: Party II
Blackwell
Hun!
I heard the sound of surprises as the power of the legacy increased as Silver and Carla took a step into the light stairs.
I had doubts about my own and the insistent messages from a lot of powerful people and entities like Archmages City, had proved my doubts were right.
Unfortunately, I wasn''t able to answer any of their queries. Nor I would have, even if I could.
The contact is strict enough, that I couldn''t even discuss it with my sister or my husband, who looking at me with questions in his eyes.
Hun!
Thankfully, Silver took another step, and the power increased again.
Making Silas, focus on him.
It is not just the power that is increasing, but the emotions mist is also getting denser, which would create denser mist clouds at the ceiling.
"What is happening?" asked Emmyth. Meria''s date.
Both of us smiled and turned to Silver, who took another step, and the power of the legacy increased further.
"Is legacy advancing?"
Someone asked, and the intelligent one smiled.
The legacy had already advanced. Silver is only revealing advancement now.
In these past six months, I had seen enough to be sure, that legacy had reached Grade II.
Currently, Silver is showing only the power of Grade I.
"Its powerful, but still a Grade I," replied young voice. I turned and saw it is a young girl seventeen-eighteen years old girl.
If I am right, that girl is the granddaughter of Inam''s legacy host.
She had come to the tower several times, when it was being constructed.
He took another step and then another with every step. The power of the legacy would increase.
The people are watching. Even the lord of Owlspring had a great interest in his eyes.
"It''s clear, that you know. You should have told your dear husband about it," said Silas, and I shook my head in regret.
I really wish to talk to my husband about it. I rarely hid things from him, but this time I couldn''t. Not even a hint or a suggestion.
It is hard. Weighing when speaking about the legacy, like walking on eggshells.
"Contract," I replied.
It is not a hint or suggestion, but the word, I am allowed to say, without facing the repercussion.
Soon, Silver reached the end of the stairs and looked at all like he did on the first step before taking the step into the ground.
GASP!
I heard the clicking sound of their feet reaching the ground, when a massive change occurred, that made all the people gasp in shock.
The power of legacy took a massive jump. It is not just the quantity of the power that increased, but also its quality.
Not to mention the mist, it got denser. Its texture was smoothened, and it''s seemed to have gotten heavier with the power.
Still, all these changes are nothing in front of how it is making me feel.
It is indescribable.
"Grade II, legacy," said people in shock as its power filled the hall.
It enchanted the people, and mesmerized them. Turning this already piece of heaven, more heavenly.
I couldn''t help, but be proud seeing that. As I am one of the people, who had helped in making it.
"This is what I call an entrance," praised Silas and sighed.
I don''t think, I would forget this entrance.
People are still shocked, while intelligent ones are in deep thought.
I could already guess they were thinking about when the legacy had ascended to Grade II.
There was no sign, not even a whisper of ascendence.
It had happened less than a year after its birth. A feat, an extremely few legacies are able to achieve. If they are thinking that, they are quite wrong.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
It had reached Grade II in six months or less.
I had started to see the clues. In the second month, I came here. On the surface, it felt like Grade I, a legacy, but the way Silver, Carla others talk about it, it didn''t feel like Grade I.
I didn''t understand those hints and glances back then or I would have come to a conclusion a lot sooner.
It is all becoming very clear.
With clear understanding, a thought came to my mind. ''What if it had advanced to the Grade II, within three months of its birth?''
I pushed the thought as soon as it came to my mind.
"You have created quite something, love. It is looking even more beautiful, in the power of Grade II legacy," said Silas as he looked around.
He is absolutely right; the Grade II, legacy has taken its beauty and the legacy to next level.
"Forget the beauty, think about the emotion essence, he will get from all sixteen floors, not to mention the plants." Said Emmyth, making me sigh internally.
"Meria, please, help, get some essence and resources from the plants. You know, how much it would help me," he requested.
The man is a childhood friend.
He can''t think past his profession. It is the reason why he is here; he had begged Meria to take him to the party, knowing she had an invitation.
"Em, I had promised you an introduction, and that is the only thing I will do. Nothing more," said Meria, glaring at him.
He wanted to say something, but closed his mouth seeing her expressions and turned to me with pitiful eyes, but got the same look as her.
"Fine," he said.
Ting Ting!
The sound of class clinking rang out, and we turned to Silver.
The handsome young man who sparked the legacy and whose heart is filled with wild ambitions and has the will to bring them to reality.
Sometimes, I feel a little scared of the young man.
"Thank you, everyone, for joining me, on this auspicious occasion."
"It is also my birthday. I am twenty today and I hope, I will stop hearing the word, so young from now on," he said, drawing out a laughter across the hall.
¡
"Seven months ago; this precious thing, has been sacrificed to deal with those who wished to harm us,"
"We had to build it anew, with a stronger foundation, but its purpose is the same. Which is to provide an experience that will remain etched in your heart forever," I said, looking at all the people.
Some are still shocked by the changes, that they are barely listening to my speech.
I could see their rings, bracelets, and staff lighting up as they sent messages.
I had decided to reveal the advancement of the legacy, which I planned to do, since the moment I decided to build the tower.
Though, the way, I was planning to reveal it is completely different.
I was planning to show it as a real advancement but changed my mind. I decided to go out and create a show of it; tell people, it had advanced months ago.
It will create an effect and spread the news far and wide. Create more interest in legacy and the city.
"It is a challenge, but my legacy and I will do our everything, to provide that to you," I said and raised my glass, and others raised it with me, before taking a sip.
Many closed their eyes for a second. It is an expensive liquor, 27th of the top hundred, which had been aired with the mist of legacy.
The music resumed, and I walked toward the most important guest of the evening.
"Lord Verulus, thank you for gracing my humble city, with your honored presence," I said to a middle-aged man.
Lord of Owlspring looks average. He has a medium height and build, with an average face. His hair is brown, and his eyes are pale green.
Caelus Verulus is anything but average.
He was quite a warrior, in his younger days. Lv. 30+, before he had taken the duties of Owlspring. His information said the man was close to Lv. 40.
"The honor is all mine, Lord Silver. Your city, especially legacy, is worth making a trip," he replied.
I smiled and turned to the beautiful half-elf.
"Miss Tylcharis, I hope, you enjoyed our spa," I said to the woman, and a smile lit up across her face.
"It was a wonderful experience, and I am hoping that Lord Caelus would join me tomorrow, in it."
"He needs to stop caring about his people all the time and take care of himself too, time to time," she said, looking at him with frustration and love.
Her is a nine-treatment plan. She had five treatments today; she will have four tomorrow.
"The spa is really good, my lord; I hope, you will try at least one treatment before leaving," I said to the man.
He didn''t reply to that, but smiled.
I talked to him, before moving to the second important guest. The Lord of Amberhold, Silas Blackwell.
He and his wife are talking to my sister and madam.
Like the Lord of Owlspring, his appearance was also sudden. It was Ignatius, who was supposed to come.
I nodded at my sister and madam, who had sparks of anger appearing in her eyes seeing me. I have been told by multiple sources that she had been angry since she had left the baronies.
The woman was so good at controlling her expressions. I had never seen an ounce of enmity in her growing up, but ever since she came here, it had become more visible.
So, much so that she is having a problem controlling it.
Well, I don''t really care. I hope she didn''t cross a line, or I will have to do something, I really don''t want to do.
"Lord Blackwell, thank you for coming," I said to the man. "I have to see it since my wife had praised it so much." He replied.
"Is it good, as she said?" I asked. "She had grossly undersold it," replied the man.
Hearing that, I couldn''t help but smile.
"Your words mean a lot, my lord," I said to the man. "I hope, you would spend at least a day in the city, my lord. Explore what it has to offer," I added.
"I very much planned to," replied the man.
I introduced Carla to him and moved to the third more important guest.
There are two people, who share that place.
"Lord Rutto," I greeted the pudgy man.
"His majesty, Emperor Inkav wishes you a long and prosperous life. Lord Silver," said the man.
"Please, thank his majesty for his kind words, Lord Rutto," I replied, carefully avoiding the title.
He is crown prince and should be an emperor as he declared himself, but more than half of the empire is refused to accept him.
I need to be delicate about this since I know a lot of people are looking.
The man had come to the city before when the legacy was born but was sent away by the count. He came again and had the same intentions.
Unfortunately, this time, too, he will not get what he wants.
"I will, my lord," he said before he turned his expression serious.
"The emperor had sent me as guardian of your legacy, my lord. It would be wise, to make it as formal as soon as possible," he stated, casting a glance at left at the old man.
Well, he didn''t waste any time.
He had been trying for a meeting since he stepped into the city in the morning.
He wants to become a guardian of the legacy. Well, it is not going to happen.
"All in good times, Lord Rutto," I said to the man and walked away. He wanted to say something, but closed his mouth, seeing me walking away.
He could have followed me. If we weren''t in the crowd and many people, sneakily looking at us.
Soon, I stopped in front of the second, most important people. An old man, a head full of thick green hair.
"Lord Thorsten," I replied.
Thorsten is what Rutto is to the crown prince. He is sent by Princess Orlene or Empress Orlene, depending on who you ask.
He wants to be a guardian of the legacy, too.
These two aren''t the only ones who came. Every prince and princess had sent their people, with the sole intention of becoming a guardian.
None of them will be.
Chapter 409: Night
Kadals
"¡that is Marshhunter isn''t it, Grandma?" said Maci excitedly, barely able to keep her voice contained.
"Is it a Mistake to bring her?" I asked Linda.
She shook her head.
"It is her first seeing at such an opulent party. She is having a hard time controlling herself," said Linda.
Not that we are used to it.
We had only once attended a party, and that is also in this legacy, before it was destroyed.
I didn''t think, Silver would invite me this time.
It was a great shock, when my younger granddaughter informed me, that there was a beautiful woman at her door.
This time, there were three invitations. Two by our names, one unnamed, but for only family members.
There was quite a battle for it in our home.
The little girl''s parent didn''t hesitate to pull their daughter down, even bribe her for the invitation.
I was in my thoughts when I felt a pinch.
I looked at my wife, who looked ahead sharply; I turned ahead and saw Silver coming toward us, with the same beautiful woman, that was at our front door, a few weeks ago.
"Lord Silver," I greeted, while Maci became dumbstruck, with enamored eyes.
"Maci!" said Lina in a sharp whisper.
The little girl immediately understood and tried to bow, but Silver waved it away with a smile.
"Thank you for coming Mr. Kadav, Mrs. Kadav," he thanked in a smooth voice.
"Thank you for inviting us, Lord Silver. It is an absolute honor," I replied, and I mean it.
Inviting us one time is more than enough, but he invited us a second time and it is not a small Grade I legacy, but a magnificent Grade II legacy.
A lot of important people have come at this time, including our own lord and the lord of Amberhold, along with many important people from the merchant state.
"You must be Maci. You look quite like your younger sister," said Miss Carla.
When she had come, Maci wasn''t home. It was her, younger sister who had opened the door.
"Y..yes, I am Maci," she replied, stuttering with crimson cheeks.
"Please, enjoy the party," said Silver and walked away, while Maci watched, still enamored.
I didn''t say anything and picked up a plate of delicious-looking rolls from the tray, that waited brought, before taking a bite out of it.
It is delicious like everything. I have tested it so far.
It is the best food; I have ever eaten. While Linda is a wonderful cook, nothing could be compared to the food from the legacy.
I had just finished when I saw a blond-haired man coming toward me, before stopping in front of us.
"My skill is telling me, that you are our member, but I do not think, we have met before," said the man and I nodded.
"We have not, Vice-Guild Master Boyd," I replied, and a frown appeared on his face.
The man is too high, that business owner like me could never meet him.
The only reason, I am here, is because, of the few words, I spoke on that fateful day to a young man, who looked like, he was about to lose everything, but still standing straight.
He reminded me of my dear mother. Of what she had faced when I was young.
So, despite the hurry to escape, I went to him and spoke a few encouraging words before walking out.
"So, how do you know, Lord Silver?" he asked, and isn''t the only person who had asked this question.
"We had once met fatefully, and Lord Silver, hadn''t forgotten about it," I replied.
He looked to explain further, but I didn''t and kept a smile on my face.
"Here, this is the invitation for a party in the merchant guild. Please do come," he said and handed the envelope, with the emblem of the merchant guild behind it.
He nodded and walked away, while I gave an invitation to Linda, who put in her purse with the other two.
It is the third invitation we have received. The two were invitations to personal parties, this one from the merchant guild, and that party, that week later, was very important.
People like me could never get into those parties.
The last invitation helped me get some connections, which resulted in a few business opportunities. I hope, this one too will do the same.
I was mingling, when I nearly froze when I saw the lord of Owlspring, coming toward me.
"My lord," I bowed as the man stopped in front of me.
"I heard about you. Your words are what helped Silver, light up a spark for the legacy," he said, looking at me with eyes, that made my knees go weak.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
It is the first time, I heard those, but him saying that is different. It could make Silver angry.
"That is a gross exaggeration, my lord. My little words had no effect on the creation of the legacy. It was all Lord Silver," I replied with the same words as I do with others.
Thought this time. I had pressed those words hard.
They are also true. I do not think, I have done anything to help Silver spark the legacy.
¡
Senar
"This is my card. Please, give this to Lord Silver and tell him, we are willing to pay any price for the essences and resources," said a middle-aged blond man.
"Of course, Mr. Tars," said Madam Onaz with a charming smile.
The man nodded at her and me, before walking away, while his card disappeared into her purse.
"Everybody wants the essence and resources," I said. We had received over twenty cards in the past two hours.
"It isn''t surprising. The establishment has one of the rarest resources in the world."
"Getting their hands on it would be tremendously useful to them," replied Madam Onaz, before walking toward the tables.
I followed behind her with the other two.
Watch her engage with patrons. Answer their demands and queries with a smile never leaving her face.
It is not an easy job, considering the sheer number of patrons here. It is the first floor of the velvet red and there are over a hundred and fifty tables across the different sections.
Madam Onaz is responsible for the floor, but it is temporary until the three of us learn.
Three of us had been promoted to the assistant madams, but she was tier above us.
She is Tier I, while we are Tier II.
One of us will be promoted to her place, who will be in charge of this floor.
I want the position, but the completion is heavy. I not only have two girls beside me as the competitors, but there are seven more Tier II madams, working in floors and college.
There are only three positions for the first three floors of velvet red.
The top two floors will be handled by the tier-one madams.
I looked around at the people. They are everywhere. Even after two hours of opening, every chair is occupied.
No chair remained unoccupied for more than a minute.
I was thinking that when the table in front of me emptied. Rinen and the young patron walked toward the door.
The staff came immediately and cleaned the table. Making it ready for the next patron.
I walked toward the bar and stopped by the blue-eyed man, in his early forties.
"Mr. Rayes, the table is open for you," I said to the man. "Finally," he said and got up.
"I like them red-heads and younger," said the man, as I took him toward the empty table.
"Of course, Mr. Reyes," I said and activated the telepathic skill.
''Una, come to table twenty-nine,'' I said to the girl sitting in the waiting room.
The girl is a redhead, but not a natural one like Chief Carla. She had painted her hair red, but it was an excellent job. Most people wouldn''t be able to guess, even if they looked clearly.
She is also twenty years old. Most importantly she is good at handling men like him.
I sat him down in his seat and a few seconds later, Una came, lighting up the man''s eyes.
The maxim of the establishment is simple. Is to provide what patrons desire; give them an experience, they will never forget.
We serve everyone, including men like him.
Unless, of course, they crossed the line. Then they will be banned.
"Have a good time, Mr. Reyes," I said and walked away from toward Madam Onaz.
I could feel the gazes of many. Most of them are filled with desire, but there are some, who had a surprise in them and a tiny number, a faint disgust.
I looked at a mirror made of water and the reason was clear as day. I am an orc''s blood, and it is quite visible.
I could make this effect less visible with the ''More Human Skill'', which I used to use all the time.
Did it for years, but it had been months since I used it.
I am proud of what I am. Proud of blood, both human and orc, and I will never hide it, nor do I need it, especially here.
I smiled at the mirror and stopped beside Madam Onaz.
"Did you add Mr. Reyes, to the creep list?" asked Madam Onaz.
I was surprised at her question but shook my head.
There are lists, the creep list, best patron list, best-gifted list, good in bed list, and many other lists.
These lists are important, especially for the patrons. These lists decide how quickly, you could get a reservation. The floor you could go to and the type of girls you get.
If the person is high on good lists; the madam could add them to her list, which will give them access to the exclusive fourth floor.
Where only those on Madam''s list could go.
"Why? He feels like a creep and his word choice is also the same?" she asked.
"He feels like it and sounds like it, but he hasn''t done anything creepy yet and unless he does, I will not add him to the list," I replied.
"Good answer," she praised before turning to the three of us.
"The lists have power girls and I hope, you will add the names in it only after careful consideration,"
"The feeling is important, but so is the proof," she said, before moving, while we followed from behind.
¡
"It''s going well and this time, we didn''t even need a show," said Carla as moved through the guests.
"I told you, we do not need any show to impress people," I replied as I looked around the floor.
Last time, there was a mage show. This didn''t, we didn''t have any, nor did we need it.
Our preparations are more than enough.
It had been three hours since our entrance, and the party was still going. Only a few guests like, Lord of Owlspring had left.
He needed to, because of his mistress. She is pregnant.
I don''t know. If she knows it; it is very early. Even spells weren''t able to discover it. Not to mention, the heavy protection, she had covered her.
The only reason we did, is because of Naud.
She is an expert in pregnant messages and used konis massage on her.
A type of massage, where the steam of magical herbal oils is wrapped in legacy mist and sent into the body through waves. One needs decades of practice and appropriate skills to master the massage.
She is one of the people we had, especially poached. I had to personally talk with the leader of Elysian for her and she is only here for a year.
It is those waves that discovered, the faint-like. She is pretty sure, that Miss Tylcharis is pregnant.
Aside from Linis, only three people knew about it. Carla, Caena, and me. Even Maeve didn''t know.
Every therapist had been ordered. If they discovered something sensitive. They should report directly to that madam.
We didn''t do anything, but tomorrow, we will tell Miss Tylcharis. Not Lord of Owlspring; it will be up to Miss Tylcharis to share the news.
I pushed those thoughts and focused on the man and woman appearing in front of me.
The man is in his early fifties, while the woman is in her mid-twenties. The woman isn''t his daughter or wife.
"Lord Silver," greeted the man. "Vicount Maris, I hope you are enjoying the party?" I asked the man.
I had met him earlier. He is a man sent by the Duke of Henar.
"It is great, my lord," he replied, and I smiled.
"I was hoping we could meet tomorrow?" he asked. "Tomorrow, I am a little busy, but I will have my office contact as soon as possible,"
"Don''t worry, my lord I won''t let you leave Greltheaven, without a proper meeting," I replied.
The next two days. I am extremely busy.
"That is all I want," he said. I talked to the man for a minute, before walking away.
"Nearly everyone wants the same thing," said Carla with a sigh. "It is the most desired thing in the world. So, of course, they will want it. The question is, who we will sell?" I replied.
Everyone wants the essence and the resources. From Lord of Owlspring of Lady of Storms.
They are not above using political and economic pressure to get it.
Which is good. I do not plan to hoard them; not entirely, at least. I am going to sell it as there are a lot of things I want; things only these people could provide.
An hour passed, and the people finally began to leave. Though a trickle.
There are many people who want to stay till dawn, and I plan to let them. I have even prepared a few things that will keep them entertained.
"I am handing the party to you both. Take care of our guests well," I said to Caena and Margaux.
It is mostly Margaux. Caena will retire soon.
I have to wake up tomorrow for an early meeting with the Lord of Owlspring.
"We will take care of everything, Master Silver," said Margaux and walked away with Carla.
My heart began to beat wildly when I saw the blaze of desire in her eyes. I really want to sleep, but I don''t think it will be possible.
Chapter 410: Morning
Prodigies Playwright Lv. 32
Prodigies Playwright Lv. 33
Prodigies Playwright Lv. 34
{Skill Gained: ¡}
{Skill Gained: ¡}
Clerk Lv. 13
{Conditions met: Prodigies Playwright + Clerk + Dung Carrier + Launderer + Laborer + Waiter¨CWorldly Playwright}
Worldly Playwright Lv. 33
Worldly Playwright Lv. 34
{Skill Gained: ¡}
{Skill Gained: ¡}
{Skill Change: ¡}
.
.
.
I looked at the long line of texts, and tears began to flow through my eyes.
It had been sixteen years since I had leveled up. Till a few months ago, I had no hope and didn''t think, I would ever level in my main class.
I did, and the advancement was greater than I had thought.
Especially my main class, eating all the other classes and becoming Worldly Playwright, which I think perfect class for me.
Prodigious Playwright didn''t suit me anymore. It used to be, once upon a time, but not anymore.
I looked at my classes, that had been eaten by the main class.
These are just a few jobs in the past sixteen years. There were many more; these are the ones I had accepted.
I had no choice.
With Prince''s skill hanging over me, it was very hard to find simple employment.
These are the ones who supported me in my most difficult time. Helped me from starving to death and I am proud of each one of them.
Including the Dung Carrier.
Now all of them disappeared. Eaten by my main class; the Worldly Playwright.
It is a powerful class, more powerful than the Prodigious Playwright.
It has given me new skills. Changed and merged, the sixteen of them. All of them are pretty good skills; they will help me become a better playwright.
I looked at them before clearing the texts. There are attribute points, but I will think about them later.
"I wish you had been here," I muttered.
A face appeared in front of me, but I shook it away immediately.
It is too painful.
¡
Actress Lv. 19
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
Set Designer Lv. 28
Set Designer Lv. 29
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
Lady of Verdant Gardens Lv. 34
Lady of Verdant Gardens Lv. 35
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
Aesthetic Architect Lv. 35
Aesthetic Architect Lv. 36
{Skill Gained: ¡}
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
Prostitute Lv. 18
Prostitute Lv. 19
¡
Graceful Whore Lv. 23
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
Wall Artist Lv.28
¡
Dealer of Desire Lv. 27
Dealer of Desire Lv. 28
Dealer of Desire Lv. 29
{Skill Gained: Mark of Mist}
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Valorous Lord Lv. 22
Valorous Lord Lv. 23
{Skill Gained: Fast Reflexes}
When I opened my eyes. I had texts in front of me.
The advancement is better than expected. It had taken a long, but gave me a reward for it.
I am not surprised, seeing my Valorous Lord had also leveled up. I had expected it.
I had tied the future of my city to the tower.
If I hadn''t done it as such, the fate of my city was dependent on it. I would have leveled-up in Valorous Lord months ago and would have higher levels in it, than right now.
It is done with a purpose in mind.
It is my first advancement since the advancement after the second battle.
I was quite frustrated seeing everyone around me leveling up. I knew the reason, but that didn''t make it easy.
I have leveled up thrice in Dealer of Desire and even got the skill.
Mark of Mist.
It is a good skill, that usually hosts of Grade IV and above legacies get. It lets the user put a mark on things or a person.
Through this mark, one could get their location and, if one is high-leveled enough, their state.
This skill is usually gained by leaders of arenas.
I am going to use the skill on the art pieces. They are borrowed and expensive. It would be bad if even one of them got stolen.
We have our own measures, but marks will provide, another layer of protection.
The Valorous Lord advanced twice, reaching Lv. 23. It had also provided me with the skill.
An extremely rare skill.
It is a skill that every warrior desires.
Especially like me, who uses light weapons and depends on speed.
Fast Reflexes are a passive skill. It does what its name says. It increases the speed of reflexes. I will have to test how much; it will depend on my levels and attributes.
I will be happy. If it increases my reflexes by 10%.
It might seem small, but it is not. Even this small increase would help me tremendously.
The last are the attribute points. I have three of them.
I thought about it for a while, before I added one to intelligence, taking it sixteen, similar to physical attribute points.
The second point, I added to vitality; taking it to seventeen. The last one is for the charm.
I didn''t use it.
I am going to meet a lot of people in the next few days and if I use the point on the charm; they will know.
The charm is at nineteen. One more point is going to take it to twenty. Once that happens; its power will take the big jump.
It might help me help me with negotiations, but reveal my strength to them.
I don''t want that. I want to keep it a secret.
I will use that point after things calm down. It will give me enough time to learn to control the power; the time that I don''t have for the next few days.
|
Class
|
Dealer of Desire Lv. 29 [Master of Legacy]
|
|
Valorous Lord Lv. 23
Trainer Lv. 08
|
|
Charisma
|
19
|
|
Intelligence
|
16
|
|
Vitality
|
17
|
|
Strength
|
16
|
|
Skills:
|
¡¤ Trustful Presence
¡¤ Goods Instinct
¡¤ Solid Contract
¡¤ Torch for Seeker
¡¤ Consecutive Strikes
¡¤ Blitz Steps
¡¤ Insightful Reading
¡¤ Price Is Right
¡¤ Mauling Strike
¡¤ Silver Tongued
¡¤ Gymnasts Grace
¡¤ Sight Through Veil
¡¤ Every Ear Listens To My Words
¡¤ Blade Of The Gale
¡¤ Mood of the Subjects
¡¤ Privacy Sphere
¡¤ Command Projection
¡¤ Get Ready
¡¤ Quick Parry
¡¤ Sharpness
¡¤ Active Presence
¡¤ Vision Projection
¡¤ Instant Recollection
¡¤ Artistic Dealings
¡¤ Copy Skill - Focus
¡¤ Telepathic Call
¡¤ Energizing Essence
¡¤ Gymnasts Control
¡¤ Lord''s Presence
¡¤ March Of The Braves
¡¤ Laws of My Land
¡¤ Mark of Mist
¡¤ Fast Reflexes
|
|
Legacy
|
Demesne of Desire II
|
|
Skills
|
¡¤ Master of Legacy
¡¤ Laws of Legacy
¡¤ Share Authority (5)
¡¤ Vault of Ru
¡¤ Demesne Expansion
|
|
Attribute Points
|
1
|
I closed the window and looked around. It was as bright as I expected.
I looked at the clock and sighed.
I had only slept for two hours; it was nearly morning when we had slept. It was a good, thing; I had the rest charm from Caena.
It had given me rest as if I had slept for ten hours. It is not all just the charm, but also the power of legacy, which enhances the effect of it further.
A similar charm is imprinted on it.
I took a deep breath, smelling the fragrance of Carla and the slight musk of sex, that is lingering in the room.
A smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
I could still hear, the moans Carla had made last night and if we both didn''t have important meetings in the morning, we would have continued making love.
I sighed, before getting up from the bed and walking into the bathroom.
I have a meeting at forty-five minutes with the Lord of Owlspring. It''s a very important, meeting.
The fate of the city depends on it.
So, I quickly freshened up and showered, before changing into the suit.
I didn''t even eat the breakfast. Though I checked the core before walking out.
It had put a smile on my face.
Click!
The carriage was already waiting for me when I got out. I sat down and it moved toward the city hall.
I watched through the window and was surprised immediately.
There are people in the park. More than I had thought.
Some taking a stroll, while others are walking their pets and monsters. There are dedicated zones for that and with extra security.
We wouldn''t want monsters getting out of control and harming people.
There are restrictions; the monster needed a certain level of training and a certificate from the registered trainer to show it was trained enough.
Soon, the carriage reached the canals, and I saw boats moving on it.
I had even spotted a few familiar people on them.
Fifteen minutes later, the carriage stopped at the city hall, and I got out.
Immediately, I felt a change. The people felt more respectful.
They are bowing more deeply than usual.
I don''t know if it is because of the skills whose power increased because of the level-up or the opening yesterday.
I could also feel the increase in reverence and respect for me through the skill.
Click!
Soon, I reached my office. Ina was already there. She just nodded and put a file in front of me.
When alone, she didn''t put a display of respect. We both respect each other enough that she didn''t need to show it when we were alone.
"All our inns and hotels are fully booked. Even the apartments are booked. We had to place a lot of people in the tents," she added.
I had spent quite money on the advertisement, and it worked like a charm.
It had brought many people to the city yesterday.
"I have received information that more people are coming today. Both from the Owlspring and other merchant cities, but also from Inam and other close cities," she informed.
It didn''t take long for the information to spread about the tower, and it was attracting the people.
We have prepared for it, but it seemed like, we had underestimated the interest. Yesterday, there were 55% more people, than we had expected.
More will be coming in the next few days.
"Make the preparations and keep an eye on the hotels and stores. Make sure, they don''t overcharge," I said to her.
I know very well how the cities could spoil a big opportunity like this.
Earth is filled with such examples.
Many cities get chances, like a big popstar concert or some viral festival attracting tons of people, but they can''t use that opportunity well.
Some cities do it well and reap its immediate and following dividends.
I don''t want my city to fall into the former category.
"This is your itinerary for today," she said and placed a page in front of me after I read the file.
Just saw the sheer number of meetings. I felt the great effects of sex and charm disappearing rapidly.
The first meeting is, of course, with the Lord of Owspring.
There is another with the representative from the state of Meldhorn and two more with the state of Oksall and Belnin.
I also have to meet with a representative of Inam and Namdar.
It is only for today and tomorrow it will be representative of the princes, baronies, other cities, organizations, and people.
Everybody wants the same thing.
Chapter 411: Letting Out
''Master Silver, Lord of Owlspring is here for you,'' informed Jill.
Click!
A moment later, the middle-aged man came inside. He didn''t bring his guards inside or his assistants.
Just came alone.
"Lord Verulus," I greeted, standing up. "Lord Silver," replied the man.
"Please, take a seat," I said as I sat. The man nodded and sat down with ease, while his eyes wandered around.
Stopping for a fraction of a second on Ina, Zela, and Jon. He was hidden, but the man was able to sense him rather easily.
"I hoped, you had a good rest, my lord," I inquired. "I slept like I am in my own city," he replied.
Hearing, that, a smile appeared on my face.
"I am glad and also happy, that you have decided to stay a few hours longer to enjoy the spa," I said, and a man shook his head with a smile.
"Mae, I could not refuse her," he replied. "You won''t be disappointed, Lord Verulus," I said, and the man smiled before his expression turned serious.
"Lord Silver, you know why I am here," he said and looked at Ina and others.
A faint surprise appeared on his face, seeing me not asking them to leave.
"Yes," I replied.
"So, I will say it straight away. The city of Owlspring would like to buy the emotion essence and plant resources from you." He said, coming to the point directly.
"We are willing to pay you, above the market price to get them," he added.
It is expected, but I still took a pause of the moment, before speaking.
"How much, do you want?" I asked, directly as well. "Emotions essence. Three hundred bottles," he replied, and I laughed.
"My lord, you are asking for over half of the emotion''s essence. That legacy will produce,"
"As you might have seen, the representative from the imperial house had already come and they want me to sign the contract of guardianship."
"It could become impossible to give you any," I replied, shaking my head.
The man smiled.
"According to your calculations. It is fourth at most. As for representative of the princes, we both know you are not going to sign the contracts with them," he said.
I could feel him using his skills.
Not an active still, but a passive skill, over which he had such control that I could only dream.
It feels like a feather, but its effects are as heavy as the boulder. I am starting to have a really hard in resisting it.
"You might be right, but you are not the only one, who wants those things,"
"There are representatives from your state and also other merchants cities, and states. There are also representatives from the imperil cities."
"I can''t give you that much," I replied, declining his offer.
Three hundred is too much; not because it is a big number, which it is, but most importantly because there are many people who want it.
There are a few like him, to whom I cannot say no.
"You should make an exception for us, Lord Silver. We are your closest neighbor and have helped when you needed us and we will continue to do that," he said.
There is not a threat or implication in his voice. He wants a good relationship and so am I.
It benefits us both.
It was also true, that he had helped when we needed it the most. Giving us aid, intelligence, and weapons to defend against the undead.
"It is why, you''re the first person, I am meeting, Lord Verulus," I replied.
There was a silence for a few seconds before the man opened his mouth again.
"So, how much you could give me?" he asked. "Hundred," I replied, and the man opened his mouth again.
"Please understand my predicament, my lord. This is the most I could do. Though, I promise you; we will discuss it again in half a year," I added.
The man looked at me, before sighing.
"Fine, a hundred bottles a month," he replied. "Thank, you for the understanding, my lord," I said.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The man nodded.
"So, what do you want in exchange? You wouldn''t take money, would you?" he asked with hope.
Money would be the easiest thing for him to give, but unfortunately, for him. I do not want money, in exchange for my precious emotion essence.
I looked at Ina, and she placed the file in front of him. It had the list of things I wanted.
He took the file and opened it, before starting reading.
It didn''t take him long to finish the file. There are only several pages in it.
"You want quite a lot of restricted things. For some, I would need permission from the state," he said, turning to me.
"I am sure, you would get it," I replied.
"I need those things to defend my city against the undead. It is to be a benefit of the empire and merchant state, that city to not fall into the hands of the undead," I added.
The man smiled.
"Fine, I will get you those things," he agreed finally. "Thank you, my lord," I said.
"Now the plants?" he asked.
"I am not very knowledgeable about them. I hope my people negotiate about them," I said, and the man nodded after a moment of silence.
The plants are more precious, and I need to be careful with each one of them.
"You have given me a lot of stress, Lord Silver. I hope, your spa, would be able to help me relive it," he said.
"Have no doubts about it, Lord Verulus," I replied.
A minute later, the man left. We didn''t sign a contract, just shook our heads. The contract will be signed after our people negotiate.
His people will be here tomorrow to negotiate, and it won''t be easy, but I am confident in my people.
Sigh!
I sighed and slumbered back in my chair, before closing my eyes to rest.
It might not seem much, but it was tiring. The skill was extremely powerful. He only used one, and it was a passive skill.
If he had used others; I wouldn''t have been so composed as I had been.
"The man is powerful," said Ina.
"He is, and he had only used a single skill, and not its full power either," I replied.
If he had, I would have been able to resist it, but that would have the opposite effect. Here, both of us want to foster a relationship.
It is beneficial for both of our cities. Bulldozing me with power wouldn''t have had helped.
"How much time, before I meet with the representative of Oksall?" I asked.
"Fifteen minutes," Ina replied.
A minute later, I opened my eyes. Making a decision on which I had been sitting for the past six months.
I cannot wait anymore.
It is a heavy decision, and it will change a lot of things, but I need to do it. There is no other choice.
"Send the letter to Masal," I said.
I am sending a letter to the Masal Colosseum through Synod officially as the host of Grade II Legacy. Asking them to release my mother as a favor to me or to negotiate the price of her release.
Whether they would accept or not. I don''t know, but I will need to try it.
Children asked me about her, nearly every day and I don''t want to lie anymore.
I hope they will agree. I am willing to pay quite a high price for it. She is my mother; the fact didn''t change despite the anger I feel toward her.
Most importantly, I don''t want the children to face, what I have faced.
I, at least, had the father. He was not perfect, but I know, he loved me in his own way.
The children didn''t even have that.
"Done," said Zela.
They will receive the letter within an hour. I hope to get an initial response by evening.
''Master Silver, Madam Silver, is asking to meet you,'' came a hurried voice through the intercom.
A frown appeared on my face. I didn''t have a meeting with Madam. I am not even meeting my sister.
Though there is a family dinner to which she had been invited, along with Leila.
I wouldn''t have, but since Gerald and Selina are in the city. I had decided to invite them to, along with a few other family members, that came.
Click!
I was about to reply to her when the door clicked open, and madam walked in.
''I had tried to stop her, but she didn''t listen,'' said Jill. "It''s fine," I said, before turning to the madam.
Showing clear irritation at her conduct, but the woman didn''t have even a hint of apology on her face. Instead, there is an anger in her eyes.
"Madam," I greeted and offered her a seat.
She might have forgotten her manners, but I didn''t.
"Remus, you had not only not invited your brothers to the party, but you had sent back their representative," she said, with anger burning brightly in her eyes.
"Do you, how humiliating it was for them?"
"You have sent, nearly every important member of the family an invitation, except for your brothers."
"It was the greatest humiliation, they have ever suffered, and it was caused by their own brother!" She accused, with her voice reaching high.
Ina and Zela quickly walked out of the room, which was wise because now I was angry.
I have nothing but polite to her. Not just now, but my whole life. Hoping to earn their acceptance, which they never gave to me.
I have been polite even when they had tried to kill me.
Now, I had enough.
The dam of emotions I had been holding back all my life had finally broken apart, and all that anger hurt, and other emotions burst out.
"Humiliation? Do you know even know the meaning of humiliation madam?" I asked.
"Humiliation is the manipulation of your brother''s fate,"
"Those people you are calling my brothers had conspired to change my class, made me a whoremaster. That was a humiliation!
"The humiliation was to steal what is rightfully mine and send me to a dangerous place with nothing but a brothel in my name,"
"Humiliation was finding than insufficient and trying to kill me!"
I was screaming at the end.
I had these things buried in my heart. They would bubble, whenever I saw their faces, but I always controlled them.
Now, I am letting them free.
Thud!
"So, don''t come here crying humiliation, madam!" I shouted and hit the table hard, while the woman watched in shock.
She hadn''t expected such a reaction from me. I had never raised a voice in front of her, but now I am screaming at her.
"Also tell them, they can forget about entering my legacy ever or even getting any benefits from it," I said, with an angry smile on my face.
The woman opened her mouth but closed it seeing the anger in my eyes that was a hundred times greater than hers. Instead, she got up and walked out.
Even hearing those words. There was not a hint of shame in women''s eyes or apology.
"Message Baroness Leila and tell her, I am rescinding the invitation of madam for tonight''s dinner," I said to Zela as she returned.
Her staff lit up, while I closed my eyes.
It was an unfortunate incident, but I am glad it happened. I wanted to say those words for a long time, and it felt good to say them out loud.
"Baroness Leila is asking about what happened," said Zela, a few seconds later.
"Tell her to ask her mother," I replied.
I have no politeness left toward them. Even for my sister, I still blame her for what happened to me. It might be her fault or not, but my heart still blames her for what they did to me.
A few minutes passed, and I started to take a deep breath to calm myself.
There is an important meeting with the representatives of the state of meldhorn, and I need to be ready.
Finally, I opened my eyes and saw, that only a minute had remained till I had to meet them.
"Masal had sent the confirmation, that they have received the letter," said informed Zela.
"Any response to the letter?" I asked. "No," she replied.
"Tell me immediately, the moment it comes," I said as I got up, before walking out of the room.
Chapter 412: Esa Raak
Raak
I closed my eyes, blocking every noise around me. Remembering the face of my child.
It''s his birthday today. He had already celebrated it yesterday, in Zenid.
The time in Oton is thirteen hours behind Zenid.
It made me happy that Josie and Heron were with him. He would have his family with him on his birthday.
I wish I didn''t have a fight today. Usually, I am lucky; I didn''t have any fights on this day, but today I am not.
I have a fight. It is in fifteen minutes.
"Anna,"
I heard the familiar voice calling my name and opened my eyes in irritation.
"I had told you many times to not disturb me during my meditation before the battle," I snapped at Master Lar.
The man might be my master, but he had no right to disturb me before the battle. Especially when he wants to win the battle on this day.
"The match is canceled. Praefectus Prisca had summoned you to her office," he informed, surprising me.
That is when I noticed. The uniform of two guards behind him. They are not usual colosseum guards, but Praefectus Guards.
The most elite of all.
Even I couldn''t deal with a single one of them, with the power of legacy supporting them.
"Why?" I asked a moment later.
"I don''t know," he replied. Sounding as surprised as I was feeling.
Praefectus are the most powerful people in the whole arena, the city, and its dominions. There are only four of them with Grand Praefectus as supreme authority.
I have never been summoned by one.
For a moment, my heart skipped a head, before I pushed the thought away.
It wouldn''t be about the children. It had been over nine months since I had sent them away.
They wouldn''t be angry about it.
Lar was angry about it, but couldn''t do anything other than be angry. Unlike me, they were free and could leave this dammed place.
"Follow us!"
I was in thought when the guard ordered and began to move. I got up and followed them to Lar.
"Why did they summon you?" asked the master. "Why are you asking me that?" I asked back.
"You really don''t know?" he asked, looking at me suspiciously.
This time, I didn''t even reply and walked behind the guards in the grand misty hallways.
It is a beautiful place. I hate it from the bottom of my heart.
It has taken everything from me. My freedom, my children. Every day feels painful here. Sometimes I want to die.
The only reason, I am living is my children.
Soon, we reached the elevator and stepped inside. The door closed and it began to move up.
I watched the views through it; the fight that is happening and the hundreds of thousands watching it.
The number never lessened. Going over a million on the special days.
One would expect it hard for hundreds of thousands of people to watch the battle in the colosseum every day, but it is not when it is a legacy.
People do anything to experience the power of legacy. People come from far, some from out of the continent, to experience the colosseums of Oton.
Ting!
The elevator stopped at the top floor, and we got out and walked through the beautiful hallways before we reached the end, where there was a big bronze gate.
There are no guards guarding it. There is only one person, a middle-aged secretary.
"Go in," said the secretary, without even looking at us.
As she said, the bronze door began to open, but I couldn''t see what was behind them. There is something, blocking the view inside.
"Only her, not you," said the secretary, surprising me and Lar.
He is my master, the handler.
Every decision, I take in the arena is his; I have no will regarding it. If he said it.; I will have to follow it.
I remember the day; I signed the contract. I was extremely desperate; there was no option but to sign the contract.
If I hadn''t, I wouldn''t have been standing here, but sometimes, I really wish I hadn''t. Death was preferable to the life, I had.
I signed the contract, not to survive, but for my child. In hope, that I will see him someday.
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
I passed through the door and entered the magnificent office. No office, even the head of the House of Silver could compare to what I am seeing.
I only looked at it for a fraction of a second before my eyes fell on the man sitting behind the huge table.
It is not Praefectus Prisca, but Grand Praefectus Donatus.
I had only seen him a few times, in over a decade. He rarely shows himself, preferring to do his work through the four Praefects under him.
Grand Praefectus is a thin man with a scholarly feel. He looks to be in his mid-thirties, handsome with gentle features.
Nobody would think him powerful, much less dangerous, but he is a very dangerous man.
The man responsible for the arena and the massive dominion. He is sitting there while Praefectus Prisca is standing beside him.
Both of them are looking at me with unreadable expressions.
"Grand Praefectus Donatus, Praefectus Prisca," I greeted and bowed.
"Esanor Raak, you have hidden a lot of things from us," said Grand Praefectus.
I shuddered hearing him take my real name. I had never told anyone about my real name. Even the contract, was signed in blood.
I had not even told Emer my full name, on the day he left. I had told him where to go and who to meet.
"Take a seat, Esanor," said Grand Praefectus Donatus.
I sat down shakingly and turned to them.
"How are you able to find out my name?" I asked after a moment of silence.
"Your son, he contacted us," replied Grand Praefectus, before placing the envelope in front of me.
I closed my eyes for a moment. He did what I had asked him not to do it.
I had asked Emer to warn Remus to not contact me. The heavenly colosseums are dangerous; the further one remained, the better.
I sighed and turned to the letter. It is simple, with two emblems.
The one on the right was unfamiliar to me, but the other one was on the left, I know too well.
It is the emblem of a house of silver; the variation of it. If I had any doubts, about his words; the emblem made it disappear.
"He wants us to release you and I have said, his offer of owing us a favor is quite enticing," said Grand Praefectus, shocking me.
Grand Praefectus is a powerful man. To entice him even slightly, one needs to make an offer of colossal proportion, and the man has found the promise of favor from Remus enticing.
The whole house of silver barely could do the job. I know very well that the old man wouldn''t pay such a price for me.
''Has Remus made the princess fall in love with him?'' I asked myself. It is the only thing; I could think of.
He is twenty years old. It''s his birthday today.
At that age, he couldn''t achieve anything. It is either that or him finding that load of treasure.
My heart shuddered when I thought about it and immediately controlled my emotions in everything I had.
''Has he found that?'' I couldn''t help being asked myself, before burying that thought could as deep as possible.
"Please forgive my son, Grand Praefectus Donatus. He cannot offer you anything, that might interest you," I said, and the man smiled and so is the woman beside him.
"Oh, you are very wrong about that, Esanor," he said, before tapping on the desk.
The mist moved and formed an emblem. The same unknown one as the letter.
"Do you know what it is?" he asked, and I shook my head. I didn''t, I had never seen it before in my life.
"This?" he asked, and the mist moved again, forming a small tower of about twenty floors. Beautiful, with verdant flower plants around it.
"You really haven''t even tried to find information about your son?" He asked, with his eyes intensely searching mine for whatever he was trying to find.
"I know better than to do that, Grand Praefectus," I replied, and the man smiled
"We are not the big, bad wolves, Esanor. We wouldn''t do anything to your son''s continent away,"
"Did we stop you from sending your children away?" he asked with a smile.
The smile of the wolf.
It was a wise decision to send the children away. If I hadn''t, they might have got them; I have seen it enough to not believe their flowery words.
"You should have tried to look at the information about your son. At least in the past nine months," he said, making me frown in question.
I looked at the emblem and the tower beside it. It is what they are looking at and likely the thing, that made even Grand Proetus interested.
It is beautiful, but other than that. There is nothing special about it.
"What is it?" I asked finally, and a small smile appeared on their faces.
"This is a velvet garden." He said, pointing at the tower. Speaking an unfamiliar name.
"The legacy. It was born nine months ago, and the host of it is Remus Silver, your son," he added, and my heart shook.
I had expected many things, but not this.
"It had advanced to Grade II,"
"Most are saying, he had achieved it within six months, which is shocking enough, but there is a whisper, that said he had achieved it in three months,"
"If it is true, he would be the first to achieve the feat, in this era,"
His eyes were searching, but I didn''t know anything. He wouldn''t find anything in my eyes other than sheer shock.
''Remus has a legacy,''
This sentence revolved around my mind. It took me a while before I was able to get out of it.
"Are you going to release me?" I asked.
I kept the hope to a minimum, but it couldn''t help, seeped into my voice.
It had been over a decade since I saw my sweet boy. My heart aches every minute in his memory. I want to see him, hug him, never leave his side.
"I thought about it and decided not to." He replied, crushing all the hope I had in my heart.
"If it had been a common legacy, I would have, but the velvet garden was clearly a special legacy and that makes you an asset to us," he added.
He wouldn''t have let me. Even if it was a common legacy. No mercy exists in the hearts of heavenly colosseums.
"But don''t worry, seeing you are the mother of a fellow Synod member. We will promote you and give you access to the things, you didn''t have before,"
"We are also suspending the Patrons Prize. So, you won''t have to sleep with patrons that sponsor you from now on," he said.
The more I heard. The angrier I got, but I said nothing and drank down the emotions.
"You can now even contact your son without any worry," he added with a smile, and all those buried emotions once again threatened to burst out.
"Thank you," I said.
Once again, drinking down everything I was feeling.
"I am going to write to your son, the response now. He would be happy, seeing the privileges we are going to give it to you," he said.
"Can I go now?" I asked.
"Sure, and take this," he replied, before sliding a silver medallion toward me.
A surprise flashed in my eyes. I know what it is; every fighter, gladiator, and warrior longed for this thing.
"You have the potential to earn it, but you are getting it early, thanks to your son," he added with a smile.
The champion''s medallion. Only those of Lv. 40 or powerhouses of great prowess get it and he is giving this to me.
It also means Lar can''t control me anymore. I am now directly under the prefect''s control.
"You will have to add a drop of blood on it to bind it," instructed Praefectus Prisca.
I nodded and took my dagger and pierce my finger with it, before dropping the blood on the silver medallion.
Immediately, the surrounding mist moved onto the medallion, and the emblem of the area flashed in it.
A moment later, it came out of my card and stuck on the back of my hand. It flashed there for a moment before disappearing.
Click!
A few seconds later, I walked out of the office. Lar was waiting there, looking confused.
"What happened? I felt the power of your contract taken from me?" he asked.
"Fuck off!" I cursed, shocking the man.
I had wanted to say those words to this bastard for a long time and now I finally said it.
He was shocked, but the familiar anger appeared in his eyes.
"You bitch! You dare to talk to me like that!" he screamed and raised his hands.
Slap!
A loud slap rang out, sending him flying, crashing into the wall. I waited for the punishment from the contract, but it didn''t come.
I have the privilege of champion. Aside from Praefectus, nobody can do anything to me.
"If you ever dare to lay your filthy hands on me again. You will see the slap with mercy," I promised.
I looked at his snotty face, before walking away. I have things to do. First and foremost, find out if this is all true or one big nightmare.
I am still having a hard time believing. It is all truth.
Chapter 413: Invitation
"Thank you, Lord Silver. Have a nice day," said the orc in his early forties, shook my hand.
"You too, Lord Orag," I replied.
The man smiled and walked out of the conference room with the rest of his people.
Immediately, the vibrant smile on my face disappeared, and I nearly shook with deep tiredness appearing in my eyes.
I became a balloon that lost all its air.
The bastard did not show mercy. They wanted everything I had. I would have been grateful if they had behaved like a lord of Owlspring.
"With two hundred bottles promised to the state of Oksall. The tally had reached seven hundred and eighty," said Valentina.
A hundred bottles were promised to the Lord of Owlspring. Two hundred and fifty to the state of Meldhorn. One hundred and fifty to the state of Belnin.
Two hundred to the state of Oksall, twenty to Amberhold. Sixty to the city of Inam.
Except for the representative of the Amberhold. I met the representative of all of them.
There are many more had remained. The imperials, the city of Namdar, houses like the house of Ashav. Alchemists, artificers, and many other people.
Lord of Owlspring had estimated, that the legacy would produce twelve hundred bottles of emotions. Larger than most Grade II legacies.
He had underestimated it.
I had looked at the core and how much essence it had produced.
I divide it in half and multiply it by month; the establishment would produce slightly over two thousand bottles every month.
This is a conservative estimate, seeing a legacy opened in the afternoon, it was at night all sixteen floors were opened.
From today, it opened in the morning, and while there wouldn''t be as much as patrons on the blue as there were the guests yesterday
The patrons on the floors below it will remain the same or even increase.
Still, seeing the number of people that want the emotions essence. Even two thousand bottles of emotions essence seemed less.
I wish I could say no, but I couldn''t. I need things from them, as well as the support. I will need to give the merchant stage.
The same for Inam; it could cause me serious harm. So, I need to keep them happy too.
I had to give something to even Amberhold, because they have the trade route and orcs.
In exchange, I am not only getting things. That merchant state keeps restricted but also the influence. That will translate into friendly policies and investments.
To me, the merchant state is more important than even an empire.
My survival depends on them.
"It is slightly over what we had expected, but we will manage. I hope, all of you and your people will negotiate, the best deals for us," I said, looking at the people around me.
Everyone is here.
Valentina, Hardt, Arryn. There are also Carla and Margaux since it is the resource of the establishment.
Today we have agreed on only the number of bottles of emotion essence. The teams will negotiate, what we want in exchange for them.
It will be a busy week seeing the sheer number of parties. They will have to negotiate with.
I wouldn''t have needed to be here. They are capable of handling the people on their own, but emotion essence is the most precious resource and I want to maintain control over it.
It might seem like, I am controlling anything, but it is a start. Things will improve with time.
That is why all the contracts have a validity of six months. After that, all of them will need to renegotiate.
I stayed there for a few more minutes before walking out. I will return here for one more meeting.
It is with the city of Namdar.
It will be the last meeting before I retire today. I am thoroughly tired; couldn''t continue, even if I wanted to.
I want to cancel the last meeting, but that wouldn''t look good.
"Baroness Leila, is waiting for you in the waiting room," informed Zela.
Leila had been wanting to meet me since morning, but I delayed it till now. I didn''t want to meet with her, but also didn''t want to make dinner awkward.
It is better to make things clear, before that.
Soon, I reached my office and saw my sister waiting in the waiting room.
"Leila," I said, and she got up and followed me into the office, while Ina remained behind.
Zela and John followed.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
She isn''t a madam, who could only bark. Leila could kill me easily, while she is my sister and I know she wouldn''t attack me.
I rather not take risks. I don''t have a good experience with them and like to be as cautious as possible.
"Please," I said, offering her a seat as I sat down.
Nobody spoke, we just looked at each other. I don''t know what to say. It is not her fault for what her mother did, but I am angry.
"Thank you for squeezing me in. I could only imagine, how tight your schedule must be," she said with a small smile, after a few seconds of silence.
"You have no idea!" I said with a mirthless laugh.
Once again, the awkward silence descended.
We never had any idea of how to talk to each other, unless it was business. There was never a relationship between us, despite being siblings, nor a trust.
Our relationship is past the healing point.
"I am sorry for my mother. She had no right to come here unannounced to create a scene. Say those hurtful words." She apologized.
She looked genuinely apologetic.
"You do not have to apologize. You are not the one who did it," I said, shaking my head.
"Still, it was my fault. I had brought mother here; I shouldn''t have," she said and to that, I didn''t say anything.
I am still furious at that woman; the audacity at which she had come to me and said those words.
"I hope your anger toward mother and, by extension, me, will not affect things at tomorrow''s meeting," she said, and I smiled.
"Don''t worry, I keep my personal and political lives separate," I replied, and could see the relief flooding into her eyes.
"Thank you, Remus," she said and got up, before walking out of the room.
I watched her leave before turning to work I have.
In a few minutes, I have to meet a really important person. He is the only person coming today, who didn''t want anything for me.
"Anything from Masal?" I asked, and Zela shook her head.
I nodded and focused on the file in front of me. It''s worth more than when compared to a monthly supply of the emotion essence, but when it is compared to a year, it only is part.
It will be half if war with the undead intensified, but if it didn''t, then third.
The rest, I could use for the influence. These things are the tools of influence. Used not only in life-saving potions but also in reviving and recharging the artifacts, among many other things.
If not for that, Sovereigns wouldn''t be crazy about them.
So, what I need is time.
The more time passed. The greater influence I will accumulate through these resources, will help me tremendously
''Master Silver, Great Mage Kralis is here,'' informed Jill.
Click!
A moment later, the door opened. I got up to greet the blue-haired old man.
Kralis Wilmar is a short man, with a head full of blue hair which looked slightly unkept. He looked to be in his mid-sixties with dark eyes filled with knowledge.
He is a Great Mage.
A Lv. 40+ Mage, powerful enough that he would be wiping out every Lv. 30 powerhouse I have, including Stone, even if they attacked together.
"Great Mage Kralis," I greeted the old man. "Lord Silver," he said and took a seat in front of me.
"I heard, it was an eventful night yesterday," said the old man.
"It would have been even greater if you had graced it with your presence, Great Mage," I replied, and the man smiled.
They had a sent representative. A High-Mage named Gaston, but his appearance would have made the night even better.
I am glad he didn''t.
The man is not just a Great Mage, but also a scholar mage. He could have noticed things that I didn''t want others to notice.
I created such a show yesterday because I knew he wouldn''t be there and also the hosts of legacies. They were barred by their leaders.
The undead is close. If they had captured even a single host of legacy; it would have done irreplaceable damage to that entire kingdom.
A moment later, a delicate wooden box appeared in his hand. It is carved by a high-level artist, with a familiar emblem on the top.
"His illuminated majesty, the Archmage, and the Archmage Tower cordially invite you, Lord Silver, host of Velvet Garden, to the Archmage City for the decennial continental synod conclave." He spoke and placed the wooden box down.
His voice is practiced like he had said hundreds of times. Which he likely did.
The invitation is to the continental synod conclave. The biggest conclave in the entire continent.
It had happened once a decade in archmage city. The place of the most powerful legacy on the continent.
All the hosts of legacies on the continent are invited. Also, the head of state.
Powerful organizations and high-level people.
It is the thing where everyone desires to get invited. Last time, the hHouseof Silver had paid enormous money for the slot of a single person.
"I gladly accept the invitation," I accepted.
"We hope you will personally come, Lord Silver. The Archmage, had a desire to meet you," he said, and surprise couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
The leader of the Archmage Tower is notoriously hard to meet. Even the head of state, fault for getting his appointment.
"It is my honor, Great Mage, but I can''t promise personal attendance, given the condition of the region," I replied.
"We understand, but we would still be happy if you came," he said.
"I will try," I said, and the old man smiled.
The great mage left a moment later, while Zela''s eyes still following him. I could see the hope in her eyes, the desire to reach the height, he had reached.
I didn''t say anything and turned to the box with a big emblem of the Archmage Tower.
The spirit.
It is for that reason alone; that many people want to visit it.
I don''t plan to go despite very much wanting to, but it is three months away and anything could happen.
I could feel their eyes on the box. They are very curious, so I am. There isn''t only an invitation in the box, but also a gift.
They send it with an invitation. It is only for the legacies.
It could be anything, a rare resource, emotion essence, or anything else.
However, it is said; that the archimage tower gives what one needs. So, I am quite curious, about the gift the box will have.
Click!
I clicked open the box and immediately the mist came out. Filled with such power, that I froze for a moment.
When I came to myself, I saw the projection in front of me. The projection of Archmage.
"Lord Silver host of the Velvet Garden. You are cordially invited to the continental conclave of legacies."
Said the archmage, before the mist dissolved and the contents of the box appeared in front of me.
The first is the envelope. It was blank, but the moment I touched it. The emblem of the archmage tower, archmage city, and archmage appeared.
As I opened it, I found the formal invitation. It''s so beautiful, that I want to frame it.
Many do. It sells for quite a good price. It is a collector''s item.
It is not only beautiful but also valuable. Everything is magical, from ink to paper; one could feel the power emanating from it.
I placed the envelope down and looked at the other thing. It is a book.
I could see Zela shaking, seeing it. She had already guessed, what it was.
I touched it and the beautiful cover revealed itself.
"It is indeed a spell book, with the spell, you had wanted," I said, handing the book to her.
It''s true what they say. I had been searching for a good defensive spell and they have provided me with one.
The spell is Light Sphere. It creates a sphere of light around the caster or person, it is directed.
It''s a Grade 4 light elemental defensive spell. A powerful defensive spell, especially against dark elemental spells.
Zela is a water elemental mage, but she is also perusing the light element. It will be a tough spell to learn, but if anyone could do it. It would be her.
In the past few months, she had been focused on offensive spells.
This spell will bring balance to her arsenal.
"It is a single learner''s spell," said Zela, a few seconds later. It means only one person could learn it. It couldn''t be copied or shared or sold once it''s open.
"Good, you are a perfect person for it," I replied, turning to her.
"Thank you, Lord Silver," she thanked with misty eyes.
She doesn''t need to thank me. The more powerful she is, the safer I will be, and I need her to be powerful to face, the challenges that will soon be coming to our doors.
Chapter 414: Resign
Click!
The door opened and a handsome man walked in with an older woman behind him.
I wanted to meet them in the conference room with others, but something had come up. They are busy dealing with it, while I deal with these people.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± said the handsome man in his thirties. ¡°Lord Salazar,¡± I replied.
He is Artur Salazar, son of Helen Salazar.
He seemed a little displeased. Likely because I didn¡¯t stand up in respect.
Why should I? He isn¡¯t Lord of Owlspring.
¡°Thank you for meeting us. I am sure you are extremely busy,¡± he said, with a faint hint of sarcasm.
The expression on the woman behind him had changed a little and a moment later on, Salazar¡¯s. A faint irritation appeared in his eyes for a moment before he controlled his emotions.
¡°I am, but there is always a time for you, Lord Salazar,¡± I replied, which pleased him a little.
¡°I will get directly to the point, Lord Silver. We want the emotion essence and are willing to pay a fair price for it,¡± he said, and I smiled.
¡°Of course. How much do you want?¡± I asked him.
It surprised him a little. They hadn¡¯t expected me to be so direct about it.
Getting to the point directly is always great. Weaving flowery words to pass the time before getting on to the point is simply a waste of time.
¡°Five hundred at least, but we would be pleased. If you were able to give us more,¡±
¡°We will pay you handsomely for them, of course,¡± he said, and there was not the slightest change in my face. The smile remained hanging in there.
Though my eyes turned serious.
¡°I don¡¯t think, I have that many, Lord Salazar,¡± I replied, and the man laughed.
¡°Come on, Silver, we know you have it,¡± he said, in a tone louder than what was polite.
¡°According to our calculations, your legacy would produce thousand to thousand five-hundred bottles each month,¡± he added a moment later.
¡°You are correct, Lord Salazar, but I have already promised a large number of them to merchants states,¡±
¡°There are also imperials that I will meet tomorrow,¡± I replied, in the same tone as I spoke before.
¡°You are giving essences to the bloody merchants, who are our enemies, rather than your countrymen. I didn¡¯t think, you were a traitor, Silver!¡± he said, nearly shouting at the end.
He leveled such a grave accusation, so casually. Alarming the woman behind him.
I wanted to laugh, hearing this. I mean, the sheer entitlement this man has, it¡¯s really something.
Even Lancel was smarter than this bastard. He was intelligent enough not to use such heavy words in the conversation. Especially against the people from whom he wants things.
¡°Lord Artur didn¡¯t mean to accuse you, Lord Silver,¡± clarified the old woman.
Even he didn¡¯t apologize for the insult. Yes, that was an insult.
If I didn¡¯t need Namdar. I would have kicked him out of my office and banned him from the city for it.
Unfortunately, I cannot do that. So, I drank my anger and only showed the displeasure on my face.
¡°Lord Salazar, the merchant states for you are calling me a traitor for is the reason this city is standing right now,¡±
¡°They have provided the intelligence, weapons, and aid. We desperately needed it. Which we asked Namdar for, but didn¡¯t get any,¡±
¡°Most importantly. They are the reason why, the man in Ashton Harbor is staying there.¡±
¡°If he hadn¡¯t, the entire region would have been in control of the undead right now!¡± I replied without raising my voice.
Yes. I had asked for aid, but didn¡¯t receive a single penny. Nor did I receive any intelligence or a single weapon to fight against the undead.
They might have their own reasons for not providing my little city any help, and I did not begrudge them for it, but I won¡¯t stay silent when they disrespect me and the people who helped me.
Merchant states are no saints. They are squeezing me for everything, I have, but their part in the survival of the city is also undeniable.
Namdar is a powerful city but unlike merchant states or even Inam.
They can not do anything directly. It would be fine if I didn¡¯t give them a single bottle of essence.
They could create some trouble, but I can deal with the help of merchant states. As I said, influence and besides, they wouldn¡¯t do that.
Artur Salazar may be an idiot, but his mother isn¡¯t. She wouldn¡¯t do anything to the opportunity that could provide her with the resources, she wants.
As for my family. She wouldn¡¯t touch them. House of Silver is rich, and it provides massive taxes to the city.
If she harms the family because of me. Then it would spook the other houses, and they might start to find other places for their wealth.
I also want things from Namdar. It is the reason why the man is sitting in front of me.
I am meeting him before the imperials because I also need things. It is not resources, some, but it is something more.
Something, that will help me create a firm foundation for my city.
The merchants wouldn¡¯t provide that, but the empire and the Namdar could.
The man was angry, but a few seconds later, he got his emotions under control.
¡°It seemed like, I misspoke a little,¡± he said, but didn¡¯t apologize, nor did he lessen the power of his skills on me.
¡°I am willing to provide for the city of Namdar. Seventy-five bottles of emotions essence a month, but I will need a few things in return,¡±
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
¡°Most importantly, I need agreements. Don¡¯t worry, they are minor agreements. They will help Namdar elevate some of their worries,¡± I replied.
I could see the anger in his eyes flaring again hearing my words.
The idiot didn¡¯t seem to have heard anything besides the number.
I couldn¡¯t help but sigh internally seeing that. I hate idiots; it would have been great if one of his sisters had come. I heard quite a lot of good things about them.
¡°Lord Silver, seventy is too low,¡± said the woman behind him, and I smiled.
¡°How is it low, Mage Alard? I am offering you around a third of what Gale¡¯s Bar provides you,¡± I said, and a faint surprise appeared on the woman¡¯s face.
My legacy is special. It is big. It harvests a lot of emotions.
It has sixteen floors, which is comparable to five Grade II, Tavern Class Legacies.
They could harvest anywhere between one hundred to a thousand bottles of Grade II emotion essence.
My legacy had advanced past that. It is now securely, a Theatre Class legacy.
The Gale¡¯s Bar, one of three legacies they have, could only produce two to three hundred bottles of Grade II essences. It is quite easy to guess by its size and the number of people who go there.
¡°How about two hundred, my lord?¡± asked the woman, and I shook my head.
¡°Hundred. It is as far as I am willing to go,¡± I said firmly.
I will not budge beyond I might have gone a little hundred and twenty-five, but now I will not. The bastard had spoiled their chances of that.
The offer had made him angry, and he opened his mouth but stopped as the woman gently placed her hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
¡°It is less than Lady of Storm had expected, but we will take it,¡± said the woman.
She had called the name, and I am scared of it, but I am not going to give them any more than that.
¡°What about plants?¡± Salazar asked.
¡°There isn¡¯t much left of the plants, my lord. Half of it is going to Nova Alyra. The merchants want the other half, and I have promised a large percentage of it to them already,¡±
¡°Still, if some remained. You will have to get that from my men when you negotiate,¡± I said, which spoiled his mood further and made him angrier.
He intensified the power of his skills, and they were powerful, but still weak, compared to what I had experienced throughout the day.
It is why, I am maintaining my expressions, without any strain on my face.
¡°How much money do you want for the essences?¡± he asked after a few seconds of silence.
¡®Is he really an idiot?¡¯ I asked myself.
¡°I have need of a few things, but they are optional. I could get them from merchants; I am more interested in agreements,¡± I said slowly.
The man laughed, but the woman¡¯s expression turned serious.
¡°What sort of agreements?¡± he asked.
¡°Nothing serious. Just an investment, migrations, and a few other types. You will get the clear details, during the negotiations with my men,¡± I replied.
They will pay for the essences. The agreements will be the cherry on top.
They will have to sign agreements, or they won¡¯t get the essence.
If they go big enough, I might even increase the amount of essence, but they will need to go with the agreements.
¡°I don¡¯t think, it would be a problem,¡± said the woman after seconds of silence.
¡°I will send you all the requisite documents for negotiations in a few hours and we will start negotiating a few days after,¡± I said, and the woman nodded.
¡°Thank you for your time, Lord Silver,¡± she said.
¡°Have a nice evening, Mage Alard, Lord Artur,¡± I said to them as they left.
The man didn¡¯t even shake my hand.
A minute after they had left, I left my office. I have dinner with the family, and I hope, it wouldn¡¯t be as stressful.
I had enough stress for one day.
Soon, I stepped out of the carriage and went directly to the suite. I want to shower first; I don¡¯t know how many times I was blanched with sweat during the day.
While the skill had cleaned me up, I still wanted to shower. No magic could make me feel fresh, as the water could.
I stayed in the shower for only ten minutes. I would have more, but I am late for the dinner.
Everybody had already arrived. It wouldn¡¯t look good. If I didn¡¯t go, there too late.
I stepped out of the shower, and changed, before walking out of the suite.
When I entered the parlor, there were people gathered there. Everyone had already arrived.
Thankfully, there was Carla to handle things.
¡°Everyone, I am sorry for coming late,¡± I apologized as I entered.
Everyone is here, Gerald and Selina. There is also Granduncle Everette and his wife Marta. My sister Leila and bastard Cousin Rowen.
I had also invited Graham. He is a distant relative, but I like the man.
¡°It¡¯s fine. We all know, you are busy,¡± said Selina. I smiled and sat down beside Carla.
¡°So, what are we all talking about?¡± I asked.
¡°Rehna region, we are discussing how long, Prince Declan will be able to hold it,¡± replied Granduncle Everette.
Renha is the southernmost region of the empire. Currently being held by Prince Deccan and his ally Dutchess Sarin.
¡°I don¡¯t think, he even has a month. Both the Kingdom of Yressor and the Kingdom Geim, are moving lightning fast. Unless Princess Orlena acts, the region is good as gone,¡± I said, and a faint surprise appeared in his eyes.
¡°Leila said the same a minute ago,¡± said Gerald, and I smiled.
There is nothing noteworthy about the conclusion. It is simple when one looks at all the information.
The conversation lasted half an hour before we moved to the dinner table.
The nanny brought the children, and we started to eat. Keeping the conversation light.
¡°The spa was a really great, idea, Remus. It made me feel alive all over; even Everett had enjoyed it,¡± said grand auntie Marta, while the old man''s cheeks reddened.
¡°I did not. I had only gone there because you had forced me,¡± he said, glaring at his wife.
Making everyone laugh.
¡°Remus, I have a young lady, that I want to bring to the spa with me. Would you mind giving me an extra pass?¡± asked Rowen, always one to spoil the mood.
¡°Has the family found someone for him?¡± I asked, and they shook their head.
¡°We had tried to set him up, but he rejected her,¡± said Selina. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have. If she could talk more than replaying to my words,¡± Rowen said angrily.
¡°I had told you, she is a silent type,¡± replied Selina. He didn¡¯t reply to her and turned to me.
¡°Will you give one to me?¡± He asked, turning to me.
¡°I had already given you two passes, Rowen. I am not going to give you, more. If you want more, make an appointment like everyone else,¡± I replied.
It made everyone laugh. Though they tried to hide it.
I wanted to give the bastard only one pass, but gave two like everyone else. It was a mistake.
¡°It is only a pass, Remus. It is not a big thing for you,¡± he said.
I stopped and turned to him.
¡°It is not, but I am not going to give it to you, Rowen,¡± I said directly.
He turned red but didn¡¯t open his mouth, seeing no support. Granduncle is even glaring at him.
There was a silence for a minute before the conversation returned.
No family dinner completes without some drama. No matter how distasteful it is.
Soon, the dinner is over.
¡°Remus, Leila. Come, there is some family business to discuss,¡± he said, and we walked toward my office.
I took Carla with me; she was a little hesitant but came. They looked, but no one said anything to her presence.
Rowen followed but stopped at the glare of the Granduncle.
Soon, everyone except for children, Rowen and Graham, entered my office, and the doors closed.
We were all seated, with Granduncle sitting.
¡°Leila, Remus; the head wants both of you to resign from your house council seats,¡± said the old man.
Everyone looked at us, with grave faces. There is always drama when things like this happen.
It had happened when Grandfather asked Granduncle Roger to resign from his seat, to make space for Leila.
He had lost his shit. I heard, there was quite a scene.
Though there was not a hint of anger on my face. Instead, there was a smile.
¡°It came later than I had thought,¡± I said. ¡°I had expected it to happen three to four months ago,¡± added Leila.
There was a big sigh of relief and also surprise on their face.
It¡¯s not that hard to guess.
Leila and me both are lords, and our decisions have consequences. It is the same as House; being too close to them will have an effect on us.
It is only right to have distance. It will protect both of us.
¡°Both of you represent the future of the house of Silver. If something happened to us. We want your branches to survive and thrive.¡±
¡°You both represent a great future and being separate from the house, will give a great freedom to reach your potential,¡± added Gerald.
¡°I understand,¡± said Leila. ¡°It¡¯s a wise decision,¡± I agreed.
I have no hard feelings. I was already on the way to do that. Seeing how, I had kept the family separate from the legacy, during the opening this time.
¡°Leila, give us a few minutes to talk to your brother,¡± said the old man.
She nodded and walked away.
¡°Remus, the house would like some emotion essence,¡± said Gerald with a faint hesitation.
¡°How much?¡± asked. ¡°Fifty,¡± he replied.
¡°It won¡¯t be a problem,¡± I said. I could see the relief on their faces. I am relieved too.
I thought they would ask for a hundred and was willing to give it to them.
¡°You have received an invitation to conclave, right?¡± asked the old man, and I nodded.
¡°We would like, to have two slots in your delegation.¡± He spoke.
¡°The slots are yours,¡± I replied.
¡°Thank you, Remus. Your help means a lot to the family,¡± said Gerald.
¡°There is no need to thank me. We are a family,¡±
I had not said these words lightly. They are my family and they have played a huge part in my success.
If I had not been a member of a house of silver. I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do the business safely, nor would I have got the job in the guild.
There were also many little helps they had provided. That helped me reach the height, I am today.
Chapter 415: Secret Agreements
Rutto
"Just keep your mouth shut and let me do all the talking," said the handsome man beside me as the carriage stopped at the city hall.
He is Aubin Arledge, the fourth son of Count Arledge. One of the Emperor Inkav''s biggest allies.
It was supposed to be my job, I was to be the guardian of the legacy, but it all changed swiftly when Silver revealed his legacy to the Grade II and Amphitheater Class.
This man, who was in Inam, was quickly sent here to replace me to be the guardian of the legacy.
The only reason, I had even been allowed to come with him, was because I had begged him to let me come.
I don''t know why I did that. It is just more humiliation.
I guess, I wanted to see the end with my own eyes for the position, I had spent all my fortune and favors for.
Click!
The door opened and he walked out.
I looked at the young man in front of me and couldn''t help, but feel jealous.
Aubin Arledge is young. Handsome. Ambitious. He is only twenty-six years old. Had a powerful house, that helped him in every way, he could.
My house had been powerful once; only second to the imperial house.
Over the centuries. We had lost everything; including the whole region of the empire we used to control. Now, we don''t even have a territory and the title had been reduced to mere Lord.
The only thing we have is the name, Rutto.
I looked at city hall as I climbed its steps and the faces of people.
There are humans, but also a lot of orcs; I had even spotted a half-elf.
It is still quite a surprise to me. In my forty-one years of life; I had never seen so many non-humans as once.
I had once made a trip to the Namdar when I was young.
I had the blood of a non-human in me. She was the most illustrious woman. Second only to her husband; the founder of House Rutto.
I shook those thoughts away and focused on the people.
They are vibrant, there is a vibrancy in them, that one wouldn''t expect from the city, and they could be attacked by the undead at any time.
"The first thing, I will do after I take over the city is to throw all these filthy orcs out," said Aubin.
He doesn''t just want to become the guardian of the legacy but also become a lord of the city.
Which I think, is a thought out of the realm of reality.
I mean, how he will do that? Silver won''t just hand over the city. Even His Majesty wouldn''t be able to make him.
He is busy, with all his forces. Fighting siblings, along with neighboring kingdoms.
He is having a problem controlling the nobles under the territory he is controlling. It would be farfetched to say, his command would be enough for silver to hand over the city.
I think it is a challenge to even sign the contract of guardianship.
I didn''t say anything. I just followed behind.
Soon, we reached Silver''s office; the doors were closed. Aubin turned to the secretory.
She is the youngest secretary; I had ever seen. She didn''t even look eighteen. Though she is very pretty; it is why Aubin''s eyes turned lecherous.
"I am Lord Arledge. I have an appointment with Silver," stated Aubin.
"Lord Silver will meet you at nine," she replied with a professional smile.
There are twenty minutes before time. We had come early. I had told him, but he was in too hurry to become the guardian to listen.
I could see her words made him angry.
He placed his hands on her table and leaned toward her.
"I am Lord Aubin Arledge; envoy of Emperor and I want to see Silver now," he demanded before blasting the poor girl, with his skills.
I thought, she would squirm and sweat, but there was no change in the young girl''s expression, other than sparks of irritation in her eyes.
It couldn''t help, but surprise me.
Aubin isn''t weak. He is Lv. 20 and has a Lord Class. I was in my thirties when I reached the Lv. 20 in my Lord Class.
That makes his skills quite powerful, but despite that, the young secretary seemed unaffected.
"Lord Silver, will you see at nine Lord Arledge," she replied, and I felt Aubin move back, like he was pushed away.
A shock flashed in his eyes before it turned to anger. I could his hands reaching his saber, but stopped as guards standing, not far away appeared beside the secretory.
Aubin''s guards had also moved a step closed.
The stalemate lasted for a second before he removed his hands from his saber.
The guards returned to their places, and I took a sigh of relief. It would have been bad. if he had unsheathed the weapon.
I heard Silver is particular about such things and very protective of his whores.
It''s how, he had gained, the legacy, they said. He would have rather had his business destroyed, than have his whores disrespected.
He glared at the young secretary before walking toward the waiting room.
"She will be the first person to be punished after I take over the city. That makes whore get fucked by hundred people in public and then lashed till she is dead," he muttered as I sat down.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
I shuddered when I heard that.
I had heard the things about him. The things he did in his territory, and I really hope, are not true.
"Will you take any refreshment, Lord Arledge, Lord Rutto?" asked a pretty woman in her early twenties.
"No, thank you," I replied while Aubin remained silent.
She left, while I picked up the newspaper beside me. It had many pieces of news from local to international. Many things are happening, especially in the empire.
His excellency''s state isn''t good, and this newspaper is stating that clearly without fear of repercussion.
He controls the territory more than double that of Princess Orlene, but she and her allies are slowly chipping away at the terrify held by him.
There are also neighboring kingdoms, conquering the territories of the empire from Kalzan to Renha.
"Lord Arledge, Lord Rutto. Lord Silver will meet you now," said the young secretary appearing in front of us.
I looked away from the newspaper and saw it was nine.
I got up with Aubin and walked toward Silver''s office. The time didn''t soothe his anger, but instead increased it even further.
I really hope. He didn''t mess things up. I really don''t want to go back to his excellency with nothing to show; it will ruin me, more than I am already ruined.
I pushed that thought away and cast a spell. Connecting with Mage Bemelmans.
He is the protector of Marquess Hass; the prime minister of his excellency. He had asked for the live updates of the conversation with Silver.
Click!
The door clicked open, and we entered the office.
It is the biggest I had ever seen but isn''t the smallest either. Everything is neat and clean.
There are two people there aside from Silver.
One is his guard, a high mage, while the other is his assistant/adviser. She is also a former whore and is strikingly beautiful.
I couldn''t help, but feel jealous of Silver. To be surrounded by beautiful women every moment.
I was married once, but she had married me for my ancestors'' treasures. Unfortunately, there were none left other than a medallion, I am wearing.
Which is useless to anyone other than blood. Most importantly, it''s forbidden for others to have it other than the head of the house of Rutto.
Everything we had, had been sold by the previous generations. Not even our territory had remained.
The little bit of fortune. I had accumulated through my own efforts. I had spent to get this job, but now it had also been snatched from me.
"Lord Silver,"
I greeted the young man sitting at the table, who turned his piercing silvery grey eyes on us.
He didn''t seem to be in a good mood.
"Silver, you have to rein in your whore. If I were you, I would have fucked some sense into her," complained Aubin.
I sighed, immediately sending the recorded words to the person on the other side.
I feared. He would do something like this. It is not the first time he did it and nothing will happen to him.
His father will protect him. Count Arledge is powerful and has the ambition to become a Duke. Which he might have if kept he succeeding in battles.
Slap!
I had sent the recording of the words to the other side when I heard the sharp sound.
I saw Silver beside me, with Aubin looking at him with deep shock. It had happened so fast, that I wasn''t able to react at all.
Hell, I didn''t even see it. He was that fast.
Aubin''s cheek is all red and he is looking at Silver with deep shock before anger rages in his eyes.
It scared me.
I knew Silver was protective of his whores, but didn''t expect such a reaction. A rebuke at most, but not a slap.
Rubin is not a weak lord like me. He is the son of Count Arledge, who is one of the most powerful men under the emperor. Not to mention, he is an emperor''s envoy.
You do not hit envoy.
"I would bear a disrespect toward me, but I couldn''t bear it against my people," said Silver, and I felt his skill.
It was powerful. More than, I had expected.
I quickly controlled my shock and relayed it all to Bemelmans.
''Rutto, activate the Listening Link,'' I heard the second voice. The prime minister''s voice.
''Yes, my lord,'' I said and cast Listening Link. So, he could hear everything that was happening in the room.
Immediately, I felt the eyes of the High-Mage. He sensed it and seeing the way, he was looking at me, he knew the kind of spell I had cast.
I thought he would break the spell. He could, for all the spells, I know; I am not a High-Mage.
To my surprise, he didn''t. he just kept looking at me.
"You, bastard!" cursed Aubin, reacting finally. "Do you know who I am?" he asked angrily.
"Lord Arledge, you came here sauntering. Didn''t show respect to my employees, you disrespected me. For it, I am expelling you from the city," said Silver, once again shocking me.
It is an overreaction.
Yes, Aubin''s attitude was discourteous, and his words were deplorable, but he didn''t need to be expelled.
I pushed that thought and looked at Silver, was relieved to see, the words are only directly at Aubin.
It feels like, there is something going on. That, I am not understanding at all.
"You will pay for this. I will take my revenge for this disrespect, you have caused me," Aubin shouted.
"Shaun, escort, Lord Arledge out," he said, and the mage moved, but Aubin didn''t give him a chance and left after one burning glare at Silver.
"My apologies. Lord Rutto. Sit, we have business to discuss," he said as he returned to the seat.
I sat down, before taking out the imperial contract from my bag.
I placed it in front of me, but Silver barely glanced at it before turning to me.
"This the guardianship contract, my lord, that you will sign with the Emperor," I said.
I could have slowly eased into it, but after what happened with Auburn. I plan to finish it as soon as possible.
"My apologies, Lord Rutto. I am not going to sign the contract of guardianship. I will only sign it with the emperor of an undivided and unfractured empire," he replied.
I didn''t expect him to agree readily, but didn''t expect to disagree directly.
I waited for the instruction from the Prime Minister Haas, but there was silence
"His Majesty Inkav is the emperor of an undivided and unfractured empire. The others are rebels, that he will deal with very quickly," I said.
Even though I didn''t believe these words coming out of my mouth, I needed to say them.
The prime minister is listening.
"No contract," he replied, without commenting on what I had said.
He didn''t fall into the trap, that I had laid.
''Ask him for a thousand vials of essence,'' instructed Prime Minister.
I feel relieved hearing his voice.
I felt like, I was walking in a swamp here. A mistake and I will become the target of the emperor''s ire and I don''t think, I could survive that.
"Thousands essence bottles then," I repeated, what the Prime Minister said.
"That''s too much; I don''t have that many." He disagreed immediately with the shake of his head.
"At most, I could give you two hundred and fifty bottles of essences,"
"Fifty will be actual bottles of essence, while the rest two hundred will be in the form of emotion essence potions and other things," He stated.
"Tha" ''Agree with it,''
I opened my mouth to disagree when the sound of Prime Minister rang out in my mind.
Shocking me.
¡
"We agree," replied Rutto with shock.
I kind of pity the man. He had become a puppet of the powerful.
I talked with Marquess Hass last night. I had told him, I would not sign the contract. He asked for quite a lot of essence, but I shot that one down too.
Finally, we agreed to two hundred and fifty emotion essences. Fifty with emotions essence and two hundred potions and other stuff with emotion essence.
He wanted all emotion essence, but I rejected it.
Unlike the parties like merchant state and Namdar. The imperials aren''t providing anything in return.
It is tithe.
I have to give it because this bastard could succeed and become a true emperor. While they wouldn''t harm me due to my legacy, there are many ways, they could make me pay.
This tithe will help in keeping things smooth.
Crown Prince isn''t the only one, I needed to give it. I will also need to give it to Princess Orlena.
She had a reach chance against the throne and was far more capable, than the Crown Prince.
She will agree too, because if they went too hard. I might turn to the other party. Which they absolutely don''t want, seeing desperately they needed it.
I needed to take the risk for the agreement. He asked me to humiliate Aubin. For his political purpose.
I had thought about ways of doing that when he presented the opportunity himself.
I was already angry by the letter of Masal Colosseum.
His disrespect for Jill had fueled it. I had let my emotions guide me and slap the smug bastard.
To be honest, it felt good to act on the emotions for once.
It is quite a risk, but I think it was worth it. The Prime Minister agreed to take two hundred essences in the form of potions, in exchange for it.
It will give me leverage with alchemists and merchants'' states. It will also save quite many bottles.
There are also the secret agreements we agreed on. For it, I will pay him extra.
"Thank you, for your time, Lord Silver," said the man and got up.
"Have a nice day, Lord Rutto," I said.
The man smiled and walked away, with a faint bit of confusion in his eyes. He likely understood most things and will understand the rest soon enough.
It''s quite a regret, that he will be a scapegoat for the Prime Minister, if things go wrong.
Marquess Haas is too smart to let anything fall on him.
Chapter 416: Access
Ashton Harbor
"Finally, they are coming," said the man with the staff, with joy all over his face.
He had just got the confirmation. They are sending the ships, filled with the hordes of undead and powerhouse.
Their numbers are big, enough for not only sweeping the three cities but also the entire region.
"The wait is nearly over," said the armored man.
In a few weeks, when the time is right. They will send the horde; it shouldn''t take more than a month.
If it had been six months ago. It would have been a lot quicker, but the imperial bitch had galvanized the imperial navy.
It isn''t as strong as when the emperor was alive, but still strong enough to create trouble.
There are also the bastards merchants. Their navy had heightened their presence.
Those bastards aren''t weak; they had defeated the imperial armada of Harsoth, so badly that they weren''t able to recover fully, even after a decade.
So, we will need to be very careful.
I am still angry at higher-ups. They should have let me attack with the force we have here already; at least Greltheaven.
If they had. We would have the legacy in our control and all the
I had every detail about it, including the guess of essence it could produce each month and the value of the plants.
I think it''s the reason why, they are finally sending the hordes. If they capture, the Grelheaven; they will have the biggest legacy by size under their control.
We have legacies on the island higher in grade, but smaller in size, than the velvet garden.
¡
Eva
"So, you are really staying?" asked Cara, and I smiled at my girl.
She already knew the answer.
It had been ten days since the opening, and we were still here.
I will be here, but she is leaving.
"I will miss, you, Mom," she said and hugged me. "Me too, sweet child," I said and hugged her back with tears dripping from my eyes.
I am going to miss her, a lot.
It is the first time; I will be staying away from my children for a long time.
I didn''t like it, but I need to. It was a chance; I had been waiting for all my life.
"You are going to ask him today?" she asked, and I nodded.
"Will he agree?" he asked.
"I don''t know," I replied. "There is also a question of whether he will be able to do it or not," I added, to that she nodded.
Every legacy is different and has different rules. He might want to give me the mist, but will he be able to?
The beauticians, the chefs, and the girls could use the mist, but they were part of the establishment when it became the legacy.
A jeweler was not.
Even if it didn''t happen. I don''t plan to return. Since I came here, my mind is bubbling with inspiration. It had been a long time since I had been inspired as such.
She turned to the store and sighed.
It is full. It''s always full, even at midnight. Most of them were men at that time, unlike now when most patrons are women.
More than half of our patrons are from the merchant state, but there are some coming from Inam and other close cities of the empire.
Many had come specifically to shop at the store.
There are also more men than there are at the store like these.
90% of the things we sell are for the ladies. We would have sold more for the men, but the designs aren''t good enough.
It needs to be good enough, before we bring it to the store, especially now.
I am searching for them and even trying to poach some designers from the other boutiques.
I could see the look in the eye of customers; the same look when they see the prominent boutique stores.
I wanted it. I craved for it. I had failed, but now I had succeeded.
It had become even more important, that I maintain the standard. Take it to a higher level, which is why, I need the mist.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"We are going to miss it in Namdar," said Cara, looking at the tree in the center of the store.
It looks more beautiful than it had been ten days ago. The way the mist moved around it and a very tiny fraction of it got absorbed into it.
If it continues for years; it will bring a profound change in the tree.
She looked around, before walking toward the elevator. Talking about some patrons before finally stepping into the elevator.
I could see the floors as the elevator went down. These stores didn''t have mist, but they have more people than our store.
I can imagine what would happen. If the whole tower is covered under the floors, the influence of the legacy.
From what I heard. Remus is harvesting a lot of emotion essence. If five more floors are joined, there will be a lot more emotion essence.
"I had never thought, I would say it, but I am going to miss this place," said Cara, and a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
She was supposed to stay for five days, but she stayed for ten. If there wasn''t a business to run, she would have stayed more.
"It is really a place, one could never forget," I said, looking at the most beautiful place, I had ever seen.
Soon, we were out of the tower, where the carriage was waiting for us.
We stepped in it. A moment, later, the carriage moved toward the port.
It is eight in the evening, and the park is filled with people. Local, but also foreigners, both from the empire and merchant cities.
The opening day had created quite a splash.
Since that day, many people coming to the city. It is not just tourists, but also settlers, coming in to find work and there is a lot of work.
I had talked to Miss Lola about two days ago when she had come to the store with her friend from Oksall.
She had said, there are a lot of investments coming into the city. Especially in the hospitality sector. There are hotels built all over the city, as well as many inns and casinos.
Making rates of real estate increase like crazy. Faster than even Namdar.
After the emperor died, everyone started coming in there, searching for stability, shooting the prices of real estate through the roof.
The primmest piece of real estate here is canal street. The whole circle. The rates of it increasing by the day, given the amount of space.
Only 40% is in the hands of people, while 60% is in the hands of Silver. He is giving the space, only to those who are willing to commit the big projects.
I have seen the amount of investment Remus wants for it. I Thought barely anyone would agree. It is a small city. A city, that could be attacked by the undead anytime.
The people didn''t seem to care about that.
There are hundreds of proposals. Not only from the businesses of the merchant states, but also from the empire.
Including some of the people, I know in Namdar. They had contacted me, asking me to help them.
Soon, the carriage reached the bridge, and I could see the canals and boats on it.
It had become one of our favorite spots in the city. We had come here nearly daily, especially at sunset.
I looked at my daughter and saw her smiling too, looking at the boats.
Fifteen minutes later, the carriage reached the port. Which is bustling. More than when I had come before the opening.
There are more ships docked. More people moving around and more vibrancy.
Click!
The carriage stopped, and we stepped out of it.
"Have a safe journey and take care of your brother for me," I said with my eyes turning misty.
"Don''t worry about us, mom. Just focus on your work; I will come to meet you next month and even brother with me," she said.
"That would be great," I said, hoping he would really come.
"Goodbye, Mom," she said.
"Goodbye, sweet child," I replied and hugged her for the last time.
I let go, and she walked toward the ship. I stayed there for fifteen minutes till her ship left, before sitting in my carriage.
I watched through the window as it began to move. I didn''t look at the people. I am too occupied with thoughts of my child leaving to think about anything else.
I never stayed away from my children for more than a month, but now, I will be.
I didn''t like it, but it is for the best.
I signed and tried to clear my emotion. I have the most important meeting and I have to be prepared.
The carriage stopped at the tower, and I got out, before waking inside.
I reached the elevator that led to the top floor. There were guards there, but they didn''t stop me.
The elevator is only for Silver and important people like Carla and others.
Ting!
The door opened, and I stepped out, before walking toward the office.
Silver only stays two days a week in the legacy. The other five days, she stays in the manor with his siblings. Today is one of two days.
I reached his office and turned toward the tiny but luxurious waiting room. As there are still ten minutes to the meeting.
In the legacy, everything is a pure luxury, but the waiting room is clearly something.
Miss Rolgath had done a wonderful job. Cara is in talks with her for renovation for our stores. We have an interior designer, but Miss Rolgath is better.
"Miss Eva, you can go in," said the secretary, surprising me. There are still over ten minutes before the appointment.
Click!
I nodded and walked toward the office, before stepping inside as guards opened the door.
"Lord Silver," I greeted, the young man sitting behind the table.
I also nodded at Margaux and Ina, sitting there.
"Eva," he said and offered me a seat.
"What can I do for you, Eva?" I asked, with a faint smile hanging on his face.
It made him look quite handsome. I couldn''t help but feel attracted to it.
He is younger than my children by a good decade and I shouldn''t feel attracted to him. I never get attracted to the younger men, but I do toward him,
I have been since that incident on the island.
I quickly pushed away thoughts and cleared my mind. It''s very important; I can not let myself be distracted by useless thoughts.
"I was hoping. If you could give me access to the mist?" I asked.
There was no change on his face, not even a surprise, as if he expected it.
"I want to work on jewelry; the mist will help a lot with the new ideas, I have in my mind," I added after a moment of pause, but there was no change in his expression.
"The emotion essence is valuable Eva. I am giving so much to the plants. To a lot of people, that there barely remained anything for me," he said.
I felt relieved. It''s not an outright rejection, nor did he say, he couldn''t.
Now, I have to make him an offer, he can''t reject. Thankfully, I have prepared for it and it''s quite good.
"I know, but I will make it worth it. I am quite good at what I do. I am one of the best in the whole of Namdar. Most importantly, you''ll get half of every piece sold," I said, looking.
There was no change in his face. I opened my mouth to put up the offer.
It is not something I want to do, but I need the mist. I am willing to suffer the loss if needed to be.
I was about to speak when a smile appeared on his face.
"I can give you the mist, but with conditions," he said. I just nodded and waited for him to lay them all out.
I hope they are not beyond, what I could give.
"First, every piece, that you make will be sold in the store in the tower. Second, every piece will need to pass through us before being sold,"
"Third¡"
He laid out seven conditions. The way he laid them out; it''s clear, he had already thought about them.
"I agree," I agreed after a few seconds of silence.
Some of them are tough, like every piece passing through his eyes before being sold, but they are not as harsh as I am willing to go.
"Good. Give me your hand," he said, and I did.
My body shuddered as his hand touched mine. It took all my will to keep my face straight.
"Done, now you will be able to control the mist," he said, releasing my hand.
It took me a moment for me to control myself before I bowed.
"Thank you, Lord Silver," I said with joy.
"You can call me Remus when we are alone, Eva," he said, and my heart fluttered.
"Thank you, Remus," I said.
Chapter 417: Plans
Deerpond
"Silver is growing his army at alarming speed. Look at this information milord, these weapons, that merchant state providing him," said General Silva as they turned to Greltheaven.
Everybody in the meeting turned serious.
Greltheaven''s rise had become serious enough, that they had added them in a list of threats.
"It''s all because of that damn legacy. He is selling the essences and getting those weapons from the merchants!" said Lt. General Ronda, who hates Silver the most.
Lord of Deerpond didn''t say anything, but read the file in front of him, that had the latest information on Silver.
His army grew at incredible speed in the past seven months, but it''s what happened in the past month, that made them worried exponentially.
The numbers in his army grew faster, but it was weapons coming from the merchant state, that had made them worried the most.
Weapons, the types of which the merchant had stated, had refused to sell to them.
"It is indeed worrying, but there is nothing we could do, should do about it. At least temporarily."
"The undead are coming and we should be prepared for them, because this time; the attack would be more powerful than the last time," said Lord of Deerpond.
Everybody nodded.
"We are prepared to deal with them, my lord. When the division arrives, we will be in an even better position to deal with them," said General Silva.
"We need them to reach the city fast. I need them here, before the undead attack us," said Lord of Deepond.
They understood the hurry. The twelve thousand soldiers will be tremendously helpful to them in dealing with the undead threat coming at them.
"We are trying, my lord, but the conditions are such that it is taking time," replied General Silva.
They are using both diplomatic and financial means to smooth their journey, but it is hard to see what is happening in the empire.
The meeting ended an hour and a half later and everybody began to leave, till only three of them had remained.
Lord of Owlspring, his son, and General Silva.
He activated the privacy wards to their full power and added, their own skills into it.
"How is the progress?" asked the Lord of Deepond. "In a week, our people will reach the load," replied General Silva.
Hearing that, a smile appeared on Lord''s face.
"Silver has a legacy, but so what? In a week, we will have something, that everyone needs. Merchants will come to us for it, and so will everyone else."
"It will provide us with enough money, to fund a big army. Fend off the undead, and then move to conquer Greltheaven to get that legacy," said Darius.
General Silva nodded. It''s their plan. They want Greltheaven, want it for the legacy, and to control the river route.
They only need Greltheaven for it. Getting, Riverbell wouldn''t be a problem.
¡
Hun!
My eyes flew open as I sensed something, I had never sensed before.
Though it had been explained to me.
"What happened?" asked Carla. Sensing me waking up. "A new legacy has been born," I replied.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Where?" she asked. "I think, it''s herald continent," I replied, before closing my eyes to sense it clearly.
Soon, I got a glimpse of the place. It is a small place, intimate. I could see a raven-haired woman in her middle-age, looking around in shock.
She had a paintbrush in her hand and a canvas with a half-finished painting.
Around her are people, young and old, with paintbrushes and canvases in front of them. Some looked confused, while others were in shock.
''Master Silver,'' said Caena telepathically. ''In my office.'' I replied and walked out of the bed.
Click!
I opened the door and walked into my office, with Carla following behind and Caena, coming in a few seconds later.
"Lord Silver, there is a message from Synod," said Shaun with a surprise on his face.
"Who is it?" I asked directly, knowing it was about the legacy.
"Sarkis Mael. She is the owner of a painting club, in the kingdom of Seirnol, Herald Continent," he replied.
I nodded
Stolen novel; please report.
"Send her the congratulations from me," I said, and a moment later, the core appeared in the office.
Everybody could see it.
I looked at the magnificent thing for a moment, before concentrating.
Slowly, the tiny part begins to separate from it. It is a fraction of the core, filled with emotion essence as well as a small bit of the true essence.
I have been waiting for it for months and kept the small part always reserved for it.
I don''t have to give it; a legacy younger than one year had an exception, but I am going to. Not only because I want to but also because I could.
I have been very lucky that I had ten months without a new legacy.
Which is a long time without a new legacy. Usually, there were at least two new legacies born at that time, but there were none, while three legacies died.
My legacy consumed part of that without getting infected by its vision.
It made my core strong, and now, I am giving away a small part of me. Though one without any vision; it is just pure, true essence and emotion essence.
The small part came out fully, and I pushed it toward the new legacy, which started to pull it.
"Good night, everyone," I said and walked back into my room, before laying on the bed to sleep.
I have an important meeting tomorrow with the intelligence official from the merchant state. He is coming, bringing secret intelligence that couldn''t be sent through the spell.
I fell asleep and woke up four hours later, at my usual time.
I looked at the widow and saw it was dark. Carla is still sleeping, and I didn''t disturb her. I went to the bathroom and freshened up, before taking the stairs to the roof.
I walked into the center of the training circle and took a deep, slow breath.
While I was doing that, I began to pull the power of the skills Gymnasts Grace and Gymnasts Control back.
I used to practice yoga with them; the harder poses, but I discovered that it gives more benefits when I do it while lessening the power of the skills.
It helps me gain more control over my body and skills. Helps me go deeper, and find more uses.
In the past few months, I have made tremendous progress.
I could now reduce the power of both of the skills to around 25%. Which is tremendous progress in just a short few months.
My target is to reduce it to 20%, but it will be hard.
I am finding my speed of progress has reduced greatly. It had become harder to take a single step, but that is to be expected.
An hour later, I finished and saw my sparring partner was already waiting. He is looking at the view of the city from the top, enamored.
It is his first time in here. Most of the time, we spar in the manor.
"It''s a beautiful view, isn''t it, Captain Garzong?" I asked the man.
"It''s breathtaking, my lord," he replied, turning. "It is," I said, turning to the city, bathing in the dawn''s light.
I enjoyed the view for a minute before walking back into the circle. A training rapier appeared in my hand, while he picked up a great sword from the rack.
A few seconds later, we begin the spar.
I didn''t hold back and used every skill and technique I had against the man, who didn''t hesitate to fight dirty.
His skills are excellent, especially the bandit skills.
His class had changed, but many of those skills remained and he could use them skillfully.
He is also a great fighter with a fighting style, different from humans. The orcs have the physical advantage over humans and their fighting style developed according to it.
The environment, they used to live in also had an effect on it. Making it more primal.
It is why, more than half instructors, who teach the new orc recruits are orcs. They understood the physique well and the limitations.
They also have humans and even elves instructors for the area, that that do not have expertise in it, which are many.
Clang!
I dodged his kick, before parrying his attack. He moved for another, before stopping suddenly, as the bell rang out. Ending the practice.
"Thank you, for your time, Captain Garzong," I said to the man.
"The honor is all mine, my lord," He replied before walking away.
I rested for a few minutes, before walking back into my room. There I showered, before having breakfast.
Click!
When I walked into my office, I saw that Caena was already there, along with Carla. I nodded at her and sat down, before opening the file in front of me.
It is the daily financial report. It is a rough estimate; I get the accurate one every week.
This report didn''t just have the finances of the velvet red, but also the blue and other floors of the legacy, except for the store.
A minute later, I closed the file with a smile on my face.
It''s expensive to run the tower. From the salaries of the staff to food and drink. Everything costs a lot of money.
"I will be submitting the first installment today," informed Carla.
I nodded.
A month had passed since the legacy had opened, and it was time for us to start repaying the massive loan we took from the bank.
It is massive, but the establishment is also earning a lot. More than we had estimated, and that is excluding the essences and the plants.
We are using only 5% of the monthly earnings to pay the loan.
It will take me ten years to pay to pay off the massive loan. I could have used more, but why should I?
Dept isn''t bad. Especially one of such low interest.
Besides, I need money. Except for keeping some 20% for myself. I am loaning everything to the city.
The city is still desperate for every penny. To run a city is a massive expenditure.
Our tax collection has made a big leap in the past few months and so has the traffic of goods on the river, but also the expenses.
It is not cheap to build roads, parks, police stations, and hospitals and maintain them with sufficient staff and resources.
If it was all, everything would have been golden, but no. There is a defense.
The true guzzler,
There is a reason, the war bankrupts the countries. The salaries, pensions, equipment, and other things cost massive money.
I had spent as much as I could, but it was not enough. It never is, but I will keep trying. It''s the only thing I could do to keep my city safe from the clutches of the undead.
"It''s time," I said as the nine ticked in.
A moment later, everything turned dark, and a magnificent core appeared in front of me.
It''s not alone, there is a colorful planet orbiting the core.
It is said that the core becomes what the host desires. Mine is the sun, charms turning into planets, which Caena had stemmed from my desires.
I admired it for a few seconds, before turning to business.
A box of tiny bottles appeared in my hand before the bottles flew toward the planet.
A moment later, the planet begins to shine, and colorful flares begin to come out of the core like the sun and funnel into the planet.
As it happened, the planet became more colorful.
It continued for nearly half a minute before it stopped and the color it had gained began to drain from it, before stopping twelve seconds later.
The planet had turned back the same as it had been when I summoned it.
I waved my fingers, and the bottles returned. They are not empty, anymore. All of them are filled with the emotion essence.
They went back to the big box and, the second after that, we returned to the real world.
"No matter, how many times, I looked. The process enamors me," said Carla.
"It is an enamoring process," I said and looked at its architect. It wouldn''t have been possible without her.
"How many had come?" asked Caena. "All of them," Carla replied.
Yes, all of them had come for the essence, that I had promised them. I have the essence for all of them.
I turned to the box in front of me. We have been harvesting, this amount of essence every day, for the past month. A hundred bottles.
We have thirty-three hundred bottles of essence and we had only promised fourteen hundred of them to others.
In a month, I had become sure, that my legacy could produce such an amount continuously.
More than it.
We are only harvesting a hundred bottles a day.
That means, I could start on my plans, for which I am giving the essence to the Namdar, Imperials, and the other stakeholders.
Chapter 418: Not Good News
Click!
The door of the conference room opened and three people walked in, with a raven-haired half-elf at lead.
It is rare to see black-haired half-elves. It is not a natural hair color; it is likely he had inherited that from his human half.
"Lord Silver," he greeted with a faint bow.
"Mr. Marysel, I hope the journey has been well?" I asked the man. "It had been my lord," he replied, before sitting down.
Everyone is present, Stone, Cardin, Izalia. It''s an important meeting; I had asked my top military brass to be present for this meeting.
"What is the intelligence the silent forest got for us?" I asked.
The silent forest is what the intelligence agency of the merchant states called. It is not an official name, but everyone referred to it as such, including their own people.
"Not good news, I am afraid," the half-elf replied.
Immediately, two people behind him took out the files and began to distribute them throughout the table.
"We have a solid intelligence, that ships carrying hordes of Vris''alud will reach the Renwell''s shores within a week," he said, turning everyone''s expressions serious.
We were already informed that they were coming within a month two weeks ago, but now that estimate has shrunk to a week.
"How many undead they will have?" asked Stone.
"One point five to two million undead," he replied. Turning the atmosphere serious.
There is barely any surprise in the numbers.
Stone had said since the undead didn''t send any undead in over half a year. We should expect high numbers of around two million; we would be powerless against such numbers if they came.
There are already one and a half million undead in the region. More of such numbers will give the undead an absolute edge.
They would be able to sweep through the three cities and, if they combine, the hordes later. Might even present a threat to Marquess Gats.
"What about the powerhouses, special undead, and other weapons?" asked Stone.
"We know, they are at least sending at least forty powerhouses above Lv. 30. At least a hundred below Lv. 30."
"As for the special undead and weapons. We do not have any intelligence about it, but we guess there will be some, at least more than last time," he replied.
There is a difference between the common undead and uncommon ones.
If there are a large number of them, in the horde; it will be more dangerous. The same with weapons; yes, the undead use weapons, like cannons, catapults, and others.
They do not use them as much as others, but they use them.
"With such force, they could conquer every city in the region," said Valentina.
"It is why, we have increased our naval surveillance and even shared the intelligence with the imperials," he stated.
Surprising a few. I am not.
Most of the animosity merchant state and the empire disappeared after the death of the emperor.
Now, the merchants only want profit, instead of revenge, while the imperials want goods instead of avenging the humiliation.
If the undead controlled the renwell region, especially the three cities on the river. They would control the lucrative trade route and merchants'' states wouldn''t want that.
Especially the Meldhorn and Oksall. As they will be dependent on the sea route through the Belnin.
It will increase the expense and restrict their choices. These are the things the merchants hate the most.
"We will not let them touch the zenid''s shore as easily, as they had before," he said. I had heard the same words from the other people of the merchant state.
Their language is vague and their response is measured when asked to explain it.
So, we don''t really know. If they would attack the undead ships or just warn them.
The merchants have no intention of having a war with Vris''alud, but they don''t want to lose the trade route and influence, it provides them.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Letting the undead have a base in their backyard isn''t a good optics for the merchants.
In the next few minutes, more things were discussed, before the meeting was over.
"The city of Greltheaven thanks, silent forest for the intelligence," I said to the man.
"We are neighbors, Lord Silver, and merchant state, always has the best in minds for its neighbors," replied the man, before walking out of the room.
Click!
"Start calling back our people from the merchant state," I ordered. Half of them have already arrived in the past week. I want the other half to return as well.
They were at a merchant state training.
Those new equipment aren''t easy to use. The merchant state forces have been training them in their use. It is part of the agreement; I had signed in exchange for the essences.
"They will be here by tomorrow," replied Stone.
"Are we ready to deal with the undead?" I asked, and a mirthless smile appeared on the faces of all.
"Ready? No, but we can give them a fight, they will never forget," he replied.
"It would have been great. If we had six more months, we would have been more confident in dealing with the undead," said Colonel Cardin.
"The seven months were already more than we had thought. I think our preparations are good. We are in a better position, than we had thought we would be seven months ago," said Colonel Azalea.
Yes, our state is much better than, we had estimated.
Our army is bigger, better trained, and equipped. We have war resources and have built adequate hospitals, with enough healers and doctors.
There are many things we have done. That made us more ready to face the undead.
"Start preparing, but be silent. We don''t want to spook the citizens," I ordered.
A minute later, I was out of the conference room.
"So, delay the proposal?" asked Ina. "Yes," I replied with a sigh. There is no other option.
Just this morning, I had been excited about it. She had worked on the proposal hard, and we are going to make it public, sending it all over the empire.
We could still do it, but the message would be muted by the undead attack.
It would spread widely if we do it after it. The effect would be even greater if it is a grand victory, but chances of that are quite low, given the number of undead coming.
I hope we will survive the battle.
It would best outcome for us. All we need is the time; the more time we have, the greater preparations we will be able to make.
We have done a wonderful job in the past seven months and the next seven months would be even more amazing, as we now have the essence.
As I reached my office. I saw a few familiar people sitting in my waiting room.
Click!
I walked into my office, and a few seconds later, the familiar orc entered inside.
"Lord Silver," the orc greeted.
"I didn''t think, you would personally come to collect it, Lord Orag," I said to the man.
The orc is a representative of Oksall''s ruling council.
"Two hundred bottles of essence aren''t a small number. I wanted to collect the first batch myself and also wish you well for the battle, you are going to face soon," he said.
"Thank you, it means a lot. Lord Orag," I replied.
The merchant states have helped a lot in the past month. They supplied me with the weapons and also trained my men, while we were still negotiating.
They had given me the stuff before I had even paid them with the essences.
"Good, because we are hoping, you would stop discriminating against us. You have only given us two hundred bottles of essence, while you gave the state of Meldhorn, two hundred and fifty,"
"We didn''t even count what you have given to the city of Owlspring and a few organizations in the state of Meldhorn," he said, looking at me accusingly.
I waited for his skills to come, but they didn''t. Last time, the bastard had nearly crushed me.
This time, I want him to use his skills. I took my charm to twenty, which made it leap in power. I had tested it against people, but I wanted to test against him.
Unfortunately, the skill didn''t come.
"It is not discrimination, Lord Orag, but distribution based on the reciprocation and supply," I replied, without a change in expression on my face.
"To us, it feels like discrimination. Since we too can offer you, what the state of Meldhorn is offering you," he said, and I smiled.
"It is not discrimination, my lord, but if you feel like it is. You will have a chance to make your point when we renegotiate in five months." I replied.
"I will," he said, not pressing it further.
He left a minute later, and I met a few more people. All of them had come to the city to collect the essences.
We are asking all the people we gave essence to send their own people to collect it. Emotion essence is precious, we cannot guarantee a safe delivery with our people, nor do we have a people.
Soon, it was evening, and I walked out of my office.
I went to the barracks to check on the army. Their numbers had swelled since the second battle.
There are a lot of orcs in the army, but humans are still more than twice in number. Most of them are from the empire, but we have also recruited many refugees from Mayhurst Island.
They are experienced and have a fire of vengeance burning in their hearts.
Seeing them, I felt the fear in my heart lessen.
We have a chance. These people will fight and win against the undead.
"The batch from Owlspring, will be in the city by ten," informed Colonel Cardin as he stopped beside me.
"What about those in other cities?" I asked.
We had sent people to different cities, to train. Merchant states usually do not offer such training to the forces that are not their allies, but there is always an exception.
"All will be in the city, by tomorrow evening," he replied.
It made me relieved.
These people are very important. The enemy is strong this time and we will have to give our all to deal with them.
"Did you get any response from your contacts?" I asked, and he sighed.
"A few are coming, but not in the numbers we want," he replied. Hearing that, I sighed too.
When I say, I am trying everything to increase the city''s preparedness against the undead, I am not joking.
Cardin''s had connections in the army. His whole life went there; his family also served in the army, his father, and grandfather.
For a few months, he had been contacting his connection.
Poaching people.
He had had success there, seeing he was able to get nearly four thousand soldiers.
It has been especially good in the past month. He was able to bring two Lv. 30+ officers, seven pre-Lv. 30 and over a hundred soldiers of Lv. 20 and above.
It''s his effort and legacy''s fame, that made them come here.
It is why, we wanted the time. I was hoping, we would be able to poach a brigade. In peacetime, it is hard, but now it is very much possible, seeing a number of battles going around the empire.
There are always soldiers willing to move for better pay. We are even trying for the prisoners of war.
We had just gained some influence. If had more time, we would have managed that.
Now we will have to do with what we have.
It is not bad. We were able to make one fine force, which I have complete confidence to show, the undead their place.
Valorous Lord Lv. 24
Chapter 419: Battle At Sea
West Zenid Sea
"Fucking imperials!" cursed an old man, activating the Reinforced Ship and Absorb Explosions.
It was still enough as the cannonballs hit the ship, with wood flying everywhere.
On top of that, enormous waves are crashing against the ships hard. making it even harder to control.
The imperials weren''t supposed to attack them. There is no benefit to that.
Attacking them is making another enemy.
After the death of the emperor, the imperial armada had scattered. Princess Orelen had gathered what she could, but she only had a quarter of what it was.
They weren''t supposed to be here, much less attack them.
"It''s the merchant!" spat Captain Versuna.
The tall, dark women, holding a saber, looking at enemies with anger and frustration.
Her ship had sunk a few minutes ago. She was barely able to save her life but wasn''t in good shape.
"Those bastards!" the old man cursed.
They had seen the merchants'' ships earlier. They followed us but didn''t do anything.
They didn''t enter the imperial waters as we had expected, but who would have thought the imperial navy would have been waiting for us?
Till now, they have sunk eighteen ships and are still attacking. They are responding to imperials attacks with cannons and mages, but the bastards are prepared.
They shouldn''t have been this prepared or willing.
This is reeking of the smells of merchants. The bastards would never get their hands dirty. Instead, they would provide money and resources to others to do the job.
They are doing the same ship on the island.
It is one of the reasons, why they had difficulty in conquering the entire island.
Bang!
The cannonball hit the ship, not far away from the old man.
Blowing tens of undead and people to pieces; the only reason, the old man survived was because of a shield appeared in front of him.
Hun!
The dust hadn''t disappeared when he heard another bad news; another ship had been sunk.
This is the fourth submerged ship, that had sunk. It is much harder to achieve than those on the surface.
"Another load ship had been sunk," informed Versuna., taking the number nineteen.
"Were you able to find out, who is leading the fleet? Is that Anderson?" I asked, naming the Grand Admiral of the imperial navy.
Though, I heard, he is with a Crown Prince.
This is also not his style. He likes to fight bloody, ram the ships, occupy them, and massacre anyone on the enemy''s side.
The old man shudders whenever he remembers that battle.
The one who attacked us didn''t get close. They are maintaining the distance.
Bombarding us with spells, cannons, and ballistae.
"They are saying, it is someone called Rear-Admiral Medeiros," she replied.
Saying, an unfamiliar name, that he didn''t recognize.
He was about to ask for details when he saw a huge ballista bolt appearing in front of them and immediately tear through the shield spells that appeared to protect them.
A horror appeared in their eyes.
He knew the ballista bolt well. That fucking purple tip tore through his superior six years ago and gave him command of the ship.
It''s from a merchant state, the purple tip is proof of that.
If he focused, he would even be able to see the familiar emblem on it.
It tore through all three shields and reached Versuna. She is directly in front of me; it will be my turn after it tore through her.
"Water Swerve!"
She screamed and the water came from the wave crashing against them.
It formed a kind of slide, on which the ballista faintly changed its direction.
Rip!
He felt the sharp cut on my shoulder as the bolt moved past me.
Boom!
It crashed into the ship in the front, piercing it inside before exploding. Killing the undead as well as the people.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
The ballista had a powerful explosion effect. It will explode after tearing through the targets.
"Fucking hell!" he cursed and looked at Versuna, who was bleeding through all her orifices. She is Lv. 30+ powerhouse, but the bolt put great pressure on her.
Boom Boom Boom!
He opened my mouth when another volley of cannonballs crashed against the ship.
We had defended against the most, but some hit the ship, including the hull.
Patched Recovery.
He activated the skill; he had been holding back and focused it on the hull.
Hull is important. If not fixed, it will slow down the ship and even sink it.
''Scatter!'' ''Command: Reach The Shores Of Renwell,''
The command rang, infused with the power of the skill. I reacted immediately, changing the course of the ship.
He had been wanting to do that since they had started to sink our ships. He doesn''t know, why that bastard had waited, till now for this command.
If he had given this before, we might have been able to save, more ships.
Maybe, he thought, he would maneuver out of it, but that Real-Admiral Medeiros is a smart man.
From the start, his ships maintained the distance and kept blasting us with long-range attacks.
Their numbers are smaller than us, they have only around forty ships, but those ships are fast and packed with an arsenal that they are blasting us with.
While all our ships are heavy with undead.
There are enough defenses, but the energy had come well prepared. It''s clear, they had prior intelligence.
Scattering is the best option; more ships will sink, but more will also survive. With the number of ships, they have; they won''t be able to follow us all.
He was thinking that when another cannonball shot past me, hitting the water and exploding.
Bang Bang Bang!
Seeing us scattering, they upped their offensive.
Sending the hair cannon balls and spells at us without care, that within a minute they had sunk three ships and damaged more.
He could see many ships moving to chase them, including five, coming toward the group, he was leading.
"Captain of stadhale is dead. I am moving to take the command," said Versuna.
Before I could say any word. She leaped from the ship and moved toward the ship on the left.
She was targeted before she even landed on the sea. Cannonballs came at her, along with arrows and spells.
Everything was smoky and watery for several seconds, and I feared the worst when I saw her running across the water and heaved a sigh of relief.
However, that sigh was short-lived as I saw an arrow sticking into her shoulder.
The archer is really good at being able to hit her.
Versuna is a Combat Captain. It is really hard to hit her, when she is at sea, even the ballista wasn''t able to hit, but this archer did.
She reached the ship, and I felt her taking over the command.
I gave the command to my group as I led them toward the continent. Our target is the Renwell region, preferably, Ashton Harbor.
The second option would be Gailhorn or anywhere between the two cities.
These bastards will make it hard, but there is no other choice.
I led the group while bearing the attack from imperials. They have sunk one of my ships, but we are moving.
We have moved further enough, that I could see no other ship. Even with the spyglass.
It made me relieved.
I have to deal with five ships; they are dangerous but could be managed. They have used a lot of ammunition if I were to guess, nearly 75%.
At least 60%, which gives us good options to survive. I like these options.
¡
"The desumara plant forms an invisible layer of energy around the flower. It will destroy the flower and absorb its nutrients if it feels a threat to the flowers,"
"It requires a special mana technique to harvest the flower," explained Mage Irgal as a human woman in her early forties, gently and cautiously plucked the flower.
She placed that flower in a wooden box, in a specific mold, beside the other three flowers, before moving to pluck another.
Today, we are harvesting four plants. These desumara flowers being one of them.
I am watching it with Mage Irgal and a few other people.
I love to watch. The experience and skill needed to do this is really something.
It might not seem like it, but the woman who is plucking the flowers is a Lv. 30. Four of sixteen people are that level, while others are pretty close to it.
According to the agreement, half of the people, that will work on the plant will be mine.
It will be their responsibility to teach them. The timeline is five years, as these skills couldn''t be easily taught and also because I couldn''t get them to take the timeline any lower.
One by one, she had plucked all eighteen flowers. Half she gave it to me, while the other half went to Mage Irgal.
He was supposed to leave, but he decided to stay or ordered to stay, I don''t know.
I don''t want him here, given his power, but also glad he is here, given his expertise.
I looked at the flowers. They were beautiful. They are also expensive, but I am not going to sell them.
I am only selling 20% of plants. The rest, I am keeping it for myself.
These plants would play a big part in my plans.
They were about to start two days ago, but got delayed by the intelligence brought by the merchant state.
"Lord Silver,"
I was admiring the plants when Zela called my name. I turned to her and the smile on my face vanished.
"There is a news?" I asked, and she nodded. I sighed and turned to the man beside me.
"Take care of plants, Mage Irgal," I said to the man. "Best of luck, Lord Silver," he wished, understanding what was happening.
"Thank you," I thanked with a smile and walked away.
Ting!
Soon, I was in the elevator, going down. A few seconds later, it stopped in the lobby, and I walked out.
I could see the people around me.
The lobby is the most crowded space in the whole tower. It is an art gallery, with many famous pieces. After the opening, many offered the pieces from their collection.
Including those who had rejected my request first.
Some bowed as they saw me and I nodded to them, before walking out calmly out of the lobby.
There is no need to scare them. It won''t be long, before they know, what is happening.
Till then, let them enjoy themselves.
Click!
The carriage was already waiting for me, and I sat down in it.
"Have they reached the continent?" I asked. She shook her head. "No, they are currently engaged with the forces of Princess Orelen," she replied, surprising me.
"Her forces are fighting against the undead?" I asked to be sure, and she nodded.
This shouldn''t have been happening. She wouldn''t fight the undead; it didn''t suit her plans.
It will embolden her in conflict, she could easily stay away from it.
She wouldn''t do it to protect the region. She has bigger priorities.
As for the duty? No. From what I know, the woman is pragmatic. She wouldn''t let her sense of duty come between her goals.
Unless someone had offered her something, that would make her take such risks.
She could do it for the essence, but I am not giving her enough to make her to do it.
There is only one other reason, I could think of them.
"Merchants," I muttered.
They love to pull strings from shadows.
They hate Vris''alud. Not because they attacked the neighborhood, but because they destroyed the trade with one of the lucrative markets for them.
The mayhurst island.
The merchants love money and are rational, but they can be petty and vengeful, at times.
I might be wrong, but I don''t really care. I care about what is happening in the sea.
"Is it a big battle?" I asked. "The imperial navy had sunken twenty-three ships. That undead decided to split into several parts and move toward the region.
"How many ships are there?" I asked. "They were saying, it was around hundred and fifty," she replied.
If it had been people, it would have taken over a thousand or two thousand ships to carry numbers of the undead they are carrying.
With the undead, it is much easier. They can be stuffed with any clothes; they do not feel discomfort or pain or anything; they are undead.
If the necromancer is powerful enough. He could disassemble all the skeletons and assemble them after reaching the destination.
It''s one of the things that makes these undead dangerous.
Chapter 420: Half Million Undead
Click!
The guard opened the doors of the conference room seven, and I entered inside.
"Lord Silver," they greeted. I nodded and sat down.
"What''s the update?" I asked.
"The imperial navy is chasing the scattered ships of the undead," replied Cardin.
"What is the number of sunk ships?" I asked, while reading the file in front of me.
"Thirty-one. More might be sunk during the chase," replied Cardin.
"This is the best news we could hope to hear," said Stone, and I couldn''t help, but nod at that.
"It is, but the undead are coming and we will need to fight them." "The imperials had made, things a little easy for us," I said.
I liked to believe it would affect things tremendously and it would if enough of the ships sank. If not, it might not change things at all, given the sheer size of the horde, that is coming.
In the past seven months, I read a few things. History, strategies, and one thing, I had learned, is that I shouldn''t make huge assumptions.
The help from the imperials is definitely positive, but how much it will help remains to be seen.
Half an hour later, the meeting ended. We will meet once again, at ten.
I returned to my office instead of going home; there will be no family dinner today.
I contacted both the imperials and merchants, and thanked them first, of course, before trying to get greater clarity.
I may have tempered expectations earlier, but I did that. So, my people wouldn''t become complacent, but those words were also not a lie.
Time passed, and soon it was a ten. I went back to the conference room.
"The imperial navy had done the job; they are supposed to. They had attacked the undead, sinking thirty-nine of their ships," said Cardin.
The numbers are better than we had thought. They had sunk, nearly a third of the undead ships.
There is a problem with the undead. If you sink the ship, that does mean you kill them.
They survive, but they need someone to guide them or a powerful undead. They also need to do it fast; the sea isn''t kind to undead.
It whittles away their power.
It''s short term, it didn''t matter to us. Even if they survive; they will take a week or more to reach the region and I don''t think, the undead would wait for that long to attack us.
Or wait at all.
"The ships have started to dock at regions shores. At Ashton Harbor, as well as the Gailhorn,"
"The intelligence said, that within the next hour, all the ships would reach the region," he stated.
Nobody said anything for several seconds. Till a few hours ago, the undead were at the sea, but now, they had reached the shores.
"The question is now about the attack. When to be specific. Will they attack immediately or wait?" I asked.
"They are keeping an eye on the undead. We are getting updates on their every move," he replied.
The meeting ended a few minutes later and, once again, I returned to my office.
I looked at the file in front of me; the top-secret one. It had information on the exact number of army and the weapons we have.
It''s always with Ina.
The numbers are good. So are the weapons, but it is undead we are dealing with; they will not make it easy.
"The undead started moving," informed Zela. "Where?" I asked. I knew where they were moving, but I still asked to make sure.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
"East," she replied.
They are coming toward us. These bastards didn''t wait at all; not that a day or two would have helped.
"How many?" I asked.
"Around three hundred thousand," she replied. A number slightly more than the last time.
I have the confidence to crush them with my army, but the undead aren''t idiots.
There would be more.
They wouldn''t attack us with such numbers, knowing what our numbers are.
"Wake me up, when they reached Panar," I said and walked into the suite.
Yes, there is a suite in here, and Miss Rolgath had done a wonderful job on it.
I lay down and closed my eyes. It took a while to fall asleep, as all my thoughts were occupied by the undead, or rather than daring, thoughts.
Stone had discussed it with me a few weeks ago. It would give the city a breathing space if we succeeded in it.
I pushed the thought down as deep as possible. There is nothing more important than dealing with the incoming attack of the undead.
I should first deal with it, before thinking about anything else.
"Lord Silver,"
A gentle voice woke up; I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. It is ten minutes to four; I usually work around the same time.
"Have they reached Panar?" I asked, and she nodded. "Colonel Azalea and Cardin are waiting for you. In your office," she informed.
I nodded and got up from the bed.
I went to the bathroom and returned in five minutes, before activating Get Ready; I didn''t even change my suit.
Click!
"Lord Silver," they greeted.
"What''s the update?" I asked, and their expressions turned serious.
"The undead had reached Panar, where they merged with two hundred and fifty thousand undead waiting for them," replied Cardin.
As I had said. There would be more.
"Slightly more than half a million," I said and took a heavy sigh.
It is more than double than the last time. Much stronger; there is a report of special undead and weapons.
It will be a tough battle
I was really hoping the undead would be below half a million, but it seemed like, the undead, really wanted to conquer it, as they have taken the forces from Panar, making it venerable.
It is why I controlled the jubilation of my people.
We had expected the undead would attack us with such numbers. The imperials sunk their ships, but they just took the forces from another city.
"Have we been able to find out, how many powerhouses they have?" I asked, and he shook his head.
"There are only eight of them are visible. Five of them are from Panar," he said, sliding down the list of people; there are only six names there.
Two are blank; only their descriptions are visible. Means we were not able to recognize them till yet.
"How are preparations?" I asked. "Good. Commander Stone himself looking at the preparations," replied Cardin.
A few minutes later, they left.
I stayed in my office till five, before walking into the conference, which was filled with people. Everyone is here, from mercenaries to orcs to priests.
I waved my hand, asking them to sit down, but I didn''t.
"The undead are coming and this time, they are bringing the force more than double of the last time," I said, looking at the eyes of each one of them.
"The estimated numbers are fifty-five hundred thousand. It is not just the numbers are greater, but the quality of undead is also better,"
"Not to mention the powerhouses; I am sure there would be more than the last time."
They looked at me, with varying emotions. Some are scared, while others have a fighting spirit burning in their eyes. Whatever they are feeling, they are ready to fight.
It is the reason why they decided to stay in the city.
"It is the greatest challenge our city has faced till now, but I am grateful for all of you to stand against them with me,"
"I am not omniscient to tell you that we are going to win the battle, but I am going to tell you that we are going to give the undead such a battle, they had never fought before," I said.
Thud Thud Thud!
There was a silence for nearly ten seconds before they began to thump the desks hard.
Seeing that, a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
Half an hour later, I walked out of that meeting and entered another.
It is of the civilians, and they are scared, and worried, which is natural. I spoke with them, gave them hope; it''s the only thing I could do.
It took me two more hours, when I was finally able to get out of city hall, only to see a deserted city.
We have informed them of the undead last night. At four, when the undead left, the Panar, we shifted them into a safe zone.
It happened quickly and more efficiently. We had seven months to prepare for it.
It pains my heart to see my city, like this, but there is no option. We can play around with the safety of our citizens; a safe zone is the best place for them.
Soon, the carriage reached the gates, where there was large activity going on.
We had outfitted the walls with new cannons in seven months, but in the past month. We had got some restricted things, and we were outfitting the walls with them.
They were expensive, and I had to use the essence to buy them.
The bastard merchants weren''t willing to sell, them to me for money, nor did I have money.
They have given me these in advance. I had only paid, the first installment two days ago.
It is a trade many would do
These weapons are hidden in spells and witchcraft. The spies and scrying spells will have a hard time breaching this protection.
Click!
I got out of the carriage and looked at preparations, before climbing on the wall.
"Everything is looking good," I said, looking at the preparation.
"It is, but the enemy isn''t weak. Especially that necromancer, leading the horde. He is good at dealing with the decapitation strategies," he replied, sounding faintly worried.
Necromancer Methum.
He is an experienced necromancer. Fighting since Vris''alud invasion. He has been leading for a few years and is quite good, especially against the decapitation strategies.
The one we had used, in the last battle and planning to use on this one too.
Fighting asymmetrically is the choice we have, given the enemy, has ten times a number than us. Wayne was overconfident, which gave us a chance last time.
This strategist wouldn''t make that same mistake.
"I have confidence in you. I am sure, you will bring our city to a victory," I said.
The man didn''t say anything to that. He just looked ahead, where mine being laid out.
I didn''t say anything and watched quietly for a few minutes before walking away.
Chapter 421: Undead At Gates
Aston Harbor
"Bring the glory to the Vris''alud," commanded the man with the staff.
Immediately, the horde standing in front of the gates of Ashton Harbor begins to move.
It is a massive horde. Containing a million undead and it is moving toward the Port Midlet.
"It''s such a regret, that we couldn''t attack the Deepond," said the armored man beside him.
The man with the staff didn''t say anything, but it''s clear, that he is angry. Not at him, but what happened yesterday that poured water over their plans.
The attack was unexpected.
When they came to know about it; they were shocked. They had not expected for imperial navy to attack their ships like that.
Its merchants. The weapons the imperial had used to attack their ship had come from the merchants.
For it, they will soon pay a price.
"We will after, we conquer Greltheaven and Port Midlet. The victory here will give us the freedom to attack both Deerpond and Riverbell," said the man with the staff.
"Then, we can make the merchants pay," he grinned with joy and anger.
He has a reason to hate the merchants. Not because of yesterday''s attack, but for nearly taking his life; the sling is wearing is because of that.
He was barely able to save his life from the assassin of the merchants.
He had dared to take a risk, seeing there was no movement from merchants, but he was wrong and paid a price for that.
"Do you think, Greltheaven will be conquered by the evening?" asked the armored man after a few seconds of silence.
"Unlikely. They had made preparations and got some weapons from the merchants."
"The elder-blood leading is also good. So, it should take around ten before we receive the news of the victory," replied the man with the staff.
They have no doubts about the victory. Especially in the Greltheaven.
All the powerhouses supposed to go there are there and so are special undead.
Yes, they have lost ships, but the ones going for the Greltheaven only lost the common undead, which they had gotten from Panar.
"I hope, they will do it sooner. I want the legacy under our control as soon as possible," said the armored man.
The man with the staff didn''t say anything to that, but his lips had quirked up in a smile.
¡
Wayne
"Everybody understood?" asked Necromancer Methum after he explained the plan in detail.
"It''s a great plan, Commander. Just like Hasit, here too, we will completely dominate the enemy and force them to surrender within an hour."
"If they didn''t, we will wipe them all out," said Xander, Methum''s lacky.
He had been with him for years.
"What do you think, Wayne?" asked Necromancer Methum. There is no mockery or ridicule hidden in his question; it feels like a simple question.
"It''s a brilliant plan. If you are willing to listen, I have a small bit of advice," I said.
"Necromancer Methum doesn''t need some advice from a loose like you," Xander barked.
I felt a deep rage for the bastard, but no word came out of my mouth.
I had lost the battle and lost it badly. Since then, I have been suffering humiliation after humiliation and there is nothing I can do because it''s the truth.
This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
I had thought about the battle thousands of times and realized what an idiot, I had been.
If I had used my brain. I would have conquered the city.
"What advice, Mage Wayne?" asked Necromancer Methum.
"The elder blood. Kill him as soon as possible," I replied. I still remember the bastard. How he had killed my powerhouses one after another.
He was the biggest reason. I had lost the battle.
Don''t worry, Mage Wayne. I will kill the elder blood myself," said the old man and grinned.
I wanted to repeat my words, seeing the confidence in the old man''s face, but decided not to. He is an experienced man. He will do fine, especially with numbers.
I will fight as I had been ordered.
It won''t wipe out the mark of humiliating defeat, but it will help a little if I do well enough in the battle.
¡
"A horde of million had left for the Port Midlet," informed Zela.
I stopped and turned toward her.
"Not any toward the Deerpond?" I asked. "Currently, no, but they might," she replied.
Lucky bastards!
They have only been attacked once.
This will be the third undead attack on us. The change might be due to fifteen thousand soldiers coming from the Lord of Deerponds territory.
This will take his army to over a hundred thousand.
The number, if I had. I wouldn''t have been as worried as I am right now.
"A horde of million. Even with the army he has; it will be a challenge for him to deal with such a massive horde," I said and resumed walking.
The army in Port Midlet is big. Two and a half times bigger than us, thanks to his father, while he is facing the army, only bigger than us.
His army is also better, and more diversified.
He had a good mix of infantry and cavalry. His cavalry is also good and capable of causing massive damage. It is the reason he was able to defend against the two attacks of the undead.
I sighed and walked toward my army.
It had gathered, and it was huge. In the past seven months, I have been recruiting people for my army.
Over 70% of these people are experienced. They have fought in at least one battle.
It''s costing me massive money. I am using over 50% of the revenue of the city, for the army. Despite that, I want to recruit more.
I will recruit more. If the city had survived the attack today.
I looked at the army and a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face. It is smaller than I like, given the size of the energy, but I am confident in their abilities.
It is not just the army in here, but also the mercenaries. Some of which come from the merchant state and Inam.
This time, there are no volunteers fighting.
I have gathered them, but they will not be fighting. They will be inside the city, supporting the army, that is, on the wall.
Though, we do not think. They will need to fight, as long as we are fighting outside. Necromancer Methum wouldn''t make the same mistake as Wayne did.
Wayne had used some of his forces to attack the city while he was fighting with us.
This commander will first finish us off; once he does, the city will be his for taking.
Still, we need to prepare for that scenario.
We cannot look inside his mind, or we have spies close to him. He might do what Wayne had done. Nothing could be said for sure.
Hun!
Suddenly, a horn rang out, and I turned toward the wall before walking toward it.
The horn means the undead could be seen.
I reached the wall and looked through the spyglass. I could see the undead; they were in a small spot, which was getting bigger by the second.
It won''t take long for them to reach here.
"They have come," I said. "They have," said Colonel Azalea, bringing her spyglass down.
We watched them come closer and closer, till they started to look like the unending tide they are.
"It''s time, Lord Silver," said Stone.
I nodded and climbed out of the wall with him and the other officers.
Soon, we are standing in front of the army of fifty thousand people. There are forty-nine thousand seven hundred and twenty-two people, to be exact.
It took a large effort, but I am proud of what the city was able to achieve in these few short months.
I took a step forward and looked at my army.
"The enemies have come. They have come to take our city, our way of life. They want to conquer us, turn us into the undead," I said, using my skills at full power.
"But we will not let that happen. We will resist, we will defeat them, like we did last time. That they will think about twice, before attacking our city again!"
I was shouting at the end, but it worked.
Thud Thud Thud!
The next moment, every solider in the army begin to hit their legs hard on the ground. It begins to feel like the earthquake has come.
It stopped a couple of seconds later.
"Follow me," commanded Stone and began to lead the army outside of the gates.
In the past battles, we had charged out the gate when the energy came in front of the city. Now, we are more confident in our abilities, but also because the army is big will need some time to charge out.
Which the enemy might exploit. It is hard, but there are many skills and weapons.
We don''t want to take any risk, regarding it.
Soon, the entire army stood in front of the gates, looking at the enemy, which was barely visible to the naked eye.
"It is one massive horde," I said, as I looked unending horde through the spyglass.
"If it had been my first battle, my lord. I don''t think I would have the courage to fight it," said the half-orc beside me.
The orc beside him snickers, but doesn''t say anything.
"I don''t think, I would too, Major Kruabur," I replied.
My heart is shaking in fear. My body would have to, if not me, control it.
It wouldn''t look good to see the lord of the city scared.
I put a spyglass down and waited. I didn''t have to wait for long before I could see the massive unending horde with my naked eyes.
It is massive and getting bigger by the second.
I could see some of the people beside me shaking. Some even took a step back, when the enemy''s fear skills started to affect them.
A moment later, waves of skills activated from our people. Resisting the fear skill of the enemy.
We might have been able to resist it, but we were not able to wipe the fear from our eyes. Which is natural. If one is not scared of seeing such force, then they aren''t human at all.
The massive horde came closer and closer, before stopping at a mile away from us.
Chapter 422: Encircled
Methum
"Why waste time? He is going to reject it," said Xander and I smiled.
"Because we are civilized people. We don''t want to fight when the job could be done with the words," I replied.
I rode my skeleton horse ahead. The horde parted, for me, till I reached in front of it.
It is dangerous in the front; they could try to snipe at me. A few did in my past battles, but they wouldn''t succeed like those before they didn''t.
It may not look like it, but there are invisible shields all around me.
The enemy is a mile away, with the men, less than ten times mine. They become clear as I cast the Far Eyes.
I could see the defiance in the eyes of some, especially the leader, but most were scared.
It is a natural reaction, seeing there is a difference of over ten times, between the two armies.
This is the highest difference in the number of battles, I had ever fought.
The greatest difference I had was over six times, which I had won. I had won all the battles that had our numbers over five times.
It is not hard. I don''t know why idiots leading the battles before me did not win. I am just talking about the Greltheaven, but other cities as well.
I shook those thoughts away and looked ahead at the enemy.
"Lord Silver, surrender, and you will be spared. Resist and there will be consequences," I said.
I didn''t offer to spare anyone. Why would? We are going to win this battle and I had done this courtesy because he is the host of legacy.
The higher-ups had placed great importance on him. Saying he could take the legacy to Grade III in a decade.
Some are even saying it could happen in five years.
"No,"
Came a reply to a moment later. It was curt.
It irked me and made me angry. He could have used a few more words and a better tone to reply.
I will make him pay for this disrespect.
I heard he likes his whores; I will turn them undead. Especially his mistress.
It will fit with what higher-ups want. They want to punish him for the resistance. No one should resist Vris''alud; they should bow and accept their fate.
Because if they did not, we would make them suffer a fate worse than death.
"It is war then," I said, and my staff blazed.
"Charge!"
I commanded, and the horde of half a million undead moved forward toward the enemy.
"Charge!"
A vast roar came from the energy, and a tiny army charged toward us.
Seeing that, a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face. The horde would swallow it and it wouldn''t take long.
The battle would be over, while still the sun shining in the sky.
"They have made good preparations," said Wayne, looking ahead.
"The mines. The bastards had spread them everywhere," said Xander.
I couldn''t help, but nod. There are a lot of mines; more powerful than those of last time.
If we want to avoid them, we will need to move the horde through the narrow strip, through which the energy charging toward us.
Why would I do that? The undead will sweep through them. We will lose some undead, but that''s fine.
"Activate Anti-mine measures," I ordered and cast Yiran''s Dampening.
I felt the skills and spells next moment, sweeping toward the mines. They will weaken the explosion, and some won''t explode at all.
Boom Boom Boom
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Suddenly, the booming sound rang out. The cannons released the cannonballs.
"Their numbers are five times more than the last time," stated Wayne.
"Fucking merchants!" cursed Xander in response. The merchants had provided the weapons here as they did to the imperials to fight against us in the sea.
The battle at the sea had really been terrible.
The imperials were prepared. They not only had the weapons but also the powerhouses. There were a lot of mages on ships, that dealt with our attacks.
"Shields on," I ordered. "Use them economically," I added a moment later.
I know, I will win the battle, but I don''t want to take the risks. They need to have mana to deal with energy and also the mischief of merchants.
I do not care little army coming toward me. I will crush it without a doubt.
What I am worried about is the bastard merchants. They scare me and here they might do something, seeing the Greltheaven control the major trade route.
Bang Bang Bang!
The cannonballs landed on the shields and a small surprise appeared on my face, seeing their power.
I thought they would start with common ones before moving to powerful ones. In the last two battles, they barely had any, but this time, they had started with it.
I tried to look at the weapons again, but they were hiding them with the skills and spells
"The enemy is really terrified. They are using powerful ammunition from the start," said Xander.
"It didn''t matter. Our mages could defend against it," I replied. "They will need to be stronger than this, to strain our mages," he said, and I smiled.
Soon, we reached the field of mine. There are thousands of them.
I could use either spell to sweep through the undead. The undead are much cheaper.
"Spread!" I ordered, and the horde began to spread like a tide. Without care of the minefield, which covers a large area.
Bang Bang Bang!
The mine began to explode as the undead moved through them, while cannonballs rained on them from above.
A few of those cannonballs are hitting our forces. They didn''t harm any people, only the undead.
I had expected the spells to come too. They had in the past two times, but not a single offensive spell had come toward us.
''The giant blood is smart,'' I thought.
Soon, less than half a mile remained between us, and I could see and feel the army skills activated.
They are less effective here since 99% of our forces are made of the undead.
Still, every bit helps.
Finally, there are only four hundred meters remaining, between us.
"Envelope," I commanded.
Immediately, the order followed, and my forces moved to envelop the little army.
Yes, enveloping it fully; I would encircle it fully, before massacring it. There will be no escape, everybody will die with only a few exceptions.
They had brought on themselves. They have created a narrow way with mines everywhere.
The best option for them would have been to fight from the wall, which is considered a bad option against the undead. It would have delayed their defeat by a few hours.
What did they expect when coming at us like this? They should have known we would do this. I will do this; I am quite good at it.
I had even brought a few things with me. That had not been used in this region before by us. They will make help me end the battle quickly.
"Do you think, they will surrender in an hour?" asked Xander.
"Unlikely," I replied.
"I think, they will. I mean, look at their faces," said Xander.
They were scared, but not a single one tried to run away, like I had seen in many battles. The elder blood had trained them well.
"Xander, Wayne with me. We are going to finish off the elder flood first," I said to the two men beside me.
Usually, I fight alone, but in this battle, I will have Wayne and Xander with me. You can not underestimate the elder bloods and seeing, that I had never fought one, I rather not take a risk.
Wayne might have had a humiliating defeat, but he is powerful.
Strongest beside me in the army, who also had experience with the elder blood. I would be an idiot, not to use him, despite the distaste I feel for him.
¡
"They are enveloping," said Major Kruabur, seeing the horde bending toward us from the edges. Forming a semicircle, which turned into a circle
Methum is doing what he does when he has a massive edge in numbers.
It is not a unique strategy among the undead. They are known to use it, with murderous efficiency.
They have slaughtered whole armies with this strategy. We want them to use it on us because, like them, we too have a plan.
It was extremely risky, but we did not have any other choice.
We could have fought from the wall, but that would have resulted in the victory of the undead. Here, we have at least some chance of victory.
They are moving, and at every step, the circle becomes more and more complete.
They are not caring about the mines, that are blasting undead or cannonballs coming from above.
They only want to surround us.
"Halt!"
Ordered Stone and the army followed immediately. I felt relieved because it was important that the army stopped at this spot.
The army had followed the command, they were trained to do so despite the emotions they were feeling.
"Circle thorn formation,"
The second command came, and people moved, including me. T
The undead had their plan while we had ours.
The circle thorn formation put our most powerful forward as the thorns.
The complete circle will bear the pressure, but the thorns will be bearing the most.
I am not the thorn, but I am in the front.
This formation will be able to help us last longer as we will be able to change places, with those behind. Though, it is not the reason, we had chosen to use it.
Encircling is a great strategy, but it has its flaws, like the circle thorn formation we are using.
The undead enveloped us from all directions. Everywhere I looked, I saw the undead, coming toward us through the blasting mines.
Finally, they stopped when there was only a ten-meter distance between us.
Necromancer Methum, stepped forward with a big smile on his face.
"Your lord had made a grave mistake. We would have given you a quick, painless death, but now you will have a painful death."
"We will massacre you all, till not a single one of you survive," he said with a joy written all over his face.
"Kill them all!"
He roared, and the undead tide moved toward us from every direction.
Hun!
"It''s not common undead anymore," said someone behind me as she noticed the uncommon undead among, the tide.
Big zombies, huge skeletons. I had even spotted an animalist skeleton, at a distance from me.
However, the things that attacked my gaze were the cannons.
The undead had brought the freaking cannons with them. Fitted on the skeleton beasts.
Methum is confident because it is a large number of undead, he had brought, but also the powerhouses, uncommon undead, and weapons.
All these things combined will give him an absolute victory. If I had been in his place, I would have thought that too.
Chapter 423: Encircled II
Cardin
"Should we begin, Colonel?" asked the Hewett. Seeing undead moving to attack the encircled army.
"Orders Major, we haven''t received them yet," I replied to the man beside me.
We could only begin after receiving an order from Commander Stone.
Till then, we will continue with this normal barrage of cannons.
"There are too many undead in there, Colonel. The army would be swallowed by them in a minute," said the blond man with a clear fear in his eyes.
"They won''t be, Major," I replied.
The man had never fought the undead before.
He is a veteran of many battles and a brave man. He was my junior, and we had fought in many battles together; he was there where I got afflicted with that skill.
He had come four months ago. An excellent officer with amazing skills.
They are going to help a lot when we begin.
¡
Orok Uram
The undead came toward us in the tide. There was nothing but the undead.
I had fought with them twice. Despite that, my heart couldn''t help, but shake seeing them coming toward me.
The Rhythm Of Wild begins to sing through my body as the earth shakes with the feet of the undead.
It didn''t sing as loudly as it used to be in the forest, but I will take any advantage I have when fighting against the enemy, that could bury us with sheer numbers.
Boom Boom Boom!
I gripped my ax tightly and readied myself to face them when I felt as if the sky were ripped apart.
Cannons mounted on the skeleton beasts breathed fire and fist-sized balls came out of them, shooting toward us at blurring speed, holding incredible power.
I know very well what it could do to me.
They had trained us for it. Showed us, the damage it could do to us if we were caught in its blasts.
I have a very good defensive skill, but it didn''t help in elevating the fear of the cannons.
Despite the danger, I only glanced at them. I am keeping my eye on them, but not focused on them.
My focus is locked on the undead and the powerhouses hidden deep in them. As for the cannonballs, it''s not my responsibility, unless it comes really close to me.
The undead were less than five meters away from us when the mages acted.
Bang Bang Bang!
Their shields appeared in front of the cannonballs. Stopping them.
It made me feel relieved, but I quickly focused on the undead in front of me.
There are a lot of them, half a million.
We could not kill them all and it''s not a plan either. The undead had surrounded us as such, that we couldn''t use the targeted strategy, we had used last time.
If we tried. They will swallow us.
They have enough numbers and a powerhouse this time. They could stop any group, no matter how big it is.
We wouldn''t be able to move much deeper into the undead before they swallowed it. Fighting from here isn''t much better either; they will tire us out, before swallowing us.
I really hope, Commander Stone has a plan. I came to love the city; I don''t want to lose, the life, I had built here.
The first time, in my life. I have a friend. People talk to me.
"I am breathing," said the woman beside me and a moment later.
The plum of fire released from her mouth.
It went straight at the undead, before spreading. Covering over twenty undead.
The fire burned brightly as it had covered the undead. It is burning them as if the undead are dried parjis leaves that burn brightly by even a touch of spark.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
She shouldn''t have done that.
Now those fire-covered undead are coming at us. They will cause more damage to us, than we have caused to them.
I turned to her to admonish. I had been told she was important, but she was under my command.
She shouldn''t have done that. It puts others'' lives in danger.
I had just opened my mouth when the zombies and skeletons covered in fire fell on the ground one after another.
The fire had also quickly disappeared.
"The fire has the light element," she replied to the question, I had in my mind.
I only nodded and turned to the undead.
They had arrived, and they were everywhere.
Rippp!
I exhaled and moved forward with my men and swung my ax. Cutting through six undead in a single swing, before swinging it again and killing the other five, which had taken their place.
My men did the same. They cut through the undead, including the woman.
Though she had released another breath of fire, through the gaps among the undead.
Burning the undead, that were behind.
I have been ordered to look after her. Protect, if she is in danger. I didn''t like it, like how I didn''t like the command, that had been given to me.
I am used to fighting alone.
I have been promoted to the captain and with it given the command of the company.
I had never fought together with people. Never got a chance because of the curse.
Condition as they are calling it here. The healers here compared it to the limp that some are born with, not a curse that I heard all my life.
My family had been banished the day, I was born.
My mother, left me, that same week. It was my father who raised me. I wish he had brought me here to the cities, but the man didn''t know anything about the cities.
He never left the forest. He was born there and died there.
I would have to suffer the same fate. If not for getting caught as the bandit.
I was no bandit, but I decided to follow behind them.
I was in need of a weapon. The one, I had been broken with my fight with the Blacktooth Tiger.
I followed behind him, to catch any runaway and snatch their weapon. I had been doing that for years.
Once I was lucky and able to get an enchanted weapon. I had used it till its enchantments wore off.
That battle had been bad. I saw the bandits getting ambushed by the humans.
They came at me too, and I had fought them off and nearly escaped before a woman appeared in front of me like a chilly wind.
Her sword broke through my defensive skill and froze me.
I thought I was dead, but when I opened my eyes. I found myself in a cell with orcs around me trying to maintain as much distance from me as possible.
Rip Rip Rip!
I tore through another group of undead and then another. I didn''t use any skills, nor do I need to. These undead aren''t worth it, not even the skills of the soldier class.
I killed the undead while keeping my eyes on my company. It is doing well.
It had been three months since I had got the command of them. All of them are humans. Not a single orc wants to work under the cursed like me.
I heard shamans were against my promotions. The Commander and the Lord had gone through it.
Not all people in my company were mine. Twenty-one new people were added yesterday, including the woman.
Thankfully, they didn''t have a problem working under the orc. A few had, the two lieutenants especially, both of them mid-level twenties, like me.
Their problem wasn''t about my race or the curse, but about being on the same level as me.
I had defeated them in a minute.
We sparred hundreds of times since then and they had never lasted over five minutes.
Hun!
I cleared my thoughts as Rhythm of Wild spiked. I looked and saw the group of undead, different from what I had fought before
They are a group of skeletons and zombies. They are bigger and feel more powerful, than the common undead.
"Careful," I said to my men.
They gave me the space, and I stepped forward, clearing the common undead, till there were only uncommon ones around me.
There are about fifty of them.
Raaaa!
I let them move toward me, before leaping toward them. They sensed me as they let out the strange noise.
I didn''t care, I moved as Rhythm of Wild sang in me, and swung my ax, flashing with the power of the enchantment.
I am not using my skills, but I am using the enchantment on my ax. I could have done without them, but the enchantment would make it easier.
Help me conserve my strength for the powerful enemies.
I felt their attack through the Rhythm of Wild and saw there was no place for me to dodge.
So, I made the space.
I kicked the dead undead I had decapitated and stepped into their place before swinging my ax toward those who attacked me.
The same thing happened, and I moved into the place of the dead undead and killed them.
It''s quite easy, compared to foes I had fought before.
Freyis wolf pack is the most dangerous. They aren''t the most powerful of the monsters, I had fought, but they are the most difficult to deal with.
In nearly every fight with them, I had come out worse.
They are fast and have an impeccable teamwork. Their claws, sharp as these enchanted blades, could tear through the flesh like soft clay.
The uncommon undead, on the other hand. May attack with the same physical power, but they are slow.
They had moves and some finesse in them, but I had found monsters used them with more intelligence than them.
Rippp Rippp Rippp!
Finally, I crushed through the last of the undead and moved back to my company.
"Not even a single injury; you are really a monster captain," said the blue mustache man. "Focus, captain, we are in the battle," I replied as I killed another group of undead.
They are everywhere, endless. Supported by the mages and the cannons, that are ringing non-stop.
Our mages are defending, but they couldn''t defend against all. I saw the damage, that cannonball did; it killed a group of humans and orcs along with undead.
They do not care about the undead; all they care about killing us.
Hun!
A minute passed and another. We kept killing the undead when the Rhythm Of Wild changed.
Immediately, I saw the powerhouses emerging from the undead. Lv. 30+, pre-Lv. 30 and more.
Warriors, mages, necromancers with special undead around.
"Fuck!" cursed Captain Donil, seeing them.
The large number of the undead aren''t as scary as these powerhouses. There are a lot of them and the most dangerous of them all is the old man with the grey crystal staff.
He moved toward the Commander Stone, followed by two men.
One, I had recognized. He was the commander of the last horde.
Now, he is following behind the old man.
Commander Stone moved toward him. He too, had two people behind him. One is a Paladin Carr, and the other is Garzong.
I quickly looked away, when the song spiked again and saw five people coming toward me.
I opened my mouth to give the orders when I had received the message.
''Fuck!'' I cursed and turned to the enemy.
All pre-level thirty, from what I could guess, with two mages.
"Lieutenant Donal, you will handle the black armored man." Lieutenant Azika, you will deal with the old man,"
"Lieutenant Hasid. You will fight the mage with the fiery crystal," I gave the commands.
I could see the relief in Mage''s eyes at command. He only needs to fight one mage.
"Commander, what about the Necromancer and Warrior?" Hasid asked, already guessing what I was planning to do.
"Leave them to me," I said and moved toward the enemy. I have no choice, but to engage with necromancer and the warrior beside it.
The message states, I won''t be getting extra mage to deal with the necromancer.
I will have to deal with them with forces, I have.
Chapter 424: Target
Valentina
''Gently, gently,'' I repeated in my heart as I started to bring those things from underground.
They are extremely sensitive and expensive.
The slightest mistake and they will explode, and we didn''t want them to explode before they came out.
I buried them last night and now bringing them out. Some would ask me, why we can''t just throw them like the cannonballs.
Well, we can''t.
They are extremely sensitive and need to be handled with extreme care.
It also gets quickly discovered by the skills and spells. Especially the Dengersense, which would start blaring in its presence.
I had brought them close enough. That their skills should have started reacting, but they aren''t.
''It seemed like whatever Remus did to make it invisible to skills and spells is working.'' I thought.
I have a few guesses; some seemed preposterous. A few are illegal and some are in the realm of reason.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the task at hand.
Remus said, I will have around forty-five minutes from the army entering the range. I will have to finish the task in that, or the enemy will sense it.
It had already been ten minutes. They have surrounded us, and we have around half an hour at most.
Those four things are the most expensive weapons Remus had brought. I myself had gone to the Meldhorn to pick it up.
We had paid a massive price of two hundred and forty Grade II essence bottles for them.
I had only got these things, after handing over the essences.
If I failed, all would go down the drain, but if I succeeded. The chances of our victory would increase by a huge percentage.
I have to finish it quickly. The longer it will take, the more casualties our army will suffer.
I could see the enemies had brought their cannons and powerhouse. Their numbers are really high, that people are hard-pressed against them.
I could hear cannonballs coming down from above, stopped only by the shields.
They are not only targeting those in the front, but also at the center. More cannonballs coming at the center than the front.
There are enough people protecting me, that I don''t need to worry about any threat.
The only thing, I have to worry about is my task.
¡
Orok Uram
The enemies grinned at me, seeing me walking toward them.
Especially the necromancer.
She is a tall human woman with purple hair and a grey robe around her. There is a script on her robes. It is not common, which I had learned to read, a few months ago.
I don''t like mages, no warrior does.
The mages are the most dangerous opponents for us warriors, our bane.
A same level mage could kill ten of us. If skilled enough and have good enough spells.
I had never fought mages before coming here. I had heard about them from my father. He shuddered whenever he used to talk about them.
I thought he was overestimating them until I saw their power myself.
Now, I would need to fight one myself and it is not the only one. There is also the warrior; a bald, bronze-skinned human of medium height.
Sup Sup Sup!
I had not even taken three steps when Bone Spears materialized in front of the necromancer and shot toward me.
There are ten of them; each one of them is sharp. So, much, they would be able to pierce through my body without any problem.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
I reacted immediately and activated the skill from my main class.
My speed increased with Wild Dash. Like all my skills, it is also suppressed in this environment, but this one is one of the less suppressed ones.
I could use 80% strength of Wild Dash, which is the highest while only 25% of Rhythm Of Wild, the lowest.
The speed is good, but spears are faster. I know I wouldn''t be able to dodge them all.
So, I turned and activated another skill. Wild Swing.
Clang Clang!
The ax moved fast and tore through the three Bone Spears, one after another.
Surprising the mage and the warrior.
I have a practice of dealing with magical attacks. A lot of monsters have them.
The necromancer attacked again and this time, with bolts of energy.
Dark Bolts.
Once more, I moved to dodge the attack, but they were fast and reached me before I could dodge them fully.
I swung my ax with Wild Swing again and defended against four of the bolts when another attack came.
This one isn''t from the Necromancer, but from the bald warrior.
His green saber, moved swiftly like a wind, with the promise of death.
It will give me death. If I let it come close to anywhere near my head.
I didn''t retreat against his attack, instead moved my ax forward at an odd angle. Which would have broken the bones of anyone, unless there is a skill.
It is not a skill, but a flexibility, I had gained through a lot of hard work and a large number of nonik fruits.
Clang!
My ax clashed against his saber, and I used Parry. The skill from my Soldier Class, but so has he, and his is powerful.
My Solider Class is at Lv. 9 while his is the main class which is close to Lv. 30. Despite, the powerful attributes, my parry isn''t as strong as his Parry.
He parried the attack and came at me. Opening himself to me, which he didn''t think he had, but he did.
The opening is big enough, that I could kill him with it.
Hun!
I was about to move at him when I saw Bone Spears coming toward me.
I retreated immediately with the Wild Dash while moving my ax forward to defend against the attack.
Rip!
I defended against the bolt, but the bald warrior''s saber, cut through my arm.
The cut is deep, reaching the bone. On top of that, there is pain skill attached to it, which brought tears to my eyes.
"You have dodged it," said the bald man and came toward me with another attack. At the same time, the necromancer attacked me with another spell.
I retreated to dodge the attack; there was no option. If I clashed with the warrior, those bolts would have me. I rather not let that happen.
The bald warrior isn''t the one to let me retreat easily. He followed me with his speed skill, which is fast.
Clang!
I had to defend against its saber to not get decapitated. Giving the opportunity for two bolts to reach me.
Survivors Protection.
I activated my defensive skill, which covered me with the invisible protection.
The next moment, energy bolts pierced through me. Giving me a sensation like, I had been swallowed by the dark cold water.
I could see the necromancer grinning, before launching another round of bolts, while I moved my ax to defend against the attack of the warrior.
The protection wasn''t able to stop the bolts fully.
I could feel the damage they were doing and another of my skills moving to heal it.
Survivor''s Healing.
This is the sole skill, that kept me alive from the injuries that would have killed me, hundreds of times.
Still, this is not a solution to my problem, which is the necromancer. I have to deal with her before she kills me, but she is a mage.
There are also the four special undead she had kept around herself.
As long as she kept attacking me. I wouldn''t be able to deal with the warrior and they will eventually kill me.
I cannot let that happen.
The necromancer had launched another attack, at the same time, the warrior had swung his saber at me.
His attack is much faster than before, with more power. I wanted to avoid it, but couldn''t. Seeing more than half of the Bone Spears will hit me.
That will give the opportunity to the bald warrior to finish me off.
Clang!
My ax stopped the attack, but the very next moment, those Bone Spears came at me.
Puch!
I moved my body, but the spears still hit me. My armor was able to stop the two, but one pierced through my lower back.
Though not as deeply as the necromancer had expected, as the frown had appeared on her face.
Hun!
The warrior attacked me again, when the Rhythm of Wild spiked again, in familiar fashion.
I leaped into the air to avoid it despite knowing, it might make me a target in the air.
I dodged the attack of the warrior, but I didn''t leap for it. There is something more dangerous and painful. I have experienced it many times and don''t want to do it anymore.
The moment after, I dodged; the sharp bones spurted out of the ground.
If I had stayed there, I would have been porcupines.
I remember well, what the spikes could do. Earless bone rats had the ability to create Bone Spikes from the earth.
I had suffered so deeply from them; that rhythm of them had imprinted in my mind.
The necromancer had failed in her attack, but now she had got me in the air. The place that restricts my mobility.
She didn''t waste any time and attacked me with the Bone Spears.
They took all but a second to reach me, and I was ready.
Clang Clang!
I moved my ax to defend against them, but I know very well, that I couldn''t defend against all, and I didn''t.
I only defended against those, that could strike undefended parts of my body. I didn''t defend against those that would be stopped by my armor.
The armor alone isn''t enough to stop the attack, but there is also the defensive skill.
The bone spears crashed against my armor. Dented it and hurt me, but wasn''t able to pierce through it.
The necromancer frowned but wasn''t done. She had the Bone Spikes, ready on the place, I am about to land.
So is the bald warrior with his saber.
It is a perfect trap that would be hard-pressed to get out of, but I am not without an option.
I had taken the jump in the air, with all the options in the mind.
Ariel Adjustment.
I activated another of my skills from my main class and was able to adjust the landing spot.
From in front of the enemy to behind him.
Rip!
The warrior reacted quickly and turned back to an attack, which I dodged with Wild Dash.
Though not successful, I received another cut. I would have been able to defend against it. If I had used the ax, but I didn''t want to.
He isn''t my target; the necromancer is.
As long as she is alive, I won''t be able to fight him. They will kill me, like right, the attack coming at me.
If I had moved to defend attacked them. Those Bone Spears would have skewed through me.
Chapter 425: Slaying
"No, you won''t!"
Screamed the bald warrior as he came at me, while the necromancer smiled with mirth.
She isn''t thinking of me as a threat, unlike the bald warrior.
He attacked me from behind. It was swift and reached me in an instant, when my speed suddenly increased, and I dodged the attack, surprising the man.
I used the full speed of Wild Dash and the top of activated Soldier''s Run. The speed skill from my Solider Class, while pushing my body hard.
Which gave me a boost in speed.
I had truly considered myself cursed, and the feeling hadn''t vanished even now.
One thing, that reinforced that belief further in me is that I didn''t get the class when normal people do. I didn''t get it at fifteen, I had got it at eighteen.
It made me push myself hard. Depends on my body alone to face those monsters, always ready to kill me.
I wasn''t the only one hiding my speed. He, too, was doing the same. He increased his speed to follow me but found himself slower than me.
Every step I took me further away from him.
Since he appeared, I had never considered him a genuine challenge. It was the necromancer I had feared and were wise to do that.
He had attacked me again, with Bone Spears, and behind them was a grey wave.
The attacks reached me quickly, and I reacted without stopping.
I used the Wild Swing to defend against the Bone Spears and let the other be defended by my armor and Survivalist Protection.
I had activated its full power, which barely let the Bones Spears touch me. They didn''t even dent my armor when they crashed against me.
I didn''t have time to take joy in successful defense when the black wave hit me.
It was weak when it hit me as 75% of its power, had been taken by the Survivalist Protection.
The skill is all-encompassing.
It defends from physical attacks, but also elemental, shamanic, and mental attacks.
I had been warned by Colonel Azalea to never speak about my skills to anyone.
Especially two of them.
She had called them inheritance skills when I informed her about how those two skills feel different from the rest.
I didn''t even know their names or color; the names appeared in the past three months. When I learned to read, before that, they were in the form of feelings.
It had turned out, some ancestor of mine had been a very powerful powerhouse.
A Lv. 50 at least and these two skills are from them. It''s the reason, they are so powerful and will become more powerful in the future.
The grey wave hit me, and the fear in my heart amplified suddenly. Just like, it used to when looked into the eyes of Grey Eyed Owl.
I took a deep breath and controlled this fear and turned back to the enemy.
Only a see-bone wall appeared directly in front of me.
I activated the Lion''s Strength and swung my ax with everything, I had.
Bang!
A loud bang rang out and my ax tore through the bone wall, and I moved forward. Only to be attacked by the special undead right after.
There are four special undead. Two zombies and two skeletons.
Seeing them, I grinned as the Rhythm of Wild spiked. The special undead are powerful, as powerful as the warriors of Mid-Lv. 20.
I have to finish them before the warrior behind me catches up, and the necromancer puts a distance away.
She had already started to move away.
Once she had enough distance between us; I could forget ever reaching her. She will swarm me undead, that I will never be able to reach her.
So, I used the skill. It''s not an offensive skill, but more useful than one.
It is the last skill; I received from my main class.
Predator''s Gaze.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
As I activated the skill, everything became clear and faintly slower.
I could see the specks of dust and alarm in the eyes of the mage.
Her shining staff and the Dark Bolts released from them.
I focused my eyes on the special undead and saw them coming at me.
I could see everything about them clearly. Including their speed, which is fast, but to me, it is faintly slow.
According to the Colonel Azalea. It''s because this skill is processing the information fast. It is also the reason why I get a headache when I use it for a long time.
I moved my ax toward the zombie, which attacked me with a long sword.
Its attack is fast and powerful. Have a finesse, that couldn''t be seen in normal zombies. It is acting on the memories of a person, it used to be before turning to undead.
It has all that, but it is also dumb. Dumber than the monster.
So, I moved forward, till its sword was inches away from my heart and moved left, before swinging my ax toward it.
My ax moved like thunder, reaching its neck in an instant. Which is being protected by the thick metallic band covering it whole.
I pushed the enchantments of the ax at full power and used Keen from Soldier''s Class on the top.
Pachack!
The ax cut through the metal like butter, before reaching the Zombie''s neck, which offered no resistance to my ax''s blade.
Its head flew into the air, but I didn''t have a chance to celebrate as the three undead came at me.
Rip Rip!
I didn''t dodge the two attacks and instead moved toward the skeleton with a ramming shield.
I stepped aside and dodged, before swinging my ax at it.
Khat!
Its head flew high, while I moved forward and toward the zombie attacking me with a spear. I had dodged it before decapitating the undead.
Rip!
Its head flew high, and I moved forward toward the necromancer, not before receiving the wound on my back from the warrior who had caught up to me.
I ran toward the target and a warrior chased me, with the last special skeleton, but I didn''t care about them. My eyes are fixed on the necromancer.
The mirth had vanished from her eyes, replaced with the alarm. There is now only fear in her eyes as she tries to run away toward the undead.
The big group had already appeared between her and me. I will have to cut through them to reach her.
Pachck Khat Pachak!
My ax moved as I cut through the undead without losing a moment. Getting closer and closer to the necromancer with every step.
I have to get her before she goes too deep into the undead or someone comes to support her.
I had pushed myself with everything I had to after her. Cutting through the undead and every attack she launched to stop me.
Boom Boom Boom
The undead began to explode, with their flesh, and bones would come hurling toward me.
Covering my whole body with the gore.
It smelled extremely bad, but I bore it and chased after the necromancer.
Bang!
I broke through another Bone Wall and now, there is a less than five meters distance between us.
Sup Sup Sup!
When the rhythm spiked in danger. I saw three Bone Spikes materializing and coming toward me.
They are not Bone Spears, but Bone Spikes. They are shorter and thinner, but feel more powerful and have grey energy covering them.
They were extremely fast and appeared in front of me like, they had teleported.
Clang!
My ax clashed against one, while the other two went at my body.
Puch!
They crashed through my defensive skills. One clashed against my armor, cracking it, while the other pierced through my stomach.
It didn''t go inside completely in but is deeper than I like. I desperately hope that it didn''t injure my internals.
That would be terrible.
I wanted to remove it and drink the potion, but I didn''t.
I moved toward the necromancer. I never stopped, I moved even with spikes coming, despite knowing giving the opposite force to spikes would harm me.
Finally, I appeared in front of the necromancer. She was waiting for me, with her most powerful spell.
"Die, orc!" she shouted, and the crystal on her staff shone brightly.
She hadn''t finished her shout when I felt the ghostly hands around me. They felt cold and made all the hair on my body rise up.
It''s so different from the woman who had frozen me.
I felt the dark frost covering me, slowing my movement, while the necromancer retreated.
''I can''t let her get away!''
I know, if she got away, this time, I won''t be able to chase her again. Instead, she will attack me, from the distance and kill me.
I cannot deal with a mage while fighting the warrior, who had once again reached me.
"Ahhh!"
I roared and leaped forward, harnessing every ounce of strength I had from my body and my skills.
Avoiding the saber of the warrior, which was less than an inch away from my neck.
The leap took me to the necromancer, and I swung my ax at her.
This time, I didn''t make the mistake of stopping attacking. She is no warrior, but a mage who should be killed without wasting even a fraction of a seconds.
The rhythm roared in my heart, like it had never before outside of the forest, while the necromancer watched in horror.
She might be scared, but she showed her experience in reacting quickly. She cast one defensive method after another around her and the bone wall between.
Bam!
My ax crushed through the bone wall and went for the other defensive spells behind.
The enchantments on the ax burned with their full power as they moved forward. Cutting through one defensive spell after another before reaching her body.
I looked at her terrified eyes, which were more scared than any monster, I had seen as the blade of my ax touched her.
She understood she was going to die and was terrified of it. Which strikes me strange.
These are people who practice the death magic. They should be more understanding of it, instead of being terrified.
Maybe Kalsar''s is right; the better understanding of death makes them more terrified of it.
Pachack!
The next moment, the head flew up, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
"Bastard!"
I heard the curse from behind and turned to see the bald man attacking me.
I stepped forward toward him.
He instantly understood what I was trying to do and retreated, but it was already late.
He shouldn''t have come so close, but in a bid to save the necromancer, he had ended the road for himself.
Rip!
I dodged the saber, not fully. It cut through my arm, but not too deeply.
It is a price well paid, for the clear swing.
He moved to retreat while bringing his saber forward, but he was slow, while my ax was much faster.
Pachack!
My ax reached for his head and cut through it like butter.
I saw his head flying through the air but didn''t wait till it fell down. The undead begin to gather around me. I had to go back to my circle before the undead swarmed me.
I didn''t.
The first I did was to remove the spikes sticking into me and apply the potion to them before drinking it.
I hope, no internal organs are damaged. If it is, it will affect me heavily, which I don''t want, before the battle is over.
I threw away the potion bottle and sped toward the circle, toward my company.
Hun!
I moved, cutting through the undead, and nearly reached the circle, when the rhythm spiked with danger, like never in this battle.
It made all the hair on my body stand up.
I didn''t have to turn to my left to see, that I had been targeted by a powerhouse; someone of Lv. 30+.
I had been targeted by them in the last battle and barely came out alive through it.
Chapter 426: Powerful Enemy
Caena
"People are fighting outside with their lives on the line, while these people are enjoying themselves," said Caena, looking at the hall filled with people.
"You can''t blame them, Onaz. They are scared and want to forget what is happening outside." I replied
"Besides, it''s not like, they have not helped. They have helped, just by just staying in the city." I added and looked at the bustling floor of velvet blue.
Like all the floors, it is packed.
We have made several exceptions today. We had not only closed the legacy but also increased the seating, making it look like other legacies, which are always crowded.
Despite the increasing seating, it is not crowded like Vanis''s Tavern or Brock''s.
"You are right," she said and sighed.
We mingled around the hall. Talking to patrons, providing them with such a service, that they would forget the battle raging outside.
I am constantly receiving updates on the battle, and it is making me feel worried.
The things weren''t good; the undead had surrounded the army and began attacking them.
A minute ago, the powerhouses had come out and their numbers were greater than the intelligence had stated.
It''s all up to Valentina now.
I have woven a powerful spell to ward off their discovery, but they are against a lot of skills. They won''t be able to last more than an hour.
Those things are really dangerous.
When I saw that alchemical liquid in round glass containers with runes all over. I shuddered and took a step back in fear.
Valentina would need to bring them out carefully, but quickly. It will give us a big chance of victory.
I pushed those thoughts away when I saw Cath coming toward me.
"All the rooms are full. A lot of them are waiting for them," she said.
I could see that, too.
Usually, the rooms are around 65% filled at this time of the day and around 90% at night. There is always an empty room for those who want the private time.
Now it is 100% filled.
"Use the skill," I ordered.
The next moment, I felt her activating her skills. Its name is Cordial Clearing.
The power of these skills is enhanced in legacy. I also activated the charm, with a similar spell.
It''s the first time, we have been using this skill in months as there is always room, but now with a horde attacking the city, many of them let go of reservation and started acting on their desires.
It is not just the men, but also women.
They will now feel a subtle compulsion to leave the room after they are done. I feel bad for doing this, but it needs to be done.
I stayed on the floor for a few minutes before going to my office.
As the door closed, the office disappeared, and the core appeared in front of me. Harnessing a large amount of emotions at thrice the rate of our best day.
We will need these emotions, seeing how much we owe to the merchant state.
A few seconds later, I closed the core and sat down at my table.
As I did, a couple of things appeared on it, expensive things, including resources from three plants we had harvested from the legacy.
I am going to craft the charms.
If things went as Remus wanted. He will need the charms, a lot of them.
¡
Boom Boom Boom
The cannons boomed continuously, while the enemy''s powerhouses came out of the undead.
Their number repeatedly kept climbing in my head, till they reached above what we have.
We have a good number of powerhouses, both Lv. 30+, pre-Lv. 30, mid-Lv. 20, but the enemy seemed to have learned the lesson from the last battle and brought out more numbers.
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
They have come from not only Vris''alud but also from the Panar.
They have not taken only the undead from Panar, but also a lot of its powerhouses. On whom, we had intelligence, and it''s a good thing; we had passed to our powerhouses.
They now know their abilities and estimated strength, which will help them fight against them.
Still, it would be hard to win against such numbers, when they are being supported by half a million undead and loads of cannons.
Rip Rip Rip!
My saber moved against the undead. Killing several at every attack, but they are everywhere.
No matter how much, I had killed; there would be more of them. I would need to kill them without stopping or they would swallow me.
Every person fighting in the front is facing the tides of zombies, while the thorns are fighting the enemy powerhouses.
We will not be able to last for a long time in front of the unending tide of the undead.
They will tire us out before finishing us off.
Hun!
A few seconds passed when I received the news of the first casualty.
The officer died, a Captain.
He was at Lv. 28 and joined the army three months ago. Now, he is dead, killed by the enemy.
Unfortunately, he won''t be the last to die in this battle.
It is why, we need to act fast with our plan, but how fast we could act depends on only one person.
Valentina.
She has the most important job. If she succeeded, we would get a huge leg up against the undead.
I had spent a fortune to get those things.
Two hundred and forty bottles of essences. I could have been able to buy a lot of things.
Thousands of enchanted weapons and their servicing. Cannons and its ammunitions, and other things, but I have used those to buy four unstable things.
I needed to because if it succeeded. It will not only help me win this battle but also send a message to the undead.
They would be really careful about attacking my city next time.
I pushed the thoughts and focused on the undead around me. That my rapier is cutting through.
It didn''t matter if it was a common undead or an uncommon one. It would be slain by my blade as it tore through it.
I didn''t use the skills or even the power of enchantment. Using those against the undead would be a waste.
Clang!
I was slow to dodge the attack and the sword of the skeleton hit me on my back.
My armor had protected me from it.
Despite all my strength, a common skeleton was able to hit me.
This is the advantage of the numbers. If there are enough of them, then even the powerful would lose their life.
I received news of another death; an LV. 25 officer. I am just receiving the news about the officers, not the soldiers, who are dying in much higher numbers.
It is happening faster than I had liked.
Our people are fighting hard. From warriors to mages, who had time to learn the new spells.
They are now using the enemies who are veterans of many battles. It''s difficult to fight them, given the experience they have.
Even Stone seemed pressed hard against the enemy.
Necromancer Methum is just as good a fighter as he is a commander. He has the support of Wayne and Xander, who are strong and experienced.
Hun!
A few more seconds passed when I saw the undead parting and a grey-skinned half-orc come out of them.
He is tall and buffed, wearing blue armor, and has a black enchanted ax in his hand.
Zagash Soribak
I know him, had all the information about him. Including his level. He was stationed in Panar for the past few months and loves to hunt people, that try to escape the city.
He is a pre-Lv. 30. Likely Lv. 28-29.
He is coming toward me, and I will have to fight it. There is no one else, everyone is busy.
He will be the strongest opponent, I will fight.
By level, we are similar, if I count my main class. Even with the Lord Class, I am close, but my attribute points are more inclined toward mental rather than physical.
If I had strength at twenty, rather than the charm.
I would have been far more confident, in fighting it and even defeating it. Currently, I am not, but I will fight, and had been training for it.
I have trained nearly every day in the past six months. I believe I have made good enough improvements to fight against the enemies like this.
At least survive against someone like him.
I have gained excellent control over my strength and skills. I will use everything; I have on him. There is no other choice but that.
Soon, there were less than five meters of distance between us, when a faint change appeared on his face.
At the same time, it appeared on mine and became bigger.
''Well done!'' I said.
It is about Orok. He had killed a necromancer and the warrior, he was fighting. I am not one bit surprised about the warrior.
In the last battle, he had fought against the Lv. 30 and survived despite being at mid-Lv. 20.
He had killed a mage. A necromancer, which is notoriously hard to kill, especially when they are part of the horde, but he did while being a mid-Lv. 20,
A feat even powerhouses of Lv. 30 struggle to do, given how slippery these bastards are.
He should be proud of himself.
He has two inheritance skills, but they are not the sole reason for it.
Stone had called him the most experienced person in the army, despite being only twenty-two of age.
More than him, Cardin, and others, as they didn''t fight for survival nearly every day like he did.
It is why, despite having an average talent. He could defeat anyone on the same level and even above it.
I have seen him fight and I don''t think I am his match, even when he does not use his inheritance skill.
I pushed his thoughts away and focused on the enemy, who had entered the attacking range.
I didn''t waste any time and activated Focus from the copied skill. It is still the best skill from the girls I could use in the battle.
There is one other skill, that I wanted to use. It is an amazing skill but after much thinking.
I decided to stick with Focus for this battle.
"You are outmatched, and there is no one to help you. It will be a lot less painful if you surrender," he said with his words infused with the skill.
It is mental skill, that amplified the suggestion. I could see myself outmatched against him and no one coming to help as he carved my body bloody.
It is quite a rare skill. Very helpful in cracking the willpower of the enemy.
"No, thanks," I replied with a grin.
He shouldn''t use mental skills on me. My main class and the lord class give me good mental resistance, not to mention my high mental stats.
There is also a charm from Caena, which protects me from such skills.
"Then be ready for my ax, as it is going to carve your body bloody in a minute," he said. Putting a vivid picture in my mind, through his suggestion skill.
It is also quite a good distracting skill.
A few girls have a skill like that, but they are not suited for the battle. There is heavy resistance from them when used in combat settings.
"I am and I hope, you are capable of doing, what you say," I replied.
The half-orc didn''t reply with words. He grinned, before leaping at me in attack.
Chapter 427: Waiting
Methum
Clang Clang Clang
The elder blood cut through acid balls, before defending against the attacks of zombie warriors.
He is good.
Fast as well as strong with good experience in dealing with the undead.
"You have lost the battle; you should just give up. I promise; I will spare you and a few of your men," I offered before attacking him with Zorrin''s Lightning.
He moved his halberd swiftly and cut through the lighting without any effort.
I had killed many Lv. 30+ with this spell, but he had effortlessly neutralized the spell.
The artifact, even if it is broken, is a powerful weapon.
I don''t know what that bastard Bartram was thinking. He should have sent the artifact back to the island the moment he found it.
It should be in the hands of people who could use them.
"Why should I? When we are going to win this battle," the big man replied and tried to come at me, but the zombie warriors stopped him, and I attacked him right after.
"You have quite a confidence," I said, attacking him with another spell.
He didn''t reply to that, instead grinned.
I am aware that he isn''t using everything. There are powerhouses hidden in the circle.
There is also a powerful ammunition they have not used yet.
They may even have one or more surprises, which are to be expected, and I am fully prepared to deal with them.
There is a powerhouse inside that is ready to fight against the powerhouses of the enemies and powerful ammunition, they might throw at us.
I even have people with powerful danger-sensing skills. I am also casting scrying spells every few minutes.
I have all the advantages, but I am being careful. Only, a fool becomes careless in the battle.
If there is a danger, I will know and will deal with it. I have enough forces, to deal with anything they could bring out. Even if it is another army.
I have orders to conquer the city and I will do it.
Clang Clang Clang!
He broke through my Bone Lances and leaped toward me. I cast Dark Frost Shields and Haste on myself.
When he finished with the bone walls. The distance between us went back to the same.
I have the confidence to defeat the elder blood, but that doesn''t mean, I will take the risks.
I know how powerful these bastards are, especially the one, I am fighting. He is holding an artifact; that would tear through my defenses if I gave him the chance.
Once dead. It might be truly over me.
Aside from conquering the city and taking control of the legacy. There is another mission, I have received.
It is to find out, how they are stopping the soul from returning to the island.
First, it was Lich Savais and then Necromancer Arza in the second battle. Lich Savais'' soul should have returned to its phylactery.
It didn''t.
The same happened with Necromancer Arza.
She had prepared to turn into a Lich after death. Her soul should have returned to the island and prepared to go through the ceremony, but it didn''t.
She had truly passed away.
It scares me because I too had made a preparation. If I die, I want to turn into a lich.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I have a body ready and everything. It cost me a fortune, along with other resources, but it will give me a greater chance of success in the ceremony.
That was why, I was so hesitant to come here, but since I had received the orders, I had to follow them.
Hun!
I felt the danger sense and saw him sending the arc of bronze energy at me.
I immediately cast the Bone Shield and Dark Frost Sheild, before casting Zorrin''s Lightning to stop him from taking advantage to close the distance between us.
The energy arc is as powerful as the spell and more damaging. Elder power is hard to deal with, once stuck to you.
It''s better to not let it.
He stopped the Lightning as my shield stopped his arc. I didn''t waste any time and sent Calidris Pulse and Bone Spikes
The elder blood moved and defended against Calidris Pulse, before Dodging Bone Spikes coming out of the ground, when I had hit him with another Calidris Pulse.
Which he defended with his halberd before dodging the attacks of my zombie warriors.
It''s frustrating to see him defending against all my spells. They are not even reaching his body; he is stopping them at his halberd.
I looked at Wayne and Xander, both of them are busy.
Both of them are stronger than the energies they are fighting, but Paladin and Warrior are capable enough to keep them busy.
I thought about bringing other powerhouses to help me.
Yes, I have not brought out every powerhouse. There are more, that are hiding. Like how they are hiding their own powerhouses.
I don''t like to fight without support, but I will take the risk.
The elder blood is dangerous, but I am quite capable as well. There are many spells, I haven''t used yet, powerful spells.
I won''t use them till it is time.
It would be great if I didn''t have to and if I need to sacrifice thousands of undead to keep them hidden, I will not hesitate to do that.
The spells, the more hidden they are, the greater the effect they will bring.
The enemy will not be aware of them. One could use them, at the right time to surprise the enemy and finish them.
Over 90% of my spells are known; I am sure, the merchant bastards would have informed them about the spells.
There are still some, I haven''t revealed.
Hun!
A minute passed, and I felt another of my officers dying. The fifth one.
Till now, four had died on each side, but now, we had taken the lead. It was so different at the beginning of the battle; we had killed their two within seconds.
I debated using my skill to enhance their strength but delayed it.
It''s not time; I will use them when they become desperate.
They will become desperate; it is inevitable with a horde covering them from all sides.
Currently, they are fighting with zeal, but as time passes. They will get tired, while our undead keep attacking them without feeling a shred of tiredness.
Instead, they will get stronger with every death on the battlefield.
The victory is mine; it is guaranteed.
The only thing I have to do is wait. I didn''t much care if my people weren''t able to kill the powerhouses.
This zeal will continue for an hour, two hours, three at most before they will begin to get tired. After that, I will pull back my powerhouses and let the undead swarm on them.
It is a tried and tested strategy, that worked almost every time.
¡
Stone
My halberd tore through the Dark Frost Shield, only to see two Zombies Warriors attacking me.
Clang Clang Clang!
I defended against their attacks when I sensed something and retreated fast.
Sharp bones spurted out of the ground, where I had been. If I had stayed there, even a moment longer, they would have torn me apart.
I had barely stopped when I saw the Zorrin''s Lightning in front of me and moved my halberd forward to defend against the attack.
The necromancer is the most powerful opponent, I had ever fought.
Also, the most experienced one.
He is barely giving me a chance to attack. Attacking me every second, with perfect timing.
Stopping me before, I could even take a step toward him, and when I managed to close some of the distance, the spells would intensify.
I would stop, while he would widen the distance between us once again.
It is not even his full strength. He is not using, his most powerful spells.
I had read about them in the intelligence, the merchants had sent us. It''s clear, that he is hiding his strength. If I had been in his place, I would have done the same.
I am doing the same.
My strength is only 10% greater than when I had fought against Wayne, seven months ago.
Since then, I have improved by over 10%.
While others are fighting with their full strength, we are not. We are saving it for the time.
Waiting,
He is waiting till the army gets tired, before swarming us with the undead. It might look like, we are being swarmed by the undead now, but we are not actually.
When the undead swarm. It''s really hard to stop them.
Currently, he is maintaining the pressure.
It is more mental than a marshal. He wants to make it seem like the horde is unending. No matter how many, we kill; it wouldn''t affect the horde.
It works.
I have seen the armies losing their morale. Throwing their weapons and running away. Even if one doesn''t run, morals affect energy, which affects the battle.
It is a classic strategy of undead, that rarely disappoints.
Though he isn''t the only one waiting. I am waiting too.
Waiting for Valentina.
There is a massive responsibility lying on her shoulders.
If it had been anyone else, I wouldn''t have even thought about it. I only agreed because it''s her.
The woman has amazing control over her spells, and that is what it requires.
She has a finesse even greater than Zela and that woman is obsessed with it.
The job requires a great finesse; a slight mistake and they will explode underground. Harming us more, than us undead. It might result in our defeat if that happens.
It''s not my plan to use those things, but it''s me, who had mentioned those things to Lord Silver when we were brainstorming.
Though, I can''t fault his reasoning behind using it. If it worked, it would save a lot of lives and increase the chances of our victory by far.
I have seen those things once used successfully on the island and could never forget the destruction they had caused.
I also didn''t forget, the damage it did to our forces. I was barely able to survive in there.
So, I really hope; nothing goes wrong with it.
Chapter 428: Succeeded
The half-orc came at me fast and swung his, lighting with enchantments.
I could feel the skills behind the attack and knew it would be powerful.
His information says he is a classic strength fighter. Quite good at dealing with someone like me, who uses the speed and the light weapon.
Hun!
I moved to dodge the attack but felt the resistance.
My eyes widened in surprise.
I didn''t think, the bastard, have such skill. They are rare; it is hard to get them even after reaching Lv. 30.
They are called battle law skills or battle restrictions skills or simply restrictions skills.
He had used a skill like ''No Retreat'' on me.
I could resist the skill, but not enough. It will slow me down, allowing him to strike at me.
That would be bad.
So, I did the opposite and swung my sword forward toward the enemy with Blade Of Gale.
The grin on his face widened, seeing that.
He has me, with such a distance, I can not even avoid his ax. I need to clash against it and braced for the powerful impact.
Clang!
I activated the Quick Parry, the moment our weapons clashed and to my surprise, parried his ax.
He seemed to be surprised too, but reacted quickly by retreating, before moving his ax in front of him to defend.
Clang!
He stopped my attack, before attacking me. His attack is faster and stronger than the last time.
There is also heaviness in it, that I didn''t sense before.
I countered, using the Blade of Gale.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed, and I felt the power of his attack. He had used that made his attack heavy.
I didn''t let the heaviness come at me. It would break my bones, instead used the Quick Parry like earlier to redirect the force.
He tried to stop but failed, and I moved toward him. Like the last time.
He reacted quickly and defended against the attack.
"The information had underestimated you," he said after a moment of silence.
"It always does," I replied.
It does, but this time it didn''t. It is kind of accurate; I estimated my strength at the same level as they had said, but now, I am thinking, I might be a little wrong.
"Still, you are weak, and I am going to make you realize it," he said and attacked again.
Hun!
I was hit by the mental skill. Not the one he used last time, but a different one.
Scatterthought or similar, that scatters the thoughts. Distract one from what they were focusing on.
I wanted to laugh.
This is the skill; he shouldn''t have used on me. Forget the high mental stats I have. I am using a skill that is the antithesis of what he had used on me.
Focus.
It neutralized the effects of the skill he had used on him.
Clang!
I parried his attack, before going at him, but he was much better prepared and defended quickly before attacking.
He changed his tactics and came from the left.
I didn''t move, I just turned and defended against his attack with my rapier.
Snort!
He snorted and attacked again, with his ax being much faster than before.
I used more power of Blade of Gale and defended against it.
Clang Clang Clang!
Our weapons clashed hard and fast. He attacked me from every angle and side with increasing power, but I defended against his attacks without a retreat.
When I first saw his attack, my instinct was to retreat, but here I was fighting without a moving.
At most, I am turning to defend against him.
I am surprised and even shocked, seeing how I am fighting against him.
Forget the injuries. His ax wasn''t able to enter my inner range. It was stopped by my rapier every time.
It frustrated him and made him angry before questions rose in his eyes.
"How are you doing this?" he asked, finally. "Skill," I replied, before defending against his attack.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
It is the truth, but not the whole truth. The whole truth had surprised, even me, even when I had realized it.
It is training.
I have trained nearly every day with opponents much stronger than me. It wasn''t just sparring, but training. I had trained to harness the true power of the skills.
Used them against a different type of people I had fought. Humans, orcs, half-orcs, and even elves.
All of whom I had spared were Lv. 30, and they showed no mercy. Pressed me till I couldn''t even get up by the end of the spar and it had helped me.
Polished my skills and combat style to forge what it is today.
This man is strong, but every opponent I had sparred been stronger than him, on both levels, skills, and technique.
I had only fought them in the past month. Now, I am fighting against the enemy, which is considerably weaker than them.
Our weapons kept clashing as he continued with the barrage of attacks, with different skills and techniques.
I only focused on defense, while I read him. Find his limitation.
Now, I don''t just want to survive; I want to win, and I can win, but I need to be patient. As there is a huge difference between being able to defend and attack.
"You should give up; you won''t be able to last for long," he said, using his mental skill.
This time, he didn''t hold back. He hit me hard, with pictures of me tired and bloody appearing in front of my eyes.
"Thank you for the suggestion, but I will fight," I replied.
He gritted his teeth in anger, before appearing to the right suddenly and attacking.
Hun!
His ax turned shiny, before suddenly speeding up and its edge is also becoming sharper. If I am not wrong, he used some sort of weapon skill.
It might be even an ax skill. Whatever it is, I can not underestimate it.
So, I reacted immediately and moved my rapier more defensively. I did it quite fast, almost immediately, as the change had appeared on his ax.
It is all thanks to the Fast Reflexes.
It is my best skill, and I am not saying it lightly. It lets me react at thought speed.
If it were not for it, I wouldn''t have been able to fight against the enemy as I am right now. I would have been bloody and tired, as his skill is suggesting.
It is a really powerful skill, and it became more powerful with the support of the Gymnasts Grace and Gymnasts Control.
They let me move my body in every angle and side fluidly.
It was really worth focusing on these skills. I am now getting a massive return out of it.
Clang!
My sword clashed before I parried.
It was hard this time, and I felt the pressure on my hand. The weapon skill, he is not only making his attacks powerful but also helping to resist a parrying attempt.
I didn''t go for him as I parried and instead moved my sword defensively to defend against another attack.
Minutes passed, and he kept attacking, while I defended patiently.
It''s not like, I didn''t want to attack. I do, but I know, I have to read the opponent well. See what he has before making my move.
He is showing me everything he has, using mental, physical, weapons, and other skills.
He has really good skills. No wonder, they had sent him for him. I would really like some of his skills, especially the distracting one.
While we are fighting, others are fighting too. More intensely than us.
A lot of people are dying. Soldiers and officers. Even Lv. 30s aren''t spared.
''It''s time,'' I said finally.
It has been over twenty minutes since I have been fighting against him. Studying his skills and techniques, along with his limitations.
It''s time, to use what I have learned and finish this battle.
Clang!
I defended against his attack as I usually do, but this time, I didn''t move the rapier back to defend against another of his attacks, instead I stepped forward.
I used the Blitz Steps.
I moved left, to avoid his ax, but he isn''t weakling. Despite his surprise, he acted fast.
Rip!
I wasn''t able to avoid, his attack, and his ax cut through my arm. It had expertly avoided the guard and moved to cleave, my whole arm off.
Unfortunately, his ax was fast, but not fast enough.
I was able to move quickly enough, that I had received a deep cut and burning pain from his pain skill.
As I avoided his ax, I had launched my own attack. I didn''t hold back and moved my rapier with the full power of the Blade of Gale.
Rip!
My rapier tore through his chest to stomach.
The cut was long, but not deep, and critical parts were protected by the armor.
He opened his mouth to speak, but I didn''t give him a chance. I moved to his right with the Blitz Steps and attacked him again.
Clang!
He defended with his ax, but I parried, going after him. He avoided my sword, by inches.
"Die you bastard!" he screamed and attacked back, with all his fury.
I grinned and swung my sword in repones.
Clang!
I stopped his ax and parried it despite his efforts, before moving to attack.
Rip Rip
He responded immediately, and his ax cut through my stomach, while my rapier gave him a cut across his army.
The battle became bloodier after that as we started trading injuries to finish off each other.
Injuries begin to appear in every part of us. Arms, legs, chest, back, except for head every part of us had become bloody, but it didn''t stop us.
It made the battle even more intense.
"I have to say, you are quite strong, but you will lose this battle. As you can see my injuries are healing, but yours aren''t," he said and attacked.
He is right about that. His injuries are healing, mine are not.
Healing skills are really rare; in my army of over fifty thousand, only two people have healing skills.
"We will see about that," I replied as I defended against his attack and moved at him, getting a cut on my chest, while giving another cut on his clavicle.
He attacked again, going for my chest, with enchantment blazing.
I swung my sword to counter.
There is nothing special about it. It looked like, hundreds I had tried before, but the enemy was alert as always, to defend against my tricks.
There were no tricks this time, till our weapons were inches away from each other.
When I activated, my second offensive skill.
Clang!
Our swords clashed, as always, but this time, his eyes widened in a big surprise.
I used Mauling Strike, which I have been saving, till now.
I have a few offensive skills. Three to be exact, four if I count the Sharpness. Of the three, Consecutive Strike is nearly useless; that leaves Blade of Gale and Mauling Strike.
I wanted to use it earlier, but I didn''t, because it was the only thing, that would give me a chance to kill the enemy.
The enemy was surprised, by Mauling Strike. It sent his ax away, further than he liked.
Seeing that, I smiled and blasted him with the full power of the Lord''s Presence and moved forward with every bit of power, I could harness from the Blitz Steps, before attacking him.
His eyes widened in alarm as he tried to retreat and bring his ax forward to defend, but he was slower.
The earlier attack had provided me with a precious fraction of seconds, and I was going to use them.
My rapier reached his chest, and its enchantments flared as it reached his chest.
There used to be a chest place, the enchanted one, but I had broken its straps, making it hang around his stomach.
Puch!
He looked at me in horror as my rapier touched his chest, before piercing inside smoothly and tearing his heart apart.
"No!" he screamed, while I moved, dodging his ax.
Rip!
Though not completely. It had given quite a big cut across my back.
I stopped and looked at him, taking a step toward me, before stopping as the light in his eyes began to disappear.
Even skill can''t heal the torn heart.
Pachack!
Seeing that, I felt relieved, but the next moment. I decapitated the body; I didn''t want him to rise as the undead in the battle.
As I did with it. I quickly took out the healing potions and spread them across my injuries before dealing with one.
Hun!
I had just finished dealing with injuries and was about to move toward the undead when I felt all the hair rise across my body.
I quickly turned and saw three Magic Bolts coming toward me.
Rip Rip Rip!
I reacted immediately and swung my rapier toward them, cutting three of them.
It immediately broke their structure and turned them into energy.
The mages. I don''t like them. I had trained against them, but I rather not fight against them.
Thankfully, the mage who attacked me was already fighting against our mage and used a moment of distraction to attack me.
I looked at him, before moving toward the undead, when I nearly stopped.
There is a message from Valentina. Message I have been waiting desperately for.
It had the words I wanted to hear.
She had succeeded.
Chapter 429: Alchfire
Valentina
''They are in the place,'' I informed, Remus and Stone.
It was an immense struggle, but I managed to do it. I had brought them to the place.
The places weren''t decided. It was up to me; I had to do it based on the position of the horde.
Now, all I need is the command to blast those things. Creating such destruction, that no mage or weapon on this battlefield is capable of creating or stopping.
''Ten seconds.'' came the voice a moment later.
¡
Stone
''Form sealed circle formation!'' I commanded.
Immediately, the change appeared in the army. The soldiers and powerhouses begin to move from the circle thorn formation to the sealed circle formation.
"What are you doing?" asked Methum immediately, noticing the change.
He isn''t the only one who has the question. Even Carr, Garzong, and others have them, seeing the sudden change.
In the entire city, only five people are aware of it. Lord Silver, Madam Caena, Miss Valentina, Cardin, and me.
We had intentionally, kept the information to limited people. If it had been leaked to the enemy, it would have all gone down to waste.
"You will know soon enough," I replied to Necromancer.
He looked at me for a moment, before his staff lit up.
I could see him casting spell after spell; I could also feel the investigative and danger-sensing skills activating throughout the battlefield.
I used this moment to move toward him, but the bastard reacted fast.
Attacking me with Bone Lances and Zorrin''s Lightning.
Unlike my forces, I am not retreating. It is just a precaution; those things aren''t stable. One can''t be completely sure, they will work as it had been intended.
Hun!
Five seconds passed, when I noticed the change in the undead. They moved to swarm us.
The Necromancer is smart.
He isn''t trusting only his skills and spells but also seems to trust his instinct as well.
Unfortunately, he took the wrong decision.
Sealed circle formation is good at holding the swarm. They would be easily able to hold it for more than a minute, rather than the five seconds we need.
It will work in our favor, given the position those things are in.
Most importantly, he had just made his undead denser. They were sparse before, but now they are jammed-packed to swarm toward us.
Necromancer looked at my expressions, and a hesitant frown appeared on his face.
"Whatever you had planned would not work, Elder-Blood." He said, and I said nothing.
"I have half a million undead, without any powerhouse. I will be able to defeat your army and conquer the city," he added a moment later, but once again, I said nothing.
There is no need for me to say anything. He will know about it soon.
Two seconds.
¡
Pachak Khat Pachak!
A huge tight circle formed. I am one of the people in the first line, fighting against the assault of a massive number of undead, which are trying to swarm us.
This is the best outcome we hope to have.
Tighter undead will cause greater destruction while providing us with protection.
''One second,''
I heard in my mind and prepared myself.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I am scared. It is wise to be scared, seeing how those things go wrong.
I wouldn''t have used them. If I wasn''t desperate.
The condition of the city had improved massively since the last battle, but not enough to make the undead hesitate to attack.
If I didn''t do something drastic, then even if we had defeated them, they would come again and again with bigger forces.
Eventually, they will defeat us.
What I am planning won''t stop them, but it will make them question. It will make them hesitate, and most importantly, it will send a message.
Not only to the undead but also to others, bring the name of the city to the lips of others.
This will only first part of a two-part plan. If it works, then I will execute the second one, which will have an even greater risk.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the undead in front of me.
I will think about the second part, after dealing with the undead.
Till then, I have to focus on the battle.
''Blast!'' said Stone, and I expected blasted to occur, but it didn''t.
Second passed, and there was nothing.
My heart skipped the beat. It wouldn''t be the first time they wouldn''t be working.
Sometimes, they don''t produce a reaction as one is expecting and simply turn to water or get vaporized.
BOOM BOOM BOOM
I was about to ask Valentina for clarification when I heard a sound like heaven breaking, and everything turned green.
¡
Methum
I heard the massive explosions and saw the green fire covering us from all directions.
I felt the undead vaporizing under the might of alchemical fire and also my powerhouses, that I had been hiding, behind.
A few were able to summon the shields on time and even fewer were able to bear the might of the alchemical fire.
It had covered the horde behind me. Hundreds of thousands of them, burning them into the ashes.
I had expected many things, but not this.
We should have sensed it. There were tens of people with investigative skills, Dangersense, and my own scrying spells, but I had got nothing.
Everything was black, without even the smallest hint.
I had been in two battles, where these things had been used, and I felt my Dangersense blaring madly as these things entered my range.
Here, there was nothing.
I was looking at the fire burning everything in its path, when I felt my Dangersense blaring, with all the hair on my body standing up.
I looked ahead and saw the elder blood covered densely in bronze energy, coming at me.
The bronze energy covering is much denser than, I had seen in the battle.
It is not for the show, the blaring of Dangersense is enough for me to understand, that this elder blood could really kill me.
He would kill me if I didn''t kill him first. I will kill him.
My heart was raging madly at what they had done.
Now, there will be no mercy, only death. I will not stop, till I have killed every person belonging to the enemy and I will start with this elder blood.
¡
Cardin
"Emperor, save me!" cursed Hewett, seeing the green fire, covering the horde from all sides.
Burning the horde, turning them into the ashes.
Valentina did an amazing job; she had blasted it, near the middle of the horde from all four directions.
This way, the fire burned the undead from both left and right. Along with the hiding powerhouses, which were in the middle.
I have sensed many of them dying. Burning to death, very few were able to survive, mostly mages, and even they were in terrible shape.
"Isss this?" asked Major, stutteringly.
"Alchfire Orbs," answered High Mage Ravill, looking at destructions.
"I had seen them only once when I was young and use of them was so flawed, that we had suffered in it as much as the enemy did,"
"Here, the execution is textbook perfect," added the old man in a barely audible voice.
"It is perfect," I replied.
I had never seen them work. They were rarely used in the empire. They are expensive and unstable; empire rarely use such things.
Those who use it are the private armies of the rich nobles.
A few seconds passed, and the fire began to disappear rapidly. It didn''t even last for ten seconds. It had lasted for six seconds, half a second, more than what the alchemist had told us.
"My god!"
Gasped the soldiers around me as they looked at the destruction, it had brought. It is massive.
I looked at it before activating Casualty Estimator.
A moment later, the numbers appeared in front of me. They started from the thousand and began to climb rapidly, reaching ten thousand a second later.
Hundred thousand a few seconds after that and soon reached two hundred thousand.
Our most optimistic estimation was two hundred thousand, but we wanted to kill at least one hundred and fifty thousand people.
The numbers have reached two hundred thousand, and they are still climbing up.
It was only after reaching two hundred, and thirty thousand, did it slowed down a little, but still kept climbing till finally slowing down at two hundred, thirty-four thousand.
It is still climbing, but by tens, not by hundreds or thousands, like before.
I immediately informed Commander Stone of the numbers.
''Begin,'' replied Commander Stone, and I turned to Hewitt.
"Major, begin," I said, and the man recovered his shocked expression and grinned.
He had been waiting for this since the battle began.
"Only cannons, Major," I added.
"As you command, Colonel," he replied, and the commands began to come out of his mouth as well as the skills began to get activated.
Ammunition Accuracy.
I added my skill; the others did the same as the real powerful cannonballs began to enter the cannon.
Boom Boom Boom
"Shoot!" He commanded, and the cannons spewed out the fire, before releasing the cannonballs.
Tens of cannonballs shoot toward the energy, reaching them within a second.
The shields appeared above the undead, but their numbers were less than earlier. Many mages had died; the alchfire had burned them to ashes.
Bang Bang Bang
They begin to land on the shields and the undead, before exploding in a powerful blast.
Seeing the destruction, a relief appeared on my face.
"It seemed like, the Lord hadn''t spared any money in the city''s defense," said High Mage Ravill as he too started to release the spells.
I nodded at that.
He really didn''t spare any expenses. Buying the weapons and ammunition without caring for the cost.
We haven''t even paid 20% of the cost of these things we are using.
"Shoot!" commanded Major Hewitt, and another volley of cannonballs flew toward the undead, who had begun to swarm our forces.
Though unlike before, I feel no fear for our forces.
The alchfire had wiped out half of their numbers, along with many of their powerhouses.
Now it is up to the army and us to wipe the other half.
If the enemy had any brain, they should have sounded the retreat. It is good for us, because now we can wipe them out.
We will wipe them out. We need to wipe them out to send the message.
Chapter 430: Terror and Relief
Methum
''Commander, we had lost a lot of our forces and powerhouses. We need to retreat!''
Wayne''s voice rang out in my head.
He is right; we have to retreat. The enemy had wiped out, half of the horde with alchfire and took a lot out of our powerhouses.
If that wasn''t bad enough, their powerhouses hiding in the circle had come out and they had also started blasting us with powerful ammunition.
It is not a wise decision to stay here, especially given the record, of the past, two, battles, but I don''t want to retreat just yet.
I don''t want to retreat at all.
The alchfire had given us a big setback, not a defeat.
All I have to do is kill the commander and capture the lord. If I kill the elder blood; I won''t have a problem catching the lord and victory will be mine.
''We will in five minutes,'' I replied and turned to the elder blood, who once again crossed more than half of the distance between me and him.
It had become really hard to stop him since he had revealed his strength a few seconds ago.
''It seemed like, I need to stop holding back myself,'' I thought, and my staff lit up.
Doom Bolt
The spells shot out of my staff; it was a bolt of dark lightning. A single bolt.
It looked similar to Dark Bolt but contained three times more power than the Zorinns''s Lightning.
The elder-blood felt the power as well and realized the threat from it.
The bronze energy burst out of his body and concentrated on the blade of his halberd, which he brought toward the bolt for a direct clash.
Bang!
The explosion rang out, but a moment later, the elder blood burst out of the mist, bronze and black.
''Good,'' I grinned in my heart.
The next moment, the bone lances materialized around him. The twenty-four lancer covered him from all directions, leaving him no space to dodge.
These are no common lances, that I used before. No, it''s a completely different spell.
The lances are longer and denser, and most importantly, they have tips burning in necrotic fire.
The spell called Farizan''s Lances; is a very powerful spell, hard to learn. I have used it for only two people and both of them died by it.
"Die!" I said, and the lances moved toward the elder-blood.
These lances are very powerful. They can tear through the shields of mages.
He will stop them, but how many? Two, three, four, six at most, but there will be eighteen more that will go at him.
Sup Sup Sup
The lances moved toward the elder blood from all directions. I could see the fear of appearing in his eyes.
The two of his allies, fighting not far away, tried to come to rescue him but were stopped by Xander and Wayne.
There is nothing, that will stop him from getting killed.
The only thing that could be is the artifact. I have heard that Bartram had used its defensive ability to protect him and powerhouses when the legacy had exploded.
However, it is said that even he was surprised when it was activated.
It is a broken artifact; it would be hard for him to activate, the defensive method.
The lances reached him, and he didn''t make any move. He didn''t leap or anything that would have been useless. The spell is maneuverable; it would target him, no matter where he moves.
They moved closer when I saw his lips curled up in a smile.
The bronze energy around him rumbled and moved around him. Forming semi-transparent walls of bronze energy around him, including the top.
My eyes couldn''t help but widen seeing that.
It is definitely a skill, not from a great sky, but from lineage. They called him methods.
According to the intelligence we had. The elder blood only knew one method; the energy arc, but now he had revealed another one.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
It is more complex than the arc attack. He shouldn''t have been able to learn that.
The newly awakened elder-bloods take at least a year to learn their first method.
He had two in less than a year.
I had expected to see it as had learned method in a month''s awakening, but I didn''t expect it would be a defensive method; they far are more complex.
Bang Bang Bang!
The lances crashed against the wall and blasted into pieces, one after another.
The last lance crashed against it, but it was able to break through it. Though they had weakened it considerably; it didn''t matter.
It would have mattered. If they had broken it.
The shield disappeared, and it came toward me, with an even greater momentum.
My zombies moved to stop him while I cast Bone Coil, to stop him and Haste on myself.
The bronze energy covering him repelled the coil away, and he dodged the attack of another of my zombies, before coming toward me.
The swarm of undead, I am sending toward him barely affects him.
Xalyn''s Nails.
I activated another powerful spell, the soul type. Far from more powerful than the basic Soul Nails and Soul Spikes.
They hit him, and he stopped momentarily with pain flashing in his face briefly before he resumed moving again toward me.
''Wayne, Xander to me!'' I commanded and attacked him with another Farizan''s Lances.
The spell is powerful, but it also takes a lot of manas. It is why, immediately, I cast Mana Harness and took the mana from the undead around me.
The necromancer is a powerful mage archetype, but it becomes more powerful when there is an undead to support us.
The undead we could control, explode, and harness the energy from when we needed it.
There is nothing that could be compared to a great class.
Bang Bang Bang!
The defensive method materialized like the last time, and my lances crashed against it.
This time, too, they were unable to break through his defensive method.
Thankfully, it had given me enough time, to create a distance between us.
Hun!
I had just thought that when I saw him leaping toward me. He had never done that before, seeing it make one vulnerable in the air.
Now, he had taken the risk. Giving me the big opportunity to finish him off, and I have perfect spells to do the job.
I prepared the spells, but waited for a moment, for him to reach the sufficient height before casting Xalyn''s Nails on him.
Immediately, the pain flashed in his and he became disoriented when I cast the second spell.
Dark Chains.
The chains of dark energy materialized and began to wrap around him.
As they did, I cast my third spell.
Zorrin''s Cage.
It''s the strongest containment spell in its class. Anyone who had entered inside it had never come out alive.
A thorny bone cage, with thorns covered in dark fire, appeared around the elder blood and covered him fully, while he watched in alarm.
There was resistance, but the cage had crushed through it.
I felt a little tired after casting three powerful spells, one after another.
It had taken quite a lot of my mana and immediately harnessed it from the undead. Like mana potions, it too had restrictions.
There is a limit to mana, I could harness, but it is more than a mana potion.
There will be no retreat.
I will kill these bastards as I promised. Aside from the lord, everyone will turn to the undead. They need to understand, the consequences of their actions.
There is no resistance in front of Vris''alud. Only death.
Bang!
My sweet thoughts were interrupted by the explosion.
The elder blood came out, and broke the coffin, with pieces of bones flying everywhere.
I looked at him and saw him bloody, with blood and bronze ting around it.
"It''s time for you to die, necromancer!" he roared and came at me while swinging his halberd releasing bronze arc after arc without stopping.
He had not done this before. He would, at most launch, in a single arc, before stopping.
Now, tens of them coming toward me.
Bone Walls. Dark Frost Shields.
I cast the Bone Walls and Dark Frost Shields one after another while casting Haste on myself and moved away.
I am too close to the bastard. I should have moved when the coffin enveloped him, but I was too confident.
Bang Bang Bang!
The shields begin to blast apart, one after another. I cast more of them while launching the Bone Lances and Dark Bolts.
The bastard is like a charging beast; it is coming at me. Dispite the Haste, the distance between them is, shrinking, instead of increasing.
''Bastards! Where are you?'' I asked Xander and Wayne.
I had asked them for help, but there was no sign of them. I would have asked others, but all of them are occupied by the enemies.
It wouldn''t have been the case. If those bastards, hadn''t burned powerhouse to death.
''I am trying commander, but this bastard orc isn''t letting me leave!'' came the reply from the Xander.
''Same here, Commander. The Paladin and Mage, are keeping me occupied,'' added Wayne.
"Useless bastards," I cursed and cast Bone Spikes through the ground, but the bastard crushed through them.
Bang!
Seconds passed, when I heard the loud bang from the Bone Wall in front of me and elder-blood appeared in front of me like a phantom.
"Shit!" I cursed and cast Xalyns Nails. It brought him pain and made blood leak out of his orifices.
It didn''t make him stumble or unconscious, as I wanted it to happen.
"Die!" he screamed and swung his halberd at me.
Fear rose in my heart before my eyes hardened and I casted my most powerful spell.
Spectral Scythe.
I did, and a huge scythe materialized in front of me. It is spectral, but one could feel a dark cold radiating from it. It is cold enough, to freeze any normal person.
It is also massive that it even dwarfed the elder blood, who is the biggest person here.
"Ahhhhh!"
The elder blood didn''t retreat as I expected, instead screamed loudly and poured more power into the halberd, making it stronger and faster.
Seeing it, I felt scared for a moment, before controlling myself.
I didn''t call it my strongest spell for nothing. It is really powerful, that casting it nearly drained me.
I don''t use the spell unless my life is in danger.
Clang!
The scythe clashed against the halberd. Stopping it, seeing that I felt relieved, but the very next moment, the relief disappeared from my eyes and transformed into terror.
Rip!
The halberd begins to rip through the scythe, begin cutting through it, before coming out the other side.
To my horror, the elder blood didn''t stop. He moved toward me with his halberd.
He wanted to kill me and wouldn''t stop till he made that happen.
I cast the Dark Frost Armor with all the mana I had and retreated, but I could see the halberd coming at me even faster.
¡
Stone
Rip!
My halberd touched the Dark Frost Armor of the necromancer before cutting through it.
Unlike the scythe spell, it didn''t resist for even a fraction of a second and cut through it before reaching the body of the necromancer.
Pachac!
The flesh is cut like there is nothing. My halberd came out of the other side, dividing the necromancer into two.
Hun!
Relief flooded in my heart, but it only lasted for a fraction of a second, when I realized, I didn''t cut the body of the necromancer, but the undead.
"Substitution skill," I muttered and turned back to the presence, I am sensing behind me.
I saw the necromancer standing in a place, a zombie warrior had been. Looking at me with the eyes filled with terror and relief.
Chapter 431: Dead
"Damn!" I cursed.
These bastards have really rare skills. I am a substitute is one of the most desired skills out there.
It is like having a second life.
Not like. It is having a second life. It is the only reason; the necromancer saved himself.
After the alchfire, the undead had swarmed us, and we had let them. There was no resistance from us, as it was what we wanted.
Now, they are everywhere, and our people are fighting for them.
Not just the undead, but also their powerhouse.
There are no enemy powerhouses, that are not engaged. We have moved everyone to fight, even Valentina, who had joined Paladin Carr against Wayne.
The bastard is strong. Only Methum is stronger than him.
I killed the undead while looking at the necromancer, whose eyes focused on the Stone.
Our victory depends on the defeat of the necromancer. Until we have it, we will not stop.
"Retreat!"
Came out from the necromancer, surprising me.
''Bastard!'' I cursed. I didn''t want, the enemy to retreat. If we let them retreat; the same thing will happen again.
I don''t want that. I want to wipe them out.
If we let them retreat, we will fail with the message and plans after. We cannot let that happen; the undead need to die, every one of them.
¡
Stone
He shouted retreat and began to run.
I could see, his horde already started to adhere to his command.
''Stop the enemy''s retreat! Kill every undead!'' I ordered, and the reacted instantly.
Lord Silver wouldn''t like the enemy retreating.
He wants to wipe the horde and he might say, it is for the message. It is not, not all; there is a plan and for it, the horde needs to be wiped out.
I agree with him wholeheartedly.
I knew very well how important the city was for the undead. The trade route, the legacy; they want it and wouldn''t stop coming until they get it.
I once fought in the city of Hedin. Important city with Grade III, legacy.
The undead attacked it thirteen times. They failed twelve times from retreat to complete wipeout, but they kept coming, till they attained victory the thirteenth time.
The undead are like that.
The plan wouldn''t stop them, but it would create a small block in between.
Most importantly, it will break their aura of invisibility.
We are also fortunate, that we are not on the island, where there is a constant supply of undead. They need to cross the sea to come here.
If it had been an island. I would have advised, Lord Silver to just surrender.
The host of legacies are only people undead listen and give relative freedom. Though, Lord Silver, here passed that. If they get their hands on the city, they will make him pay.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on Methum, who was running away.
"Elder-blood, I am retreating. You do not have to go any further," told Methum as I followed after him.
"Surrender, necromancer and I will stop!" I replied and cut through the Bone Lances, he sent at me.
"Never!" he replied, eyes blazing with anger.
I didn''t say anything to that and pushed myself harder.
The necromancer is a powerful opponent. I had spent more than half of my energy on him.
Unlike him, I can''t charge fast.
I could see him, sucking energy from the undead around him. Though, the rate of it is less than half of what it had been; it seemed like, he too reaching the limit.
No wonder he is not attacking me with those powerful spells, anymore.
They were really dangerous; the coffin and the dark chains had nearly killed me.
''Leave him, go to necromancers,'' I ordered Carr and Valentina.
I want Wayne dead, but he is one tough bastard. The way, he is moving, even I might have a problem in stopping him from leaving.
It''s better to let him leave and focus on more important targets.
Necromancers.
I begin to order, other powerhouses, mostly spellcasters toward the necromancers. Killing them is most important, more than any warrior or the mages.
Bang Bang Bang
Cardin is supporting well with the wall in dealing with the horde.
Finally, there was less than five meters of distance between me and the necromancer, when the Bone Wall appeared in front of me.
Bang!
I brought my halberd and crushed through it. Only to see Dark Frost Wall behind.
I could have easily crushed them with the arc, but I am conserving the energy.
The necromancer is a powerful energy and I, rather conserve the energy and use it, when it uses those powerful spells.
He won''t be using many of them; the necromancer is also within its limits.
He isn''t using any draining spells on me.
Bang Bang Bang!
Stolen story; please report.
The shields appeared in front of me, one after another, and I crushed through them.
It was frustrating, that I wanted to finish them with the arc, but I had to conserve the energy. It''s not like, the necromancer is getting away.
The shields were only helping him maintain the distance; it was not increasing.
I shouldn''t complain. It is beneficial to me, considering the number of spells, he is using to stop me, while I am not using much of the energy.
The artifact, despite being broken, is quite powerful.
I do not need to provide it with much of the energy, to destroy the enemy''s attacks with it.
Boom!
A few seconds passed, and I kept chasing him when suddenly cannonball crashed not far away from us.
I covered myself with energy, while the necromancer activated the shields.
We didn''t suffer any damage, unlike the undead, who turned into pieces of bones and gore. These are no simple cannonballs; each one of them brings quite a destruction.
I looked around me and saw cannonballs flying everywhere, killing a large number of undead at every blow.
Even the mages had stopped defending against them unless it was coming to hit them. They are more focused on running away, seeing our powerhouses chasing them.
Bang Bang Bang!
I continued to chase the necromancer, crushing through any spells. He threw at me, till finally we moved out of the horde.
I could see many enemy powerhouses running away, nearly all of them being chased by us.
Many had already been killed, and some had surrendered.
Only one moved out of our range. Wayne, that bastard is smart. The moment, retreat rang out, he ran out with all his speed.
Unlike the necromancer, he didn''t have the support of undead or even skeletal stallions like many necromancers, but he had left them all behind.
It wouldn''t have affected things. If I had, Valentina and Carr chased him. It is better to let him escape and have them focus on other enemies.
Time passed, and there was now over a mile distance between us and the horde.
The horde, that is getting blasted, and undead killed. Our army is chasing it, killing the undead and doing better than earlier.
As of now, the necromancers are more focused on surviving, than controlling the undead collectively.
It is always like this. When the horde is strong, it is unbreakable, but once it is at a disadvantage, cracks begin to appear in it.
I had seen it hundreds of times.
Bang!
I crushed through another shield, but one more was waiting for me.
However, the shield is a little, further than usual, had been in the past few minutes.
The necromancer is slowing down his spells. He had become more careful, with them.
"Elder-blood, let me go or I will be forced to use the spells that I really don''t want to," he said angrily.
I have no doubt, he had a powerful spell, but I am not without means as well.
Bang!
"You are welcome to use them," I said and destroyed another shield and bore a soul spell that made me want to scream loudly.
Some time passed and there was only a meter distance between us.
Which he is desperately maintaining.
I didn''t push myself too hard. I let him expand his energies; the less it will have, the more advantage, I will gain.
A minute passed, when suddenly he turned, with a small bottle appearing in his hand.
"You have forced me now!" he said, taking the bottle to his mouth.
''Shit!'' I cursed and sped forward, with every bit of elder power bursting out of me.
It seemed like, I had made a mistake. I didn''t think, he would have a potion of emotion essence. I should have thought about it.
He is a High-Mage Necromancer, who had won them a lot of battles; it is obvious, that he would have it.
Now I have to finish him, or he will truly get away.
Bang Bang Bang!
I swing my halberd rapidly, releasing arcs of energy one after another, crushing every wall appearing in front of me.
He also didn''t hold back and released the Doom Bolts, which made me shudder all over.
My halberd crushed through them, but when I did, the necromancer with a big smirk waiting for me.
"Die!" he said, and tiredness appeared on his face.
That is the very moment. Three massive spectral scythes with the cold of the underworld appeared. Covering me from all sides, leaving me no way to escape.
The necromancer didn''t wait around. The moment, the scythes came, he ran away.
I barely glanced at him.
These scythes could kill me. I felt the power of it last time and now there are two of them.
''It seemed like, I really have to use it,'' I said and poured the power into halberd. I poured as much as I could before I moved, or rather spun.
It is a second method; I had received from elder lineage. It is called the Severing Strand.
As I did, a hair-thin bronze string/wire came out.
It looked like real wire, delicate, that it would break away with the slightest tug.
It moved and began to wrap around the scythes, till it had coiled around all three scythes, which were now inches away from me.
I hope it works, or these scythes will tear me apart.
Rip Rip Rip
The scythes were less than an inch away from me when they tore scythes into pieces.
I watched, shocked, before turning to the necromancer, who had a bigger shock in his eyes.
Though he didn''t stop running, while I followed behind, weakened than before.
The attack took a lot out of me. Leaving me with less than 15% of energy.
For over a minute, the necromancer was faster than me, before I began to get faster, till our speed reached the same and a minute after, faster than him.
I quickly began to recover the distance until less than ten meters remained between us when he summoned a bone wall in front of me once again.
Bang!
My halberd tore through it, only to meet with the attack of the zombie warrior.
I didn''t engage and ducked its massive sword when suddenly all the hair on my body stood up.
I felt a great danger brought out my energy and formed a basic defensive measure against it.
I would have activated my defensive method, but I didn''t have the energy for it.
Boom!
I heard a boom as the zombie warrior exploded, hitting me with his blood and bones that had pierced into me, breaching the defense of energy.
"Fuck!"
I cursed but didn''t stop.
It is a good thing, I am wearing armor, and a helmet. It saved my head and critical parts. The attack was able to dent the enchanted armor.
They did it after breaching the energy layer.
It was his special zombie, made by the body of the Lv. 30 powerhouses It''s hard to survive, their explosion while still able to walk.
I had taken a few steps when I noticed two more warrior zombies coming toward me.
''Not now!''
I said and moved, curving my path a little, to avoid them, but a few seconds later, my expressions turned back.
"Shit!" I cursed when I saw the necromancer increasing the distance between us.
Me diverting from the straight path to avoid zombies had given him an edge.
"Fuck it!" I said and moved straight. The zombie warrior came at me immediately.
If they want to explode, I will let them explode. I have survived one explosion; I will survive another.
I wouldn''t have taken the risk, but I really don''t want to let this necromancer escape.
I could see the necromancer glaring at me. He didn''t want them to explode; it was due to them, that he was gaining distance, but if he didn''t, I would gain ground on him.
Even these undead won''t be able to catch up to me.
They appeared in front of me and attacked, but it was faint. I could feel the rumbling of energy, they were going to explode.
Boom Boom!
They did, and the explosion was powerful. More than the one last time, but the damage it did was less than the last time.
The last time, it had caught me by surprise. This time, I was prepared. I had activated the full power of my armor and also created a denser layer of energy.
Still, I didn''t come out unscathed. There was damage, with many bones sticking into me and necrotic energy trying to infect me.
"Now it''s only you and me, necromancer," I shouted. I got no reply other than glare and Dark Frost Wall in front of me.
Every step, I took brought me closer to it, till we went back to five meters.
I have pushed myself with everything, I have, crushing through every wall, and every spell, it throws at me.
This time, I have not held anything back.
Bang!
Finally, less than three meters of distance remained between us, and I poured everything, I had into my halberd.
It is time to finish off the bastard; the necromancer is thinking the same as he turned.
Hun!
What I saw couldn''t help, but surprise me.
"I am glad, I had held back this spell," he said with a bloody smile.
In front of him was a spindle. It is black with a golden tip.
It didn''t look like a threatening attack, but it was. I felt all the hair on my body rising seeing it.
It is as strong as the scythe attack but more targeted.
"Now die!" he screamed and released the spindle toward me, with my heart as the target.
"It will not!" I roared back and pushed my halberd with everything I had.
I didn''t use any method or ability. Just pushed my weapon, harnessing every bit of energy, I have.
My halberd got covered in dense bronze energy as it moved to meet the spindle, which will take my life, if not stopped.
Clang!
The stake clashed against the halberd, and I felt the immense power of it.
"Ahhhh!"
Seeing, that, I screamed and pushed, halberd forward, harnessing the strength from deep within, but the spindle was powerful.
It started to shake, and a shudder spread through, I knew, it was about to explode and if it did, it would be terrible.
''Should I ''
I was debating about using the final move when I felt the vibration running down the halberd.
Rip!
To my shock, the halberd which was stalemate against the spindle had torn through it and moved toward the shocked necromancer.
He reacted quickly and tried to retreat faster, but this time, I did not give him the opportunity.
I reached him with a halberd and cut through his defensive spell before reaching his body.
Pachack!
The blade came out of the other side a moment later. Diving the necromancer in two.
Unlike before, this time, no substitute had changed places with him.
It is a necromancer, and he is dead.
Chapter 432: Victory
Ashton Harbor
"Those bastards, merchants! It is them, who provided the alchfire making us lose the battle," said the man with a staff.
Saying he was angry right now would be a grave understatement. He is beyond angry.
So much, that he wanted to go there alone, but that would be beyond dangerous. Merchants might make him disappear before he even reaches the city.
There is even a rumor of a few of the emperors'' dogs being in the region.
He does not think it is true, but be careful against it.
They have attacked the city thrice and failed all three times. They were defeated by the enemy, despite having ten times more numbers than them.
The news had already reached the island, and they were blaming him for it.
He will not deny his fault, but it is not completely his fault.
If they had sent the people, he wanted. There wouldn''t be such a humiliating defeat.
He had told them that. Damn the consequences.
"Should we divert our horde?" asked the armored man. "No, they had asked me to keep it on the way to the Port Midlet," he replied.
There was a question in the armored man''s eyes, but when he looked at the angry face of him, he understood the reason.
He didn''t ask about it. It''s wise; It''s above our level.
If we had been on the island. We have diverted our forces, despite it being nearly reaching the city.
People need to know, that Vris''alud never stops.
If you beat us once, we will come a second time. If you beat the second time, we will come third and keep coming, till we conquer you.
We have come here to conquer the region but have no intention of making it a dominion of Vris''alud.
There is a different purpose.
Something even he didn''t know; the only thing he knows is that it is extremely important. More important, than conquering the city with a legacy in it
To them Port Midlet is important. It will give them control over the coast.
From it, they could move deeper into the region to conquer the other cities. There are still half of the cities, they have yet to conquer.
¡
''Halt, retreat to the city,''
I stopped, before turning back toward the gate.
It had been half an hour since I had killed the last undead.
We had killed nearly all of them, that barely 1% of them had escaped. Five thousand from the five million, that came to conquer us.
It took me a few minutes to reach the gates, thanks to the horse, that was brought to me.
Thud!
I dismounted and walked toward the stairs of the wall. Reaching the top, a few minutes later.
"How much ammunition did we use?" I asked, "Less than we had expected to use for such victory," he replied and then showed me a figure.
It is around 30% less than we had estimated.
"The alchfire orbs did their job too well. The quick retreat had also helped in saving the ammunition," he added, and I couldn''t help but nod at that.
"It''s such a regret; it is a not weapon, we could use at every battle or reliable to be used," I replied, and I sighed, while the man smiled.
I turned ahead and saw the destruction the battle had caused.
The bodies of the undead littered everywhere, especially around the part where the alchfire had burned.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
It burned most of the victims to ashes, but seeing it had lasted for only six seconds. The are some at the end, had only half burned; it killed them, but didn''t burn them fully.
The army is returning group by group. It will take some time, before the whole army returns.
Hun!
I was looking at all the bodies when over a thousand volunteers walked out of the gates.
Not to fight, but to pile up the bodies of the undead. We had already gathered the bodies of our powerhouses and the enemy powerhouse, but the undead had remained.
"Congratulations, my lord. It''s a great victory," congratulated Mage Ravill.
"It wouldn''t have been possible without your and everyone''s help, High-Mage," I replied as I shook the old man''s hand.
We have achieved victory, and we did it in the first hour. It took double the time to kill the running undead.
We have also captured quite a number of enemy powerhouses. Most of them surrendered on their own, and a few needed to be forcefully captured.
There were some killed, like the leader Necromancer Methum, and a few like Wayne were able to escape.
It is a great victory, that I am having hard believing. I thought the battle would last till the evening at least, but here, it had ended in the afternoon.
"A meeting at five. Bring the complete information." I said to Cardin and walked away.
There are two and a half hours to have and a lot of things to do.
The carriage was waiting for me, and I stepped in. It didn''t take me to my office but to the hospital.
When I reached the first hospital. I had seen the same scene I had seen after the other two battles, with a lot of injuries on beds, some lying still, some screaming.
Though, there is also big a difference.
There is a much greater order in the chaos. There are more healers and doctors, more resources, and the capacity to house the patients.
I had hired a lot of people in the medical profession. Not just doctors, but also the nurses and other support staff, that will help save a maximum lives.
I talked to the healers and patients for a few minutes before going to the church''s hospital.
The church of Dusk has the second biggest hospital in the city, but for the battle, they had expanded it further.
Thankfully, there are enough priests to serve the patients and also their in-house doctors.
Bishops and even paladins are helping to heal the patients after the grueling battle.
They had brought more of their people from a merchant state, a few days ago. To deal with the load of the battle.
It is a massive risk. If we had lost the battle; they would have been the first to be killed by the undead.
They are risking a lot for the city, but also receiving benefits. They are getting a lot of faithful, with many people converting to the church of Dusk.
It is not just the humans, but also the orcs.
"Milord, you should take the rest," said Bishop Alanis. "I am fine, your excellency," I replied.
She looked at me for a moment but didn''t say anything. After a few words, she returned to the patients.
I am really fine. I had a few injuries, but they were healed by the potions, and a few soldiers helped me bandage, which I could remove, but kept for the effect.
When the carriage entered the inner range. I activated the energizing essence. It disappeared after getting out of its range, but it did take away a lot of my tiredness.
The skill is amazing. If it is used in moderation, it could help in dealing with tiredness within a few minutes of use.
If it is used for hours; it makes me so tired. , I couldn''t even stay awake for a minute after its deactivation.
I had learned that lesson the hard way.
It was around four, that I had returned to city hall. It is full; the employees were the first to allow out a safe zone along with healers stationed there.
Click!
I walked into my office and saw, Ina already there.
"These are the numbers from hospitals," she said and placed the file in front of me.
It is the thing; I had asked her to prepare before the battle.
I opened the file and there were the approximate numbers of soldiers each hospital had. Their condition, their estimated healing time, and other details.
I finished the file, and there was a relief on my face.
The percentage of casualties was much less than in the last battle. The fight didn''t last long.
Most importantly, the circle formations had kept over 90% safe, half of the battle.
They fought only when the undead swarmed.
That took half an hour before the undead retreated. Then it was a chase and kill.
It gave me more hope for the second part of the plan, but nothing is decided until I meet Stone and others at five.
"Zela, ask Mr. Marysel if he is free to talk to me?" I asked. She nodded and closed her eyes before opening it a few seconds later.
"He is," she replied and raised her hand toward me.
I took her hand and within a second, I got connected to the intelligence officer.
I talked to him for about ten minutes, and he provided me with the current intelligence.
After I finished with him. I focused, I focused on the work; the intelligence confirmed, the intelligence we had earlier, there was no change in it.
Which is a relief.
I got busy with work and before I knew it; it was five.
''Master Silver, they are here,'' informed Jill. "Send them in," I said.
Click!
The door opened, and Stone, Cardin, and Azalea walked in.
Stone and Azalea looked good. Stone isn''t pale anymore and there are only half of the bandages remain on Colonel Azalea''s body.
"Lord Silver," they greeted as they entered inside. "Take a seat, you all," I offered.
They sat down but didn''t talk. There was a silence that seemed to stretch forever.
There are thousands of things to talk about, but all the people in the room are thinking about only one thing.
"So, can we, do it? The important question is, should we, do it? Given the risks it has," I asked, and their eyes turned serious.
I didn''t get a reply immediately. Stone stayed silent for a couple of seconds before finally opening his mouth.
"If we had the casualties and injured as much as the last battle. I would have discouraged it," he said, and paused for a moment, before speaking again.
"Now, I think we should do it. It is the best time. We have men in good spirits after the victory and our enemy is busy, fighting another battle,"
"Yes, it has the risks. We might be completely routed, but if we succeed, Panar will be ours and it will make the city more secure with it between," he replied.
The first half of the plan is to win a decisive victory. The second half is to attack the city of Panar.
Chapter 433: Preparations
Witch of Luminescent Legacy Lv. 28
¡
Warrior 16
Warrior 17
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
¡
Soldier Lv. 10
{Class Change: Soldier ¨C Officer}
Officer Lv. 11
Officer Lv. 12
{Skill Change: Soldier''s Run - Officer''s Run}
{Skill Gained: Rallying Cry}
Texts were waiting for me as I opened my eyes. Seeing, them, a smile appeared on my face.
My Soldier Class had advanced to Officer.
It upgraded my one skill and gave me another one. I would have liked to have an offensive skill, but Rallying Cry would be more useful, given my position.
I am not in a forest alone, fighting the monsters, but in the army.
I am an officer, with a people under my command. I need such skills to effectively lead them.
This time too, my main class, Wildlander Survivalist, didn''t advance.
It only advanced once since I came to the city in the first battle. Likely because it was wildland to me; I had never been to the city, never fought against such people or undead.
Colonel Azalea said it would be harder for me to level up my main class.
Its advancement would be very slow. It''s made for a different environment.
The only way, it would advance smoothly, is when it would merge with the secondary class.
However, that would bring different troubles for me.
The inheritance skills and future inheritance class might be affected by that.
I had gained those two skills because I had followed a similar path as my powerful ancestor. If I followed the path they had, I would gain more of their skills and even class.
The more I diverged from it; the lesser the probability would be for me to gain more.
There is even a chance, I might even lose the two inheritance skills I have.
I didn''t think about it, nor did I care as much. The only, I know, is that I like it here. I love the friends I have made, and the colleagues I have.
The church, I go to weekly.
I don''t want to be alone anymore. If I lose the skills, it will hurt me, and my strength will be reduced, but those things I could bear.
What I couldn''t bear is to lose what I have here.
¡
Sharp Cannoneer 23
{Skill Gained: ...}
¡
Aquamancer of Brilliance Lv. 33
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
Shaman Lv. 8
Shaman Lv. 9
{Skill Gained: ¡}
¡
Valorous Lord Lv. 25
Valorous Lord Lv. 26
Valorous Lord Lv. 27
The text was in front of me as I opened my eyes. I had leveled up and three times, at that.
I am not surprised by it.
If I had my old Warrior Class, I might have.
It''s hard to gain, three levels after crossing Lv. 20. It is especially true with Lord Class; the ruling classes are notoriously hard to advance.
That doesn''t mean, they couldn''t be advanced fast.
These three levels are rewards for the planning I did, and the efforts I had made in the past seven months, that resulted in the victory against the undead.
I am not talking about the strategy. Here, that was the army''s department.
I am talking about the things; I did as the ruler of the city. Politics.
The officers and soldiers from the empire didn''t reach the city automatically after they accepted Cardin''s offer. The same with alchfire orbs; essence alone wasn''t enough to get them.
Get them as fast as we got.
My contribution to the battle added to that.
These are not the only things.
There are also things, like running the city, which was not easy given its seven months ago.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
It is one of the reasons why, ruling classes are so hard to level up.
They need so much, but they also provide so much.
I didn''t get a skill, which is a little disappointing, and since it is a secondary class, there won''t be any attribute points, but my power has increased, nonetheless.
The higher leveled Valorous Lord had increased the power of the class, skills, and attributes.
I could feel, my physical attributes getting stronger.
Valorous Lord gives greater weight to physical attributes than the Dealer of Desire, which is more focused on mental attributes.
I looked at the notification for a few seconds before pushing it away and turning to the clock.
It is a little over seven and a half; I had slept for two hours, but thanks to Caena''s charm. I felt like I had a regular sleep of seven hours.
I activated Get Ready, before walking out of the room into my office.
"How is Port Midlet doing?" I asked. "Still engaged in the battle with the undead," she replied.
It made me feel relieved.
A lot of it depends upon him keeping the undead occupied. If the past two battles are any proof, he should be able to keep them engaged till the morning.
I nodded and walked out of the office with Zela and Ina filling me with the details.
Soon, I reached, the manor and saw Carla waiting there was for me.
"Ertis, call children for dinner," said Carla.
The old man nodded and walked away, while I walked with Carla toward the kitchen.
"You are doing it?" she asked softly, and I nodded.
She is one of the few people, I had discussed my plan for the Panar. Before the battle, it was just a plan, but now, it had become a reality.
"I wish you didn''t. It''s too dangerous. You might not return from it," she said, in a barely audible voice.
"Don''t worry, nothing will happen to me. They won''t kill me; I am the host of legacy," I replied, to which she glared at me.
They didn''t have to kill me. They could just capture me, and it will be all over. I hope it wouldn''t and people would resist, but it would likely be.
I sighed and took her hands in mine.
"You know, I have to do this. If I didn''t, the undead would keep attacking the city."
"Even if it is failed, it will send them and others a message," I replied to her.
There are other results between the victory and the route.
We won''t want anything other than victory, but the result in between would also be enough to send the message we needed to.
It will also provide us with more time.
The time is what the city needs. In the past month, since the establishment opened, the city has grown rapidly.
At an even greater pace than its peak.
A growing city attracts more people. Earns more money and has the ability to finance an even bigger army.
"I only hope, that you will return safely to me," she said finally. "I promise, I will," I replied.
Soon, we reached the kitchen, and the children came not long after.
"Congratulations on your victory brother," said Heron and Josie in unison.
"Thank you, both of you," I replied.
The staff began to serve us dinner, while we talked. I kept the subject lite and focused on the children, about their school and other activities.
"There is something important, I need to talk to you both," I said to them as the dinner reached the end.
"What is it?" Heron asked.
"I am leaving the city for a few days," I informed them.
A surprise appeared on their faces hearing that. Since, they had come to the city; I had not left it, even for a day.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Panar," I replied, and surprised on his face turned to the shock. "Isn''t it occupied by the undead?" he asked, to which I nodded.
"Are you going to attack it?" he asked. "Yes," I replied.
"I wish, I could come with you," he said, surprising me. Even Carla seemed surprised by his words.
He is mature for his age, even so, I had expected him to say something different. Even discourages me from going, but he wishes he could come with me.
Though he understood, he couldn''t.
"Right now, you should focus on school and training," I replied.
"I hope, you will come back victorious, brother," he said. "I''ll try," I replied and looked at Josie, who had been quiet.
"Don''t go," she said with tears dripping down her eyes.
"I have to, dear sister, but I promise you, I will come back before you even know it," I replied to her.
The child didn''t say anything. Just got off her chair and came to before hugging me.
"I will miss, you," she said. "I will miss you too, dear sister," I replied and petted her back gently.
The rest of the dinner went silently.
I talked to Carla and the children for a few minutes, before walking out of the mansion.
I would have loved to spend more time with them, but I have things to do. A lot of them, seeing I will be leaving with the army in a few hours.
The carriage stopped at the city hall, and I stepped out of it, before walking inside.
There are still some people in it, and they stopped and bowed. Even now, many don''t have any idea what will happen in a few hours.
There is martial law across the city, a very few people could move around.
Even soldiers don''t know what is going to happen. They are currently resting under; I hope they rest well because it will be the last rest before the battle.
"Lord Silver, Lord Janice is here," Jill informed. "Send him in, after a minute," I replied and walked.
I had already spotted the man. I had called him, for a meeting.
Click!
A minute later, a blond-haired man, who looked to be in his late forties, walked inside.
"Lord Silver," he greeted. "Please, take a seat, Lord Janice," I offered.
"Thank you, my lord," he replied.
"Congratulations, on your victory, my lord. I heard that you had wiped out a whole horde of undead," he congratulated.
"Thank you, for your kind words, Lord Janice," I replied before turning my expression serious.
I would have talked to a man more, but I don''t have time.
"Have you brought it?" I asked directly. "Of course," the man replied and took out a blue scroll from his bag.
He was in Owlspring in the morning. I had called him, right after the battle ended. I thought the man would send someone with a scroll, but he came personally.
It isn''t surprising when thinking about it, seeing what I am offering in exchange.
He placed it in front of me and took it in my hand. Feeling the power of class and skill attached to it.
It suppressed my class.
It''s not because the host of it is high-level. He is not even Lv. 20, if intelligence is to be believed, but his class is high in the hierarchy.
Here, in this world where you are born has a much greater effect on one''s destiny than on the earth.
The one who provided the scroll got such a powerful class just on the basis of birth.
I opened the scroll and read it. It''s written exactly as I had asked for it; there is a not even word change. It seemed like, a threat of reducing price, had worked well.
"I hope, it is to your liking?" asked the man as I closed the scroll.
"It is," I replied with a smile.
At the same moment, Ina placed a wooden box in front of the man. The man opened the box and his eyes lit up seeing the content inside it.
"This is a half price; the half will be paid the next month," she said.
"Certainly," replied the man and walked out of the office, a few seconds later.
I looked at the scroll for which, I had paid a high price. It won''t help me win Panar, but it will help a lot after.
I had asked for it weeks ago after I discussed various things with Stone.
I thought it would take me months or even years before I needed to use it, but if I succeeded, I would use it in days.
"Zela, ask for the secure connection from Meldhorn," I said.
A few minutes later, I was talking with the Prime Minister of Meldhorn.
The person right below Lord of Meldhorn.
I informed him of my plan to attack Panar. After him, it was Councilmember Yirstone of Oksall and the Foreign Secretary of Belnin.
Finally, it was a Lord of Owlspring.
It is important, that I will inform my unofficial allies about it. Given the help, they have provided and will continue to be providing.
After that, I contact the office of Princess Orlena.
I would have kept her on the list of people, I would contact, right before leaving, but she had provided instrumental help against the undead.
Her intervention in the sea against the undead, which might be due to merchants, had helped me tremendously.
If not for her, we wouldn''t have been able to achieve such a victory today.
The response from all of them was measured. From Princess Orlena to merchants. They didn''t discourage me from the attack but also didn''t encourage me, either.
I think, the merchants have a plan for the city, but that plan will only come into motion after my defeat.
They have a plan not just for Greltheaven, but also Riverbell and Deepond.
They will let us do what we want, but the moment we fail. They will act.
I do not have proof, but I am pretty sure about it.
They will not let the second undead kingdom take root in their backyard. The one that could obstruct the lucrative trade they were having with the empire.
It is such a regret. They will do it after my defeat, not before it.
Till then, they will provide help with intelligence aid and a few other things.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the work in front of me.
I finished it quickly and walked out of the city hall. I went to barracks and then hospitals. By the time I returned to the city hall, it was ten.
It is time I inform the people of my plan.
Chapter 434: To Panar I
Click!
The guards opened the door, and I walked inside and saw people sitting behind the huge conference table.
There is Stone, Cardin, Azalea. Along with four Lt. Colonels, Commissioner Julian, and Bishop Alanis.
Port master Black, Valentina, Robin, Hugo, Captain Justine, and Shaman Trik.
He is the only person from Orcs, who is invited.
I wanted to keep the people to a minimum. There will be another meeting, at twelve, where all important would be invited.
It will be held by Robin after I leave with the army.
"Lord Silver," they greeted.
"Take a seat, everyone," I said. They hesitated before sitting down while I remained standing.
"I am sure, many of you have a question about the sudden summon?" I asked, looking at each one of them.
The questions are apparent in their eyes.
"We are going to attack, Panar. The army will leave for it in two hours," I announced, without wasting time circumventing the subject with flowery words.
Immediately, the environment of the whole room had changed. They might have expected many things, but not this.
"That''s what I am talking about!" said Captain Vandal. Smiling like a mad, while many others had much somber reactions.
"Isn''t it too dangerous, my lord?" asked Shaman Trik.
"It is, shaman, but we have no choice. If we don''t do it, the undead will keep attacking." I replied.
"Even if you succeeded, the undead won''t stop," said the man, and I smiled. "They won''t, but it will send them a message," I replied.
He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it a moment later.
"If we go by the current numbers, the undead have in Panar."
"Capturing it wouldn''t be a problem, but the undead won''t fight with such numbers. They will send more before you reach the city," said Valentina.
She is aware of the intelligence and smart enough to guess what would happen if we attacked.
"We know, we wouldn''t be that lucky. There will be more undead waiting for us in Panar than it is right now," I replied, with a smile.
Of course, I understood the reality and planned according to it.
Panar had sent a lot of undead and powerhouses with the horde. If we were to fight, what is present in Panar; conquering it wouldn''t be a problem, but that wouldn''t happen.
The undead have spies and they will know the moment the army leaves the city.
They will be sent the reinforcement. The question would be how much?
If it is beyond what we could handle. We wouldn''t hesitate to retreat. We want to conquer the city, not get wiped out by the enemy.
"I think, it is risky. We should wait, before attacking them," advised Hugo.
He is the one who hates the undead the most, but he isn''t letting his hate cloud his judgment and he isn''t wrong in his advice.
"I wish we could, but this is a rare opportunity. We might not get another one," I replied.
The opportunity is better than I had thought.
In my plans, they weren''t using the forces of Panar to reinforce themselves, but thanks to battle in the sea, a lot of their ships had sunk, leaving them with no choice but to do that.
A few minutes passed, and I answered, the questions others had.
"Now, the last thing," I said, and Ina placed a box in front of me.
"By my authority as the Lord of Greltheaven, I promote Thaddeus Stone to the General," I said.
"It is my honor, my lord," replied Stone as he saluted me. "You earned it, General Stone," I said and pinned the stars and badge to his uniform.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The commander is in the position of leader of the army of a single city, but now we are going to attack another city.
We are expanding and thus require him to have a different rank.
"Nicolle Azalea and Leonas Cardin, I promote you to Major Generals," I said and pinned the stars and badges on their uniforms.
Their new ranks will show the forces they will lead and the new responsibilities, they will have.
After them, it was Lieutenant Colonels. All of them got promoted to the Colonels.
"Everyone, please keep the news to yourself for the night. The enemies might become aware of it, the moment, we leave the city, but I like to believe in luck," I advised, making everyone in the room smile.
¡
Osward
"Is it true?" I asked as I took my position beside Asit.
Fifteen minutes ago, I received an order to gather the central barracks. I was in the northern barracks as I was ordered to stay there.
Everybody could tell for hours that something strange was going on, but nobody knew what.
Everywhere had been ordered to stay in barracks. Even those released from the hospital had been sent to barracks directly instead of their homes.
"Yes, it seemed to be true," he said, looking around, at the army that was gathering around them.
Over twenty thousand are already gathered, and more are gathered every second.
"I didn''t expect it," I said.
I still have a hard time believing it and wouldn''t believe, it until I get the official confirmation, but I wish, with every fiber of my being, that it is true.
I still remember that day clearly, when we were forced to run away.
The undead chased us at every turn. I had lost many people in front of my eyes.
Friends, colleagues, lovers.
I didn''t think, I would ever get a chance to take my revenge on the undead, that occupied the city, I had spent years in.
"I am worried. I felt like, lord is hurrying it," said Asit in privacy.
"He might, but it is the only chance that we might get to take our revenge against the undead, that took our loved ones from us," I replied.
There are not a lot of us and many left after the first battle, but we had stayed.
It was in the hope of revenge for what we had lost, but soon, came to love it.
I had come to Panar with the Lord Gower. I hated it, but had to stay because of the contract. I wanted to serve the period and get the hell away from wasteland to the greener opportunities in the empire.
Everything had changed after the attack of the undead.
Still, I would have left and come to take my revenge at the right opportunity, but this city and its lord had stopped me.
They are paying me, what I would be paid in the empire. I have given spells, that I would get in any big force and, most importantly, potions with emotion essence.
Even for us High-Mages, we have to do something really incredible or be really talented to get one.
Here, every powerhouse of Lv. 30 and above has one.
There is also the monthly access to the legacy. This is not something high mages get to enjoy.
Soon, around thirty-thousand men had gathered, and more were still gathering.
"How many are they taking?" I asked.
I thought, thirty thousand would be the most. We had an army of fifty-thousands and among its five thousand are not in condition to fight.
Some had died, some couldn''t fight, and some were injured enough, that they would need more than twelve hours to recover.
Commander Stone isn''t idiot enough to take the whole army. He would need to keep some in the city to defend against the threats, that might come.
A few minutes passed, and the people slowed down, to around thirty-three thousand. Thought people kept coming for a few minutes more before finally stopping.
"Thirty-five thousand," said Asit, and I nodded.
It is big enough, but I would have liked it. If it had been bigger; the undead wouldn''t let their city get conquered without the resistance.
''At your positions,''
A command rang out in my mind, and I moved toward the position, that was projected in my mind.
I am Major and like most mages; I didn''t have a direct command.
It is a warrior''s job.
I could get the command if I wanted, but like most mages, I am satisfied with the rank and higher salary. Mages have higher salaries than other people of the same rank.
Most mages dislike commanding. We will fight, but won''t waste our time with other intricacies of it.
We would rather focus on spells and research. We need to advance in our class.
We can''t simply fight the battle and advance.
I reached my spot and stopped beside Major Garzong. I have been paired with the man since the first battle and I have to say, we worked well together.
It did not feel strange to be in the company of the orcs anymore, before coming here in the Greltheaven, I had only seen orcs in cages.
I nodded at the man and turned to Lord Silver, who had finally made the entry.
He is wearing light armor and has a rapier at his waist. It seemed like, he planned to come to Panar with the army.
I turned to Commander Stone behind him and was surprised immediately.
''The stars,'' I thought.
It should be General Stone, now and he isn''t the only one, who seemed to be promoted.
Colonel Azalea had been promoted to Major General, if what I was seeing was right.
So, were the Lt. Colonels behind her.
I didn''t see Colonel Cardin and Lt. Colonel Hiren, but it seemed like they were not coming.
I wonder whether they are promoted like these people.
They stopped in front of us, and everybody became quiet. My heart started to beat wildly, and I hoped, the whispers I was hearing were true.
"My people, you all have fought bravely today. Wiped, the enemy, that has over ten times more numbers than us," said Lord Silver, with his eyes moving around the army.
"I wish this would be enough to stop the enemy," he paused.
"Unfortunately, it is not. The enemy will come and keep on coming, till we teach them a lesson, send them a message."
"If they attack us, we will not just defend. We will attack as well."
"Tonight, we will march toward Panar and conquer it. To make the enemy, understand, that there is a cost of attacking us!" he thundered.
His speech filled everyone with purpose, even I felt all the hair on my body rise up.
"So, who is with me?" he asked.
Thud Thud Thud
The group began to shake as our legs hit the ground hard. The response is stronger than even earlier.
His speech had fired up everyone.
It was not just the speech; it was also the belief in the young man.
He had earned respect. That if he asked the army to jump into the fire. It will do so without hesitation, as they know, he will be there with them.
Chapter 435: To Panar II
Ashton Harbor
"He is attacking. He is attacking us!" said the man with the staff laughing.
It is funny to him. Also unexpected. He didn''t think, any city would dare to attack them, but it is happening.
He laughed for a few seconds more, before quieting down and turning to the armored man.
"Does he not understand, what he is doing?" he asked. "I believe, he understands well. It is why he is attacking," replied the armored man.
The man with the staff didn''t say anything and turned to the map.
"We can not send forces from Norke; they will intercept it."
"If we do it from Gailhorn, the imperials might try something. After what happened in the sea, I don''t think, we should take a risk underestimating them,"
The man with staff nodded at hearing the words and focused on the city with green text.
"We will send undead and the powerhouses from Almin to reinforce Panar."
"At the same time, send the forces from Ashton Harbor to reinforce Almin. We cannot leave it, unprotected," said the man with staff, before turning to the armored man.
"Rynra skill should be ready to be used again, right?" asked the man with a staff.
"Yes, the cooldown had finished," replied the armored man with a smile.
"Good, she will bury them in Panar, and then we will send our force to conquer Greltheaven after they finished conquering the Port Midlet," said the man with a staff.
Making the smile on the armored man''s face wider.
¡
Nakar Baronies Jarvis, Harrods, Lockridge
Click!
The door opened, and Baron Homer entered the conference room.
Others of the council had already gathered there. Usually, three or four people of the council stay in Lauryl Town, but today, all had come.
It was because of the battle at Greltheaven.
They needed to be ready, in case, the undead conquered the city and moved toward them.
Half a million, undead are no jokes, but Silver not just defeated them. He wiped them out and did in less than three hours.
If their contacts are right, then they have attained the victory in one and a half hours; the other one and half hour was spent in chasing and killing the enemy.
"Is it true?" he asked as he sat down in his chair on the council.
"It''s true. We had received an official response," replied Commander Jarvis.
"He really is attacking, Panar. I don''t know whether it is daring or foolhardy," he said.
"Daring," "Foolhardy,"
He got the two opposite responses, while the only woman at the table, remained quiet.
"It''s clearly foolhardy. The victories had gotten into Silver''s head. If he thinks, the undead won''t reinforce their numbers in Panar."
"He had set himself for a huge defeat in there. The undead will wipe out his army like he wiped out theirs in the morning," said Baron Lockridge.
He seemed quite pleased with his assessment.
"I don''t know about victory or defeat, Baron Lockridge, but I know one thing. That man isn''t an idiot."
"If he is attacking, then he must have some confidence in conquering the city," said Baron Harrods.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Lockridge didn''t say anything to that other than smiling even brightly.
"What do you think, Baroness Leila?" asked Homer, to the woman who had been quiet.
"I don''t know, but we need to be prepared for his victory or defeat," she said, and everybody nodded.
Both will have effects on the baronies. If he wins, he might turn their eyes toward them.
If he got defeated and the undead might use this opportunity to conquer the Greltheaven. Which they hope, wouldn''t happen.
It is not just the danger that will increase, but the trade route will also close.
That would be bad. It would make them solely dependent on the trade between the merchant state and Nakar.
The trade with Greltheaven is not even a fifth of the trade between the merchant state and Nakar, but it is still something that gives them some leeway, and it''s been steadily growing in the past few months.
Especially the past month, where it had taken a big jump.
"It''s such a regret that we can''t make use of such a great opportunity," said Baron Lockridge and sighed.
He didn''t need to explain what he meant.
Everybody here is intelligent enough to understand what he meant.
He is talking about attacking Greltheaven. They couldn''t do it; their forces were occupied with defending against the monsters and their security.
If they move the army from Lauryl. Dane will attack them without a doubt. The man has been looking for such an opportunity for months.
¡
Mirador Hold
"So, he left Cardin in charge of the security," said Harrison Dane, Lord Commander of the Mirador Hold.
"Yes, my lord," replied Jenson.
"Message to him. Tell him, I will make him Lieutenant General, if he gives me Greltheaven. If he proves his loyalty, I will give him the command of Mirador Hold," said Dane, shocking the man in front of him.
The man shouldn''t be shocked. A city is far more valuable than the fortress.
Especially the city with a big legacy.
"Also ask our spies to keep an eye on rebel barons. If those bastards moved, we would attack those bastards," he added.
"As you wish, my lord," said the man and closed his eyes.
''If only, I had a bigger army,'' thought Dane in his mind.
In the last battle, he had suffered greatly. It took him months to bring his army to its former size.
If he had a city under his control. It wouldn''t have taken so damn long.
Mirador Hold doesn''t attract many people.
They know, it is at boundary of Navr; they don''t want to come to such a place. If he could get Greltheaven, his problems would be solved instantly.
The legacy alone will solve most of his problems, but he is not greedy.
He will be satisfied. If he got the baronies. From there, he won''t have any problem with conquering Greltheven and other cities.
¡.
Deerpond
"We have to act, father; this is an opportunity, we might never get again. We have to act on it before the undead does, father," said Darius, with eyes burning with excitement.
"Lord Darius is right, my lord. This is a golden opportunity. If we get hands on the legacy. Combining that with mine will bring our city tremendous fortune and power."
"We will be able to build enough force to repel the undead and conquer the whole region," added Lt. General Ronda.
The lord of Deerpond didn''t say anything for a few seconds before turning to his most trusted man.
"What do you think, Silva?" he asked.
"This is without a doubt a great opportunity, my lord. That we might not come again, but attacking Greltheaven also comes with risks.
"If the undead conquered Port Midlet, there is a chance, they will come for us and we will need all our forces to defend against them," he replied and paused before opening his mouth once again.
"Though I agree with Lord Darius, this is too big of an opportunity for us to ignore," he added.
The lord of deerpond sighed.
"It is a difficult choice and risky, but it would be idiotic if we didn''t use this opportunity that fell in our lap," he said, before turning to the people in front of him.
"Silva, prepare for the attack on the Greltheaven," ordered the Lord of Deerpond.
"It is a wise decision, father. You will not regret it," said Darius with joy lighting up his eyes.
¡
I watched the city disappear from my view as I marched away with the army.
I could barely see it with the binoculars.
It had been over an hour since we had left the city and now are moving toward the Panar.
Our speed is fast, but not too fast and we are using the marching skills. We don''t want to be tired when we reach the Panar.
It is very likely, that we won''t be getting any rest tomorrow.
It is a good thing; we have a lot of people with marching skills. Including me.
I had activated March of Braves.
It is an amazing skill and quite a powerful one, now that I have reached Lv. 27 in my Lord Class. It is one of the most powerful skills here.
It would have been the most powerful. If I had been a Lv. 30.
The skills from Lord Class are very powerful and they become more powerful, when I use them for lordly things, like leading the army.
"Any movement?" I asked Shaun.
Zela had stayed back in the city. I wish she would be here, but she needs to stay in the city to guard it.
She would have been more suitable here, but she is one of the people, I trust the most and would need to be in the city.
It is for the same reason; I had also kept Valentina in the city when the Geomancer of her strength would have been tremendously useful in Panar.
I had left Robin in charge of the city, while Cardin of the security. Zela, Valentina, and a few others, I trust, would be a counterweight to them.
I trust them Robin and Cardin. It is the reason why, I have left my city to them, but I am also being careful about it.
"No, aside from Almin and Ashton Harbor, there is no movement," he replied.
He isn''t just talking about the movement from the undead cities alone, but all the cities. That includes Baronies, Mirador Hold, and other places.
I am not an idiot to think, only the undead are my enemies.
Everyone is and one of them or all of them might try attacking me.
I hope no-one will attack, but if someone does, they will receive quite a rude surprise.
Chapter 436: Trap
"We are making a good time," said Stone, looking at the dark sky above.
It is near dawn, and we are just an hour and a half away from Panar.
"The moral of the army is good. They are not tired," I replied. Mood Of The Subjects is an amazing skill. It helps me sense the mood of the public.
"We will take a break in half an hour. Let the army rest and eat. It will be the last chance; they will get of that." He said, and I nodded.
A few minutes passed, and we were riding in silence when Shaun came forward.
"The army had come out of the gates of Deerpond," informed Shaun, and there was not a hint of surprise in mine, Stone, and Azalea''s faces.
We had expected it, seeing the city had sealed off the communication two and a half hours ago.
"They are really attacking," said Major General Azalea. "It seemed they are," added Stone.
There is a large difference between expecting and seeing it happening.
I am angry at the bastard. Instead of supporting me, he is attacking me.
This attack, I am doing, will benefit him too, but instead of appreciating it. The ungrateful bastard decided to attack me.
"What is the strength?" I asked, calming my anger.
"Forty thousand, with Darius and Ronda leading it," he replied, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
Deepond had an army of slightly over a hundred thousand. If they had sent over fifty thousand. I would have been really worried.
Forty thousand is within our projections.
"Our army will be able to manage it, right?" I asked Stone. "They should," he replied.
He didn''t say it with finality, because even he wasn''t sure. A battle couldn''t be predicted well when the strength is close.
The result would depend on the strategies and the number of forces used each. The powerhouses and weapons they have.
I have left a good people in the city. There are also a couple of surprises that the enemies wouldn''t like.
Still, I had hoped, no one would attack, but that is too much to hope, seeing how juicy pie the city is.
"Did the Lord of Deerpond give any reason for the attack?" I asked.
"No, they are silent about that," He replied. I want to see, what excuse? Those bastards give to attack my city.
I asked a few more questions before riding silently.
If I wanted. I could have ridden in the carriage and slept, but I wanted to march with my men. They have followed me in this battle, where many would lose their lives.
This is the least I could do for them.
Soon, the first light of dawn filtered in through the clouds and within a minute, the whole sky brightened up, showing the wasteland in all its glory.
"Halt," Stone commanded. "We will rest for two hours before resuming the march,"
The ration is served within minutes. By then, the people are finished with their morning business. All of them ate quickly, before closing their eyes to sleep.
"Arlievus,"
I activated the charms and felt their power spread across the army. Mixed with the resting skills, enhancing their effects.
I have used all the resting charms; I have in one go.
The attack on the undead will last for the day. If we don''t breach the walls by tonight, we will retreat back to the Greltheaven.
We might do it even before that or slightly after. It all depends on how the undead act.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
I finished eating the ration and closed my eyes to rest. I too need a rest; the undead won''t make things easy.
"Lord Silver," I woke up, as my name was called.
I felt good. A little sleepy, but rested. Thanks to resting skills and the charms.
The army is still resting. Many of them had laid on the rough ground, while some were sitting. One thing is common with them, they are experienced in this.
Over 70% of people here are used to such campaigns, where they need to operate on minimal rest.
A few minutes later, Stone woke up the army, and within a minute. They formed themselves in a neat formation.
"March!" he ordered, and the march of the army resumed.
I activated my skills once again as I rode with the army. In an hour, we will reach the Panar.
I am feeling scared. It is a very dangerous campaign, that might get us wiped out. If I had a better option, I wouldn''t have done it, but unfortunately, I didn''t.
It is the only option that will slow down the undead and give the city time. It needs to become powerful enough to defend against the undead.
Time passed, and the army marched toward the undead.
There is no sound of it, no song. Other than the rhythm, their feet made as they hit the ground.
"It''s finally here," I said as I looked at the city of Panar through the binoculars. It was only a dot a few minutes ago, but now it is a full city.
I could see walls and even people and the undead occupying it.
"Sometimes, I forget. Greltheaven is the oddest city in the entire region," said Stone as he put her binoculars down.
I had been to Panar once.
It was a short trip, but I still remember the city, which is much different, from what it is right now.
Panar, like all cities of the wasteland, is on the green patch. It''s near the center of the patch, with farms surrounding it from all three sides.
The farms weren''t enough to sustain the city, but they were enough to ease a load little.
The city is bigger than Greltheaven.
Its walls could hold half a million people rather easily, but had a population of hundred and fifty thousand, when the undead attacked it.
Most of them had professions as miners. The city has some good crystal mines in its territory; we had passed by one not long ago.
"The intelligence was right. The walls are in a terrible shape," said Major General Azalea with a pleased smile on his face.
The region had suffered a lot in the past few years. It had a good population, but then the undead of Navr swept through it, not long after the empire attacked it.
Saying it left the cities in terrible shape would be an understatement.
The Governor of Panar didn''t fix them. He just patched it up and did a rather poor job at that. He too had the same mind as the Count Darrow, earn as much as possible and escape.
Unfortunately, neither he nor Count Darrow were able to escape in one piece.
It is the same with most of the cities of Almin, Bilgas, Brimbale, and others.
Only Deerpond, Riverbell, and port cities had kept their walls in good condition.
Though, since the undead attacked; they had brought their walls to top condition.
Panar, Bilgas, and a few others didn''t get a chance, since they got conquered within a few days of the undead''s arrival in the region.
The undead, on the other hand. Didn''t feel like they needed to fix the walls, thinking nobody would attack them.
"That only makes things slightly easier. We still have to deal with three hundred thousand undead waiting for us," said Stone.
The city of Panar had three hundred thousand undead stationed there.
Till two hours ago, it was only a hundred thousand, but two hundred thousand, along with the powerhouses, had come from Almin as the reinforcements.
Taking the strength of the horde back to three hundred thousand.
It is a massive number, nine times than us, not to mention. The advantage of defending from the city, while we are in the open.
I wonder, the kind of strategies they would use. We had discussed and planned for everything.
Including the direct confrontation, but surprises could come. They always come.
¡
Rynra
"They have arrived," I said and deactivated the spell. The enemy is less than ten miles away.
It is a small army of thirty-five thousand.
Far cry from the million strong, I had seen on the Island, but this army had defeated our forces constantly. Including one yesterday.
"I could see elder blood and paladin, but I did not see geomancer, aquamancer, and a few other people. They might be hiding, or they haven''t brought them here," said Wayne.
I looked at the man, who had lost twice. He was supposed to leave for the Ashton Harbor but stayed because of the attack.
I hate his guts, seeing how he lost so badly against the enemy, but also need him.
He will be a big help in wiping them out.
"How are the preparations?" I asked Yegson.
He was responsible for the Panar until I took over two hours ago. He does not like it one bit, but accepting the orders without much resistance, which is all I want.
"Good, but I need two hours more before I finish with them," he replied.
"That wouldn''t be a problem," I replied, before turning to the enemy.
"Keep anti-scrying measure active. Shoot any animal or beast, that tries to cross the sky. I don''t want the enemy to see what is happening," I ordered.
There are preparations being made to wipe out the enemy. I do not want a simple victory, but wipe them out, like they did with our army twice.
Though, I would not let even a single person escape. Especially not that host of legacy.
The higher-ups want him, and I will deliver. If I do well enough. I might be able to return to the island.
I had stayed long enough, in this punishment posting.
They should have let me lead one of those battles. If I had been to their places; I would have given them the victory, instead of defeat after defeat, they had got.
It wasn''t truly my fault for what happened on the island, but got blamed for it.
The ones whose fault was that, had died. Leaving me to take the blame.
"It''s quite a plan. You had thought, but I will give you the same warning as I gave Methum. Be careful, these bastards have a habit of springing out surprises," warned Wayne.
"Don''t worry, no surprise of theirs would work, once I sprung them into my trap," I replied.
Of course, I am being careful. They have won three battles, but their streak will end here.
They will be defeated. Wiped out of the last man.
Chapter 437: Attacking The Wall I
"Halt,"
Ordered Stone as we reached the mile away from the wall.
I could see everything clearly. Thanks to the spell Shaun had cast on me. Even without it, one could see what was in front of us.
The cracked walls, burned vegetation and people standing on the wall.
Everything is clear.
If they wanted to, they would have stopped us from seeing everything so clearly, but they didn''t.
They seemed confident in their ability to ward us off.
"Forces of Vris''alud, surrender and I pro"
Boom Boom Boom
They didn''t even let me finish before launching the volley cannonball toward us
I didn''t move and instead turned to the woman, who had given the order of attack.
The woman is clad in black armor, with a sigil skeletal blade covered in a shroud.
The woman is Rynra Throne from the knight order of Sable Shroud.
The most powerful of the knight order in Vris''alud.
She looked to be a woman from early to mid-thirties, with bronze skin. She had dark raven hair on her shoulders and pale blue eyes.
Her ears are faintly pointed because of her elven heritage. She is said to be a one-sixth elf.
Feeling my gaze, she smiled, and the smile was full of confidence. I couldn''t even see, the slightest worry on her face.
The women had been in charge of Almin, but now she had been sent here.
We have information about her, and I didn''t like what it said. The woman is an experienced commander and a powerful fighter.
She had fought an elder-blood before and killed her.
If the information on her strength is to be believed. Then there is no one besides Stone who could fight with her.
"Well, there goes our chance to make, the undead leave the city peacefully," I replied, making my army smile.
Bang Bang Bang
The cannonballs reached us and shields appeared below them. Stopping them from reaching us, but another volley shot out, right after.
These aren''t the cannons undead brought; they are from the city.
The forty-seven cannons kept shooting the volleys of cannonballs while we defended.
Nearly a minute passed when the army parted in several places and our cannons came out.
Of course, we brought cannons and not only cannons but some other stuff too that our enemies would experience soon enough.
"Cannons ready, fire!"
Stone commanded, and immediately, a hundred and seven cannons roared in unison, sending a large volley toward the enemies.
The volley is spread out.
If the enemy wants to defend, then they would need to use a lot of spells to defend against them.
If they didn''t. Then these cannonballs would fall on their walls. These are no common cannonballs, we are using, special types that help break the walls.
Over 50% of the supply of the cannonballs comes from the Prince''s catch, just like the cannons.
Prince Grelt had brought a lot of things from the merchants for his efforts to gain the throne. Unfortunately, he was vaporized by his brother, before he could use them.
Now, I have brought them here, to use them for the purpose they had been brought.
I do not plan to use only his stuff. I had brought some of my own, it won''t be long before we started to use it.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Any progress?" asked Stone to Shaun, who shook his head.
"They are keeping it tight with any scrying spells and skills. We would be lucky if we were able to get even a glimpse of it," replied Shaun, shaking his head.
"Eli?" he asked, turning to the young scout.
"Mishka was barely able to dodge dark missiles a moment ago, but I will continue to try," he replied.
"Keep trying. We need to know, if they have any nasty surprises hidden inside," said Stone.
Minutes passed and a shower of cannonballs continued. We didn''t move from our spot, nor did they.
We didn''t even use the spells, aside from defending against the cannonballs.
The enemy did the same, but seeing our barrage and the power of our cannonballs, they were using three times more spells than us.
"hey have no intention of coming out and fighting," I said. "They are likely not," said Stone with his expression bad.
This means, they are planning something, and we are not happy about it. Direct conflict is easier to manage; complex things create complexities.
For a few seconds, nobody said anything, when suddenly Stone''s eyes lit up.
I didn''t have to ask, what happened.
"Fire!"
Stone commanded and a second later, nine huge balls shot into the air.
The balls are big, with each one being around a meter in diameter in diameter, weighing hundreds of kilograms. I would not say much about their power, but if they hit the wall, they will break it.
If one looked back at our army; they would see nine, big contraption machines in the back.
The catapults.
On the earth, catapults become obsolete with the advent of gunpowder by the fifteenth century.
Here they are not.
In this world, they are more powerful. Thanks to material and enchantments. They complement cannons and create massive destruction.
I had brought them, and I was going to use them in the last battle, but those damned alchfire orbs worked too well.
So, Cardin decided to keep them hidden, which was a wise choice.
The nine massive catapult balls went toward the enemy, with cannonballs as the cover. We have to make it hard for them to defend against it, the cannonballs will help with it.
The first volley reached the walls, and shields appeared, defending against the cannonballs.
Bang Bang Bang
Finally, the catapult balls reached the walls, and they were defended, but the blast had covered a large part of the sky.
They needed to use extra shields to cover the blast and protect themselves from nasty things, the blast releases.
They are defending well that not a single blast was able to hit the wall. This is a little disappointing, but not totally useless, seeing they are using mana to defend against the cannons.
The necromancers have the advantage over other mages. They could pull mana from the undead.
This will help reduce that advantage.
We are paying a massive price for it, but that war is for you. It is not cheap and I wouldn''t have done it, if not for the security of my city.
A few minutes passed, and we continued with the barrage when a change occurred.
They have begun to let some of the cannonballs pass. Those that wouldn''t hit the walls; some did start to hit the walls, not in numbers that we would like.
"Division ready!" Stone Commanded and immediately soldiers moved around.
Within seconds, the lines of soldiers formed. With soldiers in the front holding the shields, while those behind holding the weapons.
"Charge!" he ordered, and the force of twenty thousand moved forward.
Our purpose is to capture the city, and it wouldn''t be possible to just fire the cannons.
We actually would need to attack, and we are doing that now.
I didn''t march with twenty-thousand. I followed behind with the twelve thousand. We won''t fight till ordered but remain close to support Stone.
He is leading it; there is no one better than him. He had experience of these kinds of things.
Most importantly, he will need to be there to deal with that knight. Without him, stopping her, she would slaughter my officers.
As they marched, siege towers began to rise up. For over eight months, they were soaking dust in the warehouse.
Now, we are using them.
I watched with my heart beating. It will be a bloody battle and I wish, I could be there, but I cannot.
I will be a distraction.
Soon, there were less than three hundred meters remaining between them when the enemy acted.
They started attacking with spells and aimed the cannons at them. In response, shields moved forward, and defensive spells appeared in front of them.
The most guarded are the siege towers and ladders. They need to be protected.
While there are spells, that could create ladders and skill, that could make one jump into the wall. They are still useful and stronger than most spells.
Most importantly, the physical thing brings more confidence than the thing made of magic.
Seeing the enemy had started using spells, we also intensified our support. Sending the volleys at greater intensity toward the enemy.
I looked toward the wall and saw it filled with the undead. Their numbers seemed to have increased. I couldn''t tell properly.
They have started using skills and spells to ward off investigative skills.
It is all blurry when we try to look at them. We are doing the same Shaun and others activated skills, that make the enemy hard to see us.
Skills are really terrifying things.
There are skills in the world that make the armies blind. Some make them fight each other.
Though for such massive effects, the commander needs to be really powerful, and the world has such people.
Compared to them, we are nothing.
Vris''alud is one of the forces, which had such people. If they sent even a single one of them; they would destroy us.
There are some of those people in the region itself. In Ashton Harbor and Dustorn Fortress.
The man in the fortress is really powerful. Even the two in the harbor won''t be his match.
He had been completely silent since the death of the emperor. He didn''t make any move other than dealing with small attacks from Tabes.
There is also a thing about him sending some reinforcement to Deerpond and Riverbell, but not to me.
I didn''t dare to make any noise about it, but it displeased me greatly. A little bit of reinforcement would have helped my city tremendously.
He is a factor that worried me as much as the undead, even more so sometimes.
I tried to find out what his plans were. There are plans. I do not for a moment believe, that he doesn''t have plans.
I only hope, that whatever his plans are, doesn''t intersect with mine. He is not someone, I could deal with in a few months to years.
I sighed and focused on the army. It had reached the wall.
Chapter 438: Attacking The Wall II
Rynra Throne
Seeing siege towers rising. I couldn''t help, but get surprised.
Ladders, I had expected, but the siege towers had caught me off guard. The intelligence didn''t mention anything about the siege towers.
There were some whispers about them having catapults, but they had crossed that off, seeing they didn''t use it yesterday, but here, they have popped out.
They didn''t use it yesterday, because they felt like, they could win without it.
They were absolutely right.
The siege towers will make things slightly difficult, and I asked my mages to target them. They are, but the enemy had good mages.
They are defending against every attack; we are throwing at them.
I took out my sword and swung toward the siege tower closest to me.
Shadow Cleave!
Immediately, a bronze arc shot out of the army in response.
Clang!
It clashed with my attack, destroying it.
I looked at the elder-blood. There is a lot of intelligence about him. I also grilled Wayne for every piece of information, he had about him.
He is powerful, but I feel like, I could kill him. I will kill him.
It would make him second elder blood, I kill.
I will definitely level up if I manage to do that. I really needed a level-up; it had been nearly a year since it last happened.
I looked at him, while his army moved siege towers across the walls.
The army came out, but we were ready for them. Our undead met them with greater zeal.
The elder blood didn''t move to attack; he was standing with his eyes locked on me. If I attack, he will respond.
Wayne had told me about his strength.
I hate to admit it, but he will be able to kill as much of my people as I begin to target his.
I am not in a hurry. I will get enough chances once he falls into my trap. Till then I will have to make sure, he doesn''t do any mischief.
The whole wall was filled with bodies of men and undead, trying to kill and push each other off the walls.
It is bloody and the enemy is dying by minute, but not without the cost of the undead.
Seeing it, I wish I could begin with my plan immediately.
It would have helped us a lot if we got to know about their attack, but before their army got out of the gates.
I acted quickly, within a minute, I received orders to march to Panar.
I would have preferred if the orders had come sooner, but here, our intelligence network isn''t strong.
The current preparations are enough to defeat them, but that is not enough. I want to wipe them out.
The orders state the same.
Minutes passed, and the enemy tried to push through the wall. They had even destroyed a good part of the wall, but my undead are keeping them in their place.
They are stronger than any walls and do not let the enemy move an inch forward.
However, it is not without a cost. I am losing the undead every minute. The undead, I could have used in the trap.
It is not just the undead. My mages are also losing a lot of mana in defending against the cannonballs.
The enemy had brought greater firepower, than I had estimated.
Especially those catapults. They are capable of huge destruction.
Hun!
I was thinking about the catapult when one of its ammunitions was able to move closer as the shields stopping it flickered away.
The enemies cast disruption on them.
Since they started attacking the wall, the catapults had targeted behind the wall, where the undead had gathered.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
They had not targeted the wall, since their own people were here.
Bang!
My shield appeared and stopped the catapult ball. It exploded in the air, sending shrapnel, that were to stop by my shield.
Hun!
The explosion had just subsided when a cry for help rang out in my mind.
I saw an orc moving to kill one of my warriors. Immediately, the gem of my sword lit up and Dark Wall appeared in front of the orc, stopping him.
The warrior retreated and drank a potion before rejoining the battle.
I am not killing the enemies, but I stop them when they are about to kill my people. The elder blood doing the same.
However, once I sprang my trap, nobody would be able to do that.
I might lose some of my people, but it would be a loss, I would be able to bear. As the loss would be much smaller than the direct, battle.
They want everyone dead. Especially the elder-blood.
I had been contacted by several of the people, I know for the body of the elder-blood.
It''s very valuable to the necromancer.
A few minutes passed, and the battle continued. I have to say, the enemy is fighting well.
They seemed to have experience in fighting the siege battle and the undead.
I would have liked, it if we were killing more of them than we are right now. At least proportional to the undead, we are losing.
Even the powerhouses are being contained.
Even Wayne is being contained by Paladin and Orc.
I too want to jump into the battle, but it''s not time. If I fought, the battle might get struck here or enemies might retreat.
I don''t want that.
It is for the same reason, I don''t want to do, what the high-ups had ordered me to do, but since it is an order, I would follow it, no matter how much I hate it.
They have asked me to use that thing.
To give them the taste of medicine, they had fed us yesterday.
It''s not as good as the alchfire, but it will cause a massive loss to them.
The alchfire is merciful in how quickly it kills. It does not; it gives a lot of pain before it kills one.
It is wasteful to use such resources in this battle, which we will win without a doubt, but they want to send the message.
For it, they are willing to waste the precious thing.
¡
Stone
Bang!
My arc clashed against, her defensive spell, crushing it. Letting Klein move at the enemy in the narrow wall.
The battle on the wall is challenging, but we are doing good.
It had been over an hour and a half since we had attacked the wall and we had killed thousands of undead.
Though, we didn''t have much luck in killing many of their powerhouses and pillars.
The battlefield is small, which helps the enemy leader to save her people whenever they are in danger.
I am in little disadvantaged in that. I am not as versatile as she is with her spells. I could break her shields with my arcs, but I couldn''t put shields in front of my people as she could do it.
Even sending arc is difficult in this crowded battle, while she could just materialize the shield.
Despite that, we are doing well.
However, we had yet to accomplish our mission to break into the city, which would take hours.
They are resisting with everything they have. Sending the undead toward us in large numbers. Not letting us have an inch to move past the wall.
Most orcs who are fighting this kind of battle for the first time, are visibly shocked. This a not open ground outside the city or forest, they are used to.
This is a wall.
In this thick battlefield. Enemy could come from anywhere or explode.
The necromancers love to blast their undead.
I had lost more men in an undead explosion than a direct battle.
The mages are trying, but it''s hard to defend against every explosion, even with danger sense warning them.
This is the wall battle. They aren''t called one of the bloodiest without a reason.
I moved around the battlefield, with my eyes always on the enemy leader. We are the only two people on the battlefield, that aren''t fighting.
We will. The battle won''t end, till we do it.
Hun!
A few minutes passed when I noticed something. The more, I looked, the surer, I became.
''Careful, they are trying to move us into the center,'' I said to the powerhouses before started commanding them.
Their powerhouses are pushing us, to a certain place. It is not good, that means they are planning something, and I would be dammed if I let that happen.
I begin to move the powerhouses, but the enemy is also good.
It is responding, countering fast.
I wanted to retreat immediately, but that wouldn''t be wise. We would lose the edge we have got; they would destroy our siege towers.
Without them, it will become more difficult to breach the wall.
That doesn''t mean, I will let my people die, needlessly.
I moved my powerhouses, trying to spread them further to thwart whatever the enemy was planning.
"It''s too late, elder-blood," said the leader, shaking her head.
Speaking to me for the first time, before waving her hand.
Immediately, a bone sphere with runes on it appeared in the sky.
My eyes widened as I saw that ivory ball. It looks delicate and smooth, but it is extremely dangerous.
"Fuck!" I cursed loudly without care.
I know, what the thing. I have seen it many times and two times nearly got killed by it.
The thing is called the bone bomb. One of the most dangerous weapons of the undead.
It is made by necromancer alchemists. It''s very stable and destructive.
Unlike Alchfire, which is unstable.
Though it is not as powerful as it and its range is less than half, it is more than enough to cover a small area, we are occupying.
"Calm down. Shields Up!" I ordered my people. Controlling the panic, I was feeling in my heart.
I was relieved that the army followed my command immediately, with mages casting defensive spells, while the bone bomb lit up.
In less than a second, it will explode, with its power covering a large area.
I had not expected that she had this thing or she would use it here.
It is not cheap and the undead is only used in important battles, but it seemed like after experiencing destruction by alchfire.
They want to send the message to us and everyone watching.
It is what they do.
They put fear into the hearts of their enemies. So, they would never do anything daring against them.
"Die!" said the leader, as retreated from the wall, along with her powerhouses.
While the undead formed a wall of protection to defend against bomb power, that might come at them.
I didn''t even glance at her, all my focus on my halberd and bomb, which was about to explode.
BOOM!
Finally, it blasted sending a dark shockwave and thin dagger-like shrapnel, burning in dense black fire.
These shrapnel look delicate, but they are capable of piercing through most Grade IV defensive spells.
They have a powerful necrotic poison that will act, the moment it touches the blood.
It kills the people within a minute and the death is horrible.
The poison is so powerful. That normal potion is useless against them. It had killed many of my good friends.
I too had suffered it, but survived, thanks to the elder blood inside me.
Which kept them alive long enough to be fed an antidote.
These daggers will kill a lot of my people. I can''t let that happen.
So, I brought my halberd down on the stone floor of the wall, with all the hope in my heart.
Chapter 439: Capturing The Wall
"Bone Bomb!" said Shaun with a shudder, seeing the white ball appearing above the wall.
As it did, the enemy leader and their powerhouses fell back, while the undead restricted the movements of our powerhouses.
Without the support of their powerhouses. They won''t be able to stop us for long, but they only need to stop us for only a second.
BOOM!
The bomb exploded. Not giving even a chance for our people, to move a few steps.
Its blast immediately covered the entire area with the white wave, while we all watched in horror.
I thought something would happen. Some skill would work and stop the explosion, but it didn''t.
The bone bomb exploded as the enemies intended it to.
"We need to prepare for immediate retreat. If Commander Stone and our powerhouses suffered, the fatalities," advised Azalea, rational even in horror.
I didn''t reply to her and kept looking. Hoping they would survive.
Seconds passed as Azalea gave various commands, while I kept watching the wall.
Hun!
Finally, the white dust began to clear up, and I noticed something that made hope leap up in my heart.
A second passed, and it became clear, and a big smile appeared on my face.
¡
Wayne
"Fuck!"
The pillars cursed around me, seeing the bronze dome, covering the large area.
Protecting the elder blood and every person in the dome. The protection is strong enough that not a single shard was able to pierce through it.
It is a powerful protection, considering how easily those shards pierce through the Grade IV shield spells.
The dome had come out of the halberd in his hand. The broken artifact, that Vris''alud had officially declared their property.
I cursed with the people around me, but in my heart. I am relieved.
I don''t want the enemies to suffer losses and be defeated.
Till a few hours ago, I wanted the same thing, but now things have changed.
I have received a message from my contact, that Carmen has been caught. Within an hour of that, I received a summon to come to Ashton Harbor.
They might say, the summon is for punishment of losing the battle, but I know better.
I can''t go there, once I did. It will be the end of me.
I know, what they do to the spies. I would rather die than experience that, but before I do, I must try different routes of survival.
Earlier, when I had received the message. I had been planning to escape.
I knew Yegson had started keeping eyes on me, but I was still willing to take the risk, I had stopped, upon hearing the news of the enemy coming.
Escaping during the battle is much easier. They won''t be able to dedicate much force to chase me while fighting with the enemy.
Though, that bitch Rynra, is being careful. There is always Lv. 30s around me; even the position I got is with the Lv. 30''s.
I have enough confidence, in my abilities, that I would be able to escape successfully, but then what?
I am surrounded by the enemies. It will be really hard to hide from them.
Surrender is a better option, and it might work. I have information, they desperately need to win this battle.
''Let''s hope, it works,'' I thought and sent a secret message to elder-blood, with the hope, that he would believe me.
¡
Stone
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
''It worked,'' I thought, looking at the bronze dome.
There was less than a 25% chance, it would, but it did.
I had been feeding it the energy for the past seven months. It had also drunk, a lot of emotion essence. It didn''t heal it, only the emotion essence of Grade IV and above could do that.
It had helped it enough, to recharge one of its abilities, which was already working, barely.
The cost was huge, but worth it, seeing the number of people, it had saved.
"I thought I would die," said a lieutenant beside me, with tears streaming out of her eyes. She isn''t the only one, I too had thought, many would lose their lives.
A second and a half passed when the dome flickered and disappeared.
Hun!
I opened my mouth for a command when a message hit me.
I was about to push it away, thinking of being the strategy of the enemy; overwhelming one with messages is a strategy. It works well.
I realized whom it belonged to and opened it. immediately, my expression changed drastically.
''It is enemy strategy,'' I thought, but didn''t completely dismiss it and instead informed Lord Silver about it.
It will be up to him how we will respond to the message.
"Occupy the wall!" I commanded.
Immediately, the army moved and began to occupy the wall. There is no resistance. Most of the undead have got off the wall, the ones that remained were quickly dealt with.
I looked at the leader of the enemy, who was staring back at me.
There is a smile on her face, and it feels genuine. Like, she had wanted this to happen.
I didn''t feel good about it.
I pushed those thoughts away when focused on commanding the army when I received another message.
It is not from the enemy, but allies.
Though, it didn''t bring good news. It is bad news
¡
I stepped into the wall from the siege tower. I could have gone through the door since it was in our control, but I wanted to try the siege towers.
Our army had occupied the entire wall, including the gates.
It is a stage, where one again 75% of victory, but it didn''t feel like it. It seemed like, we were where the enemy had wanted us.
Soon, I reached Stone, who was looking at the preparation.
"Congratulations on taking the wall," I said to Stone, and the man shook his head. "There is no need to congratulate me; the enemy wants us to have a wall," he replied.
He felt it too; it was too easy. Even with the bone ball. If they wanted to, they could have given us a lot more trouble instead of handing us the wall.
"They have planned something," I said, turning to the city.
I have a good view of it, but I couldn''t spot even a single person. It looked deserted, but far from it. The enemy is hiding, and so are the citizens.
It wouldn''t be wise to go inside without a proper strategy.
"The two hords," added Azalia with a sigh.
A few minutes ago, we received the intelligence from the merchants.
The horde, that had reached the Almin from Ashton Harbor, is now coming toward the Panar. Norke had also sent the fifty-thousand undead toward us.
They did it, the moment we occupied the wall. It is not a coincidence.
"It should be a pressure tactic. They would not leave their cities weak," I said.
"It might be, but it might be not. There isn''t anything, that could harm their cities in the region. So, they could send, them to reinforce the horde here," Stone stated.
My head started to hurt hearing that.
"So, we have to decide quickly whether to retreat or attack," I said, and he nodded.
"That leads us to Wayne''s offer," said Azalea. "Who we couldn''t trust," I added, but felt the eyes of the two of them on me.
Wayne had offered us intelligence. Information about Rynra''s plan, which he thinks would wipe us out.
He is willing to give us intelligence, but in exchange. He wants immunity from persecution and also a few other things.
The things are big, but we could provide them.
The question is whether this is a plan of the enemy or a genuine request. If we make a wrong decision, we might pay heavily for it.
I thought for a few seconds before sighing.
"Contact him, tell him. We agree with his conditions," I said.
Stone nodded and moved to contact him.
He had left elaborate instructions on how to contact him. Messages could be detected and read. Wayne is being extremely careful about this.
It will take a few minutes.
Seeing that, I looked at the preparations but didn''t dare to walk down the wall.
We have taken control of the wall, and some areas close to it, but it is far from enough. The enemy is still capable of launching a swift attack on us if they want to.
They had been occupying the city for over eight months and I hope, they had been as careless with the other parts of defenses as they were with the walls.
The intelligence did say that everything was unchanged, but things might have changed in the past few hours.
Nothing could be said when it comes to the undead. Their massive numbers allow them to do anything.
They did something. Even an idiot could see when looking at the city.
Many had underestimated them, but I wouldn''t take such risks. I wouldn''t mind retreating. If I had felt like, we would not win this battle.
Everyone is alert, doing the job they had been assigned.
Like the group of people, trying to convert the space for the cannons. We would place our cannons here if we decided to attack the city.
Their support will be invaluable.
Currently, only the arrangement is made for the cannons.
If we decided to attack, they would bring the cannons to the wall, which had already been brought to the base of the wall.
''The reply had come,''
Stone''s voice rang out in my head. It is not leveled as it usually is; it must be really serious.
"So?" I asked as I reached him.
"According to Wayne, they had created a net across the city. If we attack, they will envelope us in hundreds of little nets," he replied, and a frown appeared on my face.
"This isn''t news. We had expected it," I said, and he nodded.
"There is skill involved. A powerful one; it will give them a massive advantage," he replied.
"What skill?" I asked, and the name rang out in my mind. As I heard it, my eyes widened.
It is from the wish list of any commander. I wish Stone or I had such skill.
It would make a huge difference in the battle.
"Can we believe what he is telling us?" I asked. "It would be a mistake to completely believe it, but not believing it would be just as big a mistake," replied Stone.
"It will make things a lot riskier than we had expected. Cutting any way of retreat; will be either victory or complete defeat," I said.
He is a general. It is up to him to decide, whether to attack or not.
"We should attack." He replied finally.
"The skill will affect them as it would affect us. Now that we know about it, we will be better prepared to deal with it if she uses it,"
"Good, prepare then," I ordered.
Placing the full trust and lives of my army, into the hands of my general.
Chapter 440: Null Zone I
Cardin
"Now, I am relieved," said Colonel Hiren, as he opened the crate of ammunition smoothly with his one hand.
They had just been delivered from the port.
We had ample ammunition, but Lord Silver had taken a lot of it with him to the Panar. The city still had enough to sustain itself, but we couldn''t take a risk when an army is coming to coming to conquer us.
It is not just the ammunition, that had come, but a few other things that will help, in dealing with enemies.
I checked every crate personally.
Ammunition will play a big part in the battle and being careful about it is a wise choice.
"Send them to the wall," I ordered and walked out of the warehouse before stepping into the carriage.
"How far are they?" I asked. "About five hours," replied Mage Zela.
Lord Silver had kept his trusted mage and friend in the city. He is a smart man; not many would make such a decision when they are moving to conquer another city.
"Any news from the Lord Silver?" I asked. To which she shook her head.
It had been nearly an hour since they sealed off communication after getting control of Panar''s wall.
The communication isn''t completely cut off.
We could still contact people, that they kept outside the wall, but could not contact Lord Silver or General Stone directly as before.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I walked out, checking the preparations.
Everything is good.
Now, we are waiting for the enemy, and I wish, they could come sooner.
After years, I will command the army once again, and I want to prove to the world that I am still capable.
My weakness won''t stop me from attaining the victory.
¡
Rynra
''Everyone in their position?'' I asked.
''Affirmed,'' ''Affirmed,'' ''Affirmed,'' I got the reply one after another.
I had spread the horde all over the city.
People may consider this as the net, but it is not. Every unit is independent and will have no connection with others.
They couldn''t when I used my skills.
Every time, I used my skills. I had attained the victory, and it is a reason why, I have received only a punishment posting, rather than actual punishment.
Though what happened was no fault of my own.
If that bastard, had listened, instead of undermining me, we would have succeeded in that mission.
My heart still burns in anger whenever I think about it.
I pushed those thoughts away and looked at the enemy. They are ready.
They could enter the city at any moment.
It had been an hour since they had got control of the wall. Now, their soldiers are occupying them, with the cannons pointing inside the city.
The elder blood had spread the army across the city, covering all sides.
If he had doubled the numbers, he had brought. It might have helped him survive, but with such numbers, not a single person would survive.
I wouldn''t let them survive and wouldn''t care if I needed to sacrifice half of my undead.
I had planned as such, that a lot of undead would be sacrificed. The higher-ups don''t have any problem with that, the only thing they want is absolute annihilation of the enemy.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
''Is Wayne in his place?'' I asked. ''Yes,'' replied the person from the other side.
The higher-ups had asked me to keep an eye on him. Stop him, if he tried to escape.
They didn''t provide the reason, but it is definitely not something about losing two battles.
They didn''t order me to detain him, which means he shouldn''t know about their intentions.
It is the only reason why he is not being detained. Which is good for me
He is a bastard, but he is a powerful bastard. As powerful as Yegson or even more than him.
He would play a big part in wiping out the enemy.
''Commander, the enemy has begun to move,'' came the message finally.
''Begin,'' I ordered and activated the skill.
My target is elder blood. Once I killed him, dealing with the rest of the army would be a piece of cake.
I didn''t activate that skill, but the other skill.
I will activate that skill when the enemy reaches the place, I want. They will in a few minutes. If they kept moving as they are doing now.
The moment I activate it. Their fate of utter defeat would be sealed.
¡
Stone
"Forward!"
I ordered, and immediately the army began to move inside the city from all twelve directions.
I have divided it into twelve parts, which will be further divided as they enter the city.
The battle in the city is far more difficult than the battle on the plain. Here, energy could come from any side, making it hard to deal with them.
If Wayne is right, then if there is that skill involved. It is going to make things even more difficult.
It is why, every unit will be independent. I had told them, to fight expecting no reinforcement in mind.
They will have to deal with the enemy on their own or die.
It is why, I have to deal with enemy leaders quickly. If she had skill, she wouldn''t be using it immediately, till we reached deep enough in the city.
As then, she could cut all our roads of retreat.
''Elder-blood come. I am waiting for you in a central square,'' a voice rang through my mind, surprising me.
The challenge didn''t come with words alone, but also with the skill.
''She is confident,'' I thought as I felt the familiar skill.
She used a ''Challenge'' type of skill. Leaders ''Challenge, Commander Challenge'', and many other''s skills, that one uses to challenge another.
If I didn''t accept her challenge. I will suffer the suppression; it will reduce my strength.
''I accept,''
I moved toward her, with an army of two thousand, while the rest began to move away.
She is waiting there with a horde of ten thousand undead.
I didn''t need to ask anyone to know that. Her challenge skill had told me about it.
"Check the central plaza?" I asked Joris. The skill may tell the truth, but it is not always a complete truth. There are many ways to circumvent those restrictions.
"Anti-scrying stopping everything," he said but followed orders immediately.
A moment later, a surprise appeared in his eyes.
"The plaza is filled with undead, around ten thousand of them, with the Rynra Throne and two other people leading them," he informed.
Joris is the mage we hired four months ago. He is from Mayhurst.
I didn''t know him on the island, but Shaun does. From what I had seen till now and his performance in yesterday. He is one capable mage.
He needs to be capable because those two sides of the enemy leader are powerful.
I moved deeper into the city, sensing undead at every turn, that had started to attack my people. Though they are attacking with a fraction of their forces.
The enemy had nearly ten times our numbers. They could easily swallow us all.
"These bastards! They are not even sparing the poor souls," cursed Paladin Carr.
The undead are using the people of the city. Keeping the undead in the same place as the people. It would make it hard for us to attack the undead directly, without harming people.
Especially with the long rang spells and cannons.
The leader had planned it well. She is using every advantage, she has.
"The undead efficiency," I replied.
Rynra Throne is a true member of Vris''alud. Using the cold-blooded strategies, that they are so famous for on the island.
Minutes passed, and I saw the undead moving not far away from me, but not a single one had attacked them. They didn''t even turn so much turn.
Soon, the square came into view, and I could see the enemy leader standing in front of the horde of ten thousand.
I walked into the plaza with my men, before stopping a hundred meters away.
I had come to Panar once with Lord Silver. It was a bustling city, not prosperous, but bustling, thanks to the employment and income provided by the mines.
This plaza, which is cracked and blackened, used to be pristine. Filled with people.
There used to be a big statue of Emperor Hamzas; the father of the last emperor, which seemed to have to have disappeared too.
"Last chance, elder-blood, surrender," she said as she unsheathed her sword.
I felt all the hair on my body rise. She is dangerous, more dangerous than Bartram, Wayne, and Methum.
"No," I replied, and she grinned.
"Now, I can kill you and sell your body to the highest bidder," she said and came at me.
She was fast, much faster than the Wayne, who had been the faster enemy, I had faced here.
I didn''t stay on my spot and moved forward with elder energy bursting out of my body.
It took a near an instant for us to appear next to each other, and she swung her sword, burning with the dark flames while my halberd was covered in bronze energy.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed, deafeningly with shockwave black and bronze spreading in every direction.
A surprise flashed in my eyes, not because of the sound or shockwave, but how her body didn''t even shake, with a direct clash with mine.
Even Wayne didn''t dare to clash directly with me due to the massive physical advantage. My elder-blood gave me, but it didn''t seem to affect her at all.
I didn''t use my full strength, but I am sure, she is not using her peak strength either.
I had expected the battle would be hard against her, but now I know it will be. It would be hard to defeat her, much less kill her.
She pulled her sword back but didn''t attack, instead looked at me with a smile.
"You know, you have already lost the battle. The moment, you decided to enter the city," she stated.
My heart skipped a beat, but I didn''t show it to my face.
"I am alive, and so is my army. We are far from losing the battle," I replied. To that, the smile on her face widened.
"Oh, you have, dear elder blood," she said, with voice bleeding with confidence.
"Null Zone," she declared.
I felt the power of the skill spreading from her, covering the entire city.
Chapter 441: Null Zone II
''Null Zon''
Stone''s voice cut off before he could finish fully.
"Communication down," informed Shaun, I looked at others, and they nodded as well.
Wayne didn''t lie, after all.
Rynra Throne activated ''Null Zone: Communication'', covering the whole city, in it no communication spell or skill would work.
She had made us effectively blind.
Communication is one of the most important elements of the battle. With one skill, she cut it off.
''Null Zone,'' skills are extremely rare. They came in all types.
Rynra Thrones ''Null Zone,'' is a communication type, but there are also magic, spells, and skill type. There are even some specific types, like nulling offensive skills or spells.
It is powerful, but we didn''t have much information other than its name and what it could do.
Wayne didn''t inform us, how long its runtime is and how it could be broken. It would have helped if he had done that.
Still, Stone is expecting it to last for around three hours. As for breaking it, the most effective way would be killing the host of it or making her unconscious.
We could also try to make her deactivate it on her own, but no way in hell, that would happen.
I could see there was a faint panic in my people. Fear and uncertainty had filled their eyes.
Communication is important. Especially in city battles, which are chaotic.
The enemy could come from any side and any number. Without communication, it becomes harder to ask, for reinforcement or inform allies.
"Don''t be intimidated. We had planned for this," I said to my company, with the Lord''s Presence enveloping them.
It had become a powerful skill as my class reached Lv. 27. Powered by the charm at 20.
It had started affecting even those of Lv. 30.
My words eased the worries, and we moved forward.
The communication is down, but other skills are working well. Dangersence, Enemy Presence, and every other skill is working fine.
This will be our biggest advantage, a thing that will help us with this battle.
The null zone had affected us, but also the enemy. This means, just like us, they will not be able to communicate with each other as we could not.
Not to mention, the skills advantage had lessened with us having prior information regarding it.
That doesn''t mean, we won''t get wiped out if we are not careful and fight with everything we have.
"Yellow House, seven o''clock, has fifty-seven undead with three pillars and five civilians," said Lieutenant Krygis, before noting down the numbers on the wall.
We didn''t move inside to attack, nor did we cast any other spell.
I could see many of my people want to go inside the house and deal with it, save the people inside, that are with the undead.
They didn''t and instead moved forward with me.
They are not the only ones who want to save the people. I wanted to barge into the house and kill all the undead and pillars controlling them, but we couldn''t.
It will be deviating from the strategy. It will make us lose, the battle.
We cannot lose the objective to save the few. We have to control our emotions to win this battle.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Enemy is prepared. It wants us to come at them.
Since we entered the city earlier, a few groups of undead had engaged with us.
Most of them had remained hidden.
We won''t be going to them. We will only attack when they attack us and they will because after the leader has used the skill, they are on the timeline like us.
The two hordes may be coming for us, but skill is also running.
It is also safer for people if the undead attack us. They won''t bring out the people out of houses. They will be a burden unless things become desperate for them.
A minute passed and another, no undead, attacked us. We continued moving through the area assigned to us.
Every unit, be platoon, company, or battalion, has an area assigned to it. We had to stay in our area and didn''t have to move unless we needed to.
It is the most strategic battle we are fighting and, given the communication blockade, we won''t know whether we are winning or not until the end.
A few units might defeat the undead, only to find, that the rest of the army have been defeated.
I pushed those thoughts away and moved on with the company.
I took a turn a moment, later and could see the company led by Captain Lor engaged with the undead, a couple of blocks away.
It is not the first battle we have seen. Many are visible, but there are more units like us, that are yet to fight.
I want to fight, but I will not hurry. I will move according to the plan Stone had decided.
Soon, over ten minutes passed and the undead had yet to attack us.
"The undead moved from the houses 55, 56, 61, and 64 and gathered at house 59," informed Lt. Ross.
I nodded and kept moving.
This is our advantage, people. Unlike the undead, where less than 5% of the army is living. Our whole army is living, which means every person has classes and skills.
Some of the skills are really useful in a battle like this.
These skills are what will give us the edge, that we require to win this battle.
We made a round of the area that had been assigned to use and calculated the number of undead in the area. There are a lot, but we would be able to deal with them.
Stone had divided units such, that every unit would have people with skills, that would aid in the battle, directly and indirectly.
It is so different from the other battles we had fought.
Even during the first battle, when we had brought the enemy into the city, we had fought against them head-on.
Here, it is a little different. More dangerous.
In this city, there is no legacy to aid me or protect me. In every battle in Greltheaven, I always had the support of the legacy.
I knew, I could run away and enter the range of Legacy, where I will be safe, with the spells, I could command through it.
Since the first battle, we have imprinted a massive number of spells on the legacy.
We didn''t discriminate and imprint, that is considered the most useless or the most illegal.
We have prisoners, and we have made complete use of them. We have a list of undead spells imprinted on the legacy.
Now, another enemy is coming to attack the city.
I have enough confidence to know, that they will not be able to breach the city, but if they somehow did, they will bear the wrath of my legacy.
"My lord, the enemy had started to gather on the streets," informed Shaun.
"Be ready, they might attack us, this time," I said to my men.
For a few minutes, the undead are gathering into the houses from the little tunnels they have made around them and now they have started to come out of the street.
They first thought we would come at them. Like a few of our units did, before the skill, but it was a ploy.
"Their numbers have reached a thousand," said Shaun and a smile appeared on my face.
"To the enemy," I ordered and led the company toward the enemy.
Our plan is not to attack the enemy unless we are attacked, but that is when the enemy is hiding inside the houses with people and in small numbers.
When they are out in high numbers. They are open game.
This is a battle, after all, and we won''t be winning it by just moving around.
It will be won by killing the enemy.
Soon we crossed the street and saw the enemy. The undead, filing the street, with many streams of it joining them from the different houses.
"Attack!"
I roared, and the company moved toward the undead.
All of them had been waiting for it, and now, they got the chance, they were moving enemy battle spirit burning in their heart.
It is not just the battle spirit; they have burning in their hearts.
There is also hate and will liberate this city from the clutches of the undead.
They have killed two-thirds of the city, nearly a hundred thousand people. Turned them into undead, some being family members of people fighting with me.
Some of these undead might be them.
I could see the trepidation and fear in their heart, but also know, if they see the person they know. They will not break down, instead kill it and free them.
The skills activated one after another, covering me and the entire company.
However, their effect isn''t as big as it used to be. My strength is increasing faster and unless the buffs are from someone of my level, it didn''t affect me much.
That doesn''t mean, I won''t take the buff. I will take, every bit of them, no matter how small they are.
I may not have much experience, but even with a little, I have. I understood very well, how every bit of increase helps in the battle.
The enemy reacted immediately.
The pillars attacked with the spells, while the undead moved to envelop us. Coming from every alley and street around us.
The only direction they are not coming from is from back, but they are moving to close that off too.
The undead are needlessly worried. We have no intention to retreat, not until we wipe them out and we will, despite the disparity in the numbers.
I have two hundred and thirty-two people, while the enemy has over a thousand and more are gathering.
I am scared, but we had expected it.
It''s not like, we are facing such odds for the first time. We had faced, even greater odds and came out winning.
This time, too, it will be no different.
Chapter 442: Inside The City
Osward
"It happened," I said as I felt my message spell breaking. I tried casting the spell again, but nothing happened.
"We are blind. It has suppressed, even shamanic communication," said Urag, seeing my efforts.
I nodded and didn''t say anything further and moved toward the target.
I had marked the enemy with the Seeker''s Mark and could sense his direction. He didn''t try to remove the skill, which means, he is prepared for me.
General Stone was opposed to letting me fight him. I had to beg him to let me do it.
He didn''t think, I could be able to deal with him and asked me to focus on containing him, instead of trying to kill him. Which will get me killed.
I wish I could say he is wrong about that.
We both may be a high-mages, but there is a difference in our abilities, not to mention, the levels, but I am still moving to fight him.
I need to fight him. It is the only thing I want to do since I escaped from Panar.
My heart pains when I looked at the state of the city, where I had spent years. It was never a prosperous city, but it was a lively one.
The people here were hardworking and good-natured.
Most of them have died.
The ones that had remained are now hiding in their houses, with their hearts filled with fear.
I could sense them with ''Detect Life,'' I could also sense the undead that is hiding with them.
I wanted to barge into the house and kill the undead, but that would be a mistake. I had fought city battles before. The first one was a decade and a half ago when I was not even Lv. 10.
I was still in the academy and needed spells, but didn''t have money to buy them.
So, I joined the army, like many poor students like me, during the vacation.
I had barely survived it and promised myself to never do it again, but did it the next year and the year after that.
It was the quickest way I could get the spells and the money I needed.
I pushed those thoughts away and moved with the battalion.
Soon, barely a mile had remained between us, and I could already see the large numbers of undead gathering.
"Form up!" commanded Asit and the battalion became disciplined as we moved toward the undead before finally reaching Nadir Square.
It is on the eastern side of the city, where most working class used to live.
It was the liveliest place, with all types of shops and businesses. Now everything is either destroyed or shuttered.
It felt painful to even look, but I kept looking, before turning to my target.
Koris Yegson.
The leader of Panar. He is the man who had led the horde to Panar and conquered it.
He had not just captured but also sent his undead to capture the people who were running away. Many of my friends and colleagues were captured in front of my eyes.
Asit and I were barely able to save our lives from him.
I looked at him as he looked at me.
He is a man, who looked to be in his early forties. Handsome in a rugged way and well-built like a warrior, despite being a mage.
He is a wearing grey mage robe with an emblem of Vris''alud on it.
Around him is the horde of undead. There are over five thousand undead behind him and a few thousand in streets and houses.
He has been prepared.
"It shouldn''t take much to finish you all off," he said, in a casual tone, without any hint of worry.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"Don''t be too confident," replied Urag. To which he smiled.
"Attack!" he ordered, and the horde moved toward us.
Not just the horde, but also the warriors and pillars. The division only has two Lv. 30, warriors, but the enemy has three.
Two are moving toward Urag while one is toward Asit. Yegson kept looking at me for a few seconds, before raising his staff at me.
A moment later, a barrage of spectral needles came toward me.
¡
Orok Uram
"Kill!"
I roared with a Rallying Cry as I ran toward over two thousand undead with my company.
The rhythm bloomed in my heart, more loudly than in the last battle. Its intensity had reached the level of the first battle, I had fought.
It surprised me, but I didn''t focus on it. There are too many enemies to get distracted.
They are everywhere, in this narrow street, on top of houses, and alleys, and I could see wanting to envelop us.
We didn''t stop that. It is good for us.
Whoosh!
A few seconds passed, and I heard the familiar sound, and with it, came the stream of fire, that bloomed and covered over thirty undead immediately.
A moment later, the undead began to fall down, but not before we reached them.
I crashed through them. They are not harmful.
The fire isn''t as hot as normal fire, but because of the light element in it. It is more harmful to the undead and kills them within a second.
That doesn''t mean it won''t be harmful to us, but Barb is careful.
She burned the undead in front of us because she knew me and others in front of her could handle it.
"Remember our strategy," I said to the company, before swinging my ax to the group of undead in front of me.
Most of the units in the army are designated to a specific area, but there are a few, like mine. Which are given complete freedom to operate anywhere we want.
I am the only one among the freedom units, who is below Lv. 30 to get this, get this responsibility.
I don''t want to disappoint.
Khachac!
My ax cut through the undead and I moved forward, with my company.
We killed every undead that came our way. It didn''t matter whether it was zombies or skeletons, it got cut and burned by us.
The replay was immediate. The spells rained down on us, but our mages reacted immediately.
Defensive shields came forward, to defend against them. We didn''t move on the offense. I had asked the mages to use the spells only for defense.
They need to conserve their mana to last through the battle.
The undead kept moving at us, trying to push us in a certain direction. The enemy wanted to press us in the narrow space. Contain us before finishing off, but it didn''t happen.
We are moving, not stopping even for a moment.
I have told my men to not stop. Killing undead is fine, but our actual target is those who are alive, warriors, pillars, and mages.
We will stop only for them.
My ax moved with every step, killing the undead as they came at me. I am not using any skill. These undead aren''t powerful enough to make me use them.
I might have used them in the spells, targeting me, but my mages are stopping them.
Hun!
It didn''t take long. The wild rhythm spiked in my heart and a moment later, a group of Bone Spears tore through the mage shields.
I grinned seeing them and stepped forward with Lion''s Strength coursing through my veins and swung my ax.
¡
Karsa
The undead had surrounded us from every side and it was horrifying.
So, much, it froze me in fear.
Maybe joining the army had been a bad idea.
It had made me abandon my tribe and made the relationship with my family complicated.
My tribe was opposed to me joining the army. They are opposed to any woman joining the army.
Some of the tribes are letting their women join it, but most are still opposing it.
I didn''t have much of a choice; it was either that or marry.
It is my first battle, and I was quite excited till an hour ago, but now there is only a horror in my heart.
Rip!
Another attack hit me. I wasn''t able to dodge it, due to being frozen on the spot.
"Focus soldier!" shouted a familiar woman. Next second, I saw Sergeant Dina, killing the group of undead coming at me, before moving away.
I felt relieved before shame filled me.
Everyone is fighting. There is not a single person, who is standing frozen like me.
I should be fighting. I have trained for it, but I am so overwhelmed in fear, that I couldn''t even move, much less raise my sword to fight.
Seconds passed and undead kept coming at me, but killed before reaching me.
Till two of them came at me.
I looked around but found no one there to help me, everyone was busy with enemies.
I tried to open my mouth to scream for help, but whether it was in fear or shame, my mouth wouldn''t open.
I watched skeleton and zombie come closer to me, till they were right in front of me.
Unlike me, they had no fear in their eyes and attacked immediately.
I tried to retreat but found my back hitting the wall of the house. In my panic, I pushed my hand forward, to save my face from the sword.
Clang! Rip!
The handguard had stopped the zombie''s sword, but the skeleton''s saber had cut through my waist.
The attack is deep and would have gone deeper. If I hadn''t dodged it on time.
Gaaa!
The zombie screamed and attacked again, this time, I wouldn''t be able to save myself.
I have to act, be a soldier, that I had sacrificed so much to become. If not, I will be killed in this attack and become another dead body, that might rise to become undead.
I don''t want to suffer fate, after I had paid such a big prize
"Die you bastards!" I screamed with everything, I had and swung my sword toward the undead, channeling every bit of fear, I felt toward them.
Activating, Strong Strike. The only skill, I have got from my Soldier Class.
For a moment, everything was a blur, before I felt myself hitting something hard. It was the neck of the skeleton, my sword had cracked it, before started breaking through it.
I had used the sword wrong.
If I had used it right away; the way, I had been taught. I would have been able to cut through its neck smoothly.
Khat!
Finally, the sword came out from the other side.
Seeing the head of the skeleton flying. A smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
I had done it; I had finally killed the undead.
I wanted to jump into a job, instead, I stumbled to my left to dodge the attack of the zombie.
Rip!
It gave me a cut on my art, but it''s not deep. The armor saved my arm. If not for it, the zombie would have taken it whole; the attack was powerful enough to hack it apart.
Gaaa!
The zombie screamed and attacked again.
Once again, my heart was filled with fear, but this time, it didn''t freeze me.
Chapter 443: Difficult Enemy
Margaux
"It will be fine," I said, seeing my friend looking south, toward Panar.
"I am worried," she said after a few seconds of silence.
We have received a message not long ago. Lord Silver had entered Panar to root out the undead.
"Me too, but there is nothing we could do. Here, we might do something, if the walls are breached," I said and looked toward Deerpond.
In less than five hours, they will be in the city.
She didn''t say anything to that, nor did I speak anymore. Instead, I turned to the beautiful city.
The view from the tower is amazing; one could get an idea of how the city is growing. I have been coming here every week and always see something new.
If Master Silver had waited for a few months. He would have been better prepared, with the bigger army, but wouldn''t have had such a chance, Stena had said.
"What do you think about his words?" I asked.
Her expressions become serious, understanding what I am talking
Before he left, he said something and asked for our opinions on it. It will shock, the entire city, the entire region, and even the continent.
"He needs to conquer the city first," she replied.
I didn''t say anything more and turned back to the city, with the hope, that it would survive, what was coming for it.
It needs to, till its lord returns.
¡
Stone
Clang Clang Clang!
Our weapons clashed hard as they met each other at the blurring speed.
Rip!
She is fast, and she is a mage.
It is why, I dodged her sword at the cost of the injury and defended against the Bone Lances, before moving to defend against her sword.
She was the most difficult enemy; I had ever faced. Also, the most powerful, but that is not important.
I had killed those more powerful than me, but those difficult had nearly killed me.
They are the dangerous kind, and she is the most dangerous, I had ever fought.
"You are good. better, than the elder-blood, I had killed," she said and came at me with another attack.
At the same time, two more attacks came from spectral hands, holding the bone swords.
Rip!
I dodged her attack and the bone sword but was cut by another bone sword. Which she controlled, finely enough, that it had cut the small, unprotected part of my arm.
It hadn''t been even fifteen minutes since we had started fighting and she had already injured me all over my body.
It is a good thing, that my elder-blood is good at dealing with magical injuries or it would have been troublesome to deal with.
"I heard, you had some methods. Why aren''t you using them?" she asked as she came at me with another attack.
"I will, it is not just the time," I replied and defended against the attack.
Using this method would be a bad idea. Especially this early in the battle. I have to conserve my strength and use it as sparingly as possible.
Unlike her, I can''t just take the energy from the undead around me. If I am drained, I am drained. There is nothing that will help me recover other than time.
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"It is time, my dear, elder-blood. If you don''t use the methods now, you will not get a chance to use them again," she said, attacking me again with a barrage of Dark Bolts.
I had experienced them well, in the last battle and manipulated my energy to create a later to defend against them.
Ting Puch Ting!
They were able to reduce more than half of their power before they hit me.
I ground my teeth in pain and hoped my internal defenses would deal with them quickly.
Hun
I had just dealt with that when I found arcs of black lightning in front of me. I swiftly move my halberd and distort.
Rip!
As I did, my whole body shuddered with a feeling of danger and I leaped back, but still got a bloody cut in my chest.
She is Mage Knight, her class is made of two powerful classes of their category. It gives her the might of the Knight and the versatility of the Mages.
She is proficient in using both, unlike Bartram, who was a Knight, despite knowing spells.
The intelligence said, her level is in her mid-thirties. It is powerful and with her class, she is more powerful at that level. Warriors or even mages of the same level are no match for her.
As she kept saying, she had killed an elder-blood before, which isn''t easy.
Given our abilities, which make us stronger, move faster, and heal swifter. We are a nightmare, to our enemies, but someone like her counters us well.
She is as strong as us, fast as us, and has more abilities than us in the form of spells and skills.
We dread the enemies like her, who could counter our every advantage.
If I had the option, I rather not face someone like her, even with a broken artifact in my hand. I am at a disadvantage, but I have to keep fighting.
If I had lost; the entire battle would collapse, and it is already under strain, and it is increasing every minute.
I could sense it all.
She may have silenced all the communication, but many other skills are working.
My Battle Awareness is working.
I could see my army. Most of them have already started engaging with the enemy, which is coming at them on all sides. From houses to alleys to roads.
There is so much, I want to do.
I could direct the army, to deal with the enemy more efficiently, but now because of communication blockade, I couldn''t.
A lot more people are going to die due to it and the sole reason for that would be the woman in front of me.
My heart rages when I look at her; I want to burst out with all my strength and attack, but that would be the most idiot thing, I could do right now.
Giving into my emotions is giving her what she wants.
Currently, I am fighting. I am getting injured, but fighting. That is my strategy for the battle.
I am confident, that I will get the advantage in the battle. If I burst out with full strength, it wouldn''t be enough to kill her. If it had been, I would have already done it.
Killing the enemy fast is the best way to end the battle quickly and save a lot of lives, but I do not have confidence in killing her.
The best course of action is to keep fighting as I am right now and survive.
It won''t win me the battle, but that is what the army is for.
I have trained them myself and chosen each officer for this battle.
I know they are capable.
The enemy might be suppressing them now, but it won''t be forever. Not again this enemy, which barely has any chance to prepare.
If the enemy, like her, had even a day to prepare. It would have been terrible. I wouldn''t have attacked the city, even in my dreams.
By attacking, in the twelve hours of fighting battle; at the time, they have least expected had provided us with an opportunity, that we might not have got ever.
So, many things have lined up for this attack; that I couldn''t just say no when Lord Silver asked, despite the innumerable risks.
Including leaving Greltheaven with less force, than we had brought here.
Which made the people, who should be our allies, attack us.
I clearly thought and focused on the enemy and needles she had attacked me.
These needles aren''t normal. They are covered by the fire, her sword coming at me.
The energy came out and covered me, while I moved my halberd to deal with her attack.
Ting Puch Ting!
The armor and energy saved me, but some still pierced into my body. I quickly pushed them out with the energy, but they had already done the damage.
I proactively moved the energy into my body to deal with the damage.
It is hard to control the elder energy, but I have an excellent teacher. It is because of her; that I have become so good at controlling the energy.
She is the reason I was able to get more than one method in less than a year of awakening and was also proficient in using them.
"I have fought many giant-bloods; even spar against an old one, but you are the most impressive one,"
"It seemed like, they are right, what they say about the bronze giants," she said and cast another group of needles.
I didn''t say anything to that. I had heard a few things, but not enough to comment concretely.
I have just awakened and barely started receiving things. The elder blood provides a lot of things, but one needs to be worthy of it.
More than half of the elder blood didn''t progress much, but some were able to reach, heights beyond imagination.
It is just like the class and levels.
How high, one could go depends on her individuals'' efforts and luck.
Hun!
Suddenly, a shudder rang through my body, and I saw her sword coming at me, but I brought my halberd down, toward my legs.
I cut the translucent binding moving to surround me and retreated.
Rip!
She used the chance to give me the biggest injury. A long cut across my chest, that runs bone deep.
It is serious and painful, but better than the fate, I would have suffered.
If I hadn''t acted on time and given that translucent binding opportunity.
It would have slowed me down enough to give her the opportunity to push that sword into my chest and it would have been game over for me.
"It''s the attack, I had used to kill the elder-blood; it didn''t work on you," she said.
"It would have, if I had reacted even a fraction late," I replied, looking at my bloodied chest, which is throbbing painfully.
She didn''t say anything to that, but came at me with a powerful attack.
Chapter 444: Survive
Ronda
"Four and a half hours more," said Lord Darius, looking at his watch.
"Don''t worry my lord, we will reach there on time and conquer and nothing and no one could stop us from that," I said to the man, who was clearly nervous, but hiding it with skill.
It is his first time leading the battle.
However, he won''t fight, nor does he need to. He is a lord; his presence alone is enough.
"Father is right, my lord. With the force, we are bringing; Greltheaven would have no choice, but to bend its knee in front of you," added Javier.
Lord Darius nodded, with a pleased smile on his face.
"Any reply on our newest offer?" he asked a moment later. I had told him, not to do it, after the first offer. Knowing it was useless, but the man didn''t listen.
"Rejected," I replied.
We had offered Cardin a deal. If he surrenders the city. He rejected it.
"Have our spies found anything?" he asked with worry, returning to his eyes.
I shook my head.
There are a few things that have made me worried. The most being that bastard keeping, his trusted mages in the city. Especially that Geomancer, that brought out the alchfire.
It is the thing we fear the most.
If they have it; then it could wipe out our army. That would be terrible.
We had asked the merchants about it, but the bastards are mum. They have stated directly; that they wouldn''t share any information with us unless it is about the undead.
"I will keep asking," I replied after a few seconds of silence.
It took quite an effort to place the spies in the enemy''s army, but even they didn''t seem to know anything.
Silver is good at keeping important information contained.
We tried to breach it, but not a single person in his inner circle responded to our advances.
"You do not need to be worried, my lord. Even if they have more alchfire orbs; we have made enough preparations to deal with them,"
"We have brought the geomancers with us and have people, with danger sensing skills,"
"With such preparations; they wouldn''t be able to blindside us," reassured Javier.
"Let''s hope, so," replied Lord Darius and sighed.
A lot of it riding on the success of this mission. If they were able to conquer Greltheaven. They will get a legacy and control over the river route.
It will be like controlling half of the region, which will provide them with wealth, influence, and safety.
They wouldn''t be reliant on the one city alone.
Most importantly, if I am able to give, the lord Greltheaven. He had promised me Riverbell. He said that, just before, I left the city with the army.
I want Riverbell; it will make me a lord.
I pushed those thoughts away and turned to Laris beside me. "Any news?" I asked him.
"The battle in Port Midlet is still continuing. Silver''s army, had entered the Panar to fight the undead," he replied, and a relief flooded into my heart.
That boy in Port Midlet is doing good. Keeping the horde of million undead at bay.
I hope he will wipe them out, like how Silver did yesterday. It would be great if he was able to wipe out even 60% to 70% of them.
The rest of them, even if came at us, we will be able to deal with them.
As for Silver, it won''t matter, even if he retreated safely from Panar. As long as I got control of the city, he wouldn''t be able to do anything.
Instead, he will have to do what we want. Since his legacy would be in our control.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Just thinking about it, makes me want to smile brightly.
I didn''t, of course. I am the leader of the army; I need to maintain my composure.
¡
Undead came at us from all sides, roads, alleys, and roofs. Houses, some even broke the walls and windows to come at us.
There is not a single place, from where they are not coming.
I looked at them as I moved toward the enemy. The biggest cluster of them, with over a thousand undead pillars and other powerhouses.
Rip!
The first undead appeared in front of me, and my rapier moved. Cutting it into two without stopping.
My men had also moved into the action and begun hacking the undead into pieces.
It was smooth at first, but soon, the undead showed their greatest advantage and slowed our pace.
The numbers.
All they needed was seconds to slow our charge. Our speed had turned that of walking and more undead were coming, to slow us down further.
They had enveloped us from all sides. There is not a single direction, in which they aren''t coming.
Hun!
My rapier moved, and I hacked one undead after another when I felt all the hair on my body rise up.
Bang!
I opened my mouth, but an explosion occurred before I could even form the word.
A moment later, the blackness disappeared, and I began to hear the sounds again.
I looked at the bloody gore, covering me. There is a layer of green energy protecting me.
It is what saved me from the explosion; that would have torn the holes through my body.
Bang Bang Bang
I was looking at it when I heard more explosions around me. Undeads are exploding, wanting to kill us, before we could hack them to pieces.
It is a proven strategy of the undead and now, with the communication blockade, it has become even more effective.
Earlier, there used to be a communication net covering all.
The moment one senses the undead exploding. They would be sent out a message and a protection spell from the mage would cover them.
Now there is no communication.
We have placed the mages strategically; they could sense the danger and cast the spell to protect our men, but this approach isn''t as effective as the communication net.
In our current condition, it is the best option we have.
"Kill the enemies!" I roared and began hacking at the undead at an even greater pace.
There is only one effective way to deal with it. Kill all the undead.
When there will be no undead, nothing will explode.
The explosions were occurring on every side, but it didn''t stop us.
We are killing the enemy as we move forward.
We will not stop, till we reach the big group of undead and wipe them all out, including the powerhouse hiding there.
A minute passed and then another, when we reached them. There are thousands of them, and they came at us like the tide.
For once, I am grateful for the narrow space; it is creating barriers for them.
Hun!
I was killing the enemy when I saw a mass of powerful lightning appearing in front of me. The same lightning that Lich had used against me.
I had a leveled-up, countless times since then, but even now, I am powerless against it.
All Grade 4 spells are dangerous to me.
Bang!
The shield appeared and stopped the attack.
"There are two Lv. 30; a mage and warrior," said Shaun, before leaping into the roof of the house and firing the spells at the enemies.
The pillars also revealed themselves and our mages moved to fight them, while I and others hacked the undead as we moved forward.
There are a lot of enemies, but we are killing them.
Still, I could see my people were suffering. Getting injured and dying. The rate feels greater than in the last two battles.
My heart pained, seeing that, but I controlled my emotions and kept killing the undead.
Hun!
Minutes passed when the warriors started to come out. Seeing their numbers, my expression couldn''t help but turn serious.
"My Lord, I think you should retreat," advised Lt. Ross
"Thank you, for your advice lieutenant, but I will stay," I replied. The man opened his mouth, but closed it, seeing the expression on his face.
Retreat isn''t an option. I have to fight, for myself. For these people, I am leading.
A few seconds later, he walked ahead to fight against the enemy coming toward us.
One by one, the officers moved to fight the enemy powerhouses, till only I had remained.
Hun!
Another minute passed when two more warriors came out of the undead and they were coming directly toward me.
It''s clear; that I am their target.
The officers noticed them instantly and tried to stop them, but couldn''t.
The enemies, they were fighting held them back.
The same happened with Shaun. He attacked them with the spells, but the enemy mage reacted and protected them with the defensive shields.
He might have been able to do something. If he had been fighting with the mage alone, but he was also holding back a Lv. 30 warrior.
A few seconds passed and the undead fighting me began to retreat.
"You guys retreat," I said to the soldiers around me.
"Lord Silver, the enemies are strong," said the young orc, looking at two people coming at me.
"Don''t worry about them; I will be able to handle them. You guys just make sure, that no undead would come to disturb me," I said.
Hesitation appeared on their faces, but they nodded and retreated.
Leaving me alone.
I turned ahead and looked at the enemies, who had entered the empty space.
There are two of them. One is human, while the other is an orc.
The human man looked to be in his early thirties. He is tall, over six and a half feet tall, wearing light armor and having a straight sword in his hand.
He is an agility fighter; it is clear by his physique and weapons.
The grey orc beside him is shorter, with a classic orc physique. He looks to be in his late thirties.
He is heavily armored, from helmet to shoes, and holding a saber thinker than my arm in one hand and shield in another. I would need to be really careful in fighting against him.
These two are pre-Lv. 30.
They were part of Panar''s forces and had been here for over six months.
Saying fighting with them would be hard, would be an understatement. There is a good chance; I would be pinned to the ground within seconds.
Yesterday, I had fought against one pre-Lv. 30 and barely able to defeat him.
Today there are two of them.
While I had gained three levels. They did not give me the confidence I would like to have, but it didn''t matter.
They are the enemies, and I will have to fight them.
If I did not, they would attack my officers, who were already busy fighting. So, dying or getting captured isn''t either; I will have to kill them, or at least keep them occupied.
It is the only way; my men and I will survive.
Chapter 445: Fierce Clash
"Little lord, any interest in surrendering?" asked the tall man, whose name was Guilo Falls.
I didn''t reply and kept looking at them.
"I guess, it''s no," he said with a grin and came at me with a speed skill.
It''s not a normal speed skill. It had made, his movements sort of ghostly, which made it hard to track.
Now, I am slightly regretting, removing the focus. I did it in favor of other skills, which I had thought would be more useful here.
Till now, I didn''t get a chance to use it and I hope, I never do.
His movement is confusing, but I could see it.
My mental stats are high enough, that such skills couldn''t confuse me; not to mention, that I had leveled up and had an actual battle experience.
It could be said that today I am in a much better position to fight an enemy like, him than I was yesterday.
I would have been fearful of such a skill yesterday, but today, I am not.
He stopped in front of me and attacked.
His attack was fast, with mist covering his sword, made me feel like, my head was spinning as I looked at it.
I didn''t look away and instead swung my rapier in response, with the power of Blade of Gale.
Clang!
Our swords clashed surprising, the tall man.
Forget his sword hitting me, I didn''t even so much shake, which was surprising even to me.
It seemed like the level-up had given me a greater boost than I had thought.
I didn''t have time to enjoy the surprise as I dashed to my left with the Blitz Steps.
Rip!
I was able to dodge it, but an attack from Rolno Orac had torn my sleeve, with a blade of his saber, nearly touching my skin.
Thankfully, it had only cut the sleeve, not the hand he was targeting.
Hun!
I was feeling relieved when I saw another attack coming toward me from the front, by the tall man and his sword had already crossed half of the distance.
I reacted immediately, with a rapier whipping toward it without wasting any moment.
I could feel his attack was more powerful than the last. It is not only fast, but there is also weight to it.
Clang!
I was right, I felt it the moment, my sword touched his and activated a quick parry, to divert the force.
That would have numbed my hand, at the least.
He tried to stop the parry and press ahead but didn''t succeed.
Hun!
It presented me with a golden opportunity to move at him and hack his neck, but I had to move to dodge the attack from the orc.
"Bastard!"
I cursed the orc as dashed left. If not for it; I would have a good chance to kill him.
The confidence surprised me, but it is the truth. There is a good chance I would have been able to kill him or at least injure him seriously.
The battle yesterday had given me the valuable experience of fighting the pre-Lv. 30.
I had sparred with them, hundreds of times, but I didn''t have the confidence till yesterday.
Yesterday''s battle had given me the confidence, and experience, to fight foes like these.
Now, I am not just fighting with the intention of surviving, but to kill.
Stolen novel; please report.
The attack came from the front again, and I moved my rapier to deal with it while keeping an eye on the orc.
Clang!
I clashed, parrying the attack once again, before moving on to dodge the attack.
Rip!
I was a little slow at that and got the cut on my waist by the orc''s saber. It''s not deep enough, but deep enough, to draw out the blood.
I had just dodged the attack from the orc when a human attacked me again.
Clang Rip Clang!
I clashed against them every second.
They didn''t want to give me even a moment of rest. I am constantly moving, my feet never staying in one place for more than a fraction of a second.
I am using my Speed Skill and passive skills to the best of their abilities.
I have trained to use them at maximum efficiency, and I am pleased with how I am doing, despite the cuts appearing on my body.
Rip!
Another one appeared on my back, and a moment later, tears began to appear in my eyes.
It started to burn, like someone had filled it with kerosene and lighted it with the fire. It''s really painful, that I want to scream.
The pain skill. It was the first time he had used it.
Clang!
I bore the pain and defended against the attack, parrying it, when I noticed something surprising from the corner of my eyes.
I had been expecting the saber, but it was a shield coming at me, with an obvious intention of ramming it at me.
It is also fast. Fast as the saber he had been attacking me with.
I had experienced enough ramming from Garzong and others to understand, how bad it would be. If the shield rammed against me.
So, I moved to dodge the attack.
There is not a single thought in my mind to stop the shield with my rapier; that would be an utter mistake.
I dodged it, but he seemed to have expected it as he attacked me with the saber.
I reacted immediately and brought my rapier forward to defend against it.
Clang!
My rapier clashed against his saber, giving me a shock in my arm despite parrying the attack.
The attack might not be fast, but it was filled with power.
Rip!
I defended, but another came immediately, and I moved to dodge it, but the attack was fast, and it cut through my chest, right below the armor, giving me a bloody cut.
"You bleed," he said with a smile, and came at with the orc, while I moved to dodge, before defending against his second attack and dodging another of the orc''s attacks.
Clang Rip Clang!
My blade clashed, and I dodged while getting cut on the back.
They are increasing and the pain; they give brings tears to my eyes.
I wanted to scream. Instead, I bore the pain and defended and dodged their attacks.
Their teamwork is good, and their capabilities and powers complement each other. It is likely why they have been sent to deal with me.
"You should surrender, Silver. It will only become more painful. If you keep fighting," said the orc and leaped toward me.
It is definitely a skill. Seeing with the grace and speed, he had leaped toward me.
I waited for a moment and crouched down, before moving right. Dodging his attack, before swinging my rapier forward to defend against the tall man''s attack.
I will not surrender. If I had an intention of doing that; I wouldn''t have resisted the undead at all.
"Not interested," I replied as I dodged another attack from the orc, which severed a few pieces of the tattered sleeve.
Minutes passed, and the fight continued.
Everyone is fighting. I don''t know how they are doing; I am completely focused on the two enemies.
They are so powerful, that I didn''t let myself get distracted, even for a moment. I cannot afford, to even look around for even a moment.
Rip!
I got another cut on the back by the orc.
It is light like the most, but their numbers are piling up across my body and also the pain they are giving me.
I wanted to kill the bastard, but Orc wasn''t the target, nor I could kill him with the tall man on my tail, who is attacking me constantly every second since the battle begins.
Their plan is good; they are attacking me constantly, not giving me even a single chance to attack.
I do not mind it, to be honest. I like such battles. I thrive in it.
A few more minutes passed, and we were still fighting. I could see the frustration and anger in their eyes, but they were experienced and kept it under control.
They had not expected this; they might have thought about the two of them together, it wouldn''t take them more than a minute to finish me off, but it had been over ten minutes.
Though, it''s also true, that I am bloodied and battered, while there is not a single injury on their body.
Rip!
Another cut appeared on my leg as I dodged the saber of the Orc when the sword-tall man came at me as usual.
I moved my sword to defend against his attack, using Blade of Gale, which I had using since the start of the battle.
Clang!
My sword clashed against his, and I parried with a quick parry as I did hundreds of times.
It is why, he already started moving, pulling back his sword for another attack, while the orc, attacked from behind.
The attack, I would dodge and then move my sword to defend against the attack of a tall man again, but I didn''t do that.
Instead, I move forward like a bullet, without care for the attack of the Orc coming from behind.
A surprise flashed in the tall man''s eyes, but he reacted fast by retreating and bringing his sword forward to stop me.
Clang!
My sword clashed with his and could see a relief appeared in his slightly panicked eyes.
I grinned at him and pushed myself forward. This time, I held nothing back.
Immediately, my speed more than doubled, and appeared beside him with our shoulders touching and the sword locked.
"Wha"
He opened his mouth, looking at our locked sword, when his eyes widened and panicked, which had just disappeared, returned with a hundred times more intensity.
Rapier isn''t the only weapon, I have. There is another one, that is moving toward him.
I sparred with Jim the most; the third of the sparring, I had done was with him. So, it is obvious, I would learn some tricks from the rogue.
The dagger reached him when I felt a defensive method activated on him.
It surprises me, not the defensive skill, but the one it belongs to.
It didn''t belong to a tall man but to the orc.
That didn''t stop my dagger, it flared with the power of enchantments, and I activated Sharpness on top of it, making the attack even more powerful.
Puch!
It touched the tall man''s neck and pierced inside despite the defensive skill, before tearing his neck apart with the power of Mauling Strike.
Killing the man.
Chapter 446: In Cold Blood
The warm blood splattered on me from a gruesome hole in the tall man''s neck, but I bore it as I spun to deal with the attack of the orc.
"Falls!"
Orc screamed as he looked at me in fury, while my eyes were on his saber.
Clang!
My rapier clashed with his saber.
I parried it but still felt the shock in my arm. Making it numb for a moment.
"It''s your turn," I said and whipped my sword toward him, without wasting any time.
He didn''t try to defend it with the saber and moved his shield forward.
The orc is furious, but he is experienced. He reacted pragmatically despite the grief he was feeling.
He had seen my speed and, using a saber, would have given me a chance to kill him. It is why, he had brought forward his shield to defend against my attack.
Clang!
My sword clashed against his shield. Immediately, feeling the shock, that had numbed my arm.
I bore the numbness and appeared to his left and attacked him once again.
Clang Clang Clang!
He quickly moved his shield forward to defend against it. So, I moved behind him and once again moved his shield and defended against it.
I rather not hit the shield and suffer the attack from the skill, but I need to do it to kill him.
I begin to fight like a true agility fighter, moving around him.
Attacking him from all sides and angles, and he defended against all attacks with his shield.
"Why are you being a turtle? Fight me like a man!" I challenged, but there was no response from him.
I wish I had a taunt; it might help against this turtle.
I have a few strategies to deal with him, but first, I will have to know his limitations. I already have a pretty good idea, but I want to be sure.
I continued with the attacks, testing his responses to different types of attacks.
I even took the chance to drink the potion. The bastards have carved me up good and they are painful; the pain skill from the orc is still active.
Hun!
Over a minute passed, and I kept attacking when I heard something behind me.
I turned and saw the house collapsing. It is not the first house to collapse, but the one close to me.
The houses are fragile, in front of the spells and attacks, that are flying around.
I was about to turn to the opponent when I saw something that turned my expression bad.
People had started to come out of the house. The last few came out, with the house collapsing on them.
Thankfully, someone cast a spell on them. Saving them from being buried, seeing that I felt relieved, but soon my expression turned bad again.
There are thirteen of them, with two being children, not more than two years old.
There were even three children, five to ten years old, and they looked scared as adults.
One of the adult men had simply collapsed on the ground in fear. It is horrifying for them, everywhere they look. They saw the undead.
There is no way for them to get out. The undead surrounded the area, with them being in the near middle.
I was distracted by them, and the orc used that chance and attacked. His fast and strong; he seemed to have used everything he had.
Rip!
I reacted quickly, but he was able to able to give me a big painful cut across my back.
''No more waiting,'' I thought and moved to orc with the attack.
Those people will die if they don''t receive help anymore. Currently, they are in space, where I am fighting.
There are no undead there, but some undead might slip through my men. Seeing how scared these people are, a single undead would be more than enough to kill them all.
Clang!
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
The orc defended with the shield like before, but the very next moment, his eyes widened, when my sword slipped through his shield and attacked his hand.
Rip!
I gave him a cut below his armguard. It was not deep, but it drew the blood.
I smiled at his surprised face and attacked again.
Clang Clang Rip!
This time, he was more careful and defended the shield with his shield. He did it with the second one, but the third one, hit again across his legs.
The armor warriors are protected and have high defense, but they are slow.
Rip Rip!
Another cut appeared, and this time, on his shoulder, before one more at his le, where I had broken the strap of his leg guard.
My sword begins to carve him up, like he did to me.
Most of those are minor and he seemed to have skill, that stops the bleeding fast, but it didn''t matter as one of these attacks is going deeper than they are right now.
That will be the end of him. He seemed to understand, that as well as he has become more cautious.
A minute passed, and more injuries appeared on his body, but not a single one was serious enough.
I could see the confidence in his eyes was returning. This, in turn, made him defend against my attacks better.
In the past minute, the number of attacks landing on him reduced to less than the minute before that.
Frustrations and anger appeared in my eyes as I intensified my attacks, while the orc defended calmly.
Hun!
It was when something happened, and an alarm flashed into the eyes of the man as my rapier, which was about to clash against his shield, moved up toward his head.
He raised his shield immediately while attacking me with his saber, but my sword was faster.
Cling!
My sword reached above his shield and slid across it toward his face, while the dagger in my other hand stopped his saber, which nearly dislocated my hand.
He watched in alarm before turning his head, hoping the helmet would protect him.
It would not.
I have been fighting him for minutes, studying him. Testing him with my moves.
The helmet is enchanted, but it will not protect him.
My sword wouldn''t be able to breach the helmet, nor does not need to, as I am targeting the unprotected face
He had to turn his head, but that won''t save him. He released that next moment as I smoothly took a step and moved the sword toward his face.
It took a fraction of a second for my sword to reach his face, till it was only an inch away from my right eye.
Hun!
I was about to pierce my sword, through his right eye when suddenly all the hair on my body rose up.
I felt the death would come for me. If I didn''t move away from my place, that would be forgoing killing the enemy, which I am so close to doing.
It was a great struggle, but I decided to listen to my instincts.
''Fuck!'' I cursed in my heart, retreated instantly before turning.
Only to see, seven frost spears with a really sharp tip coming toward me. If I hadn''t retreated, four would have pierced through me.
Even now, I am not out of the danger; there are two of them right in front of me.
I could cut one with my sword, but that would be dangerous. Seeing the pieces of the spells would hit me; frost spears do not collapse when they are broken.
Not to mention, the second spear, which will tear through my stomach.
''It seemed like, it was a right decision,'' I said and activated the skill, I had replaced the Focus with and swung my sword toward the spears.
Clang Clang!
My sword clashed against the first frost spear, and it was repelled away; the same thing happened with the second spear.
Both of them crashed into the wall to the right, destroying it thoroughly.
The name of skill Graceful Repel. It is a Bell''s Skill, which she got after she had survived the assassination.
It is a powerful skill, capable of repelling any attack.
Though it wouldn''t have worked against the Grade 4 spells. Frost Spear is a Grade III spell, and they had pushed the skill to the limit.
Its power, after all, is dependent on the host. I am not the host of it; I had just copied the skill from her.
It was a decision, after all. If I had Focus, I would have been able to deal with one spear, but the second one would have had me.
I do not blame my mages for failing to protect me. There were several enemy mages who had attacked me seeing me about to kill their powerhouse.
Most of them were stopped with the shields appearing around me.
Only the frost spears were able to move past the shields.
I turned back to the Orc.
"You are one lucky bastard," I said, and he grinned in response.
"I am and my luck, has just got even better," he replied and looked past me.
A shudder spread through my body, and I turned, with my heart beating wildly in fear.
I saw a bronze-skinned man coming toward me, making my heart, stop for a moment.
He is a raven-haired man of medium height and build. Wearing light armor, with a long sword in his hand.
His pale blue eyes are focused on me, with his intentions visible in them.
I know the man; his name is Curtis Orsini. He is a Lv. 30+ powerhouse. He was in Almin since they had captured it and came here with Rynra Throne.
"Shit!"
I cursed and heard a sharp whistle. He turned a little but didn''t stop.
The whistle was a help whistle, since we knew the communication could go down. We had improvised, and the whistles were part of it.
I hope, the help comes and comes fast because I am not a match for a Lv. 30.
The undead parted with his every step; a few brave officers tried moving toward him but were stopped. So, are the spells of our mages.
I watched him and realized, to horror. That the group of civilians are in his way.
"Move away," I said to them and half of them quickly moved, but the other half remained frozen.
They were already scared, and the man''s suppression skill seemed to have affected them even more. Freezing them on their spot in fear.
"Fuck!"
I cursed and moved toward them, seeing they were not moving, even when the enemy had reached a few steps away from them.
I moved with everything I had and soon reached close.
That''s when the man, who was simply walking toward me, raised his sword and winged it.
"No!" I screamed in horror.
Pachac!
A wet sound rang out a moment later, and the man in front of him split in two, with blood spraying everywhere.
Some had sprayed on me as I stopped.
He killed the man.
A defenseless man who was frozen in fear and meant no harm to him, but he killed him, in cold blood.
If it had been a soldier, it would have been within his right, but a defenseless man?
"Why?" I asked.
The man stopped, and confusion appeared on his face for a moment before the smile returned.
"He was in a way," he replied simply, with his tone clearly stating, he felt he did nothing wrong.
Seeing that, the anger, I had never felt exploded in my heart.
"It seemed like me, killing an ant has made you angry," he said, seeing the burning anger in my eyes, which burned even hotter hearing his words.
The grin on his face widened seeing that, and he raised his sword before swinging it again.
Not toward me, but toward the woman frozen in fear, with a child in her arms.
"No!" I screamed and leaped with everything I had.
I pushed myself as I had never done.
I have come to the city to liberate it from the undead. Save these people, but now, in front of my very eyes, the enemy had killed a person, I had come to save.
Now, he had swung his sword to kill the defenseless woman and a child.
If I had let it happen. I would never be able to forgive myself
Chapter 447: Not A Good Feeling
Osward
Bang!
Lightning arcs crashed against my shields, breaking one while the other one had cracked all over the place.
It had been over twenty minutes since we were fighting.
The enemy is powerful. I had been expecting it, but he turned out to be stronger than my expectations.
I wouldn''t have been his match half a year ago when I had become a High-Mage. The half a year had given me time to study the new spells.
"I thought you would be a challenge, but you are only so-so," taunted Yegson.
His words hurt, but I didn''t let them get into my head.
I know how powerful, this bastard is, and I have to be careful every moment. The slightest mistake and his spells would hit me before I knew it.
Forget me. He would even kill Asit and Urag. If I am not careful.
I may be far away from killing him, but I am doing the job that had been assigned to me.
Keeping him contained.
I have been doing that for over twenty minutes. I have stopped him not only from harming him but also from harming others.
He would attack others as well as me, and it is my job to stop those attacks.
Like right now, he had attacked Urag with Bone Spikes and I had cast a stone skin on him. In case any of them were to pierce him.
He had a powerful defensive spell cast on him by his shaman.
Stone skin worked well with it.
It is better than casting a shield, seeing the spikes coming from the ground while stopping them with a shield possible, but it is a versatile spell.
If the mage is good enough, then they could move it around it, and Yegson is good.
I could see, he was getting angry, despite showing a smile on his face. A lowly, generalist, he planned to quickly finish before moving toward another battle is keeping him contained.
I had asked General Stone for this, but he wouldn''t have given me. If I didn''t have the ability in me.
He isn''t the man, who will listen to requests that are detrimental to battle.
I have been training hard for the past half a year.
I had studied countless spells and sparred with multiple opponents, including General Stone. That man is a monster; no spell could stop him.
Hun!
Suddenly, he used another spell. It is not targeted at me or Asit or Urag, but at soldiers.
Drasis Wave.
A variation of Necrotic Wave; will affect the common soldiers, who, like us have held the undead back, while slowly killing them.
It would be bad. If the spell hit them; it would be terrible. This spell is a Grade IV spell; it will inflict them with weakness and ailments.
Radiant Wave.
I activated my spell and, to the surprise, of the enemy. The light wave was released from my staff and clashed against the necrotic wave.
I am one of the few people who could use the light elemental spells.
Before coming to Greltheaven; I only knew one light spell. They are rare and the one, I know, was small and nearly useless at my level.
I kept the affinity secret; the churches hound those with such affinities.
I had only revealed it to General Stone who had provided me with the light elemental spells. Mage Zela''s help was also instrumental in learning them.
Though I could use the offensive and defensive spells, but couldn''t use the healing ones.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
They are the most difficult ones and I found out, that I didn''t have much talent for them.
Still, it is only half a year, which is not much for the conformation.
The mages with the healing spells have great value. If I learn even a simple one, my salary will go up. I would also be a great help to the army.
The Radiant Wave, hit clashed against Necrotic Wave.
It wasn''t able to destroy it all, but 80% of the power of the attack had been reduced. The 20% hit the soldiers, but it wouldn''t be as dangerous as it would have been at its full power.
He didn''t attack me immediately, instead looked at me.
He kept looking at me for four and a half seconds before he attacked again.
Spectral Blades.
My eyes turned serious, seeing the powerful spell.
The spectral blades are translucent, long blades. It will be my end if those blades hit me.
Aeryn''s Wall. Garion''s Curtain.
I didn''t hold back either, used the defensive spells. I had not used it before.
Aeryn''s Wall is a light elemental shield and Garion''s Curtain is a green element spell, which I had cast inside it, not behind and in front of it.
I had merged the spells.
The generalist has many disadvantages compared to the elemental mages.
Our spells are weak. We do not have expertise in one field, which makes it hard for us to advance, but we also have advantages of our own.
We can use a lot of spells without restrictions. Merge the spells of different elements, making them stronger.
Bang Bang Bang
The spectral blades clashed against my shield, which held on against them.
A flash of surprise appeared in his eyes before turning to irritation and his staff lit up again.
A second later, a huge bone finger, with its sharp nail burning in the black fire, appeared in the sky.
The spell immediately scared me. It''s a really powerful spell; it could kill me so thoroughly that people would have nothing blood and gore burning in a dark fire.
First the Spectral Blades and now this, he isn''t holding back at all.
Sup!
The finger came down toward me. I shuddered in my heart, knowing full well, that even a small part of this spell could finish me off.
I have to defend it and defend as such that not even the tiniest part of it could hit me.
''I''ll guess, I will be using that,'' I thought, and my staff blazed with power.
Azuro''s Sphere. Hundred Plates of Azar. Larus Reinforcement.
A sphere of wind appeared around me and a moment after that, white marble plates appeared inside it connected to each other by stone chains, which began to shine in a metallic light as Karus Reinforcement covered it.
This is a Hatsal''s Defense; a famous defensive Grade IV spell combination.
It is not only powerful but also hard to cast. I had practiced for over a thousand hours before I was able to master this combination.
I was also completely drained. My mana had gone below the 5%.
I took out the potion but didn''t drink it as the huge burning bone finger had reached me.
BANG!
The finger crashed against Hatsal''s defense and immediately the cracks appeared on the plate. The finger crashed, before spreading to the other plates.
Soon, all the plates had cracks with black fire coming out of them, which were quickly being sucked away by spinning air element sphere
I watched with my breath stopped.
Crack Crack Crack!
Seconds passed, and I saw the cracks appearing on the finger. Seeing that, I finally took a breath and drank the potion, which quickly began to replenish my mana.
Bang!
A few seconds later, a loud sound rang out. The finger exploded, but also the shield.
As it did, I saw the Yegson, closer to me than earlier, but I didn''t have time to think about it as the Spectral Blades coming at me once again; they had already crossed more than half of the distance.
Aeryn''s Wall. Garion''s Curtain.
I immediately cast spells, and I was relieved to see, the spells materialized just as the blades reached me.
All that battle experience in my younger days coming to use.
I had learned to cast the spells faster when I was still a student. I had seen mages, higher level than me getting killed by weaker enemies who could cast the spells faster than them.
Here, in the battle. Even a microsecond could decide the life and death.
Bang Bang Bang!
The shield defended against the attacks, but another was ready.
It was the lances with a tip burning in fire; they came at me from all sides. I once again cast an omnidirectional defense, which is different from Hatsal''s defense.
Snort!
He snorted and sent another spell at me while taking a few more steps closer.
Mages fight from a distance; it gives them greater freedom. The closer they get, the more that freedom shrinks, and the battle becomes dangerous.
I wanted to take a step back, but I didn''t. I stayed on my spot, which surprised even the enemy.
He likely thought I would retreat seeing him advance.
I may not be as strong as him and have as powerful offensive spells as him, but I am good at defending and casting faster.
I will be able to defend against him.
Most importantly, him being closer, might give me a chance to kill him, which I didn''t think I would have when he started revealing his power.
I want to kill him, now, even more than before, seeing how strong he is.
He is an enormous threat and would become even bigger. If left alive, but killing him isn''t going to be easy, there is a big chance of me dying, than him.
Every spell, he is casting, he is taking a step toward me. It also forced me to cast the spells faster.
I didn''t try to attack him at all and focused purely on defense. I have read the information and know how powerful his defensive spells are.
I won''t attack unless I see the chance.
Hun!
Time passed as he continued attacking me with his powerful spells, while I defended, drinking potion after potion.
He didn''t drink even a single drop, and why would he? When he could suck the mana out of the surrounding undead like he is doing right now.
Hun!
I defended against his spells and moved to another group of spells to respond to his attack when I noticed something.
Asit and Urag are closer to me.
They were quite far away from me just a few minutes ago, but now they are less than a hundred meters away from me and seem like coming even closer.
They are not coming closer to me on their own, but being pushed by their opponents.
I looked at the necromancer, and he grinned. It''s clearly his doing; he is planning something, and it involves all of us.
It did not give me a good feeling at all.
Chapter 448: Betrayal
Yegson
This bitch is too good at defending; nearly as good as the aegismancers.
Her information had said she was an average generalist mage. In the past battles, including that of yesterday, she didn''t show any abilities as she is showing right now.
If she had. I would have been better prepared to deal with her.
BANG!
My spell crashed against her shields and cracks appeared on them, but as always, it was unable to break them.
She is good, a fast caster. As fast as me, responding quickly against my spells despite coming from so close.
I cast another spell while taking another step forward toward her.
She defended before gulping down a bottle of potion and casting shields again to defend against another attack.
She is defending, but not without a cost.
Every shield spell she is using is powerful, and she is casting at least two defensive spells at once to defend against each of my attacks.
Those spells use a lot of mana.
To supplement it, she had drunk four mana potions. They are the reason; she is even alive.
If they were normal potions, she would have the mana burn, but they are not. The potions she is gulping down one after are not normal mana potions.
No, they are mixed potions. Regular Mana potions with drops of mana potion of emotion essence mixed in them.
Depending upon the quantity of emotion essence- mana potion mixed in them. She could easily burn two or even three times the number of normal potions before she would feel the burn.
These damn potions of emotions essence are one of the reasons we have lost, the battles. Normal armies didn''t have those; only after earning a great merit were those bestowed.
Here, nearly every powerhouse above Lv. 30, has them.
I sent another spell to her and activated Mana Siphon. Immediately, the dark mana begins to come to me and fill my reserves.
I have the skill to absorb mana from the undead. It is more efficient than the spell; very few necromancers of my level have this skill.
The skill is one of the reasons, why I have survived tens of battles, while those stronger than me have died.
It is fast and efficient, but it couldn''t provide me with unlimited mana. There is a limit to it and also the cost; the immediate one being, the undead getting weaker.
I could see, enemy soldiers getting an edge over my undead as they got weaker.
I am not too worried about it; I will deal with them after I deal with the mage and the orc.
They are going to die soon. There is no way for them to survive.
I am using a time-tested method to kill them. It has helped us win many battles and it will help us win this one too.
¡
Osward
BANG!
Another big bone finger clashed against me and nearly broke the shields.
The finger was more powerful than the first one, but I was able to defend against it.
However, there is no joy on my face regarding it.
He had already launched another spell while moving even closer to me. He is now less than a hundred meters away from me and I wanted to run away.
His spells are so fast that I am at my limit.
I am pushing myself, which is extremely risky. If I didn''t cast well, the spell would collapse and that would be the end of me, given how powerful his spells are.
As the spell crashed on my shield. I cast a glance at Asit and Urag, both of them have come close to me.
There are less than twenty meters remaining between us.
''What is he planning?'' I thought, looking at the necromancer. It is a question I am asking myself repeatedly. He is planning something, and I wanted to move away and create a distance.
That would be the wisest choice, but one wouldn''t consider me a wise person, seeing the questionable decisions I took in my life.
I do not have a death wish. There are reasons for me staying.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
The greatest being, that I felt like; Asit and Urag would be safer with me closer to them than far away, despite Yegson planning something for us together
Minutes passed and spells became faster as he got closer.
I am casting the spells as the enemy attacked. There is no delay of even a fraction of a seconds. If it happened even once, it would cost me my life.
"The bastard had planned something," said Urag as she reached me.
He is dealing with two of his enemies; there are injuries all over his body, while his enemies look better, because of being two of them.
One could drink the potion, while the other person fights. Though, one of them is pale with big hope in his armor. Urag had likely injured him.
Asit is in much better condition than Urag. He seemed to have injuries, but nothing serious.
The enemy is fighting is completely blooded, but the injuries don''t seem to slow him down.
He is a little further than me, but it won''t take him, long to reach me.
Aeryn''s Wall. Garion''s Curtain X 2.
He launched the Spectral Blades again, but their numbers seemed more than doubled than the last time.
I cast the spells as the last time but made the two layers of it.
Bang Bang Bang!
It was a wise decision, as the spectral blades had broken through the first layer of the shield. The second layer had stopped them, barely seeing the cracks that had spread all over them.
He didn''t stop with those spells and attacked again and again.
I kept summoning the shield to defend against his attacks, and soon, my mana had reached below 15%.
Immediately, I took out the potion and drank it.
It was my fifth potion. I had never drunk more than three potions in any of the battles, over two potions with drops of emotion potion.
In the last battle, I didn''t drink any, but here, five are already finished.
My heart pains seeing it; each potion is extremely expensive. People kill for it, but here, I am drinking one after another, without care.
I have five more, but I could only be able to drink three more before I would start to suffer the mana poisoning.
That would be bad.
Another minute passed and Asit, too, had reached me.
There are three enemies really close to me. All they would need is a single attack to finish me off.
Warriors usually do come so close to the mages. It reduces their chances to dodge our spells, despite it being the only way, they could finish us off.
I clearly have my thoughts and focus on the enemy, who is only ten meters away from me.
I was ready to cast defensive shields as always, but a second passed and no spell came.
"Last chance, surrender, Mage Osward," he said, the first time taking my name.
His words have gravity, that I felt my heart skip; I knew he planned something and could kill me.
One part of me wanted to accept his offer, but I quickly crushed that part.
"I would never surrender to the undead," I replied.
"Since it is the death, you desire. The death you shall have," he said and sighed dramatically.
There might be a drama in action, but I felt like, the offer was genuine, and I had just lost the chance to save my life.
It may that be, but I do not regret it. I detest Vris''alud and what they are doing in the Mayhurst Island. I could never be part of that, even to save my life.
The spell came, sooner than I had expected.
It was those bone fingers; they appeared in the sky above once again.
There are three of them and they are twice as big as before, and the fire burning on those sharp nails is also much denser.
I shuddered as I looked at it and knew I could not let even kindle of it touch my skin.
"Die!" Yegson said in a raspy voice; the spell is not without a cost.
I did not care about that, instead I started to cast the spells. It is not just my life in danger, but also of the two people, beside me.
The enemy seemed to plan for it, as they jumped back a moment before the spell appeared.
Asit and Urag didn''t follow. Instead, they came close to me. which is wise as there might have been a trap for them, and he would have tagged them individually.
Closer to me, the safest, but also the most dangerous, place.
I cast as I never did in my life; I forgot all the precautions and cast as fast as I could, not caring about failure.
Failure would kill me, but failing to defend would also kill me. So, rather choose the option, that gives me a chance of survival despite the risks.
Hatsal''s Defense X 3.
I was able to cast three layers of Hatsals Defense before the fingers reached them.
I know it is not enough, but nine spells seemed to be my limit, which is double my usual speed. It also made me extremely tired, that I wanted to collapse and let myself fall in a sweet embrace of death.
"Huge Shield!" shouted Urga and the shield he raised above us became bigger.
Seeing that, I felt relieved, before turning to massive bone fingers crashing on my defensive shield.
BANG.
Loud bangs round out as the first layer is crushed to pieces by the fingers.
I could see pieces of plates and chains scattering around before dissolving. Though it was able to dim the fire covering those sharp nails.
BANG!
The second layer shattered the same, but it made that dangerous fire completely disappear.
It made me feel relieved. That fire was extremely dangerous; it needed six defensive shields to whittle it away.
The huge bone fingers crashed into the last layer but unlike the two layers. The fingers couldn''t shatter it immediately, but the cracks began appearing on plates and chains immediately.
A moment passed when I saw faint cracks appearing on the massive finger.
BANG!
It pleased me, but the next moment, that feeling vanished as the last layer shattered, and the fingers moved toward the massive shield of Urag.
I cast Stone Aegis on the shield.
It nearly made me faint, but it least, I could do with the time I had. It is not as strong as a single layer of the Hatsal''s Defense, but it will offer some protection.
BANG!
The fingers crashed on the shield, breaking the defensive spells I had cast.
I could feel Urag shaking, nearly falling with the stone beneath his feet cracking and him bleeding through all his orifices.
"Ahhhhh!"
Despite that, he didn''t fall down, instead, he roared as bore the fingers.
The cracks spread on the fingers, till they had fully covered them.
I wanted to help him, but I didn''t. Instead, I turned to Yegson. Who looked as tired as me or even more.
Despite that, he is alert, ready to attack me.
BANG!
A second passed, and the first exploded, seeing that faint relief appeared in my heart.
BANG!
The second exploded right after and when the third exploded a second after that. I finally heaved a sigh of relief and a small smile appeared on my face.
The plan of the bastard was amazing.
He pushed us together and tired me out with constant attacks of spells while coming closer before finally using his most powerful spell.
Thank the gods, Urag had excellent skills and enhancement from his shaman, or we will never be able to survive.
I was smiling with relief when suddenly my Dangersense blared.
It blared with such intensity; it had never been in my life. Not even when I had come close to death before.
It overwhelmed me, but I controlled the feeling, looked at Yegson, and saw him with a smile when I felt the attack.
It didn''t come from his staff as I had been expecting but from the back. The sword had pierced through my chest and came out the front.
I could see it, blooded with my blood.
I looked at before turning and saw the man holding a blade. A man I considered a friend, a man I had gone through life and death and trusted with my life.
That man had just pierced his blade through my chest.
Chapter 449: Why?
"Why?" I asked Asit.
My dearest friend and lover; the loss had brought her closer. Gave us the strength to move forward, but now all have shattered.
"I want to live," he said, stone-faced.
There is remorse in his eyes and guilt, but there is also resolved to live. He is going to do anything for that, including kill his friend.
''I had been so blind,'' I thought, looking at the blade buried in my chest.
I should have seen it. There were the signs, but I had chosen to ignore them. I shouldn''t have and it would have saved me this pain.
Azure Arc.
The spell materialized directly in front of him. His eyes widened in shock.
He reacted fast as he removed his sword, but by the time he did, the arc had reached him.
He might have some chance if he had removed the sword from my chest instantly. Even then, the chances were low given the distance and the spell being a Grade IV.
It might not be as powerful as others, but it is enough to kill a traitorous bastard like him.
Pachac!
The wind arc reached his neck and decapitated him. I saw his head and shock in his eyes.
Tears streamed down from cheeks. I wanted to, but I controlled my emotions.
It is a battlefield, not my home where I could let go.
I turned and saw the Yegson, who had a shock in his eyes.
"I had not expected you to have a death-evading skill," he said, and I smiled.
I wish.
I didn''t have a death-evading skill. I would have really liked one, but unfortunately, I did not.
What I have, however, is a heart on the right side of my chest instead of the left. Nobody knows about it, and I would rather not tell anyone.
It''s the reason why his skill didn''t work. Asit had rare sealing skill; it would seal people''s power as long as he pierced his blade into one of five vital organs.
His blade pierced my chest, not my heart. Making the skill useless.
Still, the injury is serious and currently, the shamanic magic holding it back.
It activated on its own as I received a serious injury, but it wouldn''t be enough. I would need to drink the potion to control it.
Though it will come later; there are enemies to deal with.
"No worries; I will finish the job," said Yegson, and his staff lit up. He is less than five meters away from me; it would be hard to defend against his spell, especially in my condition.
However, I am not worried as much as I should be.
My staff lit up at the same time and this time, I didn''t wait for his spell to reveal to cast an appropriate defensive spell.
I had got the signal. This means, there is only one spell, I need to cast and hope it will hit.
The necromancer''s spell is nearly ready when his expression changes, and I sling the spell at him.
It is a spell, that usually does not work. It is the first spell mages are trained to guard against, and most mages can do it easily.
Hun!
Though, this time, it worked.
The necromancer''s staff dimmed as the spell broken, while the man in all black clothes appeared beside him with a dagger crossing half a distance toward his neck.
There was fear in Yegson''s eyes, but not terror, and I didn''t take long to realize why.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
A thick protective armor of bone appeared on the man. Covering him from head to toe.
It''s not something, he had cast. I didn''t see a spell scroll eighter; it''s likely a protection tool. The spell inside it triggered as it sensed the host''s life in danger.
It seemed powerful, and the dagger might not be able to pierce through it.
Which would be bad. Seeing Yegson had already started casting a spell.
I am casting disruption, but it''s not working. Yegson isn''t surprised anymore.
He is fully focused on his survival.
I looked at the assassin and found him grinning instead of worried as his blade touched the bone armor and, to the horror of Yegson, cut through it effortlessly.
Pachac!
A wet sound rang out as the head of the Yegson flew high, with shock and unwillingness in it.
They were the last emotions in his eyes, before the shine abruptly disappeared. It happened slowly with most people, even when they got decapitated.
Seeing that, I couldn''t help but wonder whether he would return as a lich.
There is a saying among mages. Prepare for revenge when you kill a necromancer.
I pushed that thought away and turned to the assassin, who was already moving toward the three enemies who had started to run away.
I quickly moved and started casting spells at them, while drinking a healing potion.
I am still shocked by the death of Yegson. How easily, he was able to cut his neck.
That protection wasn''t weak; I had felt its power. It''s something, that might have been able to take the attack from General Stone head-on, but the assassin cut through it.
I quickly pushed those thoughts away and focused on the enemies who were running.
"Are you ok?" I asked as Urag got up.
Those attacks weren''t easy to defend. If he didn''t have the right skill and enhancement from his shaman, he wouldn''t have been able to survive it.
"I am," he said, casting a glance at Asit before moving toward enemy powerhouses.
The undead begin to gather around them and those three got together. Defending against anything Mr. Jon throws at them.
He is powerful, but not powerful enough to cut through that defense easily as he did.
It is either a useful skill with a long cooldown or having some help.
A shaman magic or something else.
I nearly collapsed as I cast a spell. Seeing that, I stopped and took out another bottle of potion.
It is not a man or healing potion.
As I drank it; I started to feel better and within seconds; the weakness had vanished.
The weakness began to disappear. It''s the same as mana potion with the essence. I could have drunk, the common potion, but I needed a quick effect.
There are three enemy powerhouses to kill.
Tang!
I was about to cast a spell as I started to feel better when I heard the bell.
Someone rang it.
I had heard it a couple of times in distinct sounds throughout the battle, but not from our battle.
If I am not wrong, then it is like whistles we have. Each means different things. It could be informing the death of Yegson or asking for help or something.
It''s better that we quickly finish these powerhouses and move.
Pachack!
The Azure Arc cut, the burly man into two while Urag stunned him with the shield.
"I surrender," "Me too," said the man and woman, one after another.
I am surprised. They might have kept fighting if there had been two more Urag''s, but with me and no mage of their own, they know how small their chances of survival are.
Mr. Jon stopped. He took out a small dagger and cut it. They didn''t resist it.
That would be utterly idiotic; they understood it. With me, there is no escape.
Their veins began to turn dark purple, but I didn''t much glance at it. My thoughts were on the dagger, or rather, the things attached to it.
I saw something. He tried to hide it, but that thing was big, and I had Clear Eyes cast on my eyes.
It shocked me, but I controlled my emotions.
If it is what I see it is, then it seems like, the young aren''t as simple as he seemed to be.
He has secrets, big secrets.
I put that information in the secure compartment of my mind and closed it.
Deciding to focus on the battle, which is far from over.
More enemies decided to surrender, while some fought. They were killed within minutes.
As for those who surrendered. Mr. Jon nicked them and made them unconscious, before throwing them into a house that looked to be in good condition.
"The poison?" asked Urag as we gathered, and our men bandaged and healed themselves.
We have a priestess with us; she is a young girl of around twenty. It was her second. She was scared, but held on and was now healing people.
"It had a validity of eight hours after that. They will die if not fed the antidote," replied Mr. Jon.
"What about enemies feeding them an antidote or using a skill or spell to heal them?" I asked.
"Only we have an antidote and as for skill or spell, it needs to be powerful enough and very specific to deal with this poison," he replied with a faint inside smile appearing on his face.
A moment later, he turned into a shadow and merged with mine.
"It''s really a great skill; even I can''t sense him despite being so close," said Urag and I couldn''t help but nod.
He had merged with my shadow, and I could barely sense him. That would become faint until I couldn''t sense him unless I concentrated.
This is a skill that enhances stealth with passing time.
Still, that wouldn''t have been enough to keep him undetected from powerful necromancers like Yegson; they are good at detecting life.
It was because of my spells. That didn''t let even a single investigative spell touch me.
"What''s the plan?" I asked.
The moment our people finish with healing, we will move. It will be Urags'' decision where we will move. He is the leader, now that Asit is dead.
It hurts to think about him. He was a traitor, but also a friend, whom I am going to miss a lot.
"To the closest whi"
He was saying something when he suddenly stopped.
I stopped, and everyone stopped as a feeling spread over us. Some shook visibly, and to some, it affected them so much that their knees started shaking.
Two collapsed on the group, while others looked in fear.
Some seemed to understand what it is and the fear in their eyes amplified, but there is also a question in them.
"It is what I am, thinking it is right?" asked Urag with his voice shaking.
To that, I nodded.
Chapter 450: Awakening
Rynra
"Bastard!" I cursed as I felt Yegson''s death.
I do not like that bastard, but I do not want him dead. He is a powerful necromancer and one of the fastest casters, I had seen on the level.
Its why, he would love to get closer to his enemies to finish them off.
He had killed casters more powerful than him through that method.
His enemies tried to use that, but he was good at defending, too. He could have said to be too confident, with that protection tool, he had.
Even I wouldn''t have been able to break through his defensive tool within a single attack, but the hidden assassin had somehow done it.
"How did you kill him?" I asked elder-blood.
The skill told me about Yegson''s death and who killed him, but it didn''t tell me how.
"How should I know? I am here with you," replied elder-blood. Though looking at the smile on his face, it''s clear he knew how.
He is likely the one who planned it.
Anger burned in my heart. I wanted to use the strongest attack and kill him, but that was not wise.
He had proved to be a tough enemy.
Since the battle began, I had used a plethora of spells and skills, but he defended against them all; not a single one was able to hit him.
He is powerful as well as experienced; unlike the other elder blood, I had killed.
They didn''t have much experience despite being older and were too confident in their abilities.
The man in front of me is grounded and cautious. I have to be the same and find his limitations, before attacking him with everything I have.
Until then, I will keep fighting as I have been doing.
I moved at him and attacked him with my flaming sword. He moved his halberd forward smoothly.
Clang
I tried to avoid it, but he didn''t let me, and my sword clashed against his halberd.
The bronze energy clashed against the necrotic fire, and they canceled each other, but a moment later, returned to my sword, and I attacked again.
He defended it, but I kept attacking.
These attacks are not only helping me gauge his limitations, but also making him spend his energy. Which will help me a lot, when I use my full power.
Minutes passed, and I continued with the attack, using my skills and spells together.
It keeps the expenditure of the mana low.
I could absorb from the undead; it is the main reason I had kept them so close, but I would rather not absorb the energy until I needed it.
I still have enough mana in me to fight and with the undead, I could fight for a long time.
The elder-blood could not.
Hun!
The anger in my heart burned brightly as I noticed another three powerhouses disappearing from Yegson''s battle.
He had died along with the pawn and now another of our powerhouse died, while the other two seemed to have surrendered.
In the next few minutes, I felt many people below Lv. 30 dying or surrendering.
It is not a small number, but still, every powerhouse we lose will affect the battle. My skill reduces that by the third, but still losing powerhouses isn''t good.
I do not want a pyrrhic victory; it would be shameful for me.
Clang!
Our blades clashed again, and I pulled it back and moved to attack again, this time activating the skill I hadn''t used before in this battle.
Hun!
I was about to swing my sword with enhancement from the skill when I stopped.
Even elder-blood''s eyes widened in surprise before shock appeared in his eyes, which mirrored mine.
A feeling spread through the city, disrupting the skills, everywhere.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
So, powerful, that it touched me, I shook in my heart, while people around me shook visibly.
It shocked me. It is not something, I had expected to happen on this battlefield.
I quickly calmed my emotions and thought about who it was. It spread so quickly that I wasn''t able to see who it was, but I knew the general area.
There are three groups engaging in that area. It could be one of mine or the enemy.
I don''t want it to be one of mine. With this, they will shoot high, but I don''t absolutely want it to be the enemy.
It will affect this battle, not much since they will barely have any control over it, but if they survive and gain control; they will be a terror.
Anyone who awakened it becomes it.
I looked at the enemy, who had the same questions and apprehension in his eyes. It made me relieved that even he didn''t know.
I calmed my thoughts and focused on the enemy. The awakening had changed things.
I can not afford to wait anymore. I have to kill the elder blood and find out who awakened it.
If it is the enemy, I must kill them; killing them is most important.
More than this elder blood.
With that thought, I cast one of the most powerful spells in my arsenal and amplified its power with skill, before attacking the elder-blood.
¡
Clang!
I stopped the attack with my rapier but felt like a hammer had crashed into my hand.
I felt even some of my bones cracking and wanted to let go of my rapier.
"You defended," he said with his voice of mirth and surprise.
He might be feeling funny now, but my heart is filled with terror. I am fighting for a Lv. 30+ powerhouse, whose casual attack had cracked my bone.
I had sparred regularly with Lv.30+, but not a single one of them had used their full power in the spar.
Even in the restricted power, they were careful not to hurt me too much.
Here, the enemy won''t hold back and have reservations. He wants to kill me, and he will; I do not have the strength to resist him.
I should have accepted Stone''s request and kept Jim with me. I wouldn''t have been in this predicament.
Jim is more than capable of defending against an enemy like this.
"Let''s see if you defend this one," he challenged and swung his sword again.
My heart shuddered, and I wanted to dodge the attack, but that would make the frozen woman and the child behind her the target.
The man had already shown his cold-bloodedness. He would kill those behind me if I dodged.
So, I moved my sword forward with the Blade of Gale and Mauling Strike.
Clang!
Our blades clashed hard, and I tried to parry the attack with Quick Parry, but the cruel bastard stopped it with a grin.
Making me take all the brunt of the attack, that broke my bone.
This time, I heard the crack, and the pain came visibly.
The enemy didn''t wait for me to get used to the pain, instead; he moved to the left and attacked again, not me, but the woman.
To him, this is all game. He does not care about life, and does not care about the dishonor that killing a defenseless woman and child would bring.
The only thing he, cares about is toying with them and me.
I pushed the Blitz Steps as I had never done and appeared in front of the man while pushing my rapier forward.
Clang!
His sword clashed against mine with even more strength, breaking another bone, and nearly sending my rapier clattering.
It would have, if not for me, gripping my sword, like my life dependent on it and it is.
He moved again right after the attack, appearing behind the woman, while I followed after appearing in front of him as he attacked.
Clang!
My dagger clashed with his sword, breaking the bone of my left hand.
He seemed to have heard too as he attacked again, without changing his place, but used the skill, that he hadn''t before.
His sword turned to multiple swords; there were nine of them, all looked realistic.
I didn''t think and moved my sword forward, trusting my instincts, which I do against such an attack.
Clang!
I stopped with a rapier, feeling such pain that made me nearly throw my rapier.
Rip Ting Rip!
I was in those thoughts when I felt a cut across my body. Those eight swords, which I thought turned out to be capable of minor damage.
Cry!
That''s when I released something, and horror appeared on my face when I heard the cry behind me.
I looked and deep cuts on the woman, but also her child. His back had turned blooded.
The horror in my heart deepened and the rage that was already burning in my heart exploded.
"You monster!" I roared and moved toward him without caring for anything.
I cannot just defend or wait for reinforcement. He will kill them; those injuries they got are like threatening. If they don''t receive treatment soon, they will die.
I have to kill him. It is the only way they will be safe.
It is a monumental, nearly impossible task, but I have no choice but to attempt it.
If I wasn''t able to save them, then how am I going to save hundreds of thousands of my citizens from the undead and other enemies?
"Hehe, the little Lord got angry, but what can little lord do?" he mocked as he raised his sword casually toward my attack.
Clang!
He defended easily against the rapier, breaking another of my bones, but I didn''t care and attacked with the dagger.
Clang!
He repelled my rapier with sheer force and defended against my dagger, but saw my rapier coming at him again.
Clang Clang Clang!
His sword moved with grace, and he defended my every attack when suddenly a surprise appeared on his face.
He moved to dodge it, but my kick still hit the bastard. Sending him a step back.
Clang!
I tried to use this opportunity to attack when he moved forward with anger in his eyes.
All the mirth and play had vanished. There is now only anger left in his eyes.
Clang!
I was barely able to defend the attack with my rapier and dagger, which sent me back a couple of steps, hitting the wall of the collapsed house.
I thought he would use this opportunity to finish me off, but he didn''t.
"You want to save them, right?" he asked, and a nasty smile appeared on his face.
"Save them, then," he said and moved toward the woman and child.
I pushed Blitz Steps hard and moved, but he had already appeared beside them and swung his sword while they watched in horror.
"No!" I screamed as I released as I would be able to reach them in time.
Some of my mages reacted but were quickly countered by heartless enemy mages.
His sword kept moving closer and closer to the child. I pushed the Blitz Steps, harder than ever, and I felt its speed increasing, breaking fast at its limit, but that speed wasn''t enough.
His sword had reached near the child''s neck, just a few inches away from it.
I screamed in my heart as the helplessness filled it. If he killed them; I would not be able to live with myself.
All the confidence I have will shatter into the pieces.
Why it would not?
When I couldn''t even protect a helpless woman and child, then how I am going to protect hundreds of thousands of people, I am responsible for protecting?
I screamed in my heart in helplessness and pushed myself harder, while extending my sword, hoping it would reach there despite knowing it would not.
Hun!
That is when I felt something breaking out from deep within me.
It flooded my body, before bursting out.
Chapter 451: Aura
Orok
"What is this?" I asked in alarm, as the feeling that suppressed the very soul of me washed over me.
It''s a power I had never felt before but understood deep in my heart that it was stronger than any skill I have.
It had stopped my company, which was moving to help those who asked for help.
We have doing that since the battle begins. It''s a job that is assigned to us.
"Aura!" said Rev. From Mr. Hugo''s mercenaries.
"Someone awakened it?" asked Lt. Hasid, and he nodded. "Yes, I hope, it''s not the enemy," replied Rev with a heavy nod.
"We should be able to know soon; it seemed to have originated from the direction we are moving," said Lt. Hasid.
To that, I nodded.
"Company move!" I ordered and moved, but stopped soon after when I realized some were not moving.
Some are shaking so much that they sat down.
"Give them some time; it is not easy to bear the aura," advised Rev.
The man is experienced, and I decided to listen to the suggestion and waited for a few seconds when I felt movement from the feeling.
It seemed to be moving back to its source, and within a second, it disappeared completely.
"Company move!" I ordered again and this time, people moved. We moved fast in a formation to deal with any attack that came at us.
We got closer and closer, till we reached the battle; that made nearly everyone''s eyes widen, including mine.
"Its Master Silver! He awakened the aura!" exclaimed Barb with joy as she looked at the battle.
¡
My enemy froze as that feeling burst out of me.
It took me a moment for me to realize what this feeling was. As I did, my eyes widened.
If not for feeling every part of it; I wouldn''t have believed it either.
It''s aura.
I had awakened it in my moment of desperation.
If it had any other moment, I would hop in joy, but now there is not a hint of joy in my heart, only the rage.
I looked at the frozen energy and swung my rapier toward him, not caring about the pain, feeling in every fiber of my hands.
He had frozen under the power of aura, but self-preservation and experience made him react quickly.
Clang!
He defended before taking a step back. His expression recovered, but deep shock remained in his eyes.
I looked at mother and child. It made me relieved to see them covered in dusky light. The priest had reacted quickly, sending the spell to heal their injuries.
The enemies'' mages reacted quickly when the priest tried to target me.
Stopping the healing spell from reaching me.
It would have been a manageable problem if the priest had experienced it, but he hadn''t. It''s his second battle, with yesterday''s one being his first.
I turned to the enemy, still shaking, when the aura began to return to me.
It took a second for it to return to my body.
"A..aura, you awakened it," he said with a shaking voice. As if I could not believe that I had awakened the aura.
"It didn''t matter. You have just awakened it; you have no control over it," he said, more to reassure himself than to threaten me.
His expression recovered with those words, and he came at me, with him being faster and stronger than before.
Earlier he was playing around, now he is using every bit of his power to kill me.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
If I had been to a place, I would have done the same. Those who awakened the aura become really dangerous.
I reacted immediately and moved my sword forward. At the same time, I brought the aura out of me.
I don''t know what to do with it.
I could not control the aura, nor did I know how, but I brought out and covered myself with it.
It is the only thing I could think of.
It was hard as I felt it slipping, wanting to go back to my body. I didn''t let it and instead pushed some of it on my enemy and activated the Lord''s Presence.
I might not know how to control it, but I know the aura is versatile.
It could be used to suppress as well as strengthen.
It becomes dangerous when one gains control over it. The finer the control; the greater the power one would be able to project through it.
There are also things like methods and arts that turned it into terror.
I pushed those thoughts and looked at my enemy, who seemed to have gone slower, with strain appearing on his face.
Aura is one''s extension. I had covered him with it and used the Lord''s Presence.
The skill affected him a lot since his mind was already shaken and suppressed by the aura. Opening the gaps in his mental defense that attacked thoroughly.
This is the one of strongest skills, I have. Stronger than Gale of Blade or Mauling Strike. It worked through the power of Charm, which is my strongest attribute.
Clang!
My rapier clashed against his sword, shaking him, despite him using his full power.
I felt the blinding pain in my hands, but I bore it and activated another of my powerful skills.
"I have awakened aura. You are dead already. There is no way for you to remain alive," I said with a Silver Tongue, another skill that runs on charm.
Its expressions changed. Hesitation and fear appeared in his eyes.
Though he seemed to have recovered a little a moment later.
"Shut up!" he screamed, with a hint of panic in his eyes.
"I am not wrong, and you know it. There is no chance you will survive; you will die like the enemies you killed," I said with a smile, hammering those words with Silver Tongue and attacking with the rapier.
Clang!
His reaction was a little delayed, but the man was experienced and was able to defend.
"You should accept the death. If you are alive, you will suffer a fate worse than death," I stated, and this is a truth.
It''s why, it affected him the most, shaking him from up to down.
This man will not receive mercy, even if he surrenders. He had broken the most sacred laws of battle; he had not only killed a civilian but was unhesitant to kill a child.
Such people would not be left alive. Even if he surrendered.
Clang Clang Clang!
I begin to attack him while hammering his mind with thoughts of death to break him mentally.
He is already at a near-breaking point; I would need to push him further.
Normally, it wouldn''t be easy, especially with no control and difference in level, but the awakening of my aura had hit him hard.
Not to mention with his experience, he would see many aura masters and their strength would be itched in his mind.
Even if I don''t have such strength now; his mind would unconsciously associate me with it.
"I am an aura master now; you should just give up. Fighting more is just prolonging your suffering," I said and attacked again.
Hun!
As I did, I heard the commotion behind me. With the noises, I didn''t have to guess the reinforcement had arrived.
I didn''t look back and focused on my attack, which had just avoided his sword and moved toward him.
Rip!
He tried to dodge but was not successful. I was able to give him a cut.
Injuring a Lv. 30+ powerhouse.
"See that blood coming out of the wound? It is just a starting, soon, it will come out from every wound of your body," I said and attacked him again.
Clang!
This time, he defended.
"What the fuck are doing standing like a fool? Come and help me!" shouted the man to the armored orc, who was not far away from us.
The orc hesitated, and faint hesitation appeared in my eyes seeing him coming, when I saw something coming from behind.
Orok came running from behind at amazing speed and swung his ax toward the armored orc wildly with incredible momentum.
Clang!
His ax hit hard against the other orc''s shield, sending back a couple of steps.
He didn''t give the enemy a chance and swung his ax at him before the other orc even stabilized from his attack.
This young man is incredible. Stone had praised him like no other and those words had rung true in the battle yesterday, when he killed a Lv. 30.
"See, there won''t be any reinforcement for you. You are alone and you will die. This is an undeniable fact," I said and attacked again.
Rip!
Another cut appeared in his arm, but it was small. The bastard dodged the attack on time.
I have to kill him quickly as I feel the aura slipping through my fingers. I am having a hard time controlling it; a minute at most, before it will go back to my body.
"Give up," I said and attacked again.
Clang!
He defended by looking at me with fear and panic, but there was also an unwillingness to die.
"I will not!" It roared and attacked while taking a step toward me. His attack is fast and powerful, and I want to dodge it.
"You will!" I roared back and attacked while pushing as much as my aura at him.
Clang!
Our swords clashed, and I felt pain. That made me cry. It put a smile on the man''s face, but a moment later, an alarm appeared as he tried to take a step back.
Puch!
He was slow as my dagger, on the other hand, reached him and pierced through his neck.
I had kept him focused on my sword and rapier, that he forgot about the dagger, I held in my other hand.
He opened his mouth, but instead of words, blood came out of it.
Pachac!
I removed the dagger and blood from his sprayed on my hand, but I didn''t care. Instead, I slashed the dagger at him again, decapitating him.
Destroying all the chances of survival of a monster like him.
Some of the blood spread on me, but I didn''t care. I looked at Captain Orok, who had killed the enemy in four attacks, before turning to the woman.
Only to see Barb taking her to the side. She had fed them a potion and bandaged their wounds.
I took out the potion and drank it. Immediately, I felt it working on my injuries.
I took out another potion and drank it. I felt my stamina recovering, but the tiredness remained.
Likely because of aura. It couldn''t be recovered by any potion or spell.
Only the rest could help in recovering it.
I sat down on pieces of broken wall my men dealt with the enemy. Many had started to surrender, which we accepted, but not without precaution.
"Congratulations on awakening the aura, Master Silver," said Barb as she appeared in front of me. "Thank you, Barb," I replied tiredly, before getting up.
The battle is yet to be won. I cannot rest until we do.
Chapter 452: Survive I
Glass
Clang!
"Do you know who awakened the aura?" asked Wayne and attacked me with flaming lances.
I shook my hand as I defended the attacks with the flame shield before moving to attack him.
It seemed like an actual attack, like his attack earlier, but it''s not.
Though I am still careful of the bastard.
The surrender could be a plot. Though it seemed less likely, given the information he had provided had been true so far. That doesn''t mean we could trust him explicitly.
We could never trust me. Though we could be relieved after, we have him in our custody.
The bastard had declined to surrender unless we won this battle. Till then, I will have mock-fight him, which is a kind of frustrating.
I wanted to take part in a real battle, but here, I am babysitting this bastard, whom I can not defeat.
I have made a good advancement in the half year and even got new spells. Courtesy of Remus, but it is still not enough to deal with this bastard.
He is not only higher leveled but also more experienced and has a greater collection of spells.
Since both of us are the blade mages of the same element. It became much more difficult for me to stand against him. I would be hard pressed if he moved to kill him.
Val had fought with him before and praised him to a tough enemy, that she cannot fight alone.
She needed to work with Paladin Carr to effectively deal against him.
"I wonder who it is? It must be a bastard with the tough will," he commented, defending against my attacks.
The aura is said to be a manifestation of will. Only those of the strong will awaken it.
I could see longing in his eyes; the same one was present in mine. Aura is an amazing thing; I have seen the aura masters do terrifying things.
The warriors who usually see us mages become capable of fighting against us.
Us mages benefit no less, especially the blade mages like us. Which I think are the best users of aura, who could augment our spells as well as our blades with it.
He isn''t the only one having that question. I too thinking about the person who had awakened the aura.
"I hope, it''s not Rynra or all of us are dead," he said, shuddering.
I had read the information about her. She was a powerful dark spell blade. She will become even more dangerous if she awakens the aura.
I am not her match; I don''t know if I will be able to fight against her, even if I work with Val.
I sighed internally as her beautiful place came into my mind.
Ever since that incident, we have been living apart. It is hard; I love her, but can''t live with the love of my life.
We still go on date and most of the dates are in legacy.
It helps to have a master of it as a friend. Thanks to Val, I have an open reservation in the legacy.
I could get a table in restaurants any time I wanted and the same with the spa, to which I had become a kind of addicted.
However, for the most exclusive top floor, I have to inform Madam Caena, a few days before.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Val didn''t even need to do that. If there isn''t a table available for her, they will add it.
It had happened two weeks ago when we decided on an impromptu date after attending a meeting called by Remus.
The top floor was full. Madam Onaz brought our table chairs out of thin air and covered us with a beautiful dome of mist, that no one could see through.
That date was good, but it couldn''t be compared to the one we had a roof of legacy.
It was magical. We had made the love under the open sky, at the top point of Greltheaven.
"You shouldn''t daydream during the battle. You might end up losing your life," he said, attacking me fast.
Clang!
I defended barely and glared at him, but he was right. I shouldn''t daydream, especially not during the battle.
"How is the battle?" I asked him and he smiled.
I don''t have the skill, but he has.
"The skill isn''t working with full power since I am not commander, but it is safe to say, the battle is tilting in your side."
"If I am generous, I would even say. It had tilted to your side already," he said, and a smile appeared on my face.
"Though nothing could be said. If Rynra killed the elder blood, then the battle would be good as lost," he added, wiping the smile away from my face.
¡.
Stone
Her dark, lightning-covered sword attacked me, sending thick bolts toward me.
I covered myself with energy, but those bolts tore through it and struck me.
Giving me such pain, that I needed to grit my teeth to bear it.
I could have brought more energy to defend against it, but I brought enough to whittle a third of the bolt''s power; the rest I bore with my body.
I have no option. I couldn''t squander all the energy on defense.
I needed to last in the battle where the enemy could recharge herself by taking the mana from the undead, who had finally started to fight.
My men are fighting well, not only here, but also everywhere.
The biggest surprise had been Lord Silver. That man is really something.
I had seen many people awaken aura in battles, I had fought on the island. He is not only the youngest but also of the lowest leveled.
All who had awakened aura had been above that of Lv. 30 and also above the age of thirty.
There are two more people who are amazing and have the potential to awaken the aura.
The first one is Orok. He isn''t as talented as Lord Silver, but that young man has a drive like no other. He will accomplish what he set out to do.
The second one is Azalea. She is someone that everyone would underestimate. She is an above-average fighter, and her skills aren''t that powerful.
Her strengths lie working together; it is where she shines. No one could compare to her with that.
We are doing good. It could be said, the battle had tilted in our favor, but we are far from winning it.
The undead could resist us for hours. It would be bad if we let them do that.
We have to kill them fast. If we let the battle continue till the reinforcement arrives; it is us that is going to be wiped out.
Hun!
Suddenly, all the hair on my body stood up, and I activated the method without a thought.
The next second, the defensive method covered me.
Bang Bang Bang!
The thick tendrils with sharp ends struck against the defensive method hard, before he came across her blade, covered in thick fire.
Bang!
It hit hard enough to make cracks appear on the shield.
I sighed internally, seeing that. The woman is too powerful, and it was a wise decision, to fight against her defensively.
I might have gone offensive if she didn''t have a tap of mana in the form of the undeads. If we were fighting far away from them, I would have attacked her as she is attacking me.
I cut the energy for the defensive method right after her attack to save it as much as I could and attacked her.
Clang
"So, you do know how to attack," she said with a smile.
Though it''s without a mirth; all there is an anger. So, much of it, I am impressed that she is able to control it well; I wouldn''t have been able to if I had been at her place.
I didn''t say anything to that and just watched her.
It would be hard for me to kill her. I am looking for the chance every second, but I know very well, it is unlikely that I will get it.
It is why I am keeping her here. It''s my only job in the battle; the rest would be handled by my people.
I have to trust them to do the job without me and till now; they haven''t disappointed me at all.
Still, the battle is far from over. There are many powerful people in the enemy''s army that could change the fate of the battle.
Including Wayne; It''s why I sent Glass to handle him. She will not be able to defeat him, but she will be able to keep him contained.
Thankfully, we have defeated the third most powerful enemy. Osward and Jon did a good job finishing him despite the appearance of the traitor.
Currently, only one traitor appeared from the ranks of Lv. 30, but I had asked others to be careful.
Seconds passed, and nobody moved when suddenly she turned into a puff of smoke and all the hair on my body stood up and I turned.
There was nothing, but I swung my sword with everything, I had.
Clang!
My sword clashed: at the same time, I felt file tens of nails buried in my heart.
It''s her first mental attack on me and it''s powerful enough to shake my soul and bring the tears out of my eyes.
That is, after my elder-blood defenses whittled away quite a lot of its power.
It''s a powerful attack. The most powerful mental attack I had expected from Lv. 30, but I had survived worse.
The most terrifying had been an attack by Great Mage Lich''s area wide attack.
It had made me fall to my knees and had blood run out of all my orifices. I really thought I would die. Many levels above me died, but I somehow survived
It was at that battle; I reached Lv. 20.
Chapter 453: Survive II
Rynra Throne
''Piece by piece, they are taking my horde,'' I thought as I looked at things getting worse from bad.
It didn''t happen suddenly, it was slow, and it''s why, I failed to notice it.
Especially when many of my powerhouses surrendered instead of getting killed. Such things happened much less in a direct battle because of pressure and support.
Here, every unit is independent, and I couldn''t direct them unless I break my skill.
I need to do something quickly, and there is only one thing I can do, and that is to kill the elder blood.
It''s the only way, I could win this battle, but it''s far from easy. I had been using my most powerful spells on the bastard, but he was defending against all.
If one looked at him, light now; they would see he was near defeat with his body burned and blackened and him not using over a certain amount of energy.
He is in such a state for over half an hour.
Earlier, I had mistakenly thought, he was close to defeat, but he was able to defend against my every spell.
That doesn''t mean, he couldn''t be defeated. He will be defeated; I will defeat him.
With that thought, I cast my strongest spell.
Ivory Reaver.
I cast, and immediately a layer of bones covered my sword. The spell looks like a regular Grade I Bone Cover, but it is not.
It is not flashy like many of my attacks, but it is powerful and lasts long.
I moved toward him with speed skills and activated Mass of Hammer and Suppressing Blade.
It was already a powerful attack, and it became even more powerful with enhancements from the skills.
I have full confidence if the elder-blood had used his square defensive method. My Blade would be able to cleave through it.
The Elder Blood seemed to have sensed the power of my attack as his expression turned heavy.
He brought out bronze energy and covered his halberd with it. The energy he had brought was greater than he had in the past hour.
He understood the power of the attack, but that didn''t mean he would be able to defend against it, even with more elder energy.
Clang!
My sword clashed against his halberd, and his eyes went wide. A moment later, blood came out of his mouth, and he started to take a step back.
Seeing that, a smile appeared on my face, and I moved forward with all the speed Knight''s Blitz could provide me and even cast Haste to make myself fast.
I need to be fast and quick.
He reacted fast despite moving back and brought his halberd forward in defense.
Clang!
My sword clashed against his halberd, sending him back again with more blood coming out of his mouth.
I moved for another attack and even cast Diasas''s Lightning on my sword.
It is hard to cast, two powerful spells together. Also, have skills and spells like Haste and Mana Harvest active.
Clang!
He defended again, with lightning covering my sword, moving to his halberd before covering his body.
The bronze energy came energy and resisted, but not fully as lightning began to attack him while he took a step back.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Clang!
I didn''t stop even for a moment, and once again cast Diasas''s Lightning.
Clang Clang Clang!
My attacks landed on him one after another, tearing through his body, that even not his face was spared.
Even the good part of my skin begins to disappear as my attack assaults him, but what I am hoping isn''t happening.
The bastard is defending well. Moved his halberd to stop my every attack.
I am faster than him, stronger than him, but he is stopping my attacks, despite getting injured.
He is good and experienced, but still, if a normal person had been in his place. They would have died by now, but he is still standing.
This is the resiliency of the elder-blood.
The giants are the most resilient among all elder races and these descendants of their had gained that ability.
I still remember the sheer number of spells. I have to throw at the elder blood, I had fought before I was able to kill her.
I will kill him, too, the same way.
He might be resilient, but he could be killed. I did it before and I will do it again.
"Surrender elder-blood, you are at the limit. You won''t be able to last for much longer," I said as I attacked again. He defended and grinned at me with a burned face.
"It seemed like, you too are reaching the limit. Even with the mana from the undead, you won''t be able to throw such spells forever," he replied.
I glared at the bastard and attacked with even greater fury.
He is right, the spells aren''t without a cost. I have potions, but those are not used unless it is an emergency.
It is why, I desperately want to win this battle. These bastards have a lot of such potions, and I want them.
I want the legacy.
It would help me a lot with my condition if I defeated them here and conquered the Greltheaven.
I will be called back to the island, where the real challenge is.
Clang Clang Clang!
I kept attacking without stopping, but the bastard kept defending.
As time passes; a welcome change begins to occur. The bronze energy that used to cover him densely now has formed only a thin layer around him.
He is at his end; his reserves are nearly depleted.
A few seconds passed and whatever bronze energy covering him had disappeared.
Leaving him without any protection.
Clang!
My sword clashed against his halberd, and the lightning moved toward him. Seeing that, a smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
"Ahhhhhh!"
He screamed as the lightning covered him, and began to tear through his body.
If a normal person had been at his place. He would have fallen dead already, but the bastard is alive despite screaming and even moving his halberd forward to defend against my attack.
''Victory is near!'' I thought as I moved my sword with another attack.
¡
Stone
"Ahhhh¡"
I screamed in pain as the dark lightning covered me and tore through every inch of my body.
The lightning is powerful. It had charmed me from head to toe, drilling inside me. Attacking my blood is the thing that is keeping me alive.
The elder blood power in my blood is resisting hard. It is the reason I am still standing, when all the energy, I had been spent.
This woman had turned out to be more powerful than the intelligence about her had stated.
I had seen many of the people of order fight but on her level. She is the best. The spells she has, and the way she melds them with skills and forges them in her combat style, are truly amazing.
I fear such enemies from the bottom of my heart.
It was really smart to be cautious against her. It had helped me survive this long, but surviving further is in doubt.
My elder blood is resisting, but it has put it under a heavy strain and even burning it.
Forcing it to harness more power from deep within it. Still, not every drop of elder blood is bringing out the power from deep within them.
Some couldn''t. Those are getting burned like my skin had.
Clang!
I defended another of her attacks, and more dark lightning covered me when still from the earlier spell covering.
I screamed louder, while the faint blood fog covering me became denser.
It is blood that is burning.
I am in extreme pain, and my very blood is burning. Giving me such weakness that I wanted to let go, but I could not.
My men are trusting me with their lives; the people of the city are waiting to be rescued.
As I thought of reasons, the face of the woman appeared in front of me.
She is the greatest reason, I can not die.
So, I bore her attack even when she burned every part of me from hairs to nailed skin to my very blood.
I kept fighting her.
Seconds passed and anger in her eyes. She used that in her attack, channeling it to strengthen her attacks, but never letting it out of her control.
Clang!
I defended once again, and lightning covered me. Going even deeper, reaching to my very bones.
I could see it was affecting them, while the elder power present in them fought back.
It is fighting back, but a lot of it is burning. Only those who kept harnessing more and more power are alive.
I am alive right now, but won''t be forever. I don''t have to survive forever; I need to last longer than her. The way, she is using the spells, she won''t be able to last long.
"You are the most frustrating enemy I have ever fought. It will be a big milestone to kill you!" she said and launched another attack.
I defended while vomiting the blood, which burned away by lightning. Like the blood coming out of my orifices are burning.
The more blood came out, the weaker, I was getting, but I was fighting.
There is no other choice than that. Giving up means death and I don''t want to die. If it had been a few months ago, I might have, but not now.
I will not die. I will survive.
I have survived far, worse, and I will survive this too, no matter what happens.
Hun!
Seconds passed, and her attacks kept coming when suddenly a frown appeared on her face.
I had also noticed it, and it brought a small smile to my face.
''I might be able to survive,'' I thought, but a second later, that smile vanished.
I turned to the enemy with fear as she attacked me with her most powerful attack yet. It feels so powerful, I fear it might be the attack, that finishes me off.
Chapter 454: Skill Broken
Rynra Thorn
''They are coming,'' I thought, sensing two mages, a warrior, a shaman, and an assassin coming toward me.
It is a combination, that I don''t want to deal with. Especially when there is elder blood in the mix. It could make things really dangerous for me.
With the speed they are coming, I have a minute and a half at most.
If I killed him, I would engage against them. It will be challenging to kill them with my reserves, but I will manage.
I will also break the skill.
The whole reason for it is to stop him from commanding the army. Once he is dead, I will be able to deal with the enemy, even with the diminished force.
I looked at giant blood, burned with every inch of his life.
There is not a single part of his body, that isn''t burned by the lightning. Others in his place would have died, by a sheer amount of necrotic power in lightning alone.
He is standing, even when his very blood is burning.
I could see the crimson steam coming out of him as lightning ravaged his body.
I plan to do what I have never done before to kill him. It is not something I had before, but I need to try it.
It is the only way, I might be able to kill him.
So, I cast the spells; it is not a unique spell. I had been using it against him, but this time, I am casting it in higher quantity.
Diasas''s Lightning X 4
I cast Diasas''s Lightning one after another, with each cast covering me with more and more lightning.
It is not a common Grade IV spell. Which I could easily cast, over five times in sleep, but one of the most powerful spells I have in my arsenal.
By the time of the fourth cast, the blood had started to come out of my orifices because of the sheer pressure.
It also drained me of mana. I do not mind it as I did better than I had thought.
The pressure always pushes me further. It is why, I want to return to the island and take part in battles of the conquest rather than stay in this wasteland.
The four cast was beyond my imagination.
I didn''t think I would be able to cast over three, seeing there are spells and skills active, but I did it four times.
This will increase the power of spells tremendously, as he will feel the power of the four spells together.
I couldn''t help, but feel proud of this moment, and sure, the energy will die.
It is a big thing for me; something that will earn me a level. If I kill him and win the battle.
Getting two levels would be set in stone. Not to mention the prestige.
I will be able to go back to the island.
"Die!" I roared as I swung my sword at the elder- blood with everything I had.
He moved his halberd forward defensively, as he did hundreds of times.
One would not expect anyone in his condition to move, much less fight, but his halberd moved as fast as before as if he was suffering no injuries.
Clang!
My sword clashed against his halberd and all the lightning covering me went to him.
It had covered him so fully, that he couldn''t even be seen in it.
¡
Stone
"Ahhhhhhhhhh¡."
I screamed as I had never done.
Dark lightning had covered every part of me; it was so dense, that I could see anything.
It is drilling inside me; a bolt had even come into my mouth and singed.
Making my screams go hoars.
I had never thought I would experience something like this. Something that will burn my very blood.
Even the drops of elder blood that harvest the power are burning. Very few of them are resisting this lightning, which has begun to hit bones and internal organs.
If there wasn''t elder blood. I wouldn''t have been able to bear it, but this attack had brought even that elder blood to the limit.
I wanted to let it all go, but I didn''t. I have to survive only for a minute; they will be here soon.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
So, I held on and started to push the elder blood power actively against the lightning.
I never did that.
I did it with energy, but never with the power that brings out the energy, as it is very dangerous, but now, I had left with no choice.
At most, I will burn the elder blood power thoroughly in me, that it will completely disappear.
I will become a normal person again with levels and skills without restrictions, but it is dangerous. Barely anyone survives it.
There are very few over the years, who have lived to tell the tale.
I wouldn''t have done that, if I had a choice.
If I didn''t do it. It will burn my blood, destroy my internal organs, and shatter my bones, killing me effectively.
I don''t want to die. I wouldn''t have had any problem a year ago since I had lost everything, but not now.
So, I threw the elder blood power at the lightning, and it began to burn under the power, but some had started to shine brightly in bronze power and resisted it.
It surprised me but didn''t have time to care as I harnessed more and more out of me and threw it at lightning.
Let it burn or shine brightly. These are the only choices it has.
Seconds passed, more burned, and more shone. At that same time, Jon and others came closer to me; they were now only seconds away instead of minutes.
So, I have to hold on till then.
They might be able to do something to her. This attack isn''t without a prize, she is sucking energy, but unlike the river earlier, it is a stream.
She had sucked enough, that now she could barely do it.
Even in her current condition, she is still very dangerous.
I have kept my senses and skills focused on her every movement.
Seconds second passed and more and more of elder power burned, but more started to shine brightly and with passing seconds, they got brighter.
Still, with the way lightning is burning the elder-blood. It won''t be enough to help me survive, but I am not going down without a fight and bringing out the power from the deepest part of me.
"It seemed like, even four Diasas''s Lightning spells aren''t enough, but they brought you close and now my sword will finish the job," she said and swung her sword at me once again.
This time, there was no lightning covering her sword, but I could feel that bone spell covering it. It is stronger than the lightning; if it touched me, I am dead.
I moved my halberd but found I didn''t have such much as energy as before.
Still, I moved it forward, channeling every bit of desperation and will to live to move it forward.
Hun!
I was doing that when something surprising happened.
A shield appeared in front of me, and then another, and then another.
Rip Rip Rip!
I felt joy, but it lasted for a moment only before I saw her sword tearing through the shields.
I am not surprised. She is really powerful; I do not have a single mage, that could contend against her, but there are several with potential, they just need time to grow.
Clang!
Her blade tore through all three shields before clashing against my halberd, sending me back stumblingly, nearly sending the halberd out of my hands.
Hun!
She moved forward to launch another attack. This time, I might not be able to dodge, when suddenly she stopped.
¡.
Ranya Throne
Clang Clang Clang!
I stopped the spells coming toward me with my sword.
They are here, all five of them with fury in their eyes. I wanted to kill the bastard seeing how close, I was to killing the elder blood, but I retreated.
I am nearly drained. I will not be able to fight them for longer and the elder blood looks like, he could still defend a few of my moves.
Seeing he had moved his halberd to respond to my attack. That doesn''t mean is fine.
There is a good chance he will die.
"I hope you die, elder blood," I cursed and retreated.
I also broke my skill and began to command the horde. The losses are huge, but we have not lost the battle yet.
I will be keeping an eye on elder blood. If I sensed he was dead or out of fighting; I would launch my last offensive.
There is a still good chance, that will be able to win the battle.
¡
Stone
"Stone!" I heard my dearest friend''s voice as he appeared beside me.
"Don''t touch me," I warned hoarsely, as the lighting was still moving around me.
"I am going to kill that bitch!" said Jon, with deep anger in his eyes. "Don''t, you are not her match. Even in her weakened state, she can kill you in a minute," I said.
I want to do nothing more than to kill her, but I know, how powerful she is.
Even when she is drained. She can kill them.
As I waited for mages to arrive, I started to command the army. She had broken her skill, which meant the communication skills and spells could be used again.
The first thing, I did was evacuate the forces from the southern gate.
She will not retreat. Half of her horde is still standing, but I want to keep the door of retreat open for her.
I want nothing more than to kill her, but it''s not possible. It is wise to let her have a chance to retreat, but to make that happen, I need to show her, that she can not win.
She can not wait till the reinforcement arrives. I will kill her horde, her powerhouses till she will have no choice but to retreat.
She understood that too and commanded her horde, while I had responded, commanding mine in kind.
Unlike before, we have an advantage now and I will exploit it to the fullest.
"Stone," said Shaun as he arrived with the Osward and rest.
"Jon, Osward, move east. Shaun, Kruabu go south, but stay clear of Rynra," I ordered while they watched in shock.
"Shaman, Kremi, I hope you deal with this bloody lightning," I said to the man before turning four.
"What are you all waiting for? Go!" I snapped.
They were hesitant for a second before moving. Acting fast is important; I need to strike her weakness as fast as I can when I have a chance.
There were still undead around me fighting, but my men could handle them.
A few seconds passed and Shaman Oris threw purple powder with herbs mix on me. immediately, I felt it having the effects, while casting more shamanic spells on me.
It is his area of expertise. It is a good thing; I had brought him here.
His spells begin to rapidly eat away the powerful lightning. Not only the one, that covered me outside, but also the one harming me inside.
At the end of the minute, all the lightning disappeared.
"Thank you, shaman," I said to the man gratefully, before I took out a small pouch, hidden under my armor.
It was painful to remove as the leather stuck to the skin, but I ranked it out and was relieved to see that the bottles were safe especially the green ones.
It is the only bottle of Grade IV essence healing potion we have in the city.
It was one of the rewards, Lord Silver had got as the host of new legacy.
There are Grade III essence healing potions in a pouch, but I need to heal my injuries fast, and seeing how grave they are, Grave IV is the best option.
A wrong move and the enemy will gain the chance to win, and I cannot let that happen.
I took it out and opened it, before taking a sip of it and then another after some thought.
Immediately, I felt turning it into a flood of energy and spread through my body.
Healing my injuries at a visible speed.
Within a second, charred skin began to fall down, and new pink flesh started to start to appear. The same is happening internally the damage to bones and internal organs healing.
As it heals, I begin to feel the heavy tiredness. It is not healing tiredness but from the elder blood.
It is compelling me to sleep.
I resisted and took a Grade III essence stamina potion and drank it all.
Minutes passed before, and finally, the power of potions disappeared.
On the surface, I seemed healed. The only sign there about my injury is the loss of my hair on my body and the paleness of my skin.
I am healed, but also not healed.
I don''t know whether I will be able to recover from it. Nor do I have the energy to care right now. The only thing, I currently care about is the battle that I have to win.
Chapter 455: Retreat
Stone
Thud!
I landed on the roof of the house, which is in front of the gates of the city, on which Rynra is standing.
I didn''t move any further.
I just stood there, watching her, despite every part of me wanting me to sleep. The compulsion is so heavy, that I would fall a speed standing if I kept my eyes open for more than a second.
Her horde is around me, but so are my people. If they move toward me, my people will stop them.
The only person who could stop me and that Rynra Throne. Also, Wayne, but currently, he did truly seem to break off with the undead.
I hope she didn''t attack.
My injuries may look healed, and they are in common sense, but I am not capable of fighting her.
Her conditions aren''t that good either. She is completely drained of her reserves, and she has used that spell to the limit, absorbing mana from the undead.
This means now, unless she drinks a mana potion of emotion essence, she will not be able to fill her reserve.
She likely won''t do that.
The potion of emotion essence is rare even for her and powerhouses drink it only when their life is in danger.
It is a thing that could help them cheat death.
Here, her life isn''t in danger, but if she uses that potion, she might have time to get her hands on things that produce key ingredients for that potion.
So, it is hard to predict what she will do, and her expressions didn''t make it easy to see that.
I also kept my expressions unreadable and looked directly at her with the halberd in my hand while my army fought against the horde.
The armies are now concentrated on the southern side, both horde and my army moved the battle here.
She had a good plan. Cutting communication, hiding the undead in houses and sewers. I don''t want to say it, but if not for Wayne, we wouldn''t have been able to do so well.
We might have lost the battle.
It was the information provided by Wayne, that had helped us.
Still, it didn''t seem to be enough to make her retreat. She is still fighting with us.
It''s why it''s important to tell her, that she won''t win this battle.
No matter what she does.
Minutes passed, and sides were fighting, with people being killed every minute. A lot of people died already, not just soldiers, but also officers.
Even the powerhouses of Lv. 30+ aren''t spared.
A smile appeared on my face suddenly, while her expression turned bad.
A level 30+ died, and it had been killed by none other than Orok. The young man is really good, despite his state and difference in level, he is killing them.
He is heavily injured, but the priest is helping him as he kills the enemies.
It was a wise decision to give his team a healer. I was not sure about the decision, seeing the few priests we have.
We had an advantage in the battle, and the death of every enemy powerhouse increased that advantage further.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I have divided powerhouses as such, that, it is harder to kill them. Setting them to fight against the enemies, that they could kill.
It couldn''t have been possible before, but we now have the numerical advantage in powerhouses, with many of them dead or surrendered.
I had just thought that when another enemy powerhouse surrendered, making her expressionless face twitch.
The very next second, I sensed another thing that made the small smile on my face turn into a grin.
¡
Rynra Throne
''I quit the undead kingdom,'' he declared before cutting the spell.
Now, it had become so clear. It''s all because of that bastard Wayne.
He betrayed the undead kingdom.
I really want to curse those bastards at Port. If they had told me, he was a traitor, I would have dealt with him myself before the battle.
Instead, they only summoned him and asked to keep an eye on him.
The summons might have been for any kind of thing.
From being a spy at worst to being the one able to provide information about someone or something or something else less serious.
If they had been forthright about the information. I wouldn''t have been looking at the defeat.
The bastard had been playing battle. I didn''t suspect him, till I asked him to come to me to attack the elder blood together.
First, he made excuses. When I forced him, he replied directly with defection.
Saying I am angry right now would be a great understatement of the emotions, I am feeling, but I controlled those emotions.
It is a battle, and they have no place in it.
I looked at the elder blood, looking at me with a grin. I want to knock those out of his mouth.
He seemed healed. There is not a single injury on his face, everything is healed. The only thing sign of injury is the paleness of his body.
He must have drunk an essence healing potion, and seeing how quickly he began to move.
It''s very likely a Grade IV.
Even I don''t have a Grade IV potion. All three of my essence potions are Grade III.
I want to drink them and attack him, but that is risky. I am pretty sure, that he had not recovered fully, despite drinking the potion.
It might have healed him, but recovering his strength wouldn''t be easy.
The strength of elder blood couldn''t be recovered from drinking potions. It needs time or those particular things, which are very hard to get.
One needs to have specific connections to get to those people who could produce them.
The thing is, he might have recovered his energy, but he might have his physical strength. He had defended against it with his physical body.
I have potions, but not enough to be sure, that I will be able to kill him.
With the traitor in the fray and the enemies coming at me, it will be hard for me to survive. Since I won''t have much mana to deal with them.
Even now, my mana is very slowly recovering. Trickle by trickle, which isn''t enough.
Hun!
"Bastard!" a curse couldn''t help but appear in my mouth as I sensed the thing, the traitor did.
The traitor had not only detected. He is now attacking the people that used to be on his side.
He had just killed a Lv. 30 warrior. Something, I had not thought he would not dare to do. By doing it, he had crossed all the lines.
The undead kingdom would not leave him alive.
"Retreat!" I commanded.
There is no other choice than to do this. The traitorous bastard joining the enemy, immediately made things dangerous.
Not only for the horde but also for me.
He is the only person aside from elder-blood, that could survive against me. Unlike elder blood, who will fight and survive. This bastard will run and survive.
Though if he joined elder-blood. Things could turn tricky for me.
The horde began to come toward me and the elder-blood did the smart thing I had expected. He made his army stop attacking, giving the horde a clear road to retreat.
Shame filled my heart for calling a retreat, but I had no choice.
Though I have good reason to blame someone, and I am going to do it. The moment I got out, of this communication, a blockade covered the city.
It is not strong, I could break it, but I rather not waste mana on it.
I will need it. Since I planned to return very soon.
¡.
Stone
"I will be returning very soon, elder-blood,"
Her declaration rang through the city before she humped from the gate.
Her horde had already got out of the city, and she was the last one and that threat was very real.
She could return to the city in a few hours with the new horde coming and I will have to make sure, to them see that it will be a futile attempt.
Till then, I am not allowed to sleep. I hope I will be able to hold it back.
The compulsion from the elder blood is getting stronger by the minute, but I will resist it. I have to resist it for the Lord, the city, my men, and especially for her.
"I asked them to come and also this is the latest intelligence," said Jon as he appeared beside me.
I had sent him out of the city toward the mages we kept outside of the communication blockade.
Something, I don''t want to remove, for at least an hour more.
The first is to call our people. The healers, priests, administrators along with other people. We had brought them, but they were behind.
They couldn''t fight and bringing them wasn''t wise. We had kept back, but now we defeated the undead.
We need them.
Especially healers. There are a lot of injured people; some are in serious condition.
We are stabilizing their conditions with healers and potions we have, but we need them as, unlike the healers in the city.
They are not tired and would be able to save a lot of lives.
I turned to intelligence and except for one thing, everything else was within the expectation.
Chapter 456: Offer
¡°It was unexpected,¡± I said as I read the intelligence.
That bastard at Ashton Harbor is still fighting the undead. I thought that battle would end by now, but it won¡¯t be seeing how things are going.
¡°Unexpected, but the best news we could hope for,¡± replied Stone.
To that, I couldn¡¯t help, but nod.
It is an enormous risk we have taken attacking the city and even now we are not out of danger.
The hordes are still moving. If the undead horde, that attacking the Port Midlet, had joined it.
Things could get worse.
We might not even be able to handle, the joining of the three groups. The fourth one is as big as three, and right now would spell danger, we have no ability to handle.
If that happens. We will have no choice but to retreat.
There is also another problem and some even say, the thing I should be worried about.
The attack on my own city. Deerponds forces would reach the city in a few hours. I am worried, but not as much as I should be, despite knowing that anything happens in the battle.
¡°How are you feeling?¡± I asked Stone.
I heard he had been heavily injured. He still is. He is showing the people he is fine. This is good because our enemies need to have the same perception.
¡°Tired, but I will manage,¡± he replied before a small smile appeared on his face.
¡°Congratulations my lord. Very few people across the years had awakened an aura so young,¡± he congratulated.
Yes, I look young, but I am old. Not that old, it is at that age that the talented awaken the aura.
There is one person, I know, who had awakened the aura when she was even younger than me.
¡°It still feels like a dream,¡± I said while looking down at the steps.
I am sitting on the steps of the city hall; one of the few places they didn¡¯t fuck up.
Looking at the state of the city. It¡¯s clear, they didn¡¯t care for it. Nearly all the essential services, like food, water, and medicine, are out.
People struggled for them.
It¡¯s so different from the island, where they would properly manage the conquered territories.
¡°What do you think, they have come here for?¡± I asked. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not for conquering, that¡¯s for sure,¡± he replied.
It makes things difficult for us. If they didn¡¯t want to conquer, they wouldn¡¯t have to lay waste to the city. They are already doing that, by not properly caring for the cities, they have captured.
I heard the sound behind me and turned.
¡°We had inspected thoroughly, my lord. There is no danger inside.¡± Informed Major Das.
¡°Thank you, Major,¡± I replied but didn¡¯t go inside and turned to Stone.
¡°Will hordes attack?¡± I asked. To that, he sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t say for sure, but if they attack, we will be ready to face them,¡± he replied.
We have already made preparations. We had put over twenty thousand people to sleep.
When most of them wake up. They will be higher leveled, than when they were before sleeping.
There are other preparations that are going on, like fixing the wall and creating other defenses that will help us fight against the undead.
Let them come. We will face them with greater fury. Even if our numbers are less than before. This time, we have an advantage; we have a city in our control.
For minutes, nobody spoke, before his expressions changed and a smile appeared on his face.
¡°They have arrived,¡± I had guessed it even before he spoke, but I was relieved to hear that.
The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
¡°It¡¯s time to remove the blockade then,¡± he said and walked away, while I stayed on my face.
A few minutes later, the carriage stopped.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± Ina greeted.
She isn¡¯t alone, behind her several officials. We have asked who would be interested in going to the Panar and these people volunteered.
They barely had a few minutes to decide.
I thought I would need an official order to take them, but there are smart and ambitious people, who would take any risk to advance their careers.
They understood it was a great opportunity for them.
It would take them away from the power center, but it will provide them with greater opportunity, that they wouldn¡¯t have gotten by staying in the city.
They are right about choosing this dangerous appointment. They have shown they are loyal and willing to take a risk.
Even if some of them are lacking abilities. This action of them would help them higher than they would have otherwise.
¡°Deal with the things inside,¡± I said. She nodded and bowed, before walking toward the city hall.
There are people inside. Some were officials who were working in city hall before the undead arrived. Some were brought here by the undead.
They will provide her with all the information needed to start working.
Still, it wouldn¡¯t be easy, but she is capable, and I would trust no-one other than her.
I sighed when I thought about it. If hordes didn¡¯t attack us immediately, it wouldn¡¯t reduce our troubles but would increase them because this city is going to guzzle a lot of money.
The money I don¡¯t have.
The battles, and over six months of utter neglect, have left this city battered to every inch.
To be honest, I knew it would be a big clusterfuck in here, but I still came, because it would create a layer of defense for the Greltheaven.
I hope it doesn¡¯t happen, but if one day, somehow, the enemy captures the Greltheaven, and I was somehow able to run away, then this city would be my base to launch the counterattack.
Unless, of course, it gets captured first and then Greltheaven.
I am already thinking about from which departments I would cut money to finance this city.
I would also be going to ask for aid from merchants. Even a little would help, tremendously.
I wouldn¡¯t need much, because this city isn¡¯t that helpless. It has sources of revenue, the mines. There are a lot of mines, capable of generating enough profit to make the city stand on its feet on its own.
¡°The communication blockade had been lifted,¡± informed Shaun.
¡°Let¡¯s contact some people,¡± I replied and the next twenty minutes, I spent talking to many people. Informing them of the battle and our victory, but also the dangers we face ahead.
I still have a lot more people to talk to; I have only talked to the important ones, but I will do that later.
I got up from the stairs and walked ahead.
¡°Horse,¡± I said as the carriage appeared in front of me and walked to the horse and mounted it.
It was a struggle. I am tired right now and injured. I rather do nothing other than sleep, but there are a lot of things for me to do and prepare if the horde attacks.
I moved through the city with guards around me and the army patrolling the streets.
There¡¯s a curfew, but I could see the people looking through doors and windows with eyes filled with hope.
I wanted to talk to them and give them reassurance, but I did no such things. We have captured the city, but I still don¡¯t know whether we will be able to keep it or not.
Unless I become sure of it. I will refrain from getting too attached.
Soon, I dismounted in front big building.
It used to be a merchant guild, but now it is a makeshift hospital.
There is a crowd. We have already sent patients inside, but soldiers are bringing the stuff inside. Like beds and other things for the injured.
We brought the priests, healers, doctors, potions, and tools, but we couldn¡¯t bring the stuff like beds.
We are arranging that here.
The city used to have hospitals, but all of them were shut. We are using the buildings that could be used and scavenging everything else from that we couldn¡¯t.
If the city becomes ours. I will send everything that, it requires from the Greltheaven.
I walked through it and talked to injured and healers.
I have spotted many familiar people. Including Francesca, who is assisting in healing.
Carla had poached her from Norman and her luck was so good, that next day.
The establishment ascended to the legacy.
It was quite a surprise to me, that this woman chose to be a healer, rather than a madam of the legacy.
Caena had offered her job to be a flood reader, but this woman declined to practice the healing arts.
I didn¡¯t interfere with it and instead provided all the help. I need healers, and this woman could be trusted.
A few minutes later, I checked another hospital and then another and another. There are a lot of people injured with many dying.
We have suffered the second-worst casualties in this battle. Right behind that of the first battle.
When I finished with the last, I rode toward the wall.
¡®Its condition had become even worse,¡¯ I said, looking at the wall.
It will be a thing, that I will be fixing first.
We already started filling it with quick cement. It is a temporary solution. In a few days, we will bring the experts to fix the wall.
I climbed the wall and appeared beside the stone. He is looking at soldiers laying down the mines.
It is a good thing we had brought them. I just wished we had brought them in a greater number than we had, but they were all we could bring.
¡°It will be finished by the time the undead came,¡± he said. Currently, the horde is still coming. They are less than two and a half hours away from us.
¡°Good,¡± I said and turned to cannons.
We didn¡¯t use it despite pointing them toward the city earlier. It was just for intimidation, but we ordered them to use them as if there was a chance.
There wasn¡¯t. The bastards moved around the houses. Never coming out in the open.
¡°There is a message from the undead. From Necromancer Irtis,¡± informed Shaun.
Saying, I am surprised would be a statement.
¡°What does he want?¡± I asked. Irtis is a necromancer, who leading the horde.
¡°What does he want?¡± I asked, and a faint uncertainty appeared in his voice.
¡°He said, he will pull back his horde as long as we hand over those who had surrendered and captured. Especially Wayne,¡± he replied.
I looked at Stone before turning to Shaun.
¡°Tell him to come and bring his horde. We are ready to face him,¡± I said. We are not going to hand over the prisoners and those who surrendered.
Especially not Wayne.
Chapter 457: Relief and Worries
Rynra
"Apologies Dame Rynra, but I can''t do it. I have to follow the orders," said the bloody man in front of me.
His tone was respectful, but I could see the hidden contempt in his eyes.
This bastard should have been there; he wouldn''t have survived. They had killed Yegson; he had the same strength as him.
At least Yegson had guts.
This little bustard didn''t even have that. He is a complete coward.
Still, I didn''t show that on my face and kept my expression and voice calm.
"Once a horde from Norke merges with us. We will have enough numbers and experts to launch a powerful attack against the enemies,"
"They are tired and lost a lot of their numbers. They won''t be able to fight us; it will be an easy victory," I said and contempt in his eyes deepened.
My hands moved toward my sword, but stopped halfway. Fear appeared in his eyes and even staff lit up.
A moment later, embarrassment appeared on his face, and he cut off the spell, he was casting.
A smile appeared on my face seeing.
I have recovered quite a bit of mana, which would be enough to kill this bastard if I wanted to.
"Dame Rynra, I am just following the orders. If you want me to lead my horde to Panar, then I will need an order from Ashton Harbor," he said, voice more polite than before.
It also slammed all the doors. At least temporarily.
It''s not like, I didn''t try to contact the higher-ups. I did, many times, but they didn''t respond after the first call.
Their intention is obvious. They don''t want to attack Panar. At least not now, before the battle at Port Midlet ends.
Still, I tried with this man, if he was willing to bend the rules, but he didn''t have that much of a spine.
Instead, he contacted the enemy and tried to be a hero by getting the prisoners and traitors, but failed spectacularly, when the enemy asked him to come to fight.
Which instead of making him angry, had made the coward more cautious.
"I will be in my carriage," I said and walked away.
The horde had turned. It is returning to Almin instead of attacking Panar.
I wish they listen to me. I am confident of the victory if we attack them with the force we have, but unfortunately, they are not willing to listen to me.
Though it''s not over yet.
¡
Owlspring
"Didn''t, I tell you, he will conquer, Panar," said the Lord of Owlspring to the old man in front of him.
"Yes, he did, but I am concerned about the other thing," said the old man.
"Aura, you mean?" asked the Lord of Owlspring, and the man''s expression turned serious.
"What do our sources say? Is it true, my lord?" asked the old man.
"Everyone inside had sensed it, including our person hiding in the city," replied the lord of Owlspring, confirming the intelligence he had received.
"Awakening an aura for twenty years. He would be trouble for us if the empire was able to get itself out of this trouble," said the old man.
Lord of Olwrping smiled.
"I think the opposite because the empire is gone. It will never be what it was," said the lord of Owlspring and smiled.
A smile is full of secrets.
Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
¡
Ronda
"So, he won," I said as the Laris informed us of the news.
"It will increase the morale of their forces in Greltheaven," said Lord Darius, with a big frown on his face.
It clearly worried him, but not me.
"It''s nothing to be worried about, my lord. We have twice the number of men as the enemy with numerous powerhouses,"
"I promise you; we will have Greltheaven, that is before the first light of tomorrow," I said.
I am confident about the victory. All the men I had brought were trained and experienced. There are also numerous powerhouses, all of them are veterans of many battles.
We will not lose. We will win and not just the Greltheaven.
The Panar will also be ours. Once I captured the Greltheaven; I will move to Panar.
Just thinking about it made my beat in joy.
I hope this last hour passes quickly and I attack the Greltheaven. It would be easy, seeing it is a cripple that is leading it.
There are notable powerhouses that we will need to deal with, but I am not worried about them.
I have brought enough powerhouses, and they are just as good as them and, if not better, and most importantly, they are greater in numbers.
¡
"Both of the hordes have turned," informed Shaun, and the relief flooded in my heart.
It had been worrying me a lot. If they had attacked, the battle would have been bloody. Even if we had gained the victory. It wouldn''t have been without a substantial cost.
Still, it is not over.
There is a still battle at Port Midlet; a lot of things will depend on it.
Even then, we will not be safe, but I already knew about these things. I knew Panar would be a constant danger from the undead.
Despite that, I came here, but it''s important for Greltheaven.
"You should rest. We need you to be ready, the moment, they decide to attack again," I said without privacy skills. So, everyone could hear it.
"Yes, I do rest," he said and walked down from the wall.
People know Stone had a serious injury and needed rest. Enemies know that well too; we might as well them, that he is resting.
Let them think about whether it is a trap or a truth.
I may be smiling, but I am worried about Stone. He had told me the nature of tiredness and how hard it is becoming for him to hold it back.
He didn''t know when he would wake up once he slept or what state, he would be in when he would wake up.
"You are in charge, till General Stone returned Maj. General Azalea," I said to the woman.
"I will not disappoint you, my lord," she accepted with a bow. I smiled and turned to the soldiers in front of me, working on mine and doing a few things.
Undead might not be coming now, but they are coming, and we need to be prepared for them.
I turned toward Greltheaven.
I am not as worried as I should be about it. I didn''t come without preparations.
The enemies are going to get a pleasant surprise when they reach the city.
I would never leave my city unprotected.
I stayed on the wall for half an hour more before climbing down. Once down, I mounted on the horse and went toward the city hall.
Thud!
A few minutes later, I dismounted in front of the city hall and walked toward it.
This city hall is big, bigger than the one in Greltheaven, and also old. Over a thousand years old; it survived, the empire''s attack and countless undead scourges of Navr.
It is the only city hall. In all the cities of the region that had survived for more than a thousand years, where many city halls have been destroyed and rebuilt.
The former governor may have spent little on anything, but he spent good money on the city hall. Not only did he repair the damages, but also renovated it.
So, when I walked inside. I saw it as a completely different thing than the rest of the city.
It is clean, without a speck of dust, and walls laden with art pieces on beautifully painted walls
This man had good taste, unlike Count Darrow. The bastard was only attracted to ostentatious things.
Soon, I reached the office of governor, which will act as my office, before I appoint the governor.
Then this office will be theirs.
The guards bowed and opened the door for me.
"Master Silver," she greeted and bowed. I nodded and sat down.
"How bad are things?" I asked directly. There is no need to sugarcoat this question.
"Very," she replied simply.
"Water, sanitation, health, food, waste management, and everything is down. The people here are not even living, they are barely surviving," she spat.
There is great anger in her eyes. Even I am angry at seeing the state of the city and its people.
"Any money?" I asked. "Surprisingly, yes. It is a share of Yegson and what he looted from people, before turning them into the undead," she replied, holding the anger in her eyes.
"How much?" I asked, and she opened the file in front of me and pointed at the number written in big bold letters.
I have to say, it''s not a small number at all.
It is far from enough to deal with the city''s problems, but it is big enough.
That we could start, with it.
A lot of it would be needed to do, and the first thing would be starting those services. It wouldn''t be cheap, and I would need to bring a lot of people from the Greltheaven to aid with that.
Including the police, who will be responsible for the security.
I could send a few hundred of them here, without compromising the security of the Greltheaven.
The first batch of police is graduating in a week. They are the first that have been formally trained as police officers. Some talented ones had even got the classes.
"Grill everything from officials and ask our people to look at things with their own eyes. I need a detailed report of things by tomorrow," I ordered.
"It will be done, my lord," she replied.
I nodded and turned to the file. It is short, which isn''t surprising, given she didn''t have any time. She was able to gather this much in a such time is a testament to her abilities.
Still, my expressions couldn''t help but turn bad as I read through it.
The little bit of joy, I had about the money had vanished immediately after reading the information in the file.
If I didn''t retreat from the city, I would need to spend a lot of money on it. Seeing that, I almost started to wish, that the undead attack us with a big horde and make us retreat from the city.
A minute later, I closed the file and shut my eyes, thinking.
"Lord Silver, the enemies have reached the city," informed Shaun, making me open my eyes.
"Finally," I said, with a smile appearing on his face.
Chapter 458: Enemy Attacks
Cardin
"There is a clear order from the Lord Silver. Teach the enemy such a lesson, that they would never dare to attack us again," I said to the army of thirty thousand in front of me.
Twenty thousand were our own forces, while fifteen thousand were the volunteers.
We have no plan to use them. It is just for the intimidation.
We have an army of around fifty-five thousand. We had used the fifty-thousands of them in the yesterday''s battle.
Five thousand were hidden. It is the most we can hide without letting our enemies know about them.
It''s very hard to hide the actual army, especially the places like the cities.
Which are filled with the spies.
Why did we hide it? It is always good to hide our strength. Even if it is a little.
Still, we could have used them yesterday. If we needed them, but didn''t, given the type of strategy we were using; fifty thousand was a perfect number.
"Lord Silver had achieved the victory in the Panar, and we will do the same here," I shouted.
I didn''t have to with a Loud Voice, but sometimes, you can only express emotions through loudness.
Thud Thud Thud!
The army begins to hit their legs hard on the ground.
The enemy is only ten minutes away, and we will be ready for them.
We were ready now; the only thing had remained was shaman spells.
The shamans are casting them around the army right now.
These spells are quite useful. Their effects are not as pronounced as skills and spells, but they are terrifying with enough preparation.
Lord Silver had paid a lot of prices for those resources they were using for the spells. I know it because I am responsible for the acquisition and logistics.
It''s why I know we are going to win this battle. Those bastards will regret coming here to attack us.
Minutes passed, and the shamans finished with spells.
"On your places," I ordered, and the army moved toward their assigned place. In a minute, the entire area becomes empty.
I turned and looked out of the city. I could enemy with Far Eyes.
I could even see them with the naked eye.
Every second they got closer and closer till they were only a mile away from us.
It is when they stopped.
A few seconds later, a young man in his early twenties came forward with a milk-white horse. Behind him were Ronda and his son, with the protection of twelve mages and warriors behind.
They stopped two hundred meters distance from their army and turned to me.
"Commander Cardin, surrender. It will save your men from needless death and the city from unnecessary damage,"
"If you surrender, I promise you, I will not harm any of your men or citizens. We would peacefully occupy the city without a drop of blood."
"But if you resist us, I promise you, I will make trollmouth turn red with the blood of your men," said the young man.
Hearing it smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face. It''s not just me, Colonel Hiren and Mage Valentina beside me had also smiled.
Her laugh wasn''t quiet. She is quite loud; it has made the young man angry.
"Greenhorn, who never seen a war, talking about blood?" I asked with a chuckle.
They got angry but turned alert the next moment as I raised my hand. Immediately, the mages reacted, and the shields appeared around them, covering them from all sides.
"Attack!" I ordered.
Boom Boom Boom
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
The mouths of cannons burst out with the fire as the cannonballs released from them. At the same time, catapults released the massive exploding ammunition.
I have no interest in talking to them. I want to beat them and do it quickly.
It''s the lord''s order.
He wants to send the injured back to the city. He also wants quite a lot of stuff, which I won''t be able to send him to the enemies attacking the city.
They may have conquered the city, but their work is far from over.
They need supplies, men, and many other things. To be ready in case the undead launch an attack on the city.
Bang Bang Bang!
The shields appeared across the battlefield. Defending against our attacks.
Most they defended, but some hit creating powerful blasts.
I watched as volley after volley landed on the enemy, while they defended with their shields.
Boom Boom Boom
It took the enemy nearly two and a half minutes to respond to the attack and launch their own cannons.
I thought, given Ronda''s experience. He would respond within a minute, but he took his sweet time.
They brought a good number of cannons, but still less than ours.
Lord Silver had brought a lot of cannons and ammunition, which I thought was excessive, but he wasn''t planning for one city.
The cannonballs reached close to us, and our mages acted.
Not our top mages; the mages of early-level twenty. Many of them are inexperienced, but this is the easiest task for them. They just need to use their shield spells.
If they missed and the cannonballs got closer, the mages of mid-twenties with better experience would.
If they passed, even that. Then it would be mage Valentina, Zela and other High-mages would defend against them, but that is likely to happen.
However, I have enough experience to not discard that possibility.
Our cannons fired non-stop, while the enemy finally changed toward us.
With their siege towers rising.
"Battle Command: Target Siege Towers," I said, activating the skill.
Immediately, a third of the cannons began to target the siege towers, but not a single one hit them.
Which is also the purpose. It would be great if they hit and destroyed the siege towers, but we would be fine as long as they targeted them.
The purpose is to make their mages use the spells. The ones protecting the towers are good mages. Making them use the spend the mana now will help us further in the battle.
We are using common cannonballs to target the towers; only now and then, we would use special cannonballs that will create a blast powerful enough to crack the mages'' shields.
So, they would always use powerful spells to defend.
The shamans'' spell also helped with that, obstructing skills and spells that could accurately gauge the cannonball''s power. Stopping them from employing effective measures.
This strategy is used by the orc kingdom or those who use tribal orcs and I have to say, it works well.
Bang Bang Bang
They came closer and closer to us. Protecting the siege towers, while at the same time defending from the mines.
"They have brought quite a number of earth mages," said Mage Valentina.
Mages are casting Earth Detect and Earth Wave to detect and remove the mines. Which again makes their mages use their precious mana
"Mage, Archer''s attack!" I ordered.
A moment later, they begin to attack. From the lowest to the highest level, they begin to shower the spells and the arrows at the enemy.
This time, the enemy reacted fast. Though they were able to slow the army.
Which is good enough; it will give cannons more time against the enemy. Making them, use more of their mana in dealing against them.
Minutes passed, and soon the army had reached the wall.
"Cardin, you have made a grave mistake by resisting us. You will pay for this with your life!" raged Ronda from below, but I responded with a chuckle.
BANG!
Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out. The ground below one siege engine exploded.
Shattering it to pieces, while sending tens of soldiers and a few mages flying.
Most of them above the explosion died. Only the mages who reacted in time survived, but most went out of commission. They won''t be fighting this battle anymore.
I looked at High Mage Valentina; she is really something. Her control over the spell is unmatched.
I have never seen a mage of her age with such control over her spells.
There had been enemy Earthmages scanning every inch of the ground, but they were still not able to able to detect the mine, she had been hiding with her spell.
Unfortunately, she could do this with only one mine. She had even said, the chances of success are less than 20%.
Enemy mages could have detected and dealt with it, but they didn''t, and we succeeded in blowing one of their siege towers.
It didn''t matter if she won''t be able to do it again. The blast had to create a magnificent scene of destruction.
It will affect the morale of the enemy when the news of alchfire is still fresh.
It didn''t stop the energy, and they continued moving toward us.
They may have decided to attack in a short time, but they have come prepared, and I could see a good number of powerhouses.
So, it is only wise, we would bring out our own powerhouses as well.
The biggest surprise that Lord Silver had prepared for the enemies, that might attack the city in his absence.
"Come out, you all," I ordered and immediately.
Immediately, nearly a hundred people wearing mercenary clothes stepped forward. There are all sorts of people here, warriors, mages, rogues, and others.
They are night seven people, made of eight mercenary teams.
In them are nineteen are Lv. 30+ powerhouses, while the rest are Lv. 20+.
All of them experience battles like this.
It costs a lot to hire them. I had opposed the decision to hire them. Especially when our purpose is to use them when the army leaves the city.
It''s not a good idea to have so many foreign mercenaries without an effective force to control them, but now I am glad they are here.
Ronda seemed to have sensed them, and his eyes moved up. A shock is apparent in his eyes.
In the second, the balance of powerhouses becomes nearly equal in powerhouses and, since we are defending from the wall, we have the advantage.
As the mercenaries came out, they began the attacks. The mages fired the spells, while the archers released the arrows.
One was even able to snipe the mage. Piercing the arrow through the head, killing him in a single attack.
Thud Thud Thud!
A minute and a half passed, and the siege towers had finally crashed into the wall.
It''s time for the actual battle to begin.
I am slightly disappointed that it is going to end quickly. I wish I could take part in it. I can''t, I will have been satisfied with commanding.
It''s good too; this way, the victory will be more enjoyable and painful to the enemy.
They are going to lose to a cripple and going to lose it in the most humiliating way.
Chapter 459: Enemy Retreats
Ronda
"Board!" I ordered with General''s Orders.
Immediately, the orders followed, as the soldiers and powerhouses moved into the siege towers.
The battle had got a bad start and a few surprises, but it won''t stop us.
I will conquer the city.
We still have the numerical advantage, and we just need to show them, that we will win this battle absolutely and their biggest surprises will be useless.
Mercenaries, especially foreign ones, will run like rats, they are. If we showed them; there is no chance that they will win.
The mercenaries were a surprise. Merchant States had told us that their mercenaries and adventurers wouldn''t take part in the conflict of the region.
Whether it is against the undead or people. They wouldn''t send their mercenaries in here, aside from a few exceptions.
So, they must be from somewhere else, not that I am much interested.
The only thing I am interested in is a victory. After I attain it, I will execute that bastard Cardin and all mercenaries remain in the city.
I want to imprint the facts on their mind. That nobody should stand against Deepond.
Those who do will turned to earth.
The soldiers reached the wall with eleven siege towers and began to fight the enemy on the wall.
Cardin is there, but the cripple bastard isn''t finding himself. I wonder what Silver thought by giving the command to a cripple.
He wouldn''t be able to motivate the army properly, which is a good new for us.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the siege towers. I didn''t go up in there, nor did I let my son go in it. He wanted to, but it was too dangerous.
I will not risk my son''s life or mine.
I am the commander, and my job is to command, not fight the battle.
It''s the job of soldiers and powerhouses.
Still, I might have gone there. If Silver had been there; it would have been worth the risk, but since he is not there. I rather would not.
Hun!
Suddenly, I felt my Dengersense ringing up faintly, and a moment later; I saw a whole wall burning in a green fire.
"Its Alchefire Run!"
People shouted, and I could feel the panic spreading among the soldiers, with the morale depreciating fast.
It''s bad, considering their morale had already dipped slightly because of our slow response to their huge barrage and explosion of the siege tower.
It scared them so much, that many soldiers and powerhouses had jumped from the siege towers.
Most didn''t know what alchefire was till yesterday. When it had wiped away nearly half of the horde of two hundred and fifty thousand.
Seeing it even, I took a step back, before my eyes widened in realization.
"It''s not Alchefire!" I informed through Army Telepathy.
BANG BANG BANG!
I had just done, and they started to react to the information. When suddenly my Dangersense buzzed, and I saw three siege towers exploding one after another.
Laris cast a shield and saved me from splinters while I watched in shock.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
I quickly got control over my emotions, seeing the state of my army.
"It''s not Alchfire!" I informed them again, but this time, it worked less as the enemy had intensified their attacks. Not just the spells, but also cannons and arrows.
BANG!
I swatted away the arrow, that pierced through Laris''s shield. Only to see another siege tower exploding into pieces.
"Ram, the door open," I commanded.
It''s not a strategy I would use. It''s expensive in spells and cannonballs, but the bastards have destroyed five of my siege towers.
The seven alone wouldn''t be enough. So, I am targeting the door parallelly. Once it has broken, I will push my army through it.
It will cause a lot more losses, but I have enough numbers to absorb it.
Though I had already decided that once, I got to the city. I will kill a lot of people. They could have made things easy for themselves.
It would have been a bloodless occupation, and that crippled would have got the great wealth and rank, but he chose the difficult path, and he will pay the price for that.
A few minutes passed and a massive battering ram out of the army.
The enemy attacked with spells and cannons and even threw the burning oil from above, but my mages reacted and defended against them.
General''s Armament
I activated the skill on the battering ram. It will give a boost to the ram''s effect.
BAM!
The battering ram had rammed into the door, but it barely shook. The bastards are using the skills and spells on the door; I am even sensing a different type of magic.
If I am not wrong, then the filthy orcs have also used their magic on it.
These bastards will be the first people, I will expel from the city. I can''t stand them and their filthy faces; the emperor was right in removing them from the empire.
BAM BANG!
The ram crashed again, and at the same time, I saw another siege tower had exploded.
A powerful cannonball had avoided the shields and blasted it apart.
''How is this happening?'' I asked myself. If it had been one time, I would have accepted it, but it had happened four times.
''Shamanic magic?'' I couldn''t help but ask myself.
I had no experience with it. I had never fought the orcs; I had a few chances early in my career, but I declined those.
Maybe I shouldn''t have.
''Father!''
I was thinking about how to save half of the siege towers that had remained when I heard the painful voice of my son.
I focused on him and saw an arrowed pierced his shoulder.
I looked up at the wall and saw the same bitch who had sniped at me.
She has targeted my son.
Rage built in my heart, and I wanted to use every mage under my command to target that bitch, but I had controlled myself.
Knowing the injury won''t kill him. I turned back to the battle, focusing more and more on the door as capturing the wall began to seem like a distant possibility.
If we had the siege towers intact. We would have sent our army and powerhouses on the wall, which we did in the first few minutes before they had started blowing them.
Now the door is the only option. Once we are inside, our powerhouses will fight their powerhouses.
It is there we will show the bastards our mettle.
''Hartis, I want the door broken,'' I said to Colonel leading the charge at that.
I directed the army and defended against spells and cannons. Which they seemed to have in unlimited numbers, seeing their pace had not slowed down since the battle.
Minutes passed and the battering ram continued to ram at the door and, aside from small progress, they were able to move far, even with spell join.
Bang Bang!
I was thinking about diverting my army when I heard the last two back-to-back explosions.
Two more siege towers have burst into flames. Leaving only the four.
BANG!
I was looking at the flames when I heard the explosion close to me. I was so powerful that, it had broken through two of Laris''s shields, even cracked the third one.
I looked toward the gate and saw the battering ram burning. With the burned, broken, and bloodied bodies of my soldiers everywhere.
Many are dead, while others screaming in pain.
I looked at the severed hand, that had struck against the third shield before falling down.
Bang!
I was processing it, when I heard yet another powerful explosion and, without turning, I knew that another siege tower had been destroyed.
The morale is down with many of the powerhouse injured and with few dead, while the enemy looks energetic.
They looked like, they could fight for a long time.
They barely suffered any casualties while we were reeling in them. Our numbers are not that good, that we could absorb it without suffering any consequences.
"Retreat!"
I ordered and immediately the army retreated, but the enemies didn''t stop attacking us. Instead, they have intensified their attacks.
"We are retreating. Stop attacking us!" I shouted at the bastard.
There was no reply from Cardin, other than that irritating chuckle and
¡
Cardin
I looked at the retreating army, and the burning siege towers before turning to Mage Zela.
The cannons that blasted the siege towers were under her control. They were the only things that I had no control over, and they blew eight siege towers.
The cannons couldn''t do that with really powerful cannonballs.
They were powerful enough to destroy the siege towers, but they needed to reach there first.
The enemy had capable mages and there were tens of shields, but those cannonballs broke through all and destroyed those towers.
Feeling my gaze, she looked at me.
"Should I inform the lord about the situation, Commander?" she asked.
She didn''t have to ask me about it, but it felt good she asked.
"Yes," I replied and turned to the enemy. They are retreating, but whether it is a temporary retreat or a full retreat, I don''t know.
We will not be attacking with our soldiers. Given our numbers, it''s risky.
It might look like they had suffered big damage seeing the destruction, but most of the enemy''s army is intact and they didn''t lose many powerhouses either.
They could attack us again, but we were ready to face them and this time, their losses wouldn''t be small.
Chapter 460: Battle Ends
"The enemy is retreating from the Greltheaven," informed Shaun.
Finally, I sighed.
We won, but it had been an expensive victory.
Those mercenaries cost a lot, but the witchcraft that Caena had weaved had cost more than that.
Those cannonballs didn''t hit those siege towers because they were powerful, and our mages had cleared the way for them.
No, it is because of witchcraft, that Caena took months to weave and cost a fortune to me.
Those spells weren''t normal, and they were hidden in the twenty-four pillars of the grand witch spell, that bound me to the establishment.
It''s why nobody discovered them. Even the witches, that might come to Greltheaven, wouldn''t have discovered them.
It costs a lot, but it''s worth it. It had protected my city.
"Ask them to start loading the patients, I want them to leave the city within an hour," I ordered.
We have been making preparations to send the heavily injured back to the Greltheaven to heal.
We have found the carriages and modified them for the risky patients.
It helps, that we had a few soldiers with Carpenter Class. There are even civilians with Carpenter Class in the city.
We have announced that we needed the people of the certain profession and many people have come forward from the civilians.
We found doctors, nurses, and people of needed professions.
It''s not become clear yet whether we will be able to keep the city. It will all depend upon the battle at Port Midlet and what the undead do after, but we have started with our work.
"Inform me as soon as goods and men leave the Greltheaven," I added.
There will be soldiers coming to the Panar, while the injured will leave. I had asked Cardin to send them as soon as he can.
We need to have Panar well-defended.
Though it would come at the cost of Greltheaven, it''s a risk I have to take. If a large horde or army moved toward Greltheaven, I wouldn''t hesitate to abandon Panar.
I have measures prepared, but these measures won''t be able to handle a horde more than of two hundred and fifty thousand.
I pushed those thoughts away and got up.
I walked out of the office and silently walked. There was a high security, but as I crossed the hallway, it had become even tighter.
So much, so that even a small communication blockade is set up, and no one is permitted to even take a step out, for any reason.
Click!
Soon, I reached the door, and two guards bowed, and Shaun released his spell from the door before opening it.
Maximum precautions needed to be taken. I cannot let the enemies get an air of this.
I entered the room, and Shaun cast another spell, which made everything visible. Especially the man, sleeping on the bed with his eyes closed.
Bronze energy covered him and with every breath he took, it would send a ripple across his body.
The energy is suppressive, but I bore it. I still remember during the awakening process, it was hard for me to stay close to him, but now it only feels suppressive.
It might be because of the level, but I think it''s aura.
The bronze energy had covered him the moment he slept. It was fainter at that time, but now it had become denser.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Stone had told me about his condition before sleeping and it was bad.
Three-fourths of his elder blood had been burned in defending against the enemy.
She was one terrifying opponent. If not for him containing her, we would have been retreating now or even dead or captured.
He paid a great price for that.
He seemed to be recovering, which is great news. There was the possibility of his elder blood collapsing because of the damage he had suffered.
It happens when such damage is suffered. Especially by newly awakening.
Fortunately, it is not with Stone.
Though, not everything is great. There is one bad news; we don''t know when Stone will wake up.
He could wake up in a few hours, to a few days. He could even take a few weeks. I do not have much information and wish Caena or Bell had been here.
I stayed for a few minutes before walking out with Shaun casting the spells.
We are taking full precautions, with only four people having access to this restricted area.
"The goods and men are leaving for Panar," informed Shaun as we stepped out of a communication blockade.
The preparations were already made. They were only waiting for the enemy to retreat, now that it did. They are sending the goods and the people.
I stayed in my office till it was evening, before getting out.
It is night, and the city is dark. There are a few lights; the undead bastards didn''t even maintain the lights.
It''s quite cheap. They wouldn''t have needed to spend much on it.
The city is silent, aside from the sound of steps made by the patrolling soldiers.
There is no other sound in there.
The civilians were in their houses, and teams of soldiers, along with a few officials, were surveying each house.
They are looking for the state of them. How much food and water do they have? What are their physical and living conditions?
I have also ordered my men to see. If there are people in serious condition and if they are, then take them to the hospital.
We are also asking them about classes and the professions they have, among other things.
Data is necessary for efficient planning. It will help me decide on the things I would need to focus on and how much, I should spend on it.
I will have the data by morning.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I walked into the hospital. I had come here earlier, but I have come again.
I am worried about my men, and I need them to heal quickly to face any challenges that might come to threaten us.
We had already sent our most serious back to Greltheaven. Those who remained will be recovered by tomorrow and will be joining the battle, if any, enemy attack.
"How are you feeling?" I asked the bandaged young Orc woman as I stopped beside her.
"There is no need," I said, waving my hand, seeing she was trying to get up.
She is quite young and looking at bandages around, she had suffered quite injuries, but not enough to send her back to the city.
"Good, my lord. The healers are taking wonderful care of me. They said I will be ready to fight again by tomorrow," she replied nervously.
"There is no need to think about that. You only need to focus on your recovery," I replied to her and turned to a middle-aged human man beside her.
I talked to a few patients and healers before walking out of the hospital and visited a few more before sitting in my carriage.
On the way, I saw a few groups of soldiers and officials entering the houses.
I even saw a few people moving toward the hospital on the stretcher.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I walked out and stepped into the city hall.
Soon, I was in my office; I wanted to close my eyes, but I didn''t. Even now, I am tired and if I close my eyes for too long, I might fall asleep.
I plan to sleep early today, but before that, I have a few things to do.
"Let''s talk to the rest of the people," I said to Shaun and talked to people from lords to governors and other people, I didn''t talk in the morning.
I find it tiring, but it needs to be done and needs to be done now.
I could make some calls tomorrow, but I want to finish today. Tomorrow, we might need to escape or there will be so much work that I won''t have time.
It took over an hour before I finished speaking with all and focused on the things in front of me.
I might not have the complete information, but I have some and that is enough to start.
"My lord, the battle of Port Midlet has ended," informed Shaun, and my pen stopped on the paper.
I gently put it back with my heart beating wildly and turned to Shaun.
"What is the result?" I asked.
"Port Midlet defended successfully," he replied, and I felt relieved. I hate the bastards'' guts, but I needed him to win the battle.
"What is the size of the retreating enemy?" I asked the most important question.
Our next step would depend on the answer to this question.
"They are saying it is less than a hundred thousand," I said and slumped on my chair hard, with relief flooding all over my body.
If it had been more than three hundred thousand. I would have abandoned the city.
Now with a hundred thousand. I didn''t have to worry. The undead are unlikely to attack me because I am not the only one here.
There is also Deerpond and, to some degree, even Port Midlet.
Though I know what their losses are in this battle.
It is especially Deepond; it will try to attack the city if they sees the chance. They might not have before, but they will now that I have done it.
They have enough forces to do it. They didn''t lose much in battle against us.
''Less than a hundred thousand.'' I thought. The bastard is good, reducing their number by nine hundred thousand. It''s not a small feat.
"Call General Azalea," I ordered.
Now that I am pretty sure, the city will be ours. It''s time we start.
It''s going to take a lot of money, but I will forge this city into the shield. That will defend Greltheaven from at least one side.
It took me two and a half hours to finish my meeting with Azalea and talk to a few people. By that time, I had finished; I was thoroughly tired.
Thankfully, I am sleeping. Taking the rest, that I desperately need.
Chapter 461: Schemes and Politics
Ashton Harbor
"I understand, I will not disappoint you," said the man with the staff respectfully.
He had been talking since he received the news of their loss but in his eyes. There is not of speck of anger. Instead, there is a joy, which he has a hard time containing.
A moment later, the spell was cut to the other side, and he turned to the armored man with a big smile on his face.
"Have you succeeded?" he asked and the man with staff nodded, with a joy on his face.
After over half a year, he got what he wanted.
"Yes. I now have complete command of our forces in this continent," replied the man with the staff.
Earlier, he was only in charge of the name; most of the important commands were taken on the island.
Now, they have decided to finally give the command. A complete command with minimal interference.
There was no choice, seeing the repeated losses
If they had given me a complete command from the beginning, they wouldn''t have suffered so many losses.
Its good they fixed that mistake. Now that, I have the command and I will conquer this whole region and put under the foot of his deathless.
"So, what is our plan?" asked the armored man.
"Organize our forces, make them akin to the hordes that had swept away everything in their on the island, and wait for more numbers to come," replied the man with a staff.
"That will take some time," said Armored man. "It''s fine; I rather hope, it takes time," he said with a mysterious expressions appearing on his face.
The armored man wanted to ask about what he was thinking but thought better of it and remained quiet.
¡.
Damon Hardt
"So, you have decided?" asked Scala, to which I nodded. "It will be hard to get it and even if you did; it will be very dangerous," she added.
"I know, but it is also an opportunity to rise," I replied and looked out at window, seeing the tower distance away, bathing in lights.
Even during the battle; the legacy didn''t close. I was there and one of the few people allowed on the roof to watch the battle.
It was terrifying and mesmerizing; the enemy had no choice, but to retreat.
It had been an hour since I had got the news of the undead''s defeat at Port Midlet.
It made Panar safer than before.
Silver won''t be there forever, and he will have to leave. This means he will have to keep there someone in charge of things, a Governor.
I want to become Governor of Panar.
It is dangerous and I might die, but I know, Silver will do everything to keep the city safe and there are always ways to get away before danger touches you.
There is also one rumor, I heard about Silver awakening the aura, but I wasn''t able to verify it. Given they are keeping a tight lid on the communication.
When Prince Grelt got the dominion here, the family was thinking about buying a barony, but I was opposed to it.
It will separate me from the family and power. I didn''t want that and resisted that decision, but the Governor of the city is a completely different thing.
It is a big responsibility with far more power than the tiny baronies. Most important; the condition of the family is different than it was seven months ago.
Becoming governor will help them and it will help me as well gaining more power in the family.
Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
There are only three people, Silver could give governorship and two had already said publicly, that they were not in the race for that position.
First is Robin.
In the meeting in the morning, some people asked him. Whether he would be becoming the new lord of Panar if Silver had captured the city.
He straight declined. So, People turned to Valentina Elar.
Everybody knows, that aside from his whores. Silver trusted her the most; he didn''t even care about those things, that church had arrested her for.
The last is Thaddaeus Stone, but he won''t be Governor.
He is the strongest powerhouse under Silver and his General. He would keep him in Greltheaven, his base.
So, the three most probable out, which create a chance for me. I might be able to get it if I play my cards well.
"Since you have decided, I will go meet Carla and Madam Caena," she said, and I nodded.
She had a good relationship with them. It would help me tremendously if I am able to get their support. It is a known fact, that Silver trusted his whores the most.
A few minutes later, we got up and walked out of the manor.
There are two carriages waiting for us. She sat in hers; going to Legacy, while I was going to the city hall, for my meeting with Robin.
There is a meeting, but it''s an hour later. I am meeting Robin before it.
I am also meeting with Valentina Elaar, but she said, it will be after the meeting Robin called of all important people to discuss the events of today.
If I can get the support of these two and the whores, my chances would increase tremendously.
I sighed and turned to the window. The streets are empty; the curfew is still on, but they have announced it will end at dawn tomorrow.
I had met some merchants earlier, who asked my help to end the curfew early, which I petitioned Maj. General Cardin.
Usually, the security of the city is the police''s responsibility, but in war times.
The security of the city was handed over to the military.
Soon, the carriage entered through the gates of the city hall and stopped. I got out and walked inside city hall, before turning toward the Silver''s office.
"Chief Robin is in the meeting, Chief Hardt. He will meet you after his meeting ends," informed the secretary.
I nodded and sat in the waiting room.
I didn''t have to wait for long. The door opened a few minutes later and the detestable old man walked out of it.
Soren Arryn.
He looked at me and nodded with a smile, before walking away. The bastard had wanted my job and did everything he could for it.
He finally got it, but I still have a better one.
As for why the old bastard came here, there are multitudes of reasons since he is head of the merchant guild, but I can tell, it is nonofficial.
The old bastard had come for the same reason, I had come here.
"Chief Hardt. Chief Robin is ready for you," she said. I nodded and walked inside.
"Chief Robin," I greeted as I entered. I nodded at Lola, who was standing beside him.
Since Ina had gone with Silver, she had transferred from the trade department to here to assist Robin and also keep an eye on him.
The woman is smart and one of the best, I have worked with, but she is also Silvers ears and eyes.
He had placed, his whores in all departments, they worked well and hardworking, but also keep an eye on things for him.
"Please take a seat, Chief Hardt," he said. "Thank you," I replied and sat down in front of me.
"What can I do for you Chief Hardt?" he asked. I could already tell, he had guessed for what I had come for. I am sure, he must be contacted by a lot of people.
"I will come directly to the point, Chief Robin. I want you to recommend me to Lord Silver for the position of Governor of Panar," I stated.
"Sure, not a problem. I will write the letter of recommendation for you," he said and it surprised me before I wanted to curse the bastard.
"How many people, have to agree to write the recommendation for, Chief Robin?" I asked and the man smiled.
"I only agreed to recommend those who are capable," he replied before his expression turned serious.
"Before leaving he discussed a few names with me for the position. The list had ten names and your name was one of them," he added.
My heart filled with elation but soon calmed down.
So, Silver had my name on the list, he was discussing, but there were ten other people''s names, he was discussing.
It won''t be easy to get the job.
"Who else was on the list?" I asked and the man smiled. He is not going to tell me.
"Thank you for the recommendation Chief Robin and I hope, you will prepare that letter before midnight; I planned to leave for Panar with it," I said, and a surprise flashed in his eyes.
"You are planning to leave at midnight?" he asked. "Yes," I replied.
I have noticed a few things about Silver in the past few months. He likes those who take initiative and risks.
So, if I want the advantage over the others. I will have to leave for Panar and convince him personally for the job.
"Thank you for your time, Chief Robin," I said to the man and walked out.
Lola followed behind me. I had worked with enough, that we could communicate with expressions. I am going to ask her for a recommendation.
She knows Silver well and I know he listens to her opinions. It would be helpful if I have her support.
True support, not the one like Robin is giving.
...¡
Carla
"Thank you for your time, Miss Carla," said Harrison and walked out.
He is going to leave for Panar soon.
The old man is ambitious. Even tried for my job.
I sighed and looked at the list of people, I had to meet. My schedule is full till midnight.
Till an hour ago, I was planning to sleep early. Yesterday, I was barely able to sleep. I was all worried about Remus, but now that won''t be possible.
Everyone wants to become a Governor. I wish, I could tell them, that Remus had already made up his mind.
He didn''t say that directly, but I could tell when I met him before leaving.
It would be quite a shock when he will make that announcement.
Click!
''Sister Carla, I am sending Mrs. Hardt in,'' said my secretary telepathically, and a second later, the door opened, and Scala Hardt walked inside.
Chapter 462: Valorous Lord of Courage
[Class Gained: Soldier]
Soldier Lv. 1
Soldier Lv. 2
Soldier Lv. 3
[Class Gained: ¡]
[Class Gained: ¡]
¡
Swift Officer Lv. 22
Swift Officer Lv. 23
[Skill Gained: ¡]
¡
Shaman Lv. 7
¡
Priest Lv. 7
Priest Lv. 8
[Class Gained: ¡]
¡
Mercenary Warrior Lv. 18
¡
[Class Gained: Traitor]
Traitor Lv. 1
Traitor Lv. 2
Traitor Lv. 3
Traitor Lv. 4
[Skill Gained: ¡]
[Skill Gained: ¡]
I rejected it as I saw the texts appearing in front of me.
I didn¡¯t accept Spy Class, nor I would accept Traitor Class. Seeing it appear as a class, my mood worsened further.
I was born in the undead kingdom, studied there, and became a mage warrior I am. I made good progress, and I had got chance to lead the horde.
The battle which I had lost.
The only thing, I did wrong was make a mistake. They were able to know it somehow and exploited it by blackmailing me.
I had to become a spy, because if some powerful people got to know about it. I would have suffered a fate worse than death.
Since that incident, I have been providing information to undead kingdoms'' enemies. The information that made it lose a lot of battles.
I had never gotten caught when every month several spies did. There are two reasons for that, first I had never accepted the Spy Class despite the advantages that it would have given me.
The second, I had never considered myself a spy.
If my handler hadn¡¯t been caught, I would have celebrated the victory with Rynra. I believe with my help; she would have had a good chance to win the battle.
Now, I had truly become a spy and traitor. There is no going back.
It¡¯s terrible, that some people will pay the price.
My organization will be investigated, and the slightest fault will be punished to make an example.
So, will I; there will be a huge bounty on my head, and they will send an assassin after me.
From now. I will be in danger of assassination every minute.
I hope those bastards will keep their promise. It will make things easier for me.
Easier, but one without ambitions and dreams.
I can never be able to show myself openly, in fear of the undead kingdom knowing my place and sending assassins to kill me.
¡.
Blaze Imbiber Lv. 17
Warrior Lv. 8
Warrior Lv. 9
[Skill Gained: Stance]
I looked at advancement and a smile appeared on my face.
Three more levels and Blaze Imbiber will reach Lv. 20. One more and reach level 10; both of which will give me an attribute point.
I need them desperately.
Since I had decided to follow my heart. My main class had advanced only twice.
Which is a Suprise. I didn¡¯t think, it would level up at all, but it seemed like, the missions and tasks given by Master Silver, helped with the class.
Still, the level-up up is too slow. If I had been madam; I would have reached Lv. 30 by now.
Others have already reached it.
I do not regret my choice; I love what I do, despite the dangers of it.
There is also another reason.
I still have my madam privileges. It¡¯s like, I had never left.
I could go to the Legacy without restriction and also the college.
I still have a place on madam¡¯s floor.
I told Margaux, I do not need it. I have my own apartment. It¡¯s not rented either; it¡¯s my own. It¡¯s one of the properties, I had brought after the battle when its rates were dirt cheap.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
In just a matter of months, my investment had multiplied by several times.
So, so much so that, I could live off on rent from them. Earning more, than I am at my current job.
Whenever we meet; she asks me to come back. Its why, I avoid her.
I sighed and looked texts in front of me. It would have been wonderful if these classes merged with my main class. My strength is severely restricted despite the high attributes of Lv. 27.
Once these classes merge with my class; I will be really powerful, but it won¡¯t happen soon.
I would likely need to take at least one class above lv. 20 and a lot of luck, before that would happen.
Till, then I will keep working hard, as I have been doing for the past seven months.
I closed the window and opened my eyes.
It¡¯s a good room. My team got better accommodation, than most soldiers.
Likely because of me.
When people know who, I am, disdain and contempt appear in their eyes, but there is also jealousy and sometimes respect.
Nobody wants to mess with a person, who knows the lord.
Those who know better than others are even more respectful. They are aware, that I could talk to lord at any time, and he listens.
Last night, Ina had asked me to stay with her in her suite, but I declined
It took a lot of effort to make my teammates accept me. I am not going to throw it all way, showing privileges.
¡
Valorous Lord Lv. 28
Valorous Lord Lv. 29
Valorous Lord Lv. 30
[Class Change: Valorous Lord - Valorous Lord of Courage]
[Skill Gained: Public Works]
[Skill Gained: Appointment (3)]
[Conditions Met: Sharpness ¨C Razor Edge]
[Conditions Met: Consecutive Strikes ¨C Rapid Strikes]
[Condition Met: Solid Contract ¨C Lord¡¯s Contracts]
There were lines of text waiting for me when I opened my eyes. I had expected it, but it still surprised me.
It was two days ago; I had leveled three times and here, I did it again. People spend a lifetime, but never again at such a level, especially not most lords.
Getting a single level up was a huge thing and I had leveled up six times in just two days.
Though when I think about it, I deserve it.
I had conquered the city against great odds while making enough preparation so that my people could defend against the twice as big and more experienced army.
They did it with casualties of less than ten people.
I had not only advanced in levels but also in class. From Valorous Lord, it had become Valorous Lord of Courage.
It is said that the more words there are in the class, the more powerful it is, and the Valorous Lord of Courage is indeed a powerful class.
However, I felt it was too much. It¡¯s embarrassing, to be honest.
I won¡¯t be stating my full class to anyone.
I don¡¯t feel like a courageous man. All the risks, I took because of desperation. If I hadn¡¯t taken them, I wouldn¡¯t have been alive at all, with my people turning into undead.
I calmed myself and turned to skills.
Immediately, my eyes went big as saucers as I saw them.
They are great; the best skills, I could hope for and the ones, I need desperately.
These skills are rare, even among the Lord Class. It¡¯s even rare to get them this early, given their tremendous effect. Especially Public Works.
It¡¯s a skill, that every Lord hopes to get. Given how much help, it would provide them.
Public Works is a large-area skill of ruling classes.
It increases the speed, efficiency, and quality of public works happening. It affects all the public works, like roads, bridges, hospitals, and other things.
It¡¯s a skill, that will be immensely useful in a place like this. The public infrastructure of this place is in dire needs need of repair.
I didn¡¯t hesitate and activated the Public Works.
Immediately, I felt it covering the whole city and the small area around it. Every public infrastructure, that will happen here now, will be slightly faster, more efficient, and better quality.
Given the scales of the projects. It will save me millions of imperials every year.
The greater the scale is public work the more money, will be saved.
It took me a while to calm down and I turned to my second skill.
Appointment.
It is just an amazing skill for the lord.
With this, I could appoint a person under me for the duty or the task.
It increases the attributes of the appointee, and it is said, that this skill also helps them gain favorable class and skill during the level-up.
Lords desired this skill a lot. More than Public Works as it could increase the strength of their people and keep them loyal to them.
If I am able to advance it. It will become even more amazing.
Currently, I could appoint three people. Which might seem like less, but they more than one gets at this level.
I already know, two people. I am going to bestow this skill on. It would have been three, but it would be useless against the third since he doesn¡¯t have stats.
I have not only got two new skills, but my old skills have also been advanced.
Sharpness had advanced to Razor Edge.
I sat in my bed and activated the skill on my nail and used it to cut the nail. It didn¡¯t so smoothly, that it felt like it was not my nail, but butter.
Seeing that, a smile couldn¡¯t help but appear on my face.
However it was nothing compared to the smile, that appeared on me when I saw what my next skill had changed into.
Consecutive Strikes is useless to me. It¡¯s not useless; it¡¯s just that, I have never been able to use it properly.
Jon had snorted when I complained about that. Stating, ¡®This skill is useful in fighting weaker or similar strength opponent, while I always those stronger than me¡¯.
I was a little disappointed, that I didn¡¯t get combat skills, but with it.
I am more than satisfied.
The last is the Lord''s Contracts. It is just as useful a skill as the one above, if not more. Seeing, the sheer number of contracts, I sign.
It would make them stronger. Harder to break.
I looked at it all, before turning to the last thing. The attribute point. Since my class had reached Lv. 30; I have got one.
I had already decided on what I would spend and added it to intelligence.
Taking it to seventeen.
It might seem like a wrong choice given my current situation. Where I might need to fight the enemy, but it is a wise choice.
Many of my skills run on intelligence. It will make them powerful.
|
Class
|
Dealer of Desire Lv. 29 [Master of Legacy]
|
|
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 30
Trainer Lv. 08
|
|
Charisma
|
20
|
|
Intelligence
|
17
|
|
Vitality
|
17
|
|
Strength
|
16
|
|
Skills:
|
¡¤ Trustful Presence
¡¤ Goods Instinct
¡¤ Lord¡¯s Contracts
¡¤ Torch for Seeker
¡¤ Rapid Strikes
¡¤ Blitz Steps
¡¤ Insightful Reading
¡¤ Price Is Right
¡¤ Mauling Strike
¡¤ Silver Tongued
¡¤ Gymnasts Grace
¡¤ Sight Through Veil
¡¤ Every Ear Listens To My Words
¡¤ Blade Of The Gale
¡¤ Mood of the Subjects
¡¤ Privacy Sphere
¡¤ Command Projection
¡¤ Get Ready
¡¤ Quick Parry
¡¤ Razor Edge
¡¤ Active Presence
¡¤ Vision Projection
¡¤ Instant Recollection
¡¤ Artistic Dealings
¡¤ Copy Skill - Graceful Repel
¡¤ Telepathic Call
¡¤ Energizing Essence
¡¤ Gymnasts Control
¡¤ Lord''s Presence
¡¤ March Of The Braves
¡¤ Laws of My Land
¡¤ Mark of Mist
¡¤ Fast Reflexes
¡¤ Public Works
¡¤ Appointment
|
|
Legacy
|
Demesne of Desire II
|
|
Skills
|
¡¤ Master of Legacy
¡¤ Laws of Legacy
¡¤ Share Authority
¡¤ Vault of Ru
¡¤ Demesne Expansion
|
|
Attribute Points
|
0
|
I looked at the table and couldn¡¯t help, but sigh. My secondary class had surpassed my primary class once again.
It will bring some trouble, but I could take it. I need this level up.
I looked at the table for a minute before gently getting out of bed. Aware of my increase in strength.
I moved around the bedroom for a few rounds, before finally walking into the bathroom.
Hun!
When I came out; I noticed the clock and surprise couldn¡¯t help but flash in my eyes.
¡®It seemed like, I had been too tired.¡¯ I thought to myself.
I had overslept by hours, but seeing my Shun didn¡¯t wake me up. There¡¯s likely won¡¯t be any new emergency waiting for me.
It made me feel relieved.
Chapter: 463 Elderblood General
Click!
I walked out of the bedroom and saw Shaun waiting outside.
"Congratulation, Lord Silver," he congratulated.
"You too Shaun," I replied, and man the man smiled. I am not the only one who had leveled-up.
He too had leveled, and his smile proves I am right.
A moment later, my expression turned serious.
"Has he woken up?" I asked.
To which he shook his head and disappointment couldn''t help but fill my heart.
Stone is important; the sooner, the woken up. The more relieved, I would feel. I hope the enemies didn''t get to know about it, but I won''t be able to hide it for long.
I will be able to hide it at most for today before the enemy gets a whiff.
"Any messages?" I asked, to which he smiled and handed me the stacks of it. I took the cards and began to read them one after another.
The skill makes reading really fast and with the level-up. I could now, read even faster.
Most of them are Greltheaven, but some are from the other cities. I read through them all and handed them back to Shaun, who burned them immediately and put the ashes in his bag.
Click!
With the messages read, I stepped out, but I didn''t walk toward my office, but instead to the wing where the stone was.
The guards stopped as we reached the boundary, and only Shaun and I moved ahead.
Click!
A few seconds later, he opened the door and cast a spell that made everything visible.
Hun!
As I looked at Stone. I couldn''t help, but become surprised.
The bronze energy is covering him far thickly than yesterday. So, much so that not a single part of his body could be seen, only the bronze energy.
I stayed there for a few seconds, before walking away with a sigh.
Soon, I stepped into my office; Ina was already there, working.
"Master Silver," she greeted.
I nodded before turning to my desk, where there were a lot of files waiting for me.
"We have gathered and compiled all the information on the state of the city and its people,"
"Two batches of goods have also arrived, and the third one will reach the city by the afternoon."
"There are also, Mr. Hendriks, Chief Hardt, and others who have come from Greltheaven. They all are seeking your time," she informed.
I am not surprised about them coming. I was informed of their intension by Carla and Robin, last night.
"I will meet them this evening, but won''t give them more than ten minutes on each of them," I replied after a moment of thought.
I wanted to go out and check the things that had come personally, but I decided to look at the information first. It will give me a clear, idea of what I am dealing with.
So, I turned to files. There are a lot of them, but I know, I have to pick the yellow on the top.
She knew my priorities and laid out the files that way.
I picked up the yellow file and opened it. It had started with demographic details.
The population of the city is forty-eight thousand seven hundred and thirty-two.
Which is less of than half of its peak.
Among them, 34% are of the age one to five, 32% of them are of age six to twelve 18% of them are of age thirteen to eighteen and only 16% of them are at the age of eighteen and above.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
They have killed and turned over 80% of adults.
It isn''t surprising. They only turn people to good physical states into undead, which only adults have.
There are now forty thousand children in the city, with the majority of them in a terrible condition. Sick, starving, living in a terrible condition.
I shuddered, just reading the information. I can''t imagine, how much those people had suffered.
"The conditions were terrible. Many starved to death, while some chose to eat poison with their familiar and even hanged themselves to escape the misery," informed Ina.
I could sense the rage in her voice that, she was barely controlling.
Even I am feeling the deep anger, that I had nearly torn the paper, I was reading.
I took a deep breath and controlled myself, before reading further.
The undead give them food, but only enough to survive, not enough to live. I can''t imagine why there were so careless. They are not the island.
Keeping the population healthy and fit are on their first priorities, but here they did the opposite.
Many are suffering from the deceases. Especially children, most of them, are malnourished.
I read page after page, controlling my emotions, before coming to the section where there was information about people, professions, and classes.
Most of them have a Miner Class, with the second being a Serf or Citizen Class.
I have finished reading the whole file, before turning it to Ina.
"This is not a place for children," I said to Ina. "It''s really not," she replied.
There are around forty thousand children in this city. With around thirty-two, thousands of them are of age one to twelve, need to be cared most.
I want to send them to Greltheaven, but it does not have enough capacity and resources.
They would need houses, carers, schools, and other things, which are not cheap and quick to establish.
Currently, we can only manage a few thousand of them. We do not have the capacity for the tens of thousands.
Taking them to Greltheaven isn''t possible, but keeping them here is bad as well.
It''s really a huge problem and I am not seeing any solution to the front of me.
"We do not need to do everything at once. We should do it step by step," advised Ina, understanding what is stressing me and, as always, right.
"Shaun, message Locke and tell him, that I want to talk to him in fifteen minutes," I said to him.
"Connect me to Carla," I added.
I stayed in my office for nearly two hours. Reading the files and talking to people.
Click!
"Let''s go," I said, and walked out of the office with Ina. A minute later, we were in the carriage moving out city hall compound.
"This new skill of yours seemed quite powerful, Master Silver. What does it do, if you don''t mind me asking?" she asked after a minute of silence.
I am not surprised that she could sense it. Anyone Lv. 30 could sense it and those who are working on public infrastructure, irrespective of their levels.
"Its name is Public Works," I replied, and a shock appeared in her eyes.
She understood immediately what the skill was and what could it do.
"Congratulations, Master Silver," she congratulated. I didn''t say anything to that, other than smiling.
After a few minutes, the carriage stopped, and we came out and entered the warehouse building. There are tens of crates holding cannonballs and other ammunition.
We used quite a lot of cannonballs.
If the undead had attacked, we wouldn''t have been able to attack them as we did when we attacked the city.
A few minutes later, I walked out of the warehouse and checked other places including the hospitals where more healers have appeared, along with resources that will help them heal better.
Soon, the carriage had reached the main square of the city, where there was a long line of people with soldiers handing them the food.
Most of them in the line are children.
We have set up camps in all areas of the city to provide food.
There is barely any food in the city.
A few months ago, things were a little better, before the undead cut the food nearly every week; in the past month, most people ate barely once a day.
"Lord Silver, Stone had woken up," informed Shaun suddenly cutting me from my thoughts.
The tension, I didn''t think, I was holding disappeared from my body.
He is the strongest powerhouse, I have, and I need him.
Without him, it would be hard to hold back the undead.
Especially here in Panar, where there are no hidden preparations that could save the city against the powerful enemies.
I wanted the carriage to move faster, and it could, but I didn''t.
The streets are bad, with holes and trash everywhere. In some places, sewage is leaking through the streets.
Amellus is coming tomorrow, and he isn''t coming alone. He is bringing workers and stuff, that will be needed to fix the city and its infrastructure.
The first one will be the wall, obviously. I need it fixed as soon as possible.
I wish I would be able to see it happening. See how my skills work with my own eyes, but it won''t happen.
My skills will remain here, but I will leave. I am here for two days, three at most.
I need to return to the Greltheaven. It is not wise to stay away from it for too long.
If everything goes smoothly, I am going to announce the name of the Governor tomorrow. They will be responsible for all work and well-being of the city and its citizens.
Finally, the carriage reached the city hall, and I got out.
"He is waiting for you, in your office," informed Shaun. I was surprised but didn''t say anything and walked toward my office.
Click!
"Lord Silver," Stone greeted me as I walked into my office.
I looked at the man and saw all the paleness had vanished. So is tiredness that was flowing out of eyes yesterday.
I couldn''t even see the slightest weakness from him. He is looking vibrant like a fountain of youth.
Even slightly younger, with a faint bronze sheen coming off his skin.
"Stone, how are you feeling?" I asked.
"Good, my lord. I have completely recovered," he replied, and making me feel even more relieved.
I had expected him to recover fully, but him saying, made it a truth.
"Good, with you by me. I am confident to face any enemy," I said, and the man smiled.
[Class Change: Elderblood Commander- Elderblood General]
Elderblood General Lv. 35
Elderblood General Lv. 36
[Skill Gained: Generals Command]
Chapter 464: Governor of Panar I
"I have been loyal to House Silver, all my life."
"I have worked for your father since, he was even younger than you and was his most trusted man, and after his untimely death, I have been working for you."
"I hope, looking at my serve, you will give me a greater opportunity to serve you, by making me governor of this city," said Hendriks.
I kept my expression neutral as he pleaded his case to become governor.
"I do not doubt your loyalty, Hendriks, but I have already chosen the governor," I replied to the man.
My voice is gentle, but firm. Leaving no space for the doubt.
His expression changed and disappointment appeared in his eyes, but the man had recovered it quickly.
There is no anger or visible rage. The old may feel some, but he is good enough to hide it. He understood that this was just one opportunity, many would come in the future.
If he reacted badly and displeased me. He could forget about getting those opportunities.
"May, I know, who it is, my lord?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"You will know when I announce it," I replied.
Less than five people know about the person, I had chosen. Even the person, I had chosen isn''t aware of them becoming the Governor.
He left a few seconds later, and Hardt came.
After him, another and then another; soon all six of them have come and met me to plead their case to become governor.
"It had taken only half of the time," I said.
I had given an hour; ten minutes each, but I had finished in just twenty-six minutes.
I stayed in my office for half an hour more, before going out. The sun had set and there was a moon in the sky, but the city did not feel beautiful despite bathing in its light.
It''s not a physical beauty, but a feeling. There is too much pain in the air.
As the carriage moved through the city; I saw the lines of people for the food, like the morning.
They will continue for a while till we make the places for the children and provide the jobs for the adults.
Arranging the latter won''t be a problem.
There would be a lot of jobs in the most, that we would need to bring the people from the outside
Nearly 70% of the adults here are miners. I plan to open the mines in the next ten days. The other 30% could work in construction and other things.
The problem is the care of children. It''s not an easy problem to solve.
I checked the things that came from the Greltheaven, in the past few hours, before going back to city hall, where I worked till midnight, before sleeping.
Hun!
Once again, I was late when I woke up. I quickly freshened up and showered before walking out.
"Any emergency?" I asked Shaun.
"No, but there are a lot of messages," he replied and handed me the stack.
I read through them one by one, before handing them back. He burned them before following behind me as I stepped out of the suite.
Click!
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Soon, I reached my office, and Ina was there, but she was not alone.
"Master Silver," greeted Lola with Ina.
I had called Lola here.
I sat down and looked at the box in front of me. It is a palm size, made of precious metals, which are beautifully entangled with each other.
The center of the box contains the emblem of Eva Cain.
"The box is really beautiful," said Ina.
"Let''s hope, the thing inside is just as beautiful," I said and opened the box.
It opened smoothly despite its intricacies, revealing the thing that was inside.
"Beautiful," Lola breathed.
I had asked Eva to craft it. It is based on design, I had asked her for myself before scrapping that idea.
She didn''t disappoint. She did better than I had thought she would be.
The disappointment would have been extremely costly since I put a drop of the core essence of legacy in it. The thing that runs the legacy, and the host is forbidden to take it unless it''s really important.
Every drop of it is precious, but I had used it on it. To signify how important it is.
It is not just Eva, who worked on it, but also Caena. Spending a lot of expensive resources for that spell.
"Is this for Governor?" asked Ina. To that, I nodded.
I admired the thing for a while before closing it. I wanted to keep looking, but I have things to do.
So, I closed it and focused on the work in front of me.
Hours passed, and I met a few people and even made a round of the city, before returning and kept working.
It''s important, that I finish these things today before I hand over the reins of the city to the governor tomorrow.
Today, I will announce the Governor. From tomorrow, they will be responsible for the city.
''Master Silver, Mr. Amellus, and Davidson are here for you,'' said the familiar voice through the intercom.
Click!
"Send them in," I said.
A second later, the door opens and two people walk. One is Edmor Amellus; the other is architect Davidson.
"Lord Silver," they greeted with a bow.
"Both of you, please take a seat," I said to them. "Thank you, my lord," they replied, before sitting in front of me.
"So, how bad it is?" I asked.
They arrived in the city in the morning with Lola. Since then, they have been looking at the city.
"To be honest, aside from the wall, which is in terrible shape. Everything else is good; it may look bad, but those things could be fixed with small repairs," replied Edmor.
"Truly?" I asked surprised.
Things seemed terrible, with sewer water flowing through the street and many other things.
"In some places, the damage is severe, but those things are few. Though, fixing it all won''t be cheap," replied Architect Davidson with caution, not letting my hopes go up.
"What is the solution?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.
"We will start what you had thought. We will select a few areas of the city and work on them."
"As you feel more secure with finances and more people come, we will slowly expand the repair to the other areas." He replied, and it made me relieved.
"Its good. Look at all things carefully and give me a quotation, but first start with the wall."
"I need it fixed as soon as possible," I said to them, to which they smiled.
"We will start on it in a few hours. We have brought the men and required material, to last us for a day. The second batch had already left the city," replied Amellus.
I cannot stress the importance of the wall.
Without the wall, it would be hard for us to defend against the undead if attacked.
"Have you talked to General Stone and General Azalia, taken their opinion?" I asked. "Yes, we have discussed the things with them, they agree with our plan for the wall," replied Davidson
I already knew that; they had informed me earlier about it.
"I hope, you will be able to finish it quickly," I said at last. "We will and with your skill; the repaired wall will be better and more powerful," replied Amellus.
As I had said. People could sense it, especially like them. They are Lv. 30 and above and have classes sense these things easily.
They left while I focused on the work. I didn''t walk out of my office, even when the sun went down.
"Lord Silver, Kelgir had fallen?" informed Shaun suddenly. I stopped immediately and sighed.
Kelgir is the second largest city in the Angeltar region and now it has been conquered by Edruin. They have been resting it, but now they couldn''t.
"It is General Kalmazar, right?" I asked, and the man nodded.
There are three huge armies of Edruin attacking the empire. Kalmazar is the most aggressive of the three and also the most powerful.
It is not just Edruin capturing our territories.
There are Tabes, Yressor, and Geim; all of them have aggressively moved into the territory of the empire and captured more and more territories by the day.
"If they kept fighting among themselves; it won''t take long before our enemies capture half of the empire," I said.
I am worried about it, but that danger is far from me. There is the Kingdom of Tabes, but Dustorn Fortress is handling it.
There had not more than a few small incursions which were easily dealt with.
Tabes didn''t care too much about the wasteland. It is more interested in capturing the juicier territories. Only when they are done with that, they will turn their eyes toward us.
I didn''t say anything further about that subject and kept working.
Click!
The door opened, and Lola walked inside. "Master Silver, they have gathered," she informed.
The important people have gathered. It is time, that I announced the Governor of Panar.
"It''s time," I said and got up, activating Get Ready.
Immediately, the wrinkles and dirt from my clothes disappeared. The tiredness from my face lessened, and I looked like, I just came out of the shower.
I looked at myself in a small mirror on the wall and smiled before turning.
It''s time I ask the question.
Chapter 465: Governor of Panar II
Senar
"How are you, Mr. Kralys; I hope you are having a good time?" I asked the middle-aged half-elf, who was sitting with the lovely Lavani.
"The best time, Madam Senar. The tower never disappoints," he replied with a big smile.
It is its fourth time since opening. This means he is important.
Only those important could come to the legacy four times within a month.
He belongs to one of the most powerful merchant houses of Belnin and is quite rich.
He is also on the gifter list; the people who gift the most. This is also one of the reasons why, he gets reservations quickly.
Those on the good lists are given priority. Over the same person with equal power and influence.
"I am glad," I replied with a smile and walked away from him.
I looked at the clock. It was near eight. I have been looking at it constantly, since the meeting earlier.
''Master Silver will make an announcement in a few minutes, be ready for it,''
The voice of Madam Caena rang out through my mind.
Master Silver was going to announce the Governor of Panar today, and Madam Caena had asked all the floor leaders to announce it to their floors.
There will also be free drinks in the new governor''s honor.
Which is an expensive expense, that is will be funded by our fund. 1% of our earnings goes toward that fund.
It is for the welfare of the girls, and now Chief Carla, Headmistress Margaux, and Madam Caena are going to use that for their political purposes.
Quite many girls were displeased by it, but didn''t say anything to their faces.
Here, if one of three, leaders had presented it. Some girls might have objected.
Those three take the criticism well, but since all three of them have made a decision, nobody dares to say anything against them.
I am not pleased about it either, but I too remained quiet like the others.
Though, I wonder, who Master Silver will choose.
It is the main topic of today''s conversations in the hall. I heard there was betting going on there, with old Hendricks and Chief Hardt leading.
I hope it''s someone good.
I heard horrible things have happened there in Panar. Thousands of children have been orphaned, with their parents dead.
I knew very well what happens to such children.
I hope Master Silver and the new Governor will take wonderful care of them.
"You, dirty whore!"
I was in my thoughts when suddenly, I heard a loud shout. I turned and couldn''t help, but sigh as I walked toward it.
The mercenaries that Master Silver had hired are a handful.
Though it seemed like now, they have crossed the limit of what we could bear.
I moved with Flowing Grace, with eyes turning to me. Within seconds, I was there and when I saw what he is doing, anger rose in my heart.
The bastard is holding Sua''s hand tightly while she is trying to pull it back.
I was going to be polite to him, but not anymore.
He is holding her so tightly that marks have appeared on the young woman''s hand.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
"Release her hand," I said, with clear anger in my voice.
The middle-aged mercenary turned to me with the heavy smell of alcohol coming off him.
He looked at me with anger before his lips curved.
"What are you going to do, dirty orc-blood?" he asked and took a step toward me threateningly.
I didn''t say anything and smiled as I had been asked to do. In circumstances like this.
I may look brave on the outside; I am very nervous inside. I wanted to take a step, but controlled my emotion and stared directly at the man''s eyes.
The man scared me, but I cannot let him see that. So, I smiled brightly, making him even angry.
He moved his other toward me when suddenly a great alarm appeared on his fac. He released Sue''s hand immediately and moved a hand toward a sword at the waist.
"Ahhhhhh¡"
That is when lightning covered him and he began to scream hard as the arcs swam around his body while everyone watched in shock.
Even I am shocked. This is out of my expectations.
The lightning only lasted for three seconds, but it made him collapse on the ground.
There was an absolute silence. Nobody dared to make any sound. Even their breathing seemed to fall silent.
"It was a simple disagreement. You didn''t have to go this far," said the voice.
I turned and saw the man in his early fifties. The vice-captain of Akir Mercenaries; the biggest mercenary team, the city had hired.
I was about to reply to him when I sensed the presence. It immediately made me relieved.
Everything will be fine, now that she is here.
"We have gone easy, Mr. Bak. Mr. Kell had broken the most important rule of the velvet garden, never touch our girls without their permission,"
"He had tried to force himself on her and, on top of that, disrespected a madam. If it had been anyone else, we wouldn''t have stopped at three seconds," said Madam Caena as she appeared beside me.
"Are all alright, Sue?" asked Madam Caena. Sue nodded, still shocked by what happened.
She is not shocked or even surprised by the man trying to force her. They are used to far worse things, but what shocked her was how we had reacted.
It had brought tears to the girl''s eyes.
"Yes, Madam Caena," the girl replied after a second of silence and hugged Madam Caena, who patted her head gently.
"Good. Go rest a rest for today," she instructed calmly.
Sue nodded and walked away, but not before taking a last glance at the twitching man.
"I didn''t expect this from Greltheaven. We have protected your city, and this is how you treat us?" said the voice.
I turned and saw a blond man coming down from the floor above, with a group of people behind him.
He is Land Akir, leader of Akir Mercenaries.
As he came down, several people in the hall stood up. All of them are mercenaries. Seeing that, my heart couldn''t help, but skip a beat.
I looked at Madam Caena, and there was no hint of nervousness on her face.
Her smile even seemed to have become bigger.
"And we have paid for that. Quite handsomely, I might say," replied Madam Caena with a faint surprise in the blond man''s eyes, before transforming into the anger.
"This is quite disrespectful Madam Caena. It might make us leave your city," he said, a smile appearing on his face.
I shook as I heard that. The mercenaries are one of the reasons why the city was able to defend itself so successfully against the enemy.
It would be bad if they left.
"Then you or anyone else are welcome to leave," replied Madam Caena simply, without change in her smile.
"You are expendable, Mr. Akir. If you leave, we will hire someone else."
"With the money we are paying, many mercenaries would be more than willing to come to us, in moments, notice," she added.
It''s an insult.
The man''s expressions were already bad and hearing that, it had turned worse.
"I would like to see how your Lord would react to that statement, madam," he said angrily with gritted teeth, while madam let out a chiming laugh, before turning to guard behind her.
"Yarisa, dear, ask Master Silver what he thinks about that," said Madam Caena to the young mage.
She closed her eyes and her staff lit up. She opened them several seconds later.
"My lord is saying the mercenaries are welcome to leave if they want to," the mage stated. Shocking the mercenaries and many others, but didn''t seem shocked at all.
Madam Caena looked at the mercenary leader, who was so angry that he was shaking.
All the mercenaries seemed angry.
I began to feel scared that they might do something in anger; they are known for that but when I looked at Madam Caena, there was not a hint of smile or fear in her eyes.
"Mr. Kell, you have broken the laws of the velvet garden and thus are forbidden from ever entering it," she declared, and I felt the change in legacy as she spoke.
"Guards, take Mr. Kell out," she ordered.
Immediately, guards moved and picked up the middle-aged man and took him away.
''Apologies everyone for the disturbance. Don''t let it mar your experience in the velvet garden," said Madam Carla and walked away.
''You did good; I am proud of you,'' she said telepathically a moment later.
The mercenaries kept staring, shocked, before they recovered and sat down.
Even those who came from the floor above returned there, including the leader, walked to the floor he came from. Not a single one of them had left in anger.
Many seemed to be expecting that, including me, but they didn''t.
People shook their heads, seeing the shameless of the mercenaries. If they couldn''t follow the threat; they shouldn''t issue it in the first place.
I was quite grateful mercenaries for protecting us, but now, I want them out of the city.
I hope Master Silver will quickly return to the city and throw these bastards out.
The legacy had been peaceful, even when the battle was raging outside. These mercenaries created a ripple, and I am kind of glad they did.
It reinforced the belief and confidence in girls'' eyes.
They know, that if anything happens, the Madam and the Lord are with them. They will not throw them to wolves when trouble appears.
In a few seconds, everything returned to normal.
I began to make the rounds when I had stopped suddenly. Chief Carla''s voice rang out in my mind.
''Master Silver had declared the Governor of Panar; it is¡'' she informed, leaving me shocked and frozen in my place.
Chapter 466: Governor of Panar III
"Mercenaries," I muttered.
I looked at the two, still shocked, before walking toward the door, with them following behind me.
Mercenaries shouldn''t be trusted. There is, at least, a need for a weight to suppress them and keep them in the line.
It''s another reason, I need to return to the Greltheaven as soon as possible.
I took a deep breath and calm myself.
I need to do this perfectly. There shouldn''t be a single voice against my decision.
Soon, I reached the door of the conference room and the Lord''s Presence spread out of my body. It froze the guards at the door of the conference room.
The skill is powerful, but not enough to freeze guards like it did right now.
Lord''s Presence couldn''t do that, even at Lv. 30.
It is the aura, I had spread out with the power of the Lord''s Presence merged in it. Making it focus on them absolute efficiency with natural suppress of the aura.
Click!
Seeing them like this, Jon becomes visible for a moment and opens the door.
I nodded at him and the guards before walking into the conference room.
Spreading my aura through the entire room.
Many had already heard about the aura. Those that had doubts, they had instantly disappeared.
Stone, Bishop Alanis, and Azalea were the first to get control over their emotions. It had affected them for a fraction of a second.
The others got up as they controlled their emotions in this suppression.
"My lord," they greeted.
"Everyone," I replied and pulled half of the power of the aura as I sat down. I looked at the name tent in front of me, which stated my name and position.
There is another one directly opposite to me on the other side. It didn''t have a name, only the title ''Governor of Panar,''.
I could see how people, casting a glance at it.
Some even looked at each other.
Gauging their expressions; they are very sure, that whoever the governor is. They are in the room; they are right.
"Governor of Panar," I said.
There is a no need to wait any further; it''s time, I reveal the person I had chosen.
People began to look at each other, but soon some noticed the movement and shock appeared in their eyes.
That shock spread into the eyes of everyone as Ina stood in front of me.
"My lord." She bowed.
The shock of earlier had disappeared from her eyes. So, had the tears; the only thing that remained there was conviction and belief in herself.
Lola put the intricate box down and opened it, before taking out the brooch.
The brooch is round and made of precious metals and gems. That is a crafted into floral shade with expert skills.
In the center of the brooch is the crest of Panar.
A red shield surrounded by a walled ring. On that red shield is an emblem of the House of Silver, not the mercantile house, but a noble house.
The one founded by me.
If one looks deep enough, they will see inside the crest of Panar and the emblem of the house of silver had misty liquid inside. It''s not a liquid, but the core essence of my legacy.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
I took the brooch in my hand and took it toward her chest.
"By my authority, as the Lord of Greltheaven and Panar. I declare, Lady Ina Knox as Governor of Panar," I declared,
Using Appointment, with ''Governor,'' as the appointment.
The full power of my aura spread across the conference room with the Lord''s Presence; they also sensed the Appointment, which changed the expressions on their faces.
Even Stone''s expressions changed, sensing the skill.
As I declared, I pinned the authority brooch on her chest.
"Thank you for the great honor, my lord. I will try to live up to your expectations," she replied, kneeling in front of me.
"It is a great responsibility, but I have complete confidence and trust in your abilities," I said, magnifying the effect of my words through Silver Tongue.
She got up, and I turned to Lola.
She opened the scroll, and shock appeared on the faces as they sensed the Imperial Class''s power from it.
It''s a letter of appointment. In which imperial Prince Lamanov had given his support to whoever I appoint as the Governor of Panar.
Prince Lamanov, is the youngest prince and a bastard, before the emperor legitimized him a few years ago.
He is the weakest of princes. He had a small territory that the emperor had bestowed upon him, but he ran away from there before Geim captured it.
It would have been fine without it too, but with this, it became more official.
Most importantly. It will help her gain the class sooner. It cost me a lot, but it''s worth it.
I gave her the pen, and it scratched across the scroll as she signed it.
"Congratulations Governor Knox," Stone congratulated, before signing the document as a witness.
"Congratulations Governor Knox," said Bishop Alanis with a big smile on her face and sign the scroll with the power of her class in it.
Then it was Aazalia.
I had informed her of my choice yesterday and she agreed with it, after some hesitation. Her hesitation is not about Ina''s former profession, but about her abilities.
She is going to be a leader of the second army, which will be based in Panar and would require her to work closely with Ina.
Her former professions are going to make things difficult for her.
I know people still call her whore and prostitute, along with other names. There is contempt for her, despite her achievements.
This powerful position will not be easy with that baggage; it will be extremely difficult, but I am confident of her abilities.
If I was not, I would have given it to Hendricks or Hardt. They would have been much safer choices.
Making her Governor will not only make things difficult for her but also for me. There will be massive pressure, especially imperials, Namdar, and other places.
Even merchant states might show the reservations, but I am ready to bear it.
Soon, everyone signed it. Some quite unwillingly, but they had no choice with me looking at them.
They can voice their opposition to my choice. Especially in front of all these people.
"Thank you for your support, everyone. I will work hard to win your trust," said Ina, and walked toward her seat, before sitting down.
"There is one more announcement. I have to make it," I said and turned to Azaelia.
She got up and walked toward me. Lola put another box in front of me that had stars, stripes, and medals in it.
"I promote Maj. General Azaelia to Lt. General Azaelia for her bravery against the undead in battle of Panar and give her the command of the second army,"
"From today, she will be Defender of Panar," I announced and appointed her as ''Defender.'' With the Appointment.
"Thank you for your trust, my lord," she replied with a bow.
There were big smiles and loud congratulations. Unlike Ina, there is real support for her.
It is going to be a tremendous challenge for her to win such trust and support, but if anyone could do it, then it would be here.
¡
Senar
"Sister Senar, are you all, right?" asked Denlin.
Looking all worried, seeing me frozen in shock with tears flowing out of my eyes.
"More than fine," I replied to the young woman and wiped my tears away, before walking toward the band with purposeful steps.
Seeing the signal, the server came with a glass of golden liquid. The other servers moved swiftly and began to serve golden drinks.
It was quite expensive, and I was displeased.
They are using it instead of some cheap one, but now, I wish, they could have used the most expensive one.
I wouldn''t have minded. If they had used all the funds.
People were surprised seeing the drinks appearing in front of them. They sensed something and turned toward me.
The band stopped as I reached them. I climbed the small stage and turned toward the hall.
I looked at every person looking at me. I felt nervous, but I bore it down and smiled radiantly before opening my mouth.
"Today is a wonderful day. The one that will be remembered for years," I said and paused for a moment.
"Lord Silver, the lord of Greltheaven and Panar, had chosen the Governor of Panar." I informed and there is a barely any surprise. They already know he will name the Governor today,"
"I hope you will raise the glass in her honor," I said and raised my glass up.
They raised it with me, with anticipation burning in their eyes.
"To the Governor of Panar, Lady Ina Knox," I shouted and drank the wine, while the entire hall fell in complete silent.
Some were confused and didn''t recognize the name. Many did were shocked, not willing to believe it.
The most shocked are not patrons, but girls, themselves.
They could not believe it. Even I couldn''t believe it.
The girl who was a prostitute like them, till less than two years ago, had become a Governor today.
The girls recovered quickly, and tears started to flow through the eyes, while they blazed with light dreams, and ambition.
Lady Ina, becoming a governor, had lighted up dreams and ambitions they had buried deep in their hearts.
They aren''t the only ones. I am feeling the same.
The dreams that seemed impossible a few moments ago. Now felt like they were within reach. I feel like, I could just grab them as long as I worked hard enough.
Chapter 467: Governor Knox
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 32
¡
Hetaera of Lord¡¯s Will Lv. 33
Hataera of Lord¡¯s Will Lv. 34
[Skill Gained: Quick Execution]
There was a text in front of me when I opened my eyes.
I only glanced at them before turning toward the table, where the authority brooch was lying.
¡°It¡¯s real,¡± I muttered.
It all felt like a dream even after seeing a brooch. I am having a hard time believing in it.
I am the Governor.
I was shocked when he asked me, just a few minutes before the announcement. Saying I was shocked would understate my emotional state at that time.
I accepted the job.
I didn¡¯t say it or ever show it, but I wanted it desperately. Whenever Master the job of Governor; I want to say, I want it.
Despite wanting to say it thousands of times. I didn¡¯t, and even yesterday, I wanted to reject it.
Because I understand the cost of it.
There wouldn¡¯t have been any. If he had chosen anyone else but me, there would be.
The imperials will come down on him. So are the merchants and the lords. He will become a subject of laughter and cities might also suffer financially.
That I wished. I had rejected the offer, but I was weak. I could not resist it.
So, I will do everything I could lessen the pressure on Master Silver.
Repeating those words calmed me down from my worries and I turned to the texts in front of me.
I had leveled-up and did it twice and even got the skill.
There was no class change, which isn¡¯t surprising given, that I had just got responsibility yesterday. It will take me months, if not years, to get the class.
I turned to my new skill and a smile couldn¡¯t help, but appear on my face.
Quick Execution, as its name suggests. It will execute orders quickly. As for how quickly it will depend on the task, the people doing it and the difficulty they are facing.
It is a wonderful skill, that Master Silver desire it.
I looked at two new attribute points.
I added one to the Charm, taking it to twenty-two, and one to intelligence, taking it to twenty. Immediately, I felt their effects., especially of the intelligence.
Its power had increased by leaps reaching twenty.
As the effect wore off, I got out of the bed. Freshened up and showered before looking at the closet.
It is filled with new clothes and other accessories.
A crate had come yesterday. It was delivered to me after the announcement.
It¡¯s from Carla.
She had been aware of the offer and sent clothes. I had clothes, but she said, they were not suitable for the Governor. I need to look at the part to do the part.
I couldn¡¯t help but agree more.
My clothes had changed as my jobs. From the seductive when I was a whore to conservative when I become Master Silver¡¯s representative and then assistant and adviser.
I looked at dresses before taking out a cream-colored one. I read the note attached to it, before wearing it.
The dress is beautiful. It had clean lines and minimal embellishment.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
It fits me perfectly.
¡®There is no need for it,¡¯ I thought before taking out the thin green belt with a blue buckle, which the note attached to it said I should wear with it.
The belts are the new fashion. Carla likes them, and I can see why as I looked in the mirror.
I radiate authority with this dress and when I pinned the brooch on my chest. It seemed to solidify around me.
I looked like the governor and not some imposter that I am feeling like.
I adjusted my hair and did a small make-up from an expensive make-up kit that Carla had sent with the clothes.
Once I was done, I looked at the mirror one last time, before walking out of the room.
¡°My lady,¡± greeted Mage Osward and Astur Kruabur.
Onwards expressions are neutral; it¡¯s hard to guess what she is thinking. However, one thing is clear; she didn¡¯t seem very pleased.
Half-orc beside her had a polite smile on her face.
Both of them had been chosen by General Stone and Master Silver to be my guards.
¡°Any messages?¡± I asked. To which the mage nodded. ¡°Yes, a lot of them,¡± she replied and gave me the stacks of cards.
I took them in my hand and began to read them with Fast Reading.
Most of them are from the Greltheaven. Many people I know have sent congratulatory messages.
Some are from Navr and merchant state. All of them are from merchants, that I did business with.
There are very few lords who sent the congratulatory message. Most came from the Baronies; nearly half of them sent the congratulatory message, including Master Silver¡¯s sister.
There is also a message from Lord and Lady Blackwell. It¡¯s a beautiful message that put a smile on my face.
Though, the one that surprised me had come from the Lord of Owlspring.
It was a simple message, but it pleased me. Most of the merchant lords didn¡¯t send any messages.
Him sending the message is a big thing. He is the lord of one of the most powerful cities in the merchant states and holds a lot of influence.
I will have to reply to them. I planned to do that with handwritten letters.
Once I read all the letters, I handed back the letters to her. She burned them and put the ashes into the jar before handing them back to me.
Messages are sensitive, and it is standard protocol to hand ashes back to the Lord until one develops enough trust with their bodyguards to have them deal with it.
Click!
I walked out of the door, with guards ahead and behind me. I used to be the guard, but not this many or powerful ones.
Soon, I come across the first person. Two people are standing guard at the end of the hallway.
They looked at me, and I could see contempt in the eyes of one for a moment before hesitation took over.
He stared at me for a moment longer, before making a decision and bowed like the other guard beside him.
I saw similar expressions in every person I had passed by.
I am surprised. I thought more people would show contempt.
Some might be openly hostile, like they were when I started representing Master Silver for his business.
Soon, I reached my office, or rather, Master Silvers. It¡¯s his office, till he leaves the city.
Click!
¡°Governor Knox,¡± said a familiar voice, and bowed. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I said to Lola.
¡°What? You are governor, and bowing to you is customary,¡± asked, and I just shook my head and walked toward my seat.
¡°Where are you going? This is your seat,¡± she said. Pointing to the seat behind the table.
¡°That¡¯s Master Silver¡¯s,¡± I replied. At least as long as he is here. ¡°You are the Governor; it''s yours,¡± she replied and looked at the nameplate, that was already on the table.
I hesitated and walked toward the light blue-colored chair, before sitting down hesitantly.
Master Silver had said yesterday that the office was mine and so are responsibilities. He said he would give me complete freedom to do the job my way.
As I sat on the chair, I felt the weight of responsibilities and they felt so heavy that I started shaking.
I wanted to give up. They are too much. I don¡¯t think I could do it.
I was having a panic attack when I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.
¡°Relax. The responsibilities are huge, but there is no one better than you to handle them,¡± said the reassuring voice.
I felt my emotions calm down and my panic receded. Still, I could control my breathing.
¡°Thank you,¡± I said to Master Silver and tried to get up from the chair.
To that, she shook his head.
¡°It¡¯s your chair now,¡± he said and walked toward the couch before sitting down.
¡°What should I do?¡± I asked as I fully calmed down. ¡°It''s for you to decide. Though, I will advise you, to choose your staff first,¡± he advised.
¡°Assistant, especially,¡± he added a moment later.
My eyes immediately went to Lola. My friend smiled before shaking her head.
¡°I am returning to Greltheaven with Master Silver,¡± she replied before I could even ask her the question.
I could see that she would not stay.
There is a raging fire of ambition in girls¡¯ eyes. It had broken the supposed scale, that she had limited it to.
It is visible in her eyes that she wanted to be what I have become.
It¡¯s so clear, and she is not even trying to hide it.
Staying here, wouldn¡¯t help with that. It might to others, but not her, seeing she had replaced me as Master Silver¡¯s assistant.
¡°Do you have any suggestions?¡± I asked. ¡°That¡¯s for you to decide, my governor,¡± he replied with a smile, before turning to the files, Lola had placed in front of him.
I know he wants me to make my decision regarding the staff. Even so, I had hoped, he would help me.
I calmed myself down and thought.
Many names floated in front of me. Most of them are girls; I will have to think about them carefully and make an offer.
I sighed and focused on the files in front of me.
I had read through them already, but I am doing it again. When I did it yesterday, I was an assistant, but now I am the Governor.
The position had changed and so was perspective.
There are a lot of challenges in the city. Dealing with them will be far from difficult.
From children to reconstruction to employment, and many others. I will have to handle them all and do a good enough job to be worth the risk Master Silver, had taken for me.
Soon, it was nine; time for my first meeting as Governor and it won¡¯t be easy.
¡°Are you going to be attending the meeting, Master Silver?¡± I asked, hoping he would.
¡°No,¡± he replied without looking away from the file.
It sent a shudder through me. Yesterday, nobody said anything, because he was there, but it won¡¯t be the case now.
Even if he had come with me, he wouldn¡¯t be here forever. I will have to face them and prove myself to them.
Force them to accept and acknowledge me from their heart with my abilities.
Chapter 468: Returning To Greltheaven
A few minutes after Ina left; I walked her out of her office.
I could have eased her up and helped her a little, but it''s better, that faces these things head-on.
I will be leaving in a few hours, and after that, she will have to deal with these things herself. So, she should start facing them directly while I am here.
Whether I am in the city or out, no one will impede her work. They understand it''s a bad idea.
If they went against her, then they will be going against me, but that doesn''t mean, they won''t create the roadblocks in front of her.
There will be a small one, like not following orders as they should or doing it late. Such problems are more difficult to deal with than the bigger ones, but she can deal with them.
I have a confidence in her.
Soon, I got out of the city hall and stepped into the carriage.
As the carriage got out of the gates. I saw people working; there were some constructions happening around the city hall.
It''s the most important part of the city and needs to be repaired first.
They are Amellus''s people, but soon, in a few days, we will issue the tender for the other works.
There is a lot of work needed to be done, and giving it all to one company isn''t wise. They will still do the emergency work, but the general work will be handled through the tender.
I wonder how many companies will apply for it.
Soon, the carriage reached the wall, and I saw the train of carriages moving out of the city after a careful inspection of each one.
We are sending the first badge of children to the Greltheaven.
Most of them are small children of ages one to five. They need immediate care and we have made preparations for that in the city.
It''s going to cost me a lot, but I can''t leave those children here. Currently, this city isn''t a place for them to live.
I looked at them before turning to the wall.
They have already started working on it. The first thing, they did was remove the temporary fix we did.
It was an expensive fix, but I didn''t regret using it. If the undead had attacked, it would have helped us tremendously against them.
The damage to the wall isn''t small. It takes time to fix the wall and lay out the enchantments. Which is going to be really costly and something which I cannot skim.
"Lord Silver," greeted Davidson, as he stopped beside me.
"How are the things?" I asked. "Good, my lord. Our people have started working. We have even called more enchanters today, to fix and embed the new ones on the wall," he replied.
"We need the wall fixed as soon as possible. Use, your best people on it," I said, looking at the wall.
"We are doing that, my lord," he replied.
I talked to him for a few minutes before walking to the wall.
A few hours passed, and I checked everything in the city, before going back to the city hall.
"I wish you had stayed a few more days, Master Silver," said Ina as she had come to drop me off.
"With you here, there is no need for me to stay here anymore. I trust you completely to do the job well," I replied a little loudly, so everyone could hear.
If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
She smiled and looked at me gratefully.
"Have a safe journey, Lord Silver," she wished. "Thank you, Governor," I thanked and mounted on the horse.
A few seconds later, a group of horses moved out of the city gates.
I will be traveling by horse. I could take the carriage, but it will take time; the beasts are much faster.
Stone is leading. He is coming with me, but he won''t be staying in the Greltheaven.
He will return to Panar after dropping me off safely in the city.
Soon, we reached the gates and passed through it.
As I turned back to the city, I found it was different from what I had seen a few days ago.
The wall is about the same, but the overgrowth of the plants in front of it has disappeared. We have removed all of them.
We will restart the farms, but that will take time.
We have to make sure that we could deal with the undead, before they even reach the city, or we will be just growing them to get destroyed by the undead.
A few minutes passed, the city got further and further, till it was nothing but the dot.
Even that had disappeared after a few minutes.
The beasts are moving fast; I will be able to reach the city on time. If we kept moving at such speed.
As we moved. I thought about the things that I need to deal with quickly and will need to be quiet creative about it.
This decision of mine put me under a lot of pressure and some people might try to take advantage of it. I need to be in the city to handle it.
The pressure is greater than I had thought.
I have been contacted by the ministers of both princes, and they told me, in straight terms, that their masters are displeased with my decision.
They ordered me to change the governor.
The same diktats were given other princes, Namdar, Inam, and other cities and even merchant states. There were even some threats mixed in it.
I am not going to change my decision despite the pressure and bear it with the greatest shield, I have.
My legacy.
If it had anyone else, there would have been more than just a warning. Still, I would need to tread very carefully from now on.
There are enemies everywhere and now with cracks emerging. Others might try to take advantage of it.
Hun!
Hours passed, and soon, I saw a group of carriages and the beasts with the familiar flag.
"They are not wasting any time," said Lola, riding beside me, looking at people from the church of dusk moving toward Panar.
"They are not," I replied.
Bishop Alanis arrived yesterday in Panar and today more of her people are going there.
It is a great opportunity to convert the people, and they are squeezing it with everything they have.
I didn''t do anything. It was the deal they had made with me in exchange for helping me and they have kept the end of their deal.
They are going to build the church there, and it is good for me and the city.
The city is in dire need of priests. Not only to deal with physical well-being, but also mental and spiritual. There are many people, that are broken mentally and near breaking limit.
The church will be helpful in dealing with that.
Though, I had asked Lola and Azalea to keep a tight eye on them. A church without restriction is not a good thing, despite how good the church is.
The sun was beginning to get down when the city came into view.
Seeing it, a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
Every second we got closer and closer, till we reached right in front of the gate, before entering it.
"Hail, Lord Silver. The Lord of Greltheaven and Panar!"
A loud shout rang out, announcing my entry as I entered the city, and flowers began to shower on me and party.
There are people everywhere, held back by lines of police. They are cheering, throwing flowers, petals and even coins.
"They said it was going to be a small parade," said Lola as she took her horse back.
I led in the front, while others followed behind as people cheered. There are thousands and thousands of them on both sides of roads, on roofs of houses and stores, and they are cheering loudly.
Robin said some preparations were made, and I had expected some, but not at such a grand scale.
''I hope they didn''t spend too much on it.'' I thought while waving and releasing my aura with Trustful Presence, with a small hint of Lord''s Presence.
It awed them.
I saw many familiar faces, especially the girls. They are quite easy to notice with my class.
The horse moved slowly, I moved street after street, waving at people non-stop, smiling at them.
It took me over an hour to reach the city hall and by that time, my body was smelling like flowers.
"Welcome back, my lord," said Robin as I dismounted off the horse and bowed.
The people behind him bowed as well. Including my siblings, Valentina and Zela.
"It''s good to be back," I said and walked with them toward the city hall. There are a lot of things waiting for me, including a meeting at night.
Before that, I have to make a short trip to the legacy. Carla had asked me to come.
Even if she hadn''t asked, I would have gone there. I miss her and miss my legacy.
"Congratulation, on your victory brother," said Heron. "Thank you, Heron," I replied.
It had been only a few days since I had seen him, but the changes seemed to have occurred to him. He seemed to have matured.
"I missed you, brother," said the small voice. "I miss you too, Josie," I said, petting her head gently.
I had missed them a lot and had been really worried when the Deepond attacked.
"You two go home. I will meet you tomorrow, at breakfast," I said to them, and I could see the disappointment appearing in their eyes.
I felt bad, but I had a lot of things to do. I won''t be able to give them the time.
Their nanny came and took them with guards following behind, while I walked into the city hall with others.
Chapter 469: Oath
Carla
Click!
"It didn''t look crowded at all," said Margaux as she stepped inside through the door and looked ahead at the girls.
All the girls are here, from those who work to those who are training. Even the teens and team leaders and the madams. Every girl who is present in the city is here.
I gave her the look and her cheeks reddened. I know where she had gone.
"I had told you. It might look small, but it''s space. Even if the number had quadrupled; it wouldn''t have been crowded," I replied, not teasing her about the person she had gone to meet.
"I hope, Master Silver won''t mind it," she said, and I shook my head.
"He won''t. A little embarrassed, he might, but he won''t mind it," I replied. I know him enough to say that with the confidence.
"He had done so much for us. It''s time, we show, a small appreciation for it," I added. She nodded with her eyes turning emotional.
¡
Click!
The guards opened the door of my office and I entered inside with only Zela, Robin, Cardin, and Stone following behind.
There is also Jon, but he is hiding.
"Many people contacted me. Some even suggested they would support me if I took over," said Robin as I sat down in my chair,
"I thought it would take a few days before such offers were made," I replied.
Though, I am not surprised.
Such machinations are common in politics, especially in cities like mine, which had a great treasure.
The legacy.
"Anyone powerful?" I asked. "They themselves are not, but those pulling the strings are," he replied, sending me a paper with the names of the people.
I read through it, with some names surprising me
"You have done a wonderful job, Robin. General Cardin. For that, I am grateful," I said to them.
There was a surprise on their face, but soon it turned to a smile. They really did an amazing job in protecting the city, and I want them to know how grateful I am for it.
"Thank you for the praise, my lord," said Cardin. "It is not a praise general, just a fact," I replied simply.
In the next hour, they updated me on all things, before leaving my office.
"You are leaving right away?" I asked Stone. "Yes, after I finish some business," he replied.
"Be careful, there might be assassins of undead waiting," I cautioned.
He has recovered. Even his strength seemed to have increased, but the undead had powerful assassins. They have killed a people far more powerful than him.
"I will," he replied, before walking away.
I stayed in my office for fifteen more minutes before walking out of it.
There is a meeting in an hour and a half, but that''s more than enough for me to go and return from the legacy.
Ten minutes passed, and the tower came into view. It looked magnificent, especially on this dark night.
There might be no moons and stars visible, but the city is shining brightly. Especially the tower and the area surrounding it.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Soon, I reached the bridge and saw people on the boats.
The boats have become one of the most popular attractions of the legacy area. There is always a line for it; everybody loves it, especially couples.
So much, so that we have brought special boats for them.
Because of its popularity, there have been requests to widen the size of the canal. So, that more boats would be able to float in it, but I rejected the idea.
It''s popular because of its size; it would lose its beauty if we expanded the canal without other changes.
The carriage had entered the park, and I saw people everywhere.
They are walking, sitting, eating, playing, and doing other things. I thought the park would be too big, but now I do not think it is too big.
Soon, the carriage reached close to the tower. The structure shows the harshness and the beauty of the wasteland.
Step!
The carriage stopped, and I walked out of it, before entering the lobby.
As I did, I nearly stopped as the beautiful smells hit me. They are better than any perfume and many people come here, just for the smells.
I could see people turning to me, with some bowing. I nodded at them before stepping into the elevator.
Like the lobby, there are people everywhere. They are browsing around the stores.
The sales are high. It had broken our estimates.
Many store owners had got big offers for their stores. Some of them are so big that many would have given up. If they could.
They couldn''t.
They have rented it and agreement as it as such, that they couldn''t transfer the lease without my permission.
There are other heavy restrictions.
I thought they would be stifling and prepared to loosen them. If they didn''t work as intended, they are working much better than I had imagined.
Soon, the elevator reached the domain of legacy, and the fragrances became more prominent, and they affected me more thanks to the power of legacy.
Hun!
I was taking it, when I sensed something that had surprised me.
''What are they doing there?'' I asked myself.
All the girls were on the roof. Not only madams and floor leaders but also those who should be working on the velvet red, training in college, and even the young girls.
Every girl in the establishment is on the roof.
''What is going on?'' I asked Carla. ''You will know, soon,'' she replied. I could have pressed, but I didn''t.
Soon, I reached the top floor, before walking the stairs toward the roof.
Click!
I stopped at the door and opened it.
As I had expected, all the girls were there. Carla, Gloria, Senar, Eliyen, and every girl who is present in the city are here on the roof of the establishment.
All of them are looking at me with expressions I had not seen anyone looking at me with, with such a weight.
It''s hope.
It felt heavy as a mountain and light as a feather at the same time.
I wanted to look away, but I didn''t. I met their eyes and took the weight of their expectation.
It started as a business to me with little humane and na?ve touch, but with time, I genuinely came to care about them.
"Well, it''s a delightful surprise," I said, and they laughed.
The smiles remained until Margaux stepped forward and everyone turned serious.
"Margaux," I said, and the woman smiled a little before her expression to have turned serious.
"Master Silver, you have done things for us, that no-one had ever done," she said.
Her voice is soft but spread through the entire roof.
"You have helped us gain a self-respect that we had long lost. Provided us income, that will set us up for life and skills that will never keep us hungry at night,"
"Most importantly, you have given us hope. Hope to fulfill the dreams, we had long buried deep in our hearts. Dreams that we had never thought we were able to reach,"
"Those dreams that seemed impossible to reach now felt like, they are in front of us. We just have to reach for them to fulfill them,"
The girls listened to every one of her words and many had tears started to flow out of their eyes, while the hope blazed in them.
It is not just them affected, but also me
"You all already had the abilities to fulfill your dreams. The only thing gave you all a little push," I stated, to which many shook their head.
"You have done far more. Everything we are right is because of you," she said, and her eyes were extremely serious.
"You have moved the mountain for us, shifted a river by making, took the wrath of all by making one of us a Governor. Something, even emperors and archmages, never dared to do,"
The air seemed to have gone still as she stopped and looked directly into my eyes like all the girls present.
"Us, the whores, have little to give. The only we have to give is our loyalty." ''
"From today, every girl of Velvet Garden will be eternally loyal to you, in both life as well as in death," she stated and kneeled in front of me.
With her, every girl kneeled with such conviction in their eyes that it shook the legacy.
Roiled the mist like a storm.
Tears streamed down from my eyes as I looked at their kneeling figures.
"I will take your oaths of loyalty and give an oath in return as well," I replied.
"From today, you all are mine and I am yours."
"I will protect you from every harm. Even if the one doing the harm, is the god itself. I will fight, him for you," I promised, with my voice reaching every ear and bringing the change in the faces of kneeling girls.
At that moment, the legacy shook like the wrath of god, had felled upon it, hearing the blasphemy from my mouth.
Though there is no hint of fear in their eyes. Instead of trust as they looked at me.
Hun!
I smiled at them and was about to speak. When the tower shook again, making my eyes widened.
This shake is different.
Carla, Caena, and other Madams seemed to sense it as well as the shock appeared on their faces and their eyes widened before big smiles appeared on their faces.
The other girls seemed to understand what was happening and smiles spread across their faces, till everyone was smiling joyfully.
It is a joyous occasion.
Chapter 470: Grade III Legacy
[Demesne of Desire: Grade III]
[Legacy Skill: Instant Restoration]
I was watching in shock, not daring to believe, when the words flashed in front of me.
This is not a dream. The legacy has truly advanced to Grade III.
Something that took decades had been achieved in less than a year.
A thing, that only happened once in this era.
"The establishment had advanced," said Caena and every eye turned to me.
I opened my mouth to respond when everything disappeared in front of me.
For a moment, I was in absolute darkness, before the multicolored sun appeared in front of me and the moment after that, the planets materialized in front of me.
As all the planets appeared, another change started.
This one was expected.
The tides of emotions came toward the core. The tide is dense with emotions and gets denser every second as the wave spreads from the legacy.
There are massive emotions in the city.
Since the last advancement. There had been four battles, and many different things that brought out intense emotions from the people.
The tide contains much denser emotions than the last time. This isn''t surprising; a Grade III legacy is capable of absorbing more powerful emotions.
The core begins to get bigger as it absorbs the massive emotions the tides are bringing it.
Soon, it reached the size of a truck and began to pour the power into the planets. They ate it like they had been hungry for years.
I could feel the small changes happening in them.
Caena had been making the changes to these charms. She could not make big changes, but an even smaller one was enough to upgrade them.
It cost me a lot of money and I hope, the cost will be worth it.
Till now, the upgrade wasn''t active as it needs enormous power. Such an amount of power could only be gained in advancement.
If I took it from the core, it would weaken it and take years to activate all the upgrades, but a breakthrough could be done in seconds.
Soon, the core had become as big as the house and still getting bigger, absorbing more emotions.
The wave had only spread to the third of the city. It is spreading further and further.
Hun!
I was looking at the planets when I turned to specific ones. The twenty-four especially. These twenty-four are absorbing the largest amount of emotions from the core
They are the ones, that nearly broke my skill last time.
The benefits it had provided had saved my life and the life of everyone in the city.
If it wasn''t for that; I would have been killed by the lich and thousands of people would have died.
The city might not have been standing as it is right now.
It had created the outer range, which aided me in using the spells outside of the legacy.
This time, I had asked Caena to make preparations. I want at least half a city to be covered by it, more if possible.
Last time, it had nearly broken the skill, but seeing the tremendous benefits, the outer range provides. I took the risk, once again.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
The core seemed to have an insatiable appetite. It begins consuming a massive number of emotions. Far more than it should at this level.
While it''s feeding the charms. It is also getting bigger.
Finally, the wave reached the wall from all sides, absorbing all the emotions present in the city, and stopped.
It made me feel relieved. It had really become huge, that I feared. Something bad might happen. Bigger isn''t always better.
It had grown massive, as big as the tennis stadium.
It remained at that size for several seconds, before it started to shrink. As it did, the emotion essence inside it began to thicken fast, becoming more and more powerful.
In just a few moments; it had shrunk to the size of the carriage, before stopping.
The essence inside became powerful. More than the Grade II. It''s Grade III, now.
Hun!
I was looking at the core, when the skill activated and domain of legacy, begin to expand.
Demesne Expansion.
It begins to expand vertically and horizontally. I could feel the floors as they began to enter its domain one by one, while it spread, covering more and more area.
Finally, the expansion stopped.
I looked at it, with a big smile on my face.
The legacy now covers all twenty-one floors of the tower, as I had expected. It also covers forty-four thousand square feet of the area of the tower.
Sixteen thousand more and it will cover the entire tower.
Hun!
I was thinking about the essence, I could harvest with the bigger legacy, when the twenty-four planets connected to the wall shone.
Seeing them, my expressions turned serious, and I braced myself.
A second passed and then another when I felt the pull from them toward my legacy skill.
Demesne Expansion.
The skill resisted, and the planets increased the pressure.
Till it had reached so much, it became painful, and the pain kept increasing, that it took all my will to stop myself from screaming.
I bore the pain as I focused on skill, which is resisting the pull, but won''t be for long.
It''s reaching its limit and once it does. There will be only two choices in front of it.
A lot would depend on what choice it makes.
Finally, it reached the limit, and I watched the legacy skill with the bated breaths.
I am taking a massive risk here. If I failed, I would pay a horrible price. I would lose this skill and even damage my legacy.
The damage would be so great, that it would never be able to advance again, but I need to take the risk.
The enemies are everywhere. The outer range covering the large area of the city would help me tremendously to deal with threats that came for me and mine.
The pull had reached so high that I felt the skill would break when the skill began to change.
Like it did last time.
Immediately, the soul-breaking pain disappeared, and twenty-four planets began to pour a massive amount of essence into the skill.
As they did, the outer range which covers a third of the city began to expand.
It covered more and more stress and squares. Soon, it covered half of the half of city.
Taking city hall into its domain. It made me feel relieved.
With the city hall covered, it will make things much easier for me and also safer, than I would be able to use the spells from there.
I thought it would stop at 50%, but it didn''t and soon, it had covered the lord''s mansion and kept spreading even further.
Within a second, it had covered 75% of the area of the city, while I watched in shock as it continued to spread.
Seconds passed, and it had finally stopped.
I remained frozen with deep shock in my heart. The outer range had covered the entire city. This means I could use the skills of legacy from any part of the city.
I could throw spells from any part of the city, including the wall.
Hun!
I was watching in shock when the twenty-four planets hummed and suddenly increased the flow of emotion power into the skill.
It made my eyes widen. Something like this hadn''t happened last time.
The skill resisted the power, but the twenty- four planets shoved it into the skill forcefully.
For a moment, I didn''t understand what was happening, when suddenly my eyes widened, and I saw the expansion again.
It''s not the outer range, that is expanding, but the core domain of the legacy.
It began to expand, spreading foot by foot, while planets poured more power into the skill.
It lasted for several seconds before it suddenly stopped, and I heaved a sigh of relief. The skill had reached the breaking point, that I felt like cracks would start appearing on it.
The legacy calmed down, and everything disappeared, but I didn''t react.
I am staring at the legacy, not daring to believe, what I am seeing.
The legacy now covers all sixty thousand square feet of area that the tower occupies. It had also spread vertically, approximately five and a half floors.
This means now, I could build five and a half floors more, but I won''t do that.
I already have the five floors and with my intentions. Five underground floors were covered in the domain of legacy. As for the half-floor, it covered the roof.
I could see the instant reaction from the girls as the colorful mist appeared on the roof.
"Congratulations, Master Silver," said Caena, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"Congratulations, Master Silver," the girls echoed.
"Thank you all. It wouldn''t have been possible, without all of you," I said to them, and I mean every word of it.
Such advancement is extremely rare. It is their belief in me, that made it happen.
"Girls, go back to your shifts. Floor leaders, return to your floors and announce the advancement of the legacy. The rest, return to your dorms," ordered Caena and immediately, the girls began to leave.
They looked unwilling but followed the order immediately and began to leave.
Within a minute, only Carla, Margaux, Caena, Bell, and Zela remained.
"My lord, there are inquiries from the lords and the legacies," informed Zela.
I could have made the advancement silent like last time, but I let the other sense. I need others to know; it will help me deal with the pressure I am in.
"Conform it," I ordered.
Chapter 471: Colosseum Class
Owlspring
Knock Knock!
The knock rang out of the door, a smile on the face of the lord of Owlspring disappeared and he looked at the door irritatingly.
He is on the top floor of Karon; his favorite restaurant. Its only two of them celebrating the special day.
Mae''s birthday.
There will be a grand party at the end of the week, but today, it''s only two of them.
"I had told them not to disturb me unless there was a Level 50 come to attack the city," I said irritatingly, to which Mae smiled.
Her smile is beautiful. She is beautiful, but it''s her mind, that made me fall in love with her.
"Open it; they wouldn''t have knocked. If it wasn''t important," she said gently.
Click!
I sighed and used a sliver of my aura to open the door and open a way through the aura dome. So, Nathil could walk inside.
"My lord," he greeted.
"It''s better to be something important, old man," I said, looking at him angrily, but the man smiled without a hint of fear.
"It is, my lord," he replied, irritating me further.
"Out with it," I ordered impatiently, and the old bastard smiled. He only takes his sweet time when the news is important.
"Velvet Garden had advanced to Grade III legacy," he replied finally.
I froze hearing that. So had Mae.
She doesn''t show emotions when she doesn''t want to. She had great control over it; I have seen it only a few times, her losing control over it.
"That''s not possible. It''s not even a year old!" I exclaimed, not daring to believe it.
"It is truth, my lord. A few of our people are in the legacy; had sensed the advancement."
"Lord of Grelthevean, himself had confirmed it," replied the old man and bowed before walking away, while I remained in my place, still shocked.
"Now, thank me," said Mae after a few seconds of silence.
"Thank you. Your advice, wise as ever," I said with a sigh and took her hand and kissed it.
Yesterday, I was angry, when I came to know. Silver had chosen his whore as governor.
It felt like a slap on my face.
We have provided him with tremendous help. From intelligence to aid. So, when he chose the governor, he didn''t inform us beforehand and even chose his whore.
I wanted to contact the bastard and curse him, but Mae advised me to do the opposite.
Congratulate the whore.
I didn''t want to do it, but I had listened to her. It was a wise decision because now I will be able to get more benefits by leveraging that.
¡
Namdar
"It had reached Grade III and its domain had spread through the whole tower," said the woman, fifteen sitting in a stone chair.
"Yes, mother," replied the woman, who looked like a younger version of the older woman.
"At that size, it could be said to have the peak of theater class or even colosseum class," said another woman, bearing the similarities between the two women.
The classes of the legacies aren''t recognized by great sky but were made for the people to understand.
There are three classes of legacies, Tavern, Theatre, and Colosseum.
The class of the legacies is dependent upon their size. With Tavern Class being the smallest. Around 90% of the legacies are of that size.
The next is Theatre Class.
They are bigger at least three to four times bigger than average Tavern Class legacies and around 9% of the legacies are of that size.
The rest of Colosseum Class. Most of the legacies of this class are Colosseums, hence the name.
They are the fewest in numbers and massive. Capable of hosting, tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands to over a million people.
The size of the legacies is as important as the spectrum of emotions they could harvest. The bigger the size, the more people it will host and the greater the emotions it will harvest.
Everyone wants Colosseum Class legacies, and they are equal to multiple Tavern Class legacies.
"We will need to act quickly, especially about the threatening we did earlier," said the youngest woman, and looked at the lone man in the room, sharing similar features as them.
He glared at her, before turning to the older woman in the chair.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
"Mother, we should attack Greltheaven and take control of the legacy," said the man.
Immediately laughs escaped from the mouths of two young women, making the man glare at them harder, while the older woman just sighed with a shake of her head.
"Terenina, you are responsible for handling the Greltheaven now," said the older woman.
The man immediately opened his mouth to object but saw the older woman had disappeared. Leaving only a tiny arc of lightning that traveled around the chair.
¡.
Inam
"Congratulate Silver for the advancement of his legacy. Also, send the congratulation to his whore for her ascension to Governor," said the man.
His reaction was the opposite yesterday. He had threatened, but now he is congratulating.
Change is the nature of the politics. Those who can''t change are left buried in the ground with not even the history remembering them.
¡.
Ashton Harbor
"Good, now conquering it will be more fulfilling," said the man with staff with a big smile on his face.
He is not worried at all. He is happy; tremendously so.
Despite the many losses, he never had doubts about his mind. They would conquer the region now that the command was in his hands. It will happen even sooner.
A reward for that will also be great. A near Colosseum Class legacy.
¡
Senar
I watched the patrons looking at the dense mist in wonder.
It was not just the mist that had become more radiant and denser, but the feeling of the legacy had increased by a lot.
There is a change in the quality of it.
I could see everyone was taking the new change. Including the plants. I could feel, the faint changes appearing on the smell of the plants.
The notes are more prominent, affecting one or more deeply than before.
It is happening in just minutes of advancement. It will be more noticeable in a few days when plants get a chance to absorb these higher levels of emotion mist.
¡
"They have arrived," informed Zela.
I nodded, but didn''t turn. I kept looking crowd had filled the garden.
It had been less than an hour since the legacy had advanced, but the news had spread like wildfire. The whole world comes to know about it and also the city.
There is a large crowd of people gathered around the tower and more are coming every second.
The police had cordoned the area around the legacy. No one could come inside, but that didn''t stop people as more and more of them crossing the bridge and coming to the garden.
I didn''t disappoint them and covered the whole tower with a thin blanket of multicolored mist.
I watched them for a few more seconds before descending from the roof.
I had been here since the legacy advanced.
Gave girls and Zela orders after orders and even talked to the imperials and Grand Mage of Archamage''s Tower and representative of Synod.
These are the people. I can not postpone talking and I wanted to talk to them.
Especially the imperials.
Click!
Soon, I climbed down to the floor and reached the brown door. Jim became visible and opened the door, before disappearing while I stepped inside.
The small conference room is packed. There is barely any space to walk properly.
There is a Valentina Cardin, Hardt, Arryn, Robin, Hendricks, and others.
There are only ten seats at the conference table. The ones in higher positions are sitting, while the rest standing behind them, with their bodies touching each other.
Though, nobody seemed to mind it.
"Lord Silver," they greeted, with a lot more respect than usual.
I nodded and sat down.
There was a silence as all of them looked at me. I didn''t speak immediately.
I took a few seconds to calm down, to calm the hundreds of thoughts running into my mind before I opened my mouth.
"The legacy had advanced to Grade III," I started by stating the obvious fact, which put a smile on their faces.
"Congratulations, Lord Silver," they congratulate. I nodded, before controlling my expressions.
"It''s an important time for us and we need to use this opportunity to its maximum. I have a task for each one of you, I hope, you will be able to do it with maximum effort," I said to them.
"Arryn, communicate with your contacts."
"Tell them the opportunity the city represents and offers we are willing to give it to them. If they invest in the city," I ordered and slid the page toward him, before turning to another person.
"Hardt, contact the people, who are thinking of shifting; tell the advantages of moving to Greltheaven,"
I gave one order after another. It''s not like, I hadn''t tried this before, but unlike before, I didn''t conquer another city and didn''t have a Grade III legacy.
There are tens of thousands of really rich people in the empire. Who wants to get out of it and diversify their business.
They could safely move to Greltheaven. It is part of the empire and not in the jurisdiction of any prince. So, if they could move here without incurring the wrath of any party.
Till now, Namdar has been the biggest beneficiary of this migration and I want a little slice.
Even the little one would be tremendously helpful to the city, but achieving it would be difficult, with the shadow undead blanketing the city.
Still, now the chances are better than ever.
"I hope, everyone will do their best to achieve the tasks they have been given," I said as I finished giving tasks to everyone. They are big, most will likely not be able to sleep today.
Some, like Robin, are leaving the city tonight.
They nodded and got up, before leaving. The one who didn''t leave is Valentina.
"No orders for me?" she asked with an arched brow.
"You already finished the task," I replied, and the smile on her face widened.
She is a person, who knows me the best aside from girls.
The moment she found out about the legacy had advanced. She acted, knowing this is what I would want to do.
"How long will it take for them to come to the city?" I asked, and her expression turned serious.
"Ed will leave Panar in a few minutes. Our construction partners from the merchant state will leave in a few hours. They will be in the city, before the afternoon," she replied.
I had also called Miss Rolgath, Miss Ulaxasys, and Lady Blackwell.
We need to make changes to the tower.
When the legacy was Grade II; it used to cover fourteen floors, but not the entire area of it. Just twenty-nine thousand square feet of it, in the middle.
The rest were the domain of plants, but now at Grade III. The legacy covers every inch of the tower.
So, I need to make the changes. So, I could use more than half of the area, that had been the domain of the plants till now and I have to do it in twenty-five days.
Twenty-four since this day is nearly over.
The next month is the founding day of the city. The same day, the establishment had opened two years ago.
It is a massive change, especially for the legacy, and would have taken much longer than twenty-five days. If I had made the preparations for it already.
When I was building the tower. I was not building it for a Grade II legacy, but for Grade III.
However, I didn''t expect my legacy would advance to Grade III, just a little more than a month after the opening.
I had expected it would take years or even decades.
So, there is not as much as work, one would expect, but there is still a lot, and I would need to close all fourteen floors until it is finished.
Thankfully, the whole tower wouldn''t close. Unlike the sixteen floors, the other five floors wouldn''t close.
The lobby and four floors house the stores.
Unlike the fourteen floors that are made for the legacy. The other five are using every inch of the space.
Now that it has turned into a legacy, I would be able to harvest emotion from a large number of people who come to visit those floors, making no changes to them.
"The whole twenty-one floors of the tower are in the legacy. It''s really close to reaching Colosseum Class," said Valentina, and all of us smile.
Lola, Zela, and me.
"What?" she asked, looking confused. "Twenty-six and a half floors, Chief Elar. The velvet garden had become a Colosseum Class legacy," replied Lola, shocking Valentina.
It took her a few seconds to calm herself before she turned to me.
"Are you building five floors?" she asked. To that, I shook my head.
"Underground?" she asked, and I nodded.
"What are you going to do there?" she asked, and I smiled.
There are two options in front of me to use that space. I have to choose one and I plan to make the decision before the sun comes up tomorrow.
Chapter 472: Merchant of Desire
[Condition Met: Dealer of Desire ¨C Merchant of Desire]
Merchant of Desire Lv. 30 [Master of Legacy]
Merchant of Desire Lv. 31 [Master of Legacy]
Merchant of Desire Lv. 32 [ Master of Legacy]
[Skill Gained: Eyes of Master]
[Conditions Met: Good''s Instinct¨CMaster''s Instincts]
"Fuck!" I cursed out loud, with shock and joy.
My eyes fixed on the single line. It is not the change of class, nor it is the three levels I gained in it, but the skill.
Eyes of Master.
This freaking skill. It had changed everything.
Eyes of Master is the skill that nearly every master of legacy has. Especially those with their legacies in Grade III and above.
It is the most common skill. Along with the vault.
The skill lets them see what is happening in their legacy.
The masters do not like the skill much and prefer any other in its place. Because if they concentrate enough, they can feel what is happening in their legacy, which is nearly as good as seeing.
Unlike them, this skill is tremendously useful to me. Even that isn''t enough to describe it.
I didn''t dare to think about it much and instead activated the skill.
Hun!
I tried to use it, but it didn''t work. I felt worried before hitting my head.
"I am such an idiot," I muttered and powered the skill with essence.
Immediately, the skill roared.
With my will, I focused on the lobby, and instantly the lobby appeared in front of me as I was standing in there, but unlike watching from eyes, that only provided a limited angle.
Here, I could see everything in the lobby, every corner and angle.
There are heavy guards present in the lobby and outside of it to manage the heavy guards.
Because of the advancement, everyone wants to visit.
Before it was, only those with reservations could enter the legacy, but with the whole tower turning into the legacy, everybody wants to enter to experience the legacy.
Many had been here, since the last night.
We needed to up the security to manage the crowd, but it''s not a permanent solution.
We need to find a better solution for it.
A few advised to me charge fees to visit the store floors, but I shot that down. There will be no fees; the store floors will be open to the public, at no cost.
I wasn''t able to do that with fourteen floors, but I will do that with the store floors.
It is my wish that every person in the city takes the pleasure of legacy, but for that, a sustainable solution would be needed.
I changed the focus to the first floor, and the first floor appeared in front of me. It''s crowded; more crowded, than the first day of the tower opening.
I could feel the emotions they were generating. If I kept getting such an emotion. I will get a lot of emotion essence and it will be a Grade III.
I looked at one floor after another. Till I reach the top floor, I am in.
This is what every Eyes of Master could do, but now, I am going to do that only my Eyes of Master could. It is for this reason, that I got shocked by getting skill and became ecstatic.
Some might even say, it might make me near omniscient. Though, I do not agree with it.
I focused and immediately; the garden came in front of me. The quality of vision had lessened. From like 8k to HD, but it is still very clear.
I could see everything, people eating, walking, smiling. I could see the crowd and faces of people as they looked at the tower with awe and longing.
I willed it and the vision moved out of the garden.
I could see streets, squares, and everything else. There is nothing that could be hidden from me. I could even see in the homes of people and other buildings.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
Though, in there, quality lessened. From colored to grainy black and white.
It depends upon what sort of building it is. If it is public and belongs to the city, the quality would be greater. If it is private, then the quality would lessen.
I will have to see the intricacies of it, but one thing is clear. I could see everything in my city.
Nothing is hidden from me.
This skill is too dangerous. I can not let anyone know about it. If the news of it spreads; it will affect many things.
Nobody wants to live in a city where a lord could see everything.
Especially the higher leveled people.
It is also in my best interest. If nobody knows about it, it is hard to hard to guard against it.
I feel slightly complicated with this skill but in this dangerous world. It will help me tremendously to protect me and mine.
I only have one skill at this level-up, but I don''t mind. This one skill is equal to ten to me.
I looked at the other skill, which had changed, and a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face. The skill had completely changed.
From Goods Instincts, which is a mercantile skill. It had become Master''s Instincts which works differently, more focused.
It will work on all things related to legacy.
There is another skill I have received. A skill from legacy after it reached Grade III.
Instant Restoration.
It is, as its name says, it will restore the damage the legacy suffers. I don''t know the scope of it, but I plan to test it as soon as possible.
Many hosts like this skill. Especially those hosts with legacies at Grade III and below.
Legacies are delicate at those grades, and they want to quickly deal with any damage, that legacy suffers.
This skill lets them do that.
I had advanced three levels in this level-up. My base class had reached Lv. 32.
A level higher than the Lord''s Class.
I will need to keep it ahead. If Lord Class had not been ahead. I might have gotten another level and skill. I do not regret my choice.
I needed that level-up. It helped me a lot in dealing with things in the Panar.
The level-up gave me three attribute points.
I added one strength and two to vitality. I would have liked to add them to charm and intelligence, but I need to keep physical stats balanced.
If I fight again. My opponents are going to be Lv. 30 and above.
I need to have good physical stats to fight against them. In the last battle, I was nearly killed. It is because of aura; that I am still alive.
Aura is a dangerous thing. That helps warriors match the mages, but it is hard to control.
It takes time and arduous practice, to gain sufficient control over it to use it efficiently in the battle.
I shook my head at those thoughts and looked at the table that appeared in front of me.
|
Class
|
Merchant of Desire Lv. 32 [Master of Legacy]
|
|
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 31
Trainer Lv. 08
|
|
Charisma
|
20
|
|
Intelligence
|
17
|
|
Vitality
|
19
|
|
Strength
|
17
|
|
Skills:
|
¡¤ Trustful Presence
¡¤ Master¡¯s Instinct
¡¤ Lord¡¯s Contracts
¡¤ Torch for Seeker
¡¤ Rapid Strikes
¡¤ Blitz Steps
¡¤ Insightful Reading
¡¤ Price Is Right
¡¤ Mauling Strike
¡¤ Silver Tongued
¡¤ Gymnasts Grace
¡¤ Sight Through Veil
¡¤ Every Ear Listens To My Words
¡¤ Blade Of The Gale
¡¤ Mood of the Subjects
¡¤ Privacy Sphere
¡¤ Command Projection
¡¤ Get Ready
¡¤ Quick Parry
¡¤ Razor Edge
¡¤ Active Presence
¡¤ Vision Projection
¡¤ Instant Recollection
¡¤ Artistic Dealings
¡¤ Copy Skill - Focus
¡¤ Telepathic Call
¡¤ Energizing Essence
¡¤ Gymnasts Control
¡¤ Lord''s Presence
¡¤ March Of The Braves
¡¤ Laws of My Land
¡¤ Mark of Mist
¡¤ Fast Reflexes
¡¤ Public Works
¡¤ Appointment
|
|
Legacy
|
Demesne of Desire II
|
|
Skills
|
¡¤ Master of Legacy
¡¤ Laws of Legacy
¡¤ Share Authority (7)
¡¤ Vault of Ru
¡¤ Demesne Expansion
¡¤ Instant Restoration
|
|
Attribute Points
|
0
|
''There are really few skills from the Merchant of Desire,'' I thought, looking at the table.
Which isn''t surprising. Merchant of Desire had been a single class from the beginning. Unlike many classes, that made the Valorous Lord of Courage.
I looked at the table for a few seconds before closing and got out of the bed.
I had slept quite late, nearly an hour away from dawn, and had three hours of sleep, but I am feeling great and well-rested.
Before sleeping. I had focused on the full power of the Rest Charm on me. With Legacy reached Grade III; its power had also increased tremendously.
I quickly freshened up and showered before walking out.
Click!
Soon, I stepped into the office, and there were only Lola and Andrea. Since Carla and Hendriks are out; she has left Andrea in charge of her duties.
"My lord," they greeted.
I nodded and sat down, thinking. I already thought about it and made the decision last night after considering the pros and cons of both choices.
"Casino; the five floors underground will have the casino," I said, surprising them.
There were two options in front of me. First is a casino, and second is sports.
There are indoor sports similar to bowling and a few unique ones, that didn''t have similarities on earth.
Both options bring large numbers and greater emotions, but after thinking about it. I decided to go with the casino; it suits my vision better.
It will also help with attracting new people to the city. A Legacy casino is always attractive, especially when there are only five of them on the continent.
It will be four. I heard the master of one is near death and won''t even survive a year.
"I will issue the notification," said Andrea, and I nodded.
It will be issued in empire and merchant states. I will see the offer and make my decision.
It won''t be ready by the founding day. We might not be able to get all the offers by then, much less select them and begin the changes to house the casino.
I am not going to hurry.
There are five floors at the stake, with a tremendous impact on the city. I need to make the best decision without bowing to the pressure of time or the people.
Chapter 473: Equalising
[Condition Met: Witch of Luminescent Legacy ¨C High Witch of Luminescent Legacy]
High Witch of Luminescent Legacy Lv. 30
High Witch of Luminescent Legacy Lv. 31
High Witch of Luminescent Legacy Lv. 32
[Skill Gained: Upgrade Charms]
[Condition Met: ¡]
[Condition Met: ¡]
[Condition Met: ¡]
Madam Lv. 18
Madam Lv. 19
Madam Lv. 20
[Conditions Met: Madam- Madam of Radiant Legacy]
[Skill Gained: ¡]
[Conditions Met: ¡]
[Conditions Met: ¡]
I looked at the long texts in front of me.
¡°I thought this would be the time,¡± I muttered, looking at the lines of text.
My main class and the madam class hadn¡¯t merged. I thought the chances were good this time, but it seemed like I hadn¡¯t satisfied all the conditions yet.
I do not mind it much. I am getting more skills and extra attribute points, now that the second class has reached level 20.
Both of my classes were upgraded as well.
My Witch Class had upgraded to High Witch, and I got the skill, that will make a really hard job slightly easier.
I may have used a grand ritual, but my understanding of it is low. It was enough until Grade II but needed to upgrade it for Grade III.
I will have to begin upgrading again. This time, it will be far more difficult.
Grade IV wields significantly more power than Grade III. Whether it is witchcraft, alchemy, or spellcraft. It happened every three levels.
A High Mage is significantly more powerful than the Mage.
The last time, I had six months to upgrade. It was easier, with the few responsibilities. Seeing the tower being constructed in that period.
Now, that wouldn¡¯t be care with the whole tower turning into the legacy.
Last night is an example. There was so much work that I had slept past dawn.
There will be a lot of responsibilities. It will be a challenge to find time to study the craft and work on upgrades. Not to mention, really expensive.
I don¡¯t know how much time I have.
I thought it would take years for a legacy to advance to Grade III, but it had happened in less than a year.
Most legacies take at least a decade to reach Grade IV from Grade III, but this isn¡¯t a normal legacy. I will need to work thinking it will take less.
If someone hears my thoughts. They would call me mad.
Every legacy could reach Grade III. Their vision that sparks the legacy is enough to take them to Grade III with sufficient time, but Grade IV is the real challenge.
I have full confidence that it will reach Grade IV and it will do it in less than most legacies take.
¡¡¡¡¡¡..
Click!
I walked out of my office, crossed the former range of legacy, and entered the garden, which covers half of the fourteen floors.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
I walked through the thick plants and soon saw the grey-skinned man standing by the column overlooking the city.
He is the most dangerous man in the city. Stone had said he had no confidence to beat him.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± he greeted as I stopped beside him. ¡°Mage Irgal,¡± I said to the half-orc and turned to look at the city.
Usually, I looked at the city from my office¡¯s window or the roof. Very few times, from the edge of floors.
This place is forbidden to the most people. Even the girls are forbidden to come so close to the columns. Seeing, slipping means certain death.
Now, the legacy had covered the whole tower. That policy will need to change.
The scenery is amazing in this place. It will invoke the heavy emotions of the people that we desire.
Thankfully, I had prepared for it, or rather Caena did it with upgrades on the planets. It is quite a solution, but we have yet to test whether it works or not.
¡°What can I do for you, my lord?¡± asked the man and my eyes turned to the garden surrounding the legacy.
It¡¯s really beautiful.
Not as beautiful as the one I am in right now, but still beautiful.
¡°Network vines,¡± I replied, and the man smiled.
¡°Yes, now that the entire tower turned to the legacy; there is no need for the network vines,¡± he said. Before turning to me with his smile wide.
¡°These network vines are well grown. We are willing to pay a good price for them. Will even offer you our share of some plants in exchange for them,¡± he offered.
This time, it is my turn to smile before shaking my head.
¡°I have no interest in selling the network vines,¡± I said, with my eyes on the garden below.
¡°Then what are you going to do? W¡± he was mid-speaking when he suddenly stopped and looked where I was looking, and a big smile appeared on his face.
¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what you want.¡± he understood.
¡°How big?¡± he asked a moment, with the excitement flashing in his eyes.
¡°About the same size as the garden below,¡± I replied, and a surprise appeared in the man¡¯s eyes.
He didn¡¯t usually get surprised.
¡°It¡¯s going to need a massive amount of emotion essence,¡± he informed me, and I smiled.
He is right. It will take a truly massive amount of essence because the garden below occupies nine times more area than the tower.
It might consume a third or more emotion essence that legacy would produce.
To me, the emotion essence produced by the legacy is a tool. I want to use it at maximum efficiency to get material and political benefits.
Emotion essence is always in demand. There is never enough supply or ever would be.
What is even rarer than it is the plants grown using it.
It had been a little over months since the legacy opened and we have harvested a few resources. There is a massive demand for it.
Alchemists are crazy about them. As these things could be used in all sorts of things potions and medicines.
I have done calculations and plants give me more money than the essence. It also gives political power. Especially in the merchant states, Namdar, and other places that have high-level alchemists.
I have been contacted by various kingdoms; not only from the Zenid, but also outside of it.
Unlike the essence, the plants will take time to grow, and there are risks involved with it. Like someone destroying them with a spell or disease.
¡°I will contact the mistress, then,¡± he said.
A few minutes later, I walked away from him. A lot of things will need to be discussed, like the kind of plants that will need to be planted.
The plants I planted in the legacy were to give patrons a sensory experience.
Every plan in the legacy is beautiful and releases wonderful smells that are better than even the most expensive perfume.
The garden would be different. Here, commerce will be a priority.
The plants will be beautiful. Every plant is, especially those that absorb the emotion essence, but these plants will be planted with money in mind.
I want to sell the plants to the alchemist, but I also need them for my own purpose. It would be incredible if I had succeeded in it.
Click!
¡°There is a message from Archmage City. They have upgraded your invitation,¡± said Zela as I stepped back into my office.
¡°They acted fast,¡± I replied as I sat down.
The grade of the invitation depends on the grade of the legacy. Now that the legacy had reached Grade III; they upgraded the invitation as well.
The upgrade comes with many benefits. Including the larger entourage.
¡®Master Silver, come to the roof, please.¡¯
I was working, when a familiar voice of Caena rang out. I was about to ask her reason, but hearing the gravity in her voice, I decided not to do it.
Three and a half minutes later, I finished what I had been working on and walked out of my office.
Click!
Soon, I stepped onto the roof, where there is only Caena was present.
I looked at her, but she didn¡¯t reply.
I felt her accessing the most powerful planet and a moment later. A yellow fireball materialized in front of her, which rapidly started getting bigger.
It only stopped, till it became as big as a gym ball. Made of dense fire.
Siege Fireball. A Grade 3 spell.
¡°What we had expected had happened,¡± she said, and my expression turned serious. I hope it would not, but the laws of the world couldn¡¯t be bent for long.
¡°Still a Grade III,¡± I said, and she nodded. ¡°Its power had been amplified and some could say, it has a weak Grade IV power, but it¡¯s still in the realm of Grade III,¡± she replied.
¡°Equalizing,¡± I muttered.
Because of the grand ritual and power of legacy, we used to power. The spells used to jump the grade, but they couldn¡¯t anymore.
The world had taken notice and suppressed the power of the spells. Their power is still amplified, but they cannot jump the grade like before.
Caena had already told me it would happen. The world would take notice and balance things out.
¡°What about Grade I and Grade II spells?¡± I asked. ¡°They can still jump the grade,¡± she replied.
Those who can cast Grade III spells are mages, while those who cast Grade IV spells are high-mages. There is a huge power difference between them.
In the first battle, we needed three powerhouses and a lot of luck to keep the high mages contained.
The equalizing made me disappointed, but I am happy with the fact that the outer range covers the whole city and Grade III spells could still be amplified to near Grade IV.
If we ever fall into a desperate state. We could use the spells from the wall.
Bury our enemies with so many spells. That breaching the wall would be the last thought in their mind.
Chapter 474: Risk
Everything turned dark, and a moment later, the core appeared.
It is blazing brightly with dense emotion power, while witchcraft while the planets revolved around it.
It''s really a beautiful scene.
Though I had not summoned it to admire its beauty. A pack of bottles appeared in my hand
A moment later, a dense mist came off from the core, entering the planet.
Filling it with beautiful colors that I wanted it to continue, but unfortunately, it could not. It stopped after a few seconds.
A moment after that, the color begins to drain.
Within seconds, all the color got drained from it. Leaving it just as before.
I raised my hand, and twelve bottles came flying. Unlike before, they are not empty.
I looked at the mist inside them. It looked at such, that they are the building blocks of the world. Some say they are.
It''s so dense that it feels like liquid, but it''s still a mist. It would turn to liquid in Grade IV.
I sighed, and everything disappeared, including the twelve bottles as I appeared in my office.
I smiled and resumed the work.
It''s a new store-floors policy. Now that the whole tower had turned to the legacy. I have to make changes in the policy of operating them.
There hadn''t been even a full day since the legacy started, and we have already seen stone owners increasing the prices exorbitantly.
We put a stop to that immediately and closed two stores. They had crossed the limit.
It''s clear that the existing policy wouldn''t work anymore.
Thankfully, I know what I have to do. I have nearly finished with the proposal. It is a basic one; it will work till I create a comprehensive one by the opening day.
''Master Silver, they have arrived,'' informed Lola. Hearing that, I had stopped and got up.
Click!
I was out of the door a second later.
Lola, standing in front of the conference room opened it for me. I nodded my thanks and stepped inside.
"Lord Silver,"
They greeted and bowed; the only one who didn''t was Lady Blackwell. I nodded at her, before turning to the rest of the table.
Everyone is there, Valentina Amellus, Miss Rolgath, Miss Ulaxasyn, and our construction partners.
"It wasn''t a long ago; I had told you all that I would like to see you all under my legacy''s roof once again. I thought it would take a few years for that to happen, but it happened in less than forty days," I said, and all of them laughed.
"I for one glad for that," said Lady Blackwell.
"Congratulations on the advancement of your legacy, Lord Silver," she congratulated.
"Thank you, Lady Blackwell," I thanked, before making my expressions serious.
"So, will you all be able to do it by the founding day?" I asked the question directly instead of ordering them to do it.
If they say, it''s not possible. Then I will postpone the opening. I want the changes to be perfect I don''t want the rushed work.
"It will be challenging, but the interiors will be done by the timeline," replied Miss Rolgath.
"So will be the plants," added Miss Ulaxasys. I turned to Amellus and the construction partners.
"It will be done," he said finally.
"Good," I replied. "You will begin the work immediately and will have ten more days to tell me. If it could be finished within a time,"
I plan to send the invitation for the founding day/legacy celebration in ten days.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
"If it did not, then I will postpone it," I added after a moment of silence.
I stayed there forty-five minutes more; telling them about the new requirements, before walking out.
"Miss Eva wants to meet you," informed Lola. It surprised me, but I nodded.
I am busy, but I could make a few minutes for a friend. Despite knowing what she wants.
It''s not that hard to guess.
Click!
Soon, I reached my office and a few minutes later, Eva walked in as beautiful as ever.
"My lord," she greeted. "Eva," I said, offered her a seat.
"Thank you," she thanked as she sat.
"What can I do for you, Eva?" I asked directly, and she smiled. "I am sure you already know, but I will say it. I want another floor for my store," she requested.
"I had already given you an answer to that," I replied. Refusing her request once again.
It''s not the first time, she had asked for this. She had asked for it not long ago and I have declined her request.
"Besides, why do you want it?" I asked, "With the legacy advancing, the space of your store has already doubled; it should be more than enough for you," I added.
To that, she smiled, with a hint of seductiveness appearing in it.
"Yes, but the workshop is going to take a space. We need a space, to complete the big order you have given us," she replied, looking at me with those beautiful blue eyes.
Today we have given her an order.
That would be wrong to say; that the order had already been given a few weeks ago. The timeline of it is just expedited; she will need to finish them by the end of the month.
"Sixty-thousand square feet isn''t a small space. Many legacies don''t even have that much," I replied.
"Half floor? Even Quarter will do in the underground?" she asked, making her eyes pitiful.
"No," I refused firmly.
I want to give her more space, I truly do.
Seeing what she is doing is going to put the city on the radar of people, I wanted to be attracted to the city, but I couldn''t.
"Fine, but when the legacy advances next time. I want two more floors," she said, with her boring into me.
"Sure," I replied, and a surprise appeared on her face.
If the legacy really did advance to Grade 4, one day, and expansion skill worked like it usually does on other legacies. Then, giving her two floors wouldn''t be a problem.
"I will hold you on your word when the time comes," she said and got up before walking away.
I watched her leave, before focusing back on my work.
¡
Ilden Kingdom
"Mom, you have called me?" asked a man with silvery blond hair as she stepped into the parlor.
"Have you heard about the news from Harsoth?" asked the woman sitting in a leather chair slowly.
"Grade III, within a year. That man is really something," he replied.
He was in the casino when he heard that. He didn''t want to believe it. It was too hard to believe, but his grandfather confirmed it.
The woman shook her head.
"No, about this," she replied and threw the note at him. The young man caught before reading and his eyes widened in shock.
"Five extra floors and he wants to open a casino in it," he said, with his voice shaking.
He knew the legacy had covered twenty-one floors of the tower, but now there are even five floors. The domain of it shocked him.
He understood well how much the size of the legacy matters. They have the second biggest legacy under Grade II and the twelfth biggest in all the legacies of the continent.
He didn''t say anything reading it, but the ring on his finger lit up as he contacted his contacts and information came soon.
He digested it, before turning to his mother.
"What do you want to do with the information mother?" he asked slowly. He knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from her.
"I want us to apply for that space," she replied. I expected it, but it still shook me.
We have a legacy, and we open many branches of our business. Accumulating a lot of wealth and influence.
If it had been any other place. I wouldn''t have been surprised, much less shocked, but it is a legacy and one with a bright future.
In the morning grandfather had that as long as Silver didn''t die in the next few decades. Its ascendant into the throne is all but guaranteed.
"This offer is only for the merchant state and empire. I don''t think, Silver will not want to bear their wrath choosing us?"
"He wouldn''t choose us, with conflict in vision for our legacy."
"There is also a reason being Ilden allied with Geim, and they are attacking Harsoth. Not to mention, the undead, that could capture the city at any moment,"
"Most importantly, I don''t think it is wise. We are critical time, we should focus on grandfather and getting our hands on the most lucrative branches,"
"Uncles have already good, many of the good branches,"
Grandfather is dying. So is legacy; the moment he dies, the legacy will disappear as well.
The thought is terrifying. The that brought us so much wealth and influence going to disappear, so suddenly.
"I think, this is the right time, my son," she said and sighed with her head filled with worries. It had been for years.
There was a hope, that our efforts will succeed, and some throne will agree to make our legacy a pawn. It failed, just as it failed to make any of them its heirs.
"The legacy is our shield. It''s going to disappear and with it most of our influence,"
"It is what protected us. Once the shield disappears, no one will protect us; the vultures will eat our flesh bit by bit, till nothing remains,"
She understood well what would happen to them. It had already started happening.
Her father had been a merciless businessman. He had made a lot of enemies, not just of merchant houses, but also of noble, powerful nobles.
They will not let us live in peace.
She looked at her son, who was deep in thought. She too is having hundreds of thoughts, but she is clear about one thing.
Ilden isn''t safe for them. They won''t die; the king will make sure of that at least. Not because he cares, but because he will need to for the other legacies in the kingdom.
There will be restrictions.
They won''t be able to do the business as they had been and many other things.
It''s better to start a new one. Use Velvet Garden as the springboard to enter the new market.
It won''t be easy and there will be danger to life, but it won''t be as much restrictive as it will be here.
They won''t die a slow death.
"It''s too risky Mom. There are undead and I don''t think it is viable, even if Grandfather somehow accepts it. The kingdom won''t, nor would Harsoth or merchant''s states,"
"Even Silver won''t accept it," he said, and I smiled.
"He might, because there is something only, we could offer to him," she said.
He was confused for a moment before the understanding dawned on his face and his eyes widened.
Chapter 475: Policy and Access
Eltson
"No, they should be on the upper shelf," I said to my son.
He removed the shoes and put them on the upper shelf, where the blue and red mist floated, making one feel like they were in heaven.
Everyone is here helping me. My son, wife, and two assistants.
Usually, my son doesn''t like to work in a shop. He rather fool around with friends than help his old father in the store, but since yesterday, he had not left the store even once.
He had even slept here last night.
I am still shocked by what happened two nights ago.
I had discussed with my family and friends about legacy turning into Grade III, but that should have taken at least a decade, not more than a month.
Things have changed tremendously since it happened.
Everything in my shop had been sold. Last night, I visited all the shoe shops and cobblers and bought their best stock.
I had even placed an order in Owlspring, which will be coming by evening.
I craft most of the shoes I sell in my workshop above my house.
I had huge stock, that would have lasted me a month, but it didn''t last a day. It''s not just with my store; it has to happen with every store on the four floors.
Ting!
I was in the midst of adjusting the shelf with my assistant when the door opened.
I was about to say we were closed. When I had stopped; seeing who had entered.
It''s Irving and his daughter.
"It''s time," he said, and my expressions turned serious. "Already, I said and looked at the clock.
It''s only ten minutes till seven.
Sana came toward me and touched my clothes. A moment later, the dust and other things rolled out of my clothes.
"Don''t worry. Everything will be fine," she said. "Thank you." I really needed to hear those words.
Lord Silver had called the meeting at seven, and I am fearing the worst.
I really hope he didn''t remove the stores.
"Relax, it isn''t going to happen," said Irving as I reached him. "Really? Did he say that?" I asked.
He had been called to meet Lord Silver last night.
He hesitated for a moment before nodding. "There will be a lot of changes, but no removal," he replied. Hearing that, relief flooded in my heart.
"At least not now," he added. Immediately, a bit of that relief evaporated.
I looked at him for an explanation.
"I already told you more than I should," he said and walked out of the store, while I followed behind.
Irving Gagarin is Lord''s most trusted man, among the store owners. He had earned that trust with his blood; he had fought in the first and second battles against the undead.
Hun!
We passed by his store. When I noticed something, and stopped in my tracks.
"Is that a furnace?" I asked.
There was a limited space in every store. We manage every inch carefully, but now I am seeing a furnace at his store.
Right in the class window, where everybody could see him.
No store owners work in shops. They are workshops outside; every inch of space here had already been important, but now, it had become even more precious.
"You will understand soon," he said.
I am curious, but seeing his expressions. I know, he won''t tell me. Though he seemed to have told his daughter, as she, for some reason, looked very excited about it.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Which is so unlike her. She can''t stand any ugly thing in her store.
Ting!
Soon, we stepped into the elevator. A few seconds later, it stopped, and its door opened.
We stepped out, in the most beautiful, I had ever seen. Everything is beautiful.
The plants, the smell, and now the mist and feeling it gave. Not to mention the art pieces, which are what make this place most beautiful.
I admired them for a moment before turning to the lobby. The chairs had been set, with each chair having a name stand.
Looking at it; It is clear that the ones with the stores on the top floor are in the first row, the ones on the second top are in the second, and so on.
Most people have already taken their seats, including Landon and Vasa.
Their stores have been closed yesterday.
Many stores increased the prices yesterday, seeing the massive crowd coming to experience the legacy, and they were willing to pay anything to get things from the stores.
Many had increased the prizes, and I wanted to do it too, but Irving had stopped me.
It was a wise decision; not long after that. Madam Caena came down along with Mr. Hendriks. They sealed the stores of Landen and Vasa.
They were the ones who inflated the prize the most. Others got off with a fine and warning.
Irving and my store were one of five stores that were not fined or given a warning.
Hun!
I was looking at people sitting in the chairs when my eyes fell on two beautiful women; one is older, while the other one is younger.
"Miss Eva, Miss Cain; I didn''t expect to see you here," said Irving, and both of the women smiled.
"Why Guildmaster Gagarin? We are store owners, just like you," she asked back. "Yes, you are," he replied with a smile after a moment of silence.
They may be the store owners like us, but they are different from us.
While we share the floor, with many other stores. They have the entire floor for their store. The goods they sell are very expensive and amazing, that I plan to take my wife there on her birthday.
She works tirelessly, and I want to show how much, I appreciate her for it.
Most importantly, Miss Eva has a close relationship with Lord Silver; I heard the relationship go back to Lord Silver''s father''s time.
I sat down and looked around while Irving talked to the two women.
''The crowd had grown,'' I thought.
I had returned to the store at dawn, and there was a crowd, and now that crowd had grown even larger.
Everybody wants to come to the legacy. I had been asked by neighbors to take them to legacy. Even friends and relatives contacted me about it.
Hun!
I was staring at things while listening to the conversation around me when everything turned quiet.
I looked and saw Lord Silver stepping out of the elevator.
He is not alone; Madam Caena and Hendricks are following behind him. Behind the two are four people. One man and three women.
We all got up as he appeared in front of us.
"Lord Silver," we greeted. "Sit down everybody," he said, looking at all of us.
I felt like his eyes and couldn''t help, but feel invisible pressure on me.
Is it aura? I couldn''t help, but ask myself.
I have never felt an aura, but I heard so many things about it. It is said, Lord Silver had awakened it in his battle in the Panar.
"The whole tower had turned to the legacy, the policies need to be changed," he said.
I felt relieved, hearing that.
Irving had said, but hearing Lord Silver not talking about removing us had made me feel relieved.
"The first thing that will change is policy on pricing. It needs to be in a certain range, and you all will need to follow it strictly."
"Those who will disregard it will face punishment from fine to expulsion from the tower," he stated, looking at two, who looked down in shame.
"The second, there will be a stricter oversight on the stores."
"Mr. Hendricks will remain an authority on store floors, but now there will be the floor leaders," he stated, looking at the four people behind him.
I felt relieved. I do not mind restriction and Mr. Hendricks is a good man.
He does weekly meetings and many of his suggestions helped my business a lot. I looked at four people, behind him and couldn''t help, but wonder who would be responsible for my floor.
"The third change will be access. Those loyal will get access to the legacy''s essence for their crafts," he said, and the earthquake went through the store owners.
Every store owner is professional.
They make and craft the things they sell. It is one of one of the requirements to get the store in the tower.
I was confused about it, but now it become clear. The man planned it before the legacy had reached Grade III.
No wonder he was able to advance his legacy so fast. He is something else.
I turned and saw Miss Eva; everyone was looking at her. Only her store had access to the essence.
"Guildmaster Gagarin," said Lord Silver. I cleared my thoughts and looked at Irving. He got up and walked toward Lord Silver.
"My lord," he said, before kneeling in front of him.
Lord Silver looked at him, and at that moment, I felt something. I felt as weight as heavy as the mountain and light as a feather; it suppressed my very being.
I looked at Lord Silver and felt him become tall and large as a legacy itself.
"Guildmaster Gagarin, you are the true son of the city and shed blood to defend it from our enemies. You are also a blacksmith who had served his city faithfully."
"For your service, I, Remus Silver. Master of Velvet Garden, grant you access to its essence and hope, that you will take your craft to the next level and make your city proud," He declared with a voice that seemed in my very mind.
I felt the change. I cannot describe it, but I felt it and I want it.
I may be nothing but a humble shoemaker, but I feel the essence could help my craft reach a completely different realm.
"Thank you for this great honor, my lord, I will not disappoint you," said Irving, with tears streaming from him.
I now understood the furnace in his shop. He knew he was going to get access to the essence, which he could only use in the legacy and thus, the furnace.
"I know you will not," replied Lord, and helped him get up, while we applaud.
I could see the fire in the eyes of every store owner. Like me, they want what Irving has got. It''s going to be very interesting to see what they will do to gain it.
That is the question, the lord didn''t explain. What will we need to do to get access to the essence?
Lord Silver had been vague about it.
"There will be more policy changes in the coming weeks till the opening."
"I hope, you will follow them as sincerely as possible and not bring shame to Velvet Garden and me," he said and left with Madam Caena and his guards, while Mr. Hendriks stepped forward, with four people behind him.
I felt relieved seeing that. There are a lot of questions I have to ask this old man.
Chapter 476: Offer
"How about this, my lord?" asked Miss Rolgath as her assistant flipped the page on the board.
Immediately, another interior design appeared.
It is rough, without any colors, but as I looked at it. It begins to fill with colors and soon, the entire image comes out of the page.
As it did, I did not see the image, but the entire fifteenth floor in these interiors.
It''s an amazing skill. If I didn''t have a Vision Projection; I would have desired it.
"It''s good. Add it to the list," I said after a few minutes. She nodded and turned to her assistant, who flipped the page once again.
All the interior ideas are based on the current interior theme we have, but we are going to expand it to the whole floor and enhance it.
It had been six days since the legacy had advanced to Grade III and every floor aside from the underground, lobby, and store floors were being renovated.
Temporarily, most of the plants have been moved underground where Mage Irgal and his people taking care of them.
A lot of things have been broken and are being remade.
On every floor, people are working on different parts and among them, not a single person is below level 20. A third of them are over twenty-five.
We need people with a good level for the fast and quality work.
A week had nearly passed, and now there are only two and a half weeks before we open again.
Looking at the pace, they are making progress. We will be ready to open on the founding day.
One by one, I checked all eight designs and turned to Miss Rolgath.
"Make changes to the sixth one; add the color scheme of the third and lightning of the ninth," I said to her.
"I will ready the design by afternoon," she replied. A few minutes later, she left, while I remained thinking.
I stayed in my office for half an hour more before walking out. As I did, I immediately began to hear the sound and soon, saw people everywhere working on different things.
Big changes are happening on the top floor and all around the tower. Including a direct elevator to the roof from the lobby.
We are changing the entire system of the elevator. Bringing a more expensive, but efficient one.
I didn''t choose it last time, because it was seven times more expensive to build and just as expensive to manage.
We didn''t need that, but we need it now.
I knew I would need it for Grade III, but I thought. It is years away. If I knew it was going to be a little over a month after the opening, I would have chosen this expensive one.
The new system is going to be faster and will take less space. Most importantly, it will be able to ferry a large number without any problem.
It is not just the elevator, I am changing the way people come to the legacy.
Like before, the girls couldn''t come through the underground floor. It is going to be a casino. So, we designed a different and more efficient route for them.
I walked around, looking at the changes happening. The people looked at me but didn''t bow. I had forbidden it to the people working.
Seeing how many times I came out through the day. It wastes a lot of time of these people and there has been even an accident.
I could watch it with my new skills, but it didn''t give me as satisfaction as I get watching with my own eyes.
"Master Silver, it''s eleven," said informed Lola. I nodded and turned toward my office. As I reached it; I saw seven people in a waiting room.
I sat down in my chair, and Lola placed the file in front of me. I read through it quickly before turning to her.
"Send the first one," I said to her.
Click!
A few seconds later, a woman in her thirties walked in. She is a redhead with pale blue eyes and a round face, that anyone would fall for.
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
She is a Celah Poots from Namdar. Eva had recommended her.
"Lord Silver," she greeted and bowed impeccably. "Miss Celah, take a seat," I said to the woman.
"Thank you, my lord," she replied and sat down in front of me.
She sat straight, with a small professional smile on her face.
It''s hard to sense what she was thinking, but I could see the faint nervousness in her pale blue eyes, which she is trying to hide.
Her eyes are on me, but she also casted a faint glance at Lola from the corner of her eyes.
"Your work is amazing, Miss Poots. In just a decade, you have taken your parent''s company to new heights."
Her parent''s company was small, but since she took over. She had taken it to a new height; got the contracts, that the small company of her parents would never gotten.
Eva had told me about this woman. How she convinced her to give her company the contract.
"It was a lot of hard work, a good team, and luck, my lord," she replied after a moment of silence.
"You have good things going with your company and will rise even further. So, tell me why you want this job?" I asked her.
She will earn a fraction of what she would at her company. If she gets the job, she will have to give up all that.
"Its legacy, my lord. A chance of a lifetime; I would be able to learn so much here," she replied with her eyes shining.
"Make connections and then leave," I added with my expressions turning serious.
A hesitation appeared on her face before she controlled her expressions.
"Yes," she replied.
Becoming the first one to accept it openly.
I have been interviewing people for a few days and asked the same question. All of them played around with words. They never accepted the fact.
The interview is for the in-house event manager. I would need one now with a legacy occupying the whole sixty-thousand square feet of space.
So much could be done with such a huge space.
I asked her more questions; related to the field, my expressions turning serious with her each answer.
"That is all, Miss Celah," I said to her as answered the last question. "Thank you for your time, Lord Silver," said the woman and left, disappointment flashing in her eyes.
"She is good," said Lola. "She is,", I agreed with a smile appearing on my face.
She is honest and talented and glowing a recommendation from Eva.
Soon, another person came, and then another. All of them are from the empire and came with great recommendations and experience.
Soon, I finished the interviews and rested with my eyes closed. When the door opened, the guard handed Lola an envelope.
"It had come," said Lola, placing the envelope with the emblem of Ranis Tavern.
The old man contacted me two days ago. He kept the details short, even with the secure connection of the synod.
''Caena,'' I said to Caena telepathically. I would need her help, to decide on it.
Tear!
I took the envelope in my hands and tore it open with my nails before taking out the letter.
The letter had a completely different emblem. They just used the old man to send the letter. Which is an offer for the five floors.
I have to say it''s good.
They stated what they wanted and what they were willing to give in exchange.
I finished reading it and gave it to Lola.
Click!
A minute later, Caena walked over and sat in front of me. Lola handed her the letter.
"What do you think?" I asked. "We should take it," she replied directly. I thought there would be a hesitation or a few seconds of thinking, but there is none.
"They will milk it before it comes to us," I said, and she smiled.
"They won''t be able to milk it for over 25%, which is the highest they could. The condition of the master isn''t good. He won''t be able to milk it over 15% before he dies," she replied.
"The imperials and the merchants won''t be happy. They are already lobbying hard." I said.
I am not overestimating their reaction. They really want those five floors for their business.
There are casinos in the city, and they also want the space, but their business is not mature enough compared to the best. The ones who sent the letter are the best on the entire continent.
Onix Halcyon.
Is the legacy casino in Ilden and unofficially, the empire considers them the enemy. They are allied with the kingdom of Geim and provide them arms and other others in their war against the empire.
This is another factor making the negotiations complicated, but they are offering a real prize.
The core.
When a legacy dies; its core is divided into hundreds of parts and goes to different legacies, but if the host willed it. It then goes to a specific legacy.
It is called the first bite.
The specific legacy can absorb the elements they want before releasing the core, which will then be divided into hundreds of parts, which will be divided into the legacies from the world.
There is also milking. A humiliating process that fills my heart with rage.
"Then we will give them so much emotion essence that anger is the last emotion they will feel toward us," she replied. Making Lola surprised.
Now, she will know some secrets; that very few people are aware of.
"How much we could harvest from it if we got the first bite?" I asked her.
The core contains a true essence of legacy. It''s precious, but taking the true essence directly is dangerous. It has a vision of an original master, which could corrupt their own vision.
It is why, even when one gets the first bite. They didn''t absorb over 1% of it.
Extremely careful. That they wouldn''t don''t get polluted. It''s why many hosts of legacies don''t even accept the essence of a deal legacy.
"If we made the right preparations. Then around 6% to 8%," she replied, and I nearly sucked a breath.
Sup!
Lola did. It might seem much, but it is massive.
She had come to know about a few things. She understood well how much emotion essence the core contains.
Even I didn''t dare to believe it and looked at her.
"If we accept their offer, then we will not only take the essence, but the whole legacy, the casino. Absorbing their vision into ours. Which will make harvesting the core much smoother," she replied.
''Witchcraft.'' I thought.
It is a concept magic. She explained it to me, and it is a dangerous thing.
Because of her, I know a lot about witchcraft, and I would rather face a powerful mage, than a witch of the same level. They are terrifying.
"So, we should accept it?" I asked once again. "Yes," she replied.
I will need to send people for the negotiations. There are a few things that need to be sorted out.
The question is who to send. Carla and Robin are unavailable. So is Hardt. Arryn is busy with the task, and I would need Valentina in the city.
I could have sent Andria, but she needs to handle the business side of things in Carla''s absence, and Varza isn''t good enough yet.
That leaves Margaux and Hendriks.
They too are busy with their responsibility, but they will have to do it since I don''t trust any other people that are available.
Chapter 477: Daughter
Margaux Swan
"Inam," said Hendricks, as he appeared by me at the railing. Looking at the city.
I had passed by it a few times but never dared to take a step in it. There was always an excuse, but the real reason was that I wanted to keep her away from me.
Not let the taint touch her in which she had grown.
Today, I am going to meet my daughter after three long years. Every day had been unbearable, but now I will finally see her, hug her, kiss her, without fear of tainting her.
I have become powerful enough to not let the taint ever touch her.
I thought I would never accomplish it, and I was fine with that. I just wanted her to be happy in her life, away from me and my shadow.
Now, that fear is gone.
¡
Ella Swan
"Stop," said the guard as we tried to pass through the gate.
"This is a reserved pier. Do you have permission?" he asked. "No," I replied nervously.
"Mr. Guard is right. This is a reserved pier for the most distinguished guests of the lord. I think your mother made a mistake, El," said Magda.
She is my roommate of three years and best friend.
She is the only one, I had talked about my mom and what she does.
I looked at the letter, and the number of the pier was written on it.
"We will wait for a few minutes before going to another pier," I said. She wanted to say something but didn''t and instead sighed dramatically.
"Fine," she agreed.
A few minutes passed, and no ship appeared. I didn''t think, my mother''s ship would appear here, but I am staying, despite it might be a mistake in writing the pier''s number.
I was thirteen when I left redfawn and now, at sixteen, I am going to see her finally.
I miss her dearly and in two years. I wanted to go to Greltheaven to meet her, but she forbade me from coming.
"Step aside," said the guard suddenly, and moved us aside with his spear.
"Rude," Magda muttered.
A few seconds later, a luxury carriage bearing the city''s flag appeared and began to move through the gate.
The carriage stopped not far from us, but no person got out.
Minutes passed, and I was about to leave with Magda when a ship appeared.
No, it''s not a ship, but a yacht.
Far more beautiful than the one Magda''s father rented for her birthday last year.
"It''s beautiful," said Magda as it reached the pier. That is when the doors of the carriages opened and people walked out of it and went toward the pier.
"Someone important must be coming for so many of them to come to welcome them," I said, looking at an important-looking group of people.
"Really important. See those flags on the yatch; the right one is the flag of the city of Greltheaven."
"The left is the flag of the velvet garden; the legacy that advanced to Grade III, a week ago while the one in the center is the flag of a noble house of silver,"
"So, whoever is coming is pretty important. Might be a Lord Silver himself; I heard, he is quite handsome," he said, with a dreamy look in her eyes.
Magda is very social. She knows about everything, that is happening.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
"The man in a black suit is Laurence Fisk; he is an adviser to the lord."
"The thin old man beside him is Rupert Madden, vice-guild master of the merchant guild," she introduced people like she always does.
I recognize the thin man. I had seen him in a restaurant when I went to dinner with Magda and her family a few months ago.
She had introduced that time well.
I nodded absentmindedly while looking at the yacht.
My mother works for the legacy. She doesn''t sleep with people anymore.
She told me; she works in the background. I asked her more about it, but she was curt, as always, when it came to the work.
"Mr. Guards, do you know, who is coming from Greltheaven?" Magda asked, but the guards just grunted.
"Rude," she said and turned to Yatch.
A few seconds later, the Yacht docked, and soon after people came out.
They are so far away that I can''t see their face, but I don''t think any of them are my mother; they all look important, and seeing top officials of the city had come to receive them.
She will come out after the important people left.
Still, I wish I could see. I would have if I had added more points to my physical attributes. I didn''t have skills like Magda, that give better vision or know a spell.
"I think Lord Silver didn''t come. It is said he has silvery grey hair. Those that came out are older people."
"Though the women are very beautiful, and they are wearing amazing clothes. They looked better than, the collection at Charles," she said, with her eyes shining.
I let her words pass through me as always. I am more focused on the people coming from the ship.
Looking for my mother, but saw no sign of her.
The group of three that came out of the yacht met the ground, waiting for them.
A few seconds later, one woman walked away from them, with a man walking beside her and four guards walking behind her.
Soon, the green-haired woman got closer, and I felt a great familiarity with her when suddenly my eyes widened.
"El, what happened?" asked Magda, worriedly turned to the woman coming toward us.
Soon, she walked through the gate and appeared in front of us, with a familiar smile appearing on her face.
"Little Ellie, how big you have gotten. It feels like yesterday when you were barely up to my hip and now, you have become as tall as me."
"Though you are still thin as before," said the woman and before I could say anything, she hugged me.
"I missed you, kiddo," she said softly. "I missed you too, Aunt Cathy," I replied. She liked Cath, but I always called her Cathy.
I really missed her and everyone. The only person I met was Aunt Carla.
She let go after a few seconds and turned to the man beside her.
"We have informed you about her and yet she is waiting outside," she said angrily with her voice dripping with authority.
I had never seen her like this and feared for her. The man works for a city and so are guards behind her.
"Deepest apologies, Miss Arga. We had sent the memo, to the port, but they said it was lost in paperwork," he apologized to my shock.
She glared at the man and turned back to me, with a smile returning to her face.
"Come, your mother is dying to meet you. She would come to get you personally, but she is on the job," she said and took my hand.
I waved at Magda, who was looking at everything with great confusion, but followed quickly and this time, the guards didn''t stop us.
We moved toward the pier where the ship at when I nearly stopped, seeing the woman talking with the group of people.
She looked like my mom, but didn''t look like a woman I remember.
She is very beautiful.
Far more beautiful than I remember. Her make-up is perfect. So is her hair, and she is wearing a dress and jewelry that cost a fortune.
I was looking at her, when she turned to me, and the smile on her face froze.
Tears started to stream down her face, while the people beside her went quiet and turned to me.
"My child," she said, and a moment later, she appeared beside her.
Moving so fast that I only saw the blur.
A moment later, I found her arms around me with her tears streaming down my dress. Tears coming out of my eyes too and they are falling on her expressive dress.
She may look different and feel more powerful, but she is my mom.
"I missed you so much, that every day had been painful without you," she said with a voice hiccupping. "I missed you too, Mom," I said, hugging her tightly.
She may look different and wear expensive clothes, but she is my mother.
The woman who sacrificed so much for me.
We finally let go and he looked at me with her hand on my cheek.
"You have grown taller, but you should eat more, dear. You look thin," she said, caressing my cheek gently.
"I am eating, Mom," I said, with my cheeks flooding. She smiled and turned to Magda.
"You must be Magda. Thank you for being so a good friend to my daughter," said Mom.
Magda, who liked to talk so much, went quiet for a second. "We are friends," she replied nervously, in awe.
Mom smiled, seeing that before she turned back to me.
"Dear, give me a few minutes and then we will leave," she said, I nodded, and she went to talk to the people.
"Who is your mother?" asked Magda in a whisper-scream. "I told you already," I replied, and she glared at me.
"You told me, your mother is, was a p-word. Does the woman talking with Adviser Fisk and Vice-Guildmaster Madden look a former p-word to you?" she asked once again in a whisper-scream.
"I am as confused as you," I replied truthfully, looking at my mother.
A few minutes later, she walked toward me, with Aunt Cath and others.
"Ellie, this is this is Chief Hendriks. He worked with your aunt Carla," she said, looking at the old man.
"And this is Mr. Fisk, adviser to Lord of Inam and Vice-Guildmaster Madden of Inam''s merchant guild," she introduced.
"Hello, I am Elanor Blank," I introduced myself, biting down the heavy nervousness.
They all shook my hand, before turning to my mother.
"Miss Swan, you should have told us. Your daughter studies in our city. We would have taken better care of her," said Adviser Fisk.
"She is a shy child adviser, and I wanted her to focus on her studies," he replied.
"It''s such a regret that you won''t attend the party. Well, we will meet you at the venue," he said, and mother smiled.
Soon, he left with others and Aunt Cathy. Leaving my mom with me.
Chapter 478: Daughter II
Margaux Swan
"You two have a pleasant time; I will meet you, both at the dorm," said the violet-haired girl and walked away, before I could say anything to her.
Ella had written a lot about her friend a lot.
She and her family gave her a normalcy I had never been able to give her.
I feel bad seeing her leaving. I wanted to thank her, but also grateful that I will be able to spend some alone time with my daughter.
¡
Ella Swan
I watched Magda leave and couldn''t help, but feel bad.
We are inseparable, but now she left to give me some alone time with Mom.
"Let''s go. We have only a few hours and a lot of things to do," said Mom and walked toward the black carriage, which had the flags of the city of Greltheavena and the velvet garden.
Click!
The driver opened the door for us, and we stepped inside.
The carriage is a luxury one and feels better than the one Magda''s parents have.
"What do you do, mother?" I asked as the carriage began to move.
Mother didn''t tell me much about her job. Other than saying, she didn''t sleep with people anymore.
Maybe I should ask around, but I didn''t listen much to anything that was happening around me.
My only source of information about current affairs is Magda and her information most of the time is gossip.
"I told you, dear; I am in charge of things that happen in the background. My responsibilities lie in managing the girls," she replied, smiling.
"It''s like a Madam?" I asked. "Kind of," she replied, with a smile.
"Enough about me. Tell me about yourself. How is school? Your studies? Do you have a boyfriend?" she asked one question after another while taking my hand in hers.
Her eyes are inquisitive. She wants to know everything.
"School is good. I only have one exam remaining in this academic year. I have prepared for it and won''t have a problem in clearing it," I replied.
There is one more thing, but I am debating whether to tell or not.
Telling her would be useless; it''s not like we can afford it, despite her new standing.
"And boyfriend?" she asked, and a face appeared in front of me. I pushed it away quickly.
"No boyfriend, mom; I want to focus on my studies first," I replied.
"It''s good you are focusing on your studies, dear, but don''t always stay in your dorm. Enjoy the life a little," she said.
"I am, Mom," I replied exasperatedly. It''s not the first time she has said something like this; she always says this in her letters.
We talked for a few minutes when the carriage stopped.
"We are there," said Mom and I was about to ask, where we were when the door opened, and I saw the familiar building.
"Come out, dear," said Mother as she got out. I nodded and stepped out hesitantly.
Stolen story; please report.
We are in front of Charles; one of the best stores in Inam. I have come here a few times with Magda, but never really brought anything.
It''s far too expensive. Magda tried a few times to buy me something, but I declined.
I was watching a beautiful building when Mother took my arms and we walked toward the store.
Many people stared at her.
She was beautiful before, but now had become even more beautiful. Like a blinding sun.
Soon, we entered the store through the glass door.
The store is huge, five stories tall. They sell everything here clothes, accessories, make-up and other things.
Every time, I came here. I couldn''t help but admire it.
I turned to my mother and, to my surprise. There is no admiration or awe in her eyes.
I was looking at her when I noticed someone coming toward us. A middle-aged man and a beautiful raven-haired woman, looking to be in her late twenties.
I was surprised to see the man. I know him, Magda had said, he is the proprietor of the store.
"Miss Swan, welcome to Charles," said the with a fawning smile as he stopped in front of us.
"Thank you. Mr. Lance," replied Mom, and the man''s expression lit up.
"Chief asked us, to show you, our best collection only. It might not be as good as the one in Eva Cain, but it''s very good," he said, while I watched in shock.
The last time I saw him. He was rudely talking to someone and now he is fawning over my mom.
The man turned to me, and a purple card appeared in his hand.
"The chief asked me to give you this young miss. This is our most exclusive membership card; you can use it in any of our stores," he said, handing me the card.
I took the purple card with a shaking hand and saw my name on it.
I am shocked in my heart.
I know the memberships of this store; Magda''s mother has, but hers is the second level, while this is the fourth level, the top one.
She had told me how hard it is to get it. You need to be someone important. There are not over a hundred people in the city who have it.
Now, I have become one of them.
"Thank you," I said hesitantly.
"Mina, here is our best sales staff. She will show you our best collection," he said, introducing the beautiful raven-haired woman beside him.
He talked with Mom for a minute more before leaving us with Mina.
She led us to the sixth floor of the elevator and into a beautiful private viewing room and sat us in the most comfortable chairs, before bringing the dresses.
So beautiful that even Magda would feel jealous. She definitely would.
Whenever she sees people, wearing beautiful clothes.
"Go, try them, dear," said Mom. "They are very expensive, Mom," I said nervously. They are expensive. So much, so that there is no tag on them.
Mom smiled at hearing that.
"You do not have to worry about that, dear," she replied.
"The dresses are free, miss. The chief had said, it would be her gift to you," added Mina.
This is a collection that is not open to the public yet. It will be sold next month if what Magda said is right and she is telling me everything is free.
There was barely any change in Mom''s face hearing that.
"Choose any dress you want and don''t worry Miss Eva won''t be angry if you choose everything," said Mom, while the saleswoman smiled nervously at that.
It''s a joke.
I chose the first dress. The black dress and went to the changing room, before coming out.
"It looks beautiful, dear," said Mom, and it does. It fits me perfectly and would be suitable for any formal occasion.
Seeing myself in it, a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
"Try another, dear." She said, and I did, and then another. One by one, I begin to try many dresses. There seemed to be never the end of them.
There will always be more dresses to try.
I finally stopped, and we immediately moved to the shoes. The shoes are just as beautiful as the dresses.
"We have to go to the academy soon, Mom, before the visiting hours end," I said as the woman removed another pair of shoes from my feet.
She sighed.
"Which pairs do you want?" she asked a moment later. "The green and red one," I replied.
A few minutes later, we were walking out of the store with three dresses and two pairs of shoes.
"I wanted to buy you everything, but there is no time," she said with regret. "It''s fine, Mom, this is already more than enough," I replied, and it is.
"They will do for now; I will buy you more stuff when you come to the Grelthaven," she said and I couldn''t help, but become surprised.
"Are you finally allowing me to come visit you?" I asked, and she smiled.
"It is a wonderful city. You will love it," she said. I smiled joyfully.
Finally, I will be able to spend days with my mother.
Soon, we were in the carriage, and a few minutes later. It reached the academy.
I was about to ask the driver to stop and took out the visiting card Magda helped me get when I saw the carriage directly entering the academy.
The guards didn''t even stop it. They let it pass through without even checking it.
I looked at my mother with a question, but she simply smiled.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and we got out. I begin to show my mom the academy. From the classrooms too to the library to the garden where I like to study.
People would look at us whenever we go. Some openly, some covertly.
Mom seemed used to it. Seeing, she barely batted an eye.
Finally, we walked into my dorm building, where everyone began to look at us. Some looked surprised, while some looked confused.
Well, to them, I am an orphan girl who hangs around with Magda. I didn''t have any friends or talk to any people.
Click!
Soon we reached the third floor and stepped inside my room, and I finally felt relieved.
Chapter 479: Daughter III
Ella Swan
Magda was reading a book, or rather a magazine, as we stepped inside the room.
¡°You guys came earlier than I thought,¡± she said, with her cheeks flooding as she tried to fix her messy bed.
¡°I wanted to spend more time with her, but I have an important meeting in less than two,¡± replied Mom with a regretful sigh. Before she turned to us.
¡°Girls, go ready yourself. I will take you both to lunch,¡± said Mom.
¡°You guys can go. I have some things to do,¡± said Magda, making an excuse. ¡°Nonsense, you are coming with us,¡± said Mom and her voice booked no argument.
¡°Ok,¡± Magda agreed after a moment of silence and took out a dress from her cupboard before changing behind the dividing curtain of the room.
She came out, wearing a red dress. She looked beautiful, as always.
I walked behind the curtain. A minute later, I came out, wearing a black dress and green shoes.
¡°Is that dress from the newest collection at Charles? I thought they aren¡¯t selling before twelve next month,¡± she asked, looking surprised.
I sighed and took out the purple card from my bag and gave it to her. She looked shocked, as I had never seen her.
¡°Let¡¯s go girls,¡± said Mom and we were out of the door.
¡°How do you get this?¡± asked Magda in a whisper as she got control over her emotions. ¡°The owner is Mother''s friend,¡± I replied.
This is what she said when I asked earlier. She seemed to have a hard time believing it.
So am I.
Everything feels like a dream.
Soon, we got out of the dorm, and the carriage was waiting in front of the dorm. The carriages weren¡¯t allowed in the front, but this one did, and the guards weren¡¯t doing anything.
The driver opened the door, and we stepped inside.
¡°Where we are going, Miss Swan? I can suggest a few places. We can also go to the restaurant that El likes a lot,¡± asked Magda as she finally calmed down.
¡°It¡¯s a good one. We will go to Ellie¡¯s favorite one next time and stop calling me, Miss Swan. You can call me Margaux,¡± said Mother.
Magda nodded when suddenly her eyes went wide and her whole body shook.
¡°Are you perhaps, Headmistress Margaux?¡± she asked a moment later with her voice shaking.
I felt like, I heard that name before, but never really focused. Seeing how much, Magda talks.
Mom didn¡¯t say anything, but she smiled. This is answer enough and conformation shocked Magda even more.
¡°Headmistress?¡± I asked Mom.
¡°It¡¯s just the title, dear, nothing else,¡± replied Mom. Knowing, I would not get a proper answer from my mom. I turned to Magda.
She didn¡¯t say anything for a few seconds before opening her mouth.
¡°It is said that the triumvirate of women runs the legacy of Greltheaven.¡±
¡°Carla Salt handles the business side of it, and she is also said to be mistress of the lord of Greltheaven.¡±
¡°Caena Aris, is the madam of the legacy, it is under her command and Headmistress Margaux handles the pros, girls,¡± she replied, not moving her eyes away from Mom.
I turned to my mom in shock.
I am not that clueless about the world. I know about Aunt Carla; we write letters, but she never told me about what Mom does.
Whenever I asked, she told me to ask my mom.
I turned to my mother, and she didn¡¯t say anything other than smile.
I was about to press her when something came to my mind. Something I read about a few days ago, but wasn¡¯t able to make the connection.
¡°Then, Aunt Ina?¡± I asked. ¡°Is Governor of Panar,¡± finished Mom, with pride flashing in her eyes.
I am shocked. So much, that I couldn¡¯t even think properly. So, I slumped in my chair and closed my eyes to calm all the jumbling thoughts coming to my mind.
I only opened my eyes when I felt the carriage and the door open. Mom walked out, then Magda and then me.
When I saw where we were, my mind couldn¡¯t help, but freeze.
¡°I think, I reached the limit of shocks in one day,¡± said Magda with a sigh and followed behind my mom.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
We went straight for the door, while thousands of people came to see the legacy watch with envy and desire.
Soon, we reached the door, and a middle-aged man was waiting there.
¡°Welcome to Vanis Tavern, Miss Swan,¡± welcomed the man.
¡°He is Nilman Croft; head manager of the legacy,¡± whispered Magda.
¡°Has the party arrived?¡± asked Mom, and the man¡¯s expression turned serious.
¡°Yes, they have arrived a few minutes ago. Lord Ranis had asked me to tell you, that meeting will start on time,¡± he replied and led the way.
I followed behind, experiencing the enchanting feeling of the legacy, I heard so much about.
It helped me calm down on the turmoil of emotions, I am feeling.
While we walked, many people looked at us, but this time, I was too occupied with the legacy to care.
¡°Margaux, I hope you have been well,¡± came a youthful voice and a beautiful young woman slightly older than me appeared in front of Mom.
She is the most famous young woman in the city.
Alina Lindgren. Granddaughter of Vanis Lindgren; the master of this legacy. She is also my upperclassman at the academy.
¡°I am. Thank you for asking, Alina,¡± replied Mom, before turning to me.
¡°Alina, this is my daughter, Ella, and her friend Magda,¡± Mom introduced, and the young woman turned to us. ¡°Hell, I am Aline Lindgren,¡± she introduced.
¡°You two seem familiar. Have we met before?¡± she asked a moment later.
¡°We study in the same academy, senior,¡± I replied, and her eyes lit up and turned to Mom.
¡°Margaux, you should have told your daughter to live in the city and study in the same academy as me,¡± she said to Mother.
¡°It slipped my mind,¡± replied Mother while the young woman rolled her eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t waste your time anymore, Margaux. Croft, take good care of them,¡± she said to the manager.
¡°I will. Ma¡¯am,¡± he replied and led us.
Soon we were walking to the stairs above.
¡°I heard the upper floors are good,¡± said Magda softly.
She had come to the legacy once, when she was ten, and praised it a lot. I have to say, her praises pale in front of the real thing.
We reached the first floor, then the second, and still kept climbing.
I heard, higher on the floor, the most exclusive it is, and seeing, the tavern only has four floors.
Soon, we reached the top floor, where there were only a few tables.
The manager led us toward the table by the window.
¡°The server will soon come to take your orders, man,¡± he said and walked away.
For a few seconds. Nobody talked before I opened my mouth.
¡°Why are you here, mom?¡± I asked, and even Magda became alert. From what I had seen so far, it seemed like she had come for an important business.
¡°Its legacy business, dear. Very important,¡± she replied.
I wanted to ask her further, but I knew I would not get an answer to that question.
Soon the server came and took our orders before leaving.
¡°Margaux, is it true that the Greltheaven legacy has now covered the whole tower?¡± asked Magda. ¡°Yes, the whole tower is the domain of the velvet garden,¡± she replied.
¡°And there are beautiful plants there that release fragrances better than perfumes?¡± she asked.
¡°That¡¯s also true,¡± replied mom.
She asked, questions after the questions and only stopped when our orders arrived.
¡°Wow, it''s really delicious,¡± said Magda, after taking a sip from a green drink. My yellow is also delicious; it gave me a ride to memories that responded with flavors in the drink.
¡°Your aunt Cresa is a bartender now, and she makes mean drinks,¡± informed Mom, after taking a sip of her own drink.
¡°Really. I cannot imagine Aunt Cresa being a bartender,¡± I replied. Surprised, I really cannot imagine, Aunt Cresa, I know, being a bartender.
She informed me of many things while we ate. The food is never eaten, each bite would emotion and memories.
Before I knew it, Madga and I had cleaned the whole table. Including several bowls of different deserts.
¡°I think I have seen someone familiar earlier. I will go meet them,¡± said Magda suddenly and secretly touched me while giving me a look.
She wants me to talk about it. I thought about a moment, before turning to my mother.
¡°Mom, there is something. I have to tell you,¡± I said and worry flashed in her. ¡°What is it? Is someone doing something to you?¡± she asked, all worried.
She was always worried about that and used to keep me hidden place while she worked.
¡°No, nothing like that,¡± I replied, before taking out an envelope from my bag and placing it in front of her.
She looked at the letter before a surprise flashed in her. She took out the letter from it and the surprise turned into shock.
¡°Honey, congratulations,¡± said Mother, with her eyes blazing with joy and pride.
The letter is from archimage city. Its acceptance letter from Archmage Academy; is one of the best mage academies in the entire world.
I didn¡¯t think, I would get seeing how behind I am compared to students of a real magic academy, but I did. However, I wasn¡¯t good enough to be offered a scholarship.
¡°I didn¡¯t get a scholarship. The fees are too high, Mom,¡± I said, shaking my head.
No matter how much, my mother is earning now. She couldn¡¯t afford to pay for a single year, much less the whole degree.
It is the place where the most talented, smart, privileged people come. It¡¯s very competitive, that is less than 1% who applies gets the admission.
¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. Your mother is here. She will pay for it,¡± said Mom, and tears couldn¡¯t help streaming down my eyes.
I got off my and hugged my mom while crying.
She had said the same thing when I got accepted three years ago.
The academy was nothing special, and I got a scholarship, but money was needed. It was far more than what, she had saved, but she still managed to get it.
¡°Thank you, mom,¡± I said.
I wanted to accept it, but I never could. Now my mom and made it possible, like she did years ago.
¡°Why are thanking me? I am a mother. It¡¯s my duty,¡± she replied.
She had done so much. From changing my name to making me an orphan. I had seen the pain in her eyes when she saw my name and the orphan beneath it.
She couldn¡¯t give me her name and have her as my mother officially.
Nobody accepts the daughter of a prostitute. Even a common academy would have rejected my application.
¡°This is cause for a celebration,¡± she said a few seconds later the waiter came and a less than minute later, he brought the cake. It¡¯s beautiful.
¡°It is a one delicious looking cake,¡± she Magda as she returned. She also saw the letter and mouthed congratulations.
We ate the cake, despite being full and, as Magda had said. It¡¯s really delicious.
Soon we finished it when mom took out something from her bag and gave it to Magda.
It looked like an invitation. The most beautiful, I had seen.
¡°This!¡± Magda said, shocked.
¡°An invitation to celebration at velvet garden. It¡¯s for you and your family,¡± replied Mom.
Tears appeared in Magda¡¯s eyes.
It''s a big thing, I heard her talk about Velvet Garden and opening night one and half months ago.
Even her father praised it a lot and lamented that he could never invitation to function like that. Even to get a reservation there, he would need to wait for months.
¡°Thank you. My parents would be ecstatic,¡± thanked Magda, wiping her tears.
¡°This is the least I could do for what you and your family had done for my daughter,¡± Mom replied with her welling up.
A few minutes passed, and Mom looked at the clock before sighing.
¡°I wish, I could stay with you with you more, my child, but there is an important meeting in a few minutes,¡± she said with a word filled with regret.
¡°We will meet after you finish, right?¡± I asked, and a faint hesitation appeared on her face.
¡°At least for a few minutes,¡± she replied after a moment of silence.
¡°That is enough. In two weeks, I will come to Greltheaven, and we will spend all the time together,¡± I said, and she smiled.
Chapter 480: Understanding
Aman Halcyon
Click!
The door opened and three people walked inside the small conference room.
The man and woman are in front, while the second woman is behind.
The man is Vaz Hendricks. He knew Silver from childhood and assistant to his father. He is loyal to the house and Silver said to trust him a lot.
However, I have been advised to focus on women. It them Silver said to listen to most.
He even made one governor of the city, he conquered.
Both of the women are beautiful, as I heard.
The older one is important; she is one of the three pillars of a triumvirate that runs the legacy. The younger is an assistant, madam, a position level down.
"Margaux, Chief Hendricks, please take a seat," said old man Vanis. "Thank Lord Lindgren," the woman replied with a perfect bow before sitting down.
"Margaux, Chief Hendricks, this young man, Aman Halcyon, is a grandson of my good friend Theus. The gentleman beside him is an honorable Lord Danis, the crown''s man," he introduced.
"It''s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Halcyon, Lord Danis," she said and shook hands with the Danis and mine.
"Now, the introduction is over, let''s begin," said the old man and turned to me.
Every eye turned to me. I felt a little nervous; it would have really helped if Mother had come, but she was handling the things on her end.
"I want to start with the question. Does Lord Silver is interested in our offer?" I asked, and the woman smiled.
"Lord Silver is interested. Though he is more interested in the casino than the core," she replied.
"So, you have no interest in the core?" asked Danis, using his skill on them.
I had hinted to him to let me the lead, but the dog of the crown wasn''t listening. His master wants to squeeze every drop of the legacy before it dies.
Hendrik''s expressions changed, and he activated the skill to counter that, while the woman''s expressions remained unchanged.
She didn''t even activate her skill.
"We didn''t say that, Lord Danis. It''s just that Master Silver wants to be careful with the core."
"Velvet Garden has a huge potential. I might even say it will be a Grade IV legacy one day and my lord wants to be careful, lest it taint his vision," replied Hendriks, a loyal dog.
Though he is right.
Grandfather had said, there is a good chance that the velvet garden will reach Grade IV in the coming decade.
There was a silence for a second before I opened the file.
"We want the space in the legacy. We will prefer the upper floors and be willing to take even four floors," I said, and the woman shook her head.
"Only underground floors are available," replied Hendriks matter-of-factly.
"Then we want complete control over the five underground floors. From interior to staff,"
"We also want access to the legacy''s essence for our games, machines, and food and drinks," I said with a poker face, while deeply nervous inside.
Mother had staked everything on it. We need them to agree with it.
"No, the velvet garden is the domain of my lord. Every change will need to go through him," replied Hendriks.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
I open my mouth to object and hint at the concession we will make when the woman spoke finally.
"What Chief is saying is that we will see your plans and make necessary changes to meld the casino to Velvet Garden''s vision,"
"As for the access to the legacy''s essence, you will have it under certain conditions," she replied, and I felt relieved.
Them going through our plan and making the modifications to them are to be expected. It is a legacy, and the master wouldn''t tolerate anything. That wouldn''t meld in his vision.
Still, I hope they won''t change too much. We still want to keep our business to keep its identity.
"What are changes Lord Silver will do?" I asked. She turned to the woman behind her. She took the file from her hand and slid it toward me.
I opened the file and began to read, and my expression turned serious.
He wants control over everything. Including the things like, the uniform our staff will wear.
"These are too much," I said as I closed the file and Danis took it.
"These are changes we could make. If we like something and it aligns with our vision, we wouldn''t change it," she clarified.
I knew this, but still wouldn''t want to accept it.
I have grown in the legacy, and these people want to change it.
I hate it, but the thing is, we don''t have any choice. As Mother had said, once Grandfather died, the wolves would come at us. They have already started sniffing.
"We want to keep our name," I said defiantly.
"That is not a problem," replied the woman, surprising me.
I thought they would have a problem with it and would probably ask to add velvet before our name like they did with some of their floors.
We discussed one point after another. Some they agreed with, and some they disagreed.
It is not negotiations, just an understanding. If we agree enough, we will move to the negotiations, which will happen in the Ilden.
Grandfather himself is going to take part in it.
Unlike them, we do not have much choice and are flexible on many things that we wouldn''t have. If we were not so desperate.
Soon one and a half hours passed, and we finished with all the common points.
"I will give you all some privacy," said the old man Vanis and left. Immediately, all the skills and tools were activated. Creating as strong privacy as possible.
It might not be enough to stop him. If the old man wants to snoop; he is a lord of the legacy, after all.
"The crown wants five thousand Grade III essence bottles to agree with this deal," said Danis as the door closed, pressing them with his skills.
He is level 30+ and his lord class makes his skill powerful.
The strain appeared on the old man''s face and the woman finally activated her skill, without any strain.
Even a smile appeared on her face. I don''t know whether it seemed confident or hearing the preposterous demand from Danis.
"Master Silver will agree to give a crown of Ilden seven hundred bottles of Grade III essence,"
"Three hundred will be given the first year and the rest four hundred will be given the second year," replied the woman without any strain in her voice.
"That''s too low. The crown will not agree with this," said Danis, declining.
"Then it is regretful. That we will not be coming to the understanding." The woman replied firmly. Shocking me; even Danis looked shocked.
"We will agree with three thousand," said Danis, but both of them shook their heads.
"We have come here to discuss with Onyx Halcyon, because it is one of the best casinos on the continent, not because of its legacy."
"A big risk for us given the relationship between our countries,"
"The velvet garden could only afford seven hundred bottles. If the crown wants more, then please approach the other legacies, because Velvet Garden cannot give you what you had asked," said Hendriks.
Tremor rang through my heart, hearing that.
This bastard Danis is really too much. The standard rate of Grade III Legacy''s first bite is five hundred essence bottles, and he wanted ten times.
The core is precious, but because of corruption, not many people take it.
To them, a small part is more than enough.
Even the dying ones wouldn''t absorb, as it will quicken the death of the host. It is why the crown had been focused on the miking and had kept a physician and augur in legacy.
The moment they felt grandfather could die within a week. The crown will order for the milking.
The silence stretched as nobody spoke.
We may have the legacy, but this bastard master controls it. Whether to agree with it or not will depend on him. Our future depends on him.
"Give me a minute," said Lord Danis finally greeted teeth and walked out.
Click!
It took five and a half minutes before Danis finally returned. He didn''t look good; there were even sparks of anger in his eyes.
"The crown agrees, but we want all seven hundred bottles within six months. With a hundred bottles minimum per month," he stated.
Hendriks looked at the woman, and a hesitation appeared on his face.
"We agree," replied the woman without hesitation.
Grandfather had said such an amount would be a problem for the Velvet Garden. Which had become the biggest legacy in Grade III and under.
"We would like it if the velvet garden reduced the profit share to quarter instead of third," I said.
They didn''t want the rent, but a third of the profit. Which isn''t strange. Seeing we are getting space in a legacy, not in some common building.
"No," she replied, and I sighed internally before moving next point.
One by one, we have gone through all, before finishing.
"Please state the points we agreed to, the Lord Silver. If he agrees, we can take the next step," I said. They are just staff; the decision to agree or not is on Silver.
It made me nervous, and I hoped the answer would come soon.
"There is no need. Lord Silver agrees," she said, shocking me.
''Is it a skill?'' I thought. It likely is there is no way she would make such a big decision on her own, without getting permission from her master.
"Then we will leave for Ilden by evening," I said, and she nodded.
A few minutes later, after talking to old man Vanis, I walked out, feeling a new hope.
Chapter 481: Panar
Ina Knox
"A week more and the wall would be fully ready to deal with any danger that came at it," said Architect Harrison.
"Let''s hope so," I replied as I checked the wall.
They are making progress fast, but I hope, they will be faster. Our patrols have spotted the undead, and that is making me worry.
We didn''t attack.
They have kept their distance. If they had got closer and crossed into the boundary of the city, we would have attacked them.
Still, to be cautious, General Azalea sent the teams. Including the earth mages and a few specialized officers to check the underground.
The undead are notorious for attacking through the underground tunnels. Getting caught off guard was the last thing I wanted to happen.
I got off the wall and saw a few carriages leaving the city.
They had minors in them.
We are slowly taking infants and children out of the city. We are also making progress for the ones that are in the city, especially the schools.
Seven schools will open at the start of next month, along with the three hospitals. It is far less than what the city needs, but it is all we can currently manage.
I stepped into my carriage, and it moved, while I watched it through the widow.
A lot had changed in the past twelve days since we had conquered the city.
There is no trash on the street or sewage floating out in the streets. Unfortunately, it is not the state of the entire city, but we are making progress.
We have chosen three areas for the reconstruction. The market area, residential area, and central area, that houses the city hall and other official buildings.
Covering a fifth of the city.
We have shifted 70% of the people into them and plan to shift the rest of the 30% as well by the end of the month.
Every day, more people are coming to the city. Most are temporary, like workers working on the reconstruction. They will leave after their work is finished.
Though some are here to stay permanently despite the risk. Like that group of orcs walking by the road.
They are miners; they came here to work in the mines.
We need miners, a lot of them. There are good mines in the city. The sooner we start them, the sooner economic activity will return to the city.
Currently, the economy of the city is completely ruined, but mines are things that could fix it.
We are very close; I have a meeting with a man responsible for fixing the mines in a few minutes and I hope, he has good news for me.
A few minutes later, the carriage stopped at the city hall, and I got out.
People stopped as I walked toward the city and bowed, but not as deeply as they would to the Master Silver, and many had contempt in their eyes.
I could hear them whispering ''whore'' and ''prostitute'' now and then and it hurts, but I do not hold it against them. They are part of my identity and will be with me as long as I will live.
The only thing I hold against them is they not doing their work.
They may hate me, feel jealous, or have contempt, but they should do the work that had been assigned to them.
Most are doing their work as they have been ordered, but a few are creating some problems. The warnings had been given. If they don''t listen, they will be thrown out.
Master Silver had given me complete freedom to deal with them as I see fit, within a reason.
Soon, I reached my office, and the guards bowed, before opening the door for me. I entered inside and nodded at Anika.
Carla had sent her from her office. She is temporary, till permanent replacement comes.
I would have liked to have Andrea or Varza, both of them are capable and I have trained them myself. Andrea is busy handling things in Carla''s absence, while Varza declines the offer.
She would have come if I had insisted, but I didn''t. Seeing the new responsibilities she had got.
If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
She had gotten the promotion and taken the post that Lola used to have. She had already gone to the empire with Hardt a week ago.
"My lady," greeted Anika.
I nodded and sat down, feeling the joy at the greeting. It had been nearly two weeks, but the novelty of my new position hadn''t worn off.
I love my new position. It is stressful, and I am awake most of the time, but I love it.
"My lady, Mr. Artik is here," said Elah. "Send him in," I replied.
Click!
A second later, the door opened and a man in his fifties walked in. His eyes roamed over me, with lust flashing in his eyes for a moment before he controlled his expressions.
"My lady," he greeted.
"Take a seat, Mr. Artik," I said to the man. "Thank you my, lady," he replied and sat down.
He is a mine specialist from a merchant state. He and his people had been here for the past week, working on different mines.
The months of neglect had made the mines worse, and animals were turning into monsters because of the high-energy environment of the mines.
Though we have dealt with them. Monsters are bad, especially the vermin types.
"I hope you have something for me, Mr. Atrik," I said to the man.
"I have my lady, both good and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?" he asked back with a smile.
"Bad one," I replied.
"The whole mine support system of the third mine would need to be replaced," he said. I wanted to curse and bang my fist hard across the table, but I controlled myself.
Changing a whole mine support is expensive work, and we can''t afford expensive right now.
However, since it is related to mine. I have no choice but to do it and that will mean cutting the expenses from something else.
The budget is on the knife''s edge and this additional expense is going to make things even more difficult.
"Can it be fixed temporarily?" I asked, and the man shook his head. "No, there is a good chance. If we tried to fix it temporarily, it would collapse," he replied, and I sighed.
"Then what is the good news?" I asked, hoping it would be best.
"The other mines are good. They will require some repair, but they can be fixed quickly and cheaply," he replied, and the relief flooded into my body.
I do not want to pay for any major damage.
"The second mine is most undamaged. My men are working on it and if everything went well; it could be opened in two days," he added, and a smile lit up across my face.
"You should have started with that, Mr. Artis," I said to the man, and he smiled.
He stayed for a few more minutes before he left, while I added this news in the evening missive to the Master Silver.
There are many mines, but we have people to support only one mine, two at most. We need more people and Master Silver is sending them little by little.
Few people want to come here. Especially the humans; nearly 80% of miners who came to the city are the orcs.
The humans too will come eventually as long as they see steady employment and safety.
Orcs are good, they are hardworking people. Master Silver is negotiating with a few more mining tribes to move them into our cities.
The conditions around Fort Renin and Nakar Forest aren''t good.
They are managing it well and even constructing a fort to contain the monsters. There is a huge trade that goes through there, that Blackwell and baronies do not want to get disturbed.
However, the monster problem is increasing, and it is troubling the orc tribes closer to the extreme magic region.
It is forcing them to move and many of the orcs and even the entire tribes are shifting. Greltheaven, Fort Renin, and Lauryl are benefitting a lot from this.
All of them need the people to support their expansion and development.
I pushed those thoughts and focused on the work.
A few hours passed, and soon, it was evening. I have one more meeting and then I will have dinner with Barb.
I have asked her to stay with me. It gets lonely, and the company of friends helps a lot, but she is busy with her job and can only do one dinner weakly, which I cherish a lot.
"There is a message from General Azalea. She wants to meet with you," informed Mage Osward, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"When?" I asked.
"Now," she replied, and a frown couldn''t help but appear on my face. She didn''t ask for an emergency appointment unless it was important.
The last time, she did, when our patrol spotted the undead.
"Ok," I replied, wishing it wouldn''t be something serious. I will know when she comes, and with that, I focus on the work in front of me.
''Governor, General Azalea, is here for you,'' informed Elah through the intercom.
"Send her in," I replied.
Click!
A moment later, a raven heard a woman come inside through the doors.
"Governor," she greeted with a bow. "General, please take a seal," I replied.
Our relationship isn''t warm, but it''s cordial. That''s enough for now.
"What happened?" I asked. "Our people engaged in a small skirmish with the enemy," she replied, and I sighed internally.
"What did the undead do?" I asked. "They crossed the boundary," she replied.
We are adhering to the boundaries that the empire had drawn for the domain of each city. We had clarified that to the undead.
We had warned them we would attack if they were across the boundary, and now, we did.
"Any casualty?" I asked. "No, but there are a few injuries," she replied.
"Thank you for informing me, General. Don''t hesitate to ask, if you need anything," I said to her.
The conflict with the undead is the last thing we want.
We have a good army and even Commander Stone is in the city as a deterrent, but it might not be enough if the undead attack.
Though we will respond to any aggression. Whether it is crossing the boundary or attacking the city.
"Thank you for your support, Governor. I will send you the detailed report of a skirmish in a few hours," she said and got up to leave.
"General, how is the response to the recruitment?" I asked the woman.
We are recruiting people for the army. Today is the first day to receive the applications.
"Immense, we have already got three thousand applications and more will come in the coming days," she said with an expression on her face lighting up.
There are a lot of young people in the city. We had hired many for different jobs.
Not the heavy ones, Lord Silver is very adamant about it. Just like how he is adamant about recruiting only sixteen and above for the army.
They will only see the combat after they reach eighteen.
It is one thing General Stone, and the army disagreed with Master Silver.
I am also with them, in that opinion.
Fifteen is the norm in recruiting people for the army, some countries recruit at fourteen and send them to fight the battles at fifteen, but Master Silver vehemently disagrees with it.
He loosened a little. Listening to his trusted people and seeing the needs of the city.
Before the age of recruitment had been seventeen and above, but now it is sixteen. However, the recruits, won''t be sent to combat, till they reach eighteen.
In that, he is inflexible as an iron rod.
I finished my last meeting and compiled the missive before sending it to Master Silver.
Chapter 482: Aura Training
Click!
I opened the door of the roof and stepped inside.
I activated the spells and charms, not only on the door but also on the mist roof. I don¡¯t want anyone to get a hint of what I will be doing here.
It will be dangerous for me and especially for her.
¡°Bell,¡± I greeted the beautiful woman. ¡°My lord,¡± she replied.
¡°So?¡± I asked a little awkwardly, and she smiled, before walking toward the center of the roof and sitting on the square black mat.
¡°Please sit, my lord,¡± she said, and I sat on the black mat in front of her.
For a few seconds, there was a silence, before she opened her mouth.
¡°Aura is a representation of will; only those of the powerful will be able to bring it out.¡± She said slowly and her aura gentle as the water came out of her.
It''s invisible, but suppressive. I wanted to bring out mine to protect myself from it.
¡°There are many ways to understand and control it. My mother used to say, aura is an extension of self; it is a limb that could take any shape and give one a great reach,¡±
As she said those words.
Her aura became like a limb, and it carefully plucked the few leaves of the plants over twenty meters away.
¡°While to my father, it¡¯s energy that could take any form to suit one needs,¡± she explained, and a moment later, cast a water drizzle spell x 3 and water drops began to fall down.
As it did, her aura turned into a massive saucer and captured all the water, while I watched in awe.
I had read about the aura, and after I awakened it. I read it even more. The control she had just shown now is extremely high.
People need to practice for decades to gain such control, while she had awakened it a decade ago and practiced in a place where she couldn¡¯t be found out.
If she had not been hiding and could practice without fear, her control might have reached a terrifying level.
She might have even taken the next step. As her mother said, supposed to have taken and there are rumors that her father had taken that too.
Her parents were one of the best aura users of the entire continent.
Especially her mother.
¡°I prefer my mother¡¯s way, but I will teach both ways of my parents. You can choose the way you feel the most affinity with,¡± she stated, and I nodded gratefully.
¡°We will start with the most basic exercise,¡± she said.
¡°My lord, bring out your aura and swirl it around yourself like a wind,¡± she instructed.
I did what she had asked. I brought out my aura and swirled it around myself.
¡°It may have come from you, but you do not know it well. You need to understand it well to control it.¡±
¡°It is where the power of aura lies; the control,¡± she explained. In an aura, control is everything.
Aura is something that becomes more powerful, the finer you control it. It is only when one gains sufficient control over it, that they could use things like aura methods.
That only happens through understanding, and once it reaches the cusp.
It transforms the aura into something greater.
Currently, I am not thinking about any of that. My first aim is to gain the basic control over it. that I would be able to use my own skill with it, without getting tired too quickly.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
I am luckier than most people who awaken the aura.
I have a teacher who had superior control of aura and deep knowledge about it.
It is because of her Stone was able to learn to control the elder energies quickly. That he was able to use the methods with it.
However, it would be far more difficult with the aura. Controlling the aura is more difficult than controlling the elder power.
I have spun it only ten rounds, and I am already starting to feel tired.
Like she had said, the aura is like a limb. I would need to train with it, regularly to develop the mental capacity to use it for a long time.
I watched her, as she was doing the same. Swirling the aura around herself.
Unlike mine, which looks like it could collapse at any time. Hers is uniformed and swirling around her at an unchanging speed.
Looking at her expressions. It felt like, she was not feeling any strain at all.
Seeing her, I pushed myself, while trying to understand the aura, but as time passed. I got more and more tired till five and a half minutes later. The aura had collapsed and entered inside me.
¡°It¡¯s difficult,¡± I said, and she smiled. ¡°Beginning always is,¡± she replied.
¡°Take a minute of rest, Lord Silver, and start again,¡± she added and as she said, we started again a minute later.
I did it over and over again, pushing myself again and again, till I was so tired that I couldn¡¯t even bring out the aura.
I slumped on the ground with sweat covering every part of my body.
¡°I couldn¡¯t even train for an hour,¡± I said, a few minutes of rest. Unlike me, there is not a hint of strain on her face, much less sweat.
I had lasted for barely half an hour.
¡°You might not believe it, but you did quite well, my lord. Most people my mother trained didn¡¯t last over twenty minutes in their first session,¡± she informed.
It did make me feel a little better, but I have no doubt she had used those words to make me feel better.
As for how true they are, I don¡¯t know, nor do I care to think about it.
I lay there for over ten minutes before finally getting up.
¡°Thank you, Bell. With you as a teacher, I am confident I will learn to control the aura sooner than I think,¡± I said.
¡°It is an honor, my lord,¡± she replied.
I just shook my head with a smile before walking toward the door.
As I did, all sweat, dirt, and creases began to come out of my body and clothes. After reaching, Lv. 30; this skill, had become even more powerful.
It not only cleans but also helps a little with the tiredness.
Click!
I opened the door and walked out of it.
Today is the last day, I will be coming for practice on the roof; some changes are going to be made here and would not be a place for the practice.
I do not mind it. There are a few more spaces that are more private.
I came here today to practice because I want to start the aura practice in my favorite place.
Soon, I reached the top floors, where the people were still working. Their progress is visible, and I am confident that they will finish on time.
I watched them for a few minutes before walking into my office.
¡°There is a message from Headmistress Margaux and Chief Hendriks. They are starting the third day of negotiation,¡± Zela informed.
It is the third of Margaux and Hendricks in the Ilden and they are still negotiating. They have been doing that for over twelve hours every day.
The understanding is different from the negotiations. In understanding, we agree on rough points, but we deal with nuances in negotiations, and they are official.
In the Ilden, they are negotiating every little thing. The old man, Halcyon, himself is taking part.
He is one mean negotiator, according to Margaux, but I trust her to not give up a single inch on our demand. There will be no compromise on them.
¡°Anything else?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes, Prince Declan says, he awaits your contribution,¡± she replied.
Hearing that, I couldn¡¯t help but sigh and curse at that bastard.
I really hope I will get enough benefits from it because I have already promised around five thousand bottles of Grade III essences to various parties who were displeased by it.
The imperials, the merchants, and a few other people.
I need to absorb enough essence to at least break even. Caena is quite confident of it.
¡°Tell him, we are happy to hear that,¡± I replied.
Usually, I do not care about two imperials, but Declan had joined his sister''s camp, and she was helping him defend against the forces of Geim and Yressor.
Since Geim is allied with Ilden; the bastard had been asking for a contribution.
I had to agree with it, despite already promising his sister a substantial number of emotion essences. I am sure it is her that instructed him to pressure me.
It¡¯s a delicate balance to manage the imperials.
The civil war is helping me remain independent, but at the moment, one defeats the other. They will turn their eyes on my legacy.
So, I need to accumulate enough power. To not get suppressed fully when they turn their eyes at me, have the power to negotiate.
It¡¯s in my interest that they keep fighting, and I am doing my little bit to make that happen, by helping both sides.
Though, I am being extremely careful.
Traitors pay a heavy price, and there are ways to punish the host of legacies.
I took a deep breath and focused on the work in front of me.
I worked for about an hour and a half before I stopped and brought out my aura and swirled around me like Bell instructed me earlier.
I am still tired, but I am pushing that tiredness away.
I need to learn to control it as soon as possible and most importantly; I am very curious about it.
This is the closest. I would ever get to shooting spells and I want to master it enough, that I would be able to do that.
I practiced for about fifteen minutes before I stopped because of tiredness and to focus on the work.
Throughout the day. I did it a few times; it made me exhausted, but I pushed that away and focused on it, till I became so tired in the late afternoon, that I fell asleep.
When I woke up an hour and a half later. There was good news waiting for me.
Chapter 483: Halcyon I
Margaux Swan
"No, we cannot agree with this. There will be no compromise on it," I replied, and the power of the whole legacy bore down on me.
It felt like there was a massive mountain over me, and if I even shook a little. It will crush me with every ounce of weight it has.
I wanted to kill the old man as he had made my life hell. In the past two and a half days.
People come here to the legacies to relax, but since I came here, I have felt nothing but the stress from here.
"Fine, we will agree," said the half-elf with a sigh.
"With this, the negotiation concluded," said Chief Hendriks, sounding relieved.
Only six people are negotiating. Theos Halcyon, his daughter, and his Grandson. On our side, it is Hendriks, Cath, and I.
It was the third day of the negotiations, and it was hard. I am so tired, I have never been and don''t want to do this again, especially in the legacy.
The old bastard had used the power of the legacy to press us. Made us tired; it was hell.
"Please send the draft for approval to Lord Silver. If possible, we want to finalize the agreement today."
"That won''t be a problem," I replied and got up with Hendricks and Cath.
"Miss Swan, can I have a word with you in private?" asked the old man.
He didn''t talk much in negotiations. He had let his daughter handle it, but he used the power of the legacy on us, and quite mercilessly at that.
It was hard for us. It would have been harder, if not for the protection of our own legacy.
I fared a little better. Since I had little extra protection with the appointment as ''Envoy'' which increased my stats further.
"Ok," I said, despite not wanting to. He smiled and turned to his daughter.
"I will give you some privacy," said the half-elf, and she left with her son. Hendriks and Cath had also left after giving me the look.
Soon, the door closed, and the old man turned to me.
"First, let me begin by apologizing for my conduct. It was beyond appropriate," he apologized.
Saying I was surprised, would be an understatement. An apology would be the last thing I had been expecting. I thought there would be some outrageous demand from him.
"I wanted to make sure. I would be handing my legacy to the right people," he explained, and his eyes kind of become lost.
I don''t think the ''legacy'' he referring to is this magical building, but his name.
"I don''t think, you have anything to worry about, Lord Halcyon."
"Your casinos are the best on the continent. Even without the legacy, your business will thrive without a doubt," I said, to which he laughed.
It is full of mirth. The dark kind.
"I have a been a successful businessman man, Miss Margaux. I had used my legacy to build an extensive business empire. Which is the biggest flaw of business,"
"The legacy is base, the moment it disappeared. The entire business would start to crumble," he said in such a way, that it made me shudder.
It kind of reminded me of something. Lord Silver had said a few months ago.
It is about the business of the legacies. He said the influence of the legacy is so strong that the moment they die; the business built on it also starts to disappear.
It is not the fault of business, but the privileges the legacy had provided them.
Most heirs couldn''t handle the loss of privileges and end up making a lot of poor decisions. Along with external factors, the businesses sink.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
"The enemies I had made, will make sure, that will happen," he added and the smile on his face lost the mirth.
"I think, you are being too pessimistic, my lord. Have faith in your children," I said to the man.
"My sons are useless; they still don''t understand how bad things are going to get for them," he replied, shaking his head.
"At least, my daughter is smart. She had got that from her mother. She was always good at recognizing the changing tides," he added with a sigh.
I didn''t say anything to that.
On the surface, everything is so great here, but looking deeply. Everything is shaky, at breaking limit,
This old man holding it all on his shoulder, but the moment he dies.
Everything will come crashing down.
For a moment, there was a silence, before he turned to me. His eyes have become clear, and all the pessimism, regret, and disappointments disappeared from his eyes.
At the same time, I felt the change appearing in the room.
The surrounding mist got denser; I could feel privacy activating and becoming powerful as it merged with the power of legacy.
"When I die, I am going to do something. It will benefit your legacy tremendously." He said, with his eyes of conviction and defiance.
"I only hope, that your lord would remember this favor," he added.
I don''t know what to say about that, because I don''t know what he is talking about.
Though, I am sure. Master Silver would.
"I will repeat your words to Master Silver. It will be his decision, what he does with it," I said carefully, not promising anything other than being a messenger.
"That''s all I want, Miss Swan," said the old man with a smile.
Click!
A second later, the door clicked open, and I walked out.
"What did he want?" asked Cath softly as she appeared beside me. "He just wanted to ask a few things about the legacy," I lied.
Those words are only for the ears of Master Silver.
Soon, we reached the end of the hall and stepped outside way, guarded by two Lv. 30 and the casino comes into view.
It is the second most beautiful place; I have ever seen. The first is the home.
Old Man Vanis''s tavern is great, but it couldn''t compare to this grand casino.
It''s luxury and opulence everywhere, with bright, and vibrant lights coming from the grand chandeliers. There is music playing and sounds of games running in the background.
"I have seen their financials; is a gold mine. Velvet garden couldn''t compare to it," said Cath.
They are showing us everything. How they work, how much they earn. The things they use and everything and it''s impressive.
"They had decades, while the velvet garden isn''t even a year old,"
"We won''t need this much time to be so good. A decade would be more than enough for us," I replied.
Saying Onyx Halcyon is a gold mine is a good analogy, but the velvet garden would be better.
I am confident, that it won''t take us even a decade to earn more money than this casino legacy, despite it being the business of money.
The plan had already begun when Master Silver planted those plants and gave Miss Eva the access to mist.
His every action has a purpose; those seeing from the outside, may not see the connections, but to us, the purpose is clear as the day.
Every plant we planted is expensive and sold for massive money. It hasn''t been two months, and we haven''t even harvested 15%.
Over 70% of the plants hadn''t even matured. A year from now, it will be a completely different story.
Master Silver does not want to sell plants and the resources they produce. He thinks that is the most inefficient; it is like handing the fruit of our labor to others.
It''s why only 30% of our share of the harvest had been sold, while the 60% is carefully stored.
There is a plan for them, a grand plan. When I heard it, I was shocked.
It''s the same for the access of essence to Miss Eva and Guildmaster Gagarin. Everything crafted using the mist will be the property of a velvet garden.
At least 50% of their sold value would belong to the velvet garden.
It''s the reason every store owner in the tower crafts their own stuff. We could have chosen better stores; there were a lot of them in the city and outside, but we chose them.
They are quite talented, and the plan is to give them access to the mist.
Which they will have to earn.
There is an outrageous demand for the stuff forged with the mist. People will pay any prize for those things, and we have already been contacted about it by hundreds of people.
It will take time, years before what Master Silver had envisioned comes out, and when it does.
There will be no legacy of the same grade would be able to compare us.
This legacy is seven floors tall and occupies an area of a hundred thousand square feet. It used to be the biggest legacy under Grade III before the velvet garden took its place.
We have already explored the legacy. So, we simply walked toward the bar, the most exclusive one to relax for a while.
Any bar would have been fine, but we are on the top floor. Which is the most exclusive one and everything here is exclusive.
Soon, we reached the entrance of it, and the guards opened the door.
"Miss Swan and Miss Arga," Stanol greeted us at the door as always.
He is a middle-aged man of about my age. He is a tall, handsome man with thick blond hair and green eyes.
"Mr. Stanol," I said with a smile.
"I believe, the negotiations are complete?" he asked as he led us toward our usual place, while many people watched. Some sneakily, some openly.
I could even feel some snooping skills targeting us. Wanting to hear, what we were talking about.
"Thankfully, yes. Your lord had been a tough negotiator," I said, and the man smiled. "I heard that you were the tough one, Miss Swan," he said, and I laughed.
I played along with him as showered me with compliments while Cath watched in mirth.
He is spending his effort on the wrong person. He should focus on Cath. He will have to convince her to be hired in the velvet garden.
We are allowing them their staff, but it will be up to us to choose them.
It is one of the points on which, we negotiated the most. Master Silver interviews every person. From the manager, to cleaner.
He likes to control everything.
Since he isn''t here, the job will fall on us, or rather Cath, and two more people, who will be coming tomorrow to help us.
Over thousands of people work in this legacy, while only 30% will be hired.
We have made only one exception. We have given them twelve slots; they can choose any twelve people and we won''t reject them.
Chapter 484: Halcyon II
"Please enjoy and if you need anything call me," said Stanol as sat us at our place, before walking away.
A few seconds later, the server came, bringing our usual order of drinks.
"Have you talked to Carla?" asked Cath. "Yes, just before I left my room in the morning," I replied.
"How is she doing?" she asked. "Some success, some failures," I replied.
Carla is in the empire. To most, she is delivering the invitations personally, but there is another thing she is doing. It would help the legacy if they were able to get those things.
"I wish, she had been here," said Cath, with her shoulder hunched.
"You will not be alone. I will be with you and help is coming tomorrow," I replied to her.
Selecting the staff is a tremendous responsibility, but Master Silver had chosen wisely in sending her. The girl may not have the confidence in herself, but she is good.
She will excellent job.
We were talking when suddenly a raven-haired woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a maid uniform, appeared beside us.
We stopped and turned to the woman.
"Apologies, respectful misses, but my mistress wishes to talk to you both," said the raven-haired woman.
"And who would that be?" asked Cath. "Countess Rochefort," replied the woman. Cath''s expression changed faintly, while curiosity appeared in mine.
She looked at me, and I turned to the maid.
"Sure," I replied.
If the information I read is right. Then her husband is Count Tarum, and their territory lies in the east of Beyhelm duchy. They are one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom.
The maid nodded and walked away toward the group of three men and two women.
As the maid reached there, the older woman said to the group before getting up with the younger woman.
Soon, they were beside us and we got up.
"Countess, my lady," we greeted the countess and her daughter, while people watched, including the three they were sitting with.
The Countess Rochefort is a beautiful woman in her late forties, with pale skin and coppery red hair.
She had a delicate face, a small nose, and blue eyes. That seemed to hold more intelligence than one would expect from the beautiful woman.
The young woman beside her was in her early twenties. She is taller than her mother, but inheritance her coppery red hair and delicate face and has a youthful charm.
"Thank you for agreeing to meet me, Miss Swan, Miss Arga," said the countess in a husky voice.
"It''s no bother, my lady," I replied as we sat down.
"This is my daughter, Lady Karin, and the reason I wanted to meet you both." She said.
We didn''t speak and just looked at the women.
"In half a year, she is going to be countess of her right with her marriage with Count Darsil," she informed with joy lightning on her face.
It''s a good match. We have heard it since we came. The territory of Count Darsil may not be as powerful, but it is big, and the man is related to the crown.
Everyone is related to the crown in a kingdom like this, but his connection is closer.
Count Dasil''s mother is a king''s illegitimate sister.
"Congratulation, my lady," we congratulated, and the young woman smiled shily.
"My daughter is born with good looks, but I need her to look even better on her wedding day. So, I hope to book your spa, for her and the wedding party."
"I hope, that would be possible?" she asked politely.
I am not surprised.
These nobles would talk, if they needed something and the things they need are in the legacy.
"How big is a wedding party?" asked Cath. "Around the fifty people and we would want the best treatment you have; the best one will be for my daughter, of course," she replied.
"The spa is booked for years," I replied, and their expressions changed a little and the woman opened her mouth when I spoke again.
"But of course, we will make an exception for the beautiful bride."
"I can''t promise you the booking, since it is not department, but I will put a good word to Miss Hanson. I am sure, you will be able to get the booking," I added.
The spa is really booked for the years, but there is space open for people like them.
They are rich, and they do not have any problem with paying for the most expensive treatments, but it''s not the main reason, we always have space for them.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
The main reason is their appearances provide the advertisements.
I was confused when Master Silver told me that. Seeing we do not need an advertisement. We have the legacy and with years a long waiting line.
That''s when he said something that made my perspective widen.
''It is not the advertisement for the legacy, but for the city,'' he said.
Since he had become a lord of Greltheaven, everything he was doing was for the city and its people. Even the legacy had become a tool to make the city prosper.
The legacy is the biggest reason. The city is still standing and growing so rapidly.
If the city prospers, the legacy will prosper too and so will the people working in it. It is a big symbiotic relationship where everything is related to everything.
"Thank you, Miss Swan, Miss Arga," said Countess and left with her daughter.
"The woman and her good. There was no contempt and arrogance in her," said Cath after a few seconds.
"The intelligent nobles are the most dangerous ones."
"They will be polite and talk sweetly with you one day and burrow a knife into your back the next," I replied, quoting what Thaddeus once said to me.
She shuddered at hearing that.
The countess had made an effort because we had something. We are in this very place because we are something.
If we were common whores like before. We wouldn''t have even been able to see the legacy from a distance like the tourists.
The guards would have sensed us and shooed us away.
Soon, we finished our drinks and walked into our rooms. There are twelve rooms in this legacy; only for the very special guests, we got three.
It is an honor a few gets. Even for nobles, one would need to be sufficiently powerful to get room.
Master Silver had no interest in making rooms on the legacy right now.
Some had broached the idea, but he shut it down. Saying he would think about it if the legacy had ever reached the Grade IV.
Click!
I entered my room. It''s a normal size, with a beautiful bathroom attached to it.
I stopped by the window and looked at the beautiful view of the city. Bayhelm. It''s the second most beautiful port city, I have seen after Namdar.
The casino is on top of the till, giving a mesmerizing view of the city.
I looked for a few minutes before I took out the tools. Soon, a canvas with an unfinished painting appeared in front of me.
I looked at it before starting to resume painting it.
I have started on the first; I came here. I usually do not do this, but the view is too beautiful, to not paint it.
There is another painting at home; a blank canvas, to be more exact. I want to paint the picture, I have in my mind, but every time, I do my hands shake.
If ever I am able to paint it. It will be my best work.
Knock!
Time passed and stars and moon appeared in the sky, while I looked at the beautiful painting in front of me.
I finished it, and it looked look good.
Knock Knock!
I was looking at it when the knock rang out.
Seeing that, I activated my skill and all the paint covering me. flowed out, along with dust, while my hair fixed itself and creases on my dress vanished.
Click!
I opened the door and saw Hendricks and Cath standing on the other side. I didn''t say anything and stepped out, with the door closing behind me.
"Lord Silver had approved the contract. Lord Halcyon has accepted it," he informed.
Now, only the signing had remained.
Soon, we reached the beautifully carved red-wood door. The guards opened it, and we stepped inside.
There were four people inside. Three Halcyons and Lord Danis, the guardian. I thought there would be more, Lord Halcyon''s two sons, but it seemed like, he hadn''t invited them.
We bowed before Hendriks took out the scroll. While Danis turned to me. I smiled before taking out the brown box and handed it to him.
Click!
He opened it and inside were fifty bottles of Grade III essence.
"Silver is good. I thought he would hand over mixed emotions essence," said Danis, looking at bottles. Each of them holds the essence of a single emotion.
"The control of your lord over his legacy is fantastic. Usually, it takes years for the host to gain such control to draw out the essence," praised Lord Halcyon.
He took the scroll from Danis and read through it all before placing it down.
He used the small knife to puncture his finger and draw out a drop of blood into the ink bowl and mixed it, before dipping the pen and signing the scroll.
He passed it to his daughter. She read the scroll carefully, before signing it with the blood.
The third was his grandson.
Then the scroll came to us. I signed with my blood and also added the power of the velvet garden to it through the authority I have.
It would have been fine. If I didn''t do that; the scroll had a drop of the core essence of the velvet garden in it.
Hendriks signed the next and then it was Cath, before finally it went to Danis. The man took his sweet time in reading the scroll, despite already reading and approving it.
It took a while before he finally signed it.
"I will put in the legacy," said Lord Halcyon with his eyes becoming watery.
Seeing that, his daughter took his hand in hers and pressed it.
The old man smiled, before everything turned dark, before a massive gambling chip appeared in front of us.
I am not surprised; it is in the form of a chip. The core represents the legacy and since it is a casino; it''s a chip.
The core of the velvet garden is the sun, and I still don''t understand what it means, but I felt the grandness of it.
It is smaller and weaker because of being newly advanced, but gives a feeling like it could take the entire world.
It''s likely why, velvet garden could do so much.
Have a brothel, restaurants, and stores, and now it will have a casino, without any restriction, because its vision envelopes it all.
The chip is massive with each color on its boundaries.
They do not move or mix with each other, unlike what happens with the velvet gardens and sun. The colors are always changing, mixing, and merging.
It''s amazing to watch.
This core is also beautiful, but not as the core of the velvet garden.
It is also the waning core. The faint greyness around the core means it will truly die. It cannot be a pawn of the throne legacies, nor it could merge with other legacies.
It is quite sad to see it. The pain in the eyes of the old man is unbearable to watch as he looks at his legacy.
"Miss Swan, what is the core of your legacy?" asked Danis.
The man is really rude. This is one of the secrets of the legacy; the hosts don''t tell others. Especially not someone from a different kingdom.
Even Lord Halcyon looked angry at that.
"I will place, the contract inside now," said Lord Halcyon with tears streaming down on his face.
A moment later, the scroll flew away from his hand and entered the chip.
A whole chip core shone, while a faint confusion appeared in the eyes of the old man as if he sensed something, but couldn''t put his mind to it.
However, a moment later, he just shook his head and turned to me.
"My legacy is in your lord''s hands now, I hope he will take good care of it," said the old man.
...¡.
"It''s done," informed Caena as the phantom scroll appeared inside the colorless planet.
It''s an enormous risk with the scroll.
It not only has a drop of core essence but also Caena''s spell.
The whole scroll is a witchcraft spell. If found out, it would bring me a lot of trouble.
I just hope that drop of the core essence would be able to hide it. Even from Halcyon, which is difficult considering the core has connected to him and he could sense all the changes.
We wouldn''t have taken the risk, but it''s the core of the biggest Grade III legacy on the continent.
It contains a massive essence, that will help me and my legacy tremendously.
Madam of Grace Lv. 35
Painter Lv. 18
[Skill Gained: ¡]
¡
Merchant of Desire Lv. 33
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 32
Chapter 485: Intricate
Caena
I stepped into the underground floors where people were working day and night.
There is not even an hour of break. One shift ends and the other one takes over. These people are preparing the underground floors for the changes that are going to happen to it soon.
The younger Halcyon is coming tomorrow with his people, along with their interior designer.
They will work with Miss Rolgath to fuse the style of Velvet Garden and Halcyon.
It''s a good thing I had finished on time.
I nodded at the people, and looked at me, while charms would appear in my hand, and I would activate them. Those spells would then fuse with this space.
I have crafted the intricate spell; the most complex I had ever done on my own.
It involves two legacies and a lot of emotion essence and core essence.
Yes, we are trying for that stuff too.
Till now, we never did. When the parts of legacies core came, we would take only emotion essence.
Which is a diluted core essence.
This time, we not only want the emotion essence, but we want to merge the core essence of Onyx Halcyon into the Velvet Gardens core.
It''s an extremely dangerous thing. It''s could corrupt vision and if one is not careful.
It''s why, the intricate spell.
I want to make Onyx Halcyon as a part of the velvet garden conceptually.
Once that is done, Onyx Halcyon''s core essence wouldn''t offer any resistance, and the velvet core would be able to consume it smoothly.
"I have may said, the target is 6%-8%, but I am aiming for 10%. 12% if possible.
It would be very hard, and a lot of conditions needed to be met. The first one being the old man needed to be alive, till the opening of the casino.
I would be satisfied. If he would be able to stay alive for a week after the opening.
It will help my charms to absorb the concept of Onyx Halcyon through the casino. It would be best if he stayed alive for a month.
Then, the whole concept would be absorbed.
I climbed downstairs, before finally reaching the minus-fifth floor.
"Madam Caena," greeted Miss Rolgath as she turned to me from the people she was talking to.
"I am surprised to see you here, Miss Rolgath; I thought you would be busy studying the designs of the casino," I said, and the woman sighed.
"I was. I came down here to check the progress," she replied.
"It seemed to be going well," I said, and she nodded. "Yes, they will be finished by tomorrow," she replied with a smile.
"Casino is good, Miss Rolgath, but the tower should take priority," I reminded her
There are only eleven days till opening. The casino will take a little longer to open.
"I know, Madam Caena, and I am not getting distracted," she replied.
I know she is not, but words help. Eleven days is not much, there is so much to do.
...¡
Click!
The door opened, and five people walked inside. One is familiar, while the other four are unfamiliar.
There are four men and one woman. They are not humans, they are orcs.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
They are wearing traditional clothes, with two having paints across their bodies.
"My lord," greeted Shaman Trik, while others bowed awkwardly, trying to copy him.
"Please, sit everyone," I said. "Thank you, my lord," replied Shaman Trik and sat down.
The old man had learned the ways of the city pretty quickly. Learning everything, he needs to gain the maximum influence among the orcs and the city.
I like him for that. Ambition is a good thing as long as it is layered in rationale.
"I hope, the journey went well?" I asked. "It was my lord. We can now finally feel safe," replied the brown-haired orc, who looked to be in his late fifties.
"Condition seemed to be growing terrible there," I said, and Shaman Trik nodded.
"It is, my lord, and it will get worse." He replied.
"Many tribes are still living there; fighting for their homes, but to it is a losing battle."
"More and more monsters are coming out of the extreme magic region. It won''t be a long before a big tide of them swept through it all," he added, making me shudder in my heart.
I had fought with monsters, and it was a tide of a few thousand, but it had nearly killed us.
Till then, three more tides of monster that had come. Along with many monsters, that are coming out of extreme magic regions, they will move alone or in groups.
"It''s sad, but now that you are here, you are safe. As safe as can be with the undead being your neighbor from two sides," I said, bringing small smiles to their faces.
A moment later, my expression turned serious.
"As the Shaman Trik had explained to you; you all would shift to Panar to work in the mines. Except for those, that want to join the army or have specialized skills that the city needs,"
"Do you have any questions?" I asked.
"Shaman Trik had said that our people would be paid individually and not as a tribe?" asked the woman. To that, I nodded.
"The city doesn''t recognize the tribes. Each person is for himself."
"If you want to maintain tribal structure, it is fine, but you cannot force any of your people or take their salaries or things forcefully,"
"It will be their decision whether or contribute or not to the structure or how much to contribute," I replied.
A huge change had occurred in orcs.
Many tribes had broken, but many were still going and some becoming stronger than before.
Shaman Triks is the biggest tribe and one of the few that have grown bigger. The man was opposed to new rules, but was the first one to change.
He learned fast from the countries around us and transformed his tribe into an organization.
Where the members need to pay only a small fee monthly. With this, they will be able to enter the praying halls and take part in ceremonies and other stuff.
They have removed a lot of restrictions, like inter-tribal marriages and other things.
That helped them, get more members.
"That will break our tribes," complained the thin orc.
"Not necessarily. You will need to adapt to it, like the Shaman Trik did. His tribe had grown stronger and wealthier since coming here," I replied, and the old man smiled.
A few minutes later, the four left, and I turned to Shaman Trik.
"What is the progress of the other tribes?" I asked, and I was not talking about just the mining tribes.
I need people to work in the cities and join the army. The humans are coming, and their numbers had increased rapidly since the legacy has turned to Grade III, but it''s not enough.
I need more people. Especially now that I had conquered the new city.
It is a city with the capacity to hold half a million and there are not even fifty thousand people in there. If I were to exclude the army.
I need to fill the city with people. Especially miners.
We have opened two mines already and, in a week, three more will be open.
If I open all the mines. I would need around sixty to seventy thousand people to work in them.
Even the dead lord of Panar wasn''t able to bring that many people, but I plan to. If there are more people, I will open the new mines.
The renwell region, might not have anything, but it sure has loads of crystal.
It''s regretful that mining the crystals are not largely profitable. Like the mines of other things. Especially when most crystals mined through them needed to be sent out to process.
I am working on bringing the processing to the territory. I am in contact with a few businesses in the empires that deals in it.
Earlier, my proposals failed as I didn''t have much to offer them, but now with the condition of empire worsening and mine getting better, those people are being receptive.
I hope to convince at least one of them.
Hours passed, and I focused on work and meeting people. I am meeting a lot of people, but I need to for things, I am planning.
Click!
Soon the evening came, and Lola walked inside with three men.
"My lord," they greeted. "Take a seat, gentleman," I said, before taking the contract from Lola.
She had been negotiating with them for the past few hours.
I begin to read it. I even activated the focus. It is a really important contract and I need to see if everything is perfect before signing it.
A few minutes later, I had finished and turned to the three people.
"I hope, both your businesses and the city of Greltheaven prosper by this agreement," I said and signed it, with my contract skill on it.
These three are from a Belnin based luxury yacht company. The agreement is about the transportation of high-net-worth patrons.
If someone wants to come to Legacy, spend a big on limited time.
Their yachts will be available to them.
I need this service for my patrons. Especially now, that legacy had become bigger with the whole tower as its domain. There will be more people coming to visit the legacy.
The travel of high-net-worth will increase even further after the casino opens.
They loved it.
As I finished signing. A tray with five glasses filled with wine, and a swirling mist appeared in Lola''s hand.
It surprised them, but they accepted.
Clink!
"We will toast to that, my lord," said the blond man, and we clinked our glasses before taking a sip, which made their eyes widen as a surprise.
Since the outer range is covering the whole city. The vault could be accessed from anywhere.
Chapter 486: Mist Work
Eva Charles
Clang Clang Clang!
The hammer, covered in the mist, hit the heated metal.
Shaping into the shape, while infusing it with the colorful mist with each blow.
He learned fast. It had been two weeks since Remus granted him access to the mist and he is doing better than I had thought he would.
The man is good, and now, with the mist, he will become even better.
I turned to his daughter; she was also working. A week and a half ago, the lord had granted her access as well. She is talented and I wish I could have her.
I had made the offer, but she declined.
She is not a blacksmith like her father, but an engraver and a talented one at that.
The way, she is infusing the mist into the engraving she is doing on the knife is amazing.
A few minutes passed, and he stopped as he let the piece cool off and turned to me.
"What do you this, Miss Eva?" he asked. "Guildmaster, you do not need my guidance anymore," I told him.
Remus had asked me to instruct them. I have been doing it since the day, he got the access.
"Thank you, Eva. You have really helped us a lot," said Atil. "It was my pleasure to instruct you," I replied to his daughter.
"Especially you, dear; it''s such regret, that you aren''t joining me. With me, you could work on metals better than the iron," I added, and the young woman rolled her eyes, with a smile.
"Will Lord Silver give the access to my students now?" he asked and the eyes of five people that are watching lit up hearing that.
There are three men and two women. The woman in the black dress is Silver''s.
It''s one of his conditions. If you want access, you will have to train his people. I have four with me; there were six, but two were not good enough.
I had sent them back.
"It shouldn''t be a problem," I replied, and a big smile appeared on my face.
Remus had stated, that as long as he gains the basic mastery over mist. He will share the access with his staff.
The orders are big; a single person is far from enough to do that.
He was about to say something when he closed his mouth and looked behind me.
I turned and saw a blue-haired young man walking in.
"I hope my order is ready?" he asked. One of his students got up and picked up the box not far away from him, before handing it to the man.
"I was able to make extra Cocotte oven," said Irving, and the young man''s eyes lit up and he opened the box.
"You are a lifesaver guild master. There had been a bloodbath in my kitchen for these things," he said, with relief palpable in his voice.
I heard about the incident. There is even some blood involved.
The young man is the chef de cuisine of the legacy. The food is his responsibility and everything that is being produced here is going to the kitchens of the legacy directly.
His people work with mist.
To them, having knives and other tools forged with mist is useful, just as it is to me in my work.
"Miss Eva," he nodded and walked away.
I didn''t stay for much longer and walked out of the workshop and then the store. Currently, it is hidden from the public''s view, but it won''t be after the opening.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The store floors are crowded as usual, but thanks to the guards. I didn''t have any problem in reaching the elevator.
Ting!
The elevator reached my store and walked out.
There are people everywhere around me. Since the legacy had covered the whole tower, the area of my store had more than doubled.
It would have been amazing. If he had given me another floor. I would have been satisfied with the small area too.
Me and my people wouldn''t have needed to work in a crowded place.
Click!
I nodded at the few people before opening the door on the eastern side of the store and stepping in the most crowded workroom, ever.
Even in my student days. I had never worked in such a cramped space, as right now.
This is a space of five thousand square feet, and in it, fifty-eight people are working. We have even divided the floors into two floors, to make more space.
We could do that thanks to the high ceiling of the floors of the tower.
Every person working here is above Lv. 25, with fourteen being Lv. 30, and of them, a few are at Lv. 35.
They are my and Miss Cain''s best people. They are jewelers, couturiers, shoemakers, and other people.
These are people who demand big spaces and assistants at their beck and call. Are now sitting in a cramped space with smiles on their faces.
Because all of them are working with the mist.
Fifty-eight is far from enough people. I wish I could bring more, but unfortunately, I could not.
Still, it should be enough for this store and orders from the legacy.
I climbed the small ladder and appeared on the floor above, before walking toward the jeweler''s station. Others barely glanced at me.
I sat down at a small workstation. These had been specially ordered with compact space in mind.
I didn''t have to work on the pieces myself. I could let the others work on it; they are working on it, but I like to work on them myself.
The piece, I am working on is a little special piece. It requires skills that only, I have.
Soon, I became so focused that I didn''t notice time passing. Even a small conflict occurred when someone stepped on someone else''s work.
When I came to myself. It is past six.
Seeing that, I got up immediately but didn''t hurry. Learning from the past lessons, I moved carefully, through this cramped space.
Click!
Finally, I reached the door and opened it, when I froze in my spot.
I saw my daughter in front of me, but she was not what froze me.
It is my son beside her.
I looked at him before leaping forward, taking him in my arms. "I miss you too, Mom," he said a second later.
"You should have told me, you are coming with your sister," I said to him. I wanted to be angry, but it was the last thing on my mind, seeing my sweet boy.
"It wouldn''t have been fun," he said, and I glared at him.
He had the qualities of his father, both good and bad. One, that brought a lot of pain to him.
It hurts to see him so much in pain.
"I hope you won''t leave your mother soon," I said to him. "I will stay for a while," he replied. I nodded, pleased, and turned to his sister.
"You should have told me, your ship is coming early," I said to her.
"Devin didn''t let me," she replied simply, and I sighed.
"This legacy is good. Feels stronger than, the brocks bar," he said, trying to touch the ribbon of mist.
I waved my hand and a delicate ribbon of mist formed and twirled around his hand, surprising him.
"It''s a lot stronger than the Brocks bar," I replied.
They may be in the same grade, but they couldn''t compare to the velvet garden. Brocks''s bar is tiny in front of the velvet garden and despite being new, its power is much heavier.
Currently, it is not even at its peak since most of the plants have been removed.
When they come back, it will be amazing.
Click!
He looked around before opening the door to the workshop.
"Selah, I didn''t think, I would ever see you working in such a small space," he said to my best jeweler.
"I would have if you had the ability to turn your store into the legacy, little Devin," replied the other woman, without missing a beat.
She has known him since he was a child, and they always make fun of each other.
"Let me show you around," I said to him and began to show him around.
"This space is enormous. Both floors of Brock''s bar could easily fit in here and leave some more space," he said, feeling enamored by it.
"Both of the floors of Brock''s bar do not cover over forty-thousand square feet, but the tower is built in sixty-thousand square feet," I replied to him.
A few minutes passed, and I took them to my favorite place on the floor.
After advancing into Grade III. It had become even better.
"The view is amazing," he breathed as he looked at the city from the edge.
The whole view of the city is visible, not just the city, but the river and the wasteland past it.
"Don''t you fear I will jump from here, Mom?" he asked, turning to me. I glared at him, and his sister walked a little closer to stop him, in case he tried.
The memories of those years couldn''t help, but flash in front of my eyes.
He had tried to kill himself. Several times.
"You can not dear. There are powerful protections that will stop anyone who falls from dying," I replied after a moment of silence.
Caena had said, there is an invisible net. She didn''t explain whether it was an object or a spell, but said, nobody would die. They had tested it a few days ago.
I sat down in the chair, and he sat opposite me with his sister beside him.
A few minutes passed in silence. When the server came holding a try.
One bar is open. Though not for the public.
"Really Mom. Tea?" he asked, seeing it. "It''s an excellent tea dear, with good detoxing effects," I replied.
I didn''t miss the alcoholic smell coming from him.
"Well, at least, it is made with mist," he said, taking the cup in his hand.
I hope he will stay with me here. I am not going to force him. He does not react well to that. I just hope he loves this place as I come to love it.
I could really use him here.
My son is really talented and if it had not been for his difficulties, he would have made a huge name for himself already.
Chapter 487: Changed
Aman Halcyon
The ship stopped and a few minutes later, the men begin to bring out the huge crates and load them into the cargo carriages.
I didn''t have to be here, but I wanted to.
Each of those crates contains the casino games.
The very games that would be used by the Onix Halcyon are being brought here.
Each of those games cost a lot and after spending decades in the legacy, had made them even more expensive.
Every part of them contains the power of the legacy.
There was resistance, not only from the kingdom but also from my uncles, who wanted these things for their casinos.
Thankfully, Grandfather helped, and his words are the last, but still my uncles might to do something, and we have to be careful.
It is not just the games we are bringing out, but also the art and other things that become a signature of the Onix Halcyon.
Though this ship only brought the casino games.
Mom is still in the Ilden, handling the things at her end, while I am handling the things here.
There are a lot of things to do. That since I had come here, I didn''t sleep for over five hours each night.
"I will handle the things here, Aman. Go to the legacy," said Carnes.
The man had been working in the halcyon since before I was even born and is my mother''s most trusted man.
"Ok," I said and walked to the carriage. I would have stayed, but I have a lot of work to do.
A few minutes later, the carriage reached the garden and moved toward the tower.
Silver had really made something beautiful.
The tower looks simple and even ugly at first glance, but the more one looks at it, the more one falls in love with it.
It had rough beauty to it, that will remind one of the wastelands around us.
The tower wasn''t fully visible; only the store floors looked visible, while the rest were covered in a mist. The mist isn''t dense, but it''s dense enough that one couldn''t see through it.
The mist will thin and the whole tower became visible at the opening a week later.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I entered inside. I didn''t walk through the lobby, but through the south side of the tower; the service entrance.
As I entered inside, I felt its power, and it was amazing.
I have been through too many legacies, but the Velvet Garden impressed me the most.
It''s not the strongest of the Grade III, but the feeling it gives is better than any legacy. I will not say it openly, but it felt like, it was as comprehensive as Thrones.
If I am wrong; its emotion slate must be quite wide.
The feeling from it isn''t as strong as the most powerful Grade III legacy, but the legacy is new.
It hadn''t been even a month since it had advanced. It will grow powerful in a few years. It might be as powerful as Onyx Halcyon.
I wouldn''t have said those words. If it had been any other legacy, seeing the legacies take decades to reach that power. Most don''t.
Onyx Halcyon had been the biggest Grade III legacy and one of the most powerful.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!
It was special, but soon it was going to disappear.
It made me sad, but I am also a little happy. That tiny part of it would be here. Merge with this legacy, which will soon become our new home and help us start a new.
I sighed and stepped onto the minus floors, where I saw a lot of people.
All of them are working on different things, with supervisors keeping an eye on their work.
Greltheaven might be a small city, but it has an advantage that even Beyhelm didn''t.
The close proximity to merchant state. It''s the main reason why mother had chosen to take this risk and because of it.
Such close distance to it will bring the high-income individuals, which the merchant states have more than any other kingdom on the continent.
There are also the expert workers and artists. They have one of the best artists on the continent.
The legacy had hired many companies led by these people.
They are one doing work on these floors, and their work is amazing. When it will finish, it might even dwarf Onyx Halcyon itself.
The work of such a level isn''t cheap.
The budget had already gone three times more than I had thought it would, and it was going to increase even further.
I thought there would be an objection, but mother and grandfather simply agreed after looking at the proposal that the interior designers made.
The work is going fast, but it''s going to take a lot of time. Around two months at least; the changes aren''t small, and they needed to be specific.
Silver didn''t have a problem with the timeline, which made me relieved.
However, we still want to finish it sooner. Grandfather didn''t have much time. He could die any day, and we want to finish it before he leaves the world.
I hope he will see the new casino. That is a fusion of his and Silver''s vision.
I am excited about it, even if it is the most frustrating thing in the world. In the evening daily, there is a meeting with the interior designers, gardeners, and the madams.
It is frustrating, seeing how little they compromise.
We need the fusion of both visions, but sometimes, I felt like they wanted Velvet Garden more and Onyx Halcyon less in the fusion.
I am not letting that happen. I am fighting tooth and nail for every little change, which is like fighting a battle.
At every meeting. I become so tired, that all I want is to sleep.
Hun!
I climbed to minus third floor when I saw a woman. She is familiar, about my age, with dark blue hair and blue eyes.
"Madam Danelle," I greeted the woman. She turned to me with a smile.
"Mr. Halcyon," she said.
"I didn''t expect to see you, here," I said and the smile on her face widened. "I didn''t expect to see you too; I thought you had gone to the port?" she asked.
The woman is on a negotiating team along with Madam Caena.
She is a fierce girl. It would be a grave mistake to assume she is harmless seeing her petite figure and pretty face.
I had paid a prize for that.
"I just returned," I replied. She nodded and looked around slowly.
She is a clearly using a skill.
Another thing, that is frustrating is that. It is hard to sense when the madams are using the skills. The legacy hides it, like how the casino hides us using our skills.
It also amplifies the power of the skills and suppresses the others'' skills.
We used to do that to others, but now it is being done to us. It''s not a good feeling, I hate it, but there was nothing I could do about it.
As I looked at her, I couldn''t help, but wonder whether my class would change according to the legacy.
It will depend on Silver and my own efforts. Mostly on Silver. If he didn''t want us to be part of his legacy. Then, no matter the feat, we achieve, we will not gain authority.
In the legacies, the will of the master is absolute.
I stayed in the legacy for half an hour more, before walking out. I have work and a few people to meet.
Soon, it was five, and I walked out of my office and went to the warehouse, compound, which was being guarded by the private mercenary group we had hired.
There are also police, that are patrolling around. Keeping an eye on things.
Silver had also said that few of his people were keeping an eye on it in secret. If someone tries anything, they will act immediately to deal with it.
Click!
The door opened, and I walked inside the warehouse, which was filled with crates.
"Open them," I said.
The men moved and began to open the crates. The first that opened had the card table and its parts.
The second one had the same and so was the third. After several crates, it is a roulette and then other things.
Hun!
Another crate opened, and a surprise appeared on the faces of everyone, including mine.
"As expected," I muttered.
Instead of a slot machine which I had expected. There are blocks of wood.
Someone had changed the things.
"Keep opening," I ordered, and the crates opened one after another. The next five crates also had the wooden blocks, that game they were supposed to contain.
Soon, the last of the crate opened, and Carnes turned to me.
"What do you think?" he asked. "You already know," I replied, and he simply nodded.
The best chance to replace the boxes would be at sea, but I don''t think that happened. We have trusted people here; some even Carnes doesn''t know about.
The ship didn''t stop anywhere since leaving the port of the Beyhelm.
That means only one thing. The boxes had been changed in Beyhelm.
There are only two people who could do that, and we had already expected they would do it, but hoped in our hearts that they will not.
They have got so much more than us; the entire business empire, but they still did this.
"Carnes, inform my mother," I said and walked toward the crates.
We had hoped, they wouldn''t do this, but since they did, we will act on our preparations as well. We truly didn''t want to make such moves, but they had left us no choice.
Chapter 488: Invitation
Ashton Harbor
"Yark, welcome to Renwell," said the man with the staff. "Thank you, my lord," replied Yark, and bowed deeply.
"How was the journey?" the man with the staff asked. "
I wish, I didn''t have to come so sneakily," replied Yark, with a sigh.
"It is temporary once we capture the region. Moving openly through the sea won''t be a problem," replied the man with the staff.
His enemies are recruiting forces, but he is not standing still either.
He is bringing people from the island. People he trusts, while sending back those he did not. The third of the people he wants has already arrived and the rest won''t take time.
It wouldn''t have taken more than a week. If they had a safe route, but the imperials and merchants are patrolling the sea like sharks.
It was wise to not bring them together.
One of the ships bringing a group had simply disappeared a week ago.
There is no response from them. Its complete silence. One didn''t have to guess for long to know what had happened.
So, caution is necessary.
It will only be a little longer, till then, I will let my enemies enjoy the little time they have. Who knows, the one in the Greltheaven might take his legacy to Grade IV.
That would be wonderful.
...¡
Carla Salt
"I want to, Miss Carla," said the middle-aged man in front of me.
It is the words I had heard from the tens of alchemists I had met in the past few weeks, but it is what comes after, that makes me so angry and frustrated.
"I mean, who doesn''t want to work with the emotion''s essence? It is a dream of every alchemist, but I can''t come to Greltheaven for it," he said, shaking his head.
I could see him glancing at the doors. Behind it are my guards, but also the person sent by the city to show me around.
I have been dropping the invitations around the western empire while trying to poach the alchemists.
It is hard because they want to come, but they can''t.
Alchemists are war assets.
The potions and other things they craft are instrumental to the wars. No, lord would let them leave, especially at a time like these.
"Thank you for your time, Alchemist Nahil," I said and got off my chair.
"If you change your mind, remember the doors of Greltheaven are always open to you," I added and walked toward the door.
I am not surprised by the results. Remus had already told me to expect it.
He said we aim to meet them. Tell them our doors are open for them. If somehow, they were able to slip through, they would think about us.
It will also spread the news across their connections.
Still, his rejection couldn''t help, but disappoint me. Especially when every single alchemist, I had met across the cities had said the same thing.
Click!
I opened the door and walked out of the, with my guards and Najin following beside me.
"I hope, you had a good meeting, Ms. Carla?" asked Hejin. He was polite, but I could see the mirth in the eyes of the blond man.
"It was excellent, Mr. Hejin; it went better than I had thought," I replied smoothly, and the man smiled.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
He is from the city hall. He is a guide, but in reality. He is the ears and eyes of them. He will report my every move, might even be reporting now.
I am used to people like him; every city sends someone like him.
At least, he isn''t boring like many others had been.
Soon, we walked off the four-story building, into the evening night.
I have a meeting in three hours with Lord Kanas Raul; son of Count Raul. Once than done, I will be finished here and my work.
I will take the ship from Ertburn and return to Greltheaven.
I might not have been able to bring any alchemist, but I have done my other job, and it went better than I had imagined. With those things, the opening would be even more impressive.
I pushed those thoughts and looked around myself.
I am in the alchemy street; there are alchemy stores everywhere. I had already met five alchemists and, like Alchemist Nahil; everyone declined my offer in not so many words.
Right now, I am Ertburn; the city is as big as Inam.
It is a prosperous port city, and the war has made its economy flourish. That now it is as rich as Mirstone; the capital of the Randav region, it''s part of.
I hope Greltheaven will become as prosperous as this city.
People would laugh at such a thought, but it will happen. I am confident it will happen.
He will do it.
"No!"
I was in my thoughts when I heard a loud scream.
I turned and saw a woman and man in their late twenties held down by the city guards, while other guards sealed the building behind them.
"Yes, seal the shop. You should also jail them for years," said the middle-aged bald man angrily.
"They deserve it and more, after what they had done to the face of my beautiful wife," he added and turned at the woman beside him, whose face had turned dark red.
I first thought it had been burned, but it''s not. It seemed like a reaction.
"What did we do? It''s your fault this happened. We had clearly told you, that the cream is only for those with oily skin, but the skin of your wife is sensitive,"
"You shouldn''t have let your wife use it," countered the raven-haired man beside the woman.
The woman with a red face turned to her husband, with clear anger in her eyes.
"You did not," he refuted with his face turned beat red.
The man was clearly lying, everybody could see that. Even his wife; it''s why she had got even angry.
"He must have brought it for his mistress,"
Someone quipped loudly, making the man turn angrily to look for the person.
Feeling curious, I walked toward them to watch the fun.
There is nothing for me to do. I had met the merchants and important people and made the offer to the alchemist.
Now, I only have to meet Count Raul''s son, but that is two hours away.
"Alchemist Sansa, Alchemist Kauns. This is your ninth offense, in the past six months,"
"You have left us with no choice but to seal your workshop and suspend your license for a year," said the man wearing the suit and plastered a notice across the wall.
Seeing it, the man and woman shook and tears welled up in their eyes.
Like the notice is a mountain that crushed their hopes and dreams.
"What is happening?" I asked Hejin.
''Those two are beauty alchemists. Quite talented, but uncontrollable. Their wares had harmed a lot of people; the red face is a mild case,"
"One of their potions had left a people in pain for days and another woman paralyzed for a month with their salve," replied Hejin with a shake of his head.
People began to walk away, and I wanted to do that too, but those expressions stopped me.
I had been too familiar with it. Saw it far too many times on my friends and family, and experienced it myself.
''I shouldn''t do this,'' I thought, but sighed and walked toward the two. They are slumped by the wall of their workshop wall, with tears streaming down their eyes.
I appeared beside them, and they turned to me.
I took out a delicate scroll from my bag before handing it to them.
"Think about it," I said to them and walked away, while they stared at me in confusion.
That scroll was for the alchemist we have chosen. The ones we thought were skilled enough to use the emotion essence.
I could have given them a card and asked them to come to the Greltheaven, but I gave them that scroll. I don''t know what I was thinking, but I don''t regret it.
Hejin looked at me, but I didn''t say anything to him.
Soon, an hour and half a passed, and I explored this beautiful city before my carriage entered the city hall again.
I got out and followed Hejin.
A few minutes later, I reached the place with golden doors and a beautiful waiting room. A little ostentatious, with too much gold, but it looks good.
"Carla Salt, I have a meeting with Lord Raul," I said to the redheaded receptionist.
She looked at me with contempt and jealousy I was too familiar with. That I had started ignoring it.
"He will see you for fifteen minutes," she replied curtly.
I nodded and walked into the waiting room.
I sat down and picked up the weekly newsletter. I didn''t get a chance to read it earlier, with a busy schedule, I had since I came to the city in late afternoon.
"Miss Swan, Lord Raul will see you now," said the receptionist.
She was still sitting behind her table, but her voice felt like, she was right next to me. It is a skill; a few girls in the legacy have a skill like this.
I got up and walked toward the golden door.
Click!
The guards opened the door as I reached, and I stepped inside the office.
It is big and beautifully decorated. There are a lot of beautiful art pieces and tables, that Remus would envy.
Behind the table was a handsome man, who looked to be in his early thirties.
He is well-built, with a thick platinum blond and a piercing blue eye, that are now looking at me shamelessly with a clear lust in his eyes.
He isn''t even trying to hide it.
Seeing it, I couldn''t help but sigh internally. I have come across many people like him and know how to deal with them, but it is always tricky.
Dealing with this one is going to be the trickiest. I heard a thing about him.
Bad things that his house tried to suppress.
It didn''t matter to me. I am going to hand him the invitation and get the hell out of here.
Chapter 489: Assault
Carla Salt
"My lord," I greeted the man and bowed.
A moment passed, and there was no reply from him, but I could feel his eyes on my body.
They have become even more intense than before like he wants to see through my clothes.
It made me feel naked.
I used to do it, but I didn''t like it; I never liked it, but I bore it. Now, I don''t want to do even that.
There is only one person who had a right to look at this way and this man isn''t him.
Despite hating it from the bottom of my heart. I bore it; there was nothing, I could do other than that.
"Sit," he said finally, nearly a minute later.
"Thank you, my lord," I replied and sat down in front of him, before turning to him. Seeing his eyes turning even more intense with lust.
I hadn''t noticed it before, but this man was drunk. A faint smell of alcohol is coming off him.
''I should hand it over and get out of here,'' I thought and took out the invitation from my bag and placed it in front of him.
"This is an invitation for the founding day celebration. Lord Silver, hopes, that Lord Count and you will grace his city with your presence," I said.
He didn''t even glance at the invitation. His eyes remained focused on me.
I didn''t get a good feeling about it and opened my mouth to get permission to leave when he spoke.
"Does Silver satisfy you?" he asked.
Saying I was shocked by his question would be an understatement.
I was so shocked by the question, that I wasn''t able to react at all. Many had looked at me as he did in the past few weeks, but no one had brazened as he is right now.
"He young. He can''t satisfy a whore like you. Who had a habit of doing with tens of people every day?"
If his earlier words had stumped me. These had brought clarity into my mind.
"Lord Silver, satisfy me a lot, my lord. Like no man ever did and no man ever could," I replied finally, looking directly into his eyes.
He was surprised for a moment before he grinned and got up.
"It seemed like, you''ve never been fucked by the real man. If you had, you wouldn''t have said that," he said, licking his lips.
Hearing that, I felt fear for the first time and stood up without hesitation before running toward the door.
I have seen that look countless times in my life and know, I have to get out of here.
It had brought a stark realization to my heart. That I would never be able to run away from my past, no matter how much, I wish to do it.
Sometimes, I forget, I was a whore, but people like these breaks that paper wall and bring me face to face with my past.
This man didn''t just want to remind me of my past. He wants to make me relive my past.
I had met thousands of people since I became head of Remus''s business, but nobody had been as brazen as this man.
They may have called me a whore to my face and made an indirect suggestion that I sleep with them, but none had ever crossed a red line with words or action.
Hun!
I reached the door and felt relieved. I was about to pull it when I felt the hands on me.
Making me shudder in terror.
"Today, I will give you the pleasure of being fucked by the real man," he said into my ears with the heavy smell of alcohol coming from his breath.
I tried to push him away, but he gripped me such, that I couldn''t move even a step.
"Let me go," I shouted with panic filling my heart.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
"Damn, you are strong!" he cursed.
I struggled even wildly hearing that when I felt him grabbing the back of my dress and yanking it violently.
Tear!
I felt my dress ripping apart without offering much resistance under his callous hands.
The horror in my heart darkened. There is no doubt what he planned to do with me.
"You are one beautiful whore, and I am going to enjoy eating you up," he said, laughing in pleasure, while pulling my dress again, tearing it whole.
I am now in my underthings, with his monstrous eyes looking at me hungrily.
"Let me go or Remus will kill you!" I shouted in desperation, and he chuckled.
Tore!
"You are overestimating yourself and Silver, you whore."
"No matter what I do to you, Silver will not say a word. He might even thank me for showing you what a real man is like," he said and tore apart my underwear with a yank.
Terror gripped my heart, and I struggled harder, but he was strong and used his skill to suppress me.
It is powerful, but I could bear it.
I am higher level than him; he is not even Lv. 30, but his class is powerful, and his attributes went to strength, while mine went to charm and intelligence.
"Please don''t do this," I begged as I felt him removing the buttons of his pants.
I was a whore, and I had sex with thousands of people in my life. Now my body is for only one person, but another person is trying to take it forcefully.
It brought out every horror, I had kept buried in my heart since my childhood.
They all came out like a mage''s moving picture. Making me struggle harder.
Slap!
"Stay still, you whore!" he shouted, and lifted me, before bending me against the table and pressing my head against it.
"Help!"
Tears started to stream down my face while I streamed and struggled with everything I had, but the bastard was too strong.
Seconds passed, and he finally removed his thing and touched my back with it.
I shuddered in terror as I felt it against my skin.
I felt disgusted. Not with myself, never, but with this man of high position, who dares to do something like this to me.
I can''t imagine, but wonder, what he must have done to the other women.
The women were without any power or backing.
"Please, don''t," I begged again, and he laughed.
"You are saying no now, but you will soon beg for more," he laughed, and I felt his thing slide down his thing from my back.
"Bitch, stay still!" he cursed as his thing slipped away.
I struggled with everything, I used everything have. From Presence of Administratrix to Graceful Body, but it is not enough to get away from him.
"You have really made me angry, you whore. After I am done, I will have all my guards have their way with you."
"You will be fucked till the last breath of your life," he said and once again position his thing against my back, while pressing my face hard against the table.
"No!" I screamed with every bit of panic and helplessness. I am feeling right now.
Soon, it reached my behind and slid toward my folds.
There is also vengeance. If I survive, I will do everything in my power to make this man suffer, the greatest pain he has ever felt in his life.
I felt his thing reaching my folds, and I struggled with everything I had. I brought out power, I never had and more to push him away.
Crack Crack Crack
It was when I heard the cracks and thought, of my bones cracking apart, but no, it is something else.
Boom!
The cracks spread wide all over me before a loud boom rang through me and the power I never felt before bursting out of me, spreading far and wide.
It froze the man, and I used the opportunity to get away from the bastard.
I wanted to kill the bastard with the knife, I had in my bag, but even in this state, I knew, it was a bad decision.
For me. For Remus.
I am willing to suffer any consequence for it, but I am not willing to let him suffer any.
I picked up my bag and took out the coat, before wearing it, while I typed the sash. The power, that burst out of me and returned to my body.
Click!
I opened the door with saw Hugo right in front of me, while my guards, were in front of his guard.
He looked at me, before looking behind me, and a shock appeared in his eyes.
"Red," I said.
He turned to the mage immediately while I moved ahead, wanting to get away from the man and the city as soon as possible.
I moved while people watched. They seemed to be frozen in their places, with shock in their eyes.
I felt like, I knew the reason for it, but it was at the back of my mind, and I didn''t think about it. The only thought I have in my mind is getting out of here as soon as possible.
"Lord Silver wants to talk to you, Miss Carla," said Mage Cliff, raising his hand toward me.
I didn''t want to touch any man, but I took his hand and immediately connected with Remus.
"Carla, what happened?" he asked.
I could feel the worry in his voice. It made me feel relieved, knowing that he would be with me. Even if the entire world went against me.
I told him what happened, while people around me watched in shock.
I could see the rage burning in Hugo''s eyes and he moved close to me but moved back, seeing the change in my expression.
The emotion I saw in his eyes is nothing compared to what I am feeling through Remus''s voice.
It brought relief to my heart. Instead of making me feel worried.
Hun!
I was talking to him when suddenly the connection cut off.
"They have activated anti-communication measures," informed Mage Cliff.
I simply nodded and kept walking ahead before finally reaching the doors of the city hall, when I suddenly stopped seeing the lines of guards waiting outside.
...¡.
A man in his late fifties was talking to two people in front of him when suddenly something hit them.
All three of them stopped in shock.
"Aura," said a younger man with platinum blond hair, similar to the older man sitting in front of him.
"It''s from the city hall," replied the older man as the powerful aura burst out of him.
For a moment, there was a joy in his eyes. Thinking it was his son who might have awakened it, but a moment later, he shook his healing.
Feeling it too different.
Aura''s have personality, especially when they awakened, and the user didn''t learn to hide it. This one is gentle but strong as steel. Much different from the personality of his oldest.
He was thinking, who might have awakened it, when it disappeared.
The older man pulled back his aura as well.
"Lord Count, wh" the raven-haired man opened his mouth to speak, when he closed his mouth, seeing the drastic change appearing on the face of the man in front of him.
"Seal the city hall and take them into custody," ordered the Count with gritted teeth and got up.
Click!
A moment later, he turned blur and got out of the office. The two looked at each other before following the older man.
Chapter 490: Anger
Shaun Carter
"Nothing gives more joy than a drink after a hard day of work," I said as I took a sip of my favorite drink.
It is the only bar that is open in the tower. There are a few people aside from us, including Miss Eva''s son, who had become regular.
"Hard, my ass. You do nothing, but lounge around every day," said my sister.
Taking a sip from her own drink.
"It is at least better than walking around the tower day and night," I replied.
Hun!
She glared and opened her mouth to counter when suddenly the atmosphere of the whole tower had changed.
The whole tower shook like an earthquake had come, before it roiled aggressively with the power of aura and volcanic anger.
It''s was so overwhelming that it froze us while many people around us begin to fall unconscious.
The anger is so intense, that it has overwhelmed people. Forcing their support system makes them fall unconscious to shield them from damage.
It took me seconds to recover from it and shield my mind. A time, more than enough to kill me in ten different ways.
I turned to my sister and saw her looking at me with her expression serious.
Something terrible had happened. To make Lord Silver radiate such rage.
I have been guarding for months and I know how good the man is at controlling his emotions.
He rarely let his emotions out of his control.
I didn''t waste any time and got off my chair, cast haste on myself, and moved toward the floors above with Stena beside me with her speed skill.
"This is terrifying. He has amplified the power of his aura and spread it into the entire legacy," whispered Stena, shocked.
She isn''t the only one.
I had seen the aura work. This is not the strongest one I experienced, but the most terrifying one.
Such power from an aura is rare. Especially from the person, who had awakened it less than a month ago.
The most terrifying thing about it is that such power is felt across the entire legacy, targeting thousands of people in the legacy.
Not a small area size of the room, with all of them feeling similar overwhelming rage as us.
"That''s the masters of the legacy for you," I said to her.
¡..
Senar
"Madam, what happened?" I asked Madam Caena as I reached the top floor.
There are already a lot of people have gathered. Assistant madams, guards. There is even Miss Rolgath and Lady Blackwell.
All of them looked at the door with deep shock and fear.
The storm of rage and aura is pressing on me like a mountain. I am barely holding on again it.
I have seen people fainting on my floor. I had asked those conscious to get those unconscious people out before coming here.
"No, idea, but it is something terrible," she replied softly while looking at the door.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
I could see the conflict in her eyes. She wants to open the door but is hesitating.
¡..
"He doesn''t want to talk to you," said Zela and the anger in my heart raged further.
It wasn''t a sexual assault, but rape.
Now, that bastard''s father isn''t willing to talk to me. I didn''t want to talk to him either, but he had taken Carla and others into custody.
When it is his son who committed the crime.
"Since he doesn''t want the easy way. We will show him the difficult way," I said.
I don''t want to do that, but there is no other choice.
"Inform the imperials, that we are suspending the supply of emotion essence to the empire effective immediately, till we have Carla safely in the city," I said.
Making her eyes widen in shock.
"Lord Silver, it''s not wise to push them in such a way," said Jon as he became visible.
He never comments on political matters, but this time he did. He is right, but I am going to do it.
"They need to know, that emotion''s essence isn''t free. We are giving that to them because we expect something in return and they better give us when we ask for it," I replied.
Every person pays for emotions essence in some form. Except for the imperials. It''s a tithe to them, but it''s not without conditions.
Till now, I didn''t demand anything. If I did, I paid extra for that. I could have saved a lot of emotions'' essence by levering the tithe to get what I wanted, but I paid extra to get those favors.
It is for a moment like this.
When I need help, I damn well expect the imperials to help me. If they don''t, I will stop the flow of emotion essence, which they cannot afford.
There are eight legacies in the empire. Excluding mine and my legacy produces more than double the emotion essence of seven combined.
Only could compare to me and not because it is as big as mine, but because it''s the throne.
This is not a threat, I had given to them, but a promise.
I will do it. I wouldn''t have dared to do something like this before the legacy advanced to Grade, but now I am daring to.
"Count Raul isn''t a simple man. He was able to remain neutral, even at such times," said Zela, and I smiled.
The man is powerful, personally and militarily, and still neutral, which itself spoke of his power, but that works in my favor.
If he had been in the camp of either, it might have been difficult to pressure him.
Now, it is slightly easier.
He is not without enemies, and one is his neighbor and equally powerful.
"Inform him. If he doesn''t release Carla within a day, then I will support Viscount Larnis."
"I will start by giving him a thousand essence bottles within a month, and that will be just the beginning," I ordered, while they watched in shock.
I am feeling powerless right now. If I had been powerful, his son wouldn''t have dared to do what he had done, and he wouldn''t have even thought about taking Carla into custody.
I cannot go to Ertburn with the army to save Carla or do something to avenge her honor.
He could crush me personally, and his army would decimate mine in minutes.
His son will remain unharmed, despite the heinous crime he committed against my love.
"The prime minister, Haas, and Aralis want to talk to you. There is also Salazar and Lord of Inam and Owlspring," informed Zela.
"Connect me with Haas," I said, and she raised her hand toward me.
I took it, and around ten seconds later, we connected.
"Prime Minister," I greeted. ''Lord Silver,'' the man with a deep voice said from another end.
There was a silence for a moment before I spoke.
"I hope, you will help me. Prime minister," I said to the man.
''Of course, Lord Silver, but such things take time and patience. You cannot rush these things riding on your emotions." He replied.
"You need to be patient, such things take time,'' he added a moment later.
He even used the skill, but I resisted with my aura and the legacy.
''I am not in a patient mood, Prime Minister."
"If they don''t release my mistress, and do it by the morning, I am going to contact Viscount Larnis and offer him the complete support of my legacy.'' I replied.
I especially said legacy instead of Greltheaven or me. He should understand, I mean, the essences.
Implying the emotion essence that I was going to supply to them will go to him.
Viscount Larnis may be saying he is neutral, but he aligns with Princess Orlene. The Crown Prince wouldn''t want me to give my support to him.
Especially when the man is preparing for another attack on Ertburn.
There was a silence for a moment from the other side, before the man spoke again.
"You shouldn''t make a hasty decision, Lord Silver," advised the Prime Minister, with a clear hardness in his voice.
A warning and with it came the power of his skill. Much stronger than before.
I resisted.
"It is my decision, and I will do what I had said. I hope his majesty will support me for it," I replied with a voice even harder.
I am not going to change my decision, and he better not press me.
"I am only asking for my Mistress back, Prime Minister. I am not saying anything about avenging her honor, I understand it is not a time for that." I added, softly.
I will avenge her honor. It will take time, but I will do it.
"We will talk again in a few hours when you calmed down enough, Lord Silver," he said and cut the connection.
He didn''t say anything about talking to Count Raul, but he will. He just didn''t say it, because if the man didn''t agree, it would look bad on him.
"Viscount Laris wants to talk to you," said Zela. "Set the call for an hour later," I replied.
There are a few more people, I need to talk to first before I talk to him. He is my last card, and I don''t want to use him as there will be consequences.
Currently, I do not have the power to bear them without coming out of it unscathed.
Chapter 491: Threats and Offer
Mardel City
"Your majesty, he isn''t willing to listen. Saying, he will announce the support for the Marques Laris, tomorrow," said the old man in his sixties.
In front of him is a woman in her early forties. Looking at the mess of papers in front of her.
"Mother, I think we should let him support Laris. If he conquers Ertburn, we will gain one of the prosperous cities in the empire," said the man, in his early twenties, excitedly.
The woman stopped as she heard that and turned to the young man.
"And what about Silver?" she asked gently.
"What about him? Isn''t he the one harping about supporting the Marquess Laris? We are just letting him do what he wants to do," replied the young man.
The woman didn''t say anything and simply kept looking at her son.
Seconds passed, and confidence from his face began to slip away, till the uncertainty appeared on his face.
"Is it not wise, mother?" he asked. To that, she didn''t say anything, just kept looking at him.
"Brother dearest, we need Silver. We need him more than we need, Marquess Laris right now,"
"The emotions essence, he had planned to supply us before it was suspended, would have been 60% of our emotion essence supply,"
"It is more than all the legacies in our control give us. Our powerhouses are dependent on the potions made from them,"
"If the supply is suspended, even for a month. It will affect us deeply," replied the young girl of twelve-thirteen.
"He won''t dare to do that. He knows the consequences of that," said the young man angrily, but the teen girl only smiled and looked at her mother.
"Call, Count Raul, and tell him to release Silver''s mistress," said the woman, before turning back to the papers in front of her.
¡
Warsteel
"That little bastard, I will kill him!" cursed a man in his mid-fifties, while his advisers watched silently.
Keeping control of his emotions wasn''t the strong suit of the crown prince.
"Haas, tell the bastard. If he didn''t give us emotion essence on time. We will declare him the enemy of the empire," ordered the crown prince.
The advisers looked at each other in disagreement but stayed silent and turned to the man in his mid-fifties.
"That would not be wise, Your Majesty," said the man, and the anger in the crown prince''s eyes intensified.
"Why? He dared to threaten the supply of emotion essence. He had already committed a grave crime by giving that traitorous bitch the essences," said the Crown Prince.
"It is all true, Your Majesty, but we can''t do that. We are facing the enemies from all sides and forces are stretched."
"We need to swallow our anger and call the traitor our brother. Once we have the empire in our control. We will deal with every one of them as they deserve," replied the prime minister.
It had lessened the anger but didn''t make it disappear.
"I propose we tell Raul to release his whore. It wouldn''t be wise to delay it. Silver might make a deal with Laris and that wouldn''t be good for us," advised the Prime Minister.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
"Traitors. All of them are traitors," cursed the crown prince, but didn''t object to it.
He might be angry and not like it, but he understood the need for it. If he wasn''t that smart, he wouldn''t have been in this position.
¡
Sansa Banes
I watched as people carefully picked up the instruments and packed them in boxes.
I felt tears coming to my eyes again, but I controlled them.
The bank acted fast. Two hours after the sealing of the workshop and suspension, they appeared and began to remove the stuff and seal it.
We had over eight months to pay for the dues, but they had invoked a ninth clause.
Which relates to suspension of the license for six months or more.
If that happened, they have the right to demand the full payment of the loan and if one can''t, then they can make recovery through seizing assets.
Leo had gone to the few people we knew to ask them for help. I hope he succeeds, and someone helps us; I really don''t want to lose the workshop.
We are planning to appeal the suspension tomorrow. We might get some relief.
I was thinking about that when I heard the steps. I looked back and saw Leo. For a moment, hope appeared in my heart, but it was dashed as I saw his expression.
"Nobody agreed," he said, defeatedly.
Tears streamed down my hearing that as the last hope, I had been crushed as well.
He simply placed his hands on my shoulder and watched with me as they took out everything we had built here.
It took them a while, but they had packed everything. They didn''t even leave the mats on the floor and would have taken out bricks from the building if it wasn''t rented.
"Please, sign here," said the teller.
I looked at the document in front of me, before signing it with a shaking hand. Leo did the same, after me.
As we did, they put the stuff into the carriage and left, leaving us in an empty workshop.
"This is the end," I said and sat on the floor with tears streaming down from my face.
We had a dream when we started about two years ago. We wanted to research beauty products and sell their formulas to other alchemists to mass produce.
It turned out to be a much harder job than we had thought.
The sheer number of resources that are required for such research broke us. That we had to take the loan and take private order to sustain us.
Now, nobody would give us a loan to start over.
They wouldn''t even hire us. Alchemists, like us, are the risk. Things are sensitive and a wrong move and we explode the whole workshop.
No alchemist would take a risk with us.
"There might be a way," said Leo after a minute of silence, and I turned to him.
Only to see him, take out the familiar scroll from the bag.
"Did you recognize the woman that gave us the scroll?" he asked, and I shook my head. The only thing I remember is her being beautiful.
Earlier, I was so overwhelmed with everything, I took the scroll and gave it to him without even opening it.
"It was Carla Salt," he answered. I shook my head. I don''t think I heard the name.
"She is the mistress of Remus Silver. The lord of Greltheaven," he replied, and a surprise couldn''t help but appear in my eyes.
I heard that name; a little too much in the past few months. A master of legacy, which he was able to take to the Grade III in less than a year.
It is said that the velvet garden had become the biggest legacy, on a continent in Grade III and below.
"What did she want?" I asked, looking at the scroll.
She said, ''Think about it,'' but I didn''t know the context of things to think about.
He handed me a scroll, and I opened it. Within seconds, a surprise appeared on my face.
"Is this for real?" I asked as I finished reading.
"It is, and while it is for the Grade IV alchemists. They were willing to give us a chance when I described the woman who gave us the scroll," he replied.
I looked at him, before turning back to the scroll. Reading it again.
The scroll had information about their offer, which is quite generous and also strict.
They are providing the workshop with all the equipment and even the resources.
There is even a line mentioning that they will give us an opportunity to work with emotion essence and resources grown in essence if we are good enough.
In exchange, we will sign a strict contract with them.
What made it interesting is that there is a special mention of the beauty alchemists.
"What do you think?" he asked.
"Greltheaven is far and dangerous. It had been attacked several times by the undead," I replied, to that he smiled.
"We will not die. They do not kill alchemists," he replied.
Not the undead or anyone would kill alchemists. We are strategic resources, everybody needs us. We might not seem like it, but both of us are Grade III alchemists.
Making us more valuable than most other alchemists.
That doesn''t mean we will be free. We will be captive, crafting whatever they desire.
"We will need to decide quickly; there is only one position for us," he informed me, and I sighed, before shaking my head.
"It''s not like we have any other choice," I replied. He smiled before his expressions turned serious.
"Something related to that woman happened in the city. I heard a large number of guards have escorted her earlier out of the city hall," he informed.
"What happened?" I asked.
"No idea, but the city is aggressively suppressing the news about it," he replied. Hearing that, a few thoughts rose in my heart, but I crushed them.
As I had said, we do not have any choice.
"Then we should get out of the city as soon as possible, while the suspension is still fresh," I said, and he nodded before getting up.
If we want to leave. We have to leave as quickly as possible before they find a use for us.
There is always a use for us.
Chapter 492: Released
Ertburn
"Are we really releasing that whore father after what she had done?" asked Kanas, not daring to believe what his father had just said.
It hadn''t been even five hours since they arrested that whore and now, his father is planning to release her.
He was planning to fuck the bitch after leaving this meeting before throwing her to the other prisoners to have their way with her.
Father turned toward him, and there was a deep anger in his eyes.
"I have told you many times to keep your cock in your pants, but you never listened," he said.
"Now, you have made a needless enemy, as if we didn''t have enough of them already," he added with his whole body shaking in anger.
"Have we become so weak that we are scared of the little lord?" I asked angrily.
I am the heir of Ertburn and I had enough of my father treating me as a child.
It seemed to make Father even angrier, and the aura burst out of him. Making me nearly kneel on the ground for a moment.
"He is not a little lord, but master of Grade III legacy."
"The biggest one on the entire continent and he had suspended the supply of the emotion essence to imperials,"
"Now both of them are pressuring me to release his whore," replied father.
I was shocked, but soon, I controlled myself.
"So what? He won''t be able to do that for more than a week. We can easily bear the pressure, till then," I said and heard my brother snicker, while same time, my father got even angrier.
"Then what about Laris?" he asked, and I shuddered to hear the name of that man.
"He threatened me. If I didn''t return his whore, he will support Laris with the full power of legacy."
"Do you know what that means? He will use the essence of his legacy to support Laris. The legacy with the capacity to produce more emotion essence than all seven legacies," he said with gritted teeth.
I shuddered at hearing that. I know how important; the emotion essence is.
It is what saved my life, in the last battle.
Powerhouses want them. Some leave the service, if the liege can''t provide life-saving resources like that.
"He can''t do that. Talk to imperials. Tell them to stop him," I said with panic building in my heart.
Silver is a minor lord.
He didn''t even have an army of a hundred thousand, much less a powerhouse of father caliber. The only thing the bastard has is his legacy.
Still, it shouldn''t be able to pressure us enough to release his whore.
"Hahahaha¡"
I laughed derisively.
So angry at this idiot son of mine, that I wanted to bring out my saber and cut him into two, but unfortunately, I can''t do that.
He is my blood.
"You have made a mess with a single action. How foolish can you be?" I asked, barely controlling the anger, I was feeling.
"She is a whore!" he replied defiantly. I nearly took out my saber and hacked him.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
She was a whore, but she was on a diplomatic mission, and I had promised her immunity.
Now my son had tried to fuck her, and Silver had paused all the supplies of the emotion essence to the city.
I have been called by the imperials. Even Salazar had called me and the lord of Inam.
That little bastard had also threatened to back Laris. That would be terrible. He would pose a massive threat to us if Silver backed him with thousands of emotion essence.
That is not, what I fear the most. My biggest fear is Silver. He is powerful now, but he will be more powerful in the future.
He is barely twenty but awakened the aura. Those who do it so early, rise high in the level.
That whore had also awakened the aura.
There is the legacy, the biggest danger. It is the biggest one on the continent. Capable of producing more essence than all Grade III and below legacies on the empire combined.
If it ever reached Grade IV and it grew as it did this time, then it would be terrible.
Even if the legacy went is under imperial control by that time.
He would still be able to create trouble for my house, as his legacy would effectively become one of the most powerful legacies on the continent.
I am furious with my son.
Not because he tried to fuck. He had been doing that for years, despite me trying to stop it.
This time, he had made a move on the wrong person. No, not a wrong person.
She is a whore.
The mistake he made was, that he failed to gauge Silver''s affection for her.
It surprised even me. Seeing it had taken less than ten minutes to suspend the emotions essence supply to the empire.
I have to say, he had a good eye.
That whore awakened the aura. Only those with the strongest will could do it.
Once the news spread. It will shock the whole continent.
I wanted to kill her as she might become a threat in the future, but I couldn''t. If I kill her, Silver might act on the threats he made, and it is a risk, I couldn''t take.
Last time, I was barely able to stop Laris''s advance. If Silver were to aid him, it would make things difficult.
"Father, don''t release that whore. It will not look good on our house," he said and the anger in my heart, reached the limit once again before I calmed it down.
Yes, it will not look good, but there is no other choice.
I had a cordial relationship with Silver. He had invited us last time for the opening of his tower, two months ago, and I had sent my youngest.
There was even discussion in the nascent phase about emotion essence, but now everything has gone down the drain.
I can now forget about getting emotion essence from him. I might not be able to get even a few bottles from other legacies as well.
These hosts of legacy are united in these kinds of things. Even if they hate each other.
Thinking that, made me even angry, but also brought clarity to my mind about the decision that I had been thinking about for years.
Kanas isn''t fit to be heir. I thought he would learn, but after what he did today.
I know he will never learn and might even bring bigger trouble than this. If he continued acting like, he had today.
"My lord, this is the best I am able to achieve," said Nadim. Interrupting my thoughts.
A moment later, a contract projected in my mind.
"Only for a year and a half?" I asked after I read it carefully. Nadim sighed tiredly. "He isn''t willing to listen unless we agree to take a decade less for the house," he replied.
I focused back on the contract and a few minutes later. Turned back to him.
"I agree," I said with a sigh, and he raised his hands toward me. I took it and a moment later, I felt the contract clicking.
"Release her," I ordered.
¡
"I agree," I said with gritted teeth and felt the contract clicking.
The contract has the conditions for Carla''s release. I had been negotiating it for two hours.
It is a humiliating contract, but I am weak. If I had power, I would have been to make them release Carla with just the word alone.
The contract had many conditions, but three were most important.
The first condition was that I could not intentionally take any direct or indirect action against House Raulim and the territory of Ertburn for two decades.
They wanted it to be perpetual and then moved to five decades, but I didn''t agree.
The second condition is that I couldn''t intentionally make a direct or indirect move against Kanas Raul.
At first, I simply declined to agree with it, but they were too adamant about it. I had to agree, but I brought down the time to one and a half years.
He is going to pay for what he did to Carla.
There will be no escape, and the punishment would be such, that he will regret it for every second of his life.
The third condition is silence. I could not talk about what happened, for a period of two years.
This was the most humiliating contract I had ever signed, but I agreed. Without it, they would not release Carla.
.....
Carla Salt
The pen in my hand scratched across the paper, and the contract clicked as I signed on the last page.
"You are free. Our people will escort you and your people to the port," said a balding man in his early fifties.
He is Halis. Commerce adviser to Count Raul.
I had met with him in the morning. He is one of the people from the Ertburn, that''s been invited to the celebration.
I didn''t acknowledge his words, but got up and walked toward the door of the jail suite.
I had been here since they arrested me a few hours ago. I thought I would be here for weeks if not months and years, but I am leaving within hours.
I want to leave. I don''t want to stay in this city, even for a moment.
Chapter 493: Company
Rosen
"Take a break. We will start again in ten," said Loughty as the scene ended.
The actors moved to rest and read their lines, while the stage mages cleared their spells.
"How was it?" asked Loughty, as he stopped beside me. "Good, they are nearly ready," I replied to the middle-aged man.
"The performance would have been even better. If we didn''t abruptly stop last night," he said softly and shook visibly.
The incident last night was shocking and terrifying.
The rage that I had felt had nearly brought me to my knees, but also reminded me of the worst time in my life, when I had felt such rage.
"Don''t worry, we have enough time," I replied to him, and he nodded.
I have distributed some of my duties. Like directing to others. Focusing on managing the theater and refining my plays.
Like every part of the tower, the theater had also been expanded.
It became bigger with its capacity reaching three thousand seats. The stage is also bigger now, which will help us create complex sets.
The changes to the tower hadn''t been finished. Only the stage is finished.
There is work happening everywhere, but it will be done before the tower opens.
I hope it does. A lot is riding on it.
Soon, ten minutes passed, and practice began again. They have time till twelve before actors for another play will come for their practice.
There will be three plays playing in the legacy. Two of them are mine, while one is from the playwright of the merchant state.
Usually, only two plays are performed in the theater in a single day, but the response for plays has been great, with long waiting lists that go over a year.
The three plays are going to make a logistics hell. I wish I had a few weeks with a complete theater to train the staff, but I don''t have a single day.
So, I am making my people work, while the work is being done in the theater. The good thing is that we have experienced staff; the new people we hire are at a good level.
I am still amazed at how easy it is for the legacy to attract great talent.
Even at my peak, it was hard for me to recruit the best stage mages or directors, but here, we only needed to post a single recruitment letter, and hundreds would apply.
Soon ten minutes passed, and the practice started again.
I watched for a while before walking away. Crossing the mist curtain, that is near the stage.
As I did, I entered a completely different world.
I saw people everywhere, doing jobs. Some are working on the seating, some working on the balconies, and some on the lights.
As I had said, the work was yet to be finished.
Soon, I walked out of the theater and entered the lobby, which had now become bigger, with a different waiting area for the commons and the VIPs.
There was a separate area for the VIPs before, but the new common waiting area had expanded and swallowed it.
So, they made it new, and it is bigger and much fancier than before.
It now even has a bar.
Most people in there are going to be snobbish bastards, but these people also have huge money and have the greatest influence in society.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
They also patronize the arts, which helps us artists a lot.
It is not just the stage, lounge, and seating that got bigger, but also the backstage, the green rooms, concessions, dressing room, bathrooms, and many other things.
A few new things were also added. Like the souvenir stand.
I have seen what they are planning to sell. Those things are beautiful, based on the plays, and also expensive.
Velvet Garden doesn''t need money, but they are planning to earn a lot.
An hour passed, and I took the elevator. I have a meeting with Madam Caena.
Ting!
The elevator stopped at the top floor, and I got out.
"Mr. Rosen," greeted a middle-aged guard waiting by the elevator and led me toward the Madam''s office.
Click!
Soon, we reached it, and he opened the door. I nodded my thanks and entered the room.
"Madam Caena," I greeted the woman.
I feel scared of this woman, as I have never been scared of any warrior or noble.
Even the prince wasn''t as scary as this woman. I feel from my soul, that I should never wrong this woman, or I will pay dearly.
The woman nodded and motioned me to sit down.
"These are the showbill copies that came from the Owlspring," she said and waved her palm a little, and immediately, three beautiful booklets appeared in front of me.
Hun!
Seeing them, as a surprise, couldn''t help, but appear in my heart.
All three of them had a beautiful painting drawn on them, along with the title and name of the playwright.
"What are these?" I asked, confused. "Playbills," she replied.
''This is not a playbill,'' I thought and wanted to say it, but controlled myself.
Playbill isn''t common in most theaters and those who provide it. Didn''t do it in this form or this beautiful. It is just a strip of paper, with short information about the play.
These booklets have at least twenty to thirty pages.
All three of the booklets are the most beautiful I have ever seen. It''s clear, they have been crafted with care by experienced hands.
They are works of art, and without a doubt cost a lot.
I picked up the left booklet of "The Wayfarer." It had a beautiful drawing of a woman''s silhouette walking through the verdant forest.
On the top, is the name of the play, and below it is the name of the writer, mine.
Seeing that, a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
I turned the page and saw the introduction of the play. I read it and turned the page. On it, I saw the names of the writer, director, and cast, along with their pictures.
''So, this is why they had sent the mage,'' I thought.
Two weeks ago, the order came from the tower. We have to pose for pictures. They didn''t tell the reason, but now the reason is clear.
It is for this booklet.
After that, is the information about the plays. From musical numbers to scenes and breakdowns. This is written by me. Once again, it was ordered.
Then it was the cast names and their biographies. That includes the names of their previous work. After that, it was writers and directors'' notes.
Hun!
I flipped to another page, and a surprise appeared on my face. When I saw the long list of names, as I read it, I realized these are the names of people working on the play.
From stage mages to make-up artists to backstage crew to stage cleaners.
Everyone working in the play has their name written on it.
This is shocking.
Nobody does that, but here every name is present. I read it twice before turning the page, which had an acknowledgement and special thanks.
There are five names. Including Uncle Vanis''s.
After it, what seemed like an advertisement. I looked at it, before turning the page.
Which has the information about the other two shows and one show that will start in two months.
The booklet ended, and I saw its back. Which has a beautiful drawing of the velvet garden.
"Will this be given at every show?" I asked. "Yes, to every person," she replied, and it couldn''t help but surprise me.
The booklet isn''t cheap, but that''s not a problem. The ticket is expensive enough that they could bear it easily.
Most importantly, it will help a lot.
Not only to the audience coming to watch but also to the people making the play. Especially those working in the background.
Having a name listed will help with their careers.
"It will be loved by all," I said, and she smiled, but a moment later, her expression became serious.
"It will, but it is not for this that I called you," she said, and I waited.
"Master Silver wants to form a theater company," she stated, and surprise couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
We already have a theater company in a semi-official capacity, but forming an official one will require a lot of funding and other things.
Currently, half of our members are freelancers, while the other half borrowed from other companies.
"It will make the present things complicated," I said after a moment. "It won''t have to be. We will continue with the present system while forming our own company."
"It will be focused on recruiting and nurturing the best talent. With 50% recruitment from Greltheaven and Panar," she replied.
Sliding the file toward me.
I opened the file and began to read the terms and conditions. Some conditions surprised me.
Like no restrictions on the races. I have been given the freedom to recruit the best talent without thinking about the race they belong to.
''Wow!'' I said when I looked at the budget for the company. It is huge, much bigger than I had thought.
They are also giving us the building. It will be bigger and more official than the one we occupy now.
Currently, it is being constructed but will be ready in a little over a month.
"It seems like Lord Silver''s plans don''t just involve velvet theater?" I asked, and she smiled.
Our present system works just fine, but it''s clear the man had ambitions greater than this and is willing to spend huge money on it.
It has also made me excited. It is something I had wanted to do, but bad things happened before I could.
Chapter 494: Return
The carriage stopped at the pier, but there was no ship there. It will be a few more minutes before it arrives.
I had been waiting since last night and had barely been able to sleep.
Now, I am waiting again.
Minutes passed painfully before the ship finally appeared in my view.
Click!
Seeing that, I stepped out of the carriage and walked toward the pier before stopping near the edge.
The ship came closer and closer and soon, I saw Carla on it with her eyes searching.
Our eyes met and the mask of expressionlessness on her face cracked and tears started to stream down from her eyes.
Seeing that, I wanted to jump into the water and leap at the ship. I controlled myself and waited for the ship to dock, while not letting my eyes move away from her, even for a moment.
It took a painfully long time for the ship to dock at the pier and ramp to come down.
As it did, Carla came down running without care for the world.
Soon, she appeared in front of me, and a hesitation appeared on her face.
Seeing that, I took her in my arms. She froze for a fraction of a second, which she had never done before relaxing into me.
I hugged her tightly while she cried. Harder with every passing second.
She is usually mindful of the public display. Always maintains distance with grace and poise, but now it is the last thing she is thinking about.
"You are safe now. Nobody could do anything to you," I said and patted her head gently.
It took a while for her to calm down before I led her toward the carriage.
Click!
Soon we stepped inside, with Carla sitting beside me instead of the opposite.
The carriage began to move, and soon it was out of the port and inside the city. Immediately, the tightness in her relaxed.
Now, it would be really hard to do anything to her.
The outer range covers every part of the city except the port.
It is out of the city walls, but Caena is working on a way to bring it under the city''s influence. Even if she succeeded, the legacy would need to advance to Grade IV for that.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the woman. She is holding me tightly as if fearing I will leave her.
I leaned closer, seeing that.
"We aren''t going to the tower?" she asked, looking out of the window.
"No," I replied.
She looked like she wanted to say something, but didn''t and instead just watched the road quietly.
Soon, they reached a mansion, before stopping a few seconds later.
Click!
The door opened before I walked outside and raised my hand. She took it and stepped outside, before walking toward the mansion holding hands.
"I am sorry for what you have suffered, and I promise you. I will never let it happen again," I said, with guilt in my heart coming out with every word.
"It''s not your fault," she replied, looking directly into my eyes.
A moment later, she stopped.
"Promise me one thing," she said with her voice strong as steel. "Anything," I replied.
"I want you to avenge my honor," she demanded.
"I know we do not have the strength right now, but promise me, when we have the strength, you will," she added, showing me her heart.
I could see everything she was feeling right now, and my heart was pained seeing it.
She is hurt. Vulnerable by what she had suffered.
"I promise," I replied.
She doesn''t have to ask for it. That bastard will get what he deserves , and nothing will stop it.
She looked at me, before taking a step forward, till there were only inches between our faces. I looked into her eyes before taking her lips into mine.
The kiss was gentle at first, but soon the passion and desperation filled it.
If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
"Make me forget it," she said as she broke the kiss. Before taking my lips with such desperation. That I had never felt from her.
She is seeking love and trust, and she has it.
I kissed her just as intensely before picking her up and carrying toward my suite, without stopping the kissing.
It didn''t take us long for us to reach my suite. The moment I did, my jacket flew away and a second later, the buttons of my shirt.
A moment after that, the tearing sound rang out as I tore her dress apart.
She usually doesn''t like it when I do this. Given how expensive her dresses are, but right now, she doesn''t care, nor do I.
A minute later, a moan rang out, and it kept ringing. Getting louder and louder.
The first few sessions were intense before we started to make love gently. Kissing and exploring every part of each other''s body.
I worshiped her like the goddess she is. Telling her, through the act, how much she means to me.
We continued for hours, before finally stopping in the evening.
Right now, she is lying on top of me with her head on my chest. It is peaceful, and I wish we could stay like this for hours.
"Have you given the invitation to the two alchemists from Ertburn?" I asked. She turned her head from my chest and looked at me.
"Yes," she replied, and I arched her brow.
Those scrolls are for the Grade IV alchemists. It cost me a huge amount of money to build those labs. For some of the equipment, I even had to buy using the mist.
"Give them a chance," she added, and I looked at her, but she didn''t say anything further.
Since she said it; I will give them a chance. They need to be good enough to use those labs or I will demote them to the lower labs I am building.
I likely will not do that either. Those labs are expensive and are only for the Grade IV alchemists.
The moment the first Grade III lab is finished, they will go there, but before that, they need to pass the test, to get employed by the city.
It is a tough test. I don''t want to give those labs to average alchemists.
I have a grand plan. For it, they need to be good enough to make it happen.
A few minutes passed when Carla got off me.
"Stay," I said, but she smiled and shook her head. "You have a lot of work. So, have I," she replied, and a piece of clothing appeared on the bed.
"Work won''t run away," I said. "It won''t, but it will become burdensome. If we postpone it," she replied and began dressing.
I watched her like I wanted to eat her up and I truly do despite hours of lovemaking.
She looked at me, but I didn''t look away.
"Get ready. You have a lot of work to do," said and kissed my cheeks, before walking out.
I didn''t stay in bed for long. I have an important meeting in half an hour. Earlier, I had postponed all my meetings, but not this one.
It is a signing.
I will be signing an important agreement with a powerful merchant house.
I activated Get Ready as I wore the clothes. Immediately, the sweat, dirt, and, most importantly, the smell of sex washed away from me.
A minute later, I am out of the mansion and in my carriage.
"Master Silver," greeted Lola as I entered my office. I nodded at her and sat down.
I could see she had a lot of questions. Except for Zela and Jon, nobody here knows what happened. I had intentionally kept the news contained.
However, I don''t think it will be long before the news spreads.
It won''t be from me, since the contract forbids it.
It is the same for the two; they too are contractually bound, as well as Carla and her guards, but there are others who know about it, and they aren''t contractually forbidden.
"This had come from the merchant guild earlier," she said and placed a file in front of me.
I opened it and began to read. Within a second, the smile on my face becomes bigger.
It was a wise decision to overhaul the merchant guild.
Arryn and others are doing well. Better than I had imagined. A third of them are out of the city. Mainly in the empire, visiting big and small businesses.
They have got many pledges from the businesses, and few have already started setting up.
I need investment, a lot of it.
Since the legacy advanced. The speed of migration had increased as well. A lot of people are coming to the city, joining the workforce.
We need people.
The current pace is barely enough to handle the vacancies.
I had sent my people to the empire to bring the workers.
They had gone to big cities, mostly to port cities, and cities closer to the ports. It is much less complex to bring people from there.
It is hard; the lords are keeping a tight leash on the movement of people.
I have been signing individual contracts with the noble territories. Usually, they hesitate to sign such a contract, but I have the most delicious carrot in the world for them.
Negotiations are also going on with the imperials about it, but the chances of succeeding are quite low.
"Lord Silver. Mr. Hanson and Mrs. Hargreaves are here for you," said Jill through the intercom.
"Send them in," I replied.
Click!
A second later, the door opened, and Rip walked in, beside him was a green-haired elf-blood woman in her mid-thirties.
She is a beautiful woman with perfectly coiled hair and manicured nails.
She is a type that uses every advantage she has. From her beauty to her intellect. With it, she was able to rise through the ranks in her house.
She is from the mercantile of the house of Hargreaves. They are in hospitality. From hotels to casinos to bars; they have fingers everywhere.
They are one of the top three players in Oksall. They also have business in other merchant states and kingdoms.
The city had already gotten investment from the mercantile houses, Raxtine from Empire, and Almas from Owlspring, but Hargreaves was a bigger player than both.
Their investment is also big.
"Lord Silver," they greeted. I nodded and asked them to sit.
"I hope, the journey has been well. Mrs. Hargreaves?" I asked the woman.
"It was my lord," she replied with a professional smile. I smiled back and turned to Rip, who slid into two files toward me.
I opened the first file and started to read it.
It had already been read by city hall, but it didn''t hurt to double-check.
I put the file down and picked up the second file and read it, before putting it down and signing it both.
Immediately, three glasses of mist-led wine appeared in Lola''s hand.
Clink!
"To success and prosperity," I said, clinking the glasses.
They will build the biggest hotel in the city. We really need it. For the opening, everything had already been booked, even the empty apartment and mansions were not left unoccupied.
The problem won''t be solved after the opening. Instead, it will get worse.
We need more hotels; the current capacity is far from enough.
After the tower opens; the daily traffic would be in the tens of thousands.
Nine thousand would be brought by the theater alone and 150% of that by the store floors.
We estimate the traffic of twenty-five to thirty thousand people. A shocking number for most legacies, but I had planned for such a number.
More people mean more emotion essence.
Still, the traffic would be huge. It would be around 7% of the city''s population.
People will be coming from all over, from the Empire, Merchant States, and even Navr. The lack of accommodations will force many of them to leave within a day.
I don''t want that and I''m working on fixing the problem as soon as possible.
The longer they stay in the city, the greater the boost they will provide to the economy.
I need to fix it before I open the casino, or I will not be able to take complete advantage of it.
I cannot afford to make that mistake.
Chapter 495: Dinner
Blackwell
''You worry too much, my son. I will be fine,'' I replied to my son.
''I hope nothing happens, but if the undead move. You will leave the city. You will not stay there, like the last time,'' he said from the other side.
"Fine," I replied.
''Take care, Mom,'' he said. "You too, my son," I replied, and cut the call.
"He worries too much," said Meria, and all I could do was smile.
"Speaking of calls. I got a call from my mother this morning. She is coming for the opening; she asked me to arrange for an invitation for her," I informed, and Meria''s expression turned bad.
"You have declined, right?" she asked turning to me. "As if I could," I replied, and she sighed.
Our mother is something else. Meria looks for every chance to get away from her, even at this age,
"I hope, she doesn''t bring any other man than father," she replied.
I pity my sister. She had to suffer mother at home and work. It''s why, she liked it a lot when she came here. It gives her space from their mother.
We walked in silence while watching our creation.
The park isn''t the biggest, they had designed it, but it is one of the most beautiful and the one that brings the greatest joy to the people.
There are people everywhere. They are always here from dawn when it opens to late at night when it closes.
A few minutes passed, and we entered the restricted area of the garden. It is in the domain of college and its entrance here is highly restricted.
It was the most secure area in the whole of Greltheaven, aside from the legacy itself.
Soon, we could see the greenhouses; tens of them.
Far more than they had been two months ago. Most of these greenhouses are growing the plants that will replace the garden around the legacy.
The number of plants there will be far more than the plants in legacy.
We had tried to keep a close lid on the news, but such types of news rarely remained hidden.
I have been contacted by various people. From lords to alchemists to help them get these resources.
Even the alchemists and businesses from my city had contacted me. Unfortunately, I cannot help them. Silver is keeping a very tight grip on these resources.
It had become even tighter as he started to hire the alchemists. One didn''t need to use too much of their mind to know what he was planning with it.
Our destinations aren''t those plants.
It will be another month before we would start to plant them.
We are here for the plants that we had brought here from the legacy. They were kept here, while changes were being made in the tower.
Today, they are going back to the tower.
Soon, we reached the big greenhouse and entered the house. There are all sorts of plants, but all of them have only one similarity.
They looked beautiful and smelled great.
"All the plants are ready for the legacy," said the voice as we were looking at the plants.
"Mage Irgal," we greeted.
The man, I couldn''t help but feel slightly jealous of. He is in the service of the house, which is more ancient than any kingdom on the continent.
"When can you send them to the tower?" I asked. "Any time you want," he replied. Hearing that, a smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
Silver wants these plants to the tower as soon as possible.
Every hour, they stay here. They consume more emotions'' essence. They do it in the legacy too, but there it is more efficient as it is direct.
Here, it is done through the bottles of the emotion essence.
"Please do," said Merial and sent the message to our people in the tower.
Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
We talked to him for a few minutes before walking out.
We didn''t leave immediately and instead walked into the other greenhouses, where the fledgling plants were being grown.
It had been two weeks since they had been planted here and many of them have started to come out of the soil.
In another month, they will grow more. We would be able to start planting.
We are still working on the garden''s design. It needs to be perfect, but beautiful.
It is going smaller than most gardens we have designed, but seeing we are planting the plants that consume emotion essence, it will be most beautiful.
Second to only legacy.
We didn''t stay in the greenhouses for long. The carriages had already started to transport the plants, and we went with them.
Soon, we reached the tower and shuddered as we stepped inside.
"It''s hard to forget," said Merial, and I couldn''t help, but nod.
We were on the store floors when it happened.
The aura amplified by the power of emotion mist in the legacy had brought out such power, that made thousands of people fall unconscious.
I had never seen such a scene in my life.
We took the elevator, and it began to move up toward the top floor.
Every floor is empty, including the store floors which had been closed yesterday. There are some changes, that are being made there.
We reached the top floor and stepped inside. Where they had already transported the plants.
"Lady Blackwell, Miss Ulaxasys," greeted the familiar woman. She frustrates us the most, but we also respect her.
"Miss Rolgath," I said.
"Shall we begin?" she asked. "Yes," replied Merial and we began the most exciting and frustrating job.
The disagreement started from the first plant. We had already agreed where we would put it, but there is a question of how we would put it, and at what height and angle.
The vines are the most complicated because of the way we could set them.
Hours passed, and we set one plant after another and before I knew it, it was afternoon when we had finally finished.
"Beautiful," I heard the voice behind me and saw Silver behind us, looking at the changes.
He is with Margaux. It seemed like she had returned from Ilden.
"It''s also smelling wonderful," said Margaux as she took a long breath.
It smells amazing and with the mist. Its effects have amplified further, making one feel like they are in heaven.
The people are going to get experience in their life. Even those who came to the legacy before are going to be surprised. As they had experienced the plants and their effects, in Grade II legacy.
Now, it is a Grade III legacy, and it is going to blow their mind.
"Is there any change, you would like, my lord?" I asked. I don''t think it requires any changes.
"No, it''s perfect," he replied and looked at every part carefully, before walking back to the office, while we climbed down to the twentieth floor.
We have all twenty-one floors to set and only three days. Twenty-two, counting the roof.
We worked till it was eight before we stopped and went back to the top floor after freshening up and doing some make-up.
We would have liked to return to the suite to get ready but asked to be casual for the occasion.
When we reached the top floor, the tables had already been laid out and many madams and assistant madams were sitting there, including the triumvirate.
There is also Miss Elar, Mr. Robin, Chief Hendriks, and a few other people from city hall and guilds.
"Lord Silver," I greeted.
"Lady Blackwell," said the man, getting up and inviting me and the rest to the table.
As we sat, drinks appeared in front of us. It is our favorite drink.
It is likely one of the madams who had used the skill. It is impossible to tell who it is in the legacy. Its power cloaks their skills.
"As I was saying, with Geim and Yressor forces engaged,"
"It is giving Prince Declan a breathing space. I think he will be able to engage with whoever is the winner and hold them back," said Mr. Elar.
Chief Hendriks shook his head.
"I think the prince will have a hard time doing that. Their armies are bigger, even with loss. One of them will still have enough strength to break through the walls of Bertown," counter the old man.
The battle of the southernmost region of the empire is quite intense from what I had heard.
The forces of the kingdom of Geim and Yressor are engaged in it, while Prince Declan of the empire reinforces his position as the capital of the region.
Those two kingdoms have already captured half of the region and would have to capture more.
If not for Princess Orlena sending the reinforcements. A lot more of the region would have been captured by these kingdoms.
"What do you think, my lord?" asked Chief Hardt and every eye turned to Silver.
"The question is too complex, and I didn''t have all the facts, but I will say one thing. It wouldn''t be easy, for Geim and Yressor to capture Bertown," he replied.
"It''s enough for serious talk. Let''s have the dinner," he said a moment later before anyone could ask him to elaborate.
It''s like the kitchen staff had heard his order.
As he second after he spoke, they came in holding different dishes and began to set them on the table.
The invitation was out of sudden. I had been informed in the morning that there would be a dinner at the legacy.
The invitation didn''t mention the occasion. Only an invitation for the dinner.
Soon, the table to set with the most delicious-looking dinner. Its smell is so great that I am having a hard time controlling myself.
The sommelier filled our glasses with wine, and Silver raised his, with us following his lead.
"To velvet garden," he toasted, looking at Carla. "To velvet garden," we repeated before taking a sip of delicious wine, which took me on an emotional ride.
Still, nothing could have been prepared for me for the food in from of me.
"This!" said Chief Valentina, with her eyes wide. My eyes are wide too and so are Merial''s and others.
The taste was unlike anything I had experienced before, and I had eaten in Grade IV legacy and even it couldn''t compare to what I had eaten just now.
The only one who didn''t look surprised was Mage Irgal.
It took a few seconds more. I might have realized it early. If not, the taste overwhelmed my senses so much.
"The chef had used them, didn''t it?" asked Meria. To which he smiled.
The assistant madams remained confused for a while before their eyes lit up in understanding, while others watched in confusion.
"It''s such a regret, we have them in a very small amount," said Silver.
The plants that had been planted didn''t have just pretty flowers and vines.
There were some herbs and spices as well. Some of them have been matured, which they have used in these dishes, which took them to different heights.
I could already tell that people will pay any price to taste these dishes.
Unfortunately, the number of them is small. Only a few people will be able to enjoy them.
More such spices are being prepared to be planted in the garden, but it will not change things much. It will only be for a few people.
Chapter 496: Alchemists
Sansa Banes
Click!
Laurance opened the door, revealing the shiny new lab, where everything was new.
It is the same size as the one where they tested our skills for the past three days, but a lot of the equipment is different.
The different ones are specialized for the beauty alchemists.
"This is your new lab," he declared grandly, and the lab is truly grand.
Better than the one we had. Some of the equipment here is really expensive and hard to get your hands-on.
"Remember, you two are on a probationary basis. If you don''t prove yourselves in this period, the lab will be taken away and the contract will be terminated," he reminded.
There are only four such labs. Three for conventional alchemists and one for beauty alchemists.
I heard they were building a few more labs. Those will be for Grade III alchemists.
We got this lab because those were not ready, but now after seeing it. I don''t want to leave this place. I want to kiss every piece of equipment and craft amazing things.
"We understand and wouldn''t disappoint the city and Lord Silver," replied Leo respectfully.
"The lab is the property of the city, but the velvet garden would be your boss. Impress them and you will have a bright future ahead," he advised.
It had been three days since we had come here and while most of our time had been spent on tests, we did hear a few things.
The first among them was that velvet gardens had an oversized influence in the city.
People here say that you can get away with disrespecting the lord of the city, but not his whores.
"We will," I replied.
"You two look around till they arrive," he said and sat down on a chair.
We nodded and put down the boxes in our hands and looked at the equipment. The more we looked, the more impressed we would become.
"It is all new," said Leo, and I couldn''t help but nod.
There is not a single piece of equipment I could see that looked old. More than half of the equipment in our lab was pre-owned; we couldn''t afford the new ones with our budget.
With this shiny new equipment. We will be able to push ourselves even harder and do things we weren''t able to do before.
The contract we had signed with the city is pretty strict, but it is also generous.
The city will provide the resources for us, and we have to produce what they want. In exchange, we will get a certain percentage from every finished product.
For Grade IV alchemist. The percentage is even higher, but unlike them, we are in a position to earn higher.
We are research types of alchemists.
Our formulas could be mass-produced by other alchemists. We might get a small commission due to it, but the sheer scale will help us earn higher.
"Don''t dream too much. Remember what happened to our dreams," Leo cautions.
Throwing icy cold water in my daydreams.
It made me calm down immediately. We had a similar dream when we had started, but they were crushed. Here, we need to focus less on dreams, and more on work.
I looked around, checking every piece of equipment, before going out and bringing out boxes of our stuff.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
The bank took nearly everything, but there are a few things. Even they didn''t take.
Our books, research, which was exempted from the loan agreement, and a sample of things we had made across the years.
We were looking around when we saw Laurence getting up from his chair.
A moment later, two women appeared in our view.
Both of them are beautiful; one of the most beautiful I have seen.
Of them, one is familiar.
The curly red-haired woman is the one who gave me the scroll.
I barely looked at her when she gave me the scroll, but now I looked at her, I realized the praise I heard about her beauty wasn''t an exaggeration.
The raven-haired woman beside her is a few years younger, with her eyes accessing us.
Carla Salt will be our boss, but it is Maeve Hanson we will have to impress. She is the director of the spa and the person who will decide our fate here.
"Chief Salt, Chief Hanson," greeted Laurence and we repeated.
"I am glad to see you both here," said the redhead. "Thank you for the opportunity, Chief Salt," replied Leo.
It is because of her we are here. If not for her, we would still be in Ertburn. Picking up the broken pieces of our life.
"This is nothing but a chance. It will be up to you both, what you do with it," she said, before turning to the woman beside her.
"This is Miss Hanson, head of Velvet Spa. She will be your boss," she introduced.
"Chief Hanson," we greeted.
"I have read your file. It stated that you are proficient in all categories of beauty alchemy, correct?" she asked, and I nodded.
"Leo specializes in oils and perfumes, while I am in skincare and body care," I replied.
"Will you two be able to craft massage oils and salves as well?" she said. "That wouldn''t be a problem. We have done it before," replied Leo.
"Do you have a sample?" she asked, and we nodded before we opened the boxes and took out samples.
She looked surprised. Seeing the boxes'' worth of samples.
This isn''t just two years of work. It has been seven years. We have been working on these things since our days at Alchemist Ferro''s workshop.
"You seemed to have a lot of things," said Carla, with a surprise in their eyes.
There are a hundred and eight things. These are my proudest creations. From perfumes to aromatic oils to moisturizers to scrubbers and much more.
"What are they?" asked Maeve.
It''s clear that she wants us to explain these things.
"These seven bottles are perfumes. These five are the aromatic oils. These nine are scrubbing creams, these th¡" he stated all, but she kept looking at us.
It''s clear, she wants us to explain in detail.
I smiled and took out a book and opened it, before handing it to her.
"This is a moisturizer, number seven; it is strictly for dry skin. It could reach the outer layer of the epidermis gently, and its effects last for a whole day,"
"It is best to apply at night," I explained and looked at her, before turning to a second moisturizer.
"This is¡."
I explained the one-by-one order of the book, which she read while listening without any change appearing on her face.
When I finished with my things, Leo took over and began to explain his.
It took us a while to explain everything, while they listened without interfering even once. It made me and even Leo nervous.
It is never a good thing when people stay this silent.
"Almost all of your things seem targeted. Working on one type of skin, some are targeting subtypes?" she asked, and her words were the question that brought us on the road.
People like things that work with everything. Ours are not like that; they are target specific.
It brought us a lot of trouble. Including the sealing of our store.
I didn''t answer immediately and even thought about lying, but didn''t feel that would be wise.
"We did it intentionally," I replied and found no change in her expression.
"Targeting gives our products greater effects. It might work on fewer people, but their effects are more powerful than most things on the market," I explained hastily, and still, there was no change.
"Follow me," she said, while the guards behind them picked up our products.
"Where?" I asked, not moving.
"To test your products. I want to see whether they work as good as you claimed them to be," she said and began moving with the redhead woman.
We looked at each other before hurriedly following behind.
Outside the lab, a luxury carriage with the emblem and flag of the velvet garden is waiting.
The driver opened the door for them, and they went inside. After a moment of hesitation, we entered inside, and the carriage moved.
"Are you going to test all our products?" I asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Yes. We have girls of all skin types and subtypes needed to test those things and skills to handle any reaction that might arise from it," she replied.
I don''t know why, I feel scared about it, but there is also excitement.
All of our products are tested. We never tested on people, but augur strips, which give better data, than testing it on real skin.
Testing on real people is expensive.
A few minutes passed in silence when the carriage entered the circle street.
Immediately, a surprise appeared in my eyes. Seeing where the carriage is going.
"Are we testing them in the legacy?" asked Leo as the carriage turned to the bridge on the canal, where people were seen on beautiful boats.
"Yes," she replied.
His eyes lit up. So, has mine, hearing that.
We wanted to go to the legacy like everyone else but didn''t get a chance.
Our first day was spent with verifications and the next day. The store floors closed for refurbishment and would open with the rest of the tower on the founding day.
Now, we are going there, and the destination would be a spa, obviously.
I couldn''t help but be excited, not just about the spa, but the entire legacy.
Soon, the carriage reached the tower cloaked in mist and stopped. The guard opened the door, and we stepped out, before walking toward its misty doors.
Chapter 497: Devolopement
"We shouldn''t have dallied," I said with a sigh and madams sighed.
We are in a small conference room. Discussing a very important problem on the agenda.
"We thought we had years. We didn''t even have months," added Margaux, shaking her head.
We are talking about the girls. We don''t have enough of them. Currently, the velvet garden has eleven hundred and thirty-seven girls.
Of them, eight hundred and eighty-two are working. Which isn''t enough.
We need more.
We were planning to recruit the girls after the opening two months ago, but many things happened, like the attack and advancement of the legacy that pushed it back.
"We will have to start recruiting after the opening.," I stated.
"The same criteria?" asked Caena. "There will be a change in this time. We will recruit from the city and Panar, as well," I replied.
A surprise appeared in their eyes. Till now, we preferred to get our girls from a merchant state and Namdar.
There was a reason for competition and spying, but we didn''t have to fear that anymore. Everybody knows our methods and how we work.
As for spying, there is nothing we can do other than be careful.
There are going to be spies. We have to find them and keep an eye on them. Like we are doing with the seven girls, who we identified as spies.
We didn''t arrest them; that would be throwing away the wonderful assets.
By keeping them, we are in control of the information they provide to their masters. Information is powerful and controlling it provides immense benefits.
"Numbers?" asked Caena. "A round thousand," I replied.
This time, we are going to select the girls carefully. Verifying information and background of each girl we select.
We didn''t have the resources to do that before, but now we have, and we will use them.
The meeting lasted for twenty more minutes before it was over and the girls began to walk out of the conference room, before only Margaux and I had remained.
"You said you needed something?" I asked.
Before the meeting started, she had said she wanted something from me.
"Yes, a favor," she said and put a file in front of me.
I looked at her before taking a small file and reading it. In a few seconds, a surprise couldn''t help but appear on my face.
"It''s an extremely large amount of money. Are you planning on investing in something big?" I asked as I closed the file.
The file is a bank document. She wants me to act as a guarantee for the loan she is taking. It is not a small loan.
She shook her head.
"No, it''s for my daughter," she replied, and I arched my brow. That is a massive amount of money for the teen girl.
"She got accepted into the academy of archmage city," she replied proudly.
I have to say, I am surprised. I had not been expecting it. The academy of archmage city is one of the best academies.
It is considered the best academy in the world, with the most powerful magic tower.
Which is also the most powerful of spirits. Just below the three titans.
"Congratulations," I said, and a moment later, the file began to burn.
"You do not need the loan. I could recommend her from my quota; her education will be free," I replied, and her surprise turned into shock.
Archmage tower gives a quota to every legacy on the continent. It depends on their grade.
Since I have a Grade III legacy. I could recommend three people.
"Truly?" she asked, her voice thick with emotions. I nodded. "Though it wouldn''t be without conditions," I added, and she nodded a moment later.
I have been contacted about it by many people. Including the imperial, but I had refused to even negotiate.
The quota is for my citizens.
I had asked someone to look for the best people to be sent to the academy.
It is not without a cost; they will have to serve the city after they are done with their education.
I am already doing a favor to Margaux''s daughter by favoring her daughter over other candidates in the city who might be more qualified than her daughter, but she will need to sign the same contract as others to get it.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"I understand," she replied.
A few minutes later, I walked out of the conference room. I didn''t go to my office. Instead, I walked toward the elevator.
I stepped inside and began to go down.
I looked at the floors where the last of the work was being done. It will be completed by tomorrow before we open the day after.
Technically, we are opening the legacy tomorrow. It''s just the spa and Eva''s store to be specific.
Important people are coming to Greltheaven, and they need to be ready for the founding day. So, we are opening the store and spa for them a day early.
The spa had been open for over a week, even when the changes were happening in it.
We needed to prepare the girls for the opening. They need to be looking and feeling their best, and there is nothing like a spa that will make them do that.
It costs a massive amount of money to prepare them. My head starts to hurt whenever I think about it.
Ting!
The elevator stopped, and I stepped out into the lobby, where a big change was happening.
Everything is covered right now, but when it opens; it is going to blow people''s minds.
I had worked really hard to get things. Especially that thing and needed Carla to go there personally before that man decided to rent us, the greatest treasure of his family.
Well, he needed the money.
Still, the bastard isn''t willing to sell it, despite his financial condition. He declined even when I had offered to buy it with the essence.
It is a smart choice.
I may have given him the essence, but the imperial bastards or his neighbors would snatch it away.
The same thing had happened with this treasure I am now renting from him. It had been "borrowed" by his neighbor for over twenty years.
I walked out of the tower and stepped into the carriage that was waiting for me.
Soon it moved, while I looked out the window.
Even now, in the morning, there are people in the park. There are always people. Half come to relax and enjoy themselves while others half to watch the legacy.
Their numbers will increase after the legacy opens.
The carriage moved out of the park onto the circle road where construction was happening everywhere.
Many buildings that were just built two months ago were being destroyed and, in their place, bigger buildings were appearing. From hotels, and stores to casinos.
It won''t take before the whole map of the circle road changes. Not just the circle road but the entire city actually.
Construction is happening everywhere. It is happening fast. Every day, I would see noticeable changes.
The city is developing fast, but behind this growth is the shadow of great danger. The undead and the other enemies; could destroy it all.
I am preparing for it.
Recruiting people in the army, while buying all the defensive equipment, I could.
It is going well, with open recruitment in Greltheaven and Panar. We are also bringing experienced soldiers from the empire.
Since the legacy advanced three weeks ago. We had recruited three thousand soldiers from the empire, and more were coming.
There are also orcs.
It is not just the miner tribes we are bringing to the city, but also the warrior ones.
I would have been able to get more of them. If not for the baronies getting smart and recruiting the orcs into their own armies.
There are also refugees from Mayhurst island. Many are still escaping it, and we have opened offices in Belnin and Nereim to help bring those people into the city.
Maintaining an army is a very expensive affair. It needs a massive amount of money.
Money that could be used to fund more schools, parks, bridges, and other things, but it is necessary. Without it, we wouldn''t stand a chance against our enemies.
Soon, the carriage reached the port gate and went through it.
A few minutes later, it stopped, and I got out.
"My lord," port master Black greeted. "Port master," I said, before looking ahead.
"It seemed to be going well," I said as I looked at the work that was being done in front of me.
I am expanding the port as well as its staff, along with bringing new equipment to modernize it.
"It is. In a month, it will be ready," he replied.
I had hesitated for a few months for expansion because of the undead and other enemies, but the way the traffic was growing; I am left with no choice.
I need to be ready to use every opportunity. That comes my way, despite the risks and cost.
The revenue of the city is rising every week, but so is the cost. That the city is still balancing on the edge of bankruptcy.
If the problem of one city wasn''t enough, I had gone and conquered another one. It had strained the finances of the city even further.
It is a good thing the legacy had advanced to Grade III or the city would have been in even deeper financial trouble.
"Ask your men to not be so zealous in their inspections. There have been some complaints from the merchants," I advised him.
Two weeks ago, some unsavory things were found in the cargo of the ship. Hidden in the fruits. Since then, he has increased the inspections.
"I will keep it for ten days more, before lowering it," he replied. A moment later.
I thought for a moment before nodding. There will be a lot of people and things coming to the city for the founding day and we will need to be careful.
The gangs in the city are always looking for such opportunities to slip things in the city.
The high growth is good, but it also has consequences. One of them is the gangs. The police have them on a tight leash, but we need to be careful, as always.
They are like weeds. You cannot pull them out as another will grow in their place.
The best option is to manage them; never let them grow over a certain level.
I stayed in port for half an hour before sitting in the carriage.
I visited a few more places before going to city hall, where I stayed till seven and a half before returning home.
I had dinner with the children.
Today is only me and them. Carla had gone to Owlspring a few hours ago. I wanted her to stay, but she wasn''t one to get dragged down by what she had suffered.
Instead, it motivated her to work harder.
"It needs your signature," said Lola as the file appeared in her hand. She put it in front of me, and I opened it.
It is from Maeve, about two Grade III alchemists.
I read it and couldn''t help but be surprised by her assessment. She had tested the samples from the two alchemists from Ertburn and they are good.
Better than good.
They are specialists. Many employers don''t like such things; they prefer to have those that work with everything. Unlike others, we didn''t have a problem with that.
Instead, we prefer it.
The goal of the spa is to provide highly personalized care for our patrons and for that using things that are targeted to each of them specifically is the best.
She is going to test those samples further and if they perform well, she is going to choose them for the spa.
It seemed like they were really good. Maeve doesn''t praise lightly.
If Maeve thinks some might make the cut, speaking about the abilities of those two alchemists and with the instinct of the woman who has chosen to give them a chance. Then the two might be worth it.
The file isn''t just about the assessment, but also about the funding.
There is already an amount earmarked for it, but she is asking me to increase it to the level of Grade IV.
Which isn''t small. I have to know every detail before I can approve these funds.
So, I contacted her.
I spoke to her for nearly an hour and asked for every detail.
"I hope they are as good, as she is saying," I said as I cut the telepathic call and signed on the file.
Approving the funding for their research.
Chapter 498: A Day Before I
Magda
"It''s bigger than I thought," said El nervously, looking at the city that came into view.
"It''s growing fast. When I passed by it a few months ago. It wasn''t so big," said my brother from behind.
"It''s the legacy. Its advancement is bringing businesses and people in front of the city," explained my father.
The invitation from Margaux is for the whole family. My parents and even my brother had come.
I still remember the day when I showed them the invitation. Father thought it was a joke and even contacted the Greltheaven to verify.
Since then, I have found out a lot of things about El''s mom.
She is one of the most powerful people in the city and has a lot of influence on the legacy. She is one of the triumvirates who controlled it.
A few minutes passed, and the ship was finally docked before the ramp went down and guards came up, followed by a beautiful half-elf, who seemed to be coming toward us.
She looked to be in her early twenties with really short sea-blue hair, that was even shorter than fathers.
It is my first time. Seeing the woman with such short hair.
She is tall, taller than me with those elvish cheekbones and blue eyes the same shade as her hair.
She is wearing a beautiful cream-colored dress, hugging her body perfectly. Seeing how guards were following her, she seemed to be someone important.
She stopped in front of us and smiled.
"Miss Swan, Pearsons, welcome to Greltheaven," she said to our surprise.
"Thank you?" replied father.
"I am Eryna. Headmistress sent me as your chauffeur," she said and looked at two guards behind her.
Headmistress. El''s mom.
They came forward and took the bags from my parents'' hands, while we kept watching in befuddlement.
"Please follow me,"
She walked down the ramp with a grace I couldn''t help but envy. It was effortless. It looked like she was walking on the water.
It''s not a skill.
She had been trained for it. I have also taken the classes, but couldn''t manage such effortless grace.
A moment passed, and we hurriedly followed behind her. The guards didn''t stop us or even asked to check our documents.
The carriage was close to the ship. They do not let them park so close, but here, nobody is doing anything.
Click!
"Miss Swan, please," said Eryna as she opened the door for El.
She hesitated.
Overwhelmed by such service. Ever since her mom came, she found a lot of things about her, making her question whether it was all a dream.
Noticing we all were staring at her, she quickly entered inside.
We followed after and a few seconds later, the carriage began to move.
"Where are you taking us?" I asked. "First to your hotel, where you will rest for a few hours. Then to the velvet garden," she replied.
Hearing that, the eyes of my parents and brother lit up.
We already knew about the hotel. A letter from El''s mom had informed us about it, but there was no mention of the chauffeur and legacy.
"I thought the legacy won''t open before tomorrow?" asked Father.
"That is true for most people, but open to special guests like you," replied the half-elf.
Hearing that, a big smile appeared on my parent''s face.
Father wanted to come to the legacy. Even had a reservation made, but that is a year away.
It is difficult to get a table. Even in a legacy as big as this one.
I looked around and saw the port bustling, even in the morning. With ships docking and leaving the port, more ships are sailing straight past.
Two years ago, the trade between the empire and merchant states was non-existent.
Now it is growing every month. Breaking the records of trade before the conflict.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Soon, the carriage passed through the gate and entered the city. There are beautiful buildings everywhere.
The city has a strict building policy. Every house needs to have permission from the city and has to have certain aesthetics. It gave quite a charm to the city.
Making it one of the most beautiful I had seen.
"Construction is happening everywhere here," said my brother, looking around.
"The scale of it is quite surprising," added Father, with a surprise in his eyes. I didn''t say anything and just enjoyed the view.
There are all types of people here, not just humans, but also orcs, I even saw a couple of elves and dwarves.
It is hard to see people of other races in the Inam or most of the empire.
I had only seen them in Namdar, but here, their numbers seemed more. I had heard about it, but still had a hard time believing.
The empire hadn''t changed the policies about the non-humans yet.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the hotel.
Click!
The driver opened the door, and we stepped out. In front of the seven-floor building, with a large fountain in front of it.
The Raxtine.
They have hotels in Inam as well. Bigger than it.
"Raxtine had made a huge investment here. They are building a hotel as big as their flagship in Inam," said Father, and I couldn''t help, but be surprised.
It is twice as tall as this one and at least five wide. It is an enormous investment to be made in such a small city.
"It''s too big of a risk. The city isn''t big enough to handle it," said my brother and I couldn''t help, but nod.
I may not have an interest in the business, but I understand it enough to know. That city needs to be big enough to handle a hotel of that size.
Since it is a luxury hotel. It needs to have enough affluent people, which the city does not have.
"The city didn''t, but the legacy will," replied father. It surprised us before we shook our heads.
"We are talking about thousands of hotel rooms, Father," said George, and Father smiled.
"Miss Eryna, can you guess the number of people that will enter the legacy daily?" asked Father to the half-elf.
"It will be at least twenty-five to thirty thousand."
"Nine thousand would be from the theater, ten to twenty thousand would be from the store floors and a few thousand would be from exclusive floors,"
"The roof and the casino will increase the traffic even further," replied the elf, surprising us all.
The way she replied. It''s clear that she is aware of it, more than casually.
"What will be on the roof?" El asked. I wanted to ask the same question, but she asked it before me.
Since the invitation, I have consumed everything about the velvet garden. I know the details of each floor.
The roof is said to be restricted. Only Silver and the madams are allowed there.
"That you will have to ask your mother, Miss Swan," Half-elf replied.
"Only Master Silver and the triumvirate are aware of its purpose. The rest of us could only guess," she added, looking at El, before stepping through the gates.
We followed behind, entering the lobby. She collected our keys, and we stepped into the elevator.
Soon the elevator stopped at the sixth floor, and we walked out.
"Have a rest, dear guests; I will come to pick you up at eleven and a half for the legacy," said half-elf and handed us keys to our suites before walking away.
The guards didn''t leave. Two of them positioned themselves at the door of the suite that El and I were going to share.
It''s clear, they are here for her.
My parents went to their suite, while my brother went to his and we went to ours.
We stepped inside a beautiful suite with a great view of the city. El looked at the suite, before walking toward the window.
"It feels like a dream," she said softly, looking at the view. "Well, it''s not," I replied.
I still couldn''t wrap my head around El''s mom being part of the powerful triumvirate.
"Will you be showering first, or will I?" I asked. "You go," she said.
Twenty minutes later, I returned feeling refreshed. All the tiredness of the trip had gone away.
Afterwards, El went and came back.
We rested a while before going to brunch with my parents. It was all paid for by El''s mom like the hotel.
We came back and I took a small nap. It was hard, with all the excitement about the legacy, but I calmed myself and rested. El did the same.
Knock!
We had just woken up and freshened when a knock rang out our door.
"Ready?" asked Eryna as I opened the door. My parents and brother were already beside her.
"Yes," I said while El nodded and stepped out of the room.
A few minutes later, we were in the carriage. Nobody is talking, but excitement could be seen in everybody''s eyes.
We are going to the legacy. The biggest legacy of Grade III and below and one of the biggest legacies in the whole continent.
Since I got the invitation. I am dreaming about it and now, I am going to be in it.
Soon, our carriage took a turn and the tower came into view.
Surrounded by a huge park.
The carriage took another turn to bridge on the canal, with crystal-clear water.
"It looked empty," said my brother as we entered the park.
"It is normally filled with thousands of people, but today, it is closed. There are a few things that are being added to the park," replied the half-elf.
I could see a group of people in a few places across the park. Working on things.
Finally, the carriage stopped in front of the tower, and I got out. Immediately, smelling the most wonderful mix of fragrances I had ever experienced.
If it wasn''t for the half-elf, I would have stayed and enjoyed these wonderful scents.
I followed her and stepped inside the tower into the massive lobby.
As I did, I stopped. More like, frozen in my place.
I knew immediately that Vanis''s Tavern couldn''t compare to it.
The first thing I felt was the wonderful feeling of legacy and with it came the fragrances.
The wonderful fragrances of the flowers I had smelled before seemed pale compared to what I am covered in right now.
These fragrances seemed to enter, my very soul, with the power of the legacy. It makes me feel like I am in heaven.
I looked around and saw beautiful plants everywhere. In the lobby.
They looked beautiful with colorful mist dancing over them.
I looked at the plants, before focusing on the things that were covered in the dense mist. There are tens of such things, with the centerpiece being truly massive.
I can''t even see the silhouette of it.
"My god, look how big you have grown!" I heard and saw a beautiful woman behind a huge reception platform getting up and walking toward El gracefully, before hugging her.
"Sister Lorle," said El to the raven-haired woman.
"You have really started to look like your mother," said the woman. It made El smile before a slight disappointment appeared in her eyes.
"Is mom here?" she asked, and the older woman shook her head.
"No, she is at the college."
"It is unlikely you will be able to meet your mom today. She is very busy with the opening tomorrow," she replied.
The letter from El''s mom said. It would be hard for her to meet her, given the responsibilities she had.
She has a lot of things to do for tomorrow.
"Don''t worry, after the opening. You will have all the time in the world with you with your mom," she added, and El smiled faintly.
They talked a little before she introduced us to the beautiful woman.
"Miss Lorle, if you don''t mind me asking. Why are so many things covered in the mist?" I asked, and the woman smiled.
"They will be revealed tomorrow," she replied with a mysterious smile.
"Can you show us now?" I asked. "No," the woman replied simply. It made me a little disappointed, but I will see them tomorrow.
We have an invitation to the party.
Chapter 499: A Day Before II
Magda
"Go, you have an appointment, and you won''t want to be late for it," said Lorle.
El nodded before following the half-elf.
Soon we are in the elevator, and it begins to move up. Showing us each floor, covered in beautiful mist.
They are beautiful, that I wish. I could go out and explore every one of them.
I hope I will be able to tomorrow. We have an invitation, which came with access to the entire legacy.
"First floor to the fourth floor are the store floors. They sell nearly everything, from kitchen tools to ivory art," informed the half-elf.
"What is the requirement to get space on these floors?" asked George and half-elf smiled.
"There is no requirement; it is up to Master Silver, who wants to give it but if I were to say, then it would be loyalty," she replied, wiping the expectation out of his face.
He shouldn''t have asked for it. We already knew that over 75% of the stores here are owned by the locals.
Even among the remaining 25%. Half of them have become local.
Soon, the elevator crossed the four floors and reached the fifth one. The theater looked incredible, making my heartbeat wildly.
I want to become an actress. I have wanted to be since I was a child.
I am leaving the academy this year and already started applying to the theater companies. My focus is on the Eckels, a theater company based in Namdar.
It is one of the best ones in the empire and the oldest. It had sent many of its people to the spirit.
It is difficult to get into it.
So, I applied to the other theater companies as well. Including the few in the merchant states, who are accepting applicants from the empire.
I heard quite a lot of praise about the velvet theater and its director. He was quite famous before his fall from grace.
Now, he has started to get famous again. His plays are wonderful; one of the best, that even my teacher had given an example of it openly.
Which they didn''t dare to do before.
The elevator moved up, and the store appeared. Not a normal store, but Eva Cain, that everybody is talking about.
I wish the elevator could move slower, but it didn''t. It passed through it, before finally stopping.
As the energy screen disappeared. Another type of fragrance hit us. They seemed more powerful but also had heavy calming effects.
We stepped out of the elevator, and immediately, the effect amplified.
I looked around and felt tears in my eyes.
This is not a spa in front of me, but a freaking forest. I could see trees everywhere.
From the flower trees to trunks of trees to greens and shrubs; there was greenery everywhere. So much so that they masked the walls of the spa itself.
They seemed to have spared no expense in making it seem like a forest.
They even created mini-streams. One of them is passing beside me.
It''s so beautiful.
I looked around and saw my parents and even El had tears in their eyes. One can''t help it.
"Welcome to the velvet spa," greeted the teen of the same age as El and I.
"Please follow me," she said and led us to the changing room. Where robes are neatly placed on stone racks.
I chose one of my sizes and changed into it. The robe is a cream color and light as a feather. It feels amazing against my skin.
I looked at myself in the mirror one more time and came out and the same teen was waiting for me.
"Miss Pearson, would you like me to lead you to the waiting room directly or through the memory sanatorium?" she asked.
"Sanatorium," I replied, and she nodded and moved with me following behind.
There is a huge article about the memory sanatorium of a velvet garden in the papers. The author expounded in great detail about it.
I want to experience it. Just like the author it did.
She stopped and opened the door. Leading me to the beautiful cove filled with heavy greenery.
There are stone circles in between. Which are the straw mats.
A lot of people are sitting there. I could only see a silhouette as they were covered in a light mist.
I looked at them, before focusing on the massive vortex waterfall. Thousands of droplets filled with colorful mist are swirling, making a beautiful sound.
I heard it earlier. It was faint, barely audible, but here it was louder.
Hearing the sound, smelling a wonderful smell, and seeing beautiful scenery, a quake rang through my soul.
I shook, before gently sitting on the round mat, beside the small stream, while tears flowed down my body uncontrollably as the memories flashed in front of me.
I am experiencing memories. Good and bad, some I had forgotten a long time ago.
All of them are flashing in front of my eyes.
There is no control over it and I have not tried to control it.
The memories are beautiful.
I do not like all of them, but it is a blessing to enjoy them. I am relieved once again as I felt the same emotions near the same intensity as I felt in the past.
I don''t know how long it had lasted, but soon the memories started to disappear.
Soon, I gained control over my emotions and felt so light and free, like I had never felt before.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
I smiled and looked around.
Hun!
A moment later, the teen appeared in front of me through the mist. She didn''t say anything, nor did she need to.
I got up, and she led me out.
She gently opened the door, and I walked out of it. On the other side, Eryna is waiting for me.
"How are you feeling?" she asked gently. "Better than ever," I replied. To which she smiled and walked ahead into the large waiting room.
There are people everywhere, sitting in the mini forest.
I am referring to it as a forest rather than a garden because it bears more similarities with the forest than the garden.
People looked at me as I looked at them. I recognize some and those recognized are all the important people.
Soon, she stopped, and I sat down beside my brother. He is drinking tea with a colorful mist enveloping it.
"It was something else, wasn''t it?" he asked with a sigh, and I couldn''t help, but nod.
I was about to pick up the treatment catalog in front of me. When a woman wearing a spa uniform came and placed a steaming tea in front of me.
Tea that had mist inside and outside of it.
"Thank you," I said to the woman. She smiled and walked away, while I picked up the cup and breathed an amazing aroma, before taking a sip.
It looked hot but didn''t feel hot when I took a sip.
It had a light, refreshing taste. When I swallowed the tea it seemed to transform into energy and spread that refreshing energy into my body and mind.
I was enjoying the tea when El came in; she sat beside me silently and a few seconds later, her own tea came.
Usually, we talk when we are sitting in one place, but now I am fine with silence.
Nearly everybody is silent here. Even those that are talking are talking in whispers.
It was a little over two minutes after El, my parents came, and they looked calm with their bodies relaxed.
Seeing that, I couldn''t help, but smile. They needed this.
"Have you seen the people?" asked father softly as he sat down beside us.
"A lot of important people from Inam are sitting here," replied George. "Not just Inam, but also Namdar and merchant states. There are even a few from the empire," he replied.
He looked around before his eyes focused on a beautiful woman with silvery gray eyes.
"See that woman? She is lord Silver''s sister, Lady Leila. The elf beside her is Lady Blackwell of Amberhold," he informed, before identifying the other people.
He seemed to recognize nearly everyone here.
Soon, their tea arrived, and they began to drink it while looking at the treatments.
Every treatment is free. Thanks to El''s mother.
It made me feel a little guilty seeing how expensive these treatments are.
"Which package are you choosing?" I asked her after I looked over.
"They all are very expensive," she replied. Hearing that, I couldn''t help but shake my head.
This girl should understand by now how powerful her mother is and, while the treatment is expensive, I am sure her mother could afford it.
She might not even need to pay for it.
The top executive has many privileges, and her mother is one of the most powerful women here. I am sure, she has privileges too.
"Don''t think about it too hard. Your mother wants to spoil you; you should let her do it," I advised.
She hesitated for a moment before nodding.
I smiled and turned to the book. There were many packages, and all seemed enticing.
Hun!
I was about to call the staff when I saw a man appear in front of us. A familiar man, seeing him, and father got up immediately.
"Pearson, I didn''t expect to see you here," said the man and looked at us. "And with the whole family," he added.
There is a clear curiosity in the man''s eyes. He is a bastard, her father does not like him, and not many people do, but he is a relative of the lord of Inam.
So, nobody could do anything to him, despite hating his guts.
The raven-haired man is Jules Benil. A vice-guild master of the merchant guild of Inam.
"It''s all because of Miss Swan. She is a friend of my daughter, and her mother is kind enough to give us the invitation," replied father.
His expression is neutral, but mirth in his eyes.
The man followed Father''s gaze and looked at El. There was confusion in his eyes for a second, before a spark of realization lit up.
"Ah, Madam Swan''s daughter," he said.
A contempt appeared in his eyes for a moment, before it disappeared, and a smile took its place.
He nodded at her and talked to Father for a few minutes before walking away.
I shared a look with my family before moving to the catalog. It''s really hard to choose. There are all sorts of treatments for every type of skin.
Everything looks great.
I was looking at it in indecision when I saw a raven-haired woman appear in front of us, or rather, in front of El.
What struck me was how respectfully Eryna was standing behind her. I also found people are looking at us, or rather, the women.
It''s clear, she is important and feels familiar.
"Miss Ella, I hope you have been having a good time," said the woman.
"Yes," replied El after a hesitation.
"Have you chosen the treatments?" the woman asked, to whom El shook her head. "It''s too hard. Everything is great," El replied in indecision.
The woman smiled and raised her hand toward her, before stopping, seeing El, shaking a little.
El didn''t like people touching her.
"May I?" the woman seemed to understand that as she asked. El hesitated for a moment, before nodding and the woman took her hand.
A few seconds later, she let go.
"You have the same wonderful skin as your mother. The most suitable for you would be the ardent radiance package," she replied.
"Thank you," replied El. "There is no need to thank me," she replied with a smile.
"Miss, can you help me too?" I asked. Before I could stop myself, and felt the eyes of my parents on me.
"You must be Ella''s friend?" she asked, and I nodded. The woman smiled and took my hand.
Immediately, I felt like I was naked. Different sort of naked, where I didn''t feel shy or ashamed.
I felt like this woman could see every part of me, both inside and outside with those powerful skills. They are the most powerful skills I had felt used on me.
A few seconds passed, and a woman withdrew her hands.
"You have drier skin. Aqua rejuvenation would be perfect for you," she replied, before turning to El.
"Don''t worry about anything and enjoy the spa," she advised El before walking away.
"Do you know who that was?" asked my father in a hissing voice. "Someone important," I replied.
I gathered as much.
"That''s Maeve Hanson. Director of the spa," he informed me, and my eyes widened.
"Oh," I said.
I turned a moment later and saw her talking with important people. Including Lord Silver''s sister and elf from the merchant states.
Soon my parents and brother chose their treatment as well, and the staff took us to the treatment.
Hours passed, and I went through one treatment after another. It was a trip to heaven that I will never be able to forget in all my life.
Click!
"You seem happy," said El, as I entered a beautiful room. "I am. I don''t think I have ever been so happy and relaxed," I said as I sat down beside her.
"Me, too," replied El.
"I will be sure to thank your mother for it," I said, and her cheeks reddened.
It was amazing. I wouldn''t have been able to experience it so soon. The waiting line is years long and treatments are expensive.
A few minutes later, my brother came, while my parents took more than an hour to return.
When they did, they looked kind of ashamed, with their cheeks red but their eyes were filled with joy and some other things I wasn''t able to tell.
A few minutes later, we all changed back into our clothes before stepping into the elevator.
Ting!
The elevator rang as its door opened, revealing the most beautiful store I had ever seen.
It is also the most artful and opulent.
It had plants, but it didn''t feel like a forest. Instead, these plants feel like they are here to make already beautiful stores even more beautiful.
"Welcome to Eva Cain," greeted the attendant as we stepped into the store.
My eyes instantly got focused on the tree in the center.
Unlike all the surrounding plants, the tree isn''t real. It seemed to be made of metal and had colorful mist dancing around it, making leaves on it chime beautifully.
"Look at these dresses. Jewelry, they are beautiful," breathed Mom, nearly gasping.
Everything is beautiful. Dresses, shoes, jewelry. I wanted to buy them all, but when I looked at the prices, I couldn''t help but get somber.
They are expensive, really expensive, but people are buying them.
There are a lot of people in the store despite it being a silent opening, and they are rich.
My father is looking at them. Informing us about them with privacy. Hearing their names, it seemed like. We are the poorest people here.
We are actually compared to these people.
We were looking at things when I saw El beside me freeze and I turned to see where she was looking.
Someone is coming toward us. Someone beautiful, with the air of command, that the very mist seemed to part as she walked.
"Dear child," said Margaux and hugged El. "Mom," said El, with tears appearing in her eyes.
She had been missing her mom. She thought she wouldn''t be able to meet her today, but she came.
A few seconds later, Margaux let go and turned to me and smiled, before turning to my parents.
"Mr. Pearson, Mrs. Pearson, thank you for taking care of my daughter, all these years," she thanked, bowing faintly.
"You don''t have to thank us, Miss Swan. Elanor is family," replied father. Making Margaux smile.
"Ella is lucky to have you," she said, patting her head.
"It''s not her, but us, who are lucky to have her in our lives," replied father.
His words might be corny, but it is true. El is a friend that a few have a fortune to have.
"I hope you have liked the spa?" she asked. "Yes, it was wonderful. Thank you for it, Miss Swan," replied Mom, with a big smile on her face.
"I am glad," said Margaux and turned to the store.
Chapter 500: Open the Gates
"The day has come," I said as I woke up.
Today is the opening, and everything looks perfect. I know it. I could see it all.
Every inch of the tower is visible to me.
The work is finished. The only place the people are still working is the underground. The work there is going on with full force.
I watched it all before going to the bathroom to freshen up and shower.
Usually, I train first before showering.
Since I came back from Panar, this would be my second day of skipping practice; the first one being the day Carla returned from the Ertburn.
I came out and changed into a new set of clothes before sitting down.
Just moments later, a steaming breakfast appeared in front of me. It is a simple breakfast; it doesn''t have mist or any special ingredient.
I cannot eat those daily.
Once I finished. I walked into my office, where everyone was waiting for me, and they had serious expressions on their faces.
"Why so serious?" I asked, but no one smiled.
"Deerpond has released the news that they have opened the mine with Grade VI crystals," replied Lola.
Immediately, the smile on my face disappeared, and serious expressions appeared on my face.
"Grade VI, hun," I said and sat down.
It is definitely bad news for me and the entire city since Deerpond is an enemy.
If they had found the biggest mine of Grade III crystals and below, I wouldn''t have been worried, but above grade III, the energy crystals begin to get rarer with each level.
Grade VI crystal mines are rare and expensive. They are going to boost the economy of the Deerpond, without a doubt.
Which will translate into a bigger army, better weapons, and more powerhouses, among other things.
They have attacked us once and with this, they could attack us again. I am confident they will attack us if they think they could win.
Last time, they suffered a defeat, but didn''t lose anything important. Only a few people died; so that they had come out unscathed militarily.
I will have to increase my forces and not just numbers, I would need more powerhouses and experienced soldiers.
He has that advantage over me. Thanks to the forces coming from his territory in the empire.
It is really unexpected.
I had heard about the new mine and was aware of the experts he hired from the merchant state, but never in the dream, I had thought, the mine would be a Grade VI.
At most, I thought it would be Grade IV.
"They had done it intentionally. Releasing the news on the day of opening," said Hendriks.
"It''s fine. It won''t affect the celebration," I said, and it is the truth. He might have done it intentionally, but it will not even dent the celebration, not even a bit.
"Today is important. I want everything to go as we had planned. We have to make a grand impression, something they will never forget," I stated.
"Everything will be perfect, Master Silver. We will make sure, it is," replied Caena.
They stayed for fifteen minutes, before the meeting ended.
I looked at the clock. There is less than an hour before the opening of the tower and thousands of people have already gathered around the legacy.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
People had gathered on circle street in the night. They had then entered the park as soon as its gates opened at dawn.
Now, every minute, their numbers are increasing.
I looked at the crowd for a minute before focusing on the pages in front of me. This is my speech.
Today is a founding day and I am going to address my citizens in the central square.
A lot of things have happened in the past two years since the city was inaugurated.
Its ruler ran away, it got attacked by the undead and a neighbor that we considered an ally, but the city had faced through it all when many thought it never could.
There are even greater challenges ahead, but I am confident that the city will be able to face them.
I will make sure it will. I am sure it will weather them all.
Soon, there was only a minute to eight, and I got up from my chair and walked to the window.
The crowd had only grown in the past hour. Their numbers are more than quadrupled, that of two months ago, when we opened the tower.
Which isn''t surprising given last time that there was no legacy for the common people to experience for free.
At most, they could see the beautiful plants and enjoy their fragrance, but not the sensation of the legacy, but today, they will and for it, thousands have camped through the night.
"Open the gates!"
Finally, it was eight, and Caena''s command rang out. It rang out, not only in the legacy, but through the entire city.
At her command. The guards opened the door and the people immediately came inside.
We have made arrangements for them to control the crowd. From setting up guardrails to hiring a group of people that specialize in crowd management.
Their services aren''t cheap, given their levels, but I could afford them.
Soon, the first person came inside, and he stopped and gasped in shock as he saw the lobby.
The power of legacy that fills it, the fragrances from the plants, and art pieces that would invoke a powerful emotion and the greatest of them is a centerpiece.
It is amazing, incredible, mesmerizing, and scary.
Just one look at them was enough to have a small emotion burst.
People entered one by one and looked around the lobby, while many took the elevator and stairs to the stores.
Currently, only the spa and stores are open, including that of Eva''s. In the afternoon, the theater would open, but I wouldn''t be here to see it.
I will be in the central square. Addressing my people.
At six, the door of the velvet red would open, and at eight, the velvet blue; it is where the party will be.
I could have opened velvet red now with the stores. Hendriks and a few madams suggested it and it would have been wise, but with openings, we always open it at six.
I am not going to change that. Despite some losses, we will suffer because of it.
A few minutes passed and soon all the store floors were filled with people.
Each store floor has a large area for people. I could have packed more stores if I wanted, but I didn''t. It increased the capacity of the floor, but despite that, floors became crowded within minutes.
There are people everywhere, and they are enthralled.
One could see the pure joy on their faces. They are experiencing the legacy, something they had never thought they would be able to in their life.
To them, the legacy is for the rich, and powerful. Common people have no business in it.
Here at Velvet Garden, this is not the case.
In the tower, everyone could enter. Whether they are rich or poor.
I have also reserved tickets and tables for regular citizens at the theater, spa, and Velvet Blue. There will be a need to pay a nominal fee, to be able to enjoy the things that the rich and powerful do at a fraction of the cost.
With Legacy advancing into Grade III. I increased the number of those tickets as well.
I am not losing much doing that. As it is not the money, I seek the most.
I looked before focusing on two stores, Gagarin''s and Sagra''s.
I have given access to three stores. Eva''s, Gagarin''s, and Sagra.
Sagra is a woman in her fifties and an ivory artist. Both her son and husband are in the army and have fought in all the battles of Greltheaven.
That is her loyalty.
So, after some thought and a few interviews. I gave her the access and a few days later, to her staff like I did with George.
I could give access to all stores, and it wouldn''t be too heavy on the core. It would also make me earn more money and gather more emotions essence, but I am not doing that.
I will not sacrifice long-term benefits for the short term gain.
They need to understand that access is a privilege. They will get it through their work and loyalty.
It is a lost opportunity in the short term, but it will provide an incredible windfall in the long term. Not to me and the legacy, but also the city.
Soon, it was nine, and I had to leave for the city. I wish I could stay, but there are things I have to do.
A few important people I have to meet. Including, Lord of Inam.
He had come this time, and so had the lord of Owlspring and a few city lords of merchant cities and nobles from the empire.
Click!
The door opened as I was in my thoughts and Caena walked in.
"How is it?" she asked, and she wasn''t asking about the flow of people. "Let''s see," I replied with a smile.
Everything turned dark, and a moment later, the core appeared. As we took in the scene, both of our eyes widened.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
"You are incredible," she said, with wonder looking at the core. "It wouldn''t have been possible, without you," I replied.
The core is surrounded by the great multi-colored flood of emotions that are coming at it from the legacy, and it is absorbing it all. I thought the core would have a problem doing that.
Even legacy cores have a limit. They could only absorb a certain amount of emotions, but it seemed like the limit of my core is greater than I had thought.
Currently, it is having no problem with absorbing emotions coming from the thousands of people,
These emotions are from only six floors.
There are fifteen more floors that have yet to be opened. My mind began to contemplate how much emotions there will be for my core to absorb, after all the floors open at night.
Chapter 501: Deals and Decisions
Arad Vaughn
"Look at the sheer size of this crowd," said Samson in a near gasp as we came out of the carriage.
My expression turned serious as well before I focused on the beautiful woman in front of me.
She looked to be in her late twenties, with blond hair, and green eyes. She is standing there gracefully with a light smile on her face and wearing an expensive dress.
It would be hard for anyone to believe that she was a whore.
"Lord Vaughn, welcome to the velvet garden," she greeted. "Thank you, Miss Kala," I replied.
"I hope your journey has been well?" she asked. "It was, thank you for asking," I replied.
"Shall we?" she asked, looking at the tower, and I nodded. We begin to walk toward the massive crowd, all wanting to get inside the legacy.
I have never seen such a large number entering Grade III legacy, except for the Colosseums. Even then, those people have to have tickets, here they do not.
These are common people, and they are entering legacy without paying a single penny.
There is not a legacy anywhere that common people could enter without paying.
It happens with some on special occasions, but it is not permanent to my knowledge.
There is a huge crowd, but thankfully there is a special way for people like me. We could enter the tower directly without lining up in long lines.
I reached near the door and smelled the plants I had heard so much about before stepping into the tower.
I nearly stopped.
It surprised me. I am the scion of a Grade IV legacy. Have visited tens of legacies of all grades. I didn''t think it would surprise me, but it did.
The feeling of legacy is denser and affects one deeply when it mixes with the fragrance of those plants.
It creates an effect that moves the very soul.
I controlled myself and looked around. Before I knew it, I found myself being amazed. The plants are beautiful, and so is the art. The most amazing thing is the centerpiece.
When it all combines with the power of legacy. It brings out a lot of emotions.
That the legacy consumes.
"Do you mind telling me, miss, how much your master had paid to get that thing from old Marcell?" I asked the woman, without taking my eyes off the centerpiece.
Wyrm.
It''s the skeleton only and it is magnificent.
It''s massive, over fifty two feet long, but it is coiled with its mouth opened in a fiery roar. That would make anyone feel scared.
There is a hole in its head and cracks in some parts.
Those are not cracks of age, but injuries along with the hole in its head, the reason for its death.
This is a beast of the incursion, a lesser dragon. It might be lesser, but it was powerful enough to chomp a Lv. 50 to death.
It attracted the eyes of everybody who entered the lobby.
Seeing it, I couldn''t help but be jealous.
We had money to buy it too, but we couldn''t. The legacies have freedom, but also restrictions.
Though Silver seemed to be excluded from them.
"We didn''t buy it, my lord, but only are renting it," she replied, and I couldn''t help, but nod, in thought at that.
People threatened that old man with a sword at his neck, but even then he didn''t sell it. It is the only thing that remained of his once glorious house.
He is so weak that his neighbor had taken it, while laughing at the pittance of ten thousand crowns paid as annual rent.
I couldn''t help but wonder how Silver had gotten it from him. That man has means and isn''t someone who would give it easily, but Silver isn''t someone without means as well.
He had shown what he could do with the incident in Ertburn.
"Bringing it here wouldn''t have been easy," I said. "It was a logistical nightmare," agreed the woman.
I walked toward it and examined every part.
It is not just the skeleton I examined, but also the other pieces. They were all wonderful art pieces, all of them famous, borrowed from many nobles from empires and merchant states.
The names of the owners are written on beautiful name plates below them.
I watched every piece, before taking the stairs to the floor above. It is crowded, but they are managing it well and my guards also made things a little easier.
"Our store floors are unique. Every store owner is an artisan. 10% to 100% of things they sell are made by them," informed the woman.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"And how many of them have access to the mist?" I asked. "Currently, there are only three stores," replied the woman.
"Looking at the crowd. Even if the core of your legacy absorbs emotion from 30% of people. It will be enough to support mist access to all stores,"
"So, why didn''t he give it to them? It will bring him a huge fortune," I asked.
"Master Silver is careful with mist access. Wealth is important, but he prefers loyalty and trust the most," she replied, before informing about each of the stores.
We visited some stores, climbing to the second floor and then the third floor.
That is where I saw what I am looking for. Of all the stores on the third floor, the space in front of one store is especially crowded.
We entered that store. It is an ivory store, and it is good, but I have seen better.
I may have seen better, but few could be able to compete with this. They are using the mist to craft the pieces of ivory.
They are using it in every process. From cutting to carving to finishing.
It is a beautiful process that I want to watch forever. It is why so many people are crowding outside the store; it is too mesmerizing to see mist merge within the art seamlessly.
There are six people working on the pieces, including two orcs.
They are working in assembly fashion. One person is focused on one task.
"Casino chips. It''s likely for the casino below, right?" I asked the woman.
"Yes," she replied.
The chip is carved into its round shape by one person, the other would file it smooth. Two would do the delicate carving, while the last two would paint it to completion.
Aside from its denomination, the chip had two emblems.
One side had an emblem of Onyx Halcyon, while the other side had an emblem of the velvet garden.
We watched it for a few minutes before walking out.
"Silver is squeezing his legacy for everything it has," said Samson.
His face had become serious as we entered the store. He understood what Silver was trying to achieve, and it had affected him.
It also affected me, despite not looking like it.
Samson went on.. "Every day, thousands would enter these store floors. In the lobby, they would see the beautiful art and wyrm skeleton that would invoke deep emotions in them."
"Once they climb up, they would shop, and after reaching the third floor, they would see this show, that will bring even more emotions out of them,"
"I can''t imagine the sheer amount of essence. This legacy is absorbing right now,"
"Absorbing even half would be massive. It would compare to more than half of the Grade IV legacies of the continent," he added, with his whole body shaking.
It is shocking and other legacies couldn''t do it.
What legacies could do or not do is dependent on the vision. It is flexible and it could be bent, but one could break it as well. There are consequences.
Many hosts say it is a shackle.
It is why, despite seeing what Silver is doing. We can not copy it, because our legacy''s vision is different. It is the same for every other legacy.
Vision is the most important thing, and its importance becomes greater with every advancement.
Especially during the ascension of legacy from Grade III to Grade IV, where it becomes a throne.
Most of the time, there is barely any change in the legacy except for the usual, but sometimes there is a big change. One could even gain an incredible legacy.
I will kill to know what Silver''s vision is.
Velvet Garden had started as a brothel, with a mix of an in-house restaurant, but soon, he had opened an actual full service restaurant.
A few months later, it had turned into a legacy. Within months, it advances to Grade II. There is a big disagreement between the hosts of legacies about the timing of advancement.
Nobody knows when Silver''s legacy had advanced to Grade II from Grade I.
Especially, whether it happened before or after the destruction of the legacy.
Most believe it is after, as saying before would mean, he had advanced the legacy to Grade II, just three months after its birth, which few are willing to believe.
Silver has never clarified it.
Many thought Silver was making a mistake by creating a tower and adding stores and a casino, which were not there when it was born as a legacy.
They thought it was the end of the road for him, but it was far from it.
Instead, he had advanced his legacy to Grade III.
Soon, we reached the fourth floor and went to the blacksmith store. Like the store on the third floor, this one too is the most crowded, both outside and inside.
The people are looking at the blacksmith through the window. Like the ivory store below, the wall is made of glass for people to look in.
The glass is also special. It gives them a better view and if I am not wrong, there are a couple of skills used on it to enhance the experience.
There are seven people working on the mist inside. Four are blacksmiths, while three are carvers.
They are doing a wonderful job.
I stayed there for ten minutes before I took the elevator to Eva Cain.
I have a meeting with Eva Charles and Elese Cain. It is not just for pleasure, that I came here to Greltheaven, but also for my business.
Let''s hope Silver will give me what I want.
¡.
Rutto
Mindstone of Memory
I deactivated the skill as I wrote the last letter and also deactivated, Transcribing Quill and Quick Dry, a moment later.
I looked at the book I had just written. Copied exactly from the original with my skill. I placed it on top of the two books that I had already transcribed.
They are three volumes of a single book. That I had copied from a book stored in the skill.
Not a regular skill, but an inheritance Skill.
It had been centuries since someone from my family got inheritance skills.
It is my most guarded secret. When I got it, I had not left the house for nearly a month.
I was scared that someone would find out about it and then I would be captive forever. Being milked to copy spellcraft and other knowledge.
If it had been any other inheritance skill. I would have even shown it to others, but this one is dangerous.
It will make you a captive.
Like a cow, to be milked of everything that the skill has.
Mindstone of Memory; a skill of Lv. 60 powerhouse. It is not just an inheritance skill, but the skill that my ancestor chose to pass down to his descendent intentionally.
It is also why it''s filled with knowledge, or rather books.
It opens a new book on every level I gain. Until now I had twenty-two, twenty-three counting this book, one for each level.
All the other books were of spellcraft. This one is related to the aura.
When I got the skill. I had promised myself to never reveal it, knowing the consequences of it, but now I am desperate.
I do not have any money left. Everything I had was sold to get this position.
The rent is up, and I am not getting any money from that bastard prince. Instead, I am hearing news that the bastard is thinking of replacing me, once again.
I don''t want that.
It had been two months since I came to this city, and I liked it despite the dangers.
It''s not like the mainland was any safer. In some places it is more dangerous than this city for me.
Here, I have a standing reservation in the Legacy. I could go there anytime I want. I get invited to parties and all the important meetings in the city hall.
Most importantly. I love the free spirit that this city is gaining.
My future is here, and I could feel it in my bones. Leaving this place wouldn''t be wise.
Thus, the books. I am going to gift them to Silver, for the occasion of the founding day.
I had thought about it, long and hard before deciding on it.
Even in my worst state, not once I had thought of doing this in the empire, but here, I felt like I could do it.
Though, there is a chance. Silver might take me captive and milk me for everything I have. That would be terrible, but it''s not like I have a choice anymore.
If I didn''t do this, I might be replaced and would need to beg others.
Seeing I have nothing but my name.
I sighed and placed the books in the box and wrapped it carefully, before sticking the letter to the top.
Hoping this wouldn''t be the worst decision I had made in my life.
Chapter 502: Founding Day
Magda
"I want to wear it now," I said dreamily, looking longingly at the purple-red dress.
It is the most beautiful dress and most expensive dress I have ever seen. It is not only including magical material but is a mist-crafted dress; crafted using the mist of legacy and now it is mine.
These dresses are really expensive and near impossible to get your hands on.
I have seen people far richer than us asking for them, but not eligible to buy them.
There is such a limited stock of these dresses, and very few people, like the sister of Lord Silver, would be able to buy them.
I got it because of El''s mom. It is a wonderful gift from her.
"You only need to wait for a few hours," replied El, as she came out wearing a beautiful green dress.
Her mother had bought her an entire wardrobe of dresses. It is not just dresses, but also many accessories. All of which were made for her.
This is not possible for most people, but for her, it now is.
Click!
"Girls, are you ready?" asked my mom as she came inside with Eryna following behind her.
"Yes," I replied. Looking at the mirror one last time. El''s mother had sent a person to prepare us.
We are attending the founding day function at Central Square.
Soon, we stepped out of the room, before getting out of the hotel and into the carriage waiting for us.
"There is a lot of traffic," said El, looking at the lines and lines of carriages in front, with the central square as the destination.
Nobody is surprised.
There is always traffic with functions like this in a city. I don''t mind it, seeing I am getting to look at this beautiful city carefully.
In just one night, they have adorned the city as beautiful as a bride.
It looked beautiful yesterday, but now it is looking even more magnificent. "It''s like a festival," said George, and I couldn''t help but nod.
It took us a while, but we finally drew near the central plaza, and it was packed.
"It seems like the entire city had gathered here," said Mom, looking at the crowd as we got out of the carriage, which quickly moved away.
There is no space to park here.
I could only see a few carriages, which I am sure belong to important people, like our Lord of Inam. I heard he had come to Greltheaven to attend the functions.
There is heavy security at every turn.
We were led through the cordoned area before we reached the seating in front of the enormous stage.
There are twelve rows of seats with the capacity to seat at least a thousand people. We were in the fifth row and when we reached there, we found a familiar person was sitting there.
"Vice-guild master Benil," father greeted the man.
"Pearson, it''s nice to see you again," replied the man, with only a small change in expression, before looking at El for a moment.
We took our seats, with my father sitting beside Benil. It''s a good thing I am sitting on the other end.
I don''t like that man.
A few minutes passed, and more seats filled. Soon all the seats in my row had been filled, leaving only two beside me.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
I was in my thoughts when two people came. I turned and when I saw them, my heartbeat couldn''t help, but beat faster.
There are two people; the woman looked to be in her early thirties and a young man, who is about my brother''s age, around eighteen.
He is the most handsome boy; I have seen, and he is an elf.
He is tall with high cheekbones that the elves are famous for. He had deep green eyes and blue hair that looked like it was made of water.
The woman is no less beautiful. So much so that I couldn''t help, but feel a little envy.
They came and sat down, with the young man beside me, and he turned toward me.
"Asyren Vylisod," he said, in a beautifully accented voice that rang like chimes.
I was so mesmerized that I couldn''t react for a moment. It would have taken me more. If not for El hitting me with her leg.
"Magda Pearson," I replied, with my cheeks heating up.
"It''s nice to meet you, Magda," he said. "You too, Asyren," I replied with a smile.
I could feel the eyes on me, but I didn''t care. The man is too handsome. Not talking with him would be a crime.
"Based on your accent, you seemed to be from the merchant states?" I asked. "Not by my race?" he asked back quickly, and I rolled my eyes.
"Yes, I am from the merchant state Ishlynor.," he replied.
I was surprised to hear that.
I thought he would be from Belnin or Meldhorn. All the regions of the merchant states have elves, some more than others, but Ishlynor Forest is the region of elves.
"You are from Harsoth Empire, right?" he asked. "Inam," I replied.
"Well, that''s close," he said, and I smiled.
"If you don''t mind me asking. Will you be at the party tonight?" I asked. It''s a little too forward, but I decided to ask it, biting down the nervousness I was feeling.
"I hope you will be there too, or the party will feel pale," he said. I know he is flattering me, but I liked it.
"You can bet on that," I replied, and he smiled.
A few minutes passed, and the drum began to ring out, as the important people began to make entry.
I barely glanced at them. All my focus is on the beautiful man beside me.
We were talking when suddenly, the drums began to play even louder than before. I turned from Asyren, catching the eyes of El and my brother. El is all smiles, while my brother is glaring.
He isn''t glaring at me, but at Asyren beside me.
Seeing that, I couldn''t help but sigh. He is too protective, scaring away half of the guys I date.
I shook my head and looked at the large carriage coming with the heavy guards.
It stopped, and a strikingly beautiful woman came out of it. For a moment, I thought it was Carla Salt, but she said to have red hair.
"Aunt Ina," said El softly.
Governor Knox. The woman was more beautiful than she was said to be.
I was looking at her when two more people came out, one after another. They are children, siblings of Lord Silver.
The last one to come out was Lord Silver.
...¡..
I walked onto the stage with Ina and the children. Wishing Carla had been here. She isn''t.
She is in the legacy.
I had asked her, multiple times, but she didn''t come.
I sighed internally and looked ahead toward the people. There are tens of thousands of them. More than double of the last celebration.
So much so that there is barely any space in the central square, despite me expanding it a little after the first battle.
A lot of important people have come to the city. Lord of Inam, Lord of Owlspring, and other nobles from empire and merchant states.
Far more than the last time.
I know that they didn''t come out of their respect for me.
Some might, but it''s not the main reason. Especially the nobles from the empire, who are busy dealing with civil war, foreign enemies, and other troubles.
Their time is precious to them. They wouldn''t have come if it was not important to them.
It''s the essence, and the tower is producing a lot of it, because of the sheer size. Those with even little brains understand that and they want it, and I am going to give it to them.
A resource that can''t be used is useless. I am going to use the essence.
There are a lot of things I want, and these people will give them to me. Till now, I have focused on the merchant states, the most, but now, I will focus on the empire as well.
Grade II essence provided me with a level of influence, but not as much as Grade III could.
They want the Grade III essence desperately, and I am going to fill that need. I am going to make them addicts. Something they couldn''t live without.
They have a lot of things I want, and Grade III essence will give me the ability and influence to get those things.
I need that level of influence.
The incident at Ertburn had proven how much I needed it.
I shook those thoughts away surveying my citizens and guests, I felt all of them looking at me, with eyes filled with hope and expectation.
It made me scared. I don''t want to disappoint them.
"My citizens, what a year it has been!" I said dramatically. At first, there was confusion, but a smile appeared on their faces before laughter began to escape their lips.
I didn''t want to give a serious speech today. They need mirth and optimism after the year it has been.
"We have experienced things in one year that most do not in decades." "Our lord ran away. We got attacked not once, but three times, and recently even got stabbed in the back,"
Excluding the last sentence about the Deerpond where expressions soured, many were attentive and nodded along.
"But we preserved! We fought tooth and nail and won when everybody expected us to fail," "It was not without cost, we lost many good people."
"To them, the dominion will be eternally grateful,"
It is risky to use that word, but I have remained cautious enough.
It brought immediate reactions. Many like the Lords of Owlspring and Inam smiled grinningly, while nobles of the Nakar forest and others turned serious.
It is a calculated risk. It could go either way, but now, I have the power to bear the consequences.
"The coming year will be even more challenging, but it will also be filled with prosperity,"
"I promise you, my dear citizens, I¡."
Chaper 503: The Ship and The Forge
Aston Harbor
The man with the staff looked out with a smile as the large ship without masts rose from the sea.
Water began to flow out of it like a fountain, and in a minute, all the water was out of the ship and his staff glowed with a spell.
If anyone could sense it. They would notice a big movement on the ship.
Inside the ship, the boxes begin to open one after another.
The skeletal heads begin to come out of one box, the legs come out of the other, and many other parts come out of the other boxes.
They begin to snap together. Forming complete skeletons at a rapid pace.
A few seconds later, the line of skeletons marched out through the ship''s ramp and entered the port while the people watched.
Today is special, and it''s why he showed the ship.
If it was not, it would have been docked underwater and emptied their cargo there, before leaving the port just as sneakily as it came, without anyone knowing.
"Our forces are steadily increasing," said the armored man.
"It''s far from enough to capture the entire region," replied the man with the staff.
Ships like this came many times in the past months, bringing more and more undead and powerhouses. Increasing their numbers.
It is slow, but slow is fine.
It is much better than rushing and getting destroyed by the enemies like the last time.
A group of ships is easier to track. The intelligence about them spread much faster. On the other hand, it is much harder to track a single ship.
In these two months, the merchants and imperials had been able to destroy only three ships.
Little by little, their forces are increasing. It won''t be long before they accumulate the required forces, and then there will be reckoning.
The entire continent will know the power of Vris''Alud.
¡
Gagarin
I stepped into the tower, and it seemed to be even more crowded than before.
There are people everywhere, looking at everything, but most are captivated by the massive skeleton of the Wyrm.
It is really something.
Despite being dead for thousands of years, it fills the hearts of people with dread.
I glanced at it, before stepping into the elevator.
I stepped out onto the fourth floor. It is crowded with most of the people around my store.
"Guild master,"
Some people recognized me and greeted me. I nodded at them, but only spoke a few words before walking into the store.
Six people, including my daughter, are already working there.
Four of them are my disciples, while the fifth person is someone I hired. He is an engraver like my daughter, and we need them. My daughter and Baur aren''t enough.
I nodded at them before walking deeper into the store, which was crowded like outside, with the lines at the two billing counters.
The goods are selling like hotcakes. Much faster than we had anticipated.
It made me happy, but also a little worried.
Click!
Soon, I reached the back of the store and opened the wooden door.
In the morning, there was not any space for a person like me to enter; there was so much stuff, but now, half of it had disappeared.
"We might not be able to last till the evening," said Mardes from behind me.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
"Send the message to the Madam, when less than 10% remain," I replied. He nodded, and I closed the door.
Legacy makes a lot of things easier. There is a massive underground storeroom connected to the legacy where they had asked me to place our things.
Not me, but every store.
If our goods are sold, they will transfer the goods to the warehouse here directly. It happens instantly. Saving us a lot of time and effort.
I looked at the things before undressing. Carefully, putting the suit on the shelf. It cost me a lot, but it''s a good thing, I bought it.
I need to wear nice clothes to look the part of a legacy store owner. I couldn''t always wear worn-out soot-covered clothes.
The function at the central square had been good. I had met a lot of people, both unfamiliar and familiar, but now it was time for work.
For it, I need to change.
Lord Silver says, I am not just crafting things, but putting on a show for the people. I have to make it look good, and enthralling.
It is not the word anyone would associate with blacksmithing, but the one I had heard a lot, in the past few days.
Thankfully, I have a blacksmith''s clothes, and they are comfortable. Though, if it were up to me; I would be fine, wearing only pants.
Once changed, I came out and walked to the workstation.
"How was the function?" asked Atil as I reached it and sat on my spot.
"Good, a lot of important people had come," I replied and placed the bar of metal into the furnace and activated Fast Red.
While the metal heated. I looked at my apprentices; they are my best people.
However, the ones coming to the interview are much better than them.
One seemed even better than me.
I am expanding my workshop in the city. For it, I have taken a loan. I had money, but the expansion was big, and I had brought a lot of fancy equipment.
I am also hiring new blacksmiths and apprentices from the schools and city. It is one of the conditions of Lord Silver.
I need to expand. It had become necessary.
Everything I had forged had been sold. Now, everything that is present in my store has been bought from the empire, merchant state, and some from the city.
The Lord wants 75% products I sell should be from the city and thus the expansion.
I am also opening a store in the city. Bigger than this one.
This store made me famous, not only in the city but also in the empire and merchant state. I need to capitalize on that.
It was Lord Silver who suggested that, and Atil agreed with it.
To me, it is an enormous risk, but I trust the lord and my daughter. If it were not for her, I would still be forging weapons in a soot-filled workshop.
The workshop will be ready in two weeks. I have till then to hire all the people.
I have been taking interviews every afternoon for the past three days.
Taking a break only today.
I am hiring quite a lot of people. Many are interested and they are coming, not only from empires and merchant states, but also from other countries.
Among those people, some would work with the mist, after the store closed.
Every space would be utilized, and we need to be smart about it. It is the same for the woman below, but she is still thinking about it.
There is a massive order I have to complete. Everything we are forging is going to the legacy, but there are still many things we have to forge to complete the order.
It is only the order of legacy we are trying to complete. There are other orders we have yet to take.
I have been contacted by hundreds of people. These are big merchants, willing to make big orders and ready to pay instantly.
Some offered to build me a bigger workshop with more expensive equipment.
Everybody wants the mist crafted goods and are willing to pay a tremendous price for them. Far more than what legacy is paying for them.
Some even hinted their willing to buy under the table. I shot down those proposals immediately.
I understand very well. What I have is because of legacy and Lord Silver could take it away just as easily as he had given it to me.
I am controlling my greed, but one of my apprentices couldn''t.
I fired him, despite it only being a knife, that he tried to steal. I need to be harsh; I can not let anything happen, that will risk this place.
Finally, the metal bar is ready. I didn''t even look at it; I know it through the Blacksmiths Sense.
I brought it out and put it on an anvil, before activating Malleable Metal. A moment later, I started hitting it with the hammer, activating Rapid Hammering.
With every strike, the mist covering the hammer thickly would flow inside the metal, little by little.
It is difficult, considering the more mist that enters inside the metal the harder it becomes to forge.
The first thing Miss Eva told me was to find the balance with the amount of mist I need to use.
If I use too much, I will end up tiring myself and the power of my skill, too quickly. Which is bad considering I forge for at least twelve hours every day.
I need myself and my skills to last that long.
I still remember how quickly I used to get tired. Even now, I still get tired, but I am learning to manage it.
I am forging the skewer rods. I have to give twenty-four of them to the legacy by the evening, along with many other things.
If only the seven of us worked, then it would take over a month to finish the order.
Though it will change with the new people.
Hours passed as hundreds watched us from the window. Some, if important enough, can watch from close up.
Like the four people are doing right now. I recognize one of them; he is a vice-guild master of the enchanter guild from Namdar.
I wonder if he will be the man. It is unlikely, given his position.
Lord Silver is hiring the enchanters. With enchantments, the mist-crafted goods would become even more effective and valuable.
Time passed, and I finished a skewer rod, one after another.
I hope to finish the order of the legacy as soon as possible and hire more people to finish other orders. So, I can do those things I am thinking about.
There is a particular type of forging I want to do. It is difficult and requires a lot of resources and training.
I could afford those resources now and someone promised me the guidance as her field of work intersects with it.
I had never thought this day would come, but it did, and now I want to start as soon as possible.
I only need to wait for a little more time before I can start it.
The thought put a smile on my face before I focused on the work.
Soon, it was five and a familiar woman appeared.
"Is it ready?" she asked.
"Yes," replied Atil, and handed her the box. It had the skewers they ordered, along with the other stuff we had crafted in the past few hours.
She checked the box and nodded before walking away, while I focused on work. I want to finish the knife before I go home to get ready for the party.
Chapter 504: Worry
The people started to arrive, just a few seconds after eight, as the gates of velvet blue opened.
"Another ship; they are increasing their numbers fast," said Ina as she closed the file, and I turned off the skill and turned to her.
"Yes," I said with a sigh.
I may have shown bravado and optimism in my speech earlier, but I am worried.
This is not the first ship that had come bringing the undead from the island. It is only the first ship they are showing openly.
They did it intentionally, and it is working.
It''s not like I am unaware of them building up their forces. I know it very well, but them showing the ship so openly had made me more worried than before.
It''s a signal to me and other lords of the region. That they are here, and they will conquer it all.
Truthfully, their signal is working.
"The recruitment is going fine in both of the cities. We are also getting experienced soldiers and powerhouses from the Empire and other places," she said after a moment of silence.
I nodded.
I am working hard toward that and a large part of the next few days is focused toward making that smoother.
"I wish it could be faster. I want to fight with better odds than we had before," I replied.
All the battles had been hard, and we only gained victory because of an amalgamation of many factors.
It is good. It showed our ability and resolve, but for once, I want to win the battle with the sheer number. It will be a long while before that happens.
"I think the speed is good. Too many people at once and the city won''t be able to support them," she replied, and this time, I sighed.
We need money, a massive amount of it.
The army takes the biggest share, and it continues to increase every month as we recruit more people, but as she had said, the recruitment should be gradual.
Our finances aren''t good enough to handle the sudden surge of numbers.
Although, that might change a little from this month onward.
"Let''s hope, the re-opening of the legacy will give an enormous boost to our economy," I replied.
I have a big hope from the legacy to boost the economy of the city even more than it has. I need it to support the army, infrastructure, and other things.
"How are the mines?" I asked.
She had arrived just an hour before the function. After that, we went to the city hall and entertained and held meetings with important guests.
We didn''t have any time to talk.
Only now we could, but that is till the party starts. After it is ended, she is going to leave for Panar, not even able to stay the night.
"Good, all but two have been opened," she replied.
We have intentionally kept the two mines closed. We do not have people to work in the mines. Even the mines that we had opened are not running at their full capacity.
"I need people," she requested.
Her demand isn''t small. She doesn''t need a few thousand people, but tens of thousands. That''s how many we need to make the mines run at full capacity.
Only after that. We would think about opening the other mines.
Panar was a mining city. Its economy is dependent on it, despite the paltry profit it used to get from it, under the old governor.
I am planning to improve that by building the refining business.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
A few refining businesses from the empire were interested in investing and had been invited to the party. The city will hold a negotiation with them, and I have prepared a few carrots for them.
It is now becoming even more important to have the refining business because of the Grade VI crystal mine of Deerpond.
I need those businesses before it takes it all.
Grade VI mines are rare and give the lord of Deerpond the advantage to demand the refining plant locally.
He had already started to make a move. Just a few hours ago, we had been notified by businesses we have been in contact with that they were suspending the talks.
I have no doubts about Deerpond being behind it, and this is just the beginning. They will make things even harder for me, as the mine developed further.
"I am trying," I replied. She needs people, and I am trying to give it to her.
I have sent people to the mining cities in the empire. Especially those that are amidst the conflicts. Offering them a job here.
To sweeten the deal. I am paying for their travel. Housing allowance after they come and a few other benefits.
I am offering the same to the orcs, who are coming every week.
I don''t want to say it, but monsters of the extreme magic region are making things easier for me. Their attack on the tribes is forcing many of them to migrate.
It will cost me a lot, but it will provide me with the people which I desperately need.
The sooner I get the city of Panar on its feet. The more it will help me, but it''s hard, considering its closeness to the undead, which makes many people hesitate to move there.
"I need the skill here," I said, after nearly a minute of silence.
Immediately, she shook her head.
"Panar needs it. The help has been tremendous." She replied. "I do not want much, at least a few weeks more," she added.
I am talking about Public Works.
I have been holding back some of the non-urgent infrastructure, till I get the skill back, which is currently active in Panar.
"Grealtheaven needs it too, Ina," I said with a sigh.
"I know, my lord, but Panar has barely started to make a recovery. I only hope, you will give it a few more weeks, till we finish with all the urgent work, before taking it," she replied.
"Three weeks, then I am taking it back," I said finally.
I really need the skill. It will save me a lot of money here, more than it would save me from it being active in Panar, but money isn''t everything.
The skill increases the speed of the public projects and improves their quality, by minimizing the mistakes. For now Panar needs it, more than Greltheaven, but three weeks will be all it gets.
After that, I will deactivate it and activate it on Greltheaven.
She opened her mouth to argue but closed it upon seeing my expression.
"Thank you, Master Silver," she replied.
For a few minutes, nobody spoke before, I opened my mouth for the most important question.
"How are the undead?" I asked.
She had sent me the detailed report, but I like to hear things from her directly.
"They are trying to test us, but our men have pushed them back every time they have made an attempt," she replied.
It didn''t make me feel good. The undead are playing with us, keeping us dancing and guessing at every move, which can be tiring and create a gap for them to exploit.
"Tell them to be careful. The undead likes to use such tactics to create weakness in their enemies," I warned.
"I will," she replied.
We talked for a few more minutes before she left. Fifteen minutes later, she is at the party talking to people, focusing on the merchants the most.
She wants investments for Panar.
I am also trying, but it was different with her. She is the governor of the city.
It creates a different impression.
"You can leave, Lola. I am sure you would like to enjoy the party," I said to her.
"Thank you, Master Silver," she said simply, and walked away. She usually stays, but today is different.
There is an hour more before I have to make an entrance. Till then, let the people enjoy the fruits of legacy.
I focused on the work. Even summoned a few files from my office. Which isn''t difficult for me; the entire city is my domain.
I have to focus on something, and the thing would enter the vault. From the vault it would appear in my hand.
Things are becoming chaotic in the empire.
The civil war is intensifying, while the other kingdoms attack the empire with greater forces, which the imperials are barely keeping at bay.
It is somewhat good news for me. Especially now, with the advantages I have.
I am going to fish in these troubled waters.
However, how well I do it will depend on the success of the coming days, when I will be negotiating with a lot of nobles from the empire and their representatives.
Until now, I have only sold essence to a select few, but now I will sell to many more.
It is the greatest weapon in my hand, and I want to use it. This time, I have enough power to bear the pressure from the imperials.
Soon it was nine-ten, and important people started coming. The first one is the lord of Owlspring with his mistress.
Ina is welcoming them, along with Heron and Josie. It is an important day for them.
I got up and walked to my room before changing into a suit.
It is from Eva Cain. They have included menswear, and this one was designed by their new chief designer of menswear.
Knock Knock!
"Come in," I said and Eudo came in.
"My lord," he greeted. "Keep it simple, nothing too over the top," I said to him.
"Noted," he replied and began to work on me, while I waited.
It didn''t take him long, and fifteen minutes later. He is done; making me look good.
He is really something. It is why he is the highest leveled person, in the legacy. Just step away from Level 40.
He didn''t tell me about it, but I could feel it.
"Thank you, Eudo," I said. "It''s my pleasure, my lord," he said and walked away.
I watched him through the mirror. Thinking about the gift, I had ordered for him. It cost me a fortune, but he is worth it.
He played a big hand in turning the establishment into a legacy. It is the least I could do for him.
Click!
Soon, there were only five minutes left for us to make our entrance when Carla walked in.
When I saw her, I froze for a moment.
Chapter 505: Party
Magda
"Welcome Guests," said the man in his mid-to-late thirties. Wearing an impressive suit; I could tell with a single glance that it was mist-crafted.
I could tell that, because I am also wearing a mist-crafted dress myself.
"Thank you, Chief Robin," replied Father. The man nodded, before turning to El.
"Welcome Miss Ella," he said to her. "Thank you," she said nervously before we walked inside into the most beautiful grand hall I had ever seen.
We are on the nineteenth floor of the velvet garden. The first floor of velvet blue, where the party is being held.
The hall is huge and has a heavenly garden in it.
The beautiful plants are covered in colorful mist with the rapturous fragrance.
The staff wearing high quality, tailored uniforms are moving everywhere, with trays filled with food and wine. It is shocking but all of the uniforms were made using the mist.
I looked around and saw amazing magical plants everywhere and lavish art pieces.
There are huge paintings, statues, and other art pieces. Many of which are covered in the plants.
The biggest and most eye catching piece is the beautiful statue of the orc woman. It is nearly five meters tall and in the center of the hall, that everybody could see.
It''s so beautiful that I wasn''t able to take my eyes off it for several seconds. This is the case for most art pieces here; they all are enthralling.
"I thought we had arrived early, but it seemed we were not," said Mom, looking around.
There are people all around us mingling with smiles on their faces and drinks or food in their hands.
Many eyes turned toward us, before focusing on El and me. They are focusing on our dresses; they can tell that they are mist-crafted.
We were watching when a young woman came toward us with a big smile on her face.
She is beautiful and looks about only a year or two older than us, but there is an air of authority around her.
She was also wearing a mist-crafted dress, and her jewelry and accessories also looked mist-crafted, seeing how the mist was acting with them.
El seemed to recognize her. There was a surprise on her face before a huge smile appeared on it.
"Ellie, I missed you so much!" said the young woman as she appeared in front of her, hugging El.
"Me too, Gloria," El replied and hugged her,
''So, she is Gloria,'' I thought.
El had told me about her. She is her friend and now, an important person in the legacy. Father had told me in the morning that this woman is a madam, the youngest.
"Gloria, this is my friend Magda, and this is her family," she introduced us.
"I have heard so much about you. Magda," she said as she turned to me.
"Same here," I replied.
"I hope you will stay in the city for a few days. I have to ask you about all the gossip on Ellie here," she said, and El glared at her.
I smiled at that.
The academic year is over. So she is going to stay here with her mother, until she leaves for Archmage City.
Her mother had told her that she was able to manage the finances for her education.
I will be returning to Inam to prepare for the interviews. There are a lot of them.
"It''s so nice to see you again, Ellie. We will talk more tomorrow," she said and hugged her once more before she walked away.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Over the next few minutes, more beautiful women came to meet her. Most of them are madams and all of them were wearing mist dresses.
We begin to mingle with guests.
A lot of people from Inam had been invited here. Only a few recognized Father, but he introduced himself to them; nearly all of them were surprised and thoughtful to see him there.
You needed to be someone to get an invitation.
We were successful, but nothing compared to the people who received the invite from Silver.
I moved with my parents while my eyes roamed around.
"I think he hasn''t come yet," said El softly, and I glared at her but kept looking.
We were mingling around, when the people began to part as the two-woman appeared. Nearly everyone followed them with their eyes as they came straight to us.
"Mr. Pearson, Mrs. Pearson, I hope you are having a wonderful time?" asked Margaux.
"The best," they bellowed and bowed to the woman beside her before asking us to do the same.
"Lady Knox," they said.
The woman beside is none other than the Governor of Panar. Ina Knox.
She nodded with a smile, before turning to El.
"How are you, kiddo?" she asked. "I am good, Aunty," she replied. The woman smiled before taking El in her arms.
"Please enjoy the party. If you need anything, tell me," said Margaux, before turning to El.
"Come, sweet child. There are some people I want you to meet," she said to El. She hesitated and looked at me.
"Go," I said to her. She didn''t need to hesitate. It is a good opportunity; she should take it.
She nodded and walked away with her mother and Governor Knox.
I was watching her leave when I saw the person I had been looking for. He was looking at me, seeing that I walked toward him.
"Come back in a few minutes," said father. I nodded absentmindedly without stopping.
Seeing me, walking toward him. He said a few words to his sister, who was talking with two elves I had seen in the spa yesterday.
The lady of Amberhold and her sister.
"Hi," he said.
"Hi yourself," I replied with my heart beating wildly.
"I have found a pretty amazing place here. Do you want to see?" he asked.
"Sure," I replied and walked with him.
My parents and brother stared at me. It would be good to get away from them. I would need to go back to them soon, but I decided to not think about that.
For a few seconds, I was confused about where he was leading me, but soon, I saw we were walking toward the columns.
Soon we stopped, and my eyes went wide.
"Wow!" I said as I looked at the entire city. "It''s quite spectacular, isn''t it?" he asked, and I couldn''t help, but nod.
I had gone to places taller than this, but this is a legacy. The second tallest in the continent after the archmage''s tower. Looking at the view from the edge gives a completely different sensation.
¡
Tamas
I nodded at the person, who smiled at me, and walked ahead in the hall, and mingled with the guests.
The first rule of infiltrating is belief. Believe you belong there, believe you are like them. It is that belief that keeps you from being found out.
Especially in a place like this, where the person has absolute control over the space.
It is why I didn''t use any of my skills.
This is a legacy; a host could sense the skill and feel the class they belong to.
Which makes many people use skills to block others from sensing things about them, but I controlled that urge and didn''t use the skill. That will give him and his people an idea about my class or the job.
It is the most exciting place; I have infiltrated in the past few years.
Making my heart beat wildly. I am also scared and that is what makes it even more interesting.
There is a good chance I will die here or get captured and tortured after. Despite it being a diplomatic mission. Sort of.
It is a risk of a job.
The invisible scars across my body are proof of that, but it needs to be done and besides, I liked it.
When the mission came. I accepted immediately.
I moved around, looking at the people. Most of them, I could recognize with a glance. I had memorized a large amount of information.
I was good at remembering things, but Diplomats Memory makes things much easier.
I placed an empty glass on the tray and picked up another.
I have only one vice, and that is to drink. I loved to drink, and this place had the best drinks of all the parties I had attended.
The liquor is expensive and most importantly, it is mixed with mist.
I had visited the legacies. The perks of the job, but this is one of the best. It is as good as the many Grade IV, I had visited.
This means I need to do the job well. Make such an impression that he will think about the offer.
Our gift had already made him think about us. The offer will make him think deeply.
Though, there is no doubt in my mind. That he would reject it, but despite that, I will accomplish my mission.
"Eric Mercen," introduced the middle-aged man as he appeared in front of me. Clearly from the merchant states by accent; Manris city to be specific.
"Lau Tamasin," I introduced myself in an imperial accent.
"It''s quite a party, isn''t it?" he asked in a slightly tipsy tone. "The whores are also beautiful," I replied, and the man''s eyes lit up.
The information of the man appeared in my mind. He is married but has two mistresses.
He also likes to visit brothels every week.
"It''s unfortunate that we can''t have them," he said with regret. Looking at the Madams mingling around the hall, with his eyes staying on Ina Knox a moment longer.
"They might be untouchable, but there are more beautiful whores below and there are no restrictions on them," I replied, licking my lips.
Mercen grinned, hearing that.
"Let''s hope Silver comes quickly. So, we can go to the floors below and enjoy the whores," he replied, and I nodded to that.
We talked for a few minutes before I moved to meet other people.
There are a few important people here that I have to get a sense of. We have information about them, but getting a sense of them personally is useful as well.
Hun!
Time passed, and I was talking to one of the important people when the mist around the hall began to get denser.
I didn''t have to ask what was happening. It''s clear, Silver is about to make an entrance.
Chapter 506: Party II
"You look," I said.
I wanted to say beautiful, but it felt inadequate to describe her right now.
She is wearing a beautiful white gown with a short rail, with a red brooch on her chest.
A tiara would have completed her, but there are complications with that. So, they used gemmed clips, and they looked, really beautiful.
"Ready?" I asked, raising my hand. "Yes," she said after a faint hesitation.
She had declined earlier; I would have loved it. If she had been with me, when I was addressing the citizens earlier, but I also understand her worries and hesitation.
Click!
I took her hand and kissed her gently, before walking out of my office with her.
Soon we reached the hall. Covered in the dense mist, where people could only see the silhouette of each other.
Last time, we had made a grand entrance through the shimmering staircase, but this time, we were straight walking inside.
Though none of them were able to see us.
I had not only made the mist denser, but I had also cloaked our presence and used a couple of spells. Only a powerful people like the Lord of Olwpring could sense us.
I could see his eyes following us.
There are a few more people like that and some surprised me. I noted them.
Soon, we reached the place, and I looked at Carla before facing people.
I have sent invites to thousands of people. It might not look like it, but there are ten thousand people here across the three floors of velvet blue.
All of them are important people. Not only from empire and merchant states, but also from other countries like Ataren, Nezdar, Tezir, and others.
I have also invited the people from Navr, Tabes Edruin, Geim, and the city of Gailhorn.
These people are empire enemies, but I had invited them. There are many reasons, but the foremost are the trade and diplomacy.
The Greltheaven is a small city, but the legacy has been brought on the map of everyone. Because of that, it becomes important that I establish relations with them.
These relations foster trade, which we need.
It had made many people unhappy. Imperials and nobles from the empire to be specific. As these are the people, that are attacking them, and I had invited them here.
Clap!
I looked at them for several seconds before clapping. The clap released the shockwaves that pushed the dense mist out in a beautiful wave.
Revealing us to all.
With my projection appearing on every floor of the legacy.
I had hired the special mages for that and like all people with special skills and spells; they are expensive, but I could afford them.
They are worth it, especially when we can copy their spells.
"Thank you for joining me on a wonderful occasion," I said, looking at all the people.
"It is my honor, that you all accepted my invitation and come to my legacy to celebrate its ascendence,"
"It g¡."
I spoke, looking at the faces of each of them through my eyes and skills with my voice spreading through all floors of the legacy.
I could see people on every floor looking at the projection as I spoke through it.
The speed continued for nearly seven minutes when a glass of golden liquid appeared in my hand.
"To velvet garden!" I said, raising it. "To velvet garden!" they repeated, before taking the sip from the wine.
"There is one thing," I added, and Josie and Heron appeared beside me.
I also activated a few charms. The next announcement will ring through the entire city.
"The heart of his Majesties is magnanimous. They have recognized my siblings as part of my house and granted them the lordship,"
"They are from today, Lord Heron Raak and Lady Josephine Raak." I introduced them.
There was a surprise among the crowd, but they bowed.
I had asked for the ''lordship'' for my siblings before, but both of the imperials had refused. I could have gotten them from other princes, but it wouldn''t have that weight.
Now, I have got it from both princes. It was not free, but I don''t mind paying.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
It will give them a leg up when they receive their classes. Especially Heron. He is thirteen and in two years, he will gain the class.
It will help him a lot. If he gained the Lord Class.
It is important for Josie too; she is my heir. If something happened to me; the title will make it easier for Josie to take over.
Hun!
I was about to move and mingle with the crowd. When a man stepped forward.
Stopping a few meters in front of me.
The guards moved immediately, but he used the skill that stopped them.
Immediately, every eye fell on the man. Including mine.
The man looked to be in the early forties. Human, with some orcish blood in his ancestry. Though, it isn''t noticeable unless one looks at him clearly.
He is tall with brown hair and an average face, that one would forget a moment later after seeing it.
"Vris''alud congratulates you on the ascendence of your legacy, Lord Silver," He congratulated, while shock and surprise spread through the hall.
I was surprised too, but quickly controlled my emotions and assessed the situation.
The guards who were frozen, for a fraction of a second, moved as Caena broke the skills on them.
They had reached him when I raised my hand. They stopped and took a few steps back, but didn''t move away from him.
"Thank you, diplomat?" I replied with a question.
"Regis Tamas," he supplied.
"Diplomat Tamas, thank you, and you don''t have to come sneakily. If your masters have asked, we have allowed you into the city."
"The city of Greltheaven will always welcome the diplomats, no matter the relations," I said to the man.
A faint surprise flashed in his eyes. It disappeared, just as it came.
If I want, I could have him captured and killed or tortured for all the information he has, but I have no interest in doing that.
It will not serve any purpose, while there is some hope, with the dialogue.
"My apologies for that," he apologized.
"Enjoy the party, Diplomat Tamas," I said and walked away. I didn''t give him more time.
He made an impression, but I think I handled it well. Doing what he expected would have played into their hands. I don''t want that.
It also allowed me to send the message to the undead and others.
While I walked toward the guests, I messaged the guards to keep an eye on his every movement.
Never let him away from their eyes, even for a second.
I also sent a message telepathically to inform him that he would get safe passage out of the city as long as he didn''t break any laws or do something harmful.
Soon, I reached the most important guest. The lord of Olwspring.
"Lord Verulus, Miss Tylcharis," I greeted the man and his pregnant mistress.
It''s not visible yet, but she is also hiding it through powerful methods, including witchcraft. This isn''t surprising; the rulers may ban the witches but also use them secretly.
"Lord Silver, Miss Carla," replied the woman.
"Quite merciful of you, Lord Silver, to spare him."
"If I had been in your place. I don''t think, I would have spared his life, much less let him enjoy the party," said Lord of Owlspring.
Looking intensely into my eyes, wanting to read what I was thinking.
"I wanted to do the same, my lord, but it wouldn''t have served any purpose," I replied, sighing.
"And diplomacy would?" he asked. "Likely not, but I could hope," I replied truthfully.
I do not have much hope for diplomacy, but it is still more than nothing. Every time, I fought with the undead, I lost a lot of people.
I understand that no amount of diplomacy will be able to stop the undead, but it could help us gain some insight about them.
I am really interested in knowing why they attacked the region. There must be an important reason, or they wouldn''t have done it.
I had asked the merchants, but they said they didn''t know. They might truly not know or not just tell me.
I talked to him for two minutes more and moved to the other guests.
There are over ten thousand guests in here and I have to meet and greet important ones at least. Thankfully, I know where each of them is.
The absolute control of the legacy is helping me move smoothly without people stopping me.
It also helps that Madams are here. Our least experienced madams are holding the floors below, while the known faces are handling the guests.
Each of them has a list of people they have greeted.
Not just madams, but everyone important. Me, Robin, Hardt, Valentina, Arryn, and others.
All the important officials are busy greeting the people and talking with them.
It is one of the reasons why, many wanted a shorten the invitation list, along with the accommodation nightmare and expense.
Still, I went on with a big list. The more people experience the legacy, the more will help us. Each of the people is important or they know someone important enough to get the invitation.
Speaking of which, I had asked my people to find out how Tamas got the invitation.
I met one important person after another. Lord of Inam, Salazar''s daughter, other nobles, and powerful people.
"Lord Silver, Miss Salt," greeted the middle-aged man.
"Thank you for coming personally, Mr. Havel," I greeted the middle-aged man.
He is not as important as the other people, I greeted. Not as important as the representative that his house had sent, but I still kept him on my list.
He is Jasper Havel; the owner of a liquor store in Jalrux, Navr. The first merchant from Navr, that did business with us.
We still order some of our liquor from him.
Two months ago, I had not invited a single person from Navr, but this time, over three hundred invitations were sent there.
I need the trade, and Navr is a powerhouse.
Till now, they haven''t done anything other than use some scare tactics.
Speaking of it, I moved toward the most pitiful person. Who is glaring at the pair, Baron from Nakar baronies passing by him.
"Commander Shaw, I hope you are having a good time?" I asked the man.
After suffering defeat. He had been silent.
He is increasing his army, but not at a pace to become a threat to us. According to our intelligence, which is pretty accurate. He has an army of around fifty thousand.
It had reached below thirty- five thousand after the battle in Nakar forest, but he recovered and increased it.
A year ago, that army would have posed a threat to us or Nakar baronies, but now, it does not.
Mirador Hold is raking money through the trade that passes between his fortress, and it is huge, but he has an army of fifty thousand, which isn''t cheap to manage.
He has a fortress, but he has no cities from which he could revenue or recruit force.
He tried to rectify that by attacking the Nakar baronies, but failed miserably.
He then tried to set villages and towns in green spots, but that did not work too well. Most of the people living there are the families of soldiers.
Quite a lot of their families are living in the city. He forbade that first, before dropping the opposition, seeing it was affecting his men.
It all made him seem quite pitiful, because if he didn''t do something soon, within a year or two. The nakar baronies will eat him alive.
They want the fortress, not because of its defensiveness, but because of trade.
If they got it, they would have complete control over that trade route.
Which, of course, I will not let that happen. The baronies have huge potential, and they could become a real threat to me with a fortress in their hand.
"I am fantastic," he replied with a smile. Though it didn''t reach his eyes.
The man didn''t like me, and I don''t like him either, but there is business to be done. There is a reason he personally came. If we succeed, it will benefit us both.
"I hope, you liked my gift," I said and a smile on his face became genuine.
I had sent a little something he wanted. He had been bugging me for the past few months. It was a gift after we agreed on the revised contract.
"Yes, I appreciate it," he replied, and I smiled.
"Please enjoy the party, Commander," I said to the man and walked away to meet the other people.
Chapter 507: Keeper of Secrets
Merchant of Desire Lv. 34 [Master of Legacy]
Merchant of Desire Lv. 35 [Master of Legacy]
[Skill Gained: Keeper of Secrets]
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 33
There were lines in the big bold letters as I opened my eyes. Seeing them, a smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
"It seemed like the party had the big impact I was shooting for," I said to myself, seeing I had leveled up twice in my main class, which doesn''t happen unless it is an impressive feat.
Especially now, after I crossed Lv. 30.
I had also got a skill that made my eyes lit up.
Keeper of Secrets.
It is a very rare skill and an elusive one. It could do many things, but one of its greatest uses is giving a sense of the verity of secrets.
A moment later, a stack of documents appeared in my hand, and I began to read them.
As I read it, a smile couldn''t help but appear on my face. The skill couldn''t tell whether the information is true or lies, but it gives me a better ability to deduce that.
This stack of documents had the information that the girls collected. We never stopped doing that, but we also never aggressively used that information.
We mostly used it differently as research to spot the trends and moods of people.
People talk a lot in the company of beautiful women.
Not everything they talk about is truthful, but there are many things that could be learned from it, even if it is a lie.
It helps even more when our girls can carry on intelligent and engaging conversation. We have specially trained them to ask the right questions.
Most people that visit the legacy are rich and many have important positions. They are what set the trends. Knowing the direction they are moving is very helpful.
It had helped me tremendously in the decisions I had made.
I am tremendously happy with my skill. It is going to help me a lot.
I moved down from the skill to my Lord Class. Which, too, had leveled up.
With the two levels, I have two attribute points. I had already used the one attribute point I had from my last level up on intelligence, taking it to eighteen.
So, I used one attribute on strength, also taking it to eighteen, and one on vitality, taking it to twenty.
Class: Merchant of Desire Lv. 35 [Master of Legacy]
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 33
Trainer Lv. 08
Charisma: 20
Intelligence: 18
Vitality: 20
Strength: 18
Skills:
¡ñ Trustful Presence
¡ñ Master''s Instinct
¡ñ Lord''s Contracts
¡ñ Torch for Seeker
¡ñ Rapid Strikes
¡ñ Blitz Steps
¡ñ Insightful Reading
¡ñ Price Is Right
¡ñ Mauling Strike
¡ñ Silver Tongued
¡ñ Gymnasts Grace
¡ñ Sight Through Veil
¡ñ Every Ear Listens To My Words
¡ñ Blade Of The Gale
¡ñ Mood of the Subjects
¡ñ Privacy Sphere
¡ñ Command Projection
¡ñ Get Ready
¡ñ Quick Parry
¡ñ Razor Edge
¡ñ Active Presence
¡ñ Vision Projection
¡ñ Instant Recollection
¡ñ Artistic Dealings
¡ñ Copy Skill
¡ñ Telepathic Call
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
¡ñ Energizing Essence
¡ñ Gymnasts Control
¡ñ Lord''s Presence
¡ñ March Of The Braves
¡ñ Laws of My Land
¡ñ Mark of Mist
¡ñ Fast Reflexes
¡ñ Public Works
¡ñ Appointment (3)
¡ñ Keeper of Secrets
Legacy: Demesne of Desire II
Skills:
¡ñ Master of Legacy
¡ñ Laws of Legacy
¡ñ Share Authority (7)
¡ñ Vault of Ru
¡ñ Demesne Expansion
¡ñ Instant Restoration
Attribute Points: 0
Immediately, I felt the change.
I felt like spring had opened inside me. It made me feel cool all over me in the most comfortable way.
The feeling had lasted for a while before it had finally receded.
I took a deep breath and could feel big changes had occurred within me.
The change happens when the attribute reaches the multiple of ten. Reaching ten in attribute isn''t a big feat, most do it. Twenty is a rare feat, especially in two attributes.
If I am lucky, I might be able to reach that level in the other two attributes as well in my life.
I decided to not think about it and look at myself. There is a change in me physically. When I looked in the mirror, I could see it.
"I should have waited," I thought.
It is a noticeable change. People will be able to sense it. I did not want that. It is related to my strength; I do not want to share that.
Sigh!
I sighed and pushed the window away before getting up on the bed and walking into the bathroom.
I slept late after the charity auction ended.
I had only slept for three hours, but I am feeling rested enough thanks to the legacy.
I came out and changed into practice clothes and stepped out of my room.
There are a lot of things to do. Hundreds of people to meet. Even so, I am not skipping the practice. I am skipping the combat spar, but not the aura training.
It is the greatest personal tool I have, and I want to master it.
It is difficult, far more than I had imagined, but I am making progress. It is slow, but progress, nonetheless.
I wanted to show it off yesterday, but neither Carla nor I had brought out our aura. I have already shown it when I could not control my emotions hearing about Carla.
Click!
Two hours later, I returned. Feeling exhausted, I wanted to activate Energizing Essence.
I didn''t, instead, I bore it.
I need to get used to the tiredness that aura brings. I need to push through it as it is the only way, I will be able to use it to its full potential.
I stepped into the shower and soon ice-cold water fell on my body. There is nothing like it to chase the tiredness away.
Hun!
When I came out, I was surprised to see Carla there. Like me, she too had a busy day. Here, in my room, at this time, is the last place I had expected to see her.
She is sitting at a small table with breakfast in front of her. She does it when she has something important to talk about.
I changed into the clothes and sat in front of her.
"You should at least think about it," she said after a moment of silence.
She is talking about marriage. There are offers, a lot of them. Powerful nobles have hinted at a marriage alliance, several Counts and one Marquess.
For people like me. Marriage isn''t for love, despite wanting it desperately.
It is a political tool.
"I will," I replied and ate breakfast with her. Once finished, I gave her the peck on her lips and wished her good luck, before walking out.
The legacy is crowded. There are already people in the velvet blue, most of them are guests who came for breakfast.
The same is true for the velvet red.
We opened it an hour early today. Seeing the number of guests who wanted to visit.
Its opening time is eight in the morning, and it closes in the morning the next day at six. A lot of people remained in the legacy by that time.
The spa never closes, but stores have closing times. They close at midnight and open at six.
It is a legacy, and keeping it closed is considered anathema. That''s why there is a plan for it too. I am going to grant access to the mist to more people.
Not only more stores but also more people from each store.
Gagarin''s store had seven Mist-Artisans but I am planning to increase it by over ten or even twenty.
There is no space for them to work in the store. They will work outside. Thanks to the vault, we could transfer the supplies anywhere from the city into the legacy.
Though, stuff will be kept in an underground warehouse, under the park.
These people will work after midnight, until a few minutes before opening. I will do this for many shops, till every open space is used in the legacy.
Though it''s not free.
For it, they will need to make an investment in the city and also take the apprentices from the schools.
Which isn''t very risky for them. If they don''t act like idiots they will gain the benefits.
Having a store in the legacy and mist access, gives them enough fame, that they will be able to sell what they make inside and outside of the legacy.
Gagarin accepted and in two weeks. His new store and workshop will be ready.
Along with expert blacksmiths, he is hiring.
There is no decision from the second store. I am not forcing them. If they can''t see the opportunity, then they don''t deserve it.
Ting!
The elevator opened, and I walked out into the crowded lobby. Though a path had already been made for me.
I nodded at the people who greeted me, before walking out of the tower.
Even in the morning, there is a huge crowd around it. All wanting to get inside the legacy.
Twenty minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of the city hall, and I got out.
Click!
Soon, I stepped into my office, with Lola already there.
"Today is going to be busy," I said as I sat down. "That is the greatest understatement I have heard today," she replied.
My first meeting is forty-five minutes later. It''s not important, seeing as our people have already agreed, and I signed the deal yesterday, but the man is important.
He will leave the city directly after meeting me.
She had placed the files in front of me, and the first one was about the legacy.
My hands shook a little before I opened it. This file is about the expense of the party. As I begin to read it, my expressions become worse and worse.
There were over ten thousand guests. The food and drinks flowed freely, and there were also other expenses like the special accommodation for some important guests, along with other minor expenses.
"Those bastards didn''t hold back at all," I cursed at my guests. Seeing how much they drank and ate.
The liquor wasn''t cheap and ran like a river at the party.
"It was within our estimate," she replied coldly. Yes, we had expected it, but still seeing it made my heart bleed.
We spent massively on it, and I hope it will be worth it.
I closed the file and opened another one and then another. Reading through them fast with my skills.
"Lord Silver, Lord of Inam, had arrived," informed Jill.
Click!
A moment later, the door opened, and the familiar man walked inside.
"Lord Thorn," I greeted as I got up. "Lord Silver," said the man, and we both sat down.
"I hope you had a wonderful time yesterday," I said. "It was more memorable than I had expected. Especially for my wife; she got enchanted with your spa," he replied.
"I am glad," I said.
"I hope you could stay a day more, my lord. Let me host you properly," I added, but the man shook his head.
"Unfortunately, I can''t. If it had been any other time, I would have jumped at the opportunity , but now, I really can''t," he replied.
"The next time you come to the city. I hope you stay longer than one night," I said to him. I am just being polite, but I wouldn''t mind if he stayed for a few days, either.
"Have no doubts about it, Lord Silver," he replied.
For a moment, there was a silence, before he opened his mouth with a serious expression.
"Lord Silver, I was hoping you would increase the quota of essences," said the man, and I shook my head with a hint of regret.
"I can''t Lord Thorn. I had already promised you as much as I could," I replied.
"I am at the limit, my lord. I had over promised and I don''t know if my legacy will be able to produce the essence that had been promised to many people," I added.
He already received what we agreed on yesterday.
"Fine, but if your legacy produced more essence than your estimate. The city of Inam will pay more than a fair price for it," he said.
"Of course," I replied.
"There is one more thing. My niece will be coming to visit your city next week. I hope you will give her your time," he said, with a smile appearing on his face.
"It would be my honor," I replied.
He isn''t the only one sending his relative or daughter to the city. There are many of them.
They have already inquired with Robin.
He is responsible for it and currently, we are taking a non-committal approach to most proposals coming toward us unless, of course, there is someone with enough political weight.
I don''t want to marry, but I will need to for the sake of my people and dominion.
Chapter 508: Route
Viscount Kasis
Click!
The carriage stopped at the central building of Greltheaven, and the door was opened.
"Viscount Kasis," greeted a blond man with a bow.
"Please, follow me," he said a moment later and led me into the building.
I followed after him, into the bustling city hall. It is smaller than my city''s, but seemed more vibrant, despite having less than half of the population.
People could be seen coming and going, with each one busy with their own work.
As I walked through the city hall, it looked average. There are barely any art pieces, paintings, or beautiful tapestries.
Though, what it has is tasteful.
Soon, we reached the office of Silver. It is easier to recognize, given the security. There is also that teen assistant of his, who I had seen following behind him at the party.
"Viscount Kasis, Lord Silver is ready for you," she said, getting up.
I nodded and walked toward the door.
I am irritated with Silver. I wanted to meet him yesterday, the day after the party, but he didn''t give me an appointment.
I have come personally. I could have sent my son, but I didn''t and hoped to get respect for that.
And also, for those things. I need them, desperately.
The guards opened the door, and I walked in. Seeing me, Silver got up.
"Lord Silver," I greeted the young man. "Viscount Kasis," He replied.
"Please, take a seat," he said. "Thank you," I replied and sat down in front of him.
"I hope you are enjoying the city, my lord?" he asked, and a smile appeared on my face.
I loved my time here, more than I had expected.
Yesterday, I was in the legacy from the morning to the night. Tasting every fruit. From the spa to the theater and, most importantly, the red.
I am really glad now that I didn''t bring my wife.
"Yes, your city is beautiful," I replied.
I did a little sightseeing today, while I met some people in this city, and I have to say. It is more beautiful than I had thought.
Beautiful buildings, gardens, wide roads without any filth and high security.
"I am glad," he said.
A silence hung between us; it was not uncomfortable, but not comfortable either.
"I am sure, you know why, I have come here my lord. I would be grateful if you provided me with some emotion essence," I said finally.
I wanted to use my skills, but I uncovered that Silver likes things discussed without skills.
It''s not because he isn''t powerful enough. I had heard plenty of speculation about his probable level.
Though it would have helped. If he had showed off some at the party.
"I do not have much essence, Viscount. Most of which I had, have been promised to imperials, Namdar, and others," he replied with a pained smile.
My heart skipped a bear hearing that.
I need emotion essence. I need it desperately. Some of the powerhouses under me had threatened to leave if I didn''t provide them with it.
So, I opened my mouth to beseech him, with an offer that pains me, but for essence, I will not hesitate to sacrifice those things.
If it had been a peaceful time. I wouldn''t have thought about it, but now it is not.
Enemies aren''t far. I needed to be ready to defend my territory against them.
"Still, given our family''s relations. I am willing to spare some essence potions," he added, just when I was about to offer him some of my family jewels.
I knew his uncle, but not deeply. He is just another merchant for me. Still, I nodded.
"Thank you, Lord Silver," I thanked. Silver smiled before his expressions turned serious.
"Though, I hope. You will be able to do a few things for me," he added.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
I am not surprised.
Money isn''t enough to buy the essence of emotions. I will need to give him somethings more alongside it to get those things I want.
"If it is in my power, I will," I said after a moment of silence. Hoping it wouldn''t be about Raul.
I have seen how much he adores his whore.
I have heard what happened in Ertburn, and I hope he won''t ask me to do anything against Raul. That man is powerful, I am not a match for him.
Not personally, financially or martially.
"It is nothing difficult. I only want you to give safe passage to soldiers, alchemists, or other people that are journeying toward my territory through yours," he replied.
I wanted to curse the bastard.
What he had asked wasn''t easy. It will create trouble for me.
I have agreements with neighbors and other nobles to capture and return their people that came to my territory. Especially officers, alchemists, and other high-value people.
Hun!
So, I let hesitation show on my face and opened my mouth to refuse the condition cordially when a box appeared in front of me.
The box filled with the colorful bottles of emotion essence potions.
My Noble Eyes immediately told me that there were hundred bottles of potions in the box.
Thirty Grade I, forty Grade II, and twenty Grade III.
Seeing them, my eyes lit up.
I come asking for a few emotion essence bottles, but from the beginning, he is only willing to give emotion essence potions.
Which is just as fine too.
These bottles were worth more than the amount of essence I had been planning to ask for.
Though, I would have preferred bottles of emotion essence. If it was raw emotion essence; I could have used it to make potions or do other things with it, but as I had said, I do not mind the potions.
"I agree. We can sign the contract immediately," I replied, wanting to get my hands on these shiny bottles as soon as possible.
It will solve all my problems.
"There is no need, my lord. I trust your honor," he said, and I cursed him internally.
The contract would have been much easier. It would have been binding, but there would have been loopholes, but without one, things become complicated.
Now, it will be harder to reject his requests. If I did it, I might not be able to get these things again.
These will be enough for now, but I will need more. Silver won''t give me more, unless I will do what he has asked.
It is a predicament. I have no choice, but to accept it.
I need the essence and will need it even more in the future. I just hoped the people he sends to my territory wouldn''t give me a lot of trouble with the others.
"You can count on that, Lord Silver," I replied, and the man smiled. I left understanding that I can''t underestimate this young man.
¡
"With him agreeing, a route from Marstern to Belis had become clear," said Lola, as the door closed.
I am creating routes for people to come to the territory safely, but it is not just that.
I have another motive for it, bigger than just bringing people. They will understand with time; some of those sharp-minded had already started to understand it.
The desire for emotion essence resources is incredible.
It is helping me do, within hours, what would have required others to meet powerful nobles, spend months or years in negotiations to achieve.
Still, the work is far from being over. A single route is not enough, I am aiming for five, but need to create at least three.
Thankfully, one route had been completed. The second one was near; one more noble and it will be done too.
"Let''s hope, we succeed in others too," I replied, before closing the file. I have thirteen minutes before my next meeting.
Which is enough for the short practice session.
"The Kingdom of Mahal has agreed to the safe passage," informed Zela as I was about to close my eyes.
I smiled upon hearing that.
The archmage city had already made arrangements. I only needed to request the kingdoms from my end.
The Baxzar Dominion had already agreed to the safe passage. So has Tazir, and now with Mahal, the road has been cleared.
I would need to approach the individual lords and cities, but that won''t be a problem.
I have decided that I am going to the Archmage City to the continental synod conclave.
It only happens once in a decade. It is for the hosts of legacies where every kingdom sent their representatives.
It is not the right time for me to leave my dominion, but the synod conclave is too much of an opportunity.
The synod conclave will be like a big trade conclave on Earth. Where the who''s who of the continent and a small group of the other continents will come.
A moment later, I closed my eyes, and an aura came out of me. It didn''t spread, instead, it remained around me, before it started swirling.
It is slow and gentle, unlike a few weeks ago. My aura didn''t spill out of my control.
At least not enough for a person to notice.
Slowly, the speed of swirling got faster and faster, till it began to swirl very fast, like a storm. Lola quickly took steps back, while Zela readied her spells.
Not every time did the training go smoothly.
There are signs around my office of things turning bad, which have been fixed, but one could still see them. If they looked carefully.
Seconds passed and turned into minutes. I kept trying to spin as fast as I could.
Sweat started appearing on my brow and soon my whole, but I didn''t stop and continued, till I couldn''t.
It finally begins to slow it down gently.
It is a challenge, given how tired I am, but I am doing much better than the first week. I wasn''t able to do what I just did now.
It would have forced me into unconsciousness because of the shear strain.
.....
Onaz
Click!
The guard opened the door, and I walked inside.
The woman sitting behind the desk looked up and waved me at the chair asking me to sit.
"So, have you decided?" asked Carla.
Have I decided? It is quite a question that I wasn''t able to reply to it even now, despite knowing there are girls who would kill for the opportunity.
The only reason she gave me time to think about it is because Ina wants me.
There are others ready for it on one foot. Jenna and others would pack their bag instantly if given the opportunity.
"I agree," I replied finally, steeling myself after a moment of silence.
"You might want the city hall, but Panar is better. Here, you will need to start working from a much lower position despite your advantages."
"There you will directly work for the Governor. That is a far more powerful position, and it will become more powerful as the city grows,"
"It will also provide you with experience. That will help you gain a better position in the future," said Carla.
I know that, but I still wished I could work in this city.
I am old, over forty-five, and a whore. I need to do everything to rise fast, so I can achieve my own dream.
I have worked hard to be recognized. I focused on my lessons, I studied day and night and after becoming an assistant madam, I worked even harder.
Still, I know, I do not have much time nor the luxury to reject it.
If I reject it, others will take it in a heartbeat. If I stayed and joined the city hall. It would be years before I might get a chance to work directly for Master Silver.
I don''t know why I didn''t accept it right away when she asked. I had wasted precious days overthinking it.
"Thank you," I thanked.
"Pack your stuff, you will be leaving for Panar in the evening," she instructed.
"Thank you for the opportunity," I thanked her once again and walked out of the office.
Feeling grateful and extremely lucky for this and all the other opportunities, I have received here. I know this is the only place in the world, such things can happen.
Chapter 509: Growth
Paschal
"Look at this city, it is depressing," said my son. Hearing that, I couldn''t help but sigh.
He doesn''t like that we are investing here. He didn''t even want to come here.
His opinion was that we should invest in the Deerpond, where there is a Grade VI crystal mine, but the offer was too amazing to decline.
Silver is funding a quarter of the expense for the refinery and sweeten the deal with a personal promise from Silver himself.
If the city is reconquered by the undead in two and a half years. He will return the invested amount with the interest.
"It is looking much better than the cities that went through a harrowing war," I said, looking around the city through the window of my carriage.
I had come here two days ago, while Jorus had come today.
I had inspected the mines and the quality of crystals that were coming out of them, along with other things. Most of the crystals are average, except for one mine, which is producing the above-average crystals.
"We should have tried, Deerpond," he said. This time, it made me irritated.
"Do you know why, I didn''t try Deerpond?" I asked.
I didn''t explain things before. Wanting him to learn from observation. It is how I learned the business from my father.
Lester is smart, but his eyes are too focused on the Grade VI crystal of Deerpond''s mine. That he couldn''t think about anything else.
"It''s because there a no benefits there," I replied. With unbelief on his face, he asked back, "It''s Grade VI, crystals father. How can there be no benefits?"
To that, I laughed.
"Because, my son, the lord had no intention of giving a slice of that pie to us."
"He may have sent notice for interested parties to apply, but he is not going to give everyone that juicy Grade VI crystal. Especially not us," I replied, with a mirthless smile.
"Only big players are going to get a slice of that pie. The players like us will only have a vague promise and common crystals," I added.
There is a surprised look on his face.
These are the tricks of the nobles. My father had been burned by them, and nearly went bankrupt, when I was the same age as Lester.
They were terrible days and required us years to get out of them.
I don''t want my son to suffer the same things, I did. It is why, it''s important, that I be careful with my investment.
Our refineries at, Jeril and Vastin are in trouble because of the advancement of the Tabes and Edruin. They are quite close and might capture those cities.
I didn''t shut down the refineries, but I am cutting my losses.
Silver had promised to help me bring the equipment and people from there, which had become a nightmare because of attacks from the enemies and ongoing civil war.
"Still the investing here is dangerous. This city, Panar, could be reconquered by the undead at any time," he said, and to that, I smiled.
"So is Deerpond, but it is the risk, we need to take," I replied.
I could have invested in Greltheaven, but Silver was only willing to fund 15% of it and there was no promise, which wasn''t surprising, given it was his main city.
If the undead were to take it, he would have nothing to give to me.
Lester opened his mouth to say something but closed it.
I didn''t say anything either and looked outside the window at the city.
My experience tells me, it is not that depressing. Lestor hadn''t seen the cities ravaged by war. It is doing much better compared to those cities.
Some are scarred as such, that they never recover, but I think, this one will pull through.
Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the city hall, and I turned to my son.
"Behave yourself," I said to him, before getting out, with him following behind.
Lester is a teenager and got his class just a few months ago.
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The Governor is a beautiful woman.
Her new assistant is also a beautiful woman. Like the governor, she is also from the legacy. It is hard for teen boys to control themselves in front of beautiful women.
Soon, we walked into the city hall and moved toward the office, reaching it within a minute.
"Rato Paschal, I have an appointment with the Governor," I said to the beautiful receptionist, that Lester was gawking at.
"The Governor is ready for you," she replied. I nodded and walked toward the door. Looking at my son once more and hoping, that he wouldn''t embarrass himself.
Click!
The door opened, and I entered inside, and my eyes fell on the four people in there.
The governor was sitting behind the table. Lester''s eyes focused on her and, once again, he began to gawk.
To her left side is the orc. He is her geo-source adviser. There are two people behind her. The woman is heraldan, beautiful, and looks to be my age.
The other is a man in his early thirties. They are the assistants.
"Lord Governor," I greeted.
"Mr. Paschal," she replied and cast a glance at Lestor. Thankfully, there is no anger or irritation. She simply looked at him, before turning to me and asked us to sit.
"Thank you," I said.
Lester sat beside me a moment later, which made me relieved.
"How did you like that location?" she asked. "It was good. Great actually," I replied.
I checked the mines and crystals yesterday and today; I have looked at the location they have allocated me to set up the refinery.
It was a good place. Close to the crystal storehouses.
"Good. If it is to your liking, I could sign off that place to you," she said.
"That would be great," I replied. She smiled and the man behind her placed the file in front of me.
I studied the contract with the Contract skill active.
The format is standard and without any changes, aside from condition. If I didn''t start the refinery within six months, It would be returned to the city.
I had already signed the other contracts, and after reviewing it, I had signed this one too.
"I hope, the City of Panar and Pascal refineries will long and prosperous partnership," she said.
"I am sure it will," I replied and shook her hand.
...........
Ina
"The first refinery. I can''t wait for it to start," said Argis with a hopeful voice.
He is my new assistant, along with Onaz.
He is good. He used to work in the city hall, before being sent to me. Master Silver wants to foster the talented and give them opportunities, despite their age or experience.
"It will take two months at least," replied Gul.
Gul Maknok. He is my geo-source adviser.
The mining, refining, and selling of crystals is his area of expertise. He was a miner himself, when he was young, before working in a refinery and then trading.
He had started his own company but failed. Still, Lord Silver hired him. The field is saturated, and competition is tough. It is hard to carve a space in such conditions.
It had been only a week since he joined. I don''t know, how good the man is, but I hope, he will be helpful.
He left a few minutes later after the discussion, while I focused on work.
There is always more work.
Keeping track of construction that is happening all around the city. The state of the mines, expansion, and movement of the army, along with many other things.
I don''t mind it. I enjoy the work. I only hope that the city will truly stand on its own feet as soon as possible.
The mines have started, and we are mining the crystals and selling them, but they are contributing only a fraction to offset the city''s expenses.
It might be small, but it is a start.
We need more. More people, more crystals, more refineries and we are making progress toward them.
We do not have any intention of keeping any of these mines in our hands. We are going to sell them, but not now, not until we have the city on its feet and refineries active.
It is when we will get more interest and a fair price.
It is not just mines we have to focus on, but also trade.
People might not expect it, but we are doing the trade. It stopped for a few weeks after we took the city, before resuming two weeks ago.
Now, it is picking up speed every day.
Lord Silver invited everyone. Even those we have an acrimonious relationship with.
Gailhorn, Deerpond. We had invited not their leaders or officials, but merchants. We did the same with Navr; invited hundreds of their merchants.
It is through them that over half of the trade is coming from, and it will increase every week.
The orders are from Gailhorn. For the undead captured cities. They may be keeping the cities destitute, but those cities still have needs.
Whatever food storage they had, the cities had consumed after a few months after their capture.
If they desire to keep some population alive they will need food, along with many other things.
Many people have stated their opposition against trading with enemies, but Master Silver''s decision is final, and I agree with it.
We need trade. Even if it is with our enemies.
Time passed and it was nine when I had finished with the last meeting and got out of my office.
I have a suite here, but there is an official residence for the governor. Along with city hall, it is one of the few buildings the undead took great care of.
The carriage was waiting for me outside the city hall and I stepped inside it.
Soon it was out of the city hall and into the big plaza in front. There is a heavy police presence patrolling, but also people.
We have relaxed the curfew until ten. In the next week, we are planning to relax till eleven. However, the plan could change depending on the condition of the city.
We are taking things slowly. We do not want to be hasty and make mistakes.
All the buildings around the square had been fixed. Even one restaurant had opened. It is one of the four restaurants in the city.
Three of them were opened by the locals with a loan from the city. All their owners were running the restaurant before the undead captured the city.
We are providing aid to the many locals to open the businesses.
From restaurants to stores to carriage repair shops. The businesses are slowly opening up.
The money from the Velvet Garden charity auction is very helpful. We have got more than expected. There were thousands of guests and people from floors below had also donated.
We are using that money wisely for the city.
The investments are coming from the Greltheaven too. I got commitments from many at the party. Even if the fifth of them materialized, it would be tremendously helpful to the city.
Slowly the city is standing up, but it is still far away from walking on its own feet, but every day, we are making progress toward it.
Soon, the carriage turned and entered the compound before stopping at a huge mansion.
I got out and walked toward it.
"My lady, there is news from outpost seven," informed my mage. "The undead attacked?" I asked.
They are attacking several times a week. We have created seven outposts and placed a company of soldiers at each one of them.
This way, If the undead crossed into our side from any direction, we could deal with them quickly and efficiently.
"Yes, but this time their numbers are thrice that of usual," she replied, and I stopped in my tracks.
Chapter 510: Scout
Eli Gest
I finished my dinner, thankful it was not a ration again.
For a week and a half, after this outpost had been setup. We needed to make do with rations.
Things have changed in the past four days. We now have fresh food and three new soldiers, with Cook as a secondary class.
It had made things much easier.
Though the danger is everywhere, it is my job to spot it and warn others.
I am one of three monster scouts in the seven outposts.
There were five of us, but the undead had sniped those monsters dead. The two scouts were now back at the Greltheaven, training with the new monsters that the army had got for them.
It hurts losing the monster. Every time, I sent Charlie and Mishka out. I fear something might happen to them.
I went to the roof and nodded at the people before sitting in my usual spot.
I do not need to sit on the roof. I could sit inside safely, but I like the roof. Here, I felt a little more unrestrained, like I am with my birds. Especially when I activate the skill.
As I sat down and activated Share Eyes.
Immediately, an aerial view of the outpost appeared in front of me. I could see my little figure and the figure of the guards under the protective barriers.
That is Mishka. She is keeping sentinel around the outpost.
I am really glad I got Night Vision. It had made things easier.
Cloud Surfing Sparrows have good eyes, but they can¡¯t see through the dark.
Especially from high up.
I looked for a few minutes and scanned every inch for the undead. These bastards have dug tunnels in their territory, making things harder.
Unfortunately, I do not have any skills, that would help me detect movement underground.
After confirming there is no danger. I turned my vision to Charlie.
Immediately, the scenery changed. The quality lessened, but I could still see the units of undead patrolling on their sides.
I looked at the clearly and made notes in the file, under this hour, before focusing back on the undead.
Charlie flew high in the sky under the protection of the Shroud of Limitless Sky. It is my inheritance skill, a very powerful stealth ability.
It makes them hard to discover.
An hour passed, and I once more noted the position of the enemies.
Charlie is circling the whole boundary, the outposts share with the dead. She might not be the most powerful of the monsters, but she is the stealthiest one.
She could get close to the undead, which no other monster could do without getting discovered.
Another pass, and then Charlie flew back toward me, while Mishka moved to take her place.
There are other scouts in the area around the outpost, but not in the enemy¡¯s territory.
It took some time before I saw Charlie and a few seconds after that, she flew to my lap.
Immediately, I took out a small can and opened it, before adding a few drops of thick green liquid to it, before giving it to her.
This is a special diet made for cloud-surfing sparrows. It is expensive, but the army is funding it.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
I am the best monster scout the army has. I may not be the highest level, but I am the best and the best one requires nurturing.
These birds deserve it. They are doing the riskiest job.
¡°That bird''s food smells so good. Sometimes, I want to try it,¡± said Sova from her position.
¡°You shouldn¡¯t. Even the strong digestive system of orcs wouldn¡¯t save you from heavy diarrhea, you will suffer from it,¡± I replied.
Hearing that, she shook her head and looked ahead into her spyglass.
The food comes with a strict warning. People could die eating it. It is for the monsters and only monsters should eat it.
Soon, Charlie finished eating the food and closed her eyes to sleep.
Immediately, I activated the Double Rest.
It is one of the most useful skills, I have. We do not have enough aerial scouts. So, my birds works hard and sleep barely five hours.
They need more sleep. They are young, especially Mishka. She is not even a year old.
¡°Any sighting?¡± asked Jeb. ¡°Yes, but they are patrolling in their usual spots.
¡°I hope they don¡¯t attack today. I want to have a peaceful sleep,¡± said Jeb.
They have crossed the boundary two times in the past two days. Not in our area, but in other outposts. Still, that made us stay awake for longer.
They are crossing the boundary nearly every day. Half of the time, it results in battle.
They are keeping us on our toes, and that is not a good thing. We need rest. If this keeps happening, our morale will suffer, and we won¡¯t be in our optimum state to fight.
It is a good strategy, and they are using it well.
I hope the command will send more people. They are planning to build three more outposts, but that is a month away. Till then, we are on our own.
Cry!
Time passed when suddenly I heard the familiar cry in my mind.
Immediately, I activated the Share Eye. I cannot keep the skill active all the time; it is taxing for me and the birds.
It¡¯s why the Distant Cry helps. It is a passive skill; it helps the birds to alert me.
They only do it when they spot something. I have trained them, it is not easy. These birds may look cute and respond well to basic training, but the harder it gets, the more difficult it becomes.
I don¡¯t like to say it, but these birds are not the smartest of the monsters. Making training them hard.
I have Efficient Training.
It is an average training skill, but I like to believe I am an excellent trainer and along with my family¡¯s methods, which were passed down from my ancestor, I am doing a good job.
The view appeared in front of me, and immediately my expression changed.
I thought about it a while before activating Sky View and Enhance Clarity.
Sky View increases the magnification and Enhance Clarity increases the clarity of the vision.
I don¡¯t use these skills unless it is necessary. It increases the risk of enemies sensing it since these skills are targeted at them.
The Shroud of Limitless Sky offers great stealth, but its power is limited by level and there are a lot of people down below, making the chances of discovery higher.
Immediately, the view magnified and became clear.
I saw what I had expected and even saw the faces of a few people, which turned my expressions bad.
I was looking at it when suddenly a man looked up and said something to the woman beside him. Immediately, Bone Bullets formed in front of the staff and shot toward Mishka.
She is quite high, but Bone Bullets are not the Grade I spell. It is modified to Grade III, to a special undead elemental spell made to snipe the target in the sky.
¡®Mishka dodge!¡¯ I shouted.
I didn¡¯t have to say it. She flapped her wings fast and flew toward the clouds fast. It is where she is the safest and the stealth strongest.
She was halfway to the cloud when the Bone Bullets reached her.
The mage was good as they moved to target her while she flapped her little wings to avoid them.
Rip!
She avoided all of them except for one, that scratched through her, cleaning a few feathers off her wings.
I sighed, seeing the damage isn¡¯t big, but the danger isn''t over.
More Bone Bullets came, along with real and energy arrows and other spells. Seeing the mage, they have reacted as well and are now attacking Mishka with everything they have.
¡®I shouldn''t have used the skill,¡¯ I thought, but soon crushed that thought.
There are more undead than I had thought. Using the skills was necessary. It provided me with the necessary information, not only about their numbers but also about their members.
There are powerful people in the group including a level 30. For those below; it is extremely hard to sense.
That Level 30 must have the powerful sensory skill to sense her so quickly.
Rip
Another spell hit it, this time on the stomach. It is scratch too, but it had drawn out the blood.
Cry!
Mishka cried out but kept flying toward the clouds.
This is the time; I hate the most. Here, I am powerless to do anything and wish I had those abilities of my ancestor, that would have made avoiding such attacks easier.
I stayed with her, encouraging her to fly faster. It is the only thing I could do.
Seconds passed painfully as Mishka flew with everything she had while dodging the barrage of attacks coming at her.
Now, I am really glad. I had pushed her in the training. I had asked the mages to attack her while training her to dodge those attacks.
My original plan was to wait till she had finished with the phase of training she was going through, as I had done with Charlie, but I am glad I listened to my heart and gave her defensive training earlier.
It¡¯s the reason, she is still flying.
Finally, after what seemed like hours. She had reached the clouds.
The attacks kept coming, but here she avoided them more smoothly, than before.
She is in her element.
There is a reason why Halmks are called the cloud surfing sparrows.
She flew away from the danger while I got up and moved downstairs fast. Nobody asked me what happened, but all of them became alert.
They will need to be more alert than they had before because the enemy is powerful and coming in large numbers.
Chapter 511: Bad Odds I
Orok Uram
"And their numbers?" I asked Eli as he came down to inform me he spotted the enemy.
"Around two and a half thousand," he replied, and everyone turned serious.
It is ten times our number.
Usually, only six to eight hundred undead cross the boundary, but this time. The numbers are three times that. It seemed like they didn''t want to suffer a defeat again.
"One Lv. 30 and four Lv. 20+ Mages?" I asked, and he nodded.
"What are the orders?" I asked Hasid. "They have left that to us, but they are saying, we might not be able to reach the other outposts before the undead catch up to us," she replied.
It is the same story for the arrival of reinforcements.
The undead will arrive in about fifteen minutes here, while the reinforcement from the closest outpost will take an hour.
If the officers rode beasts they could arrive sooner. However, they won''t be able to spare many as they must also protect their area.
They can''t leave it unguarded.
"Inform the neighboring outposts. Tell them to reinforce us as soon as possible," I ordered before getting up.
It might not be much, but it will help.
I glanced at the book I was reading before walking out while the bell rang around me.
When I entered the compound, the soldiers were forming ranks, and soon, two hundred and forty-six people stood in front of me.
"The undead are coming, and this time, they came in large numbers," I could see the expressions on the faces of many changes.
"We have fought such odds before and won, and this time, it won''t be any different!" I said and for a moment, there was silence before they began to hit the ground with their feet.
Seeing that, a smile appeared on my face.
A moment later, I gave a few orders before turning to my lieutenants. There are five lieutenants, two mages, and three warriors.
Two are below Lv. 25 while three are above it.
"The numbers are huge. We will need to use everything we have, including those things, we are hiding. It''s time, we use them," I said.
I don''t want to use them, but the numbers are high enough that we will need them.
I might not show it to my face, but the odds are bad. The enemy has four mages of Lv. 20+, while we only have two.
They also have more mages below Level 20. More than us, without a doubt.
"That is wise," replied Azika, while the rest nodded.
"We need to end the battle quickly, given powerhouses and their numbers, but we will be on the defense. Only I and my group will go after the leader," I stated and hesitation appeared on their faces.
"That would be very risky, Captain. There is a Level 30, as well as the mages; you will not survive dealing with both," said Hadis, while I shook my head mirthlessly.
"Don''t worry, I am quite good at surviving," I replied with a knowing smile.
My class is Wildlander Survivalist. It is focused on survival.
My class is praised by both General Stone and Lt. General Azalia, but I still can''t use it at its full power.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
It is a specialized class for a specific environment. Unsuitable outside of the wildlands. Such specialized classes are rare, but it is what makes them powerful.
There is also a thing about me barely leveling up in it since I came here.
They offered to send me to a place that would help me level it up, but I declined. I don''t care about the class, but the people.
I love my new life. For it, I will sacrifice the class without any hesitation.
Soon, we finished the discussion and got out of the outpost. We didn''t go too far away and stopped at four hundred meters away.
Usually, we fight miles away from the outpost.
The outpost isn''t some fortress. It is a base made of common material without any strong defensive value, but today, we need all the help it can provide.
I hope it will survive.
I raised my spyglass and could see them. They are coming at us fast.
"Fuck!" escaped my lips.
Minutes passed, and soon they were only a mile away from us when they did something that made me curse.
They separated into four parts. Three moved, while the biggest one came straight towards us. It''s clear, they want to surround us.
"Separate!" I ordered.
Immediately, the company separated. Fifty-two stayed with me, while the other three groups of sixty moved away.
Fifty-two of us will face a force of nearly a thousand, including the level 30, powerhouse.
I have Predators Gaze active. It lets me see the enemy clearly and also helps me gauge their strength.
Like all the skills of the Wildlander Survivalist. It''s not at its full strength and the enemies have also activated their skills to stop me from looking.
Still, I was able to get some information, and when I added what I observed with the information Eli had provided.
I got the picture that made me scared.
The enemy coming at us has over fifteen times more numbers than us. The other platoons have much better odds of the numbers dealing with the smaller groups.
Such numbers could easily swallow us and other platoons, but not before we kill them.
The others will fight defensively, while we move for the kill. It is a suicide mission, but it''s not like, we could run away. It is hard to run from the undead.
These bastards could move much faster than the living. If we had chosen to run away. They would have caught up to us before we reached the other outpost.
Boom Boom Boom!
I was in my thoughts when the sounds of cannons rang out.
"Fuck!" I cursed.
Immediately, the cannonballs begin to blast out from the outpost. It was our big surprise, but the enemy had also brought out the cannons, negating the only advantage we had.
Seeing that, I shook my head, before my expressions turned serious.
"Charge!" I roared with Rallying Cry
Just a moment later, I ran toward the enemy, with my men behind me.
I wanted to wait till they got close and barrage them with the cannons, but seeing that they too have cannons. It is best to attack them as soon as possible.
The undead canons are not only targeting us but also targeting the outpost.
If we let that happen for long. There won''t be an outpost for us. Also, the cannons are placed there; it would be bad for us if they stopped.
From what I could see, we have more cannons than them. It is providing us with cover and importantly keeping their mages busy.
Soon, there were only two hundred meters of distance between us when their spells came.
There are a lot of them.
"Follow my orders exactly," I said.
The spells came, and many of them were coming directly at me. I had ordered the Mages not to defend me from the Grade II spell or below, only defend the Grade III. All of the lower spells I will handle on my own.
I only have two mages above level 20. The one with me is Lieutenant Sarsyr. The half-elf is the lowest leveled and also the youngest among the lieutenants.
She looked as young as me.
She is from Mayhurst and fought the undead. It is why, I kept her with me instead of Hasid.
Hasid is needed with another platoon. He is powerful and the only one capable of keeping his platoon alive.
The other two platoons were led by Donil and Azika.
The people I worked with the longest while I was here were Sarsyr and Dina. Dina is local and has been defending the city since the first battle.
She is the second lowest level and is quite good, but it is not because of that I have chosen her to be in my group.
I had chosen her because of her skill. She could form the network, which makes it much easier to give a command in the chaos.
I may be going against the highest number of enemies with the lowest numbers, but it''s not because I am brave or a fool.
Every person here was chosen by me. They have the talent and, most importantly, the skills required to make this daring strategy work.
I knew such a thing would happen. Both the command and people from Mayhurst, that I have in my company had warned me about it.
I had prepared for it. Practiced it, and now, I am going to use the strategy to defeat the undead.
My axe moved and cut through the spells. One after another. They are never-ending, but every single one of them is being cut by my ax.
I am looking at the spells, but my focus is on the man in the middle of the undead.
He is the target, and he is being there intentionally. He understood very well that I would need to kill him to end the battle.
He is staying there despite the advantage of the levels. He is using our desperation well.
Soon, the undead are on us, with less than a meter away. That is when I activated my latest skill from the Officer.
Barrage of Steel.
The skill that enhances the power and efficiency of weapons. Others also activated their army skills. Covering everyone with all kinds of enhancements.
"Kill them all!" I roared with Rhythm of Wild singing in my heart.
Chapter 512: Bad Odds II
Orok Uram
Rip Ting Rip!
My ax ripped through the undead.
I took a step forward and killed another group of undead, while Rhythm of Wild sang in my heart.
I didn''t stop and took another step forward, and then another, killing any undead that came into my path or spell moving to stop me.
I could feel my energy men are moving behind me. Cutting through the undead, that are coming to swallow us.
Within seconds, the undead had completely swallowed us.
Now, there is no way to get out, nor do we want to. There are only two options in front of us. One is to kill the leader and every enemy powerhouse or get killed by them.
We are getting attacked from all sides, and my people are getting injured.
It is why, we aren''t stopping even for a moment.
We are killing everything that comes our way. We will not stop and kill anything that will come to stop us.
Hun!
Seconds passed and turned into minutes when one spell avoided Sasryn''s shield.
There are seven sharp bone spikes covered in deathly fire.
I don''t know the name of the spell, but I know, it is Grade III, and I have to defend against it or it will kill me.
I wanted to dodge it, but there were too many undead around me and the spell was too close and coming too fast.
I swung my ax toward it without hesitation, activating the Lion''s strength and Wild Swing from Wildlander Survivalist and Keen from the Officer.
Immediately, the power of the strike increased exponentially.
At the same time, the spells struck the undead around. Seeing that, I felt pleased to see the training was working.
Clang Clang Clang!
The enchantment on my ax flared, and it began to cut through the spikes one after another, till all seven of them turned to dust.
I deactivated the skill and swung my ax again, killing the undead that had taken, the place of those dead.
We kept moving, and soon, there was around only five meters of distance between the Lv. 30+ and me. Seeing me, he grinned and moved away from his place.
While more undead came at us.
"Coward!" cursed people from behind. I shook my head internally and followed behind.
It is not cowardice
He could come at me any moment he wants, but the man is smart. I am sure, he had read the information about me as I had about him.
It is why, he isn''t engaging against me. He wants to tire me out, before facing me.
I kept following him, but he would simply move away whenever we got close to him.
Clang Clang Clang!
Another group of Grade III spells came, and I destroyed them. They are coming every few seconds and I am defending against them.
Sasryn is working hard, but she is dealing with two mages. They are higher level than her.
It isn''t just her, but others are also under immense pressure, with injuries piling around on their bodies.
"Coward!" I screamed. Seeing him moving away once again, hoping the taunt would work, but it didn''t. Seeing the man grinning instead.
I didn''t say anything further and kept following him.
Another minute passed, and I reached where I had wanted to.
''Left!'' I said and a moment later, I leaped high toward the left.
It is dangerous, but I am taking the risk.
I looked toward my target. It is not a Lv. 30 warrior, but the mage. The blond woman is one of the two mages; she is powerful and has been harassing us.
Taking her out would help us a lot.
Seeing me coming at her; there was no fear on her face. Instead, her lips curved in a smile.
Which did not give me a good feeling at all.
I am in the air, where maneuverability is limited, and the distance between us is small. Making defending and dodging the attacks hard.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Mages don''t like when warriors come closer to them, but she is happy, seeing me coming closer to her.
It seemed like she hadn''t read about me or was too confident in her abilities.
She seemed to understand what I was thinking, and a moment later, her staff lit up, and my eyes widened in shock.
The spells she had released aren''t Grade III, but Grade IV. She is a High-Mage, not a Mage. She had been projecting as such until now.
I am not the only one with the plans. The enemies have their own plans as well.
Bang Bang Bang
The undead below me exploded into the shower of blood and gore, coming at me. At the same time, the thick dark lightning roared toward me.
Trap.
They knew about me and laid out this trap to kill me.
I have been warned that these undead might target me. They target those specifically those they thought had the potential to turn into trouble for them.
I didn''t take those words seriously.
I am not special.
If I had been special, I wouldn''t have been stuck in Lv. 26 for months while everyone I know leveled up. Many, weaker than me, had even crossed Lv. 30.
I could feel it. The experience, I had accumulated. It is huge, it might be enough to take me to Lv. 30, but despite that, my class isn''t leveling up.
Something stopping it from doing it. Keeping me at the current level.
My strength is increasing as I am leveling up in my secondary class; Officer, reaching Lv. 16 in it, but the increase it gives is very small.
It can''t give me the attribute points, and it isn''t as powerful as my main class, but I still appreciate it.
No matter what I think. The enemies had noted me as the trouble and they want to kill this trouble, but this trouble will be killing them.
Because dying isn''t an option. If I died, they would kill others. I can''t have that.
Survivor''s Protection.
I activated the Survivors Protection the moment before all the flesh and bones of the undead hit me like arrows and needles.
I felt it hitting me painfully, but I know, the Survivors Protection is capable of protecting me against it.
What it could not protect me against the dark lightning coming at me.
I could see it thanks to Predators Gaze.
She had exploded the undead, to attack me but also to obscure my vision.
So, I wouldn''t be able to see the powerful attack coming toward me, through the wet mist and bone dust, that is smelling terrible.
I need to defend this attack, or I am dead.
So, I activated Ariel Adjustment. It might be hard for others to maneuver in the air, but not for me.
I adjusted my position and brought down my sword with Wild Swing toward the lightning that appeared in front of me.
Bang!
The axe struck the dark lightning, and I activated the magic-resistance enchantment on the axe at its full power.
This is a new axe I got after the battle of the Panar. It is a triple enchanted weapon. That was made with magic-resistant material and has the same enchantment.
Sarsyr had said three-enchantment weapons are already expensive, and those made with resistant material and enchantment are even more expensive.
I am glad the command gave me this. It suits me well. It''s likely why they gave it to me.
The sword cut through the spells, but not all of it. Some of it hit me and gave me the massive pain that I needed to grit my teeth to bear.
Finally, the axe tore through the dark lightning. Lessening the pain, I was feeling.
If not for the Wild Protection. I wouldn''t have been able to get away with slight injuries and pain.
I adjusted myself with Aeriel Adjustment once again and activated the Lion Strength, before activating the Keen from the Officer.
I only have one chance, and I have succeeded in it. If I failed, it would be really hard.
A moment passed, and I appeared above the mage and brought down my ax.
The mist and dust were still covering us, but the mage had noticed me immediately. Her entire body language changed and her body head moved toward me.
She reacted fast. Many of her spells activate one after another.
The first seemed to be Haste. As her speed of retreat increased, the next seemed to be some kind of defensive spell as I saw the shield appear in front of her.
The last one is a massive lance covered in denser fire.
She is clearly experienced in the battle seeing how fast she has reacted, but it will not save her.
She will die today.
Bang!
Rhythm of Wild spiked, and I moved my axe. Clashing against it as it materialized, before starting to tear through it, with the power of Sharpness, enchantment, and Keen skill.
Like the lightning earlier, some of the flames touched, and they were even more painful, but I bore it and continued with my attack.
Rip!
My axe tore through it and I poured more power into my attack, as the shield was right in front of me.
Bang!
My axe crashed against it before tearing through it and moving ahead, but there was no mage.
She avoided my attack by a few steps.
I cannot let her get away. I could already see the undead moving forward. If that happens, it would be hard to capture her and it would be me that would be in danger.
I could see the Lv. 30 warriors moving toward me. He is close and once he arrived, I could forget about killing her and him.
So I leaped toward the mage Wild Dash as the Rhythm of Wild rang loudly.
Immediately, two spells materialized. First are bone spikes, sharp spikes that would tear through me; it is a good thing, I leaped, not ran.
My feet aren''t touching the ground.
It is the second spell that raises all the hair on my body.
It is a translucent crescent, and it appeared in front of my ax and passed through it before appearing in front of me and striking my head before I could do anything.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
I shouted in pain, that is worse than the shock of silver-eyed cats. It felt like something was cutting the very soul of me.
It made me powerless, as I had never felt before.
I know it is a soul attack. The worst kind of attacks from necromancers. They are extremely powerful and warriors like me are powerless against them.
My screams became louder as the pain increased even further.
"No!"
I roared. I cannot let this pain consume me. I need them to kill the enemy. If I did not, she would kill me and then kill my men.
These people had trusted me with their lives. Walked into the jaws of enemies without a single word of complaint. It is the first time someone ever did that, and I will let them down.
Hun!
So, I roared even louder and felt the crescendo of Rhythm of Wild breaking through the veil of pain.
It came and became louder. Drowning the pain from the soul attack.
My eyes became clear, and the first thing I saw was the relieved smile on the enemy''s face and then the Dark Lightning.
I am air, not in the ground as I had expected.
It might seem like an hour had passed because of the sheer pain, I felt, but barely a moment had passed since the soul attack struck me.
Bang!
I crashed my axe against the lightning. Making the enemy''s eyes go wide.
My ax tore through the lightning. Reaching the enemy, this time. She will not be able to get away from me.
Horror appeared on her face, but that didn''t stop her from reacting. The thick bone wall appeared in front of her.
Bang!
My ax tore through it. Only to see the enemy covered in bone armor in her midst of casting another spell.
This time, I will not let her get away and pour everything. I have it in my store.
BANG!
The ax tore through another defensive spell, that was materializing, before finally crashing against her.
The bone armor was strong, but it was only able to stop my ax for a moment before it tore through it. Reaching the body of the enemy while she watched with terror.
Ripp!
A sharp, wet sound rang out as my axe cut through her chest before I pulled it back fast and swung it again.
The next moment, the head flew up. Killing her for good.
Chapter 513: Retreat
Orok Uram
"You bastard!"
I heard the loud curse and turned my eyes away from the flying head toward the next enemy.
"Good, you are coming. I thought you never would," I said. This made him stop short as uncertainty appeared in his eyes.
Seeing that, I turned toward the second mage. This one is a Mage. Not a High Mage in hiding.
He had attacked me several times while I had fought the High Mage, but all of his spells were Grade III, which, thankfully, Sasryn stopped.
If he had been High-Mage, he would have attacked. He had a perfect chance to kill me.
I grinned, seeing fear appear in his eyes before looking at my people. They had already formed a half circle around me and were moving to make it complete.
The enemy''s eyes moved toward them for a second while thoughts spun in his mind.
I kept my eyes on him; my axe moved ready to deal with any undead or spell coming at me while the Survivors Healing recuperated my injuries.
It is a powerful skill, that saved my life many times. It is an Inheritance skill.
Not a primary inheritance skill like Rhythm of Wild, but one with a fraction of inheritance healing skills power.
General Stone had said that there was a good chance it would advance to a complete inheritance skill if I leveled up to Level 30.
It was healing my injuries, but I still drank the potion while moving my axe with one hand to kill a skeleton.
The enemy seemed to finally make up his mind and walked toward me.
At the same time, I sensed the change in the undead. They have intensified their offense. Skeletons and Zombies begin to move aggressively, with many exploding.
Worry flashed in my heart, but I controlled myself.
I trust my men to do their jobs while I have to do mine. I need to kill the enemy; it is the only way they will retreat.
He charged and in a few seconds, he was in front of me.
He is a human man in his early forties or late forties. It is hard to tell with humans. The elves and half-elves are even more confusing.
He is a tall man with a muscled physique and has a similar shade of skin as those of Mayhurst Island.
He has charcoal black hair and even darker eyes. His nose is small, with a scar running through it.
His name is Javar Neris. He is a native of Mayhurst, but not of the undead kingdom.
He defected to them in the first year of the war.
"You have made a great mistake killing Lilya. I pl.." He stopped midway as I attacked him.
Javar''s eyes flared in anger.
I don''t have time to hear his bullshit. My people are getting injured, some have died. I cannot waste even a second; I have to deal with him as soon as possible.
For it, I will not hold back anything.
I used the Wild Dash to move at him and activated Wild Swing as I slashed along with the Lion''s Strength and Keen.
A surprise appeared in his eyes seeing my attack, but he reacted fast and swung his black saber toward my axe.
He tried to move his saber past my axe, but I didn''t let him.
He is faster than me and stronger, but nearly every other Lv. 30 I had fought was. I am used to such power. It didn''t scare me now as it used to.
Though, I am still cautious about it. I understand clearly how a single mistake could send me to the underworld.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed, and I shook a little under the force, which surprised him.
It does to many.
He had a strength skill with his attack skills. Many think that with such power, they would push me back, but it''s not easy.
Even though my skills aren''t at full power. They are powerful; my body itself is powerful.
They had tested it.
I am 30% stronger physically than the average orc of similar strength and attributes, that is, after applying the weight of my class.
It is not something I was born with but something I gained unknowingly.
Since I was born, I lived alone. First, there was only my father, he died.
I ate what I could. Wild plants, monsters, and many other things. Add intense physical exertion due to the monsters that nearly killed me countless times.
It all made my strength increase.
Since coming here, the people have taught me to use this strength with razor efficiency against people and the undead.
It is why, despite barely leveling up in my primary class my strength had increased.
I controlled my body and attacked again. There is no need to stop or hold back. The only thing I have to do is deal with this enemy in front of me.
He attacked again, and this time, his attack was stronger than earlier.
Hun!
He used the skill that made glare from his saber shine into my eyes, obstructing my vision. It''s a good thing I have Predator''s Gaze.
It didn''t completely protect me against the glare, but it didn''t leave me blind, either.
Clang!
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Our weapons clashed, and I shook again, feeling the powerful shock against my body, but I bore it and attacked almost immediately after pulling my axe back.
I have borne shocks worse than this from the monsters. This is one of the things they didn''t have to teach me.
Clang Clang Clang
Our weapons clashed again and again. I didn''t stop, even for a moment, and kept attacking, looking for gaps that I could exploit.
The man is good. He is covering them well and those that aren''t covered are traps.
Puch!
Suddenly, I felt something sharp striking me on the back of my shoulder.
Rip!
The enemy in front of me had an opportunity to attack, and his saber cut through my enchanted armor. Giving me a long gash across my chest.
Which started to give me a burning sensation, intense enough to bring tears to my eyes.
I controlled my emotions and looked at the enemy that had attacked again. This time, using a skill that he didn''t use before.
There is a heaviness in the attack that there wasn''t before.
I swung my axe to defend myself and felt the burning sensation intensifying.
The injuries aren''t deep enough, but still, they are injuries, and using Survivors Healing to heal them is increasing the strain on me.
Clang Clang Clang!
I defended, but he attacked again and again, and I defended each assault while feeling the sharp pain at every movement.
He knew his skill well and understood the movement would cause me even greater pain.
Using that advantage, he begins moving around with speed skill and attacking me from all sides.
Rip!
I defended his attacks when his saber moved past my axe and gave me a cut across my leg.
He grinned seeing that, and appeared at my back and attacking again. I turned back and defended the attack, but he once again appeared in front of me and attacked.
Every movement I am making is painful, and now even my leg is burning.
The pain I am feeling is intense. Worse than the pain I once felt from Tarmab leaves when I used them to wipe, finding out that they were poisonous.
Rip Rip!
Once more, he evaded my axe and cut me. I tried to dodge, but the enemy was faster, and he gave me another cut a second and a half later.
Increasing the pain. Making it even more intense.
This isn''t my first time dealing with pain skill, but it is the worst one I have felt.
It is stronger than the other pain skills at its level and might be a special skill or fused skill. Given how the pain increases with every wound he gives me.
Normal pain skills aren''t like that.
Rip Rip Rip!
Time passed, and more cuts began to appear on my body. Seeing that, the smile on the enemy''s face begins to get bigger and bigger.
The pain continued to increase with each cut, and it increased so much that I needed to grit my teeth to bear it.
"How do you like my greatest skill?" he asked with a grin.
"I am quite surprised to see you are still standing. Many Lv. 30 begged when they had started to feel the level of pain you are feeling," he added with a surprise in his eyes.
"I had suffered worse!" I replied, gritted my teeth, and defended myself against his attacks.
"Good, you still have a spirit. I liked to see how long it could last!" he said with a grin and appeared to my left and attacked.
Rip! Puch!
Another cut appeared, and then another. When suddenly, a lightning bolt hit me.
It hit the part that isn''t protected. Singing it, but also relieving me of the intense pain for a moment.
More cuts appeared as the battle progressed, and the pain increased. I don''t think I would be able to hold it for much longer.
It is why a mix of offensive and defense. I shifted to complete defense.
Rip!
His saber cut me across the stomach, and it wanted to go deeper, but I dodged with Wild Dash, and he moved forward and attacked again as he did so many times.
His saber came hard and fast. Going for my chest.
It had reached a few inches away from my chest and would surely cut across it like it did many times.
This time. It didn''t.
I dashed to my left fast. So fast, it surprised him.
I have used all my offensive skills with full power. There was no choice against an enemy like him, but not this one.
As I dodged the attack. I dashed forward, using the full power of Wild Dash as well as Officer''s Run. Holding nothing back.
I had been waiting for this opportunity. Taking injuries and that immense pain. All of which, I am now channeling into my skills.
I have him in the position where I wanted. He is not moving and has a lot of openings.
Over 90% of the cuts on my body could have been defended, but I didn''t.
I let him strike me. Use the skill he was so proud of that had made him kill countless enemies. Including five Lv. 30 on the record.
This pride he had over his skill. Made him careless.
It''s quite common. I had noticed it a lot when I used to follow the behind bandits. Even out here, it is common egotism.
People feel prideful of their skills. If it is powerful, there is nothing wrong with that. What is not wise is losing cautiousness because of having it.
He understood immediately what was happening and brought his saber toward me.
It was fast, but I was faster and appeared before him and swung my axe with every bit of the strength I had while the alarm on his face turned into horror.
Hun!
My attack was halfway to him when a protective bone layer appeared around him.
The mages had cast the defensive spell, but it wouldn''t help him.
My sword reached him and struck through the bone layer. Shattering it before hitting his armor.
My axe pushed through it, before reaching his body.
Bang!
A ''bang'' sound rang out instead of a flesh-tearing one. He flew back instead of getting cut apart by my axe.
He might have survived the death, but not without heavy cost. The attack had seriously injured him, which is a small price to pay, seeing it had saved his life.
Such skills are extremely rare.
I dashed forward, seeing him flying back broken and bloodied, but just as I did, the bone wall appeared in front of me.
Bang Bang Bang!
I crushed through the wall and another in front of me and then another, I crushed through five of them.
As I did, I saw the enemy running away through only the gap that nearly completed the circle my men had made.
"Follow!" I commanded and moved toward him.
He turned and looked at me with fear in his eyes. I am not the only one after him. My mages are also going after him while he is defending against the spells.
I am going to kill him.
Bang Bang Bang!
Undead appeared in front of me and exploded. I moved through them. I didn''t care if the bones and other stuff stuck to me, all that mattered was killing the enemy.
Only with his death will they retreat.
So, I moved through the exploding undead while he ran away. I could see him drinking the potion, which isn''t good, but I have time.
I don''t think it is essence potion. They are extremely rare and expensive.
He wouldn''t have taken such a big gulp of it.
Rip Rip Rip!
I cut the undead. Moving closer and closer to him while my people protect me from the spells of mages that are coming at me.
I gain the ground. Getting closer and closer to him.
Soon, there was less than five meters of distance between us. He turned, and there was a deep fear in his eyes.
"Retreat!"
He shouted, surprising me, but I stopped. I looked at him and looked at the undead.
A moment later, the undead stopped attacking and began moving. Enveloping their mages and their leader while my men came toward me.
"This might be a ploy," said Lt. Dina as they left us. "It is why you should drink your potions," I replied and took out potions of healing and stamina before drinking.
These are normal Grade III potions. If I saw the undead returning, I would drink the essence one.
Yes, this might be a plot, but I don''t have much choice. My people are injured, and some are dead. A retreat is the best choice for us, too.
I want to kill the enemy, but I need to think about my forces too. If I had pushed, it would have been mutual destruction.
Which I would not accept.
I have already done significant damage to them by killing the High Mage. If he returns, this time, I will kill him.
"The other groups are also retreating," informed Sasryn. I turned and saw other undead groups retreating, too.
It was only when the pain disappeared I shuddered in relief. The bastard hadn''t deactivated the skill, despite retreating.
"How is Azika and others?" I asked. "Currently stable, but they need medical attention," replied Hasid as he stopped beside me.
He, too, had suffered injuries but stayed by me, keeping an eye on the undead.
"Seven companies aren''t enough. We need more people to guard against the undead," said Donil, and I couldn''t help but nod.
The undead had upped the ante, and we need to respond to it. The first stage will be increasing the forces on the boundary.
"It is the first thing I am going to request," I replied.
We watched till the undead disappeared from our eyes before turning to the outpost, which wasn''t in the best shape.
A few cannonballs had hit it. Making a few walls collapse.
When I reached there, the first thing I saw was dead bodies in the compound. We have lost some good people in the battle. Seeing them, tears started to stream from my eyes.
I controlled my emotions and sent a prayer to the Goddess of Dusk before walking inside to see the injured.
Desiring, the healer to keep them alive till help arrived.
Officer Lv. 17
Officer Lv. 18
{Skill Gained: Thunderous Charge}
Battle Mage Lv. 23
Soldier Lv. 10
Soldier Lv. 11
{Skill Gained: Heavy Strike}
Chapter 514: Sage of Thousand Blades
Conference room 7
"The undead had escalated, and we need to respond to it," said Cardin.
We are meeting to discuss the skirmish that occurred an hour ago.
The undead came with unexpected numbers; it was a battle with the worst odds we had fought, but our people had repelled them, barely and not without a cost.
"We will. I am signing off on three battalions and five more companies," I replied, and the eyes of many lit up.
We have only seven outposts, each housing a company, but within a month, twelve companies and three battalions will be stationed at the boundary.
One battalion will leave for the boundary before midnight from Panar.
We discussed a few more things before coming to the topic. We had postponed last time.
"He did good. Killing a High-Mage, despite below Lv. 30. Even those of Lv. 30 and above couldn''t do it," said Cardin, and many nodded.
I couldn''t do it. It requires specific skills and talent to go against the mages. Even with the aura, I am sure of my limit.
"Well, we can''t hold it off anymore. If we didn''t give it to him now, it would be a disservice to his loyalty," I said. I am talking about his promotion.
Which he deserved to get after the battle of Panar, but I held it off.
I wanted to send him into the wild to advance his class, but that young man wasn''t willing to listen.
He wants to stay here with his men.
It is quite unfortunate. He has a powerful class and inheritance skills. I wanted to foster them.
I could force him, but that would be counterproductive. So, I am going to give him his well-deserved promotion.
Along with the thing. I had been planning. I could not think there was a better person for the responsibility than him, and the result of the battle proved it further.
"I am signing off for the promotion of Captain Okor Uram to Lt. Colonel," I proclaimed, and they nodded in acceptance. He deserves it. No one would refute it.
"He will command the seventeenth battalion," I added, and a shock appeared on the faces.
Including that of Cardin.
"My lord, I don''t think that is wise," said Colonel Vihra.
"Orok is powerful and talented to lead, but he is young, and advancement to his class is blocked. I think we should give this responsibility to someone experienced," added Major General Hiren.
I smiled and turned to Cardin.
"The orcs wouldn''t be happy with it," he said. To that, I smiled.
Yes, the orcs wouldn''t be happy. They would have been ecstatic if any other orc were given this position, but they would not be with the albino orc.
"They will have to deal with it," I replied.
Lt. Colonels'' command battalions and nobody would have said anything if it had been any other battalion, but the seventeenth battalion is different.
It is special because it doesn''t exist. It exists only on paper. It is an idea, a plan.
A plan for an elite battalion.
We formed the plan for it after the battle of Panar. It is designed to be a force that could tear through the enemies to reach their critical targets and kill them. It will be the tip of the spear.
The battalion will get more funding, better equipment, and greater training.
A few names have been suggested for it, but they didn''t feel right. Orok feels right, despite his main skill suffering from the block.
Elite armies are special, not only in name but also in power. Some could reach a height where they gain their own unique classes.
Gaining those unique classes is extremely rare, and it needs to be very distinct and good to awaking that. It is hard to attain that gift.
"My decision is final," I stated.
Many still wanted to argue and even opened their mouths, but closed them, seeing my expressions.
A few minutes later, everybody left, leaving only Cardin.
"That young man has huge potential, but he will need to unblock his class," said Cardin. To that, I couldn''t help but nod.
"He does," I replied, to the man.
That man has the most powerful class in the entire army. Even the classes'' of Stone and Azalia couldn''t compare to his.
Even in the city. His class is most powerful, after mine, Caena''s, and Bell''s.
It has the same weight as the Lord Class but has a pure martial focus. It is why, despite being unable to use it fully, he killed the Lv. 30 High mage.
Stolen story; please report.
However, if it is just class, I wouldn''t choose him.
Because of who he is that''s why I have chosen him. The class is just a tool that he earned through his effort.
If you didn''t know how to use the tools, then no matter how powerful they may be they wouldn''t be able to achieve what they could with it.
"Get him a good adviser. That will help him forge an elite battalion," I ordered.
"I will," he replied before placing a document by me. I quickly reviewed it.
"They are moving smoothly through the territories. Except here," he said, tapping on the name on the map.
"His forces went into Viscount Taris''s territory and captured them," he added.
He is talking about the movement of people we have poached. It had been a week since the party, and the deals we have made in the past few days are already helping us tremendously.
When we tell people about a safe route to bring them and their families here, they are quicker to agree and start to move.
To those who are fearful of their families'' safety. We are offering them to stay in the Inam. I have signed the agreement with the Lord of Inam for that.
I don''t like doing that, but I need experienced people.
"Count Igalad. Brother-in-law of Count Raul," I said, looking at the name.
His name was on the invitation list, but I canceled it after what happened in the Ertburn, and now the man is taking revenge for that.
I had expected anger and a little payback, but I didn''t expect that he would go to the height of breaching the territory of other nobles and kidnapping.
"I will deal with it. In the meantime, change the route," I ordered.
It will cost us and take more time for them to reach here, but we have to do this.
I will need to solve the problem with Igalad. It is bad for me. If the news spreads, it will make for a more challenging time poaching people.
A few minutes later, I walked out of the conference room. I didn''t return to my office, instead I walked out of the city hall.
I am usually at home by this time, but the news of the skirmish delayed it.
Soon, I sat in the carriage, and it began to move toward the legacy. I stay here every other day; I would have stayed longer, but I have to take care of the children, too.
They need a stable environment.
"The meeting is set for tomorrow afternoon," informed Zela. It is about Igalad.
My people will talk to him. I will only talk to him if it''s unresolved at their level. I would prefer to talk directly with him, but the nobles'' protocol needs to be followed.
It is for that reason only that I am waiting.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I got out before walking past the lines of people endeavoring to enter the legacy.
Even a week after the opening, there are lines of people outside the legacy.
The most surprising thing is that half of those gathered are tourists. Their numbers in just a week have tripled.
Seeing we achieve what I had wanted to achieve, a smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
I have signed contracts with tens of travel and transport companies. Now we would be able to support the large trafficking of people.
These people are supporting the economy massively.
Still, when I think about how much I am losing. I couldn''t help but sigh.
A lot of people are coming, but barely 30% are staying. It is not because they don''t want to, but because there are not enough accommodations for them.
We are building the accommodation fast.
I have temporarily relaxed some measures to improve construction speed, which is helping. Still, I couldn''t help but wish it would go faster, seeing how much the city''s economy is losing.
Currently, thirty-seven small and big hotels are in the process of being built.
In the past week since the legacy opened.
The city hall permitted the construction of fourteen hotels and just today, I have signed an agreement with one of the big hotel chains from the empire.
I wish it could go faster. I need these people to stay in my city and help its economy.
In just a week, I have seen how much those people are helping the economy.
Others have also noticed it, resulting daily in thousands of inquiries arriving from merchant states, the empire, and even other countries.
The inquiries are about investment in the Greltheaven.
I looked around the lobby before stepping into the elevator. A moment later, it began to move up. I watched the floors and found each one of them full.
Ting!
Soon, the bell rang out as the elevator stopped. I stepped out and walked toward my office while watching the people on the top floors.
It is the best floor in velvet blue, and it is full of important people, including a few nobles and rich merchants.
I will meet them a few minutes later when I will make rounds.
Click!
I entered my office and sat on my chair, before closing my eyes and looking through every floor.
Nothing is hidden from me. I could see everything.
I opened my eyes a few minutes later and looked at the files waiting for me.
''My lord, can you spare a few minutes?'' came a voice in my mind.
''Sure,'' I replied.
I didn''t ask why she wanted to meet me, but I knew it must be important for her to ask to meet me suddenly.
Click!
A minute later, the door opened, and Bell walked inside.
"My lord," she greeted. "Bell," I replied and asked her to sit.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" I asked. "These," she replied, and three books appeared.
"Gifts?" I asked and she nodded.
I had given the responsibility of the gifts to her.
Given the number of guests, we had invited. There were a lot of gifts. They needed to be opened and ''thank you'' notes to be sent to the givers.
"Are they special?" I asked, and she nodded heavily.
There was a silence for a moment before she looked at Lola and Zela.
I looked at them. They both nodded and walked out, along with Jon, who was invisible.
The door closed, and I turned to Bell.
"As you might have heard, my house loved books," she said, in response, I nodded, it was well known.
It would be an understatement to say, her house loves books.
People used to say, her house fucks books. They love books more than their spouses and children. It is also said the leader of her house gets a class that has an academic element.
"We had one of the best collections of books on the entire continent," she added, with her eyes turning distant.
She piqued my curiosity, but I waited. It took nearly a minute for her misty eyes to clear.
"There were not many books we didn''t have, but there were still some we wanted. My parents had made a list of the books that they most wanted,"
"These books were on the list and very high at that," she replied.
Hearing her words, I couldn''t help, but turn curious and look at the books. To be honest, they didn''t look very impressive or old.
"What are these books?" I asked.
"Basics of Aura Manipulation by Arasin Kalid," she replied, and I was a little disappointed by the title. It is quite simple and has ''basic'' in it.
The author felt familiar and when I used the skill to find where I read it, my eyes widened.
"Yes, written by the sage of thousand blades himself. It is considered the best book on Aura of our era," she replied.
Sage of Thousand Blades.
He is one of the greatest powerhouses of the last incursion. His power was beyond comprehension, and he was considered the greatest master of aura of the era.
"These must be particularly valuable?" I asked. "Extraordinarily valuable. We only know of seven people who have this on the continent," she replied.
"Most importantly. It is a fountain of knowledge."
"As for the word basic, it is for the sage. For people like us, it is a sea of knowledge. A few gulps of it would be more than enough for us to reach the pinnacle of the world," she said philosophically.
I wanted to read them immediately, but instead, I turned to her with another question.
The most important one.
"Who is the one who gifted us such treasure?" I asked. My curiosity was palpable.
"You would not believe it, but when thinking about it. It is believable, given his ancestry," she said and I kept looking at her.
"Alex Rutto," she answered.
Chapter 515: Cartas Luskin
Cardin
The door opened, and a handsome man in his thirties entered wearing a khaki uniform.
"General Cardin," greeted the man.
"Commissioner Julian," I replied and asked him to sit.
"I hope you have been well, general," said the man. "I am well commissioner," I replied with a professional smile.
I don''t like the man. It has nothing to do with his personality. He has an excellent personality, but his jurisdiction irks me.
His police have complete control over the law enforcement in the city.
Usually, the city guards are under the army, or the army has powers over them. Here, they are completely independent, answerable only to the lord.
The only things in the city we control are our barracks and the gates.
Even the security of the city hall is under the police. In this city, the army is there only for support in case something happens.
"What can I do for you, commissioner?" I asked.
When he asked for the meeting. He said it was important. He didn''t mention, what he wanted.
Though, I could guess it, as there could only be a few things. He would need from me.
"I need three level 30s. Two mages and one warrior," He replied. It surprised me, he was not asking for my help, but asking directly for three Level 30s.
Usually, he requests one or two Level 30 powerhouses, but now he wants three with two mages specifically.
The city police have Level 30s of their own. He is one himself and there were two more; one of them is a mage.
That man was someone I had poached. Instead of joining the army, he joined the police.
"It seemed serious," I said. "Yes. It is Ermes ''blue eyes'' Bilbo; a captain of the white crows'' gang, has come to the city and we want to capture him." He replied.
"He is quite slippery. Evaded arrests tens of times," he added a moment later.
The name of the gang felt familiar, but I can''t seem to remember more details about it.
''White crows, one of the biggest gangs of Belnin. Their leader is White Gyrge and they deal in narcotics, kidnapping, and extortion, the usual gang stuff,'' informed Kans, my secretary, telepathically.
"He is a big fish," I said.
"He is, and the gang sent him here to establish a branch. We want to crush their attempt before it even begins," he replied, and I couldn''t help but nod at that.
The gangs are nasty business. I had seen them controlling the cities and lords.
Greltheaven has gangs, but he and his people manage them well. I hope they will be cautious because those vermin grow fast.
"You will have them," I said after a moment of silence. "The police appreciate the cooperation, General," he said, shaking my hand before leaving.
"He is doing a good job, but I would have done better if the police had been under the army''s control," said Kans.
I didn''t say anything to that. Instead, looked at the clock. Someone important is coming today.
Someone I know personally.
"What is the progress on splinters of Bastiv?" I asked. "Still trying, but there is progress. We might be able to get two to three officers," he replied.
Bastiv is the city in Rohm that Tabes had captured a few months ago.
It had a strong army, most of which retreated after the defeat. The majority of the army was incorporated into the imperial army and the armies of many nobles, but a significant number remained independent.
They are working in mercenary companies and other ways.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
These are the individuals we target, as there are fewer consequences than trying to recruit from the imperial army or any nobles'' army.
"Keep at it and spread the news to Marquess Ranvam''s army. Tell our recruiters to focus on them."
"The moment Eldruin captured it. We want to snap up a few officers and a few companies of soldiers," I ordered.
"I will inform them," Kans replied.
More than half of the territory and even his city have been captured by the Edruin and I don''t think, he will be able to defend the rest, even with reinforcement from the imperial army.
The moment, he loses his territory. The army will start breaking and it will be the best time to snap up people.
In these past few months, we have created a network of individuals, that help us recruit and poach people.
We are paying good money. A few had done well enough, that we gave them essence potions and spread that news. These rewards motivated the recruiters a lot.
Despite our efforts, it is still hard.
Most don''t want to leave the mainland to come here. Where there is an even bigger enemy waiting for them. If they are defeated here, their fate will be worse than death.
If we had faced a living enemy instead of the undead, it would have been much easier to recruit people.
Difficult as it may be, we have to keep recruiting. The undead are increasing their numbers fast. It won''t be long before they launch an attack before that happens we need to be ready for them.
A few hours passed as I attended several meetings and finished other work.
There is always a lot of work.
It makes it even more difficult with General Stone staying at Panar.
While I have the freedom to make most of the decisions. I need to consult with General Stone and get his permission before signing off on some.
''It''s time,'' I said as the clock rang four, and left my office.
The ship will be docking at the port in ten minutes. I want to be there to meet him.
I am a Lt. General. I do not go to the port to welcome the people we poach, but he is important.
I stepped into the carriage, that was waiting for me.
Soon, it got out of the headquarters and moved toward the port.
I opened the file and made some notes. It is an important plan, expensive, but we need to. It is the most important one, considering the geography of the region.
The man who is coming will play a big part in it.
Soon, the carriage passed through the gate, and I closed the file before looking out of the window at the bustling port, filled with people and ships.
I examined the port until the carriage stopped, and my gaze fell on the ship with people coming out of it.
Soon, I saw him. It''s been a few years since the last time we met and he looks a little older, but the man is the same.
Seeing him, a smile couldn''t help, but appear on my face.
He and others are led by the liaisons from the army. People beside him went to the other carriages, waiting for them, while the man and his family came toward mine.
Click!
Seeing that, I got out.
The man noticed me immediately, and a big smile appeared on his face.
Soon, he was in front of me.
A tall man in his late thirties with thick blond hair a bushy beard and a mustache covered his face. He is handsome and working in the army has made him rugged.
"Lt. General, I didn''t think a looser like you would ever reach such a position, even if you fucked the emperor''s daughter," said the man.
"Language!" admonished the woman beside him.
"Let him talk, Vena. It is the only way he could hide his jealousy," I replied, and the man smiled before hugging me.
The man is Cartas Luskin. My childhood friend. We joined the army together, but our paths were different. I chose the infantry, while he chose the cavalry.
He reached the rank of Colonel.
"It''s nice to see you again, old friend." He said as he let go. I smiled and turned to his wife.
She too is an old friend.
"You look radiant as always, Vena," I said as I hugged her. "You are still a sweet talker, as always. It''s a mystery to me, why haven''t you gotten married yet," she said as she let go.
I didn''t say anything to that and turned to their children.
The two are fourteen-year-old twins. They got blond hair from their father, and amethyst eyes from their mother.
"Children, greet your, uncle," said Cartas to his children.
"Uncle Leonas," they said in unison. It''s clear, they didn''t recognize me, which isn''t surprising seeing how long it had been since I saw them.
"Yord and Nell, the last time I saw you two. You were barely five years old," I said.
The children nodded awkwardly.
"Come, let''s go. I am sure, all of you are tired from the travel and want to rest," I said and opened the door.
They have been travelling constantly for over a week. I tried to make their journey as comfortable as possible, but no matter how comfortable, it was a tiring journey.
Especially for the children.
We sat in the carriage, and it began to move toward the city.
"I heard so much about the city. Especially the legacy," said Vena, looking out of the window.
"Is it true that it has a large skeleton of wyrm? And that it''s covered in exotic plants that feed on the essence? That anyone could enter inside it?" she asked showing her excitement.
Even her tired-looking children looked excited, hearing their mother talking about it.
"You will know when I take you all for dinner there in the evening," I replied and her eyes lit up, but soon they became somber.
"You don''t have to, Leonas. I heard it is very expensive," she said, shaking her head.
"It is expensive, but being a general, comes with privileges," I replied, grinning at her husband.
"You are only a lieutenant general, Nas," said Cartas dryly. To that, I grinned even more widely.
A few minutes passed, and we talked. My eyes fell on his leg, but I didn''t say anything. However, I will send him to the doctor tomorrow for a check-up.
"How are things in the empire?" I asked. He was on the front lines until a few weeks ago.
"Still bad, but better than before," he replied sombrely.
Things were pretty bad right after the emperor''s death.
The enemies were ready, and they attacked the moment he died.
The emperor had prepared for it, and our forces had been more than ready to deal with any aggression from our enemies, but the civil war happened.
It is still happening, but the princes and other nobles have started to get things under control.
The enemies are still advancing, on more fronts than before, but their progress isn''t as swift as it was in the months after the death of the emperor.
Chapter 516: I Want You To Work For Me
Rutto
The carriage passed through the gates of the city hall and moved toward it.
Click!
I looked at the box in my hand and opened it ever so gently. Not fully, even now, I am scared that someone might see it and kill me for it.
People have been killed for far less.
This box came three days ago, along with a handwritten ''thank you'' note for my gift.
Throughout the week, I have been thinking about the gift I gave Silver at the party. Worried, but also disappointed that there was no reply to it.
I knew they were worth something. If they weren''t, they wouldn''t have been in my inheritance skill, but never in my dreams, I had expected to see the things when the thank you note came.
I looked through the small gap, and inside it were the tiny bottles. Filled with colorful mist.
When I opened the box. I was expecting something good. Hoping it would be a mist-crafted thing, but to my utter shock, I saw bottles and bottles of emotion essence.
I thought they were Grade I at first, but I realized they were Grade III and the shocking amount of a hundred of them.
Their value is astronomical. I have people who are willing to pay a massive price for them, far above the market rate.
I thought it was a mistake. He had mistakenly sent me these, but I didn''t contact him to correct it.
I need this. It will solve all of my problems.
Click!
I closed the box in a hurry as my driver opened the door. The driver, I was barely able to pay this month''s salary by selling the celebration invitation from Silver.
People were willing to pay a good price for that.
The money will help me with this month, but I am completely broke next month, without anything valuable to sell.
I got out of the carriage and entered the city hall.
I hope Silver didn''t call me to say it was a mistake. I am hoping this is not the reason for the meeting. I need them and the money they bring.
Soon, I reached his office and could see a few people in the waiting room.
"Alex Rutto, I have a meeting with Lord Silver," I said to the beautiful teen secretary. "Lord Silver is ready for you, Lord Rutto," she replied with a professional smile.
It surprised me, but I thanked her before walking to the door.
The guards opened it as I reached it, and I stepped inside.
"Lord Silver," I greeted the young man and was relieved that he was alone. If read the atmosphere correctly he has some questions for me.
I don''t think I would hide the truth. If I am forced.
Though, I hope, if I am forced to tell the truth, it will be for his ears only.
"Please take a seat, Lord Rutto," He said. "Thank you, my lord," I replied and sat in front of him.
There was a silence, and I started to sweat.
Especially when I saw him looking at me with a smile on his face. I don''t like to be in such a situation where others hold all the cards, but it has been the reality of my life.
"Thank you for the gift, Lord Rutto," he said finally.
"I should be one thanking you, my lord, for what you have given me. It was truly generous of you," I replied, but the young man shook his head.
"I had paid you only a fraction of what they were worth," he said, it utterly shocked me.
I expected them to be valuable but never expected to be worth a hundred Grade III bottles and now he is telling me, they are worth far more.
I had read those books, and they didn''t feel any different from the other books on the aura we had in our library before my father sold them all.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The only thing I found interesting about those books is the writer.
"It was kind of you to say that my lord," I said diplomatically, with my heart beating. This man wants something, it is clear in his eyes; he isn''t even hiding it.
Seeing me, looking. The smile on his face widened a little further.
"I have an offer for you. If you have any rare books, I am willing to buy them above the market price in complete secrecy," he said and slid the scroll toward me.
I looked at him, before taking the brown scroll in hand and opening it.
Immediately, I felt the power from the scroll. It had the power of the legacy and skill attached to it. The material of the leather is also expensive.
It is the quality used for powerful agreements.
I read the texts, and my heart couldn''t help, but skip a beat.
''He knows,'' I thought.
Though it didn''t surprise me. Anyone with intelligence and information about me will be able to make the connection by seeing the books.
The contract is simple. He asked me to sell him books and him alone.
Once I sell to him. I cannot sell them to anyone without his explicit permission.
I read it over and over each word before I put it down and took the pen before signing it. When I looked at him, there was a surprise on his face.
"You didn''t have to sign it immediately, Lord Rutto," said the man a moment later.
"It was a fair deal, my lord," I replied.
It is for this very reason that I sent him the books. I wanted money and the first books were a gift, I was planning to sell other ones to him.
Instead, he provided a hundred bottles of emotional essence for the gift.
It is a great opportunity for me. Silver isn''t forcing me and he is paying a fair price.
Right now in my situation, it didn''t matter if he was giving a fair price or not.
What mattered that he didn''t send me to the dungeon and tortured everything out of me? That would happen with other nobles on the mainland and almost everywhere.
For me, that hundred bottles are more than enough. I could live off them in luxury for decades.
If I invested wisely, even for my whole life.
So, I signed the contract, which will bind me to Silver. Now, he will be responsible for my protection. If someone came to know about the skill, it would be his job to protect me.
"I have another offer for you, Lord Rutto," he said, breaking me out of my thoughts.
...¡..
"I don''t think I could give you anything my lord," said the man to which I smiled.
He is nervous but excited. I am excited too.
The books are amazing. I am currently in the first book and haven''t even finished half of it as those are not the books you could read quickly.
"You can, I said," I replied, and the man looked.
"I want you to work for me, Lord Rutto," I stated my offer and the man''s face showed his shock.
"I already have a job, my lord," he replied. Once again, I smiled.
"You have it for now, but it won''t be yours for long, Lord Rutto. I have already been informed by your bosses about their intention to replace you," I informed.
He seemed to be aware of that already, as there was no surprise, but anger rose to his face.
"Though if you want to keep your job. I could request it from the Prime Minister. I believe he will listen to me, but I think, it will be a better choice to work for me,"
"I will give you a job on par with your standing. It is a respectful job with responsibility," I offered.
He seemed stunned by it and took a while to calm himself down.
"Can you give me some time to think about it, my lord?" he asked.
"I will give you a week, Lord Rutto," I replied to him. The man nodded and got up before walking out of the office.
I hope he agrees. I need him in my control. If he has the kind of inheritance skill that Bell suspects. Then he would be tremendously useful to me.
A job will keep him in my control and will also give him opportunities to level up.
If he accepts, I am going to give him some responsibilities. The man is a little demure, but he can be spontaneous and has the guts to take risks.
He demonstrated his spontaneity when he sold everything to get the guardianship job. The risks, he took with the gift of the books and the contract he signed instantaneously.
It would be unwise to let go of such a person.
Hours passed as I met a few people and attended meetings.
"Connect me to him," I said to Shaun as the clock ticked four.
It had been four days with my people talking to him, but nothing came out of it. Instead, the man went out and captured a second group of people.
I am talking about Count Igalad.
I took Shuans hand, and after a few seconds, the spell connected with the other side.
"Count Igalad," I greeted the man.
There was absolute silence from the other end. If I hadn''t been feeling the mana, I would have thought the spell had been deactivated.
''Lord Silver,'' spoke the man finally.
"I hope you are well, Lord Count," I said. I wanted to move directly to the main point but decided to do a simple pleasantry before that.
''I am Lord Silver,'' He replied curtly.
Hearing that, I sighed internally. This won''t be easy, but I need him to fall in line.
"I hope you will release the people you have captured from Viscount Taris and Baron Lomivas'' territory," I requested politely.
''I can''t do that. They are runaways.'' The man replied.
"They are not runaways, Lord Count. They were from the territories of two nobles whose territory had been captured. I am within my rights to hire them," I refuted.
''To me, they are runaways and I will deal with them according to the laws of the empire and my territory,'' he said.
"Can I not do anything to make you release them?" I asked. ''Unfortunately, you cannot,'' he replied with a derisive chuckle.
Hearing that, I sighed visibly.
"Then you left me no choice, Lord Count," I said, and he laughed.
"What are you going to do, little lord?" he asked, insulting me. I am not angry. Why would I be? When I have something interesting planned.
"Poach your men, of course," I replied, and he laughed loudly.
"Be my guest, but let me tell you, no men of mine will come to your territory. No matter how much money or emotional essence you offer," he said, with clear anger in his voice.
He is fearful of that and already taking precautions. Keeping eyes on people who could leave.
"I may not, but your enemies could. I am going to sell them a lot of essences and going to do it cheaply with the condition, that they poach your men," I threatened.
"I am very sure, they will be more than ready to accept these conditions. Some had already contacted me about that on their own," I added a moment later.
The reply came immediately. He cut the call.
Chapter 517: Churches and Politics
Alanis
"Welcome to Panar, Bishop Alanis," greeted Fex as I stepped out of the carriage.
"Thank you, Priest Sutton," I replied and looked at the building behind him, which was now complete.
We didn''t build a full church but modified the dilapidated building. It used to house the offices of the mining company, but now, it is our church.
We would have opened it a few weeks ago, but I decided to expand it. It will be formally inaugurated at dusk with the sermon.
"Mr. Amellus had done a wonderful job in the church," praised Fex as he led me toward the church.
He opened the gates, and we entered the church.
"Good space," I said, looking at rows and rows of pews with a lot of space behind them to stand as well.
"It could house three hundred faithful easily," He replied, and I nodded and turned to the big altar. On it is a huge symbol of the goddess of dusk carved from the grey rock.
It is carved by the Cardinal herself.
To the left is a choir platform, and above are beautiful lights. That will create dusk even in the day.
He showed me the other parts of the church before we walked to the hospital, which was a separate building beside the church but within a church compound.
"There seemed to be a lot of patients. I don''t think there had been a skirmish in the past two days?" I asked. A little confused.
The injuries of these people didn''t seem that serious either.
"They are the people of Lt. Colonel Uram," he replied, and I armed a brow. "His training isn''t for the faint-hearted," he added, shuddering.
Orok Uram.
One of our most faithful and also the highest ranked in the military we were able to get.
It is hard to get orcs because of the shamanic belief system, but here we are, getting a lot of them. Especially those without tribes.
We are even getting the people from tribes as well.
We are also getting a lot of humans. It helps a lot, for being the only church in the Greltheaven. It is the first time something like this has happened to us.
In other places, there are always churches.
"Despite the danger. It was a wise decision of us to come to Greltheaven," said Fex.
"Goddess is wise," I replied with a smile.
It is not like the other churches aren''t trying, but conditions to come into the Greltheaven are tough. Not everyone is as desperate as we are.
Though, as the greltheaven grew. The inquiries had begun to increase.
It won''t be long before other churches start coming, but we have an advantage and will prove our worth to the city. It will take others a long time to achieve.
As Fex said, it is a wise decision to come here, and we are seeing the benefits of it.
The faithful are growing, and those who took risks to come here have benefitted as well.
Both of the Paladins had gone past the Lv. 30. The priests have reached near it.
Fex is quite close to Lv. 30.
Normally, he wouldn''t get the responsibility of a church of this size. It is the reward of the risk he had taken in coming with me.
There was resistance to it from the higher-ups, given his age and experience, but I pushed his name forcefully, and the higher-ups had to accept.
"Incoming," said the loud voice.
The next moment, the people came, holding men and women on the stretchers. They quickly placed the beds, and within seconds, nearly all beds were full.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I looked at patients before walking to the one closest to me.
Holy Scan.
I activated the skill and the grey light-covered sleeping patients.
Soon, everything became clear, and a shock couldn''t help but appear on my face. I have dealt with training wounds before here and in the merchant state, but these are extreme.
I looked at the others, and they had nearly the same type of injuries.
"Is he trying to kill them?" I asked. "It feels like it when you watch the training," replied Fex with a smile.
Though it was without any mirth.
There are muscle tears. Joint and ligament damage. Bone and skull fractures and blisters.
It feels like these people had suffered some kind of torture.
"Have you talked to him about it?" I asked. "Yes, but he is saying this will be the norm," replied Fex with a sigh.
"He is working with alchemists and healers specialized in it to increase the resilience of those he had been chosen," he added.
Which gave me some relief.
He has been given a big responsibility, and I hope he does well and does not take things too extreme.
It makes things worse than better.
I cast Mass Heal, and their bodies got covered in dusky energy. Their injuries are not that serious; the spell would be enough to heal them.
From the hospital, he took me to the cemetery. There are already graves there.
Seeing that, I sighed and offered a prayer before returning to the church and walking into the office to meet the staff and look at all the details.
There will be nine people here. Priests, deacons, and acolytes, along with administrative staff.
We will increase or decrease it, seeing how the church does. Though, I hope it does well.
Hours passed, and soon, it was a five. I changed into my priestly robes and looked at the preparation. Everything is good.
Soon, a carriage with flags of the city stopped, and a beautiful woman stepped out of it.
"Thank you for coming, Governor Knox," I greeted the woman at the door. "It is my honor to be here, Bishop Alanis," she replied.
I smiled and led her in.
"I hope you are satisfied with the work our church is doing," I said to her.
"Yes, very much," she replied.
"But I hope you will increase the number of paladin and priests here," she added.
"I am doing everything I could, Governor. For more paladins and priests, the church will need to do better," I replied, and the woman smiled.
There are currently five paladins in Renwell.
Two came with me, while three were sent here by the church.
They are precious, and the church guards them zealously, but they sent the three, seeing how fast the two came with me had advanced.
Paladins aren''t easy to make.
One needs to have potential and faith to become one. We have around fifteen of them, with a third of them being here.
It would have been easier if we had permission to recruit the holy force.
We had that till a century ago, before the merchant state revoked it under the pressure of the other churches. Aside from Paladins, we cannot have any other force.
I am trying to get permission for it from Silver, but he is resistant to it.
Though he is loosening up.
If we prove our worth in a few more battles and provide something extra, we might be able to get the permission. It will help us tremendously.
Soon, General Stone came with Lt. General Azalea. I welcomed them personally before other guests and faithful began to come, including Lt. Colonel Uram.
I will talk to him later, after the sermons are over. There are a few things I want to talk to him about.
Finally, the whole church is filled with people. There is not a single seat that is unoccupied. Hundreds of people are standing in the area behind the pews.
We have gained a lot of followers here after Greltheaven conquered the city.
Those poor souls needed hope and support, which the church had provided to them.
''It is time,'' I thought and opened the holy book. I didn''t have to. I remember every word by heart, but it provides an effect and reassurance.
Serene Voice. Glory of Dusk. Faithfuls Home.
I activated my skills and began the sermon.
"Brother and sister, we gather today in the soft glow of dusk as the sun surrenders to the embrace of night. In this sacred hour, we honor the Goddess of Dusk, She, who reigns over the threshold between light and darkness.
"Dusk reminds us that life is filled with transitions. As the day ends and the night begins, so do we face moments of change¡ªsometimes quiet, sometimes uncertain."
"Yet the Goddess of Dusk teaches us that these transitions are not to be feared. They are sacred pauses where we can reflect, release, and prepare for what lies ahead."
I continued with the sermon while they listened.
I could feel their faith in people like Orok Uram is shining the brightest. It is a wonderful thing to see, and made it all the hard work and sacrifice we made worth it.
.......
Church of God of War, Inam.
"Your Excellency, Archbishop Kraniz," greeted the old man as a red-haired, middle-aged man walked inside.
"Bishop Song," replied the man and sat down before placing a note in front of him.
He read it, and anger flashed in his eyes.
"Those whores of the goddess of dusk had captured Silvers''s heart with their dark arts," cursed Bishop Song.
"They are growing in Greltheaven and opened another church in the Panar today," archbishop Krazis said, looking at the old man pointedly.
He shuddered internally.
"We wanted to bathe the Greltheaven with our lord''s merciful light. Purify the evils of his sin of the den had spread to his city, but the bastard isn''t even letting our priests enter his city,"
"And he even dared to place wretched conditions on us to reestablish our church there," the old man replied and was seething by the time the last word came to his mouth.
On the other hand. Middle-aged man''s expressions remained unchanged.
"Agree to his conditions and reestablish the church as soon as possible," ordered the Archbishop.
It surprised the old Bishop. No, shocked him. It wasn''t long ago that these people were cursing Silver and talking about finishing him off.
"Your excellency, those conditions," said the old bishop hesitantly.
"Yes, I read them, but Silver has shown potential, and his city is growing fast. Ignoring it would be a mistake," replied the archbishop.
He is unwilling, but the archbishop''s word is final.
"As you will it, Your Excellency," agreed the old bishop finally.
Chapter 518: Cavalry
"By my authority, as the master of velvet garden. I grant Dranis Eltson access to the mist," I said and placed the mark of mist on him, before granting him access to it.
Mark of Mist is an extraordinarily useful skill.
I could use it on things as well as people. For me, it had become a lesser version of Share Authority.
"Thank you, my lord, for your trust in me," replied the cobbler with tears streaming from his eyes.
"You have earned it," I replied to the man turning to the second person and giving him access to the mist, while thousands watched.
We are in the lobby with store owners sitting on chairs while visitors observe with a vast variety of expressions on their faces. They beam with delight to witness this spectacle, adding to their emotions.
"Best of luck, both of you. Work hard to make the legacy and the city proud," I said to them and walked away while others watched these two, with longing and envy.
The rest will need to prove their worth and loyalty to gain access to the mist.
There are now five stores with access to the mist, counting Eva Cain.
They are doing remarkably well.
Yesterday, I had given access to the twelve new blacksmiths. They are from Gregor''s store, which he opened yesterday in the city, along with the big workshop.
From today, they will start working after the stores closed at night. I am especially excited about it.
There are huge orders for mist goods.
The legacy needs them and also others. Currently, we are not selling any. Every mist good that is forged in the store is destined only for the legacy.
Though we have gifted a few mist-crafted items to others.
We need them to produce more and, most importantly, we need enchanters. Only with the enchantments, will those mist-forged goods show their true power.
I stepped onto the elevator, and it moved fast. Reaching the top floor within seconds.
The door opened, and I walked out. I watched the patrons of the blue, it is always full. Every table has been booked for years; currently, there are two parties going on different sections of the top floors.
The top floor is huge, covering over fifty thousand square feet. We have divided it into seven sections of different sizes and styles.
The parties are happening in the two biggest sections.
The people who booked it are from the merchant states. They have come here on their yacht and will return after the celebration.
I opened the door and walked inside. Only to see that Caena is waiting there.
"I finished the first one," she said, looking at the book. She had placed in front of me.
It is not one of the books that Rutto had given. The first volume is copied into this book. Whose paper is made from a really rare tree and binding done by a bookbinder of Lv. 35+.
The cover was painted by Margaux since I couldn''t hire anyone else because of the secrecy of the books.
It is beautiful.
Most importantly, the book had been heavily enchanted by Caena.
This means anyone who reads it will remember the contents but wouldn''t be able to copy or narrate to others verbally or telepathically or distribute it through any other means.
It might seem too much, but the books are really rare. I need to protect them.
It is why they will not be brought out of the legacy.
Till now, only three people have read it. Bell, Carla, me. All of us experienced a huge change in our expertise in our aura, and the thing is Carla and I didn''t even read half of the first book.
Only Bell had.
Those without an aura could read it directly, but they will have a problem. You need to experience it as you read it.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"There is no need for this, then," I said, and the book appeared in my hand. It was a copy given by Rutto.
Fire enveloped it and, within seconds, turned into ashes, which I sent all over the city. So, no mage will be able to bring its original state.
"When will you be finished enchanting the other two books?" I asked. "It will take me another week," she replied. To that, I nodded.
"Has Rutto finished?" I asked. To which she shook her head.
He is here, writing another book with his skill. He had come in the morning, wanting to convey another book and, according to the contract, he would have to do it in the legacy.
It is the most secure place.
He had shared the name of books and it is just as rare as the book on aura.
Which isn''t surprising. Seeing who his ancestor was.
Though it is about spellcraft. Suitable for those who have just started learning about it.
It might not be useful to me, but it will be useful to the girls. They are still learning magic. I didn''t forget my goal of having in-house show-mages.
He has yet to give an answer about the job offer, but after meeting him earlier, I am sure what his answer would be.
"How are the preparations going for tomorrow?" I asked. "That girl is good. She will manage it well," she replied.
"Still, keep an eye on everything. We need it to be perfect," I replied.
Tomorrow is really important. It is for this reason, I had waited for two weeks before opening the roof. If I opened it earlier, I would have earned a lot more essence, but I waited.
I wanted to make sure everything works out smoothly. Run tests before opening.
From tomorrow it will open and if it works, as I intend it to do. It will be the floor from which the legacy will be able to harvest one of the greatest emotions.
Time passed as I focused on the work.
"The ship has arrived," informed Zela, and a big smile appeared on my face.
Immediately, the view of the port gate appeared in front of me. This was a limit of what I could see; the range doesn''t go beyond the outer wall, but I found a way to look outside of it.
From the edge of the boundary. I cast the spell.
Eagle Eye.
Immediately, the port appeared in front of me. I needed to adjust it a little before it focused on the ship.
As I focused on it. I saw the ramp lowering, and soon, they started to come out. They have black bodies with streaks of blue.
They look majestic, and I wanted to get out of my office immediately, but I controlled myself. I will see them, but not now.
I watched for a few minutes before focusing on the work in front of me.
There is a lot of it.
I am leaving in ten days for the conclave in the archmages city. I need to deal with everything then, as I won''t be returning for a few weeks.
One part of me doesn''t want to go, but I need to. It is important.
Soon, it was two, when I had finally stopped and got out of my office, and a minute later, I was out of the legacy and boarded the carriage.
The carriage reached the barracks before entering inside and moving toward the area, which was empty, in the past, but not anymore.
The carriage stopped, and I got out.
"My lord," greeted Cardin. "Lt. General," I replied and walked forward toward the large fence. Inside it are the horses, which are being tested by soldiers.
They are not horses, but horse monsters.
They have a night black coat with blue streaks. They are bigger than stallions on the earth and can move extremely fast.
They are called Dustgale. One of the monsters that the merchant states use for its cavalry forces.
From now on, Greltheaven will be using them, too, in its cavalry.
I am in the wasteland, and cavalry is the best force for it. They could move on vast ground at their greatest speed with nothing to stop them.
I have always wanted the cavalry but didn''t have a budget.
The monsters the merchant state was offering were not that good either. It took months of negotiation, along with a lot of essence, for them to agree to sell these.
They are not the best of the horses the merchants'' cavalry has, but they are not the worst either.
These horses were better than most speed-type horses used in the empire''s cavalry.
Today, a hundred and fifty horses came. It is the first batch; there will be six more to form a complete regiment of thousand troopers.
"The real challenge in front of us now is recruiting the people," said Cardin beside me.
We have two hundred people from the cavalry that we had poached around, but we need at least eight hundred more.
"It is a good thing. We have a lot of young recruits," I replied. To which he smiled.
"Young ones are best. It will take time to form the size of cavalry we need with them, but the result we will get would be much better," He said.
We could use the experienced people we had, but their classes had already reached high enough and had skills suited for infantry.
It will take quite a lot of hard work and time for those classes and skills to change to suit cavalry and they wouldn''t be as good as those with the cavalry classes from the beginning.
"I take it the response is good?" I replied. We have already started the process of recruitment among our young trainees.
"Better than we thought," he replied.
"Lt. Colonel Luskin will begin aptitude testing and training in three days," he added.
To that, I nodded and looked ahead.
The cavalrymen, including Lt. Colonel Cartis inside the fence. Testing the horses with his men. These aren''t monsters they use in the empire.
I hope he will be able to work with them.
He better be. Maintaining a cavalry is damn expensive. The feed, the grooming, the training, the equipment, and everything else cost a lot of money on top of buying these damn horses.
They aren''t cheap.
A few minutes passed when Luskin came toward me.
"Lord Silver," he greeted. "Are the monsters to your liking, Lt. Colonel Luskin?" I asked the man directly.
"They are better than the ones we used in the empire, but also harder to control," he replied with his face serious.
"I am sure, you will be able to manage it," I said, to which he smiled.
"My lord," he replied.
"I have been wanting to work with monsters like these for a long time. It is a dream come true," he added with his eyes shining.
He stayed for a few minutes before walking away. Seeing him walk, nobody would guess, he had a prosthetic on one leg.
"Have you taken the measurement?" I asked. "Yes, and had sent them to Belnin. The prosthetic will arrive by the end of the month," he replied.
I discussed a few more things with him, before sitting in my carriage and going to the city hall.
Chapter 519: Event Manager of Dream Mist I
Celah Poots
"This is teal, I said we wanted emerald," said the man in frustration, looking at the stage.
People say it is brides that turn into monsters at weddings, but the grooms are just as bad.
"We will change it to emerald," I replied.
"I want it the color of Sarkos emeralds, not a common emerald," He said. "We have that shade, Mr. Alister. It will be done," I replied with a smile.
I could tell he wanted to say something. Likely an insult, but he controlled himself.
"I hope you don''t make another mistake this time," he said snidely and walked with his bride and the guide from the legacy, which took them to the spa.
"He controlled himself," commented Yalis as they walked away.
The snide comment might seem like an insult, but in my profession, it is praise, especially from people like him, who have enough money that they couldn''t spend it all in their lifetime.
He only controlled himself because it was a legacy. Here, his father''s influence didn''t work as much as it did outside.
"How are carriages? Have they arrived?" I asked. "They are an hour away," I replied.
There will be two and a half thousand guests, and we do not have enough special carriages to ferry them all. These carriages are distinct.
They are expensive and used for functions such as weddings.
I had given the order for them in the very first week I had joined Velvet Garden. They have been delivered in batches since the start of this month.
They are expensive, but the legacy has money. They have made a huge order. It is not just the carriage, but for many other things as well.
Today''s delivery will make it the fifth batch. It will be enough to ferry two and a half thousand guests for the wedding.
I looked around me watching the nearly fifty people working on the venue setup on the roof. Some are working on the plants, while others are on the decorations, seating, and tables.
This is a massive roof spanning over fifty-thousand square feet.
With its redesign, it could accommodate ten thousand people easily.
The plan is to have several functions at once here. Its open design allows many ways that it could be configured by moving around the plants and mist, which could form the walls.
Currently, we are taking it slow.
The Velvet Garden is a big enterprise with tens of thousands of people visiting it daily.
So, every step needs to be careful. I am really glad about it. If they had asked me to manage several functions daily, I don''t think I could have done it right now.
I had done that in Namdar. There, I worked for pretty big clients, but still, the legacy is in a completely different league.
I looked around and sighed.
The place is covered in colorful mist and plants that cover it in wonderful fragrances and looked like they came out of dreams.
It had been a month since they had hired me, and even now, I am still enamored by it.
It is a freaking legacy. It is hard not to get enamored by it. I don''t think I will get used to it or ever get bored by it.
Before coming here, I had only visited Legacies three times and was blown away every time, but those Legacies are nothing compared to the mammoth that is Velvet Garden.
To be honest, I wasn''t much interested in the job because I knew I wouldn''t get it because of the sheer competition.
People more experienced and at higher levels than me came to interview for this job.
I came in only because I didn''t want to disappoint Eva, who had recommended me. She had been my best client.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
Though, when I stepped inside the tower. I knew I wanted the job, despite running my own successful business in Namdar.
Though, I didn''t think I would get it. It shocked me that I had got the job, beating out those talented people.
It is the place to be, despite all the dangers, my parents had talked about when I was writing to accept the job.
It is where I would learn things I couldn''t in Namdar. Make connections that will help me tremendously when I return to my business.
Though, currently, that is the last thought in my mind.
I moved around and checked many things.
Nearly all the people are newly hired like me, and they have years of experience. Some are even higher level than me and had better salaries before coming here.
Not that the Velvet Garden isn''t paying well.
They didn''t come here for the money. I don''t think any one of them would leave. Even if the Velvet Garden tomorrow says, they are not going to pay them anything.
It is for the experience and connection they had come here. The experience they will never get anywhere else in the world.
With this background, they would be able to get jobs anywhere or start their own business, and have clients running at them.
"Mage Ajas, can you move those green vines a little higher," I said to the blond woman.
She is not even my staff; she is not even the staff of Legacy. She is from the team of half-orc, who are responsible for plants, the benefactor from the hidden city of the merchant state.
The woman listened and raised the flower vine higher.
We do not have permission to touch or move around these plants. If I want to have them moved, I would have to ask these people.
Thankfully, there are enough of them, and they are extremely cooperative.
I watched the other things and, gratefully, how smoothly everything was working. Things are never so smooth in this business, but it isn''t surprising.
Here, most of the things are being handled in-house.
The flowers, the catering, the venue.
These are the things that cause the most problems for vendors: delaying or canceling the flowers that we ordered, getting affected by weather, or mismatch of skill.
A few hours passed, and I got out of the legacy and appeared in front of the warehouse.
"They are good," said Yalis as I looked at the carriages that came in not long ago.
They are beautifully made with a combination of metal and glasswork.
It was the only clog that wasn''t in place. Now they appeared. I could truly feel relieved about the wedding tonight being perfect.
"Ready them. I want them in front of the hotel at sharp seven," I said after I checked every carriage personally.
One needs to be thorough. You can''t always trust others to do the job perfectly.
I had learned that lesson painfully.
The carriages are good, but they need to be cleaned so that not even a speck of dust remains on them. Then they will be covered in beautiful flowers.
I had already looked at flowers before coming here, and they are fresh.
Came from Owlspring two hours ago.
I walked out of the warehouse and sat in the carriage. I now have to look at one last thing before I will return to the legacy.
"A problem had occurred," informed Yalis. Interrupting my thoughts.
"Please tell me it is not a big one?" I asked. Seeing his expression.
"The groom had chosen a wedding suit from Eva Cain, and now the bride wants her wedding dress mist-crafted as well," he replied grimly.
"Fuck!" I cursed loudly.
"I have told my people to not let them visit the store," I said to him.
These things happen as there are always better clothes than they have. The bride and groom had already brought their clothes.
They were specially designed for them by one of the best designers from the merchant state, but now, they have gone to Eva Cain.
Their designs are some of the best I have seen and made even better as they are mist-crafted.
It makes the clothes from Eva Cain irresistible.
That is why I asked my people not to let them get close to the store.
"They tried, but someone from their party went there and raved about it," he replied while I massaged my head.
The wedding has just six hours to go. This is the last thing I want.
"Driver, go fast," I said to the driver. Immediately, the driver increased the speed of the carriage. I also attached my skills to the carriage.
To Clients Need.
We reached the tower in record time. I stepped out before walking through the direct entrance.
Even at this time, there is a line to enter the legacy.
I entered the lobby feeling the power of legacy and those wonderful smells. They calmed me, but not enough, to slow my rush toward the elevator.
I stepped inside it, and a few seconds later, its doors opened on the store floors.
"No, I want the mist-crafted wedding dress!" I heard a loud cry just when I was about to ask the staff where the bride was.
I rushed toward the store, heard the voice, and saw the bride.
She is beside the groom. There are also the parents of the bride and the parents of the groom beside her.
They are all focused on one person, Byron. The store manager.
The bride seemed to notice me. She turned toward me, and hope seemed to light up in her angry eyes.
"Harold chose the mist-crafted suit for the wedding. I want a mist-crafted wedding dress, too," she said with her pale green eyes boring on me.
There is also the power of skill. It is familiar. I had seen many with Heiress Class.
"Ms. Alda, you have a wonderful wedding dress crafted by the famous Lynavis. It makes you look like a princess," I said, activating the Pacifying Client.
"No, I want a crafted dress," she insisted. Intensifying the power of her skill further.
It didn''t affect me much because of her being lower level than me. Besides, its power is suppressed by something greater.
The skills are suppressed when they are used against the employee of the legacy.
Seeing her eyes. It''s transparent that she will not listen. So, I turned to Byron.
"I have told them. We do not have wedding dresses," he replied simply.
They do not have wedding dresses. Eva had told me that Miss Cain had designed some, but they won''t appear in the store for another two months.
They haven''t even started working on them yet.
I turned to the woman.
"I want a mist-crafted dress," she demanded. ''This spoiled brat!'' I cursed in my heart, but a small polite smile remained on my face.
"This is a big day for our daughter. Arrange a mist-crafted dress for her. We are willing to pay any price for it," said the mother of the bride.
"I will see what I can do," I replied, before turning. An idea formed and I am hoping it would work, and the bride will agree.
Chapter 520: Event Manager of Dream Mist II
Celah Poots
"Where is Miss Eva?" I asked Byron, activating Privacy around us.
"Her favorite place," he replied after a few seconds of silence. Likely asking his boss for permission before answering me.
I nodded my thanks and walked toward Eva''s favorite place.
It is a spot by the pillars, nestled in plants with a splendid view of the city.
I reached there and saw her sitting in her usual place. There is her son Devin and, to my surprise, Miss Cain. It is very rare to see her; she is always working.
Beside her is another person, I am surprised to see here. Madam Cath.
"Having a problem, Celah?" asked Eva with a smile.
"Yes, the client wants the mist-crafted wedding dress," I replied to her.
"The store doesn''t have any," replied Devin, and, as always. There is a drink in his hand.
"Please help me, Eva. I don''t want to mess up my first job in the legacy," I requested almost begging.
"This is the velvet garden. Their money will take them only so far. Here, we don''t have to accept their unreasonable requests," said Madam Cath.
They are powerful people with all the money in the world. People like us are at their beck and call. Fulfilling their every wish.
"Madam Cath is right, just tell her it won''t be possible," said Eva matter-of-factly.
I am surprised to see them speak like that.
I have been taught for clients like those, saying no isn''t an option. If they want something, you get that for them. It isn''t hard to get things if you know people and are willing to spend enough money.
However, it appears I have a lot to learn. First is understanding that with the power of the Legacy, you can reject the unreasonable demands.
Both Chief Carla and Madam Caena had told me to reject any unreasonable demands from the clients confidently.
"I want to, Eva, but this is my first job. I want it to be as perfect as possible," I replied.
In the future, I will certainly say no to the impossible demands of clients, but I do not want to do that in my first job.
"Can you do something, please?" I begged, and they laughed.
"Tell them to choose any dress. I will have June convert it to a wedding dress," said Miss Cain with a smile.
It is not a complete wedding dress, but it''s something.
"Thank you, Miss Cain," I thanked and thanked before walking back toward my clients.
"Have you got the mist-crafted wedding dresses?" the woman fired the question as I reached her.
Sometimes, these spoiled brats baffled me. They think the stuff just fell from the skies, and they just had to say the words to their servants to make it happen.
"Unfortunately no. But, they are willing to convert any of these dresses here into a wedding dress," I replied, and her eyes flashed angrily.
"No, I want a real mist-crafted dress!" said the woman, stomping her foot on the floor like a child.
"It won''t be possible," I replied firmly.
If I had been home, I would have had to use more words to convince her, but as Madam Cath said.
This is Velvet Garden. It is a privilege to have a wedding here.
They could go to the other legacy with their money. They might be able to rent one for a few hours, but they will not get one similar to Velvet Garden in size and power.
"Then I won''t have a wedding!" she snapped back.
Immediately, I felt a couple of privacy skills activating. Enveloping those six. I can''t hear what they are talking about, but I can tell they are talking furiously.
There seemed to be some screaming going on, with tears starting to stream down the bride''s face.
I genuinely wanted to hear what was going on, but I stayed at a respectful distance without showing any emotions.
It continued for a few minutes before the Privacy skill disappeared, and the bride turned to me.
"I will take that red dress," said the bride. Pointing at the red dress with the golden borders.
The choice isn''t a surprise.
They are the colors of the church of the goddess of wealth.
"It is a beautiful choice," I praised, while Byron looked at the store assistant.
She quickly removed the dress and took it away while another store assistant placed another just as beautiful white dress in its place.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
I stayed there for a few minutes as they shopped for jewelry and other accessories before walking away to check on other preparations.
Thankfully, they are all going well.
Hours passed, and soon, it was seven. I am on the roof, looking at a beautiful venue that looks like paradise.
"Tell the carriages to go ahead," I said to the mage and walked toward the man standing beside the stage.
"I hope everything is to your liking, Priest Saros?" I asked the Priest of the Goddess of Wealth. He will be the one officiating the wedding.
"Everything is perfect. I could feel the blessing of the goddess here," replied the man.
I am not much of a believer, but if I was asked which church I like the most. Then, I would say it is the Church of the Goddess of Wealth.
They are one of the least restrictive ones.
Other churches might have a problem with officiating in a wedding at the top of a den of sin, as many call this legacy, but he seemed to have no problem with it.
He is even enjoying himself.
"I am glad to hear that," I replied, and the man smiled as he looked around.
"People were very curious about what Lord Silver was intending to use the roof for."
"I have to say, I am impressed that he opened this space for people to celebrate their most joyful moments of life," he said.
I didn''t say anything to that other than smiling.
However, the intentions of Lord Silver aren''t that noble. I had met him again when he hired me. He told me to organize functions such that they would mesmerize people.
Obtain the most emotions out of them.
Since it is a legacy, those words could only mean one thing and one thing alone.
Emotion essence.
He wants to host these functions so that Legacy would be able to harvest maximum emotions.
It is what legacy does and to my experience. People are their happiest at cultural and social functions. More than any simple parties or other gatherings.
This is my opinion. I could be wrong.
After a few more words, I walked away and looked at other arrangements. Everything is in its place, with most of the staff becoming invisible.
Hidden behind the mist curtains.
A few minutes passed, and I saw the lines of carriages entering the garden. They seemed endless, with everyone watching it.
I could see people turning to watch the carriages as a shower of light began falling on them as they entered the garden.
It is spells being cast by the mages that we have placed on the road of the garden.
"It looks beautiful," said Mr. Mastin, with tears appearing in his eyes. "This is just the beginning," I replied to the father of the bride.
They hadn''t entered the legacy yet.
Soon, the first carriage stopped in front of the legacy, and four people came out and stepped into the legacy.
Click!
Seconds passed, and the door opened, bringing the people. As they did, the colorful mist parted in front of them, revealing the venue.
"My god!" gasped the oldest woman in shock.
The others were no less shocked as they took in the venue with eyes wide and beautiful music playing in the background.
"Grandpa, Grandma. I want to be married here," declared the girl of around twelve as she looked at everything with shining eyes.
Her grandparents smiled and walked ahead.
Three seconds later, another elevator opened and then another three seconds later, bringing more and more guests to the venue, with all of them mesmerized by it.
They didn''t sit on the chairs. Instead, walked around, mesmerized by the mist, the plants the view, and the beautiful art pieces.
Minutes passed, and all twenty-five hundred and fifty-two guests arrived at the venue.
Click!
I opened the door, walked inside the room, and looked at the bride.
She is a beautiful woman with dark raven hair and green eyes. Wearing that dress, she looked truly otherworldly, with a train and a golden veil.
I thought the changes in the dress would be small, but they have transformed the dress with the mist seeming to add life to it.
"You look beautiful, Miss Mastin," I said as she stood in front of a huge mirror.
"I know," she said, with her eyes never leaving the mirror. She seemed so enamored by herself that I wanted to roll my eyes, but I did.
"You will make entry right at eight, zero-five," I informed her once more.
"I know," she replied.
I nodded and gave a knowing look to the three of my staff to have her ready before walking out.
Soon, it was seven-fifty-five, and we asked everyone to take their seats.
The staff came and moved people to their seats and removed those who sat on the wrong seats, intentionally or unintentionally.
There is a delicate balance to that, but the staff is more than experienced.
Soon, everybody sat down in their seats. There is not a single chair, that is empty.
Finally, it is eight.
"Sent the groom," I said and looked at the mist curtain behind the stage.
This entrance is going to be amazing.
Thud Thud Thud!
A loud, shaking tread rang out like a giant walking when the mist parted, and truly, a giant made of mist stepped out of the curtain with a huge leg forward.
People gasped, seeing it as the mist giant fully revealed itself with the groom standing proudly on the giant palms.
He looked happy. Grinning excitedly as the people watched.
The weight of the mist is light, but it doesn''t look like it, seeing how dense the mist is made of. The sound is also artificial, but one would have a hard time believing that.
The giant took one step after another before it reached the stage, where it kneeled on the ground, placing its hand on the stage for the groom to step out.
Clap, Clap, Clap!
People clapped loudly, and the groom soaked it in with a big smile on his face.
I watched it, but my focus was on the clock. Soon, it is time for the bride.
"Send the bride," I instructed and turned back toward the mist curtain.
Seconds passed, but the bride didn''t come out. I was about to move toward the curtain when I felt a powerful gust of wind.
It attracted everyone''s attention, and they turned back. Only to see the bride in the sky with massive, colorful mist wings.
As these wings flap, a large amount of air is sent forward, but nobody seems to mind that, especially not the bride, who is gracefully flying toward the stage.
Her face is hidden because of the veil, but anyone can feel her overflowing happiness.
It took a lot of effort to manage it, with the Madam herself controlling this mist.
The bride landed on the stage opposite the groom, and the priest of the goddess of wealth stepped forward.
The ceremony began a minute later.
I watched every little thing. If I saw any problem, I would have fixed it immediately, but there wasn''t any.
Before I knew it, it was past midnight when the bride, groom, and immediate family and friends got out of the legacy and stopped at the canal, where they boarded the boats to circle the garden.
These boats are beautiful. They were specially brought for the wedding.
Covered in lights and with captivating music they completed the circle, signifying their marriage ceremony completed.
"Miss Caleh, thank you. The greatest day of my daughter''s life went better than I had ever thought. I will never forget this moment, for as long as I live," thanked Mr. Mastin.
This was the first time the man had spoken my name. Till now, he never referred to me by my name.
"It''s our pleasure, Mr. Mastin," I replied. It is not just me, but the whole staff and, of course, the legacy, who helped create this memory that they will never forget in their life.
The man smiled before walking toward his carriage.
Seeing that, I finally relaxed.
"You did good," said the voice, surprising me. I didn''t sense her at all as she appeared beside me.
"Thank you, Madam Caena," I replied as I turned to the woman.
The woman smiled and walked toward the legacy. I walked beside her. There were a few things I needed to do before I could go to the apartment and sleep.
Event Manager of Good Times Lv. 30.
{Class Change: Event Manager of Good Times - Event Manager of Dream Mist}
Event Manager of Dream Mist Lv. 31
{Skill Change: ¡.}
.
.
.
Chapter 521: Bridge and Other Things
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I am truly grateful for your support,"
"Please thank, His Majesty, the archmage for me," I said. ''I will. I hope you will use it well, Lord Silver,'' replied the woman from the other side before cutting the call.
"So, what did she say?" asked Valentina as I let go of Zela''s hand.
"She agreed to support the proposal," I replied, and a big smile bloomed across her face.
"So, it is happening," she said.
"Yes, the bridge is happening," I replied, with the smile on my face becoming as big as hers.
We are building a bridge on the Trollmouth River.
We need to.
The trade with Navr and the baronies with the extension of the merchant state is increasing each week, and transporting goods through the river traffic becomes inefficient.
We need a bridge, but given the size of the trollmouth. The bridge will need to be big.
This means it will cost a lot of money.
More money than what even the tower had cost me. I built it using special materials, but the bridge will make up for the material cost with its sheer size.
There are only two ways to finance it. Pay for it ourselves, which we cannot.
It is not something small. Besides, even financing a small bridge would be hard for the city in its current state. The city is growing, earning it more taxes, but also increasing its expenses.
It is not just one city I am in control of, but two. Making things doubly difficult.
Which led me to the second option. Private financing.
I went to the banks, that''s where the money is, but even after surviving so many dangers and proving our abilities so many times. They weren''t willing to finance it. None of the banks in Greltheaven, the empire, and even merchant states.
So, I went to an unlikely source. Synod: Zenid Synod, to be exact.
It is filthy rich
It is rich, with all of us paying our membership, in essence, every year.
There are over two thousand years'' worth of essence in the treasury of the zenid synod.
It is spent on the well-being of legacies. From lobbying to giving grants to those who need it, among other things, but that costs only fractions of what it collects.
It never loans them to kingdoms and territories. Synod''s constitution forbids it from doing that.
There are a few exceptions, but I didn''t qualify for any.
They just sit on it, and since it is the essence, not the real money. There is no pressure to invest. Seeing the value of the essence increases over time.
The point is, that my territory couldn''t get it according to Synod laws, but I am not just a noble, but also a Synod member with a legacy.
Two weeks ago, I was reading the constitution of the synod to prepare for the conclave when I found something.
A loophole.
However, it is not easy to get it, even with loopholes
It requires 60% of the votes of the council, and nearly all of them opposed it.
Some of them don''t like me, while others are simply opposed to the idea of funding the infrastructure of a domain''s noble. Some were asked to oppose it by their kingdoms.
Thankfully, I only needed to convince one member to get all the votes.
It is the most important member. If they agree, then everyone would agree, no matter how much they hate it.
It was the archmage of the archmage tower.
The biggest legacy on the continent and the most powerful one after the three Titans.
I was able to convince Grand Mage Asin. She represents the archmage''s tower and is responsible for all the decisions of the council.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
It took some convincing, but she agreed to support me.
"It would be great if you were able to convince them to fund a few more projects in the city," said Valentina, and I couldn''t help but sigh with hope.
"It would be difficult. She barely agreed to fund the bridge, but you are right."
"It will help us tremendously. If we can get financing for other projects," I replied.
With financing done. We could move on to the next stage, and thankfully, we had already started.
We have issued the tenders and got the offers from interested parties, including Valentina''s company. Financing or not, we would have started on the bridge.
It had become necessary, but construction would have been very slow.
Now, we only need to choose the offer and start building the bridge. The sooner it is done, the bigger the benefits the city will receive from it.
"Is your decision on the entourage final?" she asked. Looking at me accusingly.
"Yes," I replied with a sigh.
"I genuinely want to come. Archmage City is heaven for mages," she said, and it is not the first time. She had expressed this to me.
"I know, but I want and need you here," I replied.
There is not a single mage that hadn''t expressed the desire to come with me to the archmage city, but I need them here. Especially her.
It will be a very sensitive time, and I need as many of my trusted people in the city as possible.
"At least help me get those things I want," she said finally. "I will," I replied.
She might not be coming, but her girlfriend is.
I would rather that she stay in the city too, but I need to think about my protection. While the fear of Archmage Tower keeps almost everyone in line.
Once in a while, some fools take risks.
The last incident happened four decades ago. They had kidnapped a host of the legacy and killed him, even after the massive ransom had been paid.
The archmage tower had found every one of them, and the punishment they gave had marked memories as such that no incident had occurred since them.
Still, I couldn''t take risks, given my enemies.
Soon, Valentina left, and I didn''t stay in the office for too long either.
I got out of the city hall and sat in the carriage. Reaching my destination ten minutes later.
Alyn Tylcharis School.
It is a new school I am opening. It is named after the mother of Safmae Tylcharis. Mistress of Lord of Owlspring. It is the first of three schools she had promised to fund in the next three years.
At the gates, a large crowd had already gathered.
Click!
I got out, and guards made way for me.
I also activated Lord Presence with a faint power of aura mixed with it for the effect.
"Lord Silver," greeted Locke and Principle Salvyn. The elf is the principal of this new school, but my gaze is on the half-elf beside them.
"I hope the school is built to your liking, Mr. Tylcharis?" I asked the man.
The man looked to be in his mid-twenties. He is very handsome and could also be called beautiful. Sharing many similarities with his sister.
"She will love it," he replied.
"It''s such a regret that Miss Tylcharis couldn''t be here," I said. To that, he smiled.
She couldn''t come because of security reasons, but promised that she would be here at the opening of at least one school.
A lot of schools are opening, and I am selling the names to those who are funding it.
To have your name on the schools, there are several conditions.
The first is that you will not only need to pay to build the school and everything inside, but also pay for the salaries of its staff for three years.
It is not a big condition for most people. They are filthy rich and want to leave their name behind on anything.
Having their name also helps a lot, because every year you could ask them for the money. Even if they die, you can ask their families for the money.
That is why I am selling to the named houses with long histories.
It will help these schools a lot in the long term.
However, not all the names of the schools are being sold. Many schools are named after people who have done great work or made sacrifices for the city.
One of the schools that will open next month will be named after Mena.
I cut the ribbon and toured around the school.
This is a big school, with a capacity of two thousand students. It will elevate the burden on other schools.
The population of the city is rapidly increasing. Many are coming here bringing their families and children.
To meet that demand. We are opening new schools every month.
Soon, it was time to leave, and I walked toward my carriage when Locke said something to his wife and came toward me.
"I will ride with you, I have some business in city hall," he said. "Sure," I replied.
That is just an excuse. He likely wants to talk about that.
We stepped into the carriage, and the doors closed before we began to move toward the city hall.
"Have you made any progress on the proposal?" he asked, wasting not even a second.
"Locke, we don''t have money," I replied with a sigh.
"Remus, you should understand. We need the Academy. Talented young people are leaving the city, going to the academies in empire and merchant state,"
"We need to retain that talent. We need the academy," he said forcefully, with eyes filled with passion.
He is the same man who didn''t want the job but is now loving it.
"I know it, but the academy costs a lot of money," I replied.
An academy is different from a school, which gives them basic knowledge and guides them toward their future path. In the academy, they walk on that path.
It gives them classes and guides them for greater progress.
Students of the academy get better classes than those without it, and I want to build it, but there are so many things to do.
There is a military college, a second park, and even a mage tower. All of them are necessary, but we didn''t have money to build them, but we need to.
Since I had got the funding for the bridge, I could now build the military college.
Which we will have to fund ourselves.
There is also the mage tower, which my mages, including Valentina and the old man, are badgering me about, but those things cost massive money.
Though we need it.
Magic tower helps mages advance faster. It will be tremendously useful to the city.
It will help our mages. Make new ones and attract others. It is a magnet for them.
"Please think about it, Remus. The academy will help the city tremendously."
"The old man had even talked to me about setting up a magic department in there," he said, with his eyes shining.
"Our young ones might not get ''Mage'' as the class, but the magic department will help them gain ''Scholar'' or ''Magic Learner,"
"Which will be able to upgrade to the mage if they work hard enough," he added.
I was about to stop him from pressing me further when I remembered something and an idea came to my mind.
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 34
Chapter 522: Offer and Tribal Politics
Ashton Harbor
"Did they agree?" asked the man with the staff. He was activating all his privacy and non-interference spells.
"A lot of money and a binding contract of protection would make anyone agree to do even the most unthinkable things," replied the armored man.
It was hard negotiations and very secret.
Even A hint of this spreading will have massive consequences. On their own, they wouldn''t have dared to take risks. It only happened because of the higher-ups.
By doing this, they will be bending, at best, the rules of the most powerful legacy.
Everything needs to work as planned.
If they make the slightest mistake, they will turn the most powerful of the seven spirits into an enemy.
Which even his deathless didn''t want.
They are taking such risks because the stakes are so high.
Personally, he didn''t think they were high enough to take such massive risks, but he wouldn''t be the one questioning those orders that came from above.
His job is to follow them.
¡
Garzong
"Can I have time to think about this, Lt. General?" I asked the man in front of me.
"You have till evening. Lt. Colonel," replied the man. It was much less time than I liked, but I nodded. "Thank you, Lt. General," I replied and got up and exited his office.
Soon, I walked out of headquarters and sat in the carriage.
It wasn''t the official carriage. Lt. Colonels don''t get the carriages. It is from the tribe, the privilege afforded to the leader.
The carriage began to move while I evaluated the offer that Lt. General Cardin had said.
It was unexpected.
It was never a possibility in my mind when I received the summons in the morning. I thought it would be about my battalion going to Panar or something related to the army, but it was something else.
It is an offer, and it''s huge.
Something I didn''t believe they would give to a former bandit, or even an orc, no less. They did, with the half-orc, but his condition was different.
He was a supporter that the groups tolerated because of his power while I was the leader.
It is a great privilege to be considered for it, but I don''t know if I want it. Knowing the thing, I have to give up to take it.
I sighed, massaging my head.
Soon, the carriage took the last turn and entered Scales Borough. This area is predominantly occupied by orcs. Over 80% of the population in the borough are orcs.
Soon. the carriage stopped, and I stepped out of it.
In front of me was a large compound with a three-story building. The area also includes four more single-story buildings.
Orcs could be seen moving around within while others came and went. All of them belong to my tribe, and the whole compound is the tribal ground.
The tribe isn''t officially recognized, but we have registered ourselves as a social and cultural organization. This status provides us with certain privileges under the laws of the city.
We are the second one to do that after that old bastard Trik.
"Chieftain," the guards greeted with a bow before opening the door.
I walked inside, and many greeted me. A large number of them are wearing their army uniform.
I have brought my entire tribe to the city. There was no choice. Even the most stubborn had agreed to come, seeing the number of monsters that increased so suddenly.
Most fighting-age adults of the tribe had joined the army. It''s a great job and pays well.
We have even started to let our women join the army. The first tribe to officially do that.
Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
That bastard Trik followed right after that same day and started claiming his tribe was the first one to do that.
There was opposition to it, and there still is, with many tribes unofficially banning their woman from doing that, but I think it was wise.
It provides them employment, keeps the tribe together, and fills their coffers.
Since we had registered the tribe as a social and cultural organization, we could collect fixed membership fees.
The fee isn''t a lot. It is about 5% of the monthly salary.
With the rest, they are free to do what they want. We feared that freedom might stray the members from the tribe. Instead, it brought us closer.
Yes, the distance had formed, and the tribe wasn''t involved in nearly every decision of their lives as it used to be, but many good things have taken their place.
Like participation in the tribes'' festivals and ceremonies.
It is far more enthusiastic than it used to be, and I noticed it is bonding people closer than before.
The shaman had also said that. His shamanic powers had grown stronger, with him leveling up a couple of times since coming here.
I reached the building, and the guards opened the door. I walked inside and saw my younger son waiting at the door.
"Shaman had asked me to lead you to him," he said. I was planning to go there for advice.
I nodded and walked toward the stairs with him.
"How was school?" I asked. "Good. They had taken us today to the Beck''s company''s workshop," He replied, smiling.
I still don''t understand things about school, but my children love them.
However, I have a problem agreeing with the direction he wants to move with his future job.
Within the tribe, there were only a few jobs. The most popular was the warrior, with shamans, healers, gatherers, hunters, and a few more.
Here, there seemed to be no limit to them.
He wants to work in city hall.
To do that, he wants to continue to study in an academy after he completes school. The academies aren''t cheap, but I will be able to afford it if I keep saving as I am.
"Chieftain,"
Soon, I reached the top floor, which is the most restricted area in the compound. It is where the shaman lives.
The guards opened the door, and I walked inside while my son stayed back.
"Shaman," I greeted the old man. He isn''t alone. There is my oldest son, my wife, and my sister, who is also a shaman and will take over shamanic duties after the old man dies.
However, the way the old man is leveling up. He isn''t going to die soon.
I nodded at the rest and sat beside the totem, from which fragrant smoke rising out of.
"What do the Lt. General say? Are they sending you Panar or putting you in charge of the elite battalion?" asked the old man while everyone listened attentively.
I shook my head at that.
"They have made me an offer," I replied, while a surprise appeared in their eyes.
"What offer?" asked my sister.
"To be a bodyguard of Lord Silver," I replied with a sigh as they watched in shock. The old man is the first to recover, and his eyes begin to shine like torches.
"That''s the best news I could wish to hear," said the old man, to my surprise, with a big smile appearing on his face.
"Old man is right. This is great news, little brother."
"You are an excellent warrior but not much of a war leader. You wouldn''t be able to rise much higher in the army," said Jrana.
I glared at her.
"Jrana!" the old man admonished her before turning to me.
"Her words might be bold, but your sister is right. You are not much of a war leader, Vulvru."
Being a bodyguard is a far better choice; you will be near the center of power."
"It will provide us with a lot of soft power. Most importantly, thwart any challengers against your authority in the tribe," said the old man.
It is one thing to be called incompetent by my sister. I have been used to it since childhood, but when the old man said, I couldn''t help but get angry.
I might not be a good war leader as others, but I like to believe I am above average.
However, he is right about the challengers. There are a few in the tribe.
Two are very close to me; they have already become captains, and the way they are progressing. It won''t take them long to become Lt. Colonel like me.
"There is a condition attached to the offer," I said heavily.
"What condition?" asked the old man as his joyful eyes became serious. "He wants me to give up my position as leader of the tribe," I replied.
"Fuck!" cursed my son and sister together.
They are learning a lot of words from humans, many of them being curse words.
The silence descended.
It is a big predicament. If I leave as the tribe leader, others will swoop in. My son is in the army, but he is barely at Lv. 10.
He couldn''t deal with those challenges.
"There might be a way to accept it with minimal risk," said my wife. Making everyone turn to her.
"We can make deals with challengers," she said slowly. "What sort of deal?" asked Jrana.
"We will ask them not to challenge the leadership of Radba. In exchange, we will increase their privileges and admit them into the council,"
We didn''t have a council in the tribe, but we needed to have it in the social and cultural organization.
"They will also get the opportunity to vie for the position of leader, but only at the totem festival."
"Where, if they beat Vulvru, the position of clan leader will be theirs," she explained while we listened dumbfounded.
"It will be unofficial, of course. Since husband won''t be leader," she added with a smile.
She is the smartest person in the tribe. It is why I married her when everyone opposed it because of her social standing.
"There are problems with it."
"The first is that the tribe wouldn''t accept it, and the second, they might go back on their words and challenge Radba for leadership when Vulvru isn''t present," said the old man, but she shook her head.
"The tribe will accept as we are not stopping the challenges to the leadership,"
"Though we will need to change the rules of the tribe. That challenges to the leadership will be made only at the totem festival,"
"As for them going back on their word. We will tell them, if they do that, Vulvru will leave his job as Lord''s bodyguard and challenge them,"
"They are still not powerful enough to challenge Vulvru," she replied.
"They are in the army, with dangers surrounding the city. There will be battles, and they will grow powerful," said Jrana.
"So will my husband. Lord Silver fights in every battle, and so do his bodyguards. They fight the most dangerous battles, making them the strongest people in the city," she replied. Making everyone look at her.
The old man sighed before nodding and turned to me.
"What do you think? Do you want the job?" the old man asked. To be honest, I don''t. I like the army; I like to lead people, but accepting the job is wise.
It comes with risks, but it will also help the tribe a lot.
Most importantly. I will be protecting the man who is responsible for the future of the tribe.
I know very well how an empire sees us, and with the things happening in the forest, we have nowhere to go. The city is our only safe harbor.
It is paramount that he remains alive as only under his shadow will my people have safety and live in prosperity.
"Yes," I replied.
chapter 523: Last Day
"Lord Silver, thank you for giving us a spot in your entourage," said Baron Husk.
"We are neighbors, Lord Husk. We look out for each other," I replied to the man who was sitting beside my sister.
The time had passed too quickly, and the day had arrived. I didn''t want to leave, but I didn''t have a choice. Going there will help me and my city a lot.
I couldn''t delegate this place task to anyone.
Not all things could be attended by my representative, like meeting an archmage.
Every host of new legacy gets to meet the archmage. It is a great privilege.
I gave the baronies two spots. I gave one to the Mirador Hold and two to the Dustorn Fortress.
I didn''t want to give them. Seeing they didn''t provide me with support, which they did to the Deerpond and other cities, but rejecting their requests isn''t an option.
They are the most powerful force in the region. If they wish, they could crush the undead.
I also gave three each to both imperials and two to the family.
Leaving only eleven for me, which is less than I like, but that is politics, which is less than I like. Seeing the things I have to do.
Some of the merchant cities wanted it, and so did Inam and Namdar, along with other princes.
"You are absolutely right, Lord Silver," agreed Husk, with a big smile.
I am very well aware of the number of times they discuss the possibility of attacking me. They still haven''t shelved that plan.
They would attack me without hesitation if the undead made me too weak.
I am thinking the same. I want their territory, too, but I have no plan of attacking them in the short to medium term.
I am far too busy with the undead to even think about that for more than a second.
Only when I get a breathing space from them and a large enough army that I will do that, but that moment is years away.
At that time, there was a very strong possibility that the undead would conquer the Greltheaven.
"I hope you all have made the preparations. If you need anything, don''t hesitate to ask me," I said.
"We will," replied Leila.
They stayed for a few more minutes before leaving while I focused on the work.
There are a few more things that remain before I will be done with it.
Hours passed as I read through file after file and met some people before finally, I finished it all in the afternoon.
"I will be leaving the city in your hands, Robin. Take care of it," I said to him.
I already did the formal ceremony in the morning in the presence of the Cardin and other important people. So, now I just handed him the seal and the keys.
"I will," he replied simply.
I smiled and got up before walking out of the office. Leaving him responsible for everything that will come after.
I sat in my carriage, and it moved toward the legacy.
There are a few more things I have to do in the legacy before I can leave the city.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I got out. I walked the guarded area as there was a still line to enter the legacy, even after nearly a month.
I don''t think it is going to go away.
I entered the lobby, and it was crowded, as usual, before entering the elevator.
It didn''t move up. Instead down.
A few seconds later, the elevator stopped, and I got out of it and into the huge hall, where over fifty people were working on different things.
"Lord Silver,"
I was looking around when I heard the familiar voice and turned toward the half-elf coming toward me.
"Miss Halcyon," I greeted the woman.
"What do you think?" she asked, looking around. "It seemed to be going well," I replied with a smile.
"A little slower with these guys, but we have time," she replied, looking at people who were working on walls carefully.
Not just walls, but many other things, doors, ceilings, and columns.
They are all artists, each one of them over Lv. 25, with nine of them being at Lv. 30 and above.
They are not cheap, but from what I could. It will be worth it.
Earlier, it wasn''t planned. We had different designs that would have taken less time, but I have decided to postpone the opening.
It was going to open on the 12th of next month, but now, it will open on the 4th of the month after that.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
The delay is because of the problem we are facing.
There isn''t any space for the guests. We don''t have enough hotels. Especially the high-end ones, for the high-spenders that I want to stay in the city.
So, we have delayed it for three weeks.
I am taking massive risks here, since the old Halcyon could die at any moment. If he dies before the opening. We won''t be able to get as big as the bite of his core as we want.
There is witchcraft involved here.
We want the large bite of core, but to have that, we need to have Onyx Halcyon running in the legacy.
Essence is important, but my city matters the most. The first month is important, and I don''t want to create a culture where people enjoy the legacy and leave immediately.
No, I want a culture where they will enjoy the legacy and stay to enjoy the city before leaving.
It is already happening. People are coming during the day, enjoying through the night, and then leaving. Opening a casino now will exacerbate that problem further.
In the next month, a lot of hotels will open, and even more will start building.
Smart people could see the potential of the city despite the danger.
Many of them are willing to invest in it, and the pace at which is increasing instead of increasing, as I thought it would happen a few weeks after the opening.
I checked through every floor.
I didn''t have to. I looked at it every day, with my skill, but it was different. Here, I am not just looking but also asking questions of the woman beside me.
Twenty minutes later, I stepped into the elevator, and it moved up, while I watched every floor.
Seeing the crowded floors. A smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
A few seconds later, it stopped. I got out and walked into my office, watching the party going. It is from the carriage company.
Click!
The guards opened the door, and I stepped inside my office. Caena was there.
"Everything is in there," she said, looking at the stacks of files on my desks." I glanced at them before turning to her.
"These are the things I need," she added. Handing me another file, but the one that is protected with the witchcraft.
I took it and opened it before starting to read a long list of things.
The witchcraft had made my legacy unique. Capable of doing things that are not heard of, but it is not without a cost, and with every advancement, the cost is getting only higher.
Not higher, it had jumped exponentially because of the witchcraft she had cast on the establishment before it turned to the legacy of the Grade III.
So, as it advanced, she only needed to do some adjustments to them, but now for the Grade IV.
It will be a full-on upgrade, and it is costing me a massive amount of money. She has already started because we could never know when the legacy might advance.
I don''t think it will advance before the decade, but I don''t want to take a chance.
I needed to be ready, which created a problem.
I could handle the cost despite it being enormous, but it is the secrecy that is worrying me.
I need to keep the witchcraft a secret. I have created a web of vendors for it.
I have Ethan and my family to get some things, but now I have added Eva, as she deals in gems.
There is also the alchemy department of City Hall, which buys the things for our alchemists.
The plan is to hide these things in explainable stuff, but there is some stuff here that couldn''t be hidden.
Like the bones of saris frogs and other things, for this, I am taking a risk.
Which is a buy them openly and not even hiding it is for the witchcraft.
Let them think I have a witch. Since I have shamans, having a witch wouldn''t be surprising.
Many cities have them, Inam has them, and so do Owlspring and other cities.
Witches are powerful and tricky, but if others have it. You need to have it, too, to protect against the curses and other spells cast by them.
It will be handled by the city hall.
It is a huge risk, but we need too many things, and doing it secretly will arouse suspicion.
However, there will be some things that we will buy secretly. That might give others a hint about what we are buying them for.
Before I knew it, it was evening when the door opened, and Bell walked in.
"I really wish I could come. It''s a beautiful place," she said as she sat in front of me.
"I had heard a lot of things about it," I said, excitement rising in her eyes.
"The things you have heard pale in comparison to the real things. Since you are the master of legacy, you will see more than what others see," she replied, and I smiled.
A moment later, my expression turned serious.
"I had told Robin to see you. If he faced a problem, he couldn''t solve on his own," I said.
She didn''t say anything to that other than smiling.
I sought her counsel when I came across problems that I couldn''t solve. She is intelligent and, most importantly, understands how politics works.
"I have a favor to ask," she said.
Hearing the heaviness, my expression turned serious.
"Find a person named Artin Kalos. He used to live in the archimage city. Should still be there,"
"Here is all the information you will need to find him," she said, forwarding a letter.
"Just find him and nothing else?" I asked her. To that, she shook her head. "Yes," she replied, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
"Ok," I said.
I was worried that she would ask me to send the message. That would have been extremely dangerous.
The legacy is powerful, but there is a kingdom of Lomeir on the other side and I have no desire to mess in its business before I become capable enough to bear its wrath.
Even finding that person would be dangerous, but I decided to take the risk after all the help she had provided.
"I am grateful for you doing this despite knowing the risk," she said, with her voice filled with gratefulness.
She left, and another hour passed when I finally finished with the work.
''They have gathered,'' informed Carla a few minutes later. I thanked her and got up, but didn''t move and instead looked at my office.
It will be the longest trip since I came to the city and I am going to miss it.
I looked at it for a moment before everything turned dark, and the core appeared in front of me with colorful planets revolving around it.
Every second. It is consuming a massive amount of emotion essence that would shock even the host of legacies.
There are over ten thousand people in my legacy. So, the supply of endless emotions isn''t surprising.
I never thought the core would get such emotions before opening.
It took me days to get used to it.
The core absorbed it all, with a faint amount of it going to the planets. They need to get powerful, too, as the core gets powerful.
The legacy this core is powering, and the essence it is producing has become a fuel for the city''s growth. As long as it remains burning, nothing and no one will stop the city''s rise.
A few seconds later. I disappeared, and I returned to my office. I took one last glance at it before walking out.
The next time, I will come here. It will be weeks later.
A minute later, I stepped into one of the super-exclusive halls of the legacy.
"Lord Silver," they greeted.
All the madams and assistant madams are here, along with important employees of the legacy, like Rosen and Celah.
I looked at them, looking at me with all kinds of expressions, the oddest being the ones that were crying.
Though, it made me gratified.
"I am leaving for Archmage City, but there is not a hint of worry in my heart because I know you all will do an excellent job in my absence,"
"I gathered you here to tell you to do your job without worry." "I may not be here physically, but I will be here in spirit," I said to them.
Making many of them laugh.
A few minutes later, I was walking toward the elevator with Carla.
"It was nice to touch with spirit," she said as we stepped into the elevator.
To that, I smiled before turning to her.
"I wish you could come with me," I said. "Me too," she replied with a sigh.
While I may want her to come with me, she isn''t coming.
She needs to stay in the city to handle things.
I have given her complete authority over the legacy and related things.
I am not worried about the legacy. I am fully confident of Caena, but Carla needs to stay here.
She might not have an official position in the city, but her presence alone will give Robin the legitimacy to make certain tough decisions if it comes to it.
Her presence alone helps the city remain peaceful because of her connection to me.
Chapter 524: Journey
The carriage entered the port and moved toward the ship, before finally stopping.
The large crowd had already gathered there.
"Don''t focus too much on work in Archmage City. Enjoy yourself a little there," said Carla.
"I will," I said and got out when she did behind, I took her hand in mine and walked ahead. There was resistance for a moment before she walked with her hand in mine.
I looked at the crowd and smiled before reaching the people that gathered.
Everyone important is there, including Robin, Cardin, and Stone. He returned yesterday; I won''t leave the city without him watching over.
The army there is now bigger than before, and there are also many powerhouses with warded walls and a lot of cannons and other things.
The city is now more than capable of defending itself from threats without Stone being there personally.
"Have a safe journey, my lord," wished Robin and others. "Thank you all," I replied and walked toward the yacht while waving at the crowd.
The others followed behind me.
There are eleven people in my entourage. Twelve counting him.
Each one is carefully chosen.
First is Soren Arryn, the head of the merchant guild. Second is Mage Ravill, the head of the mage guild. Shaman Trik from the orcs and Mage Aldridge.
There are two people from the city hall. Their help will be needed to coordinate with other lords and important people.
I had invited Eva as I needed her help to get me a few things.
Margaux, who I will need to deal with people of the other legacies. Eudo because he requested, and I found his request important enough.
Though it will cost me a lot.
Even if he hadn''t requested it. I would have brought him with me. I had prepared a gift for him, which I will give him in Archmage City.
Varza is coming into an official capacity; filling in for her boss. Hardt cannot come, as he is busy with the important work.
The last is Zela.
There are more people, but these eleven are with special entourage access. They will attend important meetings, markets, and other things.
They have access below mine, and it is a big thing.
My family is going with the entourage of Namdar. The same with the other people I gave access to.
There is another person following behind me. He is not part of the entourage, but he has access to a greater than them. It is nearly to my level.
Alex Rutto.
The head of the house of Rutto.
Because of his ancestor, he has that access and will be as long as the bloodline of House Rutto lives and the archmage tower remains standing.
I had brought three of my personal guards, John, Zela, and Garzong; there is also Lena. Along platoon led by Lt. Colonel.
I will also be hiring mercenaries from the countries we passed through for smoother travel.
We are taking three yachts. The middle one is mine that Counts Darrow so graciously gave to me; it had returned just last week from the merchant state.
I have made modifications to it. It cost me quite a lot, but now it is truly mine.
The second yacht is the one I rented for others. The third one is rented by my sister and Baron Husk.
I offered to take them with my yacht, but they refused. It is fine by me.
I reached the ship and walked the stair-ramp with Eva, Eudo, Margaux, and her daughter following behind.
Yes, her daughter is also coming. She will be joining the Archimage Academy.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
I didn''t enter inside and watched the crowd as the ships began to move from the port.
I kept watching till the city itself disappeared.
"It will be the longest journey, I will have," I said, looking in the direction of the city.
I have traveled further on the earth, but that was plain and it was safe, but here I will be traveling through six countries through water and land.
It will take around a week before I reach the archmage city.
"I have many times," replied Eva.
"How was it?" I asked, turning to her. "Fun, but also dangerous," she replied, turning toward the Namdar.
"I hope this journey will be fun. If there is a danger, I will have to depend on you to protect me," I said to her.
To that, she rolled her eyes, before smiling.
"Don''t worry, I won''t let anything happen to you," she replied.
I am excited about this journey despite the reservations about the dangers I might face. Aside from the merchant state, I had not traveled to another country.
Even in the merchant state. I had only traveled to the two regions.
The ship will first go to Owlspring, and from there, it will move through the Vale River to the Oksall. From then, it will enter the kingdom of Tezir and then Mahal, where the yatch will stop.
From there, we will travel by land.
I stayed by the railing for a few minutes, before walking inside and soon, stepped into my suite.
It used to be the suite of Count Darrow, but now it''s mine. It is the same size as before but looks bigger; I have asked for a complete overhaul of it.
Now there is soft paint and a few tasteful paintings with a beautiful bed and sofas. The most amazing is the large hundred-inch glass windows.
Even in the dark, it gives a wonderful view.
It is stronger than the wall of yatch and further reinforced by powerful enchantments.
I watched for a while before lying down on the bed. It is as soft as my bed in legacy.
A few minutes later, I closed my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths till I was calm enough, before bringing out my aura.
I spread it slowly and gently.
As I did, I felt the soft sheet and the thousands of threads it made of. I understood the design and could tell the work its maker had put into crafting it.
The aura is a manifestation of one''s will, and it can do anything.
Creating a sensory sphere is considered a milestone. I am far from completing it, but I am making progress.
Those books are helping me a lot.
Even now, I am still studying the first book, and I don''t mind it because every page is a treasure trove of knowledge. Helping me tremendously with my aura.
I am not just practicing it. I am also using it in the real scenarios.
I am using it daily in my spars, and I have to say, it''s an amazing weapon.
Even with limited control, it had increased my strength by a lot. Just thinking about what I will do once, I get greater control over it makes me excited.
Soon, my aura fully covered the suite.
I could feel everything: the vases, the sofas, and the bookshelf, everything.
I felt it all before focusing on the book, the smallest one. I tried to take it, but all I was able to do was move it a little. still, I kept trying.
Thud!
I was able to take it out, but at the moment, I did. It fell on the floor with a thud.
Bell could take it safely, a book much thicker than it and several at once without much strain, but she had decades of practice.
I tried again and again and again. I kept trying till I couldn''t keep the aura the aura out.
It went inside me, while I lay on the bed tired.
Aura is powerful but tiring. That is why I need to practice it constantly. Till it becomes effortless to use; it is hard but achievable.
Bell is capable of that.
Knock Knock!
I was lying on the bed resting when a knock rang out.
"Lord Silver, dinner is ready," informed Zela. I nodded and got up before activating the Get Read.
I am tired and sweaty.
Immediately, my clothes straightened and dried sweat and dirt rolled down, while the glow returned to my face.
I looked at myself in the mirror, before walking out of my suite.
When I reached the kitchen, I saw everybody already sitting there, including my sister and husk.
"Lord Silver," they greeted. I nodded and sat down.
"The great journey ahead of us. An exciting one, where we will see new places, experience new cultures, and many surprises,"
"It makes me happy that I have you all with me to experience it,"
"As I once read in the book. To travel is to live, and I hope we all live a lot on this journey," I said, quoting Hans Christian Anderson, before raising my class.
The dinner began, and it was great. I had brought a chef from the legacy who had experience in cooking on ships. However, the most interesting was the conversation.
The dinner finished in an hour, but people stayed for another hour before they started to leave.
Till only Leila remained.
"How are the things with the monsters?" I asked as we stopped at the railing.
I have received the reports that they sent and also got my hands on the secret intelligence they had collected through my sources.
Still, I like to hear things from her.
"Bad and, from the way, things are going, they might get worse," she replied with clear worry in his voice.
Monsters in moderation are good. It fuels their monster material industry, but too many, and it becomes bad.
Monsters are like waves. Small ones are enjoyable, but huge ones could crush you and everything that comes in their path.
It will affect everything. Most importantly, trade between merchant states and Navr, which is their lifeline.
"You all have seemed to be managing it," I said, and she smiled.
I heard she alone had gone into the forest to kill the leaders. Collapse, the horde before it could form, but that only delayed it.
The monsters had formed the hordes and attacked them.
"We might need your help if things become bad," she said turning to me.
They have asked for help. To let the adventurers and mercenaries in the city accept the jobs from them, which I had restricted.
It''s not like I don''t want to help them. The halt in trade will affect me too, but I can''t.
The undead have me on edge, and besides most of the mercenaries in the city, they are busy working for the city.
"I will see what I can do," I replied, not promising anything. She didn''t say anything to that and stayed silent for nearly a minute.
"Thank you for dinner, Remus," she said and jumped into the water.
Ice formed under her feet as she landed and began to walk on it.
Her movements are graceful, making it look beautiful. I watched her, till she reached her yacht and jumped on it, before disappearing.
Chapter 525: Elite
Karsa
"Faster! Even toddlers could run faster than you lot!" shouted drill instructor Merxin as the sun rose behind him.
His shouts and insults affected us the first day, but after that, we barely listened anymore. We all focused on running, which was the easiest part of the training.
There are sandbags on our backs and metal plates attached to our limbs.
I am dead tired. Every part of me is screaming to stop, even if just for a minute.
I didn''t, if I stopped, it would all be over. I will not be able to get back up and run. I experienced it once, and I don''t want to experience that pain again.
The consequences of that are worse than what I am experiencing right now.
Hun!
Suddenly, the person in front of me fell, and I avoided him by inches and continued running.
When I first joined the army, it was rare to see a person falling after training, but here, it is common. I have learned to avoid them.
This training is much harder than the army training. It was like a breeze compared to it.
This is the training of the seventeenth battalion. The elite battalion of Lt. Colonel Uram.
It had been nearly twelve weeks since it began, and thousands of tried. More were trying every day, but most of them would give up after the end of the day.
Four days ago, nearly everyone who attempted had given up.
The recruitment is still active. Anyone from the army could try, including their recruits, as long as they fit the physical requirements.
The most important is the age limit.
For humans, it is twenty-seven, orcs thirty, and for half-elves, thirty-five. Elves and giant bloods, it is forty.
I have seen thousands struggle before giving up in an hour. Still, many others are trying. Arriving from Greltheaven, including a large number of orcs.
I was one of the few forest orcs in the company. Most of the orcs, with me, are from the island.
It didn''t matter to them what the color of his skin was. What matters is strength and ability.
There is respect for the name "Elite." I have seen how the orcs from the island talk about the elite armies. Just the mention of an elite group lights up in their eyes.
There are additional allures of higher pay, better equipment, and the chance for faster level-ups.
It had been eleven days since it had started.
I am part of the first batch. Every day, a new batch would join and most would give up. They then would be assimilated into another batch.
No matter what one''s batch is, they will need to survive this training for thirty-two weeks.
Only those who stayed by the end with adequate performance would get recruited into the elite battalion, and that would be probationary.
The recruitment training time is long. It''s made even longer by the training hours.
They train us for sixteen hours every day. It isn''t just endurance and fighting. There are also lectures and other stuff.
The thing is, this is the first course of training. There are five phases, the first course being the easiest.
"The bastard craizan, he wants to kill us!" cursed the orc beside me.
''Craizan'', the insult for Lt. Colonel. He is not insulting but cursing.
Bakre is the best in the batch; we both joined the army at the same time and were part of the company. I was surprised he stayed in the company.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
He is from the biggest and most powerful orc tribe and also the scion.
Shaman Trik is his grandfather.
He curses but moves without stopping while others fall down. Seeing him moving, I pushed myself hard. Crushing any thoughts that want me to stop.
I have to succeed. I have sacrificed everything. My life, family, friends, everything.
I cannot let it all go in vain.
So, I pushed myself as the sun went up and lit up the whole sky.
Pheeeew!
Finally, the whistle of salvation rang, and immediately, we all began to fall like sacks of grain with all life sucked out of us.
At that same moment, I felt the lock on my skills disappearing.
There are locks on our skills. In the same way, the weights everyone carries are different. How much weight one would carry depends on your class weight and attributes.
So, no one could cheat with good class and greater attributes.
I pushed through the thoughts and began taking deep breaths. I only have a few minutes to recover before I have to get up.
I wish I had rest or recovery skills. It would have made things much easier.
"Get up, you maggots!" shouted the drill sergeant and all of us got up immediately.
We didn''t want to get whipped; it was painful, and because of the skill, the pain didn''t go away for hours.
I got up and walked to the barracks, where I quickly showered and changed into a new uniform before walking into the cafeteria.
It is filled with several lines to the meal counter.
I stepped behind one line and within a few seconds. It was my turn.
The server looked at the number below my tag, and I felt his skill. As it turned off, he quickly filled my plate and gave it to me.
"Thank you," I said walking toward my usual table, with three friends sitting there.
"James washed out," said Kiri. The human woman of my age. She is from the Panar. Had lived through the undead occupation.
Some of the things she had told me made me think about what made me shudder.
"It is a good thing he did; I was tired of his boasts," said Bargu.
A forest orc like me. He is a pitiful guy. Most of his tribe had been killed by the monsters.
"He might be boastful, but he had great sweets," said Venson, the blond human young man.
"Of course you would. You were the only one he used to share with," replied Kiri.
James'' family owns sweet shops in Greltheaven. I didn''t like him. He was boastful and had a habit of looking down on everyone.
He was also a speciesist.
"If you all had been nice to him. Then, he might have shared them with you all too," he replied.
"I would rather drink ten cups of this stuff than eat the sweets from him," I said picking up the glass with purple-green liquid from my tray and drinking it all in one gulp.
It is bad, but everyone needs to drink it.
It is supposed to help in dealing with wear and tear of the body caused by the training.
We finished dinner in fifteen minutes before walking toward the classrooms. There are lectures, which many consider boring, but I like them.
In the Grelthaven, I regretted I was not young enough to attend school.
My younger brother is in school, and the things he would tell me about it would always make me jealous.
Soon, I entered classroom 12 with a large table in front of us. Today''s class is about military history; they teach us the history of various militaries.
It is my second favorite class after strategy.
We stood at attention as the stocky half-orc woman with a simple bun walked inside wearing a uniform.
She is a Lt. Akis Vram.
"At ease," she said before turning the board.
"Today, we will learn about the inception of iron fangs," she said as she wrote the name of one of the most famous legions of the continent.
She started, and I listened while taking notes.
When it was over, we moved again toward the weapons training.
I entered one of the training rings, and opposite me was a man nearly twice my age. He is a human in his mid-thirties with a bald head and a scar running down his neck to his chest.
He is holding a practice saber while I have a practice sword in my hand.
"Begin!"
The order came, and I moved toward the man with the Quick Steps before swinging my sword with my newest skill.
Heavy Strike!
Clang!
The man stopped it almost casually before swinging his saber at me fast.
Clang!
I countered with my sword, activating Parry as they clashed, but it didn''t work. The man countered the skill before swinging his saber at me.
Pach!
I was unable to dodge it, and he hit me hard across my shoulder with the back of the blade before attacking again without wasting a second.
I countered immediately, but the saber had hit on the other shoulder and attacked again.
Clang!
This time, I was able to defend, but the next one hit me again.
I didn''t focus on the pain and only fought him with the ultimate goal of landing the hit.
Which is very hard. Near impossible.
This is the most painful training. They made us fight, people, of Lv. 20 or closer to twenty, and those people are merciless.
They did not hold back, and by the time sparring was over. I couldn''t even sit without screaming in pain.
Merciless this training might be, but it is effective. The whole training, not just this one component.
I had observed that my stamina had increased while my combat style had become more refined. My skills have become more efficient than before.
It is only a start.
I don''t want to get washed out. I want to stay and complete the training.
I want to join the elite battalion.
The weapons training lasted for two hours before the bell rang, and I sat down, with every part of my body screaming in pain.
I only got five minutes of rest before I went to take the ice bath.
After that, it was another class.
Then, formation training, field training, and obstacle course. All of them make the morning drill a breezy walk.
After it was over, it was dinner time, and then an hour of study before sleeping at nine.
I watched the lights go off and closed my eyes to sleep. I need to sleep fast to get as much rest as possible to repeat this hellish training.
Which is going to get worse as the days pass.
Chapter 526: Yolmin City
Ashton Harbor
"He will cross the boundary of the merchant state in a few minutes," informed the man in armor.
"Good. The sooner we have him in our hands, the better it will be," replied the man with the staff.
"Are the other preparations in place?" asked the man with the staff.
"Yes. Once we got him, we will whisk him away to a place where not even the archmage tower will be able to find him," replied the armored man.
"When he reappears again. He will be a loyal soldier of Vris''alud," added the armored man with a smile on his face.
The man with the staff didn''t say anything to that, but his head bobbed faintly in affirmation.
...¡
I looked at Marim, disappearing from my eyes, and turned to the fast-appearing boundary between the merchant state of Oksall and Tezir.
We didn''t stay in any city of the merchant states despite getting an invitation from all the cities we had crossed.
Though, I will make a brief stop at the Yolmin. The second biggest city of Tezir for a short time.
Fifteen minutes later, we reached the boundary. As we did, the nine mercenaries we had hired had left the boat and jumped into the one following behind us.
Another group of mercenaries will join us soon in Tezir.
The merchant state was pretty safe, with high-traffic boats and heavy patrolling, but I still hired them.
I had hired the mercenaries in each kingdom.
All of them are experienced and highly rated. It might seem unnecessary because of the number of guards I have, but I don''t want to take any chances with my or my people''s safety.
The mercenaries will not only act as security but also as guides.
Till we reach Mahal, there is no need for the guides since all we need to follow is a river, but having them is comforting.
The border guards talked to the captain from their boats but didn''t board us.
We have immunity. They cannot set foot on our boats without our permission.
The yacht crossed into Tezir while I watched from the railing.
It is a kingdom famous for its four spices and heavy infantry. There are only two legacies here, which are about average.
Merchant states, Baxzar Dominion, Navr, and Harsoth empires, have the highest number of legacies. The other kingdoms have around two on average.
I watched it for a while before returning to my suite.
There, once again, I practiced the aura. It was the only thing I could do here. Since I couldn''t spar and there was not much work.
I had finished it all before coming.
After the practice, I had lunch before I came back to my suite and practiced the aura again. Took a small break and practiced again and then again.
I usually snuck two or three short practice sessions during the day but never got a chance to practice as I am doing right now.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
It is a great opportunity that I will use wisely.
Soon it was evening.
I watched the river through the window while I rested from the practice.
Today, I went out only once when we crossed the border at Tezir. There is no need to get out; the huge window of my suite could show me all.
It also has a magnifying enchantment. So I could even see things from a distance.
Half an hour passed. I opened my eyes.
I sat down cross-legged and brought out the aura. I didn''t spread it instead, I covered myself with the thinnest layer possible.
I stabilized it before forming another layer, which was far more difficult as I had to keep the first layer in check.
It took me quite a while to create the second layer, and I moved to the third layer. It is where the real challenge is. I had many times but never succeeded.
Minutes passed as I worked on the third layer slowly.
If I moved too fast, the layer would collapse, and I would have to try again.
My breath is even, and progress is extremely slow. Every breath is like a step where I would make a small progress.
There is always danger, the faint shaking that threatens to become an earthquake and dissolve it all.
I moved it slowly, and soon, I reached my neck. It is where I fail every time.
I moved the aura steadily. I was smoothening any fissure coming across as I moved the aura up.
The third layer reached my temple when a large fissure spread out. It had nearly collapsed the layers, but I was able to stop it from collapsing.
The shaking increased as I reached higher and higher before, finally, the third layer was completed.
I wanted to move to the fourth layer, but it was too hard. So, instead, I focused my will on keeping the three layers stable.
Creating the layers isn''t enough. I need to learn to maintain them, which is harder than one would imagine. Especially in my current state, when I am really tired.
The layers would be useless if I let them collapse after forming them.
Seconds passed, and it got harder and harder, but I didn''t let go. Instead, I tried to understand them. So, I will be able to control them better.
Seconds passed and turned into minutes, but I held on to the layers.
My head begins to hurt badly, and I begin to sweat from every part of my body. Still, I didn''t let go; I held on to it like my life depended on it.
It was when my very consciousness began to shake. The control slipped away.
The layers collapsed, and the aura returned to me while I fell to the ground, feeling tired in every fiber of my consciousness.
I had strained myself so much that I had nearly fallen unconscious.
I only pushed myself hard every night before sleeping, but not like this.
I took deep breaths to recover, even doing that felt very strained, but I pushed myself.
Slowly, I begin to feel better.
I could have made it all easy by drinking the potion.
I didn''t want to practice that way. In the same way, I didn''t activate Energising Essence during the practice, despite the fact it could make me improve my duration.
I need to push myself, not only with the practice but also with the recovery.
Click!
I was resting on the floor. Still taking deep breaths when the door opened.
"Lord Silver, we will reach Yolmin in half an hour," informed Zela, before closing the door.
I have been invited by Lord Galil. He is the master of the Legacy.
A Grade III like me.
To be honest, I rather not stop. It''s not because I don''t want to; I am genuinely interested. It is a unique legacy, but I also want to reach Armchamage City as soon as possible.
There are so many things I have to do there.
However, I must stop. Politically it wouldn''t be good. If I didn''t, at least visit one of Tezir''s cities.
I stayed down a few more minutes before getting up shakingly and walking to the bathroom. I could use the skill, but I didn''t want to make myself more tired than I already am.
Ten minutes later. I came out of the shower feeling much better.
I took out a suit from the cupboard and dressed before stepping out of the suite.
Soon, I reached the deck and saw most of the others were out on deck. In a few minutes, we will reach Yolmin.
"You looked tired, my lord," said Eva with a hint of worry in her eyes.
"I was practicing," I replied in privacy.
There was confusion in her eyes before her eyes lit up in the understanding.
"I am excited, mom. I heard a lot of amazing things about the whimsical wonder," said Margaux''s Daughter.
"Have you seen their shows?" asked Eva to that I shook my head.
The whimsical troupe does shows all over the continent and outside it. They are considered one of the best in the entire world.
Old Remus had once got a chance, but that idiot was too busy training.
So, my father gave the ticket to my brother.
"You?" I asked. "Once, when they had come to Namdar," she replied with a smile.
It will be the only third legacy, I will see, after the one in Jalrux and Vanis Tavern.
I haven''t got out of the city since I became the lord. The only place I had gone to was the Panar, but that was for the attack.
So, saying I am excited, would be an understatement.
A few minutes later, the city was in front of us.
We are technically in it since the river flows through it, like many cities we have passed through.
It is a huge city. The second biggest city in Tezir, with over ten million population.
Finally, the ship docked at the port, and the ramp was lowered. The guards moved forward before I took a step toward it, with my heart beating wildly.
Chapter 527: The Pawn and The Throne
"Welcome to Yolmin, Lord Silver," said the half-elf, who looked to be in his mid-thirties.
He is a handsome man. Tall with blue hair and green eyes.
"Thank you, Manager Ulfys," I replied to the second in command of Whimsical Wonderland.
"The ringmaster is waiting for you," said the half-elf. "We shouldn''t keep him waiting then," I replied, and the man smiled before leading us to the carriage.
Soon, the carriage moved, and in a few minutes. It was out of the bustling port.
I didn''t talk to the half-elf much. I focused on the city.
Yonlin isn''t the most beautiful or prosperous, but the city is well-managed with a good economy and a big part of it goes to whimsical wonder.
I wonder whether I will be able to make my city as big as this one.
It is a daunting challenge, but I believe the Greltheaven has the potential to become a city of this size or even bigger.
The only thing it needs to do is survive against the undead and the other enemies. It is for that very reason I am going to the archmage city.
Minutes passed, and the carriage turned. A few minutes later, appearing in front of the large gate with a whimsical wonderland written on it.
The carriage entered inside.
"The wonderland is the most joyful place on the continent. Here, you will find every oddity and act. From the fortune tellers to the exotic shops," the half-elf informed.
I barely nodded as all my focus was on the vast carnival around me.
It has everything the carnivals are known for. Jesters, jugglers, games of luck and chance, and everything else.
Its scale is huge, and the quality seems much better than any carnival I could see from Remus''s memories. I am not surprised.
This is a place that is famous across the continent. People from all over it come here.
"The whole carnival is tax-free, right?" I asked. It seemed to surprise the half-elf. It isn''t the question many would ask.
"Yes," he replied after the moment of silence.
The carnival is massive. It''s open year-round, like amusement parks, and has a similar scale and size.
Forget the legacy; even the earnings from this carnival are enough to make one massively rich.
It could hold around seventy-five thousand people. There are fifty thousand people here every day. In the weakened, it becomes hard to get a ticket here.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I got out.
"Lord Silver, please," said the half-elf and led me toward the beautiful tent, which was a few hundred meters away from the legacy.
I kept looking at it, wanting to go there, but I controlled the urge and forced my eyes on the beautiful tent as I reached it.
He opened the flap, and I entered inside. I have to say, I am surprised.
It is the most beautiful interior of a tent I have seen. There are beautiful carpets and sofas that I want to sit on, along with tasteful art pieces.
I looked at it all before turning my gaze to the middle-aged man sitting behind the table.
The man is good-looking. Albeit slightly overweight, which seemed to suit him. He has dark hair and deep blue expressive eyes.
"Ringmaster Galil," I greeted the man. "Lord Silver," he replied.
His eyes focused on me, and there was a surprise, likely because of my age.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Many people are surprised to see me. They shouldn''t be. I am a decade older than I look.
"I hope the journey had been well?" he asked. Offering me the seat in front. "It was, thank you for asking," I replied and took a seat in front of him.
"I wish you could stay more than a few hours, Lord Silver. There is so much I want to show you in my wonderland," he said with a hint of regret.
"I want to, Ringmaster, but I am on a tight schedule," I replied with a sigh.
It is not an act.
I want to see the place, every part of it. It is one of the most famous places on the continent. It was famous even before it had turned into a legacy.
"Then I will give you a show. That will make you stay longer when you come to our beautiful city next time," He said, and I smiled.
"I can''t wait," I replied and grinned.
"Ulfys, take Lord Silver to the grand tent," he said to the half-elf. "Yes, ringmaster," replied the half-elf with the bow.
Soon, I was out of the tent and moving toward another tent.
It is not a normal tent, but an extravagant tent. The biggest I had ever seen and also the most beautiful one. Covered in shining lights with dense mist swirling around.
"It''s a unique legacy," I praised.
"It is the first tent legacy in nine hundred years and is much bigger than the last one," replied the half-elf, with pride in his voice.
The tent is indeed grand.
Covering fifty thousand square feet and as tall as the ten-story building. Making it one of the biggest legacies in the continent.
It''s truly mesmerizing.
It wasn''t so big when it had turned into a legacy. Nor does it have the expansion skill. Not directly.
It is the result of that.
Soon, we reached the tent before entering inside through the entrance, which had no line.
As we did, I felt the power of the legacy and it''s incredible.
"It feels as powerful as ours," said Varza, surprised.
She has visited more legacies than me and always says, that she hasn''t come across a legacy more powerful than ours.
"It is slightly more powerful than ours," I replied. Surprising her and others.
My legacy is the most powerful of Grade III on the continent. It might even give competition to those arenas overseas, but this one is slightly more powerful.
Though not because of its own might.
It is powerful but also different. Every legacy has a different emotion slate and feeling. This one''s is joy.
Which isn''t surprising. A circus is joyful.
People tell me that my legacy is too complex to pinpoint its feelings, but when they focus deeply, they can find the feeling, but it is different for everyone.
"My god! It''s beautiful," gasped Baron Husk as he looked at the grand tent
He isn''t the only one; even I couldn''t help but be enamored by the grandness of it.
Every legacy is different, and I want to visit them all, but my position is such that I couldn''t. I feel jealous of my staff as they could travel and visit the legacies they came across.
"There should be around ten thousand people," I said, looking around at the seating, which was packed with people.
"Yes," replied half-elf.
I could feel the gazes of the thousands of people as the half-elf took us to our seats. Some seemed to recognize me as I heard words like ''whorelord, ''silver,'' and ''master of legacy.''
Soon, we reached our seats, or rather the mini-tent or suite.
"These are the best seats in the house. From here, you will be able to see every act," said Ulfys as we entered inside.
"Amazing," said old Ravill as he looked ahead. Seeing every part of the stage. There are magic and skills involved. Without it, it wouldn''t be possible.
"Thank you, Manager Ulfys," I said, and the man smiled.
I sat in my seat, and immediately, I felt like I appeared in front of the stage. As I moved my eyes, the parts I wanted to see became clear.
It is better than even the arena.
Others gasped as they looked around. It is amazing, this alone impressed me. I would be fine if I didn''t watch the show at all.
"I wonder how many of its abilities have come from the Master Legacy and how many from the throne," said Margaux, with Privacy covering us all.
"The increase in size is from the throne. So is the greater emotion scale. I don''t think the abilities we are experiencing are from the throne,"
"Though their power had certainly amplified by it," I replied.
I am the host of Legacy, and I could feel the changes well, especially when I bought out the aura around my skin. Sensing the things more clearly.
I could feel what belonged to it, what was from their throne.
"Lord Silver, apologies to be blunt, but did you get any offers?" asked Baron Husk. I didn''t have to ask him to understand what ''offers'' he was talking about.
Margaux and Varza immediately turned to him with a not-so-friendly expression, but I smiled.
"Yes, some," I replied.
There is a reason why the legacies of Grade IV to Grade VI are called the thrones they have a subject, or rather a pawn, as most people call it.
Here, one legacy submits to another and becomes its pawn. In exchange, they get many of the throne''s abilities, from their skills to emotion slate to a higher emotion absorption rate.
The throne could also increase the grade of pawn legacy forcefully if they are powerful enough.
They could also live as long as the throne. As long as the throne is alive, the pawn legacy will not die, either. It is the biggest reason why the pawn legacies accept to become the pawns.
It''s a near-complete submission.
The master of legacy will not be the master. It will be the master of the throne who will have complete authority over it.
The only thing they couldn''t do was remove the original master.
Though they could remove the legacy as the subject. That would make the pawn legacy die, but thrones rarely do that.
It cost them too.
It is why this decision is big for the pawn and the throne.
As I had, I had got many offers to become pawns. Including from the throne, whimsical wonder is subject to.
Of course, I rejected it.
Even when they promised to pull my legacy to Grade IV within a year.
My vision has potential; my legacy will advance to Grade IV. All I need is time, and I don''t think it would be more than a decade.
I am confident about it.
Chapter 528: Prophecy
"It''s starting," said Mage Aldridge excitedly, seeing the mist thickening.
I am surprised, sensing the excitement in the old man''s eyes. He is usually stoic. Always serious, but now there is a smile on his face and childlike joy in his voice.
I am not the only one surprised. Even Mage Ravill and others seemed surprised, too.
It seemed like the old man had a soft side, too.
Dum Dum Dum!
For a few seconds, there was a silence when the loud drums began to ring out. They are loud but rhythmic and begin to affect my heartbeat.
The drummers are, without a doubt, high-level, and with the power of legacy, their skills are even more powerful.
As the drums rang out, the mist began to disappear section by section. One moment, it was there, the next moment. It was not.
Finally, the last drumbeat removed the mist in the center. Revealing the ringmaster in his beautiful regalia.
He is wearing bright red shoes, black pants, and a red ruffled shirt with a black tie. Holding a black staff with a round red gem on top of it.
However, what attracted the eyes of all was the colorful tailcoat and the top hat.
They are made of the mist.
"Is he flying?" asked Varza, surprised. He is standing in the center of the tent. In the air.
"It''s too stable," replied the Mage Aldridge, shaking his head.
"It is the string. The ringmaster is standing on the string," replied Ulfys with a smile.
It surprised many, including me, and I focused. Soon, the strings become visible. It shocked me because these strings are very thin.
Thin as the strings, my clothes are made of.
The man is standing over them without any problem, like he is standing on the ground.
With my skills, Gymnasts Grace and Gymnasts Control. I could walk on the rope easily, but I wouldn''t be able to do what the man is doing.
Especially so high, where a fall could result in the death.
He stayed there for a moment before a spotlight fell on him, and he made a round bow with a flourish.
His movements were smooth, and there was not the slightest hint of imbalance.
He looked at all the people watching, with his eyes staying in our tent a moment longer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the most extraordinary spectacle on the continent! The greatest show under the big top!"
He spoke with flair, with every word from his mouth, taking the expectation higher and higher.
"Prepare to be amazed as we journey into a world of wonder, a realm where dreams take flight. Tonight, you will witness the extraordinary, the unbelievable, and the utterly fantastic."
"From the highest heights to the lowest depths, our performers will defy gravity and bend reality. You will see feats of strength, agility, and grace that will leave you breathless.
"So, let the magic begin! Let the curtain rise on a night of pure excitement!
"Get ready to be amazed, astounded, and absolutely captivated!" he finished and jumped.
BANG!
A loud explosion rang out as he exploded into the bomb of thick mist, which once again covered the dense mist.
I am watching with excitement.
He has taken my expectations to a completely new height, and I hope he won''t disappoint me.
The mist didn''t remain long, soon, it thinned. Revealing the twelve clowns.
I don''t like clowns, but I watched with excitement as they began the act.
For a minute, my expression barely changed before I let out a loud laugh. From then on, my expressions never remained the same; I laughed, laughed, and laughed till the act was over.
The ringmaster returned and introduced the second act.
The acrobats.
"My god, I have never seen acrobats move like this," gasped Rutto. There is magic here, and these people have skills, but they also have skills, they have gotten through the hard work.
Seeing them, I couldn''t help but feel inspired and a little ashamed.
I have such amazing skills, but I am not using them to their full potential. If I had half the grace and control they have, my prowess would have been more than it is.
Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.
I had already decided that I would work on that after I returned home.
The third act was that of the animals or, rather, the monsters. It brought out the most gasps of shock.
"It would be amazing. If Fang learns to do that," said Margaux, watching a group of fang-sized monsters dancing beautifully on near-invisible strings.
There are all types of monsters, including nine carriage-sized red-scaled winged lizards creating rings of fire, covering the enormous stage.
So powerful that we could feel the heat in the tent.
In that fire, those twenty-four fang-sized monsters jumped, and lightning appeared on furs.
Seconds later, the massive rings of fire turned into the rings of lightning.
The monsters were jrasilas. They could absorb the fire and create lightning.
It would be hard to train Fang to perform such things. It would require a specialized trainer and years of effort. His current trainer didn''t have that ability.
Speaking of trainers, my Trainer Class hadn''t leveled up in quite a while.
I wanted to take it to at least Lv. 10, but I am so busy with work and other things.
That I wasn''t able to do something about it.
I really like training Fang and had dreams of fighting the battle with him as a partner, but I have to be pragmatic.
I now have responsibilities for hundreds of thousands of people and don''t have time for hobbies. That is why I have handed him to Gloria.
He liked her, and she was taking good care of him.
Still, I will try to do something about the class. Take it Lv. 10 and get an attribute point before it gets absorbed into the Lord Class.
The monster act ended, and the ringmaster appeared again.
"And so, the curtain falls on this extraordinary whimsical spectacle. We bid you adieu. Remember, the magic doesn''t end here. It lives on in your hearts."
"Until we meet again, keep dreaming, keep believing, and most importantly, keep the wonder alive."
"Good night, and thank you for joining us!" said the ringmaster before dissolving into the mist.
Everyone got up, including us, and let out a big applause.
"I don''t think I will ever be able to forget it," said Varza with her voice filled with awe. "It is unforgettable," added Baron Husk with similar awe.
This is legacy.
It is not a common legacy either. If it had been a common one, the throne wouldn''t have chosen it to be its pawn.
These decisions are extremely important and taken with great care.
"The ringmaster had prepared a banquet for you and your entourage, Lord Silver. He would be honored, if you joined him," said Ulfys, formally inviting me.
"It would be my honor," I replied. He smiled, and we walked out of the tent.
It was late, but outside, the carnival was bustling as ever. The city might sleep, but this place would not.
At least for a few hours.
Not far away from me, there is a big party going on with loud music and hundreds of people dancing. Thousands, as many who watched the show, had begun joining them.
Soon, we reached the green tent. It is at least four times bigger than the one where I met the ringmaster.
It had wooden doors instead of flaps.
The guards opened the doors, and I walked inside with my entourage.
"Lord Remus Silver. Master of Velvet Garden and Lord Grelteaven and Panar," the herald announced before announcing Baron Husk and my sister.
"Lord Silver, thank you for accepting my invitation," said the ringmaster.
He is wearing a suit, changed from his dazzling regalia earlier. It hadn''t been much long since the show ended, but he changed his clothes and appeared here.
"It is an honor, Ringmaster," I replied to the man.
The banquet didn''t start immediately. Instead, we mingled with people. They are merchants, the ruling elites, and the members of the legacy.
Nearly an hour later, the banquet began, and the dinner was amazing with local specialties.
I love to eat new food. It is one of the reasons I wanted to stop at every new place, but unfortunately, I didn''t have time.
Still, I enjoyed the dinner while talking and laughing with my host.
"I wish you could stay the night, Lord Silver," said the Ringmaster as the banquet was finally over. "Me too, Ringmaster," I replied with the regret.
"Since you are leaving. I hope you will follow the tradition of this place," he said.
"Tradition?" I asked.
I didn''t read about it in the large stack of information. I had got from the grey guild.
"It is nothing much. Just a small patronage to any business in the carnival," he replied.
"It is something that helped me when I had started over. I want to pass that on to others," he added with a genuine smile.
"What do you have in mind?" I asked him as we got out of the tent. "It''s your choice, Lord Silver," he replied, to which I arched the brow in question.
"You could ride on one of the rides or play a game to win the prize. Anything," he added.
I looked around, and soon, I saw something and walked toward it with the Ringmaster and others.
"Fortune tellers. It''s been years since the guests have chosen them," said the man, surprised.
There is no reason for me to choose it other than that fortune-telling would be quicker than the rest. It will be finished in a minute.
There are tens of fortune tellers.
Some have big elaborate shops, while others are sitting behind a simple table, but all of them are looking at me with hope in their eyes.
I looked at them, before my gaze stopped on the teen girl with curly green hair.
She looked to be around fifteen-sixteen.
She is sitting behind a simple table. Which only had one simple crystal ball and nothing else.
I walked toward her. Seeing that, her eyes become excited but also nervous.
I stopped beside her table.
"Mind telling me my fortune?" I asked the young girl. "Sure," she said with nervousness, looking at Ringmaster and the other people around me.
I kept looking at her and even arched a brow when she didn''t speak.
"Please place your hands on the crystal ball," she instructed hastily. I smiled and did what she had asked me to do.
She placed her hands on top of mine hesitantly before closing my eyes.
She was nervous. Her hands were shaking. It seemed like she had started doing it not long ago.
Usually, those with Charlatan Classes have a little more confidence. Maybe it is because of me, the ringmaster, and other important people staring down at her.
It didn''t much matter to me. I just wish that it would be over soon and I would return to the ship.
I was thinking that when I felt her hands go warm. She opened her eyes, and they were white.
They stared at me dead in the eyes before her lips parted.
"Under the sun''s unyielding gaze,
In green depths thick with woven haze.
A brazen foe will make its stand,
And fate shall turn in jungle''s hand."
She said in a deep, hallowed voice that shouldn''t come from a person so young.
It sent a chill through me.
I looked at the teen girl and saw her eyes turning to normal before she removed her hands while everyone watched in surprise and shock.
"Wow," I said, and others laughed.
The girl is good. Her performance was amazing. As for her prophesy, nobody believed it, including me.
It''s not like they are not real diviners in the world.
There are, but it is hard to divine my future. It is a known truth; the masters of legacies are harder to divine. I also have a Lord class, which also produces a lot of resistance.
On top of that, Caena had woven a witchcraft spell around me. Making such things even harder.
Still, I would have taken things a little seriously if she had been a woman of sixty instead of sixteen.
The girl barely got class. She isn''t powerful enough to divine my future, even if she had been a Diviner instead of a Charlatan.
"Thank you, Miss," I thanked.
I took out the money pouch and placed it on her table. I was only going to pay her a fraction of the money in the pouch, but she had impressed me a lot.
Chapter 529: Land Journey
"So obsessed," I said with a smile as I pulled my aura back inside my body.
I had just finished the practice of aura and learned the lesson that the Sage of Thousand Blades mentioned over and over.
The prophecy I heard last night affected me despite knowing it was an act.
The teen girl couldn''t predict my fate. She is not powerful enough for that. What she is, though, is a very good actor.
Good enough that she had put a fear in my heart.
Not just me but also my people. It is why the security around me has become much tighter.
It is for this reason. I hadn''t pushed myself intensely today, as I had been doing on the ship and in the city.
I don''t want to get too tired. I want to be ready for any danger.
To be honest, I shouldn''t have trained so intensely. This isn''t a vacation. Prophesy or no prophesy, I need to be ready to deal with any danger.
I pushed those thoughts and smiled.
I had learned the important lesson the sage of the thousand blades was trying to teach in his books.
The balance.
Since the morning, I have practiced moderately, never letting myself get too tired.
To my surprise, I have found that I am improving, just as I improve when I push myself to the level of getting unconscious.
Both of those things work and help with different aspects of the aura. I shouldn''t just use one way. It would be more harmful than helpful.
I rested for a couple of minutes before walking out of the sun and stepping onto the deck.
It is afternoon, and the ship is sailing through the river in the dense forest of Mahal. It is a common scenery. Unlike the Renwell, there is a greenery in other kingdoms.
A lot. It made me a little jealous.
"The leisure travel will end soon," said Eva as she stopped beside me.
I didn''t say anything other than nod. One and a half hours later, the yachts will reach the town called Oble. It is where we will disembark.
End our journey by river and travel by land.
"It won''t be that bad. The carriages are good," I replied. I rented the best carriages that would make the journey as relaxing as possible.
"It won''t be bad, but the carriages couldn''t be compared to yachts," she said, turning to me.
"Very true!" I replied with a smile.
There is nothing that gives as much comfort as the ship.
It is big and spacious and also safer with the security we have brought.
Unfortunately, we will have to leave its comfort soon.
A few minutes later, I returned to my suite and practiced before resting. I came out only when Zela informed me that there were ten minutes to reach Oble.
When I came out, nearly everyone was out.
They all are looking at the town the ship is approaching. We could have stopped earlier in the city, but I found no reason to do that. It would have made the journey a few hours longer.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
I don''t want to waste even a single hour. The sooner I reach Archmage City, the better it will be.
Minutes passed, and the town was in front of us.
The ships were moving toward the small marina, where I could see a group of people.
Soon, the yacht docked at the marina, and the ramp lowered. I walked out of it with my people.
"Welcome to Oble, Lord Silver," said the white-haired man in his sixties.
"Thank you, Mayor Lents," I replied politely.
I don''t like pleasantries, but I did it with a smile on my face. It is a part of politics. Also, it is an important tool where you make an impression on the party.
If done well, it helps tremendously in the long run.
"I will be leaving our boats in your care, Mayor Lents," I said to the man while seeing Jill handing a check to his assistant.
It is a little contribution to the town to grease the wheels. Make the mayor take care of our boats proactively.
They are expensive. Even small damage will cost me a lot.
While Captain Perry and others are staying in the yachts, along with mercenaries, we hired to protect them.
A mayor''s hand will help a lot.
"Not a scratch will appear on them, Lord Silver," the mayor replied. I smiled before walking toward the carriages, waiting for us not far away.
While we were talking pleasantries. My people checked every nook and cranny of carriages before giving the go-ahead.
The guard opened the door, and I stepped inside, along with Jill, Eva, and Zela. T
here is also Jon, but he is invisible.
The carriage is so enchanted that even if it moved through, the road filled with potholes. I will barely feel anything. The seats are also big and comfortable.
They recline enough that one can sleep comfortably.
There was an option to get long carriages where I could recline the seats as a bed, but I decided not to take them as they were slower than these.
The carriage begins to move with the tight security of the guards.
They have taken the prophecy seriously and become stricter with security. That they were not even letting the mercenaries we had hired come closer.
"We should be able to reach Karzim by nine," said Eva. "Let''s hope so," I replied.
Karzim is the biggest easternmost city of Mahal. Also, the fourth biggest. I am going to spend the night there and also attend the party in the merchant guild.
I hope to reach there as soon as possible. So I could get adequate rest for tomorrows travel, which is going to be long.
We will leave Karzim at dawn to cross into Baxzar by the late morning.
The journey had been smooth and fast.
The most expensive changes in yatch had been enchantments. Due to them, the speed of the yacht increased by 35%, which is huge.
We didn''t hold back on the speed and sailed fast. It burned a lot of energy crystals and erosion in enchantment, but it was worth it, given the speed we traveled.
Hun!
Soon, I got lost in my thoughts when I sensed something familiar and turned.
"You can liquify gems, too?" I asked in surprise.
A ruby-red liquid is covering her hand, flowing around it beautifully.
To my knowledge, I thought, she could only liquify metals. She used that ability to fight the undead on the island. She was a terror with it.
"My skill advanced after reaching Lv. 30," she replied with a smile.
I watched her as the ruby liquid moved her hand. It is not just ruby in there; I could also feel the power of legacy.
She had infused the mist in there.
I watched for a while before bringing out a faint stream of aura in my hand. It immediately distracted her, making ruby liquid nearly fall down before she solidified it.
I felt the aura and tried to make a string of it.
Not a fine string, I am still far away from such control. A thick string. It''s hard and takes a lot of concentration, but I have been training.
I create a sting little by little and wrap it around my hand.
It looked simple but extremely hard. I am fully focused on it, with a sweat dropping from my brows.
It''s hard, but I have to do it. I needed to have at least an intermediate level of aura control before I could start learning the aura methods that Bell had promised.
I pushed that thought as it came to my mind.
I am far away from reaching that level. If I am being generous, then I would say my mastery is at a basic level.
To reach an intermediate, people take years and more.
I didn''t let myself think too much about it and focused on training. If I did it every day, I would reach that stage eventually. Until then, I will do other amazing things with the aura.
Soon, the string reached my elbow, and I stopped before taking a deep breath.
"How does it feel?" asked Eva, and I looked at her question.
"The aura," she clarified.
I didn''t answer immediately. It is not the first time I have been asked the question, and I gave the simple, conventional answer, but Eva is a friend.
So, I thought about it for a while before opening my mouth.
"To me, it is like sand that is always slipping away," I replied.
"Carla told me the opposite. She said it was like a vast sea," said Eva, and I smiled.
She told me the same.
Aura is different for everyone. To me, it is sand. To Carla, it is an endless sea, while to Bell, it is a gentle wind.
Our perception of it told a lot about us.
It represents my need to control everything around me. Thus, the sand. The more I try to control it, the more it slips away from my hand.
Chapter 530: Recruitment I
Nas Caskheart
"Get inside fast, girls," said Bumi to the women streaming out of the ship into the carriages.
There are eighty-two of them.
All of them were selected in the first round. The final selection would be held at the velvet garden, or rather, the college.
It is the first time they are doing this two-tier interview.
Not that I mind.
I have already been contacted by over ten brothels. Saying they would buy the contract of any girl that Velvet Garden would reject and are willing to provide triple the price.
Velvet Garden is buying their contract at the market price.
We will give them free, but they rejected the offer.
Them being our clients, had helped our business tremendously.
Since the velvet garden has become a legacy, our sales have skyrocketed. They increase with every advancement the legacy made.
So, I want to foster the relationship.
It''s such a regret that Velvet Garden has rejected all our proposals.
They have even paid for the travel expenses.
There is also that strict contract. We had signed that with since Velvet Garden became a legacy, with the latest one being the strictest.
One of the strictest provisions is that we can''t advertise them being our client openly.
The girls sat in the carriages one by one till all the carriages were filled.
"All counted and verified," informed Bumi with the board in his hand. I could see the check mark on every name on his board.
"Good, let''s go then," I replied and sat in the carriage with Bumi.
It is my first time coming to the Greltheaven. Also, to the empire. The empire before wasn''t so welcoming to the dwarves or any race other than humans.
I heard a lot about the city and how silver is transforming it.
Its growth is visible, with a lot of business from merchant states investing in it. The presence of a powerful legacy had made it all enticing, despite the dangers of the undead.
A large number of people come from merchant states every day to experience the legacy.
It is only here that one can step into the legacy without paying a single penny. Something unheard of on the continent.
For common people, legacy is something out of reach, but there is an open entrance to the velvet garden and people are flocking to it.
My friends and clients had told me how hard it was to get a hotel room because of this craziness.
Though they said, the condition is improving slowly.
I am not going to be staying here. I will leave with the girls that aren''t selected.
"How many do you think they will select?" asked Bumi. "I hope, all of them," I replied to which, he grinned.
Minutes passed in silence before the carriage took the turn.
"The legacy," he said with a sigh as the tower came into view.
We could see the legacy from our ship, but now it is clear that our carriage is moving on the road by the canal.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I hope I will get to visit it. An hour would be more than enough.
A minute later, the carriage took a turn.
Not toward the tower but to the group of buildings on the other side.
The carriage crossed the bridge and entered the park. It''s beautiful, and unlike the side around the legacy, which seemed to be filled with people, the side of the collage was nearly empty.
It is a restricted area from what I heard. Looking at the guard, they are keen to keep it that way.
Soon, the carriage stopped by the gate. It is an inner compound, which is filled with beautiful gardens and buildings.
I got out of the carriage and saw a beautiful woman in her early twenties, wearing a beautiful blue dress, standing by the gate with three guards behind her.
She isn''t the assistant madam but might become one, seeing they have sent her here as supervisor.
She is also one of mine.
It took me time to recognize her, seeing how much she had changed.
It had been less than two years since I had sold her contract to Silver, and she seemed to have turned into a completely different person.
She used to be thin, with mousy hair and pale skin, but now the girl seemed to have gained weight. Her hair became radiant, and her skin felt as vibrant as the wives of rich merchants.
"Miss Beka," I greeted.
I feel a little displeased that women didn''t greet me first.
"Miss Caskheart," she replied with a smile professional smile on her face.
"Have you brought all the girls?" she asked a moment later. "Yes," I replied, pointing toward the carriages.
"Rald, take Miss Caskheart to the chief," she said, and the guard stepped forward.
"Take care of things here," I said to Bumi before following the guard inside.
The guard didn''t move too fast. Giving me the opportunity to look around. Especially the tower; it is massive for the legacy.
One could easily fit several average-size legacies in that size.
Many people talk about the emotion essence he is able to harvest through it.
Some people say it may not be higher than any average legacy.
Having a bigger size alone isn''t enough; the core needs to have the capacity to absorb a large amount of emotions, too.
Nobody knows how much emotion it can absorb.
Silver signs the contract with everyone, he sells the essence.
We have been contacted by people to ask our girls to spy for them in Legacy. The store refused straightforwardly despite being asked by the powerful people.
We might have been cowered and enticed if it had been anyone else or even another legacy, but not this one.
Higher-ups think Silver''s legacy has a huge potential.
It could level up to Grade IV, which will help us a lot. If he went the same way as that woman in Belnin did, then it would be tremendous.
Silver has ambition. He had opened a branch in Owlspring before closing it after his brothel turned into the legacy.
Currently, he is occupied with legacy, but eventually, he will branch out.
The higher-ups are sure of it.
We aren''t the only store he is buying contracts from. There are others as well.
They are also planning to get the girls from their cities as well.
A madam had mentioned that to me, but the plan is still in the nascent stage. Even if they do it, they won''t use it to fill more than a fifth of their needs.
Though, I would prefer it if they don''t.
The more dependent they are on us. The better it will be for our business.
Soon, we reached the three-story building, and the guard opened the door. I thought we would be going to be in the big building, but I was wrong.
''There are a lot of guards here,'' I thought. I saw them at every turn as I had.
Soon, we reached the top floor, where a woman in her late teens was sitting behind the table by the door.
"You can go in, Miss Caskheart," she said before I could say anything.
As she said it, the guard opened the door, and I walked inside.
At first, my gaze fell on the long table, with three chairs behind and one ahead.
It is clearly for the interview.
I turned my gaze away from the table to the three people sitting on the sofas. Two are women in their thirties, while the third one is an old woman who looks to be in her seventies.
I had never seen her, but I had heard about her.
She is one of two vice-headmistresses. The one who wasn''t a whore, but joined as a teacher.
"Miss Carla, Madam Caena. Vice-headmistress," I greeted.
"Miss Caskheart," replied Carla. Smiling as beautifully as ever, but now this smile didn''t feel harmless.
There is a weight that was not before, and I don''t think it is because of the level.
Maybe those rumors about her awakening an aura are true. It is hard to believe a whore of having an aura, but it has happened before.
The one in Belnin awakened it.
"Thank you, Miss Carla," I replied.
"How was the journey?" she asked. "It was well," I replied, to that she smiled.
"Are the girls rested enough for the interview?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied.
They have explicitly requested the girls to be well rested and even paid for better transport.
"It''s good to hear," she replied.
"Have you brought out what we had asked for?" asked Madam Caena. "I did," I replied with a smile before taking out stacks of documents.
It is the background details of the girls. It is a little deeper than what we had initially provided them.
Our customers usually don''t demand such things, but these people want them.
It is a good thing. We keep detailed records. Better than our competition.
They asked a few more questions before getting up and walking toward the table
"Send the girls, Miss Caskheart," said Carla. I nodded and got up before walking out. Hoping they would select all the girls, it would help us a lot.
We might not be allowed to advertise their name, but people are looking.
Some had even followed us to the Greltheaven.
Chapter 531: Recruitment II
Adul Karos
"Come out," said the young dwarf as the guard opened the carriage door.
The girls began to step out, and soon, it was my turn.
I stepped out immediately, and my eyes fell on the most beautiful place I had seen.
I had heard so much about it.
There is not a single whore in Owlspring that doesn''t know about the velvet garden.
Every whore knows someone who is in the velvet garden. Six women I had worked with are in a velvet garden.
They are who I am aware of; there might be more.
I didn''t know any of them personally. Many nights, I wished I knew them.
Some of the girls working in the velvet garden have brought their friends'' contracts and got them jobs in the city.
"That''s Beka!"
I was looking around when Tamsin nearly shouted in recognition. I looked at her before following her gaze to the woman she was looking at.
A beautiful woman in a blue dress with the guards behind them.
"Do you know her?" I asked. "Yes, we worked in the same brothel five years ago," she replied with a clear look of envy.
"She changed so much that I almost didn''t recognize her," she added softly.
I looked at the beautiful woman and not in any way; I could think that she was a whore. She looked like she was some rich merchant''s daughter.
It is not just how she is looking and dressed but the very way she is standing and talking.
There is a cultured grace that even the whores with Grace Skills didn''t have.
Some other people seemed to recognize her, and a few even called her out loudly.
She looked at them but didn''t respond.
"Line up," ordered Bumi.
A minute later, we are standing in neat lines.
"Follow me," said Beka and walked toward the gate. We followed behind, and soon, we stepped inside it.
I looked around and saw the girls.
They are the girls of the velvet garden.
Looking at us from a distance, some girls recognized them and called them out,
All of them looked beautiful, with radiant skin and shining hair.
Their eyes didn''t hold the bleakness that is so common with us whores.
Instead, there is a light.
Like Beka, they looked but didn''t respond. Some opened their mouths but closed them a moment later.
"Arrogant bitches. Thinking they are better than us just because they work for the legacy. They are still whores, like us," said Temsin angrily.
I don''t think they are not talking to us because they are arrogant.
Some seemed like they genuinely wanted to talk. Seeing how they had opened their mouths before closing them.
But I might be wrong.
Condition changes people. They are working for the legacy, earning the amount of money that we couldn''t even dream of; it is more than enough to change people.
Soon, we reached the three-story building on the left side, and Beka opened the door.
She stepped inside, and we followed. Soon, we appeared in the hall with cushioned chairs.
There are also beautiful paintings in here and a bookshelf.
"All of you sit," she ordered.
"When will the interviews begin?" asked someone from the front as we all sat in the chairs.
"At eight," she replied, and my heart started to beat in nervousness as there were only fifteen minutes to it.
I need to get into the velvet garden, not for me, but for my child.
It is hard. Seeing they have interviewed over a thousand before, selecting eighty-two of us.
I am not as beautiful as the other others. Nor could I laugh like them; I didn''t even have a seduction skill, which is most common among whores after Lv. 10.
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
The only reason I am still in a brothel is because some people prefer my body type.
"A breakfast arrangement had been made in the other hall. There are also washrooms where you can all freshen up,"
"Read books from the shelves to pass the time. The interviews will probably last till night," she informed.
"Just don''t miss your interview. You won''t get another chance if you miss your name when it is called out," she warned and looked at Bumi.
He moved and pinned the pages to the board.
"This will be the order of interview," he informed before sitting on the chair beside Beka.
I looked at it, but it was too far away.
"Where is my name?" I asked Tamsin. She had an Eye Skill from her secondary class.
"Number twenty-eight. Mine is twenty-four," she replied, and I heaved a sigh of relief.
I don''t want to be first. Last time, I was, and I was so nervous every moment of the interview, that I barely remember the questions they asked.
However, I know what they asked as they asked everyone nearly the same questions.
"Should we go to eat breakfast?" she asked.
Several girls are getting up and walking out of the hall. "We should wait until a few girls finish with the interview," I replied.
I am not feeling hungry.
There is normally no breakfast in a brothel. We eat lunch primarily.
"I hope it''s something good. It should be delicious; its legacy," said Tamsin, licking her lips.
I didn''t say anything.
It was five minutes to eight when the dwarf woman returned. She looked at us before sitting down and talking to the two.
While I got up and walked toward the shelf before picking up the book.
I love to read.
The last book I read was a year and a half ago. A patron forgot it and didn''t come back for it. Not that he would have gotten it back.
Once you forgot something in the brothel. You can forget about getting it back.
Finally, it was eight when all three turned toward us.
"Matty Smith," called Beka.
Immediately, a woman in her early twenties got up nervously.
"Gans will lead you to the interview," she instructed, pointing toward the guard. Exiting the hall a few seconds later with her.
I could feel the girls turning serious. All the smiles and curiosity vanished.
Though mood had only lasted for a minute before the girls began to talk again.
I listen to conversations around me while looking at the clock.
I wanted to see how much time each girl takes.
Before the interviews took around fifteen minutes on average. However, some took less than five minutes and more than twenty minutes.
Mine lasted just five minutes. I didn''t think I would be selected, but I did.
The girl returned sixteen minutes later, and immediately another one called out.
"Zirva, question did they ask?" asked the girl behind me as the second girl returned. "Can''t say. They made me sign a contract," replied the girl.
"Fuck, I was really hoping to get some information," cursed Tamsin while I sighed.
The information would have really helped.
"Let''s go," I said, putting a book back on the chair.
Tamsin and I walked out of the hall and followed the directions.
"Let''s freshen up the first," she said. I nodded and walked toward the washroom.
We opened the door and entered the most beautiful washroom I had ever seen.
There is a huge mirror, crystalline flowers emitting light, and pretty bottles. I think the contents are the reason why so many girls smelled amazing.
It''s also spotless, without a speck of dust.
A teen girl is standing there wearing what seems like a uniform that fits her perfectly.
She is the attendant that the other girls were talking about. Every washroom has one.
Though she looked far too beautiful to work as the attendant.
I looked at her before walking toward one of the stalls. When I came out, I walked toward the sink.
"There is no handle to these taps?" asked Tamsin. I looked, and there was nohandle to the tap.
"Put your hand below the tap, and the water will come out on its own," replied the teen with a smile.
We did, and the water came out.
"Enchantment," I said. It could only be possible through enchantments, which made me sigh in wonder, given the money it has to spend on enchanted taps.
I looked in the mirror and shook my head.
Compared to Tamsin, I am average. My shoulders are too wide, and I have a stocky build because of the dwarfish ancestry.
It is only one-eighth, but I still inherited the features. However, the dwarf blood isn''t obvious due to my tall stature.
"Your class has the same feel as us. Why are you working here?" asked Tamsin, confused.
To that girl smiled.
"I am not eighteen yet. So, I can''t work in the legacy," she replied to our surprise.
"Besides, I don''t want to work in the business. I am learning magic. I want to be a mage," she added with her eyes turning dreamy.
I had heard about them teaching magic but never heard about anyone being able to cast a spell.
I heard it is very hard.
"I hope you will succeed," I wished, and the young girl smiled.
"Any tips for the interview?" asked Tamsin as we were about to leave. "Be truthful. If you lie, they will know it," she replied.
We thanked her before walking out and, a minute later, entered the cafeteria.
Seeing the food, my eyes couldn''t help but widen.
There is a buffet of food staged beautifully. Everything I can think of is here. Fruits, bread, eggs, desserts, juices, and things I couldn''t even recognize.
Additionally, two chefs are making fresh omelets, creps, and other things.
"I don''t think I have been as hungry as I am right now," she said, looking at the food.
A few minutes later, we sat with our plates filled with every kind of food.
"I wish Avi had been here," I said. My son, he is in Owlspring.
"Don''t worry. If we get selected, this kind of food won''t be just a one-off thing," she replied.
To that, I smiled.
I don''t want much. Just not the life I and my child are currently living.
We finished breakfast. It was the best thing I had ever eaten. I wanted to eat more, but I controlled myself.
Overeating wouldn''t help with the interview.
Soon, I returned to the hall and sat down in my chair with Tamsin.
Hours passed as one girl went after another called out for the interview. I had passed the time talking to Tamsin and reading the book in my hand.
Which is much better than the last one I had read.
"Tamsin Veylis," Tamsin''s name called out.
"Wish me luck," she said as she got up.
"Good luck," I wished.
I don''t think Tamsin needs luck. She is a beautiful woman with her secondary class above Lv. 10.
As long as she controlled her mouth. There is a great chance she will get selected.
Soon, she disappeared with the guard.
Minutes passed, and I waited for her. Soon, fifteen minutes passed, and there was no sign of her.
I didn''t get worried.
The interviews of some girls lasted for half an hour. So, there is nothing to be worried about.
It was nearly twenty-five minutes later she came back.
"I think I blew it," she said dejectedly as she sat beside me. It affected her a lot, her whole body was shaking.
She might act tough, but she is sensitive and soft. The whole persona of toughness is to protect that side.
I didn''t say anything; I just took her hand in mine.
"I shouldn''t have responded so angrily to that old woman''s questions," she added after seconds of silence with tears welling in her eyes, which she tried to hide.
Once again, I didn''t say anything other than press her hand against mine tightly.
"Adul Karos,"
Time passed, and more girls went for the interview when my name was finally called out.
Chapter 532: Recruitment III
Adul Karos
"Best of luck," wished Tamsin. "Thank you. I will need it," I replied and got up.
I followed the guard out of the hall like the girls before me and began walking up the stairs.
Finally, the guard stopped at the top floor, where two more guards were by the door.
There was also a beautiful woman sitting behind the table.
"You can go inside, Miss Karos," she said with a smile.
I am not surprised that she called my name; I am sure she has the name list, but I am surprised that she called me ''miss.''
It had been years since someone had called me that. Knowing I am whore.
"Thank you," I said a moment later and walked inside.
My eyes immediately fell on three women sitting behind the table as I entered.
The one in the middle with curly red hair is the prettiest. I also know her as the most important one.
Carla Salt heads all of Silver''s businesses, including the legacy. She is also said to be his mistress.
The one on the right is slightly younger. Her looks are above average, which surprised me.
I shouldn''t be. It is not the face of the madam that is important, but their ability to manage, and this woman manages the colossal legacy.
She must have some real ability.
The third is an older woman who looked to be in her seventies. She isn''t a whore, but she is the one I have to be more careful of.
Tamsin wasn''t the only one. This older woman had brought many girls to tears.
"Miss Karos, take a seat," said Carla. "Thank you," I replied and sat down.
I felt three sets of eyes on me and started feeling anxious as if a mountain was weighing on me.
I tried to control it. I need to be in control to ace this.
Getting into the velvet garden is extremely important to me. It will help me give my child the future he deserves.
"Miss Karos, tell me about yourself?" asked Carla. It was surprising to me.
I had not heard this question, nor had anyone ever asked me.
I was about to open my mouth and state my name and other details but stopped myself. They have this information, so they aren''t asking for it.
"I am a woman in her mid-twenties with a child. Whom I am motivated to give a more stable life."
"I am not pretty, nor do I have any seductive skills that are common at my level, but I am good at talking and could hold the patron once he came to me and have been an above-average earner in brothels; I had worked with," I replied.
It is not precisely the answer they might seek, but I could only think of this.
I looked at them, but there was no change on their faces.
"Why do you want to work in the velvet garden?" asked Madam Caena.
"Money," I replied simply.
Money is the reason I want the job. It will provide a better life for my child and me.
"Why should we take you? Your face is average, and your skills are below average, and you don''t even have a secondary class," asked the old woman.
Her words sting and tears threaten to emerge before I calm myself.
"You are right. I am not as pretty as others or have good skills, but I am hardworking, and if you take me, I will be forever loyal to the velvet garden," I replied.
There was no change in their expression. They have likely heard it tens of times from the other girls.
I am very serious about loyalty. That is why I rejected yesterday''s offer from the strange man. He had offered money in exchange for information about the velvet garden.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
The money was so substantial that it pained me to reject his offer, but I did.
I didn''t want any roadblocks to getting into the velvet garden, but now, I regret it.
I crush that thought as soon as it comes to mind.
"Can you tell me about the incident that happened three years ago? It says here you have assaulted a patron?" asked Madam, looking at papers in front of her.
Hearing that rage burned in my heart.
Whenever I remember that incident, my heart burned with rage. I took a deep breath and controlled myself.
"That man has made a move toward my son," I replied, and the understanding flashed in the eyes of the two women immediately.
They might be in high positions now, but they are whores, who worked decades in the business.
They have seen all kinds of people, including monsters, wearing the clothes of men.
"Why have you entered this business?" asked Carla, and a mirthless smile appeared on my face.
"Desperation."
"My ma died, and father picked up the bottle to fill the void. I went days without eating, and with no other skills, I had sold myself to the brothel," I replied simply.
It is not a unique circumstance. Most of the girls who enter the business have similar circumstances.
More questions came.
They got deeper and deeper. Ask questions about the things I had forgotten.
I answered them to the best of my ability, but it didn''t seem to impress them, as their expressions barely changed hearing my answer.
It made me feel like crying, but I controlled the urge.
"The last question. What can you add to the velvet garden?" asked Carla.
I wanted to laugh hearing it.
What can I add to the mighty velvet garden? I wanted to ask this question, but I stopped and thought deeply about the question.
"Currently, I can''t add anything to Velvet Garden, but if you hire me. I will give my everything to the job; this is the only thing I can promise," I replied.
I didn''t promise any grand things, and I don''t think they would believe me. So, I went with what I felt, and if they hired me, I would do what I said.
"That''s all. Miss Karos," said Carla.
"Thank you for the opportunity," I replied, getting up from my chair and walking out of the room.
"Miss Karos, please sign here," said the girl behind the table, forwarding a page and the pen to me.
I looked at the page and read its content. It is a contract that asked me not to disclose anything that had happened in the interview.
I read it once again. You can never be too careful with the contract.
After that, I am sure there is nothing hidden. I took the pen and signed.
Just as I did, I felt an immense weight.
It is crushing, and that god, it is only for a moment, or it would have killed me.
The contract displayed the power of legacy attached to it. I didn''t think of it much, but now I know I can''t break the contract, or the consequences would be bad.
She took the page while I walked out.
"How was it?" asked Tamsin as I sat down. "Not great," I replied with a sigh.
"Well, you will at least have me," she said, to that, I smiled.
Soon, it was afternoon, and they announced the lunch. This time, I didn''t hold back. I ate everything I could.
The interviews continued, even when the evening rolled around.
Two hours later, they announced the dinner.
I had just returned from dinner when they called the last girl''s name.
......¡
Carla
"Finished finally," Elme tiredly said as the last girl left the room.
It has been a tiring day.
This time, we have gone beyond the usual questions and dug deeper. The legacy has become big. We have to hire every person carefully.
That is why we have done our own background checks and will monitor them after hiring them.
We can not afford to be careless.
These girls will become pillars of the Velvet Garden and the dominion of House Silver in the future, and if we choose the wrong people, it might shake the institutions, which is a mistake we can''t afford to make.
"What about her?" I asked as I did after the interviewee left the room.
"Yes," affirmed the old woman. "Yes," seconded Caena. I nodded as well and added her name to the list.
"Now, the undecided," I said as I picked up the list of eighteen names.
We have selected some girls and rejected others, but there are some we haven''t made up our minds about. We will discuss them before making a final selection list.
"The first is k¡."
¡
Adul Karos
Over an hour had passed since the last girl returned when the three came in.
Immediately, all the girls fell silent.
Beka and the other two got up and greeted the three. The three nodded before handing Beka the notepad.
She looked at it before turning to us with her face serious.
"The velvet garden has its decision. We have selected the forty-three among you. I will state the names of those selected," she informed.
My heart started to beat wildly, and I began to pray to every god I knew.
"Heriz Maz, Tamsin Reylin, Vel¡"
I turned to Tamsin as her name was called out and saw her shocked before a big smile appeared, and tears started streaming down from her eyes.
"Congratulations," I said. Feeling happy for my friend but also envious.
"Thank you," she said sobbingly.
I smiled and focused on the names. She is calling one name after another.
Already, she has spoken out twenty names. She was bringing reactions from shouting to crying from the girls.
More names were being called out, and soon, the names reached thirty, but my name didn''t ring out.
It started to make me really nervous, especially seeing how the interview went.
My feelings begin to sink.
''There are still over ten names,'' I said to myself. As I heard, the names kept coming out of her mouth.
Soon, the fortieth name came out, and it wasn''t mine. My whole body shook, and tears started to stream down my face.
I want to be selected, but now only three names remain. There is barely any hope; it is non-existent.
The forty-first name called out, and my hope sank even further, and the forty-second took out all the hope I had in my heart.
"Adul Karos,"
I was deep in sadness when I heard my name like a lightning bolt. I didn''t dare to believe it, thinking it was a hallucination.
"Adul, you are in!" Tamsin said loudly. I believed it only then, and tears started streaming down from my face even harder.
I calmed down and looked around. The girls'' faces showed different emotions, from bursting joy to deep sadness.
I feel bad for those who weren''t selected, but there is nothing I can do about them.
"For those who hadn''t been selected, we will grant you freedom and jobs if you wish to have them," Beka informed the girls, to the shock of the girls listening.
Chapter 533: Jorston Fortress
"It''s enormous!" gasped Eva.
"It is," I said as I looked out the window at the fortress encompassing several hills.
It is massive and imposing. Just looking at it would make most enemies give up on attacking it.
However, the enemy it was made to defend against would not hold back.
"It seemed bigger than even Mirador Hold," said Jill. Looking at it, awe-filled eyes.
"No, it isn''t bigger than Mirador Hold."
"It is about the same size. It looks big because of its height," stated Zela, shaking her head.
It surprised me when I thought about it and recalled the information I had read.
It is about the size of Mirador Hold.
The Mirador Hold is an over thousand-year-old fortress made to stop the undead of Navr. It had been destroyed many times and rebuilt, with many parts lying on runes.
The empire had only patched up the wall and fixed the needed parts.
It is a Jorston Fortress. It is the immense fortress of Mahal.
It is at the boundary. I have to pass through it to cross to the other side.
We had left Karzan before the sun had even risen. Thanks to the good roads, our journey had been fast.
Now, it is only ten and a half. If everything goes well, I will be on the other side before the afternoon starts.
Minutes passed, and soon, we were in front of the massive, dark gates of the fortress. The lieutenant colonel moved and showed them our documents.
I could feel the eyes on the carriage and the skills they were using.
I could repel them, but I didn''t.
However, I moved instantly when the skills moved toward me and others¡ªrepelling them with the weight of my class.
Surprise flashed in their eyes. Some even took a step back in backlash.
I am fine as long as the skill looks at the carriage, but targeting us is crossing a boundary.
A few seconds later, we got the go-ahead, and the carriages entered the fortress.
At eleven, I will meet with the second in command of this place before leaving. It is a courtesy meeting that will last only a few minutes.
After that, I will leave this fortress and move to the Baxzar.
The carriages stopped, and I got out. Immediately, I saw the man coming toward me, and when I saw his rank. I couldn''t help but get a bad feeling.
''It seemed like I might not be able to leave quickly,'' I thought as the man stopped before me.
"Welcome to Jorston Fortress, Lord Silver," greeted the man. "Thank you, Colonel Strack," I replied to the man.
"Our General is having a small gathering and hopes you and your entourage will join him," he requested. "It would be my honor," I replied since declining isn''t a choice.
The man smiled and led us to the main building of the fortress.
I talked with him while looking around the stronghold. Mirador Hold and this might be the same size, but that is the only similarity.
Unlike Mirador Hold, this fortress is very well-maintained, well-staffed and well-armed.
I could feel the wards they had around the fortress. They are powerful. It must be robust to hold back the Baxzar''s armies and monsters.
Dane would need massive money if he tried to take the Mirador hold to this level.
He doesn''t have even a fraction of that money. Nor is he trying to. His immediate concern is building his army.
Soon, we reached the red metal door, and the man opened it, taking us inside.
"Lord Silver. Master of Velvet Garden. Lord of Greltheaven and Panar," the herald announced before announcing my sister and Baron Husk.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
The colonel said it was a small party, but over a hundred people were present, and one instantly caught my eye.
I am surprised he is here.
"Lord Silver, thank you for accepting my invitation," said the blond man in his early sixties.
He is a short man, and even a little thin, with an average face.
He seemed to have a personality that no one would remember or forget after one glance, but that would be a grave mistake. He is one of the most powerful men in Mahal.
"It was my honor, General," I replied to the man.
I talked to him briefly and mingled with the other people. It is a good thing that I have read through all the information on essential people in Mahal.
I glimpsed a few familiar faces and knew how to converse with the unfamiliar.
"I have a mine that delivers very pure Grade IV Yrgus crystals. We are restricted from selling them for money unless we get something in exchange, like the essence," said the middle-aged man.
"Of course, I am interested in Yrgus crystals. Please have your men contact my people to sort out the details." I replied to the man.
Yrgus crystals are substantial, and I would like to get purified ones, but I will not say anything more about this now.
Nevertheless, making a deal at a party, as this man suggests, is out of the question. He must talk to my people if he wants to sell to me.
He pressed at that, but I handed him to Baron Husk and moved to another person.
I had just finished with him when I came face to face with the man with pale blond hair and piercing blue eyes. I have wanted to meet him since I saw him.
"Viscount Luran," I greeted a handsome man in his mid-thirties.
He is the same man who had fought with Knight Commander Valra in a duel in Owlspring. It was a fantastic duel, and he has become even stronger since then.
There is no public confirmation whether he reached Lv. 40, but if so, it would make him exceptionally powerful since the man is also an aura master.
"Lord Silver, I didn''t expect you here. I thought you would take a sea route," said the man.
"I wanted to see the world," I replied to him. "Travel is good. I traveled through the continent when I was your age," he replied.
"If you don''t mind me asking. Are you en route to attend the synod?" I asked.
"Yes," he replied, and I was about to ask him something when his expression changed. His eyes turned toward the door.
I turned and saw the middle-aged man in dark blue entering the hall with his entourage.
"Count Wathall of Corvir," the herald announced.
The man looked around before his eyes spotted us, or rather Viscount Luran.
He came with measured steps.
People turned toward them. They were feeling the tension between them.
The man strolling into the has is Count Wathall. one of the most powerful men in the Mahal. He has an enormous army and is personally martially powerful. He has proved his worth in the eleven-day war.
He is a known Lv. 40 powerhouse.
Succession war isn''t only taking place in the Harsoth Empire. It is happening in the Mahal, too, but it is being waged in the shadows.
The king is still alive, but due to the unique tradition of the Mahal, he will have to abdicate after the thirtieth year of his reign, which isn''t far off.
Viscount Luran is in the first prince''s camp, while Count Wathall is in the camp of the second prince.
However, this exchange might be related to an incident that happened a week ago.
The man finally stopped beside the Viscount Luran, who looked at him without an ounce of fear.
"You shouldn''t have done that, Marcis," said Count Wathall. Every word came out of his mouth slowly and dripped emotion. It was clear that he was really angry.
"He challenged me," replied Viscount Luran with a shrug.
Seeing that, the Count had finally lost it, and a powerful aura burst out of him. The pressure instantly made many people fall to their knees, while some took support from the walls and columns.
The aura burst, surprised me, and it tried to suppress me before I released my own aura.
I covered myself with a layer of aura I had practiced daily before extending it over my entourage.
Most of them were behind me, but some were far away, and it was a considerable effort to cover them with it, but I somehow managed it.
Immediately, their shaking stopped.
Margaux, my sister, Zela, and others were fine, but the rest were heavily suppressed.
Margaux''s daughter would have fallen. If not for her mother stopping her.
"He will be in bed for months!" said Count Wathall, taking another bold step toward the Viscount Luran, increasing the might of his aura.
However, it didn''t seem to affect the Viscount.
Unlike him, I am doing everything I can not to let my aura collapse.
I had born a weight more significant than it, but then, I only needed to protect myself. Here, I am protecting over ten people, and it is demanding.
It is necessary to use every bit of my will to do that.
"Good. It will be a lesson for him not to challenge his betters," replied the Viscount.
It made Count Wathall so angry that he began to shake, but the next moment. He took a deep breath, and anger seemed to vanish with a smile appearing on his face.
Though, he didn''t retract his aura.
"Enjoy the week you have because you will suffer the same fate as my cousin," promised the Count, making Viscount Luran smile.
"You are not that powerful," replied the viscount.
Anger flashed in his eyes again, but he didn''t say anything. Instead, I watched him for a moment longer before he turned and stopped with his eyes on me.
"You are Silver, Master of Legacy," he said.
"Count Wathall," I replied, looking into his eyes without any strain.
Instead, there is a small smile, which seems to surprise him.
Bell pressed me with her aura daily, asking me to keep my expression unchanged. She says composure is a sign of a proper lord, and one should maintain it, even if walking on the blades.
On the first day, I sweated all over and nearly collapsed.
"It''s nice to see you. We will talk more in Archmage City," said the man, walking away. He looked at the whole hall before finally pulling back his aura.
I did the same. I was feeling relieved, as it was very straining.
He talked with the General for a minute before leaving the hall.
"You have impressive control over your aura for someone who awakened it less than two months ago, Lord Silver," said Viscount Luran, his eyes serious.
"Thank you for your kind words, Viscount," I replied.
He had a lot of questions; I could see it in his eyes, but he didn''t ask them, and I wouldn''t have answered them.
The party continues for another hour, but the mood has shifted.
Now, more people are looking at me and speaking with much greater respect than before. I mingled with them before bidding goodbye to the host.
Chapter 534: Ambush
"All clear, go," said the guard leader.
A moment later, the carriages moved out of the outer checkpost of the fortress of Baxzar. We didn''t enter the main fortress like we did in the Mahal.
Instead, I took the route around it.
The Baxzar Dominion is one of the most powerful and biggest countries in the Zenid.
It could be called an empire, but a dominion is the best term to describe it with its political system.
It''s a country with thick forests that would make anyone get lost, with 80% of its population being orcs. The rest are humans, elves, and other races.
Our carriages moved toward the thick forest.
The whole dominion is like this. Filled with dense forests.
It is not just because of the environment but also the primal nature of classes these people here have, which affects the things around them.
It is why not even the Navr and its horde were able to go much deeper into the Baxzar.
It is due to it that the Baxzar dominion is one of the oldest kingdoms in the continent. Even the incursions weren''t able to wipe them out.
The carriages were at the edge of the forest. Lt. Colonel Zaris and Lena moved toward the twelve people waiting there.
The leader was the orc with two humans, and the man seemed like a dwarf.
These are mercenaries that we had hired to protect and guide us through the Baxzar. Before, there were only eight, but with prophesy, I increased their numbers.
These people are from the Raxdar mercenary company. It is one of the biggest in the Navr; they are highly rated.
Zaris verified the documents before they got into some heated discussion.
"What are they talking about?" I asked Zela.
"The mercenaries aren''t agreeing with the position Lt. Colonel Zaris wants them to take,"
"They are saying they need to be an inner circle to protect you better from the threat that arises from here, which they are more capable of handling," she informed.
Seeing that, I smiled.
Zaris would never agree to that. He takes his responsibilities far too seriously, especially after the prophecy.
A few minutes passed, and the mercenary leader seemed to give up as he placed his men in an outer circle.
A few seconds after that, we resumed our journey.
The dominion may have primality, but it has good infrastructure, including great roads. So, the carriage moved fast.
Our destination is Khulber the City. It is a small city under the territory of the Baris tribe.
I have taken all the permissions from the tribes whose territories I will pass through. I do not need to do that since I got it from the supreme chieftain, but I wanted nothing to slow me down on this journey.
Once I cross the Baxzar, it will take less than a day to reach the archmage city.
"It reminds me of home; the place I grew up has forests as thick as these," said Eudo, looking at things.
"I heard it''s quite beautiful," I replied. To that, he smiles. "It is," he said before his smile turned sad.
I sighed seeing that, but didn''t speak and turned to the forest.
I watched it for a few minutes before practicing the aura and then reading the book before practicing the aura again.
Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Before I know it, the sun has started to go down before it becomes fully dark.
Thankfully, there are lamps.
It is one of the main roads of the Baxzar. Well developed with all amenities.
Still, I could see the guards become more cautious as their skills circled to look for any dangers.
I am glad they are cautious, but I don''t want to burn their alertness. It will happen if they continue in such a state.
Hours passed, and soon, it was past ten when we saw the city lights.
A few minutes later, our carriage reached the gates of the city. They checked our documents before we let them in.
There is no one to welcome us nor any pleasantries exchanged.
I like the orcs.
They are big on pleasantries and formalities, like humans and orcs. When we told them that we simply liked to rest in their city and didn''t want any disturbance, they agreed.
The little gift I had sent ahead had helped a little, too.
However, when we reached our hotel, there was quite a tight security.
It made me smile, and I slept comfortably.
When I woke up, I wrote a letter to its governor and left something that he would appreciate before leaving.
The carriages were out of the city before the sun had come out. We have a long journey today and won''t be stopping in any city until Qildur Vor.
It is a big city with a legacy. We hope to reach it before midnight.
Two hours passed, and I was looking at a map. We are taking a longer route, but the safer one.
The popular and shorter one is a little closer to Navr. There had been incidents when the undead had made a move and captured the people on that route.
While the chances of them doing that are low here.
They won''t dare to mess with the Archmage City, but I can not take the chances. So, I listened to Cardin''s and others'' suggestions on a longer route.
It is going to delay the journey by about four hours, but I will have to do it for my safety.
Navr hasn''t done anything against me yet, but it is better to be careful of the undead.
Soon, we reached the intersection, and the carriages turned toward the longer route, to the surprise of many, including the mercenaries.
To others, we are taking a direct route. Only Lt. Colonel Zaris, Lena, and my sister were aware of it.
Others would only know the moment we did it.
"I wish I could do something like this," I said to Eva. Seeing her create a purple sphere of metal with green spots of crystals in between.
I had seen her do it many times, and it mesmerized me every time.
The way she melts those metals and gems and controls them is truly amazing. While traveling, she created many jewellery pieces.
It gave me a lot of inspiration about my aura, and I am trying many things.
One is helping me particularly.
"It is a good ability, but you have better ones," she replied with a smile. I didn''t say anything about that because she was right, but I wanted more.
Something like hers or Eudo''s.
Telekinesis would be really helpful. Though, with enough control over the aura, I would be able to do what telekinesis could.
I pushed those thoughts away and picked up the book from the stand.
It is a good book. It''s about the legacies; it''s from old Vanis''s collection. I borrowed a lot of books from him, and one thing I am going to do in archimage city is to buy the books.
Knowledge is necessary. There is never enough.
It is about the legacy that had disappeared over millennia ago. It was a Grade IV legacy, a good one at that. Lasting for nearly two and a half centuries.
It has information on its master and the legacy''s abilities.
I read it for an hour before I put the book down and closed my eyes.
I took a couple of deep breaths and started the layering exercise, but with a different mindset.
I imagined myself standing on the sand and bringing the aura to my feet before imagining it melting into the glass.
It''s hard but after a few attempts. I had understood the trick.
The sand beneath my feet melted and turned into molten glass.
As it did, I pulled it over me as thinly as possible.
It moved and began to cover my body slowly.
Soon, it covered my legs and moved up, reaching my waist and then the chest and neck before the head, covering me fully.
Bell says the aura is about the perception.
If you want it to be air, it will be. If you want it to be Earth, it will be. It is a manifestation of one''s will; it can become whatever one desires.
I succeeded in the first layer before, and I want to do the second.
I am not as tired as I usually am when I am using my old method. That used to make me a lot more tired, used to take a lot more time and used to take a lot of effort to maintain.
I didn''t begin immediately. Instead, imagine myself radiating the cold.
Making the liquid glass solid.
As I did, I began on the second layer. I moved it slowly, but this time, there was a greater strain, but less than what I feel when I do things the old way.
Soon, the aura covered my legs, and I moved it around my waist.
As it reached it. I moved toward my chest, then my neck, and finally the head.
A big smile appeared on my face as I achieved that, and I really wanted to try for the third later, but I didn''t.
Instead, I froze it like a first layer and kept it as such for six minutes before letting go.
I really wanted to push, but getting tired wouldn''t be wise.
Hours passed, and carriages kept moving. Stopping only for the small bathroom breaks.
Soon, it was afternoon with the bright sun shining from above.
"I want to ride under it," I said, to which Eva rolled her eyes. "You can try, but you will hear the same words again," she replied.
Earlier, when we stopped for the break. I wanted to ride, but both Lena and Lt. Colonel Zaris shot down my idea, terming it too dangerous.
I shook my thoughts and turned my eyes away from the window to the book I was reading.
I am nearly finished with it. In a few minutes, I will be done, and then I will practice again. I will work on the layers.
I want to become good enough at them. It becomes an instinct.
"Ambush!"
I was in my thoughts when I heard the loud warning ring in my ears.
Chapter: 535 Under The Sun’s Unwavering Gaze
The serene atmosphere of the carriage broke like a glass ball falling on the floor.
I felt myself getting covered by the spells of Zela. At the same time, the two gemmed bracelets that Eva was wearing melted fast, and they began covering the carriage.
As they were covering it. I heard the sound of arrows streaking through the air. The next moment, I heard different sounds, including metallic, as the arrows stopped.
"I am going out!" I said.
"Lo," Zela opened her mouth, but stopped seeing my expression.
She knows I will not listen to anyone once I make up my mind.
Most importantly, she is one of the few people who are aware of my power. Since I leveled up to Lv. 30 and gained the aura. I had not fought publicly.
I am now at Lv. 34, with a powerful Lord Class.
I moved toward the door while Eva formed the protective enclosure of metal and gems to protect me.
Staying in the carriage would be a safe choice. Since it is heavily enchanted, it could bear Grade III and even some Grade IV spells.
I don''t want to. It is too restrictive. I can not do anything while my people fight.
I stepped out of the carriage under the unwavering sun, and what I saw had shocked me.
I saw the arrows coming at me from all directions. There are at least ten archers, and looking at the speed and power of these arrows, they are all over Lv. 20.
They are coming from both sides of the road, with my men defending against them with shields and spells.
Lt. Colonel Zaris is commanding the men. Forming the two circles around me quickly, with mercenaries forming the third one.
I looked around and saw my sister coming out of her carriage with her sword in hand, from which the freezing mist was coming out.
"My lord, you should have stayed in the carriage," said Lena as she appeared beside me with Garzong.
"I a"
I opened my mouth to reply when I saw enemies coming out of the thick forest covered in camouflaged paint with enchanted weapons in their hands.
Their eyes were on me, and a moment later, I felt their skills.
Immediately, I brought out my aura and merged with the power of my Lord Class before striking those skills hard.
Destroying them.
It brought shock to the eyes of the enemy, and some stopped in their tracks, feeling the backlash.
I didn''t just defend their skills but broke them as they touched me.
The enemies are coming from all sides, and their numbers are high. I could already count forty-one of them, including the archers they are forty.
Our numbers are less than them. Thirty-nine, counting me, my guards, my sister, and the mercenaries.
The enemies reached the mercenaries occupying the first circle. I waited for them to engage.
I want to see their strength. They might have large numbers, but that doesn''t mean they will win.
I have brought in pretty powerful people and am quite confident about my victory.
Hun!
These were the thoughts running through my mind. When unexpected happened, that sent a shudder through my heart.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
The mercenaries. Instead of attacking the enemies, they embraced them.
The moment I saw it, the thought of this being a random attack vanished from my head.
This is no random attack of bandits, as I had been thinking, but a premeditated one to target me.
I should have understood from the beginning, but I thought the fear of Archmage Tower would stop anyone from targeting me directly.
I had been wrong. I underestimated my enemies.
They are targeting me, knowing full well who I am and what the consequences would be attacking me.
Their mercenary group is powerful, but there is no way they would dare to take such a risk. There is only one way they could have done it.
Someone had paid them for it and offered promises that were good enough to discard the threat of one of the most powerful legacies in the world.
That will hunt them for all their life.
There are very few forces that could do it, and I could imagine one that is doing this to get me.
"Eva, you go protect others," I said without moving my eyes away from the enemies.
They are moving slowly, with orcs with dark red hair as their leader. It is clear. He is giving the orders while others are following.
I don''t know who that man is, but he is definitely a leader. It is clear. He is giving the orders while others are following.
A few seconds later, he raised his hand and stopped before turning to me.
"Lord Silver, ask your men to lay down their weapons and surrender."
"It will be bloodless and quick. If you dare to resist, then we will kill every one of you, excluding you, of course," said the man, and I can tell he is telling the truth.
About killing every person here. I could see it in his eyes.
"No," I replied simply.
"Then be ready to see a lot of dead bodies," He replied with a grin and moved, with a group following behind him.
Our mages attacked, and they responded immediately, and not just with conventional spells.
I looked at the Trik and saw him already starting.
''I hope he manages,'' I thought.
The enemy has more than one shaman. I could feel their magic. This is their domain; it will make their magic even stronger.
I muttered the activation word and activated the charms I had.
Witchcraft and shamanic magic are different, but they offer protection against each other.
Bang Bang Bang!
The spells and arrows clashed as the enemies moved toward us.
However, the intensity of it is low. We aren''t rushing into the things. We don''t know if these are all the numbers they have or if there is more hiding.
We need to be as cautious as possible.
They reached the first layer and attacked, and a moment later, their expressions changed.
Not a single person we have brought is a normal soldier. All of them are Lv. 20+ with four Lv. 30 hiding among them.
We have used the skills as well as the witchcraft to hide their powers. They have been ordered not to use their skills during the journey and, if needed to do it, do it in a lesser intensity.
The leader barked orders, and I felt him activate his skill. Making his men attack harder.
My people moved toward him, and my men moved forward to stop them with him moving forward, with a group of people following behind.
Soon, he breached the first circle and moved to the second. Colonel Zaris moved toward him, but two people came from behind and stopped him.
"It is not giving me a good feeling. Be careful, Lord Silver," said Lena and moved toward the enemy.
Immediately, a thin man with a forgettable face came out with a dueling rapier and moved toward her while another one attacked from a distance.
''They had planned for everything!'' I thought.
They might have been caught off guard by our strength, but they have come prepared to deal with any surprises, and they are doing it with masterful efficiency.
He has our information and brought people according to it. Seeing the way his people move to stop mine.
He kept moving toward me without stopping, and soon, there were only ten meters of distance between us.
When Zela finally acted.
Immediately, a man and a woman holding staff stepped forward. The man cast a shield while the woman attacked her. Leaving only three people behind him.
That was when my sister flashed in front of him in an icy mist and attacked.
Once again, the man didn''t move. Instead, two people came out. Orc and Dwarf, holding a great sword and the hammer, with magic flashing on them.
They were spell blades, and they attacked her.
The enemy moved with his gait, becoming even more confident.
"Die!"
Garzong roared and moved toward the man.
As he reached close, the last man behind the leader. The huge orc stepped forward and attacked Garzong.
While I watched in shock, seeing the level of preparedness they had come with.
Gathering so many powerhouses isn''t easy. These aren''t just common powerhouses. Each one of them is uncommon. It could be clearly seen in the way they were fighting.
I gripped my sword tiredly as he took a step closer and closer to me until there were only two meters between us.
It is when Jon finally attacked.
Clang!
A moment later, I heard the clashing sound, and Jon pushed back.
A woman appeared out of thin air, holding a dagger, and moved toward me. Immediately, Jon leaped forward to stop her.
"It''s not too late. Surrender, and we will leave as we came," he said.
"No," I replied.
Surrendering isn''t an option. I would have at least thought about it if they had attacked me anywhere else other than on the way to the synod.
Here, it is not an option because they will not leave anyone alive.
They will kill everyone and clear the battlefield of anything that could be traced to them.
"Since you want to do it the hard way. I will do it the hard way," He said and moved toward me.
Seeing his speed, a shock spread through my heart.
I knew he was powerful. If he wasn''t so powerful, people wouldn''t have followed him in this daring endeavor, but seeing that power, I shuddered in fear.
Chapter 536: In Green Depths Thick With Woven Haze
He flashed in front of me like a ghost before swinging his dark blue saber at me.
It is fast. Extraordinarily fast.
I reacted instantly and swung my rapier toward it with a Quick Slash and Mauling Strike.
I even activated the Rapid Strike a fraction of a second later. I needed every advantage I could make to fight the most powerful enemy I had ever fought.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed, and I tried to block his weapon with Quick Parry, but he broke my skill and shook me such that the rapier nearly flew out of my hand.
Since I had leveled up, nobody managed to shake me like this.
Even Garzong, the strongest of all my guards in raw power, was merely able to shake my hand a little.
The thing is, I didn''t hold back as I do with my training. I know this enemy is dangerous. I threw everything I owned at him, but his attack broke it all.
I quickly moved back with Blitz Steps to manage the force and looked ahead.
Only to see him in front of me with his saber slashing toward me.
''Fuck!'' I cursed but didn''t panic.
Instead, I became calmer, and an aura came out of me.
It didn''t come out like a blast, but gently. It constructed a dome, covering him within.
As it did, I activated the Lord''s Presence and focused on its power on him through the aura. At the same time, I merged the aura into my offensive skills and swung my rapier toward him.
My head begins to hurt from using the aura to enhance many skills.
Suppressing him with aura or just enhancing my skills fighting him would have been better, but seeing the difference in power. I don''t want to take that chance despite the cost.
Unlike the last enemy, I had fought. The aura didn''t stop him but changed his expressions and body language.
The bandit leader''s expression became serious, and his body language no longer radiated confidence.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed, and I felt the shock in my hands once more, but not enough to force my rapier from my hands.
"Aura is an amazing thing, but it is not going to save you," he said and attacked again.
This time, he became more robust and faster, with his blue saber becoming hard to follow.
I leaned into the aura and pressed it for more power as I swung my blade to defend.
Clang!
I stopped the attack, nearly taking a step back, but that was just the beginning. Abruptly, he appeared to my left and attacked.
Rip!
I moved to dodge but wasn''t fast enough, and he was able to cut across my shoulder.
The cut was small, but it began to bleed rapidly. This red-haired orc used anti-clotting skills during the attack. Seeing that, I attacked the skill with my aura.
Immediately, the pain in my head jumped even more, but I didn''t stop and broke the skill.
At the same time, I turned and moved my blade to defend against his attack.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
This bastard is very experienced. I am sure he has fought against those with the aura.
Clang, Rip, Rip!
I defended successfully, but suddenly, the next strike cut me across the stomach and the next one below the chest, targeted where the armor wasn''t covering.
I broke the bleeding skill with the aura before moving to defend against the attack.
Clang!
I succeeded and dodged the next one before getting cut on my left shoulder.
My class is Valorous Lord of Courage at Lv. 34. It provides me with fantastic power. With it, I could fight with those above my level.
I would have done a little better if I had spread my attribute points like a warrior, but I did it as a lord.
When I used my aura, even Jon couldn''t defeat me, but this man had injured me, which is enough to understand his skills and power.
I could feel the power of his class with my aura. It is as powerful as the general Lord Class.
In a way, it is surprising to find a bandit with such a powerful class, but also not. Given the kind of power, he is projecting.
His every move is deliberate and without wasted movement. He is precise and fast and shows great control over his body and skills.
I have not heard of him, but he is a formidable enemy who could kill me.
He will not kill me. I am far too valuable for that. He wants to capture me, and that would be a fate worse than death. I would be a puppet, and I am not just saying that figuratively.
There are skills, spells, and methods that could thoroughly brainwash someone.
Suppose I am right about the people who hired them. Then, I cannot let myself get captured. It would be a fate worse than death, and I will die rather than let myself get captured.
Rip, Clang, Rip!
I was thinking that when another cut appeared on my body. This time on my back.
I destroyed the skill immediately. After doing it so many times, I could do it instantly. However, it hurts my head badly when I do it.
I have no choice but to break these skills. If I did not, I would bleed out, that will lead to weakness.
Which I absolutely can''t have.
He appeared behind me, and I turned before swinging my blade toward him.
The aura may be straining, but because of it, I could see and feel his every movement, even the small movements that were indiscernible to the eyes.
It lets me predict his movements before he even makes them.
If I hadn''t had that, I wouldn''t have been defending and dodging the attacks that he had been making, but that is not enough.
I am still getting injured, but without it, I would be dead. Still, I need to stop getting injured and start injuring this orc.
When I heard my thoughts, I wanted to laugh. Our difference is huge, and it would be really hard for me to defeat him.
I don''t have to defeat him. I only need to survive him.
With enough time, my people will gain the edge, or at least make it costly enough for them that he will think about retreating.
Mercenaries are like that. They will only fight until they think there is a chance of winning.
They will not hesitate to escape if they see no chance to win.
Clang!
I defended the attack when another attack came, not by the enemy in front of me but by a shamanic spell.
Without caring about the strain, I pushed my aura against the spells.
I know how nasty the shamanic spells could be. I had practiced a few times against them, and it was a good I did.
Given the number of shamans, the enemy had brought. I can''t depend upon the protection I have. I need to be proactive and deal with them as they come.
Rip!
While I successfully defended against the spell, I failed to protect against the attack of the orc in front of me.
Another cut appeared on my waist.
He attacked again immediately, and at the same time, I felt the shaman attack¡ªnot just one, but two of them.
I defended against them, but it put so much strain on me. That I had started to bleed from my nose and also a new place on my chest as the saber cut me again.
I needed to grit my teeth to push the aura into it.
I had just done that when I felt the shamanic spell again, and I defended and got cut across the stomach, and the cut was more serious, deeper.
''I need to do better!'' I screamed at myself.
I am getting cut at every attack. If this kept happening, even if he didn''t land a hit, these cuts would be enough to weaken me.
That would be bad.
I am fighting him because I am pushing myself every second. If I become weak, even so slightly, it will be the end for me.
Rip, Rip, Clang!
Time passed as more and more cuts began to appear on my body under the intense attacks of the orc and the shamans.
I could be doing better. I began to wonder how others were doing.
I am so focused on my battle that I cannot look at any other fight. However, I see Jon now and then, and he doesn''t seem to be doing well.
I could ask Margaux telepathically, but I don''t want to distract myself.
Clang!
Finally, I was able to defend myself against the attack after taking tens of cuts, which are now covering every part of my body.
Clang!
A moment later, I defended against another or three as the shamanic attacks were still targeting me.
The headache had worsened as I used the aura more and pushed it further. I started to bleed out from all my orifices because of the sheer strain of it.
But as the seconds passed. I am getting used to this strain and learning to use the aura better.
It is hard, and I want to stop every second and let the sweet oblivion take me, but I can''t. If I stopped, the others would die, and the lives of hundreds of thousands would be in jeopardy.
I understood clearly that once I was captured, the enemy wouldn''t have problems capturing my cities.
I can not let that happen.
So, I pushed myself more despite feeling the level of pain I had never felt before. It''s the only way I can do my duty to protect them.
Chapter 537: A Brazen Foe Will Make Its Stand
Torug Yregh
Clang!
He defended again, but I attacked again, pushing Strong Arms, Phantom Blade, Searing Strike, and Bane Eyes to their limit.
He defended with his whole body shaking.
Looking at him, he feels like he could drop dead at any moment.
My cuts are covering every part of his body. Even his head felt the touch of my blade. He is also bleeding from all his orifices, his complexion turning pale as paper.
Despite all that, he is fighting back with his aura, having me in its iron hold.
It is suppressing my power.
I hate aura. It makes the enemy unpredictable, but he shouldn''t have been this unpredictable.
The information provided stated that the enemy is between Lv. 30 and Lv. 35, with a strong Lord Class but balanced attributes.
There was also information about his awakening aura less than two months ago.
I have also studied his past battles and understood he is a very talented fighter capable of fighting people levels above him.
He is a talented fighter. He was more powerful than I had thought, but I could have dealt with him, and it wouldn''t have taken me more than a minute.
I am Lv. 37 Gambler of Blades.
My class is powerful and becomes more powerful when the stakes are high.
It is as powerful as the Lord Class, and I feel it will upgrade and become a class as powerful as this man before me.
Still, it wasn''t enough to kill the bastard.
"You have already reached your limit. Surrender Silver; it will save you a lot of pain," I offered, activating the Gambler''s Charm.
"You should be the one to surrender. You might be able to save your life if you do it now," he replied, using a similar skill that is more powerful than mine.
It nearly distracted me. Silver might have had a chance to attack if not for shamanic protection.
''Never compete nobles with charm,'' I remember a famous saying before attacking again.
Rip!
He kept defending, and I attacked again until finally, I could cut him again at the ninth attack. It is a small cut on the back that has barely breached his skin.
I could feel him destroying the Bleeding Edge as it activated on the wound.
Before, it used to take a second, but now, it is almost instant.
''He is improving at a shocking speed!'' I thought with concern.
He is not just destroying my skills with his aura but improving the use of his aura with his skills, which are becoming powerful.
Seeing it, I wanted to use my trump card.
If I used it, no matter how good or fast he is improving, he would die, but I can not. If I use it, it is my life that will be in danger.
The people that are fighting with me will kill me for it.
Even the employer wouldn''t hesitate to use the contract''s loopholes to get it. Since I got it, I have used it only when I am alone.
When I did, I killed the people and wiped out the traces of it.
''Haste, we won''t be able to last much in front of this bitch. Send us reinforcement!'' said Fodulir telepathically.
I am one of many having problems with the mark. Others are having problems, too, and Fodulir and Strad face the biggest one.
Two of them are fighting against Leila Silver, and she is suppressing them.
Those two aren''t weak; both are Lv. 35+ spell blades with one focusing on defense. Those two are the strongest of the spell blades, but that human bitch is beating them.
From the information we had, we knew she would be the trickiest to deal with, but her strength was beyond what the information had said, just like the man in front of me.
What is more concerning is that the two Silvers and the other enemies are doing better than expected.
I want to curse my employer for providing the old information.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
We built the plan on the information provided. If I had the accurate information, I could have planned better and finished this already.
''Velha, finish off the rogue and help me here!" I told the rogue. ''I am trying, but this bastard is like a cockroach!'' replied Velha.
She is suppressing the rogue but is unable to kill him.
With Velha with me, I won''t need more than a few seconds to deal with Silver, but the bastard''s rogue is holding her off despite suffering massive injuries.
Hun!
Another minute passed, and I sensed the death.
One of my people had died, making it five, while only two of the enemies had died, despite us having more than twice the numbers.
"Stop the attack, and I promise you, I will match the offer my enemies made you," he said, becoming even paler than he had been a minute ago.
He won''t be able to last much longer.
"No, you can not!" I replied, shaking my head.
It is a massive amount of money¡ªan amount I will not be able to earn in my lifetime. Without that, these people and I wouldn''t have taken such a massive risk.
It is not just the money but also the protection from one of the most powerful legacies in the world.
Besides, even if I wanted to accept his counteroffer, I could not. The contract is unbreakable. If I tried, I would die. If I didn''t complete the contract, I would die.
So, there is no choice but to finish the contract.
A minute passed, and then another, and the bastard was still fighting. He had become even better than in the past minute, so I could not land a single attack on him.
He had become white as paper, but he was still fighting. I thought he would drop dead by now. He should have given his state, but he didn''t.
I am using everything I have, including my best skill. Blade''s Bet, which increases the power of my attack by 25%.
Hun!
A few seconds passed, and I sensed the death. It is of the enemy; the third one died.
It is a soldier, not one of the powerhouses.
I only need to kill one of their powerhouses, and I will achieve my objective.
Every person is locked in battle. If a single powerhouse dies, it will free my powerhouses. They will then help me finish off this bastard.
That is not the case with general warriors.
Two of mine had been freed after killing the assigned enemy. But another enemy, which had freed itself from a group of four, engaged them, and pressure increased.
Once that group dies, the initiative will tilt in our favor. Then, I won''t even need powerhouses.
That is why I ordered my people to finish off the group as soon as possible. Use everything they have, including the skills they are hiding, to do the job.
Hun!
I was thinking about that when another death occurred. It made my expression turn black.
''Yregh, she had killed Strad!'' said Fodulir, with panic unmistakable in his voice.
She had killed my spell blade.
''I need help now!'' he added, his voice reeking in desperation. ''Just hold the bitch off for a minute!'' I replied.
"Jruk. Help, Fodulir," I ordered one of the two mages fighting the water mage.
''He can''t. I can''t defend against her light spells!'' Yerad replied a moment later.
This incomplete information has made things tricky.
We knew the water mage could use the light spells, but they were minor spells. Here, she is using a Grade 4 offensive spell. That was not in the information.
Immediately, I asked others, but the reply was the same. All of them were busy with their marks and couldn''t move.
''Archers, support Fodulir!'' I ordered.
It was not something I wanted to do. I kept archers on the enemy in front of me. So, mages would be busy defending him, but now I have to use them to help Fodulir.
''Give me a shaman too,'' said Fodulir a moment later. ''No!'' I replied directly.
I need the three shamans to focus on Silver while the other three focus on the battlefield where the enemy shaman is fighting.
That old orc is good, and some of my archers and mages were targeting him, but he was receiving protection.
The one who is protecting him is most surprising.
The jeweler has formed a dome of metal and gems where the shaman and non-fighting people are sheltering together. It is formidable, and one of my people told me they sense the essence of emotion within it.
Mist Craft.
There was information about her, too. They have said she could use her abilities in combat, but what she is doing is on an entirely different level.
That dome defends them from Grade IV spells¡ªsomething the information never mentions.
A few more minutes passed, and Silver looked whiter than the dead, but he was still fighting and fighting well.
His control of aura is increasing by the minute. Now, I couldn''t even shake him.
He is defending every combination of mine. Not a single attack is touching him. Worse, he is destroying the shamanic attack before they even touch him.
He would destroy it the moment they touched his aura dome.
''How is he even standing?''
I keep asking myself this question. He should have fallen already, but he is still standing.
He has to be very tired.
His eyes are red, and he is bleeding from his orifices, but he is still fighting.
I expected this man to collapse at every moment, but he was getting more powerful. If this continued, he might be able to fight back, not just defend.
Clang!
I had thought that when he defended against my attack before attacking me.
It is the first time he did that.
Clang!
I defended and felt his power. It shook my heart, and I wanted to put that thing and finish him off, but I controlled myself.
I can''t do that.
''Yregh!'' suddenly, a painful voice rang into my head, and it was from Bror. A blood slash appeared on his chest; the attack by the leader of the guards, Zaris.
''Yregh, these bastards are too tough. It''s time; we should use the backup plan!'' pleaded Fodulir as he defended arcs of ice and icy sword.
I wanted to reject it.
That is an essential tool. I want to keep it to myself as it could help me escape the danger.
''Velha?'' I asked the only person I trust.
The others aren''t part of my group. They were hired only with a mission in mind. Only Velha and Fodulir were part of my group.
''Fodulir is right. We should use the backup plan,'' she affirmed.
I could feel the unwillingness in her voice. How much she hated to say that, but she said it based on how she could see it.
The backup plan will massively increase the chances of success, but I get a heart attack when I think about using it.
However, when looking at things, there is no choice.
I don''t know how long the dead-looking bastards could continue. If it lasted till the bitch killed Fodulir and that leader killed Bror and Tust, it will be very bad.
We will die instead of our enemies.
So, I gritted my teeth and leaped back before removing the scroll and unfurling it immediately.
...¡
I saw him removing the scroll and unfurling it as he leaped back.
Immediately, a bad feeling came over my heart. I understood; I could not let this enemy use the spell on me.
So, I gathered all my aura from what I was using and attacked the scroll.
"Ahhhh!"
It gave me such pain that I wanted to scream, and I did, but I pushed the aura at the scroll; at the same time, it shone in silvery translucent light.
The light moved and passed through the aura and covered me.
It was a powerful spell. It resisted my aura.
Seeing that, I focused on the spell. With only one will to change the destination. The scroll is a teleportation scroll; it wants to send me somewhere.
I must prevent it before it sends me to their prepared place.
These are my last thoughts as everything becomes dark in front of me.
Chapter 538: And Fate Shall Turn In Jungle’s Hand
Uloth Gul
''Fuck, it''s grade IV''s, leading the group!'' I said telepathically as the group of monsters came into view.
Eleven crimson-tusk hogs are in a group, two of which are Grade IV.
''The bait worked better than we had thought,'' replied Aya, with her eyes focused on a group of monsters before us.
It is our third year hunting here.
Although this is the first time we''ve reached this deep, we came to hunt monsters for their parts, with crimson-tusk hogs being one of the top three targets.
Their tusks sell for quite a good bit of money. Alchemists want them, and so do the artificers.
Our last time here, we earned a satisfactory amount of money through them.
''You are not thinking of attacking them, are you?'' I asked my friend, and her eyes became hesitant.
She was thinking just that.
''They will tear us apart!'' I added in all seriousness. The monsters were too powerful. We might be able to handle Grade III, but Grade IVs are out of our league.
Even dealing with so many, Grade III is dangerous for us.
Her condition is getting bad, requiring more and more money, which makes her desperate.
It is forcing her to take significant risks.
She had nearly died two months ago if I hadn''t saved her that time. We all could have died.
Last year, I decided that it would be my last time. I have a comfortable job at the mage guild. It didn''t pay as much as adventuring, but it was safe.
The only reason I joined her this time was that I was worried about her, that she would take a foolish risk.
It was a wise choice.
Over the eight days we have been here, I have seen her on the edge of making foolish decisions over and over. I know she would have made them if I hadn''t been here.
I didn''t even dare to imagine what would have happened to everyone.
''No,'' she replied defensively. I knew she was lying, but I didn''t call her out.
''We will wait out till they leave,'' I said. ''We are doing well. We do not need to take needless risks,'' I added encouragingly.
She nodded, but I could feel the unwillingness in her body language.
I didn''t say anything and turned to crimson-tusk hogs. We are hiding well and have our bodies covered in anti-smell solution.
It''s a cheap one. So, it''s a little itchy, but it does the job.
There is also a stealth spell. So, even Grade IV monsters won''t be able to sense us.
Thud!
A few minutes later, monsters begin to turn to leave. A relief started to appear in my eyes when something suddenly fell in front of us.
Not a something, but a man. A human man.
It would be a grave understatement to say that it shocked us. One moment, there was nothing, and the next, he was directly in front of us.
He turned, and I saw his dark eyes, which were red around them, and his pale face, which resembled that of a vampire.
There are injuries all over him.
He looked at us. His eyes were surprised but also cautious and heavy with fatigue, and I felt like he would fall down at any moment.
"Roar!"
We were looking at each other when the monster''s roar broke the atmosphere.
"Shit!" I cursed, hearing the roar, and saw that the monsters that had been moving away a second before had now turned toward us.
"Run," I said to Aya, casting haste on us. I took a step to run when I suddenly stopped.
This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
I saw my friend appear in front of an injured man with a shield forward instead of by my side.
"He is injured," she replied, and I felt her activating her skills.
"The monsters will kill us!" I begged her, but instead of answering, she adjusted her posture to defend herself against the monsters now approaching us.
The monsters are powerful.
We are not their match, and besides, she is sick¡ªshe has always been sick¡ªbut her condition is getting worse.
"Fuck," I cursed and gritted my teeth as I stopped and began casting spells on her.
I cast Rock Skin and Taris Layer on her.
Taris Layer isn''t a beneficial spell for most people, but for her, it is lifesaving. It absorbs physical force and protects her delicate bones.
I cast spells on myself and defensive spells in front of her before I started casting Rock Nails and Myron''s Acid Ball, with most targeted at two Grade IV monsters, four leading the charge.
My spells begin to hit, and my expressions become worse.
My spells barely affected the two Grade 4. Their thick hides made them easily able to defend against them.
It didn''t surprise me.
I am a Lv. 18 Mage, capable of casting Grade II spells, while Grade IV spells are required to kill them or powerful Grade III spells.
I wanted to run away seeing that and turned to my friend.
I was hoping to see her change her mind. Instead, I saw her get ready to face the monsters, which were only a few meters away from us.
Bang Bang Bang!
Finally, they reached us and blasted through the shields like they were nothing with their burning crimson tusks.
I cast more shields, but they broke through before finally reaching Aya.
There was now barely a meter of distance between her and the first monster.
Hun!
She had readied herself to face the monsters by bringing her shield forward when something shocking happened.
The pale man appeared in front of Aya like a phantom. So fast that I couldn''t even see his movements at all.
Puch Puch!
He attacked, and the next moment, we heard the wet sound.
A second later, I saw a monster fall to the ground. He attacked again, and I heard the same sound, and the second Grade IV monster fell.
I watched in shock. Even Aya is shocked, but she recovers faster and attacks the monster.
A moment later, I cast spells, but we are still slower than the pale man.
Who moved like a phantom around the monsters.
Everything is a blur. The only clear thing is the sounds; whenever they rang out, a monster fell.
Soon, everything stopped with the bodies of eleven monsters on the ground. Nine of them were dead by the man with bloody eyes, while two that we killed made a messy scene.
The man turned to us, and I was surprised to see how young he was.
He is even younger than us. He looked barely twenty.
"Thank you," he said, looking at us with cautious eyes before sitting down shakingly on the dead body of the Grade IV crimson tusk hog.
"It should be us, thanking you," replied Aya.
He didn''t say anything and brought his hand to his pocket. He took out a bottle of potion and drank it before taking out another and drinking it whole.
A few seconds later, the color begin to return to his face.
It made me relieved because I worried that he was a vampire. They are bad news.
...¡..
I looked at the two staring at me dumbfounded.
They are two young women in their early twenties. The orc holding the mage staff has a muddy green complexion.
The other woman is human, slightly thin, but wearing thick mismatched armor, a red metal shield, and an enchanted sword whose enchantment is nearly faded.
They are both looking at me with wide eyes, like seeing a ghost.
I am injured and look quite pale.
I drank the potions, which helped with injuries but slightly alleviated the tiredness. I fear that I will fall asleep if I close my eyes for a moment too long.
When I appeared, I thought they were a threat.
The people, my enemies, had been stationed at the landing point, but I had not appeared at the landing point. I had veered away from it. Not by much, but away.
There is also the fact that these two move to defend me instead of attacking.
However, the one fact that genuinely convinced me they are not enemies is their strength.
They are far too weak.
The orc mage was casting only Grade II spells and seeing her efficiency and power. She is a Mage closer to Lv. 20 while the human woman is above Lv. 20, near Lv. 25.
I think they are unrelated to enemies that attacked me, but I am still cautious of them.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"Dominion," replied the woman with the staff. I wanted to roll my eyes hearing that, and I did.
"Where in the Baxzar?" I asked. "Vradis Valley," she replied, and the name felt familiar. I activated my skills, and I remembered.
"South of Bor extreme magic region?" I asked. "Yes, we are around a hundred miles from it,'' she replied.
I nodded and took out the map of Baxzar Dominion. It was the best one I could get and also big. It didn''t take me long to find the Bor extreme magic region.
"Can you point me exactly where we are?" I asked them, and they looked at the map in surprise.
They controlled her expression and looked at the map before the human woman walked forward.
"Here," she replied, pointing at the spot.
I looked at the spot and place from which I had teleported.
They cannot track me. I didn''t let any of their skills touch me when the spell activated on me, but they could still track me in other ways. Not me, I am still protected, but the spell.
They have mages, and I am sure with the preparation they have made.
There is at least one among them capable of calculating the landing point of the teleportation spell.
I hesitated a moment and thought about it before turning to the two.
"How much time would a group of people need to reach here from here?" I asked. Their expressions became severe, and they looked at each other hesitantly.
"It will depend on their levels and classes and whether they are traveling by foot or using the beasts," replied the woman with the staff.
"A group of Lv. 30 and Lv. 20+, with mixed classes of mages and warriors. Local with terrain knowledge and the best monsters," I replied.
This information makes their expression turn even more serious.
"Around seven hours," replied the woman with the staff.
I sighed upon hearing that. I thought it would be more, but I was not just that lucky.
I need to move as soon as I can and fast.
They can not track me personally, but I am sure they have trackers. I hope my people reach me first. They could calculate the landing point, and, most importantly, they can track me.
Margaux could track me.
She is connected to me with the legacy and feels my location as I sense her location right now.
It is faint right now, but as she gets closer, it will become stronger. When she is close enough, she will be able to connect to me telepathically.
However, I plan to reach a safe location first, which is a big city.
Chapter 539: Coming True
Zaris
"Stop!"
I ordered as the enemy rapidly retreated into the forest. Following them would be foolish. We need to be careful.
Immediately after Lord Silver disappeared, all the bandits began retreating. He is still their target; getting him is more important than wiping us out.
I turned and looked at the battlefield. It couldn''t help but make me sigh and feel ashamed.
I had failed.
"You do not have to blame yourself, Lt. Colonel. They were far too prepared," consoled Miss Glass.
Like me, she has injuries all over her, but unlike mine. Hers seem much lighter.
"Mage Aldridge, Lady Silver, please track the spell," I requested. I didn''t have to tell them; they had started before I even said that.
My men began to deal with their injuries while those in good condition formed a circle.
We have learned never to be too careful.
I looked at the bodies of the three dead of my men. They were good men. Two had served with me for decades. I am the one who had brought them to Greltheaven from the empire.
"Are you alright, Mr. Jon?" I asked the rogue.
He is one of the most injured. He has some serious injuries and has minor wounds all over his body. One of the three doctors in our company is working on him.
"I will be fine," he replied a moment later.
That woman he fought was one of the worst of the lot, but he still kept her away from Lord Silver. Though with a steep price.
I nodded and walked away while drinking a healing potion.
Everyone did well¡ªbetter than I had imagined we would, seeing how prepared the enemy was. They brought people specifically tailored to deal with each of us.
Still, we held them off, and Lady Leila was even able to kill one.
Both of these siblings were more powerful than I had imagined.
Our internal intelligence stated that Leila Silver was the most powerful member of our group, but the power she showed was beyond expectation.
However, I was even more surprised by Lord Silver.
I had sparred with him and felt his aura, but the power he used today was on a completely different level than the one he used in our spars.
''Azalea was right.''
''She had said he shows his true power in battle, which is not his martial strength but the ability to improve.''
I shook my head and stopped beside the dead.
The cloth now covers their bodies. I will send them to the city, where they will get a funeral with all the honors they deserve.
"Lt. Colonel," called Mage Aldridge.
"Have you traced the spell?" I asked. To that, the old mage nodded. "Just south of the Bor Extreme Magic Region," he replied.
"Around here," he said, pointing at a place on the map floating in front of him.
I looked at the other two, and they nodded. I turned to Vance. He is a ranger and studied the geography of the Baxzar.
"If we move fast. We should be able to reach the place in eight hours," the ranger stated. I nodded and thought for a while before turning to Dan.
"Captain Bader, you will take the most injured, non-combatants, and dead; continue with the journey while the rest of us move toward Lord Silver," I ordered.
"Yes, sir," he affirmed.
"Shall we contact the authorities, Lt. Colonel?" asked Captain Sand.
To that, I shook my head.
"No, Captain. They might intercept our communication, or they may be involved in it. We will keep this to ourselves," I replied.
A few minutes passed, and I checked everything. When the door of the blue carriage opened, Miss Margaux walked out; she had changed her clothes.
Others looked surprised. The only ones who are not are the three guards of Lord Silver, Miss Lena, and me,
I didn''t have to ask her. She understood the job she had to do.
She is the advantage we have over our enemies. She could sense Lord Silver''s location. Lord Silver had informed me about this a day before we left.
"Mom, are you leaving with them?" asked the teen girl, her voice shaking.
It might be the first time the young girl witnessed the battle of such powerhouses. It shook her.
Stolen novel; please report.
"Yes," she replied.
"Please don''t go," the teen girl pleaded, tears streaming down her eyes.
"I have to, my dear child," she replied with her voice firm.
These women are extremely loyal to Lord Silver and zealous about it. They will die for him without hesitation and some have died for him.
He invokes such loyalty.
He had made one whore a governor while others handled his business, with many having an influential position in city hall.
"Let''s go," I said and mounted the beast. Others did the same, including the jeweler, Miss Charles.
The jeweler''s abilities are shocking. Miss Zela had apprised me about it. I was sure it was just an exaggeration, but now I know she understated them.
She had stopped not one, but several Grade IV spells with her protective dome.
I pushed those thoughts away and looked at the party. All mounted on their beasts.
Every person who couldn''t fight, aside from Captain Bader and four seriously injured guards, would travel to the closest city with other non-combatants.
The pursuit team rode into the forest a second later to rescue our lord.
¡
Uloth Gul
I carefully watch him put away the map in his iles bag.
I want it, but they are damn too expensive, and I have other important things I need to buy first, including a Grade III spell.
I can''t cast them, but understanding them will help me tremendously in level-up toward Lv. 20.
"How well do you two know this area?" he asked, and I turned to Aya before we both turned back to him, seeing the curiosity in her eyes.
I am also curious about him but aware that this young man is dangerous.
I have seen the Lv. 30''s fight, and they couldn''t kill a Grade IV monster as quickly as he did.
He is also injured and was forcefully teleported. Looking at his state, he had run away from someone, and that someone was powerful, or they wouldn''t have been able to injure him as much as he is.
"Pretty well," I replied cautiously.
"Do you know the road to Vudiz city?" he asked. "We are from Vudiz," replied Aya nodding.
I wanted to curse my friend. She is smart, but sometimes, she can be pretty dumb.
I looked at the man and saw a smile appearing on his face.
"How would you like to have a job to escort me there?" he asked, and I shuddered with all the hair on my body rising.
"No, thank you. We are busy here," I replied hastily before Aya could say anything.
I thought he would be disappointed. Even angry. Instead, that same smile was still on his face.
"I can pay really well. Far more than whatever you two were doing," the man said, waving the hand at the monsters dismissingly.
"No, thank you. It is clear that there are very dangerous people after you," I replied.
To that, he nodded.
"Yes, truly powerful people chase after me, but they are around seven hours behind. Which is a good lead, and, besides, I am willing to pay you according to the danger," he replied.
"How much?" asked Aya before I could say anything. "A lot," he replied without batting an eye.
I could see Aya wanted to agree. She would quickly agree; she is that desperate.
"Fine, we agree, but we don''t want money," I replied, and the smile on his face became bigger.
The smile never disappeared from this bastard''s face. He knew we were desperate and would accept the job.
"First, I want to know if you are the enemy of the dominion. Are any tribes or cities after you?" I asked. If the tribes or cities are after him, we can never agree.
"As far as I am aware. No city or tribe is after me," he replied.
"Good," I said.
"Our conditions for accepting the job are simple. You will fix an appointment for my friend with Lv. 40+ healers or doctors specializing in bones and pay for her treatment," I stated my condition.
"Ok," he said simply; there was not the faintest hesitation on his face.
''Who is this man?'' I couldn''t help but ask myself with worry growing.
Lv. 40 healers are extremely rare; their services are expensive, and we could never afford them. Even with money, getting an appointment takes a lot of influence.
One needs standing and connections for it.
"Also, you will buy us top a Grade III mage staff, a good offensive type Grade III spell of my friend''s liking, and an Iles bag," added Aya, to my surprise.
I looked at the man, and there was no change in his expression.
"Fine," he replied, and a moment later, he took out an inkpot and scrolled. Both of them looked expensive.
He began to write the contract while I turned to my friend.
"Thank you," I said under my Privacy skill. Grateful for what she had done.
"Of course," she replied. "Though, I will say, we have chewing at more than we can swallow by accepting this job," she added.
To that, I couldn''t help but nod.
Without a doubt, it will be dangerous. If those chasing this young man caught up to us, there might be death, but if we succeeded.
Aya will have a good chance of being cured, and I will get what I have wanted for a long time¡ªthings that, on my meager salary, might take over a decade.
A few minutes passed, and finally, he put the quill down.
"Sign it," he said, handing me the scroll and quill. We will not sign it unless I read all the conditions and am satisfied with them.
I took the contract and began to read it carefully.
It immediately surprised me. I assumed it would be a rough contract, not this professionally crafted one with all the legal jargon.
I know contracts. I work in a mage guild.
I looked at the conditions, and one of them is that we not only guide him but also fight. But the following clause surprised me.
We have the option to run if we feel the enemy could kill us without a doubt.
For the healing, he offered to pay for the first treatment, but within a certain amount. Though, when I looked at the amount, my eyes couldn''t help but widen.
It was massive.
He had also agreed to give a staff, Iles Bag, along with a spell.
The value of all is far exceeding what we could make in years. With this amount, the young man could have hired a bigger mercenary team with higher-level people.
I noticed one odd thing. His name is never mentioned in the contract. Instead, he referred to himself as the person who drew the contract.
"There is one problem," I said, but he shook his head this time.
"There will be no change. Either you sign it or not," the man looked at me and replied straightforwardly.
He is desperate and needs the guide, but so are we. We need those things; this is the quickest chance we will get them.
Not to mention. Declining isn''t a choice. We had seen his face. If we didn''t sign, he might kill us, and that thought wouldn''t be farfetched.
"Fine," I replied after looking at my friend and signed on the contract.
Just as I did, I felt something I had never felt before. A silhouette of a tower loomed over me, radiating a feeling heavier than the mountain.
It lasted a fraction of a second, but I understood I could not break the contract.
It will kill me.
"Who are you?" I asked with my eyes wide.
Earlier, I felt we had chewed more than we could swallow, but now I became sure.
"You can call me John," he replied, which is so obviously not his real name.
Aya looked at me worriedly, and I opened my mouth to ask her not to sign the contract when I shook. The contract warned me against doing that.
If I still did it, it would act.
Still, she understood what I was trying to say. It was evident in her eyes, and despite that, she sighed the contract.
¡..
"Let''s hope this journey goes well without a hitch," I said as I took the scroll from the two women while the prophecy rang again in my mind.
''Under the sun''s unwavering gaze,
In green depths thick with woven haze.
A brazen foe will make its stand,
And fate shall turn in jungle''s hand.''
It had come true.
Everything it had said had happened. The enemies attacked under the afternoon sun in a thick forest, and it was brazen without fear.
Now, I have teleported into this jungle, which holds my fate in its hands.
Chapter 540: Chase
"Let''s go," said the human woman, whose name I now know is Aya, as I emerged from the trees after changing my clothes.
Now, I am wearing nondescript adventurer''s clothes, different from the tattered suit earlier. They are well-worn and have old-looking swords.
I had also dyed my hair blond with a quick dye and used the alchemical drops that changed the color of my eyes.
I need to make it as hard as possible for my enemies to track me.
The two women looked at me, and shock appeared in their eyes at the changes. I looked like an adventurer, which was the part I was trying to play.
Since the dungeon incident in Navr, I have gone everywhere prepared. I have clothes, a tent, spare weapons, local currency, and other things.
I walked to join them, and we moved quickly. We were not exchanging words.
Our first destination is their camp. It is where they have kept their beasts.
The priority is speed, not hiding our tracks. I would have tried that if these two had been high-level enough, but they are not.
So, it''s speed.
We have a seven-to-eight-hour lead on the enemies, which is significant considering we plan to travel nonstop until we reach Vudiz City, which will take a day and a half.
We should arrive at near dawn of the day after tomorrow.
There are two small cities and several towns in between, but staying in them would be risky.
Different tribes control them. It is easier for some to make them look the other way if something happens within them. Manipulation wouldn''t be possible in Vudiz, a city as big as Owlspring that is not controlled by a single tribe.
It is also the city with an office of the archmage city.
These two are moving fast. Aside from the speed skill, they have cast haste on themselves.
I am following them without using a skill.
I can''t use my skills. I get terrible pain when I use them like I did when I used skills to fight against the monsters.
I am tired. So much so that I would fall asleep if I laid down on the ground.
Sleeping is the best thing I could do right now. I needed it after seeing how I had pushed myself to survive. I had never pushed myself like that, not even in training.
It''s why I survived, but now I am enduring the consequences.
Minutes passed as we moved through thick hills. They are everywhere, as far as my eyes can see.
It is also beautiful but dangerous. In the first half-hour, we avoided two monsters. They were weak, but fighting them would have wasted too much time.
"We are here," declared Uloth. As we reach another hill, like the many we have crossed.
She moved toward its base and pushed some vines. She revealed a cave.
As I entered, following them, I found it was bigger inside, with two blackish rhino beasts sitting.
They opened their eyes but didn''t do anything.
"Pack what is essential. Leave the rest behind," I said to the mage. Who was trying to hang a big leather bag on the rhino.
"This is worth quite a bit of money," she said. "I will pay for it," I replied simply. Time is precious. I had paid them far more than they were worth.
She dropped the bag and picked up other things.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
"It is a good thing. We have brought the double-seat saddle. It had become useful now," said the mage, securing a double seat saddle on one of the rhino beasts.
The other girl secured the single seat on the other rhino.
I looked at them as they secured the saddles. The orc girl is tall with pale green hair and brown eyes. She is wearing an adventurer-style blue mage robe.
On the other hand, the human woman is medium-height and thin, with long purple hair.
She has a pretty round face in a girl-next-door kind of way, with big, blue expressive eyes.
She is a little thin but wearing bulky armor. She seemed to be suffering something related to her bones.
Soon, they fastened the harnesses before they brought them out.
"You can ride them, right?" asked the mage as he handed me a leash. I took the ropes without saying anything and sat down.
A moment later, we begin to move.
These beasts are slow. We are going to change them after reaching a settlement.
We moved the monsters as fast as they could run. I also used that time to activate rest and recovery charms. They work better when I sleep, but currently, I can''t.
Still, as the minutes passed, I began to feel their effects.
The headache is lessening, and so is the tiredness. It made me happy.
However, I wished it would happen faster.
¡
Torug Yregh
The skills roared around us as we moved fast toward the mark.
We have only one and a half days to deal with the mark. If we fail, only death is waiting for us.
"Thirty miles south," I repeated what my mage told me.
Had the scroll taken him to where it should have, he would have been there waiting to be captured, but the bastard''s aura interfered, sending him thirty miles south.
Now, we must reach where he had appeared before tracking him from there.
It would have been much more manageable if our backers had given us a super-long teleportation scroll, but the Archimage tower monitors such spells.
Also, I don''t think our employers have many of those scrolls. I heard only the archmages could cast such spells.
I shook my head and focused on the mark.
That man is intelligent. I am sure he will try to run as soon as he can.
"What is the progress of the enemies?" I asked.
They are moving in the same direction as we are, through a different route, but they are slower than us.
We have made preparations for this backup plan. We are riding on monsters trained to move fast in this geography.
Our enemies'' monsters are good, but their focus is on distance travel, while ours is on speed.
Still, we are monitoring them to see if they can track him.
"There is no change; they are as slow as before," replied Krano, chuckling.
I smiled, too.
We need to reach the mark before they do. If that happens, everything will move smoothly.
Silver could fight one or two of us, but here is a group of fifty. Even ten silvers wouldn''t be enough to deal with a group as powerful as ours.
"It would have saved us a lot of trouble. If one of the tracking skills had struck him," said Fodulir with a sigh.
That is the thing. I am most frustrated about it.
It would have made things much easier if we could track him, but now we must do things the hard way. First, we will have to track the landing point of the spell and then hunt our mark.
Thankfully, we have made preparations.
"I had contacted our sources. They will inform us immediately if they spot the young man," he informed.
I had kept people in settlements and cities around the original landing spot in case the first plan didn''t work and problems occurred in the second.
This preparation proved to be a wise move.
We have now sent them the information about the mark. The moment they spot him, they will inform us.
If we are lucky, they might inform us before we reach the landing point, saving us time.
"Good," I replied.
An hour passed, and we moved through our established path. We were getting closer and closer to the mark.
He might be moving now, but we will reach him soon. When we do, nothing, and no one, will save him from us.
If push comes to shove, I might even use that thing because not completing the contract is a certain death.
¡
Zaris
"There is now a gap of nearly three hours between us," replied Eli, our ranger.
Our slower speed and different routes had created a gap between us and the enemies.
"Everyone, it''s time to move fast!" I ordered, and the skills rumbled around us, and we began to move fast.
Our beasts are good, and we are used to such terrain.
There is a reason they chose me to lead Lord Silver''s guard, even though there are more loyal people in the city.
It is because I have experience in every geography. I have been a part of the imperial foreign corps and served many kingdoms in different environments.
Every soldier here has the same experience and skills related to it.
We have taken the gamble of moving slowly because we don''t want the enemies to chase us when we finally begin moving toward the Lord Silver.
They might not be aware of our ability to track him and them.
If we had moved faster, they might have followed us and might now try and follow us.
That is why we have taken the gamble of moving slowly. As of now, we are three hours apart.
The monsters we ride are slower than the enemies, but they have greater stamina for long travels, which will play a big part in this race.
Immediately, we increased our speed and slowly changed our direction.
We are no longer moving toward the landing point. We are moving further south, which is where Lord Silver is moving.
I know his destination. It is Vudiz.
The man is wise. He knows the enemy''s reach in their kingdom and wouldn''t take chances in outlier settlements and smaller cities where controlling tribes could be persuaded.
Something like that would be difficult to achieve in a big city like Vudiz.
Chapter 541: Bandstone
Aya Bandstone
"The beasts are yours," said the old, wiry orc, handing the reins of the three beasts to Ulo.
They are Rycas horses, thinner than most horses but fast and agile¡ªthe perfect beasts for moving through the thick forests of Baxzar.
"Thank you," she replied before mounting her beast. I did the same, and so did John.
A minute later, we were out of the tribe''s compound under the moonlit sky.
I activated Smooth Travel once again.
It''s not a powerful travel skill, but it does help, and I feel we will need all the help we can get to finish this contract that we had entered into.
It had been five hours since we signed the contract, and since then, we had stopped only twice: once for a small break and
the second to acquire these beasts.
As for our old beasts, we set them loose before we walked here.
We could have bought them from a town, but he wouldn''t let us approach it.
So, we had to settle for the tribes and the small ones at that. The beasts we obtained are fantastic. They have the blood of the crorus in them. The tribe trains them specifically before selling to towns and cities.
I glanced at the man beside me.
His eyes are darting around, looking for danger that is hunting him.
We have not seen anyone, but he seemed convinced that eyes were everywhere.
He dyed his hair and wore clothes that made him look bulkier.
He even wore worn-out, mismatched light armor, but unlike mine, which is genuinely mismatched and worn out, his only "looked" worn out.
He had done an excellent job of making it look worn out with runes and all, but I had been staring at it for hours and noticed things.
''Have you found anything?'' I asked Ulo. ''No, there is no news about him,'' she replied with telepathy.
She couldn''t send the message without his permission but could receive mass messages flying around from people and guilds.
Her reply made me relieved but also worried.
I am relieved because the guilds and tribes are openly looking for him, and I am worried because the enemies who are looking are hidden in the shadows.
They would not spare us if they located us.
He didn''t hide that fact. He had implied that through his words and the contract.
Not that this fact would have changed my mind.
My condition is getting worse. I need to see a higher-level healer to find a cure for my condition, and he is the only one who could make that happen.
''Who is he?'' is the question I have repeatedly asked myself.
I have noticed a lot of things about him.
Foremost is that he is rich and influential. He didn''t even bat an eye when we asked for those things, including access to a Lv. 40 healer.
So, I assume he is a noble.
He had kept his class guarded. He could also be a warrior, but I didn''t think so.
Warriors carry themselves differently; even in the most dignified ones, there is a ruggedness. He looked refined but sharp, like a well-maintained blade.
His every movement and word commands obedience.
The night had become fully dark, but we were moving through the forest, and seeing that we were taking a shortcut through a dangerous route, things might get troublesome.
There are monsters and some bad people. Their numbers increase, and they become daring at night.
The thing is, there will be no rest.
We will continue with our travel tonight and into tomorrow. We will only stop to rest after reaching our destination.
Once again, I turned to him and saw his eyes moving as always. He saw me looking but didn''t say anything.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
His injuries have healed, and the redness in his eyes has disappeared as well. He looked well; there was barely any tiredness in his eyes.
An hour passed, and we stopped at a safe-looking spot for dinner.
It wasn''t a spot I would choose for dinner at night in such a dangerous place, but beggars can''t be choosers.
I sat down on the leather mat and opened the bags.
"Here, eat this," he said, placing two packets of rations before us.
I opened it, and it was a regular ration. It looked even worse than what I had, which made me a little disappointed. I thought it would be something good.
It wasn''t until I took a bite of dried spiced meat that the taste hit me. I closed my eyes, and the sound came out of my mouth.
It wasn''t as hard as it felt to my fingers. The piece broke away with the slightest force of my teeth and melted as it touched my tongue.
It is delicious; the most delicious thing I ever ate.
I wanted another bite of the meat, but I tried the cheese. It looked like a normal ration, but as I took a bite of it. I found it mouthwatering.
I tried other things, and they are all the same.
They looked like standard rations and were even slightly more unassuming than them, but they tasted completely different.
"Who are you?" asked Ulo. "It doesn''t matter who I am. What matters is you both safely escorting me to my destination," he replied.
Unlike us, he ate fast. There was no pleasure on his face as if this was a regular meal for him.
It might be.
I didn''t think about it much further and ate faster, but I tried to enjoy it as much as possible.
Soon, I finished and took out a pouch from my bag. I put a spoonful of grey powder in my mouth before gulping it with water.
It''s a worse way to finish a delicious dinner.
It''s so bitter that I want to vomit, but I controlled myself.
He looked but didn''t ask questions. Instead, we stood up and cleared every sign before mounting on the beasts again, resuming our journey.
Hours passed, and it was nearly midnight. I am feeling a little sleepy, but I didn''t let myself sleep.
That would be disastrous in a place like this.
We have encountered a few monsters, but luckily, we have avoided them. One came closer, but it ran away.
It''s going smoother than I had anticipated.
I was expecting some trouble, but luck has been with us. If this continues, we may perhaps finish this contract in peace.
Hun!
I had just thought that when my Dangersence blared. I heard an arrow twang and a spell''s light coming toward me.
"Attack!" I warned and moved my shield in front of me. I was activating Tough Shield and Calm Beasts.
I don''t know why, at that moment. I looked at the young man. He is on the horse, with his eyes filled with calmness, while Ulo casts spells after spells.
She was protecting us and the beasts.
He had asked us to protect beasts rather than him if we got attacked on this route.
Bang Bang Rip!
The shield stopped the spells and arrows, but not all of them. More than half of them tore through the Ulo''s shields.
They are absolutely Grade III spells and arrows by Lv. 20+ archers.
Bam, Rip Bam!
They approached me, and I moved my shield to defend against them when I saw the blur. Suddenly, the arrows fell, ripped apart, and spells repelled!
Once again, I looked at him in shock; he didn''t just defend me, but all three of us.
The attacks have targeted all three of us.
I didn''t say anything and looked around cautiously, waiting for the next attack, but it didn''t come.
Seconds passed in silence when the steps echoed out from all directions.
Soon, I saw seven people coming out.
Some are male and some female, with six orcs and one man, either human or elf.
It is too hard to see because of the face covering he is using.
Half of them showed their faces openly, and I recognized two immediately; their faces were plastered across the taverns.
Gorgo Zutag of Zutag Bandits.
As I recognized them, I couldn''t help but shudder. They are a small but dangerous bandit group with a hefty bounty posted on their heads.
They have killed a lot of people, including several Lv. 30s. Their leader, Zutag, is a known Lv. 30+ powerhouse.
I looked at the leader, a tall man with a stocky body and a blood-red axe in his hand.
"Oh, it seemed like you are quite powerful, young human," said Zutag, looking at John.
"I don''t want to fight. Just let us go, and I will forget everything," said John in common, surprising Zutag and his bandit group.
"Hahahaha¡"
It surprised him, but it only remained momentarily on his face before he started laughing with his men.
It took them a while to calm down.
Zutag wiped his tears and looked at John. All the mirth there was a moment ago had vanished.
Now, there is only cruelty.
"Unfortunately, it''s not going to happen. We will kill you, take your stuff, and sell your bodies to the undead," Zutag replied with a grin.
John just sighed, and the next moment, he leaped off of his beast at blurring speed.
The speed even seemed to surprise Zutag.
"Kill him!"
Even surprised the bandits acted fast. His two archers and two mages attacked John while he and the other two moved forward.
Seeing the attack, I opened my mouth to call out as I leaped off the horse. When I saw the young man''s sword moving again, it cut through the arrows and repelled the spells.
As he did, he appeared in front of the shocked Zutag.
"Die, you bastard!" shouted Zutag and swung an ax on a massive strike that would split him apart.
John stayed in his place like he was frozen, not moving even when the ax had crossed more than halfway toward him. He was about inches away when I saw him turning into a blur.
Pachac!
The next moment, I heard the wet sound and saw Zutag''s eyes turning wide.
A red line appeared on his neck, and a second later, his head slid down by that time. I heard that wet sound once again, and another head began to slide down the neck.
It is when the rest have come to themselves and begin to run. Even the mage capable of casting a Grade III spell is running away. There is terror in his eyes.
They ran into the forest, but he chased them. I heard the sounds for a while before it all quieted down.
A few seconds later, he returned.
I watched him in shock. He had killed a whole bandit group in seconds. The man had killed the bandits that had killed several Lv. 30s, and it didn''t even take a full minute.
"Here, the bag and staff. I think these are good enough to satisfy the condition of the contract," John said, throwing the bag and staff at Ulo.
"Can I have a head of some bandits?" asked Ulo. "Suit yourself," he replied.
She quickly took a sack from her normal bag and collected the heads. She collected three and put them into her new iles bag before hurrying back to the steeds.
He had already mounted the beast.
Seeing that, we mounted and resumed our journey a second later, knowing we were still in a race.
We didn''t clear the battlefield. It would be useless unless we are willing to put in a lot of time to erase the signs from a good tracker not to notice.
Which we could not. It would be wise to use that time to cover more ground.
Chapter 542: Chase II
Zaris
"Left," said Truku, our guide, as the light of dawn began to clear the dark sky.
We have picked up several guides on our way. They are necessary to travel through these thick forests, where the routes are like puzzle pieces.
Even with a precise map, we can''t move as fast as we are without their help.
They are allowing us to make good time toward Lord Silver.
If he had stayed in his initial location, we would have caught up with him hours ago, but so would our enemies.
He is moving to where I expected him to go, and his speed is also better than I had thought. Given his speed, it is very likely that he has found the guides.
"Anything?" I asked Vance with concern. "No," he replied.
We haven''t been able to sense our enemies for the past two hours. In this game of cat and mouse, it is not just the distance; they also hide their location, making them harder to track. In return, we are hiding our location from them.
Three hours before the game started, we would get their location now and then.
"They had likely understood by now where Lord Silver is moving toward," said Miss Glass, to which I couldn''t help but nod.
Given the way the enemies had made the preparations. They have clearly shown that they are very intelligent.
They likely comprehended Lord Silver''s destination, which would complicate things as they would mobilize more people to find him.
We are doing that, but it is their kingdom. It is making things much easier for them.
"Let''s hope Lord Silver keeps ahead of them until we reach him," I replied; she smiled at that.
Soon, I allow a quick stop.
Immediately, everyone drank the potions and did their business before eating the rations as fast as possible. We didn''t have the luxury of taking too much time. We need to win this race.
I looked at Miss Margaux and Miss Charles and couldn''t help but sigh in concern.
Even with the potions and the skills, their condition could be better. Miss Charles is handling the strain better, but Margaux is not.
She is sleepy, tired, and sore.
We have been traveling nonstop since yesterday afternoon. We didn''t even sleep for an hour; it takes a toll on people.
If she wasn''t as high-leveled as she is, she wouldn''t be able even to stand, much less walk around.
This chase isn''t an ordinary journey. We are moving through the forest in uneven routes. It is tiring, even for experienced soldiers, much less for people who didn''t ride more than a few hours a day in all their lives.
"Let''s move," I ordered the moment we finished and mounted on the beasts.
A few hours passed, and it was now early afternoon.
We had just changed our beasts. We had no choice; we had been traveling with them for more than a day without giving them rest.
We could have pushed them through the evening, and they had the stamina to do that, but we exhausted that, and they were slowing down, which was not what we wanted.
Thankfully, one of the guides we picked knew a tribe with fast, high-endurance beasts.
I like these Red Beruz Zebras we are now riding.
We needed to pay them more than the market price, but nobody said anything. Without hesitation, we would have paid double, even triple, what they had asked.
The most important thing to us was reaching Lord Silver as soon as possible, not the costs.
We were getting close to him, but at this rate, it would still take us until midnight to reach him.
"I found them," said Vance as he appeared beside me. "Where?" I asked immediately.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
"Here," he replied, pointing at the map. Now aware of the enemy''s location, my expression couldn''t help but become serious.
"Faster," I ordered a moment later. The race is in the balance.
.........¡..
Torug Yregh
"He is moving fast," said Fodulir as he informed me of the mark''s location.
Our people have spotted him.
I had expected him to move quickly, but I didn''t expect him to move this swiftly. It seemed like he had started to move the moment he landed.
I had thought a day would be enough to catch up with him, even assuming he had moved away from the landing spot. I now realize I had been wrong.
"His people have reached near Roksas," informed Fodulir.
"Fuck!" I cursed before calming myself. They are getting closer.
Unlike us, they could track him. We were advised to expect this in the information, but I didn''t want it to be true.
"Faster!" I commanded with urgency.
We were already moving as fast as we could, but I wish we could move even faster.
We have less than a day to capture the mark. If we didn''t, by dawn, we would die. So, no matter what happens or the risks we have to take, we must capture him.
I desired to post the bounty, but it had become too dangerous.
My sources have already told me that Archmage Tower has started asking around, and it won''t be long before they start looking around.
Once they do, it won''t take them long to find him. So, I have to finish him before that happens.
He is moving fast, but we are faster. Even so, he had the advantage of seven hours and the extra time he got while we tracked his trail.
He has the advantage as he has a clear destination in mind, unlike us. But it is clear to us now.
We can''t let him reach Vudiz. If it were a small city or town, we could manage it, but not Vudiz.
We can do nothing there.
"Contact the bandits. Only the trusted ones and post the bounty," I ordered finally, realizing the risk.
"Are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.
Bandits are notoriously fickle; many have masters or people to whom they report or sell information. We can''t afford to make it known we are involved.
The people I had placed in different towns were trusted, and I did it with weeks of preparation. To them, it was any other job, nothing special; it was different with the bandits.
Many are shrewd and wouldn''t hesitate to betray me¡ªeven the trusted ones if they knew the stakes.
"Yes," I affirmed with gritted teeth.
Hours passed, and we kept moving, taking only one break that was no more than five minutes long.
I am not wasting any time, not even a minute. Catching the mark is now a question of life and death.
If I succeed, I will gain more money than I could spend in my whole life and protection so that no one can touch me.
"He dealt with Frad''s crew. Killed them all," informed Fodulir suddenly, worry in his voice.
It made my already foul mood even worse.
I am not surprised. I have fought with him, understand his power, and know that most bandits we had informed couldn''t deal with him.
That is why I asked them to be careful, but they wouldn''t listen.
I had asked them to capture the mark, but I would be satisfied if they delayed or injured him enough to slow him down.
"Ask those bastards to be careful. Tell them not to underestimate him," I said.
Not that it would make a difference to those dead-brained idiots, but I hope, at least, some of them would listen.
...¡.
Margaux
I saw the sun going down, turning everything dark.
We moved through the dark toward Master Silver, who I felt was getting closer.
From what I hear, so are our enemies. As we move closer to Lord Silver, we are also getting closer to our enemies, which is making Lt. Colonel Zaar push us even harder.
This pace is not making things easy on me.
Saying I am tired would be an understatement. Even in the past, the worst days with animalistic men didn''t make me as exhausted as I am now.
I am drinking the potions that are keeping me awake. Without it, I would have fallen asleep by now.
Still, the tiredness remained.
I could drink another potion for that, but I am refraining from taking too many. It may help now, but there will be consequences later.
Still, I kept them ready. If the need arises, I won''t hesitate to drink them.
"Miss Margaux," said Ranger Vance.
I smiled at the man and raised my hand toward him. He took it, and I activated the Madam''s Projection.
I didn''t have to touch him. Close distance is enough, but I am tired, and touch makes the connection much smoother.
I projected Lord Silver''s location as clearly as possible so he could deduce it from the map.
A few seconds later, he took back his hand and moved toward the Lt. Commander Zaris. He accompanies me every half an hour to get updates on Lord Silver''s direction.
Or, I call him out when I notice Lord Silver suddenly changing his route, which he has done a lot.
I can''t stop worrying about him.
The enemies are beyond strong, but Lord Silver and others have fought them off. A dread fills me whenever I think about what would have happened if they hadn''t.
Soon, it was nine, and we stopped for just ten minutes to eat dinner.
I ate while walking to free up my muscles.
The potions have dealt with the soreness and pain, but some discomfort had remained.
"This journey reminds me of adventures I did in my younger days," reminisces Eva as she appears beside me, taking me out of my worried thoughts.
She looked much better than me. Tiredness hadn''t marred that beautiful glow on her face.
"It must have been quite an experience," I said, to which she smiled. It was and is one of my most precious memories," she replied, her eyes turning distant.
I didn''t say anything, but I couldn''t help but feel jealous when I looked at her.
She is far more powerful than I had imagined. I had heard the stories about that battle she had fought alongside Master Silver against the undead in Namdar.
I didn''t think of it much until I saw her power now.
I was in that dome she had created and felt the power of the spells that crashed into them.
They were extremely powerful¡ªenough to kill everyone inside¡ªbut the dome she had created defended against the attack.
I know two defensive spells, but they are Grade I, while her dome was more potent than the Grade IV defensive spell.
It would be hard to gain such power, but I will try. I never want to feel as powerless as I did in that dome.
I have the tools to achieve it. The only thing I have to do is work hard.
Chapter 543: Chase III
Pachak!
"I su," my saber cut his head before he could finish that sentence.
I had offered them a choice to leave at the start, but they didn''t take it. So, no one can blame me for killing them.
I looked around and saw the dead bodies around me. It was the third bandit group that had attacked me in less than a day.
I had killed six members of this group, while eleven ran away. I could catch up to them. I would have done that if it had been yesterday, but not today.
I walked toward my beast with whom I had projected calmness, using Command Projection.
The skill turned out to be more beneficial than I had thought. I used it on all three monsters, and they remained calm in front of the bandits and the monsters.
The two were looting the bandits as I appeared.
These two thoroughly changed their gear, gaining a lot from the bandits. Everything they have now, from weapons to armor plates, is looted from bandits.
I gave them a minute before we mounted on our beasts and resumed the journey.
It is around eleven, and if these two are correct, then we should be able to reach Vudiz City in four hours.
It wasn''t much time to work with.
My people are getting close. If they kept moving at the same speed as they were accomplishing right now, they would reach me within two to three hours.
In one to two hours, Margaux will be close enough for me to communicate with her.
"These bandit attacks feel targeted," said Aya softly. "Because they are," I replied.
Both of the women looked at me in surprise.
"The enemy is tracking us. Sending bandits in our way," I added.
I thought the first two were random, but this one confirmed my suspicion. They had an idea about my strength and were cautious.
Though not cautious enough.
If they had been, they wouldn''t have made the mistake of attacking me.
"So, what will we do about it?" asked Uloth. "Nothing. We will keep moving," I replied.
They wanted to say something about it and even opened their mouths, but they closed them a moment later. They had no other choice, and they knew it as well.
We need to keep moving and crush anything that comes our way. We only need four hours, and then it will all be over.
Hun!
Minutes passed when I sensed the monster. It was coming toward us.
The bear monster is huge¡ªbigger than even the beasts we are riding¡ªwith red fur and red eyes.
Roar!
It roared as it appeared in front of us.
I projected calm into my beast and the two beside me before focusing the power of my class on the monster.
Since the aura training began, my control over my class has dramatically improved. I could now focus on it without people beside me sensing it.
It suddenly froze in its tracks before running away when I focused the power of my class entirely on the monster.
I only used the power of Lord Class, not aura. I haven''t used even a speck of aura since the teleportation spell had thrown me here.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
There is no need to use it.
Each of the enemies we had encountered could have been removed without it. Aura would have made it easier, but it would have also tired me out.
It is not the thing I want to happen. I need to be at my peak to deal with any enemy, including those chasing after me.
Over an hour passed, and we are now crossing the shallow river.
It is not that shallow. Deep enough, beasts needed to raise their heads up to cross through it.
Suppose I had been with an entourage. I would have been crossing the river via an ice bridge. My sister and Zela are pretty proficient in ice elemental spells.
A few minutes later, we crossed the river.
On the other side my beast and I were covered in a coating of heat. It was uncomfortable, but it dried us within a few seconds.
"Thank you," I thanked.
In times like this, I feel even more jealous of the mages. The skills are great, but nothing could compare to the versatility of the spells.
Minutes passed, and we reached the top of another hill. We had done that hundreds of times.
They make up most of the terrain of the entire region.
I could see the cluster of lights. Most of them are faint, but one is a little brighter. It is a town about twenty miles away.
I wish I could go there. Book an inn and sleep on the soft, warm bed.
I glanced at it till it disappeared as we climbed downhill.
We had reached the base of it when I felt the connection between me and Margaux getting stronger. Enough that I might be able to talk to her.
''Margaux,'' I reached.
There was no reply, and I was about to try again when her voice rang out in my head.
''Master Silver,'' she greeted, but her voice felt different. It didn''t have its usual grace.
''Master Silver, the enemies are not far away from you. Lt. Commander is asking you to follow the directions to reach us before they reach you," she added in a hurry before I could say anything.
My expression turned severe. It''s not like I didn''t feel eyes on me.
I felt them from the sky and the forest. I have been feeling that for a while and thought I had time.
Unfortunately, I do not.
''Ok,'' I replied, sounding calmer than I was feeling.
A moment later, I received the directions and information about the enemy.
They are getting closer to me every moment, and I learned. I was moving toward them.
"Right," I said and sent the command to the beast through Command Projection.
...¡
Zaris
''Ask him to take a left from there,'' instructed Vance to Miss Margaux through the connection net.
The enemy is closer to Lord Silver, and they are getting closer to him every moment.
We were finally able to connect with him a minute ago. Since then, we have been instructing him toward us.
We are running out of time. In less than an hour, the enemies will reach him. We must reach him before them, even if it''s only seconds before.
The connection encompasses not only the three of us but also the guides.
Two of my deputies, Lord Silver''s guards, Miss Glass and Lady Leila, are connected. Most of us are quiet; only Miss Margaux, Vance, and the guides speak.
They are guiding Master Silver toward us.
We are guiding him toward us as fast as we can, but not fast enough, seeing the enemies covering the ground quickly toward him.
His safety is paramount. Nothing can happen to him.
I understood well that if something had happened to him. If the enemies got him, then cities would collapse.
He is the glue that is keeping it all together.
It is why we didn''t even report what had happened, even to Greltheaven, not directly. If the message came, we replied as we usually do.
However, we used the codes. The higher-ups are aware of what has happened.
Everything is currently under control; the news is contained but will not last long.
So, we must have Lord Silver with us, safe and protected, or things will start happening in the cities.
"The enemies had noticed," informed Vance. I just nodded. It wasn''t a surprise, seeing they were tracking our every movement.
¡.
Torug Yregh
"Fuck!" I cursed loudly, without care.
"Everybody, push your skills as hard as you can. Mages, don''t hold back on the spells!" I ordered.
The enemies are moving toward each other, and we must stop that.
It''s a regret that we are coming from the opposite side of the mark''s entourage, with the mark in the middle.
If we had been from the same direction. We might have intercepted the enemy while sending a group after the mark, but it''s impossible with where we are positioned.
I could feel the existing skills getting powerful and new ones activating.
The same goes for spells. I could see them covering the people and the beasts.
Our speed increased, and I hoped it would be enough to reach the mark before the enemy. It would be fine. We reached him even a minute before his entourage.
Even seconds would be more than enough.
Once we have him in our hands, I have complete confidence in our abilities to take him away. I had made all the preparations. The only thing I need is the mark.
Minutes passed, and we got closer and closer to the mark, but so did his entourage.
The more I heard about the update on their locations, the madder I got. I controlled myself and pushed the beasts into this thick forest as fast as possible.
I have already decided to use everything I have, including the things in my storage.
It is nearly midnight. We have four hours to get to the mark on our hands, or we all die.
I am willing to use that thing in my storage for it. It will also kill me, but at least it will give me time, which will be enough to find a way out of the predicament.
A half-hour passed, and we were less than ten minutes away from the mark.
We are pushing ourselves as hard as possible, and I will not allow his entourage to reach him before I do.
"Ahhhh!"
"They have reached the mark," informed Fodulir, and I let a roar of rage fill the forest before pushing my beast harder.
Chapter 544: Enemies Arrive
Aya Bandstone
He stopped. I pulled the reins of my mount and stopped as well.
We followed him for nearly an hour without question as he moved backward through a different route.
It was strange, but we followed.
"What is happening?" I asked finally, and there was no reply. I turned to Ulo and saw her expression become cautious, with a grimace emerging on her face.
"A group of people are coming toward us," Ulo said openly. A moment later, I heard the faint sounds, which became louder every second.
I looked at him and saw no worry in his eyes. Instead, he looked relieved.
He looked back at me before dismounting from his beasts. I did the same after looking at Ulo.
Less than ten seconds later. I saw a group of creatures, tens of them, coming out toward us through the darkness, with people riding on them.
Most of them are humans, with a few orcs mixed in.
Leading them is a man in his early forties. He is a soldier. They are easily recognizable.
Beside him are two beautiful women. They are wearing expensive light armor and blades at their waists.
One on the right looked similar to the original appearance of the man beside us with the same silvery grey eyes, while the other was a blond woman with deep blue eyes.
"My lord, it fills me with relief to see you unharmed," greeted the leader, bowing once he dismounted.
So, he is a noble.
"It''s good to see you too, Zaris," he replied before his expressions became grave.
"How far are they?" he asked. "Around five minutes," he replied.
"Then we should prepare," he stated. The man called Zaris nodded and began to give orders while the young man walked toward the other people.
A few seconds later, I saw the bracelet of an older, beautiful woman turning to liquid and turned into a whip.
As the whip moved, the trees began to fall apart cleanly. A moment after that, the others used the spells. Upon seeing those spells, my eyes couldn''t help but become wide.
''Those are Grade IV spells,'' said Ulo in shock while all I could do was nod.
People are moving around us. They glanced at us but didn''t say anything. They simply followed the orders while the young man talked to person after person.
We tried to remain close, but two people appeared beside him¡ªa good-looking woman in mage robes and a muscled armored orc.
Suddenly, he turned and looked at us. "I would advise both of you to leave immediately. It''s going to get dangerous here," he suggested.
"As for what I promised. I have informed my people, you will get it at the Archmage city," he added.
"I will stay," I replied before I could think, surprising him.
''Aya!'' screamed Ulo telepathically. She is not happy.
''Look at these people, they are strong, but there is still fear in their eyes.''
''Whatever enemy is coming is powerful; we should get out while we can,'' she said, and she was undoubtedly correct, but I don''t want to leave.
''We were not taking advantage of him. He is rich and alive because we have helped him.''
''So, there is no need to feel indebted to him,'' she said, and she is correct, but I don''t want to leave.
''You are sick, Aya. It would be bad if you stayed here,'' she pleaded.
''I know,'' I replied, understanding what she was saying.
I do not have a death wish, nor do I feel that much indebted to him, but I want to stay. Even I don''t fully understand the reason for this foolish decision.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
''You leave. It will become very dangerous here,'' I advised my friend.
She glared in reply.
''I am going to blame you. If something happens to me,'' she replied sarcastically.
I opened my mouth to make her reconsider her choice, but seeing her eyes, I closed it.
Ulo isn''t big on serious decisions, but when she does, it is tough to force her to change her mind.
I shook my head and began to check my armor and other things.
All of it is new or recently used.
I had scavenged swords, shields, and pieces of armor from the bandits'' bodies, so I now have a better and more complete armor set.
It gave me better confidence in my chances of survival.
''They are truly efficient,'' said Ulo, looking around amazed. I couldn''t help but nod in agreement.
From soldiers to mages, everyone is working. In less than five minutes, they have formed walls of wood.
The woman who had earlier chopped the trees is now quickly sharpening the wood, turning it into spikes while the soldiers place it in the holes that the mages made.
''These people know what they are doing,'' I thought, and once again, the thoughts about his identity rose in my heart again.
They referred to him as ''my lord.''
They didn''t call him by his name, though some might have, and many people are talking to him with privacy skills.
We stayed in a corner out of everybody''s way while they prepared for the enemies with clinical efficiency.
''The enemy is only a minute away," informed the raven-haired man.
"In position!" commanded the leader, whom they called Lt. Colonel Zaris, and immediately, people moved, including us.
He had used the army skill In Formation or something similar.
People moved, and I saw the young man taking the front position beside the leader and the woman with silvery grey eyes like him.
"The enemy is powerful. Most importantly, they have signed the death contract. They will not stop until they take me and kill you all."
"We have faced enemies far worse than them and came out victorious. We will do the same here, and nothing and no one will stop us from achieving that!" he said, shouting at the end.
Immediately, the soldiers begin to hit their feet to on the ground.
They are from Harsoth.
I knew they were from the West, hearing their accent, but this striking of feet confirmed it. The Western kingdoms do it, with it being the most popular in the Harsoth Empire.
Seconds passed, and finally, I began to hear the noise of the approaching enemy.
It became louder and louder before I saw the people the noise belonged to as they came out of the forest.
Seeing their numbers, I couldn''t help but grip my sword tightly.
I looked at their leader. He is a big orc. He looked imposing and dangerous, and I am certain he was. Just one look at him had raised all the hair on my body.
He looked at us all before his eyes stopped on the young man.
"Lord Silver, it seems like you are not willing to come with us," he said. "You already know the answer," replied the young man.
"How about now?" he asked, smoothly taking a saber from his bag.
Seeing the saber, the eyes of the young man and those around him widened. Even the eyes of the people behind the orc seemed to widen upon seeing it.
It''s a beautiful saber.
''Artifact!'' Ulo gasped in my mind. Hearing that, my eyes widened.
I had never seen an artifact. I heard our governor has one, but I have never seen it on his person.
I examined the saber he brought out.
It had an ivory handle with a beast pommel. A thick bronze semi-transparent coiling knuckle bow protects the fingers and joins the guard.
The saber''s blade is dark red, and when I saw it clearly, I noticed the scaly pattern, like it was forged out of scales instead of metal.
However, the most prominent part of it is the big ruby on a protecting langet on one side.
No, not ruby, but faceted diamond, and it is captivating.
"The answer is the same," replied the young man, but with a far more severe expression.
The enemy grinned in the subsequent moment. The diamond shone brightly before a dark red fire came out of it. It was unlike any other fire I have seen before. A fire of many facets resembles a living gem, an intricate blaze that dances with myriad hues and patterns.
It is a diamond fire, and it looks like millions of micro diamonds are burning inside it. The flames'' movement is hypnotic: sharp, angular leaps and mingles with pale, rounded flickers that radiate heat and hunger. The crackling sound of the fire mirrors its geometry, a symphony of sharp pops and low growls as if each flame sings its own crystalline note.
It is as enthralling as it is horrifying.
"Since you want to do it the hard way, I will show you the hard way," he said, raising his fiery saber.
"Attack!" he ordered and slashed his saber in the air.
Immediately, a vast arc of fire came toward us, and behind it was a shower of spells and arrows.
Overwhelmed by the site of it, a horror couldn''t help but rise in my heart.
This attack is too powerful. I know there is no way they could defend themselves from it.
''I made a mistake,''
The thought rose in my heart, and I stepped back before stopping and looking around in surprise.
Ulo and I were the only two who had taken a step back, while all the others remained in their places. Every soldier, woman, and, most importantly, those three in front remained where they were.
That young man had even taken a protective step forward.
At that moment, I understood why I had stayed.
I had joined the army at fourteen. I was excited but became disenchanted with its politics, pettiness, and betrayals; I suffered under it.
Most importantly, I had never seen loyalty in the eyes of any soldier like I am seeing in these people.
I had never known such loyalty.
It made me curious. Desperate for answers, I decided to risk my life for it, and now I got the answer, seeing that this young man took a step forward toward the arc.
The fiery arc arrived quickly and crushed through everything.
The wooden spikes, the earth wall, and everything else in its path before reaching the young man.
His eyes became unbending, and in the next moment, a suppressive atmosphere filled the battlefield.
I could see Ulo''s eyes mirroring mine, once again in shock at this man, as we felt it.
It is Aura.
This very young man had awakened the aura.
The feeling only lasted for a moment before receding, but I could still feel it faintly.
As it happened, he acted.
He slashed his rapier toward the attacking arc. It was not a blade he used when fighting against the bandits and monsters. That was a sword; this is a rapier.
Bang!
The rapier clashed with the arc of fire and, to my repeating shock. It stopped it.
The arc of fire struggled against it for a moment before it was repelled back toward the enemies while everyone watched in shock.
Chapter 545: Battle In The Forest I
Bang!
A deafening roar shattered the night as my blade collided with the surging arc of diamond fire.
It was powerful.
So much so that it threatened to push me back. I did not let it. Instead, I drove more of my aura against the attack.
Finally, it snapped. The diamond fire recoiled, its predatory light twisting as though in pain before hurtling back toward the enemy ranks.
For a breathless moment, silence hung heavy in the air.
Then I saw it¡ªthe widening eyes of my enemies, their expressions twisting from smug triumph to raw disbelief. The arc tore through their defences like a vengeful spirit, obliterating the volley of arrows and spells they had unleashed, leaving only destruction in its wake.
Graceful Repel.
It is a skill from Bell, and since it''s from her Lord Class, I am glad I had copied this skill instead of Focus. It helped me a lot in the battle of Panar, but I don''t know how much it will help me against the elemental artifact.
That artifact is powerful and unlike Stone''s. The saber is not broken, making it far more dangerous.
"I have to admit," he drawled, his smirk cutting deeper than his blade ever could, "your little show of skill is... surprising. Really, it is." His steps echoed as he closed the distance, slow and deliberate, like a wolf savoring the scent of cornered prey. "But let''s not kid ourselves¡ªit won''t save you."
His steps were slow, but his people moved fast. They cast spells that destroyed every obstacle before attacking my people.
Clang!
The clash of steel rang out, far too close for comfort. The rogue struck, her movements a blur, but Jon was there to meet her blade.
She had seriously injured Jon last time; this time, it would be even worse, as she knew everything about him¡ªhis every skill while she might be hiding some of hers.
It wasn''t just Jon. Now, it was all of us. They knew our every move, every weakness, every one of our skills.
It didn''t stop us from forming our plans, and one of them was to have Leila, Lena, and Zela finish their opponents as soon as possible and come to help me.
We know that task wouldn''t be easy.
Still, I am keeping hope because I don''t think I can handle him with that thing in his hand for long.
In the last battle, I was barely able to survive.
I might have lost it if it had lasted for a minute or more. So, the bandits using a teleportation scroll was a blessing for me.
Though he will not make a mistake now, in this attack, he took out the artifact to finish the job.
"We shall see," I said, forcing every ounce of defiance into my voice,
To which he grinned and appeared in front of me before swinging his saber.
It blazed with living diamond fire cascading along the blade in a brilliant, searing dance, making my heart lurch and shudder.
I controlled my emotions and swung my rapier with the power of Blade of The Gale, Mauling Strike, and Rapid Strikes.
I powered them with my aura because without it. I won''t be able to last even a single exchange.
Clang!
Our weapons clashed, and I activated Quick Parry, but he broke it and sent the diamond fire toward me.
Bang!
Immediately, I activated Graceful Repel with the power of aura. The fire resisted and repelled it while I stepped back to manage the force.
I didn''t hold back on my counter.
Using the full power of the aura on me and my skills, he was still able to push me back.
It might be an elemental artifact, but it still offers other enhancements.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
As for how much can be accessed depends on the user.
Artifacts have immense power, but how much one can draw out depends on the person. Moreover, the more power one draws out, the more strain one would suffer.
This pressure is so great that people have died, but it is challenging to draw out enough power to be killed by the backlash.
"I must admit," he said, his voice laced with a grudging respect that only made him more terrifying, "you''ve surprised me."
Then he moved. His saber sliced through the air faster than before, each swing unleashing blazing arcs of fire that roared like living creatures. The heat surged toward me, and my breath hitched; my expression couldn''t help but become serious.
They are dangerous; a single one of them had the capacity to kill me, and there are tens of them coming at me.
The distance makes them even more dangerous. He was launching them from close range, and I needed to respond immediately.
Bang Bang Bang
My blade clashed against the first arc, repelling it before responding to another and then the third.
With the Blitz Steps, I had to move three steps to defend the fourth arc, two steps left to defend the fifth arc, and five steps right to defend the sixth.
I defended each as they came. I couldn''t let any arc move past me. They might hit my people.
He is willing to take that risk, but I am not.
Bang!
I defended against the last arc and saw him flashing behind me at incredible speed.
His speed was faster than he had been when we had fought last time.
I do not doubt that this is a power of the artifact, and now I have to defend against it. If I fail, it will be game over.
So, I poured as much aura as possible into the Blitz Steps and turned while swinging my blade.
As I did, I saw his blazing saber in front of me. He skillfully avoided my rapier and came toward me with a grin blooming on his face.
I immediately retreated backward with a force that would have broken some bones, but I had passive skills that made it easier.
His saber was faster, and it reached me.
Bang Rip!
A deafening sound rang out as the blade clashed with the Graceful Repel covering my body, but that wasn''t enough; the saber cut me.
That is why I prefer the skill over just my rapier.
I could use the physical blade to stop the attack, which the repelling field couldn''t.
The cut wasn''t big, but it wasn''t small either.
Most worriedly, the skill wasn''t able to repel all the fire. Some had entered inside me, and now it wants to burn me.
It is as powerful as wildfire and heavy as a rock and wants to consume me.
Immediately, I focused my aura on the wound. It had already dyed black, and it shimmered as it spread.
I do not want to spread inside my body.
The fire may be only 10% of the attack, but it held the power to burn me badly. Enough, I would become incapable of fighting.
The aura is stopping from spreading, but that''s not enough.
I need to whittle its power away so that nothing would remain.
I was focusing on the wound when I saw him coming at me with another attack. This one is faster than earlier, and I moved to dodge while moving my rapier forward.
His saber avoided my blade and came at me.
Bang Rip!
It once again clashed with the Graceful Repel. This time, he was cutting me across my stomach.
The cut isn''t as big as earlier, but the attack has more blaze, and now it wants to spread over me and burn me to ashes.
I moved my aura to stop it but saw another attack approaching me.
Clang!
I stopped it, but I had to move two steps back, and he used that chance to attack again even faster.
Bang Rip!
He cut right below the chest armor with his saber, cutting through and touching the bone.
I moved the aura toward it immediately and went to defend against another attack coming at me.
My head had started to hurt terribly as I began to use the aura to manage the artifact''s power into my wound, the skills, and the suppression of him.
With the last battle, my aura control had improved significantly. I used the day and a half to digest the concepts of aura control that I had read about and improve them further.
I had confidence that if we fought again. I would be able to defeat this man, but the artifact had changed things completely.
Now, I am at a more significant disadvantage than I had been at the first battle.
More wounds tore across my body, each one burning. If this kept up, it wouldn''t just be pain¡ªit would be my undoing. The energy trapped within one of those wounds was already unstable, and the moment it slipped free, it would end me.
I could feel the power of the artifact in the wound. It is hazardous; the slightest slip-up will kill me.
I want to destroy them, but I am focusing on the aura of so many things that it has become more challenging for me and will become even harder.
Bang Rip!
I had just thought that when a cut appeared on my shoulder, I had moved the aura toward it. It increased pressure and intensified the headache I was feeling.
Clang!
While retreating, I defended the next attack and used this chance to appear behind the tree.
His saber cut through the tree cleanly, giving me the chance to dodge the attack successfully.
Bang Rip!
I wasn''t so lucky the next time. The enemy was able to cut me at the waist, increasing the pressure on me further.
He is too powerful. It is too hard to defend against his attacks.
I am pushing an aura into my body and my skills and onto him, but this time, it barely affects him.
The artifact is providing him protection against it.
I want to move my aura from him, but it''s not just suppressing him. It also showed me his every moment, helping me react faster to his attack.
Though not fast enough, even though I have the skill of Fast Reflex,
It will be challenging to increase my power further with aura. I will try; it will help if I can react faster than I am now.
I do not want to kill him, nor do I believe I could, but it would make defending easier if I could react faster.
It would be enough to defend, but I am already reacting with Fast Reflex.
If I want to react even faster, I must boost the Fast Reflexes'' power. It is hard.
I use aura on every skill except for the passive skills. It''s beyond hard; there seemed to be a wall stopping it.
Many times, I tried to breach it but failed.
Bell had said I would need at least a year or more to achieve that. With how things are going, I don''t have a year, I don''t even have a minute.
I will have to do it. Make it stronger. It was the only way I could survive against this powerful enemy.
Chapter 546: Battle In The Forest II
Torug Yregh
Bang Rip!
''Eleven,'' I counted, giving another cut across his stomach.
One was all I took to deal with 90% of the enemies I had used the artifact against.
Five was the highest.
All those enemies were stronger than me. It''s the reason I used the artifact against them. Killing them all without exception, but here, despite cutting him eleven times, he is still alive.
The reason is aura. It made things harder last time and is making them harder now.
I didn''t think he would be able to survive for so long, but he is.
I am in a precarious situation, teetering on the edge of failure. Time was slipping through my fingers like sand, and I needed to capture him¡ªnow. Every second wasted was a step closer to losing my chance to deliver him to the designated spot before it was too late.
The contract is rigorous. I have read it a hundred times, and there is no exception.
I will have to do what it had asked or suffer death.
I moved again, and he retreated, using the thick trees around us.
Bang Rip!
I cut through them before attacking him. Giving him another cut across his stomach.
Anger surged through me, hot and blinding, as I watched him still standing. My attacks, which should have torn him apart, barely scratched him. This artifact had split others clean in two with a single swing¡ªyet against him; it was as if I were striking stone.
"Resistance is futile. Just give up, Silver," I said.
It is clear that it is futile. He might be resisting now, but he won''t be for forever. I could see in his face how hard it was for him to dodge my attack.
If it hit him, his difficulties would increase further as he had to deal with the artifact''s energy.
"I will give up IF you will defeat me; you haven''t yet. You haven''t yet!" the young man replied defiantly.
I didn''t say anything to that and attacked again.
He dodged it and then another before I touched him again, bringing his injuries to thirteen, and attacked again without wasting any time.
I have to deal with him fast before diving into the battle to kill all of his entourage.
It will be troublesome if I leave them alive. Besides, the employers added extra benefits to the contract with the death of each one.
So, there is another reason for me to kill them.
There are a few tricky ones among the enemies, but once I joined my people. They will all be burned to ashes without any exception.
Especially that ice elemental spell blade.
This time, three mages and spell blades are dealing with her, and she is still giving them trouble.
I pushed those thoughts and attacked again, going for his chest.
Clang!
He defended it.
Something he didn''t manage to do since I increased the power. His power didn''t increase, but he defended it with a smile appearing on his face.
"A fluke," I told myself, gripping the weapon tighter. With a snarl, I launched another attack, determined to prove that he wouldn''t escape unscathed this time.
He moved his blade, and its speed did not increase. It was at the same speed as before.
Hun!
This relieved me, but a moment later, I noticed something. His blade moved according to mine, which it does every time, but it followed my saber eerily accurately this time.
Soon, my saber reached his blade, and I activated Weaving Evasion despite my strain.
Clang!
To my surprise, his blade stopped it. He seemed to know where my saber would move and adjusted it accurately.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.
Anger rose in my heart, and I stepped forward and attacked while he retreated to absorb the force.
Clang Clang!
He defended once again and again when I decided to try a different strategy and suddenly attacked to his left.
He moved as I moved, with his eyes never leaving mine.
Clang!
His blade clashed with mine, and anger rose in my heart. I controlled it and appeared behind him before attacking.
He deflected the blow infuriatingly, and the anger in my chest surged, burning hotter with every heartbeat.
Clang, Clang, Rip!
He defended again and again before finally allowing me to pass the evade and give him a cut.
My rage flared as I watched him twist, narrowly evading the strike. He didn''t just avoid the attack¡ªhe completely outmaneuvered it. The blade of the saber didn''t even graze him, let alone draw blood, and that realization only stoked the fire in my veins.
It only made a scratch.
"Bastard!" I cursed and attacked. Pushing my skills as hard as I could.
Clang Clang Clang
He defended the attack and then another and another.
His eyes are always on my blade. He moved according to my attack.
The more I attacked, the more I noticed his precision. He moved only when absolutely necessary, his steps were calculated, his shifts were economical, and he wasted not a single ounce of effort.
I struck from every angle, my blade a relentless flurry of fury, yet the bastard deflected each strike with maddening efficiency. It was as though he danced on the edge of chaos, always a step ahead, always in control.
''Yregh, I need help!'' said Hortu. Breaking me out of my thoughts.
''Wait for a few seconds,'' I replied and immediately asked others, but all of them were busy.
We have learned about the enemies, but the enemies have also learned about us, as well.
Making things difficult this time.
I had warned them about it and told them not to hold back against them, but they still ended up underestimating the enemy, seeing our advantages against them.
I focused on the enemy in front of me. I need to deal with him first before I can help my men.
Clang, Clang, Rip!
He defended my attack. I attacked repeatedly, and he defended and continued to defend five times before I could cut him.
I wouldn''t stop and push myself against him harder and harder.
Every one of my attacks forced him to retreat, but no matter how relentless I was, he defended with a tenacity that defied reason. Worse, he seemed to be improving with each clash, his movements sharper and more precise, even though he looked like he could collapse at any moment.
He had turned pale and started bleeding out from his nose and ears.
The same thing happened last time, but then he continued fighting as he was doing now.
I needed to finish him, but he resisted with everything he had. He should know by now that it was futile. This wasn''t like last time¡ªthere was no escape, no miracle waiting for him.
At that moment, I unsheathed the saber, its edge gleaming with purpose. His fate was sealed the instant it left its scabbard.
He might think his defiance means that he''s buying time or turning the tide. But he''s wrong. All he''s doing is delaying the inevitable. And even so, I couldn''t let him stall for much longer. Fate waited for no one.
Seeing that, I begin to swing my saber hard. Sending arcs after arcs of fire at the enemy before following behind.
I didn''t attack like this before because I didn''t want to kill the man mistakenly, but seeing how he was resisting. He didn''t leave me much choice.
Seeing the attack coming. He did something surprising.
He took the short sword from his waist and moved toward the fire arcs defending against them.
Bang Bang Bang!
It surprised me to see how efficiently he is defending the diamond fire attacks with it¡ªnot awkwardly, as I had expected from the non-dominant hand.
Clang!
His rapier stopped my attack before taking a step back.
I didn''t immediately follow and sent the arcs, bigger ones with greater power, before following behind.
Bang Bang Rip!
He defended the fiery arcs again but couldn''t defend against my saber.
I cut him across his waist, and this time, the cut isn''t small.
I could see him turning even paler. It is not just this cut, but all the cuts, and, most importantly, the strain he is feeling must be extreme pressure.
I read about aura and even talked to a few who have it.
They have described its power but also the strain it put on them. It could be reduced with practice and experience. This man, however, was a novice¡ªhe had barely wielded it for two months. His inexperience was evident, the strain already starting to show in the way he moved, how his grip faltered, how his breath came in ragged gasps.
Bang Bang Rip!
I once again released the arcs and attacked; this time, I touched him again.
However, after I attacked him again, he defended and defended again.
I kept attacking, and I could see him getting paler and paler with each attack. Soon, he had become even whiter than last time.
He might defend, but for how long?
I don''t think he will be able to do this for long. I just need to keep pushing. Increase the pressure until it becomes so great that he will fall dead.
Still, I would prefer to deal with him first before that happens. I need to help others.
I kept attacking from every side, taking advantage of my speed. He reacted fast, defending against all my attacks so that I couldn''t cut him.
Every moment of it was maddening, and the anger simmered just beneath the surface. But I forced myself to keep it in check, focusing all my energy on the task at hand. I couldn''t afford to let frustration cloud my judgment¡ªnot now.
Letting my emotions get wild wouldn''t be wise, especially when I am holding the thing in hand that had killed its previous owner.
Using the artifact isn''t without a cost.
It is powerful but straining-like aura. Using it, I need to keep my emotions under control, or it will make them burn like the fire it has within.
The man who owned it before let it consume him, and the artifact fed.
I still remember its destructive power. It had wiped out everything in its path, including the man holding it.
When I reached the place of destruction, I saw nothing but charred bodies, including the person holding the saber. He had turned ashes when I removed the saber from his hand.
I pushed those thoughts and focused on attacking the man before me.
Seconds passed and turned into a minute, and he was still defending. He looked like a dead body, but he was still fighting.
Hun!
I had appeared behind him and was about to attack when I sensed something.
''Hortu is dead!'' informed Fodulir. He did not have to tell me. I had sensed it.
The enemy looked at me while I took a deep breath.
"You have forced me!" I said, and the next moment. The strain on me increased while the fire on my saber exploded wildly.
I did not want to do this because of this strain and backlash; I would suffer, but seeing one of my core people die, I have to do this.
Finish him and rest, or we will join Hortu in the afterlife.
Chapter 547: Battle In The Forest III
"You''ve forced my hand," he growled, and before I could react, the fire along his saber erupted into a feral blaze.
Damn it!
My heart clenched, dread clawing its way up my spine. This was bad¡ªreally bad.
I''d barely survived last time, defying all odds by accomplishing in days what Bell claimed would take a year. But now, that victory felt like a curse.
I was able to push the aura on the passive skill, Fast Reflexes, and its effects were better than I had thought.
My reaction became faster than my body could follow. This was not the case before.
When I acquired the skill, it wasn''t difficult for my body to follow it. My training and skills helped me in the past, but I have to face this new problem now.
I had pushed more aura into my body to synchronize it with the fast reaction.
Still, I could barely move fast enough to match my reflexes, but thankfully, it was just enough to defend against his attacks¡ªeven when he started unleashing the arcs.
Now, he had brought out a power that terrified me to my heart.
"You shouldn''t use such power. The backlash wouldn''t be nice," I said, pushing more aura into charm.
He had unleashed more power than his body could handle. It was written all over him¡ªthe bulging veins snaking across his massive frame, pulsing with a dangerous intensity, threatening to tear him apart from the inside.
Making him look scary.
"I will pull back power. If you surrender," he said with a grin, hoping I would comply.
"Do your worst!" I challenged him to bait his anger even more.
I really shouldn''t have done that¡ªbut of course, I did. And wouldn''t you know it? My success only cranked up his anger to a whole new level.
"Die!" he said and swung his saber.
Immediately, the sparkling faceted wave of fire came at me.
It wasn''t just an arc this time¡ªit was a wave, a surging, all-consuming force that rippled through the air with terrifying intensity. The arcs he''d flung at me earlier, even the largest and fiercest from the beginning of the battle, seemed insignificant now.
''It will kill me!'' I thought in panic.
I can''t dodge it. It is too fast and big. It will catch up to me.
My only option is to defend, but it''s too huge. Still, I have to stop it if I want to survive.
I have to survive, not only for myself but also for the people fighting to save me and my cities. If I fail, they will all die; my enemies will not let them live.
As I accepted that, the realization hit me like a steadying hand in the chaos, sweeping away the panic that had clawed at my mind moments before. The fear, the racing pulse, the suffocating weight in my chest¡ªall of it dissolved. In its place, a profound calmness settled, like the eye of a storm had opened in my heart.
I reached for Graceful Repel, attaching it to my short sword.
I can not see it, but I could feel it.
I have read about it and know it very well since I have used it many times, but now I will do something I have never done before.
I know it could happen; I have seen Bell do it.
Graceful Repel shook before it moved, by my will, with a life of its own. It detached itself from the blade and flew forward.
The skill typically needs to be attached to something. It could be a body or weapon, but it is in the air, moving forward right now.
The skill isn''t breaking the rules. It is attached to something: my aura, which I push in front of me.
It didn''t only move, but it also began to stretch. With each meter forward, it grew, stretching even bigger.
I understand it as a force field. It could take any shape. I had seen Bell forming it into different shapes, from spheres, cones, pyramids, and many others.
I cannot do those complex shapes, nor do I need to.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
A wall of Graceful Repel appeared in front of me. It is big enough to stop the whole wave, but size alone isn''t enough.
It needs to be unyielding, too.
If this was not copied but my own skill. It would have been more powerful, but it is a skill from Lord Class below Lv. 30.
Thankfully, it is a powerful skill from a powerful class. This means that I can strengthen it a lot before reaching my limit.
I had to fortify the wall to withstand the oncoming wave and repel it back, defying its sheer force and fury.
So, I dug into the deepest part of myself and brought out the aura before pushing it inside the skills.
"Ahhhhh¡"
A raw, guttural scream tore from my throat as an unbearable pain ripped through me like my very soul was being torn. Every fiber of my being begged me to stop, but I refused. The strain was maddening, the wall itself seeming to push back as if the skill had reached its limit and was resisting my will.
Even at this limit, I pushed more aura inside it.
A moment passed, and the glittering ravenous wave clashed against the force field.
Suddenly, a force like a truck running a hundred miles per hour crashed into me. Driving back my steps with enough force that threatened to make me unconscious.
I looked at the force field, which was holding back the wave, but it was losing.
I won''t be able to stop it, let alone repel it. If this goes on for another second, the wall will collapse like a cheap cardboard box, and that wave will come straight at me. And my mind flashed images showing me that would be bad on so many levels.
Even if I did not die right away, additional worst-case scenarios darted into my thoughts. First, if the skill breaks, I might suffer backlash; second, the skill might disappear.
It is the only thing keeping me safe from the artifact. If it disappeared, and I survived this attack, I would be defenseless for the next.
So, I gritted my teeth and pushed more aura into the shield. I dug deeper into myself but also scavenged some from the effort to suppress the wounds holding the artifact''s power back.
It made the pain a lot worse, and my mind began to shut down before I stopped it forcefully.
I am bearing too much pressure. My mind instinctively wants to shut off to save me, but if I let that happen, I will lose everything.
I dug out more and more aura from my most profound depths and put them into the force field.
Finally, the immense struggle ended, and the force field was able to push the wave back. As it recoiled, the wave didn''t just retreat¡ªit scorched everything in its path. Trees were reduced to smoldering husks; stones shattered like fragile glass and anything caught in its wake was burned away instantly, leaving nothing but a charred, desolate trail of destruction.
I looked at the enemy and saw him looking at me with shock.
I looked straight into his eyes, and the next moment, I moved.
The aura I brought out wanted to go back badly. Instead, I moved the aura from Graceful Repel into Blitz Steps and Fast Reflexes.
With that, I moved toward the enemy.
I am at my limit; I won''t be able to last with how the battle is going. I won''t receive help soon despite the others gaining some edge over the enemies.
So, that leaves me with the only choice, which is to kill my enemy.
After seeing the artifact, I had never even considered it, but now I have to. I need to do it. It is the only way I will survive.
It is daring and foolhardy, but it is my last option.
As he witnessed me moving forward, the surprise disappeared from his eyes, and they became serious.
Immediately, he slashed his saber forward, sending another fiery wave.
I leaped to the left, through the burning trees, avoiding the wave. Last time, I wasn''t fast enough, but now I am, and I want to kill my tormentor with this speed.
"Bastard!" he cursed and sent another fiery wave.
I reacted and dodged, avoiding the wave and the burning trees. I could do that now, with the Fast Reflexes and speed that barely let my feet touch the ground.
That''s how fast I am moving.
He attacked again; I dodged it, and the wave moved, burning everything in its path. Only the sound of pops and the growl of Diamond fire touched me.
I am moving through the fiery ground as everything around me is burning.
I am thankful that our duel has moved further away from the ongoing melee, or things would have been dangerous for my people.
Even the terrain is becoming dangerous for me. This magical fire is hazardous, not to mention the smoke, which can kill before the fire does.
I may be stronger than regular humans, but the smoke would still kill me if I had inhaled it too much.
I dodged another wave and was delighted to see its effect on him. He was getting paler, with his veins popping up.
That is why he changed the strategy after I dodged another attack.
He stopped the range attacks and moved toward me.
His speed is incredibly fast; he hasn''t just drawn the elemental power from the artifact but its physical enhancements as well. Increasing his speed, which is unsettling for me.
He was slightly faster than me, and he slashed his saber forward as he came close.
Immediately, another wave of fire came toward me, which couldn''t be avoided.
The distance is too short.
I slowed down and again poured all the aura into the Graceful Repel.
Bang!
The fiery wave clashed against it, and it stopped it, but soon, I realized another danger.
"Now you are dead!" he said as he flashed in front of me like a ghost and attacked me with a sword blazing wildly.
I moved my rapier forward, as before, I was slower. A fraction of a second later, it had become really fast.
Making his eyes widen.
I used the force field to repel the attack. Immediately, I pulled the aura back into my skills.
Clang!
I was barely able to move the rapier forward to stop his saber. It shook me, and I needed to step back to manage the force.
I didn''t even pull half of the aura from the force field. It only took time before shrinking it and bringing it onto my rapier.
However, lowering the power to force the field is not without consequences.
Some of the power of the wave had leaked through the force field, burning me.
It is affecting my body. Especially my hands; it feels terrible.
Still, stopping isn''t an option. I have to kill my enemy, or he will kill me.
"Why aren''t you giving up? You should know your life isn''t in danger. You are the host of legacy; they will not kill you."
"Why struggle so much?" he asked.
"Because I can," I replied, thick with defiance, pushing the aura further into my skill and attacking.
Surprising him. It was the first time I did it.
Since the battle started, I had either defended or dodged, never attacked, but now I did, despite it making me feel my soul was tearing apart.
I didn''t pull out more aura for this. I don''t think there is anything more to give.
No, I had just fine-tuned it. I am gaining more control over it than I had before.
Chapter 548: Fire and Ashes
Clang!
He defended quickly before attacking. It was a powerful attack filled with all his fury.
Seeing me attacking him.
I defended the attack, but he repeatedly attacked with the glittering fire burning wildly across his saber.
This fire was leaking through the force field, burning me!
I defended seven times before I was able to attack once again. Unable to breach his defence, he struck me four times before I attacked again.
I am constantly shifting my aura around my skills.
Before, it was like a thick rope, but now it is slimming down without losing the power.
I''m controlling the aura with greater precision and moving it swiftly simultaneously.
I use more aura on my offensive skills when attacking, but as the blades clash, I shift more aura into the Graceful Repel.
This approach has reduced the strain it was putting on my body.
As the seconds ticked by, a small smile crept onto my face. I had accomplished something extraordinary.
I had succeeded in chipping away at the artifact''s power, starting from the first wound it inflicted on me. The aura it had bound was now finally freed.
I moved that aura immediately into the skills. Strengthening them a little more.
Clang, Clang, Clang!
We moved in our own personal hellscape as our blades clashed fast and hard.
Every attack would send out more scorching fire around us, making things harder on me.
My eyes have already started to tear up, but unlike me, he is protected from fire, and the smoke also doesn''t seem to affect him much.
However, his condition deteriorates as he draws more power from the artifact than his body can endure. Yet, like me, he continues to bear it, refusing to relent.
We are both nearing the limit, but we are pushing ourselves.
Another wound cleared, and like before, I shifted that aura into the skills.
The whittling is happening much faster than before because I understand what I have to do to remove it and also because of my improving control.
With an aura, control is everything. How finely one controls one''s aura determines one''s power.
My control is visibly improving as I fight, enhancing my attacks and defense.
Clang, Clang, Clang!
The tone of our battle has changed with the clashing of our blades, and now every other strike is from me. Somehow, we are now fighting on equal terms.
Which isn''t making him happy.
There is a raging anger in his eyes, which is making the sword blaze even more wildly.
It is likely that this artifact emotionally synchronizes with its user. These kinds of artifacts are powerful, but they are also a double-edged sword.
The user must maintain control over their emotions, or else they will be consumed by them. There is a long list of users that such artifacts have consumed.
His artifact is likely affecting him, amplifying his emotions. This is why the fire is getting wilder and more consuming, making it hard to gain an edge.
"Your emotions are getting messed up by your artifact. If this keeps up, it''ll consume you," I said, launching my attack.
"So what? I''ll die if I don''t take you down first," he shot back, laughing like a maniac.
A second later, his veins were pulsating, turning a sickening red, and bloody mist started seeping from his body. His eyes glowed a deep crimson, sparkling like the fire on his saber.
I froze, every hair on my body standing on end.
''Well, that backfired,'' I thought. Should''ve kept my mouth shut!
My words have taken him over the edge. He has let the artifact take hold of him.
Artifacts aren''t alive, but some are made of things that were once alive. Those original emotions remain, and they can affect users if they don''t guard their minds well.
"You should have just surrendered, but you didn''t. For that, you deserve to burn!" he screamed, his voice raw and twisted, a sound that didn''t belong to any man. It sent a chill down my spine, a guttural, otherworldly echo that felt¡ wrong.
But that fleeting thought was swallowed by the heat of the moment as I watched him swing the saber.
The blade blazed with an intensity that I was unprepared for. It arced high above me, and then, like a storm unleashed, a wave of fire surged forward, larger, hotter, more ferocious than anything before. It wasn''t just an attack anymore¡ªit was a force of nature, an inferno, bearing down on me with a relentless hunger.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
A cold dread gripped my heart, and in that instant, all I could feel was the overwhelming weight of the fire rushing toward me. Horror washed over me. This... this might be the end.
I squished this feeling as it came, as it was not time to feel dismay.
He had lost himself, but now he was coming for me; if I didn''t defend against this attack, I would die a horrific, fiery death.
The fire itself is telling me it will burn me to ashes.
So, once again, I bore the pain and dug deeper. I know there is nothing, but I went deeper because I didn''t have enough control to defend it sophisticatedly.
I need raw power. It is the only thing that could save me.
''Ahhhhh¡''
I found some, but when I pulled it out. I felt like I was tearing myself apart in a hundred places, but I bore and brought it out.
I pushed it all into myself and my skills as I swung it forward.
CLANG!
My blade clashed against his saber, bearing the wave of fire. It crashed against my blade, making me feel like a tsunami slammed into me.
Its force was powerful enough to send me flying, but I restrained it. Instead, I took steps back to manage the force with the force field holding back the massive wave.
I felt the pressure on me and the limit of my skill.
It was the first time I had sensed it, and it was close. If I push it beyond that, it will break apart, and its backlash will knock me away.
I bore the pressure from the skill and poured even more aura into it, taking it to the limit.
It was only then that it had knocked back the wave back at him.
At that same time, I leaped forward.
I don''t have time, and the skill saving my life is at the limit. I am at the limit. I have to end the battle quickly, within seconds, or I will die.
Yes, die.
He had lost his mind, and I don''t think he was thinking about the job anymore.
The only thing he wants to do is burn me.
Just as I reached him, I saw him emerging from the roaring wave, unaffected, his figure cutting through the inferno like a specter.
"Die!" he roared, his voice a guttural scream of pure rage as he swung his saber with a vast wave of faceted fire behind it.
CLANG!
We clashed with the Force field, holding back the fire once again. As it repelled it, I leaped toward him once again.
It is evident that he had changed even more.
His entire body had turned a fierce, glowing red, the heat radiating off him intense enough to scorch anyone who dared to come too close. It was the kind of heat that could incinerate a normal person.
He should be dead despite his stats, but he is still standing.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
Another second ticked by, and I attacked again and again, meeting every strike he sent my way. But with each blow, I could feel myself growing stronger, my attacks becoming sharper, more precise. The power behind his strikes was beginning to wane.
I could feel it¡ªI was improving, feeding more aura into each attack, drawing strength from the wounds that marred my body. I had already siphoned away the power from sixteen wounds; now, only seven remained. Every step, every strike, brought me closer to draining him completely.
However, I am getting new wounds.
I have been burned on nearly every inch of my skin. Even my clothes had started to smoke, making it harder to breathe, but I was still fighting.
There is no other way out of it.
CLANG!
Another second, once more, my blade clashed against him, but this time. I didn''t take even a single step back.
I grinned, bloody, and attacked while he raged.
He might have lost his mind, but he could still see the things that were bad for him, and that made him even more angry.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
We clashed, and he shook, making my grin even wider. I attacked again, pushing him back a step.
A shock appeared in his eyes.
"Ahhhhhhh¡.."
At that moment, he had wholly lost it. There is no hint of sanity in his eyes, only rage.
The fire flared across his saber and covered him. Making him a being of fire.
"BURN!"
He let out a roar, but it wasn''t his voice¡ªno, it was something far more monstrous, as though the very essence of the artifact had taken over him. With a swing of his saber, he unleashed a fierce power that would instantly shatter my skill.
I felt the urge to retreat, the survival instinct screaming in my mind. I almost did¡ªalmost. But I knew that retreating meant certain death. Staying in my usual response would lead to the same grim fate.
Another second, a daring idea flashed into my mind: reckless and dangerous. Without a moment''s hesitation, I acted on it, throwing caution to the wind.
I gathered every ounce of aura I had left and shoved it into Blitz Steps, propelling myself toward him with everything I could muster. In mid-air, I shifted all that energy into Graceful Repel and Razor Edge, molding them together with a raw, unrelenting focus.
The control wasn''t there¡ªnot at first. But I willed it with sheer force, bending the Graceful Repel into a sharp, powerful wedge. I wrapped Razor Edge around it, creating a deadly shield with me standing just behind it, the blade positioned at its very edge, ready for the strike.
As I flew toward him, he saw me coming, and just as I had anticipated, his saber shifted, the fire flaring in response to my move.
The bandit may have lost his mind, but his instincts were still sharp, his deadly precision intact. He swung his saber in a way that would exploit my every move, positioning himself to take full advantage of my strike.
In the blink of an eye, I reached him, the wedge of Graceful Repel cutting through the thick fire that had enveloped him. Our weapons finally collided in a deafening clash.
Just as I had anticipated, the full power of the artifact surged to try and break the wedge, its overwhelming force transferring solely upon it. It was the only way he could burn me¡ªchanneling all its power into one last, desperate attempt.
But as the fire surged forward, I shifted with it. My short sword, wrapped in the deadly Razor Edge, drove toward the enemy with swift, lethal precision, its edge gleaming as it closed in.
Crack Crack Crack
Another second passed, and it happened: I began to hear a faint crack in my mind. The fire was too much for the skill, and it had started to crack.
"Ahhhhhhhh¡."
Each sound felt like someone hacking my soul with a blunt ax. It was beyond painful, with the promise to take me to oblivion.
I bore it and didn''t stop what I was doing.
The enemy finally noticed and reacted instinctually, but it was too late.
The short sword was now so close that there was no time for him to evade it. Yet, even in that split second, he made an effort¡ªan instinctual, desperate attempt to shift and avoid the strike. But he saw it too late. I had pushed myself, my body moving with a force I hadn''t thought possible, driving the sword forward with everything I had.
Puch!
At last, the blade struck true, driving into his skull with unrelenting force. It tore through flesh and bone, emerging clean on the other side, a grim testament to the sheer, unyielding power behind the strike.
I released my grip, my gaze locking onto the enemy¡ªand my breath caught in disbelief. He was still alive.
A cold shudder shot through my chest, but before I could react, something changed. The searing fire that had been consuming me moments before began to fade, its blistering heat vanishing into thin air. No¡ªnot vanishing. It was being drawn into the saber, the flames swirling toward it like a ravenous vortex.
As the last ember disappeared, the enemy''s body began to darken, its flesh turning an unnatural, ashen black. A dreadful silence fell, the air thick with an eerie, foreboding stillness.
He was still alive.
Slowly, he opened his mouth, his cracked lips trembling as if summoning every ounce of strength he had left.
"Y¡"
The single sound escaped him¡ªa fragment of a word, a question, a curse¡ªI would never know.
Before he could finish, his face darkened, the ashen blackness consuming him entirely.
Then, with a brittle, hollow crack, his body crumbled, collapsing into a mound of ash that scattered into the wind, leaving nothing behind but the echo of his final, unfinished word.
Chapter 549: End
The mound of ash smoldered in the dim, suffocating air. Relief coursed through me, bitter and fleeting¡ªI had survived, but I wasn''t whole.
My body screamed in protest, every muscle fraying under the weight of what I had endured. I knew I had pushed too far, too hard. There would be a reckoning for this.
I swayed on my feet, teetering on the edge of surrender.
The thought of letting go whispered its dark promise, almost tempting me to collapse. But the acrid heat of the inferno clawing at my skin jolted me back to harsh reality.
If I lost consciousness now, I would never rise again. The world around me was still aflame, a ravenous beast devouring everything in its path. My people were out there, still fighting, still believing. I couldn''t abandon them.
The enemy¡ they wouldn''t relent. They had signed their death contract, bound by their ruthless creed. They would fight until they were destroyed. That left only one choice for me.
I staggered forward, each step a battle against the heavy air and my heavier limbs.
My hand brushed against the artifact, now safely stashed in my bag¡ªmiraculously intact. A faint surge of resolve pulsed through me. I reached into the bag, fingers fumbling before closing around something smooth and fragile.
I withdrew it¡ªa glass orb filled with swirling, colorful liquid, the hues shifting and churning like a storm contained. Charms dangled from its surface, tinkling softly in the chaos. This fragile object held power.
"Itestem,"
I activated it and dropped the ball on the ground.
Hun!
I was about to walk away when a powerful feeling came over me.
It is vast and suppressive. Bearing the power to crush the mountains and drain the seas. It had been described to me, but it was the first time I had felt it.
Aura Awakening.
Someone had awakened the aura. The realization hit me like a bolt of lightning, sharp and electrifying. But when I saw who it was, my heart jolted with surprise. Of all people, it was one of mine¡ªsomeone I never would have expected.
The shock froze me for only a fraction of a second, a fleeting moment of disbelief and wonder. Then instinct took over, and I surged forward.
My Blitz Steps ignited, fueled by the aura now thrumming through the air, a cascade of power propelling me forward in a blur. There was no time for hesitation¡ªonly action.
It is extremely painful to hold my aura, but despite having the edge, the condition of my people isn''t good.
The enemy they faced was terrifying in their resolve¡ªwarriors bound by a contract that left no room for retreat.
Death didn''t scare them; it was their only escape if they failed. They fought like cornered beasts, throwing their lives into every strike and every step, making them almost impossible to defeat.
It took me only seconds to reach the battlefield, my aura-enhanced Blitz Steps guiding my movement. But when I arrived, the scene before me froze me in place, my eyes widening in shock.
I saw my people, battered and bloody, fighting with everything they had.
Some seemed barely able to stand, yet they refused to fall, their determination as unyielding as the battlefield itself. The air was thick with the metallic taste of blood and the crackle of unleashed aura, each moment a desperate struggle for survival.
Zaris caught my eye first. His condition was dire, his body bruised and bloodied, yet he pressed on.
My sister was at his side, her face a mask of grit and pain, her movements relentless as she fought off three enemies at once.
Two had already fallen, their bodies broken and motionless, but the remaining pair were just as battered as she was. Every strike she delivered seemed pulled from the depths of her will.
Then there was Jon. He was a shadow of himself, his body covered in wounds, each movement a testament to sheer willpower.
Yet, even in his state, his opponent hesitated, stepping back with wary eyes. The shimmering aura enveloped Jon, flickering with raw power¡ªa warning that he still had fight left in him.
Jon was not the worst off. All around me were warriors whose conditions were even grimmer¡ªfaces pale with blood loss, limbs trembling with exhaustion, and yet they kept fighting, refusing to yield.
Some had fallen with weapons still clutched tightly in their hands as if refusing surrender, even in death.
My people had died; more would follow if this battle dragged on. The only way to end this was to end them. Every single enemy had to fall. There was no other path, no room for mercy.
Resolve hardened within me like steel. With a deep breath, I surged forward, my steps driven by purpose. This fight would end¡ªno matter the cost.
...¡
Uloth
"Monsters, these people are monsters," I said as I looked at the battlefield.
It is not just the enemies but also those from John''s people; that name isn''t right¡ I thought.
I had witnessed many battles, but none as brutal as this one. The air was alive with chaos, powerful spells tearing through the battlefield like storms, leaving destruction in their wake. Blood stained every inch of ground, a grim testament to the ferocity of the fight.
Then, my eyes rested on him¡ªthe man who had awakened the aura.
He moved with a speed almost impossible to follow, a blur of raw power and defiance. I had thought he would be the first to fall, one of the powerful who would succumb too quickly to his mounting injuries.
His body bore the marks of countless blows, wounds that should have broken him.
Yet, against all odds, he awakened. The aura around him blazed like a second skin, his injuries no longer a hindrance but fuel for his resolve to survive.
It is different from the aura I sensed from John. No, it is Silver. I had heard some call him by his true name.
I feel Aura again; this new aura makes me shudder, while the one from Jon makes me weak to my knees.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.
I was looking when I saw another figure appearing through the forest, and I shook with fear.
The enemies are already too powerful. One more, and it will tip the scales against us.
I fixed my gaze on him, my eyes narrowing to take in every detail. Then it hit me¡ªa jolt so sharp it felt like lightning striking my chest. Shock rippled through my heart, cold and unrelenting, as the realization set in.
I saw the man burned to the inch of his life. His skin is blackened, and even his clothes and hair have burned. I wouldn''t have recognized him without the rapier he is holding.
"Lord Silver!"
The woman, Margaux, gasped, her voice trembling with a mix of shock and newfound hope. Her wide eyes shone, catching the flicker of light from the aura blazing across the battlefield. In that moment, despair seemed to lift, replaced by a fragile yet undeniable belief: Hope.
"Healers focused on Lord Silver," ordered the woman named Eva. She is the one who created the sphere of metals and gems we are in.
Her sphere is powerful enough to withstand the Grade IV spells, and it did.
The two healers nodded, and their staffs lit up when the man moved. The speed at which he moved made my eyes widen.
Until now, the swiftest person on the battlefield was a woman Rogue, who had turned her opponent bloody, but the burned man was faster than her.
I could barely see the blur.
He appeared in the middle of the battlefield behind the enemy mage and decapitated her.
She was a High-Mage, yet he simply decapitated her.
The woman had reacted fast and attacked him, activating a defensive shield, but his rapier tore through it all and beheaded the mage.
He had already moved before the head slid off from the body of the mage, appeared behind a warrior, and pierced the rapier into his chest.
"Lord Silver is moving too fast. Our spells cannot lock on him," the healer said, his voice thick with disbelief.
Nobody said anything, whether in shock or tiredness and the healers focused on casting the spell.
I turned back to my friend. Aya looks better than most, but it can be deceiving, given her condition. She might collapse at any moment.
Looking back, I saw the entire battlefield shifting. The tide had changed. No one was focused on their opponents anymore; all eyes were fixed on the blur slicing through the chaos, too fast for us to track.
All the enemies are attacking him, throwing spells at him.
He is dodging them. If he couldn''t, his sword would simply tear through them.
Nobody seemed to be his match.
At most, they were able to defend for a few seconds.
He wouldn''t have been able to take them down so quickly without the unwavering support of his people.
Every strike he landed, every move he made, was backed by the synchronized efforts of his people¡ªeach one covering his blind spots, each one working in perfect unison.
The battle would have lasted much longer without him, and few people would survive.
The enemies weren''t weak. Each strike, each desperate move, was a testament to their resolve. They fought as if death was the only escape, willing to throw everything they had into the fight, regardless of the cost. Their willingness to sacrifice everything for victory left them with nothing to lose.
I was watching the terror spread through the battlefield when I saw the most powerful of the enemy dying.
Jon''s dagger had pierced through the rogue''s eyes.
For us mages, they were the most dangerous enemies. Their speed was unmatched, quick enough to dodge our spells, turning our most powerful incantations into mere air.
They moved like shadows, slipping through with a grace that made them almost invisible. And then, when we least expected it, they struck¡ªsilent and lethal.
Her death triggered the collapse of the battlefield.
Relief was quickly crushed when some people started to run, while others, to my surprise, kept fighting to the bitter end.
Bang!
One surrendered when the most shocking thing happened. He exploded. It was like someone had Varieal''s Explosion inside him.
Seeing that, other enemies fought harder, but they were overwhelmed.
I saw John return from the trees, where he disappeared chasing an enemy and stopped beside the sphere.
"Master Silver!" said Margaux, moving toward him as Eva removed the sphere, which turned back to her bracelet.
"Marg," said John, but halfway into it, he collapsed.
"Master Silver!" screamed Margaux as she caught him. A moment later, I saw the guards moving, forming a protective circle around him.
I looked only for a moment before walking toward my friend.
She was sitting on a large wooden log. Earth daggers shredded one part of it, some of which are still embedded in it.
There is chaos around me, with healers healing injured and one of the important people in serious condition.
It didn''t have anything to do with us. We have done more than enough.
I only hope that Silver will survive. Though he had said, he had said he made preparations for us. I hope that is true.
"How are you feeling?" I asked as I sat beside my friend. "Not good, but I had drank the medicine and potion," she replied weakly, with a smile.
"It was a needless risk. We shouldn''t have fought here," I said, to which she smiled.
"Have you looked at John? He is so powerful," she said with her eyes shining with hope.
Her dream was to become a powerful warrior, and John had just amplified her desire. Even though I felt my dream rising when I saw his power, I crushed them.
I want to be a realist, and I dream of crossing Lv. 20 and live my life in safety.
After seeing this battle, I am even more sure I only want that little dream.
"I.." I opened my mouth to tell my friend when I saw her face turning pale paper and falling over.
Crack Crack!
"Aya!" I screamed as I caught her and began hearing that dreadful cracking of bones.
They were louder and sharper than the last time I had heard them.
She had nearly lost her life at that time. If it was not that we were in the city and close to her healer, who was treating her for years. She would have lost her life.
I immediately opened my new iles bag and took out her medicine.
I always keep one batch with me.
I opened it and took the spoon full of powder before feeding it to her.
It didn''t seem to affect her. Her bones are still cracking.
"Help!" I called out as loudly as I could.
A few seconds later, I saw a woman appear before me. Not a healer, but the water and light high mage.
"What is happening to her?" she asked. "Aya has a bone-breaking disease. It attacks her whenever she exhausts herself," I replied quickly.
"Please call the healer," I pleaded, but the woman didn''t move.
Instead, her staff lit up, and a moment later, a water and light elemental spell covered Aya.
Immediately, I know that it is a healing spell.
Seeing that she had healing spells, my eyes couldn''t help but widen. These are the two most powerful healing elements, and she has both.
''Why was she fighting, then?'' I asked. She will earn far more by being a healer.
Healers at the High-Mage level are highly valued.
Those thoughts remained only a fraction of a second inside me before I focused on my friend and saw a Grade IV healing spell had only slightly slowed down the bone breaking inside her.
"It''s not working," I said, pleadingly looking at her.
She sat down beside me and cast another spell. It''s not a healing spell, but a different one.
"Her bones are breaking, but they are not moving out of their place," she said with a frown appearing on her face.
"Aya has Bone Alignment skills," I replied.
It is the best skill for someone like her. Healers don''t need to align her bones before healing her. Her skill will keep them in their places even if they break.
It makes healers'' job much easier, but they are breaking intensely right now.
If this continued, she wouldn''t be able to survive for more than a few minutes. The breaking is moving quickly toward her spine from her limbs.
"Please save her," I pleaded.
She is my best friend. My sister, I will not be able to bear her loss.
"Have you fed her potions?" she asked. "Yes, but it''s not working," I replied.
She nodded, put her hand into her bag, and took a potion. I was about to say the potion wasn''t working when I stopped in my tracks.
The potion is a glittering solution. Seeing it, amazement couldn''t help but appear in my heart.
When I joined the guild, I saw this thing. The guild informs the recruit about many things, and this is one of them.
This was one of the few things they had shown us physically, not just their pictures. It was one of the guild master''s proudest possessions.
Emotion essence potion.
She opened the bottle and dropped a few drops on Aya''s tongue before closing the bottle.
A moment later, the breaking slowed down, and within a second. It stopped with the color, returning to Aya''s face.
"It worked," said the woman while I was still stupefied.
Emotion essence potions are expensive. One couldn''t get them, even when one has the money. People need to have a connection as well.
People use them in the direst conditions when their lives are in danger.
They didn''t use them on any Lv. 20. Especially not on the mercenary they hired.
''Who are these people?'' I couldn''t help but ask before focusing on my friend, who had opened her eyes.
"Thank you," she thanked weakly. "You don''t have to thank me. You deserve it,"
"Rest and don''t strain yourself. Amazing as this potion is, it only solved the problem temporarily." She replied with a smile before getting up and walking away.
I helped Aya lay down on the ground properly from my lap.
"Sleep. I will watch over you," I said, and this time, she didn''t argue and closed her eyes.
Time passed as I looked around with healers, healing people and covering dead bodies. Many of his people died, including an important one.
Hun!
I was half asleep. I felt it before I released it. When I opened my eyes, I heard the new sounds.
I saw men standing on alert when a group of people appeared on the beasts. Led by a half-orc man in a mage robe. Seeing him, I couldn''t help but be surprised.
I know him. He is one of the most important people in Vudiz City.
Chapter 550: Waking Up
Ashton Harbor
"They failed," said the Armoured man with his expression terrible.
Months of preparation and a lot of money had gone into this, but despite that, it all failed.
"It has," replied the man with the staff before turning.
"From now on, focus on our preparations. The enemy has been lucky, but no matter how lucky he is, we will have him and his cities as his deathless desires." the man with the staff added.
"Yes, my lord," the armored man affirmed, his voice cold and unwavering. Inside, a dark promise brewed: This humiliation would not go unpunished.
¡
Frostblade Baroness Lv. 35
Wandering Captain Lv.27
Wandering Captain Lv. 28
{Skill Gained: ¡}
{Condition Met: Novice Mage- Mage}
Mage Lv. 10
Mage Lv. 11
{Spell Gained: Phantom Hand}
Scarlet Headmistress Lv. 35
Gilded Jeweller Lv. 36
{Skill Gained: Gleaming Infusion}
¡
Bell
Guide of Shining Adepts Lv. 16
Guide of Shining Adepts Lv. 17
{Skill Gained: Meditative Touch}
Riveting Lady of Brothel and Promise Lv. 27
I looked at the text, and a surprise couldn''t help but appear on my face.
I had slept late after we received news about Silver''s safety. I was one of the few people who knew the secret about what was really happening.
I was in that super-secret meeting, where only an exclusive group of people, Silver Trust, were explicitly present.
It was a bloody battle, and they lost many of our people, including one pretty important one, but thankfully, Silver survived.
His condition is severe, but he will survive.
My eyes returned to the text in front of me, and once again, I couldn''t help but be surprised.
Guide of Shining Adepts is the class I got after I started guiding General Stone.
It is a powerful and hereditary class, enabling the teaching of powerful individuals.
My mother had it, and so did my grandfather, Great-Grandmother, and so on.
When I got it, I cried for an hour.
Even with this long history, it is not an inheritance class; it would never reach Lv. 50. We would merge it with our main class before that. Mom said the best way to do that was when it reached Lv. 30.
That is why I did not let it merge with my primary class at Lv. 10.
By Lv. 30, I will gain enough skills to guide any powerhouse expertly.
My family taught me that the merger strengthens our core class immensely. By mentoring influential figures¡ªwhether they are powerhouses or lords¡ªwe not only impart knowledge but also forge powerful relationships. These connections are crucial, expanding our reach and solidifying our influence. With every alliance, we grow stronger and more entrenched in the fabric of power.
I am now the youngest one to get it.
All my ancestors were forty or above when they got it, including my mother, who was the youngest to get it before me.
This class helps us teach aura control to others. Therefore, we need to master the aura before teaching it to others.
The class had reached Lv. 17. It had leveled up twice, which is a surprise.
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
It had yet to do that since I crossed Lv. 10.
He must have done something extraordinary with his aura. The sheer magnitude of it was enough to push me beyond my limits, making me level up not once but twice.
I have even gained the fantastic skill of Meditative Touch. It allows the people I touch to enter deep meditation, which helps them recover faster from their tiredness.
Which, in turn, helps them practice their aura for longer. I could also use it on myself as well.
My mother had got this one when she crossed Lv. 2o in the skill.
If lucky, it will advance into the Meditation Field once it merges with my main class.
I might acquire inheritance skills related to it.
My main class had also leveled up. Reaching Lv. 28. It won''t be long before it will reach Lv. 29. Lv. 3o is where the real challenge would be.
My parents took years to cross it, but their main class was more powerful.
Mine is weaker.
I wouldn''t receive the same class as they did unless I returned¡ªand return I most certainly would. There was no question, no hesitation. I was determined to claim what was rightfully mine, my birthright, and nothing would stand in my way.
...
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 35
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 36
{Skill Gained: Lord''s Eyes}
Trainer Lv. 9
{Skill Gained: Calm Touch}
I heard faint voices and opened my eyes. There were texts in front of me.
I leveled up not once but twice, which is extremely rare in Lord Class after Lv. 3o.
I have also gained a skill, and it is fantastic¡ªsomething I had wanted.
Lord''s Eyes is a passive skill.
At a glance, it seemed weaker than active skills, and it is, but for me, it is better than active skills.
It provides me with a clearer vision.
However, I am more excited about the enhancement of dynamic vision.
I can now see the slightest movement and process the information faster. Therefore, one needs to be extremely fast for it to seem blurry to my eyes.
If I had this skill in the last battle. I might have been able to end it early.
It is also a passive skill. It is excellent for everyday use as well as in battle.
I glanced down and was surprised to see my Trainer Class had leveled up after a long time.
There is even a skill.
Calm Touch, as its name says. It is a skill that calms the beasts.
It is a good skill. I am happy I got it.
A few seconds later, I pushed the texts away and looked at the place where I was.
I found myself in a large room, on a bed. There are two unfamiliar people¡ªa half-orc with mage robes and an old orc woman.
Both of them are wearing a familiar badge on their chests.
They were talking with Margaux, Zela, and Jill.
Margaux was the first to notice, and her eyes widened as she turned to me.
"Master Silver," she said, appearing beside me fast but not touching me.
"Lord Silver," greeted the unfamiliar man and woman.
''The man is Station Master Falozar and Healer Gulfim. They came to the forest a few hours after the battle ended and helped stabilize your condition,'' informed Margaux.
"Station Master Falozar, Healer Gulfim, thank you for saving me," I said.
I might not understand much about healing, but I understand enough to know that the healers I had brought could not heal my injuries.
"Lord Silver, you had pushed your spirit to a near breaking point. I have only seen one person before you in my life to do that and survive," said the woman.
Spirit means mind and soul. I must have really pushed the limit with my skills and aura.
My physical body wasn''t in much better condition, either. Now, I am fully encased in bandages. Except for my eyes, there is no part of me they don''t cover.
There is also a great weakness in every part of my body.
"You should have informed us, Lord Silver, after you suffered the first attack," said the man.
"I couldn''t risk our messages being intercepted, Station Master. Given what happened with the local mercenaries we had hired to protect us," I replied.
They had provided the list of trusted mercenary companies.
Unofficially, of course.
The old man opened his mouth and closed it before opening it again.
"The Archimage asked me to convey that he is glad you are safe and sound," said the man. "Please thank the Archimage from me," I replied.
There was silence before the older woman stepped beside me.
"Your physical injuries have been healed. We could remove the bandages now, but your spirit is still healing," she said.
"Do not use your skills for at least ten days and aura for two weeks," she instructed.
"I will follow your advice," I replied.
I don''t think I could even use my skills or aura. I feel that if I tried, I would feel something I wouldn''t like.
The old lady smiled before slowly and expertly starting to remove my bandages. She started with my right hand, which suffered the most burn damage.
When I looked, I saw the damage had healed. There is not a single burn mark.
Most of it looks to be healed, but not all.
"Try moving your fingers?" she asked, and I did. The control was fine as before, but it was a concern after seeing how injured I was.
My body will return to normal in a few days. I am more worried about my spirit.
The attack proved that my enemies were targeting me, and they were willing to pay an extreme price for me.
"Done," she said as she removed all the bandages. A moment later, she took a salve and applied it to my body.
"Please follow my instructions for your quick recovery. I have given the medicine to your people and will come to check on you tonight,"
She left. The man seemed to think we wanted to discuss something, but he decided to do that later.
Soon, they had left, and I felt the privacy skills and spells activating.
"What are the casualties?" I asked.
I have seen dead bodies. I also know some of my people were in the serious condition.
"Total nine people in both battles," replied Zela.
I had never suffered such a percentage of casualties.
A third of my people died, which is enough to show how dangerous the enemies were, and that is after all the preparations we had made for the journey.
Even with the preparation of carefully choosing the right people, despite that, so many had died.
"Lt. Colonel Zaris didn''t make it," she added.
Hearing that, I sighed. I remember the last time I saw Zaris, his condition was terrible, but he was still fighting.
"He was a brave man," said Margaux. "He was," I replied.
There was a silence for nearly a minute before Jon became visible. He looks good, a little pale, but no visible injuries are remaining on him.
"Congratulations, Jon," I congratulated. "Thank you, my lord," he replied before placing the bag in front of me.
"Is everything in there?" I asked. I am asking about the artifact specifically.
"Yes," he replied.
"Good. Keep the bag; I am in no condition to have it on me," I replied.
He nodded and took the bag before disappearing.
"Has anyone been asking questions?" I asked. "The city has, but the stationmaster has kept them away. This manor we are staying in is their property," she replied.
These stations belong to the Archmage City.
They are quasi-embassies and are present in every major city on the continent.
They have a lot of power, given that Archmage City is the most powerful entity on the entire continent.
Even Baxar Dominion, with all its might, doesn''t go against them.
It isn''t just because of their power but also the services they offer. Their stations have become integral to every city they are in.
"It should be Friday, correct?" I asked, looking at the clock, which was telling me that it was morning.
"We will leave tomorrow morning. We have to reach Archmage City before the opening," I stated.
"Healer Gulfim has said that you should rest for a few days," said Margaux with concern.
"I can rest while traveling," I replied.
I would like to rest and recover before I leave. It is wise to do this with enemies who want to kill me, but unfortunately, I don''t have time.
I need to reach Archmage City before the opening.
Chapter 551: Open Brothel
"Let''s go," I said as I finished the lunch and swallowed my medicine.
Jill pushed my wheelchair toward the door. I could not walk for more than a few minutes before it would tire me out.
As I had said, I am not as healed as I looked.
We stepped into the elevator, and it descended. It stopped, and we got out.
As we exited the elevator, I saw two people waiting there. One is a dwarf, and the other is an orc.
The dwarf man looked to be in his early thirties. He had bronze skin, earth-brown eyes, and a luxurious beard that would make any lover of beards envious.
I am sure the man is spending quite a lot of money on maintaining it as such.
He is Hekhal Hardhelm. He is from the station.
Beside him is the orc in a suit. He looked to be in his mid-thirties. Tall with blue eyes and a brown hair bun.
His name is Rog Ushnar, and he is from the city hall.
Both of them would serve as my guides to the red-light district of Vudiz. While the red-light districts of Baxzar are well-known, they stand out as something unique.
"Lord Silver," they greeted.
"Thank you for being my guides, gentlemen," I replied. A faint surprise flashed in their eyes before they smiled.
"The pleasure is ours, Lord Silver," they replied.
My wheelchair stopped beside the carriage, and I got up before stepping inside with Garzong''s help.
The carriage moved, and soon it was out of the compound.
I looked around and saw streets lined with massive mansions and for these mansions. An impressive amount of wood was used, giving them a more organic feeling.
I have read about unique architecture and seen photos, but seeing it with my own eyes is an entirely different experience.
"They are beautiful," I said.
"The dominion has mastered the art of combining wood, bricks, and marble, creating structures that are uniquely ours¡ªones that have stood the test of millennia," replied Ushnar, the man from the city.
Soon, the carriage moved out of the high-end street and into the ordinary streets.
I could see the people, most of them orcs, but there are also humans, elves, and the occasional dwarf.
The city is bustling, which isn''t surprising. Vudiz is as big as Owlspring and as prosperous.
I looked at the scenery and felt its vibrancy. I am feeling it in my veins.
It is not a simple impression but also a response from my class.
I have a Lord Class. As it advances, it becomes more powerful. Its power goes beyond the classes and attributes; it senses and affects the things around me.
It is now letting me feel the city is at a deeper level.
If it rises high enough, it will start to influence the very domain I rule¡ªaffecting everything from the people and their classes to every other aspect of life within it.
Much like in Namdar, the number of people with mage talent here exceeds the national average, with many possessing a strong affinity for the lightning element.
In Baxzar, the dense forest isn''t just a result of the natural environment¡ªit''s also shaped by the classes of the powerful, their influence strengthening the land itself.
Minutes passed, and soon, we reached the red-light district.
They didn''t tell me, but I could feel it through my other class¡ªthe lust, the desperation, the exploitation. It seeped into the very air, as palpable as the tension surrounding me.
It bombarded me.
I looked around it and couldn''t help but get surprised.
They took me to the posh part of the red-light district, which has beautiful buildings housing high-class brothels¡ªnot the part I want to see.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
"This is the red-light district of Vudiz," informed Ushnar.
He didn''t use the flowery words he had when explaining the places we had passed through. The red-light district was not a place that any city official would take pride in. Its reputation was something far from the polished image they liked to project.
It is an underbelly, something they tolerate.
Even when it is enveloped in pretty clothes, it can''t hide from what it really is.
"I would like to see the open brothel," I said, surprising both the Dwarf and the Orc. Their eyes widened, clearly taken aback by my unexpected request.
For this reason, I have come here instead of resting as I was prescribed.
It is part of their culture, woven into the nation''s very identity. While they do not take pride in it, most foreigners view it as one of the most uncivilized aspects¡ªyet secretly, many desire to indulge in it.
Some do. Many come to Baxzar specifically for it.
"My lord, it''s not a thing. A man of your standing should see," said the orc.
Hearing that, I smiled. Even Garzong smiled with Margaux and Varza.
"You forget who I am, Mr. Ushnar. This is my business. They call me the whore lord for a reason," I replied to the man.
I wouldn''t have been interested if it had been a typical red-light district. Those were common enough to be found in many places. But these open brothels were something unique, something I could only find in the Dominion.
I felt him casting a spell. It''s likely a communication type.
"As you wish, Lord Silver," he said after opening his eyes. He had likely got permission from the higher-ups.
The carriage moved a little faster.
The posh area of the red-light district lasted for a few minutes before the real red-light district appeared.
The worn buildings. Women standing in front of them, calling out to the customers.
This area is the authentic red-light district.
I could see Margaux and Varza''s expressions shift, their eyes growing serious as they looked at these women. In their past lives, they had worked in places like this, which showed how they regarded the scene before them.
The women looked at us, with many becoming surprised.
Not just because it is a fancy carriage, but there is also the flag of the archmage city on it. It is the most recognized flag on the entire continent.
People working in the station might come here, but they didn''t come in an official carriage.
Soon, the carriage took another turn, and I felt something from my class. The feeling was more primal and raw, and it became more intense the closer we got to the big wooden gate.
Soon, the carriage moved through it.
"Stop the carriage, please; I want it to explore it," I said, and the orc''s eyes turned hesitant.
"Stop the carriage," he said finally.
The carriage stopped, and my guards deployed before I walked out with Margaux''s help.
Once down, I quickly sat in the wheelchair.
I regretted bringing Jill for a moment, but I soon dismissed that thought. The girl might be young, but she had experienced it all.
The guards surrounded me while Jill pushed me while I took a look at the open brothel. It is not like other brothels; it is an open brothel because of the way it operates.
I have to say... it''s something else, alright. My mind was reeling, trying to grasp what I was seeing fully.
Like its name, it is open. On the simplest level, activities here are in the open.
We could see people wearing masks having intercourse on the mellow ground in a drawn square boundary area. Some have beds, and few have a cover of some mist.
It isn''t just simple sex. Many girls are tied with ropes. Others are bound to wooden blocks.
There is switching, hitting, and whipping, which even draws out blood.
It is one big S&M club but without real restrictions.
It is what drew me here. I wanted to see how it works.
I could see the disgust clearly on the faces of the Dwarf and Orc, their expressions twisted with contempt. Meanwhile, flashes of anger flickered in the eyes of Margaux and Varza, their usually calm demeanor replaced with a quiet fury, especially when they looked at the people whipping the girls.
While we looked at them, many looked back at us with astonishment and surprise in their eyes.
Though not one had called out to us, they just scrutinized.
"The life was bad for us, but this is terrible," said Margaux, shuddering in Privacy. "They should shut down this place," added Varza.
Hearing that, I shook my head.
"It isn''t easy," I replied. "This is part of the culture; it has broad support in the Dominion."
It''s similar to bull-baiting sports and whale-hunting festivals back on Earth¡ªcontroversial, yes, but governments allow them to continue because they are seen as cultural traditions.
Though this isn''t some festival, it happens every day, and many women die as a result.
Some governors have tried to ban it, and a few cities have succeeded, but they are in the minority. As I mentioned, most of the tribes of Baxzar support it, and that influence outweighs any opposition.
We were strolling when a fat orc flanked by two guards came running toward us.
Ushnar waved at guards as they moved to stop him, and the fat orc slowly approached us.
"Lord Silver, Cubab Gnorth. He owns many of the open brothels here. You can ask him any questions you have," introduced Ushnar.
"My lord, it''s an honor to meet you. I had heard so much about you and your magnificent legacy," said the man fawningly.
I nodded at the man and turned to Ushnar.
"I would prefer someone with personal experience," I replied, surprising the fat Orc and others.
They opened their mouth when I looked around and pointed at the half-elf woman standing in front of the group of girls not far away.
She looked in her early fifties and better dressed than most girls¡ªlikely the madam.
"Her," I said.
Ushnar sighed, hearing that, before turning to the guard.
"Jrav, bring her," he ordered. The guard nodded and walked toward the woman.
I only chose her randomly, but when I looked at her clearly, I got a good sense from my class. It''s such a regret that I couldn''t use my skills.
It would have helped.
The guard reached her and said something that seemed to surprise the woman, but she followed the guard after some hesitation.
As she came toward me, a surprise flashed in my eyes.
She looked like a human but had elf ears and a light complexion. It is why, I thought, she was a half-elf, but after looking at those broad shoulders and a few other things.
I don''t think she has the blood of only two races. I am sure there is some orc blood in her.
Humans have broad shoulders, but such silhouettes of shoulders are common to orcs and dwarves.
There is no dwarf blood.
It is orc blood; other signs are all over her body, and my class laid them all open in front of me.
Chapter 552: Veseraona Law I
Veseraona Law
"Look at that carriage. It''s from the station," said Larmi as the beautiful carriage stopped beside the gate.
I turned, and surprise couldn''t help but appear on my face.
The carriages are magnificent, almost like the ones used by the influential people of the city.
Carriages like these never come to the darkest part of the red-light district, especially one belonging to the station of Archimage City.
"This didn''t look like a healer''s carriage," said Bulak.
The only fine carriages that came here were from the healers.
A few times a year, the city and station sent healers here to cleanse diseases we might have spread.
Even their carriages seemed plain in front of this one.
This one was guarded from all sides by powerful-looking bodyguards, who appeared braced for danger, their vigilant eyes scanning every angle, ready to defend against any threat that might strike from any direction.
"Look at the guards¡ªthere are three groups. One is from the city, another is from the station, and the third group is unfamiliar."
"Whoever it is, they must be pretty important for the city and station to send the guards for their security," said Arom, observant as ever.
Soon, the door opened, and people began to step out. Among them were women¡ªstrikingly beautiful women. The sight caught me off guard, their presence unexpected and almost surreal.
Women never come here. The only women that came here other than the whores are the healers, and they are never as pretty as these women.
One of the women came out supporting a young human man. Who sat in a wheelchair, with guards surrounding him from all sides.
"That''s Hekar Hardhelm; he is from the station," said Bolar, pointing at a dwarf wearing a beautiful mage robe.
I recognize him, too. He sometimes comes with the healers.
The beautiful teen girl pushed the wheelchair. The young man in it is handsome. He would have been more attractive if he had hair on his head.
His eyes moved as he looked around. They never stopped in one place for more than a second.
I was watching him when I saw Gnorth running toward the group with his two lackeys behind.
I had never seen him run like this with his flesh jiggling.
"I didn''t think the fatso could run," a girl muttered under her breath.
"Quiet!" I snapped, my voice low and urgent. "There will be a terrible price if he hears you." My warning hung in the air, heavy with the weight of real fear.
The girls shuddered and quieted down.
Nobody wants to make Gnorth mad. When he is mad, bad things happen. He isn''t a man who can control himself when he is angry.
The guards stopped him before letting him close.
He directly walked toward the young man in the wheelchair and bowed with a fawning smile before saying something I couldn''t hear.
The young man turned and looked around before his eyes locked on me.
I thought he would look away, but he didn''t. He kept looking before uttering something.
A moment later, I saw the guard coming toward me.
"Aunty, he is coming toward us," said Kansa with worry.
The guards are never a good thing. They are the worst of the worst people. However, this time, he didn''t seem to come toward me to satiate his deviant urges.
He stopped beside me.
"Come," he said, looking at me. Like I am the filthiest thing in the world.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
I am used to such gazes. Nearly all the people looked at us with the same gazes, but it didn''t stop them from using us to satisfy their deviant urges.
I hesitated momentarily but followed. Seeing that saying no to guards wasn''t an option.
Soon, I reached the group.
''Be respectful, he is ve,'' a familiar voice of Gnorth rang in my mind, but suddenly, it cut off. I looked at him and saw a surprise in his eye.
The guard took me to a young human man before bowing and retreating.
I looked at the young man and expected to see the usual disgust, but there was a smile on his face and a hint of respect in his eyes.
Which felt shocking.
"I am Remus Silver. What is your name, miss?" he asked in an accented voice, bringing me out of my thoughts.
His tone surprised me so much that I couldn''t respond for a moment.
"Veseraona Law," I replied. "Sir," I added, remembering Gnorth had asked me to respectfully before his voice cut off.
His name felt familiar. I think I have heard it before, but I can''t place where.
"It is my first time in an open brothel, and I have a few questions. I hope you can answer them," he asked in an accented, gentle voice.
"O..., yes, sir," I replied. I stopped myself from saying ''ok'' as I didn''t feel it was respectful enough.
He smiled, and the teen girl pushed his wheelchair forward. I followed after hesitation.
"Miss Law, how long have you been in this business?" he asked as we walked. "Four decades, sir," I replied, despite feeling the question surprising.
People don''t ask such questions or call me miss.
"And here?" He asked. "Just as long," I replied.
Most of them are like me here. They didn''t send common whores to the open brothel. A very few like them are here; most of them are like me, the conquered.
He didn''t ask another question immediately. Giving me a chance to look at him.
He isn''t bald, as I thought. Hair and eyebrows are coming out of his head.
There was a pinkness to his flesh, like burned skin healing, but his whole body was like that.
I pushed those thoughts and brought out a faint power of my skills.
It is disrespectful, but I am very curious about him, and this young man won''t be able to sense it.
He might be at Lv. 10. Lv. Fifteen at most, and I am very good at using my class.
Even Gnorth couldn''t sense it when I used my class despite his higher level, as his class is a natural suppressor of mine.
A sliver of my class''s power touched ever so gently that it was nearly impossible to sense.
I had just thought when I stopped with my eyes wide and tremors running through the core of my soul.
The young man''s class was powerful.
It was more powerful than I had ever sensed in anyone, but that was not what astounded me. What staggered me was the vastness enveloping it. It felt as vast as the sky, with me as an ant under it.
I didn''t feel any animosity towards it. Instead, I felt warmth, like home.
"It''s rude to snoop into others'' class, Miss Law," he said with a smile.
There is no anger, unlike many other people looking at me.
"Who are you?" I asked instead of apologizing. The question came out before I could stop myself.
"I told you, I am Remus Silver," he replied as if it explained everything.
He didn''t stop and moved forward. I followed, catching Gnorth''s glaring eyes, which made me shudder in fear.
"Please forgive me for my rudeness, sir," I apologized. "You are forgiven," he replied with a smile.
I released my breath. That I didn''t even realize I was holding.
Gnorth looks mad. There will be consequences for this. I am scared, but I push it away and look at the young man, who is looking around inquisitively.
"Aside from hitting, whipping, canning. What sort of other plays happen here?" he asked.
"Many," I replied, but he kept looking as if he wanted a detailed explanation.
"Choking, drowning, hanging," I added. Naming the three that killed the girls here the most.
I have seen many girls die by them, including my sister, with the man killing her and walking away without the slightest punishment.
All they do is pay the negotiated price.
This is the only value the girls have here, unlike other whores outside of this place. We are not people, only prizes that tribes conquered and sold here.
"A lot of times, they turn fatal, I assume?" he asked, his eyes turning serious.
I didn''t even utter the word. I simply nodded.
"The girls who work here must get different classes from those who work outside?" I asked.
"Yes," I replied.
My class had changed within a month of coming here. I am glad it did because those skills saved my life more times than I could count.
Though, they couldn''t save my sister.
"Are all the women that work here conquered and sold here by the tribes?" he asked and looked at the woman with a staff.
The staff lit up, and I felt something invisible.
"I cast Privacy," informed the beautiful mage.
It relieved me. Answering this question could really cause me trouble not only with Gnorth but also with the city.
"Most, but some girls are from brothels outside, and some are criminals. They are sold here by the jailer," I replied.
He continued to ask questions, all of which were surprising; many of them had never been asked to me by anyone.
I answered them and was grateful for the privacy they activated. Those were questions that could cause me great trouble.
Soon, we reached the end of the open brothel.
"Thank you for satiating my curiosity, Miss Law," he thanked. I don''t know how to reply to that.
So, I just nodded and looked at Gnorth, hoping he wouldn''t be too angry. Unfortunately, he was; I could see it in his eyes despite his smile.
"I want her. What''s her contract price?" he asked, to my shock.
Gnorth looked surprised. So are the people beside him, but not the women.
"The city has jurisdiction on all the contracts here, Lord Silver. The city willing to give her to you free," said the orc man from the city, cutting Gnorth off.
''Lord!''
Saying, I am shocked. That would be an understatement. I have seen his class''s power, but it didn''t feel like the other lords.
It had the flavor of the business.
"Thank you, Mr. Ushnar, but I am planning to get a few more contracts and will pay market price for their contract," replied the young man.
"As you wish, my lord," replied the man from the city.
The young man smiled and turned to the two strikingly beautiful women beside him.
"What are the requirements?" asked the older one before the man could say anything.
"Not on levels or age, but selected those who experienced all the plays," he replied, and the woman simply nodded.
A moment later, the young girl pushed the man toward the carriage, which had already arrived. Leaving only the two women and a few guards behind.
Chapter 553: Veseraona Law II
"You have heard Master Silver''s requirement. Show us the best girls in that meet them, Miss Law," said the older woman, turning to me.
"Who are you?" I asked instead of doing what she asked.
I am now incredibly curious about these people.
I thought these two women were mistresses, but the way the man looked at them did not suggest that they had that kind of relationship.
The woman smiled before I felt her power.
She is a whore!
It made my eyes wide but also confused me extremely. This lady didn''t look like a whore, but she was.
Looking at them, a whore would be the last thought in anyone''s mind. They looked like the wives and daughters of wealthy merchants.
Nobles even.
It isn''t just the looks and beautiful clothes and jewelry they are wearing, but also the way they talk and carry themselves, which is so unlike any whore I have ever seen.
She is a whore. Madam, to be exact, and more powerful than I had ever sensed. Over Lv. 30. It also differs from all the Madam Class I had seen, including mine.
Suppose we had been at the same level. I know she would be more powerful.
"I am Margaux Swan, and this is Varza Steel," she introduced herself and the younger woman beside her, who, too, had flashed her class at me.
She is a whore, too, and a powerful one at that.
Definitely above Lv. 3o, with a vastly different class than the woman beside her, but it also has an element of Madam.
She is weaker than the older woman, but it didn''t surprise me.
"We should hurry, Miss Law. We have less than a day, and I want to choose some good girls," she said, walking ahead. I hurriedly followed.
"Are you a Madam?" I asked as I appeared beside her. "Yes, kind of one," she replied with a smile.
Which confused me, but I didn''t press her on it.
"Where are you from in the West?" I asked as I led them toward my girls. Their accents made it clear that they were Westerners.
I had heard it many times here. Many people from the West came here to satiate their deviant desires.
"Greltheaven," she replied. "Harsoth Empire," she clarified, seeing the confusion on my face.
"I heard big wars are going on in the empire. Including a civil war," I said, and they nodded.
Soon, we reached my girls, and they looked at me in question.
"Only half of them are present; the other half are working," informed her.
She nodded and turned to Gnorth.
"Mister Gnorth, bring the girls who are working and arrange the room for us," she said, with a tone that didn''t book any argument.
It felt like the voice of a person who is used to having authority.
"If you have the details of the girls, that would be much appreciated," she added with her words feeling like an order, and Gnorth isn''t the one to take orders from the whores.
To my shock, a smile appeared on his face, which was his fawning one.
"Of course. Miss Swan," he replied and said something to his two lackeys, who nodded and walked away.
"What kind of room do you want, Miss Swan?" he asked. "Somewhere, we could sit comfortably and ask the girls a few questions," she replied.
"My office would be the best choice. It is also where the details of the girls are," he replied and began leading the way.
Soon, we reached a three-story building. It is where we stay. We might work openly, but need a place to eat and sleep.
We entered inside and soon reached Gnorth''s offices on the top floor.
"I am sorry for the mess," said Gnorth embarrassingly and cleaned up the mess at surprising speed before placing another chair behind the table and a stack of papers in front of them as they took the seat.
"It''s in Brdus," said the woman, looking at the stack.
"I could translate them for you, Miss Swan," offered Gnorth, hiding the lust he was feeling behind the fawning smile.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"There is no need," she said before sliding the stack toward the younger woman.
She looked at the stack before nodding.
"Should I bring in the whores, Miss Swan?" asked Gnorth. "A Girl, Mr. Gnorth. We will interview each of them individually," replied the older woman.
It surprised Gnorth. Me, as well.
Interview? I had never seen any whore getting interviewed before getting bought. They ask a few questions, but it is not an interview.
We are whores, not guards or clerks, to get interviewed.
"Of course. You are getting the whores for a legacy. Not some common brothel," he said with a nervous smile.
The shock hit me so hard that I nearly fell. My legs wavered beneath me, and I would have gone down if I hadn''t grabbed the table for support just in time.
"Are you from a legacy?" I asked in a voice that was barely more than a whisper.
I thought they were from a high-class brothel but never expected them to be from a legacy.
I have never seen a legacy, but I have heard about them. They are something that came out of dreams. I have served a few people who have visited the legacy.
Their eyes would turn dreamy when they talk about it, and they always wish to visit just one more time.
"Yes. Velvet Garden," she replied.
Velvet Garden, I had heard about it. There is no whore that hadn''t. It is the newest brothel legacy and is the biggest of them all on the continent.
It is said to have advanced to a level that other legacies took decades to achieve, and its master is a lord who fought the undead and won.
There are many exaggerated rumors about it. Like its whores, were wealthy merchants, and one became a governor of the city.
Only madmen would believe those things.
I did not believe those stories, even after seeing these two wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry.
That is when I realized where I heard the name Remus Silver. Many had taken his name.
Though most would call him Silver or Lord of Whores.
"I will call the first girl then," said Gnorth, flashing me a quick glare.
I felt a spark of fear, but it didn''t last more than a moment. I had already been bought; he could not do anything to me.
A few seconds later, the door opened, and Arom walked in.
"You do not have to send them in naked," said the older woman, seeing Arom naked.
A moment later, she took a velvety cloth from her little bag.
As she did, the bracelet she was wearing shone.
A moment later, a phantom hand appeared. It picked up the robe and flew toward Arom before dropping it on her surprised self.
"A spell... that''s a spell," I thought in awe, my eyes fixed on the fading phantom hand. The sheer precision and elegance of it left me stunned. A whore had just cast a spell !¡ªand not just any spell, but one that carried a mastery I never expected in a place like this.
"Wear it," she said.
Arom remained shocked for a moment before carefully putting on the velvety robe. She was cautious about it as if fearing she might tear it apart.
"Thank you," she replied as she wore the beautiful piece of cloth.
Seeing it, I couldn''t help but feel envy for a moment.
"Take a seat," she said.
After some hesitation, Arom walked toward the table and sat on the chair while looking at Gnorth, who had a pleasant smile on his face.
We have been called to this office many times. It was never good to be called here, and he would never let us sit even on the ground, much less in the chairs.
"What is your name?" she asked. "Arom Varguk, Mistress," replied Arom.
The mistress part was surprising, but it didn''t surprise me. Arom is the most thoughtful person I have seen, and she is also very observant.
Immediately, the younger woman ruffled the papers and brought out the page she was looking for.
"Arom Varguk. Race Orc. Age twenty-two. Level nineteen. Class Prostitute of Pain. Skill Numbing Pain, Touch of Erection, T¡" read the younger woman.
"How many years are in you in this business, Miss Varguk?" asked Margaux.
"Eight years, Mistress," she replied after a moment of silence.
"And how long have you been working here?" she asked. "Just as long," she replied.
Margaux nodded and wrote it down in the diary.
"Have you experienced every act that goes down here?" she asked. "Yes," affirmed Arom.
This isn''t a question she should ask. Every girl here had gone through all the devious acts and nearly lost their lives.
It is not their choice. If the clients want it, they will have to do it.
"How many languages do you know, Miss Varguk?" they asked, surprising me.
Even Arom looks surprised.
It is a strange question. Nearly everyone knows the common, and that is enough.
"I know common. Letis, Brdus, Rasalian. I also know Vastri, but not good enough," she replied, shocking me.
Even those two look shocked.
I have known the girl since she appeared, but I never knew she understood so many languages.
"It''s quite a collection of language, you know, Miss Varguk," praised Margaux, with a slight smile on her face widening.
"Thank you, Mistress," she replied.
"Have you learned them here?" asked the younger woman. "No, father was a traveling merchant. I have traveled with him, learning the languages," she replied.
"Do you have any other class than your main class?" she asked.
"No," Arom replied.
The response surprised me. I thought she would have classes like Learned or Scholar, but she was telling the truth.
She had learned those languages before coming here. She had got the class a year after coming here.
They asked more questions, and most of them seemed irrelevant to the business, except for the first few.
"The last question. If you had a choice to pursue any passion or hobby, what would it be?" asked Margaux.
It is her most irrelevant question ever.
"Travel and reading," she replied after some hesitation, with hope flashing in her eyes for a moment.
"Thank you for your time, Miss Varguk. That would be all," said Margaux.
"Thank you, Mistresses," replied Arom, getting up before opening the robe sash.
"Return that to me later," said Margaux, stopping her.
Arom nodded, her eyes tearing before walking out of the room.
"Do you have anything to say about her?" asked the older woman, surprising me.
"She is a smart and observant girl," I replied. The woman nodded and scribbled something in her diary.
As Arom left the room. Gralise came inside, and the human woman was wearing clothes.
They begin again, asking the same question and taking notes. I looked at them sneakily, but she was writing in the language I couldn''t read.
More and more girls appear before it''s my niece.
She looked at me, and I wished I could tell her to do well. I want them to select her. I don''t know what the future holds, but I am sure whatever it is.
It''s better than the hell we are in.
I wish I had telepathic skills like Gnorth, but I did not. So, I tried to convey my meaning through my eyes. She seemed to understand it.
She sat down, and they asked questions, and she answered them all.
However, compared to the girls before her, she feels average. The only surprising thing about her is her second class.
It''s her mother''s class. She taught her daughter her trade before she died. She had taken it over level 14, which was commendable in this hellhole.
Soon, it was evening, and interviews continued.
They asked questions and made notes without indicating their decisions.
The interviews lasted until late at night when they stopped and discussed the list for an hour in privacy before finally presenting it.
Chapter 554: Crossing Baxzar
Merchant of Desire Lv. 36
I saw the text, and a smile appeared on my face. I needed it.
The level-up was great yesterday, but I needed an attribute point.
I wanted to use it for charm. Instead, I put it on strength, taking it to nineteen.
I would have put it on the vitality, but it was already at twenty. I aim to take strength to twenty before I use any attribute points on mental attributes.
Although mental skills would be more useful in Archmage City, after what I experienced, I want to increase my physical attributes.
I won''t assign any points to mental attributes until I take strength to twenty.
I pushed the text away and slowly got up from the bed.
I am feeling better than yesterday, but I am still weak¡ªenough that even a level 10 wouldn''t have any problem defeating me.
I quickly freshened in the shower before carefully walking out and sitting on the bed.
Even these simple movements have left me exhausted.
I looked outside. It was still dark, but just before dawn. In a few minutes, the sun would start to come out.
After a minute of rest, I got up and changed into a suit before leaving the bedroom. Only to see Margaux and Varza sitting there.
When I returned from meeting the Governor of Vudiz last night, they hadn''t returned; they were busy with their work.
I didn''t want to go through with the meeting, but I had no choice as a matter of noble formality. Thankfully, having the stationmaster by my side spared me from facing a barrage of probing and politically charged questions.
I have also used many methods to mask the artifact''s traces, including that charm Caena had made.
It was a very expensive one. Made with Grade IV emotion essence.
The charm was designed to create confusion, obscuring the things I wanted to keep hidden and making it significantly harder for anyone to uncover them.
The curious will need very competent people with specific classes to discover what happened there.
"You should have rested more. We have a long journey ahead of us," I told the two ladies as I slowly sat down.
"We have, Master Silver," she replied.
They have rest skills. Even when I use one of Caena''s charms, I do not feel as rested as these two are looking.
A moment later, Varza slid a file toward me.
I picked it up and opened it. When I stopped myself, I nearly activated Insightful Reading. Using my skills had become an instinct.
It is my most used skill.
Although my reading speed is noticeably slower, it is still much faster than when I first came to this world. Although I may not use skills, I still have powerful, high-mental attributes.
The file had information about the girls we had selected.
There are a total of thirty-nine of them. Including the woman I had chosen.
Even before I had gotten into the brothel business, I had a plan that would require these girls with skills and experience.
Enacting that plan now would be controversial, but I could prepare for it. I could train these unique women so that I will be ready for it when the time comes.
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
"It''s good," I said and placed the file down.
"Kagles had arranged for their travel. They should leave for Greltheaven by the afternoon," I added.
While I had asked Margaux to hire the girls, I had also requested Kagles to arrange for them to be sent to Greltheaven.
They will leave for it in the afternoon.
A few minutes later, we got up and walked toward the kitchen, where everyone, including my sister, was already waiting.
We had a lively breakfast before walking out of the manor, where a line of carriages was waiting, including two carriages with the flag of Archmage City.
Official, they are traveling with us.
Unofficially, they will be escorts, with them with us. Enemies would think twice before attacking.
They aren''t that powerful. Only one among them is above Lv. 30, but they are from the Archmage City, and that is not to be taken lightly.
"I hope we will have a smooth journey, High-Mage Hardhelm," I told the dwarf.
"We will, Lord Silver," he replied pretty confidently.
After a short conversation with me, he went to his carriage. I went to mine. It is slightly bigger than the ones I used on the journey, but these circumstances required it.
I stepped inside and sat down in the big, comfortable seat.
A few seconds later, the carriages moved out of the compound.
I watched through the windows as the city rumbled past, advertising its power. It is a mature city that has formed and developed its own distinctive identity and culture.
Greltheaven and even Panar are still discovering their identities, which isn''t a bad thing¡ªfor now. It allows me to shape and mold those cities to align with my vision.
The vision is already taking form, but it will take a long time to mature as the cities are rapidly growing and changing daily.
Soon, we reached the gates. They stopped us for a few seconds before letting us leave.
I looked ahead into the thick, wild forest, its towering trees casting shadows over the snaking road that cut through it.
So, unlike Greltheaven and Renwell, where there is only wasteland and nothing else.
I watched until the carriage entered the forest before reclining my seat and turning it into a bed. That is why the carriage is big; it would allow me to sleep.
I don''t want to sleep, fearing I might get attacked once more, but I need to, and my body betrays me, as I am feeling incredibly sleepy.
Sleep will help me the most in recovering.
I need to recover enough in two days to build my endurance so I don''t tire too quickly. Another type of battlefield awaits me in Archmage City.
When I woke up, it was four and a half hours later. I felt good and a little less tired.
I adjusted my seat and looked out.
The carriage is moving through the thick woods. It''s beautiful but also dangerous. I haven''t forgotten how I was attacked in a dense forest like this a few days ago.
I watched for a few minutes before taking out a book.
I read the book till we stopped for lunch near a settlement. We intentionally did that in case there is an attack.
Even with the addition of the station''s escort. We do not want to take any chances.
After eating, we resumed our journey while I slept more. When I woke up, it was an evening.
"Where are we?" I asked as I adjusted the seat. "Near Nadra," replied Zela.
It is a city near an extreme magic region. Five cities surround it. Baxzar has the highest concentration of EMRs.
They are the source of the greatest danger¡ªgreater even than the undead¡ªbut they are also the foundation of immense wealth and the rise of unparalleled powerhouses. This balance defines their strength and resilience, a point of pride for the Dominion.
We didn''t stop for dinner and continued traveling until we reached a medium-sized city at eleven.
We have already made arrangements. We rented the whole inn and hired local private security. Seeing what had happened with the others, I was uncomfortable with it, but there was no other option.
We had a quick dinner before going to our rooms to sleep.
I lay on the bed and closed my eyes to sleep. It will be my last night in Baxzar. Hereafter, it will be south into Rasal and Archmage City before dawn the day after tomorrow.
I have to be there before the opening ceremony¡ªthere''s no room for delay. It''s absolutely crucial to my plans.
I fell asleep and woke up at dawn.
Click!
When I stepped out, I saw Jon sitting in the living room with his eyes closed.
"You are doing it too fast. It is creating instability. Take it slower," I advised gently, sensing the flow of his aura.
He is practicing it every morning and night, as it is the only free time he has.
He doesn''t do it during the travel. There, he only focuses on his job.
This made me feel bad. I knew how much I wanted to practice it when I awoken the aura.
I watched him while I read through the city''s reports. Most of it isn''t secret and wouldn''t affect things, even if it were leaked.
Soon, Jon opened his eyes, his exhaustion evident in every aspect of his body language.
"It is so hard. I can barely practice for a few minutes, which makes me dead tired," he said. "It will get better as you practice more," I replied with a smile.
I also desperately wanted to practice my aura.
In the battle, I pushed myself hard and made progress that would have usually taken me a long time to make. I want to consolidate that progress and try new things.
Unfortunately, I can''t use aura until I recover. I can''t even use the skills I have become so dependent on.
A few minutes later, we walked out and had breakfast with everybody before leaving the inn.
Soon, our carriages reached the city gates and passed through them. This is the last city of Baxzar we will enter. After we cross it, we will move to the fortress at the boundary.
Hours passed and in the late morning. We had crossed into the Kingdom of Rasal.
We will be in Archmage City before sunrise tomorrow if everything goes well.
Chapter 555: Plans and Politics
Baron Homer
Council Hall, Lauryl.
"The past two weeks have been a little calm, but their attacks increased further this week," said General Jarvis, sending the documents to us.
I activated Fast Read and reviewed them all.
After reading them, my expression turned serious. There have been seventeen attacks on the territories in the past week.
Half of them were in the territories of Baroness Silver and Baron Harrods. One had occurred in mine, but thankfully, my men had dealt with it without casualties.
"The attacks are growing and becoming increasingly dangerous," said Baron Rose.
"I hope the council will agree to release more funds for the fort to speed up its construction and increase recruitment by 20%," requested General Mark.
"Council is in a tight spot, General. We cannot release any funds," rejected Baron Lockridge.
He is leading the council in the absence of Baron Husk.
I couldn''t help but feel a spark of anger at hearing that. Lockridge''s territory is on the southern side, opposite of us. The monsters must go through nearly all the baronies to reach his territory.
I wish I could object, but we had already made a deal over the finances, so there isn''t much I could do.
"Though, when the council convenes in full. I will support the increase in the recruitment," the baron added.
Of course, he will support that.
His territory is no less at risk than ours, though the threat takes a different form. Dane''s gaze remains fixed on us. But if he were to return, Lockridge''s land would likely be among the first to fall under attack.
"The next agenda is orcs. Six hundred and thirty-seven orcs are leaving for Greltheaven, and seventy-nine are leaving for Deerpond," stated Baron Rose.
We have agreements with both cities¡ªto send the orcs to them.
It is a good agreement. We get a lot of money in exchange for that. Most importantly, we do not have to bear the burden of taking them in or repelling them.
It could have been disastrous for the baronies if Silver hadn''t had the foresight to take them from the start¡ªand now, even Deerpond has followed suit.
Deerpond uses them for mining, but unlike Silver, they are not integrating into their societies. That''s why the majority of orcs still go to Silver rather than Deerpond and other cities.
However, that broad policy creates a problem for us.
"There are a lot of excellent warriors among them. Most with a lifetime of experience in fighting the monsters," said General Jarvis.
Turning expressions on everyone''s faces sour.
There is a provision allowing us to try to recruit the best ones, but they need to agree with it.
Our contract with Silver is pretty strict, making recruitment harder. There is a provision there.
If we make an offer to the orcs, his men need to be present and have the opportunity to make their offer, and most of the time, the orcs choose them despite the dangers of his territory.
It doesn''t feel good to give Silver such power since it is from our territory, but we don''t have a choice. He has the things that we desperately need.
Emotions essence potions.
Those are important and have become even more critical with the monsters attacking.
It had saved the lives of Baroness Leila and even Baron Nightingale many times when they had gone against the monsters.
Even so, in the next meeting. We are going to be changing that.
"Silver is growing too powerful for our comfort," I said. They nodded.
Monsters and Dane are the most significant dangers, but Silver and undead aren''t far behind.
The young man is a good neighbor, but even the blind could see the ambition rising in his heart.
We need him just powerful enough to hold back the undead. Once they deal with him, they will come for us, which creates a delicate balance problem.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
"The only thing we can do is become powerful enough that Silver would think a hundred times before attacking us," replied General Jarvis.
Thankfully, we are moving in that direction.
The monsters have created a challenge, but they are also increasing the power of our people. The numbers of Lv. 20''s and Lv. 30''s are rising steadily.
Our powerhouses, like Baron Harrods, Baron Lockridge, and Baroness Silver, are also leveling up with each passing month.
Even I am advancing at an unbelievable speed.
The meeting continued, addressing one point after another. We didn''t agree on everything, but we had made progress.
"This would be all," said Baron Lockridge, ending the meeting an hour and a half later.
I got up and walked out with General Jarvis.
"Thank you for the puppy, General. My daughter loves it," I told the man. "It is a good monster, aggressive but calm. It is a good companion for a budding young lady," replied Jarvis.
We talked for a minute before walking toward our offices.
Since the three council members were unavailable, there has been a lot of work for me. Two have gone to the archmage city, while the other is keeping an eye on the monsters.
Click!
Hours passed, and soon, it was late afternoon when my office door opened, and Uda walked in.
"Ready?" she asked.
"A few more minutes," I replied.
We have been here for four days. It''s time we return to our territory.
"Let''s go," I said after signing the last file.
We walked out of my office, with people bowing to us. They were everywhere, moving and never staying in one place.
"It won''t be long before you will have to make this place bigger," she said as she looked around.
The castle was a standard size, the same as the keeps in all territories. Silver made significant changes when he was in charge at the founding.
We made a lot of changes here, but they were internal. For example, we removed the barracks from the keep to make space for more offices and guest suites. Still, it isn''t enough for the growing city.
We need more space. The castle didn''t just handle the city business but everything from military offices to the trade to the noble''s affairs.
"Rose is crafting a proposal for that," I replied in privacy.
It will take some time to get approved as the budget is constrained. There are so many things to do and so little money to pay for them.
Our priority now is a northern fortress and the army.
It is what will save the most important thing. The trade is our lifeline. Without it, there is only farming and monster hunting, which isn''t enough.
Soon, we walked into the compound where the carriage was waiting, along with the guards.
"My lord, my lady,"
The guard greeted us and opened the door. We stepped inside the carriage.
A few seconds later, it was out of the castle and into the city.
"I remember that there was nothing but a castle here. In a blink of an eye, a city of a hundred thousand appeared around it," said Uda, looking out the window.
It made me wonder, too.
When we first came here less than three months ago, there was nothing other than the castle, but now, there is a bustling city growing every day. Its development is stunning as if it were designed specifically for this purpose.
The engine of its growth is trade.
The trade between merchant states and Navr. The taxes from which the most revenue comes.
It is why we have eyes on the Mirador Hold, as they have their eyes on us. We are even in private contact with a couple of high-level people there.
If we can defeat Dane thoroughly next time he comes, we might seize Mirador Hold without shedding a drop of blood.
That would be wonderful.
It will give us all the taxes and a more significant edge in negotiating with the merchant states.
Before long, we arrived at the site where the wall was under construction¡ªa proper stone barrier. The work is progressing at full speed, driven by necessity. The threat of monsters made it imperative. We already had a wood wall, but now we''re building it bigger and stronger.
When it is complete, the outer wall will be as tall as Deerpond''s.
If everything fails, this city will be our bastion. We need it to be as defensive as possible to protect us from any threat.
Be it the monsters, Dane, Silver, or even the undead!
The carriage crossed the gate and moved along the road, with carriages coming and going from the city.
I could see many carriages from the merchant cities. They are easy to recognize with their business''s emblem and city and state''s flag.
Two hours passed, and the carriage took the turn from the main road.
A few minutes later, long farms appeared in the view. It used to be a forest, but now the nobles have reclaimed a large amount of land.
More farmland is being recovered every month. The majority will be recovered in a year, at most two.
I am saying "recovered" because it wasn''t virgin forest as its name suggests.
There had been cities and towns here before they were destroyed by the undead and monsters countless times over the millenniums.
Mostly undead of Navr.
It is one of our most significant priorities because it is the only thing we have that is unique in the entire region.
We are close to becoming self-sufficient in food, but that''s not enough. We need to grow more to sell it to the region.
We might be unable to match Navr''s prices, but we can provide a stable supply.
Greltheaven and Deerpond had hinted they would sign a long-term contract to buy it from us.
Knock Knock!
Suddenly, a knock rang out, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"My lord, Baron Harrods had sent the message that another monster tide was building," informed Ulik.
Hearing that, I nearly cursed out loud but stopped myself and sighed.
"Send him my thanks for the news," I replied.
This is the fourth in a month. The beast''s intensity increases by the month, making things extremely dangerous for us.
Usually, when things happen, Baroness Leila and Lord Blackwell sneakily try to break it by killing the leader, which is extremely dangerous, but right now, she isn''t present.
I hope Lord Blackwell will be able to do it. It usually does not stop them, but it delays them.
"We shouldn''t have let Leila go to Archmage City," said Uda.
I shook my head. Most of the council and nobles were opposed to her going but also understood that it was important for her.
She and Baron Harrods are responsible for the northern front against the monsters.
Currently, Baron Harrods is alone, while Lord Blackwell is also there with that artifact of his, but his priority is his side, not ours.
We need her, but we also know that for a mage like her. Archmage City is extremely important; this time, she isn''t just visiting but part of the Synod entourage.
There, she will have access to resources and opportunities that are typically out of her reach. These are things she wouldn''t normally encounter in her usual environment¡ªtools, knowledge, and connections that could significantly broaden her horizons and open doors for growth.
"It is going to help us all if she gets what she desires in Archmage City," I replied.
This is the only thing I could say, other than hope, that the tide would collapse. If it didn''t, I pray it wouldn''t be too strong.
Last time, we were barely able to handle it.
Chapter 556: Archmage City
"Irington," I said as I looked at the city coming closer.
It is one of the unique cities in the continent and even the world, as it is between two kingdoms.
Half is in the Kingdom of Rasal, and the other half is in the Kingdom of Ilazad. It is also a city without city walls.
We will enter from the Rasal side and exit from Ilazad. On the other side, we will reach Lake Valefrost, a massive lake.
Archmage City isn''t a city you approach by land. It is on an island in the middle of the lake.
Lake Valefrost is the largest lake on the continent, and its origins are even more remarkable¡ªit didn''t form naturally. Instead, it was created during the continent''s most catastrophic battle in the last incursion. This violent clash caused the land to shift and the lake to form, and as a result, the water remains perpetually near freezing, no matter the season.
Soon, we reached the wallless city, and it was beautiful. It is larger than Inam and more prosperous.
The city does not have walls, but it does have checkpoints¡ªunlike others. They didn''t stop us, quickly allowing our carriage to move forward.
We move along the main road. If what I read is correct, then we don''t need to take any turns to reach our destination.
This road will lead us straight toward the lake.
The carriage moved fast through the great avenue while I admired the beautiful city, which looked even more captivating on this starry night.
If I hadn''t felt the urgency to reach Archmage City, I would have slowed down to enjoy the city more.
Soon, we crossed the city''s internal dividing boundary. Although clearly marked, there were no checkpoints or restrictions as we entered the Ilazad side.
I could now see the lake. It was blurry to me, but I could see it.
As my spirit and body heal, my passive skills strengthen with each passing day. Still, I wish the recovery could be faster. That said, I''m fortunate to recover as quickly as I am. If someone else with my level and classes had been in my position, it would have taken them a month. The legacy is influencing my recovery, and if I had been entirely in its embrace, my healing would have been even faster.
Legacies are truly powerful¡ªfar beyond what most can comprehend. They don''t just absorb the emotions that people radiate; they can shape reality itself, influencing the very fabric of existence.
This weakness will make things difficult in Archmage City, but I must endure it.
Soon, our carriage reached the gate of the port, and it was crowded.
"It''s crowded, even at this time of night," Eva said, gazing at the bustling port. People are everywhere, and it''s nearly midnight.
This isn''t surprising, given that the continental synod is the biggest gathering on the continent.
This is why most people we could see were well-dressed and looked wealthy, with many of them radiating power.
It is the same with the ships. Most of them that are anchored are stunningly beautiful as they navigate the crowded port. A new ship docks immediately as one leaves.
Everything unfolds with precise efficiency, with each movement and task flowing seamlessly into the next.
Our carriage didn''t stop where others were required to. It continued moving, and thousands of eyes turned toward it. This is a privilege most nobles never experience, one I''m granted because of my legacy. After all, this synod is for the legacies.
The carriage stopped in front of the most captivating yacht on the pier. Its sleek, gleaming hull shimmered under the moonlight, reflecting a spectrum of colors as it rocked gently in the water. Elegant, intricate carvings adorned its sides, showcasing master craftsmanship. The flag of the Velvet Garden fluttered proudly, its rich colors standing out against the evening sky."
The carriage door opened, and I got out on my own, but I sat down in a wheelchair as there was some distance to the ship, and I would rather not walk.
People''s eyes turned toward me, and I met them as Jill pushed me toward the yacht.
Soon, we reached the vessel, and Jill pushed me onboard it.
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Welcome to the Syrvin, Lord Silver," greeted the middle-aged elf. "Thank you, Captain," I replied.
"Everything has been prepared for you, my lord. If you wish, you can rest in your suite," he said. There is no need. I want to watch from the deck," I said, looking at the beautiful view of the vast lake.
"As you wish, my lord. The ship will sail after we perform the last checks," he informed.
"Thank you, captain," I said. The man smiled and walked away while I drank in the enchanting view.
"It would have been much easier. If there had been the road," said Eva, and I couldn''t help but nod.
Sometimes, they craft a magical road stretching across the lake to the city¡ªa breathtaking sight that occurs only a few times each century. Yet, this time, they haven''t done it.
As Eva had said, the road would have made travel easier. We would have been able to ride to Archmage City directly.
A form approached me; as I was talking with Eva, my sister appeared beside me. Seeing her expression, Eva smiled and walked away.
"A tide is rising, and this one feels immense," she said, her gaze locking with mine. "Lord Blackwell may have delayed it, but it will come."
"I heard," I had been informed earlier.
"I am hoping you might spare a few battalions," she said, her tone steady while her eyes shifted¡ªnot pleading, but betraying a flicker of urgency, perhaps even something deeper.
They had been asking for support for quite a while, and I always resisted, but now I felt my resistance weaken.
She had fought for me. Her men died protecting me. If she hadn''t been with me, the result of the ambush would have been entirely different.
Finally, I stated, "One battalion and a few mercenaries. " I thought she would push for more since she asked for a few while I provided only one.
She didn''t. Instead, she smiled.
"Thank you," she replied and walked away toward Baron Husk.
Hun!
I turned back to the beautiful pier when suddenly, I noticed someone sitting in a glass waiting room, and he seemed to be looking at me.
"Is that Ethan?" I asked Zela. Immediately, her staff lit up.
"Yes," she affirmed.
"Ask him to come," I said. Lola had told me he was coming to Archmage City, which isn''t surprising, given their type of business.
Soon, I saw him getting up and coming out of the waiting room. He wasn''t alone; there were three more people beside him: a woman and two men.
Soon, they appeared near the yacht ramp before entering. When Ethan saw me, a surprise appeared in his eyes.
"Lord Silver," he greeted with three people beside him.
''The man on the left is Cannis Ashav, and the woman in the middle is Erna Ashav; they are Mr. Ethan''s parents. The man on the right is Julius Ashav, Mr. Ethan''s uncle,'' informed Jill telepathically.
"Ethan, I thought. You would have already been in the city," I said.
A merchant, him, should have already been there. They like to prepare, and I am sure they had their every hour booked.
"We would have, but something came up," He replied. I nodded and turned to the people beside him.
He introduced me to them as they were the ones Jill had said.
"If you don''t mind me asking, my lord. What happened to you?" asked Ethan, scrutinizing the wheelchair and my appearance. "A small hiccup during the journey," I replied with a relaxed smile.
It''s clear that he wants to ask more, but he understands when to press and when not to.
"If there is some time before your yacht arrives, you can travel with us to Archmage City," I offered. The yacht is big enough, and the journey is short.
"Thank you, Lord Silver. We appreciate it," replied the senior Ashav.
A minute later, the yacht began to move.
We will take less than two hours to reach the Archmage City.
I am excited. It is why, despite feeling sleepy, I am not resting. I want to see the most fantastic city on the continent with my own eyes.
I felt the cold across my body. Thanks to the water, it was shivering cold, but it felt good. Jill would bring me a blanket if needed.
A faint mist rose, making the yachts sailing on it look even more beautiful as they drifted through it under the stars.
There are a lot of yachts around us¡ªhundreds of them, maybe even thousands. Many are massive.
The superyachts.
Archmage City is a playground of the rich. It is one of the most prosperous cities in the world, ranking in the top three. Its heart is the most potent legacy behind the Titans.
Some even say it has the power of a titan. Considering it is a magic tower.
The more I think about it, the more my excitement builds. It bubbles up inside me and ignites a restless energy, making me eager not to miss a single moment.
An hour passed, and I began to see a cluster of lights. Every minute, they got brighter and wider until the buildings started to take shape and soon, the whole city came into view.
"Beneath the stars where magic swells,
A city thrives on whispered spells.
Its towers gleam with arcane light,
A haven born of mistful might."
The words hung in the air like an enchantment, resonating with a power that drew every ear. It was none other than the old man, Ravill, his voice commanding attention as he recited the famous poem of the Archmage City¡ªa timeless tribute to its mystical grandeur.
It is an apt poem to describe the marvel revealing itself in front of me.
The Archmage City sprawls across the island. A breathtaking metropolis where magic fuels life itself.
Its skyline is dominated by colossal towers that pierce the heavens, their heights vanishing into ethereal clouds.
These skyscraping edifices are more than mere magic towers. They are the last walls of the continents'' defense and stand against the incursion armies.
There are over a hundred magic towers, but one is acknowledged as the greatest of them.
It is not the most enormous magic tower in the city. It is slightly over a hundred stories tall.
There are magic towers that are more than twice its height.
It was not the most beautiful tower; most towers looked more beautiful than it, but it was magnificent.
When one looks at it, everything feels pale.
The magic tower is simple and made of reddish stones but covered in a swirling mist. Even from a distance, the mist of my legacy seems pale in front of it.
There is a feeling coming from it, which feels like a warm blanket on a cold night.
One looked at it and would feel everything would be all right.
That tower stands as the greatest defense of the continent. It has withstood countless incursions, remaining steadfast and unyielding while everything around it was reduced to dust.
Chapter 557: Mars Tower
My eyes stayed glued to the city, refusing to waver, even when the ship moved to dock at the port.
What I watch is too absorbing to see anything else ¡ªundeniably irresistible. I couldn''t tear my gaze away, not now.
There are a lot of them at the piers. Working as porters, operating things.
They are magnificent. The smallest, no larger than an adolescent child, and the tallest stood over seven meters high.
"Some of them are thousands of years old," said Rutto. To that, I nodded.
I love golems.
They represent everything that I love about this world. I wanted to buy some to act as guards at the tower''s doors before discarding that idea.
It wasn''t an easy decision to make.
Soon, the ship docked, and we exited. People are waiting for us.
Three people. One woman, two men. All three wear mage robes, but they are not the same type.
Archmage City has a strict code about the robes. One could tell the mage they were just by looking at their robes.
"Welcome to Archmage City, Lord Silver, Master of Velvet Garden," said the green-haired woman. "Thank you for the kind welcome, Great Mage Stoneheart," I replied.
The woman is a great mage. An Lv. 40+ mage, and since she worked in The Archmage tower.
It means she is exceptional¡ªbeyond just good.
I am surprised they have sent her to welcome me. All the Masters of the Legacies were greeted with strict ceremony¡ªwelcomed by none other than a grade of Great Mage, as was befitting their stature.
I have a list of those mages; she isn''t one of them.
Mage Stoneheart is responsible for welcoming the masters of the Grade IV legacy¡ªonly a Master of Grade IV or Grade V is received by Great Mage Stoneheart.
My legacy isn''t Grade IV. It''s Grade III, but she is here to welcome me.
"''All the accommodations have been arranged for you and your entourage, but in light of your condition, I would suggest you go to the Mars Tower first,'' she said, her voice calm yet edged with something I couldn''t quite place.
"I want to attend the opening tomorrow and have other engagements, Great Mage," I replied.
I planned to visit that place, but I would not risk missing the opening of the conclave and the other things I had intended.
"I don''t think that would be a problem. The opening ceremony is at ten," the Great Mage replied.
I considered for a moment before finally nodding.
"Ok," I agreed. It''s in my favor to visit Mars Tower. I will need all the help I can get for tomorrow.
"Mydir will take you there," she ordered to the elf.
A few seconds later, I was in the carriage. Moving toward the Mars Tower.
I looked outside the window and saw Golems patrolling the streets. People were riding their monsters, which were not allowed in other cities.
I myself have restricted many monsters. Those who have them need special permission to bring them into the city.
Because these monsters possess the sheer power to maul through dozens of people, leaving carnage in their wake long before the guards can even mount a response
Some feel powerful enough to kill even the guards with a swipe of their claws.
"I heard there has not been a single monster accident in the past century?" I asked. "In three and a half centuries. It had been more than a millennium since a person died,"
"The person who died twelve hundred years ago died due to his own fault instead of the monsters'' fault," replied the elf, his pride clearly evident in his voice.
"These collars must be the reason?" I asked, and the man nodded.
Soon, the carriage changed lanes and began to move fast. It had shifted to the Lightway.
In huge cities, there are one or two streets with Lightways. Here, every big street has one, and to use it, one only needs to shift the lane.
The carriage is moving fast. Faster than cars inside the city.
Cars move at an average of thirty miles per hour in the city, but the carriage is at least moving at forty.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Still, I could see everything.
Thanks to my new eye skill and the more I looked. The more enamored I have become.
The city is a magical metropolis.
It was remarkably well-planned. Despite its immense population, the city never felt crowded. Parks, sidewalks, and lush gardens sprawled across the landscape, seamlessly woven into the urban design.
I could even see young children walking alone without fear.
As I took in the sights, my gaze landed on something unexpected¡ªsomething that brought an involuntary smile to my face.
A tram.
It differs from Earth and runs on magic, but it is still a tram. It brought back some old memories.
I will travel on it at least once before I leave the city. It will be enough till I build a tram in my city.
I wanted to build it ever since I held the city in my hands. It looked easy enough, but far from it.
It is still much easier than the Lightway.
A few minutes passed, and the sky-breaking tower came into view. It is massive and magnificent, bigger than even the Storm Tower of Namdar.
It is nearly two hundred stories tall and looks to be carved out of a gentle, glowing mountain.
It is a work of art with a bee comb design.
It is the Mars Tower. Built by Archmage Mars, who specialized in healing. The tower is also known as Healers Tower.
It is thousands of years old.
Here, nearly every affliction, including severed limbs, can be healed. However, those treatments are some of the most difficult and expensive ones.
The carriage stopped, and I got out.
A wheelchair was waiting for me. Although I could walk for a short distance, I sat in a wheelchair when I saw the massive tower.
Just going to the lobby alone will tire me out.
The young human man pushed me, and soon, I passed through the massive gates of the tower, entering the lobby that made my eyes wide.
"Magnificent," I muttered.
It didn''t look like a hospital, and technically, it was not. It is a magic tower focused on teaching healing magic.
So, at a stretch, it could be seen as a teaching hospital.
Mages are everywhere, and less than 10% of the crowd are regular people like me who are not wearing mage robes.
People looked at me. Some muttered in recognition.
"Most of the things here are placed by Archmage Mars himself. A few changes have been made across the millenniums," the elf informed.
"It doesn''t require any change," I replied, and it truly doesn''t.
Everything is beautiful, especially those art pieces. They are from an Archmage''s collection, and I''m drooling over each piece.
We reached the elevator and entered the room.
The energy screen enveloped us, and the elevator moved¡ªfast. It was much faster and smoother than the elevator in my tower.
I could barely feel it moving. I wouldn''t have felt it at all, if not for seeing the floors moving past.
Finally, the elevator stopped, and the screen disappeared.
They pushed my wheelchair out, only to see two people waiting for me: a brown-haired man who looked to be in his forties and a young dwarf woman.
The man is Great Mage Domaris¡ªone of the most accomplished healers in Archmage City.
Specializing in the spirit.
Beside him is a young dwarf woman; she is a mage. Likely his student.
"Lord Silver, you look better than what Healer Gulfim had described in her communication," he said, looking at me.
He didn''t use any active skills but with his expertise. He could see many things without using them.
"Far from it, Great Mage. I could barely walk more than a few hundred meters," I replied as the young woman appeared behind me and pushed my wheelchair.
"If your condition had been as Healer Gulfim had described. You shouldn''t have been able to walk even a hundred meters," he said, and to that, I smiled.
There are people around. Most are mages, but some are patients, and quite a few are in wheelchairs, like me.
Only after seeing them does this place begin to feel a little bit like the hospital, but one could forget that the next moment, seeing its beauty.
Hospitals are not supposed to be this beautiful.
Click!
Soon, we stopped by the door and entered the room, where there were different types of tools.
We stopped beside the metallic bed. Covered densely in the runes.
"I am going to place you on this bed for the exam," he informed. However, he didn''t act until I nodded after a second of silence.
To be honest, I don''t want them to scan me. He will see what I don''t want them to see, but I want to recover fast.
Seeing me nod. The bracelet with the green gem lit up, and I found myself floating up. A moment later, I was on the metallic bed.
I thought it would be uncomfortable, but it is surprisingly soft¡ªsofter than a mattress.
Buzz!
A second passed, and the buzzing sound rang out. As it did, the runes lit up and moved over my body.
It made me panic a little, but I remained calm.
Seconds passed when a green light dot appeared over me. Soon, that dot expanded, forming a magic image of me, and it was beautiful.
Every vein and bone, along with my beating heart, is visible here. I could see my blood going in and out of it and many other things.
Mage Domaris tapped a few runic buttons, and the scan changed slightly.
Something translucent was added to it.
"You have heavily overexerted your spirit, Lord Silver, but you are recovering incredibly fast," he said. His eyes never leave the scan.
"I don''t feel like it," I replied.
"Well, you are," he said and said something to the young mage beside him in privacy. She nodded while he turned back to the scan.
"So, can you help me recover faster?" I asked, and the man smiled.
"Spirit is the most delicate part of people to deal with. Pushing it will only harm you, but this is Mars Tower."
"We have something that helps you to recover. At least enough that you will be able to use your skills and aura before leaving the city," he replied.
Hearing that report, a small smile appeared on my face.
Healer Gulfim said, I will be able to use my skills and aura in two weeks, but won''t be at full power. Here, in ten days, I might be able to.
Click!
He looked at a few other things when the young woman came holding a tray of medicines.
"These will expedite the healing of physical injuries and soothe the spirit," he said, looking at the medicine. The next moment, I took the medicine.
Some were good, while others made me nearly vomit.
Afterward, I got out of bed and back into the chair as the young woman pushed it.
We came out of the room and kept moving until we stopped at the far end of the hallway, where Mage Domaris opened the door.
We entered the room. It is not big, but it isn''t cramped either.
There is nothing else besides the block of jagged purple crystal, which is smooth on top.
"This is an otolis crystal. Made from bones of an otolis beast. It has spirit nourishing properties."
"It''s uncomfortable, but if you spend a night on it. It will expedite the recovery of your spirit," informed Mage Domaris.
"Do I have to sleep naked?" I asked, and to my surprise. He nodded.
I asked it as a joke, but it turned out to be true.
A minute later, everyone left. Leaving me alone in the room.
I stayed in my wheelchair for a few seconds before sighing and getting up. I slowly removed my clothes and carefully folded them in my wheelchair.
Completely naked. I climbed on the purple crystal and lay down.
It was cold and uncomfortable, but I bore it and closed my eyes.
I don''t know whether it is the tiredness, the medicine, or both. I fell into a deep sleep within a minute.
Chapter 558: Lunar Palace
When I woke up, it was bright.
The crystal was still cold and uncomfortable as last night, but I nearly forgot about that, given how I was feeling.
It is much better than I had thought.
It is far from my peak, but a lot better than yesterday.
I sat up and looked at the beautiful view behind the glass wall.
It is a vast sky.
The floor is above the clouds. I wish they would disappear so I could see the city. I could still see some parts of it, but most of it was hidden by the cloud.
I watched for a minute before I got down from the crystal. I looked at the time and quickly put on my clothes before walking out.
Click!
¡°Lord Silver,¡± the young woman greeted, beside her was another wheelchair.
I wanted to walk, but I sat down. I will need all the energy I would need today. It is an opening day, and it¡¯s going to be a busy day.
Soon, she took me to the elevator, and we stepped inside.
A few seconds later, the elevator stopped at the lobby, and I got out.
Only to see my guards were waiting there for me.
¡°Thank you, Mage?¡± I thanked. ¡°Beadhammer,¡± she replied.
A minute later, I was in a carriage;
There were only two hours before the opening, and I had to return to my stay, freshen and change, and then go to the Archmage Tower to attend the opening.
¡°You shouldn¡¯t waste time with me. Every hour is important here. Davis would be more than enough for me,¡± I said to Zela.
I had spent my entourage slot on her. This means she has access to a lot of things that a mage like her could only dream of.
Since it is an archimage city. She didn¡¯t have to worry about my safety.
My enemies would be utterly mad if they decided to attack me here. Even if they tried, they wouldn¡¯t succeed.
Still, I will keep my guards as a precaution. Davis will be her replacement.
We took the lightway and reached the place in record time. When I saw it, it took my breath away.
A grand palace.
It is made of white marble without a single embellishment.
It is adorned with intricately carved domes, spires, and archways, each detail reflecting the skill of the people who made it.
A massive central dome, inlaid with delicate gold filigree, dominates the skyline, creating a balance with the spires.
The palace is surrounded by a lush garden with manicured lawns, fountains, and marble pathways. Reflecting pools mirror the palace''s beauty, amplifying its ethereal charm.
Its name is Lunar Palace. Designed by Hollis Gladstone for his wife, Kyr Gladstone, the archmage of moon fire. Seventeenth archmage of the archmage city.
I wish it was night. It is said that the palace became the most beautiful at that time.
It is one of the most palaces in the city. It is classified as heritage.
Usually, the heads of state and other powerful people stay here, but every decade during the synod, it becomes a place where the masters of legacy stay.
Click!
¡°Welcome to Banaras Palace, Lord Silver,¡± greeted the half-orc woman as she opened the door.
The woman looked to be in her late sixties. Wearing a beautiful dress. ¡°Major-domo,¡± I replied and sat down, wheelchair beside her.
The staff pushed my wheelchair while she led me toward the palace. Informing about its history with grace.
Soon, we passed through its gates into the grand hall.
The grand hall is breathtaking, with its soaring ceiling painted with celestial frescoes. Crystal chandeliers hang gracefully, scattering light across the polished marble floors
I could see the people sitting on couches. Talking with each other.
Many looked at me. Some were surprised; some had questions. I recognized a few among them and nodded. They nodded back.
The synod is a rare opportunity for masters of legacies. As it was only time, their sovereigns would let them leave the kingdom.
Still, only around half come, which is still a big number. Seeing how Sovereigns treat hosts of a legacy like precious treasures or caged birds.
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
Never let them leave their cages.
They pushed me toward the elevators when one of the elevators opened, and a woman walked out.
She is a tall woman, lean, with the body of a warrior. Her skin is a glistening black, and she has thick, curly violet hair, that reaches her neck.
She is wearing a long white toga with a golden belt. Her dress is not conservative, but it''s scandalous as well. It shows a perfect amount of skin.
She has a falchion at her waist and, just like that golden belt, it is an artifact.
Very few people would dare to show not one but two artifacts openly.
She is doing that without fear. If I had been in her place. I would have done the same.
The moment my eyes fell on her. Her eyes also fell on me, and her lips curved.
She turned and walked toward me.
¡°Lord Silver, we finally meet,¡± said the woman as looked at my state worriedly.
¡°We finally did, Prefectus Prisca,¡± I replied with a smile full of fake warmth, just like that fake worried smile on her face.
She is Prisca of House Kyros. Vice-leader of Masal Coliseum.
One of the reasons for my coming here is to meet her to negotiate the release of my mother. It won¡¯t be easy, but I have a few cards I could play.
¡°What happened, if you don¡¯t mind asking?¡± she asked. I really do mind it.
¡°Nothing more than a little skirmish, Prefects,¡± I replied.
¡°It must be more than a little skirmish to make you strain your spirit as such,¡± she said, and it took me all my will to keep my expression under control.
Masters of Colosseum. You can¡¯t underestimate them. Especially the ones of the legacy.
There could have been many reasons for my state, but she stated the rightest.
It¡¯s not because of the guess.
¡°I am glad you are fine, Lord Silver. I wouldn¡¯t want anything to happen to you that would delay our meeting,¡± she added with a smile, and walked away.
¡®Bitch!¡¯ I cursed.
I don¡¯t usually do that, but this woman had irritated me enough to do it.
This made me sigh internally. I had already expected the negotiations wouldn¡¯t be easy, and this little interaction proved that I may have underestimated it.
Soon, they pushed me into the elevator, and it moved up.
The door opened, and I pushed out.
A few seconds passed when a surprise appeared on my face as I noticed something. I was so busy with my thoughts that I didn¡¯t realize the floor I was in.
¡°Is this the sixth floor?¡± I asked. ¡°Yes,¡± the woman replied.
Hearing that, a surprise appeared on my face before a smile took its place.
¡®It seemed like they were treating me like a Grade IV legacy master,¡¯ I thought.
First, I was welcomed by the Great Mage Stoneheart, and now my accommodation is on the sixth floor. It¡¯s clear that they are treating me as the Grade IV legacy.
The sixth floor is for the masters of Grade IV legacy.
There is another above me. The seventh floor is for the masters of Grade V legacy.
As for Grade VI. The dome is for them.
There are only four suites there, and they are only available to masters who have here personally. Their representative or heirs stay on the seventh floor.
Soon, we stopped in front of the large bronze doors.
¡°All your things have been placed here. If you need anything, ring the bell; the staff will take care of your every wish,¡± said the woman before walking.
I looked at the magnificent suite. Everything is beautiful, from the lamp on the wall to the carpet, I am standing on the sofa in front of me.
Just one look at them, and one can see they were made by high-level people.
Each tells a different story.
This furniture looks new, but it is ancient. Thousands of years old. This is a place where many masters of legacies and important people across the years have stayed.
The suite is big, but I didn¡¯t have much time to explore around.
So, I got out of my wheelchair and walked into the beautiful room before stepping into the bathroom.
I showered and stepped out before changing into the suit and nearly activated my skill before stopping myself.
Click!
The door opened, and Eudo walked in.
¡°Lord Silver,¡± he greeted. ¡°Eudo, please be quick. I want to reach the Archmage Tower before the opening ceremony begins,¡± I replied.
¡°That won¡¯t be a problem, my lord,¡± he replied, and two cases opened one after another before things flew out of him.
Usually, I don¡¯t wear makeup, but today is important, and I need to look my best.
I am going there without my advantages. I need something that will help me, those sharks.
Eudo worked fast, but he was smooth as always. He is the highest-level person I have. He is just a step away from reaching Lv. 40.
It isn¡¯t easy to reach that level. People stayed at that level all their lifetimes, but I have confidence in Eudo.
It might take him some time, but he will reach it.
He soon turned to my eyebrow.
The hair on them had grown a lot through the medicine, but not enough. Thankfully, Eudo did his magic, and now, it looked like I had never lost them.
The battle had been truly horrifying. It had burned every part of me.
I am extremely lucky to be alive. I wouldn¡¯t have been if not for several factors lining up.
¡°Done,¡± he said finally, and I have to say, I look good. ¡°Thank you, Eudo,¡± I thanked.
¡°It''s my honor, Lord Silver,¡± he replied and walked away. I followed a few seconds later.
¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± I said to Jill as I sat in my wheelchair.
¡¡¡
Simar
I took a bite of my food and looked around.
It is only morning, but the floor of the legacy is full. Most people are eating a brunch like me.
I have not been here to eat lunch or enjoy the legacy. I have been to many legacies, and every legacy is different, but the Velvet Garden seemed to be on a different level.
It¡¯s better than every Grade III legacy I have visited. It is just ambiance and beauty, but also the feeling.
It affects more deeply than Grade III. It feels similar to Grade IV in some aspects.
This is kind of shocking, given it is only a few months old in this grade and just a year old.
I was nearly finished with my brunch when I saw the man I had come to meet.
¡°Simar, it¡¯s been a while,¡± he said and took a seat in front of me.
¡°It is Drev,¡± I replied.
¡°How are you?¡± he asked, looking at me worriedly. ¡°Good,¡± I replied, trying to smile as brightly as possible, and there to see, it was only worry.
Not pity. I have seen too much lately.
I am not fine. I had just gone through a nasty breakup and came here for a fresh start.
This man could help me with that.
¡°So, were you able to do it?¡± I asked, feeling the nervous anticipation.
¡°It wasn¡¯t difficult. The tower is looking for people like you,¡± he replied. I felt relieved hearing that.
¡°Thank you,¡± I thanked.
¡°Don¡¯t thank me yet. I was only able to get you the interview. You will have to get a job on your own,¡± he replied with a smile.
I smiled back.
I still remember the last time I saw him. He was so different, so broken.
He was crying as he burned down another restaurant, with Liam consoling him.
Now, he had become one of the important members of this powerful legacy. Even Liam seemed surprised by the influence he wields.
I didn¡¯t know him too well. It was through Liam that I met him.
Liam offered me a job, but I declined.
Liam is a friend, and I don¡¯t want to burden him. Besides, taking me will have consequences.
It is the reason why I came here.
¡°I will,¡± I replied.
I am a green mage and am applying for the job they have advertised. I could have gone through the formal route, but I didn¡¯t have the time or the money.
It was a mistake to trust the man. He gave me everything, but just as easily took it all away.
Leaving me with nothing.
¡°Still any suggestion?¡± I asked. ¡°Be truthful and don¡¯t hesitate to show all your abilities,¡± he advised.
¡°With how much, Liam, praise you. I don¡¯t think you will have any problem getting the job,¡± he added.
¡°Thank you for saying that,¡± I thanked.
It feels good to hear that. In the past few years, all I heard was being called useless.
Chapter 559: Archmage Tower
The carriage stopped, and we got out.
The man who opened the door had said something, but I was too occupied staring at the wonder before me for it to register.
It is the Archmage Tower, the oldest mage tower in the city and its most powerful legacy.
It is also the oldest occupied building on the entire continent. Over the past ten thousand years, every other building has been destroyed at least once in incursions.
During the incursion, the city became one of the world''s safest but also one of its most dangerous places.
It hosts one of the incursion gates.
They looked at the tower at first glance. It didn''t look as impressive as the other towers, but as one looked further. One would see how impressive the tower is.
The magical red stones do not look special until one focuses on them. Then, they would see a thick layer of mana covering them.
It is not normal mana, but the one formed through an emotional mist that covers it beautifully.
It took me a while to avert my eyes away from it, and I looked around it. The massive preparations have been made for the opening.
The grand opening would be in the evening, with millions of people watching.
I am going inside to join the address of the archmage. It is an honor that is only for the masters of legacy.
So, even sovereigns or nobles wouldn''t participate in it. It is the synod of legacies, after all.
I watched as Jill pushed my wheelchair toward the tower.
"Lord Silver, welcome archmage tower," greeted the elf woman as we reached the gates.
Three people are welcoming the guests.
All three of them are Great Mages. If I had a single one in my service, I would have been able to sleep more soundly in my city.
"Thank you," I replied.
They smiled while Jill pushed me inside the tower. As she did, the feeling of one of the most potent legacies came over me.
It was light but filled every part of me like a blanket. Making me feel as safe as I had before.
It gave me a vision of standing in the center with thousands of mages protecting me.
"It''s different," said Garzong.
"Only for us," I replied, looking at Jill and Davis. Their eyes are a little cloudy. It looked like they were having some kind of epiphany.
Garzong looked surprised. So is Jon.
"The recreational and entertainment types'' legacies are different," I replied to his question.
"It''s a spirit. One of the most powerful legacies in the world. I thought its effects would be stronger," said Jon, making my smile appear.
"Who says it''s not?" I asked back, looking at Jill and Davis.
Its effects are powerful but not to all people. It is a legacy born by a mage.
The purpose of the archmage tower is magic. It helps the mages research, teaches them, and becomes a focus from which they can launch spells.
It is different than the recreational legacies. That focuses on making their patrons feel better.
We also do not feel its full effects because we do not have mage classes or talent. On top of that, its effects are being restricted.
If we encountered the Towers full power. It would have overwhelmed us. It''s a spirit, after all.
As legacies reach the level this one has, they become more than what they seem. Such legacies have many secrets. Some are open, but many remain carefully hidden.
I pushed those thoughts away and took in the impressive lobby.
It exhibited many things, both old and new. The older ones were more than ten thousand years old; the new ones might be as recent as a few months old.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
The archmages make changes according to their preferences. The current archmage makes changes every year.
They have an extensive collection accumulated over thousands of years.
I looked at it before looking up at the grand fresco. It is a fresco of the battle, with one side led by an older man in mage''s robes.
The opposition is controlled by a tall, pale, alien-looking creature surrounded by an army of similar-looking beings.
I focused on the man.
He is the first archmage, the man who birthed this legacy and even took it to the stage where it is now.
He is a great man, but I am more interested in the others beside him.
The man with crystalline horns is holding a staff. A huge red female armored warrior carrying a massive great sword. A little person with a glittering coat.
Elder races.
I heard there are some in the city, but given their abilities. It''s hard to recognize them, even if one spotted them on the street.
They are blessed with powerful abilities and exceptional long lives.
"I wish I could see an elder." I thought. But then realized I might have seen one already. As I said, they are very good at hiding themselves.
I turned my eyes away and looked at the mist.
The signature of every legacy, even the archmage tower, is no different.
However, this mist is very different.
A single speck of it felt more powerful than all the mist of my legacy. It is likely true, given the level of the archmage tower.
To be honest, I am feeling suppressed. This suppression isn''t stiffening or even visible unless I focus on it.
Jill seemed to be coming to herself when she pushed my wheelchair not toward the elevator but toward the gate with the silvery screen.
"Only Lord Silver is allowed to go further," stated the attendant.
I nodded and turned to Jill and the others.
"Go enjoy the city. I will inform you when I am finished," I said to them and entered the teleportation gate.
It is my first time using one. They are scarce and expensive.
For a moment, everything was dark before it cleared.
"The continental synod welcomes you, Lord Silver," welcomed a half-elf.
He looked in his late forties, with silvery hair and deep green eyes. He was handsome in a scholarly way, and his eyes were filled with knowledge.
"Grand Mage Alwatyr," I greeted with respect.
He is a Grand Mage, a peer of Salazar. Their power is just below the archmages.
They are capable of leveling cities alone. They are the living nukes.
"Lord Silver, I am going to use the skill that will take away your tiredness and give you vigor as long as you are in the tower," he said.
Hearing that, a big smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
"Legacy skill?" I asked, and the man nodded. "Side effects?" I inquired.
"Nothing, but it won''t heal you. It will fill you with vigor and keep afflictions suspended until you get out of the tower," he replied.
A moment later, I felt the surrounding mist moving before seeping into me.
As it did, I felt all the weakness in my body disappearing. As if I had never been injured, I felt like I could fight ten battles.
"Thank you, Grand Mage," I warmly thanked the man.
He smiled while I stood and walked toward the vast bronze doors. They are huge and have impressive work done on them. It is the best bronze detail work I have ever seen.
If I didn''t have to walk through the gate. I would spend some time admiring them.
"Lord Remus Silver, Master of Velvet Garden. Lord of Greltheaven and Panar,"
Announced the herald as I stepped inside a grand hall, which is richly decorated.
I felt the eyes of hundreds of people on me. Each one of them is important. They are masters of legacies and representatives sent by them.
There are rows and rows of seats, with half already filled.
I could see many familiar faces. People I have met before, people I have only read about.
Many of them turned toward me.
I nodded at some and smiled and soon reached the rows. A surprise appeared on my face when my guide turned in the second row.
I am not the only one surprised. Many reacted with surprise.
The first rows are for the masters of Grade V, Grade VI, and above Masters of Legacies.
The second row is for the Master of Grade IV legacy. Now, the guide is leading me there with more and more people watching.
It would have been much easier. If the seats had our names, the Archmage City likes to keep people guessing.
My name won''t appear unless I sit on it.
"Here is your seat, Lord Silver," said the guard as we stopped near the middle of the row.
I looked at my seat and looked at the person sitting beside me.
"Thank you," I said to the guide, sitting in my seat. As I did, my name flashed above me. They had really put me in the second row!
"Lady Ophelia, it''s been a while," I said to the woman beside me.
She is Ophelia Awyn. Master of Transcendent Pleasure. A Grade IV legacy.
She considers me her competitor despite us being in different countries.
I don''t know why she thinks that. She has a higher-level legacy than me and is also very rich, with brothels all over the merchant state and a few other kingdoms.
She had even poached my people, and more and more girls were getting approached by her people every month.
"It has, Lord Silver," she replied pleasantly with a smile.
"How are the girls adjusting?" I asked.
The woman is so good. Upon hearing the question, not even a hint of surprise appeared on her face, and her pleasant smile remained unchanged.
I am not angry at her poaching.
It is just a business; I have done that myself, but that doesn''t mean I like it. Given the work I put into training them, it had irritated me immensely.
"Very well, to be honest. You have trained your girls well, and I wanted to talk to you about it," she replied while I arched my brow.
"I am hoping you would sell the contracts of some of your girls. I am willing to pay good money," she stated, and I have to say, I am surprised.
I didn''t expect her to be so audacious and make an offer to me directly.
"My apologies, Lady Ophelia, but their contracts aren''t for sale," I replied. The woman seemed to be expecting the reply, as her eyes showed no surprise.
"As you wish, Lord Silver," she said simply.
I know she will not stop. The girls inform us every week that they have been making an offer.
Unfortunately, I couldn''t do much about it. I can not directly bar it, as there are always ways around the contract, no matter how tight it is.
All I could do was make it complex and costly for the poachers.
These hurdles are not necessarily enough to stop the people like her. Her legacy is extremely rich; she could afford to poach my people, even at that price.
So, the only thing I could count on was loyalty. It is what kept my girls to me.
Only a few girls agreed and were poached despite hundreds being enticed by the substantial offers. This is what made me most proud.
Chapter 560: Archmage’s Address
Hun!
I watched people entering the room when a guide brought a man in his early fifties.
He is a short man with thick brown hair and blue eyes. He is wearing a slightly loose suit and has faint nervousness in his eyes.
The man is uncomfortable and looks out of his element.
Seeing him, a smile appeared on my face.
He is one of the people I had planned to meet and have already fixed a meeting.
The guide stopped at the empty seat beside mine. A second later, the man he brought sat beside me.
"Lord Orion," I greeted the man. "Lord Silver," he replied with a smile.
However, there is also a surprise in his nervous eyes.
"I didn''t think you would come. Given what is happening in your territory," he said, but the next moment, he seemed to realize it was too direct.
"My apologies for being blunt, Lord Silver," he quickly apologized a moment later.
''The information about him seemed to be good,'' I thought. The information said he is an anti-social, anxious person and dislikes being in with a group of people.
This personality is considered strange, given that masters of legacy can only thrive in the company of others.
It is that connection with people that makes them give birth to it.
It is his nature, but the man is intelligent and was able to do what very few masters could achieve.
"No need to apologize, Lord Orion," I replied.
"As for your question. Well, the synod is important; besides, I have left my territory in capable hands. They will deal with any problem they come across," I added.
"It''s good to hear," he said a little awkwardly.
The man is Janeth Orion, Master of Orion Library. It is the only library-type inheritance on the continent.
The man was able to advance the legacy to Grade IV from Grade III. It is rare enough to advance and even rarer after it is inherited.
Once the original master dies, most active legacies remain at the same level, but once in a blue moon, the inherited master can advance them.
It happens less than 1% time. So, it''s pretty amazing when it happens.
I have a business with him. It is personal and professional.
I need the books for my personal collection and for the city, and his library is one of the biggest vendors of them.
More and more people came as time passed, including Prefects Prisca. Her eyes found me, and her lips curved into a smile. I smiled back.
Earlier, she had the edge. I don''t want her to have that.
Soon, there was a minute before the ceremony started. The archmage himself will address it.
Seconds passed, and I could see people stop talking one by one. By the last second, everyone stopped talking and looking at the stage.
Soon, it was ten, and Archmage stepped on the stage.
Yes, he didn''t appear but stepped on it. There is no magic or fanfare. Even the herald didn''t call to announce him; the man didn''t need an announcement.
The Archmage is a man in his early sixties. He isn''t tall but isn''t short, either. He has short brown hair and pale blue eyes.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
He looked non-descript until one looked into his eyes.
He is wearing a flashy mage robe; it is colorful and will change with every movement the man makes.
One moment, it shows torrential rain, sometimes storms of lightning, and other times, a calm sea and snowy mountains.
That robe is a relic¡ªone of the most famous in the world.
"Archmage,"
Every one of us got up and bowed to the man. He nodded and waved us gently to sit down.
He didn''t talk immediately. He looked at each of us.
I felt his eyes on me, making me feel something I had never felt before.
A vastness.
It was over a minute later, and he stopped looking and opened his mouth.
"Masters from near and afar. You have traveled great distances for the synod, bringing with you the wisdom and ways of your legacies."
"Today, we are not bound by borders. We are one assembly, united by the singular truth that binds us all."
"For millenniums, we have been guides. Lit paths through the darkest of the times and rebuilt civilizations that had been broken, bearing that cost that destroyed many of our kin,"
He said and stopped for a moment. As if personally remembering those moments.
"The path of a master is difficult, and in the future, it is going to be even more difficult, but we all have to endeavor or be buried on the earth like so many of our predecessors did before," he said sombrely.
The speech was different from what I had expected. I thought it would have been cheerful and motivating.
His words had made many shudder. They realized what he was insinuating, and it scared them.
Not all have the power he spoke of. I am one of the luckiest ones. Most are puppets to their sovereigns. They do not get dignity, even in their death.
They squeeze them to their last drop.
I pushed those dark thoughts away and focused on the insinuation. This speech had been one of the darkest in the century.
Only several times in the past century have the archmage given such speeches. Every time he implies, its coming.
It has been over two thousand years since the last incursion.
For the past few centuries. People have been saying it will come in a few years, but till now, it hasn''t. Though without, it will come.
The cycle has existed for tens of thousands of years. It has never stopped and could not be stopped.
The cycle has killed gods and buried titans.
Nothing could stop them; the only thing people could do was fight it and survive.
"Let the light of legacies illuminate all," he finished after a moment of silence, taking a step forward before simply disappearing.
The Archmage will not mingle. He likes to meet people individually.
Hun!
I was looking at the empty stage when I noticed the envelope in my lap.
I didn''t see it when it appeared on my lap. One moment, there was nothing; the next, there was a letter.
"You got the invitation," said Ophelia, evidently jealous. The others looked, too, with the same emotions, some with added shock and surprise.
It is very difficult to get a meeting with the Archmage. Only he decides who he wants to meet.
He is going to meet me. I was informed of that a few weeks ago, but I thought it would be after three days. It is rare for an archmage to meet people of my level in the first three days.
It is exceptionally unusual to meet the Archmage on the first day.
Only a host of powerful legacies of Grade V or Grade VI, representative of those above them and the sovereigns, do. I don''t think I had ever heard of them meeting a master of Grade III in the past century before the 3rd day.
I opened the letter and took out the card. It had no words, only time.
He will meet me at two.
"Congratulations, Lord Silver. You are the first one in two and a half centuries to get this honor," congratulated Orion.
"Thank you, Lord Orion," I replied to the man.
A few seconds later, I got up and mingled with other masters of the legacy. Even here, it is a rare opportunity to interact only with Masters and their representatives.
There are no sovereigns or nobles or protectors that rarely leave the master''s side.
Here they are on our own, and they are relishing it.
"Lord Silver," I heard a familiar voice and turned to the teen who appeared beside me.
With her is a middle-aged man. I recognized him. I had seen him once in the storm tower but never was able to talk with him.
"Miss Lindgren," I replied. She is Alina Lindgren, Vanis''s Granddaughter.
"I heard something happened to you on the way to the city, my lord?" she asked. The young girl was worried, and her worry wasn''t fake.
I like this young girl.
Carla said the girl was quite smart and had high potential. It is unfortunate that her chances of inheriting the legacy are growing smaller.
"It was a small skirmish, Miss Lindegren. Nothing for you to be worried about." I replied with a smile before turning to a middle-aged man beside her.
"Lord Silver, I have wanted to meet you for a long time," said the man.
"Me as well, Lord Gale," I replied, smiling while shaking his hand.
He is Raul Gale¡ªthe Master of Gale''s Bar, a Grade II legacy in Namdar.
"When you visit Namdar, my lord, please come to my humble establishment," he invited. "Of course. I just hope I will get a reservation this time," I replied smoothly, with a teasing smile.
A faint surprise appeared on the man''s face before he controlled himself.
I tried to get a reservation when I went to Namdar last time. I knew I wouldn''t get it, but I tried my luck, and as I had expected, I didn''t get in.
I was a nobody at that time.
"This time, you will have the biggest booth," he replied, recovering smoothly. "I will hold you to that, my lord," I replied.
I talked to them for a minute more before walking away.
I mingled and talked to many people, but I was only able to talk to the master of one Grade V legacy and not a single Grade VI.
They didn''t stay after the Archmage left.
I mingled around for an hour before people started to leave. I left, too, but not the tower. I will stay here until I meet with the archmage.
Chapter 561: Meeting Archmage
Step!
I stepped out of the teleportation formation, and what I saw made my eyes wide.
A massive library is in front of me, lined with tall, ancient carved shelves. It is filled with books and ancient tomes, their weathered covers and fragile pages hinting that their age predates the very walls of the tower itself.
It encompasses shelves and shelves filled with thousands of books. With hundreds of people sitting there reading silently.
Lost in the panorama, I kept looking before finally stepping into it.
The library covers the whole tower floor; given how massive each floor of the Archmage Tower is, it is a substantial place.
Although it may not be as large as some other libraries in the city, it boasts the most unique collection of books, and I have exclusive access to its rare titles.
The masters only get access for ten days.
I walked inside and immediately spotted Orion. He sat at the table with a pile of books beside him.
He is one of the few people who left right after the archmage.
He was so absorbed that he didn''t notice my gaze. I didn''t watch him for long; I shifted my attention to the shelves instead.
I have come here to investigate specific things.
Soon, I reached the shelves of books that contained the information I needed and began examining the titles. Quickly, I found a book I was looking for.
I didn''t leave right away. Instead, I grabbed two more books before settling at a table in the corner.
I sat down before opening a book.
As I did, I once more nearly activated my skills before stopping myself.
The legacy skill has filled my body with vitality, but it''s magical and temporary. My spirit is still healing, and I wouldn''t be able to use my skills.
I sighed and began reading. In just a few seconds, my eyes widened.
''A spirit legacy is something else,'' I thought.
I am reading quickly¡ªmuch faster than with my Insightful Reading. I am achieving reading speeds at least five times greater, all without feeling any strain at all.
If I could fully harness my skills, I would have transformed my pace, devouring the pages with an almost supernatural speed.
I pushed these frivolous thoughts and focused on reading, and soon, I found some information I was looking for.
I set the bookmark down and opened the second book. After flipping through it, I realized it didn''t contain what I was looking for. Therefore, I moved on to the third book, finally finding what I needed.
With those discoveries, I explored the shelves to add more.
I obtained some of the needed information, but I sought more detailed insights. After searching for a few minutes, I found the other books containing what I was looking for.
As I sat down, I could barely contain my excitement¡ªthough I''m pretty sure the chair creaked in protest, sensing the sheer force of my enthusiasm.
I took a deep breath, steadying my nerves, and turned to the section that promised answers to my search. Two words stood out like a beacon: Valrose Halberd.
It is the actual name of Stone''s artifact.
Named after its first wielder, Vassilis Valrose, a duke of the long-forgotten kingdom that once thrived where the bustling merchant state of Nereim now stands.
It has a long history, around four thousand years old.
It had changed quite a lot of hands. Disappearing for centuries, now and then, before appearing again.
The last time it appeared was nine hundred years ago, in the Renwell region. That is when it disappeared along with its host.
The book stated that I was its current owner, with Thaddeus Stone as its user.
The more I read about the halberd, my excitement surged with each revelation. This weapon was no ordinary relic¡ªit brimmed with extraordinary abilities, each more astonishing than the last. The shield dome, impressive as it was, seemed almost mundane compared to its other legendary powers whispered about in the annals.
The book also has a picture of it, and it looks beautiful and quite different from its looks right now.
As long as it recovers. It will regain its original grandeur as well as abilities.
Once that happens, Stone will rise to unparalleled power.
I devoured every word, drinking in the knowledge with an insatiable thirst, before closing the book and eagerly reaching for the next.
It''s about the saber¡ªZmeycleave Saber, a legendary weapon of the famed Zmeycleave Set. The set comprises three awe-inspiring artifacts: a lance, a hammer, and the saber itself, each forged from the body of a Zmey, a type of fearsome dragon, and the rare, unbreakable Orocos diamond. These weapons are more than mere tools of war; they are artifacts of unmatched power, surpassing even the Stone''s halberd. But then, how could they not be born from the essence of a dragon?
Anything forged from dragons is powerful.
As I read about its abilities, a sense of wonder washed over me. The sheer power it commanded was staggering, and with every revelation, I realized just how incredibly lucky I had been to survive that battle.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
That mercenary wasn''t capable of unlocking its true power. If he had even harnessed a fraction of it, I''d be a dead man. The artifact isn''t something easily wielded; the emotions of the dragon that forged it seep into the user, shaping their every action, their every thought.
Its history has shown it had killed a lot of its hosts, burning them as it had burned the mercenary leader. One needs a powerful will to not be affected by it.
They also need to be powerful. Having an aura helps tremendously in controlling its side effects and bringing out its true power.
The set had existed for over five thousand years.
The last known user of the Zmeycleave Saber was Matys Kadysor, a notorious bandit leader from Baxzar. According to the book, he was burned by the weapon¡ªits fury unleashed¡ªwhen he stole it nearly two decades ago.
I read every word before finishing the book.
I mainly looked at the current owner''s name. It didn''t mention my name.
Which relieved me. I need them to delay registration for a few weeks until I reach my territory.
Though, I do not need to be worried. From what I heard, they could take months, even a year. Additionally, if it is related to the master of legacy, they inform us before making the change.
I pushed the worry away and closed the book before moving to the other books.
Time passed, and I got lost in reading. I read about many things, Artifacts, legacies, skills, history, and many other subjects.
If my days hadn''t been so consumed with tasks, I would have spent every waking moment in this library. Unfortunately, that wasn''t possible. Still, I''ll seize every fragment of free time I have, immersing myself in its knowledge.
Cough!
I kept reading. I didn''t even notice the passing of time when I heard a gentle cough.
I stopped and turned. When I saw who it was, it filled my heart with shock.
It''s not a person. It may look like one, but it''s not.
In front of me is a young man who looks to be about my age. His skin is dark as the night and unnaturally perfect. So perfect that even elves would be jealous.
He is pleasant to look at with shining grey eyes. Wearing a white robe with more similarities to modern robes of earth than the mage robes of this world.
Though I barely glanced at it for a moment.
I am focused on the runes running all over his skin.
He is the reason why the Archmage Tower and the legacies of its level are called spirits.
He is a spirit.
All legacies desire them, but only the Spirits and Titans have them.
"Lord Silver, it''s time for your appointment with Archmage," he informed. I looked at the clock and noticed barely a minute remaind until the appointment.
I got so engrossed in reading that I lost track of time.
"Thank you, your eminence," I replied before getting up and taking his hand, which he was extending.
The hand felt soft. Slightly warm.
A moment later, everything faded black. When it had cleared, I found myself in a large hall.
It is empty, aside from the two chairs. One is occupied by the Archmage.
The man is wearing a simple shirt and pants.
There is no relic or even a single ring. He looked like an ordinary man one would pass on the street rather than one of the most powerful in the world.
I sneaked a glance around me and saw the view of the vast sky. I am on the top floor of the Archmage Tower.
"Your excellency," I greeted with a bow. "Take a seat, Lord Silver," said the Archmage.
"Thank you, Your Supremacy," I replied as I sat down.
The man looked at me while I looked at him.
I know I should speak¡ªit''s a great honor and every second counts. There''s so much I want to ask, so much I want to say. But no words seem to escape, caught somewhere between my thoughts and my lips.
"I am glad you are fine, young man. Not many would survive that battle you had," he replied.
Looking at his expressions. I know, without a doubt, that he knows.
About the battle details and the artifact.
"It wouldn''t have been possible without the help from the people of the archmage tower, Your Supremacy," I replied politely.
"Still, some of the blame lies on us. We were not able to protect you," he said, and I must say, I was surprised.
I didn''t expect him to any accept blame. Even a little as he did. They rarely do that.
I was about to reply to that when he opened his mouth.
"For that indiscretion, they have paid the price an hour ago. They will also not attack you for six months," he added. Shocking me.
I shouldn''t be shocked. After all, this is an archmage city¡ªthere''s little they can''t accomplish. But even so, the sheer scale of what he just said was beyond anything I could have imagined.
"Thank you, archmage," I replied.
I was 90% sure about who attacked me, but hearing his words, I am now 100% certain. It''s as if his revelation has unlocked a new strength within me, giving me the courage to ask the questions I never intended to ask.
It is daring, stupid even. There will be consequences if he gets angry.
"Your Supremacy, please forgive me for asking. Why have you let the undead attack the mainland?" I asked.
"They have an entire island to do what they want. They shouldn''t spread to the continent. Especially when we already have one undead kingdom."
I waited for the anger or even irritation. Instead, there was a sigh.
"I don''t like it any more than you do, but there''s a reason for it¡ªa very important reason," replied the Archmage, his voice heavy with a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of unspoken truths.
It irritated me. It made me angry.
"So, we just let them conquer us. Turn our people into undead?" I asked.
Letting out what I am feeling.
I shouldn''t be doing this but as the guardian of the continent. He needs to answer for it.
"Of course not. I truly hope you will become strong and expel them from the continent," he replied, shaking his head.
"Since we both want the same thing, why are you not expelling them?" I asked.
"I told you, young man. There is a reason for it," he replied.
"What is the reason?" I asked. To which he smiled.
I have already guessed there must be some reason for them to stretch out of their island, and the Archmage had just confirmed it, but he isn''t willing to answer.
"It must be tremendous for you to let them attack the mainland?" I asked.
Wanting to get as much data about it as possible, but like before, the old man smiled.
Which itself is an answer.
"Enough of these questions. Let''s talk about your legacy. It is quite interesting," he said, changing the question.
In the next few minutes, we talked about my legacy. He didn''t ask any invasive questions, but each one of his questions was deep and made me think before answering.
Before I know it, half an hour is over.
"It was nice chatting to you, young man," he said. "It''s kind of you to say that Archmage," I replied.
"As you might be aware, I give a gift to every new legacy master, but before I give you your gift, will you answer a query from this old man?" he asked.
"Anything, archmage," I replied, not promising.
"Will you be using that saber?" he asked, and again I was surprised by his insight.
"No," I replied after a moment of silence.
I had considered it, but I didn''t think I''d make a suitable master. However, there is one person I have in mind who would be perfect for it¡ªsomeone whose strength and resolve would truly honor the role.
The old man smiled and next moment. A rapier appeared in front of me.
It''s beautiful.
It had a green blade that looked almost carved out of jade, with a beautiful illustration of flowers on it.
It had a black leather grip and a delicate brown loop guard.
All in all, it is a beautiful weapon and a very expensive one.
This rapier isn''t just an enchanted weapon. It is above that. It''s what we call a half-artifact. Though these weapons barely possess a fraction of the formers'' power.
My sister has one. The family had paid a high price to get it.
"Thank you, Archmage," I thanked, taking the shiny new rapier into my hands.
It felt good.
He gives gifts to every new legacy master, but he rarely gives over such expensive gifts.
It might not be because of the attack. He had already seemed to pay them back for it and provided me with six months of breathing room. That is more than enough.
So, there must be another reason, but I didn''t think about it too much instead, I focused on the shiny new thing in my hand.
...¡.
Top Floor, Archamage Tower.
"He does have potential," said the old man.
"There have been many with potential far greater than him across the ages, but they all ended buried in the earth," replied the younger-looking man dryly.
"Yes, but that doesn''t mean we can''t hope. That is what made us survive across the ages," said the man.
The younger-looking man didn''t say anything to that other than smile.
Chapter 562: Opening Ceremony
Step!
"Wow," gasped Eva, momentarily stunned by the grandeur of the scene unfolding before us as we stepped out of the carriage.
It was evening, the sky ablaze with hues of crimson and gold, as I returned once more to the towering silhouette of the Archmage''s spire,
However, tonight, the tower''s shadow will stand as a mere backdrop to the spectacle. The grand opening ceremony will unfold outside its majestic gates beneath the evening sky.
This grand stage, crafted entirely of magic, every shimmering detail seemed alive with arcane brilliance. Just beholding it was enough to leave one breathless, overwhelmed by awe. The sheer magnitude of the event was staggering¡ªmillions of people filled the arena, itself a masterpiece of magical construction. It was a feat of such immense scale and complexity that only a select few could hope to achieve.
The entire venue was jam-packed, a sea of anticipation and excitement. Tickets for this extraordinary event had been sold out years in advance.
"Lord Silver, please," said the guide team leader.
We followed her, bearing the weight of millions of people looking at us. It felt overwhelming.
A staggering two and a half million people filled the arena, seated on intricate chairs crafted entirely of shimmering light.
I wanted to laugh at the sheer absurdity of the crowd. The thought struck me like a jest of the universe¡ªhere sat a gathering so vast that even a fifth of their number would outmatch the entire population under my rule.
I watched them as they watched me. The sheer weight of their gazes was overwhelming. Yet, amidst the pressure, I couldn''t deny it¡ªI liked it.
Soon, we begin to climb toward the reserved suite. Passing rows of other suites.
They are for masters of legacies, powerful nobles, powerhouses, and other notable people.
I saw many familiar people. Miss Lindgren, Gale, and even Viscount Luran.
I am excited about his upcoming duel and have already booked seats.
"Lord Silver, your suite," said the guide as we reached the destination. Despite being made of magic, it''s beautiful and has all the finest amenities, including catering.
Unlike the halls earlier, the suites are named here. The text ''Velvet Garden'' is floating over it in bold letters.
Also, all the people from my entourage were sitting there, including my family and the spots I had given to others.
"Lord Silver," they got up and greeted me as I entered the suite.
"Everyone," I replied, sitting on the red chair, with Margaux sitting to my left and my sister sitting to my right.
Unlike the common seats, which are made of magic, the seats in the suite are real ones, and they are comfortable. The red one for the masters is big and very comfortable.
I needed it; the exhaustion of the long walk weighed on me.
A wheelchair would have made things easier, no doubt, but with millions of eyes upon me, I couldn''t allow myself such a concession. Despite the weariness, the pride and honor of standing tall demanded that I push forward.
"I hope your journey has been well, Granduncle Everette, Selina?" I asked with both curiosity and concern. They came with the party of Namdar through the sea route.
"Our journey was smooth, but I heard yours was not," Granduncle Everette remarked, his gaze shifting between me and my sister.
"It was just a slight hiccup, nothing more," I replied, brushing it off.
He turned to my sister, seeking clarification, but she simply smiled at him.
Reading the conversation, Selina changed the subject with enthusiasm. "Archmage City is truly amazing. I leveled up just by being here," she said, her voice brimming with awe. She was likely referring to her mage class.
It may be strange outside, but not here. Some lucky mages get epiphanies just experiencing it.
"Congratulations," replied my sister. I congratulate her as well.
I made small talk while looking at the people still arriving. Lots of important people have come.
Powerful nobles, kings, and figures of legend filled the arena. I even caught whispers in the air that the mistress of the Melodious Coast, the Archmage of the Herald Continent, had arrived.
"These pitiful souls, visiting continent to continent to save their legacy," said Margaux, looking at a familiar elf in his mid-thirties and entourage.
"Why pitiful, Miss Swan? He has a legacy," asked Granduncle.
I smiled. So, has Margaux and Varza.
"Tranquill Bathhouse, a Grade III legacy, which became subject to Wander''s Inn, a Grade IV legacy, hundred and forty years ago,"
"It is a beneficial arrangement for both. Tranquill Bathhouse got a long extension, larger emotion slate, and other benefits,"
"While Wander''s Inn and its hosts got Tranquil Bathhouse and its Masters Skills, along with its abilities," she replied before pausing.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
"They had a good run of one and a half-century, but now the Master of Wander''s Inn is feeling his end and wants to cut off Tranquill Bathhouse to lessen the pressure,"
"Which Tranquill Bathhouse won''t survive. It will kill the legacy, absolutely," she explained.
"There is nothing pitiful about it. As you had said, headmistress, they had a century and a half of extra time. They should be happy with the time gained," said Baron Husk.
Once more, we smiled.
"You missed the point, my lord. I am saying they are pitiful because they are still keeping hope in their heart,"
"They want to latch on to another Grade IV or above legacy and are meeting masters across the world for it."
"They are unlikely to succeed, but they are still running around having that desperate hope in their heart," she replied.
Hope is good, but not always.
Being a subject gave it a long life. The original master died a hundred and thirty years ago, but now it is being cut loose, and they are searching for another legacy.
Which is unlikely to happen.
Because when it separates, its condition will be very delicate. It will split from the throne, which has overseen it for over a century.
It will start dying almost immediately. Within a day, it will be entirely dead.
This will make things dangerous for the throne that wants to take it. If it fails, it will suffer damage and contamination from the subject''s legacy.
This risk stops most thrones. It is why thrones rarely take on the subjects of other thrones.
Still, these masters roam around the world in hope.
From what I heard, five people like him have come here. Four are Grade III legacies, while one is from Grade IV.
"I have a question," said my sister. "Yes, my lady," replied Margaux.
"I heard separating subjects is damaging for the thrones as well. So, by that logic, separating the subjects should quicken the demise of Thrones instead of prolonging it?" she asked.
Leila is intelligent, as always.
"You are right, my lady, but you have to understand. The weight of the subject legacy on the throne is massive."
"Compared to it, the damage of separation is small and has a possibility to heal," replied Margaux.
"If subjects create such problems, then why do thrones have them?" asked Husk.
When I heard the question, I wanted to laugh. Given his position, he should understand the reason better than anyone else.
"Because, my lord. Having a subject gives them another domain, which they have absolute control over, superseding the original master," replied Margaux.
"Not to mention, the skills of subject legacy, its specialty, and also the skills of its master, all of it makes the process quite desirable," she added.
There is another outside reason: politics.
Sometimes, Sovereigns force thrones to make a subject. Especially if the subject''s legacy is fading within their kingdom or in its final years."
It increases the life of the subject legacy and the harvest of emotion essence.
"I wish we had advanced to a throne. Tranquill Bathhouse would have been an excellent addition to us," said Margaux in privacy.
"Yes," I said, sighing with the same sentiments.
She does not mean gaining another domain. Velvet Garden is big enough for us, but new skills and specialties will be needed.
Tranquill Bathhouse is a great legacy. It is a bathhouse that focuses on rejuvenation and healing. Velvet Garden would have benefited tremendously, as it aligned with the spa we have.
One thought entered my mind, but I crushed it just as it came.
It is far too dangerous.
Minutes passed in discussion while we watched more people arriving and sitting in their booths.
Finally, the Archmage made his entrance. He wasn''t alone; behind him were the five grand mages.
I spotted Grand Mage Asin, whom I would meet in a few days for an important discussion, and Grand Alwatyr, who had welcomed me earlier.
Hun!
They sat down when a gentle drizzle started, and the breeze moved in a melodious sound.
"Can you hear it?" asked Selina.
I nodded and saw a woman appearing on the seat beside the Archmage.
She is a dwarf woman with thick blond hair. Her age is hard to determine, but she looked to be in her late forties to early fifties.
"Mistress of Melodious Coast, she did come," said Leila, looking at the Archmage of Herald Continent.
She is a true Archmage. Unlike the Archmage of Archmage City, it is the title the master of Archmage Tower gets.
He might not be a true archmage, but he isn''t weak.
The subtle entrance wasn''t as grand as one would expect from one of the world''s most powerful people.
She has the power that doesn''t need a grand entrance.
Additional people arrived and sat beside the Archmage¡ªthe representatives of Spirits and Titans, along with a Masters of Grade VI legacy.
There was a silence for a few seconds before the band began to ring out through the arena.
"His Majesty Caius Magnus Lysander, King of Ilazard," A herald announced as the King of Ilazard made his entrance.
He is a middle-aged man, handsome but slightly overweight.
He is the most relaxed king in the world, as no enemy has ever attacked his kingdom.
Kingdoms disappeared, and boundaries changed for thousands of years, but Ilazard never did, after the Archmage Tower rose.
Not because it is powerful, but because they are the puppet of the most powerful.
The Kingdom of Ilazad is controlled by Archmage City. It always has been.
The man walked over and sat beside the archmage.
A few minutes later, two more kings and one queen came. Filling all the seats beside Archmage.
A minute later. It was seven, and the loud drums rang out.
At that exact moment, the archmage tower lit up. A hundred and two human-sized balls of energy shot out from it.
I know the exact number: the number of legacies on the continent.
They reached the arena and spread to all sides before transforming into massive flags. Each flag shows the emblem of the legacy.
"There is ours," said Varza proudly, pointing at the flag of Velvet Garden.
It is massive and beautiful.
Every person could see them clearly. These flags will remain there till the end of the synod conclave.
I turned to the other flags.
Each flag is the same size and shape. Here, they have not been divided by grade.
I was looking at the flags when the bright light rose in the center. When it disappeared, the Archmage was standing there.
Right at seven.
"Dear members of the synod and guests from near and far, I welcome you all to Archmage City," the voice resonated, calm yet assertive, echoing through the arena.
"This is the Conclave¡ªa meeting of minds, a forging of destinies."
"Here, amidst these hallowed grounds, we do not celebrate individuals. We celebrate the legacies¡ªthe lifeblood of our world, the force that binds us to one another, the land beneath our feet, and the stars above."
"The Conclave is more than an assembly. It is a reminder that no legacy stands alone. That our differences¡ªof language, tradition, and belief¡ªare not barriers but strengths," he proclaimed, his voice filled with such conviction that it seemed to pierce through the crowd, reaching into the very core of each listener''s heart.
"Yet I will not stand here and claim that the path ahead is free of shadows," he continued, his tone deepening with gravity.
"Forces that seek to unravel what we have built will rise. They will try to divide us, pit us against one another, but I tell you this," he said, pausing for effect, his gaze sweeping across the assembly, "So long as we stand united, so long as we hold true to our shared purpose, no darkness can extinguish our light. No matter how great it is!"
The words rang out, powerful and unwavering, like a rallying cry that resonated deep within the soul.
"Today, we gather. Tomorrow, we ascend. The world is watching. Let it witness our greatness!" The declaration echoed through the air, a promise that transcended time, carrying with it the weight of a legacy that would not be so easily undone.
He finished with a roar, his voice so powerful that every hair on my body stood on end. The energy in the air seemed to crackle, electrified by his words.
Immediately, the entire arena rose to its feet, a thunderous applause cascading through the crowd. The sound was overwhelming, a unified expression of admiration and respect for the man who had stirred something deep within them all.
His speech had elements of the earlier one¡ªthe warning, the insinuation of looming threats¡ªbut there was something else, something brighter¡ªa deep sense of optimism.
Chapter 563: Twin Forts
Barb Utsa
"Finally, we have reached it!" I said as our beasts passed through the gates.
In front of us is a defensive fort still under construction. Rows and rows of tents surround it.
Alongside the constant construction, the area buzzed with activity. Soldiers were everywhere¡ªtraining rigorously in organized drills or moving swiftly through the grounds with purpose.
As we moved through the bustling grounds, many eyes turned toward us. Some gazes were warm and welcoming, offering subtle nods of acknowledgment. Others were sharp and hostile, their scrutiny heavy with suspicion or disdain. And then some simply looked neutral, curious, or unreadable.
We have come with the battalion from Greltheaven.
We aren''t the only group of mercenaries. There are three more groups, but we are the smallest. Only fourteen of us, others, have brought twenty to thirty people.
I am surprised that I have been ordered to come here.
My team and I usually stay in Panar, but we shifted to Greltheaven before Master Silver left.
I wish I could have gone with him. I wanted to see Archmage City, and Margaux offered to ask Master Silver, but I declined.
My job here is more important, and I am sure I will get the opportunity to visit Archmage City eventually. I am certain that opportunity will come.
I hope it does.
"Don''t worry. This amount of roughing it won''t wear off your spa glow," teased Hen while others laughed.
I glared, but it only made them laugh even harder.
I don''t enjoy flaunting special privileges¡ªat least, that''s what I tell myself¡ªbut, god, I love them.
The spa, in particular, is my sanctuary. It''s my favorite indulgence, even more than the bars of the Velvet Garden with their opulent charm and endless allure.
I am still technically a madam, so I didn''t have to pay. This is good because most of my money is invested, which means it gets constantly reinvested.
So, I have to sustain myself on a meager mercenary salary¡ªnot exactly low, but a far cry from the wealth I once commanded as a madam.
Luckily I am still a madam. I still have access, but not the salary. I could even return anytime I wanted to.
Velvet Garden is still my home, and my family is there. This is why, despite finding my path, I do not want to resign ever.
It''s likely why my main class actively levels up. August Madam is now at Lv. 28.
However, it is notably lower than my peers¡ªCarla, Margaux, and Lola. My juniors, like Cath, have advanced to Level 30 in their Madam class.
I might have reached that level, too, if I hadn''t left.
I pushed those thoughts aside, refusing to linger on what could have been.
Instead, I focused on the present, tightening my grip on the reins of my beast. As the battalion stopped, I pulled my mount to a stop, aligning myself with the others, ready for what lay ahead.
I dismounted, my boots hitting the ground with a soft thud. My attention was drawn to three individuals who stopped beside Lt. Colonel Rakgu, each taking turns shaking his hand.
One turned toward me, their gaze lingering momentarily before offering a subtle nod.
I nodded back.
I don''t know the man, but he seemed intelligent.
I sneakily glanced at my people, just as I had expected. They were watching me. Their sharp eyes, honed by countless experiences, missed nothing¡ªnot even the smallest gestures.
They had witnessed moments like these far too often, and their attention, though discreet, was unwavering. Nothing ever escaped their notice.
"Mercenaries, please follow me," said a blond lieutenant as he appeared before us.
He showed us where our assigned tents were, the latrine, and other key things.
"Now, I am feeling good," I said, settling beside my team under the vast, star-strewn night sky after freshening up. I was still tired, but I was feeling better by the minute.
The team members are all sitting on cut stones to build the fortress.
"What do you think of the preparation?" I asked Old Elis, my voice steady as I turned to him. He was one of the most experienced among us, a veteran who had faced the undead, battled monsters and fought against men.
Hugo recruited him three months ago.
All the people here are new. Only Hugo and I remain from the original team. The rest have joined since, swelling our ranks as the group grows rapidly.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
We now number over a hundred strong.
"Good. The one in charge knows what he is doing," replied the old man.
I heard it is Baron Harrods. Lola had praised that man a lot.
"Fighting monsters wouldn''t be easy. They are powerful and merciless. More intelligent than the common undead we had been fighting so far," said Kirk, making everyone somber.
Of the fourteen here, only five had fought against monsters. The rest of us are green.
Most of them were not career soldiers. They were conscripts recruited when the undead invaded the island and are now stuck to their new profession.
I am going to have problems dealing with the monsters. Unlike the undead, against whom my fire is quite helpful. Against the monsters, not so much.
They have more formidable defenses and higher magical resistance.
Thankfully, I am also a warrior, but I am only Lv. 12. Though I project the power of Lv. 20 with my higher stats.
There is a plan, and I hope it will work.
Still, I am glad to be called here. It will give me experience fighting different foes and leveling up.
I have three classes, and I want to advance them. Most importantly, I want them to merge together.
"Easy or not, we will have to do what we can and come out victorious," replied Rev.
"It''s such a regret," Elis muttered, his voice tinged with frustration. "We weren''t able to bring those young misses with us; they''re quite good."
Hearing that, I couldn''t help but sigh.
He is talking about the three girls from the Garden.
My joining the mercenary group had unintended consequences. A few crazy girls had decided to follow in my footsteps and started learning fire-breathing.
Which was fine until they wanted to fight with it.
It''s dangerous. Most importantly, it''s not an optimal way to fight¡ªat least not how they think it is.
It''s a special category of combat that I''m still figuring out myself. The techniques and strategies are far from conventional, and the risk is high.
Most of them have given up, recognizing the danger and complexity. But a few, stubborn and relentless, are still practicing.
They are learning fire breathing and fighting, a dangerous combination.
Three of them are nearly ready, but not entirely. Still, I hope they''ll think it through and give up before making a mistake too grave to correct.
This life isn''t good. They could learn something else, something safer. If they genuinely love fire-breathing, they could pursue it through entertainment, not martial combat.
Here, in the heat of battle, they could die. I can''t even remember how many times I''ve nearly died myself, how many close calls I''ve had that left my heart pounding and my life hanging by a thread.
I tried to convince them to reconsider, to find another way. But they still wanted to fight, their determination unwavering.
So, despite my reservations, I''m teaching them everything I know, pouring all my experience into their training, even as I continue to learn myself.
A few minutes later, it was time for dinner. We made our way to the massive tent, which was crowded but not chaotic. There was a military efficiency to it, ensuring everyone was fed and seated with minimal fuss.
We found our seats and dug in.
"Well, they''re feeding us well. It''s better than Panar," Rev remarked, and I couldn''t help but agree, even though I wanted to defend Panar.
After all, it is the city my dear friend is leading.
"They have mixed some monster parts into the food," said Karvos.
"Let''s hope I won''t have to make more visits to the latrine than I have to," said Elis, taking another bite.
He isn''t good with a certain kind of monster food, but he still eats it without any care. Nobody had said anything about that because it was useless.
He will not listen.
"Sleep early. Get as much rest as you can. We need to be ready for everything," Rev instructed as we reached our tent after finishing dinner.
We nodded, but only a few went inside. Some sat outside while I went out for a stroll.
I am tired, but it''s a beautiful night.
Soon, I climbed to the top of one of the hills. From here, I could see the baronies, the forest, and the fort on the other side.
These are built as twin forts. One is on the other side, with a dam-like wall between them.
The other fort is located in the merchant''s state territory. It, too, is incomplete, but in many ways, it''s more finished than the one we''re staying in.
The twin forts are the defense designed to stop monsters before they enter the territories and hurt the trade route and the baronies.
Trade is their lifeblood. They are spending a lot of money on protecting it.
Hun!
I was watching the beautiful view when I turned and saw the burly blond man emerging from the trees.
Seeing the look in his eyes, I couldn''t help but sigh internally, annoyance creeping up.
"You are a whore," he said, his words thick with the faint smell of alcohol wafting off his breath.
"Tell me something I don''t know," I replied dryly, already feeling the weight of his presence settle on my nerves.
It''s not something I will ever be able to erase, nor do I want to. I''m not ashamed of it.
"Mind having a little quickie? I could pay you," he added, stepping toward me with a smirk that only deepened my irritation.
"You cannot afford me," I replied with a smirk of my own, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
It''s not a lie, either. His lieutenant salary couldn''t afford me.
The moment the words left my lips, his face flushed with anger, his pride wounded by my response.
"You whore," he spat, his voice rising with fury. "I was planning to be gentle, but now? I''m going to fuck you hard, like the whore like you deserve!"
His words barely registered before he lunged at me, but I did nothing¡ªuntil he was just a meter away. Then, I breathed in deeply.
As I activated Fast Breath and Flint, followed by Wide Plum, a stream of fire erupted from my mouth, creating a plume of fire that surged forward.
Despite being drunk, he reacted fast, but not fast enough, and my fire swallowed him, with horror and regret appearing in his eyes before they disappeared into the fire covering him.
"Ahhhh!"
He screamed loudly as the fire covered his whole body.
"Fire off!" I said five seconds later, and the fire covering him disappeared.
I looked at his state, with his hair burned and burned marks all over him. It looks bad and would have been if he had been a regular person, not Lv. 20+.
Besides, I used regular alcohol. This fire is my weakest.
If I had used the best ones. Those five seconds would have been more than enough to kill him.
I looked at him and saw him looking at me with a mix of fear and hate. I met his eyes before walking away.
Soon, I reached the camp and spent a few minutes with my teammates before walking into the tent.
I spread my bedding over the mat. It''s one advantage of being a mercenary. Soldiers can''t bring their own stuff into the tents, but we can.
With that done, I took out my medicine.
I have a bottle named Sherhon. It is from a small brewery in the empire that Varza brought for me during her travels. After tasting it, I recommended it to the Velvet Garden, and they placed a big order.
I opened the bottle and took in its tantalizing aroma before taking a gentle sip.
I enjoyed it in my mouth before finally gulping it down. I didn''t have to take more than a sip, thanks to Lasting Buzz.
"Do you guys want some?" I asked my two tent mates, holding up the bottle with a grin.
Hen shot me a look before shaking her head.
"I told you before, you shouldn''t ask such a question, Barb," she said, with a mock sternness in her voice. But that didn''t stop her from taking the bottle out of my hand.
"You''re lucky I like you, or I''d be offended," I said with a smirk, watching her take a swig.
She gave me a knowing look. "Oh, I''m sure you would''ve been real heartbroken."
She took a generous gulp before handing it to Yora, who did the same.
I lay down and closed my eyes. Falling asleep within second
Chapter 564: Scouting Party
Barb Utsa
The next day, I woke up before dawn.
Most of the camp had already woken up. I could even see the soldiers running in formation.
It still made me wonder how quickly these people could wake up. I am even surprised at how early I woke up.
I was never an early riser, even as a child, and later, my business was that of the night. It is during the day when I used to sleep.
It took considerable effort on my part to develop the habit of waking up this early.
Despite that, I still woke up last within my team.
I freshened up and took a quick bath. The arrangements are meager, and I miss the city the most at times like these.
I have a fully accommodated college suite and my own home in the city.
However, these inconveniences are worth it, as I am walking the path I desire. It is filled with danger, but it is my choice. I will not have any regrets, even if I die today.
When I finished, I moved toward the sheltered area for practice.
Hun!
Suddenly, I stopped and turned. There was a man who looked to be in his late twenties¡ªa captain, looking at his uniform.
He is a tall man with a chiseled jaw, deep blue eyes, and green hair. He is quite handsome, and his brooding, angry expression makes him even more so.
"Captain," I greeted. "Mercenary," he replied.
"What can I do for you, Captain?" I asked. He hesitated, his jaw tightening as if the words were caught in his throat. It seemed like he was on the verge of saying something important for a moment, but then he pulled back, letting the silence stretch between us.
Finally, he took a deep breath, recovering his emotion before opening his mouth.
"You shouldn''t have burned my lieutenant," he said with sparks of anger flashing in his eyes.
"He shouldn''t have come at me bearing those intentions," I replied, and the anger in his eyes intensified further. I thought he would come at me, and I prepared myself.
He didn''t, and the anger in his eyes cooled just as quickly as it flared.
"There is a procedure in the army. If you had faced a problem, you should have complained to the competent authority.
"Instead of taking action yourself," he said, with a tone softer than before.
I had misjudged him. He seemed sensible.
"I didn''t have any chance, captain. He came at me. I don''t know what would have happened if I hadn''t responded when I did," I replied.
I may have been at a higher level than him, but my main class isn''t a combat class. He was much higher than me, with better skills and more significant experience.
I didn''t want to take risks.
"Still, there are procedures. You didn''t follow them," he repeated.
"Am I being arrested, Captain?" I asked, wanting to leave. So I could practice.
"No," he replied, deflated, with complicated emotions in his eyes.
I couldn''t help but feel sorry for the man. He seems like the sort of person who wants to follow the law.
He wanted to arrest me, but he couldn''t. If it had been anyone else, I would have been arrested within an hour of doing the deed, but it is me.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
If they did it, there would be a political mess, which they want to avoid.
For the first time, Greltheaven had sent the forces to aid them, and the man in charge knew how sensitive it was to touch me.
They would have done something¡ªat least officially reprimand me¡ªif it had been my fault, but it wasn''t.
"Have a nice day, captain," I said to him and walked away.
Soon, I reached the well-secluded spot and took out the bottles before starting practice.
I practice it every day.
Fire breathing isn''t a suitable fighting method. So, I train every day to make it as effective as possible.
I practiced for an hour and a half before stopping and walking back.
After reaching the camp, I went for breakfast with my teammates.
"People are waiting," said Rev as he saw three men in uniform waiting for us.
''Have they come to arrest me?'' I asked but soon shook my head.
One is a lieutenant among them. He is a shield warrior, while to his left is a woman in scout uniform and a man with a staff, clearly a mage.
"Lieutenant, what can we do for you?" asked Rev as we reached them.
"We have been assigned to take your team members on a scouting mission?" replied the lieutenant.
"How many?" asked Rev.
"Three. We will need two warriors and one scout." Replied the man.
"Elis, Hen, and Utsa, you three will join the lieutenant on the mission," ordered Rev.
"When are we leaving, Lieutenant?" asked Elis. "Immediately," replied the man.
"Let us get our rations," said Elis, returning to the tent. We kept the weapons on ourselves but not the rations.
Weapons are always necessary, as we could be attacked at any time. They are also expensive, and we wouldn''t want them to get stolen.
A few minutes later, we were at the gate, and after registering, we moved toward the forest in front of us.
"Be alert at all times; there are a lot of monsters in the forest. Just yesterday, two teams have completely disappeared," said Lieutenant Karo.
I shuddered after hearing that.
Monsters kill much more brutally than the undead. They also eat the people; they love to eat the ones with higher levels.
I''m sure I must be scrumptious¡ªhigh-level, brimming with mana, and carrying the attributes they crave above all else.
"Has not a single member survived?" I couldn''t help but ask. "No," he replied, and I shuddered.
I have fought battles and even killed people, but compared to these people.
I am still very much green.
Soon, we entered the forest. Elis and the woman disappeared; they were scouts, while the four of us formed the formation.
"Our mission has a single objective," Lieutenant Karo stated firmly. "Eliminate any monsters we encounter. It''s crucial to prevent them from overcrowding the forest and swelling the horde''s ranks attacking us."
We all nodded and followed behind him. Looking in all directions, searching for the hidden danger.
Everything is silent, with no signs of monsters.
Although the forest bears the scars of countless battles.
There had been battles in many places, and the signs remained as such even after days and weeks. One could imagine how intense these battles had been.
It scared me but also made my heart beat excitedly.
I have never fought monsters, but I have made preparations that will help me with them.
An hour passed, and then another, but we did not encounter any monsters.
"There was a monster here about an hour ago," said Lieutenant Karo, looking at marks of monsters on the tree.
It is the sixth time we have seen fresh marks but no monsters.
"Don''t be disappointed. Monsters aren''t something you should desire to fight," cautioned Hen, sensing the disappointment on my face.
She is right. So, I calmed myself and tried to learn as much as possible.
Another hour passed, and we tracked one monster but found another team had already dealt with it.
One thing I noticed is how efficiently these people work. Each team had a mage, and they were always in contact.
This way, they can cover more ground and deal with the discovered threats faster.
Soon, it was afternoon, and we penetrated deeper into the forest. Slowly, I heard the sounds of monsters, but we didn''t encounter one.
Hun!
We were moving when suddenly, our mage stopped.
"Scout Team 32 is coming in our direction. A group of monsters is chasing them," he stated.
"How many monsters?" asked Lieutenant Karo immediately, with his whole self becoming alert.
"Sixteen," replied the mage, and his expression turned sour.
"The other teams are coming for reinforcement, but we, and Team 17, are closest to them," he added.
He looked at us¡ªespecially me for a moment longer.
"Let''s move," ordered Lieutenant Karo, and we moved forward.
Soon, Elis and the other scout joined us.
A few minutes later, a team of seven appeared by us. Led by a brunette woman with a saber in her hand.
"They are less than three minutes away," informed the mage.
We moved fast; I used the Graceful Walk.
I could not use it at its full power, as it was Madam Class''s skill, but I had been practicing it, using it in sparring and battles, and stretching it.
That now, the speed I could harness from it. It is nearly double that of before; that is a massive improvement.
I am now fast enough to move at the rest of the team''s speed without any problem.
"Everyone, be careful. All the monsters coming are Grade III," informed the other teams'' leader.
Grade III means. Every monster coming has the strength between a Lv. 20 to Lv. 29 powerhouse.
They are faster and stronger than us, but they are monsters. Monsters are dumber than people but not as dumb as one would think.
They can be extraordinarily cunning when it comes to some things.
A minute passed, and then another, when I heard the sounds.
"Spread out, they are coming!" ordered Lieutenant Karo, and we moved. A second later, we saw people running toward us.
They are bloodied and broken, with one of them seeming to be holding his torn arm in his hand.
Behind them is a group of monsters.
Chapter 565: Monster Slaying
Barb Utsa
When I saw the monsters, I froze, panic surging in my chest like during my first battle. But unlike before, I crushed the fear instantly, stamping it out before it could take hold.
The forest teemed with all manner of monsters, each more nightmarish than the last.
A massive panther prowled with predatory grace, its eyes glowing like embers. Packs of wolves and hyenas slunk through the shadows, their snarls sending chills down my spine.
"Roar!"
The monsters roared, a deafening cacophony that rattled my nerves, before launching into an attack. Their movements were shockingly swift¡ªfar faster than when they had been chasing the fleeing people before.
The monsters are not as dumb as one would think.
These monsters have intentionally chased them. Instead of killing them, which they would have with numbers and strength.
They hadn''t been satisfied with just a few helpless prey¡ªthey hungered for more. And now, with us before them, they had exactly what they wanted.
Roar!
The monsters roared as they came at us, with killing intent in their eyes.
That chilled my heart and made my panic rise again before I crushed it.
I still remember the first time I faced battle¡ªhow I froze, paralyzed by fear. Back then, someone came to my aid, pulling me back from the brink. But now, there would be no such rescue. Everyone was locked in their desperate struggle, too occupied to save anyone but themselves.
A blue wolf emerged before me, its sheer size matching my own. Its thick, shimmering coat of fur rippled with every movement, and its glowing eyes locked onto mine with a predatory intensity.
It will have no problem tearing me apart with those long claws and eating me with those teeth sharper than the enchanted blade.
It is good that it had presented itself to me on a silver platter by leaping at me.
Whoosh!
The liquor appeared in my mouth through Stored Gulps.
I waited momentarily and activated the Powerful Breath and Long Breath before breathing out the liquor.
The liquor shot out in a spray and blazed as the Flint lighted it up.
As it did, I activated the Wide Plume.
The fire spread and reached the surprised wolf monster. Covering it entirely within a moment.
The liquor I am using, I had never used before.
I have liquors for the undead and people. I had also chosen different liquor for the monsters.
This liquor didn''t produce the most vigorous fire.
Instead, it produces thick, sticky fire, which, according to the people I asked, will harm the monsters the most.
Roar!
The monster roared through the fire and continued with its leap.
Seeing that, I adjusted my stance with Stance and brought my shield forward.
The shield is another change I made against the monster.
I usually rely on a buckler, but this time, I wielded a round shield¡ªa bit larger than I was used to. Its surface gleamed faintly, enhanced by a powerful force absorption enchantment, ready to withstand the onslaught.
It is the best enchantment to counter the strength and impact of the monsters for someone of my level and abilities.
The monster reached me, and I activated my final skill. The Shield Brace.
It is my newest skill in Warrior Class, a defensive skill. I got it when the class reached level ten.
Bang!
A deafening sound rang out as the monsters'' claws struck against my shield.
Despite my shield, preparation, and skills, the power shook me and pushed me back, with a cracking sound coming out of my hand.
It broke my bones and sent a shock throughout my body.
Whoosh!
The impact forced me to release the liquor I had readied in my mouth.
Thankfully, I quickly controlled things and took the steps back rapidly while releasing the liquor in my mouth at the same time.
Turning it into a blaze and covering the monster with another layer of fire.
Roar!
The monster boomed, with deep anger in its eyes.
''The monster is still standing!'' I thought in horror. A person of a similar level would have been screaming, but the monster just roared.
I looked at it and saw fire covering it, but its hair wasn''t burning.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
I wasn''t smelling that overwhelming stench of hair and flesh burning when I noticed it.
It''s there but is faint.
The monster resists the fire, and the degree to which it resists is surprising. I was shocked to see how rapidly the fire was weakening.
It made me panic, but I crushed it before activating the Liquid Calm.
It made my nerves settle down.
Roar!
It roared again and came at me simultaneously; I released another breath of fire at it.
It tried to dodge, but it was not fast enough. This time, learning from my mistakes, I didn''t immediately bring liquor into my mouth.
The force earlier had nearly knocked out the liquor from my mouth.
I salvaged it by breathing it out, but I don''t want that to happen again.
I have a limited reserve of liquor within me, and I want to choose when to use it, rather than being compelled to do so.
Bang!
Its claws clashed against my shield, and I stepped back while bringing liquid into my mouth and breathing it out.
The monster tried to avoid it again but failed.
It is fast, without a doubt, but my fire is more rapid with the two breathing skills.
It''s tough to avoid, even for a monster as fast as this one.
Bang!
Once again, I defended myself, feeling the sharp pain in my wrist. It had cracked my bones, and despite getting better at defending after experiencing the attack.
The pain and injury are getting worse. So is the liquor inside me.
The monster is attacking me too fast. I want to take out the bottle and drink it, but conserving is the option.
I need to keep it burning and damaging it as much as possible. I can''t let it recover. The monsters have high vitality.
Bang!
Once more, I defended and felt the sharp pain before breathing the fire at the monster while taking steps back with Graceful Walk.
The monster, changing its attack, appeared to my left and came at me.
I turned and defended against its attack. At the same time, covering it with fire once more.
That''s when I noticed something. The burning smell became heavier, and I saw the fur on its body shrink, curl, and darken as it burned.
The process is much slower than with humans, but it''s happening.
It isn''t just the hair, but its skin is also burning. I could smell the smell of burning flesh. It is lighter than the fur, but it''s there.
Bang Bang Bang!
It kept attacking while I kept defending until only a single gulp had remained.
All the wolf''s fur had burned away, leaving it looking like a nightmare''s abomination. But to my surprise, it hadn''t suffered as much damage as I hoped. Its power seemed barely weakened.
"I thought the monsters were strong, but you''re just so-so," I taunted.
I wish I had the Taunt Skill, but I did not.
Roar!
Still, it worked, and the burned monster lurched at me and attacked.
Bang!
I blocked the claws and teeth, feeling a sharp pain in my arm that brought tears to my eyes, but I bore it and attacked with my sword, activating the Heavy Strike.
Rip!
It struck the monster. Giving a significant slash across the monster''s leg.
Its speed saved it, but my sword would have taken its leg off if it had not leaped back in time.
Roar!
It bellowed in anger and came at me. I noticed that the wound had affected its gait, which made the monster even more angry.
Bang!
I defended and attacked with my sword, but it barely touched the monster this time.
It had avoided it.
I followed it with Graceful Steps and attacked, but the monster was faster.
It dodged my attack and attacked me back. The shield defended its attack, and I attacked it again.
It dodged and attacked back.
''It''s not enough. I need to do something else!'' I thought. Seeing nothing working with a last bit of fire covering it, it had entirely died down.
That I wanted to use the last gulp of liquor immediately, but I didn''t. It won''t affect things much. I would need to do something else.
Something came into my mind, but I pushed it away immediately. I would have taken the risk if it had been undead or a person.
If I do that with the monster. It will bite my head off.
Bang!
I defended once more and kept thinking of more ideas, but nothing seemed to work, and my mind kept going back to the suicide idea.
Hun!
I was nearly ready for a suicide idea. I saw no other option when something sparked in my mind.
''It could work,'' I thought.
There is one skill that might work despite it not being a fighting skill.
It is originally from my Drunkard Class but upgraded when Drunkard and Fire Breather merged and became Blaze Imbiber.
Intoxicating Fragrance.
It''s a skill that intoxicates. It is a mental skill powered by charm, but the intoxication effect depends on one''s intoxication and will.
I used it in battle against people, but it was nearly useless. It is unwise to go into battle drunk. However, it might be useful against monsters.
They don''t have robust mental defenses and will, as people do.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, I acted without hesitation and took the last gulp I had saved for emergencies.
It is thick and burned in my stomach.
It''s a potent liquor, and I was already a little drunk. Since Blaze Imbiber descended from Drunkard, my skills work better when I am drunk.
Within seconds, I began to feel even drunker, but I had a calm mind because of Liquid Calm.
Though the skill won''t last long, only a little bit of alcohol remains in me; that''s what powers the Liquid Calm.
A minute passed, and I became enough drunk that I focused the power of the Intoxicating Perfume on the monster.
It is hard. Seeing I am drunk.
Although the skill covers a wide area, its full power is focused on a single target. It''s not easy, but I am good at controlling skills.
It is one of the things I used to teach in the circle.
Bang Bang Bang
The monster''s attacks continued, but as the seconds passed. I begin to notice the effects of the skill on the monster.
Its movements aren''t as smooth as before, and its eyes become slightly unfocused.
It took less than a minute. I was surprised, though I shouldn''t have been.
I was a whore, with charm being my highest attribute, and it is the highest among all of my stats right now, despite me not using any attribute points on it since I changed profession.
Half of the power of the skill comes from the charm.
Rip!
Finally, I was able to land the attack on the monster. My blow landed on its back. I was going for its neck, but the wolf moved, and I needed to settle for its back.
Roar!
It roared, and it felt drunk. It''s not as sharp as before.
It attacked me while I once again defended. I didn''t attack immediately. Instead, I kept defending while focusing every bit of Intoxicating Fragrance on the monster.
I only have one chance, and I want to make it count because once the power of Liquid Calm disappears.
Intoxicating fog will also cover my mind, which would be dangerous. I have another skill that will remove the effects, but it will also remove the effects on the monster.
Half of the power of the skill depends on how intoxicated I am.
I am already having problems with fighting.
Liquid Calm keeps me calm, not focused. I am still drunk, and the only reason I am fighting as I am is because I am used to it.
Also, my class descended from Drunkard, which provided me with certain benefits.
Rooaar!
''Now!'' I said as I saw the perfect opportunity. The wolf leaped at me with a slurry roar.
As I always do, I moved my shield forward to defend, but I kept my sword right behind it this time.
The monster came closer and closer till it was barely a hands distance away when I moved my sword toward it.
For a second, the monster didn''t realize what was happening. When it realized, it moved its flexible neck and opened its mouth.
Puch!
My blade pierced through the eye of the monster. Going all the way inside using its own momentum.
Seeing that, a smile appeared on my face.
Bang!
It lasted for a fraction of a second as the next moment, the monster crashed into the shield, and I needed to take a couple of steps back.
''It''s dead!'' I said, looking at the monster.
I find it hard to believe it is dead, but the proof is right before me.
I looked at it momentarily before turning to the rest of the battle.
The monsters are still alive, and they have already killed one person.
Seeing that, I rejoined the battle after drinking the potion and gulping down alcohol until I refilled my reserve.
Warrior Lv. 13
Blaze Imbiber Lv. 19
Chapter 566: Become A Subject
Secret Place, Archmage City.
Two people appeared before a massive gate that made them look tiny.
One is a human man, and the other is a dwarven woman.
"You said it shook again," said the woman, looking at the massive gate with her staff shining.
She is one of the strongest people in the world, but a flash of fear appeared in her eyes momentarily when she stared at the gate.
"Yes, three and a half months ago," replied the man.
"That would make it the fourth time in this century," said the woman, and the man nodded.
"In the last century. It only shook three times, but now this century isn''t half past, and it is four times already," replied the man with worry all over his face.
"You had met the guardians of the seventh gate. What did they say?" asked the man.
"It only shook once at the start of the century. It had been silent since then," replied the woman.
For a minute, nobody spoke. They just kept looking at the gate.
"I was really hoping it wouldn''t come for a few centuries. By then, my bones would be buried deep in the sea,"
"But the chance of that happening seems lower and lower," muttered the woman.
"An Archmage is scared?" asked the man with a smile. The woman smiled back, but there was no hint of mirth in her eyes.
"Very much. Those on the other side eat people like us alive," she replied, turning away from the gate.
¡
The elevator door opened, and Jill pushed my wheelchair onto the seventh floor of Lunar Palace, where I would meet her.
The Lunar Palace serves not only as lodging for masters of legacies but also as a hub for commerce and diplomacy. It''s where many masters convene for meetings, negotiate terms, and strike deals that shape the future. I had come here for the very same purpose.
The meeting was initially set for the fifth day, but she abruptly changed the timing.
I needed to reschedule some of my appointments to make time for this.
Soon, Jill stopped in front of a long wooden door. It has a beautiful carving of people worshiping the sun.
"Lord Silver,"
I looked at it when the greeting of an Otonian man standing by the door brought me back to the real world.
I nodded at him and got up while he opened the door for me.
I walked through it, entering a beautiful parlor with a great view of the garden outside.
However, I barely glanced at it before focusing on the woman sitting longingly on the sofa.
She is wearing a white toga, but this one is a little scandalous. She has the same golden belt, while her other artifact, the falchion, is lying on the table.
Thrown casually like car keys.
I had read about both of these artifacts. They are powerful.
"Prefectus Prisca," I greeted the woman. "Lord Silver," she replied, waving me to sit before her.
I nodded and sat in front of us while she remained in the same position.
"Tea?" she asked.
"Sure," I replied. I do not fear that she is going to poison me.
Even the members of the Heavenly Colosseums aren''t that mad despite having the power to go against the Archmage Tower.
A moment later, the teapot moved and poured into the cup.
It is not her skill doing it or the aura which she has, but that belt of hers.
It is a psionic artifact.
"How many cubes?" she asked. "One," I replied. The next moment, the sugar cube moved above the cup smoothly but didn''t go inside.
Instead, the cube became a fine powder and fell into the tea.
The tea swirled, melting the sugar inside perfectly before the cup flew toward me with the saucer.
"Thank you," I said as I picked up the cup.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
It is a fine display of power and control. It impressed me like she had wanted to do.
I took a sip, and I have to say it''s good¡ªthe best tea I''ve ever drank. It is also magical, filling my body with vibrant energy, which has removed the weakness I was feeling.
"It''s good," I praised.
"It''s cadoloros. It grows naturally in the extreme magic region of Brames," she replied.
I took another sip and another before finally finishing it. I set the cub down and turned toward the woman lounging in front of me.
"I want my mother," I stated directly, each word steady and deliberate. It wasn''t a request or a plea; it was a statement.
"That wouldn''t be a problem as long as you accept our condition," she replied, her voice smooth but firm.
A chill ran down my spine. Something about her tone unsettled me. "What condition?" I asked cautiously.
Her expression sharpened, the faintest glimmer of amusement fading from her eyes. "Become a subject of the Masal Colosseum," she said, each word deliberate, the weight of her intent palpable.
She wasn''t joking. Her gaze locked onto mine, unwavering, her seriousness radiating like an oppressive heat. This wasn''t a negotiation; it was a declaration of intent. She wanted my legacy. And she wasn''t the only one.
The conclave had barely begun, and the predators had already revealed themselves. This was only the second day, and I had received other offers. One was from a Grade IV power, and the other was from a Grade V. These two said it directly, while a third implied it.
"It''s an excellent offer, Lord Silver. Masal Coliseum is part of the heavenly colosseums, one of the most powerful forces in the world,"
"Your legacy will be a great addition," she continued, her voice rich with confidence. "The offer comes with a promise to ascend your legacy to Grade IV in a few years¡ªa feat you might never achieve on your own."
"Aside from that," she added, leaning back slightly as if to emphasize the casual generosity of her terms, "we will also provide you with support against the undead. Powerhouses, artifacts, and anything else you desire."
It was a tantalizing offer, and she knew it.
When viewed through the lens of geopolitics, it was a masterstroke. The Masal Colosseum wasn''t just a force but a symbol of power, a name that carried weight in every corner of the world. To be associated with them meant security, prestige, and resources I couldn''t even begin to quantify. And their promise to deal with the undead¡ªmy most immediate threat¡ªwas a prize no other offer had yet included.
"Velvet Garden is off the table. We can discuss everything else for my mother''s release," I replied, my voice cutting through the charged air with unwavering firmness. The words left my mouth without even a moment''s hesitation.
Being a subject will give them the ultimate power over my legacy and, by extension, me and my domain.
I love my mother despite the complexity of our relationship. Fraught with unspoken words and years of tension, that bond still holds a depth that no other connection could replace. But even for her, I can''t hand over the fate of hundreds of thousands to others. Their lives and futures rest on my decisions. To yield my autonomy now would be a betrayal to them¡ªand myself.
Her eyes widened just for a fleeting moment in a flash of surprise, perhaps at my resolve or willingness to draw such a firm line even when family was on the table. But she was skilled, and her composure returned before the moment could linger.
"You have nothing other than Velvet Garden that interests us, Lord Silver," she stated, her tone as final as the closing of a book.
"Then we have nothing to talk about. Have a nice day, Prefectus Prisca," I said, rising from my seat. My voice was steady, but inside, a storm raged.
Her gaze followed me, cold and unyielding, as I turned to leave. The weight of defeat pressed against my shoulders, but I didn''t falter. I understood all too well¡ªthere was no point in continuing the discussion. She wouldn''t budge, and I wouldn''t either.
"Take this, Lord Silver. If you ever change your mind," she called after me, and a scroll floated toward me.
But I wasn''t an idiot. This was a tool, a card to hold close even if I never intended to play it. If the storm of geopolitics and war grew too overwhelming, if I had no other options... I might need it.
I thought I had a chance, but I never did. They want something I could never give them.
It is good that I didn''t tell the children about it. It would have raised their hopes and, after this, crushed them hard.
I came out and sat in my wheelchair. Jill pushed it without saying a word.
I could walk. I am recovering faster than I had thought, but I don''t want to strain myself when I don''t need to. I only need to do this for a few days before I can walk without compromising my recovery.
Soon, I returned to my suite, where Margaux was waiting for me.
"How is the academy?" I asked. She had gone to the academy in the morning to register for her daughter''s admission.
"Magnificent," she replied with a smile.
I felt bad. She should be spending the days with her daughter, which she hadn''t seen for a year, but she spends most of her time working.
"This arrived for you," she said, sliding the envelope across the table toward me.
I opened the envelope and read it.
When I looked at the number, a smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
"Let''s hope the bids won''t go too high," I replied before putting the invitation down.
"I had looked at the numbers of past auctions. They will be in range; not many legacies want them," she replied.
"Let''s hope so," I said.
¡
Myrathra Dawnstar
"Are you really doing this, boss?" asked Halbis as he read the letter that confirmed the meeting.
"Yes," I replied. "Why?" he asked.
"You do not need it. You had built the business in the most competitive city. It is more than enough to live your life comfortably," he added.
He is angry. Worried. He doesn''t like my decision.
"I have to do it. It had been years since I had leveled up. If this continues, I might be able to advance a few more levels in my lifetime, but it won''t be enough to reach Lv. 50," I said.
I am currently at Lv. 42; a very high level.
There are only a few people in this great city who have reached this level in the class I have.
It''s not enough. I want to reach Lv. 50. Only at that level will I be able to leave my mark, or I will be another whore forgotten by history.
I do not want that.
"So, you are willing to leave it all?" he asked. To that, I smiled.
"Of course not. You will handle the business here after I am gone." I replied, and a surprise appeared in his eyes.
I have a hands-on approach to business and use Halbis as my assistant.
"Me?" he asked, surprised.
I had never hinted that I would hand over my business to anyone.
I didn''t plan to; I thought I would be in the city forever, but after everything I had tried failed to level up my class, I finally decided to leave the city to find opportunities.
"Of course you. You are the only one I trust to handle my business in my absence," I replied confidently.
It took him a while, but he finally nodded, with excitement flashing in his eyes.
"Why Harsoth? It is dangerous with civil war and undead. The one in a merchant state would be a much better choice," he asked.
"Yes, it''s dangerous, but Harsoth feels right," I replied.
I trust my feelings. It helped me survive the harsh world where it left many in our business broken.
It hasn''t been confirmed yet, but it will happen.
The meeting is just a formality. Given my level, there is no way he will reject me.
Chapter 567: Artin Kalos
Jon Sands
I inhaled, feeling the air''s weight fill my lungs, and then exhaled slowly and deliberately. I shifted my aura with the rhythm, a subtle ripple that responded to each breath.
The trick is synchronization.
I had to use each breath to release and absorb the aura, which is much more difficult than it looks.
To me, my aura is like moonlight in the starless night. It is faint but everywhere.
It is hard to gather it in a stream, but that''s what I am trying to do. It isn''t easy to bring it out of my body in a controlled stream.
I didn''t think control of the aura would be this hard. Experiencing it myself, I have a newfound respect for him.
He used to practice it at every free moment, between meetings, in the evening, and at dawn, and even while traveling.
For the past two days, two and a half since it is evening, I have been trying to practice in every free moment I have, but it is incredibly tiring, and I have shown nearly negligible progress.
I couldn''t even practice for five minutes before I got tired.
Still, I have to push through.
I have seen first-hand the things aura could do. On the island, it had saved us and crushed us.
Even in the latest battle, Lord Silver''s resilience was nothing short of remarkable.
That artifact would have claimed his life without question if he hadn''t possessed an aura. His mastery of the aura¡ªa testament to his unwavering discipline and strength¡ªgave him a fighting chance and ultimately ensured our survival.
It is that trait that made me follow him.
I pushed myself until I couldn''t support it anymore before collapsing on the floor.
I wanted to last at least five minutes but couldn''t even achieve that.
I hope things will be better after we return home. Lord Silver said there would be someone to teach me there.
He said they are a master of it.
He didn''t tell me the person''s name, but I could already guess who it was. She is the one teaching Lord Silver in secret and also instructs Stone.
They have kept her secret, but I am his bodyguard. I noticed things, even when they were secretive.
Still, it is hard to believe, and I still have my doubts about whether she is that person or if he is referring to someone else.
I rested for a few minutes before getting up and leaving the room.
I have to meet with Lord Silver. He said he had a job for me, but I was curious and didn''t ask.
Soon, I reached his suite, and the guards opened the door for me. I entered and saw him sitting in the living room with Miss Margaux.
Judging by the way he''s dressed, he must be heading to the party.
There is a party every night. Yesterday, it was at the headquarters of the enchanter''s guild, and today, it was at the palace of the King of Ilazad.
"Lord Silver," I greeted.
"Jon, you have come right on time. This has just come for you," he said, pointing at a wooden box in front of me.
It is a big box, the size of my hand. Made of wood, with delicate work done on it.
"Daggers?" I asked, and "Yes," he nodded.
The last battle had damaged my daggers. I gave them for servicing the day we came to the city and had been using a temporary pair.
I am surprised. They finished it in two days, whereas it usually takes over a week because they were not normal daggers but triple-enchanted ones.
Top of their grade, at that.
I appeared by it and opened the box. What I saw were not my old daggers.
"T..this?" I asked with my voice shaking.
"I hope you like them," he said with a warm smile.
Inside the box lay two black daggers, their sleek forms seemingly carved from polished obsidian-like bone, exuding an aura of elegance and menace.
They are dark as night, with swirling patterns carved across them.
These weren''t just enchanted weapons¡ªthey were far beyond that.
These were half-artifacts, tools of immense power. Not only were they more potent than any enchanted weapon, but they also required no regular maintenance.
They were insanely expensive and nearly impossible to acquire.
Only a handful of artisans worldwide possessed the skill¡ªand the audacity¡ªto create such masterpieces. Owning even one symbolized unparalleled power and prestige; having two was nothing short of extraordinary.
If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.
"I love them," I replied, taking them into my hands. They feel good.
"I am glad," he said before his expression turned serious, and he slid the envelope toward me.
"Go to this place and find the man of this name," he stated, sliding the envelope toward me.
I opened the envelope and read it before turning to him.
"What do I do if I find him?" I asked. I want to know whether to kill him or meet him.
However, killing wouldn''t come easily. Legend has it that Archimage City instantly detects such acts, conjuring a cage around the culprit when the deed is done.
Trapping them until guards come to apprehend them.
"Do nothing," he replied.
"Nothing?" I echoed, confusion evident in my voice.
"Just find him and come back," he replied, his tone calm but firm.
"Alright," I said with a nod before turning to leave.
A few minutes later, I was seated in the carriage, the rhythmic clatter of wheels against the cobblestone roads accompanying me as we moved steadily toward the destination.
I glanced at the slip of paper in my hand. The address wasn''t complete¡ªjust a vague mention of Halis Market on the city''s eastern side.
The driver filled in the blanks for me. "It''s a small weapons market," he said casually.
The carriage took the Lightway, speeding through the elevated paths that cut across the sprawling city. Even so, it was over an hour before we arrived at Halis Market.
"It''s not small," I muttered as I stepped out, taking in the scene.
The market stretched farther than I''d imagined, with at least a hundred stores visible from where I stood. Judging by the twisting alleys and corners, even more shops were likely hidden beyond the turns.
"It is small for Archmage City," replied the driver with a smile.
I shook my head and walked toward it. When I reached the entrance, I stopped and looked around.
I didn''t have to look for long before I found the people I wanted.
I walked toward them. The porters and helpers were standing in the corner, talking with each other, but they turned toward me when they saw me coming.
I stopped beside them, and a shiny red coin appeared in my hand.
"This is for any person who points me toward Artin Kalos," I said and looked at each of their faces as the numerous expressions crossed on their faces.
"That''s him." replied a young half-elf, pointing toward a store owner before moving his hand to get the coin.
"Slap!
"Didn''t I tell you I have lie-detecting skills?" I said as I slapped his hand away.
Anger flashed in his eyes, and he took a step toward me before he was pulled back by his short friend, who had said something to him that made a spark of fear appear in his eyes.
I walked away, knowing they didn''t know the man.
I went to another group and another before I started asking the storekeepers, but nobody seemed to have heard the name.
Still, I kept asking around as I explored the market, which isn''t small at all.
I hope I will find him. I don''t want to use grey guilds. Those people keep records of everything, including the record of the person asking for information and selling that information.
Information is a lucrative business. I know it, well.
I was a low-level thug that grey guilds employed occasionally to spy or intimidate before conscripting me to fight against the undead invasion.
Minutes passed, and I asked tens of people, but not a single one seemed to recognize the name.
Hun!
I was walking and asking when I felt someone following behind me.
It made me serious, but I kept walking as if I hadn''t sensed him, and soon, I walked out of the market into the area with fewer people before stepping into the dark alley.
Immediately, I turned and saw a raven-haired middle-aged man. He was human and looked to be around fifty.
He is of average height and has an average face, and there seemed to be nothing remarkable about him except for his weight. He is fat and doesn''t look like he could fight.
He looked harmless, but those eyes of his didn''t give me a good feeling.
I have experienced enough things to trust my instincts when they warn me.
"Yes?" I asked.
He didn''t reply. Instead, he came at me at such speed that I didn''t think was possible for a man of his weight.
I was cautious and reacted fast. Bringing my daggers in my hand, only to see him in front of me and throwing a naked punch.
I looked as if he was mad. He was more powerful than me, but a naked punch against the blades was a mistake. I am sure he could see the blades they are.
They will sever through his advantage, but he didn''t seem to have any fear toward them.
I was thinking about that when I saw something. It made my eyes widen in deep shock.
A faint green gauntlet appeared above his fist.
Anyone looking at it would think it is a skill. No, it is not; it is a method.
An aura method.
The man''s control is so fine that I couldn''t feel even the slightest of his aura, but I know its aura.
Seeing it, all the hope I had disappeared. There is no way I could win against him.
I wanted to avoid the attack. Seeing it, but I know, even with my speed. I won''t be able to dodge it. The only way to defend it is to attack.
So, I did.
I slashed my blades toward him with Night Slash and Precise Strike and activated Crushing Dagger to strengthen it further before activating my aura.
For the first time since he appeared. I saw a ripple of emotion appearing in his steady blue eyes.
I didn''t think about it and focused on the aura. I am trying to force it into my skills.
When he taught me the exercises, I asked Lord Silver how I should incorporate aura into my skills.
He said I don''t have enough control, but I should force the aura into my skills if I ever found myself in a bind.
It is hard, but I pushed into it with everything I have. Some of it went inside, increasing the power of the attack.
Clang!
My dagger clashed against his first, and I felt shock before I was thrown back and crashed hard against the wall. Hearing some of my ribs cracking.
''Who the fuck is this guy?'' I thought. I should have asked.
I thought he would be a merchant or something.
Since Lord Silver was always trying to bring those people to the city, I never thought I would be searching for a powerhouse at this level.
The man was no beginner¡ªat least Level 40, possibly closer to Level 50.
His mastery over his aura was evident, each movement sharp and precise, demonstrating fine control that only comes with experience and a deep understanding of one''s power.
I groaned in pain and was about to get up when I found the man in front of me, and he had my neck in his hand.
"Why are you looking for Kalos?" he asked, gripping my neck with his aura gantlet, but not hard enough I wouldn''t be able to speak.
"I have been asked to do it," I replied.
"By who?" he asked. "Find out yourself," I replied, and he pressed my neck harder.
I didn''t hide my tracks. When Lord Silver asked me something, he specifically asked me to be stealthy. When he doesn''t, it means he wants to show my face.
It''s why I only hid it with my cloak. I didn''t even use the skills.
"You know, I could break your neck quite easily," he said. "I know, but you won''t. The moment you do, the tower will know," I replied confidently.
However, I do not feel as confident as I sound.
This man is powerful. I am not his match; not even Lord Silver or Stone could match him.
"There are ways around it," said the man with a smile appearing on his face.
It made me shudder deep inside me.
"There always are, but there will be a price to pay if you do it," I replied, and this time, I was completely confident.
Lord Silver and others will take revenge. They might not be able to do something to him right now, but I am confident they will in the future, and it won''t be very far away.
He pressed my neck even harder. Near breaking level before letting go.
I took a slow, deep breath and looked ahead. I saw an empty alley; the man had disappeared.
"Fuck!" I cursed and messaged my neck before leaving the alley and thanking the gods for that monster for not killing me.
Chapter 568: Golden Scroll
¡°You don¡¯t have to come, my lord,¡± said Vance. ¡°I want to,¡± I replied.
It is one of the things I am excited about. Even Margaux and Zela are coming, despite having a busy schedule.
We sat in the carriage, and it moved.
Soon, it had moved to the lightway, and its speed increased.
I watched the city through the magic road. Taking in its marvels, admiring it. It¡¯s the fourth day, and I am still in awe of it.
There aren¡¯t just sky-breaking towers and lightways, but gardens, museums, and other things.
Yesterday, I attended the party thrown by the king of Ilazad in the historical district. The place was beautiful; I will try to visit it more before I leave the city.
A few minutes passed when the carriage stopped in front of the large building.
It is a large blue building about twelve stories tall and wide. Taking a large block in itself.
I could see the excitement in the eyes of everyone. However, the one that is most excited is definitely me.
Jill pushed my wheelchair forward, and soon we reached the door.
¡°Welcome to Daryan¡¯s Emporium, Lord Silver,'' welcomed the elf in his early thirties waiting for us.
¡°Thank you,¡± I replied.
A surprise flashed in his eyes, but he recovered quickly and let us inside.
The moment we did, I heard the gasp. Even I was barely able to stop myself from reacting.
Everywhere I look, there are monsters. Small baby monsters of species and traits. From pure to mixed blood to dilute, they are here.
The most amazing thing is. They are not in cages; they are on the platforms. They remain there because of training and the skills applied to them.
It is another type of cage, but better than normal cages.
¡°The emporium has one of the largest collections of monsters and beasts.¡±
¡°We had nearly everything on your list and a few of those we didn¡¯t have. We have something or better,¡± informed the elf.
They really seemed to have everything, and I wanted to have a few for myself before pushing that thought away.
It was painful to give Nero away. I don¡¯t want to do that with another monster.
We have a lot of monsters and beasts to buy. One group is for the army, while another is for the girls. Many want the pet, seeing Gloria, and could afford to have them.
¡°I will take you the first items on the list. Halmks,¡± he said, and we moved toward the section where the birds were.
Soon, we appeared in front of the cloud-surfing sparrows.
¡°As you can see, we have all three types of them,¡± he said as he stopped in front of three stands. Each one holds a type of Halmk.
¡°They are so cute,¡± said Margaux, looking at the birds flying in their stands.
Three types of cloud surfing sparrows exist in the world. It is quite rare in species.
As they are the same species but faintly different.
Their genetic code is nearly identical. It is why all three are referred to as Halmk or cloud surfing sparrows.
All three Halmks are three different sizes.
The two Halmks Eli have are the skyseeker category. Skyseekers are the birds that are less than a meter long.
They can be used for medium-range reconnaissance.
A group of them flying in the middle platform. Currently, they are babies, but a projection of an adult is floating in front of the platform.
These birds will not grow more than fifty inches long. Eli has two of them. So, we are not going to be buying them.
I turned to the stand on the left. The one holding skywhisperer cloud surfing sparrows.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
Skywhisperers are birds that do not grow over ten inches long.
They are the smallest birds I have ever seen.
They looked like Halmks in the middle, but they were only half a finger long and looked much leaner.
They do not grow longer than seven inches.
They are useful in small-range reconnaissance and meld so well in the clouds. Even sensory skills have a hard time sensing them.
I looked at a cute little bird before turning to the right. The platform, which has the skyborne.
They barely fit into that category. The birds need to grow at least three meters long, but these grow between two and a half to three meters long.
The ones that could be ridden.
These are bigger in their baby form than the other two reach in their adulthood. The little white birds are around two feet long and would grow up to nearly three meters long.
Unlike the two types of cloud surfing sparrows, which aren¡¯t much used by people because of having other better options. These sky-borns are popular.
¡°What is their pedigree?¡± I asked.
¡°The ancestors of sky seeker and sky whisperer cloud surfing sparrows were from the menagerie, while skyborne descended from cloud surfing sparrow of A Class sky rider Kijos Dalk,¡±
¡°That bird itself was descended from a bird used by Birdkeeper Marva,¡± he replied.
Menagerie is one of the spirits, and every monster from it is best. These monsters are descended from the monsters there, but I will ask the generation.
These stores like to quote big names and inflate their value.
¡®Do you know Kijos Dalk?¡¯ I asked Jill.
I felt like the name was familiar, and I might have remembered. If I could use the Instant Recollection, but unfortunately, I could not.
¡®He was a monster rider from Geim. He died sixty years ago,¡¯ replied Jill through the telepathic connection she had kept open between us since I couldn¡¯t.
Class A means he was a Lv. 40+ powerhouse, but the question was the cloud-surfing sparrow he was using.
As for them being descended from Birdkeeper Marve¡¯s collection, that was over a thousand years ago, and Birdkeeper Marve preferred eagles.
She might have had them in her collection, but eagles were favorites.
¡°We will take the best grade, skyborne and three sky whisperers,¡± stated Vance, and moved with the old man toward them.
The old man we hired to check on the monsters and beasts we will buy.
They will not fleece it. They will fleece the nobles but not the host of legacy. We can affect their reputation, but it doesn¡¯t have to be careful.
They selected the four birds, and we moved to another floor.
There are a lot of monsters. The more I looked at them, the more I wanted them. It¡¯s hard to control the urges. It''s why I brought the monster for my sister.
She wanted it since some of her friends had it, but I didn¡¯t give it to her because of her not doing well in school.
She is improving, but not enough to give her the monster.
The reason is simple. It¡¯s an apology for not being able to get our mother.
Soon, two hours passed, and it was time for me to leave. Others will stay and choose the monsters while I will attend a meeting.
It is of the legacy masters of the empire.
¡
Alex Rutto
I flashed the medallion and entered the archmage tower.
¡°Lord Ruto,¡± greeted a half-elf mage as I stepped inside. ¡°I am Visiting Yatgar Hall,¡±
¡°Of course, my lord. Please follow me,¡± he replied and led me toward the elevator.
He didn¡¯t talk on the way, but I could see the judgment in his eyes, also jealousy and sparks of anger.
I am used to it.
Seeing us like this angers people. They believe that if they had been to our places and had ancestry, they would have done much better.
Soon, the elevator stopped, and we got out.
We walked until we stopped in front of a huge bronze door.
¡°The Yatgar Hall,¡± he said and pushed open the massive doors. ¡°I will be waiting outside,¡± he stated. I nodded and walked into a huge hall.
It is big, and at the end of it is a huge statue of a burly bearded man wearing a mage robe and holding a massive sword.
Yatgar Rutto, Archmage of Cleaving Earth.
I am the descendent of Archmage. One of the founding members of the Harsoth Empire and one of three true archmages produced by the Zenid in this era.
The entire region of the empire was named after him.
¡°Your supremacy,¡± I said, kneeling in front of the statue with a heart filled with shame.
The man has risen from nothing. His parents were porters.
He joined the army at fourteen and got Soldier Class when he was fifteen. He wasn¡¯t a mage, as one would expect.
No, that talent was discovered when he was twenty-three.
Despite the difficulty, he rose to become an archmage while having the advantage of his bloodline; we couldn¡¯t even become High Mages.
Like all the people in the house, I had the dream to follow in his footsteps when I was a child, but the reality dawned on me despite all the advantages we possess.
Even after over a thousand years. Every descendent of House Rutto is born with a magic talent, but couldn¡¯t go above the mage.
It¡¯s not a restriction. Members of the house have become High Mages and even Great Mages centuries become, but not in recent times.
He stayed in here for a decade before disappearing. Leaving a legacy big enough that they had named the entire floor of the Archmage Tower after him.
I stayed kneeling for a few minutes before getting up and walking to the statue.
I stopped close to it and placed the medallion between the feet of the statue.
The archmage had left things for his descendants. Sometimes, they came out. These are the things that kept our house from dying out.
A month ago, I was desperate to come to this place.
Hoping to get something, but now I am here just to pay my respect to my ancestor.
I am rich.
Have more wealth than I know what to do with it. Silver had kept his promise. He had paid in emotion essence for each book I had given him.
He didn¡¯t jail me or torture me. If he had, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to resist.
Till now, I didn¡¯t use even a single bottle of essence. Though, I am planning to use it.
I have contacts, and they are willing to pay a high price for it.
I am being smart about it and cautious. I plan to sell only a small amount every month and invest that money in other things.
Hun!
I was in my thoughts when I saw the medallion shining, and a moment later, the whole statue began to shine in an earthy golden shine.
It is not a light, but an aura.
It is as vast as the continent and sharp as the blade, but as it enveloped me, all I felt was the warmness.
¡°Archmage,¡± I said, with tears streaming down my face.
There was no reply, but I felt the aura entering me, scanning every part of me before the golden light came out of me.
It didn¡¯t go back to the statue. Instead, it gathered and formed into a golden scroll.
The scroll floated in front of me before turning into a golden beam and entering my head.
Chapter 569: First Bite Auction
"We should be able to get at least one," Margaux said as the carriage approached our destination.
"Getting one wouldn''t be a problem, but getting them isn''t exactly risk-free," I replied.
"There will abe competition since it''s an auction, but we have a good chance. However, I wouldn''t wager on it if the price exceeds the range we''ve set for each piece."
A few minutes passed, and the carriage stopped before a small but beautiful building.
I am saying "small'' by the city''s standards. The building is five stories tall and made of beautiful blue stones, with a spire rising from the middle.
"Welcome to August Hall, Lord Silver, Headmistress Swan," greeted the House Staff as he opened the door.
We stepped out and were promptly escorted inside.
Many other locations are better than this building, but it is tradition to host it here. It has happened for thousands of years, and nobody wants to break the tradition.
Soon, he opened the door and let us into a grand hall.
There are hundreds of chairs, with more than half occupied. I looked at the people and found most of them familiar.
I had been introduced to or talked to them at least once in the past four days.
Soon, the House Staff led us to our seats. It''s in the first row.
This time, I am not surprised.
Here, I mostly saw people from the Grade III legacy. Those from Grade IV and above rarely showed any interest in this place.
Their auction will be held tomorrow. I have no interest in them; they are too big for velvet garden to take a bite of. If I tried, they might change the Velvet Garden.
"Lord Silver," greeted Elf, sitting beside me.
"Lord Aardwyn, Lord Constance," I greeted the elf and the man beside me.
"Lord Aardwyn is my father, Lord Silver. Call me Rylan," the elf corrected.
"Rylan," I said.
The elf is the same elf we have seen in the opening ceremony on the first day. His father is a master of Tranquill Bathhouse.
The man beside him is a guardian from the Grade IV Wander Inn, the master legacy of Tranquill Bathhouse.
I am surprised they are here. I saw them in the morning, talking with Prefectus Prisca and another Master of a Grade IV legacy.
"Forgive me for saying this, but I didn''t expect to see you here, Lord Silver," Constance said.
"I could say the same to you, Lord Constance," I replied.
"It''s a risky bet you''re making, my lord. You''re on the list of legacies with the most potential."
"Taking the core essence of another legacy, especially one that''s waning, is dangerous for the future," he responded, and he was right.
However, he doesn''t know that I can take only the part that aligns with my vision.
The rest of the bite would be purified and converted into pure essence. So, unlike other legacies of my level, I am in a much better position.
However, it is not without risk. I could absorb the core, but only the part that aligns with my vision.
"If I become greedy and absorb more than I should, it will taint the vision. That would be catastrophic for the growth of my legacy, and the consequences could be irreversible."
"Why are you here, Lord Constance?" I asked.
"We are looking for the bite for the Tranquill Bathhouse. We want to strengthen it before the separation to increase its survival chances," he replied.
Yes, the separation.
Wander''s Inn would have helped, but it would need all its strength to survive the separation from Tranquill Bathhouse with as little damage as possible.
As he had warned me, it is a risky bet. Taking the essence of a waning legacy could seal the Tranquil Bathhouse''s fate, making its demise all the more certain.
"I wish your legacy had been Grade IV, Lord Silver. We would have asked you to take us," said the elf.
"You would not need to say it, Mr. Rylan; I would have requested it myself," I replied, and the man smiled.
I am not saying that out of politeness.
Tranquill Bathhouse is an amazing legacy, even without that artifact they have. It''s such a regret that I can''t have it. I wouldn''t have even minded it being on another continent.
Minutes passed, and the people kept coming until nearly the entire hall was filled with people.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
The masters or their representatives are here, along with the guardians. In this part, the guardians take the lead despite it being the masters'' legacy.
I am one of the few masters here that didn''t come with a political guardian.
Finally, it is two, and a man walks onto the stage.
The man was old but took good care of himself, looking younger than his years. He wore a suit with gem-encrusted cuffs that complemented him perfectly, adding an air of elegance.
"Masters and Guardians, welcome to August Hall for the first essence auction. I am Dal Roseweil, and I am honored to serve as your auctioneer today," he spoke clearly.
This is the auction for a Legacy''s first bite, or first essence, as he called it.
There are a lot of legacies in the world that die every year, and new ones are born.
The synods present a perfect opportunity for the legacies to sell their first bite and others to buy it.
"The first to go down under the hammer is the Vaxan Inn. It is a Grade III Tavern Class waning legacy," He informed, and a projection appeared.
A three-story inn. Made of stone and timber. Giving off a homey feeling.
"The bid will start at three hundred emotion essences and increase by ten at each bid," he stated.
"Three hundred and ten," someone said from behind immediately. "Three hundred and fifty," added another a moment later.
"Three hundred and seventy¡. Four hundred¡."
The big kept increasing one after another before it reached five hundred when it suddenly slowed down.
"Anyone for five hundred thirty?" asked the auctioneer, but no bid came.
Some people looked at us, but we showed no interest. We already have the list of the legacies being auctioned and selected the ones we want to big on.
"Five hundred and twenty, once. Five hundred and twenty, twice, Five hundred and twenty, thrice."
"Sold!" he announced, hitting the gavel.
''It had got sold within a range,'' said Margaux with privacy. I nodded. We thought it wouldn''t get sold for over five hundred and fifty-Grade III emotion essence.
It wasn''t a small amount; under normal circumstances, it wouldn''t have been sold for such a price. But it held a particular advantage as the first item on the block.
"The next legacy is Adis Cafe. It is a Grade III Tavern Class waning legacy,"
"The bid will start from the three hundred," he said as the projection of a cute caf¨¦ appeared.
Adis caf¨¦ soon sold for four hundred and thirty Grade III emotion essence.
More legacies were sold, but not a single one had gone beyond the five hundred fifty. We didn''t bid on anything; we just watched until the legacy we wanted went under the hammer.
"The name of legacy is Taurus Theater. It is a Grade III, Tavern Class waning legacy, and its price starts from three hundred emotional essences," he said.
"Three hundred and ten," bid someone. "Three hundred and twenty," bid another.
They bid while I looked at the tavern''s projection.
It is a small theatre with a capacity of five hundred people. It has nothing special about it, and if it had, it wouldn''t have been at the auction.
The first bite of the unique legacies is always sold through secret deals.
I am bidding on it simply because it is a theatre, and I now have a theatre. It is a recent addition to the velvet garden and wasn''t present when it was born.
The purpose of doing that is to strengthen the theatre aspect of the legacy.
It will help improve the theatre experience and help theatre people, from actors to stage managers, get better classes.
Legacies have a tremendous influence on that.
"Four hundred," Margaux bid, momentarily causing the entire hall to fall into a hushed silence.
She had upped the bid from three-fifty to four hundred directly.
"Four hundred and twenty," said a person behind us.
Margaux looked at him, and the moment passed. I could see the worry appearing in his eyes.
He didn''t need the theatre. He made a bid only because we suddenly increased the bid, and now he is worried.
Every bottle of essence is essential, and he is only a guardian. Easily replaceable. Unlike the master. If they make a mistake, they will get admonished at most.
Four hundred and twenty bottles of emotional essence isn''t a small amount. It''s more than what his legacy produces in a month.
This amount could create trouble for the kingdom itself.
The essence didn''t just go for creating the life-saving potions but also for recovering of artifacts and other things.
That gives the Sovereigns the influence over the nobles and other powerful people.
"Anyone for four hundred and thirty?" asked the auctioneer, and sweat began to appear on the man''s head. As he realized the trouble he was in.
"Four hundred and thirty, once. Four hundred and thirty, twice¡"
"Four hundred and fifty!" said Margaux smoothly before he could say the third time.
I could see the great relief appearing in the eyes of the man, and he slumped for a second before recovering quickly, feeling eyes on him.
"Taurus Theatre goes to Lord Silver. Master of Velvet Garden," said the auctioneer, banging the gavel.
"You had scared that poor man, Miss Swan," said the elf. "I didn''t, Mister Rylan. I only delayed because I was thinking about whether to go further,"
"We have a limited budget, after all," she replied sheepishly.
The elf and the man beside him just smiled, seeing her lying through her teeth.
The auction continued as a new legacy coming under the hammer.
Soon, another legacy came on the table, and this time, we bid. It''s a bar. We bought it for five hundred and twenty and the tavern after for five hundred and forty.
After that, more legacies came until we reached the last legacy.
"Now, only the one had remained. Taril''s Smokehouse. Its Grade III, Tavern Class waning legacy,"
"The bid for it will start at Four hundred emotion essence," said the auctioneer.
It is only a legacy started at four hundred, and there is a reason for that.
"Five hundred emotion essence," said the elf beside me. Betting for the first time. "Five hundred and twenty," came another bid immediately.
"Five hundred and fifty," said another. The bids soon reached the six hundred.
Everybody loves to smoke. One might wonder how it aligns with the bathhouse, but it does. Smoking is quite popular in the bathhouses.
Just as it''s popular in taverns, bars, and every other gathering place.
I dislike smoking; I cannot even bear the smell of smoke. I have a smoking area in my establishment, but that is only because patrons want it.
I will not focus on smoking like the others, as it goes against the direction of my vision.
So, we didn''t bid.
"Seven hundred and thirty, once. Seven hundred-thirty, twice, seven hundred-thirty, thrice."
"Sold!"
"Smoking bar goes to the Tranquill Bathhouse," announced the auctioneers.
''The elf isn''t too happy at such a price,'' said Margaux, looking at the painful smile on his face.
''It is more than it is worth, and people knew he wants it. So they pushed him hard,'' I replied with a smile.
We paid a similar price for the casino, but that is a casino. It''s big, a theatre-class casino, while all the legacies here were tavern-class.
It''s not like those legacies aren''t dying. They are, but most are making deals internally.
Besides, the casino wouldn''t have much of a price. Because of its class, its weight would have been enormous. There would have been very few Grade III takers for it.
Considering the chances of pollution would be higher.
"Thank you all, Masters and Guardians, for giving August Hall this honor; we will always be grateful for it," he said, walking off the stage.
We talked to the people for a few minutes before walking out.
"There was no store legacy or forge," said Margaux. I wanted them so much, but they were hard to find.
If I want them, I will have to approach them individually.
Scarlet Headmistress Lv. 36
Skill Gained: Empathetic Bond
Chapter 570: Myrathra Dawnstar
Myrathra Dawnstar
The lunar palace comes into view.
It''s beautiful, one of the most beautiful in Archmage City. I have come here many times.
I am one of the highest-level whores in the city. My clientele stays in places like these.
Although, it had been several years since I stepped away from these clients to focus on my business.
Now, I am taking another step and plan to leave everything I have built and move to another city.
I don''t want to leave; this is my home, where my heart feels rooted. But for the sake of my growth and future, I know I must. I refuse to fade into obscurity¡ªI want to leave a mark, to have at least one page of history that tells my story.
Velvet Garden might make that happen.
Transcendent Pleasure and several other renowned brothels on the continent have extended job offers to me. Additionally, there are intriguing opportunities from prestigious brothel legacies beyond the continent.
All offered a high position and big money, but I have those things already.
Soon, the carriage came to a halt, and a man opened the door. Beside him stood a guard clad in Greltheaven''s uniform.
"Miss Dawnstar," he greeted with a polite nod.
A flicker of displeasure stirred within me. I had expected him to send one of the three whores he parades around or at least one of his personal guards. Instead, he had dispatched a no-name guard.
Technically, the man before me was a captain, but still¡ªjust a guard.
The subtle insult grated on me, igniting a spark of anger. Yet, I forced myself to remain composed. I couldn''t afford to let my emotions undermine the meeting''s success. Calmness was essential. Still, I resolved to bring up this slight at an opportune moment¡ªit would not go unaddressed.
The guard led me inside, his steps steady and practiced. The palace''s grandeur was nothing new to me¡ªI knew its halls and chambers well. I had even walked into the domes, exclusive sanctuaries where even those of Silvers'' rank were denied entry.
Soon, the elevator came to a smooth stop on the sixth floor. This level was typically reserved for Grade IV legacies¡ªa place of prestige and exclusivity. Yet, they had placed Silver here.
Through my connections, I learned that the Archmage Tower offered Silver with special treatment. Remarkably, he had received the invite to meet the Archmage himself on the first day.
Rumor had it that he also was presented with an expensive gift, an honor that spoke volumes about the Tower''s regard for him.
Knock!
Soon, we reached the suite, and he knocked on its door. A moment later, an armored orc opened it.
"Come in," he said, leading me inside a living room before stopping in front of the teen girl sitting behind the table.
She is pretty, wearing a white collared black dress that fits her perfectly and her hair in a bun.
She looked more professional than my secretary. Who is a real secretary, with secretary school training and all while this young girl is a whore, who later becomes a secretary.
Seeing her, I couldn''t help but smile. I could feel her class. She was one of us¡ªsomeone who had risen from the same circumstances¡ªyet she had managed to carve out a place of significance for herself.
One of the reasons I chose the Velvet Garden over other legacies was that He gave us a chance, saw our potential, and didn''t let the world''s prejudices define us. Unlike others, who viewed us as tools to satiate their desires before discarding us, the Velvet Garden placed people like her¡ªand me¡ªin positions that mattered.
"It''s an honor to meet you, Miss Dawnstar," she said, her voice warm and steady, her shining eyes meeting mine as she rose gracefully to her feet.
The movement is not a skill but a practice. I didn''t fail to notice the way she spoke, either.
Whores do not speak like that.
"Thank you, young woman," I replied with a smile. She smiled even more brightly before her expression turned serious.
"Please," she said, motioning to the door where I heard the clicking sound.
I nodded and pushed open the door before walking inside the office.
It''s a beautiful office, but I barely glance at it. My eyes focused on the young man sitting behind the table.
I had seen him before in the opening ceremony, but it was the first time I had seen him so close. He isn''t alone; a platinum blond-haired woman is sitting on a sofa not far away from him.
"Lord Silver," I greeted the young man.
This young man elevated his legacy from Grade I to Grade III in just a year¡ªa rare feat.
"Miss Dawnstar," he replied.
His voice was polite, yet not overly so¡ªbalanced and respectful. Most importantly, there was no trace of the snideness or superiority that was all too common when others looked at people like us.
Despite that, they don''t hesitate to use us to satiate their lust.
Even after reaching such a high level. I still get the same looks I used to get when I was a common whore.
"Please take a seat," he said. "Thank you, my lord," I replied and sat before him.
"I must say, I am pretty surprised by your offer to work for me. With your level, you could work at any brothel legacy and many other legacies," the young man said.
To that, I smiled.
"You are right. I received offers from the other legacies, and they were good, but I want to work for the Velvet Garden," I replied.
I worded it to clarify that while I would be working for Velvet Garden, I was not working for him personally. Velvet Garden was his, and yes, I would be serving under his legacy, but I wanted to clarify that I would not be his personal property.
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.
"Why?" he asked.
"Yours is the one I see with the highest potential. More than that, it is the things you have done,"
"Making one whore a Governor of Panar and letting another whore run your business. No one ever did that," I replied, my tone pointed.
I had expected him to smile, to appreciate the praise, but instead, he simply nodded, his expression unreadable.
His eyes showed only a mild interest, and I could feel the moment''s weight. Despite my desire to assert myself and use my skills to impress, I knew he was injured¡ªboth physically and emotionally. I didn''t want to push too hard, especially not with someone who could soon become my employer. Displeasing him was the last thing I needed right now.
"Why do you want to work for me?" he asked, his tone all business.
I told him, but he referred to himself directly¡ªimplying that Velvet Garden, as his creation, was essentially synonymous with working for him. It was clear that he saw no distinction between the two.
I considered softening the moment with sweet, flattering words, but then I saw his expression. I knew sugary words wouldn''t get me far with him unless I used my skills.
"I want to level up. It''s been years since I''ve made any progress. If I stay here, I''ll never be able to achieve my dream," I replied honestly, my voice steady.
He leaned in slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Which is?" he asked, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face.
He could likely guess it, but now he wanted me to say it aloud. I hesitated, not wanting to reveal such a personal goal, but the way he was looking at me told me he wouldn''t let it slide unless I answered.
"Reach Lv. 50. I want a title," I finally replied, my voice steady but firm.
His lips curved into a smile¡ªnot mocking or dismissive, but a simple, genuine smile of understanding. It was brief, vanishing as quickly as it had appeared, and his expression grew serious once more.
"In what capacity do you want to work in Velvet Garden?" he asked, his tone businesslike again, though with an edge of curiosity beneath it.
I had considered this question for some time¡ªnot just now, but ever since I decided to leave the city and find a new path to progress.
"I want to be an Assistant Madam since you will not give me the position of Madam. I will sleep with people, but only those I choose. I want complete autonomy over it," I began, my voice steady.
"I will also take emotion essence as salary and will need a staff of my own," I finished, laying out my objective and my conditions.
They weren''t over the top. I had been offered these conditions by other legacies¡ªsome even offering more than I was asking for.
"No," he replied, his voice calm but firm.
The rejection wasn''t what surprised me - it was how he did. The absolute certainty in his tone and the unwavering firmness left no room for negotiation.
I hadn''t expected him to accept all of my conditions, but I hadn''t anticipated hearing a direct "no." I had been prepared for something more like, "Let''s talk about it," or perhaps a counteroffer.
I turned toward the platinum blonde-haired woman and saw a small, knowing smile tugging at her lips.
"The positions in Velvet Garden are earned, Miss Dawnstar. Not given," he said, his voice steady. "Besides that, I don''t think having you work in Velvet Garden aligns with my vision."
His words hit me harder than I anticipated, and I struggled to process what he''d just said.
He rejected me? The thought lingered in my mind, a disbelief that made it hard to grasp the full weight of his words.
I was a Lv. 42 Madam of Pleasurable Nights. A Class A powerhouse. He didn''t have anyone even remotely close to my level, yet despite all of that, he had the audacity to reject me.
"Are you rejecting me?" I asked, needing confirmation.
"Not exactly," he replied, and I felt my anger flare. If he wasn''t rejecting me, then what the fuck had he just said?
"I have a different offer," he added, his voice calm and matter-of-fact.
At that, I wanted to get up and walk out, but I forced myself to remain seated, my frustration simmering beneath the surface.
"Explain," I said, my voice tight.
"I want you to teach at the college," he replied.
The words hit me like a punchline, and before I could stop myself, I smiled and started laughing.
I didn''t want to, but there was something so absurd about his offer that I couldn''t help but find it funny.
It was a mix of mirth and anger. Yes, I was angry¡ªquite angry. This young man had disrespected me, my status, and the levels I had worked hard to achieve.
That was why my control over Madam''s Might slipped, and my passive skills began to surge with full power.
Hun!
I was just about to pull it back when I felt an unfamiliar aura pushing against my skill, forcing it back.
I''d felt this kind of resistance before, and I had a higher level, so my grip on the skill didn''t break, but the force of it made me shudder faintly.
My eyes instinctively locked onto the source of the aura. I had assumed it was Silver, but no¡ªit was his guard, standing by him and exuding that strange, powerful presence.
He didn''t seem to have much control over it. He likely awakened the aura in a month or two.
''That makes it three people.'' I thought.
It is known that Silver has awakened the aura, and I heard that his mistress had also awakened.
Now, this rogue guard as well.
A small city has three people with an aura. That is very rare. Cities much larger than his didn''t have a single person with an aura in them.
"My apologies, Lord Silver. I had lost control of my emotions for a moment," I said, my voice steady as I composed myself. Despite the anger simmering beneath the surface, I knew I had to regain control.
"No need to apologize, Miss Dawnstar. If I had been in your place, I would have reacted the same way," he replied without any hint of anger.
Instead, there seemed to be an apology on his face.
"I had meant no disrespect with my offer, Miss Dawnstar. I do not feel it would align with my vision for you to work with my legacy the way you want," he explained.
"Offering you the position to teach was no disrespect."
"It is the college of whores, but we teach not only the girls that will work in the Velvet Garden but also the ones that will work for the city. The ones that might become the governors and madams,"
"It''s why many of the teachers that work in the college are leveling up fast."
"Many among those that work in college. Especially the ones that have been with us from the beginning and taught Margaux and Ina, who are closer to Lv. 40, that Lv. 30,"
His words went deep and, going by what I know, seemed plausible.
I knew the whores of Velvet Garden worked for the city, and one had even become Governor. The news had spread like wildfire through my circles, creating quite a stir. It wasn''t just the position that shocked people¡ªit was the audacity of it. It had made a massive impact, and everyone was talking about it.
When I first heard. I sent my people to fact-check it with the information guild.
Pupils'' accomplishments affect the teacher, and the teacher''s class works like this. This is why teaching positions in famous academies are so competitive.
They kill for it.
Still, I wanted to reject the offer outright, but despite myself, I found my thoughts drifting back to it. It''s a job that felt far beneath me and my level¡ªfarbeneath.
"What will I be teaching? What position will I have?" I asked before I could stop myself. The words slipped out, and I couldn''t take them back.
"The position will be head of the department," he replied without hesitation. "As for what you''ll be teaching..."
He turned to the woman with platinum blonde hair¡ªThe Headmistress.
...
"Seduction," replied Margaux, which seemed to surprise the woman in front of me and even myself.
The offer I made to her came all of a sudden, unexpected even to me.
I was still torn when she arrived, unsure whether to let her work in Velvet Garden. I realized I couldn''t allow it a minute after she stepped in.
It didn''t feel right. The weight settled on me like a burden I couldn''t shake.
Giving her the position of assistant madam might disrupt the chain of command, causing a ripple in its carefully balanced structure. Yet, I couldn''t bring myself to let her go.
She was incredibly high level¡ªone of the select few who could reach her status. Losing her would be a tremendous blow, a loss I couldn''t afford. I knew I had to convince her, and that''s when the idea struck me. The more I thought about it, the more perfect it seemed.
Even Margaux agreed with it, and her approval only solidified the plan in my mind.
"I must say, it''s not something I ever envisioned before I came here," she laughed. Her laughter was light and beautiful, echoing in the room like a melody.
She is a beautiful woman. Elves are stunning, and she isn''t more attractive than most. Instead, she has mastered her body, and every movement she makes carries a beautiful and seductive grace. Even the faintest shift of her posture seemed carefully crafted to captivate.
The woman in front of me looked to be in her mid-forties, about Margaux''s age, though her appearance held a timeless quality. Her dark green hair framed her face in soft waves, and her almond-shaped green eyes seemed to shimmer with a quiet intensity.
She possessed the high cheekbones typical of elves, their sharpness only enhancing the elegance of her features. Her long, delicate, graceful neck held a subtle allure that almost begged to be kissed or bitten.
She wears a black dress that fits her beautifully and shows enough skin to leave one wanting more.
"The choice is yours, Miss Dawnstar," I said. I cannot force her. Only try to convince her.
She is ready to give up her successful business and life for a chance at progress. However, she will only change if it feels right for her.
"I want to reject it, my lord, but a small part of me is considering it. Please, give me some time to think it over," she finally said.
I felt a sense of relief, as I genuinely believed she would turn it down.
She didn''t accept it, but she didn''t reject it either, which gives me a glimmer of hope. This trip will be a resounding success if I can win her over.
Chapter 571: Proposal
"Yes, I have Arcane Foundation by Laeral Silverhand, but it is a priceless book. It can''t be bought with mere emotion essence," said the man sitting before me.
Only a host of Legacy, like him, could say something about "mere" emotion essence.
The single most desired commodity in the world.
I am in the house of Lord Orion. Yes, that nervous man has a mansion here in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
It is also in one of the best areas. It costs a fortune, and I didn''t even want to consider it.
Right now, the nervous man isn''t anxious anymore. He is spirited and confident.
"Will this be enough, Lord Orion?" I asked, taking a colored book with some flourish from my bag and pushing it toward him.
Gasp!
His eyes widened, and he sucked a deep breath.
In an instant, the man''s hand darted forward with such speed that it caught both me and the old man beside me entirely off guard.
"The Basics of Elements by Archmage Mordenkainen! I''ve been searching for this book for ages," he exclaimed, his eyes gleaming excitedly as they locked onto the precious tome.
"I''ll exchange it for The Arcane Foundation," the man offered, turning his gaze to me.
I considered pressing for more but quickly dismissed the idea. The additional benefits I''d gain would be minor, and risking the chance to build a strong rapport with him simply wasn''t worth it.
"Thank you, Lord Orion," I said before putting my hand into my bag and bringing out another book.
"I believe you have Four Elements by Aumir Volo," I said, sliding a crimson-bound book across the table toward him. "I want that in exchange for this."
This one is rarer than the last. The knowledge it contains is above the basic level.
Before departing, I convened a meeting with my most trusted mages, granting them access to all but one of the books Rutto had provided me.
Unfortunately, only one was about the aura. The rest are about magic.
They presented me with a list of books they required and selected titles we could trade for other valuable tomes. However, since I resolved to exchange copies of only two books, it sparked quite a heated debate.
With over twenty books in our collection, my decision to limit the trades to just two was met with resistance, but I stood by it.
If I reveal too much, it might draw attention to my source¡ªthe goose that is laying the golden eggs.
Only a trusted few are aware of the source, and I intend to keep it that way for as long as possible.
That is why all those who had access to the books have signed a strict contract to never discuss them with anyone without my permission.
To be cautious, I am only exchanging two books. It will be my loss, but I am thinking about the future.
"Ok," he said, putting a book down and looking at me expectantly.
"If you have any more volumes, I am more than willing to exchange for them, Lord Silver," said the man. I shook my head.
"If I come across them in the future, you will be the first I contact Lord Orion," I replied to the man.
A few minutes later. We signed the contracts, and I left his house soon after.
We have thousands more books to buy, but the staff will do that. If I succeed in my next meeting, the numbers needed could increase tens of times.
"Best of luck, my lord," wished Mage Aldridge.
My next meeting is crucial. It is one of the reasons I personally come here.
"Thank you, Mage Aldridge," I replied and entered the carriage.
The meeting is the most important. I will need all the luck I can get. If I succeed, it will help the city tremendously.
I have put in extensive preparation, meticulously micromanaging the proposal to the point of frustration¡ªfor both myself and those involved. Yet, in the end, it resulted in a proposal I am truly satisfied with.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I got out.
I looked at the Archmage Tower and sighed before walking inside.
Yes, I proudly walked.
Today is my seventh day in the city¡ªthe first day without a wheelchair. I have been recovering fast since I arrived.
Now, I could walk without getting tired.
I''m not fully recovered yet, but I feel ready to use my skills. There have been many moments when I wanted to act, especially when others used their skills against me, but I held back.
I stepped into the tower and felt the power of the legacy.
It is still restricted, but I could feel its mightiness. On the first day, I didn''t sense it so clearly, but my spirit has been recovering fast since then.
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
Slowly, I was able to sense things much better.
I immersed myself in it briefly before walking toward the teleportation gate.
"Library," I said to the attendant and stepped inside. A moment later, I appeared in the library.
There is one and a half hours before the appointment. I am not going to waste that precious time. Besides, if I waited, I would kill myself with worry.
It''s better to spend my time productively, and there''s nothing more productive than reading. I walked into the library, made my way to the shelves, and selected a book before settling into a chair. The book I chose was about history.
Most of it is hidden from the world. Even here in Archmage Tower, not many people could access those shelves. Only those with special access could get to these books.
Only Grade IV and above masters have this access.
I do not have the full access. Many shelves in here are restricted to me.
Still, I am genuinely grateful for the access I did get. It has allowed me to learn the things I was oblivious to.
History, artifacts, legacies, and many other things. That, I wished I hadn''t been so busy here. If I hadn''t been, I would have spent every moment here.
I am already doing that. When I have free time, I am here or at the library in the Lunar Palace.
The library there also has a great collection of books.
Soon, over an hour passed, and it was time for me to leave for the meeting.
I felt a wave of nervousness, but I managed to control it. I knew I needed to be confident so that she would feel confident in me as well.
I stepped out of the gate and appeared right before a desk. Behind it is a middle-aged man wearing a mage robe.
The gate had directly sent me to my destination.
"Lord Silver, Grand Mage will see you in ten minutes," he informed.
I nodded and sat down in a beautiful waiting room.
I didn''t pick up any magazines or books from the small bookshelves. Instead, I just sat down and organized my thoughts.
I need this to go as perfectly as possible. So much is riding on it.
"Lord Silver, Grand Mage Asin is ready for you," informed the man. I nodded and got up before walking toward the door.
Click!
I walked through the door into a magnificent office. It is big and minimalistic. It does not need anything with the view of the city she has.
The office may be minimalistic, but every piece within it holds immense value.
Especially the three artifacts. She is using them like decorative pieces.
I looked at them for a moment before turning to the woman.
She looked to be a human woman in her early fifties, but it was rumored she had some elder blood.
She has a serene face that seems incapable of anger, and her amber eyes burn like a blazing fire. Her shoulder-length pale grey hair adds to her presence.
She is wearing a beautiful blue-violet mage robe and has a staff by the table with a silvery jagged crystal at the top.
Both of them are artifacts, and it is said. They are closer to relics in power.
"Grand Mage," I greeted with a faint bow. "Lord Silver," replied the woman before motioning for me to sit.
"Thank you, your majesty," I replied.
Mages of her rank are addressed as her excellency, however, given her position as the second in command of Archmage City. She is addressed as her majesty.
"Lord Silver, I thought you would be satisfied after we agreed to fund the bridge, but now you want more," she said with a small smile appearing on her face.
"For that, I am immensely grateful, Your Majesty. It will help the people of my city and cities around it tremendously." I thanked.
It is not a lie. It will help Greltheaven but also Lauryl, Panar, and Mirador Hold.
"But you still want more," she said, so a small smile appeared on my face.
"Though let me tell you. It is unlikely that the current council will agree to fund it." "You might need to try after the new council convenes," she added.
To that, I shook my head.
"The new council will take too long to agree to my proposal. I need the current council to pass it," I replied.
The new council was voted on the first day of the synod, and the result will be announced on the ninth day.
The new council won''t accept my proposal right away. It will take them months to even consider it. My city, however, doesn''t have that much time to waste.
I need to convince this woman. If she agreed, then the council would approve.
It won''t matter, even if there are only two days for the new one to convene.
"So, what do you want?" she asked.
"An academy," I replied, and a faint surprise appeared in her eyes for a fraction of a second before it disappeared.
"Well, I am surprised," she said and looked at me.
"I have two cities under my domain, and they are growing fast, with many young people. I had opened schools, but they are far from enough."
"I need an academy in my domain to nurture those with potential," I replied and took out the proposal before placing it in front of her.
"I believe you have an academy in the region. In Deerpond city?" she asked, to which I nodded. "As you are aware, your majesty. We do not have a good relationship with Deerpond,"
"Even if they accept our people. There is a good chance they will poach them."
"We can''t let other cities take our most talented people," I replied.
"What about Inam and Owlspring? They have academies, and you have excellent relations with them," she asked.
Hearing that, I smiled.
I knew getting funding for the academy wouldn''t be easy, and looking at the way, she is asking the questions. She is aware of a lot of things and asks appropriate questions.
Synod may have their treasuries filled, but that doesn''t mean they will just give me the money.
Especially when there are no immediate benefits, the value of essence will continue to rise, and the Synod won''t suffer any loss, even if the essence remains locked away for decades¡ªor even centuries.
"Yes, those cities have academies, and we have good enough relations, but they are far and, most importantly, expensive,"
"Less than 1% of the eligible people will be able to afford them," I replied.
"I had added the average income of a household in both of my cities and fees of the academies closer to us in the proposal," I added.
I have done the research. The data backs every word in the proposal.
She didn''t say anything, and her expression was unreadable, but I felt slight hope when she picked up the proposal.
She opened it and began to read. Her speed of reading is extremely fast.
She is a Grand Mage with the power of spirit. It didn''t take her long to read through the whole proposal before she put it down and looked at me.
Her eyes are a lot more serious than before.
"You have ambitions, Lord Silver. You want a magic tower in the academy but also to teach arts, politics, and other subjects," she said, to which I nodded.
"I feel a comprehensive academy is a better choice than a specialized one for my city," I replied.
I discussed it extensively with Locke, Valentina, Mage Aldridge, and others. Based on my research, I have decided that a comprehensive academy is best for the city.
"But the specialized one is considered the best," she countered.
"Yes, they are, and I dream of having them in my domain in the future, but right now, the city needs a comprehensive academy," I replied.
"The funding you are asking for is huge, Lord Silver," she said.
"I will not deny it, Your Majesty, but I am a member of the synod; I deserve it," I replied, taking a risk.
"You deserve to be heard, Lord Silver. It is the council''s right whether to accept your request," she replied with her expression becoming stern.
"My apologies, your majesty. I misspoke in desperation," I apologized immediately, and her expression eased a little.
Those words were intended to elicit a reaction. They did. Let''s hope they will give me the results I want. It could lead to the opposite of what I intend, with consequences far worse than I can afford.
"I will present the proposal to the current council. It will be up to them whether to accept it or not," she stated finally.
"Thank you, your majesty. I will accept any decision you and the council agree on," I replied with a grateful smile.
I didn''t expect a direct yes, but I hoped for it.
Most of the work is done by meeting her, as her decision matters the most, but to show my sincerity, I will be meeting all the council members today to lobby for it.
It would help a lot if some of the council members accepted it.
Chapter 572: Recovery and Regeneration
You have nearly recovered, Lord Silver, and are free to use both your skills and aura once more.
"Though, I would advise you to take it slow for a few days," said Great Mage Domaris, looking at the scan above me.
Once more, I am back in the Mars Tower¡ªthis time for the check-up.
"Thank you, Great Mage. I wouldn''t have recovered so fast without your help," I thanked.
I am truly grateful.
I am determined to make a full recovery before leaving the city. With my luck, who knows what dangers might await me on the road? I will need to be prepared for anything.
It is the eighth day. Only two more days remained before the synod ended, and I was to leave for home.
"I would have claimed full credit, Lord Silver, but most of the work was done by you," the man replied. At that, I smiled.
A few minutes later, I walked out of his office.
"Anything?" I asked Davis. "There are a few messages, but not from the one you are looking for, my lord," he replied.
Hearing that, I sighed internally.
I am waiting for the message from the Grand Mage Anis. It had been only a day since I gave her the proposal.
So, I shouldn''t expect them to approve it immediately, but I need them to, as I only have a day.
The results of the new council elections will be announced tomorrow, and I need my proposal approved before then.
I had met all the council members yesterday. Ophelia and others. Two had even explicitly promised me support, which was better than I had expected.
Still, there is much opposition to it. That is why I had put all my hopes on Grand Mage.
A few minutes later. I walked out of the examination hall and stepped into the elevator.
Soon, the elevator stopped, and we got out. It''s not the lobby, but another floor; there are two people I have to see before leaving.
We reached the room, and I entered inside with Margaux.
Eudo was standing with various things in front of him, including the children''s toy, and an orc woman instructed him in his therapy.
"Lord Silver," he greeted, seeing me.
"How are you feeling, Eudo?" I asked him. Looking at his hands.
He had regained his hands.
A Grand Mage had cast a regeneration spell. Restoring his hands.
It happened yesterday morning, right after the spell. Eudo quickly became unconscious and only woke up late last night.
The spell takes a toll on the body.
"Good. Ecstatic; I didn''t think I would ever see this day," he said with tears streaming down his face as he glanced at his hands.
This treatment wasn''t cheap¡ªit was extremely expensive¡ªand the most expensive thing I did here in Archmage City, but it was worth it after seeing his joy.
He is an integral and foundational member of the Velvet Garden¡ªit might never have existed without him. Therefore, doing this for him is beyond question.
"What did the healer say?" I asked. "They said the regeneration has been successful."
"As long as I followed the regiment. In a few months, I would gain similar control over these hands as I had with my old hands," the man replied, his joy never leaving his face.
It made me relieved because regeneration is only a first step. One can''t just gain the lost body part and hope it will work fine in a day.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
It wasn''t that easy, seeing the years he had been without them and learning to do things differently.
He is going to need a lot of therapy before he gains complete control of his hands.
Which I have no doubt he will.
I talked with him for a few minutes before walking out. Before leaving the tower, I had to meet one more person.
¡
Aya Bandstone
"Miss Bandstone, how are you feeling?" asked the woman with in a mage robe as I lay on the bed.
She is a Great Mage, the healer who has been tending to me
Great Mage Vola is a human with a trace of orc blood. She appears entirely human¡ªexcept for her pale green tint and slightly elongated canines, which only become noticeable when she opens her mouth.
He had kept his promise. He had admitted me to Mars Tower the day we came here.
"Great. I can''t remember the last time I felt this way," I replied with a smile.
There has always been a weakness since I was affected by bone breaking, and it got worse as the disease progressed.
"I had learned to live with it and even gained skills like Reinforced Bones, which made things a little easier.
Though nothing had truly helped with the weakness until now.
''The medicine is working, and as long as you continue taking it every day, it will suppress the effects and progression of the bone-breaking disease,'' she said."
"Is there no cure for it, Great Mage?" asked Ulo and the woman''s expression turned serious.
"I won''t say there is no cure," she said. "I''ll only say we don''t have it. There are a few things that could help, but they are beyond even Lord Silver''s means."
"The only option is the one I mentioned before¡ªlevel up high enough that your skills neutralize the effects of the disease," replied the Great Mage.
That is easier than done. My skills could barely help, and my progress decreased every day.
Now, there''s a promise of hope.
This medicine suppresses its effects, stopping it from worsening and providing valuable time for me to level up.
However, I must reach the level to make my skills suppress it. It is very high; extremely few people in the world achieve that level.
The Great Mage cast a few more spells, did some tests, and left.
Tonight will be my last night here in Mars Tower. They are keeping me here to look at a few things. Tomorrow, they will discharge me.
"We can''t afford the medicine, even a cheaper version," said Ulo. I could see her mind searching for the way, but there was none.
"We already have a year from Silver. My armor and sword should give me another year."
"Two years is enough for me to earn enough to continue with my treatment," I replied with more optimism than I was feeling.
She could tell I was lying but didn''t say anything.
The medicine is really expensive, but also good. It had suppressed the effect.
If they hadn''t told me not to get up from bed and kept scanning me, I would have jumped out of bed already and tested the strength I felt inside.
Slip!
A few hours passed, and I napped some when the door opened.
Silver walked in, and with him was a beautiful, blond-haired woman.
"Miss Bandstone, Miss Gul," he said as he stepped beside the bed. "Lord Silver," we greeted.
I still can''t believe he was the same man who had fought like a demon a week ago. I remember how he came out of the forest, scorched almost to the bone.
His appearance in battle was so unlike the man we had guided. That man was powerful, not the demon who emerged from the forest.
He came out and started to reap lives like a death god. Even the strongest didn''t last for more than a few seconds in front of him.
What is shocking is that he is only twenty years old. Younger than me, but so strong and even has an aura.
"How are you feeling, Miss Bandstone?" he asked. "Never better, my lord," I replied truthfully.
"I am glad," he replied.
There was a silence for a moment before I opened my mouth. There is something I need to say to him.
"Thank you, Lord Silver, for helping me," I said.
There are many ways he could have backed out. A lord like him has different ways, but he has followed the contract in spirit and the word.
"You do not have to thank me, Miss Bandstone. I did what I had agreed to in exchange for your help," he replied with a smile.
"For that, we are very grateful, Lord Silver," said Ulo.
For a moment, there was silence before he turned to me, with his face serious.
"There is another reason I have come here other than to check on you," he stated.
"What is it?" I asked. Feeling worried. Hoping he wouldn''t cut a year of treatment.
"An offer. I want you to work for me. The Greltheaven army," he said.
Surprising me.
I once worked for an army but didn''t have a pleasant experience. I believe his army would be better, but I can''t accept it.
I need money for my treatment. The salary of the army would be far from enough for it.
So, I opened my mouth to reject, despite wanting to accept his offer.
"Will you fund her treatment while she works for you?" asked Ulo before I could utter a word to reject his offer.
"She will get free medical, as every person in my army does. So, yes, the dominion will fund her treatment, as it does of every person," he replied and turned to me.
I am ecstatic but also surprised.
He should know the cost of the treatment. It is massive. If I calculate it, it will be worth the salary of over a dozen people every month.
I am talking about the salary of a Captain, who is not a common soldier, but he is still willing to do that.
"It will be my greatest pleasure to work for you, Lord Silver," I replied.
There must be some intentions behind the offer. No matter how generous he is, Lords wouldn''t have offered me the job without it.
I would have considered the reason if I hadn''t been sick, but my current condition prevented me.
I know very well that it will be hard to support myself after two years. I was barely able to afford the medicine I used to have.
I would not be able to afford this new medicine even if I reached level 30.
Accepting the offer is a wise choice, no matter the strings attached to it.
Chapter 573: Meetings and Deals I
I walked out of the shower and wore a suit before looking at the mirror.
The paleness and weakness had vanished. I now feel fine and complete. I had nearly recovered; the small part won''t stop me from projecting my full strength.
Still, I am refraining from using the skills and the aura. I won''t use them unless necessary, at least until I leave this city.
Archmage City is the safest place on the continent.
It is a thousand times safer than my city. If it had been Greltheaven, I wouldn''t have been able to control myself for more than a few days before activating the skill.
Still, it made things more challenging, especially when the other party used the skills.
Here, I interact with powerful people. Without Jon and Margaux, I would have had no choice but to activate my aura and skills to defend myself.
I glanced at the mirror, adjusted my suit and hair, and headed downstairs.
Twenty minutes later, I found myself sitting in a parlor with the two men¡ªone the host of the legacy, the other its guardian.
"Sure, the mist-forged goods won''t be a problem. I can sell them to you, complete with enchantments and all, but..." I replied, leaving the sentence hanging.
The middle-aged orc with dark hair was Dular Stonemaw, Master of Maw Grill¡ªa Grade IV legacy.
The blue-haired half beside him is its guardian. They are from Navr.
They want everything¡ªgrill grates, knives, tongs, trays, and anything else we could offer them.
"We can pay you above the market price," said the half-elf, but I shook my head.
"I do not want the money, Lord Jarys," I replied.
"We cannot give you essence. It is off limits," he said, to which I shook my head.
"I don''t want the essence either. I have my own legacy," I said. "Though, I would accept it if you offered it¡ªafter all, it''s a Grade IV essence. But that won''t happen."
So, I want something else. Something I''ve desired for quite some time.
"I want liquor¡ªthe aged ones. You''ve been holding back on that," I replied, and a smile spread across their faces.
Since the Velvet Garden ascended to the legacy, I''ve had access to the finest liquor. I''ve amassed bottles from the top hundred liquors, some of which are incredibly rare.
Even among them, there are distinctions¡ªcertain ages or batches are considered the best. I''ve managed to get my hands on liquor aged up to a hundred years, but nothing older. Even for a hundred-year-old bottle, I had to pay a steep price.
Money isn''t an issue. As long as I have the liquor, there will always be people willing to pay for it.
Most importantly, it will help me advance my vision of providing the best experience to my patrons.
"I think that shouldn''t be a problem, Lord Silver," said the half-elf.
"Good. Please send your people to Greltheaven to negotiate," I replied.
Such negotiations are complex. We can only initiate things; others will handle the actual negotiation.
"Lord Silver, the higher-ups have asked me to inform you that we are interested in essence and are willing to exchange rare items in return," he said.
I smiled at that instead of replying.
The merchant state had asked me not to sell a single drop to Navr.
Stolen story; please report.
I plan to follow it because Navr is an enemy who will eventually attack, and I need the merchants and don''t want to displease them yet.
A minute later, I walked out of the parlor with a smile showing on my face. I have made many such deals with other masters of legacy.
They want mist-forged goods because they are best for the legacies.
Few legacies produce them.
Most would focus on weapons, so I concentrate on kitchen goods instead. Most legacies are recreation-type, and they have kitchens.
Not only the legacies want them, but everyone: nobles, powerhouses, and even the royals.
I had years of orders before coming here, and now they have increased even more. I anticipated that and made Gagarin expand.
"Anything?" I asked as I got out of the parlor.
Today is the ninth day of the synod. The new council will be announced soon, yet there has been no reply from the Grand Mage.
There are only a few hours before the announcement, and I am getting worried. The academy is extremely important, and funding will help tremendously.
Funding it ourselves will create a lot of problems.
We need money for other essential things, especially one that will require an insane amount of money in a few months, given the city''s growth.
"There is no response, but Miss Dawnstar is waiting for you in the office," replied Davis.
I had an appointment with her.
I hope she agrees; the news of her joining alone will help the college tremendously.
¡..
Myrathra Dawnstar
Click!
The door opened, and the young Lord walked in. He was alone, but I could faintly sense another presence.
The rogue with aura.
I want an aura. It is one of the reasons I am going to Greltheaven.
As 99% of people reach Lv. 50 have an aura. Some people considered it a condition to reach Lv. 50.
A whore had awakened an aura. The news of Carla Salt awakening the aura made me seriously consider Greltheaven an option.
"Lord Silver," I greeted.
"Miss Dawnstar," he said and sat down before looking at me and awaiting my answer.
"I will join the college to take a teaching position, but I have a few conditions," I said, and I could see a small smile appearing on his face.
It wasn''t an easy choice. I have thought about it a lot.
When I told Halbis about it, he laughed and told me not to accept, which is something, seeing the man dreaming about me leaving. So he could control everything.
I asked the people I trusted and valued their opinions, but they, too, had asked me to reject the offer.
Saying it is disrespectful and beneath me, given my level.
I wanted to reject it and nearly did, but I decided to read about it in complete detail before deciding.
I learned everything: how they operate, what they teach, and many other things. The more I read, the more my opinion changed until I made the opposite decision.
"What are your conditions?" he asked.
"First, I will need an early termination clause. I could leave if I want if I don''t feel the job isn''t suitable for me or I feel there is a threat to my life,"
"The second is that I will need the position of the vice-headmistress."
"Third, I want my¡"
I listed one condition after another, and he listened without interrupting me¡ªnot once.
I looked at him once I finished and saw him deep in thought.
"I could agree to the termination clause, but it would only apply for the first six months. You can leave if you don''t feel it''s the job you want."
"As for the termination due to danger, I will only add a war clause."
"As for you getting the position of vice-headmistress, the answer is no. The position needs to be earned; the head of the department is the most I can offer," he said.
"I will accept your condition on housing, but..."
He responded, accepting some terms outright, modifying others, and rejecting a few altogether.
I countered them, and he countered back. The back and forth continued for over twenty minutes before we finally agreed.
"You will not regret this decision. Miss Dawnstar," he stated. "I hope so, my lord," I replied.
"I will have a contract drawn and sent to you this evening," he said.
"I will be waiting," I replied.
"I know, I should be saying this after contracts are signed, but welcome to Velvet Garden, Miss Dawnstar," he warmly stated. "Thank you, Lord Silver," I replied and shook his hand.
This decision is daunting and scary, but I have to take it. I hope it will be worth it.
¡
I watched the woman leave, and a big smile couldn''t help but appear on my face.
Getting her is a significant victory.
"There is a response from the office of Grand Mage. They want you to meet Great Mage Xarafis at twelve," said Davis, and the smile on my face grew even bigger.
Great Mage Xarafis is Grand Mage Asin''s aide and secretary of the synod council.
If the council had agreed to my proposal, then Xarafis would be the man I should meet. So, it is very likely that they would have accepted it.
Still, I did not let myself get too excited.
"Inform, Lady May. That I will not be able to attend her soiree," I said. A few minutes later, Oakley came, and we drafted the contract.
I had prepared contracts, but given her level, we would need to craft one suitable for her. It might take some time.
Thankfully, I had kept the morning free.
I had done that intentionally. I knew if I got a response. I must meet in the afternoon before the council election results are announced.
"Done," he said as he finished drafting the contract.
I read through it once more carefully. Looking at any flaw that might come to bite me.
When I saw there was none. I activated the power of legacy and Lord''s Contract, using a skill for the first time since coming here.
I wouldn''t have, but this contract is too important.
"Sent it to Miss Dawnstar in a few hours," I said before getting up. I would have liked to send it now, but I don''t want to seem desperate.
Chapter 574: Meetings and Deals II
At eleven and a half, I stepped into the carriage, and it moved toward the Synods Headquarters.
Archmage Tower may have all the spotlight in this conclave, but its headquarters is where all the work is done. Most of the less glamorous events are happening there.
Ten minutes later, the carriage entered through the gates of a large building.
It is an imposing building with tall columns and extended arches. Even giants could comfortably walk through it.
The building may look new, but it''s pretty old¡ªnearly as old as Archmage Tower. Throughout the millennia, it was damaged to various degrees before being rebuilt.
Even the archmage tower, with all its power, hadn''t been entirely undamaged in thousands of years of its existence.
The carriage stopped, and I stepped out before walking inside the building.
I marveled at the building, its murals, and frescos, telling significant moments of history.
I have been here every day, and it mesmerizes me every time. This building has thousands of years of history and has experienced every catastrophe that has fallen on the world.
Soon, I reached the office of the Great Mage Xarafis, which is on the top floor.
Same floors as the offices of the council members.
"Lord Silver," greeted the secretary, wearing a mage robe. "I have an appointment with the Great Mage Xarafis," I stated.
"Yes, my lord. He will see you at twelve," she replied. I nodded and sat down in the waiting room.
There are still fifteen minutes to twelve.
I could have come later after spending some time looking around, but I didn''t. I wanted to play it safe; I didn''t want to be even a moment late.
This is too important for me. I cannot take any risk.
I looked around at the beautiful waiting room before picking up the newspaper.
Many wars are happening around the world. While there are always wars, the world seems to be getting covered in its shadow right now.
Especially my dominion, which is covered by threats from all sides.
Many times, I wish. Things would have been less dangerous.
If the undead hadn''t been hellbent on conquering my cities. I wouldn''t have spent so much on the army as I am doing right now.
That money could have been spent on other things.
I shook my head and pushed those thoughts. I am dreaming of things that couldn''t happen. Even without undead, I would have needed to spend considerable money on defense.
They aren''t the only enemy I have in the region.
There is Deerpond, Navr, and Tabes, some of whom had yet to attack, and others.
"Lord Silver, Great Mage Xarafis will see you now," informed the secretary, bringing me out of my thoughts.
I nodded, walked into the door that opened on its own, and stepped inside.
Inside is a half-orc older man who looked to be in his early seventies. He had thick white hair and a white beard that made him look scholarly.
He looked up and waved his hand for me to sit down. I nodded my thanks and sat down.
From what I heard, he is a man of a few words¡ªspeaking only when necessary.
It kind of made me nervous. He might be silent because it is unwelcome news.
"The council has accepted your request to fund the academy with some amendments," he stated, making my heart leap joyfully.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
I controlled my expression a second later as he slid the file toward me.
He had said they had made the amendments. I hope they don''t cut into the core things.
"Please thank the council for me, Great Mage," I replied before opening the file to read it.
As I did, I activated the Insightful Reading.
I read through the first page, and a relieved smile appeared on my face. They didn''t cut the academy''s budget and even left the line about the potential increase remaining the same.
I changed the page, and my smile became even more prominent when I read, "They are keeping it a comprehensive academy."
They didn''t make changes in a single course.
The synod is rich; other people would have done something but nod synod. Its coffers are full, and its members are willing to help out one of their own.
I read a few more pages, and the smile on my face became bigger and bigger.
It continued until I reached halfway into the file when the smile on my face muted a little. The page after that made it entirely disappear.
A few more pages later, my face is solemn. It even looked like I had just swallowed something awful.
Finally, I finished reading and turned to the man.
"Isn''t the conditions here too tough, Great Mage?" I asked.
They have given me everything I wanted, but not without strings attached.
They are giving me the amount of money I wanted, but their group of auditors will audit every penny.
The auditors were standard, but the way they had phrased it. I know they will be troublesome.
There is also a condition for verified vendors. I could only hire the vendors on the list and not others, and guess what? Nearly a third of them are from the merchant state of Belnin.
Many other conditions are going to make things frustrating for me.
"The council had asked me to tell you. That there will be no change in it. You will have to accept it as it is if you want the funding," he stated.
"Where do I need to sign?" I asked after a moment of silence.
Yes, the conditions are restrictive and won''t be smooth, but I got what I wanted, and I don''t have the luxury of declining or the power to negotiate.
A second later, a contract came floating in front of me.
As I touched it, I felt the power. It is the most substantial contract I have felt. Stronger than even the one I had signed with the emperor.
I could feel the power of all seven legacies, including the archmage tower, in this contract.
I read the contract carefully twice before signing it, using the power of my legacy and contract skills.
As I signed the last page, I felt it click, and everything disappeared.
The silhouette of the seven buildings appeared in front of me.
The seven legacies
The weight is crushing, despite my legacy, protecting me and the power of aura coursing through me.
I froze under it.
Every legacy is more powerful than mine. I would have been able to bear the weakest one, which is Grade IV, but there is no way I could bear the weight of any other.
Much less all seven together.
Thankfully, it only lasted for a moment before it was over.
A minute later, I walked out of his office.
"Call Locke and ask him to connect with people from Synod," I told Davis.
Mage Aldridge is in the city. He is an academic and familiar with every word in the proposal.
I would have asked him to handle things while he was here, but given those conditions, Locke would have been the best person to handle things from the start.
It was his idea, and he and Mage Aldridge drafted most of the proposal.
Most importantly, Locke is a businessman and grew up in a powerful merchant house. He knows how to deal with such a problematic contract.
"Lord Silver,"
I was busy with my thoughts when I heard the familiar voice and looked ahead.
There she is, standing with a knowing smile¡ªthe one who was likely responsible for at least a few of the challenging conditions in the contract.
"Lady Ophelia," I greeted.
"I must say, you are the luckiest master here, Lord Silver."
"You got massive funding to build the academy, but Dawnstar is a real prize," she said, with a sugary voice and a smile.
And like sugar, which is not suitable for health. This woman isn''t good for mine.
"It wouldn''t have been possible without your help, Lady Ophelia. Thank you," I replied with just as sweet of a smile.
Yes, I had been lucky, but not as fortunate as her. She has a Lv. 40 girl working for her and a couple that are very close to reaching that level.
Her legacy is on the list of the ones with the most potential.
There is also the election. I have complete confidence that she will retain her seat. The election is about the legacies, but the political weight also matters.
She has the weight of the Belnin and merchant state behind her.
If I had that, I could get the Great Mage, enchanters, and a few other people to come to my city.
I got a few people, but not the high-level ones I wanted.
"It is the least I could do. Lord Silver," she said. "I appreciate that, Lady Ophelia," I replied.
"Take care, Lord Silver," she said. "You too, Lady Ophelia," I replied and walked away.
Soon, I was out of the headquarters in my carriage. Moving toward the hospitality guild.
I already met the representatives of the big hotels. The ones I will meet now are from small hotels.
These people are rich, unlike the small hotel and inn owners in other cities. It would be a tremendous help if I could get some of them to invest in my city.
God knows we need it.
The shortage of hotel rooms is narrowing as new hotels open every week, but the city still needs more.
Especially with the casino opening in a few weeks.
The legacy is drawing more and more people each week¡ªfar more than I had anticipated.
I shouldn''t have underestimated the allure of the legacy. It''s not something that normal people could ever visit, but in Greltheaven, they can experience it without any cost.
What makes me happiest is that so many people are returning.
It means they love what they experienced in the Velvet Garden and want to experience it even more.
Chapter 575: Duel I
"I can''t believe it''s the tenth day already. Time had passed so quickly," said Baron Husk.
"I wish I could stay longer, but responsibilities await us back home," Leila sighed as she looked out the tram window.
Yes, we are riding it. It is my third time doing it, and I can''t seem to get enough of it.
I might have had enough if it had been a regular earth tram, but it is a magical one.
Sadly, this is the last day of the synod.
The days flew by too quickly. It feels like just yesterday, this stunning city first came into sight.
I looked outside the window, watching the scenery passing by even faster as the tram moved on to the lightway.
Yes, there are lightway trams, too, and they are expensive, but this city is filled with rich people and has tourists all year round.
I don''t think they suffered any loss operating it.
The speed may be fast, but I could see everything with exceptional clarity: the buildings, the monuments, and teens with wands practicing the spells.
The archmage city has the highest density of mages in the continent and one of the highest in the entire world.
It''s not just the environment that gathers the vast multitude of those classes; it is the legacy and the formidable presence of the Archmage that profoundly shapes and elevates them.
The city is a forge of mages. The sheer number of mages it produces is genuinely shocking.
The legacy gives the city power, even if they didn''t use the Towers'' ability. They have enough powerhouses to conquer any kingdom and empire on the continent.
Hun!
I was looking when I sensed something that brought a large smile to my face.
''She had finally signed it,'' I thought.
I sent the contract yesterday, but she still suggested a few changes. I agreed to some of them and returned it to her an hour ago.
Now, she had signed it. Making it official.
She will be the city''s highest-level powerhouse, and her presence will greatly benefit the college and the girls.
When we reached our destination, I was still thinking about her. The tram stopped, and we all exited.
"It''s huge," said Margaux.
"It is as grand as those colosseums of Oton," said Eva, looking at the massive arena before us.
It''s truly massive, and a large crowd has gathered around it. They all came to watch the duel that the entire city had been discussing for days.
It is built of pale blue stones and has an elliptical shape like most colosseums.
It is truly massive, tens of times than the Colosseum of Rome. Just seeing it would make one sigh in awe.
I admired the massive building before entering inside.
"My god!" gasped Selina, seeing its sheer scale.
It is vast, with a capacity to seat over a million people¡ªten times more than any arena or stadium on earth.
Over 80% of it had already been seated with people. More are coming in every second.
There had been duels in the past ten days, with people of higher levels than the ones who would fight in a few minutes, but people were excited about this one.
It is a duel of the nobles, the ones with aura.
It carries the weight of a story: the drama.
It all excites people so much that they don''t hesitate to buy the tickets, which are sold at a premium price.
Soon, we reached our suite.
The large suite has cushioned, comfortable seats with the best arena view.
We all took our seats, and immediately, their enchantments covered us. With the slightest focus, we could see the arena in perfect clarity.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
I see it with even more clarity because of my skill.
"Who do you think will win, Lord Silver? Count Wathall or Viscount Luran?" asked Baron Husk.
"If we go by the information, it should be Count Wathall. He has more experience, a higher level, and has been an aura user for much longer," I replied thoughtfully.
"But I have a feeling the duel won''t be so straightforward," I added, my gaze distant as I recalled the clash of their auras. I had witnessed how Viscount Luran held his ground against the aura¡ªa display of resilience that couldn''t be dismissed easily.
I might be wrong, and Count Wathall may have held back when he pressed.
It is what excited me most about the battle.
Minutes passed, and we discussed the dual and other things. Some had even placed the bet.
Finally, the arena reached its full capacity at precisely ten, buzzing with anticipation.
A middle-aged blond dwarf man with a clean-shaven face, wearing a beautifully carved bronze ring on his neck, walked to the center of the area.
Seeing him, everybody calmed down.
"Esteemed citizens and honored guests, welcome to the Zaldor Arena!" he welcomed, his voice reaching every corner of the area clearly as if he spoke next to them.
"Today, two nobles will fight, not for glory, but to settle a grievance. This is no ordinary contest¡ªa duel of honor, where words have failed, and steel must speak."
"The man is good. Every word from his mouth makes the crowd more and more excited," said Margaux.
I couldn''t help but nod at that.
It isn''t just the level and skills. It is his talent and experience that is keeping the crowd hanging on its every word.
"Here, under the eyes of the gods and the judgment of the people, they will fight for truth and vindication. The rules are set, and the stakes are high¡ªonly one will emerge victorious.
"Now, nobles, take a step into the arena. Let the people witness your valor!" he finished loudly.
At his words, the two nobles made their entrance from opposite sides, causing the crowd to cheer madly in excitement.
I have never seen people so excited as I am seeing here. They are screaming and shouting.
Charging the atmosphere.
Soon, both nobles stopped precisely five meters apart.
Count Wathall stood imposingly, clad in gleaming blue armor that completely encased his form, shielding it. My gaze drifted to his pristine white blade, which seemed like it had been carved from the very bone of some ancient creature. Its cold beauty hinted at its lethal potential.
In stark contrast, Viscount Luran wore a set of red armor, striking but less encompassing than Count Wathall''s.
He is holding a long red sword that looks carved out of red stone in his hand.
"Kneel and apologize, Luran; you might be able to save yourself some humiliation," said Count Wathall.
Viscount Luran didn''t say anything. His expression didn''t change as he kept looking at Count Wathall before turning to the announcer.
"LET THE DUEL BEGIN!"
With a shout that echoed across the arena, the tension shattered. The two nobles, until then statuesque in their stance, surged forward at an astonishing speed, their movements a blur of raw power. Their auras collided with a thunderous force, the clash resembling two storms meeting head-on, crackling and surging with energy as they contended for dominance.
¡
Caena
"I miss Rayna. She is outstanding at this sort of thing," complained the old woman, seeing the stack of papers in front of her.
I am in the office of Vice-Headmistress Elme. I came to check on essential things.
College is Margaux''s domain, but since she isn''t here. I am looking over the things.
I hope Margaux returns soon. I am swamped with work, specifically crafting charms, and I need to make a large number of them.
The existing ones can be upgraded when legacy advances, which could happen tomorrow, in the next decade, or the next century.
Nothing could be said with certainty. So, I want everything to be ready before that happens.
"The others are doing the job well enough," I replied, shaking my head with a smile.
"Yes, others. That girl used to do the job alone," she said.
Rayna was amazing. Despite her difficulties, she quickly climbed the ladder and became an assistant madam, but Master Silver took her from Velvet Garden.
She is now working for the army, and based on the praises I heard from Lord Silver, she is doing an impressive job.
"Still, the job is being done on time," I replied, and to that, she nodded.
"They will receive their class schedule letters in a few hours," stated the old woman.
It had been a few days since the girls from Baxzar had arrived.
Those poor girls. When I looked at their state and heard what they had gone through.
Rage burned through my heart.
All those who chose to stay¡ªevery single one of them¡ªhad been thoroughly tested, filled out the necessary forms, and are now ready to begin their classes tomorrow.
"Good, I¡ª" I began, only to pause mid-sentence. A smile crept onto my face a moment later as something caught my attention.
The older woman arched a brow, her curiosity piqued. She wouldn''t ask outright¡ªsuch things were considered impolite¡ªbut the question lingered in the air.
"She''s coming," I said, my smile widening.
"She signed a contract?" she inquired, her tone both cautious and intrigued.
"Yes," I answered, still smiling.
"It looks like I''ll need to work even harder," she said with a light chuckle, but I noticed the faint worry hiding behind her mirth. "Or that high-level madam might take my job."
I smiled seeing that, but the older woman did not have to worry.
The new teacher might be high-level, but she is no threat to Elme. She is a founding member who has made a great contribution. Of all the teachers, she has made the most outstanding contribution to girls and the Velvet Garden.
There is not a single girl that she hasn''t taught.
After becoming vice-headmistress, she continues to teach while handling the other responsibilities, which she is doing excellently.
Half an hour later, I walked out of her office.
"Madam Caena,"
The girls greeted me as I walked. I nodded at them before stepping into the elevator.
It reached the ground floor, and its door opened. Revealing the three women. My eyes immediately fell on the green-skinned orc-blood girl.
The witch.
She is a witch, one of the girls who came from Baxzar. I sensed her the moment she used her craft.
There had been girls with the potential to become witches but not an actual witch.
This one is true, witch with class and all.
I want witches; it will help with many things, but the risk is too huge. I cannot do anything that will reveal the true abilities of the velvet garden.
That is why I didn''t pursue those with potential.
However, I manipulated things, making them learn things that would help them become witches if someone showed them the path.
It is precarious, and I am taking every step carefully.
Velvet Garden needs the witches for its growth. It''s not time for them to appear, but they will one day.
Chapter 576: Duel II
''They are not holding back at all!'' I thought, seeing their auras clashing.
Their invisible clash of the aura has produced a wall of sparks.
I could see the runes across the arena lighting up as the aura washed over the people. Making them shudder from deep within.
I didn''t bring out my aura to protect my people.
The arena''s protection is more than enough; the little bit they feel will thrill them, like the over a million people sitting with us.
In a heartbeat, they closed the distance, their weapons slashing through the air in arcs of steel and fury, destined for an earth-shaking clash.
I could feel their skills activating. Strengthened by the power of aura.
Clang!
They clashed with such power that they sent a powerful shockwave of aura through the arena, making people inhale in shock.
Lv. 40.
Viscount Luran had broken through to Lv. 40. It is visible through the power of his skill.
They seemed to have equal strength, but I had noticed the faint shaking from Viscount Luran.
"You had a chance to accept defeat gracefully, Luran, but now you will get a humiliating defeat," said Count Wathall and attacked again.
This time, with even greater power and more skills.
Viscount Luran didn''t reply with words but with the blade.
Clang!
Count Wathall defended and attacked, which Viscount Luran defended, but the count attacked again.
Their blades danced at incredible speed.
I watched the battle, but I focused most on their aura. I saw how they used their skills and understood they were amazing.
I am far behind them in my mastery over aura.
Yet, watching them now, I feel a clarity sharper than their blades. My goal burns within me, and I''m channeling every ounce of focus, every shred of determination, to absorb everything I can from them.
''They are evenly matched,'' Granduncle declared with an air of finality. But Leila''s voice cut through the murmurs like a blade. ''No,'' she said, her tone unwavering, ''Viscount Luran is at a disadvantage.'' The crowd stilled, eyes snapping to her, startled by her bold assessment.
Only a few have noticed the minor disadvantage he is having.
It is not much but at their level. It could become the decider of victory or defeat.
Count Wathall is pressing hard, using skill after skill, and he has impressive skills. It isn''t just him, but also the Viscount.
My skills are powerful, but they are simpler.
They have visually enticing skills, some with a layered effect. If I ever reach level 40, I hope to acquire some of them.
Minutes passed, and nothing but a clash of blades rang out.
They moved with such blistering speed that even the arena''s enchantments struggled to keep pace. Some spectators squinted and leaned forward, their eyes straining to follow the blurred whirlwind of motion.
''If I ever faced an enemy like that, survival wouldn''t even be a question,'' I thought, my chest tightening as I watched the battle unfold, their every move a reminder of my fragility.
They are too powerful.
Their mastery over their aura is at such a level that they could kill a person without a weapon or skill; their aura alone would be more than enough.
Hun!
Time stretched on, the air thick with anticipation, until something unfolded that jolted the crowd to life, their collective gasp echoing through the arena.
As the Viscount Luran moved back to dodge the attack.
Count Wathall slashed his saber in the air, and a moment later, a blue arc came out of it, moving toward the Viscount at incredible speed.
It''s not a spell, even if someone who has never seen them could tell it was something else.
"Aura Method!"
Someone said, but I didn''t even think about that person. My focus is entirely on the arc.
It is long and thin, but I could feel the aura it is made of and its sharpness. Without a doubt, it could cut a person apart if they didn''t defend it with something powerful.
The arc reached halfway when Viscount Luran slashed his sword in the air.
A similar arc of red aura came out of Viscount Luran''s sword.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
Bang!
Both of the arcs clashed, sending a shockwave of aura. That made me feel like thousands of blades crawling over one''s body.
"The aura skills are too powerful. I had once seen an Aura Master of undead, butchering us mages, left and right on the battlefield," said Mage Aldridge, shuddering.
"The battle of Aldin. I was there," replied Zela, with her eyes turning somber.
Mages may hold the pinnacle of power, but aura¡ªand the techniques born from it¡ªserve as their ultimate counter, a force designed to suppress their dominance.
"You do have some skills," said Count Wathall, with sparks of anger lighting up in its eyes.
He had been attacking for a while and didn''t make any progress.
Like always, Viscount Luran didn''t answer and moved toward Count Wathall with a red layer covering his sword.
Humph!
Count Wathall harrumphed and moved toward Viscount Luran, with a blue layer covering his sword.
They moved fast and appeared in front of each other instantly before swinging their blades.
''The man who attacked you... was he as powerful as these two?'' I asked Jon telepathically, my mind racing. He had already told me the story¡ªhow effortlessly the attacker had overpowered him. It was crushing, the man''s bare hands sending Jon crashing to the ground with a force that still echoed in my mind.
Even Stone couldn''t do that with artifact and all his strength. Jon has an aura and those two weapons, but that man did.
''He would eat these two for breakfast!'' he replied simply.
Hearing that, I couldn''t help but sigh internally.
Jon wasn''t some inexperienced fool. He had fought in one of the most brutal wars, observing face-to-face powerhouses far more terrifying than the two battling before us.
I will have to tread carefully with these matters. It is far above my level.
Clang!
Their weapons clashed, creating the shockwave of the blue and the red. Making the runes of the arena shine brighter to suppress their effects on the people.
The crowd shouted at the clash, but the next moment quieted down as the two moved.
Clang Clang Clang!
The blows came faster and harder now, each strike reverberating through the air like a thunderclap. Their speed was unreal, much faster than before.
They are moving throughout the arena, with their feet not standing in one place for more than a moment.
"These people are monsters. Nobody could last before them," said Baron Husk, his voice quivering.
"Unfortunately, my lord, you haven''t seen the true monsters. If you ever see them, you will see these two as harmless," said Mage Aldridge.
He didn''t shudder, but his voice had such sombreness in it. That made everyone shudder.
These two are very powerful, but there are people more powerful than them¡ªones who will give nightmares to the two in front of me.
Minutes passed, and those two kept clashing. Revealing the skills they haven''t before.
Powerhouses are very careful about revealing their skills, but this dual is no less than a battle. The result of it will reverberate through their kingdom.
Rip!
Suddenly, a ripping sound rang out, and I saw a blade cutting through the arm of the Viscount Luran.
The cut was small, but the blood leaked out of it.
"Hehe!" smiled Count Wathall.
However, the Viscount acted like nothing had happened and attacked back.
Rip!
A minute passed, and another wound appeared on Viscount''s stomach and, two and a half minutes later, on his legs.
"Like I had told you. You have made a big mistake," taunted Count Wathall.
The Viscount''s expression barely changed while his opponent mocked and taunted him.
Minutes passed, and a few more injuries appeared on his body. He didn''t seem to care about them, as he kept fighting.
"The viscount seemed to be losing," said Selina.
Nobody said anything to that. Every eye is focused on the battle. There is barely any noise as everybody watches the duel with the bated breath.
It is exciting.
The Viscount is at a disadvantage and getting cut, but not enough to make him surrender.
It is frustrating the Count Wathall, but the man is a veteran of man''s battle and knows how to control his emotions.
He might taunt and mock, but every move was calculated. His attacks were sharp, yet there was caution in every strike¡ªnever revealing too much, never opening himself up to give the Viscount a chance to retaliate.
He has the edge, and he wants to maintain it.
The battle continued, and a few more cuts appeared on the Viscount. Some cuts are shallow, while others are deeper but insufficient to hamper his fighting ability.
Such injuries might stop others, but not him.
Hun!
A few more minutes dragged on, the battle intensifying, when¡ªsuddenly¡ªsomething unexpected happened. It was a moment so surprising that it froze the crowd, leaving everyone in stunned silence.
Rip!
Viscount took a step left and moved his sword forward as usual, but this time, his sword was able to avoid the saber of Count Wathall and cut him across the stomach.
"Finally, he cut him. It wouldn''t have been fun if he had lost the dual without giving his opponent a single cut," said Baron Husk, striking his thigh excitedly.
Others laughed with him, but a few had serious expressions on their faces.
"That attack was strange!" said Jon. The old man, me, and a few others couldn''t help but nod.
"He seemed to change during that attack," said Zela. Baron Husk opened his mouth when Viscount nearly gave another cut to Count Wathall.
He had dodged in time. All Viscount''s sword was able to cut was his cloth.
He moved to attack again, and Count defended before trying to attack but saw Viscount''s attack coming.
''What is happening?'' I asked.
Viscount''s power didn''t increase. His speed and strength remained the same, but something had changed.
His movements become more refined. His attacks are sharper.
''Is it a skill or something else?'' I asked myself.
Clang Clang Clang!
Just seconds later, the tide shifted. With a surge of power and precision, Luran took the lead in the battle, forcing Count Wathall to take a wholly defensive stance.
I focused my everything on the battle. I''m trying to find out what this change is.
Rip Rip!
Two more cuts appeared on Count Wathalls body, one after another.
The man is trying to claw back the edge. Using the skills and moves he hadn''t used before and even the aura methods, the Viscount seemed to have turned into a terror.
He is cleaving through them all.
A few more seconds passed, and the Count had finally pushed back against the Viscount and launched the attack when he froze.
Viscount was before him, with his sword on Count Wathall''s neck.
It was so sudden and happened in such a way that people didn''t react for a minute before a massive cheer rang out through them.
"The winner is Viscount Luran!" announced the referee as the crowd calmed down.
Hearing that, another massive cheer rang out through the crowd''s mouth.
Viscount Luran and Count Wathall stared at each other before Viscount Luran put down his blade and walked out without saying a word.
It made the expression on Count''s Wathall face even worse, seeing Viscount didn''t speak even a word from start to finish.
He kept looking at him for a moment more before walking away.
"Ah, what a duel it was!" sighed Viscount Husk. "The conditions changed so suddenly. Even now, I don''t know how he won,"
He isn''t the only one; others too are thinking about it, including me.
I have many questions, and I could only think of one person who could answer them.
"These two are already this strong in the dual. I wonder how strong they would be in battle with their full abilities and artifacts," added Captain Davis.
Yes, they have used many skills and even aura methods, but not all of them. I am sure of it.
Not to mention the artifacts.
So, it is hard to say who will win if they fight using skills, methods, and artifacts.
However, seeing the dual. Especially the strange last bit. My money is on the Viscount Luran.
Chapter 577: Last Night of Secret
Proofread By Thomas F
"Welcome, Lord Silver, Baroness Silver," greeted the Great Mage as we appeared by the bronze doors.
"Thank you, Great Mage Stoneheart," I replied and walked inside the grand hall of the Archmage Tower for the last party.
The closing ceremony had finished an hour ago. Now it''s time for the party.
With it, the synod will end, and we will return to our homes.
"Lord Silver, Master of Velvet Garden. Lord of Greltheaven and Panar," The herald announced.
Thousands of eyes turned toward us.
Everyone who is someone is at this party.
Not only the masters of legacies but also sovereigns, powerful nobles, and powerhouses are present here.
"Looks like nearly everyone has come," said Leila, looking around.
"Yes," I replied.
Not everyone had arrived yet, but nearly the entire group was already present.
We started to mingle immediately, going from one person to another. It is the final opportunity to meet important people I haven''t had a chance to greet yet.
Minutes passed, and more people kept arriving, but the herald only announced the Sovereigns or their representatives, aside from masters of legacy.
We were mingling when a familiar raven-haired woman suddenly stopped and turned toward us with her partner.
"Leila?" said the woman in surprise before turning to me.
"Lady Harley, it''s been a while," greeted Leila before turning to the blond man beside her, who looked to be in his early thirties.
"Count Harkis," she said.
"Baroness Silver," he greeted, surprising the raven-haired woman before turning to me.
"Lord Silver," he greeted.
"Count Harkis," I replied with a smile. "Lady Harley," I said.
"Baroness? I didn''t know; you gained a title," said the woman. "I inherited it from my dear brother. May god rest his soul," she replied, putting a hand on her chest.
"And Lord Silver is also your brother?" she asked. " Younger brother," Leila replied with a smirk.
"Lord Silver, we have finally met. I have heard so many things about you," she said, turning to me. "It''s nice to see you again, Lady Harley," I replied to the woman''s surprise.
"Have we met before, Lord Silver?" she asked. Trying to remember where we had met before.
"Yes, in Navr. At Jalrux City, I was with Lord Lancel there," I replied.
She was his date for the day. He introduced her to us, but she only nodded without any interest.
"Yes, now I remember," she said with a smile.
She is a good liar. She didn''t remember me, and I can''t fault her. I was a nobody then.
A minute later, we walked away from them.
"How do you know her?" I asked. "I had worked for her," she replied. Leila had done mercenary work for a few years.
I didn''t ask further, and we mingled around as more guests came.
At precisely nine and a half, the King of Ilazad made his entrance
''He holds a position that every king outwardly scorns yet secretly covets,'' Leila remarked in the hushed confines of our privacy skill.
The puppet Kings of Ilazad are the bearers of the longest unbroken bloodline; a legacy weighed down by centuries of tradition and control.
Being an unofficial subject of Archmage City offers them the protection that not even the strongest kings of the continents have.
They never get attacked, and there is a bloodless succession as the archmage city chooses the next king.
Like the current king, he was fifth in line but still ascended the throne. His safety and power are apparent.
The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
We mingled, and I even got a minute with the king. The masters have that privilege.
I spent time conversing with others, focusing primarily on the masters of legacy and those from the empire and merchant states. I also exchanged words with individuals like Miss Dawnstar.
She held her own invitation¡ªunsurprising, given her level. At such heights, class distinctions began to blur. Once someone reached her level, the boundaries of class mattered little; every path and discipline became a source of immense power.
Her class makes the connections. Even if she didn''t have an invitation, I am sure she would have come with someone who did.
I talked to her and moved to the other people, including Ophelia.
She went to Miss Dawnstar after talking to me.
She''s always a peach. Perfect, sweet, and utterly infuriating.
We were mingling when a gentle bell rang out through the great hall. Immediately, the entire hall quieted down; even the king stopped talking.
"Archmage Azaran Thalor, Master of Archmage Tower. Lord of Archmge City. Protector of Zenid,"
The herald announced as the Archmage made an entrance. He walked inside slowly, deliberately, with his eyes moving across the hall.
He stopped, and thousands of glasses filled with golden liquid floated toward us, their delicate stems shimmering in the light. Everyone picked a glass one by one, their hands steady and assured. I selected mine as it stopped in front of me.
The silence lingered for several seconds before the Archmage spoke.
"Friends, Allies, and Fellow Masters,"
"Tonight, we honor more than the end of this synod¡ªwe celebrate the bonds we''ve forged and the unity we''ve discovered."
"Each of you came here as representatives, but you leave as part of something greater."
"Though our paths now diverge, let tonight remind us that our shared purpose binds us beyond borders. Together, we are stronger, and the magic we''ve created here will guide the world forward."
"Raise your glasses¡ªto unity, friendship, and the future we will build together!"
He finished speaking and raised his glass. We all followed suit, lifting ours in unison. As I took a sip, the beautifully smooth wine glided over my tongue, its rich flavors melting in my mouth like a delicate symphony of taste.
When it entered my stomach, it became energy and spread through me.
This wine will heal me fully.
Many people come for the wine alone. It is expensive, to say the least, but it also ages in the archmage tower; it has breathed its mist.
So, one can imagine how precious it is.
I drank it slowly and enjoyed every sip. However, what I enjoyed most was the energy it had become within me.
We mingled. I even talked to the archmage, and before I knew it. It was midnight, and not a single person had left, not even the king.
Nobody will leave before the archmage.
"Masters and Heirs, please gather by the gate," the voice of Grand Mage Asin rang through the hall.
A surprise flashed in my eyes, but soon questions appeared.
There is no gate; there are doors. The question only lasted momentarily before a teleportation gate appeared in the middle of the grand hall.
"What is happening?" asked Leila.
"I don''t know, but I think I have an idea," I replied, and she looked at me in question.
I smiled and walked toward the gate.
It had happened once in the synod in the previous century. I don''t know if the same thing is happening, but I hope it is.
I have heard and read so much about those things. I would really love to see it.
I stopped beside Ophelia at the gate. Soon, the other masters and heirs appeared, but not the representatives.
Heir is an official position within a legacy, appearing in Grade IV legacies. However, it''s not a given in every legacy; in some, it only emerges later.
This distinction means people like Miss Tavern couldn''t enter the gate.
"Enter," said the archmage, and the people began stepping inside the gate.
Soon, it was my turn, and I stepped inside.
It was dark for a few seconds before everything cleared, and I found myself in front of the genuinely massive gate.
It is at least eighty meters tall, likely more.
It was red, gleaming as if crafted from some rare metal, but upon closer inspection, it became clear that something was off. The surface seemed too delicate, too intricate. Tiny strings shimmered along its frame, making it feel less like a gate that had been forged¡ªand more like one that had been painstakingly woven.
It had a swirling pattern all over it. When I followed the pattern with my eyes, I felt my head spinning hard.
I looked away from it and looked around.
There are hills and trees around the gate. I had expected powerful spells. Magic towers and weapons, I had only read about.
I didn''t expect the trees and hills, and I felt something different about them when I saw them.
I don''t know what it is, but I felt the strangeness.
I turned back to the door and noticed another abnormal thing. The frame of the door isn''t attached to anything. It was just standing.
I pushed those thoughts and looked at the gate with all the gravity it deserved.
It is the most dangerous thing in the world, the source from which they come. Gates aren''t the only means of passage, but they are by far the most stable¡ªand they love to use them.
"I am sure all of you would have guessed what this is," said Archmage with his voice somber.
''Incursion Gate!'' Ophelia exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of wonder and dread. The words seemed to hang in the air, heavy with the weight of their meaning¡ªan ancient name for a force that could unravel everything.
"The things that come out of it represent the greatest danger to our world. This danger, we fear, might come in this century," Archmage stated, making everyone shudder.
Although the last incursion occurred over two thousand years ago, it is still an integral part of world culture.
Whenever the incursion comes, it doesn''t just threaten¡ªit obliterates. At least half of the world''s population is lost, and that''s considered a favorable scenario.
This one isn''t the only gate; there are several worldwide.
It is said that there are grades to the gates. The gate in Amberhold, though powerful, is a level lower than this one.
"I have brought you all here in the hope that you will shape the preparations for what is coming," said the archmage. Many smiled at those words, yet their smiles held no joy, only a grim understanding of the storm ahead.
"I know many of you feel powerless. Slaves to your sovereign, but you have more power than you realize," he added.
To that belief ¨C I agree.
The legacies have the power to shape the opinions. It is second only to the Sovereigns. Some legacies bear power even more significant than the Sovereigns.
"Will the incursion truly happen this century, Archmage?" asked Lord Orion, and he wasn''t as nervous as usual.
"I am not sure, but the signs we are seeing make it likely," replied the Archmage and the tremor spread through my soul.
I hope it doesn''t come to that.
I''ve read about them¡ªmore than I should¡ªand it terrifies me to my core. Even the Elders and the gods aren''t guaranteed to survive when they appear. What chance do mortals like me stand?
Chapter 578: Leaving
Valorous Lord of Courage 37
Merchant of Desire Lv. 37 [Master of Legacy]
Skill Gained: Trendsetting
A smile appeared on my face when I saw the text.
I feared I wouldn''t level up since, despite doing so many things, I had not leveled up once after coming to the city, but I finally did.
In both classes, I even gained a skill I had desired for so long.
Masters of legacies gain a skill like this. Most of those who get it are Masters of Grade IV legacies, but many Masters of Grade III legacies have also got it in the past.
The skill is extremely powerful in the hands of legacy masters, especially those who understand its immense power.
It will help me shape my legacy but also the very culture of my city. The skill works as its name is. It helps in setting the trend.
With this skill, I can influence people''s choices, guiding them toward my desires. I''ve already begun by making the girls wear a particular style of clothing and accessories. As they do, the entire city follows. I''ve tested it, and it works.
It isn''t just working with the girls. I am doing it with the stores, too.
I told Gagarin to produce more Laskerian knives. These are kitchen knives considered among the best by chefs and home cooks.
Within a month, a third of kitchen knives sold in the city are Laskerian.
The effect isn''t just limited to the city. It is affecting things outside of the city as well.
I understand the power my legacy wields. As the city''s cultural center, I have been using it to create a distinct identity for my city.
The skill will help me tremendously with that.
I looked away from the skill and turned to the attribute point. Once more, I wanted to use it on the mental attributes.
These ten days proved how much I need strong mental powers, but I need to think about my own and my people''s safety.
We have a long journey before us, and anything could happen.
I want to be more prepared than last time. Stronger.
The level-up has already enhanced my strength, but now, I''ll push myself even further with this attribute point.
I used it on strength. Finally, taking it to twenty.
Immediately, I felt a massive change. Strength bubbled in my arms, making me feel like I could do anything.
At 20, an attribute''s power goes through tremendous changes.
It isn''t just my strength that has increased, but also my speed and agility have made tremendous progress.
These two depend on strength and vitality, and both increased my agility and speed massively at twenty.
It took a while for the buzz to wear off, and I opened the table.
|
Class
|
Merchant of Desire Lv. 37 [Master of Legacy]
|
|
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 37
Trainer Lv. 09
|
|
Charisma
|
20
|
|
Intelligence
|
18
|
|
Vitality
|
20
|
|
Strength
|
20
|
|
Skills:
|
¡¤ Trustful Presence
¡¤ Master¡¯s Instinct
¡¤ Lord¡¯s Contracts
¡¤ Torch for Seeker
¡¤ Rapid Strikes
¡¤ Blitz Steps
¡¤ Insightful Reading
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
¡¤ Price Is Right
¡¤ Mauling Strike
¡¤ Silver Tongued
¡¤ Gymnasts Grace
¡¤ Sight Through Veil
¡¤ Every Ear Listens To My Words
¡¤ Blade Of The Gale
¡¤ Mood of the Subjects
¡¤ Privacy Sphere
¡¤ Command Projection
¡¤ Get Ready
¡¤ Quick Parry
¡¤ Razor Edge
¡¤ Active Presence
¡¤ Vision Projection
¡¤ Instant Recollection
¡¤ Artistic Dealings
¡¤ Copy Skill
¡¤ Telepathic Call
¡¤ Energizing Essence
¡¤ Gymnasts Control
¡¤ Lord''s Presence
¡¤ March Of The Braves
¡¤ Laws of My Land
¡¤ Mark of Mist
¡¤ Fast Reflexes
¡¤ Public Works
¡¤ Appointment
¡¤ Keeper of Secrets
¡¤ Lord¡¯s Eyes
¡¤ Calm Touch
¡¤ Trendsetting
|
|
Legacy
|
Demesne of Desire II
|
|
Skills
|
¡¤ Master of Legacy
¡¤ Laws of Legacy
¡¤ Share Authority (7)
¡¤ Vault of Ru
¡¤ Demesne Expansion
¡¤ Instant Restoration
|
|
Attribute Points
|
0
|
I scrutinized them for a minute before closing it and getting up from bed gently.
I need to get used to the increase.
I walked around the room for a few minutes before entering the bathroom and coming out half an hour later after showering.
I changed into a suit and looked at myself in the mirror before walking out.
In an hour, I will leave the city.
When I made the trip, I planned to stay an extra day, but now I want to leave as soon as possible.
Many people are leaving on the same route as me, and I plan to follow them. I rather not face another attempt, and if I moved with more people, the chances of it would lessen a lot.
Thankfully, I had brought capable people with me. They had completed all the work we had to do in the city.
So, nothing is holding us back from leaving.
I left the bedroom and saw Margaux and Captain Bader talking in the living room.
"Is everything ready, Captain?" I asked the man. "Yes, my lord. We are ready to leave whenever you desire," he replied.
I nodded in reply and sat down in front of them.
I reviewed the file with the daily briefing before breakfast; soon, it was time to leave.
I got out of my suite, and a minute later, I was in the lobby. Many people were there, all in the process of leaving.
I saw Miss Alina, Brock, and even that elf and his guardian. Looking at their body language, I didn''t think they had succeeded.
There is a less than 1% chance that someone would take their legacy.
It''s too much risk.
There is also alignment and many other factors. The masters like to ensure the subject''s legacy aligns with their vision.
I moved to talk to some and bid goodbye. As I was doing that, a familiar person approached me.
"Lord Silver, I wish you safety in your journey," said Prefectus Prisca. "Thank you, Prefectus Prisca. I would need it," I replied with a smile.
I talked to her for a minute before walking away toward the door.
She didn''t repeat the offer and didn''t have to; she had said it, and it was up to me to accept it. If I accepted, they would give me my mother.
If I didn''t, they would keep her.
In the past few days, I have often wished my legacy had been common. If it had been, they wouldn''t have been interested in it.
They would have still asked for the outrageous price for my mother, but not my legacy.
I sighed, shook those thoughts away, and stepped into the carriage waiting outside.
A minute later, the carriage began to move through the lightway while I looked at the city for the last time.
I don''t know when I will return to it, but I will miss this marvel.
The carriage moved in silence as everybody was busy with their thoughts.
Soon, we reach the enormous port, which is very crowded. Despite the crowd, everything is moving in order.
The golems are patrolling along with the city''s people and keeping everything in order.
There were lines for the ships, with people queuing, but unlike them, we didn''t stop. Our carriage moved near the yacht, waiting just for us before stopping.
We got out and walked toward the yacht, where I could see a few of my people.
"Lord Silver," the captain greeted. "Captain Sils," I replied.
"With you, all the members of the party have arrived. We are ready to leave anytime you desire," he said.
He is trying to say that we should leave. The port is overcrowded, and I am sure he was asked to move the ship as soon as I arrived.
"Ok," I replied.
The man bowed before walking away.
I turned and walked the deck toward the beautiful woman not far from me.
"I hope you are not having second thoughts, Miss Dawnstar," I told the woman.
To that, she smiled, and it was melodious.
I was surprised when she informed me at the party that she would travel with me. I thought she would take a week or two, but I guess she didn''t need to.
I am glad she joined. The sooner she joins, the sooner she will be able to help the girls.
"The opposite, Lord Silver. I am quite excited," she replied. To that, I smiled.
"I hope you have made arrangements for your business?" I asked.
She runs one high-class brothel and several mid-class ones. According to the city''s standards, even the middle-class are better than the high-class in most cities.
"Yes. I gave it to a capable person," she replied.
She wasn''t the only one who was coming with us. There are eleven more people. All of them are non-combat, from enchanters, alchemists, beast carers, and others.
More will be coming in the month after they have dealt with things.
I wasn''t able to get people of her level, but I got a good number of them.
That will help the legacy and the city a lot.
Soon, the ship left the dock and sailed toward Irington. We will reach its port in a few hours and start our journey with the carriages.
I hope this time, there won''t be any attack.
We have lost many people, including Captain Zaris, and I don''t want to lose anyone else.
I was looking back at Archmage City, growing distant every second, when I heard footsteps approaching me.
They were from my sister and Baron Husk. They looked serious; I could already tell what happened.
"Horde attacked?" I asked as they stopped beside me. Yes, and it''s big. Bigger than we had ever faced before," she replied, her expression somber.
"Maybe delaying it repeatedly was a mistake," Baron Husk said, sighing.
They were able to delay it by ten days, which was quite a lot. Usually, they could only delay it for a few days.
A week at the most.
I have been getting reports about it from my people and them every day.
I increased the number of people we sent from a battalion of a thousand to a brigade of six thousand.
I wouldn''t have done that before my meeting with the archmage.
I secured favorable concessions from the baronies in exchange for the increased brigade of soldiers and mercenaries.
It will also give my people experience with the monsters.
Despite all the benefits, it''s a gamble¡ªnot just because of the sheer strength and numbers of the monsters they face. I''ve promoted an obscure individual to the rank of colonel to lead the force, something they''ve never done before. And the opposition has been fierce, with many questioning my decision.
Even though I''m not sure how they''ll perform, I''ve been watching them closely since the first battle of Greltheaven.
I planned to nurture them slowly, but Stone decided on a trial by fire.
If they succeed, we will gain another pillar for Greltheaven''s foundation. If they fail, not only will they lose their lives, but thousands will perish with them.
Over the past few days, I have considered replacing them with someone more capable, but Stone is right¡ªthis is the test they need.
We do not have time to nurture the pillars of the dominion slowly.
We will have to forge them in the battle.
''Lord Blackwell and Baron Harrods have made great preparations. They''ll be able to deal with the monsters,'' I replied, my voice steady, though a flicker of worry lingered beneath.
''Let''s hope so,'' sighed Baron Husk, his tone betraying the same unease we all felt despite the outward confidence.
Note: The idea of skill is from Thomas F.
If you have any ideas or art to share. Please mail me at [email protected].
Chapter 579: Monster Horde
Barb Utsa
I was awakened by the power of the warning skills and the loud bells ringing across the fort.
''They''re attacking,'' Yora said sharply, rising to her feet and swiftly beginning to don her armor.
I did the same and checked my bag of liquor. Most of the liquors I had brought when I first came here were now different.
In the past nine days, I have learned a lot.
Every day, I went out with scout teams. I didn''t have to, but I volunteered.
I needed the experience¡ªto hone my skills and sharpen my instincts. When the horde finally came, I wanted to face them at my peak, armed with the best preparations I could muster.
My readiness isn''t as complete as I''d like, but it''s leagues ahead of where I stood on the first day.
We got out of the tent, where it was still dark. We gathered with our team and formed two groups.
We already know our assignments, and the skill leads us toward our position.
We''ll face the monsters beyond the fort''s walls, battling them head-on with the massive army they''ve gathered. Archers and ranged weapons will support from the walls.
A steady stream of soldiers marched through the gate, their movements precise and calm. There was no panic¡ªonly the practiced efficiency of an army trained for this moment every day. Soon, it was our turn to pass through.
Once outside, we split into Rev''s and Hosk''s teams. Both are seasoned leaders at Level 30, ready to command their forces in the battle ahead.
I am on Hosk''s team, and we moved to the left while Rev led his team to the right.
I could see the lines and lines of soldiers. Mainly wearing three colors.
The ones wearing green are of the allied baronies. The ones wearing blue belong to Amberhold. Both have about similar numbers of over twenty thousand.
Third is a small group.
There are only six thousand of them; they are wearing the brown of the dominion of Greltheaven.
Colonel Axseer is leading them.
She is an orc woman, not a warrior but a shaman. She was only just promoted to colonel before being sent here.
From my contacts, I learned that she had never led such a large force and that many people opposed it.
Even General Cardin seemed to oppose her sudden promotion and deployment here, but General Stone was adamant, and Master Silver agreed.
Even people here aren''t that pleased. Including many of those she is now leading.
I looked around as the army quickly fell in line.
Soon, we reached our position, which was adjacent to the forces of Greltheaven.
There is a barely visible cloud of dust over the forces of Greltheaven. Vibrating in some strange rhythm, it would release some dust that would fall on the soldiers.
"I hope she wouldn''t embarrass the city," said Maliv. Looking at the center of the Greltheavens forces, where a woman is dancing.
The woman stood proud in her officer''s uniform, her body adorned with intricate patterns of painted colors that seemed to tell their own story. Her eyes, sharp and unwavering, were filled with a deep concentration.
She has a staff in one hand, and with the other hand, she is throwing the powder from the pouches hanging by her waist.
The woman is relatively young, in her late twenties, and so thin that it feels like she is a half-orc. From what I had heard., she isn''t
The woman is Colonel Rahzira Axseer, the leader of Greltheaven forces.
"Even her men looked embarrassed by it," snickered Hen.
"Don''t underestimate shamans. They are one of the most terrifying classes out there. If General Stone had sent her here, it means she has some abilities," cautioned Hosk.
That statement wiped the smile from their faces.
I didn''t say anything; I just looked at the woman. Her dance is beautiful. It is wild but also graceful.
Even some of the dance teachers in the college didn''t have as much grace as her.
I watched her for a few minutes before looking around the army. It had fully gathered, readied with their weapons sharp and cannons pointed ahead.
It was when the first light of dawn breached the sky that we saw the monsters.
"The avians," I said, looking at the large number of them in the sky.
"There must be thousands of them!" said Yora, her voice quivering in fear.
They appeared to blanket the entire sky ahead of us. They approached but kept their distance, staying just out of range of most attacks.
Though they cried and roared. Invoking fear in our hearts.
These monsters won''t strike until those on land make their move. Since they''ve already shown up, it won''t be long before the others appear as well.
Soon, over half an hour passed, and the horn rang out.
"Monsters are close," warned Hosk.
I saw Baron Harrods taking steps forward while Lord Blackwell stood on the wall with a bow out.
"Warriors, hear me!"
The voice of Baron Harrods rang through the whole battlefield.
"Before us lies a horde, vast and terrible. Monsters that would tear apart all we hold dear, trample our lands, and devour our future."
"But they will find no easy prey here today."
They do not know what we are. They do not understand the fire that burns in our hearts."
"Each of you stands here because you are unlike the rest of the world. You are the shield that guards the helpless, the sword that cuts through darkness."
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
''Together, we are unbreakable. Shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, we do not fight for glory or riches. We fight for the homes behind us, the children who dream, and the future we will carve with our blood, sweat, and steel."
"Let them come. Let them roar and claw. Let them feel what it means to face a wall that will not fall! Today, we are the storm, the tide, the unrelenting force!
''Stand tall, hold the line, and remember: together, we will not yield. Not today, not ever!"
"To victory!"
He finished with the shout, and a moment later, the entire army shouted back.
Roar!
The monster seemed to have heard us at the very next moment. It roared, and its roar was so mighty that it shook my soul.
Roar, Cry, Roar!
After that, thousands of roars and cries rang out. Although we could not see the monsters, we could feel them.
The very earth begins to shake.
Every second, it got worse and worse till I feared the earth would split open and swallow us all.
I magnified the spyglass but saw no monster. Though I know the hoard will appear at any moment.
I could feel it through the earth.
Finally, the monsters emerged from the forest. Seeing their number, my soul shook, and I nearly stepped back.
They poured out in an unending torrent from every corner of the forest before us.
There were all types of monsters, from massive elephants to long-fanged cats. There are wolves and rhinos with horns sharp enough to tear through anything.
"We are dead," said Maliv, with a smile filled with fear.
He isn''t the only one feeling scared. I am afraid, and so are others. Some had even taken a step back before steeling themselves.
It was then that a shining arrow streaked through the twilight sky, cutting through the thick tension like a blade of hope. The air seemed to hum with energy as the arrow blazed a brilliant path, a radiance that everyone¡ªfriend and foe alike¡ªcould feel deep in their bones. Even the monsters paused, their relentless advance faltering as they turned their gaze toward the luminous streak arcing toward them.
No one needed to guess who had unleashed such a force. There was only one person on the battlefield capable of wielding that kind of power.
Ignatius Blackwell.
In his hands, the legendary Bow of Valor, an artifact of immeasurable might, shone like a beacon. With Blackwell here, the tide could turn.
The arrow moved fast, and its target was a mammoth covered in thick red hair.
Roar!
The mammoth roared, and the fire burned across its body and shot toward the arrow as it reached it, but the arrow tore through it before piercing through its head.
Bang!
For a moment, nothing happened, and I almost believed that the tiny arrow didn''t do anything to it when the massive explosion rang out.
It blasted the monster apart.
"Attack!"
Roared Baron Harrods moved forward, and the army followed, with the sky covering the arrows and sounds of cannons drowning everything.
I could see the ballistas, trebuchets, and catapult roaring alongside them.
We moved with the army, feeling the effects of thousands of skills spreading through our bodies, making us faster and stronger.
Roar, Cry, Roar!
Seeing that, monsters roared in fury. Coming at us at an even faster speed.
The arrows begin to hit them, and cannons start to tear them apart, but the monsters are unstopped and seem unending.
They didn''t stop.
Even when the mines begin to explode under their legs and the earth starts to collapse under their feet.
Making sharp sticks pierce their skins.
"The monsters are smarter than we thought," Hosk muttered, his voice laced with grim realization. As he spoke, we saw them¡ªmonsters attacking the ground, their movements deliberate. They revealed hidden pits and mines with each strike, which they carefully avoided.
The monsters have fought here before and know what traps await them.
Still, we are doing a lot of damage to the monsters, but not enough to stop them. They have come in massive numbers; even now, they are still coming out of the forest.
We know that if we want to stop them, we will have to kill them ourselves up close and bloody.
The archers and canons are attacking the monsters with everything they have, but there are more of them.
Cry, Cry, Cry!
The army is moving toward the monsters. I heard the loud cries and saw the avians circling the skies at a distance, diving toward us.
"Careful," warned Hosk.
The flying monsters came, and when they entered the range, a storm of arrows, ballistas missiles, and even cannons began to hail down on them.
Many monsters began to fall one by one, their bodies crashing to the ground in a grim display. Yet, despite the losses, they seemed undeterred¡ªrelentless. They surged forward, undaunted by the fallen as if nothing could slow their advance.
Soon, they closed in, and the mages began to cast their spells while medium-range archers unleashed their arrows. The air crackled with magic and the sound of strings drawn tight.
As I watched, my eyes were drawn to something that made my heart skip a beat. Above the forces of Greltheaven, a faint cloud¡ªonce barely noticeable¡ªbegan to shift and swirl. It gathered and took shape, growing larger and more distinct.
A massive head emerged from the mist, its features regal and terrifying. It was no mere lion; it was the head of a lioness, fierce and commanding. And it hovered ominously above Colonel Axseer.
Despite the chaos unfolding below, she didn''t falter. She didn''t stop dancing, her movements fluid and graceful, even as her army surged forward to meet the oncoming monsters.
She danced as she moved with the army.
The head of the lioness is as big as me and looks majestic.
"A spirit shaman," said Yora in surprise before turning to the avians above us.
Thousands of them are diving to kill us, but the mages and archers are sniping them. It is why most of the avians are targeting the wall behind us, where the majority of the archers and half of the mages are.
"They are coming," Hosk warned as a group of palm-sized birds came diving toward us in the hundreds.
I took a bottle from my bag and gulped it. The ones I had stored in my skill and put in my mouth were different types of liquor.
It took the monsters less than three seconds to appear right above us when I breathed out with Long Breath and Powerful Breath and lighted up with Flint.
Whoosh!
The stream of fire shot up before spreading into a large plume¡ªthe largest I had used in the battle.
Covering a large number of birds, burning them brightly. They died within a second.
The liquor''s name is Gartin Ven. It burns very hot for a very short period, hotter than usual because it contains some emotion mist.
The burned bodies fell from the sky while I took another swig and breathed out again.
Once again, the monsters were consumed by fire.
The remaining birds attack, but not us. I had cleared the sky over us while others fought them off.
I saw one of the people falling, with a cut across his neck, but I didn''t know if he was dead or alive.
I don''t know, as we are moving toward the monsters, just a few hundred meters away in front of the army.
"Kill them all!" roared Baron Harrods as the land monsters crashed against the army.
I readied myself as it wouldn''t take monsters long to breach the army''s front rank, nor are they trying to stop them all.
A few seconds passed, and the monsters came inside.
The people moved to encircle them. Some died while others turned them.
I saw one rhino tearing the head from a man''s body and munching despite it having a helmet covering it.
People and the monsters died, but they kept coming and soon reached us.
Roar!
A massive blue cat monster appeared before me, its roar echoing through the air as it lunged forward, mouth wide open, intent on biting my head off.
Instinctively, the liquor surged to my mouth. I inhaled deeply, releasing the Long Breath followed by Power Breath, lighting it with a spark from the flint.
The pale yellow flame shot toward the cat, moving precisely despite its desperate attempts to dodge. The fire wrapped around it, engulfing the creature.
I advanced, stepping forward with Graceful Walk, my movements fluid and deliberate. As the fire shifted to a darker hue, thick black smoke billowed, clouding the cat''s vision. It thrashed, but the smoke and flames held it in a vice grip, overwhelming its senses and vision as it tried to find a way out.
This liquor creates a smoky fire. The smoke isn''t to kill it but simply block its vision.
The monster''s vision was sharp, and its senses keen, but the smoke billowing around it wasn''t just thick¡ªit was laced with a dense mist. The mist obscured the cat''s vision, making everything blurry and disorienting. Despite its incredible sight, the mist twisted everything around it, making it hard for the creature to track its surroundings.
I chose it over the powerful fire because the monster''s vitality is too powerful. Also, in crowded battles, it could be harmful to allies.
This gives me a much better chance against the monsters.
Roar!
It roared, finally seeing me coming, moving its head to bite mine.
Bang!
I bashed my shield against it, nearly stepping back, but forcefully stabilized and attacked it with my sword.
Puch!
The monster saw the sword, but it was too late. The sword reached it before piercing inside with the power of Heavy Strike and enchanted sharpness.
It took several seconds to die. In that time, I burned two more monsters fighting my allies before taking my sword out of the beast.
I was about to move toward another monster when I saw a sizeable blood-red lightning bolt striking the massive rhino monster fighting against Greltheaven''s soldiers.
As the blast struck the rhino, I watched it tremble violently before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. What struck me was that the blood-red lightning, despite its terrifying power, left no scorch marks or burns behind¡ªnothing to show the sheer force it had unleashed.
I traced the blast''s path and followed it upward, my gaze landing on the massive lioness totem spirit hovering above Colonel Axseer. The once pure white figure had transformed, glowing a deep, menacing blood-red. It was an unsettling sight, far more intimidating than before, its aura now radiating a terrifying power.
Chapter 580: Axseer
Axseer
Roar!
The monsters clashed against the first line, with Baron Harrods splitting the leading grey-horned bear in two.
''Battle Command: Lieutenant Colonel Rakgu, hold the line. Let the monsters move only through the gaps we dictate,'' I commanded, striving to project confidence.
I hoped they didn''t sense the doubt stirring in my heart.
The others moved swiftly, with Lieutenant Colonel Maris, Lieutenant Colonel Driga, and the shieldmen falling into position.
They were stopping the monsters before the rest were moving to attack them.
I didn''t use any skills to support them or cast any spells.
There are only two skills I am using.
Battle Awareness, which gives me information on the battle as it happens, and Battle Command, which lets me project commands like previously.
I have skills I could use and spells I could cast, but I didn''t. The only thing I did was dance.
I could stop the dance, and the spell was complete, but dancing helped me stay focused and more attuned to my magic.
I could feel their eyes on me, weighing me, judging me.
That feeling has been with me ever since I received the promotion and was handed this monumental task.
The promotion itself was sudden and utterly shocking¡ªa leap I hadn''t anticipated. It had been three months since the Battle of Panar, where I went from Captain to Lieutenant Colonel overnight.
Since then, I haven''t fought a single battle. Aside from a few minor skirmishes along the border, there hasn''t been one.
So, one can imagine my shock when I was summoned to General Stone''s office and got promoted before receiving this commission.
Something that many were eying.
I heard there was a lot of opposition to my promotion, but it was General Stone''s decision, with Lord Silver agreeing to it.
I still don''t understand why they gave me this promotion. Compared to the others, I''m just average. I''ve never led more than two hundred fifty soldiers in battle.
After Panar, they gave me command of a battalion of twelve hundred. Even then, I never had to lead them in a real fight. And now, here I am, leading six thousand.
I wanted to decline the promotion but accepted it for my children and tribe.
We''re a small tribe, fewer than two hundred people. A few years ago, things grew desperate, so much so that, to avoid starvation, we turned to banditry.
In the first attack, I lost my husband, the tribe leader. Becoming its leader after many challenges.
The banditry kept us alive. People died, but the tribe didn''t starve. Things became better when humans started trading with the merchant state.
We robbed a small merchant.
Things were good until they weren''t. We were captured by mercenaries playing merchant. They were too powerful, and they killed anyone who didn''t surrender.
They barely gave any of us a chance to surrender. I survived because I was far away and lay down in surrender in time.
The year I was captive was worse, not because of all the starvation and torture but because I was away from my children.
Then came the day of redemption, fight or die. I fought and somehow survived.
Since then, I have fought every battle despite pressure from the bigger tribes to resign. I level up with each battle, finally breaching level 30.
I sensed the first drop of blood bled by my men, and I took it. More bled, and I took their blood while commanding them.
It is hard. There are too many of them.
Soon, the first person died, and guilt flooded me. It''s not like he is the first person who died under my command, but I could have saved him.
I had the power to do it.
It shook me; it brought tears into my eyes.
The old human Lt. Colonel in front of me turned. He is from the island.
General Stone had recruited him personally.
"You are a colonel now, not a common captain. Here, single lives didn''t matter. What matters is the whole group," advised Lt. Colonel Yard and looked ahead toward the group of monsters.
His words brought me back to reality.
I controlled my emotions and focused on the battle and the dance¡ªthis time, not from the captain''s perspective but from the colonel''s.
I have to think about the whole army instead of a few.
Immediately, the pressure on me lessened, and I began to command with new vigor, but soon, different kinds of pressure began to fall on me.
The spirit of the lioness has started to absorb the blood. The blood that my men are shedding.
It is absorbing that with me as the conduit while turning more and more red.
Because of this pressure, I am not using any spells or more skills. I need my spirit to be as free as possible to bear the pressure from the blood.
It will increase as the monsters spread across my army and fight my men.
Soon, the monsters reached me.
Lt. Colonel Yard and others moved to fight against them.
The monsters are powerful, but they are the old enemy. I do not fear them as I fear the undead.
I know the kind of danger they represent; I have seen what they could do since I was a child.
Hun!
Suddenly, one monster slipped through the circle of men guarding me.
I barely looked at the blue monster. Focusing on commanding the battle and spit.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Puch!
The stone lance pierced through the snake, killing it.
A mage and one armored warrior are standing beside me while a circle of men protects me from all sides.
Seconds passed, and monsters spread across the whole battlefield.
The blood was coming like a flood, putting me under such pressure that I could barely focus on the battle and dance.
I need to dance¡ªit''s the one thing keeping me grounded under this crushing pressure.
If I stop, even for a moment, the weight of it all might overwhelm me, and I fear I''d lose consciousness, if only for a second.
I could see the questions in the men''s eyes and feel their confidence in me slipping further with every passing moment.
Only the Lieutenant Colonels know even a fragment of what I''m doing, and they remain unaware of the full details.
More blood spills with each passing second, and every drop is channeled into the spirit through me. The sheer force of it, coming from thousands of people, presses down like a vice, the strain so intense it feels as though my head might split open.
I wanted to scream¡ªdesperately. But I couldn''t, neither out loud nor within myself, for fear my people might hear.
So I bore it, silent and unyielding, as I commanded the battle.
''Roar!''
Finally, a majestic roar rang through the whole battlefield, and I saw a white spirit turning blood red entirely.
''It''s time,'' I said, acting immediately and without hesitation.
In the next moment, a massive bolt of blood-red lightning, as large as myself, erupted from the mouth of the lioness spirit.
It streaked across the battlefield with blinding speed, striking the Grade IV Rhino monster bearing down on Captain Kales and his group, who were already locked in a desperate fight against a pack of other monsters.
Bang!
I felt the impact as the lightning struck the massive rhino. A moment later, it collapsed, lifeless.
My original class was shaman before merging with Bandit Class, becoming Bandit Shaman. When I joined the army, I became a Shaman Officer.
After the battle of Panar, when I reach Level 30. It changed once more.
I am now Lv. 32 Spirit Warden: the lioness is my spirit.
I could see the shock in people''s eyes, but I didn''t have time to soak in their shock.
Instead, I closed my eyes, centering myself on the battlefield. I focused, then, with a sharp breath, sent seven arcs of lightning streaking toward seven different monsters, all at once.
The bolts are smaller than one earlier and weaker, but these beasts are smaller than the rhino earlier.
The pressure is immense, but those seven monsters are doing the most damage to my men, and killing them as soon as possible is the priority.
As I released the arcs, the urge to collapse nearly overtook me. The pressure was unbearable.
But instead of falling, I began to dance with even greater intensity, a frantic rhythm that matched the fury inside me.
My spirit, a sanguine lioness, fed on blood. Not just any blood, but the blood of my allies, spilled by the enemy.
It poured into me like an unrelenting flood, growing with every drop shed by my people in their battle against the monsters. The flow was so intense that I felt like I might drown in it.
It was putting such pressure on me that I began to bleed through my nose and ears, but that didn''t stop me.
I sent another bolt and killed Grade IV monsters and another one quickly before I sent a group of bolts at Grade III.
I am sending them where they are needed, not where I want them. If I had followed my instincts, I would have saved lives, but the cost would have been far more significant.
I need to be a colonel, not a captain. I must think about the entire force I am leading and achieve victory.
Minutes passed, and with each one, the pressure on me intensified as more of my people bled. The weight of their sacrifice felt unbearable, yet the blood flow only fueled the relentless force within me.
I wish I could help them. I could use some ritual spell, but doing that would require breaking my concentration on the spirit, which I can''t allow.
So, I focused orders on healers and reinforcements, directing attention toward those who needed their help and clearing the way for them.
Slowly but surely, I began to grasp the flow of the battle. It was still overwhelming, but I was learning to focus on commanding and pushing through the chaos.
However, the monsters do everything they can to make it harder.
They seemed to be everywhere, attacking relentlessly, pushing at every weak point, making it nearly impossible to hold the formation. I couldn''t afford a moment''s hesitation¡ªI had to guide my army every second, each decision critical to maintaining control.
''Battle Command: Platoon Nineteen, pivot south! Intercept and neutralize the monster group advancing from the front.''
I ordered the group and struck the few monsters in that group, reducing their numbers.
Cry!
I had just done that when I heard the loud cries from above and looked up.
From my vantage point, I could see an aerial group of monsters closing in on me¡ªtens of them, with three Grade IV monsters among them.
The monsters weren''t idiots. They had noticed me and were coming for me directly.
''Battle Command: Mage Group Three and Archer Group Seven prepare to attack the sky monsters as they descend to two hundred meters. Exclude Grade IV targets,'' I commanded, my voice steady despite the rising tension.
I focused on absorbing the blood at a higher speed, feeling the power surge through me as I braced for their descent.
It made the veins in my head pop up, but I bore it.
These monsters aren''t easy. They are sky dust eagles, earth element monsters with a high defense.
They also have pointy beaks and sharp wings. That could tear through armor and bone.
I have seen them when I was a child. One had attacked our tribe; it had taken the lives of four people before the elders were able to kill it.
We have to kill them before they reach us.
Two high mages were nearby, but they were occupied with their own tasks. I needed to deal with the Grade IV monsters myself and, if possible, take down a few Grade III as well.
As the monsters reached two hundred meters, the spells and arrows from Mage Group Three and Archer Group Seven shot toward the sky.
At the exact moment, the lioness spirit opened its mouth, unleashing a ring of bloody lightning that shot upward.
The birds¡ªthose monstrous sky predators¡ªmoved to dodge the spells, but at the speed they were diving and the remaining distance, it gave them little enough space to maneuver.
Still, some can dodge it, while other spells hit them. They injured a few of the monsters and killed some.
Finally, the ring of red lightning reached the monsters and expanded suddenly.
Instantly covering the three large Grade IV monsters and several Grade III, not giving them a chance to dodge the attack.
Cryyyy!
The painful cries rang out through the birds, and the light of life began to disappear from the monsters'' eyes.
Grade III died quickly, but Grade IV''s resisted.
I didn''t attack them again and aimed to strike the last of the Grade III, which had reached close.
Bang Bang Bang!
The birds crashed on the ground so hard that their bones cracked on impact.
The Grade IVs that had been alive until that moment breathed their last, falling from the sky like broken giants.
The soldiers killed the remaining while I turned to the battlefield. Only to see a coalition of cheetahs coming in my direction.
''Who says the monsters couldn''t coordinate?''
It is a coalition of around twenty cheetah monsters with metallic scales covering their bodies. They are moving fast and gracefully dodging attacks.
Even those that hit them didn''t seem to injure them as seriously as we wanted.
"Be ready, Colonel. Some might slip past us," warned Lt. Colonel Yard.
I nodded and shot the lightning bolt at the leader for the first time. The monster dodged it.
The lightning wasn''t elemental; it was the spirit lightning of blood, a force bound to its target. It locked onto the enemy with unyielding precision, making it nearly impossible to dodge. Yet, despite that, this monster managed to evade it.
It was swift, a blur with its cold, grey eyes locked on me.
The monsters reached us in mere seconds, but Lt. Colonel Yard and the others, alongside the mages, quickly moved into position.
The monsters were powerful, but Lt. Colonel Yard was seasoned and experienced. They had managed to stop all of them¡ªexcept for the leader.
The leader leaped upward toward me, effortlessly dodging every attack that came its way.
I turned my gaze to the steel-grey monster. It was as if it had been crafted from steel itself, its metallic form gleaming as it closed in.
It''s not the biggest one, but it''s the most dangerous one. Its speed is terrifying.
''Don''t attack it. It''s mine,'' I replied to my bodyguard, who moved in front of me with a shield forward.
Hesitation appeared in his eyes, but he moved away.
Warden''s Field.
I activated the skill and felt the increase in pressure. I bore it and looked at the monster, which had become clearer.
Warden Field. A skill that gives me an absolute sensory advantage.
In a field that the skill covers, I could see everything. Sense everything. It might not seem like much, but it is an outstanding skill.
Warriors love them. Even General Stone had told me that it was the skill he wished he had.
As the perception became clearer, I gripped my staff tightly as I danced, and my lioness spirit shrunk until it became the size of an orc''s head and appeared on the top of the staff.
Roar!
The monster roared and came at me while I swung my staff toward it, activating the Staff of Shaman.
My enemy almost seemed to smile at seeing it.
Its power is compared to the powerhouses in the middle of Lv. 30, while the swing I took had the control of those at early Lv. 30.
So, there wasn''t much fear in its eyes. It''s a little cautious of the totem spirit, but I could see the confidence in its eyes.
The steel cheetah came closer and closer until its mouth was next to my staff, and it moved and crunched down.
Bang!
My staff clashed against its teeth, and I could see victory in its eyes, but the very next moment, its eyes widened as blood from the lightning spread around its body.
Thud!
A moment later. The monster fell, dead.
I didn''t celebrate and turned to the others before I started attacking them. Soon, all the steel cheetahs in this attack were dead.
Roar!
It relieved me, and I was about to move to the other monsters when I heard the roar that shook me to my soul.
Chapter 581: Grade V
Barb Utsa
Bam!
I defended the attack with a Shield Brace before breathing out the fire, covering the monster with it.
Puch!
Before materializing to its left with Madam''s Grace, I thrust my sword into the Hyena monster''s head, delivering a devastating blow with the force of a Heavy Strike.
I removed my blade before taking out a bottle and gulping it down in rapid swigs.
I put the bottle back and breathed out the fire. Covering the three Grade III monsters fighting Hen and Yora.
The monsters are everywhere, and they are a terror.
I had fought them nearly every day, but fighting a small group of them and fighting a massive horde is vastly different.
They are more organized. I need to fight them with a different strategy.
When I was fighting a small group, I would use Intoxicating Smell, which made the monsters drunk before killing them, but I can''t do that here.
The skill also requires me to be drunk, which is terrible to be on a battlefield with tens of thousands of monsters.
The battle rages, with monsters attacking us from the ground and the sky.
Still, we are killing them, but it is not without a cost. Our people are dying too.
Barely a second had passed since I killed the monster when two more came at me.
They are two ferret monsters. They are slightly bigger than regular wolves, with dark blue coats and long, sharp claws.
They are such cute animals, but these monsters are fucking terrifying.
Seeing them, I moved toward them.
Doo Doo!
They noticed and let out a sharp noise and increased their speed.
Whoosh!
When they had reached the range, I breathed out fire, with Wide Bloom covering both monsters, increasing my speed to its highest with Madam''s Grace.
Clang!!
I appeared beside the monsters and bashed my shield against the nearest monster before dodging the second one''s fast attack.
Whoosh!
As I did, I released another breath of fire at the first monster before attacking it with the sword.
Puch!
My enchanted sword pierced through its head. Killing it before I turned with my shield forward.
Clang Bamm!
I raised my shield in defense, exhaling a torrent of fire before smashing it into the monster''s head. With a surge of power, I attacked with my sword, pouring all my strength into the strike.
Puch!
The sword pierced through it. Killing the second one.
Fire Breather alone is disadvantageous against the monsters. So, I took the support from the Warrior and Madam Class skills to make up for that.
Using all three, I crafted a strategy that would help me kill the monsters faster.
I quickly drank the healing potion, mending the damage in my arm from the shield bash, and then I replenished my reserves before moving to the other monsters.
They seemed to be endless. The more I kill, the more they appear.
It is happening everywhere. Some people are doing better against the hoard; some are not.
The Army of Greltheaven took me by surprise. I had expected them to be at a disadvantage vs the monsters, but I underestimated them.
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
I never doubted their leader¡ª because Carla had warned me not to. There was a reason Master Silver and General Stone had chosen her above so many other capable candidates.
I was worried about their lack of experience as more than half have never fought the monsters.
Their leader is more than making up for that disadvantage.
The woman is a terror.
She dances in the middle of the battlefield, shooting blood-red lightning at the monsters left and right and skillfully commanding the troops.
Most would die in a single attack without leaving any injuries.
I had expected many things, but not this.
Her skill in killing the monsters, especially the powerful ones, was turning the tide of doubt. Each fallen beast fueled her army''s morale, raising their confidence in her leadership and making them believe in their victory even more.
Roar!
I was in the heat of battle when a deafening roar echoed through the air. The sound was so powerful it shook my soul, almost freezing me in place for a brief moment.
''Grade V. That''s a Grade V!'' I thought, terror gripping my heart as the realization struck.
Here, we only have fighters capable of handling Grade IV monsters. A Grade V, though¡ªit''s a whole different level. To face such a beast, you''d need warriors at Lv. 40 and above. We don''t have anyone like that. The highest-ranked here is Baron Harrods. It''s said he''s above Lv. 35, but certainly not anywhere near Lv. 40.
"Leave Grade V to us. You all focus on the rest!" shouted Lord Blackwell. The next moment, he jumped from the wall and moved toward the front.
The monsters moved to attack him, but his bow released arrow after arrow.
Killing any monster that moves to stop him.
I turned and saw another man appear beside Baron Harrods. He was Lord Blackwell''s second in command, the one who used the chain weapon.
Roar!
Lord Blackwell was halfway when another roar rang out, and a group of monsters came out of the forest.
The group numbered nearly a hundred monsters¡ªjust a fraction of what we had been fighting, but they still terrified me. Especially the leader: the Akarin Tiger. It was massive, as large as a rhino, with thick, tree-like limbs that seemed to bend the very earth beneath it. Its fur was pure white, save for the claws¡ªbright red, like they had been soaked in blood.
I have read about it. It is a physical-element monster with massive physical strength and claws powerful enough to shatter enchanted weapons.
With a mighty roar, the Akarin Tiger surged forward, its speed blurring as it closed the vast distance in mere seconds. In an instant, it appeared before Baron Harrods and a bald man. Another deafening roar echoed through the air as the monster launched its attack. Its speed was terrifying¡ªso fast that even the sharpest eyes could barely track its movement.
I nearly closed my eyes, not wanting to see what would happen next, when I saw something shocking happen.
The bald man appeared before Baron Harrods and brought out a shield.
Which instantly becomes as big as him.
Bang!
The moment the shield grew, I heard a massive bang and saw the tiger clashing against it.
I braced myself, expecting the shield to shatter into pieces and the man to be sent flying like a broken doll. But instead, the shield glowed with a brilliant light, and the man only staggered a few steps back. My eyes widened in shock as I realized what was happening.
It must be an artifact. It was the only way the man would have survived.
I was still reeling from the artifact''s power when a new sensation washed over me, one that shocked me even further. An aura¡ªradiating from Baron Harrods. He had attacked the monster with it. As his energy surged, I sensed another aura, and in the next moment, a massive arrow streaked toward the Akarin Tiger.
Saying I was shocked would be an understatement. Baron Harrods and Lord Blackwell had awakened auras¡ªsomething I hadn''t heard a whisper of in any of the intel.
They have hid it well.
Clang!
The monster defended the attack of Barron Harrods with its claws before leaping back to dodge the bright azure arrow from Lord Blackwell.
The Akarin Tiger barely managed to dodge, the arrow grazing its side by mere inches.
Roar!
The monster roared its frustration and attacked them again, and once more, the bald man moved to defend while Lord Blackwell and Barron Harrods attacked with their auras.
They could defend the Grade V monster''s attacks, but the beast also defended and dodged their attacks.
I wanted to watch more, but I noticed a monster nearby before moving to kill it.
"They are coming,"
I had just finished killing it when I heard Hosk''s somber voice and saw the group of Grade IV monsters that came behind the Grade V entering the battlefield.
They breached through the front line, attacking anything in their paths.
A group of them had gone straight toward Colonel Axseer, while another toward a group of powerful Blackwells and Baronies'' army officers.
The last group of two came toward us.
"Fuck! Why us!" cursed Host a few seconds later as the massive figures of the powerful monsters drew closer. We were already dealing with the ones we were fighting, and now these new, terrifying creatures were heading straight for us.
"I will deal with the lead one. Yora and Barb, you both deal with the other," He ordered.
He is alone, and it is a Grade IV. He feels the monster''s presence. Even he will have a problem dealing with what is coming toward us.
My mood couldn''t help but turn somber, and I vomited the liquor I had stored.
It is not powerful enough to deal with what''s coming.
As I vomited the liquor, I took out another bottle. It is the same one I had brought first to deal with the monsters, but I changed it.
The only difference with the last one is that it had only been aired in the mist.
This one had a mist artificially inserted into it as much as it could hold by Cresa.
It made the liquor very powerful but very dangerous to me. In the last practice session, I had used this; I had nearly killed myself.
It is oversaturated with the power of emotions. This means I need to keep my emotions calm, or it will be affected by those emotions, making the liquor unstable.
They nearly did when I was practicing in a stress-free environment, and I barely managed to keep control.
Now, I am in the chaos of battle.
The emotion mist may provide immense power, but it could also spell doom if not handled well.
I opened it, took gulps until full, and kept some in my mouth.
Usually, I filled my mouth with it, but this time, I had only filled half before putting the bottle into the bag.
The lightning wolf approached Hosk while the four-meter-tall red bear approached us. The bear is big, and its whole body is covered in a hard clay-like cover.
As I understood its natural defenses, my expression darkened. It was going to make things even harder.
Chapter 582: End
Barb Utsa
Roar!
At last, the monster emerged before us, letting out a bone-chilling roar, its teeth bared and drool dripping from its maw. Then, it charged toward us with a speed far greater than I had anticipated.
I felt Yora casting spells on me.
Including defensive cover spells on me and one reinforcing my shield. And haste, which I will very much need.
She also attacked the bear monster with Sharp Bolts and Earth Spikes.
To our surprise, the monster swatted the bolts away and moved through the spikes as if it didn''t affect it at all.
Seeing that, I want to run away, but that is not an option. If I gave ground, it would go after my teammates, who are busy with the other monsters.
Whoosh!
Soon, it appeared in my range, and I pushed the liquor out with the Power Breath and Long Breath and lit up with the spark.
As I did, the fire bloomed brighter and thicker than others earlier.
I could feel the power and comprehend it very well. If I got caught in it, I would not survive.
I wanted to feel the emotion and mist in it, which made it harder to control, but I kept them as calm as possible.
The monster seemed to sense the danger from it and moved to dodge it.
Despite its size, its speed was fast, faster than I had expected. Thankfully, I took the risk and waited until it got close to me.
The fire reached it instantly, and I activated the Wide Plume. Immediately, the plume got bigger and enveloped its huge body.
I moved back with the Madam''s Grace, hoping it would be enough.
"Roar!"
Unfortunately, it was not. The bear monster, who had stopped as the fire enveloped it, moved again with fury in its eyes.
It came fast, seeing that I moved back with Madam''s Grace and Haste covering me.
At the same time, Yora cast the rock walls.
Bang Bang Bang!
The bear monster crushed through them with its thick paws as it barreled at me.
Whoosh!
Half a gulp of liquor came into my mouth, and I pushed it out.
I shouldn''t be in such haste with the emotions I am feeling, but I need to douse this monster with as much fire as possible.
The liquor burned, and I could feel the instability in it.
Still, it moved toward the bear. As it reached it, it covered it whole, like before.
Roar!
It roared once more, with anger in its eyes, intensifying further. Which increased its speed further as it reached me, but before I could release the third breath.
It swung its massive paw at me, and I had no choice but to move my shield forward to defend.
I was grateful that Yora had another spell on my shield to stop it.
Bam!
It crushed through the spells and hit my shield hard.
I felt a bone in my arm cracked on impact, and I vomited blood as I rapidly took a step back, using the momentum to disburse the force and create a distance.
It is a good thing I had swallowed the liquor. If I had brought it to my mouth, I would have thrown it out with blood.
Roar!
It roared and chased after me while I brought the liquor back into my mouth.
Whoosh!
I released it toward the monster without care for the consequences.
This monster is too powerful. If I didn''t kill it, it would kill me. So, I took the risk, and to my surprise, the fire breath seemed more stable than earlier.
It covered the monster again, but it didn''t stop despite that.
The fire created from this liquor is very powerful, but the monster is Grade IV. It is a powerful and defensive class, even in the Grade IV category.
Making things even more challenging for us.
It appeared before me, swatting away the spells and crushing every obstacle before attacking me once more with its paws.
Yora cast a spell on me and my shield while I stopped in my place and activated the stance.
Bam!
Its paws hit my shield hard, crushing through the spell and making me feel the blinding pain.
The Brace helped, but the difference in strength between us was huge. Once more, the pain shot through my arm as the bones ground together where it cracked earlier.
Whoosh.
I bore it as I took steps back before bringing the liquor into my mouth and breathing it into the monster''s face.
Bam Bam Bam!
Time passed, and it attacked me three more times. I am sure my arm is broken, and I no longer want to defend with the shield anymore.
The fire is burning densely across it, turning the clay skin red, but despite that, it is moving like it''s not affecting anything.
Roar!
Instead, it raged, and that seemed to increase its speed and strength even more.
"The fire doesn''t seem to be working," said Yora as she cast more Rock Walls with Stone Spike in between. It slows it down a little.
"I know," I replied with gritted teeth.
It is hard, but I am doing what I can. Still, it is not enough; if this continues, I will die.
Bam!
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
Once more, I defended and felt the explosion of pain as my bones cracked further. The shock and pain nearly threw my shield away from me.
"Why don''t you try the trick you used to deal with the monsters in the forest?" asked Yora.
"It''s too dangerous!" I replied immediately.
She is talking about the Intoxicating Fragrance. I used it to make the monster drunk with it before killing them.
I didn''t use it here because it was a battle. Monsters are coming from the left and right, but now, after she said it, I think about it again.
I am only fighting this monster alone. No other monster is interfering, but unlike before, the liquor stored in me has the oversaturation of mist mixed in it.
I don''t know whether I could bear its effects long enough to kill the monster.
The mist made it potent. Even with my resistance and experience, using this skill would be extremely dangerous.
Bam!
I was thinking that when its paws crashed against my shield once more, and this time, I could not hold on, and it flew away from my hand.
The horror I felt at that masked the sharp pain in my arm.
Till now, I had been alive only because of the shield, but now, it was gone.
Roar!
The monster roared and came at me. I pushed Madam''s Grace to get away from it as I had never pushed it before.
My speed increased. Especially with the Haste, but the bear is faster.
It appeared in front of me and attacked me with burning claws.
I gripped the sword and moved it defensively to defend against the attack.
Clang Rip!
It swatted my sword, which nearly flew away from my hands before slashing across my body.
"Ahhhh!"
I screamed as I received the searing wound on my chest.
I am wearing enchanted armor, but even with it, I was injured in the unprotected part.
"Barb!"
Yora screamed and launched spell after spell, but it could only slow it down as I tried to get away from the monster.
''There is no choice!'' I thought and drank all the liquor in Stored Sips.
I shouldn''t have done that. I should have taken it slow and at least kept some for the last burn, but I didn''t do anything of that sort.
I want high intoxication and need it as soon as possible.
So, I drank it all and activated Intoxicating Fragrance before focusing every bit on the monster.
The effect was immediate. I began to feel the buzz almost immediately, with memories flashing in front of me, which I tried to avoid so that I could focus on the battle.
This is a side effect of the mist, for which people spend massive amounts of money on the legacy.
Once more, the monster appeared in front of me and attacked.
Clang!
I defended again with my sword; this time, it had nearly swatted it away before coming for my body.
This time, I was prepared and used Bendy Madam to adjust my body so that its claws would hit my body where I wanted.
Clang Clang!
The claws hit my armor hard, knocking the air out of me. Breaking my bones, sending me back, which made me nearly stumble because of the intoxication.
Clang!
Soon, the monster attacked me again, and I defended like last time but felt increasing pain.
The intoxication had increased even further, but I stopped resisting it.
I let it cloud me. Affect my mind and my movements.
Clang!
This is why the monster swiped again. Its paws had only touched my sword, not my body.
I missed its claws by less than a centimeter for the first time.
Roar!
It roared in anger and came at me once more with rage burning in its eyes, with its movements steady while I got drunker and drunker.
It didn''t seem to affect the monster at all.
I didn''t expect it to affect it immediately, seeing as it is a Grade IV monster¡ªa defensive one at that. They have higher vitality.
Still, this level of drunkenness didn''t seem to be enough.
Well, this is just the beginning, with the amount of liquor I drank and the most mist present in it. I am going to get very drunk; I just hope I will survive that.
Clang, Clang, Clang!
I defended with my sword and armor while getting more and more drunk every moment.
It is painful to take the blows directly, even with the sword. Especially when I couldn''t properly focus on the battle with the inebriation I was feeling.
I felt like every rib in my chest had broken. Even taking a breath had become painful. Much less the moving around.
If not for the drunkenness, that lessened the pain. I would have been screaming right now.
Once more, it attacked.
Even in my highly drunk state. I noticed the change and didn''t move my sword as usual. Instead, I focused on dodging.
Hun!
To my surprise. I dodged the attack.
''It had finally started affecting it,'' I thought as I saw familiar signs in its eyes.
Roar!
It roared at the failure and came at me with rage. Once more, I dodge drunkenly by inches.
It is also slowly getting drunk as its movements aren''t as furious as they had been.
Still, I am in danger and need Yora''s help slowing it down so that I can successfully dodge its attacks.
Time passed, and it continued to attack despite getting drunker by the moment.
I am also heavily drunk, but I am dealing with it better than the monster. Thanks to the benefits of Drunkard Class, I got through the Blaze Imbiber.
Its only advantage is its high vitality, which lets it endure the effects, but they have become intense enough.
That even its vitality will not save it.
Roar!
It roared once more and attacked. Missing me by nearly half a meter.
''It''s time!'' I thought.
"Yora, target its eyes," I said drunkenly, and the next moment, she attacked with the Stone Darts.
At that exact moment, I quickly took the bottle and took several gulps while drunkenly dodging its attack.
The sword isn''t enough to deal with the monster. Its defenses are strong enough; it had defended the Earth Lance with it.
I need to weaken them more with fire. Burn it again like before.
Whoosh!
I threw the empty bottle away and breathed out the liquor. Not a half gulp, but a full one.
I wouldn''t do that. If I was sober, but I am not; it is why I am laughing as the stream of volatile fire went toward the monster before forming a plum that enveloped it.
Roar!
It roared as the fire surrounded it once more and came at me in an animalistic attack.
I dodged it and released another breath, and then another and another, until I used all the liquor I had in me.
Now, it is a burning torch that is moving drunkenly.
Even the pain from fire isn''t enough to bring it out of an inebriated state. It is very drunk and will get even drunker with time.
I didn''t immediately go in for the attack. Even my drunk mind understands it''s not the time.
The bear needed to get drunker, so I waited while it burned.
We didn''t have to wait for long, and soon, it reached the level of drunkenness I needed.
It attacked again, and this time, I dodged, but unlike before, I dodged to the left instead of back before attacking it.
Rip!
A ripping sound rang out as my blade. Gave a massive cut across its paw.
If I had been sober, the cut would have been deeper and would have landed where I was aiming.
Roar!
It roared and attacked me while I dodged before attacking again, while Yora harassed it.
Rip!
Another cut appeared on its body. This time, on its chest.
The fire had weakened its defenses greatly. I could see it cooking the flesh beneath the hard clay skin, but its high vitality kept it standing.
Even now, with relatively deeper cuts. It was not bleeding.
Rip, Rip, Rip!
I cut it more and more. Attacking its weak spots, but it kept fighting without stopping.
Roar!
Once more, I attacked its leg. It roared and came at me, crushing through the stone spikes when something happened.
One of the thick spikes made it stumble.
Thud!
It fell hard on the ground. Something I had been waiting for a long time.
Seeing that, I activated Hair of The Dog to clear the drunkenness. I need to be as clear-minded as possible to use this opportunity.
Immediately, I felt a terrible headache, and the drunkenness was lessening at a slower pace than I had thought.
The mist had made the liquor powerful and the side effects worse.
Despite that, I quickly appeared beside the bear monster with Madam''s Grace and brought down my sword.
Puch!
It pierced its back toward the heart, but I pulled back my sword a moment later and dodged its hand.
The side effects will not make it easy, and the headache isn''t, but I appeared on the other side and brought down my sword.
Puch!
Yora is also helping, using the binding spells, which are breaking, but they are slowing it down and stopping it from getting up.
Puch Puch Puch!
I kept attacking, and it barely had any effect, but I still did.
Finally, I saw a chance, and I appeared beside its head. I brought down my sword, and its paws came toward me.
Puch!
I pierced the sword thoroughly into its head. This time, I didn''t stop to defend the claw coming toward me.
Bang!
Its paws struck my leg hard, sending me through the air backward. I landed with the sound of bones breaking.
Though the impact was powerful, it was not as much as I expected. Yora''s spells slowed it down, or the damage would have been more significant.
"Is it dead?" I asked as the Yora appeared beside me.
"Yes," she replied as she helped me get up, which brought me such pain that my eyes teared away.
I looked at the bear, who was still twitching.
I brought out the healing potion and drank it before walking toward the bear, retrieving my sword, and picking up a shield not far away.
Hun!
I had just done that when I saw a massive blood-red lightning. Bigger than the monster I had been fighting struck the arakin tiger.
I thought it would die, but it came out roaring.
It is bloody all over, but it is still fighting. The three of them, plus Colonel Axseer, aren''t enough to kill it.
I only looked at it briefly before moving toward Hosk, who was still fighting against the wolf.
Roar!
I was halfway toward him when a massive roar came out, and the monsters, who were fighting, froze for a moment before they started to retreat.
Roar!
The tiger roared once more at those it was fighting before returning to the forest.
"I didn''t think they would retreat," said Yora. "Monsters aren''t idiots. They understand when to retreat," replied Hosk.
I didn''t say anything; I just looked at the retreating monsters.
I wanted to sit down, but I didn''t. I watched the monsters only when they retreated entirely out of the battlefield.
I sat down and took out the bottle of wine. The good one and started drinking.
"Give me some. I need it!" said Hosk, and I handed it to him. He took a few gulps and passed it around the others till all of us were drunk.
Chapter 583: New Legacy
Mystic Warden Lv. 32
Mystic Warden Lv. 33
Skill Gained: ¡
¡
Warrior Lv. 15
Warrior Lv. 16
Skill Gained: Shield Bash
Blaze Imbiber Lv. 20
Blaze Imbiber Lv. 22
Skill Gained: Gut Alcohol
Skill Gained: I Know My Liquor
When I opened my eyes, a long text floated before me.
"They didn''t merge," I muttered, disappointment heavy in my voice. I had been hoping for a fusion. If not all three classes, then at least two. I would have been thrilled if my Warrior Class and Blaze Imbiber had merged. It would be even better if my August Madam Class had combined with either of them.
It would have instantly made me powerful with the level and weight of my August Madam Class. Unfortunately, nothing of that sort happened.
I shook my head and pushed away those thoughts.
I focused on the text, and a moment later, a smile couldn''t help but appear on my face. The classes may not have merged, but I made a good advancement.
I had leveled up twice in Warrior and even gained a skill. It was the skill I had wanted.
Shield Bash.
This will be a tremendous help, and now, with my experience and strength, I can bash monsters with my shield without worrying about breaking the bones in my arm.
I had leveled up twice in Blaze Imbiber, reaching Lv. 21. Very few people ever reach this level in a single class, and I had managed it in two. Though I felt a twinge of disappointment that my main class didn''t advance, it wasn''t entirely surprising¡ªBlaze Imbiber was already an exceptionally powerful class.
Reaching the milestone of Lv. 20 had granted me two new skills, and to my surprise, both were entirely unexpected.
They are also rare and made me excited.
Gut Alcohol.
It is a passive skill that will make my body produce its own alcohol.
With it, I won''t be entirely dependent on outside liquor. It was one big drawback of Blaze Imbiber.
I have read about it in a book about drunkard classes and skills. It is a very rare skill, even at Lv. 30, but I got it at Lv. 20.
The second skill, I Know My Liquor, is intriguing. It allows me to understand the properties of any liquor I drink instantly. This will be incredibly useful, especially since I''m always on the lookout for liquors that can give me an edge in battle.
Interestingly, I didn''t gain any offensive skills from Blaze Imbiber this time. Both skills come from the Drunkard aspect of the class, but I don''t mind. These two abilities will still prove invaluable in the long run.
¡.
Silver
"Set sail, Captain," I ordered.
"Yes, my lord," replied Captain Perry with a bow, and a minute later, the yacht began to move.
On the fourth day of our return journey, it was a little past midnight when we finally reached the town of Mahal, where our ships were docked.
Though we could have stayed the night in the city, I chose not to. It would have been a waste of precious time.
So, we continued our travel through the night until we reached our ships.
Now that we''ve reached the ships, the rest of the journey should be smooth¡ªunless we''re attacked. So far, the first half of the journey has been uneventful, but I can''t let my guard down.
Baxzar worried me the most. Not only because it''s the place where I''ve been attacked before and could easily be ambushed again but also because the artifact might be known of there. It makes us a tempting target.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
I did everything I could to wipe away the signs of the artifact, but I still could not wipe the dread in my heart.
Thankfully, we were able to pass through the Baxzar Dominion smoothly.
"I''m finally feeling relieved now. I thought we''d get attacked at any moment," said Margaux.
"Me too," someone replied, her voice echoing the same tension easing from all of us.
A few minutes later, I walked into my suite and descended into sleep.
I woke in the morning. It was a little late, but everyone except Margaux and Dawnstar slept late. They have rest skills and don''t need as much sleep as the rest of us.
I had breakfast with them and spent a few minutes on the deck before returning to my suite.
I want to practice my aura. I didn''t do that for the past three weeks. I didn''t even ever bring it out of me.
I wanted to do that on the way, but I wanted to be at my peak at any time. Even now, it is not entirely safe, but I want to practice it.
I''ve learned so much from my battles, and now I''m eager to see how much of that knowledge and experience I can apply.
I sat down cross-legged and took a couple of deep breaths before bringing out my aura.
I felt it before moving it around gently.
I sensed that my connection with it had improved. I could feel it at a deeper level than before.
I played around with it for a while before finally turning to the practice. I decided to do the layer exercise; it will help me determine how much my control has improved.
I moved my aura slowly around. Covering myself with the thin layer of it.
It took me mere seconds to cover myself with a layer of it.
It made me want to smile, but I had controlled my emotions and moved the aura to form the second layer.
It moved slowly and smoothly, covering the first, and soon, the second layer was also complete. This used to make me sweat, but I barely felt any strain.
Seeing the layers take shape, I focused, controlling the aura with precision, and began forming the third layer. The difficulty was there, but not as much as I had anticipated.
There wasn''t even a bead of sweat on my forehead, so I pressed on, moving to the fourth layer. This one made me sweat, but I pushed through and completed it.
Looking at the four layers stacked together, I couldn''t help but feel a mix of awe and fear. They were powerful¡ªscary, but undeniably amazing.
A few seconds later, I started work on the fifth layer, and it was something.
I moved slowly because the slightest mistake could cause it to collapse. I didn''t want it to collapse, so I proceeded very slowly.
It took a long time, and I was drenched in sweat, but I had finally finished it. The sense of accomplishment surged through me, filling me with satisfied happiness.
Now, I want to try for six.
It would completely drain me, and I want to avoid that at all costs. I might get attacked, but I''m close to my goal now. I don''t want to lose the ground I''ve gained, not when I''ve come this far.
If I give up now, I won''t be able to push myself till I reach Grelthaven.
Sailing downstream, we will be there the day after tomorrow, but I don''t want to wait.
After much reflection, I decided to go ahead.
With one deep breath, I began working on the sixth layer, feeling the challenge intensify.
The five layers beneath me shook as my control wavered, loosened by the intense concentration required to form the sixth.
Quickly, I reinforced my hold over the previous layers, covering them carefully before channeling my complete focus back onto the sixth.
Using everything I had learned from my battle against the mercenary and the duel I had watched in the archmage city.
The pressure is immense. I began to feel a powerful headache, which made me want to give up, but I didn''t.
I moved the layer further and further. No matter how much it started to hurt me.
Finally, I created the sixth layer.
A smile appeared on my face. Maintaining all six layers was incredibly straining, as I was under a lot of pressure, but I did it.
Something that I thought would take a lot of time, I had managed to make significant progress in just a short period.
Eighteen more steps, and I could begin learning the aura methods.
But I needed sufficient control before diving into them. Bell had told me I''d need to form twenty-four layers before she would teach me, and I was determined to reach that point.
It will be tough, but I''m determined to work toward it, especially after seeing what the aura methods could do. If I mastered them, I wouldn''t feel so desperate against people wielding artifacts as I had been in my last battle.
I didn''t release the layers. Instead, I felt each one and every layer and began to make subtle adjustments, fine-tuning my control to ensure they remained solid.
Forming the layers is one part of the exercise. Maintaining it is another.
The small changes begin to help. They reduce the current strain, but it increases the longer I keep the layers active.
I stopped glancing at the clock. Instead, I closed my eyes and focused on breathing to calm myself as I worked on the layers.
I continued adjusting the layers until I could no longer maintain my focus. Seeing that, I didn''t let go of the aura. Instead, I methodically dissolved one layer after another. It was challenging, but I endured it.
Soon, all the layers had dissolved, and I lay on the floor, drenched in sweat. I stayed there for half an hour, catching my breath, before finally getting up. Using Freshening Up, I walked out of my suite, feeling the weight of my efforts.
Hours passed as I practiced, creating six layers every few hours. Before I knew it, the evening had arrived, and I found myself on the deck, watching the sunset. The view was breathtaking¡ªthe river flowing peacefully, the forest stretching out on the horizon. It felt beautiful, almost calming.
"We will be home by tomorrow," Margaux said, and I could hear the longing in her voice. I shared the same feeling; I had missed home more than I realized and couldn''t wait to return.
But I knew there was a lot of work waiting for me.
The casino''s opening is in a few weeks, along with the bridge project and, most importantly, the undead. Those bastards didn''t leave me alone, even after I left the city.
''We wil¡."
I was speaking when I suddenly stopped midway, sensing something. It was faint, but I recognized the feeling. It was very intense in the legacy, but here, I could only barely feel it.
"What happened?" Margaux asked, her voice laced with concern. I could feel my guards shifting, becoming alert.
"There is a message from Madam Caena. A new legacy has been born," Zela informed me before I could respond.
"It''s close," I said as I closed my eyes and concentrated. I could feel its general location, and it was very close.
"Ask Caena where it is," I stated. A few seconds later, Zela replied, "Hyriv city. "
"It''s just an hour away," said Margaux, and I couldn''t help but nod.
It''s on the bank of the river; the ship will reach it in less than an hour.
Hyriv isn''t a big city, which makes the legacy even rarer. Seventy percent of the legacies are born in cities with a population greater than five million.
Hyriv barely has a population of two million. It made me wonder about the legacy.
I ask them to gather the information.
Half an hour passed, and I learned everything about the new legacy.
"There is a message from the synod," informed Zela, surprising me.
"What do they want?" I asked. "They want you to visit the legacy and congratulate the master on behalf of the continental synod," she replied.
Chapter 584: Harrick’s Pub
I watched the ships sailing away from the port of Hyriv. Unlike the yacht, they didn''t stop.
My sister and others are leaving.
The new legacy is interesting, but there are responsibilities waiting for them. Especially my sister and Baron Husk; their territories had just fought a huge battle against the monsters.
The monsters had only retreated and seemed to be preparing for another attack.
To help with that, the brigade under the lead of Colonel Axseer is going to be staying there.
They aren''t the only people left. Even my people left. Margaux, Varza, and others.
"I am surprised. You didn''t leave," I said to Eva as we walked toward the carriage.
Led by the son of Viscount Lost. The lord of the city and surrounding territory.
Today is the luckiest day of their lives. The legacy was born in their territory.
While most of the essence goes to the Sovereign. Some percentage of it goes to the lord, and it gives them a lot of power.
Not to mention. The tremendous boost to their economy by tourism and investments.
"The legacies interest me. I dreamed about it since I opened my first store," she replied.
I wanted to say, ''Who doesn''t,.'' Instead, I had just smiled. Every business owner wants their business to turn into a legacy. It is a golden ticket that will keep them prosper all their lives.
Soon, we reached the carriage, and the door opened before we stepped inside.
"I am surprised by Synod''s quickness, Lord Silver. It hadn''t been two hours since the legacy was born and they had already sent you," said the man in front of me.
He is a man in his mid-twenties. Green hair, green eyes, and a square jaw that anyone would dream of.
"It''s not a surprise, Lord Lost. That''s the reason they sent me; I was closer. Closer than Lord Castle of Circus," I replied, and the man smiled.
We talked as the carriage moved into the city.
The city isn''t that special. It could even be said that it is poor. I hope the lord will make, the great use of this golden chance that had fallen in his lap.
The legacies don''t just provide the essence.
They b beacons. They bring rich people, massive tourists, and many other things that make the city rich in money and culture.
It is the reason why, I use my legacy for everything it could give it to me.
A few minutes later, the carriages moved into the area where the streets were small and houses were small and packed.
It is a working-class area.
The effects of the legacy had already been. I could see the soldiers at every corner while the people cleaned the streets. With many guards, shoving the people inside their houses.
Seeing that, I couldn''t help but sigh.
The man saw my expression changing but didn''t say anything. I could see there were some questions in his eyes, but he remained quiet.
I wouldn''t volunteer on my own. Besides, the man won''t like it. If I say what, I am thinking.
''What is that sigh about?'' asked Eva; she isn''t the one to hold back on the questions.
It isn''t a skill, but a spell. She could cast spells, the basic ones.
Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.
''The thing that dooms the most legacies. Keep them from advancing to Grade IV and above had already started happening,'' I replied.
''Why do you say that?'' she asked with a clear surprise in her voice.
''You know why, 90% of the legacies. Never go beyond Grade III?" I asked.
''I heard many answers to it,'' she replied, with a clear interest in her eyes.
''I have a few theories of my own,'' I stated, while looking outside the window.
Where I saw the mage, filling the pothole. Usually, it is not their job, but they are doing a quick fix.
''What are they?'' she asked after a moment of silence.
''Most legacies reach Grade III as long as they live for a few decades, but a few could advance to Grade IV,''
''Because the initial vision that birth them changes so drastically,'' I replied.
''Explain,'' she said.
''Take this legacy, which is clearly in the working district.''
''In an instant, the value of the property around the legacy had skyrocketed. From tomorrow, even today, the rich and powerful will use any means from money to threats to buy it,''
''Within a month, this area will be completely transformed. Just like the clientele of the legacy,''
''The clientele of the pub, which used to be working-class people, will be now rich and powerful,''
''Slowly, the pub''s staff will change, and so will the glasses and plates they serve the food with.''
''The new staff will come, that will be proficient in serving the rich and powerful while working-class people that had been its clientele will not even be able to see the door,''
''Its glasses will be of crystals and plates will be of high-porcelain. Everything that birthed it will slowly disappear, till it changes completely from what birthed it,'' I replied.
''So, legacies shouldn''t change?'' she asked.
I wanted to shake my head, but seeing there were others. I decided to use the words.
''No, they should, but they shouldn''t change the core of their identity," I replied.
''Take my legacy. It is different than when I had conceived it. I didn''t change my staff, but I upskilled them through training,''
''The same with the menu; I still serve more than half of the dishes I used to during the conceiving,''
''But I also changed many things, like the furniture, plates and glasses. Not to mention added new things like your store,''
''My vision is continuously evolving, but the essence of it remains changed,'' I explained.
''It seemed like the legacies were a lot more complex than I had thought,'' she replied.
Most people think the legacies are just essence-making machines that only the rich and powerful can enjoy. They are those things, but aren''t only those things.
A lot of things go internally, and most are out of the Master''s control.
Even at this stage, reaching Grade III. I still don''t understand my legacy properly, but every day, I try to understand it more.
"We have arrived," said the man as the carriage stopped.
A moment later, the door opened, and we got out.
In front of me is a pub. It is a two-story stone building with a cozy cottage-like look.
It has a wooden sign with a figure of chicken on it; that looked faded.
It is like any other pub in a working-class district, but it has become a legacy¡ª. Even the faded sign looked beautiful, with a barely visible mist lingering around it.
I looked around it and saw mages demolishing the surrounding buildings.
There is one man crying loudly while being held back by his wife as they destroy what seems to be his store.
This time, I wasn''t able to stop my head from shaking.
These sorts of things happen when a legacy is born. Everything around it changes, and many people pay the price for that.
''I hope, they will offer a fair compensation for it at the least,'' I thought as I moved toward the door.
Click!
Soon, we reached the door, and it opened immediately.
A man appeared. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with sandy brown hair and green eyes, that looked overwhelmed.
He seemed to be wearing a new suit that didn''t fit him well and looked awkward and out of the element.
"Lord Lost," the man greeted the man beside him with an unpractised and deeper-than-required bow before turning to me.
"Lord Silver," said the man and, once again, bowed awkwardly.
"Lord Harrick," I greeted the man, the master of this legacy. The Harrick''s Pub.
He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it, seeing he was keeping us standing at the door.
"Please, come in," he invited us hastily.
As I stepped inside and felt the power of the legacy immediately. Along with signature colourful mist.
I closed my eyes for a moment to feel it more clearly.
Every legacy has a signature.
I could feel the merriness, mix in the wildness of the dance and comfort of homeliness.
I opened my eyes and saw a well-worm pub, with walls laden with worn paintings and trophies. Patrons had given it overtime when they couldn''t pay with the money.
There are many things here, including a fireplace which I could barely see.
This place is packed with overwhelmed staff doing everything they can to serve the clients.
It must have a capacity of fifty people, but right now there are at least a hundred. All of them were well-dressed, not the common folks that had been patrons of this place.
I am sure, till a few hours ago. Not a single one of these people had taken a step into this pub. Even raised their noses high at the prospect of it.
Even after turning to legacy. Some people are still looking down at it.
Though right now, they all have turned to us, or rather me, with many having recognition flashing across their eyes.
I nodded at them before walking toward the booth, that is guarded by the guards.
I would rather talk to the Master, but it is noble. I have to deal with it first.
They are parasites for the legacies, one of the biggest thorns in its path to progress, but it is the way of the world and not even titans and spirits with all their power were able to change that.
Chapter 585: Words of Wisdom
"Lord Viscount," I said with a respectful nod.
The man appeared to be in his fifties, his features bearing a striking resemblance to his son''s. However, unlike his son''s piercing blue eyes, his were a warm, steady brown.
"Lord Silver, take a seat," the man said, gesturing to the chair across from him.
"Thank you, Lord Viscount," I replied, settling into the offered seat with Eva at my side. His gaze shifted to her, lingering for a moment as if assessing her presence.
"I am glad they had sent you, Lord Silver. If Harrick was able to learn something from you, he might be able to advance this legacy in a few years," he said, glancing at the man standing beside him.
The legacy had just been born, and the bastard was already thinking about the advancement.
I wanted to shake my head. Instead, I laughed.
"I will try my all, Lord Viscount," I replied, and the man smiled.
"I believe you have been returning from Archmage City. When the synod directed you here?" he asked. To that, I nodded.
"I wish the legacy had been born a month earlier. I would have loved to visit the Archmage City," he said with a wistful sigh.
"It''s a wonder," I replied, and he smiled.
Though a moment later, his expression turned serious.
"I heard you will be opening a casino in your legacy next month?" he asked.
"Yes, and you are invited, my lord. I hope you will grace my city with your presence." I replied, and a smile on his became bigger.
The man is a gambler. I heard he has a class for it too.
"I will very much try. It''s been ages since I had gambled in a legacy casino," he stated.
We talked about the legacy and other things for a few minutes.
"I hope you will permit me a few minutes alone, with Lord Harrick," I said and hesitation appeared on his face.
These bastards never let the masters be alone. Lest they might do something they won''t like.
"It will be just talking, my lord, and nothing else," I reassured, and he relaxed a little.
"Fine. I hope you will tell Harrick the secret of advancement, Lord Silver," said the man. "Absolutely, Lord Viscount," I replied and got up.
I walked alongside the man as he introduced me to his wife and two children, each offering polite smiles and brief pleasantries.
Click!
"My apologies, Lord Silver. It''s a little small," he said as he opened the door of his office.
"It''s fine, Lord Harrick," I replied as I entered.
"Please," he said, asking me to sit in his chair. I shook my head and sat down on the opposite chair, while he sat down on his with some hesitation.
As he did, I activated the Privacy and reinforced it with a faint amount of aura.
That noble bastard had used some skill on the man in front of him. It is some sort of skill that puts a sort of mark on Harrick.
It is one sneaky skill that I wanted to destroy, but that wouldn''t be wise.
So, I just silenced it, with Privacy and a little bit of aura.
"You are a master now, Lord Harrick. You should be more assertive about that position," I said as he sat down.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
"He is a Lord," he replied, understanding what I meant.
I had been watching him. Earlier, he acted like a business owner. Who is feeling fortunate seeing the Lord come to his business? As an owner, shouldn''t he be?
Now, however, he is a master of legacy. From today, thousands of nobles will come and go in his establishment.
"And you are master," I stated.
"I am not telling you to not show deference, he is your lord after all, but you are master,"
"If you show complete subservience to him. He will command every aspect of your legacy and that will be a death sentence for your legacy,"
I could feel the expression of the man changing. The gravity of his new position seeped in.
"Always remember, it is you who is the master of this place. It was your vision that birthed the legacy, and you need to keep that vision untainted from any interference," I stressed.
"You need to stand your ground. When you feel it is not right with your vision," I added.
I didn''t plan to say this much, but I liked the man, and seeing how he behaved with the lord, I couldn''t stop myself.
The first wrong step starts on the first day.
"I don''t think I would be able to decline. If he ordered me to do something," he said after a few seconds of silence.
I could see the conflict in the man''s eyes.
"I am sure most of the demands will be reasonable. If you feel they are unreasonable and against your vision. Just say directly that it didn''t feel right to your vision, and they will back off."
"Their fate is connected to you and your legacy. They want you to grow. You are their golden goose," I replied, and the man smiled.
For a minute, the man didn''t say anything. He just looked around, raised his hand, and called the mist to him.
Seeing him, I remember my first day. The memory is still clear.
"What should I do then? How can I make it successful and advance?" he asked, and I smiled.
"For the advancement. I cannot help you; it is your vision that birthed it, and it will be what advances it, but I can offer a few words of wisdom that I had learned in my small experience," I replied.
Time passed, and I offered guidance and answers to his questions.
I was going to spend a few minutes, but before I knew it, an hour passed by.
"Thank you, Lord Silver. Your words have helped a lot," he thanked us as we got up from our seats. "If you have any questions or need any help. Don''t hesitate to reach me," I replied the man.
We got out of the office and saw a surprising scene.
Eva is behind the bar with staff crowded around her as she teaches them how to use the mist.
She is doing that with the gems, and the emotional mist she was using is from the Velvet Garden through an emotion essence drop.
She looked beautiful with the swirling melted gem mixed with the essence. Her mastery over the mist is truly the best¡ªbetter than most who had true authority.
Better than even Carla. Only two people surpass her¡ªCaena and Bell.
A few hours slipped by as I mingled with the Viscount and his guests, exchanging pleasantries and engaging in light conversation. Dinner with the Viscount and his family followed, a pleasant conclusion to the evening.
"I wish you would allow me to host you for the night, Lord Silver," the Viscount said as the evening came to a close.
"I appreciate your generosity, Lord Viscount," I replied, offering a small smile. "But I''ve been away from my territory and legacy for nearly a month now. I''d like to return before the undead decide to visit in my absence."
The room chuckled at the remark, and with that, I took my leave.
Moments later, I was seated in the carriage with Eva, the road ahead stretching into the night.
I talked with Eva and the man while looking at the city.
My eyes fell on the armored woman riding beside the carriage, not far from the window.
Aya Bandstone.
I had paid a massive price to get her. I could get a dozen at her level for that price.
The reason is simple¡ªher potential.
I had heard about her battle and the way she fought. She impressed some of my people, but that wasn''t enough to pay the price that I did.
The thing that convinces me to pay the price is her medical reports.
I have read what her disease does to people.
It would weaken people such that they can''t use even half of their power, but this woman uses her power to its limit and can even defeat those with higher levels and greater experience.
So, I decided to take the risk with her, and I hope it will be worth it.
Little over half an hour later, we returned to the port.
"There will be a celebration in a few weeks. I hope you will attend, Lord Silver," said the man as we exited the carriage.
"I will try, Lord Lost. If I can''t, I will surely send my representative," I replied with a smile.
I won''t be able to attend, but I''ll send someone. These types of parties are good opportunities to meet new people and make connections.
After a few more words, we walked to our ship and boarded it.
"It was a good legacy," said Eva as the ship began to sail through the dark. "It was," I replied, looking at her beautiful face.
"You are looking at me awfully a lot today," she asked, surprising me.
I didn''t think she would be that direct.
"Not just today," I replied, and it''s the truth. She is a beautiful woman. It would be a crime not to look at her.
"It does not seem like you have good intentions," she said, and there was a challenge in her voice.
"I do not," I replied and stepped closer while drinking in her sight.
I didn''t move further. I have shown my intention, and it is up to her now.
I wanted to make a move on her a long time ago, but I was hesitant due to several factors. I did today because I felt she wanted this, too.
She kept looking at me for several seconds with those deep eyes. Searching for something, which she seemed to find, she finally took a step forward.
The next moment, our lips met.
Chapter 586: Tour
Mythara Dawnstar
"It''s more vibrant than I had expected," I said as I looked at the city through the carriage.
I had read about it, but I had my own preconceived motions.
I had expected this city to be the wasteland, that had been attacked by undead several times, to be somewhat desperate and poor.
I had seen how the cities after the war were, but this one is the opposite.
There is energy here and vibrancy in the people. I could see the hope and dreams in the eyes of people; these are the kinds of emotions, the big cities have.
It isn''t just the people that surprised me, but also the city itself.
The buildings are small and beautiful. The streets are wider and clean, with gardens and parks everywhere.
''Where did he find such money?'' I couldn''t help, but ask myself.
War isn''t cheap; it is an ever-hungry beast that consumes every penny a city can produce. It had been nearly a year since the city had been dealing with the undead.
Most cities go bankrupt or raise taxes to an unsustainable level in conditions like, but looking at, the city. That did not seem to be the case.
I watched till the carriage took a turn, and the park came into view.
It''s not the biggest or the most beautiful I have seen. I had seen much bigger ones; the ones that had been designed by the archmages, but it''s different.
"Is that?" I asked. I didn''t have to ask about it. I could feel it through my class.
"Yes," replied Swan with a smile as she looked at the tower.
"It''s big," I said.
I have been to the many legacies, including the Archmage Tower. The biggest legacy on the continent, but is a spirit, while this is just a Grade III legacy.
"It is the third biggest legacy on the continent," informed Miss Swan, reading what I was thinking.
I know that.
There are around a hundred legacies on the continent, and it is the top three.
It occupies a space of over ten legacies easily. I wonder how much emotion essence it harvests. The size isn''t everything; it''s the core, that matters.
Still, such size had massive advantages. The sheer amount of money he would earn should be huge.
"Do you want to see the legacy first or collage?" asked Swan. "Collage," I replied, surprised.
If Silver had accepted my offer, I would have said about the legacy. I am excited about it and can feel it, but I will be working in the college.
That is why I declined to go to the house in the city they had prepared for me.
They have prepared two accommodations for me. One will be in the city and another one in the college.
I have come here to this dangerous place with a purpose. To level up. I will focus only on that and nothing else.
The carriage took a turn at the bridge and entered the park, which houses the collage and the legacy.
I looked at it, and I have to say it''s beautiful.
I provided the girls work in my establishments a good housing, but it''s not as beautiful as this one or as expansive.
However, what surprised me was the girls.
I could see them. Many are walking and sitting in a garden. Some are alone, some with friends.
They looked happy.
Our business isn''t the one that brings much happiness. Especially at their level and age, where one needs to struggle for every penny.
I remember the days when I was as young as them.
Those were the most difficult days in the business.
I was hungry more times than I remember, beaten to every inch of my life, and suffered the humiliation that made me want to kill myself.
Click!
I pushed those thoughts away and turned as the carriage stopped and its door opened.
Swan stepped outside. I followed behind.
"Welcome back, Headmistress," said the woman, who looked to be in her early fifties. Beside her are two more women; one looked to be in her teens, while the other was in her early thirties.
"It''s good to be back," replied Margaux. She smiled and turned to me.
"Welcome to Mena Horn Collage, Miss Dawnstar," she welcomed.
"Thank you, Miss Della," I replied. I know she is a vice-headmistress, but it feels weird to say it. However, I will have to say it after I officially start.
"Della, please give, Miss Dawnstar, the tour of the collage," said Swan.
"There is no need for trouble, Miss Dela. I am sure she has important things to do. Just give me any girl, that knows the campus," I said.
All four of them smiled.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
In so many words, I had said I did not want the choreographed tour.
I want to see the real collage.
I would have preferred to look at it alone, but that wouldn''t be polite.
Swan looked before her eyes stopped at the elf woman. Sitting on the bench, working on what seemed like an embroidery.
"Eliyen, come here," said Margaux. Hearing her name, the woman looked and put the things she was working on in her bag, walking toward us.
"Headmistress," she greeted as she stopped beside Margaux, with her eyes moving at me momentarily.
"Are you free for a while?" Swan asked. "Yes, it is my free day, and I don''t have any classes in the evening," she replied, turning curious.
"Good, then give, Miss Dawnstar, the tour of the collage and the tower," said Swan, before turning to me.
"Miss Dawnster, I will see you after you are done," she said, before leaving with Della and others.
I turned to the blue-haired elf beside me.
"What do you want to see first, Miss Dawnstar?" asked the woman.
I didn''t answer immediately. Instead, I looked around for a while before turning to the woman.
"Let''s see the hostel first," I replied.
"Please," she said, and we walked toward the seven-story building in front of us.
Soon, we entered through its gate into a large lobby, that has elevators leading from all sides.
I have to say, it''s beautiful. The art pieces, although basic, but filled with such emotions, that I felt a connection to them instantly.
"All of these pieces are made by the girls of the velvet garden," she informed, surprising me.
I am shocked even.
I know art. I''ve seen the best pieces the world has ever produced. They are far from that level, but they are good.
These pieces could speak.
Which is the most important thing the art should have.
I looked at them, and my eyes fell on the painting, the largest one in there; it is nearly four meters long.
It is of a woman with steel in her eyes. Standing in the square surrounded by the undead, with tens of burning crystals around her.
"That''s sister Mena," she said with her voice becoming somber.
"The one this place is named after?" I asked. "Yes," she replied.
I had read about her; the woman who sacrificed herself to save the orphaned children.
People would laugh. If they heard, a whore did something like that. To most, we are the vilest people. Lesser than even animals.
I turned to the woman, and we were about to begin to walk up the stairs.
"Do all the women who work in the velvet garden live here?" I asked as I looked at the women passing by us; I could see many were looking at me curiously.
"Yes, except for Headmistress and wise headmistress. They have houses, but Vice-Headmistress Della lives in the suite at the top," she replied.
Margaux had informed me about it. The three have houses on the campus, while the assistant madams and the rest live here.
Soon, we reached the first floor. I could see many girls there, coming and going out of their rooms. Talking in groups, many look at us with a surprise in their eyes.
"This is the first floor. On this floor, the trainees live; those who are new or in the first level of their training," she informed.
"How is their living arrangement?" I asked.
"Each floor has suites. Each suites have three or four rooms along with a common room. Each room houses two people," she replied.
"Can I see one?" I asked. She nodded and turned toward the door.
Knock Knock!
She knocked on the door.
It is opened a few seconds later by a beautiful woman of the same age as me.
She is half-elf but also has orc blood in her.
She is also from Baxzar and that place. It is easy to see with her class.
"Yes?" the woman asked with a familiar accent.
"I have been asked by the Headmistress to give a tour to Miss Dawnstar. Will you be fine, if I show her your suite and room?" asked the girl.
The woman nodded and entered inside.
The first thing I saw was the common room. There were three girls sitting inside; all of them turned to us.
They surprised me as I had thought. They would be from Baxzar as well, but no. Their classes are regular, not the Baxzar variation.
There are six doors in there. Two bathrooms and four leading to the rooms.
The woman from Baxzar; opened the door of her, which was first on the left and we could see inside.
Inside, I saw it is divided into two parts; both sides have beds, a table, and a cupboard.
One side looked more occupied; the person had been here for a longer time, than the one on the other side. That is likely the woman beside us.
The group from Baxzar, had come here a little over a week ago.
"How are you adjusting so far?" I asked, turning to the woman. She seemed surprised by the question.
"It''s very different from what I had expected, but heaven compared to hell we had been in," she replied with her eyes becoming distant for a moment.
A few minutes later, we walked out of the suit.
"I thought, those of Lv. 20 and above, get their own personal room?" I asked.
That''s what Swan had told me.
"They do, but all the new girls. Irrespective of their level, they have to live in sharing until they complete the first semester," replied the woman.
We climbed floor after floor. I asked the questions and looked at the girls, till we reached the top floor. The sparsest of all the floors.
Two people saw me and came. One is a teen, while the other is a woman in her late thirties.
"Miss Dawnstar," they greeted. The woman beside me looked surprised.
"Ladies," I replied.
"I hope, you will love it here," said the older one. "I hope so too," I replied.
They smiled before extending a small box. To that, I arched my brows. "It''s the key to your suite," replied the younger one.
"Thank you," I thanked.
"Have a good evening, Miss Dawnstar," they said and walked away.
"They were madams," said the woman beside me before turning to me.
"Who are you?" asked the woman, turning to me.
"Same as you. I have taken a teaching position here," I replied, to her surprise.
I opened the box, took out the key, and walked toward door number seven this key belongs to.
Click!
I stopped beside it and entered the key, before opening the door and stepping inside.
"A four-room suite. Only vice-headmistress has it," she said, looking at me intently. I didn''t say anything to that and explored the suite.
It has a living room, a bedroom, a guest room, and a workroom.
The furniture is beautiful, but the thing I like the most is the view of its huge balcony. It gives me a clear view of the park and the legacy.
I stayed there for a few minutes before I stepped out and got out of the building.
"What do you want to see next, Miss Dawnstar?" she asked. "The academic building," I replied. The place, I will spend most of my time.
She nodded, and we walked toward the five-story building not far away from us.
Soon we reached it and stepped inside. What I saw couldn''t help but surprise me.
There are people, a lot of them.
"I didn''t expect to see so many girls at this time," I said, looking at all the women.
"Since a lot of us worked in the legacy. The timing of the classes adjusted according to it," she replied.
I nodded and walked ahead. Looking at classes that are happening right now. I didn''t do the classrooms, but I watched for minutes through the windows.
I saw girls learning instruments, literature, pottery, along with so many other things.
It shocked me because despite reading about it.
I thought they would be most focused on the things that would help them bed more people, but here I saw very few classes related to that.
"It feels like the real academy," I said as I reached the top floor, looking at everything.
"It is," replied the woman.
She believed that, and seeing it, I believed it too, and it is making my head spin a little because I don''t think. This should help Silver.
He should have focused on teaching them classes that would help the girls get better in business.
Here, he is teaching them things. That will make them independent. Making them leave after their contract is over.
The whores stays in the brothels despite gaining their freedom, because there is no other choice. Nobody other than brothels would hire them.
Here, they are learning skills that will help them after their contract is over, which couldn''t help, but make me think, why Silver is doing this?
Many will leave. To some, it won''t matter if it is a legacy and huge money. To some, the hope to gain a self is more than enough to abandon anything.
I am going to ask him that question.
I looked at my office on the top floor before getting out of the academic building and walking to the magic suite.
I lived in a city where there were hundreds of magic towers. So, a mere suit didn''t impress. Though, what impressed me is whores learning magic.
Swan could cast a spell. I have seen it and she isn''t the only one.
One of my mage clients had told me I have a magic talent, and they even unlocked it, but that mana attribute remained the same.
I had never got a chance to learn the magic, nor I ever thought it was a possibility until now.
Chapter 587: If That’s What You Want
Onyx Halcyon, Beyhelm.
"The kindness of his majesty has its limits, Lord Halcyon," said the man sitting across from me in my office.
"Father, you shouldn''t overuse his majesty''s magnanimity," added my ungrateful son.
"I know, Lord Guardian Danis. The opening is a few weeks away. This old man can live at least that long," I replied with a smile despite the rage I was feeling in my heart.
I had given these bastards so much for decades, but despite that, they were not willing to even let me die with dignity.
They''ve grown even greedier, trying to squeeze every last drop out of me.
"Please ask His Majesty for just a little longer. A day after the casino opening, His Majesty will have what he wants," I replied.
"I will try, Lord Halcyon," the man said before leaving the office.
They will never get what they want. I''ve given them enough, and I won''t sacrifice my dignity in death.
"Father, why are you making His Majesty wait? You''ve given my sister what she wanted¡ªmore than you''ve given us," he accused.
He and his brother had received more than their sister, yet they complained that I had given her more.
"Do you want your father to die so quickly?" I shot back angrily.
What the king is asking will, without a doubt, kill me. Not that I have much left¡ªmy small heart attack nearly took me two days ago.
That''s precisely why these bastards are clamoring for it.
But they can''t force me. If I don''t want to, they won''t be able to do a damn thing.
¡
"We are nearing the city," said Eva, looking through the window of my suite.
It is where we had spent most of the time in the past one and a half days.
"We have a few minutes more," I said, kissing her chest gently before going down slowly.
"Stop, haven''t you had enough already?" she asked, resisting, but her eyes were filled with the desire. "No," I replied, grinning at her.
In the following minutes, the familiar moans rang out through the suite.
We only stopped when the port came into view.
"What are we going to do once we reach the city?" she asked, putting on her clothes.
"We''ll do what we have been doing," I replied, appearing beside her and taking her lips in mine.
"I''m an old woman. People will talk, and there''s also Carla," she said, finally meeting my gaze.
"You are not old. As for people, let them talk." I said, shaking my head. "As for Carla, she is the last thing you should be worried about," I added.
She looked at me intently, and I smiled before kissing her neck; it was her sensitive spot, which was why she pushed me away immediately.
"Can we keep it secret? At least for a while?" she asked, and I was about to shake my head, wanting to reassure her not to feel ashamed. But when I saw the emotion in her eyes, I hesitated.
"If that''s what you want," I replied.
I had harbored a crush on her for a long time, and after spending more time together, I realized just how much I liked her. As for her age¡ªit didn''t matter.
She may be a little older, but I thought that only made her more intriguing.
Soon, we finished putting on our clothes, and I activated Get Ready to wipe away the lingering scent of sex that clung to me.
Click!
We stepped out of the room and onto the deck.
"They''re working fast," she said, looking ahead.
"They are," I replied, surprised.
I''d been getting daily reports, but seeing it with my own eyes really highlighted just how much progress they had made on the bridge.
Trollmouth is a wide river. It would have taken two years to build it on Earth.
Here, six months will be enough.
The magic makes even the most time-consuming tasks feel incredibly short, especially here, where we''ve received a considerable sum from the Synod.
I wish the academy could be this simple, but judging by the terms, it doesn''t seem likely. I can only hope I''m wrong.
Soon, the yacht docked at the port, and the ramp lowered.
"Welcome back, my lord," welcomed Robin and Lola as I walked down.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"It''s good to be back home," I replied as I looked at the city''s bustling port. Even this early in the morning, there are a lot of people.
We walked toward the carriage while Eva walked with her son, who had come to receive her.
I am going straight to the city hall. There is a lot of work waiting for me there. I will be lucky if I can go to the tower today.
"How are things?" I asked Robin. "Good, aside from a few things, of course," he replied, and I smiled.
We talked, and they informed me about general things. I listened while looking through the window.
Soon, the carriage crossed the gate, and I felt the control. Now, I am in command of hundreds of spells. Anyone who dares to attack me here is in for a nasty surprise.
The city feels different.
It isn''t just the unfinished buildings that are now finished¡ªmore are being constructed¡ªbut the city''s energy feels more vibrant than before.
Soon, the carriage entered the city hall and stopped.
I got out and walked inside with many people bowing. I nodded at them as I walked toward my office.
"The trip was a success; we have accomplished 80% of the things we wanted and even received a few unexpected surprises," I said as I sat down.
"I agree, It''s quite surprising. Especially the deal about the academy," said Robin.
"So, what are the things we couldn''t talk about it remotely?" I asked, and Lola placed a file in front of me.
I opened it and began to read. There is some good news and some not-so-good news.
"They have created their own trade route with Navr," I sighed as I put down the file.
Deerpond had resumed the trade with Navr, but instead of using Greltheaven to access Mirador Hold. They are using Brimbale.
If it had just been Deerpond alone. I wouldn''t have been worried, but it''s not.
Port Midlet, where that bastard, Zanav, controls. Along with Riverbell. The unofficial dominion of Deepond.
There is also Peguexe and Wildhelm. All of it will move to that route.
"It is why. The bridge will be invaluable to us," replied Robin.
They may have those cities, but they represent a small part of what we could earn from our trade with Navr.
The empire matters the most. It is a hungry beast for the goods.
We have the best connections with Navr. My people and merchants in the city acts as middlemen to help them get what they want.
They are still nervous about dealing directly with the undead kingdom, which is good for us.
We have a well-developed direct road to it. The bridge will make things even easier.
"We need to maintain the lead. Deerpond has money and resources that everyone wants, and you can bet they''ll use them with surgical efficiency," I stated with all seriousness.
We discussed a few more things before Robin left.
"Brother!"
Josie came running through the open door, and behind her, Heron followed.
Seeing them, a wave of shame hit me. I had failed them. I couldn''t bring their mother with me.
"I missed you," Josie said, wrapping her arms around me.
"I missed you too," I whispered, holding her tight.
A few minutes later, they sat across from me, and we shared breakfast. I wished Carla was with us, but she was out on business.
They left after breakfast. They had school to attend.
"What is the report on hotels?" I asked Lola. The casino will be opening next month, and I need hotels.
It is one of the jobs I ask her to focus on the most. The legacy is vital for the economy of the city; the casino will make its importance even greater.
I need hotels for it. I don''t want them to enjoy themselves and leave; I need them to stay longer and contribute to the other parts of the city''s economy.
"Most of them are on time. Some might be able to finish before the expected date," replied Lola before handing me the file.
It has a progress report on hotels, inns, taverns, and every other hospitality establishment under construction in the city.
I read them while closing my eyes now and then to examine the progress personally with the Eye of the Master.
The skill is amazing. It lets me look at nearly everything in the city. I don''t have to visit them personally to see their progress.
Soon, I finished and put the file down.
"How are the orcs doing?" I asked.
While the huge tide was building and even after the battle, a large number of orcs were coming to the city.
Even the tribes that were safe so far begin to have the monster problem. It isn''t just on the Baronies and merchants'' sides but also on Navr''s.
This tragedy is giving us a lot of people¡ªthe people we need.
"Good. The people from the resettling office are doing a good job," she replied.
We have learned much from the orcs'' migration and created a sub-department to help those orcs settle in the two cities.
They will provide them with housing and quickly find them a job.
With the speed, the city is growing. There are a lot of jobs in the city.
Still, despite their increased numbers, they aren''t even half of the new people settling within the city.
Many people are coming from the empire. The conflict has been spreading, displacing people, some of whom are coming to Greltheaven despite the risks.
I asked a few more questions before readying for my next appointment.
Click!
The door opened, and General Stone and Cardin walked inside.
"My lord," they greeted.
"Stone, Cardin. Take a seat," I replied. "Thank you, my lord," replied Stone, and they sat before me.
"Have the undead made any movement?" I asked. "No. They had not crossed their boundary even once," replied Stone.
"Have you heard any whispers about that incident from your connections?" I asked, and he sighed.
"Too many. Some say it is a move from the undead to confuse enemies, while some say it was triggered by the dungeon."
"Some are even saying it is a grand spell," he replied, shaking his head.
On Mayhurst Island. A massive horde of undead had simply disappeared, along with a Lv. 40 commander. The only thing that remained was an enormous crater.
It had made quite the news.
I had my suspicions about the incident as it happened at the same time I was meeting the Archmage. I didn''t believe for one moment that it wasn''t related. I smiled internally.
"What are the recruitment numbers?" I asked. "Very good," replied Cardin with a smile and forwarded a file.
I opened it and read through it swiftly.
"The orcs didn''t disappoint," I said as I finished with the file. "They do not," replied Stone with a smile.
The newly coming humans pale in comparison to orcs when joining the army.
Human numbers are greater only because they have the advantage of sheer population, but when counted as a percentage, Orcs surpass them.
Over 50% of newly arrived Orc men enlist in the army. In the forests, most of them are warriors by necessity, constantly facing the myriad threats that lurk there.
The army offers them the best path forward¡ªnot only for protection but for opportunity. I ensure they''re well-compensated and provide them with additional benefits to make it worthwhile.
I''m pouring a significant amount of money into the army. A large portion of taxes, along with many of the resources I acquire in exchange for essence, is funneled directly into it.
It''s essential. For the next six months, we''ll push recruitment and preparation harder than ever because when those six months are over, the undead will come¡ªand they won''t come in small numbers.
"Your gamble with Axsteel paid off," I said, praising Stone as we wrapped up most of the discussion.
"It was risky, but that woman has the potential and power we need," Stone replied with a confident smile.
"She''s already being headhunted," added Cardin.
Baxzar, Kalgha, and even some non-Orc states had already approached her. She''s a spirit shaman¡ªthe kind highly sought after by many.
Honestly, even I''m surprised by her performance.
It wasn''t just the power she demonstrated but the authority with which she commanded. I haven''t read the full report yet, but even old man Harrods called me personally to praise her.
"Then we will have to make sure she doesn''t leave," I replied.
Chapter 588: Night
It was late at night when I finally left the city hall after a long, intense meeting with the city''s key figures.
I hadn''t even left for dinner. Instead, like before, the children had come to the city hall, and we shared a meal there.
As I stepped outside, I took a moment to observe the city. Even at this hour, it was alive¡ªpeople heading to restaurants, dance bars, and other places.
Getting things to this point had taken a tremendous amount of effort. The influx of tourists played a significant role, and with the infrastructure in place, everything began moving in the direction I had envisioned.
A lot of these people are tourists; it is easy to tell with my class.
It''s still a work in progress, and there''s so much left to do, but I will lead this city to where it needs to be.
Soon, the carriage rolled into the beautifully lit park, its path leading straight to the tower, while my eyes lingered on the people enjoying the night.
Even at this hour, the park was alive with activity¡ªpeople walking, sitting, eating, and simply enjoying themselves, doing whatever they pleased.
The carriage stopped in front of the tower, and I stepped out.
"Welcome back, Master Silver," Lorle greeted me warmly at the reception.
"It''s good to be back, Lorle," I replied, glancing around the lobby.
It, too, was bustling with people.
Some people were coming in and out of the lobby, while others lingered, admiring the art and the massive skeleton on display.
I watched them for a moment before heading to the elevator.
I wanted to check on the casino, especially since it would open in just over two weeks. But there was one thing I needed to take care of first.
Finally, the elevator stopped at the top floor, and I walked out.
Click!
I reached the office and entered inside. Caena was already waiting there.
"How is it?" I asked as I stepped inside.
Immediately, the office faded away. Everything went dark momentarily before the sun appeared, faintly bigger than the last time I''d seen it.
Soon, the planets materialized, and my focus shifted to the one¡ªthe planet I used most of the time.
The planet extracts emotion essence from the surface of its core. It''s bright and vibrant, with pools filled with immense amounts of essence.
But right now, the planet holds something more than just emotion essence.
In the center, floating above the surface is a red saber.
I had sent it to her the moment I entered the city.
She spoke: "It''s in good shape. Its true power had been spent, but not by much. The emotion essence was able to replenish it."
"So, it''s in perfect shape?" I asked. "Yes," she replied.
Hearing that, a smile appeared on my face, and the next moment. The saber appeared in my hand.
I could feel its power, the desire from it that wants me to bond with it.
I sighed and put it away in a wooden box. Storing it in the vault.
"You are not going to use it?" she asked with a clear surprise in her voice. To that, I shook my head. "There is someone better," I replied with a sigh.
I very much want to use it, but it will serve a bigger purpose in that person''s hand.
I pushed those thoughts away and looked at the core. The sun is absorbing a massive amount of emotions every second.
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
Many people believe my legacy is the grand palace on the outside, with the humble cottage hidden within. They think it''s just a standard Grade III at its core.
They do not think It can absorb the emotions of the massive number of people entering.
They are gravely mistaken.
My legacy is far more efficient than any other at the same level and has a larger emotional slate.
Over 90% of the emotion it absorbs goes directly to my core. I can''t harvest it all, as that energy is used for the legacy''s growth. Ultimately, I can only harvest less than 10% of it.
But even that much is immense.
Once the legacy reaches its full capacity, most of that 90% will become mine. Just thinking about it fills me with excitement.
The possibilities with that much essence... the things I''ll be able to do... they''ll be nothing short of monumental.
The legacy is about to take the first bite of the Onyx Halcyon. There are three other legacies I''ve signed the contract for the first bite with.
They will provide the core essence, which will help my core grow even further.
However, I must be cautious¡ªnot too greedy. I can only absorb the core essence that aligns with my vision, not a drop more.
If I become too greedy, it will end up costing me the future of my legacy.
The core disappeared a minute later, and I sat in my chair.
"How is the business?" I asked. "Great, we are growing every week. Especially the stores, they are increasing the production by the day," she replied.
The more they use the mist. The more proficient they would become.
"Good. I need that, considering the number of contracts I have signed already," I replied.
I have signed too many contracts, but that was the intention. Those contracts will provide me with a massive amount of money, along with relationships with legacies and powerful people.
"The new girls?" I asked.
"They are adjusting. They have already started the classes and are doing well," she replied.
Unlike the other girls that had come to the velvet garden. Those coming from Baxzar had the biggest traumas. Adjusting to this new place wouldn''t be easy.
I am doing what I can, including the soothsayers, to heal their traumas.
"Miss Dawnstar is currently observing things and studying our requirements to create the course," she added.
It is me who asked her to observe for a week or two before she started teaching. She needs to understand Velvet Garden first before she can teach its girls.
"It took a lot of money to get those things," I said after a moment of silence. To that, she smiled. "They will be worth it," she replied.
"I really hope so,"
I am talking about the resources she needed for the witchcraft. They were really expensive, but I was able to get them all in Archmage City.
A few minutes later, she left.
I took out the files waiting for me and began to read through them.
Caena is right. The business is good, and productivity increases as their mastery over the mist deepens.
One and a half hours later. I got up and walked out of my office.
I still have to read a few more files, but I will do that tomorrow.
I stepped into the elevator, and it went down. Soon, it reached the underground area before stopping.
"Lord Silver," greeted the woman as I stepped out of the elevator. "Miss Halcyon," I replied before we walked looking around.
They have made tremendous progress. It could be said it is ready.
"Everything is nearly ready. If we wanted, we could open in a week," she replied.
She wants to.
I want that, too, but other preparations also need to be made. Next month isn''t just the casino''s opening but also the legacy''s first anniversary.
It will be a big celebration, and a lot of people will come to the city.
I need the whole city to be ready for that.
"Good, means we have time to look at every single mistake we could make before we open," I said, as I walked inside, looking at everything.
I have already started bringing things. Setting them, in their places.
I want everything to be perfect. The day will be very important and will be important for the future of the casino and its legacy.
I looked at all the floors and other things before entering the elevator.
I didn''t go up, but a floor down.
The elevator opened, and I got out. I saw men and women working at tables with tools and resources that cost arms and legs.
These enchanters meticulously carve enchantments onto the mist goods using the mist itself.
At the moment, the power of the legacy is only covering half of this floor.
I am moving that half floor to the roof and the lowest floor in the shifts. When there is a function, the power of legacy will occupy the roof.
When there is not, it will occupy this enchanters'' floor.
I would also use the theatre''s legacy space when it is not open. It is the only floor that has remained free space for over three hours.
The rest now remained open, including the store floors.
"Lord Silver," greeted the old man with pale blond hair, slowly turning white. He looked to be in his late sixties, with a round face and a small nose.
"Edger, How are things going?" I asked.
He isn''t an enchanter. He is more like a manager with decades of experience working in an enchanter''s workshop.
His job is to handle the enchanters and their needs, and it is much more demanding than one realizes.
The one who handled things before didn''t do a very good job.
"Very good, my lord. Especially now that you have bought the tools and the inks we needed," he replied.
We have bought a lot of tools, really expensive ones, and inks. We are trying to produce the inks that we want here, but we do not have the capacity to create some.
I need more space!
I want to create more than just spaces where things are forged and enchanted; I want to craft the very ink itself.
By using mist, all three processes¡ªcreation, enchantment, and inscription¡ªwill enhance the quality and longevity of mist goods. But right now, it isn''t possible. There simply isn''t enough space.
However, we will have the capacity one day.
I talked to Edger and a few enchanters before stepping into the elevator.
I came out on the store floors and walked through each floor, checking things with my own eyes and talking to the staff and the patrons.
By the time I reached the top floor. It was late, so I didn''t return to the office and went directly to my bedroom.
I tried to sleep, but it seemed to elude me.
''Come to me?'' I asked as I connected to Eva. ''We have decided to keep it a secret for a while, remember,'' she replied after a moment of silence.
''Don''t worry, nobody will know,'' I replied, controlling the mist on her floor.
''Give me a few minutes,'' she answered finally.
Chapter 589: Mounted
I stepped out of my office and found the entire top floor bustling with activity. It''s rare to see it empty or even half-empty, and this morning was no exception. The space was filled with people, most of them enjoying breakfast.
Over 70% of them were non-locals¡ªsome visiting Greltheaven for business, while many others paused here on their travels to experience its rich legacy before continuing on their way.
Velvet Garden is unique.
It is a brothel, which means it remains open the entire night, and it has restaurants, theatres, and stores, so it also stays open during the whole day as well.
No matter when the people come. There is always something for them.
"Soon, I saw the person I had come down to see. She is sitting with her husband, and Carla is talking to them.
"Lord Blackwell, Lady Blackwell. I hope you both are having a good time?" I asked as I stopped beside them.
She is working in the tower garden while her husband has come to meet her.
"We are, Lord Silver," replied the man.
"I am glad, but if you need anything. Don''t hesitate to ask," I said. "We will not," replied Lady Blackwell.
I talked to them for a minute before walking away with Carla.
"When are you leaving?" I asked. "In the evening," she replied, and I sighed.
It had been only a few days since she had returned, and she was leaving again. I wish she could delay the trip, but I know she couldn''t.
It is an important trip.
"Don''t worry. You''ll have Eva to keep you company," she teased with a sly grin. I raised an eyebrow and shot her the look.
She seems lighter now, freer¡ªthe worry that once lingered in her eyes has vanished. There''s always been a strange tension, a quiet fear about our relationship. A fear that something will happen to our relationship.
Many times, she pushed me to take one or more lovers, and now that I did, that worry seemed to disappear.
It is the opposite of most women ¨Cthey don''t want to share their partner. On the other hand, she does, and it seems to reinforce her trust in me.
I had tried to understand it, to make sense of the unease in her eyes, but I couldn''t. Her experiences are different, shaped by a world unlike the one I once knew. Even after more than five years in this strange place, so much about it remains a mystery to me¡ªits people, its customs.
Soon, we stopped near the outer pillar, where the plants were denser than usual.
The harvest is happening right now, and our people and Mage Irgal''s are performing it. They are training the people we hired in everything from caring for the plants to harvesting them.
It is all part of the agreement.
"She is doing good," I said, looking at one of our new hires. The green mage. "She is a very talented and hard worker," replied Carla.
She came with a complicated history, but that relationship had ended.
The harvest, as usual, would be divided into two parts. One will go to the hidden city, and the other will go to us.
Even now, I keep most of what I harvest to myself and sell only a small portion.
I am hiring the alchemists, and they are doing well. In a few months to a year, they might become good enough that I will have them working with these things.
I stayed in the legacy for only an hour before leaving it.
I have an important meeting at city hall in a few minutes.
Soon, I found myself in the carriage, gazing out the window. The view outside felt oddly unfamiliar¡ªwhere the lush tower garden had once stood before I left for the Archmage''s city, there was now nothing. It had vanished, leaving behind only space.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
These people are preparing for the new Tower Garden.
The one that will have precious plants that grow using emotion mist. I have spent a massive amount of essence growing them in the greenhouses, and once planted, they will consume even more essence.
Using network vines isn''t as efficient as directly taking the mist, but given the value of these plants, it will be worth it even then.
So much had changed in the nine days since I returned, especially the hotels; many have been finished, and many more will be completed in a week.
It was a worry that had been weighing on my heart, though it has eased a little now. The hotels are just one piece of the puzzle. The infrastructure push spans the entire city, aimed at making it truly sustainable.
I want visitors to experience Greltheaven in its entirety¡ªnot just the Legacy but everything it has to offer. That''s why this infrastructure effort is so comprehensive, though it''s costing me a fortune.
Without the essence, I wouldn''t have been able to afford any of it.
The taxes and other revenues are increasing monthly, but it''s far from enough to support the growth and the massive expense that the beast of the army required.
Though, they will be one day. It will take some time, but it will happen.
Soon, the carriage stopped at city hall, and I got out. I didn''t go to my office.
Instead, I headed to the meeting room.
Click!
The guards bowed and opened the door. I nodded and went inside, where seven people were waiting for me.
Locke, Valentina, Mage Aldridge, Amellus, and others.
"Lord Silver," they greeted. "Everyone," I said and sat down.
"It is ready," said Lock, sliding the thick papers toward me. I had already read it, not this version but the one we had crafted before.
This is the altered plan, according to the proposal I signed with the synod for the academy''s funding.
''How is everything?'' I asked Lola as I opened the two thick stacks. ''Good,'' she replied.
I might not have read the whole proposal, but she did.
A few minutes later, I closed them and turned to the people sitting before me.
"The conditions in the agreement are going to make things difficult, but we need the funding," I stated.
Many sighed. Everybody understood; it wouldn''t be easy, but there wasn''t much choice.
"I should release the tenders, then?" asked Valentina. "Yes," I replied.
If it had worked as the proposal we had produced. Then, it would be us who designed and built the academy since it was buildings, just the normal, grander ones.
For the Magic Tower, we proposed partnering with outside firms like we did building the legacy.
But according to the agreement we signed, we can''t do either.
We will have to issue the tender for the design and construction of the academy and the Mage Tower. The most frustrating thing is that no firm in my city could bid on it.
They have given us a list of firms; we will send them the tenders, and they will have a month to submit their bids.
"Don''t be too pessimistic, my lord. All the firms here are experienced and reputed," said Valentina. "I hope so," I replied.
Maybe she is right. I am worrying excessively.
It''s just that I don''t like it when things aren''t in my control. It had worsened since the trip to the Archmage City when many unexpected things happened.
"Whoever wins the tenders will have no choice but to adhere to the requirements we''ve outlined¡ªthey''ll be contractually bound," Locke added.
It reassured me. Others may win the tenders, but we''ll be the ones pulling the strings. This is ours, and without us, they won''t be able to accomplish a thing.
The meeting stretched on for an hour before I finally stepped out of the conference room.
"Miss Jenna and Lord Rutto are waiting for you," said Jill, looking at the waiting room.
"Send them in," I replied as I entered my office.
"Master Silver," "Lord Silver,"
A few seconds later, they walked inside and greeted me with a bow.
"Take a seat," I offered. "Thank you, my lord," they replied as they sat before me.
"Have you made all the preparations for your trip?" I asked. "Yes, my lord. We have prepared the gifts and made the other arrangements," he replied.
I nodded and turned to Jenna.
"I had prepared the things Harrick had asked us for," she added.
They are leaving for the celebration of Harrick''s Legacy tomorrow. I thought it would be in a month, as that is the most common timeframe, but the Viscount Lost decided to do it in two weeks.
That''s fine as well. The sooner this hubbub settles, the sooner Harrick can shift his focus back to his legacy.
I''m sending two people for this. Jenna will represent the Velvet Garden, while Rutto will act as my representative, officially tied to the city.
I am glad he accepted the job offer, and he is good at this sort of thing.
He might look like a good-for-nothing, just living off his ancestor''s name, but the man is intelligent.
It''s just that the weight of the name had kept him down. Nothing he did was good enough to match the name he was born with.
It was a blessing, just as it is also a curse.
I hope he succeeds and levels up¡ªit''s crucial, both for me and for the city.
His advancement will grant the city a powerful asset; for me¡ it will mean a book.
Every book he has provided so far has been both expensive and rare. Most importantly, they''ve proven to be incredibly useful. Even the lower mages aside, figures like Aldridge, Zela, and Valentina have all admitted that these books have been helping them immensely.
"Best of luck. Both of you," I wished.
The celebration isn''t the only thing they are going to do. I had asked them to do some other important things. I hope they will succeed.
A few questions later, they bowed and left.
Hours passed. I worked, met some people, and attended a few meetings before walking out of my office at the same time as I did yesterday and for a few days before.
I sat in the carriage, and soon, it reached the compound of the cavalry.
"Lord Silver," greeted a white-haired man in his sixties.
"Captain Clarence," I replied before walking into a small building, coming out, wearing the gear, and walking toward the training yard, where familiar beasts and people were waiting for me.
I am in training for mounted combat.
It is not something I wish to use in battle, but it is a necessary skill for a lord to have.
Besides, I''m well-suited for this, thanks to the skills I''ve gained from the Trainer Class.
Chapter 590: Spell Check
Caena
The elevator door opened, and I stepped out onto the casino''s first floor.
Tomorrow, it opens, I thought, a surge of anticipation coursing through me.
I''m not talking about the casino opening. I''m talking about the big spell¡ªthe one I''ve created and refined countless times since I first began.
Remus is pushing for 10% of the core essence, but I''m holding firm at 15% at the very least.
The spell isn''t just for the casino and its legacy¡ªit extends beyond that. It covers all the floors and even connects to people. Some of our people have been training in Onyx Halcyon, and I made sure to include them in my crafting. When they returned three days ago, they seamlessly connected with the rest of the spell, just as I''d intended.
Their return has made the spell even more powerful.
Ideally, I would have had at least a month of an active casino to fuel the spell fully, but at this rate, we''d be lucky to get more than a few hours of it.
Lord Halcyon''s condition is dire¡ªhe''s barely holding on and could pass at any moment. He''s managed to keep himself going until tomorrow, but beyond that, it''ll be nearly impossible for him to hold them back.
The king is eager for the milking to begin as soon as possible, leaving little time to prepare.
Everyone understands if the man dies before that. He is not going to get anything.
That''s why I sent Danielle and the others to Halcyon, casting the complex craft on them to draw out as much of Onyx Halcyon as she could. She even managed to get the blood of the man¡ªhow she did it, I''m not sure, but it''ll be valuable.
It''s the first time I''ve used people as pieces in a craft, and I don''t know if it would even work. But I''m desperate, and there''s no room for failure. We''ve poured massive resources into this¡ªmore than just the essence. We paid a lot for the first bite, spells, time, and everything.
I had to dedicate much of my time to these spells¡ªthe time I had planned to spend upgrading the enchantments imprinted on the legacy.
If it succeeds, I will gain the knowledge I need to make this spell even better for the future. There are more first-bite contracts Remus had signed.
It would be tremendously helpful if we could harvest a large amount of core essence from their cores while minimizing the risk.
"Madam Caena," I heard a familiar voice and saw the mother and son duo approaching me.
"Miss Halcyon, how is your father?" I asked. She had gone to see her father. We didn''t stop them despite the opening being so close.
It''s her father, after all.
I would have given everything to have had one more minute to be with my mother.
"He is not well," She replied, nearly choking. "I am going to leave once more after the casino has opened," she added, her eyes tearing up.
"You should be with your father in his last days," I replied. I could see the relief in her eyes as she nodded.
We talked for a few minutes before I walked away.
I checked every charm and activated a few more to reinforce them. The new ones are powerful and crafted from the resources Remus had bought.
A lot of things and a lot of money are at stake here, but if we succeed, it will all be worth it.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
I finished my work and took the elevator to the top floor. I have a meeting with all the tower madams.
The elevator stopped, and I got out.
I spent a few minutes looking at things before entering the small conference room filled with all the madams.
Looking at them, I want to sigh.
We desperately need more madams, especially at the Tier II level¡ªthe seconds in command. Right now, the madams are divided into a three-tier hierarchy. The first tier is me, at the top. Carla is above, but her position is more business-focused. She oversees all of Remus''s business dealings, including Velvet Garden.
Carla doesn''t interfere in my business¡ªaside from a few things, she can''t. Here, I have absolute authority, second only to Remus.
Tier II is where the real impact lies, second in command. They are the pillars, the ones who handle the most critical aspects¡ªthe important floors and departments like guest relations, plants, and more. We desperately need more people in these positions, especially with the casino opening.
In addition, Remus has taken Jenna under his wing, removing her from the tower. She remains a madam of a legacy, but her role has shifted, and now she''ll be traveling much more.
That''s why I''ve promoted Senar to Tier II and brought Gloria in from the college.
I wish I could give Bell more visible responsibilities. She already has so many, both known and unknown: Teaching, acting as a secret adviser to Remus and the Legacy and handling other tasks that nobody else sees.
Besides, she wishes to remain in the background. Not to attract much attention.
The Tier III''s are the floor leaders, and some are assistants to the madams. We are training them, but they are not ready for more responsibilities.
"Madam Caena," they all greeted and got up.
Except for Carla, Margaux, and Miss Dawnstar. She had asked for permission to attend this meeting, which I had granted since we would only discuss administrative matters.
Given her newness, I wouldn''t have, but I did because of her experience. I would definitely like to hear her input. She runs her own business, and her insight could prove invaluable, especially with everything that''s unfolding.
I looked at them all and began.
"Tomorrow marks a historic day for us, the custodians of this grand establishment,"
"The anniversary and opening of the casino is not merely an event¡ªit is a statement. A statement of our commitment to excellence, our passion, and our unwavering dedication,"
"This milestone is the result of years of meticulous planning and tireless efforts from every one of you."
The words aren''t a lie. Every single one of them had made the velvet garden what it is. Without them, it wouldn''t have turned into a legacy, no matter how great its chances were.
"As we stand on the threshold of this remarkable achievement, let us take a moment to reflect on what makes Velvet Garden truly special."
"It is not just the legacy¡ªthough that plays its part¡ªbut also your dedication, professionalism, and genuine care that has transformed this place into a sanctuary. A stay into a lasting memory, and a visit into a story worth telling."
"Tomorrow, we will welcome dignitaries, luminaries, and distinguished guests from across the continent."
"They will come with high expectations, and rightly so. But I do not doubt that we will exceed them. Why? Because I have seen the passion with which you approach your work, the pride you take in your roles, and the teamwork that binds us together."
"You are the reason the Velvet Garden isn''t just a legacy but a transcending experience," I finished.
They clapped, and some even had tears in their eyes.
Tomorrow is a big day. I need them to be as motivated as possible, not only for the opening but also for the spell I had weaved.
"As we prepare for tomorrow. I want to remind you of a few key principles that will guide us," I begin with the business.
This meeting is only for the madams. Remus will address another one in the evening for the entire staff.
Forty minutes later, the madams begin to leave one after another.
"You run a pretty good ship, Madam Caena," said Miss Dawnstar as she appeared beside me. "It''s because the girls are capable," I replied, and her expression turned complicated.
I am not denying my contribution, but the girls are good. They work hard and learn fast.
"You know, despite being a whore and accomplishing things, only a few could. I had never given my fellow whores a true chance; I have unconsciously thought them lacking," she replied, with shame welling up in her eyes.
"It''s not your fault, Miss Dawnstar. The world considers us worse than animals, and they impose that view upon our very thoughts."
"It is extremely hard to break through that shackle," I replied. She nodded sombrely and walked away while I stopped at the bar.
"Madam Caena," greeted the woman.
"Cresa, have you considered my offer?" I asked the girl. "Yes," she replied, her expression turning serious.
"And?" I asked, with hope, despite knowing the answer, looking at her expression.
"The position is great, but I like working at the bar," she replied. Hearing that, I couldn''t help but sigh.
She is the second person who has rejected the offer to be a madam.
It''s a prestigious position with a lot of power, perks, and an excellent salary, but it doesn''t have that much allure for those who have found their own path.
I wish there had been more candidates, I could have asked, but there aren''t any.
The madams don''t only need to be capable but also loyal.
Loyalty is most important, given the secrets we dealt with and the kind of responsibilities and power madams are gaining in the city.
Chapter 591: Clayhill and Haywood
Baron Haywood
"Let''s hope the undead don''t attack and kill us all," Viscount Clayhill said, his voice laced with mock concern as we walked down the ramp of the yacht, docking at the overcrowded port.
"Don''t worry, Viscount. If the undead does come, I''m sure they''ll make a special exception for you," I replied with a smirk. He grinned back, though the underlying tension was evident.
It was a valid fear, but we were here to enjoy ourselves. We deserved it¡ªafter everything we''d endured over the past six months. The enemy had overrun our territories, and what was left of our armies was quickly absorbed by the imperials and other nobles.
We came here to escape the nightmare that started the moment the emperor died.
However, it isn''t the main reason we have come here. We have come for the business that could tremendously affect our future.
"Welcome to Greltheaven, Viscount Clayhill. Baron Haywood." greeted a young, attractive woman.
She is beautiful, tall, with deep blue hair. She is wearing a red dress that fits her perfectly. Seeing her, Viscount Clayhill licked his lips lecherously.
Besides the woman, there are two men, both belong to the city.
''We are being welcomed by a no-name whore and minor city official. ''It wouldn''t have been the case. If we had our territories,'' said Viscount Clayhill, with privacy.
"The dominion of Greltheaven is honored by your presence. We hope you will enjoy your time here," she added, leading us toward the carriage.
We stepped inside, and the carriage began to move.
I looked at the port; it is small but very crowded, likely only because of the opening.
"The nobles from Orlena''s side have also come," I said, to which Clayhill laughed. "This bastard is playing both sides and doing it well," he replied.
"It is only until one of them wins. After that, Silver will have to submit," I replied, and Clayhill sighed.
We have chosen our sides, and I can only hope it''s not the wrong one.
However, if we still had our territories, we would be in much better condition than we are right now.
We could only hope that our side won, that they would appreciate our loyalty, and that they would return our territories to us instead of granting them to others.
However, the chances of that are slipping with every passing day.
With what remains of our armies are being cut away, little by little. Already, more than half of the men in our armies have been taken by others.
Soon, the carriage entered the city and began to move.
"You know, I came to its inauguration two years ago. The city then and now is starkly different," said Viscount Clayhill, looking out the window.
I had an invitation but didn''t come. I wanted to, but the crown prince''s people warned me.
"So many orcs. Does the fool not fear the chaos that they might create?" I stated that when I noticed the orcs everywhere,
Most of them seemed to be in the army and city guards, looking at their uniforms.
There is a reason why the emperor expelled these filthy non-humans. Especially orcs; they are chaotic. Always hunger for conflict.
Soon, the legacy comes into view. We had heard so much about it that we instantly recognized it.
The vast park with a tower in its centre.
"Silver is extraordinarily lucky with this legacy. Nothing will harm him, no matter what he does," said Viscount Clayhill, with an apparent envy.
He is a man who was barely able to escape from his castle before the enemy''s attack. If he had gotten caught, the consequences would have been terrible.
The masters of the legacies are the safest people in the world.
People will kill the kings, but not the masters of the legacy. Especially someone like Silver, who is the master of this massive legacy.
I''ve heard Silver''s legacy is vast enough to swallow over a dozen common legacies whole. There''s been no shortage of rumors about it.
The carriage took turns and soon entered the circle park, filled with people and orcs. I also saw a few elves, half-elves, dwarves, and giant bloods.
"Silver is doing everything that is anathema to the empire," I said, my voice laced with disdain.
I don''t like orcs and other races. Even those elves are vicious and bloodthirsty. They wouldn''t hesitate to stab you after they fuck you.
"Stop the carriage!" called out Viscount Clayhill.
I looked at him in confusion, but he didn''t answer. Instead, he got out of the carriage. I followed behind and was about to ask him a question when my eyes widened.
"My god!" I cursed with my eyes wide.
"I had heard about this a few days ago but didn''t truly believe it," he said, with a barely audible voice.
The tower garden was shrouded in a light mist of emotion essence, radiating from eerie, beautiful vines that clung to every surface.
The plants that fill it are the most exquisite I have ever seen. There are different kinds¡ªnot just flowering plants but all kinds of trees.
One seemed like a sapling or cedar tree, while the other looked like wheatgrass stalks.
Despite the variety of plants and the chaotic mix of colors, the garden looked stunning overall.
Not all plants in the tower garden are beautiful. There are some really ugly ones, but even they looked lovely in the legacy''s colorful mist.
"It is a twelve-acre garden circling the legacy tower. The sheer amount of essence required to grow these plants is more than what a small legacy of the same level could produce," said the Viscount.
Hearing that, I couldn''t help but sigh.
"This feels too wasteful," I said, but Viscount Clayhill shook his head.
If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
"Far from wasteful. Even with inefficiencies of the network vines. Silver would earn far more from this than the emotion essence," he replied, shocking me.
I have difficulty believing that, but Viscount Clayhill knows his stuff.
His territory was a major producer of medicinal plants and around a quarter of its revenue used to come from that.
Many people move around in the garden, drinking in those wonderful smells and sights.
"Ahhh!"
Seeing them, a question couldn''t help but rise in my mind, but before I could even process it, a painful scream pierced the air, providing the answer.
I had been wondering how Silver could leave such treasures so exposed, with barely any guards around.
But now, I realized: He''s not leaving it unprotected.
Some kind of invisible enchantment covered them. That seemed to be such a painful shock that it had brought the man to his knees.
We entered the tower garden. Looking at every plant, smelling every smell.
Right now, most of these plants are small. Once they mature, this garden will become truly beautiful.
"This garden will give him a lot of power," I said. To that, Viscount Clayhill nodded.
Emotion essence is the most coveted substance in the world. It grants immense power to sovereigns and masters, but these plants¡ªthat feed off that source¡ªare even rarer than the essence itself.
We explored it briefly before walking toward the tower as the meeting time approached. We will be staying here for a few days.
Finally, we reached the tower and entered the building. The moment we did, the light smells became intense; simultaneously, the power of legacy filled me.
I had expected it to be light, like the mist surrounding the outside, but now I understand that the mist was there to nourish the plants. It was a careful balance, and I found this place to be the most powerful of all the Grade III legacies I had visited. Its subtlety only made its strength more apparent.
"Viscount Clayhill, Baron Haywood. Welcome to Velvet Garden," welcomed a purple-haired woman as we looked around the lobby.
At the familiar art pieces and skeleton that I had seen before, but in the mist, they looked even more beautiful.
"Please follow me; I will lead you to your meeting," she added. She walked toward the elevator, with Viscount Clayhill ogling the woman from behind.
We stepped inside, and it moved. Passing floor after floor. I wish to explore each of them now; I have heard quite a lot about them, but the meeting is important.
Soon, we reached the top floor, and the elevator stopped.
We exited into a magnificent hall decorated beautifully. The colorful mist made everything more exquisite, from massive crystal chandeliers to high-grade ashir marble.
There are people, but unlike most legacies, I have been in. It''s not crowded. Every seat is filled, but it is not crowded.
Space is a luxury in every legacy, but they didn''t seem to care about it on this floor.
Soon, the woman stopped beside a private hosting room.
"Please," she said as she opened the door for us, and we entered the luxurious room.
There are already three people waiting for us. One is familiar, and the other two are wearing an army uniform. One didn''t have a hand, while the other was just another orc, as predictable as they come.
Seeing him, my expression couldn''t help but sour.
It''s one thing to see orcs from a distance but quite another to have one standing right in front of you.
The anger surged through me like a hot wave I struggled to control. I wanted to spit, walk away, and show my disdain, but I held back. I needed things from Silver, and it wouldn''t do to leave in such a childish, dramatic huff.
"Viscount Clayhill, Baron Haywood. Thank you for coming," said Rutto as all three of them stood up in greeting.
Rutto was the one who had invited us with the offer.
"It is our pleasure, Lord Rutto," replied Clayhill while I could barely force myself to nod.
"This is Major General Hiren and Lt. Colonel Ralrik," Rutto introduced.
"It''s nice to meet you, Major General Hiren and Lt. Colonel Ralrik," repeated Clayhill, shaking their hands while I only nodded.
Even that took a great deal of effort.
There was silence for a second when the door opened, and servers put drinks in front of us. That distracted me for a moment.
I took the familiar drink, but when I took a sip. It felt completely different.
"The legacy; it really is amazing," praised Viscount Clayhill as he took another sip of amber liquid from the glass.
"I am sure you have got the chance to review the proposal. What do you think about it?" asked the one-handed man.
"It is risky for sure, and Greltheaven is quite elusive to what they are offering in exchange for it," said Viscount Clayhill, activating his skill.
I also activated The Nobles Prestige but was surprised when I felt Rutto''s skill the next moment.
''He wasn''t this strong last time,'' I thought.
Rutto was a courtier, living off his family''s name.
He was good at making connections and connecting people with the right people. It is how he had built enough political capital to get the position of guardian.
He resigned from that position to work directly for Silver, and quite a lot of people were shocked by that.
The other two had also activated their skills. Theirs were not weaker than Rutto''s. Significantly, the one-handed man''s skill suppressed ours.
They are above Lv. 30, but the one-handed man should be in the middle of it.
It''s very hard to reach that level, and according to our information, he is not even in the top three in Greltheaven''s army.
He is the fourth-highest ranked if the information is to be believed.
"Then I will be clear," said the one-handed man.
"The dominion of Greltheaven will hire your armies. They will become part of the dominions'' army; we will fund their salaries,"
"When you need it, you will have a chance to get them back as long as they agree to return."
"If you provide us enough numbers. The dominion will sell you the essence potions and other mist goods," he laid out clearly.
They want what''s left of our armies, what remained after the imperial forces and other nobles took their share.
Just thinking about it fills me with rage¡ªmy heart burns at the thought. But the truth is, we''ve lost our territories, and it''s become nearly impossible to sustain our forces under our command.
We can''t keep them for long. They''re draining us dry, costing a fortune every single month.
"Sell us?" Viscount Clayhill asked, his smile turning into something far more dangerous, his skill growing in intensity. "We''re handing over our armies, and your only offer is selling us the essence potions?"
The man remained unfazed by the outburst, casually sipping his drink as if unaffected.
"The essence potions are rare, Viscount Clayhill. Even being given the chance to buy them is an honor, especially in times like these," the man replied coolly, as if stating an undeniable truth.
His words dripped with arrogance, but unfortunately, he was right.
The essence potions are rare and expensive. Even for us, getting our hands on them was hard, but the war made it even harder. Getting your hands on a single bottle had become harder despite our connections and standing.
"Besides, you can take back your army whenever you are ready to liberate your territory, as long as they are willing to go with you."
"You do not have that chance with the other nobles and the imperial army, who have taken your men," he added before taking another sip of his drink.
The bastard is right. Every week, more and more of our people leave.
Joining the imperial army or the armies of various nobles and mercenary companies.
Not that we put much effort into making them stay. Watching them leave had actually lessened the financial strain on us, but if they all left, we''d be left with nothing. No weight, no influence.
It would make it nearly impossible for us to contribute to the liberation of our territories. Even if the emperor handed them back to us after reconquering them, our titles would be demoted, and our territories would shrink, along with everything else.
"Still, that doesn''t make it a better deal," I said, forcing myself not to glance at the orc, my frustration bubbling beneath the surface.
"It is, Lord Baron. Please look at these conditions; they are quite good," replied Rutto, who forwarded us the two stacks of documents.
I picked it up and opened the file before activating Fast Reading.
I turned page after page. Reading every line carefully.
They stated everything clearly here, including the number of emotional essence potions they are willing to sell us for the number of men we will give them.
There are conditions such as level, rank, and experience.
They are also willing to incur all the traveling expenses and solve the political roadblocks we will face.
It is clear they have given it a lot of thought and are willing to spend a lot of money on it.
I am sure we aren''t the only ones; they have called in for this. When I was in Warsteel a few weeks ago, I heard over ten other nobles were invited.
It is from the emperor''s side only. I am sure they have also called nobles from the Princess''s side as well.
"We will need some time to think about it," said Viscount Clayhill as he closed the file.
"Of course," agreed the one-handed man.
A few minutes later, we walked out of the room and saw a familiar noble walking toward the room led by the same woman who had led us here earlier.
"What do you think?" asked Viscount.
"It is good, but I am not going to do it. I can''t have my army fight beside these filthy orcs; I will become a laughingstock in the empire," I replied.
I didn''t even think about the undead. Fighting them is glorious, but not beside the orcs.
Hearing me, the expression on his face dimmed a little.
"You can''t be seriously thinking about it?" I asked, shocked.
"You know how the emperor will act. If he reclaimed all the territories, he would not give us ours back unless we contributed, and looking at how things are going, that is not going to happen soon,"
"I won''t be able to sustain my army for that long. There is no help from the emperor."
"Instead, he is taking bites of our armies and insistently asking us for money and the things we hold dear,"
Chapter 592: Anniversary
"This is the latest figure," informed Lola, passing me a slip of paper. I opened my eyes and took the slip.
"It seemed like I underestimated the allure of the legacy casino," I said, looking at the number. It is over three times more than what we had estimated.
The figure is the money guests are transferring into the casino''s accounts.
It is massive, and it''s only the afternoon. The casino will open in the evening.
The day had finally arrived. A year ago, this place became a legacy, and my life was forever changed from that moment.
Since then, I''ve faced it all¡ªthe triumphs, the trials, the victories, and the losses.
I handed the note back and closed my eyes. I am currently listening to Rutto and Hiren''s conversation with the noble from Princess Orlena''s camp.
He is the thirteenth noble; they had met since yesterday.
I want their armies, but it isn''t my only desire. I want them as well. These people may have lost their territories, but they have not lost their fortune.
If they came here, the others would come with their wealth.
While I want them, I do not ask them to live in the city directly. That will make things worse, as it would make me look desperate.
Asking for the army is one thing. It is the thing people always desire, whether it is in war or the piece. Asking for nobles is another.
But they will live here, wanting to be closer to their armies. To keep their loyalties from shifting.
I have no plans to return the armies they''ll so generously provide. That''s precisely why the clause includes their soldiers'' families¡ªleverage is a powerful thing.
I''m offering them even more benefits¡ªif their men bring their families along.
The nobles, of course, see right through my intent, but the choice is neatly wrapped within the contract. Unlike in the empire, where their armies and wealth are simply taken, here, they get the illusion of control.
I''ve even heard both princes have started demanding artifacts from them¡ªthe most prized possessions of any noble house.
Parting with those? That stings more than gold or men ever could.
The Imperials won''t allow those with artifacts to leave¡ªor even allow them to bring them into my territory¡ªbut that''s fine.
Right now, artifacts aren''t something I can openly claim anyway.
The Imperials won''t be pleased with how I am dealing with the nobles, so I extended them the same offer¡ªon my terms.
Their share depends on what people the nobles provide. As for the emotional essence, I''ll sell it, not hand it over for free.
They didn''t take kindly to that. Their response, laced with stern words, made that clear.
It''s a dangerous game, one I wouldn''t have played if not for the mounting pressure on the empire. The enemies have been relentless these past few weeks, but their momentum has begun to falter with the chaotic empire regaining its footing.
It might allow them to send an army to subjugate me, but it is unlikely to happen. Things have become more complicated than they were a few months ago despite their slowing down the enemies.
The enemies have come closer, and if one side moves at me, the others will move to stop them.
Most importantly, the Imperials are too consumed with their enemies¡ªand each other¡ªto spare an army. Without one, they have no means to subjugate me. And I have no intention of making it easy for them without one.
I still don''t know whether the imperials will let them come to me.
They could stop it, as they could have stopped more than half of the people I am poaching, but they didn''t.
They need me strong¡ªstrong enough to hold the line against their enemies, especially the undead. That necessity binds them, whether they like it or not.
If the undead seize control of the city, they''ll possess this massive Legacy¡ªone they will never relinquish. The Imperials understand that all too well.
They might not support me, but they are letting me build my force to defend myself and my legacy.
However, gaining nobles is a different subject.
It will certainly complicate things. But if nothing else, I am adaptable and always willing to negotiate.
Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
I can''t say for certain if it will work, but I''ll keep pushing forward. Relying on a single path to gain seasoned soldiers is a fool''s gamble¡ªI need multiple ways to secure them.
Our earlier poaching method is getting smoother every week. I bribed, bought, and threatened nobles whose territories formed the supply chain.
Now, I''m receiving a steady flow of soldiers each month. Even these territories have started to help me, sending men in exchange for the opportunity to buy more emotional essence.
Hun!
I was lost in thought when I felt it¡ªa surge of power, raw and undeniable.
Immediately, I got up and moved while my vision shifted to the location.
There, I saw an explosion.
For a fraction of a heartbeat, I thought it was an enemy attack, but I pushed that thought aside when I realized it had happened in the kitchen.
I could see the runes blazing to life to suppress the explosion. At the same time, the hidden power of the witchcraft charms begins to work stealthily with the visible power of skills.
They caused the explosion, which had the power to blast a third of the kitchen apart, to be limited to only a small part of it.
Soon, I reached the kitchen and saw the damaged section. Six people were sitting in the corner, covered by a screen.
The blast was quite powerful. Despite the protection, it burned clothing and injured the chefs.
When such things happen, the protections trigger, and these protections protect the people first.
"Zela," I said, and she walked ahead and started to cast a healing spell on them.
"What happened?" I asked. "The magic ingredients," replied Bass¡ªthe head of the second kitchen.
I had expected that much.
Our people were trained in handling them, and there are protocols, but things still happen.
We will have to investigate whether the chef made a mistake or the ingredients, which we test extensively before bringing them into the kitchen, were to blame.
I looked around before activating the Instant Restoration.
The mist moved, and the things began to return to their places. Even some parts embedded in people''s skin flew out, fixed back where they had been, and mended smoothly while people watched in awe.
This is my least used legacy skill, but the one I like very much.
Without it, fixing the damage, restoring the enchantment, and other things would have taken days. That would have been bad, especially with the opening.
But with the skill, dealing with such things becomes easy.
However, it does not come without a cost. It uses emotion essence. The greater the damage, the more emotion essence would be used to restore it.
Two and a half minutes later, everything is restored.
"It is fixed. Everyone, go back to work. You six, go home and rest," ordered Caena before we left the kitchen.
"Investigate it. I want to know what caused this," I said to Caena.
If there is any problem with our protocol for handling magical ingredients. We would make changes.
They will also investigate the whole batch of ingredients and the people working on them. Also, sabotage is a real possibility. Seeing how many people want to kill me.
"Already on it," she replied.
I didn''t return to the office and began to check things personally from the top floor downward.
Soon, I reached the store floors, where I had granted the mist to over 60% of the stores. They could be seen working with the mist as curious onlookers watched the transformation unfold.
The process of crafting things, many of which are slow and boring, became beautiful with the mist.
The goods they produce are also expensive and in very high demand.
That''s why problems are stirring here now. Greed clouds their judgment, driving them to commit crimes they should never have.
We are currently investigating. I want to unearth the whole thing and catch everyone involved.
I shook those thoughts aside and looked around me. Many people had come and could be seen filling the store floors. There was always a long line outside the legacy.
The tower garden is also crowded with a lot more people than usual.
The legacy has its own security under Stena, but today, the police are also helping. It is a significant day; we can not afford to be complacent.
As night fell, the tower and garden came alive with light, casting a mesmerizing glow that made the entire scene feel like something out of a dream.
"You look beautiful," I told Carla as Eudo readied her. "Thank you," she replied, turning to me.
She is wearing a long black gown and a large pink diamond necklace that Eva designed. The necklace brightens up her amber eyes.
I wanted nothing more than to keep my eyes on her, but the anniversary party was calling, and I couldn''t ignore it.
A lot of important people have come. Merchants, Lords, and even Masters of Legacys''.
"Ready?" I asked, and she nodded.
I took her hand and walked out. Soon, we reached the door and stepped out into the grand hall while everyone watched.
This time, I didn''t use aura. There is no need for that; I have already shown I have it. Using it now will give the enemies the information on my level of mastery.
We stopped and looked at all the guests.
I could see the nobles of the Nakar baronies: merchants, lords, and Masters of Legacys''.
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed Lords and Masters," I said, looking at all.
"Welcome to this momentous occasion! Today, we gather to celebrate not just the anniversary of Velvet Garden but also its incredible journey,"
"To most, it seemed to have appeared only a year ago, but its foundations were laid long before that¡ªeven before I ever set foot in this city."
I spoke and looked at Carla with a smile.
"The Velvet Garden began as a dream¡ªto be more than what society conforms it to be. Over the years, it has grown into a place where people connect, celebrate, and make memories."
It was not easy, and I wouldn''t have been able to do it without Carla and the others.
"Today, we''re also thrilled to mark a new chapter with the grand opening of our casino! This addition reflects our commitment to giving you that experience that you will remember your whole lives,"
"None of this would have been possible without you¡ªour patrons, tenants, and dedicated staff. Thank you for your support and for making Velvet Garden what it is today."
"Let''s celebrate the past, enjoy the present, and look forward to an even brighter future together. Thank you, and enjoy the festivities!" I finished.
"Your words reminded me of the first day I saw you," she said, looking at me.
"It was quite a day," I replied. Remembering the first time I saw her.
"I thought you were too na?ve and idealistic," she said.
"Now?" I asked, flashing a grin.
"You''re still na?ve about some things, still idealistic," she replied, her eyes locking onto mine. "But that''s a good thing. It means you still have those same convictions you had when we first met."
I raised an eyebrow. "So, in other words, I''m still a work in progress?"
She smirked. "Something like that. At least you''re consistent."
I wanted to kiss her, but I moved to greet the first guests.
I am excited about greeting all the important guests before the casino opens, but I am also worried.
A lot is riding on it¡ªthough, considering it''s a casino, I suppose that''s just irony at its finest.
Chapter 593: Velvet Casino
Onyx Halcyon, Beyhelm.
"We will start in an hour, Lord Halcyon," said the detestable man. I wanted just a day more, but they were only giving me an hour.
After giving them so much, that''s how they are paying me back.
"Of course, Lord Danis," I replied with a smile.
I have opened many casinos, both in the kingdom and outside of it, but none has excited me as much as the one opening in the Velvet Garden.
I wish I had been there. I had asked the bastards to allow it, but they quashed my request.
It had been a year since they had confined me to the city.
Even before the deal with the Velvet Garden, I had already planned to do precisely what I''m doing now¡ªdespite their pathetic warnings about the consequences.
They think their threats carry weight, but they''re mistaken. They don''t have nearly the power they believe.
If they dare do that to me, it will send a shockwave through every master of legacy in the kingdom for generations. There are far too many examples of what happens when people like them make that mistake.
¡
Halcyon
''We are ready,'' I said.
I am at the casino, leaving the party half an hour after it had started.
My heart is beating wildly like a drum. I am excited, and I wish my father had been here with me, but those bastards didn''t permit him.
Even when Silver personally requested.
The bastards have made my father a prisoner in the city for years. Not letting him leave and making excuses about his health and safety.
I took a deep breath and smiled as the first guest exited the elevator.
"Welcome to Velvet Halcyon, Baron and Baroness Lockridge," I welcomed with my son and Madam Margaux.
I thought it would be Madam Caena with me, but that woman liked to remain in the background.
Soon, more and more guests appeared and walked inside. They were checking the various games but not yet playing. They won''t be able to until we open.
It is only a few minutes away.
A few minutes passed, and finally, Silver entered with Chief Salt.
They are one beautiful pair. The children they will produce will make even elves envious.
"Lord Silver, Miss Salt," I greeted. "Miss Halcyon," He replied.
I turned and looked at my son, who tapped on his glass. Soon, the people gathered in front of us.
I glanced at Silver, and he gave a subtle nod.
I was taken aback when he told me it would be my role to address the opening. Typically, someone like him¡ªa noble¡ªwould never pass up the chance to step into the spotlight. They thrive on stoking their egos and taking every opportunity to level up.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Lords and Ladies, thank you for joining us for the grand opening of the Velvet Halcyon," I began.
"A place born from the visions of Lord Theus Halcyon and Lord Silver."
"It will be the place of excitement, luck, and endless possibilities! We open the doors to more than just a casino Tonight!¡ªwe unveil a world of thrills, fortune, and unforgettable moments."
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"May luck shine upon you, may fortune favor the bold, and may this casino become a place where magic and opportunity meet."
I finished my speech and turned to Silver, who stepped forward to cut the ceremonial ribbon. As his blade sliced through it, every ribbon around the games fell, severed in one sweeping motion.
The guests eagerly took their places in front of the games, their eyes alight with excitement. The air buzzed with energy as emotion mist swirled around them.
"I wish grandfather could be here to see this," said Aman. "He is not here, but he is seeing this," I said, looking at three mages.
They had cast the spell to let my father see the casino''s opening.
It could not compared to him being personally here, but it is the only thing we could do.
I looked around for a minute before moving to mingle with the crowd. A lot of people had come, and many were even from Ilden.
Most of the people here are from the empire and merchant states.
Some masters have also come.
Right now, it feels incredible, but it will be even better after it takes the bite of our legacy. As long as it is able to take 10% of it, Velvet Garden will gain the aspect of a casino.
10% is hard, but my father is going to provide a helping hand.
The thought of it brought tears to my eyes, but I know the truth. Father is dying, and nothing can stop that.
Time passed, and soon an hour passed.
Things are going smoothly, which isn''t surprising. Our staff is experienced, and we have made preparations for everything.
"Miss Halcyon, your father wants to talk to you," said Lirav, my mage.
I was going to talk to my father after I finished with the important guests, but speaking now is also fine.
I nodded and walked to my office.
A few seconds later, I sat down. Lirav extended his hand toward me. I took it.
''Congratulations, my dear. The casino will be a resounding success,'' said the voice.
"It took a lot of effort, papa," I replied, to which he laughed, and I laughed with him. It is rare for him to laugh. He used to a lot when Mom was alive.
"How are you, papa?" I asked. I am asking about his health, which isn''t good.
''Now that I have seen your casino, I am good¡ªbetter than I had been in the past few years,'' he replied, and I sensed something in his voice that made my heart tremble.
"Thank you, papa. I am coming tomorrow, bringing a lot of recording crystals that you will love," I said.
There was no answer¡ªa complete silence.
"Papa?" I asked, my heart sinking, fearing the worst.
"Goodbye, my dearest daughter. I hope you will find all the happiness in the world," he said, his words shattering me, tearing my heart apart.
"Papa, please, speak to me!" I begged, but the spell cut off abruptly from the other end.
"Lirav, connect to my father!" I shouted, tears streaming down my face.
"Mom?" Aman asked, his voice trembling, his eyes filled with unspoken fear.
My father is about to die¡ªand those bastards aren''t even waiting long enough for me to say my goodbye in person.
"He is not accepting," Lirav informed me, making me cry even harder. Please keep trying." This is all I could say, before I hugged my son and cried even harder.
¡
Caena
As the people began to gamble, the spell activated on its own.
Seeing that, a relieved smile spread across my face.
If it hadn''t been triggered, everything would''ve been for nothing. But it did.
Hun!
I was basking in the relief when a surprise appeared on my face. Seeing how fast the spell is charging up.
It''s happening so fast! Much faster than I''d anticipated. The people I had sent to the Halcyon Legacy lit up, their bodies sparking to me as the spell on them completed and seamlessly connected with the primary spell.
I thought it would take hours, but all it took was seconds.
It was the first time I had ever used a spell like this¡ªself-created, untested. I knew what could happen, but I wasn''t prepared for the sheer intensity of what was unfolding.
It wouldn''t have happened anywhere else.
The Velvet Garden is special. Witchcraft laid the very foundation of it, making it holy ground for witchcraft.
It''s a good thing¡ªit''s hidden so well within the legacy, or witches would be flocking to this place in droves.
Powerful witches, the kind who could send even sovereigns into nightmares. That''s why I tread so carefully.
I wanted to coven. It would have magnified the power of my craft, but despite a few girls having a mind for it, I didn''t recruit members.
I am still testing them through various methods. I need them to be absolutely loyal to Velvet Garden.
Minutes passed and turned into an hour.
The spell is blazing now in power. If anyone could see what I was seeing, they would get completely mesmerized by it.
Still, despite that, I don''t know whether it will work or not.
Such spells are complex and need to fit like a perfect puzzle. Any slight discrepancy and everything collapsed.
I pushed that worrying thought and focused on the spell while mingling with people. I want to do nothing and focus on the spell in a quiet place, but I am The Madam. I have to do these things.
"Madam Caena, will you join me for the game?" asked a middle-aged blond man.
"You already have Balis, Mr. Carson. You do not need me," I replied, looking at the girl in his arms.
We are letting patrons take the girls to the casino. The company of the beautiful girls enhances the patron''s experience.
This service isn''t available to anyone¡ªonly to those on a trusted list favored by the girls. It''s costly, but those with access can easily afford it.
''In Miss Halcyon''s office, now!''
I was mingling with the guests when I suddenly heard Remus''s voice in my mind¡ªfilled with urgency.
Chapter 594: Halcyon’s Core I
Onyx Halcyon
"Goodbye, my dearest daughter. I hope you will gain all the happiness in the world," I wished, tears welling up in my eyes.
I want to talk to her more, but I do not have the will to hear my daughter cry.
''Papa, p''
I heard her pleading scream as I removed my hand from Horish''s.
It was the most painful thing I did. I wish my daughter had been here, but it''s for the best.
"Empty the casino. I need to concentrate." I said to the man in front of me.
The things have gone so far that I couldn''t even command my own staff. A month ago, the king decreed that the staff would only listen to the commands of guardians.
"It''s done," he replied.
He didn''t have to say it. I could feel the souls leaving my domain.
"Do you really not want your children and grandchildren to be with you at the last moment, Lord Halcyon? They''re waiting just outside," he asked, feigning concern.
He didn''t care about them¡ªor me. He was hoping that, with them there, I''d hold back from doing anything they didn''t want.
"Milking is painful. I wouldn''t want them to see me like that," I replied with a smile.
They all are greedy bastards.
Milking is a process of forcefully extracting the core essence from the very heart of our legacies. It''s excruciatingly painful for the masters¡ªlike carving pieces from our very bodies.
It''s humiliating and undignified, especially after everything we''ve done for them.
"His Majesty appreciates your sacrifice, Lord Halcyon. He asked me to tell you that he will not forget it," the man said, his voice dripping with false sincerity.
"Please, thank His Majesty for me," I replied, my smile masking the fury beneath.
Over half an hour passed before the entire casino was emptied. Only the guards and the two of us remained, the silence settling in.
Silence has no place in a legacy. This emptiness is unnatural. Not even in the dead of night did it ever fall quiet¡ªit always thundered with the pulse of a thousand cannons.
"I will begin," I stated, and the man nodded with a smile.
A moment later, the mist drifted into the casino. His smile widened as he watched, holding for over a minute¡ªuntil his expression shifted. A frown crept onto his face.
He had finally realized what I was doing.
I was supposed to reclaim all the mist into the core, refining it into emotion essence before it could be transformed into core essence. But that wasn''t what was happening.
I am not doing that. Instead, I am infusing this mist into the walls, chandeliers, furniture, and everything else.
"Cease, Lord Halcyon. The consequences of this will be grave for your family," he threatened. Understanding what I was planning to do.
"Fuck you and that ungrateful little king!" I cursed. I wanted to do that for a long time.
He, too, the king, would be powerless to do anything against them.
It isn''t just about the precedent but also The Synod: the spirits and the titans. The descendants are protected, especially those who are dying with dignity.
Even with all his power, he won''t lay a finger on my children and grandchildren.
"You are making a grave mistake, Lord Halcyon," warned the man and unsheathed his sword when his expression changed drastically.
"Get out, you little bastard! I won''t have your filthy corpse buried alongside me!" I snarled, my voice ringing with fury. I didn''t flinch or fear that sword¡ªlet him try.
I could see the battle raging within him¡ªhe wanted to kill me, desperately so. But he also wanted to live. His hands trembled ever so slightly, his grip uncertain. He knew that if he struck me down, his own death would follow, swift and merciless.
So, the very next moment. He bolted.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
I wanted to kill the bastard myself, but it would not be worth it. So, I waited until he and the guards left the legacy before burning the mist.
In an instant, the entire casino erupted into a roaring inferno, the flames surging with the raw power of the mist.
I closed my eyes, and at once, the image of my dear wife appeared before me¡ªher smile, her warmth, the love we once shared.
"I''m coming, my love," I thought, my heart aching with both sorrow and peace.
The next moment, the core of my legacy materialized before me, pulsing with everything I had built, everything I had been.
"I hope you''ll be good to my daughter, Silver," I said, my voice steady despite the weight of my final act. Then, with one last push, I sent the core toward his legacy, surrendering everything to fate.
At that exact moment, I felt the life leaving me. I thought it would be painful, but to my surprise, it is not. It felt calm and peaceful as I faded out of existence.
¡
Caena
''In Miss Halcyon''s office, now,''
I heard Remus''s voice in my mind. It was a voice full of urgency.
I moved immediately, but it took a while as I needed to get past the guests.
Click!
I reached it and walked inside. Only to see Miss Halcyon and her son crying while Carla and Remus consoled them.
"Old Halcyon is going to die tonight. Likely within the next few hours," Carla informed me, catching me off guard.
The spell was working better than I had expected, but its true success could only be determined once the core arrived¡ªand it was coming far sooner than I had anticipated or wanted.
I had hoped for at least a day. Instead, I barely had an hour.
Despite the spell functioning as intended, uncertainty gnawed at me. I had no way of knowing how it would truly unfold.
"I''ll give you two some privacy to grieve," Remus said after a few moments, his tone unreadable. Then, without another word, he turned toward the door, the others following in his wake.
"Focus on the spell," he said, turning to me. "Zela, try to see if you could contact Halcyon or its guardian,"
With that, he walked toward the party. With the two Halcyons grieving, someone must be at the party.
I watched them leave before stepping into the elevator and ascending to the top floor.
From there, I walked into a room forbidden to all but Remus and me.
Even to Carla and Margaux.
I sat in the circle and closed my eyes before concentrating on the spell.
I could do nothing until the core came after the milking, but sit here. Tracking the spell made me feel calm.
This is far better than being at a party. It''s not that I don''t enjoy them¡ªI do. Witchcraft, after all, is about people.
But right now, I want to focus on real witchcraft. The kind that doesn''t need an audience.
Minutes passed, and I got lost in the spell when something happened.
I felt the death of a legacy from the core. It surprised me, as milking is supposed to last for hours.
Hun!
I was thinking that when a vast, shining casino chip, made of the core essence, appeared in front of me.
I didn''t have to think, but I knew this was the core of Onyx Halcyon. And it was magnificent.
Even in its final moments, even at the edge of death, it blazed with overwhelming power.
The power it contained is far more than even Velvet Garden''s core.
That is not surprising. This core is old¡ªnearly a century old¡ªand at the peak of Grade III.
It is my first time seeing the core of the legacy other than the Velvet Gardens.
The parts of dead legacies that came before were just parts that lost their shape and were divided into a hundred pieces, while this one is complete.
"So, the old man decided to die with dignity," Remus said, his voice resonating in the room, laced with respect. I did not notice his arrival.
The dignified death. The old man had opposed the sovereign''s will and decided to do without tearing his core apart for the benefit of his king.
''Then we should honor it,'' I replied, activating the spells.
Immediately, the spell covering the casino activated, and the circle I was sitting in ignited with the raw power of witchcraft, flames of the arcane swirling around me.
A moment later, everything turned dark, and the core of the Velvet Garden appeared, with two planets revolving around it.
One is the planet Harnesser, the one we use to harness the emotion essence.
The second is Holder or Prison, depending on one''s persuasion. It is where we trapped the liches and now where we will take the casino''s core.
The planets are connected with spells. Those violet, golden lines forming a complex diagram on it are the spell I had crafted.
Still, it won''t be easy. I had created this spell with a weak, milked core in mind. Not a whole one, which I heard is tough to break apart.
The holder planet reached it and expanded rapidly until it became five times as big as before, moving to swallow it.
I braced myself for the resistance. Even with this spell, I knew it would be difficult. A small piece of core posed significant resistance; this one would be immense.
"Hun!"
A moment later, astonishment washed over me. The planet absorbed the core, enfolding it without so much as the faintest hint of resistance.
"No resistance?" questioned Remus, in surprise, while I was shocked.
The resistance is from the will of the masters. Their residual emotions, but here, there is none.
"Maybe this is what gift the old man was talking about," said Remus softly, barely audible.
''Gift?'' I wanted to ask him about it, but focused on the core.
Since there is no resistance, it is imperative that we get as much as we can. We don''t have much time, a few hours at most, before the pull from the other legacies becomes strong enough that they pull it toward themselves.
I took a deep breath and activated the extraction.
''There is still a resistance,'' I thought. It is a different kind of resistance. This resistance is the core, trying to maintain its identity despite its death.
Still, the resistance would have been much greater if the master''s will had been added to it.
The holder planet began to glow, radiating outward with its energy. A moment later, two streams¡ªdense as liquid¡ªpoured forth from it, swirling with raw energy.
One stream went to the core of the velvet garden, while the other went to the harvest planet. The first stream going to the core contains a vision that aligns with the vision of the Velvet Garden.
The second core essence stream going to the harvest planet is an essence that does not align.
It will be tremendously helpful to us. The Core Essence is far more valuable than the emotional essence.
It can be used for many things, including this spell. I used the core essence of parts of dead legacies we had already harvested.
"It seemed you have everything under control," Remus commented with relief before leaving the room.
I planned to use him and other girls who have command of the legacy, but since there is no resistance. I do not need to use him or the others.
Chapter 595: Halcyon’s Core II
"I hope you are having a good time, Lord Lindren," I asked old Vanis as he enjoyed baccarat.
It took quite an effort to convince the Lord of Inam to send him here. They don''t let the masters leave their cities easily, especially to the place where the undead could attack at any time.
He came only because of the goodwill I had accumulated with the Lord of Inam by selling him a large amount of essence potions.
He has come with heavy security and will leave right after he walks out of the legacy.
It is quite a regret. I like the old man and would have liked it if he had stayed in the city for the day.
"I am, and I would have been happier if I had won more than once," he replied grumblingly. "That will depend on your luck, Lord Lindren," I replied.
Baccarat is a game of chance rather than a skill. How one does depends a lot on luck.
However, many professional Gamblers have come here. Thankfully, the staff is excellent. They worked in Onyx Halcyon for decades and are experts in dealing with the Gambler Classes.
"Halcyon has died," I informed him a moment later. A surprise flashed in his eyes.
Usually, the masters of legacy sense such things, but he is in my domain right now. Making sensing such things difficult.
"How?" he asked.
He isn''t asking the reason for the death, but one of the two options he chose.
"With dignity. More than that, actually. The man had gone down with his legacy. Burning it in a glorious blaze," I replied, and a moment later, I shared the image of the blazing casino with him.
A smile appeared on his face. It was the biggest one I had ever seen.
"That is the only way a master should die," he said.
He is right about that. If my legacy won''t go beyond Grade III and I reach old age, I will die with my legacy; there is no way I will be forced to milk it.
I can''t even begin to imagine how the King of Ilden must feel right now. He openly declared his plans for the core essence a month ago before the court.
This¡ªthis was a slap in his face.
I exchanged a few more words with the old man before moving on to the other guests.
The casino was alive, all five floors filled with people lost in the thrill of gambling, indulging their desires¡ªparticularly the ones who had our girls by their side.
The girls were doing what they did best¡ªcheering them on when they won, offering comfort when they lost, and keeping the game alive.
It is a very expensive service, but they are worth every penny.
I didn''t plan to do that, but Carla and others wanted me to, saying it would give the girls more chances to earn money while providing our legacy to harvest more emotions.
My reason is that we don''t have enough girls. We hire every month, but those girls are in training, and it will take a while before they can work.
While that happens, it will put more pressure on the girls that we do have working.
They don''t mind it. Aside from the good money, their hours will still be less than they used to work in their old brothels.
''How is the spell?'' asked Carla. ''Good,'' I replied.
I could feel everything that was happening. My core and the harvest planet absorb a large amount of core essence from Halcyon''s core.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
I am keeping a sharp eye on my core.
I need to be careful to let only the core essence that aligns with my vision and nothing else ¨C not a drop of anything else.
I am taking a massive risk here, as even a single drop of non-aligned core essence could mess things up.
This essence will help me tremendously.
I could already see my core getting bigger every minute as it absorbed more core essence. The storage on the harvest planet is also filling up, as well.
Soon, a middle-aged man appeared before me with a young woman beside him who was not his wife.
"Lord Silver, the casino is impressive. I thought it would pale in comparison to Onyx Halcyon, but it does not," he stated.
He is Chavar Rolbins. A wealthy merchant from Namdar. Well, from the empire before he shifted to Namdar.
I want people like him in my city, and I hope the casino will help with that.
"I am glad you like it, Mr. Rolbins," I replied with a smile.
Looking at the emotional response, the casino seemed to be a hit¡ªbetter than I thought it would be, and it will become even better.
It is becoming better every second as more of the core essence gets absorbed by my legacy''s core.
How deep the casino aspect will run depends entirely on how much core essence my legacy''s core can absorb. I''m hoping for at least 10%.
If it works, that would weave the essence of the casino into the Velvet Garden. But I can''t be certain.
There''s no external resistance, but the core itself presents a natural barrier. If the spell had had more time¡ªat least a full day¡ªthe results would''ve been far more potent.
Still, it is doing much better than I had imagined.
However, I shouldn''t be surprised, considering the effort, materials, and time Caena had invested.
It''s a brand-new spell. Caena had never used it on a complete core before, but after this, she will have enough information to improve and refine it.
We will need it improved. I''ve already signed three first-bite contracts with the others and am now searching for other compatible legacies.
I strolled the floors, met people, and watched them gamble while drinking and eating mist-laced food that the wonderful staff brought them.
Onyx Halcyon had brought every game here, but they are also blended with original things.
All the gambling chips had been crafted in the tower. So are roulette balls, tokens, and many other goods. I could have also got them from Halcyon, but this is Velvet Halcyon, not Onyx Halcyon.
It embodies both yet is reborn in this place.
Time passed, and some people left, but others filled the space immediately.
It is a legacy casino, so there is no dearth of people wanting to gamble inside. Because it is opening day, we have kept the crowd light.
Tomorrow, the casino will be packed, just like any other¡ªonly now, with the added aspect, it''s something more. The Velvet Garden now houses a true legacy casino!
It had happened! We''d harvested 10% of the core essence, and the process was still unfolding.
Soon, midnight came, and the casino buzzed with even more life.
"Hun!"
As I mingled with the guests, I noticed both Halcyons emerging. Without a second thought, I made my way toward them.
"Miss Halcyon, you do not have to come out," I said gently, to which she smiled.
"It''s fine, Lord Silver. My father has chosen a dignified death, and it is an important night. He wouldn''t want us to spend that crying," she said, looking at her son.
Their eyes are filled with the pain and the grief, but there is also some joy in them.
"As you wish," I replied.
It is up to her how she deals with her father''s death. The only thing I could do here is support whatever decision she makes.
I mingled with the guests until I sensed the change in the stream''s core essence going toward my core.
Sensing that, I excused myself from the party and took the elevator to the top floor.
¡
Caena
An hour had passed, and the stream of core essence increased.
I am tinkering with the spells, making changes as I observe things. Extracting as much essence as possible is necessary before the legacies pull the core to them.
I looked at the core of the velvet garden. It absorbs the core essence as it comes.
It feels almost ravenous.
It wasn''t the case before with the pieces of legacies we consumed.
It''s because of the spell.
The spell has absorbed the understanding of the casino, and this understanding is helping the core absorb the essence of Halcyon quickly.
Without it, it would have been much slower. Slower than harvesting the pieces of the dead legacies.
Another hour passed, and then another.
I could feel the pull of the other legacies getting stronger while the flow of essence reduced until only one stream remained.
The stream to the Velvet Garden''s core had ceased. The Garden had absorbed everything from Onyx Halcyon''s core that aligned with its vision.
I could easily force the core to absorb more essence, but that wouldn''t be wise.
It will corrupt the vision, which is the last thing we want to do.
Another hour passed, and the core of Halcyon was now shaking. The pull had become strong enough that I wouldn''t be able to hold it for much longer.
Thirty-seven seconds passed when the pull had become too powerful.
Seeing that, I had let go.
The core flew away, immediately dividing itself into hundreds of pieces. It then moved toward the legacies, pulled by them.
I looked at the core. It had grown in size considerably, and the planet now held massive reserves of the core essence.
I have harvested more than I had thought¡ªmore than double. The total of 31.4% is massive, considering I was only hoping for 15%.
Hun!
I was about to inform Remus about it when I heard a gasp of surprise from him. I turned and saw a look of shock and delight on his face.
Chapter 596: Patrons Haven
[Legacy Skill Extracted: Gambler''s Haven]
[Legacy Skill Changed: Gambler''s Haven¨CPatrons Haven]
I looked at the text before me, and my mind shook deeply.
I extracted the skill from Onyx Halcyon.
It is an extremely rare one.
As such, this only happens during the merger or subjection of the legacies¡ªliving legacies only, never with a waning legacy like Onyx Halcyon.
The waning legacies couldn''t be merged or subjected, with death as their only option.
My core didn''t just extract the skill¡ªit reshaped it, adapting it to fit my legacy and making it uniquely mine.
The Gamblers Haven is a skill that enhances gamblers'' experience in casinos. It amplifies the physical and mental stimulation.
It naturally happens in the legacies. It is for which people come in them, but this skill will amplify it even further.
This was the best skill I could have hoped for¡ªperfectly tailored and a true asset to my legacy.
My vision is to provide an experience they will never forget, and this skill will help me take that vision to the next level.
"What happened?" asked Caena.
I didn''t answer. Instead, I opened the skill to her. Making her eyes widen and gasp in shock.
"A legacy skill," she whispered, and I nodded.
"It''s an amazing skill. It is very suitable for our legacy," I stated, unable to contain the joy I was feeling. "It is also extremely rare," she added.
Her words had sparked an idea in my mind. I tried to shake it, but it stuck.
The more I tried to shake it away. The more it spread inside.
"What are you thinking?" she asked.
"Tranquill Bathhouse," I replied, and a surprise flashed in her eyes before she shook her head.
"It''s too dangerous. It''s a living legacy and old," Caena warned immediately.
"Most importantly, it is stronger than common Grade III because of over a century''s worth of connection with a Grade IV legacy," she added with the warning.
"It will also be unstable and weak when its connection breaks with the Grade IV legacy," I replied. "That bathhouse aligns with our vision. It will help the spa and the entire legacy tremendously,"
I could see her considering, but a few seconds later. She shook her head.
"It is too dangerous. Don''t forget what happened with Amaras Inn," she warned¡ªnaming that unfortunate legacy with a bright future.
It is precarious.
As Caena said, if we try to swallow them, they will also try to swallow us. This provides them with the spark of life that they desperately need.
Once its connection with the throne breaks, the legacies have a mere few hours to live.
If it could consume my core, it would spark a new life in it. It has happened many times, which is why the risk of doing that is massive.
With Tranquill Bathhouse, the risk is even greater because of certain factors, but the benefits are just as great.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
It is a legacy aligned with the spa and will fit my legacy like a perfect piece.
"I am sure you can devise a spell powerful enough to protect us," I said, looking at her hopefully.
"Give me some time to think about it," she replied finally after a minute of silence.
I said nothing and turned to the core, now 20% larger. I could feel it, still digesting the essence it had absorbed, its power continuing to grow.
By tomorrow, it will be complete and fully infused.
With that, the casino aspect of my legacy would become even stronger and more integrated.
I turned to Harnesser Planet and saw its storage filled with massive core essence. It is more than all the core essence we have gathered from the pieces of all the past dead legacies.
It is truly a massive amount.
But nothing compared to the benefit that had me most excited. It was equal to the skill I had gained, and some might even consider it more valuable.
The emotion slate of my legacy had increased by one more emotion.
It was already more extensive than others but had expanded even further. I could now harvest another emotion, giving me even more and pushing my legacy to new heights.
"Let''s do it. It''s extremely risky, but the benefits of it would be just as great," she said as I gazed at my core.
"Let''s hope we will not regret it," I replied, and she smiled.
They are still on the continent. Going to one throne after another despite knowing how futile it is.
It is very rare for thrones to take a legacy like that, even if they are very suitable. The failure rates are high, and there is also the politics.
I don''t know whether they will accept it or not, but I will have to ask to find out.
Half an hour later, I walked into the casino. Only to see Miss Halcyon coming toward me. A moment later, we both turned and walked toward her office.
Click!
Soon, I walked into her office with Carla and others.
"The aspect of Onyx Halcyon is stronger than I had thought," she said hesitantly.
"There was no resistance," I replied.
"Papa had told me that," she replied, smiling while tears rose.
"I have also received this," I informed and activated Patrons Haven. For a few seconds, there was confusion before her eyes widened.
Others may not notice unless they are patrons, but she had grown up in Onyx Halcyon.
She recognized the skill.
"Father has said it is extremely rare to get a skill from a waning legacy," she said, closing her eyes briefly to feel the skill before opening them.
"I am glad Velvet Garden had received this skill. It was my father''s favorite," she added, smiling.
That old man had given me a gift. As long as my legacy remains standing, it will benefit me so that I will do something for him.
"I am going to declare a day of mourning in honor of the Lord Halcyon tomorrow," I said, surprising the mother and the son.
I would have liked to do the week, but Halcyon was not connected to the city, and the ordinary people were unaware of him.
"Thank you, Lord Silver," she thanked, wiping the tears from her eyes.
I smiled and walked out of the office.
I returned to the party, but this time to bid farewell to the important guests.
¡
Caena
"Tranquill Bathhouse,"
He wants to absorb that legacy. It will be a tough thing to do.
It is a living legacy instead of a waning one, although it will only have a few hours of life after it breaks its connection with the Grade IV legacy.
Such things happen, and a few times, things have really gone bad.
The latest was about two decades ago in the continent of Herald, my native continent.
I still remember my mother talking about it.
Amaras Inn''s legacy had signed a contract to swallow the Yort''s Tavern, which were both Grade III legacies. The Yort''s Tavern was subject to a Grade IV legacy.
The Grade IV released the Yorts Tavern, and Amaras Inn moved to consume, but the opposite happened.
It is Yort''s Tavern that consumed Amaras Inn.
A lot of things were involved, including the artifacts and kings, along with other hidden things.
The same could be said for our plans with the Tranquill Bathhouse. If we succeeded, however, the rewards would be immense.
The bathhouse aspect would enhance our spa beyond what we could imagine and significantly boost the emotion slate.
And the skills¡ªfar more than just legacy skills¡ªwould be unlocked. Unlike waning legacies, where the host eventually perishes, with a living legacy, there''s much more to be gained. The potential is limitless.
We could gain legacy skills as well as the class and skills of the master. Those things are connected.
The stakes are higher, but so are the benefits.
If I want to succeed, I must craft more substantial and comprehensive spells than the one we just used. The thing is, I now have data on how to deal with such cores.
I already have ideas about the spell, but I want to create something new for it. It will be based on this spell but grander.
It will also be expensive and will require much greater preparation.
It scares me and excites me because it will be challenging, but Tranquill Bathhouse will be worth it.
I smiled before closing my eyes, activating Witch''s Grimoire.
It is a skill that lets me note down ideas, but it is far more complex than the basic notes skills.
It records my emotions itself. When I look at entries, I will feel the very emotions and thoughts I am feeling right now as I note down the things.
Soon, I noted down all the ideas and everything I had learned during this spell before getting up.
I had to check on a few things before I could rest.
The casino and more than half of the legacy are still open, but capable people are overseeing them. I do not have to go there personally, but it is important that I do.
I am the madam, after all.
High Witch of Luminescent Legacy Lv. 34
[Skill Gained: Witch''s Field]
Merchant of Desire Lv. 38
Chapter 597: Back Again
"Thirteen hundred and twenty girls; that''s not enough; we need more," I said to the people before me.
I am sitting in a small conference room in the tower with Caena, Margaux, Carla, and Hendriks in front of me.
"I know it''s not enough, but we are trying," replied Carla, and I sighed.
They are making an effort, but recruiting the girls is challenging due to our higher standards. While our expectations remain unchanged, we evaluate the girls more thoroughly.
We increased the evaluation of their potential and their drive. We also do background checks and other things.
"It''s a good thing. We are opening the recruitment office tomorrow. I hope it will help," I said.
The initial target is sixteen hundred. Once we reach that, we can ease up a bit.
"That should help," replied Caena.
The recruitment office will be outside of the college, and it will be only for prostitutes. At first, it will be for the dominion''s prostitutes, but then it will expand to other areas.
The working of it will be simple.
Girls who have been released from their contracts can register at the recruitment office. Once that happens, we will interview them in three stages.
Those who pass all three stages of interviews will be recruited into the velvet garden.
I am also considering getting more girls from Baxzar, but I delayed that plan for a month or two.
I want to examine the ones we have more deeply. Those poor girls have a lot of psychological burdens. Most importantly, I don''t have a spare madam to send to the Baxzar for the recruitment.
"We were managing, but the escort plan messed it up. Who would have thought it would be this successful?" said Hendriks, still confused.
While all three madams wore knowing smiles.
It had been a week since the casino opened, and the response had been far beyond what we had imagined.
Every day, rich and powerful are coming to the city.
Many merchants from the empire and merchant states have started stopping at Greltheaven more than they used to before to enjoy the legacy.
The girls are helping tremendously.
The demand for their company had caught all of us by surprise.
Everybody wants them to take into the casino, but they are now limited to only those on a trusted list, which we have expanded twice in the past week.
"I think we should remove the list. The girls are staying in the tower. There is no threat to them. The escort service will allow them to earn more," said Margaux.
"I agree," added Caena while Carla nodded, but I hesitated to do that.
"We will put a limit on the number of girls working as the escort." "So, it wouldn''t affect their work in the velvet red, and their collective working hours would be limited to ten," proposed Carla.
I want to reject it, but she is making a satisfactory proposal. My little snooping also tells me the same: the girls want it.
"Fine," I agreed.
Currently, we have nine hundred and eighteen girls working, with a slight increase this month. It might seem enough, but it''s not when counting on all the floors of velvet red and the casino.
Considering that they work in three shifts.
If I had more girls, I might have increased the occupancy of the lower floors of the Velvet Red and done a few more things, but I couldn''t.
I do not have enough girls.
"We have to do something about the poaching. The first week had barely passed, and five of our girls had been poached already," said Hendricks angrily.
I sighed, and so did the others.
"Right now, we can''t do anything," I replied, defeatedly. I don''t like it, but I understand my condition.
If it had been from the empire, I might have done something, but it is happening in the merchant state, and that woman is powerful and has a lot of political influence.
Even if I want to do something, my options are limited.
For a few seconds, nobody spoke.
"We need more madams urgently," stated Caena, and I nodded.
The system has a flaw. What we noticed on the in-store floors made me see that clearly.
"I decided to change the system of selecting the madam. We will add a fourth tier to the system.
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
"The fourth will be on probation. During that time, they will be trainees and will only be addressed as ''madam'' once they advance to Tier III," I explained.
I had discussed this with them and Bell to gather their input, and they all agreed.
"We will prepare the list," said Margaux. I nodded. I will host the interviews after I return from Panar.
A few minutes later, the meeting ended, and I walked out. I didn''t return to my office but took the elevator to the ground floor.
I am leaving for Panar tomorrow and have a lot of things to do in the city since I won''t be returning for three to four days.
As the elevator descended, I watched the legacy. It had become different¡ªmore powerful ¡ª after consuming the core essence of the Onyx Halcyon.
We have kept the power contained as we always do.
Thanks to the charms, Velvet Garden is more powerful and far more efficient than people realized. If we used its full power, it would shock people.
Most importantly, it will help those greedy bastards from gauging the true power of its core and demanding more essence.
I focused on the aspect of the casino and its strong. It is stronger in the casino. Giving people a fantastic experience.
It isn''t just the aspect that helps; the skill is helping, too, and it is doing its work throughout the whole legacy.
It consumes a lot of essence, but it brings even more. Giving people a more significant experience in everything they do here. Because of this, the emotion harvest increased by 18%.
Which is quite significant.
Soon, I reached the ground floor and walked out of the tower before sitting in the waiting carriage.
''This has come for you,'' said Lola. A moment later, she took out the letter from the vault. Seeing it, I couldn''t help but smile.
It''s from a legacy¡ªa spa legacy. Not Elysian Serenity, but the other one.
Aelys Sanctum.
I had contacted them when I was building the spa after I blasted my legacy in the war.
They didn''t help us, unlike Elysian Serenity.
Serenity Spa not only trained our people but also let us hire some of their people. They also helped us acquire the top-grade tools and materials we needed.
I am grateful for their help, which is why they are among the few people to whom I sell the resources harvested from the plants.
They are the only ones outside of the continent of Zenid.
The other spa now wants the same things, and I''m willing to provide them. I''m a businessman¡ªholding grudges won''t get me far. However, our relationship will remain strictly transactional.
Aelys Sanctum is an excellent spa¡ªbetter than Elysian Serenity.
They wanted things from me, and I want things from them. I want them to train my people in their spa, hire their people, and get some of the tools and products they use.
This letter is about that. In a few weeks, we will start negotiations.
"You have already started helping me," I said, looking at the tower garden.
When I planted the plants in the tower, there was a lot of interest, but it''s nothing compared to the interest surrounding this garden now.
I had already decided to expand it from twelve to fifteen acres in a few months.
The tower garden is beautiful but will be magnificent when it matures. I could barely wait for that day.
Soon, the carriage moved out of the garden toward the city hall.
I could feel the city''s increased energy since the casino''s opening. It had boosted its economy and morale.
More people are in the city, and they are staying. The aggressive focus has eased the shortage of hotels a lot, but not fully.
That is why we are still focusing on it.
I want tourism to be one of the pillars of the economy.
While unstable and dependent significantly on geopolitics, my city isn''t exactly safe! Given that, I have one of the most desirable legacies: a powerful magnet for people. I would be an idiot not to use it.
There is also the advantage of the location. It is between the mainland empire and the merchant state.
Without counting the legacy itself, tourism already contributes to around 3.81% of the economy. This is massive progress, considering it was nearly zero a year ago.
I want more. Given the challenges, it won''t be easy, but it is achievable.
I reached the city hall and stepped outside before walking inside. There is an essential meeting in fifteen minutes.
Soon, I was in my office.
''Master Silver, they are here,'' informed Jill. I turned to the clock and saw them arriving right on time.
"Send them in," I replied, putting away the file I was reading.
Click!
A moment later, the door opened, and an old man in his sixties wearing priestly robes of the Church of the God of War came inside with two people behind him.
He looked at me, and I looked back at him. I could hear the anger and gate.
The man didn''t like me at all. Well, I don''t like him either.
"Lord Silver," he said finally. "Bishop Song," I replied, waving at him to sit before me.
"The church agrees," he stated, and a smile appeared on my face.
For over a month, even before I left the city for the Synod. We have been negotiating their entry into the city. They were surprisingly docile this time.
Though they remained adamant on some conditions, so have I.
"Good. The citizens of the dominion will be happy to have churches of the God of War back again," I replied.
They will build the church in the Greltheaven and Panar. After we agreed on the initial conditions, they have already started building it.
"The people would have been more happy. If you hadn''t been so adamant, Lord Silver," he said, and I only smiled.
I got what I wanted¡ªespecially the three things.
First, they will have to get permission from the city for every member they bring into the cities, and those members should only be priests.
Not its sentinels or those hounds.
The second is that they don''t have to participate in the war, but they do have to participate in healing the soldiers.
They will also need to build a hospital that will heal a certain number of people free of cost.
The third and final condition is that they do not publicly criticize the city''s policies without permission.
It is the strictest one, and I threatened to throw them out if they did not follow it.
Words are the most dangerous weapon, and the church of God knows how to use them well.
They are a human church and the first one to support the former emperor when he started his ultra-human views.
Creating cohesion between the races has taken a lot of effort, and I don''t want these bastards to mess it up. It could bring real trouble to the dominion.
"Our priests will be coming in a week and will remain in our old building until the new church is finished," he informed.
"That wouldn''t be a problem," I replied.
They are building churches in both the city and, to show their might, the churches they are building are grander than the Goddess of Dusk despite having fewer staff.
They wanted to have as much staff as the church of the Goddess of Dusk, but I declined.
I won''t let them bring in those numbers unless they prove themselves. Besides, the smaller numbers are easier to control.
Tomorrow, we will sign the contract officially.
"Keep an eye on them. I want the report of everything, where they go, and who they met." I said to Lola as they left.
I do not trust them and wouldn''t have let them in if the Church of God of War hadn''t been so powerful and the city hadn''t already had many of their faithful.
The church of the Goddess of Dusk converted quite a lot of people, but many are still faithful to the church of the God of War.
"Our people are on them," she replied.
The city will have two churches with them, but not for long. Other churches have expressed their desire to set up their shops, and I have been receptive.
I don''t have a favourable opinion of the churches, but I need them¡ªespecially their cleric spells. Nothing is comparable to them.
Chapter 598: Seer
Grand Duke Zedaris
Click!
The door opened, and I walked into the familiar hall. I had come here nearly every year for the past decade.
However, I have always met with failure. A few times, I have been close to success but have never achieved it. This time, I paid a huge price and hope we will get it.
Once we found it, and we killed her. Our house will be secure; there will be no more resistance.
I stopped in front of the man. He is an average-looking man with white hair. Nobody would believe this man is one of the most powerful on the continent.
He does not have combat power but something far more dangerous.
He is a Seer, the highest level on the continent.
"Sage," I greeted.
"Did you bring it, Grand Duke?" he asked without so much as a greeting. The lack of courtesy grated on me, stirring irritation and anger, but I swallowed it down. Without a word, I produced the object.
I opened the heavily enchanted wooden box. Inside was a bar that seemed to change state every second.
"I offered them so much for it, but they do not want to sell," said the old man, looking at it with undisguised greed.
We didn''t buy it. Just borrowing it for a very high cost.
"Will it be enough?" I asked, and the man turned to me and smiled.
"I am seer, but even I can''t say that for sure. Though, I will say this with it. Piercing through the power of that artifact shouldn''t be a problem," he replied, which relieved me.
That artifact is one of the most powerful anti-scrying artifacts in the entire continent.
It was the only reason that she was able to hide for so long. Not anymore; today, she will be found, and we will send our most powerful assassins to kill her.
"I will start in the night. It is the most auspicious time," he stated. I nodded.
¡
Silver
"Panar," I said as the city came into view.
Seeing it, I wanted to ride toward it faster, but I didn''t. Instead, I decided to take in the whole view of the city.
It is in the wasteland but not devoid of people. There are quite a lot of people moving around, actually. Because they go into the mines, there are even buildings near the city by the mines.
The mining industry is the lifeblood of the city. Contributing to over 80% of its economy.
I want to lower that while increasing the output of the mines. Diversifying revenue sources is good for the economy, but one should also focus on the core industries.
I am focusing on mining a lot, opening more and more mines and even trying to bring the refinement industry to the city.
In two months, the first refining site should be set up in the city.
Soon, I got close enough to see the city clearly, and what I saw made me smile.
The wall is completely fixed, and not even a crack on it has remained. It''s now in better condition than it had been in the time of the previous lord.
I have spent a lot on it. It''s crucial for its defense.
When I was here last time, the wild growth around it had been cleared, but now the whole area has been smoothened. There is not a single plant in there.
We wanted to plant things. It is a green space, a rarity in this wasteland.
It''s big and, if utilized well, could support the city to some degree. It was cultivated before the invasion of the undead and their mismanagement led to overgrowth.
Until I have full confidence in the city''s safety, I will leave it as it is. It is important that it remains as it is for the city''s security.
The city got closer and closer until we reached its gate. They opened fully for us.
"Lord Silver, Lord of Greltheaven, and Panar," The herald announced as we rode through the gate.
There is a large crowd waiting for us. This time, the people didn''t look starved and sick. They look well-fed and vibrant, wearing clean clothes
"Welcome to Panar, Lord Silver," welcomed Ina, with General Azalea and other important people beside her.
She has grown into her responsibilities. She was more confident than I had seen her last time. Now, she looked like a governor. She was wearing that position like a second skin.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
I could feel it. Despite leveling up, she has not gotten the class yet, but that is only a matter of time before she gets it.
"It feels good to be back in this wonderful city, Governor," I replied, looking around.
She smiled, and we began to ride toward the city hall while I smiled, nodded, and waved at the citizen.
The city looks good¡ªclean, with repaired and rebuilt buildings. A big part of the city is still in ruins, but slowly, we are reclaiming it and settling more people in it.
The population is recovering fast. It had already reached sixty-five thousand.
That is even after I transferred over 70% of the children under eighteen and a large portion of the adult population from the city. Right, over 50% of the people living here came after we conquered the city.
The mines produced steady employment. Even those who didn''t have mining classes came here to work in the mines and gain classes.
The people are coming for the non-mining jobs as well.
The shopkeepers, carpenters, tailors, blacksmiths and others. Many of which are growing to support the mining.
I examined everything that was in sight. Later, I will tour everything in detail. I will be here for three days and I want to see everything personally.
It is for this reason that I came here.
I get reports nearly every day, and I trust them, but I also like to look at things with my own eyes.
Right now, I see things with my eyes, but I also feeling it with my class.
These feelings are tough to distinguish, and most people in the ruling classes learn to suppress them, but I am embracing them. I am slowly making progress in understanding them, with the help of Bell and my skill the Eye of Master.
That skill has been an incredible asset. It allows me to perceive emotions as tangible forms, linking feelings to the things they embody¡ªalmost as if I could see them with my own eyes.
Now, that understanding lets me sense the city''s pulse. It doesn''t beat as powerfully as Greltheaven''s, but it has a spirit of its own.
It is what matters the most in cities like this, as without spirit in their citizens, their hearts crumble to dust.
"The rebuilding is going well. I believe, in the next six to nine months, we will be able to restore the city whole," I said, looking at the city.
I am spending a lot of money and effort on the city, which has also slowly started to pull its weight.
In the next few months, when a few more mines open and the refinery starts. It will be able to carry nearly all its weight.
"I want to do it in six months," she said, determination burning in her eyes. That resolve made me smile.
Soon, we reached the city hall, where once more people were waiting. They were all members of the city hall staff. I spent time greeting them.
It took a few minutes, and we reached her office.
"Master Silver," said Ina, offering me her seat. I shook my head and sat on the couch.
"General, how are the undead?" I asked.
I know I am safe for five more months, but complacency is a luxury I cannot afford. The undead have defied the commands of spirits and titans before. I made my decision knowing they might ignore the tower''s directive as well.
"Quiet, my lord. Not a single one has crossed our boundary in the past month," she replied, her eyes searching mine for answers.
She knows there is a reason for that.
I can''t tell her. The fewer people who know, the better.
"Good, but keep a tight eye on them," I ordered.
"I am, my lord," she replied with a bow.
I asked her a few more questions before she left, leaving me alone with Ina.
"This is the information on the mines," said Ina as Onaz placed a file in front of me.
I picked it up and began to read it.
Panar is an ancient city with mining that has been going here for thousands of years. Some of the mines are so huge that the city could be established down there.
We are mining in the old mines and the newer ones.
The output is sound and increasing by the day. If this keeps up, it won''t be a year before we gain the output that the city used to have before the undead attacked.
I read through all the files on the infrastructure, spending, and other things.
The auditors and other people are hired to keep the accounting. Look at these files every month, but I like to look at things myself.
It reassures me and fuels new ideas. It was evening when I finished with all the files.
"You should rest a little before the party, Master Silver," advised Ina, and I nodded.
I rode from the Greltheaven. It was fun but tiring, even with the skill. So, I went to one of the resting quarters in the city hall.
It is smaller than a suite, but I am okay with it.
I lay down and closed my eyes. Despite wanting to, I didn''t sleep. If I sleep now, I won''t be able to sleep later,
I wish I had the rest skills that many of the girls have. Even Ina has it, and I want to copy it from her, but I already have the skill from Bell, and I would have to remove it to copy another from Ina.
I don''t want to do that. Seeing how important that skill is. If I didn''t have it, I would have died at the hands of mercenaries.
Hun!
I was resting when I felt something. It is from my legacy. I first thought it was an attack, but it felt more subtle.
I wanted to ask Caena immediately but stopped myself. It is risky to ask. The undead might not attack us, but nothing stops them from intercepting our communication.
Whatever it is, it is extremely powerful, but I could feel that it did not threaten my legacy, which relieved me somewhat.
An hour and a half later, I got up.
I didn''t leave. Instead, I freshened up and changed into a new suit, the one suitable for the party. Once ready, I got out of the small room.
"Lord Silver, Lord of Greltheaven and Panar!" The herald announced as I entered the hall.
This is not a party, more like a gathering.
Most of the people here are city hall officials and higher military command. There are a few businessmen, priests, and a few important people.
"Lord Silver," they greeted. I nodded before looking at everyone.
"When I came here, I had expectations, but when I saw the state of the city. It was beyond them."
"Governor, you have exceeded my expectations¡ªand so have all of you¡ªin turning the city around."
"Now, I could say with complete confidence that you all will not only restore the city to its peak but also take height it had never reached in its existence," I finished.
They applauded, and I took it gracefully before moving to mingle with the crowd.
I am going to speak to each one of them. It is essential to make them feel valued. This is why I read through their information earlier.
So I could talk to them more intimately.
"Mister Pascal, how are you?" I asked the middle-aged man as he greeted me. He is the man who is building the refining factory.
His is one of the two currently under construction. It will open in two months, while the other one will take some time.
The two will be far from enough to process all the crystals we mine, but bringing the processing unit here is problematic. Only desperate people were willing to invest in the city, and even then, I needed to offer guarantees on their investments.
"I am great, my lord. The work in the factory is happening steadily. I think we will be able to open it in time," he replied.
"That''s good to hear," I said.
I talked to him for about a minute more and moved to the other guests.
Hun!
Over half an hour passed when I noticed Ina beside me''s expression changing. She controlled it, but I knew her enough to know that something had happened.
If it had been regular news. Her expressions wouldn''t have changed. She is very good at controlling her emotions.
''What happened?'' I asked telepathically. ''Mines. Something had happened,'' she replied.
Chapter 599: What do you think?
Rylan Aardwyn
"I understand, Royal Adviser," replied Lord Constance before the band on his hand turned off.
He turned to me and didn''t speak. Instead, he took out a privacy plate and activated it. I activated the privacy skill and cast privacy spells.
He is a cautious man, and we are in a foreign country and continent. There might be people watching us; it did not hurt to be wary.
Especially in hotels, where many staff have eavesdropping skills.
"What did they say?" I asked.
"They want us to go to the Greltheaven," he replied, and I was not surprised.
For months, we have been traveling constantly, going continent after continent. We went to every throne we could and received the same answer.
"So, we are going to let them consume the bathhouse?" I asked. I don''t want it; it would make us lose everything¡ªthe title, the respect, and everything else.
"What do you think?" he asked, his smile laced with something unreadable.
Seeing that, a smile of my own tugged at the corners of my lips, but beneath it, curiosity stirred.
It was my first genuine smile in months.
¡
Bell
Bam Bam Bam!
The Earth Spears came coated in the power of Arax''s Cover and Perus''s Thunderbolt.
The combination is called Yirtaz Spear''s. A generalist, Mage Irkal Yirtaz, created it when he was a simple Mage. Not yet an Archmage.
They came with the Sar''s Arcs, the frost arcs covered in wind and metal elements spells.
There are tens of them, and they are coming at me from all directions.
The legacy could only imprint and cast Grade III spells. Those spells are the strongest in Grade III.
The attacks that are coming at me have the power of the Grade IV spells.
The mages are always inventive. They have long ago found a way to surpass the power of their grade through the combination spells.
A few mages could achieve such a feat. It is complex and requires massive control. The failure had killed many mages.
The legacy does not have that problem.
I pushed those thoughts and looked at the spells coming at me. All of them have the power of Grade IV, while I had not even reached Lv. 30.
I looked at them and expanded the forcefield of Graceful Repel.
I used to do the dome, but now I spread the field over my body, creating armor.
It''s tricky, but it''s within my control. A year ago, I only needed a week to achieve it.
I have become much better at it, and that is why I expanded the field and created a layer of armor and then another. It is a real challenge. Especially to achieve it in the blink of an eye.
Three layers created a strong protection, but not strong enough.
So, I reinforced it with the aura.
Once that happened, I turned to spells. They have advanced very close to me.
I do not plan to defend against them with the armor. It is just a precaution.
I looked at the spells and swept my hand at them, activating the Graceful Sweep with the power of aura, and immediately, the seven spells in front of me were swept away.
They are still coming, some reaching meters away from me, with more materializing behind them.
So, I activated Silver Glide and reinforced the Noble Eyes. My vision became clearer than before, and my steps were faster. I avoided the attacks while using the Graceful Sweep to sweep them away.
My mother used to say that the Graceful Sweep was the most underestimated skill of the ruling classes.
I didn''t believe her¡ªuntil she casually swept that S-Class powerhouse out of the window. It was like watching a cat flick a toy mouse off the table.
I moved through the spells, sweeping them aside with practiced ease, until the rock sphere, crackling with undead lightning, materialized just a meter away from me.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.
I stopped in my tracks with no fear and panic. Instead, my aura moved, and a beautiful purple blade materialized in front of me before shooting the sphere.
Rip!
The next second, the ripping sound rang out, and the whole sphere was cut cleanly into by the aura method.
Clap, Clap, Clap!
A sphere crashed to the ground just as the clap rang out, and Carla stepped in.
She''s the one who''s been attacking me.
"Amazing. No wonder even Remus couldn''t defeat you," she said, her voice dripping with admiration.
I couldn''t help but smile.
Remus is powerful, and growing too fast, but so have I. After that assassination attempt on Carla and me, I knew it was time to start training.
I was strong enough to kill the assassin instantly, but the bastard nearly took me out. I had all the tools, but I didn''t know how to use them. Since that day, I''ve been learning. Now, I''ve mastered all the basic aura techniques of my family¡ªon both sides.
I practice fighting every day. Especially since Remus came back with that "wonderful gift."
Before he left, I had only Remus, Stone, and my spells to rely on. But now, with Jon awakening the aura, I''ve gained the Rogue as well.
With him by my side, I''m covering all the bases.
"Continue with the practice as you are, and you''ll be able to do it too," I replied. At that, she smiled.
Remus isn''t the only one advancing quickly with the aura. The woman in front of me is as well. Both of them train with a drive that pushes them beyond exhaustion.
Remus''s motivation is joy.
Seeking mastery and power are secondary, despite his claims to the contrary. For him, it''s the joy of learning¡ªthe childlike curiosity that fuels him.
Carla, however, seeks pure power. She''ll never experience what she did in Eartburn.
"Shall we begin?" I asked.
"Yes," she replied, determination in her voice.
I reached for the legacy and summoned the spells. They materialized, crackling with energy, and I launched them toward her.
She has a few skills¡ªones that can be used for dodging, defense, and offense. I''m using these spells to push her to integrate her aura into those skills.
I had planned to wait until she had mastered her aura more fully, but after hearing what happened with Remus, I decided to accelerate the process.
The spells I''m using are Grade 1, and I''ve cast Grade II protection on her¡ªbut that''s just for defense.
There''s a vast collection of spells at my disposal, and I''ve chosen those that will be blocked by the armor, but will still send a sharp pain through her whenever the spell hits the protection.
She''s fusing the aura with her skills now.
It''s not truly a fusion; it''s more like forcing the aura into the skill. It''s less brute force than it used to be, but she''ll need more finesse to make it smooth and natural.
Remus is already ahead in this. In a few months, he''ll be able to fuse the aura with his skills seamlessly, without any resistance.
Fusing is far superior to forcing. It amplifies the power of the skills in ways brute force never could.
A minute passed. Then another. She dodged, defended, and counterattacked the spells coming at her, but many still managed to land. Each one made her grit her teeth, the sting of the hits sharp with the force of the aura''s backlash.
I kept up the attack, even as she grew tired and struggled to maintain the aura.
One doesn''t always need to push themselves to their breaking point, but sometimes, one must. To truly grow, it''s a balance of practicing gently but also forcing oneself to the edge.
Ting!
The last Stone Dark spell struck her temple. She nearly toppled but managed to stabilize herself, sitting down slowly as she let the aura ebb away, exhaustion taking its toll.
For a few minutes. She lay down before finally opening her eyes.
"I could only dodge and defend barely 10% of the spells," she said. Clearly, she is not satisfied with her progress.
"It is much better than the first time. When you were only able to dodge a single spell," I replied.
The woman is progressing fast. Just a few weeks ago, she was able to defend only against a single spell, and now she is doing it against 10%.
"I just want to progress enough to make this training worthwhile," she replied, sighing.
It is a privilege to train like this. Seeing every spell cost, in essence, but we don''t have much choice. Especially me; I can not let others see my abilities.
Thankfully, Remus trusted me enough that he had given me access to the spells.
If the news of it leaked, the trouble it would cause would be immense. He might not even be able to survive it.
She got up, and we walked out of the training hall. It is underground, and a few people are aware of it. It is also protected by the power of legacy and Caena''s spells so that even Earth Mage couldn''t find it.
''Bell, come to my office.''
I had just walked out when I heard the voice in my head and turned. I took the elevator to the top floor before walking out.
It is night, and people are enjoying themselves.
One birthday party is happening on the top floor. They booked it whole. Usually, Silver only does this on this roof, but Noble is from the Empire, and Silver needs him.
I watched it as I walked toward Caena''s office.
"Madam is waiting for you," said Caena''s secretory. I nodded and walked inside.
"Thank you for informing me," said Caena, before cutting the spell and turning to me.
"What happened?" I asked as I took a seat in front of the woman with whom I shared so much.
Our circumstances are nearly the same. We are from ancient families that were destroyed and have a vow of revenge in our hearts.
I pity her enemies.
They shouldn''t have messed with the witches, especially of her lineage.
She has descended from the ones that had gone against the archmages and buried the enemies that even archimages would shudder to fight.
"Why do you call me?" I asked, and her expression turned serious.
"Do you know anything about the rituals of Lorus Mavgalkam?" she asked, and it felt familiar.
I used the skill to remember.
"The grand ritual of Witch of Wails?" I asked back as I remembered. To that, she nodded.
"Just the basics. My father had put the book about the event on my reading list, but I never got a chance to read it," I replied.
It was the last reading list he gave me. I had only read three books before the incident happened.
Hearing that, she sighed.
"Is it about the spell you are crafting?" I asked. To that, she nodded.
She had told me about what Remus wants, and I have to say he has ambition, but this time, he could very well lose his legacy.
My parents had commented about it when it happened last time.
They would have advised against it, despite their short life after breaking the connection with the thrones.
Those legacies are too strong. Because of their connection to the thrones, they could be said to be above Grade III.
There are also other things that make it tricky. Especially for Silver, given the disadvantages he will have compared to the other legacy.
Despite the risk, he has my support.
Velvet Garden is no common legacy, and there is also Caena. It wouldn''t be easy for them to swallow us. They are for a big surprise, if they think, it will be anything but easy.
Seeing she does not need me anymore. I got up and walked toward the door.
Hun!
I was about to open it when I sensed the familiar feeling descending on me. More powerful than I had ever sensed.
It immediately brought terror to my face.
Chapter 600: Shardmaws
Ina Knox
''Go, handle it. I will entertain these people,'' he said. Making me relieved.
I barely got the news. It should be contained until I know what is really happening. Given the state of the city, any adverse news could cause panic.
A moment later, I walked out of the party along with General Azalea, other officers, and officials.
We didn''t go to the office but to a control room while Colonel Trask had gone to the mine to take control of the situation.
"What do we know?" I asked.
"Monsters have appeared in Varus mine," informed General Azalea. "We had done a sweep a week ago. How can monsters appear so quickly?" I asked.
The mines are the monster problem¡ªespecially the old ones like Varus.
It is the oldest and the biggest active mine of Panar. We need to do the sweeps every month and post men from the army in every section to deal with any monsters that might appear.
"We did, and it was thorough," she replied. I could feel some self-blame in her voice. She shouldn''t have felt that way; she had done a thorough job, but we will need to find out how we missed it.
"Do we know what kind of monsters these are and their numbers?" I asked. "Not yet," replied General Azalea.
Hearing that, I thought for a moment.
"Start the evacuation," I ordered, looking Osward.
"Governor, we should first find out about the danger. It might be just one or two monsters," advised Maknok. He is a mine adviser.
He is right, and I might have done that. If it had been other mines, but nasty things have come out of that mine.
Though it had been decades, something threatening had happened, and I didn''t want to take the risks. People''s lives were at stake.
Protecting them will be worth the loss, even if the danger is nothing serious.
"It might be, but we can''t take the risk," I replied.
"Send the medical carriages to the mine and ask the Church of Dusk to send some priests there with them," I ordered.
I could tell many of the officials thought it was excessive. However, nobody had expressed it. They might have if it had been any other day.
Today, they are not that willing. Master Silver is here, and they are being cautious. They didn''t have to be so reserved. I would appreciate them speaking out even if I didn''t agree with it.
Minutes passed, and soon it was half an hour. We are waiting for the news.
Till now, there is none.
I wanted to go to the mine myself, but it wouldn''t be wise until I knew more about it. Even Lt General Azalea is staying put.
If this is a significant change. It might be a ploy from the undead, so it''s better that we remain as cautious as possible.
Click!
Another twenty minutes passed, and the door opened. Master Silver walked in, and we all moved to get up.
He waved us down.
"Anything?" he asked. To that, I shook my head. I have been keeping him informed about what is happening. He knows everything that I know.
He didn''t say anything and sat down with worry in his eyes.
Osward informed me, "The medical carriages and the priests had reached the mine. " This relieved me, but I still wanted to know what was happening.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Soon, an hour passed, and there was no information.
Sup!
We were all waiting when Osward sucked a deep breath, and the expressions of the mage behind General Azalea changed drastically.
"Its Shardmaws!" informed Osward, making the expression of everyone change immediately.
Instantly, Lord Silver and General Azalea got up.
"General, you stay. We can''t have the city unprotected," commanded Master Silver. General wanted to object but nodded a moment later.
She understands the reason; she needs to be ready to deal with any trouble that might come.
He was out of the door in an instant.
"Shardmaws are among the most dangerous mine monsters," said Maknok, and the man looked scared.
"They shouldn''t be here. There was no record of them," added General Aazlea. I nodded at that.
I have read through the record and know all the monsters that roamed these mines by heart, but Shardmaws are not mentioned in it.
They are lizard-like mine monsters that live in groups. Because of their robust defenses, they are extremely dangerous and hard to kill.
I ordered, "Alert all the hospitals to be ready. Ask them to send more medical carriages. " Then I turned to General Azalea.
"General, I am activating. Taurus protocol," I informed her. "Accepted," she replied and turned to the man behind her, who nodded.
It is my authority to activate the protocol, but I will need her acceptance since she is the general with the responsibility to defend against external threats.
Taurus Protocol is for the threats arising from the mines.
"They have started finding bodies. Pieces of them...," informed Osward, and I simply closed my eyes.
I had been dreading this news, and it had happened. I hope it is contained in a single section, or would be terrible. Even a single section is awful.
It is the biggest mine and also employs the most people.
There are thousands of miners working on it at any given time. If those monsters let loose, there could be massive casualties.
I hope we responded swiftly enough. I believe we are acting in the moment¡ªwe received the news and took action, but we must continue to assess the situation.
That will be after this disaster is over.
¡
Silver
I rode out of the gate with my guards and the soldiers.
They are the ones that came with me from the Greltheaven. They are strong and can fight in any environment.
I activated the Command Projection on the beasts. Commanding to gallop faster.
Learning to ride with the skills is much different than learning to ride without one. The finesse at which I could control the beast is impressive.
I have been learning horseback combat only for a few weeks, and it has improved my riding skills tremendously.
The mine isn''t far from the city, and we are moving as fast as possible. Our speed is enhanced with skills and spells, but it will be a few minutes before we reach the mine.
As I ride toward the mine, I receive updates, including the number of monsters that appear and how they behave and fight.
It didn''t make me feel good, given the number of people working in the mine.
I am committed to ensuring we get there in time.
Minutes passed, and finally, the mine came into view. There are buildings around it, but the soldiers have cordoned off the whole area right now.
Soon, we passed through the compound, and I saw the preparations.
There are soldiers, as well as medical carriages and healers. I saw more of them coming from the city.
She acted quickly. I would have waited for more information before taking such action.
I looked at the mouth of the cave and saw miners streaming out of it.
The mine is vast, with people in distant, deep sections. It will take another hour to evacuate them all.
"Lord Silver," an orc with the uniform greeted me as I stopped. "Lt. Colonel Mazorn," I replied and got off the beast before appearing beside a group of beasts waiting for us.
They are artus.
They are horse beasts with red coats and black starburst patterns. Unlike the horse beasts, we rode here. That would even scare the stallions on earth; these ones are small.
They are shorter and leaner, able to see more clearly through dust and dark.
They are part of the mining beasts I bought. They are mine beasts but aren''t used to haul the load. They are enforcement types.
The beasts for the guards in the mine.
"Let''s move, Lt. Colonel Mazorn," I said, my voice firm as we advanced toward the cave''s dark maw. Every step felt heavier, the air thick with anticipation.
Within seconds, we reached the entrance and slipped inside.
The cavern swallowed us whole. Its sheer size was staggering¡ªvast enough that, at another time, I could have navigated it easily with my old horses. But this place was deceptive. Deeper in, the space expanded further, revealing a labyrinth of smaller caves, each twisting into shadow.
And within those shadows, these beasts would prove invaluable.
''Fast!'' I said as I activated Command Projection on the beast. We moved to where Colonel Trask was with his men. He had found the tracks of the monsters and was now tracking them.
Another cart passed by us with scared people in it.
Seeing them fine. It relieved my heart because what Trask had found had chilled my heart.
Minutes passed, and we got deeper and deeper into the mines. Coming across dense fauna and even a massive lake. This mine is old.
It had many such lakes and thick fauna across many parts of it.
It costs a lot to maintain such a mine, and if it did not have a lot of material to mine, it would have closed a long time ago.
According to our estimate. We could mine it for at least centuries; that''s how much crystal this mine has.
"The monsters had attacked Colonel Trask; he is saying they come in large numbers and need reinforcement immediately," informed Lt Colonel Mazorn.
Immediately, I felt the skills roaring in full power and spells covering the beats.
"How many?" I asked as we sped up. Over two hundred," replied the man, making my expression worse.
I could hear the curses behind me while my expression turned serious.
The lieutenant colonel left with fifty men, but that is far from enough to deal with the monsters. I had only brought three squads, a total of thirty-six plus the lieutenant colonel, but all of them were above Lv..20.
"Call for reinforcement," I ordered.
Chapter 601: Divination
Bell
"Divination!" called out Caena.
She is a witch, and the legacy is her domain. Most can''t even sense it, but she did it at the same time as me, as the power of divination covered me.
It''s powerful. Far more than a last attempt, which was the strongest.
However, nothing compares to this one. It is strong, and its power is increasing by the second.
Since my escape, they tried every year. Only this time, they had waited for over a year, and it seemed like this power was the reason for that delay.
It horrified me as last time. They were able to divine my location in the red-light district. This time, they didn''t need that broad of an area.
As long as they were able to confine the search to Greltheaven. They will know where I am.
Last time, I was able to escape due to sheer luck. Remus had stopped them, and the red-light district of Oksall was massive. Thousands of whores come and go there every day.
Still, they had investigated me there, but I was able to fool them.
In my over ten years in Oksall, I have weaved an identity that is very hard to see through. It''s not hard to do if one understands the process.
Especially when it comes to whores. There are thousands of them, with many having similar stories and origins, making it easy to meld in.
However, this time, it will not work. As long as they discover Greltheaven, it is over for me. I will have to run away immediately and hope they will never find me.
It took a moment for a pendent to become visible and blazing brightly.
Echovoid Amulet.
It is one of the strongest anti-scrying artifacts on the continent. My mother''s family has had it for thousands of years.
My mother has sacrificed her life by giving me this artifact. If she had used it herself, she would have been able to escape.
It is powerful. More potent than the saber Remus had brought. It is me that is weak and can''t harness the full power of it.
I poured my aura inside it to power it further. Taking me in an envelope of its power.
It relieved me, but it did not make me feel good. I saw how fast the power of divination is rising. If it continues to rise, the power will break through its defenses, and they will find me.
¡
Caena
"Divination!" I called out.
I recognize it. I felt it many times as a child, as people always tried to find the location of our coven.
Mom had made me feel it many times.
Most attempts were weaker than this one¡ªexcept for one, which was even stronger. Even after years, I remember the feeling of it clearly.
This one is getting stronger but won''t get as strong as that one. I had sensed.
However, one thing is clear. The one who divined is very close to Lv. 50; there are only a handful of them worldwide.
Bell had informed me about it but said she had the means to deal with it, and looking at a dense invisible power enveloping her, I have to say, I had underestimated her means.
If I had not been standing in legacy and its domain. I wouldn''t have been able to feel that artifact''s power.
It''s powerful. As powerful as some of our ancestral artifacts had been.
Even with an aura, she isn''t powerful enough to bring out the true capability of the artifact, while the power of those scrying her is getting stronger.
I could feel those people were also using the artifact, not just one.
''They really want to find her,'' I thought. It is obvious, considering who she is. With her dead, there will be no harm to their rule.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on her. At the same time, I began to make the preparations.
She can not be discovered for her sake and for Greltheaven. We are far too weak to deal with the trouble her enemies could bring us.
"The power is getting stronger. I won''t be able to hold back for much longer," she informed, with her eye searching for hope.
I didn''t answer for a moment.
"There is one option, but I don''t know if it will work. If it didn''t, they will discover you within a second," I stated.
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.
I have created ways against divination. These powerful ways could have helped us, even if the diviner had been at Lv. 40, but it is Lv. 50, and on top of that, they are using artifacts.
There is no way my legacy and my craft would be able to stand against this humongous power.
"They will discover me if I don''t do anything. So, if there is hope, even the small one,... do it," Bell replied, looking at me intensely.
I didn''t say anything, but the office disappeared.
We had told Bell many things, but there are still many things we have kept from her. I would have liked it if Remus was here, but he is not, and contacting him about it isn''t an option.
Soon, the core appeared, and the planets. Not all of them. Only twenty-six.
The two close to the core are multi-colored harvesters, and beside it is a translucent violet one. It is a planet with an anti-scrying spell.
The remaining twenty-four are the outer planets of the city limits.
I could feel Bell''s eyes and shock within them, along with a lot of questions. It only lasted for a fraction of a second before she turned to me.
"Place your artifact in the violet planet," I instructed. Giving her the access she needs.
There was only a fraction of hesitation in her eyes before she took out a pendant of immense power and sent it to the planet.
It entered inside, and immediately, the whole planet lit up as the artifact''s power merged with the anti-scrying spell imprinted on it.
Seeing that, a smile appeared on my face. It worked, but a moment later, my expression became serious.
"It is going to bring massive pressure on you," I informed her, spreading the artifact''s power into the twenty-four planets.
The artifact is too powerful. Anti-scrying planet couldn''t bear it alone.
Even if it could, I would use the twenty-four planets. They represent the domain of the legacy. With them, the scryer will need to go against the power of the whole domain.
However, the maximum pressure would fall on her. The artifact is connected to her; even now, she is powering it with her aura.
The twenty-four planets lit one after another, and soon, all of them lit up.
At the same time, the harvest begins to release the essence to the anti-scrying planet.
Bell is far from powerful enough to support the coverage of the artifact''s power in the whole domain. So, I am using essence, and it isn''t the emotion essence but the core essence.
The artifact''s power enveloped the whole domain, and the scrying power clashed against it.
I could feel the users'' skills and the artifacts they were using. It is immense; the only reason we have not been found out is because of Bell''s artifact.
It is immensely powerful, and I could see it working as it we bore the onslaught, which is getting stronger.
"Ehh!"
I heard the sound and turned to Bell. She is shaking and gritting her teeth while the blood seeps out of her nose and eyes.
The pressure she is feeling is inhuman. If anyone had been in her place, they would have fallen unconscious already. I would have fallen unconscious if I had been in her place.
I appeared beside her, and she immediately placed her hands on me. She would have fallen if I had not appeared beside her.
A minute passed and then another.
More blood had leaked out of her orifices, and she became pale as paper, but she held on even when the pressure had reached a colossal degree.
She understands she cannot afford to go unconscious. It will weaken her connection with her artifact. It would still protect her, but not strong enough to resist this.
It wouldn''t have been a problem. If the legacy had been a Grade IV, but it''s not.
Another minute had passed, and her condition became really bad when the power stopped increasing. It had reached its peak.
It gave me a slight relief.
¡
Grand Duke
The blood started to come out of the eyes of the sage. It has never happened before.
I looked at his student, and he also looked shocked by it.
The two artifacts hovered before him, enveloped in the raw energy of his aura. The sheer force radiating from them sent a chill down my spine¡ªa power so intense and overwhelming that fear gripped me instantly.
Despite not having a combat class, the man is dangerous. It isn''t just about the aura but the influence he wields because of his class.
This also makes killing him even more difficult, as even the most powerful remained cautious of him and those who shared his class and level.
Minutes passed, and blood began to come out of all his orifices, and he became pale.
I felt the change in his power, and a moment later, his aura receded, and he opened his eyes.
"Did you find her?" I asked immediately.
The man didn''t reply immediately. Instead, drank the emotion essence potion before turning to me.
"No," he replied.
"Is she still in the Oksall?" I asked. This will not help us much. The man told us she had been there for decades, but it is a vast city.
Despite using all our resources. We weren''t able to find her.
"I don''t know," he replied.
I felt anger rage inside me. I had been coming to him year after year, paying a massive price for his services, but he had never been able to find her.
I am so angry right now. I wanted to unsheathe my saber and decapitate this man.
"The success was guaranteed this time, but she had support. ¡She never had that before," he added a moment later.
Hearing that, my heart skipped a beat.
Despite over a decade of rule. We haven''t been able to deal with all the sympathizers and loyalists. There are more of them than we like.
Some are still in the kingdom, while others are outside of it. Many of them are powerful enough that we are still constantly hunting them.
There are also the opportunists. Those bastards won''t hesitate to make a move if they see us weak.
"Support? What kind of support?" I demanded, my voice edged with urgency. I had to know¡ªhad to understand¡ªso we could crush it before it had the chance to rise and threaten us.
The sage hesitated. "It''s¡ confusing," he admitted, his brow furrowed. "The artifact stopped the attempt, but it was backed by something. Something vast."
His words sent a shiver through me. That made no sense. And yet, their weight only deepened my unease. I needed answers¡ªuncertainty was a weakness we couldn''t afford.
"What does that mean, Sage?" I pressed, with my pulse quickening.
"I don''t know," he said simply.
For a brief, terrifying moment, frustration and fear nearly drove my hand to my saber. My fingers twitched toward the hilt before I forced myself to still.
The sage must have sensed it. His gaze snapped to me, and in an instant, the confusion melted from his face, replaced by something colder¡ªsomething more knowing.
"The attempt has tired me out. I will be resting," he informed me. He got up with the help of his student and walked toward the door while I watched with rage seething in my heart.
I took a deep breath and calmed myself before collecting the artifact.
''He will not like it, but I have tried my all. What happened next will be up to him.'' With that, I got up and walked out the door.
¡
Caena
The power stopped, and Bell collapsed. Falling unconscious instantly.
I stopped her fall and sat her on the chair before taking out a spirit-healing potion. They are extremely expensive, and I only have one, but Bell needs it.
A few seconds later, I felt her condition stop worsening. It made me sigh with relief.
This girl had fought a war with a man over twenty levels higher and survived. Even if they had help, not everybody would survive it.
A few minutes later, I took her to Remus''s room and put her on the bed. Nobody should know what happened; she should rest here till she recovers.
Chapter 602: Shardmaws II
"These fucking monsters!" Cursed a soldier behind me as we reached the area, where the signs of carnage were all over.
Some people were able to escape. We saw them in the carts earlier, but not all of them. Many had died, and the number wasn''t as small as I had wished.
I saw bloody marks on the ground and wall. The miners had struggled, but they were not a match for the monsters.
They had torn them apart and killed them, leaving nothing but blood and torn clothes. They didn''t kill and eat them all; I could see the signs of them dragging some with them.
"His condition is getting bad," informed Lt. Colonel. "Ask him to hold on. We will reach there soon," I replied.
We are close, but it will still take a few more minutes before we can reach there.
We were moving as fast as possible and would have crashed into the wall several times while turning if not for the skills and spells the cavalry members in our groups were employing.
The more I practice with them, the more I will learn and realize what a valuable force they are.
I had already increased their budget, understanding this.
It did not come without cost, as I had scratched it out of others, but it is something I need. They are well suited for the wasteland.
Because of this advantage of cavalry, the bastard in Port Midlet was keeping the undead at bay.
I pushed those thoughts away and focused on riding. I am constantly using the Command Projection to control the beast.
Usually, they do not need such control. They are trained for this kind of thing, but we are moving too fast in this place, and it becomes necessary.
A minute passed and then another. We rode through the caves, small and big.
"We are just seconds away," informed Lt. Colonel Mazorn.
"Everyone, prepare yourselves. Mages prepare spells. We will attack them immediately, hard and fast," I commanded, and I felt the skills and spells activating.
They covered me and also the beats we were riding. The monsters we will fight are dangerous, while the ones we are riding aren''t precisely the fighting monsters.
They are mine monsters; they are the ones that mine guards used.
They are trained with monsters and could be used in mounted fighting, but they are not as effective as those explicitly bred for mounted combat.
So, I hope the skills will work. In Colonel Trask''s position, we will need these monsters to reach there.
We took turns, and I saw a glimpse of the monsters behind the entrance of the other end.
There are a lot of monsters. So many that I couldn''t see any people.
Beast also seemed to sense them, and I could feel them shaking. Seeing that, I brought out a faint aura before adding the power of Calm Touch in it and covering all the beasts with it.
Immediately, the calmness took over them. It made me relieved, and I looked ahead.
Finally, noticing Colonel Trask and his men. It didn''t make me feel good.
Within seconds, we reached the massive entrance and plunged into the cavern beyond. Its sheer scale was staggering¡ªso vast that an entire village could vanish within its depths. The air was thick and heavy with unnatural sounds and dust clouds that quickened my pulse.
Then I saw them.
Near the center, a writhing sea of horrors¡ªhundreds of them¡ªShardmaws.Their hulking forms twisted and swirled in a chaotic frenzy, their jagged maws snapping at the air, each movement echoing with the sound of grinding stone and tearing flesh. There were easily over two hundred of them, a tide of nightmares coiling in the dim light.
These are reptilian monsters, as big as carriage horses, with stone scales of black and grey. They have thick limbs with sharp black claws and teeth like long shards, which is how they got their names.
Roar, Roar, Roar!
They saw us and roared. I could see their long mouths and sharp teeth. That could cut through the rock like butter.
"Attack!" I roared and activated the March Of The Braves.
It is a skill that works better with infantry, but even with the lesser boost, it is a powerful skill, and we need all the advantages we can get here.
Roar, Roar, Roar!
They roared, and a group of them came toward us.
I unsheathed my rapier and felt its power coursing through me. Its beautiful blade gleamed sharply. This will be the blade''s first blood.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
The spells flew toward the swarm of monsters. Some died, but many came bellowing wildly in rage and bloodlust.
Finally, our charge reached the monsters, with one coming to attack me, or rather my beast. I could see it wanting to bite its head.
I leaned forward and brought my sword down with the Blade of The Gale.
The monster seemed to understand the danger and tried to dodge the attack, but my sword was too fast and reached its neck in less than a second.
The blade reached its neck, and I was about to activate the Razer Edge when I stopped, realizing that I did not need it.
Rip!
My rapier cut through its neck and decapitated it cleanly.
The smoothness surprised me, but it only held my thoughts for a fraction of a second as another monster came.
I attacked it with my rapier and used Graceful Repell to stop another monster from attacking from the left.
Rip! Bang!
I killed the monster and defended against the second one before moving to kill it.
Rip!
I split its head from the front without decapitating it. This wound makes the monster scream out strangely before falling to the ground in pain.
Beastback combat has its advantages, but there are also many disadvantages.
Here, I am restricted by the beast.
I controlled the beast and pushed forward using Calm Touch and Command Projection.
I have my aura active around all the beasts. Without it, they would have bolted the moment they sensed the danger, scattering into the darkness, and we couldn''t afford that¡ªnot now. Not when Colonel Trask''s group was trapped, surrounded on all sides by monsters, their survival hanging by a thread.
We moved forward. Killing any monster that came our way.
Roar, Roar, Roar!
We killed the monsters that came our way¡ªgetting closer and closer to a group of larger monsters when the guttural roar rang out.
From the center of the mass, a group of monsters came toward us, and this group had Grade IV monsters. We have been dealing with Grade III, and now elder Grade IV has come.
These are bigger, stronger, and, most importantly. These Shardmaws possess Elemental energy.
I could see the earth''s elemental energy shining through the scales and covering their claws.
Sup, Sup, Sup!
Soon, it gathered in front of their mouths. Forming Earth Lances before shooting toward us.
Seeing that, I let out a breath, and with it, I brought out my aura and pushed inside it the skill. It went inside the skill more smoothly than when I had fought against the bandit.
I expanded it at the same time. Creating a rectangular forcefield.
Bam, Bam, Bam
The lances crashed against the force field, which was powerful, but I had experienced worse.
The force field stopped the attack and repelled it toward the monsters. We used that opening to charge toward them fast.
Rip, Bam, Rip!
I decapitated and defended against the monsters before finally coming across the first elder Grade IV monster.
Roar!
It roared at me before attacking, unlike the Grade III monsters. Who attacked with their mouths, this one struck me with the claws.
Its claws had extended with the earth''s elemental power, becoming nearly half a meter long and very sharp.
I didn''t react other than increasing the power of Calm Touch to calm the beast before commanding it to move forward with Commanding Presence.
At that exact moment, I slashed my sword forward with the Blade of Gale and Mauling Strike without caring for the claws that would rip me and the beast apart.
Bam!
The claws struck an invisible force, and the monster shook as it tried to deal with the recoil.
It was stabilizing itself when it saw the rapier in front of it. It reacted fast, trying to summon an earth lance, but my rapier reached the beast just as the lance started to form.
Rip!
I activated the Razor-Edge, and the sword ripped through its neck and came out of the other side.
It was a Grade IV monster, and I just killed it.
I didn''t stop and killed two more Grade III juveniles and defended against the attack of an elder Grade IV before killing it.
It wasn''t as easy as it looked. Every moment, I defend against the attack and fight the monsters while at the same time keeping the beasts calm.
They want to bolt at every moment and, if not for me, forcefully keeping them calm and suppressed with my aura. They would have bolted away already.
Rip!
Finally, the last monster of the group died, and now only one group remained.
The biggest.
"Arrow formation!" I commanded, and they arranged themselves into the arrow formation.
"Cover the sides," I instructed the mages and the next moment. I poured the aura into Graceful Repel and shaped it into a triangular shape like an arrowhead.
It''s hard, and I had never managed to make one so large, but I didn''t have a choice here. If we fought our way there, it would take a lot of time, and we don''t have time. Colonel Trask and others are barely holding on.
Every second we lose, there might be a person dying there.
Powerful monsters are attacking them; one radiates power enough that I felt scared of it.
So, I have to get there as soon as possible, not only to save him and others but also to gather our numbers together. This will give us a greater chance to deal with the monsters.
Finally, I formed the wedge shape, which took all of my effort to maintain, especially when keeping a Calm Touch and Command Projection on beasts.
"Charge!" I shouted with everything I had, commanding the beasts to move as fast as they could with the Command Projection.
They are scared, but I forcefully suppress their fear with my skill.
The beasts galloped fast, and their speed increased further with the spells and the skills others had cast.
Raor, Raor, Raor!
The monsters roared and launched their charge at us with fury. The wall of scales and teeth was a scene that created fear in my heart, but I didn''t stop¡ªinstead, I pushed my beast to move even faster.
Bam Bam Bam!
The Shardmaws roared and launched their earth lances. My aura shield blocked them, but I nearly lost control over my skills. I held on with everything I had.
The worst is about to come.
Bam Bam Bam!
Finally, the monster''s charge battered against the wedge of my aura shield, each blow threatening to shatter my focus. The impact was unlike anything I had ever felt before¡ªnot the ferocity of the elder Shardmaws'' attacks, nor even the relentless barrage of Earth spikes. It was something raw, mountain-like, a force that seemed to ripple through the air, shaking my control to its core.
The pressure was overwhelming, pushing me to the brink of losing control, but I clung to every ounce of strength I had, refusing to give in.
It made me bleed out of my nose and ears and shook my aura, but I didn''t let it slip through my hands.
Instead gripped it even more tightly.
Bam Bam Bam!
The monsters and their attacks kept clashing against us, trying to stop us from reaching our people. Monsters aren''t idiots; they know that we will be harder to deal with together.
So they came, not just at me, but also my people.
Our sides were fortified with powerful defensive spells¡ªGrade IV and Grade III barriers. My mages worked tirelessly, weaving their magic to sustain the shields while simultaneously launching devastating attacks at the advancing monsters.
We charged forward, killing or trampling any who tried to stop us. Seconds passed, and then another. We got closer and closer to our people until we finally reached them.
"Lord Silver!" they greeted in relief. I saw their bloody faces and dead bodies at their feet.
"Spread out," I commanded, and people moved around, joining them to fight the monsters coming from every side.
"My lord, watch out!"
I had just given the command. When I heard the warning, I turned. Only to see the most oversized claw of a monster I had seen here coming at me.
Chapter 603: Shardmaws III
Ina Knox
"The evacuation is complete," informed Osward, and it made me relieved but also surprised.
I am not the only one.
"It seemed like those drills have been useful, Governor," said Maknok. Yes, the evacuation drills turned out to be more valuable than I had thought.
We simulated the fake attack and other emergencies to prepare our people and calculated our response. Every part of the mining operation participated: the miners, supervisors, guards, and army.
We did the drills and fixed our mistakes in each attempt.
It wasn''t my idea. It was from Lord Silver. What I did is that instead of doing it once a month. I did it twice; we suffered some monetary loss, but this time, it saved lives.
The miners had escaped in a record time.
"Any response from Lord Silver?" I asked. To that, she shook her head. He is fighting the monsters that came out in considerable numbers, almost out of nowhere.
We regularly checked the mines with specialists and the Earth Mages for any trouble.
We did it just a week ago, but there was no danger. Now, we have encountered these monsters. It''s not our mages'' fault; Shardmaw are monsters that dig fast.
In a single day, they could dig through an area larger than we could sense through our spells, skills, and wards.
It is hard to detect them unless one is looking when they are digging. Still, after all, this is over. I will look for every mistake we make and fix it.
"How far are the reinforcements?" I asked. "They will reach there in ten minutes," she replied.
That is too much, but there is nothing I can do about it. I could do other things, and I will do them.
¡
Silver
I looked at the claws and felt its power. It couldn''t help but make my heart shudder.
The monster is the most enormous Shardmaw here, with nearly all its scales are grey. There are very few black scales that remain on its body.
This means that it is very close to leveling. Grade V Shardmaws have completely grey scales.
Still, that didn''t stop me from reacting fast.
Graceful Repell appeared before the claw, and I powered it with my aura.
Bam!
It crashed against it hard, and there was no repel. It didn''t affect the monster. The one affected is me, who is nearly flung off the horse because of the shock.
I would have. If not for my training for the past few weeks.
Roar!
The beast bellowed, and a huge Earth Lance materialized in front of its mouth and came at me fast.
I immediately swung my sword toward it with the Blade of The Gale.
Rip!
My rapier ripped through the attack, but that time, the colossal monster appeared to shift surprisingly fast and attacked me.
Bam!
I defended once more and moved to attack it when another lance came.
My rapier ripped through it, but when I moved to attack. It was already attacking me, which I defended with the Graceful Repel.
Once more, it attacked me with Earth Lance when I moved to attack.
''It is not giving me a chance to attack!'' I thought.
I am restricted when on the beast; I have limited mobility. Besides, half of my focus is on controlling the beast itself with my skill.
The poor guy was terrified. It wants to bolt away from the battle.
I am fighting like a sitting duck. My abilities are suited for ground combat, and the same is true for my weapon; for mounted combat, spears, and sabers are the best weapons, not rapiers.
I have only learned mounted combat because I wanted that skill.
Bam!
I defended once more and made the decision. The next moment, I acted.
I leaped off the beast, dodging the Earth Lance, but the monster reacted instantly and sent another Earth Lance toward me.
It isn''t the only one who attacked. Two more Earth Lances came toward me.
I looked at all three attacks and changed nothing. My rapier is still focused on the most powerful one coming toward me.
Rip!
Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
As it came here, my rapier sliced through. The weapon is impressive. Much smoother and far more powerful than the enchanted weapon I used to have before.
Bam Bam!
The other two attacks landed on the shield before being repelled back towards the monsters, while the most powerful attacked me with its sharp tail.
Most have a small tail, not enough to be used to attack, but this one is close to Grade V. Its tail is growing.
The tail has a sharp end like a blade and thick earth elemental power covering it, making the attack even more powerful.
Clang!
My sword clashed with its tail, making me shake hard. Pain appeared in the monster''s eyes, and cracks appeared on its sharp tail.
It surprised me.
I thought it would slice through the tail, but the monster''s defenses are robust enough to defend against the blade laced with aura.
"Roar!"
It roared angrily and launched another Earth Lance, which I had defended, before landing on the ground.
At that exact moment, it attacked me with its massive claws. That is nearly a meter long.
I wanted to defend with my rapier, but that would be an idiot. The weapon is powerful, and my skills are good. With an aura, they become even more powerful, but still, doing that would be bad.
The raw disparity in physical strength was insurmountable and coupled with the elemental power at play, it made the situation incredibly perilous; it would break my stance and leave me exposed.
I brought Graceful Repel up to block its crushing claws, the weight of its force shaking the air around us. In that split second, I activated Blitz Steps.
Bam!
Its claws collided with the shield, a deafening impact that rattled my bones, but in the same breath, I had already flashed to its left, closing the distance with lightning speed.
Rip!
The monster reacted fast, and it moved while attacking with its tail, but still my attack landed before I dodge the tail with the Blitz Steps.
My eyes widened at what I did.
It might not seem like much, but amazingly, I did it. I powered the Blitz Steps with my aura. It is not just a speed method I used but also Lord''s Eyes and Fast Reflexes, both powered by the aura.
It let me see the monster''s smallest movement and react faster. During an earlier attack, I dodged by inch.
Roar!
It roared, feeling the bloody cut across its body, and attacked with Earth Lance, before swiping at me fast with its claws.
Like before, I brought the Graceful Repel in front of the claws and appeared to the side with the attack.
Bam Rip!
The monster seemed to learn from that and tried to dodge, but it wasn''t fast enough, and I was able to bring another cut on its body.
It didn''t land as deeply as I wanted, but it drew blood.
Bam, Rip Bam!
It attacked me again, and I defended before attacking it. Seconds passed, and more cuts appeared on its body, but not a single one was able to go deep enough to be life-threatening.
Its vitality was such that most of them had already started healing.
There was no reduction in its strength.
I could keep fighting, but the longer this drags on, the more my people suffer. Monsters are tearing into them from all sides. The sooner I end this, the sooner I can turn the tide and join the fight to protect them. Time is slipping away, and every second counts.
Roar!
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the monster let out a deafening roar. In the next instant, I sensed two attacks coming from behind.
It wasn''t just a claw¡ªit struck with the force of a lance, aiming straight for me.
I parried one with and dodged the other, just as it shot past me and pierced the creature not far away. A quick exhale of relief escaped me. Hun!
A grin tugged at my lips, but it faded the moment I saw them. Two elder Grade IV monsters were charging toward me.
"Fuck!" I cursed under my breath. This was bad. The monster had known its position, and now it had called for backup.
Roar!
All three of them roared as they launched an attack with Earth Lances before coming at me with claws.
Bam!
I stopped the massive Grade IV with the Graceful Repel before moving to dodge the Earth Lances and the claws of the two monsters.
I pushed as much aura as possible in the Blitz Steps, Lord''s Eyes, and Fast Reflexes.
Given their strength, it had become very dangerous for me. I could not afford to have their attacks land on me because a single direct hit would be game over.
Rip!
I dodged the attack, claws, and lances before splitting the other into two and again using the Graceful Repel to stop the leader.
It is my focus and the one I have to kill. Once I finish it, the other two won''t be a problem for me.
Rip!
I was thinking that when its broken tail cut me across the shoulder.
I tried to dodge, but I was dodging so many things. I decided to take the attack and covered the place with an aura right before the tail struck to protect against the elemental power.
It would have been bad if it had entered inside me.
They attacked again, and I moved once more. Pushing even more aura into my skill.
Against one, I was only slightly worried, but now it is the battle of life and death for me, and I have to win. It is the only way I would survive.
Rip, Bam, Rip!
I dodged and defended the attacks but also got grazed by one. It''s either the tail or the Earth Lances.
I never played around with the claws. I either dodged them or defended with the Graceful Repel. Any other way is too dangerous.
Seconds passed, and cuts appeared on several parts of my body, with the latest being on my neck.
The three swamped me, attacking me every moment without a moment of break. It is hard, but things are slowly improving as I understand their pattern.
Seconds passed, and finally, I decided to make a move.
I used my speed skills and moved toward the leader directly, avoiding the lances and claws by inches. I used the Graceful Repell to defend against it before I appeared on the spot and brought down my sword.
The monster reacted fast, with a tail coming at my head. This time, I didn''t move to dodge. Instead, I only bent my neck back, avoiding the tail by a centimeter.
Rip!
At that very moment, my sword cut across its back. Giving it a deep cut but retreating in a zigzag, avoiding the claws and Earth Lances.
Roar!
The monster roared and attacked in fury, but there was less fear this time than before.
My movement became confident as I dodged the monster''s attack. By inches to centimeters before appearing beside the leader and giving another cut.
Seconds passed, and I gave it more and more cuts, some lighter and deeper, but not a single one at its fat spot; the monster is careful.
It was when I saw something. One of the underling is coming from the other side.
Seeing that, I didn''t waste any time and moved, dodging and defending the attack before appearing in front of the leader right when it was underling right behind it.
Roar!
The leader roared joyfully as it moved its colossal mouth to chomp on me at incredible speed.
Seeing that, I brought the sword forward.
Bam!
It reached me instantly and was about to chomp down when it clashed against the Graceful Repel, and its eyes widened. Even the monster understood what was going to happen.
I had never used the Graceful Repel against its mouth. So, it wasn''t guarded against it.
My rapier thrust forward while it tried to dodge. Crashing against its underling behind it, giving my rapier a chance to reach its eye.
Puch!
It closed its eyes, but that didn''t stop my sword from piercing through the left one.
Bam!
At that exact moment, I had brought Graceful Repel to my left. Expanding it to defend against its underling, which came at me in fury.
The Graceful Repel was the key. It only stayed on it for a fraction of a second, till its mouth crashed against it, before I moved to my left, faster than I had ever done.
So, if the leader had tried to chomp at me again, it would have been able to since the Graceful Repel was not there, but it did not.
It thought the force field would be there, but I moved it, right after it crashed against it. I needed to defend against the second monster.
It was a significant risk, but it had worked.
I saw the shine disappearing from its remaining eye, so I withdrew my rapier and turned to its underling on my left, which was looking at me in shock and fury.
Chapter 604: Grade IV
Rip!
The leader died, and I killed the monster beside me; suddenly, while it was in shock, the remaining monsters began to run.
"Kill them!" I roared and moved with everything I had and began to kill the monsters.
We killed them as much as we could before they escaped into the shadows. Nobody chased them, given how strong these monsters were. Chasing them without preparation is suicide.
"Patch up the injured and rest. The reinforcement is just a few minutes away," I ordered.
I was tired and wanted to sit down, but I didn''t.
Instead, I looked at the injured and distributed the healing potions while Zela and the other healing mage began to cast healing spells.
Both of them are focusing on the most injured. Keeping them alive until the healers and doctors came.
We had killed more than half of the monsters.
Of a little over two hundred, barely a hundred escaped, and we will deal with them. They are a threat to the mine, and I won''t be going back until I deal with each one of them.
I looked at the injured before turning to dead bodies. They were good soldiers.
I silently prayed to their souls and talked to a few people.
Time passed, and six minutes later, I heard the sound. A few seconds later, the orc in his late thirties arrived with the company of men.
They stopped and dismounted.
"Lord Silver," he greeted with a bow. "Colonel Irab," I replied before turning to the priests, healers, and doctors. They immediately moved toward the patients.
"Colonel, gather the men. We have monsters to hunt," I ordered, and the man began to throw the orders.
A few minutes later, one hundred fifty men gathered. Most of them were from what he brought, while the rest were from my team and Colonel Trasks.
One hundred and fifty are staying here to protect the injured.
"We are ready to leave, Lord Silver," he informed me. Let''s go then," I replied, and we moved.
The scouts and trackers are in front while we are behind.
The signs are clear, but there are other signs, too, like torn clothes, small body parts, and other things, most of which belong to the miners.
It made me sigh in grief, but I controlled my emotions. I need to be calm; I don''t know what we might face.
There could be anything.
This shouldn''t be happening¡ªnot at this level of a mine. Most of the monsters we encountered here, in person and recorded history, were Grade III or lower. But earlier, we had faced nearly twenty Grade IV creatures, one of whom had been dangerously close to Grade V.
Thankfully, it was not a full Grade V.
There is a vast difference in strength between Grade IV and Grade V. If there had been Grade V, then people would have been massacred.
It is why those in front are armored soldiers with tower shields.
A few minutes passed, and we came upon the body of a monster. Our people had killed it. This made everyone serious, and our steps became cautious.
We stopped three and a half minutes later as we reached a dead end in the mine.
All sides were sealed off, leaving only the massive hole in the ground as the sole exit. The way it had been carved¡ªdeep, jagged, and unnaturally precise¡ªleft no doubt in my mind. This was the work of the monsters.
"Jon, be careful," I cautioned while others looked around in confusion.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
He was in stealth and now had entered the hole. He is the highest-level rogue with powerful stealth skills. There is no one better than him to explore than him.
While he went inside, we waited.
A minute passed, and then another, and then another, before I knew it. Over fifteen minutes passed, and I started to get worried.
However, I didn''t show it to my face.
Jon is good; unless the monster is a Grade V Shardmaw, it would be hard to detect him.
Another ten minutes passed, and I was about to turn to Colonel Irab, when I sensed him and heaved a sigh of relief.
A second later, he becomes visible.
"Well?" I asked. "You are not going to believe it, my lord," he said, turning to Zela. Immediately, she covered the officers and me in the privacy spell.
He spoke of what he saw, and it was shocking to us all.
"It makes sense, given their level," Colonel Irab said, his voice steadier now that he had regained his composure.
But I couldn''t calm down. This news wasn''t just significant¡ªit was monumental. It would send shockwaves through Panar and ripple across the entire Dominion.
"How do we deal with this, Colonel?" I asked. "We will have a shield lancers forward with mages behind," he replied.
"Our current mages didn''t seem enough," I said, and he nodded. We have enough mages, but we don''t have enough High Mage, and we will need them.
So we sat down while Jon went on another trip into the tunnel.
We had to wait an hour and a half until the required mages and shield lancers arrived. The colonel then arranged them into the formation.
"Let''s move!" commanded the Colonel, and the people moved inside the hole.
The hole is big, but not as big as we want. It isn''t smooth, and you couldn''t simply walk in some parts. The monsters make it for the monsters, not people.
That is why only thirty-eight people are moving into the hole. The rest will stay out.
We try to hide our movements with the spells and skills as much as possible, but it won''t be long before the monsters sense us.
We will have to be ready, seeing as we are in a compact space, and trouble could come from any side. If not, for the large number of mages we had brought. We wouldn''t have dared to come here.
Minutes passed, and we kept walking, climbing, and doing whatever we could to move toward our destination.
The mages helped. They build bridges, stairs, and other things we need.
"They are coming."
Warned our earth mage, and a few seconds later. We saw a group of monsters in front of us.
Our strategy isn''t to just kill them, at least not here, as their bodies would block our way. We want to push them back toward the hollow space, which Jon said is at the end.
That would be the best place to fight the monsters.
Roar Roar!
The monsters'' roars shook the air as they charged forward, their fury reverberating through the battlefield. The mages unleashed their spells, raw power crackling through the air. But these weren''t cast to kill¡ªonly to wound.
It slowed them down, but they still came forward. It''s when I pushed my aura toward them with Lord''s Presence.
It is a powerful skill¡ªone that embodies the full extent of my abilities. Within my domain, its strength is amplified,
It made the monsters stop¡ªonly for a second¡ªbefore they came again. Four of them were in front; that was all they could have in the tunnel.
Roar Roar!
They roared and attacked us. The shield lancers brought the shields forward.
Bam Bam Bam!
The claws clashed against the enchanted shields before we attacked them with spears. Once more, with the intention to injure, not kill.
I oversaw it, ready to defend with Graceful Repel. If any claws or Earth Lance moved to kill soldiers.
The mages are doing a fine job defending against them, but it helps to remain careful.
Bam Bam Bam!
The skills roared, and shields crashed against the monsters. Driving them back.
They do not have enough physical power to do that, but the skills are connected. Giving the shield warriors enough boost to push the monsters back before attacking.
They attack, and we defend and push them back. It is slow and grueling, but we are moving forward.
"They are coming from under the ground!" warned the earth mage.
Immediately, the spells and skills covered the ground. If they tried to collapse it, we would be fine if the area wasn''t too wide.
A few seconds later, the ground begins to collapse under our feet, but the stones also start to fall from above.
These monsters are protecting their den, which had their young and eggs, but we also need to reach there and remove the threat of the monsters.
I don''t like it, but I must do it for my people.
Bam Bam Bam!
The earth collapsed under our feet, and stones fell from above, but mages handled it. There is a light path formed under our feet and earth shields above our heads while we push the monsters back little by little.
Roar, Roar, Roar!
Minutes passed, and the monsters roared in desperation to stop us, but we kept moving forward, dealing with everything they sent at us.
Soon, half an hour passed by, and their attacks became intense.
Things have become dangerous for us, with massive stones falling from above and giant holes collapsing under our feet.
It''s a good thing we came in small numbers. We would have suffered some casualties if we had brought a large force.
"We are close," informed Jon nearly an hour later.
It gave our efforts new life, and we pushed the bloodied monsters back with greater zeal.
A few minutes before, the sizeable carved space appeared before me. The moment my eyes fell upon it, a grin spread across my face. Crystals¡ªcountless and radiant¡ªfilled the space, their glow pulsing with raw energy.
They were everywhere, shimmering with a power, unlike anything I had ever sensed. Not even the finest energy crystals harvested from the mines of Panar could compare to this.
These weren''t ordinary.
They were Grade IV crystals.
Grades I to III are common. We barely break even with them, but we will earn money from this.
The money will help the dominion and its people. As for how much, it will depend on the size of this lode.
I hope it is significant.
"Kill the monsters, but don''t kill the young. They will benefit us," I ordered, moving with my men toward the monsters.
Chapter 605: Big Load
Ina Knox
I walked through a small tunnel and once more saw the mage turning the large stone into the gravel and filling the hole. There are a lot of them.
Many are larger than the one he is filling.
They aren''t just on the ground, but also on the roof. Mages and professionals are dealing with them at the quickest speed. We had even called mages from the army to help here.
"Governor," he greeted like many others on the way. I nodded with a smile and walked ahead.
I wish I could move faster to reach the thing on the other side, but Alluring Stride isn''t the skill I would like to use in a place like this or anywhere else.
I had barely used that since I had taken the position of governor. I am a whore, but I do not show it.
Even without it, I am moving faster. I am at Lv. 37; my physical attributes are good enough that I could walk as fast as normal people run.
Soon, we come across another large hole. Osward created a way, and I walked over it.
My heart is filled with grief, but there is also excitement. The vein on the other side could ease a lot of my worries.
When I heard about it, I didn''t dare believe it. Even now, I am having a hard time believing it. I will only be convinced when I see it with my own eyes.
Deep down, I know it is the truth. I had seen the proof of it¡ªthe dead bodies.
A lot of people died because of the monsters. I have seen the injured and dead bodies of the soldiers. A lot of miners are dead, with their bodies taken by monsters.
Finally, we reached the other end, and I saw the crystals. They are dirty blue but glittering in the darkness, bringing a big smile to my face.
"They are near the highest purity," said Maknok as he touched the crystal and closed his eyes.
He is right; the crystal''s purity is good. This makes refining them cheaper, thus giving us better margins on them. With them, we could earn profit with good margins.
Even if we didn''t refine them, we would still be able to earn good money through them.
Maknok and a few earth mages begin their job to look at the load while I walk toward Master Silver. He is talking with Colonel Irab and others.
"Governor," they greeted.
"Lord Silver," I said as I turned to him and was relieved to see that he had no injuries.
"How are the injured?" he asked. "Good, they are getting treatment," I replied, and I could see the relief flashing in his eyes.
"This is huge for the city and the whole dominion. I would have been happier if we hadn''t paid the price we did," he sighed. To that, I nodded.
"The cost is heavy, but this mine will help us fund greater security, reducing the chances of such an incident in the future," I replied, and he smiled.
The mine will bring money, but it won''t be able to fund all the expenses of dominion.
Still, its help will be tremendous, especially to Panar. It will accelerate its progress, and if it is a big enough load, we might be able to finish many of our targets before the deadlines.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
¡
Silver
I talked with Ina briefly before turning to the group, which returned through one of the rough passageways.
This place is enormous, a maze of twisting burrows carved by creatures unknown. I sent teams into the depths, unsure of what they would find¡ªor if they would return at all. Now, at last, the first team has made it back, and I can''t wait to hear what they''ve discovered!
"Did you find anything?" I asked the orc captain. "No, everything is clear," he replied, which relieved me, but this was only one team.
Let''s hope the others won''t find anything as well.
I talked to the people and looked around this large area. It is very big, and that is good because everywhere I looked, I could see the crystals.
Soon, an hour and a half passed when the first carriages came in and started loading the bodies of the dead monsters.
We will be sending back to the city a lot of bodies and living monsters.
So much had happened in the past few hours. It had made me so tired that I wanted nothing more than sleep. Instead, I had just sat down on a huge crystal
It took another hour before the last team came back.
"Captain?" I asked. "Clear, my lord, but there is a lot of rubble down there, and it''s spread in a large area," he replied, confused shown in his eyes.
Jon went there before everyone else and looked. The things are confusing but not dangerous¡ªat least, not immediately.
"Right now, it''s enough," I replied.
There is a complex path of tunnels with a fraction of them open. They are blocked with rubble, which had been solidified after the millenniums.
So, they were quite old.
One of the most obvious answers is that they were mine. They closed it after it was harvested. The signs prove that much, and I hope it is only that.
Excavating them would require a lot of manpower, and I don''t know whether I want to do that. Right now, I am not even thinking about it.
Twenty minutes later, Ina came with her geo-source advisor in tow.
"So?" I asked. The load looked big, but it might be on the surface only, which would be terrible for us.
"The preliminary result shows that the load is big. As for how big, only the expert would be able to tell us," he replied, making me relieved.
He isn''t an expert in this field but understands the basics. Tomorrow, we will contact the expert and have them analyze the reserve.
I want to start mining it as soon as possible.
A few minutes later, we walked out of the place. Once we reached the other side, we rode beasts. It was past three in the morning when we got out of the mine.
When we reached the city, despite wanting to, we didn''t immediately go to sleep. Instead, we went to the hospital to see the injured.
"They will recover in a few days," informed the Priest. Looking at rows of patients that the priests, healers, and doctors were working on.
"Not all of them. Many will be unable to work on jobs they were used to before," I sighed.
Many had lost their limbs or received serious injuries. It would take them a long time to recover, and not entirely.
I talked to other healers and doctors as I examined the patients. They were miners and soldiers; these were the lucky ones.
Very few miners were able to survive against the monsters. Most of them were killed.
Not a single person taken by the monsters had survived. We were too late; by the time we arrived, there weren''t even bones left behind.
Soon, my eyes fell on someone familiar. She is changing the patient''s bandages.
She noticed me but didn''t turn. Her complete focus is on the patient. I waited until she finished, and she turned toward me.
"Lord Silver," she greeted.
"I was going to ask you to consider returning, but seeing you do your job. I don''t think that would be fair to you," I said, shaking my head.
The woman is Francesca Charlette. A Madam, we had poached her from that bastard Lucas. We had asked her before if she considered returning to the Velvet Garden.
We need people like her, the ones we can trust and who are able to do the required job.
She had declined. She liked her current job better than Velvet Garden, which would have given her a much higher salary and authority.
"Thank you for understanding, Master Silver," she thanked. I am glad you have found your purpose, Francesca," I said and walked away from her.
I could see the genuine joy in her eyes. It is now her purpose: I will not take that from her.
Though, I really wished she would return. We need capable, experienced people.
"What did she say?" asked Ina. "I didn''t ask," I replied. She nodded in understanding.
"I could send Onaz back," she offered. To that, I shook my head. That girl is very talented. She needs to learn as much as she can from Ina.
We looked at more patients and talked to more people before leaving the hospital and entering the carriage.
It is past four in the morning. A lot of people have started waking up.
"Sleep, Ina. You can do the work tomorrow," I said as we exited the carriage in front of the mansion.
It is nearly morning; it will be dawn in less than an hour.
"Ok," she said after a moment of silence.
With this new find, the next few days are going to be busy for her, and she will need ample rest. Skipping sleep wouldn''t help her productivity much.
Soon, I went to my suite and lay on the bed without changing. The only thing I removed was the armor I was wearing.
It didn''t take even seconds for me to fall asleep.
Chapter 606: Allegiant Governor
[Hetaera of Lords Will- Allegiant Governor]
Allegiant Governor Lv. 32
Allegiant Governor Lv. 33
[Skill Merge: Kiss of Vigour + Hetaerae''s Touch: Governor''s Blessing]
[Skill Merge: Null Distraction + Total Focus: Quite Mind]
[Skill Change: Carnal Maven: Maven''s Insight]
[Skill Change: All Night- Lucid Vigilance]
[Skill Change: Quick Executions- Governor''s Orders]
[Skill Change: My Team Is Always Ready-Impeccable Image]
[Skill Change: Alluring Walk: Governor''s Grace]
[Skill Change: Missive To Lord: Brief Call]
[Skill Gained: Vassal''s Privilege]
When I opened my eyes, long texts were waiting for me. Seeing it, tears couldn''t help but flow out of my eyes.
"Finally!" I exclaimed, my voice bursting with triumph.
After months of work and pushing myself to the limit, I had grown and leveled up repeatedly¡ªyet the ruling class had always remained just out of reach.
But now? I had done it!
It might feel like a long time, but it was actually quick. People take years before they get into the ruling class, but my path was different; I was closer to it.
My class was Haetaera of Lord''s Will. Because of Master Silver, it had the elements of ruling in it, and now, with the Allegiant Governor, I have a complete ruling class.
The class that millions dream of but that few could get. Most get through the bloodline, and a minority achieve it through their efforts.
I worked hard to nurture it, but those efforts would have been in vain if not for Master Silver''s belief.
It took me a while to control my emotions, and I looked at the long lines before me.
The change in my class had been transformational. The last time such occurred was after the negotiations in Deerpond when all my classes merged, and I got Haetaera of Masters Will.
This time, it is even more significant.
Not only has my class been upgraded and leveled, but my skills have also been upgraded and merged. I received only one skill, but it is the one that will make many new to ruling classes jealous.
Hetaera of Lords Will was Lv. 37, but the Allegiant Governor is regressed to Lv. 33, but is far more powerful than the old class.
I looked at skills; the first is Goverenor''s Blessing. It is made from the merge of Skill of Vigour and Hetaerae''s Touch. Both had origins as carnal skills, but now they are different.
It still has its carnal element but also different functions. It is an enhancement skill.
It''s like the one Lord Silver has, but it''s slightly different.
However, unlike his skill, those whom I would use this skill on will get enhancements in bed, their official work, and the battle.
The second skill is Quite Mind, a combination of Total Focus and Null Distraction. It works differently than both of those skills.
The skill does not remove unwanted thoughts like Total Focus or mute distractions like Null Distraction. It lets me focus on the thoughts I want.
It might look downgraded than Total Focus, but it''s not. The skill is more powerful and much more productive than the two it is made from.
Carnal Maven became Maven''s Insight, a powerful skill in carnal classes. Most get at it, Lv. 40; I got it because my carnal class upgraded into the ruling class.
Carnal Maven itself is powerful and made from several of the Strumpet Class skills. It provided me with knowledge and the instinct of sex.
Now, it could also let me see carnal desires in others.
All Night is an endurance-type skill of Strumpet Class, which swerved toward general endurance as my classes upgraded. Still, its night element remained.
Now, that''s not a problem with Lucid Vigilance. It gives me endurance like All Night, both day and night, but it also gives me greater rest while awake.
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
It is the best upgrade I could hope for All Night.
Quick Execution got the most straightforward upgrade. It is a skill of the Hetaera of Lords'' Will. After it becomes Governor''s Orders, it becomes more powerful.
The Allegiant Governor now suppresses most classes; the suppression is more significant for officials working under me, making the compulsion of the skill even more powerful.
My Team Is Always Ready has changed to Impeccable Image. It used to be a group skill, but now it is focused on me.
The group element is still present, but there is more focus on me. It''s not surprising, seeing I am not the traveling official anymore.
The requirements were different at that time. I used to travel with my team, negotiate with them, and do other things.
I do not do that anymore.
Being a Governor puts me in the center. I am in charge of a city. If it succeeds, I will be praised; if it fails, I will be blamed.
Alluring Walk, another skill from my carnal class, which now had turned into Governor''s Grace. It''s an invaluable skill, more than people realize.
Like earlier, when walking through the cave, I wanted to use the Alluring Walk, but it didn''t feel suitable. That won''t be a problem with Governor''s Grace.
Missive To Master is now Brief Call. I will be able to talk to Master Silver directly instead of just a written missive, it will also be much more protected.
Because both of us have ruling classes and due to our relationship of liege and subject.
This strong relationship is what gave me my first ruling class skill, Vassal''s Privilege. As I had said, many people in the ruling class''s desire for such a skill.
It is a skill that lets them copy a skill from their liege, who almost always has a better class and thus better skills.
It''s a scarce class skill. One only gets it when there is absolute trust between the two parties. I feel highly honored to get the skill.
I already know which skill I want from Master Silver.
With that thought, I got up from the bed. There are two attribute points, but I am a little conflicted about them, so I decided to think about them later.
There are a lot of things I have to do.
¡
Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 38
[Class Change Trainer- Rider]
Rider Lv. 10
Rider Lv. 11
[Skill Change: Active Presence- Presence Mark]
[Skill Gained: Swift]
"It happened," I said as I looked at the text. My class had changed from Trainer to Rider.
Even their skill changed.
It was only active with Fang earlier, but I could not keep or remove it from any beast or monster I wanted.
The new class had leveled up twice. I even gained a skill.
Swift is a basic rider skill, but it is very useful. It will let me ride the monster faster.
I wish it had been changed into Beast Rider or another powerful variation. Instead of a simple Rider Class, although I am not surprised by it.
I didn''t have enough mastery over it to achieve that. It might happen after I gain enough mastery and accomplish something.
I''m thrilled with this upgrade and even more relieved that my Lord Class didn''t consume it.
Till yesterday, I would have been happy. Seeing how powerful these skills would have become. Now, I want to gain more mastery and accumulate a few skills in Rider Class before Lord Swallows it.
Since Rider had reached Lv. 10. I got an attribute point and wanted to use it on charm, but my eyes focused on Intelligence.
The last attribute point I got. I used it on Intelligence as well. Taking it to the nineteen, but now, I am thinking whether to use it for charm or intelligence.
After some thought, I used it for Intelligence. Taking it to twenty.
Immediately, I felt the change. My thoughts got faster and clearer, with my perception getting sharper.
The effects lasted for a while before I got used to them.
Now, all my attributes are at twenty, which is not optimal. The focused attributes should be higher and the less focused lower, but things happened such that I needed to put points on both.
Now, I will only have one point at Lv. 39 of my Merchant of Desire class.
After that, I think I will first reach Lv. 20 in my Rider Class and then Lv. 40 in both of my classes.
I pushed those thoughts away and got up.
"There is a message from Madam Gloria. She had said Fang behaved erratically, which he never did," informed Zela as I walked out of the bedroom.
It made me stop in my tracks.
"Is he still behaving erratically?" I asked. Fang is powerful and a mutt. Those are prone to getting out of control.
"No. She was able to calm him down," she replied. It made me relieved.
"Tell her it is because of the change in my skill," I replied.
Active Presence had turned into Presence Mark. I had removed the mark on him, likely making him panic. After I return, I will need to spend some time with the little guy.
A few minutes later, I was in my carriage, moving toward the city hall, watching the city and feeling its pulse, which had become slightly clearer, thanks to intelligence.
The carriage entered the city hall, and I got out. When I suddenly stopped, sensing something.
A moment later, a smile appeared on my face as I walked into the city hall.
Soon, I reached Ina''s office and walked inside as the door opened for me.
"Master Silver," she greeted as she got up. She only uses master when she is alone. Right now, she is not; there is Onaz, but she is a girl of the Velvet Garden.
"Congratulations, Governor," I congratulated. To that, a smile bloomed on her face.
"Thank you, Master Silver," she replied. However, a moment later, her expression became serious.
"I have a favor to ask of you, Master Silver," she said. It surprised me. She didn''t have to say that; she could ask me directly. "As long as it is my power," I replied.
"I need Public Works," she stated, and I sighed. "I can''t give you that, Ina. Greltheaven needs it more," I replied.
There are many big projects going on, and there will be more. I will not remove the skill from the city for at least another year.
I was expecting her to be disappointed, but there was a smile on her face.
"You do not have to activate it on Panar," she said, and for a moment, I was confused before my eyes widened.
"Don''t tell me!" I gasped at that. She nodded and extended her hand.
I gave her my hand, and I felt her skill a moment later. I didn''t resist it and let its power move toward what it sought.
Public Works.
The skills power enveloped it before the power disappeared. Ina let off my hand and closed her eyes.
A second later, I felt the activation of skill. It immediately enveloped the city.
The skill feels the same as mine but less powerful. I have no control over it. The only thing I could do was remove the skill from her.
It is a rare skill. While I would have hoped she would have gotten other skills, it is also a great skill, with one condition: she could only copy my skills.
It is easy to tell. If it had been like my Copy Skill or some others. She would have needed those she took the skill from to be at a lower level than her, but I am not.
"Congratulations. This skill will help your city a lot," I congratulated.
Witch of Luminescent Legacy 35
Madam of Radiant Legacy 24
Chapter 607: Lady of Velvet and Vow
"She is not in harm''s way?" I asked, looking at Bell sleeping in my room.
To that, Caena shook her head.
There is a faint translucent energy covering her. It may be faint, but it feels extremely powerful, and I don''t want to touch it, not even with my aura.
However, I am not surprised, given the artifact that she is wearing.
I had read about it in the Archmage Tower. It''s a very powerful artifact, one of the best of its type on the continent.
"I thought she would wake up the next day and that she would bear the injuries. Now, however, when she wakes, she will be fully recovered," replied Caena.
I nodded and walked out of my room with Caena walking beside me.
Soon, I stepped into my office, which was as I left it a few days ago. I had returned from Panar in the afternoon and had been busy in city hall.
I sat down in my chair while she sat in front of me.
She said, "This is a list of the girls we selected for the interview. "Then she handed me the file.
There are the names of thirty-two girls. As I read the list, a surprise couldn''t help but appear on my face, and I turned to her.
"There are some new girls here," I stated.
The new girls whom we hired after the establishment turned into the legacy. It might seem like a long time, but after training, the new girls have only been working for just over two months. They were in training when the legacy shell was destroyed to save the city, and they only started working after the tower was opened.
Which was only a little over three months ago.
"They are capable; besides, we can''t entirely base the loyalty question just on how long they have been here."
"If that were the case, what is happening on the in-store floors wouldn''t have happened," she replied, and I sighed.
Only four new girls are on the list. The rest were from before the legacy. Even among them, most are from the first three batches.
Two batches are from Redfawn, and a third is from Namdar, of which Caena is a part.
"Schedule the interviews for tomorrow evening," I said. I would have done it in the morning, but I had to meet the protector and member of Tranquill Bathhouse.
They are coming from Belnin and will be here a little past midnight.
We are going to do it. Although it will be extremely dangerous, the benefits will make it worth it.
"Dawnstar wants to meet with you," informed Caena as she finished the briefing. "About?" I asked.
"Curriculum," she replied, surprising me.
"Do you have any clue of what she wants to discuss in the curriculum?" I asked, feeling curious.
That woman intimidates me. It isn''t just her level. While that is a big part of it, so is her experience working in the most prosperous city on the continent.
"I think it''s better if she tells you herself," Caena replied with a smile. That smile was wide¡ªtoo wide¡ªmaking it clear that this wouldn''t be a comfortable topic.
"Fine, call her," I said.
She is already here in the tower. Talking with Miss Cain and Eva''s son.
Click!
A few minutes passed when the door opened when Dawnstar came in, and she wasn''t alone. There is also Margaux with her.
However, unlike Caena, she was reserved as always.
"Lord Silver," she greeted. "Miss Dawnstar, Madam Caena is telling me you have something to talk to me about regarding the curriculum," I asked.
Her expression turned hesitant for a fraction of a second before it recovered, and she nodded.
It must be something important to make a woman of her experience and level hesitant. It made me curious, and my eyes turned expectant.
Seconds passed, and the woman finally opened her mouth.
"Everything in the curriculum is combined with the practice. The singers sing, and the painters paint. We teach the girls seduction, conversation etiquette, and other things, all supported by the practice."
"We add the practice with everything except for one thing," she said, looking directly into my eyes.
"The sex."
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
I was expecting many things, but not this. I am genuinely surprised by it.
"We don''t do that because it is the thing the girls already know. They have done it for years," I replied, to which she shook her head.
"They know how to do it but could do it better! It is just like the conversation and seduction, which are the necessary skill every whore needs to know to get more guests to become patrons,"
"They had that, but you taught them. It helped them refine their conversation and seduction skills, making them the force they are right now. I want to do the same thing for sex," she explained.
Her words stumped me. I was prepared for the argument, but she had effectively destroyed every argument I had considered.
She is right. The seduction and conversation are a part of the prostitute''s job.
It plays an essential part in bringing clients and keeping them coming. They are as important as the sex, and I focused on them but not the sex itself.
It''s not like we didn''t teach it. We do extensively, from technique to positions, but Miss Dawnstar pointed out that it is all in theory.
"Do you think the girls of the Velvet Garden are lacking in the art of sex?" I asked, too, and she smiled.
"No, they are excellent, actually. Better than even my girls at Archmage City," she replied, and it confused me even more. If they are good, then why is she here?
She seemed to read what I was thinking as a smile appeared on her face.
"They are good, but I believe they could be even better. They should be better. We owe that to our patrons, who pay a massive amount for the experience of a lifetime," she replied.
Her words struck the point.
The Velvet Garden aims to provide the best experience for our patrons. Listening to her words, it seemed like because of my reservations, I wasn''t able to do that.
I see the problem. I want to fix it; maybe then one of the girls will be able to get that class. Even Tara, our best girl, wasn''t able to get it.
I pushed those thoughts away and turned to the woman before me.
"I believe you have a plan?" I asked. She smiled at that, and a moment later, she took a file from her iles bag and slid it toward me.
I thought she would tell orally, but it seemed she understood how the Velvet Garden works.
I opened the file and began reading it with Insightful Reading active. Within a minute, I was surprised to see its detailedness.
She brought out every point. Here, she answered. Even the questions I didn''t even think about.
I finished reading the file a few minutes later and turned to her.
"So, we will be using the patrons. Instead of a male prostitute," I said. It''s not a question; she explained the reasoning well in the file.
"Using the patrons is better, as they are our targets. Male prostitutes are too experienced. Too methodical with carnal skills like us whores,"
"Using them will be more detrimental than useful," she explained, and I agreed with the assessment.
"Well, it''s going to make a lot of patrons very happy," I said, and they all smiled. We won''t have any problem getting the patrons to agree to it.
Many would pay considerable money for that.
"Thank you for agreeing. Lord Silver," thanked Dawnstar. "You do not need to thank me, Miss Dawnstar when it comes to the benefit of Velvet Garden," I replied.
"Though, please be careful. We can not afford to make mistakes here," I cautioned a moment later.
Margaux will monitor it. Every change will go through her. I cannot take a risk with the girls and patrons.
"Be assured, my lord, I will be careful," she replied.
They left soon after, while I worked for two more hours before leaving the legacy. I would have slept in my room, but Bell is occupying it.
¡
[Riveting Lady Brothel and Promise- Lady of Velvet and Vow]
Lady of Velvet and Vow Lv. 30
Lady of Velvet and Vow Lv. 31
Lady of Velvet and Vow Lv. 32
[Skill Change: Silver Glide- Velvet Glide]
[Skill Change: Graceful Repel ¨C Velvet Repel]
[Skill Change: Carnal Touch ¨C Velvet Touch]
[Inheritance Skill: Palace of Erudite]
[Inheritance Skill: Iron In Silk]
When I opened my eyes, I saw the text. A moment later, tears started to flow out of my eyes.
I had acquired the inheritance skills¡ªnot one, but two, one from each side of my family.
The Palace of Erudite is the inheritance skill from my father''s house. It is a very powerful skill that ignores the restrictions on restricted knowledge.
Be it books, the voice, or the visual, any restricted knowledge could be stored inside and then shared if we willed it.
It helped us collect a lot of knowledge.
However, it is not the most valuable thing about the skill. I closed my eyes and activated the skill.
Immediately, I appeared in the massive palace¡ªa towering structure over a hundred floors tall. Each generation dreams of adding another level, carving their legacy into its ever-reaching heights.
Rows upon rows of books stretched endlessly before me¡ªmillions of them, their presence almost suffocating in their sheer magnitude.
The skill had only been described to me before, but standing here now, I realized¡ªit''s far grander than I ever imagined.
It has books on everything¡ªnot just the books, but recordings of the conversations that changed the world and visuals of the battles that decided the fate of the world.
Nearly all of it is locked. Even my father, reaching the level he had, could only access a quarter of the books here; the rest was restricted even to him.
To me, only 1% of it is open.
I looked at the palace before my eyes turned to the massive portraits¡ªportraits of the people who had the skill before me¡ªthere were many of them.
Finally, I reached the latest one. My father, seeing him, I deactivated the skill and began to cry even harder.
The palace of Erudite is a skill only the head of the house gets.
Me getting the skill destroyed the last hope in my heart. Irrational as it was. My father is truly dead. If not, I wouldn''t have gotten the skill.
It took me a while before I turned to the second inheritance skill.
Iron In Silk.
It''s from my mother''s side. She used to call this skill her sharpest blade and hoped I would get it.
It is only inherited by female members of her house and is very hard to get. Before Mother, it skipped three generations of women.
It is a passive political skill. It helps one see subterfuge, machination, and ill intent and gives one the confidence to counter them.
It is a powerful skill, but even it couldn''t see through the thing that brought our destruction.
I looked at my class, which had now become Lady of Velvet and Vow. It had advanced three levels and also advanced my skills.
All of them had a velvet in them, the essence of a prostitute. I was a prostitute, and I accept that fact. I am not ashamed of it; I was once, but I am not now.
It is what saved me. Without it, I would have died.
Click!
I was looking at my skills when I heard the door opening and saw Caena walking in.
"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Good," I replied.
"How long was I out?" I asked. "For three and a half days," she replied. Surprising me.
I thought it would be more. Maybe it''s because of the potion she fed me. I remember her feeding me something.
"Thank you for saving me. I will forever be grateful to you." I thanked her. I understood very well; without her spell and legacy, I would have been discovered and died already.
"You do not need to feel grateful. I am sure you would have done the same thing to save me," she replied with a smile.
Chapter 608: Negotiations
Rylan Aardwyn
''Silver is smart. Use every word wisely.''
''We do not need to hide our intentions. He is smart enough to understand our intentions, but we need to hide the cards we will have. He shouldn''t even get a hint about them,'' cautioned Lord Constance.
It was a warning. That I shouldn''t blabber; I am sure the bastard wouldn''t even let me enjoy the velvet garden and its whores.
''I understand!'' I replied.
I hate the bastard, but he is right. The fate of Tranquill Bathhouse depended on it. If I want to become the master of it one day, then I will have to do what he said.
A few minutes passed, and the carriage stopped before the small city hall.
¡
''Lord Constance and Mr. Aardwyn are here for you, Lord Silver,'' informed Jill.
''Send them in," I replied.
Click!
A second later, the door opened, and two people walked inside: Constance, the guardian of the Wander Inn, and Rylan, the heir of the Tranquil Bathhouse.
"Lord Silver," they greeted after a short silence. "Lord Constance. Mr. Rylan," I replied.
A moment later, they sat in front of me.
"His Majesty, the Dictator of Dorus, and Lord Aardwyn, Lord of Tranquil Bathhouse, have accepted your offer in principle."
"After the connection with the Wander Inn is broken, Tranquill Bathhouse will be one with Velvet Garden," he stated, and I smiled.
The man didn''t use absorbed or swallowed but used ''one with,'' which will leave much to interpretation.
I am not surprised. They want my legacy as much as I want theirs. If they succeed, Tranquill Bathhouse will be given a new life.
Making it more than what it is now.
This is an offer of their dreams, the chance they have searched the continents for.
"The Velvet Garden will be honored to make Tranquill Bathhouse part of it and my legacy going forward," I replied. They may be vague, but I am clear.
It is for which I had called them.
"The honor will be ours, Lord Silver," said Rylan. To that, I smiled.
We talked about it for a few minutes. We didn''t negotiate.
I will not negotiate; Carla and others will do that. Here, we just talk while trying to gain as much information as possible about each other.
"Do enjoy the city and the Velvet Garden. It might not be a throne, but it is still good enough to make one have a good time," I said as I got up to leave.
"We will, my lord," replied Constance before leaving my office.
They will start negotiations in the afternoon and stay in the city until they finish. I don''t know how long it will take; it might take days, weeks, or more.
I don''t care about the time it takes. I care about getting what I want.
Carla is a skilled negotiator and will handle the details. If they aren''t willing to meet our terms, then I will call off the whole thing. I want Tranquill Bathhouse, but not enough to lose my legacy.
Three hours passed. I met a few people and attended a meeting before leaving my office.
A few minutes later, my carriage entered the bustling port. It was nothing compared to Archmage City, with its magic golems and other magical constructs.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I stepped out.
"Lord Silver," greeted Amelius. I nodded and turned to the river.
"How is it going?" I asked. "We have just started on the cofferdams, my lord," he replied, looking at the river.
"It is happening a week before the timeline," I said, and the man smiled. "Yes, we are making good progress," he replied as we walked toward the river''s edge.
A week might not seem enough, but they began working on it over a month ago and are progressing well.
"I want the bridge to be finished soon. Trade is increasing with Navr, baronies, and merchant states. The bridge will help tremendously with that, "I expressed, my anticipation palpable.
However, there is one item for which it will help the most. Without the bridge, we won''t even be able to start working on it.
I pushed those thoughts and focused on what was happening before me. It is a marvelous thing to watch. I would have spent hours here if I didn''t have so much work.
Here, they build cofferdams much faster. Using tools as well as the mages.
However, mages with particular spells are required for it. We have them, but not in enough numbers. We had hired some from the merchant state.
It wasn''t that big of a problem¡ªjust a little expensive one.
I watched them create cofferdams and talked to Amellus and others before sitting back on my carriage.
Soon, I returned to the city hall. I attended a meeting and snooped on the negotiations. They didn''t sense me, which isn''t surprising.
Constance may have a Lord Class, but he is weaker and lower level than mine, and this is my territory.
Most importantly, they are in the domain of my legacy, and I am using the legacy''s skill and power to make them very hard to notice.
They are negotiating intensely. I watched for a few minutes before focusing on the work.
"There is a message from Archmage City. Grand Mage Asin wishes to talk to you in an hour," informed Zela, surprising me.
I am shocked. A Grand Mage doesn''t just contact you without reason.
"Did she provide the reason?" I asked. To that, she shook her head. I hope it''s not about the academy. We have already received a first bid for the tender.
"Tell her I am available," I replied finally.
An hour passed, and I could barely do any work and even postpone one meeting.
"The call had connected," informed Zela, and I put my hand on her.
"Your Excellency," I greeted. Lord Silver, how are you?" asked the voice from the other side. I replied, "I am good, Your Excellency. Thank you for asking. "
There was a silence for a moment before the woman spoke again.
''I have called to remind you, Lord Silver, how fragile the legacies are and how important it is that their vision remains incorruptible.''
''I hope you will keep that in mind in everything you do,'' the woman''s serious voice advised.
''So, this is why she called me,'' I thought.
She has learned what is happening, which isn''t surprising. They are a spirit, and it is their job to monitor such things.
However, I am grateful she called me and my legacy. I want to see it go forward; swallowing another''s core is best to stop that.
Many with potential had made such mistakes and ended up destroying that potential.
"I am careful, Your Excellency, and I do everything with utter caution, keeping the purity of my vision in mind," I replied as seriously as possible.
''I am glad to hear that, Lord Silver, and wish you the best of luck,'' she replied, cutting the call while I slumped back in my chair with my eyes closed.
I opened my eyes a minute later but didn''t return to work. Instead, I brought out the aura.
I practiced for fifteen minutes before focusing back on the work, which I did till the evening before leaving the city hall.
A few minutes later, I went to Calvary''s barracks.
It is my second day of training after I returned, and things are already different. While only one of my skills changed after the class, the other skills melded to suit my new class.
Now, Calm Touch and Command Projection seemed to work better, and it wasn''t just because of the level-up.
They are helping me train better. I need to get better.
Click!
It was later when the door of the home office opened. Carla came in with Hendriks and Taurus.
"Those bastards want to eat our legacy," cursed Hendriks as he sat down before me after the greeting. "We already knew that," I replied with a smile.
"Still, it makes my blood boil," he stated.
He was unable to control his emotions well during negotiations. Although this is not usually wise, I asked him to let his emotions show.
Let them see how desperately I want to consume the tranquil bathhouse. Make them know that my people oppose it and only do it because of my orders.
"Have you dangled the carrot?" I asked. "Yes, I offered them the core essence," replied Rip.
We have no intention to give them the core essence.
We just brought it up for negotiation as another tool. We will offer it to them if they do not resist the absorption, which they will never do since they want to eat us as well.
"We are desperate, but they are a hundred times more desperate than us. Their very survival depends on it," stated Carla.
"Yes, it does. That is why, in exchange for removing those tough conditions, we ask for the things we need," I replied. She smiled, and the other two remained slightly confused.
Though they know what we did and did not ask for.
We intentionally do not add tough conditions that would force them to stop resisting our absorption, which they would not accept.
So, in exchange for that, we are going to ask for other things, like having our people work there in the legacy for months. Getting the parts of tranquil and other things will strengthen Caena''s spell.
If they are unwilling, we will end the negotiation. I know the danger we are putting ourselves in by doing this.
The core of Tranquill Bathhouse would be extremely strong, but that is the least of our worries.
They will have an entire kingdom''s power behind it, while we only have two cities. We will limit their powers through the contract, but we won''t be able to restrict them too much, or they will call off the negotiation.
Carla and others must strike a delicate balance between gaining the concession we want and giving them too much.
Chapter 609: Mirador Hold
Lt. General Lawson, Mirador Hold.
"Of course, I didn''t forget Lt. General," replied the whore and put a box in front of me.
I took it in my hand and opened it.
''Bastard!'' I cursed. Seeing only twelve bottles of emotion essence potions in it.
We wanted at least two dozen; we deserved it, but the bastard only provided us a half dozen. I wanted to fling it back at the whore.
We have provided Silver with many concessions but are not receiving the same courtesy in return.
"The numbers are not even half, Miss Hillcrest. We have been expecting more." I said with a smile. I wanted to use my skill, but it was useless against this bitch.
She is Jenna Hillcrest, and beside her is Rutto, a courtier living off his family''s name.
Two years ago, I used to suppress her as such that she used to shake in front of me, but now she has become powerful enough to repel my skills.
I am Lv. 34 Administrative General. A powerful class, but that was not enough to suppress her.
"We want to give you more, Lt. General, but Velvet Garden''s essence expenditure has increased tremendously in the past month."
"The stores and the new garden consume vast amounts of essence." "We also have obligations to the empire and need to tithe them considerable emotion essence," she replied, her face full of regret.
''This fucking whore!'' I cursed once more.
Yes, those things take essence, but Velvet Garden has more. It wouldn''t hurt them much if they gave us a little more.
They are doing it intentionally, and seeing that, my hate for that bastard Silver increases further.
I hate the bastard with the burning passion. I still remember the words he had spoken to me in Lauryl over two years ago. It was because of it that the commander had demoted me.
I had lost respect and had become a laughingstock, but I took it as a lesson.
Now, I hold a much more significant position.
"It''s just we have provided you with so many concessions and hoped you reciprocate it," I said, and the whore smiled.
"We do appreciate, Mirador Hold. It is why we provide you with emotion essence potions every month," replied Rutto with a smile.
I want to threaten them with cutting their concessions, but that wouldn''t be wise.
Yes, it would hurt Silver, but it would also hurt us, as trade is our only source of revenue. Silver increases trade every month, helping us reap massive amounts in tax revenue.
If we did something, he might try to lessen the dependence on this route, and he could. It will be painful for him, but not as painful as it will be for us.
He can bear that pain, but we can not.
"If you don''t mind me asking. How long will you be in Navr?" I asked.
I changed the subject; I had already expressed my displeasure. Pressing them further would not help Mirador Hold in any way.
"This time, it is a little longer. It might take a little more than a week," Jenna replied.
"Is this about the Maw Grill?" I asked. People from that legacy went to Greltheaven to negotiate for a few weeks.
"Yes, and more," she replied.
A few minutes later, they left the office, and the door closed.
"Bitch!" I cursed loudly before getting up and walking out of my office.
I could see the whole fortress, especially the entrance and exit. Over a thousand carriages passed through Navr every day.
The fort became an important trade route. Making the fort a vast amount of money helped us solve many of our problems, but there are still more.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Soon, I reached the office of Commander Dane.
"He is waiting for you," said Thales, his secretary. I nodded and went through the door.
"Lord Commander," I greeted.
"How much?" he asked. "Just twelve," I replied, placing the box before him. His expression remained unchanged, but I could tell he was angry.
"You must have told them it is only half of what we had asked for?" he asked. I nodded. "They made excuses about that," I replied.
Thud!
The next moment, the whole table shook as he hit his first across it.
I could understand how he was feeling. I feel the same way, but as I said, we are powerless to do anything unless we are willing to bear the pain.
"We have given him so much, but he is supplying those bastards more than us and even sent a brigade to reinforce them with the monsters," I said.
I am talking about those nobles in Nakar Forest.
Our spies are providing us with a lot of information, which is worrying us. The emotion essence is a small part of the problem; the biggest worry is their growing army.
Silver isn''t the only one who is growing their army fast. The bastards of Nakar are doing it as well. Their army isn''t growing as fast as that of the Silver, but faster than ours.
They had even started admitting the wild orcs. Silver and those bastards should be ashamed of admitting the empire''s enemies into their armies.
"I will talk to Silver about it, but in the meantime, keep an eye on the whore," he ordered. "As you command, Lord Commander," I replied and left his office.
''Carson,'' I said, activating General''s Telepathy. ''All eyes on the target, general,'' he replied.
''Good, don''t let them out of your eyes even for a second. I want a complete report of what they do and whom they talked to,'' I ordered.
''Yes, Lt. General,'' I cut the call and walked toward my office.
Every time the whores come, we keep a tight eye on them. They are dangerous and have quite a lot of people infatuated with them.
Silver has people in the hold. The bastard seemed to know about almost everything we do here. We also have people in Greltheaven, but ours couldn''t reach as deep as he has here.
We had offered so much to that bastard Cardin, but he is unwilling to turn.
We''ve found some spies, but there are still many more we haven''t. His whores played a significant role in that, and we would have banned them, but we don''t have any solid proof.
What little we have isn''t enough to implicate them. Silver could easily dismiss it if we showed it to him.
We have restricted many areas of the fort for his whores, and they always have escorts. However, we still can''t prevent them from meeting people.
The high-level officers, those of my level and below them.
These whores always spent a night whenever they came. Plan a soiree and invite important people and high-ranking officials, including me.
It is hard to resist the invitation when they bring the most wine and food from the legacy.
We attempted to limit the giving of emotion essence potions, spa packages, and other gifts to the officers on their birthdays, but it only worsened the situation.
We received numerous complaints. Even two lieutenant generals opposed it, and they had to roll back those restrictions within a week.
It was when we became aware of the significant influence the bastard wields here.
To manage this, we established strict gift policies. We didn''t prohibit them from accepting gifts, especially the life-saving emotion potions, but we required them to inform us.
We also heavily control their visits to Greltheaven and send only trusted ones for the official visit there.
Whenever a high-ranking officer visits Greltheaven, Silver opens the doors of the legacy for them.
They could visit the spa. Fuck whores and even buy stuff with a heavy discount that is almost free. Forget others; even I couldn''t resist the charm of the legacy, despite all my hate for Silver.
Whenever I go to Greltheaven, I visit the legacy.
I am a man, after all, unlike that bastard Maras. Nothing seemed to tempt him; he didn''t even visit the legacy when he went to Greltheaven for business. When he does, he stays for a few minutes with the officers and returns to his hotel.
I was thinking about him when a tall man in his mid-forties approached me.
"Lt. General Lawson," he greeted coolly, as always. I nodded. Lt. General Maras, everything is good with the undead?" I asked. He is responsible for the undead and usually stays at the border.
"Yes. It is calm as always," he replied and walked away.
He always acts cool. Nothing seems to unfazed him until the name Jarvis'' is mentioned. That bastard under him suggested that we send him to the Baronies.
He betrayed us and became their general.
Soon, I reached my office and began to respond to messages. I had. Many are coming from the empire. With the answer, that is making me mad.
Similar to what they''re doing in Greltheaven, we''re also trying to recruit people from the empire.
Every officer was tasked with doing that, and I was responsible for it. I have contacted everyone I know, those I served with, my juniors, and even seniors, but all I have received is a no.
Some of the bastards who turned me down had joined Greltheaven and Owlspring.
We need the city; it would be fine if it were smaller. We would have grown it like Silver had, but we didn''t have it.
We tried to build the town, hoping to turn it into a city like Laurel did, but it''s not working.
We need the city that already exists. We attempted to acquire it in Nakar, but we failed spectacularly. We aren''t powerful enough to pursue Grelthheaven and Owlspring.
As for the Brimbale, we didn''t even think about it.
That bastard in Dustorn Fortress controls it and other cities. He would destroy us if we looked at it so much. We do not want to antagonize him.
It is good that he remained in his fortress.
Although he might not be around for long, the Lord Commander had discovered some shocking information. If it were to happen, it would change the region.
I hope he does not. He is the reason the undead are only focusing on river cities. They did not dare to go beyond it or attack our side.
Not to mention Tabes.
While the kingdom concentrated on the empire, it maintained a presence at the border. Skirmishes occurred monthly, but nothing significant happened.
However, once they finish their campaign on the mainland, I have no doubt they will shift their focus here.
The man in the Dustorn fortress also seemed to understand that. That''s why he has started listening to offers from the empire.
Those offers are really good. They had made the Lord Commander red with envy.