City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 100: Navr

“With the temple acting up; I think it would be better to postpone the delegation from Harsoth,” said the man in grey robes.
 
“Or at least sent them to other regions.” He added.
 
The pale young man who was reading the papers finally looked up. “There is no need to postpone it or send them to other places,”
 
“The second majesty himself had arrived to deal with the temple's disturbance. He will calm it down,” said the pale young man. Hearing that, the man in the grey robe is not surprised but relieved.
 
The temple is something ancient, even after thousands of years. They could not find all its secrets.
 
Its reactions are not rare, it happens every decade and only the majesties have the power to calm it down.
 
“How many it took till now?” asked the pale young man. “Eighty-seven people. Thirteen of them had returned,” he replied.
 
It had been one and a half days since it had reacted and if didn’t calm down soon, it will take more people. 
 
“Good. Keep an eye on those returned and make sure it didn’t get anyone from the empire.” said the palace young man before turning to papers. “Yes, my lord,” said the man in grey robes and walked out of the office.
 
…
 
“You had failed Dane. I don’t know why, I had even thought you might be able to capture even one,” said Viscount Atre.
 
We all have gathered on open ground with our carriages ready. I have checked everything and everything is perfect.
 
It couldn’t help but make me feel relieved.
 
“I will capture them,” said Commander Dane, but nobody believed it, including his people. “Keep telling yourself that,” said Lancel with mirth, before walking toward the carriage with Viscount.
 
He had confidential business to talk to Viscount and will be alone in the carriage. Even High-Mage York isn’t allowed inside.
 
I watched till Lancel entered the carriage, before entering the carriage with Ina. The others also sat and the security of over three hundred guards surrounded them before the carriages move.
 
Not all of these guards are coming. They will be with us for an hour, till we met the representative from Navr. 
 
Who will escort us inside the undead kingdom.
 
Soon, the carriages reached the giant gate, and it opened. It only opens, when the undead attack, but if we are successful in Navr. It will open more often.
 
The carriages begin to roll through the gates, and I could see the verdant hills on the other side. It is beautiful scenery, it would have been more beautiful, if not for being marred by the signs of battle.
 
The bones are still around and there are many of them.
 
They must have cleared the ones with the death energy while leaving the harmless ones behind. They create quite a picture.
 
I was watching the scenery when I noticed Ina taking out something from her bad nervously.
 
A white envelope.
 
“Caena had asked me to give it to you after we left the fortress,” said Ina suddenly and handed the white envelope.
 
“What’s in it?” I asked as I felt the bulge inside it. “I don’t know.” She replied. I looked at her for a moment, before turning to a white envelope, which was blank. Not a single word is written.
 
Hun!
 
I tore it open and raised it up. Immediately, the thing inside came out, and I froze in shock at seeing what it was.
 
I had expected many things, but not this. I nearly threw it before stopping myself.
 
“Is it a charm?” asked Ina hesitantly, seeing the thing in my hand. “It seemed so,” I replied. Feeling quite conflicted.
 
There are very few classes that create charms, with one class being most notable for it, especially for herbal charms like this. The class, because of which, I ended up in the Greltheaven.
 
So, one can guess, why I wanted to throw it away.
 
Even those who had not been affected by that class did not like it. Some kingdoms outright banned them, while some hunt them actively.
 
The herbal charm is quite beautiful, woven in delicate herbs and flower petals and tiny branches.  
 
The charm is not the only thing in the envelope. There is also a note; I took out it and opened it. It is short, written in the delicate handwriting of Caena.
 
I read it over and over for a minute, before taking out the torch stone and burning it into the ashes.
 
I turn back to the charm and was about to put it back into the bag, but decided to put it into my pocket. 
 
If what Caena had written is true, then the pocket would be the right choice.
 
“I guess with this. Caena’s base class is no longer a mystery,” said Ina, after a few seconds of silence. “If she is the one who made this charm,” I added, to which Ina smiled.
 
It all makes sense now. Her knowledge of herbology and strange behavior. It made me worried. When I return to the Greltheaven, I am going to have a long talk with her.

 
Time passed in silence, as my thoughts got occupied with charm. I wanted to throw it out of the window, but failing to do that every time, I think about it. 
 
What she had written made me stop every time.
 
The carriages crossed a couple of hills before they finally stopped. Right at the edge of the boundary of the Empire and Navr.
 
There are small outposts on both sides, with a crystalline stream flowing between them. 
 
“Stay in the carriage,” I said to Ina and walked out of the carriage and walked toward the Lancel’s carriage. 
 
I had just reached it when the door opened. Lancel and Viscount Atre came out of it. At the same time, the door of the outpost on the other side opened, and the undead walked out.
 
Not a normal undead, but an undead Knight, with shining armor covering its whole body. It is not alone. Another one, bigger than it, came out after it.
 
An undead knight made from giant blood, or it is a tempered one. The undead magic is capable of many things. 
 
Increasing the size of the undead, giving them different augmentation through various spells and procedures, is not a big thing for the undead.
 
The third figure came out, and immediately, my eyes couldn’t help but widen up in surprise. It is a human, but it is not what surprised me. What surprised me, is who the human is. 
 
Raihar Shadowend. 
 
A necromancer from the empire. He had been on the wanted list for over three decades. The empire knew he was in Navr, but we did not expect the undead bastards would send him to welcome us.
 
Even Lancel and Viscount Atre had got surprised seeing him, but they quickly recovered their expressions and walked forward.
 
Soon, we cross the small bridge over the stream. Which seemed like it had been made a few hours ago. It is likely is and stepped into the territory of Navr, becoming the first people from the Harsoth empire to do it in decades.
 
Legally.
 
“Welcome, envoys of the Harsoth Empire. The Kingdom of Navr welcomes you,” said Raihar.
 
The necromancer looked like a man in his early fifties. Small stature, with brown hair, brown eyes, with an average face that nobody would look twice.
 
He is wearing a simple mage robe and is holding a wooden staff in his hand, which had a bone pearl on top of it.
 
“Thank you for the kind welcome, representative Shadowend,” said Lancel, with a light smile on his face. Expertly hiding the disgust and fear he is feeling for the necromancer and the two undead behind him.
 
“We should leave quickly. If we want to reach the Jalrux by tomorrow morning,” he said and the bone pearl on its staff lit up.
 
A second later, the earth begins to shake, and the undead begin to come out. Not normal undead, but undead warriors, hundreds in numbers.
 
I could see the people getting alarmed around me; the guards enveloped Lancel and Viscount Atre more tightly. The only people who did not seem alarmed were my three guards.
 
They are cautious seeing the undead, but not alarmed.
 
“Show off. The bastard had buried them in the ground beforehand to create this show,” said Jon behind me in privacy.
 
I couldn’t help but nod at that. I am also scared and even shaken seeing them, but did not take a step toward the guards. 
 
They are dangerous, without a doubt, but we are in Navr, on a diplomatic mission. So, we will be fine. 
 
As for what Raihar or his masters trying to achieve by such a show. I don’t know, but to me, this show seemed pretty useless. Seeing we are an undead kingdom and going to be seeing them everywhere.
 
Maybe they want us to get used to them, soon as possible.
 
“It is quite a lot of und..security, representative Shadowend,” said Lancel as he got control over his emotions.
 
There is around five hundred undead around us; each of them standing in a neat line. Unlike the undead warriors I had fought before, these are more powerful and have clean bodies and good armor on them.
 
“It is not Lord Everhart. Your security is paramount to us, and we could not take any risks,” he replied, and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.
 
“Then we will not decline,” said Lancel with a forced smile and stepped into the carriage with High-Mage York, with Robin and me following behind.
 
While Viscount Atre went back to his carriages, where two of his men were.
 
Soon, the carriages begin to move with the undead. The guards from the Mirador Hold crossed the bridge and are going back to the hold, while the guards we have brought from the Greltheaven are coming with us.
 
“Navr. It looked a no different from the empire’s heartland if you forget the undead,” said Lancel commented.
 
I followed his gaze and couldn’t help but nod. The greenery and the hills really do remind me of the Empire.
 
Living in a wasteland, makes you sometimes forget what the rest of the world looks like.
 
The carriage moved fast, with a pace that undead are keeping; within two hours, we have crossed the countless hills before the plains came, and what we couldn’t help but shock and horrify us.
 
“My god!” gasped Robin in awe, watching the large farmlands that seemed endless with the undead working on them.
 
These undead are not common; most of them are the bone of horrors of special designs. In clear words, they could be described as undead farm equipment.
 
I could see the plows and harrows made of bones connected to a big mishappen humanoid at the front.
 
“I had read about them, but it is my first time seeing them,” said Lancel as he looked at it. 
 
“These abominations are the reason for the Navr’s wealth. They are used in everything, from farming to mining,” 
 
“An endless free labor,” said High-Mage York. Looking outside the window like the rest of us.
 
For a few minutes, we kept looking, till our eyes were attracted by a tall tower.
 
“Is that life-death transmutation tower?” I asked, looking tall black tower. “Yes, it is,” York confirmed. 
 
It might shock people, but death energy is useful for plants, but undead carry a large amount of it and that is bad. These towers solve that problem; not only solve it but help to grow the plants fast and healthy.
 
They are very expensive to build, but once done, they bring an immense fortune over the years. 
 
Unfortunately, they are useless anywhere, but here. The place where there is death energy. I heard; life-mages of the crystal race also use them. Though they do it, through excess life energies.
 
As the carriage moved, we saw more and more of such sceneries. The more we saw, the more it awed us.
 
It seemed like the journey of Navr would not be as scary as I thought it to be. I might be able to see some amazing things that I could not see anywhere.

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