City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

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.

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.

Experience the journey before anyone else—support me by Subscribing to and enjoy 20 exclusive early chapters along with bonus content.