City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 93: Planning and Execution

“Yes, it's good. Print it,” said Lancel as I nodded at him. In front of us are copies of three newspapers, placed by three chief editors.
 
We are at the office of the Greltheaven Gazette, where we have called the chief editors of all three newspapers.
 
We are manipulating the news. It happened daily here and also on earth. 
 
News gets manipulated every day through the lens of economics, politics, and ideology. 
 
“It is time to go to the crier’s guild, my lord,” I said to Lancel. Time is of the essence. There are many things we have to do before dawn, and we barely have a little more than two hours.
 
“Let’s go then,” said Lancel and walked out. Newspapers are only one thing. We have to manage all sources of information and we have to do it before dawn.
 
I have told my plan to Count Darrow step by step and he agreed with it, and gave me permission to use every resource the city has. It is an enormous responsibility. Success will win me plaudits, while failure.
 
Well, I don’t even know what failure will do exactly, but at the minimum, I will be expelled from the city, while at the maximum they will jail me, with all my possessions confiscated.
 
Well, it is a risk I had decided to take.
 
When Lancel said, I have a plan. I could have easily said something dumb, and they would reject it, but I had told them, the plan I was thinking of. So, whether I fail or succeed, the entire responsibility would be mine.
 
Soon, we were out of the building and in the carriage, which begin to move speedily toward the criers guild.
 
“Your plan is quite extreme, like most things you say. I can’t believe father had accepted it,” said Lancel after a few minutes of silence.
 
“It may seem like it, but it is better than any plans others proposed,” I replied. “We will see,” he said, and out of the window. 
 
Lancel had been behaving quite nicely, not blocking and interrupting anything. Even his arrogant self understands the gravity of the situation and knows it is not time for childish tricks.
 
Soon, we passed through the central square where the preparations have already begun. Even with the skills and spells, it is quite a big job for those people. I hope they will be finished by the morning.
 
A few minutes passed, and we reached the crier's guild.
 
“Lord Lancel,” greeted the guild master Ronald of crier’s guild and bowed as the door of the carriage opened. He is a man in his fifties with a receding hairline and a rasped voice. 
 
Nearly every person in his profession has it at his age.
 
 “Have you called all your criers ?” asked Lancel from the carriage. “Yes, they are all in the hall,” he replied. 
 
There are clear questions in his eyes, but he did not dare to ask them.
 
“This is my adviser, Remus Silver. He will tell you what to do and remember, I want complete discretion till it is time to reveal it.”
 
“A single word and you will not like the consequences,” he said, with a clear threat. It made the man shudder. “You can count on me for discretion, my lord,” he said. Lancel nodded.
 
I walked out of the carriage and closed the door. Lancel is not coming inside. He is the son of Count Darrow. He does not need to come with me everywhere.
 
“Adviser Silver. May have happened?” asked Ronald softly as we entered the building. “You will know soon enough,” I said with a smile.
 
A few seconds later, we stepped into the hall, which is packed with over fifty people, from ages fifteen to six. 
 
“This is Mr. Remus Silver, adviser to Lord Lancel Wilstein. He has important business to talk to you all about.” Introduced the Guild master of the Criers ' guild and immediately, all the eyes turned to me.
 
“You have very important work tomorrow. For it, the city had double your wages for the day.” I said, starting with carrots. 
 
Immediately, all of their eyes lit up, and they have become excited, and the guild leader became even more curious.
 
“Remember, it is very important. If you do not follow the instructions, as I will tell you to. You will be punished heavily,” I said, showing the stick.
 
“What you have to do is…” I begin and after a couple of minutes, fear appeared on their faces. If it was not scary, guards were at the door; some of them would have already bolted. 
 
They might have been able to do it before, but now that they heard the news, they will not be able to leave until they finish their job.
 
“I hope you will do the job to the best of your abilities,” I said and walked out of the hall.
 
“Has the und…they are not a threat, Adviser Silver?” asked the Guildmaster, barely stopping himself from saying that word. 
 
“As I had said, the Mirador Hold had defeated the undead. We are doing this to control the chaos that might erupt due to it,” I replied. 
 
Soon, we got out of the building, and the poor man received another surprise.
 
There are over thirty city guards around the guild. Of course, I had called the guards. I could not take any risks.
 
I did the same with the offices of newspapers. We cannot have a news leak before its time. People should hear the news from us, the way we wanted, not through some leaks and whispers.
 
“Adviser,” said the guard captain. “Not a single person should get out before it's time,” I said to the man, and he looked at Guildmaster, and I nodded faintly. 
 
It alarmed the Guildmaster, but I don’t care. The news will not leak out till it is time.
 
“As you say, adviser,” he said and saluted. I nodded and walked into the carriage, and a second later, it moved again.
 
For the next two hours, the carriages went to a couple of more places, before finally returning to the palace when the sun had just started to come out.
 
Soon, the carriage stopped, and we walked out. As we were walking toward the palace, I motioned to Zela. Immediately, she appeared beside me.
 
“Message Carla and ask her to use a red envelope and buy the properties after the news came out,” I said. It is not much detailed order, but Carla is smart enough to know what to do.
 
“Most people would try to sell their assets in such conditions. You are buying, especially the ones you can’t take away,” said Lancel as we entered the palace. 
 
“The undead are no threat, at least this time.” 
 
“So, I might as well use the opportunity to buy some properties I had my eyes on,” I replied. 
I internationally made him hear it; I don’t want him to think I am hiding something from him. He already hates me enough for some unknown reason.
 
“Lord Count,” I said, bowed as we reached the study. “How was everything?” he asked.
 
“We have set the wheels in motion,” replied Lancel, while I turned to two advisers behind Lord Count, who nodded lightly.
 
I was not the only one who was doing the thing. The plan is too big for one person. So, I divided the tasks among people.
 
They had their tasks, and they seemed to have finished them. Robin hadn’t come, which is not surprising. The tasks he had been the lengthiest ones.
 
“Now, we wait,” said Count Darrow, and sat more comfortably in the chair, while I turned to mages.
 
There are five mages, one is the High Mage, while the four are Level 20+ mages, who are experts in communication. They all like the radio. They will tell what is happening in the city.
 
We have sent mages into every part of the city. Whatever is happening, we will know it instantly.
 
I had just thought about that when the first mage spoke.
 
“The newspapers begin to distribute. Within an hour, 80% of businesses and households will have them on doorsteps,” said the mage with long raven hair.
 
“The criers have also stepped out of the guild. They all will be in their position within an hour.” Said the bald mage a minute later.
 
They begin to inform us about the pieces we have spread across the city.
 
“How’s the panic?” asked Count Darrow. It is the seventh time, asked the question in the past half an hour.
 
“Very mild. The people have gathered around the city hall and Criers, who are relieving their queries.” said the first mage. 
 
“The traffic at port is twice as usual. There is mild panic, but guards are handling it well.” Said the second mage. 
 
“30% of newly docked ships are leaving within a minute of docking at the port. 25% unloading the goods while the rest is waiting,” added the third mage.
 
Hearing that, a small smile appeared on the count's face.
 
This is just the beginning. Everything could change at any moment. We need to keep our eyes on the flashpoints and dissolve them as soon as possible, as it did not take long for the chaos to spread and once it does, it is really hard to stop it.
 
A few minutes passed, and when suddenly, the eyes of High Mage York lit up. “Lord Count, the undead had been defeated.” He informed.
 
I could see the visible relief appearing on the faces of people, including me. They are a real threat and if the mirador holds fall, then the whole Renwell wouldn’t be able to do much against it, either.
 
Except for dustorn fortress, but it is always busy in dealing with the threat of the Tabes.
 
“Is there any sign of a hidden attack?” Count Darrow asked. “Till now, they haven’t found any,” High Mage York replied.
 
“Tell them to keep looking,” said Count Darrow. “Yes, my lord,” replied High Mage York. 
 
Click!
 
Two and a half hours passed when the door clicked opened and walked in, clearly tired, but there was a smile on his face.
 
“How are the preparations?” asked Count Darrow, looking at him expectantly. 
 
“Done,” Robin replied. “And the crowd?” Lancel asked. “They are filling the venue,” 
 
This is the most important part. Everything depends on it. Till everything is going great. 
 
The people are leaving, and there is selling, but the numbers are at a comfortable level. 
 
Still, the change could happen in an instant. Everything we had planned needed to go accordingly. If the day passed without a major incident, then nothing will happen and from tomorrow, the city will turn to normal.
 
“Lord Count, it is time,” I said. “Yes, let’s go,” he said and got up and we walked out of the study.
 
Soon, we were out of the palace and sat inside the big black carriage of Count Darrow. It was the most luxurious carriage I had sat in, but also the most powerful. It is over five hundred years old and is highly defensive.
 
The carriage rolled out of the palace, and I could see the change in the city. There are fewer people the people on the street than usual and more guards patrolling the street, but not in oppressive numbers.
 
I had made sure of that. Huge number of guards are not good, they project ‘something is wrong’, and we want to project ‘there is concern and we dealing with it’.
 
It took us a few minutes to reach the central square and, seeing its state, a smile appeared on my face.
 
It is packed with people. There are over five thousand of them. All gathered, waiting for the event to start.
 
In the newspapers and crier's mouth, the main news wasn’t about an undead attack on Mirador Hold. No, it is about a duel between the two most powerful mercenary companies of Greltheaven.
 
The whisper dagger and howling axe; the enmity between them is known. So, we said that it is finally exploded and were preparing to war against each other, but the Count had interfered and asked them to resolve the enmity more civilly.
 
Thus dual/tournament.
 
The carriage stopped, and the Count got out with the heavy security surrounding him and soon reached the stage. Where all the important people are sitting, and when they saw the Count entering, all of them stood up.
 
“My lord,” they greeted, along with those sitting in other seating. 
 
“At ease,” he said gently, but his voice spread through every ear. The power of skill of the ruling class is at a different level.
 
Lancel sat down on the big chair while Count Darrow walked ahead on stage and stopped at the ramp overlooking the crowd of a thousand. Giving them a perfect view of him, with his confident smile.
 
“The citizen of Greltheaven…” he begins his speech. 
 
We already prepared it. Every word, every pause is carefully crafted, and Count Darrow is as experienced as he is voicing it out in perfection.
 
“…I commence the tournament,” he finished Count loudly, and the crowd cheered madly. 
 
A minute later, the duals began on the four stages. And as we had told them, they were fighting most showily.
 
“What’s the status of the city?” asked the count. “Mild rush. More than half of the businesses had opened, and people were going to their jobs. There was a small incident, in holler district, but it was diffused immediately,” informed High-Mage York.
 
The holler district is sensitive due to being a low-income district it is also the place where most gangs are present.
 
We have warned the gangs and promised the strictest action and arrested some as a preventive measure. 
 
Till now, everything is going smoothly, but trouble could rise at any moment, and we have to be ready to deal with it.