City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread By Thomas F

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—some 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—the 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 –they 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—its 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—where 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.

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—not 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—they’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—it’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.

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