City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

Carla Salt

“Inam,” said Jenna as the city appeared in front of us, bathing in the morning light.

It is nine in the morning, but the city is bustling with hundreds and thousands of ships coming and going out of its harbour.

“It’s like, the undead had no effect on it,” said Margaux.

“The city is in a different region despite being part of the wasteland. Its economy and population are larger than every other city in the wasteland combined.”

“Its location, combined with its management, gives it advantages that a very few cities in the empire could compare to,” I replied, looking at the city with envy.

Soon, the ship docked at the riverport, one of the two ports of Inam, before we walked down the ramp, where some familiar people were already waiting.

“Welcome to Inam, Lady Salt, Headmistress Swan,” greeted Vanis Lindgren.

He is now calling me Lady; a lot of people have started calling me that. It is how I should be addressed since I am the official heir of a throne, but it still feels strange.

He wasn’t alone; beside him were Adviser Fisk and Lady Mariha. Even Remus hasn’t been welcomed by such an important party.

Though it didn’t surprise me, we are here for the thing that will change their city and save it from the fate that might happen.

So, until that deed is accomplished, they will do everything to keep us pleased.

“Thank you for the gracious welcome, Lord Lindgren,” I replied and walked with them toward the carriage while making general conversation about the journey and other things.

Soon, we reached the carriage and stepped inside, before it started to move.

The interior was as elegant as I expected, with softly cushioned seats lining both sides, enhanced with enchantments and skills, offering great comfort.

As the carriage set off, the vivid sounds of the port underscored the anticipation in the carriage.

Outside, the city’s riverport faded from view, replaced by the sights and sounds of Inam as we began our journey through its bustling streets.

“Are we not going to the city hall?” I asked a few minutes later. We took a turn, which is precisely what we shouldn’t have done if we wanted to go to the city hall.

Meeting with the Lord of Inam is the first order of our business.

“No, we’re going directly to the legacy. The lord is already there,” replied Adviser Fisk promptly.

‘It seemed like they didn’t want to waste any time at all,’ spoke Margaux, with privacy. ‘Not surprising, we have time. They do not,’ I replied.

We know the conditions in Vanis’s Tavern are not good, and it is getting worse. That is why they asked us to come here and complete the process as soon as possible.

If we had wanted to, we could have extracted more benefits, but we have already asked for a lot. We are also giving them a lot, but pushing further would sour the relations.

That is the last thing we wanted. One of the reasons Remus has chosen Vanis Tavern is to make the relationship between the cities even stronger.

Minutes passed, and soon we reached the legacy.

A familiar old-style tavern surrounded by a compound. It is covered in a colourful mist, but the mist didn’t feel harmonious and beautiful as it used to be in the past.

Despite that, there are thousands of people watching it from a distance. Tourists, there are always tourists around a legacy, but unlike ours, they can’t enter here.

We got out of the carriage and walked toward the legacy.

Soon, we reached the door, where the manager was waiting with Alina Lindgren and a handsome young man with brown skin, slightly older than her.

I had never seen him before, but I know who he is: one of Lady Mariha’s grandchildren.

“Welcome to Vanis Tavern,” said Alina, and the young woman’s voice trembled as she said it.

I sighed internally, hearing that.

She is worried, and I couldn’t blame her. After today, the legacy will change forever. They didn’t know whether it would be a good change or a bad change.

This might not be easy for her; she had grown up here. Vanis groomed her to lead it, but now Remus will be the ultimate master of it.

I nodded and squeezed the hand of the girl gently, reassuringly, before walking inside.

The moment I did, I felt it. The grating feeling that made a frown appear on my face.

It is not as harmonious as legacies should be or even how it had been. The two aspects were clashing, and it became worse than the last time I was here, which was not too long ago.

The merge may have succeeded, but it had messed up the legacy.

“It’s so grating,” said Lyra.

“My apologies,” she apologised immediately, realising she shouldn’t have said that openly.

“There is no need to apologise, young miss. It is so bad that even staying an hour is becoming hard,” replied Vanis with a deep, painful sigh.

“The tavern had such a beautiful atmosphere,” said Jenna, looking around the legacy.

It is still filled with people, and they could also feel the change, but not as profoundly as us. They are still enjoying legacy; it might be grating to us, but not to them.

Unless they stay for a few hours, then they might start to feel the effects.

In legacies, one could stay for hours without feeling the slightest boredom. Instead, it makes them happier the longer they remain in the legacies.

Each legacy’s effects are different depending on its aspects, but most of the time, they are so good that people would want to stay even more.

“I hope it will return to that,” replied Alina Lindgren with a voice filled with hope.

‘It will be better than that.’ I wanted to say, but I remained quiet and walked forward. Soon, we reached the Lord of Inam, and I was surprised to find him on this floor.

I expected him to be on the top floor, but he and his family, including his general and several important figures, were surprisingly seated in an end section.

Seeing that, a smile appeared on my face. This will make things much easier.

With them inside the legacy, they won’t be able to sense what is happening outside in the city. There are powerful people who are in the city, but their classes are not aligned toward that.

The classes of Lord or General are most sensitive to territory changes. If something happens within their territory, they sense it.

“Lord Thorn,” I greeted, nodding to his family and the important people. “Lady Carla,” he replied, before offering us the seat in front of him.

Margaux and I sat down in front of him.

“What will happen now?” he asked. He didn’t ask about the journey or about Remus; he came directly to the point.

“Since we already signed the contracts. Lord Lingren and Lady Baelir just need to put this into the core to begin the process,” I replied as I took out the white scroll with a black handle.

They looked at it, but not a single one tried to touch it. If they tried, I would snatch it away.

It is not a scroll, but a spell—a very powerful one at that.

“Then we shouldn’t wait,” he said and looked at Vanis. Immediately, mist moved and formed thick curtains, separating us from the rest of the legacy.

A moment later, Vanis took the scroll in his hand.

…

Vanis Lindgren

I felt its power as I touched it; this dangerous magic, I was taught to fear since childhood.

I could see that Thorn is looking at me. Earlier, he asked me to tell him if I found anything strange, but I am not going to.

I won’t be his subject for long, and besides, I don’t owe him anything. He took every bit of essence he could from me; he even took a little bit of the essence I get for my personal share.

So, I felt no need to share anything with him. Especially, after he took every drop, my legacy could produce.

He is supposed to give me 1% of it. The Emperor used to provide me with that, but this man only gave me the money in exchange for it, and that too at the basic market rate.

I would have got far more in the open market.

I looked at it, waiting for Carla and others to raise any objection, but they didn’t.

We are doing it openly; such things usually happen in secret.

Even when I merged my legacy with Mariha’s legacy, I did it alone in my office, without any distraction. However, this process is much safer, due to the balance of power between the legacies.

Seeing no objection, I felt relieved. The process is generally safe, but seeing their confidence, I felt even more reassured.

A moment later, everything darkened around me, before the core of my legacy appeared in front of me. It is a pillar, made of thick colourful mist.

It looked about the same when I showed it to Remus, but now there is a slight change. Attached to the pillar is a lantern.

It is colourful, like the cores of all legacies, but its colours are dark and gloomy.

Inside the lantern is a muted grey blob, from which grey smoke is coming out. That is Mariha’s Inn’s core.

Seeing it, one could imagine the type of legacy Mariha’s had been and why it was a terrible idea to merge it with my legacy.

We are so different; we might even say, opposite, but we were desperate.

The two cores are now attached, but it’s noticeable that they are clashing against each other. The merge may have been completed, but it was not a complete success.

‘Let’s hope this will bring the new change. The better one,’ Mariha’s voice rang in my head.

I nodded and put the scroll into the core.

…

Remus Silver

“They put the scroll into the core,” informed Caena. She didn’t have to tell me that; I could sense it.

I am in the ritual room, along with Caena, Barb, and others.

I won’t need their help, but I want to be prepared for everything. This needs to go well; a lot of things are riding on it.

I have rejected artifacts for it, not to mention the great legacies that would have significantly enhanced my legacy. So, I planned to make it more than just successful.

We have prepared for everything, with a very powerful spell surrounding us.

Caena will activate it if she senses something wrong.

“I am starting,” I announced, my voice steady in the charged air of the ritual room. With deliberate focus, I reached out and accepted the connection coming from Vanis’s Tavern.

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