City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

Three carriages stopped in front of the tower, and five people stepped out of them.

All dressed finely with an air of authority and grace.

They didn’t immediately enter. Instead, they looked at the tower, covered thickly in mist. So thick that nobody could see it.

It isn’t just the tower, but a large area around it.

It had changed drastically; the large, beautiful garden of mist plants had disappeared. Now, there is a construction everywhere and around the garden.

Most of the garden had become restricted due to such activity. Only a small part of it remained open to the public, along with the legacy.

They said something to each other before stepping into the legacy.

The moment they did, I activated Mirror of True Want. I did it many times when they came, and I do it every day. It is a wonderful skill.

It is the skill that reveals one’s true wants, but it doesn’t show me straightforwardly and has limitations.

I equate this skill to tarot reading because of the type of responses it gives. It does not directly tell me what they want but provides vague responses through emotions and misty visuals of the legacy.

Take Viscount Halvane, he is a man in his early forties.

I focused on the skill, and a moment later, things changed. First, a misty painting appeared before me; it was the painting of the castle overlooking the vast grassland from the top floor.

A second later, the image changed, and I found myself looking at misty signet rings in Eva’s store.

A moment later, things changed once more, and scrolls appeared from the parchment store; the ones that are used to craft powerful contracts, which nobles use.

It lasted for a moment before the scenery changed once more.

This time, it is of the misty woman who is in the throes of sex in room number forty-seven of Velvet Red.

I returned to my office as the misty vision faded from my view.

As I said, this is a like vision reading, and over the past few months, I have become quite good at it.

The painting of the castle represents his desire to regain his territory. The signet ring represents longing for the authority he had lost.

The blank contracts are the hope for the future.

All three had been consistent since he arrived in Greltheaven. The fourth image of Amara is new; he is smitten with her.

Many nobles had a change in their wants; most of them gained new ones, but in a few cases, some were removed. The most interesting is Baron Feileigh.

A profound change had appeared in him since he came to the Greltheaven a few months ago.

‘Master Silver, they are here,’ informed Jill. ‘Send them in,’ I replied.

A moment later, the door opened and four nobles walked in. The youngest among them is Viscount Halvane, while the oldest is Baron Feileigh.

“Lord Silver,” they greeted. “Take a seat, my lords,” I replied after nodding.

They sat down on the four chairs in front of me. I could feel the anticipation, nervousness, and excitement in their eyes. However, they are hiding it very well.

Unfortunately, the legacy is the only place where you cannot hide your emotions.

“I am sure you are all wondering. For what reason did I call you?” I asked. “Yes, we are curious about this sudden invitation of yours,” replied Baron Fenleigh.

To that, I smiled, but a moment later, turned my expression serious.

“I have called you here to offer you a job in the cities of the dominion,” I said, and the eyes of many lit up brightly, but the next moment, they controlled their expressions.

“What kind of jobs?” asked Baron Fenleigh cautiously. “As advisers,” I replied, and their expressions eased up.

There are seventeen nobles in Greltheaven. Of them, fifteen are poor; the main reason they have come here is to save money.

Before the war, Greltheaven was not a desirable place to live. It’s why I had failed to attract any nobles, despite my many attempts.

It was small, with its economy much smaller than that of other cities, and not to mention the danger. Also, it was not respectable for nobles to move here; they cared a lot about those things.

Perception, how people view them.

After the war, things changed; I had proved that I could defend the city, and not to mention the legacy. It’s a primary reason they came here.

It makes the city enticing and respectable for these nobles to move without being scorned by their peers.

“It is an honour, Lord Silver,” said Viscount Dunthorp.

“You have earned it, my lords,” I replied. Over the past few months, I have kept a keen eye on them and have asked for their advice multiple times.

I could now trust them enough to offer the job, the one they will accept.

An adviser is a respectful job; it’s the best they could get with their circumstances. It is far better than what they would get at Inam or Namdar.

There are so many of them in those cities that they couldn’t get a meeting with the lord, much less a job.

I wanted to wait a little, but the expertise of these people will help Hardt and Ina. They are born nobles, and administration is their blood.

Doing this will also attract other desperate nobles. Many of them are useless, but their concentration does help.

“What will we be advising the Governors?” asked Baron Fenleigh.

I could see the drive in the old man’s eyes. His territory was one of the first to be captured by Tabes. The old man wants to be useful and earn money.

His monetary condition is worse than all the others.

He was quite rich, but the attack came so suddenly that he wasn’t able to leave his territory, and much of what he had left was quickly drained in the months after his effort to reconquer his territory.

“Baron Fenleigh, Viscount Dunthorp, you will advise the Governor Knox on port and navy, and finance, while Viscount Halvane and Baron Quenhal, you will advise on administration and policy,” I stated, making their eyes light up once more.

They are very good at these things. I had tested them in the past few months and selected these four as advisers.

“I don’t think I would be a good choice to advise on the navy and port; it had been two decades since I had worked on it,” said Feinleigh.

He had territory on the side of Tabes opposite from the coast, but he wasn’t always a baron.

He was the third son of former Baron Fenleigh. He only became Baron a decade and a half ago after both of his brothers had died.

Before that, he was a naval officer and port master.

“I believe you will do a good job, Baron Fenleigh,” I replied with a smile. His days in the Navy and experience as Baron will help Gailhorn a lot.

“Then, I thank you for the trust you are putting in me, my lord,” he replied.

“If you have any questions, please. I will happily answer them,” I said, but they shook their heads.

They are pleased with the jobs I am offering them. It will make them relevant, provide them with good salaries, and give them a chance to gain the territory.

A few minutes later, they left.

“It is an awful big risk, we are taking with these nobles, my lord,” said John. In the past weeks, he had stopped being reserved about his opinions.

“We are, but I think it will be worth it,” I replied. Yes, there are risks, but I have to take them for the benefits of the dominion.

A few minutes later, I walked out of my office.

The legacy is different now; there are no open views of the city. Instead, there is a thick colourful mist; it looks gorgeous, but also hides what is happening outside.

The construction of the new legacy had begun. It is being built around the tower.

At this phase, I could keep the legacy open, but soon I will have to close it. It will happen after the opening of Vanis Tavern.

Soon, I stepped out of the elevator and walked out the door.

Even now, I expect to see my carriage in front of me, but no, there is no carriage, as there is no open ground. Instead, I walked through a misty protective walkway.

Above me, the construction of the new legacy is happening.

The project is massive, and I only have over a year to finish it. It’s an enormous amount of time to keep the legacy close, but there is no choice but to do it.

It would be nearly impossible to do this on Earth. Even if they do it, they will use prefabs and other things.

A Legacy is more complex than a regular tower. Many of the materials that are used are magical in nature, and there are also a lot of enhancements.

It will be a challenge to complete it in time, but I have hope.

This is a legacy, which means we didn’t have to poach the talent. People are coming to us, offering their expertise, as well as merchants with the materials.

Having a part in the construction of a legacy is something very few could claim.

Those who had worked on the current tower had already reaped significant benefits, and now many others want to be part of it.

I reached the other side and saw my carriage waiting there. I stepped into it and it began to move.

Everywhere I looked, construction was underway. I could see people everywhere. We have a strict timeline, and we have to manage it.

It isn’t just the construction; there are also countless greenhouses, all growing mist plants.

I had sent all the plants in the tower garden to Inam and some in the legacy as well. These hold the new plants that will be cultivated in the new park.

Some of the plants from the grove have also arrived and are being planted, where I had agreed to feed them mist.

Their location is hidden and guarded. I don’t want anyone to see them before they are ready.

The carriage passed over the bridge into the open area, which will be a park. The rubble had cleared weeks ago, and now, construction is happening here as well.

Those who had seen the overall park’s design could see the faint outline of it forming.

Soon, the carriage entered the unrestricted road, where carriages were everywhere.

The streets are a little less crowded now, not because the population has decreased. It is increasing rapidly, but now people are moving to the outer city.

Every day, new homes are completed and people are moving into them. It is finally lessening the burden of the inner city.

Finally, I reached the city gates and left the city.

Fifteen minutes passed, and finally, the carriage stopped. I walked out and saw a group of officers, some standing while others were on the beasts.

“Lord Silver,” greeted the middle-aged officer. “Major Ja,” I replied.

“The eyes in the sky have been cleared, my lord,” he informed me, and I nodded and walked to Tempest, who was waiting patiently, despite being very impatient.

“You have been waiting,” I said and petted him, before mounting on him.

I practice three days a week: two days in the city and one day outside. This is an outside practice day, where I could ride at my heart’s content.

Today is an important day. My aura had reached a milestone in control, and I could finally start working on the things I had wanted to for months.

“Let’s go,” I said, and he bolted, with lightning flashing across his legs, while aura came out of me.

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