City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

Vanis Lindgren

The carriage entered the city through the bustling port.

“I missed this city,” I said as I looked at my beautiful city. I am a subject of Silver now, but Inam is still my city and will always remain.

It is for that very purpose that I have been out for a month.

Doing a job that Silver had assigned. He is ambitious.

Well, more than ambitious; I have seen the plan for the park, and the things he wants to do there will shock the world, if they materialize.

It is for that for which I had been out.

The trip was successful, we got the things, but Silver had paid more for them than he should have. He feels it is fair; he is more interested in getting those things than the price he has to pay for them.

We wouldn’t have had to travel around if the menagerie had given us the things we wanted.

Though I am not complaining. I am travelling, the thing I have wanted to do for decades. Silver had promised me that he would send me around the world.

“We may miss our home, but there is nothing that makes our hearts go wild like travel,” replied the woman sitting across from me.

“You are absolutely right, Miss Hilcrest,” I said with a big smile.

I am over a hundred and twenty-five years old; I have a few good years left, and I want to spend them doing what I have yearned for all my life.

The carriage moved through the bustling roads of Inam.

Since the emperor died, a significant change had appeared in the city. Its population had increased rapidly, which brought both good and bad changes.

Real estate prices had risen, and the slums grew larger, but it also brought nobles and merchants into the city, helping its economy.

“Inam is really prosperous,” said Miss Hilcrest as she looked outside the window.

“It always has been,” I replied.

It’s in a strategically important position, both militarily and commercially. It is also why Tabes had tried to conquer the city so many times.

They have attacked the city and even laid siege twice when I was younger.

Despite all their attempts, they were never able to conquer it. It always stood strong, but now things have changed.

Though the city is at its weakest right now.

It had a strong army and powerful warriors, but that was not what kept it out of the enemy’s hands for centuries.

It’s the empire and its constant support, but now things are different.

The Empire isn’t as strong as before, and it is mired in conflict both inside and outside.

It is a powerhouse greater than it has ever been—yet never has it stood so broken as it does now. And that truth fills my heart with fear.

If Tabes makes a decisive move, I don’t know whether the imperials would help. Without their help, Inam wouldn’t stand.

It worries me, and I have been doing everything I could to help my city, but I can no longer.

Now, I am a subject of another, and both parties are not allies despite seeming like ones. There is no agreement of allyship between them, nor the bond of blood or alliance of marriage.

I would even say Lord Thorn desires Greltheaven.

I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the beautiful bustling city.

Minutes passed before it finally stopped at the armed gate, with the soldiers from the city and those wearing the uniform of Velvet Garden guarding it.

Behind them is a wall of blue to the right; it forms a large square.

To prevent anyone from seeing what was happening inside, the entrance was strictly guarded. Even the monsters aren’t allowed to fly over it.

I stepped out and looked around. “So, much had changed in the past month and a half,” I replied.

It is the most significant change I have seen in the century. Since my humble tavern turned into a legacy, even then, the change wasn’t as substantial as it is right now.

The legacy is big, but the garden around it is far bigger.

When my legacy was born, the city demolished the buildings connected to it. It was a crowded place, with many buildings squeezed together.

The demolition freed up space, making the area around the legacy freer.

It used to be a fish processing district. I worked here when I was young and saved every penny. So, I could start my own tavern.

Within a year of my legacy’s birth. The district had disappeared entirely, and that beautiful, horrible smell had been replaced by a high-end district, with businesses around that could only be afforded by the rich.

Now, the change is even bigger; those businesses have invested even more. There was a bidding war for the land around the legacy.

I could see the names of big businesses on buildings being constructed around my legacy.

This time, there is barely a limit on the size; they will need to build really big to outshine the legacy.

They are building fast; there are only two months before the legacy opens, and they have to be ready by then. They will be looking at the speed of their construction.

“Welcome back, Lord Vanis, Miss Hillcrest,” said a familiar voice. I turned and saw Mariha in front of me, and she is not alone; beside her is an elf.

“Lady Mariha, Lady Blackwell,” I replied.

From the design of the legacy to construction, a firm from Inam is involved. The only thing that doesn’t include them is the garden.

“How was the trip?” she asked. “Good,” I replied. The trip wasn’t secret, but it wasn’t open either. I didn’t even tell her the destination or the purpose.

“I am glad to hear that,” she said, and turned to the gate, and we walked toward it.

Soon, we stepped inside through the gate and the blue energy wall after that, and what I saw made me stop in my tracks.

A month and a half ago, there was not a single plant in the space around the legacy, but now there is an immense freaking garden.

I knew the garden would be enormous; I was there when the revised agreement for the garden was signed, but this still blew my mind.

It isn’t just the size, but also the beauty and the effect it is having on me.

“Incredible, isn’t it?” asked Mariha with a smile, and all I could do was nod. “Even I can’t believe it,” she replied and sighed, but it’s clear that she is very happy with it.

The garden in front of me spreads over twenty acres around the legacy, and all the plants here are mist plants.

I could smell their incredible fragrance, better than any perfume I had smelled. It isn’t just fragrance, but also visual; it is overwhelmingly beautiful.

Their fragrance, visual, and even movement evoke the emotions.

All the plants here were brought from the garden around the Velvet Garden, and some are even inside plants. There are a few here that came directly from the hidden city.

“This is a massive fortune,” I said to the vast garden. “And somebody wants it, but can’t have it all,” replied Mariha with a grin.

I smiled as well while Lady Blackwell and Miss Hilcrest kept their expression neutral.

In the first agreement, the garden was given around five acres, but Lord Thorn approached Silver and increased it to twenty.

He also hoped for a greater percentage of shares, but Silver didn’t increase it by even a point.

Thorn will get less than 5% of the harvest, which may look small, but given the value of these plants and sheer numbers, it is a massive fortune.

Just thinking about it is making my mind go wild.

The garden isn’t the only thing; there are small gazebos, small lakes where loti and water lilies are floating, and both of them have mist plants as well.

The garden will serve as a waiting space and also host functions and celebrations.

I looked at it before turning my eyes to the main attraction and sighed. “Never in my dreams had I thought I would have the legacy as big as this,” I said.

“It still feels like a dream,” reflected Mariha. “Maybe we are in a dream.”

We all laugh at that.

I wouldn’t be surprised if it is a dream. I mean, looking at the building in front of me. It is now the fifth biggest legacy in the world.

The news had already spread all over the world.

Masters are contacting me, masters of the thrones, Grade IV and Grade V. They have never contacted me personally in the century of my life, and now they are doing it.

“You have done a wonderful job here, Lady Blackwell,” I said to her, as we walked toward the building through the garden path.

“It’s a team effort, Lord Lindgren,” she replied, looking at the people working on the plants.

The collection of people who are from her family’s firm, Velvet Garden’s people, and people of the hidden city. That powerful man from the hidden city was present here when the trees were being planted.

Soon, we reached the building of the legacy. It is massive, not as big as Velvet Garden, but still massive.

The building is finished, but elaborate work on it remained, as did the interior.

They have worked extremely fast. It is rare, but not hard when every labourer who worked on it was at least Lv. 20 and Lv. 30+ supervisors, along with a team of enchanters, are present at every hour.

There is also help from the city. Lord Thorn and many high officials of the city used their skills.

It sped up construction and reduced the risk of failure.

That helped tremendously.

Mariha and I stepped inside the building, while Lady Blackwell and Hilcrest went toward the garden.

“His adviser is nudging me for the information about Lord Silver and Velvet Garden,” said Mariha as the power of our legacy enveloped us.

Now, there is no fear of getting heard. Here, only one person has the power to listen to us.

“What did you say?” I asked. “I didn’t say anything, I just smiled,” she replied.

“He had asked me about it too, vaguely, but I declined it straightforwardly. I am the subject of Greltheaven, now,” I stated, and she smiled; a smile that is filled with envy.

“I wish I could be so direct,”

Unlike me, she could not be direct. Her position isn’t as firm as mine. Silver has shown how powerful his control over the legacy is when he made my granddaughter the heir.

Now, her control over the legacy is as great as Mariha’s.

It means, if Silver wishes, he could remove Mariha. It won’t be without a cost, but it definitely won’t make the legacy collapse as it was the case before.

So, she needs to be loyal to Silver but also maintain a cordial relationship with Thorn until she becomes indispensable to Silver and solidifies her position.

She seemed to be already working toward that direction.

We walked around the floors, where interior work is happening.

Soon, an orc woman walked toward us with a man in his late twenties. Behind them is a young half-elf woman holding a cat.

“You are doing an excellent job, Miss Rolgath, Leisar,” I said to them.

The orc woman was from the merchant state. She had done the interior of Velvet Garden, and she will also be doing the interior of the new Velvet Garden.

Leisar is a scion of the most prominent interior firm in Inam and a very talented young man.

“There is still a lot more, my lord. I hope we will be able to finish it on time,” replied the man nervously. It is due to his personality, not because he is nervous about work.

“You will have to do it on time,” said Mariha strictly. “We will,” replied the orc woman firmly.

We talked with them for a few minutes before walking to another floor and exploring the whole space. The building is tall, and usually, I get tired, but this is my legacy.

“Have you truly made up your mind about staying away from the legacy?” she asked.

It is not the first time she has asked me this question.

“Yes,” I replied. She is having a hard time believing it. “I birthed the legacy, and it will always be part of my life, but I don’t want to be the only part of my life.”

“It had described me for long enough. Now, I want to become something more,” I explained.

I miss the legacy, but I am loving travelling around.

I had already handed it to my granddaughter, whom I am confident would do a much better job of handling this new legacy than I ever could.

I looked through every floor, so by the time I reached the top floor, I was drained.

“I don’t know, the last time. I felt so tired,” I said as I stepped onto the roof. “So, many floors are tiring, but they are also exciting,” she replied with a voice.

It is exhausting for her as well.

People are working on the roof; we did not disturb them and looked at the city. We are high enough that we have a full view of the city.

“This is so addicting,” she said, and I couldn’t help but nod.

It is not the view that is addictive, but the feeling. We are on top of our legacy, the fifth biggest legacy on the continent, looking at the magnificent city.

Seeing it made me feel even more sure of my decision. A new age is coming for the legacy, and I am not a suitable person to lead it.

It relieved me to have handed over responsibilities to the person who could.

From the bottom of my heart, she has the potential to take it to the height I could not and she will do it.

She is the thing I am most proud of in my life— even more than my precious legacy.

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