City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

I entered the hall, filled with people. I paused and looked out across the crowd.

Everyone who is important had come—Chiefs, merchants, warriors, and guests from other cities.

“Thank you all for being here to attend the ceremony,” I declared to them all, and then paused, letting my skill cover the whole hall.

“We have emerged victorious from the battles; the road was arduous, and many gave their lives in service.”

“We have honoured them and now it’s time to honour those who performed exceptionally by giving them well-deserved promotion,” I finished.

“General Thaddeous Maurise Stone, step forward,” the herald called, and Stone stepped forward, before stopping in front of me.

He is wearing his uniform, with all the medals and stars.

“No one had made a greater contribution to the outcome of the battle than General Stone.”

“For his great contribution in the defence of Dominion. I, Remus Silver, name him the General of the Army,” I declared and added another star on his uniform.

This will be the highest position in the army; there will be no one beyond this.

“I will protect the dominion till the last drop of my blood,” declared Stone. “I know, you will, General,” he replied with a smile.

He bowed and stepped back.

“Lt. General Leonas Marth Cardin, Lt. General Thomlin Hiren Jr., Lt. General Nicolle Varna Azalia, step forward,” the Herald called, and then the three of them came forward.

I have sent extra forces into the Panar and increased the vigilance around it.

It is very risky to bring her here, but it needs to be public; with her absence, the ceremony wouldn’t be complete.

Today is also the day I will announce the formation of the Western Command. I could have waited, but given the danger, I want to start on it as soon as possible.

“All three of you have done great service for the dominion; without your dedication, there wouldn’t have been a dominion,” I said, voicing an undeniable truth.

“I hereby elevate three of you to the rank of General. May you stand as steadfast pillars, defending the dominion from every threat it may face,” I proclaimed.

“We will,” they replied in unison.

One by one, I promoted the people: Vihra, Axseer, Uram, Cooper, and many others.

The promotion is not only for the outstanding service they have done for the dominion, but also a hedge against the danger we will face.

I didn’t want to elevate a General of the Army this early, but after facing a great horde, I realise I need it.

“There is one more thing,” I said as we finished with over a hundred promotions.

“I am forming a sub-command in Panar, called Western Command, to keep eyes on and respond to the enemies. General Azalia will head it,” I declared, looking at General Azalia standing beside me.

“Thank you for the honour, Lord Silver,” she replied.

The programme lasted for another half an hour before it ended.

Earlier in the morning, I had given a big speech in front of tens of thousands of people. We have just held the promotion ceremony, and tonight, there will be a party.

Today, I have declared the Dominion holiday. It is to celebrate our victory against the undead.

Soon, I reached my office and sat down.

“The call is fixed. You will talk to Lord Zalmas at seven-twenty in the evening,” informed Zela. Hearing that, a smile appeared on my face.

I am talking to all members of the Synod council.

I talked to nearly all of them, including the Grand Mage from Archmage Tower. Only Ophelia and Zalmas had remained; Ophelia, I will speak with her tomorrow.

Zalmas is the lord of a Grade VI legacy; one of the most powerful on the continent.

Last time, I got the financing through the muscle of Archmage Tower. I had gotten it, but it didn’t work; this time, I want to do a thorough job.

I want the majority of the council to agree to the proposal I had sent to them.

Unlike the last proposal, the synod made numerous changes. This time, I am going to present it as I crafted it. I wasn’t able to do that earlier, but now, as a Master of a Throne, I could.

Still, it would have taken six months, but my title provides me with unique privileges that are not available to other lords of the Grade IV throne.

I could bring the proposal to the council in the month. I used that privilege.

After what happened last time, I didn’t want to go to the synod again, but I need money. This time, I am asking more than last time; it will all go to the tower.

It isn’t something I want anymore, but I need it. For the advancement of my mages and to train new ones.

“Good,” I replied, before focusing on the work.

It had been ten days since I returned from the Gailhorn, and I am still swamped with the work, and I will be for a few more weeks.

“You also have a call with Lord of Inam at seven forty-five.” Informed Lola.

“I didn’t forget,” I replied.

It had been six days since the negotiations were over, and his office had been pressing me to make Vanis Tavern a subject every day.

He might be thinking, I am waiting for better offers, but I am not.

I would have done it the day negotiations were finished, but we were not ready.

We needed a few grand spells charms; they were not finished until this very morning. With them, we are finally ready to make Vanis Tavern our subject.

Carla and others will be leaving today for Inam after the party is over.

I would need to be here, not that I could go to Inam. Even if I wanted to.

I couldn’t go through the river because it’s too risky with Deerpond and Riverbell. My strength had increased, but it’s no guarantee of safety.

It is even worse if I take the sea route. The undead might declare an open season on me. They have killed many powerhouses in the sea with just sheer numbers.

I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the work.

Time passed, and before I knew it, the whole afternoon had passed by.

“Master Silver, it’s one minute to five,” informed Lola, breaking me out of the work I was doing. “Has he arrived?” I asked, and she nodded.

…

Beckette Reed

I looked at the clock and there were four minutes more.

I am a little nervous, despite knowing what this meeting is about.

He had been meeting all the vice-guildmasters in the past week. Only, I had remained. So, I was not that surprised when I was called.

There are three of us now; the fourth vice-Guildmaster had left the city before the battle. He came back, but lost the position.

The two belong to medium-scale businesses; one of them was a small business owner, but it had grown into a medium-scale business since then.

Now, I am the sole small business owner and Vice-Guildmaster, and I wish to remain that way. My children have their own careers, and I have no ambition to expand.

I could, but that would be counterproductive.

I love my job in the merchant guild; the power and prestige it brings, and the opportunities it provides for fellow small business owners.

I had dreamed about it, but I never thought I would get it. I did, and I am satisfied with it.

The position of Guildmaster had opened. Now that Guildmaster Arryn had become chief of trade. That leaves the position empty, and many people are vying for it.

Most of them are deacons, and a few ambitious merchants are vying for the top post.

A member of a powerful mercantile house always holds the position of the Guildmaster. There are a few deacons from those houses.

All three of us Vice-Guildmasters are from small and medium-sized businesses.

This means we have no chance of getting that position.

Many had come to meet me in the past few days. They offer many things, including a promise of support, after becoming the head of the merchant guild.

I didn’t decline them, but I also didn’t accept them.

Soren Arryn had suggested Malhad Barus’s name. A member of the mercantile house of Barus. He already got the support of one vice-guildmaster.

Reija, on the other hand, remained non-committal.

Though I don’t know whether she had suggested someone in her meeting with Lord Silver yesterday.

I already have a person in mind whom I will suggest for the position of head. It is Carlos Bran; he is from the mercantile house of Bran.

He is a deacon, and he offered me support, but that’s not the reason I chose him.

I chose him because I know he is capable. He had worked under me, and the man is intelligent as well as ambitious. I believe he will be the best match for the merchant guild.

I was lost in thought when a beautiful blond woman stopped in front of me.

“Lord Silver will see you now, Vice Guildmaster,” said the woman. I nodded and stood up before following the woman toward the door.

The door opened and I stepped inside. There I saw the young man and the familiar woman standing behind him.

I could also see the mage to my right, sitting on the couch. She examined me before turning back to the book she was reading.

“My lord,” I greeted. “Vice-Guildmaster Beckette, take a seat,” he replied.

“Thank you, my lord,” I replied and sat in front of him.

A moment passed, and he didn’t speak. I wanted to, but I remained silent. In my experience, the less one said, the better.

Especially with highly intelligent and dangerous people like the one in front of me.

“Do you know why I called you, Vice-Guildmaster?” he asked. “Regarding the head of the merchant guild,” I replied, and to that he nodded with a slight smile on his face.

“Do you have any opinions?” he asked. “It needs to be someone capable, my lord,” I replied.

“Due to the advancement of legacy and our victory over the undead, a lot of business will come to the city.”

“Every day, I have been getting inquiries from hundreds of small businesses. The big mercantile houses had also shown their interest as well.”

“We will need someone who could manage that. Bring maximum business and investment to the city,” I added.

I wanted to keep it short, but seeing those eyes. The words just slipped out of my mouth.

“You seemed to have a person in mind for that?” he asked. “Yes, my lord. Carlos Bran; I had seen him work, he is capable of bearing this responsibility,” I replied.

It would have been much safer to remain non-committal. As the lord might blame me if Bran didn’t do the job well, but I believed in him.

He will lead the merchant guild well.

“He is good, but I have decided on someone else,” he said, and a list of names flashed in my mind, or it might be someone completely different.

In the last shuffle, aside from the Guildmaster. Everybody was unexpected.

Now, he is saying he had already decided, and I want to ask him who; it will help me prepare better for my new boss.

“If I may be so daring. Can you tell me, who have you chosen, my lord?” I asked, and the smile on his face widened a little.

“You,” he replied.

His gentle word was like a thunderclap to my ears. It stunned me so much that I wasn’t able to react for a few seconds.

When I came to myself, I wanted to ask him again, but closed my mouth.

“It should be someone from the mercantile houses,” I said, and paused for a moment. “They have connections, the pedigree required for the job,” I added gently.

I am exceedingly honoured that he considered me for the job, but I don’t feel like I would do justice to it.

Someone from mercantile houses would do much better than I ever could. The city deserves it at least that much.

“Do you know what kind of business contributes the most to the city’s economy?” he asked after a silence, and I nodded. These numbers have been my proudest achievement.

Increasing these numbers had been the goal of my life, and I increased them.

If not for the undead messing it all up. I would have made them cross 60%; it had been my biggest goal, and I had come very close to it.

“Small business,” I replied finally.

“Big businesses are good, but it is small businesses that are truly important. They provide the most employment and aid the economy.”

“It is from them who are most ingenious and have the high potential. So, why couldn’t a Guildmaster be from them?” he asked, looking intensely into my eyes.

For nearly a minute, I didn’t speak at all, before finally taking a deep breath and looked at him.

“I will not let you down, my Lord,” I finally accepted.

“Good, because I am taking a big risk on you, Beckett. I expect you will not disappoint me,” he said, and I could feel the weight of responsibility.

“I will give my all to it, my lord,” I replied.

I dared to dream about becoming a Vice-Guildmaster. I had never even dreamed about becoming a Guildmaster, but here I am, and it is already becoming a reality.

He had trusted me, and I will not let him down. I will put every drop of blood and sweat into it and succeed.

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