City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Proofread by Thomas F

Alex Rutto

The door of the carriage opened, and we stepped inside. A second later, it began to move.

I looked at the man, and he was keeping a straight face, but I could see the nervousness and fear in his eyes. It made me relieved.

I love these kinds of people.

They have acquired something valuable and want to sell it as quickly as possible. Compared to bloody nobles, deals with them are quick.

“I heard the battle was quite bloody,” I said to make the conversation.

The man didn’t reply, and I thought he wouldn’t, until he opened his mouth. “It was a trap; they lured us, before coming at us from all sides.”

“It was a massacre,” he replied, before shuddering.

I could feel the terror in his eyes. It must be really terrible to make a veteran like him feel such terror.

I didn’t try to talk to him further and looked at the bustling city. It’s a different world here, compared to Greltheaven and most of the empire.

There is the Lady of Storm, one of the most powerful Grand Mages on the continent, and countless other powerhouses. One would need to be extraordinarily powerful with a large force to do anything to Namdar.

A few minutes passed, and the carriage stopped beside the small manor.

It belonged to Lord Silver, one of the few properties his house had given to him before they had removed him from the mercantile House of Silver.

The door opened, and we walked out before entering the manor.

A minute later, we were in the office, where I had activated the most powerful privacy formation, which, in addition to activating my own Privacy Skill.

The man did the same.

“So, what is it?” I asked. Hoping it would be something good. Something that will help Greltheaven and also me.

Jenna is advancing rapidly in Lv. 30s. I am still stuck at Lv. 29. I know, there is a difference between our classes, despite hers being more powerful than average.

I have a Lord Class, and they are very hard to advance. Mine is stronger than the average Lord Class.

It had been hundreds of years since anyone in my family had crossed Lv. 3o, but with the speed at which I had been progressing.

I hope to break the cycle and reach Lv. 30.

I was even able to gather more than enough experience, but it’s not enough; I need something more.

I looked at the man and saw hesitation appearing on his face. He looked like he was ready to bolt at any moment.

“You can trust me, Mr. Whetley. Greltheaven is honest. If you have something, we will pay a fair price for it. I am sure you know a few people that had dealt with us; we don’t cheat.

We want the goods; we do not care about their source. Once it is in our hands, it will be ours, and it will have no relation to you.

If the thing you are selling is good enough. Then we will bind it with the contract signed by Lord Silver, enforced by the Velvet Garden,” I said, placing the contract in front of him.

One could feel the power of it.

It seemed to relax him as he didn’t look like he could bolt at any moment anymore, but he is still very nervous.

I didn’t rush him. I didn’t want to spook him. These resources are essential and expensive. It shouldn’t be in their hands.

If caught, there is heavy punishment. These days, it is being sent to the front line of the most dangerous battle.

Click!

He didn’t move for nearly a minute before bringing out the simple wooden box from his bag, before opening it.

When I saw what was inside, my eyes widened, and my heart skipped a beat. I was expecting a rare resource or even alchfire orbs, but not this, a freaking artifact.

“Fuck me!” I cursed.

I don’t usually, not in this language. I developed this habit from Jenna, but right now, I’m not in the mood to think about it.

“What can you give me for this?” he asked after a moment of silence.

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I looked at the artifact. Yes, it is a damn artifact, that he wants to sell me.

I had seen this artifact once. Over a decade ago, in the capital. Viscount Haverleigh had come wearing it to the birth of Prince Mather.

The artifact is a belt made of thousands of woven, hair-thin, crystalline blue strings, on which delicate bronze nails are bolted.

It features a thick, hexagonal bronze buckle filled with liquid. Inside the liquid is a small, delicate black fang.

Belt of Tethered Fang.

The last owner of it was the Viscount Haverleigh, one of the nobles who participated in the Battle of the Nine Nobles. He died in there.

I remember reading about Tabes rejecting the fact that they had his artifact, but no one believed them.

They always reject such assertions until the artifact reveals itself a few months later in the hands of one of their people.

I touched it, and he didn’t stop me; I activated Clear Appraisal. Immediately, I understood the artifact’s state. It is not in that perfect state.

Its power is overdrafted, but it could be used.

“The payment,” I said, pulling my eyes away from the artifact and turning to the man. “We can pay you in any form you want.”

“Emotion essence, money, gems, real estate, or all of it. It is up to you,” I replied, and there was surprise, but also excitement and relief in his eyes.

Currently, I have two hundred and fifty drops of Grade III essence and a cashier account of five million imperials.”

“The rest can be paid to you in a few days at the time and the place of your choosing,” I replied to the man’s shock as I put the essence and account in front of him.

He opened his mouth and closed it, before opening again several seconds later.

“I want those and a passage for me and my family, in a safe place in a merchant state,” he replied, and I wanted to brighten. Instead, I nodded sombrely.

“It won’t be a problem,” I replied, and could see the relief in the man’s eyes.

“Take it then. Since I got this thing, I was barely able to sleep soundly a night,” he said, pushing the box toward me.

It made my eyes blaze. I had thought I would need to convince him.

The man is powerful and could use the artifact, but doing so would ultimately lead to his own demise. First, it is illegal to use another noble’s artifact.

There are ways around it, but the man isn’t powerful or connected enough for that.

Most importantly, the moment it is found out, he has an artifact. He will be assassinated as the empire sends its people to retrieve it.

The man is smart enough to understand that. It’s why he is selling it; I have seen many people letting the artifact cloud their judgment and end up losing their lives.

We will keep his identity confidential and address the consequences related to the artifact.

The viscount had children, and they could lay claim to it, but they are not going to get it. We have purchased it, and from now on, it is an artifact of the city of Greltheaven and Lord Silver.

A few minutes later, the man walked out, relief etched on his face. He had signed the contract, handing me the artifact, while taking the money and essence.

Tomorrow, he will leave for the Inam, where his family is.

From there, he will journey to the Greltheaven. There, he will be paid the remainder, and arrangements for his residence in merchant states will be made.

Though I will first have to inform Lord Silver about it.

I didn’t do it immediately; I waited for half an hour to craft a report. That I sent every day; it is just like yesterday, but there is one line that will catch his attention.

It is a line of the artifact.

I am not mentioning by name or even calling it a tool. The risk is too significant, especially in a city filled with mages with one of the most potent magic towers in the empire.

Thankfully, we are prepared for incidents.

I will inform him about it through my daily reports. It’s nothing unusual, since I do it every day; it will unlikely catch any attention.

I carefully reviewed the page before sending the message.

A few minutes later, the response came. Reading it, a smile appeared on my face. Lord Silver understood it, and now, I have to follow the protocol.

Most important of all is not to raise any suspicion.

It is why I am not going to leave immediately or tomorrow. I will leave the day after that, on the ship that I had already booked.

Until then, I have to guard this artifact with my life.

With that, I took out a second ines bag and from it, a wooden box. Lord Silver had said, ‘It is a special box, and I should use it when I find something truly valuable.’

It didn’t feel special. It is not enchanted, nor could I feel any spell or skill.

Still, I did as I had been told and placed the belt into the wooden box before closing it and returning it to the bag.

After that, I lay on the bed to sleep, but it didn’t come for over an hour. Every second, I felt worried that someone would sneak in and steal it.

[Conditions Met: Lord of Hallow House – Lord of Rising Crest]

Lord of Rising Crest Lv. 30

Lord of Rising Crest Lv. 31

[Skill Change: Nobles’ Poise – Nobles Bearing]

[Skill Change: Brief – Quick Briefing]

[Skill Change: Clear Appraisal – Lord’s Appraisal]

[Skilled Gained: Inherited Iron]

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