City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 31: Offer

Thud!
 
I fell down in the most awkward position; my whole body was stunned by instructor David’s skill before he tapped on my chest gently, and I fell to the ground like a log.
 
“Just how many skills do you have?” I asked in exasperation.
 
He did not answer; instead, he smiled and walked toward the stone stool where he had placed his read sword.
 
“Same time tomorrow, Mister Silver,” he said as he picked up his sword and walked out toward the exit while I stayed on my spot for a few more minutes before slowly getting up and walking toward the mansion.
 
I went directly to my room, applied the numbing cream, and stayed on the floor as the ointment take the effect.
 
The training session had been brutal, more brutal than yesterday, and since I had asked, he is not holding anything back.
 
Five minutes later, I showered and changed into new clothes before walking to my office.
 
“Good morning,” 
 
I said as I entered the office and sat down on my chair before taking the file; in a few minutes, I put down the file with a smile on my face.
 
Three hundred and seventeen thousand crowns.
 
The number has been good and has been a little greater yesterday; I hope to make it reach four hundred thousand crowns in the next ten days and half a million by the end of the month; it is an ambitious target, but one I will try my all to achieve.
 
It was my target all along, but the time limit was long; I had planned to achieve it by the end of the year, not the end of the month.
 
Carla left, and I continued to work till it was time to leave for the merchant guild. 
 
Soon, I was in the carriage, and it was moving toward the merchant guild; while I read the book with my skill, despite the resistance I was feeling.
 
Now and then, I would look outside and marvel at the changes the city was going through. 
 
Before the inauguration, there were constructions around the city, but now, they are seen everywhere; the trade with Meldhorn had turbocharged everything.
 
Trade is increasing by the day, and more and more ships are coming, and they are going to increase even more now that the prince has gone to the Meldhorn.
 
The papers have said that negotiations are going well, and we should be able to see the result soon.
 
I would also need to move with my plans as the city developed. If I fall behind, I will lose, and I could not afford that, especially now, as it is prime time. 
 
I shook my head of those thoughts and focused on the book; it is about incursion, the events that change the world every time they appear.
 
Around twenty minutes later, the carriage pulled into the Merchant Guild, and I got out and walked inside.
 
This time, I did not have to flash even my badge; my name had appeared in the large silver stele in the lobby, which notes all the positions, from guild masters to advisers.
 
Click!
 
Soon, I reached the third floor and walked to the legal department; before walking into my office and about to call Kevin when the knock rang out.
 
“Come in,” I said, and the door opened, and mister Oakley walked inside.
 
“Mister Oakley,” I said as I saw old coming in, “You did a wonderful job yesterday, Mister Silver,” he said and put the pile of contracts down.
 
“These are for today, and they are pretty important; I hope you will be able to find the flaws and any other discrepancies in them,” he said, looking at the contracts.
 
“I am sure there will not be many,” I replied humbly. “I am sure you will be able to find some,” he said smile and walked out of the office with Kevin while I focused on the contracts in front of me
 
I pulled them closer and, before taking a first out, began to read it and immediately couldn’t help but become surprised.
 
It is no simple contract but an intraguild contract for Deerpond, the capital of the renewal region. It is also pretty important.
 
I thought they would still with the basic contract, but it seemed like I had impressed them enough that they had given me the important contract; I checked others, and to my surprise, all of them were important.
 
Though I noticed one thing, all these intra-guild contracts are with the guilds of the Renwell region. 
 
They did not give me the contract of guilds of Empire mainland or Meldhorn, but I am not worried. Its only my second day, and I already have got these important contracts; with some time, I will get others too.
 
Not to mention these contracts are also important, enriching me with the knowledge that I would usually not know.
 
I chose the first contract and began to read it; I could read it at thrice normal speed and understood them just as fast. 
 
As I read and studied them, I would take notes now and then.
 
These contracts are way above what I had looked at yesterday, crafted even more meticulously, that I had to look very carefully through them. 
 
I soon finished with the first contract and started on the second and then the third; by the time I finished with all twelve contracts, it was a little over three.
 
Yesterday too, I was finished by the same time, but I had started late and did not have Fast Reading Skills them. The difference between the two contracts is huge; they are not only bigger but also more complicated, thus requiring the most effort and time.
 
Still, it is good there are no distraction skills attached to them, or I might not have even been finished with two contracts by now.
 
With that done, I brought the typewriter in front of me, fixed the contract inside, and then started typing; twenty minutes later, I finished.
 
“Kevin,” I called out, and a few seconds later, the door opened, and the young man walked inside. 
 
“Take this to mister Oakley and bring me Marmot’s laws of Harsoth number thirty-seven,” I said, “Yes, mister Silver,” he said and picked up the contracts and left.
 
A few minutes later, he returned, bringing a thick book to me. I have thought of some things when reading the contract and want to check them.
 
The laws of the Empire are excessively complicated, and one could interpret them in numerous ways. It should be easily simplified for the good of the people and the Empire, but there is always resistance.
 
It is not surprising that even on the earth, few countries have their laws together; politics makes everything more complicated than it should be.
 
Knock Knock 
 
I was reading the book when a knock sounded on my door, “Come in,” I said as I put the book down.
 
The door opened, and a person walked in, but not the one I had expected. I had thought it was Oakley, but a younger man had come in.
 
“Mr. Remus, I hope you don’t mind me coming unannounced to meet you,” said the man in his early forties.
 
He is a short man with thick black hair and a genial smile on his face that will make anyone feel comfortable. Off course, the skill involved; without it, I wouldn’t feel such comfortable with anyone, especially with this man.
 
“Of course not, mister Lucas; you must have something important for you to come to meet me unannounced here,” I said with a pleasant smile on my face.
 
He is Norman Lucas, owner of scarlet pleasure, one of the high-class brothels. He is a member of the Lucas family, who runs thousands of brothels around the Empire.
 
“Yes, I have something important to discuss,” he said, and I arched my brow a little in question.
 
“The house of Lucas is interested in buying your establishment,” he said, and I couldn’t help but become surprised; I had truly not expected he would say that.
 
Still, there was no change in my expression; I kept a small smile on my face without any change in it.
 
“Thank you for your kind offer, mister Lucas, but I am not interested,” I said; he seemed to have expected that as his smile had become a little brighter.
 
“We are willing to offer twenty million crowns for it; it is more than double what you have invested,” he said, and I could feel the power of his skill, so intense that I felt like a smile on my face was slipping away.
 
“Not interested, mister Lucas,” I replied and could see a faint surprise forming in his eyes. “Twenty-five million,”
 
“Think about it, Mister Remus; it is enough to open a big brothel in any city of the Empire,” he said and intensified the power of his further that I stopped trying to maintain my fake emotion and showed what I was feeling on my face.
 
A pure irritation.
 
“Even if your house offers me fifty million, I would still not be interested in selling my establishment,” I said, and his expression stiffened for a moment, and I could see a hint of anger appearing on his face before he controlled it.
 
“Still, think about it, Mister Remus, and contact me if you feel interested,” he said. 
 
“You will be the first I will contact if I feel like I need to sell my business,” I replied as I smoothed up my expression.
 
“It’s great talking to you, Mister Remus, have a nice day,” he said and got up before leaving my office.
 
As he left, my expression became serious; the people from Lucas's family are dangerous, have a relationship with gangs and assassins, and deal with information.
 
If I had been any powerless business owner, he would not have been this civil. He would have threatened me with consequences if I did not sell my business. 
 
They have done that many times; it is the style they do business.
 
Fortunately, I am not a normal businessman but a member of the house of silver. 
 
Still, I have to be careful. If the establishment became too successful, they wouldn’t hesitate to use underhanded tactics.
 
Currently, they have one high-class brothel and a couple of mid-class and low-class, but I heard they are opening another high-class brothel in a month and a few more middle and low-class.
 
It is not just brothels; there are a couple of new casinos, hotels, and inns that are opening, and other businesses too, especially from the big business houses of the Empire.
 
I hope nothing bad happens to jeopardize that.
 
A minute after Normal Lucas left, mister Oakley came; he wanted me to stay to review more contracts, but as I had said, I would not stay more than five hours. 
 
I could not spend all my time working in a place that pays me no money; I have to work on things that actually make me money.

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