City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 501: Deals and Decisions

Arad Vaughn

"Look at the sheer size of this crowd," said Samson in a near gasp as we came out of the carriage.

My expression turned serious as well before I focused on the beautiful woman in front of me.

She looked to be in her late twenties, with blond hair, and green eyes. She is standing there gracefully with a light smile on her face and wearing an expensive dress.

It would be hard for anyone to believe that she was a whore.

"Lord Vaughn, welcome to the velvet garden," she greeted. "Thank you, Miss Kala," I replied.

"I hope your journey has been well?" she asked. "It was, thank you for asking," I replied.

"Shall we?" she asked, looking at the tower, and I nodded. We begin to walk toward the massive crowd, all wanting to get inside the legacy.

I have never seen such a large number entering Grade III legacy, except for the Colosseums. Even then, those people have to have tickets, here they do not.

These are common people, and they are entering legacy without paying a single penny.

There is not a legacy anywhere that common people could enter without paying.

It happens with some on special occasions, but it is not permanent to my knowledge.

There is a huge crowd, but thankfully there is a special way for people like me. We could enter the tower directly without lining up in long lines.

I reached near the door and smelled the plants I had heard so much about before stepping into the tower.

I nearly stopped.

It surprised me. I am the scion of a Grade IV legacy. Have visited tens of legacies of all grades. I didn't think it would surprise me, but it did.

The feeling of legacy is denser and affects one deeply when it mixes with the fragrance of those plants.

It creates an effect that moves the very soul.

I controlled myself and looked around. Before I knew it, I found myself being amazed. The plants are beautiful, and so is the art. The most amazing thing is the centerpiece.

When it all combines with the power of legacy. It brings out a lot of emotions.

That the legacy consumes.

"Do you mind telling me, miss, how much your master had paid to get that thing from old Marcell?" I asked the woman, without taking my eyes off the centerpiece.

Wyrm.

It's the skeleton only and it is magnificent.

It's massive, over fifty two feet long, but it is coiled with its mouth opened in a fiery roar. That would make anyone feel scared.

There is a hole in its head and cracks in some parts.

Those are not cracks of age, but injuries along with the hole in its head, the reason for its death.

This is a beast of the incursion, a lesser dragon. It might be lesser, but it was powerful enough to chomp a Lv. 50 to death.

It attracted the eyes of everybody who entered the lobby.

Seeing it, I couldn't help but be jealous.

We had money to buy it too, but we couldn't. The legacies have freedom, but also restrictions.

Though Silver seemed to be excluded from them.

"We didn't buy it, my lord, but only are renting it," she replied, and I couldn't help, but nod, in thought at that.

People threatened that old man with a sword at his neck, but even then he didn't sell it. It is the only thing that remained of his once glorious house.

He is so weak that his neighbor had taken it, while laughing at the pittance of ten thousand crowns paid as annual rent.

I couldn't help but wonder how Silver had gotten it from him. That man has means and isn't someone who would give it easily, but Silver isn't someone without means as well.

He had shown what he could do with the incident in Ertburn.

"Bringing it here wouldn't have been easy," I said. "It was a logistical nightmare," agreed the woman.

I walked toward it and examined every part.

It is not just the skeleton I examined, but also the other pieces. They were all wonderful art pieces, all of them famous, borrowed from many nobles from empires and merchant states.

The names of the owners are written on beautiful name plates below them.

I watched every piece, before taking the stairs to the floor above. It is crowded, but they are managing it well and my guards also made things a little easier.

"Our store floors are unique. Every store owner is an artisan. 10% to 100% of things they sell are made by them," informed the woman.

"And how many of them have access to the mist?" I asked. "Currently, there are only three stores," replied the woman.

"Looking at the crowd. Even if the core of your legacy absorbs emotion from 30% of people. It will be enough to support mist access to all stores,"

"So, why didn't he give it to them? It will bring him a huge fortune," I asked.

"Master Silver is careful with mist access. Wealth is important, but he prefers loyalty and trust the most," she replied, before informing about each of the stores.

We visited some stores, climbing to the second floor and then the third floor.

That is where I saw what I am looking for. Of all the stores on the third floor, the space in front of one store is especially crowded.

We entered that store. It is an ivory store, and it is good, but I have seen better.

I may have seen better, but few could be able to compete with this. They are using the mist to craft the pieces of ivory.

They are using it in every process. From cutting to carving to finishing.

It is a beautiful process that I want to watch forever. It is why so many people are crowding outside the store; it is too mesmerizing to see mist merge within the art seamlessly.

There are six people working on the pieces, including two orcs.

They are working in assembly fashion. One person is focused on one task.

"Casino chips. It's likely for the casino below, right?" I asked the woman.

"Yes," she replied.

The chip is carved into its round shape by one person, the other would file it smooth. Two would do the delicate carving, while the last two would paint it to completion.

Aside from its denomination, the chip had two emblems.

One side had an emblem of Onyx Halcyon, while the other side had an emblem of the velvet garden.

We watched it for a few minutes before walking out.

"Silver is squeezing his legacy for everything it has," said Samson.

His face had become serious as we entered the store. He understood what Silver was trying to achieve, and it had affected him.

It also affected me, despite not looking like it.

Samson went on.. "Every day, thousands would enter these store floors. In the lobby, they would see the beautiful art and wyrm skeleton that would invoke deep emotions in them."

"Once they climb up, they would shop, and after reaching the third floor, they would see this show, that will bring even more emotions out of them,"

"I can't imagine the sheer amount of essence. This legacy is absorbing right now,"

"Absorbing even half would be massive. It would compare to more than half of the Grade IV legacies of the continent," he added, with his whole body shaking.

It is shocking and other legacies couldn't do it.

What legacies could do or not do is dependent on the vision. It is flexible and it could be bent, but one could break it as well. There are consequences.

Many hosts say it is a shackle.

It is why, despite seeing what Silver is doing. We can not copy it, because our legacy's vision is different. It is the same for every other legacy.

Vision is the most important thing, and its importance becomes greater with every advancement.

Especially during the ascension of legacy from Grade III to Grade IV, where it becomes a throne.

Most of the time, there is barely any change in the legacy except for the usual, but sometimes there is a big change. One could even gain an incredible legacy.

I will kill to know what Silver's vision is.

Velvet Garden had started as a brothel, with a mix of an in-house restaurant, but soon, he had opened an actual full service restaurant.

A few months later, it had turned into a legacy. Within months, it advances to Grade II. There is a big disagreement between the hosts of legacies about the timing of advancement.

Nobody knows when Silver's legacy had advanced to Grade II from Grade I.

Especially, whether it happened before or after the destruction of the legacy.

Most believe it is after, as saying before would mean, he had advanced the legacy to Grade II, just three months after its birth, which few are willing to believe.

Silver has never clarified it.

Many thought Silver was making a mistake by creating a tower and adding stores and a casino, which were not there when it was born as a legacy.

They thought it was the end of the road for him, but it was far from it.

Instead, he had advanced his legacy to Grade III.

Soon, we reached the fourth floor and went to the blacksmith store. Like the store on the third floor, this one too is the most crowded, both outside and inside.

The people are looking at the blacksmith through the window. Like the ivory store below, the wall is made of glass for people to look in.

The glass is also special. It gives them a better view and if I am not wrong, there are a couple of skills used on it to enhance the experience.

There are seven people working on the mist inside. Four are blacksmiths, while three are carvers.

They are doing a wonderful job.

I stayed there for ten minutes before I took the elevator to Eva Cain.

I have a meeting with Eva Charles and Elese Cain. It is not just for pleasure, that I came here to Greltheaven, but also for my business.

Let's hope Silver will give me what I want.

….

Rutto

Mindstone of Memory

I deactivated the skill as I wrote the last letter and also deactivated, Transcribing Quill and Quick Dry, a moment later.

I looked at the book I had just written. Copied exactly from the original with my skill. I placed it on top of the two books that I had already transcribed.

They are three volumes of a single book. That I had copied from a book stored in the skill.

Not a regular skill, but an inheritance Skill.

It had been centuries since someone from my family got inheritance skills.

It is my most guarded secret. When I got it, I had not left the house for nearly a month.

I was scared that someone would find out about it and then I would be captive forever. Being milked to copy spellcraft and other knowledge.

If it had been any other inheritance skill. I would have even shown it to others, but this one is dangerous.

It will make you a captive.

Like a cow, to be milked of everything that the skill has.

Mindstone of Memory; a skill of Lv. 60 powerhouse. It is not just an inheritance skill, but the skill that my ancestor chose to pass down to his descendent intentionally.

It is also why it's filled with knowledge, or rather books.

It opens a new book on every level I gain. Until now I had twenty-two, twenty-three counting this book, one for each level.

All the other books were of spellcraft. This one is related to the aura.

When I got the skill. I had promised myself to never reveal it, knowing the consequences of it, but now I am desperate.

I do not have any money left. Everything I had was sold to get this position.

The rent is up, and I am not getting any money from that bastard prince. Instead, I am hearing news that the bastard is thinking of replacing me, once again.

I don't want that.

It had been two months since I came to this city, and I liked it despite the dangers.

It's not like the mainland was any safer. In some places it is more dangerous than this city for me.

Here, I have a standing reservation in the Legacy. I could go there anytime I want. I get invited to parties and all the important meetings in the city hall.

Most importantly. I love the free spirit that this city is gaining.

My future is here, and I could feel it in my bones. Leaving this place wouldn't be wise.

Thus, the books. I am going to gift them to Silver, for the occasion of the founding day.

I had thought about it, long and hard before deciding on it.

Even in my worst state, not once I had thought of doing this in the empire, but here, I felt like I could do it.

Though, there is a chance. Silver might take me captive and milk me for everything I have. That would be terrible, but it's not like I have a choice anymore.

If I didn't do this, I might be replaced and would need to beg others.

Seeing I have nothing but my name.

I sighed and placed the books in the box and wrapped it carefully, before sticking the letter to the top.

Hoping this wouldn't be the worst decision I had made in my life.

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