Chương 622: Chapter 621: Sailed

I watched the two ships sailing away through the spell I activated at the wall. Barb and others are on the ship going to the Oton Domain and the Tranquill Bathhouse. The preparations took some time, but they are finally leaving. They will be there for three months. The staff will learn the ways of Tranquill Bathhouse while Barb and Tara will finish their objectives. We haven't fixed the date for the merger, but it would happen on the day the Wander Inn broke the connection with the Tranquill Bathhouse.

I wanted an exact date, but I agreed to be informed ten days before they broke the connection after they made some favourable concessions. However, one thing is certain—it will happen within the next nine months. It will be enough time for us to prepare to succeed. It won't be easy, but their legacy will be powerful due to their over a century of connection with the throne. Not to mention, their sovereign will provide all the help they need. Even the artifact they have in the legacy might create some trouble.

'Master Silver, Adviser Nathil has arrived,' informed Jill. Bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Send him in," I replied. A moment later, an older man with long white hair and deep blue eyes walked inside. Seeing him, I got up. He deserves this respect; this is a right-hand man of the Lord of Owlspring.

"Lord Silver," greeted the old man.

"Lord Nathil," I replied before asking him to sit. The man was going to the Empire and stopped here to pay me a visit. He will leave within an hour, which makes this stop even more curious. I hope it's not about emotion essence. I am giving them quite a lot of it—nearly twice as much as Inam.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Lord Silver," said the man. It is the least I could do," I replied, waiting. I could tell he wanted something, and I had an idea.

"We want the store slots. My lord hopes you will allocate some to our city's businesses," he said. I sighed and rubbed my temples. It hadn't even been a week since the arrests, and hundreds of store owners had contacted me. It isn't just the businesses that did, but also the Lords and the cities. Inam has contacted, and so has Namdar. Even the bastard at Deerpond had made the inquiries. They wanted it before, but this time, they want it more.

I gave the mist access to all the stores, which means the new stores will also get it. I used it as a privilege before, but I changed my mind. I now decided to use it as a tool. The mist is tremendously beneficial. Most importantly, working with emotions strengthens the artist's connection to their art. Which in turn levelled them up faster.

"Of course, Owlspring will give you access to the things you wanted," he added, and I removed my hands from my head and smiled.

"One. I could only spare one store space for Owlspring," I said. Owlspring had also asked for the stores and other cities. When he asked for a visit, I understood he would want it.

"Give us at least two, Lord Silver," he requested, but I shook my head.

"Fine, but when your legacy reaches Grade IV. We hope you will give us at least a few floors for our city's business," he said. Once more, I didn't say anything. I am not promising something that might happen in years or may never happen, but their demand reveals their interest. This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. A few minutes later, he left, and a big smile appeared on my face. I would have given his city one store even if he hadn't asked directly for it.

I want one business from him, not only from him but also from Inam and Namdar. I have a concept in mind and want to use these stores to help realize that. If I get the stores I want, I can provide a complete set of the mist goods, making them even more enticing. Four of the stores will be selected from the city. While I could find better options elsewhere, supporting local businesses is essential. Increasing the number of city-based stores will also encourage more companies to establish themselves here.

Reed has already finished the job and will present the list to me in the evening. Soon, it was twelve, and Lola walked out. I practice my aura every day at noon unless something important comes up. Even then, I never skip—I train before or after if there's a conflict. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. A moment later, the aura emerged smoothly and contained it so those at the door could not sense it unless they concentrated.

Bell's control is such that even those beside her can't sense when she brings out the aura. As the aura emerged, I folded it into layers and began spreading around me. Within seconds, a layer of aura formed around me. I didn't stop and moved the aura again. I quickly formed the second layer and then the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth layers; the sixth layer took me less than a minute to form. Two months ago, when I returned from the Archmage City. It took me all my ability to form the sixth layer.

Now, it didn't take much effort. However, I had to slow down for the seventh and the eighth. When I reached the ninth layer, I moved slowly, sweat spreading on my brow. It took me over five minutes, but I completed it. I rested for nearly a minute before starting on the tenth later. I had to use every trick and ounce of control I had learned, carefully holding each layer and gradually moving them upward. After great effort, I finally completed the tenth layer—my current limit.

I am trying for the eleventh layer, but it is demanding. Still, I will keep practicing. I need to; my enemies won't wait for me until I am ready. I held the layers for as long as I could, nine minutes and seventeen seconds before I let go. After resting for a while, I had lunch before resuming work. Before I knew it, the day had passed, and it had become fully dark. Click! My door opened, and the man walked inside.

"Lord Silver," he greeted. I nodded.

"I have compiled the list of people according to your directions," he replied, putting a file in front of me.

"Thank you, Vice-Guildmaster," I replied before grabbing the file in front of me. Only twenty-one names are in it, with their complete information, including predicted levels and other things. Twenty-one are not many, but ours is a small city, and my requirements were high. I didn't need high levels—I would choose them even at Level 10. What mattered was their potential, their creativity, and their ability to evoke emotion. Create goods that are good enough for everyone to want to buy them.

I flipped page after page until I finally finished with it and turned to the man.

"You have added your friends," I said, and I could feel a faint surprise flashing in his eyes. However, it had disappeared as soon as it appeared. He added two of his friends. I have information about all the people holding high places in the city.

"Yes, Cartis and Hayden's are my friends; I've known them for a long time, but they are also capable people," he replied. I didn't say anything; I just tapped my fingers on the table.

"Cartis Villin is an average Carpenter," I stated. I may have asked him to gather information on stores suitable for the legacy, but I also have my own sources. I wanted to foster those talented people, but Cartis is average.

"Yes, but he is a great manager. The staff he hired is talented and producing good work," he replied. I know about his work. We contracted him for the school's furniture and used some of it in the legacy. Still, I will have to think about it, but I am sure about the ceramicists. He brought them to the city, and we helped them start over. They barely had anything and came because we promised to help. It's a family-run store, and their work is good, so we use some of their pieces.

I had already chosen them, leaving only three stores for the city, and the choice was difficult. I will have to consult with others and even conduct interviews before deciding. I will have to do it quickly. The closed store isn't helping the legacy. It had lessened the output of the emotions from the store floors.

"That will be all, Vice-Guildmaster," I said. The man bowed and walked out of the office. I stayed there for a few minutes before leaving the office and stepping into the carriage, waiting for me. As it moved toward my home, I watched the people and buildings, both steadily growing. The city's population grows each week, and construction is ongoing everywhere. Just yesterday, I set aside space for a large garden, ensuring it won't be used for residential buildings.

The population will soon reach four hundred thousand, and it wouldn't take long to teach half a million from then. It is the maximum of what a city can handle. Shifting some population to Panar elevated some pressure, but not much. We cannot slow the population growth. We are trying to increase it every day. We need people for our economy and our army. Soon, we will be left with only one choice. Expand the city beyond its wall. I am preparing for it because it will be the city's most expensive infrastructure plan.

I started preparing months ago, but given the rapid population growth, I might need to start working on it sooner than I had thought. Just thinking about it gives me a headache—it's going to be extremely expensive. The benefits would be just as great, but I need the funds. Right now, what I have is nowhere near enough.