Chương 890: Chapter 889: Mirador Hold

Tempest stopped as we reached the massive gates of Mirador Hold.

"Welcome to Mirador Hold, Lord Silver," welcomed General Cardin. I looked at the man I had not seen in a month, and I have to say, he had changed and changed a lot. There is more invisible authority to him; his words seemed to contain more weight. The man also looks happy, which isn't surprising. This is an important position, more than that. It is from this place that he was sent to Greltheaven to die in the defence against the undead, but he has now returned as its leader.

"Thank you, General," I replied, before turning back.

"Ask your men to prepare food and some potions for the beasts," I added, looking back. He looked confused for a moment before he seemed to see it.

"Kales," he said.

"It will be done, General," replied the man mid-thirties. I dismounted, feeling the cramps; sitting without a saddle comes at a cost. My vitality is high enough that pain will disappear, but it will take some time.

"Don't go too far, stay close," I said to him. He neighed and shot away like lightning. He is not satiated; he still wants to run, while those beasts that came with us look like they could collapse at any moment, seeing their shaking legs as I turned off the skill. He neighed and shot away, while I walked into the fortress with Cardin and Hendriks.

"It had changed a lot from the last time I had been here," I said as I looked around. The last time I was here, Count Darrow still ruled Greltheaven, and the emperor was alive.

"It is, we had spent a lot of money and resources on this place," replied Cardin. That would be an understatement; all the money this place earns is spent here, and the dominion also funds it. As the months pass, it is pulling more and more of its weight through increasing trade, but it will still take a few months before it becomes fully self-sufficient. I want more than that; I want it to help the dominion to elevate the financial pressure. It is the only place that could do it.

It will be a while for Nakar, Gailhorn, and Panar to do that.

"Count Darrow and then Dane didn't take care of this place as they should have. Both cut corners, sealed many areas, and there was even corruption."

"It was quite a challenge to work through it all," he added. Yes, he had told me all about it in his report. This place is massive and requires a lot of money and resources to maintain, not to mention the big expenses that come every few years, like enchantment maintenance. I looked at things as we walked, and it looks great, much better than the last time I had been here. The walls are painted and clean, and I could not spot a single crack or any dust in the corners. The soldiers looked professional and alert.

I walked with them, seeing only soldiers. There is not a single merchant or civilian as far as the eye could see. It is one of the changes Cardin had brought. Oh, there are merchants here, more than there had been in the time Darrow or Dane, but not here. They are not allowed to step into these areas, as some of them used to be. Soon, we reached the top and entered Cardin's office, which had been Dane's before. I have been here a couple of times, and it looked much different.

The only thing that remains the same is the vast view the office's large windows offer.

"How is our neighbour?" I asked, looking at the camp of undead on the other side. Its size is nothing compared to the fortress, but the undead don't need a big camp to keep their forces, which are not visible. They will, if an Earth Mage casts a seismic spell near their camp. Even after so long, we don't know how many forces they are keeping underground, but one thing is clear: it's a lot.

"They are good; I have monthly meetings with their commander, and officers meet every week to keep things smooth," he replied, before his expression became serious.

"A little too smooth," he added.

"Do you think they are up to something?" I asked.

"I don't know, but it's been a while since they tried something," he replied with a sigh. He is worried, and I am too. Navr isn't something we could deal with. The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. It's like a massive shadow with an invisible weight. It's so powerful that it could crush us; we are growing stronger, but not strong enough to deal with a kingdom like Navr.

I hate to admit it, but if it releases its horde tomorrow, we will be nearly powerless to stop it. The only thing that relieves me about this whole thing is that it's not time yet. There are still a few hours before they will release their hordes on their neighbour. Though they have broken the pattern more times than I am willing to offer.

"Well, if they do, we will fight," I stated. Surrendering in front of the undead isn't an option. It's not about principles. No, their hordes are big people capturing nets. If we surrender, they will capture and turn our forces into the undead. So, it's better to fight against them until the last breath. This way, there is some chance.

"How are our people doing?" I asked. There is a large force of fifty-five thousand stationed here. It's much lower than I'd like, but we don't have large numbers. Recruitments have slowed considerably, and we have the numbers we can sustain. Now, I will only increase forces when the financial condition of the dominion becomes better. Well, that's going to take time, a lot of it. Aside from Navr, we have enough numbers to deal with other threats, unless they gang up on us.

Currently, there are enough divisions in the region to prevent that from happening, but it might in the future. Besides, threats are not confined to the region.

"Good, they love the dominion and would lay down their lives to protect it," he replied. I smiled. I replaced most of Dane's people. Now, there are barely ten thousand of them here, while the rest are spread across the dominion.

"I hope you have thought of my proposal?" he asked.

"I cannot increase the forces, you know how stretched we are," I replied, shaking my head. The man nodded.

"I know, but I need my men to have a fighting chance, if Navr attacks in any case," he said.

"I understand, and I will provide you with more cannons and other things, but it will take some time before you get the number of men you want," I replied. He isn't the only one who wants more men; everyone does. Leila, Harrods, Azalia, and others; everyone had genuine concern, but our army is limited, and we have to use the numbers we have as wisely as possible. A few hours passed, and we discussed many things. I also freshened up and had a late breakfast. Now, I am walking with Hendriks through the fortress.

The man didn't become Governor as he had wanted, but he did get a very important responsibility here. He is the most important person after Cardin here, though many soldiers would disagree. Soon, we reached the western section of Mirador Hold, and the town came into view; yes, a literal town. It is a mercantile town inside a military fortress.

"Destroying the wall and opening the small western gate had been game-changing," he said, looking at the town in front of him. The small western gate had been closed for decades. Tabes had closed it after the earthquake caused the damage. We repaired and opened it, and it wasn't cheap. We had to fill the cracks and lay down a complete set of enchantments, which took months. But now, merchants have their own exit on both sides of the fortress.

It is heavily guarded with multiple checks, but the town is much freer than it was under Dane. The military is responsible for the security, but they act like the police and don't interfere, unless they have to.

"Seven new inns are going to open in the next month; also, three business houses from the empire and two from the merchant state are opening their offices here."

"We have also opened new warehouses; the ones we have are rapidly filling up," he informed. I listened and looked around; there are thousands of people. From the empire, merchant state, but also some from Navr. Their movements are highly restricted. This is a commerce town; there is not a single house here, only inns for short stays. People come here and place orders for goods in Navr without even going there. There are all sorts of intermediaries that will complete orders quickly and at competitive prices.

I had suggested the basic form of this plan to Count Darrow, but the man hadn't listened. Even Dane, in desperation, opened it more, but never gave the business the freedom it needed. I am giving it, and the result is in front of me. It had been barely two months since the new changes, and this place was developing rapidly. I had signed an agreement with Navr and Renin and made arrangements in Lauryl. I want the trade to flow as smoothly as possible.

It is why I had not restricted merchants from Grimvale or Deerpond. All of them are welcome here to spend their money. First, there was hesitation and even restrictions from their Lords, but those are loosening rapidly. It had become a desirable place, and as it developed and matured, it has become better. I have to say, the old man did a quite good job of bringing my vision to reality. If this kept growing, I can't imagine how far it would reach in a year.

"Have you talked to Lord of Inam about opening his city's office here?" he asked as we walked through a street filled with stores. Yes, there are stores here, but they operate under strict rules, and each one is heavily vetted. We are allowing only trusted Dominion merchants to open stores.

"He will not do that; he is still skittish about having close contact with Navr," I replied. The man is not stopping his merchants from trading with Navr, but he will not open an official centre here to trade with Navr. It's not going to happen.

"It's such a regret." He replied.

"Well, at least Amberhold had agreed," he added, and I smiled. They are the first to agree; we have already allotted them a space, and construction will start in a few days. I am in contact with the other merchant cities and a few in the empire, but it will be a while before anything materializes concretely. Still, it is progress enough, and as long as merchants see benefits in it, their cities will open up.

Unlike cities of the Empire, the Merchant States are not skittish in trading with the Navr, despite all their enmity. This place has massive potential. It is why I had said it would be able to help the dominion sooner than any of the cities, and after looking around, I had become even more sure of it. Soon, we reached a four-story building that was in the middle of the main square.

It's his office; he is like a Lord here, but with more restricted powers than the other three and a far smaller area, but this is perfect for him. The man had worked in a mercantile house all his life. If he knows anything, then it's business. Soon, we entered the building and stepped into his office on the top floor, where I began looking through the files. I trust him, but that doesn't mean I will not verify things. I read file after file, asking questions now and then.

Though few, the man had worked for my father, and he liked things meticulously. Everything is clear and concise, but there are still some things I didn't understand, which I asked about.

"Lord Silver," Zela called; there is something in her voice that made me turn to her immediately.

"The undead had closed the border," she informed.