Proofread by Thomas F
Homer
The guards bowed, and the door opened. I walked into the council room.
Husk, Rose, Harrods, and Lockridge are already sitting there. General Jarvis and Baroness Leila are at the Bram Valley; another tide is forming, and they need to be there to defend against it.
We try to keep at least two people in there to deal with the tides.
"Why has this emergency meeting been called?" I asked. I was quite busy in my territory. If it weren't an emergency, I wouldn't have come.
"Vanis Tavern had become a subject of Velvet Garden," informed Baron Husk, with expressions that made it seem like he had eaten something bad.
I nearly open my mouth to say it might be big news, but nothing that demands an emergency meeting.
Until I thought about the implications.
Even now, I thought like a merchant; it takes some time for my political mind to react.
"That is not good news for us," I replied, and they nodded.
With Vanis Tavern becoming a subject of the Velvet Garden, it will have leverage over Inam, and that will aid Silver tremendously.
Anything that increases his power is bad for us, because he could use that power on us.
He had already started pressuring us, along with Grimvale, while Dane sat over our heads like a poisonous snake.
"We need to hedge our bets against Silver," said Baron Rose. "We should ally with Marquiss Grimvale. He will aid us against the usurper Silver," he added, looking at the whole table.
"So, he can swallow us," I replied. "Grimvale is as bad as Silver, both of them want the same thing," I added, and the man glared at me; I glared back.
The atmosphere becomes charged, instantly.
"The most important thing is our autonomy. We will ally with whoever gives us that," replied Baron Husk, diffusing the charged atmosphere.
"In the meantime, we should focus on increasing our strength and immediate dangers," he added, and we nodded.
Monsters and Dane are an immediate danger to the baronies. Our intelligence indicates that he is preparing to attack at the earliest opportunity.
He wants to conquer the baronies, and he is growing impatient as he sees our progress and increasing army. Our assessment does not believe he could defeat us, but he could, if attacked at the right opportunity.
At least, he could capture a few baronies, which could give him a foothold here, and that would be bad.
This is why we have forces in both the north and south of the baronies. To defend against monsters and Dane.
We need to be ready to defend ourselves and what we have built here. We are dealing with monsters adequately, but it is Dane that worries us.
If he attacks, he will undoubtedly attack us, because if he doesn't, we will attack him.
Silver and Grimvale will, and every person in this region who has the ambition. Mirador Hold is crucial; if they gain control of it, they can dominate a significant portion of the trade.
…
Marquess Grimvale
"I have to say, I have underestimated, Silver. First, with what he did with the cities and now, with the legacy," I said with a smile.
I am impressed, but the smile on my face didn't have any joy in it. He had obtained the Gailhorn, which would help mitigate the weaknesses of the river route.
Now, with Vanis Tavern. He will wield significant influence in Inam.
"It happened so fast," stated Dasir and sighed.
It had really caught us off guard. We are keeping an eye on every important member of Greltheaven, but we were not able to predict this.
His whores had gone to the Vanis Tavern, and we thought it was for the next round of negotiation. It is a matter of legacies; they require extensive negotiations.
I knew it would happen quickly. Seeing Vanis Tavern didn't have time, but didn't expect it would happen this quickly.
"Now, he will have a lot of leverage in Inam," said Dasir, and I sighed.
This makes things trickier, but nothing I had not survived before.
I have survived this damn war and emerged with a lot of wealth from the territory, while many nobles fled with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
I will deal with this. I have to, if I want to conquer the whole region.
…
Esa Raak
Click!
The door closed behind me. I stood there for a moment before I moved.
The meeting had been tense; they were not happy with what Remus had done. They desire Velvet Garden, and this makes it trickier.
I am happy. I am glad my son is doing what he wants and not caving under the pressure of the arena.
I am worried about him, though. The advancement, the battle, and the title have put a lot of attention on him, and it is not a good thing.
I just hope that people will lose interest in a few weeks.
They would have lost interest sooner, but he brought himself back in the news, making the Vanis Tavern his subject.
I remember that legacy; it is the only legacy I visited before this colosseum. A noble took us in after we completed a job for him; it was a dangerous job, and I nearly lost my life.
It was worth it, as we were able to celebrate in the legacy.
It was a good memory, with so many good people. A year later, most of them were dead, and I am here.
I quickly wiped my eyes away. I don't want to give them the satisfaction of seeing me in this state. They have already got far more from me.
…
Transcendent Pleasure
Click!
The door opened, and two people walked inside - the ones I trust the most.
They have been with me since the beginning, and they are the only people over Lv. 40 in my organisation aside from me.
One of them stays by me, while the other moves around to keep an eye on the businesses.
"Congratulations, Alnava," I said to the tall blond woman with green eyes. "Thank you," she replied. She had awakened the aura.
I nodded at Lerein, the short woman in her mid-fifties with dark blue hair.
"I heard about the size. It's not true, right? It shouldn't be." Lerein asked.
"I mean, I could accept, if it got twice as big, three times. Even the five times, but over ten times, that seemed impossible," added Alnava, not daring to believe it.
I didn't reply. Instead, I looked out the window at the night sky; it's a beautiful night today.
I love watching the view on nights like this, but today I'm not in the mood.
"It is true; they confirmed it," I replied as I turned back to them finally. I don't want to believe it either, but it is the truth.
The intelligence of the merchant state had confirmed it. So, had the Lord of Owlspring. He has talked to Silver directly, and he confirmed it to him.
"How? It's impossible!" asked Lerein. It's not impossible; it has happened, but not in this era.
"He had forcefully infused the essence of Velvet Garden into Vanis Tavern," I replied, and I could see the big shock appearing on their faces.
This was not what he had shared with anyone, but a few people visited and found a faint similarity in certain aspects.
The aspects usually superimpose gradually, as they do for a pawn, becoming part of the throne's legacy only over time. But Silver had achieved it on the very first day.
"That is suicide," Alnava said. A laugh escaped me—small at first, then swelling until I was laughing outright.
They looked at me worriedly as I laughed and laughed until tears started to stream down my face. It was only then that I stopped.
It was considered suicide when he brought stores to his legacy, which were not part of his legacy when it was born. It was considered suicide when he consumed legacies with wild abandon.
It didn't damage his legacy or destroy it. Instead, he advanced, faster than anyone in a millennium.
So, it felt like a big joke when she said. It was suicide.
"Anyway, how are things?" I asked Alnava after a long silence. "Very good. The small changes we have been making in our brothels will bring us big profit," she replied.
"Most important, what you had thought was true. The changes we have made are allowing our people to advance slightly faster," she added.
It made me feel both irritated and happy.
I was irritated because nearly all ideas were taken from Velvet Garden, but I was happy that I looked past my dislike and used them.
Now it is benefiting me.
It isn't just my people who are advancing, but I as well.
I am not ashamed to copy others. I will copy everything, if it takes me and my business higher.
"Good. We need to keep monitoring them, keep what is working, and remove what is not," I said. To that, they nodded.
"I have called you here for another thing," I added.
"What is it?" asked Alnava. "I want both of you to add a few more girls to your mentorship," I replied, and they looked a little surprised.
"I believe it's for the new girls from Velvet Garden?" asked Lerein. "Yes," I replied.
The mentorship program is designed to train the most talented individuals. It is a privilege that only the most capable and talented get into.
"We normally wait for at least five years before we take them," said Alvana.
As I said, it is a privilege. Girls need to prove themselves to get into it. Not only their capability, but also the loyalty, which is the most important part.
"Yes, their loyalty is uncertain, but I believe we can look past that."
"They are competent, and they will aid us in making Transcendent Pleasure better. It's worth the risk," I replied, but I can tell they disagree with it.
"We will do as you say," said Lerinie after a moment.
Soon, they will understand why I am doing it. Velvet Garden is advancing fast. I want to advance as well, and that requires taking risks.
It is these risks that brought me to this position from the filthy brothels of Padim.
I don't want to only exist at this level. I want to rise higher, and I will not let anyone stop me. I will claw my way to it, stepping on anyone I need to as I climb to my destination.