Chương 643: Chapter 642: Inauguration and Expansion

"A lot of people had come," said Carla, surprised, looking at the people as the carriage entered the port.

"There would have been more if we hadn't restricted the people's entry," I replied. It was a weekend, but we still didn't expect this many would come. The carriage moved through the guarded road before finally stopping.

"Ready?" I asked Carla. She nodded, and we stepped out of the carriage. As my feet touched the ground, I activated the Lord's Presence with a faint aura. It produces suppression but is light as a feather. Tens of thousands of people were waiting; the whole port seemed filled with them. It is not; the police strictly contain the crowd in a designated area and did not let them interfere in port operations. I could feel the eyes of thousands of people on me. It is enthralling as it is addicting.

Today is an important day. We have finished the most important public infrastructure, and today is also the day we will start another project that will dwarf everything else in the region.

"Lord Silver, Lord of Greltheaven, and Panar. Master of Velvet Garden," announced the herald as I stepped onto the stage. Everyone who is important is here—Robin, Valentina, Hardt, Stone, Trik, Amellus, and others. There is also another thing on the stage. It is large and covered in a cloth; I could see many curious gazes toward it. I stepped on the stage and looked at the crowd. In front are a few hundred, sitting on the chairs.

They are important people, merchants, officials, and guests from afar, including a few officials from Namdar. Behind them are people, tens of thousands of them. I looked at them as they looked at me. I smiled and activated Every Ear Listens To My Words before opening my mouth to speak.

"My dear citizens,""Today, we gather not merely to admire stone and spellbound steel—but to witness what our unity can shape. Before, you is more than a bridge. The bindingconnects the two sides, a silver thread across the lifeblood of our land."

"This river—once a boundary, a challenge, a whispered limit—has now been embraced. Not by conquest but by craft. By your hands, your minds, your patience. This bridge stands because we stand together." I paused momentarily, looking at my people and feeling their emotions through the Mood of The Subjects.

"It is woven with enchantments from our wisest enchanters, strong enough to carry a thousand hooves, light enough to hum under the moonlight."

"Merchants shall pass freely. Messengers shall ride swifter. Lovers shall meet at its center, and stories shall be born from this crossing." A large gust of wind came as I spoke, making the bridge hum lightly.

"So, today, we will celebrate the bridge that will change our lives forever," I said, and the crowd applauded loudly and cheered. The bridge is finished, and I am opening it to the public today. It will transform the city's economy, but that isn't the only thing I am doing today. I raised my hand, and the applause stopped.

"But this is not the end, my people. This is the opening line of a new chapter."

"Today, I proclaim the beginning of the Second Ring!" I announced, and Amellus pulled the cloth hard, revealing the huge model. The model had a beautiful replica of Greltheaven, but this is not all there is. Covering it is another ring, a massive one. It didn't just cover Greltheaven, but the whole damn river and enormous area of the other side. I wasn't joking when I said it is a colossal project. The second ring will be able to hold four million people— five million at Greltheaven's current density.

It is ten times bigger. People advised me that I was going too far with a considerable project that covered both river shores, but I had ambition for it. I need the city to be this big, at least. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. I could see the gasp coming out of the mouths of those sitting in front. Very few people among them knew about it. I had kept it secret. Those who knew only knew because I had asked for their opinions and ideas.

Which helped a lot in finalizing the project.

"The second ring shall rise around the city and beyond this river, encircling it like a jeweled clasp around a sacred gem. Homes will flourish on the far banks. New districts of wonder and trade will rise like dawn. And in time, children will forget there ever was a time our city did not embrace the river."

"Let this ring be shaped not just in stone, but in spirit—bound by justice, lit by learning, and open to all who dream."

"Let the bridge stand as proof: what we dare to build together—no current can tear down."

"To the Second Ring. To the future!" I shouted and then waved my hand. A glittering large wind blade materialized and moved toward the massive ribbon covering the bridge before slicing through it. Immediately, a raucous applause rang out. Far louder than earlier, I could feel the people's excitement; the bridge had made them happy, but the city had turned ecstatic. I will drip-feed them information about it in the coming days and weeks.

This will make them more and more excited, and they will think about moving to it. I need them to move there before we even finish building the wall. This is not going to be easy for people who like to live in the safety of walls. I looked at people before walking toward the carriage by the wall and stepped inside with Carla and others. The carriage moved, and soon, it was crossing the bridge. I have done it many times in the past week, but I still feel the same joy as I did the first time.

It is wide and long but also taller. Even the biggest ship on the continent could easily pass through it. The bridge is a marvel and will bring great economic prosperity to the city.

"I thought it would happen, but I didn't expect it to happen this soon," said Valentina, looking out the window.

"This is just the beginning. First of many wonderful things that will happen to the city," I replied with a smile.

"Yes, but it will not be without challenges," added Robin, making everyone serious. The first challenge is, of course, the undead. Six months of protection will pass in a little more than a month, and the undead will attack. The moment they do. It will affect everything. The confidence in the city, the arrival of new people, investment, and everything else. If we survive that somehow, we will think about the second challenge. That challenge is Marquess Gats's eventual departure.

He will leave, without a doubt; the question is when? I want a few years, at least. It will be enough for us to build a powerful enough force and economy to sustain it, but that is unlikely to be the case. The bridge is wide enough that several carriages could move on either side. Finally, the carriage reached the other side and stopped.

"Soon, this vast wasteland is going to be transformed into a big city," said Hardt, looking at the vast empty wasteland in front of him. I nodded, hearing that. Construction will begin on this side. Starting around the city would have been more cost-efficient, but we must consider the conditions. If we start building on the city's western side, it will be destroyed when the enemies attack. The river protects the eastern side.

Enemies won't come here unless they conquer the city first, so there is less chance of it getting destroyed. When things improve and we have confidence in our security, we will start the construction on the west side. There are only small ports and warehouses on this side, but that will change soon.

"Today, the people will come and start working on expanding the port. Tomorrow, we will begin working on underground sewage.

"From next week, we will start the preparations for the wall and barracks," informed Edmor.

"How long will it take to pick up to the full speed?" asked Cardin.

"Two to three months at least," replied Edmor. We have funding, but that doesn't mean we can start at full speed immediately. We do not have enough labor, people with expertise, construction materials, special tools, and many other things. Edmor has begun, and workers will start coming to the city from today itself, but it will take time. We are lucky to be in the best geographical position. Merchants and Empire are among the most powerful countries on the continent.

They have the people, expertise, and materials we need, while we have money and incentives to get them. Despite all that, it will take time.

"It won't be swift, and there will be challenges to make things difficult, but we will pass them as we did all those challenges that we had faced before," I said as I took it in a wasteland before me and imagined the city rising from the very ground. The second ring is ten times bigger than the current city—enough to fulfill all my ambitions. There will be huge parks, boulevards, artificial lakes, and other infrastructure. With the second ring, I am getting the opportunity to start from scratch.

Make my mark on every inch.... …. Conference Room, Castle, Lauryl City"He announced the city, and it is bigger than we had imagined," said Baron Husk with a sigh. Every council member had been called from their territories for this meeting.

"He didn't heed our opposition," remarked Baron Lockridge angrily. Silver had informed them of his plan a few days ago. They didn't have any problem as long as the expansion stayed on his side of the river, but Silver isn't anything if not ambitious. They opposed vehemently, but Silver had gone through it nonetheless.

"The question is, where is money coming from for it? He can't finance it. Even if he had far more emotion essence than he shows, it won't be enough to finance this massive project," asked Baron Homer, looking around the table. Everybody thinks the same question and asks for their sources, but nobody seems to know about it.

"It is the merchant state or Namdar. Only those two could give him the money for it. It is also where his whore went," replied Baron Lockridge. Everybody went silent hearing that and didn't speak for several seconds.

"He is building it, and we can't stop it, but we can prepare for what is to come."

"His ambitions are rising. There will be a day when he will move his eyes toward us, and we need to be ready for that and any other danger," said Baroness Silver. Hearing that, the expressions everyone turned serious, and they nodded.

"The dangerous times are coming, and we are grossly unprepared for it. We need to be prepared, or we won't exist," added Baron Harrods. His words might be grim, but it is the truth. Everyone understood what was at stake. They are in danger, even more so than Silver. They face the same dangers as Silver but also something extra. The monster tides from the extreme magic region and also Navr. Both have the power to destroy us.