Chương 782: Chapter 781: Return

The city came into view, and it looked more beautiful than the last time I had left. All signs of the battle disappeared; not a single skeleton's bone remained, but as I entered the domain. I could feel the signs. The alchemical stench and magic of alchfire still linger in the air, and the death energy. It will take some time for all of it to disappear. The carriage stopped some distance away from the gate, and I got out.

"Welcome back, Lord Silver," Stone greeted.

"It's good to be back, General," I replied and activated Get Ready, before walking to Tempest and mounting it. It took a minute for a small army to gather behind me, and then I rode toward the gate. The victory procession. I would rather go directly to the city hall, but it is necessary for the morale of the army and my people. Everybody who could be here is here. Cardin, Stone, Hiren, Orok, and even Axseer. Most of her division is in Panar, and she will be posted there.

She will be here for a week for the promotion ceremony and other things before returning to Panar. Unfortunately, Azalia couldn't be here, Trask and others, but they needed to be in their cities to protect them from any danger. An attack is unlikely, but if enemies see the chance, they will not hesitate to strike. Finally, we reached the gate and passed through it. As we did, the loud cheering rang through the crowd. There are people as far as I could see.

They are throwing flowers and coins while the police are trying to keep them behind the barricades.

"The whole city seemed to have come here," I said as I smiled and waved at the people. I even activated the Lord's Presence at low power.

"It has, nearly all businesses gave them time off for this," replied Valentina. We moved ahead, and there were people; they were there till the city hall, where soldiers fired the cannons and did a big salute, before I was able to dismount and walk into the city hall.

"There seemed to be more people in the city hall than a few days ago," I said to her as we walked through the city hall.

"Many have returned," she replied. I nodded. I don't want to take back those who abandoned the city, but I have no choice. I can't simply accept many officials who are unfamiliar with the city and its work culture. It will mess things up. Although these people may have abandoned the city, they are still familiar with our work and how we operate. It had become even more critical after we sent a lot of our staff to Gailhorn. So, we're taking all those who have returned and even calling those who haven't.

At the same time, we have started recruiting people from the city. It does not seem fair to those who stayed. It is why I planned to reward the loyalty. If a promotion or job becomes available, they will be considered first over others, provided they possess the required capability. I will even take the risks with them, because they have proved themselves with their loyalty to the dominion. Soon, we reached the office, and I sat down in my familiar chair.

"A lot of things are happening in the city. Thousands of inquiries are coming from many businesses and merchants. Nobles have also contacted us, with some already coming to the city," she informed. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. She is swamped by work. I could see it in her eyes, and it will only increase for a short time.

"It is why I am giving you complete responsibility for the city's interior. You will be the chief executive of it." I replied, making it permanent. Earlier, it was supposed to be temporary, due to many leaving, but I need her. The advancement of the legacy and our victory against the undead had changed things. It will have immense effects on the dominion. If we seize this opportunity, we could turbocharge the city's growth, and that's what I want.

"This is too big a responsibility," she said hesitantly.

"You are doing a wonderful job handling it," I replied, with a smile.

"What about me and Lena?" she asked after a moment of silence in a voice that was barely audible. It was the first time she had said it out loud.

"What you do in your personal life is none of anyone's business, not even the dominions," I replied, and I could see relief appearing in her eyes. She took my hand, which was resting on the table, and I squeezed it reassuringly.

"It will be a lot of responsibility, seeing that I am also handling commerce and infrastructure," she said, and I smiled.

"I will transfer commerce to Locke, Winfred will handle infrastructure, and Mage Aldridge Education," I replied. Locke had proved himself with education. It's time I give him a bigger responsibility. Winfred, I have known him since we went to Navr, and he is a steady hand. Mage Aldridge will handle education; the scholar mage is passionate about it and very capable.

"You seemed to have thought a lot about it," she said.

"I did," I replied with a smile.

"Who have you thought about replacing as the head of the merchant guild?" she asked a moment later. Soren Arryn is the head of the merchant guild, but now that Damon Hardt has become Lord of Panar. He will replace him at the head of trade, which is a promotion. I already talked to him, and the man accepted the position.

"I will tell you after he accepts," he said, and her eyes widened. She has undoubtedly understood who I planned to make the next leader of the Merchant Guild.

"Many would not like it," she stated, looking at me pointedly. Yes, it is unconventional, but the man has proven his worth and loyalty. Most importantly, I feel. He is the right choice; he will play an instrumental part in the growth of the city, and it will also send the signal I want to send. Merchant guilds are one of the most essential organisations in any city. It plays an integral part in its growth. There was a silence for a few seconds when she opened her mouth.

"I met with Lord Thorn; the man had come prepared." She said. Lord of Inam had arrived in the early morning and met with her; he is currently in a meeting with Carla. A year ago, I wouldn't have even imagined a man as powerful as him doing this, but he is desperate. The legacy is vital for his city. If it disappears, it will be a tremendous loss. It will take five to ten months after waning begins, but as the waning begins, the output of essence will also be reduced until it reaches a fraction of what it was.

The merger may have succeeded, but his gamble had failed. I even heard that the majority of the essence he is getting is going to the Kingdom of Halih, due to the merger agreement. If he weren't so powerful, I would have felt pity for him.

"Do you think he will agree with this?" I asked. Giving her the file.

"You wanted to eat up a desperate man," she said as she finished reading.

"I am giving him a lot in exchange," I defended.

"He might accept it all except for the last condition," she said, and I knew she was talking about it.

"That is a dealbreaker," I replied. If he cannot give me that, then I will choose the best legacy that could make the Velvet Garden better than it is.

"We talked about a few more things before she got up and left the office. As the door closed, I turned to the files; there are tons of them. I picked the first one and activated Unveiling Perception. From that moment, my hand never stopped turning the pages until I finished the file. I picked the next one, and like before, my hand would turn page after page without stopping. I could go even faster if I activated the Parallel Thoughts. I am not just reading, but understanding the content and doing better.

It is an amazing skill and in just a few days has become a large part of my life. It is saving me a lot of time and helps me understand things I read even better. Identify the patterns and hidden elements within the texts. Before I knew it, I finished the files and closed my eyes in thought. We may have won the battle, but our problems didn't disappear. Still, it gave us hope for a better future and more confidence in our city.

Already, we're seeing more tourists than ever before, and people are returning in droves. The pace will only increase further in the coming days. Also, it isn't just those who left who are returning, but new people are coming too. There are a lot of things to do. Increase the size of the army, and hire more people in the city hall. Build more hospitals, parks, and other facilities, and this is just for the inner city. I haven't even talked about the outer city, which is where I want to focus expansion on.

I have suspended land buying and selling in half of the areas of the inner city. I have an idea in mind, considering the volume of essence the legacy produces daily. I might be able to do it. If I did, it would change things, but before I can start on that, I will have to deal with the Lord of Inam. If the negotiations succeed, we will move quickly. If it did not, then I will put the search for a pawn to the back of my mind and focus on Velvet Garden.