Chương 957: Chapter 956: How is She?

"…And thank, Lord Verulus, for me," I said to Valentina.

'I will,' she replied and cut the call. I pulled my aura back and kept walking through the hallway with Zela. The day after tomorrow, we will inaugurate our two stores. Carla had gone to Namdar to inaugurate it, while Valentina had gone to Owlspring, representing me. I could have gone there, but it wouldn't have looked good in Namdar. So, I am here attending yet another meeting. This is significant regarding an important part of the legacy.

"There is a message from Lady Carla for you," informed Zela as I reached the conference room.

"What did she say?" I asked.

"You should talk to him," I sighed. I am talking to him, but not about the subject she wishes me to discuss. There is still anger in my heart that refuses to go away. I said nothing and stepped through into the conference room, where everyone was waiting.

"Lord Silver," they greeted. I nodded and sat down before turning to them. Everyone is here: Amellus, Altyr Somysor, the architect of the Velvet Arena, Maxen Nemoris, the interim manager, and Breve Halver. She will be Maxer's deputy. Usually, we keep a Grade II responsible for every important section of Velvet Garden, like I am doing with Andrea, Tara, and others, but the arena is slightly different. It required specialized expertise that my people didn't have.

So, we will let Maxer head it, but will have Breve as deputy; she is a Grade III. On top of that, Carla will keep a special eye on it. If it worked as the theatre had worked, it's going to bring us a massive amount of emotion essence. It would be great if we could get the same per-square-foot yield from it as the theatre. I pushed those thoughts away and focused on the people.

"So, the new design," I said, and immediately, Somysor tapped on runes on a huge parchment. A moment later, the projection of a huge arena appeared in front of us. It's slightly different from our earlier design.

"As you can see, I have taken the suggestion from Mr. Nemoris and made the floor of the col…arena broader; it now has a longer oval floor and also a flatter angle for better viewing," The old elf explained as he expanded the projection and compared it to the earlier design. I do not want a colosseum, but an arena where there will not only be fights but also shows, festivals, games, and many other things. I wanted it to be multipurpose.

"It is good; it will reduce some sitting space, but I believe it's worth it," stated Nemoris.

"Seating isn't a problem; our purpose is to provide people with the best experience of their lives."

"I wouldn't care if we could only seat a thousand people as long as we provide them with the greatest experience of their lives," It is the thing I had told every architect. Focus on the design, which will enhance the experience; think about everything else later.

"We will give you the best arena that will let you do that, my lord," said Amellus, and I nodded. The meeting lasted for a little over one hour before Somysor and Ammelus left. Leaving only Nemoris and Breve.

"We have made the list of things you have asked for," said Maxen, and forwarded the list to me. I looked at it with over fifty things, and fights only entail a minority of them. Interesting! Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. There are things here that I didn't even think about, but will be very suited for the arena. The people will love it.

"We should start booking them. We should have at least three months' bookings with different shows and fights."

"Have you tested the waters?" I asked, turning to Breve.

"Yes, we have contacted different groups and troops, and they are more than willing to perform at Legacy." She replied with a smile. As I had said, the arena wouldn't be only for the fights. We have some experience with it, with the theatre. We not only book shows by our in-house company but also by other theatre companies that are good enough. Rosen had made quite a big network. The theatre is now booked for over a year with different plays.

"What about the fighters?" I asked, turning to Nemoris.

"I have contacted them, and many are willing to sign contracts with us as long as their contracts explicitly state that we will not force them to fight in Greltheaven's war." He replied, and I let out a laugh. Of course, I will not force them, but I will use the arena to recruit fighters for my army. It was another purpose for the arena, or could be said, the main purpose. The moment I unveil the Velvet Garden, the clock will start ticking even faster.

I will have a few years at most, if I am lucky, and the lobbying works. I don't want to fight against them, but I might need to, if the compromise doesn't work.

"I don't believe we have to worry about it much. Once they get used to the money and fame that the legacy gives them, they will do anything for it, including fighting the battles." He sounds confident, and why wouldn't he be? It is a well-tested system in Oton.

"Though we will have to start recruiting them soon and train them in arena battles. Unlike Oton, few people know how to do that here," he stated. Fighting in the arena isn't just about swinging swords and slinging spells. It is about doing it in a way that stirs the audience, grips their attention from beginning to end, and leaves them so thrilled and breathless they can barely stay in their seats. It is even more important in the legacy, since we harvest the emotions.

It is why many who fight in the arena get classes such as Gladiator, Colosseum Mage, and others. These classes give flashy spells and skills that make the crowd go wild. It's why arenas, including the legacy arenas, provide bonuses to fighters who rouse the crowd the most. I planned to do that here. As he said, we need to recruit soon. The majority of them need to form Zenid, but Zenid has the fewest Colosseums, so the number of such powerhouses is much lower.

So, the plan is to recruit them and train them in arena combat. Eventually, some will get classes related to that.

"Send me the detailed plan for it, and also the list of people you planned to recruit," I ordered. We need to recruit a lot of people for the arena, and I am not talking about combat. No, I am also talking about administration. It needs people with a specific skill set. I can put as many of my people as I can, but I don't have enough, and they don't have the specific skills we need to run the arena. Many people will be from the outside, with the majority of them being from Oton.

There is a risk with that, but I didn't have a choice.

"You will have it in a week," he replied, and I nodded. I wanted to end the meeting and leave; that's what I have been doing since I hired this man. I am not ready to talk about things, even now, but Carla is right. I should talk.

"Could you give us a few minutes, Breve?" I said to the woman. She nodded and walked toward the door with Zela following behind, leaving only two of us in the room. It is the first time I am alone with a man. He seemed to understand what I wanted; his expression changed, a softness appearing in his eyes.

"I still have a hard time believing you are her son," he said, and I laughed.

"Do I look that different from her?" I asked, with a faint hint of anger leaking from it. I quickly reigned in my emotions. I am angry with her, not with this man. He shook his head.

"No, you look quite similar to her. If you stood side by side, nobody would doubt that you are mother and son," he replied. I was not expecting to hear that. Most of my visible features, such as the color of my skin and eyes, are Zenidian.

"How is she?" I asked, finally. I write letters to her, but I want to hear from someone who has seen her.

"Good, especially for the past two years,""There is more joy in her eyes, a little less sadness," he replied, his eyes never leaving me. I don't know what to say to that.

"Ella is notoriously private about her past, but she misses you. A lot of times, I would see her gazing to the north, with pain and love," he said. Immediately, I got up and walked out of the conference room. There are so many questions, but also anger. I merged with Old Remus's soul, inheriting his memories and his emotions. We are one, and what he felt is what I am feeling. And currently, I am feeling angry. Why did she have to leave? Why didn't she contact me?

If she had contacted me earlier, my father might have bought her contract from the arena. He may not have loved her, but he was fond of her, and he may have paid the price of her contract. Zela followed me without a word. I am glad for it; I don't believe I am capable of the conversation right now. Soon, I reached the roof of my office and looked at my beautiful city. Looking at it always makes me feel calm. I took a deep breath and moved my eyes across it. It's truly beautiful, I love it and its people.

At times, I wished I had been solely responsible for the legacy, but when I looked at it, I was glad to be in this position. They have given purpose to my life, a chance to leave my mark on the world. I will protect it, and if I have to fight the world for it, I will do that and more, because it is worth it. I stayed for nearly half an hour before I walked back to my office. I would have stayed longer, but I have a meeting with the merchants from Nereim. They are pretty important ones.

So, I would rather not postpone it, despite wanting to do that very much.