Proofread by Thomas F
"You are making good progress," said Bell, while I sheathed my artifact and wiped the sweat off my body.
Yes, I am fighting with my artifact; she is powerful enough to deal with it. It also gives me more experience with it. I need it, especially to develop its second ability.
But it's very tiring to use it.
My whole body is sweaty; I had pushed really hard against her myself. I thought I would have a chance against her after the advancement I had made in Nakar, but I didn't.
A few times, she let me get close to her, but that was all a lie; she was giving me a false hope that I was closing the distance between us.
That gap is still far.
"Not enough to beat you," I replied, to which she smiled.
She is not even Lv. 40, but her aura control is such that she could dominate me effortlessly. I don't think even Knight Schengen is her match, and he is really powerful.
His aura control is far superior to mine. Speaking of which.
"How is his teaching?" I asked.
She cannot teach everyone because of her identity. So, the responsibility for it falls on Knight Schengen. He is teaching everyone, including the girls of Velvet Garden.
It is one of the reasons why I had paid such a massive ransom.
I wish Bell could teach everyone; she is an amazing teacher, but she cannot. She is teaching only those who know about her.
"Like a Knight he is, disciplined, efficient, and quite gifted. Even my mother would have been impressed with him," she replied, before her expression became serious.
"Still, I would suggest we let Carla teach the girls along with him," she said, and I nodded.
That is what we are doing; the girls are learning under the Knight, but also Carla. Well, it's mostly a front as Bell watches from behind and guides them through her.
It is the same for me when I train officers with an awakened aura.
"We need them to learn the aura methods as soon as possible," I said. I am not just talking about officers; I am also talking about the girls. I have not forgotten what happened with Carla.
Having the aura method will offer them massive protection.
"They will; the girls are working hard. You will see them learning aura methods, sooner rather than later," she replied, and she seemed quite confident about it.
A few minutes later, I walked out of the arena.
It is not the one I usually use, but the one I use is no more. The new Velvet Garden will occupy a large area, and the arena has been incorporated into it.
A few minutes later, I reached my house, freshened up, and showered before eating breakfast with the children.
Once that was done, I dropped them off at the school, which I barely get to do, seeing how busy I am, but I try to do it at least once a week.
My carriage turned, and it moved toward the legacy.
I am going to spend a whole day here; yesterday, when I returned, I spent the whole day at city hall. I left at nearly midnight; there is still a lot of work, but it can wait.
I have a few important things to do in the legacy.
Soon, I reached close to it and saw the large area around the tower covered in mist. The five floors are blocked by the mist; a lot of work is going on inside.
In the coming weeks, more areas of the legacy were going to get covered in the mist.
In a few months, the whole tower would and then some. I don't want anyone to see it until it's ready. The same goes for the garden, but it's massive, and covering it with mist will take a lot of money.
So, we will cover only the important parts.
Currently, only a few areas are covered by the mist, but as time passes by, more and more places will be covered.
Speaking of one, I turned to my left; there in the mist were buildings. Eudo is doing fast work; they will be ready by next month.
It took a lot of money and will be one of the most secure building complexes in the whole dominion.
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I stepped out of it before walking into the misty entrance. I had to walk for a while before I reached the entrance of the legacy.
"Welcome back, Master Silver," said the girls at the reception. I nodded at them and stepped inside.
It had been over ten days since I had returned to the establishment, and it felt good. I could feel everything: the mist, the power, and the people.
There are a lot of them.
We have informed people of the closing date, and they descended on the city like a flood. Filling every hotel and home they could find, with many returning within a day, due to not finding accommodation.
It is something I plan to fix this year, while the legacy is being rebuilt into its grandest form.
This is going to be the last rebuilt; I am going to make it big enough that I don't need to rebuild it, even when it reaches Grade V. Which might never happen or take decades.
Nothing could be said about it; one could not control it. The only thing one could do was follow the vision without hesitation or doubt.
The elevator stopped, and I stepped out of it. Soon, I reached my office and stepped inside.
Carla is there, holding a file.
"You will need to talk to the Ingas Tycker; his son is married to a woman from House Bilaminar," she said, putting the file on the table.
"I thought they agreed to provide us with rivercloud marble?" I asked. It is a particular type of marble.
It's not the most expensive one, but it's very rare. We need it for the bathhouse, and since it's going to be so immense, we need a lot of those marbles.
"We have, but now they are demanding more," she replied.
They have the best grade one; I could get it from others, but not in the amount I like. For symmetry and enchantment, a single-source marble will be best.
"Fine," I agree. "Good, I had fixed your call at six," she replied, with a smile.
"Speaking of marble, what is the status of optima?" I asked. This is the marble we are going to use most extensively. It's very expensive, and we need to make a deal with a Heraldan duke.
It is one of the most expensive contracts we have made for the material for the legacy.
"Good, in three weeks, the first ship with marble blocks and craftsmen will reach the continent," she replied.
I hope there won't be any problem; we need a lot of it and quickly. We have only one year to build the legacy, and even here, that is not much time for the size of the project.
There are thousands of such things we need to build the legacy, and many of them are very rare.
We are buying it from all across the world.
We made deals for them, but not everything is perfect. We have to improvise and manage as we face problems, including financial, influence-related, or threat-related issues.
Knock Knock!
We were going through the things when a knock rang out on my door. "She is here," informed Carla; I didn't have to ask who she was talking about.
A moment later, the door opened, and a beautiful woman in her mid-twenties walked inside. She may look young and beautiful, but she is one of the highest levels we have.
"Master Silver," she greeted. "Sister Carla,"
"Tara, take a seat," said Carla, and Tara nodded and sat beside her.
"How are you? How is the work?" I asked. I had promoted her to Grade II; she was resistant, but knowing that the establishment needed her, she took the job.
She is doing amazingly well, better than I expected.
I have given her a job to give her experience in the work that happens behind the scenes. It's a desk job with a lot of administrative work.
It is mind breaking for her. Seeing that she prefers being among people rather than loads of files. It is the main reason she didn't want to become a madam.
"Good, but I hope you shift me out of it. It's quite boring," she replied, and Carla laughed.
"It's why I had called you," I said, and the girl's eyes lit up.
"Where are you sending me?" she asked. She knew her responsibility would not be in the legacy, as it would close within weeks. If it had been, we would informed her later.
"Inam," I replied, and surprise appeared on her face.
She had likely thought I would send her to some kingdom or continent. That's what her past assignments were, but not anymore.
"How long will I be there? Who do I have to seduce?" she asked. The seductress, that's what we call her, and that is also her class; she loves that.
It is why she is so high in her level. Just one level away from Lv. 40, same as Margaux.
"Permanently," I replied, to her surprise. "You are going to be my overseer envoy to the pawn," explained Carla, stunning the woman, who had not expected this.
It took her a while before she came to herself.
"Why me? There are more capable girls, with much greater experience. I heard some of them are even lobbying for the position," she asked, making me smile.
Half of them are lobbying for it. This is a position of great power.
It could even be said that they will be on par with the legacy leaders, since they will be my envoys. Their words and actions would represent me.
"Yes, others want it, but you are perfect for it," I replied.
It isn't just me thinking it; Carla, Margaux, and Caena do too. Everyone had named her. Only she could achieve what we want there.
She didn't talk, nor did we disturb her. It is a pretty significant responsibility. She will be away from her home and friends; it's not an easy decision.
"What will be my job?" She asked. "You will not be leading the legacy; it is those two's job, except for the small part we directly control," I stated.
I could see the relief appearing in her eyes, hearing that.
I am sure she would have rejected. If I had asked her to run that legacy, others may want it, but she has no desire for it.
"Your most important job will be to cultivate relationships with the city's most powerful. Nobles, merchants, and powerhouses," I added, and a smile rose from her lips. It's right up the alley of our seductress; she lives for it. It is why we chose her.
"Don't seduce too many people. We want relationships, not the army of admirers," reminded Carla. To that, she grinned. "That is not a bad idea," she replied, making Carla glared at her.