Proofread by Thomas F
Step!
I stepped out of the teleportation gate a few hours later, where the half-dwarf woman was still waiting for me.
She silently led me out, and once more, we were in the elevator, going down this time. I didn't look at the blurring floors; I am busy with my own thoughts.
The meeting had gone completely differently from what I had expected. It will have enormous consequences on the dominion.
Soon, the elevator stopped, and I walked out of it.
A minute later, my guards and others appeared. "We are leaving today," I informed them as I walked toward the exit of the tower.
I could see the shock on their faces. It is not the thing they had expected.
"Have negotiations broken down?" asked Miss Ulaxasys worriedly, and I shook my head. She wanted to ask more, but she didn't, seeing my expression.
We walked out of the tower directly and stepped into the carriage waiting for us.
"What happened?" she asked finally. I didn't answer. Instead handed her a file with the emblem of the House Tor on it.
"The offering has changed a little," I replied. Miss Ulaxasys looked confused, but as she began to read, her expression changed. The confusion in her eyes cleared, replaced by shock.
"They are offering this?" she asked finally with a barely audible voice. "Yes," I replied. It is why we are returning.
We need to research these plants before we agree to it. It is a perpetual contract; I need to take every precaution with it.
Next month, after research, my people will return to negotiate the agreement.
Most of the plants we will use will be of the old agreement. Only around 10% to 15% plants will have a perpetual agreement.
These are extremely rare and powerful plants. We need to proceed slowly, observe their reactions, and make adjustments as needed.
Many people will need to take care of them. Experts have access to special resources that will help them grow.
Not to mention the logistics; many will be seeds, but many will be grown plants. Bringing them to the city without damaging or killing them would be a massive challenge.
"This is massive; even 5% will have a colossal impact," she said, and I smiled before turning to Zela.
"Send a message to Carla, ask her to show Mage Irgal the flags," I ordered. She nodded and closed her eyes to message, while I turned back to Mage Ulaxasys.
"What are the good places to see in this city?" I asked. I could leave now, but I want to explore this beautiful city. God knows when I will get a second chance to visit it.
…
Varisele Aurialeth
"Hello, aunty," I greeted the woman who appeared beside me. "Deciding to give him the plants in the grove, you should have asked the council first," she replied as she sat in front of me.
"I may be confined, but I am the leader of my house. I do not need to inform or obtain permission from the council to conduct my business." I replied with a smile.
"You forgot; we have added them to the restrictive category," she informed. "Which I have authority to supersede as Head of my House," I countered.
The plants are precious and placed in a restricted list, but given how hard it is to grow them, there is a need for special expertise. The restriction put on them is low.
There are many plants that I hadn't shown him, which are on the higher restriction list.
I couldn't sell them without the permission of the council.
"Well, I didn't expect you would give him even a single plant from the grove," she said, and she is right.
The plants I gave him before were rare, as only a few on the continent have them, but the grove is leagues above. It is a precious legacy of the house, and I had only shown him the first level of it.
"I didn't plan it myself, but things changed," I replied. My aunt arched a brow.
I didn't reply. Instead, cast a spell; a moment later, the blueprint of legacy was in front of her.
"This will be the new legacy. Well, 70% of it," I stated while she scrutinized in shock.
The man is wildly ambitious; he is building bigger than what his legacy could encompass. It shows his confidence in taking his legacy to an even higher level.
I have met many masters in my life, none of whom were as confident as he was.
"This will make it the second biggest on the continent," she said, and turned to me. Such big legacies are very rare, especially in Zenid.
"Even in the whole world, they are scarce," she added. I nodded at that.
We have records of legacies going back tens of thousands of years.
In every era, legacies of such magnitude are rare. I am not just talking about physical size, but also the magical size of the core, which is large enough to absorb emotions produced in such an enormous size.
"Will he be able to support the plants? Most of the plants in the grove will consume a lot of essence," she asked. "He said it would," I replied.
I had asked him to show the core to Irgal, but he flat-out refused.
Instead, he is willing to swear under any truth spell that his legacy could produce the amount of essence required by the trees.
"This is good. It is such a regret that so much of the essence is going to be wasted in the network vines," her voice is full of regret. Hearing that, I smiled, like he had earlier.
"He has a skill. Irgal had confirmed it a few minutes ago," I replied, and I could see her eyes lighting up.
"Well, this is interesting," she commented.
Yes, it is, and I am also excited about it. This will allow me to conduct the experiments. The ones I am doing are already yielding excellent results.
Now, I want to take them further, and this is a chance that I have been waiting for.
"What have you thought about the latest proposal from the council?" she asked finally. Instantly, making the mood somber.
I was wondering when she would finally bring it up.
"The same as before," I replied. "I am not going to stop practicing it."
I am firm in my decision, and they are not going to change. They are already restricting me here, and I accepted it, but I would not accept anything that would restrict my magic.
She sighed and turned to me with somber eyes.
"I had been able to stop the council from doing anything hard, but if you are walking on this path. I won't be able to stop them," she said.
"They are more than welcome to try," I challenged, and my magic flared. Peeling away the glamour, revealing my proper form.
Her eyes immediately focused on the top of my head, and the shock in her eyes deepened.
"You progressed further into it," she said after a long silence. "I made good progress; I devised another spell," I replied. Deepening the shock in her eyes.
"We have already paid the great price for it; it will destroy our people if it happens again," she pleaded.
"It is exactly why I am doing it. So, it would not happen again," I replied, looking directly into the golden yellow eyes of my aunt.
She got up without saying anything. I could feel pain in her eyes; it is unbearable to see, but I will not stop.
"I will protect you as much as I can, but with the progress you are making. I won't be able to protect you for long. So, I beg you to stop, before the council takes any harsh action,"
I didn't say anything, and she sighed before walking away.
I saw her disappear before wiping away a tear from my eyes. I could understand her views and was grateful for what she is doing.
If not for her, the council would have already taken harsher action, forcing me to do things I don't want to do.
I respect my aunt, but I need to do this. So, what had happened wouldn't repeat itself again.
I won't let my people pay the great price we did in the past. It is my responsibility, as my house bears the greatest blame for it.
…
Greltheaven
The carriage moved through the gates of Greltheaven, taking us into the city.
I could see my sister breathe a sigh of relief. She didn't have to fear; the guards only checked people if there was prior intelligence or if they acted suspiciously.
We have been cautious and took every precaution we could.
Though she is right to fear, if they check us, they will throw us into the dungeons.
"Do you think the contract is trustworthy?" She asked. "No one is trustworthy, but we are desperate and need those things," I replied.
We came here for the bones.
The merchant state keeps a strict eye on those things—especially the higher grade ones. I was planning to procure it in the merchant state, but a few of my connections disappeared.
It only means one thing.
So, we came here to get the good quality bones and also lay low for a while before things calm down.
I wanted to visit Greltheaven for a while. I wish it had been under different circumstances.
"I hope we will get what we want in here," she said. She is nervous, but also excited. "Me too," I replied. I am feeling the same.
Greltheaven has fought many battles against the undead and has accumulated numerous undead bones.
I didn't hear the report of them destroying it like they did the drugs in the port city, openly in front of thousands of people.
"It would be amazing. If we got those essence-filled pieces, they are amazing," she said with her eyes shining. I nodded, but I know it will be tough to get our hands on them.
I have been fortunate and paid a high price to get those essence-infused pieces.
She had made a construct using it, while I craft pieces for my own use. They were Grade II, but Essence made them powerful as Grade III and far more versatile and conductive in magic.
As High-Mage, I could only use a few pieces. It would have been more helpful if they had been of a higher grade.
"This city is quite beautiful," I said as I looked outside. There are a lot of trees; many of them are being planted. It is a scene I do not expect to see in a wasteland.
"The legacy!"
She called out excitedly as the tower became visible.
"You have promised that we would visit it on my birthday," she said, looking at me with her big eyes. "We will," I replied with a smile.
Legacies are dangerous for us; the masters are very sensitive, but thousands of people enter the Velvet Garden, making it hard to identify us.
Still, I didn't want to do it, but I promised my sister. She deserves it after what she has gone through.