City of Desire [Kingdom Building] - Chapter 689: Swallowed

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Caena Aris

“Can we snatch it?” he asked, and for a moment, I was staggered by the question.

It isn’t the question that froze me, but the audacity of what he wants to do. It’s not something we had even discussed, but it’s possible.

Masters had snatched the artifacts from the legacies they are swallowing.

Those masters or their people had specialized skills for that, or the artifact made it possible. We had not even planned for it.

I looked at the link that established between the core of the Velvet Garden and the artifact. Just like the link that exists between the remaining core of the bathhouse.

“We could try,” I replied, and I could feel the shock of others.

‘Any ideas?’ I asked Bell. ‘Do it in one fell swoop, before they could mount capable resistance and stop it,’ she replied.

“Give me some time,” I said to Remus and began to make the changes in the spell.

The first changes I had made were in the Trojan spell in the core of Tranquill Bathhouse. It had become powerful as the core had weakened.

It didn’t take me long to make the desired changes, and I moved to other spells.

Three and a half minutes later, I was finished. I don’t know whether it will work or not, but we are going to try with all our might.

That is an old and very powerful artifact.

Most importantly, it will be a very suitable artifact for the Velvet Garden.

…

Greltheaven

‘I understand,’

I said as she explained what I had to do. It isn’t very different than what I did with core.

Though it will be challenging considering. Most of my mind is occupied with the anchor strings. Still, I have to do it; there’s an artifact at stake.

A powerful artifact that could help me tremendously.

I calmed my mind before focusing on the connection between the artifact and my core—the connection, which Caena spells, had strengthened.

I felt it before pulling.

…

Lord Aardwyn, Tranquill Bathhouse

“Bastard, I curse you and your line for ten generations!” I cursed as I saw my core rapidly shrinking.

They already swallowed half of my core and are swallowing the other half fast.

I could feel the power of Tranquill Bathhouse rapidly lessening. The guests and staff seemed to understand what was happening.

Many are crying, but I could see dark joy in the eyes of many others.

‘Fucking vultures,’ I cursed and once more looked at my interface. It is shaking badly, with many skills turning grey with each passing minute.

My class is from the legacy, and as the legacy disappears, the class will too, along with the skills related to it.

They will leave me and go to Silver, along with my legacy skills.

“Measures aren’t working?” asked the Prince, for the tenth time, that I wanted to snap at the bastard. “No,” I replied with gritted teeth.

I am using all my will to make the core as chaotic as possible, and it is doing that, but it is not having any effect.

The bastard is extracting my core too fast.

He shouldn’t be able to do this fast, even with the artifact, but he is somehow able to do this, and I am powerless to do anything against it.

“Can you blast the core?” he asked with the blazing ruthlessness.

It could kill me, but the little bastard didn’t care about that. He just wants to teach the Silver a lesson, and that’s why I’ve been trying to do that.

Currently, I don’t care much and am willing to make drastic changes, but it’s not happening.

They are somehow stopping me from doing that.

“I am trying, but those bastards are not letting me do that,” I replied.

“You are useless, Aardwyn. We have provided all the knowledge, artifacts, and support, but even with all of it, you couldn’t even do the job you are supposed to,” he blamed, throwing me off the cliff.

I wanted to curse at the bastard, but I controlled myself.

Losing the legacy had put me in a precarious position. I don’t want to anger the Prince anymore.

So, I remained quiet and tried to blast the core, but no matter what, I did. It’s not happening, and I know it won’t ever happen.

My connection with the core is weakening rapidly, to the point where I can barely feel it. It isn’t just due to the extraction of the core, but also what this bastard is doing.

If I had a stronger connection, I would have blasted it.

Minutes passed, and only a quarter of it remained when I sensed something that shook me to my core.

I felt the connection forming with the core of the Velvet Garden and the Well.

I wanted to curse loudly, but I managed to control myself and even schooled my expression. The bastard is already livid; if he knew the connection between the Velvet Garden and Well had formed, he would lose it.

I controlled my emotions and calmed down.

Snatching an artifact is possible, but it’s not easy. Specialised skills and artifacts are required. As far as I know, Silver doesn’t have those skills and artifacts.

Seconds passed and turned into minutes, but there was nothing from Silver.

It made me relieved, and when another minute passed. I was sure that it wouldn’t happen. Silver is intelligent and knew it wouldn’t be possible.

Even if he could, he would think about it ten times; the artifact may be bonded to my legacy, but it belongs to the kingdom.

He lacks the courage to challenge it.

Hun!

I was thinking that when I felt the powerful pull against the artifact.

“He is trying to snatch the artifact!” I shouted without care. For a moment, they were so shocked that they weren’t able to react at all.

“Stop him, you idiot, or there will be consequences!” He threatened.

He does not have to tell me that. I know, there will be consequences for me as well as Silver.

I moved to stop him, pushing all my will into the effort, but he was coming strong, and my efforts weren’t enough. Seeing that, I harnessed more power from the artifacts, but it caused me pain, as if my soul were being torn apart.

They have blocked the essence; I cannot use it to power the artifact.

I am powering it with my own power, which didn’t give me as much power as when I powered it with the mist. It didn’t give me even half.

The worst thing is, I couldn’t use my most powerful artifact. The bastards are stopping me from using Rhidon’s Vitae.

Seconds passed and I felt like losing when I felt the well shaking.

“You can’t let them take it, Aardwyn!” screamed the Prince as the power of his artifact flared to stop the pull, but it didn’t seem to affect it as shaking got even harder.

‘He has already taken my legacy, I can’t let the artifact go as well!’ I thought and resisted with everything I have.

It was then that I felt the power I had never felt before gushing out of me.

The power I had never felt before.

When I looked around, I saw everyone looking at me with shock. The prince and Constance even have jealousy burning in their eyes.

“Father, you have,” said Rylan. He seemed shocked; he couldn’t even form the word.

He didn’t have to finish it, I know what it is. I have seen it since I was a child. My mother had awakened the aura; I had seen her do amazing things with it.

It returned to me a moment later, and I pushed it all toward my resistance.

Powering the artifacts with it, and it worked. The shaking began to slow down, till it nearly stopped. Seeing it, relief appeared on my face.

Hun!

It only lasted for a moment, as the next second, Silver came with vengeance and with such power that it broke through all my resistance, making the artifact shake violently.

I moved to resist, but I was barely able to do anything, while the shaking got more and more violent.

I could feel my connection with it rapidly weakening, and I was doing everything I could to stop it, but all my efforts went for nothing.

Time passed, and finally, the faintest thread there was snapped. As it did, the well vanished. Throwing us to the ground.

“No!” screamed the Prince before turning his vengeful, raging eyes at me.

…

Greltheaven

“Come!” I screamed and pulled with everything I had. I felt the connection with the other core breaking, and an artifact appeared within me.

Or rather, inside my legacy’s core.

Seeing that, I took a sigh of relief. Earlier, when I was close, the man had awakened the aura, making things difficult, but I didn’t give up and went at him with everything I had.

“I can’t believe it. We got an artifact!” exclaimed Lola, shocked to her heart.

“The kingdom won’t be happy,” added Ina. Thinking like a governor, that she is.

“They won’t be, but they can’t do anything. We took the artifact legally, through a synod-mediated contract,” I replied.

Still, there will be risk and animosity, but it is worth it for the sake of the artifact.

As I looked at it, I couldn’t help but admire it. It’s the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. Even more attractive than the Zmeycleave saber.

I want to bring it out, but it will be a few days before I do that.

Like it was part of Tranquill Bathhouse, I want to make it part of Velvet Garden.

It won’t take long since it was part of the Tranquill Bathhouse, which I had swallowed. Making things much easier, it will be fully part of the Velvet Garden within a day or two.

“Congratulations,” said Bell. “Thank you,” I replied with a smile before turning to the core, where changes had occurred.

As the artifact came into my core, the two torrents increased in power further.

Now, more essence is coming to the harvester and my core at an even faster rate. So much that ten minutes will be enough to swallow it whole.

I wish it were faster; the strain on me is immense.

I am not the only one; everybody is under immense strain. They are bearing its continued weight, like I am.

While I was waiting, I noticed the outside skills leaving. They helped tremendously. They not only saved me, but absolutely crushed through opponents’ skills.

I am going to write each of them a letter to thank them, especially those who helped without asking.

Minutes passed, and the core shrank steadily till only the thumb-sized orb remained, which disappeared. As it did, I let go of the aura and immediately felt the mountain had vanished from my shoulder.

Though it came with a tsunami of tiredness, I can not stop it; I had pushed myself too hard, and now my body and spirit are reacting to it.

[Legacy Skill Extracted: Vital Spring]

[Legacy Skill: Vital Spring]

As I was moving to the sweet embrace of sleep. The text appeared in front of me; seeing that, a smile couldn’t help but appear on my face.

It is a legacy skill, but this is not the end. Since it was a living legacy, I will also acquire the master’s skills.

I wanted to test the skill, but an overwhelming tiredness came over me, taking me to the sweet embrace of death.

…

Archmage Tower

“He consumed the whole core. Another bright legacy lost its future to greed!” said the old man, and sighed.

“I think you are being a little too pessimistic. I believe that young man knew what he was doing.” The younger man replied.

The older man looked at him, but didn’t say anything.

“His legacy might be one of those types,” he added.

The older man was surprised, but he shook his head in response. “Unlikely,” he replied, but doubts appeared in the old man’s eyes a moment later, while the younger man smiled.

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