City of Desire [Kingdom Building] - Chapter 831: Cargo

Proofread by Thomas F

Alex Joel Rutto

I stepped off the ramp into the hold of my ship and looked at the ancient city of Stonehelm.

It is one of the oldest cities on the continent. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times across the ages. Once upon a time, it used to be the city of giants.

The shadow of it could be seen through its massive amber walls and larger-than-average roads.

“Welcome to Stonehelm, Lord Rutto,” said the tall, buff man—a giant blood man in his early thirties with iron blue hair.

It isn’t just the myth; Stonehelm has the highest concentration of giant-blood’s on the continent, more than Mayhurst Island. It is also said to have hosted giants in the past.

“Thank you, Mr. Tallbrook,” I replied. He is from the city, not too high a position, but not too low either.

We talked as he led me toward the carriage. We stepped inside, and it took us into the city, which is different than all the other cities I had seen.

Lornath isn’t a big kingdom, but it has oversized influence. Like a merchant states, it never initiates an attack, but once someone does, it responds with such force that enemies think twice about attacking.

It is why it is rarely attacked. It hadn’t fought a war in half a century. There might be skirmishes here and there, but not a war.

“It’s a beautiful city,” I praised.

Stonehelm isn’t as big as Namdar or Inam, but it has wider streets, high-ceiling buildings, and giant statues. That creates a distinct identity.

I spoke with the man, but my primary focus is on the city.

It is why I love my job. It lets me travel to different cities and kingdoms. The only thing that I miss is Jenna; with her, everything becomes even more beautiful.

Twenty minutes passed, and soon, the carriage entered the gated streets, which were lined with huge mansions, surrounded by manicured gardens.

Soon, the carriage made the turn and entered through the gate of a massive mansion.

It is magnificent with high walls and engraved columns. It is made of pale green stones. It features an open walkway, which looks inviting yet imposing at the same time.

The carriage stopped, and I stepped out. The giant blood man didn’t.

He is from Lornath, and I have not come to meet people of Lornath. It is a neutral place; I can’t go to Geim, with which we are currently at war.

Even doing this is traitorous, but we need to.

There is a middle-aged man with long, raven hair waiting for me; he is a short man with a long nose, looking at me with a reserved expression.

“Viscount Kelthorne,” I greeted the man. He is a noble from Geim, Count Thalewin’s ally. “Lord Rutto,” he replied, and led me inside the massive mansion.

“How was the journey, Lord Rutto?” he asked. “It was good, without any interruption,” I replied, and hope the return journey to the Gailhorn will be just as smooth.

My job is to take the cargo from their hand and transport it safely to Gailhorn before returning to Namdar.

Lord Silver had asked me to resume the recruitment of the soldiers once more. He had asked me to slow down earlier, focus only on the officers with the expertise we need.

Now, once more. It is open season for all the soldiers and the officers. As long as they are experienced, we will take them.

We need more soldiers, now that we have conquered the Fortress and the Baronies. They come with their own soldiers, fifty thousand from the fortress, forty-five from baronies, but that is still not enough.

“Your lord is quite a capable man; what he did in the region a few days ago is quite incredible,” praised the man. “That is Lord Silver for you,” I replied.

“Then I hope our sides will not meet on the battlefield,” he said, and I laughed.

“As long as your kingdom stays away from the region. Lord Silver will stay away from everything else,” I replied, and a small smile appeared on his face.

The man may not seem like much, but he is quite a sweet talker. I could see he is laying out the net. I have met quite a lot of them at court in my younger days and paid the price.

“So, your Lord has no ambition outside the region?” he asked, and there it is.

In answer, I smiled.

Lord Silver never explicitly mentioned it, but every official understood that he did not have ambitions outside the region; however, nobody knew what was on his mind.

So, until he explicitly says it. It is better not to comment on it.

Soon, we reached the big bronze doors; the guards guarding them bowed before pushing them open.

We entered an empty hall. In the middle of the hall is a small bed, and on it is the man. Half-man, seeing how they inhumanely cut his limbs, notched his eyes, and cut his tongue.

Though the worst part is the crystalline green veins covering every part of his body, making him defenseless, as with them, he couldn’t even use his aura.

I remember the last time I saw the man. It is not a nice memory.

I had used every bit of political and financial capital I had to secure a plush position as guardian of the legacy. Still, before I could even cross the gate of Greltheaven, he and Darrow threatened me to leave.

I was forced to leave, but now I have come here to take this man back to Greltheaven.

It’s not something I want to do, but an order is an order, and I will follow it to the best of my ability, but seeing the man like this, I couldn’t help but feel pity for him.

“In the kingdom. We do not go this far with our enemies,” said the man, shaking his head.

“The empire was not like this,” I couldn’t help but defend. I grew up in the capital and saw the worst, but when the emperor was alive, there were limits.

The emperor was not without his flaws; he had a lot of them, but he was a good ruler.

He didn’t say anything further and looked at the body of the Knight Schengen. I did too.

A minute later, I turned to the man. “Lord Silver is thankful that Count Thalewin is willing to ransom Knight Schengen to him,” I said.

“After what he suffered, we don’t want to prolong his suffering. I hope you will be able to help him.” He replied.

I could see the question and how his eyes are looking at me for any hint. He didn’t see any, because even I don’t know what will happen after I hand him over in Gailhorn.

Healing him would be extremely hard. A few on the continent have the expertise to do this.

I don’t know what the plan is, but I don’t think Lord Silver would have paid such a price if he didn’t have one. He might like the man, but even he wouldn’t pay such a ransom just to get him back.

I didn’t say anything after one last look. I took out the big wooden box from the bag and placed it on the table.

I could see the man’s eyes turning excited. He is shaking, despite trying to control himself.

Click!

I didn’t say anything and opened the enchanted box. Revealing thousands of tiny bottles of emotion essence potions. From Grade I to Grade IV.

They wanted emotion essence instead of emotion essence potions, but we are not willing to give that to them.

They could do a lot of things with pure emotional essence, and we do not want that. They are still our enemies; the potions will keep the purpose contained.

“Never have I seen so many emotion essence potions in my life,” he said. “It is quite something,” I replied with a smile, and feel proud that Lord Silver has trusted me with such responsibility.

It is why I will do it with the best of my abilities, despite the feelings I have about this old man.

“Please verify them, Viscount Ber,” I said and put the document beside the box. With it, the deal would be finished, and I would be able to take Knight Schengen with me.

I am going to leave immediately. I would have loved to sightsee the city, but I have to transport him to Greltheaven safely.

We are keeping the purpose of this trip as tight as possible, but things didn’t remain secret forever. So, it’s better to take him to safety before the news reaches the Prince’s ears.

If it did, he might stop me on the way. It’s not something I want to happen.

He didn’t say anything, but I felt his skill activating and covering the box. After a few seconds, he began to take out the bottles and looked at them.

Sometimes, he even opens them and smells them.

I didn’t say anything; he should be sure before signing, because this is a massive amount of wealth. I hope Lord Silver knows what he is doing by paying such an enormous ransom for him.

It is an amount that could help him accomplish many things, and he has spent it on a single person.

If it were me, I would have thought about it a hundred times. I pushed those thoughts. I still feel a little enmity for this old man; those days after I was threatened were really bad.

“They are good, Lord Rutto,” said the man, before taking the document into his hand.

As he did, a surprise flashed into his eyes. “It is very powerful,” he commented. “It needed to be,” I replied.

The language is strict, and it is infused with the power of legacy. If he tried to break it, there would be a massive penalty. After reading it a couple of times, he signed, and he handed the document back to me.

“I hope you will stay for lunch,” he said. “I wish I could, but I have orders to return with him as soon as possible,” I replied, sighing.

I love to stay, but I can’t.

“Then I would say, have a safe trip. Lord Rutto,” he wished. “Thank you, Lord Viscount,” I replied.

A minute later, people came and placed Knight Schengen into a specially designed transport box, before loading him into a carriage, with the healer watching every move.

I have brought our trusted healer. It is essential to transport him safely.

Despite his level, his condition is sensitive. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to him until I hand him over in Gailhorn.

Lord of Rising Crest Lv. 34

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