Chapter 574: Meetings and Deals II

At eleven and a half, I stepped into the carriage, and it moved toward the Synods Headquarters.

Archmage Tower may have all the spotlight in this conclave, but its headquarters is where all the work is done. Most of the less glamorous events are happening there.

Ten minutes later, the carriage entered through the gates of a large building.

It is an imposing building with tall columns and extended arches. Even giants could comfortably walk through it.

The building may look new, but it’s pretty old—nearly as old as Archmage Tower. Throughout the millennia, it was damaged to various degrees before being rebuilt.

Even the archmage tower, with all its power, hadn’t been entirely undamaged in thousands of years of its existence.

The carriage stopped, and I stepped out before walking inside the building.

I marveled at the building, its murals, and frescos, telling significant moments of history.

I have been here every day, and it mesmerizes me every time. This building has thousands of years of history and has experienced every catastrophe that has fallen on the world.

Soon, I reached the office of the Great Mage Xarafis, which is on the top floor.

Same floors as the offices of the council members.

“Lord Silver,” greeted the secretary, wearing a mage robe. “I have an appointment with the Great Mage Xarafis,” I stated.

“Yes, my lord. He will see you at twelve,” she replied. I nodded and sat down in the waiting room.

There are still fifteen minutes to twelve.

I could have come later after spending some time looking around, but I didn’t. I wanted to play it safe; I didn’t want to be even a moment late.

This is too important for me. I cannot take any risk.

I looked around at the beautiful waiting room before picking up the newspaper.

Many wars are happening around the world. While there are always wars, the world seems to be getting covered in its shadow right now.

Especially my dominion, which is covered by threats from all sides.

Many times, I wish. Things would have been less dangerous.

If the undead hadn’t been hellbent on conquering my cities. I wouldn’t have spent so much on the army as I am doing right now.

That money could have been spent on other things.

I shook my head and pushed those thoughts. I am dreaming of things that couldn’t happen. Even without undead, I would have needed to spend considerable money on defense.

They aren’t the only enemy I have in the region.

There is Deerpond, Navr, and Tabes, some of whom had yet to attack, and others.

“Lord Silver, Great Mage Xarafis will see you now,” informed the secretary, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, walked into the door that opened on its own, and stepped inside.

Inside is a half-orc older man who looked to be in his early seventies. He had thick white hair and a white beard that made him look scholarly.

He looked up and waved his hand for me to sit down. I nodded my thanks and sat down.

From what I heard, he is a man of a few words—speaking only when necessary.

It kind of made me nervous. He might be silent because it is unwelcome news.

“The council has accepted your request to fund the academy with some amendments,” he stated, making my heart leap joyfully.

I controlled my expression a second later as he slid the file toward me.

He had said they had made the amendments. I hope they don’t cut into the core things.

“Please thank the council for me, Great Mage,” I replied before opening the file to read it.

As I did, I activated the Insightful Reading.

I read through the first page, and a relieved smile appeared on my face. They didn’t cut the academy’s budget and even left the line about the potential increase remaining the same.

I changed the page, and my smile became even more prominent when I read, “They are keeping it a comprehensive academy.”

They didn’t make changes in a single course.

The synod is rich; other people would have done something but nod synod. Its coffers are full, and its members are willing to help out one of their own.

I read a few more pages, and the smile on my face became bigger and bigger.

It continued until I reached halfway into the file when the smile on my face muted a little. The page after that made it entirely disappear.

A few more pages later, my face is solemn. It even looked like I had just swallowed something awful.

Finally, I finished reading and turned to the man.

“Isn’t the conditions here too tough, Great Mage?” I asked.

They have given me everything I wanted, but not without strings attached.

They are giving me the amount of money I wanted, but their group of auditors will audit every penny.

The auditors were standard, but the way they had phrased it. I know they will be troublesome.

There is also a condition for verified vendors. I could only hire the vendors on the list and not others, and guess what? Nearly a third of them are from the merchant state of Belnin.

Many other conditions are going to make things frustrating for me.

“The council had asked me to tell you. That there will be no change in it. You will have to accept it as it is if you want the funding,” he stated.

“Where do I need to sign?” I asked after a moment of silence.

Yes, the conditions are restrictive and won’t be smooth, but I got what I wanted, and I don’t have the luxury of declining or the power to negotiate.

A second later, a contract came floating in front of me.

As I touched it, I felt the power. It is the most substantial contract I have felt. Stronger than even the one I had signed with the emperor.

I could feel the power of all seven legacies, including the archmage tower, in this contract.

I read the contract carefully twice before signing it, using the power of my legacy and contract skills.

As I signed the last page, I felt it click, and everything disappeared.

The silhouette of the seven buildings appeared in front of me.

The seven legacies

The weight is crushing, despite my legacy, protecting me and the power of aura coursing through me.

I froze under it.

Every legacy is more powerful than mine. I would have been able to bear the weakest one, which is Grade IV, but there is no way I could bear the weight of any other.

Much less all seven together.

Thankfully, it only lasted for a moment before it was over.

A minute later, I walked out of his office.

“Call Locke and ask him to connect with people from Synod,” I told Davis.

Mage Aldridge is in the city. He is an academic and familiar with every word in the proposal.

I would have asked him to handle things while he was here, but given those conditions, Locke would have been the best person to handle things from the start.

It was his idea, and he and Mage Aldridge drafted most of the proposal.

Most importantly, Locke is a businessman and grew up in a powerful merchant house. He knows how to deal with such a problematic contract.

“Lord Silver,”

I was busy with my thoughts when I heard the familiar voice and looked ahead.

There she is, standing with a knowing smile—the one who was likely responsible for at least a few of the challenging conditions in the contract.

“Lady Ophelia,” I greeted.

“I must say, you are the luckiest master here, Lord Silver.”

“You got massive funding to build the academy, but Dawnstar is a real prize,” she said, with a sugary voice and a smile.

And like sugar, which is not suitable for health. This woman isn’t good for mine.

“It wouldn’t have been possible without your help, Lady Ophelia. Thank you,” I replied with just as sweet of a smile.

Yes, I had been lucky, but not as fortunate as her. She has a Lv. 40 girl working for her and a couple that are very close to reaching that level.

Her legacy is on the list of the ones with the most potential.

There is also the election. I have complete confidence that she will retain her seat. The election is about the legacies, but the political weight also matters.

She has the weight of the Belnin and merchant state behind her.

If I had that, I could get the Great Mage, enchanters, and a few other people to come to my city.

I got a few people, but not the high-level ones I wanted.

“It is the least I could do. Lord Silver,” she said. “I appreciate that, Lady Ophelia,” I replied.

“Take care, Lord Silver,” she said. “You too, Lady Ophelia,” I replied and walked away.

Soon, I was out of the headquarters in my carriage. Moving toward the hospitality guild.

I already met the representatives of the big hotels. The ones I will meet now are from small hotels.

These people are rich, unlike the small hotel and inn owners in other cities. It would be a tremendous help if I could get some of them to invest in my city.

God knows we need it.

The shortage of hotel rooms is narrowing as new hotels open every week, but the city still needs more.

Especially with the casino opening in a few weeks.

The legacy is drawing more and more people each week—far more than I had anticipated.

I shouldn’t have underestimated the allure of the legacy. It’s not something that normal people could ever visit, but in Greltheaven, they can experience it without any cost.

What makes me happiest is that so many people are returning.

It means they love what they experienced in the Velvet Garden and want to experience it even more.

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