City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 230: Necessary Step

“Such a regret,” I said with regret before walking toward the store.
 
My guards and two from the store followed me, and soon I reached the thick glass door and entered inside.
 
As I did, I couldn’t help but become impressed that for a moment, even forgetting, that a powerful rogue had stolen my storage and if it wanted, it could have killed me just as easily. 
 
It is a large floor with a lot of people shopping for potions, which are placed on crystalline shelves. The bottles are small and big and have potions of all colors and cause on them.
 
It is not just potions, but also salves, balms, lotions, pills, and other things also there. As long as it involves the alchemy, they are here.
 
“Mr. Silver, Alchemist Aryveson is waiting for you,” said a blue-haired woman in a black dress stopped in front of me.
 
“Lead the way,” I said, and she took me to the elevator. We stepped in it, and it moved up, before stopping at the top floor.
 
We walked out of it and stopped in front of an elaborate red-doors made of really expensive wood and beautiful carving on it, that seemed to pull me to it.
 
It took some effort for me to pull my focus out and step inside a magnificent office with an amazing view. 
 
The office is twice had big as mine and has a window that is as long as the wall, providing a huge view of the city and ample natural light.
 
The furniture of the office is great and expensive, that I couldn’t afford it, even with the money, both of my business earning me.
 
I looked at the half-elf sitting behind a huge table. He looked to be in his late fifties, with a handsome face and green hair. 
 
Wearing a perfectly cut, classical style alchemical suit.
 
“Alchemist Aryveson, you should have better security, I have been robbed right in front of your store,” I said to the man and could see the irritation flashing in his eyes hearing my words, but he quickly controlled it.
 
“Our security is fine, young man. If you had been within the boundaries of my store, you wouldn’t have been robbed,” he replied in confidence and now it is me feeling irritated.
 
“The question is whether the thief had stolen the box. If it had, then you are in great trouble, young man.”
 
“You might not be aware of it, but that box contained extremely precious things,” he asked in a tone that bordered on rudeness.
 
“I am aware, Alchemist Aryveson, and took ample precaution,” I said and took out the ines bag from my pocket and from it, the wooden box.
 
Seeing that, a surprise appeared on his face.
 
I placed the box on the table and he snatched it away at a speed, that is a blur to me.
 
Click!
 
I heard the click, and the box opened. Revealing the bottles of emotional essences. Seeing them, his eyes become bright as bulbs.
 
The rogue had been powerful, but he didn’t succeed in taking it, even with all his strength and skills. I had hidden the bag on my sleeve and put it in my pocket after getting out of the elevator.
 
Still, such a simple trick wouldn’t have worked, seeing the rogues have skills against such tricks.
 
So, I had asked Jon to cast his skill, he has one anti-detection type skill, but even that won't be enough to fool high-level thieves with their powerful skills. 
 
It is why I had taken some help from Caena, who, before I had left, had performed the ritual.
 
She had even created a few charms; though their power was not as strong as the charm I had thrown at the bandit leader, they were still powerful.
 
It all helped, seeing the thief had stolen the wrong storage.
 
“This is good,” he said, he said, looking at bottles of emotional essences.
 
“Alchemist Aryveson, please sign this letter of delivery,” I said and handed him the letter.
 
He stamped it and signed it, before giving it back to me.
 
“Thank you, Alchemist Aryveson,” I said, after checking the letter, but he didn’t even nod. I drank down the anger and walked out of his office.
 
I didn’t immediately leave the building. I am not idiot enough to let some little rudeness get in my head. No, instead of leaving immediately, I did some shopping, spending quite a lot on potions and other things I needed.
 
If there had been a better place to buy things of this quality, I would have gone there, but unfortunately, there is not.
 
This is the best place in the entire city.
 
Once the shopping was done, I sat in my carriage and it moved toward the city hall, while I took out five stacks of forms. I have already checked them multiple times, but I am checking them again, in case I have missed something.
 
I didn’t.
 
The carriage stopped within the minute, I had finished with the forms, and I got out. 
 
The city hall of Owlspring is huge. Not as magnificent as of Jalrux or Oksall, but far bigger and grander than what we have in the Greltheaven.
 
I am here for an extremely important thing. I am here to submit the application for business, a license. 
 
Our agreement with Meldhorn involved brothels. Not specifically brothels, but the category of business that brothel is part of. 
 
It is not something I had added, but something that was part of the original agreement that the prince signed with the merchant state.
 
While the agreement may have the provision for it, that doesn’t mean, it is easy to set brothels in the cities of Meldhorn.
 
No, it is extremely hard and till now; they have only given three permissions. Even Normal Lucas had only got one license, despite the connection of his family in this business. 
 
Now, I am applying for five licenses in five cities, including Owlspring. It will be challenging to get the licenses and their requirements are high, but it will be worth it.
 
I will be happy if I get even a single license.
 
This expansion is the next step in my business. Only through expansion, I will be able to create the business empire, I envisioned.
 
Also, it is necessary.
 
I love Greltheaven, but even I know its future is not certain. I need to prepare for catastrophe and merchant states are the best place for it. 
 
It is a stable country with a huge market, and they are powerful enough to deal with the full might of Navr or any country on the continent, including the archmages city.
 
It is why, I had chosen to expand here despite the difficulties, rather than the empire, where I won’t face many problems.
 
I controlled my emotions and went inside.
 
Two hours later, I walked out. I have submitted and met some familiar people who have some sway.
 
‘Let’s hope they accept,’ I thought to myself as I stepped into my carriage. I will get the results of my applications within a month. 
 
I have started the preparations for them today.
 
As for what will happen to these preparations if I don’t get the license?
 
They will not go to waste. If I don’t get permission in the merchant city, I will start in the empire, and I already have the cities in mind.
 
However, my preference is still merchant-states, and I will try hard. I have a few more connections and I will be trying them.
 
The carriage moved out of the city hall and twenty-five minutes later, it stopped in front of a familiar place. 
 
A building made of stones and has large windows. Behind those windows, I could see the silhouettes of girls.
 
Caskheart Indentured.
 
I stepped out of the carriage and walked into the building. Immediately, I saw two women coming toward me.
 
“Master Silver,” greeted Margaux, while Barb nodded respectfully. “You shouldn’t have waited for me,” I said, to which she smiled.
 
I trust her to do this. She had experience and understood my vision; she wouldn’t have any problems in selecting the right girls.
 
“My apologies,” she apologized. “You don’t need to apologize. Only realize that you have my trust,” I said, and her eyes turned emotional.
 
“Thank you,” she said, and I smiled. 
 
“I assume all preparations are made?” I asked the pretty dwarf appearing beside me. 
 
“Yes, Mr. Silver. We have readied everything, Miss. Caena had asked us to,” replied Nas Caskheart.
 
Click!
 
A minute later, she opened the door of the room, which was bigger than the last time. It had a big table and three comfortable chairs.
 
This is good because it is going to be long and with the number of contracts I have to buy.
 
It is going to take days. Thankfully, I have time; the Count won’t say anything, even if I stay here for a week.
 
Though it won’t take a week, just a few days.
 
“Miss Nas, bring the girls,” said Margaux to the blond-haired woman, and a few seconds later, the first girl came in.
 
“They know how to impress,” said Barb. Margaux and I couldn’t help but nod at that.
 
The woman in front of us is striking. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, tall with a slim figure and blueish black straight hair. 
 
She had green eyes, a straight nose, and enviable cheekbones.
 
She is the kind of woman who would attract eyes, the moment she enters the room.
 
As she appeared, Nas put her information in front of us. I read through it within seconds and surprise couldn’t help but appear on my face.
 
‘This is interesting,’ I thought and activated the Sight Through Veil. 
 
The girl felt my skill and there was immediate resistance and a spark of anger on her expressionless face. 
 
I could see her trying to ball her fists, but she resisted doing that.
 
I don’t like doing that to the girls who haven’t signed the contract with me. In their contract, there is a clear provision for this act, but I need to do it to get the best girls.
 
Vrana Lester 
 
Class: Milliner Lv. 13       

Whore Lv. 13
 
I saw her classes and the levels along with the skill. I didn’t focus on the skills; I am more focused on classes; she has two and whore is not her primary class.
 
She is Millner and looking at things; she seemed to have intentionally stopped her Whore Class from leveling up above Millner Class.
 
It is an intelligent decision that not many are able to make, even I was not able to make. 
 
Her decision is even more commendable when one looks at the place she was at. Where she barely had any resources and time to practice her craft and level up her primary class.
 
It is not just the level-up she had decided to forgo, but also the skills that came with it. 
 
I am sure it would have been quite painful.
 
I am not thinking too much. There is information on her level-ups like when she had reached Lv. 10 in her Whore Class, nearly seven years ago. 
 
The information clearly stated that she had only let her Whore Class level up after her primary class did.
 
She never let it rise above it.
 
“Where are you from, Miss Lester?” I asked, and surprise couldn’t help, but appear on her face.
 
She answered the question and the next few after that before she left the room. A second later, another came.
 
Every girl that came, I would look into their class and ask them a set of questions. Tens of girls came in and I began to notice something.
 
These people seemed to have learned from our last time visit and even done some research on me.
 
Last time, there were less than 5% of people with more than one class and of them half had classes related to crafts and hobbies. 
 
This time, around 15% of girls have secondary classes, of which 10% are related to crafts and hobbies.
 
Hours passed, and evening approached when we had stopped.
 
“We will take a break here, Miss Nas,” I said to the Dwarf woman. “I will come back in an hour,” she informed with a smile and left.
 
“The constant interviews are quite tiring,” I said, as I massaged my head.
 
Still, the leveling-up helped me more than I had thought. I had not only lasted much longer, but not a single girl was able to hide their skills and classes from me.
 
It is helping me a lot.
 
I was massaging my head; when I saw Carla taking out a bottle of whisky and a crystal glass from her bag and giving it to Barb.
 
‘This drunkard,’
 
Barb drinks and she also has a class related to that. I couldn’t see it, since she is a higher level than me and it hides her secondary class. 
 
She made herself a drink and took a sip.
 
Hun!
 
After that, she did something surprising. Instead of taking another sip, she slid the glass toward me, the same glass from which she had drank.
 
“Drink it, Master Silver,” she said.
 
I arched my brow in question, but she just smiled instead of answering. 
 
Seeing she wouldn’t do this, without reason, I took the glass and drank the whisky.
 
I felt its amazing taste before it entered my stomach and gave me a familiar burn.
 
Hun!
 
The burn had just faded, when an amazing thing happened. My tiredness started to disappear and in just a few minutes; it nearly disappeared.
 
“Thank you, Barb,” I thanked gratefully.
 
Half an hour later, we resumed the interviews and continued until ten.

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