City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 283: Guide I

The ship slowly moved toward the Inam’s port; it was a busy place, as busy as the Owlspring or even more.
 
The trollmouth river split here. One end goes toward the sea, while the other flows through the boundary, separating the Halsad and Renwell regions, before splinting in two parts again.
 
“Often, I wanted to stop at Inam, but never got the chance,” I said, looking at the city. It is a beautiful city, different from Ownspring and Namdar, with its own charm.
 
“It is a truly an empires city; it will remind you of the mainland,” said Carla.
 
I don’t like the mainland; it is too restrictive. I love our little border city, where the influences of all regions, including even Navr, merge with its essence.
 
Still, I do miss the mainland sometimes.
 
Finally, the yacht docked, and I got out with Carla and stopped in front of the group of people waiting for us.
 
“Welcome to Inam, Lord Silver,” said a middle-aged man, with short brown hair. “Thank you, gracious welcome, Asst. Foreign Secretary Milgan,” I replied, while smiling internally, seeing the jealousy in his eyes.
 
I have seen many people have that emotion since yesterday, including Count Darrow. Even a noble as powerful as him, desires it.
 
“The city of Inam, congratulates you on gaining the legacy. The empire will shine brightly with its light,” he congratulated. 
 
“The empire is always shining brightly; the little legacy of mine isn’t enough to affect the blinding brightness of it,” I replied, and the smile on the man’s face turned brighter.
 
Since being a border city, it has always been controlled by the men chosen specifically by the emperor, and they are a little too patriotic. The current governor is the same and he expects others to be the same.
 
“The Lord Governor had invited you to meet in the evening at the governor’s palace,” he informed. 
 
“It would be my honor,” I replied, and the man smiled.
 
“Let’s get you to your destination. I am sure you are excited to meet your guide and learn about the ways of legacies,” he said.
 
“You have no idea,” I replied, and he smiled before leading me toward the carriage.
 
Hun!
 
Soon, we reached the carriage, and the guard opened the door. I went inside and when Carla tried, the guard there stopped her, I looked at him with my eyes clearly showing what I was thinking.
 
He looked at Milgan, who nodded after looking at me, and the guard removed his hand. 
 
Carla entered the carriage and sat beside me while he sat opposite.
 
“You have arrived sooner than we had imagined. It’s not even two days since you have gained the legacy, and you are already here to meet your guide,” he said as the carriage began to move.
 
Usually, new hosts take weeks, or even months, before they go to meet the guides, but unlike them, my legacy is different, and I have to know what is normal and acceptable before someone finds the strangeness of it.
 
I know that if people even got a whiff of charms and rituals in the establishment. I will face things that are even worse than the deaths.
 
“I wanted to learn more about the legacies as soon as possible. I didn’t want to make any mistakes, as you know, legacies are delicate things.” I replied.
 
“So, wise Lord Silver, no wonder you have gained the legacy while being so young,” he said in wonder.
 
We chatted as the carriage took us toward our destination. He is a talkative man, but not once did he talk to Carla, he treated her like she didn’t exist at all.
 
So many things have changed, but some remained the same. 
 
Though I am not worried about it; It has been barely a day since the legacy was born. It had yet to start exerting itself. When it begins, these people will also come fawning over her.
 
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I got out. 
 
“Vanis Tavern; the pearl of Inam,” said the man as I looked at the tavern in front of me, covered in a beautiful swirling mist of emotions.
 
It is a five-story tall tavern, made of timber and bricks.
 
It looked beautiful, not only architecturally but also magically. It had a charm that only legacies have and would attract the attention of anyone who sees it. 
 
Right now, there are over a thousand people looking at it. Most of them are tourists; it is clear by looking at them. 
 
I looked at it for a few seconds before walking toward the gate, where there were already people waiting, but I focused on a young girl of seventeen to eighteen years.
 
She is a teen girl with a small delicate face and blue eyes, that seem to be wise beyond years and also the innocence of her age.
 
“Lord Silver, welcome to Vanas Tavern,” greeted the young girl. “Thank you, Miss Alina,” I replied. 
 
“Come, Lord Silver, Grandfather is waiting for you,” she said, and we walked toward the tavern. The woman is Alina Lindgren, the great-granddaughter of Vanis Lindgren and his successor if the information is to be believed.
 
Click!
 
She opened the door of the tavern, and I entered inside. Immediately, I felt the powerful effect of the legacy. Just like what I had felt in a mirage.
 
A thick cloud of emotions is covering the ceiling, while the faint mist is swirling everywhere. The tavern is full, every seat is occupied, with people dressed to their finest.
 
It is not even ten, but nearly everyone is drinking and having fun.
 
I looked at the bar; it is of old-style copper and wood. It is well used, but that is its charm, which had been enhanced by absorptions of emotions for nearly a century.
 
The bar is amazing, but what is happening in it is even more amazing.
 
The bartenders working on the drinks, with skills, and Skills are far above my staff. It is mesmerizing to watch. Though, the thing that mesmerized me the most was the way, they were mixing the emotion mist into the drinks.
 
It is an art.
 
“Many of our staff have been working for us for decades; they are one of the best in the whole empire and even the continent.” Said the young girl proudly.
 
“I can tell,” I replied and looked at the bartender, mixed the thirteen different ingredients in the air, infusing it with a mist of three colors, before pouring the shining drink into the glass and serving it to the patron.
 
“The first-floor staff is of the lowest level, while the top floor is highest. When you see them, they will blow your mind,” she said with a smile.
 
“I can’t wait,” I replied.
 
She didn’t say anything and kept walking. We passed by the elevator and the stairs leading upstairs. It was clear; that we were not going up.
 
Soon, we reached the kitchen and could see the same magic as the bar happening there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see it for more than a second, as the young girl opened the door opposite it.
 
“Grandpa, I had brought Lord Silver,” she said to the old man, sitting behind the beautifully carved table.
 
The table feels a little strange compared to everything else in here, but I didn’t spare it for more than a moment, before turning to an old man.
 
He is really old. I shouldn’t have been. I know his age, but I am.
 
He is one hundred and thirty-one years old. This legacy is nearly nine decades old; eighty-nine years, to be exact.
 
While humans in the world live longer thanks to stars, but minority of them cross the hundred. Though it is more common with holders of legacies due to their higher levels, but hundred and thirty is still quite rare.
 
The old man shares quite a lot of things with his great-granddaughter. Especially the blue eyes and hair; they are the same as her.
 
“Lord Lindgren,” I greeted and bowed, while the old man waved his hand.
 
“Off with honorifics, young man. I am sure, with the position you are in, you should realize, it is more of a leash than an honor,” he said, and I couldn’t help, but be surprised, hearing his unfiltered words.
 
“Grandpa!” said the woman and glared at the old man. “Do you think, he didn’t understand that? He understood it better than me, don’t you, young man?” he asked.
 
I heard the old man had gone insane; it seemed like there was some truth in that.
 
“It is true,” I said with a mirthless smile, and sat down in front of him. I feel that strangeness from it once again.
 
“I have read about you, young man, and I have to say, you are quite driven to come to me, just a day after gaining the legacy. When I gained it; I had enjoyed the success for a month before I took the step out of the city to meet my guide.” He said with a smile, but it disappeared a moment later.
 
“That was the first mistake I had made regarding the legacy,” he added with his turning distant for a moment.
 
“Thank you for agreeing to be my guide and letting me bring my staff, Mr. Lindgren,” I said after a few seconds of silence.
 
“It is the least I could do and hope that you will learn enough to not make the same mistakes that I made with my legacy,” he said somberly. I could feel the truth from him and see the regrets in his eyes.
 
“I am grateful, Mr. Lindgren,” I said gratefully.
 
“Enough with Mr. Lindgren. We are peers. Call me Vanis or old man,” said the old and turned to Carla for a moment, before turning back to me, with his eyes twinkling.
 
“Say, young man, do you want to see the core of my legacy?” He asked and I couldn’t help but get shocked by his sudden question; even Carla was shocked, while his great-granddaughter shook her head exasperatedly.
 
“Isn’t it the most sacred thing about the legacy? That we shouldn’t show it to anyone?” I asked back.
 
“Bah! I already have half a foot in the grate and those bastards already know everything,” he replied and turned to his great-granddaughter. 
 
The deep regret once again appeared in his eyes, so deep that it felt painful to watch.
 
“It’s not like I would be able to pass it, to second generation,” he said in a barely audible voice. 
 
Gasp!
 
There was a silence before everything turned dark. For a moment there was nothing but darkness before a large pillar wider than my whole arm and as tall as a single-floor house appeared in front of me, blazing with colorful emotions.
 
Gasp!
 
I couldn’t help but gasp seeing it. It is not the grandness of the pillar or brightness of it that shocked me, but the density of emotions, it is made of.
 
They are far denser than my sun.
 
“Magnificent,” said Carla beside me in awe.
 
“As you have noticed, my core is bigger, and the density of emotions inside is much higher than yours. Like every new legacy, your legacy is Grade 1. Capable of producing only a Grade 1 emotion elixir, while mine is Grade 3,” he informed.
 
Though he didn’t feel happy about that fact for some reason.
 
It is bigger and much denser than my sun, but there is one thing, in which my sun is better compared to the pillar. No, I am not talking about the ritual charms, but the number of emotions.
 
My son had more emotions. 
 
The pillar is multicolored, like the core of nearly all legacies, showing emotions that it could absorb. Mine could absorb more and that is an important thing.
 
“How long did it take you to advance your legacy to Grade 3?” I asked, and he didn’t answer immediately.
 
I thought he wouldn’t and opened my mouth to apologize, when he spoke.
 
“It took me nearly three decades, which is longer than most legacies.” He replied. “It is not a hard thing to take the legacy to Grade 3. If you stay alive long enough, you will be able to do it,”
 
“The real challenge is taking it further. It is the greatest challenge that a very few are able to cross,” 
 
With those words full of sadness and regret, everything disappeared, and we returned to the office. 
 
“Thank you for showing me your core, Vanis,” I said, feeling really thankful for what he did, because I don’t think, I could show my legacy’s core to others, even when I removed every charm orbiting it.
 
The old man smiled and got up from his chair.
 
“I have a lot of things to teach you, young man, and have very little time; hope we will be able to finish with them before you leave,” he said and a few seconds later, he started guiding me on the ways of legacy.
 
He started doing that the moment I stepped into his office.

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