City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 59: Return

The ship began to move off the port; I waved at Gerald and Selina, who had come to drop me off before they disappeared from the view.
 
“Namdar,” I said as I looked at the city, which was getting away every second.
 
The trip was supposed to be uneventful, and the only exciting thing about it was supposed to be negotiations turned out to be much more.
 
We have lost a lot of people; from a team of thirteen, we have reduced to eight; three lawyers and two merchants have died, not to mention the seven guards. 
 
Too many losses, but I am grateful that I have survived; I have fought for my survival and lost something precious, but I also gained something.
 
I looked at the sword at my waist; I had given it for servicing and just got back in the morning from the storm tower. The enchanters there serviced in two days; outside, it would have taken a week or more; anywhere else.
 
The letter of commendation provided me with a discount on the services offered by the storm tower, not to mention the medal offered an even bigger discount, but I did not get a chance to use it.
 
Though I am happy I serviced my sword, it was running at 50% efficiency with the wear and tear of its ruins, and after using it in battle, its efficiency reduced even more.
 
Now, it is at 98% efficiency, and I would be able to use it in a lot of battles before needing to service it again. 
 
I hope I do not need to do that even, but given my luck and the nature of this world, I would need to service it again sooner rather than later.
 
I was looking ahead when I heard footsteps behind me, only to see Locke coming toward me with a glare in his eyes and scratches on his face, and the one responsible cute black kitty with silvery eyes.
 
“You have got yourself quite a pet,” I commented, looking at the small cute monster in his hand. 
 
The cub of the silver eyes panther looks cute, but when it becomes big, it is quite deadly. Despite being small, it is hard to control; it has scratched Locke’s face and hands and left him glaring.
 
“Our anniversary is in two weeks, and I wanted to give my wife the gift.” He said, glaring at the cub but not really angry. 
 
“It is not an easy beast to control,” I commented, motioning my hands toward it.
 
“I will hire a trainer,” he replied and looked at me, and when I did not move my hands away, he gave the monster to me.
 
Rawr!
 
It growled cutely and wanted to scratch me, but I had avoided its claw expertly and picked up the monster before I started scratching it while being surprised by the strength this small cub had.
 
It is not an animal but a monster.
 
It struggled for a few seconds before calming down and started to enjoy the scratches with a contented smile on its face. 
 
It couldn’t help but surprise Locke. “You are a man of many talents, Remus,” he said, but I just smiled.
 
I grew up among the animals, with my dad being a trainer, and while he mostly trained dogs, we had a cat. 
 
They are untrainable; the one we had was quite beast, other than my sister, it would scratch anyone. 
 
So, I had quite years of practice, and this one, despite being a monster, is quite gentle, seeing how quickly it had calmed.
 
I have wanted a pet here; I have always had one since I was a child, but here I did not have time.
 
Since I took over the body, I have always been busy, but one day, when it would become less busy, I would take a pet; there are wonderful monsters in this world, and I have a mental list of which I want.
 
This cute little thing in my hand is also on the list.
 
“You got lucky, Locke; this little kitty is very calm,” I said as I handed him back the sleeping kitty. 
 
He nodded and gently took it from my hand, and walked back inside the ship while I remained watching as the morning turned to the afternoon.
 
We have left late in the morning, and it would take us nearly two days to reach home, and I am quite excited. I have hundreds of things to do, meeting Valentina, working on the plans, and hiring, among many things.
 
I hope the journey goes smoothly, and it will, and this time, the thieves won't raid. 
 
There is nothing insanely expensive on the ship like the thing Santos had brought; the captain had explicitly forbidden it this time.
 
Thankfully, I have sent all things I had brought to the Greltheaven already. The things of the first-day shopping, like jewelry, accessories, and girls, have already reached the city; the rest will be there by evening.
 
I stayed on the deck for some more time before I went back to my cabin with Dan following behind me.
 
Ever since he brought that enchanted sword, the smile did not seem to leave his face; he was very happy getting it, and he was not the only one. 
 
Many guards who survived the last charge had received a huge bounty share; many brought things like enchanted weapons and other things.
 
Soon, I was back in the cabin and picked up the book that I had finished reading. 
 
It is about incursion, the greatest threat to this world; they appear every few thousand years, and they destroy the world; more than 50% of people die, and kingdoms and empires turn to dust.
 
It had been two thousand and three hundred years since the last incursion, and people say this would be the century that incursion will occur; they always said this every century, but still, I really hope it did not.
 
I read for a few hours before beginning to work; with extra money, I could add a few more things, and I am selecting which one to add; it is quite a struggle since there are a lot of things.
 
There are literally thousands; I would need an unending amount of money to add all and one; I will do it.
 
Soon a day had passed, and night came, and in a few hours, we reached Inam. A wonderful city, the pearl of wasteland, but it pales in comparison to Namdar; even its mage towers are small.
 
Inam does not have a Grand Mage, though it did have Great Mages, a couple of them, some independent and some in the service of its governor.
 
We have only one Great Mage, the bodyguard of Count Darrow; he is Prince’s man and left him here with his uncle to protect his precious city, and I am glad. 
 
After the incident with Maedas, I knew how important the mages are, especially powerful mages. When I earn enough money, I will keep at least one as my bodyguard.
 
The morning came, and it was Locke’s birthday; he was going to throw a big party today, but we got delayed.
 
Captain had offered to stop the ship so that we could celebrate in any city on the way, but Locke had declined, wanting to get back into the city as soon as possible.
 
If I had been in his place, I would have done the same; after experiencing everything, the place I want to go to first is home.
 
In just a few months, the Greltheaven has become home.
 
Soon, the night came, and we celebrated Locke’s birthday; thankfully, there was enough booze for that, and I had even given him my present, which I had brought in Namdar.
 
By the time the first rays of dawn appeared in the sky, we finally saw the Greltheaven; it is a tiny dot which is getting bigger by the minute.
 
In a few minutes, the whole city appeared in front of us, and while it was small compared to all the cities I had seen, its sight had filled my heart with joy.
 
“Finally, home,” said Locke, “Home,” I replied, and in a few minutes, the ship docked at the port, and to my surprise I saw, I saw Damon Hardt there, along with Soren Arryn, and a few others from merchant guild waiting.
 
“It is a pleasure to be traveling with you, gentlemen,” said Captain Angus. “Thank you, Captain,” I said and walked down the ramp with Locke and others.
 
Once again, it stuck how many people we have lost, and also question arose in my heart about the positions that will open with the death of Vice-Guildmasnter Santos and two sub-guild heads.
 
I will not be considered for the Santos position, and I am intelligent enough to not even think about that.
 
I only hope it is someone good or someone I have a good relationship with, like Soren Arryn. It will help me a lot if that happens.
 
“Welcome back, you all; I am very happy to see you all returning safe and sound,” said Damon Hardt with a smile.
 
“Thank you, Guildmaster,” we said, and he nodded with a smile before his expression turned a little sadder.
 
“It is quite regretful that we had lost John and two sub-guild heads; their presence would be missed,” he said with a shake of his hand.
 
“It is fortunate you all have survived, and you, Remus, I heard you have killed the lich,” he said as he turned to me, and this time, it was my turn to shake my head.
 
“I only aided a little; it is captain Julian and others who killed the lich,” I said, turning toward Captain Julian, not far away from me, who had changed his whole gear.
 
“It is the city's great fortune that we have people like Captain Pierce,” he said before he turned to us.
 
“Tomorrow, the merchant guild is throwing a party for the success of this trip and to commemorate you all for your bravery,” he said; he seemed so happy when he spoke the first sentence.
 
It is to be happy about; we have signed far more contracts, we had thoughts, and they are on favorable terms.
 
“Thank you, Guildmaster,” said Locke. “You all must be tired now; go rest; we will talk about business tomorrow,” he said, looking at Locke, me, and others.

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Chapter 60: Strange Behavior