City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 76: Personal Delivery

I slept after a little past midnight, later than usual. I had to watch the competition, and it is a good thing I did, as I slept like a baby without a worry,
 
I woke up early in the morning, freshened up, exercised, and trained with an instructor, David, and others. 
 
After three hours of grueling training that left every part of my body in pain, I applied the numbing cream and showered.
 
Click!
 
When I had entered my office, Carla and Margaux were waiting for me and, unlike yesterday, they had smiles on their faces, unusually brighter smiles.
 
“Good morning,” they greeted in unison, “Morning,” I greeted back as I sat down on the chair and without a word, took the file in front of me.
 
“Very good,” I said as I looked at the black numerals. Last night, the establishment had earned three million, six hundred and twenty-four thousand, two hundred crowns. Thirty thousand crowns more than yesterday.
 
It is the biggest raise in the past twelve days.
 
It was great, but the happiness of money had been dwarfed by the news on the last page. For the past five days, there were only nineteen names on it, but now there are twenty. The last one is Della.
 
“Make the changes,” I said to Margaux. “I have already begun,” replied Margaux, bringing an even bigger smile to my face.
 
I have got twenty, Level 20 girls and with them will come several changes. The first one being, the prime tables in the halls will be only available to them and so is access to the diamond rooms.
 
It is more for the girls than the clients; it is to motivate them to work harder. I am sure many would have learned by now how the lessons are helping them to level up and consolidate their classes.
 
With it, I will also bring out that liquor that I wanted to sell. Even if no one buys them, with their huge price. Their presence alone will enhance the prestige of the bar.
 
It will also make me compete with the competition ahead. Which is spending money like water to crush me.
 
“There is one small thing I want you to change about the gate,” I said to them. I noticed one thing last night; I am sure it will help me bring more patrons and make Norman even more angry.
 
I finished my work and stepped out of my office to go to the guild. I like to take leave today to watch the changes, but I have an important meeting with Damon Hardt.
 
Twenty minutes later, the carriage rolled inside the guild and parked in the spot that was reserved for me. I walked out of it and enter the guild, before taking the elevator to the guild master's office.
 
“Mister Silver, guild-master busy in a meeting. He will meet you after he has done with it,” informed Nora, his secretory.
 
“Thanks, Nora,” I said and sat down on the waiting chair and begin to read the paper to pass the time. I have already read it, but I am doing it again and with the skill, it took little time for me to do it.
 
Speaking of skill, I could now read much faster with Reading, with the advancement of level and attributes. The resistance I face is also much lesser when reading the non-legal document.
 
‘They are taking too damn long to kill those bastards,’ I thought. As I read the news of Nakar baronies, where Gorlag bandits are having the time of their lives. Even the forces of Mirador Hold, couldn’t do anything to them.
 
They will have to find them first, before doing anything to them.
 
Click!
 
I was reading it when the door clicked open, and Rip walked out. I had opened my mouth to speak to him when I stopped, seeing his expressions.
 
He seemed stressed, nearly crying. I had never seen him like this, even during the time of an undead attack. I had not seen him with such expressions as right now.
 
“Mister Silver, the Guildmaster will see you now,” said Nora. I nodded at her absently and walked into the office while still thinking about Rip.
 
The meeting had lasted for fifteen minutes. It is less about guilds' business, and more about Damon Hardt’s, which is not new. It is not just him; I help others too, the vice-guild masters and secretaries.
 
I don’t mind it; it is helping me learn and they also owe me a favor. Some of which I had already cashed in. 
 
Soon, I entered the legal department and was about to open the door of my office when I stopped, before walking ahead and stopping in front of Rips' office.
 
Knock
 
I knocked on it and for several seconds, there was no response and about to do it again, when a sound came out.
 
“Come in,” he said from inside. 
 
I opened the door and walked inside and looked at Rip, who was masking his emotions but failing miserably. It must be really serious for a lawyer experience as Rip, not able to maintain his expressions, it is one of our greatest strengths.
 
“What can I do for you, mister Silver?” he asked. Usually, when we are alone, he calls me by my name, only using the surname in public.
 
“I saw you coming out of the Guild master’s office, looking all stressed. Just came in to check, if you are all right,” I said. He opened his mouth to reply, but no words seem to come out of it.
 
He closed it, and for a few seconds, did not speak at all, before opening his mouth again.
 
“It is bad,” he said, pressing his hands to his temple. I said nothing and waited for him to continue. 
 
“I, along with my sister, took a huge loan to open a small spa at Deerpond. For two months, the business ran great, but then catastrophe happened,” he said, and his expression became hesitant and then angry.
 
“In one party in the merchant guild of Deerpond. A man had made advances on my sister, which she rejected publicly. The next day, a closure order came for our business. They had even confiscated all the tools and arrested my sister and staff for a day.” 
 
Wow, I had expected something bad but did not expect this bad.
 
This sort of thing happened. It is not common, but not uncommon either. Power lets you do a lot of things, and unless you are strong or have strong backing, the people of this cruel world will eat you alive.
 
I feel grateful every day that I had entered the body of someone from the house of Silver. If I had been nobody and running this business. I would have been merged into the earth by now.
 
Norman wouldn’t have been so well-behaved as he is right now.
 
“Who was he?” I asked after a few seconds of silence. “Javier Ronda, son of Hamon Ronda,” he said, and my expression turned serious after hearing the names. 
 
“Son of lieutenant general of Deerpond,” I said, and he nodded with a grave expression.
 
The army of Deerpond, led by the general and below him, are three lieutenant generals. Hamon Ronda is one of the lieutenant generals and quite a powerful man in Deerpond.
 
“What did Guild master say?” I asked, and his expression turned to that of frustration and disappointment. “He said he couldn’t help me with it,” replied Rip.
 
I wanted to laugh at hearing that. He could easily do something, but he will not. Unless, of course, it has something for him, which is not. “We should have opened the business in the Greltheaven, but I had said it was too small.” 
 
“Now, not only have they closed our business and taken our things, but banks are also at our throat and demanding to be paid fully by the end of the month,” he said, with tears nearly welling up in his eyes.
 
“You can’t shift to Greltheaven, can you?” I asked, to which he shook his head. 
 
There are several problems with this. First, all their stuff is sealed and taken. The second, the Greltheaven, will not give them permission to open here, with a criminal record in Deerpond.
 
It usually does not matter, but their business is too small and the one who did the thing is powerful. Merchant guild will think twice, before getting their businesses the license to operate here.
 
“Tell you what, I have a proposal for you. Come to me with your sister and we will discuss,” I said and a look of shock appeared on his face.
 
“You are not joking, right?” he asked after he calmed his emotions. “Do I look like I am joking to you, Rip?” I asked back, to which he shook his head.
 
“My sister is in Greltheaven,” he said. “Good, come to my place at seven,” I said and got up. “Your place means?” he asked hesitantly.
 
“My business Rip, that is where I live and work,” I said to him and walked out of his office.
 
I had accumulated quite a lot of money in this and had different plans for it, but when I heard what Rip said, I changed those plans. 
 
Now, I want an in-house spa. I had seen what the effects of a spa could do and wanted the girls to have that effect all the time.
 
Even if the deal the deal with Rip did not work, I will find some other people and have an in-house spa.
 
I worked for an hour before I walked out of the merchant guild. When I reached the establishment, I saw people from the Nielson Guild working around the gate. 
 
Soon, the carriage stopped, and I walked toward the manor, when I had stopped and turned. The gates opened again, and a carriage walked inside. Through them, two people came out, while the driver brought out the crates from behind.
 
“Aydin, Taylor. You two did not have to come personally to deliver this,” I said to the young man and the old man beside him.
 
The young man is Aydin Harwood, and the old man is Taylor, the manager, and caretaker of Harwood wines.
 
“Nonsense. You are one of our best customers, Mister Remus. It is only right that we personally deliver the goods to you,” said the old man. To that, I smiled.
 
I might not yet be one of their best customers, but I am steadily climbing there. As each month, I am buying more and more wines. This month I had brought so much that they had personally come to deliver the goods.
 
Those crates they brought had cost me little over ten million crowns.
 
“Miss Carla, it is nice to see you again,” said Aydin to Carla, who came from behind. He is still quite infatuated with her.
 
“Master Harwood,” she greeted curtly. I smiled seeing that and turned to crates. “These five crates have the fourteen bottles of wines you have ordered,” said the old man, motioning toward the five of six crates.
 
“I have been waiting for them,” said Jamel as he ran toward the crates. He is our chief bartender and loves the liquor a little too much.
 
“And this is?” I pointed toward the biggest crate. “This one is a sample. It is from a new independent brewery that is opened in the city. It is quite good,” said Taylor. 
 
Usually, those he praises turn out well.
 
It was not the first time he had given the sample pieces. While the size of the sample is bigger this time. We will taste it and only if it is good will we serve it to our patrons.
 
“Come inside and have a drink with me,” I invited them, but the old man shook his head before Aydin could let out a single word from his open mouth. “My apologies, Master Silver, but there are prior commitments,”
 
“Though we will take you for your offer some other day,” said the old man, and Aydin glared at him as they walked toward their carriage. 
 
A few seconds later, their carriage rolled out of the gate, and I turned toward the manor.
 
“Three left,” said Carla, stopping me in my tracks. “Well, they did not wait for too long,” I said with a smile, which she did not reciprocate seeing her glaring at me.

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