City of Desire: Chapter 1028 Positions (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

Count Viremont

The gates of Bilgas opened as I drew near.

When I reached them, a blond-haired man stood there with a strained smile.

Lucas Wane, former Governor of Bilgas. Technically, he is still the Governor until he hands over the city to me, which he will do now.

I would have loved to set up base in Almin before attacking Silver, but I needed to be satisfied with my second choice.

“Welcome to Bilgas, Count Viremont,” greeted the man. “Thank you, Lord Wane,” I replied and stepped into the city.

Zanav had already withdrawn most of his army from the city, and the two divisions I had sent yesterday had taken control of it.

Now, only the formalities remained.

I looked at the city as I walked toward the city hall. It’s a small city with a population of around thirty-five thousand, of which barely ten thousand remained; the rest were taken to Port Midlet.

Population is the biggest challenge in the region for everyone aside from Silver.

It is why I want to conquer his dominion as soon as possible. I will be leaving tomorrow. I do not want to waste any time; I am already late as it is.

Soon, I reached the city hall and dismounted.

It is quite small, smaller than the city hall of my territory. Bilgas is the smallest city in the entire region and the most impoverished.

It does not have as many mines and green spaces as the other cities, nor is it in a strategic location like Deerpond or Port Midlet, but it will serve a purpose for now

“I now hand over the city to you, Count Viremont; take care of her,” he said, turning emotional.

“I will,” I replied. The man nodded and walked away.

“Poor man. He must be devastated—reduced from Governor back to a nobody,” Loxley said, his face a mask of pity, though his eyes held only coldness.

I did not comment and walked into the city hall, which my people had taken over.

“Anything new from Silver?” I asked. My Mage shook his head.

I had been asking him that constantly. His preparations had turned out better than we expected.

Especially that Great Mage, whom he had sent to the baronies.

Which did not make me feel happy. I would have been more relieved if he had kept her in Greltheaven or sent her to the western cities.

But he did that, which means he might be feeling confident about his chances of defending against me.

“Oh, stop worrying. The bastard is too greedy; he has spread his forces thin trying to defend every corner of his territory.

“You know how common it is. Nobles become attached to their lands, refuse to surrender even a small piece, and end up risking everything by spreading themselves too thin.”

“Silver is making the same mistake and will suffer the same fate,” Loxley concluded coldly.

I know it; I have seen many people lose their territories because of this same mistake, but this is Silver. He shouldn’t be underestimated.

All those who did so got buried under the earth.

I nodded and kept walking. Soon, I reached the office, stripped of most items except the bare minimum, which was fine.

I will be staying here only for a day.

“I am more worried about the undead. They have been unusually silent,” said Loxley.

“We will need to be extremely careful. Here, we would defeat Silver, and they will come behind with their tides and swallow us up.”

I sighed hearing that. It’s one of my biggest worries, because these bastards are very good at using this strategy.

Even when they launched their attack on the island, the kingdoms were still fighting among themselves. It is one of the biggest reasons why the kingdoms fell like dominoes under a tsunami of undead.

“We will be careful, and besides, as long as we win our first battle, we will have the support of Summerfield and Zanav.”

“If Arenthal knows what’s better for her, she will support us as well.”

Both Summerfield and Zanav had approached me for the alliance, but both of the bastards want a guarantee that I will not take their cities.

It’s not a guarantee I would give.

Especially not to Summerfield. I have already promised Deerpond to people, two of Silvers’ cities, and a lot of the baronies.

Once I conquer one of Silver’s cities, they will see they stand no chance against me.

Either support me and get what I give them, or be destroyed.

I wish I could promise Zanav I'd let him keep Port Midlet, but I can't make that explicit promise. There is pressure on me.

It's why I need to be in a position of strength. I can't give them everything they want.

Summerfield, I don’t care about much, but I want Zanav with me. His house’s famed cavalry will help tremendously in conquering the region.

I cannot make that big deal yet, but I was able to carve up a small deal.

He is sending ten thousand cavalry with me. It’s a huge number for cavalry, and it will complement my infantry well.

“She is a wildcard; the agreement you have signed is skewed in her favor.”

“We have to make sure she doesn’t join, Silver, until we conquer him,” said Loxley, and I nodded. The agreement is powerful, but it brought me more conditions than her.

I would never sign such an agreement, but she left me with no choice.

She clearly said that if I didn’t, she would ally with Silver, which I absolutely do not want.

“Our man said she will not as long as we follow the agreement strictly,” I replied, and a smile appeared on my face.

I may have lost an ally, but I have gained one. It wasn't without a cost; it was a lot, and I paid 75% up front, but I took it given the loss of Balmos.

“Do you really think she will let him leave?” asked Loxley, and I nodded.

He is confident she will.

“Any response from Great Mage Selvaron?” I asked. Only two of my allies are not with me; one will join me when I reach near Almin, and the other is Selvaron.

In the last call, he said he would be in Bilgas by tonight.

“No, my lord.”

I calmed myself down hearing that. Selvaron is the most important powerhouse, more important than Loxley. He is the one who will help me conquer Silver’s city quickly.

I not only have to conquer Silver’s city, but do it with such overwhelming power that it will send a message to everyone.

They need to understand that if they didn’t listen to me, they will suffer the same fate as him, and they will. I will not spare anyone who will not join me in my attack on Greltheaven.

If they are not my allies, then they are my enemies. Things are as simple as this.

…

Marquise Grimvale

‘As I had told you before, I have no interest in allying with Count Viremont.’

‘If he breaks the agreement, I wouldn’t hesitate to ally with like-minded people, like you, Marquise,’ said the woman on the other side.

She is smart, much smarter than her father and her grandfather.

That could help me, but it could also work against me.

“So, you agree with the proposal?” I asked. I had sent my people for it. The alliance she is unwilling to commit to, but she is positive toward a few other things, including the tri-lateral proposal.

‘I am. Count Viremont should not get his hands on Deerpond.’ She replied.

Silver has already agreed to it, and now Viremont.

Nobody wants Deerpond to fall into the hands of Viremont. Especially me and Silver; we know how important the route is; it is one of the biggest drivers of our economies.

If Viremont gets it, he could create a lot of trouble for both of us.

This agreement will also be a step toward a larger agreement. Especially if Viremont had captured one of Silver’s cities.

I do not want Viremont to be defeated, nor do I want Silver to win.

For me, the best outcome would be them killing each other’s men and powerhouses. I want Viremont to be restricted to Bilgas.

If that favorable outcome happens, this deal would be even more important.

Viremont will think twice before attacking Summerfield, with the three of us behind that idiot. Yes, he is an idiot, but a smart idiot; he knows when to push his luck and when not to.

He is a good stand-in for Deerpond, until I conquer it.

If only if she had allied with me. I had promised her a lot, including a port city, but she is not willing to submit.

The call lasted for a few more minutes before I pulled back my aura.

“Things had become volatile; every action would swing things.” Said Talmire, and I let out a laugh.

“That’s a gross understatement, my friend.”

We have positioned our forces and powerhouses, but even I don’t know which place I am going to attack. Whether it would be baronies or whether I move my entire army toward Greltheaven.

It all depends on how things go.

Take the recent change where Silver has sent a Great Mage to the Nakar. She is a non-standard one, but she is a Great Mage recognized by the Archmage Tower.

I have found out the spell she used, and it’s a dangerous one.

The most effective way to deal with her is to kill her before she can cast it. Unlike the conventional spell, paint-casting takes time.

So, the moment I found out Silver had sent her to the baronies. I made the changes as well.

I am positioning myself, reacting to every change, and the thing is, there are a lot of changes, and one of the big players hasn’t even made a move yet.

The undead had been silent for quite a while.

“Still, this is the biggest chance we will ever get, and we are going to seize it,” I said.

“We will.”