City of Desire: Chapter 1056 Things at Play (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

Knight-Marshal Liorian

“We have been defeated, yet again,” said Kava, breaking the silence.

Her voice was full of frustration and anger, while her eyes focused on Elmid and, to some extent, me, like everyone else.

He may be in charge of war operations, but I am in command here. Soon, there will be calls from the island, and they will put half the blame on my shoulders despite barely any say in operations.

If he had won, they would have given him all the glory.

Though I wish I could blame him.

This time, he strategized well. I might not have done a better job; it’s just that Silver was better prepared, and he kept his cards close to the chest.

So close that the power his people had revealed had blindsided us.

The Spirit Shaman- we had expected her to be close to the Great Shaman, but she already is a Great Shaman and not a conventional one, but a rare one of massive direct offensive power.

“Now, what do we do? Do we attack after the reinforcements arrive or retreat?” asked Lomos.

Both are bad options.

We cannot attack even after reinforcements because we still don’t know what else Silver is hiding. He might not have fully revealed all his cards yet, but retreat isn’t an option either.”

“Neither. We will wait.”

I sighed in relief. Silver may have won the battle, but the storm is far from over. There are still gears being moved, and soon, Silver might be attacked again.

That might reveal an opportunity to us. So, all we have to do is wait for it to be revealed.

…

“Golems, the artifacts, and now a Great Shaman. What else have you been hiding?” said Leila as she stepped into my office.

She seemed well-rested.

Though not all tiredness had disappeared from her eyes, her battle with Selveron had been extremely difficult. The fatigue of it couldn’t be dealt with with just a nap of a few hours.

“A lot!”

It is no exaggeration; I am hiding a lot of things. She gave me a look, but said nothing further. I cannot; these are not the secrets she needs to know.

“You have got another city in your kitty,” she said, and I sighed. “You don’t seem happy about it,” she added, her expression turning serious.

“I am not.”

To be honest, I didn't want to attack Norke. I already have my hands full, and the army is stretched, and now it’s going to be stretched even further.

Though that’s not the main reason, it is the thing near it; the one I sensed during Legacy’s advancement to the throne.

Until now, I could simply ignore it, because it was not in my territory, but not anymore. Now that I got Norke, it had become my problem, and I would have to deal with it.

“What is it?” she asked, and I only smiled.

Only four people know about it. Stone, Carla, Caena, and Bell. I kept the information limited to a tight circle and would rather keep it that way for a while.

Though with Norke, the circle is going to expand, since I am going to need to find out what it is and deal with it before it bites my ass.

Given the type of emotions I have got from it. I know without a doubt that it is a trouble.

“Fine, don’t tell me.”

She might know about it soon enough, depending on what we find in there; she is a great mage; we might need her, but until we do. It will be known to only a few people.

“I have come here to ask about the artifacts. Are you returning them to their houses?” she asked.

“What do you think?” I asked, and she rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Good, then I want three of them for the baronies,” she stated, and this time, it was my turn to roll my eyes at her.

“I am not joking; we are beset with dangers from both sides. The Baronies need protection and deterrence, and three artifacts will provide that.” She isn’t the only one asking for them; there were others, but they were infinitely more subtle.

“Currently, I have given no thought to it and won’t until the storm has passed.”

Her expression turned somber at that.

“Do you think they will all join and attack?” she asked softly.

“Without a doubt,” I said. " I have full confidence that they would. The defeat of Viremont had given Grimvale the greatest chance, and he would not waste it.

“It’s why I am doing everything I can to not let that happen,” I added.

“If they join, will we be able to defeat them?” She asked after a moment of silence. “It’s hard to say. Grimvale had gathered a lot of powerhouses, and now they know about our abilities.”

If they come, I will have to use every card I have in my arsenal. That will be very costly with uncertain results.

It's why I am attacking in a different way; break them before they can gather.

“Then there is the undead,” she added, and I smiled. I considered them the most dangerous, because unlike what Viremont had been or what Grimvale was trying to achieve, they are one unit, united.

They also have massive numbers and extensive experience in fighting me.

“Well, I am here, and fighting that old man has given me a lot of experience. In the next battle, I would do much better,” she said after a few seconds of silence.

“I am counting on it.”

She left a few minutes later, and I made a few more calls before walking out of the office. It was night now, and I could feel the silence.

Everybody is alert, as if expecting the attack to come at any time. I nodded to those I greeted and stepped into the street.

Nobody stopped me, but I could see guards becoming more alert, while the secret guards followed behind me.

I rarely take a walk, but after all those calls, the office had felt stuffy. I had to get out, at least for a few minutes, before I returned and made a few more calls.

“Lord Rutto had reached his destination,” informed Zela, and a smile appeared on my face.

Hiring him was one of the best decisions I had made.

He was a man of excellent pedigree, but he had no power of his own. He was approachable and knew nearly every noble worth knowing. What had once been nothing more than acquaintances had now turned into a network of useful connections.

Earlier, he had been a pitiful courtier, constantly riding on the coattails of one powerful man after another.

Now, he had me behind him.

He handles all kinds of work for me. From arranging secret deals to making introductions with powerful people, he was exceptionally good at it.

He has a natural talent for such things.

He never got a chance to shine because he simply didn’t get an opportunity. Whenever he made a mistake, his previous patrons would simply throw him aside, and he would attach himself to another one.

Things were different now.

He knew he had my full support, and that mistakes could be forgiven as long as he learned from them. More importantly, I gave him complete freedom to handle things in whatever way he thought best.

I only give him the goal; he handles it his own way.

This is the greatest responsibility I have ever given him, and I hope he will succeed because both the success and failure of it would affect the dominion in a big way.

“Did he face any problems?” I asked. It was done in secret, with only two guards with him.

I want his visit to remain secret.

“No, he had reached the city safely.” I felt relieved. There was a chance our enemies might detect movement. That would have been troublesome.

I walked around for twenty minutes before returning to the office. I wanted to spend a little more time outside, but I had work to do.

“It’s Baron Harrods,” said Zela.

I nodded and extended aura. I didn’t feel as much strain as before, but rest would have done me wonders.

‘Lord Silver,’ he greeted. The man is currently at the front in the baronies, monitoring Grimvale’s forces, while Blackwell alone is handling the monster front.

For that, I am grateful.

“How are things, Baron?” I asked. I had talked to him earlier this morning, but things are changing fast.

“There was a movement after the appearance of Captain Vandal in the Norke. They turned cautious after they caught a glimpse of Shaman Trik,” he replied with a laugh.

I smiled as well.

I do not have many Lv. 40; I had to use them efficiently.

Until the battle in Norke, everyone thought Vandal was in Lauryl while Trik was in Greltheaven. It was a massive risk to move them, especially Vandal.

Leaving Baron Harrods, the only Lv. 40 warrior in the barony.

“They might have attacked, but after what General Axseer pulled off in Norke. They would not dare to underestimate the Great Shaman,” he added as if reading my thoughts.

“Still, be careful,” I cautioned.

We have intelligence on three Lv. 40 powerhouses, but the intelligence could be wrong. We believe there is at least one that Grimvale is hiding, but there could be more.

I just hope the presence of a Great Mage and a Great Shaman would be enough to deter Grimvale from attacking the baronies.