City of Desire: Chapter 1074 Protector General (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

General Vihra

“General,” the captain greeted me, opening the City Hall gate.

I nodded and rode inside before dismounting, before looking at the white building in front of me. It seemed to be made entirely of white stone.

It looked a little ugly to me, but humans seemed to like such things.

“Please, follow me,” said the officer waiting for me.

I would have liked to freshen up first before meeting Silver. So, I had one of my subordinates and a mage use their spells and skills to make me presentable.

Still, it didn’t take all the tiredness away.

I have been traveling since yesterday. First, from the fortress to Greltheaven, after spending a night in the city, then traveling here.

I don’t like that they called me here. General Cardin had said it would be a permanent posting. I wonder who I will work under.

It shouldn’t be Axseer; they would not keep her here.

It is likely one of the human generals; they will be promoted. I hope he will be half as good as General Cardin.

Soon, we reached the large black doors.

The guards standing by it opened the door for me, saying nothing, and I stepped inside.

“Lord Silver!” I saluted before nodding at Axseer. She and I are at the same rank, but not for much longer. After what she did, she is likely going to be promoted.

If she did, she would be the highest-ranked orc officer in the dominion.

“Take a seat, General,” the lord said. He is so young; I could defeat him not long ago, but now I wouldn’t last a few seconds.

Only General Stone could stand in front of this monster and the Knight.

“Thank you, my lord.” I sat down.

“How are the undead?” he asked, and I wanted to sigh. We lost some good people, so the bastard could test our strength.

“We dealt with them, but if it were a real attack and they brought all the forces they had on the border, we wouldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes.”

We need more men and powerhouses at the fortress. What we have is far from enough.

He didn’t say, but sighed.

I could see he understood that too, and I hoped he would send more men, because one of these battles would be a real battle, and I didn’t want to be outnumbered and outmatched in fighting them.

It is the greatest fear all the officers in the fortress have.

“I believe you have something for me,” he said. I nodded and handed him a mist-crafted bag. He took it and muttered a few words, and I suddenly felt the power inside it.

I shuddered at it. I am glad I followed the instructions and didn't sneak a peek.

A moment later, he took out a wooden box and slid it toward me.

“For you, General,” he said to my surprise. I quickly controlled my emotions and brought the box in front of me before opening it.

There were thick blue metal bands, with brown wooden wire running through.

“Bands of Yalgas,” I said.

I got a report on the artifacts we got in the war; it is one of them. It is on the weaker side, with classic physical enhancement, with mental clarity being its main power.

“My lord?” I asked. I looked at the people in the office; they did not look surprised by it.

“General Vihra, I am Remus Silver. Lord of Dominion, make you the protector of Nokre,” he said to my utter shock. I got an inkling when I was given the artifact, but it was still shocking.

When I came here, I would be deputy to the protector general, not A protector general.

I feel honored, at the least.

“I am grateful, my lord, but I do not feel I am the right choice. I am adjunct General, not as good as others when it comes to fighting,” I said.

It's hard to say these words, but I have to say it.

In the past two years since General Cardin took command of the Hold, I transitioned into Administrative General. In tribes, it's considered humiliating, as it's the shaman’s job, but I like it.

I am tired of combat. I have been fighting since I was a child. I don’t want to, if I could help it.

“I did not choose you for fighting, General. You have a much greater responsibility than that,” he said, and his expression turned utterly serious.

I sensed him activating the privacy, and a moment later he muttered something, and light smoke covered it before disappearing.

As it did, his assistant spread a map on the table. A map of Norke and the surrounding area.

“Your job will be to protect the city, but that will not be your main job,” he stated before picking up the pen and making an oval around the area beside the map.

He then turned to me, looking at me with silvery-grey eyes.

“What I tell you will not leave this room, understood, General?” he asked. “I swear on my tribe and ancestors that I will utter another word we discussed to anyone,” I swore.

What the hell is happening? I couldn’t help but ask myself.

He seemed to be satisfied with the oath and turned back to the oval; he grew.

“When the legacy advanced to Grade IV, its domain increased to harvest the emotion, spreading far and wide across the region,” he said, and I felt a shudder go through his body and fear flash in his eyes for a moment.

The man is scared.

“There was barely anything; its power reached this region, and a flood of emotion came out through it.” This time, fear appeared in his eyes, and it did not disappear.

“These were malevolent emotions. Pain, torture, suffering- you name it.”

“Everything was there, and in such amounts that will chill your soul and give you sleepless nights.” He shuddered visibly, while a chill spread through my soul.

“Your main job, General, is to find that place,” he ordered, tapping on the oval.

I looked at it; there was nothing there except for a vast wasteland.

“What is it?” I asked, and the man simply shrugged.

“I don’t know. It could be a dungeon or gate or something else.” I wanted to sigh hearing it. I would have liked it if I had gotten a little more help. 

“I went there and tried to find it with my skill, but couldn’t, and my skills are not that weak.”

“So, you have a tall task in front of you, General, but let me assure you, the Dominion will provide you with all the resources you will need to find that place.”

Forty-five minutes later, I walked out of the office, the artifact's weight in my hands.

Though it is much more than physical weight, it is a weight of responsibility.

I am honored that he would select me.  There are so many others, especially humans; I will be the first orc protector of the city; it is a moment of pride, not only for my tribe and me, but also rare.

We are giving our blood and lives for the dominion. In exchange, we are being given important responsibilities.

This one is even greater responsibility than that of a usual protector general.

“Congratulations,” Axseer said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Thank you,”

“Your tribe will be very proud,” she said, and I nodded. First, I am going to inform my wife and children. Now that I have become a protector, I will bring them here.

I missed them in the fortress. Now, I can have them with me here.

…

Lorle Panash

“How did the merchants seem?” I asked the four soldiers as I stepped into the room where I had told them to wait until I finished with Lord Silver.

They are the ones I put as escorts for the members of construction companies. They have listening skills and are quite observant.

“Excited, like all broken roads, open sewers are piles of money to those people,” the tall woman replied.

Because it is.

The plan is to divide the repair job into multiple contracts. It is a big job, but giving it to a single company is not wise when we want it done as soon as possible.

Unlike the step-by-step work we did with Panar and Gailhorn, we are going to do it in a single step.

It will cost us a lot of money, but Silver thinks it's the most efficient approach.

We now have people- a lot of them- and they will be more interested in coming here. Unlike Panar, it is at the far edge; if undead come, they could escape into the merchant state.

“Anything else?” I asked; three shook their heads, but one was uncertain.

“One merchant was talking about fixing the rate among themselves, before the others shut him down,” the blond-haired soldier said.

Hearing that, a slight smile appeared on my face.

A few minutes later, I walked out with the name and other things that the merchants discussed.

Price fixing is a crime.

The punishment for it is cancellation of the license and jail. I checked on a few other things.

In the Dominion, an assistant isn’t just an assistant, but also an unofficial chief of staff.

It is our responsibility to keep the office functioning smoothly and efficiently and make sure the Lord’s orders are followed effectively.

My days of being an assistant are numbered. I have been promoted and transferred to Bilgas to head the record office that every noble territory needs to have.

It might seem like a demotion, considering there are over ten record offices in the territories of Nakar baronies.

It is not a demotion, as my job is not only to handle the responsibilities of the record office of the city, instead of small baronies, but also to mediate between the four leaders of the city.

“That is precisely the experience I seek, for such knowledge would prove invaluable should I aspire to become a governor.”

Soon, I finished with the rounds and walked to the office. It was already seven; in two hours, Lord Silver would leave, and it would take two days for the new Governor to arrive.

As for who it is, I don’t know. Lord Silver had kept it under wraps.

The same with the new police chief.

Governor, General, and Police Chief are the three most important positions.

I stepped into the office and saw the man working. Since he came, he had been working constantly. He didn’t even take a minute's break.

People say he got many things through luck. All is a lie; everything is earned.

“Look at these names; I need to choose two assistants, one as your replacement in Panar, while the other one here as a new assistant to the lord,” he said, pointing at twelve names.

Yes, two assistants from the Velvet Garden.

The third will come from the city here, as each Governor has two assistants.

“I thought Rexy’s name would be here?” I asked; he smiled at that. “She declined; besides, she is going to be promoted to Grade III.”

That couldn’t help but surprise me. I shouldn’t be; Rexy is very capable and brave.

We were the same rank until now; with Grade II, she will surpass me. Well, we chose different paths. She wants to stay inside Velvet Garden, while I want the power outside.

“Batul Vragg and Eryna Hylderin,” I stated.

“You mentored them both, right?” he asked, and I nodded. I am not surprised he knows it; he is aware of everything that happens in Velvet Garden.

Soon, it was ten, and I stepped out of the city hall with Lord Silver.

The beasts were already waiting along with the guards.

“Take care of things, Generals, Lorle,” he said as he mounted the beast. “Have a safe journey, my lord,” I wished, along with the generals.

He smiled and gave a final wave. He rode toward the gate.

I watched him until he disappeared before returning to the office; there are a lot of things to do before the Governor arrives. I need everything ready by then, and it will be.