City of Desire: Chapter 1078 Ransom (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas

“I don’t want to go,” said Josie as the carriage stopped in front of the school.

Since morning, the girl has refused to leave my side.

“I am here, and I will not be leaving the city,” I said to her, but it didn’t seem to be enough. “How about you come to the office after school?”

Her eyes lit up hearing that.

“Really?” she asked excitedly, and I nodded with a smile. My schedule is completely packed, but I could squeeze in a few minutes for my sister.

“Yes, and there will be ice cream.”

“I love you, brother!” Her little hands hugged me.

A few seconds later, the carriage door opened, and she stepped out before walking through the school gates. I watched her until she disappeared before the carriage moved toward the office.

As the carriage was moving, I sensed something: a death.

A legacy had died, a Grade III. Every month, a couple of them would die, and a few would be born, but almost all of them would be Grade III or below.

Grade IV and above are much harder, given that even the weakest throne lives up to two hundred years.

It didn’t take long for its core to appear over Velvet Garden.

We are rapidly making deals with masters of legacy and their kingdoms, but we are also being very careful. Now, instead of half, we only take 30% and push the core back to the native continent.

That's where the largest share goes.

Still at 30% and paying their kingdom, we make a killing in core essence. Unfortunately, we cannot use it to increase our emotion scale or aspect.

It’s just essence to us and nothing else, not even the skills.

If I want the skills and everything else, then it needs to be at least a Grade IV legacy, and I made deals with several, but it will take them quite some time to die.

As for those very close to dying, many of them already have agreements.

We are trying to insert ourselves into it and have even succeeded by becoming a secondary party to the agreement, but such agreements are hard.

Legacies live for hundreds of years, and there are strong relations between legacies, and there are also kingdoms and sovereigns who make everything tricky.

Still, Jenna and old Vanis are doing an excellent job at it.

Soon, the carriage stopped, and I stepped out. When I stepped into the office, I saw Zela there, sitting, caressing the staff in her lap.

So lost in it, she didn’t even notice me.

“I believe you like the staff,” I said. She usually meets me wherever I spend the night, but last night, she received the staff from Stone and said she would come to the office directly.

“It is amazing,” she breathed before getting up. A moment later, she appeared and disappeared from her place and appeared beside me.

“Ah, you can already even use its ability.”

I was surprised she could use it in less than a day after getting the staff. She didn’t have to spend days binding it since Caena and legacy help with that.

Still, it’s surprising.

Looking at her eyes, I didn’t think she'd got much sleep.

Well, I can’t blame her. It’s an artifact, and she wanted it for a long time, and she even threatened Stone for it.

“It's an envious ability,” said Argis, and I couldn’t help but nod. Teleportation is one of the most desired abilities. In magecraft, it is one of the hardest spells to master.

“If you don’t mind me asking, when are you planning to distribute the rest of the artifacts?” asked Zela.

“After we finish making the decision.”

In the war, we have obtained eleven true artifacts and three trinkets. Of these, four true artifacts and one trinket are truly ours under the empire's laws, since we got them from the undead.

Counting her, we distributed only seven of the eleven we hold.

One went to Jarvis, the second to Garzong, the third to Vihra, the fourth to Baron Harrods, the fifth to Cardin, the sixth to Lena, and the last to Zela.

Aside from her, the rest went to high-priority people.

We distributed them as soon as Caena wiped the marks of the previous owner.

“It will not be an easy decision,” said Argis, and I laughed. “That is an understatement.”

Everybody wants them, and the top brass of the army doesn’t want to give them to anyone outside their own ranks, but not all of them are going to the army.

Soon, two hours passed. I had met some people and signed a few documents.

‘He is here,’ Jill informed me.

“Send him in when it’s time.” A few more minutes remained before the scheduled meeting time with him. So, I kept working on what I was doing until the door opened, and I finally looked up.

A young man stepped inside, handsome like his father, with long, shoulder-length brown hair.

“Lord Silver,” he greeted me after a moment's pause.

“Lord Summerfield, please take a seat,” I said; the man sat in front of me. Looking at me with anger, envy, and frustration.

“I had hoped to meet you yesterday, but your people thought I wasn’t important enough to meet with you.” His voice contained simmering, suppressed anger.

“I have been away and have a lot of important business to attend to.”

He was not important enough to be squeezed yesterday.

He understood the meaning behind my words as his eyes became angrier. He might have thought I might apologize, or might even console him.

Well, that will not happen.

Once more, he reigned in his emotions and brought his expressions under control.

“I have been negotiating with your people for the release of our men, but your people refused to respect the spirit of negotiation. They are unwilling to make even the slightest concession.”

“Instead of increasing the ransom every day,” he complained, his voice thick with frustration and suppressed anger.

“They even threatened. If the ransom is not paid in one month, they will use my men as laborers,” he added, barely controlling his emotions.

That would be a great humiliation for his house.

“We have already conveyed to you, Lord Summerfield, that there would be negotiation about the money you have to pay as ransom.”

“The negotiation will only be about the payment method and release of soldiers.”

His entire body seemed to vibrate in anger. I felt that froth might start to come out of him if it were the next second.

“Aren’t you being too harsh, Lord Silver?” he asked, finally letting his anger into his voice.

“Harsh, Lord Summerfield?” I laughed, my own bubbling anger leaking through it.

“You attacking my city when I was besieged from all sides was harsh; you threatening me to submit was harsh.”

“You should be grateful that I did not march my army to your city and conquer it because, believe me, I could do it, and it wouldn’t take much effort.”

“So pay the damn ransom, or you will find your army building the very road I will use to march to your city!” I thundered.

Rage exploded from his eyes; he opened his mouth, but the next moment closed it.

He opened it again, then closed it once more. He looked at me as if expecting an apology for my outburst, but when he didn’t see one, he got up and left without saying a word.

I have to say, I am disappointed.

I thought he would fight, not with fists, but with words, using the emotions to fuel it. Instead, he took a cowardly path and simply walked away.

It’s good for me. Such people are easiest to manage.

“What do you think he will do?” asked Zela a few seconds later.

“Pay, of course. It is the only option he has.” Replied Argis. I smiled at that.

If it had been Grimvale, or even Viremont, they might have had leverage to negotiate the price of the ransom, but he does not have that.

…

Darius Summerfield

“Fucking whoring bastard!” I cursed as I sat down in the carriage.

Remembering his smug face fills me with fury. I wanted to unsheathe my blade and swing it, but I held myself back.

The bastard wanted me to do that; I could see him daring me. It made me even angrier, knowing I was powerless against him.

I might be powerful, but I am no match for Silver.

Besides, Father would be angry. He warned me against doing something like this.

“My lord, we have reached it,” the mage said. The carriage had stopped in front of the house.

This is another sign of disrespect.

My uncle and Ronda deserved a manor, but he had kept them in a house. Well, at least their condition is much better than that of the nobles and generals of Viremont.

I heard they were kept in apartments in the jail compound—small apartments with only the basics of necessities.

“What did he say?” asked Ronda, just as I stepped into the house. Seeing his face, I felt the anger I had just buried come back bubbling.

Because of this bastard's failure, I have to suffer the humiliation like I never imagined.

I want to kill him!

Once more, I suppressed my emotions and sat down.

“He is not budging, not even a little.” He opened his mouth, but closed it. “The man even threatened to march his armies to our city, with the road being built by our own army.”

I could see the surprise in his eyes and then the rising anger.

“He would not attack, not now; he is too stretched. Besides, Grimvale won’t let him do that, and Silver wouldn’t want to offend Grimvale, at least not now when they planned to negotiate.”

I nodded at that, but it was frustrating knowing that Grimvale would not attack Silver.

I asked Father to support him unconditionally, but he was not willing.

“But if he used our army as labor, it would be humiliating for our house,” added my uncle calmly, as if the captivity didn’t affect him at all.

Father had talked to that bastard, and he said he had warned the bastard not to attack us.

I hated how relieved it had made me.

The bastard had become too powerful; we cannot go against him. That is why, once I return, I will be more forceful with Father about allying with Grimvale and the others.

We had been burned by him, but we needed to stop Silver or deter him from the thought of attacking us.

“So paying the full ransom was the only option that remained in front of us?” asked Ronda, clearly unwilling. I simply nodded.

Father is not going to like it.

We may have the mine, but our finances aren’t good. The army, the administration, maintenance, and other stuff take a lot. Still, we will have to pay.

“We didn’t have to pay it all at once; there are payment plans,” said Uncle, and I wanted to glare at him.

Those come with interest and won’t release all our men at once. The way he structured it, he will release our weakest men first, before our best, to make sure that we pay the full ransom.

Still, it might be the only choice in front of us.