City of Desire [Kingdom Building]

Chapter 559: Archmage Tower

The carriage stopped, and we got out.

The man who opened the door had said something, but I was too occupied staring at the wonder before me for it to register.

It is the Archmage Tower, the oldest mage tower in the city and its most powerful legacy.

It is also the oldest occupied building on the entire continent. Over the past ten thousand years, every other building has been destroyed at least once in incursions.

During the incursion, the city became one of the world's safest but also one of its most dangerous places.

It hosts one of the incursion gates.

They looked at the tower at first glance. It didn't look as impressive as the other towers, but as one looked further. One would see how impressive the tower is.

The magical red stones do not look special until one focuses on them. Then, they would see a thick layer of mana covering them.

It is not normal mana, but the one formed through an emotional mist that covers it beautifully.

It took me a while to avert my eyes away from it, and I looked around it. The massive preparations have been made for the opening.

The grand opening would be in the evening, with millions of people watching.

I am going inside to join the address of the archmage. It is an honor that is only for the masters of legacy.

So, even sovereigns or nobles wouldn't participate in it. It is the synod of legacies, after all.

I watched as Jill pushed my wheelchair toward the tower.

"Lord Silver, welcome archmage tower," greeted the elf woman as we reached the gates.

Three people are welcoming the guests.

All three of them are Great Mages. If I had a single one in my service, I would have been able to sleep more soundly in my city.

"Thank you," I replied.

They smiled while Jill pushed me inside the tower. As she did, the feeling of one of the most potent legacies came over me.

It was light but filled every part of me like a blanket. Making me feel as safe as I had before.

It gave me a vision of standing in the center with thousands of mages protecting me.

"It's different," said Garzong.

"Only for us," I replied, looking at Jill and Davis. Their eyes are a little cloudy. It looked like they were having some kind of epiphany.

Garzong looked surprised. So is Jon.

"The recreational and entertainment types' legacies are different," I replied to his question.

"It's a spirit. One of the most powerful legacies in the world. I thought its effects would be stronger," said Jon, making my smile appear.

"Who says it's not?" I asked back, looking at Jill and Davis.

Its effects are powerful but not to all people. It is a legacy born by a mage.

The purpose of the archmage tower is magic. It helps the mages research, teaches them, and becomes a focus from which they can launch spells.

It is different than the recreational legacies. That focuses on making their patrons feel better.

We also do not feel its full effects because we do not have mage classes or talent. On top of that, its effects are being restricted.

If we encountered the Towers full power. It would have overwhelmed us. It's a spirit, after all.

As legacies reach the level this one has, they become more than what they seem. Such legacies have many secrets. Some are open, but many remain carefully hidden.

I pushed those thoughts away and took in the impressive lobby.

It exhibited many things, both old and new. The older ones were more than ten thousand years old; the new ones might be as recent as a few months old.

The archmages make changes according to their preferences. The current archmage makes changes every year.

They have an extensive collection accumulated over thousands of years.

I looked at it before looking up at the grand fresco. It is a fresco of the battle, with one side led by an older man in mage's robes.

The opposition is controlled by a tall, pale, alien-looking creature surrounded by an army of similar-looking beings.

I focused on the man.

He is the first archmage, the man who birthed this legacy and even took it to the stage where it is now.

He is a great man, but I am more interested in the others beside him.

The man with crystalline horns is holding a staff. A huge red female armored warrior carrying a massive great sword. A little person with a glittering coat.

Elder races.

I heard there are some in the city, but given their abilities. It's hard to recognize them, even if one spotted them on the street.

They are blessed with powerful abilities and exceptional long lives.

"I wish I could see an elder." I thought. But then realized I might have seen one already. As I said, they are very good at hiding themselves.

I turned my eyes away and looked at the mist.

The signature of every legacy, even the archmage tower, is no different.

However, this mist is very different.

A single speck of it felt more powerful than all the mist of my legacy. It is likely true, given the level of the archmage tower.

To be honest, I am feeling suppressed. This suppression isn't stiffening or even visible unless I focus on it.

Jill seemed to be coming to herself when she pushed my wheelchair not toward the elevator but toward the gate with the silvery screen.

"Only Lord Silver is allowed to go further," stated the attendant.

I nodded and turned to Jill and the others.

"Go enjoy the city. I will inform you when I am finished," I said to them and entered the teleportation gate.

It is my first time using one. They are scarce and expensive.

For a moment, everything was dark before it cleared.

"The continental synod welcomes you, Lord Silver," welcomed a half-elf.

He looked in his late forties, with silvery hair and deep green eyes. He was handsome in a scholarly way, and his eyes were filled with knowledge.

"Grand Mage Alwatyr," I greeted with respect.

He is a Grand Mage, a peer of Salazar. Their power is just below the archmages.

They are capable of leveling cities alone. They are the living nukes.

"Lord Silver, I am going to use the skill that will take away your tiredness and give you vigor as long as you are in the tower," he said.

Hearing that, a big smile couldn't help but appear on my face.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Legacy skill?" I asked, and the man nodded. "Side effects?" I inquired.

"Nothing, but it won't heal you. It will fill you with vigor and keep afflictions suspended until you get out of the tower," he replied.

A moment later, I felt the surrounding mist moving before seeping into me.

As it did, I felt all the weakness in my body disappearing. As if I had never been injured, I felt like I could fight ten battles.

"Thank you, Grand Mage," I warmly thanked the man.

He smiled while I stood and walked toward the vast bronze doors. They are huge and have impressive work done on them. It is the best bronze detail work I have ever seen.

If I didn't have to walk through the gate. I would spend some time admiring them.

"Lord Remus Silver, Master of Velvet Garden. Lord of Greltheaven and Panar,"

Announced the herald as I stepped inside a grand hall, which is richly decorated.

I felt the eyes of hundreds of people on me. Each one of them is important. They are masters of legacies and representatives sent by them.

There are rows and rows of seats, with half already filled.

I could see many familiar faces. People I have met before, people I have only read about.

Many of them turned toward me.

I nodded at some and smiled and soon reached the rows. A surprise appeared on my face when my guide turned in the second row.

I am not the only one surprised. Many reacted with surprise.

The first rows are for the masters of Grade V, Grade VI, and above Masters of Legacies.

The second row is for the Master of Grade IV legacy. Now, the guide is leading me there with more and more people watching.

It would have been much easier. If the seats had our names, the Archmage City likes to keep people guessing.

My name won't appear unless I sit on it.

"Here is your seat, Lord Silver," said the guard as we stopped near the middle of the row.

I looked at my seat and looked at the person sitting beside me.

"Thank you," I said to the guide, sitting in my seat. As I did, my name flashed above me. They had really put me in the second row!

"Lady Ophelia, it's been a while," I said to the woman beside me.

She is Ophelia Awyn. Master of Transcendent Pleasure. A Grade IV legacy.

She considers me her competitor despite us being in different countries.

I don't know why she thinks that. She has a higher-level legacy than me and is also very rich, with brothels all over the merchant state and a few other kingdoms.

She had even poached my people, and more and more girls were getting approached by her people every month.

"It has, Lord Silver," she replied pleasantly with a smile.

"How are the girls adjusting?" I asked.

The woman is so good. Upon hearing the question, not even a hint of surprise appeared on her face, and her pleasant smile remained unchanged.

I am not angry at her poaching.

It is just a business; I have done that myself, but that doesn't mean I like it. Given the work I put into training them, it had irritated me immensely.

"Very well, to be honest. You have trained your girls well, and I wanted to talk to you about it," she replied while I arched my brow.

"I am hoping you would sell the contracts of some of your girls. I am willing to pay good money," she stated, and I have to say, I am surprised.

I didn't expect her to be so audacious and make an offer to me directly.

"My apologies, Lady Ophelia, but their contracts aren't for sale," I replied. The woman seemed to be expecting the reply, as her eyes showed no surprise.

"As you wish, Lord Silver," she said simply.

I know she will not stop. The girls inform us every week that they have been making an offer.

Unfortunately, I couldn't do much about it. I can not directly bar it, as there are always ways around the contract, no matter how tight it is.

All I could do was make it complex and costly for the poachers.

These hurdles are not necessarily enough to stop the people like her. Her legacy is extremely rich; she could afford to poach my people, even at that price.

So, the only thing I could count on was loyalty. It is what kept my girls to me.

Only a few girls agreed and were poached despite hundreds being enticed by the substantial offers. This is what made me most proud.

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