Ben had now filled the top three property lots out of his nine property lots grid with new businesses. Now he was standing in the center lot of this nine lots grid. He had thought about placing a new business structure here but being it was the center lot it would be soon surrounded by other business structures he built.
He came up with a new idea for this central lot and decided to make a small park here. He placed trees on the perimeter of the property design and added flower gardens, fountains, and statues along a stone pathway which ran across the property design in an "X" shape.
In the center of the X shaped walkway, he designed a 100-foot tall concrete and rebar circular tower. At the top of the tower was a flying saucer-shaped observation deck with thick plate glass windows that would allow people to look out over the city and the wilderness landscape beyond the walls in any direction.
A staircase wound around the inside of the circular tower allowing visitors to climb up to the observation deck. Ben knew climbing this staircase would be difficult for most people so he used the elevator system from a hotel he had unlocked but never had built. It was redesigned to be a simple system with two buttons for the top floor and the ground floor.
The elevator drove the price of the design up but Ben thought this observation tower would be a huge hit and everyone in the city would come to see it and want to go up and look out from the observation deck. It would be hard to miss, standing at 100 feet tall and would be the tallest structure in the city. Once the tower was built you would see it where ever you were in Goldcrest.
Ben saved the design in his custom building menu for now and without finalizing it. It was still the middle of the day and if a 100-foot tower suddenly appeared the entire city would come flocking over to see what was going on.
He left the center tower lot empty for now and walked to the lot just east of this center lot. Ben opened the Entertainment category in his Build Menu and began construction of a [Cabaret].
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[Cabaret]: A combination of a pub, restaurant, and nightclub. Guests can dance to live music or watch live performances by actors, comedians, and singers. [Costs: 300g]
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The cabaret had a flashy theatrical exterior and the inside of it had a 50s nightclub vibe. There were small intimate tables surrounding a dance floor in front of a stage where people could watch various types of performances while enjoying appetizers and drinks.
Ben walked west across the empty lot where the tower would be built later and stopped on the far west lot along the street and went into the Build Menu Entertainment category again.
This time around he would another Entertainment structure that he was a little leery about. The place he chose to pull up on the design menu was a [Circus]. He had nothing against circuses but he was concerned about the animals. He knew they would be docile thanks to the system creating them but he was worried about the smell from them and the care they needed.
'Athena, can you tell me anything about the Circus as far as maintenance goes? I want to know what the life expectancy on the tent material, what type of animals it provides, and how much care is involved in dealing with those animals.'
*Ding!* [The Tent is a PVC coated canvas material. The canvas has a vinyl fabric fire-retardant PVC vinyl material known for strength and durability. It is sturdy and made to handle extreme outdoor conditions and heavy stress. The infusion of QI and Mana into the materials must also be taken into consideration. Depending on local weather conditions the tent should last for an estimated fifty years. As for your questions on the animals, the circus works similar to a guild. You can recruit specific performers, trainers, and animals to work your circus. All the animals are taken care of by the Circus internal system in the same way the stables take care of your horses. All animals are fed, cleaned, and pick up after by the system. All food for the animals will be withdrawn from the closest Warehouse. If any animal has a specific dietary needs the circus system can convert certain foods into the specified needed food.]
'It sounds like the circus uses the same system as the stables then it can convert one grain into another by adding or rearranging the atoms to make a new food. If the animal's enclosure and needs are taken care of by the Circuses internal system I don't have anything to worry about and if this tent can last for fifty years it would be more than enough time for it to pay for itself.'
The information provided by Athena made Ben feel more comfortable using the Circus so he went ahead and began construction. Because it was just a large tent and a few animal enclosures it was built in a few minutes.
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[Circus]: Live performances are performed under a large tent in front of a live audience by acrobats, trained animals, trapeze artists, and clowns and many more attractions. [Costs: 200g]
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For now, Ben chose to not recruit any performers or animals until he prepared a little more. He wanted to deal with the new employees he would be hiring all at one time and not have to make multiple trips to the Small Palace arranging rooms for them all.
There were now a total of six property lots out of his nine property lots being used so he moved south into the area of the last three empty lots.
Ben was now thinking about the Stable after he had heard Athena compare the Circus to it. These businesses were going to need numerous employees to run them and they would all be staying at the Small Palace in the noble district across town. Instead of making them all walk to and from work every day Ben decided he would build a Stable and a carriage lot on the southernmost center lot.
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[Cavalry Stables]: A large facility that raises and houses many varieties of mounts used from Earth and Victus. From a standard horse up to a ferocious magical beast can be chosen to be raised here. A higher stables upgrade level allows for a wider choice of mounts. [option to crossbreed some species with DNA interface] [Locked until: built Barracks] [requires: wood, stone, iron, glass]
[costs: 2000g]
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Even though it was called a Cavalry Stables there were no restrictions on how it was used. Ben could use the creatures housed in it for any purpose he chose.
Next, to the Stables, he used the Stone-Paved Road tool to make a large parking lot with a connecting narrow Stone Paved road that led from the parking lot out to the city street.
Once the parking lot was constructed Ben built a wrought iron fence around it and placed a locking gate at the entrance to the carriage parking lot.
Inside the new parking lot, Ben brought out twenty of his carriages he had used during the battle and arranged them neatly. He then went into the stables and brought up his horse design and purchased forty of them. These forty horses would pull the twenty carriages in teams of two.
Moving to the eastern lot next to the stables Ben chose to make a risky construction. Here he was going to build a Small Hotel Tower. The reason Ben thought it was risky was that the continent was divided up into kingdoms and right now they were at war with the southern kingdom.
The kingdom just south of Aregard was the Trareniel Kingdom who just invaded. The Trareniel Kingdom stretched from the eastern coastline all the way to the border of the Wayward Woodlands. This meant the Trareniel Kingdom could impede the other kingdoms and merchants from traveling to the Aregard Kingdom!
Aregard was now completely isolated in the northeastern section of the continent and the only way for them to continue trade with the other kingdoms would be by sea routes.
There were going to be hard times coming for Aregard soon because there would no longer be any visitors or traveling merchants in the kingdom. You could almost bet
the Trareniel Kingdom would do something to hurt Aregard trade.
This was why Ben thought his Hotel was a risky move. Without outside visitors to the Capital the hotel would need to rely on local business alone. He assumed people would come to his business district to attend the late night entertainment and stay in the hotel instead of traveling home occasionally but would there be enough people staying there to make it worth it?
Ben had a few ideas on how to help Aregard bypass the Trareniel Kingdom but this plan would still need to be discussed with King Sletten.
He decided to go ahead and take a chance by building the Small Hotel Tower, and in the end if it wasn't worth keeping he could always tear it down and build another business here.
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[Small Hotel Tower]: 100 units, 10 stories,
[Each Unit]
[1 Bedroom]: 2 queen size beds, nightstands, dressers, area rugs, vanity, ceiling light.
[1 Bathroom]: flushing toilet, hot/cold running sink, bathtub, shower, mirror, towel closet
[Small Living]: Room: sofa, two reading chairs, coffee table, two end tables, ceiling light.
[Small Balcony]: table and four chairs
[First Floor has an indoor swimming pool and game room]. [costs: 3000g]
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It was now getting late in the day and Ben was running out of money and ideas. He decided to call it a day and cast Zoom to his store office. He went out and greeted the customers and thanked them for coming to the store. He did not want people showing up around his new property yet so he kept it to himself that he was making a few new businesses in the old warehouse district.
When the store closed he sat down with his employees and told them it was time to increase their salaries. The store was bringing in good money now and they were all busting their butts for him every day.
Instead of discussing what would be a fair increase Ben decided to triple all their salaries. In the next couple days he would have more money coming in with this new project in the old warehouse district and even if he quadrupled their salaries the store would still be bringing in a steady flow of gold coins for him.
Ben appreciated all their hard work and wanted them to improve their lives and not have to live like regular struggling commoners. They all wore Ben's noble crest and he was an Archduke, it was time for his people also stood above the other commoners in the city.
With this increase in salary, they could live just the same as a well-off merchant store owner. If they wanted to buy a better home with more land it would be possible now.
"I wanted to have everyone attend this meeting today because it is time I made good on my promise. Before this store opened I had said when the store grows I would increase your salaries. I think we all can say the store has grown and it continues to grow. I am proud of how hard all of you work in here every day to make this store so successful and I want to show my appreciation for your dedication. So, as of today, I will be tripling each of your salaries!" Ben said with a smile as he raised his hands with his palms up.
*Silence*
*The calm before the storm*
Every one of them stood frozen as Ben's words slowly sunk in. Their eyes all grew into saucers and their mouths were moving without words.
"Well, I thought you all would be excited if you don't want the raise then we can just forget I ever said anything." Ben said jokingly as he laughed at their reactions.
Cordelia and Baynard had their laugh at his expense the other day so he thought he'd give them a jab back.
The sales girls all began to squeal with glee and were jumping around hugging each other.
Cordelia was shaking her hands in front of her and said, "NO, NO, NO! We are excited! It is too late you can't take it back now! I can't believe this! I, I, I,"
She was so flustered she was actually at a loss for words for once Ben began laughing and noticed even the quiet and reserved Baynard was rather excited.
Ben brought out a stack of leather pouches from his inventory and began passing them out.
"Today is payday so here are your new weekly salaries. I haven't said anything because I have been so busy but the other day I was promoted to Archduke. I am now the highest ranked noble in the Aregard kingdom for now. You all wear my noble crest now and work for an Archduke so it is time you all to improve your lives. With this increase in salary, each of you can now afford a nice house on a decent sized property. You already get the best food in the kingdom and most of the store products for free so this increase in your income should allow you to live better than any other commoners in this city. Now everyone head home relax or celebrate and if the store continues to grow who knows you could even end up making even as much as some of these entrepreneurial nobles one day."
The girls all threw noble protocol to the wind and dove into Ben's arms. They were all trying to hug him at the same time while they were crying tears of happiness. He just turned to look at Baynard while shaking his head. Ben reached out and shook his hand while he was being smothered and told him to head home to his wife and deal with the books tomorrow.
The girls all eventually let Ben go and went home as well leaving Ben in the store by himself.
He flipped the sign turned off the lights and locked the door and security shutters. Next, to his store off the street, he cast Zoom and teleported to his bedroom in the keep.
Ben found Mythia in her room looking over her books and noticed she had already improved since yesterday. It was incredible how quick someone could learn when the information was directly planted in their mind.
The two of them went over to the Restaurant together and Ben told her he wanted her to take the day off from working out and studying tomorrow. He planned to hold a private burial for her parents in the morning.
He still couldn't break it to her that he had their bodies and decided to just bring her to the cemetery and have them laid out. This was one of those situations where there wasn't a right or wrong way to go about it. At times like these, you wanted to let others know you were there for them but there wasn't anything you could really do to help them but offer them support.
Mythia went back to the keep and Ben went off to the Barracks and arranged to have eighteen knights show up at the cemetery in full battle gear just after sunrise.
Ben left the Barracks and went down to the cemetery and walked to the opposite end from where the fallen soldier's mausoleums were. He built a large mausoleum which was identical to the others but only bigger.
He brought out the three caskets and used the statue tool to take a 3d image of the bodies and recreated a white marble statue of Mythia's mother, father, and older sister standing together with their arms around one another. Their statues were placed in front of the new mausoleum where anyone who visits could see their smiling faces looking down at them.
Later on, as Mythia grew up it would become difficult to recall their faces. Ben knew better than anyone that time slowly fades the images of your loved ones from your memories no matter how hard you try to hang onto them. These three statues would always be here for her if she wanted to see her family.
Out in front of Mythia's family tomb, Ben built three marble altars with the statue tool and landscaped the area around the mausoleum.
Back at the keep he went upstairs and helped Mythia study until she went off to bed. Ben left her room and went down to the 2nd floor to use the Qi Chamber. He cultivated all night and left the keep as the sun was rising and waited in the cemetery for the knights.
When they arrived Ben laid out the three caskets on the three marble altars. He told them where he wanted them to stand off to each side and that he would have them break into groups of six later to carry the caskets into the mausoleum and lay them next to one another.
Ben had them watch over the bodies and he went up to the Seamstress and used Mythia's saved measurements to make her a beautiful formal black dress, a black formal church hat, and black knee-high stockings in her measurements.
As the outfit was being made he walked to the Shoe Maker and began making a pair of shiny black leather flats in her size.
By the time Ben walked back to the keep the outfit was done he went upstairs and woke Mythia up and had her put on her new outfit. He felt terrible when she was so excited to wear it because she thought it looked like a princesses dress. He knew deep down she would never want to wear this dress again after today.
Ben was in his noble outfit and Mythia was in her new black outfit as they left the keep and walked down toward the Cemetery. Ben stopped at the entrance of the Cemetery and went down on one knee to her height.
"There is something I haven't told you yet. I have been avoiding it because...I don't want to hurt you." Ben paused while he looked at Mythia.
Here he was just nineteen years old, even though he had changed so much since he arrived in this world. Ben was still a young man and he was having a difficult time trying to tell this sweet little girl her dead family was in this Cemetery waiting for her.
"When I was a little older than you, my parents died in an accident. From where I come from it is an important thing to bury your loved ones it helps us to deal with their loss and to move forward with our lives. The last time you were here we buried my soldiers who died fighting the invaders and afterward I felt terrible I had left your deceased family behind. My soldiers were properly buried but your family wasn't"
Tears began to roll down Mythia's face as she quietly listened to Ben. The memories of her family came rushing back to her again and she tried to remain strong and not break down.
"I went back to your home and recovered your families bodies and I brought them back here. I couldn't just leave them behind and I wanted to give you another chance to say goodbye to them. Everything had happened so fast back then that I had whisked you away before you could even see them one last time. They are here in the Cemetery waiting for you to say goodbye."
Mythia's small legs were shaking and she was holding back the tears the best she could. She wanted to become strong and to make her family proud but it was impossible to bury her feelings and memories.
She once had a family who loved her and her older sister who was like Ben, she looked after her and spoiled her. They were poor and did not have enough money to always put food on the table but they had each other and it was enough for them.
Ben had tears in his eyes as he watched her try to stay strong. He stood up and picked her up like he did when he first met her and carried her in his arms to her families mausoleum.
The knights in their shiny armor stood at attention off to the side as they approached. Ben set Mythia down and allowed her to walk forward to each of the open caskets which laid on top of the marble altars.
Ben had done a great job with them after he cleaned, groomed, and dressed them. They all looked like they could have just returned from a grand royal ball and were now napping after a long day.
Poor little Mythia couldn't hold back when she saw their faces once again. It was the same as when she had killed the soldier. She was now draped over her mother's casket and her cries came rattling out while she gasped for air. It was such a heartbreaking scene the knights who were standing by had trouble remaining at attention. It was obvious they began to grow uncomfortable and wished to do anything they could to ease the little girl's suffering.
Ben simply raised his hand in a stop pose and shook his head without saying anything. This was Mythia's time to grieve and he didn't want to rush her through it.
It took her some time to move from one casket to the next and she whispered loving words to each of her deceased family members. Ben didn't activate his Enhanced Hearing, this was a personal moment and it wouldn't be right for him to eavesdrop.
Mythia had slowly gone from her mother to her father and lastly, she said goodbye to her big sister who had always been there for her growing up. When she stood up Mythia looked up at the statue of them all hugging one another as they looked down smiling at her.
She loved this statue and wanted to think they were still happily together somewhere looking down on her as she moved forward in life.
'Mamma, Pappa, Big Sis...I love you and miss you all, but don't worry, I am living a great life and I have a new big brother who loves and spoils me. Please watch me as I grow up and make you all proud of me!' Mythia said a final goodbye to the her family while looking at the statue and walked over to stand beside Ben.
Ben looked to the knights and nodded. They split off it three teams with three men on each side of a casket. They closed the lids and lifted the caskets together. The caskets were taken inside the mausoleum one after the other.
When the knights walked out of the tomb Ben stepped forward with Mythia and he locked the steel door and hung the key around Mythia's neck on a gold necklace.
Ben looked up at the family statue and spoke, "I want you to know your daughter is in good hands. I will protect and raise her to one day stand against the evil of this world. I will be sure to provide for her anything she needs, shower her with love, and to make sure she lives a safe and happy life. Rest in peace and please continue to watch over her. I am sure you all will be proud of the great woman she will become."
Ben spoke these few quiet words toward the statue and when Mythia heard them she began to cry again. She had only known Ben for a short time but she was really happy to be with him.
Mythia had lost her precious family, but she had somehow gained a loving big brother.