"What is the budget for a feast of that magnitude"
"Ten thousand Ternatis" Oweyn responded.
'How weird, a ship cost thirty thousand Ternatis while throwing a city wide party cost...wait - a - minute' "Oweyn, how much do you think a standard ship or let's say an extravagant one costs?"
"If you a talking about an extravagant one, the ones used to transport freights, that'd cost about a thousand ternatis, I am not too sure but it should definitely be around that"
Leon could feel strength leaving his body, "...a thousand?"
"Yes, why do you ask?"
"Just a thousand?"
"Yes, Your grace"
Leon sank his face into his hands, "Gretas..." "Gretas!!!!" He shouted, striking his arms into the sir which startled Oweyn.
"Gretas scammed me of 29,000 ternatis..."
"Is everything okay, your gace!"
"Everything is not okay!!" Leon shouted and belatedly realised he did, "Oh my God! I'm sorry. I'm very sorry Oweyn"
"It's fine, your grace seems stressed, I'll find out what to do about the feast"
"No no, the feast is doable, I'll sponsor it from my pocket, what you should focus on is how to fill up the treasury"
"Yes your grace, thank you for your benevolence" he responded and excused himself from Leon's office.
=> Gretas!!!!!!! Give me my money!!!! Don't let's say too much, just return my money, you know what you did.
=> I'll return 15. Refuse and I'm not doing the quest, I have bought a ship and even preparing to sail tomorrow with some of my friends who have a sea related profession. I have to pay them too.
=> Make it 20.
=> 15 or no quest.
=> 19
=> Fif.....teen
=> Fine, I'll get back at you for this.
=> Thanks for doing business with us.
[You have received 14,999 ternatis from Gretas]
=> You owe me one ternatis
=> bank charges bro, let me be I'm busy.
"This bastard!! Bank charges???...It's not like we are using an actual bank!!"
~Knock~
"Come in" He responded to the door knock.
His head maid entered, "A certain lady wants to see you, your grace"
"Blue haired?"
"Yes, Your grace" Audrey responded.
"Let her in"
She bowed and went out.
Tessa walked in afterwards.
"You seem to be basking in glory and splendour"
"When you enter, the first thing you should do is bow and greet, or I could lock you in the prison. Do you know if I lock you in prison, even if you log out and log in again, you'll still be in the prison, you can't leave until I release you" Leon said to her, enjoying his speech.
"Are you threatening me?"
"I'm telling you facts" He responded with a scoff.
"I need your help"
"All the more reason to be more mannered" he said to her, lifting a tea cup and sipping the tea in it, while resting on his table.
She bowed, "I need your help, my grace"
'...now I feel bad' "You got it wrong"
"Pardon?" Tessa said, lifting her head, her facial expression itself asking a question.
"It's Your grace, not my grace. Anyways what do you need help with, I noticed since the first day we met, you've been on about how we two would need to work together" Leon said, walking over to the couch in front of his table, he sat and gestured his hand towards the couch adjacent his, telling Tessa to sit.
"It's my profession quest, the Ungar tribe protect a cave, to be exact its a gold mine. However no one can enter inside."
"Why not?" Leon asked, his eyes sparkling gold.
"Because that's the lair of the spider queen but that's the least reason why you should be worried" Tessa added and continued, "A dragon's lair is directly connected to that cave, the gold that grew in the cave are an offshoot of the presence of a dragon, at least 30 feet into the ground"
Leon was first startled by Tessa's claim but he calmed, "Isn't 30 feet quite far deep"
"It might seem so, but not for a dragon, the spiders are not the reason why the orcs dare not enter the cave, the dragon is. I don't know why a dragon's lair is underground though but I don't care. I need your help with getting into that cave, the gold is yours, all I just need to do is meet Arak"
"...how do I mine a gold mine without disturbing a dragon that is underneath, do you take me for a fool, the only person that is winning out of this is you. Is that why you have been helping the knights all this while, so that you can have the access to go on the expedition with them. So you knew they were going to fail?" Leon said, the expression on his face was one Tessa hasn't witnessed.
"The Ungar tribe aren't just your normal orcs tribe, they are a notorious group of monster that is capable of communication and growth, their monsters with intelligence, they even have some of them capable of magic and speaking human language."
"I know...Oweyn told me"
"And to be honest their preparation at that time was poor."
"Poor?"
"Yes, after the queen's uncle left the city, he left it in a very bad shape, not physically, but financially, one won't be able to notice because the city is a beautiful one with rich people in it. But the castle is broke. I bet your meals are being made on the people's tax"
"Wow...how do you know all this?" Leon asked.
"Because I hang around the people alot" She responded and continued, "so your only chance of survival right now might be that gold mine and the loot from the orcs"
Leon locked his fingers together, resting his chin over it and resting his elbow on his thighs.
'I can't believe Lia gave me a broke city to rule' He thought to himself.
"Atleast be grateful you are not in debt, like several novels I used to read, you know the mc is summoned to a kingdom filled with debts and then he..."
"It's enough, it's enough..." Leon shunned her, "It seems like the expedition has to happen sooner than I was thinking." Leon looked at Tessa, who was busy admiring the office, 'How did she know so much about the dragons...is it because of her quest or does she have an informant... I guess I have overlooked the value of information. I need to work on that'
"Is there any other thing?" Leon asked her.
"Can't I live in your castle?"
"Get lost"
... ... ...
A large feast happened that night of arrival. The city enjoyed so did the knights. Even though they had failed, they felt so accepted and happy. Streets light was lit overnight and some parts of the street didn't stop drinking and dancing until midnight, especially the quarters filled with brothels, they had more customers than usual, low ranking nobles who were looking for an excuse to fornicate, commoners who didn't have the time to visit brothels, in totality everyone enjoyed themselves.
Leon couldn't sleep overnight as he was greatly disturbed on how to mine the gold, but he couldn't find an answer, so he brought out the white egg which he got from the Helena's Crypt and began to poke it, trying to figure force it to hatch, but nothing happened.
Before the dawning of the day Leon stepped out, in a black cloak. He took a horse and rode out but was crossed by Knight Finduilas.
"Where are you going your grace?" Knight Finduilas said.
"I have to scout the Ungar tribe"
"Your grace, that is the job of a scout, you are the Duke of this great territory not a scout."
"It's dangerous for an ordinary scout." Leon replied.
"If you'll insist, then I must go with you."
"You can't, I don't think you should leave leave city"
"Likewise me too, I don't think the Duke of the city should leave the city and go scouting on the enemy"
'...damn, why is this guy so stubborn' "Fine, since we both want to do something we shouldn't be doing, let's do it together, but what about the city, we could be gone a few days"
"Leave it to Oweyn and Audrey, they've been the one managing the city before you came" Finduilas replied.
"Alright then"
They both rode out of the city on their horses.