Kitch!
I cut the ribbon, and the people surrounding me began to clap.
"Thank you for this honor, Wilks," I said to the middle-aged man.
"It is me, thanking you, Adviser. Without your help, it wouldn't have been this smooth," replied the man, and we went inside the store.
This is the ninth store in the town and the biggest one.
It is a three-story building, selling everything from soaps to nails. All the stores in the town are single stories tall, but this one is much bigger than any one of them.
It seemed like Wilks wanted to take a first mover's advantage and build a brand.
It is quite a risk for a small merchant like him. He had two stores of similar size in the Greltheaven and now he had built a third here.
It is a considerable investment and a huge risk, but it will be worth it, seeing the business has already started in the town.
The four inns have over 70% occupancy, the apartment buildings already have the renters. The stores are also beginning to earn goods and now with this addition; the nobles might shop here.
The baronies have only started developing, and there is not much there.
The lords buy things in bulk from the city, for their needs and needs of their people. The people of baronies have already started to shop from stores and now nobles themselves might shop here, as it is cheaper than buying from the city.
Once nobles came; the rest will also throng here.
It is what Wilks seemed to want to bank on and it's a great strategy that is likely to work.
I will know in a few weeks how well it will work.
I looked around the store and talked to many merchants who had come to the city for this inauguration before leaving for the castle.
It had been one and half months since I had come here and from nothing, this place had transformed into a proper town.
In such a short time, roads, wells, sewers, and walls had already been built, and businesses like inns, guesthouses, and stores had started popping up.
The town even has official citizens.
There are now three hundred and fifty-three people living in the town officially.
They have registered themselves in town, unlike over a thousand workers, who will leave after the work is done, They will remain here, and their numbers will continue to increase.
Thankfully, we have housing ready for them and anyone who would want to live in the town.
I have built residential buildings and small apartments that even workers could easily afford.
However, I won't be spending more on public housing anymore. As the business has started building them. The public housing was only to show the way, it is private players that will do the rest.
Soon, I entered my office and saw someone already waiting for me there.
"There was another attack today," informed Major Jarvis before I even sat down.
"How many you have caught?" I asked. "Not much, around twenty-two. Fifty-four caught by the other side," he replied.
"It is getting really serious," I said and sighed.
"I need more men and resources."
"We also need to talk to the nobles. Some of them have already started to suspect what is happening," he said.
"I will personally ask the Count about it tomorrow," I replied.
The Count is not as helpful as he should be. It is quite frustrating to deal with that man, especially with messages.
"Please do. If they attacked, and we are not prepared. We are going to suffer a lot," he said gravely.
"I understand," I said.
He left soon after, while I slumped back in my chair. If the monster attacked, it would not only harm men and property but also the business sentiment, which would be very hard to build back.
The business had started to pick up; now every day, a caravan would come from the Oksall, with each caravan at least having twenty carriages.
In a week or two, that is going to increase further. As the merchants started to earn profit, not only in the Navr but also here in the baronies.
The road also made things easy; the Oksall is rapidly building the road through the snowy hills, while we have finished.
There is now a completely paved road from our boundary with Oksall to Mirador Hold. Some of the caravans are going directly to the Mirador Hold, without stopping into the town.
There is only a widening of the road has remained, but Valentina had said, it would be done before the deadline.
I am already happy with her progress; not only hers, but also of others. They are doing a good job, including Thompson-Vilas in Mirador hold.
In two weeks, all three contracts would be finished and there was still some money remaining in the fund.
I have a lot of plans, but I didn't spend too much. I am keeping it for the emergency, which I think is a wise choice.
The day passed, and the night came.
"I have confidence, that you three will handle everything in my presence. Still, if there is any problem, don't hesitate to contact me." I said to three, who have come to send me off.
"You do not need to worry about anything, Adviser. We will keep things smooth here till you return," said Carlos.
I nodded and stepped into the carriage a few seconds later. The carriage passed through the castle gate, under the moonlight.
I going to Greltheaven and couldn't help, but feel excited about the trip.
It had been one and a half months since I had left the city and I missed it very much.
Especially my establishment.
I wanted to go back much earlier, but I couldn't. Even now, I had a shitload of work, but I can't stay here when I am making such an enormous change in my business.
I have to be there, at least for a day.
I watched the scenery of the beautiful road for a while before turning my focus on the book.
While there was a lot of work in the past one and a half months; I also got a lot of reading done. This book I am reading is from the library of Baron Moss. As I finished with all the books, I had brought with me.
When I return, I will bring more books back.
I read for an hour before closing the book and reclining the seat to sleep.
I fell asleep after a few minutes of trying and when I woke up; it was a morning.
The carriage stopped for half an hour to freshen up before resuming the journey again.
I wanted to leave early yesterday, but work longer to finish up than I had thought. I left at midnight, and now I will reach the city, a little later than I had planned.
It seemed like I would need to go to Count Darrow directly.
Soon, I could see the city, and every second, it got closer and closer, till I could see it on the other side of the river.
The carriage stopped, and I walked out and stepped into the boat, which was already waiting for me.
I became a little careful and was glad that I had been surrounded by the guards. Just yesterday, someone important was assassinated in the empire.
The assassin came out of the river, and killed a person, before disappearing.
Even his powerful guards weren't able to protect him.
I pushed the thoughts of death away and enjoyed the beautiful view. The city looked beautiful in the morning, like a pearl in a desert it is.
The ships also seemed to have increased. They have increased. I may have shifted to the Castle Radcliff; I still get the important information about the city, especially on the trade.
The trade is increasing; there is a sudden increase in things like processed ore and specialized crystals among other things.
Those things are used for many things, including the manufacturing of weapons and war-related things.
In the first few months, there were some restrictions on those things from Meldhorn, but in the past two months. They have disappeared; the merchant state is now letting those goods flow unrestrictedly.
I wish I could be surprised, but there is nothing surprising about it.
The merchant states thrive on war, and they will sell anything and everything if they see enough profit in doing that.
It is why people love them and hate them.
Soon, the boat stopped, and I stepped out of it before walking into the carriage waiting for me.
A moment later, it started moving toward the port gate, while I watched the small but bustling port with a smile on my face.
The Greltheaven is really growing fast. I think, if it continues to grow so fast, the single wall won't be enough to hold all these people.
A few minutes passed, and the carriage stopped.
Get Ready.
I didn't get out and instead activated my skill. Immediately, all the signs of sleep vanished. So, has creases and little dirt on my suit and shoes, making them clean.
I looked at myself before stepping out of the carriage and walking toward the familiar mansion.
"He is waiting," said the secretary, as I reached the office.
I nodded my thanks and pushed open the door before entering inside.
"My lords," I greeted Count Darrow and his son.
They are not the only two presents in the office. Aside from them, all three advisers, Mage York and Commander Augustus, are also present.
"Remus, how was the journey?" asked Count Darrow. "Peaceful my lord," I replied.
"And progress?" he asked. "On time, my lord," I replied, and I took out the files and placed them in front of him.
He only glanced at them, before turning back to me, with his expressions serious.
"The monster threat. How is it?" he asked directly. "Grave, my lord," I replied.
"The monsters have attacked nearly all the bandits hiding near the extreme magic region. Major Jarvis thinks that they might target the territories next,"
"It would be great. If we have more resources to deal with attack, that might happen," I requested.
"The monsters wouldn't attack the territories. They have attacked the bandits only because they are quiet to their territory," said Commander Augustus gruffly.
"Still, we should be careful and be prepared to deal with it. It would affect the trade adversely if the attack happened, and we weren't prepared," I insisted and could see it was affecting the Count.
"I don't think it is necessary, Adviser. If some monsters do attack, let the territories handle it. It is about time. They stopped depending on us for security." said Commander Augustus, forcefully.
What is his problem?
It is clear he is not simply stating his views, but intentionally opposing me.
He knows what is happening. I have been sending reports daily. He should understand how desperately we need to be prepared.
I may not have a military background, but even I could tell the monsters might attack, especially when I compare their behavior with past precedence.
'Is he angry about that?' I asked myself.
Little more than a month ago, when I released the bids. He had sent me a letter asking to give all the bids to Brimble Construction company; one of the top four.
Which it didn't, even a single one.
It is the only reason I could think of for a change in his behavior. As before, we had a cordial relationship and worked together relatively well.
Now, he is opposing me and if it had been any inconsequential things, I wouldn't have minded it, but this thing could affect the lives and livelihoods of thousands of people, including mine.
I opened my mouth to answer him, but Lancel had cut me off.
"Why are you pressing so much, Remus? Is it to protect your family's territory at our expense?" asked Lancel, with a despicable smile on his face.
I was about to respond to that when I saw Count Darrow turning to me.
"I can understand your worries, Remus, but as you can see, the finances of the city are tight."
"The most I could do is send some more men. As for the extra resources, you will have to arrange that with the extra funds you have," said the Count.
I wanted to curse at the bastard, but instead, I put on a smile and gave a bow.
"Thank you for your understanding, my lord." I thanked.