When Kai left the Tower of the Source, he went straight to the headquarters of the Trade and Research Union to look for Solina.
He had spent a lot of time working non-stop, so he didn't mind relaxing. Especially since he had promised this to Solina... And his promises had to be kept!
When he entered the headquarters, he immediately asked the butler to bring several barrels of good wine to his room, as well as some snacks. Kai immediately hinted that he would be resting today and it was best not to disturb him.
He learnt from one of the maids where Solina's room was. But after some thought, he decided to send a message through a servant. It was quite prosaic: "Councillor Kai wishes to discuss with you the fulfilment of the tasks of the Trade and Research Union. If it would be convenient for you, please find him in his private chambers."
When he arrived, in his room, after waiting for the wine and snacks, Kai put on his loose robes and sat quietly at the wide table.
It didn't take long for Solina to arrive... Not even half an hour later, she entered and sat across from him with a smile.
- And what did you want to discuss with me Counsellor Kai? - Playfully said the girl.
- Did you do your job well? - Kai asked with a smile, winking at the girl.
- Knowing the reward, how could I have performed it through my sleeves? Hee hee. - Blushing, Solina laughed.
- Good girl. Let's have a drink and relax for a while then. I'm always happy to have your company. - Smiling, Kai asked.
- I'm only in favour! - Solina said and clapped her hands together.
The evening flew by quickly and in the morning Kai felt refreshed and refreshed. Morally rested, he got dressed in fresh clothes and headed out.
As he was walking down the corridor, he saw Diso on his way out.
- Hey! Fatso, wait! - Kai shouted and ran towards Diso.
- Oh! It's you brother Kai. How are you doing? - Diso asked me in a friendly manner.
- Brother Diso, I have the same question. But I'll answer it politely first. - Kai said with a smile. The alchemy room is ready. I'll do the garden today, as I didn't want to scare the workers with my energy. - Kai explained the situation.
- I see your point. I have a similar situation... Half of the work is done. - Diso said slyly, "All legal matters are settled. We are now the owners of the Trade and Research Auction! I've rented a luxurious building, trained staff, maids, and everything else we need. I've also started spreading rumours about the event through our guys. - Smiling, Diso explained.
- What kind of information are you spreading? - Asked Kai.
- I'm spreading rumours about the upcoming grand auction. Only the rich will be able to afford something. Entry will be by invitation only. And some more nuances... - Answered Diso.
- How's it going? Any first results? - Kai asked with a smile, waiting for an answer.
- Of course! Don't underestimate me Brother Kai! Some alliances friendly to us are already sniffing around about it. Others have even directly asked about the invitation ticket. Hehehe. - Diso said angrily.
- Hehehe... You're as tough as ever Brother Diso! Make them take the bait deeper! - Angrily said Kai and threw his arm around Diso's neck.
- Of course! Only some alliances and influential people will come to the first Auction... But when everyone finds out about the goods they were able to buy and the Auction process itself... Hehehehehe. - Diso paused, -That's when the real game begins! - Slyly looking at Kai, Diso said.
So far, only Kai and Diso knew about the Auction House's true goals. Therefore, from the outside, their conversation looked strange. To those who heard them, it seemed like they were up to something bad.
The people at the headquarters were always surprised at their Head, at times when Counsellor Kai appeared. The manner of communication changed drastically... And in principle, it seemed that with Kai's appearance, the atmosphere in the alliance itself changed for the better.
Counsellor Kai was a very mysterious man. Many people began to gossip that he was the grey cardinal of the Trade and Research Union. It was said that he wasn't really missing anywhere, he was just doing important things. But this theory had its detractors. Namely, the people who had singled out the first day Kai appeared. The emotions of the Head and all the other Councillors were absolutely sparkling and genuine. That was impossible to play!
- All right! I'm counting on you Brother Diso. Then I'm off to work on our herbs. Hehehe. - Kai said in a hint and after saying goodbye, he started moving towards the Tower of the Source.
After about an hour of time, Kai was already on the ninth floor, namely Diso's dwelling.
- Perfect! The work is finally finished. - Kai said with a smile as he looked at the perfectly levelled ground.
- Good, now we can do the energy harvesting array and herb planting...'' Kai said to herself.
"Basically, the soil area is similar to the garden area in Astral Grad... Since I'm not an herbalist, and I don't understand the principles of their craft. I'll just plant the plants according to the same patterns." - After thinking for a moment, Kai went to draw the array.
Even such a seemingly uncomplicated craft as herbalism had its own principles and laws. Sometimes, certain herbs could not be planted next to each other. Kai decided to plant the herbs in the same order as they grew in the Astral Garden. The garden had existed there for thousands of years, which meant that it had not been designed and planted by stupid people.
Kai thought it was the right thing to do. The agrarians of the past at least understood more about this craft than Kai.
But first... We need to draw the array!
It wasn't as complex as the alchemy enhancement array. It was just huge, especially since they needed to draw a few smaller ones inside. Kai estimated that along with the seating arrangements, the whole thing could take him up to a fortnight.
"Might need to get some labourers to help... With them I can get everything planted much faster..." - Looking at the empty plaza, Kai realised that doing it all alone would be masochistic.
"Hmm... I'll just draw a diagram of where to plant and sort all the plants by species. Let the herbalists that Diso will hire do it... I'm too lazy to do all that. I'd rather spend my time doing some interesting alchemical orders..." - Thought Kai and nodded.
As soon as Kai decided on his plan of action, black energy lit up on his fingers. He proceeded to draw.
So for the next week, Kai spent the whole week crawling around the garden area and drawing. And then moved already inside the outer circle.
"Whew... Finished!" - Kai thought.
At that moment, his fingers were finishing the last element of the array.
Dum! There was a sound, and a resonance of energy spread out. It seemed as if some massive mechanism had started up.
Having finished its work, the energy swirled, and began to concentrate within the garden. Since the Source Tower was pumping out incredible amounts of energy from the bowels of the earth, the Kaya Array couldn't upset its balance. Probably not many people would notice anything strange.
But that didn't mean the Kai Array was weak! As soon as it started up, it seemed like all the energy in the Diso sector became denser. Even outside the garden area!
- Hehe... It's working beautifully! This should be enough! - Kai said smiling, -Tax, I'll get some of the herbs and give them names. I'll also draw a diagram of how to plant each of them... - Kai said thoughtfully.
With a wave of his hand, small piles of herbs began to appear in front of Kai. He deliberately took out each herb separately. So that he wouldn't have to shovel the pile, where everything was mixed together. Also, he only took out enough for seedlings. He kept most of it for alchemy.
"I'll finish it, and then it's up to Fatty... Hehe." - Kai thought, smiling at the same time. And then he went on with his work.