An Anti-Hero's Origin

Interference

^^ Sir Gavin ^^

I didn't expect a Flood of applicants, by any means, when I sent out my Guild Requests; if anything, I had expected a small group of curious people, maybe ten total in the first month, and then once word got out, they'd slowly trickle in. However, four months later, it was moving towards the very end of Spring, and I had had not even one Applicant show up in Hightower. Remedying my disappointment, somewhat, was the fact that the crops grown underneath my tower were selling well, priced at one third the price of most others due to their simplicity, and the monster goods being gathered every time I sent Laplace and Damocles down into the other Chambers to cull the populations of the various monsters within sold even better, given their pristine conditions. At my father's request, the Naga that had been a problem around the Hall of Research were sent to the Paean Floor, using the large field of marshy swamp-grass around the lake as their Nest; it was a more fitting environment for them, (if they stayed away from the Paean Lake,) as it kept their hides moisturized and thus shinier after tanning, increasing their worth.

Simultaneously, several other Monster Summoning Rooms were finished, increasing the number of species' that the Tower was regulating, the number of goods we were selling, and the amount of Mana we were gathering, allowing several other tasks to move forward, such as the wall being repaired and expanded upward by the Conjuration Mages that had once worked for Aster, and now worked for me, (I didn't count them as Applicants so much as Acquisitions, due to the nature of their hiring circumstances,) as well as nine Gates to the various cave complexes for Hunting, in the Lobby, and the Permanent Gate to Hightower in my Viewing Room, at the top of the Tower. I'd chosen the Viewing Room for its beauty, partly, but also because it was an enclosed space that allowed a view of the surroundings, and it was impossible to exit from without the Elevator, (which Evander had constant, conscious control over,) preventing break-ins to the rest of the Tower through the use of the portal, if such a scenario ever came up.

Still, the Masons that were directing the building of the various businesses and homes worked efficiently and hired their own assistants so I didn't have to, and after four months of work there was a decent amount of progress; surrounding the back end and the sides of the Tower now were a trio of mansions, as well as a small collection of basic shops and a general store, as well as a pair each of bars, brothels, and inns, (all currently unattended, but ready for owners and employees and such,) walled in with a secondary Wall about twice the size and thickness of the original. It had only two Gates, situated at the northern and southern ends, both made of thick stone that only managed to move because of the Levitation Runes I had enchanted them with, enabling them to lift a quarter centimeter off the ground and turn to close before settling. This protective measure was the main thing that had convinced the Masons to move here and build the whole city, considering I was mostly paying them with the Land they had each claimed as well as free Materials for their work and free food for their homes, in the future, alongside a monthly wage of copper and silver to pay their assistants. Still, as useful as it was, I didn't like that it made a clear distinction between the Founders of the City and the 'Others' who would come later; I knew enough about humans to know that would become an issue, and so I'd saved a good half of the space within the Inner Wall for the towers of the Elves who would eventually live here as well as Parks to preserve some sort of natural beauty.

Underlying it all, however, from the outer wall to the Tower itself, was a simple grid of copper pipes and sewers; much like the ones that made up my Orchard's cage, the copper pipes flowed with hot water to keep the ground warm, and subsequently the air as well. The sewers fed into the Paean Lake, but the water that flowed out into the city was mostly stripped of anything except a few basic minerals to keep people healthy. It took about two months with Aster's help to set up completely, but we successfully managed to make sure the entire city had access to hot water and sanitation, as well as warming the air and ground within three meters or so of the pipes; buildings with second and third floors would be above that enchantment's reach, and would have to be attached to the system while being built, but that wasn't a challenge now that it was set up.