City of Desire-Chapter 625: So, kindly get the fuck out of my city!

The elevator stopped, and I walked out. Looking at the large store floor in front of me.

It was morning, dawn actually, so the store floors hadn't opened yet, but despite that, there were people everywhere.

Some are forging the metals, while others are carving the bones or making shoes.

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When the store floors close at midnight, the craftsmen come and start working on the items. Because there is limited space in the stores, only a few people work there.

So, we utilize this open space to work whenever we can. It is necessary, given the sheer number of orders we have.

Everybody wants the mist forged goods.

Today, though, I have not come to watch them craft. I am here to see the stores being readied for opening; I have selected them all and want them to open on the first day of next month.

Soon, I reached the store, and two stores had become one.

I planned to give each owner a single store slot earlier, but like all good plans, I had to change them as the conditions changed.

In this case, the collective changed things.

I have given them two stores, demolishing the wall between them, creating one ample space.

"Lord Silver," greeted Miss Rolgath. The short woman beside her bowed as well.

"Miss Rolgath, Miss Rove," I replied as I stepped into the expanded space.

"How are things?" I asked, looking around. Her people are working day and night, along with artists from Miss Rove's collective.

There is some friction between them; I didn't interfere in it as I found it productive. They are also not letting it interfere with the deadline.

"They are moving on time, my lord," replied Miss Rolgath.

I walked around and saw many people working on different things in the store, including people of Miss Rove. She wanted them to work on it, and I agreed.

I gave them such a large space because the people of her collective are good and multitalented. Eva and others had already hired six of them as freelance and permanent employees.

A few minutes later, I walked out and checked the other stores before going to my training.

Soon, it was ten, and I was in the carriage, moving toward the city hall. Every day is busy, but today is busier. People from the Nehdis design department had come to the Greltheaven.

My people are talking to them. I will join them after they are done.

Nehdis is intentionally delaying it; I could feel the invisible strings but I am desperate. I need the funding to build the academy and the tower.

They understand it as well and are taking complete advantage of that.

I shook my head at those thoughts and looked at my beautiful city. It's truly beautiful and becoming more so by the day.

Soon, the carriage reached the city hall, and I got out.

I nodded at people and talked to a few more before finally reaching my office. My first appointment was already sitting in the waiting area.

A meeting lasted twenty minutes before I worked for an hour and then met another person.

Before I know it, it's the afternoon.

"They are ready for you," informed Zela, and I got up. I looked at what they were doing and didn't like it, but as I had said, we were desperate.

So, when I reached the conference room, I drank down every emotion I was feeling.

"Lord Silver," they greeted.

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Every stakeholder, including the representatives of Synod and Hardman, along with the design team, is already there.

"Everyone," I replied and sat down on the chair.

"This is the information your people have provided us. Please look at it, my lord, and add or correct anything you feel," said Hardman, putting a file in front of me.

These bastards didn't even bring out the Heavencraft parchment. This time, they will only take down the requirements.

I nodded and opened it, reading it page by page, reviewing everything I had discussed with my team about the academy I wanted.

I even shared the vision with Amellus and brought it out on paper. It's a fantastic design. If these bastards had taken it, it would have saved us a lot of time.

Finally, I finished reading. They have added everything; I have nothing to add.

"In the next meeting, in a week to ten days, we will study it and bring our suggestions to you," informed Hardman. I frowned at hearing this.

"Our requirements are complete enough to create an initial design," I stated, turning to him slowly.

I explicitly asked Ammellus to be as detailed as possible so we could move quickly through the design phase.

Thousands of children in the city have finished their schooling and want to study in the academy.

Those with means had admitted themselves in the academies of empire and the merchant states, but that is a fraction of them.

Most are not that fortunate.

We provide some of them with a scholarship, but the city doesn't have enough for everyone.

So, we need the academy as soon as possible. Every day we lose, we deprive them of the opportunity to reach their highest potential.

"It doesn't work like that, Lord Silver," Hardman replied with that irritating smile.

"This is the first step; the next step would be for us to offer suggestions to you. If you accept them, we will once more ask for your requirements in greater detail and offer suggestions, and only then will we bring it out on paper."

"There, we will go through several levels of refinement before we finalize the design and start working on it. This is a standard practice," he added.

He is not wrong; it is standard practice, but they speed it up if the payer demands it.

If the money is good enough, they finish it in a week, and here the money is very good, but the thing is, I am not the one paying them.

"How long will the design phase take?" I asked. "Three months," he replied instantly—the maximum time allowed for the design under the contract.

"But given how we are commuting and the danger your city is in due to your neighbors, We might use section 8C to extend it a little further," he added with a smile.

Section 8C allows them to extend the phase by three more months if the place they are working in is in danger of being attacked, which Greltheaven is.

They could stretch the design phase to six months, which is the time we want the first phase of the academy to finish so we can start accepting students.

That is just the shortest phase, the designing phase. There are many more exceptions in the building phase.

People are pulling strings from behind the scenes, but I hadn't expected them to go this far. No—that's not true. I knew they would, but I refused to accept it.

I was desperate. I am desperate, but I could not bear it anymore.

So, I smiled.

"Mr. Hardman, I am terminating the contract. So, kindly get the fuck out of my city!" I said to shock of all, and it felt good to say it.

Everyone was shocked, including my own people, but the most shocked was a smiling man whose smile had frozen.

It took a while for him to collect his emotions. When he did, that smile was gone.

"Lord Silver, you can't do that. The contract was won by us fairly. If you award it to others, we will sue you!" he threatened.

"I am not terminating the contract with Nehdis. I am canceling the whole damn contract. The city of Greltheaven will fund the academy with its own money!" I replied. Shocking them further.

Faris from Synod opened his mouth but closed it, seeing my expression.

I had read the contract multiple times. It is airtight and made to screw with me, but I could cancel it; I will have to pay the price, but not as much as I would have needed to if I had done that after only a month from signing.

"Lord Silver, don't do this. Synod had been very accommodating toward you; you are throwing it in their faces by doing that," said Faris finally.

"Hehe," I laughed.

"Don't tell me what Synod will do, Faris. You are just a staff; I am a member. I can bear what my organization throws at me," I replied to the man.

Nehdis aren't the only one that was unbearable. This bastard was as well.

There will be some consequences, but I will bear them as they will be much easier to do than suffer through these humiliating contracts.

"Lord Silver, think ab…"

"Get out, Hardman!" I barked before he could finish. The sparks of anger lit up in his eyes.

However, in the next moment, his expression steadied, and he strode out alongside Faris and his team.

"I will not say I am not pleased seeing those arrogant bastards leave, but with us terminating the contract, we will have to build the academy and tower ourselves with the money we don't have," said Valentina, looking at me.

Everybody is looking at me.

We were frustrated by them but desperate. Now, our condition become even worse. However, I feel much better than when I came into the meeting.

The load of humiliation had disappeared from my shoulders. Replacing it with another weight, but this one is familiar. I have been dealing with this one since the moment I stepped foot into the city.

"I will find the money," I replied and turned to Ammellus.

"I will release the first tranche of funds. Start working on the academy as soon as possible and find a good partner for the tower," I ordered.

"As you command, my lord," he replied with a grin blooming on his serious face.

I can't conjure money out of thin air, but I can redirect the funds I had set aside for the city's expansion. Now, they will be allocated to the academy and the tower.

It is not exactly money, but an asset that I will liquidate.

We discussed a few more matters before I left the city hall, a smile on my face. What I did may not have been wise, but I have no regrets.

I would do it again even if someone sent me back in time.