Jonathan left the cave, feeling the power of the totem within his body. The boost was not as readily apparent as a simple percentage boost to his stats on paper. Rather, it felt like the potential of power. As he exited the cave, he summoned power to his right fist, drawing upon his mana core. He felt his Intelligence stat flare, followed by his Strength and Dexterity as he threw a punch. The attack contained much more power than before, the confluence of three stats, each boosted a quarter above their norm. The totem had almost doubled his strength. However, he could tell that his mana concentration was unaffected, and the actual damage dealt by the Void would be the same. All that the totem did was increase the amount of mana that he could summon, as well as the physical power behind it. Then he snorted. Was he really trying to complain about such a profound increase in his strength?
He left the cave behind, feeling at home with his new abilities. With happiness surging within his mind, he headed down into the city, which had noticeably changed in the week or so that he had spent in Tartarus. Many of the buildings were taller than before, and he could clearly see that some of them had been enhanced with purchases from the Trading Hub. Jonathan realized that it was strange that people did not purchase wood from the Hub to use here. If merchants had such easy access to the Trading Hub, then why did Granath not invest in better materials?
Jonathan had seen the massive ocean of wealth that the circle lord bathed in, easily tens or even hundreds of millions of Leviathan Marks. With such an egregious amount of wealth, it would be easy enough to invest in some luxury. Perhaps it was a matter of personal preference. Living in a world like this would likely warp one’s viewpoints. Eons of being surrounded by dark stone would either drive one mad, or imbue an affection for the substance within oneself.
Jonathan headed down into the city, spotting a newly redesigned city hall. After the fracas with the invasion of the city, he had neglected to check on the status of the city hall and the politicians that he had banished. Elections had been carried out for new representatives, on his orders. It was time to see if that had borne fruit.
Upon entering the newly expanded building, Jonathan was struck by the new sense of grandeur that it projected. Statues of him, Edgar and other members of the city stood in a circle around the central meeting area. The guards let him by without a word, and Jonathan happily noted that they were in the higher end of Tier 1. Eventually, he would be able to make a Tier 2 division all of his own.
Without the essence hoarding that Granath carried out, the average level in this city was skyrocketing, especially with the plethora of high leveled beasts in the area.
There was no meeting in session, but a few people sat at the table, working over something. A piece of paper sat on the table between them, and it was marked up with lines drawn onto the paper. It looked like an overhead view of the city, with plans for future improvements drawn on. Hushar and the other Uthraki made construction even easier than before, and it was child’s play to move the wall outwards if necessary.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Jonathan walked over, not recognizing any of the people. There was a dwarf with a distinguished looking mustachio, a female elf and some sort of orcish hybrid. All of them seemed to be able to carry their own weight, and had the scars of someone who had at least dabbled in the martial arts. He could see why they had been elected. It was better to have people who had proven themselves to be capable than vacillating politicians who knew nothing save for how to connive their way to personal benefit. He approached the trio, and they looked up. To their credit, their eyes only widened slightly at the sight of him. Otherwise, they remained professional.
“Faction leader. What brings you here?” The orcish man asked.
“I wanted to get to know the new council members,” Jonathan replied. “I haven’t had a chance to meet any of you yet.
“Ah. You want to see if we are better than the corrupt cabal that we replaced?” The dwarf asked. “Apologies for the rough tone, but I prefer honesty to fawning. My name is Andravus. I was a guard before I was elected. Most of us were, in fact.”
“I’m glad to hear that. At least you lot have actually done something for the city. What happened to your predecessors?”
“They were voted out. Some of them hang around the city hall now and again, trying to get reinstated. Others simply laze around, waiting for their lost fortune to return. The only ones I have a modicum of respect for are those who have turned their sights to something else, and gave up on their dreams of ill gotten power. Better a dirt hut built by one's own hands than a kingdom unearned,” the female elf said, in tones that were rich and cultured. She had clearly been picked because of both experience and more general competence.
“Well said,” Jonathan replied. “What is your name?”
“I am Shadwen Briarharp. I was a minor noble in one of the Fae Courts back on Telvaria, but now I am nothing more than a woman adrift. Your city has given me meaning once more.”
“Forgive me if this is rude, but do all elves have last names based on some sort of concept?”
“Yes. All of them have at least a word in their surnames that relates to their clan’s expertise, or some aspect of it. If one does not, then they are most likely a half elf. We guard our traditions tightly.”
“Ah. And who are you?” Jonathan asked, turning to the orc.
“The name’s Jedan. I lost the right to my clan name after being consigned to the Hells. It is a stain that I am working to clean from my soul.” The man made a curious gesture, as if wiping some invisible mark from his chest. Then he fell silent.
Satisfied, Jonathan gave them all a short bow, and left the city hall, intrigued by the progression of the military within the city. Within the length of time that they had been gone, Jonathan expected some substantial growth.