As David navigated the narrow streets of Undercity, he was struck by an unexpected atmosphere. The residents looked... normal. Rather than appearing malnourished or miserable, most seemed quite the opposite. It was as if they were emerging from a long drought rather than enduring one.
Wherever he looked, he saw hopeful faces and busy people. If he hadn't been told of the embargo beforehand, he wouldn't have known anything was happening at all.
After asking around, David soon found himself in front of a gigantic black tower. This used to be the headquarters of one of the gangs but now served as the center of administration for all of Undercity. It was also the place where the Council held their meetings.
David used the cover of Darkness to enter the building unnoticed. Even though his lord had made ample preparation, he would verify the trustworthiness of the people here himself. After all, loyalty was a fickle thing, sometimes. The moment the master was out of sight, some people would suddenly start to get ideas…
As he climbed the tower, David took a moment to inspect each and every floor. His findings were rather impressive. From research labs and Rune carving, all the way to forges, the tower was equipped with tools of any profession. With the right personnel, they would be able to manufacture almost anything.
Near the top floor, David encountered a large wooden entrance, guarded by vigilant sentries. The impressive security measures made him hesitate for the first time since arriving in the country.
The Chimeroi guards reacted as soon as he stepped onto the floor. Though they couldn't pinpoint his exact location, the canine humanoids could clearly sense his presence. David backed up as much as he could while searching for an alternative way to approach this.
His searching gaze grew urgent as the sounds of sniffing drew closer. Of course, they were detecting him by scent. Just before he was completely surrounded, he spotted a narrow metal pipe connected to a furnace. His eyes lit up—this must be part of a central heating system! If his guess was right, the network would likely extend to every corner of the floor.
He dove for the apparatus, slipping out of the encirclement. As he squeezed into the narrow pipe, his body distorted and flowed along its length. Shadow Magic wasn't quite the same as Space Magic, but it offered impressive mobility under the right conditions. In complete darkness, he moved like a fish in water, unbound by the usual constraints of mass, and his speed was greatly enhanced.
Soon, David passed through an iron grate that sealed up the vent. In his rush, he had been forced to estimate his route, but he had always been good at that. His shadowy form slid down the wall and hid in a corner of the hall he now found himself in. As he took in the scene, it immediately became apparent why security had been this tight.
The council was in session.
About two dozen people sat around a large, round table. Here, David finally sensed the anxiety that had been missing in the streets. The atmosphere was tense, with people constantly talking over each other, revealing the lack of an obvious leader. Yet, the contrast between the carefree populace and the anxious leaders suggested they had good intentions if nothing else.
David decided to stay hidden for a while. The question of their loyalty would be answered in time if he merely listened to their plans.
"…that is not a long-term solution," a soft-spoken woman said. "No matter what, we won't be able to endure for much longer."
"We all know that," a scaly man replied. "But what's your plan? Now that people have had a taste of the finer things, they won't easily settle for scraps."
"How much do we have left?" a woman asked. She was sitting with two other girls who shared her exact appearance. David remembered reading about the triplets. They had been found to possess a marvelous healing ability. He wondered what position they now held.
"A month's supply before we need to start rationing," a blue-haired woman replied. She exuded a familiar aura. This must be Naida Wellenreiter from the Empire.
A man with the head of a boar snorted, though he seemed rather impressed. "That is more than expected."
Naida nodded at him. "I was instructed to buy as much food as I could before anybody noticed that something was amiss. It took them longer than expected, but the market eventually ran dry."
Silence fell for the first time since David arrived, as no one seemed to know what to do about the current situation. Eventually, an elderly man with features resembling a monkey broke the uneasy quiet. "...Did he give you any other instructions?"
Naida shook her head. "I think his exact words were: Don't worry too much and hold out for as long as you can."
The monkey nodded and turned toward a girl who hadn't spoken at all so far. "What about you, girl?"
David eyed the girl with curiosity. She had dark, wavy hair, green eyes, and cat-like ears. This had to be Soria, the young woman who had been fortunate enough to catch the young lord's eye during one of his ordeals. She was also the person David had been instructed to make contact with. It appeared that she held quite a bit of sway in the council.
Soria hesitated briefly before speaking. Her voice was initially weak but grew more certain with each word. "I believe—no, I know—that Blood Dragon foresaw these events. Therefore, I'm certain he's already taken the necessary steps to ensure our safety. If we follow his instructions, I'm confident everything will come together. Don't waver now; help is surely on the way!"
"Faith is good," a dwarfen woman said. "But we've already done everything we were supposed to. Our production lines are ready, and our workers are waiting for orders, but what now? We have neither a product to make nor a distributor to sell to. Where is—"
"Somebody is here," a woman interrupted, and to David's surprise, he found her looking right at him. She had fluffy white ears like those of a rabbit's, and her piercing purple eyes were locked onto his silhouette.
Now that he was paying attention, he could clearly see the shadows around him behaving strangely. How careless... to assume safety just because he couldn't sense another Shadow Mage. Apparently, he had not considered the Chimeroi's innate abilities. With little choice left, he dispelled his [Shadow Cloak] and stepped into the light.
"Who are you?" a man with the head of a boar questioned. "And what are you doing here?"
"Greetings," David said simply. "I am the help you've been waiting for."
The council member, out of which many had already gotten to their feet, froze at this bold proclamation. Many glances were exchanged, but it was Soria who spoke first. "Can you prove you are who you say?"
David nodded and, with careful movements, retrieved a sealed letter from his briefcase. A simple string of shadows delivered the paper to the girl. It was a message Ezekiel had personally written and, according to him, would surely convince Soria of his identity.
David hadn't read the contents, but seeing the girl's reddening face, he knew the message had its intended effect. He couldn't help but smile. It appeared the young lord hadn't lost his charm with the fairer sex. Hopefully, David wouldn't have to worry about the future of their house…
With an awkward cough, Soria faced the remaining members of the council. "There is no doubt: he was sent by Blood Dragon."
With Soria vouching for him, much of the wariness toward him vanished. Now, it was up to David to meet the expectations of those looking at him with hopeful gazes. Fortunately, he had come prepared.
"Let's do this in order," David said, using the commanding tone he often employed as a butler. He opened his briefcase and took out a stack of papers enclosed in an ornate leather binder. With almost reverent care, he handed the documents to the dwarven woman. "This will keep you busy for the foreseeable future."
David noticed the woman mimicking his careful handling of the documents. She seemed meticulous—an essential trait for a craftsman. She opened the binder and read the first page. As she did, all eyes turned to her, keenly observing her reactions.
David peeked over her shoulder, which wasn't as intrusive as it sounded, given her dwarven stature. The first page detailed the introduction to the temperature regulation apparatus. Jettero, their lead engineer, had found the concept quite intriguing and had made several improvements to the initial design.
Not a word was spoken as the dwarf flipped through the pages, though her leaned-forward posture and intensely focused gaze told David all he needed to know: the woman was hooked.
"Fascinating," she murmured after studying the schematics for a while. "The engineering components are quite advanced, even by dwarven standards. But what truly impresses me is the creativity of the design. Whoever devised this managed to blend several known concepts to create something new, something they weren't intended for. It's quite brilliant!"
David nodded, pleased with the praise. "Our lord made his fortune with a similar invention back in Tradespire. His foresight in such matters is usually spot on."
For the first time since the woman had received the plans, she averted her gaze to stare at him with a startled look on her face. "The boy came up with these?"
David began to nod, but the gesture turned into a shrug halfway. "Yes and no," he said eventually. "The ideas are definitely his, but our lead engineer spent countless hours turning his plans into something feasible."
The woman nodded slowly before returning her attention to the documents. "A shame. If I had known about this, I would have spent more time pestering the boy." With those words, she immersed herself back into the material. Alongside the temperature regulation device, many other schematics had been included in the folder.
Jettero intended to shift a significant portion of the production for the Gondola here. If successful, this plan would allow them to increase their output while lowering costs. It seemed like a win-win situation, especially considering Undercity had ample manpower to handle their demands. However, how proficient these workers were remained to be seen.
"Now," David said, addressing the rest of the council. "I heard you're facing a food shortage?"
The water mage nodded, wearing a grim expression. "It's the lifeline tying us to the city above. If we could solve this, we'd be fully independent. But alas, nothing grows in these caverns…"
David could empathize with her frustration. But that only made his next revelation all the sweeter. He produced a tightly sealed pouch from his briefcase and placed it on the round table. He handled the bundle with utmost care, treating it like a treasure.
"This," he said simply, "is the solution to that problem."
All eyes focused on the package. Some seemed excited, others skeptical, though doubt lingered on all their faces. It was understandable. How could such a tiny package hold the solution to a problem that had plagued the city for years?
Without waiting for anyone to prompt him, David explained his meaning. "My lord had initially planned to import specialty crops that could grow underground. The dwarfs possess some such variants…" he said, nodding toward the dwarven woman.
This managed to startle the dwarf out of her reverie; the mention of the delicacies of her home proved too enticing to ignore. "You managed to get your hands on Forgebloom spores? How?" she asked excitedly.
David shook his head. Having lived in a dwarven city for the past few months, he was well aware of how protective they were of their mushrooms. Honestly, it would have been quite a challenge to get his hands on any of them. Thankfully, his lord somehow managed to procure something on his own.
"Earthcore Caps, then?" she asked after a moment of thought.
David shook his head, and before the woman could go down the list any further, he stopped her with a raised hand. "I ended up not bringing any dwarfen products."
The excitement left her face, but was soon replaced by a newfound curiosity. "If you didn't get this from my people, then who would be able to help… Did the elves cultivate a new strain?" she guessed.
David tilted his head, considering the question. The spores had indeed been produced by an elf, but it wasn't related to the elven tribe as a whole.
Having followed Maximilian for most of his life, David was, of course, familiar with the name Cassius Leafless. The man was a genius on the same level as Maximilian himself, having pioneered a completely unique form of Magic and risen to the level of Archmage despite having multiple affinities. To think that Ezekiel encountered him, of all people…
David was brought out of his musings by the combined weight of the stairs boring down on him. Right, he had been asked a question.
"My lord has called upon a personal favor to have this made," he explained. "It is tailored to the climate of Undercity, grows on anything, and only needs water and manure to thrive. It's a fast-growing, rapidly multiplying mushroom with roughly the same energy content as cow meat…" At this point, David took a break from his explanation to study the expression of his audience. He was not disappointed.
Every single face staring back at him had a look of utmost shock on their expression. Naida Wellenreiter, who was responsible for their food, even had her mouth hanging wide open as she gaped at the pouch in front of him.
David struggled to contain a smile. He finally understood why his lord enjoyed delivering shocking revelations. After witnessing their amazement, he couldn't resist adding one more detail. "…it also comes in a dozen flavors."
This last statement proved to be the final straw, as everyone began speaking at once, leaving him unable to understand anything. The excitement only subsided when Naida decided to douse everyone with a splash of water.
She then turned to David, a slight hitch to her voice. "Is that really true?"
He nodded, completely understanding her emotional reaction. She was far from the only one now watching the bundle with shining eyes. While small, the package represented something nobody in Undercity had ever had: freedom and independence.
David gently placed it in her hands. "Take good care of it."
Naida didn't hesitate before storming out of the room, followed by about half a dozen others. The meeting was forgotten as they focused on the urgent matter at hand. The crafters also took this opportunity to excuse themselves, rushing to the workshop.
David turned to face the remaining people. They were clearly the more combat-oriented portion of the council, and David recognized many of them as former members of the Venemous Cabal.
"There's a task I need your help with," he said, addressing the woman who had spotted him. From the description, she was likely the person known as Elder Rabbit. If her talents were related to Shadow Magic, she might just be able to help him.
Noticing his gaze, she bobbed her head, signaling for him to speak.
"My lord has tasked me with taking over an abandoned mine. It was designated as a danger zone but still contains a wealth of ores. If we manage this task, we won't need to worry about raw materials for the next century…"
David chose to leave out the fact that he wasn't targeting the mine for ore but the mysterious liquid metal. That piece of information was on a need-to-know basis.
Fortunately, his request was met with quite a bit of enthusiasm. It seemed the fighters had been somewhat bored now that the gangs were working together. They had likely done nothing but patrol the city for the past weeks.
"That sounds promising," the rabbit-eared woman said. "Count me in."
Many others echoed her sentiment. Among them were the boar-headed man and a woman with striped yellow fur who seemed most enthusiastic.
David smiled. His arrival in the city had begun on a rough note, but he had already made significant progress in just a day. With the groundwork laid by his lord, he would transform the place into a second stronghold for his family, surpassing their headquarters in Tradespire.
This time, he wouldn't allow anyone to challenge their position.